Penne rigate with butter and garlic cream sauce

Monday's dinner

Garlic n chile maranated chicken thighs and homemade tortillas

Dinner on a fabulous sunny 83 degrees new year's day! I will post the recipes for the marinade and the homemade tortillas soon happy year ahead!

Sonoran hotdogs....A Tucson tasty treat!

So wow! I didn't realize it has been a year since I blogged on here well as the previous post states it was ray n nessa's bday dinner. This post is about that very same subject, this year sonoran hotdogs are on the menu!
Sonoran dogs are a true taste treat. They are on almost every street corner as mc donald's or starbucks are in most cities.
Here's what makes them different from the all American classic dog.
First they are wrapped in bacon (can't go wrong there ;) it's grilled and served with pinto beans,pico de gallo salsa, sometimes chiles and a special sauce that is like a sweet version of sour cream.
The combo of all those ingredients, makes for a happy palate!
Shown in picture: sonoran dog, grilled asparagus,mexican rice.

My famous baby back ribs! it's a 6 hour process but it is well worth it recipe upon request (i cant just publicly reveal my secrets :)

Banh bo Nuoc dua! (Steamed Rice Cakes!!!)

OMG! finally they opened a market here in Tucson that sells these!!!!! just like from home (San Jose, Ca) I was getting desperate so I wanted to make them,, here is what I came up with.....

Recipe


Ingredients:
A:
-1 package of rice flour (1lb)
-1 tsp sugar
-1 package of yeast (2 ½ tsp)
-2 cups water

*Dissolve yeast and sugar in water and mix with flour. Prove overnight or until the batter rises and falls.

B:
-1 ½ - 2 cups sugar
-1 ¾ cups (400ml) coconut milk
-1 cup water

*Boil until sugar dissolves and cool to the touch (should be warm like bath water).

**Mix together A and B let rest for half an hour before steaming.
Eat and Enjoy!! all these products can be found at your local asian market.. ranch 99 in san jose has it all!! lee lee in
Tucson has it all.

Bun Thit Bo (braised beef and rice noodle salad)

Bun Thit Bo
Yummy braised beef ribs with rice vermacelli noodles, garnished with sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, green onions, cilantro, bean sprouts, peanuts and nuoc cham sauce(fish sauce, chili, sugar)

So to futher perpetuate Veronica's love of all things vietnamese... this is what we had for dinner tonight! I have a secret to making the ribs fall off the bone..maybe ill post it sometime heehee!

Oodles of noodles! Korean style!

Japchae jobchae or Glass/cellophane noodle is a favorite among noodle enthusiasts, it is a favorite in my house it's fun and light compared to it's mein variety cousins.
To make:
Purchase saifun or dangmyun noodles (usually in asian specialty stores) they are white or gray in appearance when dry.
Combine: Soy sauce, a little sugar, garlic I put a little bit of chicken stock in a pan and about 2 cups water.
Boil mixture and then turn off heat
Place noodles in mixture and let them soak for about 1/2 hour.
Strain noodles completely! even push on them to get out all moisture
Place in dish or bowl and with a pair of kitchen scissors cut into 2 inch pieces then drizzle with sesame oil stir and enjoy!
add some green onion and sesame seeds if you like!
Goes great with any asian meat we especially like bulkogi or kalbi with it! and with some stir fried cabbage and other veggies is a great party menu! you will make everyone smile and kids like the texture and way the noodles look too!

Carne Asada tacos

I just had some yummy ones!they are so easy to make at home!
Most grocery stores sell thin cuts of beef sometimes it is labeled for teryaki but either way buy some thin cuts and marinate them in some chili powder, garlic, salt, paprika. then grill them and cut into small bite sized pieces.
put some tortillas either flour or corn on the grill for extra flavor grill them until toasty and put your meat and favorite salsa on and yummmy!
great for family gatherings and holiday cookouts!

As promised I am posting a picture of the chile verde enchiladas from din din last night, I was going to post the recipe for this but I would rather post the recipe for my mexican rice. So here it is.

2 cups long grain rice
1 cup tomato sauce
teas of chile powder
teas of cumin
4 chopped cloves of garlic
1/2 white onion finely chopped
1-2 tbs of vegetable oil
1 c chicken stock, boullion or veg stock

using a cast iron or similar type pan:
start on medium heat with oil

put rice and onion and garlic in pan
brown the rice till translucent
then add the tomato sauce to the pan off the heat
stir rigourously till it is a "rice paste"
Then add 1 cup of the chicken stock
3 more cups of HOT water,
stir until incorporated
let it come to a simmer
then cover,about 20 mins till absorbed
turn off heat and let it steam for 10 mins
then serve!
there it is folks! the secret recipe and technique to that rice I make.

Okay as promised I am going to keep blogging pics and recipes. this one is easy folks the only reason im putting it on here is because the last two nights we have been hambugering and tonight hottdogin it. :)
this is my original recipe potato salad, my father's recipe with my twist on it.

10 red bliss potatoes (skin on)
7 hard boiled eggs
1 sweeet red bell pepper
1/2 cup pickle relish
olives (optional)
about 2 cups celery cut in small pieces
2 cups mayo
1 teas mustard


boil potatoes until a fork inserted comes out clean and easy
rinse and drain wait for them to come to room temp.
meanwhile
chop the celery
bell pepper
eggs
olives
and put in a large mixing bowl with the mayo and mustard etc
pinch of salt and a teas black pepper
let this sit a bit the water from the peppers and celery will make what I
call a "sauce"
when the potatoes are cooled down, cut them into 1 inch pieces
and gently toss in the sauce!
refrigerate for about an hour before serving
I also purt a few sprigs of finely chopped dill in for extra flavor fennel is also good in this salad!
enjoy!

Okay someone said it would be good to put up a recipe and pic of the corned beef and cabbage, it's really simple that anyone can do it!

1-2 corned beef briskets (the center cut ones tend to be a bit more tender than the loin)
baby carrots or any fresh carrots
1-2 heads of regular cabbage
about 10 baby red potatoes (red bliss are my favorite!)

**you can totally crock pot this just put the briskets in the pot in the morning and then an hour before you serve put the potatoes in the over and roast or boil on the stovetop with the carrots and cabbage, I blanch the carrots and cabbage for about 10 mins in boiling water and roast the potatoes, (keeps it vegetarian too)

**You can boil the briskets till tender
or roast them in a pan covered with foil

either way cook the briskets for a long time if they have a lil bit of fat that is even better they will turn out very tender while cooking.

So........now that I've found twitter and facebook. I've decided that they are useful tools to get the recipes and info bout nutrition etc out to the masses! so starting tomorrow March 16, 09 I am going to post at least one recipe and have it linked here. I think it will be fun, My biggest fans want me to start doing short videos and broadcast on here also with examples of knife skills and cooking techniques let me know what you think! alright I made corned beef and cabbage because we have to have it at least once a year lol! happy eating!

Post Holiday pics of some Holiday food! Tamales And Chimichangas With Chefjulz's World Famous Rice!

Some Holiday Tamales!
just ask for recipe,
the secret is in the masa dough
which is easier than you think!

My New Ride!

My New 2007 Expedition! I know it's not Google friendly (environmental) but it actually fits everyone! for the first time ever! I love it and we have already gone camping up to Humbolt County Redwoods and it was awesome! still cookin with amazing ingredients and lovin it! love my crew too! peace late!

it's been awhile but I have been busy cooking!

So.. still living the dream of being able to plan menus, order product and cook the most amazing food ever! I make Wagyu Kobe style beef, eden naturals pork, rocky jr. chicken. every week! I only make organic veggies and maytag point reyes and laura chevre cheeses just to mention a few! OMG! I love my job I love my environment and I just bought a 2007 Ford Expedition! life is good for me right now... stay tuned! pics of yummy food soon to come.

Some Yummy Food recently made by chefJulz

A small fruit mirror I did for a intimate wedding in May 2006 

Grilled Loin of pork chop with apricot, golden raisen, proscuitto stuffing, roasted yukon potato rounds and butter and thyme glazed baby carrots in a rich pork and veal demi-glace! yum 

New and final blog... hopefully !

After 6+ years of blogging on various other sites..(names withheld purposely:) I have decided that blogger (which was my first blog btw...dont even remember the name of that one) is the best for tags and just searchability not to mention professionalism. I am adding clients to my personal chef and catering business weekly and decided to just keep it all here since food and cooking pretty much encompasses my entire life pretty much. Basically what to expect here: ALL of my cooking adventures paid and unpaid, pictures of yummy food and just rants in general. I also hope to have recipes and how-to's as well. I am a foodie for life-cooked since childhood CCA trained Chef. Food is my life and my life is food and cooking! so ......strap on your napkin, grab your fork and heeerre we goooo.!!!!!! Manga!
Food most recently eaten: a few ounces of Maggiore Cheddar Cheese and sparkling water.