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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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What to Make For Your Next Cocktail Party

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What to Make For Your Next Cocktail Party

There's absolutely nothing like have a nice cold margarita during the day. The joy of the sun beating on your skin or being indoors surrounded with good company to the sound of Buena Vista Social Club. All of this can be taken away if your choices of a perfect margarita doesn't include the best ingredients.

Before I go on, click here to find out where you can locate Agavero Orange Liqueur.

Agavero Orange Liqueur is a blend of 100% blue agave tequila, infused with the essence of oranges and pure agave nectar. The distiller, Lazaro Gallardo, created Agavero in 1857 in the region of Jalisco Mexico. This is great served either in a blended drink or on the rocks which is what I prefer.

For this recipe, I've decided to use Gran Centenario Tequila - Reposado. Since Agavero Orange is infused with the natural orange flavor and agave nectar, I was inspired to create a recipe with ginger, peaches, and agave syrup.

 

 

1.5 parts Gran Centenario Reposado (I like darker Tequilas.)

.75 parts Agavero Orange Liqueur

1/2 of 1 peach. Slice up the other 1/2 and freeze.

3 slices of ginger

1 tablespoon agave

1 lemon wedge

Muddle your peach, ginger and agave in your mixer. After, poor in your Agavero Orange and Gran Centenario. I like to give it a quick stir before dumping in the ice for the quick shake. Having a glass ready to go filled with ice, quickly fill your shaker with ice and give it a rapid shake for a good 10 seconds.

Strain your drink into your glass with ice and a squeeze of lemon on top before enjoying. Ginger is always optional. I've just been using it a lot because of its nutritional properties. If you want to not use ginger, try adding a few taps of cayenne pepper for a different type of heat.

The Agavero Orange was definitely a nice touch to this fresh fruit cocktail. I love the subtleness it brings and the orange oil essence you normally find in the peel.

As always, please drink responsibly and remember that this is intended for ages 21+!

Enjoy!

 

 

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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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Ginger Pork

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Ginger Pork

One of my favorite things to eat now one of my favorite dishes to make. If you are ever traveling to Japan and end up at a Japanese diner, feel free to ask for "shogayaki". This dish is extremely comforting and filling. It goes great with a hot bowl of steamy white rice which is what I needed when I worked at an Izakaya. This was a meal that filled me up quick to get me through a nights service or something to fill my empty stomach after a night of hard work.

Recipe is extremely simple. The only real trick is how much grated ginger to put. I love a lot of ginger where it's prominent, but I know a lot of it can scare of people.

Regardless, this is how I made it.

  • 1.5 pounds of pork (recommend thin sliced pork belly or thin sliced pork butt).
  • 1 medium onion sliced (I used yellow)
  • 1/2 of a cabbage, thinly sliced.
  • Kewpie mayonnaise (optional, but imperative for me)
  • 4 tablespoons Mirin
  • 2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger

The onions are slightly sweated on medium high before putting in the pork belly. The pork belly is seasoned ever so lightly with salt and pepper. Once the pork is cooked through before browning, pour in the ginger sauce and mix the ingredients until coated.

Grab a bowl and scoop some hot white rice, topped with the raw cabbage slices, then the hot ginger pork. Drizzle with Kewpie mayonnaise and a dash of sesame seeds.

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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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