Beef Bulgogi

Bulgogi is a Korean dish that I've had a couple of times now and I love it every time I've had it. A friend of mine recommended a blog for me to look at to find the recipe but her recipe seemed really hard so I started looking around on Pinterest and found this one from this site: http://www.kimkimcooking.com/2013/10/29/easy-korean-beef-bulgogi/ The author said it's a simpler version using ground beef instead of the traditional sliced beef. I was a little hesitant but it turned out very flavorful. And paired with store-bought kimchi, it tastes even better! I will definitely make this dish again and again! I think it would be good served on lettuce leaves but I'm currently out. It also doesn't specify whether the beef was cooked ahead of the garlic and ginger cooking, so I cooked it ahead of time to be on the safe side.

Beef Bulgogi (2-3 servings):

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c water
1 tsp sesame oil, optional
Sesame seeds

Brown beef and drain. In pan, add oil and heat to med. Add garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes (I only cooked it about 30 seconds so the garlic didn't burn). Add cooked ground beef and mix well. Add brown sugar, soy sauce and water; mix well. Cook 7 minutes over med-high heat. Add sesame oil into cooked beef and mix well. Top with sesame seeds, if desired.




Sprinkled with sesame seeds...






Served with kimchi and sticky rice...Enjoy!

Ground Beef Chimichangas

I found this recipe on Pinterest via www.food.com I have always liked chimichangas and there was a local bar that used to serve them late at night. The ones I ate didn't have a lot of flavor for the filling so I swore if I ever made them, I'd add more to the filling. I found these on Pinterest and they sounded pretty decent. I made them tonight actually and they tasted really good. My friend ate some too and he's a super picky eater but he said they were "the bomb" lol so I guess they were a hit! I bought a 10 pack of tortillas and it made plenty. I used a can of chopped chiles instead of the can of tomatoes and I sprinkled some cheese on top of the chimichangas. I'm freezing the leftovers but I'm happy with them! I'll definitely make these again!

Ground Beef Chimichangas (6 servings) (www.food.com):

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can chopped chiles (or 1 10 oz can of tomatoes)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 c grated cheddar cheese, more for melting on the chimichangas
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
10 burrito-size flour tortilals (the recipe calls for 12 count)

Heat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Brown ground beef and drain well. Stir in onion and saute. Stir in chiles (or tomatoes), taco seasonig, garlic, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cheese; mix well.

Spoon 1/4 c meat mixture along one edge of a tortilla. Fold the edge of tortilla to cover the meat; fold in the sides and roll and secure to form a small purse. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Place in prepared dish and spray the chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired and let cook an additional 3-5 minutes.

Serve chimichangas with your desired toppings.




Meat simmering...






Cheese added to meat...






Filling on the tortillas...






Ready to be baked...






Melted cheese...






Enjoy!...

Caramel Potatoes

I found this recipe in a Fine Cooking magazine and was instantly intrigued! Caramel potatoes...kinda weird sounding but kinda good sounding at the same time. Apparently it's a Danish side dish that's often served with ham. I convinced my parents to try this dish for our Christmas dinner. It was just going to be the 3 of us so that's usually when I try new dishes. While I was making this, I wasn't sure it was going to turn out since the caramel didn't seem to be breaking down but in the end, it melted down. And it tasted really good! The only thing I didn't like was my potatoes. I used pre-cooked ones from Schwan's and I think they were cooked too well. They were kind of mushy so I think if I make this again, I'll use raw potatoes and not cook them as much. My parents want to try this dish with ham so I was thinking I could try to convince whatever relative hosts Easter this year that I would bring the potatoes lol.

Caramel Potatoes (8 servings) (Fine Cooking):

4 1/2 lb baby potatoes
Salt
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c salted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Put potatoes in a 6-8 quart pot, add cool water to cover and 1/4 c salt. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat down to maintain a simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork, 12-15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a baking sheet to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Peel. (I left the skin on my potatoes, only because they were too soft to peel.)

Put sugar in a Dutch oven over med-low heat and let it melt, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes; it will be a medium amber color. Stir in the butter and 1/2 tsp salt until foam from the butter begins to subside, 1-2 minutes. The butter and caramel will be separate at this point.

Add potatoes and stir once to coat. the caramel will seize and become stringy, but that's OK. Use the spatula to push any hard bits of caramel to the bottom of the skillet so they can melt again; as the potatoes cook, the caramel will smooth out into a homogenous sauce. Adjust the heat to keep the caramel at a simmer and cook, occasionally turning the potatoes, until the caramel thickens and begins to coat them, about 20 minutes. Gently and constantly turn the potatoes until they are coated layer by layer with the caramel, 5-10 minutes more; there will still be a thin layer of caramel in the bottom of the pot. Remove any potatoes that fall apart as you stir. Serve the potatoes with the caramel.




Sugar cooking...






Sugar slowly turning amber...






Sugar turned amber color...






Potatoes added...






Sauce finally melting down...






Enjoy!...






**Note**

I made this recipe again for Easter this year and they turned out way different and way better! I bought 12 small red potatoes, peeled them and cut them into 4 pieces. I cooked them in boiling water until just fork-tender, about 3-5 minutes. I let them cool overnight and while I was cooking the caramel, I diced them into smaller pieces. I also think I didn't use the right amount of butter the first time around-1/2 c butter is actually one stick and I think I only used a 1/2 stick. The caramel melted down perfectly with the butter and with the potatoes diced small, they adhered to the sauce so much better! There were no big chunks of hardened caramel and they just tasted better all around. Below is a picture of what they should look like!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is another recipe that I brought to my uncle's for our family potluck. I had made this recipe a lot several years ago and it was always a hit but I lost the recipe. I found it again on www.kraft.com and decided to make it again. Once again, it was a hit and there wasn't anything left of it by the time I left. Actually it was gone within the hour lol. I added some extra cheese on top and served it with Hawaiian rolls. Now that I have the recipe again, I'll keep making it!

Spinach Artichoke Dip (4-6 servings) (Kraft):

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 (12 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed, well drained
1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, more for topping
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese, more for topping
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Hawaiian rolls
Assorted crackers

Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients until well blended. Spoon into a shallow ovenproof square dish. Sprinkle with additional cheese on top, if desired. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy!




Ready to be baked...






Enjoy!...

Skewers

My family has a holiday potluck every year before Christmas. Such a fun time and always lots of good food! I try to bring something new every year and I found this recipe on Pinterest. Super easy to make and they went fast! There was only 1-2 skewers left by the time I left to go home! Definitely a hit!

Skewers (18-24 servings):

Med-size wooden skewers
2 packages of cherry-size mozzarella balls
2 packages of cherry or grape tomatoes
1 package of salami, sliced in half
18-24 cheese-filled tortellini, cooked according to pkg directions
1 can black olives

Thread the 5 ingredients onto one skewer and place in a large shallow dish. Make as many or as few as you want. You can also add or take away whatever ingredients you want. Once the skewers are finished, drizzle some good olive oil on top and top that with some balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with minced fresh basil or dried basil and serve!




Enjoy!...

Jeremiah's Pasta

A good friend of mine introduced this pasta to me last summer. He made it a couple of times whenever we would BBQ. Super easy yet so good at the same time! My work had a holiday potluck a couple weeks ago and I wanted to make something that could sit in the fridge and still be good for lunch so I decided to make this. He usually puts diced black olives in his pasta but I can't stand olives so I substituted mild banana peppers and it still tasted so good!

Jeremiah's Pasta Salad (8-10 servings):

1 box of spiral pasta
1/2 block provolone cheese, cubed
1/2 pkg miniature pepperoni (or regular pepperoni, sliced in half)
1/2 c mild banana peppers, or more to taste (or 1 small can of diced olives)
1 bottle Italian dressing, more for serving

Heat salted water to boiling. Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in large bowl. Add cheese, pepperoni and banana peppers; stir to combine. Add the entire bottle of dressing and stir to mix. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, mix pasta salad and serve with more Italian dressing (salad may get dry).




Enjoy!...

Cheesy Orzo

This is a super easy dish to make and I make it often when I'm not in the mood to cook something new or something complicated. I usually eat it with some kind of meat on top. I've eaten it with Schwan's individual roast beef and lately with Trader Joe's turkey meatballs. A nice, simple meal!

Cheesy Orzo (1-2 servings):

1 c dry orzo
1/4 c shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 tbsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp softened butter
Meat of your choice

Bring salted water to boiling. Add the orzo and boil 9 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the butter and stir util the butter melts. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Add the garlic powder and pepper and stir to mix. Add your choice of meat and enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Sloppy Joe's

Who hasn't enjoyed Sloppy Joe's growing up?! I've never made it myself for some reason so I emailed my mom for her recipe. And of course, like me with several recipes I've created, she didn't have an actual recipe. I tried to keep track of what I added but unfortunately I lost track so I'll just tell you an estimate of what I made. Either way, I think I should have added more ketchup or brown sugar but overall it tasted pretty good. I'll definitely make this again! I'm not a bun person so I ate my Sloppy Joe's with lettuce leaves and it tasted pretty good! And I always eat my Sloppy Joe's with slices of cheese and potato chips mixed in it. Yum!

Sloppy Joe's (4 servings):

1 lb ground beef
1 half of med onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c ketchup, or more to taste
1 tsp yellow mustard, or more to taste
1 tsp brown sugar, or more to taste
1 tsp chili powder
Water, as needed

1-2 slices American cheese
Lettuce leaves, or buns
Potato chips

Cook beef and onion until beef is cooked through; drain. Return to pan and add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Add the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and chili powder. Mix everything together and simmer on med to med-low for 10-15 minutes. If it looks a little thick, add some water to thin it out. Keep tasting it and adding more ketchup, mustard or brown sugar until it reaches the taste to your liking.




Simmering...






Enjoy!...