And then…

Sean got home and wanted soup. Geez! It was going to take me at least another 10 min to make another soup. Plus I was out of steak and mushrooms. “Eff” I thought. Well, I do have some leftover andouille sausages in fridge, the flavor could work well together! I forgot to mention that pork tastes amazing in Pho as well. So I pretty much just threw it all together again and it tasted freakin’ great.

Sean made a comment about how the French occupation in Vietnam was a clear indicator that the andouille would work. I can just imagine a Vietnamese person exclaiming: “Get your sausage out of my soup!”, however. Luckily, tastebuds don’t have any political affiliations and the soup turned out great!

Hoisin Happy Face!

Pho Sho

I absolutely love Vietnamese Pho soup. It’s comforting and clean, I think the star anise they use in the broth really gives it that distinguishable taste. I did something a little daring, and used Sean’s leftover barbecued Wagyu sirloin steak as the protein in the dish. The great thing is that Sean likes his steak so rare that it worked perfectly in the soup. Refridgerating the leftovers was also an added benefit because when slicing the cold meat, it was easier to slice it super thin. I also added some Enoki Mushrooms, which is not traditional because I had some leftover from the Uwajimaya Market in the international district. The coolest part was that they actually grew bigger in the fridge over the couple of weeks I forgot them in there. So cool! Here are some pix of the end result:

This helped my cold like a dream!

Another shot of this amazing stuff. It’s also amazingly easy to make. The only fresh items you need are:

-Protein: Your choice, Beef, Chicken, Tofu, meatballs, eggs. Of course is optional especially if you’re on a super tight budget– “Fecking Economy!”
-Thai or Red Basil
-cilantro or coriander
-limes
-scallions, chives or green onions
-mung bean sprouts (optional)

The rest are dried or pantry items:

-Rice Vermicelli (Easy to prepare and gluten free)
-Pho stock or boullion (easily found in an asian grocery, or made with beef stock and star anise)

Try not to get hungry

“Daniels” Steak Tips! Well my version anyway…

Mouthwatering

Up close

I really wanted to recreate this amazing appetizer Daniel’s Broiler serves in its Seattle restaurant. Especially because my good friend Steph and I love to snack on this yummy app, it’s nice to know we can recreate it for a cheaper night in if we felt like it!

I felt like the secret was almost a Teriyaki style marinade. Here’s what I came up with:

-1 lb. filet mignon, cut into 2 inch chunks
-Low Sodium Soy Sauce
-Rice wine Vinegar (seasoned)
-Mirin
-Worchestershire sauce
-whole grain mustard
-evaporated cane juice
-sesame oil
-white sesame seeds
-chopped scallions

To prepare, dunk the protein in the marinade and let steep in fridge for at least 24 hours. When satisfied with marinating time and meat has come to room temperature outside fridge, place chunks on a smokin’ hot charbroil grill or bbq for about a minute per side to char the edges and caramelize the sugars.

Meanwhile, take 1/3 of marinade and simmer over medium heat to concentrate the flavor and pour over steak when done.

Now if only Daniels would bring back the lobster salad!!! Argggh!

Looking for a new camera!!!

I’m getting ready to launch weekly (maybe more than once a week) cooking videos on the site and have been looking for a good camera.

I’m thinking of going with a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) that can shoot video plus take great pictures of the dishes I cook.
There are a ton of cameras out there with varying features and prices. It’s a bit overwhelming.

Doing a Google search returned about a zillion results on DSLR cameras. But it also came back with a great website SnapSort.com.

SnapSort has in depth reviews of every camera out there and an easy to decipher list graphical list of what features each camera has and doesn’t have.
It ranks cameras against their competitors by price and features. But even better you can compare two cameras side by side and get their version of which is better.

They have reviews of the high end cameras I wish I could afford for this project like the Canon Mark II 5D that Hollywood movies and House are being shot on. And they’ve got pocket sized point and click cameras in the $100 and up range.

I want to to get the most bang for my buck and keep it in the $500 or so range.

What I’ve been doing is looking at cameras for sale on Craigslist then entering the model numbers in SnapSort.

Of the cameras that fit what I’m looking for the Nikon 3100, Canon T2i (if I can find one used in my price range), Nikon CoolPix P100, Fuji HS20 and Pentax K-X .

Most cameras also have an extensive comments section with notes from people who’ve used the cameras before. I find that really helpful because I can see if they’re using them the way I’m planning to and what they found good/bad about the various cameras.

If you’ve used any of those cameras or know of others I should look at, please let me know in the comments section

Total Axis Soup

I call it this because it’s really an Italian Kale and potato soup, but I had to use a German sausage. So Axis of Evil–or deliciousness?

Multo Garlic!

Tuscan German Kale Soup

I recreat one of Jamie Oliver’s fabulous Spanish dishes, invfluenced by the Moors.

A recipe a la Jamie Oliver

I hope you’re ready to really sink your teeth into this…

Food makes me happy…and somewhat of a snob these days! And seriously folks we all have to agree, good food is not just sustenance: it’s art, poetry, language, tradition, comfort, memory. Over the years, I’ve been growing more and more infatuated with the idea of not just eating food, but making it– damn good. The more I learn, the more I realize that I don’t know enough about it. I’d like to welcome you on my journey. To not just eat, but explore the amazing world that food has to offer and the craftsmen (and women) and can really cook.

In addition, I’m all about new info and tips, so please keep me informed on all of your favorite things to make or eat!

Bon Appetit!