Story:
Cream Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast. Really? Sounds weird, I know. But I grew up having this dinner and I always loved it. I haven't made it for a while, and the other day my kids were asking for it. It is super good, everyone loves it, and I always have the ingredients on hand. I'm making it tonight, and my kids are looking forward to it!
Growing up, I don't think any of my friends' families EVER ate this. I guess I kind of wondered if my mom's mom made it up. But I just looked it up online, and found several recipes for it and several comments of people who grew up in big families eating this when money was tight. Kind of a frugal, generational type dish, I guess. On my quick search online, I found a few different variations on how to make the white sauce; below is my mom's version.
It's basically just a white sauce. Add tuna. Add frozen peas. Serve over toast! That's it.
Ingredients:
4 T butter
4 T flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper (error on a little less than more)
2 C milk
1 can tuna (or two if they are the really little ones--has anyone noticed that Costco small cans are 7 oz, and the grocery stores are 5oz??)
frozen peas (as many as desired; I throw in a lot)
Directions:
Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan. Blend in the flour and the seasonings. Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. (Makes 2 cups of sauce.)
Add 1 can of well-drained tuna fish. Stir into the sauce. Add as many frozen peas as you want. And warm through.
Serve over toast.
TIP: We love using PIZZA CUTTERS for lots of things. For cutting up our waffles, pancakes, and of course pizza. This is another time we use the pizza cutter to quickly and easily cut the sauce-covered toast up into nice sized bites. Just an idea...
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Korean: Ddeokbokki (spicy rice cake)
Story:
As I've mentioned before, my husband and I both served a mission for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in Seoul, South Korea. Of course, we weren't married then... but AFTER the missions, we started dating and we were married not long after. People often ask us if we speak Korean to each other. It would be great if we did, but, well, English is a whole lot easier! But we DO try sometimes. And we do try to read scriptures in Korean. And we have been known to occasionally get somewhat addicted to Korean dramas. And we do LOVE Korean food. For the record, I will admit that I was the world's pickiest eater before I lived in Korea for over a year (and I *may* have shed a tear when I was assigned to serve in Korea...mostly for fear of the food). But now, the smell of kimchi makes my mouth water and I keep dried seaweed in my pantry at all times.
I took a quick trip to the Asian Market last week to purchase some of the aforementioned kimchi... and I saw some dduk (pressed rice cakes) sitting there in a bag waiting for me to take some home to make ddeokbokki. Yum. It's not the healthiest of Korean foods (probably why I like it and my husband not-so-much), but it is tasty (and not too scary for you new-food-a-phobics). I'm going to make some tomorrow, and I wanted to go ahead and record the recipe here for easy access. I found a Korean food blog that is pretty fun... www.maangchi.com ... which is where I found this ddeokbokki recipe. I will record my simplified adaptation here (namely, I will not make the kelp and anchovy broth that she does... I'm sure it's awesome, but I'll just go with chicken broth. Sorry Maangchi! I'm sure it's fab.) And I'll go for the milder flavor recipe, because it might be tricky enough to get my kids to try it, and if it's too spicy, then it certainly won't fly.
Ingredients:
tube-shaped rice cakes for ddeokbokki
4 (to 6) T hot pepper paste
1 T sugar
4 green onions, cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces
4 C chicken broth
Directions:
Bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
Add the rice cakes (about a pound).
Add 4-6 tablespoons of the hot pepper paste and about 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Stir constantly. Stir until the sauce is thick and the rice cake is shiny.
Transfer onto a plate to serve.
*I've only made it once, and it was great. If it turns out okay tomorrow, I will add a picture here!*
As I've mentioned before, my husband and I both served a mission for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in Seoul, South Korea. Of course, we weren't married then... but AFTER the missions, we started dating and we were married not long after. People often ask us if we speak Korean to each other. It would be great if we did, but, well, English is a whole lot easier! But we DO try sometimes. And we do try to read scriptures in Korean. And we have been known to occasionally get somewhat addicted to Korean dramas. And we do LOVE Korean food. For the record, I will admit that I was the world's pickiest eater before I lived in Korea for over a year (and I *may* have shed a tear when I was assigned to serve in Korea...mostly for fear of the food). But now, the smell of kimchi makes my mouth water and I keep dried seaweed in my pantry at all times.
I took a quick trip to the Asian Market last week to purchase some of the aforementioned kimchi... and I saw some dduk (pressed rice cakes) sitting there in a bag waiting for me to take some home to make ddeokbokki. Yum. It's not the healthiest of Korean foods (probably why I like it and my husband not-so-much), but it is tasty (and not too scary for you new-food-a-phobics). I'm going to make some tomorrow, and I wanted to go ahead and record the recipe here for easy access. I found a Korean food blog that is pretty fun... www.maangchi.com ... which is where I found this ddeokbokki recipe. I will record my simplified adaptation here (namely, I will not make the kelp and anchovy broth that she does... I'm sure it's awesome, but I'll just go with chicken broth. Sorry Maangchi! I'm sure it's fab.) And I'll go for the milder flavor recipe, because it might be tricky enough to get my kids to try it, and if it's too spicy, then it certainly won't fly.
Ingredients:
tube-shaped rice cakes for ddeokbokki
4 (to 6) T hot pepper paste
1 T sugar
4 green onions, cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces
4 C chicken broth
Directions:
Bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
Add the rice cakes (about a pound).
Add 4-6 tablespoons of the hot pepper paste and about 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Stir constantly. Stir until the sauce is thick and the rice cake is shiny.
Transfer onto a plate to serve.
*I've only made it once, and it was great. If it turns out okay tomorrow, I will add a picture here!*
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Rice Krispies Treats... maybe the best thing ever.
Story:
Yes, I am actually posting just the good ol' fashioned original Rice Krispies Treat recipe. It might seem boring... but these treats are everyone's favorite, right?
Besides, if I put the recipe here, then maybe I'll remember to make these little squares of happy gooey-ness more often!
Also besides, I admittedly often buy the generic brand of Rice Krispies, and generic brands don't have the recipe on the box. So, I usually have to go online and look up the measurements again. Perhaps a "real cook" wouldn't need measurements, but as stated before, I am no "real cook"... just a recipe follower.
Besides (again), this recipe does have one secret ingredient. Some years ago when I was on a Rice Krispies Treat making kick, I took some to my friend Traci. She said her kids ate them and were like, "Whoa! These are good!" And she was like: "What? I make Rice Krispies Treats all the time." And they were like, "No, these are different!"
Vanilla. It's the vanilla, guys. It takes our traditional little sweet treat to a new level. Seriously.
Ingredients:
4 T (1/2 stick) butter
4 C mini marshmallows OR 1 (10-oz) package of regular-sized marshmallows
1 t vanilla extract (recipe said "optional" -- I say it is not optional. Just do it.)
6 C Rice Krispies cereal (or equivalent)
Directions:
Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat.
Add the marshmallows and stir until the mixture is all melted and smooth.
Take off the heat.
Stir in the vanilla.
Add the cereal. Stir until the cereal is all coated evenly.
Spread the mixture into the buttered pan. I like to pat it in with a spatula (sometimes having to butter up the spatula a little bit first).
Let them cool and then cut them into squares.
Like I said... always a fave.
Yes, I am actually posting just the good ol' fashioned original Rice Krispies Treat recipe. It might seem boring... but these treats are everyone's favorite, right?
Besides, if I put the recipe here, then maybe I'll remember to make these little squares of happy gooey-ness more often!
Also besides, I admittedly often buy the generic brand of Rice Krispies, and generic brands don't have the recipe on the box. So, I usually have to go online and look up the measurements again. Perhaps a "real cook" wouldn't need measurements, but as stated before, I am no "real cook"... just a recipe follower.
Besides (again), this recipe does have one secret ingredient. Some years ago when I was on a Rice Krispies Treat making kick, I took some to my friend Traci. She said her kids ate them and were like, "Whoa! These are good!" And she was like: "What? I make Rice Krispies Treats all the time." And they were like, "No, these are different!"
Vanilla. It's the vanilla, guys. It takes our traditional little sweet treat to a new level. Seriously.
Ingredients:
4 T (1/2 stick) butter
4 C mini marshmallows OR 1 (10-oz) package of regular-sized marshmallows
1 t vanilla extract (recipe said "optional" -- I say it is not optional. Just do it.)
6 C Rice Krispies cereal (or equivalent)
Directions:
Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat.
Add the marshmallows and stir until the mixture is all melted and smooth.
Take off the heat.
Stir in the vanilla.
Add the cereal. Stir until the cereal is all coated evenly.
Spread the mixture into the buttered pan. I like to pat it in with a spatula (sometimes having to butter up the spatula a little bit first).
Let them cool and then cut them into squares.
Like I said... always a fave.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Mom's Beef Stew
Story:
This is the beef stew I grew up with. It still reminds me of home. And my mom.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs beef cubes
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch slices
1 or 2 onions, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered (or eighth-ed)
1 pkg frozen peas
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2 can of water
1 t salt
dash of pepper
1 bay leaf
Directions:
Combine all ingredients (except the peas) in a crock pot.
Cook on high for five hours.
Add peas last 10 minutes or so, before serving.
Delicious and comforting.
This is the beef stew I grew up with. It still reminds me of home. And my mom.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs beef cubes
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch slices
1 or 2 onions, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered (or eighth-ed)
1 pkg frozen peas
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2 can of water
1 t salt
dash of pepper
1 bay leaf
Directions:
Combine all ingredients (except the peas) in a crock pot.
Cook on high for five hours.
Add peas last 10 minutes or so, before serving.
Delicious and comforting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)