Welcome

I call myself the Bittersweet Chef mainly because cooking for me is bittersweet. I am one of those non-cooks that gets incredibly frustrated and irritated when I am in the kitchen. On the other hand, I love the finished product. My hope is that through my stressful adventures in the kitchen, I am able to provide you with easy and tasty dishes!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Garlic Pepper Chicken and Broccoli Shells

  • Chicken Breast
  • Steam-able Broccoli
  • Shell Pasta
  • Black Pepper
  • Garlic Powder
  • Salt
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
I bought a very slim cut and trimmed chicken breast. It cuts down my time because I don't have to actually handle the chicken breast and trim it. I turned on my burner and let it heat up. I put some water in a pot and brought it to a boil, then added the shells. I put in the EVOO in the frying pan and cooked the chicken for a little bit. I steamed the bag of broccoli for 6 minutes. After the chicken turns white, I sprinkled on a bunch of garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Once everything was done cooking, I put it all together and put some more EVOO on top.

This took me about 25 minutes to cook. If you cut up the chicken, it will cook faster. My husband thought the chicken was seasoned well. But we will probably use some other sauce in the future.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

White Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes and Homemade Hashbrowns

  • Bisquick mix
  • fresh blueberries
  • white chocolate morsals
  • cinnamon
  • oil
  • 2 potatoes
  • butter
Mix the Bisquick Mix as it says on the box. After it is creamy, then add the white chocolate and blueberries (add them to your liking; I added more blueberries than white chocolate). Add a pinch or two of cinnamon. In a large saucepan, cook the pancakes according to the Bisquick Box.
Peal the potatoes and shred the them using your grater. Keep them in ice cold water, or throw them in bunches in a saucepan, lined with oil. (they will start going brown if left out too long). I add butter one side then flip it over to season it. Don't flip them too often. Smash them down to form a cluster, which makes it easier to flip. Add oil to help them cook faster and brown.

I love these pancakes! My husband thinks it is one of the best dishes I make. These do take a little longer..but on a lazy Sunday morning they are amazing. I think between the hash browns and the pancakes, this takes at least 30 minutes.

Spicy Mongolian Beef and Garlic Asparagus

  • 1 package of stew ready beef
  • 1 package of Sunrise Mongolian Beef Season Mix
  • A bundle of asparagus 
  • garlic powder
  • sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Soy sauce (season to your preference)
  • 1/4 cup Water
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. I started out cooking the beef in a saucepan with the 2 tbsp oil. Add water, Soy Sauce and seasoning mix to the saucepan after the beef has cooked and is starting to brown. In a baking sheet, spread oil to cover the bottom and place asparagus and sprinkle garlic powder and sesame seeds over the asparagus and bake until soft.
yields about 2-3 servings

This took me about 20 minutes to make and get on the table. The sauce was a little too spicy for me to really enjoy, but I do not like much that is spicy (mild salsa can get too spicy for me!).