Night #9- China

Well maybe not technically China, but the Americanized version of Chinese food: chicken fried rice.  According to Ryan, it was the best he's had (and I might have to agree!).  It was pretty simple, most of the time is prepping and chopping.  So here's our version of this popular dish:

Ingredients for Fried Rice:

2 cups room temperature Jasmine Rice (cooked in a rice cooker or on the stovetop; it fried much better if it's slightly cooled)

1 pound chopped uncooked chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

1 large onion, sliced

4 eggs, beaten slightly with a fork

1 cup of thawed frozen peas

Vegetable oil

Salt & Pepper

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

1 teaspoon siracha sauce

1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper

Salt to taste (probably won't need much)

Chicken Fried rice

In a large frying pan oven medium heat, add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and the sliced onions and seasoning.  Cook for 15 minutes or until slightly caramelized.  Take out the onions with a slotted spoon and put them in a large bowl.  In the same pan (add more oil if needed), add the chopped chicken and more seasoning.   Cook until browned on both sides and cooked through (about 10 minutes on the first side and 5 on the second).  Take chicken out with a slotted spoon and add to the same bowl that the onions are in.  Add the beaten eggs to the pan and cooked until scrambled (will take less than a minute).  Take out and add to the bowl of chicken and onions.  Next, turn the heat up on the pan to medium-high and add more oil.  Add the rice and spread out until it's an even layer.  Cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then stir, continue this until all of the rice is slightly fried and browned.  After about 10 minutes, add the sauce and the chicken, eggs, and onions back in.  Turn stove burner off.  When ready to serve, add the peas to the pan and stir to incorporate.  Serve immediately (makes delicious leftovers too).  You can add lime, herbs, or extra siracha, depending on your tastes.

Night #8- Spain

Our culinary travels landed us in Spain last night.  Ryan and I are a fan of tapas, so we decided to make a couple at home.  On the menu for last night was peach sangria, chipotle potatoes, and clams with chorizo. 

Ingredients for Peach Sangria:

2/3 bottle of dry white wine

1 cup peach nectar

1 sliced fresh peach

Club Soda

Peach sangria

In a pitcher, mix together the first three ingredients.  Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour to chill and let flavors meld.  Serve over ice and top with a splash of club soda. (Could make into a virgin drink, and just double the peach nectar instead of the white.)

Ingredients for Chipotle Potatoes:

1-2 pounds diced Yukon gold potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 cup mayo

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Spicy Potatoes

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a blender, mix together the mayo and peppers.  On a sheet tray, mix together the potatoes, oil, and seasoning; spread into a single layer.  Roast for 15 minutes or until fork tender, then broil until crispy and browned (about 10 minutes).  Mix cooked potatoes and pepper-mayo in a bowl.  Can be serve warm or they are good leftover served cold.  

Ingredients for Clams with Chorizo:

2 small chorizo links (about 4 oz total) chopped into small pieces

1 dozen clams

1/2 small onion minced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 bottle of white wine

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I prefer flat leaf)

In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the chorizo, oil, and onions for about 15 minutes, or until onion is completely translucent and chorizo is crispy.  Add the garlic, but stir constantly for 1 minute so it doens't burn.  Add the lemon and wine.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Add parsley and clams, and then put a lid on it.  You're ready to eat when clams are all opened (discard any closed clams).  Serve with additonal parsley and crusty bread for dipping. 

Chorizo and onions

Clams steaming in broth

Clams with chorizo & white wine broth

Night #7-Great Britain

In honor of the host city, we had a British-inspired meal last night.  Originally we planned on deep frying fish and "chips," but we decided to make them a teeny bit healthier and baking the potatoes and pan-frying the fish.  They both turned out really great, so well that Ryan claimed it was the best fish he's ever had!

Ingredients for the fish:

2 small cod filets 

The whites of 2 eggs

1/4 cup flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

Lemon wedges for serving

Start by wisking the egg whites until they have soft peaks.  Next, set up a dredging station, with the flour (seasoned with salt and pepper) on one plate, the egg whites in a bowl, and the panko on an additional plate.  Dredge the fish filets in the flour mixture, then the egg whites, and then the panko.  Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking.  When you're ready to go, heat vegetable oil in a frying pan (just enough the coat the bottom of the pan).  Fry on eat side on medium heat, until golden brown on all sides.  Serve with lemon.

Whipped egg whites

Fish, ready for cooking

Fish, after cooking

Chase version of fish & chips

 Ingredients for potatoes:

4-5 small/medium Yukon gold potatoes

Olive Oil 

Salt & Pepper

Finished potatoes

Potatoes before baking

Pre-heat oven to 400.  Clean potatoes and then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  Toss in a bowl with oil, salt, and pepper.  Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Then broil for another 5-10 until crispy.  Put back in bowl and add more oil or seasoning if needed. 

Night #6-Greece

Last night we took a return trip to Greece for dinner.  While we were running errands in Sarasota, we picked up some feta from Sahara (we are totally spoiled now and won't even buy it from any other place) and some groceries for Publix, and we were set to cook, marinade, and watch Olympics!  The main course was a burger, and we made the same burger as in the past, but this time it was even better (link for recipe: http://andcartermakesthree.blogspot.com/2012/07/best-burger.html).  We also made a Greek-marinated chicken kabobs to use for salads later in the week (marinade- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon each of lemon zest, fresh chopped oregano, and olive oil, salt and pepper), tzatziki sauce, and a Greek salad. 

Chicken kabobs

Marinading chicken

Burgers fresh off of the grill

For dessert we made a peach/blueberry crisp (actually Ryan made that).  Everything else we've posted the recipes for, but I'll fill you in on how Ryan made the dessert.  In my opinion the best part about crisps is that they don't have to be precise measurements like typical baking, so feel free to adjust the amounts to your preference.  

Ingredients for Peach/Blueberry Crisp:

2 1/2 cups peeled, sliced peaches (frozen or fresh)

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick of butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Before baking

In a bowl, mix together the fruit, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon chopped butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Let sit for at least an hour to macerate.  In another bowl, add the remaining ingredients.  Mix with a stand mixer, or your hands, until it has the consistency of wet sand.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Add fruit mixture into a pie pan or baking dish and top with crisp mixture.  Bake for 1 hour or until crisp is brown and fruit is bubbly.  Let sit for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.  Serve with whipped cream!

Fresh out of the oven

Night #5- Vietnamese

Toppings for banh mi

Our version of banh mi with chicken meatballs

 As we continue to go around the world, so to speak, we landed in Vietnam last night.  We made banh mi sandwiches and salad.  They both were flavorful and different.  For the banh mi, we used the leftover potsticker filling and turned them into meatballs; just added 1 egg and 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs to the mix.  I cooked it in the oven for 40 minutes, flipping half way through, in a baking dish.  To make the sandwiches, just take store-bought French bread, and spread with a spicy mayo (2 tablespoons mayo, 1 teaspoon siracha, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire, and 1/2 lime juice).  Add the meatballs and then top with whatever condiments you like (I used cilantro, basil, green onion, shredded carrots, and cucumber).  For the salad, it was simply: lettuce, radish, cucumber, shredded carrot, and store-bought ginger dressing.  It was a fun dinner and delicious!

Ready to start building sandwiches

Salad with ginger dressing

Night #4- USA!!

Pancakes and Syrup

It was hard deciding on what to make for our USA night, but we ended up choosing a childhood favorite of both Ryan and mine....breakfast for dinner! I hate to brag, but I really do make a killer pancake.   So to celebrate the USA's medals, we chowed down on some pancakes and sausage.

Ingredients for pancakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter (plus more for cooking and serving)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups half & half (you can use milk too, but half & half really makes them thick and fluffy)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients together.  In a separate bowl, melt 3 tablespoons butter and add the remaining ingredients to that bowl.  Slowly wisk wet ingredients into dry.  You can make batter ahead of time or start cooking.  Scoop out desired amount of batter (I use 1/2 cup) into a frying pan on medium heat with some melted butter.  Cook on first side until lots of bubbles have formed, and then flip.  Serve with butter and real maple syrup (don't bother with the fake stuff!). 

Night #3- Cuba!

Last night we attempted to make our own version of Cuban/Caribbean meal.  We made Cuban sandwiches and corn & avocado salad/salsa.

Ingredients for Cuban Sandwich:

1 loaf of Cuban bread

1/4 lb. sliced roasted pork (we used the Publix deli brand)

1/4 lb. thinly sliced ham

1/8 lb. sliced cheese (I prefer swiss, while Ryan likes American)

Sliced dill pickles

2 tablespoons mayo

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons butter or cooking spray

Combine the mayo and mustard and spread on the bread (you can cook a giant sandwich and then portion it out or make separate ones), then add meat, cheese and pickles.  Spread room temperature butter on bread and then cook on a panini press (or on a frying pan with something heavy on top of the sandwich.  Cook until cheese is slightly melted and bread is crunchy.

Cuban sandwich

Ingredients for Corn & Avocado Salad:

2 cups frozen corn kernels thawed

2 diced avocados

Juice of 2 limes

2 minced green onions

1 minced jalapeno, seeds removed

Salt to taste

corn and avocado

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  The longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes, I recommend at least 1 hour.  Serve as a salad or with tortilla chips as a salsa.