Taco Night - Home Cooked Recipe 6

I think having tacos at home is something everybody loves.  You can make the filling whatever you would like, you can set up a taco toppings bar so that people can add whatever they enjoy on their tacos, and tacos are extremely easy, and fairly quick to prepare. The following recipe is not an exact one, I wanted to give a general rundown but allow for a variety of options.

Tacos:

1 lb of ground beef (you can also use sauteed shrimp, shredded chicken, pork, or refried beans)

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1/2 cup water

1 onion, diced

tortillas - flour or corn, whichever you prefer

 salsa

sour cream

shredded cheddar or mexican cheese blend

shredded lettuce

diced tomato

sliced olives

*for shrimp or fish tacos, i have coleslaw on hand - it makes a great taco topper - you can also have tartar sauce ready for shrimp or fish tacos*

Beef Tacos

Brown the ground beef with some onion.  If you are using shredded chicken, just heat through.  Add your taco seasoning packet and 1/2 a cup of water.  Simmer on low for about 10 minutes.  Your filling is done!

Heat up your tortillas.  The best method for heating flour tortillas is to wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 minute.  There are several good methods for corn tortillas.  I like to keep mine pliable, so I deep fry them in 375 degree oil for 4 seconds per side. Drain well on paper towels.  If you want to make them a hard shell, you have a couple of options.  If you have the deep fryer going, fold the corn tortilla over the handle of a wooden spoon and put in the oil til shell is lightly golden brown (this takes 15 to 30 seconds, keep your eye on it!).  You can also make your tortillas in the oven if you prefer not to have them fried.  However this baking method is tough unless you have the taco shapers.  So I usually only fry my tortillas.

Set up your filling bar.  Put cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, salsa, sour cream, and whatever else you like and line them up on the counter.  Put your meat and tortillas at one end of this taco bar, along with plates, and people can top their tacos with whatever they like best.

Picture View - Kobe Style Dinner

Kobe Style Dinner - Home Cooked Recipe 5

We have a couple of Kobe Steakhouse's in our area, and I know they are around the state of Florida as well.  It's a very popular place to go for birthdays and special events.  But it can get expensive, and I have learned how to make a similar meal at home, albeit without the theatrics.  In this recipe, I left out the rice and just did the noodles, but you could easily add the rice to this by cooking some white rice, then frying it on the griddle like I do the noodles. Adding some frozen mixed veggies, and an egg will produce a similar to Kobe's fried rice! Since I don't have the large hibachi grill like they do at Kobe's, I use a flat-top counter-top griddle, and cook the components in batches, but you can also use a wok and work in batches. (*Hint, you can get a a cheap, really good wok at Ikea for $5!)

Kobe's Signature "White" Sauce ***this recipe really does taste extremely similar to the restaurants, but warning, make it at least the day before you are planning to use it!

1 1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup water

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tbs melted butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp paprika

dash of cayenne

Stir all ingredients together.  Refrigerate for 24 hours before using - important, you must wait 24 hours for the best result!

Kobe Style Dinner - with chicken (you can sub beef, shrimp, or your fav protein for the chicken!)

1/2 lb of Lam's Chow Mein Noodles (these are most similar to Kobe's noodles)

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup julienned carrots

1 cup julienned red bell pepper

1 cup mushrooms

1 large onion, large dice

***you can also use zucchini like Kobe, I just have an allergic member in my household

1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced

Soy sauce

4 tbs butter

1 large lemon

Scallions and sesame seeds for garnish are optional

Preheat your griddle to 400 degress. Boil your noodles for 10 minutes.  While the noodles are boiling, add a tablespoon of butter to the griddle and begin to cook your chicken.  Cook on one side for 3 minutes then flip pieces over.  Sprinkle with lemon juice from a quarter of the lemon, and a tablespoon of soy sauce.  When chicken is cooked through, move to a plate.  Add another tablespoon of butter, then add the onions to the griddle. Cook until slightly translucent and remove from griddle.  Drain pasta.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter to griddle, then fry noodles lightly while adding lemon juice from a quarter of the lemon, soy sauce, and sesame seeds.  Remove from griddle.  Add remaining veggies, cook until softer, but still crunchy, adding soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of butter, and the remaining lemon.  Serve warm, with Kobe's "White" Sauce.  Enjoy!

Picture View - Asian Meatball Sandwiches

Asian Meatball Sandwiches - Home Cooked Recipe 4

I was looking for new ways to make meatballs online and came across this great recipe that incorporates Asian flavors into meatballs.  I had recently been to a local farmer's market and taste some Korean meatballs that I adore so I decided to go ahead and give Asian meatballs a try.

Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef

4 cloves of garlic, minced (I use a gralic press - much easier!)

3 scallions, finely chopped

1 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs sriracha

1 tbs sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbs sesame oil, 1 tbs canola or veg oil for browning meatballs

Mix all ingredients except oils together in a bowl.  With moistened hands (moisten with water), roll out golf ball sized meatballs.  Cover and chill at least 15 minutes.  It's very important to chill them before cooking!  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oils in a large skillet and brown meatballs on all sides (you may have to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your pan).  Place on cooling rack on top of baking sheet in oven for 15 minutes.

Veggies:

1 cup grated carrot

1 cup julienned cucumber

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup pickled jalapenos

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Combine first 5 ingredients and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Mayo:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tbs sriracha

2 scallions, finely chopped

Stir all ingredients together.  Chill before serving,

Sandwiches:

Using your favorite sub roll, spread bread with a thin layer of mayo.  Add in 3 to 4 meatballs.  Top with pickled carrots and cucumbers.  Sprinkle with jalapenos and cilantro.  Enjoy!