Chocolate Covered Pretzels

These are great to make then give to a friend as a gift or put them on a tray with cookies to fill up more space. So easy to make, but it can take a while so i suggest making these with someone while watching a good movie :)

Ingredients
1 large bag of small twisty Pretzels
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (or white chips)
1 large container of round sprinkles (holiday colors)
1 cookie sheet
parchment/wax paper

Directions
1) In a microwave safe bowl add 1 cup of chocolate chips, place in microwave on high for 60 seconds. Stir with a metal spoon, then place back in the microwave for 30 seconds on high, take out a stir again. Keep putting it back in for 30 seconds only and stir until it's warm and creamy.
2) On a cookie sheet, or platter (which ever you have) place a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Dip pretzel into the chocolate, let excess drip off then put the dipped pretzel over a bowl and lightly coat with the sprinkles. Place this on the wax paper.
3) Continue this process and space them out evenly. If the room is cool enough then will start to harden at room temp, but if you want to make the process a little quicker after filling up an entire sheet place it in the refrigerator for a good 5 minutes.
4) Because the dipped pretzels are on wax paper they pop right off with no mess after they are cooled.
5) Place them in a festive bowl with some nuts and popcorn, or wrap them up in a cellophane bag and tie with a red ribbon. Mix white chocolate covered pretzels and regular chocolate covered pretzels for a variety.

Christmas Cookies

My mom and I had a cookie bake-a-thon yesterday to make Christmas goodies for our co-workers. We made snowball cookies, fudge, peanut butter cookies, M&M chip cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, sugar cookies and brownies. I think they all turned out great. Here are some pictures from the day....

Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad and was tired of getting the boxed kind at the store, or getting the pre-made kind in the deli (which is usually to oily anyway). So, I finally got the chance to experiment and make up my own salad which has less oil. You could add more ingredients to your liking such as bell peppers, broccoli or mushrooms, but this is a good base.

Ingredients:
1 box tri-colored pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
3 oz can of sliced black olives
1/3 c feta cheese
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash
1/2 tbsp garlic powder

Directions:
1) Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. Usually about 8-9 minutes for al dente, stir often.
2) Drain pasta in strainer, then run cold water on it.
3) Place pasta in a large bowl and add all ingredients. Mix together then set in the fridge to cool even more, serve after being in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Ideas:
Have this as a side to your sandwich instead of potato chips, or add some barbecue chicken to it.

Black Bean & Feta Wrap

This is a tasty wrap for lunch instead of having a sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 Spinach Tortilla Wrap (or Tomato)
1/2 can black beans
1/4 yellow bell pepper
1/4 red bell pepper
1 tbsp ranch dressing
3 tbsp feta cheese
1/4 c sliced olives

Directions:
1. Take 1 tbsp ranch dressing and spread over the tortilla wrap.
2. Drain the black beans and cut bell peppers into thin strips.
3. Add all the rest of the ingridents to the wrap. Fold the top and bottom over, then roll it up to eat.

RRRRRRRRum Balls

These are soooo easy to make and a great gift for a friend or a potluck at work during the holidays.

Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp spiced rum
toppings of choice
parchment or wax paper

Directions
1. Cook cake mix as directed on the back of the box, I usually use Duncan Hines brand it's always so moist and easy to make.
2. After this cooks, usually about 20 minutes or so, wait for it too cool and then crumble the cake into a large bowl.
3. Mix in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and spiced rum.
4. Next, take a spoonfuls of this mix, take it in your hand and roll it into a ball (make sure your hands are clean!)
5. Roll the ball into a bowl or your favorite topping an then place it on a piece of parchment paper. Some topping suggestions are: sprinkles, nuts (chopped), mini chocolate chips, powdered sugar... or keep them plain.

Turkey Day

This was my first Thanksgiving in my first home and it went wonderful. We had my parents, my mother and father in-law and my sister and brother in-law and my niece. It was my job to make the turkey, and I also made a few desserts and some corn bread mini-muffins. Josh, my husband made his always wonderful garlic mashed potatoes. My mom made her famous stuffing that is filled with mini sausages, apples, walnuts and celery among other things. My mother in-law made her extremely yummy yams. And my sis-in-law made some brussel sprouts drizzled with olive oil, wow they tasted great!

For dessert I prepared red velvet cupcakes and also a loaf of pumpkin bread which went perfect with french vanilla ice cream. We were all so stuffed afterwards.

For the turkey I used an oven bag, which you coat the inside with 1 tbsp of flour so the bag won't explode while it's cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Clean the turkey inside and out, remove insides and pat dry. Brush olive oil on the turkey skin and sprinkle some dried rosemary and parsley all over it. Inside I placed a whole onion cut in quarters and 2 celery sticks each cut in half. Put this in the bag, slit the top of the bag with six 1/2 inch slits, close it and place in a roasting pan. I placed a temp gauge into the turkey breast to keep an eye on the temperature of the turkey. Cook in the oven for about 3 hours. Make sure the temperature is at 185 degrees in the center of the breast before you eat it. If it's not, just cook it longer. Ours took about 3 and 1/2 hours.

Sweet Potato Fries

I've been wanting to make these for a while, and thought today was the perfect time for a nice warm snack. In this recipe I just used one medium yam, which was enough for about 15-20 fries. You could definitely multiply this recipe as a side dish for the entire family.

Ingredients:
1 yam (sweet potato)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place a baking sheet lined with foil in the oven.
2) Cut the yam in half long wise and width wise so you have 4 equal parts. Then slice these into about 6-7 equal pieces long wise.
3) Add these slices to a bowl and mix together with olive oil and desired about of salt and pepper to taste.
4) Take the baking sheet out of the oven and place the yam slices on the foil, but put this back in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip all the slices and bake for another 15 minutes.
5) When they are done they should be a little crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes. Eat with some ketchup or plain. Either way it's so yummy.

The Baking Essentials

There you are on a Sunday, it's 12pm you still haven't showered and you're in your pajamas and you're desperate for a chocolate chip cookie! There is no way in hell you're going to the store, it's a lazy day and it's chilly outside. You know those kind of days right??!?

Well, for those particular days I always find it a good idea to keep a steady supply of some baking essentials to at least whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, brownies or even muffins.

My Essentials List:
1 bag of all-purpose flour
1 bag gradulated sugar
1 bag brown sugar
1 bag powdered sugar
baking soda
vanilla extract
cocoa powder
1 bag chocolate chips
at least 4 eggs
cup cake wrappers
milk
cinnamon
3 sticks of butter
peanut butter
1 box instant cake mix
1 box instant brownie mix
vegetable oil

BBQ Chicken & Bell Pepper Pizza

So I went to this place near my home called Tom's Farms. They have a few little country stores with all sorts of yummy things like produce, nuts, candies, sauces. Anyway, it's a fun place to go and I saw some bread that looked like pre-made pizza dough called Schiacciata. I thought this would be perfect for the left over grilled bbq chicken we made the other night.

As recommended by the lady at the store, I baked the dough for about 3 minutes to get it a little crispy (she said that the dough will soak up the pizza sauce and be too moist with this bread). Then I topped the dough with tomato garlic sauce, 4 sliced medium mushrooms, 1 small can of black olives, shredded bbq chicken, 1 whole red bell pepper slices, and a cup or two of shredded cheese.

The pizza allotted for about 6 slices, and with all the ingredients piled high it was so filling. We ate this with a side caesar salad. I love homemade pizza! Yumm!

Slow Cooked BBQ Brisket Sandwiches

Slow cooked is definitely the way to go for a hot savory meal. I picked up a 3 lb brisket put it in the slow cooker on low for 9 hours. On the 9th hour I took off the lid used a fork to pull apart and shred the brisket up, then I added our favorite homemade Barbados BBQ sauce (any BBQ sauce of your choice will suffice). An hour later, I sloped a few spoonfuls of brisket onto a panini roll and served it with mashed potatoes and zucchini. It was as good as eating out at Lucilles, but better since it was home cooked. My husband really enjoyed it too!

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread

One would think this is the Trader Joe's blog since I reference it so much, but they seriously have good stuff. Ok, so my latest find was some Pumpkin Bread Mix. I was going to make some homemade pumpkin bread over the weekend, but I saw this mix at TJ's for about $2.50. It's so delicious, serves about 12 people per loaf and it's really easy to make! You just have to add water, oil and 2 eggs.

You're supposed to cook it about 55-60 minutes, but mine wasn't ready in the middle at that time so I added some foil lightly around the edges so the middle would cook thoroughly and let it sit in the oven another 5 minutes. I didn't have any vanilla ice cream or whip cream (probably good in the end tho), but it would have tasted even better paired with that. Yummmmmm! Can't wait to make more, and this time I'm going to put them in cupcake cups and possibly draw cute little pumpkins on the top....hehehehe, what a fun treat for Halloween!

These are a few of my Trader Joe's things...

Corn Tortilla Flat Bread
This goes great with a little bit of Rondell cheese for a pre-dinner snack.

Cracked Sourdough Wheat Bread
I love making garlic bread with this sourdough, and it's nice with turkey sandwiches.

Pineapple Salsa
It's nice to have a different type of salsa every once and a while. This one has a great flavor to it, but it not chunky pineapple, it's blended nicely.

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter
Nutty, creamy and delicious! You have to refrigerate this after opening. This tastes great with strawberry jam on an everything bagel for breakfast.

Charles Shaw White Zinfandel
2 Buck Chuck is always good in a pinch. I like to drink this when I have salmon or shrimp for dinner. It's light and pairs well with it.

Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This is the best tomato soup ever. It's wonderful with half of sandwich for lunch...especially on a cold day to warm you up.

Wild & Basmati Rice Pilaf
My favorite rice ever. I always cook this up with salmon and zucchini. It heats up well for left overs too.

Mrs. Dash-Rosemary Potatoes

This is a variation on potatoes I make in the oven, but last night I sliced them thin and put them on the grill with the tri-tip my husband was making. They go great with steak, and you don't need any butter because you cook it with olive oil which is much healthier. The flavors become more rich if you leave it on the grill longer. In the case of cooking these potatoes, the longer you leave them on the better they get.



What you need:
5-7 red potatoes
2 tbsp Mrs. Dash
1 tbsp Rosemary
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

What to do:
1. Wash/scrub potatoes with hot water, then slice them very thin.









2. Put the sliced potatoes to a medium bowl. Drizzle olive oil on the potatoes then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything together well with a spoon.












3. Place potatoes on a sheet of foil. Wrap it, then re-wrap it with more foil. I use about 3 or 4 sheets to create a nice structure.









4. Place on heated grill. Flip occasionally, about every 10-15 minutes for about 50-60 minutes. Use a pair or tongs to flip. When they are complete put them in a dish and serve!

Yay for Yams

Ok, so they might look like overgrown funky shaped potatoes, and they are orange in the middle, but that doesn't have to make you be afraid of them. They are actually a beautiful vegetable that can be cooked just like a potato. The thing you have to do it add a little bit of butter and brown sugar and they are just like eating dessert. It's a great alternative to having a potato and it's actually healthier. So, next time you're at the store pick up a couple and try it out....I dare you.

Tamales

I was fortunate enough over the weekend to make tamales with my grandma! I've always wanted to know how to make them because they are so good. They have been a family tradition passed down from when she was a child, and I wanted to learn so I can keep the recipe in the family and not let it die.

When I go to Mexican restaurants I don't think I've seen tamales on the menu, except for Las Golandrinas, which is where we usually purchase them from around Christmas time. I can understand why many restaurants might not make them is because they are very time consuming. My grandma told me that her mother would make everything from scratch, even down to the chili powders, and because of this it could take a few days just to get all the ingredients ready. It was her job, and the other kids in the family to go to different farms to collect the ingredients such as corn stalks, cheese, and chilies.

She started the beef boiling a little before I arrived at her house at 10am, and we worked all day long (including making a trip to the Mexican market). I left about 5pm and we had only steamed half of what we made, and we wrapped at least 100 tamales. So, you can see that was at least 7 hours and we didn't even cook them all up! We had over 12lbs of beef and 20lbs of masa (corn dough). Not mention a variety of powered chilies, whole chiles, red and green sauce, cheese, and hojas (Corn husks).

I'll show you some pictures, but as for the recipe, I think I'll keep that one in the family.

Pot Roast

I'm so happy I was able to use the slow cooker we got for our wedding gift from my aunt and uncle. They got us a cook book just for the slow cooker and I tabbed many recipes that I'm eager to try. For this past Sunday's dinner I had planned on using it for the first time to make a pot roast! I wasn't too crazy about pot roast when I was little, but thought I'd like it much more as an adult. So Sunday morning about 10am I put in all the ingredients and let the crock pot work it's magic for 8.5 hours.... and dinner was served at 6pm.

Here's the recipe that was a hit with my husband...

Ingredients:
2.5-3lb beef chuck roast
5-6 medium russet potatoes
1/4 large white onion
1 can diced tomatoes
oregano
garlic salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1) In a skillet add olive oil and heat up pan on medium. When it's nice and hot, brown all sides of the roast. Drain the fat from the pan, and then add the roast to the slow cooker.

2) Cut up your potatoes in quarters or halves (whatever you choose). Cut up the onion in large sections. Add onions and potatoes to the slow cooker. Next, pour the entire can of diced tomatoes on the top and add some oregano and garlic salt to taste. I mixed this around just a bit.

3) Turn on the slow cooker to LOW and let it cook for 8-10 hours.

Garlic & Dill Salmon

Really in the mood for salmon tonight, we needed something lighter for dinner after the heavy pot roast and enchiladas we had over the weekend... not to mention all the cookies. So I was looking on line at all sorts of salmon recipes and the one I came up with is a hodge podge from other recipes that sounded good. The dinner turned out superb, and I cooked up some basmati & wild rice, steamed broccoli, and topped it off with shredded Parmesan for the side.

Ingredients:
3 salmon fillets
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp dillweed
lemon juice
salt

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Put butter in a small bowl and microwave for 1 minute on power level 4 or 5 (just enough to melt it). Next mince one clove of garlic and add it to the butter. Mix it around with a brush.

3) In a small dish (make sure there is a lid, I use Corningware) squirt enough lemon juice to cover bottom of the dish. You can add more or a lemony taste, but about 1/4 inch layer was enough. Place salmon fillets in the dish.

4) Brush the salmon with the butter & garlic and then top it with a pinch or two of salt and the dillweed.



5) Cook for 10 minutes, then flip fillets, brush on another layer of butter & garlic, and more dillweed. Put the cover back on and cook for another 10 minutes. (20 minutes total cook time)

Gingersnap Cookies

As promised, I'm making gingersnaps and I found this recipe online at Allrecipes.com and really wanted to try it. They taste yummy and I'm bringing some into work to share with my co-workers, along with some chocolate chip cocoa cookies too.
Enjoy the recipe and follow the link at the end to see it in it's original form.


Ingredients:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup cinnamon sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly, and sift a second time into another bowl.

3) Place the shortening into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the egg, and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the shortening mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture, and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

4) Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.




Here is the original recipe on Allrecipes.com
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Gingersnap-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Baking vs. Cooking

BAKE |bāk|
verb [ trans. ]
1 cook (food) by dry heat without direct exposure to a flame, typically in an oven or on a hot surface : they bake their own bread and cakes | [with two objs. ] I baked him a cake for his birthday | [as adj. ] ( baked) baked apples.
• [ intrans. ] (of food) be cooked in such a way : the bread was baking on hot stones.

COOK |koŏk|
verb
1 [ trans. ] prepare (food, a dish, or a meal) by combining and heating the ingredients in various ways : shall I cook dinner tonight? | [ intrans. ] I told you I could cook | [as adj. ] ( cooked) a cooked breakfast.

Enchilada Casserole

Been wanting enchiladas for a while now, and decided to make a casserole. This is an easy recipe.

Ingredients:
3 whole wheat tortillas
1 whole pre-cooked chicken
1 small can of sliced olives
1 small can of corn
1 medium can of salsa verde
3 cups of cheese (or amount to liking)

Directions:
1) In a medium casserole pan place one tortilla on the bottom and pour 1/3 can of salsa verde evenly on tortilla. Top with 1/2 of chicken pieces (I like to pick up a pre-cooked chicken from Albertsons or Ralphs, then cut it up into small pieces), 1/3 cheese, 1/2 corn and 1/2 olives. Layer and repeat. Third and last layer will only have tortilla, salsa verde and cheese.












2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Challah

Challah is a braided egg bread that is popular during the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana). My husband has been making Challah since he was young and this year I finally really helped make it in hopes to learn how it's made properly. It's very yummy and goes great with garlic butter.

If you follow the steps carefully (especially the temperatures) you should be able to produce a great Challah as well.

Ingredients:
1 pkg dry active yeast
1 1/4 c water (115-120 degrees)
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 eggs
2-3 drops yellow food coloring
4 1/2 c flour
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp water

Directions:
1) Turn on oven to 200 degrees for less than 1 minute. Place a small towel folded in the middle of the oven and lay your thermometer gauge on top of it. You want to make sure the temperature of the oven is between 80-90 degrees. If it's over, just leave the oven door open. It's important to start this first because it might be tricky to get it the perfect temp.

2) Heat up 1 1/4 c water to between 115-120 degrees. I try to get it about 117. Once it's that temperature combine the hot water with salt, sugar, and oil, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Next add the yeast until dissolved. Let this mixture sit for about 3 minutes. Add the 2 eggs and food coloring.

3) Mix in with a wooden spoon 4 1/2 cups of floor. Add each cup separately and mix until it's creamy, repeat until you have about 4 1/2 cups in to form the dough. Put the dough on a large board or mat and sprinkle on extra flour when nessesary as you knead the dough. Work dough until smooth and elastic (approx 5 minutes).

4) Form the dough into a ball shape and place it in a greased large bowl. Cover with a dish towel and put in the oven at 80-90 degrees to rise until doubled, approx 90 minutes.

5) Put the dough on a cleaned mat and punch it down. Divide into 4 equal parts (I cut it in half, then those pieces in half with a large knife). Form these sections into strands about 21 inches long. Place them parallel to each other, then pinch the ends together at the top, then braid. To braid, you pick up strand on the left and bring it over the next one, under third and over fourth. Repeate until braided and pinch the end.

6) Place the braided dough on a cooking sheet that has foil on it. Place this in the oven and let rise until doubled (at 80-90 degrees again) for about 60 minutes.

7) Last step, in a small bowl mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp of water. Take out your braided dough and brush on the mixture, get in all the cracks on around the bottom edges. Top with poppy seeds. Pop this back in the oven and bake at 325 degrees for approx. 30-35 minutes.

Sounds like a lot of steps, and yes it is intimidating the first time, but once you get the hang of it you'll want to make it again and again. It's so tasty.

Dinner Tonight

Tri-Tip with a seasoning of Worcestershire, garlic salt and rosemary, paired with a baked potato and zucchini puts me in a happy place for hours.

Thanks to my husband for the wonderful steak, it was the BEST ever.

Chocolate Chip Cocoa Cookies

I've been wanting to make some cookies and when I found out I didn't have enough ingredients for the gingersnap cookies I wanted to bake, I settled on an old time favorite. I decided to follow the directions on the back of the semi-sweet chocolate chip bad and added some extra cocoa powder. I just made a 1/2 batch which made about 2 dozen cookies, just enough for a few for dessert and to fill up my cookie jar. Below is the recipe for 1/2 batch.

Ingredients
1 1/4 c white all-purpose flour
1/2 c light brown sugar (packed)
1/4 c white sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c butter
1 egg
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together ingredients except the chocolate chips. Add the chocolate chips last and mix in. On an ungreased pan place 8 spoonfuls of the mix, place in the oven. Bake for approx 10-11 minutes.

Stay posted next week for the gingersnap cookies.

Wild About Wild Rice

My favorite type of rice hands-down is wild rice. I love Trader Joes Wild Rice, and a strong second is Rice A Roni. I never thought I would like the Rice A Roni kinda, but I usually get a good deal at Albertsons for $1.50/box, which is good for two people and I always have a little left over for another night. The Trader Joes brand is actually Basmati & Wild Rice and it runs about $3.50, and since I don't get to TJ's that often I get a box or two when I go for the cupboard. I do try to be cost effective and therefore only get the TJ's brand once and a while.

The best pairing for wild rice for me is grilled salmon and zucchini... yum! Tonight I bought 1/2 lb of precooked shrimp, cooked it up with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 garlic cloves. I served this on top of Rice A Roni Wild Rice and a side of steamed zucchini.

Shrimp is usually a once a week staple for us. My husband loves beef, so I try to limit our beef to twice a week, usually some sort of yummy steak over the weekend, and either leftovers from that during the next week or a lean ground beef. I fill in the other days with chicken, shrimp, and salmon.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

So easy to make in a pinch and it's great for left over lunch.

Ingredients
2 cans tuna
1 cup macaroni noodles (dry)
1 tbsp mayo
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup bread crumbs
Lemon juice (to taste)
Tabasco sauce (to taste)
Garlic Salt (to taste)

Directions
1. Fill medium sauce pan with 2/3 full of water, bring to boil. Add pasta noodles, reduce heat to low and cook for 12 minutes.

2. In a small bowl mix together tuna (drain water), mayo, a few squirts of lemon juice, and 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce.

3. Grate cheese and preheat oven to 375º

4. Drain pasta and add it to the tuna, mix together.

5. In a casserole dish, layer in half of the tuna and pasta mixture. Top with half cheddar and half parmesan. Sprinkle a light layer of garlic salt. Repeat this to fill the casserole dish. Top entire dish with a layer of bread crumbs.

6. Cover with lid and bake for 25 minutes at 375º.

Notes
Serves approx 4-6 people. You can add a vegetable like small peas or chopped carrots.

Kikkoman Roasted Garlic & Herb Marinade

This is a must in the kitchen. My husband and I love to grill and we happened upon this Kikkoman seasoning in the store, it's called Roasted Garlic & Herb marinade. It's awesome for veggie kabobs, chicken, steak, and my new favorite sauteeing it with shrimp and broccoli. The marinade is usually about $3.50 in the store.

Here is a little recipe I whipped up on my own:

Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown rice

1 3/4 c water

1/2 lb of precooked shrimp

1 crown of broccoli

4 tbsp Kikkoman marinade

1 garlic clove (minced)

2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Cook rice as directed on the box. Usually 1 3/4 cup of rice and 1 cup rice. Bring to boil. Then set flame to low and cook approx 15 minutes or until water is cooked through.

2. Take off the tails of the shrimp and cut up broccoli into small pieces.

3. In a large pan set flame to medium and add olive oil. Try to coat the entire pan. Add in shrimp and garlic.

4. Cook for about 3 minutes turning the shrimp occasionally. Then add in the Kikkoman marinade and then the broccoli. Keep turning the ingredients and adjust the flame temp accordingly until the rice is complete.

5. Toss together in a large bowl and serve.

First kitchen...

I thought I'd start to blog about my cooking adventures as a newlywed. I'm 26 and got married this past May and I'm still learning the tricks of being a good cook. There is so much to learn, and it's actually a lot of fun trying out new recipes and creating new ones from scratch. It can be a challenge because my husband can be kind of picky at times, but that just means I have to get creative.

I have a new house and a new kitchen (well kinda new, needs some updating... it's new to me) and a new husband try out my new culinary delights. So, here we go....