Food Archives - Page 14 of 19 - A Golden Afternoon: Simplified Home Living

Quick Asian Pickles

I am so glad to be done with termites…for now anyway. We have had these crazy creatures in our house bugging us since we first saw their first “kick-outs” right after we moved in to our house 2 1/2 years ago. You see, our house was supposed to be tented before we moved in but while I was giving birth to #3 that wasn’t really taken care of for me by my realtor. Bummer to move in and find that out later but I’m over it now that everything is finished. We had to move out anything that might possibly enter your mouth (I even packed up my play-dough) and all of our plants. If you’ve seen my pantry, you know it was a lot to move. A big thank you to my parents for housing it all in their guest room. Thanks, Mom and Dad :).

This week I was recovering from a Sat/Sun migraine and the kids really wanted to make something so I opted for a surprisingly quick, quick pickle. We had 2 pickling cucumbers and 1 lemon cucumber we picked from our ~~backyard~~ local Red Farm. I knew it was enough for a jar so off we went.

I’ve been staring at this “Asian quick pickle” recipe for a while. I don’t know if any of the Asians make this kind of pickle but I’ve had similarly marinated Japanese cucumbers on my travels to the land of the rising sun.

Mix together all of the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved…minus the pickles, of course :)

Grab your cucumbers. Cut off the ends, peel, and take the seeds out.

^— They will look like this. Put the onions on the bottom of a jar (any jar because it’s not going into boiling water). Then, have the kids stuff the cucumbers in a jar.

Pour the liquid and put in the fridge. Enjoy almost immediately, but i think they were best the next day.

I let the kids snack on the leftover skins and seeds, then took them to my husbands office where he fangoriously devoured them all.

Asian Quick Pickles

(adapted from “Put ‘Em Up!“)

1 c. seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 T. low sodium soy sauce

2 T. sesame oil

2 T. raw sugar

a pinch or red pepper flakes

3 pickling cucumbers

1/2 a red onion or 1 large shallot

Here’s a lovely photo of my man and I whilst engaged, in Japan. I love that country, the people, and the honor that abides there.

Pasta Caprese

I think the number two question I get from people related to food and cooking is, “Do you have any easy and fast recipes you make for a just a regular night at home with the family”. YES! I find most of what I cook to be easy but I think what people are looking for is something to make in 30ish minutes with only a few ingredients. Is that about right? I give you: Pasta Caprese! I thought of you all who have asked me that question because it came together with some things I have leftover from a big dinner and was super easy. We don’t really eat pasta anymore for health reasons, but every now and then I like to break it out when it’s just the kids and I at home.

Pasta Caprese

1 box of rotini pasta, cook until al dente

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

2 pints of cherry tomatoes, squished

1 large handful of basil, chopped

4 balls of burrata cheese or mozzarella cheese*, torn or cut into pieces

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

dash or two of walnut oil

many dashes of aged balsamic vinegar or a reduction

With pasta, mix garlic tomatoes basil, cheese, and olive oil until combined. I mention the tomatoes are squished because it’s a fun way for kids who can’t use knives to help with dinner. They simple hold the tomato down in the bowl and squish. Get ready for giggles and tomato seeds gone wild. Season with salt and pepper to your own taste. Add the dashes of walnut oil and balsamic vinegar. Remember the pasta spreads the flavor out a bit so don’t be afraid to add more seasonings. This is a VERY simple dish for a nice summer evening. It could be very much enjoyed with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc, if you choose. Make it good wine though, not that cheap 5 buck stuff :)

*Burrata can be found at your local cheese shop. San Diegans’ can go to our awesome local store called Venissimo! Whole foods and Trader Joes have it but it is not nearly as good. The one I prefer to buy is made with love in LA by an Italian family and is brought down here. I’ve now seen it popping up at our local farmer’s markets, but most sellers (even cheese stands!) haven’t learned quite yet that it is very delicate and goes bad after only a few days so selling it in that condition is a bad idea :/ If this all sounds like too much work, you can either trust me that the real stuff is just THAT good and better than anything you will ever experience in the mozzarella family, or you can just be regular and buy mozzarella. Your choice really. No pressure.

Too busy to cook? Try this…

We’ve been super busy around here and although I’ve still been making regular meals, I haven’t had any time for projects. These jars are an easy way to enjoy the strawberry season and not let it pass you by. Alcohol and vinegar both allow you to throw whatever you want in without worrying about it needing to be sealed or processed. Endless possibilities! I am going to make lots of these this summer. The combos can be used for cocktails but you can also make some yummy fruit vinegars for salad dressings. The only requirement is that the fruit be covered by the liquid. Let them sit in a cool, dark place for at least 6 weeks.

Easy, right? Let me know what kinds of combos you come up with!

Cocktail: Blood Orange Margarita

Hello, Summer. You have been quite lovely of late. You are lovin’ on my garden with sweet sun kisses and my tomatoes and strawberries are therefore becoming more awesome every day. If you could just slow down a little that would be great, too.

Blood Orange Margarita

(adapted from Mix Shake Stir by Danny Meyer’s-love this book!)

1 1/2 oz Tequila

3/4 oz Orange Liqueur

3/4 oz Lemon juice

3/4 oz Lime juice

3/4 oz blood orange juice

2 oz simple syrup

ice

salt, flakes (I used kosher because that’s all I had)

slice of blood orange for garnish

Run a lime around the rim of the glass and dip in salt. Add all ingredients to your shaker with ice. Shake for a few then pour in your glass. Add garnish and hand over to a friend with a smile.

Kids + pizza

Kids love pizza. This is no secret. What kids love more than pizza is their own personal pizza. They can have something and make it all theirs. You can learn a lot about a kid by what they put on their pizza.

2-year-old fingers can’t resist poking dough.

In my experience, when kids touch and help make their food (and grow it!), they are more likely to eat it. I also think it helps them form good habits of cooking, which will hopefully stay with them when they need to feed themselves.

Our go-to toppings:

mushrooms

bacon/proscuitto

tomatoes

red onions

leeks

corn

grilled chicken

olives

sausage

avocado

roasted garlic

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a tomato sauce fan, but i think the garlic with olive oil brings this one home for the team.

Pizza Dough:

Use Alton Brown’s recipe found here. I like it because everything is in the bowl at the same time which is easy enough for everyone. I use 1/2 T salt instead of the full T. You can get away with letting it rise for a few hours or try it the full amount of time he states if you want the best results. I make it an hour before….all.the.time.