Sushi Haiku

Spicy Tuna Roll

Spicy Tuna Rolls Would Be
So Good in my
Belly Right now. Feed Me Sushi!

Mutant Brownies

I made these brownies for the 1st Annual Mutant Triathlon. Unfortunately it rained all morning so the triathlon was postponed. I adapted the recipe from Hershey's "Best Brownie" recipe but stirred pecans and raspberries into the batter and topped it with marshmallows. They definitely looked mutated but tasted great!

Mutant Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks unsalted butter)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped pecans
6 oz. raspberries
1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Stir in pecans and raspberries. Pour batter into greased baking pan. Top with marshmallows.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost if desired. Cut into bars. About 24 brownies.

Bad Food, Bad Dog

Advertising Agency: Prolam Y&R Santiago, Santiago, Chile
Executive Creative Director: Tony Sarroca
Regional Executive Creative Director: Guillermo Vega
Creative Directors: Francisco Cavada, Alvaro Becker
Art Directors: Fabrizio Capraro, Andres Echeverria
Digital Retoucher: Cristian Muñoz
Illustrator: Raul Pardo
Account Supervisor: Juan Carlos Meza
Published: April 2009

Jed Bread

My friend Jed drives a lot for his work so he listens to talk radio religiously. He came across this recipe when he was driving and even stopped to write the recipe down. Jed told me we had to try this "beer bread" he heard from the radio. I was skeptical at first because the recipe contained only three ingredients and seemed too simple. But he said the people on the radio were eating it and were remarking how good it tasted! So we tried the recipe and it turned out great! It is so easy to make that there is no reason to not have freshly baked bread.

Jed Bread is a dense, hearty bread. The crust is sweet and crackly and has the most delightful toothsome texture. Everybody agreed the crust was the best part! The interior of the bread was dense and sponge-like, great for soaking up soup and chili. A great thing about this recipe is you can add pretty much anything to the bread. Later that week, Jed tried banana and cheddar jalapeno. Both were successes. For my batch of Jed Bread I'd like to brush a little honey on top. and maybe one with chocolate chips.

For this recipe it is important to preheat the oven. Once you mix the beer and the flour mixture, it will start to react and rise immediately and you need to get it into the oven. Otherwise you will end up with a too dense bread that will be dough-y in the center. No bueno.

Jed Bread
3 cups self-rising flour (if you don't have self-rising flour 3 cups all-purpose flour+4 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 3 tsp. salt)
3 tablespoon sugar
1-12 oz. beer (this is where you can go cheap or fancy, from PBR to micro brew)

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F for at least 20 minutes before making bread.
2. Spray a baking dish or loaf pan with baking spay and sprinkle flour on the bottom and sides.
3. In a bowl, mix flour and sugar. If you are adding other flavors, add them to the flour mixture. Pour in beer. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until there are no more dry spots. The dough should look like oatmeal.
4. Spread dough into sprayed baking dish and place in oven. Bake for an 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped.

1st Annual Mutant Triathlon

Here is your chance to prove how much of a mutant you are! The 1st Annual Mutant Triathlon will be held at 56th st at 2 PM. It will be a traditional swim, bike, run. The swim will be from the 52nd st. jetty to the 56th st. jetty. The bike distance will be from the house to Newport pier and back. The run will be from the house to the last lifeguard tower before the River jetty and back. There will be a person at each check point (the pier and the lifeguard tower) so don't think you can cheat! Any bike can be ridden but remember it is only 8 mph on the boardwalk!

Prizes will be awarded to the top mutants and BBQ to follow after. Bring your favorite mutant snacks cause you're going to need the energy!

Swissarmius Cutlery Holder

This Swissarmius Cutlery Holder, designed by by Yegor Zhgun of Art Lebedev, is simple, useful and beautiful and I want one for my kitchen countertop! Designed by by Yegor Zhgun of Art Lebedev, it looks like a Swiss Army knife when holding your kitchen utensils. It has four compartments to separate your cutlery.

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The Funcooker...for reals!

Soon you will be able cook your ham in the shower (a la Liz Lemon from 30 Rock)! Heinz introduces the world's smallest microwave, the Beanzawave. The Beanzawave, which measures just 7.4 inches tall by 6.2 inches wide and 5.9 inches deep, doesn't even need to be plugged into an electrical outlet! The device contains a USB port, so mid-afternoon snacks can be heated up at the computer without expending excess power. In the future, Heinz might experiment with lithium ion batteries--making the Beanzawave ideal for camping trips. Heinz claims that snacks can be warmed in under a minute thanks to intense heating action from a combination of cell phone and radio frequencies.   

The mini microwave is being developed as a partner to Heinz Snap Pots, baked beans in single-serving containers. The Snap Pots, available in the U.K., fit perfectly into the Beanzawave.  Now only if the Beanzawave had a "ham" button on it.....

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Ratatouille

Springtime is here and all the squash and peppers are coming to fruit! It is the perfect time to make ratatouille from all the abundant vegetables. Ratatouille is a dish originating from the Provencal region of France. It is traditionally rustic peasant food. There are many different ways of making ratatouille and every French cook will insist his or her's is the best. This is my version. I learned this version from a French restaurant where I worked. It takes some time but it is some of the best ratatouille I've ever had!


TBC Ratatouille
This makes a lot. Serve it with some crusty French bread or as an accompaniment to meat. It is also great in omelets, crepes or pasta! It also freezes well.

3 red bell peppers
3 yellow bell peppers
3 eggplants
4 green zucchini
4 yellow summer squash
3 onions
4-5 cloves of garlic
6 oz. can tomato paste
herbs such as basil, thyme, marjoram

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Oil the bell peppers and 2 eggplants. Place on sheet pan and roast for 45-60 minutes. After roasting, place bell peppers in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. You can leave the eggplant on the sheet pan.
2. While the eggplants and bell peppers are roasting, halve the onions and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Chop the garlic to a paste. Heat a saute pan over medium-low heat and saute onions with butter and olive oil until caramelized and golden brown, about 25 minutes. I like to add the garlic to the onions but you can add it any stage.
   
3. Meanwhile, quarter the zucchini and squash lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut eggplant into 1/4 inch pieces. Saute the zucchini, squash, and eggplant separately.
   

1. By now, the bell peppers and eggplant should be cool enough to handle. Peel the skin away from the bell peppers, removing the core and seeds. Reserve the juice. Julienne. For the eggplant, simply remove the innards from the skin, trying to not get any seeds. There should also be juice from the eggplant. Reserve this juice as well.
2. Add the eggplant meat (minus the seeds), julienne bell peppers, caramelized onions and reserved juices to large pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, allowing flavors to meld. Then add the sauteed zucchini, squash and eggplant. Cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Lastly, add the 6 0z can of tomato paste, herbs if you have them and saute briefly, about 5 minutes. Yum!