Vegetable Soup

I couldn't figure out what to make today, and all I had was a pound of hamburger, so I decided I would make soup.

• 1/2 onion [sliced from top to bottom, to make slivers]
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 stalk sliced celery
  
• 1 cubed [0.5”x0.5”] carrot (already cooked)
• 1 cubed [“”] potato
• ¼ cup cubed [“”] fresh tomato
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon basil
• ¼ - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or fresh jalapeno
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 can condensed tomato soup

Sauté onions and celery in pan with salt and pepper. Add garlic. Brown hamburger, so that the pieces are 1” blocks. Add carrot, potato, tomato, and tomato paste. Season. Add can of soup. Cook until vegetables are soft. The way I cooked it, it took less than half an hour. The soup was better the second day, and because Sarah said so, I had to post. :-)

Soy Chicken

I like to make soy chicken for the kids, I usually make it more on the syrupy side, and when I make it for parents only less sweet. I start out with a large pot .

• 2 tbs ginger and 2 tbs garlic,
• 1/2 cup soy sauce,
• 1/2 cup sugar( or substitute),
• 1 cup water

Add chicken if breasts, fluid should cover chicken. Sometimes I buy thigh pieces because it's cheaper then I have to start out with more water to cover it. I let the chicken stew in pot until tender. If you opt for sweeter version, I cook out most of the water until you have syrupy version. You can increase the soy/sugar mixture to water proportion, especially if you have larger amount of chicken.
I usually serve it with steamed rice and fresh salad.

Flo's Teriyaki Potstickers

I like making things for mom, especially when it's her favorite. Today, her sugar was a little high, so I thought this would be good since it is low sugar and starch and mostly proteins.

• 1 lbs. ground pork
• 1 small can water chestnuts sliced
• 1 toe or 2 tbs. minced ginger
• 2 tbs. minced garlic
• 1 tbs. splenda
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (as you know I put jalapenos in a bottle with soy sauce)
• 2 tsp. minced jalapenos from above bottle
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 lb. dumpling wrappers

In a medium bowl place ground pork, diced water chestnuts, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, and pepper. In a small bowl mix splenda and soy sauce, then pour into medium bowl and mix all ingredients together well. In the past I would make my own dumpling wrappers but now you can buy them ready made, they are usually next to tofu. It does not matter whether they are round or square. In a small bowl put water, you will use this to seal the dumpling edge, if it is round place a tsp. pork mixture in center and with spoon or finger dip into water and place water onto edge of wrapper half way around and like a turn over to seal it together, so you have half a moon. If square dumpling wrapper fold half to form a triangle. Press outer edge of (pi) dumpling skin together so that the filling does not sneak out during cooking. Once you have finished all of your dumplings. You can freeze them or cook them. In a non stick pan, spray with Pam, then place your dumplings into pan giving them some space, do not crowd. Heat on medium heat. After a few minutes you will notice they start to get a little color and the pan starting to get hot. Pour about a cup of water, so that they bubble and steam, then place a cover over them. Do not open until most of the water has steamed away, about 5- 10 minutes. You will notice that the water has condensed to cover. When you remove cover you should be able to remove your dumplings from pan, if they stick , add a little water and loosen dumplings, they should shrivel up. (Look bumpy) They are done. You can eat them with hot sauce, duck sauce , soy sauce, hot chinese mustard with soy sauce, wasabi and soy sauce, whatever.... I serve about 5 -6 dumplings on a plate with shreaded lettuce, potato salad and garnish with cucumbers sliced very thin, and pickled turnips that are on the sweet side. Hope you enjoy then as much as we did!

Fresh Chili

I like chili with beans. I also like red kidney beans. I soak them a night before with 1/4 tsp baking soda to keep gas down. I cook beans in a rice cooker/steamer (that way I don't have to watch them, but do not put cover on it ). When they are soft, I start cooking:
2 stocks celery, sliced,
1 pound hamburger,
2 cups diced tomatoes,
2 tbs. tomato paste,
1 tbs garlic, minced,
1 tbs Italian spice,
1 tsp cayenne pepper,
salt, pepper to taste (season)
I saute' onions and celery, season, until translucent, then put into a medium pot. Brown the hamburger, season, then put into pot, add garlic, Italian spice, cayenne pepper, tomatoes, and paste. Let simmer and add beans, reserve liquid. Make sure to keep your eye on pot because once you add the beans it will burn and stick to bottom of the pot. If the chili is too thick add reserved liquid from beans, or water. It should not take very long until it looks done. You can eat chili with or without beans.

Glazed Honey Salmon

I wanted something special today, mom was not feeling well, so I made glazed honey salmon.

• 1 portion of defrosted salmon,

• 1 tsp honey,

• salt,

• pepper,

• cayenne pepper.

On a piece of aluminum foil, oil the spot the fillet will sit on then season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper , and drizzle honey. Place salmon fillet on the spot, then season again on the fillet the same way. Put into toaster oven on toast for 10 mins, do not cover foil over, just leave it open to the elements. The fillet should look dark, but not burnt, the foil will look blackened. I served it with 1/4 of a block of tofu with 1 tsp of jalapeno soy sauce and seaweed salad which I bought pre-made. This makes a diabetic meal - all protein. It looked wonderful and tasted good, too! Even if you aren't sugar restricted. Bon appetite!

Down by the beach

I used to sit all by myself on the sand when I was a teen. I really was a loner. I liked quiet but I never thought that sitting by the beach was ever quiet. In fact, I thought it was noisy. The waves washing on the shore making that sizzling sound as it ebbs. My thoughts always still, my eyes searching for that unattainable something, but never knowing what it was... The wondering of time endlessly moving and going nowhere. That's how I felt. Empty and full at the same time. Everyday was just filled with emptiness and yet so many things could fill it. I was always busy going somewhere, usually school. I walked up the mountain path from the residential area where home was, to the side of the highway sidewalk I used like everyone else. Then finally getting to school to sit and wait until school started with the ringing of bells. It was time that seemed to stand still, not me because I was always moving. I watched everything as if I would never see it again, knowing I would leave this paradise someday. Today's dish was made with and for Sarah, "Chicken long rice"

• 3 bunches small ,Mung bean threads/ long rice
• 1 tbs Garlic
• 2 tbs Ginger
• 2 Chicken breast
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 to 1 green bell pepper
• 1 box sliced or whole mushrooms
• 1/2 large or small onions
• 1 bag spinach
• 1- 2 tbs vegetable oil/sesame oil
• 1/4 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water

First soak Mung bean threads( long rice) in cool tap water and set aside. mince garlic and ginger, cut up partially frozen chicken breast fillets into cubes 1" or so season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice green bell pepper into strips, mushrooms also sliced ditto, add round onions sliced too, and a bag of teen spinach( that's what it read on the label at Wal Mart, next to baby spinach ha ha). Saute' onions in large pan with some vegetable oil, I happen to like sesame oil, season to taste with salt and pepper( "season") when gets translucent and chicken season and put garlic , ginger and cayenne pepper, when it turns white and maybe lite browning( ok), Add chicken broth , soy sauce ,and some water. Don't let pan get dry , if necessary add water to the pan to keep wet. Make a empty spot in center of pan, then put in long rice, let simmer, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking to pan,
add green peppers, mushroom, and spinach. Please note to season each time you add each ingredient. By the time the spinach wilts, stir to mix everything up so long rice has soaked up sauce in pan, sometimes can have green or white spots in not mixed well, should be translucent brown in color. Can be served as is or with steamed rice.

Hello Beach!

Sanrio.com is so much fun now! You can make your own Hello Kitty pictures. It's like paper dolls, but with a whole picture. Look at my beach picture!

Chicken Curry

I made Chicken Curry because my daughter loves it. I usually serve it with rice but today my daughter made express bread in the bread machine.

• 2 Chicken breast fillets, no skin, diced into 1-2 " blocks,
• 2 cups Chicken broth
• 1 - 2 Tbs. Ginger minced,
• 1 heaping Tbs. garlic minced,
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced,
• Salt & pepper to taste,
• 1 tsp. Italian spice,
• 3 Tbs. turmeric,
• 3 tbs. curry powder,
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper,
• 1 medium onion, diced,
• 3 carrots, diced,
• 1 large potato, diced,
• 2 stalks celery (should be the same amount as onions), diced

Salt and pepper chicken, then sauté in a large pan. Put aside in a large pot. Sauté onions and celery, season with salt and pepper, until translucent. Put into pot with chicken. Sauté carrots, season with salt and pepper, and put into pot. Sauté potato, season with salt and pepper, and move the pan off the heat.

Put pot on medium heat; add 2 cups chicken broth and 2 cups water to cover everything in the pot [If it doesn’t cover the contents, add more water]. Simmer until carrots are fork-tender. Then add potatoes. Add curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper, Italian spice, jalapeno pepper, garlic, ginger, and simmer until potatoes are soft. If the water level drops below the amount needed to cover ingredients during cooking, ad more water to cover.

Once the potatoes are done, it should have a thick, stew consistency. If not, add thickener. Usually I use 2 pads of butter mixed together with about a tbs. of flour [mix separately in a bowl with a fork until it has a crumbly consistency (about the size of a mustard seed)].

Serve with rice, bread, or noodles.

Hawaiian Memories

When I was little, I remember music from the front porches on ukuleles,little kids learning to dance the hula from older ones. My husband had to remind me that these are the things that most people would probably like to hear about so I thought about it and will give it a try. Early in the mornings, we would go out to pick Plumerias so that we could string them together and wear the fragrant flower leis to school. This was ever so popular especially on May day, the 1st ,you know, because we would dance at school on the grounds between buildings. It was a school event and everyone participated from K-1 thru 6th grade. Even the secretaries, cooks, janitors and the principle would jump in for the joy of life and music. We used to wear muumuus and aloha shirts, sing, play and dance for most of the day. Lunch would be traditional luau luau, kalua (roast) pig, poi, pipi kaula, lomi salmon, and coconut pudding for desert. I guest I just take these things for granted because it was a common thing in those days. It was a sweeter and much much purer innocent time.

Shells Calais

I made this dish and the name because it tasted pretty good and looked nice. Can be used as a stand-alone dish.

• 1 cup pasta shells

Boil in 1 quart pot with salt.

• 2 tbs. soy sauce infused with chili peppers
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1/2 large onion/ 1 small onion, diced
  
• 2 stalk celery, diced
• about 1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots (or any frozen vegetable mix you like)
  
• salt
• pepper
• cayenne
• Italian spice mix
  

For sauce thickener:

• 2 tsp. flour
• 1 pad butter

Brown hamburger in pan greased with olive oil. Season hamburger with salt and pepper. Remove hamburger to separte container, leaving oils in the pan. Saute onions and celery, and season with salt and pepper. Add hamburger back. Add the broth. In a bowl, mix together pad of butter and flour with a fork. Add as thickener. If it is too thick and starts to clump, add water as needed. Add in cooked pasta shells and peas and carrots. Add soy sauce at the very end and season to taste.

If you know what beef stroganoff, this is very similar, except the sour cream, which can be added if preferred.

Simple Salmon

Today mom's sugar was a bit high. She was hungry. I gave her mostly proteins. :

• 1 portion Salmon,
• 1/8 block tofu,
• lettuce
• salt
• pepper
• butter
  

Break out a small piece of alluminum foil, in the center oil it, then salt and pepper bottom, place fish in center and salt and pepper on top. crease four sides around fillet, put a pad of butter on top, and tent the rest of foil so there is just a little opening on top. 10 mins on toast. I buy pre-portions wild salmon frozen. They come in these cute clear bags with about 4 oz. in each. You can defrost in a little bowl with cool water(or warm in a pinch). Because tofu is bland you can serve it as a substitute for starch. and about 1/3 leaf of iceburg lettuce in a very fine shread to balance out the plate. When the fish came out I plated the 1/2 of it, then I placed the block of tofu, poked holes in the top with a chopstick and put one teaspoon of soy sauce, and then plated the shredded lettuce so it was all in thirds on the plate.

Dragon roots

This time I made kinpira, it's our favorite, made of burdock root.
Ingredients:

• 1 lb.burdock,
• 4-5 oz. pork, cut into julienne strips,
• 1 toe ginger,
• garlic,
• 1/2 cup soy sauce,
• 1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener, and
• chili pepper to taste.

First, with a peeler, shred the burdock. Or finely julienne the burdock, about 3" long. Then, take a toe of ginger, sliced very thin, and mince it. Do it again with an equal amount of garlic (adjust to taste). Oil your pan (vegetable oil is fine) and add you pork and brown. Mix soy sauce, sugar, garlic, pepper, and ginger and add. Add the burdock last. Simmer until reduced. Should be slightly syrupy.

Links and silliness

To start off the link lists, I put up two links today, one is food, and the other is is just fun.

E-obento.com is a Japanese site/blog that posts a regular update of bento lunches, with pictures. I like it because it's cute. Don't hesitate to visit just because you can't read it, try shoving it through babelfish or some other translator. It's almost as fun to read the nonsense that comes out as it is to look at the pictures! Look at that piccu!

Obviouspam.com "an entertainment site built and moderated by Snapxynith." It isn't a spam site, so don't worry about your hard drive when clicking the link. It's an oxymoron title. Haha~ :)
It's just done for fun, and besides, it's just my son's site. He likes anime, Transformers, and is a gamer/ software geek.

Today's pizza bread snack and diabetic meal

I have been wanting to start a site for a very long time. Today I made tomato sauce for pizza from home made bread:

• 1/4 of a large Vidalia onion, diced
  
• 1 heaping tablespoon garlic minced,
• 1 stalk celery minced,
• 1 small can whole stewed tomatoes(diced) and juice,
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste,
• 1 heaping tablespoon Italian spice,
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder,
• salt- to taste, and
  
• pepper- to taste.
  

For the sauce:
Saute the onions and celery until translucent. Add garlic, then stewed tomatoes and tomato paste. Add juice from stewed tomatoes. Add spices. Cook until homogeneous and desired thickness (thin enough to spread, but not so wet that it'll bleed into the bread and make it soggy).

To make the pizza:
Take a slice of bread (about 1/2" thick) and spread with sauce, then cheese, and whatever toppings you like [I put pepperoni]. I use a toaster oven [on toast for five min.], but if you don't have one, an oven would work better than a microwave, more crunchy. If in an oven, probably 350F until the cheese is melted.

My daughter loves pizza and I asked her how it tasted and she said, "munch." Actually, she just continued eating with no pause until it was gone. Not a spare moment to slip a word out edgewise. So I guess it was a success.
I make our bread with a bread machine, I use the quickbread setting. It's the cheap breadmaker I got at Wal-Mart, and it makes 1.5 to 2.0 pound loaf. It works really well, for my use. One just has to be real careful when cleaning it.

Diabetic meal:
My mom has diabetes and is very elderly. So I give her meals dependant on her sugar level, which I have to monitor regularly. Today we had to wait until 4 for her sugar to drop, she was at 161. Goal range is 60-120. So I gave her a Tilapia fillet, for starch, I gave her 1/4 of a very small white sweet potato, baked. I make everything in the toaster oven, except for her fresh greens/vegetables.
Tilapia:
I grease the aluminum foil with bacon grease, salt and peppered it, placed my tilapia fillet on top, and salt and peppered it. Then I semi-wrapped it, leaving a small window in the thickest part of the fillet. I had baked the sweet potato earlier (and it needed to be reheated), so I put them both in the toaster oven for 9 minutes.
Then I plated it, with finely shredded lettuce, canned green beans, and topped it with ranch dressing.