Korean Glazed Cod With Pear Salsa

For this month's Secret Recipe Club (SRC for short) I was paired up with a Korean cooking blog called Koreafornian Cooking "Korean Cooking With Californian Spirit", which is owned and operated by Tammy Quackenbush.  If you haven't yet been to Tammy's site, let me encourage you to do so.  Tammy has a wealth of information on her site not only limited to fabulous Korean recipes. At Koreafornian Cooking, you can find everything from travel, nutrition, culture and cuisine.  A one stop shop :)

At first I was a little intimidated going through Tammy's site looking for recipes I thought I would be successful in recreating.  Having never before cooked (and hardly ever eaten) Korean cuisine, I wasn't very sure about the flavor profiles of all the different ingredients involved.

After awhile, I settled on her recipe for Doenjang-Glazed Cod that she turned into Doenjang-Glazed Fish Tacos With Shingo Pear Salsa.  This recipe seemed like as good a place as any to start my foray into Korean cooking.  Tammy's original recipe called for many ingredients I was familiar with, and some I was not.  After my trip to the grocery store, I was soon anxious to learn and experiment with the tastes of Korea.  Thank you Tammy for the recipe and for helping to make my first Korean "inspired" dish a success.

I changed things up a little from Tammy's original recipe due to my inability in finding some of the specific Korean ingredients and also to accommodate a lower calorie lifestyle we've been trying to adhere to.

I opted to forgo the taco aspect (saving this for another time) and served my glazed cod with the pear salsa simply spooned over top.  A simple side dish of brown rice and peas added the finishing touch to this delicious and colorful Korean "inspired" dinner. (I sincerely doubt it's Korean authenticity after I was finished with it) LOL!

PEAR SALSA

2 Pears, chopped (I used Bartlett Pears)
**Tammy's recipe called for Korean Shingo Pears which I could not find**
3-4 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons cilantro paste
2 tablespoons orange bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons red onion, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger paste
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

-In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until the cod is ready to be served.

KOREAN GLAZED COD

3 pounds Alaskan cod (I made enough for lots of leftovers, you can adjust your quantity as needed)
1 cup Korean fermented soybean paste (I used a brand called ssamjang that I found in the International aisle of the super market)
1/2 cup mirin
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
salt and pepper

-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
-Lay out the fish on a foil lined baking sheet.
-Season the fillets with salt and pepper.
-In a medium size bowl, whisk the soy bean paste, mirin, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, coriander, garlic and cilantro.
-Liberally brush the glaze over the fish fillets.
-Bake the fish for approximately 20-22 minutes or until cooked through and flaky.

-To serve spoon the pear salsa over the top of the glazed fish and enjoy!

There is a subtle sweetness to this glazed fish along with an earthy spiciness that the soybean paste glaze provides. Combine that with the cool and bright flavors of the pear salsa and you have a feast for your taste buds as well as your eyes!

I really enjoyed this dish and so did my husband!  Thanks again Tammy!!!

Korean Glazed Cod With Pear Salsa

In Honor Of Man's Best Friend

I am a self taught painter who has never really had any formal art training.  I paint because I love it.  I always have. Over the years, I've tried several other creative art forms but it's always the painting that calls me back.

My art style is mostly whimsical and I'm fortunate to be able to paint the things that people hold near and dear to their hearts. It gives me immense joy to make someone smile with something I've painted. 

I've painted a lot of tiles over the past few years.  Most of them to be used in the kitchen as functional trivets or as memorabilia art.  But not this one.  This one has a special purpose unlike any other. 

This is not something I would have thought of myself, but because of my whimsical style of painting, it seems to fit perfectly for this application and will hopefully, over time, bring a smile and some laughter to a man who recently lost his two wonderful dogs named, Rocky and Bullwinkle. 

This is a super thoughtful father's day gift, given from his daughter, and will be used... as a grave marker!!! *sniff, sniff*

I get it.  I'm a major dog lover and I'm honored to be able to paint this tile to commemorate the love between man and dog.

The daughter emailed me a photo and I went to work recreating it as best I could:

And here is the completed tile along with the photo that was emailed to me. 

The customer wants this tile to be able to hang from a tree so my husband is going to drill two holes at the top so some lace can be strung for hanging.  I will also be adding a foam backing to protect the tile from breakage as it hangs from the tree and it will also be weather resistant with the addition of a polyurethane sealer. 

Oddly enough, a few weeks before I had received this particular request I had a different customer request  I paint some moose silhouettes on some wine glasses.  Upon painting those glasses, the idea of painting Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris and Natasha on some cocktail glasses popped into my head and, being the whimsical gal I am, it wasn't long before I had the whole set.

HA! I'm always in awe when the universe and stars are aligned and showing me parallels like that.  It never fails to prove to me that I by following my heart and my passion, I'm in the exact right spot and doing what I'm meant to be doing.  Painting things that make you smile :)

In Honor Of Man's Best Friend

Cast Iron Grilled Skillet Cornbread

This month's #baketogether recipe from Abby Dodge had me jumping for joy!  Not only did Abby choose a lovely and extremely easy to prepare buttermilk cornmeal batter, she gave the us options for preparing the batter in either in a sweet or savory way. 

Given those two choices, I'll choose savory 9 times out of 10.

The day I decided to make this recipe was also the day we were having some company over for a backyard cookout.  The weather outside was in the 90's so the air conditioning was on in the house.

For the main course of the meal, we threw a turkey breast on the smoker with some lemon and rosemary and set the timer for approximately 4 1/2 hours, adding cherry wood chips every couple of hours.You can't beat that for easy backyard entertaining!

Not wanting to add any heat to the house, I decided that it would be fun to try and cook the cornbread out on the grill alongside the sweet potatoes and veggies and see what happens. As it turns out, it worked wonderfully well and was quite the star of the evening meal.

 *I was also trying to keep the calories down and make this a "points friendly" (Weight Watchers) side dish so I substituted Stevia instead of sugar. Feel free to use sugar if you so desire. I won't tell :)

If you'd like to try this recipe/method yourself, here's all you need to do.

CAST IRON GRILLED SKILLET CORNBREAD
Serves - 8
*3 Points Value

-Preheat your grill to approximately 350 degrees (or arrange hot coals in a circle, around the perimeter of the grill, leaving the center free from coals)
-Cover 1 or 2 bricks with tin foil and place them in the center of the grill.
-Place your seasoned empty skillet on top of the brick and close the cover.
**Using a brick to elevate your foods from the direct flame, will turn your grill into your outdoor oven**
-Heat your empty seasoned cast iron skillet in the grill while you prepare the batter.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup Stevia
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 large egg
1 cup frozen corn

-Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.-Add the wet ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
-Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine but not over mix.
-Add the frozen corn and stir until just combined.
-Carefully spoon the batter evenly into skillet (my skillet is sectioned, you're may not be...no matter) and cover the top.
-Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the cornbread is nice and golden brown.

If you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, keep your cool and take it outside!!!
You can bet your skillet cornbread I'll be making these again this summer!

Sweet or savory, Abby's recipe is a real winner!

Cast Iron Grilled Skillet Cornbread

Banana, Blueberry & Lemon (BBL) Muffins

What to you is a classic combination of flavors with bananas in a muffin?  I know, I know, tons of stuff but after you try this recipe, I'm willing to bet your new answer will be blueberries and lemon!

These muffins are moist, extremely flavorful and loaded with those lovely little antioxidants that blueberries are so famous for. Go ahead and bake a batch today. You won't be sorry.

BANANA, BLUEBERRY AND LEMON MUFFINS - (yield 24 muffins)
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS FOR BATTER:
2 cups of all-purpose flour (plus 1-1/2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cup fresh blueberries
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
1 cup pine nuts (optional)

INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING:
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
-In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the 1-1/2 tablespoons of flour (this will prevent your batter from turning purple). Add the lemon zest and set Aside.

-In a large bowl, add the 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
-In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with your hand mixer), cream the butter,  brown sugar, bananas, eggs and the vanilla and coconut extract.

-Slowly add the dry flour mixture to the wet banana mixture and blend until just combined.
-Stir in the pine nuts.
-Gently fold in the blueberries.
-Line 24 muffin tins with muffin cups and fill 3/4's full with the batter.

-To make the topping, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
-Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the muffin cups.

-Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
-Cool completely.

-Enjoy!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Banana, Blueberry & Lemon (BBL) Muffins

Hungarian Shortbread - TWD

From my very first bite of this extremely rich and buttery Hungarian Shortbread, I fell deeply and passionately in love.

However, the love affair soon had to be brought to an abrupt end because I knew this forbidden love would only bring me heartache in the end, stomach and thighs!.

If you'd like the full recipe for this rich and indulgent dessert, simply hop over to this month's TWD host's blogs.  Thanks much to Cher from The Not So Exciting Adventures Of a Dabbler and Lynette of 1 Small Kitchen for leading me into this love affair with this particular recipe from Baking With Julia, knowing full well the seriousness of the sin they we're tempting me with.

We (the shortbread and I) spent a beautiful moment in time.  I shall never forget how this Hungarian Shortbread made me feel as I savored our brief and memorable encounter.  As I rolled it on my tongue, I knew full well I'd never be the same.

Let me take you back in time.

A red flag went up in my head at our initial meeting. With the sinfully indulgent ingredients of 4 sticks of butter, 4 egg yolks and 2 cups of sugar I was immediately attracted by sight alone. Knowing full well that I was headed into forbidden territory I continued on knowing  I was powerless. Much like a moth to a flame.

The details of our time together was unlike any other. I was surprised and titillated to find out how different a crust could be.  Grate is the only way to describe it!

A rich and sumptuous blueberry filling carried me over the edge and then, for the second time that same afternoon (yes, afternoon) it got topped off with an additional final grate layer of buttery love.  Oh yeah baby!  Do it to me!

Is that so wrong I ask you?

At the time, I was oblivious to the pain this love affair would cause.  I was in the throes of passion and excitement.  And then things got really HOT!!!

Hey Sugar (powdered to be exact)!  We've got to stop meeting like this.  I'm a happily married woman!

Slowly and surly, I start to realize that this will not be ending in a good way.  The aroma that's been filling my head is making my mouth water and my head spin. Sadly I'm being brought back to my senses and back to reality.

I've simply got to put a stop to our affair before I get too deep and can't turn back. I'm not the kind of woman that will start meeting you in the middle of the night by the light of the refrigerator door.  I've got to hold on to my last shred of decency!  Damn you Hungarian Shortbread!!!

Ah, but one last glance before I send you away.

 Go now. Be well. Be happy. Be delicious...without me. 

Hungarian Shortbread - TWD

Southwestern Turkey And Chicken Panini

For this months SRC (Secret Recipe Club) I was assigned a charming food blog called "CyndiCooks".
Cyndi has been food blogging since long before I even knew what a food blog was, so it was hard for me to pick from the wide array of tempting recipes she has to offer.

After perusing through pages and pages of Cyndi's many wonderful sounding recipes, I settled on her Southwestern Grilled Turkey Sandwich  because we are a sandwich loving family.  Even more than that, we are a panini loving bunch that salivate and drool all over about an "over-the-top stuffed, grilled and crunchy hot mess". 

Forgive me Cyndi, I'm afraid I took your recipe WAY FAR over the edge, but we LOVED every single bite!!!

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY AND CHICKEN PANINI
(Makes 5-6 sandwiches)

1 pound sliced turkey breast
1 pound sliced chicken breast
5 slices Swiss cheese
10 slices co-jack cheese
Red onion - sliced thinly
avocado, sliced
1 jar roasted red peppers, sliced (saving the oil the peppers were packed in)
1 (4 oz) can fire roasted green chilies
3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
ground smoked cumin
salt and pepper
10-12 slices multi-grain, whole grain bread (My favorite is from Costco)

-On a foil lined baking sheet, brush one side of the bread with the roasted red pepper oil.
-Place bread, oil side down on the baking sheet.
-Layer the following: 
The sequence is yours. Just make sure you end up with cheese on either side of the bread to act as the "glue"
-1 slice Swiss
-Sliced turkey
-Roasted Red Pepper
-1 slice co-jack
-Sliced Chicken
-Avocado slice
-Fire roasted chilies
-Smoked cumin, sprinkled
-Sliced red onions
-Roma tomato slices
-1 slice co-jack cheese
-Top with bread and brush the top with more of the roasted red pepper oil.

 -Preheat your panini grill and get cooking.
-OR, preheat a large skilled and you can press down your sandwiches with an aluminum foil covered brick.

Remember when I told you that we are an over-the-top panini loving family? That's true, we are.  What I neglected to tell you earlier is that this particular night I was cooking just for my husband and myself.  Yep, 5 giant, loaded sandwiches, just for 2!  LOL!  I seriously must see a doctor about the obsession I have for cooking for an army, no matter how many people will be seated at the table! But, the good news is that we've had plenty of delicious leftover sandwiches to grab-and-go during the week.  It doesn't get much better than that!!!  Nom-Nom!

Thanks so much for the inspiration Cyndi!  My husband couldn't stop raving about these :)

 

Southwestern Turkey And Chicken Panini