recipe: chicken satay & spicy peanut sauce

last night i was still motivated to keep cooking - knowing i'd have 0 time on a week day to prep, i had prepped the marinade and sauce for this the night before.  the intention was to use skinless chicken thighs and use them for traditional chicken satay, however this plan went a bit south when i realized they were bone-in thighs - turning it into essentially a un-kababed version. grilled bone-in chicken is so damn good it kind of worked out for the best -- this marinade make the chicken super juicy and had an awesome flavor -- i want to re-make it again using chicken wings served in the spicy peanut sauce. i love kabob satay, but i kind of like wings even more and think it would be a fab fusion. 

both of these recipes were taken from Serious Eats - they have a nice kick to them, so if you like spicy they will be on par. 

ingredients list: chicken (adequate for 4 pieces of chicken)

- 1 stalk lemon grass, roughly chopped (or prepared minced lemongrass if you can't find fresh)

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tbsp lime juice (preferably fresh)

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

- 1 tsp ground turmeric

- 1 tsp ground coriander (i did not have any so used a dash of cilantro)

- 1 tsp Sriracha

to make: place lemongrass, oil, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, turmeric, garlic, coriander and Sriracha in a blender, and blend on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.

place chicken in a large resealable bag and pour in marinade - leave in fridge and marinade 1-2 hours (i left mine for 24).

when ready to cook:

- if doing skewers, slice into long 1-inch strips and thread onto soaked wooden skewers

- or - just keep it whole. 

grill until juices run clear -- fairly quickly (5 min) for skewers, about 20 minutes over medium high heat if using bone-in chicken.

ingredients list: spicy peanut sauce:

- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1/4 cup hot water

- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 2 tbsp Sriracha

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 tbsp rice vinegar

- 1 tbsp lime juice (preferably fresh)

- 1 tsp minced garlic

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 2 scallions, thinly sliced

- kosher salt to taste

to make: in a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter and hot water. stir in all remaining ingredients. it can be used immediately, or stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

recipe: mongolian beef

this has been on my must-cook list for some time. all day long yesterday i was in the mood to grill since it was an amazing day out (enough to actually get me out of the house), but somehow ended up saying NOOO! MONGOLIAN BEEF! when it was time to hit the store for dinner foodages. case closed. can't deny a screaming asian urge (haha - 55) when you get it. 

i went with the recipe from Just A Taste, which used 30 minute PF-changs inspired version of it. i haven't been cooking a lot lately -or at least not cooking anything *new*- so this wasn't delish because it was a finally fresh home-cooked meal, it was delish because this dish is GD amazing. no lie that it tastes like restaurant chinese food (if not better). i added the chili oil, cayenne, and red chilis in because i love heat, but this can be scaled no-spice or spicier to taste. 

ingredients list: 
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 giant cloves)
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 
- 1/2 cup water 
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 scallions (green parts only), diced
- 1/2 tsp chili oil
- dashes cayenne pepper
- dried red chilis (optional)

to make: 
heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in small sauce pan over medium-low heat. add ginger and garlic, and saute until golden, about 1 minute. stir in the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar, chili oil, and increase the heat to medium. bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. 

slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. place the coated steak pieces into a sieve or sifter, and shake off excess coating. allow the steak to sit for 10 minutes. 

place a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup vegetable oil. once oil is hot (but not smoking), add the meat to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes - it should be seared on all sides, but barely cooked in the center. remove steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plat. pour excess oil out of wok.

return wok to stove over medium heat, adding the prepared sauce and letting it come to a boil, cayenne, and dried peppers. add the steak back to the pan into the boiling sauce, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. add the scallions and stir to combine. 

transfer with a slotted spoon and serve, preferably over rice. 

taiwan noodle

last week we finally made it over to Taiwan Noodle, dim sum & noodle shop we heard about via the Times Union. anyone in Albany knows there is a major shortage of dim sum joints (with exception to CCK Chinese, which i'd place as the top contender in Cap City), so any new find is like Christmas. i don't know when Taiwan Noodle opened, but i'm very happy we now found it. it's super casual, and seeing that their customer base was 75% Asian was definitely a nod to their good cookin. 

we ordered the Pork & Leek Dumpling and Shrimp Shu Mai off the dim sum menu and I had the Garlic Chicken Wing Lo Mein as my meal. Not only was everything super-cheap (each DS was between $3-$4, the Lo Mein $7), it was excellent. crispy juicy chicken wings & oodles of noodles. our only regret is that we didn't order any of the noodle soup which is kiiinda their specialty, so we will have to head back soon for more.

update 6/8: went back and hit up the beef noodle bowl. it delivered. SO gigantic i had to take half of it home. will be back. 

recipe: Easter M&M Peep cookies

Easter. no prep time - needed a quick recipe, but wanted one that was still fairly cute and in theme w/ the holiday. since kids were going to be around, i went with a classic simple chocolate-chip inspired cookie. the recipe was snagged from Love Veggies and Yoga by Avery Cooks - it's a nice base recipe and i'm glad i found it b/c her trick of adding cornstarch to keep the cookies soft & chewy is smart -- and worked! i followed the recipe verbatim, with exception to adding in a few chopped up Peeps -- nothing says Easter like some dismembered marshmallow friends.  the cookies themselves are fairly light tasting, so the marshmallows added a nice extra hit of sweetness. 

ingredients list: 

- 3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

- 1/4 cup granulated sugar

- 1 egg

- 2 tsp vanilla extract 

- 2 cups flour

- 2 tsp cornstarch

- 1 tsp baking soda

- pinch salt

- 1 & 1/2 cups M&Ms 

- 4-5 Peeps, chopped into small chunks

to make: in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and beat on medium speed until creamy, light, and fluffy. add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix until combined (note: it will seem like there is not enough liquid to ever absorb this flour... my mixture seemed like a pile of sand. it does eventually soak it all up and becomes "normal"). stir in the M&Ms & Peeps by hand.  

place dough onto prepared cookie sheet (cooking spray or parchment paper)in 2-inch balls. flatten dough balls slightly with your palm, then refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours before baking (this will prevent the dough from spreading if it is too warm). 

when ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. bake cookies 8-10 minutes. allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to rack to finish cooling.

recipe: corned beef and potato pizza

so in yesterday's indecisiveness about what to have for dinner and even MORE corned beef left in the fridge, clearly the solution was a corned beef pizza. good mix of my Italian & Irish genes, on a plate. if you like corned beef and potato (and also are a big fan of potato pizzas), you really can't go wrong here. it was a total mouth party.

ingredients list: 
- 1 recipe for pizza dough or fresh store-bought 
- 1/2 - 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 potato, baked & thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 & 1/2 cups leftover corned beef, shredded 
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- pinch salt
- olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- few dashes of parsley

to make: mix 1-2 tbsp olive oil, salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and parsley in small bowl and set aside. preheat the oven (with pizza stone in the oven also) to 450 degrees. 

roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface. lightly flour the hot pizza stone, then carefully transfer the dough to the stone. spread the sour cream, cheese, onion, potato & corned beef over the dough. bake in preheated oven for about 10-13 minutes.

brush the crust with the garlic olive oil mixture within the last few minutes of cooking. allow to cool at least 5 minutes before eating. 

recipe: corned beef hash

we had a ton of corned beef leftover from St. Paddy's day... i never used to be into the corned beef hash thing (growing up i just thought it sounded & looked gross), but considering i love all the ingredients in it, seemed like a must-make. i had just bought fresh eggs from Otis Egg Farm so they seemed like a match made in heaven. i didn't follow a recipe, just did a chop & throw into pan deal... it came out better than i expected, though i do wish the potatoes came out a bit more crunchy/brown... it's VERY hard to get them crisp for hashbrowns in the absence of a full griddle cook top. 

ingredients list: (makes enough for 2 large servings) 
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1/2 jalapeno, seeded & finely diced
- 1 large potato, shredded
- 1 & 1/2 cups (roughly) of leftover corned beef, shredded
- 3/4 cup leftover corned beef broth
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- crushed red pepper to taste
- salt & pepper to taste

to make: add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to a large saute pan and heat over medium heat. add green & red peppers, onion, & jalapeno. 

dab the shredded potatoes with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then add to the pan with the veggies. season with garlic powder, crushed red pepper, & salt & pepper to taste. cook until the veggie & potatoes start to turn a little brown on the edges. add corned beef & the leftover corned beef broth and cook for 2-3 more minute, until the broth is absorbed and the corned beef is heated through.

while the veggies & corned beef is cooking, heat a small saute pan over medium heat, then fry the eggs to desired temperature (for this, i prefer them extra runny so the runny egg runs all over the hash). serve egg over the hash & done! 

recipe: chicken massaman curry

after Thailand, our craving for massaman curry was pretty insatiable. i had picked up a small jar of massaman curry paste in the airport so 50% of the work for cooking it was already done. i snagged the Chicken Massaman Curry recipe from Serious Eats. at first taste, it was good but super bland. we added in a bit more spice, and it was pretty damn good after that. still not the purist recipe that they served in Thailand (though i will keep trying), but a good fill-in recipe until my quest is finished. 

ingredients list: 

- 1 can (13 oz) full-fat coconut milk

- 3 tbsp massaman curry paste

- 8 chicken drumsticks (i de-skinned mine to save calories)

- 2-3 cups chicken broth

- 1 lb of red or yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks

- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled & cut into about 1-inch chunks

- 4-6 tbsp brown sugar (adjust final quantity to taste)

- 3 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp prepared tamarind pulp (preparation instructions here) 

- 1 tbsp cinnamon 

- 1 tsp cumin

- salt & pepper to taste

- 4 pieces star anise (optional - i didn't have & skipped this)

to make: spoon about 3/4 cup of the creamy solid part of the coconut milk that rises to the pot of the can and put it in a large pot along with the curry paste. fry the mixture over medium - high heat until the coconut milk starts to turn oily. 

add the chicken drumsticks to the pot along with the remaining coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, tamarind pulp, and chicken broth (add just enough chicken broth to just cover the chicken).

bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to a simmer. allow to simmer, covered, for 10-13 minutes. add the potatoes, onions, and seasonings to the pot. continue to simmer, covered, until the chicken, potatoes, and onion are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

capital city gastropub

finally made it to Capital City Gastropub this past Wednesday... every Weds they have 1/2 price grass fed burger night. def our kind of happy hour. the place was teeny, busy (surprisingly so on a Weds night), and cozy inside. casual but have a very fun but not-so-casual ingredient menu. the burger has "Tilldale Farms" beef and comes with garlic aioli, grilled onion, and hand cut fries. i ordered mine with a slab of Harpersfield Farm Ale Cheese  on it.

the burger was well seasoned with a salt & pepper crust, and super-juicy. cooked perfectly medium rare. bun was pillowy (just the way i like em), and the cheese was redonkulously cheddary delish. tho the cheese was strong, the meat was still able to stand up to it - they merged together and became cheese+burger super friends. fries were cooked perfectly as well. they came with house made ketchup, which i tip my hat to, but it tasted more like a marinara sauce then it did a ketchup. so. that was weird.

kyle wasn't AS happy with his burger (i voted about an 8, he was more around a 7.5)... his wasn't cooked as medium rare, and said it was a bit too firmly packed for his taste... could just be since it was a little more cooked it seemed a bit more dense. all in all, we both thoroughly enjoyed them and would absolutely go back. one of the better burgers in albany. (esp for $6.50 before extra fixins... you can't beat that. that's McD prices!)

thailand in food pics

january was honeymoon to Thailand. the mothership. i fully expected the food to be amazing (if i like Thai in albany, liking Thai in its land is a no brainer), and it proved to be just that. the one great thing about it was that when something in the menu is listed as SPICY, it is... wait for it... actually SPICY. they don't pander to sissies like we do here (i've been ordering chinese food "extra spicy" for spicy items... they still can't deliver. don't fear the spice!)the other shocking thing is the price... we could eat an entire meal (split app, 2 entrees, 2 drinks - Singha specifically : ) for about $15 USD. just one entree here (for casual takeout) is about $12 USD. i felt like a kid in Charlie's Chocolate Factory, if the chocolate river was curry sauce and the pad thai. 

tee hee! 

my only complaint: their burger. BLECH!!! apparently beef is not their strong suit. we went to what was rated the #2 Bangkok burger joint and well-reviewed on a (very critical) Bangkok burger blog, and it was BLEEEEH. not horrific, but not in anyway shape or form something to write home about. overseasoned (why???), a little tough even if it was juicy & not cooked to temp (they don't even offer medium rare... even at a nice steakhouse they start with "medium" as the suggestion... WHAT?) tried else for the same result. the BEST burger of them all... laughably... McDonald's Samuri Pork Burger. not beef... but highly enjoyable after a few Singha's. (this coming from a girl that can't eat McDonald's burgers in the US - the beef variety - without barfing)

when in rome, eat breakfast
like the romans do.

chicken something something.

red curry chicken that made my
nose run & my ears burn. but not burn enough
to overshadow the tasty tasty. gaaah!

massaman curry - my first meal when
i got to the island, then it seemed to be 
served on every boat we went on... 
all equally amazing. best staple ever.

drinks @ The Library, Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui. great. crafty cocktails, nice change of pace from some of the beer-centric downtown Chaweng spots. 

something something.

something something lamb @ Noori Indian. MMM.

mini cupcake offering 
to my mini buddah.

McDonald's Samuri Pork Burger

#2 ranked burger. what i wouldn't give
to start up a Thai burger joint.
1 good meat purveyor, would make a KILLING!

room service: chicken & stuff

Indian butter chicken, Noordi Indian in Koh Samui. Awesome.

Lobster Hot Plate chips... 
SO bad.

lot of brick oven pizza... this one was OK, 
the one at Pinocchio on Chaweng Beach 
was really good - like REALLY good even in NY. 
were very pleasantly stunned.

pork on a stick & shish ka bobs for farewell din. i think i paid $.90  total for it... god! 

chicken & waffles

after a week of no sleep, this is the breakfast that happens after sleeping straight until 2p in the afternoon (a feat that i have been not able to accomplish in at least 1-2 years). this was kyle's brainchild, having most of the from-scratch beer-infused waffle batter and chicken batter prepped by the time i got out of bed. once i snag the recipes i will post... the chicken was fried perfectly & the entire thing was re-donkulous. MMMMM! the only thing that could take this thing and bring it totally over the top of fatty fat breakfast would be the pour the whole thing under sauce gravy... aaahhh! (syrup, as you can note from the picture, is not an option - ACK!)

chocolatini

this is what happens when you have cookie cravings on a saturday night. we had made these a few weeks ago, and my god they were delish. if i remember the ingredients correctly, it was 3 Olive's Cake-flavored vodka, milk, Kahlua, chocolate syrup, and Oreo dust. Extra Oreos on the side, of course. 

recipe: chocolate peanut pretzel cookie bars

i've made these a few times - they are one of the easiest (literally just throwing ingredients in a pan) and yummiest cookie bars, perfect for a quick dessert. the original recipe, Chocolately Peanut Pretzel Bars is from allrecipes.com. once you have the base of cookie dough, really you can through whatever cookie fixins you want on it depending on what's around / craving. 

ingredients list: 

- 2 & 1/2 cups Nestle cookie dough tub, divided (or homemade if you're not being lazy)

- 3/4 cup chocolate chips

- 3/4 cup Reeses pieces

- 1 cup mini pretzels, broken into 1/2 inch pieces

- 1 cup honey roasted peanuts

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease 13x9 inch baking pan. place 2 cups dough into the pan, and pat down so the bottom of the pan is fully covered. 

sprinkle the chocolate chips, pretzels, peanuts, 1-inch blogs of remaining dough, and Reeses pieces over dough.

bake for 23 to 27 minutes or until it starts to brown around the edge. cool completely then cut into small squares for serving. 

recipe: chili chocolate cookies

catching up on old cookin... i made these chili chocolate cookies for new years. big fan of the Lindt dark chili chocolate bar and seemed like the cookie form would be just as delish. i used the Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Chip cookie recipe from allrecipes.com as the base (my fav choc cookie recipe), subing in the chili chocolate & some spices.result was good - chocolatey, spicy... but something was missing. they didn't come out as ooey-gooey as they usually do - if you like a cake-like cookie, it would have been just right. something to tweak a lil for next time.

ingredients list: 

- 1 cup butter, room temp

- 1 & 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 eggs, room temp

- 2 cups flour

- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

- 3/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 & 1/2 cups dark chili chocolate, broken into small pieces

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. prep cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease.

in medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. stir in the eggs and vanilla. combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon and stir dry mixture into creamed mixture. fold in the chili chocolate pieces. drop cookie dough into large teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. 

bake for 8-10 minutes, then allow to cool on wire racks.