Gyudon

My girlfriend had lived and taught English in Japan for a year way back in 2004. This had a huge impact on her life, and now it's making a huge impact on mine. The only connections with Japan that I had ever had was the book Shogun, various kung-fu movies and some university history classes. I hadn't even been a big fan of sushi.

However, when you start dating someone that loved Japan as much as my girlfriend did, you better start getting used to eating Japanese food! I now eat Sushi several times a month, usually with a spicy tekka maki roll and some toro sashimi. Okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake), edamame, yakisoba and gyoza have also been introduced into my diet.

For her birthday last year, I purchased her a Japanese Cookbook called Basic Japanese Cooking: Including Sushi, Sashimi and Yakitori written by Jody Vassallo. It's really a beautiful book with some very tasty recipies inside.

Gyudon is really a very easy recipe, perfect for a night of lazy cooking and simplicity. Apparently it is a very popular dish in Japan, and I hope I did it some justice for this recipe. It is suggested that it is served alongside miso soup, but I would suggest serving it alongside some edamame to green it up a bit.

This recipe calls for Dashi stock, which I unfortunately do not have any of. I will have to make a trip to the Asian market here in Lethbridge (a somewhat small cramped store, which oddly enough also has an Italian section to it...). In this particular cookbook, Dashi stock is made from kombu seaweed and 3/4oz bonito flakes. Nami from Just One Cookbook suggests using a ready-made package of dashi stock, which I may have to look for next time. However, the cookbook also points out that lots of these packages have MSG inside. I ended up using beef stock, which worked just as well for me.


Gyudon

Dashi Stock - 2 cups
Soy Sauce - 2 tbsps
Mirin - 2 tbsps
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 2 tbsps
Onion - 1, long, thin slices
Beef - about 400g marbled beef, cut very thinly.

Heat a saucepan over medium and add the dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, ginger and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add the onion slices. Cook until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Add the beef, cook until tender, only about 2-3 minutes. Any longer and the beef becomes tougher.

Serve on hot rice. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and onions, then pour on some of the sauce.

Any leftovers would be perfect inside of a "beef dip" type thing. It's also tasty as leftovers!

Deep Dish Sausage Pizza

It's rainy, cold and miserable outside today. Lethbridge is a great small city to live in most of the time, but occasionally the wind really picks up and destroys everything in it's path. I guess because of the elevation, the nearness of the rocky mountains and temperature all lend a hand in creating one massive wind tunnel. This wind tunnel shoots directly through the city and has some incredibly blustery days.

People walk hunched over, clutching their belongings, fighting the wind as they try to make it to their destination. I remember pumping gas one day, and almost being knocked over twice by some strong gusts.

What makes matters worse, is when the weather throws some snow or rain into the mix. A high wind pushing that gunk into your face can make almost anyone miserable!

That's why it's important, that when you are safe and sound indoors, that you make yourself as warm and cozy as possible. Well guess what! This dish definitely does that!.

Originating from Georgia's Comfort of Cooking blog, this recipe seemed like the perfect easy comfort food meal. It has a beautiful soft crust and is seemingly stuffed full of delicious ingredients. Its another good adaptation from a simple pizza recipe. I hope you enjoy.


Deep Dish Sausage Pizza

Pizza Dough - Homemade or Frozen - 1 package
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Italian Sausage - 2

Crushed or Diced Tomatoes - 1 can (400ml)
Mozzarella - 1/2 cup
Green Pepper - 1/2, diced
Artichoke Hearts - 3 - diced
Feta Cheese - 1/2 cup
Green Onion - 2, diced
Oregano - pinch

Make your dough and let rise for about 30-40 minutes.

Add the olive oil to a pan and cook the sausage over medium heat until it's browned. Georgia also had the great idea of breaking the sausages down with a potato masher to help them crumble. You can also use a wooden spoon, or cut them into chunks first as I did. Drain on a paper towel.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9" oven proof skillet or a pie plate with olive oil. Drape the pizza dough inside, smoothing it out and pressing into the corners. I also liked to bunch the top a little to make a bit of a crust. Cover both the bottom and sides of the skillet. Add half the mozzarella cheese, then the tomato sauce. Smooth out over the crust. Add the green peppers, artichokes then feta cheese and oregano. Top with the remaining mozza and the sausage.

Cook in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. You may want to test the inside and see if its completely cooked through. Once out of the oven, sprinkle on some green onions, then serve. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to Georgia, I know that I did!

Long Weekend Camping

I have returned from a very long four days of camping, which were incredibly enjoyable. The weather forecast was predicting rain, people started backing out and I was starting to get sick.

However, as the week rolled on and Thursday came along, we all decided to just suck it up and go out camping. Of course here in Alberta, there was a fire-ban during the break, so we escaped to neighbouring British Columbia to enjoy our time. I mean, if it's going to rain, you better be able to have a fire, right?

I'm sorry to report that there will be no recipes to include along with this weekend summary. The most advanced cooking that took place this trip amounted to both grilled cheese and hot dogs, as well as the daring diced hotdog grilled cheese sandwich... I'm afraid that it was a very laid back/unhealthy camping trip for all. There was talk about making a shot glass out of a toasted marshmallow and then filling it was Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor... but I'm afraid we never got that extreme. Alas.

Why didn't I just take a picture of a smore?

Anyway! Some creative juices did start flowing while I was out there, and I think I may just plan a culinary camping trip sometime, to enjoy some of the unique cooking styles that take place in the mountains. Of course, I'll have to wait for another weekend or summer vacations to hit, but that just gives me time to plan!

Some of the activities that did take place while camping included:

Building a fire, cutting wood, setting up a tent, setting up multiple tarps (to stave off potential rain), cooking hotdogs, playing beersbe (Frisbee + beer, ask and i'll share how to play), cooking hotdogs, cooking grilled cheese, chatting, a hike up a "mountain" side, napping, singing, story telling, and sleeping.

It wasn't the most outdoorsy camping expedition, but it's the usual way to celebrate a May long weekend.

Having only cooked hotdogs and grilled cheese, I've gone without cooking for a little while. This means that I haven't really cooked anything for the last couple of days, so I'll need to meet that need within the next couple of days. I'm thinking steak, so stay tuned for that! I hope you all had a good long weekend yourselves! Let me know if you did anything exciting!

Summer time Sangria

The last couple of days have been absolutely gorgeous. They have been full of sunshine and heat, and I've been stuck at work. I of course get to escape for the final couple of hours to enjoy the outdoors, but often I don't get to enjoy a full day of sun as I'd like.

This weekend, It's a long weekend. I get half of Friday off all the way through to Monday. It's also my girlfriend's birthday, so sun should be expected right?

Wrong! Rain, rain, rain. And clouds. And on top of it all, I am starting to come down with another illness. Working in a school definitely exposes you to some rapidly mutating diseases.

Its rather unfortunate, because I was all ready to rave about this recipe. Its probably one of the better photos I have taken, and the drink itself was delicious as well. But now that I'm bushed with a stuffed head, all I want to do is go to bed!

So enjoy this little taste of sunshine, and I hope that it returns soon!


Summer time Sangria

Blush Wine (Fat Bastard) - 1 bottle
Gin - 1 sample bottle (1oz)
Ginger Ale - Approx. 1 cup
Lime - 1/2 in sliced
Lemon - 1/2 sliced
Orange - 1/2 sliced
Raspberries - 1 cup
Ice

Slice the fruit up and place in a large bottle/jug. Add the gin and wine. Now depending on your alcohol tolerance, you can add or take away ginger ale to adjust. I actually preferred mine without any, but my girlfriend put in about cup. Either way, it tastes delicious, its all about what you enjoy.

Finally throw in some ice cubes and serve. It would probably be best to let chill for about an hour to let the fruit and wine mix, but feel free to enjoy immediately!

Hopefully the good weather visits again soon, because I can't wait to give this drink another shot. Enjoy.

Traditional Potato Skins

I am a barbecuing fiend! Ever since the nice weather hit, I haven't really been able to hold myself back. Being outside in the hot sun, not worrying about getting too many dishes dirty, cooking on an open flame... sigh, its the life.

A few of my favourites have already made an appearance on the BBQ. Burgers, Chicken Wings, Corn on the Cob, Roasted Potatoes... it's been good eating. Of course one of the best things to serve along with the open-flame food would be a nice fresh salad. Summer is upon us!!

In celebration of the summer, my girlfriend and I decided to host the first ever fire of the summer. We got an outdoor firepit to set up in the backyard and had some good friends come over for some drinks and snacks.

We had some potatoes just waiting to be used in the bottom of the cupboard, and we deiced to take a risk on making some classic potato skins. Nothing fancy about this recipe, even though I was tempted by a few online recipes I had saved up. Sprinkles of Parsley has a great "Buffalo Chicken Potato Skin" that I'm still aching to try, and The Joy Of Clean Eating has a great "Packed Potato Skin" with multiple cheeses and sun dried tomatoes. These two blogs give some great inspiration for the skin of potatoes, but this one is more of the traditional route, before I go get all crazy with ingredients.

Next time I make it though, a sprinkle of Cayenne or Paprika would probably add a kick... just a suggestion. Enjoy!


Traditional Potato Skins

Baking Potatoes - 6
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper - pinch
Sour Cream  - 1/2 cup
Green Onion - 1/3 cup, diced
Bacon - 1/3 cup, small bite sized pieces

Poke a couple fork holes into your potatoes, then place on the grill. Cook for about 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft on the inside. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes. Scoop out the insides of the potatoes with a spoon, but leave about a 1/4" of potato left on the skin. If you don't, it falls apart much easier. Save the inside of the potato for stuffing.

Place the potato skins upside and drizzle on some olive oil. Now I did this part in the oven (at 350 degrees) just for ease, but feel free to return to the grill. Cook the skins for about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5. Season with Salt and Pepper.

While the skins are roasting, mash the potato flesh, sour cream, green onion and bacon together in a bowl.

When the skins are removed and crispy, scoop the potato mixture back inside. Place the potatoes back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. You may even want to broil at the end to make sure the tops are crispy and golden.

Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

Scandinavian Almond Squares

Now I rarely ever bake. I find it much more difficult than cooking dinner. I always seem to miss a vital ingredient, or mix it in a wrong way, or have some sort of explosion occur, and the dish never turns out exactly as it should have.

Maybe I just stress myself out and it causes a mistake, or maybe I get on a roll and my mind skips a beat. In any case, it's always an experience when I bake.

I saw this recipe when my girlfriend and I went to visit her sister. We had some free time, and I was leafing through one of her cookbooks when I came across this morsel. I immediately begged for the recipe and she was nice enough to pass it along. Do other people look through cookbooks when visiting? I expect that some foodies probably find it hard to resist like myself. At least I didn't look through them while actual visiting was going on!

Now you may wonder why this recipe in particular jumped out at me. Being a history major, my favourite study was of Viking Culture. I could ramble on for days about them, and get fiercely excited when reading Viking Sagas or finding some sort of item on Viking heritage. Now this recipe probably didn't even appear until decades after the Vikings had passed, but I was hooked anyway!

Now this is only the first time I have made this, but it turned out fairly well. I forgot to brush on the milk before the almonds *face palm* for my traditional baking error, but other than that, things went fairly well. The dough did tend to break apart easily, so I may add another egg next time, or let it cook in the oven for longer. I also would suggest forming the dough longs straight on the cookie sheet, so transferring them over is rather difficult.

Send me a message if you end up giving this a shot, and let me know how it turns out! I have no doubts you'll enjoy it, I just want to see if you make as much a mess as I did!


Scandinavian Almond Squares

Flour - 1 3/4 cups
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Butter - 1/2 cup
Icing Sugar - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp
Milk
Sliced Almonds - 1/2 cup

Beat the butter and sugar until creamed, then add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat well.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add the butter mixture. Beat together until dough is well mixed and let cool for about 15mins.

Divide the dough into two balls. Form each ball into a roll and place on a greased cookie sheet. The rolls should be approximately 3" wide by 10" long. Make sure that the logs are about a 1/4" thick.

Make dents in the dough with your fingers to hold liquid. Just lightly press down. Brush the logs with milk, just enough to get them moist. Sprinkle on the crushed almonds and press them gently into the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes until the edges are slightly browned. Cut the dough in a diagonal direction every 1" or so. Let it cool.

When cool, mix together

Icing sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla Extract (or almond) - 1/4 tsp
Milk

Stir together, adding just enough milk until it forms a cream. You want to be able to pour it, but not have it too thick. Drizzle over the rolls and let stand for about an hour.

Sugo con Gamberi

I'm in love.

With Garlic Bread.

Not just any garlic bread, but garlic bread that is dipped in a tasty tomato sauce.

Now this is the second time that I have written this post, as for some reason it decided to revert to draft form and erase a couple of my paragraphs. How did I mess that up? I even had a nice little comment from Nami at Just One Cookbook about making fancy names for dishes, and now its all gone!!!

So this is my second posting, and I'm far too lazy to write out the exact same thing as I did before. Let me just say that I had rediscovered my love of garlic bread and sauce. I also had mentioned that I didn't want to call this dish by the boring name of Tomato Sauce with Shrimp, so thanks to Google Translator, I fancied it all up.


Sugo Con Gamberi

Shrimp - 2 handfuls, peeled and deveined
Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1/4 diced
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
Tomato Sauce - 1 tin (400ml)
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Oregano - 1 tbsp

Start heating a frying pan over low heat. Add the olive oil and warm it up. Add the onion and saute until the onion starts to soften. Add the garlic. When the garlic starts to brown, add the remaining ingredients and turn up to medium. One it starts to boil, turn off and serve.

This sauce can go great with pasta or rice, or just straight as an appetizer. You may want to use crushed or whole tomatoes to make it a bit thicker.

Tomato Basa Pasta

I originally wasn't going to write about this dinner, it seemed completely un-exotic and boring. I took no pre-meal pictures, I only sat down... and devoured.

Sometimes it's surprising how a simple meal can taste like one that you slave away at. I honestly think that this meal took less than twenty minutes to make, and most of that was waiting for the pasta water to boil. In that span of time, I managed to make a healthy, delicious recipe that even has leftovers for tomorrow.

I used to think that an easy meal would be cooking a box of mac and cheese or putting a ready-made pizza in the oven. When you think about it, making either of those dishes would have taken the same amount of time as mine. There would have been less leftover, less health and waaay less flavour. Chalk a victory up to healthy homemade meals!

This meal is surprisingly good and has a lot of flavour in it. There is a bit of kick from the crushed pepper flakes and some great texture combinations. I'll be adding this one to the list of tasty dishes! I hope you like it as well.

When I realized I should have taken pictures....

Basa Fillet - 1
Flour

Garlic - 2 cloves, diced
Crushed tomatoes - 1 (400ml) tin
Green Pepper - 1/3, diced
Artichoke Hearts - 2-3, diced
Crushed Pepper Flakes - 1 tbsp
Oregano - 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper

Start boiling water in a pot over medium heat. Add pasta when boiling.

Cover the Basa Fillet with flour. Shake off any excess flour. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat, grease with a tbsp of olive oil. Place the fish in and cook for about 5 minutes a side. You want it completely cooked through and starting to brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and place on paper towel.

In the same frying pan, add another tbsp of olive oil. Add the garlic, green pepper and artichoke hearts. Saute for a minute before the garlic starts to burn. Add the crushed tomatoes and spices. Let it come to a boil then lower to a simmer. Add the fish.

When the pasta cooked, strain, then add to the frying pan with the fish and sauce. Stir around so that the pasta is covered with sauce. Serve with garlic bread.

Stale Bread Soup

Have you ever gotten a large piece of bread of French Bread for dinner one night? It's hard to beat a good nice piece of fresh bread, especially when you dip it in some tomato sauce! But often enough, only a slice of bread or two is eaten, and the rest is placed on the counter. Sometimes the remains are used in sandwiches, french toast or bread pudding recipes.

Sometimes however, the bread simply remains too long on the counter. There is a desire to do something about it, but the bread remains. Just a constant reminder until its presence becomes too tiresome and too old. The leftovers are then transported either to the garbage or the compost and promptly forgotten.

This recipe is the perfect counter to that sort of waste. I often will take a semi-stale piece of bread and leave it in the cupboard just waiting for it to become a solid brick of bread so I can throw it in this soup. You may even find that you purposely buy a piece of bread with the intention of making soup. I wouldn't blame you in the least!

This recipe originally comes from David Rocco's Dolce Vita  under the sexier title of Pappa Al Pomodoro. A worthy cookbook if your looking for one!


Stale Bread Soup

Olive Oil - 1 cup
Celery - 2 large stalks, finely chopped
Carrots - 2 large, finely chopped
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Stale Bread - 1/2 Loaf, cut into bite-sized pieces
Vegetable Stock - 2 cups
Canned plum Tomato - 1 tin (400ml)
Tomato Sauce - 1/2 tin (400ml)
Salt and Pepper
Basil - 1 tbsp approx (Add more as you see fit)

Start by heating a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add 2/3 cup of olive oil. Saute the celery, carrots and the onion until they become soft. Focus on the carrots and make sure they are the ones they are soft, as you'll notice them later.

Add the bread and stir constantly. Make sure the bread is covered with the olive oil. Add the vegetable stock and stir in. Continue stirring so the bread breaks down. You'll notice a baby food type consistency, but don't be discouraged, it tastes delicious!

Add the tomato's and tomato sauce. Break down the large tomato pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. I almost prefer using just two tins of pre-crushed tomatoes, but that's just me. Season with salt and pepper and basil. If you want your soup to be soupier, just add more stock. You may have to try it a couple times to find the consistency that you like. I like the soup a little thicker myself, so I stay as is. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Finish with the remaining olive oil and enjoy!

May the Fourth Be With You - The Star Wars Trio

Star Wars reference anyone? Its Star Wars Day! At least to me, this is a holiday.

Star Wars has always been a favourite of mine. When I was a little kid, I remembering sitting in the upstairs of my aunts with my waaay older cousins and their friends and being utterly fascinated with the Death Star run, the wampa ice creatures, and the final culmination of the trilogy.

I was equally excited when the newer movies came out, although I'm still not sure how I feel about those movies... I mean, Jar Jar Binks? WHY? However, I understand that for some reason, new younger children find the new shoes fascinating! However, they also dont find the older movies quite as fascinating as I did.

I even find myself watching Star Wars cartoons on the TV... right at this very moment actually! I'm just a fan... so sue me!

Now watching a Star Wars movie must be combined with one thing. A good snack. It's a simply must have! So these treats are Star Wars inspired. I hope you enjoy them.

Spicy Yoda Ears

Jalapeños - 2
Cream Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Split the Jalapeno's lengthwise in two. Scoop out the seeds and membranes with a spoon. Spoon in the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese. Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is softened and the jalapeños are cooked. Enjoy!


Dagobah Dip (aka Bean Dip

Refried Beans - 1 Tin
Jalapeños - 1, diced
Artichoke hearts - 2, diced
Sour Cream - a couple tbsps
Salsa - couple tbsps
Green Onions - handful chopped
Avocado - 1
Grated Cheese

In an oven safe bowl, spread the bean mixture over the bottom. Cover with the diced artichokes and jalapeños. Cover with Sour Cream. Spread the Salsa over the top of that. Cover with Green Onions and Grated Cheese. Mash up the avocado and spread over the salsa or  put on dollops. Cook for about 20 minutes in an oven set at 350 degrees or until the cheese is melted and mixture bubbling.

Serve hot with Chips. This dish tastes even better when you let it chill for an hour before heating.


Forest Moon Milkshake

Mint Ice Cream - 2 scoops
Banana - 1
Kiwi - 2
Milk - about a 1/2 cup

Throw the whole mixture in the blender, liquids and fruits in first, then the icecream. Blend together and serve in a nice tall chilled mug.

Whatever your Star Wars favourite may be, I hope you enjoy the day, and May the Fourth be with you. Always.