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Asparagus, goat cheese, and tomato pasta

Really great, simple flavors. Modified recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Cook rigatoni. During the last 5 minutes, throw in the asparagus. Drain, saving some water. While still hot, mix the pasta and asparagus with 2 oz goat cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel, and 1 teaspoon dried tarragon. Mix in chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Mini apple crisp

Make something delicious with just 1 apple.



Mix chopped apple with lemon juice, 1 tsp flour, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and dash of salt. Split into 2 ramkins.

In a separate bowl, add 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 tbs brown sugar, 1/8 cup cubed butter, and a dash of cinnamon. Spoon mixture on top of apples, and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes,

Sisters

My sisters and I haven't always been close. I was that little sibling: always following them around or trying on their clothes when they weren't home.

Theresa has started a dessert catering service. Enjoy the pictures! And if you're in Minnesota, please consider her for your next event.

Sharon Jones, I love you!

Sharon Jones was in Austin last week, and I was so excited to see her perform. She's amazing.

Here's a clip of her and her Dap Kings on Dinner With the Band. They made steak and onions rings!

Steelhead with garlic and tomatoes

Simple, tasty recipe.

Heat oven to 400 C.

Season fish with salt and pepper and place in baking pan. Drizzle olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes over fish. Bake for 35 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro and scallions.

Serve with stir fried brussel sprouts and carrots and a side of (instant) garlic mashed potatoes

Paella-like

More like paella fried rice. Saffron is so tasty!

Cooked shrimp, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cooked onions, garlic, red pepper, and soyrizo. Add precooked rice, veggie "chicken" broth, 1 package of saffron, sliced carrots, and green beans. Once veggies have been cooked, add frozen peas. Stir in shrimp. Season with salt and pepper.

Off day

Came home to dinner already made. What a nice surprise! Great food with my favorite guy.

Tasty meals by PK.

Repeat

Seen here and here.

Stir fried pork with dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Served with baked sweet potato fries.

Cha Ca Hanoi

Hanoi style fish. I had this on my first trip to Vietnam in 2002 - I could not stop eating it!

I really love flavors that the dill and scallions bring out in this dish. Usually served with bun, nuoc mam, veggies, and peanuts.

1 inch piece ginger or galanga
1 1/4 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp rice or coconut vinegar
3/4 tsp shrimp paste
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb catfish (I used sole)
Rice vermicelli
Greens (for serving): I used cucumbers and cilantro. Mint, basil, lettuce would also be good
2 inch pieces of scallions
1 2/3 cup dill (I used dried dill)
1/3 cup peanuts
Vegetable oil
Nuoc mam dipping sauce

What I love about nuoc mam is that there is not right or wrong way to make it. Just dilute the fish sauce with 2x as much water. Add lime and sugar to your liking. Add freshly chopped garlic or ginger and thai peppers.

Place chopped ginger in a mortar and extract as much juice as you can. Add turmeric, sugar, vinegar, shrimp paste, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss in fish and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Cook fish. Toss in scallions and dill.

Mini upside down cakes

I had a 2 overly ripe pluots. Not quite enough for a full upside down cake recipe. I halved the ingredients from Butter + Cream, making 12 upside down cakes. In the future, I might use more batter, to avoid scrapping the bowl for every last bit!



Topping (for 12 mini-cakes, would use even less)
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 plouts
9 cherries
1/2 banana

Cake
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup rice milk, at room temperature


Prepare topping: Melt butter in saucepan, add brown sugar until incorporated. Line cupcake tin with liners, and spoon in sugar mixture. Add fruit: 2 slices pluot; 3 slices of banana; 3-4 cherry halves.


Prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350C. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg until incorporated. Add milk.

Spoon mixture into cake liners. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool on racks.

Strawberry cream cake

Quite possibly the prettiest thing I've made.

Layered angel food cake with strawberries + vanilla pudding with fresh whipped cream + whipped cream.


Finished with a light layer of whipped cream.

Shrimp wonton soup

This soup was really easy to make, but a bit time consuming. Worth it!

The broth was prepared in a crock pot. Water, chicken bouillon, and pork bones at high for 2 hours then low for 3 hours.

Shrimp was run under cold water for 10 minutes, de-shelled, and de-veined. Chopped and mixed with scallions, ginger, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce, salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.



Place 3-4 pieces of shrimp onto a wonton, and gather corners to the top and twist. My wontons were made from spinach wraps, although I don't really taste a difference. Cook in boiling water until wontons float.



Serve with sliced cabbage, onions, cilantro, and scallions.

Salt toasted tofu

Drain water from tofu. Wrap with paper towels and a kitchen towel, then place a pan on top. Let sit for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, add corn starch, 2 tsp garlic granules, 1 tsp ground ginger, and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss in cubed tofu. If needed, add more corn starch so the tofu is completely covered.

Heat pan at medium high with canola oil. Cook tofu in batches, not too crowded. Some recipes call for cooking on each side for a few minutes. I cooked one side for 4 minutes, then continually stirred until all sides were golden. Place in separate bowl.

Heat pan at medium high with olive oil. Cook onions and garlic until soft, then add tofu. Toss in scallions until soft. Season if desired.

Dressing up a burger

Toasted bun, organic tomatoes, avocado, and caramelized onions (instructions below).


Heat pan at medium high with a generous amount of olive oil. Add sliced onions and stir so all are covered in oil. Cook, stirring every 10 minutes for 30-40 minutes. I added some salt and sugar, but that is not necessary.

Potato flake crusted snapper

I was not able to capture this dinner in the image, you'll just have to trust it was delicious! Improved over first attempt.

Remove skin from snapper. Rub with olive oil and press instant potato flakes until well covered. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium high, 3-4 minutes on each side.

Greens with raspberry vinaigrette:
In a bowl, add equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar with 1 tsp - 1 tbsp raspberry preserves. Whisk until thick. Cut a chunk of ginger and smash to expose juice. Add to dressing until ready to serve.

Herbed potatoes
Heat oven to 450 C. Toss cubed potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and old bay. Cook for 20 minutes, flip, and cook for another 12-15 minutes.

Pan-seared herbed fish

Mix 2 tablespoons of dried garlic and ginger with 1 teaspoon of cumin, coriander, and paprika. Add 1 tablespoon at a time of water to form a paste. Spread over talapia fillets, both sides.

Heat olive oil at medium high, and cook both sides for about 3 minutes each. Season with salt and pepper.

Served on a bed on spinach with steamed broccoli and lime wedges.

Shrimp Tacos

De-shell shrimp and toss with menudo and taco seasonings. Cover and chill.


Stir fry onions until cooked, add green peppers and mushrooms. Add shrimp and cook until firm. Add cabbage and green onions. I was still lacking some flavor, so I added tomato and cilantro seasoning. Season with salt and pepper, served with jalepeno tortillas and lime slices.


My veggies were a little overcooked

French toast with berry sauce

Another french toast entry.

In a shallow dish, whisk 1 large egg with ~2/3 cup milk (I used rice milk). Add some cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Place bread in mixture, about 5 minutes on each side.



Heat oil at medium high. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. I prefer mine cooked a little longer.

For the sauce, simply blend strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries with some lime juice until smooth.

Drizzle sauce over toast. Serve with fruit and prosciutto.

Raspberry Cornmeal Pancakes

The almond oil adds a great flavor to these cornbread cakes.

Modified from ReadyMade and Eat, Drink, and be Vegan

1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
> 3/4 cup hazelnut milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp almond oil
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1. Stir dry ingredients

2. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, oils, syrup, and vinegar. Stir in to dry mixture until just combined. Lumps are ok, but DON'T OVERMIX! Add raspberries.

3. Coat pan with canola oil and heat at medium high. Pour in batter.

4. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, turning when edges brown.



These portions gave about 3 4-inch pancakes. Only one is shown in the picture - I still need to work on my flipping skills.

Enjoy!

Tastes like pizza!

Lots of flavor from just 4 ingredients. Spicy Italian sausage stir fried with onions, garlic, and chicken. Season with salt and pepper, top with Parmesan cheese.

Tofu Teriyaki Noodles

So easy to make.

Prepare teriyaki sauce: equal parts tamari and mirin, some brown sugar, and a dash of sesame oil. Marinate tofu for about an hour. Broil for 10-15 minutes.

Cook baby bok choy with sliced onions and ginger. Add cooked buckwheat noodles, teriyaki sauce, carrots, and red cabbage. Cook for a few minutes, season with salt, and serve with tofu.

BBQ

Had some BBQ with out-of-towners. I thought a sandwich would be lighter than a meat plate. I was wrong, but it was delicious!

Chopped pork sandwich from Salt Lick.

I finished it in 3 separate sittings.

Mi Goi and GOP

I love instant noodles. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with some ramen. I added egg for protein and celery for texture. Accommodated by pre-prepared green onion pancake, with a dipping sauce made of tamari, siracha, and sesame oil.

Fettuccine with Tuna Puttensca

The capers and olives bring out great flavors in this dish. Modified recipe from the Food Network. I used less pasta but did not modify the sauce measurements. I also did not season with salt as often as the original recipe did. The juices from the capers and olives added enough flavor.


Salt
12 (6) ounces linguine (fettuccine)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 (6) cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1 tablespoon) red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons capers, drained (with juice)
1/2 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives ( + a few teaspoons of juice)
(6 mushrooms)
(1/2 can white beans)
1 28-ounce can San Marzano plum tomatoes (14.5 oz diced tomatoes)
4 basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish
1 5-ounce can albacore tuna, packed in olive oil
Pepper



Cook pasta, reserving 1/4 water. Over medium heat, cook garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add capers with juice, olives, beans and mushrooms (until mushrooms have softened). Add diced tomatoes, reserving juice. Cook for 5 minutes. Add sauce and basil until sauce thickens, and then add the tuna. Add water, and toss pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy.

Waffles!

Chris and I took a spontaneous drive to San Antonio today. Guenter's waffles were on the agenda. The restaurant is located right next to the family mill, so everything is literally made in the backyard. When the waffle arrives to the table, it still retains the heat from the griddle. First bite is light as air, with the perfect amount of crispiness. Tastes like funnel cake.

No joking around.

Com chien

Fried rice with meatless pork, peas, corn, beansprouts, and carrots. Sauce: hoisen, tamari, sesame oil. Seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with scallions and cilantro.

Veggie Pho

Modified recipe from New Vegetarian, a gift from Loan.

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 (3) inches sliced ginger
(3 inches sliced galangal)
1 large sliced onion
1 large chopped carrot
2 stalks chopped celery
2 ounces dried mushrooms (shitake)
1 (2) cinnamon sticks
6 (8) star anise pods
(1 teaspoon cloves)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon brown sugar


Cook the ginger, galangal, onion, carrot and celery until golden. Add 12 cups of cold water and bring to a simmer. Add the dry ingredients and tamari. Simmer for 3 hours. Remove mushrooms, onions, carrots, and celery. (I kept the ginger, galangal, cinnamon, anise, and cloves in the broth to retain the flavor).


Serve with rice noodles, cilantro, thinly sliced onions, scallions, lime, basil, bean sprouts, and meatless meatballs (which were not so great, unfortunately).