Getting "Steamy" - Again

I've been away from this blog for way too long.  For those that read my family blog, you'll know why.  If you need a quick recap...2 weeks ago I twisted my knee wrong in a yoga class and 'pop' it went.  I've been slowly recovering, but I'm still in pain.  MRI results have been read and I have an appointment with an orthopedic doc tomorrow to find out what it shows.  So long story short, the pain took me out of the game for awhile.  Then the emotional aspects kicked in and took me out of the game for awhile longer. 

But now I'm back!  And what better way to get back in the game than by getting back in my kitchen.

As I wrote about in my last entry, I was selected to be a recipe tester for Jaden over at the Steamy Kitchen.  The deadline for testing is today so I knew last night was my last shot at working through a handful more recipes.  So I chose five recipes to try and invited our neighbors over to join in on the fun.  (For the record, I premixed all of the sauces and 'secret' stuff so as to not divulge the exact recipe ingredients.  I take this recipe testing seriously!)

Our neighbors brought wine, cheese, their culinary skills and lots of good conversation.  I "steamed" up the kitchen with the following menu:
- Miso Soup
- Steamed Asparagus tossed with a ginger-miso butter
- Cauliflower "Steaks"
- Seared Scallops over a bed of greens, topped with a tasty vinaigrette
- Blackened Tofu that had been rubbed in seasonings and topped with a soy-ginger sauce
- Plus I pulled out the frozen shrimp and spinach dumplings I made the first time I tested recipes...cooked those up too.

Oh my word.  It was a tasty night.  And fun.

Not to sound too old fashioned, too Norman Rockwell-ish, but the kids were outside, playing, enjoying the spring weather.  Instead of catching lightning bugs, they gathered up stink bugs.  Us ladies hunkered down in the kitchen and got busy cooking.  The men talked UVA sports. 

The format of the dinner was to eat each thing as it got plated up, (after I plated up the one perfect plate to photograph) then we talked about what we liked, would change, etc.  Then we'd drink more wine and start with the next dish.  All of the dishes, except for the miso soup, were mouth watering good.  Absolutely delicious and things that I will definitely make again.  The recipes also got me excited to buy Jaden's cookbook when it comes out.  The cookbook that will have my name listed in the "special thanks to" section :)

And without a doubt if there's money to be made as a Professional Recipe Tester, then count me in.

My Own "Steamy Kitchen"

About a year ago I stumbled upon the Steamy Kitchen website and blog.  The author, Jaden Hair, specializes in "Fast, Fresh and Simple" meals.  She had me at fast, roped me in further with fresh and sealed the deal with simple.  I've been a fan of her Asian inspired meals from the minute I bookmarked her page.

Around the end of February she put out a call for Recipe Testers to help her out with her second cookbook.  She was looking for around 20 people.  I quickly sent an email volunteering my services, but considering she has 22,000 Facebook fans, and who knows how many thousands follow her blog, my chances were most likely slim to none.  Well guess what...I was chosen!

My name is Tracy and I'm a recipe tester.

Once I received my email with instructions and links to the recipes, I hit Whole Foods, then got busy cooking.  Tonight I made three of her recipes:
1. Chicken & Mango Lettuce Wraps
2. Crispy Rice Patties
3. Sriracha Sauce (to top the lettuce wraps)

I wish I was a better food photographer, because I'd love to share some gorgeous photos that would show off how tasty the dishes came out.  The lettuce wraps were incredibly tasty, and definitely "fast, fresh and simple".  My husband and I loved them, my picky girl ate the chicken from the mix, and my youngest ate everything in the mix.  The rice patties were a disaster to look at (except the one, and only one, that I snapped a picture of), but they were very tasty to eat.  Again, us grownups loved them.  My youngest thought it was super fun to eat rice with her hands, and my oldest daughter (the picky one) wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole.  And the sriracha sauce, while not what you think of as the stuff in the rooster bottle, was a fun twist on a hot pepper relish.  Definitely something I will make again...especially when we start picking our own homegrown peppers.

Dishes next on my list to try...chilled soba noodles, tofu and mushroom miso soup, a salmon dish, a seafood curry, an asparagus side dish, and broiled mango dessert.  Plus anything else I can squeeze in.  My 'Steamy Kitchen' is going to be busy these next 2 weeks.