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A Japanese Picnic Pt. II | Onigiri Two Ways
Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls) Two Ways For the Onigiri: 1 c. uncooked calrose or Japanese sushi rice water 1/2 t. salt 1 T mirin For the Fillings: finely chopped kimchi, liquid squeezed out tuna Salad (add mayo, mustard, and spices to your taste, but don’t make it very wet/mushy) nori sheets, cut into strips sesame seeds (regular or black) To make the rice: Add the rice to a heavy, medium-sized pot or the bowl of your rice cooker. Add enough water to cover the rice by a centimeter, then mix with your fingers until water becomes milky and opaque. Strain out the water, and repeat the process until the water…
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A Japanese Picnic Pt. I | Wasabi Coleslaw
Japanese-Inspired Wasabi Coleslaw 1 medium sized head of bok choy or napa cabbage 1 c. shredded or julienned daikon radish 1/4 purple cabbage, shredded 4-5 green onions or scallions, finely chopped 3 T rice vinegar 1/2 c. mayonnaise 1 t. wasabi paste (or to taste) 1 T white sugar 1/4 t. ground ginger 1/2 t. garlic powder 1/2 t. salt For the coleslaw mix: Thoroughly rinse bok choy or napa cabbage, then cut into thin slices or shred. To a large mixing bowl, add shredded cabbage, daikon radish, purple cabbage, and scallions. Toss to mix. For the dressing: In a small bowl, add vinegar, mayonnaise, wasabi paste, sugar, ginger, garlic…
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Simple Herb Flatbread Crackers aka “The Fancy Cracker”
Hey all you cracker lovers. I’m doing this weird experiment where I’m going to start putting my recipes at the top of the blog post. I know. It’s revolutionary. But it might honestly just confuse people since we’re all so used to scrolling to the bottom. We’ll see I suppose. Simple Herb Flatbread Crackers 2 c. all purpose flour 2 T sugar 1/2 t. salt 1 t. dried or freshly chopped herbs of choice 3 T olive oil 2/3 c. cold water Combine flour, sugar, salt, and herbs in a medium size bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add oil, and mix with fingers until you get a crumbly, shaggy dough. Next, add…
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Garlic White Bean Soup with Kale and Bacon
I know soup season is over… but I’m not going to stop being me, okay? I’ll do my best to refrain from soup, but it’s going to happen sometimes. Even when it’s above 70 degrees outside. Now, this recipe in particular was inspired by my firm belief that enough garlic will send any cold attempting to take over my body packing. Is this belief rooted in science? Not really. Does it probably only work because of the placebo effect? Possibly. But I’m a willful believer. And I had the sniffles. So needless to say… if you’re not a fan of garlic, just move along. This recipe ain’t for you. It…
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Pistachio Chiffon Cake (Alien Free)
I scoured the internet. For days. And I couldn’t find a pistachio cupcake recipe that wasn’t neon green. This started about three weeks ago when I was browsing things-I-don’t need at Costco, and fell upon a bag of very well-priced, pre-shelled pistachios. I told myself I’d be a fool not to utilize this rare and important opportunity. So, you know, I put them in my cart along with the coffee scented honey, hibiscus hard cider, 4 pound bag of goji berries, and a cheese I can’t spell. Upon returning home, I began doing a bit of recipe research for some pistachio inspiration. Pinterest, Google, and Instagram were filling my feeds…
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Vegetarian Asparagus Carbonara
Did you know today, April 6th, is national carbonara day? I didn’t either. But I saw it on Instagram and I believe! I’ll never turn down an excuse to make creamy pasta. Especially when it’s such a simple, fool-proof sauce. If you’ve never made carbonara before, the only trick to it is making sure your pasta isn’t too hot when you add the egg yolks, otherwise you may end up with scrambled eggs as a sauce. Not yum. It really isn’t too scary though, and you can always err on the side of keeping your dish too cool, which will just make the sauce take a little longer to thicken.…
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Basic Dutch Baby + Savory Spring Dutch Baby with Hollandaise
For anyone who doesn’t follow my Instagram, Myles and I have big news: we’re chicken parents! Even though it’s been more dreary than sunny the last while, we’re buzzing with the idea of spring. I have nearly all of my plants started (I keep saying I’m done, and then I buy more seeds… oops), and the chicks have officially entered their ugly-teen-stage. Things within the house are very much alive, just waiting to burst through the doors once the weather allows. Really, once the man who’s building the house next door allows. We’re situated at the top of a little hill in our little town. It’s nice during flood season…
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Corned Beef and Cabbage with Honey Carrots and Savory Bacon Mash
The sun is shining and it’s almost forty degrees! My heart is singing. There still snow on the ground, but I wanted at least a hint of spring while I write this post. St.Patrick’s Day has always been a marker of more tolerable weather for me. In fact, that’s really all I liked about the holiday until recently. Truth time: I’ve never been a fan of corned beef. Something about it just didn’t taste like meat to me. But it definitely didn’t taste like a plant either. It messed with my stomach. Turns out, most of the packaged, pre-brined corned beef you can buy has been curing in that pickle…
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Panna Cotta with Blood Orange and Rosé Gelee
Panna cotta is fancy milk Jell-o. That’s it. That’s all it is. And it’s almost as easy to make, but way more impressive. If you’re from anywhere in the midwest, you’re probably very familiar with the various Jell-o salad concoctions that end up at the local potlucks. Well, this is easier to make than most of those, but it sounds, and looks, way more sophisticated. And I guess it kind of is, because it’s Italian, and that gives any dish auto-classy points. This particular version could also be classified as a sort of Jell-o shot, if you don’t cook the alcohol out of the wine. Like I said, classy. On…
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Enriched Dough + Orange and Cardamom Sweet Rolls
Does anyone else dream in sweet breads? No? Just me? I have a very committed, long-term relationship with simple carbs. We’re a sort of power couple, if you know what I mean. I make them, they are delicious, I eat them. It’s great. The thing about them, or I suppose really the thing about people’s perceptions of them, is that they’re made out to be this strict, tedious thing. People are often comfortable with experimentation when it comes to the stove top. Throwing carrots in a spaghetti sauce, or corn in alfredo, folks have no problem with creativity. But it seems that when we get to baking, it’s all about…
ADVENTURES IN FOOD, TRAVEL, AND PHOTOGRAPHY
