Beef Short Ribs

Jun 29, 2009

I was at the grocery store today to buy some steaks and I stumbled upon the last short ribs on the shelf. I recently had short ribs at my friend's house and it was so delicious that I had to get them. I had some Shouki marinade from Trader Joe's in the fridge so I used that and added dried rosemary, paprika, chili pepper powder, 2 cloves of minced garlic, salt, and pepper. I marinated it for 2 hours, and grilled it for approximately 10 - 15 minutes on each side. It was sweet, spicy, smoky, buttery, and tender.

Pork Kabobs with Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Jun 25, 2009

My mom always buys food like she's feeding an army and loves to feed us kids like we're teenagers all over again. We had a lot of barbecue left from Father's Day and she insisted that I bring some home to cook. I couldn't turn it down, I love pork kabobs. Shish-kabobs are very popular street food in the Philippines, you'll see everyone holding one while they stroll along the streets and it's always served in Filipino barbecues/gatherings. The cut is usually pork belly but other cuts are served as well. I asked my mom how it was marinated and she said "Just soy sauce, a little vinegar, onions, and garlic, marinated over night." So simple! I watched my uncle cook the meat slowly on the charcoal grill at my mom's house. Towards the end, I saw him brush banana ketchup. What a treat! Banana ketchup is made from smashed bananas, spices, vinegar, and dyed red to resemble tomato ketchup. The taste of banana ketchup is very sweet like banana candy with a texture of baby food. The pork tasted like pork candy as the ketchup carmalized as it was cooked briefly on the hot charcoal. Of course I had to try it, and luckily I bought banana ketchup last week.
Since I was grilling, I thought I'd grill some vegetables to put in my couscous. I grilled yellow squash but the broccoli and mushrooms were wrapped in foil with a little bit of teriyaki sauce and seasoned salt to prevent from falling through the grill. Not sure how long I left them on the grill, I am guessing it was for about 5-8 minutes and placed it in the warming rack. I grilled the yellow squash until it had grill marks on all the sides and placed it on the warming rack as well. I prepared the couscous and added cranberries for an added sweetness, chopped the squash, and added the mushroom, and broccoli. For a dressing, I decided to mix lemon, honey, and cilantro.

Lasagna

Jun 23, 2009

Growing up, I learned about lasagna from a fat orange tabby cat named Garfield who is lazy and loves to eat. My first taste was when I was a Sophomore in high school in Home Economics class where I first made it from scratch. I knew that I would love it because it stuck to my head that since Garfield scarfed it in 2 seconds that I must love it. I DID! I have made many versions of the original recipe over the years and I still love to experiment from time to time. I make lasagna on special occasions as I can't eat it all by myself....maybe I could? But I have never attempted it. I made it for Father's Day and enjoyed making it. The aroma of garlic and olive oil together in a hot pan is so breathtaking.

Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles
8 oz italian sausage
2 lba of ground meat
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, minced
2 tbs of fresh parsley, chopped
2 - 3 tbs of olive oil
2 eggs
32 oz ricotta cheese
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp of ground allspice
2 tbs of sugar
8 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup of red wine, if desired
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:
On medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil, add onion and let it sweat until it turns opaque
Add ground beef and italian sausage, cook until brown, drain grease if desired
Add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste, add salt and pepper
Simmer for 3 hours
Cook noodles according to directions with plenty of salt
Combine ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, allspice, parsley, mix well
Spray 13x9-inch pan with olive oil or non stick spray, add sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then add 4 noodles for the first layer, spread ricotta cheese evenly, add meat sauce, add mozzarella cheese, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese. Repeat next 2 layers.
Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes in over on 350 degrees until mozzarella is golden brown
Let it stand for at least 15 minutes, and enjoy!

Mango Salsa

Jun 22, 2009

I went to drop off some food at my mom's house the other day and found some mangoes sitting in the kitchen. It had some brown spots on them so I knew they wouldn't last longer than a day. It smelled so fruity, sweet and flowery, and soft to the touch. I remember when I was little in the Philippines, mangoes were everywhere, if you didn't have a mango tree your neighbor probably had one and you can just climb and pick them from the tree. The ones that I love were the green ones. They are crunchy, juicy, and tart. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I like to eat them with agamang in Filipino or shrimp paste, it has a pink/purpe color that is very salty. It's mainly used like table salt, you put it on many filipino dishes. It's very common to eat them with agamang or with salt. I'll have to check out some asian supermarket to see if they have them as I like mine green and very sour. I decided to make some mango salsa to go with my chips and it turned out delicious. You get all the flavors; sweet from the mangoes, spicy from the jalapenos, smokyness from the chipotle peppers, crunchiness from the red onions, and freshness from the cilantro and tomatoes.

Ingredients:
2 mangoes, peeled, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, diced
chipotle peppers, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tomatoe, seeded, diced
2-3 tbs of cilantro
1 garlic, minced
1 juice of lime
salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, add more or less to suite your taste.
Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa

Jun 17, 2009

Going to the grocery store is always an adventure! I'm one of those people that have to explore every single aisle as I always find something new everytime, my 10 minutes usually turns into an hour. I also love to see what's on sale especially with how the market is nowadays, you have to save every penny. When I think of Summer in California, I think of grilling and using what's in season. For dinner I decided to make barbeque chicken with peach and cucumber salsa. I had originally planned on making mango salsa but it wasn't on sale. Peaches were on sale at 99 cents/lb whereas mangos were 2.99/b. Peaches have been a favorite of mine as they are sweet, tangy, and juicy with an added crunch. The salsa that I made adds a burst of flavor that compliments the sugary barbecue chicken. The spiciness from the jalapeno and chili clears your palate to prepare you of your next bite. Also I love the chili adobo which adds a smokiness that you wouldn't normally expect from a salsa. If you've ever seen one of Bobby Flay's show, he always uses chili adobo in his dishes. It comes in a can filled with a marinade of brown sugar, sweet onions, and smokey garlicky flavors. It really adds an extra kick. I'd like to add that the serving size for the salsa is about 8-10 serving, so there's plenty of salsa for tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast
1/4 cup of bbq sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Salsa:
1 1/2 cup of peach, diced, approximately 1 medium size peach
2/3 cup of cucumber, skinn peeled and seeded, diced
3/4 cup of tomato, diced
juice of 2 lime, approximately 1/4 cup
1 cloved of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of red onions
1 tbs of chili adobo, chopped (approximately 2-3 chilies)
3 tbs of cilantro, chopped
salt and peper to taste
1/2 tbs of sugar or honey to taste

Directions:
Grill chicken on cast iron skillet or grill, grill for 5-6 minutes on each side on medium heat (cook until thermometer has reached 160 degrees), add barbeque and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
For the salsa, combine all ingredients together, add salt and pepper to taste

Thai Tomato and Green Bean Salad

Jun 16, 2009

I felt like eating a salad today but not any ordinary lettuce salad, I wanted something different. Rummaging through my fridge, I had a lot of green beans when I thought I would make a green bean casserole after watching last week's episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 when Emeril made a green bean casserole for the kids. He just just happened to stop by the neighborhood at which it happened to be the show's 100th episode. What came to my mind was a Thai Green Bean salad from one of my cook books. The recipe is simple and it just takes minutes to make. The salad was refreshing with all the flavors of Thailand - sweet, sour, hot, bitter, and salty.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of green beans, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 beefsteak tomato, diced

Dressing:

• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 thai chili, sliced
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbs of sugar
• 3 tbs of cilantro
• 1 tbs of thai basil
  
• 2-3 tbs of peanuts (optional)
  
• 2 tbs of fish sauce, add more to taste
  

Directions:

• Snap the ends of the of the green beans, cut them in half, then slice them thinly
• Dice the tomatoes
• For the sauce, combine lime juice, sugar, garlic, thai basil, fish sauce, and cilantro
• Combine the suace and the green beans and tomatoes, and toss
  
• Sprinkle peanuts on top
  

Happy Birthday Brandon!!!

Chef Hansen invited us to celebrate his son's first birthday at his restaurant, Cha Cha Sushi is San Jose. It only seemed like yesterday that we were at his baby shower and his grand opening. I met Chef Hansen a few years ago at another Sushi Restaurant where he worked. We quickly became friends and it turns out we attended rival high schools in the same district. We enjoyed coming to the restaurant because of him, and enjoyed drinking Soju with him. You can tell that he has a passion for sushi and his family and it's wonderful to see that his dream came true.



The food was incredible, and I felt I was in Heaven with my 2 favorite foods: Korean and Japanese. As you guessed it, Chef Hansen is Korean. Traditional Korean food was served which include sticky rice, bbq short ribs, kimchi, and a variety of appetizers, and anything in the menu. I ate so much that Sunday afternoon that developed lunch coma.

If you're ever in the area, be sure to check out his restaurant at:
547 W Capitol Expressway
San Jose, CA 95136
(408) 265-2416

Refunds Offered for American Music and Food Festival

Jun 15, 2009

Organizers apologize, offer refunds after Shoreline music-food event fiasco

By Lisa Fernandez

Mercury News

Posted: 06/15/2009 04:45:28 PM PDT

Updated: 06/15/2009 10:23:22 PM PDT

It was supposed to be a glorious blend of tasty tunes and gourmet food. But the inaugural "Great American Food & Music Fest" came down with a bad case of indigestion.

Saturday's concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre — the second problem-plagued event at the Mountain View venue in less than a month — also left organizers with more than heartburn. They are scrambling to deal with thousands of complaints from customers who had to stand up to five hours in line for food and endure a meltdown of a high-tech electronic bracelet pay system.

Nomen Nescio, who said she paid more than $500 a ticket, was one of the fuming guests.

"This was the biggest disaster on Earth," she told the Mercury News. Nescio said she waited three hours in line for food, and a woman at the barbecued brisket booth yelled at her husband. She also said no one in authority seemed to know anything. "It was the worst experience of my life at any venue."

On Monday the event's organizers were apologizing profusely and promising to give out refunds on a case-by-case basis.

"I take full responsibility for what happened," co-organizer Jim Lewi said. "The system failed, the lines were horrendous, and I just want to tell people the truth. We only had the best intentions. I'm very, very sorry."

The one-day event featured music by Little Feat, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Marshall Crenshaw; appearances by Food Network stars Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay; andfood from Pink's Hot Dogs, Southside Market Texas BBQ and Katz's deli, among others. Tickets to the event ranged from $35 to $526.

At least 8,000 people bought electronic bracelets intended to shorten the waiting in line for food.

Live Nation, which operates Shoreline, would not disclose the total attendance.

Thousands showed up when the gates opened at noon; organizers expected people to stream in more gradually throughout the day.

The bracelets didn't work, and it took 90 minutes to come up with a new system — paper tickets for prepaid customers.

Many guests wrote on blogs and contacted the Mercury News to complain about workers who didn't seem to have any answers or give updates on what was going on.

"I personally think this particular event was extremely badly managed and unorganized," James Hudson wrote in an e-mail to the Mercury News. "I don't think I heard anyone say anything good about it. Everyone was shocked that it was such a rip-off."

Also, there were several reports that food booths were simply unprepared for the onslaught of crowds that slammed the event at the noon opening. Katz's deli couldn't cook pastrami fast enough for the hordes who wanted it — a fact all the organizing parties concede.

"I feel horrible that people were inconvenienced," said Rick Mueller of Live Nation of California. He vowed to meet with event organizers — including Lewi of Agency International and Ed Levine, founder of seriouseats.com — to discuss "errors made" and figure out what is "correctable" in the future.

But Mueller insisted announcements about the bracelet problem were made on loudspeakers.

Lewi said as of Monday afternoon he had answered 1,400 e-mails to info@greatamericafoodandmusicfestival.com, adding people seemed to be understanding about the problems and some indicated they would come again next year.

He said he gave out 1,600 refunds Saturday and has been too busy to total them up since then.

A clearly distraught Lewi said he's been putting on shows for 20 years and has never had this type of fiasco occur. He said it cost $1 million to hire the talent and produce the event, and even if the festival had sold out, he still wouldn't have broken even.

This is the second troubled event at Shoreline in less than a month. On May 30, six men were stabbed on the lawn during an oldies concert after hours of reported fighting.

Many guests left early, fearing they'd be hurt in the scuffle. Many guests reported lax security and guards who were in over their heads.

"These were two distinctly different events that happened," Mueller said. "Unfortunately, these things happened close together, but we've been around a long time and had many events with no problems. There shouldn't be any worries about people coming to our facilities for future events."

Contact Lisa Fernandez at lfernandez@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5002.

How to get
a refund

Refunds for the Great American Food and Music Fest can be requested by calling Live Nation Customer Care at 888-598-4299 or Shoreline Amphitheatre at 650-967-3000.

American Food & Music Festival - A Great Disappointment

Jun 13, 2009

The idea of bringing food from other parts of the nation was brilliant but poor execution will label it a failure. The nightmare of waiting in line for 2 hours to get food was no laughing matter as I was in it. Without any food in my stomach, I got inpatient, irritated, frustrated, and finally angry. I had already waited for 45 minutes in the mile long dirt parking lot to get in only to find that there were longer lines ahead. The taste of Katz's New York Pastrami, Tony Luke's Philly Cheesesteak, and Junior's Cheesecake was only an image in my mind that didn't touch my taste buds.

The staff was overwhelmed with the hungry crowed and did little to fix the problem. They simply looked at you with a blank face waiting for you to stop talking and assured you something would be done. That something would be a refund. The possibility of tasting a Hot Pastrami was just an image as I wanted to get out of there ASAP. And so, I waited in another line for a refund. After 3 hours of dealing with long lines, I finally ate somewhere else.

This was the line for a refund

Thai Basil Chicken

Jun 12, 2009

I had a lot of Thai Basil left from the Chicken Noodle Salad that I made a few days ago that I needed to use since it was beginning to wilt. What came to my mind was Thai Basil Chicken. It's really easy to make with a few simple ingredients that I already had in my kitchen. It turned out really delicious like you're eating from a Thai restaurant.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast, cut into strips of cubes
1 1/2 cup of Thai basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, sliced
2 tbs of vegetable oil
juice of 1 lime
1 tbs of soy sauce to taste
1 tbs of fish sauce to taste
1/4 cup of water

Directions:
Heat oil in wok, add minced garlic, add chicken and cook until golden brown. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, jalapeno, lime, and basil leaves. If it the chicken starts to stick to the pan, just add a little water.

No Bake Cheesecake

I've been wanting to make Panna Cotta for a week now but I didn't have all the ingrents so I headed to the store. I had a list of what I needed and I was determined to stick to my list and not get anything else but what's on that list. Did I stick to my list? Of course not! When I got the gelatin box, I flipped it over and saw a recipe for a no-bake cheesecake. What? a no bake cheesecake? I thought the only way to make cheesecake was to bake it in the over. I had to try this recipe! So I got all the ingredients and made cheesecake as soon as I got home.

Ingredients:
1 envelope of unflavored Gelatine
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of boiling water
2 (8 oz) packages of cream chese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust

Directions:
Mix gelatin and sugar in small bowl; add boiling water and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, about 5 minutes
Beat Cream cheese and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until smooth; slowly beat in gelatin mixture. Pour into prepared crust
Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Garnish as desired

Sausage & Tomato Stew

I grew up mainly eating Filipino food so I never really had American Comfort food that everyone grew up with like Mac & Cheese, Meatloaf, Salisbury steak, and etc. I bought this book called Comfort Food, A selection of traditional recipes just like your grandma used to make and I wanted to make something easy from there. I decided to make Sausage & Tomato Stew because it looked simple and easy. It looks exactly like this Filipino dish called Beef Mechado that I make that reminded me of the comfort food I grew up with.


Ingredients:
2bts olive oil
8 oz pork sausage, skinned and cut into chunks
2 onions, finely chopped
4 carrots, thickly sliced
6 potatoes, cut into chunks
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or oregano
2bs of canned chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley, to garnish


Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook until brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onions, potatoes, garlic, rosemary, and thyme to the pan. Over and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Return the sausage to the pan. Pour in the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover and let it simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Sprinkle with the parsley just before serving.

Pancit Bihon

Jun 10, 2009

When you go to any Filipino gathering or party, you will always see a noodle dish called Pancit. It is a very popular dish which was originated from the Chinese and there are a few varieties. The one that I made is Pancit Bihon which contains thin translucent vermicelli noodles with colorful vegetables and chicken and Chinese sausages. The recipe is my dad's which contains black fungus mushroom. It has this woodsy flavor and a rubbery crunchy textures which adds a whole new dimension to the. At first I was skeptical at eating this weird looking thing called fungus but I fell for it at first bite. I miss my dad's cooking so I decided to recreate it with what I had in my kitchen. He's a wonderful cook who has created a lot of great recipes.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup of dried black fungus mushroom
1 chicken breast
2 chinese Sausages, sliced at 45 degree angles
3 cups of vermicelli (bean thread) noodles
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of green beans, sliced diagnol
1 cup of carrots, cut into matchstick sizes
1/2 of onion, sliced
2 tbs of soy sauce
2 tsp of sesame oil
4 leaves of Napa Cabbage, cut into strips, or 2-3 cups of shredded cabbage
1 cup of chicken broth or water
2 tbs of vegetable oil
green onions and lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

Marinate the chicken with soy sauce and sesame oil for 10 - 20 minutes
Soak mushroom for 4-5 minutes until soft then slicin them and discarding the steams
Soak vermicelli noodles in hot or warm water for 10 minutes until soft
In a cast iron grill or frying pan, grill chicken for 4-6 minutes on each side until golden brown
Shread the chicken breast into bite size pieces and set aside

In a woke or pan, saute garlic and onions in vegetable oil, cook until the onions have sweated out, add chinese sausage, cook until the sides begin to brown and carmelize, add shredded chicken, vegetables, half a cup of the chicken broth to steam and cook the vegetables. Then add the noodles, folding it so the noodles don't stick to the pan, add the remainder of the stock, adding more if needed. Let the ingredients marry, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with green onions if desired, and lemon wedges or calamansi.

The Great American Food & Music Fest 2009

Jun 9, 2009

I am very excited to be attending the Great American Food & Music Fest this Saturday, June 13th at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. I can't wait to check out all the demos and most importantly eat.

chicken noodle salad with lime dressing

I felt like eating something light today and I wanted make it quick and simple. I had chicken in the fridge and plenty of vegetables from my trip to the Asian market yesterday. Stir fry is always easy and quick, and you can't go wrong since you put whatever you like.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cut into cubes
1/2 bell pepper, julienne
1 carrots, shredded
1/4 snow pea, cut diagonal
2 tbs of soy sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 tbs of vegetable oil
salt and pepper
2 pieces of asian style egg noodles
3-4 thai basil leaves
fresh chopped parsley

Honey Lime Dressing:
juice from 2 limes, approximately 3 tbs
1 tbs of soy sauce
1 tbs of honey
1 tsp of sesame oil
sprinkle of sesame seeds

Marinate chicken with soy sauce and sesame oil for 20 - 30 minutes
Add egg noodles to boiling water, let it sit until soft
Heat 2 tbs of oil in a wok or skillet, add chicken and cook until golden brown
Add carrots, bell pepper, and snow peas and saute until tender but firm
Remove chicken and vegetables and place them aside
Fry noodles briefly with 1-2 tbs of noodle water to decarmelize the skillet scrapping the bottom of the skillet.

Place noodles on a serving dish, and place chicken and vegetables on top. Sprinkle with 3-4 whole thai basil leave and chopped cilantro, then add the dressing.

Pot Roast

Jun 7, 2009

I've recently discovered a slow cooker and it's an amazing. Just put ingredients in the pot and let it be for 6-8 hours and you have a home cooked meal without breaking a sweat. It's a must have for busy people. I made a simple pot roast with what I had in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 beef chuck roast (3lbs)
2 cup of burgundy wine, or any red wine will do
half a jar of sun dried tomatoes with olive oil approximately 2/3 cup
1 tomato - sliced
half a jar of ready made gravy, or use beef broth, approximately 1 1/2 cup
half an onion - sliced
bbq rub or salt and pepper will do

Directions:
Season the meat with bbq rub on both sides, or salt and pepper will do as well. Brown the meat in the skillet at a high temperature, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. Place the meat in the slow cooker (7 quartz), add wine, gravy, and place sun dried tomatoes, tomato slices, and onion on top of the meat Cook for 6-7 hours on slow.

Spaghetti with meatballs

I love Italian Food, and Spaghetti is one my favorite dishes to cook. I make mine super meaty with italian sausages and ground sirloin.

Ingredients:
1 lbs of spaghetti
Salt, Pepper
Basil

Meatballs:
1/2 lb of ground sirloin
2 large Italian hot sausages
1 egg
1 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup of Parmesan and Romano cheese, grated
2 cloves of minced garlic
a pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce:
1/2 lb of ground sirloin
3 large Italian hot sausages
1 tbs of honey
1 tsp of chili pepper
1 tsp of oregano
1 tbs of minced garlic
a pinch of salt and pepper
1 jar of marinara sauce

Pre-heat oven to 35o degrees.
In a bowl, mix ground sirloin, Italian sausages, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Roll the meat into golf size balls.
Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray to prevent from sticking.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, until no longer pink

Fill pot with water, bring to a boil, add salt, then add pasta. Cook until al dente

In a bowl, mix ground sirloin, italian sausage, chili pepper, oregano, salt and pepper, and honey.
In a skillet, add olive oil, garlic, and brown meat for 5-8 minutes. Add marinara sauce and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Add meatballs. Chop basil leaves

Drain pasta, place on plate, add sauce and meatballs. Sprinkle fresh basil on top. Enjoy!

Crepes

Jun 4, 2009

For some odd reason I was craving Crepes for the past week. I've never made them before but that doesn't stop me from making them. I decided to make some at my friend's house for her and her girls. They're excellent helpers and they are the world's best food tasters.

I found an easy recipe online but found that the batter was thick. When I cooked it on the pan the batter didn't spread thinly as I had hoped, so I kept adding milk to thin out the batter. Practice makes perfect and eventually some were perfectly thin circles.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Original Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basic-Crepes

Filling:
The girls love strawberry jam, so I spread it on the crepes, added whipped cream, and folded it. They ate the crepe like a burrito with their tiny hands. They were so adorable.

Other Filling:
Apple/Bannana Filling - 1 tbs of butter, 1 apple or banana sliced, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 tbs of sugar, and 2 tbs of orange juice.
Directions:
Melt the butter in a skillet, add fruit, sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon. Cook the fruit until tender and caramelized, stirring occasionally. Add orange juice at the end.

*cook each fruit separately or both, if cooking both, add the banana when the apple is tender as the banana will cook fast.

Spring Salad

I love salads, they are quick and easy to make. You can add whatever you have and what you want. This is a quick salad that I made at my friend's house today using ingredients that she has.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of cherry tomatoes
1 cup of mix spring salad mix
1 carrot, peeled into strips
1/4 of an avocado
1/4 cup of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup of grilled chicken
sprinkle of feta cheese

*add whatever you like more of or less of

Dressing:
Use your favorite salad dressing. What was available was a ready made raspberry vinaigrette.

Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Jun 3, 2009

When I was living in Hawaii, my Vietnamese friend taught me how to make spring rolls consisting of pork, cucumber, lettuce, noodles, mint, and pineapple. I called it the Hawaiian Spring Roll. She told me you can put whatever you want in a spring roll, if you like it, eat it. Ever since then, I make random Spring Rolls with what I have and what I want to try. My favorite is still hers, the pineapple gives it a surprising sweet and sour taste you don't expect.
I start off by grilling thin pork chops that I marinated with 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp of brown sugar, pepper, and a juice of half a lemon.
I grill the pork in a cast iron skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side. I let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it in strips.


Ingredients
1/4 cup red bell pepper, julienne
1/4cup of lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup of carrots, julienne
1 ounce of vermicelli noodles, cooked in boiling water for 3-4 minutes
4 rice paper wrappers

Feel free to add more or less to your spring roll

Directions:
Dip the rice paper in warm water until it is soft and pliable
Place pork, carrots, bell pepper, lettuce, and noodles at the bottom of the rice paper. Fold rice paper over the ingredients, then fold again on each side, and then roll.

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tbs of smooth peanut butter
2 tbs of water
1 tsp of chili garlic sauce
1 tbs of lemon juice
1 tsp of sesame oil
sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
chili sauce (optional)

Directions:
In a bowl, wisk all ingredients together until smooth. Sprinkle sesame seeds or chopped peanuts on top


Directions:
Dip the rice paper in warm water until it is soft and pliable
Place pork, carrots, bell pepper, lettuce, and noodles at the bottom of the rice paper. Fold rice paper over the ingredients, then fold again on each side, and then roll.

Tri-tip with corn salad

Jun 1, 2009

Just got a new grill and I had to fire up it up and put some meat on there. Decided to make tri-tip because it's an inexpensive cut of meat and it's delicious. I checked out the the cupboard to see what I had and discovered a lot of Jamaica Allspice that was inherited. I wasn't sure what it was and how to use it. It smelled like cinnamon and nutmeg and it reminded me of a Christmas for some reason. Given the name of Jamaica Allspice, I thought about making a jerk marinade but didn't have all the ingredients so I just threw whatever I had.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 -3 lbs of beef tri-tip
Marinade:
1/2 tbs ground allspice
1/2 tbs of cayanne pepper
1/2 tbs of paprika
2 tsb of worchester
1/2 tbs of salt
1/2 tbs of pepper
1/2 tbs of garlic powder
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Combine the marinade ingredients and put it in a ziplock bag, add meat, and marinate for at least an hour or overnight.
Grill the meat for 6-8 minutes on each side or longer until the thermometer reaches 140 degree thickest part of the meat. Let the meat rest for at least 5-10 minutes so the juices stay in the meat.
Corn Salad
Ingredients:
1 ear corn
1/2 red bell pepper
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
Sprinkle olive oil on corn and pepper, and sprinkle salt and pepper
Grill the corn and bell pepper for 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally
Cut kernels off the corn with sharp knife, and dice bell pepper
In a bowl, toss corn and bell pepper together

Juicy Lucy Hamburger with Grilled Potato Wedges

I was watching Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel and Adam was eating a juicy lucy, a cheeseburger with cheese in the middle. It looked so good that I had to try it. It was so simple to make, I could have invented this but someone already beat me to it.

Ingredients:
2 ground beef patties (if making your own, use 80/20 ground beef for a juicy burger and form them so that the cheese gets covered all the way around)
1 slice of colby cheese, or use any cheese you'd like, quartered
salt and pepper
2 hamburger buns or 2 slices of bread
1-2 iceburg lettuce leaves
2 beefsteak tomatoes
onions (optional)
1 tbs of mayonnaise

Directions:
Place the cheese in the middle of the patty, then place the other patty on top, pinch them at the end to create a tight seal
Salt and pepper the patties on both sides.
Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side

Assemble the hamburger - spread mayonnaise on bread, place hamburger on the buns, add tomatoes, and lettuce.


Grilled Potato Wedges

Ingredients:
1 potato, cut into wedges (leave the skin on)
1 tbs of dried rosemary or fresh rosemary
1 garlic, minced
2 tbs of Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together, grill until golden brown, approximately 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally