My life in the USA: 4月 2018

Yakitori Chicken Wings

Today, I introduce to you my favorite sauce - Yakitori Sauce! Yakitori sauce is like a sweet soy sauce and is very popular in Japan. Typically, you will find it on skewered chicken cooked over a grill. Yakitori is hidden gem. Most people think of Japanese food as being Sushi, Tempura, and Green Tea (Maccha), but Yakitori is also popular. Usually we use soy sauce, sugar, Japanese cooking sake and rice wine. Unfortunately, some ingredients are not popular and hard to find in the U.S. Not to worry, because I re-arranged the recipe to make it easier for you! The ingredients you need are soy sauce, sugar, and white wine. Only three ingredients! Sounds easy, right? We can use this sauce for many kinds of other foods like grilled pork, beef, noodles, and Tempura. This time I use this sauce for Chicken Wings without skewers. I hope you like this sauce.

Let's start making the sauce!

Combine soy sauce, sugar, and White wine in a sauce pan. Heat the mixture at medium low heat. Simmer until the sauce starts to be sticky. Once the sauce cools it will be gooey.

Brush the chicken with the sauce.

Grill the chicken. The sauce is easy to get burned. So do not grill with high heat.

Brush the chicken with the sauce a few times.

Looks yummy! Smells perfect. You can't wait to eat them, can you?!

I chose celery for side, but I also recommend Edamame. Edamame and Yakitori is a good combination and pairs well. To make it even better, add your favorite Beer and then it's perfect!!

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Ingredients

Soy Sauce 5TBS

Sugar 3TBS

White Wine 2TBS

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Instructions

1. Combine soy sauce, sugar, and White wine in a sauce pan. Heat the mixture at medium low heat. Simmer until the sauce starts to be sticky. Once the sauce cools it will be gooey.

2. Brush the chicken with the sauce.

3. Grill the chicken. The sauce is easy to get burned. So do not grill with high heat. Brush the chicken with the sauce a few times.

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Chicken Salad Wrap

This Chicken Salad Wrap is easy, healthy, and delicious! I used leftover grilled chicken from last nights dinner. Usually, I plan out the dinner menu for the upcoming week and go shopping on Sunday. When I want to eat a healthy food but don't have enough time to cook, I usually go with this Chicken Salad Wrap. I had grilled the chicken ahead of time and used the leftovers. My daughter is a picky eater and doesn't like vegetables, but even she will eat this wrap loaded with vegetables.

Mix salad, Ranch dressing, and lime (or lemon) juice well.

Next, add cheese to the salad. I like Fiesta Blend Cheese or Mozzarella cheese, but any cheese will work.

It's time to wrap! Put the salad and chicken on a tortilla.

And wrap!

This Chicken Salad Wrap pairs well with my favorite Corn Cream Soup.
(Check the recipe! Corn Cream Soup)

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< Ingredients>

Grilled Chicken 1 or 2 chicken breast

Salad A LOT!

Shredded Cheese 1lb

Ranch Dressing 1/4 cup

Lime Juice 4TBSP

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<Instructions>

1. Mix salad, Ranch dressing, and lime (or lemon) juice well. Then add cheese to the salad.

2. Put the salad and chicken on a tortilla and warp it.

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Tortilla Dog

Today's lunch was Tortilla Dogs! This was a new menu item for us. My son wanted to eat Hot Dogs for lunch, but we had no buns 😢. I totally forgot to get them at the grocery store when I went shopping. It was ok though because we had leftover tortillas. I used taco cheese and shredded lettuce that was leftover from Taco night. I really like the challenge of using leftover food so we can save money.

First, I heated the hot dogs. These hot dogs look so yummy in this picture!

Place the warm hot dog, lettuce, and cheese on tortillas. You can add in just about anything else you want like corn, beans, rice, ketchup, etc.

Roll it up and your are done!

My kids opened the rolled tortilla and added ketchup.... They wanted to eat normal hot dogs, I know. This new menu item looks like a taco (Taco Dog?) but it tasted like a normal hot dog, especially with ketchup. So I'm calling it a "Tortilla Dog" instead of Taco Dog.

Curly Hot dogs

Spring has finally arrived! It's a great season to BBQ, go on a picnic, or attend outdoor events! If you're looking for an unique menu item for an outdoor party or event, then you should try Curly Hot Dogs! Hot dogs are very popular with most people.....especially kids. By partially slicing the Hot Dogs you can create all kinds of curly fun shapes. Try it!!

First, Stick the bamboo skewer down the center of the Hot Dog.

I found 100 Skewers at Walmart for only $1.

Second, cut approximately 1/3 of the way into the Hot Dog.

Next, start to roll the Hot Dog around while angling the knife to create a Helix down the side.

The thinner the slices, the longer it takes to cut.

I am almost done!

Once the cutting is complete, center the Hot Dog on the skewer.

Carefully spread the Hot Dog apart by pulling on both ends. Make sure to have even spacing between the slices for grilling.

This was my first attempt at slicing the helix down the Hot Dog. It was challenging at first, but I quickly found the technique. It might look ugly, but the taste was unchanged!

Now its Grilling Time! Line up the skewers and let the heat do the work.

Rotate a couple times during Grilling to allow for even cooking. Keep an eye on the grease as it will start to collect on the grill surface and sear the Hot Dogs.

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< Ingredients>

Hot dogs

bamboo skewer

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<Instructions>

1. Stick the bamboo skewer down the center of the Hot Dog.

2. Start to roll the Hot Dog around while angling the knife to create a Helix down the side.

3. Once the cutting is complete, center the Hot Dog on the skewer. Carefully spread the Hot Dog apart by pulling on both ends. Make sure to have even spacing between the slices for grilling.

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Easy Corn soup

It was another cold weekend but this time it snowed. Did I mention it is April! I hope that was the last snow and the real Spring will come soon. When its cold, I like to have hot soup to keep me warm. This corn soup is simple and pairs well with bread or sandwiches. This time I tried it with a salad wrap. If you're looking for a side item to go with breads, then I recommend this corn soup. This corn soup is made from simple ingredients and takes 10 minutes to complete. The taste isn't strong and good for kids!