i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
Making a bento can be hard work for the brain, but it’s very rewarding when you see the people you love eating the things you make. It’s important for me that my bento taste good and are healthy too. So here’s my guide as to …
I like experimenting, although that means failing more than not. Thankfully, this was one of my better ideas and they came out beautifully. The sweet and savory batter from the gyeran-ppang recipe makes for a wonderful encasement for a gooey and cheesy interior. Instead of eggs, …
As deer hunting season draws to a close, I received a portion of venison from one of the hunters from Hunters For Deer as thanks for allowing access into my property. Every time they say “thank you,” I want to go “NO WHY ARE YOU THANKING ME THANK YOU” because they’re taking care of a huge (and very expensive) problem for me, yet they want to thank me? It blows my mind. AND THEN THEY GO AND BRING ME MEAT. WHAT EVEN IS THIS.
While they didn’t manage to take down any in my area, just the fact that they stood vigilance for me is more than enough, especially if their presence was why the deer were kept away from gnawing the hell out of my plants during the Fall into deep winter. I am a huge proponent of sustainable, responsible, local food, free of antibiotics and medication that are required to keep the meat industry going because they pack the animals in less than ideal conditions. Small farms were my first choice, but now responsible hunting and deer management is vying for the top position in my heart.
The meat I received was from the hindquarters, and to be honest, I had no idea what that meant. What… do I do with it? They told me to treat it like beef, and after a little bit of Googling, it said the hindquarter is the most versatile of the cuts, being able to be used as steak, for stews, for ground meat.
I love my steaks as rare as possible, so know that I have a deep freezer to kill any potential parasites (48 hours, deep freeze) and I have absolutely no issue taking this risk.
Now, onto the meat. Know that deer is gamier than beef, like if I had to describe it, I’d say it was MORE beef-y than the beefy-ist beef you’ll have ever had. It’s also mostly fat free, lean, but still very tender and flavorful. In my personal opinion, it would be an absolute abomination to cook this more than rare–I accidentally left a piece on the stove too long and even at medium, it turned tough.
Ingredients:
1. Sprinkle a few pinches of salt and pepper on your steaks and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
2. Heat a pan on medium high heat and wipe down with cooking oil. Sear the venison steaks on all sides quickly.
2. Throw in the butter, garlic, herbs into the pan until the butter froths and using a spoon, baste the steaks in the butter until to desired done-ness. Reserve juices to make gravy.
Sometimes I crave a nice, spicy bowl of bibimbap (especially on such a bitterly cold day), the Korean dish of lots of delicious veggies and meat and rice all mixed together topped with an egg. It’s often served in a piping hot stone bowl that …
I first saw this on my favorite Korean food youtube channel (Maangchi) and it looked so delicious I just had to try it out. It was as amazing and fluffy as I had imagined it to be (and my husband concurs) but I had forgotten …
It’s Snowpocalypse 2018 here on Long Island and that means we’re all snowed in until further notice. The good part of this is that I can make a more time consuming bento.
It’s actually not as difficult as it looks but does take a bit more time. It’s easier if you have all the ingredients chopped and ready to go. Here I have egg with a cheese bunny, shrimp-mayo-jalapeno, cucumber and roe, and tuna and shiso flower (my indoor shiso are starting to bolt.)
I carved the rice underneath into a square pattern before starting as a guide, and you begin on one end so that every square has support before moving to the other.
You don’t necessarily have to have anything raw on it either–it could really be anything that strikes your fancy!
This is an easy and comforting Japanese Yoshoku (western style) recipe that comes together in about 20-30 minutes. For those bitterly cold days, this dish is a hit with both the kids and the adults in my house. If you don’t have powdered mushroom stock, …
It’s not new years without inarizushi! Tonight is our annual etsunengeiko at the Long Island Aikikai, where Hagihara-shihan leads the class from 11:30pm to 12:30pm. It’s a yearly tradition to practice over the coming of the new year. Afterwards, some students choose to partake in …
It’s also such a pretty color, making your meal vibrant and beautiful–after all, food should look good while you eat it too!
It’s quick and easy, ready in 3-4 hours (but best overnight.) It keeps very well, but make sure you practice good pickle hygiene and always use clean utensils when taking them out of the jar.
Ingredients
1. Combine vinegar, salt, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved, set to the side while you prepare your onion.
2. In a sterile jar or container, arrange slices of red onion, garlic, and peppercorn on the bottom. Make sure the slices are separated slightly from each other so the brine can penetrate.
3. Pour vinegar mixture into the jar and give it a light shake so it coats everything. Make more if it doesn’t cover all of the onions.
4. Refrigerate for at least four hours to overnight and enjoy!
Costco and Aldi both have packs of individually packed frozen ahi tuna, which is great for my family who love raw/rare fish often but don’t want to spend the money (or time) going to a sushi restaurant. Our favorite way of eating it is searing …