Red Beans and Rice

Usually during the summer I try to cook a meal that we can eat for at least 3 meals... It's so hot to stay in the kitchen and we are so busy running around or hanging out by the pool.. Who wants to be inside right??? 

Ingredients: 

2 lb bag red kidney beans 

1 pack pig tails (I like the unsalted ones) 

1 pack pork belly marinate in salt 

1 pack cubed ham seasoned 

2 pack Hillshire sausage .. 1 spicy and 1 mild 

1 T dried parsley (if u have fresh.. It's good too) 

1 T garlic powder 

1 T Worcestershire sauce 

1 T sugar 

1 t chicken powder 

1 chopped up onion 

1 chopped up bell pepper 

5 stalk chopped celery 

3 bay leaf 

** Add last 1 stick of butter 

Pepper 

Hot sauce (to taste) 

***I like to soak my beans over night 

DIRECTION: 

Drain the water out the beans..

In a large pot pour the beans and cover with water. I put in the pig feet and all my seasoning .. I leave the sausage until the last 30 minutes.. I don't like my sausage to cook. Sometimes I don't even put the sausage into the pot of beans.. I cook it separately then add on top when I am ready to eat. Especially since I have a spicy and a mild.. Since my kids don't like spicy 

Cook on medium for about 4 hours.. In the end.. Take your spoon and smooch the beans to the side of the pot so it can be creamy. Right before you turn off the pot.. Add the stick of butter.. 

Taste in the end.. Then add your salt last because the ham and pork belly that I used is already salted 

Serve over rice 

Garnish with parsley 

ENJOY!!! 

Banh Bo Nuong (Honeycomb Cake)

Ingredients:

1 can  Coconut milk
2 C sugar
Pinch of salt
1 t  pandan extract
8 eggs
2 ½ teaspoon  baking powder ( I use 2 of the pink envelope that they sell at the Asain market) 
2 C tapioca starch
Vanilla (Optional).

Process:

Step 1: Melt 2 C sugar with 1 can  coconut milk and pandan extract in a sauce pan on low heat. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and wait to get cold. Remember to continue to stir or it will burn because of the sugar 

Step 2: Grease the baking  pan. I like to use a bundt pan because it comes out so pretty ;)  Then put pan into oven and preheat oven to 350 Degree.


Step 3: Crack 8 eggs in bowl, use a fork or whisk to stir eggs. I recommend that do not beat the eggs or over-stir, just stir enough to homogenize the whites and yolks. Stir about 5 – 10 minutes.

TIP:The whisk should always be touching the bottom of bowl, it is to avoid creating foam.
Step 4: Once the egg mixture is ready add  the coconut mixture. Sift the starch and baking powder into the mixture. Mix them together until smooth. 

Step 5: Pour the mixture into the  hot pan through a strainer.

Step 6: Bake for  1 hour  at 350 until the face of mixture gets golden. Your house will smell DEVINE!!!

Step 7: Then, let it cool ..turn it upside down on a rack.

ENJOY!!!!  

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

5	cups whipping cream
12	ounces white chocolate
2	cup milk
1	cup sugar
4	eggs
10	egg yolks
2	loaf French bread or 1 loaf Italian bread, cut into ¼ ” slices and dried in oven
2	teaspoon vanilla
	SAUCE:
12	ounces white chocolate, melted
6	oz heavy cream
2	tablespoons chocolate shavings (to garnish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350---I place the dish in the middle rack

Spray a casserole dish large enough to hold the bread and egg mixture with non-stick vegetable spray.

Being careful not to burn the mixture, heat cream & add chocolate in a double boiler. Stir until melted and remove from the heat.
Also in a double boiler, whisk together the milk, sugar, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla and heat until till just warm.
Pour this into white chocolate mixture and blend.

Place the bread in the baking dish & pour the cream mixture over the bread.
Let it absorb for a few minutes...I sometime use my hands and massage the bread so that all the cream soak into the bread...you want the bread to soak into the cream so that it wont be dried out during baking.

Cover with foil & bake for 1 hour.
Remove foil & bake 15 minutes longer, or until top is golden.

To make the white chocolate sauce:
In a double boiler, melt 12 oz white chocolate with the cream.
Remove from the heat & stir until blended.

To serve: Let the pudding cool to room temperature.

(Can be served warm or chilled).
Cut into serving pieces & spoon the warm sauce over the servings.
Top with white  chocolate shavings.

***Raspberry sauce--optional
1 C frozen raspberry (if you have fresh ..you can use that too ...but I find that making it with frozen taste better to me) 
1/2 C sugar 
2 T water 

in a sauce pan ...cook up sauce until sugar is dissolved..then once it cool pour into a blender...drizzle over bread pudding

Curry beef (chuck roast) with potato and carrots

I love making anything that is a 1 pot meal .. Especially if it has a protein and veggies all in one ;) 

This curry beef stew is delicious and very flavorful.. It can be a little spicy too..just depends on how much curry you use. 

Ingredients: 

3 lb chuck roast ---cubed them into 2 in pieces (because they will shrink up during cooking) 

2 T minced lemongrass 

3 T curry powder (optional.. I like mines spicy.. You can add 2 T instead) 

2 t minced garlic 

1 t garlic powder 

2 T sugar 

1 t salt (you can add more in the end) 

7 cans of chicken broth 

2 can of coco roco ( can get at the Asian market.. It's in a soda can) 

5 carrots-- peeled and cut into little 1 in

5 medium red potato peel and cubed 

Peppier 

Cilantro and sliced green onion to garnish 

***french bread or vermicelli noodles or rice ***  

In a large pot with a little oil throw in your chuck, lemon grass, curry powder, minced garlic, sugar, salt, garlic powder (first 7 ingredients) .. Sauté that until meat is cook.. About 15-20 minutes.. Next add in your chicken broth and 2 can of coco roco... cook for about 1 hr on medium heat.. Then add in your potato and carrots.. Cook for about another 20 minutes and serve up. Add some black crack pepper 

Taste to see if you like it more salty or spicy .. 

Garnish with cilantro/green onion 

*** I actually add some sriracha to my bowl .. I like to dip French bread in the broth *** 

ENJOY!! 

Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

I went to my son end of year party and the hostess made these awesome chicken salad with pecan and red grapes.. I must have ate about 10 of them 😉

What was great about these beauty was there was no mayo in them.. So you can have them at picnic without worrying if they will go BAD...and you didn't need to keep them on ice. 

RECIPE: 

1 store bought rosterisserie chicken-- cubed  them small 

1 C poppy seed dressing (depending on how much you like you chicken salad to be wet.. You can add the whole jar... I did ;) 

1/2 C red grapes -- sliced in halves ( if they are small.. Quarter of they are are the large ones 

1/2 C of pecan 

Dash of pepper (optional) 

In a large bowl add your cubed chicken, sliced up red grapes, pecans and pour the poppy seed dressing .. Make sure to coat the chicken well. 

Serve with a croissant ;) 

It's delicious 

*** you don't really need any additional seasoning because of the rosterisserie chicken is already flavorful 

Ranch Chicken

After going on vacation for 10 days.. I so miss a home cook meal.. I got so tired of eating hamburger and french fries.. 

Been craving for something to eat with rice and VEGGIES :) 

I didn't get a chance to go grocery shopping so I just ran to the neighborhood grocery store and grab some wings. 

Ingredients: 

16 wings 

1 T dried ranch dressing 

1 t garlic powder 

1 t Tony Chachere's 

Mix all the seasoning together and sprinkle the wings.. Try to us up all the seasoning. 

Preheat oven to 350

Lay the wings on a grease baking pan and bake for 45 minutes 

Serve with rice pilaf 

ENJOY !!!