Balsamic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Peanuts

We have been snacking on seeds and nuts lately. They are full of protein and good fat, so you stay full for awhile. Some of the unsalted nuts are rather bland for snacking by themselves. So I decided to experiment with seasoning them.

"I smell peanuts in there!"

Balsamic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Peanuts

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 peanuts
1 Tbsp balsamic glaze
1/2 Tbsp butter, melted
Dash garlic salt
Dash cayenne pepper

Balsamic glaze

Pumpkin seeds and peanuts coated with balsamic glaze

Spread them on a cookie sheet

Preheat oven to 275. In a bowl, combine pumpkin seeds, peanuts, balsamic glaze, melted butter, garlic salt and cayenne pepper and mix well. Spread them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Balsamic glaze can burn easily, turn them a couple of times with a big spatula. Don't burn them, they get quite bitter. (Learn from my mistake!)

The house smelled like a roasted-peanut vendor in NYC.

I think I might try them with worcestershire sauce and hot sauce the next time. You know, like the party Chex Mix!



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Zucchini in Sage Butter with Goat Cheese

Zucchini is in season right now. My favorite way of cooking them is simple garlic sauté. This is a bit fancier version of that. 

Tangy goat cheese goes well with sweet zucchinis

Zucchini in Sage Butter with Goat Cheese

2 zucchinis
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 fresh sage leaves, julienned
Goat cheese, as mush as you'd like
Salt and pepper to taste

Sage in our garden

Don't move around too much until they turn slightly brown. 

Cut zucchini into thirds, then cut them into sticks. In a skillet, warm butter and olive oil with garlic and sage. Add zucchini and sauté until slightly brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle goat cheese. Makes a great side dish for a dinner party, too.

Sage butter is aromatic.

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Seashells-on-the-Beach Earrings

I thought of Florida beaches when I came up with the idea for this pair of earrings. These blue green beads seem so right for this time of the year. The tiny pearls compliment the silver seashells. 

Can't you just imagine yourself on the beach?

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Hydrangeas and Herbs in Garden

Summer is here. I started my herbs a bit late this year, but they are doing very well. Shishito peppers and shiso leaves which I started from the seeds are growing every day. 

Baby shiso leaves

Shishito peppers

Husky cherry red tomatoes

Hydrangea bushes are bigger this year. White hydrangea is a gift from my hubby a year ago. I transplanted in the back yard, and it's rooted well and gotten bigger this year.

White hydrangea from my hubby. Snow white petals and purple buds.

"I can still see you, Mommy!" 

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Korean BBQ Wrap with Leftovers

We had a nice dinner with our friends last night. We made Korean BBQ with store-bought marinated beef and pork belly slices. All I had to do was pan-saute them. Easy. Assembling was part of the fun. Kimchi and other condiments were all on the table for people to pick and choose for their own wraps. The leftover makes great lunch the next day, too.

Gojujang paste acts like a glue.

Korean BBQ Wrap with Leftovers

1 Tbsp leftover Korean BBQ beef 
1 piece sesame leaf
A few pieces of cucumber kimchi
1/2 tsp gojujang
1 sheet nori seaweed
1 Tbsp cooked rice

Cucumber and radish kimchi

Leftover Korean BBQ: pork belly and rib eye slices.

On a piece of sesame leaf, start layering rice, kimchi, BBQ beef or pork, nori and gojujang. Wrap it just like you would with a tortilla. Put however much of whatever you like. Sesame leaf has a herby pungent aroma that's similar to basil. 

Seasoned nori sheets

Gojujang paste

Sesame leaf, nori, rice, kimchi, BBQ beef and gojujang

Wrap it and pop it in your mouth!

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Octopus Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing

Here is a salad I made yesterday. I bought a boiled octopus tentacle from the farmer's market, sliced it and dressed it with fresh basil dressing. One of the summer salads I get excited about!

Basil and lemon. Who wouldn't like this?

Octopus Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing

1 boiled octopus tentacle, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
1 tomato, diced
1 green onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp tubed basil
2 tsp white wine or sake to splash on octopus
1-2 sprig fresh basil
Sprinkles of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Convenient fresh basil paste in a tube. Keep it in the fridge.

Cook octopus in boiling water for a minute. Drain. It was already cooked at the store, but I wanted to make it less fishy. After cooling a bit, slice it thinly. Splash white wine or sake on them and set aside. This will make them even less fishy. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss well. Tear fresh basil leaves in and serve chilled.

Rice vinegar, olive oil and a lemon

Toss a slice of lemon in there, too. Adds a nice aroma.

Pair it with a glass of white wine.

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Jjigae En Cocotte

I've been contemplating on making Korean soup Jjigae for quite some time. The spicy soup boosts your energy up and improve your metabolism during the hot months. Make the soup ahead of time so you can ladle a small portion just for yourself, and use a small cocotte to cook the egg on top. A small cast iron pot of Jjigae just for you! 

Runny egg coats the seafood and tofu.

Jjigae En Cocotte

2 cups water 1 egg
1/2 cup frozen seafood. I had leftover frozen bits of various seafood; shrimp, mussels, squid, anything would do.  
1 package silken tofu
1 green onion
A few thin slices of ginger, minced
1 Tbsp gojujang paste
1 Tbsp miso paste
1/2 tsp Korean chili pepper
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Sprinkle white sesame seeds

Frozen seafood mix is convenient for many dishes. I stock them in freezer.

Gojujang and miso

Korean chili pepper

Make soup first. In a medium sauce pan, boil 2 cups of water, frozen sea food, green onions, ginger, sesame seeds, gojugang and miso paste. Add tofu. Taste the soup and see if it needs more paste or soy sauce. At this point add sesame oil and continue to cook. 

Make the soup in a sauce pan first.

Transfer to a cocotte and drop an egg.

In a small cocotte, ladle about 1/2 way with the hot soup. Make sure you put a little bit of everything in the cocotte! Gently crack an egg on top. In a toaster oven, bake for 5 minutes or until the egg is cooked to your liking. Garnish with green onions. Serve bubbling hot. 

Everything you want in a small pot.

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Green + Green Smoothie

For my breakfast today, I made a smoothie with delicious honeydew and yogurt. Honeydews have that fresh green flavor I crave in the morning, and they are in season right now. SWEET! I added a few sprigs of herbs from my planters.

Green + Green Smoothie

1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup honeydew chunks
A sprig of basil
A sprig of Italian parsley
1 tsp agave nectar, optional

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth.

Thunderstorms kept our dogs up last night....

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