Gravy: Mini Lesson

For CJR who wanted a backup and I refused to give her one.

My best friend called me today asking me for a "gravy backup" in case she wasn't able to get her gravy to turn out right on Thanksgiving day. I told her, "You don't need backup" and she proceeded to tell me how one year, she tried to make gravy but there weren't enough drippings and so she failed. She was very worried about producing a gravy if there were no drippings.

And I am here to tell you - that you do NOT have to have drippings to make homemade gravy. You merely need this simple proportion.

2 tablespoons butter or turkey drippings (if you are lucky and get them)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of hot broth or chicken stock
this produces 1 cup of gravy.

You want more gravy? Simply multiply...

To get 4 cups of gravy (which sounds more reasonable to me...)

1/2 cup of butter or drippings or a combination
1/2 cup of flour
4 cups of hot broth or chicken stock

Now - the more additions you get from the turkey, the better the gravy. If you are able to get a couple of tablespoons of drippings, that will make it taste better. If you are motivated and decide to boil the giblets in some chicken stock to make your own turkey stock - even better. If you are able to get some pan juices, separate the drippings from the juices - even better. If you are unable to do ANY of that - you can still have some pretty delicious gravy.

Basic Gravy
makes 4 cups - easily halved or easily doubled

1/2 cup of butter or drippings, or a combination
1/2 cup of flour
4 cups of hot chicken stock or broth

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and/or the drippings over medium heat. Add the flour and mix together, creating a roux (fancy word for a mixture of butter and flour). Cook whisking often, until the roux is bubbly and begins to darken, about 3-4 minutes. Add all at once, HOT broth (hot broth prevents lumpy gravy.) and continue whisking. Bring gravy to a boil, and it will thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve HOT.

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Pumpkin Pie: Holiday Recipe #14

For EM who sacrifices for her husband...

Sometimes cooking means that you don't get your way. You have to cook something you don't want to cook, something you don't feel like eating, or sometimes something you just don't eat. I think the third is the hardest sacrifice of the home cook because you put a lot of effort and time into something that you will not enjoy - it is effort for something you will ultimately not enjoy.

But it's a part of life when we get families, spouses, children - we cook not only for ourselves but for those around us. We find ourselves doing things that we don't always want to - but when we see that look of appreciation and satisfaction of those loved ones around us, it certainly makes it all worth it.

My lovely girlfriend emailed me asking me for a pumpkin pie recipe, even though SHE doesn't like it. Her husband enjoys it and she wanted to make it for their Thanksgiving meal. I'm hoping that this pie may convince her that in actuality, a pumpkin pie is a beautiful thing. This pie is silky, smooth, lightly spiced and a blend of delicious complex flavors. So EM - take a bite and maybe you can enjoy the same dessert as your husband.

Pumpkin Pie

(adapted from the back of the Libby pumpkin can)

Makes one 9 inch pie - serves 8-12

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
1 can (12 fl.oz) evaporated milk
1 UNBAKED 9 inch pie crust (recipe below if you want to make your own)

Whipped cream (optional - for serving)

Directions

Mix sugars, cinnamon, salt, ginger in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Add vanilla. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into prepared pie shell.

Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Flaky Pie Crust

Bon Appétit | 2000 by Elinor Klivans

Makes one 9-inch crust

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Food processor: Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Pastry blender: Mix flour, sugar and salt in bowl. Add butter and shortening. Using pastry blender, push through the butter and shortening, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Continue blending just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Printable recipe

Caramel Pecan Bars - Holiday Recipe #13

Everyone has that one dessert - the one that just gets them and causes cravings. For some people it is the draw of chocolate that gets them, for others a perfect piece of cake is their weakness, and for others, that rich creamy cheesecake is their idea of dessert perfection. Mine is none of those; my perfect idea of dessert is anything and everything caramel and toffee. There is something about that confection of butter and sugar coming together to make something extra special and delicious.

When I saw this recipe in my latest Food and Wine magazine I simply had to make them. I read the recipe and knew that it would be a bit more complicated than I liked, as I had to make a pastry crust and also a caramel, but I thought the result would be a dessert that perfectly suited my personality and I was right. These are crispy from the pastry, chewy from the caramel and crunchy from the pecans - a perfect bite of textures.

These will be appearing on my Thanksgiving table this year.

Caramel Pecan Bars
(slightly adapted from recipe by Ken Oringer in Food and Wine | December 2009)
Makes 16 bars

Crust
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1/4 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Topping
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound pecan halves

Directions

Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle on the ice water and vinegar and process until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Turn the crumbs out onto a sheet of wax paper and knead just until the dough comes together. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until slightly chilled, about 15 minutes. (can be made one day ahead. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling out.)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to an 11- by-15-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick). Trim the dough to a 9-by-13-inch rectangle and place it in the baking pan. Cut the remaining dough into 3/4-inch-wide strips and press them up the side of the pan to form a rim all around. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 30 minutes.

Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the dough is just set. Remove the parchment paper and weights and bake the crust for about 12 minutes longer, until lightly golden and set. Let cool.

Make the topping: In a large saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until foamy and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add cinnamon and cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer inserted in the caramel registers 240° (soft ball stage), about 10 minutes longer. Add the pecans and cook for 2 minutes longer. Pour the filling over the crust, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the topping is bubbling. Let cool completely. Remove onto a cutting board. Cut into bars and serve.

Printable recipe

My idea of a perfect ending to a meal

Cheap basic candy thermometer...

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions: Thanksgiving Recipe #12

A while back someone asked me about caramelizing onions, which is one of those things that people take as granted as being easy - which it isn't. Caramelizing onions takes the patience that most moms don't find themselves with at the end of a long day.

But in reality, it's not that difficult in terms of technique - it's really about leaving them alone. You put the butter in the pan, toss the onions in with some salt and you just let them cook over low heat. The smell is phenomenal and the deliciousness is well worth the time. And take the green beans and toss them with the onions and you now have something special and delicious.

For those who want to prepare these ahead of time, I would caramelize onions and set them aside in the fry pan. Cook the green beans and shock them in cold water to keep the green. When you're almost ready to serve simply toss the green beans in with the onions and you have a fantastically simple but delicious side dish.

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
Serves 6-8

Kosher salt
3 pounds green beans, trimmed of stem end (I like the pretrimmed French beans at Costco)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced thin
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt

Fill a large pot with water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add green beans and cook for about 5-7 minutes; the beans should still be crisp. Drain the beans and then run them under some cold water to stop them from cooking. Reserve the beans while you start the onions.

In a skillet, over medium low heat, add butter and olive oil and heat until the butter has melted. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the onions caramelize, 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Printable recipe

The perfect addition to your table

Thanksgiving Recipe Compilation

Several of my readers informed me that they would be surfing my blog to find their Thanksgiving menu. I thought it might be helpful to go ahead and compile the recipes that I have made into one list so that people could see their choices.

Here is my list of potential Thanksgiving dishes...I hope you try at least one on here!

Appetizers
Hot Artichoke Dip
Pears and Arugula, wrapped in Prosciutto
Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Salad
Pear, Candied Walnut, Gorgonzola Salad
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Bread
Honey Corn Muffins

Stuffing
Cornbread Stuffing
Maple Cornbread Stuffing with Apples and Sausage

Sides
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Roasted Sweet Potato Circles
Garlic Broccoli
Sweet Potato Casserole with Apples and Pears
Green Bean Salad
Green Bean Bits with Garlic
Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

Dessert
Sweet Potato Pie
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Chocolate Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownie
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust
Caramel Pecan Bars
Pumpkin Pie

Simple Cornbread Stuffing/Dressing: Holiday Recipe #11

For JJ, who encouraged me to try this recipe.

I am a recipe loyalist. If I have a recipe that I LOVE, I generally stick with it, especially when it comes to Thanksgiving meals. I like to stick with things that I've made for the past 15 years, sort of as a way of "keeping tradition." I want to say things like, "This is the same stuffing I've made for 25 years" somewhere down the line. I like the idea of that. Therefore, I've been making the exact same stuffing recipe, New England Sausage Stuffing with Maple Cornbread, since 2001. This year would be my 8th year making it, on my way to hitting 25 years of the same tradition of stuffing in my family.

Only I'm pausing for a moment to decide if I want to make that one or this stuffing recipe that my friend JJ asked me to try. This cornbread stuffing/dressing has a far shorter ingredient list, is less uncluttered and really is about the cornbread flavor. It benefits from homemade cornbread muffins and is simply to prepare the day of your party. I have to say that I was skeptical at first (I LOVE my sausage apple stuffing) but after making it, found myself a bit torn. If you have time, try this one out - as it is so simple to make you could easily make it for dinner this weekend to test it out.

Just as a note, I'm not one who believes in stuffing a turkey with stuffing...so technically this is a "dressing" and not a "stuffing." I cook mine in a casserole dish and it gets his lovely golden crust on top.

Caramelized Onions and Cornbread Stuffing/Dressing (Recipe by Tyler Florence)
Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
6 large cornmeal muffins, cubed (I used this recipe)
Handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Add sage and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Add the cornbread pieces, season well with salt and pepper, and give it a good toss until it's well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and stock, and pour that over the cornbread. Stir the stuffing together and stuff the cavity of the turkey. You could also spoon it into a buttered baking dish and put it in the oven along with the turkey. Bake until hot and crusty on top, about 30 minutes.

Printable recipe

Honey Cornbread Muffins: Holiday Recipe #10

For JN, fellow teacher and cornbread baker

I normally do not do any sort of bread at my Thanksgiving dinner...mainly because I have too much other stuff to prepare and it's just not a priority on my list. But friend asked me about cornbread a while back, ad I thought I'd give it a bit of a whirl. The great thing about a cornbread muffin is that mix up really quickly, bake quickly and get eaten quickly. (Daughters gobbled up two each before I could tell them to leave me six for the stuffing the next day.)

Oh yes, these will be used in a cornbread stuffing I am trying out, but they were so good as they were, I wanted to post it as its own.

These would be excellent with the Turkey Chili.

Honey Cornbread Muffins (adapted from The Neelys)
Makes 12

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
Special equipment: paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Serve with butter and honey.

Printable recipe

Korean Sweet Potato Pie: Holiday Recipe # 9

Just to quickly clarify before you read, this is not a Korean pie...this is a sweet potato pie made with Korean/Japanese sweet potatoes.

After living in Hong Kong with its many western conveniences (I could easily buy non Asian goods with no problem) moving to Seoul, Korea was hard for me. I was used to being able to easily shop for whatever ingredients I needed and cooked whatever I liked with no problem.

In Seoul, I found myself improving my Korean cooking, simply because there was so much Korean food available; it just made sense to cook Korean. Not only was it more convenient, it was much more economical. With my grandmother by my side, I learned so much of the traditional foods of my country and it was wonderful.

Until Thanksgiving rolled around. In Hong Kong, I was able to run to one of a number of supermarkets and get almost every single item I needed to host a full-fledged Thanksgiving meal. The turkey was delivered to me defrosted and I managed to feed 30 people out of the world's tiniest refrigerator. Turkey, ham, stuffing - several pies - the full works came out of that tiny kitchen and fridge. Seoul was not as convenient -there were some western food import shops that would have a lot of what I needed, but they were pricey. Costco was where I ended up buying the turkey (a British turkey with an accent) and I also got my ham there. I had to figure out dessert however.

Husband flew to HK for business so I sent him to a store for pumpkin and he brought back 8 precious cans for me. But I decided that I needed more than pumpkin pie for our meal extravaganza (invite list of 30 people) so I decided to try making something I'd never made - sweet potato pie. I made it with a Korean twist, using Korean sweet potatoes (고구마). The evening of the party it drew better reviews than the regular pumpkin pie.

Since coming back to the US, I haven't had the urge to make sweet potato pie, but for my church small group I decided to try it again - to see if it still tasted good and to see if it would be a favorite. With a topping of homemade sweetened whipped cream...well let's just say there are no leftovers.

This pie in particular really appeals to the Korean palate, as I think it has a restrained sweetness that comes through, but isn't overwhelming. Koreans are also incredibly loyal to their sweet potatoes and the flavor of them simply can't be beat. The texture is different from traditional sweet potato pie as it has a firmness and structure that normal sweet potatoes cannot bring.

As a note, I do make my own homemade pie crust, but feel free to use one of those premade pie crusts. It will save you a few steps. Those of you interested in making your own crust, I've included a recipe. I used to make pie crusts by hand using only a pastry cutter and a bit of elbow grease. Those of you not inclined to washing a huge food processor or do not own one, definitely invest in a pastry cutter.

Korean Sweet Potato Pie
1 9 inch pie crust, prepared

2.5 lbs of Korean/Japanese sweet potatoes
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of heavy cream
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger spice)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 beaten egg white, for brushing onto pie crust.

Preheat oven to 400. With a fork, puncture your sweet potatoes with a few pricks. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until potatoes are squishy, anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour. Allow to cool. (I usually do these first thing in the morning and set them aside.)

Preheat oven to 400. When sweet potatoes are nice and cool, scoop out potato flesh. Take 2 cups of sweet potatoes and put them in a bowl. Mash them up with a potato masher OR process them with a hand blender. Get the texture to be fairly smooth and uniform.

Add cream and brown sugar. Mix until well blended. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger and cinnamon. Mix well.

Brush pie crust with beaten egg white. Pour sweet potato filling into crust. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes, or until filling is set.
Serve with whipped cream.

Flaky Pie Crust

Bon Appétit | 2000 by Elinor Klivans

Makes one 9-inch crust

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Food processor: Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Pastry blender: Mix flour, sugar and salt in bowl. Add butter and shortening. Using pastry blender, pushing through the butter and shortening, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Continue blending just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Printable recipe

Blog Giveaway - the WINNER

Apologies all for being a day late on getting this done. But I have gotten a winner...using www.random.org.

SHUA...you're the winner! Please email me your address at joanne_choi AT yahoo DOT com

Spicy Cuttlefish/Squid - Ojingo Moochim (오징어 무침) Side Dish

I apologize for not posting any Korean recipes recently, in particular easy Korean side dishes or banchan(반찬). I haven't found much need recently to cook that many Korean dishes, primarily because no one is around to eat it. With husband's odd work hours and Son with allergies which focus on many Korean staples (soy, sesame, corn syrup, egg) there just hasn't been that much of a need to cook Korean. But with Grandmother (Mom in law) visiting house and a day trip where I was leaving the family to fend for themselves, I decided it would be a good idea to prepare some side dishes so that the family could eat.

This side dish is great because you can store it for up to two weeks and on a bed of hot rice - nothing beats it. It is sweet, salty, spicy and so yummy - and it is also what we call the "Rice Thief" as you find yourself eating WAY TOO MUCH RICE as you become addicted to the chewy texture and flavor of the squid. Even Daughters, although they find it spicy, love to eat it as they take one tiny piece, a huge glob of rice and several gulps of water to wash it down. YUM!

Spicy Cuttlefish/Squid - Ojingo Moochim (오징어 무침)

1 lb of dried cuttlefish (백진미 오징어) (this comes pre-shredded and I've seen it at both Chinese and Korean supermarkets - photo below)
1/2 cup gochujang (고추장 - Korean red chili pepper paste)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sake
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain corn syrup (물엿)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

In a nonstick fry pan over medium heat, mix together gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, sake, and corn syrup. Cook until mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat.

Open the package of your dried cuttlefish/squid.

Add cuttle fish/dried squid to the gochujang mixture. (which is warm, but NOT cooking the stove.) Working quickly, toss until everything is well coated.

Finish by sprinkling with sesame seeds. Toss again. Serve on a beautiful dish.

Printable recipe

The Asian Sandwich Bar: Allowing others to inspire you

For Luke House Church, who willingly subjects themselves to my experiments, and JA who asked me to make these in the first place.

A member of my house church sent me an email with the subject header, "Do you still take requests?" and the body of the email had the sentence, "I dunno how difficult these would be to make" and then this link, which took me to the "Moment Blog" of the NY times. In it was an article about a sandwich place named Xie Xie (pronounced "shay shay", the Mandarin word for thank you.) I read the article and it clearly showed sandwiches being made into something really splendid with great Asian flavors and ingredients. I was intrigued and challenged. I wrote back to my house church member and said, "Doable. Just have to figure out the components." He wondered when I would make them and I promised him that I would make them the next time the house church was at our house.

Only to discover the next day that we were meeting at our house. I wrote JA, letting him know that I would be making the sandwiches, and he had to provide the bread. I then spent a bit of time trying to figure out what sort of components went into the ideal Asian Sandwich since I had never really eaten one. I studied the menu at Xie Xie, which wasn't all that helpful considering I'd never had one of their sandwiches and then found a great post at Serious Eats which gave me enough information for me to figure out what I'd like to do.

I decided that I would use what I knew and just add a few components around it. I wasn't making the Xie Xie Sandwich, but my version of it, which gave me a bit of "artistic license" if you will. I decided on a "sandwich bar" concept, which meant that I would have a variety of components, and my house church guinea pigs would be able to put together what they liked.

It was not difficult to do, as I marinated the meat the night before, and just threw together the components the day off. It can be somewhat labor intensive in terms of chopping, but if you get yourself a little Japanese Mandoline, it can make your work much easier. Do not be daunted by the long list here - add and subtract what you want to make and simplify with fewer components if y0u like. If I had the list of absolutes: basil mayo, carrots, cucumber and onion jam. See - I just simplified your life.

The Asian Sandwich Bar
I used my two tried and true recipes for protein:
Korean BBQ Flank Steak
Ginger Soy BBQ Chicken.

Condiments
Basil Mayonnaise
Sesame Soy Mayonnaise
Garlic Jalapeno Mayonnaise
Onion Jam

Vegetable Fillings
Carrot Kimchee
Cilantro Cucumber Pickles
Jalapeno Pickles

Bread
French Baguette, sliced

Additional Sides, unrelated to the sandwich
Sesame Noodles with Cilantro and Scallion
Curried Slaw

I have to say, I gave myself a pat on the back because it was yummy. The more popular flavor combination was the basil mayo, beef, carrots, cucumbers, onion jam. I derived incredible satisfaction from a job well done. JA's wife was embarrassed at one point when she realized it was her husband who put me up to it, but best friend JEL stepped in and said, "Are you kidding me? This is the stuff that Joanne LIVES for. She loves it when someone asks her to make something and it comes out well." Good point JEL. I DO LOVE IT!

Asian Sandwiches - Chicken or Beef
Makes more than enough for 20 people
(you can easily half the recipe, and freeze the extra meat for later use.)

6 loaves of good French bread, sliced into appropriate sandwich portions. (I've tried it both with the crunchier crustier baguettes and a softer french bread and I prefer the softer - perhaps offer a selection)

4-5 lbs, marinated Korean Bbq Flank Steak, cooked and thinly sliced
4-5 lbs, marinated Ginger Soy Chicken, cooked and thinly sliced

Basil Mayonnaise
3/4 cup good mayonnaise (I like Best Foods AKA Hellmans)
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade (or chopped really fine)
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. Chill until needed.

Soy Sesame Mayonnaise
3/4 cup good mayonnaise
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. Chill until needed.

Garlic Jalapeno Mayonnaise (SPICY Warning!)
3/4 cup good mayonnaise
2 jalapenos, finely chopped, seeds and all (I use the cuisinart mini prep for this)
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (just chopped this together with the jalapenos in the cuisinart)
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Chill until needed.

Onion Jam
1/2 stick (1/4 cup of butter)
3 medium yellow or white onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey

In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onions and stir occasionally until onions are all wilted, 10-15 minutes. Add two cloves of garlic, red wine vinegar and honey, and simmer until the consistency is similar to jam, additional 15 minutes. Set aside, and rewarm over low heat when serving with sandwiches.

Carrot Kimchee
1/2 lb of carrots, julienne
1 1/2 cup rice vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Korean chili powder (gochu gahloo 고추가루) or red chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Cilantro Cucumber Pickles
1/2 lb of Persian cucumbers (or baby cucumbers), sliced thinly
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/12 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Do NOT make this ahead of time. Have all the vegetables chopped and ready but mix together all the ingredients right before you open your sandwich bar.

Jalapeno Pickles
8 jalapenos, thinly sliced
1 cup of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate, at least 3 hours.

To serve - set out all the components - grouping them together by category - mayonnaises and onion jams together. All the pickles together. Meat and chicken together. Have a stack of breads and allow your guests to construct their sandwich.

Building the sandwich

The blank canvas

Layer of basil mayonnaise and chicken on top

Carrot kimchee, cilantro cucumbers on top of that

Onion jam on the other piece of bread.

Stacked and ready to be eaten

Printable recipe

Can you resist this?

The Japanese Mandoline I own.

Blog Giveway: Celebrating 100,000 Visitors!

For CY who always wants to show my food off.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

There is a keen satisfaction from knowing that your work is read and appreciated. I've been lucky to have had great friends and family to keep me encouraged; they spread the word of my blog, tell people to read my blog, cook from my blog and then give credit to my blog. I even have people asking me to try making things that I've never tried before, all in the name of improving my blog. I'm extremely lucky to have such a wonderful support network and to have so many people promote me.

I have a simple story to demonstrate this. My good friend CY decided that she was going to cook for her church small group. She asked me what one of my more economical favorite recipes was, and asked if I would help her prepare it. She said, "If it is a hit, you know that people will be talking a LOT about it." I laughed at her confidence and offered to help her, simply because I wanted her small group to eat a nice meal. (feeding people is the greatest motivation for me...fame is not.) We worked hard together, prepared all the components of Kimchee Burgers and she went and executed them for her small group. She said she was AMAZED at how much food impacted the mood of the evening. People were excited, jubilant, eating voraciously and just enjoying themselves. There wasn't anything left at the end of the night and people continued raving about it at church the following Sunday. It was great publicity for me as CY continued to say, "It's all on the Week of Menus website" and she just kept on promoting me. But more of my personal satisfaction came from the fact that people ENJOYED my food, got excited about what they ate and were satisfied. That is my thanks.

To thank my readers and my friends, I'm celebrating my latest milestone - 100,000 hits (WOW!), a number I'd never imagine I would reach. I'm buying the contest winner a beautiful set of MIU measuring spoons. These are not the measuring spoons I currently have, but these are the NEXT set I'd like to own - because the shape is narrow (my spoons keep getting caught in the narrow spice jars), they are stainless steel with beautiful long handles and a great hefty weight. They will be essential during this coming holiday season.

I hope that the winner uses the spoons in good health to cook and prepare wonderful foods for family and friends. I continue to ask people to try and cook for the loved ones around you, because food can change people.

To enter, simply enter a comment below which includes the following two things:
1. What have you cooked most often from this blog?
2. Why do you cook it so often? (FYI - if the answer is - I've only cooked one thing and that's it, your answer has as much equal merit as the person who has cooked many things. No worries.)

I am stickler for following directions, probably due to my former career as a high school teacher. If you fail to answer one of these two questions, your entry will be disqualified.

A single winner will be chosen at random one week from today. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. (But each spouse can enter once.) Please make sure you leave at least an email so that I can contact you and get your mailing address so that you can receive your prize. (US addresses only please.)

Hot Artichoke Dip: Holiday Recipe #8

For MR who taught me (in vague quantities) how to make it.

Okay. I have to admit it. This is not an easy recipe for me to share. I actually don't want to share it. I love having this as my secret. I don't want this recipe scattered all over, gracing tables across the world. But that is what is going to happen to this recipe because it is easy, fool-proof, and simple. But because it is all of those things, I knew that this year I had to share it for all to eat during the holidays, even if it meant I would potentially be eating it everywhere I am invited this holiday season.

Warning - this dip is highly addictive, so be careful when you start eating it. You'll find yourself eating way more than you had imagined.

Hot Artichoke Dip
Serves 8

8 oz of mozzarella cheese, grated (or you can buy one of those pre shredded packs which is what I often do)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup of mayonnaise
10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or put through a garlic press
1 14 0z can of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. (can be made one day ahead) Refrigerate until needed.

You can do a LARGE 8X8 baking dish of this dip, OR you can do smaller ramekins (which is what I like to do) and keep the dip piping hot, and just keep on replenishing ramekins. I find that the dip is NOT yummy when it is cold and it is spectacular when it is just out of the oven.

Preheat oven to 375. Spoon dip into your desired baking dish. Bake until it is all golden and bubbly on top. (small ramekins is about 12-15 minutes, larger dish could be 20 minutes or more.)

Serve with crackers or crusty bread.

Printable recipe