Beyond-my-thoughts: January 2023

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

2 lb of Bok Choy
1 tbsp of Oil
1.5 tsp of Salt

For the Garlic Sauce

6-8 cloves of Garlic minced
1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
1 tbsp of Sugar

Directions

Prepare the Bok Choy by cutting it in half. If the Bok Choy is quite large, cut it in half again.
Bring a pot of water to a simmer and add 1 tbsp of oil and 1.5 tsp of salt. Blanch the Boy Choy for 3-4 minutes. You want it to be soft yet still crunchy. Set aside.
Add in minced garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil in a pan. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until the sugar has melted.
Drizzle the sauce over the bok choy and enjoy!

This was so good!
Perfect for side or by itself.

Let me know what you guys think!

xo

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¾ cup milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
10 oz. diced tomatoes
8 oz. Spaghetti
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
red pepper flakes & chopped parsley, to garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Pat dry and season lightly with salt/pepper and Italian seasoning.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sear the chicken on each side for 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside. Dice into bite-sized pieces once cool enough to handle.
Reduce heat to medium low. Melt the butter in the same pot and use a silicone spatula to clean the chicken bits from the bottom. This is called “fond” and it gives the sauce a nice flavor.
Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Sprinkle flour over the onions and toss to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, until you can no longer smell flour.
Add the chicken broth in splashes to maintain the thickness of the roux. Stir in between each splash. Add the milk next, a little bit at a time. Whisk until combined and smooth.
Cook the Spaghetti according to package instructions and drain.
Meanwhile, let the sauce simmer and reduce while the pasta water heats up. Add the softened cream cheese and stir continuously until melted and smooth.
Reduce heat to low and let the base cool a bit. Sprinkle in the shredded cheddar and stir to combine.
Stir in the spaghetti. If you’re not using an oven-safe pot, transfer to a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish.
Top with mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. If desired, broil it for a few minutes at 475 degrees at the end, watch it closely.
Remove from the oven. Garnish with red pepper flakes and fresh Parsley. Serve with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese.

It is actually good as is,

Without baking it

so if you prefer it creamy you can skip the baking and just sprinkle it with cheese.

Let me know what you think!

Friday, January 13, 2023

Mexican Food Night

Mexican food is one of our favorite to make on the weekends!

Hubby makes the best Mexican food!

We made some Cheesy fries with all the amazing topping.

..and we made this for the second time!

It definitely had become our favorite!!

Homemade Crunchwrap

It was a perfect night!

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Picadillo

If you are familiar with

Pork Giniling

It is absolutely one of my favorites.

And its pretty much similar to Picadillo,

Just few difference with Ingredients.

I just love how these dishes can be unique on their own.

I love Picadillo!

It's a good dish if you want something like Pork Giniling.

Let me know what you guys think!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef or pork or mixed
2 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium if preferred)
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
4 pieces ripe tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 medium potato cubed
1 medium carrot cubed
½ cup water
¼ cup raisins
½ cup green olives
½ cup green peas
salt

Instructions

Heat oil over medium heat and saute garlic and onion until aromatic. Add the ground beef and break into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink. Add soy sauce and ground pepper and stir several times until it turns brown.
Add the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes become soft and start to break down a bit.
Add the potatoes, carrots, raisins, olives, and green peas and mix. Pour in water and bring to a simmer until carrots and potatoes are cooked and liquids are almost gone. Season with salt as needed.
Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.

So so good!!

Saturday, January 7, 2023

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you guys have noticed,

Cookies are our go-to Dessert!

It's so easy to make and you can have it for Snack too!

I have made so many cookies and this definitely on one of my favorites!

The combination of Sweet and Salty is absolutely amazing!

Let me know what you guys think!

Ingredients

1 cup butter {softened}
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups flour
4 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-3/4 cup chocolate chips
25 individual caramels {cut into quarters}
kosher salt for sprinkling after baked

Instructions

In a bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, both sugars, vanilla and eggs. Beat on medium speed until creamed. This will take about 5 minutes, but not skip this part. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, mix until just combined. Add chocolate chips and caramel quarters and mix until evenly incorporated.
Scoop cookies using a medium cookie scoop {or 2-3 tablespoons of dough}. Place cookie dough mounds onto a parchment or wax paper lined pan and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 5 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. Place 8 cookies per sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle of the cookie is just beginning to set and barely brown. Sprinkle cookies with desired amount of kosher salt immediately upon removing from oven. They will look under baked but let them cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before moving them to cooling rack and they will firm up as they cool.
Store cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!!

Friday, January 6, 2023

Creamy Chorizo Dip

If you guys don't know yet,

We love Finger Food nights!

Especially on Fridays,

We made this and it was a hit.

Definitely going to be one of our favorites!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 onion
16 ounces ground chorizo sausage casings removed if necessary
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups Milk
2 1/2 cups Cheddar Shredded Cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
1 15- ounce can yellow corn drained
1-2 fresh Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
1 tablespoon fresh scallions or chives minced
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add diced onion. Cook, stirring often, until soft; 3-4 minutes. Crumble in chorizo sausage and cook until no longer pink. Drain grease from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon.
Add flour and stir to coat. Cook for one minute.
Whisk in milk and simmer until thickened; about 3-4 minutes.
Turn heat to medium-low. Stir in 8 ounces of cream cheese until melted, then add tomatoes, corn and 6 ounces of Horizon Organic Cheddar Cheese (reserve a small amount for topping, if desired). Stir until melted and combined, and continue to cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until cheese is melted and bubbly. Season with salt if desired.
Remove from heat and garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh chives and reserved cheese, if desired. Serve hot with tortilla chips for dipping.