Korean Pork Noodle Bowl
With green beans and Fresno chile From Home Chef I love noodle bowls! The Korean pork noodle bowl, created by the same chef that created the Korean pork tacos, so I knew I had to have it; that taco was delicious! I was hoping for almost identical flavors, which I got, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Korean noodle bowl, just not as much as I thought I would. The flavor was great. It had the dynamic sweet and heat combination that I love. The Fresno chiles added a beautiful color and for sure delivered on the spice. The green beans gave the dish the right amount of crunch and freshness. The only problem I have with this meal is that it was too heavy on the meat; if it had more of those tasty seasoned noodles, the bowl would be better balanced in my opinion. That being said I still say make this Korean noodle bowl! I know I will. Summary
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Chamomile Tea with Lemon and Honey The only thing I hate more than being sick is being sick on a holiday. A sore throat and sinus pain all started early on Thanksgiving eve. Instead of resting up and relaxing, I decided to spend the day to get my Thanksgiving dinner ready and rest the next day; I think that’s what sent my simple sinus infection into hyper-drive, evolving into bronchitis. My throat was so sore my voice started to go out, and let’s not mention how hard it is to eat (that’s what Thanksgiving is all about right??). The only thing that soothed my throat enough to bring my voice back (slowly) and stop the pain (quickly) was this piping hot lemon and honey tea. Lemon is acidic with antibacterial properties that help get rid of germs; plus they contain vitamin C which is known for building the immune system. Honey is also antibacterial, and it coats the throat to help to reduce inflammation and not to mention, it helps the tea taste better. Chamomile is essential because it has many antioxidants which is a good cough suppressant, tissue health, and repair; also chamomile tea could help relieve other cold symptoms as well. Enough talking about it, let’s make a cup. Recipe Chamomile Tea with Lemon and Honey Materials you will need:
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I try to drink this tea two times a day but feel free to drink until your inflamed throat’s content! <3 Lemon Bread
By Rosemary from an Italian in My Kitchen As I was cleaning out my pantry, I found a bag of lemons I bought last week. I wanted to use them before they went rotten and had to be thrown away; I hate wasting food. I love lemonade, but I was 2 lemons short. I got on Pinterest and typed in lemon bread; I love a good quick bread. To my surprise, I found this yummy-looking glistening loaf of bread. Easy to make, good reviews, and I already has all the ingredients; I had to bake this bread. At midnight, I got my Kitchen Aid mixer out and started baking. I am so glad I found this recipe. This bread is AH-MAZE-ING! The bread is bursting with lemon flavor, yet it’s sweet and moist with the perfect texture. Then the lemon syrup brushed on top; OH MY GOSH! I wanted to make more so I could dip the bread in it like one would dip chicken nuggets in a sweet and sour sauce. The lemon syrup tastes like lemonade drizzled on top. This recipe is without a doubt getting added to my repertoire. The recipe is here. Don’t wait until you have extra lemons to make this bread, make it now! Oh, what if you sub the lemons for limes? What about oranges; there are so many yummy possibilities! Side note: Here is the original recipe. The second time I made this recipe, I didn’t have enough butter, so I used ½ cup of vegetable oil as a substitute and it worked perfectly. Summary
Hickory-Seasoned Salmon
With everything bagel-roasted cauliflower From Home Chef I love salmon! When I saw hickory-seasoned salmon on the Home Chef Menu, I knew I wanted it. When the FedEx van pulled up in front of my house, I had my shoes on and was out of the door faster than the delivery guy could get to my front porch. I knew he had my home chef delivery; not that I was tracking it or anything. Happy dancing my package to the kitchen table, I ripped the box open and went through all of the ingredients as I always do; cooking with new ingredients makes me happy. I ran across liquid smoke; I always wanted to use it but never have. When I looked at the ingredients for the hickory-seasoned salmon, I was so excited that I made that meal first. I’ll start with the cauliflower. Full of flavor and seasoned just like my favorite Einstein Bros. everything-bagel, I was in love. I WILL be looking for an everything-bagel seasoning mix to put on any vegetables I decide to roast soon. I love veggies, but the seasoning took cauliflower to a whole new level. Last but not least is this delicious salmon. Cooked perfectly and seasoned oh so well, this fish was the star of the dish. The thick hickory smoke flavor complimented with a hint of sweet, then topped with a tangy, herby vinaigrette made the fish soar. I will be making this recipe over and over again; tasty, simple, and healthy meets my criteria for a Dowell House staple! Summary
7Up Cake
From The Country Cook I love me some cake! My children and I were playing a little game of this or that with dessert as the topic; cake was my go-to choice. The only thing that I occasionally chose over cake depending on what it is was pie or cobbler. On my 8th birthday, I asked my Grandma to make me a vanilla cake with hot pink frosting and pink sprinkles; she gave me two out of three of my requests, so I was happy about that. I never could eat much sweet stuff at once; my stomach gets all types of upset. Anyways, I had about three pieces of cake that day, plus the extra greasy pizza I had crammed down and then drunk the tasty bubbly liquid sugary drink we all know as pop. Long story short I went to lay down because I felt sick. I fell asleep and was shortly awakened by my shocking pink vanilla birthday cake making its return through my mouth and nose. That day I was traumatized; I vowed never to consume so many sweet things at one time again. This 7up cake is too good; it will make you second-guess your #healthyeating goals. Lol. I’m going to tell you right now; you can’t just have one piece. It’s bursting with bold and bright lemon flavor, it’s moist to boot (because in the words of my grandma “nobody likes a dry cake”), and the flavor is on point. The glaze is perfectly sweet with a hint of sourness from the lemon, creating a taste combination that is essential for this recipe. The original recipe is here. The only thing that I changed was the milk. The original recipe calls for one to two tablespoons of milk for the glaze; I used three tablespoons to get the glaze to a point where it was loose enough to drizzle it onto the cooled cake, but still stiff enough so that it wasn’t too thin. Summary
Classic Chicken Piccata With Angel Hair Pasta and Lemon-Caper Sauce I have always loved chicken with a good sauce atop of angel hair noodles! Yum! Seeing classic chicken piccata with angel hair and lemon-caper sauce on my Home Chef menu, I knew I had to try it. I’ll start off with the good part; the noodles were a perfect fit for this dish. They balanced well with the sauce and angel hair is thin, so they were light and delicate. Sauteed aromatic shallots, slightly acidic tomatoes, fresh parsley with a salty flavor from the chicken broth and the tartness from the fresh-squeezed lemon juice made a flavorful, bright, but robust sauce which complimented the chicken well. The chicken was tender and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper which was ideal for this dish. Now let’s get to the bad part. The capers. I’ve never had them before, but when I bit into one, I was surprised in a not-so-tasty way. A strong tart flavor exploded in my mouth. It was so unpleasant to me that my face scrunched up involuntarily; kind of like when an uncoated aspirin touches your tongue. I think that the lemon in the sauce brought enough sourness; the capers were unappealing in my opinion. I tried to eat around them, but it didn’t work too well. My husband loved the whole meal, so at least it wasn’t a complete waste. Hey, what can I say? I’m a chef, but I’m also picky. Everything I review won’t get a hundred percent on my deliciousness scale, and I’m ok with that, but I still love you Home Chef! <3 Here’s the recipe: Classic Chicken Piccata with Angel Hair Pasta and Lemon-Caper Sauce. Summary
Korean Pork Tacos
With Sriracha Mayo and Slaw I love tacos! I usually shoot for a classic style taco, but when I saw these Korean style pork tacos, I just knew I had to try them. I was a little worried at first because of the ginger, which is an essential component in them having the Korean flavor. My husband does not like ginger at all. Like he’s a ginger-sniffing police dog lol! Every time I tried to sneak ginger in our food, he always knows and will not eat what I made. Once when he came down with a vicious flu virus, he was drinking a pungent ginger-chamomile tea to keep his nausea in check, and hasn’t liked ginger since; I think he was traumatized. I may or may not have made the traumatizing ginger tea for him; I plead the fifth. Oh my goodness! These tacos were delicious! The soft shell Korean style tacos had a browned and almost sticky sweet ground pork as its base, with notable hints of ginger and garlic. The meat topped with a crispy slaw comprised of cabbage, carrots, and green onion. Next was a drizzled spicy, creamy Sriracha mayo sauce and more chopped flavorful green onion sprinkled on top. Once I took a bite of this taco I was in love. There were so many complimenting flavors and textures that my mouth was going crazy; in the best way. Korean pork tacos are a great version of the original taco. Now I wonder what Korean pork tacos would be like on a hard crunchy shell? Hmmmm….anyway, before I go on a creative taco tangent, try this recipe on your next taco night! Here’s the recipe: Korean Pork Tacos with Sriracha Mayo and Slaw Recipe. Summary
Sweet Chili Garlic Shrimp
With bok choy stir-fry and jasmine rice Who said healthy food doesn’t taste great? Feather weight in the calorie arena but a heavy weight in taste, this meal had my taste buds and my waistline in check! I love vegetables, so let’s start with the baby bok choy and carrots. The slightly wilted bok choy leaves mixed with the stems complimented the carrot sticks, which were tender, but not mushy, which made an excellent base for the shrimp. The jasmine rice with its fragrant and vibrant flavor kicked the trio up a notch. No doubt, the shrimp was the star of the show! The shrimp was sweet with a light peppery heat, slightly salty and a little citrusy; a flavor combination that wakes up the taste buds but goes oh so well together. If I had to describe this dish in a few words, it’s simply just yum! Oh by the way, did I mention it’s healthy too? J The one thing that I feel that could have been better was the amount of that delicious sweet chili sauce on the shrimp. The portion measurements were so in perfect (which is a good thing because I hate wasting food!) that I didn’t have any extra sauce to scrape from the pan and spread on my shrimp! It’s just a suggestion because I don’t know; it’s not like I tried or anything. J When you go grocery shopping and walk past the raw shrimp, pick up a pack and make this meal! Here’s the recipe: Sweet Chili Garlic Shrimp Recipe Summary
So you mean to tell me that I can merge my favorite cake with my favorite bread, then load it with delicious velvety chocolate chips and nutty walnuts? And I can make more for gifts? Oh yes! I'll take some red velvet banana bread please! Not only is the recipe super easy and practically fool-proof, but it's also special enough to give as a gift! Wrap a loaf in plastic wrap with some pretty string and a cute tag and you're all set! The funny thing is, my family is used to me hand making gifts for their birthdays, holidays, and such. When I'm lazy or run out of gift-making-time and try to compensate by giving a store bought gift, I get weird looks. Thank you's seem to be forced; followed by falsified smiles. Maybe I just feel like they're responding like that because I know the gift could be better...I don't know. What I do know is when I give a gift that I made and wrapped with my own two hands, I get better results. :-) This recipe allowed me to give a great handmade gift in a flash that was easy and cost effective to make. It's a little out of the norm which makes it even more special, it's handmade, it's a beautiful red color, and tastes wonderful. I am absolutely in love with this bread! I'll be making more on valentine's day; If I can wait that long. :-) I found the original recipe on Pinterest by Lise of The Mom Loves Baking Blog. In my version I made a few changes to the recipe. I omitted the white chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. Don't get me wrong; the white chocolate and sprinkles made the bread so beautiful you almost don't want to eat it. I just don't really like either of them. Don't you want to sink your teeth into this red velvety chocolaty banana bread match made in heaven? Let's get started! Maybe they'll be a few loaves left to give away. :-) First mash the bananas. Then in a mixing bowl, mix cake mix, oil, eggs and bananas together. Next, stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Lastly, pour into greased loaf pans and bake for 40 minutes. See! I told you it was easy. :-) The complete recipe is listed below. Red Velvet Banana Bread Recipe Makes 3 loaves Materials
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Everything I used in this recipe is available below and are also linked above in the materials and ingredients sections! Click items to have them delivered right to your door. Thank you for reading Foodie Files! Let me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought of it below in the comments! Suggestions? Want me to try any other recipes? Leave those in the comments too or contact me! I would love to hear from you!
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Zelanda DowellHi! I'm Zelanda! I'm a wife, mother to 4 wonderful children, an author and personal chef. I love food! I love to cook it, write about it, read about it, talk about it, look at it, and most of all eat it :-). Join me in my foodie adventures and sign up for my newsletter at the top of this page! |