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!

BBQ Dinner with Friends in FL

Last night we went out to dinner with our friends Ryan and Nichole. We sadly don't get to see them very often since we live so far apart, so this was a good opportunity to meet up- yay Christmas! They suggested Lee Roy Selmon's for some good BBQ so off we went. Jeremy and I split the BBQ family platter which included "Soul Good Pulled Pork", ribs, BBQ chicken and meatloaf. They allowed us to switch the meatloaf for something else, so we went for the brisket. We also got two sides and chose the baked beans and cornbread casserole.

When our food came though, we still had meatloaf on our plates, so our waitress (who was quite good) told us to keep our meatloaf and she would bring out the brisket. It was all quite tasty and the bread they brought out was delicious too- yeast buns with BBQ sauce dripped on top. If I were to rank the meats, I'd put it in the order of... top choice pulled pork hands down, then ribs, then chicken, then brisket (probably because it was drenched in sauce), and last meatloaf. I really liked the sides, especially the corn mush type side we had even though I do feel like I should have vegetables right about now... it's been a lot of meat and potatoes with vegetables covered in some sort of sauce... salad anyone? I can get that when I go home though :) Nichole got the cheese and bacon grits which I wanted to try also, but oh well some other time it shall be! It was a great time at dinner and so good to see them- what more can you ask for good friends and good food!

Some Nesbitt Adventures in Nov and Dec

It's been a while since I last posted, but here are some of the Nesbitt adventures over the last few months:

1) Apple Caffe Macs breakfasts:

The first time I came for breakfast, I got a wheat germ pancake with strawberries, bananas, and chocolate chips. It sounds healthy until the chocolate goes in... but oh so good and huge. The other thing I finally tried is the Crazy Potatoes. May I recommend half hash browns and half potato squares, then add the toppings! I didn't know they had egg whites only, which I would have chosen, but boy they were delicious. I would be obese if I ate that every day but if you're willing to splurge, go for that!

2) Chick-Fil-A in San Diego (over Thanksgiving vacation):

After many sad sundays for Jeremy in which we passed the Fairfield Chick-Fil-A, we decided to meet my friend for a second lunch at Chick-Fil-A. To be honest, I don't really see the big deal

of the place, but Jeremy has a sentimental value attached to it and we were finally able to meet that! I'm all for being a supportive wife!

3) Okan Japanese Restaurant in San Diego

My Dad wanted to take me to this Japanese restaurant because of the concept that he thought I'd like. It is a restaurant centered around "mom's home cooking"and has some quick foods already on display in bulk as well as a full menu. The food was good and healthy- I would definitely consider a business similar to this concept but try to make it more efficient!

4) Harry's Hofbrau in San Jose for Jason's birthday

The idea here is very neat- very homey feeling comfort foods served cafeteria style. Everyone can order what they want, pay, and sit togeth

er. I got the open faced turkey sandwich as recommended by the birthday boy. It comes with their famous roast turkey on top of toast with mashed potatoes, and TONS of gravy smothered on top. I meant to ask for the gravy on the side but mistakenly answered yes to everything in the rush of things. Jeremy ordered tri tip which was the special for the day and it was delicious. It was like thanksgiving all over again!

4) Lobster Shack in Redwood City for Emily's birthday

The place looks very casual but is very expensive but I have to remember it IS lobster after all. Jeremy got the lobster bisque in a sour dough bowl which was very tasty. I splurged for the naked lobster roll, meaning the lobster isn't tossed in a mayo dressing (since I don't like mayo and I want to taste the lobster I pay for). The roll was good but I don't think I'd pay $19 again for that roll... on the other hand, the free oyster crackers were delicious!

5) Cracker Barrel in Florida (Christmas vacation)

I had heard many friends from Florida and the South talk about Cracker Barrel as a must go once place so we went during out Florida Christmas trip. I ordered the chicken and dumplings plate with country green beans and hash brown casserole. It also came with a biscuit and corn muffin. The chicken and dumplings were good- more of a noodle consistency on the dumplings than the biscuit type I was expecting, but quite good- just very heavy since it is a creamy sauce. The green beans were good but nothing special- thankfully they weren't doused in butter (I don't think). The hash brown casserole which has potatoes, lots of cheese and onions baked together was good but again very heavy and I couldn't finish it all. I had high expectations for the biscuits, but they were nothing special to tell the truth, and the corn muffins were bland. I'm not sure if I'm just not cut out for heavy southern cooking but again I would be obese if I ate this all the time in the portions they served! It was good but let's just say it's not my first choice.

6) Cici's Pizza Buffet in Florida

$5 for a pizza buffet already set my expectations, but it was actually not bad! I learned that the key is to order what you specifically want (in my case a red sauce veggie pizza) since that ensures that it is hot. The other pizzas were under heat lamps but it didn't really seem like it. I guess I can't complain for $5... I will say their desserts were quite good- I liked the cinnamon rolls that kept coming out the best. I actually also liked the fudgy, seemingly undercooked brownies, as well as the apple pie pizza. Definitely not healthy and definitely not an all the time thing, but as Jeremy says "we're on vacation!"

Florida food vacation to continue :)

"Bon Voyage" Brenda Lunch

Today I had lunch with my good friend Brenda in Millbrae because she's moving to Thailand for 8 months- crazy! She isn't Asian, she doesn't speak the language, and this is a new job... way to go Brenda in jumping out there! Anyway, before she leaves the Bay Area, I had to see her, catch up, and wish her good luck abroad. Hopefully Jeremy and I can make a trip out to Japan as I am hoping, and maybe Brenda can meet us over there- that would be fun and something we have talked about doing since high school :)

So for lunch we went to the Shanghai Dumpling Shop in Millbrae my friend Cindy told me about. Apparently there is a SF branch also, and that shop just so happened to come up in conversation with a few other friends... very strange and coincidental indeed! We ordered some xiao long bao which is something they're known for and some pan fried pork buns. We also got the Shanghai wonton soup and dajanmien (black bean sauce noodles).

Overall, I must say that it was not the best I've had before, but you don't find the xiao long bao in very many places around here so not bad! Everything was good, but not great, thats all. Besides I was going there for the company more than the food. Plus, I didn't know if Brenda wanted Asian since she is going to Asia, but the location was crucial as a place for us to meet somewhere in between and not too far south from her since she has a lot to do before her trip.

Brenda, I'll miss you but be safe and have fun!!