COOK | LOADED TWICE BAKED POTATOES

Potatoes are probably my favorite crop...as in thing that is grown in the ground...hahaha. I categorize them as vegetables so that I can fool myself into thinking everything potato is healthy (i.e. french fries, potato chips, crispy hash browns)... you get the picture. 

 Something is missing...

Oh yeaaaaa, fry up that bacon and crumble it up.

 Scoop some potato out before you put the cheese in for your sister and cousin and friend who don't like cheesy potatoes. Then, mix in the cheese!

 Use a cookie scoop to scoop two cute little loaded potato scoops into each potato skin. 

And then use the scoop to smash it down a little because the two little scoops look a little silly.

Sprinkle some more cheese on top because Traci and I love our cheesy potatoes. 

Ingredients

• potatoes
• green onions, sliced thin
• sour cream
• butter
• bacon
• cheddar cheese, grated
• salt & pepper, to taste

1. Scrub the potatoes clean and use a fork to poke a few holes on each side of the potatoes. Bake them at 375 degrees F for about 45 -60 minutes until the potatoes are baked through. 
2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop out the centers. (Make sure you leave some of the potato in the skins). Set the shells aside (you won't need to use all of them). 
3. Mash the potatoes that you scooped out. Mix in the sour cream, butter, green onions, and salt & pepper (you can also mix in the cheese but since some of my family doesn't like cheese I added it later.) Fill the empty shells with the mixture. I used a cookie scoop and put two scoops per shell.
4. Sprinkle more cheese on top.
5. Bake at 375°F for an additional 15-20 minutes until the tops begin to brown and the cheese is melted.
6. If you want to make them ahead of time, you can cover them with plastic wrap after you scoop them into the shells. Put them in the fridge. Bake them for the final 15-20 minutes right before serving. 

xoxo, allison

COOK | SPAM FRIED RICE

In college I cooked and ate a lot of fried rice. I would use Melly's tiny 8-inch frying pan. It was pretty ridiculous, and I usually made a huge mess all over the stove. Melly would forgive me if I left her some fried rice in the pan, so I usually did. Unless her nap that day was long enough for me to get hungry again and eat the rest before she woke up. (Sorry, Melly, I tried!) Now I use a huge frying pan with higher walls because I'm still a messy cook.

Spam fried rice is the ultimate comfort food.

First, cut the spam into small pieces. I like to pan fry them for a pretty long time to cook out some of the fat and get all the sides super crispy! Maybe about 10 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring every couple of minutes.

I scoot the spam to one side of the pan and crack the eggs directly into the spam fat left over. 

No need for bowls or forks, I scramble the eggs right in the pan with my rice scooper.

And then I added some frozen veggies, fresh chopped green onions from my backyard, 6-8 cups of leftover rice, and oyster sauce. Mixed it up and let it it cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the rice at the bottom of the pan (I love crispy rice).

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 can of spam, cubed
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup frozen mixed veggies
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/8 cup oyster sauce
• 6-8 cups of leftover rice
• salt & pepper to taste

xoxo, allison

COOK | CRISPY HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN

 We have a thing for crispy things. At Korean BBQ, we cook our pork belly to extreme crispiness. Traci loves the duck skin that comes with Peking Duck. Joyce orders her in-n-out fries "well done" and I always order my hash browns extra-crispy. We seem to also have a thing for potatoes. But I digress. What I love about this chicken is that the skin gets crispy without having to bread and deep fry it. Using the oils in the skin to pan-fry the chicken skin-side down avoids the need for additional oil. Which I think makes it less unhealthy = more healthy...right?

I'm not one who loves mustard, but honey mustard? Yes, please! My little sister measured and mixed up the sauce which proves it's so easy, a fifth grader could do it. She also helped by picking green onions from our backyard. Little kitchen helpers are the best. She doesn't mind that I'm sometimes bossy (that's what big sisters are for, right?)

chickies after I fried them skin-side down in the cast iron skillet! Look at that golden brown crispiness!

Pour on that homemade garlic honey mustard!

BAKED HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN RECIPE

Recipe Adapted From I am a food blog

serves 6-8

• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 TBS yellow mustard 
• 2 TBS whole grain mustard 
• 2 TBS dijon mustard 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 6 chicken thighs, bone-in skin on
• 6 chicken drumsticks, bone in skin on 
• 1/2 lemon, optional
• 1/8-1/4 cup green onions, sliced 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a  measuring cup, whisk together the honey, mustard, and garlic. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. Pat the thighs & drumsticks dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. 
4. Heat up a large cast iron pan or non-stick skillet on medium high heat and add 4 pieces of chicken skin side down. Brown for 5-10 minutes undisturbed until golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and place in a large oven-proof casserole dish (skin side up). Brown the remaining pieces of chicken, 4 at a time and place in the oven-proof dish. (The skin with get crispier if you empty out the skin fat from the pan between batches.)
5. Pour on the honey mustard mixture. Bake until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F if using a meat thermometer), 30-40 minutes based on size. If  you want your chicken skin to get crispy, move the dish to the top 1/3 of your oven and turn on the broiler for a couple minutes, watching closely to make sure it doesn't burn. Remove it from the oven, squeeze on some lemon juice (optional) and sprinkle with green onions!

I love adding green onion to everything I cook. It adds great color (my favorite color is green) and freshness to any dish! Plus look at all that honey mustard sauce at the bottom of the dish. Perfect over rice!

xoxo, allison

COOK | FISH STICK TACOS

Fish tacos are probably one of my favorite kinds of tacos. Most probably because the fish is usually battered and fried - uh, yum! In college, I lived for fish taco Tuesdays. They used the largest pieces of fish, ligthly battered, and deep fried before my very eyes. Plus I got to add all the pico de gallo, cheese, and lettuce I wanted (to make it healthy, of course).

These fish tacos are super easy to make because they use fish sticks that can be baked in the oven while you throw together this amazing corn & bean salad. After baking the fish sticks and turning off the oven, I threw a bunch of corn tortillas onto another baking sheet, sprinkled some Mexican cheese on them, and tossed them in the warm oven for a couple minutes. A perfect meal for those who are giving up red meat on Fridays.

avocados from our tree and homemade tartar sauce (1/2 relish, 1/2 mayonnaise)

Van de Camp's crunchy fish sticks 

Bean and Corn Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (15 oz) can corn
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup Italian dressing
• 3 TBS cilantro

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Toss and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. 

As a Christian I practice lent by giving up a few of my favorite things for forty days. Instead of doing these things, I spend that time reflecting on everything God has done for me, especially sending His one and only Son to save my life. This year I'm giving up boba, class 302, and movies. Are you giving up anything for lent?

xoxo, allison

COOK | HOMEROOM'S MAC & CHEESE

Someone somewhere decided that Mac & Cheese and BBQ go together. I don't know who or where but I'm glad they did. Because now, whenever my dad decides to BBQ I have an excuse to make Mac & Cheese (not that you should ever need an excuse, but since my family's go-to carb is white rice, I do.) I've tried a bunch of recipes in the past but none of them compares to this.

To make it even better, I added one whole package of bacon, naturally. Baking the bacon at high heat in the oven avoids me splattering hot oil on my arms and other potential dangers that come with me frying bacon on the stove-top. This Mac & Cheese is adapted from a recipe I found for Homeroom's Classic Mac + Cheese. I've never been, but after making this recipe - I know I need to go soon. This Mac & Cheese is creamy, extra cheesy, with crispy panko on top and bacon in every bite!

Recipe adapted from Homeroom 

INGREDIENTS

For the béchamel:

• 4 cups (1 quart) whole milk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

To assemble:

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 8 ounces shredded 2-year aged sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 cups)
• 3 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 cup)
• 10 oz of bacon (about 8-10 strips), baked and crumbed 
• 2/3 cup panko (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the béchamel:

1. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to a simmer, then turn off the heat and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly until the mixture turns light brown in color, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. While whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture until evenly combined and smooth. (It will get very thick when you first add the milk, then thin out.)
4. Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and while whisking constantly, cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
5. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the salt, taste, and add the remaining salt as desired. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To assemble:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until it’s almost al dente (just on the edge of being underdone), then drain and rinse with cold water; set aside. 
2. While the water is boiling I bake the bacon using this method (you can do whatever you like): Crumble up a piece of aluminum foil large enough to line a baking pan. This is so the fats can drain off the bacon as it cooks and pool in the foil instead of cooking the bacon in the oils. Place the bacon on the foil in a single layer and bake it at 400 degrees F for 10 min. Then flip the bacon and bake it for another 8-10 minutes until it is crispy. I remove the bacon onto paper towels and let it cool before chopping into smaller pieces.
3. Place the reserved saucepan of béchamel over medium heat and stir in both cheeses just until melted and smooth. Add the pasta and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is heated through and steaming, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a 5-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the panko, and bake until bubbling and brown on top, about 25-30 minutes. If the panko isn't crispy brown yet, turn on the broiler for a couple minutes, keeping your eye on it, and taking it out when it gets golden brown - being careful not to burn the top. 

You can also serve the Mac & Cheese immediately after adding the pasta to the cheese sauce, but I like mine baked because of the crispy top covering of cheese and panko. I ate the leftovers for every meal until it was all gone, and I wasn't complaining one bit. Traci made skillet honey cornbread - so yum!

xoxo, allison

COOK | BBQ SAUCE GLAZED CHICKEN

I've been craving BBQ chicken for some reason, but since I have yet to get outside to the backyard BBQ, I decided to bake my chicken with some BBQ sauce glaze. The result? Quick, easy chicken for dinner. The recipe I adapted from uses Sriracha but I'm anti-spicy because it makes me cry. Instead I added some honey to sweeten it up. I served it with white rice and spoonfuls of the sauce. nomnomnom.

BBQ GLAZED CHICKEN
recipe slightly adapted  from Shutterbean

serves 3-4

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 TBS rice vinegar
• 3 TBS BBQ sauce
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 TBS honey
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken things

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, white vinegar, BBQ sauce, sugar, honey, sesame oil, and green onions.
2. Add chicken to marinade. and let marinate for 30-60 minutes, tossing halfway through. 
3. Preheat oven to 475F. Bake until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens, 30 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through. 

The glaze on the chicken is sweet and salty, with just the right amount of barbecue sauce. And right now I'm loving green onions and adding them to everything. This is especially simple because I just have to send my little sister to the backyard with a pair of scissors and she can cut me as many as I want! 

xoxo, allison

COOK | SPINACH, HAM, & CHEDDAR QUICHE

Technically, I guess,  quiche is a breakfast food because it has breakfast ingredients like eggs and milk. But it looks like a pie, and I believe you can eat pie whenever you want. So I made a quiche for dinner and then ate some for lunch. Homemade pie crust is easy peasy and isn't as complicated as you think. I didn't even bother with the food processor and got a good forearm workout using a fork. Give it a try, and then fill it with eggs, meat, veggies, and cheese (it has all the food groups)!

Ingredients:
PIE CRUST adapted from Martha Stewart
makes one 9 inch pie crust

• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3-5 TBS ice water

FILLING adapted from All Recipes

• 2 TBS butter
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 and 1/2 cup (12 oz) Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3-4 slices of ham, cut into small pieces
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cut/smash with fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Incorporate with fork until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add another tablespoon of ice water); do not overmix. This can also be done pulsing in a food processor. 
2. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight (or freeze, up to 1 month).
3. While the dough is chilling, make the filling.
4. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until onions are translucent. Stir in spinach, ham, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. 
6. After chill time, roll dough out into a round (1/8 - 1/4 inch thickness). Place into 9 inch pie tin and pinch in edges to make crust. Place another pie tin or foil on top to prevent dough from rising and bake for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove pie tin/foil and bake for another 5 minutes. 
7. Spoon spinach mixture into pie crust. Pour egg over spinach mixture in pastry shell.
8. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35-40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

I had leftover mixture because I used a 8 inch Marie Callendar's pie tin (from all the double cream blueberry pie we've been eating), so I made a frittata and stuffed it into corn tortillas with avocados and salsa! The quiche can be covered with foil and stored in the refrigerator. For reheat, microwave a slice for 30-45 seconds and put in toaster for a few minutes.

Ugh! Look at the gooey cheese. I'm going to get another slice right now!

xoxo, allison

COOK | CARAMELIZED BANANA CREAM CHEESE FILLED FRENCH TOAST

It's Saturday morning and some french toast sounds amazing! better yet, CARAMELIZED BANANA CREAM CHEESE FILLED FRENCH TOAST! My mouth is watering as I type. I got so eager to eat this that I took a few bites before taking a picture! Oops :)         

mmmm cream cheese, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla!

           

look at those bananas caramelizing!

             

Adapted from Lauren's Latest

makes 3-4 (I personally like a lot of bananas and cream cheese inside, so I decided to adjust the recipe and put in extra stuffing and make only 3 french toasts instead of 4)

Ingredients:

FILLING

• 2 large bananas
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

FRENCH TOAST

• 6 slices bread (I used wheat)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• butter for frying

1. To caramelize the bananas, heat butter and brown sugar over medium-low heat. Slice bananas and place onto hot pan. Cook 5 minutes per side or until bananas have caramelized. Remove from heat.
2. Mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon together until combined. Spread an even layer of the cream cheese mixture over each slice of bread. Place bananas in a single layer on one slice and top with another slice of bread to create a sandwich. Repeat until you've created all your sandwiches.
3. In a pie plate or other shallow dish, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt together. Preheat large skillet to medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture right before placing into the hot pan to cook. Cook 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter and syrup.

xoxo, traci

COOK | PIGS IN A BLANKET

 So can I tell you a secret? Superbowl Sunday has never been a thing for me. I mean,  once I went to this Superbowl Sunday party at my pastor's house after church but all I did was take a bunch of selfies with my friends and babysit his two little girls. I couldn't even tell you who was playing this year. This year Joyce and I decided that we were going to have a Superbowl Sunday "party". I'm not exactly sure what we're actually going to do/eat/make. It will probably be a lot of blog post prepping, selfie taking, and maybe (probably) we'll end up at Target endcaps. Buttttt, if we were to have a forreal Superbowl party I would definitely make these. PIGS IN A BLANKET!
They are so cute and little and bite-sized which  means you can eat a million and not be a piggy (tehe).

Recipe makes 45 piggies in blankets

Ingredients

• 3 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (I used Pillsbury because the store-brands just don't compare)
• 1 pkg Hillshire Farm Lit’l Smokies
• Cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cut each crescent triangle into two smaller triangles.
3. Roll each little smokie sausage in the dough triangle, starting with the bigger end to the point. (If you want to add cheese, roll it with the sausage.)
4. Arrange them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F until golden brown. 

Make them! Share them! Have a party and serve them! Because some people have no idea what pigs in a blanket are (True story. I made them for a pot luck in college and the boy whose kitchen I was using was like what the heck are you making !?!) and also, 45 piggies are a lot to eat all by yourself (not that it's impossible).

xoxo, allison

COOK | BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

Now that Christmas is over and we've survived the New Years festivities, it's time to try out my new presents!! I got this nifty Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker from my cousins and I was ecstatic! I originally saw it on this Buzzfeed post and knew that I had to have it. For those of you who don't know me, I LOVE food and I love breakfast food even more! Sometimes I buy breakfast sandwiches from the commissary at work, but now I can easily make my own :)

All it takes to make is a quick preheating of the machine, an english muffin, some sausage (mine were a little too small), cheese, and an egg

 After 5 minutes of cooking, the english muffin was toasted, sausage warmed, cheese melted, and egg cooked perfectly! 

You can also use bagels, tomatoes, spinach, or whatever else you'd like. The possibilities are endless!

What cool present did you get this year? :)

xoxo, traci