Chicken Satay

Food on a stick strikes again!  Come to think of it, we are going to have the ultimate food on a stick at our wedding.  This chicken was so flavorful and moist, I was really happy that we had leftovers.  Sweet, salty, spicy and all the different spices.  I will make this again!

What you'll need:
1 pound chicken tenders
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon yellow curry
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves minced

Add everything to a large zip lock bag and marinate for 2-3 hours.  Run 2 chicken tenders onto a skewer.  Preheat bbq over medium high.  Grill each side for about 5 minutes or until juices run clear. You should have a little char on each side of the chicken.

I love how this photo is just a bag of raw chicken, but the background is so pretty.

I think tonight will be thai chicken pizza with the left over chicken and peanut sauce that I made to go with the spring rolls.  Leftovers are wonderful.  As long as I don't get home for lunch and Kam has found said leftover chicken.  Enjoy!

Wedding Invites!

Ok, I think I can finally share!  Here is our invite.  I took the photo and designed them myself mostly in Indesign, my favorite program of all time!  We are really happy with how they turned out.  We took what seemed like 200 different posses with the signs that day.  It wasn't too hard to pick our favorite one, although they were all really cute.  I will share a few more soon, but in the mean time, here is our invite.  Getting closer......

These little post cards are so fun.  I love checking the mail and getting two or three everyday.  The some of the messages are so fun!  

Breakfast Quesadilla

This actually tasted better than I expected.  I was making a loaf of banana bread, which was a failed attempt buts thats another story, and Kam decided right when I started that he wanted to cook breakfast.  So instead of having him in the kitchen, in my way and complaining that I was taking up all the counter space, I just made it for him.  All the spices with the ham and sharp cheddar made a rich and full flavor breakfast.

What you'll need:
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup green pepper chopped
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 mushrooms sliced
4 eggs
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 avocado sliced
1/2-1 cup cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
Few dashes green tabasco (or any hot sauce)
1 cup ham lunch meat or cooked sausage
4 or 5 pickled jalapeno rings (optional)
2 tortillas

Melt 1 teaspoon butter in medium fry pan over medium. Add onions and bell pepper.  Saute until onions are translucent and soft.  Slice lunch meat into smaller pieces.  Add meat to pan with mushrooms, cumin, coriander & black pepper.  Cook for a few more minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften and ham has brown bits all over it.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil (optional) and spray with cooking spray (tortilla will stick).  Place one tortilla in the center and evenly spread meat/veggies over tortilla.

Preheat oven to 400.  Melt other teaspoon of butter into pan.  Be sure to leave all the brown bits in the pan, they will flavor the eggs.  Crack eggs into pan.  Break yokes and scramble.  Once eggs are cooked through, spread over meat/veggies on tortilla.  Top with cheese, cilantro, avocado slices, jalapenos and a few dashes of hot sauce.  Top with other tortilla and press down.  Place in oven and bake for about 5 minutes.  Cheese should be melted.  Turn on broiler and brown top.  Slice like a pizza and serve!

I was pleasantly surprised that this didn't just taste like every other quick thrown together scrambled eggs.  Because thats basically what it was.  Enjoy!

PS...check the Cinnamon Coffee Recipe again if you were interested in that.  I'm going to add a new flavor option to the same recipe.

Wilfred

Please tell me someone besides us watched this show last night.  If you are not a dog person, than forget it.  But if you know, love, and understand man's best friend....do not skip this show.

Thursdays nights, 10pm, FX.  Be there!

PS...after that, watch Louie CK, you won't regret it.

Shrimp Tacos

What is not to love here.  I mean really.  Shrimp flavored with a little butter, lime and perfect spices?  Granted, this is really similar to the fish tacos, but its shrimp.  What is it about the texture of shrimp that make them so perfect.  If you think about it, its kind of weird.  A little rubbery in a way.  Then when you bite one and it snaps back and splatters all over your face.  But secretly, thats the best part.

I am seriously a shrimp connoisseur.  When I was a kid, once or twice a summer my dad was the family shrimp boat captain.  He would spend a few weeks prepping and getting the boat ready, then off we would go to Hood Canal and duke it out with all the other shrimp boat captain dads.  Then at the end of the day, we would feast!  Best memories of stuffing yourself!!

What you'll need:
1 pound fresh shrimp, shelled and tails removed
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 lime juiced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 onion chopped
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Corn or flour tortillas
1/4 cabbage sliced thin (optional)
1/4 wheel cotija cheese

Place shrimp into a bowl.  Add chile powder, cumin, lime, coriander, salt, pepper & garlic.  Toss to coat shrimp and let sit for 15 minutes.  Add chopped onions and butter to a medium fry pan.  Saute over medium until onions are translucent and tender.  Add shrimp.  Spread them out to make an even layer over pan.  Let sit for a minute or two or until you can see them starting to loose their translucent color.  Toss them a few times until they are a white-ish color and no longer that the see through look.  It should take no longer than 5 minutes.  Right before you remove from pan, toss in cilantro.  Serve in warm tortillas with a little of the cotija cheese.

I usually like to eat fish tacos with a little cabbage.  With these, I preferred to eat them as is.  The cabbage just wasn't necessary.  I even took the extra step to squeeze lime juice onto it, then didn't even use it.  Oh well!  Yay shrimp!  I have enough left over to make something else this weekend!  Happy day, weekend is almost here! Enjoy!

Fortune Friday

Cold Brew Coffee - 2 Ways!

I am a coffee fan.  A big one.  If you have never made cold brew coffee at home, you should give it a try.  It's such a refreshing summer drink, and it packs a punch.  Kam got me this really cool french press for christmas this last year, so I used that, but any container and a mesh strainer will do the same thing, you will just have one more step.  The cinnamon and the brown sugar make this drink very rich and wonderful.  Just how coffee should be.

What you'll need: Cinnamon Flavor

1 cup coffee course ground (I'm sure store bought ground would work, I grind my own)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups water

What you'll need: Dark Chocolate Flavor

1 cup coffee course ground (I'm sure store bought ground would work, I grind my own)

4 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 cups water

If using a french press, unscrew the plunger and remove from the lid.  Put somewhere safe.  Add everything into the french press or any bottle/pitcher and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours.  Put the plunger back on the lid and press.  If you are not using a french press, pour through a mesh strainer. If you coffee was ground a little too fine, pour through a coffee filter. Serve over ice.  Fill a glass a 3/4 full and top with milk or cream.

Find a quite spot and enjoy!

Ps...if you are looking for an even more rich and amazing coffee drink, check out my almost sister-in-laws blog post on Ca Phe Sua Da.  Its a coffee drink you can find at Pho restaurants.  She made if for us a few weeks ago when we stayed at their house.  Its a little more of a process and you have to have these specific little filters.  Next time your out for Pho, order a cup.  I would recommend it cold.