Spam and Egg Kimbap

My kids LOVE this stuff! You can can call these spam and egg kimbap, or simply, a deconstructed spam and egg musubi. These are super easy to put together and make great school lunches, not to mention, they aren't messy when your kids start to eat them! It's a win-win!

Feel free to switch up the fillings with whatever you'd like. It also tastes great with some raw tuna and avocado slices, too! Just make sure to have some soy sauce on hand for dipping. YOU'RE WELCOME! :)

INGREDIENTS:
(the following makes 4-5 whole kimbaps or 40-50 sliced pieces of kimbap)

one can of 25% less sodium spam

2 extra large eggs

TO MARINADE THE SPAM:

1/4 cup of hot water

2 Tablespoons of packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of onion powder

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1 Tablespoon of Maggie seasoning or soy sauce

2 teaspoons of Mirin

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

FOR THE RICE FILLING:

4 cups of cooked rice

2 Tablespoons of sushi vinegar

1 Tablespoon of furikake rice seasoning

3 teaspoons of olive oil

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

5 pieces of Nori (roasted seaweed)

olive oil

bamboo sushi mat (optional)

sesame seeds (for garnish)

small bowl of water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Remove spam from can and slice into 6, 1/4 inch thick slices. (You will only need half a can of spam for this recipe, but I always keep the other half to use the following day.)
2. Make your marinade for your spam. Into a shallow dish, add in your cut spam and then pour your marinade on top. Marinade at room temp for 30 minutes.
3. Into a small bowl, whisk together your extra large eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Into a hot pan on medium heat, add in some olive oil. Pour in your eggs. Swirl the pan around to evenly distribute the eggs. Once the bottom is cooked, use a flat spatula to carefully turn over the eggs. Cook for additional minute, or until cooked through. Transfer cooked eggs onto a cutting board and slice into thin strips. Set aside.
5. Fry your spam: Into a hot pan on medium high heat, add in half of your spam. (Use all of the spam if cooking for a large group.) Fry until golden brown. Flip spam over and add in some of your marinade--you want just enough liquid in there to create some gooey sauce. Cook until liquid has evaporated and spam is cooked to your liking. Remove from heat, and slice up spam into strips. (Place any uncooked spam (in marinade) into the fridge for later use.
6. Into a large mixing bowl, add in 4 cups of cooked rice and season with sushi vinegar, furikake, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE SPAM AND EGG KIMBAP:

Lay a sheet of seaweed (shiny side down) on your bamboo sushi mat. Top with two scoops of seasoned rice (3/4 cup to 1 cup of rice), making sure to leave at least a 1/2 inch border on the top and bottom of your seaweed sheet. Dip your fingers into the bowl of water to press down on the rice, making sure it is even and flat. Add in two slices of egg, followed by two slices of spam. Roll your seaweed over the spam and egg, keeping it nice and tight. Roll the bamboo sushi mat over your finished kimbap, and hold it tightly for several seconds. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the kimbap with olive oil or sesame oil. Slice the ends off (and then eat them!). Slice equally into 8-10 pieces. Garnish with more furikake or sesame seeds. Serve immediately or eat in one day!

Chicken Tenders

This recipe for homemade chicken tenders is currently, on heavy rotation in this house. I just had to tell my kids that, "mommy is chicken tendered-out!" LOL. So, no, no more chicken tenders for us for a while, but, yes, make some for your kids! Beats getting chicken mcnuggets from Mcdonald's, right?! :)

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds of chicken tenders

2 cups of buttermilk OR 2 cups of milk plus 2 Tablespoons of vinegar (allow milk and vinegar mixture to sour before using, about 7 minutes)

FOR THE FLOUR MIXTURE:(double this mixture if you plan on frying up all 2 pounds of chicken tenders that day)

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1 teaspoon of paprika

1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

*you will also need to reserve about 3 Tablespoons of your buttermilk to mix into your flour mixture)

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
2 eggs (add an extra egg if frying up all of the chicken tenders)

vegetable oil or canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Into a 13x9 inch baking dish, add in your buttermilk. Add in all of your chicken tenders. Cover baking dish, and place it into the fridge for at least 3 hours OR for up to 48 hours.

2. Into a shallow dish, make your flour mixture. Drizzle in some of your chicken-flavored buttermilk, just until mixture is slightly crumbly. Don't add too much, because as you start to toss your chicken into the flour mixture, the flour will begin to clump up on its own.

3. Into another shallow dish, crack your eggs and lightly beat it with a fork.

4. Take your chicken tenders, dip them into the eggs, and then the flour. Tap off excess. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

5. In a cast iron skillet, heat up some vegetable oil to 350 degrees.

6. Fry up your chicken tenders for about 7-8 minutes, turning frequently, and until golden brown. Do not overcrowd your skillet! Drain on paper towels and serve immediately!

NOTES:
-You may cut the recipe in half. It takes my family 2 days to finish almost 2 pounds of chicken, so just keep the uncooked chicken in the fridge until ready to fry! It should be good for up to 48 hours in the fridge.

-If you realize that your flour mixture is running low (and you still have 2-3 pieces of chicken to coat) simply sprinkle in enough flour to coat your chicken pieces. Add an extra pinch of salt if you'd like!

Scones with Raspberry Jam

This scone recipe was a must-have for the month of September. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, IT'S FAIR SEASON! I know it's supposed to be called the Washington State Fair, but old habits die hard and I still call it, the Puyallup Fair--SUE ME.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 Tablespoon of sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (I recommend the brand Rumford)

6 Tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter

3/4 cup to 1 cup of heavy cream

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

raspberry jam (of course!!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Into your stand mixer (or by hand), add in your first 4 ingredients. Mix well. Add in your softened butter. Place the dough hook onto your stand mixer, turn mixer to 'stir,' gradually turn to speed 2, and mix just until crumbly. With the mixture still on, add in 3/4 cup of your heavy cream. Mix just until dough starts to pull away from the sides and turn into a ball. Onto a lightly floured surface, dump your dough on top, and form it into a smooth ball. Divide dough into fourths, flatten out each piece into a 1 inch disc, and cover tightly with saran wrap. Place the discs into the fridge until chilled, about 3 hours OR overnight. Remove dough from fridge and shape into scones. Place shaped scones on some silpat (or parchment paper) and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 14 minutes, or until tops and bottoms have slightly browned. Serve warm with some jam.

NOTES:

-This recipe makes 16 small scones. You may cut them out larger if you'd like, just make sure to bake them a bit longer.

-Make these ahead! Unbaked scones be stored in the fridge for up to a week or may be frozen for later use.

-These taste best eaten the same day. You may keep these in an airtight container and keep them on the counter for 2 days. I recommend reheating them in the oven. Homemade scones lose their texture over time and do not taste good when you reheat them in the microwave.

-Bake only as much as you can eat! FRESH SCONES ARE THE BEST!

Vegetable Yakisoba

Yakisoba, chow mein, lo-mein...I love them all the same! I love the texture of yakisoba noodles over chow mein noodles, that's why I use it in this recipe. Oddly enough, when I make this dish, I tend to call it "chow mein," although chow mein noodles are supposed to be more crispier than yakisoba noodles. Go, figure.

Anyone else as screwed up as I am?!?


INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds of fresh Yakisoba noodles

3 cloves of chopped garlic

2 cups of chopped cabbage

1 cup of carrots sliced julienne

2 stalk of sliced celery

Half of a white onion, sliced

2 scallions, chopped

YAKISOBA SAUCE:

3 Tablespoons of dark soy sauce

2 Tablespoons of light soy sauce

2 Tablespoons of oyster sauce

2 Tablespoons of sugar

1/4 tsp of msg (optional)

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1/4 cup of hot water


FOR THE CHICKEN STOCK (may sub for 1/2 cup of canned chicken stock or omit this part and just use water to cook the vegetables):

1/2 cup of hot water

1 tsp of Better than Bullion paste


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Start off by removing your Yakisoba noodles from the packaging. Place the noodles into a colander, and wash the oil from the noddles, making sure to separate the noodles as you go along. Drain well. Set aside.

2. Make your Yakisoba sauce: into a small mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients together, adding your hot water, last. Mix well and set aside.

3. Make your chicken stock. Set aside.

4. Into a hot skillet, add in some oil. Add in all of your veggies, EXCEPT for your scallions and white onions. Add in half of your chicken stock (or water) and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in the rest of the chicken stock, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until veggies are tender and all of the liquid has evaporated. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in your scallions and white onions, and cook on high for 1-2 minutes. Remove cooked veggies from skillet and set aside.

5. Wipe down your skillet using a paper towel. Into your skillet on medium high heat, add in two Tablespoons of oil. Add in your chopped garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add in your Yakisoba noodles, and all of your reserved sauce. Add in your cooked veggies. Turn heat up to high, and stir fry until all the sauce has evaporate and cooked into the noodles. Serve immediately!

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches

Snickerdoodles are a bit nostalgic to me. Back when they used to teach Home Economics in middle school, it was my first, homemade cookie that I ever had; they were soft; they were chewy; they were crunchy around the edges, yet soft and chewy in the middle. At the time, I thought they were the best thing, EVER! So, to my middle school teacher, Ms. Young, if you're reading this, I want to let you know that the first time I ever baked anything was with you! Who knows...maybe my love for baking started much earlier than I thought!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of softened unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup of sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons of cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda


FOR THE CINNAMON AND BROWN SUGAR COATING:
3 Tablespoons of sugar

3 teaspoons of cinnamon

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
vanilla bean ice cream or ice cream of your choice!

sprinkles!! All the sprinkles!!

round biscuit or cookie cutter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Line a small baking dish with some parchment paper. Take your ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften a bit before using (about 10 minutes). Scoop out desired amount of ice cream into the baking dish and level it out using a flat spatula. Cover the ice cream with a piece of saran wrap, making sure to press over the ice cream's surface. Freeze until firm. (I usually do this whole step the night before)

2. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and using a biscuit cutter, cut out your ice cream. Place your cut-out ice cream pieces back into the freezer until ready to assemble.

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 400 DEGREES F.
3. Into a shallow plate, mix together your sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

4. Into a mixing bowl, add in your flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl, add in your softened butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat JUST UNTIL COMBINED. Add in your eggs and vanilla and beat just until combined. USING A SPATULA, fold in your dry ingredients, being careful not to over-mix.

6. Using a melon baller (or by hand) shape your cookie dough and drop them into your cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place them on your cookie sheet fitted with some silpat (or parchment paper/foil), making sure to space them at least two inches apart.

7. Bake cookies for 8 minutes, EXACTLY.

8. Immediately remove cookies from your baking sheet and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack until ready to use.

9. Remove your ice cream from the freezer and begin to assemble your ice cream sandwiches. Roll them gently into your sprinkles (if using). I recommend making two at a time (leaving the rest in the freezer while you work), and eating them asap! In other words, make them and eat them right away! The ice cream will begin to melt as soon as you take them out of the freezer.

NOTES:
-Do not attempt to put any assembled ice cream sandwiches back into the freezer: the cookies will harden and it will be quite difficult to eat!

-This recipe makes over 3 1/2 dozen cookies. You may cut the recipe in half, but why would you?! Chilled dough makes the BEST cookies! Simply roll out the leftover dough into two separate logs, wrap each one in saran wrap, and place them into the freezer for later use.