Spring Pea Salad

When I use tender spring greens for salad, I want to make sure I could taste fresh grassy flavor. In this pea salad, I used a bit of pesto in a light dressing to coat English peas, baby lima beans, French cut green beans and snap peas. Don't over cook the vegetables. They should be crisp tender to retain the freshness. 

Many shades of green

Spring Pea Salad

1 cup English peas
1/4 cup baby lima beans
1/3 cup French cut green beans
1/2 cup snap peas
1/2 Tbsp roughly chopped Italian parsley 
A sprig of fresh basil

Make your own pesto or use good quality pesto.

Dressing:
1 Tbsp basil pesto
1-2 Tbsp white wine, depending on how thick you want your dressing
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Very light and aromatic dressing

Blanch the peas and beans in salted boiling water until they are crisp tender. Shock them in icy water. In a small bowl, combine a splash of lemon juice, white wine, honey, and a dollop of pesto and whisk well. Pour the dressing over the pea mixture and coat well. Throw in torn basil and chopped parsley and toss. Makes a great side for your main dish.

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Asparagus with Green Peppercorn Vinaigrette

Spring is here: that means tender green vegetables are out there. I've been wanting to make blanched asparagus salad with a vinaigrette dressing. My fave is the green peppercorn dressing that my friend Jim made. I remember his dressing on a simple green salad, and the flavor just blew me away. Green peppercorns have a hint of clean grassy aroma to it, it will give even the most boring salad a fresh makeover.

This says spring!

Asparagus with Green Peppercorn Vinaigrette

1 bunch asparagus, choose big fat asparagus this time of the year; they are so tender!
2 Tbsp fire-roasted pimento

Dressing:
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp riesling wine, or any white wine
1 tsp crushed green peppercorns
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

I didn't have champagne vinegar, so I used pinot grigio vinegar. 

A splash of wine enhances the aroma in the dressing.

Wash asparagus and cut off the hard ends. With a vegetable peeler, remove a think layer of the skin off the ends. In a pot of boiling water with some salt, blanch asparagus until the color gets brighter and they are crisp tender, about one to two minutes. Shock the asparagus in icy cold water. Keep the asparagus in the fridge until ready to serve. For the dressing, place the peppercorns on a cutting board and cover with a paper towel and smash them with the back of a knife. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk well. Place the asparagus and roasted pimento on a plate and pour the dressing on top. Sprinkle more freshly ground green peppercorns. Serve chilled.

Big fat asparagus and fire-roasted pimento

Peel off the ends

SHOCK those suckers!

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Szechuan Philly Cheese Steak

Here is another creation I came up with using the leftover Chinese takeout. Melted cheese compliments the Asian flavored beef well on a hotdog bun. A fun idea for lunch or a little snack. 

Top it with creamy cheese and spicy jalapeño peppers.

  

Szechuan Philly Cheese Steak

1 hotdog bun, or hoagie bun
A spoonful Szechuan beef, takeout
1 slice cheese, I used aged white sharp cheddar, but pepper jack would be a nice alternative
A few slices pickled jalapeño peppers

Assemble the ingredients on a bun and melt the cheese in microwave.

Really??

This is going to transform into a great sandwich, I promise!

Don't forget the jalapeno peppers!

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Szechuan Beef Taco

I've been away from blogging for awhile. Just in case you were wondering, I've been sort of preoccupied with getting our house ready for visitors. I'm not very good with multi-tasking at all. It's hard to focus on my interests when there are things to be taken care of. I have to do one thing at a time. Having said that, it's good to be back.

Fresh cilantro and Szechuan peppercorns would delight your tastebuds.

We had a Chinese takeout the other night. Thank goodness for takeouts! What would one do without them? A great thing about takeouts is that you can be just as creative using them to come up with another dish. With the takeout Szechuan beef, I made a wrap, garnished with cilantro and a sprinkle of fragrant Szechuan peppercorns and a dollop of sriracha mayo. Tired of takeouts? How about some tacos tonight with a Chinese twist?

Szechuan Beef Taco

1 flour tortilla
A spoonful Szechuan beef, takeout
1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 tsp sriracha sauce
Sprinkle Szechuan peppercorns, smashed into powder, optional
Cilantro, chopped

Sriracha sauce

Sriracha sauce and mayonnaise

Combine mayonnaise and sriracha sauce and mix well. On a tortilla, place Szechuan beef and the mayo mixture, sprinkle some ground Szechuan peppercorns, and top it with chopped cilantro. You would never guess it's made with leftover Chinese takeout.

Fragrant Szechuan peppercorns. Crush them with the back of a knife.

Assembly done.

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St. Patrick's Day

Today is St. Patrick's Day. I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what our backyard looks like today. 

Only day these are cherished in my yard....

Jane Magnolia

It came back with more flowers this year....

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Jonquils in Full Bloom

Jonquils or daffodils under the lamp post in our front yard are in full bloom. They are bright yellow and so cheerful, every time I come home from somewhere I feel like they are greeting me home with a big smile. I just smile back.

A little visitor enjoys the view from the dogwood in our front yard.
Best seat in the house!

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My Dog's Breakfast Rituals

Our dog and his friend had a fight during breakfast one morning. Ever since then, our dog can't eat his food without some odd rituals. He stares at his bowl, growls at no one, and he appears to be ready to fight even if there is no one around his bowl. We have been separating the two dogs during chow time now, but he's still acting really odd.

Common interest: food

You can see that our dog is very stiff and guarded in this video, appearing to be getting ready to jump on someone. But there is no one around him. 

He is ready to rumble! Anyone? Anyone?

How can anybody be afraid of her?

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Pruned Knockout Roses

It should've been done long ago.... I finally got around to it. I pruned the knockout roses down to a foot or so. When we got these bushes, they were lanky and I wasn't sure if they would last. Turns out they are pretty hardy. Roses tend to be difficult to grow, but these are carefree. 

I saved these little leaves.

Be careful guys, they're prickly!!

Sniff, sniff

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Daffodils under the Lamp Post

We planted a bunch of daffodils, or we call them around here jonquils, under the lamp post this winter. Luckily most of them survived from squirrels and made it to spring. It will be a nice accent under the lamp post when all of them bloom. 

A nice patch of daffodils

Daffodils A.K.A. jonquils

The buds on the dogwood are getting bigger. They are getting ready to bloom as well.

Dogwood in front yard... See the buds?

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Remembering 3.11.11

Two years ago, horrible earthquakes and tsunami took away many lives in Japan. I think about those who are still here trying to pick up the pieces to simply go on. We keep praying for them.

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