Catalan Paella

I know its been approximately 3 months since my last post. Its not that I haven't been in the kitchen much. Its just that I haven't had the time to sit down and blog about my musings in the kitchen. I still try out new recipes, but not as often as I used to. Before I had 2 kids, I would post at least 2 new recipes a week. Lately, however, I've just been making repeat recipes and many, many make-ahead meals. Make-ahead-meals are lifesavers for busy households such as ours. Maybe when the baby gets a little older and more independent, I'll be doing more blogging.

When I do try out new recipes, I always turn to my new found favorite, Pinterest. I have a go-to Paella recipe. However I came across this Paella recipe on Pinterest from Key Ingredient which uses saffron. I happen to have some saffron left over that I wanted to use up, so I gave it a try. This Paella was so much better than my old recipe. I guess it was the saffron that did it, but it had so much more flavor. Saffron is quite an expensive herb to use, so the recipe suggests turmeric as a substitute. But I don't know if it would be as good as using saffron though. I'll probably try this recipe out with turmeric since I've used up all the saffron.

4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 tsp. saffron or turmeric
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 red or green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 lb. large shrimp (either peeled/de-veined, or shell on)
4-6 small clams
4-6 mussels
*you can use any seafood you like

1) Heat oil in a large frying pan or saute pan over medium heat.

2) Add chicken and saute until no longer pink. Add garlic and onions and saute until soft. Stir in rice and saffron (or turmeric). Continue stirring to coat with the oil, about 1 minute.

3) Add tomatoes, wine and broth. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add bell pepper and peas. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

4) Add all the seafood and cook undisturbed for 15 minutes or until rice is done. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Crab Cakes

A couple of months ago, I bought a huge container of Chicken of the Sea Crab Meat from Costco, with the plan of making stuffed mushrooms for New Year's Eve. But things got kind of hectic and I didn't have time to make it. So the crab meat sat in the refrigerator. The expiration date is nearing, so I had to use it up fast. And since it is Lenten Friday, I figured it was the perfect time to use up this seafood.

I got this recipe for the container of crab meat and it came out so good. I served it with Creole sauce and hubby really liked it. If crab meat wasn't so expensive, I'd be making this dish often.

1 (16 oz) cup Crab Meat
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. creole seasoning
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup bread crumbs
Creole Sauce

1) In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except crab meat and bread crumbs. Stir until well incorporated. Add crab to the mixture and continue stirring until thoroughly incorporated. Gently fold in bread crumbs. Form into desired size patties. Pan fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve with creole sauce or aioli.

Tom Kha (Thai Coconut Soup)

I've noticed that I've been getting sick a lot more frequently lately. Yup, you guessed it. I'm sick again. I think this is the 2nd time in the past 6 months that I've been home sick with either a cough or cold or both. This time, this cough hit me pretty hard. I've had it for almost a week with no relief in sight. Before I had my daughter, it was rare that I would be out sick from work. I'll have a slight cold, but not enough to have to call-in sick. My motto back then was "through rain, sleet, hail, or snow, I'll still report to work." Nowadays, I get so sick that my whole body aches and I can't even get out of bed. Call it age or stress or whatever the cause may be, whenever I'm sick, I always crave for some soothing soup. And because of my sore throat, I wanted a sour soup.

I've made this recipe for Tom Kha a while ago but haven't put it in this blog yet. And I've been meaning to make it again. We order Tom Kha at our favorite Thai restaurants most often during the cold season. And when I found it in my Thai cookbook, I couldn't believe how easy it was. The only hard part was getting all the ingredients. I'm fortunate to have my office close to a Thai market where I can get most of my ingredients whenever I feel like cooking Thai food.

4 stalks of lemon grass, roots trimmed

2 (14 oz) cans coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

10 black peppercorns, crushed

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

10-12 shrimps, peeled and de-veined

1 cup button mushrooms

1/2 cup baby corn, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 Tbsp. lime juice

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

1-2 Tbsp. Thai chili paste

chopped green onions, for garnish

chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

1) Cut off the lower 2 inches from each lemon grass stalk and chop finely. Bruise the remaining pieces of stalk.

2) Bring the coconut milk and broth to boil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add chopped and bruised lemon grass, ginger, and peppercorns. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain the soup.

3) Return the soup into the pan over low heat. Stir in chicken, mushrooms, and corn. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. Add shrimps during the last 2 minutes of simmer. Stir in lime juice, fish sauce, and Thai chili paste until well incorporated. Serve hot in bowls with green onions and cilantro for garnish.

North Shore Shrimp Truck-Style Shrimp Scampi

*say that fast 10 times*

Hubby and I have been reminiscing about our recent trip to Hawaii. We miss it so much. Especially the food. Whenever we eat something really good that it left a lasting impression, the first thing that comes to mind is "I wonder if I can make this back home."

On one of our trips to Oahu's North Shore a few years ago, our family tagged along. As well as one of my cousins and her daughter. We decided to have lunch at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck one day after raving about their awesome Shrimp Scampi. This cousin of ours is a great cook. So when she tried their famous shrimp scampi, she immediately knew how to make it. So she gave me some pointers on how to make it. When we returned to the mainland, I decided to try it out and this recipe was born. And I've been making it ever since. It tastes almost as good as Giovanni's.

1 lb. raw shrimp (either peeled or shell intact)

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1) Combine shrimp, garlic powder, and salt in a freezer storage bag. Massage the seasoning into the shrimp. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

2) In a large saute pan, melt together butter and vegetable oil. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned. Stir in the marinated shrimp. Continue stirring and cooking until shrimp is pink. Do not overcook shrimp. Serve on top of white steam rice and a wedge of lemon for garnish.

Prawns in Coconut Milk & Crab Fat (Sugpo sa Aligue at Gata)

I stumbled across 80 Breakfasts from Delish. I came to learn that this blog was not really all about breakfast, but also featured Filipino dishes. I've been trying to get back to my roots in trying to cook more Filipino foods, so I really scored when I discovered this new blog.

As I skimmed through the recipes, I found this one that somehow looked familiar. Not something my Lola would make, but more in the realms of what my dad's side of the family would make. I remember my aunts serving crab fat as a side dish when we ate fresh seafood. Or using coconut milk on any dish to make it more rich. Both of which made the food sooooo delicious, but fattening at the same time. With that said, caution must taken when eating this dish as it contains both coconut milk and crab fat. I'm fortunate enough to have several local Filipino stores in the area that sells crab fat. Otherwise I don't know where else I would be able to buy it.

This dish was oh so delicious. It takes me back to the times when all of my dad's side of the family would visit our aunt's for a holiday or a vacation and they would cook all these wonderful foods for our huge family. Its a comforting feeling. However, I decided to have only one serving of this dish. The rest is going to my parents' place for them to try it out. Too much of a good thing can be bad.

2 lbs. fresh shrimp, unpeeled and head on

4 Tbsp. oil

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. red chili flakes (more if you like it spicier)

1 cup crab fat (aligue)

1 cup coconut milk (gata)

1-2 Tbsp. fish sauce (according to taste)

juice of half a lemon or 1 whole lime

1) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger and onion. Saute until onions have softened.

2) Add chili flakes and crab fat. Cook, stirring often until the crab fat softens and the oil separates. Stir in coconut milk and continue to cook until well blended. Add lemon/lime juice.

3) Add shrimp into the pan and stir to coat. Adjust seasoning by adding more fish sauce and/or lemon/lime juice to balance the sour and saltiness of the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or until shrimps have all turned pink. Remove from heat and serve with steamed white rice.

Indonesian Shrimp Fried Rice

This recipe popped up on my reader the other day from What's Cookin' Chicago? and looked really yummy. I've been looking for a savory dish to make and add on to my blog, because I've noticed that, lately, I've been making a lot of sweets. I need to make more new dinner recipes. And what's not to like about fried rice. This was pretty easy to make. You can make this into a spicy dish by adding some red pepper flakes or diced jalapeno into the sauce. But because my daughter would be eating this, I omitted the spice. Hubby actually asked what makes this dish "Indonesian." I assumed it was the sweetness and spice of the sauce. Whatever it is, this still came out quite good and Hubby and daughter were really pleased with this dish.

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. light or mild molasses

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 1/4 tsp. salt

4 eggs

3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vegetable oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

12-14 extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups left over cold rice

1/2 cup frozen peas & carrots, thawed

4 green onions, sliced thin

lemon or lime wedges

1) In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, fish sauce, and salt. Set aside.

2) In another small bowl, whisk together eggs and 1/4 tsp. salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Pour eggs into pan and allow to set. Pull the cooked edges towards the middle and tilt the pan to allow runny eggs to coat the bottom of pan. Continue to do this as need until no runny eggs remain.

3) With a spatula, carefully flip the egg to cook the top side. Remove from heat and break into pieces. Set aside.

4) Heat the remaining 3 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over over medium heat. Saute onions, stirring constantly, until translucent. Add shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn opaque. Push shrimps to the side.

5) Crumble rice into middle of skillet. Cook rice and shrimp until rice is warmed and slightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Add sauce mixture and toss to coat. Stir in peas, carrots, and eggs. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add green onions and remove from heat. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Tuna Casserole

Its the last Lenten Friday of the year and I ran out of ideas on what to make for dinner that didn't require any meat. We already had pasta with Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce for lunch today. I love spaghetti, but not much to want to eat it everyday. We've had this pasta dish twice this week. So the only option left to make is another tuna dish. As you may remember, I wasn't too happy with the last Tuna Noodle Casserole I made last week. A co-worker of mine emailed me and told me how seeing my casserole reminded her of her mom's. So she gave me a similar recipe that uses potato chips as the topping. I was intrigued with the potato chips. So it gave me the idea to use it on my next attempt at a Tuna Casserole. Thanks for the idea, Bonnie!

I remember a recipe I came across that used Alfredo sauce in the Tuna Casserole. I thought this was finally the recipe that would replicate the Tuna Helper I loved to eat when I was kid. So I decided to modify that recipe and incorporate some of the elements from my co-worker's recipe to make my own version of Tuna Casserole. This recipe would've been awesome if I had used a better quality Alfredo sauce. Maybe even a homemade Alfredo Sauce. That's why I never like using bottled Alfredo sauce. Other than that, this was a great recipe that hubby loved. So I'll be making this one again with better Alfredo sauce.

1/2 lb. shell pasta (cooked al dente)

1 jar prepared Alfredo Sauce

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

salt to taste

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup canned corn

5 oz canned tuna

crushed potato chips for topping

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a casserole dish.

2) In a medium saucepan, heat Alfredo sauce to boiling. Add seasoning and continue boiling for another minute. Stir in pasta, peas corn and tuna until well incorporated. Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with crushed potato chips. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I've had this recipe bookmarked from the Betty Crocker website for a few months and had planned on making it for a Friday Lent. Tuna casserole is one of those comfort foods that everyone seemed to reminisce about when they were kids, but its something I've never really had. Unless you count Hamburger Helper/Tuna Helper, which I had often when I was a kid. So I've been dying to make something similar to flavors of the Tuna Helper I've grown to love.

I've had the ingredients ready for about a week and I've finally got around to making it tonight. The original recipe required leek soup mix, but I replaced it with onion soup mix. This version came out okay. But nothing to write home about. It was rather bland, in my opinion. The scent of onion from the onion soup mix was rather strong, which didn't seem appealing at first. But after having the first bite, it wasn't as bad as I thought. However, this wasn't the tuna noodle casserole recipe I was looking for. I guess my quest will continue.

8 oz uncooked linguine or spaghetti

1 cup frozen broccoli florets

1 package onion soup mix

1 1/2 cups milk

black pepper to taste

1 (5 oz) can tuna, drained

2 Tbsp. chopped drained roasted bell peppers

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 plain bread crumbs

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a 8-inch square (2 quart) pan. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Add frozen broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain.

2) In a saucepan, mix together milk and onion soup mix. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Season with black pepper.

3) Add pasta, broccoli, tuna, and roasted peppers to soup mixture. Gently stir to mix well. Spoon into prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Tuna Melt

I've always associated tuna sandwiches with Lent Fridays. That's because its what my parents used to always pack for lunch for us on Lent Fridays. It was either a tuna sandwich or an egg salad sandwich. With that said, I never really eat tuna sandwiches outside of Lent. Its not something I crave to eat. Nor would I go out of my way to get a tuna sandwich. So when hubby recently asked for a plain tuna sandwich, you can only imagine how I cringed at the thought. I decided to make a tuna sandwich for dinner tonight. But with a twist.

I've never really had a Tuna Melt, but I figured it was a great way to spruce up a plain old tuna sandwich. And maybe, just maybe, I would be able to look at a tuna sandwich in a different light. After doing my research on how to make the perfect Tuna Melt, I learned that it was nothing more than a tuna salad on toasted bread with melted cheese. So here is my take on the old classic. It came out pretty good. A warm tuna sandwich. However, I think I'll still be keeping the tradition of eating my tuna sandwich or melt on Lent Fridays.

12 oz canned tuna in water, well drained

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

1/4 of a medium onion, finely chopped

1/8 tsp. paprika

salt & pepper to taste

8 slices bread

tomato slices

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1) Lightly toast bread. While the bread is toasting, combine tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion and seasonings in a medium bowl. Stir until well incorporated.

2) Place about 1/4 cup of the tuna mixture on 4 slices of lightly toasted bread. Top with about 2 tablespoons of cheese (or more if you like it cheesy). Place in the toaster oven and set to "broil" for 8-10 minutes, until cheese melts. Remove from oven and top with tomato slices and the other slices of toasted bread. Serve warm.

Thai Style Sweet and Sour Fish

My parents and lola each had their own versions of Sweet and Sour Fish. I think my parents used a bottled sweet and sour sauce, and lola would make her sauce from scratch. Each were equally delicious. I've missed those days of home-cooking.

Today, I couldn't decide on what to make for dinner. I haven't used my Thai cookbook in a while, so I looked through the recipes and found this easy Sweet and Sour Fish recipe that I decided to try out since I had all the ingredients it called for. The sauce for this dish is a tomato based sauce unlike my parents' or lola's version. It came out delicious and reminiscent of their dishes. I'm glad to have found my own version of this dish. The picture above doesn't do the dish justice. I apologize that its a horrible picture. But just know that hubby was pleased with the end product, as was I.

2 medium or large fish (Tilapia, snapper, mullet), head removed

4 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. chopped garlic

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger

2 Tbsp. chopped onions

3 Roma tomatoes, cubed

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. Thai fish sauce

3 Tbsp. water

cilantro, green onions for garnish

1) Rinse and dry fish. Score the skin diagonally on both sides. Lightly coat both fishes all over with 4 teaspoons of cornstarch. Shake off any excess.

2) Heat oil in wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add fish and cook each side for 6-7 minutes, until brown and crisp.

3) Remove fish and place on a large serving platter. Pour off all but 2 tablespoon oil from the pan. Add garlic, ginger and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden.

4) Add tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in vinegar, sugar, ketchup and fish sauce. Lower heat and simmer gently for 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more vinegar, sugar and/or fish sauce if necessary.

5) In a cup, mix the remaining 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water to make a paste or slurry. Stir into the sauce to thicken. Pour finished sauce over the fish. Garnish with coriander and green onions and serve with steamed rice.

Quick Friday Night Fish Tacos

I make this dish often on Fridays around the Lenten season. Its quick and easy and convenient, especially if I don't feel much like cooking on a Friday night and want to just relax after a long week at work. There are only 5 ingredients in this recipe, with the main ingredient being ready-made battered fish. And its delicious. I think it'll be even more delicious if the battered fish was made from scratch. But then, it wouldn't be called "Quick Friday Night Fish Tacos" anymore.

frozen battered fish (like halibut, or even fish sticks)

corn tortillas (but you can also use flour tortilla)

coleslaw mix

1 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. sour cream

splash of milk

1) Heat frozen fish according to package directions. While fish is heating, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and milk in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

2) To assemble tacos: place fish on tortilla. Top with coleslaw mix and drizzle mayonnaise sauce over the taco and serve.

Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce

Tomorrow is the first Friday of Lent. That means we have to abstain from any meats for every Friday until Easter. So I wanted to search for another good seafood recipe because, frankly, I'm running out of ideas for non-meat meals. I came across this recipe once again from Steamy Kitchen. I've always loved Black Bean sauce when I order it at Chinese restaurants, so I wanted to give this a try.

This dish was so easy to make. And you can use practically any type of fish for this recipe. I love buttery white fishes such as halibut, cod, and especially sea bass. For this particular meal, I happened to have cod fillets and so its what I used. The recipe called for sake, which I didn't have, so I used white wine and it came out fine. Deeelicous, actually. I'm so excited to have found a great recipe for fish rather than just grilling or baking it.

4 thick fish fillets

salt & pepper

4 Tbsp. Chinese Black Bean sauce, mixed with a splash of sake or white wine

8 Tbsp. sake (or any white wine)

1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

2 green onions (or one bunch of fresh chives), chopped

6 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. sesame oil

1) Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of Black Bean paste on the top of each fish fillet. Place in a heatproof dish. Add sake or wine on the bottom of the dish and steam for 10-15 minutes over high heat in a steamer.

2) While the fish is steaming, use a vegetable peeler to slice ginger into thin slices, then use a knife to jullienne into thin slivers.

3) When fish is finished, pour the cooking liquid into a deep dish for serving. Place ginger and green onions over the fish.

4) In a small frying pan, heat olive oil and sesame oil just until it begins to smoke. Pour over fish (ginger and chive will sizzle). Transfer fish into the serving dish with the liquid. Serve with steamed rice.

Killer Cajun Shrimp

Its Fat Tuesday. And for those who are not familiar with what Fat Tuesday is really all about, its a day for many Christians (mostly Catholics) in the South indulge or binge on food before the Lenten season starts on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is usually a day of fasting for many of those who want to partake in some sort abstinence. Some fast entirely for the day of Ash Wednesday. Others, like myself, fast all sorts of meats or poultry for Ash Wednesday (and then every Friday after that until Easter). And since its our last day to really eat meat whenever we want, hubby and I decided to indulge (but not too much as we're still watching our caloric intake). However, I still had to prepare food for our lunch tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. That meant only seafood or vegetarian dishes.

I didn't have much of a selection of seafood recipes in my archives. So I decided to search through the archives of blogs I frequented and found this recipe from Steamy Kitchen. Living in LA, I've never been to a restaurant called Killer Shrimp, which is where the name of this recipe comes from. So I don't have much of a comparison as far as taste. But I can say that this dish was quite yummy. It reminds me of some dishes I've tried at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. The recipe was quite simple to make, but required some ingredients that I didn't readily have. So I had to make a quick run to the supermarket. I served this with some french bread that hubby brought home to sop up all the spicy broth.

2 Tbsp. dried or fresh rosemary

2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 Tbsp. dried fennel seeds

2 tsp. celery seed

1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes (less if you like it less spicy)

2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. kosher or sea salt

1/2 small onion, diced

1 celery rib, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 stick of butter

1 1/2 quarts chicken broth

16 0z bottled clam juice

1/2 lemon (cut in half)

3 oz tomato paste

1 cup white wine

2 lbs. shrimp (de-veined)

1) Using a mortar and pestle, smash all the spices (rosemary, thyme, fennel, celery seed, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt). You can also quickly run a knife through the spices on a cutting board to help release its flavors. Set aside.

2) In a large pot, melt butter on medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until fragrant and soft. Stir in prepared spices.

3) Add broth, clam juice, lemon, tomato paste, and white wine. Simmer on low for at least 1 hour. Add more salt if needed.

4) Just before serving, add shrimp and simmer until shrimps are pink, about 3-5 minutes. Serve in bowls with french bread or white rice.

Crab Hush Puppies with Aioli sauce

We used to frequent Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and order their Hush Pups, which I absolutely love. So I was excited to find this recipe again from my Costco cookbook. I had bought some canned lump crab meat from Costco about 2 weeks ago with the intentions of making this recipe one day. And so before the crab meat goes bad, I decided to finally make it for lunch today. And boy were they good. I served this with a quick Aioli that I made. This recipe makes a huge batch, so I called my brother up to see if he wanted me to set him aside some. He loves Bubba Gump's Hush Pups as well. So he'll be coming by later today.

4 cups canola oil for frying

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

1/2 - 2 Tbsp. hot sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 lb. lump crab meat

1 cup corn kernels

5 large green onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. butter

Aioli sauce

1) Heat oil in a heavy pot over high heat until it reaches 275 deg F. Preheat oven to 250 deg F.

2) While the oil is heating, stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and hot sauce. Add liquid mixture into dry mixture and stir until combined. Fold in crab and corn kernels.

3) Over medium heat, saute green onions in butter until soft. Stir into batter.

4) Using 2 teaspoons, carefully add 1 rounded teaspoon full of batter to the hot oil and fry, turning until golden for 3-4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain briefly. Transfer hush puppies to a shallow baking pan and keep hot in the oven while frying the remaining batter. Serve immediately with aioli sauce.

Aioli sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. mustard

1 tsp. pepper onion relish (or regular pickled relish)

salt & pepper to taste

1) Stir all ingredients together until well combined. Season with salt & pepper to your liking

Creamy Saffron Pasta with Shrimp & Crab

Here's another recipe I found while on my diet last week :)

I found this recipe online from Rachel Ray and looked pretty easy. And I've been meaning to find recipes to use up some of the saffron I bought when I made Sea Scallops with Saffron Aoli for our anniversary dinner last September. Remember the cashier who said she hoped the dish turns out good because saffron is pretty expensive? Well, I'm glad to find this recipe to use saffron again, because it is expensive.

I pretty much had all the ingredients it called for. Except Farfalle pasta. But I had other kinds of pasta, like Penne, so its what I used. This dish came out quite good. I expected this dish to be rich, but it was unexpectedly light with a hint of lemon. I'll probably be making this again to use up all the saffron.

1 lb. pasta, cooked to al dente

salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 3-inch piece lemon peel

1/4 tsp. saffron

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

6-8 ounces lump crab meat

16-20 shrimps, deveined and tails removed

pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

2 pinches cayenne pepper

1 tsp. turmeric

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

1) In a saucepan, bring cream, lemon peel and saffron to a low boil over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and let saffron steep for 10 minutes.

2) In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add crab and shrimp; season with salt and pepper. Cook until shrimps are pink and firm, about 3-4 minutes. Slowly stir in wine.

3) Remove lemon peel from cream mixture and pour over seafood. Stir in cayenne pepper and turmeric. Add pasta and toss. Remove from heat and sprinkle fresh parsley on top.

Seafood Gratin

Happy 2011!!!

I haven't made anything new since Christmas mainly because we've been busy entertaining out-of-town guests. New Year's celebrations were pretty hectic as well. We spent the usual New Year's eve at my parents' place. I made my Lomi Lomi Salmon, Malasadas II, and Broccoli Cheddar soup. I made my Beef Caldereta for New Year's Day at my in-laws. We have quite a few leftover dishes, so I haven't been cooking. I've also been sick and exhausted since New Year's day, so I haven't been up to cooking.

I had saved this recipe from Annie's Eats in the hopes of making it for our New Year's eve celebration. I've had the seafood ingredients stored in the fridge for a few days now, so I figured I'd better make it now before they go bad. I guess this is my first new recipe for the New Year.

Making this dish required a lot of steps and the use of multiple pans. It also requires the use of leeks, which I've never worked with before. But I've learned that leeks come from the onion family. Because while cutting it, my eyes became teary as if I was cutting an onion. I hate cutting onions. However, with that said, this dish was well worth the agony of preparing because it came out delicious. But please excuse the above photo. I'm still learning all the tricks that my new camera can make. So I haven't mastered it yet. Anyway, I omitted the cooked lobster it called for because I didn't have any. But I added extra shrimp to substitute it. You can probably also add crab meat in this dish. I served this with a side of garlic bread.

1 cup clam juice

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup, plus 3 Tbsp. more, white wine

3 Tbsp. tomato puree

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

8-10 oz raw cod, cut into large chunks

10-16 oz cooked lobster meat, cut into large chunks (I omitted this and added more shrimp instead)

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cup thinly sliced leeks, white and green parts

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1) In a large saucepan, combine clam juice, cream and 1/2 cup wine. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and add shrimp. Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes and flip over the other side until they become pink and opaque. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl to cool. Cut shrimp in half if desired.

2) Add raw cod to the cream mixture and cook through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked cod with a slotted spoon and place in the same bowl with shrimp.

3) Continue to cook sauce until it reduces to half, about 12 minutes. In the meantime, combine 1 Tbsp. of butter with flour in a small bowl and mash together with a fork. When sauce has reduced, whisk in flour mixture with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

4) Preheat oven to 375 deg F. In a medium saute pan, melt 3 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add leeks and carrots and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add remaining 3 Tbsp. wine and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes.

5) Add cream sauce and cooked vegetables to the bowl of seafood and mix well to combine. Place mixture in individual ramekins or in a casserole dish pan.

6) In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Add panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley and mix well. Sprinkle on top of prepared gratin. Place gratin on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until it becomes bubbly and the topping turns golden brown. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Lomi Lomi Salmon

With the weather being so dark and gloomy lately, it sometimes makes me miss the islands. I once saw a Food Network chef make some Lomi Lomi Salmon one day, and it inspired me to try to make it too. I was at Costco the other day and found some salmon and thought now was the time to try to make this delicacy often found at all Hawaiian luaus and as a side dish to many Hawaiian meals.

"Lomi Lomi" means to massage. This is a 2-step recipe that requires you to massage fresh salmon with salt and marinate it overnight. But if you don't have the luxury of doing it overnight, you can probably use some smoked salmon. I used Hawaiian salt in this recipe, but you can probably use regular table salt, as Hawaiian salt is quite pungent. Otherwise this dish came out pretty good. And very salty. But that's how most Hawaiian dishes are like. This won hubby's approval.

1 lb. fresh salmon

1/4 - 1/2 cup Hawaiian salt (or sea salt)

6 tomatoes, diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Hawaiian salt to taste

1) Massage salt all over the salmon. Place on a flat tray, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

2) Rinse salmon and soak for at least an hour, changing the water several times.

3) Shred salmon with your hands. Add tomatoes, onions and more salt to taste. Massage ingredients with your hands until ingredients are broken up and thoroughly mixed. Chill before serving.

Bobby's Hot Crab Dip

As a starter for this year's Thanksgiving dinner, I decided to make this dip. I watched Paula Deen and her son, Bobby, make this on her show on the Food Network. Hubby has a different kind of crab dip that has artichoke and uses imitation crab. What I like about this dip is the use of fresh crab. I omitted a few ingredients that made this dip too spicy, because I also wanted my daughter to have a chance to eat it as well. It came out quite tasty and creamy.

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 lb. lump crab meat

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a casserole dish and set aside.

2) Using a mixer, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, green onions and lime juice. Carefully fold in crab meat. Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, toasted baguette.

Sea Scallops with Saffron Aoli

Happy 7th anniversary to me and hubby. As I've said on my posts yesterday, hubby is out at work and school the whole day. So we celebrated our anniversary by going out to lunch yesterday. Today, I wanted to have a nice dinner waiting for him when he got home.

I watched Claire Robinson make this on the Food Network and wanted to make this for our special day. Hubby loves scallops, so I thought he would really enjoy this. It was a really easy, yet elegant, dish to make. But I didn't realize how costly saffron can be. The lady at the checkout stand asked me what I was using it for and I told her that I was trying it out on a new recipe I found. She went on and said she hopes it turns out well because saffron was quite expensive. lol. I have never used saffron before, but I hope to find other great recipes to use with it.

The scallops came out quite delicious and hubby really enjoyed it. This 7th anniversary is a little more nostalgic for me than the other anniversaries we've celebrated. So I wanted to make this dinner memorable as well.

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp. orange zest

a pinch of saffron threads

1/2 cup mayonnaise

salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

12-16 large sea scallops

black pepper

1) Combine orange and saffron in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 1 minute until orange juice is infused with saffron. Stir in orange zest and remove from heat to cool.

2) Mix orange mixture with mayonnaise in a small bowl until combined. Season with salt and set aside while you cook the scallops.

3) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat scallops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. When the oil is rippling, and scallops and sear, turning only once, until golden brown but still opaque in the center, about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove scallops from skillet and serve with aoli sauce drizzled over them.

Fat Flush diet, Day 3 - Cod with spinach

Its day 3 of the Fat Flush diet and so far, I've lost a total of 5 pounds! I now weigh less than what I weighed before I was pregnant with my daughter. I can see it around my belly and love-handle areas too. And hubby lost 4 pounds so far. I'm actually impressed with what we've accomplished so far. Though I have to admit that I did cheat today, eating a few pieces of my daughter's biscuits/crackers. I couldn't help it. I was getting hunger pains, even after eating a whole nectarine. I hope that doesn't set me back too much.

For dinner tonight, I decided to make cod. One of my favorite white fishes. I usually love eating cod, but tonight, as expected, I was quite disappointed with the flavor. I thought that the fish would flavor itself, but I was wrong on this one. I'll still love my cod, but not prepared this way. I'll make this again during these 2 weeks though. I served this with a side of spinach cooked in low-sodium vegetable broth and minced garlic.

4 ounces cod (or any white fish)

2 Tbsp. low sodium vegetable broth

1/2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1) Combine broth, parsley and garlic in a small bowl. Brush on both sides of the fish. Cook in a pan on medium heat until done.