Hot Asian Men

OMG, drool, look what I foind on blogspot: Asian Heartthrob 2006. Funny how all the Thai guys are mixed. My favorite remains Aaron Kwok. I've liked him since I was 11. You can even vote for your favorite.

Armitage

What do you do when you really want a puppy, but can't do it all by yourself? Find someone to raise it with you! I found my someone a while ago, but took me about a year and a half to talk him into agreeing to get a puppy. So now we are proud parents of Armitage, a 2 pound Yorkie. Here's some pics of little Army for yourviewing pleasure:

Crepes like San Francisco's

When Dave and I visited SF over spring break, we had the pleasure of eating at both Crepes on Cole (17th and Cole) and the The Crepevine (7th and Irving). Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to hit Ticouz this time, but as we dined in the little bohemian chic creperies, two thoughts occurred to me:
1. Why the heck can't anyone open a crepe place in DC, it can't be that hard to do, and DC needs more better eateries.
2. I bet I can figure out how to make these crepes and it would be perfect for Dave's mom's birthday brunch.

So, having not the startup cash or restuarant business know-how to open a creperie in DC, I settled for making it for brunch this last weekend. On the menu were home fries and chicken pesto crepes. Here's houw you do it:

First of all, you need a good flipper. My flipper is named Dave. I can't flip a thhing in the kitchen without it either breaking into a pathetic crumpled mess or flopping naked onto the stove-top.
Then, you need a basic crepe recipe, like this one. Make a bunch of crepes and set them aside.

Then you make the filling. this can be anything you want, sweet or savory. I like browing onions, garlic, and chicken pieces with some red pepepr, mushrooms, and olives.

Then you put the crepe back on the pan, and fill it with your chicken filling, some tomatoes, a ton of shredded cheese for melting, and some pesto sauce* (or tomato sauce or salsa, or whatever) on one half, fold the other half over, and let it sit until lightly brown on one side, and flip to the other side for a few mintes too. Then it's ready for serving!

* for the best fresh pesto sauce, put a bunch of basil, some olive oil, lemon juice, a handful of pinenutes, some grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth.

NO DOG!!!

I hereby lay to rest all fantasies of ever getting a dog. It's completely unrealistic as I: 1. can't provide it a good home, 2. Can't afford to bring it to the vet if it has any health problems, and 3. Can't put a dog ahead of my career if it came down to it. If you ever hear me whine about how I want a dog, please slap me!

blueberry almond butterscotch cookies

I finished a major paper today on what we should do if we discovered Japan had a covert nuclear missile program. It was the longest paper I've written since my senior seminar papers in college. And I was so happy to be done I made cookies tonnight. the first time I made these cookies I did only because Dave had a random bag of butterscotch chips in his fridge for some reason, and it was clear that he was never going to use them. So I decided to bake cookies. First I took a standard chocalate chip cookie recipe but used the butterscotch chips instead. Then right before dalloping the dough onto the cookie sheet, I decided it was too boring so looked around our tiny sliver of a pantry for more goodies to toss in. I found sliced almonds and dried blueberries and tossed in a whole bunch. And they turned out to be sooo good, I now have a new original recipe...kind of.

Best Restuarant in DC

My Best Restuarant in DC Award goes to Lalibela Etheopian restuarant on 14th and P. The food is amazing, the prices good, and the setting authentic. The best dishes to get there include the Lalibela Tibs, a great spicy saucy lamb; Yebere Tibs, a not so spicy steak; and the best of the house, the Dulet, a mixture of lamb tripe, raw beef, and liver with jalapenos. Okay, the Dulet sounds disgusting, but everytime I force someone to try it without telling them what's in it first, they fall in love with it. It's all about the spices. I always also get a vegetarian sampler to give it a good mix.
Unlike the Etheopian restuarants in Adams Morgan, Lalibela is not packed with yuppies (just a few, given the recent gentrification of the area), but caters to Etheopian regulars (mostly men who like to order spaghetti). My greatest fear is that when all the luxury condos around there are done, the developers will move into the smaller plots in the area like Lalibela and build Irish watering holes trendy coffee shops. Lalibela has been my comfort base since 2002.

Pavarottti

Sometimes the Washington National Opera has discounted tickets for young people. But when they dont, I am quite content with Pavarotti online.

Rainbow Fried Rice

What to do when you are required to bring a dish representing your culture to International Student Night and you are 1. lazy, 2. not sure which culture you want to represent, and 3. still wanting to wow everyone with your culinary capabilities?

Make Rainbow Fried Rice! A.K.A. Asian American Fried Rice.

3 tbsp cooking oil, partitioned (I use either olive or canola)
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 -5 chinese sausages, sliced
6 cups cooked rice (please don't use Uncle Ben's. I use either Japanese or Thai rice.), fluffed
1 tbsp Asian dried mini shrimps, ground in a food processor
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp blackpepper
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 carrot, shredded
1 tbsp sacha sauce

In a wok, scrabmble the eggs in a little less than 1 tbsp oil until almost done, but still soft. Put into a bowl and put aside. Put rest of oil in wok, and add onions. Stir-fry until lightly browning. Add garlic and sausages, and stir-fry until lightly browing. Then add rice and stir fry, making sure the grains don't clump together. Add the next seven ingredients and stir fry. Taste the mixture and add more of whatever you want until it fits your taste. I personnally like to load on the black pepper and sugar. Then add the next four ingredients and stir fry until all cooked. Add the scrambled eggs, and mix together.

That's all! If you like, you can throw in a handful of chopped cilantro or chopped chives at the end too. Makes it extra yummy. You can also substitute some curry powder for the sacha sauce, or go without it completely.

Valentine's Day Dinner

Dave had made reservations at restaurant Nora for Valentine's Day, but he was unsure of them, since the earliest they had available was for 9:30 pm. A week earlier while shopping around with Josie, we spotted a beautiful heart-shaped chocolate torte at Marvelous Market and she convinced me that would be the most romantic accompaniment to a home-cooked meal. I have long been wanting to try the lobster macaroni and cheese recipe I found in Bon Appetite magazine a year ago. So Dave canceled the reservations and I made dinner. On the menu was lobster macaroni and cheese, and crab fritters with lemon aoli and herb salad. What I didn't calculate into my Valentine's Day was homework. So by the time I was ready to leave school, it was 6:30. After a dash to Safeway and an affair with the kitchen, I realized I forgot the pick up the heart-shaped torte. Oh well. The seafood dishes turned out to be amazing. Which was a relief, considering I spent $24 on two lobster tails, $6 on shrimp, and $15 on crab meat, in addition to all the other ingredients needed. At least it was cheaper than what would have cost Dave at restaurant Nora. Let me know if you want the recipes, I'll send them to you.

WTH, I'm so not bohemian... eeew..

Your Celebrity Style Twin is Mischa Barton

Funky, bohemian, and girly.

Who's Your Celebrity Style Twin?

Mmmm... Chili-cheese dogs

I was studying late last night. So Dave made me Chili-cheese dogs for dinnner. For yummy and easy semi-home-made chili, just brown a poulnd of ground beef or turkey in a pot, add a packet of chili mix, a can of black beans, and a can of diced tomatoes with chilies. Stir it all up, and let cook a while. Goes great over hot dogs and shredded cheese, burgers, tortilla chips, sour cream, or just plain!

I need to figure out how to upload pictures on here and make my blog more pretty.....

Sushi Sushi

Last weekend, a good friend of mine came back to visit from Yale and the one thing she really wanted to eat (besides my cooking) was sushi. Apparently, there are no good sushi places in New Haven??? (!) Poor her. So we stuffed ourselves with nigiri and shizo mojitos at Sushi Taro.

Japanese ranks in my top three favorite list of cuisine (alongside Ethiopian and Korean). This is where I find it in D.C.:

1. Sushi Taro Best All-Around
Sushi **** Great and fresh, and they have a wide variety of different fish, including many specials of the day. The Shizo Mojito is a must try - they use fresh crushed shizo leaves in soju. Light, crisp, and not too sweet.
Price $$$ About $35 or more a person.
Service *** Expect a LONG wait, both to be seated and for the food. But it's not their fault they're so popular...
Atmosphere **** Lively, especially when all the drunk Japanese salarymen are there drinking. It seems all visiting Japanese people eat there. Apparently, so do politicians and dignitaries, as evidenced by their collection of photo ops on the wall, though I don't understand why. I would think these important folks could afford to eat at Makoto instead...
Location ***** In Dupont, it's at the heart of the city.

2. Makoto Best Food
Sushi ***** Little bite sized pieces of heaven.
Price $$$$$ It's slightly cheaper at lunch. Otherwise, practically unaffordable, especially when you have to factor in cab fare too.
Service ***** Complete attentiveness with an air of snobbery... Just like in Japan.
Atmosphere ***** Tiny, quiet, and beautiful. Just like Japan.
Location ** Tucked away on MacArthur and no Metro access, but at least it's in the district.

3. Uni, A Sushi Place Best Deal
Sushi *** Try the Nigiri Niners. For not a huge price, you get a good selection that includes uni, which at other places only appear on the $30+ combination platter. I also love the tuna tatare salad with roasted red pepper dressing. They also have a good price on sake and have sake samplers, which oddly enough, Sushi Taro no longer has.
Price $$ Cheaper than other alternatives without too much sacrifice on quality
Service ** Not the friendliest waitstaff, and you have to pay for green tea.
Atmosphere *** Nothing outstanding, and not too crowded.
Location ***** Right in Dupont.

4. Kaz Sushi Bistro Best Lunch Deal
Sushi **** Great and cheap lunch specials every day. My favorite is Tuesday, for the sushi and chicken miso katsu bento box. I've also been for dinner once, and ordered the eight course chef's special tasting, which was an amazing experience. But sooo expensive. The best thing about Kaz is the soy sauce. They have a very unique blend that will make any kind of sushi taste spectacular.
Price $$$ Other than the great lunch special, a regular meal here will set you back a few hefty bucks.
Service ** Not the friendliest waitstaff.
Atmosphere *** Nothing outstanding, but nice.
Location **** A walk from Dupont, but not entirely inaccessible. Great location for lunch if you work on K Street.

5. Sake Club Best Atmosphere
Sushi ? I don't know how the sushi is, I couldn't afford to try it. I blew all my mullah on the sake, which was also crazy expensive. The food selection was scanty, but the variety of sake and the presentation of atmosphere makes this place a mush visit at least once.
Price $$$$
Service ***** Very attentive staff in strange but cute uniforms
Atmosphere ***** The best restaurant atmosphere I have seen Stateside. Reminds me of a hip Tokyo restaurant.
Location **** Cleveland Park

There are several other sushi places in D.C., but if you don't find them listed on my blog, that just means I am too polite to write anything bad about them. :)

Creamy Herbed Fish Pasta

Here is another recipe I thought up of during Stats class. I served it with a salad of procuitto and fresh mozzerella drizzled with olive oil and fresh ground pepper, and leftover Pillsbury breadsticks. I forgot to ask Dave how many stars he gives this one. Will let him comment on that.

For the herbed fish
1/2 cup fresh tarragon
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh sage
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Dash of paprika
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Some kind of fish (I used catfish just because that’s what Safeway had on sale.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the fish into 2 inch chunks. Put all the ingredients except for the fish into a food processor and process until all chopped up and smooth. Coat the fish with the herb pesto and put in a baking pan and put in oven. Check on it frequently to make sure it does not overcook. If it looks cooked on the outside, take it out, because fish will continue to cook on the inside for several minutes after it’s been out off the oven. You don’t want it to be dry, you want it moist and tender.

Fpr the pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup some kind of dry salty meat (I used some leftover turkey breakfast sausage that I found in the fridge, but this recipe would be good with something like smoked ham, bacon, pepperoni, or leftover sausages…)
1/2 lb Fettuccine
3/4 cup vermouth
3/4 cup cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a saucepan with olive oil. Dice the onion and mince the garlic, and add to the oil. Dice the meat and add pan. Cook until onions are slightly brown. Boil a pot of water and add fettuccine. Add vermouth to saucepan and reduce to one half. Stir in cream, salt and pepper, and cook for five minutes. Stir in tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Stir in Spinach, and let it wilt into the sauce. Stir in the cooked and drained fettuccine immediately so that the pasta does not stick to each other. Serve with the herbed fish on top and drizzle with some lemon juice.

Spicy Eggplant Sausage Pasta

I thought of this recipe during Stats class today and tried it out for dinner. Dave is my taste-test guinea pig, and he gave it five stars out of five. I always cook with my eyeballs, not measuring spoons, so for the purpose of relaying a recipe to you, I have just estimated all measurements.

Serves four, and great with crusty French bread or soft breadsticks (I love the Pillsbury ready-to-bake kind that comes in a tube).

1 medium eggplant
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 hot Italian sausages
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh sage
1/4 cup fresh tarragon
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 box spaghetti
1 can (16 oz) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives (I like burgundy pearls)
1/4 cup vermouth
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into half inch chunks
shredded parmesan, romano, or asiago for topping pasta

Put a large pot of water to boil with a dash of salt. Wash and cut the eggplant into 1 inch chunks. Place in boiling water. Heat a large saucepan with olive oil on medium high. Dice onion, mince garlic, and add to saucepan. With kitchen shears, cut 1/2 inch sausage pieces into pan. Let cook until half done, about four minutes, then add crushed peppers and stir . Finely chop sage, tarragon, and basil. When eggplant is soft but not too mushy and, drain and add to saucepan with the chopped herbs. Cook until sausage is completely brown. Refill the pot with water and salt and bring to boil. Add spaghetti to boiling water. Add crushed tomatoes to saucepan, and stir. Chop olives in half and add to sauce with vermouth. Reduce heat to medium and stir. Cut tomatoes in half and add to sauce. Simmer until spaghetti is ready. Drain spaghetti. Divide into bowls. Divide mozzarella pieces onto spaghetti. Spoon sauce on top and serve with shredded parmesan.

Pizza, pizza

I've been craving pizza lately, so last night, I had Dave call in to Alberto's , and I picked up a pie on my way home from school. Alberto's is my favorite pizza place. They have great thin crusts and fresh toppings. When ordering pizza, I always get the largest size, because left-over pizza is so good reheated in the toaster oven.

But fresh leftover pizza must be warmed up to taste good. The only kind of pizza I like cold is my favorite frozen pizza, Totino's. So since I had to go to school today, rather than reheating my left-over Alberto's, I baked a Totino's this morning and dumped it in my school bag. It was perfect right before ballet class.

Food Schizophrenic - an introduction

I am a food schizophrenic. That means I can't decide what kind of eater I am. I love junk and processed food as much as I love fresh and gourmet. I'm from California, so my home state is the best way to describe my cooking - a little of everything, and focusing on what is in season and available (especially since I shop at the Soviet Safeway - those of you living in the district should know which one I am referring to).

This blog will mostly be about food: my original recipes, cooking tips, restaurant recommendations, and junk food obsessions. You'll likely also find some ramblings about other aspects of my life as well.

Ha, I bet you thought this would be another scandalous Hill blog, didn't you? Sorry, I am too domestic for that. :)