Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice)

Sinangag or how I like to say it, Sina-na-na-nag. Growing up in a Filipino household, it was rare to have a "Diner-type" U.S. breakfast. You know, the kind with eggs, bacon, hash browns and pancakes? That kind of a meal was a special occasion kind of thing. Most of the time we had this, Sinangag or garlic fried rice. 

You see, Sinangag is the main component of the typical Filipino breakfast. Spam and Sinangag. Longaniza sausage and Sinangag. Daing (Milk Fish) and Sinangag. Toyo (dried fish) and Sinangag. If it's breakfast, you best believe Sinangag is going to make an appearance.

When you make Sinangag just right, you can eat it all by itself. Sometimes I get seconds of just rice. No joke. There's something about the garlic rice that's delicious and with just the right amount of salt, it makes it so good! So, take a stab at the filipino breakfast and start with this simple Sinangag!

Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice)

Recipe by Me

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice, cooked

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

In a wok or medium sized skillet, add the oil and heat it on the stove on medium high heat. Once hot, add in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Don't brown the garlic! Crack in the egg and puncture the egg yolk. Allow it to cook for about 1 minute before disturbing. Once somewhat cooked, begin to break up the egg and mix with the oil and minced garlic. Once the egg is fully cooked, add in the rice and mix to even disperse the egg, garlic and oil. Season with salt and cook for another 3-5 minutes until any residual moisture from the rice has evaporated.

-Aaron John

Green Bean Casserole

Thanksgiving is still not over. Here's another dish I made for the meal. The ever famous "Green Bean Casserole" and might I add, this one is BADASS.

Everyone needs to eat their vegetables, so they say. Apparently, America is just so fat that it's been a big thing to eat healthier nowadays. What's the solution? Drench green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce and top it with fried onions! Michelle Obama can't say we're not eating our vegetables anymore. Ok, so maybe this won't make us all skinnier and fit into our favorite pair of jeans, but it's a baby step.

Just look at those blanched green beans. So, vibrantly green and healthy. Don't you just feel the pounds melting away just looking at it? Such a shame they have to be drenched in a rich and creamy, deliciously decadent, mushroom cream sauce. What a shame, what a shame.

I can't stress this enough. Make your own mushroom cream sauce, it will change your life. Throw away those cans of gelatinous soup in a can. You know, that thick globby mess they call "condensed soup". I don't know where you're from but that stuff just needs to go...in the trash. Why buy a canned soup when you can make one yourself that tastes a whole lot better with fresh ingredients? But if you must, go ahead and use that stuff but don't tell me I didn't warn you.

And those onions in a can. Is it really onions? I haven't had those fried onions in a can in many years after tasting one that was completely burnt. From that moment on, I haven't touched the stuff. Hopefully whatever company makes those stepped their game up. But everyone has onions on hand, and everyone has flour. Go ahead and make them from scratch too. Heck, don't make them if you don't want to. The green beans and mushroom cream sauce, alone, blew my mind away.

Flour those buttermilk soaked onions...

and fry...Seriously, whose counting calories anymore once you know you're going to drench green beans in a cream sauce? I know I'm not.

So, there's green beans, mushrooms and onions. Three vegetables in one?! This is definitely a health food. If I don't make America healthier, with this dish, I don't know what will!

AJ's Secret:

• If you find the mushroom cream sauce is not thick enough, take about 1 tbsp room temperature butter and 1 tbsp flour. Mix until homogenous and add it into the sauce. Mix until the butter and flour mixture is completely dissolved. This method disperses the flour evenly as the butter melts so that you don't have clumps. But, you must make sure you MIX or else a dumpling will form.

Green Bean Casserole 

Recipe by Me

Ingredients
Crispy Onions
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ to 2 cups flour
~ 2 tsp salt
~ 1/2 tsp pepper

Casserole 
2 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 lb button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
4 tbsp butter
5-6 tbsp flour
3 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken stock
¾ cup cream salt and pepper to taste

Directions 
Crispy Onions 
Prepare the crispy onions by soaking the onion slices in buttermilk for 5 minutes. While the onions are soaking, place the flour in a clean plastic bag, season with salt and pepper and shake to mix. Add a handful of onion slices (drained) to the plastic bag and shake until evenly coated. Place the coated onions on a baking sheet and repeat the process.
At this stage, there is the option of baking or frying the onions. If baking, spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and place the onions in an oven preheated to 450 degrees F for about 30 minutes until golden brown, tossing the onions a couple of times while cooking. If frying, heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees F and add in a handful of onions into the oil. Cook for a couple of minutes or until golden. Repeat with the remaining onion slices. I chose the latter. 

Prepare the beans 
Bring about 6 to 8 cups of water to a boil and season with about 1 tbsp of salt. Add in the prepared beans and blanch for about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until the beans are no longer hot. Set aside.

Prepare the mushroom cream sauce
In a large pot, melt the butter and add in the garlic. Cook on medium heat for about 1 minute until aromatic and proceed to add in the sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms begin to release their liquid and are fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add in the flour. Continue to cook the mixture for an additional minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly add in the chicken stock until combined. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavors begin to marry. Lastly, add in the cream and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Final Assembly 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Add the blanched green beans and a small handful of the crispy onions to the mushroom cream sauce and stir to combine. Place into an oven safe dish and top with the remaining crispy onions. Bake for about 15 minutes until bubbly.

-Aaron John

Thai Red Chicken Curry

With my vacation ending before I begin my last year at UW-Seattle, I figured I should make a dish that is abundant along what we huskies call "The Ave". You see, "The Ave" is nothing more than a street with blocks upon blocks of restaurants in the University District. It seems every time I walk down The Ave, there's always a new Thai place popping up out of the woodworks.

Thaiger Room, Thai Tom and Banana Leaf are just a few and the list goes on and on. Yes, I do have my favorite place to go to but it seems my favorite place varies with a different dish. From Chicken Pad See Ew at Thaiger Room to Pad Thai at Thai Tom, I felt it's time to do something else than just a noodle dish. This is where Thai Red Chicken Curry comes in.

This is my version of Thai Red Chicken Curry. Trying to stay true to the original but putting my own spin on it, I read pages and pages of recipes and watched various videos to get an idea on what to do and to stay authentic. I knew I didn't want to make a dish that is overly consumed in coconut milk because of its richness, so I added chicken stock to thin it out. I also thought I would need a Jalapeno just in case the curry wasn't spicy and let me tell you, red curry paste is SPICY! BE CAREFUL!! Good thing I didn't use the Jalapeno. Overall, this is what I came up with!

AJ's Secret:

• When you add the Red Curry Paste to the oil, you need to be attentive! It can burn quickly so you need to stir constantly. Immediately add in the chicken to the pot once it becomes fragrant and has a slight change in color.
• When you open up a can of Bamboo Shoots, they have an interesting smell. How can I describe it? When I was in elementary school, we took a field trip to the pumpkin patch. At the pumpkin patch, there were many animals from goats to cows. Bamboo Shoots smelled exactly like being at the pumpkin patch; it was that barnyard kind of smell. To remove some of the smell, I drained and rinsed the bamboo shoots with cold water a couple of times. Then I brought a small pot of water to a boil with about 1 tsp of salt. Blanch the Bamboo Shoots for about 2-3 minutes by adding the Bamboo Shoots to the boiling water. Drain in a colander and rinse w/ cold water. Submerge them in cold water until ready to use.

Thai Red Chicken Curry

Recipe by Me

Ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp Red Curry Paste
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
4 Chicken Breasts, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 cups Coconut Milk
3/4 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
2-3 tbsp sugar
1-19 ounce can of Bamboo Shoots in water, blanched
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
4-5 leaves of Thai Basil
Optional:
2-3 slices of Jalapeno if the dish isn't spicy enough

Directions
In a medium sized pot, add the oil and begin to heat on medium. Once hot, add in the Red Curry Paste and shallot. Stir constantly for about one minute until the curry paste has become fragrant. Once fragrant, add in the sliced chicken breast and mix. Cook until the chicken begins to turn from a translucent pink to white and opaque in color.

Once most of the chicken has become opaque and is halfway cook, add in the coconut milk. Mix until the curry paste has been dissolved into the coconut milk and the coconut milk has taken on an orange hue. Finally add in the chicken broth, mix and bring to a boil. Once to a boil, boil for about 5 minutes to cook the chicken.

After the 5 minutes are up, add in the fish sauce and sugar to season. Finally, add in the blanched bamboo shoots and red bell pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

When done, turn off the heat and add in the Thai Basil. Serve with rice.

 -Aaron John

Quick Pickled Red Onion

Onions. Red, white, yellow, sweet, and even shallots. Some people love 'em, some people hate 'em. Which one are you? I personally love onions. They give a little somethin' somethin' to foods. Just think about foods that need onions. Philly Cheesesteaks! Sausage w/ Peppers and Onions! Burgers! Tacos!

I think the main culprit as to why people dislike raw onions is not only the harsh flavor, but the aftertaste. I can totally understand that. Sometimes, it's even too much for me if a restaurant doesn't take care of removing some of it. But I have a solution and it's pickled onions! Sweet, tangy, crunchy, oniony but the harshness has magically disappeared!

Remember to vote for "AJ's Cooking Secrets" for "Best Food Blog" in Washington state! Thanks!

Just go to this link --> http://best.king5.com/aj-s-cooking-secrets/biz/652307

AJ's Secret: 

• The key to pickling, in my opinion, is to have your pickling liquid extremely warm to just before boiling when adding it to the desired vegetable, in this case onions. It slightly blanches and cooks the onion a little bit to remove more of the harsh flavor and penetrates the onion better yet at the same time, maintains the crispness of the onions. Just dissolving the sugar in the vinegar at room temperature, which would happen over time, and adding it to the onions will take much longer and doesn't take away much of the harshness
• What vinegar should I use? Well, different vinegars have different intensities. Some people say to not use white vinegar because it's too intense...but sometimes all you have on hand is white vinegar! Just remember, because vinegars vary, your sugar will vary! A rice vinegar will use much less sugar whereas white vinegar uses a lot. You're looking for a combo that is tangy and sweet at the same time.

Quick Pickled Red Onion

Recipe by Me

Ingredients

1 red onion, sliced

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Optional:

5-8 Peppercorns

Fresh Herbs such as thyme or rosemary

Red Pepper Flakes

1 Garlic clove, sliced

Directions

Remove the outer layers of the red onion to reveal the smooth and clean flesh. Slice the onion down the middle along the root, and then into strips about 1/8 inch thick (alternatively, rings can be made by cutting the onion, "onion ring style"). Place the cut onions into a bowl. Rinse the onions under cold water while separating the individual layers, about 3 times, to remove some of the harsh flavor of the onion. Drain any excess water and set aside the bowl of onion slices.

In a microwavable measuring cup, measure out the vinegar and add in the sugar. Microwave the mixture for about 1 minute or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add in any optional flavorings desired and mix thoroughly. Pour the warm liquid over the onions and mix. Allow to sit for at least 20-25 min. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should last a couple of weeks.

-Aaron John

Pasta Salad

What's new you ask? Well, I've finally started volunteering at Swedish Hospital in their pharmacy! If I've been on this path to becoming a pharmacist, I better get some experience don't ya' think? It's better late than never is what I always say!

Let me tell you, volunteering at Swedish is 10X better than working at Macy's. No more sales goals, no more managers breathing down your neck to get sales when they took away commission and no more following customers around helping them find jeans and then being forced to up-sale and say "You should buy a belt as well." Maybe I'm just crazy but I tend to like to browse and look at clothes myself without a sales associate following me around and suggesting things that they "think" I need. Am I the only one that feels that way? That's why I hated retail because I hated having to follow customers around when I personally wouldn't want that as a customer myself.

I'm just glad I'm finally working in an environment with professionals that have reached the goal that I want to reach. I still have a lot to learn but I love volunteering at Swedish so far! Not to mention, it brings me back to my high school days because my high school is just across the street.

Now, let's get back to the food. This post is all about Pasta Salad, pasta meant to be cold. Add in anything on hand with pasta and some dressing and it's a great accompaniment to a protein like chicken, for lunch.

Last post I introduced my idea for a cooking show and because of that, I will now feature a new segment at the end of each post called "AJ's Secret". Really, it's just a tip to have a fool proof dish. So, here goes!

AJ's Secret:

• Cook the pasta not to "al dente", but past it until it's fully cooked. Because the pasta is eaten room temperature or cold, the pasta will firm up in the fridge because of the starches present in the pasta. An "al dente" pasta is just too firm.
• Before mixing the dressing with the pasta, make sure the pasta is completely at room temperature or cold. With creamy dressings, I notice that if you add in the dressing while still warm, it eventually causes the dressing to separate especially when making it ahead. Vinaigrette type dressings can be added warm or cold however.
• Red Onion can be a bit strong in flavor. To take away the intense flavor, I pickled mine with vinegar and sugar. Blog post on Pickled Red Onion will be up soon!

Pasta Salad

Recipe by Me

Ingredients

1 lb Rotini Pasta

1/2 cup Caesar Dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/4 Red Bell Pepper, roasted and diced

1/4 to 1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced (I pickled mine)

1/4 lb Feta Cheese, cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley (for color)

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and the dried Rotini Pasta. Cook the pasta until it is past the "al dente" stage. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is no longer hot. Set aside.

The following ingredients are nothing more than cubing, grating, slicing and dicing. 

• Grate parmesan cheese
• Use jarred roasted red bell peppers or roast off a fresh one. I used a fresh one, only cutting a 1/4 piece from the pepper, rubbing with olive oil and popped it into a toaster oven on broil until the skin turns black. Remove and place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 5-10 min. Remove the skin and dice.
• Slice sun dried tomatoes
• Thinly slice red onion
• Cube the feta cheese to bite sized pieces

Assembly: Toss the pasta with the Caesar dressing, salt and pepper. Then add in the parmesan cheese and toss. Add in the roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes and red onion, toss. Finally, add in the cubed feta, being careful not to break the cheese too much. Finish off with a sprinkling of parsley.

-Aaron John

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce)

Well, another year of UW has come and gone and here I am, still stuck at this University as a Super Senior next year. I'm not going to lie, seeing the photos that my friends had posted on their big day made me jealous. I should've been up there with them, celebrating with them, entering into the real world with them but a decision made here and there, led me to this point. I can't wait until that day comes and I know it will come sooner than later.

I'm extremely proud of my friends that graduated and I congratulate the UW Class of 2013. Only bigger and better things are to come. Until then, let's cheers with some Vodka! ha.

I'm not a huge fan of alcohol, surprise surprise. For one, I get that wonderful "asian glow" and turn as red as an apple and two, people say alcohol has tons of calories so I'd rather drink a milkshake. ha. But cooking with alcohol is a different story. It definitely adds something you can't get otherwise. This Penne Alla Vecchia Betolla (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce) is no different.

Vodka is pretty flavorless overall but it definitely added something to the tomato sauce. Don't worry, you don't taste that "rubbing alcohol" flavor. It's tomatoey, creamy and has a bit of a kick in the back of the throat from the red pepper flakes. Serve it with your protein of choice, mine was chicken, and it becomes a meal.

Nick & Toni's Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce)

Recipe by Joseph Realmuto

Ingredients
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled plum tomatoes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the vodka and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes through a sieve and crush them into the pan with your hands. Add 2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and set aside. 

Place the tomato mixture in a blender and puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency. Return to the pan.

Reheat the sauce, add 2 tablespoons fresh oregano and enough heavy cream to make the sauce a creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes. Toss the pasta into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Serve with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh oregano on each plate.

-Aaron John

Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs for days, Swedish Meatballs to be exact. When I think of Swedish Meatballs, the first thing that comes to mind is Ikea. I'm not the only one right?

Many years ago, I made a trip to Ikea, like many of us have. While pushing the cart and following those useful arrows on the ground I overheard a teenage girl talking on the phone about Ikea's Swedish Meatballs. "Girl, have you had these meatballs at Ikea? Girl, they are the BOMB. Girl, I'll go and bring you some."

Why I remember word for word what she said, I have no clue but the way she said it just got me laughing. At the time, I couldn't focus on the fact she was talking about the Swedish Meatballs. I could only focus on the fact she kept saying "Girl" to begin each sentence!

Well, it's now time to stop thinking about "Girlllll..." and start thinking about Swedish Meatballs!

Swedish Meatballs

Recipe by Marcus Samuelsson

Ingredients
For the meatballs 
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/3 pound ground chuck or sirloin
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the sauce 
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup lingonberry preserves
2 tablespoons pickle juice

To garnish lingonberry preserves quick pickled cucumbers

Directions
Combine the breadcrumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about five minutes, until softened. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 Add the breadcrumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.

 Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes until browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

 Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.

-Aaron John

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

It's been a while but it's time for a blog post quickie! My life has really revolved around school these days. Trying to pass my classes, working out my schedules where I can graduate a little bit early, looking up Pharmacy Schools I would like to attend...the list goes on and on. But no matter how busy I am, you best believe I will never forget about food. 

I took a break from studying for midterms literally 2 hrs ago to make this Cajun Chicken Alfredo and let me tell you, this is a MUST MAKE! Don't be afraid of the Blackening/Cajun seasoning either. I was at first but it mellows out and flavors the sauce really well. Creamy, cheesy, tangy from the sun dried tomatoes, juicy chicken and pasta. Now I'd say that was a break from studying well worth it. 

Well, that's it for now. Eat well my peeps! Back to studying for me...Two midterms this week! Yikes!

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

Recipe by Guy Fieri

Ingredients
Kosher salt
Four 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds)
Blackening/Cajun Spice Rub
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1 pound fettuccine
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat. 

Dredge the chicken breasts in the Blackening Spice Rub. Place in the cast-iron skillet. Blacken both sides of the chicken, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and place in the oven until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and slice the chicken into strips on the bias.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and lightly brown it, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine. Pour in the heavy cream, bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and chicken slices.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine al dente, according to the package directions. Drain.

When the cream sauce is at the desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the sea salt, pepper and pasta. To serve, toss the pasta with the cream sauce and serve on large rimmed plates. Garnish with the green onions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

-Aaron John

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad has been on my mind lately. Why? Who knows. I mean, who the heck starts thinking about Macaroni Salad? Never in my life have I ever said "Macaroni Salad sounds soooo good right now". Never, I mean NEVER! It's like the stories where they say pregnant women eat strange combos of food like pickles and peanut butter. Well, me eating straight up Macaroni Salad is strange in and of itself.  (BTW, type "peanut butter and pickles" in google and you get a bunch of sandwich pictures. Can you say "future blog post"?? Maybe if I'm desperate...)

So when something is based in mayo, who do you turn to? Paula Deen Ya'll!! The queen of butter, potatoes and mayo. When a cooking show is based on these three items, she better know her stuff and pretty much she does. It's a simple recipe with everything you want in a Macaroni Salad.

Honestly with a Macaroni Salad, you can really put anything you have left in the refrigerator as long as it's reasonable. I, myself, decided to add in some carrots. You can even put pickles in here, but leave out the peanut butter, unless you're adventurous!

Macaroni Salad

Recipe by Paula Deen

Ingredients
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped pimento
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and put into the refrigerator until ready to serve.

-Aaron John

Southern Italian Ratatouille

Can it really be? Has AJ really posted something new?! I know, I know. It's been almost a century, or so it may seem, since I dusted off my old blog and actually put out a blog post. Well here's one to finally post about. I tell you, being a full time student, working part time and the endless amount of work I have to get done, it's almost becoming impossible to blog on a weekly basis as I have before. Though my blog post will become sparse over this school year, I'll do my best to post as often as I can.

First of all, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I hope it was full of the three F's, friends, family and food. My Thanksgiving was mellow and consisted of me cooking the whole meal! Most things I cooked, I blogged about once before such as Prime Rib and Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia, but this year, I added a new vegetable dish that embodies fall flavors, a Southern Italian Ratatouille by Michael Chiarello.

This dish is something really earthy. It's somewhat tangy from the tomatoes, the veggies still have a nice crispness to it and the flavor of thyme and basil run through the whole dish. Definitely delicious and worked wonderfully with the Thanksgiving meal. Just make sure you thoroughly brown the veggies. In the word of Anne Burrell "Brown food tastes good". Otherwise, you'll just have steamed vegetables, and we can all agree, that's just blehhhh.

Souther Italian Ratatouille

Recipe by Michael Chiarello

Ingredients
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced fresh wild or domestic mushrooms
Gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 pound yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 pound zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup thinly sliced leek, white part only
3/4 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped vine-ripened tomatoes, about 1/2 pounds
1 cup loosely packed baby spinach, sliced
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the mushrooms and cook, without moving them, until brown on 1 side, about 1 minute. Continue to saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and pour onto cookie sheet to cool. Set used pan aside.

 In a separate, clean skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic. Cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. In the pan where the mushrooms were, add 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add yellow squash. Cook until browned, about 1 to 2 minutes and drain onto same cookie sheet with mushrooms.

 Place peppers in hot pan where squash was cooking, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of thyme. When heated thoroughly, add peppers to waiting mushrooms and yellow squash. Add zucchini to the same pan, add remaining thyme, cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Pull both pans (onions and zucchini) off the heat, and add to cookie sheet with other vegetables.

 In the former zucchini/mushroom pan, cook leeks to soften, about 2 minutes. In the other, bring the tomatoes to a simmer. Season the leeks with salt and pepper, to taste, and add spinach. When spinach is wilted, add cooked leeks to cooling vegetables on cookie sheet. Add basil to the tomatoes, then add tomatoes to cookie sheet. Stir gently, and top with Parmesan and serve.

-Aaron John

Instagram Quickie: Lemon Marinated Grilled Salmon

Life has been busy. With work, juggling classes and even applying for another major on top of my Biochemistry major and Diversity minor, it has been pretty hectic. Not to mention, it's only been two weeks since the start of the new school year!

On top the start of the new school year, this Seattle weather has been a big tease. Freezing cold temperatures in the morning and Summer temperatures in the afternoon? Who would have thought. It's the only time where Winter drinks like Hot Cocoa meet in the morning and Summer Foods like Grilled Salmon meet in the afternoon. I guess Summer just wants to stick around that much longer.

Lemon Marinated Grilled Salmon

Recipe by Me

Ingredients

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

4 to 5 (5-ounce) Salmon fillets

Additional lemon to squeeze over the cooked Salmon

Directions

Preheat the grill to medium

Whisk the marinade together by combining the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder until homogenous. Place the salmon fillets in a dish and pour the marinade over the salmon and  flip them over a few times to ensure the marinade is completely coating the fish. Set aside for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the Salmon from the marinade and season both sides with salt and pepper. Brush and oil the grill. Place the salmon onto the grill and let it cook for about 4 minutes for a crust to develop and those famous grill marks can form. Using a spatula, flip the salmon over and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes longer. The salmon will go from a translucent color to more opaque as it cooks. If the grill flares up, move the salmon to a cooler part of the grill. 

Remove the salmon from the grill and onto a platter. Immediately squeeze more lemon juice over the top.

-Aaron John

The BLT Sandwich

Sandwiches are some of the simplest and easiest way to have a great meal. No recipe? No problem. You practically don't need any recipes. Just take two slices of bread and put whatever you want in between.  Have you seen the commercial where the kids were in the kitchen with their mom, making sandwiches using ketchup, peanut butter, and whatever they found? I guess, to each its own. But, one of the tastiest and simplest of sandwiches is the BLT.

What's not to love with a BLT? A sandwich made out of bacon? Sign me up. Put as much bacon as you want, as much mayo as you like. Hey, I didn't say this is a health food. But, there is lettuce and tomato for you health gurus. It's your sandwich, make it your way.

In other news, today I found out that I was nominated in a local contest for Evening Magazine's "The Best of Western Washington" in the food blog category!!  Because I just found out today I'm still in the process of claiming the nomination but I'm behind in the votes and need your help!

Please go over and vote!! :) Here's the link! http://best.king5.com/aj-s-cooking-secrets/biz/652307

The BLT Sandwich

"Recipe" by Me

(For 1 sandwich)

Ingredients

5 slices of Bacon, cooked and drained

2 leaves from a head of Iceberg Lettuce

2 slices of Vine Ripen Tomatoes

2 slices of of Bread (White, sourdough, etc)

1 to 2 tbsp Mayo

Directions

Prepare all the ingredients. Wash the lettuce and tomatoes. Dry and tear the lettuce so that it fits the bread, the larger the pieces, the better. Slice the tomatoes about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and set aside. Finally, I found when using white bread, if you slice the cooked bacon in half, it fits perfectly on the bread. 

To assemble the sandwich, toast the bread until golden brown. Spread mayo on both slices of bread. Layer 4 of the halved slices of bacon horizontally across one slice of the mayo covered bread. Next, layer another 4 bacon halves vertically over the layer of bacon. Finish it off with 2 more halves of bacon in any direction. Next layer on the lettuce to fit and add the tomatoes on top. Top with the other slice of mayo covered bread. Simple, simple, simple.

-Aaron John

Jalapeno Cornbread

Cornbread is something I've really come to enjoy, especially Honey Cornbread Muffins. But today, it is all about Jalapeno Cornbread. Cornbread is something that I've found difficult to get just right. With different recipes out there with more cornmeal than flour, less cornmeal than flour and equal parts cornmeal and flour, which do you choose?

With this recipe that I found on All Recipes, it seemed pretty good in terms of ratings but sometimes you can't really trust the ratings unless you make it yourself. As I began, I measured out all my ingredients only to find I only had 3/4 cup of cornmeal left! Instead of halving the recipe, I decided to just increase the flour  to 1 1/4 cups.

This cornbread looked perfect when it came out of the oven; an evenly baked, golden crusted cornbread got my hopes up. It had just enough texture from the cornmeal which I think would have been overkill if I followed the recipe exactly. However, this cornbread was not spicy at all and was BLAND! I would have increased the amount of jalapenos to 4 or left in the seeds because I was not able to taste them. I would have increased the salt just a bit as well. So much for that 4.5 star rating. So what's my choice on the proportions for cornbread? A little less cornmeal than flour or even equal amounts cornmeal and flour. This gives it the right amount of texture without feeling like your eating sand, in my opinion.

Jalapeno Corn Bread

Recipe from Archie Timmons

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

Directions
In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in jalapenos. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares or wedges. Serve warm.

-Aaron John

Instagram Quickie: Mexican Food Trucks

I saw this "Instagram Quickie" type posting over at Wit & Vinegar and thought it was a genius idea. It's something quick, something simple and something easy to do in order to keep readers up to date on what us bloggers are eating and doing. Thus, this will be my first Instagram Quickie!

Food Trucks have been very popular over the last couple of years. Specifically in Seattle, Mexican Food Trucks seem to be popping up around every corner just like Starbucks. There is now one in a parking lot where I catch the Light Rail to work. These trucks are probably the closest thing to authentic Mexican Cuisine you can get in Seattle. It may not be SoCal Mexican food but it's close enough. This Carne Asada meal was on Rainier Ave and was uber delicious.

Moral of the story? Get out and try food from a food truck. Who knows, you might start being a regular there!

-Aaron John

General Tso's Chicken

Well, well, well, after starting my third week of work as a sales associate at Macy's I finally have time again to blog. So, what is this post about? What I ate at least 3 times since working at Macy's which is General Tso's Chicken. This goes way back to my post on Orange Chicken. These chicken dishes are Americanized chinese food that are simply addicting.

Maybe it's the crispy fried chicken. Maybe it's the sticky, salty, spicy and sweet sauce. Maybe it's just because it tastes really good. Whatever your motivation to order this dish, we can all agree that even though it's not real chinese food, it's damn good!

I've tried many General Tso's Chicken recipes and yet, I can't seem to pinpoint the one that I taste at the mall. Even though this recipe is good, it's not the same. It seems to be missing a little something something. But for now, it will definitely keep my wallet nice and fat, just the way I like it.

General Tso's Chicken

Original Recipe from "Mama's Kitchen (Hope)"

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups green onion
sliced 8 small dried chilies, seeds removed (bird pepper or thai chilies are good)

Cornstarch slurry
1/4 cup soy sauce, low sodium preferred
 1 egg, beaten
 1 cup cornstarch

Sauce
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sherry wine or 1/4 cup white wine
14 1/2 ounces chicken broth (a can)

Directions
Place sauce ingredients in a quart jar with a lid and shake to mix. If you make this ahead of time just refrigerate until needed, shaking it again when you are ready to use it. This also keeps your dirty dishes down.

Mix cornstarch slurry in a large bowl- the mixture will be strange but trust me it works. It will be VERY thick almost paste like. Add chicken pieces to coat. Using a fork remove ONE chicken piece at a time and let the excess mixture drip off. YES even though the mixture has a weird consistency it will not stick like paste and the excess will drip off. Add chicken to the hot (350 degree) oil and fry until crispy. Only cook 7 or 8 chicken pieces at a time. You do not want to lower the temp of the oil by cooking too many at a time. You can use a simple cooking or candy thermometer to judge the temp of the oil.
Drain on paper towels. Keep warm- I just put them in the oven with the oven off. Repeating until all chicken is fried.

In a separate wok or large skillet add a small amount of oil and heat to 400 degrees. Again, a candy thermometer works great. You can fry all the chicken, drain the oil to the desired amount and use the same pan if you like.

Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds.

Stir sauce mixture, and then add to pan with onions and peppers, cook until thick. If it gets too thick, add a little water. The thickness of the sauce should be similar to what you get when ordering this at a restaurant.

Add chicken to sauce in wok, and cook until all is hot and bubbly. The quicker this is done the crispier the chicken stays. 8 Serve over rice.

-Aaron John