Recently my friend Kristen posted pictures on Facebook from our freshman year in university. It was great and hilarious to look back ten years and see how young and skinny we all were. It made me a bit nostalgic for the places we used to go, things we used to do, and foods we used to eat.

On the weekends my friends and I would often go to Cornerstone to eat chicken wings and go dancing. At the end of then night when the bars closed we’d find a place for a late night snack. Most of the places where I used to go are now closed, which makes me feel old. But anyway, sometimes we want to Wawa for sandwiches. Sometimes Ratsies for pizza, where once a chair started to collapse under me and my friend Nav caught me in midair. And sometimes we went to Danny’s for crab rangoons.I almost never went to Danny’s because it was out of the way from my walk home, but my friend Janina liked to go there so sometimes I went. She introduced me to crab rangoons, and as a Marylander in Maryland, I was hooked. Crunchy, gooey, cheesy, and stuffed with crab – it’s the perfect late night food.

Now, the first time I tried to make this recipe I decided to fashion my own deep fryer. I took a large pot and put a lot of vegetable oil in it. For deep frying, you have got to use vegetable or peanut oil because it has a high smoke point, which means it can get really hot and won’t easily burn. So, I turned the heat on high (which I shouldn’t have done) and I made my first rangoons and dropped them in the oil. They cooked in an instant and looked delicious.

But then, they started to smoke, and the oil started to smoke, and my entire flat filled with smoke. Miraculously, the alarm didn’t go off. I hurried to turn on the oven fan, open the windows, open the door, and I frantically waved a tea towel in the air to try to dissipate the smoke. I made about four rangoons that way and then decided I’d try to bake the rest. Although that works, it doesn’t give you the brown, bubbly, and crispy exterior I was hoping for.

So the third time was the charm. I used a pan with just about a 1/4 inch of oil which I heated on medium, and then I flipped them halfway through cooking. This worked perfectly. Crispy, creamy, gooey rangoons and no smoke inhalation.

Adapted from Food.com

Messy level: Not too messy, but you can see from my prep picture above I had a lot going on. This is fairly straightforward to make, but frying can get oil everywhere. Just be careful, try to be organized, and you shouldn’t make too big of a mess.

Crab Rangoon

 

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Serves: 18

Ingredients

• 6 oz crab meat
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• wonton wrappers
• water
• vegetable oil
• soy sauce, for dipping

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the crab meat, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, spring onions and garlic.
2. Taste and add salt and pepper. Taste again and adjust to suit your preferences.
3. Put a little bit of water into a small bowl or cup
4. Put 1½- 2 teaspoons of crab mixture in the middle of a wonton wrapper
5. Dip your finger in the pot of water. Wet two adjoining sides of the wonton (an L shape).
6. Fold the wonton over and press the dry side onto the wet. You will have made a triangle. Squish the crab insides just a bit so you won't have empty air pockets once cooked. Don't squish too much or the wrapper will burst and the crab will ooze out.
7. On medium to medium-high heat, heat ¼ inch of vegetable oil in a large pan. Heat until very hot. Flick a little water onto the oil. If it pops, then the oil is hot enough.
8. In batches, add the rangoons to the hot oil. Cook on each side for 1-3 minutes. They are done when each side is golden brown, slightly puffed, and has some air bubbles.
9. Remove from the oil and dab with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
10. Serve with a side of soy sauce for dipping.

3.2.2925

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It’s Wednesday, which means by this time in the week you might already be looking forward to the weekend. But, I bet hardly anyone looks forward to Sunday evening. Sunday evening means the weekend is drawing to a close, it’s time to make sensible decisions, and go to bed early to be ready for work Monday morning. However, this Sunday (at least in the US) there’s something to celebrate – the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead.

I love The Walking Dead, which is odd considering I’m afraid of zombies. I’ve been known to have zombie nightmares and my zombie apocalypse plan is to give up and get bitten. But still, I love The Walking Dead. I tend to watch mindless sitcoms, and for me this show is my jolt of drama, fear, and thrills. It’s not just the action I love, I really enjoy the characters. I like watching them evolve and deal with who they used to be and who they want to be, and have to be, now.

Also, I think the show is great because it’s pretty unpredictable. I wholeheartedly believe that any character could go at any moment. In most shows, you feel pretty confident that fan favorites and main characters are here to stay – but with this show I’m not so sure. Every week I just keep rooting for Daryl. On Mondays, I used to dissect every little thing with my coworker Erica. I miss that because it was always so fun to speculate. [Spoiler alert] Recently, a lot of the story lines have led to epic gun battles between groups of people – but then in the mid-season finale Beth’s scene was so quiet and intimate – yet so dramatic. The show always keeps me on my toes.

So to celebrate the show, I decided to make a cauliflower brain. I was inspired to make this by my friend Jubi who sent me a message asking if I had any recipes themed for TV shows. I didn’t, but I was into the idea because I adore themey stuff. I decorate for every holiday, I made Ryan a baseball cap shaped cake when the Nationals were in the playoffs, and I have Abraham Lincoln socks for Presidents Day. So why shouldn’t I also have foods perfectly matched for a TV viewing party?

I went with cauliflower because a whole roasted cauliflower looks sort of like a brain. And obviously, there’s nothing more Walking Dead appropriate than a brain.  Stab it with a big knife and you will have a bad-ass zombie killer center piece. Slice the cauliflower like a cake and serve to your guests. As we know for the show, we are all carriers for the disease so what’s the harm in eating a little zombie brains? Overall, this recipe is a little morbid, a bit spicy, and also pretty healthy.

A Thug Kitchen recipe inspired me to use Siracha, and I thought it would be perfect because you need a little spice and heat to survive among the Walkers and the hot sauce is a good stand in for blood. So, the sauce is adapted from Thug Kitchen and the rest is all Cooking is Messy, baby!

Messy level: Almost a one spoon recipe. Prepping the cauliflower is the most difficult part because I flung small pieces on the floor. Other than that, it’s simple seasoning, roasting, and smothering with sauce.

Walking Dead Inspired: Siracha Roasted Cauliflower Brain

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole cauliflower head
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• ½ cup Siracha sauce
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450°F/230°.
2. Remove any leaves from the cauliflower and cut off any extra stem, so that the cauliflower will lay flat in a pan.
3. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub it all over the cauliflower.
4. In a small bowl or cup, mix 2 teaspoons of the olive oil with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
5. Brush this olive oil mixture all over the cauliflower.
6. Put the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet or small casserole dish. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar mix together the Siracha, rice vinegar, remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and sauce sauce. Stir or mix until well combined.
8. After the cauliflower has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and brush half of the Siracha mixture over the cauliflower. If it's a little more than half it's ok, just leave some. Return to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes more. The cauliflower is done when a knife can be easily stuck through it.
9. Remove from the oven, and pour the remaining Siracha sauce over it.
10. To serve, stab with a knife and then artfully squeeze some Siracha, straight from the container, around the knife to look like dripping blood.
11. When ready to eat, cut into slices and serve with your favorite creamy dressing.

3.2.2925

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I know one very simple recipe for salmon, and I almost never make it anymore. My mom wrote me this first salmon recipe when I was in college. I was a sophomore and moving into an apartment with some friends. No more meal plan, I was feeding myself! So my mom sat down with a spiral notebook and wrote me a few easy recipes – one of which we called “plain-ass chicken.” Another recipe was for baked salmon. Take a fillet, season with salt, pepper, and a pat of butter. Wrap it in a little tin foil packet and bake in the oven until cooked through. I’d eat that with a box of Near East rice pilaf and broccoli I had defrosted in the microwave. That was practically my signature dish. That’s the only fish recipe I really know how to make.

But I’m older now and I wanted to learn something new. I found this recipe in BBC Good Food and I liked this because it has a few different vegetables and it’s mostly easy with a few Asian flavors to make it interesting.

In addition to being nervous about fish, I also have an awkward expat story to go with this meal. I went to Waitrose (the grocery store) to buy ingredients and I stopped in the packaged food section to buy the fish. I was being shy and didn’t want to talk to anyone. But I told myself, “No, Mariel. Be brave and go to the fish counter.” So I did. I got in line, was ready to order when I heard the guy in front of me order “sole fillets.” Only he said “fill-it,” whereas I would say “fil-lay.” So now I was hit with indecision and nervousness. What should I say? What I know? Or try to fit in? Instead I choked, pointed to the salmon and said “four salmon please.” Might sound like nothing, but I felt like a dork.

Anyway, back at home, I got to cooking. This recipe is pretty quick to make and beautiful on the plate. I think this was a good introductory fish recipe and I will be trying it, and other fish recipes, again. I’ll admit I cooked the fillets inconsistently with a few being a little underdone – but I’m new at this so it’s ok. If you’re new to cooking salmon too, just use your fork to flake off a bit and see if the salmon has cooked on the inside. Cooked salmon flakes, uncooked salmon looks like sushi.  Hope that helps.

[This is not food related – but I know some of you out there want more stories and pictures about sightseeing in London. I promise I will. I’m figuring out how I want to do it and I’ll post it here soon]

Adapted from BBC Good Food.

Ingredients:

thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp rice vinegar

4 salmon fillets, about 5 oz each

7oz soba noodles

1 1/2 cups frozen soy beans

2 cups baby corn, chopped

2 cups snap peas, chopped

Directions:

1. In a dish big enough to fit the salmon, mix together the ginger, garlic, soy, and vinegar. Add the salmon and let it marinate for at least 10 minutes.

2. In  large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, add the fish and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes.

3. While you’re starting your fish, heat up the water for your soba noodles. Once the water has come to a boil add in the noodles. The soba noodles shouldn’t take too long to cook. 4 minutes before the noodles are supposed to be done, add in the soy beans. Add the rest of the vegetables in 2 minutes before the noodles are supposed to be done. The veggies will still  be a bit crunchy. Drain well when finished.

4. After the fish has cooked on both sides, add the marinate and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes.

5. Plate the salmon and noodles. Spoon some sauce from the pan over the noodles. The noodles aren’t too flavorful without the sauce. (Make more sauce if you think you’ll like  a lot!)

Messy level: Not only is this recipe relatively straightforward, it’s also not very messy. You need a pot for the pasta, a dish for the salmon to marinate in, and a skillet for cooking the salmon. The messiest part is flipping the salmon. You have to make sure to flip the fish gently, otherwise sauce will splatter and the fish will break.

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But this recipe is awesome.

Seriously. It’s vegan and it’s awesome. And not only awesome, it’s quick and easy to make. It’s the kind of thing you can make when all you have is condiments and a few vegetables. This recipe comes from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay Nixon. She calls is “Cheater Pad Thai” because it’s so easy to make. As a warning, this recipe although delicious, doesn’t really taste like Pad Thai in a restaurant. It has Pad Thai flavors in it, but there’s something a little different about it. But, if you want a taste of Thai at home, this is a good recipe.

Also this is a recipe you can fool around with depending on what you have at home. You can alter the proportions of the sauce to your taste, and you can use whatever vegetables you think will taste best. I usually use carrots, onions, garlic, and bell pepper. I’ve also done peas, leafy greens, bean sprouts, and squash. If you need your meat, you can cook up pieces of chicken, shrimp, or beef and throw it in with the rest of the ingredients.

When it comes to stir fry, I like to use a wok. Now, prior to having a wok I thought it was something scary to use. That might be because I saw an episode of Top Chef once where the contestants had to cook Asian street food using a wok and some of them freaked out because they had never used one before. So I thought, if those professionals are scared of a wok, how can I use a wok? Ryan and I got it as a wedding present and we were really excited. I unpacked it and then did a whole lot of research. I watched YouTube videos and read a bunch of articles online.

Now I may be using the wok wrong, but I totally love it. What I learned (I think) was you’re supposed to use a wok at very high heat, which then sears the vegetables, and then because of the shape of the pan it keeps the vegetables from getting too soft – so they are cooked but crunchy. Also you’re supposed to use your “aromatics” first to give the pan flavor. That means you saute things like onions, garlic, and ginger first – and then you add the vegetables based on crunchiness (so carrots before bell peppers). Also you’re supposed to stir constantly and move the vegetables around and up the sides of the pan. This helps cook them, make them crunchy, and give them good flavor. If you have a wok, try it out! A regular pan works well too. I like the wok because it’s spacious and I can swirl the veggies around without flinging anything out of the pan.

Ingredients for 2-3 servings:

1/3 to 1/2 box of rice noodles.

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp sweet red chili sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1 cup (or as much or as little as you want) of chopped vegetables

Directions:

1. Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.

2. Stir fry vegetables until they are softened but still a bit crunchy.

3.  Mix soy sauce, peanut butter, chili sauce, garlic powder, ginger, and hot sauce. Alter ingredients to taste. I like a little more peanut butter because it makes the sauce thicker

4. Once the vegetables are almost done, add the sauce to the wok. Mix the sauce and veggies together.

5. Add the noodles to the sauce and veggies. Mix until you’re satisfied. Serve and eat!

two sp

Messy Level:
Low to Medium. The pan ends up being coated in sauce so it takes a good scrub. But, it doesn’t use that many pans, therefore dishes don’t take that long!

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