Testing FUTOMAKI Gadget

One of the fun in cooking is to test with new gadget.   For $1.50 this Japanese FUTOMAKI Gadget proved its worth.  I had my bamboo roller out and ready to roll with but I remember having purchased a roller at the DAISO.   Here is my result.  By the way, it would turn out much better if you use the regular short grain rice.  I  have been eating extra long grain Basmati rice cooked with Quinoa so that's what I used.  The test here is to see if the roller is worth trouble using it or make it the old fashion way.  

Ingredients would be cooked rice, cooled, seasoned slightly with sweetened rice vinegar.  Two sheets of NORI seaweed wrapper.  One egg beaten with pinch of salt and 1/4 tsp of sugar and 1 Tbsp of water.  Fry the beaten egg into crepe over a lightly coated frying pan (non stick frying pan works out the best for this job), after it is cooked and cooled, transfer to the cutting board and julienne slice into 1/4" wide.  Julienne cut a cucumber 1/4" wide - leave out the seedy core.   If you would like a crunchy cucumber, squeeze the cucumber between palms of your hands.  Squeeze as much liquid as you can.  You can leave it as is also.  Sliced avocado and anything else you want. 

Place the bottom mol into the bottom box.   Fill the lower cradel with rice 2/3 full, then top with all the cut vegetables and egg pieces.  Set aside.  Line the top round mold with NORI, then fill with rice.  One side of the NORI will extend out of the mold.  That's okay.  After filling with rice, press down with the back side of a soup spoon.   Place it on top of the bottom mold with rice and fillings.  

Revert the bottom out of the bottom box, then remove the box.  Roll the NORI that was extending out over the bottom halves.  Then cover it again with the bottom cradle.  Uncover, Rotate the whole roll over a bit. Recover and press.  Done!

Not a bad Gadget.  A keeper!

KABOCHA CHIFFON CAKE - Have you made one, yet?

For family gathering what else is better than making something tasty and healthy.

Canneles de Polly 2015 Un

It's been a while since I made this tasty pastry queen.  

Homegrown GOJI BERRIES

My friend gave me a GOJI berry plant.  Amazingly it is a hardy plant and it divides willingly.  And here they are this summer.

Peach Flavored Honey Meads

For a few days, I had my doubt the success of the honey mead.  The batch of raw honey I purchased was from the local grocery store, rather than directly from the local beekeeper.   But finally after a good long waiting, at a touch of a start of a simple stir, the honey sizzled upward like an effervescent spring, in effect, it out poured out of the jar.

 Fill with filtered water.

 Stir in the morning, at noon, and in the evening.

 After a week and a half, Miracle! the Bubbles and Sizzling sound.

 Fresh crisp peaches out of my garden.

 Peel and enclose them in cheesecloth.

 Add to the mead.

 After a couple of days, take it out.  Filter the meads through fine strainer.  I like to filter them through the coffee filters.  Then, bottle them in air tight capped bottle.  The bottle should be thick
enough to withstand the developed pressure in the bottle; otherwise, you will see a big mess of shattered bottle as though you had a great champagne party.
Cap air tight and keep undisturbed in a cool dark location for several months.
Enjoy!

Taking an Impressionistic Art Break

This mornimg my grandsons drawing caught my eyes.  I've seen them the day he drew, but not in details.   I am quite impressed with the details he added.  A bit of drawing guide from the How to Draw seems to have awaken his creative imaginations ...   Reminds me of couple of my favorite PC's available screen backgrounds - flying birdman, happy critters in the forest... 

Avocado Ice Cream

After checking out Alton Brown's recipe for the Ice Cream, I tried it and love it.
I have seen Avocado being used in place of eggs once in Ming's cooking show.  They made some sort of mousse dessert.  It looked so delicious.  I thought this is a perfect substitution to the rich formula I have been using - 6 to 8 eggs.  And Eggs!  oh my! I remember two years ago when I got food poisoned from licking the ice cream custard base that I prepared on July 4th evening.  Lucky I didn't die.  Maybe that's why my kidney got all messed up since then.  I was so busy that day with my grand-kids, and forgot all about it.   It sat in the kitchen good 4 hours or more.   When I found it, it was late in the evening.  I did the unthinkable myself and licked on the spoon to taste...hoping that it is still good... Come On!! you are ServeSafe trained.  Whaat?  Why did you do that!!?   the thought of Salmonella came across my mind.  Actually it was more than a lick?  a tongueful??  4 hours later into my sleep, my body cramped up and woke me up.   I had the worst sharp abdominal and head pain.  I barely could breath, etc, etc .  I was in the bathroom... you got the picture.   So I tried this Avocado Ice Cream recipe.  It turned out great.
So, try it!
Pre-freeze your ice cream maker overnight, if you are using one.

Ingredients:   *All my ingredients are Organic
12 oz Avocado   - Organic
1 TBsp Lemon juice  (from home grown)
1-1/2 C Milk - Organic
1/2 C Sugar - I used Organic Cane Sugar

1 C Heavy Cream

Puree everything, except heavy cream, in your NutriBullet, if you own one.
then, Add Cream.
Chill in Refrigerator 4 to 6 hours.   Then Freeze.
(I think you can add to your ice cream maker right away without pre-refrigeration, but I followed what it says.)

After pureeing - It looks like it is already ready to eat!! Doesn't it?

 Soft serve at this point.

After freezing... it's a bit too frozen overnight, but Da, Daaa!!

Next try - Kale or Spinach Ice Cream
I think it's really cool that we can make all kinds of delicious and "nutritious" ice cream at the same time.

Polly's Blueberry Raisin Muffins

There's always a room for another muffin.   Once you got a basic muffin recipe that turn out a great muffin to your liking, there is nothing that going to stop you from making one after the next... coconuts, pineapple, kale, avocado, hot and spicy... going kind of crazy, but that's what happened after making those Polly's Cherry Garcia Muffins.   Go over your ingredient list and do your "Mis en Place" in the evening, whip them up in the morning before leaving for the office.

Topping:
2/3 C Organic Flour
2/3 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon
1/4 C Chopped Organic Raisins
Add all of the above into a bowl with 4 Tbsp or 1/2 stick Unsalted Butter that are cut into small cubes - Mix them up with your fingers till crumbly.  **If it feels too dry, add a Tablespoon more of butter or use less flour.  Set Aside.

Batter:
Preshift your flour and measure out 2-1/4 C Organic Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder without Aluminum
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
Shift all of the flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt together three times.   Set Aside.

The night before:  Measure out all the ingredients the night before and set aside.
Don't forget to leave the measured Milk, Egg, and Sour Cream in the refrigerator.
Next morning, before you start brushing your teeth and getting dress, take all the stuff out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature.
Once you are ready with an apron - Mix in a medium bowl:.
3/4 C Organic Cane Sugar   (adjust the sweetness to your taste.  I sometime only add 2/3 C depending on what I am adding, such as chocolate chips, raisins...that are already sweet.)
1/2 C Milk
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/3 C EVOO  or Pure Vegetable Oil (Stop using Canola or Corn oil, unless the corn oil is Non-GMO and Organic)
1 Large Organic Egg
Optional:  1 Tbsp Orange zest from home grown orange
1/2 C to 1 C Fresh Blueberries - washed and pat dry

While you are mixing the batter, Preheat the oven to 400'F (*but will be baking at 375'F)
Mix the batter with your hand whip.
Fold shifted flour mixture in.
Add Fresh Blueberries to the batter and mix in gently.
Scoop into Muffin Cups. 
Top with Raisin crumbles.
Drop the oven temperature to 375'F and Bake for 20 - 25  min. - depending on size of the muffin cup size.   This recipe will yield 9 muffins.   Each muffin cup is filled with scant 1/3 C of batter. Check for doneness at 15 minutes.  Then, Bake till tester comes out clean?  and beautiful tan brown?  Done!
*Know your gas oven's BTU or countertop electric oven's power and adjust temperature accordingly.

 

Lucky office co-workers.

Pink Lips Lotus Number 2 - 2015

I will probably going to miss the full blossom of this number two Pink Lips lotus.  I noticed it flowers later than usual   morning hours at 7 am.  Even at 8, it is barely open, except for this jolly drone bee that always visit every year...may be it's a different bee but it always shows up when my Pink Lips is awakening.   Lucky lady. Got a secret admirer in this world.

Pink Lips 1 - 2015

This year my original groups of pink lips failed to revive after the transfer ordeal it suffered last summer.  I suppose if you don't have s container to support a large root development, try to keep the fertilizers at a bare minimum or none.  My over eagerness to nurture the original Pink Lips costed their roots to over grow in a tiny container in turn causing the root system to exert enough power to crack through the tough Rubbermaid trash container it lived for many years.  This Pink Lips photos are of the seedlings from the originals that I cultivated in a different container.   It proudly matured and survived the winter frost.  It finally blossomed into a beautiful Pink Lips.  I am waiting for the first blossom to seed, then I can cultivate some more for the 'just in case'.

Even the bumble bee comes out to say 'Hello'.   May be it is telling #2 the secret it found.