California Rolls

I've included a quick recipe for both the plain California roll & a deep fried version.

Sushi Rice:
1 cup rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (I've substituted distilled vinegar & it turned out fine)
1/2 teaspoon of salt

In a fine meshed sieve (or place a paper towel at the bottom of your colander), wash rice under cold running water, use your fingers to sift through the rice to thoroughly rinse. In a sauce pan combine rinsed rice, cold water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 15 minutes. I suggest stirring occasionally since the rice will be sticky, you don't want it to stick too much to the pan. Remove from heat and let cool to around room temperature.


California Sushi Rolls
Ingredients
Nori sheets (seaweed)
Sushi rice
Desired fillings (such as carrot, cucumber, avocado, imitation crab meat, cream cheese)
I also suggest keeping a small bowl of cup of water nearby to refresh your fingers & keep the rice from sticking too much to your hand.

Lay nori sheet (shiny side up) on a clean flat surface (you may want to use a sushi mat, though I personally just use my cutting board); with damp fingers, spread about 1 cup of rice over each sheet, leaving a 1 inch border along one edge uncovered. Arrange desired fillings to one side of center.

Roll nori, starting with the filled side and rolling toward the 1 inch, unfilled edge. Carefully lift and roll the rice topped nori away from you. Press the unfilled edge over top, dip your finger into water and brush the border with water to seal if necessary.

Cut each roll into 6-8 pieces; enjoy!

Now if you want to make deep fried rolls, all you'll need is:

1 egg
1 cup cold water
1 cup flour
Vegetable oil

Combine egg, cold water & flour in bowl & mix well. Dip sushi pieces into batter & place into deep fryer or into a pan with enough oil to submerge sushi pieces. Let fry for about 2-5 mins or until done. Remove from oil & place onto a paper towel covered plate to absorb any oil residue. That's it!

Twice Baked Potatoes

I'll admit, this recipe is probably not my favorite food to prepare, but it's definitely worth it in the long run!

Ingredients

3 russet potatoes
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream

3 green onions
3 slices of bacon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, rinse off potatoes & lightly rub butter onto potatoes before wrapping them in tin foil. Bake potatoes for about 1 hour or until done, you can insert a fork into the middle of one to check its firmness. Fork should be able to poke into the potato without much force. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, place bacon in a large, skillet & cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

Once potatoes have cooled, slice them in half lengthwise & scoop out as much of the flesh as you can into a large bowl; don't toss the skins! Add milk, butter, salt & pepper to the potatoes (remember, you can add more milk, salt & pepper according to taste & texture if needed). Mix together until the potato mixture is very well blended, you'll want a smooth texture with minimal lumps. None if possible, you may want to use a hand mixer if you have one.

Next, spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with cheese & place them on a cookie sheet (or a baking sheet, whatever.), place in the oven & bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove potatoes carefully from the oven, top with sour cream, cheese, green onions & bacon.

ENJOY!!

Grilled Shortcake with Fruit Compote

You can basically use any type of fruit for this, I just love the combination of cherries and peaches!

 

Prep Time:           

Cook Time:          Approx. 45 mins.

Serves:                 5

Ingredients

16 oz of canned or frozen peaches

16 oz of canned or frozen cherries

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of water

1 small orange, zested & juiced

1 loaf of sponge cake

Whipped Cream (optional)

In a large saucepan combine fruit, sugar, water, orange juice and zest, and cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook for another 25 minutes or until the compote has thickened. Let the mixture cool before you place it into the refrigerator until ready to use.

While the compote is cooling, preheat the grill, if you are using an outdoor grill make sure it is clean (I prefer to use our George Foreman grill)! Slice 1" inch thick slices from the cake (see above picture for reference) and then grill on both sides until the outsides are nicely toasted. Though the insides should still be moist, approximately 1 - 2 minutes per side. Serve cake slices with the cooled compote, top with whipped cream if desired.

ENJOY!