I had to share this recipe tonight. My title was from the feedback I had over dinner. Everyone was amazed at how great it was. My husband kept asking if I used legal ingredients cause it was so great and he couldn’t stop eating. No one could. I haven’t accommodated my whole blended families tastebud like tonight. My stepdaughter and her friend both left the table asking for the same dinner again.
This recipe is actually similar to Hawaiian style short ribs.
Ingredients
Flanked style short ribs
Montreal steal seasoning
Ono Hawaiian salt
Sprinkle both seasoning on the ribs and grill! It’s salty so make sure you cut back on salt if you’re not a big salt fan.
This is the last pieces before my daughter wanted more steak.
Kalbi is synonymous to Korean food. It’s beef short ribs sliced flaken style (also called LA Kalbi). I finally see this meat sliced flaken style more frequently than 10 years ago when my family moved to Florida. And if you can find a butcher to custom cut the meats. ..you could get this.
This sauce can be used in many recipes and I think it is my simple version of teriyaki sauce. It’s with basic ingredients that most would have in their kitchen.
Recipe:
1 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
minced garlic (spoonful)
pepper (sprinkle)
1 tsp Seasme oil (a little goes a long way)
minced ginger (optional)
Most korean kalbi recipe calls for apple or pear puree but it’s really unnecessary.
I learned from my family that you can mince a bottle of garlic and ginger and it keeps for months. Makes cooking korean food easier. I even use the garlic in my Italian recipes. I also freeze whole peeled garlic.
Mix all the ingredients above in a big storage bowl. It should big enough to fit all the meat. Ensure the sauce covers all the meat. I usually marinade my meat overnight at the minimum but can leave it in marinade for couple of days. And if you bought too much. . freeze it in your perfect portion for next time.
Kalbi is best grilled. You also can cook them on stove top in a pan or bake them.
This sauce can also be used for Bulgogi (thinly sliced rib eye – as a cheaper alternative I usually get a roast on sale in the case and ask the butcher to slice it on a deli slicer as thin as you slice philly cheese steak meat)
Risotto with mushroom and asparugus
Ingredient:
Package of sliced mushrooms
chopped asparugus
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)
6 cups of chicken stock, Heated
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to season
In a heated pan drizzle some olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, add in mushrooms. Saute till lightly brown. Then add in asparugus. Sauté for a couple minutes. Then add in Arborio rice. Add in dry wine and cook to evaporate the alcohol.
Add in the heated chicken stock . . . one cup at a time. Wait until the rice absorbs all the liquid to add in the next cup of stock. Stir the rice constantly . . . continue to add one cup of stock till the rice is tender and creamy. When done, add in a tablespoon of butter to the risotto and drizzle a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Scallops:
Rinse scallops and drizzle with olive oil, garlic salt and lemon pepper. Toss them so they are coated with seasoning. Then layer a pan with foil and place the scallops in a single layer. Put a dot of butter on each scallop. Bake at 350 for 10 mins and then broil for 3 minutes.
Just saw that halibut was back at Costco so I decided to make it for dinner. It’s a meal that my babies can eat too so it’s a one-entree dinner. For the kids, I prepared the fish with a little olive oil, garlic salt and white pepper. I wrapped it in foil and bake at 350 for 14 mins. Cooking time will vary based on size.
For my husband and I, I searched the Internet for a new halibut recipe that would add some new flavor. I found one that caught my eye (and taste buds) . . . halibut with bachemel sauce:
I recently started using béchamel sauce after a friend cooked an appetizer with it. It’s like white gravy. I made some adjustment to the recipe (no cheese). I used a favorite lemon pepper and garlic salt from Trader Joe’s to season. I served brussels sprouts sautéed with the stir-fry sauce on the side.
Samgyetang is my translation of chicken soup (literal translation: cornish hen soup). There are many variation of this recipe but I love simple cooking, leveraging ingredients I have on hand.
Recipe is also great for babies and toddlers. A good crowd pleaser for my entire family.
I actually learned this recipe from my aunt during one of her visits. My husband said he loved it so I asked how it was made.
Whole chicken or cornish hen
sweet rice
whole peeled garlic
kitchen string
water
Pull the insides of the chicken out (I have no use for them so I just dump them). I rinse the chicken. Put in about a cup of sweet rice inside the chicken then the whole garlic so the rice doesn’t come out.
I’m not the greatest using the kitchen string to tie up the chicken but it should hopefully hold it all in.
Place the chicken in a big pot and pour enough water to cover the chicken and then some. Water will evavorate while you boil. Put on high till it boils (approx 30 mins) then reduce to simmer for about 90 minutes.
Once it’s done I usually refridgerate overnight. In the morning you can skim off all the fat. I also fish out the chicken to take the meat off the bones. I put back the meat, rice, and garlic into the soup and boil. Then its ready to serve.
When serving, flavor-to-taste with salt, pepper and sliced green onions.
Soba noodles are buck wheat noodles. It’s like having wheat noodles. Although the taste of soba is a lot better in my opinion. My husband doesn’t mind it and I don’t think he knows it’s healthier than the alternative. This dish was inspired by my cousin who taught be about sauces that give lots of flavor to a dish.
Tonight’s dinner was Soba noodles, lettuce, cucumbers, stir-fry brussel sprouts, and talapia with sesame miso dressing.
1. Boil soba noodles, rinse and cool in strainer
2. Stir-fry brussel sprouts using the spicy stir-fry sauce
3. Start a plate and layer them with lettuce and cucumbers (like a salad), then add the soba noodles on top.
4. Breaded the fish with cornstarch and cook them in frying pan.
5. Layer the fish on top of the soba noodles
6. Add the brussel sprouts to the plate
7. Pour the dressing all over the dish
8. Serve and enjoy!!!!
This meals ends up being serveral dinners. . .the next night I added fresh corn to the dish.
Throw in any veggies you have . . . .
I try my best to use everything I buy.. . my daughter asked me for meatballs. . .so I buy a package of ground chuck and had to figure out what to do with the rest. I always prefer to make my own meatballs so I know what goes in it and the grade of meat.
I make some bite size meatballs for the babies and sprinkle only garlic salt on it. The rest of the meat I make hamburger patties. I only season it with garlic salt and pepper. You could take the longer route and put in bread crumbs, egg, seasonings of choice and then shape them into patties. But with the lack of time on my hands and trying to make things simple I season them with only garlic salt and pepper.
Loco Moco is a Hawaiian favorite. Its very simple. Layering it with rice, hamburger patties, egg over easy, and gravy (in that order). We love the beef gravy (darker in color and richer in taste). Even if we are having turkey or chicken. . I’ll choose to buy beef gravy.
Timing is everything and we love to ensure our food is warm. Once I flip my meat over I crack an egg too cook. Then the meat and egg will be done at the same time.
One of my husband’s favorite breakfast. My step-daughter also loves my pancakes. I usually make them for the babies and any leftover are surely finished by her.
I love the pancakes fluffy with crisp edges. I think it’s based on the batter consistency and a little olive oil to crisp the edges. For the babies I make the pancakes with no oil with a non-stick pan (a trick my father taught me from having restaurant businesses).
We had a bunch of college students (excuse the paper plates for this plating) over and I had to throw something together quick. I started the rice since it takes only 30 mins. Then started my stir fry. I used what I had in the fridge: Chicken sausage, onions, kale, and my spicy stir fry sauce.
Ingredients:
2 package of Chicken sausage
2 onions
kale
Stir fry sauce
Olive oil
garlic salt(or minced garlic)
Slice the onions and throw them in a pan with sprinkled olive oil and garlic salt.
Saute it up a little and then add in the kale and chicken sausage.
Once it’s cooked pour some sauce in.
Sauce is really spicy so a little goes a long way. Stir it up and your done. Pour over some rice and enjoy!
My husband requested pasta at least once a week. . .sometimes more. This week I went back to basic using a recipe my Italian friend gave me. We were expecting an Ohana dinner and was blessed with the presence of one of my step daughter so . . it was perfect crowd pleaser. Even my babies that are 3 and 18 months old loved the sauce. Very rare for one dinner menu in my house.
Ingredients:
Canned peeled whole tomatoes (italian brand)
5 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp olive oil
fresh basil leaves (chopped)
salt
sugar
eggplant (optional)
bulk italian sausage (optional)
choice of noodles
Directions:
Blend the whole tomatoes in a blender.
In a medium size pot put in the olive oil and garlic cloves on medium heat. Saute it till it browns and then lower the heat to add in the tomato sauce. Add salt, sugar, and basil leaves. I usually add more sugar than salt to my sauce. Taste it and if there is a bitter taste to it, add more sugar.
Slice up eggplant and salt on both sides. In a pan add little oil to cook up the eggplant. Cook it to add color. The eggplant will soak up all the oil you put in it and it will then release it in the sauce. . .so unless you want an olive oil red sauce. . .just put a drizzle of olive oil. As they cook throw it into the sauce. Once your done with the eggplant use the same pan and cook up the sausage then throw it into the sauce.
It is best to let your sauce simmer for several hours .. . I think that was my trick with this batch of sauce.
Tonight’s bread was a frozen bread and was cooked in the oven and it was crusty on outside and soft in the middle. My daughter loves only the middle so I cut it in half and took out the soft bread and then added sauce into the bread. . . my new invention of bread bowl.
Blinn Ohana Food Blog 