Turkey Meatloaf

This is one of my favorite recipes to cook on a Sunday night because it only takes me ten minutes to prepare and then I let it cook for one hour while I watch TV and enjoy the last few hours of the weekend. 

Ingredients

2 pounds of ground turkey

2 carrots

3 clove garlic, minced

1 onion

½ green bell pepper

1 cup of breadcrumbs

¼ teaspoon of cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 jar (8-oz) tomato paste sauce

1 package Lipton beefy onion soup mix

In the food processor blend carrots, onion, green bell pepper and garlic. It should look like a puree.

In a large bowl mix together the ground turkey, vegetables, breadcrumbs, cumin, egg, Worcestershire sauce, Lipton beefy onion soup mix and half of the tomato paste sauce jar. Mix very well.

Coat the loaf lightly with cooking spray and form the mixture into the loaf. Brush the top with the remaining tomato sauce.

Bake it at 350° F for 1 hour. Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving.  

Picadera

The Dominican Republic has plenty of popular snacks that are usually prepared to share with friends and family during parties and reunions. There are many different recipes to choose from; this one in particular is called "Picadera" which is easy and fast to prepare. This typical snack consist in sliced cheese, salami, and diced ham. For the crackers, I like to use Ritz since it's salty and blends in perfectly with the ham, salami and cheese. Some people like to squeeze lemon on top of the cheese and salami but personally, like it without lemon. 

 Items Needed:

Another type of Picadera

• Toothpicks
• White cheese
• Yellow cheese
• Ritz crackers
• Salami
• Cutting board

 

 Instructions:

• Cut the salami, cheese and ham and place them in the center of the tray
• Arrange the crackers around. 

Green papaya salad

I'm craving for some Green Papaya Salad right now.. I would like to share this recipe with everyone. it is very easy to make.

This green papaya salad, also known as "som tam", is popular over the world, and when you taste it you'll know why. The slightly tart flavor of the green papaya combines wonderfully with the spice of red chili and the saltiness of fish sauce  and the sweetness of honey (note that it can also be made vegetarian/vegan - see recipe). Green papaya salad is a beautifully unique and flavor-filled dish that will make a great impression. It's also easy to make, low-calorie, and very nutritious. So try this Som tam recipe for dinner tonight!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: SERVES 4 as a Side Dish

Ingredients:

• 1 small green papaya, OR 1/2 large (see recipe)
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts or cashews
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges or long strips
• 3 spring onions, cut into long matchstick-like pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, leaves left whole or chopped
• handful of fresh coriander
• 1 red chili, sliced, seeds removed (reduce or omit, to taste)
• optional: 1 cup blanched green beans
• optional: cooked baby shrimp OR cubed fried tofu 
• DRESSING:
• 1/2 tsp.shirmp paste OR substitute 1 Tbsp. fish sauce OR soy sauce for vegetarians
• 2 Tbsp. good-tasting vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR soy sauce for vegetarians
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. liquid honey, to taste
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. chili flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste

Preparation:

About Green Papaya: You may be able to find an unripe papaya in your local supermarket - it should have greenish-orange to green skin. If not, the best place is an Asian food store or market. It should be firm on the outside; inside flesh will be white to light orange.

1. Stir all 'Dressing' ingredients together in a cup. Make sure shrimp paste and honey dissolve fully. Taste-test for sweetness and spice, adding more honey or chili to taste. Set aside.
2. Use a sharp knife to peel the green papaya, then slice it in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Using the largest grater you have, grate the papaya, or you can use a potato peeler to create thin, ribbon-like strips. Place in a large bowl.
3. Add sliced tomato, spring onion, chili/cayenne, bean sprouts, green beans (if using), shrimp or tofu (if using) and most of the basil. Pour over the dressing, tossing well to combine.
4. Add nuts and toss again. Taste-test the salad. If not sweet enough, add a little more honey or a sprinkling of sugar. If not flavorful enough, add a little more fish sauce or soy sauce. If too sweet or salty, add more lime juice. Add more chili for a spicier salad.
5. To serve, scoop into individual bowls or onto serving plates. Top with remaining basil leaves plus fresh coriander and a sprinkling of more nuts. Serve immediately and ENJOY!

Sake Drinkers' Food

Certain foods are strongly associated with drinking and are often known as otsumami. This is an honorific formed from the verb tsumamu, to pick something up by the fingertips (or chopsticks). Another expression for food specifically intended as an accompaniment to sake is sakana. Below are a few of the bits and pieces to be found at the elbow of drinkers in Japan - sakana every sake fan should try at least once. Chinmi Delicacies At the top of the nibbler's hierarchy are the mysteriously named chinmi, written with characters meaning rare and taste, which pretty much conveys the idea. Every possible genre in Japan, from views and gardens to blue cheese and brewers' unions, has its official top-three ranking and these delicacies are no exception. The Three Great Delicacies, as established by the consensus of connoisseurs of the Edo period (1600-1868), are uni, karasumi, and konowata. The first and most common is sea urchin, a popular (although rather expensive) topping for sushi. Karasumi is mullet roe, salted and preserved by drying. It is usually served thinly sliced, and looks unspectacular, but its rich, subtle flavor is superb. It may be served as is, or lightly grilled, in which case the flavor takes on an aromatic, toasty, extra dimension. The third of the great trio is konowata, which is a crunchy variety of shiokara (see next entry) prepared from the entrails of the sea slug. Really. Shiokara: Salt-Pickled Thingummies Fish, shellfish, and various bits of their insides are the most common ingredients. The various salty bits and pieces come in a range of slime-creature colors and textures. The most common version is the pinkish one made from squid, called ika no shiokara. One of the foods traditionally loathed by Western visitors, these delicacies are certainly an acquired taste. I have been told that it is the amino acids, which accumulate in the curing process, that make them go so well with sake. Tsukemono: Japanese Pickles A wide variety of ingredients are pickled in a number of bases - salt, rice bran (nuka), soy sauce, vinegar, miso, koji, and the caked lees (kasu) left over when sake is pressed. The length of time varies from a few hours for ichiyazuke (one-night pickles), to a few months for vegetables done in salt and rice bran (takuan, made from the daikon radish, is the most popular), and several years for the famous Nara speciality of vegetables (primarily shirorui, a relative of the melon) pickled in sake lees. With such a range of flavors - from the light touch of ichiyazuke, to the vinegary tang of purple Kyoto shibazuke and the rich years' worth of taste in a slice of narazuke - it is easy to find the perfect companion for the lightest of ginjo or the funkiest of koshu.

What to drink before you start a good dinner

Forget about beer for an early drink. You should have a Kir. It is a French drink we have for apperitif (drink before lunch or dinner). 

Kir is a popular French cocktail made with a measure of blackcurrant liqueur topped up with white wine. It is easy to make it! Try it and suprise your friends for a Holiday party.

What you need:

White wine
Blackcurrant liqueur
Wine glass

How to do it:

Use a wine glass, pour 1/5 of the blackburrant liqueur into the glass, add the white wine and server!!!

For a more sophisticated drink replace white wine with champagne or sparkling wine.