Noodle Bowl

Most of you know by now that I love Asian food. I also love noodles, so the combination of the two makes me really happy. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out. It is delicious! It was a great balance between the vegetables and the noodles with great Asian flavors of ginger, soy sauce, garlic and vinegar-  This meal is full of umami, which is the best descriptor for this meal.

Don't skim on the Soba noodles; they really cannot be replaced by pasta. I found them at Whole Foods (No, they weren't at Trader Joes). I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Ingredients

The wok

I love vegetables

Steaming veggies

Adding in the noodles

Stirred up so the kale is on top!

Soba Noodle Bowl with Kale and Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 ounces of Soba (buckwheat) noodles
1 tbsp of olive oil
1tbsp of sesame oil (or 2 tbsp of olive oil)
1 package of brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 cups of white button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 cups of kale, stemmed and chopped
2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tsp agave syrup
2 tsp sesame seeds

Feel free to add other vegetables, too- I added broccoli and cabbage

Directions

1. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the sprouts and cabbage and 1 tbsp of water, stir fry 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, kale, zucchini (and any other vegetables you add in) and another tbsp of water, stir fry 5-7 minutes.

2. Cook the noodles in boiling water, according to the instructions on the package, being careful not to overcook.

3. Stir in the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar and agave to the vegetable mix. Add the noodles to the pan as well. Cook, tossing for 2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Enjoy!
                           


                     




Adapted from: Self Magazine

The Mason Jar : Lowcountry Cooking

Recently, my friend went home to Maryland and was sending me pictures of crab cakes. Crab is my most favorite seafood. I looooove a good crab cake, so when I read in the City Paper that The Mason Jar serves up some hefty crab cakes, my mind was made up to head there asap. I had never heard of The Mason Jar before I read about it. 

I am not the type to crave a meat & 3 but I definitely appreciate good, southern cooking, especially when it involves seafood.  The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" definitely applies to this situation. When Will and I pulled up in the car, we were second guessing our decision to check out The Mason Jar. Its in a strip mall type area and is nothing to look at from the outside. 

   

The inside is nothing to get excited about either, but its fitting for a "diner" type setting. But let's be honest, we didn't come here expecting anything but good, southern cooking. We were greeted by a very friendly staff who's mission was to make sure you were on the receiving end of a delicious meal. 

There were so many things I wanted to try. I ended up going with the seafood platter, with fried fish and a crab cake. I knew it was going to be a lot of food so I skipped the shrimp, which could be added on. The fish was flaky and perfectly cooked- it wasn't greasy at all. The crab cake was perfect. It was exactly what I was wanting and was served with a remoulade sauce, that had quite the kick to it. It was delicious and really hit the spot. It was a really good portion, too. 

The platter will come with either corn bread or hushpuppies. As you can see, I chose the hushpuppies which were nicely done with corn kernels on the inside- very savory and delicious with their homemade tartar sauce. Lastly, you get TWO sides on the platter as well. The cole slaw I ordered was the cole slaw you expect and it was crunchy, fresh and had the perfect balance with the mayonnaise dressing. The potato salad was bland- don't order that. 

Will ordered the Hog Dog - a hot dog with bacon, pulled pork and topped with slaw. The bacon was crispy, the bread was toasted and it hit the spot for him. I had a bite and thought it was as delicious as it sounds. The slaw is a must as it breaks up the texture of the three meats, adding a cold, crunchy freshness. He got the fries as a side which were ok- standard french fries, nothing special.

                  

Will we go back? If we are in the area, yes. It was delicious, traditional Lowcountry cooking that was executed really well. It was nice to eat this type of cuisine without all of the grease associated with it. If you are in the area, its definitely worth stopping by! They have an all you can eat buffet Thursday nights and a seafood buffet on Fridays. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Bourbon Pecan Pie

My in-laws came in from Asia for Christmas, so Will and I were in charge of Christmas dinner! This has been a year of firsts as far as hosting goes for major holidays. Whew- its a lot of work, but always worth it! We made a delicious meal and of course a dessert was completely necessary! In my CSA bag I got pecans, so of course! A pecan pie! 

I decided to go with a bourbon pecan pie and who else to turn to, but Paula Deen?! I ended up adding more bourbon than she did (which I was happy about) but it turned out perfectly and was very easy to make. Perfect for the season on any night. Enjoy!

Local Pecans

Ingredients

The unbaked pie

Finished product

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) deep dish pie shell, unbaked

1 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of butter, melted

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups of pecan halves

3 tablespoons of good quality bourbon (I used Bulleit Bourbon)

Trader Joes French Vanilla ice cream :)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans and bourbon and stir until all ingredients are combined. 

3. Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell and place on a tinfoil covered cookie sheet 

4. Bake for ten minutes. Then lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 30-35 minutes (until the pie has set)

5. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire wrack. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!

A la mode of course! 

Side note: It will still be a little "soupy" in the center when you take it out of the oven....don't worry, it will harden as it cools!




















Recipe adapted from Paula Deen's version

Charleston Shrimp & Grits - A Hominy Grill Specialty

I've lived in Charleston since I was seven years old. I have had many, many kinds of shrimp and grits- homemade and from restaurants. My absolute favorite is Hominy Grill's version. I have yet to taste one I liked as much. My In-Laws were coming to town and love shrimp and grits. Living in Asia, they aren't able to indulge in Southern cuisine regularly, so Will suggested it for their arrival.

The grits are creamy, cheesy and hearty. They are perfectly balanced by the brightness of this shrimp recipe. The addition of lemon makes it taste fresh and light. I also love that they use green onions versus yellow or white- they add such a punch of flavor that goes really well with the lemon.

The grits recipe is my husband, Will's- he makes some mean grits!

This is the perfect meal for a hearty breakfast/brunch meal or dinner!

Ingredients

                 
                                      Grits cooking, cheddar cheese added in

Bacon crispin

Red Pepper (not in the original recipe)

Mushrooms

Adding in the shrimps!

Ready to be placed over the grits!

Hominy Grills Shrimp & Grits Recipe

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients

1.5 cups Geechie Boy Grits
4.5 cups of Chicken Stock
8 ounces of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
S + P to taste

1.5 pounds of raw local (please!) shrimp
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
5 slices of bacon, shopped
1 (8 ounce) package of mushrooms
1 red pepper
3 garlic cloves
Juice from 1-2 lemons (depending on the size of the lemon)
1/2 cup of thinly sliced green onions
2-3 teaspoons of hot sauce (I prefer Tabasco for this)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Pour the chicken broth in a medium sized pot, bring it to a boil. Add in the grits and then decrease the temperature to low so the grits are simmering. They will slowly start to soak up the chicken broth. Be sure to stir frequently.

2. While the grits are cooking, peel the shrimp, devein them. Toss the shrimp in the flour until lightly coated.

3. Once the liquid is absorbed by the grits, add the cheese and S + P to taste. Cover until the shrimp are ready to keep warm.

4. Cook the chopped bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel, reserve the drippings in the skillet.

5. Saute the mushrooms and red pepper in the hot drippings for about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes and then add in the shrimp until they turn pink.

6. Add in the lemon juice followed by the green onions, hot sauce and salt. Remove from the heat and serve immediately over the grits. Sprinkle the chopped bacon over top.

Enjoy!

Boxcar Betty's - The Ultimate Chicken Sandwich

I've been hearing such good things about Boxcar Betty's. It been on my radar for months and months. Living downtown, it's too easy to stay on the peninsula and never go to the same place twice. Today, Will and I committed to heading to Boxcar Betty's (New Years resolution or NOT!) and we are happy we did so! 

We had a late lunch and are having a big dinner so we decided to split (gasp!) the Boxcar Chicken Sandwich. We also ordered the hand cut fries and fried pickles. 

I would like to note that when we got there around 1:45/2pm almost all of the tables were full and when we were leaving, people were pouring in. The word is definitely out on their delicious, antibiotic free fried chicken. The restaurant is eco friendly, too, which I love!

We left feeling full, but I wanted so badly to taste more of that delicious sandwich SO I will most definitely be back for the full monty soon! 

It's a very lightly fried piece of chicken with spicy mayo, peach coleslaw, pickles and pimiento cheese. Crunchy, sweet, salty, savory, cheesy and delicious! It is the ultimate chicken sandwich. I was so surprised by how light the batter was on the chicken (and the frickles!). I didn't leave feeling like a grease ball. I wish I had ordered a side of the peach salsa to analyze it further. The bites I had of the not-too-sweet peachy slaw left me with a desire for more.

The bread was light and fluffy and also had a sweetness to it. The proportion of chicken and filling in the sandwich to the bread was perfect. It was enough bread to keep the sandwich together but not an overpowering amount. 

The frickles and fries are worth mentioning as well. Not too greasy and full of flavor. The fries were exactly what I was hoping they would be. The ranch served with the frickles was delicious and someone even came by to check on us and brought us more- please and thank you!

Perfection.

If you haven't made the trip, I strongly urge you to do so! It was worth it. I will definitely be back- no halfsies next time!!