My Friend is vety confused! Who should he Follow!

One of my colleagues posted on our Bulletin Board!

Oops, which one shall I follow ??


Laziness is the worst enemy of humans. . .
- Jawaharlal Nehru.



Humans should learn to love even their worst enemies...!!!
- Mahatma Gandhi

Help me out with this.....

Just for laughs!!
My Home Net connection starts today evening!
Had to shift twice so I had been erratic!!
My new blog's desugn has also been pending!
Shall get it done before the week is over!!

Easy and delicious chicken thigh recipe.....

Quick post tonight. Things are busy around here this week!

Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine

We tried a new chicken thigh recipe last week that we all really enjoyed. It was easy to throw together and the tastes surpassed expectations. Wine, lemon, garlic and parsley are fairly common combinations, but sometimes a recipe with these ingredients can fall flat. This one did not fall flat - it was very flavorful and lively. The only change I made to this recipe was to use boneless chicken thighs and cook them for less time.

That's it - short, sweet and simple - the recipe and the post!

Drink of the Week: Greyhound (Vodka and Grapefruit Juice)

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What with citrus being in season right now; and drinking a lovely cocktail on a sunny day always being in season, it's no wonder I came to this positively refreshing bev.

Mixed up on a flawless Southern California Sunday, it quenches the palate, tingles the taste buds and reminds a person that life is good. (The inclusion of the vodka certainly doesn't hurt in the matter...)

If you too have forgotten the thrill of sipping fresh squeezed grapefruit juice paired with ice cold vodka, due to one too many poor imitations, this will be a revelation.

Nothing flat, bottled or canned in the taste of this elixir, only that captured sunshine spark we can all use this time of year.

And bonus! Grapefruit is a great source of vitamin C, so if you feel a cold coming on, mix one of these up in a hurry!

Try it, mes petits pamplemousses, and taste the joy.

1 ounce vodka
3 ounces fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
Sparkling water
Ice

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the vodka and then the grapefruit juice. Top off the glass with sparkling water, stir gently with a long spoon and serve.

Serves one.

Can also be made as a punch.

Please, always drink responsibly.
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Pubs with bad reputations are to be banned from serving beer in glasses, the U.K. Home Secretary has announced. "High risk" pubs and nightclubs where violence is a problem will be forced to use plastic replacements, as part of a wide-ranging plan to reduce the level of violence in Britain.

If they refuse, councils will remove their licence. "There is an expectation that such premises will move to a safer alternative to glass, such as polycarbonate." The plan comes amid concern about drunken violence in the streets. –Birmingham Mail.net

The average American consumer made 69 trips to the grocery store in 2004 down from 72 in 2003 and from 92 trips in 1995.

5 Things… (meme)

I was tagged for this meme by Margot from Coffee and Vanilla

Here are the questions and my answers….
What were you cooking/baking 10 years ago?
On my own? Nothing. But I was helping my grandfather to bake cakes for Christmas, Easter & other occasions. That’s how my adventure with cooking/baking begins in a first place.

What were you cooking/baking one year ago?
What was on the top of my list? Iced buns (I think it’s called a Swiss Iced Finger). It looks like this:

I was also baking/cooking traditional polish Poppy Seed Cake & yeast-cake, Monkey bread and great casserole with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots & sunflower seeds under béchamel. There were more, but those above were my best.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Cini Minis;
2. Bacon Prunes;
3. Chicken, rise and pineapple salad;
4. cashew with raisins
5. And most of crunchy snacks

Five recipes you know by heart:
1. Grilled porkneck or spare ribs
2. Bacon Prunes
3. Poppy seed cake
4. Summer apple pie
5. Polish white borscht

Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire:
1. large kitchen with traditional bread stove
2. more expensive ingredients, like sea food
3. sushi at least once a week
4. really expensive (best quality) kitchen appliances like food-processor
5. my very own wine-cellar (full of course)

Five foods you would love to cook/bake:
1. crème brûlée
2. Obelix’s style, whole wild boar
3. few medieval (and older) traditional dishes
4. to brew my own beer
5. Mazurek Kajmakowy - basically it's a shortcake with fudge on top and looks like this
or this:

or however you want :} Generaly its traditional Easter cake, but ornamentation depends mostly on your ability and imagination.

Five foods you cannot/will not eat:
1. milk – I have allergy
2. raw meat
3. anything cooked/baked with eyes
4. tomato soup
5. sweet meat (like made with raisins)

Five favorite culinary toys:
1. meat rolling-pin (yup, that’s right – newest polish invention. It looks like normal rolling-pin, but has spikes like meat hammer/tenderizer). Look: It may spin, or you can tide up this screw to use it like a normal meat tenderizer. 2. silicon baking mold
3. whisk
4. silicon brush
5. special pannikin with flour sieve on the bottom, like this one here:

Five dishes on your "last meal" menu:
1. Sushi
2. Grilled porkneck or spare ribs

3. Some sea food

4.Botle of Porto

5. Polish doughnuts (I fry them myself with self made rose petals preserve). Should look like this:

Five happy food memories:

1. baking with my grandfather.

2. Many moments, when I baked/cooked for my friends

3. cooking for 120 people on boy scout camp in a middle of tank range (challenging, but also very happy moment)

4. visiting with my friends the Capio D’oro - best restaurant on Mazury (polish Land of Thousand Lakes)

5. dinner on kayak in a middle of a lake or on the river bank.

I would love to find out about some other bloggers as well so I’m tagging for this meme:

Clotilde of Chocolate and Zucchini
Scott of RealEpicurean
Sean of Hedonia
Simon of Plate of the Day

Orange Walnut Chicken

4 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 garlic, clove minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon butter
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 tablespoon orange zest
2-3 tablespoons grated fresh lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
hot cooked rice

Preparation:
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine orange juice concentrate, 2 T. oil, soy sauce, and garlic. Add chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Remove chicken; reserve marinade. In a skillet, cook chicken in remaining oil until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a saucepan saute walnuts in butter until lightly browned; remove and set aside. Set aside 1/4 of green onions for garnish. Add remaining onions to saucepan; saute until tender. Add reserved marinade and the next 8 ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil; boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency.

Serve chicken over rice; top with sauce and reserved walnuts and onions.

The 99 Cent Only Store Cookbook

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So while everyone else at The Rock Goddess' ultra lux Oscars viewing party/feast for all senses, was actually watching the spectacle, I was chatting in a corner with the chic and fab Christiane.

I swear, I love this woman!

Christiane, for those of you not quite in the know yet, is the genius authoress of The 99 Cent Only Store Cookbook! She is the perfect blend of brilliant and daring, darling and delectible, (the best sort of friends to have I say!) and I hope you will all check out her book the minute it hits the stores.

________________________

Find a 99 Cent Only store near you

The Hormel Company of Austin, Minnesota sold the first canned ham in 1926.

Carbonated soft drink canning began in 1940.Aluminum was introduced in metal can making in 1957. - Food Reference.com

Weekly Recap 1/13/08

This week in our kitchen:

Sunday
Work gave us a free turkey for Christmas, so we had a little mini-Thanksgiving...
*Turkey
*mashed potatoes
*stuffing
*green beans with roasted shallots and balsamic

Monday
*Hamburgers, bun, cheese
*sweet potatoes with olive oil, garlic and chipotle
*sliced pear

Tuesday
Leftovers!

Wednesday
*Very Creamy Vegetable Chowder
*whole grain sourdough bread

Thursday
*Baked Ravioli
(Wegmans ravioli baked in homemade marinara with fresh spinach, topped with
romano cheese)
*cucumber and tomato salad

Friday
*Turkey Jambalaya (see below)
*sliced apple

Saturday
*Hearty Sausage and Lentil Soup (new)
*roasted garlic bread from Wegmans



Featured Recipe: Turkey Jambalaya

This one is a family favorite. It's easy to throw together and is a great way to use up leftover turkey (which we had from our meal on Sunday). It may not be a totally authentic or traditional jambalaya - for one, it's missing the celery that's part of the holy trinity of Cajun cooking - but it's darned tasty for relatively little effort.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate....

......my favorite sweet combo.

Anna over at Cookie Madness always has yummy treats coming out of her oven, but these pb chocolate brownies really called out to me, especially when Anna pointed out that the peanut butter mixture does not use cream cheese. Don't get me wrong, I do like cream cheese swirled-brownies, but when it comes to peanut butter, especially when it's paired with chocolate, I want the peanut butter to be front and center. Cream cheese tends to dominate and tends to make things a tad too sweet.

To make the ribbons, you melt together the peanut butter, peanut butter chips and butter and then spread it out on wax paper. As you can see, I was not all that neat about this part.

While the peanut butter mixture is chilling, you mix up the batter. Once the batter is ready, the pb mixture can be taken out of the fridge and cut into ribbons. Half the batter goes into the prepared pan and topped with half the pb ribbons. The remaining batter is gently spread over top and then the brownies go into the oven. After the brownies are finished baking and while they are still warm, the rest of the pb strips go on top. They are a bit more work than I am used to in a brownie, but worth every bit of it.

Peanut Butter Ribbon Fudge Brownies

These brownies are delicious. In fact, DH immediately requested that I make them again. The brownies are moist and chocolaty and the peanut butter flavor in the ribbons really comes through. I used Smucker's Natural PB and though I haven't tried it with regular PB and therefore have nothing to compare it with, I have a feeling the natural PB kicks up the nutty flavor even more and I wouldn't try it any other way. The only thing I might change is to put all of the peanut butter inside the brownie - I wasn't all that fond of fussing with the peanut butter strips and trying to get them to look nice.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. We tried them out on a fairly large crowd and everyone raved about them.

Paocai (Pickled Vegetables)

Some time ago I was working with korean girl. She was making best pickles I tasted so far. It was korean kimchi - very spicy with a lot of garlic. It's not only tasty, but also very healthy. Because of the basic ingredients in kimchi, garlic, scallions and vegetables, kimchi helps to eliminate cholesterol and promotes intestinal health. Chinese paocai is very similar to my beloved kimchi, so here it is:

Ingredients:
2 Chinese (or Italian) cabbages
5-10 spring onions
2-5 carrots
1 tbsp salt (non-iodized sea salt is the best)
1 tsp Sichuan pepper
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 star anise
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
6 medium sized dried chilis

Preparation:
Tear a cabbage into small pices. Chop the rest of vegatables. Mix everything together, add salt & than rest of ingredients. Put it all in a jar, pour water (just to cover the vegatables).

Your paocai should be ready after 2 - 3 days. You can preserve it in the fridge even for several weeks. For some more, you can continue to use the same liquid, just dump in new vegetables.

Happy Valentines Day 2008

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Happy Valentines Day~

Vegetables Chop Suey

6-8 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups water
3 to 5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 1/2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms
2 ounces dried black fungus
1 bean curd sheet
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup cauliflower
2 ounces Chinese seaweed
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
10 ounces gluten, cut into 1/4 x 1-inch sticks
1 pound cabbage, cut into 2-inch squares
4 cubes jarred preserved bean curd
10 ounces fried tofu cubes
3 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 1/2 ounces blanched or dry roasted peanuts
6 cups Chinese fried noodles

Preparation:
Combine water, soy sauce and sesame oil in medium bowl.

Soak mushrooms, fungus and bean curd sheet in warm water in large bowl until rehydrated. Soak seaweed in separate bowl. Drain. Remove mushroom stems; cut mushrooms in half or quarters. Coarsely chop fungus. Cut bean curd sheet into 1-inch pieces.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Add gluten; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from wok.

Heat remaining vegetable oil in wok over high heat. Add rest of vegetables except for onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Add fried gluten, fried tofu, green onions, peanuts and soy sauce mixture. Reduce heat to medium-high; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Serve over chinese fried noodles. Garnish with cashew and parsley.

Hint:
You can add other vegies, substitute some of those above or use only some of them. It depends only on your taste, just like it is with any other dish :}

Fry Onions Till Golden brown!

Bachelor Cooking Tip:
In almost every recipe, specially Indian Cooking, You will come across the phrase fry the onions till golden Brown. Frying Onions till golden brown is a very delicate affair. It is hard to say, fry for 4-5 minutes either since I don't know what kind of flame you are using. I don't even know what kind of Cooking vessel you are using. In a thin frying pan, frying till golden is difficult and the onions just tend to get burned. Thick bottom pans are very recipe friendly, and cast iron ones are the best. The picture above is Think Aluminium Kadhai or Wok and it is also very Indian recipe friendly.

The picture was taken just before the Onions turned golden brown. Even if I say fry till golden brown, you need not wait till then. It might just get burned. This is the perfect time when you may add the crushed Ginger-garlic paste and saute before you add masalas or Tomatoes.

The significance of frying till golden brown is that it dries the onion of its sweet juice and gives a slightly seasoned taste to the curry. Burn it, and the curry gets spoiled. That is the secret to Indian cooking.. The perfect timing of frying..

The above picture will launch a thousand Indian Recipes. Good Luck.

Oh, that much onions is enough for 1 kilo meat. For the frying till golden brown, that is. If you want to add more onions, add later when you add the Meat. Add onions later for a nice gravy. Add when the meat is dry, and fry till the onions have turned to gravy.... Enjoy!!

Another yummy Rachael Ray Recipe

Back to back Rachael recipes. This recipe came to my attention via the CLBB. It was posted by Sharon over at Culinary Adventures of a New Wife. Unlike the noodle bowl, this one falls in the over 30 minutes category for me. Although I have to say that even when they take over 30 minutes, Rachael's recipes are often complete, so there's no need to think up sides or additional accompaniments and when you take that into account, her recipes are still pretty quick.

Chicken Greek-a-Tikka Salad with Parsley-Feta Pesto

This is another complete meal - grilled chicken, lots of veggies, a little whole wheat pita and a yummy parsley-feta pesto on top. The only really bad thing about this recipe? The name - it's one of Rachael at her cutesy-poo best (or worst). But what can I say? I like her food and that's what counts in the end.

The Greek comes most notably from the kalamata olives and the feta, while the yogurt marinade provides the Tikka. It really does sound like a lot going on, but somehow it works. Delicious. I'd like to take elements of this recipe to try on their own - like using the yogurt marinade to grill chicken on its own (but perhaps marinating the chicken a little longer) and using the parsley-feta pesto as a dip or spread. Lots of possibilities!

On a side note, I have found a whole wheat pita pocket and a whole wheat flatbread that I love - they are not dry like many whole wheat pita breads and are pleasantly chewy. The flatbread is my favorite, but it has quite a bit more fat than the pita, so I try to use the flatbread a bit more sparingly. I am going to try something new here - when I find a specific product that I really like, I will try to link to it in my recipes, so look for the pita link in this recipe.

Potato and Sausage Tortilla/Tortilla de Patata y Chorizo

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My, my isn't life a joyful experience!

Every day brings new and exciting things. And, according to the voices on NPR, today is going to be "downright hot." Was it a weather report or just a view into the immediate future?

Either which way, it made me giggle hearing them say that. Downright hot indeed. But was it prophetic?

Let's hope!

Me, I'm headed to the museum, then going for a swim, getting a mani/pedi (because the sun is finally out, and therefore, this girl needs to be primed and ready!) and meeting my girls for a sunset appertif. (In case you were interested in my itinerary for the day...)

But first, I am conjuring this exquisite tapas recipe for you, my darling peaches. So you, too, can have a "downright hot" day.

It's a festive dish, but certainly does need a bit of your time. That said, once it's made, it tastes just as spectacular at room temperature, and will last (if you don't eat it all at once) for at least three days.

The Spanish would serve this with a bit of mayo as a condiment. I'll leave that up to you...

Now try it my darlings, and taste the joy!

3 large baking potatoes
2 roasted red peppers, diced
1 cup parsley, minced
½ lb Spanish (not Mexican) hot chorizo sausage
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
6 large eggs
Mayonnaise for serving

Preheat your oven to 350F

Peel the potatoes and slice into medium-thin rounds.

In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, saute the potatoes a single layer, in a small amount of olive oil. As they just start to brown, carefully layer in the peppers, parsley and sausage.

Whisk together the paprika and eggs in a bowl while the potatoes cook.

Reduce the heat to low, then pour the eggs over the potatoes. Cover and cook for three minutes. Uncover and transfer to the oven. Cook until set, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and serve with mayo or plain.

Makes 8-10 servings.

____________________________________________________


This goes perfectly with Salt Cod Stuffed Peppers

Americans are downing close to 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish per capita per year (dairy and eggs are separate, and hardly insignificant), an increase of 50 pounds per person from 50 years ago. - NY Times

Want another version of this dish? Check out Serious Eats' adaptation.

Happy Women's Day!!

You don't need a special day to celebrate, but now that you have one why not take it :)

And please visit blank Noise Project today for the Action Heroes.

Yet another Chocolate Chip Cookie.....

I've said it before, but really, you can't ever try too many chocolate chip cookie recipes. This one caught my attention because the person who posted it on the CLBB said the cookies didn't spread as much as Toll House cookies do. I love Toll House, but they do indeed have a tendency to spread a bit too much at times.

Marcy's Legendary Chocolate Chip Cookies

As promised, and as you can see, they did not spread out thin as many buttery cookies can do but I could tell when I pulled them out of the oven and transferred them to the cooling rack that they were going to be a bit cakey. They are a bit chewy around the edges, but the middles are soft and cake-like; I tend to prefer a very chewy cookie, more like Toll House.

Other reviewers claimed this recipe did not turn out cakey for them, however, and at least one poster speculated that perhaps my leaving out the chopped chocolate was to blame. The recipe called for 2 cups of chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups of chopped chocolate - I tend to like more cookie than chocolate, so I stuck with just the two cups of chocolate chips. So, it's possible that the adding more chocolate, especially smaller pieces that would have melted into the dough - might have lead to a chewier end product. I also used an off-brand of salted butter (all that could be found in a rush trip to the local convenience store), so that may also have been to blame.

In any case, these were very good cookies -buttery and delicious-tasting - and I certainly didn't have any problem eating 4 of them yesterday, cake-like or not.

How is my new profile?

Hot ain't it? Lolz

Green Garlic Sauce

Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of peanut oil
2 tablespoons of minced fresh green garlic
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
a little fresh ginger grated if you wish
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned broth

Preparation:
Heat wok or deep pan over high heat until it is hot. Add oil and wait until it is smoking, add ginger and garlic and leave for a minute or so. Then add the oyster sauce and stock simmering for another few minutes.

Pour over your favorite fried rice, white rice or meat, especially chicken.

If fresh green garlic is not available use 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic instead.

Mayonnaise Walnut Shrimp

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb of large or medium shrimp, and peeled
1/2 cup walnuts
5 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 cups oil
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup egg whites
2 tbs honey
3 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tbs condensed milk
1/2 cup oil

Preparation:
Clean walnuts, then boil in 5 cups of waterboil with sugar till dissolved. Heat 2 cups oil until almost boil then deep fry walnuts until brown, no longer golden. Put walnuts to cookie sheet, let cool.

Mix cornstarch and egg whites together to form a thick, sticky feel and mix well with Shrimp. Set aside. Mix honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and condensed milk in a bowl until smooth.

Heat oil until boiling, then deep fry the Shrimp until golden brown. Drain, then put in the honey mayonnaise mixture. Mix it all together, sprinkle with walnuts, and arrange on platter.

Wild Rice with Pecans & Dried Blueberries

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Oh peaches, my heart broke into a zillion itsy bitsy bits of bits of shards of bits yesterday, as my darling camera took it's swan song picture, whimpered, whirled and - alas - ceased to work.

It's death, well, it was a truly sad moment. Let's all take a micro-second of head-bowing silence in its memory, shall we? Just a micro-second though. The true trials of the world deserve our real head bowing.

Much like my fancy-pants cell phone that was unceremoniously murdered last week by a fast approaching hardwood floor - the cameras passing was a bit of a bother. And just like in the instance of the phone, I learned that in this disposable age, digital camera repair doesn’t actually exist. Can you believe? And to add insult to injury, the darned thing is barely recyclable. Oy. (And for my readers who speak the Queen's English, that isn't a salutatory "oy," that's a lamenting "oy.")

But enough of my whinging (and for my Non-British readers, that’s a synonym for whining – I’m just here to help.) on with the show…which may be on temporary halt until I figure out this situation, do some research and figure out the best route to take. Wish me luck.

This concoction was thrown together last week, in an effort to cast a bit of summery fun into the rain-soaked Los Angeles I inhabit of late. And it’s mission was indeed accomplished.

Try it my peaches, and taste the joy.

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup blueberry or raspberry vinegar
2 T. port wine jelly (omit if you don’t have)
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 cup cooked wild rice
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons flax seed
¼ cup green onion
¼ cup dried blueberries and/or cranberries
1 cup pecan halves as garnish

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, jelly, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Toss ¾ of the dressing with the wild rice, brown rice, onion and dried berries. Let the dressing absorb for 15 minutes or until ready to serve. When ready to serve, re-toss with the remaining dressing, garnish with pecans and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings.


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The good folks at Lipton Tea want you to get outdoors~

North American Blueberry growers ship more than 100 metric tons of fresh blueberries each year to Iceland, and more than 500 metric tons to Japan. - Foodreference.com

People who eat two or more servings of red meat a day are much more likely to develop conditions leading to heart disease and diabetes, University of Minnesota researchers have found. The study in a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also found that diet soda consumption was linked to these elevated risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, echoing the findings of a study published in July. - Daily Mail.Co.UK

East-West Thai Basil Salad Rolls

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That poor, sweet darling of a man, The Ombudsman, has had a very up and down two weeks.

The boy got himself a bit sick, then moved on to much sicker, then was in agony, and then went to a meeting in at his office (his office that is an excellent example of stylish 1960's post modern architecture, I must add) and then passed out and then drove himself home and then the next day decided maybe it was time to go to the emergency room.

Aww. Poor puddin'. Broke my heart. He was trying to be so brave...(and yet he makes a good argument for "so smart, yet so dumb," don't you think?)

And then, while still a bit ill, he surprised me with two very much lauded and supremely desired tickets to see the extremely awesome spectacle that is Grizzly Bear play on a bill with our very own Los Angeles Philharmonic. (Harmonic indeed.)

The man is a peach I tell you, a peach.

I was a bit worried for him as we set out, (what with the temporary deafness, insane cough and heavy dosage of assorted prescriptions) but he assured me all was well, and he was excited to be out and about after all that he had gone through.

Well, he made it through and I am happy to say the concert was beyond awesome, and bless his heart, he is fine now, (phew). But I was compelled (and pleased) to make him his favorite, elaborate salad/finger food the next day, as thanks for a perfect, lovley evening which he really, really shouldn't have done. But I'm glad he did.

And now you dolls, I am sharing with you.

Try it and taste the joy.


1 large head romaine lettuce
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
½ cup fresh Thai basil
1 fresh lemongrass stalk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 rice paper rounds
2 mini red bell peppers, sliced into rounds

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, vinegar and lime juice together to dissolve the sugar.

Peel off the hard outer layer of the lemon grass and mince the soft core.
Reserve 8-12 leaves of the basil and mince the rest. Add the lemon grass, basil and mayo to the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Cut the lettuce leaves into 3 inch strips and divide into four portions.

Quickly dip one rice paper wrapper in warm water until softened. It will feel rubbery.
Then, cut it in half.

Lay out a half round on the work surface, with the straight edge away from you. Arrange one of the portions of romaine and a few basil leaves in a little pile about 3 inches from the right edge of the paper, letting the tips of the leaves extend over the straight edge. Fold the bottom up over the greens, then fold the right side up over the greens and roll the lettuce up in the wrapper. Continue with the remaining rice paper and romaine.

Drizzle the dressing on a plate and top with two salad rolls, garnish with pepper rounds and serve.

Serves four as a first course.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Well, I'm pouty! We drove by last night only to find out The Coronet Pub closed down. Darn it!

Basil is sacred to both the Sub-Asian deities, Krishna and Vishnu. You can buy Sacred Holy Krishna Basil seeds here.

This recipe is an extremely altered version of the Romaine on Romaine recipe in Michel Richard's stunning and brilliant book, Happy in the Kitchen. Make sure to check it out sometime!

Shrimp Chop Suey

6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
8 cups white fresh cabbage
3 ribs celery hearts, diced
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
6 cups chicken broth (divided)
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons sesame oil
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 to 3/4 pound sliced roasted almonds (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat wok over high heat. Wok is ready when drop of oil sizzles in the pan. Put corn oil in wok.
Immediately add salt, then shrimp and stir-fry 30 seconds.

Add all vegetables, stirring constantly 30 seconds. Add 5 1/2 cups of the broth; cook 3 minutes.

Mix cornstarch with warm water.

To remaining 1/2 cup broth add sugar and sesame oil. Add this mixture to pan and cook until shrimp and vegetables are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook.

Gradually stir in cornstarch mixture. Sauce should have consistency of thick gravy.

If needed to thicken, you can add additional cornstarch or water. Decorate with almonds and serve immediately with white rice.

Cantonese Chop Suey

4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 lb stir fry mixed vegetables
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup stir-fry sauce
1 teaspoon honey
2 cups chow mein noodles
1/4 cup cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
Oil

Preparation:
Cook rice. In mean time cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Pour oil into wok; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sprinkle with seasoned salt. Stir-fry 4 to 6 minutes or until brown. Add vegetables and water to wok. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain liquid. Stir in stir-fry sauce and honey; heat through. Divide rice and noodles among bowls. Top with chicken mixture.
Serve sprinkled with cashews.

Mmmm....Mascarpone.

Mascrapone. That's how I keep typing this! Doesn't sound so appetizing, does it? MasCARpone, MasCARpone, MasCARpone.........I think I've got it now.

Anyway, this was a new food item for us this past week. I've heard of mascarpone (masCARpone, masCARpone) and have heard some say you can sub cream cheese in its place, but I am very glad that we were able to try the real thing. While its texture is similar to cream cheese, macarpone has a very rich, buttery flavor and feel - much more decadent than cream cheese.

Fettucine with Macarpone and Sage-Walnut Brown Butter

The first dish we tried was a recipe from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. It is a simple pasta dish with mascarpone, walnuts, sage and browned butter. Oh my goodness is this good. The recipe calls for tossing the pasta with the browned butter, sage and walnuts and then topping it off with a dollop of the macarpone/Parmesan mixture. Biting into larger amounts of marcarpone didn't appeal to me; I wanted it to be distributed evenly throughout, so I just mixed it in with everything else. This worked quite well and I was satisfied with my alteration. One note: As terrific as this was the first day, it did not reheat well the next day; it just didn't have much flavor. That's a shame - I love leftover pasta!

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Macarpone

I was all set to make this pasta dish again to use up the leftover mascarpone - until I came across a this recipe from Cooking Light: Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Mascarpone. This sounded like a marriage made in heaven and it was. Delicious! And simple too. The beef broth and reserved liquid from the dried porcini mushrooms make a lovely, flavorful broth for stirring into the risotto. I had one moment of panic after starting the prep for this recipe - I only had a 1/2 cup of arborio rice left! Rather than abandoning efforts to make this recipe, I simply made up the difference with barley and it worked beautifully. Whew! If you would like to make this more nutritious by using all barley, I think it would turn out very well.

My only other change - in my efforts to use up the rest of the mascarpone, I went over the 1/4 cup called for in this recipe - it ended up somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 a cup. The only bad thing about this recipe? No leftovers (we served it as the main dish). One last note - this risotto dish stayed nice and fluid as we were eating it - it didn't get gummy as risottos often do as they cool down.

So, we tried a new food this week and ended up with 2 excellent recipes. The Jack Bishop dish is quite rich and will have to be a once in a while recipe, but I noticed that Cooking Light had another risotto recipe with macarpone and leeks.........going to have to give that one a try too!

Roasted Cherry and Hazelnut Salad with Warm Cheese

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I tell you kids, there are stars dancing in my hazel-colored eyes.

On Saturday night, after a delish dinner of fish tacos (natch), The Ombudsman and I moseyed on up to the spectacularly awesome Griffith Observatory to check out the rings of Saturn and craters of the moon at their monthly star-gazing lawn party.

What can I say…it was celestial. The evening was balmy, the city lights were a-twinkle (oh yea. A-twinkling.) and the mood was just right.

Makes a girl want her own telescope, (and a space walk!) I tells ya…but I would probably use mine to spy on the neighbors as often as I would spy on the heavens.

(Oh admit it, so would you.)

Actually, I think I’d like it to zoom in through a restaurant window and just take a little look-see at what people are eating. How fun would that be?

The first place I would zoom in on (with my magic telescope) would fer sher be the Zuni Café up there in San Francisco. (What? It’s an imaginary magical telescope! I can look anyplace I want!)

They are legendary and just a tiny peek at their world-famous roast chicken would be worth the effort (of calibrating my magic telescope to do such a thing.)

I think I would also have to patiently wait, watching every order to check out how they plate this salad. Since it is also from their cookbook (renowned, beloved and beyond delightful) and I am curious what their version would look like.

Mine was a riot of colors. Reds and greens, creamy white and burnished gold. Come to think of it, much like the rings of Saturn itself. The only difference between my version and theirs is that their recipe (I found) was a bit fussy, so I’ve paired it down a scoatch.

The main thing here is that cherries are oh-so-very not in season here in North America land, so unless you have some frozen and are in a defrosting kinda mood (which I actually was. These beauties were picked in Washington last summer, expressly for me. Awww…) I would suggest giving this another month or so before trying (cruel, aren’t I!)

Now try this my peaches, and taste the joy.


1 cup whole cherries (with the pits)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 ounce Kirsh
2 Tablespoons Raspberry balsamic vinegar
8 ounces mixed greens (I used something called California mix from Bristol Farms, I quite liked it, since there were lots of fuschia colored greens tossed in)
6 ounces Saint-Marcellin cheese,
8 slices toasted baguette (crostini)
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Rub the cherries with a few drops of olive oil, season with kirsch and a pinch of salt.

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add a few drops of the kirsch, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Slice the cheese into six equal portions.

Place each portion of the cheese on top of a crostini on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the cherries on another sheet pan. Roast until the fruit is near bursting and the cheese is beginning to slouch, about 6 minutes,watching the cheese carefully.

Dress the lettuces and hazelnuts very lightly in the vinaigrette and arrange on six plates, leaving the nuts behind for the moment. Garnish with the warm cherries and their juice and nest the warm cheese crostini next to each salad. Sprinkle hazelnuts over the top of the salads. Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional slices of toasted peasant-style bread.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. This means you choice cooking recipes. Stop stealing my content.

Kirsch, also known as Kirschwasser, is a fiery clear cherry brandy made of black cherries and their pits.

Zuni Cafe is located at1658 Market St.(bet. Franklin & Gough Sts.) in San Francisco, CA.

Broadway in New York City shifts west at East 10th Street because a cherry tree once stood there.

Spicy Scallop Dumplings

Makes 24 to 26 dumplings

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. fresh scallops, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1 1/2 tablespoons Seasoning Blend for Satay Chicken
1 tablespoon Cooking Soy Sauce
24 to 26 round dumpling wrappers (gyoza)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 cup water, divided
Soy and Chili Dipping Sauce

Preparation:
Combine scallops, onion, Seasoning Blend and Cooking Soy Sauce in a large bowl; mix well.

Dip one edge of wrapper into water. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of scallop mixture into center of wrapper. Work with 1 wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers to keep them from drying). Fold the wrapper over to form a half circle, pressing the dry edge on to the wet edge. Pinch the edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Place dumplings on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a towel to keep them from drying.

Mix 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 cup water in large, nonstick skillet. Arrange half of the dumplings in a winding circle in the skillet, leaving just a little space between each one. Cover , than cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until dumplings turn light brown and puff up.

Repeat procedure with remaining oil, water and dumplings. Serve warm with Soy and Chili Dipping Sauce.

Noodles with Olives and Corn

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Hee hee.

If by some interesting twist of fate, the Ombudsman and I have a child, we have decided it would be best to name it Rutherford, after our 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes. (Not that we know much about him, only that in 1876, he was elected by a margin of one - yes, one - electoral vote. Talk about controversy!)

We also get a tickle from the name because The Ombudsman's last name is pronounced (though not spelled) something akin to Ball, and we think that Rutherford B. Ball is pretty much the most rockin' name imaginable.

Good thing we aren't having children, right?

But should baby Rutherford ever come in to being, I have to say, one aspect I really and truly look forward to is the exciting challenge of choosing his/her (because Rutherford could be a girl's name too, right?) comfort food. I mean really! Talk about a control-freak foodies dream...choosing another persons comfort food! I tell ya, that lil' desicion right there must make motherhood totally worthwhile. I mean really! (Again.) What if every time your adult child gets a bit down they suddenly CRAVE - um, I dunno - BBQ'd eel like Mother used to make?

Not that I wish my (as now unrealized) offspring to be total oddballs, (that is bound to come naturally...tee hee) but there is just something so cliche about craving mac n'cheese or ice cream when one gets pouty, why not make it more festive?

Like this recipe...which as an adult I have added to my personal comfort food list. (If you have ever spent a prolonged amount of time in the South Pacific, you've seen it too, ya?)

It's one of those dishes that is 100% from the cupboard and perhaps not the most gourmet. It is though, ideal for island pantries, boats at sea, and naturally, that makes it a flawless dish for moments when you are in need of comfort...the contents are easy to have on hand and can be put together in a snap.

Noodles wit Olives and Corn. I tell you, the future Rutherford B. Ball will be forever appeased with this whiz-bang delight in his/her repetoire.

It may seem like a strange combo, but it really does taste quite nice. Sweet corn, salty olives, chewy pasta and fragrant olive oil. It is comfort indeed.

So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

1/2 pound whole wheat fettuccine
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup picholine olives
1/2 cup corn
Green onion for garnish (optional)
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta per the package instructions.

Pit the olives and rough chop.

Meanwhile, saute the onion in the olive oil until just softened. Add the olives, warm through and remove from the heat.

Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the onions-olives. Add corn, toss and serve with additional salt and pepper and green onion as garnish (if desired).

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

First Lady, Lucy Webb Hayes (one of the most popular First Ladies of her era) was also known as 'Lemonade Lucy', due to her strong support of Temperance.

The French Picholine is a green, torpedo-shaped and brine cured olive.

Tokyo, Japan has more Michelin stars than Paris, France.

Rarebit Risotto

Okay, so I'm putting up a quick post tonight so that I can keep to my promise/goal of doing at least one post per week, but I have to admit it's a struggle! It's been busy as usual and the next few weeks will be even busier. I'm so ready for school to be out and work to be over! I like my job and I only work part time, but I'm ready to have no schedule for a while. What can I say, I got spoiled being a SAHM for 10 years.......

Anyway, the recipe for tonight is one a tried a few weeks ago as I was trying to sneak in a cool weather recipe - I love risotto, but it's not something I look forward to making once the weather turns warm.

Rarebit Risotto

This vegetarian risotto (from Simple Suppers) sounded comforting with the rice and cheddar cheese and interesting because of the use of beer. Most risottos call for wine; I don't recall ever seeing one that called for beer. And with the broccoli and tomatoes, one could almost pretend it's halfway healthy.

Overall I liked the risotto, but it's probably not going to be a repeater as there are so many other risottos that I like better. Though the beer was an interesting addition, I think it gave the risotto an off flavor that I had a hard time getting past. I do like beer, so that wasn't the problem, I guess I just didn't think it fit. I used a lager, so maybe it was just too strong a beer for this particular risotto. I might, however, be inclined to try it again using white wine and see how that goes.

The four cups of cheese seemed like overkill and I was afraid the risotto would be a gloppy mess, but it actually worked pretty well - perhaps because cheddar has a healthy amount of oil compared to other cheeses. Still, I'm sure that if you used a really good quality sharp cheddar, you could still get great flavor using less cheese.

I was happy to finally fit in a little broccoli into a meal. My oldest son really HATES broccoli so I don't fix it too often but I love it, especially in the main dish, but I snuck this one in while he was gone for the night. When the youngest is gone, I like to sneak goat cheese or other things that HE really doesn't like. Whatever works.

This may be the last post for another week but who knows, maybe I'll be able to sneak one in before then............

Wild Rice and Artichoke Bake

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I'm Rachael. I write this blog that I call Fresh Approach (because I'm fresh n' cheeky of course!) and I have been at it for four years.

The Ombudsman (who wants me to call him Sparkplug from now on. I mean, really. Sparkplug? Ha ha ha. Not gonna happen.) is my good friend. (The kind who takes me to the Dodger game even though it is the hottest day of the year, or the kind who helps me dig in the garden even though I am so obsessed with getting the soil perfect that I actually may never plant anything.) He is that for lots n' lots of reasons, but that he is endlessly tolerant of my antics and indulgent of my whims makes him one of my all time favorite people. (Tied with my mother who is the true saint in that category.)

Do you ever test your friends tolerance? Like say, when you wake up super-duper early and you are in a kinda sorta bouncy mood (is that just me?). So you put on your pink hat, fill up your pink water bottle, slip in to your pink clogs and hop on your fantastical pink beach cruiser. Then, you show up on your friends doorstep. And despite the fact it is 7 am on a Saturday, he opens the (three locks, security gate and) door with a smile.

That my readers, is a friend.

But I didn't show up empty handed! No, no, I did not. I showed up with this fantasmagorical calorie laden delight. It is rich and nutty and kind of tangy (the artichokes do that), it is dense and cheesy (but not too cheesy). It had just been so good the night before (with pecan crusted fish and garlic-green beans. So awesome.) I had to share (and be earth friendly by riding my bike too.) asap. So, I showed up at first light to share. Because I am a sharing, caring kind of girl.

And in that spirit, I am here to share with you too. Because really my darlings, is that not the point of this site? It's not to ramble on in pithy couplets about my life, or promote anything...it's simply my way of sharing the tasty treats.

So try this my peaches, (with the best ingredients you can get your hands on) and taste the joy.


1 cup marinated artichoke heart quarters, drained
1 cup cooked brown rice, chilled
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper


Preheat your oven to 350F.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and mustard. Add salt stir again. Stir in the artichoke hearts, rice and cheeses.

Pour into a well-buttered eight-inch square baking dish.

Sprinkle the top with paprika, and additional salt and pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. When done, cut in to squares.

Serves nine, hot, warm or cold.


© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Please help support disaster relief in Myanmar (Burma)

California's wild rice industry began in 1972 when white rice farmer Vince Vanderford decided to plant Minnesota wild rice seeds at his Yuba City farm in Northern California. Commercial production of California wild rice began around 1977.

The amount of food Britons throw away unnecessarily is at record levels, costing the economy 10 billion pounds a year. More than half of the 6.7 million tons of food that households throw away annually is still edible, the study from the Waste and Resources Action Programme revealed. About one billion pounds worth of wasted food is still "in date", the report concluded, while about 6 billion pounds of food was bought but left untouched. An average household discards about 420 pounds worth of unused food a year, the study said, while for families with more children that rises to over 600 pounds. - Reuters

Made In LA - Heaven Scent Cookies

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And now, for another edition of Made in L.A., my quest to find foods made right here in my home town...but available everywhere.

And this time peaches, we have a real treat! No, really...its a treat. Well, if you are the sort of person who considers a cookie a treat...because these are cookies we are talking about. See? A real treat!

So please allow me to introduce to you Heaven Scent Cookies. Made in Santa Monica, California (which is a city on the West side of the urban sprawl that is LA. SM has a fascinating history and is home to Douglas Aircraft, The RAND Corporation, public radio power house KCRW, the world famous Santa Monica Pier and of course, it's most celebrated son, talk show host Carson Daly!) they are available nationwide. I actually picked mine up at a grocery store in New York City. (I wonder if that is bad? I mean, that both me and the cookies travelled so far to meet...)

They are organic and Kosher and come in fourteen different varieties. For scientific (okay, not scientific) purposes, I tried Double Thick Chocolate Fudge, Gingerbread Boy, Old World Chocolate Sandwich and Brown Sugar Cream (which didn't make it in to the picture because they were so darned delicious!) And I have to say, those are some winning treats! Each one was better than the last.

So if really delicious, buttery, crumbly cookies with a lot of flavor and all natural ingredients sounds good to you...run out and find some of these little gems. You will thank me. They are beyond fantastic and absolutely worth seeking out!

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Other things "Made in L.A." - Carl's Jr., Trader Joe's, Dennys, the Monte Cristo sandwich, Hot Dog on a Stick, Fosters Freeze, the French Dip sandwich, Orange Julius, FatBurger, Taco Bell and the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail

The average American eats 35,000 cookies in his/her lifetime.

In England, Schweppes makes a quinine soda called "Indian Tonic Water," which is somewhat less sweet than the American version. The sweetness Indian Tonic Water does have comes from saccharine.

Another yummy Rachael Ray Recipe

Back to back Rachael recipes. This recipe came to my attention via the CLBB. It was posted by Sharon over at Culinary Adventures of a New Wife. Unlike the noodle bowl, this one falls in the over 30 minutes category for me. Although I have to say that even when they take over 30 minutes, Rachael's recipes are often complete, so there's no need to think up sides or additional accompaniments and when you take that into account, her recipes are still pretty quick.

Chicken Greek-a-Tikka Salad with Parsley-Feta Pesto

This is another complete meal - grilled chicken, lots of veggies, a little whole wheat pita and a yummy parsley-feta pesto on top. The only really bad thing about this recipe? The name - it's one of Rachael at her cutesy-poo best (or worst). But what can I say? I like her food and that's what counts in the end.

The Greek comes most notably from the kalamata olives and the feta, while the yogurt marinade provides the Tikka. It really does sound like a lot going on, but somehow it works. Delicious. I'd like to take elements of this recipe to try on their own - like using the yogurt marinade to grill chicken on its own (but perhaps marinating the chicken a little longer) and using the parsley-feta pesto as a dip or spread. Lots of possibilities!

On a side note, I have found a whole wheat pita pocket and a whole wheat flatbread that I love - they are not dry like many whole wheat pita breads and are pleasantly chewy. The flatbread is my favorite, but it has quite a bit more fat than the pita, so I try to use the flatbread a bit more sparingly. I am going to try something new here - when I find a specific product that I really like, I will try to link to it in my recipes, so look for the pita link in this recipe.

Still chilly where you are?

Warm up with this excellent soup!

I realize that some of you in the southern climes have already transitioned into summer, but here in Central PA, May can still bring some pretty chilly weather. Even if it's a bit warmer where you are this soup is brothy and light, not heavy like stew.

This noodle bowl is from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats and really does cook up in 30 minutes or less, something that I usually have a hard time doing with many of her recipes. Not only is it easy, but it is packed with flavor, making you feel as if you are eating at a good Asian restaurant.

Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Once you are finished chopping the bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, garlic and scallions, the rest of the recipe goes very quickly and is ready in a snap. The first time I made this it was very good, but I thought it could use a bit more broth. I have played around with the proportions a bit but haven't quite hit the perfect balance. I think that all it really needs is a bit more broth (1 or 2 cups more?) along with a proportionate amount of garlic and ginger to make sure that the flavors are not overly diluted.

I definitely recommend using shiitakes - they account for a large part of the flavor of this soup - something like a regular button mushroom wouldn't be nearly as good. I used baby bok choy the first time - 3 small heads - and it was very good (though regular bok choy works well too) and would make that substitution any time I'm able to find the baby variety.

With protein (shrimp), starch (noodles) vegetables (bok choy and scallions) and even fungi (shiitakes), this soup makes a pretty complete meal in one. Just one note on the noodles - I tried it with chinese-style wheat noodles which worked out very nicely. I wanted to try it with soba noodles but could not find any and tried whole wheat spaghetti noodles instead. The whole wheat noodles seemed to get a bit mushier than the chinese noodles did, so I don't think I'd try that again.

Fast, easy and delicious!

Super Spicy Habanero, Tomatillo Salsa

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I don’t know what happened! Honestly…looking at my calendar for the next three months it seems as if I have exactly 28 minutes of unblocked time coming to me – sometime in July I think.

It’s as if I got caught up in a tornado. Wait, sorry, is that the funnel cloud one? Yes, what I meant is I got caught up in a funnel cloud of social engagements and activities and meetings (well, not so many of them thankfully) and all sorts of summer-centric-paloozas.

I’m not complaining though, as a matter of fact, I am quite looking forward to it. I’m a bit of a planning calendar (“diary” if I were British) addict. (Do you use Google calendars? The best! The BEST!) and happy to see all the good times that lay ahead.

And due to that, I have got to dust off my BBQ/Potluck/Cocktail Soiree recipes and get myself in gear. Like a soldier going in to battle I must be prepared!
I have to bust out the good stuff! Bring out the big guns! (My, MY, lots of military references today. How…odd.)

So peaches, if you want to arm yourselves too…try making a big batch of this scorching salsa. It’s sure to put a bit of zip in your step (and tears in your eyes. Seriously.) and get you in the mood for Cinco de Mayo and the long, hot summer.

Try it, and taste the joy.

2 habenero chiles
2 jalapeno chiles
2 serrano chiles
1 large onion, large dice
2 cloves garlic
6 tomatillos
Juice of 3 limes
½ cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt

In a large cast-iron pan, roast the chiles until charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam.

Meanwhile, char the onion and garlic in the same dry skillet.

Next up, (carefully!) rub the charred skin off and pull out the seeds.

Puree everything in a food processor. Taste and add salt as needed.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

My dear friend EB produced some great Office Workout shorts for MSN...try them out and feel the burn!

The Naga Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) is the world's hottest chile pepper.

Burger King Holdings Inc. said Thursday that strong same-store sales in each of its segments and new restaurant growth helped to boost profit 21 percent in its third fiscal quarter.

Super Spicy Habenero, Tomatillo Salsa

.
I don’t know what happened! Honestly…looking at my calendar for the next three months it seems as if I have exactly 28 minutes of unblocked time coming to me – sometime in July I think.

It’s as if I got caught up in a tornado. Wait, sorry, is that the funnel cloud one? Yes, what I meant is I got caught up in a funnel cloud of social engagements and activities and meetings (well, not so many of them thankfully) and all sorts of summer-centric-paloozas.

I’m not complaining though, as a matter of fact, I am quite looking forward to it. I’m a bit of a planning calendar (“diary” if I were British) addict. (Do you use Google calendars? The best! The BEST!) and happy to see all the good times that lay ahead.

And due to that, I have got to dust off my BBQ/Potluck/Cocktail Soiree recipes and get myself in gear. Like a soldier going in to battle I must be prepared!
I have to bust out the good stuff! Bring out the big guns! (My, MY, lots of military references today. How…odd.)

So peaches, if you want to arm yourselves too…try making a big batch of this scorching salsa. It’s sure to put a bit of zip in your step (and tears in your eyes. Seriously.) and get you in the mood for Cinco de Mayo and the long, hot summer.

Try it, and taste the joy.

2 habenero chiles
2 jalapeno chiles
2 serrano chiles
1 large onion, large dice
2 cloves garlic
6 tomatillos
Juice of 3 limes
½ cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt

In a large cast-iron pan, roast the chiles until charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam.

Meanwhile, char the onion and garlic in the same dry skillet.

Next up, (carefully!) rub the charred skin off and pull out the seeds.

Puree everything in a food processor. Taste and add salt as needed.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

My dear friend EB produced some great Office Workout shorts for MSN...try them out and feel the burn!

The Naga Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) is the world's hottest chile pepper.

Burger King Holdings Inc. said Thursday that strong same-store sales in each of its segments and new restaurant growth helped to boost profit 21 percent in its third fiscal quarter.