Farmers Market GOODIES

Blackberries

2 Fennel Bulbs

Red Leaf Lettuce

Romaine Lettuce

3 Fillets of Black Cod

Italian Spinach

3 ears Corn

The market was not too crowded today, I think the foggy and cool weather kept everyone at home!  I love Half Moon Bay market, its not as big as San Mateo's but, also not nearly as crowded.  I am beginning to know some of the farmers, great people who greet you with a smile and are always entertaining with fun stories.  Farmer John was telling me how the community is helping a local wild animal rescuer keep up his property because he is very ill with cancer, he said they were all happy to help him and he likes it because he gets good Karma.  I smiled and thought "wow, a farmer who is talking about Karma" I sure don't live in the Midwest anymore!  HAHA 

Pad Thai

 

 I have made Pad Thai numerous times, each time it comes out differently, some are winners and JUST like our favorite Thai Restaurant in AZ but, all are delicious!  I used a jarred Pad Thai sauce this time, its easy and I had it on hand, so why not?? :)

Ingredients:

1lb. chicken, shrimp or tofu

2 T. chopped garlic

Cooking oil

3 cups bean sprouts

3 cups Thai spinach (not a necessary ingredient I happened to have it on hand) do not substitute regular spinach Bok Choy also works!

1 bunch green onions

handful of pea pods, trimmed

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

1 package of rice noodles

Dash of dark soy sauce for color

fresh or dried chili's to taste

1. Heat oil in skillet, add garlic, saute till fagrant
2. Add cubed chicken, stir fry 10 minutes or until slightly browned
3. Stir in Pad Thai Sauce, turn heat on low or off while preparing noodles and veggies
4. Soak noodles in pot of HOT water, let soak while prepping other ingredients.  WARNING, do no overcook rice noodles, you will end up with a substance that looks like wallpaper paste!  You want the noodles to have a bit of a "bite" to them, no mushy.
5. Clean and slice green onions
6. Clean and roughly chop Spinach or Bok Choy
7. Rinse sprouts under cold water
8. Increase heat in pan, add drained noodles, quickly toss noodles in sauce
9. Add onions, pea pods, greens and sprouts
10. Quickly stir fry all ingredients, add a dash of dark soy sauce
11. garnish with fresh green onions and chopped peanuts

Fried Rice

We eat Asian food a lot in our house, if you were to ask my kids what "family" recipes they will pass down to their children one day you will hear things like this:  Sweet and Sour Chicken, Massaman Curry, Fried Rice, Red Curry, Green Curry, Pad Thai, Crab Rangoon, Chicken Tikka Masala ect.. These recipes are far from my heritage of Scandinavian and French Canadian, I did not grow up eating such things, I do recall my mom cracking open the can of La Choy Chow Mein and throwing it over some fried noodle things (also in a can), I also recall how much I HATED it.  There were stories around the dinner table of long ago holidays where Lutefisk and other scarey Norsk foods were eaten, you know the kind, pale, sour creamy and utterly disgusting to all who did not grow up eating it...ewww  I believe (well if I did believe in reincarnation and I don't) that I was Asian in another life, it just 
 feels so natural to me!

Red Velvet Cake Truffles

Easy Recipe *ALERT*

OH, and I must also add they are YUMMY!  Imagine a deliciously moist cake with frosting all mixed together then drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled to make it pretty, well thats it folks.. Seriously its that easy!!  You ready? ok...

Ingredients:

1 Red Velvet Cake

1 Can ready made vanilla frosting

1 C. White chocolate chips

1T Shortening

Instructions:

Bake cake according to instructions on box.

Let cool

Place cooled cake in large bowl, crumble cake until it looks like...ummm crumbled cake

Add 3/4 of the can of frosting, mix with hands (kids love to do this part)

Shape into balls, I made mine fairly small, you can make big ones if you like...:-)

Allow to harden in refrigerator

In a microwave bowl or double boiler melt white chocolate chips with the shortening, drizzle over balls and gaze at the beauty of what you have just made!! 

Use your imagination with these, different cakes and flavors of frostings...its endless really!  

HAVE FUN!