Day 341: Oops, I Did It Again

Dinner was such a rush tonight that I forgot to take a photo of my dish!  When I've made this mistake in the past, I either pulled a photo of the restaurant down from the web or used a photo from my library if we had been to the restaurant before.  Tonight I got nothin'.

We had tickets to a sneak preview of The Taking of Pelham 123 and grabbed a quick dinner beforehand at the food court of the San Francisco Centre mall.  This is no ordinary food court full of fast food joints.  This is San Francisco, so of course the food court is something special with a high end choice to suit every mood:  sushi, Thai, Korean, deli, burgers, soup, Mexican, and the list goes on.

We opted for Thai because we had less than 1/2 hour to eat and get to the theatre and that seemed like the quickest option.  I had a two item combo with steamed rice and chose pineapple chicken curry and sugar snap peas with fried tofu.  Both were yum.

The highlight of the night, however, was the movie.  Humor + suspense + a demented John Travolta = a fun flick.  Check it out at a theatre near you!

Day 338: Big Asian Flavor

This is a recipe I made a couple of weeks after beginning this blog.  I made it with chicken & snowpeas the first time and thought it was amazing.  Tonight I made it with pork tenderloin, red bell pepper, and frozen peas and it was good.  I think you could use any protein and veggies you like - it's the marinade and sauce that makes this dish so tasty.

Marinate your protein of choice in the following mixture.  This is enough for a pound of meat, cut into bite sized pieces:

> 2t cornstarch

> 1T soy sauce

> 1T + 1t rice wine vinegar

> 1t sesame oil

> 2T water

Whisk all of that together and put it with the meat in a Ziploc bag.  Allow to marinate in the fridge for at  least 2 hours.

Brown the meat (without the marinade) in a hot pan with some olive oil.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Deglaze the pan with a couple of splashes of chicken broth and saute 2 cloves of minced garlic for a couple of minutes.  Add whatever veggies you have selected for the dish and cook until they are at your desired crispness.

Add back your protein and the following sauce mixture:

> 1T cornstarch

> 2T soy sauce

> 2T rice wine vinegar

> 2t sesame oil

> 1/3 cup water

> 1/3 cup chicken broth

> 1.5 tsp sugar

> 1/2 tsp salt

Bring everything to a boil and then simmer until sauce is reduced to the desired consistency.  Scoop mixture (with sauce) over rice and enjoy!

I love this dish and I hope you do, too!

Day 335: A Mix of Old & New

Tonight's dinner was composed of one leftover and two easily prepared "new" elements.  Last night's leftover rice pilaf served as a bed for chipotle pork tenderloin, with roasted vegetables on the side.

I've made this pork several times before.  It's super easy and nice & spicy.  Slice the pork from end to end lengthwise - not all the way through - just enough to fold it back like a book.  Spread 2 finely minced chipotle peppers throughout the inside of the pork and fold it back over.  Tie it off on each end and in the middle with some kitchen twine.  Pat the outside dry and season with S&P.  Brown it on all sides in hot olive oil in a stainless steel pan and then place in a roasting dish.  Roast at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Our veggie side dish consisted of 1 fennel bulb and 2 shallots (both cut in eighths, keeping the knot in tact), 1 bunch of asparagus (trimmed), and a few handfuls of sugar snap peas.  All of this was tossed in a little olive oil and S&P and laid out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roasted for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

An easy and tasty meal.  Why not cook at home when it's this easy?

Day 334: Fab Fruit Salsa

Dinner tonight was grilled chicken breast with pear & jalapeno salsa with rice.  The rice was a Near East mix - the toasted almond rice pilaf to which I added a cup of defrosted peas for color and added nutrition.  I prepared the mix as suggested on the box, substituting chicken broth for the water, and the stirred the peas in after it was finished cooking.

The chicken was prepared simply.  I hammered it relatively thin and seasoned it on both sides with S&P.  After drizzled olive oil over it, my husband grilled it.

The chicken wasn't marinated because I wanted to serve it with some pear salsa on top.  I love making fruit salsas - the possibilities and combinations are endless.  The recipe for tonight's was:

1/2 bosc pear, finely diced

1/2 anjou pear, finely diced

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced (kept 1/2 the seeds to maintain some heat)

1/4 large shallot, minced

Juice from one lime

S&P to taste

It's great if you can allow the salsa to sit and come together for at least an hour before eating.

This whole meal took only about 1/2 hour to pull together and it was healthy and delicious!

Day 328: Perfect Night For Takeout

Takeout was invented for nights like tonight.  I didn't get home until after 8pm and my thumb is still healing from Monday's kitchen accident so cooking was just simply not going to happen.  We hadn't supported our favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant in a long time, so Country Sky takout it was!

Primarily, I focused on my favorite CS dish, Spicy Prawns with Mango.  In addition to the obvious ingredients, this dish includes mushrooms, broccoli, and zucchini.  Over brown rice it makes for a very yummy, quite spicy dinner.

I also allowed myself a treat in the form of the Singapore Style Noodles that my husband ordered.  These super thin noodles are tossed with curry seasoning, pork, chicken, shrimp, fried egg, and veggies.  It is really amazing.

Of course, there is always a dessert when you have Chinese food - the fortune cookie.  Despite the fact that most of the time these days you don't get a fortune (you get a proverb or a friendly suggestion to do something), these are still tasty treats that I always look forward to.  Hopefully my real fortune  is "your thumb will heal quickly"!

Day 299: Kitchen Sweet Kitchen

I love eating and I dislike doing dishes, but tonight, after a week on vacation, I was excited to be home where I'd have to cook and clean.

I decided to make up for my insanely unhealthy diet of the past week with a meal packed with lean protein, whole grains, and lots and lots of veggies.  That manifested itself in brown rice with shrimp and sauteed vegetables.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1/2 cup brown rice, prepared as suggested on the package

2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined and cut into three pieces each

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1.5 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 shallot bulb, minced

White wine or chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup sugar snap peas, halved crosswise

2 stalks of celery, chopped

Zest from 1 large lemon

Pre-heat olive oil & red pepper flakes in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add shrimp, season with S&P, and saute for a minute or two until pink.  Remove, set aside, and cover.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook garlic, ginger, and shallot until soft.  Turn up the heat to medium-high, add a few splashes of white wine or chicken broth, add all veggies, and saute for 8-10 minutes until all veggies are crunchy tender.  If the pan dries out during cooking, add another splash of liquid.

When veggies are cooked to desired consistency, add shrimp and cooked rice to the pan and mix all ingredients together until it's all heated through.  Turn off the heat, mix in the lemon zest, and serve!

I adore vacation, but I also like getting back to "normal life", especially when it includes homemade, nutritious, tasty dinners like this one!

Day 286: Buh-Bye, Passover!!

For me, the worst part of Passover is not that I can't eat bread or cereal or pasta.  I don't eat much of any of that stuff.  But no legumes?  No rice?  That was tough.  So, to celebrate the first night in a week without such restrictions, I made an Indian dish tonight.

This was an easy dinner because I used some jarred sauce and only had to saute my chicken and veggies and make some rice.  I cubed two chicken breasts, browned the pieces in olive oil, and set them aside.

I deglazed the pan with some white wine and then tossed in a head of broccoli, a yellow bell pepper, and a couple of handfuls of sugar snap peas.  After a few minutes, I added a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed).  

After a few more minutes, I added the sauce.  The one I chose tonight was a korma sauce, tomato based and spicy.  There are others I like as well - a spinach one and a tangy lemony cilantro one.  

A few minutes before serving, I added the chicken back into the pan and cooked until it was heated through.  Covering the pan speeds that process.  I served the mixture over brown rice and gobbled it up.  Oh, rice and beans, how I have missed you!

Day 273: No Food Envy Tonight!

Last time we ate at Capannina, my husband ordered the seared tuna bruschetta and man, was I jealous!  The dish is totally misnamed.  The tuna doesn't arrive on thinly toasted bread - it arrives on top of deep fried discs of rice!  Tonight, they were mine.  Add a thin of slice of caper berry to each bit and swipe it quickly through the vinaigrette and it's the perfect combination of savory and richness.

I followed this up with the seafood mixed grill, which is one of my favorite entrees at Capannina.   Tonight it included salmon, sea bass, and a tiger prawn - all plated on top of the smoothly mashed potatoes you've ever had.

As always at Capannina, an amazing meal.  Thanks, guys!

Day 256: Can't Get Enough...Soy??

Tonight's dinner, wok sauteed vegetables and tofu with brown rice, may be one of my oddest choices yet, for two reasons.

1 - I am not vegetarian and although I don't DISlike it, I am not particularly fond of tofu.

2 - I've just concluded a work project that was all about soy.  I should be sick of this stuff!!

But, for some reason, I saw this dish on the Buddha's Belly menu and just had to have it.  Unfortunately, although the veggies were fresh, delicious, and perfectly cooked, overall the dish lacked flavor.  A dollop of hot sauce and a couple of dashes of soy sauce and that problem was resolved.

The highlight of this meal was that it took place in LA with two of my very good girlfriends.  It's always nice when you can combine a business trip with some girly bonding.

Day 244: A Fishy Love/Hate Relationship

I have a strange relationship with sushi.  Sometimes, the thought of it makes me queasy.  Other times, I crave it like a drug.  Even stranger, I do not even realize that I am in the love phase until someone mentions sushi.  I hear the word and all I can think about is gettin' me some.

Yesterday, a colleague mentioned that he had eaten sushi for dinner the night before.  The lights and sirens went off.  Mmmmmmmm....sushi.  Unfortunately, I had already purchased some steaks for last night's dinner.  I could have put them off until tonight, but we seemed to be having a short break from countless days of rain and it was a good night to grill.  So, sushi night was put on hold until tonight.

We went to Asa, our favorite neighborhood joint for raw fish.  After a bowl of edamame, we shared 4 rolls, including 2 Red Dragon rolls, our most beloved thing on the menu.  Shrimp tempura and crab down the center with spicy tuna, eel, avocado, and tobiko on top.  No roll on the planet can compare, but yet we always order other, lesser rolls as well.  Tonight those were a Honey roll (eel and avocado inside, salmon on top) and a Super Poke roll (spicy tuna inside, eel on top).

Of course, all of this was washed down with some ice cold sake and we received a couple of balls of mochi ice cream with our check.  The love affair is on!!

Day 234: Celebrating a Milestone

My car has been approaching the 100,000 miles.  I hardly ever drive, but my husband drives it to/from work each day, so I've missed nearly every other major milestone.  I was determined to watch this one happen!

Based on the distance my husband travels each day, we new that tonight was the night.  We figured that by the time he got home, the car will be just 20 to 25 miles away from the target.  So, we decided to do something that we have never done before - leave the city for dinner on a school night.  We decided to try out the Buckeye Roadhouse, a popular and well regarded restaurant in Marin County.  By our calculations, the roundtrip should be the perfect distance to allow me to witness the big event. 

The Buckeye Roadhouse doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside it's quite nice and the menu is full of gourmet dishes (with upscale prices - corkage was $25!!).  We shared two appetizers:  the seared tuna with crunchy cabbage, bell peppers, and crispy noodles and the calamari with tomatillo salsa.  Both were excellent.

Next, I had seared scallops with lemon risotto and chanterelle mushrooms.  YUMS!!  I loved every bite, although I didn't quite finish every bite.  That's probably because we also shared a side order of maple mashed yams - so good I could hardly control myself.

After all this great food, we hit the road and it turns out, we timed this night perfectly.  When we were just a mile from home, the odometer made the much awaited spin.  100,000 miles!!  It looks like my little Honda is all grown up!

Day 226: Slimy and Snot-Like

I really want to like oysters but their slimy snot-like consistency really grosses me out.  But I really want to like them!!

Fortunately, many restaurants offer oyster preparations that are more agreeable to oyster newbies like me - baked, fried, or even in a shot of liquor!  Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen offers such a dish, called Oysters Pablo, which was our appetizer tonight (unfortunately, I forgot to take the picture until after they were gone!).  These oysters are baked with spinach, garlic, and I believe, cheese and they are savory, tasty, and not the least bit snot-like!

If you have any suggestions that will help get me on the road towards loving raw oysters, please leave a comment!

My entree tonight was duck from Cindy's wood oven and wild rice that had been mixed with dried cherries and other fruit.  As always, I left full and very happy.  I started this blog at Cindy's 226 days ago and I'm always happy when I get to write another entry talking about the delicious food here.

Day 222: Lending a Helping Hand (and Mouth)

My parents are leaving their Panama house in a few days and are madly trying to finish up the food from the fridge and cabinets, so tonight was leftover night.  We were happy to oblige because, as you know if you've been reading this blog for awhile, I love leftovers!

My favorite part of the meal, though wasn't the leftover burger, BBQ chicken, or veggies.  The rice my dad made was SO good.  I have become a rice eating fool since coming to Central America.  It's a staple here and I am loving it!  My dad sauteed some onion, garlic, and tomatoes, then added white rice, sauteed it all a bit longer, and then added water and a cube of chicken bullion.  I gobbled up my share plus some, doing my best to help clear out those cabinets.

You can always count on me!

Day 219: When in Panama City...

We had just one night in Panama City and so you know we wanted to make the most of it by having a really good meal there. I had read about Manolo Caracol, supposedly one of the most well known restaurants in PC, and we had our hearts set on eating there but learned on our way out of the hotel that it is closed on Sundays.

Without a back-up plan, we asked the consierge for a recommendation. We said we wanted something local where we could enjoy true Panamanian cuisine. He recommended El Traphiche, but followed (several times) with a cautionary note that it was "nothing fancy". This was no problem at all for us, especially once he assured us that he eats there often.

We decided to order some sangria and the Panamanian Fiesta, a combination plate that promised a range of Panamanian delights.  It included fried yucca, fried plantains, a sweet corn cake, rice, shredded beef in El Trapiche's house sauce, a small bowl of something saucy with chicken, and for lack of a better description, a log of mashed potatoes that had been stuffed with ground meat of some kind.  The platter also came with a bowl of sancocho soup, which I had discovered and enjoyed in CR a day earlier. We also ordered a sandwich (the name escapes me at the moment) that came on something between bread and a tortilla, stuffed with different meats and cheese - it was delish!  We finished up with a giant bowl of ice cream and our entire bill, including tip, was less than $30!  Gotta love that!

I've done a couple of quick searches and it seems that El Trapiche isn't exactly a well guarded secret.  I found a NY Times review of the place and saw that it was listed on Wikitravel in the "Eat" section of the "Panama City" entry.

This was a great experience and we left totally stuffed.  Remember, when you travel, always ask the locals where to eat!

Day 216: Rain Rain Go Away!!

Our Costa Rica adventure continues. This morning we left the fantastic Tiskita Jungle Lodge in the southernmost part of the country and traveled north to Arenal. Theoretically, we are here to see the Arenal volcano, but it is pouring rain and can't see much beyond the trees in front of our room.

We are staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, which is at the end of a road that is 9 kilometers of nonstop potholes. We arrived at around 5pm and so rather than brave that road again and the rain, we decided to eat at the lodge's restaurant. This was, by far, our most disappointing meal so far on this trip.

I started with a bowl of beef soup, which was a special appetizer and quite tasty and satisfying on this cold and rainy night. My entree, however, was neither tasty nor satisfying and thus, it went uneaten. On our drive to the lodge, we had seen signs everywhere for tilapia and so I assumed this must be a local specialty. I really enjoy tilapia and so thought I was in luck and hardly thought twice about ordering it for dinner. What arrived was inedible (although all of the accompaniments - veggies, rice, etc were good).

Rain or no rain - potholes be damned - we will not be eating at the lodge tomorrow night!

Day 215: Adios, Monkeys!!

Tonight is our last night at the Tiskita Jungle Lodge in Costa Rica and while I eagerly anticipate experiences elsewhere in this country, I will miss the delicious home cooking here.

As always, dinner tonight started with soup (squash) and then included a fresh salad (check out all those bright green bits of cilantro!). The main course was chicken that tasted as if it had been cooked slowly with fresh tomatoes. It was juicy and super flavorful and as you can see, accompanied by steamed broccoli and rice.

If you are planning to travel to CR, I really recommend you consider staying at Tiskita. It's not easy to get to, but the food is plentiful and tasty and the opportunity to see wildlife (monkeys, sloths, tucans, butterflies, and lots of other creatures) is unmatched. We have had an amazing time here!

Day 213: Welcome to Tiskita Jungle Lodge

Day 1 of vacation and we are in paradise!! We are staying at the Tiskita Jungle Lodge in the southern part of Costa Rica, almost to the Panamanian border. It's a rather remote area, so all meals during this leg of our trip will take place at the lodge.

All meals are served family style, which means that everyone eats at the same pre-set time (6:30 pm). Yes, it seems early - but the day starts early here (breakfast at 7:30) and after a day of hiking, horseback riding, and photographing monkeys, one is really quite hungry at 6:30.

Tonight was our first dinner at Tiskita and it was delicious. It started with a bowl of leek soup and then, as you should expect in CR, our main course included rice (but no beans!). The rice was mixed with tiny shrimp, diced veggies, and of course - cilantro. I have always had a distaste for this herb. I used to find it rendered any food it touched totally inedible, I now I can at least get it down. I'm hoping that this taste evolution will continue to the point where I learn to actually like cilantro.

Our side dishes were a fresh salad (chock full of cilantro - yay!) and some fried yucca or bread fruit chips. We're looking forward to seeing what Tiskita cooks up next! No doubt, it'll contain more cilantro!!

Day 208: Payback is Delicious

I have owed Osha Thai a decent picture of their food and tonight I finally delivered!  

This is Osha's 4th or 5th appearance on 365daysofdinner.com and for nearly all of those, I only had my camera phone which takes pretty bad pictures of food.  Tonight I came prepared and am happy to have captured Osha's delicious food in a much better light.

The other great part of tonight's dinner was that our friends joined us, which meant that we could order more dishes than usual!  We started with two salads - one with pork and one with squid.  The pork larb is a regular order for us but the squid was a new one.  It was super spicy but a nice change.

Then we had pineapple fried rice (a favorite of ours and now of our friends'), panang curry with duck (normally we order it with chicken - we found the duck added little more than additional fat and will go back to chicken next time), and volcanic beef (pictured).

As always, everything was super fresh and packed with flavor.  I'm glad I was finally able to give Osha their due.

Day 192: I'm So Sorry, Osha Thai!

This is Osha Thai's fourth appearance on this blog, and all but one of the pictures suck because I never seem to have my camera with me at the time.  This is a terrible shame because Osha's food is phenomenal and deserves much more than my camera phone can deliver.

The  latest spontaneous Osha consumption occurred during a late night at the office.  The team opted to order:

- Chicken panang

- Spicy green beans with chicken

- Chicken fried rice

- Volcanic beef

I sampled and enjoyed them all.  Sure - it would have been better to eat it at the restaurant - but Osha never disappoints.  Even when you have to eat it while sitting at your cluttered desk.

Day 187: Three Pints Later...

Grand plans to cook dinner tonight were dashed by three rounds of drinks with friends from the office.

Instead, we went to Brazen Head, a popular restaurant in our neighborhood.  Having dined here twice now, we really aren't sure what the appeal is.  The food is average, the atmosphere is somewhat cave-like, and they only accept cash.  The primary focus of the menu is steaks, but better ones can be had a couple of blocks away at Izzy's or around the corner at Harris'.

For reasons I cannot quite identify, I ordered veal picatta.  Never in my life have I ordered this dish.  In fact, I cannot even remember ever ordering any kind of veal.  I guess I can blame that on three rounds of drinks as well.

It was okay.  Nothing to write home about.  My appetizer, on the other hand, was quite tasty.  I had it last time we went to Brazen Head and couldn't resist it tonight.  A warm dish arrives holding a head of roasted garlic, 2 wedges of melty camembert cheese, 2 slices of salty prosciutto, and 2 fat pepperocinis.  Along the side are slender slices of sourdough.  For the tastiest results, I recommend assembling it as follows:  select a large garlic clove and squeeze and spread the garlic onto a slice of sourdough.   Top that with a layer of the cheese, followed by half of a slice of prosciutto, and then pieces of the pepper.  Consume and moan with delight.

Other than that strange little piece of heaven, there really isn't much reason, in my opinion, to visit Brazen Head.  Then again, offer to buy me a couple of drinks and it appears I will give in.