Fish w Soy Butter and Ginger Sauce

Time: 15 minutes 

Use any firm white fillets you like here, from sea bass to red snapper or grouper.

Salt and black pepper

3 tablespoons  corn or canola oil

4 (6-ounce) skinless fillets black sea bass, red snapper, or the like

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced green onions

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

=======================

1.  Preheat the oven to 200°F. Preheat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and add the fillets to the skillet. 

2.  Brown the fish on 1 side for a couple of minutes, then turn and brown on the other side, another minute or two. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the fish to a plate (don't worry if it's done); put the plate of fish in the oven to keep warm. 

3.  When the skillet has cooled slightly, return it to the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and, when it melts, the garlic, onions and ginger. About 30 seconds later, add the soy sauce and 1/4 cup water and stir to blend. Return the fillets to the skillet, along with any of their accumulated juices. 

4.  Turn the heat to medium and cook the fillets for a total of about 4 minutes, turning 3 or 4 times. (If at any time the pan seems to dry out entirely, add 2 or 3 tablespoons water.) At this point, the fish should be done (a thin-bladed knife inserted into its thickest point will meet little resistance). Serve with the pan juices spooned over the fish. 

4 servings

TUNA SALAD - With & Without Mayo Video





TUNA SALAD - With Mayo Video





For more cooking video go to:
http://www.lookinatcookin.com/

Grilled Corn with Lime Butter Recipe


Add an extra zest to picked yesterday corn. You can make the lime butter up to two days ahead and refrigerate. Melt butter before brushing it over the grilled corn.

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 8 ears shucked corn Cooking spray

Prepare grill or broiler. Combine butter, rind, juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Place corn on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly brush on butter and cook 10 minutes, turning frequently. Remove from heat; brush corn with the rest of the butter mixture.

Europe's Truffle Shortage Blamed On Global Warming

Farmers say production is down by 50-75% this winter season and they blame global warming, warning that if thermometers keep rising — as many scientists predict they could — France's black truffle will one day be just a memory.

This year, reduced output and good quality truffles have pushed the price of Italy's renowned white truffles to new heights, some reaching up to Lit7.5m (3 873 [euro]) a kilo.

This is not the first time weather has caused a dramatic downturn in French truffle production. A severe drought in the early '60s more than halved the harvest, bringing it down to about 50 tons. But the trufficulteurs, as truffle farmers are known, contend this current dry spell is longer and more acute.

Production in France has been in slow decline for 100 years — from 1,000 tons a year to just 50 tons, according to the Agriculture Ministry — under the march of urban sprawl into the fungus' forest habitat and the migration of farming folk to cities.


http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming

Turkey Talk - Types of Turkeys in the Marketplace

Here is an explanation of the USDA terms on the package label of the turkey you will purchase.

Frozen Turkeys
Turkeys chilled below 0° F must be labeled “Frozen”. Freezing poultry has its problems; muscle cell walls actually break down, causing a loss of juices and a dryer turkey.

Fresh Turkeys
The term "fresh" may ONLY be placed on raw poultry that has never been below 26 °F.. According to the National turkey Federation, turkey doesn't freeze at 32 degrees F. but at a temperature closer to 26 degrees F.

This poultry label rule addresses a truth-in-labeling issue, not food safety, because most pathogenic bacteria do not multiply or multiply very slowly at normal refrigerator temperatures. The USDA concluded that the term "fresh" should not be used on the labeling of raw poultry products that have been chilled to the point they are hard to the touch.

Hard-chilled or Deep-chilled Turkeys
Poultry held at 0 °F or below must be labeled "frozen" or "previously frozen." No specific labeling is required on poultry between 0 and 26 °F.

Basted or Self-Basting Turkeys
This technique is used to increase flavor, juiciness and weight in poultry (as well as other meats). These meats are also known as 'Enhanced' - Enhanced meats are injected, or vacuum treated, to increase weight by approximately 15%. These processes add a water and chemical solutions of approved food additives into and on the meat.

Natural Turkeys
A minimally processed product containing no artificial ingredient or added color. These are essentially birds that are not ‘basted’ or ‘self-basting.’ The term makes no reference to the way the turkey was raised.

Kosher Turkeys
These turkey are grain-fed with no antibiotics and are allowed to roam freely. Kosher turkeys are processed and inspected under rabbinical supervision. This includes soaking in salt brine, which adds a distinctive, savory character. Much like basted or self basting, the process adds a solution to the meat and increases weight.

Hen or Tom Turkeys
The sex designation of "hen" (female) or "tom" (male) turkey is optional on the label, and is an indication of size. Toms are larger but both toms and hens should be equally tender.

Free Range Turkeys
This labeling / marketing term has nothing to do with quality or taste. To add the words “Free Range” to the label, a grower must open part of their turkey house to a common yard for a matter of minutes per day. While only a few birds venture out, they all can be labeled as Free Range.

Most producers avoid this because of the negative effects of increased stress, disease, insects, and temperature on the entire flock. While 'Free Range' poultry can be of excellent quality, I have found the majority of their marketing techniques to be deceptive - usually the point it better profits, not better poultry.

Organic Turkeys
This labeling and marketing term has nothing to do with quality, taste, tenderness or juiciness.

These labeling laws are concerned with items such as feed certification, genetic engineering, and the use of ionizing radiation. While organic farming is clearly a positive revolution in our mechanized world, it is not a determination of quality, though the majority of consumers confuse it as such.

Note: All high-quality American Turkeys are free of added hormones and antibiotics. The use of hormones is not allowed in any poultry, and both feed and poultry tissue is tested by inspectors to assure there are no chemical residues.


Young Turkey
Turkeys of either sex that are less than 8 months of age according to present regulations are considered "young" turkeys. Most turkeys reach market maturity at 4-5 months of age.

Tomato World's Most Popular Fruit

The tomato is the world's most popular fruit. And yes, just like the eggplant and the pumpkin, botanically speaking it is a fruit, not a vegetable. Since "vegetable" is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in a plant part being a fruit botanically while still being considered a vegetable.

More than 60 million tons of tomatoes are produced per year, 16 million tons more than the second most popular fruit, the banana. Apples are the third most popular (36 million tons), then oranges (34 million tons) and watermelons (22 million tons).

Tomatoes were first cultivated in 700 AD by Aztecs and Incas. Explorers returning from Mexico introduced the tomato into Europe, where it was first mentioned in 1556. The French called it "the apple of love," the Germans "the apple of paradise."

Tomatoes are now eaten freely throughout the world, and their consumption is believed to benefit the heart among other things. Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants, is present in tomatoes, and, especially when tomatoes are cooked, has been found beneficial in preventing prostate cancer. However, other research contradicts this claim. Tomato extract branded as Lycomato is now also being promoted for treatment of high blood pressure.

Tomatoes are delicious raw, sautéed, grilled, stewed, and added to many preparations. Use a serrated knife or very sharp non-serrated knife to slice or chop tomatoes or prick the skin to get a slice going.

To peel tomatoes, blanch by dropping them into boiling water for about 30 seconds, or longer for firm tomatoes, then plunge into a bowl of ice water until cool enough to handle. Cut an X on the stem end and use a paring knife to pull skin away.

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C and fibre, and are cholesterol free. An average size tomato (148 gram, or 5 oz) boasts only 35 calories.

Festive Tomato Wedges

6 Tomatoes; cut in wedges
2/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup White wine vinegar
1/4 cup Chopped green onions
1 Clove garlic; minced
2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dill weed
1 teaspoon Dried basil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Dried marjoram
1/4 cup Snipped fresh parsley

Arrange the tomato wedges in a circle on a platter
In a food processor pour the oil onions garlic dill, basil, and majoram.
Pulse until smooth.
Add the vinegar, salt, pepper and mayonnaise, pulse again.
Pour over tomatoes and toss gently.
Add the parsley, chill until ready to serve.

12 Servings

Ham and Swiss Stuffed Burgers Recipe

1 pound low fat chopped meat
2 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 ounces thinly sliced deli ham
Cooking spray
8 hamburger buns
8 slices tomato
4 large leaf lettuce leaves
8 thinly sliced red onion slices

Prepare grill. In a large bowl, combine the chopped meat, parsley, Worcestershire, salt, garlic and pepper. Mix well.

Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a round patty. Top 4 patties with 2 tablespoons cheese and 1/2 ounce ham, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Add the remaining patties to the cheese and ham patties. Press edges together to seal.

Place patties on grill rack coated with cooking spray.

Grill 3 minutes on each side or until done.

Place the buns on grill rack open side down; grill 1 minute until toasted.

Add in layers to each of 4 buns: 1 lettuce leaf, 2 onion slices, 1 patty, and 2 tomato slices.

Add the other half of bun on top of the layers.

Leek and Watercress Soup
Great served chilled in warm weather

2 Tbs. olive oil
5 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped (4 cups)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
1 large potato, peeled and diced (1 cup)
1 bunch watercress, trimmed and chopped (2 cups)
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 cup cream, half and half or milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chopped chives for garnish


In large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Add leeks and onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Add potato and watercress. Cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Add stock, bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until potato is tender, about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in soy sauce, vinegar and cream.
Season with salt and pepper.

In food processor or blender, puree soup in batches.
Serve warm or chilled garnished with chopped chives if desired.

Can be made the day before or frozen for up to 1 month.

Serves 6

HOT SAUCE!!!

This website attempts to list the hottest sauces in the world.

To give you an idea of their heat - Tabasco sauce is rated at 2,140 scoville units while Blair's 6am is up to 16,000,000 ! What is a scoville unit?
Go To http://www.chez-williams.com/Hot%20Sauce/hothome.htm

The Hot One!

Blair's 6 am

These Incredible bottles are filled with Earth Shattering Pure Pepper Resin Ranging from a low of 10.3 million Scoville units to ...Are you Ready......16 million

This is Pure Capsicum crystal. You can see it inside the bottle.......Due to the unique nature and and the fact that Blair made only 80 oz of Pepper resin at a time, each batch Does vary. Only 999 will be made, each numbered. As this is pure Capsicum - it's impossible to get any hotter....

Grilled Tuna With Onion and Peppers

Makes 4 servings

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet red pepper thinly sliced
1 small sweet yellow pepper thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried, crushed
1 cup cooked corn kernels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Two 1-inch-thick pieces fresh tuna, about 1 1/4 pounds
Fresh parsley leaves for garnish


Brush the onion and pepper slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sauté the onion and pepper slices for 5 minutes or until soft turning frequently in a large non-stick sauté pan or grill.

Remove from heat and chop the onion and peppers.

Toss together with the tomato in a medium mixing bowl. Add the garlic, two thirds of the basil, corn, and salt and pepper to taste. Add half of olive oil and the vinegar and toss to combine. Set aside.

Brush the tuna with the remaining olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper and the remaining basil.

Sauté in a large sauté pan or grill on a flat grill over high heat for 2 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish and the degree of doneness you prefer. Slice the tuna in 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Arrange the vegetables in the center of each plate and top with the tuna slices fanned out. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Farfalle Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

Look for high-quality fresh sausage; the casings will be easier to remove. Ricotta salata is available at specialty food stores and well-stocked supermarkets; if you can't find it, substitute 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese,

12 ounces dried farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion (8 oz.) peeled and chopped
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4-5 white mushrooms thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes
8 ounces chicken sausages, removed form casings and
crumbled
1 pound ripe tomatoes, rinsed, cored, and chopped
8 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 3 packed cups), rinsed
4 ounces ricotta salata cheese, thinly sliced or crumbled


1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, add 4 quarts water, add salt and bring to a boil. Put in pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender to bite, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch frying pan or a 4- to 5-quart pan over medium high heat, melt butter and then add the oil to the melted butter. Add onion and stir often until very lightly browned around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another minute.

3. Lower heat to medium and add garlic, chili flakes, and crumbled chicken sausages. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up sausage if necessary, until meat is beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes; if garlic begins to scorch, lower heat.

4. Add tomatoes and spinach; stir until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

5. In a large bowl, mix pasta and sauce to coat; top with ricotta salata.

About 35 minutest to prepare
4 to 6 servings

Fast Chicken Dinner

Serves 4

Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
a pinch of tarragon
two medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Instructions:
In a medium skillet, heat the oil and garlic over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper, then add to the skillet and cook for 7-10 minutes. Add the white wine and tarragon. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a platter. Sauté the tomatoes in the skillet until tender. Place the tomatoes over the chicken and cover with the pan drippings and sprinkle with parsley.

Brown sugar a solid rock?
Has your bag or box of brown sugar turned hard as a rock?

Try this helpful hint: Place a slice of fresh bread in the package of sugar and close securely.
Let set for a few hours and your sugar will be as good as new!

Food Quotes

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet." - Fran Lebowitz

"The remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served us nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." - Calvin Trillin.

"The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again." - George Miller.

Thyme-Infused Vegetables

A Winter Dish
Susan Dash

Roasted root vegetables are always a treat. The natural sugar in the vegetables caramelizes during roasting and creates a sweet-savory flavor.

Feel free to alter proportions of vegetables to suit your guests' preferences.

8 medium shallots, peeled
2 medium red-skin potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium turnips, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 450 [degrees] F.

In a large bowl, combine vegetables, garlic, oil, thyme, salt and pepper; toss to evenly coat.

Transfer coated vegetables to a baking dish and bake until tender and browned, 35 to 40 minutes

Serve warm.
Serves 8

Spoon

Fella goes into his favorite deli where the waiter immediately brings him a bowl of matzoh ball soup. The customer signals the waiter to come back.

"Taste the soup!" he commands.

"Why?" inquires the surprised waiter.

"Taste the soup!" comes the reply.

"Max, you've been coming in here every day for ten years. There's never been anything wrong with the soup."

"Taste the soup!"

"What's wrong, too much salt--not enough salt?"

"Taste the soup!"

"What, the matzo balls aren't fluffy enough for you?"

"TASTE THE SOUP!"

The waiter finally agrees, "All right all right, I'll taste the soup! Where's the spoon?"

"A-HA!" chortles Max.

You Might Be a Bad Cook If...

Your microwave display reads "TILT!"

You know dinner is ready when the smoke alarm goes off.

Your dog goes to the neighbors' to eat.

Leftover crumbs make a great replacement for kitty litter.

Your kids know what exactly peas porridge in a crock pot nine days old tastes like.

If the EPA requires that all your garbage cans be marked with large bright red "biohazard" symbols.

The smoke alarm beeps if you even walk near the stove.

Your apple pie bubbled over and ate the enamel off the bottom of the oven.

You used three boxes of scouring pads, a bottle of Drano and a crowbar, but that macaroni and cheese still won't let go of the pan!

You look in a cookbook to find out how to boil water.

You call your mother to ask how long to boil cabbage to make cole slaw.

If anyone has ever broken a tooth while eating your homemade yogurt.

Easy Eggs Benedict

1/4 cup salted butter, melted,
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, for coloring
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 English muffins split, toasted and buttered
4 thin slices of ham
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4 eggs
Garnish with lemon peels and chopped parsley.


Melt the butter and make sure to remove from heat before butter browns.

Using a blender, blend yogurt, turmeric, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (optional) for about 2 seconds or until smooth. While blender is on, add the melted butter in a thin steady stream.

Toast and butter all 4 English muffins topping with 1 slice of ham, and set them on plates.

Bring to a simmer 3 cups of water in a medium size saucepan. Pour in the vinegar.

Break all 4 eggs into water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until whites are set and yolks are still soft.

Place 1 poached egg on each English muffin and spoon a generous portion of cream sauce on top of the eggs, garnish and serve.

4 servings