My Holiday Double Header

So, again, I do not have a kitchen, I have a science lab that produces good food. Well, most of the time, it’s good. I’ve had my fair share of flops, too, but, it’s not a total waste if you learn from your mistakes. Professional Chefs will assure you that often, it’s the flops that are the best teachers, and you can’t learn if you don’t try, and you win most, and lose some. It’s all part of the game.

But, here it goes... I like to do crazy things, and had 2 home made dinners for this double day holiday by serving 2 totally different cultural meals, all homemade to celebrate. People in Wisconsin know that there doesn’t need to be a reason, just that it has to be festive, even if the reason is just for the heck of it.

Christmas Eve dinner:

Lasagna Meat Mix:

1# ground beef

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the good kind)

1/4 cup dried parsley

4 TBS garlic powder

1&1/2 TBS oregano

1 TBS basil

1tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Sauce:

3 TBS minced garlic

1 medium onion, minced

1 small green bell pepper, minced

12 oz tomato paste

8 oz tomato sauce

16 oz diced tomatoes

3&1/2 TBS oregano

2&1/2 TBS basil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Saute veggies.

Add tomato products. 3 cans worth of water from paste, and a little bit more (I just rinse out the cans. Simmer to blend flavors.

1 pkg egg roll noodles, using 4 per layer (it's what I had)

2 pkg Prosciutto wrapped mozzarella (again, it's what I had)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

8oz mozzarella, shredded

Grease 9x13 cake pan place some sauce on bottom.

Layer 4 noodles over sauce

Place prosciutto wrapped mozzarella evenly on bottom

Layer another 4 eggroll noodles

Layer sauce, and another layer of noodles

Lay out meat mix, top with noodles Cover top with sauce

Sprinkle shredded cheese mix over the top Bake @ 300 F for 1 hour, 15 minutes

I don’t always have the stuff I need, but, I am getting good at punting. This was super delicious, good enough for even a 4* restaurant.

Christmas Day Dinner:

1) Sushi Rolls - mix and match variety: Takuan (a yellow pickle made from Japanese radish called daikon), seasoned shiitake mushroom, Japanese omelette, and guacamole packets

2) Spinach salad topped with fish flakes and my special dressing.

3) Miso soup

4) Tonkatsu (Japanese style pork cutlets) breaded with instant mashed potato (baked, instead of deep fried, to make it a bit healthier)

5) Kombucha or coke with dinner

6) Green tea ice cream wrapped in green tea mochi and green tea.

Sushi rice:
5 – 6 oz cups of sushi grade rice (I use Botan/Calrose)
Rinse rice until the water is clear
6&1/2 TBS rice wine vinegar for sushi
6 TBS sugar
5 tsp sea salt
Add 7 – 6 oz cups of water (or, if you use a rice cooker, fill water to the 5 line)

Cook to perfection, covered.
Remove from heat.
Fluff out into a large pan, fanning regularly.
Allow to cool to room temp.

Using a roller and seeweed (nori) for sushi, layer some rice, and add whatever ingredients you like.  I used:

• Seasoned (reconstituted) shiitake mushrooms
• ½ cup prepared dashi
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup mirin
• 1&½ TBS sake or dry white wine

Simmer mushrooms until tender, slice
 Japanese style omelet

• 3 eggs
• 1&1/2 TBS mirin (sugar water)
• Beat well, cook on low heat, slice

 Spinach:

• Use 2 - 10oz packages of frozen spinach.
• Thaw, squeeze excess water into the liquid leftover from mushrooms
• Divide into 4-6 small dishes, sprinkle fish flakes

 Sauce:

• Add more soy sauce to spinach liquid
• Drop a couple drops of sesame oil
• Simmer to reduce a little bit
• Cool to room temp, spoon onto spinach salad

 Miso soup

• 6 cups dashi broth
• Miso paste to taste
• Tofu, cubed (I like the extra firm, after excess water is taken out)
• Kombu kelp

It was good.  I also welcome anyone who doesn't otherwise have a place to go, to come sit at my dinner table, anytime.  I enjoy feeding people good food. So, any food places out there want to hire me? I have a lot to learn, but, I also have a lot to offer.