Esther's Kitchen and Garden

First Successful Cucumbers from the Garden and Salad Recipes

2012-01-28T16:27:00.000-10:00

I remembered to take a photo after I started to peel cucumbers

There were three cucumbers on two cucumber plants this morning. I picked two that were big enough, one from each plant. One is a Japanese cucumber and the other is one called "Fanfare".

Cucumber and Manoa Lettuce Salad for my son

My son's salad is very simple. The Manoa lettuce was picked the other day and it was still very fresh. He will eat it with my simple oil and red wine vinegar vinaigrette salad dressing.

Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad

The following is the recipe for the Creamy Cucumber Salad which I modified from the original Betty Crocker recipe.

1 large cucumber sliced very thinly
1/4 cup buttermilk dressing or yogurt (I used the yogurt I made yesterday)
Approximately 1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill (Dill also came from my garden)
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients together and let chill for at least an hour.

Greens from the Garden

2012-01-20T15:26:00.001-10:00

This morning I needed lettuce and parsley so I went "shopping" at my garden. I picked large yet very tender Manoa lettuce leaves, kale, curly leaf parsley and green beans. I needed the lettuce and parsley as garnish for the ceviche I made last night. The kale and green beans will be sauteed with olive oil and garlic and finished up with a drizzle of red wine vinegar and hot pepper.

Reason for the Long Silence

2012-01-18T10:05:00.000-10:00

Aloha Kakou:

I thought I would explain my long absence from this blog. I actually have been cooking and baking more but I have been busy with my garden. Lucky I live Hawaii, huh? That means we can garden year round.

I hope be able to post photos and maybe videos of what plants I am growing. Right now I have lots of herbs, including a Lemon Grass bush I inherited. I am also focusing on vegetables that my family likes to eat such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers.

My new personal favorite green is Kale! Wow! I suddenly can't get enough of it.

I also plan on growing (and I'm sure my NJ family and friends won't believe it) dandelion! Back home it was a pesky weed that plagued my dad's lawn. But to me, it has always been a tasty green that I liked in my salad.

Another NJ weed and now Hawaii tasty green is Purslane. My friend recently brought a salad made from Purslane, Asian pear with a red wine vinegar dressing. Heavenly!

More later.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-12-01T13:58:00.001-10:00

My husband and I love mushrooms!! Usually, we eat the ever available white mushrooms simply sauteed in a little olive oil. But when the mushrooms are large, I make stuffed mushrooms. To make things easy and to not heat up the whole place with the big oven, I cook these little delectables in the toaster oven.

Recipe (can be doubled):

1 8 oz package of large white mushrooms, rinsed and dried well
1/4 cup of sweet onions, minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced dried cranberries
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and mince them finely. Set aside. Also set the mushroom caps aside.

Heat up a skillet. Add the olive oil. To that, add the garlic and onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add the cranberries. Add the bread crumbs and blend well. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill the caps with the filling. There should be plenty to fill the caps well.

Preheat the oven to 350 (same with the toaster oven). Place the caps on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

New Link added - Cooking Hawaiian Style

2011-12-01T13:38:00.000-10:00

Cooking Hawaiian Style. It has a treasure trove of local favorites.

My Mexican Meal

2011-11-18T11:01:00.001-10:00

I am Peruvian Chinese so I do not have much experience with Mexican cooking. What I did one day was to create my own version of beef fajitas (which mean little girdles). The meal was not strictly Mexican. It was more of a combination of Peruvian/Mexican if such a thing existed. My family enjoyed it.

The Menu:

Beef Fajitas
Flour tortillas
Salsa Fresca
Plantanos fritos (Fried ripe Plantains)
Arroz Amarillo (Yellow rice)
Flan for dessert

As you can see from the photo, there is a dish there that I cannot seem to be able to identify. I don't remember what I put on the table. It looks like shredded cheese but I don't think that it what it is. Sorry.

Beef Fajitas

2 Sirloin steaks
cumin
lime juice
garlic
onions, sliced
Green pepper sliced
salt and pepper
Olive Oil

Marinate the steak with all the ingredients except the onion. Set aside for a couple of hours or so.

Heat up a large cast iron skillet, Add approximately a tablespoon of olive oil. I cooked the meat medium rare. Actually more on the rare side. Fry up the green pepper, onions and additional garlic in that skillet after the steaks are removed. Slice up the steak, add the fried onions and garlic place on a serving platter.

Serve in the heated tortillas. Make sure you wrap them tightly, hence the fajita.

Yellow Rice:

I simply cooked white rice in chicken broth and added Goya's Sazon for color and flavor.

Salsa Fresca:

1 large tomato
1 medium sweet onion
1 Jalapeno (optional)
Juice from one lemon or lime
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Dice the onion, tomato (and Jalapeno pepper). Season with the lemon/lime juice, salt, pepper and approximately 1 tablespoon or drizzling of olive oil. Serve on top of the fajita.

Platanos Fritos

2 large ripe plantains (usually yellow and black skin)

Peel and slice. I like to slice them diagonally. Heat up a large skillet. Add a little oil to cover the bottom slightly. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and season with salt.

Flan

I actually used the recipe from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook binder. It is really good!

Vigilante Gardner Part 2: A Thief, A Dirty Old Man, and GOD.

2011-11-11T14:31:00.001-10:00

H/T to Root Simple

Chicharones

2011-10-14T17:20:00.000-10:00

Pork rinds are called "chicarones" in Spanish. However, this dish is Peruvian Chicarones made by cooking and then frying the well-seasoned pork. My mother likes to use spare ribs for this dish and so do I.

1 1/2 lbs. spare ribs, separate the ribs into individual pieces
Approximately one whole head of garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven, place ribs, water, garlic and salt and pepper. Approximately 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until you hear sizzling. When you hear that sound, that means the water has evaporated. You can uncover at this point and allow the meat to fry in the oil until well browned on each side.

Serve with the following onion sauce, potatoes and/or boiled sweet potatoes (or yams).

Onion Sauce or Salsa Criolla:

1 whole onion, preferably sweet
1 tablespoon vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients. The olive oil should just be drizzled on.

A variation on the sauce would be to use lemon or lime juice and add Aji Amarillo.

As you can see by the picture below, I used potatoes. But this dish is traditionally served with boiled sweet potato. The sweetness compliments the savory flavor of the pork.

Catholic Cookies

2011-09-29T11:37:00.002-10:00

Oh my goodness! Go check out these Stigmata Cookies and maybe bake a batch on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. We unfortunately, missed the change to bake these on St. Padre Pio's feast day.

Lasagna

2011-09-21T15:17:00.001-10:00

My son's friend loves to come over for dinner. The last time he came he was asked to choose a dish he wanted to eat. He chose lasagna. This is my recipe.

Recipe:

Homemade meat sauce I used a pound of beef and an extra can of tomato sauce for the lasagna sauce.
1 lb. box of lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
1 large loaf of fresh mozzarella (like the one they sell at Costco), sliced thinly
1 large container of cottage cheese, mix it in a bowl with the egg and parsley)Note: If you prefer to use the traditional ricotta cheese, please do so.
1 egg
1/4 cup of minced fresh parsley

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees while you assemble the lasagna.

In a large baking dish, add a ladle full of sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the baking dish. Add a layer of cooked lasagna noodles. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese slices and dollops of the cottage cheese mixture. Add another ladle-full of sauce and continue the layering until everything has been added. Be sure to end with sauce on top.

Cover with aluminum and bake in the hot oven for an hour.

Stroll Down Memory Lane - My Mom's Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

2011-09-19T16:40:00.001-10:00

I remembered a dish my mom used to make when my brothers and sisters and I were little. I had not thought about this dish in such a long time. I don't remember having it since then either. It is really such a simple recipe yet I fondly remember enjoying it so much. But I wouldn't call it one of my favorite things my mom made. I just liked it. The dish is meatballs with a marinara sauce served over mashed potatoes. My mom would not call it mashed potatoes though. She called it "pure de papa" or potato puree. What made my mom's potatoes special was that they weren't thick. They were more on the runny side.

What made me remember this recipe was the fact that I found red veal at the local farmer's market. The veal comes from the Big Island. I was pretty intrigued by the fact it was red veal. I bought two pounds of the red veal. I really did not want to make meatloaf as the owner suggested. That is when I remembered my mom's delicious meatball dish. More on the veal on a later post.

Meatballs

1 lb. beef, turkey or red veal
1 egg
1 slice whole grain bread soaked in milk
1 onion, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together. Form into medium sized balls (not too small nor too big either).

Heat up a cast iron skillet. Add approximately 1/4 cup of olive oil. Brown the meatballs until they are cooked thoroughly. Set aside.

Marinara Sauce:

1 large can of good quality tomato sauce. You can use whole plum tomatoes if you prefer.
Fresh basil and oregano
1 onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced.

Heat a saucepan. Add extra virgin olive oil to coat bottom of saucepan. Add the garlic and brown lightly. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the tomato sauce, basil and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium low. Simmer one hour.

Mashed Potatoes:

6 large potatoes
Low fat milk
Butter (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until the fork goes through easily. Peel and place in a large bowl. Gradually add the milk until the potatoes are the consistency you want. If you want a thinner consistency, just add more milk. Salt and pepper to taste. If you would like to add butter, do so before adding the milk. Mashed well. Note: If you are wondering my my hands look so masculine it's because those hands belong to my husband. He mashed the potatoes for me :-)

A nice tossed salad goes well with this dish. I made a simple salad with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes and Japanese cucumbers all bought at the farmer's market. What is not shown in the photo is the arugula and purslane friends gave me yesterday when I visited their community garden plot. My mom has purslane growing in her yard but it is a weed!

A Most Unusual Home

2011-09-12T14:43:00.001-10:00

H/T to Root Simple

The Dish that Defines Peruvian Cuisine - Ceviche de Pescado

2011-09-09T18:27:00.003-10:00

Mention Peruvian cooking to someone and they are more than likely to respond with the word ceviche. Ceviche is a Peruvian creation. It is usually made with fresh fish marinated and thereby cooked in lemon or lime juice. Sometimes other seafood are used...squid, octopus and/or shrimp. It is spicy, tangy and quite delicious!

My mother always told us that the best ceviche was made with Corvina. I usually make ceviche with Tilapia or Corvina when it is available. Today I wanted to try something different. I asked the fish man at a local Japanese market what fish he would recommend for ceviche. Almost without hesitation, he pointed to the beautiful fresh slabs of Mahimahi.

I decided to take his advice and bought a pound of fresh mahimahi for tonight's dinner. Although ceviche is usually served as an appetizer or first course, I thought it would be a good light dinner for my family.

I searched the internet for a good Peruvian recipe to compare it with the one my mom taught me. I found an interesting video of an interview of two Peruvian chefs. One of the chefs gave a couple of tips for making a good ceviche. The video is below. It is in Spanish. One tip is to not squeeze the life out of a lemon in order to get all the juice out. By doing so we run the risk of touching the white membrane which will make the dish bitter.

Another thing I learned is that there is a name for my favorite part of the ceviche. The tasty liquid that remains after the ceviche has been consumed (or served along with the fish) is called "Leche de Tigre"..Tiger's Milk. Here is a description I found here.

Only a true ceviche lover would dare try tiger’s milk (leche de tigre), which is the leftover ceviche marinade served in a small glass. Brightly colored from the spicy chili peppers, and sometimes mixed with vodka, tiger’s milk is considered a great cure for hangovers.

I think the vodka would ruin the deliciousness of the lovely liquid.

My Mother's Recipe for Ceviche

1 lb. very fresh fish (not frozen)
5-6 medium sized lemons or limes or 3 large Meyer Lemons (which I used)
1 Jalapeno or two small Hawaiian Chili Peppers (seeded)
1 Small bunch of fresh parsley is traditionally used, minced OR 1/2 green pepper sliced thinly (optional)
1 large onion, sliced thinly
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. Aji Amarillo (unless you are able to find fresh aji amarillo)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice the fish thinly but not too thinly that it falls apart. Place in a Pyrex bowl. Add the lemon juice and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients except, salt, pepper and parsley or green peppers. Cover and let marinate for at least an hour or two, maybe longer. I left mine on the counter top. After a this time, check to see that the fish is opaque. If so, the fish is cooked in the citrus juice. Salt and pepper to taste and top with the parsley or green pepper slices.

This dish is traditionally served on lettuce leaves and accompanied by boiled sweet potatoes and corn.

Don't forget to drink la leche de tigre!

First Time Canning Peaches - Update

2011-08-10T16:53:00.001-10:00

Update: I had a taste this morning with some slices of canned peaches on waffles. They were very delicious. Only thing I would change is making a medium syrup next time. I tried light and I think it would have even been better if the peaches were a tad sweeter.

There was a very good sale on yellow peaches today. I decided that even though they would make very good fruit for eating, I would attempt canning fresh peaches. I followed the instructions that I found in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook as well as a few tips on the internet. I used Vitamin C crystals to keep the fruit from browning. They came out looking a beautiful yellow with pinkish syrup. But the really test will be the taste.

Pesto - Red Shiso and Sweet Basil

2011-08-08T17:08:00.000-10:00

Red Shiso plant in the foreground

One of my good friends gave me a Red Shiso plant which grew very nicely. The plant, although still very young, had large leaves ready for harvesting. I had never tasted this herb prior to today. The taste is very pleasant, like a combination basil and mint. I understand the red shiso leaves are used to give umeboshi its distinct color and flavor.

Red Shiso leaves

Italian Sweet Basil leaves

I planned on making pesto today. Since learning more about the shiso plant, I knew that the leaves needed to be harvested before it is too late. I thought it may be a welcome addition to my regular pesto sauce, usually made with sweet basil leaves. So today, I just added the shiso leaves I picked along with the basil leaves.

Pesto Sauce with Basil and Red Shiso

The taste was very good! I hope to try other recipes for red shiso, like pesto without the basil to see how that will turn out. But for today, I thought I would play it safe and just introduce a few leaves into the pesto sauce. I also made fresh pasta today and I think that will go very well with this new pesto sauce.

Papa a la Huancaina

2011-08-05T18:05:00.001-10:00

Papa a la Huancaina is a typical Peruvian dish and it is usually served as an appetizer. It just happens to be one of my husband's favorite Peruvian foods...and he doesn't have a drop of Peruvian blood in him.

There are many recipes for this dish. Even in my own family, my mom and my aunt make it differently. I usually make it my mom's method using a touch of Turmeric for color and health reasons. The last time I made it though, I used my aunt's method. Her recipe is very simple.

1 boiled Yukon Gold (or any other salad potato) per person
1 boiled egg per person
3 Peruvian olives per person (similar to a Kalamata Olive but larger, tangier and in my opinion, much more tastier).
1 large lettuce leave per person

Huancaina Sauce:

1 large container of small curd cottage cheese
1 tbsp. (or less depending on how hot you want it) of Aji Amarillo
1 yellow onion, minced
Salt to taste

Blend together. If you want the sauce to be very creamy, you can put it in a blender until smooth.

Serve as in the photo above.

Hawaiian Strawberries

2011-07-27T14:13:00.000-10:00

These luscious little gems come from Maui. As you can see, there were only a few strawberries that were not completely red. These strawberries were not only very juicy but very sweet. It would have been a shame to cover them with anything heavy so I just sliced them up and added a dab of condensed milk. They certainly did not need the additional sweetness from the condensed milk but I think the creamy sweetness of the condensed milk added to the tastiness of the strawberries.

Mango Salsa

2011-07-26T17:17:00.001-10:00

I have tasted mango salsa from a jar. This is nothing like that. This is so good! It is also my mom's recipe.

1 large ripe mango (not too ripe though)
1 fresh jalapeño pepper (for mild, remove veins and seeds)
1 medium sized sweet onion
3 green onion stalks
1 large ripe tomato
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
Juice of one large lime
Salt to taste

Peel and dice the mango. Dice the jalapeño, onion and tomato. Slice the green onion thinly. Mix all ingredients well. Serve with fresh fish, tortilla chips, chicken, etc.

This fruit salsa should also work well with pineapple (which I am going to try next). I know my mom tried with with peaches and she loved the taste.

A Taste of New Jersey - Carbonara

2011-07-19T13:15:00.000-10:00

There is one place that I must visit when I am in New Jersey. I think I may have mentioned this remarkable market here before. It is Corrado'Family Market. It is at Corrados's that we buy the fresh mozzarella, olives and Panettone and many other Italian products plus fresh produce and meat. It is also were I buy pancetta to bring back with me.

I brought back about a pound of pancetta for the sole purpose of making carbonara. The recipe I use is one I found on the internet last year. I made this dish for my family in New Jersey and we all loved it! It is one of the best recipes I have found for this classic Italian dish.

Spaghetti ala Carbonara recipe here.

I would have loved to have made it with homemade pasta but unfortunately hunger hit before I even thought of making the dish. Even though making this dish eventually had been in the plans all along. I used store bought pasta and I must say it was just as good! After all, how can one go wrong with bacon, cheese, eggs and pasta.

My Return Home Dinner for My Family

2011-07-15T12:13:00.001-10:00

While I was away, my poor family had not been eating as well as I had hoped. I wanted to make them something special that did not have to wait for Sunday. So I made them Chicken Marsala with mushrooms this time, a simple risotto and Caesar Salad with baby romaine lettuce I picked up at the Farmer's market.

How To I.D. Genetically Modified Food at the Supermarket

2011-07-14T10:02:00.000-10:00

Well, I am finally back from a long vacation. I hope to be able to post more regularly.

This article on genetically modified foods in our supermarkets was shared by a friend.

How to ID Genetically Modified Food at the Supermarket.

Thought it would be good to share this info with my readers.

Photo of Carrot Cake Cupcake

2011-06-01T09:47:00.000-10:00

Photo by my brother. Click photo to enlarge. One of the many tasty treats my sister brought to celebrate our mom's birthday.

Another Local Favorite - Chinese Chicken Salad

2011-05-20T04:45:00.000-10:00

Chinese Chicken Salad

This salad is just so yummy! I think it has a lot to do with the different textures and sweet/sour flavor of the Asian dressing. Traditionally, romaine lettuce is used. However, since I had plenty of a leftover green salad with Iceberg lettuce, I had to use it. I did not want to waste the salad. I did remove the tomatoes for this salad makeover but kept the cucumbers and red onions.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized romaine lettuce, washed, dried well and torn
2 cups (or more) leftover cooked chicken breast (or half of one large breast breast, boiled)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (washed, dried and torn)
1/2 cup thinly cut green onion
Deep fried wonton strips**

Deep Fried Wonton Strips

1/2 package of prepared wonton skins (found in the refrigerator section) cut into strips

Heat the oil in the deep fryer (or use a small saucepan to deep fry) until very hot, approximately 365 degrees on the candy thermometer. Fry a few strips at a time. They fry very quickly so turn over once and remove when they are lightly to medium brown. Drain on paper towel and set aside. Continue until all the strips are fried.

Salad Dressing:

1 covered jar for shaking the dressing
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
Approximately 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
Approximately 1 tablespoon Hawaiian Salt (or less if you prefer)
Pepper to taste

Shake all ingredients in the covered jar until well blended.

Place torn lettuce in a large salad bowl or individual bowls if you prefer. Top with chicken, cilantro, green onions and deep fried wonton strips. Shake dressing again and pour over the salad. Serve immediately. Serves approximately 4 to 6.

15 Fascinating Facts About Salt

2011-05-18T09:40:00.000-10:00

Alaea Sea Salt

Picture source

Here is a very interesting article on salt. Salt-15 Fascinating Facts About this Everyday Item.

Salt happens to be my favorite condiment.

Esther's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-10T15:29:00.002-10:00

Chocolate Chip cookies ready for eating

It took me a long time but I finally make chocolate chip cookies that I like...chewy instead of cake-y. I ran out of semi-sweet chocolate chips but I did have Hershey's Special Dark Pieces and white chocolate chips.

Picture source
Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups unbleached or all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract, good quality
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips OR combination of Hershey's Special Dark Pieces and white chocolate chips (8 ounces of each)
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Place parchment paper on cookie sheets and spray with cooking spray such as PAM.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt. In another bowl beat the butter, oil, egg, sugars, and vanilla extract. Pour into the flour mixture and blend thoroughly.

Place approximately 1 tablespoon size balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Make sure to space them so that they will not run into each other when baking. Bake approximately 13 to 15 minutes. The cookies should be browned nicely. Cool on racks.

Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk or if you are like me, with a nice cold glass of water.

Mabo Tofu Recipe - Spicy Pork and Tofu

2011-05-10T13:12:00.000-10:00

One of my son's favorite new dishes that I have been making at home from scratch Mabo Tofu. It is very popular here in Hawaii. I believe most of the Asian restaurants (Chinese, Japanese and Korean run ramen noodles shops, offer it on their menu) It is spicy pork and tofu which has Chinese origins. I used to buy the sauce ready made. But I could never afford to buy enough to satisfy my family's appetite for this tasty meal.

I ended up finding a really good recipe and now I make this at home anytime my son is in the mood for it, which is pretty often. Although, the original recipe calls for ground pork, ground chicken or turkey are good substitutes.

Mabo Tofu

Chili Paste

The recipe I used can be found here.

You will need to have a few ingredients you may not necessarily already have in your pantry.

1. Tapioca starch (corn starch can be substituted)
2. Soy sauce (such as Kikkoman)
3. Tofu (firm)
4. Fermented Chinese black beans (Tausi)
5. Chili Paste
6. Green onions
7. White pepper (Szechuan Pepper)

Serve with rice.

Art Appreciation - Les fleurs des champs

2011-05-05T11:20:00.000-10:00

by Louis Janmot

Picture source

I don't know about you but I love this beautiful painting! The colors, the fact that it takes place in a garden setting is very appealing to me.

911: How the Kitchen Madonna Comes to the Rescue Twice

2011-05-04T14:51:00.002-10:00

Picture source.

I have a old plastic statue of our lady in my kitchen. She is my Kitchen Madonna. Since I am usually in the kitchen at noontime, this is where we pray the Angelus or the Regina Coeli. Recently our lady has come to my aid in helping to save two things I was making from sure disaster.

1. Fresh Strawberry Pie

Slice of Fresh Strawberry Pie

I believe I was making something else in the kitchen while I was also cooking up the glaze for the strawberry pie. So it was no surprise that I failed to cook the glaze long enough. I was too distracted. I even tasted the glaze and could still taste the corn starch. That should have alerted me that this sauce was just not done. But I continued to finish up the pie and hoped for the best.

Four hours later I offered my son a slice of the pie. Well, it had not set at all. It was very runny. I almost panicked. Maybe I did panic. I did not want to waste all that lovely homemade crust or the 2 lbs. of fresh strawberries it took to make that pie.

I prayed to our blessed mother to please help me. She immediately came to my assistance because a thought came to me that I try to retrace my steps with the pie at hand.

First I removed all the strawberries and placed them in a bowl. Then the filling was scooped into a saucepan which was placed on the stove top to boil. When it was almost boiled to the point it was supposed to be, I added the bowl of strawberries (which had some glaze clinging to them). This mixture was boiled for another minute and then removed from the heat. Meanwhile I dried the bottom of the piecrust as much as I could with a paper towel and placed that back in a hot oven to bake a little longer.

This time the filling was boiled properly. I then refilled the piecrust and refrigerated the pie for another four hours.

The pie was deemed delicious by my family. Actually, it did taste very good. I give all the credit to Our Lady.

Our Lady and her Challah Bread

2. In honor of Our Lady during this month of May and in honor of her Jewish heritage, I decided to attempt making Challah bread. The recipe called for very warm water. Well, I think I warmed it too much. But did not come to this realization until after I poured the warmed water onto the flour mixture. I prayed to our Lady to please help me not to have killed the yeast. I told her she would get all the credit for this bread if she but helped me.

Oh, she helped me. After an hour, I went to check the dough I hoped and prayed had risen. It was over flowing from the bowl!! I wish I had remembered to take a picture of that. I know my braiding technique needs a lot of work but the bread was great! Thank you again Blessed Mother for your help in making this delicious bread!

I should have learned to ask for her assistance a long time ago. My mother always asks for our Lady's help whenever she is about to cook or make something in the kitchen. In Spanish she says "Little Virgin, please give my {insert name of dish here} a little touch of your little finger." I once suggested to my mom to pray to the Holy Spirit to help her. She dismissed that immediately. I think she was saying that our lady, being a woman, would understand things of the kitchen.

BTW, The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden, is one of my favorite books from childhood.

These are a Few of Our Favorite Desserts

2011-05-03T14:23:00.000-10:00

Although I do have a big sweet-tooth, I have never been really good at making desserts. My sister was the baker in our family. Everything she created was meticulously done and beautifully presented. I still remember with fondness her chocolate mousse cake.

Recently though, I have given dessert making another go. I usually refer to the recipes from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and Good Housekeeping Cookbook. That is with the exception of the Lemon Meringue Pie. I believe the Argo recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie has to be the best tasting one ever! I'm glad my husband doesn't like desserts with lemon so there is more for my son and me. Just kidding :-)

Lemon Meringue Pie

Another lemon based dessert my son and I love is lemon bars.

Baking the bottom of the lemon bars

Baking the filling

Oops! Someone forgot to take a photo before the lemon bars were half-way gone.

I have the older edition of the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and used that recipe. I did find a similar recipe online which apparently has been updated slightly. I think I will try this version next. Recipe for Lemon Bars Actually, we did not eat all the rich lemon bars that seem to be missing in the picture. I gave some away as little favor gifts. Each little bar was placed on a muffin/cupcake paper and placed in a little Hawaiian themed cellophane bag, one on top of another. I believe I put four in each. Then the bag was tied with a pretty ribbon.

So two friends were the happy recipients for these little gifts.

Fudge Brownies baking

Fudge Brownies cooling

The last dessert is fudge brownies. When I ask my husband if he would like cake brownies or fudge brownies, he would choose cake brownies. Recently though, he has chosen fudge brownies. It is now a family favorite. The Better Homes and Garden Cookbook recipe can be found here

Note: Please disregard the burned bottom in the oven. Today, I finally let the oven clean itself! 4 hours and 20 minutes later, I should have a clean oven.

Pink and White Cupcakes in Honor of Our Blessed Mother Mary and St. Joseph

2011-05-02T14:21:00.001-10:00

Because yesterday was Divine Mercy Sunday and the beatification of now Blessed Pope John Paul II, St. Joseph the Worker feast day was not observed.

So today I made mini cupcakes to honor them. Pink and white are pretty Spring colors aren't they! The cupcakes are homemade chocolate cake.

Catholic Cuisine's - Good Shepherd's Garden Party Week One

2011-05-02T11:20:00.001-10:00

Now that I am blogging about cooking again, I am happy to be able to join in on Catholic home cooking activities.

Check out this week's entries The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week One

Oops! I forgot to share the Easter one. Please check out the lovely entries here

Meat Sauce for Homemade Pasta

2011-05-02T11:12:00.000-10:00

Actually, you can use any pasta you like, homemade or store-bought.

Homemade Pasta and Meat Sauce

This is the meat sauce recipe I make once a week for my family.

Ingredients:

Either two cans of tomato sauce or 1 can tomato sauce and 1 can whole or diced tomatoes same size you see in picture. Tomatoes should equal the large can of whole tomatoes like Progresso.

Cans of tomato sauce, diced tomatos and minced onion/garlic/herbs

1 large onion
3 large cloves of garlic
3 large fresh sweet basil leaves (more if you prefer)
Fresh oregano leaves (dried if you prefer). I use the large leave Mexican oregano so too much can be overpowering.
1/2 lb. to 1 lb. of beef (chuck roast, etc or ground beef). If you are grinding the beef at home, be sure that the beef has some fat on it.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

1/2 lb. beef is more than enough for my family. Too much is not very healthy.

Dice or mince onions, garlic, herbs by hand or in the food processor. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Ground up beef with meat grinder or food processor. Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Brown the meat thoroughly. There should not be any liquid in the pot. Add the olive oil and onion mixture. Fry a few minutes until the onion is no longer translucent. Add the tomato sauce/tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and then lower heat to low. Cover and simmer for at least an hour or more.

Serve with pasta or polenta. Top off with freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese. Serve with a green salad and garlic toast/bread.

Let's just say that my son's very picky-eater of a friend loves this sauce.

In Honor of Divine Mercy Sunday AND the Beatification of Pope John Paul II

2011-04-29T11:43:00.002-10:00

Pierogies!! Perfect to commemorate a great Catholic feast day and great Polish saints and a soon-to-be saint.

Pierogies fried in butter and green onions.

It was through Divine Providence that I read a site on using encouraging readers to use staples in their kitchen in order to make meals. One suggestion was for homemade pierogies. Pierogies? Why, that is a Polish dumpling! Venerable John Paul II is Polish. St. Faustina is Polish. I am very thankful to the God for revealing this magnificent feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, through His Polish saints... St. Faustina, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Pope John Paul II, Sister Faustina's confessor, Blessed Sopocko.

My family loves Pierogies. You can get very good Pierogies in New Jersey because some of the northern towns have large Polish population, e.g. Garfield. The best you can do in Hawaii is the frozen Mrs. T brand. I have been wanting to make Pierogies for a long time but never got around to it until yesterday that is.

I had to do a little research on the internet. I found three recipes that I sort of spliced together to come up with the one I thought would be like the ones I remember eating back home.

My family and I loved them! I prepared them the way my sister told me her husband liked them with butter and green onions. The recipe is below.

I made a lot of filling so I hope to make some more Pierogies today. BTW, how is it pronounced? Pier-oo-gees? or Pier-oo-hard G?

Recipe One
Recipe Two
Recipe Three

I modified the recipes to utilize ingredients I had at hand and the amount so that some could be frozen for later.

Ingredients:

Pierogi Dough

Dough:

2 eggs
2/3 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
Approximately 2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then knead until the dough somewhat elastic. Approximately 10 minutes of kneading time. Cover and let rest for approximately 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.

Potato Cheese Filling

Filling:

5 Medium sized potatoes
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons yogurt
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Medium onion, diced and fried in 2 tablespoons butter (or extra virgin olive oil) until onions are well browned but not burnt.

Peel and boil potatoes in salted water until a fork goes in easily. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the browned onions, yogurt and cheddar cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Divide the dough into four parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough very thin but not paper thin. Cut into rounds. I used a clean tuna can to cut the rounds.

Fill with approximately 1/2 tablespoon full of filling and fold the dough over and press to seal tightly. If the sides with not stick together, use a little water to help seal the Pierogies well.

Approximately 30 small Pierogies

Recipe:

2 Tablespoons butter
3 large Green onions, minced

Saucepan with boiling salted water

Heat a skillet and add the butter. When the butter melts, add the green onions and brown being careful not to let the onions burn. Turn off heat.

Cook the Pierogies in the boiling salted water, approximately 7 at a time, until they float. Drain and to the skillet with the browned butter and green onions. Continue until 21 Pierogies are done. When the 21 Pierogies are in the skillet, turn the heat back on to medium and cook until the bottoms of the Pierogies are golden brown.

Serves 3 for lunch or light dinner.

Serve with a green salad.

BTW, I want to wish you an early Happy Feast of Divine Mercy!

My Shopping Trip to the Farmer's Market and the Importance of Supporting our Local Farmers

2011-04-28T14:41:00.003-10:00

The produce you see in the picture is usually what I buy every week at our local farmer's market.

1. Bag of baby greenleaf lettuce. I used to buy the hydroponic lettuce but I haven't seen that vendor lately.
2. Green onions - just until the ones in my garden are ready for cutting.
3. Grape tomatoes - So sweet! I was eating them like candy last evening.
4. Yukon gold potatoes - I can't believe how much longer these potatoes last compared to the ones in the supermarket.
5. Lemons or limes - Meyer lemons are my favorite. These are a must-have in the refrigerator at all times.
6. Cucumbers - These too last a lot longer that supermarket bought cukes.
7. Zucchini

My husband loves it when I bring home kettle corn from his favorite popcorn vendor. I haven't seen her in the last few weeks either. They also sell prepared food and until recently herb plants. We don't really purchase the prepared food but I make an exception once in a while for grilled abalone from the Big Island's Kona Coast. It is heaven on earth!! Try eating these with a squirt of lemon juice and hot sauce or soy sauce.

The above produce will last our family about a week. I supplement vegetables and fruits with sales from the supermarkets. But sadly, the produce I buy in the supermarket will go to waste if not used within a short time. The local produce on the other hand last a remarkably long time.

It is so important to Hawaii residents to support our local growers. I was reading that Hawaii depends so much on importing food for us that if God forbid we had a devastating natural disaster, we would only have enough food to last two weeks! A large percentage of Hawaii's food is shipped here from the mainland something like 80%.

For more information on a local farmer's market near you check out Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation. The local produce is fresher, tastier and you will be supporting our local farmers if you buy from the farmers. They in turn will grown more food locally for us to enjoy. And, hopefully, Hawaii can stop depending so much on the mainland.

Tasty Shrimp with Feta Cheese Recipe and Tips for Cooking in a Small Kitchen

2011-04-27T14:03:00.000-10:00

...and I thought my kitchen was tiny! Although my kitchen is small, it is spacious compared to the NYC apartment you will see in the video. Melissa Clark has some good tips and the shrimp dish she cooks looks so ono!

H/T to DefinitiveInk.

Peruvian Home Cooking - Aguadito de Pollo (Soupy Chicken Rice Stew)

2011-04-27T13:42:00.001-10:00

Aguadito de Pollo

One of my late father's favorite dishes was Aguadito de Pato. It was a soupy rice duck dish. The soupier the better my father liked it. My mother would make this special dish for him on his birthday. The rest of the year my mother made this tradition Peruvian dish using chicken.

The following is my mother's recipe for the chicken rice dish and slightly modified by me. Like my father, I like it soupy while my husband likes it thick. My son does not like cilantro so I usually make him a separate chicken dish utilizing the thighs which are his favorite part of the chicken.

Ingredients:

1 chicken cut up. Skin removed. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken. The gizzards, heart and liver can be used.
3/4 cup rice (washed and drained)
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp. Peruvian Aji Amarillo paste. Fresh hot chili such as jalapeño can be substituted if Aji Amarillo is hard to obtain.
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large can of ale or beer(My mom prefers Guinness). The best I could do was the beer you see in the photo. Light beer would be the last choice.
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 bunch fresh cilantro (washed well and dried)It should not be soaking wet.
1 large beer bottle or can of water *Together with the beer the liquid should add up to approximately 4 1/2 cups of water. Depends on whether the preference is for a thicker rice dish.
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Process the cilantro in a food processor or mince finely with a sharp knife.

Cilantro in small food chopper

Heat a Dutch Oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and place the chicken pieces in the pot. Brown well on both sides. Turn the chicken over only once.

Chicken, garlic, chilies and onions

Add garlic, onions and sauté a few minutes until cooked. Add the aji amarillo paste, cilantro and rice. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the beer/ale and water. Bring liquid to a boil and cover the pot. Lower to medium low and cook until rice is cooked. Add the peas and cook for approximately 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Cilantro has been added

Serve with boiled potatoes and green salad.

Beer and basic seasonings. I use course Hawaiian sea salt for all my cooking

Rice has been added

Beer adds a special flavor to this dish

Bringing the aguadito to a boil and then it will be simmered

Serves 4-6.

Easter Dinner

2011-04-26T13:54:00.000-10:00

I promised that if I remembered I would post a photo of the marinated roasted pork I made for Easter. Here it is:

How Does My Garden Grow?

2011-04-26T13:46:00.000-10:00

My plants are doing quite nicely! Usually in Spring it is the battle against the white flies and aphids. I noticed that with the help of some dead-headed marigolds that are placed on the plants themselves, the little buggers do not seem to be as pesky. But I will keep my fingers crossed and hope that I did not speak too soon.

Hibiscus

Hawaiian Chili Pepper

HECO (the electric company) has a tree give-away in November. Last November I picked a small plant, a Hawaiian Chili Pepper plant. In the past I have chosen Plumeria trees because I love the smell of Plumeria flowers.

Green Onions and Tomato plants

Once I spent 7.00 on a large green onion planter thinking that I would spend 6.00 more than I usually do but I would have green onions that would last forever. (I use a lot of green onions in cooking). Sadly, that was just not the case. It seemed to me that the green onions dried out much quicker than I had anticipated.

Then it occurred to me since green onions have roots I would leave two inches above the root part and plant them in potting soil. Guess what? I have lots of green onion plants growing quite well!! I also grow cilantro this way. They too have roots that take well in potting soil.

As for the tomato plant you see growing in the photo. That was a sucker plant that I removed from the beef steak tomato plant currently growing. The sucker has taken root and will soon be producing tomatoes.

I enjoy growing plants that I get for free or just about for free. It bothers me to think of all the money I have spend at the garden centers only to watch the plants wither up and die. What a waste!

Baby Eggplant

The Mama Aloe (pronounced a-lo-e) plant

I know have many, many baby aloe plants growing. They are much needed here since I am prone to burning my hand when cooking.

Azalea

This is our newest addition to our garden. But it has not yet been planted. My friend gave it to me for Easter. I haven't had an azalea plant since I lived in New Jersey.

Not shown here are plumeria, papaya, sweet basil lettuce, pineapple, sweet potatoes, celery, etc.

Easter Dinner - Peruvian Marinated Roast Pork

2011-04-23T09:53:00.002-10:00

In my family the traditional Easter (Pascua de Resurrección) meat is a marinated roast pork. Thank God for fresh picnic ham because it comes with the skin because the crispy skin is my favorite part of the roast pork.

The fresh picnic ham I bought is almost 8 lbs. It has been marinating for almost a week in the refrigerator. Tomorrow when we return home from Easter Sunday Mass, it will be popped into the oven and roasted slowly until the meat just about falls apart. Then with a sharp knife the skin will be separated/lifted from the meat and broil until the skin is crackly and crunchy. I have to be careful not to burn it!

Family tradition is to serve this roast with roasted fresh sweet potatoes or yams, white long grain rice, green salad. Easter candy for dessert. I think I will also make white and semi-sweet chocolate dipped-fresh strawberries.

Marinade Ingredients:

1 Fresh Picnic Ham (rinsed and dried) weight: approximately 7-8 lbs.

Approximately 2 cups vinegar (Cider or white)
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Approximately 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. Hawaiian Salt (less if you are using table salt or as per your preference)
Black pepper to taste
1 large head of garlic (not one clove. We will be using all the cloves in that head)
Few fresh oregano leaves or (approximately 1/4 tsp dried)
Few fresh basil leaves or (Approximately 1/4 dried)
Herbs like Chives, green onions, mint can be used
Approximately 1 tsp Goya's Adobo Seasoning (optional)
1 envelope Goya's Sazon Seasoing (optional)
Approximately 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cumin

Process in all above ingredients (except the oil and the vinegar) together to get a paste. This can also be done by hand by mincing all the herbs and blending it with the salt, pepper and other seasonings.

Use the largest bowl you have that can hold the picnic ham comfortably. My largest bowl was a bit snug. Oh well... Add the vinegar and oil to the bowl. Blend together with a whisk. Score the skin or poke the skin with a sharp knife. Rub the seasoning paste all over the pork. Place the ham carefully into the vinegar.

Marinate the pork in refrigerator (make sure to cover tightly with cover or aluminum foil) for the minimum of three whole days. The longer it marinates, the tastier the meat.

Preheat oven at 325 degrees UPDATED NOTE: After 4 hours, the roast pork was still pink. So back it went into the oven at a higher temperature (350 degrees) for another hour. Then the meat was just the way I originally wanted it. Delicious too!

Place aluminum foil in the bottom of the roasting pan for easier clean up (optional). Place roast on the aluminum foil. Roast pork slowly for approximately 4 hours or more. (approximately 35 minutes per pound) It is hard to over-cook pork but try to watch it after the first two hours. The roast will be ready when the meat is no longer pink or even slightly pink is done. If you prefer the meat to fall apart, like we do, cook it the extra time. Then follow directions for broiling the skin.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

Wash by scrubbing one or two sweet potatoes per person (such as Okinawan). Dry and place in a baking dish or they can be placed directly onto the oven rack. Approximately one hour before the roast is ready, place the sweet potatoes in the oven and roast until a fork goes in easily.

If I remember, I will post pictures of the roasted pork on Monday.

My First Attempt at Hot Cross Buns

2011-04-21T13:55:00.003-10:00

This is the first time I made Hot Cross Buns and the first time I will be eating them. That was a really good recipe to follow even though mine came out a little bigger than the Pioneer Woman. I think I made mine tennis ball size and not golf ball size ;-)

Some Meatless Meal Ideas for Good Friday

2011-04-21T11:52:00.001-10:00

I still haven't decided what to make for our main Good Friday meal. My mom always made Bacalao with Garbanzo beans. Bacalao is salted codfish. Very tasty. I cannot always find Bacalao in Hawaii so that means we really don't have a Good Friday traditional meal. The following are a few dishes I am considering:

1. Pasta with Pesto

Homemade Pasta with Pesto and Calabrese Salad

I may have enough fresh basil leaves to make a quick Pesto sauce. However, since it is Good Friday, I will not be able to make fresh pasta tomorrow. I am not sure I have enough time to make pasta today since I am already working on the Hot Cross Buns dough. Pesto with Macadamia Nuts Recipe.

2. Vegetable Cakes (Zucchini)

I made the above meal the other evening. Zucchini cakes made almost like you would crab cakes from Relish magazine recipe I mom shared. Garlic lemon with mayonnaise sauce. I also served broccoli and cauliflower with Bechamel sauce in a baked potato along with artichoke and garlic vinaigrette. Although my husband and I loved the all veggie meal, my son was very disappointed there was no meat in his food.

3. Fr. Leo's Eggplant Caponata

Fr. Leo of Food for the Soul has the most delicious Eggplant Caponata recipe. I serve it with white rice like Father suggests.

4. Pizza

My husband put his favorite toppings on this one. Black olives and green peppers. My son and I like plain old cheese pizza. I finally found a pizza dough recipe I like a lot. It was in the Mary Ann Esposito's cookbook Nella Cucina. This dough would probably make good zeppoles too.

Meatless Recipe: Rice Pilau with Garlic Shrimp and "Raita"

2011-04-19T13:38:00.002-10:00

Rice Pilau is one of my family's favorite rice dishes. It is hearty enough to be the main course. I like variety in my foods so I usually serve Rice Pilau with meat as a side dish. In this case, shrimp was the side dish. The original recipe for Rice Pilau came from an international cookbook. It was either Betty Crocker International Cookbook or Betters Home and Garden International Cookbook. I do not remember. It was my mother's cookbook.

Rice Pilau

The following is my recipe for Rice Pilau.

Combination of rice and lentils waiting to be washed

Combination raisins and Craisins

Chopped onions

Ingredients:

1 cup rice (I used half white and half brown rice for this dish)
1/2 cup dried lentils (make sure to rinse)
1/2 cup diced or chopped onions
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and approximately 1/2 tbsp. butter (the butter can be omitted) The original recipe calls for Ghee. Click the "Ghee" for recipe if you prefer a more authentic Indian flavor.
1/2 cup raisins (I used 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup Craisins).
2 Tsp. Chicken Bouillion
1 Tsp. or more depending on your preference of Curry Powder. Note: when I do not have curry powder I use approximately 1/2 tsp. cumin and 1 tablespoon Turmeric. Even if you do use Curry Powder, you can add the additional spices.
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cup boiling water

Garnish: Toasted almond slivers
Fresh Cilantro leaves

Rice Pilau goes into oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a heavy large skillet or even a heavy saucepan, add the oil and butter (or Ghee), rice, lentils and onions. Stir in raisins, chicken bullion, curry (or Turmeric and cumin), and salt to taste. Pour into an ungreased casserole dish (I used a Pyrex dish). Carefully, pour boiling water over the contents of the baking dish. There should be approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of water over the top of the rice. It does not have to be perfect. If too much water, the rice will be very soft. If too little water, it may be a little hard on top of the rice. Bake in oven until all the water is absorbed.

Garnish with toasted almond slivers and fresh cilantro leaves. You can omit the garnishes if you prefer.

Rice Pilau coming out of oven

Rice Pilau with Shrimp and Garlic, Raita and Fresh Pineapple Spears

Shrimp and Garlic:

1/2 lb. to 1 lb. large Shrimp (21/25 count) shelled and deveined
3 large minced garlic cloves
Extra virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dry shrimp on paper towels. Set aside. Heat skillet. Add oil and garlic. When garlic is lightly brown, add shrimp and fry until brown. Turn over and fry for another few seconds or so. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from stove immediately and set aside.

Raita (Cucumber with Yogurt)

Raita is the Indian version of cucumber and yogurt. The Greeks call it Tzatziki.

The following is my version of this salad. I do not know if it really Indian though...

1 large Japanese cucumber, remove seeds and peel. Diced.
1/2 cup plain yogurt. Greek Yogurt would be good. I used the homemade yogurt I made earlier.
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Minced Spearmint (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Extra virgin olive oil (drizzle...also optional).
Pinch of Cumin (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Fresh Pineapple Spears

Cutting the pineapple with a Chinese cleaver

Pineapple spears

I was able to find another small sweet pineapple. It went well with this meal because the sweetness of the pineapple accompanied the the savory flavors very nicely.

Serves 3 to 4

Recipe for Hot Cross Bun:s a Good Friday Tradition

2011-04-19T08:51:00.002-10:00

Picture source

Although, I am very familiar with this nursery rhyme and have seen them in bakeries my entire life, I have never tasted a Hot Cross Bun, let alone made one. Fellow Catholic blogger Helen shared a recipe from the Pioneer Woman, on her blog that I think I would like to try:

Hot Cross Buns

She wrote:

Hot Cross Buns are as synonymous with Good Friday. I usually buy these as they are not expensive, but someone encouraged me to make them. Here is a great recipe, I found at The Pioneer Woman.

The Family Meal - Getting Your Family to the Table

2011-04-18T14:42:00.000-10:00

My friend Janina shared an interesting article regarding the family meal. I know I have mentioned this either on this blog or my main blog, that the family meal has been a tradition in my family ever since I was a little girl. Family meals are very important to the Hispanic family. The family meal is also very important in our home today. Even with my family's busy schedule, we try to eat dinner together every evening.

Here is the article.

My First Attempt at Using the Pasta Machine

2011-04-16T14:02:00.000-10:00

I have made homemade pasta a few times in the past. It was a lot of work, kneading, rolling, cutting and drying. Then my mom gave me a gift certificate which I used to buy a pasta machine. Only, I watched my mom make the wonton skins on it. I did not attempt to use it. Then my mom returned home. I thought that would be the end of homemade wontons until either she or I visited each other.

The other day I decided to attempt learning how to use the pasta machine. I had no clue on how it worked. I wanted to know what ingredients I needed for the pasta and step-by-step instructions on using the simple pasta machine. So I searched and found the following video and it answered my basic questions.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
4 large eggs

That was it! Also rice flour to use to keep the dough from sticking. However, using this measurement and kneading the dough long enough has made the dough so well that I have not required any additional flour to keep it from sticking.

Directions:

You knead and knead for approximately 10 minutes like the guy in the video instructs us to. It also helped to whack the counter or bowl with the dough ball. Somehow that helped the gluten become elastic-y.

My first attempt was not exactly a success because I did not roll the dough to as thin as I could have. It took approximately 10 minutes for this pasta to cook when it should have only taken a few minutes. See photos below:

Compare the thickness of the pasta above with my second attempt:

Believe me, this pasta was much thinner and only took approximately 3 minutes to cook.

Then I made dough for homemade wonton soup. This dough could have been a little thicker. If the dough is too thin, then it sticks together or it tears, making filling with meat and folding into wontons, very difficult to do.

The dough leaves on the left were just flour and water.
The yellowish dough on the right was made with eggs.

Dough needs to be very thin for wonton skins

waiting to be cut into wonton skins for filling

So I know more of less have the hang of changing certain settings on the knob for the appropriate thickness.

I believe I pass the dough one time at #2. Fold the dough over left and right side. Pass it through a couple more times. Then I pass the dough through a couple of times on #3, then couple of times on #5 and then once on #7. This worked for me. It may be different for someone else.

And, that is it.

Work of Art Featuring Food - The Marriage Feast at Cana

2011-04-14T14:47:00.000-10:00

Formerly attributed it to Hieronymus Bosch

Picture source

Notice how they are dressed according to the time period and region of the artist. (c. 1555)

Veggie Art

2011-04-14T10:22:00.002-10:00

Well, since this is a food blog, I thought I would share a link to Veggie Art.

Mahalo to Brother John for sharing.

Passover Recipes for the Seder Meal

2011-04-14T10:02:00.000-10:00

Picture source

Our Jewish brothers and sisters will be celebrating Passover on April 19th. Thanks to Foodista, I found recipes for some of my favorites:

Potato Latkes - traditionally served during Hanukkah

Matzo Ball Soup

Roasted Beef Brisket

There is also a recipe for Gefilte Fish Dip. But maybe I should try Gefilte fish first. Somehow, this dish has never appealed to me. Who knows, I may end up liking it after all.

NY Archbishop Timothy Doland celebrating at a Passover Seder

Picture source

Our parish will be celebrating with a Seder meal this Saturday. It has become an annual traditional for our church. It seems more and more Catholic parishes want to remember our Jewish roots by having a Seder meal. Does your parish do this? I know there is a controversy on whether or not Catholic/Christians should do this.

I found a guideline for family observances for the Seder Meal over at Catholic Culture.

Bagels and "Lox"

2011-04-13T14:50:00.001-10:00

This was my sandwich on April Fool's Day....white cream cheese

Unlike my son's Bagel and Lox which I dyed green.
I dyed my husband's cream cheese orange as an April Fool's joke.

My husband surprised me the other day by being in the mood for Bagels and Lox. After all, he hails from Colorado, not exactly the bagel capital of the world. But I thought it was a great idea! Where do the best bagels come from? I think they come from New Jersey but then again, I am biased.

I bought the bagels seen in the photo from a local supermarket. Since then I have attempted to make my own bagels. They were not bad. I still prefer the ones from Hot Bagels in Fair Lawn...crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside..and hot! (Fair Lawn has a large Jewish community, well at least it did when I lived in New Jersey. So Fair Lawn had the best bagels. Hopefully, they still do.) Pair that with a cup of hot coffee and you have a breakfast made in heaven. Those bagels are so good, you don't even need the cream cheese.

Hot Bagels straight from the oven

Bagels and a "schmear" of cream cheese

Esther's Bagel and "Lox"

3 large bagels (fresh or toasted) split in half
4 ounces of wild smoked salmon (Vita has wild smoked salmon which is healthier)
1 small sweet Onion sliced thinly
1 large tomato sliced thinly
1 tablespoon capers
Freshly ground pepper
Softened cream cheese (room temperature)

Spread the bottom bagel halves with cream cheese. Place capers on top of the cream cheese. Divide the salmon into three parts and place each portion on each bagel bottom, on top of cream cheese. Add the onion slices and tomato slices. Finish off with freshly ground pepper and serve.

Serves 3

Peruvian Recipe: Lomo Saltado

2011-04-12T13:04:00.000-10:00

Since we are still in Lent and should be refraining from overindulgence or feasting, I only had a small piece of beef in the freezer. We haven't had beef in quite a while and I thought it would a welcome change to eat meat instead of the chicken we have been eating lately in every shape and form.

I was in the mood for my mother's home cooking and therefore I made a traditional Peruvian/Chinese dish (otherwise known as "chifa") for dinner last evening. The dish is "Lomo Saltado" Lomo is the tenderloin of a meat and saltado means "skipped". I guess this refers to the stir frying involved.

Getting the ingredients ready

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. of good quality beef (preferably the tenderloin), cut into medium sized strips
1 large onion cut into 8 wedges (I used Ewa Sweet onions) Click here to watch a short video starring Ewa Sweet Onions ;-)
1 Green Pepper cut into strips. Usually this dish calls for Aji Amarillo fresco (a fresh Peruvian chili) but I only had ground aji. I substituted the green pepper and two small fresh Hawaiian peppers with the seeds removed.
2 Medium tomatoes cut into wedges. Be sure to remove the seeds
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tbsp. Red wine vinegar. (I was going to use the wine you see pictured but changed my mind and used the traditional vinegar)
Approximately 2 tbsp. Soy sauce
Approximately 2 tbsp. vegetable oil.

3 or 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into french fries. Deep fry the potatoes and set aside while you make the beef dish.

In a wok or large cast iron skillet, heat over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic. Fry garlic until lightly brown. Add the beef and raise the heat to high. Stir fry the beef until it is fried. Add the onions and continue stir frying for two or more minutes. Be careful not to overcook the onions. Add the peppers and stir fry them for approximately two minutes. Again, be careful not to overcook the vegetables.
Add the tomatoes last and stir fry for a minute or two. Add the vinegar and soy sauce. Stir fry until well blended and remove from heat.

Green Peppers and Hawaiian Chili Peppers

Finished Lomo Saltado

Serve with a serving of the beef dish, french fries and white rice on the side. If may have to adjust the salt a bit.

Serves 4

Osso Buco and Risotto alla Milanese

2011-04-09T13:56:00.000-10:00

Osso Buco and Risotto alla Milanese

It is very hard to find veal shanks in Hawaii. When I am able to find it, I buy it because it is my husband's all-time favorite meal. I usually make it once a year on his birthday. FYI, for many years I boycotted veal...sigh...

The recipe I use comes from another of my favorite cookbooks for Italian cooking...The Food of the World: The Cooking of Italy by Time-Life. There are many recipes I make often such as the Risotto that accompanies the Osso Buco.

The recipe is fairly easy to follow. I found online versions here for the Osso Buco recipe and here for the Risotto alla Milanese recipe.

Making the risotto

The sauce that will braise the veal shanks or Osso Buco


Osso Buco cooking in the oven

Served on our everyday plates. It looks better on the good plates

Fried Rice with Peas and Green Onions

2011-04-07T13:25:00.000-10:00

Recipe:

Approximately 3 cups cold cooked rice (a long grain rice such as Jasmine would be preferable)
1 bunch of green onions, washed, dried and sliced thinly
1 cup of thawed frozen peas
Zest of one lemon or lime
approximately 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet. Add the oil. Fry half of the green onions until they appear crisp and brownish. Add the rice and break up rice with a wooden spoon as it fries. Add the peas and the lemon zest. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with remaining green onion.

Shrimp Kabobs

2011-04-07T13:17:00.000-10:00

Shrimp Kabobs assembled and waiting for the hot grill

Shrimp Kabobs may look like an extravagant meal for Lent. But if you buy shrimp when it is on sale, you can prepare a decent meal at a very affordable price.

Grilled Shrimp Kabobs

Recipe:

Soak bamboo skewers in water while you prepare the shrimp and vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 large zucchini, sliced in thick half-moons
Fresh Pearl Onions, peeled (I used a large sweet onion, cut into large chunks)
1 basket of cherry or grape tomatoes (or cut a large ripe tomato into chunks. But this will be messy on the grill).

Marinate:
Juice of one lemon or lime, 3 garlic cloves large, minced, 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste). You can add minced fresh herbs to the marinate such as tarragon, chives, etc.

Alternate the shrimp and vegetables on the prepared skewers and set aside.

Served with Fried Rice with Green Onions and Peas

Heat up your grill. I use the stove top cast iron grill we bought a long time ago from Williams Sonoma for grilling when I need to grill and the other side for making pancakes. It is very versatile.

Brush the grooved-sided grill with olive oil. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook on medium high until the shrimp pink. The tomatoes and zucchini will have the grill marks on it. Turn once to finish cooking the other side and remove from grill.

Shrimp Kabobs with Cherry Tomatoes

Shrimp Kabobs Version 2

Serves 4. I served the first version with fried rice with peas and green onions. Recipe will be posted later and fresh sliced cantaloupe melon.

Chicken Stir fry with Shittake Mushrooms and Salted Black Beans

2011-04-06T17:49:00.000-10:00

Stir fry and Brown/White Rice in Bowl

My husband wants to eat healthier. Even though we try to eat healthy, there are some room for improvements. In my husband's case, more fiber, less meat. Today we were fortunate to find fresh Shittake mushrooms at the farmer's market. I saved half a chicken breast from the other day so I thought a stir fry would be a good idea.

Preparing the vegetables

Recipe:

Chicken:

1 large chicken breast, skinned and sliced moderately thin.
1 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. corn starch
1 small fresh chili pepper (I used Hawaiian chilies which are very small but hot.) Remove seeds

Mix the sauce ingredients with the chicken slices. Set aside.

Vegetables:

8 oz. fresh Shittake mushrooms (substitute white or brown mushrooms if you cannot find Shittake)
1 large carrot sliced thinly and diagonally
1 large celery stalk, sliced thinly
3 green onions, sliced diagonally
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salted black beans (Chinese Tausi)
vegetable oil or peanut oil

Thickening Sauce:

1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. corn starch

Having ingredients ready in separate bowls

Heat a wok (I used the largest cast iron I have because I did not to go through the trouble of pulling out the wok) on high heat. Add approximately 1 tsp. of oil.

Stir fry the mushroom slices until lightly brown all over and slightly limp. Remove to dish. Add a little more oil if needed and stir fry the carrots and celery quickly for approximately 1 minute. Remove to another dish. Add more oil if needed. Add the garlic and brown until lightly brown, (be careful not to burn) and add the Tausi. Stir fry quickly for approximately 2 seconds or so and add the chicken. Stir fry until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Add the vegetables, stir frying quickly. Add the sauce and thicken for a minute or more. Garnish with the green onion slices and remove from stove top. Serve with combo brown/white rice.

Chinese Chicken Stir fry

Serves 3. You can add more of chicken and vegetables to serve more. Be sure to make a little more sauce if that is the case.

Calabrese Salad

2011-04-05T10:45:00.000-10:00

See the flour on the counter. I had just finished making pizza.

One of my favorite salads is Calabrese Salad. I believe that the ones I ate in the Italian restaurants in New Jersey only drizzled on extra virgin olive oil. According to this site, the salad is not served with mozzarella in Italy.

I used to only make this salad when the Jersey tomatoes we planted back home were ripe and ready for eating. They are in my humble opinion the best tasting of all tomatoes!

I make this often when we can get good tomatoes and cheese

My Version:

Fresh mozzarella cheese (without salt) Corrado's in Clifton, NJ has my favorite. Here in Hawaii, I have been using the one Costco sells which is pretty good.
Home grown tomatoes if possible or alternatively locally grown tomatoes from the Farmer's market.
Fresh basil leaves
Good quality Balsamic Vinegar
Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper

First Attempt at Homemade Sauerkraut

2011-04-05T10:20:00.000-10:00

Like most people looking for instructions on the internet, I found and used Wild Fermentation's Making Sauerkraut is Easy!. The way the writer explains each is step really made my first attempt fun and successful.

Cabbage and salt in the crock on Day 1

Cabbage goes on sale right before St. Patrick's Day. I bought two giant heads of cabbage for about 1.00 each. One we ate on St. Patrick's Day and the other one I saved to try my hand at homemade sauerkraut. I did not weigh the cabbage but I am sure it weighed at least 5 pounds.

Since I have the old-fashioned crock pot with the heavy ceramic pot, I decided to use it for the sauerkraut. Once I found a plate that would fit inside everything else would be easy. I found the perfect fitting plate. It was an Italy plate that I bought at a second had store a while back. It also fit very well inside the crock pot. I used the large Arizona Tea container for the weight by filling it with water.

All went well for a few days, until the weight of the bottle was too much for the plate causing the plate to break. Fortunately, I was able to find another plate almost as good.

The whole thing was covered with a clean dish towel and some clips to hold the towel snuggly over the crock pot and bottle of water. Apparently, flies love sauerkraut. So you want to protect your sauerkraut as it ferments.

Day 7 or 8

I found the cabbage to be extremely salty. Next time I think I will cut back on the salt amount. The cabbage and salt did release enough brine to cover the plate so I was happy about that.

I started taste-testing every day. After a week, I slowly started to taste a subtle sauerkraut flavor. But it was not yet tangy enough. So I gave it another 3 to 4 days before it was ready. I think next time, I will not rush and will wait even longer for a more tangier flavor. BTW, the saltiness did lessen as the sauerkraut aged. But I still think I will use less salt.

Sauerkraut is ready to pack in jars

Here it is the sauerkraut read to be packed. I only encountered the slime mentioned in sauerkraut making once, towards almost the end of the process. This slime should be removed or it will negatively affect the taste of the sauerkraut.

Homemade sauerkraut ready for the refrigerator

I sanitized the new canning jars before filling them with the sauerkraut. It was then refrigerated and eaten with hot dogs on Sunday. I wasn't convinced I was successful but my husband, of German blood, loved the flavor.

Pineapple Iced Tea

2011-03-31T15:59:00.000-10:00

Pineapples and Tea

Safeway had a sale on pineapples the other day. Believe it or not, sometimes the pineapples they sell at our grocery store are not grown in Hawaii. Fortunately, on the day of this particular sale, the pineapples were grown not only in Hawaii but were Maui Gold! Maui Gold pineapples are small and super sweet!

Picture source

I had to let the pineapples finish ripening a few days after I brought them home. We could tell they were ripe by the lovely smell of pineapple in the kitchen. I cut the pineapple up for eating. This is the best way to eat fresh pineapple...it if sweet. As is my custom which I learned from my mother, I saved the outer shell and core for making pineapple water and the top for planting in the garden.

Pineapple water: Boil the outer shell and core in 3 cups of water for about one hour on low heat. Discard the boiled down pineapple parts and cool the pineapple water.

The pineapple top has new growth on top.

Pineapple Iced Tea

Ingredients:

2 bags of tea (such as Lipton)
8 oz of water
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 pitcher full of water
Juice from one large lemon or lime
Pineapple water

I usually microwave the two tea bags in the 8 oz of water for two minutes. Cool for 10 minutes or so. You can boil water on the stove for the tea instead if you prefer.

Add the sugar and lemon juice to the 1/2 pitcher full of water. Then add the tea and the pineapple water. Stir well and refrigerate until cold.

My Weekly Bread Baking

2011-03-29T13:39:00.000-10:00

Kneading the dough

In the supermarket I was buying whole wheat bread that we really did not like, for almost 5.00 a loaf. Then I started buying bread at the local farmer's market. I would buy one loaf of either sourdough or whole wheat for 4.00 a loaf and French baguette for 2.00. This was 6.00 a week for bread that usually ran out before the week was over.

I used to make bread at home but I thought it was too much work and I really did not like the white bread too much.

I went to Down to Earth, a local natural store that sells organic and vegetarian products. I bought what I call flaky wheat germ but is really raw wheat germ (not the hard one the supermarket sells..toasted wheat germ) and decided it would be good for bread. And it was very good. I think this recipe is a hit with my family, including me, who really isn't much of a bread fan.

Waiting for the second rising

Ingredients:

Approximately 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup raw wheat germ
1 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Finished baking

Combine two cups of the flour with the yeast.

In a small saucepan, heat the water, oil, brown sugar and salt until warm. It should feel warm to the touch, but not too hot or cold. You then add this mixture to the flour and yeast and mix with a large spoon. You can use an electric mixer but I prefer to use a spoon and my clean hands. Add the wheat germ and some more of the flour. Add the flour gradually and mix with your hands until you can form a ball that will hold its shape but not be too sticky. Continue kneading until you have a moderately stiff dough. The dough should be smooth and elastic-y. Grease another large bowl or spray with PAM. Form the dough into a bowl, roll the dough ball once in the greased bowl. Cover and place in an oven and until it rises. This should take approximately an hour or so.

Bread cooling on rack

Once the dough has risen, punch down. Divide the ball in half and place on a floured surface. Cover and let rest for approximately 10 minutes. Lightly grease your bread pans. I use two different shaped Pyrex baking dishes. Place your dough in each one, cover and let it rise again for another hour or so.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. The bread will sound hollow when thumped with your fingers, when done.

Alton Brown- Making noodles by hand

2011-03-28T16:05:00.000-10:00

Amazing!

H/T to The Anchoress

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-03-28T14:06:00.000-10:00

My husband needed a little cheering up the other day so I thought I would bake a Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I never made this cake before. It went over well with my husband though and I am happy about that. As you will see from the photo, I used the recipe from the Good Housekeeping Illustrated cookbook. One of my favorite cookbooks.

The Recipe

The Yellow Cake Batter

Ready for the Oven

Baking in the Oven

Pineapple Upside Down Cake right out of the oven

Chocolate Ice Cream

2011-03-25T11:29:00.000-10:00

Preparing the chocolate for ice cream

One of my family's favorite treats is homemade ice cream. Although vanilla ice cream is easier to make, the extra effort in making chocolate ice cream is well-worth the trouble. I use the recipe that came with the Cuisinart ice cream maker but I have modified it to fit my family's tastes. We do not like our ice cream so rich and creamy. I therefore use half-n-half and 2 percent milk instead of heavy cream.

Mixing the chocolate base with the cream

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk (I use one cup half-n-half)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (broken into 1/2 inch pieces) (I use good quality chocolate chips)
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled (I used 1 cup 2 percent milk and 1 cup half-n-half)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt - Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

Heat the whole milk until it is just bubbling around the edges (this may be done on the stovetop or in a microwave). In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse to process the sugar with the chocolate until the chocolate is very finely chopped. Add the hot milk, process until well blended and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and let the chocolate mixture cool completely. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste. Chill for 30 minutes or longer.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Turn the machine ON, pour chilled mixture into freezer bowl** through ingredient spout and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Getting ready to store in freezer

**I found that the freezer bowl should be in the freezer a minimum of 2 full days in order to be cold enough to freeze the ice cream.

Catholics Can Abstain from Abstaining from Meat Tomorrow

2011-03-24T15:32:00.000-10:00

Picture source

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Annunciation. It is a solemnity. You can read more about it at Aggie Catholics.

Something I Want to Do: Growing Potatoes in a Barrel

2011-03-18T14:44:00.000-10:00

4 Simple Steps to Grow a Hundred Pounds of Potatoes in a Barrel

I would be happy with 10 potatoes. I really will try to do this.

H/T Living on a Dime.

Our St. Patrick's Day Dinner with the New and Improved Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-18T14:35:00.000-10:00

St. Patrick Day prayers and New Irish Soda Bread

I really shouldn't be posting about meat during a Friday in Lent, but that is what happens when St. Patrick's Day falls on a Thursday.

We had the usual Corned Beef and Cabbage prepared the usual way and served with the usual condiment, yellow mustard. Would you believe I got the corned beef for .79 a pound! Our local market Foodland, offered this deal because we racked up points. Cabbage was only .15 a lb. I think Hawaii had better deals than some supermarkets in New Jersey.

I cooked the corned beef on the stove. I have tried slow cooking it but I get busy and forget about it and before you know it, the corned beef is too over cooked for my taste. This time, I actually watched the pot carefully. Once the corned beef was cooked, I removed it and then added the cabbage, fresh potatoes from the local farmer's market (what a difference fresh produce makes, right?) and carrots. The farmer's market did not have the multi colored carrots with the tops this week so I settled for the big ones they had. The ones I wanted were small carrots.

Flavorful potatoes from the Farmer's market

But I think what made this year's dinner special was a new Irish Soda Bread recipe I tried. Well-known Catholic blogger The Anchoress shared her Italian mother in law's recipe on her blog Another well known blogger and friend of the Anchoress' Deacon Greg had to say this about that bread "Best Soda Bread, Ever"

I was a little cautious that this version of Irish Soda Bread could be that good so I only made half the amount. Frankly, once we eat a little of the usual Irish Soda Bread hot from the oven, I usually end up throwing the rest of the uneaten portion away. Shame isn't it?

Let's just say today, there is no more Irish Soda Bread. Now I wish I had made the entire amount called for in the recipe. Sigh...it was so good. It is moist like the deacon noted but I wouldn't necessary go as far as to say it was like a cake. It was more like a quick bread. I used both dried cranberries and raisins and we liked it!

Grandma's Baked Beef Macaroni Casserole

2011-03-17T15:06:00.000-10:00

Bolognese Sauce

One of my husband's fond memories was his mother's baked macaroni. I wanted to recreate this dish for my husband to make him happy. Unfortunately, his mother passed away a long time ago. Without telling my husband what I was planning on doing, I had him recall what he remembered of the recipe. Finally, I told him what I was planning. It made him so happy, I was afraid my version was going to disappoint. Right before I placed the dish in the oven to bake he called and told me he remembered that his mother may have added a "little milk" to the tomato sauce. That made me think his mother actually made a Bolognese sauce to mix with the pasta.

Ready for the oven

Turns out my husband rated my version as 9 out of 10 as coming close to the taste memory he had of his mother's original. BTW, my son loved it!

Right out of the hot oven

Ingredients:
Bolognese Sauce* I used approximately 3 to 4 cups cooked sauce.
1 box whole wheat elbow macaroni (or use the regular kind), cooked al dente and drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish (I used the largest Pyrex baking dish I had). I used PAM. Add the cooked pasta and the sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, cover with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 1 hour or until cheese and sauce are bubbling.

Serve with a green salad.

Bolognese Sauce

2011-03-17T15:05:00.000-10:00

Bolognese Sauce

My mother's Peruvian version of this classic Italian sauce is to brown a large beef roast in hot oil until nicely brown all over before adding the tomato sauce, etc. After simmering for a long time until the meat is fork tender, she removes the meat and shreds it before adding it back to the sauce to serve. It is a very delicious pasta sauce which can also be served with polenta.

I have modified this one to use with ground beef instead.

Ingredients:
1 lb. freshly ground beef (make sure the beef cuts has some fat on it otherwise the ground beef will not be so tender). The Cuisinart works well for grinding up the meat.
1 large onion, diced finely
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot shredded
1 large celery finely sliced
1 large can of good canned tomato sauce or canned whole tomatoes if you prefer
1/4 to 1/2 cup half and half (or milk)
Fresh basil and oregano (or dried)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

Heat a large saucepan, add the ground beef and brown thoroughly. When you hear the oil sizzling and the meat is brown, add the garlic and onions. Fry for a few minutes together with the meat and then add the celery, carrots, basil leaves and oregano. Add the tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium low to low. (The electric stove I use needs to be on low). Simmer for approximately an hour or so. Then stir in the half-n-half or milk.

Shrimp Fra Diavlo

2011-03-16T13:17:00.000-10:00

Marinara sauce ingredients in the saucepan

This is my version of Shrimp Fra Diavlo. This brings back fond memories of my husband and I going out to eat in New Jersey. We would go to two really good Italian restaurants that served Lobster Fra Diavlo. You can just imagine how delicious that was!

Even though this is a meatless meal, I am reluctant to say it's a recipe for Lent because:

Cleaned shrimp on paper towel

1. We are using Shrimp (although these were bought on sale and a very good price).

2. Fra Diavlo translates to "Brother Devil" :-)

Shrimp Fra Diavlo

Ingredients:
Homemade marinara sauce. You can use the recipe I previously posted here
1/2 lb. to 1 lb. shrimp (after all we are still in Lent). Shelled and deveined.
Red Pepper Flakes or cayenne pepper
Cooked 1 lb. spaghetti or linguine
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place the raw shrimp on paper towel to absorb moisture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Cayenne Pepper or red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Your sauce should be simmering at this point. If your taste preference is spicy, you can add a little red pepper to the sauce while it is simmering. In the meantime, heat a skillet, add approximately 2 or 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place shrimp in skillet but do not crowd. Fry until lightly brown.

To serve. Ladle marinara sauce on top of cooked pasta and place the fried shrimp on top. Serve with green salad and garlic bread.

Meatless Meals from the Diocese of Honolulu

2011-03-15T16:31:00.000-10:00

You can check out their slideshow and even follow the link to the recipes here.

"How To Be a Budget Organic"

2011-03-15T14:16:00.000-10:00

Picture source
One of my friends shared this article on Facebook.

Homemade Yogurt

2011-03-14T19:04:00.000-10:00

Milk heating in saucepan

I only learned how to make yogurt at home. I had no idea how to begin. With a little help from a book and the internet, I have been quite successful in making yogurt. The following is the simple way I do it.

Sanitized Mason jars

Ingredients and Tools Needed:

2 Pints Milk (The less fat the thinner the yogurt. Do not use ultra-pasturized milk such as organic milk. I use 2 percent milk from a Hawaii dairy.
2 tablespoons live yogurt culture at room temperature (I save some of the previous homemade yogurt for this).

Live yogurt culture at room temperature

1 small saucepan
Approximately 3 sanitized Mason jars (2 medium sized and one small one)
1 Candy thermometer
1 heating pan
1 microfiber cloth or a kitchen towel
1 Kitchen towel

Heating pad covered with kitchen microfiber cloth

Heat milk in saucepan to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and cool to 110 degrees.

While the milk is warming, prepare the heating pad and cover with a clean microfiber cloth or kitchen towel.

When the milk is cooled to 110 degrees, stir in the room temperature live yogurt culture, fill the sanitized jars and cover tightly.

Place on the heating pad. Set the heating pad to warm. If you are using the heating pad that shuts off automatically, be sure to reset it after two hours. Once the jars are placed on heating pad, cover with a kitchen towel and do not disturb. After 3 or 4 hours, check the jars to see if the yogurt has thickened. (It may take as long as 8 hours. ) If you are using 2 percent milk like I did, the yogurt will be a slightly less thicker than if using whole milk and a little watery.

Homemade yogurt about to be refrigerated

Refrigerate immediately. I use this yogurt to make yogurt parfaits for my son and I use it in place of sour cream for all my recipes.

Ensalada Rusa Peruana - Peruvian Russian Salad

2011-03-12T14:19:00.000-10:00

This salad is very hearty and my mom usually served it as a side dish with Seco de Cordero (Peruvian lamb stew). During Lent, you can serve it as a meatless meal. Just make sure to make extra.

Usually my mom's recipe called for fresh boiled beets. When fresh beets are hard to find, canned beets will do. I have been fortunate to find fresh beets weekly at a local farmer's market. My recipe is similar to the traditional Peruvian recipes but I have modified it to fit my family's tastes.

BTW, this is not a Russian recipe. I think Peruvians gave it that name because of the pinkish color from the beets.

Ingredients:

4 large salad potatoes (Red, White or Yukon Gold)
2 large carrots
3 medium sized Roasted beets Recipe NOTE: We need these beets for the salad but just try the roasted beets next time with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar. You won't believe the wonderful taste!!

1 Celery stalk, sliced thinly
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed)
1 small onion, minced
2 - 3 tablespoons of a good quality mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes and carrots until tender. You can boil both together with the carrots on top of the potatoes. Just remember to check on the carrots for tenderness as they cook up faster than the potatoes.

Dice the cooled potatoes, carrots and beets. Add all the ingredients and blend well. As you can see from the above photo, I was in a rush to take the photo that I did not blend the salad as well as I should have.

Roasted Beets

2011-03-12T14:17:00.000-10:00

Roasted beets are incredibly delicious and easy to make. Remove the tops of the beets and use them in a stir fry. Do not throw away all those vitamins! Scrub the beets and quarter them. Place in a baking dish drizzle approximately 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for approximately 3/4 of an hour to an hour...or until the beets are tender.

Serve with a drizzling of Balsamic vinegar.

For Lent: Spicy Tilapia with Tomatoes

2011-03-10T11:56:00.000-10:00

Tilapia is a very versatile fish. I even make Peruvian ceviche with Tilapia. The following recipe is something I made the other day because I thought my family was tired of pan-fried Tilapia.

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia fillets (pat dry with paper towel)
Cayenne Pepper approximately 1/4 tsp.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium sized can of fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons or more of extra-virgin olive oil

Sprinkle the fish fillets with salt and pepper to taste along with the Cayenne pepper on one side. Heat a heavy skillet. Add the olive oil. Add the fish fillet and brown the bottom without turning the fish over. It will take approximately 2 or 3 minutes at medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the can of tomatoes and cover the skillet. Lower heat to medium low and continue to cook for approximately 15 minutes.

Serve with rice. Serves 4.

FOR LENT: Tilapia with Salted Black Beans and Green Onions

2011-03-09T13:54:00.000-10:00

This fish dish can be steamed but I baked this one in the oven.

Ingredients:

4 large Tilapia fillets
2 large green onions sliced diagonally approx. 1/2 inches in length
1 large piece of fresh ginger julienned (preferably young ginger with the paper thin skin). I understand you don't have to peel ginger to use. It is hard to peel. If you aren't going to peel, be sure you scrub the peel before cutting.
2 tablespoons of Chinese Tausi (salted black beans) Soak in warm water and drain. You can crush them with the back of a spoon for more flavor.
Salt and White Pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. Place the fish fillets in the greased baking dish. Season lightly with salt and white pepper. Cover the fish with the sliced green onions, ginger and Tausi. Drizzle with oil. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until fish is flaky.

Serve with steamed white rice and Baby Bok Choy with Garlic. See recipe below:

Baby Bok Choy with Garlic

2 cups (or more) baby bok choy or any other greens such as spinach, Swiss chard or other tender Chinese cabbage. Washed and dried. You do not have to cut the baby bok choy but you can cut the other greens if you prefer.
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon oil

Heat a wok or heavy skillet. Add the oil and garlic and brown. Note: CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE GARLIC. Add the greens to the browned garlic. Stirfry one minute and cover the skillet and lower the heat to low. After one or two minutes, uncover and pour the soy sauce over the greens.

Serves 4.

Yeast Donuts

2011-03-07T15:14:00.000-10:00

I was going to make malassadas for Mardi Gras tomorrow. Instead, my family and I had a hankering for homemade donuts yesterday. After eating our fill and then some, I don't think we will be in the mood for anymore sugary, fried dough any time soon. I used the Better Homes and Garden cookbook yeast donuts recipe.

Rolling out the dough

Cutting the donuts out and waiting for them to rise

I don't have a donut cutter so I make do with a salmon can and the top of my whistling teapot. As you can see, it does the job.

I used my old Frybaby. But I had to fry the donuts one at a time. Next time, I think I will use a cast iron skillet. My friend gave me the above cookie sheet/rack which also has a cover for it. Very convenient when making cookies and donuts.

Sugar donuts

The recipe called for a powered sugar icing. My husband preferred sugar donuts so sugar donuts it was. I used one cup sugar in a brown paper bag to cook 20 donuts and donut holes.

New Site Added to Sidebar - Kitchen Gardeners

2011-03-07T14:39:00.000-10:00

Kitchen Gardeners

MISSION
Kitchen Gardeners International is a 501c3 nonprofit community of over 20,000 people from 100 countries who are growing some of their own food and helping others to do the same, both near and far. Our mission is to empower individuals, families, and communities to achieve greater levels of food self-reliance through the promotion of kitchen gardening, home-cooking, and sustainable local food systems. In doing so, KGI seeks to connect, serve, and expand the global community of people who grow some of their own food.

Nine Reasons You Should Eat More Sweet Potatoes

2011-03-07T09:56:00.000-10:00

Sweet Potato plant grown in container

1. Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants, which work in the body to prevent inflammatory problems like asthma, arthritis, gout, and many more.

2. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates for those with blood sugar problems. These fibrous root vegetables can help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent conditions like insulin resistance.

3. Sweet potatoes are healthy for the digestive tract. Being rich in digestive fiber, especially when the skin is also consumed, it helps to relieve constipation and may prevent colon cancer.

Learn more: here.

Salads

2011-03-05T14:23:00.000-10:00

One of my favorite things to eat is salad. I probably could live on soup and salads.

Here are a few that I make for my family.

Radish and Romaine Lettuce Salad

This Radish and Romaine Lettuce dressing is super simple and goes well with either an oil and vinegar dressing or the Lemon-Olive Oil dressing (see below).
Slice red radishes very thinly and mix with hearts of Romaine Lettuce for best flavor.

Greek Salad with Boiled Egg

This is my version of a Greek Salad. Most of the produce is fresh from the local farmers' market. This salad contains slices of ripe red tomatoes, Japanese cucumbers, romaine lettuce, sliced sweet onions such as Ewa or Maui onions, Kalamata olives, Feta Cheese and for added protein, a boiled egg for each person. The dressing is the Lemon-Olive Oil dressing below.

Salad with Toasted Macadamia Nuts and Dried Cranberries

Here again is another salad using Romaine lettuce, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onions and egg. But for added flavor and texture, I added toasted macadamia nuts and dried cranberries. A vinaigrette dressing or Lemon-Olive Oil dressing goes well with this salad.

Lemon-Olive Oil Dressing

This salad dressing is very simple to make. With a wisk, blend the juice of one lemon, (Meyer Lemon if you can get it is wonderful!) 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil to start (you may need to add a little more, depending on how tart you like your dressing) and salt and pepper to taste.

New Name for Cooking Blog

2011-03-05T13:53:00.000-10:00

I've decided to try to update this long neglected blog, a little more often. With that in mind, I thought that changing the name may be one way to remind me why I cook. My husband tells my son I put love in my cooking. Well, that is true. I cook because it is a way I show my family how much I love them.

EWTN Live - What's new in the Kitchen - Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. with Joann...

2011-01-14T13:42:00.000-10:00

Bitter Melon and Beef Stir Fry

2010-11-29T13:00:00.000-10:00

The following is my mom's recipe which she learned from her Chinese father. Be warned though, Bitter melon is not to everyone's liking. It is an acquired taste. Its bitterness is what gives this vegetable character. My husband is German/Swedish and he loves this dish!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. strips of Sirloin beef (you can substitute pork)
1 large Bitter melon (cut in half, remove seeds and pith, and slice into 1/2 " thick slices)
1 Medium onion, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced

Marinate for the beef:
1 TBSP Soy sauce such as Kikkoman
1/4 salt and a pinch of pepper (preferably white pepper)
Pinch of sugar
1 Tsp. Corn starch

Brown Sauce:
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1/2 cup water
1 heaping TBSP of corn starch
Pinch of salt, pepper and sugar

Blend well and set aside.

Heat a wok or large cast iron skillet over high heat.

Add approximately two tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil to hot wok/skillet. Stir fry the sliced bitter melon for a couple of minutes and finish up by adding a teaspoon of water to steam the vegetables.

Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add a teaspoon more oil if needed. Add the garlic and fry until golden brown, then add the onion slices and beef. Stir fry the beef until nicely brown and cooked thoroughly. Return the Bitter melon slices to the wok/skillet and add the brown sauce. Bring to a boil and the sauce is thickened.

Serve immediately over with cooked white rice.

Good Eats : American Pickle

2010-09-17T14:04:00.000-10:00

Dill Pickles

2010-09-16T13:34:00.000-10:00

I made Dill Pickles for the first time today. I used the technique in the video below but I used the Better Homes and Garden book recipe. Here is a recipe you can use that I found online.

Blessing Basil Leaf in Honour of the Holy Cross

2010-09-14T12:47:00.000-10:00

Today I learned from Father Mark Kirby that the basil plant has long been associated with the Holy Cross. The Blessing of the Basil Leaf

Somehow, on this the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, I was prompted to prepare a dish using my excess Basil leaves, for lunch.

Aji Amarillo y Albahaca con Papas Sancochadas (Peruvian Yellow Hot Pepper and Basil with Boiled Potatoes

1 Bunch of fresh Sweet Basil leaves - approximately 2 cups, not packed (washed and excess water removed)
1/2 tsp Aji Amarillo Paste (Jalapeno can be substituted if there is difficulty obtaining Peruvian Aji)
Approximately 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Approximately 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon or lime juice (1/2 lemon or lime)
3 green onion stalks (minced)
Salt and pepper to taste.

You can process all the above ingredients except the green onions, which should be used as a garnish.

Serve with boiled Yukon gold potatoes

Serves 4

Fried Imitation Crab Won tons (Crab Rangoons)

2010-07-07T14:42:00.000-10:00

Ingredients:

1 package of fresh won ton skins (approximately 50)
1 cup shredded imitation crab
3 stalks minced green onions
1/4 cup cream cheese or any shredded cheese
3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Mix the above ingredients (except the wonton skins) thoroughly.

Place approximately 1 tsp. of the mixture in the center of the won ton skin. Lightly wet the edges with water and fold into won tons. The following is a video to help you. The way I fold them is similar to the lotus flower described in the video. Except, I do not roll it once. Instead, once I have the triangle shape, I bring the two corners together from behind.

Heat a deep saucepan or "Fry-Baby" with clean vegetable oil until oil is smokey and you know it is very hot.

I used a copper saucepan. Its size only permitted me to fry 2 won tons at a time.

Fry until golden brown. You may have to turn the won tons over so that they fry uniformly.

Place fried won tons on a paper-towel covered plate and continue frying until all of them are golden brown.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. But may I suggest Thai sweet chili sauce.

Dining With the Saints - St. Anthony of Padua

2010-06-16T11:34:00.000-10:00

Photo taken at a church on Molokai

Novena shares a lovely recipe for Frisee Salad with Strawberries, Basil, and Warm Goat Cheese in honor of St. Anthony.

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

2010-04-30T16:12:00.000-10:00

I finally did it. I finally attempted to make Boeuf Bourguignon. Not only did I try to make it, I used Julie Chef's recipe! I think I followed it pretty well, considering I am known for taking shortcuts when possible. I did have to modify the recipe a bit because I am still using most of the ingredient that can be found in refrigerator or pantry.

I used my Julia Child cookbook I bought at the library's book sale for about a dollar. It contains recipes from her old television show. This cookbook contained her famous recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon.

I also found the recipe online and I will be sharing it here with you:

Knopf Doubleday's Julia Child's Boef Bourguignon Recipe

The two modifications are as follows:

I used Merlot wine.

I used baby portobello mushrooms.

The smell that was filling our home on Sunday when I made it was incredible! It took a long time to prepare and to slowly cook in the oven. But it was worth it!

We ate this dish with buttered noodles and romaine lettuce hearts and radishes

Reducing Food Waste With the Freezer

2010-04-23T09:47:00.000-10:00

My Story: My Freezer

I just wish I had a bigger freezer.

Eating Cheaply

2010-04-23T09:37:00.000-10:00

Picture source

This article has very good ideas on how to stretch your food budget and still eat well.

Check out #1:

Fast Food. Look for stuff that is fast and easy to make, like sweet potatoes (stab, bake, eat). They are cheap eats, massively good for you and filling. And one of my favorite fast foods? Soup! Yes, soup!

Cheap Eats

Dinner Tonight was a Rachael Ray Recipe

2010-04-22T18:40:00.000-10:00

I did not take a picture of mine because I thought Rachael had one of her website. She only has the video.

Bucatini with Bacon, Cherry Tomatoes and Spring Onion Sauce

I modified this recipe a bit. I used turkey bacon which is 50% less fat than regular bacon.

I used half as much cherry tomatoes because I am the only one who ends up eating all those tomatoes anyway.

I was lucky enough to find spring onions at the farmer's market. The taste of the onions really made the dish, I think anyway.

I used spaghetti instead of Bucatini.

I served this dish with a fruit salad instead of tossed salad because of all the fresh ingredients in the recipe.

Latin Style Beef and Rice

2010-04-21T17:41:00.000-10:00

I did not shop for tonight's meal. Again, I used what was handy at home.

Recipe for 4 Servings

2 cups cooked rice
1 lb. ground beef, preferably lean
2 Goya Sazon packets
Goya Adobo Seasoning (or salt and pepper) to taste
1 onion chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup frozen cut green beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

In a heavy skillet that has been pre-heated, add olive oil, garlic and onions. Add the ground beef and brown well. Season with Adobo and Sazon. Add the riced and blend until rice is orange uniformly. Add the green beans and cover. Cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

I served this dish with friend ripe plantains and a cucumber salad that was seasoned with lemon juice, salt and olive oil.

Chicken and Mushooms with Marsala Wine

2010-04-21T17:32:00.000-10:00

Sorry no photos for this dish.

I am trying to use up ingredients I have in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer to plan dinner meals. This dish's tastiness surprised me!

Recipe for 3-6 Servings

6 Chicken thighs
8 oz package of white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1/4 cup Marsala wine
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a heavy skillet. Add the olive oil. Add the chicken thighs and brown on both sides over medium high heat. Be sure to sprinkle one side lightly with salt and pepper. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the slices of mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Be sure not to over salt and pepper. Cover and lower heat to medium low. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until mushrooms have wilted down and chicken is cooked thoroughly. Add the wine and boil liquids in pan for a few minutes more.

Serve with white rice.

Dandelion Syrup

2010-04-17T15:27:00.001-10:00

Visit Kimberly of Catholic Family Vignettes to learn more.

Meatless Meal: Minted Orzo and Zucchini Salad

2010-03-26T12:36:00.000-10:00

Recipe can be found at Catholic Chicks.

Meatless Meal: Zucchini Parmesan and Angel Hair Pasta

2010-03-25T13:06:00.000-10:00

Recipe:

2 large zucchini's cute in half and then sliced into 1/4" to 1/2" slices
3 cups marinara sauce If you have extra sauce, reserve to serve on top of the Angel Hair pasta. When using this recipe, do not add mushrooms.
1/4 cup flour
Olive oil for frying
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (you can substitute mozzarella if you prefer) shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a heavy skillet. Add 4 tbsp. olive oil. Salt and pepper zucchini slices lightly. Coat each slice with flour. Add to hot oil and fry golden brown, over medium, on both sides.

Place fried slices on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Fry until all the zucchini slices are done.

Place approximately 1/4 cup of sauce in a baking dish. Place one layer of the zucchini slices and add 1/2 cup of the sauce. Alternate until all the zucchini slices are in baking dish. Be sure to end with the marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of marinara sauce.

Cover with foil paper and place in hot oven to bake for approximately 1/2 hour.

Serve with cooked Angel Hair pasta.

More Hipsters Using Food Stamps...and Eating Well While They're at it

2010-03-17T21:56:00.000-10:00

I really don't know what to think about this new trend.

Article here

Dining With the Saints - St. Patrick

2010-03-17T10:15:00.000-10:00

Check out this recipe for Baked Salmon with White Wine, Cream and Capers

Meatless Meal: Linguine With White Clam Sauce

2010-03-13T15:32:00.000-10:00

When I was in New Jersey, I made this dish for my mom. You can tell that the clams were Jersey clams (Cherrystones) because of their large size.

Picture Source

Picture Source

In Hawaii, the only fresh clams available are the tiny Manila clams.

The following is the recipe:

Photo by Esther G.

Recipe:

2 cans of minced or chopped clams
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 dozen Cherrystone clams or 24 Manila Clams (washed and ready to cook)
1/4 cup minced Italian parsley
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 lb. Linguine, cooked and hot
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic. Brown the garlic, making sure not to over-brown or burn. Add the clam broth from both cans to the skillet, along with the white wine. Simmer until it boils. Add the minced or chopped clams and the fresh clams. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the fresh clams open. Discard any clam that do not open after a few minutes in simmering sauce. Season to taste and add the parsley. Serve over cooked linguine. Serve immediately.

4 Servings.

Chinese Fried Rice

2010-03-10T15:48:00.000-10:00

Recipe:

Cold cooked rice made from 2 cups long grained rice
1/2 can of SPAM, cut into small squares -or- 6 slices of bacon -or- combination: fry until brown and crispy but be careful not to burn
4 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup minced green onions
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt, white pepper and MSG (optional) to taste

Heat a wok or large skillet. Add approximately 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the rice and fry until rice is hot. Add the browned meat, eggs, peas and stir quickly.

Finally, season with salt and white pepper.
Garnish with green onions.

Egg Drop Soup

2010-03-10T15:39:00.000-10:00

Recipe:

NOTE: This recipe is being revised because I forgot an ingredient and to make it quicker to make.

6 cups chicken broth made from fresh chickens
2 eggs beaten
1/2 minced cooked chicken gizzards (optional)
Salt, white pepper and MSG (optional)
Minced green onions for garnish
1 can creamed-style corn

Add the gizzards to the broth and bring the chicken broth to a gentle boil. Add the corn. Simmer until soup comes to a gentle boil. Drizzle the egg and stir with a fork to make the eggs threads in hot broth. Season to taste and garnish with green onions.

Serves approximately 4 persons.