Smoked Bacon and Crab Dip, by Cheryl

We have made this dip for the past couple of years as a snack before eating Thanksgiving meal with family. This dip is soooo delicious and satisfies any salty and seafood craving you may have. It was a crowd pleaser and we'll definitely make it again. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz crab meat (claw, lump, or both)

1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup mayonnaise, plus more

3 scallions, sliced thin

2-3 jalapenos, diced

3 cobs corn, or canned/frozen corn in a pinch works fine

Jalapeno seasoning

Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 lemon, squeezed

Directions:

1) Combine cream cheese and mayo until thoroughly combined and smooth. Add the remaining ingredients. If you're using corn on the cob then put some mayo on them and grill until you see grill marks. Mix until combined. Add extra seasoning if needed. 

2) Place the mixture into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Heat in a 250 degree oven for 1-2 hours until dip is hot for serving.. Serve with baguette slices, chips, or pork rinds. 

Cheese Fondue, by Cheryl

Must eat cheese. All of the time. Cheese fondue is my absolute favorite. I've made it several times in the past couple of years and I feel like each time I do I improve on it. The key to making great fondue is using great cheese and adding a little bit of cornstarch so it doesn't get clumpy. The last fondue recipe I posted on here was from 10 years ago (wow!) and definitely needs to be updated as the one I made last night is soooo much better! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1/3 pound gruyere

1/3 pound fontina

1/3 gouda

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup dryish white wine

1 clove garlic, minced

Assorted fondue dippers: apples, bread, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sausage, mushrooms, etc. 

Directions:

1) Grate all of the cheeses. Combine the cheese with the cornstarch thoroughly. 

2) Bring the wine and garlic to a light simmer over medium low heat. Add the cheese a little bit at a time, stirring after each addition. This is important.. add slowly and in handful amounts. 

3) Once mixed thoroughly, enjoy dipping your food into the cheese! 

Chocolate Fondue, by Cheryl

Time to break out the fondue pot! I've made a couple of posts on here about my love for fondue and this post is no exception! The chocolate fondue will take all of your problems away! It is so dreamy, velvety, and "OMG" inducing. Yum!

Ingredients:

12oz milk chocolate bars (I used 3 Lindts bars)

1 cup heavy cream

A pinch of salt

Dipables: strawberries, marshmallows, bananas, rice krispy treats, etc. 

Directions:

1) Heat the cream with a pinch of salt over medium heat in a small saucepan until small bubbles form. 

2) Reduce heat to low and add the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Eat!!!

Lemongrass Tea, by Diane

 

Tonight I hopped out of the shower and I was HOT, and all I wanted was a glass of iced tea. I had some leftover lemongrass from a recent recipe, and it reminded me of the lemongrass tea I had frequently in Asia. So cool and refreshing! This recipe reminded me the most of cooling off on those hot afternoons in Bali, and so I whipped this up. I added the lime in the drink because that’s how I liked it in Bali :) I increased the brewing time because it was too weak, and it was perfect!

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1/4’s

1/2 lime, juiced

2 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Boil the water with the lemongrass for 10 min, then simmer for another 10. 

2. Add to a glass with ice (or hot) and stir in lime and sugar. 

Italian Chicken Meatball Wedding Soup, by Diane

I made this for lunches this week as a fusion of a few recipes I found and had been saving for a chilly week. This is really warming and very easy to make! The meatballs had a ton of flavor and I would definitely make these again on their own. I added too much kale and would reduce this or just use spinach next time. I also left out the pasta here but it could easily be added with more broth. 

Ingredients:

For meatballs

1 lb ground chicken

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg 

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tbsp dried basil

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tbsp coconut oil

For soup:

1 tbsp coconut oil

3 cups chopped carrots

1 yellow onion, diced

1 large leek, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 stalks celery

3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

6 cups bone broth (I used beef/chicken/Turkey mix)

1 bag spinach

1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces

Directions: 

1. Mix all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl except for the coconut oil. 

2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on medium, and add in coconut oil when hot. 

3. Drop in meatballs and cook 4 minutes until browned, flip and brown another side. After 4 minutes, mix the meatballs and cover for 3 minutes to steam. 

4. Remove the meatballs and set aside, saving the pan juices. Add in the remaining coconut oil, then carrots through turmeric and cook until tender (cover as needed).

5. Add in the bone broth and bring to a boil, taste and adjust for seasonings. 

6. Add the meatballs and boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer and stir in spinach and kale.

Smoky Fiesta Chili, by Diane

 

I created this recipe offhand when I went off a 9 week anti-inflammatory protocol and missed tomatoes, corn, and beans! This is really really good, pretty healthy, and very easy to make. It’s great for the colder weather, and because it’s so multi-colored it looks like a fiesta!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 lb ground turkey

20 sweet peppers, sliced

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5 oz can kidney beans

1 14.5 oz can black beans

1 14.5 oz can sweet corn

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles

2 14.5 oz cans tomato sauce

2 stalks green onions, sliced

1 square bakers chocolate

1 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp each onion and garlic powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp Tony Chacere’s (adjust to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat a large soup pot to medium high, melt the coconut oil and add in turkey. Break up with the back of a spoon, cook until browned and drain (save the juices).

2. Add the juices back to the pot and cook the peppers, yellow onion, and garlic until soft. 

3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings as needed. 

Rabokki, by Diane

This was the main course for our Korean picnic as part of my cooking through the countries activity during quarantine. Rabokki is basically the equivalent of Korean carboloading, and it is seriously some delicious comfort food! It consists of ramen noodles mixed with rice cakes, fish cakes, hard boiled eggs, and a delicious savory sauce. Sounds like a strange combo but tastes great! I first had this dish at a Korean restaurant and which is now closed due to quarantine, so I knew when I got to Korea I wanted to try my hand at this dish. This came together really quickly and was very easy to make! 

My friend and I each made our own versions of Rabokki and shared at the picnic. My recipe was fish-based with a homemade dashi stock made from kelp and anchovy, while hers was more veggie-based with a bone broth base. In the end we decided that the best version occurred when we mixed both of ours together, and so I am posting a combo of our two recipes. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 small package dried kelp (about 3 leaves)

2 cups bone broth

3 green onions, white bulbs and green stems separated

2 tsp sesame oil, divided

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp minced garlic, plus 3 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Korean chili flakes (I left this out)

1/2 tbsp tomato paste

1 package instant ramen noodles

4 sheets Korean fish cakes, sliced into bite size rectangles

20 Korean rice cakes, rinsed in cold water

6 fish balls, mixed variety

2 hard boiled eggs, cut in half

1 small onion, diced

1/2 Korean squash, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms

Toasted sesame seeds

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Soak the kelp in water for an hour. 

2. Marinate the rice cakes in 1 tsp sesame oil, salt, and pepper. In a separate bowl, marinate the mushrooms in 1tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, and salt.

3. Whisk together gochujang, sugar, 1 tsp garlic, chili flakes, and tomato paste in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Rinse the kelp and boil with the white onion bulbs in a medium pot with enough water to cover for 10 minutes. 

5 Discard the kelp and onion, but keep 1 cup of liquid from the pot. Set aside.

6. Add 1 tbsp oil to a large sauce pot, and add in onions and mushrooms. When they have browned, add remaining 3 tsp garlic and stir. 

7. Add squash to the pan and cook until just soft.

7. Reduce heat to medium low and whisk in sauce along with noodles, rice cakes, and fish cakes.

8. Add in bone broth and kelp water and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add in eggs after 5 minutes and continue cooking until all ingredients are cooked through and sauce thickens.

9. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion tops.

Korean Tofu and Spicy Ketchup, by Diane

 

This was another banchan, or small dish, from cooking through the countries Korean edition! This one was a hit, and the sauce was so outstanding it would be great on just about everything! I just so happened to have doubled the sauce on instinct and I’m glad I did (posted below with doubled measurements). I also airfried them out of convenience, but the recipe calls for pan frying in oil. Super easy and already looking forward to leftovers!

https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-tofu-spicy-ketchup/

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu

Spray avocado oil

6 tbsp ketchup

2-3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste) (I used 1!)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp sliced green onion

Directions:

1. Press the tofu by wrapping it in a handtowel, placing it on top of a cookie sheet, and placing another cookie sheet with a weight on top of that (I used a hand weight). Leave for an hour. This will get the water out so you can get the tofu crispy! 

2. Pat the tofu dry and fry on all sides until browned (I air-fried these at 350 for 10, then 400 until browned- another 5-10).

3. Combine ketchup through garlic and toss over tofu. Mix well and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.

Korean Cucumber Apple Pickle, by Diane

This was another banchan, or small dish in the cooking through the countries Korea edition. This was meant to be a palate cleanser, and it was nice and refreshing. I would decrease the amount of ginger next time, but overall good and easy to make!

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cucumber-apple-pickle-351891

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/8 inch thick 

1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 Granny Smith apple, sliced 1/8 inch think

2 cups water

1/3 cup rice or cider vinegar

1 tbsp matchstick ginger

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of Korean red pepper flakes 

Directions:

1. Toss the cucumbers with salt and let sweat for 30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze the excess liquid out of the cucumbers. 

2. Combine all ingredients and chill for one day, stirring occasionally. 

Korean Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi), by Diane

This was the second banchan, or small dish, in my Korean cooking through the countries meal. This was really nice and refreshing, and would be a great snack! Really easy to make, too, and you can adjust the spice level as needed. https://mykoreankitchen.com/cucumber-kimchi-oi-kimchi/

Ingredients:

1 lb pickling cucumbers

1 tbsp coarse sea salt

1/4 cup carrots, julienned

1/8 cup garlic chives or regular chives, diced

2 tbsp Korean chili flakes (I used one)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp grated red apple or Asian pear

1 tbsp honey or sugar

1/2 tbsp Korean dried salted shrimps, minced

1/2 tsp fish sauce 

1/2 tsp minced ginger 

Directions:

1. Cut off cucumber ends and cut into slim quarters. Mix in a large bowl with salt and leave to sweat for 20 minutes.

2. Rinse and drain the cucumbers, then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Place in a covered glass container.

3. Keep at room temp for 12-18 hours, then refrigerate and serve chilled.

Korean Potato Salad, by Diane

 

This week in cooking through the countries was Korea- and luckily I had a pal to share all the food with!! We each made a few banchan (or small dishes) ahead of the main meal. This was the first one- it was really good! Quite easy to make and really filling, I think this could be a lunch on its own! Recipe https://seonkyounglongest.com/korean-potato-salad/ 

Ingredients:

2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into large chunks

1/2 Kirby cucumber, diced small

1/2 cup carrots, julienned and chopped

2 tbsp red onion, diced 

1/2 cup imitation crab, diced

4 hard boiled eggs, diced 

1/2 cup kewpie mayo

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook potatoes until fork tender.

2. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt on the diced cucumbers and let sit for 10 min to sweat, then rinse and squeeze excess water from them. Set aside.

3. Drain potatoes and mash slightly while still hot. 

4. Add all remaining ingredients and combine well, adjust seasonings if needed.

5. Refrigerate for 30 min before eating.

Baked Eggplant with Mushroom and Tomato Sauce, by Cheryl

I needed to use stuff in my fridge in order to fit more food in it. This meal kind of just came together with the ingredients I had on hand. I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to make with it and then used this recipe to help execute. I would have been fine with this as the main dish, but Jon needs some extra oomph to a meal so I added some pasta on the side. This was super delicious and very easy to put together! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1 peeled eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 cup chopped onion

cooking spray

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (8-ounce) package of sliced mushrooms

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant slices on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Broil for 3 minutes per side.

2) Preheat oven to 375.

3) Heat a pan with oil and cook the onion and everything through the mushrooms for 7 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high and cook for 2 minutes or until water evaporates. 

4) Spread half the mixture into the bottom of a baking dish coated with spray. Arrange half the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Spread remaining mushroom mixture on top. Arrange the rest of the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with remaining tomato sauce.

5) Cover and bake for 1 hour. 

6) Sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Simit (Turkish bagels), by Diane

 

I made this recipe for a friend’s birthday, as these were her favorite food when she was in Turkey. Turkish bagels are crusty on the outside, sesame flavored, and thing and twisted (I couldn’t make the twists thin enough to do this justice!). It went well with my cooking thought the countries theme during quarantine, and it was fairly easy to do. Mine came out much softer like American bagels, likely because I made them so much thicker! They were still good though, and worth the effort to make a friend happy!

Ingredients:

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

4 cups ap flour

1 1/2 cup warm water

1/4 vegetable oil

1/4 grape molasses (I used regular)

1/2 cup room temp water

1 cup sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add in warm water and oil and knead until the dough comes together and isn’t sticky any longer.

2. Cover and let rise for 1.5 hours until it doubles in size.

3. Punch down the dough and divide into 16 pieces. Roll out 2 pieces to 25 inches each and twist together then fuse to make a ring. Place on baking sheet.

4. Dip the finished rings into a solution of molasses and remaining water, then dip into sesame seeds and return to the baking tray. Cover loosely and let rise for another 20 minutes.

5. Bake at 400 for 12-15 min until brown and fully cooked.

Creamy Coconut Milk Meatballs, by Diane

 

My curry paste in my new mortar and pestle!

This recipe from @iheartumami looked promising, but in reality it fell flat. The meatballs are packed with aromatics and nutrition though, and the recipe allowed me to use my Thai red curry paste skills from a cooking class in Chiang Mai last year! Overall Cheryl’s Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs are way better, though I would fuse the two by adding the aromatics into her recipe for the meatballs!

Ingredients:

2 lb ground chicken

3/4 cup cilantro

2 small shallots

3/4 cup diced carrots

1/4 cup basil leaves

1/2 tsp ginger

3 tbsp fish sauce, divided 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp coconut cream

14 oz full fat coconut milk

1 tbsp red curry paste

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp garam masala

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 410 and line a baking sheet w parchment paper.

2. Blend cilantro through ginger in a food processor until finely diced, then add to a bowl with chicken, 1 tbsp fish sauce, salt, cumin and coconut cream. Mix well and form into golf ball size meatballs.

3. Bake for 20 min, flip and bake another 10-15. 

4. While the meatballs cook, make the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat by adding remaining ingredients plus 2 tbsp fish sauce. Stir often.

5. Combine meatballs in sauce and stir for 2 minutes.

Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Lamb Soup), by Diane

 

When I was in Iceland I was obsessed with kjötsúpa, a comforting and filling lamb and root veggie soup that seemed to be served everywhere along with Icelandic butter and bread. So as part of my cooking through the countries in quarantine, I decided to try this for Iceland! I ordered this mix of Icelandic herbs (Villikrydd- go here to order!) for the soup, and I happened to have some salt I had brought back from my trip (you can buy it online- Nordur is the brand I had). I had never cooked with lamb meat before (only ground lamb), and so I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

HOLY MOLY was this out of this world amazing- and the best part is that it tastes EXACTLY like it did in Iceland! How often can you say that you can accurately recreate your favorite dish that you ate in a country from your own kitchen? This soup was easy to make as well, and I already am looking forward to dinners this week! The best part, aside from the delicious broth, is that the lamb literally melts on your tongue it’s so tender! I modified the recipe a little by adding some bone broth I had to use up (I figured a little extra flavor and nutrition couldn’t hurt) and skipping the cabbage since I didn’t have that in Iceland. I added a cup of barley to thicken it up (some recipes use this and others don’t- but this is how I had it most on the trip), but it just took all the broth away overnight and didn’t thicken it at all so I wouldn’t do this again. This will be on repeat this winter!!!

Ingredients:

2 lb lamb shoulder, bone in, cut into bite size pieces and trimmed of fat (save the bones)

8 cups water

2 cups bone broth

1 large leek, sliced 

2 tbsp Villikrydd

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp salt

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 medium rutabaga, chopped into bitesize pieces 

1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into bitesize pieces (I left the skin on)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, add lamb, bones, water, and broth and bring to a boil.

2. Skim the scum off the top and add in leeks, salt, pepper, and herbs. Simmer partially covered for 45 min.

3. Add in remaining veggies, stir and cook until veggies are soft.

4. Adjust seasonings, then refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to come together.