Korean Bulgogi

If I had to pick my top two favorite Korean dishes, they would definitely be Bulgogi and Kalbi. Unfortunately, it's too cold to be grilling outside, so I decided to make my mom's recipe for Bulgogi this week. I ate this often while growing up and have cravings for this often after moving to Minnesota. I followed my mom's recipe exactly as written and this turned out AMAZING! I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do :o)

Korean Bulgogi

(Source: My Mom)

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 pounds bulgogi meat (or thinly sliced ribeye steak)

1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped finely

2- 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 green onion, sliced finely

2 – 3 tablespoons onion, chopped finely

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon sesame seed

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 of a large Korean pear, grated (optional)

Remove excess fat from the bulgogi meat. Sprinkle sugar in-between the thin slices of meat. Place in a large bowl and let it chill in refrigerator for 6 hours or over night. Drain the excess liquid from the bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, green onion, onion, soy sauce, corn syrup, mirin, sesame seed, sesame oil, black pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Pour this mixture over the meat and mix everything together with hands. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. When ready to eat, cook in skillet until brown and cooked through. Serve with rice. 

Kheema: Indian Ground Beef with Peas

I absolutely LOVE Indian food!!! I'm known to go and eat it by myself on a weekly basis because I'm so addicted to it. My absolute favorite is the Chicken Tikka Masala. Seriously, who can say no to the awesomeness of the spicy, creamy, flavorful sauce with huge chunks of chicken? I've searched high and low for an easy recipe to make at home but haven't had much luck yet. That said, I found an AMAZING recipe for Kheema, which is ground beef cooked in a skillet with a ton of spices. It's absolutely a great meal to make during the week for an easy and delicious meal. This is definitely going in our monthly rotation.

Kheema: Indian Ground Beef with Peas

(Source: Aarti Sequeira)

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (1-inch thumb) fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala, 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional

1 pound ground beef

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup shucked fresh English peas or 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 teaspoons malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few extra leaves for garnish

4 chapatis or pitas, warmed

In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another minute. Stir in the coriander, paprika, garam masala, cumin and cayenne, if using and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef, breaking up lumps with a spoon, and saute until the meat is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the fresh English peas. Stir well and simmer, partially covered, about 10 minutes or if using frozen peas, add them now, and cook another 5 minutes, partially covered. Stir in the vinegar and chopped cilantro. Garnish with torn cilantro leaves and serve with warm chapatis or pita bread.

Amazing Corn Muffins

We had a huge thing of buttermilk left in the fridge after making Irish Soda bread earlier this month. I was torn between making chocolate cupcakes or corn muffins with the leftover buttermilk. I was browsing recipes earlier last week when I came across a corn muffin recipe that had amazing reviews. I had all the ingredients at home and decided to give it a try. I admit I was absolutely blown away by the final results. These muffins were super moist and had the perfect gritty texture from the corn meal. The only downfall is the recipe yields 12 muffins...if you want 24 you have to double the recipe. These are soooo much better with some butter and honey drizzled on top!

Corn Muffins

(Source: The Colonnade)

1 1/2 cups white cornmeal (I used yellow cornmeal)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup vegetable, soy or canola oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin cups and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the water, oil, buttermilk and eggs. Beat vigorously for 45 seconds, or until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour into greased muffin cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Thai Red Curry

Dr. Sweetpea and I looooove Thai Red Curry. I've always been hesitant to make it at home because I always thought it would be super challenging to make; however, when I found a recipe in America's Test Kitchen, I knew I had to try it at home. I'm super glad I did because it's absolutely simple to make and tastes AMAZING! Definitely a keeper in our recipe collection.

Thai Red Beef Curry

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste (we used A LOT more since we love spicy curry)

2 (14 oz) cans coconut milk 

2 - 3 teaspoons fish sauce

4 teaspoons brown sugar

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed and sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch strips

1/2 pound snap peas, strings removed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt

Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar and shimmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the pieces separate and turn firm, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and peas and cook until the peas are crisp and tender, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and lime juice. Season with salt to taste. 

Irish Soda Bread

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, so I decided to bake Irish Soda Bread. This is soooooooooo simple to throw together and super delicious.

Irish Soda Bread

(Source: Ina Garten)

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 cup dried currants

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound. Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo

I've been sick as a dog the last couple of days, so cooking dinner is definitely not at the top of my priorities. I came across this Chicken Adobo recipe a few days ago and decided to give it a try. It seriously took all of 10 minutes to throw everything into the crockpot and just let it took for 6 hours. Definitely my kind of recipe for a sick day.

Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo

(Source: Damn Delicious)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 shallots, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 pounds chicken thighs, fat trimmed

Brown rice, for serving

Rub the olive oil around the inside of your slow cooker then throw in your shallots, garlic, brown sugar, pepper, cayenne and bay leaves. Then pour in your chicken stock, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Stir everything together with a spoon to make sure everything is distributed evenly. Add in your chicken thighs and use the spoon to spoon some of the sauce on top so it’s coated. Or you can just push the thighs down into the liquid. Cook on low for 6 hours.Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

When your chicken is done, remove it from the crockpot insert and place it on the prepared baking sheet. With oven mitts, lift out the insert and strain the sauce into a pot (using a large mesh strainer to catch the bits of garlic and shallots, etc) and let the sauce cook down for about 20 minutes. It should start to thicken up. If it’s not thickening up as quickly as you’d like, you can add in a bit of cornstarch and water mixture and it’ll thicken right up! Using a brush, brush the sauce on the chicken, coating it well, then put the chicken in the oven and broil it on high for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with white rice (what I did) or whatever else you prefer. There will be extra sauce left so you can coat your chicken & rice in more sauce.