Mini Poppyseed Lemon Bundt Cake

What to do when you have a huge container of poppy seeds...



Buy a $30 bundt pan and make adorable mini poppyseed lemon bundt cakes.

I need to make many many more cakes if I'm going to use up those poppyseeds. I hear that they're highly perishable! And I've had them since that spring dinner I made for my parents... when I only needed a pinch actually.

If you have a delicious poppyseed cake recipe that I can make in my new bundt pan, please share!

What I Eat

In keeping with my plans to continue sharing my record of everything that I've consumed here is last week's eatings and drinkings:

(days approximately divided into 5 intervals of breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon, dinner which denotes the time of day more than the succession of meals... then additional nighttime stuffs if applicable)

Monday
b: tabouli; babaganoush; tzatziki; pita
mm: (should have been drinking water but too lazy to leave my cube)
l: tabouli; babaganoush; tzatziki; pita
ma: lemon water (1 mugful water, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp maple syrup, pinch cayenne a la master cleanse - always gulped down); few bites of kimchi jjigae when I got home
d: lavash, babaganoush, kebabs (chicken, lamb, beef), few sips beer

**Boy and I had lots of leftovers from last weekend from Marouch. The food there is so delicious and fresh. I brought the tabouli, etc for lunch but as you can see I split it up between 2 meals. Then leftovers again at dinner. But I never get sick of Marouch! It's that good and satisfying.

Tuesday
b: lemon water
mm:
l: pineapple variety heirloom tomato, arugula & avocado salad; 1/2 large apple
ma: small piece dark chocolate; 1/2 large apple
d: scallop pajeon (scallion pancakes w/japanese scallops); kimchi jjigae

Wednesday
b: tj non-fat english muffin w/fried egg & buffalo mozzarella
mm:
l: blt w/niman ranch applewood smoked bacon, focaccia rolls, red leaf lettuce from weiser farms, pineapple variety heirloom tomato; small red leaf salad
ma:
d: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, spicy eundae (type of fish which i don't know the english name of) & daikon, scallop pajeon; kimchi jjigae
n: 1 very small bite of each hot dog and pizza (Boy's dinner at the movies); 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb; few sips diet coke

**My Korean dinners may sounds like a whole lot of food but it's really just a few bites of each banchan (side dishes that accompany every meal) and the main dish if there is one.

Thursday
b: lemon water
mm: big piece red velvet cake :/ (work people birthday celebration)
l: blt w/avocado (everything else same as yesterday); small red leaf salad
ma: almonds
d: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, soybean sprouts, pickled sesame leaves, sauteed spicy baby potato
n: red wine & too many hor d'oeuvres (pizzetta, salami, cheese - none of which were just ok which makes me want to kick myself for eating so many anyways! and to top that the wine was merlot, not my fav.)

**The red wine and hor d'oeuvres were at the Coalition for Clean Air annual fashion show which was held by Ebell Theater, which I live across the street from. Boy works at the Coalition and told me to stop by. Andre from Project Runway was there! He designed, created and donated a wedding dress that was made from all cotton, so that it would be enviromentally friendly and biodegradeable. Andre's mantra for the dress was, "you don't want the wedding dress to outlast your marriage!". :)

Friday
b: 5 vege ghimbap from Yanusa inside the Hanam Chain Market
mm: lemon water
l: tj punjab eggplant; pillsbury paneer naan; 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb
ma: lemon water; 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb
d: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, miso scallops, sauteed crosne & spinach, soybean sprouts

Saturday
b: walnut raisan bread from galleria bakery; izze blackberry; 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb
mm: 2 bites ham & cheese croissant fromt the breadman
l: slider w/romesco, smoked cheddar
ma: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, bulgogi vege soup; white wine (4pm - so I guess a really early dinner)
d: (still full from late lunch/early dinner)
n: beer - i believe double ipa of some sort; pizza w/eggplant - I vaguely remember eating this very late in the night

**Saturday and Sunday were wacky eating days because I was catering/cooking on both days. Saturday I catered a 25 people birthday lunch over in Pacific Palisades. I was working there from 10-230 so all I ate was a slider, which was part of the menu. Breakfast was whatever I could grab on the way out, so bread, cookie and izze. I stopped by the Santa Monica Farmer's Market to grab some greens and picked up a croissant in case I might get hungry at the gig. And when I got home I fixed myself a small Korean meal and relaxed with a glass on wine watching The Celebration. The house I catered at was so beautiful! More on that later...

Sunday
b: (sleeping)
mm: vege & bacon omelet; mixed rice; cucumber kimchi (10am)
l: (i was prepping, cooking, packing)
ma: pancetta lardons
d: few bites mashed fingerling potatoes w/creme fraiche; few pieces comte; 1 hoegaarden & 4 glasses sauvignon blanc

**Sunday my friend Ellen ("yoonyang") and I cooked a birthday gift dinner for two of our close friends, one being E's boy, along with a few special guest family members. We wanted this to be very special and not just another casual dinner which seems to be as close to civilized we get with our big group of friends. We made a six course dinner + hor d'oeuvres for six people total. More on this later too. I just ate a few bites of this and that while cooking which is what usually happens at caterings. Grabbing hot pancetta lardons from the pan, tasting and retasting delicious mashed potatoes. A cook's gotta taste, right? But I damn well treated myself to some alcohol though.

I still need to make an effort to drink more water though. Sadly I only drink water when it's on a schedule. Lemon water, here I come.

I gotta say, I am really really tired right now. But with a delicious breakfast involving bacon, romesco, buffalo mozzarella & wild arugula, and a glass of hot and soothing jasmine tea I feel a tiny bit revived. Thanksgiving thoughts will have to wait til tomorrow.

Pecan Praline Shorbread Bars

Once upon a time, I tried to make pecan praline. I followed the instructions carefully making sure I brought up the caramel mixture to the correct temperature.

I poured the praline mixture onto a silpat lined sheet pan. But misery. It never hardened. Caramel definitely hates me. However, I could not get myself to to throw this sugary mix out. I thought. Then figured, why not pecan praline shortbread bars?

I made a typical shortbread dough of butter, flour, sugar. Lined a square baking pan with the dough making sure there is a little edge. Reheated the praline mixture in the microwave then poured it on top of the shortbread base. Baked it off which made my kitchen smell sooo good. Yum. Then the pecan praline was saved. The end.

Endive, Roquefort & Walnut Salad; Pork au Poivre with Red Wine-Shallot Sauce

The combination of endive, roquefort and toasted walnuts never fails to bring happiness to my buds. Pleasantly bitter, crunchy and juicy leaves paired with nutty crunchy nuts, and pungent creamy blue cheese. It's so elegant but so simple to make.



Then came pork au poivre. I followed Ellie K's suggestion of using pork tenderloin by cutting it open, ending up with a flat piece of meat. I cut this into portions and slathered it with dijon and pressed in my poorly cracked black pepper onto the surface. I cooked the pork in olive oil until it was brown and yummy. When it was done cooking I made the sauce in the same pan which consisted of shallots, red wine, demi-glace (the little package ones you thin out in hot water), and a dab of butter. And on the side simple green beans with sliced almonds.

It was a simple and delicious weeknight dinner. Mmm... the pictures are bringing back memories! I'm hungry.

Pork Cutlets with Apple Riesling Sauce

In case you didn't know, I love pork. I mean, really. I love bacon, cured meats, pork rillette, baby back ribs, don katsu, pork bulgogi, pork bossam, and on and on. Bacon rules my world but I also need to incorporate leaner protein into my diet sometimes. So I decided to try out the small thin pork cutlets from Trader Joe's.



The pork cutlets were marinated with thyme, rosemary, chile de arbol, black pepper, and smashed garlic. I let that marinate for a little bit in the fridge. When ready to cook I browned the cutlets on both sides and let them rest on a plate while I got the sauce ready. Sliced red onion went into the pork cutlet pan and sizzled and cooked. I deglazed the pan with some riesling picking up all the goody brown bits stuck to the pan. Then went in apple sauce, a dab of demi-glace that was dissolved in a little bit of hot water, and a few glugs of chicken stock. Let a simmer and come together for a few minutes then the pork cutlets were placed back in the pan until it was time to eat.

The pork came out a little bit chewy but not really dry (hooray!). I reckon this recipe would probably work better with a thicker cut like a bone-in pork chop and letting it simmer. It was still delicious though with its savory sauce of red onion, riesling, apple sauce, and demi-glace. And oh, just a small tab of butter at the end.



I crowned the cutlet with a small piece of roquefort when plating it for my tv dinner.

What I Eat

Sam over at Beck & Posh just wrote a post on everything she ate last week. I thought brilliant! Like her, I keep a record of everything I eat and have been doing it for some time now. I started doing that as a way to keep track of how much healthy or naughty food I eat throughout the week, although sometimes keeping record doesn't necessarily hold me back from having very naughty weeks.

I gotta admit my eating habits for the last few weeks have been a bit kooky though. But here is everything I ate last week divided by breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon, dinner:

Monday
B: izze pomegranate, mixed grain rice w/squash, fish jun (egg dipped & fried), bean sprouts, roasted seaweed (startin my day all Korean here)
MM:
L: 2 japanese crackers
MA: almonds
D: white rice w/kimchi, squash, daikon saute, fish jun

Tuesday
B: turkey sandwich w/arugula
MM:
L: raspberries, almonds
MA: master cleanse lemon drink
D: white rice w/kimchi, ugoji gook (dried cabbage soup), Seoul Hwaegwan - jungol (Korean version of shabu shabu), hwae naengmyun (cold buckwheat noodle w/sashimi & red pepper sauce)

Wednesday
B: master cleanse lemon drink
MM: master cleanse lemon drink
L: izze clemetine, almonds
MA: master cleanse lemon drink, hwae naengmyun
D: Novecento - spaghetti vongole (shared), tagliata mostarda (shared), bruschetta, few glasses of wine
*Bottle Rock - big bottle of hitachino nest white ale

Thursday
B: master cleanse lemon drink
MM:
L: chickpea spinach salad w/feta
MA: master cleanse lemon drink
D: Taqueria Sanchez - 1/2 al pastor burrito, chips & salsa, asada taco, Angel Maid - cream puff

Friday
B: izze clementine
MM: master cleanse lemon drink
L: 1/2 pastor burrito, spinach salad
MA: master cleanse lemon drink
D: turkey sandwich w/arugula, 1 bite mac n cheese
*beer, beer, beer

Saturday
B:
MM: Chabelita - carne asada taco, al pastor taco, diet coke
L: India Spices - pakoras
MA: 1/2 bottle red wine
D: yakisoba w/scallion
*Anchor Brewing Winter Ale, few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc

Sunday
B:
MM:
L: yakisoba w/scallion, 1/2 grilled cheese w/marinara sauce
MA:
D: Marouch - tabouli, babaganoush, kebab combo


Kooky indeed. The weekends always tend to get a lil bit messed up because I goto sleep really late. And drinking usually entails not the healthiest foods the next day. But you can see on Sunday I ate healthy middle eastern food! Yay, victory. Although I did eat tons of food Tuesday-Thursday evening though. Probably because I was being way too healthy during the day. :P Sigh. Ok, I'll try to eat healthier this week, trying to follow the original guidelines of 5 smaller meals a day. I'll try!

Mini Swiss Chard & Feta Turnovers

Little things are so cute, aren't they? When I saw Sam's little philly cheesesteak turnovers over at Becks & Posh I thought how cute! and how delicious! But Sam made her own dough. Yikes. Now I'm not a good dough person nor do I like making dough as the flour gets everywhere and when fat is required it sets a thin film over everything I touch. But, the recipe seemed easy enough and I am so glad I used it because it was easy and delicious!

Dough Recipe:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 stick (4 oz) butter cut into cubes
8oz cream cheese or fromage blanc
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Combine all of the ingredients together in a food processor or Kitchen Aid until a dough forms. Wrap in waxed paper and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling.

I used cream cheese because it's easier to find. A quick whirl of the food processor and I became dough woman. For the day at least.

For the filling...
I blanced a few bunches of swiss chard and cooled them in an ice bath. Drained and squeezed most of the water out. Slice into thin bits. Sweated finely chopped onion in olive oil. Added red pepper flakes, garlic & swiss chard. Crumbled feta in when mixture had cooled a little bit.

Filling the little cutouts of the dough was kind of fussy. And since I made two batches of the dough, the rolling, cutting, filling and cooking took some time out of my day. But I can't wait to try out some other fillings. Pork bulgogi with king oyster mushrooms & scallion? Yumm. My mouth waters now.

Roasted Farmer's Market Carrots & Potatoes

When I was young carrots were high on my hate list. Even until a few years ago the only carrots I would eat were those shaved down baby carrots that came in a bag. Preferably dunked in a thick bowl of ranch dressing, I guess to cover up that carrot taste. Even that I probably only ate once a year. Raw carrots still aren't my best friend. I just read recently somewhere that those baby carrots are shaved into shape from big carrots! Liars.

I've been faced with crappy carrots all my life and I laid down the judgement on all of carrot-dom.

However, my first memorable experience with carrots was at AOC. They used to get these tiny baby carrots from the farmer's market and roast them for a salad. The skin of these colorful carrots would get carmelized and shriveled and the texture took on a little bit of that roasted root vege bite.

Epiphany. As I've started to cook the last few years there have been many of those moments when I think holy crap, I had no idea ___ could taste like this. Those epiphanies have really made me appreciate good quality produce and makes scouring the farmer's market really exciting. I guess it's kind of comparable to eating tomatoes from the big supermarkets all my life then having that first actually ripe and super juicy tomato from the farmer's market. Cheers to the hard working farmers who bring such beautiful healthy produce to the market!

Here is my Roasted Farmer's Market Carrots & Potatoes:



Simply delicious.



Hello colorful potatoes.



And still delicious as part of my tv dinner with shavings of parmigiano reggiano.

Corn & Snap Pea Salad

Remember back in September when I couldn't find any snap peas to make a salad for my friend's birthday lunch? Well look at this! Snap peas from the farmer's market (well a few weeks ago). But still. Completely unexpected and pleasantly surprising as it allowed for my one and only purchase of snap peas for this season.

Grant, over at Well Fed, makes some serious good eats. Back in the middle of summer I saw his post on his Corn & Snap Pea Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. It looked so refreshing and vibrant that I knew I must try it out. Until I completely forgot about that is and let summer pass me by.

But these late late snap peas will redeem me sort of, won't it? I made a simpler version leaving out the blue cheese vinaigrette and with roasted corn and blanched snap peas. Add a sqeeze of lemon, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of parlsey and a few grinds of black pepper and this salad was dressed and ready to go.



I added a tiny bit of feta to the salad when it got promoted to my tv dinner plate.

Heirloom Tomatoes

I heart tomatoes. These beauties are from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market - the big tomato stand. So juicy and perfect with a sprinkling of fleur de sel, torn basil & a drizzle of fruity olive oil. The orange one in the front is the Pineapple variety and the greenish-red one is Brandywine Black. There is even a Persimmon variety hanging out on the top left.



A simple heirloom tomato salad makes for a beautiful and delicious dish, even as part of a tv dinner.

King Oyster Mushroom with Soy Sauce & Sesame Oil

I can eat a whole bowl of this accompanied only by freshly steamed rice and kimchi. Some time ago my mom started adding king oyster mushrooms to her bulgogi mix. While the beef would marinated with garlic, onion, soy sauce, scallions, sugar and sesame oil, the mushrooms would also soak up this marinade. This resulted in delicious mushrooms that were fried up with the bulgogi. I thought I'd try it out with just the mushrooms. Instead of marinating the mushroom slices I brushed on the soy sauce sesame oil mixture for an even seasoning. I sprayed a non-stick pan with canola oil and cooked the mushroom slices, one side at a time, until it got carmelized and deliciously brown. Then devoured it.

Roasted Sweet Potato with Romesco, Baby Romaine & Feta

The color contrast in this dish is beautiful - the deep warm orange of the sweet potato, the squeaky clean white of the feta, and the variations of green and purple in the baby romaine leaves. A virtuous dish if you will, easier to make than is visually pleasing. Chunks of sweet potato tossed in brown sugar, brown butter, thyme and sage. Then roasted until tender and carmelized onion. At this point you can pretty much assemble the salad as you see fit. Maybe some arugula and parmesan. Or spinach and blue cheese. Or just a big bowl of the roasted sweet potato itself.

**I completely forgot to mention the romesco pulling this dish together. I always defer to Suzanne Goin's recipe which calls for ancho chilies. It nutty and smoky with a healthy dose of deep chili flavor rounded out by roma tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil. Truly delicious and a must-add for any dish! Thanks Grant for noticing those brown dollops!

Macerated Berries with Lavender Mascarpone Mousse

For me, there is no such thing as too much berries. There above was my hurrah before fall really became fall here in LA. Well I suppose I was a lil bit late anyhow. Raspberries and blackberries alike were not faring well a few weeks ago when I needed a simple dessert. So strawberries took up most of the room for plate of macerated berries. I took the best of the lot at the market and added a few rescued blackberries in there. A spoonful of sugar and a few drops of balsamic vinegar did the strawberries good and formed a light sheen of syrup over their exposed surfas. The blackberries got added to the mix before serving and dolloped with a mascarpone mousse flavored with orangeblossom honey and lavender, the macerated berries got the extra touch it needed.

Saturday Lunch at Lucques

I had a craving for Lucques's Steak Frites with Arugula Salad, Bernaise & Herbed French Fries, which I tried way back in the day (ok 1 year ago) for USA Dine Out. I didn't participate in the charity event this year but looking back now I should have gone to Lucques again 'cause their three course lunch menu was only $20!



But back to the lunch at hand, it was a beautiful day. Warm, relaxed, hanging out with the girls. I started out with a glass of Craftsman Triple White Sage which Lucques had on tap along with a few of their other beers. Pretty impressive. I never suspected the White Sage to be a triple. A beautiful foggy yellow hue with a subtle sage flavor. Followed by a few mimosas, I was a happy camper.



My friend got their Sangria Blanca which was strong as hell. I think there was too much brandy or something. I like my sangria refreshing and fruity with only a hint of liquor, or even none at all, which results in high drinkability. But I think my friend liked it fine though - she drank up in a quicky.



For the appetizer course I ordered the Fatoosh Salad with Persian Cucumber, Tomato, Feta, Parsley & Fried Pita which was delicious!



But a lot of people were partial to the also delicious Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata, Torn Crouton & Opal Basil. I liked both a lot but since I make that heirloom tomato-burrata salad at home a lot I wanted to try something else. I mean I probably buy the same farm tomatoes as Lucques from the SM Farmer's Market. And I bet they also use Gioia's burrata, which is amazing (and available at Bay Cities.



So then it was steak time. I'm not sure what cut of meat this was. I looked up a bunch of steak frites recipes but they all use different cuts of meat. I guess I could have asked but I was too busy enjoying the tender steak dunked in warm bernaise sauce. And completely distracted by the lovely wilted arugula which I gobbled up and the thin light french fries which I also dunked into the bernaise. There is just something so satisfying about a good piece of steak with a starch like awesome herb fries.



Other main courses that graced our table included the Heirloom Tomato "BLT" with Avocado, Smoked Bacon & Basil...



and Grilled Pork Burgers with Romesco, Ricotta Salata and Aioli on Brioche Bun. I don't know why they clarified "Smoked Bacon". Wouldn't one usually expect an American style bacon on a blt? Of course if the bacon was substituted with let's say English bacon (which would not be a good blt at all) then a clarifications seems in order.

I better go back for the blt before all the heirlooms disappear. The sandwich just looks so juicy. My friend also testified that the bacon just melted away in her mouth. Then why didn't you give me a bite! Actually I was quite full from my steak plate. And I knew the pork burger was also delicious having tried out the recipe from the Lucques cookbook. But why is the bun so big?? I wonder where they got their brioche buns...

For dessert we shared Ricotta Semifreddo with Strawberries, Huckleberries & Hibiscus Syrup and Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise with Apricot Sorbet & Creme Fraiche. I was partial to the semifreddo which was light and lovely and sooo good with them berries. Berries with dairy is definitely one of my favorite forms of dessert. I dig the freshness of it all.

So much delicious food and booze for a warm Saturday afternoon. I followed this up with a long, very long nap. Then when I woke up my parent's had come home and ordered delicious Korean-Chinese food. What a delicious weekend. Food & Drink + Nap is a great formula to learn and appreciate.

When Your Fridge Gives You Leftovers...

...make a savory pancake.

I had some chicken filling leftover from a catering event. Previously it had been a flavorful filling for Thai chicken cigars with ground chicken, cabbage, bean sprouts, Thai basil, fresh chilies, scallion, fish sauce, red curry paste, lime, and cilantro.

Then it sat in a bowl begging to be used. I turned it into a jun (Korean for savory pancake) by adding more scallions and tossing it in a simple batter of flour, water and egg. Add sambal and you got delicious.

Mediterranean Picnic

For my last visit to the Hollywood Bowl this season to see Massive Attack I was in company with two vegequarians and Boy. I thought a simple meal of healthy Mediterranean flavors would suit this event perfectly. I'm pretty sure there were picnic-friendly plates of hummus all over the theater. It's quite ubiquitous, isn't it?

It is quite delicious after all, easy to make, easy on the wallet, and very healthy too. So do make it at home instead of buying a premade one for wonderfully fresh flavors. In my hummus I added garlic, lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne, and a spoon of tahini. I drizzled in some olive oil while it was pureeing but also cut it with a bit of water for a smooth consistency without tons of oil. Then on top I drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled a pinch of parsley and served this delicious bean puree with whole wheat pita. (The one in the above pic is Matiz Olive Oil Flatbread).



Then a refreshing Mediterranean salad to complement. It flaunted its juicy tomatoes, tangy feta, red onion, and spicy peppers. I found this salad quite addicting and reminded myself I should make it more often in place of the boring romaine and dressing salad I've been eating lately. I think I'm culinarily depressed or something. Or maybe just regularly depressed and projecting onto the culinary sector of my life. Hmm.. either way, I definitely need to make the Mediterranean salad again and slap myself back to consciousness.

All in all, I'm not a dessert person. I will never refuse a fresh strawberry with freshly whipped cream, or a bite of raspberry-showered pavlova, or a French macaron but a pastry-chef I'm not. I really gotta be in the mood to make the sweets. And on few occasions spontaneity has been my downfall. So when my friend C was in town for the Massive Attack concert she requested a dessert. I straight up said no. Then, 'bacon or dessert'. I almost forgot, I made a batch of pig candy for this concert. Those are like happy smile makers ---> :D :D :D!

C is vegequarian but makes an exception for bacon. Smart girl if ya ask me.



But then my dessert-neglecting heart softened up. It seemed like forever since I've seen C. So I made these chocolate dipped lady fingers with roasted pistachio and fleur de sel in her honor. Yip that's it, just dip, sprinkle and sprinkle. Well besides the chop chop and [silent roast] for the pistachios.

Ice Cream & Puff Pastry Epiphane

I've just had an ice cream & puff pastry epiphane!

Holy crap. I got some blueberry ice cream from Trader Joe's the other day. Had some puff pastry shells sitting in my freezer. Decided that maybe stuffing a warm puff pastry shell with the creamy blueberry ice cream might be a good idea.

It was a brilliant idea! Well, I didn't eat a whole shell but I did make a mini ice cream sandwich with the warm puff pastry shell tops that I cut out. (Trying to watch my waistline). However, I stuffed and distributed the six blueberry ice cream stuffed warm puff pastry shells to my co-workers and they were mightily well received.

Do try it. You might even yell oh my god like in your small work corner kitchen like I did.

Soba Noodle with Cucumber & Tamari

While testing recipes for the wedding I made this delicious noodle. I adapted and combined a soba noodle salad recipe with some Japanese cucumber salad. The noodle was so easy to make and surprisingly delicious. I couldn't help but keep slurping down "test noodles" while making it. The dressing added so much flavor and the cilantro and scallion added the right herby oniony touch to balance it out. For the dressing I used tamari, fish sauce, chili oil, garlic, ginger, lime juice, peanut oil, and sesame seeds.

Then on the side I made the Japanese cucumber salad (sunomono). I cut some Korean cucumbers into thin batons, tossed it with kosher salt then let it drain for 30 minutes. Meanwhile I made the simple dressing of soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. When the cucumbers were ready I gently squeezed out the water and dressed it.

Then the noodle and cucumbers were combined and voila, delicious noodle!

Chicken Enchiladas with Corn & Poblano

Having failed last time at making enchiladas, it being my actual first time, I was ready to try once again. It's not that the failed enchiladas tasted awful. In fact, they were delicious. But they were not exactly enchiladas - soft little pillows filled with oozy veges, chicken, and whatever pleases you. Mine were more like a rolled up baked tacos. Not beautifully moist and not a amalgamated by way of cheese piece of savoriness as enchiladas should be. I know what I did wrong though. I didn't dip my tortilla into the enchilada sauce before rolling em up. Ok ok, so I was being lazy. I thought I would skip a step. But I got screwed.

So this time around I promised not to skip that step and even vowed to make a more moist filling. After looking up a bunch of recipes, all of which pretty much said the same thing, I decided to make Chicken Enchiladas using Tyler Florence's recipe as the basis:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 whole green chilies, canned
4 chipotle chilies, canned
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 cup Cheddar and Jack Cheeses, shredded
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
Garnish: chopped cilantro, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

I seasoned the chicken breasts with a mixture of cumin, chili powder, cayenne, s&p, and cooked it in a pan then let them cool. Sauteed the onion, garlic, poblano in the chicken drippings then added the corn, chopped canned jalapenos and stewed tomato. Shredded the chicken then added to the tomato vege mix.

That's pretty much it! I popped open the can of enchilada sauce then it was time for assembly. I dipped each tortilla (I used flour) into the heated enchilada sauce to make them pliable and moistened up, filled it the chicken mixture then laid them into a baking dish. I poured the remaining enchilada sauce all over the tortilla rolls then topped it with a shredded cheese mixture and baked it off.

Ohh, my kitchen smelled so good! I served the chicken enchiladas with spanish rice, refried beans, fresh guacamole, a sprinkling of chopped onion and cilantro leaves. My mexican food cooking skills may need cauldrons of practice but these enchiladas will keep me happy for now.

Pork Rules

One last relaxed lounge style bbq is exactly what we needed before the weather suddenly turned so chill. Too chill too quickly, imo. However, the bbq was all deliciousness with happy imbibing of beer, margaritas, and wine. Thanks to Allison for hosting the brilliant get together.

I thought it as my chance to actually grill something this season besides that Lucques pork burger I had made in the heat of the summer. One of my favorite foods ever being bbq pork ribs, I decided that would be perfect. But you can't have ribs without no sides! Dur.

The Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook is seriously glorious. I don't think I've ever made anything from there I didn't like. Which is why I would also trust it with its cornbread recipe. I did have a taste of this cornbread at Lucques before so I knew it would be perfect. The recipes calls for some honey and brown butter - delicious!

I wrapped my cornbread with bacon with plans to grill them. Instead, with the delay of the delivery of the grill from A's generous neighbor, I roasted it for a bit in the oven so that the bacon would melt over the cornbread. The bacon didn't melt as perfectly as I envisioned in my bacon-crazed mind but it was delicious, and oh so beautiful, served with a dollop of mustard-creme fraiche.

I also made a batch of no recipe coleslaw. A good dollop of mayo, sour cream, thinly sliced red onion, fresh lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne, and it was deeemed "the best coleslaw" ever by a few advocates. Creamy, crunchy, refreshing - it's what your mouth needs in between bites of bbq pork ribs.



Now for the ribs... this being my real true first rib ever, I was very proud of how it turned out. I brined two racks of pork ribs (Trader Joe's) overnight. Then dry rubbed it and let it marinated for a lil bit. Preferably couple hours but I didn't have a lot of time. Then wrapped up in foil I baked them in the oven for an hour or so. Then onto the grill they went.

I don't recall exactly how long they were on the grill but enough to get some of the fat to melt and the spices to crust up a bit on the surface. In the last ten minutes I basted it lightly with a spicy bbq sauce I got from Huntington Meats. Oh man, it was so juicy and flavorful. Of course if I had smoked it would be a more delicious and authentic. But one step at a time. :) Needless to say, it was ravaged. And my mouth is watering right now writing about it.

Pork rules.



My dessert offering was a simple arranged one with Trader Joe's lemon pound cake, mascarpone, and roasted figs with saba.