Ladies and Gents, we have a winner...and some biscuits!

Last night, I sat at my computer waiting patiently for the clock to strike midnight so I could pick the Gathering of Friends Cookbook winner. Without further adieu, the lucky winner and also host of one of my favorite blogs is #10, Lisa! Congrats! Lisa from Jersey Girl Cooks likes to share a big pot of spaghetti & meatballs or bbq in the summer with friends. After reading the many delicious things you all like to share with friends, I realized I need to get to know some of you better ;)

Enjoy the beautiful cookbook and thanks to Michelle from Gathering of Friends for helping out with the giveaway!!

Lest I leave you without any food today, here's a shot of a recent "quick" breakfast. Not for those squeamish about calories, biscuits 'n sausage gravy are a favorite of hubby's and a delightful way to start the day. Comfort food makes everything better, don't you think? I wish I could say that I made these biscuits from scratch, but then it'd disqualify this from being a quick meal. And that'd be a shame.

We basically follow this recipe from Bobby Flay, though I add the milk in gradually to reach the desired consistency as I like things thick! I also only use 1 package of sausage and halve the rest of the ingredients. We're not gluttons here. :)

Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy the day!

Jap Chae (Korean Glass Noodles)

As I've now already made this dish twice, I figured I should share with all of you. Do you ever find a food item that you just need? ...even if you've already made it the week before? For us that little something, that perfectly delicious discovery is dang myun, Korean glass noodles.

Not to be confused with the more common Chinese vermicelli or cellophane noodles, dang myun noodles are impossibly long and have a entirely different color (greyish) and feel. For those that are into textures, these are glassy, thick, chewy (but only in a good way), translucent and thus, the color that you want them to be. Plus, they soak up sauces and seasoning quite nicely. Google Korean markets in your neighborhood and you should be able to find them. If not, try ordering them online here.

For my vegan friends out there, these noodles are made solely out of sweet potato starch & water so they're both vegan friendly and gluten-free! This dish is versatile and allows you to use your favorite veggies, meats or tofu in the stirfry. The first time around, I used tri-colored bell peppers, cabbage and carrots for a vegetarian meal.

The second time around, I added broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, shrimp and tofu for something a little heartier. Either way, it's a delicious meal.


I used the recipe from the Culinary Institute of America's One Dish Meals as a rough guide. As all good Asian stirfries, measurements aren't exact and sometimes, the noodle dish doesn't turn out exactly the same the second or third time around. They do look different, huh? I blame the different brands of noodles I used. I suppose that's the beauty of cooking!

I'm submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by The Cooking Diva this week!

Jap Chae (Korean Stir Fry Glass Noodles) - vegetarian version
Adapted from One Dish Meals

1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
18 oz package of Dang Myun noodles (Korean clear glass noodles which are different from Chinese glass noodles)
3 scallions, sliced thin
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
canola oil
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup bell pepper sliced (red, yellow or green)
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup carrrot, julienned
salt, fresh ground pepper
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of warm water. Allow to soften for about 20 minutes. Remove from liquid and cut off stems.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions. If said directions are in Korean, try this: boil a large pot of water and allow noodles to boil for approximately 5 minutes or until soft. You may need to cut them if they're too long. Drain and rinse with cool water.

3. Fry egg in a small omlette pan and cut into thin strips and set aside.

4. Combine scallions, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil,and sugar in a small bowl.

5. Heat canola oil in a large wok and fry the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and carrot and stir fry about 3 minutes. Add cabbage and continue to stir fry for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add soy mixture and continue to toss vegetables.

6. Add noodles and stir fry until very hot. If noodles look pale or need more sauce, add soy sauce or fish sauce until taste is good. Add sliced eggs and toss. Serve hot.

Toasted Sesame Chicken Pasta & a Giveaway!!

“We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf”
-Epicurus (Greek philospher, BC 341-270)

True, true, Epicurus. There's something to be said about sharing a tasty meal with friends and family over good conversation, laughter, and a bottle of nice wine. I suppose there are many occasions where I end up dining alone, but eating with others is a true joy. ...unless your dining mate has bad manners, of course.

In their new cookbook, The Gathering of Friends, Michelle Huxtable and Alyse Christensen provide menus, recipes and table setting ideas meant to help you Gather Your Friends to the table and enjoy a homecooked meal. Each section focuses on an event or party such as a shower, a "Ladies Luncheon," breakfast brunch, or holiday meal. The photos are stunning, the cookbook well laid-out and there's even a section for you to write your own comments / notes!

After drooling over page after page, I decided to make the Toasted Sesame Chicken Pasta from the "Springtime Breakfast" section. Clearly, I have my seasons wrong, but give me a break. I live in California. Though probably intended to be more of a pasta salad, I decided to serve this warm and as our main entree for dinner. Delicious and hearty, we greatly enjoyed the toasted sesame flavor and ease in preparing the dish. I did make a few modifications as the original calls for candied pecans (delicious sounding!) but we had an allergy in the group. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!



Since I enjoyed this cookbook so much, I wanted to share with a copy with you! Please leave a comment with your favorite dish to share with friends. Whether it be ice cream or a big bowl of chili, I'd love to hear your favorites. I've always wanted to use the Random Number Generator so leave your comment by Thursday, October 30th!

New to Cooking? How To Boil Water

I won't insult your intelligence, as I assume even the most novice of you cooks have once placed a pot on the stove...well, I hope. Come to think of it, I did have a roommate in college who didn't know how to boil water...

In any case, many gals on the STLWed board have mentioned they'd like to get more involved in cooking. How To Boil Water: Life Beyond Takeout from the Food Network Kitchens serves as an excellent starter cookbook to get you in gear. The book begins with the fundamentals and provides clear yet entertaining background information about kitchen equipment, ingredients, and cooking methods such as chopping and veggie preparation. I usually skip this section of cookbooks, because it's typically boring and written in a language that insinuates you're not intelligent if you didn't already know that celery stalks should be peeled. How To Boil Water takes nothing for granted and provides guidance on how to adapt a recipe to "make it your own" by adding or substituting alternative ingredients and interesting side notes and tips about each recipe. For example, for novice improvisers the book suggests frying up a small patty of meatloaf to ensure the spices are right. Brilliant! Did you know that there's fundamentally no difference between brown & white eggs (beyond the chicken who laid it)? I didn't. Best of all, this cookbook is equipped with beautiful and colorful photos throughout to get you inspired (and give you a clue what your food should look like :)

So, for those of you out there that are kitchen shy, consider this book as a starter and let me know about your recipe successes! Here's one that we enjoy:

Buffalo Chicken Sub Sandwiches
Courtesy of How To Boil Water: Life Beyond Takeout

3 boneless, skin-on chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 pounds (I usually just stick with skinless, though its not as crispy this way)
2 teaspoons chili powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (you can get away with using less)
1 to 2 ribs celery
1/2 bunch watercress
1 baguette (aka French bread, 15 to 18 inches long)
4 tablespoons hot sauce
2 ounces creamy blue cheese
1/4 cup mayo or sour cream (I use light)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with chili powder & salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add 2 tbsp of butter. Lay the chicken skin side down and cook without moving until the skin is golden and crispy, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until the chicken is opaque, about 4 additional minutes. Reserve the skillet. Put the chicken in a baking dish or roasting pan and bake until firm to the touch, about 10 minutes. Set chicken aside to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
2. While the chicken bakes, thinly slice the celery. Trim and discard the tough stems from the watercress. Rinse, dry and set aside the leaves.
3. Cut the bread crosswise into 4 equal pieces; cut each piece in half for sub style sandwiches. Add 2 tbsp butter to the reserved skillet. Once butter stops foaming, toast half the bread, cut side down, pressing and moving to soak up butter, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and brush with half the hot sauce. Repeat with remaining butter, bread and hot sauce.
4. Spread cheese evenly on the bottoms of the bread. Layer the celery over the cheese. Thinly slice the chicken and place on the celery. Top with watercress and finish by smearing the top pieces with mayo. Press the tops on the sandwiches and serve immediately or wrap and serve within 2 hours.

Newlywed Cooking at its Best: Small Batch Baking

Baking has always been one of my passions. When hubby and I were dating, I'd joyfully bring him and his roommates cakes, cookies, and their favorite- rice crispy treats, and they'd instantly be gobbled up. It also won me brownie points (OK, sorry for that cheesiness). If the guys weren't around, I'd at least have my own roommates and coworkers to share my culinary creations with. Now that we no longer have two sets of roommates, and I don't work in a large office anymore, its up to hubby and I to devour the majority of my baking treats. I can't say we really mind this challenge at times, but our health probably does! Beyond that, having to bake for two limits how often I'm able to experiment with new recipes.

Small Batch Baking recently came to the rescue with decadent desserts that serve two to four people. Even better, the amount of ingredients used is so small that even a fancy dessert such as Petite Pear Tarte Tatin does not seem as daunting. If the recipe fails, at least I only wasted 4 tablespoons of flour!

I feverishly flipped through the book the first night it arrived, overwhelmed at which recipe to make first. In the mood for a muffin? Well, perfect - there's a recipe that makes just two jumbo morning glory muffins. Too lazy to make an apple crumble pie? Don't be, you only have to use one apple! Over the past couple days, I've managed to make almost 5 recipes. Some were divine, others were near kitchen disasters (pecan snowball cookies). The Moist Fudgy Brownies were top-notch if you enjoy gooey brownies with crisp edges. I also enjoyed the rum cakes, hubby felt otherwise ("they taste like egg cake..." OK!) . All in all, this cookbook is great for couples or those looking for some portion control. I will admit I did feel bad when hubby came out for a study break and asked for another brownie. I suppose it's probably for the best. More Small Batch recipes and reviews to come.

Moist & Fudgy Brownies
adapted from Small Batch Baking
Makes 2-3 brownies

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/4 teaspoons egg substitute or beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pan Required:
1 petite loaf pan (2 cup capacity, about 5x3 inches) My mini loaf pan is smaller(about 3/4 cup capacity), so I divided the batter between two mini pans.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the pan with aluminum foil. Very Lightly grease the foil.
2. Place the butter and the chocolate chips in a medium sized microwaveable bowl and microwave on medium power until the chocolate is soft and the butter is melted, about 45 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and completely melted. Add sugar and stir until incorporated. Then add the beaten egg and vanilla, and stir. Finally, add the flour & salt. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared loaf pan(s).
3. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes (about 24 minutes if using a smaller pan), or until a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs; the top will appear dry and the brownie will start to shrink from the sides of the pan. Do not overcook.
4. Remove the loaf pan from the oven, place on wire rack and let the brownies cool completely in the pan. Use the edges of the foil to lift brownies out of the pan. Remove foil and cut brownies.