Shaped Dumplings

These were the product of a happy accident.

I didn't add quite enough water to my dumpling dough (even though I've made it many times before), so it ended up being a little drier than usual and pretty tough to roll into neat balls that would stick together.

I made like 3 balls before I gave up and started to make little cubes instead.  N joined in and made pyramids since he decided cubes and spheres were too hard to make.  Plus, I added a little heart out of the last of the dough for a little fun :)



All of the shapes cooked up fine, I usually let them float around on the surface for a minute or two before fishing them out of the water.

Give shaped dumplings a try, they make your soup cute!

Guess what? Pork Butt!

This is a wonderful recipe for a Miso Pork Stew by Ming Tsai via Food Gal!  I love it, it's so delicious and flavorful.  It does take a long time to make, but it's totally worth it.  We like to start it after lunchtime on the weekend and then it's ready for dinner. 

I find that it's really easy to broil your peppers in the toaster oven if you cut them up into four parts, then the skin will be blistered enough to peel off.  Plus, buy the pre-shelled edamame beans, then you can just dump them into your pot, isn't convenience food nice?

This definitely makes enough for a giant pot of leftovers.  I recommend that after refrigerating over night that you skim the fat off the top.  I'll give you a hint, it's the thick orange squishy looking layer on top and even though it looks like it might be sweet potato, definitely skim that off as much as you can.

Apple Pull Apart Bread

This is a great apple pie alternative.  Sometimes I feel like having delicious cinnamon bun-type bread desserts rather than flaky pie crust.  We used this recipe from Baked by Rachel since we actually were looking for something besides pie to make with all of our apples.



I'm still trying out compressed photos, and so far I'm only seeing real quality loss in heavily shadowed areas, so I think I will probably stick with the smaller picture files.  Hopefully, this will make the blog much faster to load.

The Fig and Pig (A shameless recreation of a local seasonal favorite)

This combination, as you can tell by all the food blogger hype, is really delicious.

We used this Smitten Kitchen homemade pizza dough recipe, and we liked it a lot, not too difficult.  We also made the SK leisurely pizza dough from her cookbook when we did pizza night with some friends, also delicious!

Here's the topping order to make our version:
-Onions sauteed in balsamic vinegar
-Shredded Mozzarella cheese
-Pieces of prosciutto
-Sliced figs
-Crumbled Gorgonzola

Bake at 450F until crust is golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes? See the SK recipe for basic baking instructions.  We just put on all the ingredients and baked them all together, no crazy layering of toppings or anything like some of the other recipes.

Fresh figs courtesy of Chad (of former Hawaiian butter mochi fame). Otherwise, I'm sure we would have no idea where to get fresh figs other than battling it out at the farmer's market.

The figs are sweet, and the gorgonzola and prosciutto are both very salty. Obviously a winning duo, but hold the arugula, please.  I can't tell you how many fig, proscuitto, arugula recipes I saw, and I just don't want to eat my pizza like some kind of strange salad.



Variations: (Tested and approved!)
1. Use dried fig slices when fresh figs are not in season.
2. Goat cheese, dried fig slices, pepperoni/salami slices, and crumbled gorgonzola toasted on a slice of french bread for bite size snacks.

Crepes, crepes, and more crepes for breakfast

Two things conspired to get us to make more crepes.

One. We found a cute little cookbook at an estate sale that is all about crepes, savory and sweet.
Two. N's sister bought him a great crepe pan in Germany.

It's fate, right?

We used this recipe from Me Versus Martha to make our first batch of banana and Nutella crepes.  They were delicious and super filling, but Nutella is always awesome, so... biased.



Same basic crepe recipe, but this time, with a syrup/reduction made of blackberries, water, and sugar.  We strained out the seeds and put in into the creamer to pour over the crepes.  Since it wasn't very substantial otherwise, I made some fresh whipped cream to fill it out a little.

It's actually very easy to make fresh whipped cream.  I used maybe a 1/2 cup (or less), two spoonfuls of sugar, and a splash of vanilla.  Those three ingredients went into the Pyrex measuring cup and then whisked for several minutes until stiff.  That's it!



Yum! Crepes seem really fancy even though they are really just thin pancakes.

Failed Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I have to eat my words. Last week, I said I was a pretty good judge of tasty recipes, but this one was a dud. I must admit, it's probably not the recipe's fault.  I did use rolled oats instead of quick oats because that's what I had from my last batch.  I am also not a huge fan of low-fat recipes, so I don't know what made me think this was going to be different.

Verdict: Tasted like banana bread.  For whatever reason, the texture came out so bread-y that it was basically no longer a cookie.  And if you do make them, definitely flatten it out into a cookie shape because there is nothing in the batter to melt which turns normal cookies from balls into discs.

Here's the recipe I used, give it a try?

Hawaiian Butter Mochi

Ok, I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but new favorite ...food... ever!  I seem to have a pretty good sense for yummy recipes, so I guess I don't end up with bad dishes too often.

But! Back to this butter mochi! So good!  We were inspired to look up a recipe for this because N's friend Chad brought some of his delicious mochi to a potluck.  He always brings the best Hawaiian dishes!

We found, and liked, this recipe best, over at FOODjimoto.  We forewent the shredded coconut topping since I like the subtle flavor imparted by the coconut milk, but I'm not overly fond of the shredded stuff.

You may want to put a baking sheet or something on the rack under the pan when you bake this.  It tends to drip, and those drippings smoke awfully when they hit the bottom of the oven.



P.S. Do you also LOVE the fabric I used for my backdrop??  At first, I swooned just because I love cross-hatching patterns, but then... LITTLE FORKS AND SPOONS AND KNIFE.  What? So cute!  I wish I had enough fabric to make a whole dress out of, but sadly, there is only enough for a little tote bag.

Udon noodle soup with tofu and mushrooms

Ooh, this was super yummy, and I've had this bookmarked for a while as a slight change to tofu stir-fry everything.  Every time I look at Snixy Kitchen, I want to make everything she posts.

I actually adjusted this recipe as a blend between two Snixy Kitchen recipes, the miso udon noodles with tofu and the beef with udon noodle soup.

Did you know miso = soybean paste? A little bit of prior internet research probably could have kept us from wandering the aisles of 99 Ranch for a solid 20 minutes. 

P.S. See my guilty lunch time pleasure in the background? I usually try to hack away at the NY Times crosswords during the week.



Udon noodle soup with tofu and mushrooms
Adapted from Snixy Kitchen
Serves 3-4

1 lb. of tofu, rinsed and pressed between two plates to dry.
5 baby bok choy, coarsely chopped
10 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 package of dry udon noodles
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp togarashi
2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for frying tofu
1 quart chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut tofu into ½ to 1-inch pieces.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a medium cast-iron skillet. Add tofu in batches and cook, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes, until crispy and browned. Use tongs to flip the tofu and cook on the other side for an additional 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel and set aside.
Heat some oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the bok choy and stir to coat, cooking for about a minute. Cover and cook for two more minutes. Cook covered for an additional minute.
In the same pot, heat more oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook in the same way as the bok choy. Transfer to the bok choy bowl and set aside.
Mix miso paste, 2 tablespoons olive oil, togarashi, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add mushrooms, baby bok choy, and chicken broth to a large pot. Simmer for a few minutes and add sauce to broth. Bring to a boil, add noodles, and cook udon noodles according to package.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Split the noodles and soup among bowls.
Distribute the tofu among the bowls and serve.

Avocado Pasta

I think I saw this first on A Cup of Jo, and I think it's pretty good.  This recipe comes from the Blissful B Blog, and at first, it seems like too much work.  (Really, you want me to blend a bunch of things together? Not going to happen.) As written, I think it would make a really good dish, but the shortcuts we took still made a pretty tasty dinner.  We sauteed some shrimp with pressed garlic to add some protein to the dish.  Instead of blending, just cook the spinach by itself and add it all together with the pasta and shrimp, and toss with mashed up avocado.  Not as green as the original dish, but really good and creamy!

Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers

OK, I was totally drawn in by the pretty colors. And that's how I came to buy a bunch of bell peppers at 99 Ranch even though I had no concrete plans for them.  We made these a la Heat Oven to 350 but subbed ground beef for ground turkey because that was in the freezer.

The best part might have been the generous handful of melted Vermont Cheddar on top, yum!

Trying out Brussels Sprouts

Shocker.. but I don't like them too much. They have kind of a weird taste.  The tartness in this Mustard Brussels Sprouts recipe from A Beautiful Mess kind of masks the taste, but I guess that I just don't like Brussels Sprouts all that much. 

We made these as a side dish to a yummy turmeric ground lamb recipe that we found in a one-pot cookbook.  We got them on a whim because we were so enamored when we saw a whole stalk of them at the grocery store.

Tofu, Chickpea, & Green Pea Curry

Still on the hunt for some good tofu dishes, I came across this one from The Partial Ingredients on Foodgawker.  It was pretty perfect because I had a leftover nub of ginger I didn't know what to do with and a partial bag of frozen peas in the freezer.  I basically omitted most of the spices and just went with some curry powder for the seasoning since it mostly contains all those spices anyways. 

Something new I learned when trying to make this recipe: Chickpeas = Garbanzo beans!  (Anyone besides me reminded of Zoboomafoo from PBS?)

Anyways, another warning about the recipe, make it in a Dutch oven or other similarly large sauce pot.  The first time we made the recipe, we made it in the skillet as called for, but there ended up being so much liquid that it was impossible to stir.

We also nixed the jalapeno because it made the first batch unbelievably spicy.



P.S. I took this picture at work because I have a new miniature rice cooker!  Thanks to my old coworker Tricia, I can now eat fresh rice with my lunches :)

Reservation Soup

Now, this is a "recipe" of my own design.  Recipes are always calling for you to "reserve" things and set them aside for later.  We reserved all these ingredients for so long that we just threw them all together into a pot and called it soup.

Directions:
1. Make a brisket. Decide that you don't want to throw away all that cooking fluid.  Attempt to strain out mustard seeds and peppercorns.  Leave in the fridge for about a week while you decide what to do with it.
2. Take your "stock" out of the the fridge and throw away the layer of fat that has solidified on the surface.
3. Cut up the rest of the leftover daikon (because you can only buy giant daikons apparently) after making Winter Solstice Soup and Pickled Daikon.  And the leftover carrot also from the pickled daikon because you've overestimated the amount that will fit in the jar space.
4. Cut up leftover celery from the brisket.  Throw that in there, too.
5. Throw in leftover lap cheong (Chinese sausage) from Solstice soup because, hey, it's there.
6. Add some mushrooms and potatoes, because those are good in soup.
7. Simmer about 30 minutes or whatever you feel like.  Salt to taste.

Winter Solstice Soup

..because it's the Winter Solstice today!

This soup is also (apparently) known as Tang Yuan. Now, this soup has been a long time coming, and I have a short-ish story about my Holy Grail of foods.  Yes, that's right, I just called this the Holy Grail.  So the thing is, my grandma used to make this for me when I was young, but hasn't made it since.  And since I was young enough to remember the soup, but not old enough to have any definite memories of it, I have never been able to recreate it, look it up, or describe it accurately enough for someone else to know what it is.  I had vague memories of "mochi-like things" and "things I remember as carrots but aren't carrots" in the soup (actual things I have said to people when trying to describe it.)  Well, I happened to stumble across a picture of dumplings filled with red bean paste on Foodgawker when I was browsing for some other recipe, and many clicks and Google searches later, I happened upon Noodle Fever's Tang Yuan soup recipe.  I almost cried out of sheer joy.

TL;DR  This is awesome soup that I've been trying for something like 15 years to find.  If that isn't a glowing endorsement, I don't know what is.



Incidentally, this is also the first time I've ever really shopped at 99 Ranch.  The poor Chinese man behind the meat counter looked to me to clarify N's order, but I couldn't help him, haha.

Monterey Chicken a la the Silver Palate

So, I thought this might be a particular recipe.  You know, like, Monterey chicken is always made a particular way or with a particular uniqueness.  But a quick search of Foodgawker proved me wrong.  There was nothing that even looked like what we made out of the Silver Palate cookbook we picked up at an estate sale.

This is a really yummy recipe, and pretty light, not a lot of oil or cream or butter.

A quick internet search brings up this recipe that seems to be copied from the book.



Haha, I took it upon myself to "make it pretty" or at least I partially succeeded with the cucumber. 

Sriracha Eggplant Tofu

AKA the first successful tofu dish I've made!  Found the lovely recipe over at Kalyn's Kitchen via Foodgawker.  The best thing about this recipe is that she tells you exactly how long to cook the eggplant, it doesn't come out mushy like I was afraid it would.

Oh man, the first time we tried to improv some tofu, I accidentally bought silken tofu to try and stir fry it.  It turned into mush!  But extra firm fries up golden and so pretty.



We've been trying to add more meatless dishes to our usual routine, so this was a pretty tasty foray into that!

Sea Bass and Carrots

Ok, so, I have to apologize for the lack of posts lately.  My little camera took a dive off a table and is having a "lens error". But in any case, I'd been searching for these pictures for a little while and completely forgotten that they must have been taken on N's camera.

We whipped up this delicious little dinner way back in early summer when we were first starting to harvest our carrots.  The carrots were something like a year old but only yielded these little runts.  And since it's San Diego, pretty much all vegetables give up trying to grow with the seasons.  These actually were planted in November, haha.  Earlier garden photos here.



Have you ever tasted a really fresh carrot?  Like straight out of the ground fresh? They have this amazing crispness and crunch.  I figured that the texture of the carrots you get at the store was just how they came.



I know it seems fancy, but we got these lovely sea bass steaks at our local grocery store in the 50% off display case because they were about to expire.  Topped with a little butter and salt, baked at 400F, then broiled for a couple minutes, they turned out amazing.  I was a little nervous about preparing such a nice piece of fish :)  Plus, we took all those carrots and sauteed them in butter, they really caramelized nicely.  One of my favorite dinners we've made!

Sweet Potato Loaf

Oh man, I know I say everything I make is totally yummy but seriously, this is one of my favorites.  This sweet potato bread recipe from Kate @ For Me For You definitely caught my eye, and I knew I had to make it.

This bread comes together really fast especially because you can actually microwave the sweet potato instead of boiling and mashing it.  I just scrub the outside of the potato a little bit and take a fork and stab it all over.  Then, wrap the potato in wet paper towels and microwave maybe 2-3 minutes on each side until soft.  Cut open in the middle and then you can scoop the potato right out of the skin (careful: it will be hot!).



This bread is a delicious taste of fall (and maybe a break from all the pumpkin!)  Although, let's be honest, the bread does remind me of a pumpkin bread.

Beef Stroganoff and musings on life currently

We were looking for a new beef stroganoff recipe to replace a previous recipe that had somehow been lost. We came across this one also by the Crabby Cook via Foodgawker.  It's a really good recipe, and while a little involved, makes a delicious dish.  He even suggests when to start boiling water for the noodles: a good tip for me since I find it hard to know when I am supposed to make certain elements of a meal ;)



And now that school is fully in session, I'm finding it weird to keep showing up at campus but not to have classes or exams or anything really.  And yet everyone else is surging at a frenzied pace around me while I seem to be standing still.  But the funny thing is, it feels good to stand still for a while.

Orzo with Sausage and Bell Peppers

This recipe is so yummy and and really not that hard.  I'm just bummed that the Crabby Cook isn't posting recipes any more.

We used a spicy turkey sausage and roasted the bell pepper.  And maybe accidentally set off the smoke alarm while roasting the bell pepper over an open flame.

This makes a ton of food (probably because it's a pound of orzo), there were leftovers for days.

It's a pretty cheap dish too.  $1 (on sale) for a whole box of orzo, $0.33 for one bell pepper, and variable on the sausage, but no more than about $3/pound.