Sushi & Valentine's Day

I'm so behind on blogging it's ridiculous. But my excuse is a good one...I've been busy working on my little side business and planning a huge fundraiser at work. Both were very successful and a huge hit so I can't really complain. J Before I blog about any of that though, I wanted to share the wonderful Valentine's Day I had with Ron.

Knowing that the weekend was going to be fairly hectic with having to bake 250 cupcakes for a wedding (look for those details in my next post J) Ron and I decided to have a laid back day and make dinner at home. My lovely fiance surprised me with my favorite flowers, tulips, and a beautiful card with a hand written message. He's so good at that sappy stuff. I think it comes from having 3 sisters.

Deciding on what to make for dinner was an easy choice. We’ve become quite the experts at homemade sushi and thought this would be a fun and delicious meal for the “hallmark holiday”. We decided to spend a little more money and picked up smoked salmon and an Ahi tuna steak along with all the usual fixings...avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, cream cheese, green onion and cucumber. Luckily since we have made sushi in the past, we already had nori sheets (seaweed), sushi rice and wasabi on hand.

                     **For those of you wanting to try the art of sushi making and have never done it 
                        before, you want to make sure you have all the necessary equipment.

                                     - Sushi rolling mat                            - Sushi Rice

                                     - Rice Paddle                                     - Wasabi Powder

                                     - Nori Sheets                                     

Ron decided to get creative with our recipes and make additional sauces for our sushi rolls - similar to what you would get in a restaurant. He came up with the following menu:

                    ~ Salmon Roll with cilantro, cucumber and jalapeno with a spicy mayo sauce
                    ~ Ahi Tuna Roll with green onion, cucumber and cream cheeses with a sriracha sauce
                    ~ Salmon Roll with cream cheese, jalapeno and avocado with a spicy mayo sauce
                    ~ Ahi Tuna Roll with avocado, green onion and cilantro with an avocado sriracha sauce

While Ron prepped, chopped and mixed the ingredients, I was in charge of rolling everything. Now, let me tell you....rolling sushi can be quite the art. It has taken many tries for us to know the exact amount of ingredients that will fit in a roll without spilling out. You have to work quickly with the rice so it remains sticky and holds the roll together.

                   **If you are looking for a fun, creative and tasty dinner to make with your significant other or 
                       friends, sushi is definitely the way to go! It takes a little extra time than most dinners but the 
                      conversation is great and rolling the sushi is always a comical experience. 
   
After about an hour of prep work and rolling, the sushi was complete. We added dollops of all the sauces to the rolls, poured the champagne Ron brought and sat down to enjoy a wonderful evening and our second Valentine's together. J 

Ready to roll the sushi.

Our finished rolls.

Nom nom nom!

Recipe - Chocolate, Caramel, Marshmallow, Whiskey & Bacon Bark

Did you say chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, whiskey AND bacon? Why, yes I did!!! This amazing recipe encompasses all of life’s delicious ingredients. Now, I know there is A LOT going on in this recipe. And while it is a slightly time consuming, it is very easy to make! After some trial and error with the original recipe, I believe I have come up with a delicious concoction with the right amount of each ingredient that your taste buds are sure to enjoy - WITHOUT pulling out any fillings or giving you a cavity. (**Warning – I am not responsible for any issues you might incur with your teeth after eating this bark!!)

Enjoy! J

INGREDIENTS

16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate (Feel free to taste test a handful of chips...you don’t “need” all of them J)

4 cups mini-marshmallows (+ 5-7 pieces to taste test with the chocolate chips)

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup whiskey (and maybe a shot on the side J)

1 cup caramel sauce

3-4 strips of VERY crispy bacon (+ 3-4 strips of bacon to sample while baking)

PREPARATION

Prepare an 8x8 inch pan by lining with parchment or foil sprayed thoroughly with non-stick cooking spray. I created flaps that hung over the edges of the pan for easy removal.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and cook the bacon until very crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease. Crumble into small pieces to place on top of the bark when it is finished. Set aside.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat semi-sweet chocolate chips in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. (Be VERY careful not to scorch, even when it looks like the chocolate has not completely melted it will continue to melt as you stir, so err on the side of caution.)

Pour about half of melted chocolate into your pan and smooth evenly with a silicone spatula. (Keep in mind, this first layer will not be very thick.)

Place in freezer to harden, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place whiskey, butter and marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for about 45 seconds.  Again keep an eye on it; marshmallows will enlarge and try to take over the bowl!!! Stir and return to microwave for about another 45 seconds. Stir until smooth and elastic.

Pour onto set chocolate layer and smooth evenly. Make sure you are using a silicone spatula so the marshmallowy goodness does not stick to it.

Return to freezer for another 15 minutes.

Place caramel sauce in microwave safe bowl and heat as directed. (Approximately 45 – 60 seconds) Pour over marshmallow layer and spread evenly. Do this as quickly as possible as the caramel will start to stick and thicken.

Return to freezer for 15 more minutes.

Reheat remaining chocolate until warm and smooth and pour over caramel layer. Smooth evenly and, while still wet, sprinkle with crumbled bacon. 

Freeze for a final 15- 30 minutes.

When ready to cut, remove bark from pan by gently pulling on foil flaps. Carefully peel foil from hardened chocolate. Cut into bite size (or a little large) pieces with a sharp knife.

Keep refrigerated until 10 minutes before you are ready to serve. Bark becomes slightly gooey & floppy at room temp.

Adapted from Whiskey Disks. 

Recipe - Egg Drop Soup w/ Chicken

Who doesn’t love egg drop soup?! It’s a must have anytime I order Chinese food. When I was single and only cooking for one, I used to make a simple version that literally consisted of broth, an egg and scallions. But now that I am engaged to a man with a very healthy appetite I needed to bump up my recipe to include some hearty ingredients and more flavor.

As I always say when giving out my recipes, make sure you add flavors that you enjoy. Ron and I love the garlic and ginger flavor in this soup so we tend to add quite a bit. Start with the recommended amounts below or even a little less and then add more as you see fit.

Enjoy! 

Ingredients

8 cups  low-sodium chicken broth

3 cups water

6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

6 garlic cloves, smashed

2 tablespoons ground ginger

7 ounces Japanese Udon noodles

4  tablespoons cornstarch

4  eggs, lightly beaten

3  cups cooked, shredded chicken (2 large chicken breasts)

8  scallions (both white and green parts)

4 - 6 Servings (depending on your bowl size)


Boil chicken - Place chicken breasts in a saucepan with enough room to add water and cover the chicken. If desired, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and tablespoon ginger to flavor the liquid and chicken. (I saw this in a recipe once and the chicken came out very moist with a delicious flavor) Bring to boil then reduce the heat. Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink. Set aside to cool and shred later.

Bring the chicken broth, water, soy sauce, garlic cloves and ginger to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium-large dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium and cook broth mixture for 10 minutes.

Remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon and add noodles to pot; cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender. (Udon noodles cook quickly)

While noodles are cooking, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl and then whisk into broth.

Stir soup so it is moving in a circular direction. Pour in the beaten eggs very slowly while continuing the circular direction. Stir in chicken and garnish with scallions, if desired. Serve immediately!!!