Homemade dressing. Asian style

I'm usually the only person at sushi who eats the ginger on top of their sushi and on the side. I love ginger so much. I always eat mine and then end up eating everyone else's ginger at the table. Not only do i love raw, pickled ginger but i love the ginger dressing that comes on almost every japanese house salad. I recently stumbled across a recipe in food network mag for a lighter version (15 calories) ( i don't know if i believe it) Heres the recipe and heres how mine turned out

 

Light Carrot-Ginger Dressing

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

--

Level:

Easy

Serves:

1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
• 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Kosher salt

Directions

Put the carrot and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain the carrot.

Puree the carrot and reserved cooking liquid in a blender until smooth. Add the ginger, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and teaspoon salt; pulse until smooth.

Per serving (2 tablespoons): Calories 17; Fat 1 g (Saturated 0 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 86 mg; Carbohydrate 2 g; Fiber 0 g; Protein 0 g

Photograph by Andrew McCaul

High Point Pizza (Dough) and the Green Egg

After a long day of recovery from a long night at Raiford's, we decided pizza on the grill would be the perfect cure. Too lazy to make the dough,I opted instead to grab fresh dough from the closest pizzeria, High Point Pizza. FOR ONLY $2 we got enough dough to fill us up and put us back to bed, for the second time that day.  Once the green egg got to a smoking 500 we ran to Kroger for fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, sausage and pepperonis (for the boys). Turned out to be just way to fun for a saturday night in.

We each had to have our own pizza because obviously its not near as fun to share. And we tend to be a bit competitive and who's food is better. I infused some olive oil with 2 cloves of smashed garlic to coat the dough with, then coated the oil with sauce, tomatoes, and too much cheese. 

The pizza's cooked in less than ten minutes and they were awesome. This was the best pizza  all because of the egg. The pizza stone gave the crust a nice crisp coating but still left the dough slightly chewy and airy. Mine had those air bubbles I go for every time. The sauce was garlicy and sweet, a perfect foundation for fresh mozzarella and summer tomatoes. 

A peek at SPICE-a tiny glimpse of the 52 pg magazine I created

Jason Aldean

I don't have much to say about the concert in Olive Branch this past Thursday. The corn was the most memorable thing, that and colt ford

Redfish&Risotto

Against strict orders from my mother, I prepared a rich risotto along side blackened redfish. My mom insisted that the flavors of the fish were too robust to be paired with such a heavy side. Yes, she's the trained chef, yes she is the best cook I know, and yes she is usually right. BUT I have to say that was the best (truffle) risotto I have ever made. And the fish (cooked on the green egg) was smoky, tender and delicious. We used the left over fish for fish tacos the next night along with homemade mexican rice, sharp white cheddar, jalepenos, salsa and creme 

The best thing I've ever ate(or ever will)

Blue crabs are my favorite food in the world. Maybe because I only get them once a year or because they're so hard to get and have to be kept alive until they're cooked. I think that there is no better satisfaction than cracking the body and picking the freshest, sweetest lump crab available. As time consuming as it is to eat blue crabs it's a July 4th tradition in my family and is always the highlight of our beach trips. 

I can't eat corn with out this 'compound butter'/mayonnaise mixture/my dad's speciality. Its equal parts butter, mayonnaise,lots of parmesan cheese, squeeze of lime, pinch of cayenne, salt, and lots of cracked pepper.

My second favorite thing in the world is fried shrimp. My mom makes the best fried shrimp in the world. She only cooks shrimp that is fresh from the gulf and it pays off in flavor. We ate more seafood this trip than should be consumed in an entire summer and enjoyed every bit of it. I got to help fry the shrimp and oysters this night in Ft. Morgan. I've tried this on my own and its never the same as doing it along side my  mom in the kitchen. She butterflies the shrimp and shallow fries them slit side down. One flip, salted right out of the oil and ready to eat.

Homemade Hibachi

Tingting, as we like to call it, is one of our favorite meals. Steak, veggies, and fried rice (with extra pink sauce). As entertaining as it is to go out for hibachi, it was much more enjoyable creating it at home. I learned very quickly how fast the process of cooking hibachi happens. Its a job only to be taken on by the fastpaced, multitask pro's. Here's how I did it.

For the fried rice:

• 2 c of day old rice
• 1/2 c of shredded carrots
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• pinch of sesame seeds
• splash of soy sauce
• enough vegetable oil to coat the pain

Heat veg. oil until you see it smoking, you need a very hot wok pan to fry rice, add the onion and carrots and cook until translucent, add the eggs, stir until cooked through, then add the rice. Its important to get a good fry on the grains so try not to mess with it too often. Finish with soy sauce and sesame seeds.

For the vegetables:
I used zucchini, onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Saute the vegetables in a very hot wok until they are tender but still have bite to them. Finish with soy sauce and sesame seeds.

For the Steak:
This was the quickest of the three component to Hibachi. I used filet mignon and slice the steak against the grain before quickly searing in a very hot wok. 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Let rest for 10 min.

The best part, THE PINK SAUCE:
1c Hellman's mayonnaise
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of sugar
1/4 onion grated
1 tablespoon ginger