Healthier Boneless Chicken Wings

Sorry for the lack of recipes, my sister finally had her baby, and we had to go visit, and then of course we got a little lazy. She is so adorable, and easy going (from what we witnessed). So excited to be an aunt! She is going to be a spoiled little girl!

Aside from the major life event, we have started cooking again. I didn't post my beef soup recipe that I made with the leftover juices from our BBQ ribs, but I don't really have a recipe, because I just went all out and kept adding things without keeping track of what really went in. I just went with what I thought tasted right. And lots of veggies and cubed steak! With one missing recipe, here is a good one to make up for it. We actually found inspiration from another blog: www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/09/25/oven-fried-homemade-chicken-nuggets-and-boneless-buffalo-wings/

So a thank you goes out to this blogger for inspiration, we only changed her recipe a little to fit what we could find at the store, and what was around the house. Our sauce on the other hand, we like to play around with a bit.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts
1 Bottle Frank's Red Hot Sauce
2-4 cups panko bread crumbs
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (divided)
2 teaspoons onion powder (divided)
2 teaspoons garlic powder (divided) + pinch for the sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt + pinch for the sauce
2 teaspoons cumin (divided)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper (divided) + extra for sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice
3 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup spicy bloody mary mix (weird I know)
1 large jalapeno

Here's how to put it together:

Chicken Prep:

Add the yogurt, and 1 teaspoon of cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and cumin to a gallon freezer bag. Also add half of the black pepper. Close the bag and mix it together with your hands until it looks evenly mixed. Be careful not to eat any when you open it, it smells like it has the makings for a pretty delicious chip dip!

Cube your chicken equally so they cook evenly. Put your chicken cubes into the bag, seal, and mash them all together to get them all evenly covered. Put them in the fridge to sit for 30 minutes. While you are waiting, prep your sauce and panko breading.

Breading:

In a pie pan, or shallow bowl, add your bread crumbs, and the remainder of your seasonings. Mix evenly with your favorite utensil. (I used my hands!)

Pre-heat your oven to 350. When 30 minutes are up, press your nuggets into the bread crumbs to cover and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Leave at least 1/2 inch between each piece for even cooking. Bake until golden brown. Well, as "golden" as panko can get. Ours were more of a "whitish gold." Ours took 20 minutes.

Sauce:

In a food processor, pour the whole bottle of Frank's Red Hot, your maple syrup, agave nectar, lime juice, spicy bloody mary mix, melted butter, and jalapeno. Blend until all chunks are gone. Add remaining seasonings to taste.

Spin your finished nuggets in your sauce, add some bleu cheese dipping sauce, and enjoy! If you have celery, it doesn't hurt to have as a side dish to help with some of that spiciness. If you have tried any of our previous recipes, you know they will be spicy!

Spicy BBQ Ribs Continued

What else did we do with our leftovers? Probably the most obvious option, BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches! We took the remainder of our shredded pork, tossed it in our favorite BBQ sauce (Stubb's Spicy BBQ) and put it on croissants. But we couldn't just make them that simple. We made homemade onion rings in our fryer with a beer batter mix, which I am unsure of what type it was, but any will do. We then layered the onion rings on top, the covered those with a slice of cheddar cheese. Popped them in the oven at 350 for around 20 minutes, and voila!

Since we had the fryer heated, and we are obsessed with our new mandolin which we got for Christmas, we had to make tiny french fries with our baby reds. Not the healthiest of meals, but a satisfying option for leftovers.







Here is the final product:

Spicy Green Curry

You may notice this trend quickly, so I will go ahead and point it out, we love spicy food. A month or so ago we had heard that the Sriracha plant had closed temporarily (hopefully) but we weren't too worried about stocking up and we still had half a bottle at home. Well, last week at work, Shawn heard a rumor that bottles of Sriracha were selling on EBay for some high prices, and that all of the stores were running out. So what did we do? Panicked. Instead of looking into the rumors, we headed to one of the Asian markets, because who would look there? Of course the grocery stores would run out first! And when the first one we checked didn't have any, that made us a little more nervous. Once we made it to the Asian market, we decided to explore a little and see if there was anything else we could use. Well we found the inspiration for our latest creation...green curry paste! Here's how we did it:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Firm Tofu
2-3 Tbs Coconut Oil
1-2 Tbs Soybean Oil Mixed with Sesame Oil
1/4-1/2 cup Green Curry Paste
1 tsp Chopped Basil
1-2 tsp Red Chili Flakes
1 cup Sliced Mushrooms
2 stalks Sliced Celery
1.5 Sweet Onions
2 cups Peas
3-4 Cups Spinach or Kale

Fried Tofu:

In a wok, melt enough coconut oil to cover the bottom. I probably used 2-3 tablespoons. Heat the oil, then add your pieces of tofu however you prefer to cut them. I did triangles, even though most of them fell apart into chunks when I mixed them into the curry sauce. Next time I will use firm tofu instead of sauce. Anyways, fry the pieces until they are golden brown on each side and set aside on a paper towel to absorb the oil.

Curry Sauce and Vegetables:

1. Pour out remaining coconut oil. Dispose of it however you prefer, you won't be using it again. It does solidify at room temperature, so you may not want to pour it down the drain.
2. Pour 1-2 tablespoons sesame mixed with soybean oil. The recipe on the side of the curry paste recommended soybean oil, but all we could find was the mix, and it turned out wonderfully. 
3. To the oil, mix 1/4-1/2 cut green curry paste depending on how powerful you want it to be. We probably used closer to 1/4 cup, and next time I will probably go closer to 1/2 cup.
4. Heat and mix them together to make more of a sauce so the paste is no longer chunky.
5. Add half cup of coconut milk and continue cooking on low.
6. Chop onions, mushrooms, and celery and add them to the sauce with peas and spinach or kale (we used a mix).
7. Mix in with the sauce and add the remainder of the coconut milk, with a quarter can of water. Add 1 teaspoonful chopped basil, 1-2 teaspoonfuls red chili flakes (to your heat preferences), and some salt and pepper to taste.
8. Cover and let simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes or until all vegetables are soft and fully cooked.
9. Add in the tofu, mix, and let sit uncovered for 5-10 minutes to rewarm tofu and cook off some excess liquid.
10. Serve over rice or noodles and enjoy!

Spicy BBQ Ribs

This weekend I finally had a Saturday off work, so we decided our dinner could have a more time consuming prep. What did we decide on? RIBS. How did we decide on that? We passed some awesome looking ribs at Costco and had to buy them. So we dug through for the smallest pack we could find, because we were only cooking for the two of us. Smallest size at Costco...just short of 5 lbs. That's a lot of pork. After 6.5 hours of preparation, they were fantastic. So tender, they fell right of the bone and melted in your mouth. Here's how we made them:

In the crock pot:

Rack of Pork Ribs

2-3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon San-J Brand Sweet and Tangy Sauce

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

1 full chopped sweet onion

Cover with lid, and cook for 6 hours on high setting. Do NOT open the lid. They will smell delicious, and it will be tempting, but DON'T do it! You will be glad you didn't when they are finished.

In the oven:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove ribs from crock pot and place on baking sheet, or in any pan you think they will fit nicely in depending on how big your ribs are. The pan choice isn't really important, we just had a baking sheet sitting cleaned in the drying rack, so we went with that. Smother your ribs in your favorite BBQ sauce (our favorite being Stubb's Spicy BBQ Sauce). Bake for 20 minutes. Then, enjoy! 

What did we do with the delicious au jus left over in the crock pot? Saved it for soup stock. If it turns out, we will post our recipe. It I don't forget of course. I don't seem to be the most reliable blogger so far, but I'm working on it.

And the leftover pork? Of course there were leftovers, the two of us couldn't take down 5 lbs of ribs in one sitting! The next morning after yoga, we warmed up the pork, made some scrambled eggs with onions and jalapenos, and made pork breakfast tacos. Very easy and satisfying breakfast. Sorry, we were too hungry to think of taking pictures of these bad boys. Also, we still have enough leftovers for sandwiches, or something undetermined.

1. Saute your onions and jalapenos with some salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper and olive oil.
2. Add your eggs and scramble together.
3. While doing 1 and 2, warm your leftover pork.
4. Warm your tortillas if you prefer them warm. (We definitely do!)
5. Plate your tacos with eggs and pork.
6. Add shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream (we prefer Greek yogurt to sour cream, but that one is up to you).

Jalapeno Moscow Mules

So, once again, I have fallen off the blogging train. After thinking about it, only slightly, I have decided to change my aim a little. How am I surviving pharmacy school? I have an awesome boyfriend, who shares my love of cooking and trying new things, while taking over when I get too swamped with school and work. So here is the first of what (cross your fingers) will be many of our own recipes and some fun little tricks for people on the go.

Jalapeno Moscow Mules

Vodka Infusion:

1.75L Vodka (we used Svedka, but it doesn't really matter)
1 good sized jalapeno
Slice the jalapeno lengthwise and drop it in the bottle. Let it sit overnight, and presto! You have delicious spicy jalapeno infused vodka! Couldn't be much easier. If you like it spicy, leave the seeds, if not, clean them out first.

Moscow Mule:

1-2 shots of jalapeno vodka
1 shot lime juice
plenty of ice
Fill your copper mule mug (or other glass) with ginger beer
g
arnish with slice of lime

I hope I have made this pretty foolproof for you. So delicious, you will want to make them all of the time!

New Direction; Apologies for the Previous Lameness

Ok, so I had come to the realization, quite some time ago, that my blog was pathetic. It had no vision, and lets face it, the year spent living with my parents was not by any means worth reading about. So, I stopped writing, forgot I had a blog, and now, much much later, realized I have a blog, and should do something with it.

I am in the final stretch of my first year of pharmacy school. Had I blogged about my admissions process, I may have had some interested readers. But, I didn't. I could have blogged about transitioning into a graduate school program. But, I didn't. I have left my page dormant, and now it is time to get things moving again. I am unsure of what direction I am going to take, but my life is very much different from when I last posted.

1. I am in a completely different town. (Still in Iowa)
2. I am a P1 student at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
3. I live with my wonderful boyfriend, and our amazing dog, both of whom were not in my life as of my last posting.

Only 3 big changes I can come up with, but hey, at least I don't live with my parents anymore ;)

So what is the biggest thing happening for me right now? I just spent my entire day trying to teach myself about antibiotics and feel like I have only absorbed about 1/3 of the material for my exam tomorrow afternoon. You may think, antibiotics? Not to bad. Well let me break down the complexity of antibiotics briefly:

We are focusing on 3 broad mechanisms for action. Within those 3 sections, there are several classes. Within each class, there are many specific drugs, some with several generations dividing them even further. Every class has its own specific way of working, its own ways of building resistance in the bacteria it is meant to deplete, and several ways of being toxic to our bodies.

So, I got to spend a lovely, 70 degree, sunny day, sitting inside at my desk studying with one major thought in mind... Only 3 weeks until summer vacation. What then? Work full time, rotation in Colorado, and maybe a little extra vacation we are in the early stages of planning. Any suggestions?

Long Time No Blog

Well, it has been over a month since my last entry. Apparently blogging has not been a priority. Things have been quite busy in the meantime. Mary's wedding was a blast. I had such a great time, and am so glad I was able to share in such a special moment. I wish them all the happiness in the world.

Work has been brutal. People have been yelling at me for a couple months now, and its all starting to take its toll. It has been subsiding now that I am trained a little better. But, as with any job, you will always have a few cranks in the bunch. With Thanksgiving coming up, I must admit that I am thankful to at least have a job in this tough economic climate. I will be running the Turkey Trot with some family and friends this Thursday. GOBBLE GOBBLE. We were going to do costumes, but as is life, we were too busy to get it together. Regardless it will be a good time, and a great workout to prep for some holiday feasting.

I have submitted my pharmacy school applications, and all I can do now is wait and pray that the admissions committees like what they see. The deadline is Dec. 1 so hopefully I will hear something soon after. I have been getting quite nervous though. I have been looking for back up plans and have found some extremely interesting graduate programs that I would be happy to apply for if I was not offered a spot in one of my pharmacy schools. But, lets cross our fingers that I don't have to worry about that.

Living at home has been a bit lonely, I haven't had time to make friends like I thought I would. I have made a few, but haven't really had time to get out with them. I guess its probably for the best if I will be moving in August, but I really miss my old life and my friends that go along with it. We keep i touch, but I cant wait to head out to Colorado in a couple months and see everyone again. Hopefully my next entry wont be so far from now, but what can I say? I'm a busy girl!