Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice

Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice

My daughter told me that she was making Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice for dinner and I said… I’m in! Pass on the recipe! 

With everything that’s happening in NYC and the world right now – it’s important to cook foods that have the ability to stir up feelings of comfort and happy memories. Halal Cart Chicken and Rice is one of those foods for me – which is kind of like a mini flavor vacation!

Dave’s Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

My friend Dave loves his slow cooker and this is one of his no fail recipes for flavorful fall off the bone chicken that needs very little attention from start to finish.

Being the minimalist cook that I am, I must admit that I was a bit intimidated by the list of 10 herbs and spices that made up the seasoning mix. But after a closer look at the ingredient list I realized that I had 9 of the 10 ingredients already in my spice drawer. The spice that was absent was the savory and I swapped it out with sage because that’s what I had and it worked perfectly.

Dave and I cooked this together in his slow cooker and it was DELICIOUS. However, I wanted to get a brown crispy skin so I cooked mine in the oven and I was quite happy with the results.

Chinese Pork Cutlet in Tomato Sauce

This is a special one wok recipe from Grandma Helen and one of grandpa’s favs. The sauce tastes like a savory ketchup gravy and would work well with chicken also.

My husband cooked this tonight with thin bone in pork chops (about 1/4-inch) and it is a KEEPER!

*If you use bone in pork chops. Cut a small slit through the curved edge (opposite side of the bone) so it won’t curl when it cooks.

Japanese Chicken Curry Stew

Japanese Golden Curry Sauce Mix is a meal saver. I try to always have a box in my pantry for a quick hearty meal. You can have a pot of chicken curry stew on the table in about 30 min. This is a must have pantry item for a fast satisfying meal.

Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken

I had El Pollo Loco chicken on my mind which led me down a rabbit hole of copycat recipes. All of the recipes had similar ingredients of which I did not have on hand. So I decided to wing it with my lonely lime and to my surprise it produced a very tasty chicken. 

With that said - This is not El Pollo Loco chicken. It's just delicious lime marinated smoky grilled chicken that is worth sharing.

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken Breast

I placed sliced potatoes and Kale under the chicken to make a one pan meal.

This simple and easy chicken should be in your weekly rotation. It cooks up juicy and flavorful all the way through and the skin browns beautifully without any coaxing. The leftovers will be wonderful for sandwiches, salads, pasta and for me – a cold out of the fridge snack.

Yui's Pad See Ew

Yui's Pad See Ew

Warning: These are Addicting!

Once you know how to make this simple one wok dish, you will be making it all the time. Impressing your family, friends and neighbors with your new Thai culinary skills.

What is the magic behind making authentic Pad See Ew?

The answer to that question came to me a couple of years ago on a surprise birthday adventure to Thailand. My husband and daughter arranged an all day cooking class for us in Chiang Mai, where Chef Yui helped demystify Thai cooking. Not all Thai cooking… just some.

Yui’s Pad See Ew is one of my quick go to wok meals and I think it’s time for me to share this recipe and experience with you.

Easy Brown Gravy

Easy Brown Gravy

The best gravy is created with pan drippings, crispy bits of flavor packed fond and homemade stock. 

You know what I'm talking about.  The kind of gravy that you mistake as soup and find yourself spooning one scoop after another straight into your mouth, reassuring yourself that you are just tasting as you wipe the drips off your chin. Yeah, that kind of gravy! 

But what do you do when that’s not an option and you need some gravy A.S.A.P.?

You pull out your easy brown gravy recipe that has saved that mound of ground beef or that lonely pork chop many of times from boredom.

You don’t have a recipe like that, you say. Well, you do now!

Oyakodonburi – Easy Japanese Chicken and Rice Bowl

Oyakodonburi
Japanese Chicken and Egg

Had I known then, what I know now…

Growing up I could only get Oyakodonburi on special occasions like when my family would eat out at a neighborhood Japanese restaurant. I would get teased for ordering something so simple when there were so many other options. But I didn’t care, it was my favorite.

Kono's Curry Sauce

Shrimp Curry

Oh for the love of curry!  That’s what this recipe is. The kind of curry I grew up with in Hawaii.

Back in the day… we didn’t have the variety of curries that are available today. We just had one and this was it!

This recipe makes about 8 cups of sauce which could mean a large family sized pot of stew or 4 meals for a couple. I make this sauce ahead of time and freeze it into containers to pull out whenever I have a hankering for curry. This sauce makes wonderful chicken curry stew with carrots and potatoes as well as sauce to go over katsu, for curry katsu or as pictured, shrimp curry.

Chicken Paprikash or Paprika Chicken

Chicken Paprikash or Paprika Chicken

When I Googled, How many chicken paprikash recipes are on the internet? I was shocked to discover that there are over 4 million and only a little over 1 million for beef stew recipes. Really? This fact goaded me to do more research on this simple one pot Hungarian comfort dish. No, I didn’t read all 4 million recipes, but I did read quite a few.

Which got me thinking, if over 4 million people felt the need to share their recipes, I was certain that I needed to add it to my recipe collection. It doesn’t matter what you call it - Chicken Paprikash or Paprika Chicken, it’s delicious and easy.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

If you’re looking for a light crispy golden fried chicken that’s tender and juicy, but not greasy, you found it!

Harry's BBQ Chicken

Harry's BBQ Chicken

Who’s Harry? That’s what I asked, when our friend Craig shared this recipe with us.

My husband and his buddy Craig attended college together in upstate New York and their house cook was – you guessed it, Harry. Every year Harry would make this chicken for the annual BBQ and being the sleuth that Craig is, he got Harry to share his recipe, for which we are all grateful.

Hyotan Squash with Ginger Garlic Chicken

I was thumbing through one of my Hawaii cookbooks when I spotted this recipe. What drew my attention was the Hyotan squash. I had never heard of it, which stirred up my curiosity and got me surfing (not in the ocean) but on my computer for the answer.

That’s when I stumbled upon Suzi-Pratt’s blog that had pictures of her grandmothers Hyotan squash and recipe.

Mystery solved! Hyotan squash is what I have always referred to as Opo squash.

Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Why am I talking BBQ in the dead of winter?  Because we just experienced a string of sunny days which means that my husband will need to fire up his BBQ. Which means, we need to whip up some sauce.

I learn new things everyday and today I'm going to share a recipe that will change the way you think of BBQ sauce.

Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce Wraps

My lettuce wraps are... to die for - at least that’s what I have been told. Just fill, fold and eat!  They are not just delicious; they are loads of fun.

They are visually impressive and a palate pleaser.  Lettuce wraps are thought of as a restaurant dish and appear too exotic and time consuming to whip up at home.  Not true, they are easy – easy – easy.

Chicken Breast Stir Fry

Stir frys are quick and easy.  The hardest part is cutting up the ingredients.  The good news is that these days, you can buy pre-cut vegetables for just about anything and when it comes to stir fry, there are no hard rules as to what goes in the wok.  So pick and use as little or as many vegetables as you desire.

Quick Roast Chicken with Mustard & Garlic

My husband said to me after he took his first bite; I think this is my new favorite roast chicken!  I have to admit that it’s mine too.

Oven Lau Lau

This recipe reminds me of a scene from the movie “The Joy Luck Club”.  The aunties are playing mah jong and one of the younger niece’s states with confidence that she has played mah jong before with her Jewish friends in college.  The aunties glare at her and say with absolute conviction; “No-No”.  “That is Jewish mah jong, not Chinese mah jong.”  As if there is a difference…

There might not be any difference when it comes to mah jong but there is a clear difference between Hawaiian and Mainland Lau Lau’s. 

Homemade Chicken Stock

To be perfectly honest I don’t think I will ever give up the convenience of having a few cans of chicken broth ready and waiting on my pantry shelf.  It is a great flavor enhancer that can give quick food a slow cooked taste with very little effort.