Its a question I wanted to pose seeing I have a daughter whose favorite food is sushi.

Yes, she is 14 and does have a well developed palate but I was wondering if there were other folks out there whose kids are asking to go to dinner for sushi ?  I guess I started her on it  early and I do enjoy a nice tuna roll and baked dynamite, but its one of those things that I just didn’t expect to hear from my daughter so often.  So please  let me know if there are other folks out there who have found a kid friendly, affordable place for sushi that won’t break the pocket book .

I  admit I am a bit of a foodie and  since I am always critiquing places I eat I may as well share my findings on my Blog.

Tonight we dined at Sushi Hana Downtown on 6th and Central.   Its become a new favorite of mine.  Great ambiance,  lovely restaurant, its actually quite a big place but usually empty in the evening.  They have Happy Hour from 5:30- 7:30 and Half  off  their sushi menu. They have a nice selection of sushi rolls and Udon,  Yakitori, and traditional Japanese offerings.

The Miso Soup is tasty, very rich and tasty broth, deep caramel colored and nice touch of tofu and sliced mushrooms and green onions.  ( Forgot to take a picture…)

Didn’t care much for the Squid salad which is one my daughters favorites. It was a little too chewy and rubbery,  maybe not cut  into small enough pieces and the flavor was lacking.

The  Sushi rolls however, made up for the lack of flavor and they were beautiful and tasty.

We decided on 3 rolls and here are pictures of two of them , Fire Roll and Love Knight.  They were similar. They both had shrimp tempura in the center and salmon, except one had avocado . Sushi was fresh and the right amount sauce.  I especially liked the one with the avocado and my daughter enjoyed them both.

I do hope that you will  take a night to check out Sushi Hana,  Downtown.  We just discovered it  a month ago, but I fear that they may not be around long if we don’t get the word out and fill the place with customers soon.  Since the price is right and the service is friendly, and the sushi is tasty stop by and give it try and let me know what you think.   They do a nice Bento lunch special as well, but I haven’t tried it yet.  Let me know if you have ?      Arigato!     Comment me and let me  know where you like to go?

This week in class  we had the pleasure of practicing our measuring and baking skills together and made Oatmeal Blondies and Silver dollar pancakes.

I think everyone had a blast  and the kids really enjoyed making and eating their creations!

The cool thing about these recipes is they use a  convenient baking mix we call Everyday Baking Mix.

It is easy to make and can be used for several different recipe variations.

I’m posting it here for all of you to try out……..it stores for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Just be sure to mix it up before measuring out for your recipes.  Enjoy!

Everyday Baking Mix

v 6 Cups all purpose flour

v 3 Cups sugar

v 2 Tablespoons baking powder

v 1 Tablespoons salt

In a large bowl, whisk together 6 c. flour (spooned and leveled), 3 c sugar, baking powder and salt.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 months. Whisk before using.  Makes about 9 cups

Use it to make the following 3 Recipes

Chewy Oatmeal Blondies

• 1 stick butter room temperature
• ½ Cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½  Cup Everyday baking mix (spooned and leveled)
• 1 Cup old fashioned oats/ not quick oats

Preheat oven 350. Brush 8’’ square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and 2 sides with parchment paper letting 2’’ overhang on both sides.

Using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg beat until combined with mixer on low, gradually and slowly add baking mix.  Mix until combined.  Mix in ¾ cup of oats.  Pour batter into pan.

Using a butter knife, smooth batter evenly in pan, and sprinkle remaining oats on top pressing gently.   Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Using overhang on sides of pan, transfer brownies to a wire rack to cool.

Toothpick test:  The toothpick test is one of the best and most accurate ways to judge the doneness of baked items such as cakes and brownies.  One simply takes a clean toothpick and gently pushes it into the middle of the pan.  If the toothpick comes out clean without any batter attached to it, you will know that the cake is done.  If it comes out still gooey and sticky more time is needed in the oven.

Silver Dollar Pancakes with chocolate sauce

WE made these with chocolate chips instead of chocolate sauce! Just put a  handful of semis sweet chips in the batter before you  cook them .  They are great either way.

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ¼ cups everyday baking mix
• 1/3 cup store bought chocolate sauce or chocolate hazelnut spread
• ½ cup vanilla ice cream

Caution hot stove or griddle!  Adult Supervision required for young children!

1. 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, egg and 2/3 cup milk. Add baking mix, whisk lightly just until moistened.

IMPORTANT ( DO NOT OVERMIX; a few small lumps are fine).

1. Preheat oven to 200. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium, very lightly butter the bottom of the pan.
2. Drop 2 -3 tablespoons of batter onto the hot skillet or griddle.  Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside another 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Transfer pancakes to a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil and put into the preheated oven to stay warm. Continue to make pancakes with remaining batter, adding more butter to skillet as necessary.
4. Recipe should make about 12 pancakes.
5. In a small saucepan combine chocolate sauce with 1/3 cup milk. Bring to a simmer over medium low, and whisk until smooth.

Serve pancakes topped with chocolate sauce and ice cream.

Jam Sandwich Cookies

4 cups Everyday baking mix

1 cup (2 sticks ) butter cold unsalted , cut into pieces

½ cup milk

¾ cup seedless jam or jelly any flavor

(Recipe makes 36 cookies/  18 sandwiches)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.. In a food processor, pulse baking mix and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add milk; pulse until a thick dough forms.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons on to cookie sheets, 4 inches apart.
3. Bake until cookies begin to turn golden but center is still pale, approx 12-14 minutes. Rotate sheets halfway through.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Spread flat side of half of the cookies with 2 teaspoons jam each
6. Sandwich cookies with the remaining cookies.

Julie and Julia………..If you enjoy a feel good movie and happen to be a foodie,  this is a must see show.  I went several weeks ago with a couple of girlfriends and was pleasantly surprised.

You see, the movie, it struck a nerve for me.  Its about food and blogging , two of my favorite things.   Julia Child is the inspiration for this young woman in NY who is looking for meaning and passion in her life. She finds an old Julia Cookbook, The Art of French Cooking, and decides she will cook one or more recipes everyday for a year, until she works her way through the book and blogs about her experience along the way.  You have to see the movie to appreciate the transformation that comes from her love affair with food and her commitment to her blog viewers.  One can’t help but admire her dedication and understand her frustration as she struggles to fulfill her promise and keep her personal life alive during the course of that year.

You see my blog really hasn’t gotten off the ground.  I don’t have  a real following.  No one knows who I am. I don’t write everyday nor do I cook everyday, but I used to prior to my move this past year (BW- that is Before the Westside!) .  I mean cooking and writing are my passions,  so why I haven’t done what I love on a daily basis is really confusing to me.

I mean my story isn’t  quite the same as Julie’s, but I get it.  I don’t have a loving partner in my life, but I do have a fabulous, albeit hormonal teenage daughter on my hands!  Maybe my blog could be the single mother spin on Julia…….Called  Miss Loislane. ” The blogging single mother, struggling to raise a teenage daughter on her own and whilst trying to teach Pre K and cooking classes to young people while living in small townhome over the river.  Having moved due to circumstances that transpired over a year ago to a place where wanna be gangstas roam the streets, pigeons have taken over the neighborhood (and my rooftop), ants  and silverfish have decided to move into the kitchen and bathrooms and the gas stove pilot keeps going out. Now I have to break out a lighter before I cook and keep an oven thermometer in the oven at all times.   As for workspace and countertops   ….well there isn’t any.  There you have it, so the cooking amenities aren’t quite what I had hoped for but I guess I have to suck it up and make the best of it.

Okay, so maybe there is a  learning experience in all of this.  Maybe, just maybe, this madness will get me motivated to blog and share with my friends out there, and actually put myself back in the kitchen. Even if its not the kitchen I wish it were,  I can still fill my heart with food and love and then laugh at where I have come from and look forward to where I am going!

So here I am up late at night banging at the keyboard wondering what great commitment I can make for myself this year to highlight my connection to food and teaching . Maybe even create a blog that  someone might check out from time to time and leave an  comment along the way!  Welcome to my life, welcome to my Blog and hey…….check out some of the recipes sometime. You and your kids will have a ball hanging out and cooking together wherever you are today….  Make the most it  !!

Halloween is around the corner and the ghouls and goblins are all preparing to dress up and head out to play.  Its a fun time.  We have a wonderful street in our neighborhood that shuts down car traffic, and everyone decorates their homes for Halloween, and Harvest day.  Its always fun to walk down the street and drink hot cider with the neighbors while the kids wander from house to house filing their bags with sweet treats from all the folks  near by.    Stay Tuned this week for some fun Harvest recipes to keep you and your little goblins busy in the kitchen as the nights grow longer, and colder !

 

 

Kids love carving pumpkins for Halloween……….cleaning out the seeds is always a stringy mess, but roasting and eating them is always a special treat in our family; whether roasted with salt, or with sugar and cinnamon for a sweet delight!

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

 Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you’ve removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)

•   Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

• Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.

• Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

 

 

 

Roasted pumpkin seeds have a nutty flavor and are packed with protein and fiber.

Pumpkin seeds are delicious toasted and salted, but they’re even better flavored with sweet and savory spices.

 

  These are delicious!  Enjoy.

Sugar and Spice roasted pumpkin seeds

 

 

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried

• 4 tablespoons white sugar, divided

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

 

 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F . Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dry and toasted. Larger seeds may take longer.

2. In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of white sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and sprinkle the remaining sugar over them. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts, about 45 seconds. Pour seeds into the bowl with the spiced sugar and stir until coated. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall is in the air. The smell of green chile roasting outside,  the leaves changing colors over the Bosque and the brisk mornings where the early skies are filled with rainbow colored balloons that prepare our city for the Albuquerque International  Balloon Fiesta .

Fall  is a time for reflection and change.  It is a time to say goodbye to summer and settle down into the cooler months. Its my favorite time of year, and one that always reminds me of the traditional New Mexican Fall festivals.  This weekend September 27-28 marks the beginning of the Corrales Harvest Festival, which is always a treat. Even the drive through Corrales during this time of year is a pleasure.  The town is vibrant, the harvest is ripe with corn, and pumpkins, and the fields mowed and ready for the onslaught of visitors.

It is also time for the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, which we host every year during the first week of October.  If you have ever looked into the sky and seen 100s of hot air balloons floating by you know what a uniquely beautiful site it is to behold.   My daughter and I usually visit the festivals each year and enjoy our share of local New Mexican cuisine.

New Mexicans celebrate this time of year with several unique dishes and most of them include lots of local green chile , squash and beans.  All these ingredients are traditionally  New Mexican  and been  used in Native American cooking for centuries.  They were  later translated into Mexican food and continue to be a part of the local flavor of the Southwest.

If any of you want to taste some great traditional Native cooking……..do stop by the Pueblo Harvest Café in Albuquerque at the Indian Pueblo Cultural center.   I am currently working over there part time and the Executive Chef  Jason Upshaw,  has done a fabulous job creating a Native fusion menu that features ingredients that are native to the 19 pueblos and combines them in a classical cooking style.

Enjoy the cooler weather and make sure to make time to cook up some chile.  I will be sharing several new recipes with you that use some of these native ingredients in the days ahead.  Fall is here!!

Chile Verde: Green Chile Stew

Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 5 hrs.

1 1/2 pounds chicken or pork boneless and diced to cubes

·        2 cups chicken broth

·        1 cup green chile sauce (homemade see above or in a jar)

·        1 cup tomatillos, husks removed and coarsely chopped

·        2 roasted green chiles, seeded and diced

·        4 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced

·        1 medium onion, peeled and diced

·        1/4 teaspoon black pepper

·        2 cup of chopped tomatoes, canned or fresh

·        1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar*
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups purified water

Preparation:

Brown the chicken or pork in a small amount of olive oil, over high heat.

Place the browned chicken or pork, chile sauce and tomatillos into a crock pot set on low, or a large, covered pot over low heat. Simmer for 2 hours. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 2 hours. Check every 30 minutes and add water as necessary. Serve hot.