Asian Food Night Success, Well Sort of...

I am on a quest to feed my family new and amazing foods on the cheap. I want those foods to be healthy and fun. Normally, I make a lot of traditional Cuban dinners because I am Cuban-American and they are the foods I grew up with. Part of my quest, however, is to teach my son to love cuisine from all over the world and to appreciate the richness of different cultures now that he is still little. I firmly believe that food brings us together and that it is important to expand your horizons and tantalize your palette with yummy goodies from all over. I have also toyed with the idea that having traditions like Mexican night or pizza night will be fun for my family and memorable for my son as he gets older. Hence, the new quest.

Now on to the Asian night shenanigans. I looked all over the blogosphere for some tasty recipes and found three awesome ones that excited me. Coconut chicken with sweet chili sauce, Thai noodles, and sweet coconut sticky rice with mangoes. I am happy to report that the recipes were a success. Unfortunatley, I had planned to take pictures of all the yumminess but was unable to because my husband was putting up track lighting in the living room at the same time and there was a mess of tools and dust everywhere. I just couldn't cook three dishes at the same time, wash all the dirty accoutrements in the sink before they took over the kitchen, and serve dinner while taking pictures too. I apologize and hope it will be easier next time.

I can say though, that my husband raved about the chicken and the coconut rice with mangoes and told me that I can throw them into rotation whenever I want. Mr. Suga Muffin is a very picky eater. Very. So this was a huge compliment from him. My four year old also liked the food and it was easy for him to eat. Personally, I loved it and can't wait to make more as it was really addictive.

I began by making the sweet coconut sticky rice with mangoes first so that I could have the rice done ahead of time. The recipe was super simple especially since I did it in my beloved Sanyo 10-Cup Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker and Slow Cooker. I LOVE that thing. Anywho, here is the recipe for one of the yummiest desserts ever.

Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice with Mangoes

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati rice (I couldn't find sweet/gluttonous/sticky rice anywhere - they are all the same thing. If you find it, by all means use it as the result will be more authentic and well, stickier. You can also substitute Jasmine rice ) 

1 (13.5) can of coconut milk 

1 cup white sugar 

1-2 mangoes 

(optional - shredded coconut)

(optional - cornstarch)

Directions

1. Cook the rice as directed on the package, but instead of all water, add in one can of coconut milk, a 1/2 cup of water, and a 1/2 cup of sugar. I cooked this in my rice cooker so it was ultra, super, duper simple. I love simplicity and really, who doesn't? In my case, I threw in the aforementioned ingredients into the rice cooker and clicked the start button on the regular setting and Voila! Perfect sweet coconut rice in under 30 minutes. Honestly, I could eat this stuff by itself straight out of the pot. It would also be great as a side dish just by itself. Please note, that since I used the Basmati rice as a substitute, it was not as sticky as the traditional sticky rice. Still ABSOLUTELY Delish in my book.

2. Bring the second can of coconut milk and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a boil over medium high heat in a saucepan. Boil until it gets to a syrupy consistency. I added a tiny bit of cornstarch to it to thicken it up.

3. Cut 1 or 2 mangoes into chunks and sprinkle some lime juice on them to stop browning. 

4. When ready to serve, plate the coconut sticky rice, drizzle some of the coconut sauce on top, and throw on some of the mango cubes. I also sprinkled the masterpiece with some shredded coconut. 

Enjoy your yummy plate of coconut sticky rice with mango. I certainly did. I also added some blueberries to my son's bowl. He was delighted and ate every last grain of rice. I'm sure you can try other ripe fruits in there to mix things up a bit. Mmmmm....

I found the recipe for the coconut chicken at one of my new favorite websites Budget Bytes. If you haven't already been there check it out by clicking here. You will be so happy that you did. The writer, Beth M. comes up with inexpensive and tasty recipes and itemizes the cost of each ingredient. The site is phenomenal and I can't wait to try out more of her recipes.

You can find the link to the original Coconut chicken with sweet chili dipping sauce here, but I'll give you a quick run down.

Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

2 large eggs

1/4 all purpouse flour

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 cup shredded coconut (the original recipe calls for unsweetened, but all I could find was the sweetened variety. Run the coconut through a food processor first to further shred it. This will allow it to adhere better to the chicken.)

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. salt

black pepper to taste (not in original recipe, but I'm a rebel like that)

vegetable oil for frying (optional, you can bake these as well)

sweet chili sauce (this can be found in the ethnic foods section in your supermarket)

Directions 

1. Mix the flour with the salt and some ground black pepper in a bowl and set aside.

2. Mix the Panko bread crumbs with the shredded coconut in a bowl and set aside. I used my hands for this step. 

3. Whisk the 2 eggs with the 1/4 cup of coconut milk in a bowl until well combined and set aside.

4. Cut the chicken breasts into strips at a diagonal. At this point you should be also heating your vegetable oil on medium high in a pan while your prepare the strips for frying. 

5. Dredge each chicken strip int the flour/salt mixture, next the egg/coconut milk mixture, and finally into the bread crumb/coconut mixture. I patted the bread crumb/coconut mixture really well onto the chicken to make sure it was thoroughly coated. Do this with all the strips.

6. Once your oil is hot enough (Tip - use the end of a wooden spoon dipped into the oil to see if it's ready for frying. If you see bubbles forming around it, the oil is hot enough), gently place chicken strips into oil and fry 2-3 minutes on each side. Your strips should be golden brown and crispy delicious on both sides when done. Move them onto a plate covered in paper towel to drain. Do this with all remaining chicken. 

7. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce. One warning though, they are extremely addictive. Enjoy! Next time I am planning to try baking them to see which method I like better.

The Thai noodles were easy peasy as well and the original recipe can be found right here. It's deliciosity from Better Homes and Gardens and I just finished having a bowl of cold noodles the next day for lunch as I am typing this up. The sauce dried out a bit, but I just squeezed some lime on the noodles and they are still yummy. I do have to share that I bought fresh Chinese noodles from the grocery store and when I opened up the bag spotted moldy noodles. GROSS! I substituted 8 ounces of thin spaghetti because I am usually stocked up on that. The noodles were still good and I really couldn't tell the difference. The Better Homes and Gardens recipe also adds in tofu, but I omitted that.

Thai Noodles

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy nut butter or creamy peanut butter (I used peanut butter)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular as it's what I had on hand)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 cloves garlic, quartered ( I used 3 heaping teaspoons as it's what I had and I LOVE garlic)
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp. sesame oil
8 ounces Chinese noodles
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
(optional - lime wedge to sprinkle on while eating if desired)

Directions:  

1. Combine nut butter, water, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and lime juice in a food processor until well blended and smooth. Set aside.

2. Cook noodles as directed. Drain and throw back into pot.

3. Pour peanut mixture onto noodles and coat well. 

4. Add cilantro and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat . Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately.

I am so happy that I got to share these recipes with you. If you try them please let me know in the comment section and tell me if you liked them or if you switched anything up. Asian night was a total success, except for the fact that I didn't get to take beautiful pics of all the yumminess around here, the fact that the fresh noodles were {yuck} moldy, and one more thing. I did something really stupid. I was washing dishes and I finished washing the blade for my mini food processor. Word to the wise: Don't ever place a processor blade teeter-tottering in a balanced sort of way on top of an already filled to the brim dish rack. Never. ever. No matter how busy you are. The blade fell. On my left big toe. And there was blood. Lot's of it. Luckily this was the blade for my mini processor and not my Ninja, so the cut wasn't incredibly deep. Still I learned my lesson. So yeah, the food was a success, the other ahem, inconveniences not so much.

What kitchen disasters have happened to all of you out there? I'd love to hear all about it.

Hope you all enjoy the recipes as much as I did.

Until next time. And in the meantime, remember to Carpe the hell out of this Diem!

Oh. No.

Happy first day of winter vacation everyone! I woke up to my son tiptoeing into my room and watching my husband and I all sneakily. It was so hard to get myself out of bed, but I did and went straight to make my son's breakfast. He asked for cereal and chooses an unopened box of Honey Bunches of Oats. I take out the bag to open it, pull on either direction and all of a sudden the bag explodes open and I have cereal raining down all over me and the kitchen. That had never happened to me and needless to say I was not amused.

As I pick up cereal-y goodness from the stove, counters, floor and of course my hair, I realize that my chest feels heavy. So do my eyes. The back of my head hurts. Actually, upon further examination my whole face hurts. Then the realization dawns. Oh. NO!!!! I can not be sick the week of Christmas! I will not be sick! There is so much to do. So many people to see. Really!?! This just isn't fair. At. All. I blame this on my son's Pre-k cooties. Even though I am a former teacher, I am still not immune to the suckers. Oh well, I guess I have to suck it up and get going to the Post Office and to the store for groceries even though all I want to do is sleep like Rip Van Winkle. I think I'll allow myself to watch "Olive, the Other Reindeer" first as I eat my breakfast and try to keep up my reserves of Christmas cheer.

One of my favorite pieces: The Peacock Amore Headband

Just wanted to share one of my favorite creations, the stunning Peacock Amore Headband photographed by my lovely sister Ali from Alexandra Murphy Photography. Click here to check out her photography site and blog and when you're done, jump on over to her Facebook page to stay tuned to all her new developments. I couldn't be happier with this pic that she took, I think it captures the whole essence of the piece - old Hollywood girly glam. A special thank you to the beautiful model, my friend Carlieny. Thank you for making my Suga Muffin piece look absolutely stunning. <3

Some Delightfully Delicious Looking Recipes

Hi everyone! With Christmas here before we know it, I thought it would be great to share some wonderful recipes that I just encountered on Pinterest and am simply dying to try. What is Pinterest you ask. Well, if you haven't already, you absolutely must check it out. It's an online pinboard where you can organize anything and everything you find on the web and have it at your fingertips for your quick perusal. It has revolutionized my life and my OCD list making ways. If you look on my side bar you will see a red "follow me on Pinterest" button. Click it and it will take you to all of my boards. However, in order for you to start pinning your favorite pics from the web you must sign up for a free account. Go click on my button and have blast exploring. Trust me you'll wonder how you ever lived without such an amazing invention.

Anywho, getting back on to the original point for this post, I found two yummy looking recipes that couldn't be simpler, with minimal ingredients, and endless imaginative possibilities. I haven't had a chance to make them yet, but am thinking that the Holidays would be a perfect time to sample these goodies. First up: Kiss Pies from the Picky Palette.  Ready-made pie crust, any flavor chocolate kiss your little heart desires and some egg wash and you have adorable and delectable mini chocolate pies. I mean how awesome is that? Plus, I think this may just be the perfect recipe to try out with my 4 year old son to introduce him to the art of baking.

The second recipe I found is even simpler if you can believe it. Only two ingredients: any cake mix you like and a 15 ounce can of pumpkin pie filling. From what I understand, you can also use sweet potato pie filling as well. Mix these two ingredients together and you will have super tender and moist pumpkin muffins! I know isn't that crazy? These muffins are extremely versatile. You can use white cake mix, spice cake mix, chocolate cake mix, gluten free cake mix, chocolate chips or pumpkin pie spice mixed in. Honestly, the sky is the limit with these and they are quick, easy, and healthy. Pretty exciting if you ask me. You can find the complete recipe along with great pics at Sweet Verbena. Check it out and post comments if you try out the recipes. Let me know what you think.

Happy Baking my little suga muffins and remember to follow me on Pinterest as well so that you can keep on top of all my new discoveries.

Until next time,

 Veronica

Taking the Plunge

Warmest of welcomes to everyone who is joining me as I finally jump into the blogging world. Honestly it's about time that I do, but procrastination always won out. Some months ago, I lost my teaching job and not knowing what to do job-wise, I spoke to my super talented photographer sister who recommended that I start making headpieces and photo props. I looked into it and truth be told, I thought I could do it. Anyone who knows me knows that I love being creative, whether it's cooking, writing, party planning, or crazy art projects - I love it all! Nothing makes me happier and feel more alive than to make something with my hands. Suga Muffin Boutique was officially born in August 2011 and I have been learning and creating ever since. I have been lucky to have a wonderfully supportive family who believes in me even when I have felt that I couldn't do it. I have also found an amazing bunch of women all over the blogosphere, who are wildly successful doing the same thing I am trying to do. The best part is that these women freely give advice and guidance to newbies like me, along with immeasurable inspiration. Thank you to all of those women who do not know me, but have inspired me with all of  their stories of hard work and dedication that paid off. My goal is to succeed with Suga Muffin and have fun doing what I love along the way.

This blog will chronicle my journey with my new business venture as well as be a place for me to share recipes, household projects, and all the other things that are part and parcel of being a 32 year old wife and mother trying to make it in the wild world of headbands and headpieces. I am so excited to be sharing my journey with all of you and hope you all enjoy the ride.

Have a fantastic Sunday my little suga muffins. Christmas is but a week away. Let the countdown begin.  :)