. a good eye .

Smoque BBQ

2011-05-14T12:34:00.003-05:00

Among a handful of Chicago BBQ restaurants, Smoque stands its ground as one of the city's favorites.

The hubby and I finally tried it for lunch last weekend and were excited to see what the hype was about. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Smoque is a very down-to-earth BBQ joint reminiscent of those you'd find in North Carolina.

You wait in line to order, give your number to the guys manning the tables, wait for your order, and those guys find a table for you. We got there with the lunch rush on a Saturday afternoon so I was afraid that we'd be standing with our food, waiting for them to find a table for us, but tables turn quite quickly and we were seated before our food was called.

The hubby ordered the sliced brisket platter with mac n cheese and cornbread. I got the pulled pork with bbq beans and mac n cheese. Both
orders also came with coleslaw.
My pulled pork was so good! Moist pork with crispy edges and skin, with a side of bbq dipping sauce (sweet and tangy). The hubby's sliced brisket was delicious and clearly a favorite as most tables had at least one order of it.
The mac n cheese were served in little foil cups and had a breadcrumb topping that added some contrasting texture to the creamy, cheesy mac underneath. The cornbread was good, nothing spectacular. The bbq beans though - those were spectacular. Served hot, with chunks of beef, a good amount of spice and tang. I loved it.
The slaw was simple, vinegary, and nicely cut through the rich, sweet, spicy bbq sauce and beans.

Pulled pork -- Beans -- Bite of Mac n Cheese -- slaw -- sip of Sweet Tea -- Repeat.

We left with full tummies and happy hearts. We'll definitely be back to try other menu items, namely, the St. Louis ribs!

cPe 2011

5411 Empanadas

2011-05-14T12:27:00.003-05:00

Getting hot empanadas for lunch, from a truck, could be the best thing that ever happened to workers in the Loop.

I finally got to try 5411 Empanadas a week or so ago, and walked to their stop at Sears Tower in the cold and rain. The line was longggg, and we waited about 15-20mins. I already knew what I wanted - my fave empanadas are the jamon con queso, and I ordered 6 of them (2 for lunch, 4 for pregaming snacks later that day). I also got 1 caramelized onion and 1 spinach/cheese. As my order was almost complete, I saw out of the corner of my eye, that they also have chimichurri. If you've never had chimichurri, please google it now, then make it at home with ingredients you are likely to have in your fridge as I type this. It is one of THE best marinades/dipping sauces ever known.

The pastry shell of the empanada is good. Hot, flaky, buttery. The ham was slightly on the salty side for me, but mellowed out with the cheese. Dip it into the chimichurri and it is one of the best bites.
The veggie options were equally as delicious and I'd gladly have them over the ham/cheese ... Ok, just kidding. But I will have them WITH the ham/cheese again.

The guys on the truck were friendly. You can use cash or card, which is awesome. It's a lovely addition to the Chicago lunch food truck scene!

Follow them for their locations: @5411Empanadas

cPe 2011

Caffe RoM

2011-05-14T12:16:00.004-05:00

Caffe RoM, located inside the Hyatt Center in Chicago, could be the best coffee shop in the city. I definitely prefer and love European cafes, with my other favorite being Julius Meinl. In the downtown Loop, however, there is no better spot for an afternoon pick-me-up than Caffe RoM.

When that 2:30pm afternoon lull kicks in, my sister and I usually make a quick stop at Caffe RoM for the best caramel lattes we've had, and share a Pear Tart as a sweet treat.

The service is lovely, and everyone is friendly. The place itself is very European in style, which I love, and very inviting. If you work downtown, or are just in the area, I would definitely recommend Caffe RoM.

Caffe RoM Hyatt Center

W Monroe St & S Franklin St

Chicago, IL 60606

cPe 2011

Fettucine with Sausage & Spinach Cream Sauce

2011-05-14T11:59:00.003-05:00

I frequently crave creamy pasta dishes and my usual go-to is Carbonara. This time, however, I wanted to add meat (not just bacon), and had a pack of Hot Italian Sausage in the fridge that needed to be used.

I checked what other ingredients I had on hand, and after a quick google check to confirm that my recipe idea wasn't completely weird, I found what I wanted to cook.

Fettucine with Sausage & Spinach Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 box of fettucine (or whatever pasta you have in your pantry)

2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

1/2 onion, finely minced

1 pack of Italian Sausage (Hot or Mild)

1/2 cup of heavy cream

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

Salt/Pepper to taste

Steps

1. Get the fettucine cooking in salty, boiling water

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions; saute until softened and browned

3. Add the sausage to the pan and cook through

4. Add the cream and spinach and allow to combine

5. Season the sauce with salt/pepper

6. Once the fettucine is al dente, add it straight into the pan with the sauce, along with about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, and toss to coat the pasta with sauce

That's it! This recipe is so easy and the result looks, tastes and feels quite gourmet.

cPe 2011

Taro Rice Pudding

2011-05-14T11:49:00.005-05:00

One of the best desserts ever: Taro Rice Pudding (special) from Sunda

cPe 2011

Sinigang na Hipon

2011-05-14T11:27:00.004-05:00

With a Filipino husband, I've had to learn to cook a few of his favorite dishes. Filipino cuisine intimidates me in a bit, mainly because I'm not too familiar with the flavor combinations and basic techniques used. That being said, I have succeeded at making a very good Adobo (if I do say so myself), and Afritada.

Sinigang is definitely in the Top 3 for the hubby, and while it seemed so simple, I was convinced that it must be more difficult once you get started.

Well, thanks to a little packet of soup base (don't judge...), making Sinigang became one of the easiest and satisfying dishes ever. In doing our grocery shopping a few days earlier, we got a few veggies that I had never used before. Gabi, sitaw... in English, that's Taro root and long beans. What makes Sinigang so tart and uniquely flavored is the tamarind base along with the flavor of the veggies as it cooks.

I chose to make Sinigang na Hipon, or Shrimp Sinigang.

Note: Unless you're seriously afraid of eating head-on shrimp, you should really use it because it adds so much flavor to the soup stock.

This is probably a short-cut version of the recipe, but it's as delicious as any Sinigang I've had.

Sinigang na Hipon

Ingredients

Pack of Shrimp, head-on

Packet of Knorr Tamarind soup base

3 Tomatoes, cut into cubes

2 Taro Root, cut into 1" cubes

2 cups of Long Beans, cut in half

Handful of fresh Spinach, cut into strips

6 cups of water

Scallions, finely chopped (for garnish, optional)

Steps

1. Wash and prep all the veggies so they're ready to go

2. Add the water into a large pot and boil

3. Add the soup base and tomatoes and allow to combine; simmer

4. Add the taro and cook for about 5mins

5. Add the Shrimp and remaining veggies

6. Simmer the soup until the shrimp are cooked

7. Serve hot and add some scallions as garnished

The soup tastes better the longer it simmers, so don't be afraid to leave the pot on very low as you come back for another ladle every so often.

cPe 2011

Sweet like honey

2011-05-14T11:04:00.003-05:00

I have a huge sweet tooth that encompasses most things I eat and drink. I'll choose dessert over salty snacks any day, and I'll choose sweet, fruity cocktails over simple, tart drinks. My shots of choice are Patron XO and B52 - both sweet and delicious.

When our friends in WI told us about a new liqueur they'd recently found, we were excited to give it a try during our next visit. It's a honey liqueur named Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur.

The bottle even looks like a bottle of honey would, and the liqueur itself... oh, the liqueur. It is 35% alcohol and you can tell!

While it's quite strong, it warms your body as it goes down, and what's left, is a seriously delicious honey taste. It's like honey on your lips!

It can be enjoyed on its own, or added to cocktails. The website has a 14 cocktail recipes and you could find a lot more with a general google search.

cPe 2011

Pita Crave

2010-07-17T17:32:00.002-05:00

Pita Crave is fairly new in the area, and is about a mile from my place. That being said, it is an easy dinner-saver or lazy-saver. :)

We started getting their combo platter at first, but realized that we really just love the shwarma. Now we get the shwarma platter.

Their meats are delicious and flavorful. The falafel are crispy on the outside, perfectly almost creamy on the inside. The rice... oh the rice. It's so buttery and nutty, I could eat plates of it.

They also have a little "sides" bar if you like pickled veggies. They have pickled beets that are a delicious crunchy addition to your meal.

If you want lebanese sweets, they have little sweets packages (from a bakery in the city) filled with various kinds of baklava and cookies.

I will say, a negative point, goes to the pita they have. They're dry and paper-like. Thank god they have delicious rice, so I don't even take their pitas anymore!

Grill 59

19 S Sutton Rd

Streamwood, IL 60107

cPe 2010

2010-07-17T17:21:00.004-05:00

Thank you IKEA.

$5.99

IKEA Schaumburg

1800 E McConnor Parkway

Schaumburg, IL 60173

cPe 2010

Replicating Xoco's Breakfast Torta

2010-07-17T17:01:00.005-05:00

If you don't already know from my constant ramblings about this, I love Rick Bayless... yes, him, but mostly his food. In my personal blog, I talked about my love affair with his newest restaurant, Xoco. (see post)

The hubby and I have been a few times now, but one of my favorite things on the menu is abreakfast item - the open-faced torta.

It's a half torta roll, slathered in a spicy tomato broth, a poached egg on top and a few toppings like green onions, etc. I thought... how hard could it be to replicate this at home? Turns out it wasn't so hard, even if the overall flavor was my version of Rick Bayless'.

Tomato broth ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

1 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon smoked paprika*

1 teaspoon adobo spice mix

1 teaspoon chili powder

salt/pepper to taste

* spice amounts can be increased or omitted, but we liked it spicy.

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and saute the onions until translucent

2. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste, stirring to combine

3. Add the ketchup and spices; lower heat to medium and simmer

4. Season with salt/pepper to taste

Assembling the Torta:

1. Turn your oven broiler to low and toast your torta halves (or use a plain toaster)

2. Once toasted, pour some of the broth onto the roll and allow it to soak in a bit.

3. Add a poached egg on top of this and pour a little bit more sauce.

4. Garnish with whatever you have available - we used thinly sliced green onions, slices of spicy chihuahua cheese and avocado slices.

I guarantee that once you try this easy recipe, you'll add it to your brunch repertoire as well.

Buen provecho!

cPe 2008

Fancy Bread Pudding

2010-07-17T16:45:00.005-05:00

Does the title sound healthy enough for you? :-p

Bread pudding is a dessert that I will forever love. I grew up with my Mom, Aunts and Grandma's constantly whipping up some bread pudding for a quick dessert and sugar fix. It is definitely a budget-friendly dessert as well, and if you're like me... you can have it as a breakfast treat as well ;-)

The traditional way my Mom used to make this pudding is by using slices of bread, buttering each slice, and spreading apricot jam onto each slice, then cutting it up into cubes. Add the same custard mixture (recipe below) on top and add raisins (if you like them). It's still my favorite way to make bread pudding.

However, as more ingredients become available and our palates evolve little by little, we've added various things into our basic bread pudding - everything from different fruits to nutella (nutella makes everything better), but I had never tried marshmallows in mine and thought I'd give it a try. The result was absolutely delicious and a recipe I'm glad to share with all of you because I know you'll love it too.

Basic Bread Pudding Ingredients:

1 loaf of italian bread, slices then cut into 1" cubes (you can use regular white bread too, but i like the texture italian bread gives)

2 tablespoons of melted butter

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups of milk

3/4 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

pinch of nutmeg

My additions to this recipe:

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

1/2 cup of mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350C

2. In a casserole dish, spread out the bread cubes and drizzle the melted butter over it, then sprinkle your (optional) additions and mix to even out.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients

4. Pour the custard mixture over the pudding, making sure to get to all pieces of bread.

5. Bake for approx 30mins, or until a quick inserted knife comes out clean.

Traditionally, we have warm custard with our pudding, but you can add a dollop of fresh whipped cream or ice-cream. Enjoy!

cPe 2010

Tomato Bisque

2010-07-17T16:18:00.004-05:00

Sometimes our bodies crave comfort foods, and this Tomato Bisque is certainly one that my body craves. Not only is it one of the easiest recipes I've ever tried, but even paired with a delicious bacon/cheese panini, the bisque tastes so luxurious that it becomes the main star of the meal.

Ingredients:

2tbs butter

1/2 sweet onion, minced

1 large can of peeled, tomato (halves, whole, doesn't matter)

1 cup of veg broth

1/2 cup of cream

1/2 ts nutmet

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a pot and saute the onions until translucent

2. Add in the can of tomatos and let it boil for a half a minute or so

3. Add the cup (or more) of veg broth and turn the heat down to medium

4. Let this simmer, while breaking up the tomatoes*

5. Using a handheld blender, blend this mixture until smooth

6. Turn it down to low heat and slowly add the cream and nutmeg

7. Taste and season with salt/pepper

*if you want it SUPER easy/fast, use marinara sauce or tomato soup itself

That's it! This made about 4-6 small soup bowl servings, which is a great way to prepare lunch for the work week or to entertain a dinner party!

cPe 2010

momofuku love

2010-05-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

I’m a little late on the train, but the Momofuku empire has had a huge following for years. The brilliant chef, David Chang, started the Momofuku brand in 2003 with the ‘Momofuku Noodle Bar’ in the East Village of Manhattan. Since then, he’s added Momofuku Ssäm Bar (2006), Momofuku Ko (early 2008) and Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar (late 2008). Then in 2009 he released a cookbook that became an instant must-have.

Over those years, he has managed to create menus at each respective establishment that reflect his culinary background and viewpoint: simple dishes delivering profound flavors.

I’ve read about the chef and his brand from many different sources - New York Times, The New Yorker, and of course hundreds of blogs. I’ve wanted to try his recipes, and of course eat his food.

While I have yet to be brave enough to try his fried chicken recipe that I constantly google search, I did get to try his food.

During the last weekend in August ’09, my sister, 2 girlfriends and I had a food-filled weekend in Manhattan. We had a few places on our list to try, and while I had Momofuku in the back of my mind, I didn’t think we’d actually get a table. Low and behold, we gave it a shot and walked over to Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village late that Saturday afternoon for a “snack”. We managed to snack a 4-top at the bar-styled seating. We were tired from walking and shopping, but definitely excited for our surprise snack. Our “snack” consisted of 4 glasses of soju slushies (we tried each flavor available), the fluke appetizer, pork belly steamed buns, and a bowl of ramen.

The soju slushies were a refreshing and had good flavor combinations. We all loved the watermelon one though, so it was the first one finished, and is also the only one I can accurately remember.

The fluke appetizer was delicious, light and showed the true quality of the fish itself. We liked the little rice puffs that added texture to the otherwise melt-in-your-mouth fluke.

I’ll leave the pork belly steamed buns for last and skip onto the ramen. Well, it was good. Maybe it would’ve been great if it were hotter? Either way though, the broth was rich and the noodles were cooked perfectly. It was still a comforting bowl of ramen and while there’s nothing I can say I would add, it didn’t hit me as spectacular.

HOWEVER.

If we want to talk about spectacular, let’s talk about those pork belly steamed buns.

They were heavenly. The buns were steamed perfectly - not chewy, not too soft. The pork belly was like pork butter. You laugh, but I’m serious. It melted like butter and left this delicious pork glaze almost. The cucumbers added a nice crunch, and the scallions added a nice bite. The accompanying sauce wasn’t overpowering and really just accenting the bun as a whole.

Personally, when I tasted that pork bun, it was as if I found a new taste bud. As a matter of fact, it really was something like I’d never tasted before. We barely had words to say to each other to explain how much we loved that little appetizer!

It was a flavor-epiphany.

So, I will say that even though I have only tried the tip of the iceberg of Chang’s offerings, I am now a huge fan.

Maybe I’ll try out his recipes sometime… or more likely, I’ll go back to his restaurants and try as much as I can.cPe 2008

refresh

2010-05-05T08:13:00.003-05:00

wow, i had abandoned this blog. i started a new one but forgot about writing about my own food. i still peruse other food bloggers sites, and constantly read the dining section of the nytimes... but i guess i got lazy.

well, that laziness came to an end yesterday, when i received an email from foodbuzz letting me know that due to me "inactive" status, i would have to be dropped as a featured publisher. nooooooo... i wrote back saying that if i could renew that membership, i would certainly jump back on the food blogging train! thankfully, they agreed. :)

so here we are, over a year later... missed my second blog anniversary... but ready to start again. i have tons of photos of food i've made since then, and will begin posting this week. am i excited? yes. just as i was when i first started.

cPe 2008

1 year!

2009-02-20T08:46:00.000-06:00

happy blog anniversary

to me

it's been one year since my first blog post stating my intention of writing about and photographing my adventures in the kitchen. since then, i've posted as often as i can... and since october 08, my life has been so busy and the days just fly by. it's been difficult to keep up with blogging, but i certainly haven't slowed down the eating and cooking part! hehe. my goal this next year is to keep up with posting at least once a week, improving my photographs and experimenting with new cuisines and ingredients.
thanks to all for the comments over the past year! i love reading all of your blogs and sharing recipes!

cPe 2008

farmerie 58

2009-02-16T12:55:00.008-06:00

farmerie 58 is a new-ish restaurant just off the mag mile in chicago. e and i visited the restaurant during it's first week back in october (or what seemed to be its first day!) and it was sooo quiet. we actually didn't know it was open, and were caught staring at the menu in the window by the host of the place. he explained a bit about the nature of the restaurant, and also let us know that their sushi chef/creator was in the kitchen that day, so we should check it out. sustainable food, sushi, gracious host. we were sold. plus the burgers on the menu sounded delicious. the decor is cute, the colors have a really organic appeal, and the bar in the center is beautiful.

now, on to the food! we ordered a traditional salmon roll as an appetizer and it was so fresh, the rice was warm. mmmm. we devoured it before the server came back to get our lunch order!
so we put our order in - i got the bistro burger and erwin got the andouille burger with an egg. i think it was a special, because it's not on the menu at the moment. the burgers were either served with spicy sweet potato chips or shoe-string fries.
while we waited for our food, they brought out 2 kinds of bread and creamy butter for us to snack on in silence. lol, we were so hungry we were eating in silence almost. :)
i love burgers, and for the most part, unless they're absolutely crappy, i'm usually pretty happy with them in general. the bistro burger at farmerie 58 is outstanding. it may be the whole sustainable ingredients part, but whatever it is, it was juicy, perfectly cooked and perfectly assembled. delicious! the hubby's burger was so so so good as well. the andouille gave it a yummy saltiness; topped with a fried egg... what could be better.
i got the spicy sweet potato chips which i could snack on forever, and e got the shoe-string fries which were good as well.

so overall, please try this place. the restaurateur is really trying a new approach to food in chicago and the outcome is delicious food.
cPe 2008

dutch baby

2009-02-16T12:44:00.006-06:00

it's pretty evident from my posts that i love breakfast, specifically sweet breakfast. this is definitely one breakfast food that i thought would only be a menu item for me to order. it looked and sounded too complicated to replicate at home.
one day i decided to look up a few recipes for the dutch baby and found one that seemed easy to follow. trust alton brown to show me how. :)
the thin baked pancake with a light dusting of powdered sugar and a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice is such a good combination - you must try it if you haven't. and if you have a cast iron skillet, please put it to use and try the dutch baby!

Dutch Baby
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008, Good Eats
ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
2 3/8 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons vanilla sugar, plus extra for serving (i used regular sugar)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
Lemon wedges

steps:
preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
place 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Set the remaining tablespoon of melted butter aside to cool slightly. wait 10 minutes before assembling the other ingredients.
place the flour, vanilla sugar, salt, milk, eggs and remaining tablespoon of melted butter into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. carefully pour the batter into the preheated skillet. bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are puffed and brown. sprinkle with additional vanilla sugar (i used powdered sugar) and serve with lemon wedges.

cPe 2008

moroccan garbanzo soup

2009-02-16T12:28:00.003-06:00

since this has been yet another long and freezing cold chicago winter, my body has been craving warm and comforting meals, specifically soups of all kinds. this soup is just that.
since i have a habit of picking up random cans of beans at the grocery store, i often find myself with more than 2 cans of garbanzo beans and this recipe allowed me to use those finally.
i did cheat and use mostly veggie/chicken stock instead of water, so the cooking time was dramatically decreased.

moroccan garbanzo soup
ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tsp of canola oil
1 onions, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp of palillo (or use turmeric)
6 cups of water (i used mostly stock)
1/2 cup of brown rice (i used basmati)
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup of tomato paste
salt to taste
sour cream to serve

steps: in a large pot, heat canola oil, then combine onions and garlic and saute until softened. add pepper and tumeric to onion mixture; stir to combine. add garbanzo beans and stock. bring to a boil, then reduce heat, partially cover and simmer for about 15mins. Add brown rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is completely cooked, about 20 minutes.
i served mine with a dollop of sour cream. yum!

cPe 2008

chicken adobo

2009-02-16T12:18:00.003-06:00

they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. while that didn't exactly happen in my case, where i only started cooking after we said our vows, i think i saw what that phrase meant when i decided to throw my fear aside and attempt one of my hubby's favorite dishes of all time: chicken adobo.

now chicken adobo is a staple in filipino households and while there are a few variations, the basics are always the same - same ingredients, same delicious outcome. the inbetweens are where the variations come in.

since this was my first time making it, there were going to be no variations for this beginner-adobo-cook. so from start to finish, i used the recipe below. you may say i'm biased, but i really think this may be the best way to make chicken adobo. the chicken was extremely moist, tender and packed with flavor.

the skin was nicely crisped then flavored again... and pouring that sauce all over your big bowl of steaming hot rice... talk about comfort food!

now i see why my hubby's eyes lit up when he saw it cooking in the wok. :) so thank you martin yan!

Chicken Adobo, by Martin Yan's Asia

ingredients:

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 T. minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces

3/4 cup water

2 T. cooking oil

2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 T. water

steps:

marinate: mix vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper and marinate chicken for 30 minutes in a big wok.

braise: add 3/4 cup water to the marinade and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. remove chicken from sauce and pat dry with paper towels. allow remaining sauce to thicken while you...

fry: heat a clean, dry pan over medium heat. add oil, let it come up to temp, then place the chicken skin side down. fry for about 5 minutes until crispy on all sides.

add: the chicken back into the sauce to coat and allow it to really soak in the sauce as it thickens.

serve over hot white rice and enjoy! don't forget to pour some extra sauce over your chicken and rice in the bowl. :)

cPe 2008

carnivore's 100

2009-02-16T09:40:00.001-06:00

because i'm swamped at work and too lazy to blog at the moment...

The Carnivore’s Hundred

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

1. American-style bacon
2. Canadian bacon
3. Prosciutto with melon
4. Pork belly, braised
5. Pork butt, smoked
6. Pork ribs, smoked
7. Roasted leg of lamb with mint jelly (don't like mint too much)
8. Gyros
9. Duck confit
10. Roasted chicken
11. Standing rib roast, rare (prefer my meat medium)
12. Chitlins
13. Cracklins
14. Boudin or blood sausage - no thank you!
15. Haggis - again, no thank you. a big sack of steamed minced meat is not appealing!
16. Peking duck
17. Roasted turkey with traditional American accompaniments
18. Roasted goose with traditional English accompaniments
19. Foie gras
20. Pate campagne
21. Moo Shu pork
22. Shepherd’s pie
23. Steak and Kidney pie
24. Chicken and dumplings
25. Turducken - can someone please make/order one for me? :)
26. Venison sausage
27. Pork cheeks
28. Pickled pigs’ feet - sounds nasty
29. Barbacoa (love!)
30. Birria
31. Chicken Marbella
32. Steak tartare
33. Beef Bourguignon
34. Potatoes roasted in duck fat
35. Spam (i'm a fan.. i know i know)
36. Tandoori chicken
37. Lamb vindaloo
38. Spaghetti Bolognese
39. Cuban sandwich
40. Croque Monsieur
41. Philadelphia cheesesteak
42. Chicken Satay
43. Shabu-shabu
44. Teppanaki
45. Schwarma
46. Meatloaf (blogged)
47. Beef Wellington
48. Beef tenderloin with béarnaise
49. Taco salad
50. Chili con carne
51. Pastistio
52. Corned beef brisket
53. Bangers and mash
54. Guinea pig
55. Ropa vieja
56. Wurst (any)
57. Lamb tagine
58. Kosher hot dog (New York-style)
59. Jerk chicken
60. Chorizo
61. All-American hamburger
62. Pigeon/Squab
63. Steak frites
64. Pastrami
65. Salami
66. Sweetbreads
67. Wiener schnitzel
68. Goulash
69. Pho
70. Char siu bao
71. Kalua pig - is this the same as lechon? if so, then yes
72. Pork rinds
73. Scrapple or goetta
4. Jaegerspaetzle
75. Sauerbraten
76. Tongue sandwich (when my parents did tell me it was tongue, bla!)
77. Baked ham
78. Frog legs
79. Alligator
80. Squirrel
81. Liver and onions
82. Bone marrow and marmalade (hm, with marmelade? what an interesting combination)
83. Cevapcici
84. Creamed beef on toast
85. Red-eye gravy
86. Head cheese
87. Jambalaya
88. Steak Diane
89. Veal piccata
90. Bulgogi
91. Smoked chicken (barbecue)
92. Beer can chicken
93. Chicken teriyaki
94. Coronation chicken (curried chicken salad)
95. Ostrich
96. Rogan josh
97. Poutine - this involves meat?
98. Chicken mole
99. Irish beef stew
100. Loose meat - what the heck is loose meat?

anzac biscuits

2009-02-16T07:41:00.002-06:00

i love biscuits. cookies. whatever you prefer to call it. this recipe is one of the easiest ever and produces such a delicious biscuit. i could make these every week, and for a while, i was making them a few times in a month. there is some history behind this biscuit, and once you have one, you'll know why they're so well known and popular worldwide.

anzac biscuits
ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

steps: mix the flour, oats, sugar, and coconut together in a bowl. combine the baking soda and boiling water in a small bowl to dissolve, and set aside. in a shallow pan (i used my crepe pan), melt the butter and slowly stir in the honey. when the honey has mixed into the melted butter, stir in the baking soda mixture (naturally, it will froth up a bit) immediately remove from heat and pour into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. stir until a biscuit dough forms and you are able to make little balls of dough. drop teaspoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet, leaving enough room in between. i spaced mine out 4 by 3, and the batter made 3 sets of 12! bake the biscuits at 300F for 12 minutes or so. make sure to cool them on a cooling rack as they're quite fragile.

isn't this batter yum?

now isn't this more yum?

hehe, i sandwiched a few with nutella, pb and icecream as a late night snack for the hubby and i. delicious! these biscuits are addictive - just a warning!

cPe 2009

traditional clafoutis

2009-02-16T07:41:00.000-06:00

well, here i am... very late on the clafoutis train :) however... i searched out the traditional cherry clafoutis recipe (a la julia child) and decided to make it one friday evening. it's so light, subtle, just sweet enough, and with a little punch of tartness from the cherries. it was perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. and... i feel guilty in admitting that i had a few pieces for breakfast as well. ok i don't feel guilty. ha!

now on to the recipe i used.

Julia Child's Clafoutis

ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups cherries, pitted
1/3 cup sugar
powdered sugar

steps: heat oven to 350F. blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in a bowl using an electric mixer. pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered baking dish (lightly buttered). place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. then remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. pour on the rest of the batter. place it back in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour.

you'll know it's done when the clafouti is beautifully puffed and brown (see above) and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. sprinkle with powdered sugar (generously!), and serve it warm or room temperature with a cup of tea.
and save a slice for breakfast the next morning. :)

cPe 2008

foodbuzz publisher community launches

2008-10-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

congratulations to foodbuzz for the new global community! not only is it great to be a part of foodbuzz, but this is truly a unique and great feature!

here's the official press release, enjoy!

LAUNCH OF GLOBAL FOODBUZZ BLOGGER COMMUNITY
LEVERAGES REAL-PEOPLE, REAL-TIME POWER OF FOOD PUBLISHING

San Francisco – October 13, 2008: Foodbuzz, Inc., officially inaugurates its food blogger community with more than 1,000 blog partners, a global food blogging event and an online platform that captures the real-people, real-time power of food publishing in every corner of the world. At launch, the Foodbuzz community ranks as one of the top-10 Internet destinations for food and dining (Quantcast), with bloggers based in 45 countries and 863 cities serving up daily food content.
“Food bloggers are at the forefront of reality publishing and the dramatic growth of new media has redefined how food enthusiasts access tasty content,” said Doug Collister, Executive Vice President of Foodbuzz, Inc. “Food bloggers are the new breed of local food experts and at any minute of the day, Foodbuzz is there to help capture the immediacy of their hands-on experiences, be it a memorable restaurant meal, a trip to the farmers market, or a special home-cooked meal.”
Foodbuzz is the only online community with content created exclusively by food bloggers and rated by foodies. The site offers more than 20,000 pieces of new food and dining content weekly, including recipes, photos, blog posts, videos and restaurant reviews. Members decide the “tastiness” of each piece of content by voting and “buzz” the most popular posts to the top of the daily menu of submissions. Foodbuzz currently logs over 13 million monthly page views and over three million monthly unique visitors. “Our goal is to be the number-one online source of quality food and dining content by promoting the talent, enthusiasm and knowledge of food bloggers around the globe,” said Ben Dehan, founder and CEO of Foodbuzz, Inc.

cPe 2008

baked eggs

2008-09-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

the breakfast of champs

there's something about a sunday morning breakfast that's so cozy to me. i love waking up later than usual, getting into my robe and heading to the kitchen to get the pot of coffee brewing and breakfast cooking.
my latest favorite sunday breakfast is baked eggs. i blog-searched baked egg recipes, until i realized that a baked egg is simply that: a baked egg. there really isn't a recipe for it.

the oven preheats to 350º and you can get started on the rest.
i got out my ramekins, rubbed them down with butter and cracked an egg (or two) into it. sprinkle some kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste after that. you could leave it as simple as this, but i wanted more of a cheesy herb flavor, so i also sprinkled some oregano and grated mozzarella cheese on top.

i had a few slices of texas toast in my freezer and popped those into the oven as well.
so as not to end up throwing out wasted tomatoes, i added the tomatoes and mushrooms into a ziplock bag, added some olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and shook it up to coat.

i arranged it all onto a baking tray and into the oven it went for about 8-10mins.

along with a good cup of ecuadorian coffee, i would say this is the breakfast of champs!
if only i could have it every morning...

cPe 2008

omnivore's 100

2008-09-10T07:45:00.008-05:00

my goal is to work on this list and see how far i can get!

How the Omnivore's 100 Works:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional: Post a comment at Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

(58/100) My Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. ~~Black Pudding~~
7. Cheese Fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho [blogged]
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle (in Dubai)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns (hello Wao Bao)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. ~~Brawn or head cheese~~
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - mmm san fran
33. Salted lassi (i'd much rather have a mango lassi)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Cognac, yes. Fat cigar, no)
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O (huge fan of jello shots!)
39. Gumbo (only if I can have it without okra)
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (even had krispy kreme bread pudding in charlotte!)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (not in almost a decade)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (does a sip of my hubby's count?)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine - must try!
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores [blogged]
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (i have! at my in-laws. and i'll admit..the taste is like a custardy mango, but the smell is putrid)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (all of 'em!)
68. ~~Haggis~~
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or ~~andouillette~~
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe (at mercat a la planxa)
74. Gjetost or brunost
75. ~~Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu - i have a mini bottle sitting on my desk as a gift from a coworker... guess i should try it?
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini (absolutely love bellinis)
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky - my cubicle snacks!
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu
85. Kobe beef
86. ~~Hare~~
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. ~~Horse~~
90. Criollo chocolate - must try!
91. Spam (my hubby's filipino, what can i say. he got me)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa - only regular harissa
94. ~~Catfish~~ - hate it!
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

cPe 2008