// Asian Chicken Wings & Drumsticks //

Our friend Jerry was getting sent away to Afghanistan thru the military, so we won't see him for another year. We had FAM DIN in honor of him and even made him a lil memory book (thanks Suzuko for diligently sewing the book together) to take w/him. Come home safe, Jerry...we'll have a welcome back dinner fo'sho!

On the menu tonight: Asian style chicken wings/drumsticks and grilled corn on the cob w/special Vietnamese/Cambodian corn sauce. The sauce totally makes a difference! My dad used to grill the corn in the oven until it was slightly charred black on a few sides, then slice the kernels off w/a knife...then drizzle the sauce on and mix it in a bowl. Talk about spoiled kids (only food wise, of course)...

// maple & apple lamb shoulder chops//

I've only made lamb a handful of times, but it always came out too dry or the flavor was never what I wanted. This recipe changed all of that. It was really simple to make and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I was especially excited to use my Martinelli's apple juice that is always stocked in the fridge. The only thing that I tweaked was that I used 2 lamb shoulder chops, instead of the 8 in the recipe, and only half of a green apple and 4 pitted prunes (both sliced). Apparently, most people overlook the lamb shoulder chop cut. I happened to be peeping in the lamb section at Publix and was surprised to see how cheap this cut was (it was less than $4 each!). After simmering for 30 minutes, the meat was practically falling off the bone. I served it w/homemade mashed potatoes, which I basically cooked w/the chicken stock used in the lamb. I just added some butter and salt and pepper as needed. Also, made some steamed spinach on the side to balance it out. You've GOT to try this recipe soon. It's great for the upcoming fall season and is impressive on looks and taste.

// beef & scallion //

Shiitake mushrooms! It's been 5 months since I've updated anything on here. Sorry, folks. Mainly camera issues, but I will try and keep it on track now that I have a working one. Today's dish was out of a craving I had. The only thing that I would do different is use less sauce and slice the beef a lot thinner. The outcome was still good, I just wanted the beef to be more crispy than soft. My side dish was snow pea tip leaves sauteed with minced garlic, rice vinegar, oyster sauce and sesame oil. You can substitute the greens with any other Asian greens, really, but that's my go-to side dish with most Asian meat dishes. Grab the recipe here.

// stuffed shells //

New year...new post. I've been a lil busy towards the end of 2009, but still cooking up new recipes every week. Just haven't had time to post. So, to start off this year I'll show you an easy recipe for stuffed shells that I found. It looks really impressive to those who aren't in the kitchen helping...or to those who don't cook at all. Anyhow, made it for the 1st time for FAM DIN and it came out perfect. Right guys? Of course they'll nod yes because I feed them every week. ^_^

// wonton soup //

These cold/rainy days make me crave more soupy dishes. I suddenly got a craving for homemade wonton soup, so I made my 1st attempt the other week. Came out pretty good (pats self on back) for my purst time! I added fresh egg noodles from the refrigerated section at the Asian market (only takes 2-3 minutes to cook in boiling water). I didn't make the chicken stock myself, just used chicken broth. Make sure that when you boil the wontons (and noodles), to do it seperate or else it'll soak up most of the chicken broth. Also, I think that chicken bouillon cubes have better flavor than chicken broth bought in the box or can. I added baby bok choy in the mix as well. Here's a basic recipe using shrimp and ground pork. I actually reheated this for breakfast the next day, but was running really late and threw it in some tupperware. Ended up digging into it in my car while stuck in traffic. I must've looked REALLY Asian eating noodles and wontons in the car vs. other ppl eating breakfast sandwiches and poptarts.

// Black Cod w/Miso //

My boss recommended this recipe to me awhile back. I left out the sake and used regular cod b/c they didn't have any at the market that I happened to be shopping in that day. The end result came out a lil sweeter than I would've liked, so DEF try and use all ingredients listed in the recipe for the best results. This is from Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. On the side I made miso soup and used soba noodles instead of rice. My boss eats it pretty much by itself b/c he loves it so much...so ninja.

// Lemon-Garlic Broiled Halibut //

I literally just finished eating this. Soooo buttery delicious! Very simple, too...as are most fish recipes. I basically wanted to try something other than salmon for a fish dish. Catfish and tilapia aren't really on the top of my list, taste-wise, so thought I would try something new. I've only had halibut in restaurants, but after trying this recipe, I'm definitely going to be making it at home more often. I splurged and went to Whole Foods (8.99/fillet) instead of the usual Asian supermarket or farmer's market, so it might be cheaper elsewhere. Also, I substituted herbs de provence for the parsley used in the recipe b/c I found the recipe once I got home and didn't have all ingredients (after I had bought the fish). It only takes about 15 minutes to prep AND cook. After seeing what I was making for dinner, my friend remarked, "I like to cook things in lemon and garlic...just for the halibut!"