California Rolls, at home style

I used to sneer at a restaurant in our town called Tokyo Ichiban…then I ate there.  I’ve been addicted to California rolls ever since.  Of course, anything that can be made at a restaurant can be made far more fun at home.   Messier yes, but also very rewarding.

Ingredients:

• Nori – dryed seaweed
• 2 cups of short grain white rice (Kukuho rose)
• Fake crab “sticks”
• avacado, carrots, bay leaves
• rice vinegar about 50 mL
• sugar (1 teaspoon) 

Directions: 

1. Fortunate enough to have rice cooker, get one if you don’t.  Made 4 cups because it freezes well for leftovers.  Throw bay leaves in with the cooking rice as it really adds flavour.
2. Mix sugar into rice vinegar and stir into cooked and cooled rice.  This will make the rice sticky. 
3. Get a bamboo rolling mat and wrap in saran wrap.  
4. Lay out one piece of Nori and cover with rice.  Experimenting will tell you how much rice to put on, but about two handfuls over the whole sheet is enough.   When you roll it you want to be able to eat it!  Leave about 1/2″ on one end of the nori without rice to help start the roll.
5. A little water on your hands will go a long way into preventing the rice from sticking to everything!
6. Flip the nori over and pack slightly.
7. Cut some fake crap into little thin strips and mix in some mayonaise to taste.
8. Closer to one end, add a thin strip of the crab/mayo, thinly sliced carrots, and avacado. 
9. Roll it up moving the bamboo to ensure it doesn’t get rolled on the inside.  Use the mat to pack the roll again. 
10. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds.  Wrap the roll in saran wrap and cut to edible sizes.

All of the items requried we found at the local grocery store and it only took two tries to make rolls as good as the local sushi restaurant.  Don’t be a chicken!  It will work out, and if it doesn’t well all the more entertainment!

 

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

Apperently asparagus is high in vitamins B6 and C, plus fiber, folate and glutathione, an anti-carcinogen and antioxidants.   I’m not sure what all of them mean, but it MUST be good for you!  Hence, baked asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

• One bunch of fresh aparagus.  Check to make sure store looks after it by keeping tails in water.  If not, move on.
• Salt/Pepper
• 2 table spoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. With oven pre-heated to 400 deg. F arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet.  I put them on a raised rake sheet and lightly sprayed them with oil.
2. Bake for about ten minutes or until tender.
3. Melt the butter on stove on lower heat (no need to be in a rush),  after melting remove from heat and add soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.
4. When the asparagus is done, our the sauce over and enjoy.

Best Bolognese Sauce

Not very often do I get to gloat…but man this sauce is good.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb hamburger (0.23 kg.. eh)
• 1/2 white onion, 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup diced carrots, 1/2 cup diced green pepper, 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/4 package of bacon
• Vodka tomato cream sauce
• 1 cup of both red wine and milk
• Oregano, lemon basil, chilli pepper, cayenne pepper, and parsley
• Sea Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, brown hamburger.    Add chopped onions and chopped garlic and diced bacon
2. After softening the onion/garlic add 1 cup of wine and boil off.
3. Add sea salt, pepper, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper to taste.  Mix
4. Add one cup of milk and boil off.
5. Add the carrots, green pepper, and celery as soon as the milk/wine boiled off.
6. Add ragu or any tomato paste to desired liquidness….  I like meatier and Wanda likes more saucy so we add one small jar (25oz) of Henry’s Vodka Cream Sauce
7. Let simmer to evenly break up meat sauce…if possible leave in crock pot all day.

Serving:

Serve over noodles, add parmesan cheese and parsley for the restaurant look.

Leftovers:

Freeze some for easy meals later.  Freeze in ziploc bags and spread out a bit for quick thaw.

Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes

Ingredients:

• Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes – get small ones
• Parsley
• Sea Salt/Pepper
• EVOO – 1/4 cup
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Garlic – 4 cloves

Directions:

1. Clean potatoes – scrub with brush
2. Cut potatoes into bit size pieces, best flavour with no cutting so try and buy small ones
3. Steam potatoes – move smallest ones to to to ensure even cooking
4. After steamed, roll potatoes in sea salt, pepper, and EVOO.  Don’t be shy with pepper
5. Mix in raw garlic and parsley
6. Sprinke on cheese while still hot and serve.

Yummy and make lots as they will go fast.  The Yukon golds seem to have buttery flavour by themselves.

Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter

1 1/2 to 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 to 6 medium cloves garlic, crushed and minced

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

salt, to taste

 

Instructions

 

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until butter stops foaming, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add the shrimp and garlic and sauté over medium heat, turning frequently until the shrimp just turn pink, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the parsley, lemon juice, and salt; stir well. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately, with rice or a salad.

Guacamole

Ingredients

 

3 ripe avacados

1 whole smoked chipotle pepper (canned)

Two cloves of garlic

1/8 of red onion

Juice of two limes

1/2 teaspoon of chopped cliantro

Two scoops of salsa 

 

Instructions

Finely chop garlic and onion

Add chopped cilantro

Cut finely chipotle peppers and add

Scoop out avocado and add to mixture in chunks

Add salsa, lime juice and smash with fork

Transfer to clean dish for serving

 

 

Best served with Multi-grain chips but only lasts three hours before guacamole starts to brown.  Cannot be made early.  I’ve got to give credit where credit is due….I’ve never made this.  This is Wanda’s specialty!   I don’t have a category or tag for “stay clear of all sharp devices”!

Creamy Chicken Alfredo

 Ingredients 

• White onions – 1/2, 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 and 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 cup skim milk
• Oregano, Basil, chilli peppers, sea salt, pepper, lemon juice
• 3 cups parmesan cheese
• 3 chicken breasts
• Some type of pasta – penne preferred

Instructions

1. Insert three bare chicken breasts in the oven at 350 deg F. Bake for 30 mins turning over at 15 minute mark. Looks naked but tastes great with the other seasonings in the sauce. Remove the chicken from the oven at the 30 minute mark and dice it up. It is okay if it cools off.
2. Sauté finely chop garlic and onion in EVOO. Stir in and melt the unsalted butter. Use big pot, it will be used to simmer sauce later.
3. Into the onion/garlic skillet slowly mix in the heavy cream, milk, lemon juice. Stir regularly and keep the heat low because Giada says creamy sauces aren’t supposed to boil…
4. Add all the seasonings to looks. After it warms up, taste it and add as necessary.
5. Start the pasta into salted boiling water. When 1/2 of the pasta is El Dente, take it out and strain it. Let the rest keep cooking.
6. Take the sauce off the heat when thoroughly warm, add the chicken. Add the el dente pasta to an “oven-able” dish (clean and use chicken dish?) and spread some sauce over and sprinkle on parmesan cheese. Place in freezer for a Costco style alfredo dish later.
7. Take the remaining pasta, add sauce, parmesan, sprinkle some dried oregano for a restaurant look and serve. Great with fresh bread and oil with balsamic vinegar.

Leftovers

Warm with a little extra milk in a pot and

bake the extra dish for dinner in a hurry 

 

Parmesan Chicken- Dijon

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut in half to make chunks
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard

 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection bake.
2. Mix melted butter and dijon mustard in a flat dish
3. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a large ziploc bag.  Add a few spices for some colour.  Oregano and Basil are good choices.
4. Dry the chicken off if in water, receives the coating better.
5. Dip the chicken into the butter/mustard mix making sure to thoroughly coat it. Then toss into the bag and coat with crumb mixture.
6. Place chicken in single layer in an ungreased rectangular pan.
7. Bake uncovered 25 minutes, making sure to flip the chicken over halfway through baking. 

Really easy.  Really tasty.  The chicken chunks ensure a person eats a reasonable amount.

Why a blog?

I need a blog for the following reasons:

1. Document the food recipes that I really like to cook
2. It is exceptionally convenient to have a central repository for information. 
3. Very trendy…
4. Opportunity for me to “make the news” and publish what I want.

Why I chose to blog it, rather than use word:

1. Generally I like to help, if anybody finds it useful use it. 
2. I don’t answer the phone so my family always wants to know what I’m doing.   Well…I’m cooking.
3. Maybe just maybe somebody out there will look over my shoulder and notice something that I could be doing better, and help me in making the food I cook better!