Meat

Avocados, Bacon, Breakfast, eggs, Meat, Vegetables

Bacon Avocado Egg

March 11, 2016March 11, 2016by thebusyspatulaLeave a Comment

Remember when Facebook was exclusive to profiles and writing on someone’s wall? It was a simpler past. These days, I feel like Facebook is a black hole for wasting time, especially since they made videos play automatically. Occasionally, I’ll scroll through and catch myself watching every single clip. The beauty of it is that each clip is usually short and you don’t even notice the time go by.
This especially holds true for those “Tasty” videos. If you’re active on Facebook, then you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, I’m referring to ridiculously short clips of (mostly) very simple recipes, done in a fraction of a time. The videography is pretty good and the food usually looks, as the name suggests, tasty.
So one day, I was scrolling through and I saw a video clip of a bacon wrapped avocado that was filled with a poached egg. It wasn’t a “Tasty” video, but a clip of a restaurant’s dish. No instructions or recipes, just how they made it. After watching it once, I thought that I could do it. So without even really prepping anything, I decided to try it.
Yes, I’ve never poached an egg and I’ve never tried to wrap an avocado with bacon before, but how hard could it be? I wish I could say it was super simple, but I was very wrong. My poached egg was a little over done, and when I tried to put it in my avocado, I realized that I happened to have a larger than average avocado with a huge pit. The egg looked a little sad in there, but I figured, “It’s alright. Let’s just wrap the thing in bacon like the video.” So I put the two halves together, and wrapped it in bacon and set it in a low heat, nonstick pan.
Well, I know that bacon shrinks from cooking, but I thought I wrapped it well enough that it should hold. As soon as I turned the avocado, the avocado started sliding in half. Now, I don’t know what kind of magic they used to keep the avocado together, but no matter how carefully I turned it, the avocado started sliding more and more, loosening the bacon wrap at the same time. Frustrated, I took the whole thing out, unwrapped the half cooked bacon and stuck a few toothpicks on the outer corners of the avocado (not the center because you don’t want to pop the poached egg). Then I re-wrapped it with the partially cooked bacon, sticking it into the ends of the toothpicks that were sticking out and put it back into the pan. The bacon continued to shrink and slowly started coming off of the toothpick. So instead of the neat bacon covered avocado I wanted, I ended up with an avocado wearing a shredded bacon sweater.
I wondered if it was even worth putting on the blog and if I had just wasted my precious Saturday. Even if it wasn’t the perfect dish I was looking for, cut in half and served on toast with some fresh tomatoes, it still tasted great. What I learned though, was to never trust a Facebook video without real instructions.
Bacon Avocado Egg

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 avocado, ripe but slightly firm
4-5 strips of bacon
toasted bread (optional)
fresh tomatoes (optional)

Instructions:

Fill a small shallow nonstick frying pan with water and heat until it reaches a rapid boil.
While the water is heating, crack eggs into two separate small bowls.
Once the water reaches a rapid boil, turn off heat and stir in 1 tbsp. of vinegar.
Slide eggs carefully into the hot water, one at time and cook for 4 minutes.
Once the time is up, carefully remove the eggs from the water and drain on a paper towel.
Cut open the avocado in half and pop out the pit by using the blunt end of the knife. Use a spoon to scoop out the two halves.
Slide the poached egg into the hollow center of one half of the avocado and line the second half of the avocado so that it is perfectly lined with the first half.
Use four toothpicks to secure the four corners of the avocado, do not puncture center of the avocado, you will pop the yolk.
Carefully wrap the bacon strips over the avocado, using the toothpick ends to secure the bacon.
In a small nonstick pan, over medium-low heat, cook bacon on all sides of the avocado until cooked through and crisp.
Serve with toasted bread and fresh tomatoes if desired. (highly recommended)

Appetizers, Chocolate, Cookies, cupcakes, Desserts, Dinner, Disney, Meat, Mexican, Parties, Star Wars

Star Wars Rebels Party

December 4, 2014March 25, 2015by thebusyspatula9 Comments

It’s been a while. With Thanksgiving and prepping for Step 3’s, life has been hectic! I feel a mix of regret and sorrow that I missed out on all things fall for the blog. But, it has fast forwarded to December which means that the holidays are here and that translates to holiday goodies. But before we get started on all things Christmas, let’s get to the Rebels Party.

As someone who has watched the Star Wars movies exclusively, I was skeptical when the hype for Star Wars Rebels rose out of midair. But after watching one episode (which led to another and another…), I have to say that I’ve fallen in love with the characters and the story line. There is just the right mix of darkness and humor for all ages to enjoy.

So when Mr. L approached me about doing another Star Wars party, I couldn’t say no. (This is the second Star Wars themed party to be featured on the blog. The first one is linked here.)

We drew inspiration from Lothal, the planet where the rebels operate. Lothal is apparently the name of a real city in India and one of the characters, Ezra, really reminds me of Aladdin. Coincidence?? I think not. Anyways, a bit of yellow turf, clay mountains and a modified Lego Space Needle, made a cute tablescape that was reminiscent of the real thing.

As always, there was food with punny names.

Inquisitortilla Chips with Dual Dip (Inquisitor Tortilla Chips with Dual Dip)
Sa-Bean Burritos (Sabine Burritos)
22 Pickup-Cakes (22 Pickup Cupcakes)
Chopper Salad
“Zeb” Orrelios Oreos
TIE Lettuce Wraps
Kanan Lightsaber Kebabs
Jogan Fruit Juice
Hoth2O (A nod to the original series)
The Entire Spread

It was really fun hanging out with friends, eating good food and watching the special broadcast of “Spark of Rebellion” with the extended scene. Everyone went home with a goodie bag filled with Star Wars themed candy and a figure. Of course I got the one figure I didn’t want, the imperial commander. Boo.

Chicken, Dinner, Meat, Mexican, Sandwiches, Vegetables, Vietnamese

Bánh Mì Quesadillas (Vietnamese Quesadillas)

October 3, 2014September 3, 2015by thebusyspatula7 Comments

I found something that has changed my life: cook-and-serve flour tortillas from TortillaLand. After reading this post about these tortillas, the first thing I did was do a quick search and found that the only Walmart that carried them were over 10 miles away. Now, I know 10 miles is nothing in other parts of the country, but for me? 10 miles is far, especially when there is a Walmart less than 4 miles away. I almost gave up on them, but I was haunted by their flaky, perfectly puffed up pictures and I had to have them. So I dragged my butt over to the Walmart and acquired a package of it. And as much as I wanted to have them right away, I couldn’t! I mean, yes, I could’ve tossed in a few well-chosen ingredients and called it a day, but these were special and I needed the final product to be as special as its base.
If you are not familiar with a bánh mì, it is a Vietnamese sandwich that is filled with meat, a mayo-based spread, cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, and chili peppers inside a baguette. If you’ve ever had a great bánh mì, you would know that it is an explosion of flavor and contrasting textures. In this spinoff, the mayo spread is replaced with mozzarella cheese, the bread with the tortilla and the meat with a Vietnamese fish-sauce shredded chicken.
Before I go on about the awesomeness of this quesadilla, I must warn you about this Vietnamese fish-sauce shredded chicken. It is a modified version of the famous Pok Pok’s wings. I’ve made the fried wings for this year’s Star Wars Day and it was the most delicious chicken wing I’ve ever put in my mouth (and I’ve had my fair share of fried chicken wings). The only downside is it will make your house smell like fish sauce. Now for some people, this might be a deal breaker but I swear to you, it is worth suffering a day of a fish sauce stink for it.
This is a minimum two-day project. You need a day to pickle the shredded daikon and carrots. It wouldn’t hurt to make the shredded chicken a day before either because it’s a little complicated than the average chicken recipe. But when you bite into that crispy flaky tortilla filled with warm melty cheese, garlicky chicken, tangy pickled vegetables and the crisp crunchy cucumber and jalapeño, it will make you say, “I can eat this every day of my life.” Because I did… every time I made it this week.
Bánh Mì Quesadillas (Vietnamese Quesadillas)

Pickled Daikon and Carrots

Ingredients:
1 large carrot
1 small daikon
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
½ c. vinegar
¼ c. sugar
½ c. water

Instructions:

At least a day before making the quesadillas, grate the carrot and daikon over the large holes in a box grater.
Heat vinegar, water and sugar together until sugar dissolves.
Place carrot, daikon and cilantro in a heatproof bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables.
Once cooled, marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Vietnamese Fish-Sauce Shredded Chicken

Ingredients:
8 large cloves of garlic
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ c. warm water
½ c. fish sauce
½ c. sugar
1 ½ lb. chicken, cooked and shredded

Instructions:

Finely mince the garlic and place into a small bowl.
Sprinkle salt over it and add warm water to the bowl and stir. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Pour the garlic mixture over a sieve and push the garlic to extract as much juice as possible. Reserve the garlic juice and garlic bits separately.
Stir fish sauce and sugar together with the garlic juice until sugar is dissolved.
In a small pot, pour a few tablespoons of oil and heat until oil shimmers.
Fry the reserved garlic bits until it turns golden brown and drain on a paper towel.
Add the fish sauce mixture into the small pot and simmer until it becomes a thick sauce.
Once thickened, pour over the shredded chicken and mix until completely covered.
Add the fried garlic pieces and mix thoroughly.

Assembly

Ingredients:
pickled daikon and carrots
Vietnamese fish-sauce shredded chicken
seedless cucumbers, sliced into thin strips
mozzarella cheese, shredded
jalapeño, sliced thinly
flour tortillas*

Instructions:

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.
Toast the tortillas on both sides. (If using the cook and serve tortilla, cook the tortilla on both sides.)
Spread mozzarella cheese evenly across a tortilla and melt.
Once the cheese has melted, spread the shredded chicken over half of the tortilla.
Layer the pickled daikon and carrots, followed by the cucumber and then the jalapeños.
Fold tortilla in half and press down to secure the fillings.
Remove from pan and cut into wedges.
Enjoy

* I highly recommend the cook-and-serve flour tortillas from TortillaLand.
** Picked daikon and carrot adapted from All Recipes.
*** Vietnamese fish-sauce shredded chicken adapted from Pok Pok by Andy Ricker.

Beef, Chicken, Dinner, Meat, Mexican, Simple Sundays

Easy Galbi Tacos {Simple Sundays}

August 31, 2014March 25, 2015by thebusyspatula8 Comments

I wasn’t sure if I should really put the word “Galbi” (aka Kalbi / 갈비) since this recipe isn’t a traditional Galbi recipe. Galbi is a Korean grilled dish made by marinating meat in a soy sauce based sauce. It usually requires grated onions and Asian pears, and to be honest some days I don’t even have the time to do that. So this is my extremely simple version of Galbi sauce. You literally put everything in a glass bowl, whisk, put meat in and you are done. The only utensils you need are measuring cups and spoons, and no cutting boards, or knives are required. Is it going to taste traditional? No. But it’s darn tasty, I can guarantee that.
On the weeks I know I will be short on time, I cut up whatever meat I have on hand (usually short ribs or chicken breasts) make this marinade and toss it in. Over the next few days, I’ll cook it up little by little incorporating it to whatever dish I decide for the day.
Kalbi Tacos 2 Whenever I decide to make tacos, I usually buy more corn tortillas than I need and freeze the leftovers for another day. If you toast it over a (clean) gas burner, it reheats well and becomes soft and pliable in the middle and toasty crisp on the edges. I happened to have some frozen corn tortillas in the freezer and decided to make quick tacos.
You can really top this with whatever you’d like. On this particular day, I ran out of cheese, sour cream, parsley, avocados… pretty much every traditional taco ingredient and put my meat on a bed of mixed greens, topped it with Sriracha and sesame seeds. It still turned out delicious.
Easy Galbi Tacos

For the marinated meat:
½ c. brown sugar, packed
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. water
2 tbsp. mirin (rice wine)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. sesame oil
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs. of meat, cut into strips (I usually use chicken breasts or short ribs)

Instructions:

In a large glass bowl, whisk all the ingredients (minus the meat) until combined.
Place meat into bowl, turning to coat.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put into the fridge to marinate.

For the tacos:
½ lb. mixed greens
12 corn tortillas, toasted
¾ lb. cooked, marinated meat
Sriracha sauce
toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

Cook the meat to desired doneness.
Top toasted tortillas with mixed greens.
Top with meat, Sriracha and sesame seeds.
Consume.

Dinner, Lamb, Meat, Simple Sundays, Vegetables

Broiled Lamb Chops with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli {Simple Sundays}

August 24, 2014March 25, 2015by thebusyspatula12 Comments

I understand that sometimes my recipes are a little tricky, have too many steps, slightly overabundant in ingredients or a bit complicated. So on Simple Sundays, every recipe will be exactly as stated. Simple. There will be many recipes almost too basic to even write a recipe for, but still delicious in its simplicity. It will include every day dinners that can be done around 30 minutes or cookies that can be whipped up on a whim. After all, we can’t make gourmet meals every night. 🙂
I have to be honest; I’m not a huge fan of lamb. It is usually too gamy for my palate. But, there is something about lamb chops that is so tender and delicious, I can’t resist them. Plus, they aren’t as gamy as other cuts of lamb.
This is one of those dinners that are effortless but sounds fancy and plates beautifully. The only downside is that your oven has to be on. However, it’s been so chilly here in Jersey that the prospect of a warmer kitchen isn’t terribly off putting.
Broiled Lamb with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli

Ingredients
1 rack of lamb, frenched
1 lb. baby potatoes*
4 cups of broccoli florets
1 tsp. granulated garlic (or 4 garlic cloves, minced)
dried or fresh thyme
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400˚F and on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic. Put into oven to start roasting.
Divide the rack of lamb into individual lamb chops. Arrange your lamb chops on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and season with salt, pepper and thyme on both sides.
When the potatoes have roasted for about 15 minutes, turn the oven on to broil and remove the pan of potatoes.**
Add the broccoli to the pan and season the broccoli with the remaining ½ tsp of granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Place the pan back in to the oven.
Broil the lamb chops 5 minutes per side, 10 minutes in total. Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes.
The potatoes and broccoli should be done at the same time as the lamb chops. If not, continue baking while the lamb is resting and check every 2 minutes. You want a knife to slide easily into the potato and the broccoli to be crisp tender.
Arrange them on a plate and you’re done!

* Buy them as small as you can get them for faster cooking. I get teeny tiny potatoes from Trader Joe’s and it’s the best thing for quick meals.
** I should note that I have a gas oven that has a separate broiling rack under the oven.

Dinner, Meat, Pasta, Pork, Vegetables

Sausage and Spinach Pasta

July 18, 2014March 25, 2015by thebusyspatula6 Comments

I have this silly mentality that as long a dish has dark leafy greens, it is somewhat healthy. Peas, carrots, celery… those don’t fool me, but add kale, spinach, or broccoli to the mix and I’ll think that it’s nutritious. So if you follow my train of thought, you can understand why I would proclaim that this pasta is nutritious and healthy.
It’s really not though, I should know. It’s rich without feeling heavy and gloriously creamy without being greasy. In fact, it tastes so decadent that people were surprised I only used 4 tablespoons of butter for an entire pound of pasta.
It starts with a pound of good Italian sausage, and when the sausage is cooked and the delicious brown bits are formed, you add your veggies.
Then you start your béchamel sauce which is the key to having a pasta taste so creamy and finally, you add your freshly grated cheddar. No, not the shredded bagged stuff, the seriously sharp, good stuff you get by the block. The dish comes together relatively quickly and the sauce requires only one pot. Oh, and the flavor? Explosive! 😉
Sausage and Spinach Pasta 4

Sausage and Spinach Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 lb. dried pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
½ lb. baby spinach
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
⅓ c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ c. whole milk
1 ½ c. chicken stock
6 oz. aged white cheddar, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil while you prepare the sauce.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot cook the Italian sausage until cooked through and brown bits have formed on the bottom of the pan.
Add the onion and cook until softened, then add the spinach, garlic and red pepper flakes until the spinach wilts and releases liquid. Continuously scrape the bottom of the pot to remove the brown bits.
Add the butter and once it melts, stir in the flour and cook until the mixture becomes pasty and smells slightly nutty.
Slowly add in the chicken stock while stirring the mixture to avoid any lumps.
Then, slowly add in the whole milk while stirring the mixture to avoid any lumps.
Add the grated cheddar in small increments until completely incorporated.
Simmer sauce while boil the pasta.
Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add salt and pepper to the sauce to taste.
Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until sauce is evenly distributed throughout the pasta.

Appetizers, Bread, Meat, Yeast Breads

Pretzel Hot Dogs

June 4, 2014March 25, 2015by thebusyspatula15 Comments

Every single time I go to the mall, I have an inner battle with myself. Do I get a soft pretzel or not? I try not to have one because frankly it’s just a chunk of carbs and I always feel a little guilty after I eat it. I suppose the real question is: is it worth feeling guilty about?
I would say that the chance of me caving in is about 50/50. I have a good idea of what it is that I want (plain salted pretzel with lots of golden mustard) until I get to the window and see a glistening pretzel hot dog. How do they get it so shiny and golden? Why do you wink at me so in the fluorescent mall light? Why am I personifying you?
I sit there frazzled until it’s my turn and at this point, I blank out and whatever word comes out of my mouth first is what I get. Sometimes it’s the hot dog, sometimes it’s the pretzel. All I know is that either way I have buttery, carb-y goodness in my mouth. I win.
Sometimes, you don’t want to go to the mall. Sometimes, the drive isn’t worth it and the battle of the parking spot is tiring and stressful. This is for those days, a little reward without the battle.
Pretzel Hot Dogs

Ingredients:
4 ½ to 5 c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ c. 110°F-115°F water
½ c. milk
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted plus more for brushing
kosher sea salt/ pretzel salt/ Maldon salt
10 c. water
⅔ c. baking soda
1 egg
16 Hot dogs

Instructions:

In a microwave safe cup, warm 1½ c. water until 110°F-115°F or lukewarm. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Stir in dry yeast and let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes).
While the yeast is proofing, mix 4½ c. flour, milk, salt, and the melted butter into a bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the water mixture into the flour mixture and stir until a loose dough forms.
Let stand for 8 minutes to hydrate flour.
With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on speed 2 for about 8 minutes. If you see that the dough is still loose and sticks to the bowl, add the remaining half cup of flour and knead until the dough does not stick to the bowl.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until double its size.
Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 450˚F and line two sheet pans with either parchment paper or silicone mats.
In a large pot, boil 10 c. of water and baking soda.
Divide dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into a long rope. Carefully wrap each piece around a hot dog, pinch the ends together to seal the dough.
Boil the pretzel hot dogs, one at a time about 15 seconds on each side. Remove from the water and drain thoroughly with a slotted spoon.
Mix 1 egg with 1 tbsp. water to form an egg wash.
Place onto the sheet pan and brush bread thoroughly with the egg wash and sprinkle with your choice of salt.
Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Brush generously with melted butter.
Let Cool. Eat with a lot of mustard.