Looking Ahead

Happy New Year long lost bloggies! I know I've been MIA lately...it's been tough keeping up with writing/reading blogs and I've actually considered closing up shop. No worries (for any of you still reading!), I'm not ready to do that just yet :)

Lots of changes have been taking place over here and I've been neglecting my kitchen. A lot. I've been exploring a lot of fun new restaurants, but I'm ashamed to admit that I've been Yelping more than blogging about them. Have you had a chance to check out the reviews?

I'm also trying really hard to take breaks from technology. You know, turn off the computer, TV, iPhone, etc. Sometimes you just need to do it.

So, what else has the beans been up to while neglecting the blog?

Reading

I've gotten really into reading lately. I used to read a lot as a kid (so much that I'd fall asleep with books in my bed every night) and now I find myself going through waves where I zoom through books. This recent wave has me reading a ton of fiction...which is new for me. I tend to lean more toward non-fiction (mostly memoirs), but these novels are a nice way to escape from reality.

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The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

I really enjoyed the way this book was structured. I liked that each chapter gave you a new perspective on the situation as it introduced a new character. What I did not like - I felt like it left me hanging at the end. I kinda wanted more from a couple of the characters.

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One Day by David Nicholls

It took awhile for me to get into the book, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. It's easy to get wrapped up in the bumpy relationship between the two main characters. Have you ever seen A Lot Like Love (if you haven't, just wait for it to come on FX or something)? That's what this book reminded me of at certain points. That and City of Angels. Random, I know.

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Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

I picked this book up at the airport after watching the o so sappy TV movie (o yes, yes I did). It was a nice sappy read, but not as moving as I had hoped. I got a little misty watching the movie and hoped that the book would have me boohooing. Notsomuch.

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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

I'm only about halfway through and I really like the book so far! Not only does it explore the forbidden relationship of two teenagers during the war, but it also touches upon the strained relationship the main character Henry has with his father in 1942 and with his own son later on in life.

Traveling and Celebrating

It seemed wrong to head east for a long weekend, so I decided to spend a whole 11 days out there! My east coast tour began in Long Island for our annual family Christmas Eve celebration. Jamie drove up and we cleaned up in yankee swap:

I started out with a shake weight, but thankfully that got stolen by an unsuspecting tot and I walked away with a sandwich maker. LOVE! Do you have any idea how long I've wanted one of these? Insta hot pocket!

Christmas day was a blur, followed by a major white out!

O yes, hey snow storm! So instead of visiting friends in NYC, we stuck it out in the 'burbs and picked up some clothes for Mr. Bear

went into Lego overload

and reunited with a few friends

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Not too bad for a snow day :)

We had plans to head to NJ the next day, but woke up to just over 1 foot of snow! Eeek! Good thing I bought some galoshes and snow pants the day before ;) Hooray for snow fun!

Roads were clear the next day so we began the journey to Manassas. The 10 hour journey. That should have only taken 5.5 hours. Awesome.

The next day we explored glamorous Manassas followed by a day trip to DC (still can't believe we had to get a hotel room) and then I closed out my trip with a stop in Alexandria and Fredericksburg. Whew. Whirlwind tour! So happy to see everyone though.

Noshing

Pre-holiday week, I met up with friends and snacked at some fun spots in the city. Full reviews are on Yelp, but I'll leave you with names: Mamacita (tasty Mexican tapas), First Crush (fun wines and comfort food), Zero Zero (fancy pizza and pasta). They're worth checking out!

During the holiday week, I was determined to visit certain eateries I've been craving since I moved. On the list:

Southern style pho - I haven't found any noteworthy southern style pho yet in SF so I really wanted some Pho 75. Unfortunately that is way far from Manassas. Enter, Pho 234. It'll do.

Potbelly - I miss you Chicken Salad w/hot peppers!

Not pictured because I was just too hungry - Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Not quite EPR, but Super Chicken was Super YUMMY!

Yogging & Biking

Yeah, it's reduced to jogging. :( I'm slowly getting back into things, but I'm super cautious and it's really frustrating. Going from a minimum of 5 miles to maxing out at 2 is rough. Jamie and I did a run on the battlefield over the holiday week and it was a great change of scenery.

What I didn't expect was how exhausted I felt during the run. Ech.

Wining

Just a few new bottles:

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Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Rose - I was nervous this sparkling rose would be too sweet, but it was a very nice balance of dry and sweet! I tried to find a bottle for New Year's Eve, but failed.

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Altos Malbec 2009 - Cousin brought this to Christmas Eve dinner and it was pretty good...then again, I've never really had a malbec I didn't like.

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Finca Sophenia Malbec 2008 - I really liked this one. They were pouring this as the happy hour red at Vermillion and it was pretty bold at first, but enjoyable. Definitely looking out for this one.

Appetizing

Got to cooking at Jamie's place for New Year's Eve. Lots of fun mini treats:

Wieners in blankets

Meatball Wellington (recipe courtesy of The Food in My Beard)

a bunch of mini flatbread pizzas (a bbq chicken, plain, veggie, pepperoni)

and a HOLEY CARVEL CAKE!

Happy birthday, here's a gaping hole in your ice cream cake!

How did you close out 2010/ring in the new year?

Who are you, Box?

I just realized I left you guys hanging about Box!

When I got home, I was so focussed on making that lentil salad that I just plopped Box on the couch and almost forgot about it. I made my bowl o lentils, poured a glass of vino and then remembered I still had to open Box. Oops.

French press! Unbreakable too! Very excited to test this out...with my decaf :)

I still had that strange sushi craving on Thursday, so I moseyed over to Sushi Hunter after work. Selin took me here once to experience the All You Can Eat special - me + all you can eat sushi = AWESOME.

For the reasonable price of $23.95, you can pick from a variety of appetizers, hot entrees, rolls and nigiri. It's a pretty decent sushi variety...no special rolls though. You have to order those off the regular menu.

This time around I just ordered off the menu - Miso Soup, 2 pcs Escolar Nigiri, Spicy Tataki Roll (Spicy Tuna & Cucumber Inside, Topped with Seared White Tuna and Garlic) and Futomaki (for some reason I really wanted futomaki...very strange craving).

The miso soup was okay, nothing compared to the miso soup at Kaz :(, I think the tofu was too firm or something. Whatever, it whet my appetite! Onto the escolar - oh. my. god. I love you butterfish. So for the longest time, I thought escolar and white tuna were one and the same. Incorrect. Escolar = butterfish; Albacore = white tuna. Monumental discovery.

Anyway, Escolar Nigiri was awesome. Perfect proportion of rice and fish. Futomaki was pretty good, satisfied my craving and wasn't too massive. The Spicy Tataki smelled phenomenal...I think the garlic and the seared white tuna combo sealed the deal. However, after a bite of the escolar, the white tuna just tasted blah. Sowwy white tuna.

Today I woke up and I was a whole year older. YEEEHH! Funny, I didn't feel any older...;p

Got to work and saw this:

Cute, yah? Best part of my morning - a coworker asked how old I was, I said 29, and she said 'NO WAY.' :D

Lucky me, my birthday happened to fall on a half day Friday! I love half day Fridays, except when it comes to getting home via public transportation. The bus I usually take only runs during peak hours so I had to wait for this sucker:

I'm just making the public transport rounds, aren't I? I grabbed some stuff for tonight's dinner, Skyped w/Jamie and then it was time for the festivities to begin!

We had a Siete de Mayo fiesta with some tacos

and Corn & Black Bean Fritters (a variation) with some Crack Sauce.

Corn & Black Bean Fritters (revised - measurements may be a little of)

3 c frozen corn, defrosted and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 c scallions, chopped

1 shallot, minced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 c eggs, beaten

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp salt

pepper

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 - 1 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

Cilantro Lime Avocado Sauce

1 c chorizo (or soyrizo), browned and crumbled

Combine first 5 ingredients and 1/2 c chorizo in a large bowl. Combine eggs, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and stir into vegetable mixture. Sift flour and baking powder together and slowly add to the vegetable mixture until a thick batter forms. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pour 1/4 c of mixture into the skillet, flattening the batter out a bit.

Cook for 3 minutes, flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve immediately with a dollop of Cilantro Lime Avocado Sauce and a sprinkle of browned chorizo (or soyrizo) bits.

So the revision was that I tried making my own batter instead of falling back to good 'ol Bisquick. Then I looked back at my original recipe and realized I was missing cheese! AAAGGGHH. Cheese would have made these so much better!

Also, there was CAKE! Red Velvet Cake!! :)

YUMYUMYUM. Delicious birthday :)

You say it's your birthday

It's my birthday too...just kidding.

It IS my blog's birthday, though :)

A year ago today, after a month or so of marinating on the whole idea, I decided to take the plunge and start a blog. A few friends had suggested I blog about my cooking adventures but I was always hesitant since I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to read what I wrote. I sat down and knew I wanted to write about the three things I loved the most - cooking/eating, running and traveling. I figured it would be a great way to remember things and if people read my blog, awesome. If they didn't, not a big deal.

Who knew I'd find so many people near and far with similar interests? Who knew that a year later, I'd be blogging from a completely different city with a very different life plan mapped out? I certainly didn't expect it.

There have been some huge changes (living arrangements, jobs, etc.)

And I've swapped out these views (the views I've had for the past 10 years...memories!)

For these (so much exploring to do!)

And who knows what the next year will bring...

I hope y'all keep reading to find out :)

Bye Bye Vacation

Hm, where did we leave off? Crazy Asian food fest/lazy day, right? It's vacation, why not continue the leisurely snacking?

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous in San Francisco. Perfect weather, slight breeze, a few clouds. Selin got to work on some crazy good short ribs (at 7am - that's dedication!) and I decided to attempt my first run/walk since the National Half Marathon.

FAAAABULOUS adventure along the Embarcadero! Unfortunately, I had an almost crash with a biker...oops. This is why I don't run w/headphones!

On the afternoon agenda - BBQ at Crissy Field. As we were driving over, I kept thinking everything looked familiar. Apparently, I ran down here for my very first marathon in 2007...ah memories :)

We set up shop next to the amphitheater and had amazing views:

Everyone brought some tasty treats like these addictive Endive Spears with Herb Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon:

Also on the menu: Quinoa Salad (I drooled when I caught a whiff of it!), Tea Sandwiches (I can't remember which one landed on my plate first), Kielbasa Pasta Salad, and Selin's AMAZING Asian Pulled Beef Sliders with Mango Slaw (accidentally deleted a close up shot of the sweet/spicy/savory beef!).

Some yummy Israeli Couscous and Golden Beet Salad jumped into my belly after that picture was taken...and some Curried Shrimp Salad...and maybe some Sangria...who doesn't love a day of outdoor eating and drinking?? :)

Since this little fiesta was to celebrate someone's birthday, cupcakes and singing were definitely in order!

I want more of this cupcake. Now. You are looking at what might be one of my favorite red velvet cupcakes to date. Perfectly moist, nice flavor and excellent cream cheese frosting (we're talking good texture and flavor). AAHHHH heaven!

Such a great way to close out vacation :)

O wait, vacation eating didn't end there haha. After we got back to Selin's some more snacking took place and then dinner two, was some of this:

Tuttimelon! We walked in and to our surprise, it was now self-serve...TROUBLE! I ended up with my standard Chocolate, Chocolate Chips, Strawberry combo and tossed in some Mochi for fun. Yes, I ate froyo for dinner. Whatever. Vacation!

Ok, gotta run to work...posts are going to be super scattered for the rest of the month. Why? There's a hint on my home page. Check it :) :) Don't worry, more details will follow!!

yes, new year’s celebrations

Sorry for the delay in posting, but thinking about Oki makes me somewhat depressed in coooooold Gunsan. Ahhh…Okinawa. So the following day I woke up feeling better than expected. It has been a while since I found myself drinking and gorging on food at 400am. Luckily, It was New Year’s Eve and I had nothing better to do than take a leisurely tour of Tater’s neighborhood. We left around lunchtime because Tater and his wife had several restaurants that they wanted me to try. We strolled around the seawall north of Mihama American Village and there were so many little hotels and condos and fun places that it made me a little sad that I didn’t know about this area my first time on-island. It was a bit windy so there weren’t many people out. It was beautiful down by the seawall.

The water close to shore was clear like glass and then transformed to sky blue and then to a wonderful azure color. Tater told me that there were usually surfers out along the point, but not this time. I guess everyone was with their family celebrating the new year holiday. We soon found out that this holiday causes mass closure of tons of locally-operated establishments. First up was Transit Cafe….with a note on the door stating they would not be open until 3-Jan. Next was another local cafe/bar with the same type of note. We stopped at a good taco place next and were met with the same result. Finally, we staggered by Gordies Hamburgers AND IT WAS THE SAME NOTE!!!!! Tater and his wife kept joking about how I came back to Oki for all of the food and all of the restaurants that I wanted to visit were going to be shut down during my visit. This was not a laughing matter! A Korean BBQ joint was suggested and I agreed to take on grill master duties for lunch. The restaurant was tantalizingly close to MOS Burger and it was all I could do to stop myself from running back to my number two love. We dined. It was good. Here I am conducting my orchestra of BBQ. In honor of my subs I ordered up some soju. It was enjoyed only by me :) After lunch it was time to retire to the condo to watch TV, check up on emails, and rest for my triumphant return to Gate 2 Street.

So let us fast forward to the nighttime. It is 900pm. We are getting fashioned up for a night out in Oki. This means changing from thongs to normal shoes. I also put on a button-down shirt since it is my special night. Tater comes running in as I’m in mid iron and says “I have a taxi downstairs and the meter is on.” This throws us all into overdrive and we zip out the door. We arrive at Gate 2 Street 20 minutes later and the Air Force personnel are already making their presence felt. We see a boyfriend/girlfriend arguing in the middle of the street. Three airmen,in their finest striped shirts, are dancing around a homeless man who is playing the guitar. “Gentlemen” are walking up and down the street with their “buy-me drinkie” for the night. For those not in the know, Gate 2 Street has a seedy reputation to is. But for Tater and me, it holds some special memories. We made some good friends at one western/cowboy bar that has no name. It became our nightly watering hole as we tried to escape certain people on-base. We ate delicious yakitori and yakisoba at a small little restaurant (if you want to call it that) called Lucky. One of our new bartender friends told us about Lucky and we’re glad they did.

I’m going to fast-forward over the details of NYE. Let me just tell you that it was a lot of fun. I’m glad to have spent it in such a special place. WE tried a new bar out that only had locals in it. The beer was cold and the proprietors nice. They chased out any people they didn’t like. Funny enough, a lot of military folk were trying to use the bar as a bathroom pit stop. One bar tender was like a junkyard dog…harassing these fools into buying drinks or food so that they could use the facilities. It was great. Some of them she actually chased out. After the new bar we went to ‘Ol Reliable and I was happy to see one of our former bartenders slinging drinks. Highlights of the night were ringing in the New Year (obviously), calling Ms. Karena when it was my birthday, and setting the bar on fire! Yes. We ordered flaming shots and I got to light them up. Except the bartender spilled some 151 on the bar and I lit it on fire. Whoops!! Luckily the owner was there with a wet rag. Calling Karena was hilarious because all I talked about was yakitori and how I wanted to eat all the delicious parts of the chicken that you can’t eat back in the states. It also took Tater and me about 15 minutes to figure out how to call using the calling card. OH, and did I also mention that it was a normal workday for Beana? Hahaha. Happy New Year’s and Happy Birthday to me and my brother from another mother who happens to share the same B-Day. Details are fuzzy on how we got home. I know we stopped at the USO and were turned down for a cab. We also stopped at the Shogun and no cabs wanted us there. Finally Tater flagged one down in the street (he has really gotten the hang of hailing a taxi) and we made it back to home, sweet, Hamagawa.

The next day started off with a fine visit to MOS Burger. Tater’s wife had been reading about New Years celebrations in Okinawa so we decided to head off to Naritasan Temple to participate in the first shrine visit of the year (also known as Hatsumode). Getting to the temple was a trip. We had to sit in a line of traffic for about 45 minutes.

But because it is Oki, everyone was very pleasant about it. Imagine sitting for 45 minutes to get into Pentagon City Mall back home. PANDEMONIUM. We got to the temple and bought our fortunes. Tater and his wife opened theirs and I opened mine. My fortune said a lot of funny things, but it also said that this year was going to be “good.” Tater and Mrs. Tater’s fortunes said “exceptional” and “very good” which left me a little displeased with mine. Luckily, you can tie your fortune onto something one the temple grounds with the hope that things do not come true. You know the awesome thing about participating in this tradition?…Carnival style food. You know I had to buy some takoyaki. I make Karena cook a traditional Danish dish (go figure) called aebleskiver that is similar, but sweet instead of savory. They had some other delicious looking dishes (like a half-rack of deep fried pork ribs). After that we decided to hit up Nakagusuku Castle ruins and roam around for a bit. Let me tell you, whoever decided to build that castle picked an excellent location. Fabulous views of Okinawa and the ocean. I actually liked it better than Shuri castle because I could imagine what it must of looked like. That and it was cheaper to get and and a ton less tourists. Don’t get me wrong though…Shuri is very impressive and beautiful but I liked to walk around without the hordes of people pushing their way through the grounds.

Dinner was at Ono Kau Kau, a Hawaiian joint popular with military folk on island. Before I even arrived Tater had been talking about the garlic chicken. So for a rather modest price, I decided to go with a pork cutlet, garlic chicken, and braised pork belly. I do love my pork. The dish came with a large serving of rice and a modest bit of macaroni salad. It is similar to the picture below, but this was not my meal

I found this picture on the internets. Pork Cutlet is top, garlic chicken is middle, and I’m not sure what is on the bottom. Everything was delicious and very filling. I only wish this place was open at 200am because it would be perfect after a night New Year’s celebrating. It was a good end to a nice day enjoying the “island life” on Okinawa.

Next up will be crepes, glass making, attempts at shabu-shabu, and notes about driving in Okinawa. Enjoy!