Ginger Sesame Chicken

This dish is a cold weather staple in our family. I'm reminded to make it because mom facebooked that she made it during the recent snow storm. Mom calls it sesame chicken - I added the "ginger" so that it wouldn't be confused with the deep fried sweet sticky concoction that one gets at a Chinese take-out joint. Mom gets her chicken from the Chinese butcher - a whole chicken hacked into little pieces. While the pieces are great and the bones lend a rich flavor to the sauce, one always had to be careful not to stick themselves with a chicken shard. Verdict? M says, "Wow, honey, this is delicious!"

Ginger Sesame Chicken
- Around 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 thumb of ginger, sliced
- 1 lb of chicken (I used boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat) cut into 1 inch by 1 inch pieces
- 3/4 cup of rice wine

Dry chicken and sprinkle with some kosher salt. In a pot for braising, add enough sesame oil to coat the bottom. When hot, add ginger and saute until flavor is released. Be careful because sesame oil burns easily. Add chicken (may have to be in batches) and brown. When chicken is browned, turn up heat and add rice wine. Let alcohol cook off, add equal amount of water (add wine and water until meat is just covered). Lower heat to a simmer and cook covered for at least 30 minutes. Salt to taste and add a dash of white pepper. Serve over somen noodles.

DC Favorites...So Far...

It's been about 6 months so I thought I'd jot down a few of my favorite things about DC.

Activities:
- Cooking Class @ L'Academie de Cuisine
- Hiking at the plethora of parks/ nature centers
- Pole Class @ Chic Physique Fitness/ Balance Sport & Fitness
- Rock climbing @ Earth Treks

Food:
- Bethesda: Black Salt, Sushi @ Hinata, French Macaroons @ Cocoa, Georgetown Cupcake***
- DC: Dancing Crab***, Marina***, Hank's Oyster Bar, Rasika (Indian), Dukem (ethiopian)***
- Frederick: Volt (Top Chef Fame!)
- Rockville: Big Saigon Vietnamese, Taiwanese brunch @ Joe's Noodle House, Fractured Prune doughnuts***, Urban BBQ, emerald tofu dish and hot and sour soup @ Vegetable Garden, Lebanese Taverna, Roast duck/ pork @ Maxim, Hwaro (to try for Korean BBQ), The Vyne (to try)
- Riverdale: bulgogi bibimbop, fresh doughnuts and orange-aid at the farmer's market
- Silver Spring: Dimsum at Oriental East

Museums:
- National Arboretum
- National Building Museum: great for kids
- National Gallery of American Art and National Portrait Gallery
- National Gallery of Art: Calder Exhibit
- Natural History Museum (IMAX: Wild Ocean 3D)
- National Museum of American History: Julia Child's kitchen, Dorothy's ruby red slippers
- National Zoo: pandas
- The Phillips Collection: "Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens"
- The Textile Museum: Contemporary Japanese Fashion
- U.S. Botanic Garden

Neighborhoods:
- Frederick, MD
- Friendship Heights, MD
- Old Town Alexandria, VA

Tour:
- Segway tour of DC

Stinks so Good

I really miss my mom's cooking. I decided to try her braised sour bamboo and spare ribs. So, you know how cheese stinks but tastes so good - addictively good? M, opens up the fridge and was like, "what reeks?!" Mind you, the sour bamboo (bamboo pickled in salt) is vacuum packed. They still stink. But, braised with pork spare ribs and eaten over rice, it's all worth it. And LOADED with fiber.

Braised Sour Bamboo and Spare Ribs
- Half pound of pork spare ribs
- 1 bag sour bamboo (yes, mom, they are made in Taiwan)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed

Wash bamboo thoroughly and cut into 2 inch pieces. In pot with cover, heat some canola oil and when hot, add garlic. When garlic flavor has released, add spare ribs and brown. Add bamboo, water to barely cover and braise for at least 1 hour (mine are going on 4 hours). Salt to taste. Enjoy over white rice.

Herbes de Provence Baked Chicken & Gravy

My mom never cooked in the oven. Sure, she made the occasional cake (I can't wait to copy down the Hot Milk Sponge Cake recipe when I get home tomorrow). I wanted a roast chicken with drippings for gravy but I'm still squeamish about dealing with a whole chicken, let alone a turkey! Not quite feeling like brining today. Also, at the end, you have to carve the said whole poultry. Why not just have the chicken already cut up?

So I decided on baked chicken (curiously, roast chicken is a whole chicken in the oven and baked chicken is chicken pieces in the oven). My friend Zach told me about using Herbs de Provence and butter. A couple recipes I found called for stuffing the bird with lemon. So, I mashed everything together and came up with this. I've never baked a chicken before (ok, fine, there was one time with Italian dressing), so I welcome comments/ suggestions.

Herbs de Provence Baked Chicken
- 1 whole chicken cut into pieces (we like dark meat so I also get a package of legs and thighs - and you thought my chicken had mutated!)
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Herbs de Provence
- 2 lemons (sliced thinly on a mandolin)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a baking sheet with canola oil and line bottom of pan with sliced lemons. Wash and dry chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Brush one side with butter, sprinkle with herbs and lay butter side down on pan. Brush other side with butter and sprinkle with more herbs. Place remaining lemon slices on chicken and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Check every 10 minutes after that for a nice brown color, thickest meat cooked through and the juice runs clear. When done, remove from pan and lightly cover with foil to rest before serving.

Gravy
- drippings
- white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 fine diced shallot
- 2 tbsp flour

Take pan drippings from Herbs de Provence chicken and pour out fat so you have about 2 tbsp or so of drippings. Pour into a sauce pan and put on medium heat. Add pinch of salt, shallots. As shallots cook, whisk in flour. As shallots turn translucent and the pan starts to dry, add a splash of white wine and scrape up brown stuff. As that gets dry, add another splash. As that gets dry, add the broth and whisk. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until sauce is at desired consistency.

Thai Basil Manila Clams

I saw some gorgeous manila clams at the Asian market and had a craving for my mom's Thai Basil Manila Clams. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach her on the phone so I did the best I could from memory (this post will be updated if I missed something). Firstly, I didn't use the clams right away. They sat in the fridge in a bowl under a wet paper towel. When I took them out, the paper towel was dry and they were all open with the meat spilling out all over. "M! M! They're dead! They're so deadski! Fix it!" So, M went over, poured water over them, agitated them and they closed right back up. She says, "why do you buy things that you are afraid to cook?"

Well, now that we've revived them, we can kill them.

1. Prepare half a thumb of ginger (sliced, julienned, whatever), crush 1 clove of garlic, slice 1 Thai chili, rough chop some Thai basil.
2. Heat oil in a wok. When hot, add ginger, garlic and chili.
3. Once garlic has released it's flavor, add clams, a splash of rice wine and a splash of soy sauce.
4. Saute clams until they are partly open
5. Add Thai basil and saute until clams are fully open and done. Optional: fresh cracked black pepper

M added a Cambodian twist by making a dipping sauce out of salt, fresh cracked pepper and lime juice.

Hopped Up on Zyrtec

I usually get an allergy triggered sinus infection from September to October so I take Zyrtec at night to deal with the symptoms. Zyrtec makes me very sleepy (I know, I'm already so sleepy) and gives me the weirdest dreams. I must've been whimpering in the dream below because M woke me up and was like, "Are you ok? What's wrong?" Little did she know...

In my dream, I was watching some reality make-over show (yes, what else is new) and in this show, female serial killers were getting made-up and given whole wardrobes furnished by major fashion labels. Specifically, this brunette named Karen Houser received a wardrobe provided by Seven Jeans. Thinking that I deserved a wardrobe, I went out to kill people. At an intersection, one of the road crew guys came over and resigned to me killing him. He lay down on a bench and I tried to cut his throat with my silicone spatula. When that wouldn't work, I tried a business card. That didn't work either and then M woke me up.

Herbes de Provence Braised Short Rib

I am not surprised that the editors at Bon Appetit magazine declared an entire year the year of the braised short rib. For us, every year is the year of the braised short rib. I felt like doing some kind of short rib with red wine. M is eating her second bowl right now. I think next time, I'll add more tomatoes and some mini or large dice potatoes. I will also make 4 lbs instead of 1.


Herbes de Provence Braised Short Rib
Adapted from Short Ribs Provençale by Rick Rodgers, The Carefree Cook
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound individual short ribs (not cross-cut flanken)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/4 large onion, finely chopped (recipe also called for carrots and celery but I didn't use any)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup hearty red wine, such as Zinfandel or Shiraz
- 1 cup beef stock, preferably homemade, or reduced-sodium chicken broth (I am a fan of the condensed broth from Trader Joe's that come in little ketchup packets)
- 1/2 diced tomatoes (I'll use a whole tomato next time)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300°F.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole over medium-high heat (I used my 3 qt Le Creuset). Season the short ribs with the salt and pepper. In batches, without crowding, add the short ribs to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a platter.
3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pot. Add the onion to the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, herbes de Provence, and flour and stir until the garlic gives off its aroma, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the broth, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Return the short ribs, and any juices, to the pot. Add cold water as needed to barely reach the top of the ribs and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Cover tightly, transfer to the oven, and bake, stirring occasionally to change the position of the ribs, until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 2 1/2 hours. (for the future, during the last 15 minutes, add the baby carrots and potatoes).
5. Transfer the short ribs to a deep serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Skim off the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid, and discard the bay leaf. Bring remaining liquid to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced to a sauce consistency, about 10 minutes (the exact time depends on the size of the pot). Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
6. Spoon the sauce with the carrots and potatoes over the ribs, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve hot.

Simple Braised Spare Ribs

For a few weeks I have been in a food funk. Nothing tasted good. My palate was BORED. I finally made it to the Chinese market and bought 2 pounds of pork spare ribs (they come in little 1 inch chunks but you can also use the 3 inch ribs as well). Mom's spare ribs never disappoint.

Simple Braised Spare Ribs
Put 2 pounds of spare ribs in a pot that has a cover and is suitable for braising. Pour in 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup soy sauce, 3/4 white vinegar. Add 2 large crushed garlic cloves, an inch of cut fresh ginger, 10 whole black peppercorns and 2 tbsp of agave nectar (mom usually uses sugar). Braise for at least an hour. Serve over rice or bachelor noodles (somen) and sprinkle with scallions.

Where were you on 9/11?

For our generation, 9/11 is the "where were you when Kennedy was shot?" question.

I was in Greece. Specifically, on a beach made of sharp volcanic rocks in Santorini. It was overcast and I was not enjoying lying on a "beach" that jabbed, poked and drew blood. That night, we were waiting in the tiny airport for our flight to Crete when in the bathroom I overheard that planes had been hijacked. Great. I'm going to be on a tiny plane, flying at night over the dark Mediterranean Ocean and planes are being hijacked.

After a bumpy flight, we shared a cab with 2 Americans (a mother and daughter) to our hotel. The mother said that she heard there were bombs going off all over the U.S. "They bombed Chicago! New York! Washington, D.C!" I was really freaking out and it was only when there was a mix-up at the hotel and we had to sit in the lounge while it was sorted out that I saw the footage on CNN of the World Trade Towers being hit.

In a way, it was good for us to be in Greece (I was starting a new job in the Financial District in November) and pretend we were Asian tourists, cameras around our necks and all. Which is not to say there were any outright anti-American sentiments, in fact, Athens felt very quiet and in a state of mourning. We just felt that it was better to lay low. Obviously, we were unable to fly back to NY. Our hotel was kind enough to accommodate us at a reduced rate and we made a daily journey to the airline office to find out when we could get home. I was also fraught with worry over friends, family and loved ones in NY and DC. We didn't have access to a telephone or computer so we were pretty much glued to the TV.

We made it back 4 days later and thank goodness everyone was fine. There were a number of near misses. This person was late to work and her train was stopped and turned around. Both M and my uncle were on their way to the Pentagon. M remembers being stuck in traffic and seeing a large dark cloud of ash and soot envelope the car.

I look out the window at the rain while I write this and think that the heavens are shedding tears and remembering the lives lost along with us. This was a horrible tragedy and that out of the ashes we must be better to ourselves and each other.

A Whole New World

Some couples get married. Some couples have babies. Some couples buy houses. No, it's not a magic carpet but close - we got a red Ninja 250.

I'm just going to be a passenger (please, I can barely drive a car). But, M will be heading off to motorcycle school and getting her motorcycle endorsement in a couple of weeks. Poor thing can't wait to ride her bike and sits on it whispering, "vroom, vroom."

Similarly to when I started to snowboard, preparing for riding has launched us into full gear mode. We've been searching for helmets, jackets, gloves and, of course, boots. We've gotten great advice from friends and have been tearing up the interweb. The fun part about the search is going to various bike stores and talking to people. We went to the local bike place and discovered Wednesday night bike night. All kinds of people who would probably have never spoken a single word to each other, ride in, eat free food (wings from Hooters!) and watch awesome stunts. Sometimes bike night even takes place at Hooters! This is going to be a lot of fun.

Boots for Short People

Fall, my favorite fashion season, is here! I love the structure and tailoring, coats and jackets (hello Burberry and my Jungal wool coats), cozy sweaters, and hot boots. Ok, I'm always obsessed with sweaters and boots.

Boots are impossible for me. They have to be the perfect combination of fit, comfort and style. Fit is especially hard because of my short, bird legs. I'm about a 13" shaft and 13" circumference. Most mid-calf boots are about 10" shaft and under and tall boots are 14 and up. Circumference seems to be 14 and up and I refuse to look like a pirate (otherwise, I'll have to get an eye patch and parrot as accessories). I also have no arch and other uncomfortable foot issues. Lastly, they have to be cute. It's hard to find a multi-purpose boot that one can wear with jeans and to the office but I try and maybe end up with a few boot options.

Go ahead and groan but I love my UGGs first and foremost. The Classic Tall boot is the perfect height and circumference and it is wonderfully warm and snuggly. The cuteness factor is debatable but I usually spend my summers in fitflops and winters in UGGs (keep office shoes to change into at work). I am making an attempt to wean myself off of the UGGs.

I love my Sacco boots because they are made of the softest yummiest lambskin, are made for short bird legs and pretty comfortable. Unfortunately, the 2 pairs I have are in really bad shape and Sacco is only in NY (their website bites). I will be dropping by during my sister's birthday weekend.

Another favorite brand is La Canadienne and I have 2 pairs from them. They are the perfect winter boot because they are waterproof, insulated, well, the Canadians know how to get through the winter. The boots come in a variety of heights and circumferences and the Lili (black patent) and Juliana (black suede) fit me beautifully. But, I'd like a more sophisticated styling of the toe area and plain black leather.

Local shoe shopping has been completely disappointing since not a single boot fits and online retailers hate me because I've sent every boot back (except for a pair of Reiker Sarina boots which are not totally cute but fit my calves, might be cute on the motorcycle).

I do have 3 pairs coming. The middle pair is the Corso Como Milan boot which will likely be sent back. It looked cute at first and there is an elastic panel in the back for a snug fit but upon further review, it looks tall and wide up top. Pepperlime grossly overcharges for their shoes but I wasn't able to find this boot elsewhere and will certainly take advantage of the free return option.

I'm excited about the top and bottom pairs because they are Born's. I had 1 pair of slides from Born and they were so deliciously comfortable. I have really high hopes for these. The top heeled low western boot (Allegra) would be for going out, wearing with skinny jeans and tights. The bottom pair is the Darcy which has a rounder toe than I would like but smooth sleek styling that could work for a variety of situations. Will let you know how it goes.

UPDATE:
The Corso Como Milan and Born Darcy were both too wide at the top. I have to say, I LOVE the quality of all 3 boots. Soft leather, padded footbed, beautiful styling. I am keeping the Allegra boots because I want a pair of Western boots, even with the heel it is so comfortable and surprisingly, the short shaft height makes my legs look so long! They are fabulous with skinny jeans, I'm so excited!

Andouille

I am lazy. I will not make a roux. I will not make gumbo. I do not have ingredients for a clam bake. I will not make jambalaya. But, I have this beautiful piece of andouille sausage from the farmer's market and I want to eat it. I was thinking of a tapas dish I had with chorizo and thought...

Andouille in Port Wine Reduction
- slice andouille and shallots
- sweat shallots in olive oil
- brown sausage
- splash of port
- reduce
- add fresh crushed black pepper and serve with crostini

A's NY Cheap(ish) Eats

Off the top of my head...

TAPAS

• Tia Pol (205 10th Ave | Btwn 22nd & 23rd St): Have the Navajas Y Almejas, Chorizo Con Chocolate, Pan Con Tomate. It is a tiny place so you may have to wait a bit.
• El Quinto Pino (401 W 24th St | At 9th Ave): Have the uni panini. Super tiny place with no tables, just stools and a counter.

ETHIOPIAN

• Meskerem (124 Macdougal St | Btwn W 3rd St & Minetta Ln): Timatim Salad, Meskerem Combo
• Queen of Sheba (650 10th Ave | Btwn 45th & 46th St): all good

THAI

• Wondee Siam (792 9th Ave | Btwn 52nd & 53rd St): I like the pad woon sen.
• Sripraphai (64-13 39th Ave., Queens, NY 11377): http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/sripraphai/. The. Best. Hands. Down. They specialize in soft shell crab.

VIETNAMESE

• Nha Trang Centre (148 Centre St | At Walker St): garlic crispy squid, bo luc lac
  

DESSERT

• Kyotofu (705 9th Ave | Btwn 48th & 49th St): you know what, their food is pretty darn good too!
  

BRUNCH

• Essex (120 Essex St | At Rivington St): lobster benedict
• Cafeteria (119 7th Ave | At 17th St): cinnamon chantilly cream, omg

KOREAN

• Don's Bogam BBQ & Wine Bar (17 E 32nd St | Btwn Madison & 5th Ave): delicious - ok, kinda pricey

CUPCAKES

• Crumbs (4 locations)

JAPANESE CAFETERIA

• Cafe Zaiya (1073 6th Ave | At 41st St): delish AND Beard Papa!!!

INDIAN

• Joy (148 E 46th St | Btwn Lex & 3rd Av.): crazy cheap, good and doesn't make me sick

ITALIAN

• Tre Dici (128 W 26th St | Btwn 6th & 7th Ave): ok, not totally cheap but not totally expensive but tastes unbelievably decadent
  

FRENCH

• Le Singe Vert (160 7th Ave | Btwn 19th & 20th St)

BBQ

• Hill Country (30 W 26th St | Btwn 5th & 6th Ave): amazing BBQ chicken, orgasmic hot german potatoes
  

CHINESE

• Ping's (22 Mott St | Btwn Mosco & Pell St)
• Congee Village (100 Allen St | At Delancey St)
• Jing Fong (20 Elizabeth St | At Canal St): dim sum!
• Nice Green Bo (fka New Green Bo) (66 Bayard St | Btwn Mott & Elizabeth St): steamed vegetable buns

MALAYSIAN

• Nyonya (194 Grand St | Btwn Mott & Mulberry St)

WINE BAR

• 8th Street Winecellar (28 W 8th St | Btwn 5th Ave & MacDougal St)

Stay tuned for the pricier list...

How A Got Her Groove Back

It started last week. I made these awful pancakes. Who messes up pancakes, especially if they are Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pancake mix?! The blueberries from the farmer's market were really tart and I messed around with the heat so there you have it. I also cut my middle finger, got stabbed in the palm by a pork chop (that came out dry and disgusting) and hurt my thumb with a green bean.

M: "You see what happens when you stray from the continent of Asia?"

So, I went back. My chicken adobo was flavorful and tangy. Pork chow mei fun fed 4 happily. Green beans and ground pork stir fry had the greenness and snap of farmer's market green beans, rich meat flavor and gentle heat. It also brought back memories of mom's cooking.

4 weeks 'til knife skills class!

Shrimp Pasta Fresca

M really only likes Asian food but she loves this one pasta dish I make. The great part is that it's as easy as stir-frying!

Prep (thanks M!):
- Dice 4 ripe tomatoes (I used sun ripened Roma tomatoes that I got from the farmer's market this morning)
- Mince 2 cloves of garlic and a shallot
- Peel and devein a half pound of shrimp (I kept the shells to do a shrimp stock tomorrow)
- Chiffonade some basil (I took some from my window box that H planted for me)

Heat olive oil and sweat the garlic and shallots. Increase the heat and add tomatoes and some kosher salt. After the tomatoes are nice and soft and released their flavor, add a splash of white wine. Let the wine cook off and then add the shrimp. Once the shrimp is opaque, turn off the heat and spoon sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with basil and fresh cracked pepper.

(M is now eating it on sourdough toast. It reminds me of the tomato bread at Boquerria.)

My Seoul

Basic Salad Marinade
I use this for everything: spinach, bean sprouts, cucumbers, seaweed, tofu, etc. Great for summer because you can make a bunch of salads and keep them in the fridge.
- Soy sauce
- Crushed garlic
- Sesame oil
- Wasabi or chili
- Rice wine vinegar

Scallion Salad
I can't eat Korean BBQ without it.
- Scallions (cut in thin strands)
- Minced chili
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Rice wine vinegar

Ssam Jang

From Susan:

"buy dark korean denjang and doctor it up: sesame oil, sweat with garlic, add denjang, smash in some soft tofu, done."

Understanding: One Person at a Time

One of reasons that Prop 8 passed was that proponents aggressively went after communities of color. My cousin would tell me that she got hundreds of phone calls from people who targeted Asians. And that tactic worked. I'll admit it, I have chosen my gay family over the Asian community, even my own family.

Tonight, my cousin married an incredible man and I am now part of an amazing new family. I spent the past two days getting to know them and developed a really strong connection to the groom's mother. We just hit it off and talked for hours. Towards the end of tonight, she said to me, "I voted for Prop 8. But, after meeting you, I have changed my mind."

That blew me away. Firstly, because I wasn't expecting it. I have never hidden my life from people and I just can't help talking about M. I talk about her all the time. It has never crossed my mind that the person I'm speaking to, doesn't approve of me. I think it is these seemingly meaningless conversations with the people in our lives that spark and carry change and understanding forward.

So, I now have an African-American Christian grandmother and she has a queer Asian granddaughter. Who knew?

New York Homecoming

NY dressed in gold
Mosaic of glittering windows
Framed in brilliant clear blue above
Opaque with taxis and feet below

Instinctively
My pulse quickens
I rapid speed walk
Reminding myself to breathe

*Rasika & C

It was a beautiful day to head into DC for lunch with C, K's friend. Any friend of K's is a friend of mine but as we chatted, I realized that I had met C before. A few years ago, I had a dream that I was meeting someone for the first time at lunch. That she was in a suit and I was not working (which I thought was strange). She had a necklace with a thick silver chain and opal stone. She was talking about Armonk, NY. No wonder we just clicked right away!

Although C has worked in DC for years (she commuted between NY and DC), she recently moved to DC as well and it was great to talk to someone who had the deep inside scoop on DC (farmer's markets and restaurants!) and understood what it was like to leave one's friends and family in NY. It's nice to have friends in DC.

[See my Yelp post for review of Rasika]

Bobby On The Brain

Sure, he made an ass of himself on Iron Chef but the man has a killer mussel recipe. I just made them on the stove and will serve with some sourdough toast.

Steamed Mussels with White Wine, Tarragon, Shallots, Butter, and Grilled French Bread

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Level: Easy

Serves:4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bread
• 2 shallots, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups white wine
• 2 pounds cultivated mussels, scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• 1 baguette, halved lengthwise

Directions

Heat grill to high. Sprinkle garlic with a pinch of salt and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the garlic to a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a stockpot on the grates of the grill, add the shallots and garlic and cook until shallots soften. Add the wine, bring to a boil and stir in the mussels. Cover the pot and cook the mussels until all of them have opened, about 6 to 8 minutes, discard any that do not open.

Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tarragon. Pour the mixture over the mussels and serve immediately with grilled bread.

Brush cut side of baguette with oil, season with salt and pepper and grill, cut side down until lightly golden brown.

Cornflake Chicken

In middle school and high school I would go to A's house to study. There are 2 delicious dinners I'd look forward to while I was there: Parmesan and olive oil pasta and cornflake chicken. I use corn flakes from Whole Foods that don't have high fructose corn syrup in it.

Cornflake Chicken
Preheat oven 350 degrees. A's mom would use chicken tenders but this time, I used skinless boneless chicken thighs. Remove fat and cut into uniform pieces in terms of size and thickness. In a plastic bag crush cornflakes and add kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Shake chicken in bag to coat. Butter glass/ metal pan and place chicken. Drizzle with melted butter and pop into oven for 20 minutes or until done.

Take That Food Network BBQ Special

M likes to watch TV on mute when she's working at night so I put on the Food Network. It is not something one should watch after dinner. First we wanted ice cream, then cookies and then "Best Thing I Ever Ate: BBQ." I was drooling and decided I will definitely hit Hill Country when I'm back in NY.

To satisfy my craving today (now!), I took out 2 of our thin cut rib eyes and marinated them in Montreal Steak seasoning and Worcestershire sauce (ignore the high fructose corn syrup, it's not really there). Made O's lemon dressing (lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, salt). Made potato salad (4 baked potatoes, mayo, shallots, rice vinegar, celery salt, fresh cracked pepper). Cooked the steaks on a super hot cast iron grill (awesome if don't have or are too lazy to do that whole charcoal grill thing). Let the steaks rest and then plated steak, salad (arugula, dressing, parm cheese) and potato salad. Apartment BBQ.

V.H., MPP

Congratulations, V! It was an inspiring ceremony and Arianna Huffington was funny, brilliant and an amazing speaker. I also really loved the live organ playing.

LA Landscape

Gorgeous windy drive through Topanga (I always think of Boy Meets World). I did the same drive last year when I went to C&C's wedding. And of course, LA traffic. Gotta love it! Oh, and no one told me about June Gloom. Brrr and sticky.

LA In My Belly

V and I are all about food. Before we visit each other we send each other the food schedule. From the airport, she took us to gr/eats (delicious fried oyster plate) and Volcano Tea (shaved ice with red bean, condensed milk, almond jello and taro pudding) on Sawtelle. Then we headed to Abbot Kinney Blvd for tea at Jin Patisserie. We met up with M & H at Sagebrush Cantina for an awesome taco tray and live music that we sang along to (oh oh oh OH Sweet Child O' Mine....). And last but not least, the awesome sushi chef who made me a special uni sushi with a dollop of wasabi, lemon, salt and no nori. Delicious!

Banh Hoi

These fresh rice rolls are M's favorite meal in the whole world (she once ate 15 at 1 sitting). Her mom made it last night and we are attempting to recreate it (it'll be my first Cambodian recipe).

Banh Hoi
- Beef: slice eye of round thinly, chop half an onion and 1 garlic clove. Heat canola oil in wok, add garlic, then beef, oyster sauce, and onions. Add half cup of water. Stirring frequently, cook until beef is brown.
- Rice vermicelli: soak in warm water, nuke, toss with olive oil and sprinkle with scallions or fried garlic
- Rice summer roll wraps (aka Vietnamese Rice Paper): soak in warm water and lay on these plastic circle things with holes
- Special fish sauce: boil 7 cups of water with 2 cups of sugar and then take off heat. Soak chillies in 2 cups palm vinegar. Combine with 1 head of garlic chopped, 1 cup fish sauce (3 crab brand). Fill 2 liter soda bottle and keep in fridge.
- Various fresh herbs and mints (I think 2 are spearmint and thai basil - wish I knew what the others were)
- Green leaf lettuce
- Cucumber

Pour out some special fish sauce into individual bowls and add 3 spoonfuls of sauce from the cooked beef. Take rice wrap and add beef, vermicelli, herbs, lettuce and cucumber. Make into roll and dip into sauce.

*Teasim, Dukem & DC Tourist Day 2

After cooking and eating another breakfast smorgasbord (eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, hash browns, fresh fruit), we headed out for my DC Tourist Day 2 and Dr. Do and A's Day 4. I was a bit disappointed with the Freer and Sackler - my favorite piece was basically a big fun house mirror. We could've played with that exhibit all day. We had a huge lunch at Teasim, who knew that healthy food could be so filling? Found our countries at the Navy Memorial and headed to the Museum of American History where I promptly passed out from a food coma. After Dr. Do and A took in their muppets and ruby red slippers, I took them to Dukem, my favorite Ethiopian restaurant. Special Tibs never let me down.

*Dancing Crab

We took the fam to our favorite crab restaurant in DC - The Dancing Crab. M's mom kicked our butts by devouring 6. I beat M 3 to 2.5. I also had my first hush puppy - it reminded me of shrimp toast topping. Oh delicious fried carb, where have you been all my life?

Cambodian Yumminess

M's mom cooked dinner for us... I love bok choy and shitake mushrooms and her ginger chicken stew.

The Creature Nightmares Are Made Of

Despite the everlasting precipitation (is it time to build the ark yet?), Dr. Do, A, C and I went forth to the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). I have not been jam packed in a place with so many people and children in a very long time. Apparently, DC is chock full of children between June and September. Now you tell me.

Regardless of the hordes, Dr. Do and A's enthusiasm was infectious and we saw the ENTIRE museum plus the 3D IMAX movie Deep Sea. That was really incredible. Imagine being surrounded by moon jellies and having them float right into you! A loves squids so we saw the male and female giant squids on exhibit. We were incensed that the Deep Sea movie called the Humbolt Squid "the creature nightmares are made of." The new bones/ forensics exhibit was so cool. Hello CSI! I liked the fossil of the fish with the fish skeleton in the stomach. The cafeteria was yummy. Any opportunity for chicken tenders and fries is welcome.

Full House

What ever happened to predictability? The milk man, the paper boy, evening T.V...

We got Dr. Do, A, M's mom and bro. Good thing our IKEA dishes are a setting for 6!

Dr. Do and A in town!

Dr. Do and her best friend A are in town for the week! We took them to our little neighborhood gem, Hinode. Dr. Do got the beef rose. I love the sushi there.

We discovered the amazing aquarium store next to Hinode and then headed to Yogiberry to continue the Korean frozen yogurt taste test. Dr. Do liked the berry flavor but Red Mango still reigns supreme.