Spicy Miso Marinade for Beef

I love the taste Asian inspired marinades to use on the grill. This is one that has been in the working stage until now. I think I have the recipe right where I like it.
One thing I always suggests when trying a new recipe is to duplicate it the first time you make it, unless there is an ingredient in the recipe you absolutely dislike. Once you have made it then you tweak it to suit your own taste buds. A great thing about making a marinade its that you can instantly tweak it before you apply it to the meat. Give the marinade a taste and add more/less of an ingredient according to your own tastes.

I marinaded some tri tip using this recipe. I like to marinade beef for at least 5 hours. Once you are ready to cook take the meat out of the fridge for about 15 minutes before cooking. Also don't forget to let the meat rest for about 5 minutes after cooking to let the juices redistribute.

Ingredients:
4T - Miso Paste
2 cloves - Garlic minced
1t - Ginger minced
1/8c Mirin
1/8c Soy sauce
1T Sambal (chili paste)
Beef of choice. I like tri tip. I cut in thick strips to get more of the marinade flavor on the beef.

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour into a plastic resealable 1 gallon bag with the beef and let marinade for at least 5 hours. Grill to your particular doneness.
Mirin ~ is a Japanese rice wine kinda like sake, but with less alcohol content and much sweeter.
Miso Paste ~ there are different kinds of miso paste so pick which you like best. Just remember the darker the miso paste the saltier it will be.
No need to add salt. The miso paste should be enough.

Fresh off the grill. 6 minutes each side.

Yeah, I like my meat rare/med-rare

Gyoza and Dipping Sauce

I have a Japanese friend named Junko (pronounced June-co). She has given me a few tips for cooking Japanese and Asian food. So earlier this year I started experimenting with Asian food.There have been a couple of flops(we won't talk about those), but there have been a few successes too. Here are two of my successes. The gyoza (potstickers) I made only twice, first time was when my sister came to visit. The tricky part with the potstickers in the wrappers. I decided to make them instead of buying, glad I did. They taste so much better. The dough is harder to work with, but you will like the end result.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb - shrimp-peeled and deveined
1/2 - pork
3 - scallions - chopped
1T - ginger - chopped
1small can - water chestnuts - chopped
1T - sesame seed oil
1T - corn starch
salt to taste
Chop all ingredients and mix together. Set aside

Sauce:
1c - soy sauce
3/4c - rice wine vinegar
1c - water
2 - scallions
3 - garlic cloves
2T - sesame oil
2t - chili paste
1t - ginger
4T - brown sugar
Place all ingredients in sauce pan and simmer low until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat place in serving dish.

for the wrappers:
2c - flour plus for dusting
1c - boiling water
pinch of salt
Mix the salt and flour together in a medium bowl. Add the boiling water a little at a time, mixing with your hands, until you can shape the mixture into a ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for at least 1/2 hour.
Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide dough into quarters and roll out. Using a 3in round cookie cutter, cut out dough and lay on parchment paper. cover with a wet cloth to avoid them getting dry.

Assembly:
Place 1T of filling onto the wrapper and using your fingertips, dip in water and edge half of the round wrapper. Pinch together making pleats and set back under damp cloth until all are assembled.

Cook:
I like mine pan fried. Place a couple of tablespoons of oil in a hot sauce pan. Place the gyoza in the pan, pleated side up. Let pan fry for a couple of minutes on med-high. Add 1/2c chicken stock or water to the pan, cover and simmer on medium until the liquid is dissolved. Uncover, reduce heat and cook another 2 minutes or until fully cooked. Don't over fill. If overfilled they may not cook all the way through.

~Here is the end result~


Yummmm!
                                               





Had them with Asian Meatballs. Will post recipe



Thankful

I am fortunate. There are many reasons for me to be thankful, but I am very thankful for the other SAHM's that I have met. Having gone from a person that abruptly quits a successful career to being a Mom has it's challenges. I have to admit my first year as a SAHM was very difficult. Unless you have a sick or special needs child, the act of caring for a child is not very difficult, but the isolation from the rest of society is. You find, at least I did, that you can lose a lot of your identity that first year. It is hard when you are constantly on the go and every day is a new and exciting challenge to staying at home feeding and diapering this little person that gives little in return those first few months. It was a rough transition to say the least. Now MJ is 2 1/2 and things are going really great.

I am sincerely thankful to have met other SAHM's. Most of them have the same or similar story. They decided to put there career life on hold to raise children. Some struggle financially to do this and I have a great deal of respect for them for making the choice to stay at home. Some struggle with the fact they they must return to the workforce either for personal fulfillment or monetary reasons. I have a great deal of respect for those women as well. I am sure it is a decision that weighs heavy on their heart. We have regular play dates for the kids. This is a great way for us moms to introduce social skills to our little ones, especially those of us that have one child. But it's also good for us moms too. We get to hang out with other moms that understand what it's like to not be a part of the working society. We chat for a bit eat some food, chat a little more and eat a little more food. What not to like about this? They are truly great group of women to chill with. For that I am very thankful.

Family, friends and other people that have known me forever still tell me on occasion how surprised and happy they are for me. They would have never in a million years guessed I would ever be a Mom. Quite frankly, I still tell Mark how it hits me once in a while (in a good way).