November 29, 2009
Care package from Houston!
When my sister came to visit us for thanksgiving, I had asked her to bring some dry food (mostly ramen) and seasoning aids that I could not find as easily here.
Here is the picture of what she had brought for me. Various assortments of the tung-i brand of ramen noodles (I've got to taper off on the consumption of these noodles!), anise seeds (for spicing up beef stews and other stewed goods with soy sauce base, dried noodles, and pork sungs (dried pork meat, you usually eat it with rice gruel, picked cucumbers and some tofu in the morning....assuming that you do have the luxury of a sit-down breakfast in the morning!)
My next entry will be what I've managed to learn from my sister in terms of some simple, home cooked dishes! I'm learning that it's simply not enough to love to eat and not know much about how to cook what you love to eat, so with her help, I'm stepping up! Besides, this growing baby inside should grow up not only knowing American food!
Thanksgiving 09'
My sister came to visit us for this thanksgiving. We didn't cook a turkey since she's severely allergic to cats and couldn't really stay in the house for too long, so instead, we went for brunch at the Ritz-Carlton at Tyson's Corner, Va. It's an area full of high-end stores and many of the big government agencies have annexes there. It was the most expensive food that all of us had ever had, but you only live once, right?
The picture above were a sampling of the desert spread, complete with miniature pecan pie, creme brulee, a piece of gourmet chocolate, and chocolate cupcake. I consumed more seasonal fruites, like strawberries, blueberries, as well as sides such as mashed potatoes (pretty darn good tasting, and the texture was just right!), steamed buns (they included some Asian theme with steamed buns, and sushi, which were not all that good, according to my sister.)
We ate until we were almost about to get sick, and basically refrained from eating for the rest of the day! Thanks sis! For such a great thanksgiving treat!
November 19, 2009
A bit of an variation
I'm not having any morning sickness yet, but I've been told that they'll be coming. What are the chances, then, of me not having any?
So here's to 8 months of not eating cold cuts, no beer, no cigarettes, and no hotdogs! (That one hurts the most!)
Stay tuned as I, um, we, explore more food!
October 11, 2009
Simple dinner
Every once in a while we just like food with minimal seasoning and very simple to make but are still good and substantial to eat.
September 9, 2009
Blogging here has been temporarily interrupted due to the death of my beloved grandfather. He passed away on the afternoon of August 25th. I had to travel to Houston, where he was residing, to be with family members and be there to see him being laid to rest next to my grandmother, who had passed away 3 years earlier.
During the bereavement trip I did not take too many photos of the food that we had eaten, but I will organize and display them when I resume blogging this weekend.
In the meanwhile, be nice to your elders, no matter how crabby you might think they are. Also share some good food with them!
August 23, 2009
The Eritrean experience
On this past Wednesday, my GF and I drove to Arlington, Va. and met up with a friend of ours at the Enjera Eritrean Restaurant. Some may beg to differ, but to me, Eritrean food has the exact ingredient as Ethiopian food, down to the seasoning. One of my friend's friends went ahead and ordered for us, with 3 meat combination (chicken, lamb, some stewed cabbage, goat cheese chunks, collard greens,a small side salad, and two grain stews of lentil and some kind of bean stew) and for my friend, a vegetarian plate. (She "converted" to vegetarianism back in February... I'm sure that it's a lot healthier for you but, still.)
Above is a picture of the plate that I had... with all the ingredients sitting on a sheet of flatbread.
Miller Lite was the drink of choice, I never really realized how watery that beer is.
The food was pretty good tasting, and it kept me full for a while. The GF didn't really eat hers, since she's not all that food adventurous and so we made a doggie bag of her plate. It ended up being my brunch the next day.
August 16, 2009
Grocery stores
The best kind of grocery stores to me are not necessarily chain grocery stores like the Safeways or Giants, and not even the Whole Foods or the Harris Teeters (I don't know if they're just a Virginia thing). Even though these stores are very convenient, and some of them even have somewhat of an appropriate ethnic foods section, my preferred kind of grocery shopping would actually be like this...
1. A farmer's market for vegetables and fruits. Back in the day, my grandma and I would always visit these open-air markets everyday or every other day to get the necessary food for the day. Refrigeration was only used for storing dairy products or meats. I think this is also very similar to the Europeans and how they shop for groceries, they never get more than what they need for the day.
2. Meat would be purchased at a local butcher's shop. That would be great except I'm really clueless as to what cuts of meats are used for what specific dishes, but I'm getting there!
3. Fishes and other types of seafood would be purchased from fish markets, think Pike's Place Market in Seattle. Unfortunately, I don't live anywhere near Seattle, but if I did, I think I'd be eating a lot more fishes!
4. A dry goods store for grains and other dry foods and spices. These stores would usually sell in some kind of a bulk volume, and eliminate the need for fancy packaging. This kind of shopping you will do maybe once or twice a month.
Don't get me wrong, you should see how my face lights up every time that I go to a good, well-lit, clean, and air-conditioned grocery store! As much as I can be a food snob, I'm not sure if I've entirely converted to the concept of ultra-healthy, no-gluten, wheat-free, and organic food. (Sorry Whole Foods, I love you but I don't believe in you!) I think there are better ways to deprive yourself. There is a distinct difference between eating fresher produce and produce that has been sitting in some packaging for days if not weeks on end. Therefore, if we had the time and the resources, I'd definitely shop for groceries the Asian and European way!
August 12, 2009
Soul food
Just to let you know, I'm a big fan of soul food, and the more home-made, the better! Tanya's fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, and corn on the cob were ggrreeaatt! So great that I am thinking about asking her to adopt me!
Almost all of the food featured is gone, except for some mac and cheese that I'll bring for lunch, or eat for breakfast tomorrow! My boss will not be there tomorrow, extra happiness points!
August 11, 2009
Dinner
Filet Mignon purchased from this traveling pre-packaged meat salesman. He sold us a sampler of steaks and burger meats, all packed in airtight sealed bags. It was sauteed with some olive oil and salt and pepper and then baked in the over at 375 degrees for about 14 minutes. A croissant from the Pillsbury Doughboy. And a stir fry of mung bean sprouts and zucchinis that we purchased from H Mart, seasoned with Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt. The meat was placed in the oven with the baking croissants for about 12 minutes, and came out in a medium-rare texture.
I know that it's a weird combination for dinner, but it sure worked! The whole meal took no more than 20 some odd minutes to cook, tasted good, and a comfortably full feeling was had by all!
P.S. The GF, who is not by any means a vegetable eater, opted to have the steak and three wedges of croissant instead.
August 10, 2009
My favorites
August 9, 2009
Tonight's dinner...
Groceries
This is H Mart, a chain Korean grocery store in the Northern Virginia area. We had the pleasure of getting some of our groceries from that store earlier this afternoon. The store has not only a large selection of produce that us Asians like to eat, but it's also got a good frozen and meat section which caters to other minority groups and their eating habits.
The top picture was a snapshot of what we had purchased... you can probably make out the two bags of frozen dumplings, followed by an assortment of greens (Japanese cucumbers, squash, spinach, etc.) fruits (apples, plums, peaches, and these giant green seedless grapes) one container of Korean sweet and spicy ricecakes, and side dishes which include seaweed salad and kimchee vegetables.
While I've always enjoyed shopping at H Mart, I still have a special place in my heart for a good Chinese grocery store. Unfortunately, the one local chain Chinese grocery store's products just don't compare to that of H Mart's.
As a lover of all food, I've been eating a surprisingly little amount of fruits and vegetables. (My grandma in heaven would agree!) The primary reason for that is simply my laziness. Most of the vegetables which us Asians like to eat (bok choys, etc.), are best either steamed (I lack the proper material to do so) stir-fried, or braised in some yummy sauce. I hope to be able to at least do some quick stir-frying in the evening to these beautiful vegetables!
Sunday breakfast
What was not pictured here was a cup of coffee from Meth Coffee that I had ordered online.
The pancakes were made with Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix. Two slices of Smithfield bacon.
One supermarket brand egg that I had fried in bacon grease (as bad for you as it sounds, it actually enhances the egg's flavor and if you don't eat it all the time, it won't kill you!)
Last but not least, one link of bratwurst (with cheddar cheese in the middle) from Johnsonville.
Even though the presentation of the food items was nowhere near professional, it is the taste that counts. The Pioneer baking mix usually yields the fluffiest pancakes and biscuits, and unfortunately, it seems like you can only purchase that brand in the South.
The reason why I had added the bratwurst in the mix was that I've been on a bratwurst (cheesy ones) kick lately. These brats were purchased for an upcoming cook out in my backyard, but somehow it got delayed and someone had to eat them, right?
Hope your Sunday breakfast have been as good as mine!