There’s a scene in the beginning of the movie where’s Tiana’s friend Lotte asks her to make “Man-Catching” beignets for a ball that night that will be attended by Prince Naveen of Maldonia…

I could really go into detail here…but just go watch the movie.  It’ll be easier.

ANYWAY.  Tiana makes beignets. The kids see the beignets in the movie. The kids want beignets.  I try to make beignets and hope I don’t screw them up.

Thankfully, they came out great.

I’ve never had a beignet before, but they remind me of the zeppole my grandmother used to make.  Good stuff.

If you’re interested, this is the recipe I used.

We took the dangerous path.

Basically it was a dark passage where you’re led by a ninja to your table. At some point in the path he disappears, only to jump out and try to scare you further down. Once out of the passageway you’re led out to what looks like a street at night time. Japanese style “homes” line the street. I believe these are the private rooms. We were brought over a small bridge to the rock garden (public dining area) which was cozy, and pretty awesome looking.

Our ninja waiter proceeded to introduce himself, and let us know how things worked. After looking at an extensive Sake menu, we were given our regular menu to order from. Beatrice and I ended up sharing a fixed price meal, as did most of our party. The best thing about Ninja (aside from the atmosphere) is that some dishes are performance dishes. Dry ice, fire, etc… These dishes were laid out beautifully and presented with a hint of flair.

The food wasn’t half bad either!

While I enjoy the Japanese food at House of Yoshida better, the food at Ninja was definitely top notch, and a restaurant I’d really like to go to again.

I’ve wanted to go for a few years now, and am so totally excited that we’re finally getting the chance to do so. I’ll make sure to post pictures and about the food once we get back. Ninja castle dinner and family? Can’t get much better than that!

It’ll be interesting to see how other green teas mix with the cocoa.

1 pound orzO (rice-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, juices drained
1 1/4 cups whipping cream – can use light
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

What to do – Orzo

1. Bring a heavy large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat.
2. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat.
4. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas.
6. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat.
7. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency.
8. Season the orzo with salt and pepper

What to do – Seafood

1. Preheat oven 400
2. Place shrimp/scallops (or both) in large bowl
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper and garlic powder
4. Toss and spread out on sheet pan into single layer
5. Roast for 5-6 minutes – don’t overcook
6. Toss into finished Orzo

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons cold butter
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Chop butter into mixture with a pastry cutter or knead in with your fingers until you get a crumbly mixture. Add sugar and mix. Add milk and lemon extract and stir with a fork until dough forms.

Roll the dough out about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out 3 inch squares and transfer to a cookie sheet. Criss-cross each square from corner to corner with a knife. Bake for about 12 minutes or until set and lightly golden. Makes 10 to 12.

1 pound salmon fillet
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 oz soy sauce
garlic powder
salt
pepper

This recipe is real easy.

1. Preheat oven to 375f.
2. Grease bottom of baking pan.
3. Slice fillet into 4 pieces.  Lay them scales down in the pan.
4. Salt and pepper the top of the fillets.
5. Mix soy sauce, mustard, and garlic power in a bowl until you’ve made a good paste.
6. Brush fillets with mixture.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until you can flake the fish with a fork.

Very simple, very tasty.  You can even make more topping and heat it in the microwave for a bit if you want a little extra with your salmon

• 1 pound chopped pork
• Soy sauce
• Sake
• Brown sugar
• Scallions

What you’ll need for the wrappers:

• Wonton wrappers

or

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water

Now let’s get started!

First, mix in a splash of sake and soy sauce into the pork. Throw in a couple of pinches of brown sugar, then slice up some scallion green and toss in. Not too much, maybe just a few teaspoons. Mix this up well and let sit for 1 hour.

Once the meat is ready you can just fill some store bought wonton wrappers or make your own! To make you own simple combine 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water (adding a little of each until the dough is not too dry/sticky) and roll it out real thin. Fill each dumpling with about 1 teaspoon of meat.

Steam dumplings for 6 – 8 minutes and dip in your favorite sauce. You can also pan-fry or deep fry these. Better yet, boil some up in some chicken broth for 5 minutes for some excellent wonton soup! Garnish with scallions

Here comes the best part! You can freeze uncooked dumplings and save for later!