Let's Get Asian with Teriyaki Steak & Rice

One thing that really caught my eye when we were in whole foods, looking in the deli/meat section was this garlic teriyaki skirt flank steak. It was so bright, vibrant, and really did look like great quality. I LOVE me some teriyaki anything;however, I have never prepared it at home. Now, I am going to apologize for no pictures, I just didn't think, again. <_<

Well this was really quick and easy to prepare. I sliced the three pieces of steak into bite size pieces, and set them aside for the moment. I like to use the easy to boil rice in a bag, I mean I can make some good rice risotto style and pilaf style, but let's be honest, the easy boil bag rice was made for a reason and is convenient. When I get into a risotto mood though, best believe I'm nurturing it like a baby, and putting all that love and care into it. ;)

Well I got my rice boiling, two bags of brown rice. While that was boiling, I started to cook my sauce.

 For the sauce I combined
 1/2 cup of soy
1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
a dash of cayenne

I combined all ingredients over medium heat until sugar was dissolved, while this was mixing, and the rice was boiling, I small diced a whole onion and sweat them out in a large pan until translucent.

 Side note- if you are going to taste the sauce be very careful, as melted or dissolved sugar is extremely hot!

After the onions were translucent, I added the rice to that pan, and then added the sauce. I mixed everything very well, and let it sit or simmer, so it would still be warm, but not continue to cook on the stovetop while I prepared the steak. You can taste the rice and season to taste with salt and pepper, go light on the salt because the soy adds quite a bit already. I also added some more minced garlic to the rice mix, but I love lots of garlic.

I started by getting a dry pan really hot, and then threw in the steak. I got a nice color on the steak pieces, front and back, and then lowered the heat to a 4 on my stove, my stove tends to be hotter than most, so a medium heat would do just fine. The trader joe's teriyaki steak had a sauce on it, but the paper it was wrapped in pulled a lot of it off, which made me sad, but I added more fresh garlic, salt, and pepper to the steak while it cooked. You can cook it to your preferred doneness, but I love my steak medium rare.

 Side note- If you have never tried medium rare steak I highly recommend it. I was super iffy on it at first in school when our Chef made us try all the temperatures because the red freaked me out. It is the best way in my opinion to have steak, it keeps the taste and integrity of the meat, it is juicy and moist (Yeah that sounds totally nasty lol ), ok but you get what I mean right? It is still warm in the center, but red, once you can get over the red I swear you'll be so happy I told you to try it! An over cooked steak just ruins the meat!

Ok, so after I cooked it to a nice medium rare and seasoned it, I ended up mixing it in with the rice on my plate, but keeping them separate when storing leftovers. It was very tasty and a nice change to our usual dinners. Also since Chris works nights, we don't always get to eat together, so some nights i'll cook and we eat separate, but I really like it and prefer when we cook together and eat together. This was a nice easy dish that I could cook after work and when Chris reheated it, he loved it, and said it reheated well in the microwave, which is always good to hear involving steak. Typically steak dries up and doesn't reheat that well, but he said it worked out well!

 

Pizza Time!

Chris and I decided we were going to have a pizza making competition! We did this quite some time ago, even before we went on our trip, and I never blogged about it! I cannot for the life of me remember everything we put on the pizzas, but I remember they were as my husband would say, scrumdidilyumptious. ha-ha I don't even know if that is how that word would be spelled, if it even is a word. Chris made a stuffed crust pizza with fresh mozzarella, and he used a bisquick dough, which gave it a very flakey almost like a dip dish pizza. I hate dip dish, to me, it's to much dough to everything else ratio, but oh my, I absolutely loved his pizza! We both made pepperoni pizza's with fresh mozzarella and pepperoni from Trader Joes. For my dough I made it out of bread flour, yeast, water, salt, the basic pizza crust recipe. I got the opportunity to finally break in my dough hook on my kitchen aid as well! We used store pizza sauce, if we had more time as well as fresh tomatoes I would have wanted to make my own tomato sauce, but hey, when you are hungry, you are hungry damnit! I did a very thin crust, and it came out well though, I want to try hand tossing, I have always been to afraid to try it. We were pretty hungry when we began so I didn't want to risk ruining the dough. We both used plenty of garlic. :)

Ok.... so I am going to admit something to y'all.

Ready?!

I made an ammature mistake... I didn't flour my pizza stone... and the crust stuck bad. Getting the slices off was a nightmare, but Chris did it. I probably ruined the pan... good thing it was a cheap one and not that William Sonoma one I said I wanted. Oh goodness. *Shakes head* Well the good thing about mistakes are, after you make them, typically you don't make the same ones again. That's right people, lets learn from my mistake.  <_<

I think I made a kickass pizza still flavor wise, but Chris' pizza I think was pretty amazing, it's a close call, I say he won. :) I wish we could have taken his stuffed crust, put it on my dough (and have it not stick) and then take my cheese filling, with his meat filling and put it all together. Now.... for the best part, pictures!

Cheesecake Brownies! Oh My!

One of my favorite things to make are brownies, nothing beats a good brownie. I was on pintrest and was inspired from a picture/ recipe of a brownie basically sandwiching a cheesecake layer. Oh these looked so decadent, and I could spend hours on pintrest! I absolutely love to bake, and though I would love to take credit for these beauties I will always give credit where credit is due. The recipe derived from this site: http://www.recipe.com/brownie-bombs/ though I did do a couple things different, but this is where the inspiration came from. Well now, lets jump right in.



First thing is first preheat your oven to 350. In a saucepan melt 4 ounces of butter with 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter. Make sure you melt this over low heat. I used semisweet chocolate, because I have a sweet tooth, you could use unsweetened if you want them not as sweet. I also used Trader Joe's chocolate chunks, their chocolate is my favorite to bake with. When the mixture is totally smooth take it off the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.

 

I know, trying to let it cool 10 minutes can be impatient, but trust me let it cool! This is so that when you mix in your eggs, they don't scramble. Scrambled eggs in brownies are not a good match!

Now that we are all nice and cool, we are going to stir in 1 1/3 cup of sugar and whisk in 3 eggs. At this point we are also going to add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The recipe called of 1/2 teaspoon, but I always like a little more. We are also going to mix in 3/4 cup of all purpose flour.

Set this mixture aside and now it is time to start the cheesecake layer. In a separate mixing bowl or with your handy dandy kitchen aid mixer, place one 8 ounce package of room temperature cream cheese in the mixture. It is important to make sure this is room temperature to create a nice smooth batter with no lumps! Start mixing the cream cheese on a low speed, while mixing add one egg, after the egg is mixed in, add four teaspoons of flour still while mixing on a low speed. Next, add in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. (the recipe calls for 1/4th I used 1/2th teaspoon). We want to make sure we only mix this as much as we need to and nothing more, when you over mix cheesecake it tends to crack after you bake it.

Next, we want to grab an 8X8 pan, spray it really well, and I didn't do this, but I should have lined it with parchment paper. After you have lined the pan, place 2/3 brownie mix in the pan, then the cheesecake layer, try to spread as evenly as you can. It is easier in you place most in the middle, a bit each in 4 corners and pull it out with the spatula. After you have the cheesecake layer down, add the rest of the brownie layer. Now, you are all set to bake! bake for about 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it, top with chocolate chunks, bake another 12 minutes. The baking time will vary upon your oven.

  Allow brownies to cool, or dig in if you're like me and like a nice hot brownie. :) Just be careful not to burn yourself!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Brownie mix:

 

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup AP flour

3 eggs

 

Cheesecake ingredients:

 

8 ounce cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

4 teaspoons AP flour

1/2 teaspoon or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

 

Directions:

 

1. In a saucepan, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove the mixture from the heat.Stir in 1-1/3 cups of the sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Cool the mixture for 15 minutes. Beat in the 3 eggs and the 3/4 cup flour.

 

2.In a mixing bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, the cream cheese, the 1 egg, the 4 teaspoons flour, and the 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.

3.Coat an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 2/3 of the chocolate batter in the pan. Spoon cream cheese layer over batter. Dollop with remaining chocolate batter.

 

4.Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Bake for 12 minutes more. Cool. Cover; store in the refrigerator. Let the chilled dessert stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to serve. Makes 16 servings ( supposedly, we cut ours big, and got 9 :p ).

 

 



 

 

 

Kalahari & The Candy Shack

When Chris and I were in Erie, Pa we realized that we were so close to the number one water park in the US, which is Kalahari in Ohio. We decided, we are so close, and out so why not? :P It was very luxurious, because we booked a day before doing they only had this apartment style room available and we took it because we didn't want to drive all the way there and not be able to get into the water park, plus if you stay with them, the price of the water park is included, and they book up really fast. This was the first time I suppose you can say I stayed at a resort. Though I absolutely love water slides, my favorite part was the hot tube that went outside. There is something so relaxing about the steaming hot water, but feeling the cold breeze of a February wind. :p Another great thing about the hot tube, was it had a swim up bar, that was pretty bad ass, it is also relaxing sipping on a strawberry daiquiri in a hot tube.

 

 We had to get some treats while there from their Candy Shack and they were amazing!

 

We got a piece of blueberry fudge, a piece of red velvet fudge, two caramel melts two cake batter bites, that basically tasted like cookie dough, nonetheless still delicious, and two peanut butter cups.

We also had to do two classic caramel apples. I had forgotten how amazing these were! They had crazy flavors too, some with caramel and nuts, cookies and cream, dark chocolate, and all sorts, but sometimes you have to go with the classic! We spent 30 on all of this, and no shame we were on vacation, that's why I have been doing the detox, and getting back into exercise mode! :D

 

 

 

Cleansing Water & Detox

After eating so many bad foods and coming back from a vacation it can be difficult to get your body back on track! I have told myself it is better to eat bad and exercise than to just eat bad and do nothing. Oh the ways of my logic, haha. Well it is time to get back on track! Even though there will be future posts on not so great foods for you, it is ok in moderation, or to bake for other people! :) A wonderful woman I know that I work with told me about this fat burning water. It is also suppose to give you energy, and thus far I am feeling it work. So what's in it?

here it is:

You take 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 tangerine, 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 whole cucumber! You chop them all up, I left rinds on everything but the grapefruit, but it's probably tastier taking all the rinds off. The rinds add a bitter taste. You squeeze all the juices of the fruit into the pitcher, then place all the fruits in the pitcher, fill all the way with water, give it a good stir. After that you place half a bunch of fresh mint on top, make sure it is under the water but resting on top. After that you wait 24 hours after it has sat in the fridge, then you are good to drink it. You are suppose to drink it over the course of a week, warning it is really bitter. It only taste like grapefruit and cucumber but it works! it's like a natural detox but you aren't running to and from the bathroom, and it gives you energy! You should drink about three glasses of the water a day! It get's easier to drink as you get use to it.

 

I've been trying to eat healthier snacks as well. I have been on a peanut butter kick lately. I love peanut butter so much! I love it on apples, banana's, ( Thanks Gwen Stefani for teaching me how to spell banana's), and my latest favorite toasting a piece of bread, spreading peanut butter on it, and topping it off with some honey nut scooters. Yes, scooters because I'm too poor for cheerios. Haha not really, you just get more in a huge bag of scooters than cheerios. It's the same thing, right?!

What are some of yalls favorite healthy things?!

Buffalo Wings in Buffalo NY

One of the things Chris and I were most looking forward to doing while in Buffalo NY, was trying a true buffalo wing. We went to Erie, PA to vacation at splash lagoon, and since it was so close to Buffalo, we decided why not see Niagara Falls, as well as eat some wings. We did our research on the wings and we narrowed it down to two places we were going to try. It was either going to be Anchor Bar the originators of the buffalo wing, or this other place that had raving reviews and seemed to be the local favorite, when we asked around, and this place was Duffs Wings. While contemplating all day, we decided we had to try the originators, Anchor Bar it was. I knew, and chris knew too, that we would be kicking ourselves in the ass if we didn't try them.

 

Well, after trying Anchor Bar, i could have done without them honestly. They weren't the worst wings I have ever eaten, but the certainty weren't the best. The sauce was actually really good, it tasted like some version of franks red hot sauce and butter, which I love franks, and know this is basically a buffalo wing. What was weird though, was after we ate these, my stomach immediately started to hurt really bad. You know the feeling after just eating McDonald's and your stomach feels horrible, like a grease pit? Well, that is how I felt, and chris' stomach started hurting too, but not like mine. Well after talking to locals, now, I don't know if this is true, but they told us they allow the wings to sit out for hours under heat lamps, so that makes sense if they are sitting and soaking in the grease. I don't know if it's true, but I would believe it since ALL the sauces and ranch and bleu cheese were sitting on a side table completely full. As well, as when we asked for extra sauce we saw the server grab from there, mind you the ranch and bleu cheese were not over ice, not entirely sure that's sanitary being it contains milk. As well as the wings came up quick warm but not hot. They seem like they are quantity over quality. Nonetheless, Chris and I were glad to have gone there purely for the experience of it being the originators of the wing. They may have created the wing, but definitely did not master it. I didn't get any pictures. :/

 

 

On the way home from our trip we decided to go back through Buffalo and try Duffs wings. Duffs is in Buffalo NY as well as another location in NY and in Canada. Now these wings were amazing! These were way better than Anchor Bar. They were piping hot when they were brought out, and even after letting them cool off for 5-7 minutes, they were still steaming when I bit into them. I got the medium-hot and those made my nose clear up. I would like to think I can handle my heat too! Although, they do let you know their hot is very hot! Chris got the hot and those were almost too hot for him. Usually we love breaded wings, and we know the traditional buffalo wing is naked, and I am telling you these were the best wings I have ever eaten in my life! They were so flavorful, I love ranch with my wings usually, and with these I didn't need any at all. I was so happy we went back to try them, and left with the taste of a real buffalo wing! haha

While in Erie we also tried some great food, a couple places i'll just mention really quick, since this is becoming a bit longer than I intended. For starters they brought out homemade chocolate malt beer muffins, these were fabulous, I would almost go to say the best muffin I've ever had. Side note- I need to bake something similar! The cheddar ale soup was divine! We tried the brewerie! The jambalaya was delicious and actually had the kick of spice to it, it promised! There was an interesting dish on the menu, it was a homemade mac and cheese with philly steak, it tasted very homey. The only downside was that the portions were HUGE! And since we were staying in a hotel we felt bad for wasting. Here are some photos.

 

 

 

Another great place we tried in Erie, PA was stevos pizza. The stuffed pizza was amazing, again sooo big though! I don't have any pictures but here is the site for them. : http://www.stevospizzeria.com/

 

The Brewerie: http://www.brewerie.com/

 

 

 

Discounted Valentines Day Candy!

What is the absolute best part of valentines day?!

DISCOUNTED CANDY AND CHOCOLATE!

 

OH YEAH!

I seriously hate valentines day, I don't get it. Why is it that this one day of the year you have to show your significant other you love them? Shouldn't you be doing this every day of the year? Also I hate reading on social medias, the single awareness day shit. You can't tell me, you want to be alone and have no one, as well as you wouldn't be happy if someone thought about you and got you something. Anywho, well Chris and I were both contemplating getting each other something, but then neither one of us did because we didn't want to make the other feel bad like we were "out-doing" one another. So silly.  Well why buy chocolate and candy before or on the 14th, when you can wait a couple days and get it for 50% off? Haha yeah we aren't cheap, if we want things we will buy it, but my philosophy with the candy/chocolate is why not if it's on sale or why not with anything when it's on sale? Obviously it's on sale because the store wants to get rid of it and move it out, right?

And.... well... I suppose... I love chocolate, candy, cookies, and anything sweet.  *slowly bows head* It is my weakness. I had a weak moment when I was going through my weight loss, it's embarrassing to admit, but I had a lose control moment. I ended up eating a whole bag of candy corn and like a dozen cookies.... I know horrible, and I gained like 10 lbs back after that..... well since then I have learned my lesson. When that happened, I hadn't had anything sweet for exactly four months, and then when I re introduced myself to them I went nuts! So now, I continue to eat sweets but in moderation. If I totally tried cutting them again, then I would flip and go crazy like that again...

Sooooooooooo we got some V-day candy, and for an amazing deal! Everything from AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service  (The BX/PX) ).

Ghirardelli hearts, mixed with milk chocolate and white chocolate. Price- $3.40
Originally- $6.80

 With cute little messages like be mine /sweet :)

                                               


Two reeses peanut butter hearts one for me, one for Chris.  $2.37 each
Originally each $4.74 so two for the price of one. (God I love peanut butter!)

 

Jolly Rancher sour gummy hearts $1.57

Originally $3.14

 

Jolly Rancher suckers! $2.07
Originally $4.14

 

Lastly, not V-day candy but just because these are my all time favorite candy zours!!

 

And they were only 1.00

 

 

Grand total!  $ 12.78 for it all!!!

 

Originally would have been $25.56

 

Also Chris and I are taking a road trip to Erie, PA and needed some road trip munchies, so it works out great! Just as long as we get our four or five mile run in.   ;)

 

 

What's your favorite candy's/ chocolates or finds?!?!?!