Tofu Fried and Saucy

What you will need  for frying: 1 block firm tofu

                                                         salt                               

                                         garlic powder

                                        onion powder

                                   corn starch

                                     vegetable oil

Tofu made from soy bean curd is very bland but like any food product, it  can be quite delectable you incorporate the right flavors.. There are many ways to prepare tofu and so I put my creative hat on and do it my way. First I squeeze out excess liquid from the tofu, then slice, sprinkle each piece with salt, garlic powder and onion seasoning and black  dredge the pieces in corn starch, dip in egg wash and dredge again in cornstarch, fry in shallow oil.

After frying: Serve as is, or add a sauce to some of the fried tofu'. In the skillet that you fried tofu, pour off oil if  necessary, then add some jalapeno slices, chopped green onion, stir and then add some stir fry; sauce, places the tofu slices in pan and toss tofu in pan gently till coated just for a min then remove and serve.

Steak and mushrooms

Fruit salad

These berries and grapes and fruits made a wonderful fruit salad.. This dish includes: fresh strawberries sliced, fresh grapes, fresh blue berries a fresh lemon peeled and sliced, few prunes, and craisens. yes prunes and craisins, they are delicious too. I made a simple syrup and drizzled just a little over the fruits and squeezed a lemon over it and thats it. Ready to eat.

Chilli dog casserole

Simple can be good too. This dish takes only a few mins to prepare. I changed the recipe just a little by using just chili beans without meat.  and boiling the hot dogs and draining them before adding to the dish. I did not cover my dish either.  oops. Quick, easy and quite delicious. The  original recipe follows:

                                                    Ingredients

                                                   ¦2 15 oz. cans chili with beans

                                                  ¦1 16 oz. pkg. hot dogs

                                                   10 corn or flour   tortillas

                                                 ¦¦2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

                                                                                    Directions

Spoon one can of chili into 13x9-inch baking dish. Roll hot dogs up in tortillas. Place in baking dish seam side down. Top with remaining chili, then sprinkle the cheese over the top. Cover the pan with foil (without the foil touching the cheese) and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes     

Vegetarians, this might just work with some big franks.  

Rice and Peas/Red beans and rice

Rice and peas is one of the native dish of Jamaica. This dish is made  by many other cultures with each one adding their own little twist to make it a wonderful dish each time. In my cuture, coconut milk, thyme and green onion are three of the items that makes it caribbean.

apple cake

You ever had one of those days when you do something against your better judgement. Well this day was mine. I made this lovely apple cake and to make a long story short, I manage to drop half of the cake, so I decide to slice the remaining portion. I had just enough for the meal.

Stuffed shells

These stuffed shells were not the very best I have ever  made. I  tried a new recipe and I prefer my old recipe so I will post the old recipe soon.

Napa cabbage and carrot floret

I tossed the cabbage in a dressing and the bottom part was just there to be thrown away. I thought what a waste so i made a floret to hold the carrots and the dish looked quite beautiful on the table and was pretty good too.

Napa rolls

Experimenting with different foods.  Just make a filling that you like and lay the leaves in a container under the hot running water until it wilts a little and can roll easily. Put filling on the leafy green part of the leaf and roll, laying the roll on the end of the wrap. You may make a little dipping sauce of your own. Its almost like a spring roll, or cabbage wrap just using the napa as the wrap. Enjoy this dish with your own creations, whether its vegetable filling cooked or raw, a mixture of vegetable and meat or just meat. It can be quite a hit with your friends and love ones. It is such a pretty vegetable. Fits right in in this case as a finger food.

Strawberry Cream Cake

So this is the tradition. The person who has a special celebration in his behalf will wear the coat of many colors because he is considered favored on his special day. Unlike Joseph they love each other too much to get rid of the favored one.

family food fanfare wants to thank you for taking time to say happy birthday to my son and viewing my blog.

My son requested nonalcoholic cucumber shots  but instead of drink  it was served as gazpacho. It was quite refreshing. They even ate the cups. Cucumber can be a very refreshing drink. The intended drink was to blend the cucumber that was removed from the inside of the cucumber cups and mix with lemon or lime juice and a sweetner of choice, then strain for a refreshing drink . It was placed in the cups before straining.

Roast beef and home made gravy

Lemon pie cups

These are the most adorable lemon pies. Simply get some fresh lemons cut each one in two halves. Peer a little from the bottom of each half so they sit well. Remove the inside of the lemons. (Use some of the juice in your filling and refrigerate the rest for delicious lemonade etc). Then  fill each half with your favorite no bake lemon pie.. Refrigerate till ready to serve. Use your great imagination and make them as elegant as you like.

Birthday celebration continues