Cast Iron Skillet

A 17" cast iron skillet is a kitchen must. It is the most versatile, the hardiest working tool of the trade. Season it well and it will  cook food for your family for generations. A typical 17" would cost you about $40.00.

The skillet could be used in/on:
1. Cooktops
2. Grill, charcoal/gas
3. Inside an oven

It could be used to cook, sauté, grill, bake, roast, fry all kinds of food.

Cleaning is easy. You only need to wash using brush and water. Detergent not needed. Season the skillet with oil spray or vegetable oil. Wipe excess off. Rugged and cheap, this is the best of them all.

All About Wine

What wine to pair? How to Choose, which Wine for What?

One thing and foremost, people drink wine because of its spirit. Makes us happy and feeling easy, of course, in moderation.

I would say, choose a dry wine. And you'll never be wrong. White or red would pair fine with either meat or fish, so with chocolates, fruits, veggies, cheeses, etc.

Expensive wine feels good to drink. But I haven't felt any significant difference with cheap wine-- specially after the first glass. Pocket wise the balance tilts to cheap wine.

Enjoy to your hearts desire! Explore, what wine enthusiasts say, might not be always true to you. Be your own expert and enjoy each sip!

Indoor Grilling

Grilling is  thought to be an outdoor activity.

But actually we could grill anything (meat, veggies, fish, tofu and fruits) on top of our kitchen cooktop.

Yes, the fun is not an outdoor feeling, but all else is the same--even better, it's faster, easy control, no sweat. And the sear marks are spectacular!

We only need a griller. Cast iron griller is best. Season griller with oil spray and pre-heat, medium-high, for four minutes on top of cooktop. Then place prepared meat, fish , etc. on top of the griller. 

A seasoned salmon fillet, T-bone will cook in 12 minutes (6 minutes each side). 

And if you crave for a wood smoke flavor, do so. Wood smoke flavoring (ex., cedar flavor) are available in groceries. Smoke wood flakes could also be sprinkled on the griller to create the desired flavoring.

About cast iron griller: Super sturdy, will last for generations. Easy care, easy clean--no detergent needed, just wash with water and scrub brush. Spray with oil spray before and after use and after washing.

Fun Idea: Iced Mint Leaf in Sake (or whatever drink desired)

Super Refreshing! We just poured sake and added a little mint leaf to our shot glass, and YUM! We love this idea. Hope you all do as well.

Enjoy :)

Tuna Macaroni Salad

Sort of like my previous post, this tuna salad is essentially like my last tuna salad with the exception of macaroni and dried cranberry! First, I cooked the macaroni (9 minutes in salted boiling water). After the I drained and cooled the macaroni, I mixed mayo, chopped celery, carrots, a bit of dried cranberry, and canned tuna together. I then chilled my salad to let the flavors sink in before serving. 

Enjoy! 

Clams in Wine

This is a 10-minute cooking. This should be ready when the clams open. Discard the clams that don't open--those are dead!

Ingredients:
1. Clams
2. Garlic, minced, two cloves would be enough
2. Shallot, chopped, enough to season
3. Ginger, chopped, enough to season
4. Ground pepper, enough to season
5. Mint, rosemary, or other seasoning  of your liking
6. Salt, enough to taste
7. Olive oil, just enough

The work:
1. Clean the clams with water
2. Coat pan with olive oil, and heat for at least 2 minute--medium heat
3. Throw in seasoning. When it start smelling good follow the
4. Clams
5. After 10 minutes the clams should be opening, add olive oil and salt to taste.
6. End of work, enjoy!

Taste better when added with white wine along with the olive oil. And a lot better when dined with dry white wine!

Planked Salmon

The original broiler planking. Set oven tray in the middle tier. Set to broil 450 deg. F. Wet the plank well, and let it sit inside the oven for five minutes (this would make the plank emit its natural wood flavor--in our case it's cedar).  We used cedar plank bought from Costco, or you could buy it from Amazon.

Ingredients:

1. Salmon fillet (skinless or with skin)

2. Salt to taste (not needed if capers is used)

3. Pepper, ground, as desired

4. Garlic, powder, as desired

Preparation:

Season salmon fillet with the rest of ingredients and place on top of the maple plank and continue broiling for 30 minutes @ 450 deg. F. You are done! 

How to serve:

Serve the grilled salmon on its grilling plank. You may top with capers or ringed onion. Fresh peppermint or basil leaves with a glass of dry white wine should simply seal this favorite.

Attention: Check your cooking accordingly, paying especial attention to the cedar plank.

Poached Egg Pt.2 (No Vinegar)

I've been trying to find the best method for me to poach an egg, and this time I got it. Here is what I did: Crack an egg in boiling water and once the egg cooks, lower the heat to low. I didn't add vinegar. It seemed unnecessary because I noticed the egg starting to cook regardless. You'll notice the egg cook once the yolk looks like the picture below. I don't remember the exact time it took to poach the egg, but it was fairly quick. Simply keep an eye on the egg. 

This is all trial & error. Have fun! 

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Okay, I didn't make this (I wish I did), but this was too GOOD! I just had to post about it. And to save some calories, I used a little shot glass for one scoop. Cute idea.. RIGHT? ;)

Quick Tuna Salad

Quick, simple, tasty--just the way we like it! Here is what we did: simply mix all the ingredients of shredded carrots, chopped celery, canned tuna, and mayo together! I didn't season this, but I'm sure it will taste better with some salt and pepper!

Healthy Quesadilla

What we love about our version of our quesadillas is that it took 10 minutes tops! 

Ingredients:
1. Mushroom
2. Spinach
3. White Cheese
4. Corn Tortilla

Our method: Using one non-stick pan, we cooked our spinach and mushroom and let them sweat a little. Once finished, assemble quesadilla (as if you are making a sandwich--tortilla first, followed by cheese, veggies, cheese, and tortilla). Put this on grill or non-stick pan. Once the cheese melts, the quesadilla is ready to eat!

Corn Tortilla Makes Tortilla Chips

Frozen Treat: Pineapple Chunks

I tried this out because my apple, yogurt, and banana frozen treats worked out well. The same can be said for this sample of canned pineapple chunks! 

Frozen Treat: Banana "Ice Cream"

My favorite. I had some frozen banana slices in my freezer and wanted to test this out (inspired by Dole's frozen banana dippers and Rachael Ray). What I did was simple, but a little difficult. I put my frozen banana slices in a blender and pulsed them until they got to a somewhat creamy texture. The problem was some of the banana slices were not able to completely blend so I had banana chunks in my "ice cream." Anyhow, it turned out alright and on the side, I put a dash of Nutella in one bowl and peanut butter in the other. Both tasted great! 

One last thing, I suggest to eat this right away and don't put it back in the freezer. If you do put it back in the freezer, let it thaw out a little before eating. 

Frozen Treat: Frozen Apple Sandwich

My reason for trying this out was to simply think of an alternative to not having to eat bread (low carb diet right?). Anyhow, this treat can be eaten fresh or it can be put in the freezer as a sort of but not really ice cream sandwich. I tried both and it tastes just as good in the freezer or fresh! 

Why do I love this treat? Well, it is healthy, simple, and quick (we always go for quick, simple, and little ingredients). We used peanut butter (can also use Nutella), dried cranberries, and pistachios for the filling. 

Frozen Treats: Frozen Yogurt

Instead of having ice cream or a popsicle, why not have frozen yogurt?! We had bought a ton of yogurt and didn't want it to go to waste so we stuck it in the freezer. Turns out, it is very tasty--a hybrid of ice cream and a popsicle, sort of.  

                      

This is self explanatory, and the pictures below speaks for themselves. Give it a try!

Miso Soup (None of that Instant Stuff)

We had bought a big container of miso paste, and thought to ourselves hey why not make miso soup. Turns out it is super simple (only two basic ingredients), super quick, and of course, TASTY!

So the base for Miso Soup is Dashi (a kind of fish stock/broth) and Miso Paste. Finding Dashi was really hard for us. Sometimes, it won't be at your typical Asian Supermarket or Asian food aisle; however, if these are your only two options, we suggest the Asian Supermarket. Some grocery stores don't even know what Dashi is or let alone know that fish stock/broth exists. So, if you live in the LA/downtown area, we suggest to go to Koreatown or Little Tokyo. If not, you can always make your own fish broth. We did not, because we were able to find Dashi.

Anyhow, this is what we did:
1. Once your pot of water begins to boil add Dashi (about 1.5 tablespoon)
          * Dashi looks like little pebbles. Very salty so need for any seasoning.
2. Once all of the Dashi dissolves, turn off the heat
3. Add Miso Paste (about 1 chunk tablespoon) and let it dissolve in mixture
4. Occasionally stir.
5. Once Miso Paste is mixed in, add tofu or seaweed or green onion (optional)

How to Make Thai Tea

The trick in this is to keep the thai tea leaves on some form of a strainer while in hot, boiling water. Do this until the water turns into a dark brown color (like the picture below). 

The milk thai restaurants use is half & half. 

Our thai tea tasted just like the restaurants!

Frozen Banana Treats

We love this! The picture below shows the banana slices to be uneven and not completely uniformed; however, this is because we did not slice our banana before putting it in the freezer (how silly). 

This treat is super healthy and a good way to beat any cravings for ice cream, especially on a hot day! Simply, slice your banana before putting the slices in the freezer, and add toppings (any will work) but we used peanut butter and nuts/dried cranberries because we want to be healthy here! It should be noted that this treat can be stored in the freezer for weeks, and it still is great and tasty!  

For more sweetness, we suggest to coat the banana with chocolate before putting it in the freezer (if you like, of course). 

Wonton Appetizer: Salmon Dip Filling

This super easy appetizer is quick, yummy, and not too fattening! Most importantly, what we love about wontons are that they are super versatile in that, sweet, salty, and sour fillings can be put in them! Here are one of our treats: 

Ingredients:
Wonton Wrappers and Salmon Dip

*Salmon dip from Costco. Any cheesy dip works.

How to Assemble:
If you have the huge wonton wrappers, cut a wrapper into squares. If you have the square wrappers, then you are good to go.

For all wonton wrappers, simply put the filling in the middle of the wrapper, and fold diagonally. Lastly, dab one side of the edges with water and seal. 

How to Bake: 

Set oven at 350 F. Lightly spray a baking tray. Put wonton wrappers on the tray and spray them with a little oil (we used canola). The wontons are sprayed in order to get them crispy. Bake for 9-10 minutes. 

These can also be deep fried, but we are trying to be healthy here so we baked ours. 

Chicken Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Alfredo Sauce

A quick, easy, and simple recipe. Since we are too lazy to be making our own homemade Alfredo sauce, we chose a low-fat Alfredo sauce to use. Still, the sauce needed heating, seasoning, chicken, and veggies! Here's what we did:

 Ingredients:
1. Broccoli
2. Onion
3. Clove of Garlic
4. Chicken (a few pieces)
5. Peas
6. Choice of pasta (we used whole wheat)

Optional: carrots

How to Cook: 

Cook chosen pasta. Boil pasta for 9 minutes in salted water. Set aside. Cook garlic, onion, and chicken until chicken is right about finished. Add in broccoli. Once broccoli softens, throw in peas. Add Alfredo sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes so the flavors blend. 

Lastly, put sauce mixture on top of pasta and enjoy! 

Quick, Simple Fruit Salad

A simple but yummy fruit salad. It only needs three essential ingredients and is super versatile!

Ingredients:
1. Canned Fruit Cocktail (drain the juice)
2. Chopped Strawberries, Pears
3. Cool Whip
4. Honey

How to Prepare: Drain out the fruit cocktail juice (you can leave a little juice if you want--it makes the fruit salad sweeter and a little watery), throw in the chopped strawberry, add honey (as much as you want), and add in cool whip. Mix. Eat!

Pistachio, Almonds, Walnuts, or Pecans go well with this but it is best to stick to one type of nut.

Breakfast Ideas

More quinoa! We love this superfood!! Part of a healthy diet includes good protein, healthy carbs, and yummy veggies. Here is what we did..

We cooked a standard sunny side up egg, roasted the mushrooms (we put a little crumbled bacon and salt in the the mushrooms), and cooked the cherry tomatoes. Cucumber salad was also included! These go well with quinoa (see our how to cook quinoa post)! Enjoy.