Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo is a traditional Filipino dish. My sister learned how to make it when she lived in the Philippines. The first time she made it for me, I was hooked. It's so tangy, tasty & different. The chicken becomes so tender it falls apart when you serve it.

Ingredients:
2 lb. chicken thighs
8 garlic cloves or pre-minced fresh garlic
4 tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer the low sodium soy sauce)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white vinegar or rice vinegar
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Cornstarch - optional
1 heaping tablespoon - Flavor God Garlic Lovers seasoning - optional
Plain or Jasmine rice

Directions:
Add the cooking oil to a large skillet. Cook on medium high heat. Make sure the skillet has a tight fitting lid for simmering the chicken after browning. I used my Oster electric skillet. Brown the chicken thighs. Drain fat when done browning.
 *Cook rice separately.
Add the rest of the ingredients except rice & corn starch to the skillet with the chicken. Bring to a rapid boil. Lower the heat, and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes & check if the chicken is tender. If not, cook for an additional 10 minutes. *The next part is optional. Only if you prefer a thicker sauce. The sauce will be a thin consistency without the cornstarch. It's your preference.* When the chicken is tender, remove a little of the liquid and place in a bowl. Sprinkle a few dashes of cornstarch to the liquid & mix well. When thickened slightly, return the contents to the chicken & stir. Allow to simmer for 5 more minutes & serve over rice.
Serves 4-6

                        Browning the chicken. Sprinkled with Flavor God Garlic Lovers Seasoning

The soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, vinegar, brown sugar, chicken broth added to the chicken after browning. Bring to a rapid boil, then cover & simmer for 30 minutes. Check for chicken tenderness.

Chicken Adobo is served over Jasmine rice & butternut squash. I diced up the squash, and pan fried it with butter, honey & brown sugar. Squash is traditionally served with Chicken Adobo.

Blazing Buffalo Sandwiches

Blazing Buffalo Sandwiches:
These sandwiches are unique & tasty. Very easy to prepare. See below for step by step directions.

Ingredients:
Vienna Rolls
Blazing Buffalo sliced deli chicken
Smooth goats cheese
Fresh pesto sauce
Pine nuts
Muenster cheese slices
Roma tomatoes
Baby Kale
Flavor God Seasoning

Slice Vienna rolls in half. Spray a skillet with olive oil cooking spray. Turn heat to medium high, and add the blazing chicken slices. I sprinkled Flavor God Everything Spicy over it to boost the flavor of the blazing chicken. Use as much chicken as you want for your sandwiches. Brown a little, and set aside.

Butter both sides of the Vienna rolls with the goats cheese. Then sprinkle pine nuts over the goats cheese. I placed the pine nuts in a blender to crush them,

                                          Butter both sides of the rolls with pesto sauce.

Layer the roll with cheese, baby kale, chicken & tomatoes. Sprinkle with Flavor God garlic & lemon seasoning. Place the top of the bun on, press down & place on a piece of tin foil or baking sheet.

Bake at 375 until cheese has melted. Remove the sandwiches & brush lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle Flavor God garlic lovers seasoning on the bread. Return to oven & allow to brown a little.

I served the warm sandwiches with macaroni salad. The Vienna rolls were perfect for this sandwich. Thick rolls that were lightly crisp on the outside & soft on the inside. This meal was delicious!

Flavor God

Recently, I discovered spices that caught my eye. The recipes made using these spices looked so good. I had to try them. I ordered the combo pack. I cook with them daily & enjoy the flavor the spices add to my cooking. They taste so fresh & contain no preservatives. I urge you to place an order if  you love cooking as much as I do, and want to enhance your recipes. I have no affiliation with this company. I just love their product & want to share my find.

The combo pack includes: Everything, Everything Spicy, Garlic Lovers & Lemon Garlic.

For more information & to place an order. This is the link. Flavor God

Rotisserie Cornish Hens

Ingredients 

*This is not a simple meal to prepare. You'll need an oven that has a built in rotisserie cooker. This meal requires lengthy preparation.

4 Fresh Cornish Hens, or frozen - thawed in refrigerator. I cooked 2 hens at a time
Twine
Chicken or Poultry rub (powdered spices in a jar)
Fresh Basil or Thyme
Syringe to inject hens with marinade
Garlic & herb marinade.
2 Tablespoons of honey
Gloves
Cooking thermometer

Brine Ingredients
Extra large pasta or cooking pot
1 gallon of water
3/4 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of oregano
2 cloves of garlic

Add all ingredients to pot on medium heat. Cook until sugar, and salt dissolve completely. Allow brine to cool. Make sure brine is at room temperature. Add hens to room temperature brine, cover & allow to soak in brine for at least 4 hours. I soaked the hens overnight.

Brine is all done simmering. Allow to cool completely before adding hens to soak in brine. Cover & refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight soaking ensures tender & flavorful hens.

Put on gloves & remove hens from brine and allow to drain. Stuff the hens with fresh herbs. I used Thai Basil. Then take the brine and tie the thighs & wings together. Twine the center. Make sure it's secure so that the hen will turn in the rotisserie without dangling or flopping around. Take the syringe & inject the marinade in each part of the hen. Coat the hens with honey using a pastry brush. The last step, take the poultry rub, and pour it into your hands. Then rub it all over the hen. The hens are now ready to be secured to the skewers. Turn the oven to Rotisserie settings, and cover a broiling pan with foil. Place the hens over the broiling pan and insert the skewers to secure the hens.  

The hens should turn easily in the rotisserie. The thermometer should have a reading temperature of 165 degrees around the thighs. The cooking time is approximately 50 minutes to one hour & should be well browned.  

All done cooking & ready to serve

                                           

Rotisserie Cornish Hens served with brown rice, and steamed asparagus. The hen was so tender, and savory! A very elegant meal to serve on very special occasions. 

Hibachi Style Fried Steak & Rice

Ingredients - 6 Servings

6 lean sirloin steaks
4 cups chopped vegetables of your choice - I used squash, zucchini & peppers
Meat tenderizer
1/3 cup rice wine
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil
Lemon juice from 1 lemon or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Asian salad dressing - or Ginger salad dressing
1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger or powdered ginger
2 large chopped garlic cloves, or minced garlic
4 - 6 servings cooked white, brown, or Jasmine rice
2 eggs, stirred with spatula & cooked
*Optional mushrooms
*Optional - onions, scallions
*This is such an easy meal to prepare. Even for a beginner cook!

Tenderize steaks with meat tenderizer, set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Cook eggs, and rice, set aside.
After tenderizing steaks, cut the meat into small bite size pieces.

In a Wok or Large Skillet. On medium high heat, add sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. When lightly browned, add bite size pieces of steak.  Don't overcook. Remove from heat & drain. Add back to heat after draining.

Stir in chopped vegetables & allow to warm. Don't overcook. Pour lemon juice into pan. Stir, and turn to low heat.

                                                   

In a wok or skillet. Turn heat to medium high. Add 2 tablespoons sesame or peanut oil. Fold in pre-cooked rice & egg. Stir well, and add fresh herb. I added fresh Thai Basil. About 7 leaves. Allow the rice to lightly brown & stir. Keep stirring until the rice looks evenly lightly browned.

Stir in rice & eggs into the steak & veggie pan. Stir well, and add dressing if you like. Stir well & serve

I served my Hibachi Style Fried Steak & Rice with lettuce & blueberries, topped with strawberry balsamic vinegar.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients for 6 servings

4-6 large green tomatoes. Make sure they're firm, and unripe. The more green, the more tart & tasty they'll be. More ripe tomatoes don't stay firm enough for frying. 
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk, or buttermilk - buttermilk is best for this recipe
3/4 cup flour 
3/4 cup cornmeal - this is a must, is gives it the perfect fried texture
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs - not panko crumbs
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
A fryer or large pan filled 1/2 - 3/4 way with cooking oil

Directions

Whisk & mix the milk & eggs until well blended. 
Add the dry ingredients to another bowl, and stir well.
Slice the tomatoes about a 1/2 inch thick. Don't use the ends. 
Dip the tomatoes in the milk & egg, then coat with the dry ingredients. 
On medium high heat add the coated tomatoes. Make sure the oil is bubbly hot before adding. You can use a skillet, but I prefer dunking them in oil, about 4 tomatoes at a time. They will float in the oil, and cook evenly. 
After browned, place on plate covered with paper towel to drain excess oil. 
Serve warm with lemonade or iced tea. A fantastic Southern dish!

Fried Pickles

Ingredients 


Approximately 25 - well drained dill pickle chips
1 cup of well ground flat bread crackers. I broke the crackers up in pieces, and blended them
1 cup of bread crumbs
Dash of kosher salt or sea salt & fresh ground pepper
1/3 teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you want a hot spicy flavor
Large dash of paprika
1 cup of milk
2 eggs

In a mixing bowl, beat milk & eggs until well mixed. Prepare the dry ingredients and add to a separate bowl. Take well dry pickle chips and add them to the milk & egg. Coat well. Then one pickle at a time, coat them on both sides with the seasoning.

In a well heated large sauce pan with cooking oil. Drop the coated pickles in carefully. Cook until well browned. 

Place the cooked pickles on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain excess oil

Place the fried pickles on a serving plate with a dressing to dip. I used a blue cheese dressing, and added a teaspoon of Texas Pete Hot Sauce. Ready to serve.