NOLA Eats

We spent a few days in New Orleans last month while B had a conference for work.  We stayed at the Riverwalk which turned out to be a convenient, centralized location for the activities and restaurants we were going to.  The weather held up nicely and we didn’t had a bad meal there!

Our first meal was at Mulate’s which was recommended by the concierge.  Very casual spot with live music. We ordered a cup each of crawfish etouffe and jambalaya, Cajun seasoned alligator bites and grilled fish for little S.  Little did we know that the grilled catfish off the kid’s menu was going to seasoned with spicy Cajun flavors!  Nevertheless, everything was really good and a great introduction to this wonderful food city.  Oh, and the bread pudding studded with raisins and covered in vanilla sauce was the best!  We didn’t think that we could finish it because it was so huge…but we were wrong!

The following morning, we spent some time meandering through the streets French Quarter and Jackson Square.  It was still pretty early and although there were quite a few people out and about, it was a very calm vibe.  We decided to wait in the take-out line for beignets at Cafe du Monde, which was so delicious!  Although, they reminded me very much of Thai donuts.  Stella loved them and could almost finish an entire one by herself!  Lunch was at the Gumbo Shop where we tried the seafood and the chicken/sausage gumbos.

While B was at the conference, S and I went to the Audubon Aquarium which was so much fun for little S.  There were exhibits for jellyfish, seahorses, frogs, otters and penguins.  There was a white alligator (not an albino because his eyes were black and he had a black spot on his back).  S liked the puffer fish, petting the sting rays, watching some sort of fish pop in and out of holes and the toddlers play area.  Such a great afternoon!

Dinner was at Pesche, one that was highly anticipated.  Seafood was delicious and not your typical preparations.  Sort of modern Southern I guess.  Not as earth shattering as I expected, but good.  I would try their sister restaurant for sure.

The following morning started off late with beignets (from the Riverwalk location which did not have a line at all) and a walk back to the warehouse district whee S and I had lunch at Cochon Butcher, a popular sandwich and deli spot.  I thoroughly enjoyed my Cubano sandwich but was a little put off that I could not order it with the jalapeno sauce on the side so that I could share it with S.  At any rate, I wouldn’t say it would be worth a special trip but really hit the spot before we headed out to the Children’s Museum which was close by.

The Children’s museum was a dream for S!  She loved the Gulf inspired play fishing boats, the miniature sized grocery store and restaurants and the pioneer area where French quarter in the 1700s came to life with a general store selling wheat, soap and coffee and a courtyard where she could do laundry using a washboards and help nurse some baby pigs.  So so cute!

Our favorite dinner in NOLA was a Bayona, where I had the a WONDERFUL quail salad.  The quail was tempura-fried accompanied by a perfectly balanced sweet and sour vinaigrette.  Little S devoured it too!

The next day was started off with a street car ride to the Garden District where we had a casual lunch at Milkbar, walked quite a ways to Creole Creamery for a well-deserved treat.  Little S got her favorite:  strawberry with rainbow sprinkles.  The grown-ups had a flight including Magnolia and Petit Four.  Dinner was not that impressive at JW Fins.  Too much hype for what it delivered.

little haley is here!

Early in the morning, my first niece was born!  Mama and baby are doing well, and my brother in-law has settled into his new role of daddy very very well.

Congratulations to my brother and sister and Happy Birthday little one!

Back Home-Peach Crisp Recipe

This past weekend, we braved the July heat and traveled to my parents house located in the kiwi capital of the USA.  We were in town for wedding in Sacramento but decided to visit my old stomping grounds.  Luckily, it is the middle of peach season so we spent Saturday morning picking tree-ripened peaches which became pie within hours.  Nothing beats farm fresh fruit!

Then it was off to the one and only Casa Lupe.  The restaurant hasn’t changed too much since I was a kid.  Tasting their salsa (it’s the best…not hot but spicy with cumin, tomato, celery and onion) reminds me of summers when I was a kid.  Binh tried the carnitas which were very good.  Cut into large chunk and dry (without) sauce was a different presentation than most.

Visits with my old friend C and T was wonderful!  She was so sweet down to her small town charm. We had brough some plums from my mom’s fruit cocktail tree that we picked that morning.  She had a table full of munchies and sent us home with her prized tomatoes, cucumbers and plum jam.

J and J brought their 2 kids over for lunch on Sunday.  We had so much fun getting to know the kids.  They loved being in the pool….actually the little one couldn’t get enough, but the older one was sort of a scardy cat.

Being back home, moving a little bit slower and seeing families together made miss appreciate the small town charm that I was once proud to move away from.  I can see the quality childhood I got from living there.  I may not have had all the opportunities some big city kids had, but not many people can say that they grew up in the little town I called home.

After I came home, I started making peach crisps with the peaches we hand carried

INGREDIENTS
About 6 peaches, cute into large chunks
Small amount of cornstarch
Few dashes of cinnamon
Blackberries (optional)
1-2T brown sugar

Crisp: this always makes extra
3/4c flour
1/2c sugar
1/4 brown sugar
pinch salt
1/2c oatmeal
sliced almonds (optional)
1 stick butter

Combine peaches, starch, cinnamon, brown sugar in a small baking dish.
Work crisp ingredients with hands until crumbly. Top peaches with crisp.
Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes until peaches cooked, but still firm and juices have thickened

In Memory Of

Last weekend, my in-laws stayed overnight for the first time. They usually stay with my brother-in-law, but since he was in Vegas celebrating his wife’s 30th birthday with Celine Dion, mom and dad stayed with us instead. They were in town to pay respects to their loved-ones who have passed away on the day marked as a sort of Chinese Memorial Day. We visitied the cemetery where B’s paternal grandparents rest next to each other. His uncle and great-uncle are also there. There were several other families who seemed to be celebrating the lives of theor family members, with picnics happy talk. As a part of the ritual, food is offered, flowers are site at the grave site, and papers representing fabric and money are burned as an offering to help provide a comfortable afterlife. I’ve only met B’s grandmother who died at the age of 89. She outlived her husband almost 20 years. She was a very sweet tiny little thing. She was very healthy and independent up until she suddenly got tired and ill. I will always remember her cute bob haircut, the beanie she would wear whenever the air conditioning was on, and her comment that there were a lot of black people on TV when we were watching an NBA game. B has shared stories of his childhood that she told him: how very talkative and friendly he was when he was very young. He wouldn’t hesitate visiting the neighbors or going to the local markets to pick out his favorite food,crab…and taking it home…on grandma’s credit! And she was the only member of the family who remembered B’s real birthday! In memory of those who are watching over us now….

One big family

This past week, my parents came to visit. We spent the week eating around town, and as always, with plenty of wine. We visited some of our regular places we visit when ever my parents are here: Roy’s and Chin’s. We introduced them one of our new neighborhood favorites, Pomodoro. We also tried a place new to all of us, Flavor.

Despite eating out almost every night, we did enjoy a home cooked meal made by yours truly. While shopping at Costco, B picked out a very nice package of boneless short ribs. It was so sweet that he is starting to ask for some of my dishes! So on my parent’s firt night in town, we had spinach salad, braised short ribs with papardelle and red velvet cake!

The first 8 months

Now that wedding and the honeymoon excitement has subsided, B and I have been focusing on building our little nest on a hill. We recently heard news that an acquaintance who married just 1 day before us just had his first baby. Doing the math in my head, that doesn’t really add up…but anyways….I thought about what we have been doing the last 8 months while R and L were preparing their own nest for their new arrival.
Even though we’d been together for over 5 years and spent lots of time together in the past, being married felt different to me (but apparently not for B, according to him!) I suddenly felt like were now co-dependent on each other. I felt like I should have dinner on the table and take care of household duties. B easily slipped into the roles of dishwasher and garbage taker-outer (as always), vacuumer and landscaper. Aside from uncertainty and instability at work, the first 8 months of marriage have been wonderful!
We’re gradually adding furniture pieces, the most recent are a second couch upstairs and 2 bedrooms chair, one of which I’m sitting in now. It took us about 7 months to hang the oil painting of Venice upstairs in the living room. It’s special since we picked it out together one afternoon spent in Coronado. Domestic items we have purchased that I’ve never considered to get before include and steam mop, and good sized collection of throw pillows and steam iron.
The past summer in particular has been one to remember. We started to get to know our neighborhood including the walking path to the local market and enjoying the Cabrillo National Monument. We took walks on warm nights to the park via the hidden staircase B discovered while jogging.
TRIPS:
Although we haven’t lived up to our agreement that we would travel somewhere far and exotic every 6 months, we managed to take a quick trip to Yosemite as part of our trek to Fresno for M and L’s wedding reception. Although we froze in a non-insulating permanent tent and used public showers and bathrooms at Camp Curry, it was a great trip, a true vacation. It was B’s first time actually seeing the summit point, and even though I had seen it before, we were both awe-inspired by the breathtaking view. We (actually more B) hiked along the path of the waterfall right when we arrived in the park. We completed the vertical hike along Nevada Falls which is about 7 miles I believe. When we finally made it to the top, we enjoyed the view from the fall’s break point and the serene waters with a very aggressive squirrel. The second day was spent going to Glacier Point, probably B’s favorite spot of the trip. We then took a short hike up and rock just a little smaller than Half Dome and took some fun pictured that made it appear that we were climbing a huge rock! On our final day we saw the Giant Sequoia’s, walking right through one of them! We met a couple who went to med school at UCSD and who were friends with an former pharmacy resident-small world!
Travelling to Santa Barbara is also a relaxing getaway and we can visit family at the same time. We stayed with B’s parents and traveled to wine country via Solvang. We got a great bottle (to be enjoyed) which has notes of smoke and coffee. A very complex flavor profile that I’m looking forward to drink!
CELEBRATIONS and PLAYING HOUSE:
My first venture in my new kitchen was making homemade scones with a recipe from the Cook’s Illustrated subscription I received as a bridal shower gift. The strawberry ones were so much better than the blueberries (when overboard on the blueberries). In any case, B’s work and Uncle P and Aunt L appreciated them.
We hosted our first dinner guests on out 1 month anniversary, cooking Thai food for 10 guests (our SSC group). I will definitely think twice about cooking Asian food for a big group next time!
C and M came over to make lamb shanks braised in red wine with risotto and strawberry shortcakes on one summer evening which really made the kitchen and the house feel more like home.
Thanksgiving was also another milestone in our 1st year that was so wonderful! I planned for quite a while, trying to find the perfect apple pie and pumpkin pie dish. Although my efforts to make homemade pie dough using bourbon was an absolute flop, the house-full of people appreciated our hospitality. The menu consisted of:
Herb roasted brined turkey and gravy, Mashed potatoes, Roasted sweet potatoes and yams, Mac and cheese, Cornbread stuffing with sausage mushroom apple and cranberry, Mixed marinated veggie salad, Mom’s Broccoli casserole and Rice stuffing, C’s grown-up’s string bean casserole. Dessert was skillet apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan squares and Nancy’s organic carrot cake.
For my birthday, B surprised me with a day at December nights, noshing on fried potato balls and papusas, visiting the natural history museum and listening to local groups perform at the Organ Pavilion. The night was topped off with a l dinner at Kensington Grill with D, M and H and dessert with Mae and Heaven Sent-Red Velvet of course!
After hosting a Holiday Party for B pharmacy staff, Christmas was pretty low key since I was battling a bad cold or URI of some sort. B gave me a beautiful pearl necklace, and he liked the Citizen EcoDrive watch I picked out for home. One new thing that we did that may become a family tradition was check out the Christmas lights and decorations on B stumbled across on delivery run for work. Although there aren’t that many houses, it was quite a sight…like Disneyland!

Our first extended house guests 2 families with 2 rambunctious kids, particularly the little 2 year old G who has a hot head and stubborn personality. C got a glimpse into parenthood and thought that kids were as cute as she had thought! Made J*’s little 6 month old A* seem like an angel from heaven. He hung out at our house for about an hour for dinner with little more than a bit of fussiness.  He chilled with B on the couch watching the Laker’s game with him and patiently sat in his carseat without a peep. So sweet! Just re-enforced that not all kids are the devil’s child!
Last weekend was Chinese New Year and mom and dad came to visit. This is their second visit since B started calling them mom and dad. Kinda weird….we celebrated New Year’s Day and Vigilucci’s which was surprisingly good! Traditional Chinese New Year Dinner was Saturday night when we split our time and stomachs between Auntie’s house and ours. Mom made big tempura shrimp, fried wontons and yummy sweet and sticky spareribs as appetizers. We feasted on miso glazed salmon, lion head, sugar snap peas and chai. M tried so hard to make an impression. He wore red (along with wearing ‘crimson’ after approval from C on Thursday night) and ventured to the local Asian market in search of a pomelo and mochi!
So far, it has been a great ride, and I am looking forward to continuing it. As my mom alluded to as I handed her a New Year’s red envelope for the first time as a married daughter, B is a part of the family now. Mom acknowledged that she is an in-law now….timing possibly related to the New Year? But she said that she was hoping that grand kids would be on the way soon. We’re still trying to squeeze in some fun travels, but we will see what the future holds!