“I really want some spicy fried chicken!! But I’ll wait for when we go pick up my parents.”
“So any idea?”
“Something spicy!”
So if you can tell by that statement…I choose a spicy recipe!
Spicy Mongolian Beef
The picture looks delicious! But I wonder how spicy is spicy….
Well…
I didn’t realize I was “doing a new recipe” until I was beginning the frying of the beef…so I have no photos of the process beforehand.
To sum it up: I used round steak; because that’s what I had. I thawed and sliced it in strips along the grain. I marinated it in 1 TBsp of soy sauce for 10-ish min. I then added and coated the meat with 6 TBsp of flour. It called for cornstarch, but I never have cornstarch. Then I prepared the pan for frying.
I already did the first round of meat!
I will say. I know understand why you use a wok. It’s tall, deep, and the oil that explodes won’t burn you. I got burned. Not bad, but wow did it make a mess. This was my solution…
It worked. But man did it hurt when the oil got me…!
I was pretty proud of myself coming up with this idea on the spot. I only had about 30sec to think of something. Since the meat was already cooking.
I stopped mid way to take a picture. This round I cooked less time.
With the guard, mitt, and tongs, I probably looked like I was battling the stove.
But I won in the end! 😎 Yum!
Round steak is quite tough but it looks like it cooked correctly. We will have to see when we eat it. Soy sauce and flour made a thick goop that covered the meat before I cooked it. It really does look like I fried it. It has some crunchy spots!
The sauce. And the additional spices…for the SPICY!!
The recipe called for red peppers. Which of course we don’t have and I don’t want to go to the store. Mostly because I am in my pjs already. So instead I used cayenne pepper. I only put 1/2-3/4 tsp. I didn’t really measure. I just sprinkled it; we will see how spicy I made it!
sauté…Sauté…SAUTÉ!Our trusty rice cooker.
I started the rice when I was defrosting the meat. So it should be done here soon. Right around the perfect time, I might add. 😎
I added the sauce.
The sauce consisted of soy sauce, brown sugar, and oil. I believe since the spicy part needed to sauté, the sauce will just take on the flavors.
I will explain this picture.
I realize this picture looks the same as the one above but I added the watered flour mixture. (Most people use cornstarch) but if you can see those small clumps in the top center…that is flour that cooked and formed a lump. I tried to whisk it in…it wouldn’t so I… just scooped them out and then…
Look! No more white clumps and thickening up nicely.
Yep. I cheated! I decided to take out the imperfections instead of trying to make it work. Mwahahahaha!
Add the steak!
Looks really yummy. I think I should have cut the meat up thinner, but since it is not the steak it really called for I wanted to make sure I didn’t make a texture similar to shoe.
Looks yummy!
I still don’t know if it’s too spicy. I didn’t taste it.
Well I finished the food, and I will say… WOW! That was a bit spicy. Good! Definitely still delicious, but spicy. So two and half glasses of milk later…
Taste: 8.5! I think I will measure out the cayenne pepper next time. And maybe stay between 1/4-1/2tsp. Just to be on the safe side. I give it an 8.5 because it was almost too spicy. I prefer spicy to be enough where I can still enjoy it.
Look like photo: 9.5! Just because their steak looks thinner.
Easiness: 8. It wasn’t the simplest recipe to follow. Since some steps were left out and I had to improvise. Also the exploding oil; which is considered my fault because I did not have the correct pot. To understand look at the next photo…
😳
I don’t know if you can see all the oil splatters…but I will be cleaning this stove constantly these next few days. Because the burners are probably covered in oil splatter as well. 😑
Leftovers
It made a decent amount of leftovers. Two servings like this.
Leftover sauce
I might use this on some chicken. I think the flavor of the sauce will taste just as good on chicken.
This watermelon is from the 4th. I feel like I’ve been eating it everyday and it never seems to be making a dent…when will it be gone?
Enjoy your Thursday!! The week is more than halfway done. 😎
Only frying the tortilla and using ground beef. I wanted the crispy crunch from the tortilla but I didn’t want to eat something drenched in oil. The husband approved.
We are trying to eat better. I love food, but I am discovering I gain weight easily now as an adult…I miss the younger days…
Anyways…
Again defrosting. It seems to be taking forever. Also the tortillas…
I forgot I already used up all the tortillas…so I have to section some off so they defrost faster. Now it is definitely a good thing I am frying them or they would be super soggy. 😣
I think, I thought I would be cooking for a billion people…I had a brain fart. Only about 1/2” of oil.
Normally I would probably add some oil, but instead I just went with what I had. It should be fine.
So I decided to dry and remove as much of the excess oil as possible. Paper towels are awesome!Huh?
At this point I decided to add to my cooking preparation. Salsa. Homemade! I found a recipe a while ago and it was a big hit with the hubby and Eli! And me. But no one really cares. Haha 😂
The recipe.Combine all to bowl. The sweetness used in this recipe is honey. And I didn’t have a jalapeño, and I didn’t have any red pepper flakes…so I just used 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper.
We have a large food processor; I got it as a Christmas present. But sadly I never want to use it because I would rather not have more dishes. I know that is stupid and lazy, but I am that way occasionally.
The hubby wants 3 and I will have 2. Meat!
So for the meat, I will say I did drain off all the excess fat off the meat. I didn’t want any extra calories. So didn’t add the spices and chilies until after.
4 rounds in my mini food processor later…!!So the extra tortillas, I made as chips. So that when I want a snack I can have some chips and salsa.
The chips are just fried. I didn’t add any salt or lime juice. I wanted them to be a vessel for the salsa.
The garnish. Eli’s dinner.
I was not about to fight the battle today. If she would eat…she ate some of daddy’s breakfast, all of her own, a big serving of Alfredo noodles, and some cookies today so far.
Back to the cooking. Now I know why to add more oil.
…
Because after I finished the chips I only had a thin layer of oil covering the bottom of the pot. Not good. Could have burned the pot…
The process of my creation. I thought of it after I made the hubbies plate. Mwahahahaha 😎A dollop of sour cream.
The thought was…to cover the tortilla with the amount of sour cream you would normally top your taco. But let’s be honest. That dollup is huge…! I used way too much. Did I wipe the excess…no. I did that throughout the recipe but not now. Makes no sense.
Meat layer. Cheese. Topped with lettuce and drizzled salsa.
It was delicious. We had planned to eat it flat like that, but as soon as we picked it up, it folded into a taco.
It is not really a recipe I can score. Since it was a mash up of ideas.
Today is the last day I can spend with my family on our visit. So I am going to enjoy it to the fullest.
Some pictures from our trip…💕
Lots of fresh yummy fruit from grandma’s yard! I ate 12…? the first afternoon I got to my mom’s house…🤣Elizabeth got to hold a chicken! Haha I don’t know if she liked it or not…Beach Day!! Eli loved the ocean!!She kept wanting to go farther and farther!Day at the zoo!! So many animals!!
Just a few photos of our many great adventures! So enjoy your Friday! Because that is exactly what I will be doing! 😎
Hiking!Actually the first time she can walk on her own following Daddy. So big! With her backpack and ponytail!The river was rushing…Then…Mama and baby cross the bridge! (Finally a picture with mama)My two favorite people!! ❤️What is this you might ask? A spider nest the size of two hands…Yeah…nope! I zoomed in to the photo so that you could see…I was not getting closer…Stop looking! Catch up to the family…!?!A sleeping baby on the drive home…❤️
Our very first legit hike. Not one where I had to carry her the entire time. Not one where she got angry 10min in…
We did leave after about 20min. Because a storm was coming, and I didn’t want to attempt this hike wet and muddy…with a two year old…
But still it was a fun day. And it was filled with such sweet moments.
Traveling is always fun, but for me it is a great refresher. Home is where I love.
Elizabeth and I will be traveling again soon! So excited to see my mama and siblings. ❤️ it’s been almost one and a half years since I saw my siblings, in person…
So excited!!
So I guess, my poem kind is at war with itself…I love being home, but the thought of seeing my family again makes me willing to travel from home!
If you are with a family member today, give them a hug. Because some people in the world are unable to see their own family members often. ❤️
This vacation was to visit the newest baby addition to my sister in-law’s family. All the way to Kentucky.
Our trip was a total of 5 days…
Day 1 Drive eight hours.Hotel. Day 2 direct flight to Cincinnati, drive 10min to Kentucky. Day 3 Kentucky. Day 4 Kentucky. Day 5 Fly plus drive the eight hours. 😩
Day 5 was the worst.
But enough of the depressing things I’ll post some pictures. 🥰
Driving out of our home state. Such a beautiful blue sky. Next state. I feel like their sky is huge!! An actual conversation that happened in the car.
It’s funny how my mind and my hubby’s mind work differently. Haha 😂 Elizabeth wanted up. This was going to be a fun day, if we were only into the drive by 3 hours.
Finally!
We went exploring because we got there a bit before we could check in. Next step swimming in the pool to get the wiggles out!!
Scratch that. The pool at our hotel is closed. So we went to the park and let Elizabeth get her wiggles out. The hotel was really crappy. In all our experiences, it was the second worst ever. The first being a weed smelling infested hotel that made me puke. So this one was just a smidge better because it did not smell but it was pretty bad.
Elizabeth was over the car. But at least we are on our way to the airport.
I don’t know if you remember Elizabeth with her backpack…but man, was that a life saver! If you have a two year old, get one. It was amazing.
Elizabeth was doing digital Art. I thought this one was pretty. Digital Art by Elizabeth 6-2-21I know airline’s say they wipe everything down due to Covid, but I always wipe everything, I think she might touch, down. Luckily I did because my wipe came back a light brown.
I would suggest wiping down things that claim to be clean. It never is. I’ve been doing this even before Covid. Just because my child has always been curious. She touches everything.
The clouds look like whipped cream. I’m hungry.
Finally to Kentucky. It is beautiful. It’s green! But wow it is humid!! It was 50 something degrees and I was drenched. Compared to home it felt like the air was giving me a sweaty hug. 🥵
Elizabeth and Papa. What a wonderful view they have out their windows.
Next, an outing in Kentucky.
Noah’s Ark. The tail end.
It was truly amazing!! Except at this area they had fake thunder noises and Elizabeth got scared. She got some extra mama snuggles.
Again Elizabeth touching everything. She liked all the wood. I wiped her hands when we got back to the first floor.
This last picture we had gone up to the third floor of the ark and was slowly making our way down. It was huge!!
The center of the ark. Just think people today had tools and machines. Noah had his hands and the tools he made.
Walking threw the ark made me realize something. Noah was the creator of the term rustic. Whoever claims otherwise is a liar. He started it all. Haha 😆
Elizabeth was Done! at around 2:00. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law do not understand because they have a 1 month year old. Their child is fine as long as she gets to eat and sleep. Not so true for a 2 year old. And I must say! Elizabeth walked almost the entirety of the day…except the first floor of the ark. (It was too crowded and the thunder). My fitbit said I did almost 10,000 steps by this point! But she did amazing. Also we got there around 9:30. So it had been 4.5hrs. But the grandparents and the new parents did not understand.
So around 3:00…the hubby and I were Done! We got the keys to the car and took back our screaming child. The instant we got in the car, she snuggled into me and slept. It was nap time. She probably napped for a good hour and a half. I probably got 30min.
Nap time plus waiting was a total of 3 hours before everyone else showed up…😕 it would have been nice to go back to the hotel before dinner.
Bedtime was interesting… Kentucky is 2 hours ahead of us. So when it was 10pm there, it really felt like 8pm. I feel bad for our neighbors because Elizabeth was finally falling asleep around 11:30 every night.
A park near their house.
So sweet 🥰She got daddy’s hat…❤️My extended family.
The day at the park was day four. It was warmer, but with a warmer temp meant sweating from the humidity. If it wasn’t humid and the life pace was a bit slower this would be a wonderful place to live.
Day 5
On the plane and the beautiful sunrise.
We had to wake up at 3:50am. 😒 It was good because we still had the eight hour drive after the flight. But it felt like our 1:50am. I was still on our home town time….😵
emily2jane 