New York Withdrawls

So, I woke up this morning seriously missing all the New York adventures Matt and I had last month. New York offered some of the best food I've had...well...ever!...(ok, well maybe not EVER, but in a very long time). I must admit, it was a great way to start off the big 2-2. More food splurging and binging? Why, yes! I would love some!...But where to next?...

Recap photos from the days I've been missing O so much:

Ratatouille...Well, Almost

After a long day of grocery shopping at the farmer's market at 8a.m., going to the gym, hanging out at the sauna (that was a first for me!), and doing tons of work for my classes--the last thing I wanted to do was cook a complicated meal for dinner.

Voila!

My own spin on ratatouille--after watching the movie of course--with the ingredients I already had in my fridge and pantry.

It was incredibly easy (it took about 30 mins to prep AND cook. O, and did I mention that this is a one pot meal? LOVE.)

I had a nice big bowl with a big chunk of crusty vegan bread for dinner (Actually, I lied, I had two big bowls with two large chunks of crusty bread...but that's because I'm madly in love crusty bread slathered with Irish butter!)

I like to add crushed red chili flakes and an hint of lemon juice to mine, just to jazz it up a bit!

Most, if not all, ratatouille recipes make huge pot fulls--so invite a bunch of friends over for a casual rustic French dinner.

There's BUTTER In My Ramen...

Shio Butter. That's what caught my eye last night when Matt and I went our for Ramen at Mentatsu in Costa Mesa. I was going to get the my usual Shoyu ramen but really?...Butter ramen? I had to try it. I had never heard of it before, let alone eaten it, and since this ramen place had a good reputation, what could go wrong?

So without even reading the description I ordered it.

Yes, folks that would be a chunk of BUTTER in my soup. If I had to guess, it started out as a two tablespoon pat of butter when it got to my table, but by the time my initial surprise dissipated and I finally pulled out my camera--this was all that was left floating in my bowl before I scooped it up in my spoon to get a better look.

There was a pat of butter...melting...in my hot soup. I felt guilty just watching as that chunk of butter quickly turned into buttery slicks skimming the top edges of the bowl.

I was apprehensive upon first dive to say the least.

But it smelled incredibly good, like buttered toast, or buttered popcorn.

So I grabbed my spoon and sipped the soup.

WOW! It was rich and buttery, but not too rich and the grease didn't coat my lips like I thought it would.

As I pulled each bite of ramen out of the soup and through the butter top, each strand of noodle glistened.

It was by far the strangest, most addicting, and incredibly delicious find this week.

So to my earlier question, "What could go wrong?"

Hmm...well for starters, I woke up this morning wanting another bowl!

Dinuguan

Dinu-who? Dinu-what? Din-oo-gu-an, it's a Filipino pork blood stew and it's simply irresistible...

though my mother would beg to differ.

I know, I know, pork BLOOD stew? YES! Ok, so it's brown and chunky and smells of vinegar. That's only because in addition to being a blood stew, it has pork belly and liver in it too. I know it sounds gross, but it's incredibly deep in flavor and incredibly satisfying over rice. I just can't say no! One more to add to the comfort food list.

Chateau Montelena

I'm not a huge fan of white wine. I think it's because it doesn't taste as full-bodied or complex to me as red wine does. But the Chardonnay at Chateau Montelena lives up to its name. It tastes way more complex and more full bodied in the mouth than most Chardonnays that I've had. Not to mention the property is beautiful!

Pomelo

Thinking of things to make with pomelo...ideas?

Dried Okra? Yes, Please!

Yes, ladies and gents I found dried okra!

Its salty and crispy and well...strangely delicious and addictive. (And still a little slimy once you get snacking on it)

I discovered this amazing dried veggie at this little (well, actually it's not so little) place out in Auburn, CA where they sell delicious sauces, pies, dried fruits and berries, enchiladas, chicken pot pies and a dozen other organic foods! Definitely a keeper!

it's blurry...but you get the gist

Macarons

New obsession:

Macarons...more specifically pistachio macarons.

Still trying to figure out the best recipe, it would really help if I could get my hands on a stand mixer! Time to save up!

Carry On

We were so pleased with our Saturday morning picnic that we let it carry on to Sunday.

After a very lazy morning, we decided to go pick up some charcuterie and cheese from WholeFoods for another one of our another one of our indulgently "fat days".

We also picked up a bottle of ice wine (couldn't help ourselves...it's our new guilty pleasure).

Crystal Cove Picnic

Hello sunshine! Boy, have I missed you!

Seeing that the weather has been much more agreeable lately, Matt and I decided to take full advantage of it and go on a beautiful picnic by the beach! How relaxing was that?!

We started the morning off by making our caprese salad and packing up our sangria, olives, muscat grapes, radishes, butter and kosher sea salt and kettle corn.

Then we headed off the to the Italian market for some spicy salamis (spicy sopressata and spicy calabresse), and then we stopped by Pascals for our favorite French macarons. And then it was off to the perfect picnic spot we went.

Steamed Whole Fish

WARNING: The pictures you are about to see may be disturbing. This is the journey of one whole tilapia from raw to a beautifully steamed fish, and yes, with the head on. (Yes, WITH the head on)

I'm in love with steamed fish, I think I've mentioned this before, but I didn't used to. I've discovered that's it's one very healthy way to make fish. Not only that, but it's one of my childhood nostalgias. (It also preserves the natural sweetness of the fish, so if you can, try to buy a fresh fish and just have your fish guy clean, and gut it for you). You can steam virtually any fish! I just love tilapia because it's extremely low in cost (about $5 for a pound and a half at most Asian markets).

Here's how to do it.

Take your fish and place it on a plate that's safe for steaming (if the fish is too long, you may cut it in half, but it's best if you can keep it whole)

Thinly julienne scallions and ginger (I like cilantro on mine as well, roughly chopped)

I would say about two table spoons of each, but it's really up to you how much of each you want.

Here's where the order varies a bit (I've tried it both ways and both are great)

Option 1: Put about a table spoon of Canola oil on top of your fish and then top it with the aromatics, place in the steamer for about 7-10 mins, or until the eyes become opaque. Add soy sauce (I use about a table spoon and a half of low sodium soy sauce) Take out carefully and enjoy!

Option 2: Put the fish in the steamer as is. Steam for about 7-12 mins, or until the eyes become opaque. While the fish is steaming, in a separate pan, heat up a tablespoon and a half of Canola oil when warm, sauté ginger for about a minute or two and remove from heat.

By this time your fish should be done. Take the fish out and top it with the green onion and cilantro and pour you hot oil and ginger on top of the greens, this will cause them to wilt a bit (you should hear it sizzle as you pour the oil over...makes for impressive presentation!)

I served my steamed fish that night with XO sauce sauté-d haricot verts (green beans), and soy sauce soaked chicken wings. A delicious Chinese home cooked meal.

Of course you could do this with any fish filet as well! That usually takes about half the time 5-7 minutes. Healthy, delicious, and super easy!

MEAT

So, tonight was the first time that I have ever tried Brazilian BBQ, and I can say with the utmost confidence...that I was completely defeated! (even our waiter said so when he questioned why my boyfriend and I were done so quickly).

Ok, so I realize that enjoying thick slices of slowly roasted meat the gaucho way, over a course of three hours, is not uncommon. But for me, it's unrealistic to eat more than a 10oz. cut of beef in one sitting. Sure, it was delicious (Did I say delicious? What I meant to say was "MIND BLOWINGLY succulent cuts of juicy sirloin, filet mignon, bottom cut sirloin, and many other cuts of meat slowly roasted over a hot fire creating an amazing salty/savory crust, that I could not stop eating until my stomach screamed 'NO MORE MEAT!'"), but that was so much food.

The restaurant we went to was called Fogo De Chao in Beverly Hills. They give you little coaster like signs (kind of like at Bubba Gump) which has one red side and one green side. If you want more meat, you turn your sign to green and the "gauchos" come by with large slabs of meat on a stake and shave off a crusty, juicy, salty piece of meat for you. All the meat is seasoned with is salt, and really, what more do you need? The cooking process alone give the meat that really hearty, caramelized, meaty flavor, and the salt just helps bring it out even more.
I constantly had to make sure I turned my coaster back to red to tell them that I'm still working on my plate, because if it's green, they just keep coming like a flock of seagulls!

Not only is there unlimited meat, but they give you endless side dishes. Plantains (LOVED), mashed potatoes (standard), polenta (crispy!). There's also a salad bar buffet, which thank goodness for me was there, because all that beef was kicking my hiney.

O, and did I forget to mention their amazing cheese bread? They were less like bread, and more like...Yorkshire pudding? Nonetheless, incredibly crispy on the outside (shaped like a mini muffin), soft and moist...and a bit chewy on the the inside, and has the most subtle flavor of cheese that just adds a little nutty finish. If you've ever had eggettes, that's what it reminds me of, except these were savory.

Word of advice: if you're going to have Brazilian BBQ, remember that these are very generous people who want to see you full of meat! So bring your appetite! Don't eat for the whole day if you must! Because it will be some of the best tasting meat you will ever try!

It smells good, it tastes good, had a food baby (meaning my belly was protruding like I was three months pregnant), then a food coma, and needed a nap
--verdict: happily...STUFFED.

It's finals week again, and the best snack that keeps me going?

White organic popcorn with Old Bay and a can of grass jelly to soothe the spice!

YUM! Popcorn with TONS of Old Bay Seasoning.

The can says that Old Bay is good for seafood, poultry, salads, and meats...hmm...I'm thinking they should add popcorn to the list.

Impressive Coffee

So I THOUGHT I had given up coffee...

I guess that was true until recently when I went to my local Japanese Market and I stumbled over this crazy-cool-could-not-pass-up instant drip coffee in a packet. Say what??

Yes, it's true...the Japanese never fail to impress me! I am seriously in love with this invention! It's so convenient.

Just add boiling water.

I like to stir in condensed milk into my coffee (but then again, condensed milk is like the God of all milk products...yes...even better than ice cream)

Good Ole Fashioned Eggs In a Basket

Feeling a little nostalgic?

I don't know about you, but growing up, my mom always made eggs in a basket for me as a weekend morning breakfast--it's one of those unforgettable childhood memories.

Recently, I've shared a piece of that childhood with Matt, and we together have come up with what may be the most genius food invention yet! (Ok...overstatement...but you get the picture)

Introducing eggs in a basket with BREAD FILLED WITH CHEESE! delicious!

We stacked two slices of bread on top of one another and used a wine glass to cut a hole out of the middle for our eggs in a basket.

But when we did that...the "hole" became one piece of bread sealed at the edges (think Smuckers Uncrustables)

GENIUS!

So we decided to put ricotta and freshly grated Parmesan between the two slices of bread before we cut it out--and it came out as a savory, cheesey, delicious Uncrustable! And then along with the eggs in a basket, we cooked them in a pan of butter until the bread got crisp.

Seriously, you can fill these things with ANYTHING! We're planning on experimenting with prosciutto, and with trying to put a quail egg (or just the yolk) inside...can't wait!

Serve with your favorite tomato sauce for a fun and delicious breakfast...or in this case...an after work out dinner.

Better Than The Kogi Truck?

Yes, dare I say it...Hashigo in Costa Mesa may have K-Barb (Korean BBQ) tacos that are better than the Kogi Truck.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of looking up where that darned truck is off to today. I want a taco and I want it now! I don't have time to be chasing some ghost truck and then waiting in the hype line for a hour only to find that they're out of kal-bi...you're kidding right?

Go try Hashigo! It's a good old fashioned, stationary restaurant. Sometimes old-school is just better than hype...

You be the judge.

Obsession? I think not!

Wild Boar

Duck

FRIES!!! Yes, Please!

Let's not be nasty here folks, but I'm a girl that loves meat in tube form. And I'm a sucker for new and inventive sausages!

Valhalla Table is a new sausage bar that opened at The Camp in Costa Mesa. It has a variety of interesting and maybe even jarring types of sausages. From something so recognizable as the polish dog to something to strange as duck, you name it, they've got it!

Sausage bar...genius!

New York, I Love You

What a great birthday trip to New York!

We'll be back!

I've said before that I could never see myself living in New York because it was too fast paced and I didn't want to be another "Sex in the City" wannabe...which...by the way, I've only watched like 4 episodes of.

But you know what, this trip changed my perspective on New York. I can totally see myself living here. The food is great, there's variety of culture, and I LOVE the way everyone dresses!

We WILL definitely be back!...DEFINITELY

Macrons

Yes, $12...and well worth it!

You didn't really think I left Dean and Deluca empty handed, did you?

A box of French Macaroons or Macrons was a must have!

One of each please!

Raspberry

Coffee

Chocolate

Vanilla (Favorite)

Pistachio (I am a sucker for Pistachio deserts)

Lemon (not as bad as I thought it would be)

Smoked Fish

We had never had smoked fish before, and we saw Russ and Daughters on the way Katz and thought that it would be a great chance to cross off another food adventure off our list.

We tried the baked salmon and smoke sturgeon. Both very good!

What we regret: WHY DIDN'T WE GET A BAGEL AND LOX?...o yeah...we just had Katz

More reason to go back to New York.