Tampering In The Kitchen...

What man does not like meatballs AND bacon, all in one dish?
The original quiche consists of a pie crust and an egg & cream
custard filling. A pie crust isn't THAT time-consuming to make,
but if you can eliminate a step or two without sacrificing the taste,
then dare I ask, "Why not"?


What You will Need:

• 1/2 cup of Bisquick Pancake Mix
• 1 cup of Milk
• 2 eggs or half a cup of Fat-Free Liquid Egg product
  
• 1/4 cup cooked meatballs, halved
• 3 slices of cooked bacon
• 1/4 cup broccoli florets
  
• 1/4 cup of cheese (any type you like, I used cheddar)
  
• 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
  
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• cooking spray
• 6" baking dish

How To's:

• Start out by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
• Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place meatballs, diced onions, and broccoli on the bottom of the baking dish.
• Sprinkle cheese over.
• Combine all dry ingredients with milk and eggs, and pour the mixture into the baking dish.
• End by crumbling bacon on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve 2

Enjoy your "Man Quiche"!

I've been cooking/baking out of my comfort zone lately. Usually, I stick to American or Asian cuisine but I've been reading up on Latin cuisine and is extremely eager to try out something for myself. I figured my first experiment would be the much coveted empanada.

Different regions of the Latin culture have their own recipe(s) for empanadas. Regardless, they all start out with a bread-like flour shell, and end with a sinfully flavorful filling (sweet or savory).

Let's start out with the dough (I used part All-purpose flour and part whole wheat flour):

• 2 cups unbleached All-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar (completely optional, I just wanted a hint of sweetness)
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 cup cold water
  
• 3 TBS shortening
• 1 TBS butter/margarine

Combine the first three dry ingredients in a bowl.
Using two butter knives, cut in the shortening and butter.
In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.
Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients with a fork and turn the dough into a lightly
floured surface. Knead until the dough is smooth and all the flour is incorporated.
Shape the dough into a round shape, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for
an hour, no more than 24 hours.

Beef Filling:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1/3 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup cooked potatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 TBS paprika
• 1 TBS oregano
• 1 TBS Chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1-1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 TBS flour
  
• freshly ground pepper
• Canola oil

1) Start out by by sauteing the garlic, onion, bell pepper and potatoes in a half a tablespoon of oil, over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Transfer on to a plate.
2) In the same pan under medium-high, add the remaining oil and cook the beef until it changes color. Be sure to break up the meat well.
3) Add in all the dry herbs and spices. Mix until it is well incorporated.
4) Stir in the beef broth and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
5) Sprinkle the flour and stir in well until thickened. Remove from stove and let the filling cool.

Assembling the empanadas:

• Divide the dough into 12 parts (the dough yielded 12 empanadas for me).
• Lightly flour the surface and roll out the dough into 5 inch discs.
• Place 3 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the center of the disc.

• Moisten the edges of the circle with a small amount of water and fold the dough over the filling to make a half circle. Press the edges together to seal and crimp with a fork.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  
• Lightly brush the empanadas with an egg-wash and bake for 35 minutes, or until the empanadas turn golden brown.

I'm in New York City at the moment and the weather here can be unpredictable... It's blistering cold one day, and unseasonably warm the next. This dish here is simple and suitable for the winters, due to the different spices in there.

I'm in love with Asian spices, and there isn't anything more Asian than five spice powder! The fragrant is undeniably heartwarming, and chances are, if something is marinated in five spice powder, I am most likely to chug it!

Ingredients:

• ½ pound of thinly sliced beef
• some dried mushrooms (optional)
• 1 onion, cut into wedges
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 3 or 4 leaves of Napa Cabbage coarsely chopped
• 1 small tomato cut into parts (optional)
• 2 scallion stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbs soy sauce*
• ¼ tsp five spice powder
• ½ tsp sugar*
• ¼ cup beef broth*
• 1 tsp cornstarch*
• 1 tsp sesame oil*
  

Feel free to throw in any other vegetables you like! I just used whatever is conveniently in my fridge~



Directions:

1- Combine all starred (*) ingredients and set aside.
2- Heat up some oil in a wok/frying pan over high heat. Stir fry garlic and five spice powder until fragrant (about 25-30 seconds).
3- Add beef and stir fry until meat is no longer pink and fully cooked. Remove from wok and set aside.
4- In the same wok, add onions and stir fry for a minute and add cabbage. Stir-fry until the cabbage starts to wilt, but still looks crisp (2-3 minutes). Add peppers and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
5- Add the cooked beef and scallions and cook for about 2 minutes.
6- Remember the mixture of starred (*) ingredient you set aside earlier? Start pouring them over your meat and veggies for about a minute. Sauce will thicken. Stir in the tomatoes and scallions for another minute.

Serves 2 people, or one REALLY hungry dude! I don't need to mention that it's best with rice.... right??


So it’s not the fanciest dish, but it tastes good! >_<