Udon Noodles with Peanut and Ginger

Why are these noodles so saintly? Must be because the Japanese just have some of their food so elegantly served that you can’t go wrong.  The little ribbons around each portion are even decorative. This Japanese wheat noodle recipe on a scale of 1 to 10 is about a 7. Yes, wish I could rate it better but there are many more udon recipes that are great but aren’t as quick with as few ingredients. If you’re just starting out with these noodles, you won’t be disappointed. They taste sooo clean (one of my favorite words in the whole entirety of the universe).

This of course was picked up from my daily site www.Tastespotting.com.  Let me recommend a great cookbook on these and similar noodle recipes.  “Noodles Every Day” by Corinne Trang is a great starter cookbook. The photos will make you very hungry for asian fare. So if you aren’t up for cooking, make sure you make reservations before opening her book.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound udon noodles

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the udon and stir. Cook according to the package directions or until tender. Drain the noodles in a colander.

2. Meanwhile, combine the peanut butter, lemon juice, soy sauce, water and honey in a small saucepan. Simmer gently over medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking to dissolve the peanut butter.

3. Stir the chives and ginger into the sauce and simmer 30 seconds. Toss the noodles with the sauce. Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper.

I added the cilantro, one of my favorites, and think you could have even just added some julienne carrots to kick it up a notch.

I wore my Poupon Apron. So warm and sunny it was perfect for this dish. Couldn’t take it off!

Bon Appetit.

Rice Paper Rolls

My boyfriend was a professional chef and always bringing home ingredients I have never purchased before. One of the easiest and truly delightful items were the beautiful shrimp and veggie rice paper rolls he made. Honestly, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is almost more difficult. So I encourage many of you if you have never made these, you will have discovered how effortless and healthy a quick meal these can be.

For the rolls
16 22cm rice paper rounds
2 lb. shrimp  (you can also use chicken)
12 ounces crab meat (optional)

1/2 cucumber, cut into thin strips
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 cup snow pea shoots – around half a pack

1/2 cup fresh coriander, roughly torn

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn

1. Soak one rice paper in a large, shallow dish filled with lukewarm water for 30 seconds until soft and pliable.
2. Remove rice paper and lay flat on a chopping board or clean surface. Pat dry with a clean tea towel or paper towel.
3. Take a small bunch of vegetable mixture and lay out in the centre of the paper. Top with a couple of pieces of shrimp and fresh herbs. Roll to enclose filling and ends.
4. Repeat with remaining rolls.
Serve the rolls sliced in half with dipping sauce on the side.

I watched……….I ate…………I conquered the rice roll challenge!! But I think I had clean up duty.

Sooo Sooo worth it.

Beer Bread

Can I just tell you that whenever I see easy, breezy bread I get a little nervous? Rightfully so, as yeast and certain ingredients do need special time to mature. DON’T we all to become better humanoids or in the case for bread, mouth watering quick and easy shouldn’t be in the same sentence.

All fun aside, while wanting to make some bread but being really short on time, decided to tempt the beer bread loaf that was circling round the bake sites. So many articles on how Deeeelicious it was and Eeeeeasy. So I went for it. And honestly, just not impressed. I did a cheesy beer bread I found on Tastespotting.com (there were many which made me think I had a chance) and have to say that I was definitely disappointed. Looks great, but all that glitters is not gold…..don’t ya know!

Truths out. If we are adding thyme and rosemary of which are not fresh, this already doesn’t sound  like it is going to stand a chance at being savory. But I will just put my humble opinion out there and say, have a go and let me know what you think. It was definitely quick and easy. If you don’t have the time, I think bakery Artisan bread is the only way to go. Especially if you have a fabulous soup that you want to pair it with. It’s that golden rule; great couples make great lives (meals) together! ;-)

Here is the recipe below, and I would tinker it a bit or just start by using fresh herbs versus dried herbs. But if you are not willing to be adventurous, I would definitely recommend the beer biscuits in a previous blog.

Heat oven to 375˚ and grease a bread pan.
2 1/4 cups of flour
1 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 cup of cheese
1 t rosemary
1 t thyme
12oz beer
1/4 cup olive oil (you could use butter)
2-3 T of water if necessary

Combine all ingredients with the beer being the last. Bake for 50-55 minutes. PS I dotted with butter and sprinkled with cheese after being in the oven for 25 minutes.

Such a busy morning and was in such a rush (gee how unusual), stayed in my park gear and forgot to put on my Paris Mini….but boy the soup was divine!

Bon Appetit my friends.

Japanese Cucumber Salad

It is time for a new month. And with it some new recipes. I love cucumbers and the watery juice that comes from them. It is so refreshing on a hot summer day. I loved this recipe and want to share it but it would have been a great valentine dish to have fixed. Pourquoi?? Because it makes your lips tingle!!

Though I only used one cucumber per the directions, it had enough juice, even after the reduction, for two.  Sooo refreshing. Enjoy.

Recipe: Japanese Cucumber Salad (Adapted from:
For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients:
1 english (hothouse) cucumber, peeled
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup of water
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Directions:
Peel the cucumber then cut in half lengthwise. Take a small spoon and scoop out all the seeds from the cucumber. Cut into bite size pieces and place in a colander, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Drain 1 hour. Place on several layers of paper towels. Let stand for 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Rinse and pat dry.
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to 1/3 cut (about 10 minutes). Remove vinegar reduction from heat; cool. Combine cucumbers and vinegar deduction in a medium bowl; toss well. Enjoy.

My apron of choice? My Paris Mini of course.  Oh, and I was listening to a Tony Bennet cd I bought ages ago and never even opened! Not so great but not so bad, but such a fun day.

Snagged this idea from www.Tastespotting.com (oh, how unusual Kathleen) and it is a great way to serve Potatoes. Soooo easy. I love potatoes, especially if they are easy, aren’t loaded with too many extras and are as healthy and natural as possible. Remember, buy local whenever you can. 

(PLUS, there is a movement coming up in early April to buy only AMERICAN MADE ITEMS! We can do this. For only two days, it will be an awesome statement to make to congress.) I will write about that more soon. But for now, my Washington grown spuds are easy, tasty and perfectly yummy.

Here’s all I did:

Thinly slice your potatoes just close enough to the bottom but not through. Take some good olive oil and drizzle through the slices. Salt and pepper. (I am heavy on the sea salt) Bake for an hour in a 350˚ oven. I also baked some eggplant at the same time, but you could bake another pie or something so you are using the grid with a two for one use!! Always good to stay off the grid. 

You can garnish you potatoes with anything your heart desires, but the nice thing about this example is that it is like a home made potato chip and a good spud all in one. As you can see I like mine crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside. But you can make yours any way you like. Thanks Tastespotting.

I wore my Napa Mini as no mixing was involved and served with a lovely salad with blue cheese and almonds. Perfect.
Bon Appetit!

What’s not to love about lemons? Today, a noteworthy honorable mention for the lemon tree.

The Lemon tree even has a song derived for it’s dual personality. And one of the things I miss most about my backyard is my magnificent lemon tree.

Lemon oils have so many uses that I could go on for days about the properties, (and I do in some of my blogs) but for today we will keep it to the medicinal and beauty elements of one of my favorite fruits.
I probably buy more lemons than any other fruit, though oranges and mangos are a close second. Lemons are an intoxicating clean and uplifting fragrance that one smell turns an entire room into a day of sunshine, even if it’s raining outside. (Close your eyes and your in Greece!)
Essential oils from lemons are a wonderful aid to concentration and cognition. Lemon is antibacterial, antiseptic and great for sore throats.  As the ancients have used for many years, lemon is a number one choice for colds, and flu like symptoms.  Hair rinse, sunburns are just a few to mention as well.

Here is one little Energy spray that you can use all around the house, at bedtime or for a great bath.
Energy Spray
1 drop Lavender
4 drops Lemon
3 drops Orange
2 drops Rosemary

Mix the oils into 3 cups of water and spray around your home and work area for an uplifting scent.
Even my dogs love this smell, and that’s saying a lot for hunting dogs.
List your favorite lemon dishes or uses. Tomorrow I will blog my favorite lemon tart. A true party favorite.

Off to market I go for some organic lemons, toting my favorite Post Cards market bag.

Au revoir.

First of all, can I tell you I tried these for the first time at a great cafe in McKenna, Washington? Liquid Soul uses absolutely no sugar in almost all of their pastries and pies. It is truly incredible. So, I needed to try to make these myself and found them on the web.  Believe it or not; only had one tweaking. Only because I forgot the coconut. But they came out great and a super way to use some of my fabulous juicer pulp.  (I won’t tell if you won’t tell!) These are usually much larger in shops and topped with beautiful sugar…..but we know I cut as much of that out as possible. But if you’re having guests, do add a touch on top!

Morning Glory Muffins
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/3 cup walnut halves
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I only used 1/4 cup)
2 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 medium carrot, grated
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
3/4 cup chopped pineapple
3 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil-(I used butter)
6 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (Didn’t have so I used more pineapple juice and carrot pulp from my juicer!!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil or butter your 12 cup muffin tin.
Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let sit for 10 minute while raisins plump, then strain and squeeze out excess liquid with your hands. Set aside.
Place walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then chop coarsely and set aside.
Sift four, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix gently with a wooden spoon and set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, combine raisins, walnuts, carrot, apple, pineapple, eggs, canola oil, melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract and coconut; mix with a wooden spoon until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and continue stirring just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. It’s important not to over mix. Scoop batter into oiled muffin tin, filling the cups to the top.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes, then slide a fork down the sides of each muffin and gently lift it from the pan.
Makes One Dozen.
As you can see I used cups instead of oil for my muffins.

I wore my Napa apron of course. And would someone rave about not having to use a mixer! Not a single cupboard got slimed. This is truly love at first batch. Not a drop on my apron. I have passed them out to my friends and we will see how they rate!! Next time, I think the coconut will be a great addition.

Bon Appetit!

I love quiche. I just absolutely love quiche. It is my comfort food for sure. My girlfriend has her own chickens and said they had eggs “coming out of their ears.” (See where this is going!) So, Tracy delivered the eggs and I had to brush up on my quiche perfection. Such sunny warm weather for February and I had gotten a bit rusty. But, we shall see how I fare when her husband sends in his grade score!!

Here is my recipe which I have made for years from memory, but I did my best trying to measure out for your cooking pleasure! Yes, I cheat on the cheese and buy pre-shredded (injury) but I recommend grating your own cheese. MUCH more yummy and cost effective. 

Artichoke Quiche
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1/8 t italian spices (Use anything fresh if you have)
1 cup of ice water (Has to have ice in it more or less depending on your flour)

Filling:
10 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
1 small onion chopped
1 jar of artichoke (I used a healthy cup of artichoke hearts)
2 cups of cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350˚.  In a saucepan, saute your chopped onion using the liquid from your artichokes. Cook until lightly pale in color, pull off stove and set aside to cool.

In your Cuisinart with your dough blade, place flour, butter, and seasoning in and pulse to lightly mix. With your ice cold water, pour into the flour mixture and work into a clean smooth dough. Take out and place onto floured surface; roll out and shape into your pie pan. Cook for 5-8 minutes. I sometimes use foil and place my beans on top of crust, but today I couldn’t find my beans!?? Take out of oven while preparing egg mixture.

In a mixing bowl mix your eggs until lightly combined. Add milk, cooled onions, artichokes and salt and pepper to taste. (1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper your discretion)

Once combined I place 1/2 c of my grated cheese in bottom of the crust. Next I add the mixed eggs and top with the remaining cheese. Place foil on top and bake for 50 minutes or until knife come out almost clean. Quiche will continue to cook once pulled out of the oven. When cooled, cut and serve with a strawberry salad and asparagus grilled. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  ;-)

The aroma is heaven sent!! I wore my Poupon Apron! So yellow, so sunny out, so much to enjoy!! Off to the dog park!

Bon Appetit!

Looking for some simple biscuits that will go with a nice hearty stew, soup or gravy? This is so so easy, you can’t go wrong. I made these the other day when I had some beer left over from a party. I don’t drink beer at all, and the days of my sister and I using it as a hair rinse are long gone. So, if you have some lovely crock dish where you need to make something quick and easy…..did I say easy? I found it.  ;-)

Enjoy…and don’t forget to wear your mini apron. You won’t get a thing on it……well hardly!

Basic Biscuit Mix
6 cups of flour
3 T Baking Powder
1 T Salt
3/4 cup shortening
2 T Sugar (I added a tiny bit more)
1 cup beer (any brand will do)

Lightly grease your cookie sheet. I used a spray (said it was easy). Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Cut in the shortening. Add beer and mix until all flour is just folded in.

Bake in a 375˚ oven for 10-15 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Sticking with my quest for cutting out sugar and substituting other healthy alternatives, made me try this recipe I found on Tastespotting.com (Gosh I just LOVE this site) by “The Bake-Off Flunkie” blogger.  I too did my usual tweaking to the recipe and found that this was awesome, utterly awesome right out of the oven. As you can see by the photos I barely shot before jumping in and having a go at it!!

From my Onion Soup recipe, I copied the idea of using some molasses in this and I also upped the applesauce and buttermilk portions.

And what’s pumpkin bread without raisins and walnuts? So, I added those as well. It was lovely.

I have to admit though, after wrapping it in plastic and not having any for a day or so, it didn’t keep as well as I had anticipated. It was still very good, heated with butter on it. So, best to devour amongst close friends and coffee right smackin out of the oven. Otherwise, I have a killer Bundt pumkin bread that is my classic Thanksgiving bread. It’s much more complicated to make, so this is great for a quick and easy pumpkin bread. For now, back to organic, lowER sugar searches in my contribution to sweet living.

Enjoy your weekend everyone and have a very relaxing Friday!

Pumpkin Bread with Applesauce
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I added another 1/2 cup due to wet ingredients below)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup milk (* Used 1 cup buttermilk)
1/4 cup applesauce (Used 1 cup applesauce)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil-(Used molasses instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Heat your oven to 325. Spray a standard, 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine all of the wet ingredients in a separate medium bowl and whisk well. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well.
3. Turn the batter out into the prepared pan and spread it evenly into the corners. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it.

4. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.

Have you ever wanted to cut down on your sugar but not really eliminate your sweet tooth?  I took the applesauce challenge and decided to see how far I could push the envelope substituting it for sugar.  Well….ok rather cutting down the sugar amounts. I have had some major cooking crashes where I substituted or organically adjusted the sugar amounts and it just didn’t cut the cake…… no pun intended. And I can still remember the day my girlfriend Beth read “Sugar Blues” and said you don’t want to know!! ;-)

Went onto my favorite site and found one I just had to tweak! Really, it’s more like what is in the cupboard.

I substituted some raisins for the streusel topping and also changed some other small items (which I *). Then I went around handing them out and will see what my taste testers results are next week. Until then, stay warm and dry and serve with some hot apple cider.

Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins
(Adapted from: Food for my Life)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (*1 cup)
3/4 cup whole wheat white flour (*1 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice *
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt *
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (*1/2 cup)
*1 cup buttermilk
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (*1 1/2 cups)

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp cinnamon
*Sprinkle with raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a muffin tin with liners.
In a small bowl blend the dry streusel ingredients. Use your fingers to work butter into the flour/sugar mixture. (I eliminated this part)
Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl combine the applesauce, butter and brown sugar.
Add the eggs, one at a time, to the wet ingredients.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Fill the muffin liners 3/4 of the way full (about 1/3 of cup per muffin) and top with the streusel mixture.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I got 20 cupcakes out of this recipe, so double if you have a lot of company coming over.

Oh yes, and I wore my Napa Apron……still my favorite.

First of all, let’s just say this is hands down the best soup I have made in awhile. And I love making soup all year long. “In Jennie’s Kitchen” blog is where I snagged this recipe, actually the Tastespotting site with her secret ingredient. I had been looking for a vegetarian Onion Soup and….well you see for yourself. Give this a try, you won’t be sorry. The only thing I did different, was after sautéing the onion, let them cook down in the oven on 200˚ for two-something hours before adding the liquid ingredients. (Buried in work so I took the lazy route!) It’s sweeter than most soups, but with a nice salty cheese and some home made French bread, magnificent! A great dry Chardonnay would have been perfect……but I had too much work to do! ;-)

ONION SOUP

2 tablespoons butter/olive oil or coconut oil
4 large onions, sliced
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 1/2 cups water
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
Four 1-inch thick slices of baguette, toasted
4 ounces shredded Provolone, Swiss, Gruyere, or any melting cheese of your choosing
1. Melt butter in a 6-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper; stir to coat well. Saute until they begin to soften and become golden, about 15 minutes. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, until onions are softened, about 20 more minutes.
2. Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir, scraping up browned bits at bottom of pot. Raise heat back to medium-high and slowly pour in the water. Add garlic clove, sherry vinegar and molasses. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Preheat broiler. Evenly ladle soup into 4 oven-safe bowls. Place one slice of toasted baguette on top of each. Evenly sprinkle cheese on top and place on a rimmed baked sheet. Cook under broiler until cheese is golden and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes.

And what apron did I wear……my Poupon, of course.

Bon Appétit!

I used to bake bread a lot. But I could devour it too quickly when it took a lot to make. So in wanting fresh out of the oven bread, and not happy with my bread machine, decided to look a little harder for a good recommendation. This recipe I found on www.tastespotting.com from
“what megan’s making….” blog site and thought her idea of making this bread instead of buying bread was a winner. Enjoy.

2-¼ cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Sugar
4-½ teaspoons Yeast
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
6 cups Flour

In a large mixer, combine water and sugar and yeast. Allow it to soften/proof for about 5 minutes. Add salt, oil, and half the flour; mix well. Add remaining flour and mix well (I used the dough hook on my kitchenaid). Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Stir the dough down and allow to rest 10 more minutes. Repeat until dough has been stirred/rested 5 times.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly 2 or 3 times. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a long loaf and place on baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Cover and allow it to rise 30-60 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at angle on top of dough. Spray top with water. Bake 400 degrees for 30 min, checking at about 20 minutes.

What to wear?…..A mini apron of course! Throw some pearls on just for fun. There’s a little Aunt Bea in everyone.

I just love apples.  Growing up, my mom made an applesauce cake that was just perfect for teaching us how to cook. It was simple and healthy. Recently I had  a craving for something sweet but wanted it to be very healthy. So, I took the recipe and tweaked it a bit for Sugar’s sake. You can go back to the original which has 2 cups of sugar, water and shortening, but I substituted the shortening for butter, and let the additional applesauce cover the water ingredient.
Simply enjoy. It is much more moist, a little paler in color and incredibly chewy on the sides. It was a great match. More apple recipes on the way.
2.5 cups Flour
1.5 cups sugar
½ t baking soda
1 ¼ t salt
1 t cinnamon
½ t allspice
½ cup butter softened
3 cups applesauce
2eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350˚ and grease a 13”x 9” glass pan with butter or shortening.
Mix dry ingredients together. Cream butter and sugar together, then mix in the eggs, and applesauce. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 small batches, mixing thoroughly between each.  Bake for 1.5 hours or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack.
Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Or top with some vanilla ice cream, dusted with cinnamon sugar.

What to wear…….your dressy apron of course! I wear my Napa Dressy, it’s so perky!