When the Cat’s Away…

Tonight will be my first night apart from B since we got married. He’s in Vegas for a conference for two nights. He’s been nice and already texted me once he arrived in Vegas.

I’ve just been relaxing at home, enjoying the sunshine coming into the upstairs after a 12-hour work day which ran till 1:30 this morning. I’m not looking forward to going back to work, but at least I’ve got this day to veg.

Let them eat cookies! – Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week, my sister came over to help make a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  Although my sister does not really have a sweet tooth like I do, her favorite dessert is the classic cookie.  She is a purist when it comes to probably one of America’s favorite sweet….cookie and chocolate chips.  No nuts, peanut butter or oatmeal to interfere

We tried this recipe new to us which enhanced one of the most important ingredients, the butter.  Adding browned butter added a nutty dimension without deviating too far from the expected flavor of a chocolate chip cookie

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES-Yields 16 large cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 3/4 sticks of butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg + 1 yolk

1 1/4 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups chopped nuts (if my sister isn’t around!)

INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl, then set aside

In a 10-inch skillet (rather than in a saucepan for increased surface area), melt 10 TBSP of butter over medium-high heat.  Continue to swirl the butter until it is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma (about 2 minutes).  It is easier to see the color if you use stainless steel instead of a non-stick pan.

Add the remaining 4 TBSP of butter to the melted butter and allow to melt together

Add the butter to the brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until slightly cooled.

Add the egg and egg yolk and continue to whisk for 30 seconds, then let stand for 3 minutes.  Repeat these steps 2 more times until the mixture is smooth, thickened and shiny.

Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and stir gently until just combined (about a minute).

Stir in the chocolate chips.  Ensure there are no flour pockets remaining.

Place 3 TBSP of dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart from each other

Bake at 375 (350 using my pans and oven) for about 10-12 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through baking until golden brown and still puffy.  The edges should be just set but the middle should be still soft.  They will continue to set once out of the oven.

***A little trick to make your cookies look even more delectable:  Before placing the dough balls onto the baking sheet, break the balls in half and form the cookie with the broken sides up rather than a smooth side up

Mardi Gras

Friday night, we were both working late and really not in the mood to cook. On our quest to get to know our neighborhood a little more, we met at a very unsuspecting Creole marketplace and deli. When we walked in, there were 5 tables with plastic tablecloths only adorned by a selection of hot sauces. Beyond the tables was a wall with a banner that read ‘The Wall Of Fire’. The wall was covered with novelty hot sauces. Some that amused B included Dumb Ass, Smart Ass and Rectal Ripper Hot Sauce. There were some sporadic New Orleans inspired decorations including masks, beads, a New Orleans Saints pennant as well as a few old Emeril Lagasse cookbooks on a shelf.

We were greeted by a friendly girl with a Russian accent. We decided to eat-in and took a look at the menu. Po Boys, muffalatto, gumbo, alligator sausage? Definitely not your typical fare in southern California! We decided to try the red beans and rice and the jambalaya. The waitress served our food and reviewed the different hot sauces with us. She was particularly nice. Both were very good, but I liked B’s jambalaya more. Very simple no-nonsense place, glad we gave it a try.

Snow Bunny Weekend

We just came home from a long weekend snowboarding Colorado!! We were lucky to have even made it there considering that our cab was 40 MINUTES LATE! Thankfully, our friendly neighbor was nice enough to take us there with less than an hour before take-off and a big ski bag to check-in. We were lucky that despite the heavy rain and traveling Friday night of President’s Day weekend we checked our baggage to the skycab and were waiting at the gate with some time to spare.

The first day we spent exploring the city of Denver since it was our first time there. It’s a beautiful and vibrant city. All of the promotional materials we had boasted that Denver ad more sunny days than San Diego, over 300 days per year. They didn’t mention that it isn’t always warm when the sun is out! We explored the grounds of the capital building, found the step that is exactly 1 mile above sea level, wondered around the US Mint, the public library and the denver Art Museum. The streets was sprinkled with outdoor art including a giant broom/dustpan and a horse sitting atop a giant chair.

Lunch was spent at Oseteria Marco in the Laramie ares. After a short walk down the 16th St mall, we got into out Chrysler 300 headed to a the mountains.

We took a short detour to Red Rocks Amphitheater which was well worth the visit. It would be amazing to see an awesome concert under the stars in such a beautiful setting. We made it to Dillon with just a little light snowfall.

We did feel like venturing too far away from our Best Western due to the singe degree weather and potential for snowfall that night so we checked out the Arapahoe Restaurant just next door. The building is actually not in its original location. It was moved once the proposal of building a dam would have made the building under water, literally! I thoroughly enjoyed my bison burger that night.

After a slight run-in with a snowbank (literally) we finally made it to Breckenridge for our first day on the slopes. The lines were long a the base, and the weather couldn’t decided weather it wanted to be sunny, snowy or windy. What I do remember is that for most of the day, the wind was blistering once we were on to of the mountain. despite all that, it was a great day of snowboarding! Our second day by far was better. Keystone was much less crowded and we covered all of the mountain that we could handle. And aside from being abandoned on the hill towards the end of the day, B and I enjoyed a great day together.

We drove back down to Denver that day and decided to enjoy something ethnic for dinner. We could only handle so many burgers, pizza and fries in one weekend. We Yelped a Korean restaurant in Aurora that wasn’t half bad. The best part were the 14 side dishes they served with the BBQ.

All in all, it was a great trip. The snow was fabulous and I look forward to future trips!

They say it’s your birthday!

Today is my B’s birthday, and we are having our siblings over for dinner to celebrate. I set the table for 6 for a night of Seafood Fair! I prepared a Crab Stack with Avocado and Mango, Seared Scallops and Salmon with Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to prepare and cook since I worked that day, so I thought seafood would be the way to go. No long marinating or cooking time! The first course was served around 8pm. Dinner was lively and I think that B had a good time.

Dessert was highly anticipated since I ordered Sprinkles cupcakes for dessert. This Beverly Hills phenomenon just arrived to our hometown maybe about a month or two ago. The lines are out the door UNLESS you order a dozen or more ahead. I took advantage of our big group and ordered 4 different flavors so that each couple would have 4 different flavors to share. The cupcakes were very cute, decorated with their signature modern designs, each flavor having its own design or color scheme. Everyone really liked the red velvets. The banana and carrot were also favorites.

Would I wait in line to pay over 3 dollars for these little bites of heaven? Hmmm, probably not. Although they are very tasty I would rather do something more useful with my time. And why wait over 30 minutes to eat something that you’ll finish in less than 5 minutes?!

What did I get B for his birthday? A Keurig single cup coffee maker that he has been using for the past 3 weeks. Why did he start using it so early, you may ask…well because I’m a terrible hider, and B found it when I asked him to help me put some things away in a closet! Luckily, he didn’t find the jacket I also got for him that was hiding in the other closet!

Happy Birthday!-Crab Stack, Scallops with Cilantro Pesto, Salmon with Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze

Tonight we have our siblings over to celebrate B’s birthday.

MENU:
Crab stack salad with mango and avocado
Seared scallops
Pan-seared salmon with pomegranate balsamic glaze
Sprinkles cupcakes! – Red Velvet, Black and White, Carrot, Banana

CRAB STACK – Inspired by a dish prepared by two local restaurants. I was looking for something that was both tasty and pretty to look at. The prep is easy and can be done well in advanced (except for the avocado).

Crab Salad – Lump Crab, Mayo, Rice Wine Vinegar, Dijon Mustard, Lemon Zest, Pepper
Mango Salsa – Mango, Lime, Red onion (sparing amount), Red pepper, Jalapeno, Cilantro
Avocado Salad – Avocado, Lime
Garnish – Greens

Next time would add: Diced cucumber, serve with something crunchy

Bottom layer: Avocado
Second layer: Crab
Third layer: Cucumber
Fourth layer: Mango
Garnish

SEARED SCALLOP with Cilantro Pesto

Pesto: Cilantro, Salt, Pepper, Lemon, Olive oil
Process cilantro in food processor with salt, pepper, lemon juice. Slowly add olive oil. Add more lemon juice to taste.

Scallop Prep: 1 quart cold water, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp salt – Soak in 30 minutes. Then dry scallops between 2 cookie sheets lined with towels

Scallop Searing: Heat cast iron skillet to high with olive oil. Cook scallops for about 2 minutes. Turn over when browned. Add about 1T butter to pan, spoon over scallops. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Drizzle w/ pesto sauce

PAN-SEARED SALMON with Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze

Glaze: 3T pomegranate juice, 3T light brown sugar, 2T balsamic vinegar, 1T mustard, 1t cornstarch, pinch cayenne

Boil for 1 minute. Keep warm

Salmon: 4 Salmon Steaks, 1t brown sugar, 1/2t kosher salt, 1/4 cornstarch

Season salmon w/ salt and pepper.
Rub salt/sugar/cornstarch mix onto salmon
Brown in pan at medium-high heat until well browned (about 1 minute).
Flip salmon over and transfer to 300 degree oven until done

Water Water Everywhere!

Very early this morning, I was awoken by a loud pattering sound outside of our bedroom door. It was too loud and too close to be the rain hitting against our windows. I got up, and I found B in our little office area with rain coming down from the ceiling. It was coming down at a rapid rate through the gaps in the recessed lighting as well as through the ceiling. the water had also seeped through the floor and through the downstairs ceiling. Right below that, luckily, was a pile of laundry on our leather couch that I was too lazy to bring up that night. Had the laundry not been there, the water may have damaged our new sofa too!

We were able to call our handyman who was at our house within a few hours. I got to stay home from work (a pleasant surprise) while he worked. Turns out that for some reason, a drainage pipe from our rooftop deck was sealed with concrete! The deck was built over 10 years ago, but we recently had our deck re-grouted and sealed, so now all of the water went down the three drains as it was designed to do. Except now, we discovered only 2 of the 3 drains had been working this whole time!

After the pipe was replaced and the carpets were cleaned (somewhat), it had taken about 8 hours. Luckily, the rain only came for about 3 hours. It gave us time to repair the damages.

Home ownership is definitely a love/hate situation!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter

When it comes to cookies, my sister is a purist. Her favorite is chocolate chip…and it must be JUST chocolate chip. Don’t add anything fancy to her cookies – no nuts, no fruit or candies. Just cookie and chips with make her happy. She came over tonight after a failed batch at her house. The first time we made them at my house, they were really great. Rich, chewy, tender. The nutty flavor really came through from browning the butter. The batch was good, but not quite like our first batch. I think that it may be due to the extra large eggs we used instead of the standard large eggs. Plus my husband was a terrible sous chef, not reading the instructions thoroughly and eating the chocolate chips as we went along!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
14 T butter
1/2 sugar
3/4 c dark brown sugar (fresh and moist sugar)
1 t salt
2 t vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk                                                                                              1 1/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips                                                                         3/4 c nuts (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven with rack in the middle to 375 (or 350 using my baking sheets)
Line baking sheets with parchment paper
Whisk flour and baking soda together

Melt 10T butter over medium in a 10-inch stainless steel skillet (2 min).
Swirl until butter smells nutty and is dark golden brown (1-3 min).
Remove from heat and add remaining 4 T butter. Stir till melted.
In a medium bowl, combine salt, vanilla, granulated and dark brown sugar and slightly cooled butter. Whisk until incorporated.
Add egg and yolk until smooth (30 sec)
Let stand for 3 minutes

Whisk again for 30 sec. Repeat process for total of 4 times until mixture is smooth and shiny.
Add flour mixture until just combined.
Add chocolate chips and nuts.
Scoop about 2T dough to yield about 24 cookies.  Place on sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown and still puffy, and the edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, rotating sheets half-way.

A trick to pretty looking cookies:  take the formed balls and break them in half, then smush the halves together, broken side up.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

To avoid the crowds, we decided to celebrate on Sunday the 13th. I had to work that day, so B searched his favorite online review site to find a great neighborhood place for dinner. He made reservations for us at Pomodoro. What a great find!

The cozy restaurant was buzzing with people. The inside looked like a converted living room. We were seating in the covered patio and was greeted by our Italian waiter. B started off with a glass of red, I had the Proseco.

Looking at the menu, there were so many delicious things to ponder over. We decided to have the pork osso bucco with risotto and a pasta dish. Both were excellent, especially the osso bucco! It was a little intimidating at first, given that the plate was HUGE! We decided to save room for dessert and enjoyed the left overs later that week. We decided to try the strawberry napoleon, which was absolute heaven! We finished off the entire thing, really not like us.

As we got into bed that night, we both agree that it was a very great meal. We will definitely go back again! Thank you for taking me out for our 1st Valentine’s Day as Mr and Mrs!

Thai-inspired fish soup

We had left over pompano from our CNY celebration the night before, so I decided to try a tom yum style soup. Although traditionally the soup base is made with a seafood base, I used water and chicken and waited to add the fish at the last moment to ensure tender meat.

SOUP BASE
Water
Chicken broth
Fish Sauce
Salt
Thai Chili to taste
Galangal, sliced
Garlic, smashed
Kaffir lime leaves
Shallot, thinly sliced
Lemongrass, sliced
Chili sauce cooked in oil (prepared in a jar)
Limes and Lemons, juice and rind – added towards the end

OTHER INGREDIENTS
Pampano added at the end of cooking
Mushrooms
Cilantro for garnish