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I hope that all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving and partook in the gluttony that so commonly happens around this time of year. Here's just a short post sharing how my (big) family celebrated. Hope you enjoy, and happy holidays to you and yours!
How does your family celebrate Thanksgiving? Feel free to share!
I feel like I'm always neglecting my blog and I feel absolutely terrible. Nonetheless, here is a long overdue post on my trip to Seattle this past summer. The moment I landed, I fell in love with this city. There's something so special about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's because the weather was perfect while I was there (save for a gloomy day in the middle of my stay), but everything just felt right. The food was delicious, the coffee was amazing, and the people were so beautiful! I may just have left a little piece of my heart out there. Here are some photos from my trip, hope you enjoy!!
This is Willi, a baristo that I met at Victorla. This guy is super friendly and is obviously passionate about what he does. He also made me a mean gibraltar.
I caught this guy celebrating the lack of a line at Paseo, a rare occasion.
The holy grail of sandwiches, Paseo's Caribbean Roast.
This thing is amazing and lived up to all the hype (everyone and their mother told me I had to try it) and then some. It's also quite a disaster to handle and quickly turns into a fork and knifer. You can't tell too well in the photo, but my vision was clouded by grease.
The aftermath.
I got a chance to see Shane and Shane play while I was there!
Another gem, Uneeda Burger.
I had forgotten that burgers could be exceptionally delicious. Then I met Uneeda Burger and was reminded that burgers can indeed be great.
After striking up conversation with Willi at Victorla, he gave me a list of coffee spots to check out. Milstead & Co. was among them.
Yep, another fantastic spot that totally fits the hipster coffee-camera lover in me.
A fine cup of Aeropressed Bows and Arrows Guatamela Finca El Tambor to end the post.
Goodbye, Seattle! Until next time.
I had been hearing great things about TrueBurger. Some said it was basically Shake Shack on the West Coast. Though I've never tried Shake Shack, I hear great things about them as well. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to go to TrueBurger with some of my friends.
We rolled into TrueBurger on a Saturday for lunch and it was packed! The crowd was a good sign. Surely, this had to be a great burger!
The prices on the menu scared me a bit. But I had just finished finals and was feeling pretty good. I decided to treat myself. I ordered a Cheesy Trueburger with griddled onions, an orange creamsicle shake, and got chili cheese fries to share with a friend.
The place had a very modern, hip feel to it with beautiful wooden counters and a long communal table. The clientele was a mix of everyone from the elderly to young hipsters talking about their newest bands and local, organic foods. TrueBurger definitely had the feel of a community hub that brings Oakland together.
Now, the moment of truth. Is this a burger that lives up to its price tag and all of the hype? We'll see. The burger was on the small side comparable to size. But how did it taste? Well, the challah bun was fantastic. It had a slight crunch from being toasted and was a tad bit chewy. The garlic aioli was delicious as well; garlicky is always good. But the burger itself, where was it? It got lost in the mix of everything. It was kind of like being at a concert with a really bad sound engineer. I couldn't taste the meat, which was disappointing to say the least. I thought I was eating a garlic aioli sandwich with grilled onions on really good bread.
The chili cheese fries were just so-so. The fries themselves were spot on, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. However, I had my gripes with the chili. It had an odd sweetness to it...and it had beans. But I'm a stickler when it comes to chili. My opinions on chili are probably stronger than the average person. Most people seem to really enjoy them.
This orange creamsicle milkshake was the high point of the meal for me. Think about a liquified orange creamsicle. This took me back to my childhood and I loved every moment of it from the impossible-to-drink beginning to the melted down mess at the end. It was beautiful.
Their pickles were surprisingly very, very good as well. They were fresh, crisp, and bright. Oh, and did I mention, free? Or at least these sliced pickles at the condiment bar are. I went back a few times to grab more. Don't forget to munch on these with your burger!
Overall, TrueBurger was good, not amazing. Would I ever go out of my way to eat here? Probably not. I'd honestly go to the ever consistent and delicious In-n-Out over TrueBurger any day. I could get a whole meal for the price of a Trueburger and thoroughly enjoy every bit of it - every time. If you are in the area, definitely check it out, maybe you'll have a better experience than me. Just don't forget to get a milkshake.
TrueBurger 146 Grand Ave Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 208-5678 www.trueburgeroakland.com
In my opinion, poutine should be a food group of its own. If you don't know what poutine is, it's a simple dish of fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy originating in Quebec. Though simple, it's ridiculously awesome. Poutine in its basic form is also often used as a blank canvas for a plethora of different toppings. In the September 2012 issue of Esquire, Chris Jones is quoted saying, "If bacon ate, bacon would eat poutine." Genius. Now that you know how much I love this Canadian export, you probably have an idea of why I went to Gregoire solely for their poutine.
When one thinks of this quaint North Berkeley landmark, one thinks of potato puffs. Oh yes, those lightly crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside treats...a must have for sure. But for the month of February (oh dear, this post is late), they had poutine.
Upon seeing the poutine, the pretentious foodie in me cringed a tad bit. The fries were yellow. If you know a thing about poutine, you know that the fries are typically orangish-brown. Once I suppressed the monster that resides in me, I dug in. Pretty good. The fries were perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside (seems to be a winning combination for potato based foods). The gravy was salty and peppery, very reminiscent of KFC gravy. That's no insult either. Darn good. However, the cheese curds were a bit disappointing. They were crumbly rather than being solid with a "squeaky" tooth-feel. They also pretty bland. Overall, not bad. There's a sore lack of poutine stateside, so any poutine I can get my hands on is appreciated.
On a side note, the Empire Cola was fantastic. You get the great classic cola taste without all the sweetness.
An obligatory photo of their legendary potato puffs. Seriously, you have to try these before you die.
Gregoire 2109 Cedar St Berkeley, CA 94709 (510) 883-1893 www.gregoirerestaurant.com
I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday! I know our family most definitely did. Here's how our family does Thanksgiving dinner.
One fried turkey.
And one bacon wrapped turkey. We've been doing this since forever. Before those meatheads on Youtube did this "next level" stuff.
Dessert. Also because I didn't get a chance to snag photos of our "American" desserts.
I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgivings and are continuing to enjoy your leftovers... I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you, my readers. You all are awesome. What are you thankful for?
This post has been a long time coming. I'm surprised it took me this long to get it up. But alas, in all its glory, Phil's BBQ. For many Southern Californians, Phil's needs no introduction. The 2 hour waits to get in testify to that. However, if you are not familiar with this San Diego institution, it was founded in 1998 by owner, Phil Pace. BBQ in California? Barbecue purists are probably calling heresy. Calm yourselves, perhaps this isn't "real," but this is good stuff. Really good.
On a side note, there's some great BBQ in SoCal. There's always Bludso's Texas style BBQ in Compton.
Whenever we make a trek down to San Diego, it's usually for our pilgrimage to Phil's. As I mentioned before, the lines get long. However, if you get there before the rush, say, around 4 pm, you'll get your food in no time (relative to the typical 2 hour wait). Just remember, they are closed on Mondays. If you're at Phil's for your first time, you'll have plenty of time to wrestle with your heart in regards to what you'll order. My typical order is the half rack baby back dinner with fries and slaw. Some swear by their sandwiches, beef ribs, or chicken, but I stick to the tried and true baby back ribs. Also, don't you ever dare forget to order onion rings. Just do it.
If you survive the wait, successfully procure a table, and wait a little longer for your food, you'll be greeted with something like this. As I said, this is my typical order. And it's perfect. You have your mesquite grilled baby back ribs, fries, and some sort of vegetable, if you want to call it that.
The cole slaw is essential. You need some cool, creamy veggies to cleanse your palette between mouthfuls of tangy, slightly spicy meat and fried potatoes. The slaw is actually not too heavy like some other slaws you'll have. It's light and refreshing. Perfect. The fries are the quintessential carbohydrate. They aren't particularly crispy at Phil's. They kind of remind me of thicker In-n-Out fries. Don't let that drive you away, I know some people hate In-n-Out fries (I don't). The fries are perfect for sopping up all that extra sauce. Oh, and the portions. Dear lord, the amount of fries and slaw you get is almost scary. You'll be more than happy.
You didn't forget those onions rings, now, did you? These are some of my favorite onions rings. Ever. They have a light, crispy crust with a sweet, tender onion on the inside. Absolute perfection (I'm using that big word quite a bit here). Maybe I've developed some unhealthy affection toward Phil's onion rings, but I don't care. They are some of the best I've had. Please do dunk these in the buttermilk ranch they serve them with. Moving on.
Here is the main attraction. These are the tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs you hope to have when you eat BBQ. Yes, great. But do you know what's better? The sauce. The sauce really brings these ribs to life. It's definitely a unique sauce in the world of BBQ. It has the viscosity of a Kansas City BBQ sauce, but with a flavor akin to a North Carolina BBQ Sauce. Thick, vinegary, and a slight bit spicy. Oh, and Phil created this sauce when he was 15 years old... You have to try this. It's really that good.
On our trip in December, the table we were sitting at had these awesome sticker labels on the malt vinegar. The Korean in me was proud and a slight bit embarrassed. Who even thinks of doing this?
Anyway, there you have it. If you live in San Diego, are visiting San Diego, or don't live anywhere near San Diego, you have to go to Phil's. Please. For me.
Phil's BBQ 3750 Sports Arena Blvd San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 226-6333 www.philsbbq.net
I know I haven't posted in a while, but now that I'm starting to settle into the new semester, it's time for another post! While I was back at home for winter break, I made sure to stop by the Frysmith. If you don't know, Frysmith is a food truck that uses French fries as a canvas to paint a culinary masterpiece on. I swear I thought of something like this before them, but I was young and not ready to start a business. Oh well (:P). As you read this, keep in mind that I made this visit about a month ago and I can't seem to find my notes. I'll do my best to remember everything as accurately as possible.
They had different kinds of poutine throughout the month of December. If you know me, you know I love poutine, but being foodies, we needed to try a variety of their offerings. We got the Rajas Fries, Kimchi Fries, Sweet Po Fries, and their special Holiday Poutine. Also, they switched from their old boats to oval-shaped platters. This switch definitely helps get the toppings more evenly distributed on the fries. It made for a more pleasant eating experience than when they used the classic boat.
The Rajas fries were excellent. You get giant strips of shawarma-marinated steak with caramelized onions, fire-roasted poblano chiles, cilantro, and jack cheese. These fries are MEATY! Seriously, how can you not like something with strips on strips of steak? Oh, and the steak is perfectly cooked, tender, and full of flavor.
The fries are of the thin variety and they sit in the perfect spot between soggy and crispy. For something like this, you don't want a very crispy French fry; and you never want a soggy, limp French fry.
I'm going to go ahead and say this now, these were my favorite. As a Korean, how can the Kimchi Fries not be my favorite? These fries are topped with kimchi, Kurobuta pork belly (삼겹살), onions, green onions, and cheddar cheese. The brightness of the kimchi cut through the fries and pork while the pork and cheese provided the hearty element of the dish. There was a great balance of flavors. It also proved to be an excellent palate cleanser in-between eating all the other fries.
The Sweet Po Fries are sweet potato fries topped with chicken in a tomatillo-tamarind sauce, jack cheese, and cashews. The flavor profile on this one was sweeter than the other fries we had; the tamarind in the sauce is definitely a prominent flavor. The cashews lend a great textural contrast to the rest of the dish as the sweet potato fries aren't as crispy as the regular fries. I thoroughly enjoyed these fries, especially in-between bites of the other fries.
The Holiday Poutine was topped with bacon, cheese curds, and holiday gravy. Remember how I mentioned that I love poutine? Well, this one was sadly disappointing. First of all, the cheese curds weren't as melty as I like them. I know cheese curds are supposed to have some bite and "squeak," but these were pretty firm - the gravy could have been hotter. On that note, the gravy was this dish's greatest downfall. Because it was a "holiday" poutine, they flavored the gravy with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and orange peel. The flavor of the spices were too strong and overpowered everything else. We all came to the consensus that the gravy just didn't work with the rest of the dish.
Overall, this trip to the Frysmith was a very pleasant one, as my other visits have been. They are always experimenting with new dishes and specials. For example, for a week (until yesterday), they turned into the Soupsmith and served soup instead of fries. Everything from the food to their truck sets them apart from most other food trucks. Their custom made truck runs on fry oil! Go check them out some time. Fries never fail.
Frysmith www.twitter.com/frysmith www.eatfrysmith.com (818) 371-6814
First of all, I want to say sorry for the lack of posts for past couple weeks, I've been extremely busy. Anywho, onto the post. As you all know, last Friday was November 11, 2011, or 11.11.11. Not only was it the last binary day of the century, but the most epic Pepero Day for a while. For those of you that don't know, Pepero Day is a Korean "holiday" of sorts where people get Pepero for their friends, family, significant others, etc. You can learn more about it from the folks at Eat Your Kimchi. It's basically a day for snack companies (Lotte) to make tons of money...
What do you do on a cold, rainy Pepero Day when you don't want to buy Pepero? Make some, of course! Some of my friends and I got some pretzel sticks, chocolate, and various things to coat the sticks in. It's probably the simplest thing ever, and it's fun when you make them with people you love! After you're done, you can either give them away or eat them all yourself. If you eat them all yourself, you're probably pretty lonely anyway (joking, but true...). Note: these photos were taken with a friend's camera because of the spontaneity of the happening.
After making bunch of them, I ended up receiving some! I felt so loved until I read the note attached to them.
Threatening, right? I decided to not take any risks and follow their instructions.
I must say, they were a lot more colourful than the ones we made. They did melt a bit, so excuse that in the photos, I'm sure they were beautiful before. Off the record, I think ours tasted better, but they still made for a great pre-San Francisco trip snack! More on that SF trip in later posts to come. But really, they were great! Chocolatey, crunchy goodness, with a hint of salty from the pretzel sticks, not to mention full of love! Food is always better when it's made with love, and I think anyone can testify to that. So, next November 11, make (or buy) some Pepero for the people you love!
The Hungry Bear is one of those hidden gems that you probably never heard of unless you're a local. I recently found out about the Hungry Bear through a friend who used to eat here as a kid. After we (my sister, my cousin, and I) wandered through an old plaza, we found the Hungry Bear tucked away in a corner.
The moment we walked in, we felt a bit out of place. We were the only Asians the restaurant, which is odd in Fullerton as it has a large Asian population. The decor is very homey and welcoming with earthy greens and teddy bears strewn all about the place. After a short wait, we were seated by our very happy waitress. She made sure to point out the specials.
On Mondays, four of the specials and their Specialty Steak are half off. Their prices are already low to begin with, but we'll talk about price later. I decided to go with one of my all time favorites, country fried steak, my cousin opted to try their Specialty Steak, and my sister got the bacon wrapped filets.
I got started off with a salad. It was nothing special, just a typical salad with dressing. My cousin got the same.
My sister had the cheese and potato soup, which was pretty much cheese and potato. How can that be bad, right? Well, it wasn't. It was delicious. The best way to describe it is as a super thick cheese sauce with chunks of potato.
My cousin's Specialty Steak (sirloin) wasn't quite medium rare, which he ordered. He decided it would be fine to just eat it (it was still great, I tried some), but the waitress insisted that it be the way he asked for it and took it back. They brought another one out within a few minutes. Talk about great service! The second time it was cooked perfectly and tasted even better than it did the first time. The meat was tender, juicy, and flavorful, just like a good steak should be.
My sister's bacon wrapped filets were to die for. The two tender filets were wrapped in bacon and cooked medium. Even without getting a piece of bacon in your bite, you can taste the smokey bacon flavor. With a piece of bacon, its simply amazing.
My country fried steak was a bit different than I'm used to. A typical country fried steak is made with tenderized cube steak, which almost has the texture of ground beef. However, the Hungry Bear makes their country fried steak with a piece of sirloin that's been pounded out. This way, it still has the texture of a steak, but is tender like a more typical country fried steak. The breading is very light and crispy, just the way I like it. Finally, the gravy is light and peppery. It's not like glue, which I've experienced too many times. The gravy complements the steak and doesn't just fill you up. This is a top notch country fried steak.
Each entree comes with a big piece of garlic bread and your choice of potato. We also got a side order of macaroni and cheese. None of the sides were out of this world, but the garlic bread and my mashed potatoes (with the same great gravy on my steak) were still delicious. The macaroni and cheese on the other hand was rather disappointing. It was just boxed mac and cheese.
After all that food, we decided that we needed to get some dessert. We got peach cobbler and apple pie. Each comes topped with a heaping scoop of French vanilla ice cream and a generous amount of whipped cream. The peach cobbler has a bread-like crust on top, which isn't crispy like I'm used to. I liked the apple pie better, but then again, I have a soft spot for pies. The ice cream leant a good amount of sweetness and provides a nice contrast to the hot dessert. The desserts themselves weren't too sweet, which I like.
The best part of the meal was when we got the check. We got all that food (and drinks) for less than $50 and we could barely move. Now that's a steal. Still, I wouldn't mind eating here any other day, even without the half off prices. Everything about the Hungry Bear makes it stand out; the quality of the food, price, and service are excellent. So please, check out the Hungry Bear for yourself!
The Hungry Bear Restaurant 2219 N Harbor Blvd Fullerton, CA 92835 (714) 526-2711 www.thehungrybear.com
Recently, Rainbow Donuts' Cerritos and Norwalk locations started serving blueberry donuts. I heard that they were selling a dozen for only $5 on Friday, so I jumped on that chance to try them out. If Rainbow Donuts' blueberry donuts were comparable to M&M's variety, they would present themselves as a good option because I hate waiting in lines at M&M Donuts. It also doesn't hurt that they are much closer to me. I reviewed M&M's blueberry donuts back in April here.
I got to Rainbow Donuts about 10 minutes before the $5 deal officially started. Surprisingly, there was no line at all. It seemed like I was first one there for the deal. I asked the lady behind the counter if I could get two dozen donuts for the discounted price, and she gladly obliged. The next question she asked caught me off guard. "Frosted or glazed?" she asked. Frosted? What? Oh boy. Then I looked behind the display glass and there were blueberry donuts that looked similar to M&M's, but with a light purple frosting on top. I opted to get half frosted and half glazed.
I walked out of the store with 2 dozen donuts in my hands. I felt like a fatty mcfatfat. It's okay though, I gave a dozen to the kids at church right after. They disappeared within a blink of an eye, so I didn't get a chance to try one. At least I knew that they were good. I would have to wait until I got home to sample from the second dozen.
I decided to try the regular glazed donut first for comparison's sake. My first observation was that they are much more dense than the donuts at M&M. I suppose that's to be expected, after all, they are called "blueberry cake donuts." The outside was also not as crisp. I preferred the texture of M&M's donuts. My biggest gripe here was that they donuts were cold. They had been sitting out, even when I picked them up. I love that they donuts at M&M are freshly made (because they sell so quickly). That's probably the key difference for me.
Let's not look solely at the negatives though. Rainbow Donuts still makes a solid blueberry donut. I thought the frosted donut was far superior to the glazed donut. This is because the frosted donut is (surprisingly) not as sweet as the glazed variety. I thought the glazed donut was too sweet, but the frosted donut was just about perfect. The frosting is definitely a nice touch and adds a bit of unique flair to Rainbow Donuts over M&M.
All in all, I don't think that it's fair to compare the two donuts in a head-on comparison. They are similar, but different. They are both great donuts and I would eat either one any day. If you love M&M's blueberry donuts, then I recommend that you check out Rainbow Donuts. You won't have to wait in that ridiculous line, which is one of the biggest plusses in my opinion.
Rainbow Donuts 11825 South St Cerritos, CA 90703 (562) 468-0678 www.RainbowDonuts.com
I recently read this article from Serious Eats on cloning In-n-Out's Double Double. Although I can get an In-n-Out burger almost any time I want, I was inspired to clone one at home. Initially, I only wanted to clone the magical grilled onions, but that eventually led to the whole burger. This is not a strict recipe as I didn't follow a recipe. This is just a rough run through of what I did based on what I remembered from the article. You can read the article for an in depth analysis of the burger.
The first step would be the grilled onions that you get with an animal style burger. I used the method that Kenji used, constantly deglazing the pan with water and cooking the onions for a long period of time. I chopped 6 whole onions...
...with the help of my newest toy, a Kyocera ceramic santoku knife. This guy is super sharp, light, and easy to work with. I absolutely love it.
After the tears and chopping, I began the cooking process. I started with a little bit of oil and a ton of onions.
[slideshow]
Here's a slideshow. Check out the different stages of cooking the onions. After 3 hours of cooking, the onions ended up looking like this...
They turned into an absolutely delicious onion marmalade. After the 3 hour cooking process, I moved onto the rest of the burger. I made sure to cook the patties with mustard, just like they do at In-n-Out with animal style burgers.
After searing the first side of the patties, I generously covered the top with yellow mustard, flipped, put some American cheese and that sweet onion compote on top.
I then put the patties on some nicely toasted buns with some homemade Spread and homegrown tomato and lettuce. I didn't have any pickles on hand, but the burger was still delicious without them. The burger was different from what In-n-Out has to offer, but (dare I say) my sister and I both agreed that this version was better. Before you all smite me and send me flame mail, I repeat that they were different, I just prefer the home-brewed version. Now, with all this left over onion compote, I can take over the world use it on anything. It's a 3 hour process, but definitely worth it. A grilled cheese sandwich with this stuff would be absolutely divine...
This past weekend, my sister and some of my good friends came up to the Bay Area to visit me. The highlight of our trip was our trip to the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco. I'm going to try to keep my words to a minimum so that you can all bask in the glory of the prime rib...
So pretty much all of us got the King Henry VIII Cut, which is their biggest cut of meat. Included with the main course is a salad, your choice of creamed corn or spinach, loaded baked potato or mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and three kinds of horseradish.
They start you off with some great sourdough bread. Crispy on the outside, light and pillowy on the inside. Perfect. But don't get full off of this. It's a trap! They also give you the choice between sparkling and still water. I love the fact that they have sparkling water at no extra charge.
The salad is an important part of the meal. It has beets in it, which play a key role in digestion after the meal...you know...it's kind of important.
After your salad, they wheel out the "Meat Chamber" and carve your prime rib for you. If there were no consequences, I would probably grab one of the meat chambers full of the prime rib goodness and run.
I got my prime rib medium rare with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. The meat was amazingly tender, like butter...I honestly cannot find word to describe the prime rib itself...just ughhhhhhhhh. As far as the horseradish goes, I like the middle one the best, the mild one is too mild and the spicy one is too strong (it's just raw horseradish). And make sure to use that Yorkshire pudding (which is basically olde school bread) in the end to sop up all that beautiful juice that pools up at the bottom of your empty plate.
The best part is that they give you another small piece of meat if you are still hungry after your meal.
Here are some additional photos with other glorious things like the meat chamber and loaded baked potatoes (note the amount of bacon on those suckers).
[slideshow]
As far as technical info goes on the photography, it was darker than the bat cave in there. I was shooting around f/2.2-2.8, ISO 3200, and 1/100-1/125. On top of that, I had to bring up exposure in Lightroom, so they are pretty noisy, but it's fine.
Remember that pizza from last week?
Well, that's no pizza...
Bam! Feast your eyes on these blueberry donuts from M&M Donuts in Anaheim, CA. They open at 9 pm and you gotta get there early to beat the lines. These little guys are POPULAR. Sometimes the lines will cause two hour waits. I've seen the drive-thru line wrap around and continue through the parking lot of the plaza. At about $8 for a dozen, the price to flavor experience ratio is off the charts.
Ugh. Just looking at that cross-section excites me. The donut tastes like a fried blueberry muffin. The outside is crispy and glazed while the inside is soft and pillowy. Everyone knows that's the perfect combination of textures (think crisp fries with mashed potatoey [that's not a word...] insides). They're good cold the next morning, but are exceptionally extraordinary when they are hot and fresh. It's impossible to eat just one, you have to control yourself you have to eat a whole dozen.
You know that these donuts are the best just because they come in a freaking pizza box and are made by a cute old Chinese couple. Now, back to last week's post. These donuts with that blueberry crumble Haagen-Dazs ice cream? Just kill me now.
M&M Donuts 1614 W Katella Ave Anaheim, CA 92802 (714) 490-0718
NOTE: I plan to update at least once a week now on Mondays. Hoorah! No need to wait for weeks for new posts! Of course I reserve the rights to not follow through with this, but I really want to stay committed to this.
So what do you do when you want ice cream right before you go to bed? You just go and get it! As I was looking into the freezer, debating between Mango and Coffee, this Blueberry Crumble caught my eye. That limited edition royal purple lid whispered carelessly into my ear, "I'm what you want."
Sadly, it was gone before I thought to take photos (you looked at photos of an empty ice cream container). Meh. Let's just say it was delicious. You got the bright, fruity blueberry flavor right off the bat and finished with a slight bit of tartness and crunchy shortbread pieces. It was a flavor-texture-sensory foodgasm. It would have gone PERFECTLY with what I'm going to post about next time. Look forward to that on Monday. For now, here's a teaser photo.
Ice cream and pizza!? Edwin, what's wrong with you? Let your imaginations run wild.
What do you do when you have nothing else to do? Throw a deep fried party, of course! I'm back in town so a couple of my good friends and I got together to fry up some cheese sticks a la Epic Meal Time.
We went the super simple route. Basic flour and egg dredge, Tangy Carolina BBQ Lays, and cheese sticks.
Crush up your chips of choice. My friends tried Doritos last time and told me that they got soggy too fast.
Set up your dredging stations.
Coat generously. We decided to go for a double dredge then lays method to get more crispiness. Here, Andrew demonstrates his method to optimize Lays coating on the sticks.
We got a bit adventurous and wrapped some cheese sticks with some turkey breast.
Ready to fry!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8fJb0bQHGA]
Get them sticks in that there oil. Make sure the oil is hot enough; test with a a small chip crumb or something of that sort.
While they were frying, we made some Nutella sammiches to snack on.
Here's glory shot number one. Just fry until they get gold and the cheese is melty.
Here's a turkey wrapped one.
Glory shot number two.
We had some peppermint patties, so we just fried those up as well.
Andrew was still hungry so I cooked up a quick cheese stick and chip crumb omelette for him. Nothing special.
Disclaimer: this will be a photo heavy post with few words. You can assume that everything was ridiculously delicious (it was). Enjoy.
Tacos Tamix in LA
Al pastor
Al pastor alambres
Al pastor tacos
Al pastor quesadilla
Buche, cabeza, al pastor
Buche
Al pastor burrito
George's breakfast burritos in Fullerton
Photo by my sister at www.janetcho.wordpress.com.
Soondooboo at BCD
Original Pancake House in Anaheim
Corned beef hash and eggs
Blueberry pancakes
Some home cooking
Bacon wrapped rice cakes
Beef wrapped spicy rice cakes
In-n-Out
Hello readers, today, I bring to you a recipe. I made a killer macaroni and cheese today with a good friend, so I just had to share my recipe with all of you.
INGREDIENTS
Alright, let's start off with the ingredients. Just a disclaimer, I don't measure most of my ingredients. I prefer to eye everything, so my proportions probably won't be the same as yours. This recipe is for 2 pounds of pasta, which will feed a rather large amount of people. The less the pasta to sauce ratio is, the creamier the end product is going to be. Adjust amounts as needed.
-2 pounds of Shell Pasta (or Elbow Macaroni or just about any pasta your heart desires) -6-8 cups of grated cheese (I used Extra Extra Sharp Cheddar, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Gouda, Gruyere, and a little bit of left over Pepper Jack, feel free to use whatever cheese(s) you want) -1/2 cup Butter -1/2 cup Flour -6 cups of Milk -Bacon -Potato Chips -Pinch of Nutmeg -Salt and Pepper to Taste (I didn't use any salt as the bacon and potato chip topping are already salty)
You can add other seasonings if you'd like (Worcestershire sauce, mustard, spices, etc.)
PREP WORK
Cut up your bacon. I like my bacon to be about 3/4 inch wide by 1 inch tall, but again, whatever you like.
Cook your bacon.
Drain your bacon and set it aside. I like to reserve some bacon fat for later. If you are a health nut, get rid of it.
Grate your cheese. Please don't buy shredded cheese to save some work. It really is better when you grate it yourself. Set the cheese aside. I recommend covering it with plastic wrap and putting it in the fridge for later.
TOPPING
Now, for the all important topping, I've been using potato chips. This was inspired by Chef John of Foodwishes, the greatest internet chef to live.
Crush up your chips. You can crush them in the bag or put them in a Ziplock back if that floats your boat.
Here's where that reserved bacon fat comes into play. You can use butter instead. Put some bacon fat (or butter) into a pan, then add your crushed potato chips. Make sure you have enough fat to coat all your chips.
Cook them medium low until they get nice and brown. The difference should be noticeable, but they shouldn't be anywhere near burnt.
SAUCE (and Pasta)
Now that all of that is done, it is time for the sauce. Start off with a roux, which is just equal amount of flour and butter. This will act as our thickening agent. I didn't get a photo, but it's not much to miss out on. Melt your butter, add the flour, and let it cook until the mixture gets light brown; don't let it get too dark. This is where I add my nutmeg and white pepper. To this, we are going to add our COLD milk. Note, cold milk. Hot Roux + Cold Milk = No Lumps. Thank you to Chef John again.
Bring this up to heat as we are going to turn off our heat when we add the cheese.
Let it get to the point just before it boils. Once it gets there, turn off the heat and add about 2/3 of the cheese. Stir until the cheese completely melts. Save the rest of the cheese for the topping.
While you are making the sauce, get the pasta going. Cook the pasta a minute or two less than what the directions say on the packaging, as the pasta will continue to cook later in the oven. Drain and set aside.
FINISH IT
Put the pasta in a baking dish and mix in the sauce and about 2/3 of the bacon. As you can see here, we got some spillage of the sauce, but that's okay.
Once that is all mixed together, we are going to top it off with the remaining cheese and bacon that we saved and the potato chips. Feel free to layer the topping as you want. We pretty much put a lasagna of toppings on top of our macaroni.
Bake the whole tray of glory. Honestly, I'm bad with oven temperatures, so I always guess, much like my eyeing of ingredients. I baked mine at 375 for about 15 minutes. Just put it in the oven and let it cook until the top gets brown and the cheese melts, but make sure you keep an eye on it.
Enjoy. Thanks for reading and post your thoughts or comments.