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Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts
Huckleberry Duck Hash!!
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Dragon Dance
Ocean Seafood, Los Angeles, CA
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Huckleberry
The braised brisket hash, since that day they didn't have the duck hash! I (heart) arugula. A fuller report on Huckleberry when I go back for the duck hash!
Los Angeles, CA
A Breakfast by Any Other Name Would Taste as Good
What to cook, what to cook? I always ask myself what I want to cook, and every time I brainstorm, I come up with all sorts of new options I (1) haven't tried before, or (2) tried before, loved, and want to repeat. So last Saturday, when I tried coming up with ideas, I thought of a few items I wanted to cook, and then realized a theme: Faux Breakfast!
The appetizer was the start of the inspiration. I love creating cheese plates with meats and cheeses and sauces and toppings, often creating brie and gruyere and sunflower seed and whole grain mustard combinations to wash down with great wines. But by far, my favorite flavor combination is smoked prosciutto with brie and whole grain mustard. After years of experimenting, it still remains my favorite, though some French and sheep cheese combinations with fruit jams have given it a run for its money. So Saturday, I decided to do something creative--put them in a roll form, with the prosciutto wrapping slices of brie and the whole grain mustard. I had to get the combinations of each one just right, but when I did, it took all the work out of the actual enjoyment of the flavors. This was my "bacon and cheese". (It looks like bacon, doesnt' it?)
For my entree, I wanted to cook Korean BBQ, but if I was having rice, I wanted the egg on top. (I'll always want an egg on top of my rice. My cholesterol levels are normal, thank you very much!) So here came the inspiration for "Asian steak and eggs". I found a couple choice pieces of tri-tip, and remembering them to be tender, I wanted to try a Korean BBQ marinade on them. I broiled them for 10-15 minutes, as instructed on the Trader Joes label, but they still came out a little overcooked and only mildly pink. I sliced it in advance so I wouldn't have to slice at the table, then I realized this was a critical mistake. Apparently tri tip dries out very quickly, and regardless of how tender the meat was when it was first sliced, when pieces with fat marbling would turn out to be dry and flavorless. I tried brushing on more of the marinade and meat juices, only to realize it would dry out a couple minutes later. Note to self: ALWAYS go for the rib meat or leave the slicing to the dinner table right before you eat it.
Dessert was simplest, with very little preparation. I had "toast and chocolate". For this, I sliced up a couple pieces of Sara Lee pound cake (forever a classic!) and a piece of chocolate chocolate mochi. Mochi, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is a flavored tapioca wrapped around a morsel of chocolate, so you can hold it with your fingers and bite into it. The chocolate chocolate is my favorite because not only do you get the two different textures, the tapioca and the ice cream, but you also get chocolate chips in the ice cream! Mmmm! It served as a sugary counterpart to the pound cake, which is typically sweet enough on its own. I don't have a picture of this, but you know how Sara Lee pound cake looks--like a loaf of bread and slices of toast!
The whole meal made me miss having people over for dinner and reminded me I need to invite more people over to entertain as guests. I was born to be a hostess in my home!
Read more »
The appetizer was the start of the inspiration. I love creating cheese plates with meats and cheeses and sauces and toppings, often creating brie and gruyere and sunflower seed and whole grain mustard combinations to wash down with great wines. But by far, my favorite flavor combination is smoked prosciutto with brie and whole grain mustard. After years of experimenting, it still remains my favorite, though some French and sheep cheese combinations with fruit jams have given it a run for its money. So Saturday, I decided to do something creative--put them in a roll form, with the prosciutto wrapping slices of brie and the whole grain mustard. I had to get the combinations of each one just right, but when I did, it took all the work out of the actual enjoyment of the flavors. This was my "bacon and cheese". (It looks like bacon, doesnt' it?) 
Dessert was simplest, with very little preparation. I had "toast and chocolate". For this, I sliced up a couple pieces of Sara Lee pound cake (forever a classic!) and a piece of chocolate chocolate mochi. Mochi, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is a flavored tapioca wrapped around a morsel of chocolate, so you can hold it with your fingers and bite into it. The chocolate chocolate is my favorite because not only do you get the two different textures, the tapioca and the ice cream, but you also get chocolate chips in the ice cream! Mmmm! It served as a sugary counterpart to the pound cake, which is typically sweet enough on its own. I don't have a picture of this, but you know how Sara Lee pound cake looks--like a loaf of bread and slices of toast!
The whole meal made me miss having people over for dinner and reminded me I need to invite more people over to entertain as guests. I was born to be a hostess in my home!
A Slave-Fetched Breakfast
I confess, I don't remember the egregious offense. Maybe it was him blowing into my face while he was almost drunk, but I can't quite remember exactly what it was that PP did to cause him to ask, "How can I make it up to you?" Before thinking, I kicked off the smart-ass auto-response. Of course! "Be my slave."
Before I knew it, we were negotiating the terms, deciding that yesterday at noon was too late to start for a whole day, and that he would start the next day. He even text messaged me to ask what I wanted for breakfast. And when offered money, he politely declined. (I would have left money at his desk, but he moved desks and I don't know where he sits anymore.) This is how I was greeted this morning at my desk:
Okay, I admit, that's pretty damn cute. LOL. PP and I are both the resident OCD people in the office, providing Tide detergent sticks, hand sanitizer, 409 spray, and computer air cans to the rest of the people in the office, in vague hopes that everyone else will live as cleanly as we do... (We fail in an office of people who can barely shower, no less keep their desks clean.) That aside, this is such an OCD thing to do. Four packets of ketchup, a packet of salt and pepper, a container of salsa, a stack of napkins, and a knife and fork, all aligned at proper 90 degree angles, except the salt and pepper, which were delicately angled for effect. What could possibly warrant all of these bells and whistles, you ask?
A sausage and egg muffin. Mmmmmmm.... The cafe downstairs from where I work, Cafe 201, serves this grilled work of art every morning, sometimes with more eggs, sometimes with more cheese, and each time a heart-stopping (literally) stack of fatty goodness. Their sausage Chipotle burrito is also amazing. It's not much to look at and it's a disaster to try to eat without getting your hands all oily and greasy, but it's far worth the walk to the bathroom to wash your hands (and, let's face it--burn off some of that fat you just ate).
Again, I guess I'm just a sucker for breakfast.
Read more »
Before I knew it, we were negotiating the terms, deciding that yesterday at noon was too late to start for a whole day, and that he would start the next day. He even text messaged me to ask what I wanted for breakfast. And when offered money, he politely declined. (I would have left money at his desk, but he moved desks and I don't know where he sits anymore.) This is how I was greeted this morning at my desk:
Okay, I admit, that's pretty damn cute. LOL. PP and I are both the resident OCD people in the office, providing Tide detergent sticks, hand sanitizer, 409 spray, and computer air cans to the rest of the people in the office, in vague hopes that everyone else will live as cleanly as we do... (We fail in an office of people who can barely shower, no less keep their desks clean.) That aside, this is such an OCD thing to do. Four packets of ketchup, a packet of salt and pepper, a container of salsa, a stack of napkins, and a knife and fork, all aligned at proper 90 degree angles, except the salt and pepper, which were delicately angled for effect. What could possibly warrant all of these bells and whistles, you ask?
A sausage and egg muffin. Mmmmmmm.... The cafe downstairs from where I work, Cafe 201, serves this grilled work of art every morning, sometimes with more eggs, sometimes with more cheese, and each time a heart-stopping (literally) stack of fatty goodness. Their sausage Chipotle burrito is also amazing. It's not much to look at and it's a disaster to try to eat without getting your hands all oily and greasy, but it's far worth the walk to the bathroom to wash your hands (and, let's face it--burn off some of that fat you just ate).Again, I guess I'm just a sucker for breakfast.
The Most Important - and Delicious - Meal of the Day
I have always been a fan of breakfast. Any meal that inherently requires frying foods, using oil and butter, and sizzling on flat griddles is automatically BOMB in my book. The smell of eggs reminds me of Saturday mornings at home, when Mom used to make scrambled eggs with any variety of breakfast foods. Some days it was taco meat for breakfast burritos. Some days it was egg-battered toast with powdered sugar for French toast. Other days it was simply eggs and bacon. But through it all, the Asian in her always served it with RICE.
Meet the Kenny's Special. The inspired creation at Kenny's Coffee Shop, located on the corner of Grand and 28th Street. This non-descript building in the middle of run-down South Central is an oasis of flavors and home-made loving. Inside, you'll see bright green walls, adorned with pictures of past guests and fellow bons vivants who have cherished this hallowed haven of good greasy food.
The Kenny's Special consists of one to two pieces of beef steak, adorned with their homemade teriyaki sauce--a thick mix of brown sugar and soy sauce. On the other side, you'll receive a generous helping of fried slices of kielbasa sausage, fit for a king. Perfectly cooked, these tender morsels of love are fully cooked and yet not burned--so as to retain the moisture and that small dose of sausage oils that splash out when you take a bite. Genius. In the last corner, a fried egg--a necessity for any breakfast. Think you're drooling yet? The whole thing tops a huge mound of FRIED RICE. Off to the side, they provide an extra helping of teriyaki sauce and some pickled onions, which I hardly touch because I'm too busy devouring every bit of fried goodness in front of me. "Impressive" was the word used when someone heard I had finished every last bit of food and grain of rice in the Kenny's Special. Yes, it was that good.
And while the occasional excursion to Kenny's is entirely worth it, sometimes you just want that homecooked loving in the privacy of your own home. Sunday mornings were born for this sort of loving. Breakfasts at my place include sausage and bacon and spam and Chinese sausage, with eggs sunny side up and sometimes a mimosa to kick things up. Each dish, of course, is always served over a generous helping of rice.
Read more »
Meet the Kenny's Special. The inspired creation at Kenny's Coffee Shop, located on the corner of Grand and 28th Street. This non-descript building in the middle of run-down South Central is an oasis of flavors and home-made loving. Inside, you'll see bright green walls, adorned with pictures of past guests and fellow bons vivants who have cherished this hallowed haven of good greasy food.The Kenny's Special consists of one to two pieces of beef steak, adorned with their homemade teriyaki sauce--a thick mix of brown sugar and soy sauce. On the other side, you'll receive a generous helping of fried slices of kielbasa sausage, fit for a king. Perfectly cooked, these tender morsels of love are fully cooked and yet not burned--so as to retain the moisture and that small dose of sausage oils that splash out when you take a bite. Genius. In the last corner, a fried egg--a necessity for any breakfast. Think you're drooling yet? The whole thing tops a huge mound of FRIED RICE. Off to the side, they provide an extra helping of teriyaki sauce and some pickled onions, which I hardly touch because I'm too busy devouring every bit of fried goodness in front of me. "Impressive" was the word used when someone heard I had finished every last bit of food and grain of rice in the Kenny's Special. Yes, it was that good.
And while the occasional excursion to Kenny's is entirely worth it, sometimes you just want that homecooked loving in the privacy of your own home. Sunday mornings were born for this sort of loving. Breakfasts at my place include sausage and bacon and spam and Chinese sausage, with eggs sunny side up and sometimes a mimosa to kick things up. Each dish, of course, is always served over a generous helping of rice.
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