 A few days ago my friend Eric came over. He had seen my post about Salmon pie and it reminded him of a simple recipe his mom would often make. So we gave it a try. 2 pie made crust. 3 boiled chicken breast 3/4 can cream of mushroom soup Heat oven to 350. Tear chicken into a mixing bowl. Mix with soup. Pour mixture into pie crust. Top with second crust and pinch edges. Bake for 25 minutes (till crust brown).
Last night we had our fourth annual wine tasting party. I asked people to bring food and we got some great recipes. Daniel brought a Thai curry, Tanya brought baked salami crisps, Eric brought dates stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts, Justin and Leanne brought dueling spinach artichoke dips. Unfortunately no one took and pictures and I did not collect any recipes. There is always next year. Here are wine tasting results: | Place | Order Served | Avg Rank | Avg Rating | Producer | Year | Grape | Region | Brought By | | 1 | 13 | 2.1 | 81.4 | Little Penquin | NA | Shiraz | South Eastern Australia | Yvone | | 2 | 8 | 4.9 | 68.6 | Waterbrook | 2003 | Merlot | Columbia Valley, Washington State | Dave | | 3 | 5 | 5 | 69.1 | Biltmore | NA | Cabernet Sauvignon | Asheville, North Carolina | Dianne | | 4 | 6 | 5.5 | 70.5 | Dry Creek | 2001 | Merlot | Sonoma County, California | Rajasimhan |
| 5 | 12 | 5.6 | 70.9 | Kunde |
2001 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Sonoma Valley, California | Kevin | | 6 | 11 | 6.1 | 65.0 | Columbia Crest | 2001 | Merlot | Columbia Valley, Washington State | Min | | 7 | 1 | 6.5 | 64.6 | Block 13 | 2002 | Pinot Noir | Sonoma Coast, California | Leanne | | 8 | 9 | 6.6 | 65.8 | Justin | 2003 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Paso Robles, California | Justin | | 9 | 7 | 7.1 | 62.9 | Chateau La Louviere | 2000 | Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot | Bordeaux, France | Eric | | 10 | 2 | 7.5 | 61.4 | Black Opal | 2003 | Black Opal | South Eastern Australia | Daniel | | 11 | 3 | 8.1 | 60.3 | Castillo del Diablo | 2003 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Central Valley, Chile | Daniel | | 12 | 4 | 11.4 | 33.4 | Duplin | NA | Muscadine | Rose Hill, North Carolina | Mutdoschs | | 13 | 10 | 11.9 | 36.9 | Anakena | 2002 | Anakena | Rapel Valley, Chile | Maria |
  I was listening to a food podcast last week ( The Vegan Cooking School). They interviewed a pistachio farmer who had a cool tip, replace the pinenuts with pistachio in your pesto. I had to give this a try. It came out pretty good. I am not sure I would say I like it better than traditional pesto, but a very good alternative. Coincidently there was another basil tip I found from a podcaster. During one of the ReMARKable Palate shows in August, Chef Mark gave this tip: Here's a tip for you basil lovers out there: When basil is plentiful, as it is now, buy it up (or pick it if you're blessed with a garden of your own) and puree it with olive oil, then freeze it. This will preserve it so that you have plenty for the winter. Now a classic pesto has garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan, but if you plan on freezing it, leave out these other ingredients and add them later.
1 box whole wheat linguini 1/2 cup pistachio 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1 cup fresh, torn basil leaves 1 clove garlic 1/3 cup olive oil Fresh cracked pepper 1 cup halved mini mozzarella balls 1 cup chopped campari (or other small) tomatoes. Roast pistachios for a few minutes in a toaster oven. Cook pasta as desired drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Blend nuts, Parmesan, basil, galic and olive oil in a food processor. Mix pesto in to pasta. Mix in Cheese and tomatoes.
 I have been following Gourmet Survivor II: A Benefit for Katrina Victims. For their first challenge they are to make the worlds best Po' Boy sandwich (here is what they came up with). So in the spirit of this challenge I made a Po' Boy of my own. May not be the worlds best, but it was pretty damn good. 1 small eggplant 1 large summer squash 1 portabella mushroom small jar roasted red peppers (drained) olive oil garlic salt 1 tbsp fresh oregano sub roll shredded lettuce sliced fresh tomatoes Cajun mayonnaise Dressing 1 /3 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp thyme 1 tsp rosemary 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne 2 tsp paprika 2 tbsp worcestershire Cut eggplant and squash in quarters length wise. Spray eggplant, squash and mushroom in olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Grill, turning often, to desired wellness. Cut vegetables in chunks. Place vegetables in a mixing bowl. Mix in red pepper and oregano. Cut sub roll and toast on grill on a few minutes. Mix mayo sauces in a a small bowl. On each roll start with lettuce. Followed by tomatoes, veggie mix and spoon sauce on top.
  This post is for the Cooking up Custard Sugar High Fridays event. I loved green tea ice cream, so I thought this event would be a good excuse to try green tea custard. Also check out my Mango Mouse recipe that could have qualified as well. 1 cup milk 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 1/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp honey 1/2 tbsp ginger 1 tsp vanilla pinch of salt 3 bags of tea 3 eggs 1 can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup powdered sugar Heat oven to 350. In a sauce pan over medium heat, mix milk, cream, sugar honey, ginger, vanilla and salt. Hang tea bags off the side. Heat for 5 minutes or so and remove from heat In the meantime beat eggs in another bowl. Place so water in a baking dish and arrange 5 custard cups in the dish. Mix eggs in with the rest of the mixture. Pour mixture into the custard cups. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool in the fridge for at least one hour. Turn cups upside down and scoop onto serving plate. Garnish with pineapple and powdered sugar.
 I made this last night with what I had left in my fridge. I just through a bunch of stuff together so this is more of a guess at the recipe. The recipe was not my best, but I did like the how the photo came out. I like the range of colors. So I want to add it here. Stir Fried cabbage and onions: 1 tsp sesame oil 1 shallot (diced) 1 tbsp crushed garlic 1 red onion (chopped) 1 cup red cabbage (chopped) 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp mirin I started by heating the sesame oil in my wok. I threw in the diced shallot and the crushed garlic. I added the red onion chopped and the of chopped red cabbage. Added the soy sauce and mirin. Stir fried a few minutes. 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp garlic salt 3 salmon filets I heated the oven to 350. I coated a baking dish with olive oil. Rubbed both sides of the salmon and placed left it in the dish. Sprinkled garlic salt over the filets. Covered the filets with contents of my wok. Baked fish for 20 minutes. In the wok I slightly stir fried cilantro and green onions really quick. I placed the fish on plates with the cabbage mixture in the side. Topped the fish with herbs, sesame seeds and hot sauce.
  This is a simple chicken parmesan Kalani made. It was hard to get the recipe from her since she just threw it together. The amounts may not be quite right, but there is lots of room for play here anyway. You can make the pasta with lots of other fresh herbs. For the pasta 1 package spaghetti noodles (these are whole wheat) 2 large tomatoes 1/2 cup fresh parsley (or other fresh herbs) 3 tbsp olive oil For the chicken 1 1/2 lb bones skinless chicken pieces 1 egg 1/3 cup 1/2 and 1/2 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 3/4 cup Italian season bread crumbs 1/4 cup mozzarella (shredded) Heat oven to 350. Cook the pasta and toss with other ingredients. Mix egg and cream in a bowl. Mix garlic salt, parmesan and bread crumbs and place on a separate plate. Dip chicken in a dish coat with bread crumbs and place in a baking dish. Repeat with reaming chicken. Top with mozzarella. Cook chicken till done all the way through (about 30 minutes). Serve on top of pasta.
 When I was a kid Huli Huli chicken is so popular everyone I knew would often sell it for fund raisers . We would go around and sell tickets to the right to half a chicken. On certain day we would grill in the school parking lot or somewhere and people would come and go picking up the chickens they bought. 1 broken fryer, split or quartered 1/8 cup ketchup 1/8 cup shoyu 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/8 cup rice vinegar 1/8 cup pineapple juice. 1 tsp ground ginger. 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce. Heat grill. Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in a bowl. Brush sauce over the chicken. Place on grill. If you have a spit that works with your grill use it, otherwise you will need to rotate and turn every 5 minutes. Brush with more sauce every 5 minutes as well. Cook till done (about 45 minute).
 Basa is the sexy marketing name given to Vietnamese catfish (Pangasius bocourti). It is a very white and flavorful catfish. For this recipe I tried to give an Asian flair to an American breaded catfish. I also made a Nauc Mam dipping sauce. 4 Basa Filets 1 cup crused asian rice crackers (I used seaweed flavored) 1/4 cup chopped cliantro 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1 egg 1/4 cup olive oil For Dipping Sauce 1/2 cup of water 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar 2 tablespoons of sugar 3 tablespoons of fish sauce 1 tablespoon of garlic, finely chopped 1 fresh small chili pepper chopped Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix crackers, cilantro and green onions in one bowl. Beat the egg and olive oil in a second bowl. Get a foil covered, slightlly oiled, cooking sheet ready. One by one dip the fish in oil/egg mixture, cover in the craker mixture place on baking sheet. Cook for 15 minute (or until fully cooked). Serve with dipping sauce mixed in a bowl.
 My wife, Kalani, is a very good cook. She just does not really like to do it. When she does cook it usually is a recipe that has very few ingredients. I figured some people are looking for good simple recipes. So I will start posting Kalani's recipes denoted by the K icon to the left. The first Kalani recipe is Honey Lemon Chicken. Very simple but tasty diner recipe. 1 1/2 lb chicken 1/4 cup honey 3 tbsp lemon juice (fresh is always better) 1 tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh - again fresh is always better) 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish arrange chicken. Mix the remaining ingredients. Brush the mixture over the chicken. Cook for an hour or so (until the chicken is cooked all the way through). Baste and turn the chicken every 15 minutes or so.
Check out The Amateur Gourmet food blog. He has set up a
Survivor like food blog competition with all proceeds going to Katrina Victims. He is running a photo scavenger hunt now through Sunday looking for contestants. Once selected they will have New Orleans based food challenges and you can pay to vote for your favorite contestants. I think this is a very cool idea.
 For the Shrimp: 1 egg 3/4 cup flour 2/3 cup beer 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut 1 lb shrimp oil for frying For the Slaw: 1 bunch broccoli 1/2 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage 2 tbsp cider vinegar 1 tbsp wildflower honey 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup firm yogurt 1/2 cup mayo Beat egg in a bow. Add 1/2 cup of flour, beer and baking soda. Mix well. In another bowl add 1 tbsp of the remaining flour and a 1/4 cup of coconut. Set out a piece of wax paper over a cookie sheet (or two). One at a time dip shrimp in the batter, sprinkle with coconut mixture and place on the wax paper. When you run out of coconut mix (or when it gets too sticky), clean out the bowl and add another tbsp of flour and another 1/4 cup of coconut. Heat oil in wok or fryer. Fry shrimp a few at a time. Place aside. Break off the flowerettes from the broccoli. Steam them them and set aside. Peel the broccoli stalks and cut the meat into match sticks. Mix broccoli with the remaining ingredients.
 Finally for Kalani's birthday I made her a special treat, Mango Mousse. She loves fruity deserts so she was very happy with this as a replacement for birthday cake. 1/4 cup water 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 2 mangos 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup vanilla yogurt 2 cups cool whip Heat water in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix in gelatin. Stir till dissolved about a minute. Sliced up mangos. Place half on one mango on the side. Puree the rest. In a mixing bowl mix gelatin, mango puree sugar vanilla and yogurt. Fold in the cool whip. Chill for 3 hours. Partition mousse in to individual containers. Top with remain mango and cool a dab of cool whip.
 When we went to visit our friends Barry and Lisa a couple of weeks ago, Barry was making some great slow cooked baby back ribs. They were incredible, you know when they just fall right off the bone they are so tender. So Kalani's birthday was this weekend so I figure I would take the opportunity to make some slow cooked ribs of my own. Ofcourse I added a good Hawaiian kine sweet and salty flair. 3 lbs baby back ribs 5 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp salt pepper 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks 1/3 cup ketchup 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar 2 tsp fresh ground ginger 1 tbsp crushed garlic 1/2 tbsp Texas Pete or other hot sauce 4 green onion stalks (chopped) Mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper. Place the ribs in Dutch oven or a baking dish covered in tin foil. Bush soy sauce over the ribs and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Mix remaining soy sauce, sugar, 1 cup of the pineapple chunks, ketchup, vinegar, ginger, garlic and hot sauce. Cover ribs with the marinade. Reduce the oven heat to 200. Cook for another 12 - 14 hours. Top with remaining fresh pineapple and green onions.
 I have been making these mushrooms for years. There are very simple and I have never taken them to a party were they did not get eaten up quicklly. When asking what we should bring when going to a party friends often say (stufffed mushrooms). 1 pkg fresh mushrooms 1 pkg cream cheese 7 slices of bacon (fried and crumbled) 1 tsp worcestershire sauce Clean and de-stem mushrooms. Mix the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stuff the mushrooms with mixture. Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes (till they start to brown).
For Kalani's Birthday this weekend we went out to The Peak City Grill & Bar (Thank you Alice and Jim or watching Joshua for us). This is a new restaurant opened this week in Apex. Since this was the first week they did have so difficulties to be expected. It was packed with people, drinks to a while to get, some confusion in food delivery (someone at our table was brought their appetizer twice) and my lamb was overcooked (but to be fair everyone else at our table's food was cooked just as ordered). On the good side the food was very good (even my overcooked lamb had great flavor, very good meat). Their prices we very reasonable $13 -$23 for an entree, but included a choice of vegetable or salad and a starch. For all the meats from their grill they allow you to chooses from several different (and tasty sounding) rubs or marinade/sauces. I choose a blackberry caberent sauce for my lamb (excellent sauce). The veggie and salad chooses were also pretty good. I got a Ice Blue salad with applewood bacon and blue cheese crumbles, but I could have chosen asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Over all I think we enjoyed The Peak City Grill & Bar. I would recommend it and I am sure we will go back some time. It is nice to have a new reason to go to our historic down town. See some pictures on Josh's Blog.
 Here is another Thai noodle dish (also see Tofu Stir Fry and Pad Thai). I seem to be on a Thai kick (also see Thai Green Curry and Stuffed Eggplant). I guess there worse things you be on a kick with. This recipe was sent to me by my mother in law Pasha. It sounded so good I had to give it a try. It turned out great (nice it light). 10 oz rice noodles 1/4 cup fish sauce 1/4 cup water 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar juice of 3 limes 1/2 tbsp chili sauce 2 tbsp crushed garlic 2 tbsp sugar 1 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup cilantro leaves 1 cucumber (sliced) 1 head red leaf lettuce 1/2 cup chopped peanuts Cook noodles as directed. In a small bowl mix fish sauce, water, lime juice, vinegar, chili sauce, garlic and sugar. In another bowl mix carrots cilantro and cucumber. Once the noodles are done mix them in with the veggies and sauce. In a large serving dish place the lettuce. Top with noodle mix and peanuts.
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