I Am... Friday Finds: 3.22.1 9
I can’t believe it’s the middle of March, actually scratch that, it’s practically the end of March! My RSI is still acting up, and I’ve become pretty good at dictation. Did you know, you can control the capitalization your sentences and create new lines and everything? It’s been amazing because I really want my arm to get better but I still want to be somewhat useful. Mike tells me I should just rest and I’ve been trying but it’s really hard. Anyway, I’ve still been checking things out on the Internet, I probably should be taking a break from all things device related, but... Web Stuff:
- I screamed so loud when I saw this it’s so CUTE!!
- Man, there are some hard-core crazy parents out there.
- I love Uniqlo, do you?
- I would be so happy if I got a cheese eggs for Easter. Imagine going on a cheese and egg Easter egg hunt, that would be the best!
- OMG, are eggs bad for you again? It can’t be!!!
- Dim sum can’t just taste good anymore, it has to be instagramable too.
- Using Google Docs to flirt ;)
- Pyrex, what is going on?
- Hello chewy crispy chocolate mochi love!
- I happen to love the cookie part of chocolate chip cookies, so these guys are perfect for me.
- Apparently potatoes and kimchi are BFFs – I’m so in!
- The sneakers are super cute how can I resist the name, Cloudfoam?
- Can’t wait to get my hands on my copy of Aloha Kitchen!
- Healthier sweet and sour pork!
- Seven ingredient easy chicken adobo, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
- Chicken pot pie bowties, for when you just need comfort food.
- Air fryer Vietnamese chicken wings, the best wings I’ve made all year.
- Dorm room microwave mac & cheese, because sometimes you don’t wanna wash the pot.
- The prettiest egg ribbons you ever did see.
I Am... 7 Ingredient Chicken Adobo Recipe
Chicken and rice is one of those dishes I absolutely love eating. There’s something so comforting about the combination. Growing up, it was always on the menu: fast, easy, and a no brainer for my mom to make for a weeknight dinner. It was the one thing that I would consistently eat as a child and even now, it’s completely nostalgic for me: true comfort food. It seems like the world agrees with me – every culture has its own version, each one comforting in its own way. It was always the best day of the week when my mom would come home from the Chinese butcher with a Styrofoam box of glistening soy sauce chicken. We would make rice in our trusty rice cooker and the taste of the chicken-y soy sauce on fluffy white rice was to me, one of the best flavors of childhood. My other favorite was when my mom would make Hainanese chicken: a simple dish of chicken poached in a flavorful broth seasoned with ginger and garlic. The chicken was unbelievably tender and a perfect match to the extra chicken-y rice that was made by toasting rice in chicken fat before cooking it in chicken broth. So good. Now, when I’m looking for something new and comforting, I look towards chicken rice - I’m forever searching for new iterations. I love the Japanese version, oyakodon: chicken stewed in savory dashi with creamy eggs over a bowl of white rice, creamy chicken casserole, arroz con pollo, and of course Filipino chicken adobo. Adobo is the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. It’s garlicky, vinegary, saucy, and addictive. It’s a little confusing because when you think adobo, you might think of Mexican or Spanish food. In fact, the word adobo actually means sauce or marinade in Spanish, and in this case, it’s a sauce made of soy and vinegar. All you need is chicken (preferably skin on bone in chicken thighs), vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Because it’s such a popular dish, these five ingredients change from person to person. Sometimes people add in a bit of sugar or even coconut milk. Everyone has their own way of making chicken adobo. Here, we kept it simple, with just seven ingredients. I think it’s the simplicity that makes it taste so good. The fact that so few ingredients can combine together and make it more complex than the sum of its parts is amazing. What are you waiting for, make this tonight and absolutely serve it up with lots of fluffy white rice to soak up all that delicious sauce!
7 Ingredient Chicken Adobo Recipe serves 4Read More →Marinate the chicken in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, pepper, garlic, and bay leaves for one hour minimum. In a dutch oven, heat up the oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken skin side down, in batches if needed, then add the marinade. Top with enough water to almost cover. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer, and cook uncovered for about an hour. The sauce will be brothy and thin. If desired, remove the chicken and simmer the sauce to thicken. Enjoy with fluffy white rice.
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 head garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
I Am... Air Fryer Vietnamese Chicken Wings
If you've be interested in making an air fryer chicken wings and have been on the fence about it, I'm here to tell you: do it. They ended up crispy and perfectly cooked. We demolished these in 10 minutes flat. They were so good.
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I Am... Dorm Room Microwave Mug Mac & Cheese
This recipe is perfect for anyone without access to a full kitchen, or maybe just anyone who's feeling lazy but not too short on time. To be honest, microwave mac & cheese takes just as long as stovetop mac & cheese, but the benefit is: you don't have to wash anything but a mug, and that's worth a recipe in itself.
Dorm Room Microwave Mug Mac & Cheese Recipe serves 1Read More →via The Kitchn In a very large microwaveable mug, combine the macaroni, water, and salt. Stir to combine then place on a microwave safe plate. Microwave in two minutes intervals, stirring in between, about 10 minutes total, until all the water is absorbed and the macaroni is tender. Stir in the milk and cheese and microwave for 30 seconds, or until cheese is melted. Enjoy immediately.
- 1/2 cup small macaroni
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
I Am... Chewier, Better, Faster, Stronger: 4 Ingredient Cacio e Pepe Udon Recipe
If you're looking for a fast and easy way to satisfy your noodle craving, this four ingredient cacio e pepe udon recipe is here for you. Your typical cacio e pepe takes at least 10 minutes to cook the pasta. But if you love T H I C C noodles, udon is for you. And, bonus, they cook up in a flash. If you use those frozen/fresh udon bricks you find at the Asian grocery store, they're essentially ready to eat in about 2 minutes. Toss with some butter, pepper, and cheese, and you're in satisfaction city.
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I Am... How to Make Egg Ribbons
Whenever I'm feeling a little fancy and I want to make eggs, I make egg ribbons. Essentially, they're very thin slices of an egg omelette. They're just as easy as making scrambled eggs but they're way more impressive. They make salads great and noodles even more noodle-y. There's just something about a sunshine yellow pile of egg ribbons that just makes everything better. I love them on rice, or even as a no-carb noodle variation. The best part about egg ribbons is that you can make as many or as little as you like. They work great as meal prep as well. Make a big batch and throw them on everything!
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I Am... Super Easy 2 Ingredient Small Batch Caramelized Palmier Pinwheels
Filling in for Steph as she recovers from self-induced smartphone elbow and probably carpal tunnel syndrome. I love palmiers. As someone who doesn't really go in for most things in a bakery, a good palmier is a lifesaver for me when I get roped into a "cute cafe" date (click that link, it's from 7!! years ago). Steph really loves whiling away lazy afternoons in cute trendy cafes, but for me, they hold almost zero appeal: no beer, no fries, no chicken wings, and hard-to-find seating, usually. Give me a brewpub any day. Once in a while a new trendy bakery/cafe opens up and I'll take Steph, and inevitably nothing on the menu appeals, but if they make croissants in house, they almost always have palmiers as well. For me, nothing is a better sign of a good bakery than their palmiers: sweet, crispy, flaky, and much much cheaper than a $4 croissant or a $5 pain au chocolat, but still an addictive excuse to consume a stick of butter. I'm not even picky about them. A entire box of supermarket palmiers and a glass of whisky as dinner and I'm in heaven. This recipe is for those late-at-night times when you can't be bothered to go to the grocery store (or it's closed), but, if you're like us, you have a roll or two of puff pastry in the freezer. I could lie and say I made these for Steph but in reality, she demanded that she was still useful and insisted on making these for me tonight, so this is her recipe. My only contribution is writing this post plus a pro tip: buy the all-butter puff pastry, it makes a huge difference. Making these made her arm worse, she should have continued resting it. Send Steph good thoughts!
Small Batch 2 Ingredient Palmiers Recipe makes 10 pinwheel palmiersRead More →Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the puff pastry into 3 equal pieces. Dust your work area with an even layer of sugar. Lay out 1 piece puff pastry and sprinkle on more sugar. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the sugar into the pastry. Repeat with remaining sheets of puff pastry. Roll up like you'd roll a carpet when you're moving. When you run out of pastry, squish another on one on just like rolling up an extra rug. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and freeze until firm about 10 minutes. Sliced the roll into 10 even slices and place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool and enjoy.
- 1 sheet store bought puff pastry, thawed
- 1/3 cup sugar
I Am... Chicken Pot Pie Bow Ties: Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
It’s Pi Day! You know, the day everyone eats pie because it’s March 14, which is 3.14, which is pi. Originally, I was intending to make a lemon meringue pie but that fell by the wayside because I currently have some sort of strange version of tennis elbow which is either caused by me using my phone too much or my bad posture at the computer. Either way, my right arm is basically useless, which kind of sort of means no pie. I’m actually really worried about my arm. I haven’t really been able to cook or do anything really. I’ve stopped using the computer, my phone, or anything that requires my arms. I’ve just been trying to rest in hopes of the pain going away. Thankfully, Mike’s been taking care of me in the best way possible – making sure I have lots of snacks and also picking up the blog slack. He made this recipe based on my verbal instructions and it came out just how I wanted. I was really happy with how the recipe came out – it’s truly reminiscent of chicken pot pie, minus the crust, plus noodles. The bowties were Mike’s idea because bow ties rhyme with pie. (By the way, I’m writing this using dictation, so any strange typos are totally due to that LOL.) Anyway, this really is probably the most simple chicken pot pie-ish dish that you’ll ever make. It’s a dump and start kind of situation where everything goes into the Instant Pot. After a quick five minutes at high pressure, some butter and cream and a bit of corn starch are stirred in to thicken the sauce and everything becomes glossy and saucy and delicious. I usually like to put a pie recipe up a couple days before Pi Day, but this year I wasn’t able to because of my arm. Still, I’m happy we got to celebrate in our own little way. If you’re anything like me and you didn’t plan Pi Day at all, you can still celebrate with super simple creamy chicken pot pie bow ties. Happy Pi Day!
Chicken Pot Pie Bow Ties: Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe serves 4Read More →In the Instant Pot insert, add the chicken thighs, bowties, onions, carrots, chicken stock, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook on high pressure for five minutes. When done, quick release the pressure and carefully open the instant pot. Turn on sauté mode on medium heat and stir in the cream, cornstarch, and butter. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Add in the peas, taste and season. Enjoy!
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
- 1/2 lb bow ties
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1-2 carrots chopped
- 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup cream whisked together with 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup frozen peas
I Am... The Easiest Adobo Recipe: Weeknight 6 Ingredient Pork Chop Adobo
Adobo is the Philippines' national dish, and it's not hard to see why: it's tangy, savory, a little bit sweet, and immensely satisfying. While the protein matters a little bit, it's the sauce that's magic: a simple blend of garlic, soy, acid, fond, and fat that's so much more than the sum of its parts. Internationally, chicken adobo is the most popular variant, but over where the dish originates, pork adobo (or even a mix of chicken and pork) is just as popular and it's always a close race to see which one people prefer. This is the easiest weeknight version of adobo possible: just 6 ingredients, almost no prep time, and dinner will be ready in under an hour. You probably already have everything but the pork chops in your pantry. The secret ingredient in this dish is the lemon, which brightens up the dish and, I don't know about you, but I'd rather buy one lemon than a whole bottle of vinegar any day. Cooking Notes Classically this dish uses pork belly or shoulder, but both are not very weeknight-friendly, so here I've subbed pork chops instead. Pork chops are cheap, easy to find, and cook fast, so I think they're the perfect choice here. You can also use pork belly, shoulder, chicken, or all of the above. The steps are the same no matter which protein you use - it just might take longer before the meat is tender. What do you need? A pot with a lid. A cheap garlic press will make life great. How do you serve it? Serve over rice.
Super Easy Weeknight Pork Chop Adobo Recipe Serves 21. Season the pork on both sides. 2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a small saucepan or pot and lightly brown the pork chops over medium heat, working in batches if needed. Don't be afraid to crowd the pan as long as your chops fit on a single layer - it will cut down on the splatter. 3. Add more oil if needed and fry the garlic for 1 minute. 4. Add the lemon juice, soy sauce, bay leaf, and sugar to the pan. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. 5. Layer the chops and any juices in the pan, then cover with enough water to just cover the top pork chop. Partially cover with a lid and simmer for 40 minutes, or until pork is tender. When done, taste and adjust seasoning - you may need to add another teaspoon of sugar depending on your tastes.
- 1lb pork chops
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons sugar
I Am... How to Make a Lucky Charms Cereal Milk Latte
This latte is so ridiculously easy to make that you'll want to start a Lucky Charms latte cafe. Everyone will come to your cafe because the lattes are incredibly Instagramable and you'll forever be known as the Lucky Charms latte girl/guy. I kid, I kid. But these lattes are easy to make, taste great, and are super pretty.
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I Am... 3 Ingredient Small Batch Lucky Charms Treats
I love Rice Krispie treats. I love Lucky Charms. Of course I love Lucky Charms treats! These guys are dangerously easy to make, so I've made a perfectly sized small batch recipe for those times when the craving hits but I don't want to be eating an entire pan of treats.
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I Am... Snickerdoodle Lucky Charms Cookies
Soft and chewy cinnamon-y sugar snickerdoodles with sweet and crispy Lucky Charms marshmallows mixed right in. Make these for a St. Patrick's Day treat and you'll be the luckiest person around.
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