I’m hungry….and broke…..and tired….

So in the life of a busy mother in this great economy I’ve found it EXTREMELY important to find meals that are tasty, pseudo healthy, quick and CHEAP! *cheap being the key word* I’ve made a few substitutions. My partner does not like white chicken, and I don’t like drum sticks so I mostly make thighs, which are cheaper than breasts anyways. We like Pork Shoulder, which is cheaper than a roast. We also like a nice roasted whole chicken a few times a mth, which is cheaper than Boston Market! 🙂

Ok ok so Recipe #1:

LO MEIN

1 package of lo mein noodles or linguine or spaghetti (lo mein noodles take a lot more oil)

1/2 onion sliced thin

1 tbs of minced garlic

2 tbs of oil

3 tbs of soy sauce

2 tbs of sugar (or however sweet you like)

1 maggi chicken bullion ( i use maggi bc its’ easier to disintegrate)

2 cups of frozen veggies ( i usually do the mix)

1/2 head of cabbage

1-2 carrots shredded

1 red bell pepper cut in thin strips

1 celery stalk cut in thin strips

2 tbs of chopped cilantro

any other veggies you want!!

1) cook the pasta or lo mein noodles according to directions

2) in a wok or big pot, put oil to heat over medium or low, onion, garlic and bullion, stir until onions are almost transparent

3)add the rest of the veggies cover and cook until done

4) in a separate bowl or cup add the soy sauce and sugar mix until dissolved

5) add the soy sauce mixture to the veggies stir

6) add the noodles to the veggie stir and mix ( add more soy sauce, oil, or sugar to taste)

7) add cilantro and mix together

8) serve

Crock pot pork shoulder (I LOVE anything in the crock pot I can just put together in the morning and have it being done when I get home)

-1 Pork Shoulder

-1 can of coconut milk

-2 cups of pepsi or coke

-2 tbs of brown sugar

-1 cup of water

-2 tbs of adobo seasoning

-1 tbs of garlic salt

-1 tbs of black pepper

1) Put everything in the crock put, close put on high for at least 6 hrs.

2) serve (I usually serve this with rice, with adobo and golden raisins)

Kung Pao Chicken (minus the Pao) ~my son is too little for peanuts

-3 tbs of oil

-chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces (i usually use 4 breasts, halved and then cut, makes twice as much meat)

-flour (enough to coat each piece of chicken)

-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

-2 tablespoons soy sauce

-2 teaspoons light sesame oil

-2 teaspoons sugar

-minced garlic (however much you like)

-Any green veggie (my son likes peas)

1) heat the oil in a wok

2) coat the chicken in the flour

3) add floured chicken to the wok a few at a time, or else they stick together

4)in a separate bowl mix the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil until the sugar is dissolved

5) after the chicken is golden brown on all sides, remove and place on paper towel to drain

6) drain the oil from wok

7) heat the vinegar mix on wok

8) add your green veggie until sauce gets thicker

9) add chicken mix together

10) serve

SUPER SUPER easy baby back ribs

Literally all you do is season them overnight if you want with whatever spices, put them in a covered dish or foil wrapped tightly together covered in BBQ sauce and bake at 300 for 3 hrs. You can finish them off on the grill, but I don’t have one so it was just in the oven. They were perfect. The meat fell right off the bone as soon as I sliced them.

~ well that’s all for now….stay tuned for more recipes!

….. in a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman

So I’ve been struggling with somethings for a little while now. And I wonder if any other women are going through the same things? My Identity, or rather, my secret identity. (which seems to be more and more secret everyday) So, we all know the basics: I’m under 30, I’m a mom, I’m a fake Korean, I’m a ‘wife’, the list could go on and on about the things I am. The problem seems to be however, WHO I am right now.

 The list can also go on and on about who I used to be: I used to be fun, I used to be the life of the party, I used to be popular, I used to be lively. Pre-kids, pre-adulthood, pre-Queens me was pretty cool. I used to be the music guru. My collection was massive and I could name an awesome song that was going to blow up about a year before it actually did. I had dreams of being this fast moving executive of some type in the industry somehow. I used to dance, and be good! I used to seriously be care-free.

Life hits hard and when it does, it beats the sh*t out of you, maybe even the life out of you. All of a sudden in the last few years my life came crashing down around me. People that I thought were so important suddenly fell off. I fell off the face of the earth and went into hiding. And then something happened, out emerged a new me, the ‘Wonder woman’ me.

I took all of the things that life threw at me and I rose above it and managed to thrive. I took $5 and made a gourmet 6 course meal with it. I became this multi-tasking- head of the household-mommy-wife wonder woman. Starting at 6am until everyone is relaxed and in bed, I don’t stop. Keep going, going, going. Push harder. Make more money, make more food, just make MORE. Be better. Be healthier. Be skinnier. Be sexier. Cook better. Be a better example. Be more loving. Be more considerate. Be more self-sacrificing. MORE MORE MORE!! IT’S STILL NOT DONE YET?? MOREEEE!!!

And at the end of the day, when Wonder Woman can finally retire for the evening, my lowly secret identity looks up to me, smiles and lays her head back down. She seems to be fading smaller and smaller because Wonder Woman has taken over. And Wonder Woman is a mouse on a wheel. I keep pushing harder and faster, and seem to be going nowhere.

Of course, we can all see the fruits of my labor when you see my son. But I can’t help but feel a little empty. Maybe this is because I am a fairly new mother. I’m just getting over the shell shock of having an infant. But I frantically work and work and work, when I come home from work, I work and work and work. Then I start the whole process all over again.  The storm has waned a little, the dust has settled and I can finally see what I’m left with. Where is ME? Hopefully I can combine the wonder woman and my secret identity one day. Maybe I just need to adjust to my new roles. I”m not sure. And I apologize if this is too blunt for anyone. But as a woman and a mother, I’m pretty sure a lot of others would feel the same.

Well…that’s it for now…stay tuned for some recipes from the other night: SUPER SUPER easy baby back ribs and cabbage noodles, and a super easy beer batter. 🙂

Something in the air….

Ok so it’s been a few days. And I havent been super into cooking lately. It’s too hot to have the oven and stove on all crazy…and to be honest I’m just exhausted. My son’s new thing is waking up at 4am…..AWESOME. So basically by the time going home rolls around…I’m BEAT!

So yesterday was the first day of summer. I dunno what it is about summertime and relationships. It’s like people’s subconscious says,’It’s summer…..time to be single’. I’ve noticed a lot of relationships either ending or not doing to well in the last few days. I’m not sure what it is but it def is puzzling. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that my family will make it haha!!

Ok so back to my ‘culinary journey’. Last night I managed to muster up some gusto and actually cook. Good ole’ faithful Pelau. The boys love it and it’s jus something that’s easy and quick. Surprisingly. Sooo…this is my recipe for Pelau.

-1 lb of chicken

-2 tbs of green seasoning

-1tbs of Worcestershire sauce

-1tbs of soy sauce

-2tbs of ketchup

-1tbs of garlic salt

-1tbs of oil

-2tbs of sugar

-2 cups of rice (or however much you want) washed

-1/2 can of pigeon peas

-3/4 can of coconut milk

-1 chicken buillion (i like to use the maggi)

1) First step is to marinate the chicken (at least a 1/2 hr) Put the chicken with the green seasoning, garlic salt, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce. Stir together

2) ‘Burn the sugar’- put the oil in a pot (preferably with a cover so it doesnt get too splashy with the hot oil)

3)add the sugar and leave it until it turns dark brown and beings to bubble-The color at that point should almost look like a deep deep red

4) add the chicken to cover the bottom of the pot. cover immediately the hot oil will splash. Leave for about 15 min or until the chicken is cooked on the bottom, then flip it to cook the other side

5)remove the chicken

6) add rice (free of water)  and pigeon peas and fry them in the liquid until it sticks together

7)add coconut milk, buillion and enough water to cover rice about 1-2 in

8)put the chicken back in the pot and cover

9) stir through out to evenly distribute the buillion cube and make sure no rice sticks to the pot

10) I usually turn off the heat and let my rice steam once there is only a small amount of liquid left in the pot.

11) once the rice is done to desired consistency, serve with cole slaw or whatever other side dish you like

This is the cole slaw recipe that my family likes to go with the pelau

-1/2 head of cabbage shredded or chopped

-1 shredded carrot

(you can also use the cole slaw from a bag. I like to use that because I use the leftovers to put in my lo-mein)

-1/2 cup of golden raisins

-1-2 tbs of mayo

-1-2 tbs of mustard (honey mustard also saves a fraction of a second too)

-1 tsp of vinegar

1-tsp of sugar

1) mix everything together! And serve.

Well hope this recipe works out for anyone that tries it. My family loves it. Hope yours does too!

I just don’t get it……….

Ok ok ok…so I didn’t make it to the grocery store and I didn’t make the cabbage rolls. lol Sometimes ya just don’t feel like it. Last night was one of those nights. I would rather have cooked something simple and chilled. The baby is teething like CRAZY~ crazy being the key word…driving me and his father CRAZY. lol. He woke up about 1am ready to play. It was ADORABLE….but waking up late for work this morning….NOT so cute lolll.

This morning I’m going to take this opportunity to vent a little…about MEN. or rather DOGS. What is going on with dudes these days. It seems as though all over the place its acceptable for men to behave like dogs. All the songs on the radio are about cheating and one night stands. The media is absolutely over sexed. And the good women…what are WE supposed to do? The women that take care of our men and our families and households. That stick by our men through thick and thin. Go above and beyond. We don’t stand a chance against the excitement of cheating.

I have two friends going through similar situations and it just dumbfounds me. You give and give and give and then he’s giving to someone else…. It’s the ultimate betrayal. And it just seems so acceptable these days. And it feels like women are supposed to just shut up or ship out. Either you accept it or you leave. What about accountability? What about MORALS? What about LOVE?? So we are the ones that have to suffer and then what…they move on and find someone else to take care of them? Or we stay without our dignity or pride because WE love them? I just don’t get it at ALLL. And I guess the sick part is that women have been putting up with it for a very long time. But lately it just seems so socially accepted. We are getting desensitized. Nobody is shocked anymore.

Of course, women do it too, I understand that. But right now that’s not what I’m talking about. It just seems like a sick trend. Or maybe this is what we go through when we hit a certain age. I just don’t know. All that I know is that it seems to be EVERYWHERE. Music, Media, TV, Movies, etc. And it’s probably happening right under your own nose in your own house hold and you have no idea. I’m just mystified.

How do you have someone who loves you SO much and then totally disrespect them? How do you have such disregard for your own family? How are you willing to throw EVERYTHING away and hurt your children like that? Because either way, if the woman stays or if she leaves, the children are the ones that suffer. If a woman stays that resentment is nothing to mess around with. And you don’t think that effects your kids? And if she leaves, the children’s lives are never the same after that. That is something that seems worth it?

As a women in today’s society I feel sooooooo much pressure. We have to work 40 hrs, come home, cook , clean, take care of our families, and then try to be a sex kitten………and what if we fall short………that’s an excuse to cheat? Because  we are not taking care of OUR MEN? Who takes care of us? What about what WE need? My Sister said it “es it is yet it is what is happening, if they are bored then we are responsible, men are raised to never be held accountable from what I can see, it is so different than how we raise our daughters,the girls are supposed to be self sufficient and the men are to be taken care of”…..so true. But not only are we supposed to be self sufficient but also self LESS and take care of everyone around us.

We’re not supposed to sleep we’re supposed to be porn stars. And it’s not making love anymore, we’re expected to be creative and exciting. Sex is not enough anymore. And then wake up and do the whole thing all over again. And God forbid we’re tired. So when we fall short of being super woman…..then that gives a man every right to betray us and destroy our lives. That is what seems to be happening these days and I just think it’s absolutely disgusting. NO woman is super woman. We all fall short eventually. But it would be nice to feel secure not scared that the next day some woman is going to message you saying she was with your man, or you’ll see his texts and dirty pictures sent to some unknown number. Everyday is literally a fight for your life and it’s unfair.

OK OK enough venting. I’m really just dumbfounded though. I”m not trying to preach or judge. I’m just saying…I do NOT get it. *sigh. My heart goes out to any woman that has ever thought the same things. SMH.

Dinga Dinga Dinga Dinga……….

So last night I made my first attempt at Indian food OTHER than Trini Curry. It was actually pretty good! I surprised myself. It was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. I made Chicken Tikka Masala, Channa Masala, and Cilantro Rice. Not too shabby. *shrug* My Bubbies, of course, LOVED it. lol. He sat in his high chair whining because I apparently was not shoveling his spoon in his mouth fast enough.

I’m pretty surprised how much my son LOVES ethnic food. He loves really exotic flavors. I think his favorite dish is this Thai Ground Beef recipe I found. He’ll usually eat about 2-3 bowls of that. It has red curry paste and coconut milk and oyster sauce in it lol. Go figure!

So I shall repost these recipes as they turned out well for me!

Channa Masala

SERVES 6 -8

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions (peeled and minced)
• 1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 6 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon amchoor powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lemon (juiced)
• 1 fresh, hot green chili pepper (, , minced)
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
2. Add onions and garlic and sauté over a medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes).
3. Turn heat to medium-low.
4. Add the coriander, cumin (not the roasted cumin), cayenne and turmeric.
5. Stir for a few seconds.
6. Add the tomatoes.
7. Cook the tomatoes until browned lightly.
8. Add chickpeas and a cup of water and stir.
9. Add the roasted cumin, amchoor, paprika, garam masala, salt and lemon juice.
10. Cook covered for 10 minutes.
11. Remove the cover add the minced chili and ginger.
12. Stir and cook uncovered for 30 seconds.

Chicken Tikka Masala

SERVES 4

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut in 1 inch cubes

Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 piece minced ginger (1-inchinch” long)
• 6 bamboo skewers (6-inchinch”)

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (buy in Indian market)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Soak bamboo skewers in water.
2. For sauce, melt butter on medium heat.
3. Add garlic& jalapeno; cook 1 minute.
4. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala& salt.
5. Stir in tomato sauce.
6. Simmer 15 minutes.
7. Stir in cream; simmer to thicken- about 5 minutes.
8. Thread chicken on skewers, and marinate (in the refrigerator) for an hour or so.
9. Discard marinade.
10. Grill or broil chicken, turning occasionally, to cook through- about 8 minutes.
11. Remove chicken from skewers; add to sauce.
12. Simmer 5 minutes.

Cilantro Rice -is my recipe so the measurements are not exact

-white rice washed uncooked

-lime juice

-handful of chopped cilantro

-1/2 chicken buillion cube

1) add a small amount of oil to a pan and add the rice

2) fry until rice is dry and sticking together when you stir it

3) add lime juice about 1-2 tbs, depending on how much rice you use

4) add water, enough to cover the rice about 1-2 inches

5) add buillion

5) cover rice and cook, occasionally stirring until 90% of the water is gone and all of the buillion is evenly distributed

6) turn off flame and let sit until all water is absorbed and rice is sticky

7) add cilantro and stir

8) serve

Hope it is as nice of a dinner as it was for me! Stay tuned for tonights review~ stuffed cabbage rolls and Cabbage Noodles lolll.

Some money saving tips:

So….I got paid yay…*sigh. I feel like as soon as I get paid the money is already spent on bills and necessities. I’m a bookkeeper so obviously I have a pretty intricate budget spread sheet, so technically the paychecks are spent MONTHS in advance lol. (I can help anyone that is interested in having their income budgeted to help save)

But in doing so I have also made another spread sheet which lists all of the dishes (main and side) that I cook. I plan out paycheck period to paycheck period and plan out my menu until the next paycheck. Then create the grocery list based on that menu. So then I”m never over buying and food is never going to waste. (I can also help anyone set up a menu and grocery list)

It helps me save time. So instead of shoveling through my refrigerator and the cupboards, I know what to cook as soon as I get home. Hopefully the meat is already defrosting…..probably not tho. lol.

Another tip that I have started doing. I buy my meat in family packs. As soon as I get home from the store I seperate the meat into ziplock bags. One bag being one meal. Then I season the meat according to what meal it is supposed to be for. Most of the time, if I dont feel like it I just use Grean Seasoning.

Green Seasoning is a Trini Seasoning that they use on EVERYTHING.

Ingredients
1 bunch fresh scallions or chives
1 bunch fresh flat leaf Italian parsley or leaf celery
2 sprigs cilantro
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons lime juice, lemon juice or white vinegar
1 bunch fresh oregano or 5 leaves Cuban oregano

This way while the meat defrosts, it also marinates. You really can taste a difference. I know it seems a little time consuming, but believe me I save SOOO much time during the week. I can come home and cook right away and then play with the baby. Hope this helps those in need of some saved money and time!

Kimchi and Pelau

So this is my first ever blog….I wasnt sure what to write about, not really being sure anyone would care to read. But then I figured that if nobody really reads it, what do I have to loose, right?

So to start out…My name is AJ. I am 28, living in Queens, NY. I am from Western NY.  I have a 14 mth old son and a wonderful partner. I am a bookkeeper by day, Master Chef at night (yea right). 🙂

So I started this blog because finding my roots and passing on important things to my son has been something that I have been trying to work through since I found out I was pregnant. I am Korean, I am adopted. My family is Italian. My boyfriend is from Trinidad. I always had this horrible thought of my son being lost and not knowing who he was, much like I did.

My mother tells my I never had much interest in learing more about my heritage growing up. The Korean Camps and books didn’t do it for me. I was too consumed with Ballet and Piano *ironically the stereotypical asian child lolll*

So somehow, I made it through 18 yrs of barely thinking about being Korean. However, never really feeling like I fit.  Then college hit. There was a huge Asian population that intrigued me and intimidated me all at once. So then comes the storm of racial identity crisis! lol I’ve been told that I assimilated well and made the transition smoothly. I’ll take my friend’s word for it lol.

And then…….I fell in love with this beautiful Trini boy. *sigh* haha.  And with it came more insecurity about being a fake asian. lol. The Trinidadian culture is so rich…and I dont really have a culture of my own. I have strong Italian influences from my family. Spanish and Indian influences from my friends. But really I am just a hot mess lol.

And then comes my son. He is gorgeous and adorable and everything any Gap-Baby-Ad-Worthy child is. *I’m not partial at alllll*. But in having a child comes the constant anxiety about EVERYTHING…i mean EVERRYYYYTHING. And on top of it comes my anxiety about his roots and feeling connected.

So to me the root of any heart is the stomach. So to learn to cook from all of these different influences in my life is to pass on culture to my son. I want him to embrace the taste of kimchi and pelau. I want him to KNOW who he is and to KNOW who his family is.

So………this is my culinary journey. Traveling through different worlds to bring all the parts of my life into my son’s world.