Grace

Delicious Japanese Pork Katsudon and Rice Bowl

August 28, 2019 by Grace 2 Comments

My sister is Japanese, and when I told her I made Japanese Pork Katsudon and Rice Bowl she mentioned that was her favorite. I’m so happy because now I can make Katsudon for her!

I’m going to Tokyo in March 2020 to participate in the marathon. I say “participate” rather than “run” because I’m totally incapable of running the whole thing! I am yearning to learn more about Japanese cuisine to prepare for this trip short term. Long term, I want to be able to impress my sister. 🙂

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The BEST Tomato Basil Chicken

August 25, 2019 by Grace 2 Comments

I have a folder that I keep printed off recipes and recipes from newspaper clippings. It’s a pretty thick folder, and I hope one day I will be able to work my way through each recipe. Some of these recipes I’ve had for years, and the recipe for The Best Tomato Basil Chicken is one of these that I come back to time and time again. Why?

Because it is a DIVINE combination.
I cannot remember where I got this recipe, but please know I assure you it is EASY. DELICIOUS. QUICK. 5 STAR.

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Za’atar – 1,000 Foods to Eat Project

August 20, 2019 by Grace Leave a Comment

This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.

Za’atar is listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. She says that the foods she lists in her book are the tastes that every food lover should experience or dream about. I am 25 foods in, and Za’atar is food #26!

1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die Front Jacket

What is Za’atar?

Za’atar is both an herb, as well as a spice mix. As an herb, it is native to the Middle East and the scientific name is Origanum syriacum. It is also the same as the biblical hyssop.

As a spice mix, the mix can vary depending upon what country it is from, according to flavor preference. However, it generally contains thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, salt, and sometimes sumac.

Take the time to smell this highly aromatic spice, and get a sense of the nutty and earthy aroma it has.

The Za’atar Spices I Have Tried

I’ve had the opportunity to sample 2 types of Za’atar so far. One is from a spice kit that my sister gave me, Chef’s Daughter World Traveler Gift Collection Travel Spice Kit – 12 Artisan Spice Blends. This one contained Lebanese Za’atar, and this particular mix included sumac. Sumac is commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, and has a tart and citrusy flavor.

The second type I tried, was one I purchased from my local grocery store, by McCormick. This organic seasoning contained thyme and oregano, sesame seed, and lemon peel, and salt…no sumac.

Other Za’atar Options

Browsing around on Amazon, I can see there are quite a few varieties to choose from, and I have zeroed in on one called USimplySeason Za’atar Spice which I’d love to try! This one contains sumac, which I absolutely love.

Are you interested in making your own Za’atar spice blend? I found a recipe for Lebanese Za’atar Spice Blend from the blog Kevin is Cooking which looks amazing and I’ll have to give that a try sometime soon!

How To Use Za’atar

Za’atar is great for bread dipping and mixing into hummus. You can also add to flat breads and vegetables, and also great as a rub for meats or even to season seafood!

So far, I have added it to my hummus and eaten pita with it (scrumptious!). This is great as a snack and I will say PERFECT FOR BREAKFAST AS WELL!!

I have also tried it with tilapia, which was superb. The recipe for this is Lebanese Za’atar Spiced Tilapia.

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Za'atar. I love practicing pronouncing this word…I think it can sound beautiful pronounced correctly but I have a ways to go. Za'atar is a supremely aromatic spice, and is a mixture of salt, thyme, sesame seeds, and other spices. It is commonly used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, and it is an amazing spice! This delicious spice pairs nicely with seafood, so I decided to try tilapia seasoned with Za'atar and I had a delicious taste of the Middle East on my table in about 10 minutes. Pair with some pearled couscous (I used Near East brand) or warmed pita bread for an easy, quick, and yummy meal! Get the recipe here: https://explorecookeat.com/lebanese-zaatar-spiced-tilapia/ Cheers! Grace #cleaneating #eatclean #tilapia #tilapiarecipe #zaatar #quickandeasymeals #quickandeasyfood #onmyplate #dinnertonight #lovetocook #lovetoeat #lovetocookandeat #frommykitchen #seafoodrecipes #cleansimpleeats #eatwellbewell #simpleeats #cleansimpleeats

A post shared by Grace Stewart (@explore_cook_eat) on Jul 31, 2019 at 11:00am PDT

I have really enjoyed getting to play around with this spice! In the future I’ll use it as a rub for lamb, which is recommended by Mimi Sheraton in her book.

1,000 Foods to Eat Project

Please follow along with me on this quest to try the 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, from the book by Mimi Sheraton! Join me in this journey and discover new foods, experiences, and cuisines which I hope will add inspiration, fun, and joy to your life! Visit the 1,000 Foods to Eat Project page to view a list of the foods tried so far.

Za’atar is #26 on my list of foods to try. 26 down, 974 to go!

If you’d like to follow along and be a part of the 1,000 Foods Project, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It’s an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here. 🙂

Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or suggestions I would be honored if you would share them below!

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Classic Filipino Chicken Adobo

August 11, 2019 by Grace 2 Comments

I am proud of my international family. I am Korean- American, and my husband is English-Norwegian. One of my sisters is Japanese. And my brothers in law are English, Hispanic, and Filipino.

So Roland, my Filipino brother-in-law, treats us to some amazing Filipino food at some of our family gatherings. Roland is a great cook and I really need to pick his brains more about Filipino food. And I yearn to learn more about this amazing cuisine!

What is Adobo?

I wanted to start off my exploration of Filipino cuisine with the classic Filipino Chicken Adobo. First off, chicken adobo is easy and simple to make, and is one of the most famous Filipino foods.

The word “adobo” comes from the Spanish word adobar which means marinate. Chicken adobo is chicken marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar.

The BEST Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe!

Certainly and thankfully I came across the BEST Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe on my first go! This recipe is from Marvin Gapultos, a Filipino American food blogger. Mr. Gapultos is bringing Filipino cuisine to a worldwide audience. I am grateful to Mr. Gapultos, who writes the blog Burnt Lumpia, for allowing me to publish his recipe in my post!

This chicken adobo recipe is from his book The Adobo Road Cookbook, which you can purchase on Amazon. And I really look forward to discovering more of his delicious Filipino recipes. Therefore I’ll consult The Adobo Road Cookbook, as well as Burnt Lumpia!

You will be amazed at the simplicity of this dish! For instance, there are very few ingredients in this recipe. And it comes together so beautifully. All you need is bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. That’s it!

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I am so proud of my international family. I am Korean-American, and my husband is English-Norwegian. One of my sisters is Japanese, and my brothers in law are English, Hispanic, and Filipino. At some of our family gatherings, I was treated to Filipino food from my Filipino brother-in-law, Roland. Roland is a great cook! I really need to pick his brains more about Filipino food but I have had a bit of it and enough to know that I like it and want to explore more about it! I'm starting with the classic Filipino Chicken Adobo. Thankfully I came across the BEST Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe on my first go! This recipe is from Marvin Gapultos, the Filipino American food blogger who really brought Filipino cuisine to a worldwide audience. I am grateful to Mr. Gapultos, who writes the blog Burnt Lumpia, for allowing me to publish his recipe in my post! This recipe is from his book The Adobo Road Cookbook, and I’m so looking forward to discovering more of his delicious Filipino recipes both from The Adobo Road Cookbook, as well as Burnt Lumpia! Please follow Mr. Gapultos @burntlumpia! Get the recipe for this most tangy and delicious chicken adobo here: https://explorecookeat.com/classic-filipino-chicken-adobo Cheers! Grace #chickenadobo #filipinofood #eattheworld #internationalcuisine #onmyplate #dinnertonight #filipinocuisine #filipinofoodlove #foodpost #bonappetit #lovetocook #lovetoeat #safoodie #sanantonioblogger #delish #kitchendiary #cooksofinstagram #eeets #feed52 #yumyum #frommykitchen #homemadefood #pinoyfood

A post shared by Grace Stewart (@explore_cook_eat) on Aug 12, 2019 at 1:36pm PDT

So you must try this amazing recipe soon! In summary, enjoy this taste of the Philippines right in your own home!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Classic Chicken Adobo

This amazingly delicious Filipino Chicken Adobo is beautiful in its simplicity! Enjoy this served with plenty of white rice and garnished with green onions!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: Chicken, Chicken Adobo

Author: Marvin Gapultos

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white Filipino cane vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
6-8 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
1 ts whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
6 chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in

Instructions

Place the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, black peppercorns, and bay leaves in a large, nonreactive sauté pan, and then nestle the chicken thighs, skin side down, into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, and then cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken over, and then cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Uncover the pan, and then increase the heat to high and return the sauce to a boil. While occasionally turning and basting the chicken, continue boiling the sauce, uncovered, until it is reduced by half and thickens slightly, 5–7 minutes. Serve with steamed white rice.
Variations: While the sauce is reducing, transfer the chicken thighs, skin side up, to a foil-lined sheet pan. Brown the chicken thighs underneath the broiler for 3–5 minutes.
Use freshly ground black pepper instead of whole peppercorns.
For a “drier” chicken adobo, you can reduce the sauce until it is almost completely evaporated. The chicken will then begin to fry in its own fat that is still left in the pan. This is how my grandmother finishes her adobo.
For a saucier adobo, double the amount of soy sauce and vinegar.
To make this adobo as an appetizer, use 2 lbs (1 kg) of chicken wings instead of thighs.

Notes

You will absolutely love this adobo! Garnish with green onions and serve with plenty of white rice for a taste of the Philippines!

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Hoppin’ John – 1,000 Foods to Eat Project

August 10, 2019 by Grace Leave a Comment

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One of the most delicious of Southern dishes should not be eaten only on New Year’s Day. Hoppin’ John is for any day!

Hoppin’ John is listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. She says that the foods she lists in her book are the tastes that every food lover should experience or dream about.

I am 24 foods in, and this is my #25 food. After 25 foods, I absolutely trust the judgment of Ms. Sheraton and am on a quest to try each and every one of these foods.

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Pasta!!!! 1,000 Foods to Eat Project Food #24

August 6, 2019 by Grace Leave a Comment

I am on a quest to experience and enjoy the 1,000 Foods to Eat in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. She says that the foods she lists in her book are the tastes that every food lover should experience or dream about.

Some of the foods are easy, and some of the food are hard. So.. this one is particularly easy…who hasn’t tried pasta?!?!?! My second question is who doesn’t love pasta?!?!? Pasta is food #24 on my quest to try each and every one of the foods listed in this awesome book.

What is Pasta?

Dictionary.com defines pasta as: “any of various flour-and-egg food preparations of Italian origin, made of thin, unleavened dough and produced in a variety of forms, usually served with a sauce and sometimes stuffed.”

Pasta has two broad categories that it is divided into: fresh and dried. The shapes and varieties of pasta seem to be endless…but actually in my research I found there are approximately 350 different types of pasta, and many many more names for them! For example, what one person calls farfalle, another may call bowtie.

The history of pasta goes back centuries, and although I am not sure how true the legend of Marco Polo bringing the first pasta over from China is, I love the story.

Incredibly Versatile – There is a Pasta for Everyone!

With 350 types of pasta, and seemingly endless varieties of sauces and ingredients, there is definitely a pasta dish for everyone!

Although I do like tomato sauce based pasta dishes, my tasted tend to lean toward pasta dishes that are not tomato based.

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I'm on a journey to try the 1,000 foods listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die. Some of the foods are easy and familiar, and some of the foods are somewhat difficult. So my #24 food is particularly easy…pasta, which is one of my favorites! Luckily, I have four great pasta recipes which I'd love to share, and are some of my go to recipes when I want a quick, easy, and delicious 5 star pasta meal (which is almost every night). 🙂 Linguine Alle Vongole Linguine With Pancetta and Peas Linguine With Delicious Parsley Pesto Puglian Orecchiette With Broccoli I guess you can tell I love linguine. 🙂 If you love pasta, please try one of these recipes…I think you'll love them. 🙂 Find the recipes at the site in my bio…which is http://www.explorecookeat.com. Cheers everyone! Grace #pasta #ilovepasta #1000foodstoeatbeforeyoudie #onmyplate #dinnertonight #pastamania #sabestfoodpics #pastalovers #pastalove #pastaporn #carbdinner #instapasta #pastaaddict #budgetmeals #pastapasta

A post shared by Grace Stewart (@explore_cook_eat) on Aug 2, 2019 at 11:43am PDT

I have a few go to pasta dish recipes that I’d love to share, and they are:

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Darjeeling Tea – 1,000 Foods to Eat Project

July 27, 2019 by Grace Leave a Comment

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I confess…I am not much of a tea drinker. Even after spending 7 years living in England I never developed a taste for tea. That may change after Darjeeling though.

So I tried Darjeeling tea because it is listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. She says that the foods she lists in her book are the tastes that every food lover should experience or dream about.

I am 22 foods in, and this is my #23 food. After 22 foods, I absolutely trust the judgment of Ms. Sheraton and am on a quest to try each and every one of these foods.

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Endive au Jambon Sauce Mornay – 1,000 Foods to Eat Project

July 20, 2019 by Grace Leave a Comment

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I am working my way through the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. I’m on a quest to try each and every one of these foods.

Some of the foods (dishes) are very familiar, and some are new to me. This Belgian classic, Endives With Ham and Mornay Sauce, or Endive au Jambon Sauce Mornay, is both new to me, and a revelation to me!

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Quick and Easy Cucumber Kimchi

July 12, 2019 by Grace Leave a Comment

When life gives you cucumbers, make Quick and Easy Cucumber Kimchi!

A good friend of mine has an incredible green thumb! I am so fortunate to often be on the receiving end of that green thumb. The other day, she kindly brought me some amazing home grown cucumbers, chives, peppers, and perilla (sesame) leaves, which are all perfect for Korean banchan. So I’m so excited to be making some awesome Korean side dishes over the next few days!

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Spicy Thai Chicken With Basil

July 9, 2019 by Grace Leave a Comment

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Do you like Thai hot? Then you will LOOOOVE this recipe for Spicy Thai Chicken With Basil!

Thai cuisine is one of my absolute favorite cuisines in the world. The complex flavors and fresh ingredients captivate me. Fortunately, my husband loves Thai as well, but he likes his dishes “Thai hot.”

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