Focaccia Bread

Combine:
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 T yeast

Add:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 T sugar

Knead well. Ball should be soft, not stiff. Let rise 45 min. Spray cookie sheet with Pam or non-stick spray. Place dough in middle of pan and press out flat. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, parsley, and Good Seasons: Parmesan Italian dressing dry mix. Let dough rise 10-15 minutes. Use 2 fingers and poke holes all over. Let rise another 10-15 minutes. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.

Place 3/4 cup shredded cheddar, and 3/4 cup shredded parmasean on top of bread. Bake for 5 - 7 minutes more. Cut into squares and serve with a bowl of olive oil with balsalmic vinegar poured in.

**Note: I think this bread is amazing when it is hot. It is not so much amazing when it's cold and has been sitting around awhile. Try to plan your meal so you can eat it when it's fresh.

Grilled Salmon

10-16 ozs of salmon, i usually cut it into 3 or 4 pieces
1/4 cup oil (olive or canola)
2 T soy sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T thinly sliced green onion
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp salt
Combine and marinate the salmon in the mixture for 4-6 hours. Oil your grill rack place salmon on grill for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish just flakes when tested with a fork. Turn halfway through cooking.
This is one of our favorite recipes. We love seafood, and salmon is one of our favorites. This marinade gives it such a yummy taste, and a little bit of a kick!

That's Right, I Can Make Sushi!

My friend, Ruth, taught me how to make sushi! It is way easier than you think. This is one of those things that I never even really thought about attempting to make. I just sort of thought that regular people couldn't make sushi. But we can! Here's how you do it:
what you will need: (by the way, i got all of these ingredients in the Asian food section at my grocery store)
a package of seaweed wraps for sushi
Calrose Rice
Rice vinegar
Pickled Sushi Ginger
Wasabi
Soy Sauce

possible insides:(usually use 3 ingredients for the insides)
cucumber (peeled and take the seeds out)
avocado (peeled and sprinkled with lemon juice to avoid browning)
carrot (peeled)
crab meat or imitation
smoked salmon
scrambled eggs
or whatever else you like!

so, cook the rice. 1 1/2 cups rice, 3 cups water, 20 minutes. Cut your filling into long strips. Mix the cooked rice with:
1 Tblspn water
1 Tblspn sugar
2 Tblspns rice vinegar

Lay out a piece of seaweed on a cutting board. Spread a thinnish layer of rice on the seaweed paper. Lay your ingredients in a vertical line on top of the rice down the length of the paper. Close to the left edge of the paper, but not too close. Place your fingers on the filling, and pick up the bottom of the seaweed paper with your thumbs. Roll it tightly until you reach the end. I let it sit for about 5 minutes before i cut into pieces. Use a sharp knife.
Serve with pickled ginger (yum!)(pink stuff in the picture)
Wasabi (i bought wasabi mayo, you can get it straight-up, but it's pretty spicy)
Soy Sauce
I hope I described this well. I am a visual learner, so it is hard for me to write written instructions! If you like Sushi, please dare to try these california rolls. They are so yummy, and the best part is you can have as much as you want! Whenever I get sushi at restaurants, I'm always wishing for more, but don't want to spend more $. This way, you can have as much as you want, and you can make it just how you like it!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Batter:
cream together:
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

combine and add to above:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Spoon half of the batter into a well greased bundt pan.

Filling:
combine
3/4 cup pecans, very coarsly chopped or halved.
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsps cinnamon

Sprinkle the filling mixture over the first half of batter in the bundt pan.
Spoon remaining batter over the top of the filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.

Lettuce Wraps

I've tried some other recipes that claim to be PF Chang lettuce wraps, but none of them have come as close as this one.

Lettuce Wraps
Condiments:
1 T hot mustard
1 tsp red chili paste

Sauce:
1/4 C water (boiling)
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ginger (grated)

Stir Fry:
3 tbsp canola oil
4 chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
1 C water chestnuts (5 oz dry weight tin, diced)
1/2 C straw mushrooms (diced)
1/3 C green onions (diced)
2 tsp garlic, (minced)
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 C rice noodles (optional)
10 iceberg lettuce leaves

Place condiments in separate serving dish. Combine sauce ingredients well, then set aside. Stir fry chicken in oil, 4 minutes each side. Remove. Chop chicken into dime-size pieces, return to pan along with remaining ingredients (which I dice pretty finely in a chopper) and stir fry until heated through. Spoon into lettuce cups and drizzle with sauce. Hot mustard and red chili paste can be added to the sauce according to taste.