Mom visits!

Morning Glory and Ginger Chicken

Beef and French Fry Stir Fry
Egg and Pork Omelette
Church and State Bistro
Hamachi Crudo
Escargots
Roasted Farmer's Market Vegetables
Loup de Mer
Duck Confit










I love it when my mom visits. Vietnamese food, family dinners, good retaurant eats, and of course I get to spend time with her. She cooked one night for my friends, a plethera of my favorite dishes. Morning Glory, Egg and Pork Omelete, Ginger Chicken, and Beef French Fry Stir Fry.










One night we went to eat at Church and State in downtown. Very cute restaurant with good food. Hamachi Crudo, Escargots, Roasted Chicken, French Onion Soup Duck Confit, and Loup de Mer.










During her visit, I took her to eat Sushi and we also enjoyed a few meals in Little Saigon. We had great time and she even bought me a housewarming gift...a flat screen TV. Thanks Mom for being you and for everything!

V.I.P. Dinner

Last weekend I kicked off my 1st dinner party at the new LOFT. Kind of like a 'grand opening' for friends and family! I invited my closest peeps over and dedicated a course to each one of them. The dish was designed based on a little history between me and the other person. For instance, my old roommate Sarah was in attendance and her dish was Peroguies. She introduced them to me back in Philly. She'd saute them in butter and finished up with sour cream. It was our late snack! So for the dinner a little twist and filled them with purple potato and sweet potato!






I won't bore you with everyone's dish but we had a great time! I'm so lucky to have the best friends ever. And to all my other friends out there....you guys definitely deserve a special dish in your honor too. Let me know when you are coming to visit!!!

BBQ Ribs

Ribs are a real treat for me just cause I am surrounded by non pork eaters so if I do eat it, I’ll have to eat mass quantities by myself. So, for a BBQ one night, I found me some pork lovers and tried my hand at ribs.




BBQ experts like to use a rub and a sauce with the Ribs. The rub penetrates the meat overnight, the next day the meat gets slow roasted and the sauce is slathered on as the meat finishes up on the grill. There are many techniques to cooking ribs but I find the best is to slow roast in the oven at 250 degrees for 4-6 hours. Then finish on the grill with barbecue sauce for 30 minutes.

I could only slow roast for 2 hours this time. The meat wasn’t as tender but was still full of flavor. After reading multiple recipes, I came up with a Barbecue sauce. It turned out pretty decent and had a little of of sweet, sour, and smokiness. Here’s the recipe:




1 cup Ketchup




1/4 cup Dijon Mustard




3/4 cup Cider Vinegar




½ cup Water




2 T Honey




2T Brown sugar, dark




2 T Garlic, chopped




3 T Yellow onion, chopped




Chipotle spice




Salt




Pepper




Chili Flakes





1. Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan and whisk until incorporated.




2. Simmer sauce for 15 minutes, add salt and pepper as needed and chili flakes
if desired.




3. Use as sauce on side or brush on ribs.

Grilled Halibut with Chilled Mint and English Pea Soup

I know I’m a little late in the game with a recipe for English peas since it’s already the Fall, but you can always substitute with frozen peas. It’s going to be 100 degrees in Los Angeles this week, so this would be a refreshing dish for a BBQ!




I love grilling my fish (in this case Halibut) with a little bit of skin. That 500 degree temperature of the grill makes it nice and extra crispy. I used mint in this pea soup to life the sweetness and bring out flavor. Also, yogurt adds a nice texture and a hint of tartness. Enjoy!



Pea Puree



2 cups fresh or frozen peas

2 cup, chicken or vegetable broth

2 T chopped mint

1 cup yogurt, greek

3 T olive oil

½ cup tomatoes, diced for garnish

Salt

Pepper


1. If using either fresh or frozen peas, boil the peas with broth until tender and soft.

2. Strain the peas, saving at least 1 or 2 cups of broth.

3. Using a food processor, process the peas, 1 cup of broth, mint, yogurt and olive oil, add salt and pepper as needed. Add more broth if you like a thinner soup.

4. Chill soup in fridge before serving.

5. Cut up tomatoes, add olive oil, a little salt, and let marinate, this can be used to top fish or soup.

Eats at the new Loft

I've been really bad about posting lately, only cause I've been busy with moving, buying furniture, and entertaining guests! I have had time to christen my new kitchen though. Unfortunately, I have an electric flat top now but hasn't been too bad. Here's what's been cooking...recipes will come soon, along with a Taco truck crawl post!