Bibimbap

So, this is my very loose interpretation of bibimbap!  It has just enough veggies to be interesting and just few enough vegetable to be appealing to my children. 😂 If you're serving more adventurous eaters you can add mushrooms, shredded red cabbage, kimchi, bean sprouts or top it with a fried egg. It's very easy to add as much or as little spice as you want also.  So feel free to play around with it and make it your own.

Bibimbap (serves 8)
4 cups cooked jasmine rice
2 T. olive oil
2 lbs. ground meat (I used a beef/pork blend)
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. fresh ginger (minced)
salt and pepper to taste
2 zucchini, halved and sliced into 1/2 in. thick moons
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced and seperated into greens and whites
1/3 cups soy sauce
3 T. sesame oil
2 T. sugar
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. sriracha (plus extra for topping)

Instructions:
Cook rice according to package directions and keep warm. (I cooked mine in an instant pot and used beef broth in place of water)

Meanwhile, heat 1 T. olive oil in a large frying pan and cook meat, garlic and ginger until browned and cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste.

In another frying pan, heat remaining olive oil and cook zucchini and carrots until softened and zucchini is a little brown from frying.  Add onion whites and continue cooking another minute until softened. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl comine soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar and sriracha.  Add sauce to ground beef and cook for 2-3 minute until heated through and sauce is somewhat reduced.  Toss with veggies.

Serve over rice (making sure to spoon some of the sauce over the stir fry).  Top with additional sriracha and remaining green onion.

Snickerdoodle bars

We made this one a while back but I forgot to ever put it on the blog.  Looking at the pictures have my kids wanting to make them again. It's a great recipe for kids to make by themselves! So yummy!

Snickerdoodle bars
Bars:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9x13 pan.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugars together.  Add eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl combine dry ingredients (salt, baking powder, cinnamon and flour).  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well to combine. 

Spread dough into prepared pan (I had to use my hands to press it in the pan evenly) and top with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I got this recipe a few years ago from my friend Angela!  She always has delicious and fresh recipes! This one is a favorite for summer months.  You get to use the grill, it comes together quickly and is perfect for lunch, dinner or just snacking.  It packs a lot of veggies in and the kids will still eat it because of the yummy teriyaki chicken. 

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce (divided)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 green onion, sliced
2 T. chopped cilantro
1 T. mayo
1 head iceberg lettuce, washed and leaves seperated
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Set aside 2 T. of the teriyaki sauce for later.  Combine chicken and remaining sauce in a gallon sized ziploc bag and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Cook rice according to package directions.

Grill chicken until cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Coursely chop chicken and place in a large bowl.  Combine with reserved teriyaki sauce, cooked rice, and all remaining ingredients (except for lettuce and peanuts).

To serve: Spoon 1/3 cup of chicken mixture onto a lettuce leaf and top with chopped peanuts if desired.

Ham Chowder

During the quarantine we've had a little more time to cook and the girls have been participating too!  I thought I'd take some time and jot down the recipes here so we'd be able to find them easier next time.  We made this with some leftover ham from easter. We'd love to hear about your cooking adventures during this time too!  Anyone baking some good sourdough to put with this soup??

Ham Chowder
2 cups cooked ham (diced)
8 slices bacon
2 T. butter
1 small yellow onion (diced)
4 large carrots (chopped)
2 stalks celery
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
5 red potatoes (diced into 1 in. pieces)
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1 can corn, drained
1/3 cup flour
3 cups half and half (or milk)
1/2 cup sour cream (plus extra for topping)
green onions (to top)

Instructions:
Cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon but set pan with drippings aside for later.

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Saute yellow onion, carrots, and celery until tender.

Add potatoes, chicken broth and seasonings (oregano, thyme and bay leaf) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes (until potatoes are tender). Add ham and corn and continue to cook until heated through.

Reheat bacon drippings and add flour.  Whisk to combine flour and dripping into a rue. Add half and half (or milk) and pepper to taste.  Continue to whisk until mixture is thickened.  Add to the pot with the rest of the soup.  Stir well to combine.

Just before serving, add sour cream to the pot and stir to combine.  Top with additional sour cream, chopped bacon pieces, and green onion as desired!