Smoked Salt & Pepper

There is a great Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant that is 24-7 called Tan Tan in Houston.  It's wrapped up in so many great childhood memories for me.  They have this one dish that we kids would occasionally order that is a weirdly amazing and umami spin on macaroni.  Ketchup-y stir fry with beef and macaroni.  When I was looking up recipes, I saw that in Vietnam they actually use macaroni made with rice (something Vietnamese people did to mimic the Italian noodles with what they had).  I was unable to get rice noodle macaroni, and made it with HEB Veggie Pasta Ridged Elbow pasta and it turned out pretty good. Nui Xao Bo, Vietnamese Macaroni Recipe adapted from  food52 Ingredients: 1 tsp. sesame oil 1 tbs. low sodium soy sauce 1 tsp. oyster sauce 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. powdered chicken bouillon 1 tsp. sugar 1 bunch green onion, sliced-white and greens separated 1 lb. thin cut ribeye, sliced across the grain into about 1/4" slices 2 garlic cl...

What's better than baguette, shrimp, celery mixtures smothered in mayonnaise and baked until golden and bubbly? I don't know either.  This appetizer was, and occasionally still is, on heavy rotation in my family.  I'm pretty sure mom learned it from a family-friend of ours during one of the epic get-togethers they used to have.  It seems totally disgusting once you know the ingredients, but believe me, this is delicious.  And vaguely '70's-esque.  Much of the cooking I learned before I started asking mom about her cooking and techniques (she is a "just watch and learn" kind of cook/teacher), was from this old Betty Crocker ring binder my mother had in her recipe book collection.  There were some pretty retro dishes in there, but the directions, ingredients, and instructions were all pretty easy and assessable for a young Christine.  You betcha I can make a mean omelette! For some reason, I feel like this shrimp toast would fit right in that Betty Crock...

Xoi Lap Xuong (Vietnamese Sweet Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage) Makes: enough for a party of >20 people Ingredients: 1.25 lb (about 3 cups and 2 tbs) of sweet rice ~ 6 lap xuong (Chinese sausage), thinly sliced on the bias 4 green onions, thinly sliced 1/4 c. vegetable oil salt  1/2 tsp. sugar Maggi seasoning about 1/2 c. thick-sliced Xa xiu (Chinese bbq pork) crispy fried onion for topping Directions: Rinse the rice until water is clear and then soak overnight in cold water. Arrange the rice in a doughnut shape into a large steamer Sprinkle a pinch of salt and steam for about 15-20 minutes, occasionally mixing and ensuring the lid does not accumulate a lot of water Slice the green onions and combine with oil in a small glass bowl.  Add sugar and salt to taste and microwave for 45 seconds.  Fry lap xuong in a large skillet or wok on medium high heat until almost cooked, then add to steaming xoi (rice) Once the xoi (rice) is cooked, add green oni...

So I've been M.I.A. for some time, but here I am again.  My eventual goal is to get back into AFBA.  I totally fell off the wagon when I had John in terms of my blogging.  I have had a few cooking and recipe group chats with friends and family and it re-awoken my passion for sharing my recipes.  Most of these recipes are just from my family and friends, so it's such an easy way for me to keep track and share the foods and recipes and cooking methods that have been shared with me. I hope you readers (mostly my friends and family members) enjoy them!

This meal has been on repeat since the start of COVID-19 stay-safe-at-home orders.  It's easy to throw together and is easily adjustable for whatever you have on hand.  I've used fresh pre-made ravioli, and have tried it with frozen ravioli.  My husband, my 3-year-old, and I will actually all eat and enjoy it. It goes great with red wine, per my sister. Super Easy Ravioli Lasagna Ingredients 2 cups diced roasted vegetables (I like an onion, a root vegetable, and/or hearty greens like kale or tomatoes)  You can use your imagination/whatever is in your pantry or freezer One 12 oz. packages of refrigerated ravioli One 24 oz. jar of marinara pasta sauce or stewed tomatoes 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese salt and pepper optional: 1 tbs. grated parmesan cheese and 1 tsp. dried oregano Directions Roast vegetables-Preheat oven to 425*F.  Toss vegetables with 1 tbs. olive oil and salt and pepper.  Roast on a pan for 20-25 minutes, t...

I have always been a little intimidated by making biscuits from scratch. And the biscuit mixes I've tried thus far have been lacking and gummy (Bisquik=bisyuck). Making some nice, yummy, country-style biscuits with flaky butter layers without resorting to 'pop'n fresh' containers has eluded me. Until I found this recipe from Chrissy Tiegan's Cravings cookbook. Equal parts delicious and non-fussy. I did do a few adjustments, such as make maple butter glaze instead and I don't generally keep buttermilk on hand so I make my own. Chrissy Tiegan's Cravings Pull-Apart Buttermilk Biscuits Ingredients: 1 1/2 c. whole milk 1 TBS and 2 tsp. white vinegar 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 3 cups plus 2 TBS. all purpose flour 1 TBS. baking powder 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda For maple butter glaze: 5 TBS. butter, 3 TBS maple syrup, 1 tsp. salt Directions: In a measuring cup, combine milk and white vinegar a...

A few months ago, heck, maybe a year ago, I bought some English muffins. I've never been a huge English muffin fan, but after experiencing gestational diabetes, I became much more aware of my carbohydrate intake. I made a goal for myself to try to finish a whole sleeve of English muffins before they molded or went bad. I'm really the only person in my household that eats much of a breakfast at home, so it was particularly challenging. Here are a few of the meals or combos or ideas I came up with. English muffin with 'Love'dip from Central Market.   English muffin with canned sardines in tomato sauce with pickled onions   English muffin breakfast sandwich with honey ham, backyard eggs, arugula, and mayonnaise.   English muffin raspberries, honey, and Greek yogurt     English muffin with fresh strawberries and condensed milk