Korean Fried Garlic Chicken

If you've ever eaten Zippy's Korean chicken and loved it....then you'll like this recipe. It's pretty bomb. Just saying. 

KOREAN FRIED GARLIC CHICKEN

What you will need for the sauce:

• chopped garlic- 1 head
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup onion
• red pepper flakes
• Optional
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp sesame oil

What you will need for the frying:

• 5lbs Chicken- whatever parts you like to fry. I like using thighs and drumsticks.
• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Cornstarch
• 1 tbs salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbs Paprika
• oil for frying (veg or canola)

To get started...

1.  Brine chicken (water and salt). I just thaw out my chicken in salt and water. *This is optional by the way. While chicken is brining/thawing make the yum yum sauce.
2. Stir soy sauce and sugar together until sugar dissolves. Then add in the remaining ingredients. Put aside and start on the chicken. 
3. Mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, paprika in a container. I like to use a plastic bag.*The more paprika you put in the browner the chicken will be. *Cornstarch gives the chicken that nice crunchy crispy skin. Feel free to use more if you like.
4. Take your chicken pieces, pat dry, and dredge/coat/shake them around in the flour mix until nicely coated.
5. Allow flour coated chicken to rest while you heat your oil. 
   *When you start to see the flour creating a pasty gooey coat (don't know how else to describe it) then they are ready to fry. 
6. Fry on med-high heat 8-10 mins on one side and 8 mins on the other side. (a little lower for smaller cuts of chicken like drumsticks)
   *You don't have to keep turning it over and over...just let it do its thing and give the chicken a check after 7-8 mins on each side)
   *If you are doing large batches be sure to change out your oil if it starts getting "dirty".
7. Take your fried chicken out of the oil (allow oil to drip off) and dip into your yummy sauce. 
   *Just dip, give it a turn, making sure its all coated and place it on a rack placed in a pan.
   *Keep the cooked chicken in a 250 degree oven until you're all done. 

Navajo Fried Bread

Navajo Fried Bread

You can make these into tacos!! So delicious and simple to make. Click here for the original recipe.

- 3 cups of all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cup of warm water
- corn, vegetable or canola oil for frying

In a bowl or on a clean work surface combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the warm water into the center.  With your hands or a wooden spoon, start working the mixture together.  Sprinkle flour on a clean work surface and turn the dough out and knead lightly.  The dough should be soft and moist but shouldn’t stick to your hands.  Add a little flour or water as you go until you reach the correct consistency.  Roll the dough into a log about 3 inches wide.  Let the dough rest under a clean kitchen towel for 10 minutes.

Red Velvet Brownies

Red Velvet Brownies

Yes, so this is another recipe I copied from Lisa! haha, I didn't have enough red food colouring so the colour wasn't as reddy/velvetty as it could of been, but it definitely was still yummy! Click here for the original recipe.

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons red food coloring

2/3 cups chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter and flour an 8 x 8 cake pan.

In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder, red food coloring, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to create a paste.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add remaining teaspoon of vanilla. With the mixer on medium speed, add in cocoa powder mixture. Beat until batter is completely red. (If at this time your batter is NOT red, you can add a little more food coloring if desired. Color will depend on brand.) Add flour and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread in the 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

I just made a cream cheese frosting for these brownies, but white chocolate sounds even better!!

White Chocolate Frosting

1 stick of butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces white chocolate, melted (I used Lindt)

1-2 tablespoons milk (or more if needed)

Cream butter in an electric mixer until fluffy, then add vanilla. Slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time with the mixer on low speed. Add in melted white chocolate and beat until incorporated. To reach desired consistency, add in milk 1 teaspoon at a time with mixer on low speed. If frosting becomes too liquidy, simple add additional sugar.

Chickpea Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies

aka 

Chickpea cookies!

This one's a Pinterest inspired recipe that turned out tasting just as good as it looked. My kids gobbled these up and the hubby requested I make more. There you go! Proof it's a good recipe.  I blogged about it but you can find the original here.

• Prep Time: 8 min
 
• Cook Time: 10 min
 
• Ready in: 18 min
• Yield: 14 1" cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1¼ cups canned chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter, SunButter Natural or almond butter - room temperature
• ¼ cup (80 grams) honey (you can use agave or maple syrup with success!)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have salt in it
• ½ cup (90 grams) chocolate chips 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they're combined. If you don't have a food processor then get a potato masher, roll up them sleeves, and mash away your troubles. 
2. Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.
3. With wet hands, form into 1½" balls. Place onto a a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't do much rising.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes. The dough balls will still be very soft when you take them out of the oven. They will not set like normal cookies. They won't spread out so you can fit plenty on one pan. 
5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the fridge) for up to 1 week.

MY NOTES:

-make double the recipe..these are yumm yumm in the tumm tumm

-they taste better warm. They taste kinda "beanish" if you eat them the next day cold. They'll still be good though..just a little "beanish" (but it's not like you'll have leftovers anyways). 

-If you don't have natural peanut butter...just use regular peanut butter. They'll come out a lil greasier than normal but I don't mind it all. The chocolate and peanut butter flavors cover everything so nicely. 

Golden Crescent Rolls

Golden Crescent Rolls

This recipe definitely is a crowd pleaser! Everyone we've made them for has loved them!  No secret at all...we got it off of allrecipes.com lol :)

Ingredients:

2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast

3/4 cup of warm water 

1/2 c white sugar

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 c shortening

4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter softened

• Dissolve yeast in warm water.
• Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from side of bowl. Knead dough, then cover it and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1-1/2 hours).
• Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread with butter. Cut into 10 to 15 wedge. Roll up the wedges starting with the wide end. Place rolls with point under on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).
• Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 12-15 minute or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter when they come out.

French Baguettes

Quick & easy Crusty French Baguettes

I stole this from my friend Lisa's food blog! I've made it three times now cause its soooo easy and deeelish!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups very warm water
• 1 packet yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, (220 degrees Celsius). In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Set the bowl on top of your preheating oven for ten minutes. Stir in the salt and add the flour a half-cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft but not sticky. Knead the dough until elastic.

Cut the dough into four even pieces. Roll each of them into four long, thin ropes. Twist together two of the ropes to form one loaf. Twist the other two ropes together to form a second loaf. Transfer both onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

You can now bake the loaf right away (if you’re in a hurry) or allow it to rise for an additional 15-30 minutes on top of your warm oven.

Now for the secret: Fill a large oven proof bowl with 3-4 cups of ice and/or water. Open your hot oven and place the baking sheet with the baguettes inside, then toss the ice cubes/water on the bottom shelf of the oven and quickly shut the door. Do NOT open your oven for 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.

So, I just skip the 'secret' part and bake my bread for 15 minutes.  You can also make crustini's if you slice, butter and toast it...its waaaaay good :-)