Category Archives: Recipes

Stove Top Chili

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chili, beef, soup, stew, beans

chili, beef, soup, stew, beans

These past few weeks have just been road trip after road trip intertwined with a couple birthday parties, a bittersweet goodbye party, and a wedding. Though seeing friends and family, visiting sights, and dining out are all my favorite things to do, I’m looking forward to a weekend with absolutely zero plans! Call me a shut-in, call me antisocial (screw you, btw), sometimes you just need to do absolutely nothing in order to “recharge” as I like to say, and it seems my low-battery light has been flashing for sometime.

Though it sounds like I may be complaining about the hecticness of life, I’m not. I’m actually quite grateful for all the experiences I’ve had in the past year. Reflecting back, I learned to ride a motorcycle, I entered a triathlon (and signed up for another one next year), I got to to see some great shows (Paul McCartney at Candlestick’s farewell, Ringo Starr, Cirque Du Soleil’s Love, Sound Garden, Louis CK, and Eddie Izzard to name a few), I finished a couple art projects, I’ve travelled quite a bit (granted, though only within the U.S.), and oh hey, I got married to a great guy! So, I can’t complain. With a few inevitable not-so-great life experiences and situations aside, this past year for the most part, has been pretty fantastic I’ll say. But right now, nothing sounds more appealing than to park my lazy ass on the couch next to my husband’s and go on a Netflix binge.

chili, beef, soup, stew, beans

Of course, lazy weekends call for lazy recipes. This chili recipe is literally just throwing things in a pot and walking away; ok, maybe there’s a little more to it than that but there’s really not a whole lot you can do to mess it up – thus the beauty of chili! The ingredient portions are built to my tastes but feel free to adjust them however you like. Want to add more onions? Do it! Want to switch the beef for turkey? Go ahead! Want to add PBR to the mix? I say go for it, you f*#kin hipster!

GridPost_oilcloth

Been a little obsessed with floral oil cloths lately.
Top left: Cajun shrimp from Cha Cha Cha’s in San Francisco
Top right: Ordered a new oil cloth
Bottom left: Homemade caramel pork belly and egg
Bottom right: Sangria margarita from Chacho’s in Downtown San Jose
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Chile Rellenos

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ChileRellenos

Chile Rellenos

Living in California, I am just surrounded by amazing Mexican food everywhere! Whether it’s a taqueria, a fancy cantina, or a push cart down the street, you don’t have look very far to find your favorite dishes.

In fact, one of my favorite dishes is, you guessed it, chile rellenos – peppers stuffed with cheese that’ve been battered and deep fried served with a tangy tomato salsa. The first time I had these were in Woodland, California at Maria’s Cantina. I was told their chile rellenos were amazing – the stuffed peppers I’ve had in the past were always just filled with bland barley and raisins, but I’m always down to try new foods, so I took chance and order it with a side of rice and beans. Needles to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The richness of the jack cheese, the smoky poblano flavor, and the zesty salsa…I had never had anything like it!

Fast-forward a few years, and here I am today, making my own chile rellenos at home. Not going to lie, these peppers are a lot more labor-intensive than I had expected, but it’ll be worth it once you take that first bite. Check out the recipe below! (modified and adapted from All Recipes.

Chile Rellenos

chile rellenos

Ingredients

Yields: 4 stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers:
4 poblano/pasilla peppers
4 oz of pepper jack cheese, cubed
4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
⅓ cup flour, for batter
½ tsp salt
¼ cup flour, for dredging
1 ½-2 cups oil, for frying

Sauce:
3 tomatoes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
½ cup chicken broth
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp pepper
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce

Directions

Roasting and stuffing the peppers:
Using a gas burner or torch, carefully roast the peppers on all sides until crisp and blackened. After roasting each pepper, place them into a large bowl covered with a plate or lid allowing the peppers to steam in their own heat. (This part is crucial! The steaming process makes it easier for you to peel off the skin) After the peppers have sat in their own steam for about 15-20 minutes, use a paper towel to rub off the blackened skin. Using a paring knife, make a small T-shaped incision on one side of each pepper, just big enough for you to cut out the seeds and stuff in the cheese. Carefully remove the seeds. I like to leave in some seeds, but just know, the more seeds, the spicier your chile relleno will be. Stuff the pepper with 1 oz of cheese and set aside.

Making the sauce
Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, heat the oil, toss in diced onion and brown until slightly translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic for about a minute. Then stir in tomato puree, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, pepper, vinegar, and hot sauce. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, then remove from heat and set aside.

Making the batter
With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Stir the egg yolks with a fork or whisk. Using a spatula, fold the yolks and ⅓ cup of flour into the whipped egg whites.

Heat the frying oil in a skillet on medium to medium-high, you want it to be in the range of 325 Fahrenheit.

Coating the peppers:
Dredge the peppers in ¼ cup of flour and dip into the egg batter; you may need to used a spoon to evenly cover the pepper.

Frying the peppers:
Place the peppers in the hot oil. (I placed 2 peppers in the pan at a time to prevent overcrowding.) After the first side has reached a golden brown color, about 2-4 minutes, flip the pepper allowing it to brown on the other side. When the peppers are done frying, place them on a few paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

Preparing the plate:
Pour a few spoonfuls of the sauce onto a plate, lay the pepper on top and pour just a bit more sauce over the top. Voila! You’re finished!

Chile Rellenos

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Enchiladas Made Easy

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Enchiladas

Enchiladas

I love seeing color in my food. You know, they say you eat with your eyes first. I mean, just look at those vibrant green avocado slices, or that rich red sauce covered under that bed of pale yellow and white cheeses! It’s like a kaleidoscope of color, textures, and flavors! And believe me, these enchiladas are both bursting with color and flavor!

Enchiladas2 copy1_small

Ok, so these enchiladas are by no means authentic, but they’re still tasty none the less. If you’re just looking for a quick and dirty fix to satisfy your enchilada craving, then look no further. I made these in less than an hour with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.

GridPost_sushi

Top left: Homemade sushi. Made my and my husbands favorite sushi dishes/rolls.
Top right: Napoleon from Rick’s dessert diner in Midtown Sac. My first time there – will be going back for sure!
Bottom left: Took a pic of the Sac bridge while walking Bailey
Bottom right: Had lunch in San Jose with the family and ordered the com tam.
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Classic Waffles

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waffles copy_square2

waffles

I’m going to be honest and admit I was never a morning person, and neither are any members of my family. Growing up, if my family ever woke up early enough to have breakfast (which was rare), you can bet it was savory and slathered in soy sauce. I’m talking about rice porridge, fried eggs on toast, dim sum, and yes, all covered in soy sauce! Not that I’m complaining. Just trying to paint a mental picture so you can understand why the rare but occasional sweet breakfast was always such a treat growing up (I’m of course excluding box cereals from this list). It was a nice break from the typical savory meals I was so used to.

Waffles are one of those foods that just make you happy…deep down-to-the-core happy. It’s crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside. To quote my all time favorite comedian:
“A waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap.” – Mitch Hedberg

waffles copy2

GridPost_bo7mon
Said bon voyage to my little sister last week. She’s currently in France studying abroad, but before leaving, we enjoyed Bo 7 Mon (a 7 beef course dinner) alongside a whole deep-fried peanut-crusted fish.

GridPost_mi_quang
More insta pics from the holidays. Top Left: Mi Quang from Ban Cuon Bac Ninh Top Right: Macarons from Bouchon bakery given to me by some lovely friends. Bottom Left: Saying goodbye to 2014 with some bubbly. Bottom Right: Prepared a hot pot dinner with my dad.

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Pumpkin Scones

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pumpkin_scone3 copy

starbucks, copycat, pumpkin, scone, starbucks

So a few weeks back, when Autumn started, I was craving all things pumpkin, which is of course the natural reaction when leaves start to fall. I went to Starbucks to get their infamous pumpkin scone, and wouldn’t you know it, they didn’t have any! The kind employee explained that the company was working on improving the recipe. Behold, the great Starbucks pumpkin scone famine! My first thought was bummer, my second thought was shouldn’t they have tried finishing perfecting the recipe in say, I don’t know, the Summer? And my last thought was how the heck am I going to get my pumpkin scone fix now? And of course, the obvious answer was “Make them yourself”.

pumpkin pie spice that shit

A little thing I drew up. Some hate the fact there’s pumpkin spice everything this time of year, but i for one, love it!

I found this post on Reddit later. Rumor has it that the so called “recipe evaluation” may have been nothing more than a coverup for a recall due to cross contamination. Others say there may have been broken shards of glass or plastic in the scones. Yikes!

Whatever the case may be, if it had not been for the recall, I’d have never learned to make these babies on my own. And I can say from experience, these copycat scones tastes just as good as their legit originals.

pumpkin scone starbucks
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Creme Brulee

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CremeBrulee

Creme Brulee The noshing Bride

This fine torched dessert is the absolute epitome of decadence. I mean, you’re literally just eating sugar and cream, but oh what nirvana it is to crack into that thin caramelized shell and dig your way into the creamy velvety goodness! Yeah, you may need to skimp on the whole fat milk in your morning coffee to offset the richness in this dessert, but I promise, it’s worth it!

I used a creme brulee recipe from the great food genius, Alton Brown. It’s your run-of-the-mill vanilla creme brulee recipe but what I love about cream-based desserts is that it’s essentially a blank canvas for flavors, creme brulee is no different – add your own little twist on the classic dessert. Change it up by adding Cointreau or Grand Marnier if you want to add a little zesty hint of orange. Make a raspberry nutella brulee by incorporating Chambord, Frangelico, and cocoa powder. The possibilities are endless!

Creme Brulee The noshing bride
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Cream Puffs with Chocolate Pastry Cream

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CreamPuffs copy

Cream Puffs copy

Cream puffs and I have deep and long history. For most kids in the U.S., the cupcake is the go-to for sweet comfort food snacks, but that wasn’t the case for me. No, the cream puff was my childhood indulgence. My parent’s had a shop next door to a Vietnamese and French bakery. Growing up, I was taught to be frugal at a young age, and at 35 cents each, the cream puff was the perfect answer to my cheap sweet tooth.

In this recipe, I’m using a classic chocolate pastry cream for the filling. The pate choux pastry recipe is from Edible Memories, who I believe references Williams-Sonoma.

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Chocolate Cream Pie

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ChocolateCreamPie

ChocolateCreamPie

So I suppose you can make a decent chocolate cream pie using a store-bought crust, with store-bought instant chocolate pudding mix, and store-bought cool-whip, but…if you want a delicious and decadent chocolate cream pie that you can brag about (because you made it from scratch), then I highly suggest this recipe.

We all remember that chocolate cream pie quote from Julie & Julia don’t we? Well, if you don’t, here it is again:

“You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That’s such a comfort.”

ChocolateCreamPie2
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

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Choc Chip Pumpkin Bread

Choc Chip Pumpkin Bread

This recipe is a fairly new discovery. This past spring, I took a road trip down to San Diego, or “San Diagooo” as Ron Burgundy calls it. I was travelling with a few buds and stayed at a friend’s house in Carlsbad. Augusta, my friend’s grandmother, was our incredibly sweet host and on our arrival, she made the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever had! Moist, decadent, and filled with yummy spices, this pumpkin bread had fast-forwarded me to Fall.

With Thanksgiving just behind us and Christmas on the horizon, there couldn’t be a more perfect time to bake up this amazing pumpkin bread. Lucky for me, Augusta was kind enough to let me jot down the recipe and I was surprised to learn how easy the steps were. I changed it up a bit and added chocolate chips, streusel, and icing, because you know, there wasn’t enough sugar already 😉

Choc Chip Pumpkin Bread
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Bulgogi

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Bulgogi

Bulgogi

Today I’d like to talk briefly about the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. You know when you learn of something new and then all the sudden, you see it everywhere? That’s the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. And that’s exactly what happened when I was introduced to this delicious type of Korean barbecued meat by a friend about 2 years ago. I had never heard of Bulgogi before then and now it’s everywhere! I’ve seen Bulgogi in tacos, burritos, and even hamburgers (proof). I can’t help but wonder if it’s always been around, and I’m just noticing it, or if it’s one of those food trends that come and go. Either way, it’s delicious and I’m so glad I didn’t go through life not knowing what Bulgogi is.

Bulgogi
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