Sushi...

I have loved Sushi for quite some time now...it is expensive and oh boy, can I ever eat my share plus someone elses...I have always wanted to make my own, but didn't know how, and thought it might be complicated...but after a little research I thought it looked pretty easy! I found it to be alot cheaper and you can add what you like! Sushi is so good for you and low calorie...Wouldn't a Sushi party be fun? Be sure to invite me, please....and thank you...

Sushi

6 cups of cooked short grain rice

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoon salt

5 nori sheets...seaweed...

and all the fillings you would like....I used Krab, smoked salmon, cucumber, radish, avocado, hard boiled egg, pickled carrot...I have heard that tuna fish is good and fresh cooked spinach...

rice vinegar, sugar and salt...heat just until sugar and salt dissolve...then cool...

make about 6 cups of rice, I used the rice cooker....place the cooked rice in a bowl and cool till just warm...add the vinegar and toss lightly...if you stir to wildly the rice turns to mush...

this is the fun part...getting to go to the asian market...buy nori sheets...they are available at the grocery store also....

buy some sushi mats...they are cheap...99 cents....they look like little rattan screens...

buy some pickled ginger..you MUST have pickled ginger...

buy some wasabi...now about wasabi....Check out the ingredient list on the back of the tube...nope, not a bit of wasabi listed...just horseradish and some other stuff...very little wasabi is grown now...there is a farm in Oregon that produces most of the true wasabi used today...they got their plant starts from Japan...wasabi grows along the banks of streams and rivers...the farm in Oregon sells much of their wasabi back to Japan...pure wasabi is very expensive...

got everything ready...prepped the veggies and fish....this is something you can do while cooling the rice...

place on the counter your sushi mat..then your nori wrap....then about a cup of rice...spread the rice on the bottom 2/3 of the paper and out to the ends...

ready to go..this one is hard boiled egg....cucumber and smoked salmon....kind of a Swedish version!

I wish I could show how easy this is...this is a two hand process....just use the mat to roll it up.....

then time to cut...use a clean knife and wet the knife...and slice all the way though...cut each log into about 7 pieces....you will need to wipe the knife often to get clean cuts and keep it wet...

easy peasy...

this one is interesting....the rice on the outside! nori paper....on the inside...along with the goodies...

 bamboo mat, the nori...the rice.....

sprinkle the outside with roasted sesame seeds or poppy seeds....

place the other mat on top and flip...

take off the mat and you are ready to fill...

Krab, cucumber and avocado....

roll and time to slice.....

yay! That looks great...

this one is good...hey I am getting better at this....

I now have enough sushi for the neighborhood!

I love this..I take a little of the wasabi and mix it in a little soy sauce and then dip!..I got to eat my fill of all the sushi I could handle....

Cheers to Happy  !!

Roasted Apple Sauce...

I love, love, love fresh apple sauce...and this is a great way to use up winter apples...this recipe could be changed up so easily...just add what you and your family likes....you could grate fresh orange peel and juice the orange, I had the tangerines so added them whole....this is a take on Ina Gartens recipe...

Roasted Apple Sauce
4 pounds Fuji apples (or your favorite)
3 tangerines
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 Cinnamon sticks
1 tsp grated ginger
7 cloves
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 tsp of fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup water...
quarter and core the apples, add to a roaster pan...and all the rest of the ingredients...give a little stir, place in the oven at 375 degree oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours until the apples are soft...take it our of the oven, using tongs squeeze the juice out of the tangerines, and pick out the Cinnamon sticks and cloves and give the sauce several big stirs...it knocks the apples off their skins...now you can easily pick out the skins...

 apples in pan...

add all the seasonings and fruit....

put on the lid and bake....

after and hour and a half....this heavenly smelling apples goodness comes out of the oven....

after taking out all the skins and spices.....

place in a jar and store until ready to use...it is such a pretty color...

I had some with yogurt...but I will also have some with pork....it is so sweet and you can taste all the flavors that baked right in it!...

Cheers to Happy  !!

Love the Unlovable...

December 23,2011

This time of year is bittersweet for so many. Our hearts turn to home and all that it means. This is the sixth year of the passing of our father. Who knew the impact it would have on our family. His loss was devastating at best.

He taught us so many things. He and our Mother are shining examples of what is good in the world.

This year we wanted to share with you one of our Dad's virtues. (he had many). I think he may have really taken to heart the scripture John 13:34.some say it about sums up the whole bible.. “As I have loved you, love one another.” . A very short meaningful song. One of our favorites.

And so what follows is a little bit about “Whiskey Bill” that was his AA speaker name. We just called him Dad.

Generosity and the desire to always do for others is a gift in and of itself. It is the true meaning of Christmas. It’s a helping hand and a giving heart. To want to provide for others and expect nothing in return. Sometimes it is just a kind word or a smile, that will warm a cold heart.

Love the unlovable, they too have their story....I must of heard my Dad say that a hundred times...Dad had a million sayings, and this was one of them. Dad was a speaker in Alcoholics Anonymous...he traveled all over to speak. I can attest to Dad loving the unlovable. He picked up some VERY unlovable people and loved them sober...he showed such compassion and love and forgiveness to those broken people.. I can't remember how many times driving down the driveway of their farm and seeing an old beat up car or van in the driveway. I would go in the house and ask who that was out there, Mom would say “oh someone Dad is trying to help get sober. I truly never could understand how he could be so persistent and forgiving to some of the dastardly people he helped. Perhaps he saw a little of himself in those people he helped.  He had been one of those drunks that had been taken down by his disease. I think maybe one of his greatest attributes was his ability to put himself in their spot and feel their pain, a rare quality indeed. Something we could bear working on. ..

But now that Dad is gone I hear his words like a loud speaker in my ears...LOVE THE UNLOVABLE.... Why is it we seem to act the most unlovable when we need to be loved the most?... You see the unlovable everywhere you go...they can be the folks who have everything, but most times they are the people who are down on their luck...the people who's life has been hard. Who are friendless and their families have closed the door on them. It is the people that have lost their way. We all want to be heard, and understood. Maybe they burned too many bridges behind them to ever get back...they are out to take all their hurt and anger out on someone else...sometimes you might be the one that gets in their way...just love the unlovable they too have their story... It is easy to love the lovable, but can you love the unlovable?

We wish you the Merriest of Christmas's and a New Year filled with peace and contentment. Prayerful always that God will see that you have all that you need for health and happiness. Debbie and Mary

Cheers to Happy !!

Steak Sauce...

This recipe is almost to good to be true...I love to eat steak with steak sauce...I didn't used to, I wondered why anyone would cover up steak with a sauce...I never ate ketchup with fries either, but that is another story...I can see where you could easily tweak this recipe to make it very custom to your liking...but it was great as it is...

Steak Sauce
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of ketchup
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire
3 tablespoons of white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste....

bring the water and raisins to a boil and turn off and let cool for 5 minutes, add them to a blender with the other ingredients and blend until smooth...That's it!

boil raisins with water and then let cool...

put all the ingredients in the blender with the raisin and water...whirl...

that is it!!!

now that was faster than finding the car keys and running to the store!! and so flavorful and good!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Gluten Free Pizza...

Oh how I love pizza and surely miss it since going gluten free...I have hesitated making it from scratch...I have been eating Garlic Jim's GF Pizza and it is great...I knew that anything homemade, even Gluten Free, is better that boughten...so today was the day to give it a try....oh so good!!! So much better than anything you can buy in a store...and you can customize it just for you!!!! Make it the way you like it....you will not be sorry, promise...

Pizza Crust

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp agar powder or Gelatin

3 tsp yeast

8 oz all purpose Gluten Free Flour

Place the salt, sugar, agar, and yeast in a bowl and add 3/4 cup warm water...whisk and let stand for 10 minutes...then add the flour mix and let stand for another 10 minutes....oil a pizza pan or baking sheet with olive oil...place the pizza dough on the pan and then put a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the dough and  spread the dough out with your hand to a 12 inch pizza shape...let stand for another 10 minutes. 

While you heat the oven up to 430 degrees, get your toppings ready...I chose pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, olives and mushrooms...you choose what you like...I spread  pizza sauce over the bottom...you could use an olive oil also....bake for 25minutes and then you have heaven on a plate!

the sponge, sugar, salt, yeast, agar and water...add the flour and stir...

wait 10 minutes and the let the party begin!...make the pizza the way you love pizza...for me it is pizza sauce....

then fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, olives and pepperoni...

25 minutes later and you have pizza!!! So Good!!!

the crust is thin and good, it does not have that 'slippery' feel that some GF bread products have...

this crust is a great vehicle for the toppings...

I so LOVE pizza, I topped this one off with fresh basil when it came out of the oven....it is so good...and as easy and fast as calling out for pizza delivery....go ahead and give it a try!!!!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Roasted Cranberry Sauce...

I have always loved cranberry sauce...all kinds, whole berry and the jellied that you cut off both end of the can and push out on a plate and slice...but when you have more that a minute and you are making a special dinner, it is fun to make a special sauce...This is a cross between cooked and raw cranberry sauce...it is the perfect sauce for roasted meats..you can make it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until dinner...I could literally just eat it by the spoonfuls...you could put in a good port or red wine or nothing if you would like, just the orange juice. it is the roasting of the orange, cranberries and the sugar that make the wonderful rich flavor...

Roasted Cranberry Sauce
1 orange
1 lb. fresh or thawed cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
a heavy sprinkle of cardamon powder
4 whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons grand mariner
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
1. Heat oven to 450°. Using a peeler, remove peel from the orange, taking off as little of the white pith as possible. Cut peel into very thin strips about 1 1⁄2" long. Squeeze juice from the orange; strain and reserve 1 tbsp. juice.

2. In a bowl, combine peel, cranberries, sugar, olive oil, salt, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon. Toss and transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Roast until cranberries begin to burst and release their juices, about 15 minutes.

3. Transfer cranberry mixture to a bowl; stir in reserved orange juice and grand mariner. Let sit for at least 1 hour so that the flavors meld. Remove and discard, cloves, and cinnamon before serving.
MAKES 2 CUPS

gather the few ingredients..

cut the peeling off, try not to get the pith (is that a word)

squeeze the orange....

slice the peels very thin...

put it all in a mixing bowl and toss...

spread on a baking sheet that you can line with parchment...

house smells great...

scrape it all in a bowl...

add the juice and grand mariner...stir and let sit at least an hour...

ENJOY!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!