(1) In a bowl, add equal amounts of fish sauce and Maggi, enough to coat and season all the meat. Don’t add too much or else it will get way too salty. Add enough sugar granulated garlic to coat the meat. Add pepper and a tiny bit of salt or no salt. Let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

(2) Set the Grill oh HIGH. Take some bamboo chopsticks and skewer about 4-5 pieces per stick. Add Olive Oil.
(3) Place the skewers on the grill, cover down, for 3-4 minutes, then turn once for another 2-3 minutes. Check for the center to be reddish, RARE.

(4) Serve with cut lime wedges, soy sauce or maggi for dip, and fish sauce with fresh cut chilis.

Weekday dinners…school nights…many choices, homework, drawing, reading outloud, many dishes…All the action takes place at the Kitchen Table.

Man, it has been 10 years (already?!) of trial and error cooking with Kitchen as my lab, and hubby, kids, friends and anyone around as guinea pigs. Still the happy experimenter, I love the order, freshness and spontaneity of it all, particularly when it involves HEAT.

I call my style defiant, a bit sloppy, sort of frantic, but straight-forward and basic. Keep it real, keep it simple, stick to the integrity of…of…, for example, butternut squash! There is NO NEED to butcher its naturally sweet nutty deliciously rich flavor with cream and butter, or maple syrup! None of that, okay?

*BUTTERNUT SQUASH & DRIED CRANBERRIES*
butternut squash, olive oil, salt & pepper, 1 cup dried cranberries
(cookie sheet, parchment paper)

(1) Preheat the oven to Bake 450 degrees. I use a big chef knife and cutting board (and strong arm) to peel the thin hard (so hard, be careful!) outside skin off. People use a peeler, but it doesn’t work for me when dealing with big heavy tough skin. First, cut a flat bottom. Then start cutting down from the top. Then cut it in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds (toss).

(2) Cut the thick, solid flesh into small like-size pieces. I like to cut the squash into long sharp irregular pieces for a “home-cut” look.

(3) In a large bowl, toss enough olive oil to evenly coat each piece. Because I’m so tactile, I prefer to use my hands over a big spatula or tongs to toss. And, because I like to keep my hands oil-free (and my manicured fingernails in nice, chip-free shape), I have an endless supply of surgical gloves in the kitchen drawer. (Costco’s nitrile exam gloves, latex-free. Buy it. Use it.)

(4) Over a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, spread the pieces evenly, trying to squeeze it all in at one layer. It’s okay if some pieces overlap. I also add salt and pepper evenly before putting it into the oven.

(5) Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. The goal is to have the butternut chunks to be more on the denser raw side (vs all mushy and overcooked) with a darker brownish black tips.

(6) When you pull the tray out and immediately add more salt and fresh pepper (while very hot os it absorbs quickly for a fresh taste). Add/toss in the dried cranberries. Pile neatly on a plate and serve. This is a great side dish to everything! It is the perfect dish to bring to a potluck, as it is beautiful and delicious. It reheats well in the oven, microwave or on a pan.

Wow, the vibrant orange and burgundy provide the most exciting BURST of color to any table or dish. So FALL. I love how the small raison-like cranberries lost between the long strips of the orange squash. Because of the unusual cut (the irregular strips), it’s been mistakened for a crazy mango dish!

Doesn’t seem like it, but I promise I am making a concerted effort to frequent postings. It’s been so busy around here!

*Mushrooms*

Total time is less than 5 minutes!
(1) Mushrooms
(2) olive oil
(3) salt & pepper

Get some fresh mushrooms, of any variety. I prefer trumpet, shitake, oyster or some pretty no-name shrooms (photo below). Heat pan on High. Generously coat the pan with olive oil. Still on High Heat, add the mushrooms.When they start to brown, use a spatula (or wooden chopsticks) to turn some mushrooms over so they evenly sear. Add sea salt and fresh pepper to taste. Serve immediately with a glass of your favorite red. Sprinkle salt and fresh pepper, and these mushrooms BURST with outrageous flavor. Simple is best.

It’s all about the mushrooms, but you can turn it into something completely different….by topping it off with some aged cheese chunks, sprinkle sesame seeds, or garnish with scallion. Versatile.

This Redwood Creek Pinot Noir has tremendous value, going down smooth and flavorful, at under $10 dollars a bottle. (Cheap is nothing to be embarrassed about!) Enjoy.

Saturday night we had:
(1) Grilled chicken
(2) Macaroni in muenster and sharp cheddar
(3) Wild mushrooms in garlic and miso
(4) Asparagus in fish sauce and sesame
(5) Grilled tilapia in cilantro tomato vinaigrette
(6) Shrimp tofu eggrolls
(7) Fish porridge with ginger, cilantro and scallion
(8) Tapioca with banana in coconut milk
(9) Tapioca with sweet potato, seaweed, mungbean, coconut milk
(10) Cut fruit – dragon fruit, blueberries, raspberries
(11) and of course, the Jasmine rice

**GRILLED TILAPIA in Nuoc Cham (people just LOVE this dish):

First, set the grill on High. Marinate thick fillets of Tilapia at room temperature in granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Coat with olive oil before putting on the grill. Grill one side until golden with black grill marks, about 4-6 minutes (grill cover closed). Then turn the fillets over and leave on for another 1-3 minutes. Take the grilled fillets and arrange on plate. Pour Nuoc Cham dressing (recipe below) along with scallion, cilantro and cut tomato over the grilled fish. Serve while warm. This dish is fresh and light and FULL of flavor. Perfect over white rice.
Left-overs make the PERFECT sandwich…a toasted baguette, small smear of Grey Poupon, bunch of cilantro sprigs and slices of cucumber. Next day’s lunch! (for babysitter Z and hubby!)

Above snapshot of delicious cookies brought by friends, the awesome fish porridge, and shrimp eggrolls. Suddenly, not in the mood to think too hard to get ingredients and recipe – sorry, maybe later in the week…

Dessert – Not one, but TWO tapioca dishes!
(1) First one is EVERYONE’S favorite: tapioca pearls and tapioca strands (awesome chewy texture variety) in coconut milk (add sugar) with sliced Asian Banana – don’t know what to call this particular banana which isn’t even a plantain (scroll down for picture)?!
(2) The second one has the same coconut milk, tapioca pearls and strands, but also contains 2 varieties of Vietnamese sweet potato, some mungbeans and strips of seaweed (texture galore!).

Here is what the bananas look like. The peel is VERY TOUGH, like, must-use-a-knife tough. And it must get at least half BLACK to be ripe enough to cut through the peel. A very tough banana. Not a plantain, see?

Hot pink, black and white, and cloyingly sugary when way too ripe, Dragon Fruit (aka pitaya or thanh long), is beautiful. It is in season now, so I serve it with watermelon, grapes and strawberries to the kids. It tastes like kiwi with similar sesame-looking black seeds (rich in vitamins). Fantastic to stare at.

Add salt and pepper after they brown. Then add cooked pasta. I am a fan of crunchy searing…so let the pasta cook in the high heat, get brown a little (resist moving it too much). Throw in some slices of peach. Salt, pepper and a some crushed red peppers for kick. When the peaches caramelize a bit, toss in high heat and add cut dragon fruit and scallion. It’s all about timing and the order of what to toss into that heat!

Grate some parmesan to top it off…adds beautiful kick with the sweet fruit. A glass of wine or whatever…and, Voila! Bon Appetit! (aka Pasta Stir-fry?!)