This "meat on a stick" dish never fails to please anyone of any age whenever it is served at a BBQ or gathering. The sweet soy sauce is the single most important ingredient. You can get it at your local Asian grocery or here at Amazon.



INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into bite-size strips
6 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 ziplock bag
bamboo/wooden skewers
1 tsp vegetable oil, for brushing

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place meat pieces into a large ziplock bag.
2. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic pwd, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into the ziplock bag and mix well with the meats.
3. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours (or overnight for best results)
4. Immerse skewers in water for 15 minutes.
5. Slide the meat pieces into the skewers and grill for 10-15 minutes (until meat is fully cooked). Keep a close eye on them and rotate the sides frequently. Brush the sides with oil occasionaly to prevent sticking.
6. Serve over warm rice with more soy sauce on the side for dipping.

Last week I went to an international buffet-style restaurant where they had a crepes station, and saw the entire process of making crepes, from pouring the dough to putting all the good stuff on it. It didn't look too difficult so I decided to give it a try. I was right! Homemade crepes are easy to make and taste just as delicious as the ones served at the restaurant. I used only strawberries and bananas but you can also add peach slices if you like.



COOKING TIME: about 5-10 minutes
SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, melted
8-10 fresh strawberries, sliced
2-3 bananas, sliced
peach slices (optional)
spray can whipped topping
chocolate syrup
powdered sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix flour and egg in a mixing bowl. Gradually add milk and water, mix well.
2. Add salt and butter. Beat until smooth.
3. Heat griddle to 400F.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of dough onto the preheated griddle, and using a wooden spatula, spread the dough to cover a large circle (about 6-7 inches diameter)
5. Cook about 2 minutes until the bottom is light brown
6. Loosen the sides with a spatula and flip over. Cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Place the crepe on a dessert plate.
8. Add slices of strawberries and bananas (and peach, if desired) onto the crepe, and fold the sides to cover the fruits.
9. Spray whipped topping on top, and drizzle with chocolate syrup. (Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired, optional)
10. Serve hot.

My days have been so hectic this week I haven't found myself in the kitchen much. After five straight days of takeouts and eating out, I wanted to eat in last night and fix something easy. This lasagna recipe is made with Prego sauce (Again, Prego sauce has made my life a little easier...) and the rest is very easy to put together.



EASY LASAGNA

PREP TIME: 15-20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 8

12 pieces lasagna noodles
1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 cup chopped onions
8 oz mushroom (optional)
16 oz Italian Sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook lasagna noodle according to package directions, drain, set aside. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a large skillet, brown beef with onion and mushroom. Drain well.
3. Stir in Italian sauce, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and salt. Simmer for 5minutes
4. Spray lasagna baking dish with nonstick cooking spray
5. Layer 1/3 of noodles, 1/3 of meat mixture, 1/3 of ricotta, Monterey Jack, and Parmesan cheeses
6. Repeat layer (step 5) twice
7. Bake at 350F for 30 mins or until thoroughly heated and bubbly
8. Let stand for 8-10 minutes before serving

Sometimes the easiest recipe simply makes the best thing. These grilled corns, in my opinion, is the best thing of a Summer cookout, and only three ingredients are needed: corns on the cobs, margarine, and hot sauce. I like them spicy, so I always use a lot of hot sauce, but you can adjust the spiciness by reducing the amount of hot sauce to your taste. You can use any hot sauce, but my absolute favorite is this ABC Extra Hot Chili Sauce

Umm, a little warning: Have some dental floss ready when making these! :P



DIRECTIONS:

1. Rub margarine and hot sauce on the surface of the corns (that have been peeled and rinsed) and coat evenly.
2. Grill for a total cooking time of 30 minutes, rotating it every 10 minutes to allow for even heating.
3. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

My husband finished his Master's degree this Spring. He's worked really hard, juggling his school, work, and family, and I cannot be prouder of him. Bakerella's candy cup caps inspired me to make these cupcakes to celebrate his achievement.



See my Chocolate Cupcakes recipe

DECORATING

WHAT YOU'LL NEED (see pic below):

- Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares
- Dark chocolate w/ peppermint center (or Reese's peanut butter cups)
- Xtremes sweetly sour belts
- Smarties
- White frosting
- Blue sugar crystals (optional)



DECORATING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut each the sweet sour belts candy into long strips of each color
2. Frost the baked cupcakes with white frosting
3. Sprinkle with blue sugar crystals
4. Place chocolate cups, topped with chocolate squares (using a little bit of frosting to "glue" them together)
5. Place the candy strip and a smarty on top (again, using the frosting as the "glue")

I bought a whole duckling to make the Duck with Beansprouts dish that I always loved at my favorite Chinese restaurant when I was in college (see previous post). Since I only used half a duckling for that recipe, I thought I'd use the rest to make a fun variety by serving it on lettuce leaves. The recipe is very similar to the Duck with Beansprouts recipe, only water chestnuts are added to this one and the beansprouts are not cooked this time. They're a little messy to eat but just like many messy finger foods, they're very good!



DUCK IN LETTUCE WRAPS RECIPE:

1/2 small duckling, remove the bones and cut the meat into bite-size strips
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch length
1 cup fresh beansprouts, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp ginger powder
1 can (4oz) water chestnuts, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lettuce head or Romaine lettuce, to serve
2 small red chilles, sliced thinly (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok over medium high heat
2. Stir fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the red chilles (optional)
3. Add the duck strips and ginger powder, and stir fry until the meat is almost fully cooked. Add hoisin sauce and coat evenly.
4. Add green onions and water chestnuts and cook for about 2 minutes
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1 tbsp sesame oil
6. Serve with fresh beansprouts and wrap in lettuce leaves

There was a great Chinese restaurant close to my apartment back when I was still in college. I always ordered their Duck with Beansprouts dish, which was one of their specialties. I miss that place so much, especially since there's no Chinese restaurant where I live now that's even half as good. I decided to put together some ingredients to imitate this dish and it surprisingly turned out really well! It tastes close to the dish that I've always loved and have been thinking about so much lately. So yay!! It is easy too. I can't believe I never thought about making it myself before.

I bought a small whole duckling but only used half for this dish and used the rest to make a different variety: Duck in lettuce wraps. I'll post the recipe next.



DUCK WITH BEANSPROUTS RECIPE:

1/2 small duckling, remove the bones and cut the meat into bite-size strips
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch length
2 cups fresh beansprouts
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp ginger powder
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 small red chilles, sliced thinly (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok over medium high heat
2. Stir fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the red chilles (optional)
3. Add the duck strips and ginger powder, and stir fry until the meat is almost fully cooked. Add hoisin sauce and coat evenly.
4. Add green onions and beansprouts and cook until the vegetables are soft
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1 tbsp sesame oil
6. Serve hot over rice

I love fajitas! When I stumbled across this recipe, I thought it looked easy enough I decided to give it a try. It really was easy! I don't have a fajita skillet so I just used a regular skillet, and it still turned out delicious! Serve with Spanish rice, refried beans, and a glass of margarita and you are fiesta-ready! (This recipe can also make Chicken Fajitas)



PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: about 25 minutes
SERVINGS: 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 small red or green bell peppers, cut into strips
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb extra lean beef sirloin steak or boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-in strips
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup bottled chunky salsa
4 (6 in) flour tortillas, warmed
Light sourcream, chopped fresh cilantro, and lime wedges (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat
2. Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occassionally for 5-6 mins or until onions are slightly golden and peppers are tender
3. Stir in beef or chicken, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook, stirring occassionally for 7-8 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.
4. Stir in salsa, heat through
5. Serve in tortillas, top with sourcream, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.