Traditional Korean Happy New Year Soup

Minced Garlic, thinly sliced  Carrot ( because I like it ), Dark and Light chicken meat, Chicken/beef Broth, thinly sliced onion, rice dumpling, scallions, garnish with ribbons of egg crepe, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.

Soak rice dumpling in large bowl of water. Into the broth , add in your garlic, onion, carrots, and shredded chicken meat.  Bring to a boil and take out rice dumpling and put in broth. Cook until dumplings are al dente. Make an egg crepe put on cutting board when done and cut into thin chiffinads. Take soup put in a bowl and then add on top thinly sliced scallions and ribbons of egg.

My son can type fast so he did this. Without him this would never be here. Now you need to see his blog at cookingrocks4kids.wordpress.com

Winter Salad Options

Winter time brings lots of family gatherings and big meals. To balance out all the rich dishes, I like to serve a tasty salad. There is the challenge of using seasonal produce and making it look so good that people choose it over a double helping of mashed potatoes. Here are some of the salads I enjoyed this holiday season.

Crunchy Broccoli with Dried Cranberries and Sunflower Seeds

Hardware- knife, cutting board, big bowl to wash veggies, serving bowl, colander,

Software- Broccoli crowns, dried cranberries, shelled sunflower seeds, shredded carrots, fresh cracked black pepper, Brianne’s Poppyseed Dressing, finely diced red onion (optional)

• Wash the broccoli and cut the florets off and cut them lengthwise into bite size pieces.
• Take the remaining thin stems and chop them into bite size pieces. When you have the larger base stem, cut off some of the woody outer parts.
• Set all the chopped broccoli and stems into a big bowl. You have done the hardest part. The rest is easy.
• 30 mins before serving, toss in the shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, cranberries, and onions (if you are using them).
• Pour the salad dressing just til the broccoli is barely coated. You can alway add more later but you can’t take away if you’ve poured too much.
• Give the salad a good mix.
• Add fresh cracked pepper.
• Cover with seran wrap and refrigerate.

Bib Lettuce with Oven Roasted Veggies and Harvest Fruit

Hardware- colander, knife, cutting board, cookie sheet, serving bowl,

Software- Bib/Butter lettuce, baby organic carrots, beets, butternut squash, fuji apple, bosc pear, pomegranate,  feta/goat cheese

preheat oven to 350 F.

Wakame with Cucumbers in Rice Wine Vinegarette

Spinach Tortellini Pasta Salad

2 B continued

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,300 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 22 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Too Many Green Tomatoes

We had a strange day of cold temperatures and rain. (Ok. cold for Southern Ca.) but it still made me worry about my 2 huge Roma tomato plants and cucumber plant. I actually even went outside and tented them with beach towels. Of course my kids made fun of me. While out there I decided to harvest some of the larger green tomatoes. I have heard of Fried Green Tomatoes but have never eaten one. Deciding to boldly go where no other Korean mom has gone before, I looked up a recipe off the internet and got the ingredients needed. I had to modify. I refuse to deep fry them. And I refuse to use bacon fat. I guess Paula Dean would be disappointed about that. I have to say I like the finished product. It reminded me of the fried zucchini side that Carl’s Jr. sells but with a firmer texture and slight tartness. My daughter liked them. (she loves sour) and my son didn’t (he doesn’t like sour nor tomatoes) I’m happy to report also that my sweet neighbor from Alabama thought they were tasty. I see that even in December my tomato bush still has big green tomatoes on it. I may have to make these again. I wonder if they freeze well?

Hardware- cast iron skillet, knife, cutting board, flipper, empty cereal bag, paper towel, 3 plates, bowl, fork

Software- firm green tomatoes, 1 c cornmeal, 1/2 c flour, garlic salt, pepper, sweet paprika, salt, egg, 2 tsp water, canola oil

Steps

• Wash and remove the stem off the tomatoes
• slice them horizontally into coins about 1/4″ thick and set aside on a plate
• put 1/2 c of flour into an empty cereal bag along with some fresh cracked black pepper, and 10 shakes of garlic salt
• in a small bowl, scramble the egg with the water to make an egg wash
• In another shallow bowl put the cornmeal, fresh cracked black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp paprika
• Place 3-4 tomato slices into the flour mixture and  holding the top of the cereal bag tightly give it a few shakes so that all the tomato slices are covered in the seasoned flour. (kids love to do this part)
• Remove the tomato slices, giving them a shake to remove excess flour
• Give them a quick dip and flip in the egg wash so they are covered with egg.
• Then plop one in the cornmeal mixture and flip the tomato so that the cornmeal mixture is all over the tomato. Set it aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining slices til you have a plate full ready to go.
• In a cast iron skillet or fry pan, heat up 1/2″ deep pool of canola oil. You will be pan frying not deep frying them. drop a tiny bit of flour in and see if the oil bubbles. That means you are ready.
• Gently place the tomatoes in the oil being careful not to splatter oil. Start with placing them in the farthest away from you point on the pan and work your way forward.
• After about 2-3 minutes, you can peak at the underside of a piece to see if you have achieved a light golden brown color, if so then carefully flip them over to cook the other side.
• When they are GBAD (Golden Brown And Delicious). Pull them out and place them on a paper towel covered dish to drain the oil off the tomatoes.
• Enjoy.

How to beat the Heat and still Eat well.

Summer in Los Angeles provides us with lots of sunshine and cool nights but the daytime temps can make cooking a challenge. How do you cook w/o heating up the house? Grilling is a great option since you can prep inside and cook outside. Cold dishes are a nice idea too. Luckily fruit is at its sweetest during the hot summer days and I use lots of fruit in my menu. Not only is it delicious, it can help keep you hydrated.

My son and I love Agua de Sandia, (Watermelon juice).

Watermelon Juice

Hardware- Blender, knife, cutting board, wooden spoon, paper towels, pitcher

Software- whole watermelon

• Wash the outside of the watermelon with soapy water.
• Place a damp kitchen towel under a cutting board to prevent it from slipping and also so soak up the juice so it doesn’t spread all over the counter.
• You can also place a paper towel on top of the cutting board to keep the melon from slipping around while you try to cut it in half.
• Remember to never have your hand or fingers in front of the knife blade. Your knife could easily slip on the watermelon’s smooth rind.
• Carefully, using a smooth bladed knife cut the melon in half. Put one of the halves aside.
• Remove the paper towel.
• lay the melon on the cut side so it doesn’t wobble around.
• Cut it in half again and continue to cut parallel lines. then lay the semi circles on their sides and cut off the rinds. Throw these in your compost pile. (yes, I do compost)
• Cut the watermelon flesh into chunks and put them in your blender.
• Put the lid on and blend away.
• If your blade gets stuck, simply stop the motor and move the watermelon pieces around with your wooden spoon.
• Put the lid back on tight and blend again.
• Transfer your frothy drink to a pitcher.
• Pour it in a tall glass over ice cubes and enjoy. It is best if enjoyed immediately. If you put it in a pitcher for later, the juice will separate like oil and vinegar. (watermelon pulp floats) So just get out a wooden spoon and give it a good stir.

Guilt Free Ice Cream

Ice cream happens to be a huge weakness of mine. While trying to make a quick smoothie, I accidentally created this pleasant surprise. I hope you like it as much as I do. It has sweetness, creaminess, and the chill of ice cream w/0 the fat. You get protein and creaminess from the yogurt and antioxidants and vitamin C from the berries and potassium from the banana.

Bananas are a great fruit to have on hand. When I notice that they are getting very spotty and over ripe, I peel them and stick 2 in a sandwich ziplock bag and freeze them. Label it 2 bananas before you stick it in the freezer. Then you can use it for smoothies, guilt free ice cream, or to make banana bread (just let them defrost first for banana bread).

Hardware- mini blender (I use something like the Magic Bullet), spoon, bowl or ice cream cone

Software- 4 frozen strawberries and or blueberries, 1/2 a frozen banana, nonfat plain greek yogurt (I like fago brand), squeeze of honey

Steps

• Put the berries, banana, and 2 tablespoons of yogurt in the blender. Add the squeeze of honey.
• Make sure the lid is on tight
• Blend till smooth.
• Scoop it out into a cup or cone and enjoy

Gazpaccio, Chilled Tomato Soup

I love to eat a chilled Gaspachio soup on a hot day. With the tasty vine ripened tomatoes available during summer from farmers markets or your own backyard, it is delicious. You can even make it super fancy by adding a crouton and a grilled shrimp on top or hanging on the rim. Your guest will think you are gourmet. You don’t even need to tell them how simple it was to whip up.

Steps

• Fill your blender 2/3 of the way with fresh tomatoes, you can use red, yellow, orange,  heirloom or a combo of them.
• Add in 1/4 of a small red onion cut into large pieces.
• Add 1/2 a hot house English cucumber/6 persian cucumbers, wash, ends cut off, and leaving the skin on
• 1/8-1/4 Cup of your favorite red wine vinegarette.
• Splash red wine vinegar, only if you like it more acidic so add it after the first blend and taste.
• Sprinkle of Garlic Salt
• 1/8 Cup of Wheat Germ (instead of white bread)

Hit Blend on your blender and then pour it into pretty glass bowls. Serve it as is or add the pazzazz point of toast triangles the grilled shrimp. Another idea is to pour it into small glasses to use for a tasting party.

Salads are light and refreshing on hot days but I often find that a mixed green lettuce salad doesn’t get eaten at a summer BBQ. Here are a few alternative ideas for you to try at your next BBQ or Picnic.

Artichoke, Green Beans, and Edaname in Tomatoes.

Software- 2 fresh artichokes, fresh green beans, Frozen Edaname beans, 2 cans of S & W Italian style sliced stewed tomatoes, 2 fresh lemon, big bowl of water,

Hardware- large pot with lid, wooden spoon, chef knife, paring knife, cutting board, kitchen scissors, large serving bowl, rubber shelf liner, can opener, serving bowl

If you have never worked with a fresh artichoke, it can be a bit intimidating. Don’t worry, It really isn’t that bad. Let’s talk about how to pick a good one. Artichoke is a member of the thistle family. The part we are buying at the market is the head. You want to look for a pretty green all over coloring. The leaves can have a sharp little thorn at the tip so be careful. Look for heads that have a tight closed up grouping of leaves. Give the head a squeeze around the “equator” of the head. It should feel tight. Not loose with air in it.

The key to prepping artichokes is to have a stable cutting surface and acidulated water. Artichokes will turn brown as soon as you cut them. To stop this we trick them by having 2 lemons cut and squeezed into a big bowl of water. The acid in the water slows down the oxidation process. This is a great science point.

To stabilize the cutting board put a piece of rubber shelf liner or a wet paper towel under it. Hold the rinsed off artichoke with a bridge hold. Cut off the top 1/3 of the head. This leaves you with the stem and the lower 2/3. Use your kitchen scissors and cut off the tips of each leaf. That gets rid of the thorn at the tips. Cut off the stem. If there are stray little leaves, cut them off. I cook the stem in the pot too and just eat the center part of it. Depending on the diameter of your stem, the outer parts might be too tough. Cut the head of the artichoke lengthwise, then each half again lengthwise so you have quarters. Then put them in the acidulated water. Using a parring knife cut out the thistle part of the artichoke. It is the fuzzy part that is above the delicious heart and under the leaves. Once cleaned of all the fuzz, place the artichoke quarter back into the acidulated water. Set aside for later. Wash and trim the green beans. Set aside.

In a large pot, pour in the Italian style stewed tomatoes,  push the artichokes down into the tomatoes. Cover and let it simmer on medium heat. I have a burner on my outdoor grill so I use it so as not to heat up the kitchen since I’m grilling anyway. After 5 mins add the green beans on top of the artichokes, cover and keep cooking til a chopstick or butter knife goes through the artichoke heart easily. Add the frozen edaname beans and stir. Cover and cook for 1 more min. Pour out into a deep serving bowl. Serve it with small side dishes for the discarded leaves. Artichokes are a great food to enjoy at a leisurely pace while chatting with others so they are great for parties. Enjoy.

Dessert on the Grill 

Grilled Pineapple with vanilla ice cream toasted nuts, and chocolate sauce.

I love grilled pineapples. sure cutting a pineapple can seem daunting. but there is an easier way to do it.

 

Vegging Out at the Y (part 3)

You asked for it and you got it. The Vegging out at the Y part 2 was such a hit. There were 50 kids plus their parents who joined the fun. The biggest request of all the feed back was to please have a similar program again. Thanks to the YMCA being on board, we are going to do it. We are gearing it towards the kinder-3rd/4th grade kids. Mark your calendars for Thurs., April 14th at 3:30 -5 for a fun and tasty time for all. Recipes will not only be tasty but nutritious as well. We will make Hummus and Veggies Pita Pockets and an Edible Butterfly. Plus as a wonderful bonus the kids will plant a seed to take home and grow their own veggie with Landscape designer, Dawn Benander of Earthly Delights. So pile into the car with a few friends and head on over to the Crescenta Canada Y.

Cable T.V. show appearance

Glendale Adventist Medical Center hosts a weekly cable tv show called Healthline. It was very exciting to be a guest on the episode about childhood obesity. Please watch the link to hear ideas for how kids can help in the kitchen.

March 2011 Cooking Class

Young Cooks and Great Books at the Community Center of La Canada Flintridge

Calling all young chefs…

Come join us for this hands-on, fun class where kids and adults together will learn about kitchen safety, table manners, and, most importantly, how to make some tasty treats! Recipes will include zucchini bread, stone soup, and teddy bear biscuits. Each class will have a book that ties in with the recipe. Reading never tasted so good!

Session I: March 4-25

Friday 12:30-1:45 pm
Age: 3-6 with an adult

Friday 3:30-4:45 pm
Age: 7- 10

Fee: $110 for the 4 week session (includes all materials)

Please let us know in advance of any food allergies. to register go to cclcf.org and click under schedule, then school age kids

13 yr old’s Cooking Birthday Party

Imagine 10 chatty girls, lots of ingredients and knives. That was the scene at a very sweet 13 year old girl’s party. Our menu was Simple Guacamole, Turkey Spinach Cheesy Quesadillas, and Oven Baked Cinnamon Crisps. (my healthy style churro) They girls had fun and got to enjoy a tasty meal and…I hope, learned a few new cooking skills.

Turkey Spinach Cheesy Quesadilla

This is a great way to sneak in a little spinach in anyone’s day. I use frozen spinach to save myself some work. You can assemble a whole bunch of these and put a piece of wax paper between them and freeze them for latter use. They also make a great appetizer for a party. I like to serve these with nonfat plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. You’ll be surprised how similar they taste.

Software- extra lean ground turkey, 1 box of frozen spinach defrosted, shredded cheddar cheese/mexican blend cheese, whole wheat tortilla, 2-3 garlic cloves, olive oil,”I can’t believe it’s not butter” spray (optional)

Hardware- fry pan, cutting board, pancake flipper, wooden spoon, knife, 2 bowls, small plate, fry pan/griddle, pizza rotary cutter

Steps

• Using the side of your knife, smash the garlic cloves using the palm of an open hand. Make sure you spread your fingers upward so they aren’t near the blade.
• Pick away the garlic’s outer paper and throw it away.
• Chop the smashed garlic and set it aside on a small plate
• AHN “Adult Help Needed” to heat up a 3 second pour of olive oil in a fry pan/skillet.
• AHN -When the oil is hot, add the turkey meat by sliding it gently in from just above the oil. Do not just plop it in or the oil will spatter.
• Using a wooden spoon, move the meat around so the raw parts are getting cooked. Add the chopped garlic.
• Continue to stir the meat until all the meat is fully cooked. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
• Open the spinach and with your hands, squeeze out as much water as you can from the spinach. Set the spinach in a bowl. Pull apart the spinach so it is fluffed and not just in a tight ball.
• Place a tortilla on a dish, spoon on some ground turkey, sprinkle on some spinach, and sprinkle on the cheddar cheese (like you would motzarella cheese on a pizza) Top with another tortilla.
• Squirt on 2 squirts of butter spray, Lay that side on the clean fry pan/griddle.
• Cook til golden brown.
• Using the flipper, flip it over, Spray the untoasted side with 2 more squirts of butter spray. Or forget about the squirts all together and just cook them dry.
• Once that side is golden brown, slide it onto a cutting board.
• Using the pizza cutter, cut into triangle slices just like a pizza.

Simple Guacamole by Chef Sonia at Whole Foods Market

Guacamole is best when mixed up right before serving. If you do have to store it a few hours before using it, then put it in a narrow container and place plastic wrap directly on top of it. The plastic will prevent the air from oxidizing your avocados.

Hardware-big mixing bowl, potato masher, cutting board, knife, plastic juicer, mixing spoon, flatware spoon

Software-Ripe avocados, Fresh lime juice, Chopped Cilantro, Garlic salt, Diced tomatoes, diced red onions (optional)

Steps

• Wash the avocados and lime
• Rinse off the cilantro and chop it up. Remove any thick pieces of stem. Set aside.
• Rinse off the tomatoes and dice. Set aside.
• Cut the avocados in half by rotating the avocado around and keeping your knife still
• Give it a twist and pull apart
• Using your flatware spoon scoop out the shells into the big mixing bowl
• Putting your hand under a kitchen towel, place the avocado half with the seed stuck in it on the towel. Wack the seed with a knife so that the blade is slightly embedded in the seed. Give the knife a twist to remove the seed. Place your hand over the back of the knife and pinch right behind the seed and this should make the seed fall off the knife w/out any threat of cutting yourself
• Scoop out the shell into the bowl
• Sprinkle it with garlic salt. Remember to use less because you can always add more later
• Mash up the avocados using the potato masher
• Cut the lime in half and push it on the juicer.
• Add lime juice to the bowl. Start with a teaspoon then add more juice if needed.
• Add the cilantro and red onions (optional) and stir with the mixing spoon
• Add the tomatoes and stir gently.
• Chill until ready to serve

I like to serve this with the oven baked no salt added chips or the oven baked flax seed Omega 3 chips. Enjoy.

Oven Baked Cinnamon Crisps

I love the crispy crunch that these chips have. It has the flavors of a churro without the deep frying in oil technique. I like to keep the cinnamon sugar already mixed up in a tin for easy access.

Software- ground cinnamon, sugar, flour tortillas, “I Can’t believe it’s not butter” spray,

Hardware- teaspoon, small bowl, foil, cookie tray, rotary pizza cutter, cutting board

Steps

To make cinnamon sugar- in a cereal bowl put 3 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon. Stir with a spoon to combine. Congrats. you just made your own cinnamon sugar. Pour it into a sprinkle jar for easy use.

Place a tortilla on the cutting board, squirt on the butter spray, sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar, Flip and repeat.

place it back on the cutting board and use the pizza cutter to cut the tortilla into strips or triangles. Move the pieces to a foil covered cookie tray.

Bake in a 400 F oven for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy.

What to do with all the Thanksgiving leftovers?

So I have to confess that I didn’t find the phyllo cups and ended up serving the brie that I bought for it as part of a fruit and cheese platter. My son did make the carrot and corn casserole, but wanted to play rather than flip latkas. Oh well, my friend substituted for him. And my soup was tasty but got just a simple garnish of toasted pumpkin seeds. Such grand plans but such little time. Regardless, the meal was enjoyed by all. But now here is the true question. What to do with all the leftovers? I gave some away but I have some of everything left. Here is the menu I am using. Depending on what you have left, feel free to modify.

My family eats a lot of turkey anyway so they loved the turkey sandwiches the next day with the leftover soup.

Turkey Barley Soup- After the meal, I made turkey stock out of the bones and pick out the meat and strained the veggies out. And right now I have the stock and new veggies and barley cooking away in the crock pot. The secret to any good stock is to cook it on low and for a long time. The secret to getting rid of the gamey taste is a bay leaf and lots of celery, a few garlic cloves, and onions in the pot with the bones. Those veggies will have given their all so you will have to throw them away with the bones so you don’t need to bother chopping the veggies up. just cut them into large chunks.

Simple Turkey Pot Pie- Get puff pastry from the freezer section of the market next to the ice cream. one can of cream of chicken soup condensed, mix it in a bowl with your cubes of turkey, chunks of onion, carrots, celery, and pototoes. Pour it into a pie pan and top it with a piece of puff pastry. Make an egg wash, brush the egg wash over the top of the puff pastry, cut slits on the dough to create vents for steam to escape.

Chili Shepherd’s pie -I have some chili frozen in a pie pan. I will take the leftover mash potatoes and spoon it over the top like meringue on a cream pie. The bake in a 400 F oven just to get some color on the pototoes

Mac and Cheese- On the cheese platter I served a fontina cheese. It is a semi soft cheese from Italy. It melts wonderfully. So I used the leftovers in Mac and Cheese.

Turkey Vegetable Soup w/ Stuffing Dumplings from the foodnetwork.com recipe collection. Recipe is courtesy of Wes Martin

I have some stuffing and green beans left. And I had frozen half of the turkey stock and pieces of turkey so I’ll make this and let you know how it is. The turkey barley was delicious. The kids loved it too and took it to school in their themos.

I hope you have found a recipe that you can use to revamp your leftovers. As I think of more ideas I will post them here for you.