Egg Drop Soup

Something so delicious shouldn't be this easy to make! I was surprised when it came out in just a few minutes. This is definitely my new "go to" soup that is quick, easy and something I will always have the ingredients for!

Basically you use 1 cup of broth and 1/2 an egg and 1/2 an egg yolk per person. The recipe below is what I came up with for just me and my hunny and had no leftovers. Check out the original recipe over at AllRecipes.com.

(I was almost finished with my bowl before I realized I forgot to take a picture!)

2 cup Chicken Broth (low sodium), divided
1/8 tsp ground Ginger
2 tbsp frozen Peas & Carrots (or 1 tbsp chives)
2 1/4-3 tsp Corn Starch
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
Soy Sauce to taste

1) Pour into pot your chicken broth, reserving 3/4 cup. Into the pot add the ginger and veggies and give it a good stir. Turn heat to medium high to bring to boil.

2) In small bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolk. Using fork, drizzle egg mixture into soup while it is boiling. This should cook the egg immediately. Continue until all the egg is added. then lower heat to medium low.

3) In small bowl, whisk together the reserved chicken broth and corn starch until smooth. Add to soup and stir to incorporate. Simmer on low until you get the proper consistency.

4) Serve with soy sauce so each person can season it to their own taste.

Grilled Chicken 3 Ways

A few of you know that I spent yesterday over the grill. You might think I'm nuts to do this in the winter, but here in West Texas, the weather changes quicker than a woman changes her mind. The local lore is "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes!" And their not joking! A couple weeks ago it went from a full blown blizzard (that's about an inch in 4 hours here) that lasted 5 hours to not a speck of snow 15 minutes after the snow stopped. Yep, that's my home. And yesterday was a nice, spring day, sun shinning, not a cloud in the sky and about 66 degrees! You bet I was out grilling!

In my family, we like to grill up as much meat as possible at once. In the long run it saves time and gas. I've mentioned before how expensive things are out here, propane isn't any better. So we hit a sale on chicken and sausage and went to town on several different types of flavors. Below you will find three different marinades that have a party in your mouth with every bite!

(The sun wasn't working with the camera, so sorry)

This first one I found on a web search and was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful it was. The ladies who posted this one on About.com did a wonderful job. Click the recipe name to see how it was originally.

Hebrewed Marinade

2 pounds boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs (pargiot in Hebrew)
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Mustard
1 tbsp Parsley, fresh and chopped
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1) In a bowl, mix all marinade ingredients.

2) Rinse under cold water and pat dry the chicken. Place the chicken on a zip lock bag and pour in marinade. Place in refrigerator over night.

3) Preheat grill (medium) to 325°F (170°C).

4) Remove chicken thighs from marinade, but don't discard marinade. Grill over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over, brush them with marinade, and grill until they test done (about another 3-6 minutes).

The next one I found again on About.com (they have some really good cooks on this site!) and fell in love. Well, if you know me, you know how much I LOVE Asian foods! Give the name a click to check them out!

Asian Ginger Marinade 

1 1/2 pounds Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless
4 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
4 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Garlic, minced
2 Scallions (green onions, spring onions), finely chopped
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper, or to taste

1) Rinse the chicken thighs under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Whisk in the ginger, garlic, scallions, brown sugar and crushed red pepper.

3) Place the chicken thighs in 1 large resealable plastic bag and place in a bowl. Add the marinade, reseal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator over night, turning occasionally. (If needed, use 2 small resealable bags and divide the chicken and marinade between them).

4) Preheat grill (medium) to 325°F (170°C). Remove the chicken thighs from the bag, reserving the marinade. Lay flat on the cooking surface and grill for 5-8 minutes then flip over and baste. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the thighs are cooked through and the juices run clear.

If you remember my Dilly of a Lemon Chicken dish a while back (and loved it) then you might recognize this marinade. I used the main flavors from it to create this following marinade. A light, dilled flavor to tickle the taste buds!

Dilly Lemon Grill 

6 Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tsp Dill, dried 
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes


1) In large bowl whisk together marinade.

2) Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry. Place in a zip lock bag and pour in marinade. Let sit over night.

3) Preheat grill (medium) to 325°F (170°C). Remove the chicken thighs from the bag, reserving the marinade. Lay flat on the cooking surface and grill for 5-8 minutes then flip over and baste. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the thighs are cooked through and the juices run clear.

Huli Huli Chicken

A friend of mine had mentioned this wonderful dish she and her husband had tried when they lived in Kentucky. Now that they have moved to Washington, they are unable to find it or the sauce it was made with. Well, you all know me, I went on a web hunt. I finally found the recipe on Disney's site of all places! But the day I was to try it out for myself, we had one of our rare occurances of snow falling. Normally I would grill ANY time of the year, but it was just a might too cold to be outside every few minutes to marinate meat.

The recipe that follows is my version of a Hawaiian dish called Huli Huli Chicken. It is typically grilled on traditional Hawaiian drums and comes out a marvelous flavor. Mine isn't quite like that, although it DOES use the traditional sauce, mine is made in the oven. I hope you all give it a try!

2 lb Chicken (boneless)
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Milk
1/4 cup Pineapple Puree
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1" Ginger Root, minced or grated
2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 400. Line baking sheet in foil and spray with non-stick spray.

2) Mix ingredients in bowl. Coat chicken and place on prepared baking sheet.

3) Bake 20-30 minutes, flipping over half way through and coating in sauce every 7 minutes.

Friday's Happy Hour Foods 1/13/12

One thing I miss about living in the city is Friday Happy Hours across the bay. Every bar you come across is offering free appetizers and half price drinks. Some places has out of the box munchies anyone can heat up at home. But other places offers something a little bit more in the way of food.

In my search online for some great grub ideas, I came across this link you all might be interested in. Instead of making these dishes at home, try out this link for your city to find Happy Hour Specials and coupons for your favorite bars! Daily Happy Hour

Soy Glazed Chicken Yakitori
From Food & Wine

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
6 shiitake mushroom caps, quartered
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons kecap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Sriracha chile sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Vegetable oil, for brushing

1) Thread each of 8 metal skewers with 3 pieces of chicken and 3 pieces each of scallion and shiitake.
In a saucepan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, kecap manis, sugar, ginger, Sriracha and garlic; bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, 8 minutes.

2) Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the skewers with oil and grill over high heat, turning, until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Brush the skewers with the sauce and grill, turning, until the chicken is cooked through and nicely glazed, about 3 minutes longer. Serve at once.

Anchor Bar Authentic Buffalo Wings
From About.com

36 chicken wing pieces (one wing makes 2 pieces - the "flat" and the "drum")
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's is the brand used in Buffalo)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
celery sticks
blue cheese dressing

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2) If necessary, cut whole wings into two pieces. In a bowl toss the wings with the oil, and salt. Place into a large plastic shopping bag, and add the flour. Shake to coat evenly. Remove wings from the bag, shaking off excess flour, and spread out evenly on oiled foil-lined baking pan(s). Do not crowd. Bake for about 20 minutes, turn the wings over, and cook another 20 minutes, or until the wings are cooked through and browned.

3) While the wings are baking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan, and over low heat bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then turn off.

4) After the wings are cooked, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over the hot wings and toss with a spoon or spatula to completely coat.

***These are always served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on the side.***


Marinated Shrimp
From Cooking Light

• 1/4 cup dry vermouth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 36 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 3/4 pounds)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 
  
• 1) Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.
• 2) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of shrimp; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan. Repeat with remaining olive oil and remaining shrimp.