Onigiri what?!

Feeding my pet Panda an onigiri from Cream Pan!

I was introduced to onigiris on our trip to Japan back in 2008 when we took a family trip to visit my brother since he was stationed there for the Navy.  When he picked us up from the airport he had a bunch of onigiris waiting for us to snack on, but he probably got them because he was hungry himself.  This morning I visited the Japanese Bakery, Cream Pan in Tustin.  I bought two salmon onigiris and a pork cutlet sammich--a staple throughout our whole trip.  As I was reversing from my parking spot in the Cream Pan parking lot, I feasted upon the first onigiri and savored it like it was my last meal.  I have another one for lunch, but it's taking A LOT of will power to save it until then (another 2 hours).  My little onigiri is just staring at me... saying, "Eat me! Eat me!"  So before I nom nom nom on it, I decided to write my ode to onigiris---

An onigiri is a Japanese rice ball that can be found at most convenience stores.  My favorite--Seven and I Holdings which is the parent company of 7-Eleven.  Didn't know that?  You learned something new today! :o)  Well this 7-Eleven type convenient store is completely amazing compared to the 7-Elevens here in the States.  It's like a mini mart of goodies that are actually delicious and cheap.  I don't think I've been in a 7-Eleven here in the States for like years.  And if I go into a 7-Eleven here, it's just for their Slurpees.  As much of an "adventure" eater I am, I don't have any desire to eat a hot dog from here.  However in Japan, their convenient store is full of cheap Japanese street food right at your finger tips.  So from that first day in Japan, my heart belonged to the onigiris.  

On our flight home from Japan with my last Japanese Onigiri!

There are various onigiris but the base of this snack is simple--rice wrapped in nori or seaweed.  My favorite kind of onigiri is the salmon kind.  Bits of salmon is mixed in the shoyu/soy sauce rice and provides a good basis for a quick snack. Other kinds of onigiris are filled with tuna w/ mayonnaise (The Japanese love their mayo!), pickled plum and other stuff I don't know of.  Onigiris are commonly shaped into either fat triangles or ovals.  It's often wrapped in plastic and easily portable, hence me devouring it in my car as I backed out of the Cream Pan parking space.  Onigiris are similar to sushi but I don't think they consider it the same.  I think the rice is different and I don't remember seeing onigiris with any raw fish in it but I could be wrong since I mostly just ate the salmon and tuna ones.  It's also very similar to Spam Musubi which is a Hawaiian staple consisting of a slice of spam (you are NOT my friend if you don't like Spam haha jay kay), sticky rice and wrapped in nori/seaweed.  Spam Musubi is found in all ABC Stores in Hawaii but not in any ABC Stores in Las Vegas.  I learned that the hard way.  Enter Jenny's sad face here. 

Back to onigiris, there's also a whole art form of creating onigiris into fun shapes for bento boxes,  Check out http://www.yumyumbento.com/.   My good college buddy Justin gave me the book Yum Yum Bento Box so I can make cute rice balls into shapes such as pandas (my favorite), hearts, penguins, etc.  It is such a cute book and you should all go to the book store and browse through it then buy it and make your own onigiris.  :o)

Pork Cutlet Sammich from Cream Pan

Happy nom nom nom-ing!

P.S. Pork cutlet sammiches---buy them, eat them, wipe your drool off with a napkin.  If you're in town, I know you can get them at Cream Pan and at the Mitsuwa Japanese Market Costa Mesa.  I really hope the Mitsuwa in Irvine starts to carry them too.  Please share if you know additional places around here where I can get these magical delights.

My New Thang

Remember that July post about baking cookies?  Well I'm really getting into the whole baking thing and decided EVERYONE is getting cookies for their birthday and Christmas/Hanukkah/Ramadan/Winter gifts.  I love them.  They're tasty (well except for the first time I made chocolate sugar cookies, those were nasty.  But big thanks to Kelley for sharing her brownie sugar cookie recipe!!!) and pretty!  I love giving cookies because I'm able to personalize them with different shapes, colors and flavors.  It also is something different to give as opposed to the gift card or socks you would normally give to someone.  Don't get me wrong, I love giving and receiving gift cards and socks too!!! :)  Below are some pictures of my creations I've made in the last month or so.  

I've watched a number of YouTube videos and tutorials on baking cookies and flooding royal icing.  I've also pinned a bunch on this topic on my Pinterest.  Thank goodness for the world wide web!  Without it I'd probably still be attempting to bake from the pre-made dough stuff that usually ends up crispy and burnt.  Ha!

Rama's Birthday Cookie Bouquet in a beautiful glass vase

Patiently waiting for royal icing to dry!

Celebrating my dance teacher's bday in class!

My dance teacher's reaction to her gift.  :)

Closeup of Judy's cookie bouquet w/ stars, tutus, hearts and pointe shoes! The tutus and pointe shoes were all cut out by hand!

Some treats for friends to celebrate new parenthood.

The Bucket Lists of Fried Chicken & Waffles

Do you sense Katherine's excitement?!

Sunday we were able to check off items from two of my friends' bucket lists--On Karla and Katherine's (pictured left) bucket lists were visits to the famous Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.  The original location is housed in Hollywood, however we visited the Long Beach location for dinner.  What is with the craze of chicken and waffles?  Well for one thing, who doesn't love fried chicken?  And for another thing, who doesn't love waffles?  Put them together and it's like the yin and the yang, the peanut butter and the jelly, the Brad and the Angelina, the vodka and the olives.  Okay, you get the point.  :)  

Those who have never experienced the combination often ask, "How do you eat this?  What do you do?"  And I tell them, "Do whatever you want."  To me there is not right or wrong way to eat fried chicken and waffles.  Any way you eat it, you will enjoy the marriage between the sweet and salty.  What are some ways you eat chicken and waffles?  Here are my top 5 ways to devour the special dish:

#2 SCOE’S

1/4 Chix with gravy & onions, 2 waffles.

Also my sweet potato pie & mac n cheese.

1. Pick up the chicken with fingers and chomp through the crispy yet moist meat.  Then after drenching waffle with syrup and whipped butter, use fork and knife to slice a bite of the soft and sweet waffle.

2. Use fork and knife to cut piece of chicken and then use fork and knife to cut piece of waffle.  Dip in syrup and stuff in mouth.


3. Eat chicken separately from the waffle.  I won't judge but can't promise others won't either.

4. Shred the chicken and place over buttered waffles.  Pour syrup all over and enjoy being in heaven.

5. Order a salad.  Wait, don't order a salad here.  Once I did that in addition to my chicken and waffles because I felt I needed to eat some veggies.   Just eat some veggies the next day.  You'll feel the same.

Chicken & Chili Cheese Waffles

Speaking of additional items to order there, Rama and her hubby ordered the chicken and chili cheese fries which was new on the menu.  I happen to sit in between these two love birds and it was a great place to be--within easy reach of this dish.  It was really good!  I also ordered a side of mac n cheese which was better tasting than when I got it a couple of years ago.  It was cheesy and gooey and I pretty much licked the bowl when I was done.  I also ordered a slice of sweet potato pie.  Here's my story with SPP:

My good college friend, Christy (Hi, Christy!) spent Thanksgiving with my family and me one year and of course what pie do you serve on Thanksgiving??  Pumpkin pie!  Well and apple pie.  Oh and pecan pie.  But mainly pumpkin, right?  I love that stuff.  Well, Christy had never tasted Pumpkin Pie before but thought, "Why not?  It looks just like Sweet Potato Pie.  My dad makes the best sweet potato pie and I love it!"  Well she took a bite out of the pumpkin and pretty much threw up in her mouth.  I don't think she has taken a bite of pumpkin pie since then.  (Have you, Christy?)

What's funny is that I passed the SPP around the table to let people taste it and they all thought it tasted just like pumpkin pie!  Nonetheless the pie was good.  Not too sweet which is how I like it. I could have used some whipped cream though.  I didn't finish it because I was stuffed from eating my chicken and waffles/mac n cheese/chicken and chili cheese fries/two iced teas meal.  Hm, I haven't seen it in the fridge either?  I wonder where it went...???

Tasty Torture Tour, Part III

Slowly, I'm catching up with my posts that should have been done weeks ago... Sorry!

Wine Tasting in Temecula

Cinnamon Bun (the size of my head and my head is big!)

Part III of the the Tasty Torture Tour brings us to Temecula, CA.  A beautiful area out in the Riverside County area of Southern California.  Though it is very hot, it is very pretty this time of the year.  See, it's a wine country out there with a bunch of wineries along their main road.  Saturday we spent the day on a wine tour, our second one this year, with my friends from work.  The tour was by Lux Limo which provided us a party bus with what they called a vertical hand rail.  I did not need to use the vertical hand rail but that was a nice touch.  haha!

Heart Attack on a plate aka Monte Cristo

We went to three wineries--Miramonte Winery, Bel Vino, and another one I can't remember the name.  My favorite was Miramonte.  Their wines were aromatic and easy-drinking.  I've had better at other wineries in Temecula (Hart Winery is the best!!!), but compared to the other wineries we went to this day Miramonte was overall most enjoyable.  Bel Vino's wines were the nastiest.  Every thing I tried was so sour!  Yuck.  And the last winery was just okay.  The best thing about it was that us girls bought matching hats even though I resisted in the beginning.  I do like the hat.

Corned Beef Hash

Husband and I were able to stay the night there and have breakfast the next morning with Uncle Bruce and Aunt Pat who was there for a wedding at another winery in town.  Using the all-trusting-all-knowing Yelp.com, we decided on trying out a local cafe called Penfold's Bakery and Cafe.  It was really cute inside with nostalgic trinkets and nick-knacks every where.  Although the decor was very cute, it also makes me very nervous that no one has ever taken the time to dust the ones that are up high on the shelves.  Oh well.  

Omelet w/ Avocado

I chose to try their corned beef hash with over easy eggs.  It came with a side of biscuit and gravy.  Tim immediately saw they had cinnamon buns so he opted to get that to share and he also got the heart clenching Monte Cristo.  A ham and turkey sammich but instead of bread they use french toast... then deep fried.  Who needs to go the county fair when you can all this friend sammich at Penfold's??  The MC was not my cup of tea.  French toast is too eggy and sweet for me.  I'm weird... I know.  UB ordered an omelet with a side of avocados.  

Cinnamon Roll French Toast

Sidenote: Sometimes I forget how lucky we are in So Cal to have an abundance of ripe and creamy avocados on hand.  I love that green stuff.  

  AP ordered the cinnamon roll french toast which looked good!  But UB said it was just okay.  No one finished their meals... probably for the better.  haha!  We took our leftovers home to enjoy for dinner later that evening.  We were so stuffed from this breakfast as you can imagine, but it was a good way to end the Tasty Torture Tour with UB and AP. 

Tasty Tourture Tour, Part II

Next stop on the Tasty Torture Tour…the infamous Hans Ice Cream!  There aren’t many homemade ice cream shops anymore these days.  Every where you look there’s some kind of froyo joint or a Coldstones or better yet a RiteAid that sells the good ole Thrifty’s ice cream.  Remember that stuff?  I remember when a scoop of Thrifty’s ice cream was 25 cents… Oh, memories.  

Auntie Pat and Uncle Bruce enjoying their drumstick, Tim's blick ice cream in a waffle cone and my mint munchie!!!

Inside my Mint Munchie

Well the husband introduced me to Hans Ice Cream early on in our dating years and we have been taking our out of towner guests to also enjoy this magical place.  Although I am sensitive to dairy, I toughen up for their homemade ice cream goodness.  And trust me I don’t toughen up for just anything.  Ok well also maybe for Thrifty’s ice cream… okay and Yogurtland…  Anyway, once upon a time my husband tasted black licorice ice cream up in the northwest somewhere (WHAT?! You ask?! Yes… black licorice) and since then he’s been hooked.  Once he moved down to So Cal he was on a mission to find somewhere that served black licorice ice cream.  Little did he know just across the street from where he lived was a small mom and pops ice cream shop called, Hans that served… BLACK LICORICE (Blick for short according to him).  I had a lick or two and I can tell you this… It’s not that bad!  I always think it tastes like pralines and cream ice cream, but I’m weird so why listen to me?  Everyone else we make try it does not agree with me but nevertheless they are completely satisfied walking out of this heavenly shop of ice creamy goodness.

Black Licorice Ice Cream

So here we are so full of Sabatino’s Italian foods and I insist on topping this night with some dessert that they will not regret.  I’ve tried only a few things there—the chocolate covered banana, ice cream sammiches, and the mint munchies.  All these items are handmade and homemade, presented in their lovely frozen display case.  These are the first things you see as you enter Hans and that’s probably why I never get their scooped ice cream because I’ve already made up my mind on getting something out of the display case, plus they have so many ice cream flavors to choose from I get overwhelmed easily.  Tonight was no exception, I walked in and immediately chose the mint munchies which is their homemade mint chocolate ice cream smooshed between two thing and crisp cookies which I think are a ginger snap type.  Love this treat on a stick because I get ice, cookies and chocolate in one!  Uncle Bruce and Aunt Pat shared a drumstick after finding out their ice cream flavor of choice was not being offered (sorry about that!).  It was so good, Uncle Bruce said now when he eats drumsticks, he’s going to compare them to the ones at Hans and he doesn’t think any of them will ever be just as good.  That’s a good thing!  Tim of course got his fav—Blick ice cream in a waffle cone.  And we all know how he feels about that.  If you have tried Hans yet go now!  It’s the best!  And you know what makes it even more awesomer?  Hans is across the street from South Coast Plaza!  So go ahead… spend a shopping day at the mall and then treat yourself to some homemade ice cream at Hans!  Ok… enough talking about ice cream, I’m going to buy some Lactaids now.

Tasty Torture Tour, Part I

I starting writing this post a long time ago, but due to some unforeseen events I was delayed in blogging.  Sorry!

July 13, 2012

What a treat this weekend.  Tim and I have been gnawing on rabbit food (aka salads) for four days to prepare our bodies for what we named the “Tasty Torture Tour.”  Aunt Pat and Uncle Bruce were in town for a family wedding this weekend.  They stayed one night in OC so we can take them to dinner and hang out, then they spent the rest of their time in Temecula.  Guess who was also going to Temecula for the weekend?!  UUUUUSSSS!!!  But you probably already knew that though from my previous Wine+Food=Happiness blog.  

Let’s back up a little.  Friday night we picked up AP/UB from their hotel and drove them to Newport Beach.  We had 7 pm dinner reservations at Sabatino’s-Lido Shipyard Sausage Company.  Tim and I hadn’t been there in a while and we thought it would enjoyable by our two guests.  Sabatino’s is known for their sausages.  And boy was their sausage enjoyed by us!  They blend is with some kind of goat cheese which keeps the meat really moist and flavorful.  We shared the sausage appetizer plate that came out on a sizzling platter with sliced onions and bell peppers next to it.  It was devoured!  Apparently the sausage is also low-fat, so score for us!

The server then brought our complimentary Stracciatella Soup (Italian Wedding Soup) for all of us.  It had a large chunk of their Italian sausage in it as well that was marrying all the ingredients together in the broth.  It reminded me of a Chinese soup my parents make with the thin strands of egg and a green leafy vegetable similar to the spinach in the Stracciatella.  So good!

After munching on our sizzling sausage plate, soup and bread, trying to pace ourselves along the way, our entrees arrive.  Earlier that day Tim and I had talked about sharing a pizza, but I didn’t feel like having that once I got there.  Feeling in the mood for seafood since we were next to the beach, I ordered the Scampi Dello Chef-delectable fresh shrimp sautéed in garlic, white wine, butter and fresh herbs laced with a touch of lemon.  On the side were a few pieces of penne and their marinara which was almost unnecessary since the shrimp was so deliciously satisfying.  Tim got his pizza—thin crust “Eyer combination” with sausage, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, bell peppers and garlic.  He said it didn’t taste like how he remembered it, but then again we haven’t gone to Sabatino’s in over a year so the recipe probably had changed.  It was tasty, but I think I would have been just as happy as going to Pieology.  However, for breakfast the next morning the leftover pie was turned into a breakfast pizza topped with a fried egg and I must admit the pizza tasted better than it did the night before!

Aunt Pat and Uncle Bruce’s plates looked amazing too.  When we first walked into the restaurant, Uncle Bruce laid his eyes on the glass case that housed their homemade sausage and other items you can order to take home.  It was like this: Uncle Bruce + Stuffed Pepper = love at first site!  Just like when Uncle Bruce saw Aunt Pat for the first time in high school many moons ago back when 25 cents got him a burger, fries and a coke at the local diner.  No use looking at the menu for Uncle Bruce, the stuffed pepper was all that he wanted.  Aunt Pat decided on the cannelloni alfredo that was also drizzled with their marinara.  Both dishes looked rich and creamy and if I wasn’t scarfing down my shrimp I would have had a bite of theirs.  I trusted their taste though as they loved their dishes too and now I know what I’m going to get the next time we go here.  I definitely want to get their stuffed bell pepper—baked to perfection with sausage and creamy risotto nestled inside.  It was huge!  AP and UB resisted the temptation to finish off their plates and saved half of both dishes for the next day.  I think they would have exploded like that blueberry/gum-chewing girl on Willy Wonka if they finished their dish, there was so much food!  We almost got suckered into getting dessert until I had a weird urge for ice cream.  Why weird you ask?  I’m not the biggest dessert fan but really felt ice cream would be the perfect touch for the end of this dinner.  And do you know where they have the best homemade ice cream in Orange County?  Hans Ice Cream in Costa Mesa!  Yup, this tasty torture tour continued to Hans for some sweet treats!  To be continued...

Pasta & Pole Vaulters

I was g-chatting with my brother earlier this morning about my blog and how far behind I was in writing new posts.  Then I suggested that he be my first guest blogger on here!!!  Here's his post on homemade Pasta in a Mussel Saffron Ragout.  Sadly I didn't try it because he's stationed right now in the UK, but from the looks and sounds of it, it was amaaaaazing! 

Pasta in a Mussel Saffron Ragout 

by Lt. Kenneth D. Jew

Reporting from Harrogate, United Kingdom

Well hello everyone!  As suggested by my baby sis, I am writing my first blog entry based on my cuisine experience in merry ole England.  Do the English get a bad rap when it comes to food?  Yep.  Can’t blame them.  The landscape makes it difficult to grow fresh veggies and the lamb/sheep dominate the meat-scape.  Fresh fish? Don’t have that either unless you are one of the few braving the cold weather along the rugged coastline.

Yet the UK does provide some delicacies in all food categories.  Scottish mussels for example are fantastic!  So I’ve taken this ingredient and tried to come up with a pasta dish a true Italian can be proud of.  First, stopping by the local Waitrose store, I picked up some tomatoes, garlic and onions grown out of France.  Other random items I bought include a 5oz can of tomato paste and veal stock.   Grabbed some basil (from unknown region) and some saffron strands (very expensive mind you but changes delicious to heavenly).  Along the pasta isle, I picked up some Italian made pasta (it said on the package it was made in Italy) and a bottle of red wine from Spain.

 

[Watching the Olympics right now and female pole vaulters are hot!]

First, the simple sauce!  I started out by browning chopped onions in a pan over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil.  In a little bit of hot water, I added several saffron strands and set aside.  In the pan I then added chopped garlic and roughly chopped tomatoes.  After the tomatoes became soft, I added the stock, saffron soaked water, tomato paste and red wine with a bit of salt, pepper and sugar to taste, bringing the sauce to a boil.  I then reduced the heat, bringing the sauce to a simmer and partially covered for 45 mins.  While the sauce was simmering, I started prepping the mussels.  Had to ensure all the beards were scrubbed off and no open shells.  During this time, I added the Italian pasta to a pot of salted water.

[Close up at one of the Polish female pole vaulters revealed a big cold sore on her upper lip.]

At around the 40 min mark, I added the mussels to the sauce (the saffron aroma was mesmerizing) and cooked for about 8 mins.  Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and added to the sauce with chopped basil.

After plating, I liberally sprinkled shaved parmesan cheese and dried parsley.  Voilà!  Pasta in a Mussel Saffron ragout.  I ate the whole thing in two meal settings…yes I did.

Ahhh!!!

So much has happened since my last post in July and I apologize I have been such a slacker on this.  Blogger fail here!  I promise I will work on catching up this week on all my food adventures that has occurred in the last few weeks.  I have a lot!  Including our "Tasty Torture Tour" with Tim's aunt and uncle, Vegas, and birthday feasts.  Catching up on all this is a MUST because in just 21 days we leave for the UK to see my brother and anytime my brother's involved... there's lots of good foods to be eaten.  So lots to look forward to and again, I'm sorry for breaking the cardinal blogging rule of not blogging on the blogger blog.  Blog Blog Blog.  Hahahaha!  Happy cooking & eating!