twinswithoriginality

Sriracha Glazed Chicken Mango Salad

Published on September 11, 2013September 10, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Remember that Sriracha Glazed Chicken Kebab recipe posted by T.W.O on Monday? Have you had the chance to try the recipe out? If you haven’t- you better get on it! And if you have, there are most likely leftovers! Hooray! T.W.O. decided to mix it up with the sriracha glazed chicken and add it to a salad! This dish is so refreshing, light, and has a nice balance of a sweet, but spicy kick to it!

Ingredients

–Sriracha Glazed Chicken, diced (link the post here)
-Lettuce*
-Mango, cubed
-Tomatoes
-Cucumbers
-Crimini mushrooms
-Cilantro Dressing**

*T.W.O. used romaine lettuce
**If you don’t feel like making your own dressing recipe, T.W.O. has discovered a great Cilantro dressing from Trader Joe’s.

First, wash and chop up the lettuce, mango, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mushrooms. Next dice your chicken into cubes. T.W.O. heated up their chicken just a bit before tossing into salad, but it can also be served at room temperature. After all the ingredients are platted, drizzle the dressing on the salad. Easy as that!

Bon Appetite!

Sriracha Glazed Chicken Kebabs

Published on September 9, 2013September 9, 2013 by twinswithoriginality3 Comments

Sriracha sauce has been around for many years, but it seems like just recently this sauce has become the “new hot sauce” and is being used to create innovative dishes. T.W.O. decided to take their traditional kebab recipe to the next level and spice it up to create Sriracha Glazed Chicken kebabs! The recipe is very simple and requires no marinating time. The chicken stays so moist from its spicy, sticky glaze and will no doubt make you want more!

Ingredients

–       ½ cup light brown sugar
–       ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
–       ⅓ cup hot chili paste
–       ¼ cup fish sauce
–       ¼ cup Sriracha
–       2 teaspoon finely grated ginger
–       2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
–       Green onions, chopped
–       Bamboo skewers, soaked in water

First, soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. This prevents the skewers from splintering or breaking. Next, heat up your grill to a low-medium heat. While the grill is heating up, cut the chicken into cubed-chunks and place in a large bowl. Whisk brown sugar, vinegar, chili paste, fish sauce, Sriracha, and ginger in a bowl. Pour this marinade over the chicken and mix so that all the chicken is covered. Now its time to skewer the chicken. After all the chicken is on the skewers, place the remaining marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until it is reduced by half. This should take about 7-10 minutes. Once the marinade is reduced, take the chicken and marinade to the grill.

Place the kebabs on the grill and baste with marinade. Make sure to keep turning and basting the skewers so the chicken doesn’t burn and remains moist. Continue basting and flipping the skewers until chicken is done. (8-10 minutes, depending on the grill) Take your chicken off the grill and plate on a platter. Garnish the skewers with the chopped green onions. Now it’s time to eat!

Enjoy!

Peach Goat Cheese Crostini

Published on September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Summer is not over yet; Peaches are still in season…So it’s time to get into the kitchen with T.W.O. and make these fabulous peach goat cheese crostini! They make a wonderful appetizer that all your guests will enjoy. And you will enjoy them to because they are easy to make so you can spend more time socializing with your guests and not stuck in the kitchen!

Ingredients

-Fresh baguette
-Goat cheese
-Fresh basil
-Peaches
-Balsamic vinegar
-Honey, optional

First, pre-heat your oven to 425°F. Next, slice your baguette and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. (The foil makes for an easy cleanup!) Then, slice your peaches into thin wedges and chop your basil into small pieces.

Once the oven is heated, place your bread slices in the oven. After about 3 minutes, check the slices to see if they are golden brown. If so, flip them over to get the other side golden brown. Once both sides are done, take the bread out of the oven and get ready to prepare the crostini! While the bread is still hot, spread your goat cheese on the crostini. Next, place some basil on top of the cheese and finish with the peach slice. Repeat this for the remaining bread slices.

Once all the crostini are assembled, drizzle the balsamic over each piece. T.W.O. also drizzled honey over each crostini and found that it added an extra kick of sweetness. So if you are in the mood for a sweet, but savory treat, add the honey! Now it’s time to serve!

T.W.O. Good Potato Salad

Published on September 4, 2013September 4, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

T.W.O.’s Labor Day weekend was filled with family, fun, beach, sun, and some gastronomical food! One of which was the famous family potato salad! T.W.O. is not a fan of mayonnaise, so potato salad was never made until this recipe was created! The recipe calls for very little mayonnaise, but is still extremely moist and full of flavor. This salad is a must for your next BBQ!

Ingredients

– 5 lbs red potatoes
– Celery, chopped
– Red onion, chopped
– 5-6 dill pickles, chopped
– 1-1 ½ cups Mayonnaise**
– 1 cup sweet relish
– Krazy salt
– Garlic powder
– Ground pepper

**T.W.O. uses the Best Foods Light Mayonnaise

First, wash the potatoes, keeping the skins on. Place potatoes into a large pot and fill with water so that about ½ to ¾ of the potatoes are covered. Cover pot with lid and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, bring to a low-medium temperature.

While potatoes are cooking, chop up your celery, onions, and pickles. After about 15 minutes, check the potatoes. If you can stick a butter knife through the potatoes, then they are done. (You don’t want the potatoes to be too soft, nor too hard!) Drain the water from the pot and let the potatoes sit for about 3 minutes just to cool a little so you don’t burn your fingers. While the potatoes are still very warm, cut the potatoes (with the skins on) into chucks and place into a bowl. Add the celery, onions, pickles, mayonnaise and relish to the potatoes and mix. Next season the salad with salt, garlic powder and ground pepper to your desire. Once everything is mixed, place in the refrigerator to chill. After a few hours, the salad is ready to be served! (You might want to check your salad a ½ hour before serving it just to make sure there is enough mayonnaise to your liking. Sometimes the potatoes absorb the mayonnaise during the chilling process.)

Bon appetite!

Happy Labor Day from T.W.O.

Published on September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Grilled Peach Caprese Chicken Salad

Published on August 30, 2013August 30, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Labor Day weekend is almost here, so get that BBQ fired up because T.W.O. is ready to grill a Peach Caprese Chicken Salad with you! T.W.O. decided to put a little spin to the traditional caprese salad and add grilled peaches for some sweetness and chicken for extra protein. It is a healthy, refreshing dish that everyone can enjoy!

Grilled Peach Caprese Chicken Salad

Ingredients

– Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– Fresh peaches
– Fresh buffalo mozzarella
– Tomatoes
– Cucumbers
– Crimini Mushrooms
– Lettuce of your choice
– Balsamic dressing

First, season your chicken breast with your choice of spices. T.W.O. used Krazy salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Let the chicken season for about 8-10 minutes.

In the meantime, fire up your grill and wash your lettuce, vegetables and peaches. Cut your peaches in half and remove the pit. Next, place your chicken on a clean grill and turn the temperature down to low-medium, depending on how hot your grill gets. While the chicken is grilling, start chopping up your lettuce, cucumbers, and mushrooms. After the chicken has been grilling for about 8 minutes, place your peaches on the grill, cut side down. Keep a close eye on the peaches and chicken because you don’t want them to burn! Assemble your tomato and cheese stacks.

When the chicken and peaches are done, cut the chicken into strips and the peaches into slices. Alternate the chicken and peaches in between the cheese stacks to create your “caprese” salad. Next place the caprese salad on top of the bed of lettuce with cucumber and mushrooms. Finish the dish with a balsamic dressing of your choice. Wah-lah! Now you can enjoy this original, gastronomical dish this holiday weekend with your family and friends.

Wine Pairing: T.W.O. suggests a Rosé

T.W.O. Throws in the Towel!

Published on August 29, 2013August 29, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

One of the most popular hostess gifts is a bottle of wine. And the most popular way to bring the bottle is unwrapped, no gift bag. The main reason for not having a bag is that you forgot to purchase the bag or you think to yourself, “They will just throw it in the trash anyways!” Well, T.W.O. has a solution for you….Just “throw in the towel” and you will have yourself an original hostess gift! Plus, the host can use the towel again! Not just throw it away.

What you will need:

-Decorative kitchen towel, brand new
-Raffia
-Wine bottle

*T.W.O. has featured one of their favorite Old Vine Zins by Brazin.

Take your kitchen towel and lay it flat on a table. Place your wine bottle in the center of the towel. Gather the ends of the towel and bring up, towards the center of the wine bottle so that it is entirely covered. If your towel is on the larger side, you might need to twist it when wrapping the wine bottle so the ends are not flopping over. Secure the towel in place by tying the raffia around the neck of the wine bottle in a knot. Finish with a bow. You could also add a little name tag (tying it when making the knot) to make it more personable. Now you are all set for the party!

T.W.O. in Madrid

Published on August 26, 2013August 26, 2013 by twinswithoriginality1 Comment

After a plane flight, metro ride, and adventure walking with our suitcases over cobblestone, T.W.O. made it to our first stop in Spain- MADRID!! Ole! Madrid is an amazing city full of history, architecture, exquisite restaurants, friendly people and not to mention, ZARAs on every corner! T.W.O. was in heaven!

T.W.O. was in Madrid for 4 days at stayed at the Vincchi Soho hotel in the heart of the historical area of Madrid. T.W.O. would definitely recommend Vincchi Soho- it is clean, modern, the staff is very friendly and it is in a great location of the city- walking distance to everything!

While in Madrid, T.W.O. explored everything- from plazas to palaces, ZARAs to bull fights, restaurants to mercados, and Rosés to papas fritas. T.W.O loved it all! Here are just some of the highlights of T.W.O.’s adventure in Madrid!

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor was one of the biggest plazas in Madrid. T.W.O enjoyed stopping by this plaza one, two, even three times a day to see this beautiful site.

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel is a must-see if you travel to Madrid. This mercado is a great spot to head for lunch if you don’t want to deal with a restaurant. Inside the mercado, there are over 30 merchants selling their respective tapas specialties. T.W.O would highly recommend the burrata cheese crostini with pesto and the croquette with cheese and jalapeno.

Palacio Real de Madrid

Palacio Real de Madrid is another site to see in Madrid. Pay the 12 euros and enjoy the breathtaking art and architecture inside the palace. You won’t be disappointed.

Plaza de Santa Ana

Plaza de Santa Ana was T.W.O.’s favorite plaza in Madrid. They spent everyday in this plaza whether is was for breakfast, lunch, dinner or their siesta!

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

When in Madrid, go to a bull fight! T.W.O. enjoyed this amazing experience and would suggest everyone see one if they are in Madrid. The art of this sport is spectacular and the local people are so passionate about it. Bull fights typically take place on every Sunday during the summer months.

Lateral

Lateral was T.W.O.’s favorite restaurant in Madrid. It is located in Plaza de Santa Ana (how ironic!). T.W.O. would suggest the stuffed piquillo peppers, goat cheese with caramelized onions, and the patatas bravas.

Strolling around Madrid and Parque del Buen Retiro

T.W.O. enjoyed strolling around Madrid, especially when it involved shopping at Zara! During the stroll, T.W.O. walked through Parque del Buen Retiro. It was absolutely gorgeous and reminded T.W.O. of Central Park in New York City. This park is a nice place to take a picnic, go for a run, or just enjoy an evening walk!

T.W.O. truly enjoyed Madrid and would definitely go back- well actually; they did, for one day! In terms of the future, Madrid will be revisited. It is a great city for everyone- young adults, couples, families and elders! T.W.O. me encantό Madrid! #gemelasenespana

Toasted Quinoa

Published on August 22, 2013August 22, 2013 by twinswithoriginality1 Comment

Quinoa. A superfood, high in protein and dietary fiber. By now, everyone has either heard about it, cooked with it, or both! It is a great addition to any breakfast, lunch or dinner! But most of the recipes out there are just so similar- so soft!! So T.W.O. has decided to change up the texture of this superfood and “crunch it up!” Toasted Quinoa! It is a great addition to any dish you would like to add some crunch and protein without the added fat or gluten.

Toasted Quinoa

Ingredients:

-2 cups of water
-1 cup of Quinoa, rinsed
–Crazy Salt
-Garlic powder
-Cayenne pepper powder
-1 tablespoon of olive oil

Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan. Once boiling, pour quinoa, crazy salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper into water. (Please note that seasonings can be added to your liking!) Bring water to a boil once again, then reduce to low-medium temperature and cover pan. Allow quinoa to cook for about 10-12 minutes. When complete, use a fork to “fluff” quinoa and transfer to a cookie sheet to cool down. Once quinoa is cooled, heat up a sauté pan with olive oil. When pan is hot, place quinoa in pan and reduce heat to medium. Make sure to mix the quinoa often so it doesn’t burn. Toast the quinoa for about 6 minutes or until golden brown. Wah lah- it’s done! Toasted quinoa can be eaten hot or cold and can be stored in an air-tight container for about 5 days. Just make sure that the quinoa is cool before placing the lid on the container- you don’t want it to get soggy!

T.W.O. decided to add the warm, toasted quinoa to a salad. It added not only crunch, but protein to this gastronomical meal.

T.W.O. has also added the toasted quinoa to Greek yogurt and fruit. It was just like granola, but better! If you are planning on using it with yogurt, T.W.O. would suggest eliminating the seasonings above (salt, garlic and cayenne) and add cinnamon or nutmeg!

Enjoy “crunching” it up!