This post is for Staci. You should never be afraid of seafood, but since you are I thought I would post something I know you will like. When you come to visit I will make sure I have plenty of PB&J on hand for seafood night at our house! :) I got both of these recipes from my friends Lara's website. This is Lara's favorite recipe for pork tenderloin. Her kids LOVE this zucchini & call it "the good zucchini". I wish I could say the same for my kids, but as always, they turn their noses up at anything green.
I have made both of these dishes several times now and everyone loves both dishes! (With the exception of my kids not liking the zucchini, but what do they know?)
Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) package pork tenderloins
Stir together first 11 ingredients in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Prick pork with a fork, and place in marinade, turning to coat. Cover or seal; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, or chill 2 hours or up to one day (longer is better). Place pork in a roasting pan.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160° to 165°, depending upon your desired degree of doneness.
Slice tenderloin, spooning marinade over the top, or serving on the side. NOTE: Do NOT use marinade if you have not cooked the meat in it.
Lara's Good Zucchini
1) Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Slice each piece crosswise into thick (about 1/2 inch thick or a little more) semi-circles.
2) Heat 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat in a large, wide skillet until melted and slightly foamy.
3) Add some zucchini slices (about one zucchini's worth) to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. This is important; if there are too many in the pan, they will steam, rather than brown.
4) Sprinkle the topside of the slices with a little bit of Baby Bam.***
5) Keep a close eye on the slices and turn them over with a pair of tongs as soon as they are nicely browned on the bottom.
6) Allow the slices to brown on the bottom side and remove them from the pan when they're nicely browned on both sides, but still firm. If the slices are getting too soft, then your pan isn't hot enough. If the butter is smoking or burning, your pan is too hot (the butter should turn a nice, nutty golden brown).
7) Add more butter to the pan, if necessary. Repeat with remaining slices, working in small batches until all your squash is done.
***I use Creole Seasoning instead of Baby Bam.
I took the family and a few friends and Flat Stanley (to find out more on Flat Stanley, click the Flat Stanley tab to the left of your screen) to the fish market this past week. This is what we had for dinner that night:
Oysters on the half shell, served with lemon wedges, horseradish sauce, and I forgot to put out the tabasco. It doesn't matter; they were the best oysters we have ever had.
We also had muscles steamed in RAO's Arrabbiata sauce served with crusty garlic bread to soak up the sauce.
I grilled the salmon and made a lime-garlic butter for the sauce. Hubby LOVED this sauce.
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.
Bathtime is always more fun when Dad is in charge!
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, in fact; maybe it is my favorite time of the year. I love looking out my back door and seeing the vast array of colors on the trees. Once the crispness in the air sets in, my cooking starts to change, we start having soups, stews, and "home cookin"! I love a good bowl of chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, chicken fried steak and this recipe, Chicken, Sausage, Potatoes & Peppers in the oven.
This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, RAO's Recipes From the Neighborhood, everyone in our house likes this, the little kids pick out the peppers, but other than that, it is a hit all around and OH SO EASY, Kathie, this is one I think you can do!
Chicken, Sausage, Potatoes and Peppers in the Oven
**1 (2 ½ - 3 lb) chicken, cut up
***1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed and cut into bite size pieces
2 large baking potatoes peeled and cut into bite size pieces
2 large bell peppers cut into bite size pieces ( I like to use one red and one green for color)
2 small onions, cut up small enough so your kids cannot identify them
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
½ cup olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Combine the chicken, sausage, potatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic in a roasting pan large enough to fit all in ingredients comfortably. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice. Drizzle olive oil over the ingredients. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes. The dish is done when the potatoes are tender and the chicken pulls away easily from the bone.
**I have used boneless chicken breast and although it is good, it is better with bone in chicken. Just trust me.
***I really like to use the hot Italian sausage, but if I do my kids will not eat this dish, so if you don't have picky eaters, try the hot!
The picture below is just before it went into the oven....
And this is after the meal (Hubby told me to take this picture and post it!)...
WOW...This place is FANTASTIC! I've been trying to get Hubby to have brunch with me here for months now, but it never worked out, so when my friend ask if she could take me to brunch for a belated birthday celebration, you bet I took her up on it!
I knew from the moment I laid eyes on the menu I was in love. I knew instantly what I was going to order - Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon, Grilled Tomato and Spinach. My mind was made up, that is until I started reading more, then a little confusion set in, but in the end I went back to the eggs benedict with smoked salmon, and I am so happy I did.
The hollandaise sauce was to die for. It was so light and fluffy when it came out, and then melted down into the sauce you see in the picture. My mouth is watering just looking at it. When I was done I really wanted to lick my plate. The tomato was grilled to perfection, the spinach was a perfect green to put with this dish, and the potatoes which I thought were a little misplaced were not at all once I took a bite.
My friend and I both ordered caramel macchiatos, which would give Starbucks a run for their money! I ordered the hot macchiato, and my friend ordered the cold one, they were both equally delicious.
My friend ordered the Flying Pan Breakfast, sautéed mushrooms, poached eggs with basil pesto sauce, basil pesto toast, tomatoes, spinach & hummus. I only had a bite, but what a bite it was, all the flavors combining together in my mouth reminded me of a sophisticated little cocktail party where everyone was extremely happy. Dessert took us to a whole new level. We were already full, we DID NOT need dessert, however, we could not resist ordering dessert, and no, we did not order one to share, we felt we had to show our respect to the chef by ordering one each.
I ordered the Crepe in Black Cherry Sauce with Crème, my friend ordered Chocolate Mud in Red Wine Sauce. If you want to moan with every bite you take, order the Crepe, I savored every single bite. It was almost as bad as the scene in "When Harry Met Sally". If chocolate is your thing, the Chocolate Mud is the way to go and the red wine sauce goes perfectly with the chocolate. So, I'm sure you are thinking this is where the story ends. NOPE. It was SO GOOD I forced Hubby to go with me the next day! (I really didn't have to force him, once he saw the picture of the eggs benedict with smoked salmon, he was sold.) We also invited our friend, D, who is here without his family to go with us. They both loved this place as well. Both Hubby and D ordered the eggs benedict with smoked salmon, and Hubby actually licked his plate clean.....ok, he sopped his plate clean after he order some toast. This time I ordered the French toast with bacon, excellent!
If you are looking for a great place for breakfast of brunch, this is the place to go! To get there from post, walk down Itaewon Street, on the left side, pass the Hamilton Hotel, the next alley, and take a left. On the right side of the alley you will see My Thai, a Karaoke place then The Flying Pan Blue is down the stairs, it is kind of hard to find if you are not looking for it.
"Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty. A complete history of Veterans Day, and why it is observed on November 11, can be found on the Veterans Day History Web page."
More on Veterans Day here. So, to every Veteran out there THANK YOU!!!!! You guys have given so much for our country and ask for nothing in return. Each one of you are true HEROS in my book.
To my favorite veteran out there: Hubby you are my rock. You have made so many sacrafices for our country, and for that, I thank you. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of you.
When I first married a solider, I didn't know what I was getting myself into, really! Yes, I knew we would move around from time to time, my husband would go to the "field" occasionally and so on. What I didn't know was the pride that would come along with being a military spouse. I see my husband put on that uniform and my heart swells as I burst with pride. I can't listen to "God Bless America", "American Soldier", "God Bless the USA", the National Anthem or any other "American" song without a tear in my eye and a little ache in my heart.
I would like to list all the veterans I know by name, but the list would be WAY too long, so just know, I am thanking YOU! You guys are the best! Happy Veterans Day!!
***The first picture is of 2 soldiers from 1-12 CAV in Iraq back during their 2006-2007 rotation.
This past weekend Hubby and I tried a new restaurant in Itaewon, Sortino's. I read about this restaurant on another blog somewhere - I just tried searching some of the blogs I read to find it, but no such luck. Anyway, this little restaurant is worth a visit.
From post, walk down Itaewon street on the right hand side, go through the big intersection, you know the one with California Rollin' & Cold Stone Creamery. Keep going pass the police station, cross over the next small intersection and a few (or 10) stores down you will see Sortino's on the right. This cute little place is a bit pricey, but the food was pretty good! We started off with this scrumptious salad...
Now, this picture does not do this salad justice. The meat all around the edge of the plate is proscuitto, and very good procuitto I might add. There were artichoke hearts, greek olives, roasted red peppers and underneath the greens there was some amazing blue cheese, I wish I knew which brand it was, buffalo mozzarella & fresh plump tomato slices. This salad was drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette it was my favorite part of the meal, although it came at a heafty price...38,000 won!
Next up, Hubby ordered Arrabbiata pasta. We both LOVE Arrabbiata, and hubby was not disappointed here. The waiter ask him how spicy he wanted it, he said very spicy. Hubby really enjoyed this, I loved the taste, but it was a bit too spicy for me, if I were to go back and order it I will ask for medium spice.
I ordered lasagna. This lasagna was nothing to write home about, but it was not bad either. I was happy with my meal and felt I got a nice Italian meal in the middle of Seoul, something I wasn't sure I would be able to do when we moved here 7 months ago.
If you live in Seoul, and you find yourself craving Italian food, go to Sortino's.
Oh, I almost forgot, I NEVER see anyone carrying around doggie bags, so I thought you must not take your leftovers with you here. (An unspoken rule? They never ask you if you want to take your food to go.) Anyway, I had so much lasagna left over, I did not feel like I could leave it, so, for the first time since I have lived here, I ask for my food to go. They didn't skip a beat, and were happy to bring my food to go, they just package it a little differently here. I looks like I went shopping. Isn't that a cute little "doggie" bag? Now I know, people ALWAYS take their food to go, I see these bags all the time - I just thought they had been shopping!
A couple of weeks ago I was making cookies, not an unusual thing around here. It happened to be a Monday, and our piano teacher was here, as she is every Monday. You must understand something; when I make cookies, which is often as you guys know, I like to give some of them away, especially to someone worthy; someone that teach my children something, someone that has had a hard day or week, someone that just had a baby, or surgery, or to someone that is just kind. The kids piano teacher, Mrs. F, was here, so on her way out the door I handed her a plate of cookies. She was so appreciative and thanked me several times.
Something else you must understand; when you give a Korean something, you should always expect something in return. I forgot about this "Korean rule" while handing the Mrs. F the cookies. Well, the following Monday when Mrs. F returned to our home to give the kids their piano lessons, she came with gift in hand. Three beautiful Korean pears.
Now, I wish I had put something beside these pears before I took this picture so you could see just how big they are. The Korean pear is HUGE in comparison to the pears we eat at home. At least 2x's the size. The texture and taste is very different as well. I would compare the Korean Pear with an apple with a few differences. The Korean pear is not quite as hard as the apple, a little softer, a little juicer and a little less sweet. I'm not good at describing the taste of food - sorry. Just know, the Korean pear is very good, but don't bite into it expecting that "pear" taste you know so well. I wouldn't even call it a pear if that were not its name - well, maybe a little.
So, we ate one, I sent one to Hubby's office and the third I thought I would try to bake with.
As it turns out this cake was DELICIOUS!!! It was so nice and moist, you could eat it without the frosting, it is that good! Next time I think I am going to make it without the frosting. Don't get me wrong, the frosting is good, but it is also nice to save a few calories when you can. I got the recipe from here, a website I have been reading for a while. I have no connection to this person, other than she loves to cook and she appears to do it much better than I do. The original recipe is here, it is an Apple Spice Cake, so if you can't find a Korean Pear, I would make it with the apples, it will be worth your time.
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (see, it is already off to a good start)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk (I didn’t have butter milk on hand, so I made my own with 1 ½ TBL vinegar & filled the rest of the 2/3 cup up with milk)
I large Korean pear, pealed, and diced (very fine)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray an 8 inch square baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt.) Set aside.
Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute, then gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating on medium-high speed until well blended and light, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after adding each egg, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions. Mix just until blended. By hand, add the diced apple and chopped walnut just until incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 30 minutes (it took my cake about 40 minutes), until the top is light golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack, then turn out onto a serving platter before you frost it.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 TBL butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 TBL pure maple syrup
1 cup powdered sugar
In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the vanilla, maple syrup, spices and salt. Reduce the speed to low and add the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until well blended. Increase the speed to high, and beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes
Many years ago I visited my friend Randy when she lived in Florida; while we were there they made a fisherman's stew for dinner one night. Well, I must tell you, I have not been able to get that stew out of my head. So, now that we live by this fabulous fish market, I had to try to recreate the stew that has been ingrained in my mind for so many years. This is what I came up with. Everyone in our house loved this dish!
This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Good Housekeeping.
1 TBL olive oil
1 medium red pepper, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, ran through a garlic press
A few shakes of crushed red pepper (if you like more spice add more – I did)
1 bottle good dry white wine, reserve ½ cup for the stew
2 cans 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
Salt to taste
Halibut, I used a whole, small halibut, maybe 2 pounds worth
1 pound mussels (scrubbed and beards removed)
1 pound shrimp
½ pound oysters (shucked)
½ pound clams (shucked)
¼ cup fresh chopped basil
Pour yourself a glass of the white wine.
In a nonstick 5-6 quart pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add chopped peppers and onion and cook 6-8 minutes or till tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook 1 more minute stirring. Add ½ cup wine and heat to boiling, boil 2 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, salt and ½ cup water; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Add all your seafood, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered 8-9 minutes or until your shrimp have turned pink throughout and your mussels shells are open. Remove from heat, sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately. (I like to put the stew in a bowl, and then add the basil to individual bowls)
Pour yourself another glass of wine.
Serve with big crusty bread.
I promise, the Halloween postings are almost done!
This Halloween was very special for Hubby. This was the first time he got to see his baby (Boy 3) trick-or-treat. The two Halloween's prior to this one, he was helping fight the war in Iraq. So, this year I stayed home and passed out candy. There were so many trick-or-treaters, that at times there were lines at houses. Not only did the kids on Yongsan get to trick-or-treat, but the post has a "Good Neighbor" program with Seoul, so post invited about 50 children from a local elementary school to have their first experience trick-or-treating with us. Also, if any person wanted to invite a Korean family onto post, you were welcome to do so as long as you signed them onto post and took responsibility for them. (We invited a family, but sadly they were not able to make it)
This year Boy 1 decided not to trick-or-treat with the family, he ran off with his friends for a fun filled night of trick-or-treating. He did look beautiful though...... (I could not get a good picture of him, as he was running away too fast)
|
RSS Feed