Snickerdoodles

Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Rolling Mixture:

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In bowl, sift flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together.  Set aside
3. Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to creamed ingredients and mix well.  Add the rest of flour mixture and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Chill dough for at least 1 hour.
6. Shape dough into rounded balls (about a teaspoonful of dough).
7. In a separate bowl, mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon for the rolling mixture.
8. Roll balls of dough in mixture and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 
9. Bake 8-10 minutes.  Remove immediately and place on cooling rack.

Simple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked Thai jasmine rice
4 cups water (for rice)
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup Maggi seasoning sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen diced carrots
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
3-5 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Instructions:

To rice cooker, add 2 cups uncooked rice and 4 cups water.  Cook until done.  (Can also cook on stove-- follow package directions).  When rice is cooked, set aside until completely cooled. (Sometimes I cook rice the night before and refrigerate it overnight).

In a small bowl, slightly beat eggs and add garlic salt.  Scramble eggs in skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil until just cooked.  Set aside.

In large skillet on medium heat, add 3 tablespoons oil, cook garlic until golden brown.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add cooled rice, soy sauce, Maggi seasoning sauce, sugar and white pepper.  Mix well.

Defrost peas and carrots in a microwave safe bowl until tender (1-2 minutes on high).  Add to rice.  Lastly, add eggs back into rice.  Gently mix ingredients together.  Serve immediately.

Stir-Fried Garlic Noodles

Ingredients:

8 oz. thinly sliced pork
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup shredded carrots (I buy mine pre-packaged to save time)
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup sliced shitake mushrooms
2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Chinese red pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 package of cappelini noodles
4-6 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use canola oil)

Pork Marinade Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese white pepper salt
1/2 teaspoon Chinese red pepper powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce

Instructions:

In a small bowl, marinate pork (can substitute chicken, beef, or turkey) for at least 1/2 hour in refrigerator.  (I like to marinate it overnight).

Boil cappellini noodles according to package directions (al dente).  Do not over cook.  Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Heat large skillet (I use non-stick) or wok, add 2-3 tablespoons of oil.  Stir-fry pork until cooked through.   Remove from skillet and set aside.  Add 2 tablespoons oil to same pan, stir-fry garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and green onions.  Add Chinese red pepper powder, salt and sugar.  Cook until vegetables are just tender. (5-7 minutes).  Remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same skillet, on low heat, stir-fry cappellini noodles with 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup oyster sauce. (Might want to add a little more or a little less of these sauces, depending on how salty you want the noodles).  Add the stir-fried pork and vegetables to the noodles.  Toss until warmed through.  Serve immediately.

**This dish can easily be made vegetarian.  Just omit meat and substitute vegetarian stir-fry sauce in place of the oyster sauce.

Pho - Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup

Pho - Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 - 1/2 lbs ox tail (optional)
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup Vietnamese pho flavoring paste
2 med-lg onion

1 bag of pho rice noodles
4 scallions

4 cups bean sprouts

16-20 sprigs of thai basil (optional)

16-20 sprigs of purple basil (optional)

8-10 sprigs of mint and/or asian mint (optional)

8-10 sprigs of cilantro (optional)

2-4 thai chili peppers (jalapeno can be supplemented)

2 limes

hoison sauce 

srirachi sauce

Directions:
Rinse the chicken with water.  Remove the insides of the chicken.  Place chicken in deep soup pan.  Sear with Olive oil.  Remove chicken, add ox tail into pan and sear on all sides.  Add chicken back into pot with ox tail.  Add enough water to cover the chicken and ox tails.  Cut one onion into patty rings, add to pot.  Add 1/2 the amount of fish sauce and the Vietnamese flavoring paste.  Reserve the remaining fish sauce for later. Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15-25 minutes (depending on the size of chicken).  Once your chicken is completely cooked thru, remove chicken, set aside to cool.  

Remove chicken from the bone and shred into large pieces.  Refrigerate chicken pieces.  Add large pieces of bone back into simmering pot with ox tails.  Add remaining fish sauce.  Simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 2 hrs.  Remove from heat.  Remove ox tail and refrigerate.  Remove and toss bones and onions from pot.  Let pot cool.  Skim fat and impurities off top layer.  Repeat as necessary, until soup runs clear.  I suggest using a fine sieve to remove additional small particles.  

Fill a large pot with water.  Bring water to a boil.  Add Rice noodles, bring pot back up to a boil.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until noodles are el dente (slightly undercooked).  Strain noodles in a colander.  Rinse noodles under cool water to remove any excess starch on the noodle, thus preventing the noodles from sticking to each other.  Place a handful (about 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups for each serving) of noodles in a serving bowl.  

Bring soup base up to a boil.  

Cut half moon onion slices, dice thai chili pepper, finely chop scallions, and cut limes into 6 wedges each, set aside.  Place bean sprouts, shredded pieces of chicken/ox tail meat, onion, thai chili pepper, scallions and herbs on top of noodles.  Use as little or as much herbs as you desire.  Add boiling soup base to noodle bowl.

Pho - is complemented with condiments such as, hoison sauce, srirachi sauce, lime wedges and thai chili peppers.

Serves 8 

Garlic Curry Chicken

Ingredients:
Whole Chicken, back bone removed

Marinade:
1 part garlic salt
1 part onion flakes
1 part tumeric
1 part curry powder
1/2 part cumin
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup sugar

Lay chicken flat, forcefully flatten if necessary. Rub the marinade all over chicken. Place in air tight gallon size bag. Add olive oil, fish sauce and sugar. Marinate for a minimum 4 hrs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover bottom of oven pan in canola oil. Smash 3-5 cloves of garlic. Place oven pan with oil and garlic in the oven during preheat. Once oil is HOT and garlic has been infused into oil, add 1-2 T butter. Set aside garlic. Once butter has melted completely, place the chicken skin side down and sear for 5-10 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees. Place the garlic back in the oven pan, in and around the chicken. Bake until juices in chicken run clear. Total time varies depending on size of chicken. Approximately 1 hour.

Fresh Garden Salsa

Ingredients:

5-6 roma tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro
5 stalks green onions
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
2 cans salsa fresca (el pato sauce)
1 teaspoon crushed mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Lemon or lime juice to taste

Instructions:

*I rough chop all ingredients before putting them in the food processor.

In food processor, chop tomatoes to desired consistency (chunky or more pureed).  Pour into a large bowl.  Finely chop garlic, jalapeno pepper and green onions in food processor.  Add to tomatoes.  Then, chop cilantro in food processor until finely chopped.  Add to tomato mixture.  Mix in the 2 cans of salsa fresca, mexican oregano, salt, garlic salt, black pepper, and lime juice to taste.  ( I usually add the juice of 1/2 a small lemon).

Serve with your favorite brand of tortilla chips!

**A special thanks to my friend MO who taught me how to make this recipe.  She is an awesome cook and has taught me so much about Mexican food.  Thanks MO!

Sweet Coconut Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup red skin peanuts
2 cups sweet glutenous uncooked rice

1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened)

1 cup coconut juice (water can be substituted)

1 cup water

1 cup coconut milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

Instructions:

Soak peanuts 8-12 hrs in a bowl of water.  Rinse peanuts and strain.  In a rice cooker, add rice, peanuts, coconut juice, water, shredded coconut, and salt.  Cook the rice as normal in the rice cooker.  Gently stir rice mixture, then drizzle coconut milk and sugar over mixture.  Use the cook cycle a second time with the rice cooker.  This gently melts the sugar and coconut milk into the rice mixture, as a result, the sugar does not burn.  

At this point, the sweet rice is ready!  However, if you are one for a crunch, I suggest a few more repetitious steps.  Leaving your rice cooker lid open, run the cook cycle on the rice cooker two or more times.  After the second time, flip the rice over.  The layer on top will be crunchy.  To make the layer on the bottom crunchy, run the rice cooker one to two more times with the lid open.