ediblegarnish

concentric circles

2015-10-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Pompieri Pizza is actually a lesson in how to cut pizza. They serve your oversized personal pizzas with a pair of kitchen shears.

Back to the Durham days a year or so ago when Nance suggested we cut our personal pies into concentric circles. Except we had to kill her childlike wonder and teach her the more practical way of cutting pizza - into triangular slices - so we could mix and match with each other.
What a mess of pork rinds and basil and mushrooms and... eggplant?

I think I will always be a sucker for cool and unique pizza places. Where the toppings become a sort of inspiration - kind of like Salvatore's in Madison where I ended up choosing jalapeno pesto, carnitas, and chorizo over fig and bacon.

But I digress.

The point is..
Nobody likes you when you're 23.
Unless you're Nancy.
Happiest of birthdays to the most unassuming powerhouse who tells the dirtiest jokes.
Thanks for being my first visitor to Madison. And then thanks for almost housing me. Please come back during a warmer time when I can feed you more cheese curds and pink wine. I miss your childlike wonder.

pepper bread

2015-09-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is not a rectangular pizza.

This is the beginnings of a beautifully sliceable sandwich bread. Finally.

Still using and tweaking from here. But sub 3/4 c wheat flour and almond milk as per usual. Added a sprinklin' of dried dill.

And folded in a 3:1 roasted red pepper and tomato sauce blend for that whimsical red swirl.

Eaten with other pepper-spiked things.
Casual and comfy lentil and tomato soup with more garden candy - the sweetest, crispiest little cucumbers that Ed turned into fizzing pickles.

And basil fried egg with Sichuan chili sauce.

With a refreshing, cold lentil salad (peppers, carrots, celery, onion, basil, dill, honey lemon vinaigrette).

[I was really into lentils for a week.]

And because there's no way you can wrap the puree of a whole roasted pepper into a single loaf of bread - well, I guess you could, but why overdo it when you can blend in some walnuts and scallions and stuff it into a bacon-wrapped date.

sensory spoils

2015-09-25T09:13:00.002-07:00

It's both wonderful and dangerous living with a fellow foodie/food scientist/lover of all things edible. We only encourage each other to think about food in our spare time. I mean, mainly it's Jules/Jared gently mentioning some sort of meal, and it enters my head like a disease that can only be cured by making that meal for myself. It's already happened several times and kind of puts a whole new spin on my already out of control cravings.

I've become an integral part of Julia's thesis. So now, not only do I have real purpose, but I also get saltines and frosting for breakfast two days a week. As if that hasn't convinced you that this is a good set up, sometimes I even get random jars of random stuff I'd never otherwise eat. Like marshmallow fluff and Crisco. Peanut butter, too, but I try not to purchase that because it's a slippery slippery slope as I've learned before.
Anyways, I remember learning about fluffer nutters when I was in third grade. Some guy looked at me in disbelief when I innocently asked, "What is that?" If there was ever a time for 8yo me to come out of my shell and attempt to socialize, that was a key time.
So armed with marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, a giant bag of hamburger buns obtained from a department BBQ, and inspiration, I made some bread pudding. Thank you Jade for the idea, thus making it impossible for me to not snag the bag of hamburger buns.

It goes a little something like this:
Filling
1.5 c almond milk
2 eggs
2 T flax seed (to sub for another egg... or just use 3 eggs but eggs are getting expensive man!)
2-3 T peanut butter
Mix mix mix
Tip: microwave milk with peanut butter for 45s or so to make it easier to mix.
Carbs
Toast hamburger buns and rip apart
Pour a bit of filling to cover the bottom of the pan, then start "layering" in the bun bits
Dollop large spoonfuls of fluff randomly over the buns
Sprinkle in some chocolate chips
More bun bits
More filling
Repeat until gone

Some bites tasted like the fluffer nutters of my childhood. Some bites tasted like s'mores. All the bites tasted like guilt... in the best way possible.

ian eats cheese

2015-09-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

Sir popped by Madison for the long weekend. Not to visit me, but it's fine.

So I cornered him at Taste of Madison, where we began with the best cheese curds, complete with cameraman to document the momentous occasion.

Amazing golden blistered cheesecurds that were all cheese and no batter, just the way I like them. It helped that they were huge, but I don't know if I'd say they were the best.

Sir was gracious enough to not treat us to dinner at Estrellon three nights later, where our waiter's speech was oddly slow and precise.

Smoked Sockeye salmon, Greek yogurt, caviar, truffle honey

1/3 of Blood sausage, aioli, parsley

Squash blossom, cheese curd, aioli

Boquerones with gribiche

Duck breast a la plancha, mole Tamayo, huitlacoche, charred onions, epazote

Watermelon gazpacho, Maryland blue crab, mouse melons, Marcona almonds

Valenciana paella: roasted rabbit, shrimp, mussels, clams, chorizo, cherry tomatoes, SarVecchio, bomba rice, aioli

I approved of everything we ordered - the blood sausage being my favorite. The salmon was a wonderfully refreshing bite. That crab and watermelon combo, an explosion in the mouth to paraphrase Ian's sentiments. Mmm, fried things. Who doesn't love slices of duck with crispy skin? And so-tender-it-was-falling-apart rabbit. I even managed to (oh so gracefully) scrape all the bits of rice off the bottom of the paella pan. Gotta get that money's worth because my only complaint is the price tag. But I guess the ambiance and "tapas" screams $40/person dinner.

Closed the night with mac and cheese pizza and garlic bread from Sir's namesake. Actually that's a lie. Closed the night with Greenbush donuts. We just wanted to see how much of Madison he could eat in one night before going back to Austin. It was impressively sickening.

ode to orange

2015-09-14T17:59:00.001-07:00

I love fall.

And why not?

The weather is beautiful.

I can finally where tights and boots and cozy sweaters.

The leaves are red and yellow and everything in between.

I love feeling warm when it's chilly outside.

The food is the best.

And most importantly pumpkin,

but a close second is sweet potato.

Unfortunately, most of that doesn't pertain because it's spring down under.
And I'm reminiscing about sweet, bright orange sweet potatoes.
Because apparently their sweet variety is white.
But if they don't use pumpkin in desserts... do they use sweet potatoes?

Andddddd here I am returning to this post for the ~~third~~ seventeenth time, and the theme hasn't changed.

Pumpkin pie ginger spice lattes are out to play, and I'm proud/ashamed to say I totally buy into the trend. Pumpkin picking and pumpkin noms will (hopefully) be another post.
But first, potatoes of the sweet (and orange) variety.

Sweet potato steamed Chinese cake

1 c flour

4 eggs

4 T butter, melted

1 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c whipping cream (or sub milk)

1 small - med sweet potato, mashed

handful walnuts and craisins, roughly chopped
Recipe adapted from here.

Sweet potato puree base, cake batter, nut and berry topping, dollop of rum-whipped cream.

Sweet potato cupcake

from stand at Southpoint (and Alicia's milkshake)

Sweet potato and rosemary biscuits
via here
But I use "biscuits" loosely. Mainly because they turned out quite the opposite of fluffy. I think I have a problem with overmixing.

Eaten with white chocolate almond honey for breakfast...

...and sausage, egg, and green chilies for lunch.

Sweet potato and ~~rosemary~~ bacon biscuits
via here again
but with lard instead of butter... and more lard instead of cream cheese.

Much improvement, but still on the quest for perfect flakiness. Or maybe I just didn't make them fat enough.
Potluck friends doing puzzles and crosswords in the background.

Love the season of orange.

my temporary pets

2015-09-11T09:29:00.002-07:00

I was too happy to spend a weekend with these furry buds.

They made me feel like such a new and interesting human, as they circled my legs as I cooked. Cricket likes to chill on the counter and drink out of the faucet... which was cute until he'd slowly creep towards the cutting board and I'd have to help him back down to the ground. Juno was my fave - she just wanted to be loved. She'd watch TV on the couch with me, nuzzling her head into my lap and presenting her belly to be rubbed.

While Argus had the least amount of chill. I just don't think I was ever enough for him.

Anyways, it was too comforting to be in a house again. Having uninterrupted space - with the emphasis on space - and windows looking out to nature, it would've been wrong to not spend Saturday morning lazily making brunch with Beauty and the Beast on in the background.

There was one more garden candy that I didn't mention previously: a beautiful leek that I snapped while pulling out of the ground.
Went into a red potato and leek hash with garlic and and a sexy egg cracked right in the center.

Patience is waiting for potatoes to brown and persistence is individually flipping them with chopsticks.

Today (or.. that day... actually everyday) I'm feeling... fat like this kitty.

I < 3 fat cats.

If I knew my way around a photoshop, I could do so much with this picture.

garden candy

2015-09-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

Madison has this... atmosphere. The insanely young-looking people here are all about fitness and farm fresh. I mean, I do also run into plenty of people who probably only subsist on beer and cheese... errr... but between Audrey's mom and my dentists and the peeps I housesitted for and Maddy's plant babies, I'm getting serious garden FOMO.
We've tried gardens at home, but in the (what I think is) ambiguously southern state of NC, the deer and squirrels have no fear or mercy. Would you believe our plants thrived better back when I lived somewhere in the desert?

Anyways, I was all about the tomatoes. They are seriously like candy. Packed them with lunch every day and ate them like apples. But with so many tomatoes nearly falling off the vine, I had to do more.

tomato thyme tart

The simplicity of it was inspired by here. No heavy filling, no millions of ingredients, no fuss

...and no puff pastry, so I had to make a crust.

4-5 tomatoes from garden, sliced

garlic confit with reserved olive oil

2-3 sprigs thyme

habanero and marsala caramelized onions

balsamic vinegar

Making a large dish of garlic (and pepper) confit was the best decision I've ever made. It was a little rough sacrificing half my olive oil at first, but I pat myself on the back every time I decide I need a piece of roasted garlic.
I started coughing and choking as soon as I cut into the habanero (also from the garden), so even the minuscule bit of pepper I threw into the caramelizing onions was much. But after adding in some brown sugar and spreading it onto the tart and layering on the tomatoes and baking it at 350F for 15-20 minutes, it all mellowed out and came together.
Sprinkle some more thyme leaves and drizzle on balsamic as soon as it's out of the oven.

And nom. By the way, I loved this crust. So flakey and crispy. The perfect dinner or breakfast dish (or presumably lunch if I had managed to save any for lunchtime).

While Audrey and her fam were off and away doing fam things, I made myself useful by... harvesting from their garden. Just doing what was asked, dude.

They had an excess of edamame, which was awesome for two reasons. ! I've never seen an edamame plant before and @ I haven't had these deliciously fuzzy beans in ages. I boiled and ate about four cups worth until Jules suggested I make

edamame hummus
shelled edamame
about a tsp dried dill
garlic clove
grated parmesan
lime juice (or lemon)
drop of sesame oil (because I didn't have a dollop of tahini)
water to thin (I used about 1/4c)
salt and pepper
-blend, blend, blend

Eaten like baby sandwiches on leftover pie crust rounds from the tomato tart. Six more of these and they would be awesome h'ordeurvres.

Other pickings include one little Japanese eggplant for one little serving of this and a few of the sweetest, crispiest, bumpiest little cucumbers I've ever snacked on.

And we can't forget a kale reprise.

kale chips
wash, dry, toss with olive oil and seasoning, spread over baking sheet and bake at 350F for however long it takes to get the roasted crispiness you desire (about 20 min for me), tossing halfway through to ensure no soggy bits happen
Still obsessed with fresh tomatoes, clearly. But I had many many servings of kale chips, as well.

cheddar kale biscuits
I had been craving biscuits for awhile. It's definitely something I took for granted in NC. Why was my first meal at home Chipotle and not a bag of Bo-berry biscuits? Well, I've tried and failed biscuits many a time, so there was little motivation for me find a way to satisfy this craving.. but Johanna then Liban made use of lard in their baked goods, and I felt that lard was the answer.

So using Pioneer Woman as a guide, and a bag of frozen cheddar and garden kale as my inspiration, biscuits finally happened with the help of Johanna's savory lard.

Eaten with pan fried scallops she brought straight from Boston (I've learned not to question it) and spicy garlic sauce.
Speaking of the sauce...

roasted kale in mojo de ajo with grilled cheese

I had come across this during my scattered pickling phase. And I'm certain this is going to need to be a staple sauce. Cilantro stems, confit garlic and red pepper, pickled Thai chilies, oil and pickle juice. Goes great on all carbs. Seafood. Meat. I've mixed it with cream cheese to eat on a beet burger. And dressed some roasted kale and broccoli with it as a side for grilled cheese...which was really a baked cheese because my homemade sandwich bread was too brittle.

Bet it'd be great as a pretzel dip too (with a little honey). Maybe add a spoonful to some mashed avocado as soon as those things ripen. Mix it with mayo/aioli for a fry sauce? Endless possibilities.

By the way, if you ever wanted to revamp some classic sammiches. I was mildly obsessed with cucumber-dill-cream cheese + seaweed for as long as I had cucumbers available. And garden basil-roasted garlic-roasted pepper (or tomato) + vegemite for a intense salty bite to counter all the sweet fragrant-ness.

veggies to burgers

2015-09-01T12:23:00.003-07:00

I've seen a lot of lists of things parents should never say to kids. The old adage "don't play with your food" should be on that list. I mean, I don't think my parents ever had to scold me about that because I was always too busy reminding myself to chew before swallowing, but isn't the reason why we have so many delicious choices due to people who play with food?

Play with veggies.

Inspiration

Fun Food and Frolic

Minimalist Baker

The Kitchn

The Kitchen Whisperer

Euphoric Vegan

Natural Comfort Kitchen

Every so often I just want a giant veggie burger. Vegetables are one of those all-of-nothing things for me. I get wildly carried away when trying to create meals centered around one veg... can't be done. Maybe I learned from my dad, but the correct answer to "What would you like on your sandwich?" has always been "All of it."

So after getting carried away during one of my monthly Woodman's trips, I spent a night washing and chopping and baking and sauteeing and mushing and mixing to turn 80% of my groceries into patties

...and made use of them weeks later.

I really should've kept track of what went into the mix, but that's the thing about versatile things like veggie burgers. Put in anything and everything.

Beet patty - a base of beet (of course) and refried beans (because the can was taking up space on our condiments lazy Susan for too long) with garlic and Italian herbs like oregano and thyme. Bound with panko.

Eaten on sweet potato bun with cucumber carrot slaw* and panko crusted asparagus fries.

Mushroom patty - base of sauteed mushrooms, quinoa, and those refried beans again with garlic and garam masala and probably other spices.

Eaten also on sweet potato bun with confit red peppers and oozy fried egg.
It was kind of a mess after just one bite. This is the importance of having a good binder.

Which is why I ate the rest of my dozen patties smashed into a slice of sandwich bread with more slaw and cilantro dressing amongst other sauces and things.

Cheers to the end of my first summer in Madison and summer things like trying to spot Jupiter from the roof of the Children's museum, log rolling (record = 7s, woo), camping...once, and picnics (classy Capitol concerts, Epic, or otherwise).

*cucumber carrot slaw

1 cucumber, ribbons

1 carrot, julienned

1/4c rice wine vinegar

1/4c white vinegar

several sprigs dill

1/8 c sugar

1 t salt

boil vinegars with sugar and salt

pour over cucumber ribbons and carrots with dill

mahogany plate special

2015-08-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

The nomad life is slowly coming to an end (I even have a mattress now). As soon as I get around to taking all my clothes out of boxes, at the rate of a couple items a day.

One of the four homes I had lived in was Lorraine's cozy one bedroom with AC and bed.

And pretty plates and sunlight. Which begged meals of springtime and veggies.

pan fried cod

topped with chili scallion crumbs (cayenne, coriander, butter, salt, pepper) and roasted garlic pieces

with a side of spring salad (romaine, tomatoes, scallions, peas, pickled carrots)
in cilantro cumin dressing (cilantro leaves, cumin, coriander, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper)

and butter roasted radishes (sesame oil, coriander, salt, pepper)

cinnamon roasted cauliflower (cinnamon, cumin, paprika, salt and peppa)
radishes (with scallions instead of chive)
and a small roasted onion
over rice

Thanks again, Lorraine, for giving me an anxiety-free place to be alone with my thoughts and weird habits. Gracias por letting me take up living room space while you were back early to nurse a baby watermelon. Gracias por feeding me those drool inducing chicken and guava/cream cheese empanadas. I still dream about that fluffy fried dough sometimes. Gracias por marathoning Harry Potter with me like a couple of dull blobs.

pride and joy returns - this was the best gift of gratitude I could come up with

May your Bermuda Triangle heal in time for our next semi-regular potluck (read: feast), and this time you'll have more space to devour everything.

stone fruit season

2015-08-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a year and a day.

The pros and cons of moving.

Downtown --> Football stadium//Union South

10 min to car --> 3 sec to car

big kitchen with gas stove --> smaller kitchen with electric stove

darkness --> windows

25 min to work --> 7 min to work

The last time I meandered through the farmer's market, I was struck by how beautiful and vibrant the cherries and apricots and currants were. I must have just missed these guys last year.

Well, I didn't actually buy a carton because moving sucks, and I already had a project in mind with what I had.
Peach cheesecake.
With peach powder.
And a homemade cranberry biscotti crust.
Topped with black tea white chocolate sauce... though the black tea flavor was minimal.
It's a work in progress because cinnamon, ginger, and allspice in combination evoked flavors of fall, and along with the burnt orange color, I would've thought I was eating a pumpkin cheesecake.

At least I didn't burn the biscotti this time around.

A year and a day left to go....?

sometimes sides

2015-08-18T14:19:00.002-07:00

Lamb burger
Gruyere cheese, bacon, sunny egg, lettuce, aioli, onion
but cheese curds.

Muenster
grilled Polish sausage, chipotle Muenster cheese spread, sauerkraut, haystack onions, Mrs. Dog's Disappearing honey mustard
but crack fries.

roots

2015-08-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

One of my first dinners out way back when we were naive real world freshmen (as Catherine so adequately put it) was at Himal Chuli pretty much right across the street from my soon-to-be previous rodent hotel apartment. This was back when I still had time to study at places other than my office. Jules and I both got the meal special advertised at the table. Squash curry thing, spinach and black eyed pea things with pita-like bread and a cup of creamy broth. I remember it being good. Warm and satisfying in the months when my first Wisconsin winter crept closer. A little more liquid-y than I expect from curry type things, but I know nothing about Himilayan or Nepalese food.
Following that, I was all about the burgers and fries.

I'm starting to take the plunge into ethnic foods of Madison after remaining skeptical for nearly a year.

Tested the waters back in March-ish by maybe ordering too much at Swagat after a perfect afternoon of reading by the lake with Audrey. Serious naps happened after our giant egg masala dosa (with three dipping sauces!), saag paneer for me as per usual, chicken curry for her, naan, and a rice mountain. I had heard from both Bianca and Julia that it was the best Indian food they've had, and I don't disagree - even if it is the only Indian food I've had in Madison.

Then Dad visited and there was no way I could turn down a free meal at the couple Chinese restaurants his friend chose. Some Sichuan favorites at VIP and fried eggplant/anchovy/pancake goodness at Orient House, and I felt hope again.

Meanwhile, everyone in the world (aka on IG) was galavanting around SE Asia, which made being in lab simply agonizing. By the way, this not having three months of summer thing is my third least favorite thing about adulting.

But whatever because Alicia dropped by the city of poor street planning and 24/7 runners, and we had a riveting weekend of Asian food sampling and naps.
Finally made it to the much recommended Ichiban. Aside from the fact that it's skeptical a Chinese place has a Japanese name, the 夫妻肺片 deserves the most memorable award. It tasted exactly like this, but I can't decide if it'd even really be cheating if they just dumped a jar of that over a bunch of tripe and tongue... maybe I should do that...
There was a bit of a setback at the equally much recommended Ha Long Bay, where the overpowering star anise in the panang curry gave me a headache. Can't say I'd be eager to return.
More dim sum the next day. Chicken feet + BBQ duck + tripe = nice well balanced brunch.

Ended at Umami for pork buns and three rounds of brunch ramen.

Pork belly on fleek 👌
The last time I had ramen was many years ago at Momofuku, so I don't know what I really expect from ramen except an egg (check), seaweed (almost check - the flakey, saltier kind that comes in larger sheets is the better way to go), and a good broth. I was super skeptical of the soymilk in the dashi broth, but it wasn't bad. Imparted a creaminess that was suitable for morning ramen, but next time I would prefer a nice clear broth for sure.

As always, I feel hopelessly alone after visitors leave me on Sunday. Who can I convince to come next?

desk lunch series

2015-08-11T11:16:00.001-07:00

Too much of my brain is devoted to planning out my week's meals to ensure I have a decent lunch every day, so I don't pass out while handling chemicals or enzymes or glassware. - but not too decent or I'll fall into a nap coma and wake up with drool on my papers (you think I'm kidding).

I like to make lunch interactive for the slower days. A couple leaves of butter lettuce in one container. Southwestern quinoa scramble in another. And a whole avocado to be dismantled with the set of Marketplace silverware I keep in my desk. Adds up to lettuce wraps on a tupperware lid while staring at numbers on Excel.

The stress of career season is only alleviated by the free pizza/sub dinners at info sessions. And then all the display products that recruiters so gruesomely force on us poor voraciously hungry students... it's really tough.
Yogurt varieties I've never heard of from Chobani.
That Clif bar that's still waiting for me to go on an outdoor adventure worthy of eating it.
A box of General Mills Cheerios that lasted about half a day.
Vanilla coffee syrup from Kerry.
So much cheese because never enough cheese from Saputo and Sargento.
I was also able to make brownies and cookies thanks to Smucker's.
My very first score, though, was a Velveeta box from Kraft.

Which became several lunches inspired by here with broccoli instead of mushrooms and pork. Not the most appetizing looking thing but... my gochujang paste is pretty oxidized.

Featuring tattoo musings and a permanent bite scar.

Average and boring lunches (cinnamon oatmeal with a container of blueberries) for the days when my mind is more preoccupied with things like how to Tetris everything back into my car...and how there had been some sort of rodent occupying my empty bedroom.
Tip: keep a giant emergency bag of instant oatmeal in back of desk.

Essentials for living alone on a grad student budget: cans of tomato sauce, potatoes, frozen veggie of choice, flour, rice, onions...

and cans of sardines.

My favorite Internet person strikes again. Except I only had mirin. And a baby snack cucumber.

Had to close all the books that were open to an introduction about foams for six days. Such progress was made.

Sometimes when I watch TV on my lunch break, I chuckle at the jokes... and then I explain to myself in my head why it was funny.

if bean bag chairs could be woven from bread

2015-08-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

This little bun sits so unassuming. All alone on this oversized plate. Just a few seconds earlier, there were ten more of its identical buddies surrounding it like a wild mushroom patch or a collection of fat cells. Puffy balls concealing a golden secret.

流沙包

How have I never tasted your deliciousness before?!?!?

The pineapple bun crust caught my attention from the start. The first bite was not unlike biting into a cloud. And then the sandy, salted egg yolk custard starts flowing, oozing out like molten lava. Salty and sweet all wrapped up in an impossibly airy carb sweater. How the fuck does Nani (aka the only source for dim sum in Madison) do it?

But before I attempt to recreate the magical puff that I wish was 100x bigger so I could sink my entire body into it... gotta start with the basics:

Milk buns via my new reference for Chinese classics.

With these, I did something I rarely do.

I followed the recipe exactly.

...Er, okay, that's a small white lie.

I used almond milk instead of beef milk.

But it'a not my fault! I never have fresh squeezed beef milk on hand. At least I got the heavy cream.

But it turned out just fine.

So beautiful. It even takes away from the clutter of flour and spices I accumulated (moving is going to be such a bitch).

I maintain that Asian breads are the best breads (and yes, naan is totally included).

savory needs

2015-08-05T18:00:00.002-07:00

I can't really say I don't have a sweet tooth anymore. Undergrad primed it but grad turned sugar into a necessity. But while I still look for something sweet to cleanse my palate after dinner or complement my morning coffee, sweetness is just not satisfying enough on its own.
So sometimes I need to turn what is classically sweet into something savoryy.

tomato bruschetta scones
basic scones with basil, balsamic, diced tomato, mozzarella, and less sugar
made before I kept track of how I made things

mushroom chestnut bread pudding

baguette, broken up
bacon, 2 slices

onions, half

mushrooms, 16 oz
chestnuts, 8 oz

white wine

1/2 t thyme

1/4 t oregano

1/4 t coriander

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

3/4 c frozen spinach
2 eggs
1 c almond milk
1/2 c parmesan, shredded
with mustard vinaigrette from here

Sautee filling things. Mix liquid things and soak bread with cheese. Wedge in filling things. Bake 350F for 30 mins. Eat out of pan with mustard vinaigrette.

Breakfast and dinner for a week.

the value of punctuality

2015-08-03T13:07:00.002-07:00

I used to pride myself on being the punctual friend. I hated being late to things, mostly because FOMO. And that awkward moment when you've walked into a room full of people who are already vibing.

Except after one too many embarrassing moments of pretend-to-be-locked-in-seriously-active-text-convo and/or pretend-to-be-incredibly-interested-in-any-surface-with-written-words, I think I've developed a reputation for being late.

And then, contrary to what you'd think, grad school has not improved my time management skills. Sometimes I just forget to factor in time of transportation to my transportation method. Things are made more complicated when I'm late to an event that requires you to bring something. Because now there needs to be planning to plan for time.

So if you happen to find: friends who often gather for the sake of sharing meals... yourself pressed for time... and you are often late to potlucks, my only advice to you is to stash some fresh or frozen fruit in the cold box and make a cobbler... thing when the time comes.

Step one: rinse, cut, mix fruits of choice (strawberries and blueberries for me) and toss in a Pyrex glass that comes with lid because these things are great
Step two: mix up topping in separate bowl and pack it into a freezer bag with fruit and stick of butter
Step three: assemble at host's home and stick it in the oven while eating the apps and mains
Bonus: nice warm dessert for all
Extra bonus if you have the foresight to bring vanilla ice cream

The tablecloth + Coke plate + warm lighting evoke diner cobbler. Like the kind of diner off the side of a major highway in the middle of nowhere. And you stumbled upon it while taking a break from driving in the pouring rain, and you have some four or five hours to go 'til destination. Also your driving buddy has been nagging you to stop at a rest area. But it turns out to be the coziest family-owned diner with a menu built on grandma's recipe book.

But by cobbler, maybe I mean crisp. Which is why I decided to do quick research of the difference between cobblers and crisps and crumbles and buckles and etc. First, it was in fact a crisp (or a crumble) because cobblers have a biscuit topping - wait, so what did I make here? But there was some disagreement about what streusel topping has oats and what does not. Finally, I decided I won't lose any more sleep over whether I contributed a crisp or a crumble.

Sidenote: A bit more clearcut - cornbread. With a giant handful of blueberries.

Assembled and baked right before bed.
And slowly consumed for breakfasts.

I would gladly be the face of Pyrex glass bakingware if I got a complete set of these things.

So with half a Costco container of blueberries left, I remade a crisp, adapted from here.

Topping

1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c oats, instant, giant bag, gifted from friend moving out
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 c allspice
1/4 t ginger
pinch salt
1/2 stick butter

Filling

half container blueberries
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t lime (or lemon or orange) juice

Toss filling stuffs right in pan.
Mixing a small handful of the topping into the filling before working the butter into the topping is genius because fewer steps and/or ingredients and/or dishes to wash is/are always my favorite thing(s).
Crumble topping over top.
350F for 20-25 min

Almond white chocolate mousse

adapted from here
4oz white chocolate chips
boiling sugar syrup (1/8 c water + 1T sugar)
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 c heavy whipping cream

Methods are the same minus the instant coffee in the cream and plus the extract in the melted chocolate slurry.

All I have to say is that the topping could've benefited from some chopped almonds.

sunlight

2015-07-31T11:48:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just need to cry into a big bowl of fried rice.

hump day reflections

2015-07-29T15:14:00.003-07:00

What do you do when you have two overripe avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, lime, no chips, and no motivation to put on suitable clothes for the supermarket?

(It also works toward your favor if you have a poblano lying around.)

Roasted poblano and avocado spaghetti of course.

roasted tomato
roasted onion
roasted garlic cloves
stovetop charred poblano
bunch cilantro
ground coriander
lime juice
sea salt and pepper

Making a mess is unavoidable.
This was also the weekend I forwent doing anything to sleep for 48 hours.
Whole wheat noodles are... not good. What was I thinking?
Trying to become an expert in foams, but my attention span won't have it.
So cleared my head with boat parking-grapefruit liqueur-wow milk in reverse order.
I didn't think you could be good or bad at picnicking until Concert on the Square.
#picnicgoals
Where did summer go?

all gold everything

2015-07-27T18:30:00.001-07:00

When I grow up, I want a garden just like Louis XVI.

Maybe it was walking around in the sun for several hours while slightly dehydrated. Maybe it was getting lost on our way back to look for food (and then getting distracted by a pen full of barnyard animals). Maybe it was having given up my search for food to rave about. But this was the greatest mushroom omelet. It was a struggle to stay away in the afternoon sun after scarfing this down.

Family getting in the way of pictures should be a trending Instagram hashtag. But my eyes hurt from squinting so much that there was little motivation to try again.

Our last meal of Paris was at Le Petit Canard because it's a restaurant entirely devoted to duck.
Uh, yes please.

And what better to pair with duck than chestnut beer?

Moar snailss

Oeuf cocotte (soft boiled egg with cream, smoked duck breast, foie gras)

Offer than cannot be refused: 37€ tasting menu that includes a "fizzy wine like Champagne" aperitif, or more specifically known as Vouvray.
Entree of Charcuterie with smoked dried sausage, smoked breast, rillettes, and pate. Nothing I didn't like.
Forced Alfred to eat a slice of sausage, and I think trust was restored.

Plat of sliced duck breast with tarragon sauce, potato and chestnut puree, bacon wrapped string beans, and mushrooms.

Dessert of cheeses.

Little brother went with "ze famous" duck a l'orange... mainly so I could try this classic dish without committing to it... just kidding. Kind of. Orange flavor was a bit overpowering, but I was happy to have the extra mushrooms.

Cassoulet with duck's leg and sausage in tomato sauce.

That charcuterie though. It kind of made all the mediocre things I've ever eaten okay.

a lesson in culture

2015-07-25T15:45:00.002-07:00

Hit up the Louvre for five hours when it was totally a balmy 103 degrees or so. As much as I would've loved to walk around the city, leaving a trail of sweat so I don't lose my way... no.
My favorite exhibits were the ones in air conditioned halls. We visited a couple of women who know how to command a room. Need to get some tips from Lisa and Venus for the next time I give a presentation.

I loved the sarcophagus room and all the sheets of hieroglyphics, the intricately haunting French sculptures, the courtyard where a man was sketching the likeness of a horse.

And then I, of course, I loved the paintings of food. Fresh figs would be really awesome right now.
In case you were wondering, the museum restaurant really wasn't that bad for an establishment where people are pretty much forced to spend their money. The salmon was well cooked, the chicken skin was crips, and I am always game for a bowl of green beans.

For dinner, I was determined to reignite an appreciation for French food after the good but unspectacular lunch and failed dinner that left me unimpressed with it all.
But Le Garde Robe (at the suggestion of David Lebovitz) was not yet open for dinner (this European lifestyle...)
So, as we started to make our way back to the hotel, we ended up at La Cooperative.

Things were looking up with the foie gras with toast and fig jam and confit de canard. The disks of foie gras spread like soft butter, and with a shmear of jam, mmm, I think this would have to be my last meal. I even tricked my brother into trying a bite... now he no longer trusts me. The duck confit... kind of tough. I let my him finish that.

The tartare was surprisingly refreshing and tender, made better by the large shavings of parmesan. I just didn't have enough toast for all the freaky meats.

Because we also got six adorable escargots. Piping hot in their shell with butter and pesto that demanded to be soaked up with bread, too.

So better than La Poutre, but I still wasn't going back Stateside to rave about Parisian food.

classic romance

2015-07-23T15:09:00.001-07:00

I have a confession.

My excitement for visiting Paris was dulled by the focus of Greece. Greece and Paris does seem like an odd combination, culturally and proximally, for our first time in Europe. But my family builds vacations around Dad's conferences... and then we go where the layovers go, apparently.

Greece has just always been my dream destination, and I felt like the older I got, Western Europe was bumped down on my travel priorities list after countries in Southeast Asia and South America... and Iceland. But Greece remained.

So all that is to say that Paris was kind of an afterthought as I was packing and mentally preparing to abandon my proteins for two weeks.

Plus, I embarrass myself every time I try to utter French.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the feel of walking through the city as we tried not to get lost. I liked our charming little hotel, a block or so away from Moulin Rouge, in the Pigalle area where all the decor is red. I liked the openness.

Our first stop after touchdown was to fill our stomachs though. Hanger is so real. So lunch at 3pm it is.

At Buvette where I just couldn't resist the eggs with some of my favorite things - probably because I didn't have access to eggs for breakfast.
Brouilles tomates confites tomatoes confites et chevre frais

Dad chose the most obscure thing on the French menu, and by "obscure," I mean the one item my brother couldn't very well deduce with his middle school background in French...beyond that it was under the category of "fish" anyways. He was immediately intrigued when the waitress said it was salted cod ground into a paste with olive oil... and then he was confused when the waitress brought out a little jar of salty cod puree. Typical Parental Unit and his selectively weak grasp of listening and comprehension - at least I don't live with it anymore.
Brandade de Morue salee dans notre cuisine in the background.
Plat du Chef assortiment de legumes at the waitress's suggestion.
I was really feeling all the pieces of the salad until I got a mouthful of the bruschetta, which was not unlike getting an unpleasant mouthful of ocean water when you're just calmly treading water beyond the waves. At least the water and bread were free (because they weren't in Greece).

No makeup Mondays is everyday when it's above 90 degrees every day. I was not amused by the City of Love trying to smoke us out, especially since I packed long sleeves because before I left, the weather channel so erroneously told me it'd be in the 70's.

Can't go to France without finding the Eiffel Tower.

Just like you can't pass by six soft serve carts without getting a cone of pistachio.

To the top of the Arc de Triomphe as they honor the unknown soldier below.

Weave through Notre Dame while a young choir performs.

Climb a gajillion steps to see Montmarte in the spotlight.

Finally, let me tell you the cautionary tale of the girl who knew no French before going to France.

For the most part, food found her in Greece. And even when it didn't, the content and quality were similar enough that she wasn't too concerned with researching and finding the best places. Paris was different. At the very least, she could isolate by region (around tourist sites). She read a couple blogs/articles, consulted Yelp, double checked price range, and lead her undiscerning family to La Poutre. The sky was deep navy blue and it was far past time to curl up in bed, but restaurants on every corner were filled with people eating dinner at 9pm or sweating it out over wine and h'orderves outside. She finally saw the shining yellow sign. There it is! But... wait. Why is it so empty when the two places across the street are buzzing with the steady hum of familiar chit chat? She didn't realize that when reading over the menu, she was really searching for a way out, but Dad saw fried frog legs and was sold.

Duck gizzard salad.

Something just didn't feel right for the girl throughout the entire meal, from ordering to dessert.
The only couple by the window had finished up and were gone before they got their appetizers. The roasted lamb and whatever cut of steak were mediocre. Even... off. But she decided to attribute that to the difference between intense Greek and subtle French flavors. The fries were quite soggy, and she might as well have brought her own bag of lettuce from a sketchy grocery store. How could this food have been rated so well on Yelp? Do the French use Yelp? Shit, I should've figured out what restaurant finder they use over here. The girl remained quiet, listlessly going through the motions of eating as the clock crept closer and closer to midnight. Her family seemed to enjoy it all... but that was hardly reassuring.
By the time a dish of canned peaches with ice cream was delivered to the table, the restaurant staff and/or family of the restaurant staff were enthusiastically digging into plates of what she assumed were the day's leftovers.
The girl felt oddly dejected and guilty when the check was paid, and they were off to explore the night scenery. Food regret is worse than hanger.
It wasn't until she crawled into bed, exhausted and bloated, that she realized she was actually looking for the restaurant next door - Le Portager de Pere Thierry.

So moral of this story... read carefully. And always trust your gut.

Bonne nuit, Paris.

facts and myths

2015-07-22T08:47:00.003-07:00

This is a giant plant of kebab, souvlaki, gyro, and psito pork/lamb. And it was freaking delicious - intense, tender, smokey, salty. Mmm, meat.

Eaten half in the rain, while watching the hustle and bustle of Monastiraki Square as the sun sets and all the lights come on. I like crowds when I'm not entangled within them.

The one thing we never found was kokoretsi. Regret.

Oh yes. Passed this sad, used and abused wedding cake that looks like it could've been beautiful once - what a lovely reminder of how I do not want to have a wedding.

You can't really go to the birthplace of all my naive ten-year-old confusion about and fascination with Greek mythology without visiting the incredible sites themselves. I loved how elaborate it all was. How graceful the names sounded. How specific each god was. The stories always seemed to blur the lines between real and imaginary for me. The connections, familial or otherwise, remind me of my own detailed imaginary world where I created a whole new family tree for myself. I didn't really have the most firm grasp on reality...

But how could you when the Acropolis sits above the city overlooking anyone's ordinary day? And the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium, the Ancient Agora, and Hadrian's Arch are all interwoven with street traffic and coffee shops? It blew my mind.

I've never seen immature pomegranates before, so this was the most exciting part of my day. Is it weird that they remind me of Kevin from Up?

Our last moments in Athens were on the rooftop of Maiandros. The story is that we passed by this place on the first night after already having eaten. Restaurant Pusher showed us some pictures of the view of the Acropolis and gave us his card. We stumbled past this place again in the midst of sightseeing, and Restaurant Pusher miraculously recognized us in the daylight. Color me impressed because here I was thinking we blended in with all the other Chinese family tourists. So we promised to return for dinner. Man was Restaurant Pusher excited to see us when we managed to make our way back.
We didn't get anything we hadn't gotten before with the seafood platter and gyro plate. I was less of a fan of the seafood after having just come from the islands, but I did enjoy the appetizer/dips/sauces sampler plate (because you know me and sauces).
And it helped that they accepted credit cards on the day the banks closed. I guess that was our cue to leave... that and the plane tickets.

windy island

2015-07-20T11:48:00.002-07:00

"It's a young people island."
Fine words... when I'm not with my family. No beach rave parties and drinking for 12 hours straight for Amelia.

Getting from port to hotel was a bit of a struggle. For the record, I did think we should start by taking a taxi to the hotel. Because then we would've avoided the awkward hassle that was searching for the correct unmarked street through the narrowest bumpy roads while aggressive natives and tourists on bikes stubbornly try to squeeze around us. Frustration definitely produces a physical response. Don't drive in Mykonos.
At least the brutal climb up to our hotel with suitcase in tow was rewarded with this beautiful view.

Dinner was at Atlantida on the beach of Paraga where we once again had my guilty pleasure snack (little fried fish). With the fluffiest pita rounds I've ever shoved into my mouth.

More seafood spaghetti with some fantastic mussels.

And more fish. Sea bream, in this case. And more roasted veggies, which are much preferred to overdressed side salads or limp and soggy fries.

Complimentary airy donuts drowned in honey and cinnamon came with the check - no complaints here. This is another example of a craveable dessert.

Chora.

Mykonos town is a maze of white washed giant stone blocks housing souvenir vendors, restaurants, and probably residences. We may have gotten lost once or twice... but for the most part, if you just keep wandering, you'll eventually come out to the port, so you can take a deep breath and start all over again. It was terribly windy the entire time, which is whatever when you're watching the waves leap over walls and wash clean concrete from afar. But trying to relax and read on a beach while sand is between blown into your eyes and nostrils is not ideal.

Naturally, there was an overwhelming number of restaurants to try. And since we only had half a day there, I quickly glanced at a couple lists of suggestions, and the only one we stumbled upon was Fato a Mano. I guess not surprisingly, there's a lot of touristy Italian influence, as every restaurant not only offered some form of seafood spaghetti but also a page of risottos and pizzas, which I avoided. But something about the indication of homemade linguine compelled me to order their spaghetti- that and our peppy waiter was very convincing. Not a bad decision because it turned out to be my favorite one with the white wine sauce and juicy head-on shrimps.

Window displays of baskets full of bread undoubtedly have their own magnetic field that seem to draw in my adipocytes. So upon passing Il Forno di Gerasimo, I automatically separated from my family and veered left through the door where there was bar boasting caffeine and fresh herbs on one side and a wall of bread racks on the other. Yumm. If not anything else, I can always be proud that I have a little bit more self control than my dad, who went ahead and got two giant squares of walnut baklava and lemony galaktobureko. But once the purchase is made, there is little else standing between my mouth and food.

Because driving was such a raging bitch, we returned to the beachfront restaurants of Paraga, which was within walking distance, stopping at Thea this time.
Seafood souvlaki with cubes of salmon and swordfish caught my attention. Although I could've done without the steamed veggies (grilled, please, always grilled). I credit all the seafood and olive oil for how I managed to maintain-ish my weight in Greece.

Dad got the fish roe salad with fried shrimps, which was reminiscent of Cheetoh dust in a good way. And look how freaking adorable those little shrimps were. Looks like an under the sea foam party.

And little brother got his 11 millionth plate of souvlaki/gyro meat because he's totally adventurous.

I just like this picture because Alfred's rolls almost look like a six pack. Laughs.

mountains and sea

2015-07-18T18:18:00.003-07:00

If there's anything I learned from island hopping, it's that you never get tired of gazing at rocks and water. More majestically known as the mountains and sea.

So drive to Fira - and I can officially say I used that International Driving Permit I purchased at no hassle. Cable car down to Skala Port. Ferry to Nea Kameni. And hike all the way to the top of the volcanic crater where you can still smell the sulfur. Apparently, an eruption during the Bronze Age wiped out the Minoan civilization and carved out the caldera that outlines the West of present-day Santorini. And some theorize that buried Akrotiri is the inspiration for the legend of Atlantis.
[This is me actually interested in a history lesson.]

Anyways, the most beautiful views kept getting better with each ascent to the next peak. I kept imagining how amazing this would be covered in snow... or with finer sand (ahh, I miss White Sands). Basically any situation that would allow me to sled and climb and roll through the peaks and valleys... and then launch right into the ocean.

If there's anything else I learned, it's that Rainbows can withstand anything. And that you really shouldn't hike a gravelly volcano in Rainbows. It made the descent much harder.

New life goal, though, is to make enough money to casually buy a yacht... docked in Greece... so I can spend my afternoons reading in the sun while looking beach flawless.

Now ferry on over to Palea Kameni, where magma just below the surface gives rise to this hot spring by the shore. When they said "hot springs," I kinda imagined we'd dock, hike into the center of the little island where we'd come upon a steaming reservoir being fed water from somewhere higher in the mountains, surrounded by smooth boulders. Not unlike the one we found in the dark in New Zealand. Nope.
I can now check "jump off boat into ocean" off my bucket list.
Swim through the temperature gradient to the shallower, copper-colored waters, being extra careful of jagged rocks that pop out of no where and scratch up your toes and shins. Squish through the mud. Play with the mud. Write your name on an unclaimed surface with the mud. (Rinse the mud out of your hair before boarding the boat again).
And if you're lucky, point obviously overhead at the family of mountain goats parading down the mountain, so everyone will momentarily think you are a crazy person until they see what you see.
The Aussies were my fave group - one for their elation at seeing mountain goats and two for being impressed there is nothing dangerous lurking in the waters.

Finally, clench absolutely everything for a donkey ride back up. Which definitely gave me many mixed feelings, including but not limited to curiosity, guilt, fear, giddiness, and annoyance. It was definitely... an experience. I guess I also learned I don't feel the most comfortable with equine animals carrying me up a winding, uneven, cliffside path while dozen others are doing the same thing. It was chaos. And who let the humans come down the other direction on feet? I was almost certain my donkey (whom I named Caramel Brownie) would trample one of them.

Lunch at one of the many restaurants with a great view of the volcano and hot springs you just conquered. Ampelow Wine Bar to be exact.

Still couldn't/can't get enough of bread and things. At this point, I might as well have been taking shots of straight olive oil, but it's nice to have the carb there. Especially if the carb comes with olive paste. Olives on olives on tang on sour on bread. Here, we added eggplant dip to the mix. And there's definitely nothing more refreshing than smooth and cold eggplant puree. I could eat it like a soup, but again, carbs.

We were big fans of the seafood platter for two. Pretty much every restaurant offers one with varying items, cooked in varying ways. This time, mussels with their barnacle friends still attached, (mediocre) shrimp, battered and fried filets (I just assumed cod), and a pretty little grilled squid with it's fins still intact.

My last impressions of Santorini were the pebbly beaches of Perissa and Perivolos. I've never seen clearer waters. I'm trying to think of something to equate it to... but I've never seen clearer waters.

After treading water and slipping around on the smooth stone ocean floor, we semi-randomly selected one of the beach side restaurants after the one that was recommended to us turned out to be too swanky and overpriced.
Fish Tavern's pre fixe menu for two was too good a deal to resist.
The bread came with more olive paste and a delightfully sweet and tangy tomato paste I just devoured.
Tomato balls, which were fritters similar to the zucchini ones I had in Crete. Apparently a Santorini specialty made from their native cherry tomato. There was even an Industrial Museum we didn't have time to peruse.
Eggplant dip with a shock of sweet balsamic. Creamy fava bean dip. Santorini salad with capers, anchovies, and a thick yogurt dressing.
Two grilled dorados (with the spines graciously removed) when we were 80% full on appetizers. Oh, and ice cream and wine.
And Dad ordered a dish of crab meat for good measure.

Not bad.

πανόραμα

2015-07-14T09:48:00.001-07:00

I'm convinced the panorama setting on cameras was created to capture Greece.

Oh, Paris too.