Split Pea Soup w/ Fuyu Fennel Salad

Dangshin has the palette of an old man. He asked for split pea soup and I made split pea soup. I am not a fan of the puréed baby food consistency so I made it more like a stew. Tailored it from Maya's recipe:

http://www.alaskafromscratch.com/2013/02/03/hearty-split-pea-soup-with-lemon-olive-oil-croutons/

Didn't make the croutons because I didn't make any bread! I know. I can't believe it myself. But I did pick up a small baguette when I got the smoked shanks. They were skinless...what is the point of that?! My butcher, Ramon, at Gelsons on Hyperion informs me that "Americans" don't like or eat the skin. Um, this American does! He then proceeded to tell me where to get the best tacos and mariscos in the world. I smell a food adventure to TJ coming on!

Second alteration to Maya's recipe was the addition of one jalapeño. Never made it spicy before so this was an experiment. It was a success!  Be warned. It was really spicy. Here's my crude photo below:

Then, what kicked things up another notch was my persimmon salad:

Pretty, ain't it? Crappy photo and all. This is my own creation and I look forward to eating this every year. My neighbor always gives me a bunch from her tree. These are the hard, flat fuyu variety that adds sweet and crunch to the salad. Add fennel (I used the stalks sliced thinly across the ribs and the fronds --completely under appreciated IMO), jalapeno (bam!) parsley (I usually use arugula but didn't have any), lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper. By the way, that is the easiest salad dressing to make and it lets your seasonal, fresh ingredients really have center stage. So good!

Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour Fail

Note to self, "Sprouted flour gets moldy." 

This was a very expensive lesson. This bag was not cheap. Now I know. Just like I now know that moths love nuts and whole grains. For some reason, this year was the year my pantry became a big Vegas buffet. Have thrown out a small bag of pine nuts and long grain rice this summer. Oh! They also love stale bread. I had a small stash of stale bread and they were munching away and laying babies. They do not discriminate. They will eat GMO, organic, whatever.

This is a partial solution:

Not sure if it will work. I guess I'll find out. Anyone who has a good solution, please let me know.

Pita Bread: Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I am an impulsive eater, and since we are eating out less these days, I find myself needing ingredients and items last minute.

Today, I made a huge bowl of hummus. Hubby ate it before I could photograph it. Here it is (although not very pretty half eaten):

What do you do with a bowl full of hummus and no yummy delivery system?  Make pita bread, of course. In comes:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-pita-bread-90844

Really easy recipe. Thank you, Emma. Although my pita never attained such great heights as hers in her photos, but still damn tasty. I will never buy pita bread again. See for yourself:

Kimchi, What?!

I made my first jar of kimchi ever today! I feel somehow redeemed for my lack of Korean speaking skills. It was challenging. There's a reason why Korean ladies make this stuff on the floor. My back was a little achy after standing for hours. I'm sure the prep time will decrease once I have the process down, but I need to find a kimchi circle or bee. So much easier with others in your village working together and sharing the bounty. 

Making kimchi also made me think about food in a totally new way. The whole scientific aspect of fermenting is a little crazy. I don't understand how it happens at all. I'll have to research it and get back to you. And WTF sweet rice flour paste? I kind of vaguely remember that it's one of the ingredients (some people don't use it) but how does that work? The idea that someone at some point thought it was a good idea to put all these ingredients together in this particular way is astounding.

Now for the proof. Drum roll please:

Sexy, ain't it? That is a whole lot of kimchi. Let me know if you want some!

No(t Again) Knead Bread

I can't stop making this bread!

Saltado de Pollo w/ Aji Sauce

Mean hankering for some saltado de pollo but on a budget. We've been eating out waaaaaay less. So, needed to figure out how to make it. Pretty much based the meal from:

http://thekremerfamily.blogspot.com/2009/06/saltado-de-pollo-recipe.html?m=1

My aji didn't have the lettuce, but I didn't even miss. It probably makes the sauce thin. I used a hand blender instead of the vitamix. Had a more chunky texture and potent flavor which I preferred too.

This came out wonderfully. Here's the proof after two servings:

Lumpia

Patricio Ginelsa, Director, all around nice guy, needs your help. He's raising the funds for a sequel to his wildly popular movie LUMPIA on kickstarter:

Here's a photo of him at last night's screening:

The original was made on a shoestring budget of $1500 over the course of 6 years. He said it was an excuse to hang out with his friends. It was my first viewing of the film, and let me tell you, it was fucking great!  At first site, you could see how the movie started--bunch of young kids just hanging out. Then, we see older Pat applying his new found film school skills to it and voila!  You have a cult classic that is as layered and deep fried as a well crafted LUMPIA.

Please support. He's half way there to a slim to none amount that he is asking for.

Superfood Smoothie

Want another video? Here's me with devourmedia again. It's my very own creation. Recipe found at devourmi site. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/YMi0xkPnQiw

No Knead (to Buy) Bread

My first attempt (this not right)

My second attempt

My third

My fourth

My fifth

Sixth

Sadly (depending on how you look at it), the 7th attempt came out the best but got devoured before I could take a photo!

I love making this bread. You will never buy bread again. But, be warned. This is a dangerous thing to have around the house at all times. Good thing though, you will not have leftovers. Cheers!

Original recipe here http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0.

Here's a video of me making #4 (above) created by devourmedia in 3 parts:

http://youtu.be/axxJVi_rZWw

http://youtu.be/Usg7Vz3Leh4

http://youtu.be/ygOpAd5J67g

Baby Cozy

It's baby season again. For some reason four of my friends decided the spring of 2012 was the time to have a baby. So, I got the old pattern binders, needles and boxes of yarn out (to the dismay of my Dangshin). I haven't looked at any of this stuff for two years. Bit of a knitting funk.

Here's my version of Kimberly Wood's BUTTON UP BABY WRAP. She is kind enough to give you the pattern for free. Stitch looks so cute, right?

I followed the instructions, but the pattern (or it could seriously be me instead) got wonky. When I got to the part you decrease, I ended up with 1 more stitch than what she indicates you should have at the end of each round. I'm still scratching my head on that one. With a little creative folding and tucking, my mistakes are hidden to the general public.

I used Lion Brand Yarn Wool Ease Thick & Quick in Cranberry. The pattern calls for Bernat Natural Felting Wool in English Rose. As you will probably tell me the LB yarn is super bulky (6) and the Bernat is bulky (5), and then I'll have to tell you that I didn't do a swatch...bad knitter! Yes, I am that lazy. It's all good, people. Seeing how the recipient of this remarkable work of yarn craft is 1/2 Korean and 1/2 comes-from-big-people-stock, we should be ok. I think the estimated weight of said child will be over 10 lbs. Shiver! As for buttons, I didn't have any resembling the ones Kimberly uses on the pdf sample, so I made them with my handy, dandy crochet hook (J). I think it came out nifty, but I wish I had used a different color so they stand out more. It's a prototype. I'll make the next one more fun.

For those of you who are wondering why I still have a Xmas present on my table, mind your own business! Haha, just kidding. It belongs to an amazing kid named Laser. His parents insist on calling him David for some reason. Other notable misc items include my Dangshin's game that just came out. It's called Army vs. Aliens. You can buy it at any game/hobby shop near you or online.

Ok, before I burn myself out again after blogging once in 3 yrs., I'll sign off.

So much has happened already

I found out on Friday that RH's mom died. She is one of my best friend's from college. I am saddened. Her mom had a hard life, and I'm glad she's no longer suffering. Rest in peace GH. Then, I found out another friend's father passed away. Again he's no longer suffering. Death can be your worst enemy and an unlikely friend.

Went hiking yesterday. Hopefully, I'll keep it up this time. Went with MY DANGSHIN (yes! We're still together!), and the M&M's, good friends of ours who's initials are both MM. Started the day with a yummy pumpkin pancake from The Griddle. (Note to self: take pics of food to share with my readers). They have the best in town. If you have other suggestions, please let me know.

Then, headed over to Griffith Park. Motivating mMM (that's for male MM) was tough, but we got him to go with a promise from me--I had to go to Horror Night at Universal. Ugh. I am not a fan of amusement parks, but MY DANGSHIN llllllooooovvvvveeeeessssss them. LOL. So, I suppose that was a good trade since I love hanging out with fMM (yup, female MM).

I am sooooo out of shape. So, hard for me to get a routine going though. My schedule doesn't permit it. If I'm working on a project, then, my personal life ceases to exist. Such is the life in the entertainment biz.

So, as promised, we decided to go to Universal last night. I have to admit I was dreading it. I'm afraid I don't do well in crowds. There were so many people in the lines that we decided to get a bite to eat at the Saddle Ranch. Carafes of drinks and burgers later, we headed back to the ticket lines and were immediately turned away. They were sold out. Hallelujah! I know! I was so bummed! mMM was so disappointed. Sorry, dude. Postponed for 2 weeks! Plenty of time to get out of it, LOL.

Headed over to the movie theater and caught Surrogates instead. Um, yeah. No. Not even worth the film it was shot on. Instead of wasting money on crap like that, I wish they would throw some our way to get our projects off the ground.



Not only was it incredibly predictable, it was poorly directed and equally poorly acted. Seriously, if you never watched this film, you would never miss it. If curiosity takes over, just Netflix it.

After the movie, we went our separate ways. As MY DANGSHIN and I were walking out, we stopped in the Skechers store. Have any of you tried the new Shape Ups? Tried them on in the store and they are utterly fascinating. Um, they claim to be cellulite busters. Right. I'd like to see that. Honestly, they made some pretty bold claims. Not only does it increase your cardio as you walk, they will make you lose weight and remove cellulite. STFU!

But, as I was walking around the store in them, I did start feeling some muscle burn in my calves! Hmm, I was telling my MY DANGSHIN it reminds me of The Jerk where Steve Martin's character comes up with that nose thingy for glasses. Started out as a benefit then later revealed to cause crossedeyedness. I'm wondering what the side effects would be later. Like, causing people to develop Popeye like legs. Hahaha. MY DANGSHIN got a pair. I'll just wait to see what happens. Updates to come.

Ok, don't want to burn myself out on blogging. TTYL.