bake it up!

when it comes to potluck dinners with the in-laws, i frequently find myself in charge of a veggie dish and an appetizer. the requested veggie dish is typically green bean casserole. it's darn good. and (bonus!) i can use the leftovers in potpies, like i did here. i try to switch it up a little more when it comes to the appetizers. but there are some definite faves that i go back to. i've been on a little bit of a sushi kick lately, but making sushi for that many people (18-ish) was a little more labor intensive than i had time for. (btw, when did easter turn into a christmas-esque holiday? driving around to visit with 3 different families, cooking 3 different dishes, and making gift bags for the kids? jinkies!) anyhoo, i made this sushi for my sissa the week before, and had bought the imitation crab for the california rolls at my bulk store. of course i didn't need all that crab, so i decided to make make baked sushi for my appetizer for tonight's easter dinner. it's like a delicious sushi casserole. you serve it with pieces of nori (korean nori is the best!) for your guests to make their own mini-rolls. 

sushi rice:

4 cups short grain rice (cooked)

3 tbs rice vinegar

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs kosher salt

crab topping:

8 oz cream cheese (i used light)

1 c mayo

1 lb imitation crab sticks, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

korean nori

microwave the vinegar, sugar, and salt for 30-45 seconds and mix until most of the salt and sugar dissolve. put the cooked / hot rice in a 9x13 pan and gently mix in the vinegar mixture.

mix together cream cheese and mayo until smooth. add imitation crab and mix until pieces are broken / shredded. mix in salt and pepper. 

spread crab topping onto the rice, and put into the oven with the broiler on high. cook for ~10 minutes, until the top starts to brown lightly. serve with nori. 

mmm...now, go bake it up!

beef it up! mongolian style

we used to eat a lot of takeout. a lot...i'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but minimally, we did it every weekend, and sometimes (when i was feeling lazing) during the week too. i don't miss it for the most part. i feel like most of the things that we used to takeout could be done fairly easily at home. but i've never really ventured into making chinese takeout. i don't know why. i love it. mongolian beef is one of my faves. it has such robust flavor. why is it called mongolian beef? is it mongolian? or chinese? i actually had to google it. turns out it's neither. it's "chinese american." not traditional at all. oh well. it's still delicious! 

the original recipe was a pinterest find. i tripled the original recipe. i know. that seems ridiculous. but in my attempt to be frugal, i bought the beef from the bulk store, and they don't sell just one pound. plus, i was feeding 5 adults, and my mama always said to get 1/2 a pound of meat per person, so i figured i wouldn't be going too overboard. anyhoo, since i beefed it up and did 3 lbs, i cut the beef before starting the sauce, because i knew it would take me a little while. we also had some steamed bok choy. the recipe made a lot of sauce, and the bok choy was amazing topped with a bit of the sauce.

• Mongolian Beef
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1½ tsp ginger, minced
• 4 tbs garlic, minced
• 1½ cup soy sauce
• 1½ cup water
• 2½ cup dark brown sugar
• vegetable oil, for frying (~ 1 cup)
• 3 lb flank steak
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large green onions, chopped

• 
  
• heat 1 tbs of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat, 
• without letting it get too hot. add ginger, garlic, soy sauce and water to the pan, being careful not to scorch the garlic. dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then increase the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. remove it from the heat and set aside

slice the flank steak against the grain at a 45 degree angle into 1/4" thick slices. coat each piece with cornstarch and then let sit for 10 minutes.






 heat up one cup of oil in a wok over medium heat. the oil should be hot, but not smoking. add the beef to the oil in batches and saute until brown, cooking evenly on both sides. after a couple of minutes, remove the cooked meat and place on paper towels. dab excess oil off meat and add to back to the wok together with the sauce. put the wok over medium/low heat. add chopped green onions and let sauce simmer. i added a little extra cornstarch (mixed with water) to thicken the sauce a little more. serve over rice.

i obviously forgot the green onion, but it was still amazing, so i forgave myself

we gets the spaghetts

spaghetti sauce. can it be considered a comfort food? i think it's one of my ultimate "feels like home" meals. and in a slow cooker, it's just so gosh darn easy. have i mentioned how much i love my slow cooker? oh, not in this post?

i like to blend up a bunch of veggies to cook into the sauce. so now the fam is eating a veggie packed meal, and they don't even know it! yes. i'm sneaky. and i like it!  i started to sautee the ingredients in the morning before work, and my mister came out of the bedroom nearly drooling over the smell. i just love that feeling. of course, for a vegetarian option, just omit the beef and sausage and voila! a delicious marinara. 

please be warned...this recipe makes a. lot. i think i froze at least 6 cups of sauce...maybe half of the batch? i'm a non-traditionalist when it comes to the pasta, so i used farfalle. it might be a texture thing, but i won't admit to it. i'll just go with it's easier to eat...no fork twirling required! that's my story, and i'm sticking to it.

Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef

1 lb italian sausage (casings removed)

1 tbs evoo

1 med onion diced

1 each carrot, zucchini, celery stalk - minced in the food processor

1 tbs minced garlic2 - 28oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 tbs dried basil

1/2 tbs dried oregano

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

brown the beef and italian sausage in a pan (i used the insert from my slow cooker, which is stove top safe...yay for less dishes). set meat aside. 

heat evoo in the pan, and saute the onion, garlic, and veggies until onions start to become translucent and fragrant. 

add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and freshly cracked pepper. stir well to combine

(add to the slow cooker at this point to make a marinara)

add the meat and combine. if your slow cooker tends to lose moisture and dry things out, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water as well. my cooker has a good seal, so no extra water was needed. cover your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

remove the lid on the slow cooker, stir the sauce, and remove the bay leaves. season with salt to taste. serve with your favorite pasta!