Weeeeekend!

We had some leftover rice from the shrimp bee bim bop, so we used it on Friday in chicken fried rice (cooked rice, sesame oil, kimchi, kimchi juice, chicken, cucumber, carrot, spinach, green onion, bell pepper).

 

 

Yesterday I went to the mall for a bit, as I was on the lookout for a new bathing suit.  I grabbed a small tofu tom yum soup from Thai Express and ate about half, just to hold me over until dinner.

I also grabbed a cocomint tea from David's Tea (I love that place), and was impressed with Smart Set's change rooms, as they had a place for it to hang out while I tried on a thing or two. 

They also had special places to put a purse, ipod and sunglasses.  Cute!  I don't do a lot of shopping in the clothing stores in my city, so I had no idea they made change rooms like this!  

This morning we made pancakes, and Christopher taught me that they can be really darn good with some sour cream and brown sugar on top. 

Easy Pancake Batter

(Betty Crocker)

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat, 1/2 white)
1 T baking powder
1 T sugar
2 T oil
pinch salt

Beat the egg.  Add the rest and whisk until not lumpy.  Ta-da!

What were you up to this weekend?  Have you ever had sour cream and brown sugar on pancakes or on anything else?  (Strawberries are really good dipped into this combination).

Basic Quiche Recipe

Our weekend breakfasts usually consist of eggs - often a frittata or quiche.  Neither of us is overly skilled in the omelet making department, so we resort to these instead.  I think they are tastier than omelets anyway.  Today I made a quiche, which we enjoyed with fruit, juice and coffee.

Basic Quiche Recipe 

1 pie crust (I used a store-bought Tenderflake crust)
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup chopped veggies, assorted
Salt & Pepper

Bake crust according to directions or a little less (about 8 minutes @ 400).  Reduce the temperature to 350 F.  Whisk eggs.  Add rest and mix.  Pour into pie crust and bake 45 minutes.  *I usually put the pie crust onto a cookie sheet covered with tinfoil in case the mixture spills over a bit.

Have you ever made a quiche?  Are you skilled at making omelets?

Foodie Survey

Your must-have kitchen accessory is:
A good, sharp, chefs' knife.

What is your go-to ingredient?
Sesame oil or ginger.

What nationality of food do you like the best?
Korean.  I also love Japanese and Mexican.

What's your favorite meal of the day to prepare?
Dinner, definitely.  I hate making my lunch, and breakfast has become a bit of an annoyance too (mostly because I like to sleep).

Where do you find inspiration when creating a new dish?
Blogs ... or Christopher - he comes up with a lot of ideas around here.

Who has been your greatest inspiration in the kitchen?
Easy - my mom.  She was a master in the kitchen.  Unfortunately she is no longer well enough to cook.

What is your favorite comfort food?
Soup.

Do you ever eat fast food? If so, what?
Yes, I love fast food burgers, but I rarely eat them.  I like DQ or A&W burgers.  I also like Taco Time (veggie burrito, and mexi fries deluxe please).

What restaurant do you want to eat at that you haven't eaten at yet?
The French Laundry or Per Se. 

Are there wines or liquors that you cook with?
I cook with wine quite a bit, but not liquors.  I've cooked with beer.  I've baked with both wine and beer numerous times.

How much time do you spend cooking a meal just for yourself?
Up to an hour.  Not usually more if it's just for me.  I hate cooking for one.  Meals are meant to be shared with people.

What scent in the kitchen do you love – what ingredient smells the best?
Onions frying is probably the best smell in the kitchen.  Or bread/buns baking. 

What ingredients do you avoid/dislike?
I am not a huge fan of blue cheese, but I don't hate it as much as I used to.  I have used it in a recipe, and it was good.

What's your favorite midnight snack?
Depends what I am doing.  If I am just rolling home around midnight or later, it's obviously pizza!  Extra green olives.  If I am at home alone, it's probably a grapefruit.

On your day off, how do you like to spend it?
Cooking, eating, movies & snuggling ... or getting the heck out of town!

If you had to choose between a grilled cheese and a peanut butter and jelly, which would you pick?
Grilled cheese for sure.  I'd make this one again.

You can only put four ingredients in your salad (not including greens or dressing); what do you throw in the mix? Mushrooms, onion, tomato, bacon.

TV/computer on or off while you’re eating?
We never eat in front of the TV.  We sit at the table.  Although, the TV might be on playing music.  I eat my breakfast at the computer usually though (if I am by myself).

What are some of your answers to the questions above?

Thursday Things

1)  For the months of November and December I was stopping at The Bulk Cheese Warehouse about once a week in order to purchase Limburger cheese.  After many failed shipments, the stuff finally came in and I bought the last package they had. The reason I was buying Limburger cheese ...  

Christopher has always wanted to try it since he saw the stinky stuff in cartoons as a child. 



Well, the Bugs Bunny cartoons don't lie.  This stuff is stiiiiinnnnnky! 

I did some research and the smell has been described by others as similar to:  body odor, flatulence, like it was ripened between the toes of a soldier who died of trench-foot, concentrated cat urine, like it ripened in a corpse's rectum (seriously, people describe it this way - I couldn't make this stuff up!). 

It really wasn't that bad.  It smelled about as bad as blue cheese smells.



The taste has been described as pretty horrific too, yet I thought it was rather mild, and similar to brie in terms of strength of flavour.  It was definitely much milder than any blue cheese I've had.  I quite like it, and would buy it again.

2)  I probably need this.  Right?  Okay, okay, I don't.  But it is pretty, and kind of "me".  Someday!

3)  I used to eat a grapefruit almost every night before bed, but haven't for a long while.  I had one last night, and it was awesome.  I know it's not the most popular of fruits, but I love grapefruit.



4)  The third epic snow storm of the winter is happening tonight and we still have about three months of winter to go.  Awesome.

5)  I love children's books (well, I love books in general) and have had a bit of nostalgic longing for a few that I had during my childhood.  I purchased this one the other day for under a dollar (with shipping it was closer to $7). 



6)  Socially unaware/ socially inconsiderate people infuriate me.  End rant. 

7)  Mornings have been rough this week as it was my first week back to work after a couple off ... and let's face it, mornings are always rough for me.  Consequently, I picked up breakfast on the way to work a few times this week along with my coffee.  There's no time to make breakfast when there is sleep to be had!



8)  Tonight we made seafood chowder again and enjoyed it with some focaccia bread dipped in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  This recipe is really easy, and really good!  It's not "fishy" at all, and we used a frozen seafood medley from Costco.  Give it a shot!



9)  Speaking of focacccia ... I want to go back to San Fransisco again, JUST for the focaccia bread from Liguria Bakery.  I swear, this stuff will change your life.  Or your palate.  Something will change.

10)  I must say, 2013 is off to a great start.  I'm feeling pretty darn happy these days!  I'm looking forward to a hibernation weekend with good eats, drinks, movies, dance moves, conversation, and of course, the finest of company.  For now, I'm off to bed as I envision a 6:00 a.m. shoveling experience in my future.  G'night peeps!

Have you ever tried Limburger cheese?  What are you up to this weekend?  Hibernating like me?

Dining Out

Last night my dad took my sister and I out for dinner to the Rooftop (as a late celebration for my sister's birthday).  I ordered the lobster penne, even though I just enjoyed homemade lobster pasta a few days ago.

It was pretty good, but did not reheat well today.  It was really oily.  Because of this, I didn't eat much for lunch and was left feeling ravenous all afternoon.  I didn't have any snacks at work, so I ate a mini Toblerone.  It wasn't really what I was looking for.  It is one of the best chocolate bars around though!

Dinner was fantastic!  I went to one of my favourite restaurants, Bombay.  I ordered the shahi paneer (paneer cheese cooked with nuts, ginger, garlic, cream and spices), and the saffron rice.  Incredible.  I've never had anything at this restaurant that wasn't out-of-this-world good.  

Because I frequent Bombay quite often, the owner knows me now and is always very thankful and appreciative that I keep coming back and keep bringing my friends to this place.  He brought out a couple gulab jamun (pastry balls) as a complimentary dessert for my friend and I to try.

They were really hot (temperature), sweet and delicious.  

The service at this restaurant is great, and the food is the best Indian food I've ever had.  Christopher and I are planning to visit this restaurant on Valentine's day, but I think we'll go at least once before then.  I used to want to visit "fancy" restaurants for special occasions, but have come to realize over the years that the food at the higher end restaurants in my city is not high end, but simply high priced.  It never compares to the ethnic restaurants in the city, or the little hole-in-the-wall places, and I am always left disappointed.  I'm happy to leave the fine-dining for vacations to bigger cities that have better quality food.  Also, I tend to avoid chain restaurants most of the time, although there are a few I like.

What types of restaurants do you frequent most often (diners, cafes, chain restaurants, fast-food, fine-dining, etc.)?  What types of places do you like to go to for special occasions?  Do you have good, high-quality, fine-dining in your city?

Shrimp Bee Bim Bop

There has been something very important missing from the Everyday Foodie fridge the past month or so.  It was missing the best, stinkiest, tastiest food that usually takes up residence in there.

We were out of kimchi!!!! 

The only good thing about the statement above is that someone must have eaten the two liters that were in there, and eating kimchi is never a bad thing.

Today I made the necessary, and long overdue stop at the Korean grocery store to pick up some more of my precious.  We then got to work making the very strange sounding, yet easy, and incredibly delicious, bee bim bop.  If you are too scared to try bee bim bop - don't be.  Go to a Korean restaurant, and order it in a hot stone pot.  There is nothing weird about rice, veggies, a bit of meat and an egg.  

Shrimp Bee Bim Bop

Ingredients:

*Measurements/amounts aren't important

- white (sticky) rice

- assorted veggies (julienne) (we used celery, carrot, cucumber, mushroom)

- thawed cooked shrimp

- gochujang (red pepper paste - it comes in that little red tub in the picture below) 

- eggs (one per person)

Optional but very delicious (in other words ... buy them):

- kimchi

- seaweed

- raw green onions

Cook the rice however you like to cook rice (but please tell me it's not in the microwave).  Meanwhile, stir-fry the veggies in sesame oil or other.  Sprinkle with some sugar to sweeten them up a bit.  Remove once softened and set on a plate.  Toss some thawed/cooked shrimp into the wok and stir fry until hot.  Remove shrimp and set aside.  Fry up one egg per person.

 

Assemble the bowl however you like, but stir in that gochujang (there is never enough), and toss the fried egg on top.  I like top my bowl with obscene amounts of kimchi, seaweed and raw green onions.  

To-die-for.

 

Uh huh.

Have you tried bee bim bop yet?  What are you waiting for?

What did you have for dinner this fine Monday evening?

Lobster Alfredo

Last night we were in a pasta mood.  We made lobster Alfredo.  Mmmmm!  I am glad there are leftovers in the fridge. 

Lobster Alfredo

- Cook pasta according to directions (we used about half a box of fettuccine, and didn't need all the sauce).  The sauce recipe below would likely make enough for a box of pasta.
- Boil 2 lobster tails for approximately 10 minutes, then remove from water, crack open, and chop of the lobster meat finely
- Meanwhile, make the sauce

Alfredo Sauce

(Original Source: Olive Garden)

1.5 cups cream
1.5 cups milk (I used skim, but any would do)
1 cup shredded cheese (Parmesan & Romano or Asiago)
6 egg yolks
salt, pepper and parsley

Heat the milk and cream in a small pot until simmering.  Meanwhile, put the egg yolks in a bowl and set aside.  Remove milk/cream from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.  Ladle a scoop of the milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk.  Pour egg yolk mixture into the put and put back on the heat.  Warm until thickened and desired temperature.  Season with salt and pepper, and throw some parsley in for colour.

Pour sauce over the cooked pasta and top with the lobster.  Enjoy!

This recipe was not too rich - just perfect.

How was your weekend?  Did you cook anything new this weekend?