Send him off to Russia

As a sequel to my little exchange with my son, SB, about his calling me lazy last week, I thought of something that I should do.  He missed carpool twice last week; once because he decided to go to a friend's house to work on a school project (whereupon Dad picked him up 4 hours after he was supposed to have come home in carpool), and the next day because he decided he wanted to play tennis against the girls on the middle school tennis team.

At that point, I decided what to do, what any smart mom would think of.  I decided to pin a note onto his shirt and send him on his way to Russia... sort of like the mom who returned her adopted son because he was too much trouble for her.  I'm not saying I agree with or condone her actions.  But I am saying that I felt like doing that to my own son last week, after he missed carpool for the second time... just for about, say, the next 6 years or so.  I suppose I could take him back after he turned 21!

Chicken Tonkatsu and Inari Sushi: An Easy Japanese Dinner

Well, truthfully, it's not really that easy.  For me it is... I've made this dinner many times over in the last couple of decades, but it's not that hard, either.

Japanese food is an art form, really, rather than only a means of nutrition or provision of fuel for the body.  The Japanese culture focuses on beauty, simplicity, form, and presentation.  I won't go into my vast knowledge of Asian culture gleaned from the one semester of Asian history in 10th grade at Punahou (ha, ha!), or from my extensive travels to Asia (the two times I went to China, it was still VERY communist and I remember the noodles at a Japanese restaurant better than the Temple in Kyoto).  But I do know that over the years of eating Japanese food, I've learned that it's become a wonderful comfort food to me:  the noodles, the sushi, the simple root vegetables... YUM!

So tonight I decided to make An Easy Japanese Dinner:  Chicken Tonkatsu and Inari Sushi.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts
Flour
Eggs
Panko Flakes
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable Oil
Tonkatsu Sauce purchased in a bottle
Pre-packaged Aburage shells or canned
Rice, flavored with Japanese Vinegar (Mirin) and Sugar and Salt, or just plain

TONKATSU

Step 1.  Slice the chicken breasts as thinly as possible, or pound flat to desired thickness, the thinner the better.
Step 2.  Dip the chicken breast into flour, salt, and pepper mixture until covered.
Step 3.  Dip the chicken breast into an egg wash until coated.
Step 4.  Coat the chicken with panko flakes.... cover really well.

Step 5.  Fry in electric skillet at 375 degrees until golden brown and crispy; turn once or twice if needed.  Use only 1/4 " of oil or so.

INARI SUSHI

Step 1.  Cook white rice in a rice cooker.
Step 2.  Stuff aburage with rice or, if you would like to season the rice, use Japanese vinegar, sugar, and salt.

Serve above items with salad and soy ginger dressing.  Tonkatsu sauce for the chicken is the best!

My family really likes this dinner, but who wouldn't?  I know, it's not the best to eat anything fried, but it is so delicious.  Please try it for yourself.  I think you'll like it!

Am I Lazy?

Last week my son called me LAZY... to my face!  Now that was a very disrespectful thing for him to say, but he said it because he was mad at me for not driving him to a friend's house so he could hang out.  That friend lives nearly 30 minutes away, and he had already just come back from school.  I almost got mad, but then I thought about how ridiculous his accusation was.  I'm a lot of things, but Lazy is not one of them.  When I consider my day, and all that I do in it, I realize that I'm about the furthest thing from Lazy that there is.  At 6:20 a.m. my alarm goes off, and I bolt straight up, barely having any time to stretch or wipe my eyes.  A few minutes later, I'm getting the coffee ready for the 3 of us in the house who will drink it, and I make a pretty good pot of coffee, even though the coffee maker is broken ( I have to repeatedly switch the "on" button back on, some mechanism is broken, and it only "stays" on after a few switches).  I then ask the youngest daughter, MCB, if she wants a smoothie, which, 4 times out of 5, she does, so I make the smoothie:  one banana, one carton of strawberry or peach yogurt, frozen peaches, strawberries, and pineapples, and about a 1/2 cup of guava juice.  This helps her start her day and provides for some good sources of protein and fruit and dairy.  Some days I'll make cheese omelettes, sometimes I make fried rice, occassionally I'll make oatmeal or grits, and often I'll let them just eat Eggo Waffles.

Next, I ask my other daughter if she wants a sandwich, which, 4 times out of 5, she does, and so I toast the bread, add just enough mustard on both sides of the bread, place a slice of cheese, 4 pieces of turkey breast, and a couple pieces of lettuce, for a wonderful sandwich.  Sometimes I'll put together her lunch, but most days it's just the sandwich. 

By now it's about 6:45a.m., and it's time to let the dog outside, give him a treat, and feed him.  I then search the carpool list to see who's driving, and who's riding home with whom, and sign permission slips, and find out what the weather is like so the kids won't freeze, and make sure all the breakfast items are put away, and put the wet laundry from the night before into the dryer, and find the checkbook for a school service project, and help my husband find his car keys, and get ready for my walk through the neigbhorhood, then drive the kids to the carpool location 4 minutes away, and make sure the dog gets to ride in the car, and back home again; by this time, it's 7:10 a.m., not even a full hour after I've been awake! 

So I decided not to even take my son's comments to heart, because I knew better, that I'm not Lazy, that is.

Nestle's Cookie Dough!

The other day I was alll set to make a nice after-school treat for my kids.  So I went to the refrigerator to get the bucket of Nestle's Cookie Dough, ready with the oven and cookie sheet.  What a good mom am I, thought I!

To my surprise and disappointment, upon opening the lid of the cookie dough, I found 2- 3 spoonfuls of cookie dough at the bottom of the bucket.  That was it!  Not even enough for a dozen cookies.  Now why do kids do that kind of thing?  What a waste for me to get excited about doing a good deed, only to find my efforts foiled by the sweet-searching hoards!

Maybe next time!

Mexican Chicken Cheese Soup

                                                         Mexican Chicken Cheese Soup

Tonight I made Mexican Chicken Cheese Soup, a real crowd pleaser at my house.  I know I can count on the kids and husband pretty much liking this one, and it has the essential ingredients I try to provide in my meals for my family all in one pot:  vegetables, protein, dairy and carbs.           

I'm providing this recipe that I got so many years ago from a friend of mine who brought some to me for...well, I don't remember.  It was probably after having one of my children.  When I had kids, my friends, neighbors and church supported me with nearly a whole month of food so I didn't have to cook AND worry about feeding my baby and family.

I usually serve this soup with bread and a salad.  Most of the family will eat everything; the boy tends to eat a loaf of bread and sop up the soupy part, leaving the chicken and vegetables in the bottom of the bowl.  But, for the most part, the family loves this, and it's basically a one-pot concoction.  I clean up my cooking area as I'm sauteeing the veggies or waiting for the soup to thicken.

Rosa's Mexican Chicken Cheese Soup (I don't know who Rosa is; that's just what my friend called it)

Oven Roasted Skinless and Boneless Chicken Breasts 4 - 6, diced            

Olive Oil

1 onion, diced
4 -6 stalks celery, diced
4 -6 medium- large carrots, diced
4 medium potatoes, large diced
3 -4 c. chicken broth
1 cup flour

3 c. skim milk                                                                                      

3 chicken bouillon cubes
Creole seasoning
2 -3 cups grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

I will confess, my measurements on this are NOT exact because I usually double/triple the recipe to provide leftovers.  But you can do this according to the thickness of soup you'd like.

                            

Roast the chicken breasts by rubbing them in olive oil, kosher salt, and large ground pepper, then put in oven at 350 for about 15 min. or cooked.  Dice and set aside.
Heat EVOO in large pot (preferably All-Clad b/c these won't let the soup burn easily)on medium low heat.  Add onions for 5 min, then celery for another 5 min. then the carrots for another few, then potatoes for another 5 or so.  Add chicken meat.  Put the chicken bouillon cubes into the chicken stock and throw into pot.  Then mix the flour into the milk and add and cook until liquid thickens a bit.  Add creole seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer until  potatoes and carrots are tender but not mushy.  Finally, throw in cheese at the end, stir and serve.  Add more chicken broth or milk (or less) depending on the consistency you prefer.

Hopefully, your family will enjoy this one as much as mine and there will be plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!

Serves 8 - 10 easily                            

Family Satisfaction Rating: 10+

My Weekend in a Gym Watching Very Tall Girls Wearing Very Tight Spandex Playing Volleyball

I just had the pleasure of spending my 3 day MLK weekend in a gymnasium 30 minutes north watching Very Tall Girls Wearing Very Tight Spandex Playing Volleyball (VTGWVTSPV)!!!  What a long weekend. Youngest daughter, MCB is on a 14's team, a new team for her, but her 3rd year playing club VB.  It's my 6th year of participating in Club VB, some with my older daughter, and some with this one.  If there's one thing I've learned, it's that there are a whole lot of girls out there who are REALLY tall, and I and my daughters do not fall in that category.  I'm talking about girls whose hips start and my chest and who wear size 10 - 11 shoes.  Girls who look down at the white roots at the top of my head.  For some reason, I don't remember girls that size when I was growing up.  Could it be the hormones that are put in dairy products these days, or is it just that the tallest of females are brought together in one setting all at once, and, so, their heighth is even more dramatically noticeable?  Or maybe it's just that where I grew up, in Hawaii, most of the people I knew were smaller since they were Asian?  I never felt short; at 5'5", I think I'm a pretty respectable height... for a Chinese woman.  But MCB regularly grumbles that it's "my fault" that she's short... about 5'3.5", hence her position as libero is her fate in VB.

But boy, is she fast and scrappy on court, thanks to my giving her good thighs to transport her here and there.  And she has great square shoulders, again from me, allowing her to have really strong arms.  She made me proud today as she repeatedly hit the ball from behind the 10' line, SLAM!  right down on the other side of the court. 

Another thing that's so noticeable at these long tournament days is how all the girls wear these very tight spandex, truly uncomfortable inventions, meant to allow freedom of movement, but probably really meant to accentuate the very long legs of the owners wearing these "shorts."  The problem, though, is that the girls spend half their time pulling and tugging and stretching these spandex as they try to prevent self-inflicted wedgies.  How unlady-like!  But they all do it, because those spandex are so tight and short!

6.5 hours Saturday, 5.5 hours Sunday, 6.5 hours Monday... let's see... that's 17.5 hours spent at the gym this week, about a full day of my life, and that doesn't include the drive up and back... about 3 additional hours.  My friends probably wonder why I and all the other VB moms and dads do this; why would I ever sacrifice that time and effort for a sport, and not even a sport that I'm playing?  Why would I torture myself sitting in those uncomfortable bleachers hour after hour where the only exercise I get is moving from one side of the court to the other during a match as I follow my daughter's team switching sides?  Why?  Because she likes to play (an acutal quote from MCB); she loves the team cameraderie.  Because she achieves so much satisfaction in making that point by making a great serve, or killing the ball from the back row.  Because she gets to scream "ACE!" when she or one of her teammates crams the ball down the other side of the court.  Because I'm fulfilling my role as parent by encouraging her to become a great VB player and by giving her the best possible opportunity to achieve her goals.  That's it... it's so simple.  That's why!  So I get to have about 4 more years of watching VTGWVTSPVB!  Hooray for me!

FANS GOING WILD!!!  Just like me!       

Eggplant Parmigiana Recipe/ Crock-Pot Chicken Nachos

Here's the recipe for the Eggplant Parmigiana that I made last night.  My neighbors were sweet and said they ate it all up...and per some other requests, here it is:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-ii/detail.aspx  (Family Satisfaction Rating:  -10)

I like the "allrecipes.com" website because I read the reviews from people who have made the dish, and it ranks the recipe according to how many stars are given by fellow cooks.  Also, it's usually pretty accurate, but do read the reviews.  I never really follow recipes exactly (except when baking), so I did what others recommended in this recipe:  Add some grated parmesan reggiano (large packs from Sam's/Costco are great values... I freeze anything I don't use immediately) to the Italian Bread Crumbs, and cook for about 20 - 30 min. so there's a bit of "crispiness" to each slice of baked eggplant.  I use a lot more cheese than required on the recipe, and I cheated by using "Ragu Chunky Vegetable" sauce.

I had some leftovers for lunch; if I had more ragu sauce, I would have put an extra spoonful on top to make it pretty and more savory since the battered eggplant absorbs a good bit of liquid.

On another note, my family WILL have dinner tonight that I actually prepared last night:  Crock-Pot Chicken Nachos.  It's something they will actually eat, so for those of you who were worried that they might die of malnutrition from lack of food prepared by mother-dear, don't worry... tonight was a "gimme". 

Here's the picture of what it looks like in the crock-pot, and I'll add the recipe afterwards.

Crock-Pot Chicken Nachos:  Easy-to-make... Family Satisfaction Rating:  10

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts... about 6 large or so

1 -2 cans Rotelle Diced Tomatoes

1 cup salsa of your choice or, if you don't have salsa, chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned or boxed

1/2 onion, chopped

Cilantro, if you'd like

Cumin, Salt, Pepper to taste

As you can see, this is a great recipe for items you have on hand in the pantry or fridge.  Put all ingredients in the crock-pot, turn to high, and cook for about 4 -5 hours.  Shred meat, and simmer on low for another hour or so.

Serve with soft tortillas, baked tortillas, queso cheese dip, jalapenos, salsa... whatever you'd like.

Enjoy!