Asian Salad

This recipe was modified from one given to me by my aunt, Janel Lacey.

Ingredients

Dressing

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

Topping

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup blanched slivered almonds
• ½ cup sesame seeds
• 3 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodle pasta, crushed (Chicken or Oriental flavor works best)
• 2 seasoning packets from the ramen

Greens

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 head Napa cabbage

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce.  
2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Crush the ramen noodles while still in their packaging, and add to the butter along with the almonds and sesame seeds. Sauté until everything is golden brown. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the seasoning packets, drain on a paper towel.
3. Chop the romaine and Napa cabbage and add to a large bowl. Just before serving, sprinkle with the noodle mixture and dressing, toss to coat.

Stream

Beverly Beach
Oregon Coast

Chicken Curry

This base for this recipe was developed by my sister Adrienne.

Serves 2, with leftovers…maybe

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped

1-3 tablespoons curry paste to taste*

1 13.5 oz can Chaokoh coconut milk, shaken

1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained

Fish sauce

Sake

Dry Vermouth

Oil

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Cut chicken into…whatever size pieces you want. I like mine under an inch.  Season with salt and pepper and sauté in oil and butter in an unlined pan until the chicken is done.  Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and fry over medium heat until they are tender and are browned nicely.  Being careful not to let the fond (stuck on browned bits, but you already knew that) in the bottom of the pan burn. Add the curry paste and stir to coat the onions and fry until fragrant.  Deglaze with the Sake and Vermouth.  Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, chicken and several dashes fish sauce to the pan over medium low heat, stir to combine.  Heat through; don’t let the mixture boil or the coconut milk will separate.

Serve with chutney (the way dads eats his) over steamed rice.  I like to have mine with chopped toasted almonds over the top.

* I use Mae Ploy Yellow Curry Paste…Red=Hot, Yellow(vegetarian)=Hotter, Green=HOLEY SHIT!!!

Jellyfish

Pacific Sea Nettle
Oregon Coast Aquarium
Newport Oregon 

Oven Pancake

3 eggs, room temperature, well beaten

½ cup milk

½ cup flour

Scant ½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 450°. 

Heat 11” cast iron pan with a decent amount of butter in oven for 5 minutes. 

Combine eggs and milk.

Mix dry ingredients and add to the wet. Wisk until smooth and add the 1 teaspoon melted butter.

Pour batter into heated pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake another 10 minutes, checking after 5. 

Serve with butter and…whatever.

Grandma Lavonne

Grandma Lavonne
Portland Oregon
2009
Still Beautiful 

Jessica Lapp’s Maple Pudding

4          cups                 milk, divided

3          ounces             cornmeal

3          ounces             light brown sugar

½         cup                  pure maple syrup

1          teaspoon          salt

2          ounces             butter

½         teaspoon          nutmeg

1          teaspoon          cinnamon

1          cup                  half and half

4          ounces             dark raisins

Preheat oven to 350º

Combine brown sugar, salt, butter, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine 2 cups of the milk and the cornmeal in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for 3 minuets, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat and stir sugar/spice mixture into cornmeal along with maple syrup until no lumps remain.

Add remaining milk and half and half in a slow steady stream stirring to combine until no lumps remain.

Add raisins and heat until mixture almost comes to a boil.

Pour into a 6 cup glass baking dish.

Place baking dish into a larger pan and pour boiling water about halfway up the sides of the pudding.

Bake 1 ½ hours stirring every 30 minutes.

Remove from the water bath and place on a wire cooling rack.  Stir once more and let cool to room temperature.