Stuffed Tomatoe Salad With Smoked Salmon

Slice Tomatoe almost all the way through but stop just short.

Slice fresh Mozzarella and insert into slices in the Tomatoes.

Insert Fresh Basil leaves and Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings also.

Top with a dressing of Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil with a small amount of brown sugar for sweetness and to balance the acidity. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Let sit 20 or so minutes to achieve flavor meld.

Add some Smoked Salmon.

Consume with wild abandon.

Oh yeah, Garlic bread goes well on the side.

Lettuce Wraps ( Like Changs but way better)

Wash/dry lettuce. I like Butter.

Mix up a nice drizzle sauce. Soy, rice vinegar, fresh grated ginger etc.

Chop some Fungus and green onion.

Sear and chop chicken into small pieces.

Return to pan and saute with veg and fungus. Don't forget to add some Waterchestnuts for crunch and to throw in a nice stir fry sauce.

Serve with some sauces and some bean sprouts.

Very, very Tasty.

Smoked Steelhead

First you catch a little fish


Then you fillet and brine a fish

Hang out and enjoy the smoke rolling. Normaly I would smoke fish with Alder but this time I used Hickory and it was delightful.

If you are lucky there is some left over for a photo...

Real Homemade Ginger Beer

Grate up some Ginger(2 cups grated), add some Lime Juice (2 tbsp fresh squeezed) and a whole bunch of Brown Suger (4 cups). Stir in 2 quarts boiling water and stir till sugar is dissolved.

Bloom some yeast in warm water.

Add the yeast, cover and leave on the counter covered to percolate. After a day or two strain, bottle, refrigerate immediatly and drink ice cold on a hot day. This will be both Spicy and Sweet.

More pictures later. I think Chris got a video...

**CHRIS' NOTE**

Bottled Up.
(Someone should ask Matt what happened the first time he vented these...)

Anyway, yeah, I got a video. If you watch it, that's Matt out mowing the lawn making all the noise.

Indian Dinner

Marinate some Shrimp This had Lemon juice, Brown Sugar, Salt, Cilantro, Garlic, Olive Oil and Chili powder If I remember correctly...

Fry some cumin seeds and cloves in oil til seeds start to sputter. Add 1 large sliced onion and 1 large cubed potato, fry some more. Add some turmeric and salt with rinsed basmati rice and rinsed red lentils, fry some more. Add water, bring to boil and simmer. (Oh yeah, soak rice first, 15 minutes or so, or it will be crunchy since it doesn't cook as fast as the dhal)

Grill Shrimp on a bed of sliced Onions, sliced Tomatoes and sliced Peppers. (all I could find were Seranos, not quite the same but nice heat...) Basting every so often with marinade


Serve it up with a nice herb and mixed green salad and the beverage of your choice.

Tasty Grilled Tuna

Mix together in a small bowl: 1 Tbsp Brown sugar, 1 Tbsp Sesame oil, 1/3 cup Soy sauce, 1/3 cup Rice wine vinegar, 2 minced Garlic cloves, 1/4 inch piece fresh ginger grated, Fresh cracked pepper and Chili pepper flakes to taste.

Drop in hunk of tasty Tuna steak and marinate 2-4 hours.

Grill and eat with your favorite sides.

Aebleskivers!

A while back I heard a tall tale about a group of famished war weary Viking invaders retiring from battle and replenishing there strength by eating pancakes. The shields that had once been flat and smooth and provided double duty as a camp griddle now were completely covered in dents and dings. Not to be discouraged the proud Viking invaders made their beloved pancakes in the dents and a new tradition was born spherical pancakes filled with apple. Or so they say. At least some of them...

I found a recipe online called "Great-Grandma Hansen's Aebleskiver Recipe." and thought, "Hey I'll use that." but then I found this one...

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Baking soda

1 tbsp ground Cardamom

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp madagasgar bourbon vanilla

2 cups buttermilk

I also figured I might make a variety of fillings. you know, Savory Sausage and Havarti, Huckleberry, Blueberry, Chocolate you know, that kind of thing. so everyone should run out and buy a monk pan and start making these tasty little bites. I mean we are Danish afterall. Think tasty little donut pancakes...

Kalbi Marinated Flank Steak

Lightly score flank steak on both sides

Rub 1 tbsp brown sugar on each side. Let sit 10 min.

While waiting, mix your marinade. Some low sodium soy sauce, garlic, mirin and toasted sesame oil.

Slice a Kiwi and rub each side of flank steak with 1/2 Kiwi.

Drop in a ziplock bag with marinade and let it soak for 2 hours. Turn once halfway thru.
reserve used marinade and bring to a simmer until reduced to make a drizzle sauce.

Grill to desired doneness and let rest.

Slice Flank Steak thinly across the grain and serve on a bed of Jasmine Rice topped with Scallions and drizzled with reduced marinade. Appropriate sides: Steamed Baby Reds with Balsamic and fresh Cracked Pepper, Steamed Bok Choy and your favorite Amber