Chocolate Cherry Walnut Bread

If you get a sweet treat from me around Christmas time, that means I like you :) Did you get one of these popcorn mix last year? Or one of these bite-size holiday cookie mix the year before that?

What inspired me to make this year's Chocolate Cherry Walnut bread? Well, when I bought my marble pastry board from Sur la Table, I needed a little something to fulfill the order's free shipping minimum (Don't lie, I know you've done that before!) That's when I saw these paper loaf molds, and I knew right away I wanted them for making this year's holiday baking. Chocolate, cherry, and walnut just make sense together as a holiday bread. Don't you think?

Gobble Gobble! Thanksgiving 2013

I love planning a big meal, cooking, and sharing good food with good company. What more can one ask for on Turkey Day? Last year, I did this. This year, I fed 7 people including myself, and I was really happy with what I came up with :) Thanks Adam for handling the turkey from start to finish - it was one of the best I've ever had. And thanks everyone for bringing dessert - they were all so amazing!

Now, feast your eyes!

It's a Thanksgiving tradition for us to start with some cheese and crackers, some good Italian cured meats and olives from Alleva which is our favorite Italian store in the city.

(The lighting was pretty bad where we set up the serving table so the photos turned out pretty sad - sorry about that! I also didn't want to fuss around with my photos while my guests were waiting to dig in!)

Alex was so creative and made these amazing cupcakes in jars! She really went all out with the packaging too! DEE-LISH!

There was also the Crack Pie from Momofuka Milk Bar, and Petra's homemade apple pie!

Our landlord upstairs was so kind and gave us a homemade cheesecake that everyone enjoyed.

After dessert, we all sat on the couch and needed a rest from consuming all the good food. While a few decided that it was time to head home, other stayed and we played a couple of games and had a few more drinks before the night ended. It was a great Thanksgiving, and I was so blessed and happy that I was able to celebrate this day with some of my favorite people. Hope your Thanksgiving was just as amazing as mine was :)

Until next time!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

There’s a secret ingredient in this peanut butter banana smoothie. An ingredient that isn’t very popular in the States, and it’s something I grew up eating. If you’ve had Ovaltine before, you’d like this secret ingredient.

Meet Milo. A chocolate malt powder that can be mixed with water or milk. You can drink it hot or cold (usually by simply adding ice). It’s a drink that was originally developed in Columbia in the 1930′s and since then the drink has been consumed from around the world. You may have seen Milo cereal or Milo chocolate bar outside of the United States. According to Wikipedia “the name [Milo] was derived from the famous Ancient Greek athlete Milo of Crotona, after his legendary strength.” So it’s no surprise that Milo is often tied to soccer in Colombia.

Like Ovaltine, Milo’s malt chocolate taste is what I prefer when I’m craving for a cup of hot chocolate. You can find both Ovaltine and Milo at any Chinese/Asian supermarket. While you’re there, you may even see another Hong Kong cafe favorite – Horlicks. When we were in Thailand last month, we saw Milo at a local supermarket so we just got some there. It came in a green bag with about 20 individual packets. I’m pretty sure they also sell them in tins and jars.

The other day I was wanting a peanut butter banana smoothie, and I was thinking of using something to substitute for cow’s milk. My thought immediately went to almond milk just because I really like the taste of it. Then I thought of Ovaltine, and all in a sudden I remember the Milo that’s in my pantry. That was my light bulb moment.

To make this smoothie, I wanted some good peanut butter. (I’m not gonna lie. My first choice would have been Justin’s but I couldn’t pass the over-$10 a jar at my local store.) I’ve had Peanut Butter & Co. PB before and I really really liked it, and on top of that it only costs almost half less than Justin’s. I still yet have to go experience the Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop on Sullivan Street! Doesn’t their menu just sound so OMG? And let’s talk about their branding for a second. Nicely done! I dig. After browsing all the products on their site, I had made a mental note that I need to try all 10 of their PB flavors (AND the jams, AND the snacks).

Anyway, I need stop talking about PB right now or I’m gonna lose control and run to the store to get some more PB! What I ended up doing with Milo and the almond milk was just mixing the two together as the liquid for the smoothie. I warmed up 1 cup of almond milk in the microwave (lukewarm but not hot), then stir in the powder. You should probably let the Milo cool off completely before making your smoothie (unless you like to drink your smoothie warm…) Stick it in the freezer and that’d speed things up. I was planning on adding honey to the smoothie but the PB i got already had honey so that was perfect. After blending everything together, garnish with some quick oats on top. Voilà! You just got yourself a breakfast treat.

Milo Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

You'll need:

• 1 cup of almond milk (homemade or store bought)
• 1 packet of Milo powder (or 3 tbsp)
• 2 ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp of Peanut Butter & Co.’s The Bee’s Knees
• 4 ice cubes some quick oats, enough for garnish

Approach: 

1. Warm up almond milk on the stove or microwave, and stir in Milo. Lukewarm is fine, doesn’t need to be hot.
2. Let Milo cool off completely.
3. Peel and cut bananas into the blender.
4. Spoon in peanut butter, then add the Milo mix and the ice cubes.
5. Hit the button and let the blender do its job. (Add a little more almond milk if it’s too thick for your taste.)
6. Top with some quick oats as garnish.

Notes: 

No Milo? No worries. Sub with regular hot coco instead!

公和荳品廠 Kung Wo Soy Products

So before we went on our trip, I did A LOT of homework. And a lot of my research was taken from OpenRice.com. It's a website that manages restaurant reviews generated by users, and there's tons of it. You can filter by neighborhood, cuisine, price range, ratings... It's a site that I can trust, and often can get a sense of what people are talking about by looking at the submitted pictures. You might be also wondering why it's called "open rice". In cantonese, the characters 開飯 are pronounced hoi fan, means "let's eat". You use it like a verb, "What time to hoi fan?" meaning "what time is dinner starting?". Now, if you take each of the character and translate them directly, you'll get hoi as in open (or start something), and fan as in rice. Things often get mistranslated there though, people can make mistakes in translating each characters separately verus translating the phrase or word. In this case with Open Rice, they decided to keep the weird brand name that makes absolutely no sense to westerners so they could keep a common phrase short and sweet. The Cantonese language is all about short and direct (and filled with slangs) so why not keep things interesting and odd and go with OpenRice?

So back to Kung Wo Soy Products 公和荳品廠. When I first saw them on OpenRice, the local authenticity drawn my attention. With real estate spiking everyone's rent, it's becoming harder and harder to find small businesses in Hong Kong. A mom-and-pop shop like Kung Wo was instantly added to my "grab-a-bite" list. Located on Pei Ho Street (北河街) in Sham Shui Po (深水埗), Kung Wo does it all producing all kinds of soy goodness. With the outdoor markets going on, I was afraid not being able to find this place. But look! Good thing I can read Chinese and spotted their sign from a block away. (located right after Alibaba Halal Food and A. Kashmir Curry House.)

On the left side of the shop, you got your fresh tofu, tofu puffs, bean sprout, and fresh soy milk. On the right side, you got a lady who's been mastering the fried tofu for probably too many years to count.

Fresh tofu like this is becoming harder to find because the process is too time-consuming. And I feel that it's easier for the younger generation, like myself, to grab pre-packaged tofu from the supermarket. I wish New York has a tofu place like this!

We didn't get to try the fried tofu this time 'cause we really weren't hungry. But we did get a cup of fresh soy milk and a bowl of cold sweet tofu pudding sprinkled with brown sugar!

Later on we went to the Lady's Market and Langham Place in MongKok (which we enjoyed visiting last time). Before leaving the mall, we decided to grab some light snacks at the food court – Taiwanese fried chicken and mixed veggies!

千両 sen-ryo sushi, Hong Kong

Our trip to Hong Kong is not completed without going to 千両 Sen-ryo. Sen-ryo is a chain sushi restaurant with many locations in Hong Kong. We usually go to the one in TST, inside the The Sun Arcade on Canton Road. We got there around 6pm near dinner time so they had started dispensing tickets for seatings. They didn't have that last time when we visited a couple years ago, but it wasn't a big deal, we just asked the reception for seats and she printed out a waiting number for us. (You can also take a number yourself from the touch-screen.)

Many sushi restaurants in Hong Kong feature the conveyor belt which is very common and somewhat popular. Sen-ryo also offers dishes from off the menu, and if there's a kind of sushi that isn't on the conveyor, you're welcome to order it off the menu for the same price. Each dish is priced differently by the color of the plate, and the server would tally up the plates at the end of the meal to calculate the total cost (and of course, add those items that you had ordered from the menu also). Depends on what kind of sushi it is, a plate (usually comes with 2 pieces) could range from $18 to $45HK. Some of my favorites? Marinated tuna, real crab meat, crunchy shrimp roll, and spicy scallops!

Don't forget to have the mochi ice-cream!

Street food in MongKok, Hong Kong

I loved walking around Mongkok - there's just so much to see. We stopped by this one bakery because Adam wanted to grab a bite to eat real quick. This local bakery was like heaven to me. Yea, sure. There are Cantonese/ Hong Kong style bakeries back in New York but they become nothing compared to the real ones in Hong Kong.

Check out these dan tats, or egg tarts. There are 2 kinds of crust - a cookie crust or a flaky crust. I love them both but most of the time I go with the cookie crust because it's less messy to eat, and I like the crunchiness. And look at the price!! It's only $2.50HK per tart compared to bakeries in New York which they charge $1US, that's $8HK, per tart!

Here are some other traditional cakes and pastries. NOM NOM!

The Pineapple Bun. Don't be fooled, there's actually no pineapples inside this bun :) It's called that because this bun simply looks like a pineapple. (Okay, this bakery doesn't do it quite right.)

OMG. I LOVE the shredded coconut bun!!

I like cakes from Hong Kong style bakeries because they're never too sweet, and they're super creative most of the time. Beside the typical chocolate and vinilla, they offer great flavors like green tea, mango, red bean... It's truly where "east meets west" :)

Green Tea Mousse Cake, it's only $10HK ($1.30US) a piece!

Chicken Pies, anyone? :)

When you're in Hong Kong, you gotta try street food. There're some classics like 雞蛋仔 gai dan jai (mini hot cakes), fish balls, fish shu mai. Just all kinds of food on sticks :)

I picked up a bag of salt and pepper squid that was crunchy and chewy. Street food in Hong Kong can often go in and out of trends, but the salt and pepper squid is a true classic.

Don't forget the 雞蛋仔 gai dan jai (mini hot cakes). This is the original. You might be able to find them in other flavors like chocolate, green tea, etc...

And this is what ice-cream trucks look like in Hong Kong :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I love oatmeal raisin cookies. I love oatmeal raisin cookies. I love oatmeal raisin cookies. Wait, did I mention that I love oatmeal raisin cookies? I love them even more when they are soft and warm, just right out of the oven. Did you see the Six Spice Oatmeal Raisin Cookies I posted a while back? They are phenomenal! You get a big kick from the spices. And how could one not think about making ice-cream sandwiches out of them?

Instead of buying the ice-cream, I decided to make it from scratch since I have an ice-cream maker. So I turned to Jeni's recipes because I LOVE her ice-cream. Jeni opened Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 in Columbus, Ohio. Her company now operates 10 shops (9 in Ohio and 1 in Tennessee). Her goods are also sold from coast to coast at 700+ local grocery stores. Read more about Jeni here on the company's website.

I've used her recipe last time and whipped out this Lemon Frozen Yogurt with Blueberry Sauce. I brought it to work, and everyone loved it! Making ice-cream at home isn't that difficult but it definitely takes some tryouts and errors which I'm still working on. My advise to the ones who are adventurous to try... plan ahead and follow the steps thoroughly! (oh, and don't give up trying!)

Now I got these spicy and flavorful cookies, trying to pair them up with an ice-cream flavor was a no-brainer – vanilla fits the bill just right!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookies: See Six Spice Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for the recipe!

Ice cream: Buy Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, $18.46 on Amazon!

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casseroles are great. If you're willing to spend 30 minutes to prep before going to bed, then all you have to do is to pop it in the oven when you wake up. I love that it's so hearty, it cures a rumbling belly right away. I also like to think of it as an omelette cake. So yes, have cake for breakfast!

For this breakfast casserole, I used red and green peppers, mushroom, sausage, on a bed of hash brown. Simple and quick to prep. Before assembling the casserole, I had cooked the sausage fully. And I had sauté the mushroom and peppers half way through with some garlic just to bring out the flavor.

Coat a baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil, then lay down some hash brown, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.

Put down the cooked sausage.

Then the peppers and mushroom.

Pour in the eggs evenly. (NOW, at this point, you may leave the casserole in the fridge overnight and just pop it in the oven when you wake up in the morning. If not, just continue to the next step!)

Then finally top with some cheddar cheese, and let the oven do the work for 30 minutes.

When it's cooked, sprinkle a pinch of dried thyme on top, and there you go :)

Breakfast Casserole

You'll need:

• 10oz hash brown
• 2 sausages, casing removed and crumbled
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup mushroom, chopped
• 1/2 cup red and green peppers, chopped salt and pepper
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cheddar cheese, shredded a pinch of dried thyme

Approach:

1. Remove casing of the sausages, and roughly break the meat apart.
2. Cook sausage all the way through, about 15 minutes. Break up the meat more if needed with a spatula. Let cool and have the cooked sausage sit on a paper towel to drain the excess fat.
3. Chop mushroom, red and green peppers to smaller pieces. Then mince the garlic. (I love my garlic mincer by Joseph Joseph)
4. Heat a saute pan with some olive oil, drop the garlic until it gets fragrant (just a few minutes) then toss in the veggies, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes just to bring out the flavor.
5. Now, you can start assembling the casserole.
6. Coat a baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil, then lay down some hash brown, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.
7. Put down the cooked sausage and the veggies, then pour in the eggs.
8. **At this point, you can choose to refrigerate overnight.
9. Finally top with some shredded cheddar cheese before putting it in the oven.
10. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then let cool for 10 minute before serving, and sprinkle a pinch of dried thyme on top.

Wasabi Potato Salad

Here is a potato salad with a twist (and a kick)! Bring this wasabi potato salad to your next summer barbecue and people are gonna love you. It's super easy to make and will only set you back 30 minutes.

I first encountered wasabi potato salad from lunch one day at AsiaDog. I was hooked as soon as the spoon entered my mouth. I've had potato salad that's made with mustard before but potato salad made with wasabi? IT JUST MAKES SENSE.

I've always been a fan of potato salad, and the variations are endless! It's the perfect summer side dish to go along with a pulled pork sandwich or any barbecued meats. Agree? For potato salads, I always go for red potatoes but feel free to use white or Yukon Gold. Russet potatoes are just too starchy for me for making potato salads.

Wasabi Potato Salad

You'll need:

• 1 lb red potatoes (about 4-5, medium size), cut into 1" pieces
• 4 stalks of celery
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise juice from half of a lemon
• 1 tbsp wasabi
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Approach:

1. Wash (peel if you like) and cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces.
2. Boil them for 10-15 minutes until they are just soft enough for a toothpick to go through smoothly.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, prep the rest of the ingredients. Juice half of a lemon, chop 4 stalks of celery and a small red onion into small pieces.
4. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, wasabi, salt, and pepper together until well-mixed.
5. Drain potatoes once they're cooked, and run them under cold water for a few minutes until they are cool.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine everything together and stir with a spatula.
7. Refrigerate until serving, cold or at room temperature.

Scallion Pancakes (蔥油餅)

If you don't like scallion pancakes, you're crazy. What's not to like about scallion pancakes? It's flaky, chewy, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The fact is, it only takes a few ingredients to make this scrumptious snack/appetizer. I must admit the rest might get tricky and time-consuming if this is your first time making scallion pancakes.

For first time scallion pancake makers, there are two very important pieces of information you should know (and master, over time). One is the water temperature that you're using for the dough, the other is the roll-and-coil method. I picked up TONS of tips from the Serious Eats Food Lab: How to Make Scallion Pancakes. If you're interested in knowing the scientific side of making scallion pancakes, I highly recommend you stopping by that article and reading it (twice)!

First, mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of boiling water. Dusk your working surface with some flour and knead the dough several times to form a smooth ball.

Brush some (olive) oil on the inside of a mixing bowl, then place the dough in it to rest for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, chop up about 1 cup of scallion.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Dusk your working surface with flour, and start rolling out one of those pieces by flattening it with a rolling pin. Once it's flattened, brush some oil on top. Then roll up the disk from the bottom towards the top, and coil the rolled-up dough. Repeat this process 3 more times. (The more times this step is repeated, the more "layers" of the pancake would have. It also means that it'd be flakier.)

After that, you're going to flatten the dough again. This time, after brushing oil, sprinkle sesame seeds and chopped-up scallion on top as well. Then repeat the roll-and-coil method a couple more times.

Heat some olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp) in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Carefully place your scallion pancake onto the pan. Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Scallion Pancakes

Makes: 4

You'll need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
• 1 cup boiling water Olive oil
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup chopped scallion

Dipping Sauce:

• 2 tbsp (low-sodium) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped scallion
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp thinly-cut ginger strips

Approach:

1. First, mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of boiling water. Dusk your working surface with some flour and knead the dough a few times to form a smooth ball.
2. Brush some (olive) oil on the inside of a mixing bowl, then place the dough in it to rest for about 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting, chop up about 1 cup of scallion.
4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Dusk your working surface with flour, and start rolling out one of those pieces by flattening it with a rolling pin. Once it's flattened, brush some oil on top. Then roll up the disk from the bottom towards the top, and coil the rolled-up dough. Repeat this process 3 more times. (The more times this step is repeated, the more "layers" of the pancake would have. It also means that it'd be flakier.)
5. After that, you're going to flatten the dough again. This time, after brushing oil, sprinkle sesame seeds and the chopped-up scallion on top as well. Then repeat the roll-and-coil method a couple more times.
6. Heat some olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp) in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Carefully place your scallion pancake onto the pan. Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Free feel to rest and cool pancakes on a paper towel, then cut each pancake into six pieces.

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower

These buffalo cauliflower bites are so addicting! Okay, to be honest, I kinda have a love-hate relationship with cauliflower. It's just not a vegetable I grew up eating a whole lot. When I was a kid, my mom cooked more broccoli than cauliflower, and she'd always call them "tiny trees" :) Cauliflower always gives me an impression that it's a very bland vegetable, and I'd need a lot of seasoning when cooking it. But over the years, I've come to appreciate this white, soft, and comforting food.

Break (cut) them into small bite pieces.

Then coat each one with batter.

Line them on a baking sheet.

You'll basically bake these buffalo cauliflower bites twice – once to cook the breading, and once to add more flavor and color to them. It's really as simple as 123, eh?

Now, the next time you're needing to make a finger food that's healthy, tasty and flavorful, you know what to do ;)

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower

You'll need:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1½ cup flour
• 1½ cup water
• 4 tbsp of hot sauce
• salt and pepper
•  

Buffalo sauce:

• 3 tbsp of hot sauce
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• salt and pepper
•  

Yogurt dipping sauce:

• 4 oz plain Greek yogurt
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• *you may also use fresh dill/basi

Approach:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, and brush some olive oil on top lightly.
3. Break cauliflower into small pieces (bite sizes).
4. Mix batter by combining the flour, water, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.
5. Mix the buffalo sauce by combining hot sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper, then set aside.
6. Coat each piece of the cauliflower with batter, then lay them on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 mins.
7. *Consider using chopsticks for coating and transferring from bowl to baking sheet.
8. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then transfer them into a mixing bowl.
9. Drizzle the buffalo sauce and toss lightly.
10. Transfer them back on the baking sheet, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
11. For dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Easy Salsa

I normally like to cook with fresh ingredients, and try to avoid things that come in a can. Making salsa during the non-summer days is tricky though since tomatoes aren't in season. If you are craving for homemade salsa and the tomatoes aren't looking good at the store, no worries! Dig into this easy salsa and you'll be very pleased.

Whenever I buy any can foods, I always make sure I get the ones with no added salt or has low sodium. For this salsa, I also added mango and agave nectar just to add some sweetness to it.

Perfect way to use your food processor or blender.

Easy Salsa

You'll need:

• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 mango, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Handful of cilantro

Approach:

1. Chop onion and mango. Cut jalapeño in halves (keep the seeds if you like).
2. Juice the lime into a bowl, set aside.
3. Depends on how big your food processor is, you might want to divid the recipe in halves when loading everything in the container.
4. Chop for about 8 seconds and you're done!

New York Choice Eats 2013

HOLY EATS. I just want to say "All you can eat. All you can drink. Stuff that face with some damn good food from 50+ restaurants."

A couple friends and I went to New York Choice Eats 2013 over at the Lexington Armory last week. I was so seriously stuffed with a ridiculously amount of good food. All those small bites really did add up after tasting from a dozen of places. Going into this for the first time, I didn't really have an idea what it is all about. Let me just tell you, YOU need to go experience this amazing event (next year) and you won't be leaving that place disappointed.

Check out this line that wrapped around the entire block to get in!

First stop! The Meatball Shop! They had these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. Yes, you read that right. Give me a big bowl of it, please.

Yunnan Kitchen had these Tofu Ribbons. They were good but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me. It's very similar to the tofu skin you can buy at the Asian grocery store. The kind that is used for some of the dim sum rolls.

Yes. PORCHETTA. And their Porchetta Crostini. I felt like the toast was a little bit too hard but the meat was AMAZING.

Fanny had this Chilled Lobster Bisque which I found... bland, and waterdown.

Next, Joe Dough. Joe Doe. Joe Dough. Joe Doe. HEEEELLO, Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey-Butter and House Breakfast Style Sausage! Everything about this goodness was made in heaven, probably by one of the angels with fluffy white wings. That was some serious eats and serious flavor!

I found Fletcher's Brooklyn Barbecue decent. The pork slider was GREAT. A lot of flavor and a perfect bite.

The next three images PACKED with desserts? Who else but Carlo's? I really wanted to take one of each but my body told me I really shouldn't. So I chose the Chocolate-Dipped Cannoli, and didn't look back. It was a perfectly fine decision because the cannoli was too good to miss.

Right next to Carlo's was Ample Hills Creamery. My friend, Lisa, swore that they are one of the best ice-cream places in NY. I thought their ice-cream was okay but we did go by there twice! I had the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake and the Mexican Hot Chocolate, and both were delicious.

La Morada:

Ditch Plains had these Ditch Dogs which are Hot Dogs topped with Mac n' Cheese. I just wasn't that impressed by it.

OOOOOOOOOHH. John Brown Smokehouse, I love you (and your Pastrami Sliders). That was one of my favorites and highlights of the night. I don't eat Pastrami often but I always liked the texture of the meat. And gosh, JBS makes mean Pastrami Sliders for sure. They're in Long Island City but I would definitely consider going there all the way from Brooklyn because they're JUST THAT GOOD.

Telepan:

What is a Kolache? I'm still not quite sure but they're reeeeally good. Brooklyn Kolache set their hearts out to spread the pastry love, and offered many different types on their table. It's fluffy, comforting, and real tasty!

Oh my god. I think I might have just found another Gin that I truly adore. Thank you, Bulldog!

Please move over and let me eat a dozen of these little sandwich slices. In fact, I will just take the WHOLE sandwich before you cut it. Thank you. Holy Cow, Xe May, you did it. The "Hog" Sandwich. How did you make this so damn delicious? HOW?? That was my favorite thing to eat at Choice Eats. It was unforgettable. That's how good it was.

ScratchBread:

Dirt Candy. I like that name, and I liked what they had. Their Cherry Tomato Tart with Smoked Feta tasted fresh, classy, and flavorful.

Pete Zaaz:

Ommegang. One of my favs served in the little tasting glass. How adorbs!

Last but not least, Del Posto. I was too full by this point, so I didn't have their Farro-Walnut Burgers. I did have one of their Almond Joy Bastoncini which was surprising good but I couldn't describe what it was exactly.

Finally, we grabbed our goodie bags, and ended the night with our minds and bodies stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey.

It was a huge successful experience for me and I enjoyed it a whole lot. Thanks Lisa, Lauren, and Christine for the company! Until next time, step out of your comfort zone and try something new today!

Also check out Choice Streets, set for May 7th!

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup

Last weekend, I had dinner at Lola BKLYN with a couple of friends. I had a heavy lunch that day so I wanted something light, and that's when I had this Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup for the first time. Lola BKLYN is restaurant in Fort Greene mainly focuses on American cuisine. It's got a sister restaurant close by called Chez Oskar, which offers great French dishes. Both restaurants have a causal atmosphere, and the food is just phenomenal.

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup. It's super easy to make and you really don't need a whole lot of ingredients (hint the name of the soup). Besides the ingredients, you will need a blender. That will do the second half of the cooking for you. You also don't need a whole lot of cooking skills either, as long as you know how to chop and make sure you don't forget to put the lid on the blender. Everything else would be simple to handle with one eye closed.

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup

Servings: 2-3 quarts

You'll need:

• 1 medium onion a few cloves of garlic
• 1 butternut squash
• 6 carrots
• 6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (chicken broth works too)
• 3 tbsp of grated ginger salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1-2 tsp of dried or fresh thyme
• optional: 1 block of medium firm tofu, 14 oz

Approach:

1. Chop onion, butternut squash, and carrots. Then mince garlic, and grate ginger.
2. Pour some olive oil in a dutch oven or stock pot. Add onion and garlic, cook until onions are soft.
3. Add chopped butternut squash, and carrots, cook until everything is tender or when you're able to poke through the squash with a toothpick.
4. Add broth and seasoning, and bring that up to a boil.
5. Let the soup sit for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, set up your blender.
6. In parts, blend the soup until smooth. *You'll need another big pot or container to pour the puréed soup.
7. Take tofu block out of the plastic container. Use a couple paper towels, gently squeezed out some of the water.
8. Cut the tofu block in small cubes, then add to soup and stir gently.

Irish Cream Cookies

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Baileys. "Mmmm, creamy beige" – Old Gregg from the Mighty Boosh. Irish whiskey and cream, what's not to like? And in a cookie form? YES, PLEASE.

After much looking and searching for what to bake for St. Patty's Day, I decided to make these Irish Cream Cookies. Other goodies I thought about making were these Green Velvet Cupcakes, Key Lime Cake, or these Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies. But the Irish Cream Cookies won because I don't bake with booze often, and come on, it's St. Patty's Day.

These warm, just-out-of-the-oven, Irish Cream Cookies blew my mind. They really are Baileys in a cookie form. The cakieness of the cookie will make you feel all fuzzy inside. I even drizzled Baileys icing on top! SO. GOOD.

Irish Cream Cookies

Servings: about 40, 2" cookies

You'll need:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, soften
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 8 tbsp of Baileys
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips (or chopped up white chocolate baking bar)

Icing:

• 2 tbsp of Baileys 8 tbsp of powdered sugar

Approach:

1. Line parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar together. Add eggs, then Baileys.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the dry to the wet mixture in parts.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Scoop cookie dough onto cookie sheet, and place them 2" apart. (These cookies will spread out)
7. Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.

For icing:

1. In a medium bowl, mix Baileys and powdered sugar together. It should be thick like honey.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is pretty much my go-to salad dressing when I don't use the store-bought stuff. Yes, there are quite a few variations of Balsamic Vinaigrette out there but I usually like it simple. The dressing really doesn't take long to mix at all, and you only need a few ingredients.

Woooops!! Oh well, this is kinda cool looking.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

You'll need:

• 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup of olive oil
• optional: 1 tbsp of Italian blend herbs

Approach:

1. In low heat, pour balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan. Add Dijon mustard and brown sugar.
2. Stir with a whisk until sugar is melted. Then add salt and pepper.
3. In a slow and thin stream, add olive oil. Whisk rapidly where oil hits the vinegar.
4. As your vinaigrette thickens, taste to see if you need to either add more vinegar or oil.
5. It's normal if the vinegar and oil separate. You may stir it again just before serving.

TIP: Bottle the dressing and store in the fridge. A few shakes should help vinegar and oil blend together more.

Asian Chicken Burgers

I got a brand new food processor. I know, I know. How could I live and cook without one for so long? What I got isn't very big which is exactly why I chose it. I live in New York City, using my countertop space efficiently while I'm cooking can be challenging sometimes. I figured a 4-cup food processor would do, and I still want to keep my knife skill sharp (no pun intended ;)

So to test out the new toy, I chose to make these Asian Chicken Burgers because i've been meaning to. Using the food processor to ground up chicken breasts takes like 8 seconds. But if you want, you might be able to find ground chicken at your local grocery store.

This is a great beef burger alternative. Here are some of the ingredients:

I got this mini grater a while ago, it's perfect for grating ginger.

Mix it all up along with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha.

Then it should look like this:

Perfectly fine if you wanna cook these on the pan.

If you like pickles, go for it! And sweet chili sauce is highly recommended. (Try this low-sodium version by Ginger People)

Asian Chicken Burgers

You'll need:

• 1.5 lb of chicken breast (or ground chicken)
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of sriracha
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp of grated ginger
• 2 chopped scallions
• 4 oz of water chestnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro
• optionals: pickles sweet chili sauce

Approach: 

1. Cut chicken breasts into smaller pieces, then ground with a food processor.
2. Put the ground chicken in a mixing bowl, add soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil. Set aside.
3. Mice garlic, grate ginger; chop scallions, water chestnuts, and cilantro.
4. Combine all ingredients, form 1/2" patties if preferred.
5. In medium heat, pour some olive oil onto the pan. Add chicken burgers and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side, until golden brown.
6. Serve on a sesame bun with pickles, spring mix salad, and sweet chili sauce.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Total comfort food – Kimchi Fried Rice / Kimchi Bokkeumbap (김치볶음밥). I can just eat kimchi with a big bowl of rice – lunch or dinner – and I'd be perfectly happy. Good kimchi is never hard to find (at least in New York). Unless you are Korean, then your home will always have homemade (and unique) kimchi. I usually get a jar of it from the store and that works for me just fine.

I honestly don't know a whole lot about kimchi. I'm not sure if there's much more to know about other than the fact that it is: fermented napa cabbage, other vegetables, and LOTS of seasonings; can be paired or made with other Korean dishes; a staple to have in a home; something that every Korean mom can make very well; and yes, spicy.

Kimchi fried rice is just too darn easy to make and enjoy. I don't know why I haven't been making it more often. Have you tried kimchi fried rice? or kimchi pancake? or kimchi sushi?

Kimchi Fried Rice

Prep time: 10 mins  Cook time: 12 mins  Total time: 22 mins

You'll need:

• 3 cups of day-old rice
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 1 1/2 cups of kimchi, chopped roughly
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• some shredded nori

Approach:

1. In a large mixing bowl, drizzle olive oil on the rice and stir.
2. Chop scallions, separate the white and the green parts.
3. Chop kimchi roughly, or use a pair of scissors and cut the kimchi in a bowl.
4. In medium heat, fry the egg, sunny side up. Set aside.
5. Pour some olive oil onto the same pan, toss in the white scallion. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add the kimchi and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the rice. Stir to combine.
7. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and the green scallion. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Serve with the sunny side-up-egg, and top with some shredded nori.

Turnip Cake (蘿蔔糕)

Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快樂! The new year (of the Snake) actually started last Sunday, the 10th. And if you, like me, are a mouse in the Chinese Zodiac, this year is a great year for us in terms of love, career, and personal finance. (That's according to my aunt who was probably reading it from a book somewhere...)

Chinese New Year is awesome. It's like a combination of Christmas and Thanksgiving. It lasts for days and everyone is generally happy. Like any other holidays, the preparation can be endless. And of course, you can't talk about Chinese New Year without talking about the food. Or should I say... the FEAST?

Different regions of the China, and other Chinese societies throughout Asia, celebrate the New Year with different foods. You might have heard that dumplings are a must-eat during CNY, and that's very common in Northern China but not so much in Southern China or in Hong Kong.

Generally there isn't one signature item, like a turkey, that you must have during Chinese New Year, it's just the amount of all the food that people consume. Imagine having full-on dinners for at least 3 days straight (possibly a whole week if you're in mainland China). Then there's also small eats and snacks in between. Everyone offers their best hospitality to their families and relatives who are visting, and you want to start off the year with LOTS.

Some of the snack items you can commonly find in a Cantonese/Hong Kong family inclue Nian gao (年糕), Taro cake (芋頭糕), Gok zai (角仔), etc... It is quite common that you'd make or bring these items to your family visits as gifts. There is one absolute favorite dish of mine that I look forward to eat every year – the Turnip Cake (蘿蔔糕). You see, you can buy or even make Turnip Cake anytime of the year, and they even have it at Dim Sum. However, my mom's Turnip Cake has always been the best I've ever eaten, and I cannot NOT have it during Chinese New Year.

Since I didn't go home and she's half way across the globe. I decided that I'd try making my own Turnip Cake this year, and she's only a phone call away really. And here it is!

Ingredients: rice flour, daikon, dried shrimp (蝦米), Chinese Sausage (臘腸). Optional: Shiitake mushroom, scallion, Chinese preserved pork/bacon – lap yuk (臘肉). Obviously, you can find all that in Chinatown or hopefully from your local Asian grocery store.

When picking your daikon, you want them to be somewhat smooth on the outside (no bumps). Try to pick the ones that have cracks in them because those are the juicier ones, also meaning that are more fresh.

Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for about 10 minutes or until soften, then disgard the water and dice. Dice (or slice) the Chinese sausage as well.

Wash, cut both ends of the daikon, then peel.

Finely grate the daikons.

Cook the Chinese sausage then toss in the dried shrimp, stir-fry for about 10 minutes.

Now, heat up the daikon in a big wok for about 20 minutes, and drain off as much liquid as possible and save it for later use.

Mix the rice flour with the saved liquid until the flour is dissolved, then add it to the wok and stir.

After the daikon batter is mixed, you can add the other ingredients plus seasonings. I used some black pepper, white pepper, salt, and 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce. The mix should be "doughy" and dense.

Now, the batter needs to be steam for an hour in a container. Make sure you have a dish or container that is heat-proof, and that it can fit in a wok with the lid on. (After the cake has been steaming for a while, a little bit of water will form on top of the cake. That's completely normal.)

After an hour, the Turnip Cake is done. Let it cool and the cake will become more firm. Most people like it pan-fried so it's common that you will let it sit in the fridge overnight, and have it the next day (it'll be easier to slice too).

Make 1/2 inch slices and pan-fry them with some oil.

I'm used to serving Turnip Cakes with some hoisin sauce and Sriracha but feel free to be adventurous!

Turnip Cake (蘿蔔糕)

Prep time: 40 mins  Cook time: 1 hour 50 mins  Total time: 2 hours 30 mins

You'll need:

• 1 3/4 cup of rice flour
• 3 lbs of daikon, finely grated
• 3 tbsp of dried shrimp (蝦米), diced
• 1 cup, 4 small Chinese sausages (臘腸), diced or sliced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce
• Optional:
• scallion
• Shiitake mushroom
• Chinese preserved pork/bacon – lap yuk (臘肉)

Approach:

1. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for about 10 minutes or until soften, then disgard the water and dice.
2. Dice or slice the Chinese sausage.
3. Wash, cut both ends of the daikon, then peel.
4. Finely grate the daikons.
5. Cook the Chinese sausage then toss in the dried shrimp, stir-fry for about 10 minutes.
6. Now, heat up the daikon in a big wok for about 20 minutes, and drain off as much liquid as possible and save it for later use.
7. Mix the rice flour with the saved liquid until the flour is dissolved, then add it to the wok and stir.
8. After the daikon batter is mixed, you can add the other ingredients plus seasonings. The mix should be “doughy” and dense.
9. Now, the batter needs to be steam for an hour in a heat-proof container. Make sure that it can fit in a wok with the lid on.
10. After an hour, the Turnip Cake is done. Let it cool and the cake will become more firm.
11. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. When you're ready, make 1/2 inch slices and pan-fry until golden brown on both sides.
12. Serve with some hoisin sauce and Sriracha.

Mini Cheeseburger Egg Rolls

This is what I made for Super Bowl XLVII this year – Mini Cheeseburger Egg Rolls. They were absolutely phenomenal! I'm not gonna lie, it took a while to make these from start to finish. Depends on how many you are making – to make 45 of these little guys would probably take you about 3 hours (also depends on how good you are at wrapping). However, it was so worth it, and quite fun to make.

You might have seen this dish before on the Interwebs, but I'm pretty sure you haven't seen them done in minis! It was actually accidental. See, the store I went to didn't have any regular egg roll wrappers so I had to go with wonton wrappers instead. You might be wondering what the difference is. Well, egg roll wrappers are bigger (and usually thicker) then wonton wrappers. While egg/spring rolls (春卷) are normally fried, wontons (雲吞) are normally served in soup with noodles (a well-known dish in Hong Kong called wonton noodles 雲吞麺). Don't forget, there are also dumplings, and dumpling wrappers which are just as big as wonton wrappers in size but the thickness varies depends on what kind of Chinese cuisine you're talking about. Wait, let's save this topic for a future post...

Preparing for these egg rolls is actually pretty easy. You start out by browning and seasoning the ground beef, sauteing the diced onion and garlic. Mix all three ingredients together and let it cool for about 20 minutes, then add the shredded cheddar cheese. I ran out of worcestershire sauce so I used (low sodium) soy sauce instead. And to add a little kick to the flavor, I added in some sriracha sauce.

Now, it's time to get your hands and fingers busy! These are the wrappers I ended up getting. The white one turned out to be twice as thick than the Hong Kong style/yellow one (but that's okay, I just doubled up the yellow one to compensate). Taste wise, I couldn't tell the difference.

Time to have fun and be creative if you haven't wrapped egg rolls, wontons, or dumplings before! Try different ways to wrap your ingredients – stuff it more, stuff it less, fold it left and right. Have a small bowl of water for sealing the edges (by brushing lightly with your finger).

The tip for folding the wonton skin this way is to fold IN the sides so they are tucked in when you roll it up (and don't be shy, use a little bit of finger muscle on them).

Let's fry up these bad boys! Don't over crowd your pan, and use chopsticks to flip them around while frying (gently!)

Nom!

Dip these Mini Cheeseburger Egg Rolls in some Honey Mustard Horseradish Dipping Sauce!

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Mini Cheeseburger Egg Rolls

Servings: about 45

You'll need:

1.5 lbs ground beef
3 tablespoons (low sodium) soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons sriracha sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
some extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 small/medium size red onion, diced
24 oz shredded cheddar cheese
about 50 wonton wrappers (Or regular egg roll wrappers)
a small bowl of water

Direction:

1. Start by dicing the red onion and mincing the garlic, then set aside. (I use this handy little tool by Joseph Joseph to mince my garlic)
2. In medium heat, brown the ground beef by breaking down the big pieces with a spatula. Cook it for 15-20 minutes until brown, then add the soy sauce, sriracha, and salt and pepper. Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl, and let cool.
3. Discard the oil from the pan from cooking the beef, pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Mix the onion, garlic, and ground beef together, continue to let cool for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add the shredded cheddar cheese to the mix, stir to combine.

To wrap: 

1. Set a small bowl of water next to your wrappers.
2. Place a wrapper with a corner pointing up, using a small spoon, tablespoon, or whatever you find the easiest, scoop the beef mixture onto the wrapper.
3. Take the left corner then fold it into the middle; take the right corner then fold it into the middle.
4. Tuck in the sides on the bottom half, then fold up.
5. Tuck in the sides on the top half WHILE rolling up the wrapper to finish.

To fry:

1. Using a small sauce pan, heat up about 2 inches of oil (just enough for the egg rolls to float and not sitting on the bottom of the pan).
2. In medium heat, fry them until golden. (If you're like me who don't fry things very often, test different heats to see what works best)
3. Use a pair of chopsticks to flip, push them around so all sides gets fried evenly. Be gentle!
4. Carefully take them out and place them onto paper towels to cool.
5. Now, make the dipping sauce to go with these Mini Cheeseburger Egg Rolls!