Nicki's Kitchen

Just Beet It

2012-02-09T22:34:00.004+09:00

The other day I was watching Doctor Oz (and eating bon bons....HA! Ya right) and he had a guy on there who memorized 52 decks of cards. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records. His memory is impeccable. Guess what his #1 food is for keeping up his memory? The very humble beet. Yes, beets. Apparently beets are recommended to Alzheimer patients as well to help brain power.

This isn't the show I watched but, here's a link to more info about beets: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/antioxidant-youre-not-eating

I really like beets. I always have. Even when I was a little girl I ate them in my salad. Maybe it was their color that did for me but I always really liked them.

There were no fresh beets at the commissary. I should have looked out in town but, I was lazy so I went to the canned food isle (which by the way, I found the large cans of Organic diced tomatoes for $0.30 a can.....REALLY! That was my cheap thrill for the day! I bought what was left on the shelf.) this turned out pretty well. My kids turned their nose up at it....but hey it's beets not ice cream. One day, I hope they will appreciate healthy food on their own. In the mean time, I'm gonna keep trying.

Easy Beet Salad

2 Cans of Beets cut into bite size chunks. (Just boil fresh ones....use the greens too!)
Spinach Leaves roughly chopped (If your using canned)
2 large cloves of garlic (chopped, mashed or crushed)
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste

Place beets, Spinach, and garlic in a medium/large bowl. In a small bowl wisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Pour liquid/dressing over beets and toss.

Let this sit a little while before serving. The dressing will help mellow out the fresh garlic.

Yesterday we had this because it was a "Greek" style dinner. It was also Tu B'shevat the Jewish New Year for Trees (Also nicknamed the Jewish Arbor Day or Jewish Earth Day). Because we had record cold here in Germany, Planting a tree was a little bit out of the question. So, I bought an indoor palm. His name is Willard. With the Mediterranean style dinner and Willard "standing watch" it was a nice holiday evening.

Coconut, Banana, Pineapple Smoothie

2012-02-06T04:07:00.003+09:00

What to do when it hits -1F outside? Make tropical smoothies of course! Coconut milk is very good. Don't know if there are any health benefits but it's good. This one for sure hit the spot. Last day before my grocery store run so, resources were fairly slim. I had some frozen pineapple in the freezer but no frozen bananas left and the coconut milk in the fridge.....just enough for 2. I'm pretty sure that if a person where to have canned pineapple (drained) and a frozen banana, it quite possibly would have the same effect. YUM.

1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
2 bananas
water
ice (about 1/4 cup)

Place them all, except for the water in the blender and liquify that bad boy! It may need to be "pulsed" to get everything smooth. Open up the top and add water slowly until desired consistency. Divide among 2 glasses. Another yummy smoothie that I've tried is a green smoothie. Don't let the name or color fool you. It's pretty good.

CDC Noodles

2012-02-05T01:47:00.007+09:00

Anyone in the military community knows that CDC does not necessary stand for "Center of Disease Control." That would be a pretty freaky name for a meal huh? Actually, CDC in this case stands for "Child Development Center", which is the preschool and daycare located on most large military installations.

Samuel absolutely loves to go to the CDC. I don't have him enrolled yet in preschool. He goes to what's called "hourly care". I try to get him in at regular times (this requires me being on the ball and calling to book 30 days out). One of the things that he loves, surprisingly, is the food there. Like any federally funded operation, the CDC has cafeteria food for their cuisine. Nothing fancy. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that all his peers are there eating, so instead flailing himself down dramatically on the floor declaring, "I HATE that stuff MOMMY!" he's more inclined to acted "civilized".

Samuel these days lives off of macaroni & cheese, milk and air. I bust my butt trying to come up with creative and healthy things for him to eat and it's to no avail. Thank goodness for multivitamins! I'm not proud of my own vanity & jealousy but I still really wonder why he enjoys cafeteria food over my own? My food that's been cooked with my love? Regardless of my feelings though, the "lunch lady" has stolen him away from me. My good friend and neighbor went to pick up her daughter there the other day and spotted him shoveling food into his mouth. He didn't even stop to say goodbye to his friend.

So instead of wallowing in my misery, I decided to take a hint and try to replicate a kind of cafeteria style meal at home. It's basically beef with egg noodles. Nothing fancy to this thing; just the basics:

1 lb. beef (I used flank steak ) cut into bite size pieces or, strips
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup diced carrots (about 1 carrot)
12 oz. bag of egg noodles
3 Tbsp. Bouillon (I use this at the commissary I think it's $4.99 for a jar) or about 6 cups of broth
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cooking oil

This is not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination nor is it difficult. For some this may come our too salty. Just add more water next time or, less broth/bouillon.

Heat oil in skillet and brown meat.
Add Bouillon & 5 cups of water/5 cups broth, noodles, & carrots.
Cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes.
With slotted spoon, take out everything in the skillet and place in a large bowl.
There should be some dripping left in the skillet. Put the Tbsp. of flour in the skillet and whisk in the drippings.
Add remaining cup of water and boil/simmer until thick.
Dump all ingredients back into the skillet and stir up.

That's it. My kid wolfs this down. My husband makes sure there is always a lot more... which there is. This feeds 4 very well for one serving and there should be leftovers.

I don' think it's too "unhealthy", but the sodium could be a factor in this. Again, adjust the meal to your taste buds. Since the bouillon that I use is vegetable base, adding a bunch of mushrooms instead of meat could really work in this. I'd do it but family is not fond of the fungi. Also, it's pretty economical and is made in less than 30 minutes. Free of dairy & alcohol.

Carrot Apple Muffins much?

2012-01-16T00:06:00.005+09:00

So I figured out why I have a weight problem......I eat to much. I know, rocket science right? Go figure. Lately I've been on a semi health kick (so lets just forget about the the girlscout cookies I just bought....Okay?).

Maybe my train of thought is similar to slamming my head against a brick wall but, if I think that if I encourage my kids to eat healthy, that might rub off on me......in other words, maybe that metaphorical brick wall will actually shatter. After all, I do have a pretty hard head. (My stylist tells me so, so it must me true.)

My only saving grace when it comes to overeating is that I go to the gym and I eat at home almost all the time. Actually, to keep it serious for a split second, I do try to eat healthy.....my obsession with food does have a positive side effect. Most of the things I eat tend to be on the less processed side of things. I cook at home not just because I want to eat healthier but because it's cheaper and really, it creeps me out to eat out all the time......after all, do I really know whats going in my food when a perfect stranger is making it? Do I really know if they washed their hands before they left the bathroom? What are the health and safety standards in Germany? When food is made under a different agenda (out of profit margins instead of "love") the ingredients can magically change.

Before I left Sacramento we were planting veggies and fruit in the back yard and I was contemplating having a couple of chickens, maybe I bat house set up, and a bee hive in the back. Yeah, my husband who is in the environmental business thinks I'm an absolute granola-crunching-tree-hugging-nut-case but, still he must endure all of my deep thoughts (Through better or worse right?).

Readers may notice I am not perfect with my ideals.... In fact, if a reader is on some witch hunt for hypocrites he can stop right here.....I am one. I go out to eat and I do enjoy junk food. But, it's because I'm not perfect. I guess the point is that I'm striving for it (perfection). That's the point of it all right? -'Every effort is a success, even if you don't see the results'

So let me not stray entirely from my title and get all preachy which, I tend to do sometimes....making the average reader nauseated.

Carrot Apple Muffins.

Our family loves blueberry muffins on weekend mornings. I like them too. I can freeze them and then nuke them later in the microwave during the week. Despite our muffin love affair, these little delicious boogers are made with sugar and white flour. The only redeeming quality is that they are made with blueberries and not chocolate chips. (That's like telling myself that I can have 2 lunches because I did an hour on the elliptical....completely justifiable right?) To switch things up I found and touched up a recipe to make my own. Carrot Apple Muffins. These are pretty darn yummy. My recipe calls for apple sauce but I'd imagine grated apple with a dash of lemon zest could possibly make a tasty alternative. I'll have to try it out and possibly update.

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup packed finely grated carrots (about 2 med. size carrots grated)
1/2 cup applesauce (preferably unsweetened but any kind will do)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk (again with the almond milk she says! Oy vey!)
1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 450F (230C)
Spray muffin with non-stick cooking spray or line cups with papers
In a med/large bowl combine dry ingredients
In a med/small bowl combine wet ingredients (this includes the apple and carrot)
Pour wet ingredients in with dry ingredients and combine
Spoon batter into muffin tin cups
Bake for about 20 (do the toothpick test)
Let them cook for as many minutes as you can stand and then serve with butter/margerine or plane.

I tried them with margarine and I say "barf" but my husband liked them better this way. So to each their own I guess. (what a weirdo.... Love you hon!)

Pop!

2012-01-14T20:28:00.005+09:00

To quote the president: "Yes we can!".....make popcorn in the microwave without buying special microwave popcorn. Maybe I should have stamped "sucker" on the top of my forehead but it really didn't occur to me that I could do this. I thought that the white-little-skinny-old man had some magical patented component in their paper bag that could make popcorn in the microwave. I mean, it's really convincing especially since the bag has to be placed "just right" ('THIS END UP') or it will explode my microwave...... right? So, imagine my amazement when all of my core beliefs about microwave popcorn where just thrown out the window?! That's right, a plane brown paper lunch bag and some popcorn kernels are all you need. (and of course your choice seasoning). It took a little trial and error the original recipe I found called for 1/2 cup kernels. I really did end up with popcorn exploded all over my microwave. Just not enough room in the bag for all of that. I also tried the butter flavor in a bottle. Stupid me looked at the label after purchasing....120 calories per Tbsp. vs. 102 calories in Tbsp. of butter....unless a person has IBS I say, "BUTTER IS BETTER"

Yes, I could purchase my own popcorn popper but, honestly, I'm too cheap for that. So far this has been my favorite combo. I'd very much like to try something different and lower in calories. A few weeks ago I tried lime and salt flavor. Not something I created just bought a box of it. (Again with the white-skinny-old-guy brand)So flippin' yummy.

I'd like to try something like this on my own. Again, a 1/4 cup kernels is about 200 calories plus butter.....that's over 300 calories....dieticians help me out here! Somehow I need to get the calories down. 1/4 cup kernels after it's been popped fits in my ramen bowl. It's a good snack and I think the size is right for one person. Maybe I'm wrong but any less than this and I'm gonna be reaching for something more to eat.

Brown lunch bag
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1 Tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp popcorn salt

Watch these guys carefully because it will burn quick!
Place kernels in paper bag and fold paper bag several times. Don't staple the bag. (Metal & Microwaves don't mix!).
Place the bag standing up in the microwave.
At my microwave set at 900W, it takes about one minute and twenty seconds. Again, listen to it and find out what works with your microwave.
Melt butter for 15-20 seconds in the microwave after popcorn is popped.
Open bag of popcorn, drizzle with butter, close bag again and shake up.
Open bag, sprinkle with salt close bag and shake up again.
Pour in to a bowl for aesthetics and enjoy.

My Favorite Smoothie

2012-01-14T18:21:00.005+09:00

......So far anyway. I have to say that smoothies are not really my favorite to make. I can't really seem to simplify the process. Pull out the blender, pull out the transformer (that, by the way weighs about 20 pounds), put ingredients in, blend, take apart blender and clean. YUCK. Too many bloomin' steps. I like smoothies when I can buy them... not make them. But in Germany, I am far, far, far away from my favorite smoothie joint (I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with Mamba Moose).

One of my husband's favorite flavors from this joint is a smoothie with peanut butter. It's pretty good however, it is freaking loaded with girth and calories. Usually after a person drinks this concoction, one feels as though they have a brick in their stomach.

After a little research and experimentation, I've created my own easy concoction that fits the bill. No, it doesn't taste exactly like the magical drink in the Styrofoam cup... however, like I said, it fits the bill and it's easy to make and I don't end up with lumps in my smoothie (do not like lumpy smoothies... a little bit of an oxymoron right?)

Whoever hasn't tried almond milk is missing out. Truly. It has a history. It's not just some new fandangled thing that has made it's way to the shelves. It's low in sugar and calories, and it's fabulous for baking too. It's now been voted in as a must for our weekend pancakes because my family has concluded it taste better than regular milk pancakes. I like it in my cereal but my kids don't. I tried to get my toddler on it but he was too far gone into the depths of moo juice. No worries though, I don't hate milk... just excited about being able to replace it from time to time in certain things.

Another thing I love, love, love about this is that it's vegan, raw, and parve... so, go ahead and have a smoothie and a "HN" hot dog, la'chaim!

My children don't like this recipe. My husband and I both enjoy this one A LOT. My eldest doesn't like bananas and my other one... well he doesn't even really like milkshakes (a strange, strange individual). Try it with your kids though, if they are the normal types... and see if they enjoy it.

The only complication in this recipe is that the bananas need to be sliced and frozen solid. I've done it with room temp bananas and I don't like the texture and temperature of it. What I've done in the past few years is just slice up my brown bananas and freeze them. One more thing to do with over-ripe bananas besides making banana bread.

So, here goes:

1 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 Tbsp. almond butter (regular peanut butter works in a pinch)
2 Bananas that have been sliced and frozen

Place all ingredients in your blender and liquify. Apparently this is two servings (p'shaw right)... I will sometimes enjoy this for lunch when I'm in a hurry.

Nicki's Vegetarian Chili

2011-12-18T15:47:00.002+09:00

I've been on this vegetarian recipe kick for a while. I'm trying to come up with my very own recipes for things. It started when I tried to be more observant of Jewish kosher laws. It can be difficult because....well, I'm in Germany and, bratwurst is GOOD. Lately though, I realizing that having a mostly vegetarian diet is just easier when it comes to keeping kosher. Plus, it can be a lot healthier. This so far has been my favorite combination for chili. I'm not so sure about the nutritional information but maybe some other reader genius could figure it out for me. I know that most likely the sodium content is high because of all the canned beans but it's easy and with two young kids, that's what I need.

Nicki's Veggie Chili

1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper (or 2 depending on your preference I use one cause, it's cheaper)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cans of kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 28oz. can of tomato
1 can of chopped green chilies (I use a small can of Old El Paso)
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
2 Tablespoons of oil (for sauteing)
Shredded Cheese or Sour Cream (Optional)

We are a mild tongued family for the most part. (at least my kidlets are) The canned green chilies add some flavor but no real spice. If you'd like it spicier use a tablespoon or so of chilies in adobo sauce. It adds more heat and has a nice smokey flavor.

In a large pot, saute all the vegetables until tender (about 5-10 minutes). Add spices and stir them in with the vegetables. Then place all of the canned beans, tomato and chilies in with the vegetables and stir to combine. Simmer for 20 minutes or more depending on your preference of vegetable consistency. Serve with shredded cheese on top or just plain.

I'd imagine this is pretty healthy. Again, sodium might be an issue for some. In which case, try dried beans (3 cups of kidney & 1 cup of black--cooked and water according to preference) also, an easy way to cut the sodium is to look at the content of sodium in different brands of canned items. One can of tomatoes that I used had double the sodium of another brand.

This makes about six 2-cup servings and it's pretty inexpensive. I'll have to price everything out once I have a chance. Once one has the recipe down, it takes 30 minutes or less to get everything done and on the table. If a person is using dried beans it takes much longer (possibly can be an overnight thing to prep the beans) I usually have most of these items in the house. The celery I usually have on it's last leg before I decide that I should probably make use of it before it ends up in compost. My husband loves this recipe. He's not vehemently against this whole vegetarian exploration.....just weirds him out a bit but, he's getting better. The idea that it can be cheaper at the grocery store is turning him.

Veg Head

2011-03-11T20:08:00.004+09:00

My Aunt Susan gave me this vegetarian cookbook for Christmas about 2 years ago I think and it's been sitting on the shelf ever since. Because of the lack of internet, I depended more on my cookbooks. This lead to me discovering some recipes I had never tried before and trying out some of the recipes in this book, "Totally Vegetarian" by Toni Fiore. She hosts the PBS show "Delicious TV's Totally Vegetarian" The first recipe I tried I was really excited about because it could possibly be used again as a sauce over something instead of just Fettuccine Alfredo. I'm trying to stick to a more kosher diet and this is a great replacement for a creamy sauce over sauteed or baked chicken. Totally dairy free (unless the Parmesan cheese is added on top).

I started wondering about using this sauce on a pizza as well. I served it up with the Parmesan on top and all my boys were none the wiser. They sincerely believed it was an Alfredo sauce until I told them. I'm not trained chef but this was good enough for me to make this a regular in our home. The Author suggests this as a sauce to spoon over green beans or asparagus (a nice white sauce over asparagus for Easter?)

Here Goes:

Fettuccine Walnut Alfredo

1/2 lb. fettucine (or whatever is in the pantry)
3/4 cup walnuts or walnut pieces
1 garlic clove
1/4 pine nuts
few sprigs of parsley (I didn't have this)
2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sea salt (I used kosher salt)
Freshly grated black pepper
Grated Parmesan (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to directions

2. Pulse half of the walnuts with the garlic in the food processor. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the processor running, add the remaining walnuts, the pine nuts, and parsley and then drizzle in the oil. When the sauce has a pesto-like texture, stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. The nuts should be very finely ground. Turn the machine on and slowly add 1/4 to 1/3 cup very hot water, checking the consistency to make sure the sauce doesn't become too thin. The sauce should begin turning white with a fluffy creamy texture. Stir in the salt.

3. Have a large deep pasta bowl handy. Quickly drain the pasta and drop into the bowl. Toss with about 5 tablespoons of sauce, more or less to taste. Serve immediately with a few grinds of black pepper and Parmesan, if desired.

The next recipe is definitely more along the lines of a "cruncher" recipe as my husband would so eloquently put it! I also was trying out vegitarian recipes not only because they are healthy but also because they can be a lot cheaper. This is one of those that I picked out to be cheaper. Mike and I really enjoyed it but unless the kids eat beans regularly, this may be something they give the stink eye to.

I ended up having to add a little more water in the end to suit my consistency preference. The lemon at the end it nice. I'm sure there are a ton of variations that can be done with this. I'm definitely planning on making it again.

Lentil Stew

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley chopped (I only had left over cilantro.....so, I didn't use the parsley)
1 1/2 cups lentils
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1 lemon
2-4 cups baby spinach, torn (optional)
chopped cilantro, mint, or additional parsley, to taste

1. Heat a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. After a minute, add the onion and celery. Saute gently until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes longer. Add the parsley and stir well to combine. Add the lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and gently simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and a grating of fresh lemon zest to taste. Spoon the stew over a bed of fresh spinach if you life and top with chopped cilantro. Serve hot.

Chai Tea Latte Ice Cream

2010-01-20T05:15:00.003+09:00

I am a self proclaimed Trader Joe's addict. I love their stuff. Mike's parents sent us a Christmas care package several years ago from TJ's and it had a can of Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte mix. YUMMY! Mike loves Chai Latte's from Starbucks. We thought this would save us a little $$$ by making our own. Now that we are hooked on yet another TJ product, I decided to experiment. I love Ice Cream and I love Chai Tea.....what if I made it into an ice cream flavor.

As my ice cream maker churns away in the other room, I am quickly typing away my first or, beginner recipe of this fabulous flavor. Because the mix also has a dairy powder in it, the ice cream is coming out super creamy. I was worried that it would be grainy with the addition of sugar but, it's hasn't gotten gritty so far.

1 cup whole milk
4 scoops of Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte Mix
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups cream (about 1 larger carton)

Using an electric mixer, mix whole milk, sugar and TJ's Spicy Chai Latte Mix until well incorporated. I did about 2 minutes (pausing a couple times to scrape the sides) on level 2 with my Kitchen Aid stand alone mixer. Then mix in cream (on low with your mixer! We don't want whipped cream. Although, that does give me another idea!). Pour into your ice cream maker and follow their operation instructions. Then freeze until desired consistency.

This recipe has given me more ideas. I even have one in the works for a Mexican hot chocolate ice cream. I wonder too if I could use almond milk in place of whole milk? Maybe I can leave out the sugar? We shall see!

Broscht

2010-01-04T13:15:00.004+09:00

Today was a multi cultural day which in my book, is an all-American day. There are many Russian ex-pats & emigrants that live in the Sacramento region. We took down several trees in or front yard a couple of weeks ago and there was a Russian older man (who lives just a few houses down) who took all the wood for his fireplace. He told us that he keeps bees. I'm so excited about this. I know now that my garden will do well if we have a bee hive near by. I was also happy to see that our trees were being put to good use. We are keeping chunks of the large trunks (stumps) for our future fire pit in the back yard. After going to the farmers market near our house, I had decided to make Borscht which is a Russian beat soup. I imagine that it's a soup with very many different variations depending on personal preferences and what region of Russia the soup is coming from. Here's my version

A bunch of red beats (4-5 very small)(diced)
A bunch of orange beats (2 very large)(diced)
5 small carrots (diced)
1 onion (diced)
half a head of cabbage (shredded)
3 cups of salt(ed) water
2 cups of beef stock
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lemon
Sour Cream

Pour beats, carrots and onion into boiling salted water. Then add beef broth, butter, and cabbage. Cook for 15 minutes (I simmered on med/high heat). Squirt in lemon juice. Ladle into cups/bowls and dollop with sour cream.

It was a good hardy winter soup. I imagined children in Russia coming home in the late fall evening to a big bowl of Borscht. My boys don't like soup. I love any kind of new soup. The use of the beats in anything except a salad topper is very different for me. I like beats so I think I might make this again if someone else will come over and eat it with me!

After church and picking up the remaining ingredients for Borscht at the market, we all decided to stop by Capitol Nursery and look into planting some new hedges. Since we were so close, I wanted to show Mike Oto's. It's a store that sells Japanese grocery items. Low and behold they were closed for the New Year. However, Mike spotted something interesting. There was a small hut with a sign for Japanese pastries so, we decided to pop in and have a look. The little shop was packed and through the glass while waiting in line I could see melon pan, green tea melon pan, an pan man choco pan, loaves of soft fluffy white bread, yakisoba bun, tonkatsu bun, and their advertised specialty Kobe cream. We had come late in the day so many of the items were gone. However, we were able to split a Kobe cream and Joshua got he An Pan Man Choco Pan. There were many Japanese folks in line the couple behind us said they drive an hour to get here. How fortunate we are! The baked items were Japanese alright custard cream in the center. Pretty authentic for being 6,000 miles away. Anyone who wants to check it out can google Mahoroba.

I'm sorry I'm not telling my story in any kind of order. After the Borscht, I decided to attempt the bread pudding recipe again. Paula Dean's recipe had a total of 5 cups of sugar. It was good but so sweet and griddy with sugar. I'm hoping to cut the sugar and still get the great taste. I'll let you know how it turns out. I reason too for the replay of bread pudding is I think I probably had about 10 left over rolls from Christmas Eve that were hard as rocks and needed to be used for something!

Day After New Year Sauce

2010-01-03T14:41:00.002+09:00

So this would be my technical name for this sauce. Super creamy and if anyone out there is on a resolution to loose weight, they'll have to save this recipe until next year. Got stale champagne from the previous evening? Fret not! This is a simply luxurious sauce. Even without the onion and fennel, it could work marvelously with fish, seafood, chicken, veal, or just pasta.

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup champagne
1/2 cup cream
Fennel bulb sliced
Yellow onion sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste (I used white pepper so the specks wouldn't show but really, any type of pepper could be used)

Melt butter large pan then whisk in flour to create a roux. Add chicken broth, champagne, fennel, salt and pepper stir to combine. Bring to a "bubbly" and and simmer on low or med/low for 10-15 minutes or, until veggies are soft. Turn the heat off or remove from heat (if your using an electric burner) and stir cream in. I poured this over my left over roast chicken (2 wings, leg, theigh, and wings plus potato wedges and still had about 2-2.5 cups of sauce left over. This would be fabulous on salmon or any other fish even scallops or shrimp. I'd imagine white wine would work equally as good for this as well. Experiment and enjoy!

Chocolate Sludge

2008-07-09T06:50:00.002+09:00

Mike's mother will be happy to know that I found this recipe in the Stuffed Cougar Cooked Book. This book has been in the family for a while. It's one of those great cookbooks that still includes several blessings in the beginning of the book to say at the beginning of a meal. We use it all the time for the Pancake recipe and every once in a while I look through it for something new to make. As the recipe states this is not gourmet, but children and hungry husbands love it. This would make a good dessert for a Halloween party too. Especially if you're able to use Hershey's special Dark Cocoa.

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 t. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 hot water
Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cocoa. Add mik, vanilla and butter and mix well. Fold in pecans. Pour into buttered 8" square pan Mix 1/4 cup cocoa with brown sugar. Sprinkle over top. Pour hot water over this. DON'T MIX. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350. Serve warm. Serves 6-8.

Easy Chocolate Croissants

2008-06-05T09:24:00.003+09:00

This is another one that I made for the party.....I ate about......10 yesterday. They aren't real croissants but for a quick fix they work in a pinch.

1 8-count tube refrigerated crescent rolls
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Place about 10 chocolate chips on the bottom third of each triangle and roll the dough up around the chocolate. Transfer rolls to a baking sheet. (lined with parchment for easy cleanup) and bake for 12-14 minutes until brown. Serve warm or at room temp. Topped with powdered sugar if desired. An idea a fellow pregnant woman shared with me.

Spanish Omelet with Potatoes and Chorizo

2008-06-05T09:13:00.002+09:00

This is a great Real Simple recipe that I found. It was a hit at the morning mommy/baby playgroup I hosted.

1 Tbsp. EVOO
2 ounces chorizo (sliced and cut into half moon shape)
1 large yellow onion chopped
3/4 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)
10 large eggs
3/4 lb. red potatoes diced
1 cup sharp cheddar
salt and pepper

Heat over to 400 degrees. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in over medium heat skillet. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add chorizo, potatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and cook covered stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender (a little less than 10 minutes). Stir in parsley. Pour eggs into skillet and stir to distribute the ingredients. Sprinkle with cheese. Transfer to over and cook for 15 minutes or until puffed and brown around the edges.

French Coconut Pie

2008-01-08T11:41:00.000+09:00

One of the easiest Pies I have ever made and YUMMY!

4 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup or 3 1/2 ounce can shredded coconut
1 cup milk
Pre-made pie shell

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in microwave; add remaining ingredients. Pour into pie shell. Bake until firm, about 45-60 minutes

Giambotta (Italian Vegetable Stew)

2007-07-14T12:13:00.001+09:00

Promise me not to cringe when reading "stew" at the top. I'm for the most part not a fan of stew. It usually has some sort of bean, rice, or pasta in it and although recipes encourage to save for leftovers, it just turns out to be this slimy gelatin consistency when pulled out of the fridge the next day. The worst is when there is some sort of fatty meat in it and the grease solidifies at the top. I just can't stomach it.

The reason why this recipe intrigued me, was because there was no pasta, rice, or beans in it, it was healthy comfort food, and for the most part very cheap and fast to make. All the meat eaters may scoff seeing that it's a vegetable dish but it can easily be made into a meat dish by adding some meatballs or Italian sausage.

The original recipe by Rachel Ray asks for canned fire roasted tomatoes. While I couldn't find those at the store, I did find "Italian" canned diced tomatoes with oregano, basil and garlic added and instead of using a regular large eggplant, I used 2 Ichiban or Japanese eggplants which are less bitter. Otherwise I followed the recipe almost exactly. I'm curious to maybe try some Japanese sweet potato or Japanese pumpkin in this next time and see what the results may be. The fresh basil really did the trick so I recommend spending the extra money to buy it at the market.

For left overs I recommend getting some whole grain hoagie rolls cut in half length wise and using the same method for them as the cheesy garlic bread then, plop some of the left over stew on the halved roll, top with some provolone cheese and enjoy! The potatoes don't get smooshy at all either.

1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
1 bay leaf
2 large potatoes
1 zuchinni
3 cloves of garlic (or whip out your huge jar of garlic from the fridge)
1 eggplant (or 2 smaller eggplants)
1 red bell pepper
salt & pepper
1 28ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup stock (veggie or chicken)
1/2 cup torn chopped basil (10-12 leaves)
loaf of whole grain bread
1/2 romano or pecorino cheese

Heat soup pot over medium heat add olive oil, bay leaf, garlic and onion (quartered and then thickly sliced). Let them sweat while cutting other veggies into nice hearty chunks. As your cutting just drop them into the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, add stock and tomatoes, cook another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in basil (or, hold off and top each bowl of stew off with chopped basil)

Place bread slices in broiler after adding smashed garlic and drizzling with olive oil. Char, take them out and top generously with shredded pecorino. Place them back in the broiler to brown/melt cheese and serve.

Pineapple Flan

2007-06-26T14:58:00.000+09:00

The onslaught of recent family crises back home has made me feel powerless to help and constantly worried. I'm also going to finally go to college this upcoming fall which is another stress factor. I'm 26 and still don't have my degree. There are many reasons and excuses why I never went: I always was told I wasn't the school type which made me constantly feel inadequate as a student during my lessons (you know the whole power of suggestion thing?), not having someone there to pay for my schooling, working full time, not being familiar with the college system in terms of what classes I should take towards future success, not knowing what I wanted to work towards and an unexpected pregnancy (Josh) and marriage caused everything to be put just a tad on the back burner. Now that Josh is almost 4, he's on his way to preschool and I am on my way back as well. He proudly goes around saying, "Mommy is going to college and I'm going to school." I'm fresh out of excuses and am tired of getting the look of surprise every time I mention to a friend or acquaintance that I am only (gasp) High School educated. Mike has always said that because I come off as being so educated people look so surprised. However, I think it's a little more sinister than this. I believe it's because they think that people like me didn't exist in circles like theirs. Maybe that look of surprise is a little bit of both the above analogies. I'd hate to underestimate the love and respect that my friends have for me.

Besides reasons of self-esteem, I also want some sort of degree to hold as an insurance policy. Truthfully, I'm happy with who I am for the most part and extremely satisfied with being a stay at home mom. As my mother in law always says, "When all is said and done we all put our pants on the same way in the morning no matter what our background" However, if anything should happen to Mike, I want the comfort of knowing that I would be able to go back into the work force and make sufficient funds to support the family.

Although I'm excited about this upcoming challenge, I'm also nervous and stressed. My first step is taking a placement test. In preparation for this test, I'm brushing up on my math skills. I hate math and have always done awful in the subject. So as soon as I opened that math book for practice, those feelings of despair quickly set in.

Oh yes to add to all of this: Mike, Josh and I were all knocked out from a killer cold virus as well.

My way of dealing with stress is to cook, drink and or exercise depending on what the stressor is. Since I was deathly ill, exercising was nixed and because I am now a mother, responsible for another human life, drinking until I'm smashed is pretty much out of the question.....which leads solely to one conclusion: Cooking and baking like a crazy. Below you'll find 3 new additions to the recipe blog.

Mike has just recently taken on a private English student, an older Japanese business man who wants to brush up on his English skills for an upcoming presentation. He stated in his first lesson that he took a year of culinary school, so it's inspired/challenged me to make recipes he might find appealing.

You'll need 6 ounce Flan cups for this recipe. Little metal cups you can probably pick up at any home store. These are fairly easy to make and when served on dessert plates, look very gourmet & pack an unexpected flavor. I usually am not a fan of flan (try saying those last 3 words 10 times fast!) However, I really enjoyed this.

1 1/4 cups sugar
8 extra-large eggs
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice

Preheat oven to 350F

Spray flan cups with non-stick cooking spray. Put 3/4 cup sugar in a small nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat and melt until dark brown liquid forms. Divide caramel among flan cups to coat bottom of each. Caramel will harden.

Separate 4 egg yolks and whites, saving whites for another use. In bowl of an electric mixer put 4 whole eggs, 4 egg yolks, and remaining sugar. Beat for 1 minute, until eggs and sugar are well blended.

Slowly add pineapple juice, little by little, and continue to mix until juice is incorporated. Do not let mixture become too frothy. With a ladle, divide evenly among 5 custard cups.

Place custard cups in a large, deep baking pan. Create a water bath by adding boiling water to the pan so that water level comes to 2/3 up the side of cups. Carefully place in oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until firm. Remove cups from water bath. Let cool, then refrigerate until very cold, preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, carefully unmold custard onto flat dessert plates, loosening the sides with a small sharp knife if necessary. Caramel will coat the top and sides of flan. Serve immediately.

Mayor Koch's Meringues

2007-06-26T14:48:00.001+09:00

I made these super sweet cookies with the leftover egg whites that I had after making the above Pineapple Flan. Another Cooking 1-2-3 Recipe. Rozanne Gold at the age of 24 was the chef for New York's Mayor Ed Koch at the Gracie Mansion. She states that these satisfied his sweet tooth.These are very sugary sweet but easy to make and easy to mail in a care package as well. I think I made mine a tad to large the first time around but I think I will attempt these again. The fact that she instructs the reader to "let cool" after spending 12 hours in a cooling oven is beyond me but hey, it works so why knock it? Be sure to preheat your oven!!

3 extra-large egg whites
14 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Add a pinch of salt and slowly add sugar. Beat for several minutes, until very stiff and glossy. The mixture should look like marshmallow fluff. Gently fold in chocolate chips and drop onto baking sheet by heaping tablespoons mounding meringue so it is at least 1 inch high.

Place in oven on middle rack and turn off oven immediately. Leave door closed for 12 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. These can be stored in a tightly-covered tin.

Dark Moist Chocolate Cake

2007-06-26T14:32:00.000+09:00

As the Author of Cooking 1-2-3, Rozanne Gold, so eloquently states, "If Original Sin were a cake, this would be it." Her recipes are simple when it comes to ingredients. Because it's flourless, it would make a fantastic Passover cake (just use kosher chocolate of course!) Although she recommends taking the cake out of the fridge for 1 hour before serving, I prefer cutting a stone cold wedge of it and eating it immediately out of the refrigerator. Mike prefers slathering peanut butter on the top or, pressing peanut butter chips into the top on his wedge before eating. Embellish how you like. It's divine.

16 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 extra-large eggs

Preheat oven to 350

Line the bottom of an 8 1/20-inch spring form pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Coat the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Chop chocolate into pieces. Cut butter into small chunks. Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler or in a large metal bowl over simmering water, making sure bowl doesn't touch water. Melt, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs and pinch of salt into bowl of an electric mixer, until mixture triples in volume, about 8 minutes. Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture with a flexible rubber spatula until completely incorporated.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. The center will still be a little soft. Remove from oven. Let cool at least 30 minutes before cutting. The center will sink a little as it cools. You can refrigerate the cake for up to 2 days (let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving).

Lemon Risotto

2007-04-03T19:18:00.000+09:00

The ultimate comfort food!! Really there are no words to describe the yumminess of this recipe.

2 shallots
1 rib of celery
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/3 cups risotto rice , Arborio
approx. 1 quart vegetable stock
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
needles from 2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons heavy cream
sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Put the shallts and clery into a mini food processor and blitz until they are finely chopped mush. Heat half the butter and oil and the shallot and celery mixture in a wide saucepan, and cook to soften the mixture for about 5 min. making sure it doesn't stick. Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan and keep in at the simmering point.

Pour a ladleful of stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock in absorbed. Then add another ladleful and stir again. Continue doing this until the rice is al dente. You may not need all the stock, equally, you may need to add hot water from the kettle.

Mix the lemon zest and rosemary int o the risotto, and in a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan and cream and pepper.

When the risotto is ready-when the rice is no longer chalky, but still has some bite-take it off the heat and add the bowl of eggy, lemony mixture, and the remaining butter and salt to taste. Serve with more grated Parmesan if you wish, check the seasoning and dive in.

Puffed Oven Pancake

2007-01-28T08:49:00.000+09:00

I finally had a chance to try this out once I replaced my 10 inch skillet with one that had a metal handle so, I could easily transfer it from stovetop to oven.

I went on a small hunt for a German Pancake recipe online when I first tried this puffed pastry at The Original Pancake House in San Diego. At this restaurant, it's called The Dutch Baby and, is served to one person. However, in my Better Homes and Gardens book it says it serves 6.......hmmm maybe this is an indication that serving sizes have gotten out of control? Actually, maybe with a large fruit salad on the side this recipe could serve 6. Otherwise, plan on a side for even your family of 4.

It's super easy and makes a great presentation for a small brunch party. I usually top it off with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. YUM! It can also be topped off with traditional whipped butter and syrup, honey, jam, fresh fruit, etc.

The main reason I am including this in my blog is that soon, I will be headed off to the states and locked in my mothers kitchen to cook for my younger brother and sister. I don't mind. To me, it's time off while my mom spoils Josh. I'll be putting this blog to good use though considering I can't take my cook books!

2 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 milk
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups sliced fresh fruit (strawberries, nectarines, pears, or peeled peaches) Powdered sugar or whipped cream. (optional)

1. Place butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Place in a 400 degree oven for 3-5 minutes or till butter melts. In a medium mixing bowl use a wire whisk or rotary beater to beat eggs till combined. Add flour, milk, and salt. Beat till mixture is smooth. Immediately pour into the hot skillet. Bake about 25 minutes or till puffed and well browned.

2. Top with fruit. if desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream. Cut into wedges and serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

Peanut Butter Cake

2007-01-09T20:07:00.000+09:00

Mike just loves peanut butter. He eats so much, I wouldn't be suprised if it was running through his veins. The one thing he loves better than peanut butter is Reese's Peanut Butter cups. However, it is a close close call.

This Peanut Butter Cake I found in my Paula Deen cookbook is about the moistest peanut butter concoction that I've made. If I can perfect it (mess a little with the peanut butter and frosting), it may become Mike's new Birthday cake!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I've found that it's about 2 out of the 3 packs in the honey graham box)
Peanut Butter to taste (at least 1/2 cup; if using more, decrease shortening by an equal amount)
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Add graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat mixture with electric mixer on low until moistened, then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add egss and beat for 1 minute. Bake in a greased 9X13-inch pan for 30-35 minutes. Do not remove from pan.

Frosting

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together. Heat in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Cool slightly. With a wooden spoon handle, poke a few holes in the cake, then pour warm frosting over it.

Cheese Biscuits

2007-01-09T19:56:00.000+09:00

This was the first recipe that I tried out of Paula Deen's cookbook, The Lady & Sons. Frankly it was quite appropriate as this is a staple at her restaurant in Savannah. They serve these biscuits to customers while they are waiting to be seated and they are also the first thing to show up on your table after you are seated. It' s rather comical to read the directions calling for tablespoon drops and in the next line advising the reader to use an ice cream scoop. I don't know of many icecream scoops the size of tablespoons! Mind you, I never said that Southern cookin' was health food! I've heard that the true Southern cook isn't thinking about the healthiness of your heart but rather the happiness of it!

These biscuits truely have that crumble factor and are the best biscuits that I've had outside of a Popeye's eatery.... I think they put crack in those biscuits.

2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat o en to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar together using a fork; cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal. Add cheese. Stir in buttermilk all at one time just until blended. Do not overstir. Drop by the tablespoonfuls (I use an ic cream scoop to give biscuits a nicer shape) onto a well-greased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Mom's Fruit Dip

2006-12-21T15:09:00.000+09:00

There are two things that I am just heartbroken about when it comes to Mike. #1 He doesn't like anything with Lemon Flavor or Orange Flavor and #2 He doesn't like "creamy stuff" things like mayonaise, cream cheese, and whipped cream.

This is why I usually don't make this dip unless there's gonna be a party! Everyone in my family requests this fruit dip from my Mom whenever there is going to be a family gathering. My father (my parent's are divorced) after trying this dip at Josh's baptism knew it was my mom's concoction. He recalled my mother sitting in front of the TV snacking on stawberries and a jar of marshmellow cream in hand. I have since tried the latter and thouroughly enjoy it although not as much as this recipe.

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 jar of marshmellow cream (fluffernutter)
Orange juice to taste (I use a little under the juice of one orange)

Cream together creamcheese and marshmellow cream with an electric mixer then mix in juice by the teaspoon (or by eye) to taste.

Serve with pineapple, strawberries and/ fruit of choice.

Fettuccine with Leek, Cream and Parmesan Sauce

2006-12-17T11:38:00.000+09:00

I've been browsing the library for cook books and they have a fabulous variety of Williams-Sonoma books. This Williams-Sonoma book is very old (Well, not very old.... about 20 years) and written by Mr. Chuck Williams himself! Anyway, this was so good when I made it and farely inexpensive to make. The original recipe calls for fresh pasta..... if you are feeling adventurous, by all means slave away on your own fresh pasta. It does taste awesome when fresh.

2 Medium-sized leeks
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
10 ounces fettuccine
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Trim leeks, cutting off most of the green, wash well and slice thin. There should be about 2 cups. Heat butter in the saucepan and gently saute leeks for 4 to 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add cream, bring to a boil and let bubble for 1 minute. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and nutmeg.

Cook fettuccine in plenty of boiling salted water until just tentder---20-30 seconds. Drain and immediately combine with sauce. Toss well and serve at once in heated bowls or plates. Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 as a first course.

Potato Laktes

2006-12-14T16:23:00.000+09:00

First let me just say that I don't know what kind of goy (I know, goy is harsh but I'm going for shock value!) actually STILL hand grates their potatoes when making potato laktes. No offense to the folks out there who are still in the dark ages when it comes to food processors but, modern technology has made huge strides in the culinary catagory. Let's say this together......FOOD PRO-CES-SOR. Now, isn't that better?

There are many many variations on the classic potato latke or potato pancake. This one I'm trying this year sounded the simplist out of all of them. I'll have to fill you in on how it goes.

6 Large Potatoes
1 Medium onion
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour

Process potatoes and onions in food processor and remove excess liquid using cheese cloth or mesh sieve. Heat oil till it pops (Peanut or Canola oil). Fry small spoonfuls until golden brown. Pancakes should be about 2-3 inches in diameter or easy enough to flip with a spatula. Drain and serve hot. ENJOY!

Lindi's Chicken Pot Pie

2006-12-14T16:12:00.000+09:00

I had this over at my girlfriend, Lindi's house one night and fell in love. I don't know why. Maybe it's because the only other Pot Pie that I've ever had is the frozen ones brought home from the supermarket. Although this recipe isn't all that different (in terms of difficulty to make), it tastes so much better!

Let me assure readers that this is not gourmet by any means....this is filed in the, "Down home comfort food" section.

Lindi also suggested microwaving some diced potatoes and putting them in there for a bit more bulk. A really cute touch is cutting some of the extra crust with cookie cutters and putting cute shapes on top of the pie. Most likely this can also be done with leftover Turkey. So, file this away for next Thanksgiving.

I completely copied and pasted this from her email so, ENJOY! I've made it twice in the 3 weeks that I've had it.

Lindi's Chicken Pot Pie

1can cream of Chicken soup
1 medium onion,chopped and sauted (optional)
1-2 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
10 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 tsp salt (I usually add a little more, but I like it salty)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme

2 premade pie-crust, or you can make your own, but I've never done that before :)

Mix everything together. Put into bottom pie crust. Seal 2nd crust on top of that and made lots of little slits. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes or until gloden brown. I f youwant it even heartier, add corn and/or potatoes(I'd cook them a little first though or chop them pretty small so that they cook all the way). This is one of those meals that is really yummy even as a leftover, if you dont eat it all the first night that is! Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Bread with Pecans

2006-11-18T15:03:00.000+09:00

So, we've just dug up 10 lbs. of sweet potatoes; what's a gaijin mother to do? Make Sweet Potato Bread of course! Now besides making bread out of the Japanese sweet potatoes, they are actually fabulous baked with the skin on and eaten by pulling back the skin and eating the flesh. The Japanese call these Yakiimo (Sounds like Yakeeeemo) I learned in my son's Japanese class that the word Yaki means burnt and Imo is short for sweet potato and that Tori means bird so, Yakitori (that wonderfully BBQ'd meat on a stick) literally means, burnt bird. Not so appetizing when literally translated! Yakiimo (Burnt potato) is something I thought I would have never liked. I wasn't too fond of sweet potatoes back home. The only thing that I do differently than the Japanese when eating Yakiimo is melt some butter on it! This bread is also much better with some butter spread on top. It yields two loafs of bread so, make one for yourself and give one to your neighbor. I promise, they won't complain about your little Bobby throwing balls in the backyard any more!

2 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups water
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped pecansPreheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine sugar, water, oil, eggs, and sweet potatoes and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add pecans and mix well. Divide between 2 greased loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pan to room temperature.

Warm chocolate Praline Tart with Caramel, Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream

2006-11-18T14:34:00.000+09:00

I call this the recipe from hell!!! It is to die for but is the biggest pain in the butt to make. Seriously, if you are aiming to impress someone, this is the recipe to do it with. Everything is from scratch. The chocolate sauce, the caramel sauce, the chocolate pralines, the vanilla ice cream and the chocolate tart crust. If you have children, it will probably take you about 3 days to make. If you don't have young toddlers running about you can probably get it done in 1 day. When you go shopping, make a list and check it twice because there are a lot of ingredients!!

I got this recipe from an Emeril show so, you can always check it out on http://www.foodnetwork.com/

When I made the crust, the outer edge seemed to be to hard so, I think next time I will make the crust the same throughout rather than doubling up the edges as the recipe suggests. I may also use the recipe for the pralines and add it into some homemade vanilla ice cream as a mix in. YUM!!

My recommendation is to make the pie crust and ice cream first (if you're making homemade ice cream) Then while the pie crust is chillin' in the fridge and the ice cream is hardening, you can make the pralines, chocolate and caramel sauce. Without further delay:

6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely crumbled Chocolate Pralines, recipe follows
1 recipe Caramel Sauce, recipe follows
1 recipe Chocolate Sauce, recipe follows
1 recipe Vanilla Ice Cream, recipe follows, or good quality store bought ice cream

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Gently fit the dough into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, easing the pastry gently into the bottom and sides. Trim the edges of the dough so that they overhang slightly over the edge of the tart pan, then fold this excess dough over the sides so that the outer edges are almost twice as thick as the bottom of the crust. Press so that the edges are flush with the top of the pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line the tart shell with parchment paper and pie weights, beans, or rice and bake until set and the edges just begin to firm up, about 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and bake until completely set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. To prepare the tart filling, combine the sugars and flour in a large bowl and stir to blend. Add the eggs, dark and light corn syrups, rum, vanilla, and salt and whisk to blend. Crumble the pralines evenly over the bottom of the prepared tart shell and pour the filling over the pralines. Bake until the tart is set, 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To serve, cut the tart into 8 slices. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Caramel Sauce onto the center of 8 dessert plates and arrange the slices on top. Drizzle each slice with about 3 tablespoons of the Chocolate Sauce and arrange a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream to the side. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Tart Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt into a large bowl. With your fingers, incorporate the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in the egg to make a soft dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour before using.Yield: 1 (9 or 10-inch tart crust)

Chocolate Pralines:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Line a large heavy baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside. Combine the sugars, heavy cream, and butter in a large heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugars have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches the softball stage, 238 to 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add the pecans and chocolate chips, and stir vigorously until the pecans remain suspended in the mixture, about 2 minutes. Spoon onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading with the back of the spoon to form a thin layer of uniform thickness. Cool completely and then crumble, as needed. (Alternatively, make individual pralines by dropping the hot praline mixture by the spoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, let cool, and then remove with a thin knife.)

Yield: about 3 cups crumbled pralines

Caramel Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup milk Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium heavy saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a deep amber color, 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Carefully add the cream or it may splatter, whisk to combine, and remove from the heat. Add the milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before using.

Yield: a generous 3/4 cup

Chocolate Sauce:
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips (1 1/3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Scald the half-and-half and butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Place the chocolate and vanilla in a medium heatproof bowl. Add the hot half-and-half and let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Serve slightly warm. (The sauce can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; rewarm gently before serving.) Yield: 1

Potage Parmentier

2006-10-08T19:32:00.000+09:00

More commonly known amongst us Yankees as Potato and Leek soup. This is typically a French soup. Perhaps because in this recipe it calls for leeks and creme fraiche. I was too lazy to make my own, so I just used sour cream. The taste of this soup is similar to eating a baked potato with sour cream and chives on top. Really rich and good for a vegetarian meal when served with salad and, what else.....French bread! This recipe calls for Yukon Gold potatoes. I suppose it would add a nice buttery flavor to the soup. Unfortunately, they don't carry Yukon Golds at the commissary, so I am forced to use ordinary white potatoes. Don't be disheartened....in most cases the soup is usually made with the plain whites.

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
2 large leeks, about 1 1/4 lbs.
1 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)

Peel potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Remove roots from leaks adn discard. Trim dark green parts of leeks and set aside. Chop white and lieghter green parts, then rincse thoroughly.
Place potatoes and chopped leeks in a medium pot with 5 cups water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a rapid boil. Lower heat and cover pot. Simmer until vegetables are very soft, about 40 minutes.

Puree soup in bowl of a food processor or blender in several batches. Process until very, very smooth. Return soup to pot and whisk in creme fraiche. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Mince green parts of the leeks and garnish bowls of soup.

The book says it serves 6.....I say 4 -5 if it's for a main course.

Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce

2006-10-05T12:55:00.000+09:00

OK, so it's not filet mignon but it's a great healthy (and kosher) lunch or light dinner meal. Great for dipping tortillas in. I got this from a fantastic editorial in Women's Health Magazine. If your a reader of this site, you realize that I absolutely love reading magazines. Real Simple and Women's Health are right up there at the top.

This particular editorial in Women's Health was in there most recent issue called: 10 Foods, 40 Recipes. They had some wonderfully simple recipes so good in fact, that I wrote them a letter complementing them on this article. There's a little bit of practice that goes into poaching the eggs but it took me 2-3 times of making this and I had it down. It's a little salty for my taste so I put in half the recommended amount. The spice is just right for me but can be a little spicy for sensitive tongues. Serving size is for 2 people. I usually make it for lunch and then put the other half in the fridge for the next day.

There will be more recipes that reference this article. Toasted Orzo Pilaf, Scallion Pancakes with Dipping sauce, Chicken Orzo Salad, and Shrimp and White Bean Salad are among the recipes that I've tried and enjoyed. Tonight I'm going to try Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken. Wish me Luck!

1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1 tsp olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp of pre-minced jarred)
2 eggs

1. Place tomatoes and their juice in a blender and pulse to the consistency of chunky sauce. Add red pepper and salt and pulse to blend.

2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and golden. Add tomato sauce, raise heat to medium high., and bring To a vigorous simmer. Cook 5 minutes, adjust season to taste with additional salt or red pepper flakes, and reduce heat to medium low.

3. Crack one egg into a saucer. Using a spoon, make a small well in tomato sauce on one side of pan and gently slide the egg from the saucer into well. Repeat with the remaining egg.

4. Cover pan and cook until egg whites are fully cooked but yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes. (or 8 minutes if you prefer your yolks fully cooked). Serve each egg with a generous spoonful of tomato sauce.

Per Serving: 165 Calories; 7 g of fat (2 g saturated); 960 mg sodium; 15 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 10 g protein

Beef Medallions with Blueberry Sauce

2006-09-18T14:51:00.000+09:00

This sounds like such and odd combination. However, I absolutely love recipes that make me raise an eyebrow and wonder..... it just begs me to try it. Much like the Summer Shrimp Salad . I really enjoyed this combination and it paired so well with warm cornbread and salad. The only thing that I would change is the amount of blueberry sauce. There was ALOT. I would love it if someone could advise a use for the extra??

The only thing I changed was the method in which I covered the meat in flour. I always coat meat using a 1 gallon ziploc. It's so much easier. Just put ingredients in and shake to coat. (It also makes for less dishes to wash....always a plus!)

According to Williams-Sonoma:
15 minutes to prepare
15 minutes cook time
4 servings

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 lb (500 g) beef tenderloin, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
1 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp minced shallots
3 Tbsp. brandy
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Whisk flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper together in a bowl. Spread on a plate. Dredge meat in flour to coat, shaking of excess.

Melt butter with oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute meat in batches until lightly browned and about 2 minutes per side. Using a wire skimmer or tongs, remove to a plate and keep warm in a low oven (150F/65C) Add shallots and cook for 30 seconds. Add brandy and stir to scrape up browned bits.

Reduce heat to medium and stir in blueberries. Add broth, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until reduced to about 1/3 cup (3 floz/80 ml), 4-5 minutes. To serve, place meat on a warmed platter and spoon sauce on top.

Autumn's In Season

2006-09-14T12:14:00.000+09:00

After reading some "diet" books and cook books, the common theme to most of them was Always by Fresh and In Season Produce. Because I've been spoiled in California, I was always able to get just about any fruit or vegetable any time of the year. Since our move, I've been learning to dive deep into my cavemen roots and try to instinctively learn about what fruits and vegetables are best to cook with at a certain time of year. I came across a fantastic list of in-season produce that I thought I would document for myself and share with everyone. Late Summer and Fall is generally considered to be the Harvest Season, so there are many, many different types of fruits and vegetables to choose from around this time. Some of these are fairly exotic. However, many of these I could use for seasonal recipe ideas.

apples
apricots, dried
artichokes
bananas
beets
Bell Peppers, Purple
Blueberries
bok choy
broccoli
broccoli rabe
brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
cauliflower
cranberries
Currents, dried
dates
Eggplant
Endive
Figs
grapes
green pears
Jerusalem artichokes (these are not an artichoke)
jicama
kale
Kohlrabi
leeks
lemons
mushrooms
onions
oranges, navel and mandarin
parsnips
pears
persimmons
plums
pomegranates
potatoes
prunes
quinces
raisins
raspberries
red chiles
squash, orange flesh
swiss chard
turnips
watercress

Purple Cabbage, Apples & Bratwurst

2006-09-14T07:58:00.000+09:00

As the rain comes down and the temperature drops, I'm dreaming of warming up the kitchen with the rich aromas of Autumn's food. OK, that was my attempt of being poetic. (Not so good:) Actually, my girlfriend Patrice suggested going to the Library for cookbooks. What a great untapped resource. They had a lot of the Williams-Sonoma books that I adore. I found this recipes in Williams-Sonoma's Main Dishes book. It's reasonably healthy but something that the man of the house will enjoy! I find that when cooking Brats, cheap beer works just as well if not better in the boiling process. I boil my brats in beer and then brown them in the pan according to the directions below. Josh didn't like the apples much, but he did like the "chicken" and "purple noodles". Tonight I'll be trying Beef Medallions with Blueberry Sauce. Wish me luck!

According to the Book:

20 minutes to prepare
30 minutes to cook
4 servings

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup (1 oz/30 g) chopped onion
1/2 head purple cabbage, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. butter
3 Golden Delicious apples, cored and thinly slixed
4 bratwursts
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar or lemon juice

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and saute until cabbage begins to wilt, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes more. Add chicken broth, reduce heat to low cover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add apples and saute until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium, add bratwursts, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Stir vinegar in cabbage. Serve bratwursts on top of cabbage, sliced if desired, surrounded by apples.

BLT Pasta

2006-09-05T12:31:00.000+09:00

Another fabulous recipe from Real Simple Mag. BLT stands for Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich. The sandwich usually consists of bacon, lettuce, tomato & mayonaise and is usually fried up or toasted in a pan on the stove. This recipe is very similar to the sandwich except the sandwich bread is replaced with rigatoni or penne (or any pasta of your choice. Tonight, I'm using spaghetti.) and the mayonaise is omited. This is great for a fast week night meal. Serve with a crisp salad and crusty bread. YUM

By conversion, I'm Jewish. I could never give up my bacon though! I just love it too much. However if you are trying to steer clear of pork for whatever reason or if you just don't have bacon in your fridge, try using a slices of smoked luncheon/deli meat like turkey or chicken. I hear that it gives the same kind of effect as bacon.

Unfortunately, the commissary fails to carry arugala leaves. These used to be my favorite salad leaf back in the states because of the peppery/nutty flavor. I've had to replace the arugula with baby spinach since in Japan. You may favor to do the same.

16 ounces of rigantoni or penne
12 slices of bacon
1-7 ounce package of arugala leaves
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes quartered
3/4 tsp. kosher salt (I used sea salt or regular salt!)
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cook the bacon first and place on paper towels to drain grease. This way you can get it "out of the way". While cooking the bacon, set a pot of water for the pasta to boil, cook pasta and drain.

Reserve bacon grease but leave some in the pan to keep arugala from sticking. (Be sure not to just keep the grease in the pan. The arugala will absorb all the grease and Leaving you with slimy arugala and tomatoes sticking to the pan) Return skillet to medium heat. Add the arugula and stir until it wilts, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer the arugula to the pasta.

Add some reserved bacon grease to the pan. Return skillet to medium heat and cook tomatoes for 2 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes to the pasta and arugula and toss. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved bacon grease. Crumble the bacon over the top, season with the salt and pepper, and toss again. Serves about 4 ENJOY!!

Guacamole

2006-08-21T17:21:00.000+09:00

So this is not completely my recipe for guacamole, but it doesn't change the fact that it's really freakin' good! Since most of us don't have a Molcajete on hand, just smoosh the avocados with a pototo masher in a bowl and mix in all the other good stuff. I added a little garlic powder. Let the concoction sit over night if you have time so the flavors can meld.

I like to add more cilantro. If you have leftover cilantro, check out my recipe for avocado salad or my coconut chicken to use the rest! I also use more lime juice. In fact, I cover the whole top of the guacomole with lime juice before putting it in the fridge overnight so the dip doesn't turn brown. I also add some pepper to add a little more spice.

3 ripe avocados
1 tomatoe, diced
1/2 small onion, minced
1 Tbsp. of cilantro
1 1/2 tbs. fresh lime juice.
1 clove of garlic (or 1 tsp. jarred pre-minced garlic)
Salt to taste, 1/2 tsp should do.

Coconut Chicken

2006-08-17T06:42:00.000+09:00

I can literally drink the sauce out of the pan with this one (and have). Serve over rice. Got this recipe again from Real Simple Mag. This is the easiest and closest recipe that I've found that reminds me of the Panang Chicken Curry we used to get back home in San Diego. It's got a definite Thai flavor. The only exotic thing in this recipe is a "Thai Chili" and "Fish Sauce". Fish sauce should be pretty easy to find now at your local grocer and Thai Chili is pretty vague. I used a skinny red one that I saw at the commissary and went with it. This time I just used the crushed red pepper. The crushed red pepper is milder, so if you have a sensitive tongue don't use the Thai red pepper. If you can't find either chili or fish sauce, just omit them. I used about half of the salt that is asked for, since the first time it was a little salty for my taste. For those of you squemish about fishy taste, fish sauce, much like oyester sauce, does not taste fishy!

That being said, if you don't want land grazers or meat on your dish or in your tummy, I think you can easily replace the chicken with extra firm fried tofu or a nice white fish or shrimp even. Also, I always cook up all four chicken breasts since I love to have this for lunch the next day.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half lengthwise (or just a tablespoon of pre-minced-jarred garlic)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1 sliced small red Thai Chili
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 ounce) can of regular or light coconut milk
Shredded zest and juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. Thai fish sauce

Using a rolling pin or the flab end of a meat hammer, pound the chicken betwenn a sheet of syran wrap until they are uniform thickness. Heat the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium high heat until the oil shimmers and the garlic browns. Add the chicken breasts and cook until golden, 3-5 minutes on each side. Add the salt, pepper, coconut milk, and lime zest and juice. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 3 minuts longer or unitl the chicken is fork-tender. Remove the chicken to a platter and keep warm. Increas heat to high and boil the sauce until thickened or syrupy. 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the fish sauce and pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 4.

Nutritional Info (not including rice and used with light coconut milk) Calories: 252 Cholesterol: 78mg Calcium: 53mg Sodium: 992mg Fiber: 0g Iron: 1mg

Avocado Salad

2006-07-05T07:58:00.000+09:00

If you hadn't noticed, I've been posting a lot of recipes with avocados in them. That's because this is the perfect season for Hass avocados. Hass avocados are the west coast avocado and in my opinion (and many others), tastes so much better than it's Floridian cousin. Usually, when these avocados are ripe they have a dark green or almost black skin and they are firm but have some give to them when you squeeze them GENTLY (is the key word!). If you can't find any ripe ones off the shelf at your grocer put a couple hard ones in a brown paper bag on your counter for a couple of days.

I've been hanging on to this recipe for a long time. Back in San Diego there was a food section that came out in the news paper every Wednesday. That is where I found this beauty. It's good the second day. The lime juice helps preserve the colors but the avocado gets a little messy and there are a little more juices flowing! To me this is everything that envelopes Southern California and it's adoption of Latin American cuisine. It's a cross between an Israeli Cucumber & Tomatoe Salad, guacamole, and salsa. It's loaded with veggies and healthy fat. All by itself it makes a colorful presentation. A great accompanyment to any BBQ. It also does not contain any jalepenos so, it's perfect for the sensitive pallet! This recipe was contributed to the San Diego Union Tribune by Douglas Rodriguez from his book "Nuevo Latino: Recipes That Celebrate the New Latin-American Cuisine".

Instead of buying a "mild onion" as the recipe states, I just used all of the green onions that I bought in the bunch.

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
1/3 cup finely minced sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 small tomatoe, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 ripe but firm Hass avocados

Combine the green onions, red pepper, sweet onion, cilantro and tomato in a large bowl.

Cut the cucumber in half lenthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut crosswise into thin slices and add to the vegetables.

Stir in the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Peel the avocados and cut into chunks (omitting the pit). Carefully fold into the salad.

Enjoy!

Summer Shrimp Salad

2006-06-27T07:14:00.000+09:00

With Summertime in full swing now, I've been searching for creative and easy meals to make without having to turn on the stove. After reading up on some recipes in one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple, it looks like I hit the jackpot with this one. It's even better the second day, so if you have time, let it sit in the fridge overnight. The Recipe says it serves 6 but I'd say it serves about 4 hungry adults. Josh was not to fond of this recipe he mainly just ate the french bread that I served on the side. If you are planning to serve it next day, leave the cilantro on the side. It tends to wilt just like lettuce if it's left in salad with dressing too long. Also, if this is something you want immediately and won't be serving overnight, you may want to try a milder sweeter onion than red. This salad would be fantastic to serve at a BBQ or casual cocktail party. Beautiful colors and presentation all on it's own. Maybe with a side of crusty french bread mmmmm.........

1 lb. frozen pre-cooked shrimp thawed (time saver....not required)
1 medium red onion
4 cups watermelon roughly chopped
1-2 jalapenos depending on your taste
2 avocados roughly chopped
juice of one lime
1 teaspoon honey
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, onion, watermelon, jalapenos and avocados. In a small bowl combing lime juice, honey, oil, salt & pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over salad and toss. Sprinkle with cilantro and let sit for 10 minutes. (or overnight if you have time!)

Chicken and Leek Kebabs

2006-06-07T14:48:00.000+09:00

In Japan, these tasty morsels are known as Yakitori. This pic of our president was just too silly to pass up! I guess that it just goes to show that EVERYONE loves Yakitori!

Below is a basic Yakitori recipe. Feel free to substitute anything on this dish. Shichimi-togarashi is a popular seasoning for japanese dishes. It literally means "seven-spice pepper" it consists of seven spices from a range of red pepper, black hemp seads or white poppy seeds, dried tangerine peel, nori or shiso (seaweed), sansho (Japanese peppercorns) and sesame seeds. If it doesn't come in a spice jar, store it in an air tight container for up to 1 year.

These are incredible alongside a bowl of rice and an ice cold crisp beer. (Like one of the imports here in Japan by the name of Budweiser! or, to feel more exotic and Asahi/Sapporo.) Now that Summer is coming, fire up that grill and cook up some Yakitori! Leeks look like giant green onions. They have a mild onion flavor. If you can't find mirin, use rice wine vinegar.

If you can, try to find shorter wooden skewers than the normal American size ones or, just cut about 2 inches off of the longer ones. Be sure to soak them in water so they don't scorch.

For the Kebabs:

1 lb. (450 g) boned chicken thighs
2 leeks

For the basting sauce:

1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup shoyu
2 heaped tablespoons sugar
Shichimi-togarashi to taste

Mix the ingredients for the basting sauce in a small sauce pan and cook at medium heat for 4-5 minutes to reduce. Set aside. Cut the chicken into 1-1 1/2 (3 cm) inch cubes and the leeks into 1" (2.5 cm) lengths. Thread chicken and leeks onto the skewers (alternating). Place on a hot indoor/outdoor grill for 5 minutes, bast, grill 3 minutes, baste, grill 3 minutes. Place them on a platter and poor some more sauce over them. Top off with more shichimi-togarashi to taste.

Avocado with Mustard-Shoyu Dressing

2006-06-06T07:59:00.000+09:00

I know it has been a great great while since I've put anything in my recipe blog. We had a hectic month traveling and having house guests. Now, I'm busy playing catch up and gettting settled once more in our daily routine. Lately, I've been experimenting with Japanese cooking. I just finished reading Japanese Women don't get Old or Fat last night and it has motivated me to pick up more of the traditional Japanese eating habits. I have bought several sushi cook books along with The Essentials of Japanese Cooking by Tokiko Suzuki. This is the book I got this recipe from.

Japanese cooking by Western standards may be considered bland or extremely mild. However, it is one of the healthiest forms of cooking in the world! Believe me, before coming here, I would have gagged by putting a sushi roll in my mouth. But, after watching how widely it was consumed here I decided to keep on trying and now I love raw salmon and tuna. In fact, I enjoy them more in raw form than I do in cooked form. Who would have thought of peer pressure being a good thing in this circumstance! This is an easy non-intimidating recipe to try on a week night. This recipe is called Abokado no karashi-joyu-ae in Japanese. This is a great alternative to guacamole. It's very mild and tends to bring out the sweetness in the Avacado. My son, who loves avacados, inhaled this dish!

Even though I couldn't find beni-tade at my local Seiyu (or atleast none of the clerks knew where to direct me) I substituted Daikon radish sprouts. Don't worry if you can't find them. For a substitute, try finely sliced radish or raddichio leaves. Or, just skip the shrubs altogether and solely use avacado! Make sure the avacados are ripe. Also, if you can't find shoyu, try using reduced sodium soy sauce or, "sushi & sashimi soy sauce" (I used Kikkoman brand). This can even be made a little ahead of time as the vinegar in the dressing and the alcochol keep the avocado from going brown.

1. 2 ripe avacados
2. 1/2 tablespoons mustard
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons shoyu
4. 1/2 tablespoon sake
5. 2-3 tablespoons beni-tade

Cut avacados lengthwise in half. Pull apart and remove stones. Peel the avocados and cut the flesh into 1" (3cm) cubes. Mix the dressing in a bowl. Add the avocado and mix roughly. Arrange in bowls and sprinkle with beni-tade.

Ginger-glazed Salmon

2006-04-19T17:56:00.000+09:00

Ah, Salmon. Fish in general is a healthy meal. However, salmon packs an Omega-3 -heart disease fighting punch that most other seafood lacks. However, be warey of buying farmed salmon. Unfortunately, it's the cheaper kind! Usually in America it will have printed on the package whether it is farmed or wild. Although farmed Salmon for the most part does not pose an immediate health threat, it contains higher percentages of PCB's and other toxins and according to some studies is much higher in fat content. Not to mention it messes with our enviroment. Ok, enough of me standing on my soapbox. Anyway, I'm unsure as to whether the Salmon that I buy from the local grocer is wild or farmed considering it's all printed in Kanji! I believe it's wild though because of it's bright color and smaller appearance. If your in the states buy some wild salmon for me!

The trouble with most people when it comes to fish is coming up with creative tasty ways to prepare it! If your here in Japan, unwrap it from it's deli package raw, slice it, dip it in some soy sauce, maybe add some wasabi and viola, there's your meal! Fish is general makes a fast easy meal any day of the week. This recipe that I pulled from Parenting Magazine, takes the cake when it comes to speed! Seriously, this should take about 10 minutes tops. I prepare this with some Couscous which only takes about 5 minutes to make. When preparing the couscous, I plop in a handful or two of frozen peas in the pan making it a complete meal. I like to get salmon with the skin still on if I can. Just because I think it adds a little more moisture to the meat while cooking and it slips right off after it's been cooked. However skin on or off it will turn out fantastic!

Cooking Spray or some olive oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1.5 lbs. Salmon

Preheat broiler and coat a broilerproof pan with cooking spray. (line the pan with foil to make clean up that much easier) Mix sugar mustard, soy sauce, and ginger in a small bowl. Make shallow cuts diagonally across salmon fillets (This lets the glaze flavor the salmon quickly and speeds up cooking). Brush salmon with brown-sugar mixture. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Keep in mind that salmon just like beef will actually cook just a tad further once removed from the oven. Serves 4

Tofu "Fries"

2006-04-03T14:06:00.000+09:00

OK, to some of you this might sound repulsive. However, these are fabulous for toddlers (or husbands)! Two reasons they are so successful:

1. They are "fries"
2. Toddlers can dip them. If you have a toddler, you know what I'm talking about!

Depending on how long they sit under the broiler or in the toaster oven they can be chewy or soft so they work well for infants on up. Experiment with different seasonings and dipping sauces too.

1. Olive oil or non-stick cooking spray
2. Extra Firm Tofu
3. Marinara Sauce
4. Seasoning salt

Drain water from tofu package. Slice as much tofu as you want into french fry shapes. Take tofu, and put it between some clean towels with a weight on top. You can do this up to an hour, or in as little as 5 minutes, but the idea is to get excess water out of the tofu. Spray cooking spray or rub a cookie sheet with oil. Transfer tofu fries onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning. Place in broiler or toaster oven and cook until the edges are slightly browned (or use your mouth to test!). Turning occasionally with a spatula. Viola! Tofu Fries. Serve along side marinara sauce. Perfect for a snack or balanced lunch/dinner (with fruit/veggies on the side).

Black Bean Salmon

2006-02-26T15:58:00.000+09:00

OK, before I start out on how great this is, I want to send a serious THANK YOU out to our San Diego friend Charles who sent this to me in one of his comments on my food blog. He in turn, heard of the recipe through a local celebrity cook; the cooking guy. Below is a link to his site. Before departing from San Diego, I had heard of this guy. However, his show/segment on the news only showed late in the morning when I was well on my way to all kinds of mommy errands around town.

I had serious doubts that I would find black bean & garlic sauce at the commissary but luckily, I found it! The Yokosuka commissary really caters to the Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese crowd so it's great if you're willing to venture into the world of Asian cooking. Above is a picture of what black bean & garlic sauce looks like in the package.

This definitely has a sweet and sour feel to it and as simple to make as boiling water....well almost. If the reader hasn't been able to tell, I'm a real fan of minimal ingredients. It makes most dishes easier and in most cases, doesn't take or "confuse" the taste buds away from the natural flavors or the main ingredient. I used 2 large salmon fillets and saved some of the extra sauce for the stirfried Bok Choy that I served along side it. This is what I pulled off the cooking guy's site. Enjoy!

'Only three ingredients, but it tastes like fifty. The black bean & garlic sauce is available in the Asian aisle at any supermarket. Look for the Lee Kum Kee brand.'

4 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 tablespoons black bean & garlic sauce
4 salmon fillets

-Mix apricot and black bean in a small bowl and stir well
-Spoon some over each fillet
-Broil about 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness (remember, let your fillets sit for a minute or 2 before serving. They have the same trait as a steak; they cook a little more once they are out of the oven.)
-Yum

He has some other recipes you may want to check out at http://www.thecookingguy.com

Black Beans and Rice

2006-02-24T16:31:00.000+09:00

OK, like most Moms not everything I make is a gourmet meal. I do like quick, easy, and yummy recipes that are healthy and feed the hungry masses. Here is a recipe that does just that. Not only is this "yummy", the ingredients make this a budget friendly meal as well(and vegetarian). I stared in awe as my 2 year old gobbled this up!

If you don't have red wine vinegar on had, you can also substitute with some left over red wine. The original recipe states that it serves 4-6. I say strictly 4. To make this even healthier, eat it with brown rice instead of white. Just remember to start it a little ahead of time as brown rice takes longer to cook!(about 45 minutes stovetop)

2 tsp. kosher salt (or regular salt)
2 1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 cups long grain rice
2 medium cloves garlic (or 2 tsp. pre-chopped garlic)
1 medium onion (1 cup)
1 large green or red bell pepper chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 15 ounce cans of black beans
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or left over red wine)
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup sliced scallions (optional/ for garnish)

NOTE: If you're not using long grain rice suggested by the recipe discard 1 tsp. or salt and 1 1/2 tsp. of olive oil.

In a medium sauce pan bring to a boil 4 cups of water with 1 tsp. of salt and 1 1/2 tsp of the olive oil. Stir in rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

In a large saucepan (or large deep skillet about 12-14" in diameter)satee the onion, garlic, and pepper for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, broth, vinegar, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, and remaining salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes; remove the bay leaves. Spoon the beans over the rice and sprinkle with the scallions if desired. Serve warm.

Choco-Hoto-Pots

2006-02-24T16:15:00.000+09:00

AKA my 28 day fix....For those of you who got that, I digress. These are fantastically decadent. For those of you who luv chocolate, this is for you. Super easy to whip up any old time. In fact just recently, the commissary has been re-stocked with white chocolate chips. Since my arrival here in Japan, I was waiting for that so I could make this.

If you don't have ramekins, try using small teacups or mugs that can withstand 400 degree oven heat. To melt the chocolate chips and butter together, I just throw them both in a Pyrex measuring cup and pop it in the microwave for several minutes while mixing the other ingredients together. If you can't find superfine sugar, try putting regular sugar in the food processor and process for several seconds. Viola you have superfine sugar. If for some reason, you are seriously jonesin' for these or don't have the time to pull our the Cusinart, you can use regular sugar. I've had it both ways. The superfine sugar does make it have a better texture but they both taste great.

Butter for Ramekins (or just use non-stick cooking spray)
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour

Place a baking sheet in an oven pre-heated to 400 degrees. Butter four 2/3 cup ramekins and set aside. Using a microwave or double boiler, melt together the semisweet chocolate and butter. Set aside and cool. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and flour. Add cooled chocolate mixture, and mix until blended. Fold in white chocolate chips. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Bake until tops are shiney and chocolate beneath is hot and gooey. About 20 minutes. Place each ramekin on a small plate with spoon and serve.

Shrimp Bisque

2006-02-08T13:12:00.001+09:00

I'm making this again tonight for dinner as it has become a family favorite. I got this recipe from one of my cook books, The Stuffed Cougar. I suppose it's a cook book that was "passed down" to me through marriage. It was originally Mike's Mother's book. It has been well loved it seems over the years. There is a list of committee members on the first page most of them, I imagine were mommy's and wives themselves. What better committee of people to put together a cook book?

While there may be more difficult ways to create shrimp bisque, this recipe is both easy and delicious. There is a typo of sorts in the directions. It calls to pour the cream/milk in 2 times. I'll record it how it appears on the recipe below however, I usually will pour the milk in with the broth and then at the last minute put the lemon zest in. This prevents the lemon zest from getting bitter. For my taste it's a bit salty so, I use caution when adding the salt. It may have to do with the salty chicken broth that I use. Because Josh is still drinking whole milk, I use this in the bisque instead of light cream.

Finally, Barbara thank you so much for handing this down to Michael. I'm looking forward to using many more recipes in this book.

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. onion, grated
1 Tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
Dash of Pepper
1 1/3 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup minced shrimp
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
2/3 cup light cream or top milk
1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Melt butter in saucepan, and cook onion until golden, stirring occasionally. Add flour and seasonings; blend. Add milk and broth gradually, while stirring constantly on low heat. Mix in shrimp and parsley, cook 10 minutes. Add cream and lemon rind, reheat. Serves 2 as a main course & 4-6 as a first course.

Strawberry-Ginger Tisane

2006-02-06T14:43:00.000+09:00

No picture for this one yet. It is pretty though. Just tried this from my Cooking 1-2-3 book by Rozanne Gold. It's strawberry season here in Japan so, what better time to try?! I'd have to say it's got an interesting taste. I would have never thought to pair Ginger with Strawberries. The ginger adds quite a "bite" at the end. I've heard that it's healthy to drink Ginger tea when you have a tummy ache and it helps with digestion. In fact many Japanese meals include some pickled ginger on the side. I tried it hot originally but Mike and I agree that it would definitely taste better cold. Give it a try and let me know what you think! A lot of the cooking utensils can be supstituted into bowls or regular pots if like me, you don't have a collection of teapots in lying around in your kitchen.

1 pint very ripe strawberries
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3-inch piece fresh ginger

Wash berries and remove stems. Put berries and sugar in bowl of a food processor. Process until almost smooth. Transfer strawberry puree to a large teapot. (I used just a regular pot.)

Put 4 cups cold water in a saucepan. Peel ginger, cut into think slicesand add to water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into teapot. Cover teapot and let sit for 10 minutes. Pour through a tea strainer.

Mozzarella in Carrozza

2006-02-06T14:30:00.000+09:00

Like the picture? I'll try to include them in the recipe when I can. I got this idea from my girlfriend Aime's site. She just started up a recipe page and has been teaching Japanese women American style cooking for a while now.

This is basically an Italian version of a Grilled Cheese Sandwhich. Except for it's way better and it's way more fattening. I tried this today for lunch and couldn't help but think of devious additions to make to this sandwhich. For instance, placing pepperoni in with the cheese? Hmmmm.......the perfect food for watching the Superbowl. Very similar to a cheese stick. This hands down is an Italian-ooooey-gooooey-masterpiece.

6 slices of white bread, (the cheaper and softer the better) crusts removed
1 fist-sized ball mozzarella, cut into approx. 1/4-inch slices, then strips
1/2 cup whole milk
3 heaping tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 egg
salt and pepper
olive oil (not extra-virgin) for frying

Make sandwiches out of the bread and mozzarella, leaving a little margin aroudn the edges unfilled with cheese, and press the edges together with your fingers to help seal. (One of the advantages of soft white bread is that it is easily smushed together.) Pour the milk into the one soup bowl, the flour into another, and beat the egg with salt and pepper in another. Warm the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Dunk the sanwiches briefly, one by one, in the milk, then dredge in teh flour, then dip in the beaten egg. Fry in hot oil on each side till crisp and golden and remove to a paper towl. Cut in half and apple to face! Great with marinara sauce.
Serves 2.

Bourbon Pepper Steak

2006-02-05T09:24:00.000+09:00

Food.com is a fantastic resource for recipes. It's great for searching under any ingredient. Just type in a search and you'll get hundreds of recipes to browse through. I got this one from food.com It's fairly simple but has a sophisticated taste to it. I've used different cuts of meat than New York cut strip steaks so, feel free to experiment! I also don't have a cast iron skillet yet so I just use my little non stick one and it dose the trick. It's a great way to use up that extra little bit of wine left over from the night before.

4 (8-ounce) New York cut strip steaks, trimmed of all visible fat
4 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns (more if desired)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
1/4 cup good Kentucky bourbon
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 brown stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Coat the steaks with the cracked pepper and season with salt. Place the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet and heat 1 minute before adding the steaks. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove the steak to warm serving plates. Drain the excess fat from the pan and carefully add the bourbon, away from the heat. Reduce the heat to low and reduce the bourbon until the pan is nearly dry. Add the red wine, raise the hat to medium and reduce to half. Add the brown stock, bring to a boil, cook 6 minutes and "finish" by swirling the butter into the sauce. Remove from the heat and divide the sauce among the steaks.

Roasted Asparagus

2006-02-05T09:09:00.000+09:00

Growing up in the valley of central California (Sacramento), we had a ton of harvest type festivals. Including an Asparagus festival. My mother is a regular every year at this festival still. It's such a big event that, when Mike and I got married, the festival was going on after our big day. As we departed on our honeymoon, Mike's parents still had some time in the Great capital city with my parents before taking the plane back to Virginia. So, my parents and his decided to go to the asparagus festival. What better time to bond than over a steaming plate of asparagus? Actually it's a really great festival with a lot of other things besides asparagus.

Asparagus is one of those vegetables you either love or hate. Mike hates Asparagus....Especially when I dip it mayonnaise. For those of you unfamiliar with my husbands dislikes, mayonnaise is at the top of that list. At any rate, for the sake of saving face in front of our son, Mike will stomach the occasional asparagus if it is cooked in this way. (with NO mayonnaise)

I'm unfamiliar as to how many people this would serve. If you are using Japanese style asparagus, keep a sharp eye while you are roasting so as not to burn the little tender things! I just recently cooked this with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar supplied by our friends in Italy. Thank you so much for the great care package!

1 pound fresh asparagus, washed and trimmed
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a roasting pan toss the asparagus with the olive oil and vinegar until coated. Spread asparagus out in a single layer, if possible. Roast asparagus for 10 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish.

Snap Beans Gremolata

2006-02-02T16:01:00.000+09:00

I believe that it's part of a mother's duty to get something "green" on the dinner table every night. By "green", I mean any kind of vegitable excluding, potatoes and corn! Over the last 2 years of being a mother, it's been a tough job to come up with new recipes for veggies that were low fat and still tasted great. (no broccoli covered in Velveta!) Believe me, I'm not perfect. We still have lots of days where Mac & Cheese and Hot Dogs are on the menu. I try my best...hey, we're all human.

I found this recipe in Woman's Day Magazine. (In fact, I stole the pages from my mothers magazine copy! SHHHHH!) It sounds more exotic than it really is. If you can't find yellow wax beans, don't fret. This works well with strait green beans. I've substituted in the recipe loads of times. From switching fresh parsley to dried , using bottled lemon juice, using limes instead of lemons. The results have always worked well. I don't love green beans but, they are healthy and this recipe helps them go down a little easier for the whole family. I usually don't add the zest of the lemon as it tends to be a little too lemony for our taste.

Watch the beans while you boil them and test one out 5 minutes into the cooking process. It can be tricky getting them to your liking.

12 oz each green beans & yellow wax beans
1/2 finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Tabspoon each grated lemon peel, lemon juice, olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 pods)
1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper

Boil beans 7-8 minutes until tender (NOT SOGGY). In a bowl mix remaining ingredients. Add hot beans & serve.

Maple-Glazed Salmon Steaks

2006-02-01T14:51:00.000+09:00

This is super easy and has such a different flavor. I took this recipe from one of my favorite books Cooking 1-2-3 by Rozanne Gold. In this book, all the recipes contain only 3 ingredients. (excluding of course, water, salt & pepper.) Although it may sound easy, many of the recipes are very involved. This one, however is not. The only note that I have is that you don't have to use skin-on salmon steaks. Although, the excess fat contained in the skin does help keep the fish moist and it's very easy to seperate the skin from the fish. I've also substituted maple syrup for honey. The honey burns a little more but has the same feel to it. This recipe definitely has some sweet and sour inspiration to it. 9-ounce salmon steaks are pretty hefty servings. The quantity of meat can be taken down with the same outcome!

4 thick 9-ounce salmon steaks, skin on
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 limes

Remove any small bones from the fish using tweezers. Place maple syrup in a small bowl. Grate rind of 1 lime to get 1 teaspoon zest. Cut 2-3 limes in half and squeeze to get 1/4 cup juice. Whisk maple syrup, lime juice, and zest together with a large pinch of salt. Place salmon in a shallow casserole and pur maple-lime marinade over fish. Let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, turning fish several times.

Preheat broiler.

Place salmon on a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet, reserving excess marinade in a small skillet. Broil for about 5 minutes, until fish is golden brown and cooked to desired doneness. Be careful not to overcook; fish should remain moist. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Reduce marinade over high heat until syrupy, adding a little more lime juice to taste. Using a pastry brush, brush reduced marinade over fish. Serve with wedges or thin slices of lime on top.

Lemon-Herb Sauce

2006-01-26T14:07:00.000+09:00

I found the recipe for this sauce in October 2005 addition of Real Simple Magazine. I have found so many recipes in here that I use on a regular basis to feed the family. Most of the recipes that I've found in this magazine are not fancy at all. They are mainly fast and easy. However, many of the recipes do not seem simple when being placed on the table.

Last night, I used this sauce in a shrimp stir-fry. I try to use whatever vegitables that are in season in the stir-fry. However, here in Japan much of their produce is very high quality so I have many choices. Last night, I used bok choy, carrots, and asperagus. Being that this is a Lemon-Herb sauce, it might be traditionally used with chicken, pork, shrimp, scallops or even firm cubes of Tofu. This may even serve as a good marinade for fish, seafood or poultry. If someone tries this sauce with beef please let me know how it turns out!

A quick blurb about Tofu. If you have never cooked or eaten Tofu, please give it a try! Tofu for the most part is flavorless and absorbs the flavors of sauces and broths very well. Infact I have finally convinced my "steak-and-potatoes husband" to eat tofu. The easiest way to cook tofu for a stir-fry, is to first place oil in a wok (or large pan) and fry it until the Tofu takes on a beige color on all or most sides. Then add the vegitables and sauce. Cooking the tofu like this will prevent it from breaking up. In the past, I've actually cut firm tofu in the shape of french fries and baked them with a little bit of seasoning salt and olive oil. My son loves these. He calls them "french fries" and I give him marinara sauce to dip them in. A much healthier version of french fries!

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2-3 Tbs. lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbs. basil
1 1/2 cilantro

Combine soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar in a medium size bowl. Stir or whisk liquids until sugar is dissolved. Add the garlic, basil, and cilantro. Enjoy!

Chicken with Chorizo and Cannellini

2006-01-25T14:31:00.000+09:00

Ok, the title says Cannellini but really you can use any white bean you want. This recipe is super protien packed. However, the beans give you a little fiber and carbs. I like to think of this recipe has a glorified franks and beans. If everything is prepped, this takes 15 minutes to make! Probably 25 minutes if you add prep time in there. Also, it's strickly stove top. So, my friends who live off base and don't have an oven....this will work!

The only chorizo that I've been able to find here is Goya's slicing chorizo. You can find it in the commissary with all the other Goya products. This brand of chorizo is not spicy at all. This is one of Mike's favorites after a big workout! Nigella lists this as 2 servings but, it's more like 2 hefty servings plus a little left over for lunch tomorrow.

Despite the fat content in this recipe, poaching chicken in stock is probably on of the fasted and healthiest way you can cook a chicken. You can also use the poaching meathod when topping off your salad with some lean protien!

4 cups chicken stock (or water)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
About 1/2 trimmed kale (or any other steardy leafy green)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced them chopped
2 cans of white beans (drained and rinsed)
paprika for sprinkling

In a saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle boil, lower in the chicken and cook, still gently for 10 minutes or until all trace of pink has disapeared. Pierce with the point of a knife to check.

Meanwhile, cook the kale, which you've roughly torn into pieces, in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes (if it's tough) and drain. Then heat the oil in a frying pan, throw in the chopped chorizo, add the drained beans, stirring, warm everything through, moistening with a couple of tablespoons or so of the chicken stock-or more if you want this soupier. (if you choose the soupy option, instead of boiling the kale seperatly, you add the stock then top off the beans and chorizo mixture with kale then quickly place a lid over the pan. This gives the kale some time to "steam cook". It saves you from washing another pan after dinner!)

Tip the beans and chorizo into a shallow bowl or lipped plate, roughly arrange the kale on top (drizzling with a littl extra-virgin olive oil if you like) and then lift the cooked chicken out of the stock with a spatula and sit this on top of the kale ruff. Sprinkle the pale chicken brast with the paprika and gaze at your Spanish still life of a supper before eating it.

Serves 2.

Bacardi Rum Bundt Cake

2006-01-23T13:58:00.000+09:00

My Aunt Tori gave this recipe to me on my wedding shower. The recipe also accompanied several baking pans: spring form and a bundt pan. My Aunt Tori is my Moms life long friend from child hood. I do not like to bake. I've heard a saying that people who hate to cook love baking. I suppose, I'm the opposite of that rule. That being said this is so easy to make especially if you buy the cake mix with pudding already in it. Thankfully, the commissary had this as they were out of instant vanilla pudding mix.

I made this today as a gift to our wonderful neighbors who stopped by last night and gave us one of their old kerosine heaters. They are awesome and I wanted to make them one of my best cakes to thank them. I just hope that they like it!
For the Cake

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 box yellow cake mix (see note below)
1 3 3/4 ounce box Jell-o Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegitable oil
1/2 cup Bicardi dark rum (80 proof)

For the Glaze

1/4 pound butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup Bacardi rum (80 proof)
Whipped Cream (Optional)

NOTE: if using yellow cake mix with pudding alredy in the mix omit instant pudding, use 3 eggs instead of 4 and 1/3 cup oil instead of 1/2.

Preheat oven to 325 F
Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan & Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Mix cake ingreadients together & Pour over nuts. Bake for 1 hour & Cool. For the Glaze, melt butter in sauce pan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stiring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in rum. Prick the top of the cake. Spoon and brush glaze evenly over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until glaze is used up. Decorate with whipped cream if desired. Or serve with ice cream (pecan or toffee flavors work great.)

Hoisin-Glazed Chicken with Cabbage Slaw

2006-01-22T18:30:00.000+09:00

Finally, I've taken a step away from Nigella's cookbook. My eyes have now traveled to my most recent addition of Real Simple Magazine. Tonight we tried this recipe and it's been a relief from all of the comfort food that I've made recently. I've used quite a few recipes from Real Simple. They are great at creating a meal that has your veggies & meat all in one. A real winner in my book is if my son will eat it and he did. He especially loved the bell peppers. He called them apples. I frankly didn't care what he called them as long as he ate them!

The hoisin sauce really makes the dish. I was first introduced to hoisin sauce here in Japan at the commissary. It's of gravy consistancy and contains a mixture of soy sauce, chili sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar among other things. You should be able to find Hoisin sauce now a days just about at any major grocery chain. You might be able to locate it near the soy sauce and stir fry mixes.

This dish is low in fat and perfect for a Summer cook out. In fact, they call for the chicken to be stuck under the broiler but it could just as easily be thrown on the grill.

Next time around, I may try marinating the chicken overnight and letting the veggies sit in the dressing for a few extra hours before serving. Also, the chicken could just as easily be replaced with fish or pork. If you have particularly thick chicken cutlets (like frozen costco ones) butterfly them before tenderizing, they'll cook a lot faster.

4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional)
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 green bell pepper sliced
3 scallions (green onions), halved and cut into 4 inch strips
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Heat broiler on high. Rinse the cutlets and pat dry with paper towels. Pound the cutlets to an even thinness. Place on the broiler pan. IN a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar, and fish sauce (if using).

Transfer 2 tablespoons of the glaze to a large bowl and stir in teh remaining rice vinegar. Add the cabbage, peppers, scallions and cilantro and toss. Cover and refrigerate(unless of course, you're house is close to freezing like ours. You can just leave it out on the counter).

Pour about 1 tablespoon of the remaining glaze into a small bowl; set aside as a finishing sauce. Brush the chicken with the glaze that remains. Broil, brushing occasionally, until cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Spoon the reserved glaze over the top. Serve with the slaw.

Bitter Orange Ice Cream

2006-01-22T18:17:00.000+09:00

Another recipe brought to you by Nigella Lawson. She says in her introduction for this dessert that it wouldn't kill you to whisk it by hand.....she lies! Just kidding, for those of you who have wrists of steel you may whisk this by hand. However, I strongly suggest you should use an electric mixer if you have one. Nigella prefers using Seville oranges in this recipe however, she also suggested using some limes mixed with oranges if you weren't able to find Seville oranges or, they weren't in season. It doesn't taste exactly like ice cream but it's an easy and tasty substitute. In classic UK fashion, Nigella does not shy away from lots of sugar.....I hear that there sugary treats put our US sweets to shame! This might also serve as a good fruit dip at a party if not frozen. After trying this recipe, I've come up with quite a few ideas on trying different flavors. Pineaple might be a great taste. I've never invested in a fancy zester a fine grater works just as well except for you might want to take caution not to get the white pill from the citris.

3 Seville oranges or 1 orange and 2 limes
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
wafers to serve (optional)

If using Seville oranges, grate the zest of 2 of them. Squeeze the juice of all 3 and pour into a bowl with the zest and sugar. If you're going for the sweet orange and lime option, grate the zest of the orange and one of the limes, juice them and add to the sugar as before. Stir to dissolve the sugar and add the heavy cream.

Whip everything until it holds soft peaks, and then trun into a shallow airtight container (of approximately 2 quarts) with a lid. Cover and freeze until firm (from 3-5 hours). Remove to ripen for 15-20 minutes (or 30-40 in the refrigerator) before eating. Serve in a bowl, in cones, with wafers-however you like.
Serves 8

Ham in Coca-Cola

2006-01-22T15:17:00.000+09:00

Another recipe that would have been delicious I imagine. When I purchase my supposed "Ham" I realized, after tearing the 1st round packaging off that, the commissary had labeled it wrong and infact it was a Smoked Pork Shoulder. At any rate, I was unable to try this recipe first hand. However, I was able to make the broth for the South Beach Black Bean Soup by taking out the shoulder bone and letting that boil in the Coca-Cola. If anyone has a chance, let me know how this turns out!

4 1/4-4 1/2-pound bone-in ham
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola (or a six pack)

for the glaze:

hand full of cloves
1 heaping tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoons English mustard powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar

If you know that you are dealing with a salty ham, put it in a pan covered with cold water, bring to a boil, then tip into a colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the ham in a pan, skin-side down if it fits like that, add the onion, then pour over the coke. Bring to a boil, redure to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for just under 2 1/2 hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour for every 2 lbs. rememberbing that it's going to get a quick blast in the oven later. But do take into account that if the ham's been in the refrigerator right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it a good 15 minutes of so extra so that the interior is porperly cooked.

Meanwhile, preheat the over to 500 degrees F

When the ham's had it's time, take it out of the pan (but do not throw away the cooking liquid) and let cool a little for ease of handling. (Indeed, you can let it cool completley then finish off the cooking at some later stage if you want.) Then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each deamond with a clove. Then carefully spread the molases over the bark-budded skin, taking care not to dislodge the cloves. Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat. Cook in a foil-lined roasting pan for approximatley 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.

Should you want to do the braizing stge in advance and then let the ham cool, clove and glaze it and give it 30-40 minutes, from room temperature, at 350 F, turning up the heat toward the end if you think it needs it.

This is seriously fabulous with anything, but the eggily golden Sweet Corn pudding is perfect.
Serves 8

South Beach Black Bean Soup

2006-01-22T15:06:00.000+09:00

This is not for the weak at heart. If you love Coca-Cola you will enjoy this recipe. I tried this after making a variation of the Ham in Coca-Cola. Which I will also include on the site. I'd have to say that this wasn't one of my most favorite recipes but Mike really liked it. I had never used coriander in a recipe before. It was always one of those spices that I had but never used. This recipe calls for ground coriander which, I couldn't find at the commissary. So, I used the whole coriander but placed it in my little chopping machine/coffee grinder and that pretty much did the trick. Also, instead of letting the black beans soak, Nigella just says she boils them in water for 10 minutes before cooking.

- About 3 cups (18 ounces) black beans
- Coca-Cola Ham stock from earlier recipe
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander

to serve:

- sour cream
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- lime wedges

Cook the black beans in enough coca-cola ham stock and water, if needed, to cover by about 2 inches until they're tender. Let the liquid first come to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cook, partially covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove about 3 ladles of the soup to a blender, add the lime juice and ground spices, blitz to a muddy puree and stir this back into the pan of soup. And that's it.

Swil some sour cream, as you please, into the bowls of the soup as you ladle them out and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro. Plonk the lime wedges onto the table and let people squeeze the sharp juice into this dense, sweet soup as they eat.
Serves 8

Sweet Corn Pudding

2006-01-17T20:29:00.000+09:00

I WILL NOT EAT GREEN EGGS AND HAM.....I WILL NOT EAT THEM SAM I AM. OK, this is what was going through my head when I read this recipe in my Nigella Bites book. The picture of the recipe was unsettling also. This egg concoction with canned corn is supposed to taste good?! Well my friends, "don't knock it till you've tried it". My plan for tonight was to make a Coca-Cola Ham then, the next night use left over ham to pair up with this sweet corn pudding. I thought I had it made until I unwrapped the commissary label from the supposed "ham" revealing the manufacturers label. Instead of it being Ham, suddenly this ham turned into roasted pork shoulder. I cursed myself because my week menu had been spoiled. 'No worries', I thought 'I'll just make this pudding stuff tonight and pair it with this pork sholder'. So, off I went.

This recipe is by no means health food. Though easy, it does take a little more time than the run of the mill half our week day meal. However, it is soooooo satisfying and my 2 year old didn't throw it on the floor. Also, if you do have small children in the house, you may have all of these ingredients on hand. Plus, it's a fairly inexpensive dish as the ingredients aren't to exotic! Truely, it sound odd but, this is really good comfort food.

Nigella put this into her "trashy" chapter. I resent this label just a tad as she has also put such recipes like corn bread and fried chicken in this chapter. Clearly to any American, these are respectable staples in our diet. Furthermore, as the wife of a Southerner I'm a offended. But, I degress. The food is good no matter what label is put on it.

I didn't have the exact amount of corn. I just bought 2 cans and threw them in and it worked out. Instead of butter in the baking pan, I used pam. I don't like how butter sometimes burns and pam is just easier. This corn pudding is suggested serving for 8. However, I'd say a hungry family of 4 could finish it off.

5 eggs
18 ounces (about 2 1/4 cups) canned sweet corn, drained
14 ounces (about 1 3/4 canned creamed corn
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
generous 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the over to 375 degrees. Butter an ovenproof dish about 12x10". Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, and then add, beating unenergetically, all the other ingredients. Pour into the buttered dish and cook for about an hour, by which time it should have set within and puffed up slightly on top. Serves 8

Tomorrow, my plan is to make South Beach Black Bean Soup. We shall see if this recipe too will make my blog!

Bean and Bacon Soup with Cheese Toast

2006-01-12T12:34:00.000+09:00

I've been reading, "The Essentials of Japanese Cooking" lately. It's a cookbook that was given to me over the holidays. It's been a lot of fun to read. And although I'm excited, at the same time, I'm also intimidated and overwhelmed by the recipes. Japanese cooking is SO different than any other style of cooking that I have tried. I know here in Yokosuka, that every ingredient to these recipes exists. The problem is trying to find all of those ingredients, or maybe trying to ask a grocer if they carry that item. You all should have seen me the other day trying to ask where the Tempura Sauce was.

At any rate, after a couple days of reading this book it made me want to cook something completely simple and this did the trick. Also, I made this because I had 8 ounces of Bacon/Salted Pork left over from the previous night. Mostly during the week, I enjoy making quick, easy & cheap meals. I really get excited when I can find a recipe that will fill up my family of three for very little $$$ (or Yen). I'm sure that there are many variations of Bean and Bacon soup. This one fits for me if only because of it's simplicity. Cut this out of the Fall 2003 edition of Martha Stewart Kids Magazine. This is a great family recipe. You can use Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans in this soup. Whatever floats your boat. I skipped the whole step 2 of draining the fat and reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Since I had the salted pork instead of bacon slices, I just cut it up in small bits and fried it in the same soup pot with everything. I'd suggest cutting everything in advance if you can. While the pork was cooking I just cut everything up and threw it in as I cut it though. I didn't have any chicken stock on hand last night so, I just used 4 cups of water and 2 bouillon cubes then an additional cup of water to cut the saltiness. In fact, try leaving out the salt listed in the ingredients if you are watching your salt intake or just don't like really salty dishes. Also, try using a toaster oven if you have one instead of the broiler when making the cheese toast that way, both sides turn out crunchy. I didn't garnish the soup this time on account that I didn't use bacon slices.

I've copied the directions directly from the original recipe. Being that this is from a Martha Stewart magazine, it's very exact in it's directions. I don't know anyone whose taken out a ruler when cutting vegitables so please, use your best judgement!

1/2 lb. bacon (about 10 slices)
1 small onion, finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch peices
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch peices
3 cups chicken or vegitable stock
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) white beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt (about a half of 1/8 of a teaspoon)
4 slices sandwich bread
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, cook the bacon pieces, stirring frequently, until brown and just crip, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside
2.. Pour all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan. Return the pan to the heat; add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften about 3 minutes. Add the stock and 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer unitl vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the beans, sage, salt and pepper, and half of the reserved bacon. Simmer for a few more minutes while preparing the cheese toasts.
3. Meanwhile, heat the broiler; place bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle berad with cheese; broil until cheese is melted and bread is just golden, about 2 minutes. Cut into triangles.
4. Garnish soup with remaining bacon and serve with cheese toast on the side.

Linguine With Garlic Oil and Pancetta

2006-01-11T08:58:00.000+09:00

Mike and I had this last night and loved it. I got this recipe from Nigella Lawson's Cookbook "Nigella Bites". It's a very simple recipe that only takes about 15 minutes to make. Unfortunately, here in Yokosuka, Pancetta is hard to come by so I replaced the Pancetta with salted pork/bacon. I added some pepper while mixing with the olive oil. I bought roughly a pound of pork at the commissary because I wanted to use the other half for the Bean and Bacon soup that I'm planning on making tonight. The block came with the skin on, so I sliced the skin off and threw it in the pan while baking as it adds more juices. Some readers may be firm believers in frying bacon. The only reason why I don't fry in the pan is that it's much easier to put in the oven and not have to hover over it/make sure it's done at the same time as the pasta.
If, you are unable to find garlic-infused olive oil you can make your own. I've included a recipe for that as well (just click on the link and it will take you there). Be forwarned that the recipe for the oil takes about 2 hours so, I'd suggest making it ahead of time. The bottom instructions are from the cookbook. The top portion is just my opinion!

2 tablespoons garlic-inused olive oil
8 ounces pancetta
8 ounces linguine (about half a box)
Fresh Parsley (optional)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. While it's heating up, put the garlic olive in an ovenproof dish; last night I used a baking pan 12X8". Nigella uses her Le Crueset 13.5" but not all of us are so lucky! (Some of us maybe. In which case I am pea grean with envy!) Dice the rest of the pancetta and add these cubes to the oil, smooshing them about with your fingers to make sure they're equally, if lightly, coated. When the water's boiling, put the dish of garlic-oiled pancetta in the oven, then salt the boiling water and add the linquine; these should need about 10 minutes to cook. (Go by the package instructions) When the pasta's ready, drain it, reservin a scant cupful of the cooking water and take the pancetta dish out of the oven. Tip the drained linquine into the dish and toss well, adding some of the pasta-cooking water, drop by cautious drop, for lubrication as you need it. Add the parsley. Enjoy!

2 hefty servings

Garlic Olive Oil

2006-01-11T08:55:00.000+09:00

This Recipe is From Rozanne Gold's Cooking 1-2-3 a fantastic book. You can purchase her books on Amazon All recipes include only 3 ingredients. It may sound simple, but some of these recipes are a little involved. Anyway, I've found this recipe fairly simple and the oil is useful for many many things. You can substitude jarred prechopped garlic. About a tablespoon for each clove is recommended but, I've always used teaspoons instead just because it seems more realistic. (I don't think that I've ever chopped a clove and gotten a whole tablespoon full.) Use your best judgement. I've never used the crushed red pepper flakes so let me know if someone has tried this and it's turned out great.

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 large cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Put olive oil in a small saucepan. Peel garlic and add to oil with red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until small bubbles form at the surface, then continue cooking over very low heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add a large pinch of salt. Let sit for 2 1/2 hours. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean jar. (I've used tupperware) Cover and refrigerate. Keeps for 2 weeks.

Makes 1 cup