Five Finger Shoes!

This has absolutely nothing to do with food, but I thought I'd share my new acquired possession- five finger shoes! They're a little weird at first- think toe sock shoes... the concept is that you can run, hike, walk, etc as if you're barefoot but with the protection you need from sharp or dangerous objects. It takes a bit of getting used to, and putting them on isn't as quick as normal shoes, but they seem nice.

I went for a run in them and going on gravel for a train run was a big mistake since I could feel every pebble under my feet- on the pavement was fine though. My calves were sore the next day, I guess I do run differently even though I'm not purposely changing my form!

My co-worker went hiking in hers, as well as paddle boating, and absolutely loved them. She still needs to go running in them to provide that verdict.

Ramen ALMOST 2 days in a row

So I almost had ramen 2 days in a row (not a horrible thing if it had happened by any means) at new places- Orenchi Ramen and Dohatsuten.

I went to Orenchi ramen yesterday for lunch with a few coworkers of mine that I hadn't seen in a while- thanks Lucy for introducing us to the place and for organizing! The ramen was really good. I got the house "Orenchi" ramen which is a tonkotsu ramen. What made it unique was the thicker, chewier noodles which I really liked and thought was delicious. I don't like soft, soggy noodles at all, so it was fresh and "al dente" if you can use the same terminology for asian noodles as well. The broth was tasty and had depth in flavor, but was a bit salty... not that it stopped me from sipping almost all of it! I'm also not a big egg person, but this egg was perfectly soft boiled and looked gorgeous when it was bitten into. I still didn't eat all of it, but it was quite delicious. They offer tonkotsu, shio, and shoyu ramen (along with a few appetizers) I believe but that's it- they again prove my point that it takes being good at a few things and doing them well, as opposed to offering a lot of things but being mediocre in them.

Then tonight for dinner, my old roomie Christina and I had an impromptu shopping and dinner outing. We decided to go to Dohatsuten in Palo Alto. They are a izakaya type restaurant which means small plates that usually go well with sake or other types of alcohol. They also offer ramen and clay pots, so Christina got the Dohatsuten ramen with a small shiro maguro don, and I got the chashu and kimchee clay pot. I will definitely have to go back to try the ramen, but my thought was to try the clay pot since I could take it home if I didn't eat it all since I wasn't that hungry... but of course I ate it all! I'm still holding/rubbing my tummy regretting how much I ate, but it was tasty. The soy saucy flavor was a bit too strong, but you have got to love the crispy rice bits which they have a lot of! I also didn't like that there was soy sauce on the rice under the shiro maguro- the customer should be able to adjust the flavor themselves instead of having already soy sauced rice. Other than that, I'm excited to go back and try the ramen!

March adventures thus far

I need to get better at updating on a regular basis... with that said here are my March food adventures so far :)

1) Pho Linh- it is a new pho place in Cupertino that I went to for lunch with a few of my co-workers. I must say that it was quite delicious and hit the spot on a cold, drizzly day. I ordered the rare steak and brisket pho, while a few friends ordered a chicken pho. I've never tried chicken pho, but apparently they're fans. My only complaint is that they only gave us one dish of vegetables to put in our pho, when there were 4 people! Sure they provided us more when we asked, but one dish sure isn't enough... especially when you have someone like me that loves bean sprouts, basil, and lime!

2) Shan- I went out for lunch again with some co-workers to an Indian restaurant called Shan. From the people that had eaten there before, they recommended the Chicken Tikka Masala, so I gave it a shot. It was definitely different from the other creamier tikka masalas that I've had and liked, but this was good also. The chicken was a bit on the drier side, which semed obvious from everyone leaving some chicken even though the sauce was soaked up. Their naan was delicious- slightly crispy on the outside, but oh so soft on the inside, and delightfully warm. Some people ordered the garlic naan or curry potato stuffed naan, but I liked the plain naan- simple and traditional! It wasn't my favorite tikka ever and my fingers definitely smelled for a long time, but I would go back and try other things again!

3) Blue Rock BBQ catered to work- we had BBQ to celebrate a co-worker's gain of American citizenship with what else but American BBQ? I personally ordered the ribs with hush puppies and baked beans. The ribs fell off the bone and were tasty- drenched in sauce but good and not too fatty. The baked beans were thick and a little sweet, but delicious otherwise and very flavorful. The hush puppies (my first experience) were a bit of a downer because they were a bit too dense and not too flavorful. Maybe those needed to have some sauce on it also! Everyone else agreed also though so it wasn't just me. I also sampled other items- the pulled pork was a bit dry but again drenched in yummy sauce made it good, chicken was moist and tender (made for good BBQ chicken rolls. As for the sides, mac and cheese was like a lasagna with cheese sauce, cole slaw was a bit bland- they were nothing special... the baked beans and ribs were the winners!

4) Jeffrey's burgers- We went with friends to Jeffrey's in Menlo Park. I didn't have high expectations going into it, but I must admit it was quite tasty. I got the plain hamburger, but with the addition of lettuce, tomatoes, and a tad of ketchup from the very fresh looking condiment bar, it was perfect. Even more delightful was the combination of the burger with their delicious french fries and chocolate/vanilla milkshake. The french fries were quite a bit thicker, and you can see the potato skin on it which I always love. Crispy on the outside but nice and soft on the inside I'm usually a greasy, soft fry lover, not the crispy so this was a good combo! As for the shake, yummm.. this was my splurge since I ran the Angel Island 12K yesterday (no food pic but here's my victory pose after the race) :)

Now for some home cooked items
5) Mabo tofu with Lucy- I needed something quick and easy for a week day, so I made mabo tofu with brown rice (attempted and loved in my Japanese food project). No surprise, still loved it, and this time I used ground turkey in an attempt to be a bit more healthy :) Lucy said it hit the spot for her too- soft tofu, rice, a little soupiness... yumm...

6) Stuffed Cabbage- This has been something my Mom made time to time in between Japanese dinners, and I definitely liked them. There is something soothing about cabbage stuffed with ground meat (turkey in this case), carrots, onions, and a little brown rice, all cooked and braised in a tomato sauce concoction... the thing is, it doesn't have to be perfect- the first ones were much more pliable, but as I got deeper into the cabbage layers, they weren't as soft, so the top layer of my pot had some "rolled" pieces with the stuffing sticking out of it. Hey, it still tastes good and now it's soup!

7) "Beef" and barley soup- I put beef in quotes because I used ground turkey instead. I seem to have a lot of turkey according to what I'm posting, but I promise it's because I'm rolling them into one blog entry and only talking about the more unique dishes I've cooked lately! My friend Jamie had brought beef and barley soup to a girl's group and it was delicious so she emailed us all the recipe. Now I made it with turkey and it was delicious- Jeremy ate several bowls of it even though it was a little more tomato than he cared for. I liked it and we're both taking some for lunch too :)

Still to come since I stocked our fridge and cabinet this weekend... corned beef for St Patrick's Day, quinoa with salmon, and more! I'm also going to a new ramen place in Santa Clara so that review to come soon~

February Food Adventures

I hadn't made something new in a while, so here is a log of what I attempted recently:

1) The first was Chicken Cacciatore in the slow cooker for our friends who just had twins! It's always nice to be able to use the slow cooker since it is a weekday and I don't have too much time after getting home to make a nice dinner for friends. I actually did it over a course of a few days since the flavors meld and get better over a few days. Plus I had to debone the chicken, skim some of the fat, and adjust the flavor as necessary. I added multi grain pasta to it and everybody seemed to like it- success! The recipe I used was the one below (I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of the simply recipes website), but in true Amy style I adjusted a few things:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_cacciatore_hunter_style_chicken/

2) The second was Shephard's Pie, which I like but in all honesty, I made it because we need to use up some potatoes. I blended a few different recipes with what my Mom used to make, and it actually came out great! I used ground turkey to make it a bit healthier, and flavored it with some Mrs. Dash for a low salt flavoring option, plus chicken stock, tomato sauce, and a few other adds to add flavor complexity. Topped it with mashed potatoes, and a lot of cheese on Jeremy's side, and voila! I really liked it, and Jeremy really liked it since he ate about half of the 9 x 13 finished product... it may have been because we went for a run and I didn't feed him until after 1pm! I'm starving my husband apparently, oops!

3) The third was Okowa or Japanese sticky brown rice (pictured next to the lemon bars below). I cooked it like any "takikomi gohan" or mixed rice, with chicken stock instead of dashi, mirin, soy sauce for flavoring, and for vegetables I included shiitake mushrooms, carrots, gobo (burdock) root, and konnyaku noodles. It didn't come out as sticky as I thought it would, so I'm not sure if I didn't add enough liquid, or too much, or if it was a different issue... it still tasted good though! Jeremy didn't like the flavor but oh well can't win them all...

4) Finally, I made Lemon Orange Bars courtesy of Rachael Ray's recipe to take tomorrow night for our girl gathering :) I halved the amount of crust since I don't like too much crust on my lemon bars, hopefully others share that preference! I used a 9 x 13 pan like it called for but it came out pretty thin, so I may have overcooked it, but the edges that I tasted (as I scraped the pan) tasted good so hopefully everyone else likes them too.
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dessert-recipes/Golden-Lemon-Orange-Bars

It felt good to try new things in the kitchen again... I'm considering doing another experimental project to get myself trying new things again, and maybe inviting more people over this time to test these dishes out!! If you read this, suggestions are welcome for the next Amy cooking/baking project!

Anniversary- Rok Bistro

Happy 1 year wedding anniversary to us! We made it :)

After a rough week of migraines for me, a weekend flight down to SD for a wedding, and the super bowl, somehow planning something for our wedding anniversary had slipped our minds. We knew we wanted to go out for dinner to celebrate so I was put in charge of finding a place and making a reservation... it was kind of a random choice, but Rok Bistro in Sunnyvale was the chosen one.

We weren't really sure what to expect, but we ended up selecting the 4 course meal similar to a fondue place, except with a grilled entree on a super hot "rok" so you can cook your meat to exactly how you want it. Apparently they heat it to 700 degrees, and it will maintain heat for about 45 minutes so you can cook the meat the whole time you eat. We went with all the recommended choices for each course: a half salad, cheese fondue, entree meat, and a chocolate fondue. The half salad we chose was the "citrus salad" which was spinach with strawberries, tangerines, and candied pecans with a sweet vinaigrette dressing. It was really good, but if I got picky, I wish they had left the dressing on the side as I had asked...

For the cheese fondue, we went with the recommended "California Dreamin" which had a blend of 3 different cheeses with herbs. They provided bread, crisp veggies, and apples to dip, but Jeremy and I both agreed that the bread was the best. The fondue was okay but definitely my least favorite of the courses. Of course I would choose a dessert fondue over a cheese fondue any day so maybe I'm not the best evaluator...

For the entree, I chose the NY Steak and Jeremy got the buffalo. We both chose a side of garlic mashed potatoes to go along with the maple glazed veggies, which were both delicious, even though I know both are not healthy at all... The hot rock for our entree was quite interesting and although you have to work for your food, it's nice to be able to cook each bite to your liking! I liked both meats- the buffalo was very tender and juicy, and the NY steak was flavorful but not as tender as I would have liked- and the chimichurri sauce they served with it was a nice change to lightly dip it in.

For dessert was the Snickers fondue- dark chocolate, crunchy peanut butter, and caramel sauce mixed with a little cream. We were pretty darn full by then, but I was out of control on that chocolate! It was ooey gooey chocolatey goodness! They served bananas, strawberries, apples, pretzels, Rice Krispies Treats, pound cake, and cocoa dusted marshmallows with the fondue. Although in the end I took the "find you lost item" spoon and turned it into a "try to finish the fondue" spoon! You know we're really full when neither one of us can finish a chocolate fondue!

To finish it off, they brought us vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup on a cold rock slab with a candle to celebrate our wedding anniversary. They sang their usual birthday celebration song for us with "anniversary" switched for "birthday" which was quite cute for trying. Overall, we had a good time, good food, and even though we had to be rolled out from being stuffed, thankful that we are blessed to be able to splurge every now and then for restaurant outings!

Korean Food with Jessica

It was so exciting to have lunch with Jessica and Darrel on Saturday since I don't get to see my good friend that often. We met up in Fremont and I found Auntie's Korean Restaurant on Yelp as a highly recommended place so we went since there aren't many korean places in Sacramento by them.

This weekend was quite bad for sticking with the Jillian Michaels' Making The Cut Diet but hey I'm sticking to the exercises like no other! Anyhow, I got their tofu soup with beef which was okay but not the best I've had. The side dishes were okay but nothing too special to talk about either. Kimchi as usual (2 types), a plain boiled broccoli type dish, fish cake pieces, a seaweed salad, a burdock root dish... anyhow not too much to rave about! We also ordered the seafood and green onion pancake which came with good reviews from Yelp, and Jess was craving it, which was good. Again, not the best I've ever had, but it was quite tasty. It didn't meet Jillian's "no white flour" rule but I didn't follow the no white rice rule either... I still have to live life and good food is a good life!

I just enjoyed the company for lunch, and Jessica asked me to be her matron of honor! Kind of scary but exciting at the same time- hopefully I can do as good a job as she did for me!

New Year's "Resolution"

It's the new year! I'm not much of a fan of new year's resolutions, but my friend and I decided to follow Jillian Michaels' Making The Cut book so we have accountability to get in better shape. The timing just happened to be right after the holidays since we were both going to be gone for the holidays without access to the gym. You may know the author as the scary trainer lady on the Biggest Loser... definitely intimidating, but I'm up for the challenge!

So far I've completed week 1- I've been sore beyond belief almost this whole week because of the boot camp type exercises, but it's a good feeling! Plus, the food I can eat is normal- none of this shake only or no carbs stuff that I wouldn't be able to stick to. For example, below are the foods I ate this week:

Breakfast:
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
Oatmeal (my usual at work)
Yogurt with frozen berries

Lunch:
Spinach salad with grilled chicken, bell peppers, avocados, and a sprinkling of wild rice
Brown rice and Asian chicken

As a snack I had either some almonds, an apple, a tangerine, or munched on some more cereal.

Dinner:
Brown rice and Asian-flavored chicken
Wild Rice with Moroccan spice grilled chicken and spinach salad
Curried Tilapia with eggplant

We'll see how it goes for the next 3 weeks but it helps to have an accountability partner even though we don't work out together! I'm on my way to being the strongest me to prepare for the rest of 2010!