T.W.O.

Chinese Shrimp Salad

Published on May 5, 2014June 6, 2014 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Tired of chicken in your Chinese salad? T.W.O. was too! So we decided to add shrimp AND rice noodles to mix the tradition recipe up! This salad is so easy to make and is great for a summer time dinner – it’s so refreshing, hearty and will make you want seconds!

Chinese Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

1 lb Fresh tiger prawns, cleaned and deveined
1 Head of Napa cabbage
1 ½ cups of Julienne Carrots
2 Mandarin oranges, peeled
½ Green onions, chopped
½ cup Cilantro, chopped
2 cups of Snap Peas
2 cups of thin Rice Noodles
¼ cup of Lemon juice
4 Tablespoons of Sriracha sauce
¼ cup of Rice Vinegar
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Dressing:

¼ cup Trader Joe’s Island Marinade
¼ cup Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce, reduced-sodium
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

In a bowl, marinade the prawns with lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and Sriracha sauce. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Cut up cabbage and add into a large bowl. Toss in carrots, oranges, green onions, and cilantro. Set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a bowl. Once it reaches to a boil, remove from heat and add your rice noodles. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Once the noodles are cooked, drain and add rice vinegar. Toss into salad.
For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together. Toss in with salad mixture.
Sauté shrimp in a skillet with olive oil. Cook shrimp over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add in the snap peas and cook until shrimp is done.
Plate salad and top with shrimp.

Southern California Spring Garden Show

Published on May 2, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

It’s the most anticipated garden event on the West Coast, and T.W.O. got a chance to attended this 25th Annual Southern California Spring Garden Show this past weekend. It features more than 75 specialty garden vendors offering exotic plants and unique accessories. Check out the photos below of some of our favorite flowers and displays.

Spring has Sprung!

Greek Marinated Chicken

Published on April 30, 2014June 6, 2014 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Mediterranean food has been on T.W.O.’s mind lately so we decided to mix up our ordinary chicken meal into a one that will make us feel like we are in Greece! And we did it with some Greek Marinated Chicken kabobs. The marinade includes Greek yogurt, which keep the chicken so moist after barbequing it. Pair this dish with some hummus, orzo, Greek salad and you will be breaking plates all night!

Greek Marinated Chicken

Ingredients

1 cup Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 Garlic cloves, minced
½ Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Lemon
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
Fresh cracked pepper
2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless

Instructions

For the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from the lemon. Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Add the parsley and stir it into the marinade.
Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Add the chicken and marinade to a large Ziploc bag. Massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for at least 30 minutes.
After marinating for 30 minutes, skewer the chicken breasts. Place on the BBQ and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until done.

Grilled Mediterranean Salad

Published on April 28, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Have you ever thought about grilling lettuce? Well you will after reading this recipe. It’s a great way to bring more flavors to your fresh salad without adding the calories or the ingredients. T.W.O. combined the grilled romaine with fresh vegetables and a homemade dressing. Check out the recipe below.

Grilled Mediterranean Salad

Ingredients:
– 2 heads organic romaine
– 1 ½ cup fresh tomatoes, diced
– 1 cup hearts of palm, sliced
– 4 persian cucumbers, sliced
– ¼ cup basil olive oil
– 2 Tablespoon fig balsamic
– 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
– ¾ cup lemon juice
– Salt
– Pepper
– Olive oil (~ 1 teaspoon for drizzling)

Directions:

Cut the romaine heads in half, lengthwise. Leave the stem and core intact.
Drizzle the olive oil and salt and pepper on the halves.
For the dressing: combine the, basil olive oil, fig balsamic, rice vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
On a heated barbeque, place the romaine halves on the grill over low-medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Make sure to watch the lettuce leaves – you don’t want them to start to burn.
Remove the lettuce and top with homemade dressing, tomatoes, cucumbers and hearts of palm. Add pepper as needed.

Happy Cooking!

Mud Pie Motherload

Published on April 25, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.7 Comments

Mud Pie has been a traditional birthday cake in T.W.O.’s family since we were babies. These past couple of years, we decided to step up our game and make the motherload of all mud pies. If this doesn’t get your taste buds excited, I don’t know what will. Peanut butter, chocolate, ganache, ice cream, oreo cookie crust and candy….we cover all the necessary ingredients.

Mud Pie Motherload

Ingredients:

Crust:
– 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
– 1 package oreo cookie box
Ganache:
– 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate
– 2 cup heavy cream
– 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Filling:
– 1.5 quartz chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream, softened*
– 1.5 quartz coffee ice cream, softened*
– ½ cup crunchy peanut butter
– 1 ounce dark chocolate, finely chopped, for garnish
– 4 peanut butter cups, finely chopped for garnish
– 1 heath bar, finely chopped for garnish

Directions:

For the crust:

Coat the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
Place cookies in food processor and pulse until ground. Add melted butter to the crumbs and mix. Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan and freeze until it’s good and set, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften and make the ganache.

For the ganache:

Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Pour cream over chocolate and let stand until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
Stir gently until smooth then stir in butter, one piece at a time. let cool slightly before using.

For the assembly:

When ice cream is softened, spread one of the flavors of ice cream over the cookie crust and smooth the top.
Spread peanut butter over the ice cream.
Pour half of the ganache over the top and smooth and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Remove pie from the freezer and top with the second ice cream flavor.
Pour the remaning ganche on top. Spread evenly.
Top with chopped chocolate candy and put in the freezer. For best results let the pie freeze for 5 hours or over night if possible.
When you are ready to serve, let the pie stand for 5 minutes prior to cutting. Plate and serve!

Happy Baking!

Birthdays + Bunnies

Published on April 23, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

T.W.O. was able to spend this past weekend with their entire family. We celebrated March and April birthdays, Easter and got the chance to spend quality time together. There were laughs, good food, sun and beach runs. Check out some photos that were captured this past weekend.

The Beach

Home is Where the Heart Is

Birthday Celebrations

A Family Photo (with a photo bomb by Libby!)

Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad

Published on April 21, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Imagine, lounging on the beach looking at the crisp blue ocean waters of the Mediterranean in the warm sun. Besides rose, what else is missing? Of course, some Mediterranean orzo pasta salad! Its refreshing, light and satisfying. See you in paradise!

Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

– 2 cups orzo
– 4-6 cups water
– ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
– 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
– ½ cup red onions, chopped
– ½ cup lemon juice
– 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
– 2-3 garlic cloves, diced
– 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts (optional)
– Salt
– Pepper

Directions:

Cook orzo as directed on the box.
Once the orzo is done, strain all the water out. Place in a bowl.
Mix in chopped mint, cherry tomatoes, garlic, red onions, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add artichoke hearts if deserved.
Plate and serve! Store leftovers in the refrigerator. If the pasta gets dry, add more lemon juice.

bon appetite,

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

Published on April 18, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Rice Crispy Treats – – they are good! Good is the key word. T.W.O. wants to make them FANTASTIC! So what we are going to do is add peanut butter, coconut oil, chia seeds and peanut butter cups. Thanks to Justin’s Peanut Butter we were able to make a good dessert a FANTASTIC dessert!

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

Ingredients:
– 4 cups rice crispy cereal
– 3 Tablespoons chia seeds
– 2/3 cups Justin’s creamy Peanut Butter
– 1/3 cup coconut oil
– 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
– 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
– Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups
– 3/4 cup chocolate, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine rice crispy cereal and chia seeds.
In a microwave safe bowl, add peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Cover and heat for 2-3 minutes or until all the ingredients are melted. Stir occasionally during the cooking time to make sure you don’t overcook.
Pour peanut butter mixture over the cereal and chia seeds.
Transfer to a parchment paper lined Pyrex.
Drizzle with melted chocolate and chopped Justin’s Peanut Butter cups.
Place in freezer until set. When it’s ready, use a large knife to cut into squares.
Plate and serve!

Jalapeno Lime Hummus

Published on April 17, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Would you like some carrots with your hummus? That’s what you will be asking your guests after making this recipe!!!

Jalapeno Lime Hummus

Ingredients:
– 2 (15 oz) Can chickpeas, drained
– 4 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
– 4 Cloves of garlic, peeled
– 3 Tablespoon Jalapeno, chopped
– 1 Tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
– 2 Tablespoon Fresh lime juice
– Salt
– Pepper
– 2 Tablespoon Olive oil
– 2 Tablespoons Water
– Tapatio Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Place chickpeas, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lemon juice, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. While the bender is on, slowly pour Olive oil and water and continue processing until super creamy and smooth. Add tapatio if you want the hummus to be spicier.
3. Use as a dip, spread on a sandwich or eat by itself.

Happy Cooking!