Milky Way Diner

Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin

2005-12-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

Here is a delicious pork tenderloin recipe I made the other night when Dana and Piero came over for dinner. Actually the tenderloins where buy one get one free so I had this twice that week.

3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1/4 cup dried apricots (chopped)
1/8 cup dried cranberries (chopped)

2 lb unseasoned pork tenderloin

1/4 cup port wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Heat the oven to 250. Mix the first five ingredients. Cut a lengthwise pocket in the tenderloin. Brush the pocket with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stuff the pork with the mixture.

On a baking sheet roast for about and hour till the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. Increase the oven to 400. Set aside the drippings from the loin and roast until it starts to brown and temperature is 155 - 160. Let cool.

Meanwhile in a sauce pan medium-high heat stir port, broth and drippings, bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water. Whisk until gravy starts to thicken.

Cut loin in to piece and serve with gravy.

*Side note I did make several dishes for Thanksgiving, but I did not have the time to take the pictures or note all the recipes.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous

2005-12-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

This is a tasty and healthy recipe that is pretty easy to make.

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 small lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh torn basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

1 large eggplant (cubed)
1 bell pepper (seeded and coarsely chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1 package mushrooms (cut in half)

1 cup cooked whole wheat couscous
2 tomatoes (diced)
1 cucumber (peeled and diced)

1/2 cup grated feta cheese

Heat the oven to 500. Whisk the first six ingredients in a small mixing bowl. In a baking dish add the next four ingredients. Pour 2/3 of the sauce over the vegetables in the baking dish. Mix well and cook for 35 minutes.

In a larger mixing bowl mix couscous, tomatoes, cucumbers and the rest of the sauce. Once vegetables are finished roasting add them to the couscous.

Serve topped with feta.

Potato Jalapeno Soup

2005-11-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

2 jalapeno peppers (cut in half and seeded)
1 bell pepper (cut in half and seeded)
1 yellow onion (chopped)
olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 large potato (peeled and diced)
3 cups water
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 lemmon juciced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)

Place pepper on a baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes on the top shelf of the onion. Once pepper have cooled, scrape away the burnt portions and dice.

In a soup pot heat the oil and add the onions. Cook the onions for 10 minutes till translucent. Add the peppers and spices suate for a couple more minutes. Add water and potaoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and a stir in cream cheese, lemmon juice and cilantro. Stir until cheese is fully melted and evenlly mixed.

Tzatziki

2005-11-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Milky Way Diner,
I am looking for a good recipe for the Tzatziki cucumber sauce that is commonly used in Greek pitas and gyros.

Thanks
Tom

Here is my recipe. Adding fresh mint, dill and lemon juice are good variations.

1 cup plain yogurt
1 small cucumber (peeled, seeded and diced)
1/2 tsbp crushed garlic
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp stored bought greek spice
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients and refrigerate for 4 hours before using.

Butternut Squash Stew

2005-11-11T08:32:00.000-05:00

Here is another fall squash recipe. This one with a texmex flair.

olive oil
1 large yellow onion
1 tbsp crushed garlic
3 cups water
1 butternut squash (peel and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and diced)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin
2 large tomatoes (chopped)
1 large green bell pepper (chopped)
1 10 oz package frozen corn
sour cream
1 block jalapeno Monterey jack cheese (cut into cubes)
1 cup brown rice (cook as directed)

In a soup pot heat oil, onions and garlic over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add water, squash, jalapeno and spices. Heat to a simmer for another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for 10 more minutes. Add corn and return to a simmer.

Serve over rice. Top with a dollop of sour cream, cheese and salt and pepper.

Butternut Squash Wontons

2005-11-06T17:32:00.000-05:00

Here is a cool recipe to use so fresh butternut squash.

1 large butternut squash halved and seeded
olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh sage (chopped)
1 tbsp garlic
4 oz goat cheese
1 package wonton wrappers

Brush squash with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Once cool scoop our the meat and set aside.

In a skillet melt butter. Add onion, sage and garlic. Saute for 5 - 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl blend onions, squash and cheese.

Start some water boiling and heat the oven to 200. Get out a cookie sheet.

One by one place wet a wonton wrapper. Place 1/2 a tbsp of filling in the middle the wrapper and fold (make sure you press the edges tight). When you have eight or ten place them in the boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes, scoop out and place on cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in the oven. Repeat till done.

Heat remaining stuffing with some water to make a sauce to place over the finished wontons.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2005-10-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

Here is a flavorful fall recipe. This can be served as a lunch time main dish as shown here. You can also scope out the squash meat and mix to serve as a diner side dish.

1 Pan cornbread cut into cubes
Olive oil
2 large acorn squash halved and seeded.
1 large onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped)
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)

Toast corn bread for 10 minutes at 400 and set aside. Brush Squash with olive oil. Place in baking pan filled water. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

In a saucepan heat 2 tbsps of olive oil and add onions, sage and garlic. Saute for 20 minutes. Add broth, nuts and apricots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and mixing the cornbread and parsley.

Stuff the squash (place and excess stuffing in baking ramikins) and bake for another hour at 350.

Salmon in Balsamic Sauce

2005-10-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

Here is a simple salmon recipe.

4 salmon steak
2 tsp oil (if sauted or seared)

Grill, saute (as I did here) or sear to your liking.

For Sauce:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove crushed garlic

In a small sauce pan add all sauce ingredients. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

Placed salmon on plates and cover with vinegar sauce.

3 Squash Soup

2005-10-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

Fall is here and the store is stocked will all kinds of squash. Here is a simple soup that highlight some early fall flavors.

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 yellow onions (chopped)
1 small pie pumpkin (cut in half and seeded)
1 butternut squash (cut in half and seeded)
1 acorn squash (cut in half and seeded)
3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 or heavy cream

Heat oven to 350. Place squash on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cook for one hour. After they cool. Scoop out the meat of the squash and place in a soup pan along with broth, cream, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat.

Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes and add to the soup. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for another 20 minutes.

Roasted Radish and Goat Cheese Pie

2005-10-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

I am so sorry I have been so slack at posting. Got busy. I probably made this a month ago. Luckily I wrote down what went into the pie so I could re-create this recipe.

This came out so good. The roasted radishes add a unique zing to this savory cheese pie.

1 bunch red radishes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 puff pastry
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
2 tbsp dry wine
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz fresh goat cheese
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup fresh flat parsley

Clean radishes and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. Let beats cool and than dice.

Roll puff pastry into a pie crust and line a buttered pie pan.

Heat butter in a frying pan saute onion about five minutes. Add wine and radishes. Cook for another minute than add to the puff pastry.

Mix eggs, cream and pour over the radish and onions. Crumble goat cheese over the cream and bake for 20 minutes. Add walnuts and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes.

Top with parsley. Let cook at least 5 minutes before serving.

Fattoush

2005-10-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

I am falling a bit behind on my recipes here. I made this dish when Chris and Candy came over a few weeks ago. Back when it was still summer. Fall recipes are on the way.

This is simple Mediterranean dish with lots of flavor.

2 pita bread (few days old - crumbled)
1 cucumber (diced)
3 ripe tomatoes (diced)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
1/4 cup flat parsley (chopped)
1/3 cup fresh mint (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh orangeno (chopped)
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix in mixing bowl and serve.

Simple Chicken Pie

2005-09-28T19:51:00.000-05:00

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).

Wine Tasting Results

2005-09-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

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

Pistachio Pesto Pasta

2005-09-16T20:22:00.000-05:00

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.

Grilled Vegetable Po' Boy

2005-09-16T07:47:00.000-05:00

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.

Pineapple Green Tea Custard

2005-09-16T05:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Salmon with cabbage and red onions

2005-09-15T08:07:00.000-05:00

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.

Chicken Parmesan

2005-09-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

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.

Huli Huli Chicken

2005-09-11T07:31:00.000-05:00

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).

Baked Basa

2005-09-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

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.

Honey Lemon Chicken

2005-09-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

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.

Food Blog Survivor to Benefit for Katrina Victims

2005-09-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

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.

Caribbean Shrimp and Broccoli Slaw

2005-09-07T17:36:00.000-05:00

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.

Mango Mousse

2005-09-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

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.

Hawaiian Kine Slow Cooked Ribs

2005-09-04T11:10:00.000-05:00

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.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2005-09-04T10:54:00.000-05:00

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).

The Peak City Grill & Bar

2005-09-04T10:19:00.000-05:00

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.

Thai Noodle Salad

2005-09-01T15:29:00.000-05:00

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.

Savory Garden Cheesecake

2005-08-30T17:05:00.000-05:00

Who says you cannot have cheesecake for diner. This is a wonderful savory cheese cake.

OK, I agree cheesecake is a ploy. It is more like a really thick quiche, but I made you look.

3 zucchini shredded
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp shredded fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion (diced)
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp crushed garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh parsley
3 cups ricotta
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan
3 eggs
2 remade savory pie crusts
2 tomatoes
2 tbsp bread crumbs

Mix zucchini, basil, oregano , thyme and garlic salt in a strainer and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in skillet add onion and saute a few minutes (till they start to turn transparent). Stir in the zucchini followed by the flour, lemon and parsley. Set mixture aside.

In another bowl thoroughly mix the eggs and cheese. Add in the zucchini mixture and blend well.

Brush the remaining olive oil over the pie crusts. Pour the mixture between the 2 crusts. Top with sliced tomatoes and bread crumbs. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving. It will thicken more if you refrigerate.

Coffee May be Good for You

2005-08-29T08:53:00.000-05:00

Check out the results of this new study. Coffee has shown to have many antioxidants that may help fight cancer and heart disease.

Now there is some good news to start your Monday.

Next they will tell you chocolate is good for you :).

Veggie Pasta

2005-08-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

Here is another simple pasta I made the other night. I believe this one was better, but this is what I had around the house. Still pretty good as a main on night and a side dish the next night.

1 cup uncooked pasta
1 red onion
1 green pepper
2 large tomatoes
cappers
parsley
olive oil
parmisian
juice of 1 lemon

Cook the pasta and mix it up.

Cheesy Bread

2005-08-27T09:01:00.000-05:00

Last night Eric came over an brought LOBSTERS. You gotta love that. So I figured what do I make to go with Lobsters. So I made the only thing that I could stands out in my mind from the Red Lobster menu, their awesome cheesy bread (or at least something simalar).

2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp Garlic powder or garlic salt
1 tbsp parsley (diced)

Blend ingredients in a mixing bowl. Spoon on to a greased cookie sheet. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes at 425.

Steamed Lobster

2005-08-27T08:08:00.000-05:00

Last night our friend Eric came over with a Very special treat LOBSTERS. There is not much you want to do to a lobster. You don't want to hide the wonderful taste at all.

lobsters
sea salt
water
butter

Place a steaming rack into a large pot. Boil about an sea salt and inch and a half of water.

There are lots of theories on how to calm the lobsters down so that they are not as shocked when you cook them. Eric said something about hypnotizing them by petting them somewhere. We did not do that, but we did place them in the freezer for a couple of minutes before placing them in the pot.

Cover and steam. You want to cook them until their antenna are easily plucked off. Cook about 14 minutes for a 1 lb lobster and 2 minutes per quarter pound after that.

Now how do you eat them?

Start with the legs. There is not much meat here, but it is a good warm up. Break off one leg at a time. Use your teeth to suck out the meat from each section.

Next move to the claws. Here you may need a nut cracked to break the sections. Here you should get some good chunks of meat that you can drip in butter.

Now you want to move on to the body. Twist the tail to break it away from the body. There is some good meat in the body. I discard the green guts. If you have red these are eggs and are considered by some a delicacy. There is also meat around the ribs etc.

Finally you have saved the best for last, the tail. Pull upward on both sides of the tail till it cracks. The meat will go to one side or the other. Push it out from the side it is sticking to. Cut up dip in butter and enjoy.

YUMMY!

Ahi Cubes

2005-08-26T12:26:00.000-05:00

These Ahi cubes can be served as an appetizer or as shown here a main dish. According to the Kalani meter they are a bit too spicy. I do not agree, but you can always put less chili sauce if you do not like you food spicy.

sesame oil
1 shallot (diced)
1 lb ahi (tuna) cut into 1 inch cubes
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
fresh pepper
1 cup parsley sprigs
2 green onion stalks

Heat the oil and the shallot in a frying pan. Add the Ahi and cook to taste ( if it is fresh ahi I would recomend just browning the outside, leaving it seared). Mix the sauces in a bowl. In another bowl mix the parsley, green onion, pepper and fish. Serve the fish on top the plates and drizzle in the sauce over the fish.

Vegetable Lasagna

2005-08-24T17:47:00.000-05:00

Here is a good vegetarian lasagna. This one I used zucchini mushroom and onion, but you could use all kinda of veggies. I am using jared pesto and spaghetti sauce, but you can ofcourse make your own.

I was going to make this the last night my mom was here, but we ended up going out to diner. So I made this yesterday for Kalani and me. Now we have lasagna for days (Yum).

12 oz package lazagna noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic
1 package portobello mushrooms (cut into chunks)
1 sweet onion (sliced)
1 large zucchini (thinly sliced)
1 8-10 oz jar pesto sauce
12 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups your favorite spaghetti sauce
8 oz mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles as per the package instruction. Heat oil and garlic in a skillet. Saute mushrooms for a few minutes (till they soften a bit) and place aside. Add onions to the skillet and saute till brown and set aside. Saute zucchini for 2 minutes and place in a mixing bowl with onions, mushrooms and pesto. In another bowl mix the ricotta and Parmesan.

Heat oven to 350. Get out a 9x13 inch baking dish. Start with one cup of spaghetti sauce spread at the bottom. Next place 3 lasagna noodles, half the veggies and half the cheese. Repeat these levels. Top with remaining noodles spaghetti sauce and mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes.

Tofu Stir Fry

2005-08-24T15:25:00.000-05:00

My mom came to visit us last week, so I did not have time to post new enteries in a while. However, I did have time to cook us some diners and take some pictures. I will be posting them soon (I do have to try to remember what I put in each recipe, so it is more than possible that I will miss something).

This dish is another Asian noodles dish similar to the pad thai I made last week. This dish is all veggie and uses different noodles.

6 oz package bean thread noodles
Oil of frying
8 oz firm tofu (cut into 1 inch squares)
2 bunches broccoli floweretts (chopped)
1 shallot (diced)
1 tbsp crushed garlic
3 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp chili sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 chili pepper (diced)
1 egg

Soak noodles for 45 minutes or so and set aside. Heat enough oil in a wok to cover the tofu. Once the oil is hot enough that a drop of water will sizzle add the tofu. Fry till tofu starts to brown (about 10 minutes) and set aside on paper towel. Pour oil into a can to set aside or dispose. Add broccoli and stir fry to your taste (perhaps 5 minutes or so) and set aside.

Next add the sesame oil, shallot, chili sauce, sugar and garlic and chili pepper. Blend well cooking for a couple more minutes. Scramble in egg and than add the noddles. Mix well. Last mix in the broccoli and tofu.

Sweet Banana Mahi Mahi

2005-08-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

4 small Mahi Mahi filets
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup flower
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup sesame seeds
3 bananas (cut in half lengthwise and in 1 inch pieces)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp coconut flakes
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

Melt butter in a skillet. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them. Place flour salt and pepper in another bowl and mix well. Spread 1/4 of the sesame seeds on a small plate in a thin layer. Take one filet dip it in the egg, than in the flour mixture, than the seeds and place it in the skillet. Repeat with the other filets, refilling the sesame seed plate each time. Once they are all in the skillet dump remaining seeds over the fish. Cook in skillet till brown on each side.

Mix sugar, coconut and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix in the bananas with the sugar mixture. Add Mahi Mahi to a small baking dish. Pour bananas over the fish. Cook for 15 minutes (or until fish is cooked all the way through).

Kitchen of the week

2005-08-15T09:10:00.000-05:00

I was just voted Best New Kitchen of the week by the Kitchen Parade site. Check it out they have a bunch of great veggie recipes.

Thanks Kitchen Parade.

Salmon Pie

2005-08-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

Diane Steele from Patricia's Super Discount Center
writes...

When I lived in Maine there was a bakery and it's not there now but I so loved their Salmon Pie. Do you have a recipe for it? It's so good!

Thanks for your email. First off, I have to admit that I have never had a salmon pie. I asked my friends from Maine and none of them have ever had a salmon pie. So I dug around on the internet and looked for recipes. I pulled what sounded good from several recipes. I can honestly said this is the best salmon pie I ever tasted (again that is not saying much) :).

Most salmon pies seem to be a mix of salmon and garlic mashed potatoes in a savory pie crust. So that is what I made.

For salmon:
1 lb salmon fillet
6 oz sliced mushrooms
olive oil
white pepper

Sauted the salmon and mushrooms in olive oil and a bit of white pepper. Flaked fish and set a side.

For mashed potatoes

6 medium-small red potatoes
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup butter
2 green onions (diced)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream

Boiled potatoes, drained and mashed them up. Melted butter and added herbs. Poured butter, herbs, salmon. mushrooms and cream in with the potatoes and mixed.

I could tell you how I made the pie crust, but it turned out chalky and crumbly, so instead I will recommend buying a pre-made savory (not sweet) pie crust. Fill it with the mixture and bake at 350 for about 30 mins (till crust browns).

Hope this is close to your recipe.

Fresh Tomato Pasta Salad

2005-08-13T12:26:00.000-05:00

Time for fresh vine ripe tomatoes here in North Carolina. So this afternoon I made this great pasta salad for lunch. This is dish works well all by it's self or you could also bring it as a side dish for a large gathering (like a summer time cook out).

2 cups uncooked curly pasta (I used whole wheat fusilli)
4 Large vine ripe tomatoes (chopped)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 cucumber (chopped)
3 tbsp fresh mint leaves (chopped)
1 tbsp fresh oregano (chopped)
15 kalamata olives (pitted and chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small red onion sliced
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 package crumbled feta cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper

Boil pasta, drain and set a side. Mix the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, mint. Oregano and olive is a large mixing bowl. Heat oil in a skillet. Saute onions and garlic for a few minutes till onions soften. Mix in the vinegar. Pour hot mixture in with the vegetables and toss. Top with feta and salt and pepper.

Beef Broccoli

2005-08-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

Thursday I cooked this Beef Broccoli. It is a classic Chinese dish (one of Kalani's favorites) and very easy to put together.

For Marinade:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 lb broccoli (or gai lan) - cut into large chunks
1 lb lean steak (i.e. flank steak) - cut into strips
sesame oil
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sherry
2 tsp sugar
1 green onion
sesame seeds for garnish

Mix marinade in a small bowl. Pour over steak and mix and marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat 1 tsp oil in wok. Cook broccoli to desired crispness and set aside. Add another tsp of oil with garlic, ginger and soy sauce, sherry and sugar. Cook steak till cooked through. Add green onion and broccoli and mix. Top with sesame seeds. Serve over rice.

Stuffed Eggplant

2005-08-11T06:48:00.000-05:00

This is a cool recipe because you can use the skin of the eggplant as the serving bowl. I made this one with the Pad Thai the other night.

2 Thai eggplants
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp garlic
6 oz mushrooms sliced
1/2 lime juice
2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh basil (torn)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lemon grass

Cut the eggplants in half and scoop out most of the meat and cut it into small chunks. Heat oil in a wok and add garlic and red pepper. Add eggplant meat and stir fry for a couple minutes. Add mushrooms, fish sauce and lime juice and cook for another minute or so. Stir in the herbs.

Pour the stir fry back into the eggplant skins. Garnish with fresh basil.

Pad Thai

2005-08-10T06:50:00.000-05:00

Illyria Jones of The Happy Phantom posted...

Hey Kevin!

I love your site! One of my favorites. I think it is because we like to cook a lot of the same types of food --especially pan-Asian. So here's my question. I'm betting that you have made your own Pad Thai before, and as you know, there are tons of variations of this awesome dish. Every time I cook it, I do it differently: I change the size of the rice noodles, or use more eggs or splurge for grilled tofu over regular extra firm tofu. But the sauce is the trickiest for me. These days, I buy a jar from the Asian supermarket, but that's a bit hard now that I am in Marvinsburg. When I make my own sauce, it is often too thin and too tangy --too much rice vinegar or too tangy-sweet --too much sugar AND vinegar. I know I need to add more to it to give it a kick and spice it up and definitely thicken it up, but what? I would appreciate you thoughts on pad thai and would love to see you post what you think is the best pad thai recipe on your site.

Regards,
Illyria

Illyria,

Thanks for you post and your kind words about my site. I have to admit I have not made my own Pad Thai that often, but here is how I make it.

I did not go to the Asian market, so I have the only rice noodles they have at my Harris Teeter (They just say Pad Thai - Rice Noodles). I also bought tofu, but decided to leave it out since I had so much shrimp. As you can see I do not put any rice vinegar (perhaps that may be missing from my recipe).

8 oz rice noodles
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
sesame oil
3 shallots (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp crushed garlic
4 red chili peppers (seeded and chopped)
juice of 1/2 lime
3/4 lbs shrimp (cooked, peeled and deviened)
3 green onion stalks (chopped)
6 oz mung bean spouts
3 eggs
Fresh Cilantro (for garnish)

Soak the noodles in luke warm water for about an hour (till they soften). At the same time mix fish sauce, sugar, crushed red pepper and a dash of sesame oil. Drain noodles and set aside.

Heat a couple tsps of oil in wok and add the shallots and chilies. Cook for a couple minutes. Add shrimp, noodles and blended sauce and the lime juice . Stir fry for another couple minutes. Mix in green onions and bean sprouts.

Make a hole in the middle of ingredients down to the wok. Crack an egg and lightly stir it. Scramble as it cooks. Toss the egg in with the rest of the food. Repeat with the other two eggs.

Serve fresh cilantro and hot sauce (which there is a thing of too much of :) )

Baked Salmon

2005-08-09T04:39:00.000-05:00

This is a simple but effective way to make Salmon.

4 small salmon fillets.
1/4 cup butter
juice of 1 small lemon
1/8 cup dry vermouth
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/8 tsp onion salt
1/8 tsp caraway seeds
1/8 tsp dillseeds
4 bay leaves
1/8 cup capers
olive oil

Heat oven to 350. Melt the butter in a small mixing bowl. Mix in the butter, lemon, vermouth, salts and seeds. Grease a small baking dish. Place fillets in the dish. Pour lemon butter mixture over the fish. Place one bay leaf on each fillet. Top with capers and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

Per a reader's request, I am also looking for a good salmon pie recipe. So if you have a good recipe or you know a key to a good salmon pie recipe please submit it here.

Avocado Spinach Salad

2005-08-07T13:47:00.000-05:00

This is our first reader submitted recipe. It comes from Chandira at Diary of a Hope Fiend.

Chandria writes...

1 bag washed lettuce or spinach (if you're lazy like me, or else wash
your own!)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cubed avocado
1 grated carrot
1 cup cubed cucumber
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
generous sprinkle of Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce.

Nice, low calorie fat-free fresh salad, with lots of taste
combinations. Very good by itself, or with garlic mashed potato and sauted
mushrooms.

Chandira

As you can see I made this recipe with spinach leaves. I also toasted the sesame seeds in my toaster oven with a splash of sesame oil. For the dressing I used a 1/4 cup of soy sauce and I added the juice of half a lime and a touch of ginger.

I found this salad delightful. The sweetness of the cranberries complemented the salty tang of the dressing. The taste of almonds and the toasted sesame seeds are the tastes that stuck with me after finishing the meal.

Kalani thought it would be better on lettuce (but she is not a huge fan of raw spinach any way).

I would definitely recommend this salad. Thanks for the submission Chandira. I hope to hear from others, with their favorite recipes.

Penne Alla Vodka

2005-08-04T16:58:00.000-05:00

OK this is not penne it is ziti left over from the baked ziti. It is close enough.

I got a pretty good response when I posted the baked ziti, so I figured I would post another pasta dish. This one was made vegetarian, but you could add chicken or even bacon.

1/2 lb penne (or in my case ziti)
2 bunches of broccoli crowns (chop into spears)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 small onion (diced)
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 goat cheese
2 tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 cup basil (torn into strips)
freshly ground pepper and Romano cheese for topping

Cook pasta as directed, drain and set aside. Steam broccoli and set aside. Heat oil in a pan and add garlic, red peppers and onion. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add vodka and cook for 4 minutes while stirring. Add cream, cheese and tomatoes and cook till blended. Remove from heat.

In a large pot or mixing bowl, blend pasta, basil, broccoli and sauce. Serve topped with pepper and cheese.

Submit Your Recipes

2005-08-03T13:37:00.000-05:00

If you have a recipe or an idea for a recipe you would like to see on my site send it to me at milkywaydiner@gmail.com. If it looks good to me I will try it at home, take a picture and post it with a review.

In the email you should include the recipe, any background or description of the recipe, along with any info on you that you would like me to post (Name, email, web site, URL of a photo etc.).

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Kevin

Thai Green Curry

2005-08-02T05:44:00.000-05:00

This dish can be may with any combination of your favorite vegetables and meats. I just put in what I had around the house, but you can be real creative here. I partial to the green curry, but you can also try the red and yellow. They are all good.

I served this with the left over Vietnamese Spring Rolls and jasmine rice.

This recipe is great with tofu or just all vegetables.

2 tbsp sesame oil
1 shallot (diced)
2 hot red peppers (seeded and cut into strips)
2 chicken breast (cut into strips)

1/3 cup bamboo shoots
1/2 frozen peas
1/2 cut shredded cabbage

1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp green curry paste
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup fresh basil (torn into shreds)

In Wok or large skillet heat oil and shallot and peppers. Add chicken and cook till chicken is cook all the way through.

Stir in vegetables followed by the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce and sugar. Mix well than reduce heat to low. Add basil. Serve over rice.

Baked Ziti

2005-08-01T06:45:00.000-05:00

Baked Ziti is a great for Sunday dinners or large gatherings. It is a bit of an effort to make, but it is well worth it. You can do everything but bake it and store in the refrigerator till an hour before it is time to eat.

To make this vegetarian you can use veggie sausage or leave the meat out all togeather.

1/2 pound ziti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 lb spicy italian sausage
4 cups your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 onion (chopped)
1 large zucchini (cut into small strips)
1 bell pepper (cut in to small strips)
1 container baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 cup fresh grated romano cheese
1/2 cup ricotta
8 oz shredded mozzarella

Cook ziti as directed (adding a bit of salt is nice). In a large skillet heat oil and garlic over medium heat. Add sausages and cook till brown than place on the side. Add onion cook for 1 minute. Next add zucchini and pepper cook for 2 more minutes. Cook for 1 more minute after adding mushrooms. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and set aside.

Heat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl mix ziti with 1/2 of the sauce mix. In a baking dish pour 1/2 of the mixed ziti. Spread the ricotta cheese over the zitti. Add the mozzarella and 1/2 of the romano followed by 1/2 of the remaining sauce. Next pour in the remaining ziti followed by the remaining sauce. Finally top with the rest of the romano.

Bake covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for another 15 - 20 minutes.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

2005-07-31T09:28:00.000-05:00

I learned to make these from Chris' father Bunny when he was here for Amanda's (Araya's mom) baby shower. I did not write down the ingredients when he was here so I sure I am missing some. Anyway this is the basic idea you can add and subtract as you wish.

Like the sushi I made, my rolling technique needs work. I had to use 2 wrappers for each spring roll or they would just fall apart.

To make this vegetarian you can leave out the shrimp.

1 package spring roll wrappers
1 lb shrimp (peeled and cooked)
cellophane noodles - cooked as directed
bean sprouts
shredded carrots
cilantro
cabbage
lettuce or spring greens

Sweet and hot chili sauces.

Cut up vegetables and set aside (see picture bellow). Get a plate pour enough water on the plate to cover it. Place one spring roll wrapper in the water. Leave till limp (about 45 sec to 1 min). Move to rolling surface. Place vegetables, noodles and shrimp on the wrapper and roll like a buritto (you may have to than roll this in another wrapper like I usually did). Place on the side.

It also helps to keep placing the wrappers in the water as you take on out. This way you are not waiting to long for a wrapper to be ready.

You have to serve with the sweet chili sauce (it is so good). For the more daring crowd you can also serve a hot chili sauce (use sparingly - it is hot).

Listed

2005-07-31T09:13:00.000-05:00

I am finally listed on Google, Yeah! Now my site search will start working.

Seared Ahi and Tri Color Tomatoes

2005-07-29T20:52:00.000-05:00

I saw a picture of a salad similar to this in the news paper the other day (it was an article on tomatoes). I figured I would try to reproduce it. I think it came out pretty good.

I got some nice fresh Ahi steaks to sear. I am cooking away and Joshua started crying (I went to check on him) and ended up cooking most of the way through. They were still a little pink, but I would have liked them to be more raw in the middle.

2 tsp sesame oil
1 red bell pepper (sliced into strips)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 lb fresh Ahi steak(s)
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and chopped into small bits)
1 shallot (chopped into small bits)
2 tbsp cilantro (pulled from steam and chopped very fine)

lettuce or spring greens
3 tomatoes (1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange, sliced)
1 cucumber (cut into thick slices)
olive oil and balsamic vinegar (to dress salad)
2 tbsp fresh basil (torn into little strips)
salt (to taste)
4 oz goat cheese (crumbled)

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet. Cook red pepper few minutes (till they soften some) and place them on the side. Place soy sauce in a bowl. Place jalapeno, shallot and cilantro on a plate. Dip tuna in the soy sauce (for 1 minute each side) coat with spices and place in skillet. Cook fish until outside browns. Remove and cut into strips.

I mixing bowl mix red peppers, cucumber, oil, vinegar, basil and salt. Place lettuce on plates. Arrange tomatoes on top of lettuce. Pour dressing over tomatoes. Top with Ahi than goat cheese.

Avocado Sandwich

2005-07-26T19:28:00.000-05:00

I know there are some of you think this is just a sandwich anyone could make that. Well...

1) This sandwich was awesome
2) It only took me 5 minutes to make this meal
3) It is what I had for dinner
3) It is my blog and I can post what I want
4) This sandwich was Awesome!

To make this vegetarian you can leave out the bacon.

2 Pieces toasted seeded rye bread
1/4 avocado
2 large slices of tomatoes
slices of cucumber
2 strips of bacon
cheddar cheese
lettuce
mayo
a bit of garlic salt

Other great things I would have put on it if I had them: alfalfa sprouts and shredded carrots

Hawaiian Kine Shoyu Chicken

2005-07-23T14:09:00.000-05:00

Growing up, whenever there was pot luck or other function someone would always bring shoyu chicken. This is probably because it is so easy to make and tastes so ono.

This is Kalani's mom's recipe. Kalani made this for us Friday night. This is her kind of recipe (no more than 5 ingredients).

1 1/2 cups shoyu (soy sauce)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp ginger
1 tbsp garlic
2 lbs skin on chicken

Heat oven to 350. Mix the shoyu, ginger, garlic in a bowl. Place the chicken in a baking dish. Pour shoyu mixture over the chicken. Bake for about an hour (till chicken is cooked all the way through).

Shrimp Tempura and Noodles

2005-07-23T07:53:00.000-05:00

This recipe takes a bit of work since there are a few phases of cooking. It is worth it.

8 oz package udon noodles

For Shrimp:
1 lb raw shrimp Peeled and de-veined, but leave the tails
1 large egg
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
oil or frying

For Soup:
1/2 cup mirin (sweetened sake)
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 green onion sliced
3 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

In a sauce pan mix all ingredients for the soup. Bring to a bowl than reduce heat to low while you cook the rest of the food.

Cook the noodles as directed on the package.

Heat oil in wok. In a mixing bowl mix egg and ice water. Add the flour and stir (leave it a bit lumpy). One at a time grad a raw shrimp by the tail, dip it in the tempura batter than place it in the oil. Fry for about 2 minutes or till golden brown.

Portion out the noodles into serving bowls. Pour soup over the noodles. Right before serving place shrimp onto of soup (they will get soggy if left in bowl too long).

Fire Roasted Primavera

2005-07-21T18:39:00.000-05:00

This is a great everyday recipe. It only takes a few minutes to make and you can use any vegetables you may have left over. Tonight I used a zucchini and a red pepper, but all kinds of vegetables taste great when you roast them.

2 cups un-cooked pasta
1 cup your favorite pasta sauce.
vegetables (Squash, eggplant, red onion, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus....)

Boil the pasta and drain. Grill the vegetables over low heat for about 10 minute (until they look roasted). Mix pasta, sauce (and some garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar won't hurt) and vegetables in a pot over low heat.

Serve with some good garlic bread. Get a fresh loaf from your bakery of your favorite variety. Here Haris Teeter has this awesome olive oil and rosemary. Slice bread and spay it with olive oil and top with garlic salt. Cook this on the top grill for 2 - 3 minutes on each side.

yummy

Grilled Ahi

2005-07-20T17:28:00.000-05:00

Grilled Ahi is something we make quite a bit. It is easy to put together, you should eat deep water fish atleast once a week for your health and it taste really good.

I made this last Sunday (It is now Wed. that work thing is always getting in the way :) ). I over grilled it a bit so it was a bit dry and the picture also came out a bit blurry. You cannot make them all winners.

For the Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin (sweet sake)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1/2 tbsp crushed or jarred garlic
1/2 tbsp crushed or jarred ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper

4 Ahi (tuna) steaks

Mix the marinade in a small mixing bowl. Place fish in a small baking dish. Pour marinade over fish. Marinade for an hour or so.

Heat the grill on low. I like to cook the fish for about 3 minutes on each side. You can cook it for longer if you like it white all the way through.

Enjoy

Ginger Pesto Tofu Salad

2005-07-17T06:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Pasha's last day here, so for dinner I made my favorite tofu recipe. It came out OK. I think I stir fried the vegetables a bit too long, they could have been crisper.

This recipe is a bit of work, but it is worth it. Here it goes...

1 package extra firm tofu

Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp crushed fresh or jarred ginger
2 tbsp crushed fresh or jarred garlic
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, pulled from the stems
2 green onions, sliced
1 tsp sesame oil

1 zucchini
1 small sweet onion
1 red bell pepper
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup bean spouts
1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Spring greens mix

Ginger Pesto
1/4 cup Pesto (I used a store bought jar, but you can insert your favorite pesto recipe)
1/4 cup crushed fresh or jarred ginger

2 tbsp Asian sesame salad dressing

Mix tofu marinade until sugar dissolves. Cut tofu into 1 inch slices. Place slices in a baking dish. Pour marinade over the tofu. Marinade for an hour and a half. Turning every 20 minutes or so.

Slice vegetables into strips and stir fry in sesame oil. Grill tofu 4 minutes on each side.
Mix pesto and ginger. Toss greens in salad dressing. Cut tofu into chunks.

Arrange greens on plate. Add a layer of vegetables followed by a layer of tofu, another layer of vegetables and the remaining tofu on the top. Splash with ginger tofu.

Walla

Nori - Sushi Roll

2005-07-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

To make this vegetarian you can use veggie sausage or leave the meat out all togeather.Growing up in Hawaii we would have Sushi all the time. But I had never made it myself till a year or two ago when Kalani's cousin Shannon lived here. I still have some work to do on my rolling technique :).

A very common way to make sushi is to make Nori (rolls). There are all kinds of stuff you can put in Nori. That is what I made today for lunch.

1 portion su-meshi
1/2 small Japanese eggplant
1/2 cucumber
1/2 avocado
5 sheets nori (seaweed)
6 shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp crushed ginger
pinch crushed red pepper

Mix soy sauce ginger and red pepper. Cut eggplants and mushrooms into strips. Soak eggplant and mushroom. Cut remaining vegetable in strips. Place rice on nori (wet your hands when spreading the rice, so that it does not stick to you). Place vegetables on rice (see picture bellow). Roll (again I am no expert here). Cut it into slices and serve with ginger, soy sauce and wasabi.

You can see the amount made from this recipe ( I also had left over vegetables).

Su-Meshi - Sushi Rice

2005-07-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

Before you can make any type of sushi you need to start with the rice. You need to get a short grained rice (technically Oryza savita japonica, but on most bags it will say sushi rice).

1 1/2 cups Sushi rice
2 cups of water
3 tbsp rice vinegar
5 tsp sugar
2 tsp sea salt

Cook rice with water in a rice cooker. In a small bowl mix vinegar, sugar and salt till sugar and salt dissolves. Transfer rice and vinegar mixture to a mixing bowl. With a wet wooden spoon blend well.

Let cool before making sushi.

Vatrouska

2005-07-16T06:45:00.000-05:00

Vatrouska is a Russian version of a cheesecake. It is not quite as rich. It tastes like a mix between custard and a cheese cake. Yum Yum.

This is another recipe made by my mother-in-law. Also see the Piroshkis.

2 pie shells from Graham crackers
Filling:
1 pound cottage cheese
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Blend ingredients in food processor or blender. Fill
pie shells and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or
until filling is done. Serve cold.

Blackened Catfish

2005-07-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

Last night we made blackened cat fish. We had our friend Eric over. I cannot tell you all of the recipe because Pasha brought they blackening season from a friend of hers in Hawaii.

To go with it, I made fried okra (from frozen) and dirty rice (just some rice mixed with sautayed onions, beans, canned tomatoes and Cajun spices). Pasha also made some stuffed peppers I will need to get the recipe from her.

Serves 4

4 Catfish Filets
1/4 cup Cajun Spices (paprika, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, onion powder, etc...)
1 cup corn meal
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
3 tbsp hot sauce (I like Texas Pete)
1/2 a stick of butter

Mix the corn meal and the spices in one bowl. The egg, milk and hot sauce in another. Melt the butter in a frying pan.

One by one coat a filet in the liquid mixture, cover with dry mixture and put it in the frying pan. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side (till done).

Piroshki

2005-07-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

My mother-in-law Pasha made these on Monday night. Here are the instructions she wrote up for me....

Piroshki are little pastries filled with meat or
vegetablesÂthe Russian way of using leftovers. This
variant is relatively quick, because Pillsbury did the
work of making the dough. They can be eaten hot or
cold, as an appetizer, with soup or as a main course.
They are sometimes served with sour cream.

INGREDIENTS

2 packages pre-made dough, large buttermilk biscuits
Beef filling:
½ lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 T. cold water
½ t. salt

1/8 t. pepper
1 T. flour
1 T. oil for frying
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped fine

Mix first 5 ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes.
Fry in large skillet. When meat is no longer pink,
sprinkle in flour to absorb excess moisture. The
filling should not be runny. Cool and add chopped egg.

Flatten each biscuit and put 1 or 2 tablespoons of
filling in center. Fold closed and pinch edges
together. Bake as directed on package; 400 degrees,
10 to 13 minutes.

Baba Ghanoush

2005-07-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

This is the best Baba Ghanoush recipe I have had. The key here is the heavily grilled eggplants. It brings out a good smoky flavor. Even if you do not think you like eggplants you really should give this a try.

Pair this up with the other Greek and Mediterranean dishes. I made this dish with a Hummus recipe, a Greek salad, lot of pita bread (spayed with olive oil and garlic salt than cooked on the grill) and some grilled chicken (marinated in lemon juice, a little olive oil and Greek spices) when we had our friend Brian over for dinner. What a feast.

Should serve 6 as a side dish or appetizer.

2 small eggplants
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
fresh group pepper
3 tbsp plain yogurt

Grill the eggplants till skins are blistered (15 - 20 mins). Place on the side to cool.

Place all the other ingredients in a food processor. Cut eggplants and add internal meat to the blender.

Serve with pita bread.

Hummus

2005-07-10T16:21:00.000-05:00

This is a really good basic Hummas recipe. I think it is the fresh lemon juice that really makes this dish.

Pair this up with the other Greek and Mediterranean dishes. I made this dish with a Baba Ghanoush, a Greek salad, lot of pita bread (spayed with olive oil and garlic salt than cooked on the grill) and some grilled chicken (marinated in lemon juice, a little olive oil and Greek spices) when we had our friend Brian over for dinner. What a feast.

Should serve 6 as a side dish or appetizer.

2 cups cooked chick-peas (1 16oz can)
4 tbsp tahini (ground sesame seeds)
3 tbsp warm water
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 2 large lemons
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
fresh ground pepper

Combine in a food processor. Blend till smooth. Serve with pita bread.

Honey Chicken Teriyaki

2005-07-08T04:33:00.000-05:00

This is a recipe that I have been making for years. This time I doubled the bellow recipe (only one portion pictured) and gave the other halve to our friends Chris and Dianne who had just had a baby.

This recipe is a bit of work to make since you have to fry it once and than bake it. Ofcourse since the chicken is fried it is not the healthiest of meal. All that aside it is worth it. Yum Yum.

Serves about 4

2 lbs. Chicken breast, skinless bonless, cut into 2 '' strips
3/4 cup flour
tsp salt
tsp pepper
2 eggs beaten
oil for frying
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp dry sherry
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp fresh ginger
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 celery stalks, sliced

Heat soy sauce, honey, sherry, garlic and ginger in a small pan over medium heat. Once fully mixed turn heat to low.

Heat 1/2'' oil in wide frying pan. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in eggs than coat with seasoned flour and place in oil. Cook chicken till golden brown. Allow 6 - 8 minutes.

As chicken is done, drain briefly than dip in honey mixture and place in baking pan. Once all chicken in is the pan sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake at 250 for 10 minutes. Add celery and brush everything with honey soy sauce glaze. Cook another 10 minutes.

Shrimp Sesame Noodles

2005-07-05T06:22:00.000-05:00

Kalani made this dish I just shu chefed a bit. This came out great. The orange flavor added to this noodle dish really adds flavor.

This recipe serves about four, but I sure you could double or triple it for larger groups.

1 package (9 ounces) fresh whole wheat angel-hair pasta
2 cups shredded carrots
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb shrimp (could be replaces with chicken, pork or tofu)
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 medium orange
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp sugar
1/8 ground red pepper
4 large radishes, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
green onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Boil noodle in a pot of water. Add carrots to the colander. Pour pasta over the carrots to drain. Saute shrimp, red pepper and garlic, until shrimp is pink. Add to pasta mixture.

In a bowl grate 1 tsp of orange peel and squeeze 1/4 cup of juice. Add vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar and ground red pepper.

Add vinaigrette and remaining vegetable to pasta. Toss and top with sesame seeds.

Caponata Bruschetta

2005-07-05T05:59:00.000-05:00

This dish is sooo delicious the picture cannot do it justice. I have made it a few times and it has always come out great.

Here we ate this for lunch. You can also serve this on more bread in smaller slices as and appetizer or at a party.

1 medium eggplant cut into 1/2'' slices
Kosher salt
1 small yellow onion cut into 1/2'' slices
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium tomato. Chopped
15 Kalamata olives
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp capers
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp garlic Finley chopped
fresh ground pepper
8 slices Italian or other course country bread
4 oz fresh goat cheese

Place eggplant slices on drying rack over sink. Rub with salt and let sit for 15 minutes (this is to draw out the eggplant's bitter juices). Rinse and repeat on the other side for 15 minutes.

Grill eggplant and onion over medium heat for 10 - 12 minutes. Coarsely chop eggplant and onion. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.

Grill the bread for 2 - 3 minutes. Divide goat cheese and spread over the bread. Spoon the caponata over the goat cheese and serve.

Chicken in Peanut Sauce

2005-06-22T18:01:00.000-05:00

This is the first dish I made when Pasha came to visit us. I made several dishes here. They were all great on their own but I am not sure the potatoes went so well with the chicken.

2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
1 onion
3 tbsp chopped tomatoes
1 hot chili seeded and chopped
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 cups warm water
salt
cilantro for garnish

Put Chicken, garlic, thyme, black pepper, curry powder, lemon juice and salt. Mix, cover and marinate in fridge for 3 - 4 hours.

Melt butter in large pan. Saute onion for 5 minutes. Add seasoned chicken and cook for 10 minutes (stirring frequently). Add tomatoes and chili.

In small bowl, mix peanut butter and a bit of the water until smooth. Add to the chicken. Add remaining water and cook for 30 minutes. Garnish and serve.

Potatoes with Chilies

12 - 14 new or salad potatoes, halved
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp crushed dried red chilies
1/2 tsp white cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (some for garnish)
1 tsp salt
1 onion sliced
1 - 4 fresh chilies

Boil potatoes till done. In a deep pan heat oil to medium heat. Add herbs and onion. Fry until brown. Add potatoes and chilies stir well.

Reduce heat to low cook or 5 -7 min. Garnish and serve.

Spinach Salad

1 1/4 lb baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup roasted sesame seeds
3 tbsp olive oil
6 shallots
8 fresh chilies
4 tomatoes chopped

Saute shallots and chilies in oil. Toss and serve

Churros

2005-06-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

Laura and I made this dish father's day along after we eat the Salmon with Tequila Cream Sauce. We got the idea from my friends Dave Murray, Dan Lee and Rebecca. Dave served them during a 24 final party.

Rebecca said that she saw them served all over the place back in California. The only place we have seen them served here is at a Durham Bulls baseball game.

I think they are a Mexican treat. To me they taste kinda like Burger Kings French Toast sticks (yummy). We tried with various topping. I liked them with cinnamon and lime. Make a whole batch and serve them at your next party. Bet served hot.

3 cups (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 egg yolks
oil for deep frying
2 line wedges
2 limes
powdered sugar

Boil water. Add salt and brown sugar. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add sifted flour and baking powder. Beat till smooth. Beat in eggs yolks one at a time. Set aside to cool.

Use cake decorator to squeeze mixture into shapes. Fry in oil.

garnish with limes and sugar.