Detour!

I had planned something altogether different for this post, and then my hubby cooked dinner and changed all my plans...

So it's fall. The weather here has gone from 90 on Monday, which is 15 degrees above average, to 65 today, Friday, which is 10 degrees below average. These huge temperature swings really muck with my equanimity. Ya know!  Not to mention I have to dig through closets for warm clothes, when I was wearing tank tops and shorts a couple days ago! But I digress. Oops...

We have a neighbor with a Japanese pear-apple tree. And each year at this time, we are fortunate enough to get some of the fruit from their tree. And tonight my hubby came up with an Asian-inspired rendition of the traditional American sauteed apples sidedish.  And it was really good! 

 

So you slice up some Asian pear-apples, just like apples for a pie or tart. Then you toss them into a saute pan with some Ponzu Citrus Seasoning Sauce, Mirin Sweet Cooking Seasoning(sweet seasoned rice wine) and a bit of sugar. Let it all simmer for a bit and serve while the fruit is still crispy tender.  And that's it folks!

Serve with a stir fry and rice, as a slightly sweet fall sidedish, borrowed from the west. And there you go. East meets west, just like my marriage!

But wait, I have an idea! Thicken the sauce with arrowroot. Toss it with the sliced pear apples to mix well, and then into a partially pre-baked buttery pie crust and bake for a bit...

Contemporary Corned Beef and Cabbage

If just the title of this post sends shivers up and down your spine with the memory of cabbage cooking for eons stinking up the whole house..... well I'm not with you.  My mom never did this to us, thankfully.  But I've read the stories!

So here's how to do this meal in less time and not stink up the house!  First, slowly simmer the corned beef roast for about 2 hours, not three like the package probably says. Now if you can really slowly, slowly, slowly simmer the roast, you can go the full three hours, but it has to be a very slow, barely bubbling simmer.  Toward the end of the cooking time, add your potatoes.  I like to use Yukon gold if I can get them, otherwise red or white potatoes are the next best choice.  Russets are bakers and tend to fall apart, so I don't use them in this dish.

Note I have said nothing about cabbage yet. It's not time!  When the roast is done and resting, then you do the cabbage. 

I use a saute pan for the cabbage.  I put a couple of good spoonsful of the liquid from the roast into the pan, with just a tiny splash of soy, and heat that up.  When it's really hot, add your sliced cabbage and a bit of freshly cracked black pepper and saute it over fairly high heat until it is tender crisp.  And that's it for the cabbage.

Time to slice the corned beef roast and eat!



   

Time for Thai

I really wish I had a picture for ya'll, but I wasn't thinking about photography last night as I was whipping up another batch of Thai food for us. But next time..... I'll take some pics. I promise!

I start with Thai Kitchen red curry paste or green curry paste, and I follow the itty bitty directions on the label. I like both, so when I go to make Thai, I open both and give them each a good sniff and then decide what my taste buds want that night! 

You'll need a can of coconut milk (I use lite), some fish sauce, chicken stock, fresh basil (YES fresh!), bamboo shoots, a bit of brown sugar, some cooked meat like pork or chicken, and veggies. I usually add carrots, green beans and mushrooms, but potatoes, peas and onions are also good. And I love fresh basil, so I use a lot, finely chopped. And I usually have all of these items on hand.

Now a few words about how much of that curry paste to add. They say to use 1/2 to 1 tablespoon. Don't go there!!!! My hubby is Chinese and we both really enjoy spicey hot food. That much curry paste would launch him into orbit! Use 3/4 to 1 1/4 teaspoons of curry paste. If you can handle more than that, let me know!

I do add a ton of goodies, more than they say. And we always make a pot of rice as well.  Happy eating!

A Gutsy Easy Pasta Maindish Salad for Summer #2

OK folks, my motto for hot weather is 'summer is for salads'.  And I don't mean tossed green salads either!  I mean a salad that eats like a meal.

Once again, I started with one of those Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad mixes; this time I used Bacon and Ranch.  I also cooked the pasta just 10 minutes instead of the 12 minutes they suggest.  Al dente pasta is much healthier, and mushy pasta in a salad just doesn't appeal to me in any kind of appetizing way!

Now comes the good part, all the added stuff:  chopped bell peppers, grated carrots, chopped black olives, grated Tillamook cheddar (I live near Tillamook), chunked up chicken breast and some extra bacon. 

For the chicken, I like to use the frozen Foster Farms Chicken Breast Grilled Strips. You can thaw just what you need in the microwave, and if you have a Costco nearby, they sell large packages much cheaper than the small packages that grocery stores sell. In fact, I use this chicken in a lot of different dishes. It's really good quality and so convenient to use.  For the bacon, I also take the easy route and use the already cooked real bacon bits.  In the summer I hate to heat up the kitchen any more than I have to.

I made the dressing in the box according to the directions, but then I added some extra ranch dressing (I use lite, but not fat-free), and a little milk to make it creamier.  Just wing it here!

So there you have it.  QED!  :)



A Gutsy Easy Pasta Maindish Salad for the Summer

OK, so I whipped up this dish over the weekend for my hubby and me for dinner, over the weekend, and it was so easy and turned out so well, I thought I would share it.  It's easy, healthy, and appeals to many taste pallets.

So I started with one of those Betty Crocker Classic Suddenly Salad Mixes you find in the grocery store.  Cook the pasta a minute less than they say; it's healthier that way and won't fall apart on you when you make the salad.  I made the dressing as directed, but I added some fresh chopped flat Italian parsley from my garden, and whizzed it all up in my mini-Cuisinart, because I could! 

Now comes the good part!  In a medium mixing bowl I put some chunked up cooked chicken breast.  Then I grated in one carrot, and added some frozen white corn, frozen peas, canned white beans drained, chopped tomato, shredded Italian cheese, and sliced Kalamata olives.  Adjust the proportions to fit your own taste, but I was going for a variety of healthy goodies that would blend well and not over power each other.  And I also had them in my kitchen at the time!

Now add the dressing and mix well; then add the pasta and gently mix.  Chill well, the salad and yourself, and enjoy!  The colors in the salad are really nice and bright and you've just turned a basic box salad into a great meal!