Peek-a-boo Fall Flavor Cake

It's hard to tell in Southern California
That Summer's fled and Autumn's moved in
But hints lie tucked between evergreens
Liquid Amber's vermillion glow
Gingko's lazer yellow
And hidden berries of the toyon and cotoneaster
Make a crimson appearance
Peek-a-boo
I spy Autumn
And the spirits of Halloween
Wandering through the city

Do you ?

In Southern California Fall does not hit you with loads of color, but there are hints of autumn if you know where to look.  This fall, Chef Azuki and I have been enjoying a little pumpkin spice creamer in our coffee.  We love the flavor and so Chef Azuki came up with this dessert recipe by adding this creamer to cake mix.  The cake is delicious and just hints at fall's mystery.  It's not an in your face, only for pumpkin lovers cake, but a rather subtle spiced cake that gently reminds you fall is here; just like the Southern California landscape.

Peek-a-boo Fall Flavor Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 1/2 C Pumpkin Spice Creamer
3 eggs
Cool Whip
Candy Pumpkins or candy corn

Beat together the cake mix, creamer and eggs for two minutes. Pour into a 13" x 9" pan.   Follow the cooking directions on the box.  Let it cool.  Then serve with a dollop of cool whip and top with a candy pumpkin or candy corn.  The pumpkin flavor just peeks out at you for a fun dessert.

Halloween parties may be up and running starting this Friday and next Wednesday is already Halloween.  Do you have your costume?  Do you have a dessert to take to your Halloween event?  Well if you're in a pinch for a dessert, try this recipe.  You can cut the cake into 2" squares and put it in decorative cupcake baking cups and  top with cool whip and candy. The Halloween spirit is hiding in Southern California.  Have fun with your friends and family while playing peek-a-boo...look around Southern California for hints of fall and spooky spirits!

One Chop, Two Salads

Because Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, you may have double the holiday parties.  Halloween parties may fall on either October 26-28 weekend or November 2-4 weekend.  It’s going to be busy!  What to do if you get two sudden invites to Halloween Potlucks on the same day?  Try these beautiful “magical” salad dishes created by our own Chef Azuki. We can chop all the vegetables in one sitting and end up with two beautiful salads. Yummy!  Autumn colors, delicious flavors and the sense of fun lifts the spirits of even the grumpiest gremlins.  It’s great for a quick bite before heading out to a haunted house or ghost walk.  Abracadabra, and like magic you have two salads ready for today and tonight. 

Autumn Colors Bow Tie Salad

1 lb. box farfalle (bow tie) pasta

24 slices of Italian Salami cut into thin strips

4 oz. of cheddar cheese cut into cubes

½ red, orange and yellow bell peppers diced

1 C of grape tomatoes cut in half

3 Tbsp. capers

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ C Italian Dressing

*Optional – 1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise.  This allows the pasta to hold its flavor

        longer.  Otherwise, you may need to add more dressing before serving.

Directions:

1.     Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.

2.     Cool pasta

3.     Cut the salami, cheese, peppers and tomatoes

4.     Put pasta in large bowl

5.     Add the sliced salami, cheese, peppers and tomatoes

6.     Sprinkle on the capers, oregano, salt, and pepper

7.     Toss with dressing

Quinoa Confetti Salad

            1 C of dry Quinoa

½ red, yellow and orange bell pepper chopped

½ C grape tomatoes sliced in half

2 tsp. capers

1 sprig of basil sliced thinly into ribbons

½ tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup of Italian Dressing

Directions

1.     Prepare Quinoa as directed on the box

2.     Put in large bowl to cool

3.     Add the peppers, tomatoes, capers and basil.

4.     Season with oregano, salt and pepper.

5.     Toss with Italian Dressing

You can chop all vegetables at once and use them for both salads. Your potluck salads are ready so you can get out there and enjoy the magic that is all around us!

Treasure Hunt Noodles

     The Azuki BeaN Mamas search to find MAGIC while cooking!  Today we're planning a meal that is beautiful, nutritious and fun!  It's called

Treasure Hunt Noodles

with Roots, Fruits, Stems, Leaves, and Flowers

1/4 C water
1 crown of broccoli (broken into small pieces)
1 carrot  (thin circles)
1-2 stalks of celery (cut at a diagonal)
1/2 red bell pepper (cut vertically)
1-2 stalks of green onion (1 inch rods)
3 cups fresh spinach leaves only
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups cooked noodles (chuka soba or buckwheat noodles work well)
2 T Memmi (Japanese Noodle Soup Base - looks like soy sauce)
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Start with a 1/4 C of water in a hot fry pan
Add broccoli, carrots, celery, bell pepper and garlic powder in pan.
Cover and steam for 3-5 minutes.
Add spinach, mushrooms, green onions, and noodles and gently stir.
Add Memmi and sesame oil.  Heat for 2 minutes or until heated through, gently stirring and soon it's ready to serve.

     This is a beautiful dish with shapes and colors.  It can be served with rice as a meal or as a side dish to chicken.  Garnish with edible flowers if you have them. We used zucchini flowers from the garden.

     Now for the fun part!  This dish is filled with different plant parts and one ingredient that is not in the Kingdom Plantae at all.  As a fun activity you can have the kiddies (Little BeaNs) search for Roots, Stems, Flowers, Fruits and Leaves in the Noodles.  You can also have them find the one ingredient that is not from the Plant Kingdom.  Then they need to try them all!

Answer Key:
Plant                            Part of the Plant
Carrots                            Roots
Celery                             Stems
Broccoli                          Flower
Bell Pepper                     Fruit (to a scientist--remember anything with seeds inside is a fruit)
Spinach                           Leaves
Green onion                    Leaves

Noodles are made from plants - Wheat, buckwheat or rice
Mushrooms are NOT in the Plant Kingdom but are actually Fungi.

     The different shapes we created make it fun to look for the treasures.  You can try your own and if you have older kiddies that help in the kitchen they can see what shapes they can create.  Hopefully by playing the treasure hunt game they will want to try all the roots, fruits, stems, leaves and flowers in the dish. A quick, easy, beautiful meal with a treasure hunt game...and maybe, just maybe, the little BeaNs eating all their vegetables and a Fungus ...this would be Truly Magical!!!!!!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Ribs

          Happy October!  The harvest moon brought the feeling of autumn in and now October made it's entrance. Well what does October mean to parents?  Yikes, after school activities are in full force as school leaps into high gear, my kids need poster boards for projects, after school snacks, and the mountain of laundry just keeps piling up.  To top it off, Back to School night is tonight!  AND I HAVE TO MAKE DINNER?  But it's fall now, so I don't want to throw together a cold sandwich/salad combo.  I want a hearty, warm meal that gives me the homey feeling of family.  What to do?  Help me Chef Azuki!

Crock-Pot Hawaiian Ribs

to the Rescue!

3 lbs of ribs
1 cup of teriyaki sauce**
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:  Put the ribs in the crock-pot.  In a mixing bowl, stir teriyaki sauce, crushed pineapple and garlic powder together.  Then pour over the ribs.  Set the crock pot on low and let it go.  Come back in 6-7 hours and the ribs will be tender and delicious!

**For the teriyaki sauce, you can use your favorite bottled sauce or use equal parts soy sauce and sugar and make your own.

          Yummy, I'm going to try it tonight!  I will plate the ribs with a serving of rice and steamed broccoli.  Thank you Chef Azuki for creating an easy recipe for a hectic day!

Pumpkin Miso Soup

     We are Chef Azuki and Blogger BeaN, two Japanese American moms.  We will take you through the year with recipes from our hearts.  The spirit of the seasons will be our guide on a a quest to use local produce in wonderful new recipes.  Our goal is to create unique flavors that blend memories from our childhood with the spirit that moves us.  But most importantly, we want to create delicious healthy meals that our kids and husbands will love.  So come and join us this year as we share recipes and look for the magic in every season.
     This Saturday, the harvest moon rises.  It's the moon that looks so large since it rises as the sun sets.  It tugs at our hearts and encourages us to harvest our summer bounty.  This is the same moon that our ancestors, the farmers and fishermen, were looking at.  The big moon smiles down at us, as we pull up the last of the zucchini and make a recipe that tastes of fall, mixed with a little Japanese flair.

Chef Azuki's *JA3G Soup
Pumkin Miso Soup

14.5 oz. can of Chicken Broth
15 oz. can of pumpkin
1 C water
2 Tbsp White Miso
1/8-1/4  tsp pepper
2 potatoes diced
8 peeled baby carrots or 1 large carrot diced
1 medium zucchini diced

Directions:
Get out your soup pot and mix Chicken Broth, pumpkin, water, and pepper together.  When the soup begins to boil, add the white miso paste.  Stir it in until it melts completely.  Add the diced vegetables and return to boiling.  Cover and lower heat to a simmer until the vegetable are tender.

     Now it is time to savor your Pumpkin Miso Soup brimming with autumn's magic and enjoy the sunset and the moonrise.  It's great on it's own or have it as a compliment to some broiled fish, rice and light cabbage coleslaw.

     Thank you for this wonderful soup, thank you for our ancestors, thank you to the farmers and fishermen, thank you to the earth and...
                        **"Itadakimasu" - "I humbly receive this wonderful food," now let's eat!

*JA3G stands for Japanese American 3rd generation
**Itadakimasu - A Japanese word that is said before meals to express gratitude for the meal

Azuki Power Bean Salad

Last Days of Summer

As summer

sends it's last sizzle 

before fading from view,

Autumn grabs colors

and spreads its wings

towards you

     This Saturday, September 22, we are officially into fall.  Re-energize for back to school, back to the gym, back to the office, or even back to the golf course with Azuki Power Bean salad.  

Azuki  Power Bean Salad 

(taken from our book, Queen BeaN's A-Z Guide to Her Queendom)

1/4 C rice vinegar

1/4 C oil

1/4 C soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

2 T sugar

1/4 tsp pepper

1 bag spinach

1/2 C azuki bean (cooked, or your favorite canned cooked beans)

1 cooked breast of chicken shredded

2 stalks of green onion

Carrots shredded to garnish

     Prepare dressing by shaking together the first 6 ingredients.  Then layer the next four and gently toss with dressing.  Shred carrots over the top to make it look pretty.  

     This week, pack up the Azuki Power Bean Salad and head out to the beach or the park for one last fling with summer.  Then, keep your eyes open for autumn's magic!

I'm Starving Now Pizza

Good Morning Busy Parents!

     We are the Azuki BeaN Mamas, two moms trying to balance our lives with busy husbands, energetic kids and of course the family dog.  Sometimes with all the chaos, we wish someone would just tell us what to cook for dinner.   So we decided to start a food blog where parents can come once a week and pick up a recipe or at least stir their imagination so they can come up with their own fantastic meal plan. 

     Little BeaN, one of our sons, created this recipe when he needed an afternoon snack…NOW!

Little BeaN’s “I’M STARVING NOW!” Pizza

Ingredients:

1.     Lavash Bread (Flat Bread)

2.    Your favorite bottled pasta sauce

3.     Salami

4.     Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese or shredded Mozzarella Cheese

5.     Small pieces of left over cooked broccoli

6.     Olive Oil

7.     Dried Rosemary

Directions:

1.     Cut the Lavash Bread in half if using a small toaster oven

2.     Put bread on a piece of aluminum foil

3.     Put a small amount of sauce on the bread

4.     Sprinkle on cheese

5.     Lay down some broccoli pieces

6.     Drop on 8 salami slices

7.     Brush edges with olive oil

8.     Sprinkle some dried rosemary on the edges

9.     Put this delicious creation carefully in the toaster oven at 350 degrees

10. Leave in for 2-5 minutes or until cheese melts

11.  Notice the delicious aroma

12. Carefully remove from the oven, plate your pizza

13. “Ta-Da!”  Then like magic Little BeaN is chomping down his brain food as he’s thinking about starting that homework after he washes his dish!

     Doesn’t always work that easily but what the heck, we can always dream.

     Feel free to tweak out the recipe with whatever is in your refrigerator or pantry.  You and your little BeaNs are the ones that create the flavors you love!

     Have a terrific week.  See you next week with Recipe #2!