Zensei Sushi (North Park area)

As we are all tightening our wallet strings, I try to limit the eating out excursions I have--however I find that this can be a lonely experience since dining out is a major form of socialization these days.  That is probably why most of my blogging has focused on homemade items vs. eating out experiences.  Thanks to groupon and my awesome friend, I was able to try out Zensei Sushi in North Park.  She raved about their food so I was only happy to tag along since it was payday and I hadnt gone to eat in a sit down place for a few weeks at least.  It was hard to find but the inside was kinda funky.  Like a diner feel but with a sushi bar and an imposing sushi chef to boot.  They seemed to have lots of specials for lunch and happy hour as well but the groupon couldnt be used for lunch specials or happy hours apparently--this was not on the fine print.  I used the menu to copy off the roll descriptions FYI--here is a link: Zensei Sushi official menu

We had a total of four rolls and one order of edamame.  Edamame was cooked perfectly with either rock or kosher salt on it--that makes a big difference! Not over or undercooked, came out piping to our table.

Roll#1: Crunchy Roll- shrimp tempura, crab, cucumber, crunchies and sweet sauce

It was our first roll brought to the table so we were eager to dig in.  I was quickly disappointed.  Sushi faux pas.  Ice cold sweet sauce! It just doesnt taste right when the shrimp and crunchies are warm and the sauce is so cold.  Maybe its just me.  Maybe its cuz we were the first customers of the day.  Maybe shmaybe. 

Roll#2: Mango Delight: crab, avocado, cucumber inside, baked with a special spicy sauce and topped with mango salsa

This was the one my friend had to have.  It wasnt bad, but I usually like my rolls simple without baked/ crunchy/ fireworks.  I dont think I really like their sushi rice so that kind of ruins things to begin with.  Perfect amount of spice though. 

Roll#3: Mt. Fuji- smoked salmon, avocado, crab wrapped with snapper and topped with bonito flakes and baked with spicy aoli. 

I didnt realize that the little haystacks were the bonito flakes.  I could eat these by the bowl.  The roll itself was alright.  Not worth the sticker price though.  Good spiciness though.  Again with the cold sweet sauce!

Roll 4: White Dream Roll- spicy mix of cucumber, gobo, onions, masago, tuna, yellowtail, and cerab inside with avocado, thin edible lemon zest and seared ahi or pearl white tuna outside

Of the bunch, this one let me down the most.  Part of it was my fault since I obviously didnt read the menu right.  The gobo ruins this roll almost as much as the onion does.  Otherwise this would have been the kind of roll I would have devoured.  White tuna is my fave sashimi at this point in my life so I desperately wanted this to be orgasmic. I think I ate one piece only. 

The service was good and we even talked to someone who looked like the manager or owner (had an air of authority but wasnt doing much).  He was very friendly.  It apparently has been reviewed highly so I dont know if they were just off today or what but I cant rate it more than a B- or C.  I also dont like when restaurants try to pull a fast one on you by putting limits on coupons or gift cards. 

What is your favorite sushi joint people?  I have one that so far no one has been able to match...affordable, big rolls, fresh fish, and good roll creations.  It always get crowded--that is the only drawback. 

xx kiddos

Anyone in the mood for a quiche?

I had an extra frozen pie crust just screaming at me to be used up.  Normally this wouldnt be an issue but I feel like I have to explain.  My freezer space is tiny.  When I bought my house, I wanted everything to be stainless steel and modern.  I had a choice between a traditional looking side by side fridge/ freezer but I ended up getting the Euro branded one that is counter depth and has freezer pull out drawer on the bottom.  A year later and I regret this decision.  ughh.  Anyways I can no longer hoard in my freezer as much as I would like.  That brings us to this entry: quiche.  Today's version?  Tomatoes, mushrooms, kale and the last 2 slices of bacon that I had. 

So easy that I am not even going to post a recipe or instructions.  Google it if you want to make one.  I did use my countertop convection oven to make this quiche for the first time so that was pretty awesome.  Seriously, why havent you gone to Costco to get one for your house already????  It took about 20-25 minutes in my convection at 375.  This TOO freezes well for reheating later.  Waste not want not as much because lets face it, I am always going to want something else/more. 

xx kiddies

Soup weather

Let me preface this by saying that I understand the value of rain.  I understand we are in a semi drought and that there are many ecological benefits of weather change.  Still I am not a rain person.  I dislike how it keeps you inside, make people drive like 2 year olds, gets in the way of my current backyard project, gets things dirty and muddy, often bring with it good ole windstorms and flooding, makes it so I cant wear my cutest shoes, etc. 

Rain makes me want soup.  I have always liked soup and each season brought with them a different soup that I would make over and over again, each time a bit different depending on what I was wanting or had in my fridge at the time.  Today, it was kale, corn, and ground turkey soup made with a base of ham hock for stock.  I always add some red peper flakes because life is always better with a dash of spice.  Here is the quick recipe--I always forget to measure or take in between pictures!

You need:
- kale, chopped and cleaned
-carrots and celery for starting the base broth, diced
-2 small ham hocks (I've also used leftover ham bits)
-1.5- 2 cups of uncooked lean ground turkey
-1-1.5 cups frozen corn
-red pepper flakes
-S&P
-korean beef broth seasoning

This is so easy even a beginner can do this.  The trick is not to rush any of the stages.  Start by cooking the carrots and celery with a bit of oil at the bottom of a large pot.  I know this is only 2 of the 3 trinity in cooking but I left onions out since I dont really like to cut it.  Cook slightly until a bit softened.  Brown hocks for several minutes on each side.  You dont want to really cook either of these steps thoroughly at this point as you will be cooking this soup for about an hour or more.  Add ground turkey and cook partially.  Add 6-8 cups water and bring to boil.  I let it boil for about 45 minutes before I add the kale.  Add corn at the very end along with the pepper flakes to taste.  I love korean da-shi-da for my magic ingredient for many of my dishes so its a staple in my kitchen.   You want a savory flavor here so use it!  

I didnt add potatoes in mine this time because I knew I wanted to freeze the majority of the soup for reheating later.  Potatoes get funky for me as reheated ingredients so I wouldnt do it.  If you are planning to feed an entire family and not planning for lefties (leftovers), go ahead and toss them taters in--probably before the kale.  I have also made this soup in the past with collard greens and white beans....it went over very well too. 

The first picture is what the soup from today looked like.  As you can see, the colors give a nice presentation to the soup, even when shown in cheap plastic tupperware container.  You will be satisfied with the soup as a meal but it can also pair nicely with some toast or rolls.  The second one is the collard green version.  I wanted to use black eyed peas so that it would be like a twist on collard greens and BEP side dishes that usually is eaten in the south, but I didnt find any at Albies (Albertsons). 

Stay warm my pretties! xx

Kim chee me please

No matter how old I am, I think my mom will always try to feed me and send me home with mounds of food.  In a lot of ways I am just like her since I like to take care of others and send them home with goodies as well.  This time, my sister came to visit me and brought over homemade kimchee for my fridge.  Momma makes the best cabbage kimchee...garlicky, spicy, and cut into ready to eat pieces! I dont think that I will ever be able to live up to my mom's standards as I have yet to try to make my own kimchee.  So in my blog feed, I caught up on a blog from a great food blogger Wandering Chopsticks who listed her top recipes from 2007.  Among them were lovely Kimchee Pancakes.  Like almost anything in this world, mine will be a little bit different from hers but along the same grain.  Here is a link to her wonderful recipe and food blog: Wandering Chopsticks Food Blog- Korean Kimchee Pancakes

I like a runnier batter since I dont like the cakey texture of the finished pancake.  I also throw in some korean beef seasoning...my ultimate secret weapon! My batter is a mix of AP flour, water, beef seasoning, kimchee and for this time- diced potatoes.  I usually put finely ground pork raw into the batter since it works well with the kimchee and almost everything else.  But since I'm trying to use up my chicken (I had defrosted a bunch of chicken since I thought my friends were coming for dinner yesterday and today but they ended up flaking), not wanting to go to the grocery store for one item, and wanting to eat less meat when possible, the potatoes were given a trial run today.  I also like to make my pancakes into palm sized circles versus a giant circle that gets sliced up.  If you are going to use onions, I suggest green/ spring onions.  I have also used enoki mushrooms partly for their look and delicate taste.  I forgot to take a batter picture so here is one in the pan: 

So I'm a fan of the crunchy edges.  The point isnt to make perfect Sandra Lee or Giada-like circles.  You want the ridges and the brown splotches on the surfaces.  You do...trust me.  See how the color of your ingredients manage to peek through the batter and paint the landscape anyways? 

And voila...this is a perfectly cooked Korean Kimchee pancake in my humble opinion.  Well, also 31 years of eating this stuff too.  Go make this stuff...just wear your frying clothes! =)

I've never....

used an outdoor grill before.  Im almost 32 years old and I have never used the outdoor grill before.  At the risk of offending feminists everywhere, I always relied on the men around me to grill up the smokey, charred delights that i love.  I did have a decent panini press/ grill but it was a loaner and I had to return it to the rightful owner.  When we first got married, my hubby insisted that our first newly wed gift to ourselves should be...a man grill.  Now that he is still away on business...and I had defrosted a bunch of chicken meat under the mistaken guise that my friends were coming over for dinner, I was faced with the feat of acquainting myself with the grill.  My hubby even emailed me a quick easy how-to-turn-on-the-grill snippet!

Since it was my newbie effort...but more because its just me who has to eat all this meat once its cooked, I kept the seasonings simple with good old S&P.  That way, I get the health benefits of using the grill as the grease and fat is cooked off and the chicken doesnt just cook in its own fat AND the meat stays pretty neutral so that I can use the cooked meat and incorporate into other recipes.  Here is a closeup of the chicken only: 

See how the skin stayed crispy and the juice is shimmering?  Next time, I will use a sauce on this...next time. 

This final picture is the chicken with the potato I grilled along side.  Next time I have to cut the slices of potato wayyy thinner as most of the slices didnt cook all the way.  Bummer.  It looks really dismal in the picture but I like to think that I am just showcasing the essence of the bird and the bud.  Check:

Let me pose a Q to my expert grillers.  How do you keep the skin from sticking to the grill?  Is the foil spread over the grill rack and poked with holes even work?  I just remember that from my parents old school ways.  Also how do you clean the grates?  My grill grates seem to catch all the food particles instead of letting things fall to the bottom of the grill.  My OCD does not want to make a mess with the grill!!!!!!

Hasta la bye bye kiddos. 

NPP aka North Park Produce

After vowing not to go grocery shopping this weekend, I found myself yet at a grocery store.  This time, I checked out North Park Produce in Chula Vista after passing by the store several times while going to Costco and F&E before.  Obviously I bought some great cheap produce- tangerines, apples, collard green, red taters, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Why didnt I know that they also had prepared middle eastern food there?  I treated myself to Kebab Kafta plate from the prepared deli section.  It was a tossup between this and the beef stew over yellow rice.  Check out the pics:

So this is the closeup of the kebab.  It comes with two slabs of lamb/ beef mixture kebab off the stick and topped with a cream garlicky spread.  The lamb taste is pretty present in the dish but I enjoyed it.   I could have used some extra sauce on the side, but the guy wouldnt give me more.  Boo!  Since I dont eat alot of meat at one sitting, the plate lunch kebab I got will easily last me 3-4 meals.  Meat was not dried out or anything despite it being a solid piece of meat. 

Here is the yellow (saffron?) rice that came with the kebab kafta as well as a juicy roma tomato section that accompanied the dish.  Rice was a nice accompaniment with a light flavor and chewy consistency.  I couldnt really detect other major flavor components but then again, I'm not really that trained.  I wish they would have given more rice with the lunch pack.  Oh well. 

The prepared food section appears very popular there.  they madke other items such as shwarma, gyro, salads, baba ganush (the sample was very good), fresh salsa, baked on premise pitas and breads, tres leches cakes and pastries, roast chicken Lebanese style, etc.  If I would have been hungrier, I might have opted for something hot and fresh off the spit.  Plus, I noticed a coupon on the countertop on the back of their menu...who doesnt love a good coupon? 

On a completely unrelated note, does it make me a geek that I was shopping for 4 hours and all I bought was food, pillows, pills, discount Christmas stuff and a new pot and pan?  Gosh, either that or I am seriously getting old and domesticated!

Happy Eating...isnt there a game on right now? 

Antique Thai and Brand New Convection Oven

For Christmas, my mother in law received a convection oven from my parents as the first present between in-laws.  They loved the convection oven and the local Costco carries the oven.  Its supposed to use half the energy of a regular oven, cook faster and more evenly, and toasts as well.  My local Costco happened to carry the item WITH A $10 coupon so of course I snatched one up.  My first foray into a countertop convection oven was a recipe that may be the first one I actually learned as a teenager (minus watching my mom make dinner of course).  Home economics class taught me two life long skills, one of which was the recipe in question and the other, being how to sew a button and thread a needle.  I dont count the needle though since my mom taught me a better way to thread the needle.  Alas, here is my Bagel Pizza ala Home Economics class:

This is the countertop convection oven I bought from Costco. It already has the uncooked pizzas inside.  The three dials have the following options: broil, bake, toast and warm with temps ranging from 125 to 450 I believe.  Comes with a baking pan, fitted rack and crumb tray.  The glare is from the window of my kitchen sink. 

Cooking inside...so clean and pretty! Let me tell you that I was super glad to have put foil in the pan before cooking.. I forgot how cheese likes to stick when bubbly and gooey! Plus I like my cheese on pizza browned up nicely. 

FYI Its so easy to make this if you are ever inclined for a quick pizza fix without the freeze burn of frozen pizza and without spending a ton of cash on takeout.  I used leftover Einstein "Everything" bagel, leftover Classico pasta sauce, Monterey Jack cheese and bacon.  Oh yeah...and the red pepper flakes are the sprinkles on top.  You dont even have to cook the bacon before hand...it cooks up quite nicely on top at a high temp baking while the bread was nice and crusty.  Enjoy!

The other day I we shopping at a TJ Maxx near Rosecrans.  I was famished afterwards so I was drawn to the "4.95 luch special" sign at Antique Thai.  I had read a Yelp review on this place before andseemed to remember favorable comments but was honestly too lazy and hungry to check again.  I ordered the lunch special of the Basil Eggplant--Spicy level 5/10. 

                          

The starter soup.  Had a nice cabbagey sweet flavor.  Nothing too special but a welcome beginning to a 5 dollar meal.  I just would have preferred the white cabbage rinds to be cooked longer personally.  It also had carrots inside and some other green vegetable that must not have been that memorable after all.

Basil Eggplant. As usual the 4.95 option was the veggie as main ingredient option.  I have to say I wasnt that impressed.  Too many onions.  Only a few pieces of eggplant.  Sauce was too soupy in my opinion.  Flavor was decent but doesnt compare to the eggplant at Sab E Lee or Sang Dao.  Plus the sauce for eggroll fell into the other soupy sauce of the eggplant when they brought it to me so that ruined it even more.  They tried to charge me an extra 1.75 to substitute white rice for brown--I declined.  Salad was blah, dressing not that memorable.  But I was hungry so I ate most of it. 

Here is a super close up of the eggplant.  The sauce was so watery you cant even see it on this part of the dish.  Veggies were fresh at least. 

In case anyone cares, here is a closeup of the wonton that came with the special.  Standard issue.  Some kind of savory curry potato filling with a sweet undertone.  Like I said, I was terribly hungry. 

Overall, I wouldnt go out of my way to come back although I only did try one item so it might not be fair.  If arms were twisted, I would go back and try something else on a lunch special day or if someone else was picking up the tab lol.  Plus the parking lot is always full and a pain in the you know what every time due to several big name stores in the plaza. 

xoxo kiddos

What I did today by the Diligent Diletante...

Went out for GNO Friday night and came home at an absurdly late hour...so uncharacteristic of me actually if you personally knew me.  That led to a lazy Saturday which in turn led to a guilty reaction and a forcibly busy day today.  Cooked up a proverbial storm and the fridge is officially S-T-U-F-F-E-D.  Follow me....

Kimchi, pork chop and tofu stew aka Kimchi chi-gae.  Perfect wintertime stew from Korea.  It is a great way to clean your fridge out and warm the bones.  The meat can be interchanged--as a kid my mom would either put pork chops if money was good, canned mackerel or anchovies if we were stretching the bucks.  Use kimchi that is getting too ripe for good eats during regular eating.  Dont go too soft on the tofu or else you will have tofu confetti going on.  You can also alter the spiciness by adding additional hot pepper powder.  Best with a bowl of rice and some good company. 

   

                          

This is my novel efforts of making sinigang.  Sadly I used a packet from the asian market, but its only because I no longer live with a Filipino aunty who will feed me yummy treats like I used to when I was in my 20's.  Instead of fish, I used pork since that is what I had on sale at the market.  Hopefully I didnt break any tradition or do some kind of faux pas?  I did use tomatoes and bok choy as suggested on the packet.  No fish sauce at home but it seemed to taste pretty good anyways.

                           

This is just a snack item or an extra ingredient  for a mid week meal.  Eggplant cubed up, sauteed in EVOO and seasoned with salt, olive oil and garlic.  My salty tooth would rather have this than a cookie or pie so it works very well for me! Also a good way to get rid of the other half of a giant eggplant.  Dont overcook unless you want the consistency of baba ganoush. 

                             

Yes the picture quality is horrendous but try to ignore the yellowish tint and focus on the glistening broth and bacon bits.  My first attempt at collard greens came out splendid if I do say so myself.  Bought chopped and washed greens from F&E on sale on a whim.  I put red wine vinegar, garlic, bacon chunks, and secret southern seasoning and let it cook itself for 45 minutes.  Full of flavor and bite--a tiny bit of the collard green bitterness but seeing as I hate bitter flavor generally and it didnt bother me here... You gotta try this one.  Really.  I ate the leftovers with quiche, fed coworkers with this and mac n cheese, and ate it plain by itself too.  I had no idea they would be so versatile.  A friend of mine told me to try turkey broth next time....

                               

Ok now that I got your attention for the last time in the post.... On a particularly lazy night last week, this ended up being my dinner.  Edamame from costco and a can of vienna sausages.  To make it even worse, the whole meal was cooked completely in the microwave! And with that bit of humor, I will bid ya'll adieu....

Happy cooking...and eating out!

Buffet time

It had been quite awhile since I went to a buffet of any kind.  My friend's 33rd bday led to an occasion to stuff our face family style at the formerly Crazy Buffet...now Savory Buffet on Miramar road.  I didnt take pics of the food but I did manage to take one final picture of the food.  This was the birthday special...note the cute bunny rabbit made from grapes? 

Buffet itself appeared to have 4-6 different stations.  I noticed the usual staples such as fast food chinese food dishes, a few sushi rolls, some seafood items like crawfish, boiled shrimp to peel, desserts.  Overall I only liked a few of the things I placed on my plate: sesame ball, this triangle shaped spicy crab roll, chinese veggies and clams.  I didnt find out about the crawfish until later but it didnt have seasoning on it so I was too lazy.  Oh well...cest la vie.  Would I come back?  Only if I had to for an occasion or had a bomb coupon to use. 

xoxo

Enchiladas from a Chinita

In my repertoire of recipes, I have about 20 that I rotate and play with.  I learned this enchilada recipe online, used tips from individuals in my past and present and take chances on ingredients as fillers--while holding steadfastly to certain original components.  The fillers are usually what I take chances on, but I always do a green sauce and add some kick.  I know what a traditional enchilada takes from watching others make them but this is a healthier alternative.

I love using leftover rotisserie chicken and whatever cheese is in the fridge.  In the past, I've also added in nopales, jalepenos, etc.  This time, I used chicken, corn, green onions, sour cream and hard boiled eggs.  In the future I probably wouldnt go with the eggs but I really wanted eggs today, maybe b/c I just bought a new case of eggs from Costco. 

A rectangle baking dish holds about 8-10 fatly stuffed enchilada rolls.  I always put a generous dose of the sauce on the bottom of the pan for flavor and so that it doesnt stick as much on the pan.  Its kind of fun to stuff, roll and tuck. 

So you just keep rolling like so, cover with sauce and sprinkle with cheese.  I bake at 375 for about 40 minutes and then about another 15-20 min so that the top gets crunchy.  No frying! Isnt that exciting?  I recommend you either make your own green sauce or use El Pato.  I experimented and regret venturing outside my favorite brand in this case. 

So I didnt get a cross section of an individual serving...guess that means you will have to make it for yourself and eat up! Just remember, no boiled eggs and use El Pato brand!!!!!  So crunchy... thats what you want.  It also freezes well, which is what I end up doing since I hate cleaning baked on goo off pans more than I absolutely have to.  xoxo

Dinin' in a Dive

In my work, I tend to go into the community during the day.  I drive by many a mom and pop store around lunchtime but never want to part with my hard earned money if it will suck.  I'm sure you guys have that place where you always drive by and wonder if that place is any good.  So goes my taste test at one such dive.  It did have an A grade on their window so I felt ok in giving it the old college try.  I did a beginner's bid and opted for carne asada tacos.  They have a grill outside and I would often drive by and see the meat being grilled outside au naturel.  Life is short, eat fresh tacos.  I wonder if I should copyright that...

Stuffed with meat.  Im not an extra meat kind of girl so I had to end up taking some out.  Lovely tortillas.  Can tortillas be lovely?  Soft with the right amount of chew.  The meat was decent taste, which was improved by the lime wedges they gave along with the tacos.  The guacamole was pretty tasty--subtle, not overly mashed, and generously dosed out.  They also had chicken or pork tacos btw. 

I love the red hot sauce.  Nice heat, more of a liquid sauce than chunky.  I took a pic of the red and the green but I preferred the red by a large margin.  The green was too tangy for me and not enough spiciness.  I ended up giving my green back and asking for another red.  The chips were generic store bought--zero cool points for that however.  At least they were free!

Here is a closer pic of the red sauce. 

Here is a snapshot of the grilled spring onions, limes and radishes that came along with tacos. If i liked onions it might have been welcome.   The radishes were surprisingly palatable--the ones i have bought in the grocery store have always been bitter. 

If my post inspired you to check it out, the place is called Fruti Mundo in Spring Valley.  Family run business it seems, but nice service from staff.  Tacos will run you $1.50 a pop and they have other items too like tortas, juices, smoothies, etc.  Cash only.

From my mobile phone...

Test

Pinchin Pennies

How often does the average person go out to eat?  including take out, socializing, etc?  I seem to go in waves...eating out for days in a row and then feeling middle class guilt and cooking at home.  So, today I ventured into the recesses of my freezer and fridge and made up a dee-lish meal.  Pan cooked salmon with chili raspberry sauce, organic green chard with EVOO and garlic, and potato slices par-fried in butter and garlic.  See the madness below:

Love salmon cooked a bit under. Costco salmon is so good! Dont mind the camera phone pic quality...use your mind's eye and smellivision.  Sauce is from Fresh and Easy...yum. 

Perfect winter potatoes.  Take some meaty taters, slice about 1/2 inch thick length wise and fry in shallow oil about 10 minutes each side.  Toss in garlic and butter after you have cooked the first side and add S&P.  Trust me, you wanna make this sometime.  I have a feeling that they will also tolerate a reheat much better than french fries since they are not supposed to be as crunchy as french fries or other tater versions.  Pair away. 

I have only in this past year have become hip to the goodness of organic chard.  I usually buy the green or swiss variety...not yet bored of it to try the red or rainbow variety.  So far, it has worked fabulously in chowder, with marinara and meatballs, quiche, as a side item, etc.  Today, it married well with garlic bits and EVOO.  Go easy on the salt since this green tends to suck up salty juices.  I guess you could give it the collard green treatment and dash it with hot sauce, but I frankly didnt feel the need in this case.  Stands on its own merit...simple but good ingredients. 

Last but not the least...this was a sandwich I made a few nights ago.  Take very crusty sourdough bread, delis swiss, your fave meat filler and a nice hot pan.  Again, my recipes rely on simple but fresh ingredients and a few minutes in the kitchen.  Not rocket science...gosh dont you hate when people say that?  I would pair it with a bowl of soup or a nice salad with some bite for contrast. 

So I am going to end my entry with this.  What ruins your day?  What makes your day?  Is it the simple things that can make or break your day?  How quickly does YOUR internal switch get flipped?  By the by, thanks. 

Off Hiatus

Its been longer than I planned to be away.  The past month has of course seen ups and downs, departures, not so many arrivals, rainy weather, stormy moods, windy emotions.  Food has of course been epicenter with the 1-2x week rearing of an old demon from the past. 

What is my baseline?  Is it to be happy what percentage of the time?  Is it to cry x times a month?  Is it to have such and such amount of anxiety and obsessive thoughts?  Is it to get my feelings hurt a certain percentage of the time?  How can I be a good wife, friend, employee, family member, and one day a parent when I dont even know myself so well?  I dont even know to what degree I love myself and where survival just takes over.  How much is your support system supposed to be there for you?  How much money are you supposed to make or give to others?  How much tv is too much to watch?  How many times a day is it normal to urinate in one day?  Is it wrong to spank your kids? 

My most recent food craving: Banh Mi aka Vietnamese Sandwich.  My fave local place is a family run store off ECB.  The one i get is the ham am combo sandwich.  It contains head cheese, ham, pate, meatloaf, pickled turnips and carrots, and cilantro with this surreal mayo/ buttery spread.  I used to get it with jalopenos but my old age cannot tolerate the burn on my insides.  Still miss the spice at times but I dont want to ruin the splendor of the sandwich if the heat becomes too much.  I should ask for a mild pepper...HA.  their bread is always crusty and soft at the same time.  See the sandwich bliss below. 

Looking on the bright side

So I am constantly reminded indirectly that people should always look for the positive in life.  That it is somehow unacceptable to be negative or project frustration outside of one's body.  I want to do it but it seems to irk the cosmic balance in the world.  When I do my positive self talk, something even worse seems to follow minutes later, worse than the thing that caused me pause initially.  Maybe someone out there can shed some light.  Maybe I should get hypnotised?

Anyways.  So I went to Puerto Nuevo in Mexico over the weekend.  I had forgotten how fun it was to travel to another culture.  Needless to say, their economy has been drastically affected by the drug lords war and killings subsequent.  Nothing drives this point home as much as having restaurant staff chase your card down the street and beg you to eat at their place.  Dont even get me started on the willingly homeless who collect government benefits in the US. 

Doesnt it look picture-pretty?  This was the view from our restaurant balcony.  No beach access however.  Romantic place with mariachi floating by periodically.  Too bad I didnt get to enjoy with hubby. 

Outside the restaurant, we ran into a few fishermen who had come to sell their bounty to the restaurant kitchen.  What you see is Black Sea Bass of the monster variety.  From afar, it resembled seals.  I am not even kidding.  It was almost the length of the older Toyota pickup truck bed.  As a non fisherman, I was still impressed by the haul.  I could have eaten for a year or two on this meat alone. 

This is the amousse bouche.  I may have spelled that wrong btw.  It is a warm shot of lobster creme.  We first thought it was sauce for eating with our main dish later.  I saved the day by asking in my high school level spanish.  Yes, you can call me a hero.  I did enjoy the shot.  Savory, creamy and a bit fishy.  Yummers. 

Tortilla soup.  It was either this or salad, but seeing as how much of a weenie I was about not consuming water or uncooked produce from this area...  Soup was decent but not spectacular. 

This was my dish.  It was the clear winner of the night.  Shrimp stuffed with crab and cheese, wrapped in bacon and then baked off.  Crispy and soft on the inside.  Cheesy but not too heavy at all.  Rice, beans, and mashed potatoes were just there.  I was surprised to see the use of chayote in the veggie blend.  Too bad I was already getting full after chips, lobster shot and tortilla soup...

Medium size lobster.  I dont know why but plain lobster isnt all that titillating for me.  This with rice, beans and soup or salad was 23 bux.  To me, not that great a deal.  Moving on.

My friend ordered this turf and surf combo.  Pretty tender meat and guacamole was fresh (but a little bland).  It came with a medium lobster as well.  Why oh why didnt I love lobster?  I would have had a smorgasbord this day.

This was the order of my other friend.  Shrimp scampi.  I didnt get to taste because it went pretty quickly.  The fish was disappointingly mahi mahi only, especially after seeing the gigantic sea bass that seemed to swim in the waters so freely.  Do you see the garlickly bits in the olive oil?  Doesnt it look rather nice?  The mahi mahi was decent but nothing life changing for me.  Geeesh I sound like a buzz kill.  I honestly dont remember loving anything except my shrimp though...

A cheesy end to this post.  For some reason, my camera kept putting a blue tint on any picture I tried to take of the ocean.  See the way the light hits the water?  I want to come back.  With my husband later on.  Enjoy. 

Holiday Anxiety Season

Does anyone else get the nerves around holiday time?  One of my character flaws is over thinking and over analyzing everything.  Holidays bring about anxiety to the fullest--pressure to see family, buy the perfect gift, put in enough days at work, too much impulse shopping, entertaining on a budget, etc.  Plus this holiday season will be one spent without my new hubs due to him being out of town.  SIGH.  Any suggestions on how to not run away screaming for two months???  Dont get me wrong.  I dont want to be negative so that is where that kind of talk will end for today.  On to the food....

In the past week, I believe I cooked dinner for friends twice.  First night was Greek.  Homemade falafels, mixed greens salad with lots of feta, tzatsiki sauce from scratch, and cous cous with garlic, parsley and olive oil.  Yummy.  I even converted a confirmed meat and potatoes man to eat this veggie fave.  Woo hoo.  Take a look-sie:

The thing I love about cous cous is that it is so easy to make, you can throw just about any ingredients into it and make it a meal, can be eaten cold or warm, etc.  I could go on and on but I wont. 

The thing that is great about my salad is that I now have a quick and easy salad dressing out of 3.5 ingredients- balsamic, high quality dijon mustard, olive oil, and pepper.  I can share the recipe...you only have to ask. 

I forgot to mention in my intro paragraph this amazing appetizer that you must must try.  Super simple to make I promise.  Grill an eggplant and cut into chunks--try to have the purple skin on each piece that you plan to put on the stick.  Cube a nice brie into the same size as the eggplant.  Alternate on the stick, arrange on a nice contrast plate, and drizzle with S&P, balsamic, and olive oil.  Thank me later. 

The pics of the falafel, pita bread and sauce didnt come out so well...you will just have to imagine it.  The falafel was nice because it had a nice spiciness and was perfectly fried aka not dried out. 

The next dinner with pals turned out to be Halloween.  I may or may not have been irrationally fearful of opening my door to strangers at night on a constant basis.  I had to lure my friends over with food bribes to help me get through the night.  Pathetic really.  The menu?  Crispy tacos, lemon cilantro garlic rice, organic refried beans and chicken enchilada soup from scratch.  My tacos are practically legendary if I do say so myself.  Super simple--but you have to use good ingredients! Dont cheap out on the cheese...