Mongolian Beef Ramen

 Since I was short of time and this week is a celebrations week at home, I did not want to eat out more than what we are already doing. SO I found this recipe and had all the ingredients and I made it. MMMM....it turned out to be super delicious

Mongolian Beef Ramen

Mongolian Beef Ramen Noodles

Ingredients

1. 4 packages instant ramen, flavor pack discarded
2. 1 tablespoon each of canola oil, sesame seed oil (optional)
3. 1 lb. sirloin steak, sliced against the grain. (I used Milanesa steak cut into long strips)
4. 2 tablespoon cornstarch
5. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6. 2 cloves garlic, minced
7. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
8. 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
9. 2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
10. 1 cup low-sodium chicken  broth
11. Pinch red pepper flakes
12. 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
13. 1 carrot, peeled and cut diagonally
14. 3 scallions, thinly sliced
15. Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Cook ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat canola oil. Toss beef with a pinch of salt and black pepper and cornstarch. Add to skillet and cook until seared about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add sesame oil to skillet and stir in garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute then add soy sauce, brown sugar, and broth. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add broccoli and carrots then cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Return beef to skillet and stir until completely coated in sauce. Stir in cooked ramen noodles and scallions. 

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Another great Ramen noodle recipe is Thai Peanut Ramen noodle .

The best recipe when you want a quick and wholesome lunch/dinner

Cherry Rhubarb squares

This week was the first week of school and my son's project was to try 3 new things which he never tried before. It gave me an opportunity to try something which I have been thinking of trying for a very long time...Rhubarb.

The Rhubarb I got was not crimson or red but was mostly green and about 1/3 of the bottom was a mix of red and green. But none the less I got it and made it into the cherry Rhubarb squares, which started flying off the baking sheet even before I could take a picture. It is great. Only thing is I used a little bit more cherries than in the recipes cause I had some leftover cherries getting close to their end of life

Cherry Rhubarb squares

Cherry Rhubarb squares

Ingredients:

For the Crust and Topping

1. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/2 cup finely ground pistachios
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 1 tsp. baking powder
5. 1/4 tsp. salt
6. Zest from 1 lemon
7. 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
8. 1 egg
9. 2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Filling

1. 2 stacks rhubarb sliced
2. 2 cups cherry halves (stemmed and pitted)
3. 1 tablespoon corn starch
4. Juice from 1/2 lemon

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. 
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add the butter, egg and vanilla extract. Mix them together to form a crumbly mixture. (I used 2 tablespoons whole mix as the mixture was very dry)
In a large bowl, toss together the rhubarb, cherries, corn starch and lemon juice. Set aside.
Transfer about two-thirds of the dough into your prepared 9x13 baking pan. Press it down firmly into an even layer. Then spread the fruit mixture in a single layer over top. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the fruit.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy with whipped cream or as is 

Pumpkin spice snowballs

I was searching for recipes for Christmas and I stumbled across this and the recipe is great. The taste is super delicious but the only issue I had is, my snow won't stick to the balls. Next time I will do more research and update the blog


Pumpkin spice snowballs 

Pumpkin spice snow balls

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ground or fresh grated ginger and allspice, salt

Preaheat oven to 375°.
Mix the butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla  until fluffy. Add flour, salt, and all the spices.
Scoop 1 heaped teaspoon dough and make it into a ball and place on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool for just a few minutes, until you can handle them.
Fill a small bowl with the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and roll each cookie in the sugar until coated. Place on a rack to cool.  (Once cookies are cooled, you may want to re-roll them in more powdered sugar.)
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to one month. (If you freeze them you’ll need to re-roll them in powdered sugar after defrosting.)