Crushed it in in the Kitchen

Okay gang, catching up here. Well I want to share with you all probably the best dish I've ever made to date. Last night Arlene and I stayed in and made it a dinner and DVD night. After running some errands and picking up some wine from the local wine store I hopped into the kitchen and worked my magic. I decided to make rosemary and garlic crusted lamb with a pomegranate red wine sauce served with lemon and parmesan couscous and roast tomatoes. This was the first time I've ever made rack of lamb and it was pretty easy. The entire meal took literally 30 mins. I did make a mistake though by roasting the tomatoes with the lamb which caused the lamb to steam and not form a crust on the outside. I'll probably pan sear the lamb then toss in the oven. Nonetheless, the meal turned out great! Sorry for the poor picture above...didn't spent much time messing with the camera.

Getting Ready for Napa

So Arlene and I are getting ready for Napa and Sonoma in June to do what is starting to become an annual thing for us. We're traveling with two of our close friends Daphne and Randy and we're meeting up with our old friends Abby and Kris. Arlene has picked out some really nice wineries for us to try like Pine Ridge and Caymus and we have reservations at Redd which is one of Napa's finest. Check out the video below, it's one of my more favorite episodes of Wine Library TV.

AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G

Picked up this lens last week and I'm stoked about it. For $200, it's not a bad deal compared to other lenses. Its shoots very well in low light and with 1.8 aperture setting you get a pretty decent bokeh effect or depth of field. I'll post pictures soon and do a side by side comparison with my AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm lens.

Burger Time

Well grilling season is in full effect. Here's the first burger of the season. It's a pretty easy recipe -- I actually cheated and used a Lipton Onion seasoning packet. Through in a mixture of egg, garlic salt, soy sauce and a slice of bread and it came out very tasty.

Slacking off

Okay, I have definitely slacked off on my blog. Promise to have three post today and to get back on track. April was super busy with work and other stuff.

Noah working on his crawling technique

Yeah I know it's been awhile. Here's a video of Noah trying to figure out crawling. I think if I dropped him in a swimming pool he'd be a natural swimmer.

New Jersey Surprise!

Had some Raagas Cousins give us a surprise visit from New Jersey. Here's some pics of us having lunch at Pho 98 in Chantilly.

Pho...a bowl of goodness.


Arl and Noah...

Not your ordinary salmon dish

(Courtesy of Arl's Blog lifeaccordingtosilenta.blogspot.com)




Salt and Pepper Salmon

1 salmon fillet (about 2 pounds), skin on, 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions
Run your finger up and down the center of the salmon feeling for any pin bones. Remove any that you find with a needle-nosed pliers or tweezers. With a sharp knife cutting across the width of the salmon, divide it into 4 equal portions. Lightly salt the salmon and let sit a couple minutes; this will help you get crispy skin.
Heat a 2-count, about 2 tablespoons, of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking. Season the salmon with pepper, and rub about 1 1/2 tablespoons butter on the skin side of each fillet. Add the salmon to the pan, skin-side down. To get super crispy skin, cook the salmon almost to completion, about 6 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook until flesh side is nicely seared, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a platter and top with a dollop of dill creme fraiche. Serve with the Smashed Potatoes.

Dill Creme Fraiche

1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 bunch fresh dill, coarsely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon roughly chopped capers
4 cornichons, finely chopped

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until combined.


Smashed New Potatoes with Peas, Lemon, and Pearl Onions

1 1/2 to 2 pounds red bliss potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (10-ounce) box frozen pearl onions, defrosted
Pinch sugar
Splash freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 slices lemon
2 (10-ounce) boxes frozen peas, defrosted
1 lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 heaping tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill
1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed just above the rubber band

Directions
Put the potatoes into a large pot, cover them with cold water, and add a large pinch of salt. If they're large, cut them in half. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain. Stick a fork into the potatoes, 1 at a time, lift them out of the colander and peel with a paring knife. Toss the potatoes into a bowl and roughly crush them. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the pearl onions, sugar, and lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the lemon slices, peas, and lemon zest and continue cooking until the peas are hot. Season with salt and pepper. Dump the vegetables over the potatoes in the bowl, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil add the parsley and dill and taste for salt and pepper. Scatter the watercress over the top, fold it in just until it wilts and call it a day.

My thoughts: To quote my husband, "This is the best dish you have EVER made!" This was the first time I made this recipe and based on his reaction, I would say it was a success. The recipe is from Tyler Florence's Ultimate. I didn't follow the recipe exactly. When cooking the salmon, I melted the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds and used a brush to generously spread evenly on the salmon skin. I substituted sour cream for creme fraiche. Although the recipe calls for 1/2 cup, I used an 8oz. container of sour cream cause I didn't want to waste anything and just added more dill and a drained 3 fl. oz. jar of capers. I couldn't find cornichons so I didn't use them. I plan on using the extra creme fraiche as a dip for pita slices. When I picked up all the ingredients for the potatoes at the grocery, I thought 2 lbs. weren't enough so I used a 3 lb. bag of red potatoes instead. Peeling the potatoes was a pain, literally. I thought I was going to burn my fingers off.
In the end, the salmon was just the right amount of crispy. The dill "creme fraiche" pulled everything together and was delicious. The potatoes were light and lemony and a definite step up from my usual go to betty crocker instant mashed potatoes. Hahaha.
The recipe was pretty easy. So easy I could probably make it on a week night too especially since the creme fraiche can be made ahead of time.

Friday Fish Day

Snapped a picture of my Sapporo beer at Naruto in Ashburn.

Asparagus, Prociutto and Linguine with a Sage Cream Sauce

Here's Monday's dinner...I modified this recipe from Food and Wine and came up with this.

2 Amy's Pizza

2 Amy's Pizza makes the best pizza in all of DC. Their pizza reminds me of the pizza Arlene and I had during our trip to Italy back in 2007. 2 Amy's Pizza even has D.O.C (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status, which specifies the legally permitted ingredients and methods of preparation necessary to produce authentic Neapolitan Pizza.

Pizza isn't the only good thing here, they have a great wine bar and small dish menu which includes the likes of oven roasted olives, salt cured sardines and other Italian classics. Pizza is so good, Noah couldn't resist.

Day at the National Zoo

With the warm weather back, Arlene and I decide to take Noah to the Zoo. We finally had another opportunity to get out of the house after a long cold winter. We started with checking out the Dupont Circle Farmer's Market for some locally grown produce. Lots of good stuff was available for sale like fresh produce, organic meats, cheese and baked goods. We checked out the freebies, but Arlene only settled for a pumpkin cupcake (she's a sucker for pumpkin anything).

After the Farmer's Market, we drove up Connecticut Ave to check out the National Zoo . Being at the zoo as parents was defintely a different experience. The place was jammed packed with strollers including the one we had with Noah.

I gotta say I love the zoo -- it's very relaxing and it's an educational experience for the kids. Here are some pics of a couple of the animals we saw today.
Silverback Gorilla...

Lions...

After the zoo we walked up historic Macomb St. to grab lunch at 2 Amy's which I'll blog about very soon.

Orange Glazed Chicken and Spinach Mushroom Lasagna Rolls

Saturday night Arlene and I decided to tag team dinner. I smoked and chicken and made an Orange Dijon Honey Glaze and asparagus; and Arlene whipped up some Spinach Lasagna Rolls with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce which she got from Rachel Ray.

Family Day in Brambleton

Finally Spring weather has arrived!!! Here are some pics of the family with Mae, Dennis and my niece and nephew enjoying the warm weather.

Jayden and Ella going down the slide...

Jayden chillin' in the Cylinder...

Noah doing his best Michael Jordan impression...

Two and Half Hour Monday Commute

My view for two and half hours during this morning's commute to work.

Cooking with Mom

Both Arlene and my parents were over this weekend to see Noah. We love when they visit cause they help out a lot with Noah, plus when my mom's in town she takes the kitchen over and whips up some Filipino dishes.

Shea waiting for scraps...

Mom working the stove

Finished product...Squid Adobo

Arlene's Shrimp and Pasta

Yet another post of dinner -- courtesy of Arlene. Below is a picture of her Shrimp and Pasta dish.

Steak and Frites with Blue Cheese and Challot Butter

Looks like this is starting to turn into a food blog - I need to mix it up a bit. Anyway here's my version of Steak and Frites. New York Strip with Frites and a Blue Cheese and Challot Butter...very easy.

Noah Eating Solids

Here's a picture of Noah eating organic Happy Bellies cereal. Arlene and I will definitely use organic products when it comes to feeding Noah. We've also discussed making our own food for Noah with peas, carrots and other veggies vs using any processed stuff...next up steak au poirve!



Great transition from the previous entry right?

Being a Conscious Consumer - Eating Ethically

Last Sunday I was at Harris Teeter looking for a whole chicken to make for dinner. Recently, I've been only buying organic free range chicken vs factory farm chicken which I grew up on. While at HT, I was surprised to see the organic free range chicken on sale - on sale being around $9.50 for a 3 lbs chicken vs $11.50. When I checked the price on the factory farm chicken it only cost $6 for a 3 lbs chicken. Now money is tight with the recession and I literally stood there comparing the chickens and thinking about the price for a good 8 minutes. I came close to buying the factory farm chicken, but then I thought about the video I saw below a year ago that made me go vegetarian for a whole month.

WARNING!!! Watch on an empty stomach!


I try to eat organic foods as much as I can, but with prices rising it's hard to stay within budget or even justify a 25%-50% difference in price. I guess I'm going to have to eat less meat this year. When eating meat think about the how the animal died and how it's meat is prepared for your consumption.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Here's Sunday dinner - Roast Lemon Garlic and Herb Chicken with Roasted Thyme Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts. Not bad for $15 and I still have left overs for tomorrow.

Apple Charlotte with Cinnamon Sabayon

Okay gang, Arlene and I attempted to make this dessert together for Valentine's Day and I gotta say it came out really well. We first saw this dessert on the Food Network's Tyler Florence's Ultimate and had to try it out. It's a very easy recipe to follow once you have everything prepped. The hardest part is making the sabayon sauce and getting the Charlotte's out of the ramikins (hence the jacked up picture above). Also, we substituted rum for the apple liqueur which came out a little strong but still good.

(Recipe from www.foodnetwork.com)
Ingredients

For the filling:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 medium Granny Smith apples
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the batter:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing ramekins
2 tablespoons sugar, for ramekins, plus extra for top
20 slices brioche bread, crust removed
Cinnamon sabayon, recipe follows

Directions
Begin by making the filling. Set a large saute pan or roasting pan over medium heat and add butter. Peel and cut cheeks off apples then cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Once butter has melted and just starting to foam, add apples, scraped vanilla bean and pod, lemon juice, and brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat well and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until apples are just tender and liquid has evaporated. The sauce will caramelize slightly and should be a nice, rich dark color.


In a shallow dish, make the batter by combining eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until fully combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and generously butter and sugar 4 (1-cup) ramekins.

Invert a ramekin, or use a round cutter, on half of the bread slices to use as a guide to cut out circles. These will be the bases and top of the charlottes - you should have 8 in total. Cut the other slices of bread in half lengthwise.

Working with the circles. lightly coat in the batter and place in the bottom of each ramekin. Lightly dip the other rectangles of bread in batter as well, then use them to line the walls of each ramekin - standing them upright around the perimeter leaving an overhang that you will later use to fold over and seal the charlotte. It should take about 6 strips per ramekin. Fill each mold with apples and some of the caramel from the pan. Fold over the edges to seal it up completely and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If the tops brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. When done, the bread will have puffed up slightly, the edges will be brown and the sugar on top will have caramelized. Allow to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto individual plates. Serve with cinnamon sabayon.


Cinnamon Sabayon:
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup calvados or apple liqueur
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Splash water
To make sabayon, combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set over a pot of boiling water on low heat, i.e. a double boiler. Whisk (you can use an electric whisk to make it easier) until the mixture becomes light and fluffy and the volume almost doubles.

Arlene's Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Well Arlene's been on this chocolate baking craze of late. Last week she made homemade chocolate truffles and this past week she made a chocolate raspberry tart. Well done boo!

No Reservations - Philippines

Okay, set your DVRs on Monday night at 10PM on the Travel Channel. I'll be interested on Anthony Bourdain's take on Filipino cuisine. I'm biased on Filipino food, but as a Filipino American I'm perplexed on why Filipino cuisine hasn't taken off like Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese food.

Tuna w/Olives and Tomato Pasta

So, tuna was on sale at the local grocery store for $5.99 a pound. I picked up some olives and San Marzano canned tomatoes and threw it in with onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and parsley...and came up with this.

Beef Short Rib Stroganoff

So I'm a huge fan of Tyler Florence's recipes and when I saw this one for Beef Stroganoff I had to try it. My sister and I used to make beef stroganoff growing up from those Lipton packs and this recipe brought back memories. The only catch is this recipe called for beef short ribs, which is one of my favorites. This recipe is pretty easy, but it takes about 3 hours since it call for roasting/braising for the short ribs...definitely worth the wait.


(by Tyler Florence)
Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, plus 2 cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed
1 large sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed
3 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 2 ribs apiece
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds white button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup cognac
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons freshly chopped green onions
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the chopped garlic, salt and pepper into a bowl. Add enough extra-virgin olive oil to create a paste. Add the rosemary and thyme leaves to the bowl and stir to combine.

Set short ribs out on a roasting tray and cover with herb paste. Roast in the oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes until they are falling apart.

Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes until brown. Add shallots and minced garlic and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 2 minutes until garlic and onion become fragrant. Remove pan from heat and carefully add cognac to deglaze the pan. Return to heat and add cream. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Turn off heat and stir in Dijon mustard and sour cream. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Cook egg noodles in salted boiling water according to directions on package. Drain and toss with butter while still hot.

To serve: Pile the noodles high on a plate, top with stroganoff sauce and finish with rib slices. Garnish with fresh parsley and green onions.

Bodum Travel French Press

Best $10 purchase I've made in a long time. This is going to save me
$2 dollars a day from buying grande coffees every morning at Starbucks.

SLR Fun in DC

Here's some photos of the family spending a day in DC on a warm day in February. We spent most of the day on Capitol Hill and at one of my favorites, the United States Botanical Gardens.

Noah and Arl in front of the Capitol

Seagull spreading wings

Seagull at the Reflecting Pool

Lion watching over DC

Couple of flower shots at the US Botanical Gardens

more flowers...

more flowers...

and more flowers.

Arlene shows Noah her old lunch spot

Cool shot of cactus

The Little Things in Life

I love Noah's laugh in this video -- puts a smile on my face every time. Be sure to watch it in high quality.

Ray's Hell Burger w/Bone Marrow

Picture of the "Dogcatcher Burger" from Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington. The bone marrow was a bit much but still a great burger!

Picture of the Day

Took this picture over the weekend with the D90. Attempting a depth of field shot, Arl is in the background and Dee in the very back while focusing on Noah.

Holy Trinity of Beer

Okay, I gotta end my last post from Colorado with a bang. So on my last night in Colorado Springs with my co-workers, we decided to hit up another brewery. We decided on the Trinity Brewing Company near the Garden of the Gods in CO Springs. When we pulled up to this place I was little hesitant considering it was in strip mall, but once we stepped into the joint it had the feel of an eclectic outdoorsy Belgian tavern. The first thing that caught my eye was the huge beer menu atop the bar.

The Trinity offers Belgian Beers, Micro-Brews and their own crafted beers. I had the Flo IPA which was aromatic and had the right balance of hoppiness. I also tried the Kwak which soon became my new favorite. Once we found a table the gang ordered some food. I ordered the bacon basket (yes bacon) and beer cheese soup.

Bacon Basket

Beer Cheese Soup

Chicken Avacodo Sandwich

The food at Trinity is not only good, but it's done with high quality ingredients. Washington, DC needs more places like Trinity which boast artisan beers and slow food for conscious people. The vibe at this place was laid back with a mix of folks coming off work and the slopes, parents with kids and babies, fellas chillin with the boys and co-workers having happy hour with Bob Dylan playing in the background. I definitely recommend checking this place out if you're CO Springs.