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?

Reading is fun.

And tasty!

Since I wasn't hosting a post-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner this year, I totally jumped at the opportunity to host and cook a feast for book club last night!

This month's book selection...

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Apparently I'm not really into reading fiction...I realized this as I searched and searched for a potential book. A friend suggested Shanghai Girls since it also took place (for a little bit at least) in San Francisco. So fitting!

It took awhile to get into the book, but once I got past the first few chapters, I found myself completely engrossed. In fact, I actually gasped on the bus while reading and almost got misty at one point!

Overall, I thought it was an entertaining read. I even found myself really hating one of the characters - she was incredibly annoying and frustrating. I'd recommend it for a long plane ride.

My imagination went wild with appetizer possibilities! There have been a couple things floating around in my head and this was the perfect opportunity to test them out.

Menu:

Edamame Miso Crostini w/Shiitake Mushrooms

Pulled Chicken Adobo over Coconut Rice Patties

Chicken Banh Mi

Tofu Banh Mi

Bulgogi Sliders with Kimchee Mayo and Cucumber Apple Salad

Zesty Baked Crab Rangoon

These were supplemented with some wine, cheese, and sweet treats from guests, of course.

Edamame Miso Crostini w/Shiitake Mushrooms

1 package frozen, shelled edamame, defrosted

1 tsp white miso paste

1 tsp chili garlic paste

2 tbsp garbanzo beans

1 tsp sesame oil

1 c shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sherry

salt

pepper

Puree first five ingredients together with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute mushrooms and garlic powder until mushrooms start to soften, stirring frequently. Add sherry and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread edamame mixture over toasted bread and top with some of the mushroom mixture. If desired, sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

Verdict: Not my favorite. Not at all. I didn't realize that this would end up with a really funky texture. It looked like Play-Doh...or maybe wasabi. So weird. I also wanted a smoother texture spread. Not a fan.

Pulled Chicken Adobo

3 boneless skinless chicken thighs

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

4 tbsp cider vinegar

salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp coconut milk

2 bay leaves, broken in half

1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp coconut milk

1/4 c chicken broth

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp vinegar

1/2 - 1 c chicken broth

Combine first ten ingredients in a shallow dish and let chicken marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes on each side.

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Place chicken in pan, shaking off excess marinade. Cook for 3 minutes on each side.

Pour in marinade, soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, coconut milk and chicken broth. Stir, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Let chicken sit until cool enough to pull apart. Shred chicken and set aside.

Remove bay leaves and any fatty chicken bits from the saute pan and melt butter over medium low heat, scraping up any brown bits. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Continue whisking as you add soy sauce and vinegar. Gradually whisk in chicken broth until a thinner sauce is formed.

Strain out large bits and stir 1/4 c of sauce into shredded chicken.

Coconut Rice Patties

2 c short grain white rice

1/3 c coconut milk

2/3 c water

1 tsp salt

Place ingredients in a rice cooker and cook. Allow rice to sit until cool enough to handle.

Wet hands and gently form small patties and place on a baking sheet. If you have a hard time forming the patties, gently press the rice into a mini muffin tin.

Heat oven to 350 and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Verdict: The adobo turned out DEEELICIOUS! The rice patties, however, ended up a little too crunchy since I left them in the oven for too long. Oops. Flavor was still good though...I'd even eat them as not patties ;p

Bulgogi Sliders

1 lb sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 c dark soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp sriracha

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp sugar

Combine ingredients in a bowl and let marinate for at least 2 hours.

Strain liquid and place half of the beef in a food processor. Pulse until smaller bits form, but not until pasty. Place in bowl and repeat with the remaining beef. Form patties and grill to your liking.

Kimchee Mayo

1/4 c mayonnaise

2 tbsp kimchee, minced

1/4 tsp sriracha

Mix ingredients together and let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Cucumber Apple Salad

1 /2 c seedless cucumber, finely diced

3 tbsp apple, finely diced

2 tbsp scallion, minced

salt

pepper

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp sugar

Combine ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour.

Zesty Baked Crab Rangoon

1 package wonton wrappers

1 egg

4 oz cream cheese, softened

6 oz crab meat

1 tbsp scallion, minced

1/4 tsp Maggi seasoning or Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp lemon zest

splash soy sauce

squirt sriracha

salt

pepper

Combine cream cheese, crab, scallion, Maggi or Worcestershire, lemon zest, soy sauce, sriracha, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Spray with nonstick spray and set aside.

Lay out wrappers and place a teaspoon of the crab mixture in the center. Swipe egg on two sides of the square wrapper, fold over to make a triangle and pinch sides to seal. Fold corners in to meet each other and seal with egg.

Bake for 5-7 minutes on one side, flip and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.

MUCH better than my first attempt.

Also, courtesy of Saigon Sandwich (my fave)...

Chicken Banh Mi and Tofu Banh Mi. It was my first time trying these flavors and I think I might stick with my standard roast pork. Ta da.

Have you read anything fun lately?

Back into the swing of things

Happy Saturday everyone!

The day started a bit foggy/cloudy/chilly, but is slowly turning into a gorgeous sunny day!

Things have gotten a little better since my last post. I think I just needed to load my plate a little more. I'm really bad with downtime, but I'm also really bad with stress...hm. Can't win. I also got cozy with my latest book - Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School:

What can I say, getting lost in a book makes me happy and calm. Love it so far...it's a really easy and entertaining read. Will keep you posted.

After a nutty day at work on Thursday I met up with Selin and a couple of her friends for some Thai food in North Beach. Super easy to get to via bus (have I mentioned my new love of busses??), I met everyone at King of Thai Noodle on Grant Avenue.

(photo courtesy of the Yelp page)

Selin promised a cheap and delicious meal, but I didn't expect dirt cheap!

I kicked things off with a pint of Fat Tire...for TWO DOLLARS. Awesome. That was (eventually) followed by some Chicken Pad Ke Mao (stir fried dal rice noodles with green long bean, bell pepper, thai chili and basil). No picture because I was SO hungry and devoured it before thinking to take a picture. Service was S-L-O-W and I swear our waitress forgot about us a bunch of times. Annoying, but the food was tasty. Another round of beers and then the bill came. We split things 4 ways...$10 meal. I was full for $10. AMAZING. Next time I think I'll give takeout a shot. Boo slow service.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was looking forward to a half day at work. Unfortunately I was so busy that half day Friday didn't happen. Ugh. To remedy things, I did a little retail therapy (only for things I actually needed, plus a cute shirt I didn't really need) and promptly vegged/passed out on the couch. I figured I'd take it easy since I had my first training run in the morning.

I started my Saturday around 9am when I popped out of bed realizing I overslept and had to rush out the door to make it to the run on time. Yeesh. As I mentioned the other day, I decided to check out The City 13.1 - the half marathon training program affiliated with Fleet Feet San Francisco. I figured I should test the waters a bit before committing to the program...I wanted to make sure it would be a good fit for me and my summer/fall training schedule.

The first run started at 9:30am on the Marina Green. 9:30?! That's late for me! haha. Whatever. I'll take it considering I won't have to battle heat and humidity - SCORE!

I got there at exactly 9:30 and didn't miss a thing. We got a quick rundown of what to expect with the program followed by a 4 minute yog to loosen up the sleepy muscles. Then we did something a little wacky - range of motion drills (penguin walks, walking leg lifts, swimming movements, knee lifts). As weird as it felt to do them, I definitely felt looser at the start.

The plan for the day was a 2 mile run to get an idea of our pace. God, I can't remember the last time I only ran 2 miles...it was weird. I knocked it out in 18:15, which I'm pretty sure is one of my fastest 2 mile runs to date. Hurrah! Afterward I chatted with a few runners and then headed over to the complimentary breakfast at the store. More mingling and snacking took place and I officially registered for the program! I'm really excited to get into a structured training program and meet new people :)

After breakfast, I made a trip to Sports Basement in the Presidio. I figured I'd check it out since I wanted to stock up on some Nuun. I had no idea what I was getting into. O my goodness. This place is insane - lots of stuff to choose from and pretty low prices. I snagged a North Face fleece for $26! Ok, it's a kid's fleece, but the women's small was $35 or something...um, I'm going to go with the one that's $10 cheaper. I also grabbed a bunch of fun nutritionals and I'm pretty sure I wandered around for a good 40 minutes. Eek. When I got home, I made sure to photograph all my goodies just for you guys haha

Check out the training shirt (right) we get with the program. Super cute, right? I don't even like purple! O yes, I also grabbed another pair of my Nike capris, since the training program also comes with a $25 coupon. The Feetures are for my sister since they were ridiculously cheap at $8.50 for a pack of 3. I was also psyched to see that they carried the Clif Shot Espresso Gels...I like these on occasion but they are really hard to come by. It was an exciting day :)

I closed out the morning with a visit to Citizen Chain to chat about bikes. I'm in the market for one and have been pretty intimidated by the reviews I've read about bike shops. Citizen Chain seemed to be the most down to earth option so I decided to give it a shot. I walked in, said I was in the market for a bike, but I hadn't owned a bike since I was 12 and didn't have a clue what to do. The guy immediately commented on my pullover (yes, I was a tool and wore my PRR pullover to the Fleet Feet run...whatever, it's my fave) and turns out he's from Bethesda. Yay East Coaster!

He was really helpful, knowledgeable and willing to help me look at not so fancy/expensive bikes. I chatted for awhile trying to figure out what sort of prices I'd be looking at and what other essential items I'd need. I'm excited to go back this week to test out some bikes!

Again, I've rambled on about a ton of different things. Sorry! More to come this evening!

Snowday parte dos!

Around 9am this morning I got an email saying the store was closed - thank you blizzard of 2010 for giving me a much needed mini-break :) :)

I made myself a leisurely breakfast (to the tune of upstairs stomping, AGAIN) of some coffee and Peanut Butter & Jelly Oats:

Can you tell I was in a good mood when I made my bowl?? :)

Eyes and smile brought to you by my favorite jelly eeeeeevvvvver:

I'm not really into sweet things and I love that lingonberry jelly is slightly tart (think cranberries - I think they're related) and sweet. Just enough for me! I'm also pretty partial to this brand. What kind of jelly/jam/preserve do you like?

Overall, my first PB&J oat bowl experience was ok. I definitely prefer the spicy oat bowl, but this was a fun change. I might just stick to smearing my PB&J on bread, though.

Any fun Superbowl Sunday plans? I'm not really into it and the piles of snow aren't exactly calling me to leave the house, so i'm going to continue with the productive weekend. Hoping to get a little more into this book:

The THIRD I've read this month. Sorry I haven't had a chance to recap this one:

Or even mention that I started and finished this one:

But I figured, I'd touch on all of them later on. I will say that I really loved the first two and am really enjoying this third one (I'm a little less than halfway through).

More later...time to bask in my free Sunday :)