Experimenting for Friends

I’ve decided to go on a hiatus and am not taking any clients for cooking parties. I just don’t feel inspired cooking for strangers lately. So, I’ve been doing parties for friends who really need me and it’s incredibly gratifying. I’ve done 4 parties in the last 2 months---a bon voyage party, birthday party, bachelorette party and most recently a dress rehearsal dinner. Going back to comfort food and keepin’ it real.








And I’ve been experimenting lately in the kitchen. Concoctions of shephards pie, chicken ramen, karaage, brisket, pulled pork, dishes I rarely cook. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the slow cook meat process and how the Japanese fried chicken came out!








I want to share the Karaage (japanese fried chicken) recipe I found on www.norecipes.com, click here to view. It's super easy.








Enjoy the pictures of my latest adventures. I'm off to Hawaii for another wedding in a few days, check back for that post.






Karaage!



Friend's wall blackboard (such a cool idea for your home)

Happy Birthday Jack (my cousin)

Couldn't resist a goofy picture of little brother Ben

Dinner for Alicia and Chris' party/rehearsal dinner, 6 hour cooked Brisket

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Congrats to Alicia and Chris!

Portland for the Weekend

One of my good friends had a business trip in Portland and I convinced her to stay for the weekend so I could come and visit. It was a quick trip but we ate, drank, and even saw a little outside of Portland.

Arriving at around 11 AM on Friday, it was perfect---dropped off my luggage and grabed a cup of coffee at Stumptown, an institution in Portland. As I was waited in the long line, I noticed the calmness and politeness of folks and people relaxing---reading magazines, working on their laptops, and chatting over coffee. I wasn't in LA anymore.

Next we strolled around the city where we saw tons of billboards of PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) so much so that I thought it had originated there. That’s not the case as I read in the NY Times, apparently Portland was the place where PBR was revived by local Hipsters just within the last decade. We also ran into shacks and shacks of food stands. I was amazed to see blocks of food stands not trucks but stands. I didn’t know where to begin to eat so opted for photos---seemed like Asian cuisine dominated the scene – Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese

We decided to lunch at Clyde Common connected to the Ace Hotel. The highlight dish was the Heirloom Beets with Frisee and Gorgonzola cheese.

To digest, we took a stroll through Pearl District and stopped in at Bridgeport Brewery for a testing---$8 for 8 tastings! My favorite was the ESB.

This was just the teaser for the next few hours as we headed to the Brewfest by the river. Trucks and kegs of all sorts, along with beef aficionados. I could handle only a few tastings.

After a short rest, we were ready for dinner at 7 PM heading off to south Portland to Pok Pok, written up by Food and Wine and Gourmet Magazine, specializing in Southeast Asian food---a very popular spot in PDX. Located in a craftsman style house, there was already a 45 minute wait when we arrived. We walked across the street to their sister restaurant, Whiskey Soda Lounge. This is a brilliant marketing scheme as there are no reservations taken at Pok Pok ---the cocktails are Thai inspired. For the meal, we ordered a protein feast of Thai pork ribs, Vietnamese style wings and game hen, and fried catfish! Sorry all my pics turned out too dark to post.

Next morning, we decided to rent a car and drive down the Columbia River Gorge. Before our road trip we headed to Kenny and Zuke’s – a Jewish style delicatessen. This was one of my favorite meals---the pastrami was out of this world and as were the potato latkes. They are also known for their Bialy. Full and ready to hike off our food, we arrived at Multnomah Trails for a 3 mile trek. The pictures speak for itself ---beautiful.

Continuing along our drive, we visited the Bonneville Dam, Salmon Hatcheries and had a breather/photo op at the Horsetail Trails. On our way back, we stopped at Edgfield, what I like to call a Disneyland for adults – a place of pubs, restaurants, a winery and movie theater.




When we got back to the hotel, it took us a few hours to decide upon dinner but we chose Ned Ludd. I didn’t eat much that night as the sun and dehydration took the best out of me. Overall, it was quick trip to Portland but action packed. I would definitely come back again for the hiking and pastrami. I hear that wine tasting in the Willamette Valley is fun too, can't wait for the next trip!

Cooking and Cooking - New York, NY

Every year work allows me to take a cooking class whether I like or not. This year I chose the ICE in New York City for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to visit friends and eat great food!




Each day we studied and cooked a different cuisine....deja vu of Culinary school all over. We sampled a new restaurant for lunch every day too, yes, I'm spoiled. One day, we visited the Union Square Market and cooked soley what was bought there including Rabbit.




Each night, I came back and cooked more for my friends in their lovely Upper Westside apt. The rooftop is amazing. Check out the pics, enjoy!






Eating on the rooftop

More eating on the rooftop

Scapes at Union Square Market, NY

Aji Sauce that I pounded for 2 hours in class

Known as Lapin in french, Conejo in spanish, Rabbit in english

Farmer's market raw salad

Chickpea fritters

Stuffed squash with Feta cheese, Mint, Scapes

Veal Saltimbocca

Lunch at Breton Bar, NY

Braised Lamb in Crepes w/Fiddlehead Ferns

French day in class - Pommes Anna, Asparagus Quiche amongst a few

Showing off my carving skillzz - tomato rose

Where in the US have I been????

Sorry, I have been on hiatus of late. Blogging just doesn’t seem to take precedence these days! Okay, where did I last leave off? Oh yes, a stint with Chef Ludo at Ludobites. Sad to say I only interned a handful of times due to work travels. Nevertheless, I learned a great deal from Chef Ludo and met great people along the way! I'm incredibly grateful to work in the kitchen with him!




I met Chef Dan who showed me the ropes at the hot appetizer station, you can follow his ventures in life and at Ludobites 5.0 @chefdrm on twitter. Holly was another intern and has an awesome blog. She later helped me my very own catering gig which was super fun.






As for my work travels, I managed to incoporate a few breaks in between. May landed me in Stafford, Virginia for a wedding. My old college roommate, Jason and his bride, Shannon had a beautiful wedding. Give it up for moonshine and nothing but green pastures.




Old Plantation in Stafford, VA

Jason, (L), who got married and enjoying moonshine

Next, I headed to Santa Cruz and San Francisco where the weather was gorgeous.

Then back home where I got to soak up a Dodgers game!

My dear friend, Esther whom I studied in Spain with visited early June. Her and husband are from Holland and did a mini tour of the US. Los Angeles was a stop and of course, I had them over for dinner. It was awesome catching up and meeting Tim. It made rooting for the Netherlands in the World Cup so much fun!

Tim and Esther visiting from Holland

June took me to New York for a cooking class, for work and fun. I cooked for friends and enjoyed a hot week in the city. One request was to eat at Momofuku for the famous Bo Ssam feast. I was not let down.

Momofuku's Pork Belly Steamed Buns

The Pork Butt

Accoutrements of the Bo Ssam Feast

One snug package--- the Bo ssam

Wall Street

Empire State Building

More pictures and stories to come...