Navajo Fry Bread

Navajo fry bread is Native American version of flat bread. It is soft and very tasty. It's kind of like homemade tortillas but puffier and thicker. (It is similar to Indian baked flat bread - Naan but still a little different.) My roommates and I once made this delicious bread in college when we invited over bunch of boys! Yes, we were all trying to impress them! I usually use these fry bread for taco. It is delicious!! It was my husband's first experience with Navajo taco and he loved it!

Navajo Fry Bread
Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons firm butter
2/3 cup warm water
Vegetable oil

Direction:

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl. Gather into a ball, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 inch oil to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 6-12 equal parts (depending on how big you want it). On lightly floured surface, roll each part into 6-inch circle. Let rise a few minutes.

Make a hole about 1/2 inch in diameter in center of each circle. Fry circles in oil about 1 minute on each side, turning once, until puffed and golden; drain on paper towels. Serve warm. (If you're making taco with it, top it with taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.)


Enjoy!!

Navajo Fry Bread

Navajo fry bread is Native American version of flat bread. It is soft and very tasty. It's kind of like homemade tortillas but puffier and thicker. (It is similar to Indian baked flat bread - Naan but still a little different.) My roommates and I once made this delicious bread in college when we invited over bunch of boys! Yes, we were all trying to impress them! I usually use these fry bread for taco. It is delicious!! It was my husband's first experience with Navajo taco and he loved it!

Navajo Fry Bread
Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons firm butter
2/3 cup warm water
Vegetable oil

Direction:

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl. Gather into a ball, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 inch oil to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 6-12 equal parts (depending on how big you want it). On lightly floured surface, roll each part into 6-inch circle. Let rise a few minutes.

Make a hole about 1/2 inch in diameter in center of each circle. Fry circles in oil about 1 minute on each side, turning once, until puffed and golden; drain on paper towels. Serve warm. (If you're making taco with it, top it with taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.)


Enjoy!!

Navajo Fry Bread

Navajo fry bread is Native American version of flat bread. It is soft and very tasty. It's kind of like homemade tortillas but puffier and thicker. (It is similar to Indian baked flat bread - Naan but still a little different.) My roommates and I once made this delicious bread in college when we invited over bunch of boys! Yes, we were all trying to impress them! I usually use these fry bread for taco. It is delicious!! It was my husband's first experience with Navajo taco and he loved it!

Navajo Fry Bread
Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons firm butter
2/3 cup warm water
Vegetable oil

Direction:

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl. Gather into a ball, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 inch oil to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 6-12 equal parts (depending on how big you want it). On lightly floured surface, roll each part into 6-inch circle. Let rise a few minutes.

Make a hole about 1/2 inch in diameter in center of each circle. Fry circles in oil about 1 minute on each side, turning once, until puffed and golden; drain on paper towels. Serve warm. (If you're making taco with it, top it with taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.)


Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cake

This delicious, yet very simple-to-make chocolate chip cake recipe is from Melanie's My Kitchen Cafe blog. She has so many great recipes. I don't know how many recipes I have bookmarked so far. I have tried several of her recipes and they always turn out so great! Well, this cake is very unique. First of all, I had never made a cake using sour cream or chocolate chips. I love chocolate chips so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. After making it, my husband and I thought it would go great with hot chocolate. When you try it, you will know what we mean. The cake is very moist, which is great, because a lot of homemade cakes I have tried tend to be dry. So if you want to try something sweet, but not too sweet, unique and yummy, try this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sour cream
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Middle & Top:
cinnamon sugar (I keep my cinnamon and sugar in a glass shaker so I didn't measure exactly how much I used - a guesstimate would be 2 tablespoons for each layer)
1 bag chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a glass pan). Grease a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine all of the cake batter ingredients. Mix for 1 minute at low speed; mix 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour 1/2 of batter into greased pan. Generously sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over batter making sure to get the corners and then sprinkle with 1/2 bag of chocolate chips. Pour remaining cake batter on top and spread across bottom layer. Repeat with cinnamon and sugar and chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs (don't overbake or cake will be dry!).

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cake

This delicious, yet very simple-to-make chocolate chip cake recipe is from Melanie's My Kitchen Cafe blog. She has so many great recipes. I don't know how many recipes I have bookmarked so far. I have tried several of her recipes and they always turn out so great! Well, this cake is very unique. First of all, I had never made a cake using sour cream or chocolate chips. I love chocolate chips so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. After making it, my husband and I thought it would go great with hot chocolate. When you try it, you will know what we mean. The cake is very moist, which is great, because a lot of homemade cakes I have tried tend to be dry. So if you want to try something sweet, but not too sweet, unique and yummy, try this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sour cream
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Middle & Top:
cinnamon sugar (I keep my cinnamon and sugar in a glass shaker so I didn't measure exactly how much I used - a guesstimate would be 2 tablespoons for each layer)
1 bag chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a glass pan). Grease a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine all of the cake batter ingredients. Mix for 1 minute at low speed; mix 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour 1/2 of batter into greased pan. Generously sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over batter making sure to get the corners and then sprinkle with 1/2 bag of chocolate chips. Pour remaining cake batter on top and spread across bottom layer. Repeat with cinnamon and sugar and chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs (don't overbake or cake will be dry!).

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cake

This delicious, yet very simple-to-make chocolate chip cake recipe is from Melanie's My Kitchen Cafe blog. She has so many great recipes. I don't know how many recipes I have bookmarked so far. I have tried several of her recipes and they always turn out so great! Well, this cake is very unique. First of all, I had never made a cake using sour cream or chocolate chips. I love chocolate chips so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. After making it, my husband and I thought it would go great with hot chocolate. When you try it, you will know what we mean. The cake is very moist, which is great, because a lot of homemade cakes I have tried tend to be dry. So if you want to try something sweet, but not too sweet, unique and yummy, try this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sour cream
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Middle & Top:
cinnamon sugar (I keep my cinnamon and sugar in a glass shaker so I didn't measure exactly how much I used - a guesstimate would be 2 tablespoons for each layer)
1 bag chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a glass pan). Grease a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine all of the cake batter ingredients. Mix for 1 minute at low speed; mix 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour 1/2 of batter into greased pan. Generously sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over batter making sure to get the corners and then sprinkle with 1/2 bag of chocolate chips. Pour remaining cake batter on top and spread across bottom layer. Repeat with cinnamon and sugar and chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs (don't overbake or cake will be dry!).

Enjoy!!

General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's chicken was first introduced to America in the early 1970's in New York and it is known to be one of Hunanese Chinese dishes. (See my other Chinese recipes) The original General Tso's chicken is supposed to be all spicy and rarely sweet but America adapted the sweetness to the recipe. So now we enjoy more of an American style General Tso's, spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time. If you own a deep fryer, go ahead and use it to fry your chicken so that you can have nice, crispy chicken bites. Personally, I like to panfry my chicken at home, just because it seems to be much healthier that way. I mean, I do enjoy deep fried chicken, don't get me wrong. But the panfried chicken turned out crispy too. So the choice is yours!

General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (cut into 1-inch bites)
5 dried red chilli peppers (or more for spicier result)
2-3 green onions (sliced)
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup cornstarch
Oil (for frying) *for panfrying, I used 3 tablespoons conola oil

Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
pinch of ginger powder
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Direction:

In large bowl, combing cornstarch and eggs and mix well. Stir the chicken in the mixture until the chicken is evenly coated.

In a wok or a deepfrying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil on high heat. When the oil is heated, drop the chicken bites one by one. Fry the chicken until the batter is crispy and golen brown and the chicken is cooked all the way through. (You will need more oil as you go, about 1-2 more tablespoons) Place the chicken on a papertoweled plate to drain oil.

Make sauce: In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients.

Bring the cooked chicken in a wok or a large pan over medium heat. Add the sauce and stir frequently until the sauce has thickend to your liking.

Sprinkle green onions on top and serve over/with rice.

Enjoy!!

General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's chicken was first introduced to America in the early 1970's in New York and it is known to be one of Hunanese Chinese dishes. (See my other Chinese recipes) The original General Tso's chicken is supposed to be all spicy and rarely sweet but America adapted the sweetness to the recipe. So now we enjoy more of an American style General Tso's, spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time. If you own a deep fryer, go ahead and use it to fry your chicken so that you can have nice, crispy chicken bites. Personally, I like to panfry my chicken at home, just because it seems to be much healthier that way. I mean, I do enjoy deep fried chicken, don't get me wrong. But the panfried chicken turned out crispy too. So the choice is yours!

General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (cut into 1-inch bites)
5 dried red chilli peppers (or more for spicier result)
2-3 green onions (sliced)
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup cornstarch
Oil (for frying) *for panfrying, I used 3 tablespoons conola oil

Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
pinch of ginger powder
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Direction:

In large bowl, combing cornstarch and eggs and mix well. Stir the chicken in the mixture until the chicken is evenly coated.

In a wok or a deepfrying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil on high heat. When the oil is heated, drop the chicken bites one by one. Fry the chicken until the batter is crispy and golen brown and the chicken is cooked all the way through. (You will need more oil as you go, about 1-2 more tablespoons) Place the chicken on a papertoweled plate to drain oil.

Make sauce: In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients.

Bring the cooked chicken in a wok or a large pan over medium heat. Add the sauce and stir frequently until the sauce has thickend to your liking.

Sprinkle green onions on top and serve over/with rice.

Enjoy!!

General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's chicken was first introduced to America in the early 1970's in New York and it is known to be one of Hunanese Chinese dishes. (See my other Chinese recipes) The original General Tso's chicken is supposed to be all spicy and rarely sweet but America adapted the sweetness to the recipe. So now we enjoy more of an American style General Tso's, spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time. If you own a deep fryer, go ahead and use it to fry your chicken so that you can have nice, crispy chicken bites. Personally, I like to panfry my chicken at home, just because it seems to be much healthier that way. I mean, I do enjoy deep fried chicken, don't get me wrong. But the panfried chicken turned out crispy too. So the choice is yours!

General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (cut into 1-inch bites)
5 dried red chilli peppers (or more for spicier result)
2-3 green onions (sliced)
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup cornstarch
Oil (for frying) *for panfrying, I used 3 tablespoons conola oil

Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
pinch of ginger powder
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Direction:

In large bowl, combing cornstarch and eggs and mix well. Stir the chicken in the mixture until the chicken is evenly coated.

In a wok or a deepfrying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil on high heat. When the oil is heated, drop the chicken bites one by one. Fry the chicken until the batter is crispy and golen brown and the chicken is cooked all the way through. (You will need more oil as you go, about 1-2 more tablespoons) Place the chicken on a papertoweled plate to drain oil.

Make sauce: In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients.

Bring the cooked chicken in a wok or a large pan over medium heat. Add the sauce and stir frequently until the sauce has thickend to your liking.

Sprinkle green onions on top and serve over/with rice.

Enjoy!!

Indonesian Chili Shrimp

Oh my. Oh my. Our first experience with an Indonesian dish was successful and completely satisfying! It's got a very unique and mild curry flavor. (See other Curry Recipes) It tastes special and expensive, if you know what I mean, but very quick and easy to fix. The original recipe calls for coriander powder but I used curry powder instead and it was heavenly. Simply fantastic! So if you haven't tried any Indonesian food and want to try it, try this wonderful curry dish! You won't regret it.

Indonesian Chili Shrimp
Adapted from Ethnic Cuisine (with a slight change)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil (or use regular veg. oil)
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 shallots or 1/2 onion, finely chopped (I didn't use any because my husband is deathly allergic to it... or maybe he just hates it, it's one of those reasons..)
3 fresh red chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1-inch/2.5cm piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
1 lb large raw shrimp (or prawns), peeled and deveined
2/3 cup canned coconut milk (lite if desired)
1 tsp ground coriander or curry powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt
cooked Jasmine rice

Direction:

1. Heat the oil in a preheated wok or large, heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots (or onion), chilies, and ginger and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the shallots (or onion) are slightly softened. Add the raw shrimp (or prawns) and stir-fry for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned pink.

2. Add the coconut milk and stir in the cooked shrimp together with the ground coriander (or curry powder) and fresh cilantro. Season to taste with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until heated through.

3. Serve immediately with rice. And Enjoy!!

Indonesian Chili Shrimp

Oh my. Oh my. Our first experience with an Indonesian dish was successful and completely satisfying! It's got a very unique and mild curry flavor. (See other Curry Recipes) It tastes special and expensive, if you know what I mean, but very quick and easy to fix. The original recipe calls for coriander powder but I used curry powder instead and it was heavenly. Simply fantastic! So if you haven't tried any Indonesian food and want to try it, try this wonderful curry dish! You won't regret it.

Indonesian Chili Shrimp
Adapted from Ethnic Cuisine (with a slight change)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil (or use regular veg. oil)
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 shallots or 1/2 onion, finely chopped (I didn't use any because my husband is deathly allergic to it... or maybe he just hates it, it's one of those reasons..)
3 fresh red chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1-inch/2.5cm piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
1 lb large raw shrimp (or prawns), peeled and deveined
2/3 cup canned coconut milk (lite if desired)
1 tsp ground coriander or curry powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt
cooked Jasmine rice

Direction:

1. Heat the oil in a preheated wok or large, heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots (or onion), chilies, and ginger and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the shallots (or onion) are slightly softened. Add the raw shrimp (or prawns) and stir-fry for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned pink.

2. Add the coconut milk and stir in the cooked shrimp together with the ground coriander (or curry powder) and fresh cilantro. Season to taste with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until heated through.

3. Serve immediately with rice. And Enjoy!!

Indonesian Chili Shrimp

Oh my. Oh my. Our first experience with an Indonesian dish was successful and completely satisfying! It's got a very unique and mild curry flavor. (See other Curry Recipes) It tastes special and expensive, if you know what I mean, but very quick and easy to fix. The original recipe calls for coriander powder but I used curry powder instead and it was heavenly. Simply fantastic! So if you haven't tried any Indonesian food and want to try it, try this wonderful curry dish! You won't regret it.

Indonesian Chili Shrimp
Adapted from Ethnic Cuisine (with a slight change)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil (or use regular veg. oil)
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 shallots or 1/2 onion, finely chopped (I didn't use any because my husband is deathly allergic to it... or maybe he just hates it, it's one of those reasons..)
3 fresh red chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1-inch/2.5cm piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
1 lb large raw shrimp (or prawns), peeled and deveined
2/3 cup canned coconut milk (lite if desired)
1 tsp ground coriander or curry powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt
cooked Jasmine rice

Direction:

1. Heat the oil in a preheated wok or large, heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots (or onion), chilies, and ginger and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the shallots (or onion) are slightly softened. Add the raw shrimp (or prawns) and stir-fry for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned pink.

2. Add the coconut milk and stir in the cooked shrimp together with the ground coriander (or curry powder) and fresh cilantro. Season to taste with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until heated through.

3. Serve immediately with rice. And Enjoy!!

Delicious Crescent Rolls

My brother-in-law is in pain. His feet were badly injured by a gunshot. Yeah. I know. He is in pain. There are hundreds of BB's stuck in his feet. It's nasty. (By the way, it wasn't his fault that he got shot. He was actually helping his neighbor move when it happened. Someone there got hold of a gun and BANG!! You get the picture. Thank goodness, it was his feet.) He got a surgery about 2 weeks ago and is unable to walk around freely. It is sad to see someone who used to be so active sitting down on a recliner all day. So I had to think of a way to cheer him up. I wish I could take all his pain away but I'm not a healer. I figured time would do its magic. Meanwhile, I decided to use some delicious rolls do all the work for me. So I knew he loved fresh rolls - also his wife (my sis-in-law) loves it when I bake - so these crescent rolls were a very good choice. The rolls turned out fluffy, soft, and so yummy! These rolls definitely satisfied everyone, maybe healed some of my bro-in-law's wounds. Okay, now, that's overexaggerating :) The original recipe is called "Blender Rolls" from one of my cousins but I don't own a blender so I made it by hand. If you have a blender and would like to try it that way, go ahead. Doing it by hand didn't ruin the recipe at all.

Crescent Rolls (Blender Rolls)
From Tana (With a slight change)

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (but not hot)
2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup melted butter
5 cups flour + 1/2 - 1 cup

Direction:

Place first 6 ingredients in large bowl and mix with a whisk until well blended. (If you're using a blender, place the first 6 ingredients in blender and blend until well blended, about 30 minutes to 1 minute.)

Add 5 cups flour into the liquid and blend with a big spoon or a rubber spatula. (Now, if you were using a blender, put flour in a large bowl and add liquid from the blender. Blend with a big spoon.)

Let rise until double, usually 45 minutes to 1 hour. (The dough will be very moist.)

When the dough has risen, scatter 1/2-1 cup additional flour on top of the dough. (Now the original recipe didn't call for additional flour but I did because the dough was too moist and to make it easier to handle, I added the additional flour. It turned out very well.)

Roll out into circle 1/4 inch thick and cut like a pizza. Roll each slice with fat side first to form crescent roll.

Put on greased baking sheet and let rise 30-45 minutes, until fat.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Spread with melted butter 3 minutes before done for really delicious rolls. Feel free to spread more butter after done to make them look shiny and pretty. :)

Enjoy!!

Delicious Crescent Rolls

My brother-in-law is in pain. His feet were badly injured by a gunshot. Yeah. I know. He is in pain. There are hundreds of BB's stuck in his feet. It's nasty. (By the way, it wasn't his fault that he got shot. He was actually helping his neighbor move when it happened. Someone there got hold of a gun and BANG!! You get the picture. Thank goodness, it was his feet.) He got a surgery about 2 weeks ago and is unable to walk around freely. It is sad to see someone who used to be so active sitting down on a recliner all day. So I had to think of a way to cheer him up. I wish I could take all his pain away but I'm not a healer. I figured time would do its magic. Meanwhile, I decided to use some delicious rolls do all the work for me. So I knew he loved fresh rolls - also his wife (my sis-in-law) loves it when I bake - so these crescent rolls were a very good choice. The rolls turned out fluffy, soft, and so yummy! These rolls definitely satisfied everyone, maybe healed some of my bro-in-law's wounds. Okay, now, that's overexaggerating :) The original recipe is called "Blender Rolls" from one of my cousins but I don't own a blender so I made it by hand. If you have a blender and would like to try it that way, go ahead. Doing it by hand didn't ruin the recipe at all.

Crescent Rolls (Blender Rolls)
From Tana (With a slight change)

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (but not hot)
2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup melted butter
5 cups flour + 1/2 - 1 cup

Direction:

Place first 6 ingredients in large bowl and mix with a whisk until well blended. (If you're using a blender, place the first 6 ingredients in blender and blend until well blended, about 30 minutes to 1 minute.)

Add 5 cups flour into the liquid and blend with a big spoon or a rubber spatula. (Now, if you were using a blender, put flour in a large bowl and add liquid from the blender. Blend with a big spoon.)

Let rise until double, usually 45 minutes to 1 hour. (The dough will be very moist.)

When the dough has risen, scatter 1/2-1 cup additional flour on top of the dough. (Now the original recipe didn't call for additional flour but I did because the dough was too moist and to make it easier to handle, I added the additional flour. It turned out very well.)

Roll out into circle 1/4 inch thick and cut like a pizza. Roll each slice with fat side first to form crescent roll.

Put on greased baking sheet and let rise 30-45 minutes, until fat.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Spread with melted butter 3 minutes before done for really delicious rolls. Feel free to spread more butter after done to make them look shiny and pretty. :)

Enjoy!!

Delicious Crescent Rolls

My brother-in-law is in pain. His feet were badly injured by a gunshot. Yeah. I know. He is in pain. There are hundreds of BB's stuck in his feet. It's nasty. (By the way, it wasn't his fault that he got shot. He was actually helping his neighbor move when it happened. Someone there got hold of a gun and BANG!! You get the picture. Thank goodness, it was his feet.) He got a surgery about 2 weeks ago and is unable to walk around freely. It is sad to see someone who used to be so active sitting down on a recliner all day. So I had to think of a way to cheer him up. I wish I could take all his pain away but I'm not a healer. I figured time would do its magic. Meanwhile, I decided to use some delicious rolls do all the work for me. So I knew he loved fresh rolls - also his wife (my sis-in-law) loves it when I bake - so these crescent rolls were a very good choice. The rolls turned out fluffy, soft, and so yummy! These rolls definitely satisfied everyone, maybe healed some of my bro-in-law's wounds. Okay, now, that's overexaggerating :) The original recipe is called "Blender Rolls" from one of my cousins but I don't own a blender so I made it by hand. If you have a blender and would like to try it that way, go ahead. Doing it by hand didn't ruin the recipe at all.

Crescent Rolls (Blender Rolls)
From Tana (With a slight change)

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (but not hot)
2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup melted butter
5 cups flour + 1/2 - 1 cup

Direction:

Place first 6 ingredients in large bowl and mix with a whisk until well blended. (If you're using a blender, place the first 6 ingredients in blender and blend until well blended, about 30 minutes to 1 minute.)

Add 5 cups flour into the liquid and blend with a big spoon or a rubber spatula. (Now, if you were using a blender, put flour in a large bowl and add liquid from the blender. Blend with a big spoon.)

Let rise until double, usually 45 minutes to 1 hour. (The dough will be very moist.)

When the dough has risen, scatter 1/2-1 cup additional flour on top of the dough. (Now the original recipe didn't call for additional flour but I did because the dough was too moist and to make it easier to handle, I added the additional flour. It turned out very well.)

Roll out into circle 1/4 inch thick and cut like a pizza. Roll each slice with fat side first to form crescent roll.

Put on greased baking sheet and let rise 30-45 minutes, until fat.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Spread with melted butter 3 minutes before done for really delicious rolls. Feel free to spread more butter after done to make them look shiny and pretty. :)

Enjoy!!

(Korean) Dolsot Bibimbap 비빔밥

Okay, guys, this is a good chance to learn how to cook a really authentic and delicious Korean dish at home. It is a great recipe that I've come across that tastes amazingly scrumptious. Because of all the pictures below, you might think it's going to take forever or difficult to fix but that's not true. Really, you just need a few minutes to cook all the vegetables in oil. I used variety of vegetables and some meat but you can choose to which vegetables to use and you don't have to use the meat, either. Some ingredients might be hard to find at your local grocery store, but if you have an oriental grocery store, make a trip there and find some of the greatest Asian ingredients there, such as Korean red pepper paste (I recommend Samyang or CJ brand), Bulgogi sauce (CJ), a stone pot or a clay pot. You'll also find the best sticky rice (short grain) and some of the best sauces and pastes there. Usually the prices aren't too expensive, either. I get all my famous Korean brand ingredients at a local oriental market.


Dolsot Bibimbap 비빔밥
Adapted from Tasty Meals at Home

Ingredients:

• ready cooked rice
• red pepper paste (gochu jang)
• zucchini
• carrot
• mushrooms (white or brown or shitake)
  
• spinach
• minced garlic
• bulgogi (read previous entry on how to cook this)
• egg
• soy sauce, salt and pepper, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, white rice vinegar, oil, red pepper flakes
• stone pot/clay pot (for dol sot style; however, if you don't have one of these, feel free to use a regular medium sized sauce pan or a pot)
  
• Note: remember, quantity really does not matter in this dish, it’s just how much of it you want in your dish.
  

Direction:

1. Bulgogi (Korean BBQ)

Prepare Bulgogi as shown in the link. If you prefer homemade bulgogi recipe, click here. In Korea, you will find many Bibimbap dishes just with variety of vegetables. So if you prefer the dish without the meat, that's totally fine. It's entirely up to you and your appetite. If you want to use the sauce, it's way easy to prepare it. I usually marinade it for about 12 hours before cooking it, however, if you don't have a lot of time, you can skip the marinade and just cook the meat in a pan.
2. Carrots

Thinly slice the carrots. Add in a dash of rice vinegar, a dallop of red pepper paste, a few generous sprinkles of red pepper flakes and sugar. Mix and set aside.


3. Spinach

Boil water into a bowl and flash boil your spinach–put in a handful of spinach and immediately turn off the heat and drain. Add in 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, a tiny dash of soy sauce, a tiny dash of sesame oil, salt, and pepper.

4. Zucchini

Cut in half moon slices. you will only need about 1/4-1/3 cup per dish. Put a little oil on a heated pan and saute with salt&pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of garlic, and a dash of sesame oil.

5. Mushroom

Thinly slice mushrooms. On heated pan with oil, saute mushrooms with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Now, we're almost there.. Just need to plate the dish in the pot. Heat your pot over medium-low heat. Put about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil onto the bowl. This is to keep your rice from sticking to the bowl. Put the rice on, about 1-2 cups of cooked rice.

Top the rice with all your delicious toppings, shown in the pictures above.

Allow the bowl to be over the heat for an additional 10 minutes. Top it with a generous amount of red pepper paste. If you want, you can also crack a raw egg yolk (or fry over easy or over hard) and top the dish off. Remove from heat with caution! (Now, if you cook the rice over the stone or clay pot, you'll get the nice, crispy rice on the bottom and it gives a crunch bite.)

Mix them all up and enjoy!!