Giuseppepaolo

I decided to try another recipe from Thai Kitchen and Simply Asian. I posted one recipe for Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Wings with Sweet Chili Dip  which I loved. I then decided to try the Zing Rolls. Which happen to be Vegan. Not that I'm into vegan but one of my daughters is. The ingredients were simple and easily acquired. Except for the Rice Paper Wraps. I looked at various local markets. No luck. Then I remembered an excellent Asian market a few miles away and decided to head out one Saturday morning. After searching several isles, including the refrigerated isle and freezer (I was thinking they'd be with the won ton wraps and such)...I finally tracked down a store employee and was directed to a dry goods isle. All this to find a simple, tortilla like package of white disks. For 98 cents. For 100 wraps. I think I spent more in gas getting there. You see...I am not, in the least, familiar with rice paper wraps. They're pretty cool little things. No cooking required. Just a l

Happy New Year!  The Chinese New Year celebrations are in full swing and ringing in the year of the Snake. The year of the Snake. What does that mean? Well, it means we're going to be focused and disciplined, concentrating on details as we achieve what we've set out to create. Sounds like we're going to be busy this year. And maybe some quick and easy dishes would be appealing. And maybe....juuuuuust maybe....Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia can come to the rescue. (if you're familiar with their products...you KNOW they can) I really love Asian foods. But with my allergy to fish, I have to be careful. The use of fish sauces can pose a problem for me. Therefore, I usually make my own where I can control the ingredients...which is extremely time consuming. It's definitely a labor of love. Thank God for Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia. A quick look at the ingredients list...and poof...a great dish is soon in the making. Whether it's to help ring in the New Year...or any o

It's Easy Being Green ! With that statement, what do you think of first? Recycle, reuse, anti-plastic, reusable grocery bags, less paper usage, less waste, electric vs gas, organic, no gmo...etc. etc. Yes, all those and more are a huge part of Being Green , are very important, and just make sense. But I'm not here to go into all that with you. I'm just here to have a little fun with the help of  Marx Foods   by bring the green to the table. Bamboo Rice Green Eston Lentils Whole Cardamon Bamboo rice? Yes...rice that has been infused with bamboo juice. How beautiful is that! The green lentils in place of pilaf. The whole cardamom was toasted then ground into a fine powder, and used to flavor the dish. I have a coffee grinder that I use only for spices. Works wonderfully. Bamboo Rice with Green Lentils 3/4 cup bamboo rice 1/4 cup green lentils 2 cardamom pods, toasted and ground 1/4 cup diced white onion 1 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp salt 2 1/4 cups water In a hot skillet, toss toge

Today I have a special treat for you. And a surprise. Your treat is this recipe direct for Tate's Bake Shop : TATE'S BAKE SHOP LINZER HEART COOKIES These decorative cookies make beautiful and tasty gifts.  An important tip: be sure to chop the nuts and chocolate very fine in a food processor (pulse to chop so the friction doesn’t warm them), or the dough will be too rough-textured to roll out smoothly. You need a graduated set of heart-shaped cookie cutters to make these. Yield: 20 sandwich cookies 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour  1 cup cornstarch  ¼ teaspoon salt  ¾ pound (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract  2 cups toasted, skinned and very finely chopped hazelnuts 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped  -plus- ½ cup seedless raspberry jam  ½ cup confectioners’ sugar for sifting 1. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat