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.

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

Today’s recipe is dedicated to all the busy college students like me who are studying hard and getting ready for finals. Since we are studying long hours we need to make sure that we are eating well and right. A nutritious breakfast is very important as well as lunch, dinner and at least two snacks during the day.

This is the easiest banana bread recipe; it will only take you 5 minutes to prepare and then, bake it for 1 hour while you study. This delicious banana bread is great for breakfast or as a snack.

INGREDIENTS

         3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

         1/3 cup melted butter

         1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

         1 egg, beaten

         1 teaspoon vanilla

         1 teaspoon baking soda

         1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

            Pinch of salt

Optional: chopped walnuts & sliced almonds.

Peel the bananas and press them down with a fork or other utensil until is well mashed. With a wooden spoon or a spatula, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last and the walnuts if desired. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Finally sprinkle the sliced almonds on top and bake it at 350°F for 1 hour.

Enjoy and Good luck!  

Honey Walnut Prawns

My siblings and me love this dish. We call it mayonnaise shrimp. Every time our family goes out for dinner, we would always order this dish. It’s sweet and creamy. Next time when you visit any asian restaurant, order it and try it out. Or you can make it at home if you like.

Ingredients

1 lb of large medium or large shrimp (peeled)

½ cup of walnuts

½ cup of sugar

½ cup of cornstarch

3 eggs (only need the whites)

2 tablespoon of honey

3 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of condensed milk

oil for deep frying

Boil walnuts in water. Keep changing water until its clear.

Add in sugar.

Deep fry walnuts in 1 cup oil until they’re brown. Then set aside.

Mix cornstarch and egg whites together to form a thick, sticky texture and mix well with shrimp.

In a separate bowl, mix honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice and condensed milk.

Deep fry shrimp again until golden brown, drain it out and throw in the honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice and condensed milk mixture.

Mix well, sprinkle with walnuts and enjoy!

Tostado Sandwich Bar

Tostado

Tostado is a small Dominican sandwich bar located in Roslindale, MA. Tostado it's also known for having the best pressed sandwiches in the area. This place has really good pressed sandwiches Dominican style, just the way I like them. They also offer a very special kind of smoothies which goes very well with any of their sandwiches. The place has been renovated in the past year, to make your experience even better. 

Some of the options you will find on their menu are sandwiches such as, real Dominican, Caribbean chicken and their famous Tostado Club, as well as, a  variety fresh tropical fruits smoothies. For about $10 or less you can enjoy a delicious sandwich with a fresh smoothie. The only downside of the place is that they do not take credit cards, so don't forget to bring cash when you visit this place. 

Most Popular Sandwiches:

Menu Display

• Tostado Club
• 3 cheese Melt
• Havana Cubano
• Caribbean Chicken
• Real Dominican 

 

Smoothies:

• Papaya/ Lechoza
• Mamei / Zapote
• Passion Fruit/ Parcha
• Granadillo
• Pineapple/ pina

And more....

Tostado Club Sandwich: 

• Today I tried the Tostado Club, which is one of my favorites. It included delicious chicken, pork, ham, cheese, tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise and onions. 

Location:

3880 Washington St
(between Toll Gate Way & Brookway Rd)
Roslindale, MA 02131
(617)- 522-0578
Open 7 days a week

More information can be found in this Link

Japanese Beef and Scallion Rolls

Ingredients

• 12 small scallions, trimmed to 6-inch lengths
• 1 (1-lb) piece flank steak (roughly 6 to 7 inches square)
• 1/4 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)
• 1/4 cup mirin* (Japanese sweet rice wine)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• Special equipment: a meat pounder; kitchen string

Prepare scallions:
Blanch scallions in a pot of boiling salted water 45 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Transfer scallions to paper towels to drain and pat dry.

Prepare beef:
Cut flank steak with the grain holding a large knife at a 30-degree angle to cutting board into 12 (1/8-inch-thick) slices (1 1/2 to 2 inches wide). Arrange slices 1 inch apart on a very lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap, then cover with another very lightly oiled sheet of parchment or plastic wrap (oiled side down) and pound slices with flat side of meat pounder until about 1/16 inch thick.

Assemble rolls:
Arrange 3 beef slices side by side on a fresh sheet of plastic wrap, overlapping slices slightly to form a 6-inch square with short ends of slices nearest you. Sprinkle square lightly with a pinch of salt, then lay 3 scallions (with some white parts at both ends) across slices at end closest to you and tightly roll up meat around scallions to form a log, using plastic wrap as an aid. Tie log with kitchen string at ends and where meat slices overlap. Make 3 more negimaki rolls in same manner.

Marinate rolls:
Stir together sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Put rolls in a small baking dish and pour marinade over them, turning to coat. Marinate, loosely covered with plastic wrap, turning occasionally, 15 minutes.

Cook rolls:
Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. While skillet is heating, lift rolls out of marinade, letting excess drip off, and pat dry. (Save marinade.) Add oil to skillet, swirling to coat bottom, then cook rolls, turning with tongs, until well browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer rolls to cutting board. Add marinade to skillet and boil until slightly syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Cut off and discard strings, then cut each roll crosswise into 6 slices. Pour sauce into a shallow serving dish and arrange negimaki in sauce.

Ingredients 101

We posted a lot of recipes on the blog without even considering that some of you never cooked before.

For our recipes a lot of things are needed. Many times, I got discouraged while reading through Martha Stewart recipes.....  and gave up. We really want to avoid that feeling...

In order to help you. I thought it might be good to make a list of the necessary ingredients needed to cook. I promise I will not add fancy ingredients such as 4 spices from Tahiti that I saw in Stewart recipe. By the way where to find such ingredient?!!

 

Here is a list of the basic ingredients you need in your food pantry. 

Flour, sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, pepper. It's the basic!!!

In addition, it might be good to add nutmeg, curry powder, paprika, basil, rosemary, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Finally for the ones who like baking, we need baking powder, extract of vanilla bean, corn starch.

Next time you go to the grocery shopping buy what is missing from the list, then you'll handle every recipe.

Bon Appetit !!!!!

Destination Brunch: MASA – South End

MASA is definitely one of the highlights of Boston’s South End. With a Southwestern influence, everything on their menu is fresh and full of flavor. MASA has a specious dining area as well as a vibrant bar scene with an extensive cocktail menu. The ambience is fun and the staff is very attentive. By far, MASA is my favorite place for brunch in the city. Their brunch is not only delicious but they have the BEST DEAL in town! Every weekend, in addition to the full brunch menu, MASA offers the Brunch Fiesta. For only $7.95 you get two-course brunch, complimentary coffee or tea and homemade corn breads.

   

MASA starts you off with a basket of homemade breads. The bread basket contains different types of delicious corn breads accompanied with a trio of spreads: butter with honey and molasses, chipotle cranberry, and jalapeno apricot.

Fresh Fruits with Granola and Yogurt

For the first course, my two favorites are the Fresh Fruits with granola and yogurt and the Caramelized Plantain Empanada. 

Caramelized Plantain Empanada

The empanada has a flakey yet doughy crust and is stuffed with plantains. It comes with a sweet maple sauce that gives it a perfect sweet taste.

For the second course, my favorites are the Huevos Rancheros and the Santa Fe Style Eggs Benedict. 

Huevos Rancheros

The Huevos Rancheros includes, black beans on the bottom, then some homemade soft tortillas, 2 eggs and on top, some cotija cheese and salsa.  

The Santa Fe Style Eggs Benedict includes, two poached eggs on top of two freshly baked biscuit and avocado all smothered in a deliciously spicy hollandaise sauce. Accompanied with Pico de Gallo salsa and sautéed potatoes. 

Eggs Benedict

Next time you are going out for brunch, try MASA and let me know what you think. 

http://www.masarestaurant.com/boston/index.html

Turkey chow mein

With Thanksgiving over, if you still have some of that turkey left why not use it to substitute chicken or beef for chow mein. Turkey is already full of flavor when it was made for Thanksgiving so it cuts down the extra steps needed to marinade it.

Ingredients

1 cup of bean sprouts

1 red bell pepper (chopped)

1/2 onion (peeled and chopped)

1 clove garlic (peeled and chopped)

1 stalk of celery (cut)

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

4 tablespoon of vegetable oil

3 cups of leftover cooked turkey

2 cups of packaged chow mein noodles you can find at any asian grocery store or the international isle.

Heat up a wok or pan and add the vegetable oil for stir frying. Stir fry the bell pepper, onion, garlic and celery. Add the turkey and bean sprouts after. Use more oil if needed. Chicken broth and then oyster sauce. Stir it around some more to let it fully cook then add the noodles. Mix everything well and serve. Now you have turkey chow mein!

Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

     As the Thanksgiving weekend comes to an end we reflect on the things we are truly thankful for. Some may look into the refrigerator and notice there is one thing they aren't thankful for, which are the left overs in the fridge. What will you ever do will all that left over meat, potatoes, etc.? Make a boring turkey sandwich. Well, have no fear here is a great recipe that will help clear some space in your fridge and fill up the space you have in your stomach.

Ingredients

     -5 Tablespoons of Butter (need to separate them 3 tablespoons/2 tablespoons)

     -2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour

     -1/4 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

     -1 (12 ounce) fluid can of evaporated milk

     -1 cup of finely crushed herb seasoned dry bread stuffing mix 

     -1 cup of water

     -1/4 teaspoon of salt 

     -1/4 of ground black pepper

     -2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes 

     -1 cup cooked of diced turkey      

     -1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

    -Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 9x13 inch baking dish

    -In a saucepan melt the 3 tablespoon of butter on low heat. Blend in the flour, the evaporated milk and water. Next season with the salt, pepper, and onion powder and stir for about 5 minutes.

    - Separately melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat in a saucepan. Next blend in the dry stuffing mix.
    -Then place the turkey in a baking dish. Pour sauce over the turkey, then sprinkle the cheese over it then add on the mashed potatoes then top the mash potatoes with the stuffing mixture.
     - Then cook for 45 minutes
     - Then you are ready to serve (Serving size is about 8)