Chicago Pepper Steak

Ingredients
3 T salad oil
1-2 lbs Sirloin steak, in 1" cubes
1 T Wondra flour
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thickly sliced
2 cup beef broth
pinch red pepper (or dash Tabasco sauce)
dash Worcestershire
splash red wine
2 green peppers, cut in bitesized pieces

Cook steak in hot oil until well browned on all sides. Place in approximately an 8x12" casserole dish.

Stir flour into remaining drippings.

Cook until dark brown, stirring constantly.

Add celery and onion, and reduce heat to medium.

Cook until vegetables are tender.

Stir in broth, pepper, Worcestershire and wine. Heat to boiling.

Pour over steak in casserole dish.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Add green pepper and continue to bake, uncovered, for 1/2 hour, or until steak is fork tender.

Baste with sauce as it cooks, if needed.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Optional: Add freshly sauteed mushrooms at same time as green peppers.

I am back!

I have been missing for the past few months. Real life has gotten in the way of my food-blogging, but of course, it didnt stop me from thinking about food and making new recipes. I go through that every day of my life, being a young wife -- i have to be thrifty and economical with the food I cook. Plus, I have to keep the husband happy. So far, I have been successful.

My absence is not all at a loss. Now, I have lists and lists of things to post so watch out for updates! The recipes I have for you include traditional Filipino dishes, Japanese Dishes, Desserts, original recipes and more. Please read through and enjoy.

White Chicken Chili

Recipe Yields: 24 servings (1½ cups per serving)
Recommended Packaging: freezer bags or other packaging of choice

Ingredients and Instructions

2 pounds dry great northern white beans or
9 pounds canned white beans, drained and rinsed

In a large stockpot, soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse. Return to stockpot, cover with water and simmer 1 hour or until desired tenderness. Drain and set aside.

6 cups cooked beans (from above beans)
2 cups chicken stock or canned broth

Work in batches as necessary. Puree half of beans with chicken stock or canned broth in a blender or food processor. Set aside. Reserve other half to return to chili.

9 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Bake or poach chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate. Discard juices.

olive or vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and diced (may substitute green bell pepper)
1 tablespoon garlic, pressed or minced

Work in batches as necessary. In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat oil. Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

8 cups chicken stock or canned broth
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup water
3 cups reduced fat milk (not skim)
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
16 ounces canned chopped mild green chilies
5 cups reduced fat Cheddar or Co-jack shredded cheese (not non-fat)
1½ pounds reduced fat sour cream (not non-fat)

Work in batches as necessary. In a large stockpot over medium heat, add chicken stock or canned broth and bring to a simmer. In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Slowly whisk cornstarch mixture into chicken stock or canned broth and continue simmering until slightly thickened. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until well blended and slightly thickened. Stir in sautéed vegetables, chili powder, cumin, Tabasco sauce, and green chilies. Add pureed bean mixture and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large container for combining ingredients. Stir in shredded cheese and sour cream. Add remaining beans and cooked chicken and stir until evenly combined. Divide evenly among desired packaging. Cool. Freeze.

Reheating Instructions

Defrost in refrigerator. Remove from packaging. Transfer to saucepan or microwave safe dish and simmer gently over low heat. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, chopped fresh tomato, and grated cheese, if desired.

Divide and Conquer

Strategize batch sizes based on available containers/cookware.
Cook chicken.
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Soak beans.
Cook beans.
Puree beans.
Chop and sauté vegetables.
Prepare and label all packaging.

Anniversary Dinner

Today was my 2nd Year anniversary for my wedding. YAY! anyway, instead of eating out like we do normally, we decided that we should save money and just eat at home. Yeah, so, I asked him what we should eat. he asked for salisbury steak and some mushroom gravy. That sounded good. So, here we go.

Salisbury Steak ala Maria
(easy)

What we need:

Ground Beef ( about 2 pounds)
Worcestershire Sauce
steak seasoning
green onions (chopped into teeny pieces)
green and red bell peppers (chopped into teeny peices)
cheese (grated) optional
Milk (1/4 cup) or wine (whicever you fancy) (( Optional))
Extra virgin olive oil

How to make it

1.preheat oven 350 degrees
2.Mix all ingredients except Extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Form patties and put in a baking dish that is greased with EVOO.
3. Bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Barbecue Sauce and White meat

As for this topic, I was looking around for something to eat last week at the LAST minute again. Since Rachel Ray didnt have any thing for me, I decided to look through some cookbooks. All I had in the house was CHICKEN.

So, as I leafed through 100 Best Chicken Recipes, I found a classic BBQ Chicken recipe which I tweaked just a bit to make it my own.

Baked BBQ Chicken
( Easy)

What I need:

Chicken Pieces about 3 pounds
1 small onion cut into slices
1 and a half cups of Ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soysauce
1/4 cup sprite or 7 up/ or wine ( if you want)

How to Make it:


Pre heat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Place chicken in pan 13x9 dish that is well greased with non stick cooking spray or butter. Arrange onion slices over the top.

combine ketchup, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, honey, soysauce and sprite/wine in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat 2-4 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Pour over the chicken. ( I might want tos ave some for sauce )

Bake chicken 1 hour or until juices run clear. Let stand 10 mins before serving

Serving tip: Serve with baked potatoes, french bread and tossed green salad,

ENJOY!

Tip: Check your labels!

I thought I was gonna get to get out of cooking tonight, but alas, Mommy-in-law didn't want to cook. I was in a bind and I looked into the fridge and saw one thing that cooks fast and can be made into a million dishes. CHICKEN. Frozen, Skinless, boneless chicken. So, I racked my brains and the pantry to see what ingredients I had.

Nothing much. Great. I found some hoisin sauce, steak sauce, and stirfry. I didnt feel like stir frying or cutting the chicken up ( Since I was also pressed for time). So, I decided to defrost the chicken, and think up ways I can bake it. Then, I looked at the steak sauce label. BINGO! There was a recipe there I could modify.

Tip: Check your labels. There are recipes lying around there somewhere. If you are in a bind, like I was it could save you.

So, anyway, I decided to modify the chicken recipe I found. Thank YOU steak sauce bottle.

Baked Oriental Chicken

Things you Need:

2-4 pcs Chicken ( Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast)
Steak Sauce ( I used Kikoman Steak sauce- but you could use any)
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper ( Grill seasoning works better, IMHO)
Hoisin Sauce ( it is found in the Oriental Food Isle of your supermarket. Kinda dark brownish sauce) -- this is optional.
** if you cant find hoisin sauce: dissolve 4 tbsp Sugar( or 3 tbsp honey) into 1 cup soysauce add a little pepper. Does the trick ^_^
** Beer or Wine ( Cooking Wine/sherry, white wine) -- optional
Baking Pan with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil. ( if you dont like oil, butter does the trick too)
** optional: Sesame Seeds

HOW TO MAKE IT"

1. Defrost the Chicken in Microwave and drain. While doing so, preheat your oven 350 degrees.

2. Once defrosted, sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper / Grill seasoning on chicken making sure it is rubbed on both sides.

3. Put the Chicken in the greased baking dish. Pour in about 1/4 cup steak sauce, 2 teaspoons HOisin Sauce/ Soysauce mix, and spread it on the chicken. bake for about 20 mins.

4. Turn the chicken. ( BE CAREFUL TO USE OVEN MITTS and TONGS! IT IS HOT!) and brush 1/4 cup steak sauce and 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce/ soysauce mix and spread it on the chicken. This time, add the wine/beer (about 1 cup or so) Bake for another 20 mins.

5. Check if the chicken has thouroughly cooked by seeing if there is still pink inside. If there is, bake for another 10-20 mins.

6. Sprinkle Sesame seeds on top and serve with rice. Enjoy!


it was actually fun to make this dish. ^_^ and I was in a rush too. So, please leave me feedback on this recipe.

Labor day Recipes PART 1: Let us cook with BEER !

I should tell you what you need in a basic kitchen. But, since it is Labor day I want to give you some recipes first. The nitty gritty stuff can come in later.

Labor day to most people means PARTAY! To me, it just means barbecue, watermelons, sweet cobblers, corn on the cob, hot dogs -- well you get the picture. So, what if you were invited to a Labor Day Picnic and they tell you to bring something? Will you just bring the usual beer or pie from Boston Market? ( I don't mind, they are YUMMY!) But, if you want to impress your friends, wouldn't you want to cook something?

Since beer is a Plenty this time around. I would suggest cooking with it. ( Hey, its an available ingredient! WHY THE HELL NOT?!) So, here are a few COOKING WITH BEER recipes that I have concocted.

Beer Marinated Chicken
easypeasy
Things you need:
4-6 pieces Chicken Breast or Quarters ( I prefer Boneless or a whole chicken cut up in pieces- you can buy these at the store cut up already, but here is a link on how to cut a chicken up
beer ( your brand, I like Corona)
2 lemons
Grill Seasoning ( Chipotle, Salt and Pepper Combo, whatever is there)
tongs ( Unless you want to put your hands on the grill)
Grill ( or if unavailable you can fry it on the stove on a skillet)

HOW TO DO IT:

1.Marinate the Chicken in beer and grill seasoning for at least 1 hour ( or put in a ziploc and marinate in the fridge overnight)

2. Place chicken on hot grill and cook for about 10-20 mins.Just until chicken is tender, sprinkle some more grill seasoning. Before Getting it off the grill, pour more beer and squeeze a bit of lemon juice to it and cook for about another minute or so.

3. Serve with Barbecue Sauce or Honey Mustard. It's Delish!

Drunken Hamburgers
intermediate: some patty making and sandwich assembly

Things you need:

Beer
1 pound of Ground beef
1/4 cup soy sauce
steak sauce
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce ( Goddamn! that was hard to spell. Lea and Perrins)
grill seasoning OR salt and pepper
crumbled smoked bacon/ham bits ( cook bacon til crispy and crumble them)
1 egg white
HOW TO DO IT:

Patty Making ( WASH YOUR HANDS FIRST!)

1. Defrost Ground beef ( If it is frozen ) and drain. Place in a big bowl. Mix in half cup of beer soysauce,3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, grilled seasoning (or some salt and pepper), some steak sauce (or a bit of tabasco if you like things hot).

2. Mix with your hands. Knead it well until all ingredients are mixed in. Then leave it for about an hour or so. let all the flavors sink in. (overnight is ok too!^_^)

3. Add eggwhite and smoked bacon bits to the mix and mix well. Grab a handful of the mix, and roll into a ball, then squish into patties.

4. Cook on a grill or non-stick pan ( if you dont have it, a pan that has about 3 tbsp of vegetable or extra virgin olive oil will do) for about 5-10 minutes or until juices flow out and burger is browned. Add a swish of beer 3 minutes before taking it out of the pan/grill.

5. Serve with hot buns and condiments and enjoy!


Beer Marinated Terriyaki Pork/Beef Skewers
Easy: Little Skewering Needed

Things you need:

1 pound pork/beef (cubed for skewering- you can ask your butcher to do so or find them in packages at the store)
beer ( your brand, I like Corona)
wooden/metal skewers
1 cup soysauce
1/2 cup 7 up or sprite
1 cup barbecue sauce/marinade
Ground Black Pepper
1 tbsp honey
Hot sauce (to taste)
onions/green or red bell peppers

HOW TO DO IT:

1. mix together the soysauce, honey, barbecue sauce, 7-up or sprite, some ground black pepper , and about 1/2 cup of beer (or more) and tabasco or hot sauce (if you wish) til all the ingredients mix together. Place the cubed meat into it and marinate it for at least an hour.

2. Place meat in skewers with some cut onions or bell peppers ( In my honest opinion, onions are the best!)

3. Grill them until they are medium well to well done, brushing them with the marinade as they cook. add a bit of beer before taking them out or squeeze some lemon juice on top.

4. Serve with rice or french fries. Get a cold beer and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy those. Tommorow, or later if i still feel like typing, I will do some desserts, coolers and sidedishes to accompany your feast.

ITADAKIMASU!

Hello Food Holics, Struggling Cooks and Kitchenphobics...

Welcome to Flash in the Pan!

Iam Maia and I will ATTEMPT to help you get over your fear of the Kitchen and get you cooking. Why? Is this my calling in life? NO. But, since I have 129087498709678624132234 number of friends that treat me as a cookbook or recipe guide, then, I decided to make my life easier and put this blog up to help my friends, and other people out there to get cooking and find their joy in cooking.

In this blog, I will put up simple recipes. By simple, I mean, straight forward, in Layman's terms recipes. Tips on cooking and shopping on a budget, tips to good restaurants and deals, tips on shopping and choosing good ingredients and more. And, since this is a blog, I will also share with you my experiences as I cook these meals, or my previous experiences as a young cook.

You see, I am just like you guys, I was not born a clone of Julia Child or Rachel Ray. ( who by the way, ROCKS! I will post some of her recipes that I have tried here) I was a struggling cook who burnt eggs. YES, EGGS. I was scared to death of the Knife (always thought I would cut my arm off) and can't boil water right. My mom called me hopeless and thought I would never learn how to cook. But, as time passed by, and about 10 million Food Network shows later, I learned the basics and I learned to get over my fear of the kitchen and now, I live there. ^_^

So, It is not over yet. If you are a college student tired of yucky cafeteria food, a busy mom, busy worker or just simply dont want to spend the whole day cooking, please read my blog. Comments are welcome, Suggestions even and discussions too. You can email me questions and other things to foodflash@gmail.com.

Let's start this FOOD BLOGGING!

ITADAKIMASU!