Asian Fusian

I love Asian inspired dishes! For dinner last night I made Asian veggie stir-fry, Cilantro lime rice, and spicy garlic shrimp...It was delicious!!!!

I began with the rice. I just used Uncle Ben's instant rice and made about a 1.5 cups. Once it was done cooking and sitting, I added the juice from three limes and about three table spoons of cilantro. This had a very strong lime flavor and, honestly, was my least favorite part of the meal. I was hoping it would taste like the rice from Chipotle...it doesn't! 

Next I made the spicy garlic shrimp. I found this recipe on pintrest and had to try it. I began with a pound of shrimp that had already been peeled and de-vained. Sit those aside while you make the sauce. For the sauce combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons chili sauce, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of Chinese rice wine (I used Sherry cooking wine), and a teaspoon of of sugar. (These ingredients were difficult for me to find in my grocery store but I finally found them in the "ethnic foods" aisle)

Once you have your sauce made set it aside and chop 4 cloves of garlic. add the garlic to two tablespoons of olive oils and let the combination simmer for about 30 seconds, until the garlic becomes aromatic.  Then add your shrimp and let them cook until both sides are pink. Finally add the sauce mixture and allow the shrimp to finish cooking. 

The shrimp and sweet and spicy at the same time with very complex and layered notes of flavor. I will definitely be making them again. 

The Asian veggies are probably the easiest part of the meal. I bought a bag of the pre-cut vegetables that included broccoli, snow peas, cabbage, and carrots. I simply sauteed the mixed vegetables in olive oil until almost done and then I added about 4 cloves of minced garlic and about three tables spoons of soy sauce. I let the veggies finish cooking in the garlic and soy sauce for a few more minutes.

The veggies were crisp yet soft with a yummy soy flavor! 

This was a delicious, healthy meal that I will definitely make again, maybe minus the rice!       

Food Trucks

Food Trucks seem to be the fad right now. They are popping up all over the country, especially in the metropolises, and some cities have even created special parks just for food trucks. These trucks seem to create the most innovative dishes and can be found serving just about every type of food.

Gainesville has its own food truck industry that is booming!

I decided to check out this food truck industry this weekend and discovered a truck called "Go Stuff Yourself".

This food truck serves BBQ with a southeastern flare!

I had the BBQ pork sandwich. This sandwich was stuffed with pulled pork that was drenched in a sweet, tangy, smokey sauce. The pork was topped with a crisp slaw and there were jalapenos on top of that. It was delicious!

Bistro 1245

This post is the first of several about my dining out experience!

I tried Bistro 1245 the other night. It is in Gainesville on University Ave.

This is a quaint little restaurant with a very intimate feel. It is homey and wasn't very crowded so I didn't feel as if I was just another face in a crowd. 

The menu had a limited variety, it was mostly sandwiches with about six choices of entrees. 

I ordered the Spicy Shrimp Pasta

  

This was very good but it wasn't what I expected. The sauce was creamy with a delightful flavor but it wasn't spicy at all! The shrimp were my favorite part. They were buttery and rich and almost reminded me of miniature lobsters!

Overall I really enjoyed Bistro and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted a quiet, personalized dining experience! 

10 Minute Meal

So lets be honest, we do not all have time to create a masterpiece in the kitchen every time we need a meal.

Well today I am here to talk about a healthy, simple, and quick meal that is also delicious!

It is simply steak and broccoli with a 2-minute chocolate chip cookie for dessert.

This is so simple it honestly only takes ten minutes.

First turn your oven on high broil and move
                                           the upper rack to the second to
the highest rung in the oven.

While your oven is heating up season your steak. You can choose any cut of eat you want but I prefer a lean sirloin.

Begin by seasoning both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Then lather both sides with regular mustard. Dijan can be used but I prefer regular yellow mustard.

Once you get your steak seasoned place it in the oven and allow it to cook about 5 minutes on both sides. This cooking time can be adjusted to meet your preferences.

While your steak is cooking it is time to prepare the broccoli. Cut the broccoli from the stalk and place it in a pan with about a table spoon of butter. Cover the broccoli and allow it to cook for 5 minutes, moving it periodically to keep it from getting burned. After the 5 minutes have passed and the broccoli looks almost done add a few splashes of worcestershire sauce and cover for about 3 more minutes.

At this point your meal is done! Except for the most important part, dessert of course!

In a bowl combine 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1.5 tbsp white granulated sugar,  1.5 tbsp brown sugar, an egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 5 tbsp all purpose flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and chocolate chips to taste. Once all is combined place in the microwave for two minutes.

This creates a chocolate chip cookie with a cake like consistency. It is sweet and melts in your mouth and is the perfect quick fix for those moments when you feel like you are gonna die if you can't get your hands on a dessert!  

Hi and Welcome!

My name is Ashlyn, and I am a foodie!

I love to eat, actually that may be an understatement, I may actually live to eat because food is so delicious!

Since I do enjoy food so much I have developed a love for cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. My favorite dishes to prepare are often very time consuming and involved. Those are often the best though because you appreciate the time an effort put into the dish as well as the delectable, mouth watering flavors.

I also really enjoy eating out. Now, of course your chain restaurants are usually a home run and get the job done when your hungry, but I really really really enjoy eating at restaurants that are unusual. You know the ones I am talking about... Your mom and pop restaurants that make the best homemade apple pie, or those small hole in the wall Italian cafes with the head chef who has only been in America for two years and cooks his food the way he did in his native land of Italy.

I want to share my experiences in the kitchen with you, as well as my dining out adventures.

I hope you learn something about cooking and discover something new!