Sukiyaki

Using this recipe, more or less. (I added vermicelli noodles and lots more "sauce" than called for since I like soupy sukiyaki.)

It's Benjie's new favorite thing! (Teo seemed to like it but he expended an awful lot of energy trying to eat the slippery noodles on his own.)

I would've added a raw egg before eating it, but I didn't want to risk Teo getting salmonella or e coli. I didn't put an egg in Benjie's bowl since he eats 2 eggs a day as it is.

I struggled with the sauce. I saw other recipes that called for seaweed broth but in the end was pleased with the beef broth-sugar-shoyu blend I came up with. I put some mirin in, too.

Pancit Titanic

Nope, not because it was the biggest batch of pancit I'd ever made. I call it Pancit Titanic because it was a complete disaster.

(I've only made pancit twice. The first time it was delicious.)

I was using this recipe again--it served me fine a few months ago!

This time, I found annato seeds and so fried them in the oil for the color.

I think my big mistake with this recipe was the kind of noodle I used. I guess there must be several grades of vermicelli noodles because these were too fine (the last time I made pancit I know I used vermicelli too)--instead of absorbing the stock and plumping up a little, they stuck to each other and made a mushy mess!

Taste-wise, the pancit was still edible, but texture is too important to neglect and the texture of this dish definitely brings the whole dish down by an entire scale.

Hainanese Chicken & Rice

I haven't cooked anything new in ages--been subsisting on standbys (3-hour bolognese, beef & peanut noodles, etc.). This week I had a hankering for Hainanese chicken--though to be honest I think what I most wanted was the gingery concoction typically served with it!

I found a whole bunch of recipes for this dish online and some of them were wildly different. I settled on this one since I had most of the ingredients.

The trickiest part was making the rice--I didn't rinse it in a strainer. Then I only sauted it for 2 minutes before adding the broth! It came out a bit too sticky but still tasty.

I made two sauces--one with just garlic & ginger (used bottled, mashed ginger to make life easier) and some stock, and the other was the chili-ginger-garlic combination from the recipe. (I only used one teaspoon of chili sauce and even that was a bit too hot!)

The cucumbers were also not cooperating. I originally bought what I thought were cucumbers in WF, only to find when I cut them up that they were zucchini! I made a trip to TJ's from the pool to get another cucumber.

I completely forgot to take pictures. I was too hungry to remember the camera after spending the latter half of the afternoon wading after Teo, who insists on wading in full sunlight!

CCH Soup

for Cold Cucumber & Honeydew Soup

This was featured in July's O! magazine. (Which I am loving, especially bec. of the feature on Sarah Jessica Parker's line for Steve & Barry. I can't wait to get to my ideal dress size so I can splurge at this store! All of SJP's clothes cost $25 or less and run all the way to size 22!)

For this soup, you puree a ripe honeydew, a medium cucumber and 3/4 c of light coconut milk. Top with toasted coconut and tada! (I haven't found toasted coconut yet, though.)

Unfortunately Teo wasn't keen on it, and Benjie found it strange, but refreshing. Only my friend Amanda (a vegetarian) really enjoyed it.

It IS a perfect foil to the hot, hot DC summer, and it makes a beautiful picture. Except I forgot yet again to take one!

Otsu

Adam made this during the hot memorial day weekend, and I planned it for today since it's been pretty hot in DC too. Unfortunately the timing was off--it was actually quite cool today!

But this dish is so tasty and lovely that it worked, although I can see how perfect it is for a hot day. It requires a minimum of heat, a bonus in my airless kitchen.

Adam got Heidi Swanson's permission to publish the recipe--as opposed to just summarizing--so you definitely should try it out!

The next time I make it, I'll cut the cayenne down to .5 tsp so that it isn't too hot for Teo.

Also, there's something to be said for using a genuine non-stick pan. I had a heck of a time browning the tofu, and the brown parts mostly stuck to the pan! (I know my pan was non-stick when I bought it 5 years ago. I think I've been washing it wrong and that's what damaged the surface.)

(Benjie loved this...rare for a dish with no animal protein in it! And then he asked me what I was cooking next...nueve?)

Dulce De Leche Brownies

This was a weekend of trying out Adam (Amateur Gourmet)'s recent recommendations.

He links to David Lebovitz's recipe for Dulce De Leche Brownies.

This was my second attempt to make this recipe, as I mistakenly bought caramel instead of DDL last weekend. (BTW, caramel works, just not as wicked as these!)

DDL is I think among my top 3 favorite ice cream flavors, so I was really looking forward to these! Plus I love how you basically just get 2 containers dirty--the saucepan, where you melt the butter & chips, and the brownie pan.

I followed the recipe to a T except I think I didn't use enough DDL. (I used a store brand. Making my own is a pain to the wallet, since a small container of condensed milk in WF costs more than half what one bottle of DDL does--and I can get 2-3 brownie pans out of the bottle!)

These came out beautifully moist, and not too sweet. I'm tempted to try it next time with Splenda instead of sugar.

Postscript to Pasta with Leeks & Peas

Umm, remember I skipped the lemon zest and mint leaves the first time I made this?

DON'T skip them. They make a big difference!