Homemade Mongolian Beef

If anyone asked me what my favorite meal from a Chinese takeout place is, then you'll know that I'll always say Mongolian Beef. I've loved it my whole life and there is a restaurant back home that makes it extremely well. In Texas, however, I have yet to find a restaurant where I would rave about the Mongolian beef. Which is why I started to experiment with recipes at home.  I used the Broccoli Beef marinade (doubled it) to tenderize my meat and made slight adjustments to the sauce from Damn Delicious and our meal turned out amazing. Dr. Sweetpea couldn't stop raving about how good it was and that we never need to order Chinese takeout again for Mongolian beef.

Mongolian Beef'

(Source: Damn Delicious and Rainy Day Gal) 

Marinade: 

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced flank steak 

Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (I marinated overnight), then proceed below. 

1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup water (can increase to 1/2 cup if too salty to your taste)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and 1/4 cup water. Heat soy sauce mixture in a medium saucepan until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes; set aside. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add beef and fry until browned and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil. Add beef and soy sauce mixture to the saucepan over medium heat and cook until sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in green onions. Serve immediately.

Salted Caramel Nuts

If I had to pick a favorite food network host, it's a tie because Ina Garten and Ree Drummond. They're very different but all their recipes are phenomenal. I watched Ina make these Salted Caramel Nuts on her show a few weeks ago and I had to make them as soon as the episode ended. I will admit that these nuts are hard to make because as soon as the sugar melts and turns into a caramel color, you have to work extremely fast so the sugar doesn't harden before you spread out the nuts. Nevertheless, with the time and effort, it's totally worth it because these nuts are amazing!

Salted Caramel Nuts

(Source: Ina Garten)

1 cup each whole roasted salted cashews, whole large pecan halves, whole unsalted almonds and whole walnut halves (4 cups total)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon fleur de sel

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the nuts on a sheet pan, spread them out and roast them for 7 minutes, until they become fragrant. Set aside to cool.

After the nuts are cooled, place the sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a medium (10-inch) saute pan and mix with a fork until all of the sugar is moistened. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar melts; from this point on, don¿t stir the caramel, swirl the pan! Don¿t worry, the mixture may look as though it's crystallizing. Continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes a clear golden brown, swirling the pan constantly at the end. (Careful, the caramel is very hot!) Off the heat, quickly add the vanilla (it will bubble up!) and swirl the pan to combine. Working quickly (the caramel will continue to cook in the pan), add the nuts and the kosher salt and toss with 2 large spoons until the nuts are completely coated.

Pour the nuts and any extra caramel in the pan onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the nuts out in one layer, pulling them apart with two forks. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel and set aside to cool. When they're completely cooled, carefully break the nuts into large clusters with your hands, trying not to break the nuts too much.

Oven Baked Pork Chops

Dr. Sweetpea loves pork chops. I'll usually buy a pack each week and make it for him after work with some kind of sauce over them. Since the oven fried chicken were a hit last week, I decided to make crunchy baked pork chops to see if he'll like them and they were a massive hit. I served them with a side of pasta salad (his favorite) and he devoured his meal in no time flat. Definitely another keeper recipe for us.

Crunchy Oven Baked Pork Chops

(Source: America's Test Kitchen) 

Table salt

4 center ­cut boneless pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1­ inch pieces

1 small minced shallot (about 2 tablespoons)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup unbleached all ­purpose flour plus 6 tablespoons

3 large egg whites

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Lemon wedges

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon ­sized zipper ­lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1 ­second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea ­sized lumps remaining.

Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

Bake until instant­ read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Oven Fried Chicken

Dr. Sweetpea is a huge fan of oven fried chicken. He grew up eating it often when his mom made it for him regularly and has many fond memories. I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and decided to make it for Dr. Sweetpea to see if he likes it as much as his mom's recipe. He was skeptical  but still told me to give it a shot. It took literally only one bite for Dr. Sweetpea to be over the moon about how good my oven fried chicken is. This will be on our regular rotation from now on.

Oven Fried Chicken

(Source: Cooks Country)

2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 1/4 teaspoons table salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

8 split bone-­in chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each), skin removed and ribs trimmed with kitchen shears (I usually use boneless/skinless chicken thighs)

2 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 Whisk buttermilk, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and hot sauce together in large bowl. Add chicken, turn to coat well, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Adjust oven rack to upper­-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, set wire rack on sheet, and coat rack with nonstick cooking spray.

Gently toss corn flakes, bread crumbs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, poultry seasoning, paprika, and cayenne in shallow dish until combined. Drizzle oil over crumbs and toss until well coated. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from marinade and dredge in crumb mixture, firmly pressing crumbs onto all sides of chicken. Place chicken on prepared rack, leaving 1/2 inch of space between each piece. Bake until chicken is deep golden brown, juices run clear, and instant­read thermometer inserted deep into breast away from bone registers 160 degrees, 35 to 45 minutes.

Large Farmhouse Salad with Lemon Mayo Dressing

Both Dr. Sweetpea and I love a good salad for dinner. It's healthy, has tons of vegetables or fruit mixed in, and we love all kinds of salad dressings. I came across this recipe several years ago but decided to make it today since I had all the ingredients. I was a little skeptical about the salad dressing at first but it's quickly become my favorite. Definitely a wonderful salad to have when it's starting to get hot outside.

Salad with Lemon Mayo Dressing

(Source: Journal Sentinel)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil (or olive oil)

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used white balsamic vinegar)

Spring greens mix

Halved red grapes

Sugared walnuts

Sugar-baked walnuts:

3 cups walnuts halves and pieces

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Make sugar-baked walnuts: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Spread out on a sheet pan and then bake in preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. (Note: Extra walnuts can be used in other salads or eaten as snacks.)

In a large bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and mix until well blended.

Toss dressing with spring mix and then top with halved red grapes and sugared walnuts. Fish, chicken or Parmesan-crusted poached eggs can be served with the salad.

Deconstructed Mexican Street Corn

One of my favorite side dishes after moving to Texas is the deconstructed mexican street corn that's served at some restaurants. I love that I'm not biting corn kernels off the cob the flavor explosion in my mouth. Needless to say, I found this wonderful recipe online and it's our favorite!

Deconstructed Mexican Corn

(Source: Chris Santos) 

Chipotle Salt: 

5 tablespoons chipotle powder

3 tablespoons kosher salt

Corn:

6 ears corn

1/2 red onion, minced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Zest of 2 limes

For the chipotle salt: Combine the chipotle powder and salt and store in an airtight container.

For the corn: Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat until hot, and then add the corn and char on all sides, turning occasionally, until blackened in parts, 12 to 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cobs. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the charred corn kernels and cook until warmed. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, the mayonnaise, cilantro and lime zest. Season with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the chipotle salt. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cotija cheese and more chipotle salt.