Author Archives: admin

Spiced Tea With Ginger and Cardamom-Sanjay Gupta

Posted on by
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger 
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
  • 3 teaspoons brown sugar (optional)
  • 3 tea bags, preferably strong black tea such as Assam
  • 1 cup of half-and-half

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan or small pot. As the water heats up, add the ginger, cardamom and, if using, brown sugar.2. Once water has reached a boil, reduce to medium-low heat so it simmers with gentle bubbles. Add the tea bags and half-and-half.

Using tea bags simplifies the process.

3. Let the liquid slowly come to a boil once again, then remove from heaGupta says making chai isn’t just about the drink but also the tradition surrounding it.4. Remove tea bags and carefully pour tea into teapot or cups.

Makes 4 servings

Crispy Tofu With Balsamic Tomatoes melissa clark

Posted on by
  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) package extra-firm or firm tofu, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved if large, kept whole if small
  • 1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch wedges (about 2 cups)
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons balsamic vinegar, plus more for finishing
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Arrange tofu slices on a clean kitchen towel or on paper towels. Cover with another kitchen towel (or paper towels) and place a flat cutting board or baking pan on top. If your cutting board or pan is lightweight, stack a few cans or a skillet on top to weigh it down. Let tofu drain for at least 15 minutes, and up to 45 minutes.
  3. Transfer tofu to a cutting board and cut slabs into 1-inch cubes. Pat them dry with paper towels and season both sides of the tofu with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon oil, cornstarch, garlic powder (if using) and 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano. Add tofu to cornstarch mixture and gently toss until tofu is evenly coated. Dump tofu onto one side of the prepared sheet pan.
  5. In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil, tossing to combine.
  6. Arrange vegetables on other side of the prepared sheet pan. Bake until tofu is crisp and golden brown, and tomatoes are condensed, 25 to 35 minutes. Halfway through baking, flip tofu and toss vegetables while keeping the tofu and veggies separate.
  7. To serve, sprinkle cilantro on top and drizzle with balsamic and oil, if you’d like.

Crispy Rosemary Sea Salt Flatbread Crackers from chef john

Posted on by
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar 
    ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese  
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  
  • ½ cup cold water 
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper.
  2. Place flour, salt, sugar, and grated cheese in a mixing bowl. Stir together until well mixed. Add rosemary; drizzle with olive oil and add water. Mix with a fork until mixture comes together in a fairly sticky dough and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer dough onto floured surface and add flour as you knead the dough. Knead until it no longer sticks to work surface, 4 to 5 minutes. Divide dough in half.
  4. Dust work surface with flour. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness or less. Brush or mist surface of dough very lightly with water. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Prick the entire surface of dough with the tines of a fork to prevent crackers from puffing too much when baking.
  5. Cut each rolled out half into about 30 pieces with a pizza wheel. You can cut them out in squares, rectangles, or triangles–your choice. Transfer onto prepared baking sheet with a bench scraper or your floured fingers (dough will be very sticky).
  6. Bake in preheated oven until perfectly browned and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness.

Brownie in a Mug from celebrating sweets.com

Posted on by
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch salt
 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, plus more for topping
 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil, melted coconut oil or melted butter
3 tablespoons milk
 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
 Ice cream, whipped cream, powdered sugar, berries for garnish
Instructions
Place sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt in a mug. Use a small whisk or fork, and stir until combined, and free of lumps. Stir in chocolate chips. Add oil, milk and vanilla, stir with a spoon or small rubber spatula until just combined (try not to over mix it). 

Sprinkle a few additional chocolate chips over the top and cook in the microwave for about 90 seconds (microwave times may vary). Eat immediately with ice cream, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or berries.

Notes
I have a used a 12oz and 16oz mug for this recipe.
Although this is a single serving dessert, you can easily split this between 2 adults.

Chinese-style button mushroom soup from thewoksoflife.com

Posted on by

8 ounces button mushrooms(the smaller the better)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
 4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce
salt (to taste)
 2 tablespoons cornstarch (combined into a slurry with 2 tablespoons water, optional)
1/2 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
1 scallion (chopped)

Wash the mushrooms clean of any dirt, and dry them thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel. Detach the stems (you will add them to the soup also).

Place a medium soup pot over medium high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the oil and mushrooms cup-side up in a single layer. (Add the stems in too to avoid waste.)

Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the mushroom caps are browned, and each cup fills with liquid (that’s the juices in the mushroom seeping out!). Also check the stems for browning. Avoid stirring during this pan-frying process as it’s the key step to developing flavor for this soup. (You also want to keep the mushroom juices in the caps.) 

When the mushrooms are nicely browned, add the water and light soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes over medium low heat.

Add salt to taste, and stir in the cornstarch slurry (if using). Simmer the soup for 30 seconds until thickened.
Just before serving, add the cilantro and scallions. If you like cilantro (like me) this soup can take a lot of cilantro! 



oven-baked cod with bread crumbs from allrecipes.com

Posted on by
  • ½ cup warm water 
  • ½ fish bouillon cube 
  • ¾ cup dry bread crumbs 
  • ¼ cup butter, cut into small chunks 
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 
  • 2 teaspoons dried tarragon

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lay cod fillets in a baking dish and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  • Combine water and fish bouillon cube in a bowl. Stir to combine and pour over cod.
  • Mix bread crumbs, butter, parsley, dill, tarragon, salt, and pepper in a bowl with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over cod.
    Bake in the preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork and the crust is golden and crunchy, about 20 minutes.

yum yum sauce fromanediblemosaic.com

Posted on by

  • 1 cup mayo
  • 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
  •  2 tablespoons ketchup
  •  1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  •  1 tablespoon soy sauce
  •  1 tablespoon honey
  •  1 teaspoon garlic powder
  •  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  •  1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  •  1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until using.

Peach Tart from Amanda Hesser

Posted on by
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2-3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar-depnding on sweetness of fruit
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil or coconut
  • 1/4 cup mild olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (opt)
  • 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
  • 3 small ripe peaches (up to 5), pitted and thickly sliced (about 1/2-inch wide)
  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stirring enables the salt and sugar to sift the flour, so you don’t need to sift it in advance. In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, milk and almond extract. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently with a fork, just enough to dampen; do not over work it. Then, transfer the dough to an 11-inch tart pan (you can use a smaller one if needed), and use your hands to pat out the dough so it covers the bottom of the pan, pushing it up the sides to meet the edge. This will work if you pat firmly and confidently, but not if you curl your fingertips into the dough. It should be about 1/ 8-inch thick all around; trim and discard excess dough.
  • In a bowl, combine 1/2 -3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the butter. (If your peaches are especially juicy, add 1 tablespoon additional flour.) Using your fingers, pinch the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly, with a mixture of fine granules and tiny pebbles. 
  • Starting on the outside, arrange the peaches overlapping in a concentric circle over the pastry; fill in the center in whatever pattern makes sense. The peaches should fit snugly. Sprinkle the pebbly butter mixture over top (it will seem like a lot). Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until shiny, thick bubbles begin enveloping the fruit and the crust is slightly brown. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature, preferably with generous dollops of whipped cream.

notes: first time I made it with too many peaches as in too much juice and used spring form pan. It’s better made in 10” pie pan. Based on sweetness of fruit adjusted sugar.

Zucchini Spaghetti Stanley Tucci Loves! (Spaghetti alla Nerano) – Food Wishes

Posted on by

1 quart sunflower oil, or as needed
6 medium green zucchini4 ounces spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch salt
2 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  • Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
  • Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
  • Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it’s 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
  • As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don’t overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
  • Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
  • Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.

Tomato-Butter Pasta NYTimes

Posted on by
  • 1 pound wavy or ridged pasta (like cavatappi or rigatoni), or a long noodle (like fettuccine)
  • 2 pounds large, ripe tomatoes (about 2 to 3), halved horizontally
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled
  • ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
  •  Black pepper
  •  Torn basil leaves, for serving (optional)
  •  Finely grated Parmesan, for serving
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
  2. Meanwhile, using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cut ends of the tomato into a large bowl. Discard or compost skins. Grate the butter into the bowl as well. Using the small holes of the box grater, grate the garlic into the bowl. Add the red-pepper flakes, and season generously with salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Return the drained pasta to the pot, along with the bowl of grated tomato and butter. Set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and glosses the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes (the sauce will thicken as it sits). Add pasta water as needed to emulsify the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more red-pepper flakes, black pepper, basil and Parmesan as desired.