Awesome Book: Let's Cook Japanese Food!

Back in the beginning of the year, I bought a book called Let's Cook Japanese Food by Amy Kaneko. It's full of amazing imagery and great descriptions of everything you need to make the perfect Japanese dishes. I highly recommend picking it up from Amazon if you enjoy the cuisine and want to make simple meals yourself.

My new favorite thing to cook at home is oyakodon. While I loosely follow the recipe, I find that making my own small tweaks makes it even better.


(Unfortunately this isn't a pic of the oyakodon I made! It's from Flickr user egseah.)

Oyakodon is "parent and child" donburi, since it involves chicken and eggs. Everything is simmered in a sweet sauce containing mirin, soy sauce, sake and rice vinegar. I like mixing my chicken in a bowl with oyster sauce, corn starch, soy sauce and sesame oil first since it helps thicken everything later in the pan.

I definitely recommend experimenting with your own Japanese comfort food dishes!

Off Hiatus!

Hello there, lovely fans. I realize it has been quite some time since my last post but I'm BACK. Now that Lent is over, I'm able to indulge in all things fried once again. This weekend I satisfied my craving for tempura (french bean, to be specific!) as well as french fries (garlic truffle). I'm getting hungry just thinking about all of it.

Rob and I ferried up to Sausalito for the weekend, which was every bit as relaxing and fun as we thought it would be. We shopped, ate, walked through the small town, enjoyed some great Japanese food and played a game of Scrabble right near the water.

Pizza was on the agenda also, which we had with a lovely SF view.

I can't wait to go back to Sushi Ran, which is where we ate on Saturday night. We ate:

scallop-chive dumplings
vegetable taster (fried potatoes, bok choy, ginger eggplant, spaghetti squash)
miso black cod with french beans (insanely good; not sure I can eat fish anywhere else now)
unagi
chicken teriyaki (don't laugh)
french bean tempura
rice
some kind of hamachi dish with grapefruit and avocado

...and a huge bottle of sake.

Good thing I am getting back into running shape!

Ladies Who Lunch. (And brunch.) (And eat donuts.)

It's official. Paula Deen is trying to kill us all. The Food Network star uses butter like it's going out of style, but I have (which I am reluctant to admit) been enticed by her shows including fried chicken, brownies, chicken pot pies and casseroles. After stumbling upon her Lady's Brunch Burger on the Food Network site, I was intrigued then repulsed.

The sandwich is basically a standard burger, except with a few modifications. Instead of hamburger buns, she recommends using glazed donuts. She also includes bacon and a fried egg. Whoever thought the Red Robin burger with the egg on it was decadent, this is a completely different level of unhealthiness.



Source: FoodNetwork.com

Cut Calories From Your Breakfast - One Easy Step!

Hmmmmm.

I've seen a lot of weird things on the Internet lately and inflatable toast definitely makes the cut.


Purchase your very own at NerdApproved.com.

Hybrid Utensils

Sporks remind me of childhood trips to Taco Bell, using the fork/spoon combo to eat my Mexican Pizza. My diet has probably changed slightly but my love for hybrid utensils remains.

Some clever people have started to put their own spin on flatware, making the spork seem like a very basic item. From Neanderthal-inspired forks and knives to a utensil that will make ramen eating much more efficient, there is something for everyone. Take a look:

Free McSkillet Burritos!

McD's breakfast items (especially Sausage McMuffins with Egg) are full of calories and fat, but they are oh-so-delicious. I think it's worth the occasional splurge; what's another few hours at the gym anyway, right?

McSkillet Burritos will be given out for free this Thursday and Friday with any purchase of a medium or large drink. Of course this pertains to breakfast hours only, so don't sleep in!

Any way you slice it...

The lunar eclipse last week was somewhat disappointing, since there was too much fog around Coit Tower to see anything, even from the top of Lombard Street. The BF and I strolled back down the street in search of food, too hungry to wait for a full meal back at my apartment.

Of course we are both suckers for great pizza (who isn't?!) and Za always delivers (pizza pun intended). The slices are bigger than my head and are no more than $4.50/each. And thankfully, they also serve beer.

Please note that these are normal sized slices from Za, in a medium pizza box. Mmmmm. We were finished by the time we got back to my place...with only minor pizza sauce burns on our fingers. :)