One of my favorite Chinese seafood dishes is Salted Pepper Shrimp, we used to order it every time we dined at a Chinese restaurant. Since I found a recipe for it we can enjoy it at home. I modified it to fit our tastes and I think made it a bit simpler to make. Served over steamed white rice it’s yummy!
Ingredients:
1 lb. Medium to Large shrimp – peeled and deveined
1 tbls. sea salt
1/2 cup corn starch
2 tbls. ground white pepper
2 tbls. ground black pepper
1 tbls. garlic powder
3 tbls. chopped green onions
2 tbls. minced garlic
1/4 + cup peanut oil
Directions:
Place shrimp in a small bowl and cover with warm water
Add sea salt and let soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour
In a shallow bowl mix together corn starch, 1 tbls. each of white and black peppers, and garlic powder
Drain shrimp and lightly pat dry with a paper towel
Heat peanut oil in wok or large frying pan on medium heat until hot
Coat each shrimp in cornstarch mixture and place in wok
Cook until shrimp turns pink – turn halfway for even cooking – you may need to add more peanut oil if it gets too dry
Place cooked shrimp on paper towel to drain – Do not turn stove off
If pan is dry add a tbls. more peanut oil – add mince garlic and stir until it starts turning golden
Add fried shrimp back into pan
Add chopped green onions and stir til green onions turn bright green and starts to soften
One of my favorite dishes is Chicken Marsala. I’ve tried many different recipes in my quest for the perfect one; tweaking each one until it was just right.
Here is the recipe I use and my family loves it. The sauce in this version is thicker and creamier than other versions due to the heavy cream and corn starch. If you want a thinner sauce please read the notes at the end to see what ingredients can be omitted or substituted.
This recipe is very easy to make and should be served soon after cooking. Left overs can be refrigerated, in fact it tastes even better the next day!
I serve Chicken Marsala with garlic mashed potatoes or my cousin’s “poor man’s pasta” the recipe for that is at the bottom of this post.
The Best Chicken Marsala Ingredients: 1 lb. mushrooms
4 tbls. butter
2 tbls. minced garlic
1 cup Marsala wine
1 tsp. corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, pounded to 1″ thickness
2 tbls. olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. ground sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh parsley chopped
Directions:
1. Wash mushrooms and pat dry. Slice into thin slices.
2. Melt 2 tbls. butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and wine to the mushrooms. Lower heat and gently simmer until wine reduces, about 15 minutes.
4. Add cream, corn starch, and sea salt. It should thicken slightly. If it’s too thick add more wine to desired consistency, but not more than another 1/2 cup. Set aside. *
5. Combine flour, ground sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl.
6. Heat oil and 2 tbls. butter in a skillet over medium heat.
7. Toss chicken tenders in flour; shake off excess; fry in olive oil/butter until cooked thru and is golden brown.
8. Pour Marsala sauce over chicken. Add cherry tomatoes. Simmer until tomatoes are soft, but not mushy.
9. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
* For thinner sauce OMIT heavy cream and corn starch in step 4. Add salt and set aside. Cook chicken as directed. In step 9 BEFORE you sprinkle with parsley stir in 2 more tbls. butter, stir until butter melts. Sprinkle with parsley.
Poor Man’s Pasta Ingredients: 1 lb. Pasta
3 tbls. butter
1/4 shredded fresh parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook pasta as directed on box.
2. Drain pasta.
3. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
4. Add cooked pasta. Toss in butter until pasta is covered.
5. Add parmesan cheese. Toss pasta until cheese is evenly distributed.
Wash mushrooms and pat dry. Slice into thin slices.
Melt 2 tbls. butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes.
Add garlic and wine to the mushrooms. Lower heat and gently simmer until wine reduces, about 15 minutes.
Add cream, corn starch, and sea salt. It should thicken slightly. If it's too thick add more wine to desired consistency, but not more than another 1/2 cup. Set aside.
Combine flour, ground sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl.
Heat oil and 2 tbls. butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Toss chicken tenders in flour; shake off excess; fry in olive oil/butter until cooked thru and is golden brown.
Pour Marsala sauce over chicken. Add cherry tomatoes. Simmer until tomatoes are soft, but not mushy.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Poor Man's Pasta
Cook pasta as directed on box.
Drain pasta.
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
Add cooked pasta. Toss in butter until pasta is covered.
Add parmesan cheese. Toss pasta until cheese is evenly distributed.
Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
For thinner sauce OMIT heavy cream and corn starch in step 4. Add salt and set aside. Cook chicken as directed. In step 9 BEFORE you sprinkle with parsley stir in 2 more tbls. butter, stir until butter melts. Sprinkle with parsley.
Lumpiang Sariwa or Fresh Spring Rolls is an unfried version of the popular fried Lumpia. Lumpiang Sariwa is traditionally called “fresh” not because it’s a raw but because it’s not fried like its counterpart the fried lumpia.
In the Philippines Lumpiang Sariwa can be served as an appetizer, snack or dessert. It is served during many occasions; Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and specially During Fiesta Season.
Fresh Lumpia has three parts, the filling, the wrapper, and the sauce. The filling usually has pieces of fried pork or shrimp but you could replace them with fried tofu or tempeh (deep fried fermented soy beans from Indonesia), and you can choose some of your favorite vegetables cut in small pieces. The wrapper is a simple thin crepe, and the sauce is a thick sweet-savory cream. Combined together, they make one delicious dish that is a party in your mouth.
Fusion Cuisine has become very popular lately. Top restaurants and chefs tout their newest creations which is usually 2 or more types of cuisine and cooking traditions combined to create a “fused” dish. Some are actually delicious like my favorite LA street food, Korean Beef Tacos; other combinations I’m not so sure about like Sweet and Sour Chicken Pizza. I love pizza, but I like to keep it simple, the topping of Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken was interesting at best. I’m sure there are fans of it out there, I’m still uncommitted.
Recently our family headed to Chili’s for a quick meal, it had to be quick the 19 month old twins were with us! My favorite dish at Chili’s is their fried shrimp tacos. I was so disappointed when I ordered the tacos and got tiny shrimp that was marinated in some Tex-Mex concoction and thrown in a corn tortilla. When I asked our server what happened to the “good” shrimp tacos I was informed that it had been changed to this new version. Good thing I ordered a taco trio and was able to enjoy the Prime Rib tacos. But I went home determined to create my own version of a crispy shrimp taco.
I came up with this delicious taco! I adapted my Salt & Pepper Shrimp recipe (Asian Fried Shrimp) and used that to fill fresh white corn tacos. Garnished with shredded cheddar, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream it was super yummy! In fact we liked it better than Chili’s old shrimp tacos!
These Crispy Salted Pepper Shrimp Tacos have just the right flavor and the perfect crunch that complements the white corn tortilla. It has become a new family favorite and I’m so excited to share it with you!
Ingredients:
Makes 4 tacos
12 Jumbo Shrimp
1 Tsp. Sea Salt
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Corn Starch
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Ground White Pepper
Oil for frying
4 White corn tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream
Directions:
Peel and de-vein shrimp.
Butterfly the shrimp by lightly slicing the back about 1/4 of the way thru.
Dissolve salt in water and soak the shrimp in it for 15 minutes.
Mix garlic, pepper, and corn starch together.
Pour 1″ of oil in frying pan and heat.
Drain shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel.
Roll shrimp in corn starch mixture.
Fry shrimp until the coating turns golden and shrimp is pink.
I think everyone knows that we share our home with a very spoiled and finicky almost 2 year old Siberian Husky named Cannoli. For the last few months we’ve been trying to put some weight on her. This has proven to be a difficult task, not only is she finicky, she’s very active too!
We’ve tried everything to get her to eat her dog food, including switching brands from Merrick, to Blue Wilderness, and now to Solid Gold. All very good dog food, and all on the high end of the spectrum as far as dog food costs. We’ve tried both wet and dry food, and a mixture of both, not to mention a variety of flavors. Nothing seems to work, she turns her nose up at them. In desperation we tried Blue Wilderness Dog Food Toppers. She liked those and picked the toppers out of the dry food. But she can’t live, much less gain weight on toppers alone.
Toppers are meant to make dry food more appealing, they come in small 3 oz. packets which cost almost $2 each. If I had to feed her just toppers, she’d need almost 6 packets a feeding, and she gets 2 feedings a day, that would cost over $20 a day!
Then I noticed the toppers looked like meat cubes in gravy. After discussions with our trainer and breeder we decided that homemade toppers would work. The toppers aren’t meant as a meal, just about 1/4 cup added to her dry food should work. So I started making her toppers and she loves it! It’s even gotten her to eat the dry food mixed in with it!
Last month I made her beef toppers in my crockpot, it was so easy! This month I made her Chicken N’ Gravy Dog Food Topper and she loves it too!
Since it was chicken I didn’t make it in the crockpot, I didn’t want the chicken to get too soft and mushy, she doesn’t do mushy! I told you she’s finicky! I basically stir fried chicken cubes, added some mixed veggies and low sodium chicken broth. I thickened the broth with a bit of corn starch and voila a new topper for Cannoli.
I make a large pot of toppers, put them in freezer safe containers, and thaw them as needed. One recipe lasts a month, best of all it cost lest than $10!
I must add that this recipe is for dog food toppers. It is not meant to replace dog food. Dogs need the balanced nutrients in commercial dog food. However if you want to make your pet homemade dog food you sure can. But before you rush to the kitchen to cook up a batch please do your research, there are many recipes out there. You may also have to give your pet vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for the nutrients homemade dog food may me lacking. Better yet consult your vet before you switch completely from commercial to homemade dog food, he or she will be able to tell you what nutrients are best for your dog.
Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe for Adult Dogs with Bison 22 lb. Bag $64.99
I also have to add that I know it’s tempting to give your pet left over stews but don’t! Most of us season our stews with onions and garlic, these ingredients are toxic to your pet. That’s why I cook for Cannoli, her food is unseasoned and definitely don’t contain onions and garlic. Before you cook anything for you dog check the list of human foods that are toxic to pets so you can avoid them.
Having said that here’s my recipe!
Ingredients:
1 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins, chopped into small cubes
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Can Organic Mixed Vegetables – make sure it has no onions, garlic, or other ingredients that aren’t dog friendly
1/4 Cup Water
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch
Directions:
Heat oil in pan.
Add chicken cubes and cook until done.
Add mixed veggies and broth.
Let simmer about 5 minutes.
Dissolve corn starch in water.
Stir into chicken mixture to thicken.
Cook until broth is desired thickness, but no more than 10 minutes.
Let cool and transfer to freezer safe containers.
Thaw when ready to use and stir into dry food.
If you have a favorite recipe you like to make for your fur baby drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!
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I came up with this delicious taco! I adapted my 
Last month I made her 
