Cassie’s Ruminations

Longevity Noodles

Traditionally served for the Chinese New Year, longevity noodles symbolize wishes for a long and happy life. Be careful not to cut or break the noodles as you cook them, as the length is symbolic of the eaters’ lives! These are wonderful with skinless boneless chicken thighs as well (use 1 lb, cut into bite size chunks), but my favorite version is with shrimp. My starting point for this recipe was the excellent one provided by New York Times Cooking.

Longevity Noodles
Serves 3 generously

For the noodles:
18 ounces thin fresh stir fry noodles (often found in the produce department)
3 tsp toasted sesame oil

For the shrimp:
16 oz “jumbo” shrimp (I use U20 flash frozen pre-shelled and deveined that I’ve defrosted in cold running water and patted dry)
1 tbsp finely shredded ginger
2 tsp Shaoxing Chinese rice wine
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp soy sauce
Kosher salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper

For the stir fry:
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
16 oz thinly sliced cabbage and shredded carrots (coleslaw mix)
8 oz fresh shiitake or crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced (remove the stems first if using shiitakes)
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp soy sauce

Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the package directions. Drain well, then toss with the sesame oil and set aside.

Mix the ginger with the Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, a good pinch of kosher salt, and the white pepper in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to combine. Let the shrimp marinate for 5 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large flat bottomed wok over medium high heat. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and stir briefly to infuse the oil. Add the shrimp, spreading them out into a single layer. Let one side sear nicely (30-60 seconds), then turn them over to cook the other side (about 1 more minute). Remove the shrimp to a clean bowl.

Add the cabbage and mushrooms. Stir fry until the cabbage is just starting to wilt and the mushrooms are turning tender, 1-2 minutes. Remove the veggies to the same bowl where the shrimp is waiting.

Add the other tbsp of olive oil and when it shimmers, add the noodles to the wok. Carefully toss and stir so that the noodles separate and get just a little bit of caramelization. Add the shrimp and veggies back to the wok along with the Shaoxing rice wine and soy sauce, and toss to combine well. Cook for another minute or two to bring the shrimp and veggies back to piping hot and meld the flavors.

Serve hot.

Posted in Asian, Easy, Food, One Dish Meals, Pasta, Poultry, Seafood | No Comments »

Mushroom Risotto

Amazon had a great lightning deal on Instant Pot electronic pressure cookers. Several of my friends have been raving about theirs, so I finally hit the buy button. I gotta say, I do love it! We tried the kalua pork that’s in the instruction manual, which turned out as good as my all day crockpot pulled pork, but with about 90 minutes of cooking time. Today I tried my mushroom risotto. Normally it’s not something I’d try on a weeknight, but the recipes I checked out for the Instant Pot put it in the realm of possible, even with my little tornado of a helper. He was not interested in “mama’s mushroom rice” but we’ll give it another try sometime!

Mushroom Risotto
Serves 6

3 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb sliced crimini mushrooms
1 small bottle (187 ml) dry white wine (I used pinot grigio)
2 cups uncooked arborio rice
4 cups chicken broth (I like Swanson Natural Goodness when I don’t have my own)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Shaved parmesan (optional)

Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the butter. When it starts to sizzle, add the garlic and cook for 15 seconds until it just starts to turn golden. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook the mushrooms until they are just starting to brown and cook down. Add the wine and let the mushrooms cook down until the alcohol smell is almost gone and the wine is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes.

Add the rice and the chicken broth, stirring to combine. Season again lightly with salt and black pepper. Place the lid on and turn to seal. Turn the Instant Pot to Manual and set the timer for 6 minutes. It will come up to pressure over about 10 minutes, then it will count down the 6 minutes cooking time at pressure. WHen the timer reaches zero, carefully switch the top valve from Sealing to Venting for a fast release. When you are able, remove the lid and stir the risotto a final time. Serve warm with shaved parmesan cheese.

Posted in Easy, Food, Grains, Italian, One Dish Meals, Rice, Vegetables | No Comments »

Apple Salad

This easy salad comes together in a few minutes. The hardest part is chopping the apples. My recipe is based off of this one from AllRecipes.

Apple Salad
Serves 4

8 oz vanilla yogurt (I like Stonyfield whole milk vanilla yogurt)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup craisins
4 medium granny smith apples, cored and chopped
1/4 cup seeded and shelled sunflower seeds

Stir together the yogurt, honey, and lemon juice until smooth. Add the craisins and apples and toss to combine. The salad can be made in advance up to here. Stir in the sunflower seeds just before serving so they stay crunchy.

Posted in Easy, Food, Fruit, Salads | No Comments »

Scalloped Oysters

This is an easy and delicious way to enjoy oysters if the ones you have are not quite up to the quality needed for on the half shell. The buttery crunchy topping plays nicely with the plump juicy oysters. This serves 4 as a light dinner, or 8 as a small plate.

Scalloped Oysters
Makes 4 servings

1 quart small shucked oysters
About 30 Ritz Crackers (or other buttery crackers), crushed
4 tbsp butter, melted
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place about half of the cracker crumbs in the bottom of an oven proof dish (I used a 9 inch pie plate). Evenly spoon the oysters over the top, draining most of the liquid. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with remaining cracker crumbs. Drizzle butter evenly over the top.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the liquid is bubbly all the way through and the cracker crumbs are toasted to a golden brown.

Serve warm.

Posted in Appetizers, Food, Seafood | No Comments »

Soboro Don (Japanese Chicken Rice Bowl)

This delicious and fast meal is perfect for week nights. My little rice cooker (Zojirushi NS-LAC05XA Micom 3-Cup(Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer) has a timer so you can put rice and water in the bowl in the morning and have hot fluffy rice just in time for dinner when you get home. It’s an awesome feature.

The chicken is marinated in a sweet and savory sauce for a few minutes, then simmered over medium heat to get the fine grain before the heat is turned up to boil off the remaining liquid and get the yummy browned surfaces. The eggs are scrambled over low heat with constant stirring to get a similar small grain size.

Soboro Don (Japanese Chicken Rice Bowl)
Serves 4

For the chicken:
4 tbsp sake
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 large clove garlic, grated
4 tsp granulated sugar
16 oz ground chicken

For the eggs:
8 eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
4 tsp granulated sugar

For serving:
Cooked rice (I do two rice measure cups for 4 servings)

Whisk together the sake, soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, and sugar for the chicken in a large skillet. Add the ground chicken and gently chop up the chicken with a spatula to stir the marinade in well and break up the chicken into fine chunks. It should almost look like oatmeal when you’re done. Set the chicken aside to marinate for a few minutes.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together with the sugar and salt until the mixture is a consistent viscosity and color. Set the eggs aside.

Put the skillet with the chicken over a burner on medium heat. As the chicken cooks, continue to stir to keep the pieces of chicken small. Once the chicken is cooked through (about 5 minutes), turn the heat up to medium high and boil off the remaining liquid, Brown the chicken well, then remove the chicken to a serving bowl and set aside.

Wipe out the skillet and add a little non-stick spray. Turn the heat to medium low. Pour the eggs into the skillet and scramble, stirring often to keep the grain size small. When the eggs are cooked through, spoon them into another serving bowl.

Spoon rice into a bowl and add egg to one half of the bowl and chicken to the other half. If desired, garnish down the middle with some diced scallions, chives, or even green peas like I did. Serve warm.

Posted in Asian, Eggs, Food, Poultry, Product Review | No Comments »

Two!

I blinked, and our little guy turned two! We had a nice little dinner at home on the actual day (lamb chops, corn on the cob, and broccoli – some meal time favorites), and a party with friends at a local park this past weekend. Everything went very well – the kids had a blast playing on the playground, and the picnic shelter was perfect for the sandwich fixings, fruit, veggies, and of course cookies and cake. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us and for those who sent wishes even though they couldn’t come!

Steven is a smart, funny, independent, adorable little fellow. He loves books of all types, animals – especially furry ones and most especially kitties and corgis, trucks, dinosaurs, Batman and Green Lantern (and the rest of the Justice League), and the Minions. He’s speaking in 4-5 word sentences and has very clear ideas about his needs and wants and how things should be. It’s been a blast watching him learn and grow, and now that he can express himself with words and have mini conversations, it’s even more fun!

Posted in Kids, Ramblings | No Comments »

Nectarot Upside Down Cake

This delicicous cake is based off one I found via Pinterest. The buttermilk adds a subtle tang. The original recipe called for nectarines, but this would work well with any stone fruit. I used some of the surplus of nectarots (a hybrid of nectarines and apricots) in mine.

Nectarot Upside Down Cake
Makes 1 9-inch round cake

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and divided
2 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
6-8 nectarots, sliced into 1 inch thick wedges (6 wedges per fruit)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, 4 tablespoons of the melted butter and eggs. Pour the liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Lumps are okay.

Pour the remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter into the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Tilt the pan until the bottom and sides are all coated. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter in the bottom of the pan. Arrange nectarot slices on top in a single layer, packing them together tightly.

Spoon the batter evenly over the fruit slices, then smooth out the top.

Place the pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow, then put the cake into the oven and bake for 35 – 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it, then turn it upside down onto a serving plate.

Serve immediately.

Posted in Baking, Cakes, Desserts, Food, Fruit | No Comments »

Banana Bread

My favorite recipe for banana bread is based off of the one by Elise of Simply Recipes

Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
3-4 small to medium very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and spray a 4×8-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until mostly smooth. Stir in the melted butter.

Add the baking soda and salt and stir to combine. Next, stir in the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.

Lastly, add the flour and stir until just combined.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool. Slice and serve.

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Some more hits from dinner

We’re back on the menu planning wagon and got some excellent dinners this week.

Rosemary garlic roasted lamb with pears and brussels sprouts

A couple more hits from The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook.

I liked the first a bit better, and Shaun liked the second, but both are keepers!

Back to previous blog hits, some turkey and bean chili

Chicken and bean burritos (similar to my beef and bean burritos, but with skinless boneless chicken thighs)

And just because it sounded good, a giant cobb-like salad: romaine lettuce, hard boiled egg, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, bacon, and Beecher’s cheese curds.

Posted in Food, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, Vegetables | No Comments »

Pork Tacos with Clementine Salsa

This recipe was inspired by the pork tacos with mango salsa in the excellent The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook.

I say inspired by, because we immediate proceeded to change just about everything. I’m sure it’s an awesome recipe, but it also provided us with a great way to use up some items in our fridge. The clementine salsa is a fresh, slightly sweet counterpoint to the spicy pork.

Pork Tacos with Clementine Salsa
Serves 2 generously

For the pork filling:
1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp pureed chipotle in adobo sauce (I puree a can and freeze most of it in an ice cube tray. Then I can defrost just a bit when I need it.)
1 large clove garlic, pressed
16 oz lean ground pork
kosher salt and black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice

For the clementine salsa:
4 clementines, peeled and split into segments
2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

For serving:
4-6 soft taco size flour tortillas (I like Tortilla Land – cook them yourself for fresh tortillas with minimal effort)

Preheat the oven to the lowest setting (mine is 170 degrees F). Heat the tortillas in a non-stick skillet, then place in the oven to keep warm.

Toss together the salsa ingredients and set aside for the flavors to meld.

Heat the oil in your skillet, then add the chipotle and the garlic and cook until the garlic is just starting to turn golden and fragrant. Add the pork and brown well, making sure that the chipotle and garlic are evenly distributed. Turn the heat off, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss with the lemon juice.

Serve the pork warm in tortillas with the clementine salsa.

Posted in Food, Fruit, Mexican, Pork | No Comments »