My Food Answers

I was asked what my answers would be to my Fellow Foodie Fun questions. So I thought I'd go ahead and post them here. :)

#1 Spinach

1. What food did you once hate (as a child or even more recently) that you have found an appreciate for and now enjoy? The first thing that came to mind was spinach. I hated spinach growing up, but mostly because of HOW my mother would prepare it. She loves it sauteed and wilted with no life left in it and bathed in butter and salt. I remember just swallowing it whole to get it down. Now, however, as an adult I've realized I like FRESH spinach. Spinach salads, on sandwiches, even slightly wilted in pastas. I still can't do the "creamed" spinach my mother loves though.

#2 Eggs Benedict

2. What do you normally order when going out to breakfast/brunch?That's an easy one. Eggs Benedict. I'm a sucker for properly poached eggs and you can bet if Eggs Benedict is on the menu I'll order it.

3. What is your favorite late-night snack? It really depends on if I am craving something sweet or salty? But if it's just a matter of not full from dinner and want a little something it'd either be peanut butter toast or a bowl of cereal.

#4 Pasta

4. What is the one dish you wish you could cook, but haven't yet mastered? I'd love to learn how to make fresh pasta. Right now though I have such a tiny kitchen and no real counter space it's kind of difficult.

5. What is your favorite restaurant? Where is it located and what is your favorite dish on their menu? I'm not sure if I have one ultimate favorite....I have favorites based on where I am/was living. When I lived in San Diego my go-to place was Spread, in North Park, they had a savory french toast that was killer. When I was in school it was Cuca's and their chicken rice burritos; I am still such a fan that when my aunt came up last summer we made her bring some with her. Now, living in Portland, I don't know if I have a "favorite"...I have a couple places...Departure and Ping would be the two if I had to pick (and I've blogged about Ping before).

#5 Ping

6. Who taught you how to cook? My mother (mostly) and both my grandmothers. The women in my family can cook and ever since I could stand on a chair to reach the counters they put a spoon in my hand to help. Best way to learn.

7. What is the worst cooking disaster you've ever caused? I remember once, I was maybe thirteen, I was asked to make jello and didn't put nearly enough water in. The whole thing was maybe an inch think and way gross. As an adult...nothing I would consider a disaster just things that didn't come out right. Like the Honey Cupcakes.

#8 Fish Tacos

8. What did you have for dinner last night? Homemade fish tacos.

9. What restaurant do you want to eat at and haven't? Okay, if we're talking dream meal I'd have to say I'd love to go to the French Laundry and eat anything Thomas Keller put in front of me. ::drooool::

#10 Gorgonzola Fries

10. What is your guilty-pleasure food item? Oh, normally I'd probably say "chocolate" in any shape or form. But the other night my mother and I had dinner at the Portland Seafood Company and we ordered their Gorgonzola Fries...HOLY CRAP! I wanted to LICK. THE. PLATE. Amazing. I've even gone out and bought fries to make my own at home (of course though I forgot the Gorgonzola.)

#11 Dim Sum

11. What food item/dish do you just love that your family/friends can't/won't try? Either sushi or dim sum. When I'm craving sushi I have to go out with coworkers because I can't get my family to eat it at all (although I did find out my sister's boyfriend is a fan, so we're going to find a Japanese restaurant that serves sushi and or teriyaki something for the haters). And then there's dim sum. I've taken my mother once and she hated everything we got - except the sticky rice and fried spring rolls.

#12 & 13 Chocolate Cream Pie

12. Cake or Pie? What kind? I think I'm going to have to go pie....but I like cream pies mostly. Chocolate cream. French silk. My favorite cake is Boston Cream "Pie" haha.

13. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would be your last meal? Probably my grandmother's fried chicken, a side order of biscuits with gravy and a slice of chocolate cream pie for dessert.

Vacation Food

I spent this past weekend at Seaside (in Oregon) on a mini-vacation and I thought I'd share some photos of the yummy (and meh) food I had.

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First the meh.

Now we have a Pig'n Pancake in Portland but this was the ORIGINAL :)

My "poached" eggs were more like soft boiled.... how hard is it to poach an egg!?

Overall it was just "meh" and not that impressive - same as the one in Portland.

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Now for the "not too shabby".

Camp 18 is out on Hwy 26 - it's a restaurant and logging memorial -
went once before and the food wasn't too bad. Mostly though you go for the fun atmosphere

*               *                 *

Now for the yummy.

We originally had plans to go to a Southern place - but it apparently closed (for good)
the previous weekend, so this was one of the restaurants recommended
to us by the woman at our hotel front lobby.

As soon as we saw "Fried Artichoke Hearts" on the menu I was hooked -
they were garlic covered and so yummy.
You almost didn't need the garlic lemon ailoi dipping sauce

I ordered a Huckleberry Mojito before my dinner - only part of the meal I regretted. It was a tad too sweet (too much Huckleberry syrup) and left me burping tasting Huckleberry all night.

Mom ordered the Cod fish and chips

I ordered the 1/2 order of Baby Back Ribs...and we swapped 1/2 way through the dinner
...just so we got a taste of everything, not because we weren't enjoying the food

 

 

At the end of our meal we thought we'd take a dessert back to our hotel room to share later that evening. We asked to see a dessert menu....a few minutes later our waitress comes out with a tray of desserts! No menu just a visual display. They all looked yummy but we went with a chocolate layered cake. Can't go wrong with chocolate can you?

The vacation was refreshing and fun and the food was yummy. What else could I ask for?

Wonton Magic

Sitting around the house today trying to figure out what to have for lunch.... shuffling things in the refrigerator I find left over BBQ pork, 1/2 container of wonton wrappers and Pumpkin butter. Hm? Fried BBQ pork wontons and for dessert fried pumpkin butter wontons. Yum Yum.

We bought this because it was too hot to make our own

I did NOT combine this with the pork - they were 2 separate wontons.

Just a teaspoon worth of filling

Folded and sealed with egg whites

All fried and golden delicious

Recipe: Sweet and Savory Dumpling

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dumplings and was found on food52.

"A delicious Asian dumpling is based on three components: juicy filling, the skin, and the shape of the dumpling. I won't dive into the details of each.... In this recipe, no matter how one struggle with sealing and shaping the dumpling; the result is uniformly puffy and delicious- fried and chewy, light and crispy, sweet and savory, making it a great appetizer."

*Also can be pre-made and frozen until use.

Makes 12

Filling :

1/3 cup ground pork
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chinese cooking wine
1/2 tablespoon green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons water chest nuts, chopped
2 tablespoons *pork stock gelatine (optional)

Dumpling Skin:

1 cup glutinous rice flour
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
rice flour, or tapioca flour for dusting

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the filling; set aside.

2. Combine glutinous rice flour and baking soda. Warm water and sugar over stove until dissolved; add glutinous rice flour and swiftly mix with a wooden spoon until clump away from the sides, forming a clump. (If too wet, add 1 tbsp more of glutinous rice flour)

3. Let the dough sit for 1~2 min, or until warm enough to handle by hand; knead the dough until well combined. Roll the dough into a long strip, divide it evenly into 12 sections.

4. Press the dough flat into the palm of hand, then using forefinger and thumb rotating and pressing evenly around the dough, extending it into a 3 inch diameter dumpling skin. Put around 1tsp of filling into the middle and gently seal the skin into a dumpling. Set aside in a plate, well-dusted with tapioca/rice flour. (*can freeze up to 1 month)

5. Heat oil in pot until 350 degrees; drop 3 dumplings at a time, fry each side about 3 minutes, or until golden and puffy. Drain in paper towel.

6. Enjoy with red rice vinegar dip.