Cooking Show....Chinese Food!

We filmed an episode of the cooking show this week.

Dan, the awesome camera man, went to China for a couple of weeks in late June/early July.  Donna, the producer of the show, had called me while he was away.  Our conversation went something like this:

Donna: When Dan gets back from China, you should cook Chinese food
              with him for the show.
Me:       REAL Chinese food?  I've heard that the food in China doesn't
              resemble American Chinese takeout...
Donna:  No, just cook Chinese food Fran-style!
Me:       Okay, I'll cook some Asian-inspired dishes and he can talk about
              the actual food that he ate in China.
Donna:  I'm going to ask him to bring back some hats and Chinese-style
              clothes for you to wear.
Me:       Frannie don't do that!  NO. WAY.

Hehe.
       

So I put together a menu, and decided that we needed a beverage.

A meal at a Chinese restaurant just isn't complete without a fun beverage!  Especially if it has a little umbrella in it.

I usually order a Mai-Tai when we go out for Chinese food.  

I've never made actually made one.  Not a problem, though.  Thanks to Google we can pretty much get any info we need, right?

Not so fast.  I googled "Classic Mai Tai Recipe," and "Traditional Mai Tai Recipe." As it turns out, the typical fruity Mai Tai that is served in Chinese restaurants bears very little resemblance to a classic or traditional Mai Tai.  Much like the food served in Chinese restaurants bears little resemblance to the food they serve in China.

After reading through a couple of the recipes (no fruit juice!  no grenadine!), I thought I would have to just keep looking until I found one that I liked.  

As I clicked on the next recipe, the first sentence of that recipe effectively ended my search:  

The Mai Tai is an original tiki classic that is neither neon-colored nor overly sweet.

Oh, well.  Continuing with the theme, I will just have to make them Fran-style, like Donna said at the beginning.

Here they are, in all their fruity, neon-colored glory.

I kept it simple.  2 parts pineapple juice, one part orange juice, one part rum and 1/4 part grenadine.  Served over ice, garnished with fruit and an umbrella.

Asian-Inspired Beef & Broccoli

Fortified with a Mai Tai, Dan and I went right into preparing our next dish.  Here's the printable recipe.

Dan informed me that this beef dish bore no resemblance to the food he tried in China.  He then went on to talk about a snake dish that he tried, which he declared, "I felt as if I were chewing on a pencil eraser!"  

Finally, we prepared Orange Chicken with Stir-Fried Vegetables.

 Here's the printable recipe.

Again, Dan informed me that this did not at all resemble the food he ate in China.  Or rather, it did not resemble the food that he didn't eat.  He couldn't bring himself to eat the large horned beetles.  And other creatures that I will not mention...

Dan did a great job helping me to prepare these dishes, though he did emphatically state when we were through, "And from now on, I shall remain behind the camera!"

Whichever side of the camera he's on, he still gets to enjoy the fruits of our labor at the end of the shoot!

Asian-Inspired Beef & Broccoli

Our upcoming episode will feature Asian-themed cuisine!

Here's a sneak peak at one of the recipes!  

Ginger & garlic & soy sauce--what's not to like?

Sonoma Chicken Salad (Whole Foods Knockoff)

Considering that it's summer, and we're all looking for shortcuts at dinner time, and it's been a really long time (about six months!) since I've posted a recipe that requires a rotisserie chicken, ---here you go!

This salad is a riff on Whole Foods' Sonoma Chicken Salad.  Nuts and celery for crunch, grapes and honey for sweetness...I hope you enjoy this as much my family does!

Orange Chicken with Stir-Fried Veggies

This is one of those recipes that I make when I don't know what to make for dinner.  

I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. The veggies I make will vary depending upon what is in the fridge, I may make white rice instead of brown, or use beef instead of chicken, but the prep method and the sauce ingredients work well no matter what!  

Think of this as preparing your own take-out! You could make this in the same amount of time that you would spend discussing where you should order from, calling in your order, and picking it up.  And I think you'll like this more!

Peppermint Ice Cream

One of my kids (who shall remain nameless) is absolutely crazy about ice cream. Her friends are also obsessed with ice cream and it seems that they can't get together without ending up at an ice cream shop (oops, I said HER.  So now you know that Sean is not the child I am talking about).

My daughter's favorite ice cream flavor is peppermint.  Yesterday, I had time to make a batch of ice cream.  There was no doubt which flavor I would make!

Baked Soft Pretzels

Do you ever get a craving that won't go away until you give in?

I'd like you to meet my craving.  I wasn't craving pretzels, I was just craving something to go with spicy brown mustard.  

I'd been craving mustard since the fourth of July, when I saw a vendor at Fenway Park hold up a fistful of mustard packets to go with the pretzels he was selling.

Nine days later I found myself still craving spicy brown mustard, only now I wanted fresh-baked pretzels as well.  Giant fresh-baked pretzels, like they sell at the Red Sox game!

So I made my own.

Hummus...make your own!! (Oil-free)

Have you ever gone through a phase where you eat the same meal every day? Not because you have to, because you want to?

I usually get into a breakfast rut habit, usually it's yogurt/berries/granola in the summer and oatmeal/raisins/cinnamon in the winter.

Lately,  it's been veggies & hummus for lunch.

Here's the batch of hummus I made today...my third batch this month.  

Star-Spangled Cocktail

I decided to experiment with Blue Curacao today.

Saturday is the 4th of July, and I thought I'd come up with a blue cocktail.

Success!  (I spy Clyde behind the chair!)

Apple Dutch Baby Puff Pancake

My daughters and I were discussing pancakes the other day. Well, we really were discussing our dislike of pancakes.

Maybe the reason why I don't like traditional pancakes is because I'm not good at making them.  I don't flip them, I destroy them.

Or maybe the reason why I'm not good at making pancakes is because I just don't like them.

However, I'll take a Dutch Baby Puff Pancake any day.

Especially if it's an Apple Dutch Baby!

You could whip one of these up in the same amount of time that it would take you to measure, mix and pour a batch of traditional pancakes.  And as far as flipping goes---no flipping required!

Cooking Show: College Cuisine!!

We filmed another episode of the cooking show a few days ago.

I was cheerfully assisted by two college students, Becky and Natalie.  They are friends of my daughter, Erin, and they enthusiastically helped me prepare a few dishes that we felt would be a hit with the college crowd.

My dining room was packed to capacity with more college friends, and when we finished filming the show, everything you see in this picture was happily devoured.

I wish I that I had taken a photo when they were through.

We started with Chunky Guacamole.  Becky and I both agreed that we like our guacamole with chunks of avocado.  If you prefer your avocados smooth, however, go ahead and mash 'em up.

Here's the link for the printable recipe.

Then we made Strawberry-Spinach-Bacon-Wonton Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette.  Yum!

Click here for the printable.

(Chipotle Knockoff) Steak Burritos, with cilantro-lime rice, black beans, pico de gallo and all the other necessary accompaniments (sour cream, Monterey jack cheese, avocados).

 I made a double-batch and crossed my fingers that it was enough. (It was.  Phew.)

I don't yet have a blogpost written with step-by-step photos, but you can click here for the printable recipe.

And finally, No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake.  I think everyone was surprised by how quick and easy this was to prepare.