These are posts from the old Umami-Quest.
Umami-Quest has been through a few changes over time. I've used different lay-outs, different host servers, different techniques... simply learning along the way. It was a different time, with a different vision. Things have changed, and hopefully I can reflect that with the new re-vamp. It's still good to look upon our past, because without it, we cannot learn.
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a story goes with this sort of.....
so, Easter was coming up, and i wasn't sure what to make for my family's gathering. dessert? no.... there will be tons of desserts. we're lookin at main dish now.... but what..... ? i regularly play pool league (that's another story for another time) at a bar named "Lisa's House". it is a kind of ghetto place near the airport with nice pool tables and good food (those are pretty much the ONLY good things about this place). one of their dishes, that is particularly good, is stuffed salmon. b/c i recently ate some, i figured i would try re-creating the dish for Easter. i didn't get the exact dish down, but what i did make was delicious, and my family whacked the entire thing. usually, there are plenty of leftovers for each dish - this one was totally gone :D so here's my recipe for Seafood Stuffed Salmon: SEAFOOD STUFFED SALMON - Salmon (cleaned, de-scaled, skin optional) - shrimp, chopped (remove shells and tails) - bay scallops - 1 Tbsp. canola or olive oil - 2 Tbsp. butter - 1/2 cup chopped green onions - 1/2 yellow onion, rough chop - 4 cloves garlic, minced - 1 package imitation crab, chopped - 1/2 block of cream cheese (8 oz), softened - 3 wedges of garlic chive cheese spread (like Laughing Cow) - 1 cup mayonnaise, split into 1/2 cup portions - black pepper (to taste) - furikake - won bok cabbage - choi sum - 1 additional clove of garlic, minced (separate from the 4 cloves above) Directions: heat oil and saute chopped onions and garlic. once translucent, add in butter, scallops and shrimp. once shrimp and scallops are cooked (do not over cook), set mixture aside to cool. check salmon to see if clean (no scales, etc.). slice a pocket in the side of the fish. do not go all the way through. in a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, cheese spread, and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. add in cooled shrimp mixture (slightly warm is ok, does not need to be completely cooled), and green onions. if there is liquid in the shrimp mixture, do not add too much of this to the cream cheese. Fill the salmon pocket with this cream cheese mixture. do not over fill, or under fill. after stuffing, take the other 1/2 cup of mayo, and spread on top of the salmon. Sprinkle furikake on top, and place in the oven at 350 degrees, for 30 - 40 minutes, or until cooked through. While fish is cooking, chop up choi sum, won bok, garlic, and some salt and pepper, and stir fry together as garnish for fish. when fish is done, remove from oven, and garnish with choi sum/won bok mixture. EAT UP! you know what you're never too old for? gummy fruit snacks. that's right. i love fruit snacks. those little colorful chewy treats that are most associated with children. i am just really a big kid.
i have no idea why, but one day i felt like making my own fruit snacks. i hopped on Pinterest and started searching for recipes (btw, Pinterest pretty much has everything and more... its insane). i found that it is CRAZY EASY to make these things.... given, they will not taste exactly like the fruit snacks you may be accustomed to, but they will be enjoyable when you've got a craving. Easy Fruit Snacks (original from Six Sisters Stuff): ingredients: - 1 (3 oz) box of jello, any flavor - 2 (.25 oz) envelopes unflavored gelatin (like Knox) - 1/3 Cup water directions: sprinkle gelatin in water in a small sauce pan. heat over medium and stir until completely dissolved. pour into molds and let set for 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your molds. note: i put mine in the fridge to help set faster (and you know.... eat faster.... haha) another note: i got my Space Invaders mold (actually used for ice cubes) as a gift. you can buy it online on several sites. i found a similar one, not exactly like mine, but kind of better, on thinkgeek.com. check it out here: Space Invaders ice cube tray they also have a Gummy Bear shaped one too, if you'd like to be more "traditional" looking. enjoy! delicious, tender, hearty, RIBS....
so here's the story. my mom made this recipe for New Year's at my Uncle's house. my mom generally cooks good things, so i ask for the recipe. many questions and inquires later, i manage to get what i think is the entire recipe. i plan on making these ribs "one day"..... then comes a couple of nights ago. i have a friend who is, at times, also a nuisance. i had a bunch of errands to run this weekend, but b/c i try to accommodate for my friends, and make time for them, i try to see if i can put my errands on the back burner. one of those errands included a trip to the farmer's market to buy veggies for the week. she suggested we go, so i thought, "ok, lets kill 2 birds with 1 stone." i get to hang out, and get an errand done. she ends up wanting to get breakfast first, and we miss the farmer's market completely. Then proceeds to have me drive her around all day doing various other things, none of which are my errands. not a big deal - until.... she asks what i'm doing that evening, and i say "i'm cooking dinner, and then eating it, and then also playing video games." so, she proceeds to invite herself over for dinner. uh.... ok. so instead of the simple dinner i was going to have of either left-overs, or something quick - i now have to plan out a meal to accommodate a guest. did i mention? this guest is also a picky eater. i finally decide to try out my mother's ribs recipe from New Year's.... go to the market, buy all the stuff, and proceed to cook for the next 3 hours. time passes, and i keep checking with her b/c it is getting late, and she's not giving me a direct answer if she's still coming or not. in the end, she does not come, so i did all of that for nothing. she didn't even apologize.... i shouldn't say i cooked for nothing. the ribs came out awesome, and my a$$hole friend completely missed out on an amazing and free meal. her loss completely. my gain FTW. so here friends is the recipe, with my own additions, that you can try out for yourself. hopefully when you make it, your guests will be more appreciative. and even if they're not, you will have a pile of delicious ribs to eat while they eat whatever crap they have at home :) Easy Oven BBQ Ribs: - about 5 lbs pork ribs - 1 cup shoyu - 1 cup brown sugar - 1 cup ketchup - 3 Tbsp Honey - 3 Tbsp Worcestershire - 6 garlic cloves, minced - 3 Tbsp garlic powder - 1 large stalk celery, diced - 1 small yellow onion, chopped slice large rib slabs into smaller ones for easier handling. do not slice all the ribs apart, just make smaller, more manageable slabs. par-boil ribs on stove in a pot for about 30 to 45 mins. meanwhile, line a baking pan with foil, and fill bottom with onion and celery. pour half of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. preheat your oven to 350 degrees. when ribs are done par-boiling, put them on top of the onions, celery and sauce. take remainder of sauce, and pour on top of ribs. bake in oven for 1 hour, turning over ribs halfway through cooking, basting at this halfway point. when done, slice ribs and roll around in sauce to get full coverage. eat and enjoy! ******************************************* BONUS PICTURE OF FOOD! below, you'll see the other rack of ribs i made with a dry rub. for this one, it was not my recipe. i received a bottle of dry rub as a gift. this dry rub was from the famous Texas BBQ restaurant called "The Salt Lick". it was a little spicy and really delicious. if you're interested in buying a bottle for yourself to try, i highly recommend theirs! : The Salt Lick Dry Rub did you know that Starbucks has a secret menu?
i knew Jamba Juice did, and so does In and Out burger.... but i had no idea Starbucks did! the most recent addition to it is the "Butterbeer Frappachino" those of you Harry Potter fans will know what a butterbeer is..... if you're interested, here are the recipes for both the hot and cold versions of the drink, only available during the holidays b/c of the flavors that are used. print it out to show the barrista if they don't know how to make one: read about this from this website. visit it if you like, but it has some strong language. Cold version: A Crème Frappuccino base, made with whole milk (not skim or 2%, which will mess up the consistency) 3 pumps of caramel syrup 3 pumps of toffee nut syrup Top with caramel drizzle Warm version: Whole milk steamer Caramel syrup (2 pumps for a tall, 3 for grande, 4 for venti) Toffee nut syrup (2 pumps for a tall, 3 for grande, 4 for venti) Cinnamon Dolce syrup (2 pumps for a tall, 3 for grande, 4 for venti) Top with whipped cream and salted caramel bits Optional: 1 shot of espresso (2 for a grande or venti) i bet you thought i fell off the face of the earth huh? nooooooooo! i've just been really crazy busy, and very tired :( to give you an idea of how busy: this morning for breakfast, i ate a handful of Cracklin' Oat Bran, some popcorn, and a half bottle of coca cola..... yeah. breakfast of champions... i know ;) so here and now, i'm gonna post about a topic that relates to that....... BREAKFAST CEREAL :D more specifically, Halloween breakfast cereal. i have enjoyed the seasonal cereals that General Mills makes, but for the longest time, i thought there were only 3 flavors. THERE WERE ACTUALLY FIVE!
i've been accustomed to seeing: Boo Berry, Count Chocula, and Franken Berry..... but did you know, there used to also be Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute?!?! i had no idea what i've been missing out on!! so this year, GM is going to be re-releasing all five flavors! :D i'm stoked! if and when i find these cereals, i'm gonna post about them. hopefully, i'll be able to post a few things in-between now and Halloween, but if i don't, check back in October to see whats going on ;) i know.... another dip post......
but what can i say? i like dip. dip is easy, and a party favorite. even if you're not going to a party, dip is delicious. i've made just plain kimchee dip for a while now, and it is extremely simple... .however, i thought i make it better this time around. KIMCHEE CRAB DIP - 3 blocks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened - 1 jar of Halm's brand kimchee OR 3 cups kimchee of your choice - 2 - 3 TBSP kimchee 'juice' reserved from the jar (add more if needed) - 3 TBSP Park's Brand kimchee sauce - 1 package imitation crab lumps or sticks, chopped put kimchee in a food processor, but try not to put in too much liquid. if some liquid gets in, thats ok. pulverize the kimchee into a nice minced texture. you can also mince by hand, but it takes loooong.... did you chop up the imitation crab yet? do this. mix all ingredients thoroughly. chill for a little while (or don't, it really doesn't matter too much) and eat with crackers or anything else that tastes good :D food is no longer a stationary thing. you can't just sit around and have a meal; it is now a get up and go type of thing! lunch wagons are not a new thing. they've been around for as long as anyone can remember.... but today, they are far more than just simple lunch wagons. they have style, they have themes, and best of all.... they have a plethora of food items that range from classic comfort food to gastronomic forward thinking cuisine. enter "Whatcha Fillin", one of the newest food trucks on the scene here in HI. their eats? a modern and tasty twist on "Imagawayaki", a popular street food in Japan. instead of the standard red bean filling, they substitute it with ingredients like cheese, beef, chocolate, and anything they can think of! when you look for them, look for this very cute styled truck!
(click "read more" to see the rest of the entry) The Super Bowl here in the US is practically a holiday. there are specials at the market, crazy long lines nearly everywhere you go, and lots of eating.....
i went to a party this year and decided to make some dip. this dip is not only delicious, it is crazy easy. its almost like no effort nachos... i'm sure if you added a little quac, green onions, and sour cream, you'd have a meal, not just a snack! Ridiculously Easy Chili Cheese Dip - 2 bricks, 16oz each, Velveeta - 1 can Hormel NO BEAN chili - 1 jar Pace salsa, HOT Directions: cube all the Velveeta and put in a pot. also put in chili and salsa. heat on medium-low while stirring, until all ingredients are incorporated and dip is smooth. if things get too hot, lower heat. eat with tortilla chips..... or hot dogs..... or crackers.... or burgers.... or whatever you think will taste good :D NOTE: you can use whatever chili and salsa you want. i use Pace b/c their hot salsa is actually really spicy, but if you can't handle the heat, you can use mild. IT. HAS. STARTED.
you know how i know it has started? b/c i feel bloated nearly all the time. Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all of you. sorry i've been MIA.... i've been busy, or tired, or both. i really wanted to do a cooking post very soon, but unfortunately, it's going to have to wait. In honor of all things belated, how about a belated post about Thanksgiving...... Thanksgiving for me represents 3 things: #1 - FOOD: you see that picture up there? that was dinner at my Aunty's house.... it is like that every year. actually, it is like that at nearly every family gathering i've ever been to. AND, that is not even all of the food.... there is more, and then there are desserts...... yeah. i'm surprised i'm not 300 pounds by now. #2 - IRRESPONSIBLE SPENDING: black friday...... a horrible, evil scheme set up by the big corporations to get me to spend more and save less.... or, at least that is what i tell myself when all is said and done, and i'm suffering from a severe case of buyers remorse. #3 - OBVIOUSLY.... BEING THANKFUL: i spend a lot of time bitching about things. i know this. but this is not the time for bitching. no. this is the time for being thankful for what you've got b/c really, it could be worse. i'm thankful for lots of things, and hopefully... you have a lot to be thankful for too. EAT PLENTY EVERYONE! i expect to see everyone at least 50 pounds heavier by next year :) |