Fun with Jane and Dick » Culinary Goddess

Fast Turkey Wrap

Jane — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:31:32 +0000

Hungry and lazy to make too much of a fuss over something to eat for lunch, I put together a quick Turkey wrap to eat.

INGREDIENTS

Basically, I just threw this together with stuff that happened to be in my fridge at the time.

It includes, in order from bottom to top:

A large whole wheat tortilla

Mayo

Turkey (cover the entire tortilla)

Herbs (I used cilantro and dill weed)

Sliced cucumber, onion and tomato

Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Roll it up like an eggroll. Fold in the sides first, then ROLL.

I also like to toast it.

Yum!!

-Jane, New Fan of Wraps

COOKING IDEAS BY JANE: Making Stuffed Cabbage Soup.

Jane — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:17:44 +0000

I haven’t had or made stuffed cabbage soup in a long time so I decided to make it for the family the other day. You know how much this family loves soups.

COOKING WITH JANE DISCLAIMER

STUFFED CABBAGE SOUP

Here’s what you’ll need:

THE FILLING

You’ll need to have brown rice (or white rice) cooked already. About 2-3 cups will do. Also, the vermicelli needs to be pre-soaked in warm water so that it is soft but not cooked and then cut into shorter pieces. Combine the meat, rice and noodles.

Mix together well along with salt, pepper, mushroom seasoning (or fish sauce if you have it). You can also season with garlic salt or onion powder for added flavor. Get creative, you can fill it with some many yummy things.

THE OUTSIDE

The trick to wrapping the cabbage is the first boil some water, then cook the full head of cabbage in the boiling water just long enough to make it soft to where you can remove the leaves (about 2 min).

Just slowly pull away the leaves and cut at the bottom using a knife. Continue until you get to the core.

These leaves will be too small so I just leave the center and chop it up in large cubes.

The green onions also need to be slightly cooked in the hot water. Both the green onions and cabbage will make your broth super tasty.

Green onions tend to have multiple heads. You only need them to be single strands so you can remove the extras and cut them up to add to the soup later.

STUFFING THE CABBAGE

Take a leaf of cabbage and add a spoonful of the stuffing. You want it to look like the shape of a log.

Now since I’m rolling the cabbage, I can’t take pictures at the same time to show you but here’s how you’ll roll up your cabbage (like an eggroll):

1st: Fold the bottom flap over the meat.

2nd: Fold in the left and right sides.

3rd: Roll your log while holding in the sides.

4th: Tie it off to keep it together with a single strand of green onion.

Voila!

Make as many as you can.

Aren’t they beautiful?

THE SOUP

In your large pot of water that you used to cook the cabbage and green onions, add the chopped cabbage and some sliced carrots.

Add salt, pepper, mushroom seasoning (or fish sauce) for flavor. When the water is boiling, add the stuffed cabbage and add any extra green onion (cut up).

Cook on med-low for about 30 minutes…not too long as the cabbage will get super soft.

And SERVE!

YUMMY!

-Jane, Culinary Goddess.

Microwave Rice Krispy Treats: Easiest way to make em.

Jane — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:01:09 +0000

This Jane is not really a fan of Rice Krispy Treats. I know, how UN-American.

I’ve just grown out of the marsh mellow phase of my childhood. It grosses me out to think of how those marsh mellows are coagulating in my stomach. Pretty disgusting if you think about it.

Every week, the moms take turns bringing in desserts for lunch. This week, one of the moms brought in some stuff to make Rice Krispy Treats so we make it for her since she’s busy…chica is a Mom of 9 kids!

Anyway, it’s a total surprise for my fellow lunch lady, Shirley that I’ve never made Rice Krispy Treats before. She probably thinks I deprive my kids of all the good things in life. LOL (You know I love ya Shirley!).

So, Shirley shows me how it’s done.

STEP 1:

Add put the marsh mellows in a bowl and add butter. Shirley puts in 3 large dollops of butter.

STEP 2:

She then melts it in the microwave.

OMG, that is disgusting.

STEP 3:

Add the Rice Krispies.

STEP 4:

Stir.

Step 5:

Pour into a container.

Step 6:

Press into flat cake and let it set.

Step 7:

Cut up into cake squares.

So, that’s it! Pretty dang easy for all the Dicks and Janes that love Rice Krispy Treats.

-Jane, Non-fan of Rice Krispy Treats.

My New Mi Goi (Ramen). Instructions included.

Jane — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:45:11 +0000

Ramen, in Vietnamese, is “Mi Goi“. And I don’t know any Vietnamese people who do not eat “Mi Goi”. If you don’t, I would have to question your true Vietnamese-hood!

So, remember I decided to venture out in life and try something new? I decided to try a new ramen that no one recommended to me, that I have never heard of or seen before…it just looked good and it was the last one. Don’t you love when you’re the lucky bitch Jane to get the LAST ONE ??!?!?!??!

The ramen I selected by careful deduction, is NOODLE KING’s Wonton Flavor Ramen.

And get this, these are NON-FRIED noodles…because most ramen noodles are deep fried.

You know this Jane digs being a little healthier if I can.

HOW TO COOK INSTANT RAMEN

Yes, I know it seems silly to explain how to cook instant ramen but you’d be surprise…

Inside the packaging, this is what I find:

Wow! There’s a tray! I’ve never had one with a tray! Impressed.

On the tray is the noodles, a seasoning package and a chilli oil package.

STEP 1:

Ok, boil some water. (Tells you how much on the back.)

STEP 2:

After it boils, add the noodles.

STEP 3:

Once the noodles are cooked (about 2 min), pour it out into a bowl.

STEP 4:

Add the seasoning package.

And if you like spicy, add the chilli oil.

If you don’t like spicy, you can always add some Sesame Oil instead.

It’s fantastic and actually, I’d use the sesame anyway.

STEP 5:

Because I just can’t let things be, I decide I want some veggies in my soup so I take some of the snow pea leaves that I bought at the Asian store as well.

Since my soup is freshly hot, all you have to do it throw this in and it’ll cook instantly.

If I had some fresh green onions I would have put some in there too.

Anyway, my review of Noodle King’s Wonton Flavor Ramen?

AWESOME!

The noodles are so tasty and maintain a good consistency (they don’t get soggy fast), almost like fresh noodles, and the flavoring is delicious!

Ok, this is one of my NEW FAVORITE RAMENS!!!

Or, as the Japanese would pronounce it “La-men”. Japanese people have trouble with “r”s.

This Jane is in Noodle Heavan.

Any La-men Lovin’ Jane and Dick’s out there?

-Jane, La-men Lover.

Homemade Sushi: Jane’s Tunafish Rolls. Not the raw kind. The kids LOVE it!

Jane — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:17:21 +0000

My kids love sushi. They’ll eat the raw pieces of fish too. But, we don’t do raw at home.

Many years ago, one of my friends introduced me to Roasted Seasoned Seaweed. This stuff is DA BOMB! You can eat it plain or with rice…or with my homemade recipe for sushi at home.

It’s easy, it’s fast, and it’s DELISH. It also requires no cooking if you already have steamed rice.

My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE these tunafish rolls.

INGREDIENTS

Here’s what you’ll need:

Steamed Rice (Jasmine or Japanese Sushi Rice)

Canned Tuna Fish

(I used 3 of the large cans here.)

Thinly Sliced Green Onions

Thinly Sliced Cucumbers

Roasted Seasoned Seaweed and Japanese Mayonaise

(The mayo is SOOOOOO good. I use it for sandwiches.)

Pickled Ginger (Optional. I love it!!)

Salt/Pepper/Garlic Salt or Powder

TUNA PASTE

This tuna filling is very tastey and you can substitute it with any kind of fish you like. I buy tuna because it’s EASY and my kids love it.

STEP 1:

Drain your canned fish…even pressing to really get all that moisture out. Runny is not good.

Add mayonnaise to it. Here, you can see my assistant squeezing the heck out of that mayonnaise bottle.

I’m not sure about the amount but I put enough to make it gooey. How’s that for cooking directions. A gooey, pasty consistency. I squeeze a bunch in there. Of course, this also depends on how much tuna you use.

I know, I didn’t tell you how much tunafish to use or give you an amount for the mayo but at some point in your life you’ll have to try to figure things out with minimal directions. This is a good time to start. You can do it! I have faith in you!!

STEP 2: ADD SPICES

Add Salt (or if you have Garlic Salt use that. Then there will be no need for the garlic powder.)

Add Pepper.

Add Garlic Powder if you didn’t use Garlic Salt.

Add Green Onions.

STEP 3: Mix it all up!

Any leftovers (we don’t ever have this happen but in case you do) could easily be used for a tunafish salad or sandwich. Just add some sliced celery, walnuts, capers, chopped red onions and you will have a gourmet delish tuna salad or sandwich ready to be eaten.

STEP 4: THE SEAWEED

The seaweed comes in sheets…like paper.

I cut that up lengthwise in half and then, I cut it the other way 4 times making 10 pieces.

STEP 5: PUT IT TOGETHER

Take a piece of seaweed, add a dab of rice.

Then add a bit of the tuna paste.

Also add some of the sliced cucumber.

Roll it up and Enjoy!

-Jane, Sushi Lover.

Family Dinner and a Movie: Turkey Burgers & Bette Midler’s Big Business.

Jane — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:29:54 +0000

Louise has been craving my turkey burgers since we haven’t had them in a while. It’s been too cold to grill so I’m just going to sear them on my stovetop.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BURGER:

Ground turkey, buns, onion.

SPICES:

Garlic Powder, Turmeric, Pepper, Salt.

STEP 1

Puree one medium onion. If you don’t have a food processor you can grate the onion using a cheese grater. This is much more painful to do but whatever, you do what do got to do.

Louise wants to help but you can hardly tell by the looks of her. Ms. Moody in da house!

So that’s how the pureed onions should look.

Add the onions to the ground turkey.

STEP 2

Now to add the spices. SALT.

(Amount depends on your own taste.)

Thelma steps in for a second to help.

PEPPER.

But, Louise gets jealous and quickly steps in again.

TURMERIC.

AHHHH!!! Yikes! Not that much turmeric!

Louise doesn’t realize that there is not one of those screens with holes to prevent too much from coming out.

I had to scoop some of it out.

Turmeric is great for a subtle taste and for giving the burger meat some color when it browns.

GARLIC POWDER.

I ran out of garlic so I’m using garlic powder. If you have garlic, mince up about 4-5 cloves and add it to your mix.

I also add a little tad of olive oil since the ground turkey is really sticky. You don’t want it to stick to your hands when you’re shaping the patties.

STEP 3

Make the patties. Trying to avoid touching raw meat as much as possible, I tell Dick to do the burgers.

Put some oil on your pan and sear it on both sides until brown.

SERVE IT UP!

Serve up your burgers on buns.

Ahem, patience people!

Put out a plate with toppings.

Lettuce, tomato, onions, avocados, pickles.

We didn’t have any but I usually like having cheese and mushrooms.

DINNER AND A MOVIE.

We set up a picnic area in the living room with an old blanket we have that we don’t mind getting dirty.

That way, we can watch a movie we rented.

An absolute OLDIE but GOODIE.

BIG BUSINESS!!

If you haven’t seen this movie with Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!

It’s hilarious!!!

Two twins from very different economic backgrounds get swapped at birth, one each.

Both Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler are AMAZING and super funny!!

Lucy Lu and I used to watch this OVER and OVER again when we were kids.

MAKE YOUR OWN.

Alright everyone, make your own.

Avocados on burgers are fantastic!

This look means, “This burger is absolutely INCREDIBLE!”

SUCCESS!

LOL

-Jane, Culinary Goddess.

Trader Joe’s Italian Dinner in 30 minutes. Tapenade Pasta, Sardines, and Salad.

Jane — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:52:45 +0000

Since Dick and I were arguing about making the bed, there was no time to make dinner. So, I just threw some pasta together…you can get all the exact ingredients (for the major stuff) in this recipe at TRADER JOE’S.

We discovered this great tapenade pasta one day while shopping at Trader Joe’s where they hooked us with the sample. If you don’t have access to Trader Joe’s, just use a comparable substitute.

This a great dish you can throw together in about 30 minutes when you are lazy to cook or don’t have the time to cook.

Here’s what I did:

INGREDIENTS

Use your favorite pasta and tapenade. The pasta is an organic Fusilli (I guess that means curly pasta).

The tapenade is a Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade. This one is quite tasty!

Tapenade is usually around $4-5 a jar but at Trader Joe’s, it’s like $2-3.

You’re also going to need to dice up some garlic. Lots if you love garlic like we do!

STEP 1

Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the bag.

You can cook your pasta a little “al dente” (slightly uncooked) because we’re going to cook it for a sec longer with the sauce.

STEP 2

Put some olive oil in your pot

Add your cooked pasta and top off with the tapenade.

Add your garlic (not pictured) and if you have cherry tomatos, slice them in half. Canned fish such as tuna is also excellent. We don’t have any of these today so we just keep it simple.

Sometimes simple is the best!

Add more salt and pepper if you need it, cook it on medium for about 5 minutes and serve!

Top it off with some parmesan if you have some. We didn’t.

THE SIDES

Since we’re just throwing together a meal with what we have and we just recently shopped at Trader Joe’s…

We have some canned sardines in olive oil.

Dick wants to have the sardines on the side. These sardines were really delicious.

Dick makes a salad.

Obviously you can buy the salad stuff at any grocery store.

This is the basics: Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper.

WHAT IS AN ITALIAN DINNER WITHOUT RED WINE

Our dinner…

Accompany with your favorite Red Wine.

This is a 2007 Rootstock Lodi Zinfandel is really great with the pasta.

Flavorful and bit on the woody side, it is slightly strong when you first open the bottle so be sure to let it breath first.

CHEERS !!

(Yes, we made up by the end of the night.)

Enjoy your TRADER JOE Italian Dinner!!

-Jane, Culinary Goddess

Ashereste Recipe: Persian Vegetable and Bean Hearty Soup. So great for cold weather.

Jane — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:27:29 +0000

Ashereste is a Persian hearty soup that could easily be a meal on its own. This is an EXCELLENT soup for the cold, cold winter we’re having.

Because this soup takes a while to make, I usually make a bunch and either have people over, give it away, or freeze it to eat another day.

ASHERESTE INGREDIENTS

STEP 1

Since the lentils are dry, they take a long time to cook. Therefore, you need to soak them in warm water for about .5 hour prior to adding them to the soup. This is why I soak it first because it”ll be around that time once you do some of the other stuff you need to.

STEP 2

Meanwhile, fill a 16 Quart Pot with about halfway to 8 quarts of water . Bring to a boil.

STEP 3

After thoroughly soaking and washing the leek, spinach and parsley, chop them up and add them to the water.

Dice one onion and add to the water as well.

Notice the water doesn’t have to be boiling when you add the veggies.

Once it starts to boil though, turn the heat down to medium.

STEP 4

When the veggies look like they’re getting soft and dark green, add the beans and lentils.

You’ll need to stir every so often since the beans tend to settle at the bottom and will burn if not stirred.

Add about 3-4 teaspoons of Salt and allow to cook for about 1.5 hours or until the veggies and beans are thoroughly cooked on a med-low setting (3-ish). You can also add a few tablespoons olive oil, which Persians love to do because it adds that extra flavor. For some, Persian food is not done right unless there is that layer of oil on top.

STEP 5

While the soup is cooking, slice an onion into thin, length-wise pieces. Cook in a pan with olive oil, sprinkle on turmeric and about a teaspoon of mint. Cook until brown and somewhat burnt along the edges.

Also slice up the garlic bulb and do the same thing. Cook until brown and crispy.

Set aside as toppings for the soup.

STEP 6

At the end, when the beans and veggies are very soft, you then add the ashereste noodles. I get these in a Persian store but if I didn’t have access to purchase these noodles, I guess I would substitute with a type of flat noodle. I would say Fettuccini but it’s kinda thick and takes a long time to cook. These noodles don’t take that long.

Let them cook until they get soft. They will add to the thickness to the soup. This is one of those soups that you can’t overcook. Persian food is like that…the longer you cook it, the better it tastes.

Step 7

Even after the noodles cook, the soup will seem a little watery still. Ashereste should be thick so it’s time to add a couple more things.

Add about 3 tablespoons of KASHKE (a whey paste) if you have it, if not, plain yogurt will work fine. Then, using a tablespoon of cornstarch, add some cold water to water it down.

Now the way to use cornstarch is you have to turn the soup back up to HIGH so that it gets really hot. Otherwise, the cornstarch will not condense. Then pour in the cornstarch slowly as you stir. Pay attention as you will see it start to thicken. Stop adding more cornstarch if it’s thick enough. If not, add more.

Salt to your taste if it still needs it.

AND SERVE

Since I didn’t have KASHKE (or whey paste), I added a dollop of plain yogurt and top it off with the fried onions and garlic that was set aside. Yummy!

-Jane, Persian Cooking Goddess

We’re reviewing how to make Pillsbury Mini-Brownies from the box.

Jane — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:41:33 +0000

I cook but I don’t bake that much. When I do, I use the pre-made or pre-mixed kind – I know, not very healthy. I decided to treat my girls to some brownies. We see a new Pillsbury brownie mix that makes mini-brownies and it comes with 2 trays!

Louise is loving helping me in the kitchen these days so she definitely wants to help make brownies. I guess if I were making some kind of Goulash, she would be less inclined.

Yes, this seems retarded but I’m going to show you the steps on how to make pre-mixed boxed brownies. All the directions are on the box, just in case.

STEP 1

Preheat your oven to 350F. Pour the pre-mix flour pouches into a large mixing bowl.

STEP 2

Add 3 tablespoons of water.

This brownie mix is so simple. That’s it.

I’m guessing it’s not going to taste AS good though.

STEP 3

Spray the trays with some oil.

STEP 4

Spoon the mix into the trays.

Yes, that’s a pot holder that Louise made herself. Didn’t ever make these for your mom when you were a kid?

I used to make them at the daycare I went to and bring them home to my mom. I can totally empathize with her now when she told me one day she had enough. You just can’t use 6 potholders.

STEP 5

Bake in the oven for about 11-12 minutes.

Step 6

Serve and eat! Goes great with hot tea.

We’re drinking a very tasty and aromatic Persian fragrant Earl Grey black tea.

It’s quite addictive!

The girls like it but I think the brownies are just ok. Pillsbury’s recipe is just too dry. That’s what you get for not adding eggs or oil!

Anyway, this box only makes those 12 mini brownies, which is considerably less than a normal family-size box.

I recommend getting your own mini trays or keeping this and using a different brand of brownie mix- like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. They’re much more moist and yummy!

-Jane, Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie Lover

Homemade chicken noodle soup to stay warm in this cold weather.

Jane — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:07:48 +0000

My kids love chicken noodle soup, especially when it’s cold. You don’t need a ton of ingredients and can easily throw it together. This time, I just used what I had. Since I had some chicken thighs in the fridge, I used that to make the broth. It’s fattier, but unfortunately, that’s the fat that makes it tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken, Carrots, Onion, Garlic, Some kind of herb (parsley & leek or green onion & cilantro), some kind of noodle.

STEP 1

Fill a large pot with water (This is about a 6 quart pot I’m guessing). Add chicken (I’m using 2 thighs) - you can add it with the skin on and remove it later, or if you want it to be less fatty, go ahead and remove the skin. Admittedly, I kept the skin on (It’s at the bottom of the pot somewhere). I know, chicken skin is disgusting but it makes for good soup.

Add about 2 tablespoons of salt now so that the chicken will have some flavor.

STEP 2

While it’s trying to boil, add a chopped onion and minced garlic. Put as much or little as you like. I put about 1 tablespoon, minced.

STEP 3

I like to add carrots in mine and since I had some, this worked out. I slice them in circles because the carrots are thin but if they are fat, cut them into smaller pieces. I had about 6-7 thin carrots. They add great flavor and color!

STEP 4

Remember the parsley and leek that I minced up using my new food processor, I throw a bunch of that into it too since I had it. It made it taste SUPER GOOD. When I don’t have that around, I chop up some green onion and cilantro.

No, I did not add extra oil. That’s the fat from the chicken.

STEP 5

After letting the chicken cook until it’s tender, remove it and all the skin. Discard the skin. Pull apart the chicken in little bits and add it back to the soup.

Step 6

Add your noodles. I have these persian little vermicelli bits that I think will be nice but my kids love it when I use the ABC pasta or mini bows. I have forgotten where I bought those from and haven’t been able to find them recently. Anyway, you can use whatever pasta you like. Just make sure you let it cook long enough.

STEP 7

Finish off the flavoring. Add more salt and pepper as necessary. If you have the mushroom seasoning, you can add some of that or you can also use about a tablespoon of sugar. It just balances the salt a bit. Stir it all up.

Now enjoy your soup with some crackers or pita bread and STAY WARM!

-Jane, Lover of Chicken Noodle Soup