Japanese Fried Rice

Japanese Fried Rice

With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I’d share one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes.  I know, fried rice seems like a weird thing to serve with Thanksgiving… but it’s a family tradition for us!  It all started one year… after my dad spent all day making the Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings, my teenaged brother [...]

Sekihan (Japanese Sweet Rice with Azuki Beans)

Sekihan

Sekihan 赤飯  (Japanese red beans with sticky rice) was one of those savory dishes that I didn’t get to eat often as a child… but was a favorite!  Usually, we would only get sekihan on those special once in awhile trips downtown to Little Tokyo – which wasn’t that often since my mother would always [...]

Zaru Soba (Cold Japanese Buckwheat Noodles)

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Cold soba noodles are a Japanese summer staple… when the weather gets really hot, these buckwheat noodles make a very refreshing and light meal (especially when you don’t feel like eating anything too hot or heavy).  This type of soba is served with various toppings (usually nori and chopped green onion), along with a side [...]

Langostino Scampi and Polenta

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Last time I went to Costco, I found a new item – frozen (cooked) Langostino tails.  What are “langostinos“?  Here in the U.S., “langostinos” refer to the Squat lobster (which is not what we think of as a real “lobster” – it’s actually a species related to hermit crabs).  Do not confuse “langostino” with “langoustes” [...]

Bolognese Meat Sauce (Ragu alla Bolognese)

Ragu alla Bolognese (Bolognese Sauce)

Bolognese is a meat based pasta sauce that originates from Bologna, Italy.  In Italy, this sauce is often served with large flat noodles like tagliatelle, pappardelle, or fettuccine… or with tube shapes like rigatoni or penne.  Here in the U.S., “Bolognese” brings to mind a tomato sauce with crumbled ground beef, sometimes with mushrooms, served [...]

Easy Fettuccine Alfredo from scratch (One Pot 15 Minute Recipe)

Easy Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo

I love Fettuccine Alfredo – I almost always order this when at an Italian restaurant… it’s my favorite pasta dish!  Once, I tried to make it at home with Alfredo sauce from a jar… I even bought a good brand… and it was…. really really horrible.  You just can’t get “real” Alfredo sauce from a [...]

Harusame with Pork (Japanese stir-fried glass noodles with pork)

Japanese stir-fried Harusame (glass) noodles with pork

Harusame are Japanese vermicelli noodles made from mung bean starch.   These noodles can be stir-fried, served cold/room temperature as a side dish, or can be used in soups.  (The noodles themselves are gluten free, which makes them a good option for those individuals with Celiac disease.**)  I like to stir-fry harusame with pork and [...]

Spicy Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

Spicy Thai Drunken Rice Noodles

A few months ago, I finally got a hand-hammered carbon steel wok to replace my old nonstick wok!!!  (The problem with a teflon coated (nonstick) wok is that it cannot be heated to high temperatures… and you end up sauteeing your food in the wok, rather than the quick high heat cooking that is required [...]

Homemade Basil & Ricotta Cheese Manicotti (easy recipe made with crepes)

Fresh Basil and Ricotta Cheese Manicotti

Last week, I posted a recipe for how to make basic crepes at home using a simple batter of flour, eggs, butter, and milk.  One of my favorite dishes to make with a batch of crepes is homemade Manicotti.  Manicotti is an Italian dish, made by stuffing a savory ricotta cheese filling into either a [...]

Homemade Meat Lasagna from Scratch

Homemade Lasagna

Every now and then, I liked to make a double batch of Lasagna from scratch – one pan to bake for dinner, and one pan to freeze for a busy time in the month ahead.  I buy ground beef at the market when it goes on sale, then freeze the packages and defrost when needed. [...]