Spam Fried Rice

For Valentine's Day this year, we went out to eat at Kobe Teppenyaki in Ogden. Teppenyaki places are really fun, and this time we had an especially fun chef, so it made it even better! So since I new we were going to be eating a big meal, I didn't eat much throughout the day. Anybody else do this? Look forward to your dinner all day long? Well that's totally me! So anyway, I was starving by the time we got there and the first thing that was finished was the fried rice. I dug into that little bowl of rice so fast, and I realized how overrated fried rice can be! It was delicious!

So then, of course, I had to make it at home and make it even better :)

I decided there are a few things that are very important to making a great pan of fried rice. First, use butter instead of oil. That's what they used at the teppenyaki restaurant and it's because its tastes way better! The next is to use lots of vegetables. I used onion, peas, and carrots, but you can add other favorites! Some other flavor boosters I add in are toasted sesame oil and oyster sauce. I hadn't used oyster sauce before, but I used a very small amount when coming up with this recipe and it seriously adds so much! It doesn't taste like oysters, I promise! It's just a nice subtle flavor that brings everything together. And last, I like to add SPAM! It adds such a nice salty flavor which really completes the dish.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 can of Spam, diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup peas
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 cups cooked and then chilled rice
• 2-3 green onions, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon butter until melted and sizzling, but not brown. Add eggs over the butter and stir, scrambling the eggs. When cooked through, remove egg from pan and set aside.
2. Add the rest of the butter to the pan and heat over medium heat until sizzling again. Add in the spam, carrots, peas, onion, and garlic. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
3. Add in the rice, green onions, oyster sauce, and soy sauce stir for 2-3 minutes to heat/fry the rice and mix the sauces together. 
4. Add in the eggs and combine.
5. Remove from heat. Add in toasted sesame oil and stir. Serve and enjoy!

Try out this recipe with my Orange chicken!

Orange Chicken

Orange chicken is probably one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes there is! We love it here at my house, but we don't have any great places to get delicious take-out Chinese anywhere close by. So I make Asian dishes pretty often! Last night we decided to have an "Orange Chicken Showdown" to see which version we like best: fried or baked. I was pretty sure how this was going to go. What isn't better when it's fried, right?! But to my surprise, the baked version held its own and Kyle and I both decided that it probably wasn't worth the hassle of frying since the baked version turned out so yummy! Here's the finished product: fried on the left and baked on the right.

I thought baked version even turned out a little bit prettier! Now don't get me wrong, the fried orange chicken was delicious! But I expected it to be WAY better than the baked, and they were just about equal. I'll include the ingredients/instructions for both versions on this post.

I'm usually pretty intimidated by frying, but it's really not bad!! And did you know fry oil can be reused?? Just strain it through a fine mesh strainer to get out all the particles left over and then it can be reused about 3 times! This means doughnuts coming soon! 

Thanks to Kyle for doing so much to take care of our girlies while I was in the kitchen for hours working on this experiment :)

Orange Chicken (Baked)

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups Panko crumbs
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces.
3. Put the flour into a resealable bag. Add the chicken, seal, then shake until coated.
4. In a small bowl, mix the eggs. 
5. In a separate small bowl, put the Panko crumbs.
6. Cover the chicken in the eggs, then in the Panko crumbs, then place on prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover in Orange Sauce. (Orange Sauce recipe at the bottom of this post.)

Orange Chicken (Fried)

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken. 
2. Mix eggs in shallow bowl.
3. Mix flour and cornstarch in a separate small bowl.
4. Dip chicken in eggs, then coat in flour mixture.
5. Fill a heavy pot with enough oil to be about 3 inches high and heat to 350 degrees.
6. Fry chicken in batches about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.
7. Cover in Orange sauce. (Below)

Orange Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like).
• Orange zest from 1/2 an orange (can be omitted if you want less of a citrus flavor).
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. In a small sauce pan, add orange juice, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, hoisin, rice vinegar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes and whisk all together.  Heat over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
2. Whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Then continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens. 
3. Remove from heat and add orange sauce (if using)
4. Toss over cooked chicken, and serve with white rice, brown rice, or fried rice! (Check out my recipe for Spam Fried Rice. So delicious!)

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

In elementary school, I used to ask my mom to give me a quarter that I could use to buy a peanut butter bar in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Maybe it was two quarters? They were individually wrapped in a little bag, and I LOVED them! And some things you just don't grow out of... I still love peanut butter bars so so much.

My mom made this incredible copycat lunch lady peanut butter bar recipe, and we'd have it pretty often. It's perfect for any gathering because it makes a ton and it's a crowd pleaser! I'm so excited to share this recipe because every time I make it, someone asks for the recipe!

Something I really like about this recipe compared to other peanut butter bars is that there isn't any peanut butter in the cookie base. It's only spread on top of the cookie, then chocolate on top of that, so I feel like the peanut butter isn't overpowering. 

Ingredients:

For the bars:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups oats
• 3/4 cup peanut butter

For the chocolate frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
3. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined, then add in the oats.
4. Push the dough out onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (No Silpat either) I usually just take off my rings and use my hands for this part. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. I most recently baked mine for 20-22 minutes
5. Spread the peanut butter on the cookie while still warm (about 5-10 minutes after being removed from the oven).
6. Once cooled, add the cube of butter, cocoa powder, and milk to a small saucepan and whisk together. Slowly bring to boil over medium heat. If you use too high of heat or boil it too fast, the cocoa can lump together and the butter can separate. Once it boils, remove from heat.
7. Put the chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the vanilla.
8. Using a hand mixer, gradually add in the powdered sugar (about 1 cup at a time). This frosting is not thick, and will seem a bit runny, but if you want it to be more firm, add more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
9. Spread frosting on top of the peanut butter. I like a nice thick layer of frosting, but still usually end up with about 1/4 cup of extra frosting. If you want your chocolate layer thinner, just use less of the frosting.
10. Cut into bars and enjoy!

LBJ's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have an addiction to chocolate chip cookies. And my family never wants me to make different desserts! Kyle only ever wants chocolate chip cookies, and Harper doesn't think a cookie is a cookie unless it has chocolate chips! Definitely my daughter!

...So I've been searching for the perfect recipe for a while. I used to always use the Nestle Tollhouse recipe that is on the back of the bag, but the cookies would turn out flat. So I've tried a lot of different recipes and learned a few tips and tricks to come up with my own. I might tweak it a bit someday in the future, but for now it's my go-to.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, plus extra for adding to dough balls 

Instructions: (Makes 3 dozen cookies)

1. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix butter, sugars, and vanilla until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Add in eggs one at a time. Mix together until just combined.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. When the dough comes together, stop mixing.
5. Add chocolate chips. Stir in with spatula or wooden spoon. If you mix chocolate chips in the stand mixer, they can break apart, and your dough will likely get overmixed. 
6. Using a cookie scooper, scoop dough onto cookie sheet. I use a scooper that is about the size of 2 tablespoons. You want to just lightly scoop it, don't pack the dough in. If you are just using your hands, try to do the same and not compress the dough. I scoop out all my dough onto a cookie sheet, then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. If your dough is already scooped when you put it in the fridge, then it doesn't have to chill as long! 
7. After the dough balls are formed, I like to gently press in a few extra chocolate chips to make the cookies a little bit prettier. You can also add more chips right when the cookies are taken out of the oven to get the same effect.
   
8. When your dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees and let the dough sit out while the oven preheats. Place 12 cookie dough balls onto a cookie sheet that has parchment paper or a Silpat. (Don't grease the cookie sheet-- a cookie butters its own bottom!)
9. Cook for 12-15 minutes. My cookies were just right at 13 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. And of course, they're best served warm with a cold glass of milk! Enjoy :) 

Logan's Cookie Tips:

• Semi-sweet chips. In my opinion, milk chocolate has no business in a cookie... There's a lot of trendy cookie shops going up lately and they all sell milk chocolate chip cookies. Obviously they are popular, and they sell a ton, but for me it's way too sweet. If you really really prefer milk chocolate, you can swap it out. But my version is semi-sweet. 
• Butter only! And you want it to be just a bit firmer than room temperature.
• Add cornstarch. Cornstarch helps your cookies stay chewy. Mmm!
• Chill the dough. I know this is annoying when all you want is to eat a cookie! But it's worth it. It helps keep the dough from spreading too much and flattening out.
• Don't overdo it! Two of the biggest mistakes of cookie making are overbaking and overmixing. You want to take the cookies out of the oven when the edges are barely darker than the middle. They may seem underdone, but just trust me! And each time you mix the batter, you want to stop when the ingredients are just combined so that the cookie will stay chewy.