In the meantime, maybe now's a good time to try that Disney menu?
May 25 and June 1 Menus
For this week and and next, I will have to take a small sabbatical to attend to my exams this coming June 6th. So for those who were looking forward to a menu, please accept my apologies. We'll be up and running again after two weeks, so the second week of June. For those that are wondering where the heck I am these days, also accept my apologies. I've been chaining myself up to any desk I can find. Meanwhile, my wife has come back from Abu Dhabi to a rather grouchy 14 month old. Well, I'll have to get her tons of flowers after the exam.
May 18 Menu
What would we do without friends? Probably not much, especially this week. I've asked a few of my friends to help me out for this week's menu and asked what they usually resort to for a quick dinner meal. Based on the responses, my friends eat quite well. I was surprised, however, at the overwhelming number of fish dishes, so I had to pare the options down to just two - one on Monday and the other on Thursday. Since the Thursday dish is fried flounder fish, go ahead and freeze it. I'm thinking that due to its thinness, it'll thaw very quickly. I also had to pick and choose the other menus to give the whole week some kind of consistency so that my groceries wouldn't go to waste. In the following weeks, I'll continue to add menus by friends. So if you don't see your recipe this week, don't despair, it's probably being treasured for another week. And thank you to all my friends. My wife is again away this week on a business trip, so it was a really big help. (NOTE: Each day, be sure to serve with rice, except for Wednesday, obviously.)
Monday - Broiled Fish & Vegetables
Monday - Broiled Fish & Vegetables
- Don't forget to set the rice before starting dinner. Also, we're not using the flounder, that is for Thursday.
- Take filet of fish and salt, pepper, oil (olive), and place in broiler. Finish with squeeze of lemon wedge.
- Take broccolini and chinese watercress, heat olive oil and garlice in pan, add vegetables, add chicken broth, optional add oyster sauce for additional spicyness. Pince of salt and pepper.
- I've linked a recipe from an online source but my friend's recipe marinates the ground pork/ beef in the soy sauce, cornstarch, and spice mixture and adds that to a sizzling wok with garlic. Seems like her way is a bit simpler and more straight forward.
- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/ma-po-tofu-recipe/index.html
- This dish can be made ahead (maybe on Sunday).
- My friend forwarded me her own recipe which was given to her by her mother?, but due to copyright issues, I have posted a link to a comparable recipe on the internet.
- http://www.nibbledish.com/people/chaditz/recipes/yang-chow-fried-rice
- Her recipe doesn't add salty fish and also coats the shrimp in cornstarch and pepper and is fried in the wok and set aside.
- I always keep coming back to the miso soup, so easy, tasty, and it's nice to have soup with dinner. Boil water, add tofu, add some vegetables if you wish, add miso paste. Top with chopped scallions.
- Another simple and sweet dish.
- Coat flat fish with flour, salt, and pepper. Pan fry in olive oil. For sauce, grate ginger and mix with soy sauce.
- Take baby bok choy, oil and garlic in pan, add vegetables, add chicken broth, add oyster sauce. Pinch of salt and pepper.
- This chicken is seriously making me consider buying a deep fryer so that I can have this whenever I want.
- Meat, Poultry, Seafood- ground pork/beef, filet of any fish for broil (european seabream is recommended), filet of flat fish for frying (flounder, maybe) freeze because it's for Thursday, medium count shrimp
- Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs - chinese watercress, brocollini, baby bok choy
- Dairy, Eggs, Tofu - silken tofu
- Meat, Poultry, Fish - chinese sausage
- Specialty Grocery - miso paste
Notes of the Week:
1. So when trying to make fish crispy, best not to immediately place the fish on a dish without a paper towel or something of that nature to absorb the moisture. Notice I'm not referring to excess oil, I'm referring to heat/ moisture that will eventually make it soggy.
2. It is very difficult to make ma po tofu baby friendly, but I was amazed to see our daughter chow down. It seems, true to her korean genes, she's partial to savory foods.
3. When working with cornstarch, always, always, mix in a little water before adding.
4. Another week where I missed a menue - Yang Chow Fried Rice. My sister-in-law, bless her heart, cooked up dinner to help out while my wife was away in Abu Dhabi. So, now I have chinese sausage sitting in the refrigerator. I wonder if I can persuade my wife to try making the dish next week.
May 11 Menu
Super Foods?!?! I have relatives who believe in the merits of "super foods" and got me thinking about it recently. I can honestly say that my health probably peaked senior year in highschool - due to tons of after school sports and scholarly endeavors that kept me from intoxicating libations. College hit and my health took a bump. Grad school crashed into me, and my health went on vacation. Marriage then put my health into a coma (oh yes, I'm happily married, but I had to carry the imagery through). Anyways, with the advent of my daughter, I've taken a cold turkey approach to resuscitating my health. I have a gym membership and have cut down on my food intake. Now all I need is some "super foods." You can read about it here: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/superfoods-everyone-needs. So this week, I'll attempt to find recipes that incorporate super foods into each dinner meal.
Monday - Spinach Tofu Miso and Rice
Notes of the Week:
Monday - Spinach Tofu Miso and Rice
- Easy to make, always tasty, and will last for tomorrow's salmon meal.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/health/nutrition/17recipehealth.html
- Fish is always good.
- http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/9758/esal39.htm
- I saw this recipe and thought, wow, can't get easier than this.
- http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2008/09/fifteen-minutes.html
Thurdsay - German Blueberry Pancakes and Sausages/ Bacon
- Breakfast for dinner? If there are restaurants that serve breakfast 24/7, then I don't see why I can't do the same at home. Besides, these are just your regular pancakes.
- In highschool, my older sister took the two us, myself and my younger sister, out for a meal at a newly acclaimed restaurant in Vegas called Keuken Deustch which is where I had my first and only try of this German pancake. It was very memorable that even to this day I think about it. Thanks to my sisters, and happy mother's day, noona (that's sister in korean).
- Oh, break out the cast iron for this recipe.
- http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2006/06/26/a-magickal-transformation-blueberry-baked-german-pancake/
Friday - PIZZA!!!
Shopping List for me:
- Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs - 4-6 tomatoes, blueberries, 1 lemon, mushrooms, spinach, fresh basil
- Meat, Poultry, Fish - 1 lb salmon filet, sausages/ bacon
- Baking, spices
Shopping List Addtl:
- Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs - carrots, green onions, chives
- Dry goods - spaghetti
- Baking, spices - vanilla extract, flour, cinnamon, cardamon, powdered sugar
- Specialty Grocery - miso paste, tofu
Notes of the Week:
1. Yes, I forgot to say that I was repeating the miso menu for Monday so really the salmon, fresh tomato sauce, and pancake dishes are the only ones I haven't tried before.
2. The salmon was okay, nothing spectacular.
3. The fresh tomato sauce recipe was simple as predicted, but definitely wait for better tomatoes. The ones I got from wholefoods (cambridge) wasn't that great so I had to add a little sherry. Also, don't expect a sweet sauce like the bottled stuff, this is really a bare bones dish, which I happen to enjoy. In fact, I think this dish, because it is easy to prepare, can be a side dish for many other menus - you know, put pasta back into its place as a first course.
4. Alas, I didn't get to do the pancake recipe because my generous sister-in-law said she would cook for us and I couldn't refuse, especially since I have CFA exams coming up in June. I'm taking advantage of any opportunity to study more.
5. I was so happy that at least someone else besides our family is getting some benefit from my postings. In fact, one thing I really enjoy about posting this stuff is talking to other friends and getting their thoughts on what they cook, or would like to cook. And, after CFA exams, I'll be having more invites. And, once we move (if we ever move), I'll even have backyard fiestas.
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