Ginger Soy Glazed BBQ Chicken Drumsticks: Why I shouldn't be embarrassed in front of my family but still am

When you are with your family, you really are supposed to be able to relax, chill out and be completely at ease and comfortable.  After all, with your family, you have grown up and shown both the best and worst of who you are, and they have hopefully really seen it all.

Only sometimes because of my kids, I still get embarrassed.  Case in point, today Mom went out and picked up some chicken drumsticks with the intention of braising them for the kids.  I casually mentioned that sometimes the kids didn't like braised things (I think it is textural for them) and so I would make a different kind of chicken, perhaps one that is barbecued on the grill.  Mom looked a bit skeptical, but I said that the kids would probably prefer it over the braised so she agreed to let me cook them the way I wanted.

I decided to barbecue the chicken and then finish it with a slightly sweet soy ginger glaze.  The result was a chicken that my kids could not get enough of.  There were 10 drumsticks and my children finished 8.  Mom caught my eye and raised her voice through the madness of three kids trying to eat chicken saying, "Save two for your father."  I did.  I set two aside, and after the kids had finished decimating chicken, Father (Grandfather to Son and Daughter) came home and sat down to eat his meal.

I shoo'ed the kids away from the table, saying that Grandpa needed to eat quietly and the next thing I knew, Daughter #2 sat down right next to Grandpa, without making eye contact with anyone.  She did however, repeat over and over, "I want chicken.  I want more chicken.  Mom is there more chicken?" all the while Grandpa has his own two pieces on the plate.  I muttered, "There is no more chicken so go and do something else."

Daughter #2 wouldn't budge and kept on saying, "More chicken, more chicken, chicken."

Another moment later, Daughter #1 came by and also started saying,  "More chicken."  Grandfather took a bite of the chicken and Daughters practically yelped with jealousy.  I shushed them and said, "You already had yours," and then Grandfather picked up the other chicken and asked, "Do you guys want it?"  At this point, Grandma interjected saying, "The kids already had their portion.  Those three tiny kids ate eight pieces of chicken already.  They don't need more."  Grandfather shook his head and asked, "Maybe they need nine pieces?"

I felt my face flush as I realized Grandfather felt compelled to give up his own food to feed my children.  Again, my children were embarrassing me with their ravenous appetite.  But I think it had to do with the fact that the chicken just tasted so good.  Even Grandfather, with his incredibly picky palate commented, "The chicken tastes much better than usual!"  (Usual is Mom's cooking, so I don't know how she felt about THAT.)  I told Grandpa to eat his and gave Son and Daughter some fruit and the promise to cook them some more of this chicken.

The recipe is very straightforward - cook the drumsticks and then baste with the glaze, but it really does require some patience in the cooking, as barbecuing drumsticks, with the skin and the bone requires a certain amount of patience.  Set aside 45 minutes just for the time of cooking the drumsticks.

Ginger Soy Glaze BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Makes 10 drumsticks, which barely fed my three children

10 chicken drumsticks, with skin still on
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

 In a heavy saucepan, add all ingredients for glaze together and cook until simmering, reduce heat, and maintain low simmer for 15 minutes.  Once it has simmered for 15 minutes, set aside.  The mixture will not be super thick, but it will be somewhat reduced and the flavors concentrated.  This can be done ahead of time and allowed to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, toss chicken with olive oil and several good pinches of salt and pepper.  Coat chicken pieces well.  Set aside until needed.

Heat grill to medium high.  Over high heat, place chicken onto grill.  The ultimate goal at this juncture is to crisp up the skin, which will require some time to crisp up.  Watch carefully.  If you are confident enough to shut the lid and grill, go ahead, but be careful not to burn the chicken, because no sauce can cure burnt chicken.  I generally choose not to close the lid so that I can carefully monitor my chicken, but that may be due to my own lack of confidence in my skill.

Carefully cook and crisp up all sides of chicken until it is a lovely golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Once chicken begins getting golden, move to a slightly cooler part of the grill and begin basting with the glaze.  Slowly glaze and cook, repeating over and over until chicken is fully cooked and cooked through.  (you can test for this by piercing the chicken at the thickest part and seeing if the juices run clear.)  I generally like cooking my drumsticks VERY well, so that the meat is well cooked and not overly juicy.  Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, glazing and cooking carefully.

Serve, sprinkled with some crushed toasted sesame seeds.

Printable recipe

Delicious for your next outdoor party

A Call to Those Who Can Give: Fundraiser and Giveaway

For JYC who saw a child's hunger and fed it and for CY who goes in my place.

Growing up I had several opportunities to go on missions trips to different places.  One of my more intense mission experiences was going to Mexico with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) and learning a drama and performing in front of different populations in the area.  But there was one day that I remember the most among all those days, and that was when our team went to a rural area, performed our drama and a puppet show to a community that was incredibly poor.  We were there until the late evening, performing in the pouring rain, and I remember coming back to the bus to eat the tuna fish sandwiches that we had prepared earlier in the day.  I was hungry since it was late, and was getting ready to eat the cold tuna sandwich, when I heard one of the mission team members, JYC yelling to everyone to give up their sandwich so that he could pass them out to the children who had come to watch.  I turned and saw him, with a young boy perched on his shoulders, a bag of tuna sandwiches in his hand, yelling at the mission team to give up our dinner so that we could feed the children.  I felt so guilty at that moment, wanting to eat the sandwich so much yet felt compelled to give it to a hungry child.  JYC's logic was that we could eat something on our way in back to the mission center, but this might be the one meal that the kids would normally miss if we didn't give them our sandwiches.

I also went to Mongolia on another missions trip, right after communism fell and saw the destruction of children caused by alcohol and cigarettes in a country that was too poor to feed its children.  The most striking memory I have of that place was waiting in our comfortable bus as one of our missionaries headed into a market place to pick up food. Outside there were several homeless children, whom we later learned lived in the sewer system as it was warm down there.  I watched a young boy, probably about 8 or 9, light up a cigarette, take a swig of vodka and look at me straight in the eye as he blew out the smoke.  I'm sure my mouth dropped open in disbelief.

Since having children, it has been harder to go on mission trips the way I did in the past.  My parents, now that they have finished raising children, annually go on medical missions to Cambodia, or China or other impoverished nations, but with three children in tow I cannot.  However, there are those who can, and there are those people who go in my place, and this summer, one of my close friends CY, will go to Haiti to provide some relief there.  She is the reason that I actually write this post, for she is hungry to help the people of Haiti.  She wondered if perhaps I might be able to do something through my blog to help those hungry in Haiti and once she asked me, I knew I had to take action.

It seems selfish right now, to write a blog where I try to encourage people to eat good food for their families, when there are families and children in Haiti who are forced to eat mud cookies, which are literally made out of dirt, shortening and salt and baked in the sun.  The price of basic staples in Haiti have gone up exponentially in the past year, making mud cookies a staple that many of the poor have to rely on.  (Read more about mud cookies here.)

I'm hoping my generous and hardworking readers of Week of Menus can take a moment to give to the kids of Haiti.  I am hoping to provide $1000 in funds for the organization,Messengers of Mercy, to feed some hungry children in Haiti. Messengers of Mercy is working on a program to not just feed children, but to provide them with means to feed themselves.  It's not just about giving them fish, but instead teaching them how to fish.  I have almost 700 fans on Facebook, and if each of my fans merely donates $1, I will have $700 to give to Messengers of Mercy.

The lovely folks at Orange Circle Studios have donated a giveaway prize to me - a really wonderful meal planning and monthly calendar.   All people who donate have an opportunity to win this fabulous calendar, which has a regular monthly calendar on top, and then weekly tear off sheets for meal planning underneath.  It is a great way to plan your menus for the week, and it even has a handy tear off shopping list to help you get your grocery list together.

To enter the giveaway, simply donate using the Paypal link below.  The fundraising and contest will end on July 4.  All entries and donations must be completed before then. After you've made your donation, please leave a comment.  Everyone wins by helping to donate, but one will be slightly luckier because he or she will win a prize.  In advance, I want to immediately thank everyone for their generosity and appreciate the time you've taken to read this.  Your small donation and effort will go a long way in feeding a child in Haiti.

Korean Eggplant Side Dish (Gaji nameul 가지 나물): When your children's appetites embarass you

I think anyone that reads my blog knows that I work really hard at feeding my children.  I mean REALLY hard.  I try and feed them a variety of well-balanced meals, varied in ingredients, and filled with nutritious items.  Son and Daughters always have good appetites and eat their meals with energy and passion.  They like their food.

But there are times when this can be slightly embarrassing for me as a mother.  In recent months we've been eating at friend's JEL's house and she has been treating us to lovely meat, usually Korean marinated ribs, kalbi (갈비) and the last couple of times, Son and Daughter #2 have eaten the greater portion.  In fact, there was one meal where friend JEL had bought 10 lbs of meat only to discover that we were slightly short when we were feeding my family and another family.  In my defense, the OTHER family also has huge eaters, but the kids are older, and my kids were right behind them in quantity.  After the meal was over, the meat all polished off, the bones all licked clean, JEL pulled me aside and said, "You REALLY need to feed your children meat."

I blushed and said, "But I DO!  All the time!" 

JEL said, "Clearly not enough.  They ate like they had never seen kalbi before.  They love it so much, you should make it more for them!  You know what?  Never mind.  I'm going to make it for them.  Whenever you come over, I'm making them kalbi."

And so I was slightly embarrassed.  Son and Daughters' appetites is one reason why I can never show up to someone's house empty handed, because they simply just eat more than other children their size.  It is a bit shocking for people who have never eaten with Son and Daughters, especially when Son and Daughters really chow down.

Most recently, my embarrassing experience around Children's appetites had to do with a trip to a Korean restaurant.  Grandfather decided that he wanted to take Grandkids to eat a really yummy Korean meal and he promised Son and Daughters lots of kalbi.  Son fixated on that comment and the entire day, kept on asking, "We go eat kalbi now?"  (He's two and a half.)  I had to remind him gently, "No, not until dinner."  When we did arrive at the restaurant, he sat down, and started saying in a VERY loud voice, "I want kalbi.  I want kalbi.  Grandpa, I want kalbi."  Before the kalbi arrived we had a ton of side dishes (banchan 반찬) and he made quick work of several items, including this eggplant side dish.

When the servers arrived to help cook the meat, and saw Son and Daughter #1 stuffing pieces of eggplant into their mouth, they quickly ran to the back of the kitchen to get more, and gave it to them.  Generally, Koreans love a child with a healthy appetite, but the sight of a little boy shoving eggplant into his mouth tickled them pink and made them laugh.  I was immediately embarrassed and said in Korean, "I really do feed my children at home.  They eat really well at home."  The server smiled and laughed and said, "Kids who eat well at home eat well at restaurants.  They are good eaters at home they will eat well in a restaurant.  We can tell you feed them well."  Phew....I was slightly less embarrassed when she said that, until I turned my head and saw my son with a mouthful of eggplant hanging out of his mouth.

This happens to be one of my favorite preparations of eggplant, because it is so unusual.  Most cultures rely on oil to cook eggplant, and the eggplant takes on a silky texture from the quantity of oil added to the dish.  The Korean preparation is significantly lighter, has a different texture and is definitely far less fattening than other preparations because the eggplant is steamed, rather than sauteed in oil.  The result is a very delicious, light, refreshing, preparation of eggplant that is wonderful in the summer. 

Make this and perhaps your child can embarrass you in a restaurant in the near and immediate future.  Just so I am not alone.

Korean Eggplant Side Dish (Gaji Nameul 가지 나물)
Serves 4 as a side dish

3 medium-sized, firm Japanese eggplant (Japanese eggplant is long and thin, while Western eggplant is much rounder and fatter)

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon Korean chili powder (고추가루)
1 teaspoon vinegar (optional - for people who like a bit of tartness)
1/2 teaspoon toasted, crushed sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
pinch of salt to taste

Prepare eggplant by slicing off the top and cutting them down the middle.

Place in a steamer.

Cover and steam for about 3 minutes.  (Steaming time refers to the time that the water is boiling, and steam is coming out of the pot.  3 minutes for the steaming.  It may take a couple of minutes for the water to come to a boil.) The steaming time can vary based on how fat and thick the eggplant is, but about 3 minutes is for medium eggplant.  You will know that the eggplant is ready when you poke a chopstick into it and it can go through with a tiny bit of resistance.  (It is better to err on having the eggplant being a bit firmer than having it be too mushy.)

With a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant into long slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Grab a handful of eggplant, and squeeze out the excess water.

Place squeezed eggplant into a clean bowl.  Add garlic, scallion, chili powder, sesame seed, sesame oil, soy sauce and vinegar (optional).  Using your hand gently toss and mix ingredients until all is well incorporate and the eggplant is coated in the seasoning.  Taste, and if necessary add a pinch of salt.

Arrange eggplant onto serving dish and enjoy.

Printable recipe

Shortbread Cookies with Apricot and Cranberry: Life comes full circle

To HS, my student who is now a teacher

Life really is a circle and every once in a while, we catch a glimpse of that circle.  15 years ago, I was active in teaching Sunday School at our church, teaching young children about God and Jesus.  I also was the praise leader during our church Vacation Bible School, leading praise annually to a loud, large crowd of kids.

Fifteen years later, one marriage later, three international moves later, three children later, I found myself driving kids to Vacation Bible School.  Daughters and three friends joined me in the car as we drove to experience all the fun that is VBS.  The first night, I entered the room, got all the kids settled down and watched as a young girl led the children in praise, the way I had some ten odd years ago.  The more amazing part of the story is that the young woman used to sit in the front when I led praise.  Someone I had taught was now teaching my own children, and suddenly saw the full circle of my life.

Fifteen years ago, I never though about who the children I was teaching were going to be, but on this day, I finally saw; the students I had taught were now teaching my own children.  My own actions fifteen years ago were now impacting the lives of my children today and it was a moment that stunned me.

I made these cookies for the children at VBS the day after I saw my life come full circle.  The circular shape seemed an appropriate symbol of my experience and luckily for me, it worked with the Egyptian theme.  The teachers were calling them "Sun and Moon Cookies" and the kids gobbled them down.  Adults did too for that matter.  The shortbread with the twist of fruit on top appealed to all.  They are lightly buttery, rich, and not too sweet.  The original recipe is from my favorite hunky Asian chef star, Ming Tsai, from his book, Simply Ming, and I just added the fruit on top to suit my own purposes.

Note:  Traditional shortbread does not use egg in the dough, but this one uses three egg yolks which I think make the dough VERY easy to work with.  Works for me!

Shortbread Cookies with Apricot and Cranberry (adapted from Ming Tsai's book, Simply Ming)

Makes about 80 cookies (this dough is GREAT to just freeze to have handy, so don't feel like you have to bake it ALL.)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 dozen dried apricots, julienne
1 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup turbinado or raw sugar

1. In the bowl of a mixer, combine butter, sugar and salt and cream on medium speed until blended, about 2 minutes. One by one, add the egg yolks, mixing until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl.

2. Turn the mixer off and add the flour. Turn the machine to low and mix until the flour is completely incorporated. Remove the dough from the bowl. Working on parchment or wax paper, form dough into 4 logs 10 inches long and 1 1/4 inches in diameter; wrap and chill, at least 3 hours, or until firm. (You can freeze it at this point for later use.)

3. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the sugar in a small bowl.

4. Cut the log into twenty 1/2-inch rounds. Run the edge of the cookie through the sugar and arrange them 2 inches apart on all sides on a parchment-lined or nonstick cookie sheet or sheets. Decorate with a sliver of apricot and a cranberry.

5. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

Printable recipe

My plate of "sun moon" cookies for VBS...

How to Feed Many: I used to be a rock star

For all the VBS workers at CCC

In my 20's, for one week a year, I was the lead singer for my own rock band.  I had a bass player, lead guitar, keyboardist, drummer, and even a few backup dancers.  I would perform five nights in a row to a room of screaming, jumping, energetic kids.  I was the Vacation Bible School praise leader at our church, and I would rile up and get a group of 200+ children singing songs at the top of their lungs while dancing the night away.  The feeling of joy was wonderful and it was something that I enjoyed doing for that one week every year.

But it was also incredibly draining.  I was working full time as a teacher back then, so I would rush down from work to go and serve during Vacation Bible School, often without having a moment to eat dinner.  I would jump up and down, sweating, moving my body, all the while starving for some food.

But I was always comforted, because I knew in the kitchen, that there would be a crew of hardworking women putting together a fantastic feast for all the Vacation Bible School workers.  These were just women at our church who wanted to serve those who were serving the kids, and they would come together and make fantastic meals for all the workers to enjoy.  The women always were especially kind to me and the band, and would often sneak us tastes before the rest of the workers got to eat.  One such occasion was the meal that was prepared for us by a woman who was the former head chef at the Korean embassy in Japan.  Her spread was a fantastic meal of spicy tuna rolls, California rolls and different cuts of sashimi, all for the VBS workers.

All the meals were fantastic, but I remember hers, because I walked into the kitchen and she started shoving spicy tuna rolls into my mouth.  I ate them, and then my eyes popped out of my head when I saw the incredible display of sushi and sashimi she and a few other women had prepared.  I said to her, "Why would you spend all this money on us?" Her response was, "When I feed you all well, I am satisfied.  I want the teachers to feel loved and appreciated by eating this food.  They don't need to know who I am, but they will remember a good meal."

A decade or so has passed since the last time I had my own praise team and had an opportunity to lead the kids in that way.  Instead, another opportunity presented itself - and that is feeding the VBS teachers at my church.  I had done a meal last year as well and I knew that this year, I really wanted to feed the teachers very well.  I wanted them to leave the table satisfied and even if they didn't know who I was, they would eat, and eat a lot.

The tricky part was planning a meal that I can prepare alone.  I didn't have the luxury of a few extra hands to help, and really it was going to be up to me to put together a meal for about 50 people.  I asked my pastor if he would be willing to grill, and he readily agreed.  (He's a bit passionate about grilling.)  Once I had established that I would have some help in that area, I decided very quickly.  A noodle dish that could be prepared ahead.  A salad that I could wash and have ready to go.  Marinated chicken and then grilled the day of.

I was unable to be present at church for the actual serving of the meal, but many hands helped prepare and serve the meal to the workers.  And thanks to friend JJ who announced to everyone that it was a Joanne Choi meal, everyone knew who prepared it.  When I showed up today, so many people came over to tell me how good it was, and thanked me profusely for their dinner.  It felt good to be thanked but it felt even better to know that people had eaten well and had been cared for.


The key to feeding many is to keep it simple.  A few dishes, done in bulk, things that can be prepared the night before and then cooked the day of make it easy.  I marinated 20 lbs of chicken thighs...

dipping each piece individually in a huge bowl of marinade...

The bok choy salad was simply a matter of washing everything, and having everything chopped and ready to go.

The noodle salad (I made one with cilantro and one without) was made the day before and left marinating in the fridge.

Menu
Ginger Soy Chicken
Bok Choy Salad
Sesame Noodles

Steamed rice


This is how I transported everything....tubs for the chicken, long flat tupperware for the noodle salad and the bokchoy salad..  Big containers definitely help when cooking for a large crowd.

Korean Non-Spicy Pork Ribs (안 매운 돼지 갈비): Chaos is sometimes great medicine

For JY, SS, AS, CY, HK, KK (times two), JEL and JL

On Friday, I received some very sad new that broke my heart.  It brought me to tears and I cried spontaneously for the next few days, trying to absorb, understand, and come to terms with the news that I had learned.  But Saturday was supposed to be a girls' day at my house, girlfriends and their kids, eating, playing and having fun.  I debated canceling because I didn't know how I would handle all the people at my home.

As it turned out, having all the people at home, trying to eat, making eggrolls, and spilling stuff on my kitchen floor was some great medicine.  Between all the women, there were 7 kids, 5 adults, all running around my house eating.  Somehow, we all congregated in my crowded kitchen and it was a non-stop eating fest.  There were only six chairs at the table, but people took turns sitting down eating, making eggrolls, standing up to fry eggrolls, rolling eggrolls, sitting down to eat ribs, kids eating ribs. It was for about 2 hours, busier than the a buffet line at a Las Vegas resort.

In the midst of chaos, I found purpose and direction after feeling like I had been floating a bit aimlessly for a day.  Although my heart was heavy, the laughter and joy of children, the hectic pace of trying to stop Son and Daughter from hurting each other, and the work of feeding others helped settle my turbulent spirit.  Making food and serving others is incredibly powerful at not only healing those you feed, but yourself.
 
I fed people ribs.  In general, you mostly see a spicy Korean pork rib, but because of the kids, I wanted to try making one that wasn't spicy.  I did also make a spicy version (which I'm not happy with yet so back to the drawing board on that) but I wanted the kids to have their own. These turned out to be a big hit and the kids universally loved them.  They are slightly sweet, but not cloyingly so, but are rich and full of flavor.  My friends told me that THIS would be the next big recipe on the blog.  We'll see.

Korean Non-Spicy Pork Ribs (안 매운 돼지 갈비)
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
Two slabs of baby back ribs (between 6-7 lbs), cut into three rib pieces (each slab divided into about 3 or 4 pieces)

1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 whole onion grated or finely chopped
3 tablespoons garlic
3 tablespoons ginger
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients, except for pork ribs, together.  Make sure sugar is dissolved.  Take each rib section and dip it into the marinade coating it fully, and then placing it into a flat pan where it will marinate, meaty side down.  (the ribs will curve upward - the logic is trying to put the meatiest side in the marinade)  Continue until all the ribs have been coated, and then pour remaining marinade over the ribs.  Cover and marinate for at least 8 hours, if not overnight.

Preheat oven to 275.  On a foil lined roasting pan, place ribs without marinade, arranging in a single layer.  Cook for  3-3 1/2 hours, until ribs are tender.  (Watch carefully the last hour or so, as they could burn.)  Cut into individual rib pieces and enjoy!

Printable recipe

My friend's daughter, digging the ribs, and this put a smile on my face.  (she's not even two and she ate that rib down.)

Tex-Mex Chicken: I wear a uniform

For my friend CJR, who is moving to Texas and HKL who always tries hard to get me to wear something different.

I generally wear one of two outfits.  In the winter, I wear a pair of jeans and a black long sleeve t-shirt and in the summer, it is a pair of khaki shorts with a short sleeve black t-shirt.  This is not to say that I only have four times of clothing, but rather I buy the same things over and over again and stick to my outfits.  My friend HKL calls it my "uniform" and often urges me to try something new. "At least get a t-shirt with some fun embellishments on it to be a little different," she urges me.  I tried, but I feel odd out of my uniform.

My cooking tends to run along slightly Asian lines.  My flavors and my style are generally leaning toward the flavors I'm used to, my "cooking" uniform, if you will.  I cook, or try and cook with what I have on hand, which means all my food generally use similar ingredients.  However, today I really wanted to try something new and so I thought I'd experiment with some chicken.

I used the same basic technique I've used in the Greek chicken thighs, Spice Rub Chicken, and Garlic-Ginger Rubbed Chicken.  Mix some spices with oil, and then rub it all over some chicken.  Cook it and drizzle it with some honey and vinegar or something.  This time I did a honey lime drizzle and some more Tex-Mex style flavoring.  The result was REALLY tasty and easy to use in a variety of ways.

Tex-Mex Chicken Thighs
Serves 6-8

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt

Honey Lime Drizzle
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup honey

Cilantro or scallions for garnish

In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano and salt.  Add chicken thighs and using your hand (covered by a disposable glove) rub spic mixture well into all the meat, so that it is all evenly coated.  You can refrigerate at this point, or just go ahead and cook.

Broiler (oven) instructions
1. Preheat broiler.  On a foil lined broiler pan, lay the chicken pieces in a single layer with a bit of room around each piece. Broil until chicken is cooked - about 10 minutes, but watch carefully around 8 minutes as all ovens vary. 

2. While chicken is cooking, mix together honey and lime juice. If it doesn't mix well, you can microwave it for about 15 seconds to loosen things up.

3. Remove chicken from oven. Brush chicken with honey lime glaze. Cook for 1-2 minutes more.

4. Place chicken on a plate and drizzle remaining honey lime sauce on top.

BBQ grill instructions
1. On the grill, place chicken over medium high heat. Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side.

2. While chicken is cooking, mix the lime juice and honey together.

3. Brush the honey lime glaze over the chicken pieces. Cook for an additional minute.

4. Plate chicken and drizzle remaining honey lime glaze over the chicken.

Printable recipe

I cut up my chicken, put it in a tortilla and topped it with chopped avocados, chopped tomatoes, some sprigs of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.  Totally delicious.

Cilantro Cheddar Cheese Muffins: When life makes you change

For JJ who always listens and encourages me and SYJ who gave me words of encouragement today.

I've always LIKED cooking, and coming from a long line of cooks, it's hard not to.  But I didn't always LOVE it.  I enjoyed the idea of food more than the idea of cooking, and although I've cooked for others for many years of my life, it was always liberally dosed with lots of eating out, take out and junk food.

But I've dramatically changed the way I live my life in terms of food over the past three years.  Before Son was born, Family ate out quite a bit, enjoyed take out and generally I took a much more relaxed approach to cooking in the kitchen. I did cook quite often, but very much sprinkled in a lot of instant and processed foods, for the sake of convenience and due to my own laziness.

It wasn't until Son was born that I had to dramatically transform and change the way Family ate.  What was okay before, like grabbing a Costco pizza for dinner, became impossible, as I could not consume dairy or wheat while breastfeeding, nor could we eat it as a family as son grew older.  Son's allergies literally made me cook more at home, seek out more ways to quickly put meals on the table, and transform my own attitude towards the kitchen.

Today, a good friend came over with her daughter.  I think three years ago, I would have offered to take them out to lunch and we would have gone out to grab a bite.  Instead I thought about how I would cook for her at home, and suddenly got inspired to make these muffins.  I knew that her daughter AJ loves muffins and I thought the mini size would be fun to make for the kids.  We had muffins, chili, and for dessert, chocolate chip cookies and coffee.  It was a lovely relaxed time, feeding her and her daughter, my family and me, and it was enjoyed by all.

Cilantro Cheddar Cheese Muffins
Makes 12 regular or 24 mini muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Special equipment: paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin 



Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and butter. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Gently fold in cilantro and cheddar cheese until incorporated.  Use a light hand as too much mixing makes corn muffins tough.

Place muffin paper liners in or grease well 12-cup muffin tin or 24-mini muffin tin (pictured above). Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the tin. Bake for 15 minutes for the mini or 18 for the regular sized, until golden.

Serve with butter, if desired.

Printable recipe

Extra-Crispy Chicken Fingers: When you get a craving...

I don't like having cravings.  Mainly because I can't get rid of the idea of them.  That's why they are cravings I suppose, but I feel like mine are more severe than the next person.  When I crave something, it usually means I'm going to end up in my kitchen making something related to the craving, like the time I wanted chocolate pudding.  The bad thing is that sometimes I end up enjoying my craving all alone and not sharing it with anyone, a total no-no for my waistline.

But on this day it was suddenly the craving for curried slaw.   I suddenly found myself wanting to eat the crisp curried slaw against something fried, like fried chicken.  I caught myself however, because fried with breading usually means egg or dairy, and egg means Son can't have it. I hesitated for a few moments about making the dish, mainly because I don't cook two different meals for my family, which means Son and Daughter's have to eat the same thing.  But the craving was too much and I really wanted to have the fried chicken with the slaw so I just decided I would make something different for Son and call it a dinner.

Only, Son loves to eat the same as the family. If he has a meal that is different (like at a restaurant, or if I bring food for him somewhere) he looks wistfully across the table asking what is on everyone else's plate.  I just couldn't do it to Son, so I decided I would make a fried chicken finger that he could eat.

I went to my arsenal of egg-free ideas, and decided the way to go would be creating a mochiko (sweet rice flour) batter with water and mochiko and then use it to stick panko bread crumbs to make the crispy chicken fingers.

It worked, very well in fact.  The panko does get a bit soggier than it does when you do a traditional flour, egg, breadcrumb dredge but frying it in oil crisped it up.  The sweet flour batter made for an extra crunchy shell, and Son LOVED IT.  Daughters enjoyed it too and were dipping it a honey mustard mixture, while Son kept yelping for more "crunchy crunchy." 

Extra-Crispy Chicken Fingers
Serves 4-6

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into long strips (or smaller pieces if you don't mind a bit more work)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mochiko (sweet rice flour)
3/4 cup water
2 cups of panko, or your choice of breadcrumb (if you need dairy free and egg free, Trader Joe's panko is good)
Oil for frying (I use Safflower)

In a medium bowl, mix vegetable oil, garlic powder, ginger powder and salt together.  Add cut chicken breasts and using your hand (covered in a disposable glove) rub the chicken so that it is all covered with the spices.  Set aside.  (this can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until needed.) 

In another medium or large bowl, mix mochiko and water together, until it comes together to form a paste.  In another medium/large bowl pour out panko/breadcrumbs.  Prepare your line of crust making.  Chicken, mochiko batter, and panko breadcrumbs. 

Heat a large frypan over medium heat.  Add a good measure of oil on the bottom to coat the bottom of the pan.  Take a piece of chicken, put it into the mochiko batter, then roll it in the panko and place it carefully into the fry pan.  Continue until the pan is full, but with room to still cook and turn the chicken.

Watch carefully, cooking chicken on each side about 5 minutes or until golden, and then flipping over and cooking on the other side for an additional 5 minutes.

Place cooked chicken on paper towels to drain remaining oil.  Add additional oil into the fry pan and heat up again.  Continue with remaining chicken until all done.

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce, (honey mustard - 2 parts honey to 1 part mustard) or with the curried slaw. 

Printable recipe

Great with honey mustard dipping sauce - EXTRA crunch!

Mochiko - what it looks like.  Readily available at Chinese or Japanese supermarkets

Almond Rolo Pretzels and other Food as Gifts: Wrapping up the school year

To JN: when she is my children's teacher, I will give her many, many jars of these. (I cross my fingers that my children get her!)

Most people know that I was a high school teacher for 7 years.  After that I taught elementary for two years, while living in Hong Kong, and then moved on to not teach any more in classrooms.  And I've said it once, and I will say it again...

Teachers need to be appreciated.

The teacher that is on the front line of the classroom, preschool, elementary, middle school, or high school - they work harder for your child than you know.  They think about your child, worry about your child, consider your child, encourage your child, love your child.  They spend more hours with your child than you do in many cases, and they can be a tremendous force and influence on your child's life.

I remember quite a few of my teachers growing up.

Mrs. Noe - Kindergarten teacher who always gave me hugs, even when my English skills couldn't express what I really needed (namely to go to the bathroom)
Mrs. Williams - 2nd grade teacher who was impressed at my incredible dictionary skills
Mrs. Nickels- 3rd grade teacher who started me on my love for books
Mrs. Haseltine - 5th grade teacher who saw potential in me beyond what I saw in myself and pushed me to do more than I thought possible
Mrs. Webb - 8th grade English teacher, who really challenged me with great book titles
Mr. Macmillan - 10th grade English teacher, who repeatedly pushed me to strive for more, even when I thought I couldn't

I'm 38 years old, almost 39.  Yet I still remember these teachers.   Their names, their faces, their voices even. I don't know when I was teaching if I even came close to their skill, their passion, or their compassion, but I do know that they inspired me when I was teaching, and I see their faces when I think about Daughters and their teachers.

So at the end of the year, a lovely, homemade gesture is to make something that can be taken home with them on the last days of school.  They are tired, and I will attest that the last moments of school, before school lets out are some of the most mentally grueling and difficult ones of the year.  The students are already thinking about their summer vacations, far away from the burdens of school and homework, and teachers spend a great deal of time trying to FOCUS them, a process which can be exhausting.

For Daughter #2's school, the office staff and head of the school do so many fabulous things for the kids.  They know her name, call me by name, thank me by name, and really have been so lovely to my family and me.  I made 7 jars of almond rolo pretzels to give, one to each of her teachers and the front office, as I know they will enjoy this small tasty treat.

Here are a list of some other things are great to give - some might be cute in the mason jars pictured above, as they are fun to decorate and add a small special touch.

Great Food Items to Give
Pecan Rolo Pretzels (also can be done with almonds or walnuts as well)
Crispy Chewy Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
Oatmeal Toffee Cookies with Cranberries
Sweet and Spicy Candied Nuts

Lots of different wrapping options....like a cellophane bag

In mason jars, easily decorated (tags template here)

If I had known, I would have used this template instead however.

You can get these boxes at Michaels - simple way to package and decorate.  (but the mason jars are actually cheaper)

Un-Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Thomas Keller Technique: How to be fancy without breaking the bank

A while back, I posted about Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Chocolate Chip Cookies.  It was my attempt to make something of Thomas Keller's, even if it was only a chocolate chip cookie.  The recipe requires the same basic ingredients as a regular chocolate chip cookie, except for the chocolate, in which he asks for two kinds of fine quality bittersweet chocolate.  The price I paid for my chocolate?  I used Valrhona, so I think that the chocolate alone was close to $10.

It was a chocoholics cookie, dense, rich, chocolaty and decadent.  It was a fun experiment and I've made it a couple more times for my chocolate-enamored friends.  But each time I made it, I found myself wondering, could I elevate a regular chocolate chip cookie by using Thomas Keller technique?  Is it the technique that makes his cookie so much grander?

Because I will tell you, that most great chefs and pastry chefs thumb their noses at  Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, the chips of the regular family.  Most houses have that familiar yellow bag in their pantry, but fewer will have a few bars of excellent chocolate, waiting to be chopped.

I decided one day that I would try.  I would take the basic recipe on the back of a Nestle Toll house cookie and use Thomas Keller technique to see if it made a difference.  I was curious to see how it affected the cookie flavor, texture and appearance of the cookie and I was excited to see what would happen.  I didn't want to think about what Sir Keller would say once he learned that I had bastardized his technique by putting the lowly Nestle Toll House chocolate chip in there.  I reminded myself that I do not serve him, but I do want to serve my wonderful blog readers.

The result?  A different cookie.  It had its appeal.  The chocolate was more pronounced do to the missing vanilla extract, which I do really believe masks chocolate flavors.  The texture, due to the technique of beating COLD butter in two stages was also different - might I say, more tender?  I still like my chocolate chip cookies with lots of extras, but this was a fun experiment.  If you want to jazz up your regular chocolate chip cookies one day, try it with Keller technique...just to see if it makes a difference to you.

If you're curious about my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe... 

  
Un-Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Fancy Technique (adapted from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller)

Makes about 3 dozen, 3-inch cookies

2 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup packed dark grown sugar, preferably molasses sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Position racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

Sift flour and baking soda into a medium bowl.  Stir in the salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat half the butter (1 stick) on medium speed until fairly smooth.  Add both sugars and the remaining butter, and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes until mixture is light and creamy.  Scrape down sides of the bowl.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next and scraping the bowl as necessary.  Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine.  Mix in chocolate.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold dough with a spatula to be sure the chocolate is evenly incorporated. The dough or shaped cookies can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 weeks.  Freeze shaped cookies on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to freezer containers.  (Defrost frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator before baking.)

Using about 2 level tablespoons per cookie, shape dough into balls.  Arrange 8 cookies on each pan, leaving about 2 inches between, because the dough will spread.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are not longer shiny, switching the position and rotating pans halfway through baking.  (I just baked pans one at a time in the middle of the oven.)

Cool cookies on the pans on cooling racks for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to the racks to cool completely.  Repeat with second batch of cookies.  (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

Printable recipe

Serving the milk in a wine glass makes it extra fancy, no?

The book which had the original recipe which I've now tweaked


Great set of scoops - two can be used for cookies and two can be used for muffins - mini and regular.

Curried Carrot Soup with Corn and Cilantro: How being lazy forces you to be creative

Most weeks, I find myself going to three if not four different supermarkets.  There is almost always the Costco run, for bulk items, dairy, and meat, the Chinese supermarket for Asian/Korean staples, Safeway for standard baking needs and other staples, Trader Joes for milk, cereal, basil, flowers, pita chips.  Throw in there the weekly farmers market visit, and I go to a market almost every single weekday.  It's not afun and it's not pretty.  I really try hard to avoid as many markets as I can, but with the sheer volume of cooking I find myself involved in, it is near impossible. Three square meals a day, cooked at home means that the food has to come from somewhere.  It was on one of my shopping days that I found myself at Costco.      

I hurried through the store, getting some chicken and other items I needed to host a small group dinner at my house later in the week, and I realized that I didn't have any carrots at home.  My stomach sank as it meant that I needed to do another grocery stop off, which I simply couldn't get my energy up to do, so I made the split second decision to buy a 10lb bag of organic carrots at Costco.  In my head I thought to myself, I'll be able to use it all, no problem, especially since Son loves carrots and will eat them any chance he has.  It would prevent me from having to stop off at another supermarket especially since I was feeling so lazy.

Only, eating through a 10lb bag of carrots is no easy feat.  It's a huge bag.  A sack of rice really.  Bigger than my children when they were born.  It's a lot of carrots.  I cooked my meal with the carrots (which used only about 1/2 lb), then decided to make some Korean Braised Short Ribs  and Korean Braised Chicken to use them up.  I used another pound or so for both of those recipes.  I made eggrolls, Roasted Carrot and Fennel Pasta, and the bag just would not go down.

I thought about the best way to use up the carrots, and decided to make a soup.  I have another roasted carrot soup that I've made, but for some reason, I had it in my head that I wanted some corn in the soup.  And some cilantro.  This is what came about.

Even as a warm soup, I find it very summery.  Something about the cilantro and corn give it that feel.  I loved the velvety smoothness of the carrots against the chewy corn kernels, and the flecks of cilantro through the soup made it really yummy.  It is simple to make and hey - I managed to burn through 3 lbs of carrots.  (I made a huge pot but I've reduced the amount here in the recipe.)

As I still have a few more pounds of carrots to use, this will be made again very very soon.

Carrot Soup with Corn and Cilantro

Serves 4-6

1 lb of carrots, cut into chunks

1 onion, cut in half
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 quart of chicken stock (possibly an additional 1 or 2 cups depending on your soup's consistency)
2 tablespoons curry powder

1 cup of frozen corn kernels

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (if you are a cilantro hater, substitute with chopped green onions)

Preheat oven to 400. Toss carrots, onion, garlic with olive oil, salt and curry powder. Place onto a baking in a single layer and place into oven. Roast for 30 minutes, or until carrots are soft. (It will vary based on how fat your carrots are.)

In a pot, add the entire roasted pan of carrots, garlic, and onions to the chicken stock.  Simmer for 15 minutes. Puree with a handblender until smooth. Add additional stock to get the consistency you want.  Add corn kernels.  Cook for few minutes longer, until corn thaws and the soup is warm.   Add salt if necessary.

Serve with cilantro sprinkled on top.

Printable recipe

Basic functional handblender.  A great kitchen gadget.

Great Meals to Give: The power of food to nourish, feed, and love

For JY, SY, HY, and precious baby L

I spent a part of my day today, blessed to have the opportunity to pray for my friend's baby.  He is in the NICU, born with a really rare lymphatic growth, and it is potentially going to block his breathing and make it difficult for L to eat and breathe.  When I had first heard of this situation, my first act was to pray for this precious life.  I cried out hard to God to hear my prayer for healing for L, and an outpouring of grace and love for JY and SY.  I know that God hears my prayers.

My second instinct was trying to figure out - how can i relieve some of JY's burden?  She is going back and forth to the hospital, pumping milk to give to L, taking care of her other son, and being a wife to her husband.  She has many things on her plate and I couldn't figure out how I could help her, especially since we don't live that close to each other.

In my conversation with her, I asked if she wanted me to bring some food when I visited.  She initially said no, that there was no need and not to go through any trouble, but I knew right then, that this is what I would do.  I wanted to feed her and her family.  She is a great cook, always feeding her family and the people around her so wonderfully, but I wanted to do something more for her.  I told her I would bring her dinner and not to worry.  I even asked her if she wanted something baked and she laughed, saying she had wanted to make the chocolate banana cake, but just hadn't had the time (or the brown bananas.)  I immediately began planning which foods I might want to bring her, some to nourish and some just to nosh on (cupcakes and banana cake.)

Meanwhile, 600 miles away, friend HYK, who had a baby recently, has been receiving meals through her church meal rotation.  But she revealed to me that many of the foods she was receiving were take out - not many homemade dishes.  She was deeply appreciative of these people who were spending their hard earned money to bring her and her family a hot meal, but did note that little to none was homemade.  I wished so much that I could bring her a home cooked meal for her family to eat.

In addition, another friend HKL also had a baby, and I talked to her to find out that she was cooking her family a meal, less than two weeks after giving birth. I found myself wishing again that I could cook her something and bring her family some food. (she also lives too far for this.)

After experiencing these waves of wanting to cook for my friends, I decided that I would compile a nice list of dishes that can be easily made and given to those who may need a hot, homemade meal.  It does take a bit of time and effort, but know that your work will not be unappreciated and someone on the receiving end will be forever thankful.  The meal lasts a few moments, but the experience of love leaves a fingerprint, long after the meal is done.  There are ways to touch lives and this is one of them.

Incidentally, I got a lovely message from my friend JY, thanking me for the food.  She appreciated it all.  Her family ate with little work from her this evening.  She also sat down and enjoyed some cake, all alone as she pumped her milk for baby L.  Her words of thanks, simple thanks, warmed me on the inside and made my heart smile.  This - all from cooking a small meal for someone else.  You won't regret it as you will be rewarded so much more than your effort.


Preparation note:  you can certainly make double the amount and serve yourself AND your lucky recipient with one round of cooking.  (which is what I usually do.)

Great Meals to Give - these dishes transport well, hold up well, taste good after reheating or don't need to be reheated.

Meal #1
Soy Braised Chicken:  fully cook it, cool and refrigerate.  Holds up well under reheating.
Bok Choy Salad: Wash and cut all the vegetables and tuck it into a ziploc bag.  Dressing made in a jam jar.

Meal #2
Greek Chicken Thighs: fully cooked
Orzo Salad with Feta, Tomatoes, and Scallions

Meal #3
Spice Rubbed Chicken:  fully cooked
Cold Sesame Noodles: dress and allow it to marinate.

Meal #4
Korean Marinated Flank Steak - fully cooked, unless you know that the recipient is a good griller or married to one
Curried Slaw - all vegetables chopped in a ziploc bag, dressing in a jar

Meal #5
Mexican Roasted Tomato Soup with Corn and Chicken - can be cooked and then refrigerated.  Tastes great reheated.
Crusty French Bread

Meal #6
Turkey Chili - you might think it too hot for now, but this is a dish that gets better as it refrigerates.
Cornbread Muffins

Sweet Treats - if you're feeling extra motivated, these are great travelers and hold up well.

Chocolate Banana Cake
Banana Coconut Chocolate Muffins
Strawberry Banana Muffins
Pecan Rolo Pretzels - super duper easy, and no one can eat just one
Crispy Chewy Oatmeal Toffee Chip Cookies


Lovely Extras
Fruit that is already cut up - watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple.  Cutting fruit can be difficult if you're busy or incapacitated.
Bouquet of Flowers

Horseradish Honey Salmon: Like a great pair of shoes

I've been spending altogether too much time looking for a perfect pair of shoes.  I want that pair that goes with everything - dressy, casual, and funky.  I'm currently on the quest for such shoes, hoping I'm going to find it somehow.

In cooking, there is also the same thing - the dish that can go with everything.  Finding that one thing that works in a variety of contexts is much like that search for a great shoe.  This salmon dish can be dressy as an entree.  It can also be casual as a burger/sandwich and it also manages to get down and get FUNK-y as a hash.  A hash you say?  Yes, a hash, with potatoes and a fried egg on top.

Turns out that this dish is perfect for my crazy family.  Son can't eat many things - so the salmon, simply as an entree with spinach and roasted potatoes on the side works perfectly for him. He's dressy.  Daughter #1 is a huge sandwich lover, so the salmon sandwich/burger didn't last long on her plate.  She's casual.  Daughter #2 loves anything with a fried egg on top, and if everything is bite sized, she loves it more.  She'll take it as a hash.  She's funky.

And me you ask?  Well - I like to consider myself multi-faceted.  I had it all three ways. Dressy, Casual and Funky.

Now, if only finding the shoes were this simple.

Horseradish Honey Salmon (adapted from Food and Wine | June 2010)
Serves 4

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons honey
Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
Vegetable oil, for rubbing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilling Option
Light a grill. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, horseradish and honey. Rub the salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon over moderate heat, skinned side down, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill for 3 minutes longer, until the salmon is almost cooked through. Turn the salmon again and spread each fillet with 1 tablespoon of the horseradish glaze. Turn and grill until glazed, about 30 seconds. Serve the remaining glaze on the side.

Oven Option
Set the oven to broil with rack close to heat.  Rub salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place salmon in the oven until lightly brown, about 5 minutes.  Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Turn again and spread each fillet with horseradish glaze.  Cook for another minute, or until glaze caramelizes.  Remove from oven and serve as you wish.

Printable recipe

Dressy option - elegant and perfect with a side of garlic spinach and roasted potatoes.

Casual option - as a burger, topped with bacon, garlic spinach, sliced apples.

Salmon Sandwich (for 4)

Horseradish Honey Salmon
8 slices of thick bacon, cooked crispy
1/2 a granny smith or fuji apple, cut into slices
Sauteed garlic spinach OR some sort of lettuce

Make your sandwich!

Funky option - as a hash with roasted potatoes, sauteed spinach and a fried egg on top

Salmon Hash

Horseradish Honey Glazed Salmon

Roasted potatoes

Garlic spinach

Fried egg

Layer potatoes on the bottom.  Add a nice portion of garlic spinach and finish the top with a fried egg, cooked to your preference.