Saucy...

Soy and Ginger dipping sauce (great for dumplings)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 inch of grated ginger
1 tsp of sugar (substitute- grate half an apple)
best if you whisk together 15 minutes before you serve

Lemon and Garlic sauce (great for chicken breast)
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 TBS of fish sauce
1 TBS sugar (substitute Splenda or grate an apple or pear)
stir in 2 chopped red chili peppers and
3 grated garlic cloves
whisk while simmering on medium heat to blend all together


Sweet and Sour sauce
2 TBS sherry
1 cup pineapple juice
3 TBS white wine vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 TBS brown sugar (substitute Splenda or grate an apple or pear)
2 TBS tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce or paste)
1 small capsicum finely diced (or 1/4 of red bell pepper)
1 TBS cornstarch


Easy Cranberry sauce
1 can (8oz) whole cranberry sauce
1 tsp grated orange peel
3 TBS orange juice
1 tsp ground ginger (powder)
simmer on medium heat until cranberries breakdown

Creamy Mushroom sauce (great for chicken or pasta)
1 inch of butter
handful of button mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 TBS chopped chives
cook on a pan until mushrooms are cooked


Chinese Lemon sauce (great for fried dumplings, egg rolls, spring rolls etc...)
3 TBS lemon juice (optional-add a few slices of lemon for visual prettiness)
3 TBS chicken stock
1 TBS honey (substitute 1/2 TBS of agave nectar)
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 TBS cornstarch
1 whole scallion sliced on a diagonal
cook all together on medium heat until it thickens

Sweet Chili dipping sauce (great for chicken wings or a stir-fry)
1/2 cup rice vinegar (substitute white vinegar)
1/2 cup white sugar (substitute Splenda)
1/4 cup water
3 TBS fish sauce
2 TBS sherry
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2-1 (depending on spiciness level) dried crushed chili seeds
1/2 TBS & water of cornstarch (equal parts stir together water & cornstarch)
simmer on medium heat until it thickens... then cool in a jar or container to cool


Korean Hot Pepper dipping sauce (good for lettuce wraps and more)
2 TBS hot pepper paste
2 cloves of garlic grated
1 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
2 scallions chopped small
2 tsp sugar (can substitute Splenda)

Pomegranates

Pomegranates are red fruits that were mostly native to
northern Pakistan, India, Iran, the Himalayas and the
surrounding areas. Spanish settlers introduced the fruit into
Latin America in 1769 and since then has been cultivated in
parts of Arizona and southern California.

Pomegranate juice provides vitamin C and is a good source
of vitamin B5 also. They also have high-fiber that is contained
in the edible seeds which also supply unsaturated oils.
You should really eat the whole seeds to get the nutritional
benefits rather than just squeezing for juice and tossing.

Grenadine syrup is made from thickened and sweetened
pomegranate juice.



Once you cut the fruit in half, you just want get your hands
in there and separate all the thin layers of skin. if you break it
a part and place everything into a big bowl of cold water the
inner skin starts to naturally float to the top, making it easier to
separate the seeds from the skin.



Pomegranates are great to eat whole, squeezing for juice.
They are great for adding to any salad as well. Even something
as simple as spinach, crumbled cheese, and pomegranate seeds
with Italian, Balsamic salad dressing or any dressing.

Ice It Up With Some FLAVOR

Ice cube trays are still for ice but, make them a
little more fun and recycle your drinks.
After you make your coffee, do you just throw out the
left over coffee in the kettle or coffee pot because...
you don't know what to do with it?
Put it into ice cube trays and use it for Iced Coffee.
It chills your drink while your drink stays undiluted.
Do it for coffee, iced tea, lemonade, juice etc...
Any drink is better with ice in the flavor of
the drink rather than a diluted drink.

Some leftover iced tea & green tea made into ice cubes.

You can fancy it up even more with added fruit or mint.
Raspberries, sliced grapes and mint leaves work really well.

Muffin Tins as Double Duty

Ah, the familiar muffin tin. What do you bake in it? Muffins?
Cupcakes? Individual breads?
Continue to bake delicious goods but, use the muffin tin
as double duty, even triple duty...
Serve candy at a birthday party, make a kids snack after school
or an adult snack after work. Do you enjoy a late night snack of
chips but can't just have one? Portion control your snacks by
putting smaller amounts of food into the muffin compartments.

Babysitting the cousins or the neighborhood kids?
It's a fun, great way to layout some snacks.

Throw some healthy snacks in there too!
Also great for picnic condiments for the hot dogs & burgers.
Use the compartments for ketchup, mustard, relish, tomatoes,
mayo, pickles, etc... have fun with it!

Mochi - Ice Cream

Mochi Ice Cream is a Japanese dessert made from sticky rice.
The outside layer is made from pounding sticky rice.
The ball shaped desserts are filled with ice cream that
is made from an  ice milk rather cream like the way
many other ice creams are made from.


The Mochi flavors are green tea, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry,
mango and red bean paste. The little round shaped balls come
in a 6 pack. It can be considered a finger food. They can be eaten
with a tooth pick or a small fork. It's nice for portion control
but it can be a little pricey. Trader Joe's seems to have the
cheapest price right now.

Rice

More than 100 different types of rice are cultivated just in the USA.
The 4 basic types of rice are long grain, medium grain, short grain
and colored rice.

Long Grain - cooks fluffy and in separate grains like Basmati or Jasmine.

Medium Grain - cooks moist and slightly sticky like Italian Arborio (risotto)

Short Grain - cooks very sticky and the grains are almost round like sushi
or sweet rice

Colored Rice - brown, black, red to name a few
(has the most texture due to the hulls not being removed as much as other rice)

Then, there is wild rice which actually is a kind of grass and not like the
other rice. The main difference in wild rice is that it is harvested by
hand in smaller crops.

Brown Rice or sometimes called "hulled rice" is unmilled or partly milled rice, a kind of whole, natural grain. It has a mild, nutty flavor and is chewier and more nutritious than regular white rice, but can spoil more quickly because the germ—which is removed to make white rice—contains fats that can go bad more quickly.

Rice field in Indonesia.

Iceberg Wedge Salad

The iceberg wedge salad is a twist on a standard tossed salad.
The tip behind making this salad so yummy is to chill the lettuce
wedge after you cut it. Take off the first layer of the head of lettuce
and cut it into either 2 or 4 wedges. Place the wedges into the refrigerator
for a little while or freezer depending on when you are serving or eating it.

When you are ready to eat the salad, top the lettuce with
a handful of diced tomatoes,
crumbled bacon,
finely chopped eggs (optional)
finely chopped scallions (optional)
and drizzle with blue cheese salad dressing