Hot Sandwich for a Cold Day (Italian Inspired Beef Dip Sandwich)

 Hot Sandwich for a Cold Day ( Italian Inspired Beef Dip Sandwich) 

Ok say this post is about a marvelous sandwich that I had the pleasure of consuming on a cold Saturday Afternoon.  It pretty cold today by Louisiana’s standards at least so I’m creating a mental list of things I can eat that would warm me up so of course this sandwich is on the menu. The recipe is my take on a video that I watched on the Food Wishes channel on YouTube. Don’t you just love the title “Food Wishes” I don’t know about you but I frequently have food wishes. The recipe is for a hot beef sandwich that is made up of beef stew meat pieces that have been simmered until it falls apart, and then placed on hot crusty ciabatta bread, which I topped with aged Swiss cheese, and slathered in peppers and onions. Well I’m sure you didn’t click the link to hear me go on and on about being cold and eating sandwiches so I’ll get to what you came here for… the Food.

Ingredients

1 ½ Pounds of beef stew meat cut into chunks

1 Yellow onion (diced)

1 Green bell pepper (diced)

6 Cloves of garlic (diced

1 Tablespoon of each dried spice: Oregano, Thyme, Basil, and Rosemary

2 Bay leaves

2 Tablespoons of white vinegar (surprise, surprise)

2- 2/12 Cups of chicken broth ( Or use hot water and a bouillon cube, whichever you have on hand, you need enough liquid to cover the meat by an inch)

Crushed red pepper flakes (I put this on just about everything, love this stuff)

Black Pepper (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

4 crusty ciabatta rolls

Directions  

1)    Season your stew meat; I usually go with a basic blend of salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. I sit this aside on the counter to marinate for about 30 minutes. ( while this is marinating I chop my veggies)

2)    Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat; add to this pot your two table spoons of vegetable oil. When the pot is heated, add in your stew meat.

3)    Brown your stew meat until you get a nice bit of color on it, then toss in your vegetables, cook until your onions become clear.

4)    Once your meat is browned, you add all of your dry herbs, spices, white wine vinegar, and your broth.  Bring this mixture to a boil then turn down the heat and allow the post to simmer for about 1 -  1 ½ hours  or until fork tender.

5)    Once the meat is ready it’s time to build your sandwich. Warm your ciabatta rolls in the oven until warm and crunchy. (I put my Swiss cheese on my rolls before I put them into the oven that way my cheese was melted before I built my sandwich.

6)    When the bread is warmed, add your beef, top with some of the onions and peppers from the broth. Slice diagonally. Serve immediately with a cup or ramekin of the broth.  

The only picture I have for this post. This is the final plated dish. Nothing fancy I served  the sandwich with some Ore-ida fries, but boy this was delicious. 

     I mentioned before that this post was my take on a video that I watched on Youtube, I'll add the link to this post so that you can go and watch it. Chef John is awesome I love his sense of humor, and he always gives really simple useful tips in his videos. This meal was simple yet satisfying what more can you ask from a sandwich.  Are you a fan of Youtube? Who are some of your favorite Youtube personalities? Do you ever try out the things you see in the videos? Comment Below.

xx- Toya

Salt & Pepper Chicken (Homemade Takeout)

Salt & Pepper Chicken

You may have noticed a recurring theme on the blog I love Asian inspired dishes and I also love to make my own versions of things I've had in restaurants or as takeout at home. Today’s post will be in the same tradition.  I was making some shrimp fried rice and I had some chicken breast on hand. In the past I have made Chicken & Broccoli, Honey Chicken, and Sweet and Sour Chicken at home, wanting to try something different I thought I would try Salt & Pepper Chicken. Well I’m sure you didn't come here for me to go on and on about the types of chicken dishes I have prepared so I will get to the main attraction… the food.

Ingredients

3 Chicken breast  (cut into bite sized chucks)

1 Half of a yellow onion (diced)

1Half of a red pepper (diced)

1 Half of green pepper (diced)

3 Cloves of garlic (minced)

2 eggs (for egg wash)

4 Stalks of green onion (sliced)

1 cup of All-purpose flour (for batter)

Salt

Pepper

Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil

Vegetable oil (enough for frying)

Directions

1.     Preheat your vegetable oil over medium high heat to about 350 degrees.

2.     Diced your chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Season those chicken pieces, set aside.

3.     Prepare your egg wash, using two eggs and ½ cup of milk, whisk together until fully blended. (I usually add a little salt and pepper to this mixture just to ensure the dish is seasoned throughout.)

4.     Pour your egg-wash  mixture  over your chicken and set aside to marinate.

5.     Prepare your flour for batter; pour you 2 cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl or bag. ( cook’s choice)  Once you have prepared your flour mixture, begin coating the chicken pieces in the flour mixture a few pieces at a time.

6.     Fry the chicken piece in the vegetable oil until golden brown. Once golden brown remove the chicken from the oil and drain the excess oil by placing the chicken on paper towels. Fry the remainder of the chicken, and then set aside.

7.     Preheat your frying pan or wok with 2 -3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

8.     Add in your onions, garlic and peppers, cook for 3-4 minutes, and then add your chicken.

My diced veggies.

My diced veggies.

9.     Continue stir-frying chicken for another 4-5 minutes add in your soy sauce (to taste), sesame oil (about two caps full) and two tablespoons of honey. Continue stir-frying until chicken is thoroughly mixed.  Serve immediately.

Close up of the chicken in the wok.

Close up of the chicken on the plate.

Here is a shot of the entire meal plated. Yummers 

Look at that color.

This dish came together really nicely. I tried to recreate it from memory; I added the honey at the last minute because when I tasted the chicken it was missing something. The addition of the honey gave it a beautiful glazed look, and added a touch of sweetness which I enjoyed.  Have you ever tried to recreate a dish from memory? Do you sometime find yourself adding things to your dishes that are included in the original recipe?  Comment below.

Shrimp Fried Rice ( Secret Ingredient)

Shrimp Fried Rice ( Shh with the Secret Ingredient) 

People who have had my shrimp fried rice comment that it is some of the best they have had outside of a Chinese restaurant, which thrills me to no end to hear. I am one of those people that  if I like something or if I enjoy eating it I will try to recreate and eventually prefect that dish at home. I have scoured the internet and peeked into various kitchens to get the secrets (yes with a “s”) that I’m going to share here with you today only because I am in a generous mood. My family doesn't even know these tips so I am showing yall major love by telling you out there in internet land. But you didn't come here to hear me talk about the secrets I keep from my family so let’s get to the food.

Ingredients

3 cups of cold cooked rice (Secret number one: use cold rice. If you try to fry hot rice it will get sticky, gummy and gross overall. Use cool to cool rice. It works every time)

1-1/2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp

1 whole yellow onion diced

2 Eggs

4- 5 Stalks of Green/ Spring Onion chopped  (I like a lot of green onion but feel free to use your discretion, cooking is an art not a science)

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Soy Sauce (to taste) 

1 Tablespoon Sesame oil (Secret number 2, sesame oil give my fried rice the authentic flavor that people comment on. The stuff is pretty strong so I recommend adding a little to start off with then adding more if you like)

Directions

1.     Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, add yellow onions, stir and cook until onions are translucent, take about 3 to 4 minutes.

2.      Stir in rice and fry, if rice starts to stick add a bit more oil and stir continuously cooking for 3-4 minutes.

3.     Add your shrimp they should be peeled and deveined to your pan/ wok continue to stir and fry.

4.     Prepare your eggs the same way you would if you were going to scramble an egg then you have cooks choice, you can either scramble the egg in a separate pan then add it to you frying rice or if you are lazy daring and don’t want to use multiple pan- then push your still frying rice to the side and scramble your egg in the same pan. Once your egg is scrambled mix it thoroughly into your rice

5.     Add in your green onions and soy sauce cook while constantly stirring for two minutes or until heated thoroughly.

6.     Garnish with green onion and serve immediately.

* This recipe is really a stripped down version of fried rice. One you master the basic recipe feel free to add things such as different meats of veggies. 

What are some of your favorite takeout dishes to make at home? Do you have any tips or tricks you have picked up that make your take on the dish more authentic? Comment below.

Taco Tuesdays!!! But not really...

There something about the mere mention of "Taco Tuesdays" that makes everyone smile. Tuesday as a day of the week is pretty humdrum; it doesn't have the polarizing powers of Monday, nor does it offer the assurance that Wednesday aka Humpday provides that the week is almost over. What Tuesday does have however is tacos. Which is an extremely redeeming quality in my book. This particular Tuesday I offer you a recipe that's not quite a taco. What I have instead is a quesadilla recipe that was inspired by a Chipotle burrito. Anyone who knows me knows that I have an unhealthy obsession  really enjoy Chipotle Mexican Grill's burritos. Their burritos are fresh, delicious, inexpensive, and relatively  healthy when compared to other fast food options. The idea came for this dish when I decided that I would make my own version of a Chipotle burrito. I went to the store gathered my provisions, got home, then  realized forgot the lettuce and tomato. I decided that I could not make a suitable copycat recipe without all of the ingredients so I decided to do a quesadilla instead. Well enough yammering about my epic voyage to feed my stomach, i'll get to what you came here for...the food.   

Taco Tuesdays!!! But not really...

Ingredients

1 Pound of chicken

1  and ½ Yellow onions (Diced)

1 Green bell pepper (Seeded and sliced into strips)

1 Red bell pepper (Seeded and diced)

1 Yellow bell pepper (Seeded and slice into strips)

4 Flour Tortillas

2 Cups of shredded cheese (I usually use the Mexican Mix by Kraft or Monterey Jack cheese)

Olive Oil

4 Cups of water

2 Cups of brown rice

1 lime (zested and juiced)

½ Cup of chopped fresh cilantro

2 Cloves of garlic

Can of black beans

Can of whole kernel corn

Sour Cream (for serving)

Salsa ( for serving)

Directions:

1.     Season your chicken with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika. Set aside  to marinate for 30 minutes.

2.     Heat table spoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast and sauté until done. Once chicken is done remove from heat and dice into cubes.

3.     Add tablespoon of olive oil in skillet warm until heated. Once oil is heated add 1 whole diced onion. Cook until tender, and then add the green, yellow peppers. Cook until vegetables have some color on them about 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet, place them in a bowl and set aside. ( I like to make this a one pan meal, so I rinse skillet and reuse)

4.     Drizzle oil in skillet heat pan over medium heat. Once the pan is warm lay a flour tortilla in the skillet. Then add a layer cheese, peppers, chicken, cheese and top with another tortilla.

5.     Cook the first side until golden, then add a little more oil and flip the quesadilla and cook the other side cook until golden, remove from pan. Set aside cover in foil to keep warm  Repeat this process until you have four quesadillas.

*Cooking note* Cut quesadillas into quarters to serve.

Santa Fe Style Black Beans

1.     Into a pot add a can of black beans, small can of whole kernel corn, diced red peppers, ½ teaspoon of cumin, ½ teaspoon of paprika, and 1 clove of chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  

2.     Heat ingredients over medium high heat to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and cook until vegetables are tender. (I usually cook the beans for about 30 minutes, sometimes I add a  stock cube to enhance a flavor)

Close up of the beans

Cilantro & Lime Brown Rice

1.     Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan, add brown rice. Reduce heat to a medium-low and cook until rice is tender about 40-45 minutes.

2.     Drain rice, transfer rice into a bowl, and allow to cool slightly.

3.     In a separate bowl mix together lime juice, lime zest, and oil. Pour this mixture over rice, add cilantro, and then stir. add salt and pepper to taste.

Close up of the cilantro-lime rice

Final plating, garnished with lime, I added sour cream, and salsa.

Another plating shot.

This dish is a nice way to mix up weeknight boredom. It takes about 45 minutes total to prepare and the leftovers make the perfect lunch the next day.  The cilantro and lime made the rice really fresh. The quesadillas were awesome, I like to think of them as Mexican grilled cheese. Have you ever tried to make a dish from your favorite restaurant at home? What are some of your favorite weeknight meals? Comment below, subscribe to get post directly to your inbox, show me some blog love on Bloglovin, or follow me on Instagram, basically stay in touch.