Tag Archives: Noshing

Egg and Chorizo Potato Bake

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Egg Chorizo Potato Bake

Egg Chorizo Potato Bake

The past few months have been flying by, I mean, here we are, already half way through 2015. By the way, I’m not particularly looking forward to turning 28 next month. At 27, you’re teetering between mid-twenties and late twenties, but once you turn 28, let’s face it, you’re pretty much 30! No, I’m not obsessed with getting old, but I am half-expecting someone to hand me a congratulatory birthday package containing a bottle of Tums, some anti-wrinkle cream, a bottomless bag of butterscotch candies, and a complete beginner’s guide on how to knit. Of course, I’m being facetious! Sort of. Here’s hoping 30 is the new 20!

Egg Chorizo Potato Bake

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Top left: In the world of digital messaging, getting a post card in the mail is all the more special.
Top right: The porch needed something other than cobwebs to fill up it’s space.
Bottom left: More succulents from the nursery.
Bottom right: Enjoying a drink by the fire at Mix Downtown Sacramento.

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Top left: Fish sauce chicken wings with fried garlic. My kitchen smelled of garlic for hours after.
Top right: I think my husband has mastered the art of grilling steaks.
Bottom left: Homemade lemongrass chicken noodle salad
Bottom right: Homemade fried green tomatillos

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Top left: Banofee cream pie I made for a house warming. Desserts require a delicate hand, I should know, I made 2 pie crusts but flopped one in the oven as I was taking it out. You need them delicate hands, I tell you!
Top right: Doughnuts for National Doughnut Day.
Bottom left: Homemade carrot cake cupcakes for a Birthday.
Bottom right: Homemade French toast.
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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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NOLA + Gulfport + Beignets Galore!

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cafe du monde new orleans

Last Month, Jonah and I took a vacay down South to Gulfport, MS and one of America’s biggest food capitals: New Orleans! Above are some shots from Cafe Du Monde, THE said place to get beignets. When we got there, there was line of about 200 people or so, and that’s just the sit down line (yes, there’s a separate line for take-out). But don’t let the lines scare you too much – we ended up only having to wait 15-20 minutes or so. The table turnaround is pretty quick, because really, how long does it take to scarf down doughnuts and coffee?

We ended up trying a few more beignet places and I found it interesting how much they vary in both flavor and texture depending on where you go and if they fry with cottonseed oil or vegetable oil. One block down from Cafe du Monde on Decatur St. is New Orleans Famous Beignets And Coffee. This is where people go for the French pastry after being overcome with the lines at Cafe du Monde. Jonah and I tried it out and saw that it was flaky and hollow, almost puff pastry-like, whereas Cafe du Monde’s dough is a bit denser and slightly spongy. West Beignet (in the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport), however, serve their doughnuts fluffy and pillowy which reminded me of these Vietnamese doughnuts I grew up eating called Banh Tieu. Although each place we visited made their pastries differently, they were all delicious and it’s to hard say which is superior. If anyone ever makes a blind taste test to compare beignets, please sign me up!

Here are some more shots from our trip!

frenchmen st new orleans

Top left: Frenchmen art market by day.
Top right: Frenchmen art market by night.
Bottom left: Frenchmen st. by night, surrounded by lots of music and the smell of NOLA’s best cuisine.
Bottom right: Frenchmen st. by day. This street is completely dead before 4pm, so don’t even think about brunching on this section of Frenchmen.

commanders palace

Top left: Lunched at the Commander’s Palace. Don’t let the circus tent fool you, this is one of the fanciest restaurants I’ve ever been to.
Top right: The Sazerac, a cocktail made of rye whiskey, absinthe, and bitters.
Bottom left: Craw fish tartine. The waitress asked if I needed help cracking open the craw fish. Pffft, please.
Bottom right: Louisiana Shrimp and Grits

commanders palace

Top left: The husband ordered the Blackened Sirloin
Top right: Bread pudding souffle. Does this pic make you think dirty thoughts? It does? Good! Let’s be friends.
Bottom left: Paying our respects to those laying in Lafayette Cemetery
Bottom right: Beautiful mausoleums of Lafayette Cemetery. You don’t see many structures like these on the West Coast.

nola buildings

NOLA’s charming and beautiful architecture.

new orleans jackson square decatur

Top left: Roses from Jackson Square
Top right: Jazz musician by the water
Bottom left: Decatur st.
Bottom right: More Jackson Square

LA MS food

Top left: Hurricane cocktail
Top right: Shrimp and fried green tomato po boy
Bottom left: Shrimp Creole and hush puppies
Bottom right: Gumbo and hush puppies

gulfport

Top left: Fishing in the bayou in Gulfport, MS.
Top right: Not one fish was caught 🙁
Bottom left: Jerry the cat, he goes from one vacation home to another asking for treats and love, and people are happy to give him both 🙂
Bottom right: White sandy beaches of Gulfport, MS

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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.

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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

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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.

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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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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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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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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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Nutella Macarons

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Nutella Macaron 2

Nutella Macaron

Life has been crazy busy, let me tell you. I’ve been MIA lately I know; though I doubt anyone is uber upset about it. Let me just list a few things that have been going on: Jonah threw me a surprise birthday party, yes, I’m quite the lucky girl! He got me ukulele, which I’ve been practicing daily! I’ve been working crazy hours at the office (60 hours last week). Jonah over went PRK eye surgery. We’re remodeling the bedroom; I’m sleeping on the living room floor til we get it finished. And, let’s see…oh, I ran the Sacramento Color Run this past Saturday with my MoH!

Color Run Collage
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Fried Rice Mac and Cheese

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Fried Rice Mac And Cheese

Fried Rice Mac And Cheese

Today’s recipe: grown up mac and cheese with an Asian twist!

Think fried rice meets mac and cheese.

Weird? Maybe. Delicious? You bet!
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