0) PREFACE
1) LEBANESE SALAD DRESSING
2) LEBANESE SALAD DRESSING II
3) PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL NO-BAKES (PEANUT BUTTER OPTIONAL)
4) CINNAMON PASTA
5) SOME STIR FRY NOODLES (SPICY)
6) HOMEMADE WHIPPED HONEY
7) CINNAMON STIR FRIED ONIONS
8) ROSEMARY GARLIC POTATOES
9) BREAKFAST POTATOES
10) GUACAMOLE EGG TOAST - NEW
11) ROSE WATER OATMEAL NO-BAKES - NEW
12) PAL'S MOROCCAN MINT TEA CONTRAPTION - NEW
13) SRIRACHA FRIES WITH JALAPENOS AND ONIONS - DOUBLE NEW
14) GINGER HONEY SESAME NOODLES - DOUBLE NEW
15) SWEET AND SOUR PASTA - DOUBLE NEW
16) HONEY BUTTERED TOAST - DOUBLE NEW
17) CINNAMON HONEY BUTTERED TOAST - DOUBLE NEW
18) SWEET AND SPICY SCRAMBLED EGGS - DOUBLE NEW
19) FLUFFY SCRAMBLED EGGS - DOUBLE NEW
20) GARLIC AND ROSEMARY PIZZA - DOUBLE NEW
21) SWEET AND SALTY WHITE RICE - DOUBLE NEW
22) LATEST VARIATION ON STIR FRY NOODLES - DOUBLE NEW
For most recipes I make regularly, I eyeball almost all small measurements. I also eyeball most vegetable amounts, too. Otherwise, I follow what I'm told or what I've been taught by others.
Helpful conversions, as well:
3 tsp = 1 tbsp
2 tbsp = 1/8 cup
4 tbsp = 1/4 cup
8 tbsp = 1/2 cup
16 tbsp = 1 cup
1 part lemon juice to 1 part olive oil - I tend to use 1/8 cup each to make 1/4 cup of dressing (easy to guesstimate in a measuring cup)
salt - as desired
black pepper - as desired
garlic - as desired; feel free to start at around 1 peeled and pressed (or minced) clove, and add more if you want
Mix ingredients either in separate measuring cup or directly into salad. When throwing directly into salad, it's easier to wing it and taste test as you go until it tastes how you want it to taste.
1 part lemon juice to 1 part white wine vinegar to 2 parts olive oil - you can start around 1 tbsp to 1 tbsp to 2 tbsp for a large salad bowl, I believe
salt - as desired
black pepper - as desired
garlic, minced or pressed, or garlic powder - as desired
onion powder - as desired
This really is more of a "use the wing it method" type of recipe. We throw whatever into the salad, wing the above, and taste test it until it matches what we want it to taste like. Feel free to mix it up (haha, a pun).
2 cups sugar (white sugar's fine, brown sugar makes for a softer cookie!)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats
An adapted recipe from an old, lovingly cared for family cookbook. Bring the first three ingredients to a boil, and then boil for two minutes while stirring. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ingredients in, mix it all together, and drop it by the spoonful (preferably teaspoonful) onto wax paper or an equivalent surface. They will dry on their own and solidify into a solid cookie. The wax paper will help prevent any sticking!
gluten free pasta (or pasta containing gluten) - a full box, so maybe around 9-12 oz of pasta
butter - as desired, a big tbsp or two for a full box is good
cinnamon - as desired (start light, very light, and add on from there)
A thing my mom did with me as a kid that her mom did with her as a kid. Stir butter into cooked pasta and season with desired amount of cinnamon. A small amount goes a long way with this one. Barilla has good and easy to make gluten free pasta, though almost any type of pasta will work here, as well as any shape (like rotini, shells, bow ties, etc).
about one cup or so of cut up vegetables maybe. I use an assortment usually of the following:
onions
bell peppers (orange or red) (0 - 100 scoville)
jalapenos (4,000 - 8,500 scoville)
serrano peppers (10,000 - 23,000 scoville)
wax peppers (1,000 - 15,000 scoville)
green onions
preferred noodles - cooked to packaging instructions; roughly 8-10 oz of noodles. I like to use:
rice noodles
brown rice noodles
black rice noodles
garlic - minced
ginger - peeled, then minced or shredded
sesame seeds - toasted or regular
some water - maybe 1/4 cup
vegetable oil - eyeball around 1-2 tbsp maybe
sesame oil - 2-3 tbsp ish
hot sesame oil - 1/2 tsp OR 1 tsp ish (for heat)
sauce ingredients
brown sugar (dark brown sugar preferably)
honey
squirt of sriracha
gochujang
a mild hot sauce
tamari (or soy sauce, if you're fine with gluten)
aji-mirin
Cook noodles according to packaging instructions. Cut up all vegetables, garlic, and ginger. Heat vegetable oil in a pan, and then add garlic and ginger and stir. Cook for about three minutes or until you can smell the garlic and ginger.
Add vegetables in. A good way to do it is to add regular onions first, cook a little, then add in all types of peppers. Cook for a few minutes. Save green onions for later. Before adding noodles, I like to coat the vegetables in honey and stir them a bit. Then add noodles, water, and all sauce ingredients (either separately, or mixed together in a bowl beforehand) and stir.
The ratio for sauce ingredients is more of a suggestion than a defined thing. Feel free to mess around with it. I like to do about 2-4 tbsp of brown sugar, 2-4 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp tamari, 1 tbsp aji-mirin, a squirt or two of sriracha, maybe 1-2 tsp gochujang, and a few squirts of a mild hot sauce, which I usually guesstimate instead of measuring specifically. Habanero sauce is also good, as is rice vinegar, rice wine vinegar, sweet chili sauce, kung pao sauce (contains gluten), teriyaki (contains gluten), etc. Feel free to experiment.
Cook to desired tenderness. Start at around a minute after adding sauces if you don't want things too soft. Around 30 seconds before finishing, add sesame oil, hot sesame oil, and green onions, stirring well and making sure not to burn anything.
When done, remove from pan and stir in desired amount of sesame seeds.
1 part crystallized honey OR 1 part whipped honey
10 parts raw un-crystallized honey
something like a jar for long term storage
Purposefully leave out raw (not pasteurized) honey to crystallize in a cool place. This will probably take a few weeks. If you already have hardened or whipped honey, step one is complete.
Take crystallized honey and place it in your preferred storage container. You can measure or eyeball the amount, and then add ten times that amount of raw honey (so, for 2 tbsp crystallized honey, you would add 20 tbsp raw honey, which would be 1 1/4 cups). Stir gently for about two minutes. Eyeball when it starts to look thoroughly mixed together and avoid making as many air bubbles as you can.
After that, store covered in a cool place for about seven days. When it's done solidifying, you can spread it on things like toast. As long as you don't eat the entire thing you can use any amount of this honey to make more whipped honey.
1-2 onions - peeled and cut into strips
cinnamon - maybe 1 tsp? (or as desired)
olive oil - 1-2 tbsp ish
salt - maybe 1/2 tsp (or as desired)
pepper - maybe 1/4 tsp (or as desired)
garlic - start around 1 clove, minced or pressed
Heat olive oil in a pan on the stove and when hot, add garlic to pan. Stir fry constantly for about three minutes, or until you can smell the garlic, then add the sliced onions in. Stir regularly and cook to desired tenderness. Add cinnamon in halfway or near the end. Cinnamon will stick to the pan, so try to wipe it out as soon as you can, perhaps while the onions are cooling on a plate. A good side dish and/or topping for meat like beef or lamb.
desired amount of potatoes (about a medium to large pan's worth) - I like baby gold potatoes, but russet works perfectly fine too
pressed garlic (minced also fine) - a pan for me uses maybe 3-5 cloves, but use as many or few as you'd like
rosemary - start around a teaspoon or so and add more as needed
salt - start around a teaspoon maybe
pepper - start around 1/4 teaspoon maybe
olive oil - start around 1-2 tbsp maybe
butter - optional, for greasing pan
Set oven temperature to around 365 degrees Fahrenheit for long cooking; 400 degrees Fahrenheit for short cooking. Long cooking will require 65 minutes or more but taste softer, while short cooking can give it a crisper flavor and take maybe 45-60 minutes.
Cut washed potatoes (with or without skins) into cubed or small chunk shapes and press (or mince) your desired amount of garlic. Either butter the pan or grease the pan with olive oil (or use both) and place potatoes in it. Drizzle olive oil over every potato and then add all spices on top (the salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary).
Cook in the oven for either the long amount or short amount of time. Once done, use a spatula to separate the potatoes from the pan to avoid any crusty sticking.
desired amount of potatoes
desired amount of sliced/chopped onions - preferably around half the amount of potatoes or less
garlic - powder or minced/pressed
salt - maybe 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp depending on amount of potatoes
pepper - a smidge
paprika (or cayenne pepper) - optional
onion powder - optional
vegetable oil - at least one or two tbsp to start with, more for more potatoes
Chop washed potatoes (with or without skins) into cubes or chunks and place them in a pot full of water. Bring this to a boil, and once boiling, set a timer for 6 minutes. When it beeps, test the softness of a potato with a fork; you want them to be soft, like a baked potato. Cook longer if needed. Strain when they get to the correct consistency.
At some point, peel and then chop or slice the onion(s). If using minced or pressed garlic, heat oil in a big enough pan for everything and then add the garlic once the oil is heated. Stir for about three minutes, or until you can smell the garlic. If not, simply heat the oil.
Add in the onions and stir fry them for a few minutes. Add in potatoes and stir. Start at about ten minutes for total cook time, adding the rest of the spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder/onion powder/cayenne etc) in your preferred amount toward the end. Keep the flame around medium-high, and reduce heat as needed while cooking (say, if things start burning or the oil starts splattering). Cook to desired tenderness and preferred taste. Easy to serve in a big bowl.
two eggs
single serving size container of guacamole (I like chunky, but smooth is fine too!!)
two pieces of bread (I use gluten free)
oil of choice
salt - as desired
Start by toasting your bread in a toaster (or however you're able) and then begin frying eggs over easy (with your oil) in a frying pan. I like to use the small egg sized pan we have because it makes the eggs nice and circular when fully cooked.
Once both are cooked, place eggs, along with toast, on a plate, and assemble in a toast + guacamole + eggs + salt order, ie spread guacamole on toast, place one egg on each, and then salt the egg.
And bingo presto, you got yourself guacamole egg toast!
NOTE: also doable with plain avocado!
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp (edible) rose water
3 cups quick oats
An adapted experimental recipe with the (optionally peanut butter) no-bakes recipe from above used as a base. I make this on special occasions for my sister, mostly, because she ended up SUPER liking it.
Bring the first three ingredients to a boil, and then boil for two minutes while stirring. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ingredients in, mix it all together, and drop it by the spoonful (preferably teaspoonful) onto wax paper or an equivalent surface. They will dry on their own and solidify into a solid cookie. The wax paper will help prevent any sticking!
IMPORTANT NOTE: these cookies dry faster for some reason!! You will need two pairs of hands most likely working in sync to get all of the cookies scooped out before the mixture dries into crumbles in the pan.
2 tsp chinese gunpowder tea
1/4 cup fresh OR 2 tbsp dried mint leaves
4 tsp white sugar
4 cups water for tea
(plus a little extra water for preheating the teapot)
Heat your water to 180 degrees F and use a little bit of it to preheat your teapot by pouring it into the teapot, swirling, and discarding.
Put tea, mint leaves, and sugar into the preheated teapot.
Pour remaining 4 cups of 180 degree F water into the teapot, stirring once. Steep for 5 minutes (reheat water if necessary to get back up to 180 degrees F).
Once time is up, use a strainer of some kind to strain the steeped tea into another container (I like to use a jug) or directly into cups (in which case I tend to use two large two-cup sized mugs so I don't have to use as many cups to pour tea into). If you want to immediately reuse your leaves to make more tea, use the same instructions and same amount of water as above, but steep for about 8 or more minutes instead of 5.
Called a contraption only because most recipes call for fresh mint leaves, and I found a way to use dried to get the same result :)
a serving of french fries (or more) (like over half a cereal bowl or so)
a jalapeno
a quarter to half of an onion
vegetable oil
salt
pepper
sriracha
Cook french fries according to packaging instructions (or reheat old ones). Meanwhile, cut the jalapeno and onions and sautee until they reach desired tenderness in vegetable oil. When both are done, salt and pepper the fries, spritz with a bit of sriracha, and add the jalapenos and onions on top - also spritzing a bit sriracha on top of them. This can be done in a bowl or on a plate.
Serve with a fork and enjoy!
rice noodles (1-2 servings)
jalapeno pepper
serrano pepper
onion
smidgen ginger, peeled
honey - maybe 1-2 tbsp or more
tamari (or soy sauce) - start around 1 tsp or 2
aji-mirin - start around 1 tsp or 2
rice vinegar - start around 1 tsp or 2
sesame oil - a swirl or two around the pan
neutral oil, like vegetable, avocado, or canola oil
sesame seeds (toasted or regular)
Cut up your vegetables (about two cups worth total for me usually), shred your smidgen of ginger, and prepare your noodles according to their packaging instructions; then take a big enough pan and heat a tablespoon or two of oil in it. Once hot, stir fry the ginger for 1-3 minutes, until you can smell the ginger's scent. Add your vegetables. Stir fry about 3/4ths of the way to your desired tenderness, before adding in the noodles and stirring until everything's combined.
Add in the honey, tamari, aji-mirin, and rice vinegar, stirring until combined (or combine ahead of time, who am I to judge!). Stir fry to desired tenderness, or just about, since the heat will likely continue cooking them a minute or two after you remove it from the pan. Thirty seconds before finishing, add in sesame oil. It is important NOT to burn your sesame oil, as it has a very low smoke point compared to many other oils.
Remove from heat after those thirty seconds are up and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with crushed red pepper or a honey bottle if people want to adjust the flavor in post.
gluten free pasta (or wheat pasta)
red and orange bell peppers
onions
la choy sweet and sour sauce, or preferred brand
a neutral oil, like vegetable or avocado - perhaps around 1-2 tbsp
Cook pasta according to al dente directions, and cut up your vegetables into bite sized chunks. When done, heat up a tablespoon or so of oil in a pan, and add the onions and peppers. Stir fry to about halfway or 3/4ths of desired tenderness, then add pasta. Add in a generous amount of sauce to coat, and cook until bubbling (or according to bottle instructions).
Serve with as much scooped up sauce from the pan as you'd like.
two pieces of bread (I use gluten free)
butter
whipped honey (creamed honey)
Toast your bread, then spread butter over it, followed by your whipped/creamed honey. Liquid honey can be used, but spills incredibly easily after it's been spread.
two pieces of bread (I use gluten free)
butter
whipped honey (creamed honey)
cinnamon
Toast your bread, then spread butter over it, followed by your whipped/creamed honey. Liquid honey can be used, but spills incredibly easily after it's been spread. Sprinkle however much cinnamon you want on it. I like to cover the honey in a thin layer of cinnamon because it tastes like a rich cinnamon sugar.
eggs - usually 2-3
garlic powder - maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp
smidgen crushed red pepper - maybe 1/4 to 1 tsp, depending on desired level of heat
honey - drench those vegetables!
~1 tbsp milk
salt - maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp
pepper - a pinch
onions - maybe half an onion, sliced
bell pepper - maybe 1/3 a big bell pepper, sliced
a jalapeno, or other spicy pepper (like serrano)
a neutral oil, like vegetable or avocado
Cut up your vegetables into bite sized chunks or smaller. Crack your eggs in a bowl, and stir in garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon of milk (I usually eyeball this). The milk will help make the eggs fluffier. Stir until the yolks and egg whites blend together.
Set aside, and heat up a tablespoon or two of oil in a pan, then add and stir fry your vegetables until about halfway or 3/4ths done. At this point, I like to slather them in honey; this makes the vegetables taste sweeter to me at least. Stir them around, making sure not to burn them. Then add the scrambled egg mixture in.
If you're worried about burning your eggs, keep the temperature medium or lower and cook for a longer time instead. Pay attention to the eggs and use the pull toward the center method for cooking. I end up using a spoon for easier control, and keep pulling the cooked bits toward the center and stirring them there, scraping the sides of the pan as needed.
When your eggs are halfway done - around the time where you have very little to no runny liquid eggs left in the pan - take it off heat for about half a minute. This will help make the eggs fluffier. At this point, I stir everything around completely and make sure nothing is burning. If you need to take your eggs off heat more often to avoid burning, I've done that before, and it works just fine too.
Put the eggs back over heat and stir constantly, now. Cook until about 80% done; not 100%. This will help make the eggs fluffier and less rubbery, since the eggs will continue to cook for a few minutes when you remove them from the pan.
When done, add additional salt, pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes if needed.
eggs - usually 2-3
~1 tbsp milk
salt - maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp
pepper - a pinch
a neutral oil, like vegetable or avocado
Crack your eggs in a bowl, and stir in salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon of milk (I usually eyeball this). The milk will help make the eggs fluffier. Stir until the yolks and egg whites blend together.
If you're worried about burning your eggs, keep the temperature medium or lower and cook for a longer time instead. Pay attention to the eggs and use the pull toward the center method for cooking. I end up using a spoon for easier control, and keep pulling the cooked bits toward the center and stirring them there, scraping the sides of the pan as needed.
When your eggs are halfway done - around the time where you have very little to no runny liquid eggs left in the pan - take it off heat for about half a minute. This will help make the eggs fluffier. At this point, I stir everything around completely and make sure nothing is burning. If you need to take your eggs off heat more often to avoid burning, I've done that before, and it works just fine too.
Put the eggs back over heat and stir constantly, now. Cook until about 80% done; not 100%. This will help make the eggs fluffier and less rubbery, since the eggs will continue to cook for a few minutes when you remove them from the pan.
When done, add additional salt or pepper if needed.
gluten free pizza crust (or preferred premade crust) - schar has the best gluten free crust I've ever tried
pizza squeeze (or preferred tomato sauce)
mozzarella cheese
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Use pizza crust according to packaging instructions. For the Schar crust, spread a generous amount of pizza squeeze on the crust, then top with cheese, minced garlic, and chopped rosemary. Cook it in the oven roughly eight or so minutes, and allow to cool when done - but eat it hot!
rice noodles
mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, a jalapeno - 2 cups worth combined, sliced
green onions - 1-2, chopped
tamari (or soy sauce) - 1-2 tsp ish
aji-mirin - 1-2 tsp ish
rice vinegar - 1-2 tsp ish
dark brown sugar - 2-4 tbsp
gochujang - a single small swirl directly into the pan
sesame oil - maybe 1 tbsp, make it a good big swirl directly into the pan
hot oil - 1 small kitchen spoonful scoop, optional (for additional heat)
sesame seeds - to taste, toasted or untoasted
crushed red pepper - to taste, optional
Cut up your vegetables and prepare your noodles according to their packaging instructions; then take a big enough pan and heat a tablespoon or two of oil in it. Add your vegetables. Stir fry about 3/4ths of the way to your desired tenderness, before adding in the noodles and stirring until everything's combined.
Add in the tamari, aji-mirin, rice vinegar, dark brown sugar, and gochujang stirring until combined (or combine ahead of time, who am I to judge!). Optionally, you can add hot oil here. Stir fry to desired tenderness, or just about, since the heat will likely continue cooking them a minute or two after you remove it from the pan. Thirty seconds before finishing, add in sesame oil and green onions. It is important NOT to burn your sesame oil, as it has a very low smoke point compared to many other oils.
Remove from heat after those thirty seconds are up and garnish with sesame seeds and, optionally, crushed red pepper.
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