A Way to a Man's Heart DOES Include Keeping His Tummy Happy

When my husband and I first started dating he admitted that he was not that into the "food scene" and that due to a tonsil removal his taste was still a bit off. I informed him that I could be labeled a "foodie" and that I very much love to cook. So throughout our dating period he opened his mind to trying new things and even asked to take a few cooking classes together. In true cook fashion, I told him that he needed to take a knife skills course BEFORE we took any cooking classes. We did that course together, he bought a beautiful chef's knife and has been my soux chef by my side in the kitchen ever since.

There are still some foods that my husband adores and I want to make from scratch for him. One of those is mac & cheese. You may even say that my husband has a thing for mac & cheese. And by "thing" I mean if it is on the menu and he has never had it from the diner/restaurant/vendor before, he MUST try it. As much as I love to cook, I haven't made mac & cheese from scratch in like a decade. I certainly don't want to screw it up for the first time I make some for my husband so I have been tinkering with recipes when he has been out of the area for work.

Not everything I do is from scratch and I still hold Kraft boxed mac & cheese near to my heart. I enjoy it with some sriracha on top and it gives it just a bit of heat. My husband has now taking a liking to that technique as well. So knowing that I made this as my first attempt at a good recipe with some heat. It also seems like a great base for fresh cooked and crumbled bacon or shredded chicken or pulled BBQ pork or carnitas!

Jalapeno Mac & Cheese
SERVES 6 -8
1½ hours | 30 min prep

• 1 lb noodles of your choice
• 1/2 lb cream cheese, melted
• 1/2 lb cheddar cheese
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup flour
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 2 or 3 small jalapeno peppers, thinly diced or sliced (I only used two & had plenty of heat)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
• 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs (for topping)

1. Cook the pasta according to its directions on the box/bag. Drain and set aside. 
2. In a saucepan melt butter over low heat then add cream cheese and mix until smooth.
3. Add heavy cream and whisk it in slowly.
4. Mix in Cheese, stir until cheese is completely melted.
5. Mix in Jalapeños, Salt, Black Pepper, Cajun Seasoning, and Flour.
6. Continue whisking until all ingredients are completely mixed.
7. Grease a casserole dish and layer bottom of pan with half of the cooked macaroni.
8. Gently pour half the mixture over noodles.
9. Add another layer of noodles and another layer of cheese mixture.
10. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
11. Uncover and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

A Recipe that is Near and Dear to My Heart: Bulgogi BBQ

I have studied martial arts for several decades. My Grand Master taught me far more than the martial art mindset and self-defense. One was cooking some of his favorite recipes including charcoal grilled bulgogi. I have so many fond memories when I cook bulgogi; sitting in his kitchen learning about his family/Japanese/Korean history while cooking, summer TaeKwonDo and Judo camps and the over 25 years I had him in my life. 

I was taught that delicious bulgogi is dependent on three main things: a good cut of beef, a delicious marinade, and the method you use to cook it. 

First, a good cut of beef always makes for delicious bulgogi: sirloin, tenderloin, or skirt steak are my usual choices. You still can make good bulgogi without these choice cuts. It’s very important to choose marbled beef. Cut the beef thinly against the grain to make it easier to chew. If you are not comfortable with a knife ask your butcher to cut the cut thinly for you.

Secondly, the marinade: the marinade in this recipe is the best that I’ve yet developed & is a variant of what I was taught by my martial arts Grand Master. As I’m constantly experimenting with recipes, I may still develop a better one but this is darn tasty. Also, if you can’t find a Korean pear, use ripe bosc pear: 1 small bosc pear for 1 pound of beef is good.

Thirdly, when we talk about the best cooking methods, grilling over charcoal will always be the best. This is because the marinade, juices and fats drip off the meat onto the coals, burn up there, and then come back to the beef in a wonderful smoke that covers the meat with flavor. You can’t beat charcoal for bulgogi.

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound of beef tenderloin, sliced thinly into pieces ½ inch x 2 inches and ⅛ inch thick
•  VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE:  You’ll need 10-12 large dried shiitake mushrooms. Add a few white mushrooms if you like them as well.

Marinade (for 1 pound of beef):

• ½ cup of crushed pear
• ¼ cup onion purée
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 chopped green onion
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs brown sugar (or 1 tbs of brown sugar and 1½ tbs rice syrup)
• a pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 tbs toasted sesame oil
• several thin slices of carrot

Directions

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add the sliced beef and mix well.
3. Keep it in the fridge and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for a tougher cut of beef.
4. You can grill, pan-fry, or BBQ right after marinating.
5.  Serve with ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce), rice and a delicious kimchi.

For Vegetarians:
Use the same marinade above and replace beef with mushrooms

1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for several hours until they’re soft.
2. Squeeze out any excess water and slice each mushroom thinly.
3. Slice some white mushrooms, carrot, and onion.
4. Mix all of it together in the marinade.
5. Grill, pan-fry, or BBQ.