My love for brussel sprouts

So I have decided to officially declare brussel sprouts as my absolute favorite vegetable. I actually didn't realize how much I love them until the past few years. There is just something about that texture and flavor that I just absolutely love.

Did I mention bacon? no? well, bacon and brussel sprouts is the new peanut butter and jelly. #justsaying.

This is my favorite way to make brussel sprouts- It's so easy, you cant go wrong.

Wash the brussel sprouts and just cut them in half. Lay them on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper (sometimes I like to add a little bit of red pepper flakes too). Pop them in the 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Layer on the bacon and put it back for another 15-20 minutes.

I like to put them in for more than 30 minutes because I actually like the "drier" texture and taste… Depends on you, you can just put them in for 15 minutes if you like them that way.

Apple Baklava

Ok, I can't get credit for this post… it was all Amy Bite's… this apple baklava recipe is beyond divine!!

I had no idea making baklava is this easy, you just have to try it.

Here are some step by step pictures. Full recipe here!

Toasting some nuts, I ran out of walnuts and pecans, so I just added a nut mix that I had on hand… Here are some almonds, macadamia, cashews, and Brazilian nuts. Toasting is definitely the way to go, this extra step really brings out the nutty flavors, don't skip this!

Making the syrup...

Slicing apples, I used granny smith.

Start layering the phyllo with butter spray!

Layering on the apples and nut mix… and hey, it's Bear in the back! ha.

Risotto Stuffed Mushrooms

Alright, so there seems to be a trend going on with me, mushrooms, and risotto. Well, I am not going to deny it, I just love those things!

So, the newest venture for me was these stuffed peppers with risotto, and man it was delish!

They might not look as good as it taste (I am not a professional photographer, people!), but you gotta believe me, it was so delicious!

All I did was use this risotto recipe and simply split the pepper in half and filled with the risotto. I topped it with some feta cheese and baked it in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. THAT'S IT!

Please just believe me!

Stuffed Mushroom

I just made something delicious- Stuffed mushroom.

I love mushrooms, it's so hearty and so delicious. I came up with this recipe last minute and it couldn't have tasted any better…

Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil, more for drizzling
1 portabella cap
stem of the portabella, chopped
1/4 cup of onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
3 pieces of sun dried tomato, chopped
1/4 cup of shrimp, chopped
1/2 tbs of truffle oil
1/2 tbs gorgonzola (more if you wish)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

On medium-high heat, cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add shrimp, stem of portabella, and sun dried tomato and stir until shrimp is cooked, about 5 more minutes. Add the truffle oil, salt and pepper.

Place the portabello cap on a aluminum foil lined baking sheet, and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Place the shrimp mixture on top of the cap and top it with gorgonzola. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

and…. ta da!

Sooo yummy and filling. So perfect.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Okay, I am pretty much a confident cook, meaning that things tend to turn out well every time I attempt something new. Last night, I faced a challenge for the first time in a long time. I made risotto.

I made a mushroom risotto based on Tyler Florence's recipe. Let me just first say, it turned out okay, it was actually quite delicious. But man, I definitely need to be more careful making it the next time.

I guess the problem was that I didn't start off making it with extra care and love. With risotto, I learned that you really need to stand there and just stir the rice in broth the whole time. My problem was that I didn't wait until all the broth in one batch was absorbed, and just poured in another batch... my mistake. Nevertheless, I learned my lesson, and thank goodness it still turned out yummy!

Oh, and let me just tell you how wonderful truffle oil is, it's wonderful.

I made a few alterations from the original recipe, and here is the way I did it (I also halved the recipe)-

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 onion, diced, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 pound fresh portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• 2 cups Arborio Rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions  

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat 1/2 tbs of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove of garlic, cook, stirring until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, herbs, and 1 tbs of butter. Saute for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute 1 min then remove from heat and set aside.

Coat a saucepan with remaining 1 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now, with a ladle, add 1/2 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. When all the broth is absorbed,  The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil.

Like I said, making risotto is not that easy. Make sure you are being careful and precise. I was lucky that it turned out well, I could totally see it go the wrong way!

Italian Veggie Bake

Seriously, people. Seriously. This is probably one of the best things that I have ever made, and I didn't even expect it to taste this good! It tastes so simple, but so hearty!

So the story is that I wanted to make vegetable lasagna, but I didn't want to bread my veggies nor did I have a lot of different veggies on hand. I only had summer squash, eggplant, and zucchini. After contemplating for a while, a light bulb came over my head- I am going to be creative and make my own version of vegetable lasagna.

So, I roasted up my veggies, and layered them with some tomato sauce and a little bit of shredded mozzarella, and ooo lala, I got myself a weeklong of delicious lunch/dinner.

I am still in shock of how good it tastes, seriously. This stuff is sooo good, light but filling. Please just try it, please. I beg you. You will thank me later.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, sliced
2 small zucchini (or 1 large), sliced
1 summer squash, sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbs dried basil
1.5 to 2 cups of marinara sauce
1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Combine the veggies with olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and basil. Layer the veggies on a baking sheet and roast it in the oven (400 degrees) for 20 minutes.
After the veggies are done roasting, scoop a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, put on a layer of the veggies, then a layer of marinara, and top with a thin layer of mozzarella. Continue these steps until all the veggies are used. Then top the dish with the last layer of marinara sauce and cheese. Bake in the 350 degrees oven with aluminum foil over the dish for 15 minutes. Take the aluminum foil off after the 15 minutes and let it bake for another 15 minutes.

There you have it, a beautiful vegetarian dish. Just try it. It's to die for.

Caprese

One of my favorites, simple ingredients, simple taste.

Just slice a tomato, some slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Dress it with a little ground pepper and just drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So delicious.

Ravioli in Mushroom Wine Sauce

I've got these ravioli babies in the freezer for a while now, so I decided to give them a try.

Good stuff, by the way.

In the fridge, I had baby bello (porcini) mushrooms, white wine, and some frozen shrimps and peas in the freezer. So I decided to be creative and made this-

The meal was delicious, filling without making you feel too bloated. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients-
1 tbs of butter
1 tbs of oil (I used grapeseed, you can use whatever you have)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups of button or porcini mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1/2 cup of shrimp, peeled
1/3 cup of frozen peas
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan 

Directions-
Cook the ravioli as directed in the package.
Heat up the butter and oil in the sauce pan in medium high heat. Add crushed garlic as soon as the butter melts. Stir for about two minutes, before the garlic browns. Add in the mushrooms and stir for about 3 minutes until mushrooms are slightly softened. Pour in the white wine and let the sauce simmer for another 5 minutes and then add the shrimp and peas. Let everything cook together until the shrimps are cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the Parmesan cheese so the sauce thickens. Toss in the raviolis and wa-la, you have made yourself a delicious dinner!

Note: Please excuse those stupid peppercorns… When I ground peppers into the dish, the grinder fell apart and all the peppercorns came out. Didn't want to waste the dish so I tried scooping them out as much as I could. Hahah.

Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino

You know, one pot meals just seem like my go-to's these days. With the busy schedule, I usually make a one-pot meal a week- I save half in the fridge and half in the freezer. Then, I rotate my freezer "inventories" each week to the fridge, so I have different things on hand each week. Get it? no? It's ok, it's not that important.

Anyway, this week I made chili, seen here, so that's nothing new. However, last week, I took on Giada's Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino, and I must say that it was a success!

Spezzatino? What is that? No worries, it really just means "stew" (thank you, Google translate) This recipe was oh so easy and fast! Plus, I love chicken and artichoke (can't say the same with beans, but I was able to tolerate them in this dish.) so you must try it too.

I made very few alterations from this original recipe - I skipped pancetta! I did not have it on hand, and I did not want to go out and buy it. Honest? yes, I think so. Also, I used dried basil instead of fresh, and lastly, I used chicken thigh instead of breast. No biggies!

So here is my version of the spezzatino!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon of olive oil

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, halved

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

2(14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon of dried basil leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 bay leaf

4 pieces of boneless chicken thigh, cubed

12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:
Add oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in saucepan in medium-high heat. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, basil, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Add the chicken and press down to submerge. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, turning the chicken over and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add the artichoke and the cannellini beans and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season the spezzatino with salt and pepper, to taste.

And that's it... Thanks Giada, you are too awesome.

Trader Joe's

Let's talk Trader Joe's, shall we?

picture via

I first came around Trader Joe's in California years ago, before they expanded to the Northeast. I was amazed by the enormous amount of products that they carried. I loved the fact that they are super health conscious too.

Now that there are a few Trader Joe's around me, it's pretty much the only place I get my groceries. Let me correct that, I don't tend to buy fresh produce or fruits at Trader Joe's, I usually buy them from my local farms. However, everything else in my pantry, and I have pictures to prove this statement, I purchased at my dear Trader Joe's. It's so wonderful.

You may think, "why is she posting this random post on Trader Joe's?" "She getting paid to write this?" "This is boring!", I am sorry! It's none of the above! I really don't have a legitimate reason to why I am writing this post, I just feel like sharing the world my love for Trader Joe's. That's all. It's beyond the delicious and affordable products that they carry, the friendly staff they have in every location, or the funny descriptions for every single item. I just love it. Stop judging me.

Please tell me that you love Trader Joe's too, in the comments below. Please...

Easy Chicken Souvlaki

Looking good, eh?

I recently made this dish for dinner not once, but twice because it was so darn delicious. Did I mention that I made it within 30 minutes? Yup, I did. It was so simple!

I got this recipe from an old Real Simple book called Real Simple Meals Made Easy.

Ingredients:
4 pieces flat bread or pitas (I used Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Whole Wheat Flatbread)
2 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano (living the poor grad student life, I used 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano instead)
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme (again, 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme)
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 small red onion, sliced
3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
1 small cucumber, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill (I used 1 tablespoon of dried dill)

Making the Salad & Chicken Marinade-
Combine 1 1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Slowly add in the oil. Pour half of this mixture into tomatoes, onion, Feta, and olives. Pour the other half as chicken marinade.
Heat up the grill or sauté pan on high heat. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally until cooked through.

Yogurt Sauce-
While the chicken is cooking, combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and the remaining vinegar in a bowl.

Wrap the bread in foil and place in 250 degree oven to warm.

Place the chicken on top of the bread. Pour the yogurt sauce over the chicken, then put the salad next to the chicken. ** There really isn't a rule of how you should place or eat this dish. Do as you wish.

Ta-Da!

Delicious. Next time, you can try the traditional way- lamb!

I'm Back!

Hello folks! I've been quite busy the past three weeks… however, I am back to introduce lots of wonderful foods here in Taiwan. 

Sweet potato fries with ling hing mui (salty dried plum powder)! There are only a few places that make it good. This place in Jin Mei market makes them the best in my opinion!

Kiki- one of our favorite restaurants. Crispy skin with soft (I mean, SOFT) tofu. I am not a tofu kind of person but I LOVED this dish!

Also at Kiki. Garlic pork slices. Also delisher.

Here we have my childhood love- egg covered rice. I got this at a food court of a mall. Fried pork cutlet was juicy and the curry sauce was so delicious with the egg and the rice. Drooling right now...

Ah, and here we have rotating sushi… jealous?

 Here is one of the hottest things here now at the night markets- stuffed potatoes! I think the way they make them is to first mashed their potatoes, roll them into potato sized balls, fry the balls, then split them open and add in your favorite ingredients, THEN they pour tons of melted cheese over everything. Here we have broccoli, corn, and ham. God it was sooo good but I was a little afraid of a heart attack in the midst of indulging.

Hey, what's a night market without stinky tofu???

Large sausage covered small sausage (direct translation). Sticky rice covering Chinese sausage with some sauerkraut and a slice of cucumber!

YUMS, got the sashimi from a fish market. SOOO fresh and so cheap. $10USD for all this fresh fish!

Intestine noodles- You might think it's gross but whatevs, it's good. Please dont mind the deoderant in the back of the pic… long story...

Taiwanese Tempora. Basically some turnip, different fish cakes, and tofu topped with a sweet sauce. Really traditional Taiwanese stuff...

Stinky tofu again!

This is A-ge. It's the first time I've ever had it. We got it from Danshui, where A-ge is famous for. It is fried tofu skin covered in dong fen (noodles made with mung beans), then they seal the pocket with fish cake batter. They also top it with the same kind of sweet sauce as Chinese tempora.

This is also a very traditional Taiwanese dish… fried rice noodles. Also got this in Danshui. It was very good!!

Alright that is all for today. I will be sharing some more stuff with y'all next time!

樂麵屋

If you read my blog a lot, you would notice that I LOVE ramen. Yums, eating ramen is so comforting when you find a place that make them good!

I found this place, 樂麵屋, in Taipei that makes very good ramen. What I love about this place is that you get to customize your own bowl. After you pick your soup base, you get to choose whether you like  thick/thin noodles, how you want your noodles cooked, how salty you'd like your soup to be, etc. I loved it! 

I picked the 豚骨拉麵. The soup was rich and flavorful and the pieces of meat were tender. I ordered thick noodles cooked not to thorough and that turned out so good as well.

Pattie ordered the Miso Ramen. This one was good too! The soup was slightly lighter than mine but still had a really good flavor. It wasn't too salty either.

I would definitely come back here again. I had a yummy eating experience and the waiting staff were wonderful as well!

Macau & Hong Kong

 I was in Macau for a few days last week. Macau is known for its outrageous gambling scenes. However, I am not much of a gambler, so I did what I did best- explore food!

Shark fin soup is considered a luxurious cuisine in Asia. They typically are only served for special occasions. However, my dad heard from friends that there are a couple places in Macau that offer great shark fin soup for a great price. We had to try it! 

The chicken based soup was quite good. It was rich and flavorful. Shark fin had a crunchier texture, the combination of the fin and the soup was quite delicious.

This is a Macau must! Portuguese egg tarts! Macau was a Portuguese colony for a long time therefore a lot of food that I saw were Portuguese inspired. The egg tarts are made of pastry crust and filled with egg custard. Of all the places that we've tried. This one located in the Venetian Resort was definitely my favorite-

 We waited 20 minutes for a fresh baked batch!

 Oh my gosh… the crust was warm and flakey and the egg custard was hot, creamy, soft and not too sweet! They were sinfully delicious.

We also tried the 燕窩 egg tart from another place. It is made with swallow's nest, another Chinese delicacy. This one tasted just okay to me since the swallow's nest does not have much of a taste.

We stopped at this traditional sweet shop for some jello and durian ice cream.

We got the original jello. It was light and refreshing!

Then there it is, durian ice cream. Durian is a very very stinky fruit, people hate it or love it. We happen to be ones who love it. The ice cream was full of flavor and actually tasted like frozen durians!

Last but not least, I found this in the streets of Hong Kong. It is called 山竹, mangosteen. Oh my god, I have been looking for these for the past 12 years. They used to be my favorite fruit when I was little but they stopped importing them to Taiwan! I literally almost cried when I saw them.

 When you open one, it looks like this. The fruit is juicy, sweet yet tart…

The trip was wonderful to my tummy. I was beyond a happy camper after all the cool and yummy things that I indulged in!