Green and Purple

Miso sauce/dressing recipe from link. 

//ingredients:

-grated ginger

-garlic, mashed or chopped fined

-honey (recipe used maple syrup, which I didn't have)

-lemon juice

-Chinese rice wine 

-white miso

//directions:

Just mix above together (I didn't include ratio because it's really to taste) then toss with salad or pour onto cooked greens/veggies. I used cooked Chinese mustard greens. This sauce is like the salad dressing a lot of Japanese places have in their appetizer salad. Yay for miso.

Sweet and Sour Flavored Eggplant from link. 

//ingredients:

-2 eggplants

-tbsp salt 

-tbsp or more sugar

-tbsp or more of chicken stock (i didn't have dashi)

-tbsp rice vinegar

-oil for frying

-sesame oil (optional, for final presentation)

//directions:

1. cut eggplant into small chunks, soak in salt water while preparing for sauce. 

2. mix sugar, stock, and rice vinegar together, set aside.

3. drain eggplants, heat up oil in pan and stir fry eggplant

4. After a few min., pour sauce mixture into pan. let simmer for a few minutes until liquid is almost gone.

5. Serve with a bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds if desired. otherwise it's good as is. 

Summer Wishlist

Summer Wishlist

music

1. Brooklyn Prospect Park Concert

2. Central Park Concert

3. Symphony on the Lawn

movies

1. Bryant Park

2. Hudson River Park

3. Brooklyn Bridge

parks

1. Solar 1 http://solar1.org/index.php

2. FDR for fireworks

3. Brooklyn Heights Promenade

Casa

72 Bedford St. (at Commerce St.) 

West Village

New York, NY

212.366.9410

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/casa/

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/casa/

We walked by this place while we were on a Greenwich Village walking tour. After the tour, J. wanted to try it out (I think he missed Brazil food). 

food/dessert

//pastel - apparently this is portuguese for empanada. this place made pastel in a rectangle shape. I had a bite,  pretty good, but didn't try with salsa or hot sauce. J. raved about it. I guess he approves.

//yucca coconut cake - shredded coconut inside. win. not sure why they brought me butter for it though...it was good as is.

//flan - G. doesn't like flan but decided to try it when J. convinced him brazilian flan is different. i think caramelizing anything makes it better. egg tarts with caramelized tops are tastier too.

//brigedeiros - condensed milk with cocao and chocolate sprinkles. maybe i wasn't expecting it, but they knocked me out. really really really sweet. next time I have to order an espresso with it.

//guarana - Brazilian soda. apparently 2nd most popular (after coca cola) soft drink in Brazil. I like it but some people don't. I guess it's a taste thing.

space

//bright afternoon sun filtering through huge windows, lighting here is sublime. perfect place for an afternoon coffee break. someone was sitting at the table next to us and he was working on a laptop. inspired maybe? 

//window sill lined with some folksy decorative items. they covered the pipes with hemp robe, then added little birds on it, clever. 

maybe next time we'll stop by for dinner, but since the place is so small we probably have to make a reservation or come by early.

Pear Butter

Do you always stick to your shopping list? While I was looking for preserves on my latest grocery run, I saw a line of apple butter, pear butter, and pumpkin butter. Since I've already had apple butter before (mostly an autumn thing, from farmer's markets), I decided to get a jar of the Medford Farms pear butter. The ingredients section lists pears, pear juice, and nothing else. 

After toasting some bread, I open the jar and spread the pear butter evenly on each slice. It's light brown, not too sweet but I definitley taste the pears. Probably have to try it with some kind of cheese (pears and goat cheese really go together) or ice cream. This site suggests adding pear butter to yogurt, cottage cheese, and oatmeal. Heating it to make pear sauce. Another site suggests it as a topping on muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc. 

Google "pear butter" and the list includes some recipes as well. Most of them including spices (clove, nutmeg, orange). Maybe one day when I have the patience I'll try my own. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy that jar of pear butter. 

Jicama

The funny thing about growing up speaking a different language is that you don't always know some food names in English until you visit a supermarket that has bi-lingual labels. For example, I've always known the Jicama root by a different name: 凉薯.

Just yesterday I went to the supermarket with mom and asked whether the jicama roots were indeed the same roots that I liked when I was little. Granted, I didn't read the label (can't remember if the english name was there or not). She said yes and told me to peel the root before eating it raw. I also had the option to dice it and cook it like any other root vegetable (maybe like daikon). After we paid for the groceries, I noticed the receipt had one item that sounded very foreign: jicama. Thanks to wiki, I quickly learned a new word for something I've always known.

Then it dawned on me that I have had it in salads but never knew it was the same thing from childhood because I didn't realize people outside of China actually ate it. Clearly people in Mexico have been eating it for a long time though. Silly me. 

I don't really have any recipes with jicamas. but I encourage everyone to try it out because it's a cool root. Its texture reminds me of a pear or daikon. It tastes slightly sweet, but not too much. I imagine it would work well in salads or perhaps as a refreshing snack.

Kings of Leon

I have "Use Somebody" stuck in my head and wanted to jot down the lyrics here. I'm still not sure what the song means. It's probably a love song. Simple lyrics but the music makes it memorable. 

Use Somebody

I've been roaming around, always looking down at all I see

Painted faces fill the places I can't reach

You know that I could use somebody 

You know that I could use somebody 

Someone like you and all you know and how you speak

Countless lovers undercover of the street

You know that I could use somebody 

You know that I could use somebody 

Someone like you 

Off in the night while you live it up, I'm off to sleep

Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat

I hope it's gonna make you notice

I hope it's gonna make you notice 

Someone like me 

Someone like me 

Someone like me, somebody 

Go and let it out

Someone like you, somebody 

Someone like you, somebody 

Someone like you, somebody 

I've been roaming around, 

Always looking down at all I see

music video for the song

kings of leon on myspace

kings of leon on npr

My Tribeca Film Festival List - TBA

I was browsing through http://www.tribecafilm.com/ and figured I should look into some of the movies. Those two caught my eye, probably thanks to the trailer. I will add on as the festival gets closer.

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (love story in black and white, fantastic music)

//movie website

//trailer 

//showtimes:

AMC Village VII (3rd Ave at 11th St)

Thu, Apr 23, 7:15PM

Fri, Apr 24, 5:00PM

Sun, Apr 26, 11:00PM

Departures (Japanese celloist becomes an overtaker and learns about funeral ceremonies)

//trailer

//showtimes: 

SVA Theater 2 (8th Ave at 23rd St)

Tue, Apr 28, 8:00PM

AMC Village VII (3rd Ave at 11th St)

Wed, Apr 29, 5:00PM

Thu, Apr 30, 7:30PM

Drive-in Movies (aww they provide cars too?)

http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/events/drive-in/42006377.html

Bring back Picnics

It finally warmed up last week and once the rainy April finishes up, I want to organize picnics in the parks!

Maybe I was inspired by the elaborate picnic setups I saw last year in Central Park when the NY Philharmonic was playing a concert, but I really want to spread out a checkered tablecloth and eat sandwiches under a huge tree. 

I read this book called:

Picnics by Hilary Hemingway and Alex Hemingway.

Unlike most picnic books that give you a list of sandwiches/soups/desserts recipes, this book wrote about picnics as an essential part of living. There's a picnic for every occassion: solitary outing, picnic for two, picnic for horseriding, picnic for hiking, picnic for groups, picnic for a rainy day, even picnic for the winter. 

It's unfortunate that a lof of people tend prefer indoors due to severe allergies or just cannot live without climate control, but I rather enjoy the sunny outdoors and flowers and trees. So maybe I'll take the book's advice and trek out on my own. 

The book also includes amazing picnic baskets/dishes and scenic photos, almost like a scrapbook of all of their picnic adventures. While it has a "menu" suggestion for each occassion, it does not include recipes for all the menu items, just one or two on the list, enough to get you started. Various quotes and poems are interspersed throughout the pages. I like this one:

"Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors" - Alice Walker

Kind of makes sense after I thought about it, because there's tea and finger sandwiches involved, and it's about connecting and catching up with your friends, not about rushing or gulping down food. and I do really enjoy teatime (luckily the city has a few spots that cater to that need).

I made a tuna salad sandwich according to a recipe in the book and I'll share it here. Wanted to try it out before I take it with me on a picnic.

Tuna Salad Sandwich (single serving)

ingredients

-white albacore tuna (I used one 2 oz. can for one sandwich)

-bread (I just used regular wheat sliced bread, the book suggested Le Pain Quotidien)

-mayo (I used a tablespoon to taste, book suggests to keep it light, don't drown the tuna)

-lemon juice (tablespoon or so, to taste)

-scallions (chopped, I used a handful)

-celery (chopped, I used half a stalk maybe)

-capers (didn't have this so I left it out)

-Italian parsley (chopped, left this out because I didn't have it)

-ground pepper to taste

-optional stuff for sandwich (romaine lettuce, watercress, thin slices of dill pickle or tomato)

directions 

1. drain tuna 

2. add all ingredients into a bowl, mix together.

3. if taking to picnic, store mix in airtight container and prepare sandwich onsite. otherwise your bread will get soggy

4. book suggests that sandwich can also use lettuce (which I did) and some other ingredients (see optional stuff listed above).

notes

//I toasted the bread slices, then spooned the salad mixture onto one slice, added two layers of lettuce, closed sandwich with another bread slice, then cut sandwiches into two parts, and ate them with a side of fuji apples slices (squeeze lemon juice on them to prevent browning). delicious! I especially like the crunchy celery bits. Not sure I tasted that much scallion, may use more next time. Parsley and capers would make it better too. and maybe jalapenos (yes, I like it in almost everything...)

Cookbooks

The public library near me has a food corner where they show off the latest seasonal cookbooks or inspired recipes. When I feel the urge, I always take a look at the books there. The non-fiction section around 641.5 also has shelves of books on food. Some of them focus on a specific cuisine (Italian, Japanese, Southwestern), some on a special dietary need (diabetes, atkins, vegan), some on a special ingredient (eggs! yes, I saw a book on eggs alone, it was cool), and of course some on how to eat on the go, eat healthy, cook for parties, and so on.

When it comes to cookbooks, pictures are everything! Although some old cooking reference books are great for howto lessons, there's nothing more enjoyable than flipping through pages filled with gorgeous food pictures. I remember Borders had a series of cookbooks where the author visited various region (China, Italy, France) and came back with recipes and photos of dishes and sites. Those were somewhat unwieldy but who wouldn't want to get that for their coffee table? 

My parents always rattled off the three categories to judge a good dish when I was younger. I'm sure they work for all dishes, not just Chinese food.

1. 色 Appearance (pleasing to the eye, presentation) 

2. 香 Fragrance (pleasing to the nose, well...maybe stinky cheese and stinky tofu are exceptions)

3. 味 Taste (pleasing to the tongue, including flavors, combination of ingredients, textures)

For those reasons, I think cookbooks with vibrant colors and presentations really attract the most attention. Fragrance and taste cannot be condensed into book form for consumption and what we have left is really appearance. Which reminds me of another thing, why is FoodNetwork so addictive? Besides the dishes they cook up, the chefs are friendly and smiling, with a cozy kitchen set in the background (even the fridges and cabinets are well stocked). They also make a point to smell and taste the finished product, letting you know that they really enjoyed the dishes. HD FoodNetwork makes the food look even better, no wonder people (including me) watch that channel obsessively. 

Although a lot of recipes can be found online nowadays, I still like to browse through cookbooks. This is probably similiar to the shopping experience. While we can find clothes for sale online, we enjoy going window-shopping, or walk through stores or the mall. Before I figure out what to cook or make, I like to explore the cookbooks for ideas. 

Shake Shack

@ Madison Square Park (6 train to 23rd st)

Other locations include Upper West Side (close to Natural History Museum) and CitiField (Mets Stadium)
212.889.6600
website


I first heard about this place's custard, which has rotating daily flavors and every month they change the flavors. You can check their custard calendar online. If you're visiting this place for the first time, beware that the burger/food line can be really long. If you're only getting custard and beer you can go to the express line. They also take credit card which I find very convenient.

drinks
//brooklyn lager. if you're in nyc and don't know this I really have nothing to say. If you're from out of town, make sure to get brooklyn lager on tap in a bar, or here is fine too.
//I also found some special beers when they had beer sampling/special events. Keep checking the calendar and you'll see those announcements.

food
//shackburger. I liked it. I guess it may be on the small size for dinner though. People always rave about the burgers at Shake Shack but I'm always put off by the long lines. I must have gone to shake Shack a dozen times before finally getting the burger.
//shack-ago hotdog. hotdog Chicago style means the frank also comes with relish, onion, cucumber. pickle, tomato, etc.

custard
//I think the price for the custard is pretty fair for the portion size you get. Before you go for the daily flavor I suggest you sample it first. Some of my favs include strawberry swirl, caramel, and raspberry jalapeno (apparently not so popular with the rest of the customers though)

float

//purple cow - with grape soda. 

//creamsicle - with orange soda. amazing.

seating
//Madison Square Park location: You can't take booze too far away from the Shack but they have very limited seating. All I have to say is, good luck! You can always find a nearby bench too. Great in the summer, beautiful trees, a small fountain, and fun in the sun.

//Upper West Side location: Probably good for colder months and rainy days. This location has indoor seating and a lower level with benches and tv. Since it's so close to Natural History museum I imagine a lot of family would visit this place during the weekend.