The Ninja Baker - #American Family Insurance Back to the Table

Japanese Grilled Cheese & Kale Salad, #SundaySupper, #FamilyDinnerTable

NinjaBaker — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 02:42:44 +0000

This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own.

Before Commodore Perry of the US Naval Forces pressured Japan to give up on a 200 years plus isolation policy, which prohibited interaction with foreigners, the Tokugawa shogunate ruled with an iron fist. Peace did prevail for the most part and the arts flourished. (Theatre, poetry, lacquer ware and art.) Many prints from the Tokugawa period (also known as the Edo period) depict farmers harvesting rice, samurai visiting sake wine shops and kimono clad geisha girls serving tea.

Teatime! (Photo credit)

I’ve yet to see art from ancient Japan capturing the smile of a samurai as he munched on mozzarella. Cheese is not a part of traditional Japanese cuisine. However, as foreign ideas were introduced in the late 1860s, dairy made an entrance into Japanese culture.

Today Japanese versions of cheese exist. Some who travel to Japan may be disappointed by the lack of variety. Cooking with cheese can be challenge for newly arrived ex-pats and those accustomed to the huge selections available at American supermarkets. Creativity and thinking outside the box are essential. Of course, imported cheeses are always an option for those with big budgets. But it’s more fun to get creative, right?

Japanese cheese tends to be mild and does melt pretty well. Think mild Monterey Jack. Mac ‘n cheese, lasagna and homemade pizzas are completely do-able.

Local spices sold in Japan will quickly heat up any mild
Japanese cheese in your lasagna.

If desired, karashi mustard, shichimi spice blends and togarashi chili pepper spices can bring heat to the mild cheese. If you are living in the U.S. and want to add a bit of zing to your Monterey Jack, use paprika and red pepper flakes.

Whether one is living in Japan or in America, and life is demanding everyone to move at (Shinkansen) bullet train speed, if grated cheese is in the freezer, dinner can be done in minutes. So by all means grate leftover cheese and place it in the freezer for that frenetic meal on the run day.

One of my favorite quick meals on the go is a Japanese grilled cheese sandwich. In the middle of soft bread, melted sharp cheddar with slices of sautéed shiitake mushrooms are discovered. It’s the perfect food to take the edge off of hunger. Many vegetarians use Portobello mushrooms instead of meat. Shiitake have a similar texture and pleasing pungency.

An American classic grilled cheese with a Japanese shiitake mushroom twist.

Also, if you’ve got an extra minute, homemade cheese bread makes the grilled cheese even better. Substitute the milder cheese blend in the bread recipe with sharp cheddar if you want an extra, extra sharp cheddar flavored grilled cheese.

Goat cheese crumbles are sprinkled atop an au courant kale salad.
America's latest green obsession is dressed up with
Japanese daikon radish circles and enoki mushrooms.

Kale salad sprinkled with goat cheese and garnished with enoki mushrooms and daikon radish slices pair well with the sandwich. As kale and daikon are both vegetables with a bite, a creamy goddess or similar salad dressing with a sweetness works well.

Japanese Style Grilled Cheese on Homemade Cheese Bread

The aromas of baking bread fill a home with comfort and fill a tummy with homemade goodness. This cheese bread is subtle in its cheese accents. But you can always substitute a sharp cheddar for the milder varieties.

This cheese bread is a perfect candidate for the Japanese style grilled cheese. Butter sweetens the slightly pungent shiitake mushrooms which land on soft bread and cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

For the homemade cheese bread:
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
3 cups Japanese bread flour (top quality American flour is fine also)
¼ cup dry milk powder
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 ¼ cups warm water
1 ½ cups shredded organic mild cheeses (Monterey Jack, Colby cheese and mild cheddar cheese)

For the grilled cheese sandwich:

Softened butter
2 medium shiitake mushrooms, sliced into thin strips
2 sandwich size slices of extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 slices of homemade cheese bread or your favorite bakery bread

Directions:

For the homemade cheese bread:

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine. Give a quick whisk. Select the White Bread setting. Press Start and prepare to have your home infused with the comforting aromas of baking bread.

For the grilled cheese sandwich:

Melt a generous tablespoon of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the shiitake mushrooms for about a minute. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and pat dry with paper towels. Smooth softened butter over one side of each of the bread slices. Butter side down, place one slice in the pan. Arrange the cheese and mushrooms over the bread. Wait until the cheese begins to melt to cover with the remaining bread slice. Keep the buttered side up; flip the sandwich and grill for another minute. Serve with kale salad if desired.

If the brain is fried after a day of taking care of the children, managing a job, driving in traffic, doing the laundry, punching a million buttons before speaking to a human at customer service…And making a decision about what to make for dinner seems too monumental…You can always visit the American Family Insurance Pinterest board. They are not only in the business of providing insurance. The impressive company is encouraging families to go back to the family dinner table. So, they’ve set up a Pinterest board featuring all kinds of yummy recipes that look very do-able. Including delightful cheese dishes such as twice baked potatoes and cheeseburger pies. Click here to take a peek.

American Family Insurance also has some helpful info listed on their web site as well as Google+, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and as mentioned above Pinterest.

Here are a few more creative ways to use cheese and bring smiles to your family:

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Soup by Chocolate Moosey
Fettucine Pumpkin Cauli-fredo by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Cheeseburger Chowder by Magnolia Days
Three Cheese Lasagna with Meat Sauce by Webicurean
Japanese Grilled Cheese & Kale Salad by NinjaBaking.com
Cheesy Ham and Potato Bake by Country Girl in the Village
Spinach Feta Greek Impossible Pie by Shockingly Delicious
Cheesy Vegetarian Enchilada Soup by Curious Cuisiniere
Steakhouse Bacon Alfredo Pasta by Juanita's Cocina
3 Cheese Pumpkin Mac and Cheese by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Cheddar Popcorn Soup by MarocMama
Broccoli, Mushroom & Cheese Strata by Momma's Meals
Chili Relleno Casserole by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
French Onion and Apple Soup by Supper for a Steal
Cheesy Italian Sausage & Kale Quiche by girlichef
Lighter Stove-top Mac and Cheese by Alida's Kitchen
Cheddar Potato Dumpling Soup by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Prosciutto, Chevre & Radish Toasted Sandwich by Foxes Love Lemons
Cheesesteak Poutine by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Roasted Tomatoes and Broccoli Rabe Flatbread Pizza by Family Foodie

And don't forget, our eCookbook featuring many of our favorite recipes will be coming out just in time for the Holidays.

If this #SundaySupper discussion about dishes dripping with cheeses is appealing, please join us every Sunday on Twitter.

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.

Wishing you many moments around the family table where everyone smiles as the cameraman says, “Cheese!”

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Tags:

#American Family Insurance Back to the Table

Family Fave Lasagne, #SundaySupper, #FamilyDinnerTable

NinjaBaker — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 08:04:25 +0000

This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own.

Dinner in Tokyo was mostly fish, miso soup and rice. I never tired of the simple fare in my 17 years growing up in Japan. I was always excited, however, when birthdays and anniversaries rolled around. Celebrations meant cake and sloppy joes or lasagne. Like American TV in the ‘70s (dubbed into Japanese), the dishes made a rare appearance. So, lasagne dinners were treasured. The original recipe disappeared as family members made their way back to the US. But my sister, Karen, concocted an equally delicious lasagne in the States for family get-togethers. Her recipe has remained in my files for years. And I’m delighted to share this delectable how-to for today’s Childhood Favorites themed #SundaySupper at Twitter. (Scroll down for details.)

Melted mozzarella, sharp cheddar, parmesan and garlic herb spread
mingle with spinach and lasagna noodles.

Making the lasagne is always a pleasure. Yes, the spinach with mounds of mozzarella, cheddar on pasta noodles ensures a bite of bliss. But, the memories associated with this dish make me love it best. Due to the large size of lasagne it is perfect for large family get-togethers. (It’s seen a lot of parties!) I remember the dish on a foldout table in my sister’s home 30 plus years ago. My niece, Jasmine, was a toddler then with blonde curls. She knew how to charm her cousins. She still does. But she’s all grown up now. And Jasmine goes chasing after my great-nephew, Ethan, these days to make sure he doesn’t dive into the lasagne before the family meal blessing.

Another family fave shared through the generations - Disneyland!
The Ninja Baker and her Great-Nephew in the Magic Kingdom.

So that Jasmine can relax a little bit, we’ve taken turns devising games for my great-nephew. At our last get-together, as my sister and niece proceeded with the meal, Ethan and I pretend baked the tastiest cupcakes in the whole wide world! We whisked tiny amounts of flour and swirled sprinkles into muffin tins.

Other family party suggestions:
*Assign each person a dish (or drink.) Everyone gets to feel like they have contributed.
*Make sure all ingredients are readily available in the kitchen where you are cooking.
*Offer to reimburse for ingredients you did not bring. (Respect and good manners count in any kind of relationship.)
*Bring multiple measuring cups, knives, pans and necessary tools so no one has to wait to make their dish and hold up the feast.

So here’s the family fave lasagne from the Ninja Baker.

The Ninja Baker's Family Fave Lasagne

Cheeses of any sort work well in this lasagne. Ricotta is very nice. Skip cottage cheese though. (It tends to make the dish watery.)

This lasagne was tailored to the vegetarian tastes in our family. A bit of cooked sausage would work nicely if you crave meat.

Ingredients:

1 package of oven ready lasagna noodles
2 jars of 24-ounce tomato, garlic, onion sauce
10-ounce package of frozen spinach
6½-ounce garlic herb spread cheese
1½ - 2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1½ - 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ - 1 cup of Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 13” x 9” casserole pan with butter-flavored spray.

Cook spinach per package instructions. Drain. Pat dry with paper towels.

Pour 1½ cups of garlic, onion, tomato sauce into the prepared pan.

Arrange 3 oven ready lasagna noodles over the sauce.
Slather 1 cup of sauce over the noodles.
Drop spoonfuls of spinach over sauced noodles.
Dot the spinach with the garlic herb cheese spread.
Sprinkle in mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
Repeat the above process until the pan is full.
Top with Parmesan.
Tent the casserole pan with aluminum foil.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes.

Tip: To avoid messy clean ups and smoking ovens, place the casserole pan on a cookie sheet.

Do you have a family favorite? Check out all the prizes you can win by contributing your recipe to the American Family Insurance Back to the Table campaign.

American Family Insurance is having a “Share Your Recipe” sweepstakes for 6 weeks with a weekly prize is a $100 Williams-Sonoma gift card plus a grand prize of a $500 Williams-Sonoma gift card. For details visit: https://contests.amfam.com/familydinnertable/

Further information about the good people at American Family Insurance can be found on their website. As well as LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Here are a few more childhood favorites from the SundaySupper family:

Asian Short Rib Tacos with Pineapple & Crunchy Slaw by Foxes Loves Lemons
Barbecue Chicken Pizza by In The Kitchen With KP
Beef & Potato Skillet Supper by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Braised Pork Chops and Sauerkraut by kimchi MOM
Chicken a la King by Juanita's Cocina
Chicken and Dumplings by Country Girl In The Village
Chicken Crescent Squares by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Family Fave Lasagne by NinjaBaking.com
Gluten Free Peppered Steak by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
Greek Meatballs (Soutzoukakia) by Supper For A Steal
Green Chile Chicken Tortilla Casserole by girlichef
Hungarian Goulash by The Foodie Army Wife
Linguine with fresh Tomatoes and Basil by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Meatloaf by Magnolia Days
Peixe Asado no Forno | Fish Baked in the Oven by Family Foodie
Pierogies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Sour Cream Coffee Cake by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Straw and Hay Pasta by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Swiss Steak by Curious Cuisiniere
Veggie Mac and Cheese by Hip Foodie Mom

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.

Wishing you feasts of fun and catch-up conversations with your family.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Tags:

#SundaySupper

#American Family Insurance Back to the Table

#Vegetarian Lasagne Recipe