Rehearsal Dinner At Tarantino's

Tarantino's best: Scallops with rice, Mahi Mahi, crab cakes, seafood platter

Judy Anderson's Yogurt chicken with fresh Asparagus

Grandpa Al's barbecue beans and Chicken, Mum Alaina's salads

• 2-3 Cloves of garlic, minced
• 3-4 drops Hickory Smoke Liquid
• 1/4 cup Oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 cup honey

1. Blend all ingredients well,
2. Pre-cook 2 Ibs pork baby back ribs
3. Boil in water for 40 mintues
4. Pre-cook chicken pieces- bake in 350 F for 30 minutes
5. Baste ribs and chicken with sauce. While grilling baste often with the sacue

• 1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned firm, white-fleshed fish such as cod or tilapia
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• Olive oil
• 6 -8 corn tortillas

• 6 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon of Jalapenos
• salt to taste

• 2 chipotles chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 11/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Salt

Preparation

1. In a bowl, flour, and salt until well blended.
2. In a medium size pan, heat up 1 inch of oil over medium-high heat; bring oil to 360°. 
3. Dip fish pieces into beer batter one by one. Slide fish into oil, a few pieces at a time, and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until golden. When done, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
4. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add a tortilla and warm for 10 to 20 seconds on each side.
5. To assemble each taco, spread a spoonful of tartar sauce on a warmed tortilla. and top with 3 or 4 pieces of fish, then a spoonful of cabbage and cilantro slaw salad. Serve with tartar sauce and Lime wedges on side. 

Ingredients

• 1 -1 1/2 lb fresh fish, with the head and tail on (scales removed and insides cleaned)      
• 2 tablespoon ginger sliced
• 4 tablespoons of peanut oil
• 1/4 cup scallions, julienned. 
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce mixed 1/2 teaspoon sugar 

1. Wash and pat dry the fish with paper towel inside and out
2. Place 1/3 of the gingers in a plate then place fish on top, place the 1/3 in the fish cavity and finally the 1/3 on the top.
3. Add enough water to the wok then bring to the boil in high heat. When the water is boiling Place the plate on a steam rack in the wok then steam covered for 8-10 minutes
4. After the fish is cooked, pile on the julienned scallion on the fish . 
5. Heat up the oil, until it is so  hot it's steaming, Pour the hot oil onto the fish. (The hotter the better to release the scallions' flavor into the sauce.)
6. Pour the soy sauce sugar mixture on top. Serve hot with hot steamed jasmine rice. 

This was my very first time cooking Mexican food, so I was worried I might mess something up. Luckily Eva's instructions are clear and easy to follow, and I was totally blown away by how tasty and aromatic the finishing dishes were. All I can say is Que deliciousas!

Eva's Mexican Rice  (Recipe via ABCnews)

 

 

Estimated Cost: $15

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup macaroni, cooked
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 4 slices of smoked bacon, diced
• 1 small onion, grated
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
• 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• Butter

Preparation

1. In saucepan over low heat melt 4 tablespoons of butter; blend in flour and seasonings, stirring until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk; cook and stir until thick and smooth. Stir in grated onion and cheeses. 
2. Place cooked drained macaroni in a buttered 3-quart casserole dish. Pour sauce over macaroni and gently mix to blend. 
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs and Parmesan over the macaroni. 
4. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. 
5. Serve and enjoy!

It has been a wonderful week for Carmen's Kitchen! I've been surprised with two more recognition awards from fellow bloggers. The first one is the Versatile Blogger Award, it was presented to me separately by two of my blogger friends, Tess of Slow Cooking Kitchen and Javelin of Javelin Warrior's Cooking W/Luv . I am touched, honored and delighted! Thank you so much Tess and Javelin!

What is the Versatile Blogger Award? ”It is a great way to introduce different bloggers to each other and to promote quality blogs that awardees and their readers may not have discovered otherwise.”

And on accepting my Vesatile Blogger Award, I must follower the rules!

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blog Award:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award and Include a link to their blog.
2. Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. 
3. Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
4. Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself
5. In the same post, include this set of rules
6. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs

So, here are 7 things about me...

1. I am a classical trained pianist. I teach piano.
2. I wanted to be a spaceman when I was a little girl.
3. My favorite flowers are Lilies. 
4. I am a huge fan of 'Mad Men' and I think Jon Hamm is the second sexiest man on earth. Right after my husband
5. I love traveling!
6. Greek food is my favorite cuisine. Especially lemon potatoes and Musaka (Eggplant and Meat Casserole) 
7. My favorite color is pink.

And here are my 15 nominations: 

1. Balvinder of Gluten Free Food  
2. Vivienne of Blog's Up
3. Elpiniki of My Greek Cooking  
4. Prathiam of Prat's Corner 
5. Anna of  Made in Hong Kong
6. Purabi of Comospolitan Currymania 
7. Red Shallot Kitchen
8. Jay of Tasty Appetite
9. Abby of Seaweed and Sassafras
10. Alida of My little Italian Kitchen
11. Willow of Will cook for Friends 
12. Jenn of Home Skillet
13. Love for Food 
14. Angie of Angie's Recipes 
15. Pranjali of Taste Bud Delight

• Cake (any type)
• Frosting (as binding agent, you can also use nutella or cream cheese)
• White Chocolate Melt (as coat and glue)
  
• Lollipop Sticks.
• White chocolate drops (for the ears)
• Black icing tube (for eyes)
• Yellow and Red confectioners confetti  (for nose and bow)

Tempura is considered to be one of the most well-loved and most popular of all Japanese dishes. In Japan, tempura is traditionally deep fried vegetables or seafood. However, not only battered, fried shrimp qualifies as tempura! Tempura does not use bread crumbs, only the lightly battered food is tempura. 

You can make tempura with almost any ingredient, I love all of them, but my favorite is definitely Tempura Shrimp. Who doesn't love crunchy deep fried Shrimps?

It's actually pretty easy to make tempura at home. All ingredients can be found easily at your local supermarket. Have fun making them! Don't forget to dip them in soy sauce and accompany them with a glass of warm sake!

Serves: 2 -3 

Estimated Cost: $20

Cook Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 12 Large shrimp (if frozen need to thaw, the bigger the shrimp the better!)
• Flour to dust
• Oil for deep frying
For Tempura Batter
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon. salt
• 2 egg white
• 1 cup ice water

Preparation:

.

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups sugar 
• 3 large eggs  
• 3 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 teaspoons water 
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of Lemon Zest

• Homemade or ready made icing (brand of choice)
•  1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease and flour a flute pan. 
2. In a electric mixer, mix all the ingredients on low until blended. Then beat for 1 minutes on high speed. 
3. Pour batter into pan. Bake  until cake tester comes out clean ( 50-60 minutes). 
4. Spread icing over the cake once the cake has cooled. Sprinkle Lemon zest on the top.

• 3/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/3 cup cooked sushi rice
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoon furikake (Japanese rice seasoning, you can buy this in any Asian market)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. In a food processor, combine the rice flour, white rice, salt, and oil. Pulse-blend until finely ground. 
3. Add in water to the ground mix.
4. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the furikake,
5. Press  balls of the dough between cling-film into thin disks (The thinner the discs the crispier they will be). 
6. Bake on greased baking sheets for 6 minutes then flip the crackers with a spatula and continue to cook until they are dry and beginning to brown,  5-6 more minutes. Remove from oven.
7. Allow crackers to cool and crisp up before serving.

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 5 large eggs, beaten
• Salt to taste
• Plenty of Olive Oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil In a large frying pan, place the potato and onion mixture into the frying pan, spreading them evenly over the surface. The oil should almost cover the potatoes. Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat, please note they'll cook faster if the potato slices are thin.
2. Once cooked, place cooked potatoes and onion mixture in a large bowl, drain off excessive oil.
3. Pour beaten eggs onto the potato onion mixture. Lightly mix without breaking up potatoes. See the photo above for structure. The egg mixture should be evenly distributed throughout the potato layers. You can do this by separating bits of potato/onion and letting egg seep in around it.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil into a small pan on medium heat. Once hot, pour potato, egg and onion mixture into a the frying pan and spread out evenly.
5. Reduce heat to low, and shake the pan often and run a spatula around the side and bottom to make sure the omelet is not sticking. After about 10 minutes, when the omelet is cooked 3/4  way through. Place a large plate over the pan and invert the omelet onto the plate.
6. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the hot pan. When the oil is hot, slide the omelet (cooked side up) back into the pan, let it cook for another 5 minutes. 
7. Serve hot or cool, with salad.

• 1 large boneless chicken breast, cut into strips.
• 1 cup of Breadcrumbs
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
•  Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 can of pineapple chunks
• 1 cup of ham, diced
• 1/2 cup of Tomato sauce
• 2 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 slices of white bread, toasted 

• Pita bread, squared
• Lettuce, finely sliced
• 1 can of mini hot dog sausages
• Cheddar Cheese, thinnly sliced

• 3/4 cup of Whiskey
• 1/4 cup of Orange Juice
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• a few drops Lemon juice
• Ices 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large chicken breast, shredded
• 1 cup four cheese spaghetti sauce
• 2 cup of shredded sharp cheese
•  Salt and pepper to taste
• 20 wonton wrappers

• Preheat oven to 370F
• Cook chicken pieces in a medium pan over medium heat until golden brown
• Add  four cheese spaghetti sauce, mix well
• Grease a 10 cup muffin tin and put 2  wonton wrappers in each cup
• Put a tablespoon of shredded cheese into each of the muffin cup.
• Add a tablespoon of the chicken mixture onto the cheese filles cup
• Sprinkle the top with another layer of cheese
• Bake for 15 minutes until  the wonton wrappers have a crispy brown color to them
• Cool for a couple of minutes and serve

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs fish fillets (cod, haddock,or red snapper )
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of water
• Salt and pepper

1. Clean the fish fillets in cold water. Remove all bones. Cut fish into 1/2in thick fillets.
2. Prepare 3 separate dishes, one with flour with salt and pepper mixed in, one with beaten egg white and water, and the third with breadcrumbs.
3. To batter fish slices: First dip the fish in flour, then in egg and water mixture, then breadcrumbs.
4. Deep fry fish slices in medium hot oil (I use olive oil) for a few minutes until golden brown, be careful not to overcook.