Simple is Good!

My husband made the most amazing chicken for his pregnant wife tonight! It was epic enough to blog about.

5 Ingredient Chicken

 1 package Organic Chicken Thighs from Costco
  Volcano Organic Lemon Juice
  Pink Himalayan Salt
  Organic Granulated Garlic
  3 Peppercorn Pepper (Pink, White, Black)

Rinse the thighs well. Place in a shallow dish and sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic. Let sit while hardwood briquettes heat up in the barbecue. Barbecue about 5 minutes each side. ALTERNATELY: Leave in shallow baking dish and put directly in oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes (check for doneness). No need to marinate over 10 minutes. 

A Burst of Gratitiude

I know I haven't posted in such a long time, and perhaps no one even reads these mumbling rambles any more, but there has been a deluge of good stuff that happened today and I want to share my thanks.

Thank you, Bobby Flay, for showing how well an ice cream scoop can work for cookies. I knew about it, I never heeded, and then watching you a light went on. Yay for perfectly shaped, lofty cookies.

Thank you, Two Fat Als, for posting a simple, perfect, no weird ingredients or proportions, no-need-to-tweak recipe for Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

Thank you, to my sweet husband, for telling me it wasn't too late to make cookies today even though I felt it was.

And if you have been following, yes, my camera is still broken and I haven't purchased a new one.

Asian Cooking Adventures!

I really love mochi; a soft, semi-sweet rice based pastry. I also love red bean paste, and since my mother thinks adzuki beans are super healthy and should be bought in 5 lb. bags it wasn't long before I tried to make mochi with red bean.

YouTube was my friend on this endeavor.

Cookingwithdog is basically my hero. Their zenzai and anko recipe is easy to follow and comes out perfectly. Because of the amount of mochi I was making, I turned all my adzuki beans into anko.




I preferred this mochi video because it didn't use a microwave in the cooking process.




Here is my anko, pre-portioned and ready to wrapped in mochi. The toothpick helps so that you don't mar the mochi whiteness.

Cookie Trauma

I am making cookies. Real, honest to goodness cookies. There were half a dozen ripe persimmon, that were not devoured by pests, from our tree. What else should be done with persimmons in October than bake cookies?

The oven is an adventure though. It has no temperatures posted, just level 1-10. It also has a fan, which makes me think it's convection. So I've been guessing at 4-5. The first batch came out well done on the bottom, and the second batch is still raw after 15 minutes, so yes, an adventure. If anyone knows how to handle these beasts, please tell me!

Sukkot 1

The problem with having lots of events to blog about is that you are usually busy doing said events! So, some day I will try and catch every one up on last month.

Now, it is Sukkot. Probably the main reason I wanted to be in Israel. And it is amazing. I sat in the sukkah with friends today and listened to three different groups singing prayers in the afternoon, simultaneously, on different street corners, at the top of their lungs and full of joy. Then this evening I helped prepare food for a small dinner party. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love making food. And if not, just read some of the archives on here. I learned a new dessert--shredded halva, whipped cream, fold together and freeze--amazing. So all in all, I feel utterly complete.

This is going to be the best week.

Food Is A Fantastic Start

My first food venture of the new year was a smashing success! Pictured here (clockwise from lower left): Spicy Braised Green Beans, Rice with Mango garnish, cabbage and fresh herb salad, Sichuan Eggplant, Sparkling Pomegranate Juice, Sweet and Sour Chicken.



Here's a better shot of the eggplant. The cabbage and fresh herb salad came about because I couldn't find rice wrappers to make Vietnamese spring rolls. I combined Chinese cabbage, cilantro, mint, shredded carrot, and lime with a peanut dressing I made.



I wonder why my close-ups are always blurry.



Sticky coconut rice with mango!



And then there were the caramel apples. This is after the first dipping. The bit that pooled on the bottom easily molded to the apple after being chilled.



Then there was the chocolate and nut dipping. Yum!



I can't get enough of them!



Yay!