Temporary Kitchen in Santa Barbara

Our temporary house has a functional though not luxurious kitchen. The owner is opposed to using microwaves because she says microwaves destroy nutrients and Kirilian photos show that vegetables cooked in a microwave oven are "dead." About this I checked Wikipedia which a few minutes ago stated:

"An experiment in evidence of energy fields generated by living entities involves taking Kirlian contact photographs of a picked leaf at set periods, its gradual withering corresponding with a decline in the strength of the aura. In some experiments, if a section of a leaf was torn away after the first photograph, a faint image of the missing section would remain when a second photograph was taken. ... James Randi has suggested that this effect was due to contamination of the glass plates, which were reused for both the 'before' and 'after' photographs."

I may retrieve the microwave oven from the studio that is part of this house, but at the moment I'm experimenting with no-microwave cooking. I actually have read that the shorter microwave cooking times for steamed vegetables preserve the vitamins better than conventional steaming. So far we've been eating salads anyway.

Meyer Lemons

Our temporary house in Santa Barbara includes a beautiful Meyer lemon tree with the biggest, juciest Meyer lemons I have ever seen. On the tree hang many ripe and unripe fruits as well as a few fragrant blossoms. Beautiful!

I love the taste of Meyer lemons: like an unusually sour Clementine. I have already squeezed some juice into a couple of salads and a sauteed pork dish, and will surely continue to cook with them -- and eat them -- throughout our stay.

Avocado Smoothie

Avocado Smoothie - Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt, Avocado, Almond Milk, Ice, (Honey)

Avocado's are good for you, they are high in fiber, contain "good" fat, and have more potassium than bananas.  Go pick up some avocado's and turn them into creamy, delicious smoothies!  I froze the leftovers in ice trays.

Avocado Smoothie

Avocado Smoothie - Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt, Avocado, Almond Milk, Ice, (Honey)

Avocado's are good for you, they are high in fiber, contain "good" fat, and have more potassium than bananas.  Go pick up some avocado's and turn them into creamy, delicious smoothies!  I froze the leftovers in ice trays.

Gyo-O

My trip to Gyo-O turned out to be an adventurous dining experience.  This trip I ate fresh-water eel, an assortment of raw fish, and sea urchin.  

BBQ Fresh Water Eel on Rice, with a Soft Boiled Egg

Chopped Up Raw Fish with a Soft Boiled Egg

Uni! a.k.a Sea Urchin - Tasted rich and creamy.  Had an acquired taste.

You either love it or hate it.  It looks kind of weird too.   

Overall, the Gyo-O has a large an extensive menu, and the food is worth trying.  I was quite satisfied with my experience here.  If you love Raw Fish, Japanese Food, Sushi, and enjoy trying something different, I would highly recommend Gyo-O.  

On my next visit I'd like to try the Chirashi Don, I'd probably stick to Salmon and Tuna.  

Gyo-O

My trip to Gyo-O turned out to be an adventurous dining experience.  This trip I ate fresh-water eel, an assortment of raw fish, and sea urchin.  

BBQ Fresh Water Eel on Rice, with a Soft Boiled Egg

Chopped Up Raw Fish with a Soft Boiled Egg

Uni! a.k.a Sea Urchin - Tasted rich and creamy.  Had an acquired taste.

You either love it or hate it.  It looks kind of weird too.   

Overall, the Gyo-O has a large an extensive menu, and the food is worth trying.  I was quite satisfied with my experience here.  If you love Raw Fish, Japanese Food, Sushi, and enjoy trying something different, I would highly recommend Gyo-O.  

On my next visit I'd like to try the Chirashi Don, I'd probably stick to Salmon and Tuna.  

Hibernation Over

Three months of idleness... I feel bad for abandoning my blog for so long, and I've missed three Daring Bakers' Challenges. I have good reasons though; I went back to Philippines, but not for a holiday. Majority of the time I was on duty at the hospital taking care of my dad. No worries though, my papa is doing well now! Ugh, but those precious months taught me so much. If you were to ask people close to me, they'll tell you how low nil my medical knowledge was. After this whole medical episode of my life, I may well be a doctor. Kidding! 

Despite having such crazy 'toxic' schedules, I did manage to squeeze in some treats.

First treat: I bought this ready mix here in Korea, but my H doesn't like cinnamon, so I took it to Manila as I know my family would love it. It's called hoddeok (호 떡); hoddeok is a popular street food snack here in Korea. It's a sweet pancake made of sweet yeast dough that is stuffed with cinnamon, sugar and nuts (usually peanuts) that are then flattened while it is being pan-fried. This is one of my favourite food here in Korea; I'm glad I was able to share this with my family. Next time, I'll try making hoddeok from scratch!

Next, I made red velvet cake. My sister J had been bugging me for a red velvet cake for a long time, so I gave in. Given the limited time, I was thinking of a cake design that would be easy to assemble and fuss free. Then I remembered Donna Hay's 'Four Tier Chocolate Layer Cake'; it's as simple as it gets - four layers of chocolate cake sandwiched with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Very simple cake design, but absolutely seductive. Easy? Not! There's no further explaining to do; simply look at my cake! Hot mess... Note to self: never underestimate.

Then it was my sister J's birthday. She absolutely adores rose flavour, so I planned to make her some Marie Antoinette worthy rose macarons. I don't know why I thought I would be able to pull this off considering my macaron history... Alas, my zillionth attempt was... surprise surprise, a bust! Although, the last shell that I piped came out perfect! Thus, I got a shot focusing on it... Yes, I'm lame! Oh, it's not actually a complete fail because the taste was impeccable; it was, in the end, still a wonderful birthday treat.

Lastly, another birthday treat; this time, for my sister N. She had a special request for her cake that I took as a challenge. She wanted Maltesers cake. I've been looking for inspirations over the internet for the cake; unfortunately, most of the cakes are simply chocolate cakes then decorated with Maltesers. I wanted something that would highlight Maltesers, so I came out with my own. The cake I came out with was a dome shaped chocolate malt mousse with Maltesers disc center and brownie base that is covered with chocolate ganache then garnished with a swirl of Maltesers. I was really happy with how everything turned out, but more importantly, the birthday girl absolutely loved her cake!

It was so nice to be able to bake a little while I was back home. Now, since my medical mission has finished, I will resume baking and blogging. I already have a couple of things in mind that I want to make. Plus this month is my birth month, so expect a fondant cake. Glad to be back.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Asparagus and Ricotta Pizza

Asparagus! Yes!

If you love asparagus, this is the Pizza for you. If you hate asparagus, this is a great introduction to the wonders of the asparagus plant. Drown it in ricotta cheese and you just might like it!

Ingredients
1 pound pizza dough (must let get to room temperature!)
1 pound of asparagus, cut off and use tender ends (top 3 inches)
5 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (light is ok!)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 table spoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups baby arugula
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Meat eaters, add chicken sausage!

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Shape the dough into two or four rounds and place on flour dusted baking sheet.
3. Top dough with mushrooms, garlic, asparagus, ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
4. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil on top of pizza.
5. Bake until the crust is golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the arugula with the lemon juice, the remaining tablespoon of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Top the pizzas with the mixture just before serving.

Bon apetite!

Tilapia Two Ways

What do you do with a fish that can easily become soggy and tasteless? Tilapia can go wrong so easily if not cooked right. Either it is overcooked and rubbery, undercooked and mushy, or just plain bland.

But, Tilapia is mild, affordable, and available year round. It is low in mercury, compared to other fish such as tuna, and is a healthy earth-friendly choice. So why not give it a chance? There has to be a way to make tilapia tasty.

What about two ways! Here are a pair of tilapia recipes that will make a big splash in your kitchen!

Teriyaki Tilapia with Herb Salad

Ingredients
2 6 oz tilapia fillets
1/4 teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup minced cilantro
2 sliced scallions (green onions)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup arugula
1 sliced tomato
crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups of white rice

Directions
1. Cook rice in your rice cooker or on stove top
2. Cover tilapia with a generous coating of teriyaki sauce
3. Broil the tilapia on a foil lined baking sheet, basting with teriyaki periodically
4. Meanwhile, mix cilantro, scallions, lime juice, arugula, and red pepper together in a large bowl
5. When fish is cooked, place on top of rice. Then cover the dish with the herb/salad mixture!


Dijon Fish Cakes with Greens

Ingredients
2 6 ounce tilapia fillets
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 eggs
2 sliced scallions
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
Olive oil

Directions
1. Season the tilapia with salt and pepper
2. Bake tilapia at 400 degrees until cooked through
3. Let the tilapia cool and then flake it.
4. Mix together all other ingredients except Panko.
5. When fish is cool mix tilapia and other ingredients. Then fold in the Panko until it is all mixed together.
6. Form mixture into about 8 cakes, then cool in fridge for 1/2 hour.
7. Cook in olive oil in a nonstick skillet until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
8. Serve with a simple salad of your choice!

Enjoy the tilapia!

Pita Jungle Pasta Salad

We have this amazing restaurant out in town called Pita Jungle. The name is pretty self explanatory. They have a wide array of pita bread dishes, including the traditional gyros and hummus dip. They have a pretty amazing cilantro jalapeno hummus which I would definitely recommend. But what was most surprising in my last trip was one of their salads--the spinach pasta salad.

Originally my wife, the vegetarian, ordered it. I, being a man and facing all of the carnivoric societal pressures of being a man, of course ordered the Philly Cheese-steak pita. It's not to say that my dish wasn't good, but after one bite of my wife's spinach pasta salad, I was in love!

So what does a good chef do when he falls in love with a dish? He copies it and make it better at home.

Here is my version of the amazing Pita Jungle salad. This recipe is for a large portion, which I would recommend because the leftovers are much better as the flavors begin to blend together more. You can even make it on Sunday and take it for lunch all week since it is a cold pasta dish.

I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
1 box of Ronzoni Garden Delight Rotini Pasta (or other rotini pasta of your choice)
1 small jar of Pesto (found by marinara sauces)
2 medium tomatoes, chunked
1 green bell pepper, chunked
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 bad of spinach
1/2 (log?) of fresh mozzarella cheese
Hand-full of Parmesan cheese
15 green olives, sliced


Directions
1. Cook pasta according to directions
2. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl
3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and then stir in the pesto and Parmesan cheese while the noodles are hot
4. Let the pasta cool in the fridge along with other mixture
5. Mix both mixtures together in a large bowl after all ingredients have cooled

Enjoy!

As it's meant to be...

Toasted Ravioli


St.Louis Food: toasted ravioli at Pasta House in University City, Mo. Until this dish was copied by Olive Garden, it was a specialty of St.Louis only. I remember eating it at a restaurant called Rinaldi's that went out of business ages ago. We ate there Tuesday night with a number of relatives.



Chips and Salsa


Southwestern Food: real chips and salsa in Albuquerque Old Town. I haven't had such perfectly flavored chips and salsa that was exactly the right heat for a long time! We ate inside the building, one of the oldest in the city, made from adobe of a type from the early 19th century. The tamales, chili rellenos, and other things we ate were all good too. For more about our day: Oklahoma from a moving car.

As it's meant to be...

Toasted Ravioli


St.Louis Food: toasted ravioli at Pasta House in University City, Mo. Until this dish was copied by Olive Garden, it was a specialty of St.Louis only. I remember eating it at a restaurant called Rinaldi's that went out of business ages ago. We ate there Tuesday night with a number of relatives.



Chips and Salsa


Southwestern Food: real chips and salsa in Albuquerque Old Town. I haven't had such perfectly flavored chips and salsa that was exactly the right heat for a long time! We ate inside the building, one of the oldest in the city, made from adobe of a type from the early 19th century. The tamales, chili rellenos, and other things we ate were all good too. For more about our day: Oklahoma from a moving car.

As it's meant to be...

Toasted Ravioli


St.Louis Food: toasted ravioli at Pasta House in University City, Mo. Until this dish was copied by Olive Garden, it was a specialty of St.Louis only. I remember eating it at a restaurant called Rinaldi's that went out of business ages ago. We ate there Tuesday night with a number of relatives.



Chips and Salsa


Southwestern Food: real chips and salsa in Albuquerque Old Town. I haven't had such perfectly flavored chips and salsa that was exactly the right heat for a long time! We ate inside the building, one of the oldest in the city, made from adobe of a type from the early 19th century. The tamales, chili rellenos, and other things we ate were all good too. For more about our day: Oklahoma from a moving car.

Quejos

Say "hello" to Hawker's Delight's neighbor, Quejos (Kay-Joes)!

Well, after a trip to Hawker's Delight, I decided to pay a visit to Quejos.

Quejos sells a variety of baked goods, but they mainly specialize in baking Brazilian Cheese buns.  The Buns are made of Manioc Flour, and they're wheat-free and gluten-free.  They also sell non-dairy baked goods too.

8 pieces of Frozen Dough to take home! - It comes with simple baking instruction. (Flavor - EXTRA cheese)

After following instructions and baking, this is how it turned out.  

If you enjoy cheesy foods, you may enjoy the Extra Cheese Brazilian bun.  The texture of the bun is very dense, crunchy on the outside, and very chewy on the inside. (I would say the chewiness of the bun is somewhat similar to the texture of mochi, which is the closest comparison I could think of)  The texture is definitely very different compared to regular bread.  I think it's worth trying out, it's always good to different types of foods at least once.  The bun itself is quite tasty, it had a very cheesy and buttery like taste.  

One thing I would like to mention is that you should eat the bread while it's FRESH and warm, don't let is sit out and get cold, otherwise it turns as hard as a rock.  

Quejos

Say "hello" to Hawker's Delight's neighbor, Quejos (Kay-Joes)!

Well, after a trip to Hawker's Delight, I decided to pay a visit to Quejos.

Quejos sells a variety of baked goods, but they mainly specialize in baking Brazilian Cheese buns.  The Buns are made of Manioc Flour, and they're wheat-free and gluten-free.  They also sell non-dairy baked goods too.

8 pieces of Frozen Dough to take home! - It comes with simple baking instruction. (Flavor - EXTRA cheese)

After following instructions and baking, this is how it turned out.  

If you enjoy cheesy foods, you may enjoy the Extra Cheese Brazilian bun.  The texture of the bun is very dense, crunchy on the outside, and very chewy on the inside. (I would say the chewiness of the bun is somewhat similar to the texture of mochi, which is the closest comparison I could think of)  The texture is definitely very different compared to regular bread.  I think it's worth trying out, it's always good to different types of foods at least once.  The bun itself is quite tasty, it had a very cheesy and buttery like taste.  

One thing I would like to mention is that you should eat the bread while it's FRESH and warm, don't let is sit out and get cold, otherwise it turns as hard as a rock.  

Travel Photo of the Day: Vegetables on the Way to Market, Agra, India

This photo was taken in November 2005 en route from New Delhi to Agra to visit the Taj Majal. The streets of India are always full of life with something or someone interesting to see at every moment. It can be overwhelming for visitors to process the barrage of colors, movement, sounds and smells, but the scenes are always riveting. On this stretch of road, our fellow commuters were relatively tranquil, mostly farmers on their way to market transporting their wares by ox cart to sell some of the most beautiful and tempting vegetables I'd ever seen.


India's farmers are currently in the midst of an agricultural renaissance. Although traditional in their farming methods for millennia, beginning in the 1960s, the Indian government encouraged the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, much to the detriment of food producers and consumers. Rates of cancer, debt and suicide amongst farmers soared, but today the industry has dramatically shifted direction. India is returning to its roots and organic farming culture is growing in leaps and bounds, with more than 300,000 organic farms in 2009. Consumers have a growing awareness and expectation for naturally produced foods and farmers have answered the call. India is currently one of the global standard bearers for organic farming: although India's population is three times that of the U.S., there are 30 times more organic farmers.  

    
  

Travel Photo of the Day: Vegetables on the Way to Market, Agra, India

This photo was taken in November 2005 en route from New Delhi to Agra to visit the Taj Majal. The streets of India are always full of life with something or someone interesting to see at every moment. It can be overwhelming for visitors to process the barrage of colors, movement, sounds and smells, but the scenes are always riveting. On this stretch of road, our fellow commuters were relatively tranquil, mostly farmers on their way to market transporting their wares by ox cart to sell some of the most beautiful and tempting vegetables I'd ever seen.


India's farmers are currently in the midst of an agricultural renaissance. Although traditional in their farming methods for millennia, beginning in the 1960s, the Indian government encouraged the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, much to the detriment of food producers and consumers. Rates of cancer, debt and suicide amongst farmers soared, but today the industry has dramatically shifted direction. India is returning to its roots and organic farming culture is growing in leaps and bounds, with more than 300,000 organic farms in 2009. Consumers have a growing awareness and expectation for naturally produced foods and farmers have answered the call. India is currently one of the global standard bearers for organic farming: although India's population is three times that of the U.S., there are 30 times more organic farmers.  

    
  

Hawker's Delight

What I ate at Hawkers Delight

Lontong Sayur Lodeh

Mee Pok

Hawker's Delight serves delicious tasty meals for a good price.  Eating here is similar to eating at hawker center in Singapore.  This place seems to be set up similarly to a Hawker Stall...from the way you order your food, the large menu above the cashier, the kitchen, to the way seat yourself.   This place is great if your in a rush, or if you just want to have a quick meal.  The service is fast, the food's served quick, and people usually leave after they finish up their meal.  This is why I am always able to get a seat whenever I go, especially when it is quite busy.  This is the type of place where you come just for the food and value, not the ambiance.

Note:  Hawker's Delight is cash only

Hawker's Delight

What I ate at Hawkers Delight

Lontong Sayur Lodeh

Mee Pok

Hawker's Delight serves delicious tasty meals for a good price.  Eating here is similar to eating at hawker center in Singapore.  This place seems to be set up similarly to a Hawker Stall...from the way you order your food, the large menu above the cashier, the kitchen, to the way seat yourself.   This place is great if your in a rush, or if you just want to have a quick meal.  The service is fast, the food's served quick, and people usually leave after they finish up their meal.  This is why I am always able to get a seat whenever I go, especially when it is quite busy.  This is the type of place where you come just for the food and value, not the ambiance.

Note:  Hawker's Delight is cash only

Chinese food for Easter

... Szechuan Garden, West Lafayette, Indiana.