I’m Getting Married!

My wonderful fiance popped the question! We both recieved our undergraduates in Biochemistry from the same university and proceeded to work at the same company. We started as classmates, progressed to lab partners, turned into friends, which led to coworkers. We saw each other at our worst, heartbroken from previous relationships, but were always there for each other. Supporting each other. I never imagined I would end up with this wonderful man. My mom saw it and told me the second after she met him back in 2013 that she wished I would date him. I didn’t see it, he was my friend, one of my closest friends. and if I am completely honest, NOTHING like the guys I had previously been with. Eventually, he won me over and moved out of the friendzone.

On July 1st, 2016 he proposed to me on our first day in Washington DC visiting his brother. We went on a hike in Maryland. After finally reaching the submit to these gorgeous waterfalls, I turned around and saw him on one knee. He had asked me several weeks…maybe even months previously what my ring size was…I told me what the last sizing I had was….surprisingly I either had remembered my ring size incorrectly or I went through a chubby phase (which did happen) and lost the weight in my FINGERS! My beautiful engagement ring barely stayed on my finger and even when on my finger would turn sideways. As is evident from the photo below of our first night engaged.

In August 2016 we moved out of state to both pursue graduate degrees.

We have finally started to plan our wedding for the summer of 2018. If you are interested in following our story and seeing my wedding dress let me know and I will continue to update with pictures!

Spicy Thai and Chicken Soup—Instant Pot!

Since returning to school to pursue a graduate degree, I barely have any time to eat let alone cook! Instant Pot to the rescue! This magical little device lets me throw FROZEN chicken in and have a ready-to-eat meal in ~ 30-40 minutes. The best part? During that 30 to 40 minutes, I do not have to actively slave away in the kitchen. ( I honestly love cooking, but between grading 80 undergraduates homework and tests, plus my own research and school work the hours in the day, week, and month are swamped!)

To compensate for this lack of time, and still maintain a healthy diet I turn to meals that will last several days. In comes soups, stews, jambalaya, stir fry, etc

One of my favorites is this Thai Spicy Chicken Soup.

I adapted this recipe from heather christo: her recipe is semi-vegetarian (does not use any meats, but does use chicken broth) I add in the curry paste and ginger when I have it on hand, but its not a typical pantry item and I find that this recipe is full of flavor without it!

photocred: https://heatherchristo.com/spicy-thai-curry-noodle-soup/ 

Ingredients:

1. I like things SPICY so I use ~ a mixture of 5-6 jalapenos and chili peppers.
2.  Two cloves of garlic
3. Two bunches of green onions
4. a Handful of baby bell peppers  OR 2 bell peppers–the red and green ones are my favorite. does that make me basic?
5. Two tables spoons of sriracha sauce
6. A splash of soy sauce to add to your bowl right before eating
7. cooked rice of stir-fry noodles to serve the soup on top.
8. A squeeze of lime juice (fresh lime) or a squirt of lime juice (bottled lime juice usually <$2.00)
9. One can of coconut milk you can use lite or regular coconut milk.
10. Three chicken breasts, fat removed to make this vegetarian do not add chicken!
11. if you want to add in an extra layer of dimension you can use miso paste. Add this to your broth for a full flavor body.

***THIS IS NOT A NECESSARY STEP, BUT I LIKE TO ADD IN ANY ASSORTED “STIR-FRY” VEGETABLES I HAVE LAYING AROUND….TYPICALLY a handful of shredded carrots or 3-4 full sized  CARROTS, BUT COULD BE MUSHROOMS, ZUCCHINI, BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, CABBAGE ETC***

DIRECTIONS:

1. Turn on your instant pot and hit saute.
2. Roughly chop ~90% of the spicy peppers (jalapenos or chili peppers), 90% of the sweet peppers (baby bell peppers or regular bell peppers),  1 bunch of the green onions (with the stringy root ends and tops trimmed), 2 cloves of garlic (skinned removed–I do this by smashing the garlic with the flat side of my knife)
3. USE A FOOD PROCESSOR OR IMMERSION BLENDER TO PUREE ALL OF THE ROUGHLY CHOPPED INGREDIENTS.
4. Then add in any extra “stir-fry” vegetables to the food processor.
5. Add ~1 tablespoon of oil to the instant pot. I use olive oil since it is what I typically have on hand, but I have used peanut oil in the past 
6. Then if the chicken is fresh add it to the instant pot and brown each side– approximately 2 minutes each side. If the chicken is frozen ignore this step!*
7. Add the pureed mixture from step 3. Saute for approximately 2 minutes. Basically, until you can start to smell the aroma coming from the instant pot. Do not put your head directly over the instant pot, the spicy fumes from the peppers can “burn” your nostrils and eyes
8. At this step add in your frozen chicken *
9. Then add in enough water to cover the chicken breasts
10. Hit “cancel/ keep warm” on the instant pot.
11. Then hit “manual” and set for 30 minutes. Place the lid on top and lock. Make sure the vent is closed to allow for the pressure to build.
12. Go take a break! Watch your favorite show, shower! Or anything else you desire while the instant pot cooks your delicious meal!
13. One the time has elapsed, either open up the vent to quickly release the pressure or allow the pressure to release “naturally” the natural way takes at least 10 minutes while the quick release takes ~ 3 minutes
14. One the pressure has been released open up the instant pot, remove the chicken and place into a separate bowl and shred it. This can be done with a pair of forks or if you wish you can use a kitchen aid with the mixer attachment to shred it–takes less than a minute but can sometimes shred it TOO much. I prefer to shred my chicken with forks instead. 
15. Now add the can of coconut milk to the instant pot as well as 2-4 cups of water (this depends on how thick your puree was and if you like the texture of a soup or a thicker consistency more), set the instant pot back to saute and allow to return to a boil.
16. I like to add in  1/2 of my remaining peppers at this stage, cut into short strips or slices. This adds a nice mixture of texture and color
17. Once the chicken is shredded, add it to the instant pot
18. Once the soup has returned to a boil you are done! It is dinner time.
19. Serve the soup over a bowl of rice or stir-fry noodles. Squeeze a bit of lime juice and a splash of soy sauce to each bowl.
20. Garnish with green onions and a mixture of slices of fresh bell peppers and spicy peppers (jalapenos or chile peppers)

I get lazy with my leftovers and store the ENTIRE instant pot in the fridge after it has cooled. You can purchase silicone lids to cover the pot or use aluminum foil

Thanksgiving Left Overs for Turkey Curry

Thanksgiving always brings about lots of family, friends and FOOD….which leads to plenty of left overs. Now I do not not know about you, but i do NOT like eating the same meal over and over again. To add a little variety to your turkey left overs try this Turkey Curry.

 

• 4 cups shredded turkey
• Two 12 1/2 ounce jars of curry ( I prefer the spicy green curry sauce)
• 2 Tbsp. of Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 2-4 Tbsp. of Cilantro for topping
• 1 Lime
• 1 cup uncooked rice

Serves approximately 6 people

Combine the turkey, onion, and basil with the curry sauce and bring to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Heat for 5-7 minutes.

Prepare the rice according to the manufactures instructions.

Serve the curry turkey over the rice. Squeeze the juices from a lime wedge of the sauce and top with cilantro.

Soy and Honey Glazed Chicken

This is probably one of our favorite sauces. It goes perfect with chicken, pork, salmon,ect ect. Plus it is _super_ easy to prepare, you will wonder why you never thought about mixing cilantro any soy sauce together before. The ginger and the jalopeno add a nice bite to the dish, yet the honey prevents the sauce from getting too spicy.

As I mentioned in my Fried Rice recipe, I like to serve this dish and the fried rice together. If you thinly slice the chicken, and cook it in the sauce, and then remove the chicken from the sauce after it is done cooking and mix it in with the rice then it becomes a sort of stir-fry. Delicious. We like to then drizzle the sauce the chicken was prepared in over our stir-fry.

Soy and Honey Glazed Chicken

1. 1 cup chicken stock
2. 1/2 cup chicken stock
3. 2 Tbsp. honey
4. 4 Chicken Breasts
5. 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
6. 1 bunch of cilantro
7. 1 jalopeno

In a large skillet bring the stock, soy sauce, and honey to a simmer. Reduce for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the chicken and heat on high. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the center.

IF the chicken is sliced into small chunks or slices this will only take 5-7 minutes. If you decide to leave the chicken as chicken breasts this could take 10-15 minutes and the majority of the sauce will have been absorbed into the chicken. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the ginger, cilantro, and jalopeno. Toss together. This dish goes perfectly over rice, and especially well with fried rice.

Skillet Fried Rice

As I have said before and will say again a million times, Chinese food is one of my absolute FAVORITE foods. I have tried tons and tons of different versions of fried rice, but it always seemed to be lacking something. I am still bound and determined to find out what sauce they put on the fried rice at Chinese restaurants and hibachi places.Until I find that sauce, this is a satisfying alternative.

Skillet Fried Rice

1. 3 cups cooked rice
2. 4 scrambled eggs divided
3. 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce divided
4. 2 Tsp. Lemon Juice divided
5. 1/2 cup chopped Green Onions divided
6. 2 Tbsp. Peanut Oil divided
7. 2 cups scallions, thinly sliced, divided.

Heat two large skillets to high. Add 1 Tbsp peanut oil to each skillet and heat until the oil begins to smoke. Add 1 1/2 cup rice to each skillet. Cook for 1 minute without moving. Add 2 scrambled eggs to each skillet after 30 seconds, flip the rice mixture. Cook for an additional minute and then add 1 Tbsp. of soy sauce, 1 cup scallions, 1 Tsp. lemon juice to each skillet. Mix together and cook for an additional two minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately. This pairs well with Soy and Honey Glazed Chicken.

My Homemade BAKED Egg Rolls

I do not know about you, but Chinese food is one of my absolute favorite types of foods, but comes with the huge downside that Chinese take-out is incredibly bad for you and then leaves you feeling like crap for the rest of the day. The bright side is, I have FINALLY tackled the homemade egg roll my friends would even tell you they prefer mine now to take-out.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. Ground Turkey
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. Peanut Oil ( This is VERY important, the peanut oil gives these egg rolls the taste you are expect)
• 1-3 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
• 16 ounces shredded coleslaw (If you want to make these egg rolls vegetarian, use twice the amount of coleslaw in place of the meat)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. of Sherry, or dry white wine
• 3 teaspoons of cornstarch
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 12 egg roll wrappers, I use Nasoya all natural egg roll wrappers

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. Peanut oil and heat until hot. Add the coleslaw, green onions and 1/2 of the crushed red pepper. Stir fry for 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add the ground meat, garlic, and remaining red pepper to the wok. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Spoon off any fat.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sherry and cornstarch until smooth. Add the mixture to the wok. Stir-fry until the sauce boils and thickens. Return the coleslaw mixture to the wok and heat through. Remove from heat.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Use a large flat baking sheet. Drizzle peanut oil across the sheet. Take an egg roll wrapper and ensure the wrapper is dampened on both sides with oil from the baking sheet. Then using an ice cream scoop, fill the egg roll with 1 scoop of the filling. To fold the wrapper, fold bottom point of the wrapper up over the filling, fold side points over the filling to form an envelope shape. Then pull the top of the egg roll wrapper over the point. Press firmly to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. You may need to drizzle more oil throughout the process.

Baked at 375 for 15 minutes, then flip the egg rolls and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until crisp. Serve with duck sauce, soy sauce, hot mustard sauce, or sweet and sour sauce.