Introducing...the George Forman Grill!!!

So today, in anticipation of my move to New York, I bought myself a George Forman Grill to help expedite the time it takes for me to cook my meals. Plus, it's supposed to facilitate healthy cooking, so I decided to figure out what all the fuss was about. And I must say, I am in love with this gizmo.

The first meal I cooked with my George Forman Grill is: STEAK!!!

1) Remember, the first thing you want to do is drizzle some olive oil on the raw steaks and then sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper over the steaks. Then, rub them all over the steaks with your hands.

2) While you're doing that, preheat the George Forman Grill. Set it to its "MAX" setting, and once the yellow light goes off, then the grill is ready for use.

3) Place the steaks on the grill like a boss!

4) What I love about this grill is that it has this "patented slope" that allows all the grease to slope down and collect into a container.

* it's hard to see...but look at all that grease! GROOOSSS!!!

5) Allow the steaks to grill for about 6-10 minutes. Because the steaks were thin, I let them grill for 8 minutes.

6) After the steaks are done cooking, you're done! Woohooo!

* these are sooo delicious...and beautiful!

But wait...there's more! Seeing as I'm an always hungry boy, I decided to make some potato wedges!

* Remember...the brand I use is "Alexia"

1) Remove the contents from the bag and spread them out over the baking sheet. Then, place them into the oven for the amount of time stated on the back of the bag.

2) Remove the wedges from the oven...and guess what? That's it! Super duper easy!

* this is the finished product. soooo delicious!

Well, that's it for today. Stay tuned for what other exciting creations I come up with using the George Forman Grill

Quick and Easy Shrimp!

Howdy folks. I'm in a really good mood today...because I just won the Stanley Cup on NHL '12 for xbox! To celebrate my amazing feat, I've decided to make a new post! Today's dish is all about speed and efficiency....

QUICK AND EASY SHRIMP!!! 

Ingredients: 

Gorton's frozen grilled shrimp (their shrimp scampi is very good too)


1) This is the most complicated step. Follow package instructions.

2) Voila! It's done! Now to kick it up a notch, serve the shrimp with a bed of stir-fried (with garlic) Romaine Lettuce!!!

See? Simple, quick, efficient meals that take 10 minutes to cook. The best part is that it also tastes delicious. And I get my fiber and protein AND cholestrol intake for the day.

Yippee!!!!!

Spaghetti....evan-style!

Howdy folks! It's been awhile since I last updated this blog...so I do apologize. So what better way to make up for my indiscretions...than with a totally new blog? Yep...it's a brand spanking new blog, dedicated to the awesomeness that is spaghetti.

Ingredients: 

knock wurst and brat wurst chopped up in chunks, chopped up onion slices, 1lb fettuccine and roasted garlic spaghetti sauce, all from whole foods

cherry tomatoes for those who like them (I don't) and chopped scallions or leek

And now...for the exciting part:

1) Prepare fettuccine Al Dente as per package directions. Pasta cooked Al Dente means that its texture will be "firm but not hard." hehehe.... Meanwhile sautée the knock-bratwursts.

2) Drain fettuccine when ready and reserve for use

3) Sautée onions, garlic and tomatoes like a boss.

4) When the tomatoes are about to burst, add in the fettuccine. In addition, also add white wine.

* I use whatever I can find in the fridge...so today, I used this:

5) Then, add a tad of chicken broth to your concoction and finally stir in the knock-brat mixture. Toss until everything is all mixed up. Then, top it off with green onion!

 6) You're done! This is the final product:

Not gonna lie....this tastes amazing. I'm such a genius...and master of the kitchen! :) Till next time...

Coooooooorn....again + other stuff.

So my grandma and aunt are still in town, and I feel obligated to help my mom cook because she freaks out and cooks way tooo much everytime we entertain guests. Ergo, I am cooking my grilled corn-- making enough to feed an army-- grilled with chipotle sauce and garlic tobasco sauce and tons of olive oil. Recall: grill needs to be set to 350 degrees. This time, I boiled the corn somewhat, so grilling time is minimal. I am so creative!

Look at these sexy babies!!!

 

Finished product: 

So what else was for dinner tonight? 

Salmon! Specifically, my sake salmon! Same old same old, I know. 

 * the salmon in the oven...just a different angle. Thought it'd look pro. And it did.

So delicious. I love how crispy the skin turned out. 

Duuuck! 

I actually placed it in our handy dandy rotisserie machine....because that's what champs do. 

* this is the duck pre- rotisserie. 

 * duck while it's being cooked in the rotisserie machine. 

I cooked it for about 15 minutes. And boy, did it turn out delicious.

Yummy!

So I had a lot of fun cooking my first whole fish the other day...and I thought to myself "Evan, you really love eating whole fish. Why don't you cook yourself some more fish instead of only eating fish outside of the house?" Boy am I a smart guy sometimes.

I decided to follow my own advice...so today, I cooked
Fish with Delicious Black Bean Sauce 
I know the name isn't exactly eye popping or creative....but trust me. It's super delicious!

1) Buy yourself a whole fish. I ended up getting Tilapia...just because it was the only fish that the supermarket had today.

 * :( the fish is small.

2) Now it's time to marinate the fish. Add a tablespoon of shao hsing cooking rice wine, a big heaping tablespoon of wine, a bajillion scallions, and ginger!

* this reminds me of Gulliver's Travels...where the fish= Gulliver, and the scallions=the little village people who climb aboard Gulliver and scan his body when he first washes ashore their village.

3) Now... the recipe states to marinate the fish in the fridge for 20 minutes. I didn't. I marinated for one hour....why? Because the longer....the better. The longer you let the fish marinate...the more scrumptious it'll taste. Simple cooking 101. 

4) You can't rest just yet, however! While the fish is marinating, you need to prepare some sauces...like a boss! So in one bowl, mix 1 huge tablespoon of soy sauce, 2.5 huge tablespoons of aqua (water for you culturally ignorant people), and one huge tablespoon of shao hsing wine. Reserve this concoction for later use.

5) In another bowl, mix 2 giant tablespoons of black bean paste, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, and 2 gigantic tablespoon of olive oil.

* This is the hot sauce I used. It's magically delicious. I use it on everything now. It's called Black Bean Garlic Hot Sauce....I don't remember the company that makes it, but just look at this picture and buy a jar that looks exactly like this!

6) After the hour has elapsed, heat the concoction with the bean paste, hot sauce, and olive oil in a skillet. Then pour it on top of the fish. Then, microwave the fish on high for two minutes.

7) Afterwards, pour the other sauce on the fish. Then microwave it for 6 minutes.

8) Duuuuunzooo!!!! This is the finished product.

* It looks sooo delicious. I'm drooling and getting hungry again!



So, not only did I cook fish, but I decided I needed some meat in my diet today. Therefore, I also cooked a meat dish:

Cong Bao Niu Rou (Translation....Scallion Lovers Beef)
1) Buy pieces of flank steak...and cut them into strips as shown in the picture below. Then, pour soy sauce on the steak, as well as garlic and ginger. Then stir fry them. Also, cut the scallions into strips so they resemble the scallions in the picture below

2). Heat up a wok on the stove on its high setting. Pour the meat and scallions into the wok. Then, add a dollop of that delicious hot sauce onto the beef.

3) Stir fry it until a delicious aroma infiltrates your nostril. Yummm! When it looks cooked...or like the picture below, you're done!

My dinner was a delicious duo of meat and seafood. Wow did I do good today. Time to pat myself on the back. Till next time!

Holy Shiiiit!!!

It's been awhile!!! Holy smokes, I'm sorry. I've been very busy...and everytime I've cooked, I have forgotten to take pictures. But fear not...for today I cooked AND took pictures....yay me!

So my grandmother and aunt are in town, and my dad invited them over for dinner. I knew I had to push my limits and try something fancy, and that's exactly what I did!!! So be prepared to be impressed, wowed...and without further ado, I present:

Spicy Tofu Tilapia (creative...i know)

1) Buy a whole fresh tilapia from your Chinese supermarket...preferably one that's all gutted and cleaned. If not, then you'll hafta gut and clean the fish yourself...and lemme tell you...that's a very disgusting endeavor.
2) Rub the  fish with salt and olive oil. Be sure to really knead them into the fish to ensure that the fish'll be tasty.
3. Fry fish in a nonstick skillet until it's pretty brown on each side. Then, remove it from the skillet and put  it on a dish.

*seeexxy!

4)  Fry few pieces of ginger, 4 cloves of smashed garlic, and a whole bunch of scallions in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of hot bean paste. Add 8 oz of chopped soft tofu as well.

5) Then, pour it on top of the fish.

5. When you smell that oh so wonderful fragrance and see that the fish is all cooked (about 10 minutes), put this wonderful creation on a fancy platter. To up the wow factor, serve it over rice!


Delicious! Anyways, I gotta go do dishes now...so I gotta bounce. Peace!

Paaast Dinners

Hoooooowwwdddyyyy!!!! It's been a hectic week for me, so I haven't had time to cook everyday, and when I have cooked, I've forgotten to post them up! Aiyah!

Without further ado...here's what I've cooked this past week

This magnificent dish is called "niu rou mian!" Translation: beef noodle! It's really delicious...especially since I made it hehehe. It's the perfect blend of beefiness and spiciness. Plus, I added baby bak choy to give the dish some nutritional value. Niu rou mian is very popular in Taiwan...I believe....or so my daddy (who's Taiwanese) tells me. He's very smart....

The second dish is:

A medley of deliciousness.
To the left is Brown Rice with Mao Po Tofu! Yummy!
Center: A variation of my sexy-salmon-swimming-in-sake dish and Shake N' Bake's Dry Buffalo Styled Wings
Right: Stir-Fried Bean sprouts with leeks sprinkled within.

That was a scrumptious meal...and I left the table afterwards with a ginormous food baby. Getting pregnant of deliciousness....no big deal!

Until the next time....keep it real

My Football Dinner!!!

The Texas Rangers are returning to the World Series as the Reigning American League Champions!!! And the Stars won last night 4-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Unfortunately, the Cowboys could not get the job done against the New England Patriots. Good thing I had my delicious dinner to distract me from the tragedy that is Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys!

Ingredients:

Pre-marinated chicken breasts from Albertson's, Romaine leaves

Alexia oven fries -- yummy! So delicious!

1) The chicken is to be served over "wilted Romaine." So we first prepare the latter. Basically, add olive oil and lots of garlic to your wok and stir fry the heck out of the Romaine leaves-- oh, add salt and pepper. Afterwards, place them aside

 * this picture turns me on. The leaves look soo crisp, and I love how the garlic's artfully scattered along the wok.

2) To prepare the chicken breasts: preheat olive oil on a high setting in a fancy skillet. Then, add breasts skin side down.

 * make sure your chicken looks like the one in this image!

3) Next, put aluminum foil over chicken and put another heavy skillet on top-- or if you have a fancy skillet cover (heavy!) like me, put it on top. Cool for about 5 minutes .
Then flip the chicken over and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.  This step will help tone your arms and gain strength! GRRRR!!!

* This looks like a panini maker. Or a modern day ufo.

4) So, after cooking the fries according to package directions and making extra edamame, I served myself the yummy chicken over my wilted Romaine lettuce, with edamame  and the wonderful fries

* Jealous? I would be. I actually ate 2 of the chickens already before taking the picture. Oops!


I hope this makes your day even better...or brightens up your gloomy day. Either way, it should enhance your livelihood. Until manana....au revoir!

Wednesday's Dinner

Hello again! After yesterday's feast, I decided to take it easy and cook dishes I'm familiar with. Therefore, it won't be a picture fest...but hopefully it'll bring back some smiles as I regale ya'll with my past creations.

Can you guess what this is?

Ok, I'll tell you. It's my sexy salmon swimming in sake dish. It sits upon my homemade salad, complete with Wishbone Italian dressing, Edamame (so I can get my protein), and cilantro.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of my other dish today. It was Kroger's premade ribs (St. Louis style) and frozen fries. They were delicious. Hopefully, I'll remember to take a picture of everything I eat tomorrow...and not be a forgetful old man...because I do like to believe I'm still a young man.

Keep eating ya'll, and I will be back tomorrow!

Dong Po Rou!

I know! What is that gibberish in that title? Well, literally, it means Dong Po's Meat ;D.

*disclaimer: please leave your filthy minds somewhere else

It is a Huangzhou dish which is made by pan-frying and then red cooking pork belly. Red cooking is a slow braising cooking technique that imparts a red color on food.

So now it's STORY TIME!!!!
Dong Po Rou is named after the famous Chinese poet/writer Su Dongpo. Legend has it that while Su Dongpo was banished to Huangzhou, he made an improvement of the traditional process. He first braised the pork, added Chinese fermented wine and red cooked his pork. He  then slowly stewed it on a low heat setting. This dish was first launched in Huangzhou, then spread to Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, flourished, and then became one of Huangzhou's most famous dishes (yea, check Wikipedia).

Now that you're well educated on the history of this dish, I present to you MY VERSION of this classic dish.

Evan's Stupendous Dong Po Rou!!!! 

Ingredients:

2 small bunches of green onions, chopped up into 2 inch strips. (The recipe calls for 5 stalks of scallions, but y'all know me -- I love my green onions)

5 pieces of ginger -- smash them with your knife

1 1/3 cup of soy sauce -- I mix dark and light soy sauce -- my grandpa taught me about dark soy sauce. It brings the taste of soy sauce to a totally different stratosphere.

4 lbs of fatty "Berkshire pork" -- yes you will clog up your arteries, but you can make this an annual event, like me
(recipe calls for 1.3 lbs, but you know me again ...)

3/4 cups of wine -- I use whatever cooking wine I could find in the fridge. This particular brand is called "Shao Shing" wine

12 heaping tablespoons of sugar!!!

1) Boil a big pot of water. Once the water is done boiling, CAREFULLY dump the slabs of Berkshire pork into the water. I don't want anybody burning their hand off on account of my blog. I don't want that on my conscience.  Bring the pot to boil again. Boil all that fat off the pork for about 20 minutes

 2) After 20 to 30 mins, take the slabs of fatty pork out. Let them cool and then cut them into 1 centimeter strips.... Well I'm lazy so this looks more like 1 inch strips.
Now is the time to preheat your oven to 275 degrees. The recipe asks for you to simmer things over a hot stove for about 2 hours or so, and you have to watch over this process so nothing catches fire. Fuck that! I'm creative and lazy, so I decided to utilize my oven instead.

3) In a fancy wok or Dutch oven (it has to be something you can stick in an oven), heat the ginger and scallions using a medium- high heat.  when you smell the aromatic concoction, add in the fat pork strips and wine.  When the concoction starts to boil, add in soy sauce...(Whoops, I forgot to take a picture of one of the most important ingredients:  a bottle of dark Guinness beer, plus half a cup of water!), the beer and the water....when this new concoction boils again, lower the heat to medium. Then add sugar.

* A dutch oven is a thick-walled (usually cast iron) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. It is NOT the urban dictionary definition....

4) Then cover the Dutch oven and stick it in the oven, like so. Stick it in there for 2 hours or so, taking it out to stir the contents halfway through. Your house will smell so great, it will make your dogs salivate and bark....

*seeeecxxxxxaaaayyyyy!!!!

5) Once the 2 hours have elapsed, take out the Dutch oven, take a giant whiff of the delicious aroma, and celebrate. The dish is now complete!

* the finished product, complete with stir-fried romaine lettuce!!!

Yummy. I cooked myself a feast and must now indulge in the fruits of my labor. Toodles.