Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Art of Bento...Killing You With Cuteness One Meal At A Time

A couple weeks ago I took my sisters around town and we found ourselves in Little Tokyo. While I was walking through each store and discovering or re-discovering childhood favorite toys, pencil cases and gadgets, I came across a couple books on bento boxes. My dear readers, these are not just any ordinary bento box creations. No no no no no! These are some of the cutest food creations you'll ever see and quite possibly refuse to eat and instead try and preserve it as collectibles. Check them out:

Photo from modeS Blog

Photo from ecollo website

Photo from Brea Peck's blog

Photo from girlybubble's blog

Photo from Adventures in Bentomaking's blog

Last but not least...this one's for my husband...

Photo from Anna The Red's blog...check it out...it's amazing!!!

For amazing ideas and ways to make your own bento creation check out these two books:

Purchase on Amazon here.

Purchase on Amazon here.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Pan-Seared Cod with Thai Red Curry


This has been the year of expanding my culinary menu. I don't usually cook fish but when I do I freak out a little because I don't want to mess up this delicate protein. Anyway, I'm slowly overcoming that anxiety and actually enjoying my trip to the seafood counter of my local grocery store. Plus I've been on this ravenous kick for anything fish, whether it's a can of sardines or a bento box of sushi.

So this recipe came out of my hunger for fish and a sliver of time before we had a friend come over for the evening. Be sure to make the red curry first before you work on the cod. Happy Wednesday!

Here's what you will need:

2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 pound of Cod (makes about 4 to 5 servings), cut in 4-5 oz pieces
1 Green Bell Pepper
3 medium sized Russet Potatoes, diced & parboiled
4 Lime/Kaffir Leaves
1 can of Lite Coconut Milk
1 teaspoon of Palm Sugar or Sugar
1/2 of a cube of Vegetable Bouillon
1-2 tablespoons of Fish Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Thai Chilies optional
  • For the Thai Red Curry I used my recipe here minus the chicken meat. Instead of using red bell peppers I used green and swapped basil leaves for lime leaves. Added the 1/2 cube of Vegetable Bouillon.
  • In a pan, heat oil. Add salt and pepper to each side of cod. Place cod in pan and sear for about 4-5 minutes each side. To remove excess oil, place cod on paper towel.
  • Place cod on a bed of rice and spoon Thai Red Curry over fish. Enjoy.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

FTW Pizza...Delicious Indeed!


Husband + Me + His love for Pizza = FTW Pizza

Sometimes I find myself making the best tasting dinners when I have no option of going out and getting extra groceries but instead find what is in my fridge and make things work

Such was the case for this fantastic creation...you can call it "For The Win" Pizza or "FullTimeWife" Pizza. Either way, it's definitely in our family recipe archives now and will forever be.

I had a package of four mozzarella filled Italian sausages from Sprouts, but any package of Italian sausage should do. If you want to make it a bit healthy go for meats that have no MSG and no nitrites-nitrates added. I personally try and stay away from nitrites when it's in my power to do so because of my migraines. Yay! One less thing to keep me headache free is always nice.


Okay back to the recipe...have fun and hope you like it.

What you will need:

1 ball of Store bought Pizza Dough
3 Fully Cooked Italian Sausages, cut into small slices
1/2 cup of Sun Dried Red Bell Peppers, minced
1/2 cup of White Onion, diced
1/2 cup of Red Onion, diced
1/2 cup of Green Olives with Pimientos, rough dice
2-3 cups of canned Tomato Basil sauce
1/4 cup of Tomato Paste
1 cup of grated White Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese
1 cup of grated Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • In a pot, heat tomato basil sauce and tomato paste. Mix sauce and paste until well blended. Bring to light boil and then set pot aside to cool sauce.
  • In a pan, heat olive oil over med-hi heat. Once pan is hot, add sausages and sun dried bell peppers. Cook until sausages are nicely browned on the edges. Drain any excess oil and let mixture cool. For a little kick and health, add 1 tablespoon of Red Pepper Flakes to mixture. 
  • Prepare pizza dough by stretching and/or rolling dough according to your liking in thickness and shape. I chose thin and round...keeping it real creative. 
  • Ladle cooled tomato sauce mixture onto dough. Sprinkle half of each cheese types onto pizza sauce surface. Add all your toppings to the pizza and sprinkle the last half of cheeses on top. 
  • Bake for about 16-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Slice and Serve!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Convenient Miso Soup

I don't know about you but I take immense delight in visiting ethnic grocery stores. Every time I walk into a store I can't wait to find something new or even something modified according to a culture's taste. Last week, my sisters were in town and I took them to one of my many ethnic stores I frequent.

That day I had a craving for miso soup and instead of making it from scratch, I found this package that allows me to quiet my craving without the extra work. Sounds lazy of me but sometimes convenience does have a place in my heart. Hehe


Eaaaaaasssyyy! 

This soup was delicious from beginning to end and it was only 35 calories per serving. I hope you get a chance to visit your local ethnic stores and find some new food items that will add variety to your pantry! If you find anything new, definitely share it my way at TheFullTimeWife@gmail.com! Happy Friday Party People (or I'd like to think I am these days)! Btw, is anyone going to watch Bridesmaids?

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Don't Starve Yourselves!

I know I don't starve myself but I know there is a need for portion control, of which I'm not that great at these days. But before I workout I wanted to share a Thai food commercial I found on YouTube.



The commercial is about a brand of tuna, but any brand would do. So for today, I encourage you to get your tuna or fish in for the week. If I sit here any longer I will end up stuck to the web all day. Happy Hump day!!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Childhood Favorite Dessert: Kanom Pui Fai


Kanom Pui Fai is a Thai dessert that is normally steamed instead of baked. It comes in various sizes and texture but a common denominator is the jasmine essence and hint of egg taste. I've made this before with chicken eggs but I think using duck eggs might make it more authentic tasting. So next time I'll probably try that.

I didn't make the ones I've posted today. Instead I visited Silom Supermarket in Thai Town and found them. They are made by Orchid Thai Cuisine located in Arcadia. So if you would like to try these for yourself make sure you stop by these places or else learn to make them yourself here.

Oh and btw, if you visit Silom Supermarket make sure you get your parking ticket validated. Just a heads up.

Have a Great Monday!

I couldn't resist...had to enlarge to show fluffy texxxture!
I believe some people call this happiness...agreed!
Mmmmmmmmm.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Star-Shaped Shortcake Biscuits

Today's post is about the biscuit! I know I could easily purchase some angel food cake at the store but I wanted to try and make the base of this delicious dessert myself.

So after much research from different recipes, I put together my take shortcake biscuits. And it turned out quite well. Of course I need more practice on it but I've got to start somewhere!

What you will need:
Adapted from Grandma Kline's Biscuits Supreme For Strawberry Shortcake

2 cups of White All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoon of Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
4 teaspoon of Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar
1/2 cup of Salted Butter, cold and diced
2/3 cup of Milk (Reduced Fat)
Star Cookie cutter shape or a Circle or whatever shape you want
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
  • Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cream of tartar until well blended.
  • Add butter and crumbled the butter and dry ingredients until they are mixed well, like little pebbles.
  • Add milk and form ingredients until it's a soft ball of dough.
  • Flatten dough about 1/3 of an inch thick or less with hands on board/surface. Use cookie cutter and cut out your shape. 
  • Place shapes on lightly greased pan. And bake in oven for about 15-25 minutes. Like I always say, you know your oven best so keep an eye on your biscuits!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Mondays Are Best Served with Chocolate

Oh Ina Garten how your voice soothes me and your recipes inspire me to go out and purchase a glass bowl and a block of good chocolate. Yes. Yes.

This afternoon, I was searching for a video of her making Black & White Angel Food Cake to no avail. So instead I thought I'd find something else that had to do with her baking up something chocolatey. I can tell you one thing, I'm on a mission to make her angel food cake with chocolate ganache glazed on top. It looked so incredibly summerrific with the soft peaks of egg whites forming and the cool grated chocolate flakes getting folded into the eggs. It was blissful just watching it on her show Barefoot Contessa. *Daydreaming away*

But for today please enjoy and hopefully be inspired to make Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes. Mmmmmmmmmm.....



For more recipes like this one visit FoodNetworkTV's YouTube Channel.