COPYCAT JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE HIBACHI WITH FRIED RICE

I love going to hibachi restaurants. I love all the flipping knives and the flames. And most importantly I love the food! It’s fresh and extremely flavorful. Unfortunately, going to a hibachi restaurant can get pretty pricey. And that’s exactly why I wanted to replicate the meal at home.

This recipe is a full hibachi meal: meat, vegetables, and fried rice. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include instructions for all of the knife twirling, but I’m still working on that!

COPYCAT JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE HIBACHI WITH FRIED RICE

Yield: 2 servings

Calories per serving: 685 calories

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

·      1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

o   You can substitute steak, shrimp, tofu, etc.

·      1 head of broccoli

·      1 large zucchini

·      1/2 large white onion

·      3 squares Land O Lakes Sauté Express Teriyaki

o   You can substitute 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons soy sauce

·      4 tablespoons soy sauce

·      1 and 1/3 cups frozen vegetable medley mix

·      2 eggs

·      1 and 1/2 cups rice (white or brown)

DIRECTIONS

1.     Prepare your meat and vegetables ahead of time:

a.     Cut up the chicken into 1-inch pieces

b.     Cut off the broccoli florets

c.      Cut up the zucchini into coins

d.     Chop up the white onion

2.     Heat 1 square of Land O Lakes Sauté Express in a wok or very large pan on medium high heat

3.     Add the chicken to the wok along with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

4.     Sauté the chicken for 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink.

5.     Remove the chicken from the wok

6.     Without cleaning the wok, add another square of Land O Lakes Sauté Express

7.     Add the broccoli and the zucchini to the wok along with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

8.     Sauté the broccoli and the zucchini for 6-8 minutes until tender

9.     Remove the veggies from the wok

10. Without cleaning the wok, add another square of Land O Lakes Sauté Express

11. Add the onion and the frozen vegetable medley mix along with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

12. Sauté for about 3 minutes until onions are translucent

13.  Add the eggs and lightly scramble as you add them to the wok.

14. Once scrambled add the rice to the wok.

15. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

16. Add the soy sauce to the wok and cook an additional minute.

Prepare and chop your ingredients ahead of time

Sauté your chicken until no longer pink

Cook your vegetables until tender

All the flavors in the wok combine together with the grand finale - fried rice

Make the meal with chicken, steak, shrimp, or tofu!

Incredibly soft M&M Cookies

Who doesn't love cookies? They're delicious in all colors, shapes, and sizes. But thick, fluffy cookies will always be my favorite! No sugary tasting crackers for me. Oh no. I like my cookies big and chewy.

So for this recipe, I used my secret cookie ingredient to achieve those results - vanilla pudding mix! I explained the science and the benefits of using pudding mix in my recipe for snickerdoodles. The effects really are incredible. Just look how thick that baby is! It's like biting into a sugary cloud.

Incredibly soft M&M Cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

·         3/4 cup salted butter

·         1 cup brown sugar (207 grams)

·         1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding (360 calories)

·         2 eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         2 and1/4 cups flour (281.25 grams)

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         2 cups M&Ms

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2.      In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together.

3.      Add in pudding package and beat until well blended.

4.      Add eggs and vanilla.

5.      Stir together flour, baking soda in separate bowl and slowly add to butter / sugar mixture until well incorporated.

6.      Add M&Ms.

7.      Roll into 1 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet.

8.      Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT FILET MIGNON

Today, I’m sharing my secret for making anyone believe you’re a gourmet chef – How To Make Perfect Filet Mignon! This is probably the most important recipe I will ever post, and it is crucial for every cook’s repertoire.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT FILET MIGNON

Yield: 1 (4 ounce) filet

Calories: 335 calories for 4 ounces and sautéing butter
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

·       1 (4 ounce) filet

·       4 teaspoons salt

·       4 teaspoons finely ground pepper

·       3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1.     Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2.     Generously season your filet with salt and pepper, about 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper per side.

3.     Heat the butter in a cast iron skillet on very high heat (about an 8).

4.     Place the filet in the pan, and let it sear for two minutes on each side.

5.     And this is the most important part – While the filet is searing, spoon the residual butter that’s in the pan on top of the meat. The hot butter will keep the meat moist as well as further along the cooking process.

6.     Once both sides are seared, place the pan in the center of the oven and cook for about 8-10 minutes (depending on how thick your steak is). I cook my steak for 8 minutes to a perfect “medium” doneness.

7.     When the filet is done cooking, remove the skillet from the oven and let the meat rest for a few minutes before serving.

Start with a beautiful piece of meat and season generously with salt and pepper

Melt your butter in the skillet on very high heat!

Place your filet in the skillet to being the pan-searing process

Continuously spoon the melted butter at the bottom of the pan on top of the filet as it's searing

Place in the oven and cook for 8 minutes

And there you have it, the most perfect piece of meat!

AUDREY'S FAVORITE FRUIT SALAD

Everyone loves a good fruit salad. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also nutritious (sometimes I rhyme).

My mother has always made the best fruit salad. Now, I realize I shower her with praises all the time on this blog, but trust me – it’s entirely deserved!

Anyway, back to the fruit salad.

Whenever she brings it anywhere, everyone always asks “what’s in the sauce?”

And the secret is… pudding mix! That’s right, vanilla pudding mix!

Now you may be thinking, “Wait a second, I thought fruit salad was supposed to be healthy.”

And it still is! Sugar free vanilla pudding mix actually has very few calories. Its main purpose in the recipe is simply to give the natural juices from the fruits and extra boost of flavor.

So try it for yourself. Or bring it to a potluck and impress your friends. You won’t be disappointed!

I’d like to dedicate this fruit salad recipe to my cousin Audrey. It’s her favorite dish to make (besides strawberry cupcakes) and she was a little disappointed when I told her I was going to share her favorite recipe with the rest of the world.

AUDREY'S FAVORITE FRUIT SALAD

Yield: 12 servings

Calories: About 140 calories for 1 cup fruit

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

·         1 (.8 ounce) package of Jell-O Cook & Serve Pudding & Pie Filling, Sugar-Free, Fat Free, Vanilla

·         1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice

·         10 to 12 cups of assorted fruit (fresh or frozen sliced peaches, bananas, strawberries, and grapes)

·         1 to 2 teaspoons Fruit Fresh Produce Protector

DIRECTIONS

1.       Set colander over liquid measuring cup and dump can of pineapple chunks into colander. The purpose of this step is to collect all of the pineapple juice because you’ll be using it for your sauce. You can do this the night before so that you don’t have to wait around for the juice to completely drain.

2.       Once the pineapple has drained, you should have about 1 cup of juice in your measuring cup. Add either more pineapple juice or orange juice to your measuring cup so that you now have 1 and 1/2 cups juice.

3.       Pour juice into saucepan.

4.       Add the pudding mix to the saucepan and whisk until it’s completely dissolved.

5.       Turn the stove top on low (about a 3) and cook the sauce until it thickens and starts to boil (about 5 minutes.)

6.       Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for approximately 1 hour.

7.       In the meantime, dump your assorted fruits (everything except the bananas) into a big bowl.

8.       Thoroughly mix the fruit.

9.       Add the banana on top of the fruit salad and sprinkle with Fruit Fresh so the bananas don’t turn brown.

10.   Once the sauce is cooled, pour it on top of your assorted fruits and mix thoroughly again.

11.   Chill before serving.

Drain your pineapple chunks over a colander to collect the juice

Add your juice to a saucepan and whisk in vanilla pudding

After about 5 minutes, the sauce will start to thicken and boil. Remove it from the heat at this time.

Mix all of the fruit up and pour your sauce on top

One cup of Audrey's Favorite Fruit Salad is only 140 calories

CHOCOLATE PECAN DERBY PIE

As you all know, I'm not from Kentucky. And I've never been to the Kentucky Derby. BUT that does not affect my love from Chocolate Pecan Derby Pie!

My mother has been making this pie for as long as I can remember. It's always the highlight of family holidays. Up until a few days ago, I thought everyone knew what Derby Pie was. But apparently that is not the case! 

So for those of you out there who have never feasted on this delightful delectable, let me describe it to you: Imagine a thick and fudgy chocolate chip cookie that has just been taken out of the oven. A cookie that is so saturated with chocolate and pecans that they oooze out when you take a bite. Now imagine that cookie wrapped in a flaky pie crust and topped with whip cream. And there you have it - a perfect description of Chocolate Pecan Derby Pie.

This gourmet treat is incredibly easy to make and only uses one-pan. ONE PAN! Forget the fact that this pie is incredible delicious, the fact that it only uses one pan should be the biggest selling point! (Have I mentioned how much I hate washing dishes?)

CHOCOLATE PECAN DERBY PIE

Servings: 8 slices

Calories per serving: 450

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup semi sweet morsels
• 1 frozen or refrigerated pie crust (you can make your own pie crust if you really want to, but I've found that with this particular pie it's hard to tell much of a difference)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenehit
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter on medium heat in saucepan. 
3. Once butter is melted remove saucepan from stove and let it cool for a few minutes (this step really is necessary because if you don't let it cool, the eggs will start to cook when you add them to the pan)
4. Add the sugar, flour, eggs, and vanilla to the saucepan and mix well
5. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips
6. Pour mixture into pie crust
7. Bake pie for 35 to 40 minutes (start checking center of pie with a toothpick at 35 minutes to see if it's done)
8.  Remove pie from oven and let it set for at least an hour before serving
9. Serve pie warm and with whip cream!

All of the ingredients in the saucepan (ONE PAN!!!)

When you lay the pie crust in your pie pan, crimp the edges with your fingers for a pretty presentation

Dump the saucepan mixture into the pie crust

Pull out your flaky, beautiful pie from the oven!

I dare you to resist that flaky crust and melted chocolate!

PERFECT PAN-SEARED SEA SCALLOPS

Pan Seared Sea Scallops is one of my favorite dishes in the world. It's practically the only thing I ever order at restaurants (yes, I'm an expensive date). 

But it wasn't until recently that I started making these little suckers at home. They just seemed so intimidating with their perfect brown crust and delicate texture. 

So I did some research (ehemm, watched a few YouTube videos) and I discovered that they are actually very easy to make. And not to mention, quick! Right now, at this very moment, you are only 4 minutes away from a gourmet scallop dinner.

Additionally, one of my favorite parts about scallops is their versatility. Depending on your mood, you can pair it with a sweet corn salsa, some wilted greens, or a garlicky cream sauce. Scallops have the ability to morph into whatever "flavor theme" you're looking for.

Just thinking about these tender Pan Seared Sea Scallops is making my mouth water!

PERFECT PAN-SEARED SEA SCALLOPS

Serving size: 5 scallops

Calories: 175 calories

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound, or about 10 sea scallops (unless you're making this dish for more than 2 people, you really don't need more than that)
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons pepper
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil (or canola, vegetable, peanut, sunflower oil)

DIRECTIONS

1. Lay a few paper towels on a a plate and place your scallops on top. Dab the scallops dry. Dry scallops are crucial for achieving a perfect pan-sear. If the scallops aren't dry, they'll just slip around in the pan like a, well, like a wet fish!
2. Season the scallops heavily with salt and pepper. Scallops are super absorbent and will soak the seasonings right up!
3. Put the butter and the oil in a pan and heat it on the stove on high heat (about an 8) until the butter has melted.
4. Place your scallops in the pan. It is VERY important that you do not cook more than 3 or 4 scallops at a time. Otherwise, you will overcrowd the pan and won't get a pretty brown sear.
5. Once the scallops are in the pan DO NOT move them. If you touch them you will disturb the searing process.
6. Set a timer and cook the scallops for 2 minutes. 
7. When the time is up, flip the scallops to the other side and set the timer for 90 seconds.
8. When the timer goes off again, remove the scallops from the pan and plate them.
9. Clean out your pan (once it's cooled) and repeat the process until you've cooked all your scallops!

Make sure your scallops are very dry by laying them on paper towels until the excess water is soaked up.

Heavily season your scallops with salt and pepper!

Set your timer and let the scallops sear on one side for 2 minutes. Don't touch them!

When the timer goes off, flip them and sear on the other side for 90 seconds.

Clean out your pan in between batches of scallops. Remember, only cook 3 or 4 at a time!

Plate your scallops and enjoy these tender, mouth-watering beauties!