Cute Bento Boxes!

I stumbled across this adorable website the other day and I wanted to share it with you all. Seeing these creations makes me want to create my own adorable bento boxed lunches (Is that ok with you, Brad? I bet no one at work would mess with your lunch if you've got a panda rice ball in it!)

The eyes of the panda and other creatures in these bento boxes are cut out of nori with a special hole puncher. Next time I'm at the asian market, I'm gonna keep my eye out for this puncher.

All photos from http://kitchencow.livejournal.com/

Brown Rice Confetti

Crock pot teriyaki beef over confetti brown rice

Trader Joes is selling a great brown rice blend that includes brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds. I cooked one cup of the rice blend with 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock. While that was in the rice cooker, I sauteed 1/2 a red onion, 1 red bell pepper, a jar of artichoke hearts, 2 cloves garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in olive oil. After the rice was cooked, I added it to the saute pan and mixed everything together. It was a confetti of rice and veggies, and it was dynamite!

Brad's Tollhouse Cookies

Brad just made half a batch of the original Nestle Toll House cookies (without the nuts). Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best, and these cookies are a reminder of that.

Here's the recipe, just in case you don't have a bag of Nestle chocolate chips to go off of.

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?id=18476

Alton Brown's Cheese Grits

Brad's mother sent us some organic white grits from McEwen & Sons a while back (see polenta recipe). When I learned that one of Brad's friends from Birmingham was coming over for dinner, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to break out the grits.

To go with the grits, I also made a chicken sausage saute with onion and bell peppers. It went perfectly with the cheesy grits, and dinner was a success.

The grits recipe is from Alton Brown, and it can be found here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/cheese-grits-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 
  
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces sharp Cheddar, shredded

Buttercake Bakery

Buttercake Bakery is a tiny (tiny!) store located on Pico Blvd in West L.A. Blink, and you'll miss it. Their storefront is so cute--a white awning displaying precious cupcakes that look just like grandma made them.

Buttercake Bakery is known for their lemon bar, but their mini cupcakes and a slice of carrot cake are also worth a try. The carrot cake had chunks of pineapple in it, which I love. Be sure to stop by if you're in the area, and give them your email address--you'll get a free mini cupcake!

Dinner Party in West L.A.

Our friends Arthur and Kelly invited us over for dinner this past weekend, and little did we know, were we in for a multi course feast. Dinner started with various Chinese appetizers, many of which I had never tasted before. These included turnip cakes, kelp with dried anchovies, morning glory salad, tofu, sticky rice, pickled bamboo, and dumplings.

Kelly also made an amazing pumpkin soup that her mother showed her how to make. It contained pumpkin, walnuts and swiss cheese, and all the flavors melded so perfectly. I need to get the recipe for this dish.

After the appetizers, we had melt in your mouth marinated pork ribs and beef, and a Chinese custard tart for dessert. Brad and I also brought some pastries from Buttercup Bakery (pics in my next post). The perfect night wrapped up with some music making. We were so lucky to have been treated to this delicious food!

Pumpkin Soup

Turnip Cakes

Morning Glory Salad

Sticky Rice wrapped in leaves

Sticky rice, unwrapped, with miso sauce

Dumplings stuffed with rice noodles

Tofu

Pickled Bamboo

Chinese Custard Tart

Skillet Tomato

Brad's mother Susan passed on this delicious skillet tomato recipe to me. I made it today for Brad, and we both loved it! The recipe comes from The Cotton Country Collection from the Junior League of Monroe, LA, submitted by Mrs. Lionel V. Swift.

After cooking the tomatoes, Susan takes the skin off the tomatoes and breaks them up with prongs into chunks. I did the same, and served it with panko chicken and a fried egg. They would be equally delicious next to a juicy steak.

Skillet Tomatoes

4 large ripe firm tomatoes

1 teaspoon butter

1 or 2 teaspoons sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon vinegar

2 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Halve tomatoes. Melt butter in a skillet and place tomatoes cut side down. Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Turn over, add seasonings, cover tightly and simmer until tender, 20 minutes or more.

Pink Himalayan Salt

Perhaps you've seen pink Himalayan salt in your local health food store aisle. It is packaged within a beautiful salt grinder as large pink crystals, or in small containers already ground up into a fine powder . It's a bit more expensive than regular sea salt, but I find you don't need as much. It's also so pretty! Pink salt--how feminine :)

Here's some background information I found about this salt online:

Beneficial Properties
Himalayan Pink Salt has a rich mineral content that includes over 84 minerals and trace elements such as: calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron. This salt is recognized for its beautiful pink color, high mineral content, and its therapeutic properties. Regular consumption of Himalayan Pink Salt provides essential minerals, trace elements, balances electrolytes, supports proper nutrient absorption, eliminates toxins, balances the body’s pH, normalizes blood pressure, and increases circulation and conductivity. It can also assist with relief from arthritis, skin rashes, psoriasis, herpes, and flu and fever symptoms.

History of Salt
Himalayan Pink Salt originally formed from marine fossil deposits over 250 million years ago during the Jurassic era. Harvested from ancient sea beds in the Himalayan foothills, this rare and extraordinary salt has been a valuable commodity for centuries. Historically, the Himalayan people used this salt to preserve their fish and meat throughout the year, and every spring they transported the salt to Nepalese valleys for trade. Heavily burdened yaks would carry the salt along narrow sloping paths, mountains, and cliffs in order to sell and exchange the salt for other commodities.
Himalayan Pink Salt is still extracted from mines by hand, according to long-standing tradition, and without the use of any mechanical devices or explosion techniques. After being hand-selected, the salt is then hand-crushed, hand-washed, and dried in the sun.

An Everyday Meal

I literally eat this dish, or some variation of it, almost every day.

Here's what I made today. It takes just minutes on the stove top and it keeps me full for most of the day. It might not be Gourmet, but it kind of reminds me of a Rachel Ray type of meal, and it's pretty healthy. It's a miracle, but I never tire of eating this, probably because I make a lot of different variations of it. Change the vegetables, the spices, the herbs, or substitute eggs in place of beef...

Ingredients:

red bell pepper

garlic (sometimes I add ginger too)

cilantro (I like to use a lot of different herbs. Parsley's a favorite too)

onion

eggplant

extra lean ground beef (sometimes I use eggs instead)

spices (I always vary the spices. Today I used coriander seed powder, salt, pepper)

Chef Ludo at Ludos Bites, Hollywood

Hey everyone! I've been busy lately, so haven't been able to blog much this week, but here's a meal I had a little while back that I thought you all would like. These dishes are the creation of Chef Ludo, and they really push the envelope.

Vanilla Panna Cotta, Caramel, Caviar

I saw chef Ludo freaking out with his pigs ear quesadillas on Top Chef Masters and instantly liked the guy. I'm glad I caught him on his "limited time only" run of Ludo Bites.

We ordered:

Pork Belly, Asian Marinade, Mustard Ice Cream, Frisee, Vadouvan: My favorite dish of the night. The pork belly was melt in your mouth, and the mustard ice cream on top of the frisee was surprisingly refreshing after all that fatty pork.

Fried Chicken in Duck Fat, Fingerling Potato, Tapenade, Red Bell Pepper Ketchup: Tasted like good fried chicken. Not my favorite dish, but the red bell pepper ketchup was a nice addition.

Black Croque-Monsieur, Ham, Cherry, Amaretto: I loved the presentation of this dish--ham sandwiched between two slabs of soot black toast with cherry sauce underneath. The toast isn't burnt--it's dyed with squid ink! It was like a piece of art and was so sinfully rich.

Vanilla Panna Cotta, Caramel, Caviar: Tiny. I mean, the size of a half dollar. The mix of salty, sweet and creamy always works. Great (tiny) dish.

Chocolate Cup Cake, Chantilly, Candied Bacon-Almonds, Maple Syrup: I'm a sucker for chocolate paired with bacon. The candied bacon-almonds sprinkled on top were chewy, like toffee. The bacon added a wonderful smokey aftertaste to the dessert.

Oh, and did I mention the complimentary bread with lavender honey butter? I never knew butter could be so addictive!

Black Croque-Monsieur, Ham, Cherry, Amaretto

Fried Chicken in Duck Fat, Fingerling Potato, Tapenade, Red Bell Pepper Ketchup

Pork Belly, Asian Marinade, Mustard Ice Cream, Frisee, Vadouvan

Chocolate Cup Cake, Chantilly, Candied Bacon-Almonds, Maple Syrup

Oven Fried Panko Chicken

Here's another great panko chicken recipe from Gourmet magazine's October 2009 issue. Do you want the taste of fried chicken but without the frying? Try this recipe! I placed the chicken on a salad of organic fresh greens and baby tomatoes.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Oven-Fried-Panko-Chicken-355470

I altered the recipe a little by using chicken breast strips instead of the whole chicken, and leaving out the cayenne but adding salt and pepper. I also didn't use as much butter as the recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 10 serving pieces (breasts cut crosswise in half)

Ginger Raisin Granola

I've been making granola recently, and I came up with this tasty version. I eyeball all the portions and season it to taste. The ginger gives it a great kick and the apple cider makes the raisins so juicy and plump.

Ingredients:

Rolled Oats

Raisins

Apple Cider

Cinnamon

Salt

Maple Syrup

Ginger (chopped)

Melted Butter

Cook raisins in boiling apple cider for 5 minutes. Drain well. Mix rolled oats with melted butter so that they're coated. Add maple syrup to coat. Add salt, cinnamon, raisins, ginger. Spread over parchment paper, bake for 30 minutes at 350, stirring frequently.

Mrs. Winstons Green Grocery Salad Bar

Hey everyone, I just posted this on my 365 L.A. blog. Since it's food related, I figured I'd post it here too! Enjoy :)

They had me at dandelion greens. And whole endive leaves. And avocado prepared 4 ways.

Salads are the lunch of choice for most Los Angeles west-siders. Salads are full of vitamins and fiber, low in calories, and delicious to boot. I'd been on a Whole Foods salad bar kick that had been eating a hole in my wallet for months--that is, until I finally tried Mrs Winston's salad bar. This is the ULTIMATE salad bar experience.

Mrs. Winston definitely wears the "Best Salad Bar in L.A."crown securely on her alfalfa/clover/onion/broccoli/fenugreek sprouted head. With a plethora of options to choose from , this is the perfect salad bar for someone looking for a healthy yet delicious lunch. The staff are friendly, and if you can guess the correct price on Fridays, you get your salad free! Also, they are now open on Sundays till 5 pm. Limited seating outside. Go now! You'll never be bored of eating salad again.

Brad's crazy salad

Smoke Roasted BBQ Rubbed Whole Chicken With Cider BBQ Sauce

Here's a chicken recipe that imparts that sweet and sour bbq flavor to the bird, but kicks it up with the addition of a good amount of celery seeds, orange zest and apple cider. The result is vinegary, sweet, and smokey. This recipe is from Gourmet's June 2008 issue. I cooked the chicken in the oven instead of the grill, and it still came out tasting great.

The side dish is roasted red peppers and cauliflower with caper vinaigrette, from Gourmet's June 2008 issue. It's so simple to make, and I even broiled the red pepper in the toaster! This was a perfect accompaniment to the chicken.

Click here for the chicken recipe:

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/06/smokeroastedchicken

Ingredients:

FOR CHICKENS

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 whole chickens (3 to 3 1/2 lb each)
• Kosher salt to taste

FOR BARBECUE SAUCE

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced orange zest
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds

Click here for the red pepper and cauliflower recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Red-Peppers-and-Cauliflower-with-Caper-Vinaigrette-242872

Ingredients:

• 4 red bell peppers
• 2 heads cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 2-inch florets
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup large capers (not salted), drained and rinsed
• 
  

Charlie Trotter's Panko And Ginger Crusted Chicken With Stir Fried Vegetables And Sweet And Sour Mustard Sauce

This fast and delicious recipe is from Charlie Trotter's cookbook, Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter. It was featured in the Gourmet December 2008 issue, on page 58. I thought this dish was so easy to make, but yet it looked and tasted like something you'd get at an upscale Asian fusion restaurant.

The panko adds a light crunch to the chicken breast, similar to what you'd get in fried chicken but without all the grease. The honey mustard sauce complimented the chicken and vegetables perfectly. I used dijon mustard instead of the Chinese mustard the recipe calls for, and I left out the water chestnuts and bean sprouts.

Serves 4

Sauce

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup Chinese mustard

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Chicken

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

2 Tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 egg (lighly beate)

2 Tablespoons canola oil

Vegetables

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 Tablepoons peeled and mince fresh ginger

2 cups coarsley chopped bok choy

1/2 cup juliened leeks (white part only)

1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts

1 cup bean sprouts

Prepare sauce: Combine the honey, mustard and vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until warm.

Chicken: Cut each breast lengthwise into 4 strips and season with salt and pepper. Combine the panko bread crumbs and grated ginger in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken strip in the egg and coat with panko mixture. Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the chicken strips. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from the panand drain on paper towel.

Prepare the Vegetables: Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add the ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add the bok choy, leeks and water chestnuts and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetable are just tender.

Spoon some of the vegetable in the center of each plate. Arrange the chicken over the vegetables and drizzle the sauce over the chicken and around the plate.

Cook the panko coated chicken

Let the chicken pieces rest on a paper towel

Saute the vegetables

The Honey Mustard Sauce

The finished dish!