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).

Italian Style Chicken

There is a chicken recipe I have been making for years using my homemade tomato sauce. I modified it so you don't know how to make tomato sause. This is what I came up with:

3-4 boneless/skinless chicken pounded a little (dont want it too thin, you can even slice it lengthwise once)
olive oil for the pan
garlic clove cut in half
Basil-fresh
Parsley-fresh
1-lrg can of whole tomatoes (28-oz) yes whole and canned San Marzano if you can find them.
red pepper flakes -about a teaspoon
grated mozzarella or fontina cheese
1/2 cup white wine or 1/2 can of chicken stock if you dont use wine.
salt and pepper

First the Tomato sauce- using a food processor or blender if you dont have one. Blend until smooth or a little chunky, which ever you like best. Add a small handful of Basil, the pepper flakes and a little salt to taste.

Now the chicken~again pound it a little just to thin it out or slice lengthwise once to make thinner. salt/pepper both sides. Get a large pan add olive oil (few tablespoons) and garlic clove sliced once. Warm the pan before adding the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides for just about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from the pan and but on a plate for a bit. Throw awway the garlic. DO NOT cook the chicken all the way. You will finish the cooking a little later.

In the same pan you browned the chicken add the white wine or stock, again, whichever you prefer. scrape all the bit of chicken off the bottom of the pan and let it reduce a few minutes.Add the tomato sauce and let it simmer another 5 minutes.

Put the chicken back in the pan with the tomato sauce and let it simmer for about 10-12 minutes. This cooking time will depend on how thin the chicken is to finish cooking. When it's done cooking, turn off the heat and add the a small palm of fresh chopped parsley.

Plate the chicken, pour a little more sauce over it and sprinkle with the cheese and a little more chopped basil if you like.

Wanna Pway?

So Mark gets home today after a hard days work. He gets up at 430 everyday and gets home about 630 or 7. MJ, who thinks his dad hangs the moon, runs to Papa with excitement of Christmas every time he sees his Papa. Mark goes the room with MJ in toe, to take off his suit and tie, which by the way he hates that he has to wear a suit to work everyday. Anywho, Mark sits and trys to relax with some TV and a drink after a long day while I warm his dinner. MJ walks up to Papa and says "wanna pway (play) Papa?" What does Mark do? As tired as he is and wants to relax says, "sure Big Guy, lets go play". Not just for a couple of minutes, but an hour later he is still playing with his Big Guy and dinner is getting cold again. Just gotta say how lucky I am.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Chicken Satay

Recently I came up with a chicken satay recipe I made for a group of women. The ladies loved it! I came across it yesterday for a BBQ. It is simple and taste really great if you like Thai food. If not, may not be for you. Thought I would share it.

3 lbs Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast (or thighs if you prefer)

MARINADE

3t Ground Coriander
4t Light Brown Sugar
3t Fresh Ginger Shredded
3t Lime Juice
4-6 Garlic Cloves
2 - Shallots
6T Peanut Oil
1/4 - 1/2c Soy Sauce
Mix marinade ingredients. Add chicken to mixture and marinate at least 2 hours.

PEANUT SAUCE
1c Chunky Peanut Butter ( you can also use smooth or as I do 1/2 and 1/2)
2-3t Sambal
3 Gloves Garlic Shredded
3T Brown Sugar or Honey
1 Lime Juice
1/4 c Soy Sauce
1/2c scant Peanut Oil
Mix ingredients together. This should be sweet with subtle heat. Add more Sambal if you like a little more kick to it. Taste and adjust ingredients accordingly.

This is the kinda stuff I now do as a SAHM.

 

Today we had a Pirate's Treasure Hunt. There is something about seeing the excitement in the eyes of a little tyke that is heartwarming. Yeah, I said heartwarming! Their excitement, curiosity and laughter is contagious and the look in their eyes as they discovered a new treasure is priceless. We all had a great time.







 

Pirate's Treasure Hunt (MJ 2nd from the Left)



On Guard!

 

Treasure Map

 

Pirate Cupcakes



Pirate MJ & his Booty!