Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Guacamole!

It's summer out!  How lucky am I, my previous prayers were answered... I bet you are thinking, "Summer in March??"  That's right! Gotta love the Bay Area!

If you are in the mood to hold a get together due to this amazing weather, guacamole is always a great go to entertainment food to make.  It's easy, it's tasty, and it's cheap.  Although avocado season is typically in spring, many markets, especially big supermarkets, will have avocados available all year round.  Go buy your favorite type of tortilla chips and sit out in the sun with this great snack!
Guacamole

Ingredients
- 2 large ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup of red onion, finely minced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and finely minced
- juice of a lime
- juice of half an orange
- 1 tomato, juices disgarded and diced
- salt and pepper to taste

Steps
1. Carefully cut open the avocado by going around the seed and pry it open.  The seed will stay in one of the halves of the avocado.  The seed is slippery, so using your fingers will not help much.  Use a knife and gently hit the seed so that the seed clings to the knife, and then wiggle and remove seed.  You may need to try it a couple of more times to get the seed out.  This is the tricky part of the process.

2. Using a spoon, scoop out the avocado and into a mixing bowl.  Add red onions, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, and orange juice.  Mix well using a fork.  Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Prior to serving, add diced tomatoes.

Makes 2-3 cups.

A few tips...
...to find the best ripe avocado, ensure it is semi-soft to touch and the skin is darker than usual.  Green-skinned avocados are not ripe!  If the avocado is too soft, then that means it's much too ripe.
...save the avocado seeds to place in the guac.  This will allow the guac to stay in a pretty bright green color, instead of oxidizing and turning brown quickly.
...I do not recommend saving guac for the next day or so, because it will turn brown eventually as it continues to oxidize.  Eat it all (it will be hard not to)!!
...if you want some heat, save some jalapeño seeds and add to the mix.  Careful when working with jalapeño seeds.  The oil from the seeds can stay on your skin if not washed with soap.  If you rub any part of your body with oil-stained fingers, you may feel heat in places you don't want to feel!
 

Monday, March 28, 2011

Just Pictures: No Fish Consumed at Fish

A couple of months ago, we went to explore what the Bay Area has to offer.  We left early in the morning for the Ferry Building in SF, and took the ferry to Sausalito.  This day of out and about had it's ups and downs... it was fun exploring a new city, getting off our lazy bums to go out and actually work our legs, and of course, lunch!  However, after our amazing lunch, we walked out of the restaurant and into the cold, wind, and rain.  We left Sausalito many hours ahead of schedule, as we were not prepared for the rain that day.  A bit unfortunate, but hey, can't have them all...
 Portuguese Red Clam Chowder
Crab Roll (no joke... all crab, no fillers)
Grilled Calamari Mixed Greens Salad

Fish // Sausalito, CA

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Shrimp Kebabs (and wishing Summer was here already...)

I'm digging this recipe out of the archives.  Obviously, we made this during one of the nice and hot summer evenings last year, using our outdoor grill whenever we got the chance.  A super simple recipe and light meal, I remember eating and smiling at the same time this day.  It is also pretty darn healthy, since the ingredients only consists of shrimp and tons of veggies.  Next time there is a delightful warm day, give these kebabs a try!
Shrimp Kebabs

Ingredients
Kebab:
- 1 lb of medium-sized shrimp, washed, peeled (leaving only tail on), and deveined
- 1 red peppers, cubed
- 1 medium zucchini, cubed
- 1 box of cremini mushrooms
- 1/2 yellow onion, cubed
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil

Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 4 garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper

Tools
- soaked skewers (soaked for at least 1 hour)
- grill
- grilling basket (optional)

Steps
1. In a large bowl, toss all of the kebab items with a pinch of salt and pepper and olive oil.

2. Start assembling the kebabs using the pre-soaked skewers.  Line items in any desired order.  For example, first start with a shrimp --> red pepper --> cremini mushroom --> shrimp --> yellow onion --> zucchini --> shrimp.  Note: to secure the shrimp on the skewer, poke through the tail end and then the body of the shrimp.

3. Prepare the sauce by combining melted butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.

4. Pre-heat the grill (if you have a gas grill, turn the temperature to medium high).  If you have this tool, place the kebabs in a grilling basket for ease of grilling.  Once the grill is hot, place kebabs on the grill.  It should take about 10-15 minutes to cook.  Place a close eye on these while cooking... just in case!  When the kebabs are close to done, brush the kebabs with the prepared butter sauce.

Serves 2.
Two shrimp kebabs with a side of salsa-topped baked potato and a slice of lime. 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake

On certain days, you may crave a large and heavy chocolate-type dessert that will hurt your teeth with every bite, and at times you crave a light yet sweet and fulfilling item to satisfy that sweet tooth.  If you feel like the latter, the below dessert is for you.  With a few simple ingredients of apples, cinnamon, and buttermilk, you will end up with a deliciously fluffy and satisfying cake. This cake will not bring you "eater's remorse" if you end up inhaling two or three slices in one sitting!  Top it off with homemade whipped cream, it is the dessert to turn to when you just want to divulge in cake without feeling too guilty. 

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake
from Pinch My Salt

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Just Pictures: Thomas Keller for Cheap

Four-course meal, $49 per person... what a steal for a Thomas Keller meal (hey, that rhymes).  Thomas Keller is a renowned chef who owns this little restaurant you may have heard of... French Laundry!!  (And no, it's not a place that shows you how the French does laundry...)  Note: I checked the Ad Hoc restaurant website this morning and the prices went up! It's $52/person now...

This meal was actually the success of my resourceful husband, where his only task for our two year wedding anniversary weekend was to find a dinner place.  Both of us didn't know of this restaurant prior to his search on Yelp, but after seeing key words such as "Thomas Keller", "$49/person", "daily, fresh menu"... we were SOLD!  He called about two weeks before the weekend, and the restaurant said there was one last opening at 5:30 PM on a Saturday evening.  "Take it, TAKE IT!!" I shouted at him.  Quite lucky for him, I must say, as he redeemed himself to actually contributing to a planned weekend for once.  Although we enjoyed ths meal many many months ago, I wanted to share just because it was so damn good
Antipasto Platter
(assorted salumi, roasted cauliflower, tfl garden carrots, california asparagus gorgonzola and burrata cheeses, marinated olives, mushroom crostini)
Frankies Greens
(mixed baby lettuces, icicle radish, red & golden baby beets, cippolini onion vinaigrette)
 Pork Brasciola
(san marzano tomato sauce, potato gnocchi, roasted broccoli rabe)
Hazelnut Panna Cotta with cinnamon biscotti
Ad Hoc // Yountville, CA

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A New Segment: Battle of the Ramen Bowl

Trying out a new idea, I am going to occasionally feature a dish or entree item from two different restaurants, written in a small amount of words, for the ultimate battle - which one is better?  Disclamer: this is solely my own opinion, and may differ from yours.  Really, I recommend that you should try it out for yourself!

Santouka // San Jose, CA
Superb broth, traditional ramen noodles, comes in 3 different sizes,
optional small rice bowls to cleanse the palate
soy bean broth with chashu rice bowl and marinated egg

vs.

Ramen Dojo // San Mateo, CA 
Thick noodles, innovative toppings, bowl-licking type of broth
 pork garlic broth, mild spicy, with standard toppings (lettuce, chives, pork slices,
roasted garlic, quail egg, "chicken gravy")
This is a hard one...

Winner: Ramen Dojo!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Wontons, I Want A Ton!

On a rainy and cold day like this, I crave anything soup!  The past few days I have been consuming a lot of warm liquidy type of food, starting the past weekend with cheese fondue, to Mongolian hot pot, and then Japanese ramen.  This wonton recipe is a perfect "gloomy weather" comfort food when you just want to stay in on a lazy Sunday.  It's easy to make and quick to cook.  The only part you have to be patient with is the wonton-wrapping process.  If you can trick someone into helping you along during the wrapping process, if it's a loved one, friends, or capable kids, it can be turn into a fun activity!

Wontons (餛飩)

Ingredients
Wonton:
- 1 pound ground pork (or ground turkey for a healthier option, or a mix of both)
- ~10 medium sized shrimp, peel and ground
- 2 stalks scallion, finely minced
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 pound wonton wrappers, medium thickness (1 packet from Asian supermaket)
- 1/2 cup cold water

Soup:
- 3 cups of meat broth (pork, chicken, or beef - it's up to you!)
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced (Chinese celery is the best for this soup, so if you can get them, use about 2-3 stalks)
- salt to taste
- dash of white pepper (optional)

Tools
- food processor
- large pot for boiling
- large plates/trays for holding wrapped wontons

Steps
1. In a big bowl, mix together ground pork, ground shrimp (best to use a food processor), scalion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sugar, and sesame oil.

2. Bring the bowl of mixed wonton filling, wonton wrappers, and 1/2 cup of cold water, large plates, and a couple of small spoons to a large area (eg. dining table or large counter) for the wrapping process.  Follow the pictures and instructions below on how to wrap a wonton:


(a) Using the small spoon, scoop filling on the wonton wrapper.  Note - don't scoop too much, or else it will be difficult to close the wonton and it may break open during the cooking process.




(b) Using your finger, dip in the cold water and line all 4 sides of the wonton wrapper with water.  Fold the wonton in half to form a triangle.





(c) Roate the triangle so that the top corner is facing down.  Dab water on both corners of the wonton (left corner and right corner only).






(d) Push down the middle of the wonton with your finger and form a small crease.






(e) Stick the two corners together (that's why we dabbed water on those corners) to form a wonton!  Make sure to press hard to ensure the corners are sticking to each other.

3. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Once the water is boiling, drop in desired number of wontons to cook (per person, ranges around 6-8 wontons).  When the water comes to a boil again, add 1/2 cup of water to the pot.  Once the water comes to a boil again and the wontons are plump and floating on top of the boiling water, it is ready.

4. Bring the broth to a boil in another pot.  Once boiling, add in celery and cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Add salt to taste.

5. Place broth in a bowl and add the cooked wontons.  Add white pepper (optional).

Serves many.

A few tips...
...this recipe will make lots of wontons and it may not be possible to eat them all in one sitting, so you can freeze these for next time.  To freeze fresh wontons, stick them in the freezer individually (meaning that each wonton should have their own space and no wontons are touching each other).  I typically stick the plate I placed the wontons on in the freezer.  After the wontons are frozen, you can move them into a ziplock bag or container.
...when cooking frozen wontons, make sure you place wontons in boiling water.  When the water comes to a boil again, add 1/2 cup of water to the pot.  Do this for 2 more times to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.  When the wontons are plump and float to the top of boiling water, this means they are ready!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Whole Wheat Waffles

Just like a little kid, I had to immediately pry open and play with one of my new toys this year.  Waffles are such a great breakfast treat, and lately whenever I am not lazy on a weekend morning, I am always thinking of what kind of waffles to make for the day.  The first waffle (ever!) from the new waffle machine was the result below.  The waffle is topped with a new discovery from our road trip down the California coast a few months ago, olallieberry topping from Linn's in Cambria.  Via Wikipedia, olallieberry is a cross between a lot of different berries (in essence, blackberry, raspberry, and dewberry).  The end result? Completely satisfying!

Whole Wheat Waffles
from Alton Brown, Food Network


A few tips...
...ensure to preheat the waffle machine before pouring on the batter.  Then spray with Pam (or some type of non-sticking oil spray) on the hot pan.
...the amount of batter that is poured on the machine should cover about 3/4 of the surface area.  Remember, the batter will spread to the rest of the area when cooking.  If you pour too much, it will have no where to go and start dripping down the sides.  It will become a hot mess (literally).
...although the waffle machine has a light that tells you when your waffle is ready, make sure there is no more steam coming out of the machine before opening it. No steam = done!

Happy Brunch!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Hi 2011... and some of this year's Kitchen Goodies

I have been MIA lately... another pause in the blogging world as my life insanely vortexes around work, and what I should be doing every 9-5 on weekdays turns into every 8-5, and then 7-11, and sometimes also on weekends.  Although this website is a great escape from my every day work life, sometimes it's just too damn busy to escape! 

In addition, another reason for my lack of words is possibly due to an earlier experience with my teeth this year.  As a happy new year and happy birthday to myself, I took out all 4 of my wisdom teeth in early January.  While the experience of the tooth extraction itself was quite pleasant (more nitrous oxide gas and anesthesia, pu-lease!), the healing portion of this entire ordeal was quite excruciating and painful.  One of the most serious side effect of this surgery was the lost of enjoyment for eating, as each small, tiny bite of jello or KFC mashed potatoes did not taste as good as it used to.  And after a few weeks, when I can chew on much tastier and solid food, each bite came with a stingy reminder that someone had pried open my gums and took out 4 bigass teeth.  My jaw did not heal as fast as I had hoped, and having to open my mouth to stuff food in and then attempting to chew was just not fun anymore.  During this time, I could not bare to watch the Food Network or Travel Channel, or even read some of my favorite food blogs.  I was just too hungry and too unsatisfied to deal with anything about food.

It's almost the end of March, and lately I am getting some of my cooking groove back.  Work is starting to calm a bit down and I am fully healed.  And yes, I finally have a desire to update this blog!  Needless to say, I have a small backlog of recipes and experiences to share.

To start off, this past holiday season was great for me to grow as an amateur cook and blogger.  My family and friends know I am always looking for ways to jazz up food and the pictures I take, so I received mostly cook-and-food-related presents.  They know the way to my heart... :))

 Food plating options; handy machines and tools
Look at these pretty plates... colorful ones from Anthropologie (courtesy of sis Subs);
classic white ones, a must-have for every household, from Crate and Barrel (courtesy of EC)