I just decided to whip up this dish quickly, because I'm hungry and lazy.  This is an easy meal to make after coming home from work because I used cooked chicken and shrimp + I borrowed the peppers from my #1 fan.  Had today been a Saturday, I would have used raw chicken and shrimp.  Anyway, it turned out pretty good and it satisfied my hunger.

Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked shrimp
1 cup of cooked chicken
1 sliced medium onion
1 jalapeno pepper (julienned)
4-5 small sweet peppers (julienned)
1 tsp of minced garlic
1-2 tbsp of canola oil
2 tbsp of brown sugar (light or dark)
1 &1/2 tbsp of soy sauce
1 & 1/2 tbsp of white vinegar
1 tbsp of ketchup
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1/2 cup of water or chicken stock
 
Corn starch solution:  mix 2 tsp of  corn starch with 2 tbsp of water

How to:
1.  In a large saucepan or a wok over medium-high heat, add canola oil, and minced garlic.  Cook till the garlic turns light brown.
2.  Add chicken, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Stir well until onion becomes slightly tender.
3.  Add water or chicken stock, turn the heat up, and bring to a boil
4.  Add the corn starch solution, stir fast and constantly to prevent lumping
5.  Add shrimp and peppers, heat the shrimp through, and make sure the peppers still remain a bit crunchy
6.  Serve hot with cooked rice




 
This is an easy and yummy way to use up your Thanksgiving and spaghetti leftovers.  It is a Yakisoba wanna be.....pretty much. I promise you’ll make it again and again, and again.

Ingredients:
1 cup of shredded cooked Turkey
¼ pound of cold cooked spaghetti or any noodles
1 cups of sliced carrots (1/4” thick) + any vegetables you like
1 cups of thinly sliced white or yellow onions
 2 tsp of minced garlic
2 tbsp of canola oil
3 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of brown sugar (doesn't really matter, light or dark)
1 tbsp of white vinegar
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp of hot pepper flakes
chopped green onions for sprinkling on top

How to:

1.  In a wok or a large medium-deep sauce pan over high heat, add canola oil and garlic.  Stir constantly to prevent the garlic from burning
2. As the garlic turns slightly brown, add carrots and onions.  Continue stirring.
3. Add turkey and noodles, then soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, black pepper, and hot peppers.  Continue stirring until the noodles and turkey are heated through.
4. Plate the stir-fried spaghetti into a pretty dish, and then sprinkle with chopped green onions.  Serve hot or warm or whateverrrrrr!
5.  I didn’t have any green onions when I was making the dish last night, therefore, you won’t see any green onions in the photo, SORRY I said.

 
Everybody's favorite.....kids....adults....pups!  Oh..oh...did I say pups??

Ingredients: 
 2 sheets of Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry (defrosted)
1- 1/12 cup of tomato sauce (see Greg’s sGhapetti with Meatbalbs recipe, simmer the sauce until it's thick enough to be used as pizza sauce, let it cool down first to be used in this recipe)
1 cup of cooked ground Italian sausage
1cup of sliced pepperoni
1/2 pound of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon of water or milk, for egg wash)
 
How to:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
1.  Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and gently roll it out to 10 by 12 “
2.  Place it on a sheet pan and spread the center with tomato sauce, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.  Place Italian sausage and pepperoni over the sauce, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Brush the border with the egg wash.
3.  Place the second sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and follow step 1
4.  Place the second sheet on top of the filled pastry.  Cut the edges straight with a small, sharp knife and press together lightly, and then press gently with the back of a fork to create a pretty edge.
5.  Brush the top of your pizza with egg wash and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to come out.
6.  Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the pizza is puffed up and golden brown.
7.  Call your family down to eat this yummy pizza puff 

 
When our daughter was little, she pronounced spaghetti “sGhapetti”.  It is our family tradition to call it sGahpetti.  How did/do your little ones pronounce spaghetti?

(Our daughter’s baby/toddler dictionary:  Meatbulbs = Meatballs, Yew Nork = New York, Pawl Nailish = Nail Polish, 
Someping = Something, Everysing = Everything, Ahh Juu Jee = Barney’s the Purple Dinosaur)

Meatbulbs (make about 20)
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds of ground beef
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
2 slices of white bread
¼ cup of milk
1/2 cup of garlic toast crumbs
2 eggs
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of ground black pepper
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of fennel seeds
A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

How to:
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit, line a sheet pan with foil and brush with olive oil
1.  Soak white bread in milk, set aside
2.  In a medium size bowl, add ground beef, milk-soaked white bread, and the rest of the ingredients until well combined
3. Form the ground beef mixture into meatbalbs
4. Bake meatbulbs in the oven for about 20 minutes
5.  While meatbulbs are in the oven, start making the tomato sauce


Tomato Sauce
1 32oz can of whole tomatoes (chop them with scissors while in the can)
1 32oz can of tomato sauce
1 medium onion (diced)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of salt
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of Herbs de Provence

How to:
1. In a large saucepan, add olive oil, onions, and garlic then sauté until they become soft and translucent.
2. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (adjust the salt and sugar according to your like), we like it this way.
4. Let it simmered for about 10 minutes, and stir occasionally.
5. Now add the cooked meatbulbs to the sauce and simmer for another 5-8 minutes
6. Serve with cooked spaghetti, duh!!  We like thin spaghetti, because it takes up sauce better than the regular kind
7. EAT and do the sGhapetti DANCE
Picture
The beginning of the Meatbulbs
Picture
Those are definitely NOT my hands, they are Greg's!!
Picture
Squeeze them well
Picture
Forming the meatbulbs
Picture
The meatbulbs are lining up tidily.
Picture
The beginning of the sauce
Picture
in go the tomato sauce and the tomatoes
Picture
The cooked meatbulbs are ready to swim in the sauce.
Picture
The meatbulbs are now swimming happily in the sauce.
Picture
Dinner time!!!!!
 
I'm not a bean person at all, but I adore this baked beans because it's got meat in it.  You can eat it like a meal instead of a side dish.....so good on a piece of toast, too.  


Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground beef
½ lb. of bacon
1 diced large white or yellow onion
1 tbsp of vinegar
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of dry mustard
¾ cup of brown sugar
½ cup of tomato ketchup
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of lima beans
2 cans of pork and beans

How to:
1.  In a heavy saucepan, brown the above three ingredients together.
2.  Add the rest of the ingredients.
3.  Simmer for about 45 minutes and it is now ready to be chowed down.






 
Jenny, my #1 fan loves this salad, I'm sure she'll bathe herself with the dressing when nobody's around

Ingredients
1 lb of beef sirloin or flank
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon of fresh lemongrass, chopped
1 small cucumber
1 small jalapenos or serrano peppers, chopped
8 oz of romaine lettuce leaves
1 tomato, cut into wedges
1 red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup of Thai sweet and sour sauce (see recipe below)

How to:
1.  Marinade the steak with 1t ablespoon of fish sauce and brown sugar for at least 30 minutes, set aside.
2.  Dressing:  Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, Thai sweet and sour sauce, lemongrass and garlic in a small bowl and mix well.
3..Grill the steak to medium rare or medium, and then slice it thinly into bite size pieces.

To serve the Thai steak salad, mix together the cucumber, red onions, tomato wedges and salad leaves and place on a large platter or in a large bowl.  Top with the thinly sliced steak and the spicy dressing.  

Thai Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients:
3 cups of  granulated sugar
1.5 cup of white vinegar
2 teaspoons of salt
2-3 teaspoon of chopped red chilies

How to:
Bring sugar, vinegar, and salt to a boil.  Reduce the heat, and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce has reached the consistency of corn syrup.  Allow the sauce to cool down before adding the chopped red chilies.   
       
 
Vanilla sugar is excellent to have around the house, add it to your coffee, tea, and dessert.  It does make a great gift!!! 

Ingredients:
2 cups of granulated white sugar
1 vanilla bean pod 
1 glass jar

How to:
1.  In a glass jar, add 1 cup of sugar into it.
2.  Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds with the back of a knife
3.  Drop the bean and scraped seeds on top of the sugar that's already in the jar.  Add the rest of the sugar to the jar.  Allow the sugar mixture to rest for about 2 weeks before using it.
 
French toast captures all hearts.  Try this easy recipe and your mouth will become watery according to my sister.

Ingredients:
3-4 sliced of plain white sandwich bread
2 large eggs
4 tbsp of whole milk
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of white sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp of butter
powdered sugar
(Warm or room temperature) Maple or pancake syrup (whatever you'd like)

How to:
1.  Crack eggs and place them in a medium size rectangle pan (11 x 7"), add milk, ground cinnamon, white sugar, and vanilla extract.  Beat the egg mixture until well blended.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat, lightly (or heavily) coat the skillet with butter.
3.  Dip both sides of bread in the egg mixture for about 30 seconds.
4.  Transfer the egg bread into the skillet, cook each side until golden brown (2-3 minutes total).
5.  Sprinkle the French toast with powdered sugar, top it with butter and maple or pancake syrup.
6.  Serve with bacon, breakfast sausage, or fresh berries.





 
Sometimes you may hear this side dish being called cucumber relish, but call it whatever you'd like.  There are two parts for this recipe, the salad, and its dressing.  It is very simple to create this side dish.  By the way, you definitely would want to accompany your satay dish with this lovely & refreshing cucumber salad.
 
Thai Sweet and Sour Dressing
 Ingredients:
 3 cups of granulated sugar
1 & 1/4 cups of white vinegar 
2 tsp of salt
1-2 tbsp of finely chopped red chilies
 
How to:
1.   In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, and salt.  Bring it to a boil, let it simmered over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes.  The sauce should have the same consistency as corn syrup. 
 2.  Allow the dressing to cool completely before adding the chopped red chilies, stir well.
 
NOTE:  This dressing can be used as a delicious sweet and sour dipping sauce.  It can be kept in a glass jar in a refrigerator for a couple of weeks (without the chopped chili
es).
 
In order to complete a satay dish with dignity, peanut sauce must tag along.  They shouldn't be existing without each other.  This recipe is adapted to meet the today's fast-paced & busy lifestyle, it will take less than 15 minutes to make.  Just don't tell a traditional Thai chef that we're using peanut butter here, but then.....who cares.....as long as it tastes good and you enjoy it!
 
INGREDIENTS:
 1 cup of creamy peanut butter (if you like it crunchy, go crunchy)
1.5-2 cups of coconut milk or evaporated milk
2-3 tbsp of brown sugar   
1 tsp of salt
1-2 tsp of Thai red curry paste (for a spicier taste, add more curry paste)
 
How to:
 1.  Whisk peanut butter, brown sugar, salt, Thai red curry paste, and coconut milk (or evaporated milk) very well in a medium saucepan.
 2. Over medium low heat, bring peanut sauce mixture to a boil.  Stir or whisk constantly to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  If the sauce becomes too thick, add more coconut milk or evaporated milk.
 
Note:  1. Peanut sauce will easily burned, stirring and whisking constantly is an      
               absolute must.  This is not the time to text your friend.                
            2. Both coconut milk and Thai red curry paste can be found in most local
                grocery stores or any Asian stores.

 

    Author

    I’m an atypical almost middle-aged girl who currently lives in a beautiful tiny town called “Spring Lake”, Michigan.  I’m not a full-time mom or a full-time wife (because I work full-time), but I’m a mom, a wife, an animal lover, a cook, a food addict, a former city girl, an aspired Bond girl, and etc…….  I was born in a magical faraway land so far away from Spring Lake.  The exact distant from my home town and Spring Lake is 8741 miles.  The best way to get there is to fly…..oh my….oh my, not too much fun being on a plane that long.  Anyway, let’s see what I have in store for you.

    I love to eat, therefore, I love to cook.  My style of cooking is simple and very simple.  Nothing's fancy...may be once in a while, but it'll still be easy.  I try not to create any more complications in my life.

    Simplicity is the master key in my kitchen.

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