Titillating Delights

Oskar

2011-12-02T20:56:00.001-05:00

You know you're tired when you forget what day of the week it is, what state you're in.. or even what time zone you're in. I guess interviewing will do that to ya.

Something else interviewing will do to ya - change your eating habits. All I've been eating is interview food (which has actually been quite good), and fast food [which has (not surprisingly) been horrible]. I'm ready to eat some home-cooked food again. And vegetables! Oh broccoli, oh spinach, how I miss thee. My 6-year-old self is saying, "what the hell, you want vegetables?!" Yes, 6-year-old Nhu-Y, I'd give all my french fries for something green right now.

Anyways, during my interview preparation, I stumbled upon this video and wept the entire time. Ok, I didn't weep, but I did shed a few tears. The budding ophthalmologist in me just wanted to reach out to this tiny kitten. I am such a softie for animals. Watch the video, you'll see what I mean.

That is all for now. I'm really going to prepare for my interview tomorrow morning and try to stay away from youtube.

No wait, that's not all - I miss you guys. Promise I'll be back soon.

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T21:13:00.001-05:00

Cám ơn

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I hope you guys are with your loved ones having wonderful food! I've eaten 2 (ok, 3) times, and now I'm watching Charlie Brown and waiting for midnight to roll around so I can go shopping! Can you believe that stores open at midnight this year? It just gets earlier and earlier each year. My little brother told me that people were waiting in line at Best Buy since Tuesday. As in 2 days before Thanksgiving. Skipping Thanksgiving dinner to buy a TV? That's bonkers.

I wasn't anticipating on going shopping this year (you remember the 30-day shopping ban, right?), but this is the first time in years that my mom has Black Friday off and I really wanted to rekindle our Black Friday tradition before I start residency (and will no longer have time to shop.. or even time to go home). I love my mamma and, really, what could be better than a little mother-daughter shopping?

Speaking of my mamma, I am extremely thankful for her. As a matter of fact, the title of this post, "cam on" means "thank you" in Vietnamese. My mom is the greatest woman I know. She has sacrificed everything - her time, her energy, her career - to ensure that my siblings and I are happy and successful. And for that, Mom, I'd like to say "cam on". Also, I am thankful for my mom for cooking American Thanksgiving foods when I asked her for them in my youth - turkey and mashed potatoes were not in my mom's repertoire of recipes, yet she went out of her way to give us the Thanksgiving that we wanted. And now I am thankful that my mom cooks Vietnamese food for me on Thanksgiving, because that's what we really like. She's the best.

I'm also thankful for my wonderful friends and family, for my Mikey, for my sweet kittens, for my cuddly puppy, for my education, and for all of the opportunities that I have had. I am so blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

A quick hello

2011-11-15T21:03:00.001-05:00

Sneak Peek

Missed you guys. No recipe today, but I decided that I would give you a quick glimpse into my life :)

First, the animal loves in my life:

This is Max. My first pet. Isn't he handsome?

Sophie and Sasha. I made Mikey get both of them from the shelter. They were the last ones left from their litter and I couldn't stand the thought of leaving one of them. They're the cutest little rascals.

So cute I had to show you 2 pictures of them. They used to sleep like this all of the time when they were kittens!

And this is my Louie. Best. Pup. Ever. He loves to chew bones. Or as Mikey likes to say, "Louie likes to bone."

Next, my Mikey love, and a few places that we've been:

Georgetown (Mikey's alma mater)

Indy

Chicago, on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier

Venice

Somewhere else in Italy

The Met in New York

Birthday dinner in Barcelona. Just kidding, birthday dinner at Barcelona restaurant in Columbus

And of course, since this is a food blog, some lovely food pictures:

Anniversary dinner for Mikey last year (obviously before I started taking pictures of food - and yes that is a kitten who decided to crash the picture). Steak with béarnaise (not pictured), lobster tail, risotto, and asparagus.

And finally, a preview of a recipe to come (Vietnamese pork chops).

Off to a few more interviews. I'll see you guys next week!

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Vietnamese pork chops

2011-11-12T19:33:00.001-05:00

Chicago

Guys, I have a confession. I have a love affair with Chicago (don't tell Mikey). I've been to Chicago a bunch in the past, but the last time I was there, I could actually picture myself living in the city.

So while I was in Chicago I pretended to be a resident of Chicago. I tried my hardest not to look lost, and I walked with a purpose. This was after I turned the wrong way out of the train and walked around in a huge circle before I found my bus stop - which was less than a block from the train. I'm not so great with directions, ok? That's what GPS is for. My GPS's name is Daniel.

Anyways, I walked up and down Michigan Ave. for about 3 hours. And I didn't buy anything. That's right. For those of you who know me, that's quite a feat (and you should be super proud of me!) I didn't buy anything because I am on a 30-day shopping ban. Yes, no shopping for 30 days. No clothes, shoes, or accessories for 30 days – I don’t think you guys would be very happy if I posted recipes for grilled shoes or flambéed scarves, right?

Now on the the recipe! I've been on a real Vietnamese food kick lately. This is super easy to make. It only takes minutes to make the marinade and 10 minutes to grill it. Most of the time is spent marinating. You can eat this with rice alone, or as I like it, with picked vegetables and scallion oil. I hope you enjoy!

Vietnamese grilled pork chops (adapted from foodandwine.com)
Print this recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup honey

¼ cup nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)

¼ cup water

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium shallots, minced

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 pork chops (4-6 ounces each, about ½ - ¾ inch thick)

To serve:

Jasmine rice

Pickled carrots and radish

Scallion oil
Nuoc cham

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except pork chops in a shallow pan (I used a glass pyrex with a lid). Mix well to dissolve honey. Place pork chops in marinade and cover. Marinate 2 – 8 hours. If pork chops are not completely covered by the marinade, flip them once halfway through marinating.

2. Preheat and oil grill pan (don't use olive oil, you'll smoke up your entire place - spoken from experience, guys). Grill each pork chop for about 5 minutes per side.
3. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. To serve: There are a few ways to have this. The simple way is just to serve it with rice. Or if you want to be fancy, you can serve as part of com tam. You remember what com tam is, right? Here's a quicky wiki here. Or, you could omit the steamed egg and just serve it with rice, picked veggies and scallion oil (cook for a few minutes less to keep the scallions green), and nuoc cham.

P.S. Traditionally, the pork chops are pounded thin so they take more of the marinade and so they are a little more tender, but I didn't feel like getting the meat mallet out. But if you're feeling particularly stressed, feel free to take it out on the pork!
P.P.S. Also, the pork is typically fried, but I preferred the healthier cooking method of grilling. If you would like to fry it, heat 2-3 tablespoons of canola oil over medium-high heat. Then cook the pork chops for 4-5 minutes per side (less if you pound it thin).
P.P.P.S. The traditional Vietnamese recipe tends to use a fattier cut of pork (Vietnamese people definitely believe in the saying "mo' fat, mo' flavor"), but I think that a lean pork chop tastes just fine.

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Banana bread

2011-11-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

Bananas

Sing with me guys: "This stuff is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s, this stuff is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s! (Let's keep it PG, my mom might be reading this.) Things are starting to get bananas around here. I have 3 interviews in 3 states next week, and Mikey has 4 interviews in 4 states. That's a crap-ton of traveling. And a crap-ton of money, let me tell ya. It's like a rite of passage that all fourth year medical students have to drop several thousand dollars every single year to get into residency. As if we weren't in enough debt. I'm po'. That's right, I'm so poor, I'm just po'.

Fortunately, between interviews and emptying my wallet, I have had some time to cook. Now all I have to do is post! But for now I'm afraid that this will be my last post for about a week because of my interviews. I think I'm going to try something new. I'm sure you guys love hearing my life story, but I'm going to keep the posts short so I can get more recipes up - this is a food blog after all. I'll try to keep the blabbering to a minimum.

On to the recipe. This is the simplest banana bread recipe that I know, and it always comes out moist and delicious. Plus, it only costs pennies (ok, maybe quarters) to make, so it's great for someone who is po' like me. I like my banana bread without spices or nuts, but if you wanted to add them it would be pretty easy to modify this recipe. The one downside of this recipe is that it uses Jiffy Baking Mix which has hydrogenated fats. You can probably substitute it for Bisquick Baking Mix, which has no saturated fats.

I love to cook healthy foods and I often alter recipes to decrease the amount of fat and calories, but I can never do it with baking. Baked goods just never taste that good without fat and calories! You'll see - I have lots of baked goods planned for the holiday season and they all have one ingredient in common - butter. :)

Well, I hope you enjoy the recipe - I'll be having a slice of it for breakfast on the way to the airport tomorrow morning and I can't wait :).

Banana Bread
Serves 8
Print this recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups (very ripe!) bananas

½ tsp vanilla

3 eggs

2 1/3 cups baking mix

1 cup sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease the bottom of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

2. Measure oil, bananas, vanilla, eggs, baking mix, sugar, and nuts into a large bowl. Beat vigorously with a spoon for about 30 seconds. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Loosen sides of loaf from the pan. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Well, I'll see you guys on the flipside. Wish me luck and have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Spam musubi

2011-11-04T00:31:00.000-04:00

Spamalot

So... how do you like the new look? I spent half a day with my little brother trying to clean up my blog a bit (thanks Mickey!). I'm still working on it, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know! Or, if you know how to work a blog, please come help me! If my little brother wasn't around, you wouldn't be reading this today. Note to blog newbies - don't try to edit the code!

While I was in Dayton, Mikey tried a new Hawaiian/Asian place by his apartment and he told me about something called Spam musubi. Quite frankly, I thought that it sounded like some sort of sea creature. But since I've been back in Columbus, I have eaten Spam musubi 5 times. And I've only been back for 10 days. Damn, that's a lot of Spam.

What is Spam musubi, you ask? Well let me enlighten you, my friends. Spam musubi is a Hawaiian treat that consists of a slice of grilled/sauteed Spam on a small rectangular bed of rice, all wrapped in nori. Still confused? (I was.) No worries, that's what pictures are for :) And a little wiki for those of you who would like even further education.

I used to be very embarrassed about eating Spam. I was embarrassed by a lot of things growing up since I was one of only 6 Vietnamese students in my school of over 2,000 students (read: very few minorities) - but that discussion is for another day. People used to make fun of Spam.. so of course I didn't say anything to avoid being even more of an outcast. But I have something to tell you today - I love Spam. And when I met Mikey, he introduced me to Spam & Eggs (and rice) - a Filipino way (and perhaps the best way) to eat it. Since then, I no longer have Spam shame. And that is why we are made for each other.

Fast forward 3 days..

Sorry I didn't finish this post; I spent the past couple of days prepping for interviews and now I'm interviewing in Kansas City! The interview is tomorrow, so I'll have to wrap it up soon. This residency interviewing is taking a toll on me already (and I've only been on one interview). Mikey has a crap-ton of interviews and he's doing an Emergency rotation. And I am about to have some interviews myself, so we never see each other :(. For those of you who are new to the blog, Mikey and I have already spent 3 months apart because of our rotations. Anyways, I'm a tad emotional. But perhaps that means a sweet treat for you guys soon (I'm an emotional baker).

Now back to your scheduled program of Spam musubi..

To make this a little easier for me, I got a recipe from Allrecipes.com, rather than writing my own. Here are the edits that I made:

1. I did not soak the rice for 4 hours - just make sure you rinse it 3-4 times until the water runs clear.
2. I did not add the vinegar to the rice.
3. I did not marinate the Spam - but I did make the marinade mixture and spread a bit of it between the bed of rice and Spam - just make a very small amount of the marinade.

Spam Musubi (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Makes 10 servings
Print this recipe

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice

2 cups water

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup oyster sauce

1/2 cup white sugar

1 (12 ounce) container fully cooked luncheon meat (e.g. Spam)

5 sheets sushi nori (dry seaweed)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Soak uncooked rice for 4 hours; drain and rinse.

2. In a saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in rice vinegar, and set aside to cool.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Slice luncheon meat lengthwise into 10 slices, or to desired thickness, and marinate in sauce for 5 minutes.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook slices for 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Cut nori sheets in half and lay on a flat work surface. Place a rice press in the center of the sheet, and press rice tightly inside. Top with a slice of luncheon meat, and remove press. Wrap nori around rice mold, sealing edges with a small amount of water. (Rice may also be formed by hand in the shape of the meat slices, 1 inch thick.) Musubi may be served warm or chilled.

Enjoy, my loves. And do not be ashamed if you fall in love with Spam too :)

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

P.S. I know this post makes it seem like I eat Spam all of the time, but really I just eat it once every few months. Absence makes the heart (and tongue) grow fonder!

Bun Bo Hue (Beef and lemongrass noodle soup)

2011-10-29T21:05:00.000-04:00

Hallo-weenie

Hello my friends!!! Oh how I've missed you. I sincerely apologize for being a bit of a weenie lately, last month was a real "b" (I'm sure you can guess what that letter b stands for). To make a long story short, the month in Dayton was not exactly relaxing, and I had no time to do any of the things that I planned on doing (blog, cook, sew, make jewelry, etc). Nope, it was never ending work. And the worst part was all of the crap that I had to see. Literally. I worked with a gastroenterologist. I can handle gross stuff - I want to touch people's eyes for a living - but last month was just icky.

Okay, enough "b"-ing. The month at home was actually quite nice, minus all of the unnecessary work/studying I had to do. I hadn't been home for more than a week at a time since the end of high school, so it was fun to be back at home again for an entire month. My mom did call me at 9:00pm one day asking me why I wasn't home, but that's what moms do, right?

The best part of last month, though, was that I got to see my girlfriends! We had 2 girls-night-out dinners, complete with wine and cocktails, and 1 night with the boys where we baked homemade pizza (post to come). It was soooooooo wonderful to spend time with some of my favorite people in the world. The first night that I saw them, my face literally hurt from laughing so much. I am so grateful for my friends :).

Now on to the food! I don't really have a Halloween themed dish today (but I have a surprise Halloween picture when you finish reading!). The dish that I am sharing with you guys today is called "bun bo Hue". It's a noodle soup flavored with beef and lemongrass that originated in the city of Hue, the imperial capital of Vietnam. This dish holds a special place in my heart because it was one of my favorite dishes as a child. We didn't eat this very often because it took a while to make, so it was a real treat whenever we got to eat this. Also Hue is where my ancestors are from. Vietnamese people take their families seriously - my grandparents have a family tree that goes back 13 generations (that's hundreds of years, people)!

I do hope you enjoy this dish. It does take a while to make, but most of the time is spent simmering. The chili oil is optional, but it makes the dish so yummy. Plus it gives the soup a beautiful orange color (so I guess this is sort of Halloween themed :))

It's interview season, so I may be busy, but between interviews, I will have plenty of time to cook. Plus, I have some recipes that are cooked and ready to be blogged about. So be prepared :)

Bun Bo Hue (beef noodle soup with lemongrass)
Serves 6
Print this recipe

Ingredients
4 stalks fresh lemongrass
9 cups cold water (or enough to cover meat)
1 - 2 lbs beef bones
1.5 lbs boneless beef shank
1 lb fresh pork hocks
3 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shrimp sauce, mixed well with 1 teaspoon water
1 package rice vermicelli
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 small bunch of rau ram (vietnamese coriander - can be found at the Asian grocery)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Cover the pork hocks, beef shank, and beef bones with water and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Lots of scum will rise to the top. After 10 minutes, dump everything into a colander and rinse the meat with cold water. This step will make a cleaner tasting broth.
2. While the meat is boiling, discard outer leaves and upper 1/3 of the lemongrass stalks. Take the back of a chef's knife or a meat mallet and pound the stalks to release the oils.
3. Place the beef shank, beef bones, lemongrass, and pork hocks into a clean stockpot and cover with cold water. Boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes, removing any additional scum every 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, cover, and simmer for at least 3 hours. Remove the beef shank after about 1.5 hours.
4. While the broth is simmering, cook the rice vermicelli according to the directions on the package.
5. Remove the meat and bones from the pot then add the fish sauce, salt, and shrimp paste. Cook for about 15 more minutes and adjust seasoning to your liking.
6. In another small pan, heat the oil and add the cayenne pepper. Make sure that there is good ventilation when you do this! And keep your face away from the oil, because you may burn your nostrils! Add the oil mixture to the broth - it should float to the top.
7. Take the beef shank and cut into thin slices; cut the pork hock into 1 inch slices. Discard the bones - or feed them to your dog :)
8. To serve, place about 1.5 cups of rice vermicelli into a large bowl. Top with as much meat as you'd like, then ladle enough broth to cover the noodles and meat. Top with chopped onions and herbs, and finish off with a squeeze of lime.

So happy to be back!

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

My little hallo-weenie

Cha trung hap (Vietnamese steamed egg with pork)

2011-10-04T23:04:00.000-04:00

Leftover remix #2

Welcome to my second installation of recipe remixes.

But first...

I'm sick. And it sucks. So this post won't be very long. But some of you may appreciate a shorter post! (I like to talk, er, type.)

The other day, I made egg rolls. I prepared 1 pound of the ground pork mixture, but I decided that 4 dozen egg rolls would be too much so I only used half of the pork for the egg rolls. I totally regret it now.. 4 dozen would have been perfect! (Not to eat at once, sillies. I would have frozen most of them.) But something good did come out the leftover pork - this unique recipe to share with you guys.

Cha trung hap means "steamed egg sausage/loaf". It may sound a little weird, but just think of an omelette with sausage in it. And yes, I know that omelettes aren't steamed, but steaming actually makes the eggs nice and fluffy and it means you can cook eggs evenly and without any oil.

This dish is usually steamed in a loaf pan, sliced, and served as part of a rice dish called "com tam". Here's a great picture of com tam. The yellow thing up front is the steamed egg.

From kevinEats.com

Now, I don't have a recipe for com tam yet, but one of these days I will. 'Cause it is good. But you can just eat this with rice and be happy.

I initially steamed this in small ramekins, but the pictures didn't turn out very well, so then I fried the same mixture into an omelette. Actually, it was more like a spanish tortilla, since I mixed everything into the eggs before I cooked it, rather than cooking the eggs and then topping the eggs with the other ingredients. And lucky for me, those pictures turned out very well.

Cha trung hap (Vietnamese steamed egg with pork)
Serves 4-6
Print this recipe

Ingredients
1/2 egg roll filling recipe (minus spring roll wrappers, peanut oil, nuoc cham, and egg - if you are not making this as a leftover remix, omit the carrots as well)
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
Cilantro, to garnish

Directions
1. Bring 1.5 - 2 inches of water to a slow boil in a large pot with a lid.
2. Beat 5 whole eggs in a large bowl. Add the pork mixture and mix well.
3. Put the egg/pork mixture in a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap that hangs over the edges by 3-4 inches (it will make removal much easier - eggs stick!). Beat the remaning egg yolks and set aside. Place a steamer basket with legs with in the pot, making sure the water level is beneath the level of the steamer basket. Place the loaf pan into the pot and cover. Cook for approximately 30 minutes. At around 25 minutes, pour the egg yolk mixture on top of the omelette. This will give it a pretty yellow top. At 30 minutes, use a toothpick or a skewer to test for doneness. Take the skewer and stick it into the thickest part of the omelette. You will be able to tell it is done if the skewer is clean. If not, check at 2 minute intervals until the skewer comes out clean.
4. Remove the loaf pan from the pot and then remove the omelette from the loaf pan by lifting it out by the plastic wrap that you used to line the pan. Cut into 1 inch slices and enjoy!
***Alternatively, if you would like to fry this like I did, take a large frying pan and heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat. Pour the mixture into the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. If your pan is not large enough, split into 2 batches.

Now, I am going to cuddle with Louers, because I know I can't get him sick (and he's an awesome cuddle-buddy)

Hot diggity dog.

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

P.S. We are in the midst of my very first theme - Vietnamese food! Since I am at home with my mom for the month, I am going to perfect my Vietnamese cooking skills :)

Cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls)

2011-10-02T22:00:00.000-04:00

Ayo Technology

It would be more apt to title this post "lack of technology" (but I really like that song, and this is my blog, and I can name it whatever I want!). I am back at my mom's for a month for a rotation, and I didn't have my computer, cable TV, or my iPod. But guess what? I survived. But since I didn't have my computer, I couldn't post. But now I'm back and ready to cook my heart out! Here's the post that I promised last week - Vietnamese egg rolls.

These little babies are a bit different than Chinese egg rolls - they are seasoned with nuoc mam (which is sort of like the Chinese equivalent to soy sauce), they have mushrooms and noodles in them, and instead of having cabbage, they have carrots. Ok, so they are really different than Chinese egg rolls. I think that the only thing in common are the meat and the wrappers. But you will love them. The mushrooms and noodles give them a bit of a crunch, and the carrots a little sweetness.

Do not dip these in sweet and sour sauce!! That is a crime against Vietnamese cuisine. And Chinese cuisine, too. I think that sweet and sour sauce is an American invention.. but I digress. You can eat these plain, or better yet, dipped in a bit of nuoc cham.

All of the ingredients can be found at the Asian grocery.

These take a little while to make, so if you have a willing friend (or a wonderful boyfriend), recruit them to help you. It's no harder than rolling a burrito. I have a friend who used partake in the smoking of illegal substances, and he was really good at rolling egg rolls. So if you've got a pothead brother or two around, recruit them too!

Cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls)
Makes 4 dozen egg rolls
Print this recipe

Ingredients
1 lb ground pork
1 package bean thread noodles (can be found at the Asian grocery), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
1/4 cup dried shredded wood ear mushrooms (can be found at the Asian grocery), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
1 large carrot, grated
1/4 medium onion, finely diced
1 - 2 tablespoons nuoc mam (fish sauce)
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 package spring roll wrappers
1 quart peanut oil, for frying
nuoc cham, for dipping

Directions
1. After the wood ear mushrooms are soft, drain and wash. Dice into smaller pieces. Drain bean thread noodles and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except spring roll wrappers, peanut oil, and nuoc cham. Mix well (don't be afraid to use your hands!). Take 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Prepare your egg roll station: one plate to roll the eggrolls, one plate to place completed egg rolls, a small bowl of water to seal the egg rolls, the bowl of meat, the spring roll wrappers, and two moist paper towels to cover the completed egg rolls and the spring roll wrappers so they do not dry out.

Egg roll station (click to enlarge).

These are the spring roll wrappers that I use. They are 6 inches in diameter.

4. To make the egg rolls:

Lay the spring roll wrapper like so.

Add about 2 tablespoons of meat to the bottom third of the wrapper.

Fold the bottom up,

then fold the two sides in (at a bit of an angle),

And roll it up. When you get to this point, use your finger to spread a little bit of water on the exposed corner. This will seal the egg roll.

And the completed egg roll!

I fold the sides in at and angle so there is no loose wrapper when it is rolled up (top egg roll).

Another tip is to use the side of your hand to shape the meat into a cylinder,

like so.

5. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. You can use a deep fryer, a deep pot, or a cast iron pan. I wouldn't recommend using a cast iron pan unless you are experienced. The hot oil can bubble over the edge easily. Cook the egg rolls for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch them carefully and use chopsticks or heat-proof tongs to flip them about halfway through. Then take the egg rolls out and drain on paper towels. To keep the eggrolls warm while you are cooking the rest, you can place them in a 200 degree oven.

And there you have it! Enjoy them dipped in nuoc cham, wrapped in lettuce, or with bun thit nuong.

These can easily be frozen for later enjoyment (and you will want to enjoy them later)! Just take them and put them in a single layer in a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, and pop them in the freezer. To reheat, just put them in a 375 degree oven and heat for about 10 minutes, or until crispy again.

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

P.S. I have some ideas for tomorrow - stay tuned!

Bun thit nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork with noodles)

2011-09-24T23:59:00.000-04:00

Welcome back

Here comes the recipe you've all been waiting for! Mikey finally came back from Chicago, so I cooked his favorite Vietnamese dish. A Vietnamese meal from his Vietnamese girlfriend :). Suffice it to say, Mikey enjoyed his welcome back meal. The way to a man's heart really is through his stomach.

Bun thit nuong translates to "noodle and grilled meat". What can be bad about carbs and meat? Nothing, really. But you can make it even better, and the Vietnamese do so by adding a variety of accoutrements, such as fresh herbs, picked vegetables, and crushed peanuts. It is divine. Dare I say heaven in a bowl? Yes, I dare.

However, this recipe in the traditional Vietnamese fashion can take a while to make. It took me a couple of hours to prep and another couple of hours to cook, but I made egg rolls too. (The recipe will come soon - I didn't want to overwhelm you guys if I haven't already with the massive ingredient list!). I went all out this time because it was a special welcome back meal for Mike, but normally I just do the noodles, pork, lettuce, cilantro, and nuoc cham and it's still quite delicious. What I actually do is make 3 pounds of meat at one time and freeze the rest in 1 pound portions. Then all I have to do is soak the noodles and thaw the meat and it turns out to be a very simple meal. I always have noodles in the pantry and nuoc cham in the fridge (Vietnamese people, you know what I mean.)

As you can tell, I went a little picture-crazy. Actually, really picture-crazy. But it's not because I had just recharged my battery or because I just emptied my memory card. It was for you, my friends. This recipe is a little bit complicated, so I wanted to make it as clear as possible how to make it. (Because it is definitely worth trying.) And if you get though the entire recipe, there's an awesome little surprise at the end of this post :)

Bun thit nuong
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
Pork
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut across the grain into thin strips (easier if frozen for 20 minutes before slicing)
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and chopped (woody ends discarded)
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons nuoc mam
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil

1 lb rice vermicelli noodles
3 cups green lettuce, chopped
1 medium cucumber, sliced into thin half-moons
1/2 cup cilantro, stems removed
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 cup bean sprouts
4 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts, chopped
8 tablespoons pickled carrots and radishes, recipe follows
4 teaspoons scallion infused oil, recipe follows
Nuoc cham, recipe follows

Directions
1. For the marinade, pound the lemon grass, shallots and garlic with the sugar using a mortar and pestle to form a paste. Stir in the nuoc mam, soy sauce, and canola oil. Toss the pork in the marinade, cover, and marinate for 1-2 hours. Alternatively, make the marinade in a food processor. The lemongrass is quite hard to chop, so if you have a food processor, use it.

These are the noodles that I used

2. While the meat is marinating, soak the rice vermicelli in warm water for 30 minutes to 1 hour until they are soft and pliable. You can even soak the noodles for several hours - they won't get mushy. Make sure the water covers the noodles by about 6 inches. Place the pot on stove and turn to high heat (you don't even have to change the water). Bring pot to a boil, stirring every minute or so. Cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodle. Cook until the noodles are a little softer than al dente, because the noodles will become firmer when cool. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Allow to come to room temperature.
3. Preheat broiler or grill. Thread pork on to presoaked skewers. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Alternatively, heat approximately 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook unskewered meat for 1-2 minutes on each side. This is way easier than grilling or broiling, but you won't get the wonderful charred bits and smokey flavor.
4. To prepare bowls:

Take a deep bowl and put 3/4 cup of lettuce, 1/4 cup bean sprouts, 1-2 tablespoons of cilantro, and a few mint leaves.

Top with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of vermicelli noodles.

Then top the noodles with pork,

pickled carrots and radish (I added egg rolls as well),

and cucumbers.

Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of scallion oil

and sprinkle with peanuts.

To serve, top with additional herbs and a few tablespoons of nuoc cham and mix to combine ingredients. Try to get a little bit of everything in each bite!

Pickled carrots and radishes
Yields 1 cup
Print this recipe

Ingredients
1 medium carrot
1 daikon radish, same size as carrot
1 cup water
3 teaspoons rice vinegar
3 teaspoons granulated sugar
Kosher salt

Directions
1. Slice carrots and radishes into very thin strips. Use a mandoline if you have one. If not, or if you don't have the blade that juliennes, then do the following:

Cut the radish into thin strips lengthwise (I used a mandoline for this)

Stack them on top of each other

And cut those strips into sticks

Repeat with the carrots!

One caveat - your knife needs to be very sharp for this to cut the veggies into the thinnest strips possible. If you don't have a sharp knife or aren't very good with a knife, then you can just use a cheese grater.
2. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Put the vegetables into the marinade for 1 hour in the refrigerator prior to serving.

Scallion oil
Yields 1/4 cup
Print this recipe

Ingredients
1/4 cup canola or peanut oil
4 scallions

Directions
1. Cut the shallots (both green and white parts) on the bias like so:

2. Heat the oil over medium-low heat. Stir in the scallions and fry until golden. They should go from

this

to this.

Notice how they are still a tiny bit green when you take them off the heat. The oil is hot and will continue to cook the scallions off the heat until they become crispy. Be very careful not to cook until the scallions are brown or they will become bitter.
3. Pour into a glass bottle or jar, seal tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. If you'd like, you can separate the scallions from the oil so they stay crispy.

Nuoc Cham
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 lime
1/2 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam - found in Asian markets)
1/2 cup water
1 small Thai chile (optional)

Directions
1. Peel and smash garlic. Place in a mortar with the sugar and grind into a paste. (If you do not have a mortar and pestle, just mince the garlic very very finely and mix it with the sugar in a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to smash the garlic and sugar together against the side of the bowl). If you choose to use the chile, grind it with the garlic and sugar.
2. Add the juice from the lime, fish sauce, and water. Mix well. If it tastes a little too strong, dilute it with additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. The mixture should be salty, sweet, and a little tart, but should not taste very fishy. If it does taste fishy, add a little more sugar and water until it tastes right.

***Variation: substitute half of the water and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar for 1/4 cup 7-up or Sprite.

I hope you enjoy! If you have any questions, feel free to message me.

Now, time to cuddle :)

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Thank you picasion.com!

P.S. Ok, maybe this isn't that awesome, but it's the first .gif I've ever made!

Canh rau muong (spinach soup)

2011-09-23T14:58:00.003-04:00

Autumn

Happy Friday!! It's the first day of fall, I finished my anesthesia test in 10 minutes, and Mikey is coming back from Chicago today! It's gonna be a good day. Remember, I'm cooking Mikey a special meal for tonight and I have been prepping for a few hours.

Since we haven't eaten yet (no pictures) and I have some time to post, I have a easy recipe for you today. It's called canh rau muong, which is a simple spinach soup. Vietnamese people eat family style, with anywhere from 2-5 dishes each night (sometimes even more!). Usually there is some sort of protein, some vegetable, and a soup like this one. These soups are a bit different than American soups - they usually just consist of broth, vegetable, and shrimp, and they are spooned over rice.

Shrimp sauce is a common ingredient in Vietnamese cooking, and it is very, very stinky. Vietnamese people are weird like that - we eat foods that smell a little funky (but taste good). Shrimp sauce, nuoc mam, durian (which have been compared to sweaty gym socks - in some parts of the world, they are outlawed!) But fear not, you only use a tiny amount to give some flavor to the broth and no stinkiness remains.

Although it is a little dreary in Columbus today, I still love the fact that it is fall. Lemme tell ya, I have been waiting since spring to wear boots and scarves without feeling silly. And this soup is perfect to have now that the weather is getting cooler too. Mmmm. Nice and warm in your belly. You're picturing it and now you want some, right?

Canh Rau Muong (spinach soup)
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
5 ounces spinach (about half a bag)
1/4 shrimp peeled, deveined, cut in half lengthwise (reserve the shells)
1/2 teaspoon nuoc mam
3/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 scallion, whites only, cut lengthwise into very thin strips
1 teaspoon oil (olive or canola)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon shrimp paste

Directions
1. Marinate the shrimp by combining the nuoc mam, sugar, scallions, and freshly ground black pepper. Marinate for 10-15 minutes.
2. On medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the shrimp and shrimp shells. Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes until they just turn pink. Remove both shrimp and shells. Place shrimp shells in a fine sieve.
3. Place the pot back on the heat and add 4 cups of water. Place the sieve on the pot so that the shells are submerged in the water. Add the shrimp paste and stir well. Bring to a boil, skimming any scum that floats to the top. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove the shrimp shells.
4. Add the spinach to the broth and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add ground pepper and salt to taste. Add the previously cooked shrimp and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Eat this as is, or eat it spooned over a small scoop of rice for a more complete meal.

Now I'm going to go clean the kitchen a bit so it doesn't become a disaster later. Talk to you soon!

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Fried rice

2011-09-20T23:23:00.001-04:00

Leftover remake #1

Good evening, my lovelies. Remember when I said that I would spice this blog up by having themes and challenges? Well, here's theme number one. Every two weeks, I will post a recipe remaking leftovers. I constantly have leftovers, and sometimes it is fun to change it into something else. It's like I'm tricking myself into eating something new. Yes, I am like a child and I need to trick myself into eating food.

I didn't make this recipe today, I actually cooked it a few days before I moved. Hence the pictures of the food on boxes. Aren't you proud of me for actually cooking during the moving process? You guys know how stressful moving is for me. Yay me. Unfortunately, I was not so motivated today and I didn't cook. And I don't think I want to tell you guys what I ate. Ok, fine. I had a Lunchable. A pizza Lunchable. I am a child.

Moving on..

Fried rice is one of my favorites. As a Vietnamese girl, I grew up eating rice, so any dish with rice is a winner in my book. What I love so much about fried rice is that you can put whatever you want in there. Every time I make fried rice, it is a little different, but always delicious. I have a basic recipe that I use to flavor the rice, but you can throw almost any meat or vegetables (or even some fruits!) in and have a great side dish or even a complete meal.

I had some grilled teriyaki chicken with steamed vegetables from Tai's Asian Bistro. It was pretty good, but it came in a huge portion, so I had over half of it leftover the next day. I just cut the leftover chicken and veggies (broccoli, carrots, squash) into bite-sized pieces, reheated them in a little bit of oil, and added them to my basic fried rice recipe.

If you don't have any leftovers to use, you can just make the basic egg fried rice, which is great, or just use frozen veggies and whatever protein you have on hand. You can use chicken, beef, shrimp, ham, bacon.. you get the idea. Just make sure you cook it or heat it up in a bit of oil before you add it to the rice.

Finally, it is important to use cold, leftover rice for this recipe, because if you use fresh rice, the dish will become kind of soggy.

Basic Fried Rice

Serves 4

Print this recipe

Ingredients

4 cups cold cooked rice

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup onion, diced (optional)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (can be found at Asian markets)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

freshly ground black pepper

kosher salt

4 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons canola oil

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onions, if desired, and cook for approximately 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic!

2. Add the rice. Make sure that you try to break up the rice before you add it to the pan. Otherwise, you will have a large block of rice that may burn while you try to break it up in the pan.

3. Stir fry for a few minutes, then add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Stir fry for an additional 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. The soy sauce makes the rice saltier, and the oyster sauce makes it sweeter. Below is the brand of oyster sauce that I like to use.

4. Season the eggs with a touch of salt and pepper. If your pan is large enough, make a well in the rice about 6 inches in diameter. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the well and heat for a minute. Add the eggs to the well and scramble. When eggs are just beginning to set, stir into rice.

*If your pan is not large enough, then cook the eggs first and set aside. Then cook the rice as directed and just add the cooked eggs after step 3.

**If you are using meat and veggies, cook them with the garlic and onions, then continue with the recipe as directed.

And that's that! This recipe is a piece of cake. Enjoy remaking your leftovers!

Now I'm going to go cuddle with Louers and study for my anesthesia test!

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

P.S. Mikey is coming home from Chicago on Friday so I have an extra special meal planned! Stay tuned.

Banh xeo (Vietnamese crepes)

2011-09-19T23:53:00.001-04:00

Moving

It's been a crazy busy two weeks, but I'm finally back. I've missed you guys! In the past two weeks, I moved, completely unpacked, intubated several patients, visited my momma, and visited Mikey in Chicago (pictures to come!). It was the most stressful move EVER. I won't go into details, but let's just say there were so many trips to and from my third floor apartment that my legs felt like jelly by the end of the two days it took me to move. And the next day, I felt like I had run a marathon. Did I tell you that I HATE MOVING? This is the eighth time I've moved in eight years. And I have to move in 10 months when I graduate. Boo. Note to self: hire movers next time. Or buy an elevator. Or make friends with some big burly men (but Mikey probably wouldn't like that :))

Since I've been gone for so long, I have a treat for you guys! I have a wonderful recipe for a Vietnamese dish called banh xeo. This is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes. I remember asking my mom for it when I was a kid and I remember cramming it in my face when I was in Vietnam. Now usually I eat like a lady - you know, fork, knife, napkin in the lap, small bites, etc. But with banh xeo, I threw all of those manners out the door. I ate with my bare hands and with a napkin tucked into my collar. Attractive, I know.

So most if you probably don't know what banh xeo is because it's not commonly served here in the Midwest. It's not exactly a Vietnamese mecca here is good ol' Columbus, Ohio. So here's a little lesson: Banh xeo are a savory crepe filled with shrimp, pork, beansprouts and topped with nuoc cham (the quintessential Vietnamese dipping sauce). French influence, but definitely Vietnamese flavor. It looks like an omelet, but there are no eggs in it. There is turmeric in the crepe batter that gives it a yellow color.

There are a few ways to eat banh xeo. You can wrap it with lettuce and herbs and dip it in nuoc cham, sort of like a summer roll. Or you can just top it with nuoc cham and eat it right off of the plate (that's what I like to do).

I've included a recipe for the crepe batter, but I always buy a mix at the Asian market. It's really cheap (like less than $2) and all you have to do is add water. Some regions of Vietnam make the crepe batter with coconut milk so it makes a richer batter, but I always make it with water. I think that it makes a crispier crepe. Plus, I'm not a fan of coconut milk.

Here's a nice little article on banh xeo if you'd like to know more.

Now on to the recipe!

Banh Xeo
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
Crepe batter (adapted from whats4eats.com)

2 cups rice flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 cups coconut milk (or 2 cups water)

1 cup water

Filling
3/4 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch strips (pork butt can be used, it's higher in fat but tastier)
1/2 lb shrimp (cut into 1/2 inch pieces if the shrimp are large)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped
3 scallions, sliced
1/2 lb bean sprouts
canola oil

Directions
1. Marinate the pork and shrimp with fish sauce, sugar, black pepper, and shallot for 15 minutes.
2. While meat is marinating, combine all of the ingredients for the crepe batter. Mix well, and stir every so often while making the crepes so the batter does not separate.
3. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a nonstick (must be nonstick!) pan to medium heat. Add a few slices of pork, a few pieces of shrimp, and about a 1/4 cup of bean sprouts. Cook until the pork is just done. Spread the meat and bean spouts in the pan so they make an even layer.

4. Ladle about 3/4 cup - 1 cup of batter into the pan. While ladling the batter in the pan, swirl the pan quickly to spread the batter out evenly. This is very important, or else you will just have a glob of batter in the middle of the pan, and it will never get crispy. It may take a few times to get right, so you may want to practice making plain crepes before you start cooking the meat. Cook the crepe for approximately 3 minutes, or until crispy. Then fold the crepe in half and move to a plate. Top with scallions. Eat immediately, or place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while making the rest of the crepes.

5. Continue process until crepes are finished. Top with nuoc cham (recipe follows) or wrap in a lettuce leaf with some cilantro and mint and dip in nuoc cham.

***For beginners, it may be easier to take a large pan and cook all of the meat and bean sprouts at one time and set aside in a bowl. Then make plain crepes and fill with meat and bean sprouts once the crepe has set.

Nuoc Cham
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 lime
1/2 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam - found in Asian markets)
1/2 cup water
1 small Thai chile (optional)

Directions
1. Peel and smash garlic. Place in a mortar with the sugar and grind into a paste. (If you do not have a mortar and pestle, just mince the garlic very very finely and mix it with the sugar in a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to smash the garlic and sugar together against the side of the bowl). If you choose to use the chile, grind it with the garlic and sugar.
2. Add the juice from the lime, fish sauce, and water. Mix well. If it tastes a little too strong, dilute it with additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. The mixture should be salty, sweet, and a little tart, but should not taste very fishy. If it does taste fishy, add a little more sugar and water until it tastes right.

***Variation: substitute half of the water and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar for 1/4 cup 7-up or Sprite.

And that is that. You can now proceed with cramming your face.

If you have any questions, please message me. I know that this recipe can be a bit confusing, but it is definitely worth it.

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Indianapolis

2011-08-26T03:31:00.000-04:00

The city of states

Howdy y'all! How have you been? I've been great, thanks. Fortunately, I have pictures from Indianapolis, as promised. Unfortunately, you're not going to get much more than pictures. I have an exam tomorrow.. and I've been napping all day. Oops. But you're not here to read, right? Well, actually you're here for recipes, but do you think you can settle with some pictures of food for now?

Let's begin our mini journey through Indianapolis - so keep your hands and arms inside the carpet, we're outta here! (Get the Aladdin reference?)

Friday night, we went to a pizza joint called Bazbeaux. Interesting name, interesting pizza (our pizza had dollops of ricotta cheese). We had garlic-cheese bread and 4 cheese-bacon-mushroom pizza. You can't get any better than bacon and cheese. And that is all I have to say about that.

beer number one.

waiting patiently for dinner. i was really, really hungry.

cheese bread. it was bomb.

pizza.

crispy bacon and gooey cheese.
are you salivating?
because i am.

mikey.

the view from outside the restaurant. that little lady on the corner dances.
her name is veronica.

The next morning, we had brunch at Hoaglin To Go & Marketplace. While their daily grind is fine catering, they make a mean brunch. I had the best omelette ever. Seriously, I died a little when I bit into it. It was fluffy and filled with applewood smoked bacon, sauteed red onions, sun-dried tomato pesto torte. I'm not even sure what a sun-dried tomato pesto torte is, but I can tell you that it is good.

Mikey had a stack of red velvet pancakes. Dessert for breakfast? Don't mind if I do.

best. omelette. ever.

the magical filling.

red velvet pancakes.

Then we went to Starbucks, 'cause brunch made us sleepy. Why the heck is Starbucks so expensive?! I spent $5 on a tall skinny caramel macchiato with soymilk. Secondly, why the heck are the names so long?

almost broke the bank on these babies.

Then, the Indiana State fair! It was a glutton's dream. There were so many places to get food that we almost got overwhelmed. But no worries, we put our fat hats on and braved the crowds. Despite the abundance of food, we didn't end up eating very much. It was just nice walking around with Mikey. But I did give in and try a deep fried Snickers bar with him. He really liked it. I, on the other hand, thought that I could have gotten the same effect by popping a Snickers in the microwave for 30 seconds. I mean it was good, but not $4 good.

$15 and 7 darts later, mikey won a prize for me!
i shall call him squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my squishy.

i found a wand.
and....

magic! i've always wanted a unicorn.

yes. that is indeed a burger between two doughnuts.
(we didn't try this one)

deep fried butter? deep fried kool-aid?
only in the midwest, my friends

and here it is. deep fried snickers.

The last day that I was there, we went to a cute neighborhood called Broad Ripple. There was a strip of pubs, and we ended up choosing Broad Ripple Brewpub because there was a stout there that Mike liked. I had the fish and chips. Silly me thinking that fish would be lighter. I ate about a third of it and promptly became sleepy afterwards.

fish 'n chips

And that was my weekend. It was like you were there, right?

Now that I have mesmerized you with these pictures, I gotta break some bad news. I'm taking a short break from blogging. I am moving soon, and I have to eat the random food that is left in my pantry. And I don't think that you want to hear about canned soup, tortilla chips, and Chef Boyardee. I'll be back full force in September. Promise.

we're funny.

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Ghetto lo mein

2011-08-24T16:45:00.000-04:00

If ramen is wrong, then I don't want to be right

I know what you're thinking - "Ghetto lo mein? What the H does that mean? Is it from the hood? Is Nhu-Y from the hood?"

Well let me answer those questions for you, my friends. Ghetto lo mein is a concoction dreamt up by my kitchen-illiterate cuz. I love her dearly, but she's no Julia Child. So it is not from the hood, it's from a little asian girl from the 'burbs. And no, I'm not from the hood either, but I lived pretty close to some not-so-reputable places when I was a kid (one time, I even wore my hair in cornrows - and that's hood).

Let me preface this recipe by saying that it is not lo mein. It's just what my cousin calls this dish. In no way does this resemble lo mein, with the exception that it is composed of noodles and grease. So if you are looking for something that you can get from your favorite Chinese restaurant, check back later. But if you are looking for cheap eats, read on.

Now, don't judge. I know ramen is the fare of a college freshman. But hey, I am a medical student in lotsa debt. I can't always afford to eat foie gras, truffles and gold. Besides, I haven't cooked in about a week, and I feel guilty not posting something that I didn't cook. That's how much I like you guys - I feel guilty when I eat things like burgers, ice cream, and deep fried Snickers bars that I can't share with you :)

When my cousin makes this dish, it consists only of ground beef, ramen noodles, and ramen seasoning. Yes, only 3 ingredients. Really, only 2 ingredients because the noodles and the seasoning come together. But surprisingly, it tastes good. Maybe it's the pound of grease they pack into each tiny bag of ramen noodles. Or maybe I can taste the memories from my good ol' college days, I'm not sure. I did decide that this recipe was a little too ghetto for me, so I added some greenage in the form of scallions and broccoli.

Try it, you'll like it. And if you don't, you've spent a dollar - you probably have more money lost in your couch.

Ghetto Lo Mein
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
4 packages of beef flavored ramen noodles
1 pound of ground beef
1 tablespoon oil (optional)
If you want it fancy, add:
2 scallions, cut on the bias
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets

Directions
1. Boil 2-3 quarts of water.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, brown the beef in the oil on medium-high heat (if you use a nonstick pan, some nonstick spray should do). Break the beef up as well as you can. Drain the beef once it is cooked through.
3. Stir one package of the ramen seasoning into the beef and add the whites of the scallions. Cook for an additional minute or two. Reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Once water boils, cook the broccoli for 3-5 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your broccoli. Remove the broccoli from the water with tongs or a slotted spoon and add to the meat (leave water in the pot for the noodles).
5. Bring the water back up to a boil and cook noodles for 4 minutes (or 1 minute less than the directions on the package). When noodles are cooked, drain and add to the beef and broccoli mixture. Turn heat back up to medium-high and stir in 1.5 - 2 packages of ramen seasoning to taste.
6. Top with the greens of the scallions.
7. Eat with a your hat cocked to the side, an oversize white tee, and some gold teeth.

I promise a sophisticated recipe next time. Until then --

Peace out homies.

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Me and my lovely cousin

Hiatus

2011-08-22T19:31:00.004-04:00

Louers

I apologize for not posting in so long! I spent the weekend in Indianapolis with Mikey, and I ate like a queen. A hillbilly queen. We went to the Indiana state fair and we had a corn dog, beef tips, and a fried Snickers bar. Pictures to come.

I have a paper to write and it's due tomorrow, so I will have to post on my trip another time. I was supposed to work on this paper at Mikey's, but the food was not conducive to studying. What do you do after you eat a corn dog, beef tips, and fried Snickers? Sleep. And that's what we did.

So in lieu of a food post, I will post a picture of my pup, Louie.

Doesn't he look comfortable? He is napping next to me, and he is in doggy dream world. He's squeaking/barking and making raspberry noises (you know, when you purse your lips and force air out). I wonder what he's dreaming about. Eating I bet. My dog loves to eat, and I bet he gets it from his mama (me, not his biological mama). Here's another two pictures for your to illustrate how much he loves to eat.

Standing up and trying very hard to balance himself with his knubby legs
(imagine him flapping his little legs as he attempts to balance)

Finally balanced, and with his very best "look at how cute I am" face on

Louie is pretty smart and he does a lot of tricks, but his favorite thing to do is stand up. He'll stand up for anything: if he wants to eat, if he wants to be pet, if he wants to hop on the couch, if he is jealous of another pet and wants attention - he's a needy dog. And he does it because he knows that we looove it. It's just so cute to see a dog with such short legs stand up. It's a gravity defying stunt, I tell ya. So of course, since he is defying gravity, we can't resist it and give him whatever he wants. I'm a bad mama. In this case, he wanted the (super cute) hot dog treat that I got for him from a cute shop on Mass Ave. A hot dog eating a hot dog. Wait, is that morbid? Cannibalistic? Oh well, it's too cute not to post.

Ok loves, gotta go work on my paper. Wish me luck.

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

P.S. If you're wondering if Louie usually sleeps with a pillow and a blanket, the answer is yes and no. He does love to prop his head on a pillow (I let him sleep with me every night and I think he thinks he's human sometimes), but I put the blanket on him. His underside is fur-less, so his private puppy goods were showing. It was a leeettle indecent, and I didn't want to flash my pup's goods to y'all. That would make me a really bad mama.

P.P.S. Louers is obviously Louie's nickname. I add "ers" to many names to create nicknames - Mikers, puppers (another Louie nickname). My name rhymes with Louie, so sometimes Mikey calls me Nhuers. Random, I know, but now you know how to pronounce my name and you are one step ahead of 99% of this world.

Northstar Cafe

2011-08-19T01:22:00.004-04:00

Nostalgia

Source: mywedding.com.
Do not be alarmed, this burger is supposed to be pink (it's the beets).

Hello friends! As promised, a post! But I didn't promise to write an awesome post :) (hey, it's hard to write award-winning material at this hour).

Now you may be wondering why I titled this post "nostalgia". Well, here's why - number one: today I went thrifting and sifted though tons of clothes from the 90s, shoulder pads and all. And since I am a product of the 80s, I remember the 90s (does that make any sense? I don't really remember the first five years of my life). Number two: On my way home, I heard a No Doubt song on the radio, and No Doubt makes me think of middle school days in typing class (where we'd listen to music and NOT type). And number three: I had a date with my long-lost cousin today!

My sweet cousin just turned 18, graduated high school, and in a month she's leaving for college. Sad face. I'm so glad I had a chance to see her and catch up with her before she leaves. It's been several years since we have seen each other (due to some parental issues), but I was delighted to see what a beautiful young woman she's grown into! And the fact that she wants to be a doctor is pretty great too :)

Turkey Sandwich. Source: yelp.com. It was HUGE

We went to Northstar Cafe for dinner, and Jeni's for dessert but..... I forgot my camera! So I am borrowing some images (and crediting the sources, of course). I had the freakin' delicious Northstar burger, and my cuz had a Turkey sandwich with a wild rice salad.

Source: fitsugar.com. I like mine sans the ketchup.

At this point, I would talk about the food, but it's quite late. All I'll tell you now is that the Northstar burger is not the kind of burger you think it is. Mikey ordered it a while ago, expecting a nice juicy beef burger, and he was quite upset when he took a bite and didn't get beefy goodness (he obviously did not read the menu, typical man thing to do). The Northstar burger is a veggie burger.. but it's not the kind of veggie burger you're used to either! It's made of rice and beats, and maybe some sort of legume. I'm not sure. I think it has some sort of mystical ingredient mixed in, 'cause it is damn good. I ate it so fast that I hardly had time to analyze the flavors, so excuse me for this hasty "review". Sorry.. But at least you know it tastes good! And is good for you too. And besides, I think that the Northstar Burger is something that you just have to experience.

Here are some (borrowed) pictures from Jeni's. Interesting fact: my cousin's friend works for Jeni's kitchen, and she labels the containers by hand. And when they misspell something, the pint is deemed a reject and the employees are free to do with them as they please. I'm sure glad I don't work at Jeni's, because I would be rather fluffy (read: fat).

Source (for both images): dishtip.com

Eeek, it's late! I need to get up in 4 hours, so I will say goodnight for now.

Goodnight.

xoxo<3
Nhu-Y

Sitting, waiting, wishing (and wondering)

2011-08-17T21:55:00.001-04:00

My second post of the day. Sort of sad, but I skipped out on my rotation today and spent the entire day perusing the internet I had a lot of time to think. Here goes..

Med school has been a time machine, of sorts. Some people even joke that it's like being in high school again because we spend all of our time with the same 200 people for two years straight and it can get a bit clique-y. I have definitely grown and matured in my 20+ years of school, but I still feel like I am far behind my friends. Every time I get on Facebook, someone else is getting married, or having a baby, or doing something big in their life. While I am still in school. (but hopefully something big will happen to me in 5 months - namely, matching in ophthalmology!)

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately, and there is one that I particularly love. I love her style and her quirky posts, but I think I sorta love her life too. At times I find myself a little... jealous. She's 28 (a mere 2 years older than myself) and she has a husband and three beautiful children. And here I am, not packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for my (hypothetical) kids, but packing them for myself. At least I'm not packing a juice box too. Really, I'm not sad, but I just wonder what my life would be like if I followed the same path as my friends - or my mom (when she was 26, she had me!) But, I have no regrets. My dream has always been to become a physician, and I am well on that path. And even though I long for children, I know that waiting will ensure them a better life than I lived when I was a kid.

Mikey's dad has a simple saying - "delayed gratification". I just have to remind myself every so often.

But I digress.. this is a food blog after all! I don't have a recipe for today since I ate salmon leftovers (which was DIVINE), but I promise to have a post tomorrow. I am having dinner at Northstar Cafe with my long-lost cousin. Ok, she's not long-lost, we've actually been in the same city for 3 years, but I haven't seen her since she was a kiddie. And in less than a month, she's leaving for college. College! I'm getting old, I tell ya.

Ok, enough for now. Goodnight!

xoxo<3
Nhu-Y

Fettuccine Alfredo

2011-08-17T11:33:00.004-04:00

Let's spice it up!!!

Good morning! I have the morning off so I decided to get a quick post in :) I spoke to a friend from college a few days ago, who has a great food blog of her own. She has tons of great recipes and I asked her where she finds the time to cook so often. And what she said -- when cooking is a hobby you enjoy, it's not work -- really made me think about this blog. I don't want it to turn into work. I love cooking so much and I want you all to know how much I love it! I delayed the start of this blog because I was so busy with school. But medical school is not an excuse anymore! I'm telling you now - I will make the time to cook most of the week, and I will try a new recipe at least twice a week. Accountability! And I'll cook even more when Mikey gets back in town, because it's way better to cook for two :)

I've also been thinking about ways to spice up this blog. Here are some ideas: Posting weekly menus (planning makes cooking so much easier!), weekly themes, and some sort of challenge. I read a lot of fashion blogs and I often read about "remix challenges", "color challenges", and even "no-repeat challenges". I think that I can translate those challenges to food.. eek, I'm so excited now! More details to come..

Ok, here's a quickie recipe for you all. Fettuccine alfredo. It's not the typical Americanized fettuccine that you have in the restaurant with thick and goopy (is that a word?) sauce. Folks, this is the real deal. It's how fettuccine alfredo started in Italy. That's right, Italy, not America. Here's a really interesting post on the original fettuccine alfredo. The ingredients are simple: pasta, butter, cheese. What could be bad about pasta, butter and cheese? Oh right, the fact that it's pasta, butter, and cheese :) But who cares? We all need to indulge every so often. This isn't as heavy as restaurant fettuccine, but it is definitely rich - and absolutely delicious.

I've said this before, and I will say it again because it is of utmost importance - since this recipe is so simple, it is important to use quality ingredients. Parmigiano Reggiano, real butter, freshly ground black pepper. You can use fresh or dry pasta, but I think that fresh pasta holds on to the sauce better. This recipe does have an option to add cream - for those of you who can't quite say goodbye to cream :). Bon appetit!

Fettuccine Alfredo (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients

1/2 pound fettuccine noodles

3-4 Tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Black pepper

Additional, for creamy version:

1/2 cup cream

Nutmeg

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and drop in your fettuccine.

2a. Plain version Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over low heat. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat off.

2b. Creamy version Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over low heat. Add the cream to the butter as it melts. Stir often to combine the two, do not turn off the heat, but keep the heat at its lowest setting while the pasta cooks.

3. When the fettuccine is al dente (cooked, but still a little firm) lift it out of the pot with tongs and move the pasta to the sauté pan. Do not drain the pasta. You want it dripping wet with the cooking water. Turn on the heat under the sauté pan to medium and swirl the pasta and butter together to combine. Add half the cheese, then swirl and toss the pasta until it has incorporated into the sauce. If needed, add a few spoonfuls more of the pasta cooking water. Add the rest of the cheese and repeat.

4. Serve at once with either a little black pepper (for classic version) or nutmeg (for creamy version) ground over the pasta.

I ate this as a side dish, but if you add some meat and veggies, it would be a (very filling) entree.

That is all.

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Ginger-Soy Salmon

2011-08-15T23:24:00.001-04:00

Atlantic goodness

Hello everyone! Hope that you had a wonderful weekend. Last night my roommate and I went out to eat for her last night in Ohio (she flew to Florida for a week this morning) and we had chicken wings, pizza, and french fries. And I didn't regret it one bit. It feels nice to pig out every so often :) But since I ate out yesterday, I decided that I HAD to cook tonight. I only cooked one of the three recipes that I proposed last week, so I will be cooking the rest them this week.

I started with the salmon recipe because I have been craving it all week. I try to eat fish once a week but I had so much lasagna from last week, I didn't eat much else. This recipe is a conglomeration of at least 3 recipes - Mike's dad makes a great salmon with soy sauce, olive oil, and scallions; my parents make a marinade with soy sauce, limes, and sugar; and I've had dishes that combine soy and ginger at many restaurants.

I loooove this recipe. I think that it tastes complex enough to come from a restaurant, but it is still very comforting. It's not heavy, and if paired with brown rice and a veggie, it's a very balanced meal. It's a home run.

Even though there are a lot of ingredients, it only takes a few minutes to throw the marinade together, and 5 minutes or so to crisp the skin. The rest of the time is spent on letting the fish marinate and on baking the fish. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.. I had a hard time keeping myself from eating two servings (I promise, I saved some for tomorrow).

P.S. You can skip crisping the skin in the frying pan, but I recommend that you try it at least once. It is well worth the extra 5 minutes. You'll thank me once you try it. Promise.

Ginger-Soy Salmon
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
4 6-oz pieces of skin-on salmon
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons water
6 cloves of garlic
1-inch section ginger
Juice of 1 lime
2 scallions
finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
a few drops of dark sesame oil
cilantro, to garnish
toasted black and white sesame seeds, to garnish

Directions
1. To make the marinade: In a dish large enough to place the salmon in a single layer, combine soy sauce, sugar, olive oil, lime juice, water, and black pepper. Grate in garlic and ginger. Finely slice the scallions and add the whites to the marinade (reserve the greens to garnish). At this point, taste the marinade and adjust seasonings. Set aside 1/3 cup of marinade for later.
2. Place salmon into marinade and turn to coat both sides. Marinate for at least 1 hour, flesh side down.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on high heat in a stainless steel frying pan.
4. Remove fish from marinade and dry the skin with a paper towel. When the oil is hot, place the salmon skin side down into the pan. Press the fish down with a spatula to ensure that the skin has good contact with the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the skin becomes crispy. You'll know when it is ready when the fish easily releases from the pan. Don't try to pry it off!*
5. Transfer the salmon to a sheet pan with a cooling rack (to elevate the fish and keep the skin crispy). Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the thickest portion of the salmon begins to firm up. Be very careful not to overcook!!
6. While the fish is cooking, discard the oil from the frying pan, and heat the marinade that was set aside earlier. Simmer until it reduces by a third to a half. Take it off the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil, if desired.
7. Top the fish with a small amount of the reduced marinade and garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro, and scallions. Serve with rice.

*If you do not care for crispy skin, you can just bake for 20-25 minutes. I would still bake it on the cooling rack, just so the skin doesn't get soggy.

That's all folks. Night!

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Yellow squash lasagna

2011-08-14T02:53:00.002-04:00

A healthy twist

Hello friends! Hope you've been doing well. The weather is beautiful here in Ohio! It was in the 50s this morning when I woke up and will be in the 70s today. It's a dream. I love the summer (I am Vietnamese after all) but this heat and humidity is really getting to be too much. I can't walk from my car to the hospital without breaking a sweat. I can't wait until autumn is here. I have lots of fun scarves and boots that I have just been aching to break out!

Now I know that in my last post, I promised that I would cook more, but I haven't gotten to all of the recipes yet :/ But it's not because I've been eating junk, it's because I grossly underestimated how much lasagna my recipe would make! I have a huge 9x13 pan which isn't even half gone. I may freeze the rest of it so I can start eating something else :)

I came up with this recipe because I love pasta.. a little too much. I grew up eating rice with every meal (yes, even with breakfast sometimes) so naturally I love carbohydrates. Bread, pasta, rice - I'll even eat it plain and be happy. However, now that I'm getting older I don't think that my body appreciates all that starch. I even get sleepy after I eat a bowl of pasta nowadays! I didn't completely eliminate the lasagna noodles because it would be too sad to make lasagna without any pasta (could it still be called lasagna?) so I just substituted half of the noodles with thin slices of quick roasted yellow squash. I just used my mandoline to cut 1/4"-1/8" slices, but you can easily use a sharp knife as well.

I especially like this recipe because it tastes like a traditional lasagna, even though it is a healthier version. I use reduced fat cheeses, ground turkey, and the squash in both the sauce and as a substitute for noodles, but it's still mighty good. I think I've seen healthy lasagna recipes with eggplant "noodles" instead of yellow squash, but I think that the eggplant gets kind of mushy. The squash maintains its texture and has a very mild flavor - a great substitute for an al dente lasagna noodle. If you can't find yellow squash, you can use zucchini instead - or if you don't want to be healthy, just use all noodles, full-fat cheese, and beef and have a regular lasagna (I'm not judging)

The recipe takes a little bit of time to make, but you can do some of the steps simultaneously. Also, the time spent cooking is worth it because you'll be eating for days! I recommend you halve or even quarter the recipe if you are cooking for just one or two people. Alright, enjoy!

Yellow Squash Lasagna
Serves 8
Print this recipe

Ingredients
6 lasagna noodles
3 medium yellow squash
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
15 ounces of low-fat ricotta cheese (one standard container)
1 egg
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
double recipe of meat sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and boil a large pot of water.
2. Peel the squash. Small dice one of them, and thinly slice the other two on the long axis (to make long slices, not discs). Make the slices a little thicker than a lasagna noodle.
3. Take the slices of squash and drizzle them with olive oil. Roast in oven for approximately 5 minutes. Don't let the squash cook for too long, or they will become mushy.
4. While waiting for the water to boil, begin making the meat sauce, sautéing the diced squash with the garlic and onions.
5. By this point, the water should be boiling - cook the lasagna noodles according to the directions.
6. While the noodles are cooking, combine the ricotta, parmesan, 1/4 cup mozzarella, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
7. When the squash, lasagna noodles, and meat sauce are done, build the lasagna. Start by ladling a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a 9"x13"baking dish so the noodles do not stick. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Now take a quarter of the ricotta mixture and spread it on top of the noodles. Ladle a layer of sauce on top of the ricotta layer. Take a quarter of the remaining shredded mozzarella and sprinkle on the sauce layer. Place one thin layer of sliced squash on the cheese. Then ricotta, sauce, mozzarella again. Now repeat these two layers again so you have 4 layers total. End with shredded mozzarella. You should be left with about half of the meat sauce.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is hot and bubbly. Slice and top with the remaining sauce.

I hope that these instructions made some sense. I tried to write it so you can be efficient and do some steps simultaneously. I have realized how difficult it is to write recipes! I really like to cook my own recipes, but I normally just throw things together and taste as I go. Cooking is so much more difficult when you have to keep track of quantities!

Again, somehow this post became super long, so I will let you go for now. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Green Beans

2011-08-09T12:44:00.000-04:00

Eat your veggies!

'Ello mates! (I've been watching a TV show with a hot Australian guy). So sorry I have been a bad blogger lately. Still feeling a little down in the dumps.. had to take the day off yesterday. I'm feeling much better today though!

So...... I didn't really cook at all last week :/ Monday and Tuesday I ate with friends, Wednesday I skipped dinner, Thursday I made some egg fried rice with some old rice, and Friday I skipped dinner again. Well, really I didn't skip dinner on Wednesday and Friday. I just ate chips, hummus, and fruit when I came home from work and didn't eat for the rest of the night. Then Saturday I ordered a pizza and ate it for lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Disgusting. I'm pretty sure that the way I'm eating is contributing to how I feel.

Anyways, I am going to plan my meals this week so I have some balanced meals. I wouldn't normally plan on my blog, but I will this week so I am accountable! Ok, here goes:

Tuesday - Zucchini lasagna
Thursday - Fish tacos
Saturday - Ginger-soy salmon

Hmm, that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Ok, now on to the recipes! Since I haven't posted for a week, I'll do 2 recipes today. Both veggies. I'm sort of a dunce when it comes to cooking vegetables. I usually just steam them with salt and pepper, or roast them with salt and pepper. It's really boring, but I enjoy the taste of vegetables so I don't add a lot of other flavors.

First, let's talk about roasted broccoli. It may sound boring, but it is definitely worth trying. Roasting sort of concentrates the broccoli flavor (or maybe steaming diffuses the flavor, I'm not sure) and brings a nutty component . And, it's just as easy as steaming! Next, garlic green beans. Actually not much to say about them. Not very complicated but makes the green beans much better than salt and pepper. Ok, I think I'm running out of things to say, so here are the recipes!

Roasted broccoli
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
4 heads of broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut broccoli into florets, discarding (or saving) the stalks.
3. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Place on a baking sheet and roast for approximately 20 minutes, or until the edges of the florets just turn brown.
5. Serve immediately.

Garlic green beans
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
1 pound of green beans, ends trimmed
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Boil a large pot of water. Add the beans and blanch for about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the beans to an ice bath and drain.*
3. While the beans are blanching, begin cooking the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Start the garlic in a cold pan to bring out the flavor of the garlic and to prevent burning of the garlic. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not brown.
4. Add the green beans to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

*You don't necessarily have to do the ice bath, but it keeps the beans nice and green. Just reduce the cooking time by a few minutes so you don't overcook them.

Ok, that's it for now, I need to get back to studying :) As per usual, this post ended up much longer than I anticipated it to be. I promise, I'll be back this week with some better recipes!

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Parmesan-herb crusted chicken

2011-08-04T23:08:00.002-04:00

Deliciously resourceful

Sorry I haven't been around for a while! I've finished my research rotation and now I am on a "real" rotation - Radiology. Last month I didn't have to go in until 9:00 and I left around 2:30 (it was great). Radiology actually has pretty good hours, but I do have to wake up around 6:00 so I can get in by 7:45 and my sleep schedule is alllll messed up from last month. I haven't been asleep before midnight all week, so I am pretty tired. It doesn't make it any better that my rotation calls for sitting in a dark room for hours at a time. Radiologists are some of the smartest doctors I've met, but boy, this rotation is soooooooo boring! It feels like time stops when I am at work. It's sorta miserable.

Anyways, I haven't been cooking much this week just because I feel sort of crappy, but I do have this recipe saved up. I cooked this for Mike last Friday before he left for Indianapolis. I wanted to cook one of my staples, lemon-herb chicken (which will be posted in the near future!). But... we didn't have any lemon and it would have been ridiculous for me to run to the grocery store for just one lemon. So I looked around the kitchen and I saw that I had a block of Parmigiano Reggiano and half of a stale baguette leftover from Bruschetta, which lead me to this recipe! I was actually looking for breadcrumbs, but Mikey didn't have any so I made them from the baguette - and it was the best idea ever. It made the chicken so crispy. Sometimes I think that packaged breadcrumbs can be kind of dense and they can absorb more oil than I would like. Quick story - over our 3 years together, I have slowly transformed his kitchen from a typical man kitchen (beer, mismatched plates, and a Foreman grill) to a somewhat usable kitchen by bringing a chef's knife and lots of utensils and tools, but I haven't come around to bringing a blender or a food processor. So I was a little ghetto when I made the breadcrumbs because I had to pound them with a meat mallet! You gotta do what you gotta do when you're hungry :)

In addition to making fresh breadcrumbs, I like to grate my own cheese with a Microplane. The Microplane is one of my favorite kitchen instruments! You should pick one up if you love to cook. It makes a wonderful fluffy cloud of cheese that will keep the coating light.

This recipe is pretty versatile. You could probably use panko breadcrumbs. Or mix up the herbs (I used thyme). Or even use some other kind of cheese. I'm all about adjusting recipes depending on what's around the house - we Vietnamese are resourceful! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the recipe.

P.S. This isn't the most healthy recipe (it's pan fried in olive oil) since I wanted to treat Mikey before he left, but you can easily cut down on the fat by baking the chicken. I guess I would cook at 350-375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink when cut.

Parmesan-herb crusted chicken

Serves 4

Print this recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs*

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/4-inch thick

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken cutlets with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use about half of the salt that you would usually use, since you will be coating with Parmigiano Reggiano later.

2. Gather 3 shallow dishes. In the first dish, place the flour. In the second dish, beat 2 eggs. In the third dish, combine the thyme, rosemary, breadcrumbs, garlic, and cheese.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. While oil is heating up, coat chicken - first in flour, then in egg, finally in breadcrumb-herb-cheese mixture. Between each step, make sure you shake the cutlets off so they are not over-coated.

4. Cook the cutlets, two at a time, for about 3-4 minutes per side (or until golden brown). Repeat with the remaining olive oil and cutlets.

*Fresh breadcrumbs can be replaced by dried breadcrumbs, but they can be dense. Here's an easy way to make fresh breadcrumbs that only takes 10 minutes! Take about a quarter of a day old baguette and slice into very thin (1/4 inch or less if you can) slices. Place in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until the slices are crisp all the way though. Try not to brown them too much. The thinner you slice the baguette, the faster it will crisp. Cool for a minute or so and then pulse in a food processor. Voila! Fresh breadcrumbs :)

Here's the entire meal we had that night. I'll post the rest of the recipes soon. Sorry the pictures aren't great but we were hungry and it smelled so good so I took the pictures in a hurry. Goodbye for now, loves!

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Lemon-pepper tilapia

2011-08-01T23:26:00.005-04:00

You'll never use the powdered stuff again!

Photo courtesy of Jenny's camera phone

This post is dedicated to my dear cousin and wonderful roommate, Jenny Luu. We haven't spent any time with each other for a while, so today we shopped for 5 hours! It's amazing how much damage we can do at the mall :). We (sort of) behaved ourselves today though. I got a pair of boots for the fall, a shirt (for $7!), and an obi belt that I have been eyeing for months :) After such a shopping trip, we didn't want to spend any more money on eating out, so we decided that we would cook a cheap and healthy meal for dinner. We were also having some girls over, and really, we didn't want to pay for restaurant food either! Plus, since Jenny is moving out in a month, I have to teach her some recipes so she doesn't starve when I'm not around (Love you Jenny!)

Since we wanted something healthy and cheap, we chose tilapia. Salt and pepper was easy but boring, and we are not boring girls! Actually, we had lemon-pepper tilapia once before - Jenny made me lemon pepper fish once with some powdered lemon pepper ... and it was the most horrible thing I had ever tasted! It tasted like chemicals - like a combination of the stuff they put on sour patch kids to make them sour plus cheap black pepper - ick. So I came up with this recipe for her because it is super easy and it only takes 20 minutes to make. The lemon zest gives the fish lots of great lemon flavor without being tart. Jenny, I hope you took notes!

Lemon pepper tilapia
Serves 4
Print this recipe

Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
1 lemon, zested and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine lemon zest, thyme, and garlic in a small bowl.
3. Season both sides of tilapia with salt and pepper.
4. Lay lemon slices in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper (on a baking sheet), then lay the tilapia fillets on top of the lemon slices.
5. Top each fillet with the zest-garlic-thyme mixture and rub it in.
6. Drizzle with olive oil.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakey.
8. Enjoy without guilt!

Crap, it's past 11:00 and I told myself that I would be in bed by 10:00 for work tomorrow. Please excuse any spelling errors, I wrote this super fast as I was chatting with the ladies!

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Betty's

2011-07-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone is having a happy Sunday, because I sure ain't. Still feeling sick from a few days ago, and now I feel like vomiting my brains out >_<. I finally came back to my apartment and I had some grand plans to clean, do laundry, cook, etc, but all I did today was cuddle on the couch with my pup. Mike left for Indianapolis today and I'm sadder than I thought I would be :( Gotta be strong though. We're only going to be apart for a few months though, I can handle it! Hopefully I will have more time to hang out with my roomie; we haven't been at our apartment together for more than 2 days at a time for quite some time!

Ok, enough ranting, let's talk food!

Last night, Mikey and I went to the Short North district for a date night. I looove the Short North - it's a little gem within Columbus, with art galleries, vintage shopping, and lots of great non-chain restaurants. We did a little shopping before we ate to build up our appetites and I found a cute vintage yellow purse for only $19! The strap is a little short, but for less than 20 bucks, I couldn't pass it up.

Oops, still haven't mentioned the food yet! So I know in my last post, I said that we were going to try something new, but we ended up going to one of our favorites, Betty's. It's a really tiny restaurant with no more than 15 tables smooshed into a long and narrow space and you usually have to wait for 40 minutes, but definitely worth it. Betty's is super kitschy with pin-up girls covering the walls and crazy ceramic cats on the bar - by no means a "sophisticated" place - but it's really fun.

For our drinks, Mike ordered a beer called Abita Purple Haze. It was a wheat beer that had raspberry puree added after filtration. Mike didn't like it much and said that it tasted watery. I ordered the Mini Van - rose wine, sugar saturated raspberries, and soda. Sweet and I could barely taste the alcohol, I loved it! (I'm a light-weight - it's an Asian thing.)

We ordered fried plantains served with a zesty yogurt sauce for an appetizer. When it came out, I was less than impressed with the plating. There were 5 or 6 pieces of plantains on a giant plate. I thought that they would be immature and taste like potatoes, but they were nice and sweet like bananas. They weren't too greasy and tasted pretty good. But I don't think I will be ordering it again because it was $8 for a teeny portion.

For our entrees, we ordered mac and cheese and meatloaf. Both were wonderful. We already knew that the mac and cheese was good (it was the reason we went to Betty's in the first place). Their mac and cheese isn't the run of the mill mac and cheese! It has poblano peppers, sweet corn, and red onions. OMG, so good. And the cheese! The cheese is sooo creamy. They must use evaporated milk or some sort of processed cheese, but I don't even care :). The meatloaf was a recommendation from one of the docs that I worked with last year. It was a good choice - Thanks Dr. Wexler! Very moist and a hint of sweet from the bell peppers and it was even better with the ketchup sauce. Not much else to say about that, I mean how many words do you need to describe meatloaf?

Overall, we love Betty's. It's not fancy, but it's good food and a fun environment. Plus, there's a Jeni's like 2 blocks away. No pictures of that unfortunately.. we started eating before we even paid! But here's a picture of a crazy ass ride that we took while we were waiting in line for Jeni's - it's called the Cycle Tavern. A pedal-powered bar-hopping tour. I really can't describe it because I've never seen anything like it before, so take a look at their website.

Whoa, this post is way longer than I thought it would be. I'm starting my radiology rotation tomorrow, so I'll be back in a few days. Talk to you then!

xoxo <3
Nhu-Y