Elina and Robyn Make...Chinese Food!

I love cooking with Elina and since this is the third post of the section, I thought it'd be fun to have Elina as a guest blogger! We had so much fun making this meal (as usual) and I would love to eat it all again. Keep reading and Elina will tell you all about this cooking adventure!

Every once in a while Robyn and I get a crazy idea, and that's exactly what happened recently! We decided to make something really special and outside of the box...at least for us! We decided to give Chinese food a try! 

There are about a gazillion delicious Chinese food options out there, but we decided on just three: Chinese BBQ Pork, a take on P.F. Chang's Chang's Spicy Chicken and Chicken Lettuce Wraps...also a take on the popular dish from P.F. Chang's. And of course some steamed white rice, because what is Chinese food without rice!? As usual, we used all the recipes above as a guide, but changed a few things along the way to our liking.

We don't have much experience in Chinese food, so I must admit we were a little nervous going in. We frequented our local Asian market and picked up some of the not so standard ingredients that we needed and got to work.

Chinese BBQ Pork Goods

Making the BBQ Pork

Chicken Lettuce Wrap Goods

The Lettuce Wrap Sauce

Cooking the Chicken Lettuce Wrap filling

Chang's Spicy Chicken Goods

 Making Chang's Spicy Chicken

 And FINALLY the yummy rice!

The finished product!!!

In the end, I am happy to report that everything came out delicious and even authentic!

Homemade Soup: Spicy Southwest Chicken Soup

Awhile ago I was telling my friend about this soup, and I told her I'd send her a link thinking I'd already posted about it's deliciousness. When I went to find the link to send it to her, it wasn't there! I was wrong. I hadn't shared this soup on my blog, but I thought I had, and I'm sorry.

While browsing recipes online one day, I found this recipe and saved it because it sounded amazing! I made it not too long after, and I could have SWORN I'd blogged about it (see above!), but I guess I sorta forgot...

When I first realized I hadn't blogged about the soup, I figured I'd make it again eventually,  but eventually was quite awhile later sadly!

It's been pretty cold in LA lately, and I've been making a lot of soup recently, so I wanted to do something different. After browsing some recipes online, I realized I should and needed to make this soup again! I wanted something I  haven't had in awhile and I could finally blog about it - that's a double win!

The original recipe uses a crock pot, and while I love mine, I like to simmer my soups instead. With that said, I did a few things differently because I wasn't using my crock pot. Feel free to stick with the original recipe, or switch it up like I did. I'm sure either way would be great!

So without saying anything more, let me show you how to make this soup yourself.

The Goods:

Chicken

Blackened Seasoning (Not Pictured - OOPS)

Olive Oil

Rotel

Tomato Sauce

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

Corn

Black Beans

Onion

Garlic

Cumin

Salt

Homemade Chicken Broth

Saute the Onions a few minutes...

Then add the garlic and saute another minute or two.

Throw in the can of Rotel and stir to combine.

Add a tablespoon or so of Chipotle Peppers.

I like mine spicy, so adjust accordingly. 

Throw in the corn...

And the black beans too!

Now add the Tomato Sauce...

Finally it's time for the Chicken Broth. 

Let it simmer at least a half hour - if not more.

It'd been so long since I originally made this soup that I forgot how good it really was! I'm now wowndering why I waited so long to make it again and I'm really glad I made enough to freeze some.  I will definitely be filing this recipe away to make again!

Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream

I love pretty much anything made with pumpkin. It's SO good and I cannot get enough of it this time of year. I hadn't made ice cream in awhile, but last week I decided I wanted to try to make some Pumpkin Ice Cream with some of my Homemade Pumpkin Puree!

After a little searching online for a recipe without eggs, I decided to just kind of make my own and hope for the best! I've made many different kinds of ice cream before, so I wasn't too worried. Turns out...I had NOTHING to worry about! The Pumpkin Ice Cream turned out great and everyone who's tried it has loved it!

Take a look at how I made this amazing treat and then go make some for yourself! You could even add a little whipped cream for more of a pumpkin pie taste!!

The Goods:

Cream

Skim Milk

Pumpkin Puree

Brown Sugar

Ground Ginger

Ground Cinnamon

Ground Cloves

Vanilla Extract

Salt

Combine Cream, Milk, Puree and Brown Sugar. 

Stir until combined and sugar is disolved. 

Add the remaining ingredients.

And stir/whisk until mixture is combined.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and churn until creamy. 

After being frozen awhile! 

Robyn's Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe:

1 Cup Cream

1 Cup Skim Milk

1 1/2 Cups Pumpkin Puree

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1. In a large bowl, combine Cream, Milk, Puree and Brown Sugar. Stir until combined and sugar is disolved. 

2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir/whisk until mixture is combined.

3. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and churn until creamy. It will be more of a soft serve like texture right out of the ice cream maker. Freeze it for a few hours before serving for best results.  

Blackened Seasoning Mix

I've been making Blackened Seasoning Mix for a few years now. I make a big batch, keep it in an airtight container in my pantry and then use it as needed. I've even given it packaged up as gifts!

There are many ways to make Blackened Seasoning Mix, but I use equal parts of the following spices:

1. Cayenne Pepper
2. Paprika
3. Garlic Powder
4. Onion Powder
5. Salt (I use coarse Sea Salt)
6. Black Pepper
7. White Pepper (I just recently added this to the mix!)

Before mixing/shaking it all up! 

And After!

My favorite thing to do it use it to make Blackened Chicken, but it can be used in so many ways. Try it on salmon, throw it in some potatoes before roasting, sprinkle it on some vegetable - the possibilities are endless!

At the beginning of cooking.

Ready to be eaten!

(Served this with rice and sauteed spinach last night)