Smoky Tomato Salsa

Ah, Memorial Day weekend is here! For many Americans, it's an important public holiday to celebrate because it commemorates the brave souls who lost their lives while in military service for their country. Memorial Day also marks the first day of the summer season, commonly called the "summer kick off" at events. And for some lucky kids across the U.S., it also marks the start of their long summer vacation. (My kids aren't quite so lucky.)

Classic Brownies

Today, I would like to pay tribute to our readers. First of all, thank you for stopping by and checking us out. It gets me really excited that the world is getting smaller through technology. To know I have readers is like having somebody stop by my kitchen window and ask me “What’s cooking?” To which I will always say, “Come in and check it out.”

Baked Spicy Miso Mayo Salmon

Eating fish for me is like treading on eggshells (as I'd explained in my other salmon post). I'm a picky fish eater and have to choose my fish dishes carefully. I do want to love fish though and be able to eat more varieties of it cooked in different ways. It's just hard for me to venture out of my comfort zone with fish. For now, I'll stick to just cooking salmon. However, I'm going to try new ways of preparing it. Baby steps, I say. Baby steps.

Sangria Mushroom Sauce

When we got grillin' last week, I made this simple sangria mushroom and onion sauce to go with the steak. Frankly, the steak needed no backup from any sauce because it was so tender and juicy on its own but there was rice on my plate and if there's rice, I've gotta have sauce and plenty of it!

I wanted a wine sauce but did not have red wine on hand. I did however have sangria which is pretty much a red wine enhanced with citrus flavors. So sangria sauce it was! The end result was a hearty, thick, sweet and savory sauce with a distinct red wine flavor that coated the tender mushrooms and onions. I call this a sauce dish but it could easily double as a side dish if you leave the mushrooms whole or very chunky. Either way, it makes for a delicious vegetarian dish when served over rice, pasta and even mashed potatoes.

Banana Jackfruit Pockets

I just love bite size desserts. Everytime I attend functions at a hotel, or go to one of the buffets in Las Vegas, I always gravitate towards the dessert table first. Not only am I attracted to it because of how quaint they look but I think it serves the diner a practical purpose to serve them in small portions. Having them this way allows us to sample more than just one dessert rather than getting full on one regular sized serving. Inspired by Veggie Girl's Chocolate Wontons, I thought I'd create something petite for dessert.

Time for barbecue! BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Corn + Roasted Asparagus

I would describe the weather as being perfect right now. It starts off a little cloudy in the morning and when late morning to noon hits, BAM! The sun comes out to play. Barbecue is something that's synonymous with sunny weather in our household. When sunshine is in abundance and our daylight hours are extended, we get the grill going!

Yang Chow Fried Rice

Like probably most kids, I was picky with the type of “adult” food I ate when I was a kid. There were only certain foods I ate, and when I don’t like what’s on our dinner table, my default food was fried egg over rice. At restaurants, particularly Chinese restaurants, my default food was corn soup and fried rice. I liked corn soup because I just love the sweet flavor of corn. And I love fried rice because it is rice and viand all in one. My mom did not have to force me to eat “adult” food as long as I ate my soup and fried rice.

Renaissance Faire Fare

Don't you love it when family or friends visit? For me, it means I get a mini vacation from my kitchen. Don't get me wrong. I really enjoy cooking but there are some days -- especially in the summer months -- when I'm relieved to be away from a sweltering kitchen and not have to tend to a stove or a full sink of dirty dishes. I'm enjoying a few kitchen-free days at the moment as my brother's visiting for a week and that has meant lots of meal gatherings with relatives and eating out everyday so far. And it's only been his third day here.

Our highlight of the weekend was the Renaissance Fair which we visited on Sunday. Being a first timer at the fair, I knew only that it would be an event based on the Medieval times and that people who worked at the fair would be dressed in corsets, full skirts, cloaks, feather hats and the like.

Shoyu Sesame Salmon (SSS)

A good friend of ours served us this dish a while back during a casual dinner get together. Believe me, I was the last one to get up from the table and I politely asked him if I could finish the remaining salmon. Because I loved it so much I named the recipe after him. But to protect his privacy, I decided to call it SSS, which represents the main ingredients for this recipe. Shoyu is soy sauce in Japanese, Sesame for the oil that is part of this recipe, and of course Salmon. If you want to have a simple Asian meal, you can't go wrong with this. You can complement it with miso soup, steam rice or sushi, and maybe green tea ice cream for dessert. I'm pretty sure I give my friend's recipe justice here.

Stir Fry Glass Noodle (Sotanghon)

I just love Asian style noodles. Whether it's stir fried, crispy, noodles in soup, chow mein, yakisoba, pancit, or in this case sotanghon, I can eat them anytime, any day. Sotanghon is a Filipino dish whose name originated from the Chinese word "tanghoon," meaning glass noodle. Thanks Veggie Girl for enlightening me on its meaning. I find this to be a very versatile dish, in that you can eat it any time of the day. You can serve it for lunch, dinner, and even for an afternoon affair, which I call an in-betweener, and any leftovers will work as a hearty breakfast the following day. Yes, I've had it for breakfast and I enjoyed it with tea and Sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls. Ah! It's just yummy. I hope you enjoy my take on this dish.