Thanksgiving Leftovers

How many ways can you eat leftover turkey? This week I made turkey grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread with slices of tomato. Mashed potatoes are good on the side fried up like hashed browns.

Black Friday

Although Black Friday can be very thrilling, these days I find myself avoiding the malls and throngs of people. This past Friday, I started the day with a nice fresh banana bread and an early showing of Harry Potter with the family. The rest of the day was filled with relaxation and family time. I admit I did check out a few deals online.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!!

Girls Night In

Call me old, but these days I find so much joy in staying in with some good food and wine rather than going out. The only thing that could make this better is if a group of my close girlfriends joined me. So my girlfriends and I decided to alternate our monthly restaurant outings with an occasional Girls Night In.

flowers and candles help create the mood

yummy finger foods

homemade pomme frites with homemade dipping sauces: ketchup, garlic basil aioli, wasabi mayo

sweets for my sweets!

IY, DY, CF thank you for a wonderful indulgent evening, filled with so much laughter. I love you gals!

Bouchon Bakery - Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Mix

I love the dry foods section in Williams Sonoma! The quick breads, popcorn kernels, pastas and of course...the cookie mix! I love a good oatmeal raisin cookie and when I saw this cookie mix from Thomas Keller, I HAD to try it!

Everything comes in this neat little box. There are 3 pouches that carry cookie mix, sugar and raisins. The directions are so easy. You mix everything in a mixer and all you add is butter and an egg.

 So easy and for box cookies, they turned out pretty amazing!

$18 for a box. Makes 6 large or 12 small. (I was actually able to make more than 12).

Lunch Leftovers for Dinner

A little caprese salad for lunch...

 Leftovers turn into a delicious homemade pizza for dinner!

Flea Market Finds?

Not quite. More like shopping at Mom's. My Mother's home contains a plethora of treasures. Whenever I am visiting, there is always something new to catch my eye. But the other day, it wasn't the newest items that caught my attention, but some of her "older" ones.

1. A set of 2 wooden rustic looking trays. What I love about these trays are not just that they are big in size, but deep as well. They are sturdy and will be helpful when I want to take brunch out on the patio. I don't have to juggle plates and cups on my small flat trays anymore.

2. An art book of Monet's Years in Giverny. The last time I was in France, I really wanted to do the day trip out to Giverny, but we just didn't have enough time. This book will hold me over until I eventually do make it out there!

3. Silver antique looking vase. I'm imagining bright pink peonies or cornflower blue hydrangeas as a centerpiece for brunch.

4. Vintage glass bottle. This will be a perfect bud vase for my kitchen window sill or perhaps it will hold a sprig of lavender in my guest bathroom.

5. Small Ball jar. I can never have enough of these. They can hold paperclips, buttons, pencils, flowers or candles. I wanted this one, because it was an interesting size and shape.

I love flea markets, but this trip to Mom's saved me a little bit of time and money! Thanks Mom! Can't wait to do it again. *wink*

Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

I'm always looking for new ideas for chicken. I know chicken can be boring for many, but my Husband loves it and never gets sick of it which makes it easy for me. I go to Costco and buy many many pounds of thighs, breast, wings and our favorite, drumsticks! However, no matter how hard I try to be creative, I always end up cooking drumsticks the same way. Baked crispy or broiled Asiany. Until I read a post on my favorite blog Week of Menus. Balsamic Drumsticks?! That's different I thought. And it was! My Husband loved them!

Balsamic Drumsticks
Idea from Joanne at Week of Menus who adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurenttis

Ingredients:
10-12 chicken drumsticks, skin on
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Sauce:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 garlic cloves,minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a saucepan, add all sauce ingredients together.  Whisk to combine and simmer over medium heat 15-20 minutes, until mixture is reduced by a 1/3.  It will be thick, similar in consistency to ketchup. Set aside until needed.

Chicken:
Preheat oven to 400.
On a roasting pan, with a the grilling tray on top (the tray that allows you to cook chicken and let the fat drip to the pan underneath) place chicken drumsticks in a single layer.  Drizzle chicken with a bit of olive oil and season each drumstick with salt and pepper.  Place chicken in oven, and roast for about 45 minutes, until chicken is golden.

Stirfry Noodles

It has been so hot lately and cooking for long periods of time has become almost unbearable! Here is a dish that is super quick to make so you can get out of that hot kitchen. My good friend YC created it right before my eyes all in the time that we were having a chat and a cup of tea.

I stopped by my friend's house not too long ago unexpectedly because I was in the area. I just popped in for a quick chat and did not plan on staying long as I needed to get home to make dinner for my Husband. While we were sitting in her kitchen sharing a cup of tea, she received a phone call from her boyfriend, saying that he was going to be coming over very shortly for dinner. She was not expecting to make him dinner that night, but she did not seem to fret. She simply pulled out a pack of yaki soba noodles, some lean pork, and some veggies. She kept chatting with me and before I knew it, she had this delicious dinner all ready to go. It was so quick and simple, I hardly even knew she was making a meal.

 Instructions:
1. Prepare these noodles per the instructions on the packaging.
2. In a separate wok or pan, heat up some oil and garlic.
3. Add in the meat. Pork or chicken goes nicely.
4. Add in whatever veggies you like.
5. Add in the cooked noodles and mix everything together.
6. Add in a little soy sauce.
**I toss out the included seasoning packet.

Summer! - Part 2

As the weather cools down and we approach October, I thought that summer was coming to a close here in LA. This summer has actually been pretty mild compared to the last few summers that had us in the 90s way into November. I love summers in LA and I was beginning to feel a little sad that it was coming to an end. However, this weekend, the temps were close to 100 degrees and with a little relief, I welcomed summer back! Here are a few pictures of my summer thus far. As you can see we had a lot of BBQs and pool time!

 

 

 

Birthday/Chuseok Extravaganza!

 Today was Chuseok, which is the Korean version of Thanksgiving. It is held every year around the Autumn Equinox and it is also known as the Harvest Festival or Moon Festival. Traditionally, it is a time where you give thanks, pay respects to your ancestors and feast on a big dinner or traditional foods. My family is not that traditional, but we will take any opportunity to get together and eat!

This year Chuseok happened to land on my dad's birthday. My parents have been traveling a lot lately, and tomorrow they are off again to visit my sister out of town, so I told them not to worry about anything and that I would host my dad's birthday dinner this year. I am proud to say that I made everything from scratch all by myself! Yay me!

For tonight's menu, I wanted it to be mainly a birthday dinner with just hints of Chuseok. So of course we had miyuk guk (seaweed soup) which is a traditional Korean birthday dish. Someone must make it for you on your birthday. I also made him spicy chicken wings, because he LOVES wings. I made kalbi jeem (braised short ribs) which I generally think of as a celebratory/special occasion dish. I also made a bunch of different little banchan (Korean side dishes).

For dessert, we had a strawberry chiffon cake and an assortment of macarons. And to add a Chuseok flavor, I included the "harvest" aka the fruit and dduk (rice cakes).

I would love to include more description, but I am exhausted and have a mountain of dishes waiting for me. So here are some pictures instead!

Happy Harvest and more importantly Happy Birthday Daddy!

Eggplant - Pasta Alla Norma

My Mother brought over a bunch of little organic eggplants and I was excited to cook with them. I have to admit (rather sheepishly) that I actually am not that crazy about eggplant. The reason I'm a little embarrassed to admit this is because I feel like eggplant is one of those things that all girls like. AND unfortunately, I do not. Same goes for artichoke. Everyone oohs and ahhs about artichoke, but not this gal. I sorta also feel this way about dark chocolate (gasp!). Nevertheless, I wanted to experiment and make something that I would begin to like. I asked Joanne, my favorite food blogger, for eggplant suggestions and she quickly replied that this pasta dish was one of her favorites. It sounded amazing and it did not disappoint. This dish will become a regular in my home for sure!

 Pasta Alla Norma
(by Joanne from Week of Menus)
Ingredients
2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or use 24 to 26 ounce bottled sauce)
1 pound dried rigatoni or penne pasta
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions
Toss eggplant with 2 teaspoon salt in a colander. Drain 30 minutes. Rinse, then squeeze out excess liquid and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry eggplant in 3 batches, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Spinkle and toss warm eggplant with dried oregano.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then sauté onion with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in sauce and eggplant and simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quart water) until al dente, then drain. (basically cook pasta for 1 minute less than you would normally in order that it doesn't turn into total mush during baking.)

Stir together pasta, sauce, and half of mozzarella in pot.

Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

**I wish I used more mozzarella or maybe even burrata next time!

Chinese Stir-Fry with Fish Fillets

The Husband and I were recently in Toronto to visit with his family. While we were there we had so much good homemade Chinese food and also some really good restaurant Chinese food. I often feel bad to my Husband, because we often eat Korean food because my family is here with us in LA and that is what I usually cook. Don't get me wrong, he loves Korean food, but I know he misses some of his favorite Chinese dishes. Although LA is so diverse, we are definitely lacking in good Cantonese food in the city. Of course we could drive out to Alhambra, but we usually don't because it is out of the way.

Now that we are back, I have decided to make more of an effort to make the dishes that he finds most comfort in. I made a basic fish fillet with broccoli and I have to say, although the picture above is not very pretty, it was really spot on in taste! I've been trying to achieve that saucy Chinese flavor for a long time, and it was actually really simple all along! Next time, I'll be trying the same recipe with different seafood and more veggies.

Stir Fry Fish Fillets (adapted by Rhonda Parkinson)
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless fish fillets

Marinade:
1 tablespoon rice wine, dry sherry or white wine
a few drops sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white
1 - 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Other:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices ginger, shredded
1/2 red onion, sliced
Sauce:
1/2 cup fish stock, chicken broth, or water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed in 1 tablespoon water
Other:
Other vegetables as desired (celery, bean sprouts, snow peas, mushrooms or bok choy)
2 teaspoons ground coriander, or as desired

Directions:
1. Cut fish into pieces approximately 1 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch (be sure the pieces aren't too small). Add the marinade ingredients, adding each ingredient separately and the cornstarch last. Mix well and let the fish marinate for 10 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the first 3 sauce ingredients and set aside. In a second bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and set aside.

3. Heat the wok. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the heated wok. Add the fish fillets and sear until lightly browned. Remove the fish from the wok.

4. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion and cook until the onion is lightly browned. Add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry. Add the sauce, heat to bubbling, and add the cornstarch and water, stirring quickly to thicken. Add the fish back into the wok. Mix everything through. Sprinkle the cooked fish and vegetables with the ground coriander before serving.

Oven Fried Chicken

I recently bought a bunch of chicken drumsticks and I was craving some good ol' fried chicken. As I was searching online for ideas, I came across many mouth watering recipes and pictures. But I found myself just passing through the traditional "buttermilk, flour, egg, deep fried" recipes. I didn't want to turn my kitchen into a greasy mess and I'm desperately trying to eat healthy and lose some LBs. However, I had a craving, and I was determined to satisfy it.

I really wanted to use the oven as opposed to frying. So I decided to just lightly coat the drumsticks in Panko crumbs to make the chicken a little crispy and then season it a bit to give it a little flavor.

1. Preheat oven to 360
2. Coat each drumstick with melted butter
3. Roll each coated drumstick in bread crumbs
4. Place drumsticks onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper (no stick & easy clean up)
5. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper (and any other seasoning you prefer: I like garlic powder)
6. Bake for approximately 60 minutes

I had no idea how these were going to turn out. In fact I was bracing myself for the drumsticks to turn out blah, but I was pleasantly surprised! They were lightly crispy and flavorful from the seasoning. They were even better as a cold snack the next day! That might sound weird to you, but I love cold chicken drumsticks! The best part about it, was that they were baked and not fried and clean up was a breeze. Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Rice

I had recently cleaned out my fridge because Husband and I were going to be gone for a few days. When we returned, I did not have a chance to go to the market and I had to whip up something for dinner. I had some frozen veggies and leftover rotisserie chicken, so I decided to make some chicken fried rice. Both of our moms often made fried rice when we were growing up and in our home we still look at it as comfort food. It is easy, a little greasy and you can customize it to your taste. 

It really is so simple to make. 

I start off with a little oil in a pan or wok and first saute my veggies. I first cook chopped onions with a little bit of fresh garlic.When the onions become soft, I add in the other veggies. You can use carrots, corn, peas, etc. This time I used frozen Organic Foursome from Trader Joes. I also threw in some chopped shiitake mushrooms. Yum! When the veggies are cooked, I remove from the pan onto a plate with a paper towel to drain the oil a bit. 

I then cook my meat. This time I used leftover rotisserie, but you can use beef, sausage or even tofu if you like. 

When the meat is heated, I add the veggies back in. At this time, I add in the rice. If you ask anyone who makes fried rice, almost everyone will say that "old rice" is better to use in fried rice. If it is a few days old, the rice is a little hard and it works really well with this dish. I like to push the rice towards the outter edge of the pan and let it sit there and get warm and crispy, while I mix everything else in the center. Then I add in an egg for a little extra color and flavor. Mix the egg around so you get little bits evenly distributed.

When the rice seems to be warmed, I then mix everything together. Then I add a little soysauce and a few drops of sesame oil. Then we are done!

It is so easy and you can really put in whatever you like. If you make it at home, it is considerably less greasy than buying it at a restaurant. If you use frozen veggies, there really is no prep time. It's great for when you want to whip together a quick but hearty meal.

Salted Caramels

I am currently obsessed with salted caramels. I have always loved the salty/sweet combination but usually that craving was satisfied with eating two items simultaneously. My favorite being McDonald's french fries dipped into a McDonald's soft serve vanilla ice cream cone. But now with this huge salted caramel movement that is going on, I can get both tastes in one bite. After returning from Paris, I have been scouring LA to find the perfect salted caramel. I have been sampling the salted caramel french macaron, the salted caramel ice cream flavor, fleur de sel, sel gris, and I have yet to find the perfect treat. I prefer a caramel without chocolate and one where the salt is not too strong yet still detectable. I am coming close to making my own at home, but making candy at home is a daunting task. But I do want to try it eventually. Doesn't this look amazing?

So, I am still on the hunt for the most perfect marriage of salty and sweet, but until then I have really been enjoying the Sea Salt Caramels from Little Flower Candy Company and the award winning Celtic Sea Salt from Béquet Gourmet Caramel.

Summer! - Part 1

 

I love outdoor concerts and picnicking in the summer. Along with some snacks prepared at home, we picked up some goodies at Bonchon Chicken for spicy Korean fried chicken, M Cafe for some macrobiotic healthy side dishes and Tender Greens for some grilled goodies. Good food and good music make for a perfect evening under the LA stars! Good company makes it even better!

Very Very Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, you know how I love my cookies? Well I am always searching for the best recipe out there. I like traditional good ol' fashioned chocolate chip cookies. I don't particularly like nuts in them, nor do I like cookies that are too chocolatey or fudgey. I like them to be soft and chewy in the middle and crispy on the edges. Is this asking too much? What is funny is that you can put a plate of cookies that are nothing like the above description, and I will still eat them. Haha. But I still want to have a good basic recipe up my sleeve and in my freezer at all times. So I started searching and I came across this great blog Savory Sweet Life. The writer, Alice, had a post that was called The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER! But everyone thinks their recipe is the best ever right? But I was intrigued by her sea salt ingredient. I am currently on a sea salt + sweet combination kick. Actually, she had me at "EVER". Something about those caps...

Arroz Con Pollo

I've just recently begun to twitter (you can follow me via the link on the side) and it has actually made my life easier. I'm still learning all the tools and techniques, but after I have begun following other foodies, I am never at a loss for meal ideas. I get 20-30 recipes delivered to me daily. This one was from the Martha Stewart Show and it was pretty easy to recreate. I finally got to use my precious saffron that I had been hoarding for some time!

Arroz Con Pollo (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Serves 6 

Ingredients

1 cup dry white wine

Pinch of saffron

6 chicken thighs (6 ounces each)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic (2 to 3 cloves)

1 large tomato, diced

2 dried bay leaves

4 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more if needed

3 cups short-grain rice, preferably Valencia (kalustyans.com)

1 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives 

Directions

Combine wine and saffron; let stand until ready to use. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large braiser or heavy-bottomed, straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium, and cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add tomato, and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Stir in wine-saffron mixture, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the bay leaves. Cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Add chicken, stock, rice, and olives; bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring halfway through, until rice is tender, about 45 minutes. (If rice is not done, add more stock, cup at a time.) Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just heard today that one of the co-founders of Trader Joe's, Theo Albrecht, has passed away today. I have been a loyal shopper for many moons and I especially love the fact that the store was created with the "over-educated and underpaid" in mind. In his honor, I am writing about my new favorite Trader Joe's item: Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I have suddenly found myself to be overwhelmed by a desire to bake. I have been really good about eating healthy lately and I'm back to working out regularly. I am not really tempted by sweets on a regular basis, but a good cookie every once in a while? I cannot resist. So I was at the store gathering some ingredients for my baking extravaganza when I came across these cookies by the checkout. Highbrow Cookies?! These are new, I thought to myself. Their picture reminded me a little of another store bought cookie favorite of mine: Tate's Bake Shop cookies from the Hamptons that they sell at Whole Foods. Now those are certainly "highbrow". I can recall many times when I ate the whole bag in one sitting. So I bought these cookies and sure enough, they are delicious and addicting (beware)! Tate's are still a little better in my opinion, but these are a very close second. I know everyone has a different opinion when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, but if you like a crispier cookie, then you should give these a try. And as I type, this post, I am already half way through the bag. Old habits die hard.

Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

This is another recipe from Real Simple Magazine. Like my Cuban Braised Beef from the other night, this was also one of the 10 Ideas for Flank Steak. Again, really easy to make and takes only about 20 minutes. I served my meal with potatoes (of course) and corn. Serve it alongside your favorite veggies and a nice Malbec.

Steak with Chimichurri Sauce (Real Simple Magazine July 2010)
serves 4
Season 1 1/2 pounds of flank steak with salt and pepper
Cook in olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare; slice
Serve with a mixture of 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 clove chopped garlic (I used 3 cloves!), salt and crushed red pepper