Shitake, Basil and Blue Cheese Omelet

I am always thinking of food! Always thinking what to cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I always check the fridge the night before so that when I wake up in the morning, I'll just go straight to the kitchen and do what I'm passionate about....COOKING!! Last night, I thought of cooking omelet for Sunday breakfast but I didn't bother to check out the fridge. I knew I have some ingredients I could use and I must say that I made a very delicious omelet! I wanted seconds :)

Ingredients: (1 serving)
2 eggs
2 fresh large button mushrooms - chopped
2 fresh large shitake mushrooms  - chopped
1 clove garlic  - chopped
1/2 shallot - chopped (optional)
2 tsp crumbled blue cheese
5 fresh basil leaves
pinch of ground black pepper
3 tsp of butter


Heat a frying pan in medium heat and add 2 teaspoons of butter. Add the garlic and shallot, stir until brown then add the mushrooms and basil. Cook for 2 minutes then take out from pan and set aside. Whisk the 2 eggs in a bowl. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter in the pan and pour the eggs until it forms into a round wrapper. Cook for about 1 minute in medium heat and then add the cooked mushroom mixture one one side of the egg. Add the blue cheese and fold the egg, flip and cook for another 1 minute. Add a pinch of ground black pepper and serve warm. I like mine with hot sauce!

Orange Zest Pancakes

We recently had a flapjack Friday at the office and it inspired me to make a hearty breakfast for the family today before heading to an all day track meet event for Dexter's school. This is a mixed recipe of Aunt Jemima and MJ! Well, I realized I am out of flour but I found a box of Aunt Jemima pancake mix. I just picked some oranges from the backyard and I added some orange zest to the batter mixture and the pancakes were absolutely delicious with fresh slices of orange. Just add your favorite syrup!

Ingredients:

2 cups of Aunt Jemima pancake mix

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of milk

2 tbs vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon of orange zest

melted butter or vegetable oil spray for cooking

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and whip for about a minute. Do not over whip the batter or you'll have hard pancakes. It's okay if you see clumps in the batter. Heat a lightly buttered skillet on medium heat. With a small ladle or large spoon, scoop the batter onto the pan (about 4 inches diameter), and heat until the top begins to bubble or until you can flip the pancake without making a mess. Heat the other side until golden brown. Repeat Step 3 until the batter is used up.

Stir Fried Scallops with Asparagus

Asparagus  is extremely popular among Asian dishes. The combination of garlic, chili sauce, ground black pepper and lemon zest gives this dish its spiciness. You can substitute the scallops with shrimp or other firm fish.

 Ingredients:

6 tablespoons sesame oil

2 bunches of asparagus, cut into 2 inch lengths

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound baby scallops

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon coarsely black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili sauce

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest

Preparations:

Heat half the oil in a wok or large fying pan. Add the garlic and stir until brown.

Add the asparagus and stir-fry for about 4 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a plate and set aside.

Add the rest of oil and the scallops and cook for 4 minutes.

Return the asparagus to the wok or frying pan, add the chili sauce, fish sauce, black pepper and coconut milk. Stir and cook for about 4 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

Maple French Toast

On Sunday night, my son asked if he can have fresh toast for his Monday breakfast. Of course I said YES! I checked my pantry and fridge to make sure that I have all the ingredients I needed  A friend from work brought me some fresh brown eggs on Friday so I decided to use those instead of my regular store bought eggs.

French toast is a favorite breakfast or brunch dish and it’s so easy to make. The breads you can use are endless (french bread, sourdough bread, Texas toast, etc.) and you can get as creative as you like with toppings. Here is a basic recipe for french toast.

Ingredients:

 

2 eggs

4 tbs milk

6 slices maple Texas toast bread (thick slices) or regular bread

6 tbs butter (1 tbs for each slice)

Directions: 

Heat a pan or griddle at medium to high heat. Mix together the eggs and milk with a fork or whisk then pour into a dish that’s large enough to dip a piece of bread into without having to fold it, an 8×8 inch baking dish is ideal. Dip one slice of the bread into the egg and milk mixture on one side then flip and dip the other side. Letting the bread soak in the milk and egg mixture for a few seconds will help the mixture soak right through the entire piece of bread but be careful it doesn’t get too soggy so that it falls apart when trying to cook it. Add a tablespoon of butter to the grill to melt, then place the dipped slice of bread onto the pan. Cook the first side of bread for about 3 minutes or when the bread is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for approximately the same amount of time. You can cook more than one piece at a time but don’t allow the pieces of bread to touch each other. Once cooked serve the french toast immediately or keep in a warmed oven until ready to serve. Serve with your favorite fruit, syrup and powder sugar. French toast can be made crisper by adding a bit of corn starch to the egg and milk mixture

Mini Cheese Ravioli with Bolognese Tomato Sauce

It's been a while since I've had spaghetti so I decided I'll make some for our weekend meal. But after checking my pantry, I realized I didn't have spaghetti noodles!!! I was too lazy to go to the store so I to used another type of pasta. It turned out to be a better meal than my craving for spaghetti noodles!

Bolognese Sauce Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

2 can of 28 oz tomato strips with basil

1 can of 6 oz tomato paste

1 tbs of italian seasoning

4 tsp of brown sugar

10 cloves of chopped garlic

1 large chopped yellow onion

6 tbs of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Pasta:

1 16 oz bag of dry mini ravioli with cheese filling (Trader Joes or other brand) - cook as directed on the package. You can also substitute with other type of pasta.

Preparation:

Add olive oil and garlic in a heated large pan and cook until brown

Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes

Add the ground beef and cook until brown

Keep stirring for about 5 minutes

Add the dry ingredients








Add the 2 can of tomato and 1 can of tomato paste

Stir and coat all the meat with the sauce, cover and simmer in medium heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and check twice to make sure its not sticking in the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with some french bread!

SOME INGREDIENTS I USED:

 

Chicken with Oyster Sauce

We had left over of the left over curry fried rice. This time, the family wanted some meat to pair with the left over rice. In the pantry was a can of mushroom, 3 potatoes and in the freezer, 1 pouch of chicken breast. Here is what came out of those main ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast cut in cubes

3 potatoes cut in cubes

1 can straw mushroom

6 cloves of chopped garlic

6 tbs of oyster sauce

3 tbs of hoisin sauce

6 tbs vegetable oil

1 tsp of cornstarch

1/8 cup of water

a pinch of ground black pepper

Heat a large frying pan and add the vegetable oil. After 30 seconds, add the garlic and cook until brown. Then add the chicken, stir with garlic and cook for about 5 minutes (keep stirring to avoid burning). Add the potatoes and cook for another 2 minutes or until they are tender. Add the mushroom and the rest of the ingredients, stir, cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with the water and add in the pan, stir and cook for another 1 minute. Enjoy with steamed rice or any leftover rice you have.