comfort food

now that the weather outside is in full fall blast, i felt like it was time to bust out the chili and cornbread.  i love love love making chili because it's super easy and pretty healthy for the most part.  now that i've gone on and on about chili, i should let you know that the focus of this post is actually on the 'zesty corn muffins' i made to go with the chili! (recipe here)

i found this recipe on tastespotting which was introduced to me by my cousins.  it's more of a visual recipe search.  it's genius!  you type in something and then you get these pictures as results from people who are anal about their food pics (i take mine with my trust 8mp HTC incredible...) and it always looks delicious!  for the most part it links you back to other blogs, but hey, food is food no matter where you source it.

this recipe was great to make because it was super easy and it baked very quickly.  i had it all done in under 30 minutes and they tasted delicious.  with the corn and scallions that are added in, you don't really need butter (hooray less calories!).  i forgot to put in the jalapenos because i already threw them all in the chili, but i'm sure with that addition, these corn muffins would've tasted even better!

some fotos of the process:

dry ingredients

 wet ingredients

 all mixed up

 in their happy little homes

 fresh out of the oven!

 finished product! so pretty. i should note i greased the pan so no need for paper cups.

bon appetit!

the chinese way of eating

i'm still not quite done with my eating adventures in china so bear with me!  one of the last nights we were in guangzhou, my cousin treated the whole family to a new way of eating in the huangsha area that i had yet to experience!  if you don't like seafood, then this isn't for you (and what's wrong with you?? i kid, i kid!).

in huangsha there are a few restaurants around that allow you to go to the seafood market below, purchase the seafood that you want, and then they'll cook it for you!  i can see how it is fun every once in a while, but for the most part when i go to a restaurant, it's cause i want to pick out something i want to eat, and then not do any work for it.

so after seeing our HUGE 22-seater table (with the largest lazy susan i've ever seen) equipped with our own couches and television, we headed down to the market to get some grub for dinner.

see. baller room.

snapshot of the market

sashimi grade salmon we purchased

geoducks! we didn't purchase...but i had to snap a photo

flower crab

mantis shrimp (aka 'peeing shrimp' in cantonese) and yes, the chinese have a different standard of cleanliness in their 'markets'

more crab

the goods for dinner! the waitress took note of everything we bought

the end result!! the best green onion crab i've ever had

 scallops--one of my favorite kinds of seafood ever!

shrimp

HUGE table

the cooked flower crabs

raw salmon. SO good. oh, and this was 1 of 3 trays...

pissing shrimp--probably least favorite dish of the night

there was SO MUCH food that night we didn't know what to do with ourselves.  this included a lot of supplemental veggie dishes that i didn't snap pics of.  having the huge lazy susan for 22 people didn't work out so well either.  essentially if the food passed in front of you, you exercised those ninja chopstick skills and grabbed what you wanted or waited for it to make the rounds in front of everyone else and hoped there would be something left on the plate the next time it came by you.  you can bet that i grabbed a piece of raw salmon every time!

international junk food

it's no secret that i like food.  but i LOVE junk food.  especially chips.  i'm a savory girl so i'll take chips over cakes, cookies and cupcakes anyday...unless they're red velvet ones cause those make me weak at the knees.  that was also quite the alliteration!

so whenever abroad, i look forward to the chip selection because the flavors you find are so exotic!  i can still recall the thai chili flavored pringles i had in angers, france that may be the best chips i've had yet.  i haven't seen them anywhere else though i haven't looked very hard.

this isn't my first time to china so i'm pretty familiar with the selection, but people are always inventing new flavors so i had to scope it out.  low and behold i found two verrrry interesting flavors:

yea...cucumber and cheese lobster.  how could i not get these?  who in this world makes cucumber flavored chips?  the chinese do.  i mean...lemon tea and blueberry were also in the running.  those flavors really exist i am not making this up.

the cucumber flavor did not taste like cucumber.  in fact, i made several family members eat the chips too and none of us could figure out what it tasted like.  i spent half the bag eating very slowly and occasionally trying to 'cleanse' the palette somehow to figure out but i gave up.  however, true to the bag's statements, there was an odd cooling sensation which just threw me off.  let me make that mistake for you and don't ever buy this flavor.

now onto the cheese lobster.  how could i not resist?  look at that saucer pouring thick velveeta-looking cheese onto the lobster?  the chinese can also take things a little too literally.  this bag was much more enjoyable than the cucumber one but this one didn't particularly taste like lobster either.  they nailed the cheese part, but the lobster bit just kind of tasted like some sort of seafood essence if that makes any sense.  in any case, the fam bam couldn't get enough of this one so there wasn't too much left for me.

if i wasn't so lazy, i would've gotten lemon tea and blueberry purely for curiosity purposes.  maybe next time ;)

FRESH food

i'm baaaack!  despite my good intentions to blog while visiting the fam bam in china for the last three weeks, i failed and i blame it on the strict communist internet, my laziness and generally just feeling lethargic from the heat/humidity.  i felt like i was being cooked in an oven.

but with that said, i want to turn your attention to the chinese's definition of fresh food.  while we in the states get most of our produce and meat from grocery stores, the chinese go to their local markets and ish there is fresh.  SO fresh that you can see the hearts still beating on the poor fish that have just been decapitated.  it was when i witnessed this that i knew that what we'd be eating that night was fresh.

it may be gross for some, but it's just how it is.  my cousin at dinner told me it must suck not being able to have 'fresh' chicken for dinner.  and by fresh she meant go pick out a live one from the market and promptly have it killed for that night's meal.  to which i replied, frozen really isn't all that bad, i swear ;)

anyway, some videos & fotos for your enjoyment.  i use that term loosely...

blue crab

 gutting fish

 true chinaman. gotta make sure that cig is lit.

it's communism's fault!!

i realize i have been on this wonderful streak of posting frequently and then all of a sudden it went to shit as soon as i took off for vacation.  i've had every intention to post things (taking pics of all sorts of goodness that has been adding fat to my thighs and bum) but i haven't been able to do much because of the commies!!!

facebook, twitter and blogspot are among many of the sites that are blocked by the prc (people's republic of china) therefore you need a vpn in order to access these sites, which i don't have.  however, i am now back in the land of hong kong where even though it's technically a part of the prc, i have interweb freedom!  yay!

posts will be coming soon :)

14 carrot cafe

during my visit to seattle, i hit up brunch with my friend will at 14 carrot cafe over in eastlake.  14 carrot cafe is a pretty low-key place that you can usually go to without a wait on the weekends which i appreciate.

while the food there is good, i will say that it is a little overpriced for being pretty standard brunch fare (~$11-14).

with that said, i got all diva on my breakfast and got the tuscan omelette and asked for it as a scramble and then with egg whites only.  that was my attempt at making my brunch semi healthy.  i don't understand why people go for the omelette when you could have everything mixed together, but to each their own.

the tuscan consisted of sausage, mozzarella, fresh basil, roasted red peppers and garlic.  it was fantastico!  ha.  see what i did there?  i also enjoyed the hashbrowns though they could've been cooked a little more.  it was like they wanted to prove that these were legitimately just shredded...

 

anyway, it's neat little spot so next time you're in the hood, hit it up.  but don't move the tables like will did.  that results in the boss lady telling the waiter to come over and awkwardly fidget under your table as he fixes the wedge job previously set in place until will destroyed it.  the end.

clam chowder

i know what you're thinking...more clams??  well i only used about half the can of clams (and juice) in the sauce with the linguine for the four of us in the fam bam so obviously i had to use up the other half before they went bad.  i tried making a clam chowder earlier (attempt #1) and it wasn't very successful so what better time than the present to try again?

i was still hell bent on making a chowder that isn't fifty thousand calories a serving so i found something suitable on allrecipes and then of course made some adjustments of my own (check it).  per usual. 

to start with, i cooked up 4 slices of bacon like other people had suggested for some flavor, and then minced my veggies in the fat for some flavor.  i only used 1/4 cup of butter and instead of a quart of half and half, i used 2 cups of 1% milk and 2 cups of half & half.  oh, and i also added a few dashes of marsala cooking wine cause i really enjoy that stuff.  i think next time i'll only use 1 cup of half & half and 3 cups of milk.  it should be thick enough because of the roux that you get going with the flour and butter in the saucepan.  if not, corn starch is your bff ;)

i was pleasantly surprised at how quickly i was able to make this and how delicious it turned out!  again, the key is enough clam juice or you won't get the flavor.  granted i was taking my time chopping, but from start to end and with the dishes done, it only took an hour!  i can't wait to make it again when it's cold. 

white clam sauce

the fam bam went to costco this last weekend and i picked up this little beauty below (technically it comes in a pack of 2 but you get the idea):

 

i got inspired to cook with clams because when i was in chicago, i had a clam linguine that was really good, but it was so overpriced.  i feel like that's the deal with clam anything anywhere.  so instead, i decided to attempt to make my own!  i found a recipe on all recipes (link here) and used it as a guide since i used half the amount of butter and instead of white wine, used marsala cooking wine since that's what i had available, added some crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat and added a splash of half'n'half.  i had to make the white clam sauce white somehow :)

in lieu of measuring, i just kind of winged it with the amount of clams and clam juice i put in.  that's really the key to clam dishes as i've learned from a failed chowder earlier...you just need to add enough clam juice.  that's when the costco sized can comes in handy!

whenever i use all recipes, i always scour the comments to see what adjustments other people end up doing to make the recipe better.  well one reader said they halved the butter and substituted olive oil for the other half.  against my better judgement, i tried that and it was a horrible idea!  the oil separated on top so i ended up just spooning it off and throwing it away.  my mom mocked but i got over it, haha.

afterwards i tossed the whole grain linguine i had boiled previously with the sauce in a pot then topped it with parsley!  it was so good!  i can't wait to make it again.

blueberry crumb bars

blueberries are definitely one of my favorite fruits so when i got back from traveling, i knew i had to take advantage of the season.  in corvallis, i usually hit up blueberry meadows for some u-pick action because 1. it's cheaper and 2. i can eat them as i pick.  win-win!

my co-workers have always told me how detail oriented i am but i didn't really see it until i went blueberry picking.  it took me a while to pick the 10 pounds i ended up with because i don't just pick any berry!  it's gotta be big and sweet.  who wants to eat an unripe one?  anyway, when i was done, the lady looked at me and say, 'you are very diligent!' and that's when it dawned on me, and it took blueberry picking to figure that out.  

ok back from tangent.  first i wanted to make a pie, then i started looking at some recipes online and got inspired by the one i found on smitten kitchen (link here).  i think the pictures are what got me (along with how incredibly easy and quick it is).  anyway, i followed the recipe and it turned out great!  my mom even asked for the recipe and mama bee is usually not into sweets.  there are some things i'd change up next time.  i think i'll use half butter and half apple sauce to cut down on fat.  i'm also going to try baking the bottom crust layer for a few minutes first before adding on the other layers to get it crunchier.  this recipe is also awesome because you can make it pretty much with any fruit!  i think a peach blueberry combo would be awesome :)

it's all about the layers

this is how i gained weight

i know it seems like i may have been slacking on the blogging front but you can bet that i've been continuing to diligently take pictures of all the yumminess that i've consumed the past few months.  the whole uploading pics and writing about it part has taken a backseat to some adventuring.  don't hate!  in the end, i decided it would be best for me to post the smorgasbord of pictures with a little description of what it is and once this is done with, we'll start all over again.  kapeesh?

you may be wondering about the title of this post.  yeah, after traveling for 3 months and not working out, this food (and perhaps some other liquid beverages) have contributed to me gaining about 10 pounds.  NO BUENO.  since i've been home, i've been pretty good about working out and eating healthier (and not consuming as many said liquid beverages) and that has helped but i'm taking off for china next wednesday (for 3 weeks) so all the work i've been doing will probably be undone.  well, we'll see anyway...

we shall start with lemon chicken tagine from morocco!  a tagine is essentially a dish of vegetables and a meat cooked in this teepee looking type clay pot.  google that ish.  everything ends up being very tender and delicious IF they put in enough spices.  luckily they did for this one!

this here is the sorry excuse for a 'salad.'  the moroccans have their tagines down, but their 'salads' could use some help.  i still ate it though.

this is a kefta (meatball) tagine with eggs and olives.  also in morocco if you hadn't figured it out yet.  it was good but a lot heavier than other tagines since they usually are heavier on the vegetable aspect.  the meatballs were very flavorful and the eggs were a nice touch.

this is a portugese egg tart.  if you're a dim sum fan, you'll probably notice this is similar to the egg tarts they have.  well, they are very similar except that the crust on the portugese egg tarts is flakier and saltier.  the top of the tart is caramelized which is different from the dim sum version.  i really liked these and had about one a day.  sometimes two.  oops.  i definitely prefer these over the dim sum ones!

now this is a gut bomb aka francesinha aka 'little french girl.'  what is this you ask?  it is a sandwich that consists of ham, steak, and sausage coated with cheese and a tomato sauce.  what about this screams little french girl?  could not tell you.  but it is a porto (portugal) specialty so obviously i had to try it.  i'm not gonna lie.  that thing is every drunk person's dream come true.  i couldn't finish it though.  well, let's just say i wouldn't let myself finish it all.  

this medley of fish was a dish that i had in lagos, portugal.  i had been craving seafood but it was so expensive in spain but rumor was lagos was the place to go so i made it happen when i was there.  the fish was delicious.  just grilled with a touch of lemon.  the only thing that annoyed me were all the bones!  at the end of the meal, the bones took over half my plate.  so worth it though!

chicken piri piri is another portugese specialty that i tried.  what makes chicken piri piri special is the sauce they use.   piri piri is a type of pepper so the chicken has a wee bit of kick to it.  apparently the sauce is bottled and is their version of tapitio.  it was good, but i don't think it was the best there was.  next time i'm there, i need to try more piri piri.

my hostel in lisbon offered dinners every night for 5 euro so i took advantage one night.  this was pretty tasty.  i would describe it as a veggie hash.  lots of julienned veggies stirfried with some potatoes and then i added some spicy seasoning on top that made it delicious!  hey, don't judge.  i was getting to the end of my trip and every euro counted!

this is the clam linguine (or 'linguine alla vic damone' if you want to be technical about it) from topo gigio in chicago.  it was SOOO good.  every since i lived in italy, i've been a sucker for clam linguine.  since margot raved about it, we decided to get that to split with the fusili below.  what i appreciate about this dish is that they have both chopped bits of clam within the linguine along the clams within the shells.  the flavor was great and the clams were plentiful.

this is the 'fusili alla topo gigio' which is pasta with a tomato cream sauce, fresh mozzarella and chicken.  if i had to choose, i would say i liked the clam one more.  it was lighter tasting.  don't get me wrong though, this was delicious. the dish had a perfect amount of sauce and having the chunks of mozzarella was a nice surprise. 

this is guacamole from rick bayliss' frontera restaurant in chicago!  apparently reservations for dinner were booked in july through september so we stopped in for lunch and it worked out.  the guac was amazing!  so fresh and flavorful without one ingredient overpowering the other.  it was a little steep at $9 though.  but what are you going to do?

these were the seared duck tacos from frontera.  they were magnificent.  duck is one of my favorite proteins and this duck was cooked perfectly!  so tender and juicy.  i know, this plate doesn't really scream 'tacos' but their setup is a DIY one so there were soft tortillas floating around.  the beans (soupy looking thing) were also really good.  i ended up dipping my tacos in it which was delicious.

margot and jeff took me to their friend's deli (steve's deli) in chicago and they had this on the menu...meatloaf cupcake!  genius, right?  i was a little anxious because a lot of meatloafs are dry but this one was perfect.  it was juicy and very flavorful and i loved that they even went through the effort of making mashed potato 'icing' for the top.

this is deep dish pizza from lou malnati's in chicago.  this was my first deep dish experience and i have to say that i'm not a fan.  definitely a knife and fork experience and it hits you like a rock!  on the other hand, jeff ordered a thin crust pizza from this place and i liked that a lot more.  the crust is different on deep dish pizzas.  it's crispier because of the pan they bake it in which i am ok with :)

so this was my attempt to be healthier when i got home.  spring greens with avocado, tomato, cucumber, cottage cheese and a little crumbled gorgonzola on top with balsamic vinaigrette.  yum!

this is cloud nine's ahi tostada in corvallis.  it sounded good but it's really quite strange to eat.  you don't really know how to eat it because it's one huge chip with a little mini salad on top.  kendall and i were awkwardly trying to eat it politely and it didn't work.  also, the flavor was just ok.  it was pretty tasteless without the little aioli they put on top.  they need to make it into a full blown salad or something.  not ordering this again.

this fish is a staple in every chinese household.  it's steamed fish topped with ginger and chinese sausage which is then drizzled with super hot oil and soy sauce then finished off with green onions.  the fish below is rock fish.  my mom has made this dish since i was a little kid and it's the best!  according to mother bee, the ginger is key to have when the fish is being steamed because it takes away the fishy smell.  mother bee is usually right so i'd listen to her.

this is the roasted garlic & dungeness crab soup from local ocean in newport, oregon.  this soup probably didn't really have a chance to begin with because what i really wanted was clam chowder but they didn't have it.  what restaurant in a coastal town that prides itself on seafood excludes that staple from their menu!?!?  anyway, this was the second best option so i went with it.  i almost got the bowl but opted for the cup and i'm glad i did.  it lacked flavor.  i definitely tasted the cheese (lots of parm) and they were more generous than you'd expect a restaurant to be with their crab, but it was incredibly rich without the flavor.

however, the pan seared oyster salad they had was awesome!  the oyster was just lightly battered so it wasn't heavy tasting and they were also very generous with their portions.  i was very pleasantly surprised.  you also can't go wrong with bacon on salads ;)

this is sushi from saburo in portland.  i usually come here about once a year so i was hitting my quota when i showed up on a friday.  saburo is special because they have HUGE pieces of nigiri and maki at reasonable prices.   should've probably taken a scale picture so you can get an idea, but if you look at the soy sauce dish and compare that to the nigiri, you get an idea.  usually there is an hour and a half wait so you have to prepare yourself mentally.  but really all you do is go put your name on the list and then go grab a drink nearby to pass the time.  well,  we showed up (will, whit and i) at 6:30 on a friday night expecting the worst, and got seated within three minutes!  the sushi gods were being generous that day!!!  it was weird, there was hardly anyone waiting outside, but as we continued to eat, the line outside grew so perhaps it was just good timing!

this dish was from my friend jake's wedding in portland.  normally i wouldn't take pictures of food at weddings but i had to because he had hawaiian time catered!  hawaiian time is a hawaiian fast food joint that he really loved when we were in school in eugene.  i just thought it was awesome that jessica (le bride) let it happen on their big day.  now that's true love.  (the salmon and asparagus salad weren't a part of the hawaiian time in case you were wondering.)

FOOD OVERLOAD. i know.