Nic’s Gyoza

The Guts:
½ a head of napa cabbage
Ground pork (1 package?? I don’t know the weight)
Lots of ginger (1 decent sized root?)
1 medium sized carrot
1 bunch of green onions
Salt and pepper.

Chop everything up super fine, and mix it all together really well, in a big bowl.

Dipping sauce:
Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Chopped green onion floating in it…yup.

Caesar Dressing

Ingredients
4 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 C olive oil
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 tsp salt
1 raw egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
Put everything in a blender, run it for a minutes, and toss with head or Romaine.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

* 3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don’t trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it’s completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

* Steak:
* 1 (2 1/4-pound) flank steak, trimmed
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* Cooking spray
*

Salad:
* 1 cucumber (about 3/4 pound), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
* 2 cups grape tomatoes
* 2 cups torn Bibb lettuce
* 1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) diced peeled avocado
* 1/3 cup vertically sliced red onion
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 1/2 teaspoons minced seeded serrano chile
* 1 1/2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

To prepare steak, place steak in a large shallow dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons juice, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper; rub into steak. Cover; let steak stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove steak from dish; discard marinade. Sprinkle steak with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before thinly slicing.

To prepare salad, combine cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and onion in a large bowl. Combine cilantro and the remaining ingredients. Drizzle cilantro mixture over cucumber mixture; toss gently. Serve with steak.

Spinach Parmesan Balls

These make a great party appetizer, but I really love them as a dinner side. This is a great way to make vegetables palatable, it’s inexpensive, uses ingredients you have on hand, and is really very easy!

INGREDIENTS

2 (10 oz) boxes frozen spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
4 T butter, melted
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 t minced garlic
1/2 t Italian seasoning
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 t black pepper
1 t salt

DIRECTIONS

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray
-Stir all ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Form mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place one inch apart on baking sheet. (I made larger balls and served two to a plate as a dinner side. They were excellent.)
-Bake 15 minutes, until puffed and slightly brown. Serve warm.

Brown Butter Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients

* 1 head medium cauliflower (about 2 lb.), chopped*
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
* 2 tablespoons butter
* Garnish: fresh chives

Preparation

1. Fill a large Dutch oven with water to depth of 1/4 inch. Arrange cauliflower in Dutch oven. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain.

2. Process cauliflower, sour cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor 30 seconds to 1 minute or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Stir in Parmesan cheese and chives. Place in a bowl.

3. If desired, microwave mixture at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring at 1-minute intervals.

4. Cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 4 to 5 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat, and immediately drizzle butter over cauliflower mixture. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.

*2 (16-oz.) bags frozen cauliflower may be substituted. Cook cauliflower according to package directions. Proceed with recipe as directed, beginning with Step 2.

Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 (4- to 5-lb.) whole chicken

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Stir together first 7 ingredients.

2. If applicable, remove giblets from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken, and pat dry. Gently loosen and lift skin from breast and drumsticks with fingers. (Do not totally detach skin.) Rub herb mixture evenly underneath skin. Carefully replace skin. Place chicken, breast side up, on a lightly greased wire rack in a lightly greased shallow roasting pan.

3. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, and bake 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 180°, covering loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Let chicken stand, covered, 10 minutes before slicing.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 1 (8-ounce) block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and continue to mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chocolate chunks using the spatula.

To form the cookies, scoop about 1/4 cup of cookie dough into your hands and roll it around into a ball; place them about 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets; you should get about 4 cookies on each pan. Press down the tops of the dough slightly and bake until the cookies are light brown, 12 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 15 minutes for crispy cookies.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough/cookie sheets.

Curry Gravy Recipe

This versatile gravy can be topped on what ever your heart desires. Steamed vegetables, rice and meats are extra special when they’re bathed in this flavorful sauce. I prefer fried fish because it’s the way that my mother made it. That’s how I know and love it best.
If you don’t have fresh lemongrass, dried lemongrass will work as well. And if all else fails and no lemongrass is to be found, try adding some star anise (about two) for extra depth.

For cornstarch slurry:
2 teaspoons Corn Starch
2 Tablespoons Water

For Curry Gravy:
2 cups water, chicken or vegetable stock. (when using chicken or vegetable stock, use only half of the fish sauce/soy sauce, or to taste)
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 large cloves Garlic, minced
2 large Shallots, minced (optional)
1 small Thai Chili (customize to your heat level), minced
2 Tablespoons Curry Powder
2- 2″ stalks of fresh Lemongrass (cut into 2-3″ lengths, then smashed w/ flat of the knife)
3 teaspoons of Fish Sauce (or use soy sauce for vegetarians)  If you’re not a vegetarian, please try the fish sauce. It’ll add a whole new depth of flavor to the gravy.

1. Prepare cornstarch slurry by adding cornstarch and water in small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

2. In saucepan, heat vegetable oil over med. heat, then add garlic and shallots. Fry till fragrant and lightly brown. Do not let burn.

3. Add chilies and smashed lemongrass stalks. Cook for about 2 minutes to coat the lemongrass with garlic and shallots.

4. Add water, curry powder and fish sauce (or soy sauce).

5. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until lemongrass begins to soften and release it’s fragrant oils.

6. Stir cornstarch slurry one last time to combine well, then add to hot gravy. Immediately stir to combine well. The sauce will begin to thicken.

7. Turn off heat. Pour over fish, vegetables or meats.

Fried Fish
about 2 pounds Fish Fillets or Whole Fish, cleaned and gutted
about 1 cup of Vegetable Oil, or enough to fry fish
4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour or Rice Flour

1. On plate, sprinkle fish with flour. Evenly coat fish with layer of flour. For Gluten free, use rice flour.

2. In frying pan, heat oil. When oil is hot, gently place fish in oil. Fry a few minutes on both sides or until cooked. Note: do not try to flip fish until it has created a nice crust. Early flipping will cause the fish to break apart and crumble

3. Plate fried fish and pour curry gravy over it.

Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients

* 1 batch Sugar Cookies, recipe follows
* 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
* 1/2 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

Directions

Divide the dough in half and add chocolate and vanilla to 1 half and incorporate with hands. Add egg yolk, peppermint extract, and crushed candy to other half of dough and incorporate with hands. Cover both with plastic and chill for approximately 5 minutes. Roll out doughs separately to approximately 1/4-inch thickness. Place peppermint dough on top of chocolate and press together around the edges. Using waxed paper or flexible cutting board underneath, roll dough into log. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place cookies 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Sugar Cookie:

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 tablespoon milk
* Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice, as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Yield: approximately 3 dozen, 2 1/2-inch cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 to 9 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours