Blackened Seasoning Mix

I always have a ton of spices on hand but when I looked up a recipe for Tilapia, I saw it required blackened seasoning which I ran out of. But when looking at what it's made of, I realized I have everything and got to work.  I have a little mortar and pestle which I just love and haven't had the chance to use it (or forget I have it) but this was a perfect chance to put it to good use.  

The key to this recipe will be smoked paprika. That stuff is amazing!  I added it to Alfredo sauce and gave a little zing to my tastebuds and turned it a light pink color. 

If you live near an international food store, check that place out for spices. It's usually a TON cheaper than McCormick :) Also, the international isle in your local grocery store should have spices in packages which will be cheaper.   We have a few bulk food stores which sell spices and herbs for a fraction of the price. If you cook with lots of spices, keep your eyes pealed for places like that.

For the recipe, I eyeballed it, which is safe if you're willing to wet your finger and sample it as you go along but it's not the most pleasant tasting stuff around, so I'll do my best to give you the measurements.

Blackened Seasoning Mix ( for 4 fish or chicken fillets)
2 TBSP. smoked paprika
1 TBSP. sweet paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes OR 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. flor blanca coarse salt  OR 1 1/2 tsp. table salt

Crush well and store in a sealed container until ready to use.

I posted a dinner idea of Tilapia, Rice Pilaf and Cucumber Salad. Maybe you want to check it out for a dinner idea!

Addicted to My Summertime Salad

I picked up what was left of the local strawberries. They were SO juicy that they practically melted in my mouth! Next spring I hope to be more in tune with the short strawberry season and actually go pick some and turn it into freezer jam. But with the few I had I used on a bed of fresh baby spinach from my mom's garden! What a treat!

I toasted chopped pecans, sliced strawberries and crumbled feta cheese. I looked up a recipe for a raspberry vinaigrette only to find out this recipe called for raspberry syrup, something you find in the international isle of the store. Well, I wasn't about to run to the store so I threw in some raspberry jam into my vinaigrette instead. JUST AS DELICIOUS!  Here's the recipe-

Baby spinach or a spring mix
feta cheese
strawberries
chopped,toasted pecans


 Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 Tablespoon raspberry jam
pinch of salt & pepper

Blend until smooth- Drizzle onto salad quickly. The dressing seemed to separate very fast.  Serve with a smile and get ready to reload that salad plate!

Baked Rosemary Chicken Breasts

WOW! Fresh Rosemary is my few favorite herb this week! I had found bone-in/ skin-on chicken breasts on sale for $0.99 per lb and since I don't often cook chicken with bone or skin, I went directly to the web and searched for a good recipe. I came across a blog that I just LOVED and enjoyed all her pictures. You can check out her recipe here on Simply Yummy Goodness.

I did something a little differently by taking a spring of rosemary and sliding it directly under the skin of each breast. It gave the meat a great flavor!  Rubbing the skin with olive oil really made the skin crispy.   I served my chicken with macaroni and cheese and asparagus since that's what I had on hand and my husband never refuses mac & cheese. It was a splendid dish and I am looking forward to trying more recipes with my fresh rosemary.

Baa Baa Black Sheep... for dinner

Let me introduce to you my sister in law, Sarah Dudley.

She is currently enrolled in a two-year program at a culinary school and is constantly sharing cooking ideas and tips with us which we all appreciate!

For Christmas, she whipped up an outrageously delicious turtle cheesecake dripping with caramel and nuts. She says she has no recipe for it either! I have never ventured out as far as that- cheesecakes scare me. I always picture the edges burning and the middle gooey. It just sounds like a lot of work to me. But this girl has got it mastered!

This week she decided to treat us with lamb. She bought 2 racks of lamb (2 lbs) for $20! It was more of a sample and we grilled chicken and steak along with it.

It took a lot of work to trim the fat and separate the chops. She lightly seasoned them and sent them out to the grill (in the snow). Oh wow! They were so good!

For the last 3 Christmas seasons we were in Taiwan decorating a fake little tree in 90 degree weather. But now we are back with family surrounded by snow and wind and for the first time in a long time I am really loving the winter season! And it's not because I love the cold- I am finally among family we love so much and missed during the holiday time.

Sarah, thanks for your friendship and we are so excited to see where this road of culinary will take you.

Rachel Ray's Huge Turkey Meatball Dinner

I had been wanting to try something new for dinner and who to turn to when you run out of creativity? Rachel Ray , of course! I love her healthy twist on things and these giant meatballs are made with ground turkey. I've never eaten JUST ground turkey and wanted my family to enjoy them, so I ended up mixing 1/2 lb. ground BEEF to 1 lb. ground turkey. These meatballs call for chopped, cooked spinach was is SO YUMMY! When mixing the ingredients, I presumed the recipe called for an 8 oz. bag of grated Italian cheese in the meat, so I put that in. When I looked again, it said 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in the meat and the grated cheese later on in the cream sauce! Oh well, this was a splendid mistake and I will do it again this way. Good thing I had 2 bags!

I cooked egg noodles and served the meatballs over them with the cream sauce! What a treat! I even had time that afternoon to try a ciabatta bread recipe which turned out fabulous. Since I followed the recipes to ALMOST exactly, I am providing the link and you can go to the sites directly.

Super-Size Turkey Meatballs w/ Cream Sauce

Ciabatta Bread Recipe

Happy cooking!

Some people are worried that there is a shortage on pumpkins this year- i was finding a lot of information on this topic but maybe that's just Libby's problem. I read in the Washington post that "A couple of 29-ounce cans of Libby's are going for nearly $30 on eBay". Read here.

What a sad day that would be if there were NO PUMPKINS! I realize the mid-west did have some problems with the rain earlier this year, but we are still ok according to the Chicago Tribune. read here.

Why would you spend $30 on canned pumpkin when every local produce stand has a beautiful variety of pumpkins! My friend had pulled out a few sandwich-sized zip-lock bags of her own cooked pumpkin and we turned them into pumpkin pies! I was inspired so I bought a butternut squash because the stand lady said they are a meaty pumpkin and make great pies.

Let me just say for a huge $2.00 squash and easy prep work, I got 7 cups of pureed pumpkin in the freezer waiting their fate!

My butternut did have a very long neck so that's why I ended up with so much goo. I'll share very quickly how I prepared it.

1. washed the skin
2. preheated the oven to 400 degrees
3. stabbed the skin a few times in different places for steam vents
4. placed the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and slid into the oven
5. cooked for an hour (or longer) until my fork went through it smoothly
6. removed the squash and allowed it to cool for a few hours
7. cut it open and removed the seeds and skin
8. placed it in a huge bag and allowed it to sit in the refrigerator overnight
9. cut the corner of the bag over the sink and drain any juice
10. freeze it!

I didn't puree it, which I'll have to do upon thawing but I should have threw it in the food processor or blender before freezing. Just be careful not to blend it too long which will put too much air into it and look bubbly.

Now you are loaded with fresh, pureed pumpkin for muffins, pies, breads or soups!

Eat Your Veggies!

Who knew a bowl of steamed veggies could taste so good!? I simply washed and threw them into the steamer part of my pot and placed the lid on, testing them once in a while to check their done-ness. I didn't want them overcooked and since carrots take longer, I cut them thinner. I simply added a little butter and salt to my bowl and wham! Tasty! I could make a meal out of it, but my dear hubby might keel over and die a few hours later so this was a side dish for him :)

Steaming the a better way to go for a more nutritious diet than boiling because fewer nutrients are leached away into the water, which is usually discarded. I guess that rules out stir-fry!

Chicken Panini with roasted Pepper and Cilantro Pesto

Well, I don't have a Panini maker but did it the "grilled cheese" way by using a fry pan instead. This was a delicious sandwich and so fun to make. Just look at all those colors! Roasting a red pepper is easier than I thought. Just cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds and lay them skin side UP on a baking sheet. Broil them until the skin is brown and bubbly. Once they have cooled down, peel the skin off. Now you have roasted peppers that a fabulous in anything! Here's the ingredients and directions for two sandwiches.

2 chicken breasts (pounded thin)
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices of the bread of your choice
1 roasted red pepper
1 handful lettuce
4 tablespoons cilantro pesto (recipe below)
sliced cheese of your choice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cilantro Pesto (makes 1 cup)

Ingredients:
1 cup cilantro
2 teaspoons ginger (grated)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds (toasted and ground)
olive oil to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 splash lemon juice

Directions:
1. Puree everything in a food processor.

Dust the chicken breasts with paprika, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in pan and add chicken. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked all the way through- about 8 minutes on both sides.

Brush olive oil on the outsides of your bread, flip and layer with pesto, roasted pepper, lettuce, chicken and cheese. Grill until golden brown on both sides. A perfect side for this sandwich would be Spicy Steak Fries by a friend at 28 Cooks.

Low-Fat Salmon Pasta Dish

Grace and I decided to try something with salmon together and a pasta with cream sauce was on our minds. We went to the market together and headed right up to the sashimi counter and asked for salmon- well, only after calling a friend and figuring out it's name in Chinese we were able to order up a chunk. We bought wide noodles and for color we bought 3 red tomatoes, a yellow pepper and green scallions.

The cook the salmon, we rinsed it, brushed it with lemon juice and sprinkled salt and pepper on it. We laid it in a hot frying pan with a bit of olive oil in it and placed the lid on it for about 5 minutes before flipping it. We only flipped it once. It was delicious for a first time endeavor with salmon!

This is a low-fat recipe because we used milk instead of cream, only a little butter for flavor and 1/2 the white wine. Here's the recipe-

Low-Fat Pasta with Salmon

1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt & freshly ground black pepper
flour and/or cornstarch to thicken the sauce*

Bring the white wine to a boil and reduce to medium heat. Add the chicken stock and reduce to low for five minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups milk. With the other 1/2 cup milk, add 1/4 flour and stir. Using a whisk, mix into the wine sauce. Stir until it's the thickness you desire. It will thicken as it sits off the heat as well, Season with salt and pepper.
*Just keep in mind that if you're going to thicken with flour, use COLD milk. If you prefer cornstarch mix in HOT water or chicken broth.

Our finished product!

Japanese Cabbage Pancake- Okonomiyaki

I had my first okonomiyaki in Taipei, actually. As Faith and I sat at the table, a chef came and turned on the table griddle and mixed a bowl of shredded cabbage and corn in a batter. What I ate, was FANTASTIC! I didn't expect it to taste so good! This week, I attempted to make my own. I found a bottle of Japanese okonomiyaki sauce which is close to Worcestershire sauce but thicker. If you love cabbage, you'll love this and it's SO easy! There are many different recipes online and you can add just about anything! In Taipei, we tried one with noodles and beef. So whatever you have on hand, try adding it to the mix and see how you like it.

Okonomiyaki- makes 4- 4" pancakes
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 egg
1/4 of a cabbage, about 2-3 cups packed (shredded)
1 carrot, about 1/2 cup (grated)
1/2 cup corn
1 green onion (chopped)
okonomiyaki sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
mayonnaise*
green onion (chopped)

Directions:
Mix the flour, water, egg, cabbage, carrot and whatever else you want in a large bowl.
Heat some oil in pan.
Pour a 4th of the mixture into the pan and use a spatula to round the edges.
Cook on medium heat until golden brown on the bottom and then flip, about 5-7 minutes minutes per side.
Decorate with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise and green onion.
* I did a little creation with my mayonnaise by mixing a few tablespoons of mayo, 1/2 tsp. paprika, drop of lemon juice and a dot of ketchup just for a zing. It gave it a pink color which was fun. :)

Espinacas con Garbanzos

OK, so that's just a fancy way of saying "spinach and chickpeas". I found a sweet website called smitten kitchen and decided to try my hand at this recipe. It sounded so strange to fry pieces of bread and then put it in the blender with vinegar. But I just HAD to try it. I was surprised to find cooked chickpeas in the market. It came in a bag with a bit of fresh cilantro but I just pulled that out to use for another time. The spinach here in Taiwan is also interesting. The stems are intact and VERY long so i buy bags of spinach and end up with very little since I am only interested in the leaves. Here's the recipe. It was DELICIOUS over rice!

1/2 pound dried chickpeas, cooked until soft and tender or two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spinach, washed
A hefty 1-inch slice from a country loaf or about 2 slices from sandwich loaf bread,crusts removed and cut into cubes
1/2 cup tomato sauce ( I ended up using a bit more to make it moist)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I didn't have this on hand, but since we keep red wine in the house for cooking, I created my own by mixing 1 TBSP. wine with 1/2 TBSP rice vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add half the olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt and stir well. Remove when the leaves are just tender, drain in a colander and set aside.

Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread for about 5 minutes or until golden brown on both sides, then the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic, cumin and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more or until the garlic is nutty brown.

Transfer to a blender along with the wine vinegar and lemon juice and mash to a paste. Return the mixture to the pan and add the drained chickpeas and tomato sauce. Stir until the chickpeas have absorbed the flavors and are hot. Season with salt and pepper.

If the consistency is a little thick, add more tomato sauce. Add the spinach and cook until it is hot. Check for seasoning and serve over white rice. Sprinkle paprika over top.

Herb Butter

I am finding myself falling in love with fresh dill weed!! It's so good and brings a new taste to common things. Here is a spread I made for my bagel. Delicious!

Herb Butter
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon fresh dill weed, rinsed and chopped
dash of Parmesan cheese
Blend and spread over bagel and toast.
This makes a great spread for any kind of hearty bread and will go along with your pasta dish quite nicely.