P Ladle's "Dakdoritang": Korean Spicy Chicken Stew

This is a pretty popular dish in our family. My mom used to make this for us when we were younger, and when I got married, I called her up one day and asked her for the recipe, but of course, she didn't really have a set recipe. Everything was a little bit of this, and that and stir and fry this and that, so I did just that. I experimented a lot over the last 7 years and I guess you can say this recipe is my own rendition of the "dakdoritang." It's spicy, sweet, and very very savory. Enjoy~

Ingredients:
 Chicken, a pack of this size.
 2 Potatoes
 1 Small piece of ginger
 4 cloves of garlic
 3 Scallions
 2 Carrots
 2 Onions

For the sauce: 

3 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, 

2 Tbsp Sesame oil, 

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar, 

2-3 Tbsp Korean Pepper Flakes, 

2 tsp Black pepper, 

2 tsp Salt, 

2 Tbsp Cooking Wine(mirin)

1/2 cup of water 

1.First, let's make the sauce:

Get all these ingredients into a bowl.

 Mix it together and set aside the sauce.

2. Let's prep the Chicken and the vegetables now.

Chop the potatoes, carrots and onions, and mince the ginger.

Mince the garlic. Ever use one of these? It's really convenient to use.

Chop the scallions.

3. Let's start cooking!

Heat the pot in medium heat, pour some cooking oil, then pour in the chicken, (I've already trimmed any excess fat and skin off and salted and peppered the chicken slightly. 

Don't use too much salt, just about a tsp.)

start browning the outside of the chicken. 

Throw in the minced ginger. 

(Putting ginger in now helps take away any stinky chicken smell out)

Close the pot and let it cook for about 5 minutes in medium heat.

Pour in the vegetables into the pot.

Stir and cook.

Close the pot and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Open the pot and pour the sauce in and stir and coat the chicken and vegetable well.

Cover and let it cook for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked.

Open up and pour the water in.

Cook and stir again.

Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes in low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

Watch the potatoes and carrots from sticking to the bottom. 

Stewing, Stewing, the flavors all Soaking... 

 Stewing, Stewing, the flavors all Soaking... 

( my little stewing song)

tick tock, tick tock....

 Add in the last ingredient, our scallions.

Stir in together, and turn the heat off. 

You are done!

Scoop yourself a bowl of rice and some kimchee. 

And voila~ 

Your meal is served!

All gone!

Hope you try it. 

Enjoy!

Strawberry Almond Tart

Recipe and Pictures by "Ms. Pie"

Ingredients are:

Crust:

• 36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets) Crust
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 teaspoons water
• Cooking spray

Filling:

• 2/3 cup light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Topping:

• 6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

Crust:

2.To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly.

3.Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist.

4.Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Filling:

5.To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.

Topping:

6.To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed.

7.Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat,

stirring with a whisk.

8.Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute.

Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

9.Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use).

Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Voila!

Note: You can use either an 8 x 12-inch rectangular pan or a 9-inch round tart pan. The recipe also works with a 9-inch springform pan and a 10-inch pie plate.

Stuffed Mushrooms- pics and post by P Ladle

On Saturday, I made stuffed mushrooms again using a recipe that a friend of mine shared with me when I was craving them one day on facebook. This is my second time making them, because I loved them so much last time. I went to the store to buy strawberries for my beach picnic with Nathan and Stephanie and saw that mushrooms were on sale for $1.99 a pack. So, I grabbed two packs, and as soon as I got home from the beach, I hurried into the kitchen and made these delightful, delicious treats! Give it a try. It's really simple.

Ingredients:

2 Packs of white button mushrooms

2 tbsp of olive oil or butter

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 small or 1 medium sized onions

pinch of salt

cooking wine or white wine

Directions:

1. Wash well, and pull off the bottoms. Don't discard the bottoms, but set aside to chop.

2. Chop 2 small onions, mushroom bottoms, and 2 cloves of garlic

3. add olive oil, a pinch of salt and sautee them in a non-stick pan

until mostly cooked.

4. In a bowl pour the cooked onions, garlic and mushroom bottoms. Add the bread crumbs with the cooking oil or white wine. Mix well, and begin stuffing the mushroom tops with mixture.

5. Cover them with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place them on a pan into the oven, 350 degrees. Cook 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese turns golden brown.

6. Let cool and pop 'em in your mouth!

Enjoy!