recipes – Site Title

Family Favorites

Back when I was cooking, there were many family favorites. I’ll go with the ones that my son loved and still loves. When he heads back home which is not often, he places the order a week in advance and then when he is home, he asks for the same dishes over and over again!

The first one and at the top of the list is Tuna Melt. This one takes the Blue Ribbon as far as family favorites go. It is a simple dish that doesn’t take much effort but I tend to pep it up so that it comes out finger-licking good.! He’ll ask for seconds and thirds and then asks me to make it again the next day! That is how good it is to him or is it just memories attached to it? I don’t know but it’s his favorite.

Next one on the list is homemade Lasagne with lots of sauce and with three kinds of cheese! This one takes more prep time but it is well worth the effort. It tastes better the next day but whenever is just fine with him. He doesn’t just eat it, he sniffs it in and it is gone in minutes!

Last but not least are pork ribs smothered in a rich dark red sauce that shimmers and dances! Okay, it is called BBQ ribs but done my way. The meat falls off the bone and it is messy to eat but both my ex and my son loved it. It didn’t matter if they had “sauce” running down their arms, it was all about the ribs. I must say, it was delicious.

Those are the three that I can think of and ones that I have on repeat redial when my son comes home. He loves feeling like a little boy again, although he keeps reminding me that he is not 8 anymore! After the meal, he reaches for my hand and lays it on his head like he used to as a little boy and looks up at me with those sweet adoring eyes enough to melt any heart! I guess they never grow up! I’m not complaining!

Daily writing prompt

What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?

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Hainanese Chicken Rice

I came upon this dish when I was in Singapore and a group of friends took me to the hawker center. It was loud, crowded, and chaotic. We headed to this stall run by an old “uncle.” He was a nice man with a toothless grin but I was told that what he served up was heaven itself. I wasn’t too impressed but decided to try it as I had told myself to try everything once, as far as food goes and I was going to do just that.

The dish came and the sliced up chicken looked bland. It looked like plain boiled chicken served up with some boiled rice and several small dishes of sauces and for good measure some cucumber slices were added to make it look healthy. Nothing spectacular but let me tell you, what followed was mouth-wateringly scrumptious and it is one of my favorite recipes of all time! This dish evolved from the Hainan district in southern China and has become one of Singapore’s most beloved dish. I can understand why, one mouthful and you are hooked, line and sinker!

Here’s the recipe, a little time-consuming but worth the effort.

For the Chicken:

1 small chicken

1 tbsp. salt

12-14 cups of water

4-5 slices of ginger

2 whole scallions

Ice

For the Rice:

2 ounces chicken fat (taken from the cavity of the chicken)

1 tsp neutral oil

4 cloves garlic (minced)

3 cups uncooked white rice (washed & drained)

chicken stock (from making the chicken)

2 tsps salt

Ginger-garlic sauce (can be bought ready made)

Sweet Dark Soy Sauce (can be bought ready made as well)

Chilli Sauce (store-bought as well)

Instructions:

Wash chicken. Pat dry and lightly rub with salt and set aside.

Bring water along with ginger and scallions to a boil. Add chicken, breast side up. Adjust water so that the chicken breast is just slightly above water.

Once water starts to boil, lift chicken out and drain water from cavity. Lower chicken back into pot, bring the water to a a boil again. When it is JUST starting to boil, turn the heat down. Cover the pot and let simmer. Turn heat to the lowest setting.

Cook for 30-35 minutes. Now prepare the ice bath. Stick a toothpick in chicken to see if it is done. If juices run clear, it is cooked. Lift chicken out, drain water again and lower into the ice bath. After 15 minutes, the chicken should be cooled. Completely drain, cover until ready to serve.

To Make the Rice:

Heat a wok, add chicken fat with 1/2 tsp oil. Stir-fry and then add the garlic, then add the uncooked rice. Stir for about 2 minutes, turn off heat. Transfer rice to rice cooker. Add the poaching liquid from chicken until it reaches the ‘4’ line (3 US cups = 4 rice cooker cups). Stir in salt, close lid & press START.

ASSEMBLE:

Add chopped up chicken to plate. Add a scoop of rice with a side of cucumbers. I usually add diced pineapple as well. Serve the sauces in small sauce bowls for dipping.

It is finger-licking good!

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite recipe?

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My Repertoire of Foods

I’ve picked up a lot of recipes from my travels around the world. The travels weren’t just about getting to know another culture but it was also about the variety of food that was offered. I was pretty adventurous as far as food was concerned so I always made it a point to try everything once although there were times when I had to say an absolute NO!

Anyway, I’ve perfected this German recipe and I’ve made it several times for my son, ex, and just recently for a friend. It is pretty simple but delicious. A casserole with a bed of spinach, frozen or fresh, it doesn’t matter, I prefer fresh. Then you add salmon fillets and the best part is this creamy sauce that goes over the whole thing. It is smooth, scrumptious and melt in your mouth good. Bake it in an oven till the top is slightly browned and serve it with just about anything. I served it with Mexican rice last week and it went over well. The message I got said, “Food was delicious!” It is delicious and doesn’t take much effort at all but you come off looking like a winner. This is one dish that I would like to keep making and each time I tweak it to make it better. This last time I added some chili, not too much, and it turned out perfect.

The other thing I wanted to try was this thing called Tuna Melt. I picked this recipe up in Tennessee and loved it but my son went crazy over it and it is one of his favorite foods. I must say, Tennesseans know their food well. It is not always healthy but some of their stuff is finger-licking good! The tuna mixture is creamy and topped on a wholewheat bread roll and baked in the oven till the grated cheese melts and it is ready to go. Not much effort here either but it is delicious and when my son comes home once in a while, it’s the thing he asks for. He places the order a week in advance!

I have a big repertoire of foods I have picked up from around the world but the two I mentioned stand out for their easy-peasy way of putting a great dish on the table in record time. I don’t cook much these days. Chachi, the cat, gets canned food and as for myself, I’m into healthy foods and most days, no creams, no sauces, lots of veggies and something that I can whip up in a flash without going to too much trouble.

What foods would I like to make? Nothing much really. I’ve cooked just about anything and now it is time for rest and relaxation! Oh well, the single life does have its perks I suppose.

Daily writing prompt

What foods would you like to make?