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Diet Coke®-Bacon Jam

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Diet Coke®-Bacon Jam

I had such a blast creating a recipe pairing for Diet Coke®Feisty Cherry. They have new designs now available at Kroger as well as a few additional new flavors like ginger lime, zesty blood orange, and twisted mango!

I always have Diet Coke laying around the house because it's what my brother drinks every time he comes over. And if I don't have any, we would make sure to grab some before he's here.

The bacon jam recipe is really simple. It's also extremely easy to change it up to your preference as you see fit. 

I used:

  • 1 package of bacon
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1/4 cup of medium brown sugar
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon (or so) of balsamic reduction

Make sure to have all the prep work done so you don't have to rush. The steps are few so no stress if you don't have time to do so. I diced my bacon to little strips as it was still semi frozen. The onion is diced, but size doesn't need to be perfect. I sliced a tomato to use for my sliders.

Bacon is dropped into a cold pan and warmed up on medium heat.

Stir occasionally to make sure it's evenly browned.

With a little patience, the beauty foam will appear. When this happens let it go for 30 seconds to a minute. At this point, it will start getting really crispy, realllllyyy fast.

Remove the bacon and drain the fat. Drop in the onions and season with salt and pepper.

1/4 of brown sugar is dropped in when onions start turning translucent. 

Stir occasionally with love and care.

3rd drop. Bacon. IN.

I like it chunky. Stir a little more with balsamic reduction. Set aside. Optional to add herbs and spices like cayenne and thyme. 

form mini sliders. season with salt and peppa.

Enjoy with a freezing cold can of  Diet Coke®Feisty Cherry.

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Kimchi Pork

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Kimchi Pork

This dish never fails to please a hungry crowd. There are days that I crave stuffing my face with white rice. Kimchi Pork falls right in the arena to eat with white rice (as well as my ginger pork from the post prior to this). It's also an item you can most likely find at an Izakaya or Japanese diner like the ginger pork.

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Ingredients are simple: 

  • 1.5lbs of pork belly or shoulder
  • 1 14oz(I believe but I'll double check) of mat kimchi
  • 1/2 white onion thinly sliced
  • kewpie mayonnaise
  • shichimi pepper (optional) 
  • sesame seeds (optional) 
  • minced green onions (optional)  

You'll start my sautéing the onions w a little oil till they are halfway cooked. The pork will go in after seasoning lightly w salt and pepper. When the pork is cooked, you will dump in the jar of kimchi and give it a quick mix. I normally cook the kimchi in for 1-2 minutes. I drizzle kewpie mayonnaise on too then give it another toss. 

The final touches will be another drizzle of mayonnaise, sesame seeds, shichimi pepper, and green onions. 

Eat this over a hot bowl of steamy rice!  

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California Avocados - Vons

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California Avocados - Vons

Over the past few years, I've noticed the price increase in avocados. I don't think about it as often until the day I need to make guacamole. I can still remember the days you can find avocados 3 for $1. Of course you would become less picky to the quality of the avocados. Nowadays, I'm extremely picky with the exterior of the avocados as well as size. Because hey, size does matter.

I'm swagged out!

I'm excited to share a great event I attended for Vons as they will be featuring a new local grower every week through September. The event was in collaboration with California Avocado Commission as they are one of the features in stores at Vons. These fresh California Avocados is known for their appearance (large and evenly shaped), creamy textures and delicious taste. California Avocados are cultivated in ideal growing conditions in the unique climate of coastal California. Just look for the "California" on the label to ensure that you are choosing avocados grown with utmost dedication and care by California Avocado growers. Also handpicked by the way.

Handpicked.

Handpicked and ready to be shipped :)

Cute little avocados not ready yet.

Farm to Table lunch avocado themed (obviously).

FEAST YOUR EYES.

Cucumber water, Lavender Lemonade, Unsweetened Black Iced Tea

Vegan Cauliflower Ceviche

California Avocado Southwest Salad.

California Avocado Potato Salad - Sub Mayo for Avocados to still get that fatty richness you crave. The good fat, you know?

Chipotle marinated portabella mushrooms topped with avocado pico de gallo

BBQ Tri Tip with Avocado chimichurri.

California Avocado Key Lime Pudding Shots (Thank you Tina for giving me yours!)

Everything was not just fresh, but freaking delicious. Actually, probably one of the best-catered meal I've ever had. I'm definitely inspired to make more dishes with avocados. I think avocados are normally used in sandwiches, eaten plain, or in guacamole. But, there are so many ways to eat avocados. You can fry them, make sauces and dressings like the ones I've had above. I'll be sharing some of my inspired creations soon so stay tuned for that.

Remember to look for avocados with "California" to ensure that you are choosing avocados grown close to home.

 

 

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Chicken Karaage with S.Pellegrino

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Chicken Karaage with S.Pellegrino

This post is sponsored by S.Pellegrino.

I've always enjoyed S.Pellegrino and something I keep stock at home. I've used it as a bubbly factor in cocktails or soft drinks and even used it before in my tempura batter.

In 2016, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water launched it's own “The S.Pellegrino Taste Guide” a cultivated lists by chefs and lifestyle influencers which explores U.S. cities. With that said, the list can take you to the hottest trends in your city. I'm from Los Angeles, so talking about trendsetting is definitely something prominent here.

I'll be sharing a recipe featuring one of the hottest trends, chicken karaage.

Recipe

  • 3 chicken thighs
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 tablespoons of grated ginger
  • 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mirin

Dread:

  • 1/3 cups of flour
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch

The chicken was deboned and cut into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces. I used a spoon to peel the ginger and then just grated with a microplane. 

The chicken was marinated for 30 minutes before frying. 

A quick dreading of the flour and corn starch mixture before dropping them into the fryer. Make sure to shake off excess flour.

Make sure the oil is not too hot so the crust won't burn before the chicken is cooked. The oil should not be rapid when the chicken is placed.

Voila! One of my favorite appetizers. Currently, you'll find chicken karaage in many japanese ramen shops and izakayas. 

Make sure to check out the S. Pellegrino Taste Guide.

 

 

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Baby Back Ribs - Smithfields

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Baby Back Ribs - Smithfields

It's been years since I've cooked with charcoal. Ever since living in a condominium, cooking with charcoal is prohibited on the patio due to regulations and fire codes. I was able to brush up on that this weekend at my brother's and boy was it easy and fun.

I went to pick up some Smithfield Baby Back ribs from Walmart. They are hand trimmed and had a good fat ratio which is important so it doesn't dry out. I've learned that Smithfield Ribs doesn't contain and added hormones or steroids which is appreciated.

I've decided to make an Asian 5 spice rub with a simple hoisin glaze. I've honestly used this recipe many times before on pork belly in the oven, so I was extremely excited to try it on the grill. It was really hot today (Sunday), but luckily, the only time that was really spent in the sun was throwing these babies on.

The recipe is simple

  • 1 package of Smithfield Baby Back Ribs 
  • 2 Tablespoon shaoxing wine
  • 1 Tablespoon 5 spice
  • 1 Tablespoon Himalayan Pink Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon white pepper

Glaze:

  • 1/3 cup Hoisin Sauce
  • 2/3 cup of Honey

The pork is first patted dry. The shaoxing wine is then rubbed all over before combining the dried ingredients to be rubbed all over. The glaze is then mixed together in a bowl taking 2 tablespoons of it to rub all over the ribs. I let the rack rest for 2 hours room temp before throwing it on the grill.

Once the charcoal turned semi white with the flames gone, I threw down the ribs to get a crust before closing up the vents to lower the temperature. The ribs were then cooked for an hour.

You can of course cook them for much longer, low and slow, but they were fine. Since there was a good amount of fat on these racks, it kept them nice and juicy without drying out. At this point, I left the lid off and started to glaze the pork with the remaining hoisin sauce. This will set for another 5 minutes flipping occasionally before removing off the grill. You want to keep an eye on them because the sugar will cause the ribs to burn.

The ribs were topped off with sesame seeds and green onions.

Chopped up for easy finger licking enjoyment.

The ribs were definitely affordable at under $10 a rack. SO convenient since they were hand trimmed already and juicy so I don't need to worry about brining or cooking for a few hours.

I know these are only sold at Walmart, but make sure your Walmart has a meat section. 

Enjoy!

#ad #GetGrillingAmerica #RealFlavorRealFast

 

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