Potato Raisin Salad

This potato salad was part of my birthday feast.  My parents prepared a feast for my lunar calendar birthday.  They spoiled me.  They made all the others, but I was in charge of this one.  

A Ingredients

Potato, quartered                  2 heads

Carrots, chopped                 ½ cup

Hard boiled egg, chopped    3 heads

B Ingredients

Mayonnaise          3 tablespoon

Sugar                   1 tablespon

Salt and pepper to taste

C Ingredients

Raisins              ½ cup
rum                    1 tablespoon

Directions:

1. Measure C ingredients into a small bowl, soak for -10 minutes.

2. Heat up the potato and enough water to cover them in a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until stick insert into the potatos come out easily. 

3. Scoop out the potato and put in the chopped carrots into the boiling water and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the preferred doneness, drain. 

4. Mash the potato, with or without skin, then stir in B+C Ingredients (yes, the left over rum too).  Then stir in the chopped hard boiled egg and carrots. Sprinkle some cayenne pepper if available and preferred on top. 

5. If the potato salad is too dry, add a bit of milk or water.

Serving: 4

Warm Crab Salad

Kale contains the most Lutein in all of the vegetables, way ahead of spinach.  Lutein is a vitamin for eye health.  It can prevent retinal detachment.  Nowadays we overwork our eyes with all these gadgets, computers, iPads, smart phones, TVs...etc.  We all need to protect our eyes as much as possible. 

A Ingredients

Water                                  3 cups

Salt                                      ¼ teaspoon

Frozen crab meat                1 piece

B Ingredients

Mayonnaise                    2 tablespoon

Red onion, chopped        1 tablespoon

Parsley, minced                1 teaspoon

Cayenne pepper               ¼ teaspoon

C Ingredients

Butter                       1 tablespoon

Kale, chopped          6 cups(or 1 package from Trader Joe)

Salt                           ½ teaspoon

D Ingredients

Avocado, cubed             1 cup

Fresh lemon juice           2 teaspoon

Fresh tomato, cubed      1 cup

1. Heat the water in A Ingredients in a sauce pan, add salt, then add the frozen crab meat to cook, about 3 minutes, drain the crab meat out of the water and reserve 2 cups of crab stock for cooking kale. 

2. Add all B ingredients into the well-drained crab meat, refrigerate. 

3. Heat up butter in a big frying pan, stir in the kale, add salt.  Gradually add reserved crab stock if the pan gets dry.  Cook the kale until preferred crispness, remove from heat.

4. Carefully stir fresh lemon juice into the cubed avocado to prevent color changing. Nobody wants brown avocado while serving!!

5. On a serving platter, spread the cooked kale onto the bottom, sprinkle avocado and tomato cubes on top of the kale, then top with the whole scoop of crab salad.  Sprinkle some more cayenne pepper to decorate.  Serve with slices of artisan bread. 

Serving: 4

Roasted Eggplant Sauce

I’m visiting my family in San Francisco right now.  My family loves food, but it’s challenging to cook for them.  My aunt had just had an operation, and it’s her top priority to gain weight.  My cousins need to lose weight because of high cholesterol problems.  So this is what I came up with!!

A Ingredients

Eggplant, sliced                  1 piece

Salt                                    ½ teaspoon

B Ingredients

Tomato, wedged                1 head

Garlic                                  5 cloves

Salt                                    ½ teaspoon

Ground black pepper        ¼ teaspoon

Olive oil                             1 tablespoon

C Ingredients

Marinara sauce                  ½ cup

Direction:

1. Place the sliced eggplants onto a plate or a big mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt, let sit 15-20 minutes. 

2. Preheat oven to 300°F.  Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking oil, place the slices of eggplant, tomato and garlic onto the baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. 

3. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes, then pour all the baked vegetables into a food processor or blender, also add the Marinara sauce, puree until blended and mixed.  Pour puree onto a bowl, serve with slices of toasted bread or over a plate of hot pasta. 

Servings: 2-3

Port Teriyaki Sauce

We are not big wine drinkers.  If I open a bottle of wine for dinner, chances are there is still half a bottle left afterwards.  Figuring out what to do with the leftover wine has been a battle.  I can use it to cook pasta, but we don’t eat pasta everyday.  I can drink it, but stale wine is nobody’s favorite.  It wasn’t until I tried using it in teriyaki sauce that I found the perfect place for it.  Any wine will do.  A bottle of ready, home made teriyaki sauce at home can spice up any meal.  Home made!!!

Ingredients

Mirin                          1 cup

Rice cooking wine     1 cup

Port                            1 tablespoon

Thick soy sauce          2 tablespoon

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan, heat until boiling, turn to medium heat, continue cooking until the sauce reduced to half or until the desired consistency. 

Serving: 1 cup

Herbed Couscous

Couscous is one of my favorite ingredients.  There are so many ways to cook it and one can never go wrong with it!!!

A Ingredients

Water                      1 cup

Butter                      3 tablespoon

Couscous               ¼ cup

Onion, chopped     ¼ cup

B Ingredients

Tomato, chopped           ½ cup

Parsley, minced               1 tabelspoon

Basil, minced                   1 tablespoon

Baby spinach, chopped    ¼ cup

Lemon juice                       2 teaspoon

Teriyaki sauce                     2 tablespoon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place water and butter in a sauce pan to boil, then stir in the couscous and chopped onion when boiled, put the lid on, let steam 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes, toss in B Ingredients.  Serve hot or cold. 

Serving: 4

Thai Ice Tea

Every time I visit a Thai restaurant, I’d have to order a glasses of these delicious tea.  It’s actually very simple to make at home.  These Thai ice tea bags are available in Asian markets.  Enjoy!!! 

A Ingredients

Water                         800 g

Thai ice tea bags            6 bags

Sugar                             3 tablespoon

Crushed ice                   1 cup

B Ingredients

Milk                             ¼ cup

Whipping cream          ¼ cup

Directions:

1. Put the water and Thai tea bags into a sauce pan to boil, after the water starts to boil, turn the heat to medium and let simmer 3 more minutes to reduce.  This way the tea taste much better.  Stir in the sugar, remove from heat.  Fish out the tea bags, discard, let cool.

2. While the tea cools, prepare the half and half, measure all B ingredients into a measuring cup, there you go.  This is when you don’t have half and half at home.  If you do, just use a ½ cup of half and half. 

3. Pour the cooled tea into two tall glasses, put in the crushed ice, then pour the prepared half and half carefully onto the crushed ice.  Serve cold. 

Serving: 2

Meatball Sliders

There really is no bad ways of making meatballs.  Make them into little sliders will guarantee to be a crowd pleaser.  Enjoy!!!

A Ingredients

Ground beef                480 g

Ground pork                350 g

Rosemary, minced           1 tablespoon             

Bread crumbs                  ½ cup

Egg                                   1 piece

Buttermilk                         2 tablespoon

Garlic salt                         1 teaspoon

Onion Powder              ½ teaspoon

Salt                               ½ teaspoon

B Ingredients

Mini burger buns          12

Mayonnaise                    4 tablespoon

Ground black pepper     ½ teaspoon

Ketchup                         1 tablespoon

Lettuces                       12 pieces

Tomato slices              12 slices

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F。Measure all A ingredient into a mixing bowl, blend with hands, then divide into 12 equal portions, place the meatballs onto a foil lined baking dish.

2. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes until cooked through. 

3. Spread the mayonnaise onto the mini buns, sprinkle with ground black pepper, place the lettuce and tomato slices onto the bottom buns, drizzle with ketchup, not too much, just a sprinkle, place the meatballs onto the bun on top of the tomato slices, then top with the lid of the mini bun, secure with a toothpick, serve hot or cold. 

Serving: 1 dozen