Saturday, November 14, 2009

My Girl

Fall is coming, so slowly it approaches
I teach my girl, each leaf she says worth catching
Gold, yellow, red and brown
All slowly scattered to the ground
And then –
Before you know it boughs are bare, no leaves are left, there’s none
To spare –
White fluffy stuff cascades around and makes my daughters smiles know no bounds…
Her tongue sticks out, to catch a flake
And happiness flows from her to me, there’s no mistake!

So pure, such joy such innocence,
She knows she’s there –
And how can I cease discontent
O cannot want, or cry or try
Because my love is larger than,
Stronger than – see, it blows away the very rhyme
I lose it all, lost in all time –

My love, my child, filled with grace –
I shudder so, should you take my place
You are beyond all compare,
I cannot love love you more – and I am there,
But should I cease to be for thee, know only that
I love you more.

Go and go and work and do, Godspeed and bless you so,
You are the best and truly more,
I Love you, through and through –
Keep your head up high, remember to breathe, you are the very best
God Bless you Jess my baby girl, my dream
The best the very,very best…

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Millet Salad


So many wonderful whole grains out there, I've decided to experiment with some...last night I made a super easy and really yummy millet salad...i served it with some pan seared duck breast, peach chutney and broccoli....

Millet Salad

  • 1 cup millet
  • 1 Tbs olive oil (optional)
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 4 radishes, thinly sliced into half moons then cut in half again
  • 1/2 English cucumber cut into small dice
  • 2 Tbs chopped black olives
  • 3 Tbs chopped Italian parsley
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1.5 Tbs red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt black pepper

heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add olive oil if using, rinse and drain millet
add to skillet and toast stirring frequently for 7 mins or until a deep golden brown
add water and bring to a low boil, cover and lower heat cook for 20 mins undisturbed.
Combine olive oil, vinegar and salt in a bowl, whisk well. Add veggies, black pepper and millet - toss to combine - let stand at room temp at least 10 mins before serving

Friday, November 6, 2009

Shrimp Noodle Bowl


This was a lot of fun, my daughter and I made dashi from scratch - what is dashi? Its a Japanese fish stock and it serves as a base for a wonderful noodle bowl, featuring shrimp and tofu...the kombu is dried kelp, and its responsible for one of the five tastes the human tongue experiences, umami (or savoriness) the other four are: bitterness, sourness, sweetness and saltiness...

Dashi

  • 8 cups cold water
  • 2x4" pieces of kombu (dried kelp) wiped with a dry cloth
  • 1 cup bonito flakes (dried fish flakes)
  • 1" piece peeled and sliced ginger
  • 1 oz mixed dried mushrooms

Udon with shrimp

  • Dashi
  • 3/4 lb raw shrimp
  • 1/2 cup diced firm tofu
  • 2 green onions, sliced into 2" pieces and then sliced thinly lenthwise

put kombu in a soup pot, cover with water and bring to a simmer
(do NOT boil) let simmer for 20 mins, discard kombu, add bonito and ginger (off heat)
let sit for 10 mins. Drain stock, discard solids. Return stock to pot add dried mushrooms and let
sit for 20 mins, drain stock and reserve mushrooms, coarsly chop. Return stock to pot and heat, add shrimp and tofu cook for a few mins until shrimp turns pink, add chopped mushrooms, season with salt and white pepper.

Cook Udon noodles according to package directions (in boiling water for 3 mins if using fresh udon) Place 1 cup of noodels in each serving bowl, ladle some dashi and shrimp atop and garnish with green onions

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Wonton Soup...


haven't posted in ages, so sorry - got sick, went back to work, etc...had a lovely wonton soup last night which my 7 year old actually really helped with (she is a natural at folding the wontons, and this works out great because I hate that part!)-a few nights prior I made a wonderful shrimp toast appetizer to go with a quick pork and pineapple stir fry...both of these Asian inspired dishes can be found on my youtube channel,