Bread!!

Here is the most basic bread I could find.  Very tasty too.  I added minced garlic to dough.

No-Knead Artisan Style Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
Seasonings of your choice.

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.  Add the water and herbs, if using, and mix well.  The dough will be very sticky and shaggy looking.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours.
2.  Generously flour a work surface.  The dough will have risen and will be covered in bubbles.  Transfer the dough to the work surface and dust it with flour.  Fold the dough in half and then form the dough into a ball by stretching and tucking the e3dges of the dough underneath the ball.
3. Liberally flour a kitchen towel. (do not use terrycloth)  Place the dough ball on the floured towel and cover with another floured towel.  Let the dough rise again for about two hours.
4. Preheat over to 450 degrees F.  Place a lidded Dutch oven or deep heavy duty casserole dish (with lid) into the oven to preheat.

5. Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven.  Remove the lid and gently turn the dough ball into the un-greased baking dish, seam side up.  Shake the dish so the dough is more evenly distributed.
6. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake until the crust is golden brown, 15-20 minutes.  Remove the loaf from the baking dish and let it cool on a rack before slicing and eating!

Mongolian Beef

Here's a tasty meal for the family.  Mongolian beef.  The first time I made it by a recipe I found and it wasn't quite what I wanted.  I altered it a bit and added a couple things and I think it came out just about right.  Best served with brown rice.

Mongolian Beef

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp sesame seed oil
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 1 1/2 pound beef
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 4 large green onions
• 1 cup white mushrooms

Directions:

1. Slice the steak into 1/4” thick bite size slices.
2. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece.
3. Let beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
4. While beef is sitting, make the sauce by heating 1 tsp of vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame seed oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Don’t let the oil get too hot.
5. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
6. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes.  Then remove it from the heat.
7. Heat up one cup of oil in a wok over medium heat until it’s nice and hot but not smoking. You may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil. You may have to do half the beef at a time. 
8. Add the beef to the oil and saute for about 2 minutes or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.  You don’t need a thorough cooking at this point since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.
9. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.  After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels.  Then pour the oil out of the wok.
10. Put the wok back over the heat, dump the meet back into it and simmer for another minute.
11. Add about 1/2 the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring.
12. Add onions and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Stirring occasionally.
13. Serve over rice.

SUSHI !!!

Tonight we made sushi!!!  We love sushi around here.  We had seaweed wrapper, sushi rice, smoked salmon, raw salmon, raw ahi tuna, cream cheese, deep fried raw green chili, and avocado.  And a little lemon zest.  I made spicy mayo to go on top.

Sushi Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups Japanese sushi rice
• 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 6 sheets nori (dry seaweed)

Directions

1. Soak rice for 4 hours. Drain rice and cook in 2 cups of water. Rice must be slightly dry as vinegar will be added later.
2. Immediately after rice is cooked, mix in 5 tablespoons rice vinegar to the hot rice. Spread rice on a plate until completely cool.
3. Place 1 sheet of seaweed on bamboo mat, press a thin layer of cool rice on the seaweed. Leave at least 1/2 inch top and bottom edge of the seaweed uncovered. This is for easier sealing later.  Arrange your favorite toppings on the rice. Position them about 1 inch away from the bottom edge of the seaweed.
4. Slightly wet the top edge of the seaweed. Roll from bottom to the top edge with the help of the bamboo mat tightly. Cut roll into 8 equal pieces and serve. Repeat for other rolls.

Spicy Mayo

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Mayo
1 Tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
3 drops black sesame seed oil
8-10 drops lemon juice

Directions

Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl.

My wife Amber made cake-pops for desert. You'll have to get the recepie from her!

Japanese Beef Rolls

Tonight I tried to make Japanese Beef Rolls.  They turned out good.  Oven wasn't working right tho.  And I couldn't figure out a sauce to go with them.  I tried several things but nothing was quite right.  Maybe a spicy mayo or something.  Any suggestions??  Served with noodles fried in Trader Joe's  Soyaki sauce.  Yum.



Japanese Beef Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 24 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 8 thin-cut top round steaks
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 bunch green onions, green parts only

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, cover and allow them to sweat over low heat until soft. Do not let them brown. Meanwhile, bring a large pot or skillet of water to a boil. Dunk the asparagus into the boiling water, then place into ice water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven broiler. Grease a broiling pan.
3. To construct the rolls, lay the steaks out flat. If your steaks are thick, pound them to about 1/4 inch thickness. Brush soy sauce onto the surface, then place a few mushrooms, a couple of green onions and 3 asparagus spears at one end of each steak. Roll up towards the other end to enclose, and secure each bundle with a toothpick. Place the rolls seam side down on the broiling pan.
4. Roast under the preheated broiler until browned on top, about 3 minutes. Turn the rolls over and brown on the other side, 2 to 3 more minutes. Be careful not to over cook, this could burn the steaks or make them tough to eat.



Chef's Jackets

I figured that every chef or cook needs a jacket or apron.  I made an apron a few months ago and that works great, but I needed one for my son Cole.  So....  I decided to make Chef's Jackets for the both of us.  Take a look.  I didn't have a pattern so I used one of his shirts and drew one.  And if he had one, I needed one.  They both took me about 3.5 hours to make the pattern and sew the jacket.  What fun.  Now we just need to get them dirty!  :)

Matching dad and son Chef's Jackets

All of us wearing our cooking outfits.  Mom is wearing the apron I made awhile back.

The reason it's Dad's Kitchen.

Here I go again.  I have a 21 month old son.  And as all boys do, we have to eat.  And we get bored with the same old foods all the time.  So we need to come up with interesting and new food dishes to eat.  ( Mom enjoys the variety too)

Start of another blog. lol

Well, here is another blog about cooking.  This time its about a guy in a kitchen.  Okay, it's not uncommon for guys to cook.  I just thought it would be fun to share some things I cook.  My sister and sister-in-law both have blogs about cooking and sewing and stuff.  I know I'm not going to be as constant as they are, but I want to just share some foods I enjoy.