Fried Rice with Yum Yum Sauce

I have always loved hibachi style food.  It is the ultimate treat for me.  There is nothing better than fresh fried rice cooked right in front of you, perfectly seasoned grilled shrimp and honey chicken that has just the right amount of crisp on the outside and tenderness on the inside.  Don't even get me started on the filet mignon that is practically like eating a stick of butter...in a good way.  A really good way. 

 Even though I can't completely recreate the atmosphere and flavors of true hibachi, this comes pretty close to the fried rice and yum yum sauce they make at a hibachi restaurant.  So if you're a fan of the food, but want to save your pennies, or avoid the chance of sitting next to someone you don't know while you eat in front of a flaming tower of onions - try this.  

Yum Yum Sauce

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup Mayonnaise

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon melted butter

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon paprika

Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions: 

Whisk all ingredients together thoroughly until well mix and the sauce is smooth.  Refrigerate overnight to blend the flavors.  Serve at room temperature with fried rice. 

Fried Rice

Ingredients:  

3 Tbsp. butter, divided

2 eggs, whisked

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 small white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

4 cups cooked and chilled rice

3 green onions, thinly sliced

3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce, or more to taste

1 tsp. fish sauce (optional)

1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Directions: 

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.

Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and fish sauce (if using), and stir until combined. 

Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven

soft pretzels with spicy cheese dip - for bridal shower...

 

One of my good friends is getting married and she had her bridal shower this last weekend.  It was a "potluck shower" so I was very excited to bring a dish and I wanted it to be something special!  These pretzels were fun to make and even better to eat - and they were a hit at the shower!  I will definitely be making these again for parties or just to eat at home for fun. :)  Congratulations Gina & Andrew - I am so excited for you and so happy to be a part of your lives!  Your friendship means so much to me!  May your marriage be blessed and full of good food....

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1½ cups warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl

For finishing:
Cooking spray
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water
Pretzel (or kosher) salt

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in bowl.  Mix to dissolve the yeast.  Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together.  Knead until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot.

In the meantime, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope.  Make any desired shape with the rope.  Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.


Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds.  Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet.  Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.


**Note: In order to save time, I made the dough and shaped the pretzels the night before and then froze them.  The next day I took the from the freezer and placed them directly in the boiling baking soda water, for about 45 seconds or until the float.  Then I did the egg wash, salted them and baked them a little longer - about 15 minutes or until golden brown.   I definitely recommend this method if you are going to make them for a party of event and want to save time!  

Spicy Cheese Dip

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup cheddar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Red pepper flakes, to taste 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly.  Whisk in the milk. Cover and bring to a simmer.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese, garlic and pepper flakes until the cheese is completely melted. Serve with fresh soft pretzels!

Source: Annie's Eats & Savvy Eat

Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Honey Dipping Sauce

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries!  Thank you Foodbuzz and Ore-Ida!  I love food...and it's even better when it's free :) 


Fries have always been a comfort food for me.  Sweet potato fries have been a new addition to my list of favorites.  They offer the same tasty deliciousness that regular fries do but with a hint of sweetness and more distinct flavor.  Call me crazy, but they also taste healthier than regular fries....and some research has actually proven this to be true.  Sweet potatoes (or yams) are a great source of Vitamin A, and when you bake them at home they are even better because they do not have all the added calories from being deep fried in oil at a restaurant.  


The best part is, they are easy to make and you don't have to add a lot to make these bad boys taste good.  In fact, I didn't even add salt to them this time (usually I would drizzle them with oil and sprinkle seasoning salt on them).  


Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Honey Dipping Sauce 
(2-3 servings) 


Half package Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries (or sliced sweet potato wedges) - baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes (flip half way through).  


Spicy Honey Dipping Sauce: 
1 tsp spicy mustard (we love Koops' "Arizona Heat")
1 tsp spicy BBQ sauce (we love "Devil's Spit" from Famous Dave's...it's smokin' hot!)
2 tsp ranch dressing
1 tsp honey


I know it sounds simple, but trust me - it's so much better than dipping them in plain ketchup!  Enjoy! :)  

Basil, Mint & Garlic Scape Pesto

Thanks to friends, family, and fresh herbs...I was able to make this delicious pesto!  My mom & family friend supplied the potted mint plants for my birthday, my co-worker supplied the garlic scapes from her garden, and I used some of the basil I am growing as well.  It felt good to know that I didn't have to actually go to the store for any of the herbs I used! :)  Plus, I love pesto...so really, you can't go wrong with this.  I even made enough to freeze some for a later date.  

Basil, Mint & Garlic Scape Pesto 
1/2 c. basil
1/2 c. mint (I used spearmint, peppermint, & citrus mint) 
1 c. garlic scapes
2 TBS. pine nuts
1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper 
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, grated


Directions:
Blend the scapes, mint, basil, pine nuts, salt, and pepper in a food processor.  Process, adding the oil a bit at a time, until desired consistency.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.  Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.  Makes about 1 1/2 c. pesto.

Pot Stickers with Chives & Soy Ginger Sauce

Pot stickers are a relatively new discovery for me - I tried them for the first time about a year ago, and now I crave them all the time!  I've made homemade egg rolls a couple times before, but I wanted to try my hand at homemade pot stickers for a change.  If you saw my previous post, you know that I am also growing some herbs right now - including chives, which I used in this recipe.  

Pot Stickers with Chives & Soy Ginger Sauce 

Makes about a dozen

1/4 pound ground beef (or pork - I used beef because we had it on hand) 
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sherry wine
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Pot sticker or Wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a bowl, combine, beef, chives, soy sauce, wine, ginger, and sesame oil. 

Place a heaping teaspoon of beef mixture in center of pot sticker wrapper. 

Lightly wetting the edges of the wrapper, fold over and press to seal. Repeat until all the filling has been used.

Boil a large pot of water and add 1 tablespoon of oil. In two batches cook dumplings until cooked through and rise to the top, about 4 – 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. In a large nonstick skillet (they are called pot stickers for a reason - use nonstick so they don't actually stick to the pot!), heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. In two batches cook until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Serve with Soy-ginger sauce.

Soy Ginger Sauce

In a bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon ginger powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil. Garnish with chopped chives.

Source: adapted from The Red Spoon