I'm lucky enough to have a kid who likes eating (or at least trying) everything. He likes california rolls and loves any sort of salmon sushi.
This is a cute gift for any child who loves sushi or imaginative play:
At $20, it's a steal!
-- or anyone who likes curries.
Yesterday, I mad an extremely easy recipe for some nice yellow curried peas using items from Trader Joe's. If you are in a hurry, this is very tasty and is done in about 1/2 hour.
Curried Peas*
- 2 bags of their frozen organic peas
- 1 bottle of their yellow curry
- 1 can of their coconut milk
- 1 package of firm tofu
In a large pan, combine the curry and coconut milk and warm for a few minutes. Add the peas and heat for about 15 minutes -- stirring occasionally. Add the tofu and heat for another 15 minutes, or until peas are done.
My variations include: adding cubed chicken (we had some leftover chicken I roasted, so I put some chicken in my husband's bowl), cubed potatoes and carrots.
The husband made some basmati rice and I popped some naan into the oven and we had a nice, quick dinner.
*Recipe found at Trader Joe Fan.
I just made a simple balsamic vinegar reduction with sugar and freshly grated peppercorns and simmered it until it reduced by half. I'm going to brush it on some peaches and grill them, but now, honest to god, that damn reduction has made my entire house smell like sweaty-ass feet!
MY HOUSE SMELLS LIKE FEET!
In the tradition of French New Wave cinema, inspired by Welles' classic Citizen Kane, an extraordinary tour-de-force. I present....The Coffee!
Saturday morning breakfast: homemade buttermilk pancakes (with lemon zest and cottage cheese in the batter), a side of applewood smoked bacon and a glass of juice.
The kid gets the special heart, star and flower-shapes ones.
There are two things that every good Mexican cook must know how to make. One of them is rice and the other is sopa de fideo. If you didn't have a decent recipe for either of these, you may as well call it a day. My mother is a bit of a nonconformist in that she is a Mexican woman who does not cook. Seriously, my sisters and I grew up without any heirloom recipes being hand down from generations past; as teenagers, we got our mad cooking skills from the "Kraft Institute," macaroni and cheese from a blue box being our specialty. That being said, she did teach us how to make some kickass rice and sopa de fideo, which our kids now enjoy.
Every culture has its own comfort food, one that it calls upon when they are
feeling down, sick or just missing its childhood. For us, sopa de fideo is
definitely one of those foods. A noodle soup with a rich tomato-based broth,
sopa de fideo was what my mom would make for me whenever I wanted a special
something or was feeling under the weather. This is the one thing she would actually make.
Variations of this basic noodle soup are enjoyed throughout the Latino world, and everyone has their own special touches: some make the fideo with chicken, others with beans and the personalization of their sopa goes right down to the noodle. Traditional sopa de fideo calls for vermicelli noodles but stars, alphabets, rings and a myriad of other shapes — sold by companies La Preferida, Goya and more — often end up in people's sopa.
Here is the recipe for my kid's all-time favorite soup, which my mom
says is "Not bad" (but personally, I think it's better than hers).
Vincent's Favorite Sopa de Fideo
- 1 10 oz. package of fideo in nests (or any other Mexican pasta shape)
- 1/2 can of La Preferida, Goya or La Española tomato sauce
- Chicken or vegetable stock (If you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own stock)
- A couple sprigs of cilantro
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Salt to taste (optional)
Heat oil in a saucepan or frying pan. On low heat, fry the noodles until golden brown. The noodles will burn quickly, so be mindful of the color. Once they are browned, add the half can of tomato sauce, stir and fry for about one minute.
Add enough stock to cover the noodles, drop in the cilantro, salt to taste and stir.
Bring to a boil and simmer until the noodles are soft (about 10 minutes), making sure you stir them at least twice.
While most people would eat theirs as is, I like adding some grated parmesan or a dollop of Mexican sour cream (or creme fraiche, if you're really highfalutin) for added richness.
* This recipe was originally posted on Gapers' Block in September, 2005
My father was the head cook at a state prison when he was younger*; he cooked many a last
meal. At home, he did all of the cooking. My mother can't cook to save her life but she really tries --
bless her heart.
Me, I thought, I was somewhere in between and it
wasn't until recently that I discovered, "Hey! I can cook."
Food is a
passion that's in my blood, though I'm still a little intimidated by the cooking process.
Here is where I talk food and everything about it from local finds,
foods eaten during travels, cook ware, gastronomic history and more.
La comida es la vida.
*No, he wasn't an inmate.
