What's Cooking - Spinach Chicken

Spinach Chicken

Here is another simple dish that is so easy to prepare.  It simply takes half an hour to cook. 

Place two deboned chicken legs on a hot skillet and cover it to cook.

Continue cooking with the cover slightly opened.  Put some chopped garlic on top and turn off heat to let the skillet cool.  This extra little time of waiting for the skillet to cool down saves the skin from sticking on the pan. 

Turn the heat on as soon as chicken is turned.  Add spring onions, garlic, ginger and a little water(optional) and salt to taste.

Add spinach stems,

then the leaves and cover until steam comes off the sides of the skillet.
I have tried this recipe with different kinds of mushrooms and vegetables and it never fails.


Arrange the chicken on the plate, ready to serve.


I am sure you can do better .. please feel free to share.
Enjoy!

Rewards of the Simple Life -2

     I've just fed my soul with this:

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?^[b] 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. 

when hubby suggested we go somewhere for breakfast. 

       A child's crying broke off the spell.  It was soon followed by a young mother scolding her young one for having a tantrum.  I don't dare turn around and look at the mother for fear of adding fuel to her exasperation.  Hubby said it is time to leave.  I looked around.  The place is filled with awkward silence.   I wanted so much to comfort the young mother, to tell her that she is in the right place. It is Mc Donald's. I caught a glimpse of the whole place, packed with people and their laptops, a scattered few reading and writing on their notebooks, and a group of young men  enjoying their lunch break as we passed them by on our way down the flight of stairs. The clock downstairs said 1 o'clock. 


      I shifted my plans of watching my in-laws' expression as they enjoy my stewed sea cucumber for lunch.  Our conversation on Confucius, Lao Tze and King Solomon went on as we drove over to visit them.  My mother-in-law and father-in-law just had their nap when we got to their place.  She is in her late 70's and he in his early 90's.  I have never lived with them to really get to know what conversations they would have with each other.   We need not talk much.  We did not stay long.
   
Jeremiah 6:16
This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.


Hubby and I continued our conversation.  I suggested another place to be, enjoy the scenes.

As If Someone Is Interested - Cleaning Up a Sea Cucumber

Clean Cut up Sea Cucumber

As a child, I've seen snakes hanged, skinned and cleaned up. A prey too soon, with those that had fallen prey to it, still intact.  I've watched our cook go through all the necessary procedures of feeding a chick to it becoming a delicacy on the dining table.

To share a childhood secret, I had seriously wondered if I'd ever pluck up courage to hold the chicken still, tilting its head, showing a part of the neck plucked of feathers with my left hand, wielding a knife with my right hand.  Reminiscing now, I am thankful that my father never imposed that I  should learn how to get the life out of a chicken if I want to enjoy fried chicken in the future.  I am thankful that he simply encouraged me to watch and learn.

In short, don't worry about what you would see in the following photos.  To rate how high your standard of decency is, here's a clue. It feels like a soft slippery bar of soap in your hands. It is easier to clean than fresh fish,  slit it open lengthwise,  no foul smell, just the feel of seaweeds and sand on your fingers.  Enjoy!

ready to be cleaned

no choice as to size

How offensive can it get?
Simply push the seaweeds off in running water
with both thumbs.

Use a brush to rid of these white stuff in the crevices.

This is how clean it can get.

20101113 What's Cooking - Stewed Sea Cucumber & Pork Ribs

STEWED SEA CUCUMBER & PORK RIBS

This is one of the delicacies that I have passed on from my father to my hubby and son.  There is no other way to enjoy this dish than to have it cut up in generous portion and cooked long enough for its sticky consistency.   If delicious means highly pleasing or agreeable to the senses, especially of taste or smell,  I can really feel the pain of deception when this "tasteless and bland" dish is served just for the sake of its appearance in which case I mean its emergence in a dish. 

This photo is another one I took with a piece facing inside out to show its thickness.  I have no choice as to thickness when this thing is sold, fresh form at Costco, 4-5 irregular sizes to a pack.  I bought two packs so I can have more of the thicker ones, still thankful for its expediency compared to the cost of buying them in dried form.  One may be able to choose the thickness and size when bought in dried form but cannot ignore the cost of rehydrating them through boiling and soaking for several days for it to re-absorb water. 

 Place pork ribs into preheated wok to get as much oil out of it as possible.  

This is a clearer photo of how much oil can be discarded.

Place the pork ribs back into the wok and season with soy sauce to taste.

Stir fry pork ribs in low heat and observe a darkening color, then add garlic.

Stir fry until garlic is cooked and then add water.

Bring to a boil in medium heat and then simmer in low heat.  This can be transferred to a stewing pot to cook till tender.

Meanwhile, cook ginger in the wok and add the sea cucumber pieces.

Stir fry ginger and sea cucumber pieces then add the stewed pork ribs.

Simmer until sea cucumber is soft and tender or of desired consistency.  Watch out that sauce doesn't dry up totally.


Please let me know how you love this dish.  
I shall post the cleaning procedure for fresh sea cucumber in another blog.
Enjoy!

What's Cooking - Rice Noodle with Squash & Ground Pork

I was craving for fried rice noodle on my way home from class at 10:00 pm tonight

so I dropped by Taiwan Sugar, a grocery store, for frozen ground pork,

and went to the organic store beside it for the rice noodle and onions. 

I thought I've got everything until I caught sight of this lone squash by the doorway.

You should have seen me walking all the way home,

carrying a thankful smile at the thought of having things at my fingertips

even at this hour of the night.

There are only two things in my mind, squash rice noodle and squash rice noodle

as I took the elevator up.  Here it is. A proof of what was an imagination an hour ago.

Rice Noodle with Squash & Ground Pork

I put the frozen ground meat into a heated pot to defrost and cook.   Added two sliced onions to the oil that comes out of the meat.

    Added soy sauce to taste, let simmer and set aside.

Soaked the rice noodle in drinking water to soften.

Sliced half of the squash into thin pieces for lesser time to cook.

 In another pan, I heated  the chopped garlic in olive oil and added the thinly sliced squash.

                    Covered the pan and continued cooking for a while before adding 3 Tbsps. water.

                                                                  See photos 1 & 2

Photo 1

Photo 2

 To tell you the truth, reality slowly crept in as I put the drained rice noodle on top of the garlic heated in olive oil as in (Photo 1).  For sure I was in panic mode when I added this cooked squash on top because my logical mind meant to put the cooked ground meat at the bottom of the pan and layer the drained rice noodle on top to absorb whatever liquid the ground pork and onion mixture got, As in (Photo3) & (Photo4).

pretty mistake

Photo 3

Photo 4

 With all the necessary ingredients in its proper place, covered the pan to continue cooking and adjusted the heat to low.  Tossed and mixed evenly as you see on the top photo.


In retrospect, I have to admit that the whole process was not clear in my imagination.  This was another one of my spur of the moment attacks.  I am now having another thankful smile for my ever appreciative family.
It is in moments like this that I do not have to worry about time limits, grades and score.


There might be some ideas that come to mind as you read this blog.  Please feel free to share.
I still have a lot to learn about posting, organizing my thoughts and using the right words for clarity but I am not the kind to wait till I learned the whole thing because I know it is impossible to learn if I do not get myself exposed and be vulnerable.

Sauteed Spinach,Garlic & Egg

Here is another simple recipe that is easy to prepare

and takes less than 10 minutes to cook.

Sauteed Spinach,Garlic & Egg

Heat chopped garlic in olive oil,

Add spinach stems,

Put in the spinach leaves
 cover till leaves wilt
 Add 3 pcs scrambled eggs
 cover for a minute.
Toss and mix well.
Serve

Rewards of the Simple Life

                                           Hubby and I were strolling around the neighborhood 

                                              after chatting over coffee after lunch of Thai food

                                                               this Sunday afternoon

                                                                           when

                                                           at the spur of the moment

                                                                      here we were

Chasing after the sunset
in our car.

Satisfied with the sight that is ahead of me
I didn't bother to ask where we're heading to

I heard him mention about the mountain
He sounded in doubt we could attain

This is it
the end in view
savor the moment
my heart pursued

What vivid picture did hubby see?

the sun that set behind the sea...