Polly's Pan Fried Prime Rib Eye Steak

This is my adventure with frying Prime Rib Eye Steak in my cast iron pan.

Yep, I like my steak well done.

Let's serve it with onion pancake I made.

Q-RI MEN - Cucumber and Noodle

Q-RI (Cucumber) + MEN (Noodle).  I have been trying to eat a Cucumber a day.  It's not always to find a good cucumber.  Even a home grown cucumber would shrivel up so quickly if left forgotten on the kitchen counter.  But I find a easy way to enjoy them.
Chop up one or two slices of ham - no Nitrite, etc.
Scramble 1 egg with 1 tsp of water, 1/2 tsp of sugar.  Pan fry in low heat to make a sheet of crepe.
Remove the julienne the egg crepe.
Peel Cucumber and process it through Spiral Vegetable slicer to make Cucumber Noodle.
Boil noodle of your choice - RAMEN.  Boil Instant RAMEN in boiling water for 3 min. but no more than 3 min.   *Instant RAMEN is really not good for you.  Find fresh RAMEN if you can.

Strain RAMEN when cooked and Rinse with cold filtered water.
Assemble the noodle in any order you want.
If you have pickled DAIKON, add that, too.

Sprinkle with TAJIN or SHICHIMI TOGARASHI; Japanese Rice Vinegar.  If you would like you can mix the Rice Vinegar with some sugar to sweeten it slightly, if you would like.

You can also stir fry some ground pork or chicken; Add chopped green onions, curly parsley, cilantro, then - depending on how much you want to make - Add two tablespoon of Organic MISO; Add two tablespoon of water.  Stir to make into paste.  Sever over noodle with cucumber noodle (using spiral vegetable cutter.)  Serve with some rice vinegar and chopped garlic.   You can serve with pickled DAIKON, if you have some.

Pickled DAIKON that I make is really easy.  Select a fresh DAIKON.  Peel.  Then, julienne into 6 cm long, etc.  Boil the Rice Vinegar with Sugar (to your taste) and hot chili flakes or not, make sure the Mason Jar, Mason jar Lids, and Rings are sterilized accordingly.   Fill the sterilized Mason jar with fresh DAIKON and fill the jar with rice vinegar mixture.  Wipe clean the lips of the jar with 'clean' cloth or paper towel.  Seal the jar with sterilized lid and ring.  If the rice vinegar mixture is hot type, refrigerate after the jar after it is cooled off; otherwise, refrigerate the jar.  It's ready in one and half to two weeks. *it all depends on the methods.

  

You can eat with noodle or just with Cucumber noodle.

RICE CRISPY TREATS with SPRINKLES OF TAJIN

Have tried the magic seasoning sprinkles called TAJIN?  I couldn't help it one evening while making this chocolate rice crispy treats.  I want to give it a kick.  I reached for TAJIN, and Voila! 
I think it's meant to be.

hmmm..... Chocolate, Lime.... Chili... yummy treats...

2018 SPRING TULIPS and AVOCADO

I don't know why I left all this blog unattended.  I uploaded the pictures, but did not complete the story.  This one is about spring Tulips.  I was hoping for more Yellow and Purple Tulips to show up, but most of them were Red.

 

These are the blossoms from the AVOCADO plant/tree.  I was also successful in growing the Avocado tree from the seed.  I had to keep the tree warm in the winter with make shift hot house.  Wrapped the holiday rope lights around the tree to keep from frost.  And it was a good idea because it survived, and it grew AVOCADO!! in one and half year period.

Thank you, Mr. Bee.

Polly's Quick Fried Donuts

Some quick fried donuts to enjoy.
1 cup of flour, 1 Tbsp of yeast.
1 tsp Vanilla paste or extract. 1 tsp sugar.
Some milk 1/3 and some to form into thick batter.  Add more milk to form into thick batter.
2 Cups of cooking oil - Avocado Oil; Olive Oil
Mix. Cover and Let Rise.
Prepare Cinnamon Sugar in a large zip lock freezer bag. - 1/2 C sugar, 1 tsp Ceylon Ground Cinnamon.

After mixing all ingredients.  Cover and let rise until double in size.

Transfer the batter into Cake Decoration tube or just use a spoon to drop a 1/2 Tablespoonful to heated cooking oil - 315F - 325F.

I am using a pair of scissors to cut the dough.  Totally optional.  You can unsqueeze the bag and tilt the head up to stop the dough from woozing out further.

See?  the shape doesn't matter.

Let them cool a bit.  Drop them into Sugar Cinnamon bag.  Shake to coat.   Serve.

My Hamburger Steaks with Curly Parsley and Cilantro

If you ever wonder how to include curly parsley into your diet, here is one simple way.
Get a pound of Organic ground beef, wash and chop up Curly Parsley, Cilantro, and Onions; Some salt and peppers and any other seasonings you like.
Make into Large dinner size patties and fry.  Even better, if you have a George Foreman's Grill, grill the hamburger.

Serve over cooked Basmati rice and sauce of your choice. I like to use TONKATSU sauce.   That is also the reason why I use salt sparingly in mixing with the ground beef.  Condiment sauce(s) has plenty of sodium to flavor my Hamburger Steaks.

I really like the Extra Long Basmati rice - contrary to short grain, I gain no weight after I eat a large portion of it.

Dragon Fruits 2018

Dragon fruits plant has been growing quite well.  Given that they are protected and kept warm or away from the harsh summer sun.  From the seed germination to maintaining healthy stalks, it's a learning experience.  All the YouTube postings really helped me to learn how this particular tropic cacti would behave.  It's still unpredictable how it will be this year, but it made it through the winter of 2017-2018 - 35F - 40F - 65F; spring of 2018 - 65F-80F, summer of 2018 -85F - 110F, and now the fall of 2018.  During the winter period of 2017-2018, luckily I improvised and wrapped the plant with heavy mil clear plastic and a rope holiday light.  The rope light is switched to turn on at dusk till early morning.
The only think I am really reluctant to do right now is to thin it out to several planters.
I am hoping to see some blossom and fruits in 2019.
                                                                      Early Spring 2018

 

September 29, 2018

 It's getting wild.

Polly's Lemon Zucchini Cake with Fresh Cranberries

This zucchini cake has become one of my favorite healthy cake.  My promise to myself this year is to bake or cook by adding a little bit more nutrient than to just use plain white flour.  If you have already been doing that then, you got a head start to a healthy life.  And even though it says, "Lemon" zucchini, I didn't have enough fresh lemon from my mother's lemon tree, so I used orange zest and cranberries.  I normally zest lemon, lime, and oranges in summer when they are available.  Then, I package them tight in freezer ziplock bag.  I use them through out the year.

 

My mother gave me a few zucchini, and I didn't really know what to do. Zucchini is bland and is not a favorite of mine.

I came across this recipe at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10754/lemon-zucchini-bars/

Yes, the original recipe is titled "bars", but mine is so fluffy, I call it the cake.

INGREDIENTS I used for my cake are -

1-1/4 C  Organic cane sugar

3/4 C Avocado Oil 

3 eggs

2 Tbsp Orange Zest from my mom's orange tree - I did not find Lemon Zest in my freezer.

Instead of 1/4 C fresh Lemon Juice, I used 1 C Frozen Cranberries - this is fresh cranberries purchased when available, and being froze.   Boil 1 C frozen cranberries with 1/2 C sugar with 2 Tbsp water for 15 min or till mushy and liquid evaporated to 1/4 C and cooled.

1-3/4 C Grated Zucchini - Squeeze as much liquid out between palms of your hand or by placing them in the cheese cloth to squeeze.   (*for this recipe, I only had 1 C of zucchini)

2 C All-purpose flour

2 tsp Baking Powder without aluminum

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Kosher Salt

I did not put nuts or use confectioner's sugar for decoration.

Preheat oven to 400'F about mid-way through you mixing the ingredients.  I don't like to heat up the house in summer time or waste energy if I can help it.

METHODS - Manually with hand whisk or use your favorite electric mixer

Beat eggs for 2 min using whisk, start adding sugar 1/4 C at a time.  Beat eggs and sugar until pale in color - this is how you give the cake the fine crumbs.  Add avocado oil, orange zest*/ Lemon zest

Shift flour, baking powder, baking soda three to four times.