Korean Meat Patties

I grew up eating a ton of these meat patties A LOT around the holidays. They can be eaten as appetizers or as a side dish along with the meal. No need to worry about making a special dipping sauce for these gems. Just dip them in soy sauce and chow away :o)

Korean Meat Patties

(Source: My Mom)

Meat patties ingredients

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 small onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons carrot, finely diced

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic, finely chopped

12 ounces of firm tofu, squeeze the excess water with your hands

1 egg

Black Pepper

Sesame Seeds

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sesame oil

Egg wash ingredients

4-5 eggs, whisked in a large bowl

Flour

Mix all of the meat patties ingredients together and form into  1 1/2 inch balls. Squish each ball down with your fingers a little bit so they turn into patties.  Dip all of the meat patties in flour so they have a nice layer of flour on all sides. Then dip them in the whisked egg mixture before cooking them on a hot griddle or skillet. Cook each side of the meat patty for about 2 - 3 minutes. 

Korean Beef Roll

One of my favorite Korean appetizers is the Korean Beef Roll. Basically, it's thinly sliced veggies and/or fruit rolled up in thin slices of Bulgogi meat. Plus, the hot mustard dipping sauce adds an extra pop of flavor that is absolutely addicting. I ask my mom to make these for me allllllll the time. So when I came home for the holidays, I finally got her recipe so I can make it myself.

Korean Beef Rolls

(Source: My mom)

Meat: 

1 1/2 pounds of thinly sliced bulgogi meat (or 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)

Mochiko powder or Cornstarch to sprinkle on each piece of meat before it's cooked

Veggies/Fruit: 

2 red or orange bell peppers, julienned 

2 pears, julienned

2 cucumbers, julienned

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 the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. 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. Lay a piece of meat flat in a bowl and spread a little bit of marinade on top. Then lay another piece of meat on the first piece of meat and spread a little bit of marinade on top. Keep repeating this process of layering meat on top of each other until the last piece. Let it marinate in the  refrigerator overnight. When ready to eat, sprinkle both sides of every piece of meat with Mochiko powder or cornstarch. Lay each piece on a skillet so it is flat. Let it brown on one side, flip, and brown the other side. It is absolutely imperative that each piece of meat is cooked flat as possible or these rolls will be really difficult to make. Place the cooked pieces of meat on a plate. 

Once every piece of meat is cooked on both sides and your veggies/fruit are julienned, you are ready to make these delicious rolls. Grab one piece of meat and place it on a flat surface. Grab a few pieces of julienned bell peppers, pears, and cucumbers and place them on the edge of the meat and roll it up. Slice each meat roll in half to serve as appetizers. Repeat with every piece of meat. Once you are done, serve them with the hot mustard dipping sauce below. 

Dipping Sauce: 

Make the mustard paste first.

Mustard Paste:

1 tablespoon Korean mustard powder (it must be Korean mustard powder or this recipe won't work)

1 tablespoon hot water

Mix together until well combined. Then combine this paste with the other sauce ingredients below.

Mustard Sauce

1 tablespoon Korean mustard paste (use above recipe)

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Serve with the beef rolls. 

Apple Harvest Bread

This Apple Harvest Bread is a loaded version of pumpkin bread. Why is it loaded? Because it's packed with crisp Granny Smith Apples, raisins, and walnuts. Definitely a quick, easy, and delicous bread to make during the holidays. 

Apple Harvest Bread

(Source: Costco Cookbook)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 pound pumpkin, cooked and mashed (or 15-ounce can)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced (or shredded)

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

TOPPING

2 teaspoons white sugar

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 small loaf pans. Combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a bowl. In another bowl, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. Add the flour mixture, stirring until just moistened. Stir in apples, raisins and walnuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the loaves for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Meanwhile, place all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and stir to blend. Set aside. When the bread comes out of the oven, sprinkle with the topping. Let sit for 15 minutes, then remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 servings.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! I flew home for Christmas on Friday and have been baking some more. Instead of creating three separate posts for each cookie, I decided to combine combine them into one post.

Cherry Delights

I've been eating these cookies ever since I was a kid. My mom baked these every year and I remember helping her out by sticking the cherry in the middle of each cookie. These cookies are chewy, slightly sweet, and the cherry adds that extra pop of flavor that make these cookies addicting. 

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 eggs, divided

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups nuts, finely chopped

Maraschino cherries, halved

Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in light corn syrup and egg yolks; mix well. Mix in flour. Chill. Roll into 1 inch balls. Dip into slightly beaten egg whites and roll in chopped nuts. Place on greased cookie sheets. Press candied cherry halves into centers. Bake in 325 degree F oven for 20 minutes.

Orange Toffee Almond Sandies

(Source: Paula Deen)

I baked some sandies earlier this year that were absolutely delicious. These sandies are almost identical to those, except these have orange zest in the dough. I absolutely love anything that is flavored with orange around the holidays, so I gave these sandies a try and was not disappointed. 

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

2 eggs

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons orange zest

2 cups sliced almonds

2 cups English toffee bits

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, add the butter, oil and the sugars. Using a hand-held mixer, beat until combined. Beat in the extracts. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in orange zest, almonds and toffee bits. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2-inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Bun Cookies

(Source: Recipe Girl)

I'm addicted to sticky buns, so when I saw the recipe for these sticky bun cookies, I had to bake them for the holiday cookie tray. The dough is very similar to the Cherry Delights, but the center of the cookie is filled with a sticky pecan mixture. Needless to say, I several of these suckers in my mouth as soon as they came out of the oven. I'm sure these will be in my regular cookie rotation for years to come. 

COOKIES:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

2 large egg yolks

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 Tablespoons dark corn syrup

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1 large egg white, slightly beaten

In large bowl, beat 1 cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup corn syrup and egg yolks; blend well. Stir in flour; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap- refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling. In small saucepan, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tablespoons corn syrup; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line w/ parchment or silpat mats. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush tops of partially baked cookies lightly with egg white. With small spoon, carefully scoop about 3/4 tsp. of the filling in the center of each cookie; pressing down slightly. Return to the oven and bake an additional 6-9 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes and then remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Dr. Sweetpea is a Chocolate Covered Cherry fanatic. He is the type that could down an entire box of Cordial Cherries in one sitting, not joking. So when I saw this Chocolate Covered Cherry cookie recipe in my America's Test Kitchen Holiday Cookbook, I knew that he would love these. I was definitely right because he devoured 4 cookies as soon as they came out of the oven. These cherry cookies never stood a chance! The chewy chocolate cookie, with the juicy cherry, and chocolate topping is over the top delicious. Definitely make these for your holiday cookie tray this year. 

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

30 maraschino cherries

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder & salt together, set aside. In a mixer beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and cream the mixture until like & fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture & beat until well mixed. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls & place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheets. Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

Drain the cherries reserving the juice. Remove the stems and place a cherry into the indentation in each cookie. Put the chocolate chips & condensed milk in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the cherry juice. Spoon 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of chocolate over the top of each cherry covering it completely. If the chocolate is too thick add a little more cherry juice. Bake for 6-7 minutes & cool on a rack.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce

If you ask Dr. Sweetpea what his favorite Italian dish is, it would be Chicken Marsala. He absolutely loves the flavorful Marsala sauce and the tender pieces of chicken. I searched high and low for a great Chicken Marsala recipe that I can make at home and get rave reviews from Dr. Sweetpea. I collected about ten different recipes and finally settled on Giada's Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce. It's almost identical to your typical Chicken Marsala but the Mascarpone makes it creamy and the Dijon mustard adds a little bit of a bite. Needless to say Dr. Sweetpea LOVED his meal and wants me to make this for him regularly.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce 

(Source: Giada De Laurentiis)

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons butter, divided

3/4 cup sliced onion

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup dry Marsala wine

1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish

12 ounces dried fettuccine (I served mine with Risotto)

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Nutella Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies

Who doesn't love Nutella?! My love for this delicious spread goes way back to my childhood days when it was spread on a slice of toast and topped off with fresh strawberry slices. I've also had it on a crepe with sliced bananas, strawberries, and powdered sugar. Then when I left home to attend college, I bought a huge jar of Nutella and ate it with almost everything during finals week. So it's obviously not surprising that I made these Nutella Crinkle Cookies when I saw it in one of my cookie magazines. Making these cookies was very time consuming but definitely worth it because they are super chocolately/hazelnutty and perfectly chewy. Definitely try making these cookies this year for our cookie tray :o)

Nutella Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups Nutella

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1/3 cup milk

2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and finely chopped

1 cup powdered sugar

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the Nutella, butter, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder and mix until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and alternate additions of flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with the flour, and mixing until just combined after each addition. Fold in 1/2 cup of the hazelnuts. Refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the remaining hazelnuts and the powdered sugar in two separate bowls. Using a medium cookie scoop (or about 2 tablespoonfuls), roll the dough into balls, roll in the hazelnuts, then roll in the powdered sugar. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until the edges are set and the middle still looks a tad soft, about 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Christmas Crack Cookies

My favorite season is here!!! My favorite season is here!!! What season is that?! It's Christmas Cookie baking season :o) 

I absolutely loooove dusting off my favorite cookie cookbooks to find new and interesting recipes to try each year. As much as I love trying new recipes, I also love making tried and true recipes every year too. I grew up eating these toffee bars made with saltines. These are super quick to make and very addicting...which is why I made these first to start off the holiday baking season.

Christmas Crack Saltines

(Source: Tampa Bay Times)

40 saltine crackers

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 (12-ounce) package chocolate chips

Chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with foil and coat lightly with a non-stick spray. Place saltine crackers in single layer on foil. On stove, melt butter and brown sugar. Bring to full boil and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove and pour over crackers. Bake for 5 minutes (the brown sugar mixture will be very bubbly. It very important that this is baked for the entire 5 minutes or it won't harden properly). Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Leave until melted, about 3 minutes. Spread out the chocolate and sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. This will make up to 40 or more pieces, depending on how small or big you break them.