My Little Home - Favorite Recipe

Yakisoba- Japanese Fried Noodle

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs. Sesame oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbs. Fresh grated ginger
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 7 oz packages fresh Yakisoba noodles, rinsed
1-2 large carrots, julienned
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup frozen peas

Mix soy sauce, water, sugar, 1 Tbs sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Use 4 Tbs as marinade, reserve the rest. Marinate chicken 24 hours.

Heat 1 Tbs oil and saute chicken breasts til cooked through. Cut into juliennes.

Heat 1 Tbs oil, saute carrot and onion over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add noodles. Stir fry 3-4 minutes or until noodles begin to stick to the pan. Add soy sauce mixture and stir fry 1-2 minutes longer, adding chicken to heat through.

APPLE CRISP A la Mae

Alex my collegue on Tuesday, she posted on her FB profile that she just made an apple crisp out of her mom's original recipe. I teased her about bringing some to office for me, and although it was just a joke, lo and behold...she got me a little plastic container with a tiny piece of heaven in it

I told her how much I love apple pies and anything baked with apples. I craved anything that is baked apple (from Sugarhouse to McDonald's), and that's all the sweet stuff I could literally handle as I hated anything sweet (it left a bitter aftertaste at that time).

So after savoring my scrumptious desert, I asked her for the ingredients and how to bake it. I had the chance to use Lissette's beautiful kitchen and so I was inspired to make some glorious treat for me, and for some people I love

Here are the ingredients:

6-7 pieces of apple, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
(You may want to soak the apples in water to prevent it from getting brown)
1 cup of flour
1 1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 tsp of salt
1 raw egg, unbeaten
1/3 cup of melted and cooled butter for drizzling
1 tbsp of melted butter for buttering the pan
cinnamon powder
2 8"x8" pans

1) Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
2) Butter the pan and lay all the apple pieces on it. Drizzle the apples with 1/3 cup of the cooled, melted butter.

3) In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and the egg. Use a fork to mix it until it gets crumbly.

4. Pour the batter on top of the apples and sprinkle with cinnamon.

5. Bake for 40-45 mins., or until you see the top turning crisp and bubbly.

I have learned when I was younger to soak apples (or potatoes) in water so they won't turn brown. And so I did. However, I think due to excitement, I didn't drain it too well that this yummy apple crisp turned out to be a tad watery. So for those of you who will be trying this out, make sure that you drain the apples very well. Use paper towels, if you must.

As it turned out, it still tasted great! My sisters loved it

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) fryer (see Wikipedia on the difference between broilers, fryers, and roasting birds), cut into pieces
2 cups buttermilk
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, thyme) or a teaspoon each of the dried herbs.
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
2 cups grapeseed oil, or other high smoke-point oil such as canola oil, or peanut oil

Method

1 Soak chicken overnight (at least 8 hours and up to two days) in buttermilk with onions, herbs, paprika, and cayenne pepper. (Regarding the use of buttermilk, my mother has had good results from soaking chicken in plain yogurt instead of buttermilk.)

2 Drain in colander, leaving some herbs on chicken. In a large paper or plastic (sturdy) bag, mix flour with seasonings. Meanwhile, heat 2 cups oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron, stainless steel, or anodized aluminum - something that can take the heat) on medium high heat until a pinch of flour starts to sizzle when dropped in the hot oil (but not so hot that the pan is smoking). Remember when working with hot oil, always have a pan lid close by.

3. Place chicken pieces in bag with flour and shake until thoroughly coated. Add chicken to hot pan and fry on 1 side for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown, and then use tongs to turn the pieces over and fry for another 10-12 minutes, again until golden brown.

Be careful to keep the oil hot enough to fry the chicken, but not so high as it burns the chicken. To do this on our electric stove we have to alternate the settings between high to medium high several times while we are cooking.

4. Use tongs to remove chicken from pan. Place on a rack over a cookie sheet or broiling pan for the excess oil to drain. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: Serves 4. YUMMY YUMMY!!!! My Favorite

Apple Carrot Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil (light olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups packed coarsely grated carrots (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 cups packed coarsely grated tart apples, such as Granny Smith (about 2 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)

5 ounce fresh, mild chèvre (goat cheese), at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cups powdered sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350° and place rack in the center of the oven.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, cocoa, pepper, and salt. Whisk to combine, then stir in oil and eggs. Stir in carrots, apples, and pecans.

3. Set aluminum or paper cupcake holders in muffin tins. Spoon the batter into the cupcake paper cups, three-quarters of the way to the top. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

4. Beat goat cheese, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until combined.
Once cupcakes are cool, apply frosting.

Makes 24 to 28 cupcakes.

Asparagus Recipe

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 bunch of medium sized asparagus, about 1 lb
2 Tbsp of the most exquisite extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest - freshly grated lemon rind
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Prepare the asparagus by rinsing them thoroughly, break off any tough, white bottoms and discard. Cut into 1 to 2 inch sections, slicing the asparagus at a slight diagonal.

2. Fill a medium sized saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. Parboil the asparagus for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the hot water. While the asparagus are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note that when you are working with so few ingredients, it's important to make sure they are of the highest quality.

Yield: Serves 4.