The Cooking "I Do": July 2010

Monday, July 19, 2010

Summer Peaches

A couple weekends ago, I went peach-picking in Fredericksburg with some friends. Had a good time hanging out with everyone, and we came back with a LOT of peaches! So I decided to try my hand at making a peach pie. I started volunteering with the TX Pie Kitchen a couple months ago (http://www.texaspiekitchen.com/Texas_Pie_Kitchen/Home.html), and I've learned a few tips and tricks along the way. Despite all the recent experience with pie-making, I felt nervous doing it on my own...good thing Wender was there, so we were able to do it together!

I rolled out the dough while she peeled and sliced up the peaches. Then we did the mixing and formed the lattice topping (I know, fancy right?) together. We used a recipe from America's Test Kitchen cookbook, and it turned out great! The pie wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, and the crust was nice and buttery- I won't mention how many sticks of butter we used, but I'm sure you can guess!

Oh and here's a plug for the TX Pie Kitchen- please let me know if you'd ever like to purchase a pie to support this non-profit, and I can put in an order for you and will be sure I have a hand in making it. :)

Thanks, Wender for all your help and for taking the great photos!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Ahi Poke Salad & Sides

I discovered how tasty poke can be when we visited Hawaii last year. It's light, refreshing, and seems like the perfect island food. I got a chunk of tuna at HEB for a very reasonable price, and found a simple recipe. Here it is: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/ahi-poke-basic/Detail.aspx. I followed the reviewers' suggestions to omit the macademia nuts.

That night we also had shrimp, orzo with pesto, and spinach. I seasoned the shrimp with Misty's All Natural Seasoning (http://hamptons.guestofaguest.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/mistys.jpg), courtesy of Edwin's mom. The bottle in that photo is the All-Purpose, but I'm not sure if there's much of a difference. This is like the secret spice of all time. There's no MSG, and whatever you throw it on, tastes sooo good. No joke. I'm usually a recipe-follower and measure out those little 1/4 teaspoons of herbs, but with Misty's I just throw it on anything. It has yet to fail me!

We have been busy with traveling and moving this past month, so I don't have anything I have cooked worth posting. But now that we are in a nice, big kitchen, I'm excited to cook again. Any recommendation for a tasty but healthy meal for these hot, summer nights? :)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Do It Yourself Sushi Night

We turned a date night into let's make and eat lots of sushi. It was fun, and I finally got to try out my hand in making Spam Musubi, which is so good, so unhealthy and so simple! Thanks, Kyle for the Musubi press!! Edwin will not like the 2nd picture, but I think it's great. And we used smoked salmon on the roll- much cheaper and almost as tasty as the raw stuff :)

Lamp Chops and Lasagna

These lamp chops were made in a cooler! Seriously. You know the fancy sous-vide machines they are always using on Iron Chef to make things cook faster? Well the cooler is the poor man's sous-vide, and let me tell you, it rocks. The chops rested in a large freezer bag with fresh herbs and soaked in a warm water bath for about an hour and a half. Then they were seared on both sides for a few minutes. Pioneer Woman's hearty and delicious lasagna took longer to make than the chops!

Thanks, Ed for the tips on the sous-vide and searing the meat!

Korean Food

I cannot claim credit for these dishes although I wish I could! Edwin made the Japchae with help from the Korean video lady, and I bought the Galbi from the Korean store. Just grill it up! Our friends also came over with seafood pancakes (sadly did not get a picture), so it was the perfect Korean meal. So thankful for good food, family and friends.