classy meets trashy!

for my hubby’s birthday i made a surf and turf combo and then added some tater tots to trash it down!  i decided to go for all of his favorites in one meal which included the delightful crunchy nuggets of potato instead of making a classy twice baked or garlic mash.  this amazing and easy meal is a great way to celebrate!

filet mignon:

sear on both sides with montreal steak seasoning and cook until medium (which is the correct doneness for filet)

salmon:

mayo, salt, pepper and brown sugar the top of fish and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until flaky (cheese is optional)

asparagus:

toss with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion slices and roast at the same temp as the tater tots until tender

tater tots:

follow the package directions, usually 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes

sauteed onions:

saute on medium with salt, pepper, and soy sauce until carmelized

let’s eat!  🙂

souper ox tail!

 

homemade ox tail soup

 

one of the most delicious and comforting things to eat is ox tail soup- korean style. its’ simple yet perfect broth is so inviting and is for sure- slurp worthy. i grew up enjoying this soup without much of a thought but now know it takes a lot of forethought. it is a 6-8 hour process that you can do in one day or split into two. it’s time consuming but worth it, so here is how to do it!

ingredients:
ox tails (found in asian markets)
water
green onions/scallions (chopped into small rings)
salt
pepper
cellophane noodles (optional for you, mandatory for me!)

THAT’S IT!

instructions:
1. rinse ox tails
2. put in soup pot and cover with cold water
3. put on stove top on low and let simmer for 6-8 hours. (if the blood starts to congeal because the heat is too high, either skim it off or dump everything out, rinse the ox tails and start over. if you cook it long enough the second time, the broth is still flavorful enough. trust me,  i speak from experience!)
3. cool down overnight in fridge
4. skim off the congealed fat then reheat the soup and then serve with a sprinkling of green onions or scallions, white rice, kimchee and noodles!

let’s eat y’all!

olive garden never ending pasta bowl!

hey everyone!

sorry for the long hiatus in blogs, a lot has happened in the past month or so.  i moved back to washington, started a new job, finished planning my wedding and found an apartment!!

i certainly haven’t stopped eating in all this time but i have been slacking on the blogging.  i apologize!

as you well know, i am the carb queen and what is the best form of carbs?!  PASTA.  what is better then pasta?!  all you can eat pasta.  enter olive garden’s never ending pasta bowl, which is a promotional they have a couple times a year.  i literally live for these times of year and am always excited to eat until i’m in a coma.

i went with a girlfriend last night and we enjoyed some new sauces and some tried and true favorites.  they have added chianti meatsauce and portabello mushroom parmesan, of which, the latter was not that good.  it had a crumbly breadcrumb topping that distracted me from the chewiness/al dente of the noodles that i did not enjoy.  the chianti meatsauce was delish and spicy and it was great to dip my breadsticks in.

we finished with a couple of mini desserts and they were perfect, especially the limoncello vanilla cookie dolcini.  it was bright and refreshing and left me wanting more despite being explodingly full.  i highly recommend the never ending pasta bowl, even if you do not have a bottomless pit of a stomach like me.  it’s just under $10 bucks, which is cheaper then any entree on the menu, and you have the freedom to try any of the sauces on the list.  you can also opt to do half and half on your first plate so you can try 2 dishes on your first round.  not to mention all you can eat salad or soup and breadsticks.

great night!

dick’s!!!

As much as I miss foods in Southern California, I am elated to be reunited with Dick’s!!!!  Now before you say, “That’s what s/he said!” get your head out of the gutter.  I’m raving about Dick’s the drive-in hamburger joint!  The thick slices of cheese, the buttered buns and the perfect bun to meat ratio!!  (I like more carbs then meat in a burger! Surprise!)  I’ve never tried anything but the chocolate shake to drink because it’s heavenly.  *drool*  The thick chocolatey goodness is made from real scoops of ice cream and is barely drinkable through a straw until it melts a little bit.  I’d been dreaming about Dick’s since I drove into Washington and am pleased to say I’ve been satiated!  Thanks to my roommate/wifey whom devoured Dick’s with me this past weekend, I am good for a while.  Or at least until the next craving hits!

Let’s eat!

saying goodbye to the OC

hello all!  the countdown has begun…. less then a week left here in the oc.  i am trying to squeeze in all my favorite restaurants before i go without breaking the bank and my pants!  🙂

this weekend i went to the boiling crab with my most faithful oc eating buddy and we had king crab legs, red potatoes, corn and cajun fries.  it was well worth our 35 minute wait (that’s a record!) so that we could enjoy our succulent crustacean and our amazing starchy sides!  we definitely killed a few trees as we plowed through most of a roll of paper towels.  it had to be done!  our hands were dripping with the awesome ‘whole sha-bang’ sauce because we weren’t shy and grabbed our food with gusto!  no dainty eaters here!

after our meal, we went to walk around a vietnamese grocery store with a dim sum restaurant inside.  we browsed through all the weird produce, seafood and snack aisles before grabbing buns to go. 

i’m sorely going to miss the oc and all the wonderful eats i’ve gotten to experience.  alas!  seattle is no slacker when it comes to cuisine and i look forward to going to familiar and unfamiliar haunts.

let’s eat!  🙂

jen noodles

the most tragic thing happened this sunny sunday afternoon.  i. ran. out. of. neng myun. noodles!!!  the fix?  i made soba noodles instead!  here’s the recipe for if you are having a noodle emergency someday.  🙂

ingredients for 2:

soba noodles (3-4 bundles)

cukes ( half on english)

kimchee (half cup to a cup)

fried egg (2-4)

sesame seeds (few sprinkles)

sauce:

tsp sriracha

3 tbs sesame oil

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

garlic (optional)

directions:

boil soba noodles with some salt added to water for 6-7 minutes, then rinse in cold water a couple times to chill

cut the cuke into shoestrings and use kitchen sheers to slice up kimchee

mix up the sauce

fry an egg or 2 per person

put drained noodles in bowl, add in the veggie mix, spoon in some sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and lay fried egg(s) on top

mix well and enjoy!

this was the perfect spring/summer meal.  refreshing, light and delightful!

let’s eat!

not your mama’s chicken soup!

yay!  it’s lunch time and guess what i’m having?!  i’m really into cheap and easy right now so it’s canned soup.  i’m not too fond of canned soups but some are not that bad.  campbell’s select harvest chicken with egg noodle is pretty good and it can be made delicious by adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a couple sprinkles of red pepper flakes. 

this is a recent discovery for me due to a trip to souplantation.  one of the workers there asked if i like spicy food and told me to try his recipe.  i am overjoyed that i did because any boring chicken soup (homemade or canned) can be transformed into something new and delicious.  it’s definitely a fave for now…. until i find my next one!

oh! i think carrying red chili flakes in your purse might be a great idea.  it makes everything better!

let’s eat!

hawaiian me crazy!

hey y’all!  sorry it’s been a little while….  i had the worst thing a food lover could get…. the stomach flu!  it was awful, i couldn’t eat anything and even the smell or thought of food made me sicker!  bleh!  thank god that is over!

i was reminiscing about some of my fave eats and spam musubi is definitely one of them.  can you believe that i hadn’t had spam until i was in my late 20s?  what kind of korean am i?!  i was depraved until i met kristie lai, a seattle-ite that haled from hawaii.  she introduced me to hawaiian local delicacies and now they are among my favorite foods. 

there is a musubi press but for the convenience factor, i just make them by hand.  i like to fry mine in a mix of teriyaki sauce and sriracha to get a tasty, spicier version.  then add kimchee and furikake and it’s pure bliss!

for those of you that have never had spam or didn’t like it, try spam musubi, it might change your mind.  🙂

let’s eat!

easy breakfast burrito

i ALWAYS eat breakfast!  not only because it’s good for the body and soul but because it means i won’t be a raging lunatic!  i have a tendency to turn into an ugly, ginormous, angry, green thing when i’m starving.  it’s uncanny how much the hulk and i resemble each other when i’m calorie deprived.

one of my favorite easy and fast breakfasts is the breakfast burrito.  it is so simple but it makes me unbelievably happy.  🙂  it takes less then 5 minutes to make, it’s healthy and it keeps you full for a few hours! (esp, if you have 2!)

ingredients:

one scrambled egg (right in the pan, keeps the dish count low!)

tbs shredded cheese (cheddar is best)

tbs or two of any chunky salsa (chunky medium pace is my fave)

half a small avocado

flour tortilla

instructions:

while the egg cooks, cut up half the avo into slices

microwave the tortilla for 25-30 seconds to soften and make chewy

put scrambled egg in center of tortilla, add cheese, then salsa, then avo

tuck in the sides and then roll up to enjoy (helps with the leakage)

let’s eat!

steak and potato fried rice

i love steak.  i love potato.  i love fried. i love rice.  makes sense that i would love steak and potato fried rice!!!  i’ve been making this one since childhood and i still love it as an adult.  hope you enjoy it as well!

ingredients:

steak (cooked in soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper)

russet potatoes finely diced

carrot finely diced

thawed frozen peas

scrambled eggs

cooked white rice

sesame seeds

instructions:

while the steak is resting, start frying potatoes and carrots in vegetable oil in frying pan, salt and pepper

once softened, add in the peas and the scrambled eggs and stir gently

put the steak and rice in pan and mix together

add sesame seeds and serve

optional:

add ketchup liberally before enjoying!

let’s eat!  🙂