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Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 20 May |
They always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and, well, it finally worked, making me the proud new owner of a shiny sparkly glittery diamond ring! That said, I have cooked for many a man without the reward of a platinum set symbol of lifetime commitment, but perhaps I had just not yet reached my full potential as a culinary temptress. On a recent occasion I was lucky enough to be in possession of young hungry fiancé’s favorite childhood recipe courtesy of future mother-in-law. Thank you! Even with my new heightened powers of palate persuasion it helps to have the aid of a good recipe… Such is the history of the following Garlic Shrimp & Rice, which served as a yummy surprise for my plus one after a long day at work and school. I do have to start practicing my homemaking skills now don’t I!
| 18 January |
Fry Fry Baby – not this year. Before you know it Spring’s going to be here (I can only hope…) and you’ll still be donning your winter “coat.” So in keeping with this month’s theme, here’s another easy & light meal that even allows you to utilize those Clementine and tangerines that they’re practically giving away at your local grocer. You don’t even have to peel the little suckers! Citrus that’s not sans skin you say? That’s right; this dish requires peels, pulp, and all so be grateful they’re seedless and leave your segmenting skills at home. I too was baffled by this skin and all phenomenon, but quickly remembered my cooking class in Shanghai where they left the bones in the chicken pre chop. Kind of the same right? If it worked then, it can work now. So in they went, skins and all. It’s quite a time saver to boot, not having to peel…baby oranges. I’ll take it!
In conclusion, I don’t think you’re necessarily supposed to eat the tangerines post wok (Bon Appetit disagrees), but if you accidentally catch one or two with your not so impressive chop stick skills I know firsthand that they won’t kill you. That said, it could be like leaving the skins on your shrimp for the extra flavor; obviously you’re not going to toss the meat because of a shell or two. I think I’ll take the extra flavor blast and leave sucking on soggy little citrus wedges to the birds.
| 2 September |
Now as my Mother will verify, I am no good when it comes to writing recipes. I don’t measure, I substitute ingredients and then I wait days or weeks before even attempting to log my actions which inevitably means that I don’t remember what they were in the first place. Perhaps I am a distant relative of the Cuban that regurgitated this recipe onto the back of a receipt for us, simply listing the components, circling a handful and then mentioning in a legend that those few should be sautéed for 15-20 minutes. What about the other 10 ingredients? Where do they go? Are they optional? Chopped liver? Alas, I think this might be my favorite recipe ever. Lacking all the basic components that recipes usually contain, steps, measurements, temperatures, etcetera, really leaves room for creative license. So in trying to recreate this unbelievably tender and flavorful dish from one of our favorite downtown Honolulu lunch spots, we improvised. And you know what? It was pretty darn close to perfect.
So Mom, looks like recipes can be merely suggestions to guide your kitchen experiments. And, no, I did not measure any of these ingredients in the act, but, after some research, I am pretty sure that this will yield similar results. If you are like me and prefer to use my recipe as a template for your own creation, other common ingredients include potatoes, peas and carrots and a number of recipes call for red wine instead of white. Additionally, the majority of Fricases out there do not contain nearly as many spices so do not make haste in the opposite direction if you’re missing one or two. Taste and change as you go and definitely feel free to send modifications!
| 31 August |
Given my counterpart’s passionate ode to her grill pan, I am hereby deciding to proclaim a love of my own….this time for what has become one of my kitchen essentials: my rice cooker.
Perfect...every time!
The beauty of the rice cooker is that it, quite simply, takes the guesswork out of cooking rice. Rice, that basic staple, is actually a bit tricky to prepare well and the rice cooker results in a perfectly fluffy, perfectly textured rice every time. Plus, if you’re willing to splurge for a more advanced model, it is evolved enough to have settings for white rice, brown rice, and a steam setting (for steaming such foods as vegetables,) making it a genius and versatile kitchen appliance. And all for the bargain price of $40!
Continue reading…
| 19 April |
On days when groceries are running low and tensions high, creating dinner out of what is left in my fridge becomes a Where’s Waldo-type task as I seek out any bits of fresh produce somehow overlooked earlier in the week. On one such night, my findings included several still fresh zucchini and a handful of semi-shriveled grape tomatoes. What follows is the meal that I crafted from these hidden treasures, proof positive that dinner needs neither forethought nor a stocked pantry to come out alright.
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