November 2010

I love Stir-Fry. It’s easy, quick, and allows me to eat lots of veggies at one time. Plus, I love experimenting with different things to add to it. Sometimes I’ll add chicken, sometimes it’s shirmp, sometimes it’s all veggies. Whatever I feel like at the moment. It doesn’t get any easier with the bag of Stir-fry veggies from Costco. I’m all about quick and easy! Recently, I upped the ante quite a bit and have scored a big hit in this house. Here is my basic recipe…you can add whatever meat you like to it…and I can find everything at my local grocery store:

Stir Fry with Udon Noodles
Bag o’ stir-fry veggies from Costco (any amount you’d like to make)
diced onions
minced garlic
meat of your choice
Soy Sauce
Ponzu Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Olive oil
Udon Noodles (1 bunch)

In a wok type pan, heat about a tablespoon of oil on med/high heat. Throw in onions and garlic adding a pinch of salt. Stir and allow to saute a bit. Now throw in meat and saute until just about done. Pull all of this out of the pan and add another tablespoon of oil in. Once heated up, add veggies and cook until they are just about done. In the meantime, heat water in a small pan until boiling. Add in 1 bunch of Udon noodles (there are 3 in the package) and cook until done (about 3-4 minutes). Back in the wok, add in about a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of ponzu sauce and a tablespoon of hoisin sauce. Mix well, covering all of the veggies. Add back in the meat/onions/garlic. As soon as the Udon noodles are done, add those in as well. Mix it all up and BAM, you have dinner! Look at this gorgeous dish full of yummy goodness…how can you resist? Top with a few chow mein noodles if you desire and serve warm.

So, the moment you’ve all been waiting for….let’s talk about food! You already know how I got to this place, so now I think I’ll start talking about some recipes I work on in the kitchen. Watching things on TV is a great help because I learn so much better by watching, and then doing vs. reading a book or studying. Hands on is where it’s at for me! These days, I tend to watch what they do (or even if I see a recipe) and then put my own twist on it. Case in point, a recipe I came across recently that looked really good…but I thought it may need a little something more. If there is one thing you wanted to know about me, it’s the fact that I LOVE chocolate. Not a little….a LOT. It’s something I need to have every day in some form. Am I addicted? Probably. But, it doesn’t hide the fact that I do all I can to create some really yummy goodness. Dark & Creamy Fudge. Sounds good, right? I thought so too when I came across this recipe. Then, of course, I added a little special something to it to make it my own. In this picture, you really can’t tell there is much sea salt on top…that’s because my husband is not a big fan of the salt on top, so I limit it for him. Enjoy!

Dark & Creamy Fudge…with a Twist
10 oz. Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 (14 oz.) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch + scant 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp. mint extract (optional)

Line 8″ square baking pan with plastic wrap, leaving 2″ overhang, smooth out any wrinkles.
Combine chocolate, condensed milk, vanilla and pinch of salt in large heavy saucepan. Cook stirring occasionally, over medium/low heat, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Add mint extract if desired. Transfer to prepared pan; spreading evenly with rubber spatula. Let cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
Uncover fudge; remove from pan by lifting edges of plastic wrap. Invert fudge onto cutting board; discard plastic wrap. Cut fudge into 8 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 8 pieces. To serve, bring the fudge to room temperature. Sprinkle evenly with remaining sea salt. Yields 2 pieces per serving.

In 2007, friends of ours, from San Jose, flew to our house for Christmas.  Their birthday’s are right around Christmas Day and that year, they decided they wanted to get out of town for the celebrations and just relax at our house.  We had plans to go to a nice dinner and see the Nutcracker on stage.  After that, we came back and they were very insistent that we sit down and watch a movie.  The movie they wanted to watch was Ratatouille.  I was tired, but we had never seen the movie before, so we watched it.  Little did I know, this was all a themed plan.  I truly had no idea what was coming, but our friends were very excited for me to open my Christmas gift right after the movie was over.  Still not knowing what was going on, I opened my gift and there was my chef coat!  It was personalized with my name on it (in lowercase letters, just the way I spell it!), had a “name” for my restaurant, and I was labeled as “Executive Chef”.  The trim and buttons on my coat is teal in honor of my hockey team the San Jose Sharks and on each arm is a flag representing my heritage…Greek and Italian.  It has to be one of the coolest gifts I have EVER gotten!  It fit perfectly and I wear it ALL THE TIME when I’m in the kitchen.