chirashi

Ichiban at 16th and Leslie

ratatouille and lasagna

i think nothing can be simpler than dinner that you can just throw into the oven and forget - well except the chopping and cutting part.

Ratatouille: slice zucchini, sweet peppers, red onion and tomatoes and arrange in casserole dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, ground black pepper and herbs (I used basil and parsley, since that's what I have on hand).  Stick the whole thing into the oven, preheated to 375F.  It'll be ready in an hour.

A loaf of crusty bread would be great to soak up all the juices.

Lasagna: always use oven-ready pasta.  Layer casserole dish with pasta sauce, then lasagna noodle - forget about the gaps between the noodles because they will expand as they cook - then cottage cheese/egg/grated Parmesan mixture then shredded mozzarella then  ground beef cooked with onion.  Repeat the layers, finishing with noodles.  Top with more pasta sauce and shredded cheese,  Bake at 375F for an hour, with a foil over the dish for the first 40 minutes to prevent the cheese from charring.

Easy-piecey.  And very yummy.

chicken noodle soup - chinese style

1. Cook chicken

Rinse whole chicken under running water then rub with some table salt and sand ginger (aka galanga) powder.

Add 2 slices of ginger and a stalk of green onions cut into 3-inch lengths to a pot big enough for the chicken.  Add half a cup of cooking wine then add water, leaving room for the chicken.

When the water boils, submerge the whole chicken.  Once the pot returns to a boil, cover and turn off the stove.  Leave it undisturbed for 40 minutes.

Chop chicken up after it cools.  Meat should be just cooked through - if bone bleeds bright red while chopping, return chicken to pot and gently simmer for a minute.



2. Make ginger-green onion paste

Combine finely grated ginger and equal parts finely chopped green onion, a little sugar and even less salt.  Add just enough cooked oil (plain vegetable oil heated in a pan) plus a drop or two sesame oil to make into paste consistency.
 


3. Cook noodles

Take stock (water the chicken cooked in) and boil chopped napa cabbage and noodles.  When the cabbage and noodles are done, top with chopped chicken and chopped green onion.  Serve with ginger-green onion paste.

a simple dinner: smoked salmon and poached egg on greens

bier markt + whirly ball/laser tag

we went to a surprised birthday party at bier markt at sherway and hit up the e-zone for whirly ball and laser tag - a first time for all 3!!  (I've only been to the bier markt on esplanade before and no, I thought I was too old for laser tag when I found out about them so never had the chance to play)

have to say it's been the most fun I've had at a birthday celebration in a long time!