Whiskey Bar

Mmmm... some mighty fine scotch will take my audiophile experience to the next level. Highly approved.

Nong Shim Instant Wicked Noodles Recipe

Eating instant noodles by themselves is grade school. If you're out of college, you should at least be steppin' up your cookin' game, even if it's just a little bit. And this means turning those instant noodles into something a little more awesome.

My favorite recipe: Boil half water, half chicken broth. Add green onions and Kimchi, and just enough of the spice packet for flavor. Add the noodles. Once the noodles are almost cooked, add two large eggs. Once done, drink the soup or save the extra for rice. It's deliciouso.

I'm Gonna Start a Sriracha Food Truck

If you've been wondering what I've been up to, it's pretty simple. I'm starting my own food truck (yeah, I'm almost too trendy). But what sets it apart is my use of Sriracha - the infamous Vietnamese rooster sauce that makes everything fucking great. There will be red in everything. Did I mention the 5 different types of milk (regular, soy, almond, hemp, and coconut) available for cooldown? Oh yeah.

Sally's Epic Tuna Casserole Recipe

Gonna miss that little girl. Gonna miss her tuna casseroles even more. Here's the top secret family recipe:

Empty half a box of pasta shells (or more), 2 cans of condensed mushroom soup, 3 cans of tuna (or more if it doesn't seem like enough), 4 tablespoons of mayo, a few handfuls of whatever kind of cheese you want (shredded), dried basil, garlic powder and parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed up Cheez-Its and melted butter on top. 

Cool the shells almost all the way through, maybe 2 or 3 minutes shy of being fully done. Mix everything together in a bowl, except Cheez-Its and butter. Place it in a pan and sprinkle Cheez-Its over the top (smother it!). Then pour half a stick of melted butter over that.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30ish minutes or a little more until it's golden brown and bubbling. If you want more moisture in it you can put more mushroom soup in it.

Fried Egg Sandwich Recipe

I'm hungry.

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon or more, to taste, 
• Sriracha chile paste
• 2 slices lightly toasted whole grain bread
• 1 fried egg
• 2-3 thin slices of Gruyere
• Handful of mixed greens
• Freshly cracked salt and pepper, to taste

Mix mayo and Sriracha to make aioli. Spread the aioli over lightly toasted whole grain bread, and place a fried egg on one slice. Then, cover egg with cheese like Gruyere. And finally, sprinkle with some greens and freshly cracked salt and black pepper. Top with second slice of toast.

I'm In Love With a... Food Truck Chef

Seriously, these two are the most beautiful food chef cooks I have ever seen. And they're cooking Vietnamese lemongrass chicken sandwiches. I need to move to LA. Pronto. Video of the girls in action below:

Cookie Dipping Mug

Man, I really wish they were selling these at the MoMa Design Shop in NYC.

Charlotte Tolhurst’s Egg Sandwich Recipe

Food photographer-cooks. We need more of them. They're like Picasso's... armed with pastry buns and spoons. 

• 1 egg
• 5 hand cut slices chorizo (about 5mm or a little less than 1/4 inch thick)
• A hand full of rocket
• A little olive oil
• Pesto stuffs

Fry the chorizo in a hot pan with a little oil - not too much as the chorizo will produce its own oil. When the chorizo is starting to crisp up move to the side of the frying pan and fry your egg until the white is cooked through and the yolk is still runny.

Slice open a ciabatta roll and fill with the chorizo then the rocket and top with the egg, finishing with a drizzle of pesto. Yum.

Mexican Weekend Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog Recipe

"I want to make stuffed hot dogs," he added, "on the grill." 

• 8 hot dogs
• 8 hot dog buns 
• 8 slices bacon 
• mayonnaise, as needed
• ketchup, as needed
• mustard, as needed
• 1 bag coleslaw
• 1 jar coleslaw sauce
• 2 jalapeno peppers (optional) 
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans (non refried) or chili bean

Mix up the coleslaw with coleslaw sauce, along with some chopped jalapenos if you want it extra spicy. Place aside.

Wrap bacon around each hot dog and put on the skillet/grill and cook until bacon is done (cook the bacon to your satisfaction). The bacon usually sticks to the hot dog, but if it doesn't, you could use toothpicks to keep them together. While waiting, warm up the beans/chili.

Spread mayonnaise on the hot dog buns. Put the bacon wrapped hot dog on the bun, at this point you may put the ketchup and mustard as desired. Pour about 1 spoonful of beans/chili over the hot dog. Throw coleslaw mix on top and serve.

Kitchen Food Lab

Time for a weekend chock-full of experimentation.

Grilled Feta Quesadillas Recipe

Although you wouldn't think it would work, the olives, cucumber, and feta merged with Mexican combination is utterly fantastic! Seriously, you gotta try this.

• 3 ounces fat-free cream cheese (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or basil or anything Italian)
  
• 4 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted ripe olives (can be replaced with BBQ pulled pork if you're a carnivore)
  
• 2 tablespoons diced pimientos
• 1 green onion, chopped

In a small bowl, beat cheeses with oregano until blended. Spread 3 tablespoons of cheese mixture over half of each tortilla; top with olives, pimientos and onion. Fold tortillas over.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill quesadillas, uncovered, over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve warm.

Via Taste of Home

Asian Garlic Pasta Recipe

Mmmmm... time for some Asian fusion. This one serves 4-6.

• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups green onion, chopped
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (can be found in the "Asian" section of the grocery store)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Nama Shoyo works quite well since it's raw and fermented)
• 1 tablespoon organic whole cane sugar or Sucanat (to read more click here)
• 1 tablespoon water
• Sesame Seeds (optional)

Bring water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook spaghetti to al dente according to package directions. Drain noodles and set aside.

Melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Stir in garlic and onions and cook for 1-2 minutes until garlic is fragrant and onions begin to soften. Stir in fish sauce, soy sauce, whole cane sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add noodles and toss until coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately.

Via Deliciously Organic.

Honey Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

I haven't written one of my yummy recipes in a long while, so here goes a traditional Chinese mash-up I'm sure you'll love.

• 1/2 c. light soy sauce
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 4 tbsp. honey (substitute with brown sugar if needed)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 lb. chicken (cut in bite-size pieces)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 lg. onion

Combine first 6 ingredients with 1/4 cup water in bowl, mixing well. Put about a cup of the marinade aside. Marinate the chicken in remaining honey teriyaki sauce for 10 minutes or longer. Drain chicken, tossing used marinade. Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken in small amounts to prevent crowding. Stir-fry until brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add broccoli and onion to hot skillet. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and steam for 3 minutes or until broccoli is tender-crisp. Return chicken to skillet, adding marinade. heat through, stirring constantly. Serve over rice with a fried egg.

Soup & Sandwich Tray

Now this looks like something I'd love to have in my kitchen arsenal. Soup bowl and tasty grilled cheese sammich plate. Bonafide classic!

Corn Con Queso Fresco Recipe

Now here's a goodie to boost your mood for the weekend. Whether it be dealing with the stormy weather on the East coast or blazing sun on the West, there's nothing like some grilled corn with paprika and queso fresco.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 corn on the cob
• Queso fresco cheese
• Lime wedges

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the butter, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper, to taste.

Rub corn with the butter mixture. Wrap in foil and put in the oven. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Unwrap from foil, top with queso fresco and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.

Hella Good Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe

And man, did I mention simple? This is easy peasy chicken bakin' yo!

• 1 lb chicken tenders
• 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat Oven to 425°F. Mix chicken tenders and mayonnaise in a bowl to lightly coat chicken with mayonnaise. Mix bread crumbs and cheese in a gallon-size zippie bag.

Prepare baking sheet with cooking spray. Put 1-2 chicken tenders in the zippie bag with the bread crumbs and shake to coat. Place chicken tenders in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all tenders are coated and on the baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Gently flip each one, so as not to remove the breading, and bake an additional 8 minutes. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

How To: Master the Silpat

Want to create the greatest cookies in the world? Bread to die for? Heck, even nachos with cheese and chicken tenders are made perfect with these brilliantly designed silicone baking mats by DeMarle. Here are some tips to master it:

1. DON'T OIL IT. If you add oil then it will become sticky. Sounds odd, but I had a friend over and she oiled it and it became so sticky that it only came off after a significant amount of major scrubbing. Avoid oil for these Silpats!
   
2. I found that when using new silicone baking mats requires a "break in" period since they don't tend to outgas on first use. I bake them with nothing on them for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. I have never had problems with this, but it's not super necessary.
   
3. Don't be scared to put the mat directly onto your oven racks. I find that I get the best results this way. You can use it on a pan if it makes you feel better, but it's really not necessary unless you're worried about cookies spilling over while baking.
   
4. Be aware of the maximum temperature for your mat.
5. Buy at least two so you can make batches of cookies with it.
6. Don't forget that if you are cooking at 350 degrees, the mat will be 350 degrees, so DON'T grab it with your hands. Instead, you can place aluminum foil liners for easy pulling.

Aye, Aye... Captain Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. First, you need some parchment paper. Second, you need to follow this recipe...

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Captain Crunch Flour (pulverized Captain Crunch)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Using a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high for about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds.

Reduce to low speed and add the flour, Captain Crunch Flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until completely combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until fully incorporated.

Spray baking sheets with baking spray (you will need it, they want to stick). Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes for mini cookies (using a TBSP as a scoop) or 9 minutes for regular size (using a cookie scoop). Let cool at on sheet for 3 minutes, then move to rack to finish cooling.

Top 5 Kitchen Items I Don't Own, But Must Have

Mind you that these are the best of the best, so ignore the price tag, swoon over its sheer elegance, and pretend you actually have room for these goodies. Here's my list, feel free to tag on your own:

1. All-Clad 12-Inch Stainless Fry Pan with Lid ($90)
2. Swissmar Borner V-Slicer Plus Mandoline ($40)
3. Demarle Silpat 11-3/4-by-8-1/4-Inch Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat ($15)
4. William-Sonoma Silicone Large Spatula ($10)
5. Ken Onion by Shun 8-Inch Chef's Knife ($200)

MmMmm... Finger Biscuits

What can I say? It's frickin' genius! I wonder if they taste like fortune cookies, though.