Homemade French Onion Soup!

I got the recipe from GoodHousekeepingMag! This soup is perfect for those chilly nights or for any other day or occasion!!! :)


What you are going to need:

- 4 Tbsp. Butter
- 6 Medium Onions
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 Can Beef Broth
- 4 Cups Water
- 1 Sprig of Fresh Thyme
- Mini French Bread Slices or Baguettes
- Grated Gruyere Cheese
- Red Wine (Optional)

After all of the necessary ingredients are prepared, we first have to deal with caramelizing these onions! 

First, turn the stove on medium-low heat. In a non-stick and good sized skillet, add in the butter and allow it to melt. 

Next, add in all of the chopped onions and salt. I know it looks like A LOT, but they begin to shrink when the caramelization process begins. Keep stirring them for about 45 minutes to an hour until they have been caramelized! 

After 45 minutes, turn the stove down to low and keep stirring for about 15 more minutes! Be sure to keep on stirring because the onions can begin to burn otherwise and we don't want that! This is a process and you must be patient if you want the best results! YOU CAN DO IT! :D

After stirring the onions for over an hour on my uneven stove surface, I decided to stop before they were completely caramelized, but they will still be very tasty! You want them to be a very dark brown color. 

From this...

To this! :)

Next, transfer the onions to a deep pot and add the water, beef broth, and the thyme. At this point, I also added a little red wine to taste, but that is completely optional. Bring it to a boil it on high heat and stir. Then, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

When the soup is almost ready, pre-heat your oven to 450ºF and place the mini french bread slices onto a tray and toast them. That usually takes around 5 minutes. 

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Now, in three steps, ladle the soup into an oven-safe bowl, add the toasted bread, and cover with a liberal amount of gruyere cheese! Almost done!

Put the soup into the oven and bake until the cheese starts to brown: about 15 minutes and...

Voila! It's done! This soup may take a little time to make, but it is so flavorful...it is well worth the wait!!! Enjoy and please try this recipe out for yourself! :)

My Version of RunnyRunny999's Zosui Recipe!

I have to mention that one of my favorite channels on YouTube is RunnyRunny999. He makes such amazing Japanese food and I love to try his recipes! Please check out his channel here!

Zosui is a Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and water. They are delicious and guarantee that none of your leftovers go to waste. This recipe is absolutely perfect for the fall or winter or for any other occasion. I decided to add chicken to it because I had some leftover and it was a great addition to this recipe!

Here is what you will need:

-1/2 sliced onion

-1 or 2 julienned carrots

-1/2 pack enoki mushrooms

-1/2 pack shimeji mushrooms

-Leftover rice (1 1/2 cups or more)

-About 2 cups bouillon stock

-About 3 1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk

-Olive oil for frying

-Salt and pepper

-Leftover chicken (or cut chicken breast into small pieces and stir-fry)

First, turn the stove on medium hugh and then add some olive oil to a (preferably) non-stick pan and throw in the onions and stir-fry them until they become tender. 

Next, you add in the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry until they are all cooked through. In this case, I also added in some leftover chicken that I had in the fridge. 

I didn't take a picture of it (these photos are about a year old), but next you add in the bouillon stock and mix it well. Then you add in the leftover rice and simmer it for about a minute. 

Now you add in the heavy cream or milk and mix it well until it has thickened enough. You can add some salt and pepper to taste. It's DONE!!! :D

This is so delicious! Especially on a cold winter day or when you're sick! 

One thing that I like to do with the leftovers is put it into a oven safe bowl, sprinkle on some sharp cheddar cheese, and broil it in the oven until the cheese melts. This tastes fantastic! Especially if you're a cheese lover like me! :)

I hope you enjoyed the recipe! Please give it a try!

You can check out runnyrunny999's original recipe here!

Thank you for reading!!! ^-^

Whatcha Eating? Sukiyaki

I know that it's spring time, but I couldn't help talking about my favorite winter time dish...sukiyaki!!! What is sukiyaki??? Well, if you don't know, it's sure worth finding out and that's why I'm here!

Sukiyaki is a popular Japanese soup/stew that is typically served in the nomimono (hot pot) or iron cast skillet. It consists of meat that is usually beef, and uses vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, spinach, leeks, green onions, edible chrysanthemum, and typically includes tofu and kannyaku (shirataki) noodles.

These ingredients are cooked on a slow, but steady simmer all together in the pot on the center of the table. A tasty mixture of soy sauce, sake (or mirin), and sugar is added to create an unforgettable umami taste. Umami = "pleasant or savory taste" in Japanese. After everything is cooked, you dip the piping hot ingredients into a small bowl of raw beaten eggs. I know that it may sound a bit strange to eat raw eggs, but in Japan it's quite the norm. Also, because the food is so hot, the egg does cook a little when it is dipped. Whenever I make sukiyaki, I always make sure that I buy organic eggs just in case though :P

I like to look at it as a family affair because everyone can help prepare the ingredients and add the ingredients to the pot in an aesthetic way. So not only is this dish simple and delicious, it also brings people together <3

I have made sukiyaki several times over the course of a few years and took pictures of the first two times that I made it. I wanted to share them with all of you! ^-^

My first time making sukiyaki occurred when I was at my mom's house. I was so excited to make it and at the time no one in my house was very accepting of Japanese cuisine, but I knew my sister would want to try it so we made it together! Here are the photos:

This is before I became more organized with my cooking! These are the (scattered) ingredients that I used the first time I made sukiyaki! I used beef, konnyaku noodles, firm tofu, carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, spinach, napa cabbage, leeks, and shungiku (edible chrysanthemum).

Stirring the beef until it's almost fully cooked.

This is what I meant by aesthetically pleasing. When making sukiyaki, it's always fun to organize all of the ingredients in the pot so that it looks well put together. The only thing that you must know is that the meat should NEVER touch the konnyaku noodles because it will make the meat tough. 

You can see how some of the ingredients begin to wilt and shrink a little as they cook. In the second picture, the shungiku was added at the end because it cooks very quickly. I can almost smell it now...

This is what it should look like when it's done! The aroma and taste are so memorable...you should definitely give it a try! I plan on posting a recipe the next time I make it! :D

Pictured above is the finished sukiyaki on the right with some steamed white rice and beaten eggs...yummy! 

Now here are a few pictures of the second time that I made sukiyaki!

Looks like this time I decided to try some new ingredients like bok choy, celery, fresh shiitake mushrooms, and a type of seared or smoked tofu. It looks like I might have used shirataki noodles instead of konnyaku. 

It appears to be just about done due to the shungiku on top of the beef...

And here is the finished product! ^-^

One other thing that I wanted to mention about sukiyaki and ultimately Japanese food culture is that nothing goes to waste! It's amazing, but there is a use for just about everything! After most of the sukiyaki is eaten, you can warm up some pre-cooked udon noodles and add them to the savory broth and make soup! Or you could add rice to it to make a tasty zosui (boiled rice soup)!

All in all, sukiyaki is a very versatile, irresistible Japanese dish that can easily become a family tradition.  It's fun and delicious for everyone!!! ^-^

Thanks for reading!!! <3  

It's Gyoza Time!!!

I was going through some old pictures on my phone of food that I have made in the past and came across this one: Gyoza.

Gyoza (or pot sticker) is a dish that originated in China and has made itself known in many parts of the world. It is a pan-fried dumpling that is typically filled with ground beef or pork and vegetables such as cabbage and green onions. They are simple to make and are delicious!!!

The recipe that I used is from a YouTube cooking channel that I frequent called "Asian Cooking Made Easy." Please check out Lila's channel and watch her videos! She is such an amazing cook and is such an inspiration to me. Click here to visit her channel! ^-^

Here is what you will need for my rendition of the recipe:

-1/2 of a napa cabbage (chopped and steamed in the microwave)

-3 green onions (chopped)

-3 garlic cloves (roughly minced)

-1/4 piece of fresh ginger (grated)

-3/4 lb. of ground pork

-1 tsp. sugar

-1 Tbsp. sake

-2 tsp. soy sauce

-1 Tbsp. cornstarch

-Pack of gyoza wrappers

-1/2 Tbsp. peanut oil

-1 Tbsp. sesame oil

*Make sure that you wash your hands well before the first step! 

First, place the pork in a bowl and add in the sugar, sake, soy sauce, cornstarch, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Use your hands to mix everything all together! I always love this part!!! :D

After mixing everything together, add in the cabbage and mix some more! Yay!!!

On a personal note, gyoza is one of my favorite dishes to make because my boyfriend helps me fold them! It can be time consuming, but we got back and forth like an assembly and we always end up finishing in no time! ^-^

These photos were taken about a year ago and I didn't take better ones showing how to fold the gyoza so I looked one up on Google! :P

Make sure that you wet half of the gyoza skin in order to make it stick and just keep folding! Make sure to place them folded side up on the plate. It may take a few tries before you get used to it, but you'll get it in no time!!!

After you fill and wrap all of the gyoza...it's now time to fry them!!! 

Now heat up a large non-stick pan that has a tight fitting lid on medium high heat. Add the peanut oil to the pan and spread it around using a paper towel. Depending on the size of the pan, fill the pan up with just enough dumplings so it's full, but not overcrowded. You never want to overcrowd your pan. 

After the dumplings have been added, our in 1/2 cup of hot water and put the lid on and let them cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until the water evaporates. If this is your first time making these, it can be easy to burn them so you may want to keep checking on them regularly.

I know, it's a different batch! :P

After the water evaporates, you can drizzle a little sesame oil over the gyoza if you wish and let them cook for another minute or until the bottoms are brown. The first few times I made gyoza, they stuck to the bottom a little and there was a coating of black "burned" stuff on the bottom. If that happens to you, don't worry! They are still salvageable! Just use a spatula to remove them and place them on a plate, or can just put a plate on top of them and carefully flip the pan over so the gyoza transfer onto the plate (this way is more fun!) And...they're DONE! :)

You can also make the perfect gyoza dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, a little sugar, and a little hot chili oil! 

I love serving bubble tea alongside side gyoza!!! It's amazingly delicious!!! It's also fun to place the plate neatly in the center of the table and let everyone serve themselves! ^-^

Since these photos are so old, I might make another post on how I make this that is more detailed!

See you soon! 

Marinated Eggs!!!

Hello all!!! I just wanted to make a quick post dedicated to marinated eggs! They are delicious and are perfect for soups or just for snacking! And they are so easy to make! 

Here is what you will need (minus the platypus! :P ):

-1 egg

-3 Tbsp. soy sauce

-3 Tbsp. mirin

-Ziplock bag

-Mini strainer (or anything to get the eggs out of the boiling water)

First, you have to fill a pan half full of water and bring it to a boil. Gently place the egg (or eggs) in the pan using a mini strainer or spoon.

Then, allow the egg to boil for about 20 minutes if you want a hard boiled egg. Let it boil for a bout 10 minutes if you want a more soft boiled egg. 

Next, run the egg under cold water to cool it down and place it into a bowl filled with cold water and ice. Carefully crack the egg and while continuously dipping the egg into the water, gently peel off the shell. 

Then, take a paper towel and pat the egg dry and set aside.

Sit the ziplock bag on the counter and add the soy sauce and mirin and swish it around until they are mixed. Now place the egg in the bag.

Next, use a tie of some kind to keep the egg submerged in the marinade and place it in the fridge. The longer you marinade, the tastier it will be so I suggest that you let it marinade overnight for the best result! 

After you take it out of the fridge, remove the egg, lightly dab it dry and either cut it in half, or leave it as is!!! AND IT'S DONE!!!

My all time favorite use of the marinated egg is as a yummy topping for miso ramen! <3

I hope you liked my post! I can't wait to see what you come up with! 

The possibilities are endless!!!! ^-^