ultimate chocolate chip cookies.

You are all going to love me so much.

Here's the recipe for the easiest, best, ultimate chocolate chip cookies ever.

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) bag semi sweet chocolate chips, or chunks
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt

--Heat oven to 375F.
--Melt butter in the microwave.
--Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla extract till creamy.
--Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips and fold with spatula.
--Heap a spoon of cookie dough onto a greased baking sheet.
--Bake for ten minutes.

I can't believe HOW good these babies were. First time baking chocolate chip cookies from scratch -- total win. 

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garlic sesame noodles.

Sunday dinner. Garlic sesame noodles. Easy as apple pie.

Heat oil in a wok. Saute minced garlic and diced spring onions. Boil noodles in a pot with a dash of salt.

Add your favorite stir-fry vegetables. I had chopped cabbage, diced jalapenos and sliced mushrooms. Add a scrambled egg. Or two.

Add the boiled noodles to the wok and stir fry for several minutes. I like the brown-burnt parts on noodles.

In a bowl, mix together two tbsp soya sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and one tbsp of sesame oil. Add a dash of salt.

Mix the sauce with the noodles and let the noodles soak up the sauce. Add a dollop of Sriacha for some heat.

Serve with sprinkled toasted sesame seeds. 

bacon meatloaf.

Tonight we're making meatloaf! With BACON!

This is my first attempt at making meatloaf. Baking at 350F, a delicious tomato-ey, beef-ey smell is pervading through the kitchen.

--Soak six slices of white bread in one cup of milk.

--Mix ground beef with Parmesan cheese, parsley, three eggs, minced garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and the milky-bread.

Add caption

--Layer the meat mixture on the roasting pan in a loaf-shape.

--Cover the meatloaf with slices of thin bacon.

--In a bowl, mix one cup ketchup with Dijon mustard, a large dash of Tabasco sauce and brown sugar.

--Spread the tomato mixture over the bacon slices and stick it into the oven for an hour.

smells heavenly!

I know the pictures ain't much but it was a mad good meatloaf. 

key lime pie.

I posted this on my regular blog but I figure this is more relevant here than there.

This is Mr. Sachinky's favorite dessert. This is also the key lime pie that forced me to change my mind regarding non-chocolate desserts. 

Beat three eggs with the zest of two key limes, half cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, one can of sweetened condensed milk, and a dollop of fat-free sour cream. 

Pour into a graham cracker pie shell. Bake for twenty minutes at 325F. 

Chill overnight in the freezer and serve with whipped cream. 

Perfect for hot summer nights.

tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette.

Now that summer is here I finally have the time to devote myself to cooking, my kitchen and my poor neglected food blog. Since I'll be home this summer, I have resolved to stop eating out and start cooking in. Starting with this delightful tomato salad I saw on the Food Network yesterday morning. Balsamic vinegar? Sign me up, buddy.

Chop tomatoes into large wedges. Dice spring onions finely. Tear several large basil leaves.

Now for the super easy, super delicious dressing. In a mason jar, mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, dried parsley flakes, and light brown sugar. Shake well and pour generously over the tomato herb salad.

prawn cocktail.

Since I am not going home this summer, I am trying to recreate some of my favorites that I will be missing out on. First attempt: Mocambo's prawn cocktail.

Ingredients: Boiled and peeled shrimps. Ketchup. Mayonnaise. Lime juice. Tabasco. Worcestershire sauce. Pepper. Heavy cream.

Step 1: Layer a martini glass with a bunch of lettuce. Mix shrimp with equal amount of good-quality ketchup and mayonnaise. Add a dash of lime juice, sprinkle black and white pepper, a healthy dose of Tabasco, a light touch of Worcestershire sauce and mix well.

Top it off with a dot of heavy cream. Serve chilled. 

Not bad for a first try, if I say so myself.

beer-battered chicken.

What's better than Heineken? Why, Heneiken battered fried chicken, of course!

During our last Costco run we purchased 2 dozen bottles of Heineken. All for the ridiculous price of $24. This means that we have more beer than what we know what to do with it. Drink, for sure. But why not beer battered chicken?

Are you ready to take notes?

Heat oil in a pan.

In a large bowl mix together:
one cold bottle of beer, one cup of flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried parsley flakes and some paprika for an added kick. Be sure to season the batter adequately otherwise it might taste a little bland.

As I am obsessed with my recently purchased electric hand beater, I used it to whip the batter into a smooth, glossy, consistency but I am sure you could do the same amount of damage with a whisk and/or fork. Cut chicken thighs (or breasts) into thin (or thick) strips. Dip chicken fillets into the batter, coat carefully, and shake off excess batter.

Drop into the pan and cook for several minutes on each side. The aroma of the beer cooking will slowly begin to pervade through your kitchen and your mouth will begin to salivate long before the chicken is cooked through.

So yum.

You know what goes best with beer battered chicken. More beer!

corn au gratin.

I found a lone can of sweet corn languishing at the back of the pantry while trying to retrieve some chilly powder last night. What to do with it? This morning I decided upon corn au gratin. I figured I'd add some chopped red onions and baby spinach since I had only one can of corn. This dish is super easy and super delish -- I mean how could any one go wrong with oodles of cheese?

Ingredients:

Corn, onion, spinach, milk, flour, butter, salt, pepper, parsley.

Method:

Melt two tablespoons of butter on a hot skillet. Fry two table-spoons of flour in butter. Mix in the corn, spinach and onions. Pour half a cup of milk and half a cup of whipping cream. Bring to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. This is probably the only dish I have perfectly seasoned on the first go! Transfer to a baking dish and generously top with shredded cheese. Broil till the cheese melts, ten to twelve minutes. Yummy, oozing cheesy goodliness. I ate it as a side with a hot-dog for dinner. 

cajun spice barbecue ribs.

I love ribs. So freaking much. In fact, I think it is one of the best things this country can offer. That, and buffalo wild wings. Unlike Mr. Sachinky, I don't have high standards as far as ribs and steaks are concerned and enjoy ordering them frequently. We are novices, however, at rib-cooking but when I spotted a rack of pork loin baby ribs last Saturday on sale at Target we just had to pick them up. And a bottle of Jack Daniel's original barbecue sauce.

Saturday night I researched extensively on how best to cook them. Finally, I marinated them in a mixture of cajun spices and the sauce, wrapped them tightly in aluminum foil and left them overnight in the refrigerator. Next afternoon while revving up for the Superbowl, I stuck them in a preheated oven (450F) for forty minutes. And then broiled them for an additional ten. Boy, oh, boy. Juicy, tasty and so good. Give them a shot! All for less than $10.