Perfect Pesto Pasta

Do you like that alliteration? Perfect Pesto Pasta! So my friend J from high school came over last night for a hot home-cooked meal and some catching up on old times. She told me about how all she ever eats is sandwiches and cereal- the atrocity! So last night I boiled some shaped pasta (I find it holds more pesto) and cooked up some diced onion, garlic, pesto, hot link sausage and sun dried tomatoes. Its super simple and scrumptious (more alliterations!) so that makes it the perfect college student meal. Of course, I have the tendency to overcook (I am terrible at gauging quantity) so I gave J a box to eat the next day, hooray for warm food!

P.S. I bought the jar of pesto from Costco which means it will last me for quite awhile but I want to start experimenting with it!

Pizza My Heart!

Lately I've been on a somewhat pizza binge but the odd thing is that its purely on accident! (not that I'm complaining). I do believe that making your own pizza is making a comeback and now most grocery stores carry ready to bake pizza dough. The pizza dough I used was from Trader Joe's and there were three types: wheat, original, & garlic and herb. I went with the garlic and herb because well, I love garlic and herb. I used regular jarred pasta sauce and put onions, cheese, and pepperoni on my pizza. There was so much pizza that it was both my lunch AND dinner yesterday. This is so much better than frozen pizza and surprisingly very cheap so give it a try!

P.S. I STACKED that pepperoni so much that you can't see there's a lot of cheese UNDER them with a little cheese sprinkled on top. So good!

Original Buffalo Wings Review

So this past Saturday I went on a little bus adventure in Irvine and explored a few new places that I hadn't gone to before. One of which was Original Buffalo Wings which was tucked into this nice little plaza with all these Asian shops and restaurants like H-Mart and Ajisen Ramen. I was definetly in the mood for wings so a friend and I tried it. We had to make the bus so we tried to hurry (hence why I only have one sad sad picture) through the meal. The wings are not bad, nothing too special though I really like the garlic Parmesan wings. The thing to note however, is their homemade chips. I've never been anywhere that made their own chips and they were scrumptious. I've also been told that their Garlic Fries are super delish, which I plan on trying the next time I go back. Overall, it was a pretty satisfactory meal but I want to try some other wing places as well.

On Tuesday they have All-you-can-eat for $13.95 which I would love to try. They have a little challenge board on Tuesday and the record is 100 wings for men, 60 wings for the women. So if you think you're up to it then head over!

I also saw a brand-new Revolving Sushi place that opened up which BELIEVE ME, I plan on trying VERY soon.

Original Buffalo Wings
2750 Alton Parkway, Suite 131
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 660-8989

BBQ Ribz.

Barbecue is the quintessential American way of life. We simply love barbecue and we'll barbecue hot dogs, burgers, chicken, ribs, corn, everything! While not all of us are fortunate to have grills, there is still alternative methods to making delicious ribs in the oven. I split the pack of ribs into two so that I could experiment with two styles of cooking ribs.

from the Good Housekeeping Grilling Cookbook

Barbecue Ribs
4 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
4 racks pork baby back ribs (about 1 pound each)
2 cups favorite barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In cup, mix ginger, lemon peel, salt, and garlic until combined. Rub ginger mixture all over ribs.

Place ribs in large roasting pan (15 1/2-inches by 11 1/2 inches), overlapping slightly. Pour 2 cups boiling water into roasting pan. Cover pan tightly with foil. Steam ribs 1 hour.

Carefully remove foil from roasting pan (escaping steam is very hot). Remove ribs from roasting pan; discard water.

Ribs can be grilled immediately, or refrigerated up to 2 days before grilling.

Prepare grill. Place ribs, meat side up, on grill over medium heat; cook 5 minutes, turning once.

Turn ribs over; brush with some barbecue sauce and grill 5 minutes.

Turn ribs over again, brush with more barbecue sauce, and grill 5 minutes longer.

Cut racks into 2-rib portions; serve with remaining sauce.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 615 calories; 44 g fat (16 g saturated fat; 64 percent calories from fat); 16 g carbohydrates; 172 mg cholesterol; 760 mg sodium; 36 g protein; 1 g fiber.

Oven Baked Spare Ribs recipe from http://www.cookingforengineers.com

Barbeque sauce
1 bottle BBQ sauce whisk together
1/2 cup orange juice

The recipe is quite simple: mix 18 oz. of barbeque sauce (1 bottle) with 1/2 cup orange juice. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Place ribs in pan and flip using tongs so ribs are coated. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a 300°F oven. Total cooking time can be as short as 2 hours or as long as 4 hours. Flip ribs over halfway through cooking.

Cooking the ribs for 2 hours will result in meat almost falling off the bones. If you cook for four hours, the ribs may be hard to lift out of the pan because the meat will be on the verge of falling off the bones under slight pressure. The cartilage will also be soft and practically melt in the mouth.

After the ribs are done cooking, remove the aluminum foil and continue to cook for about 10 min. per side to thicken the sauce.

The orange juice/barbecue sauce was delicious but the sauce didn't quite penetrate the meat entirely which left it a little bit dry. The first method however left the meat so tender that when I tried to pick it up it would literally just fall off the bone. PERFECTO! Both of course were tasty, you can't quite fail with ribs, and I think I'm off to eat the leftover ribs now....jealous?

Quack Quack.

So while back I was randomly at the grocery store when I spotted frozen duck, something that I had never experimented with before and was extremely curious about. So I bought the 6-lb duck and planned to cook it with a friend when the time was right. Well, tonight was the night. It came with a packet of orange sauce and we had to take out all the bits inside the duck which wasn't fun but the results were delicious. But I seasoned it with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Also, I don't have a roasting pan which I should have used because the duck is naturally very fatty so I have to get my hands on one for my apartment or something. It took two hours at 350 degrees to cook thoroughly and was served with rice pilaf. Because the duck was so fatty next time I would like to eat it with a salad or something light. I've only really had duck a la Peking duck style so this was a good experiment. I plan on trying this again one day!

This duck shall be named Donald. RIP Donald, you were wonderful.

Arcadia A&J Review

So I am a frequent visitor at the A&J in Irvine and when I found out that there was a new A&J opening in Arcadia I just HAD to see how this new place would fare. It was a whole lot nicer then the one in Irvine and even the decorations, the bowls/plates, etc. were a few steps up. The food however, was still delicious with the same low prices. Even some of the waitresses were the same so it was a little bit of dejavu. Same warning though for the non-Chinese speaking though, you will have to match up the Chinese characters from their main menu but hey, it's all in the name of the game! I brought a couple of friends with me and they loved the thick beef noodles and especially the spicy red wontons. You can't help but to love them!

You'll notice that the photos are a LOT nicer than usual, this is because my friend Jon Wong took them with his super fancy camera (which I only wished that I had).

A & J Restaurant
27 Las Tunas Dr
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 445-7270

The Glory of Fair Food.

I. Love. Fair. Food. Its the richest most fattening food that exists out there but that makes it so much better. This past summer I went to three different fairs and oh my gosh I had the time of my life! The only thing I will say is that I do not trust those rides...if they can be set up/taken down in a day then how safe is it exactly? But when I go to fairs I don't go for the rides or the games. I go for the food. And the live animals that you can pet (which is kinda ironic if you think about it). One of my favorite things to eat is the Smoked Turkey leg! Yum! I always get one every single time I go. Ditto for the corn. I also tried the corn dog at the LA Fair and it was absolutely scrumptious (and gigantic)! Basically, it is my belief that ANYTHING you eat at a fair will be good. At the OC Fair I tried the oddest food item, it was a hot dog enclosed in a zucchini but fried like a corn dog. Everything at the fair is fried. They have fried Twinkies, fried Candy Bars, fried Oreos...EVERYTHING. So I suggest when summer rolls around again you get out there and eat eat eat!

P.S. I DEMOLISHED that Turkey Leg.

Fire Ramen!- Orochon Review

I love any shows related to food. I love Man Vs. Food, Iron Chef, Diners Drive-ins and Dives, and just everything!! So when I saw that one of Adam Richman's challenges was just a short drive away in Hollywood I got a group of friends to go down with me. Of course, I was too big of a baby to do the Special #2 but one of my friends did. It was pretty insane but the aftermath was well....not very pretty. I've never been able to take spicy foods so I just stuck with the #5. The noodles were alright, and fulfilling on that cold winter day but I still think it could have been better. Then again, I might have biased high standards because when I was younger I went to Japan and there was a ramen museum! (SERIOUSLY LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE, RIGHT?!) In the basement (or something like that) there are ramen places where you can eat and I have never had any ramen as wonderful as that. Maybe I should fly back to Japan just for a bowl of that ramen...

Speaking of let me just ask, Do you eat to live or eat to live?

Breakfast Burritoooossss <3

Everyone loves Lucky Boy's Breakfast Burritos. Everyone. It makes me glad that I am not a full time vegetarian because I simply could not resist. Lucky Boy is famous in the Pasadena area for their Breakfast Burritos and their Green Chile Salsa and Ranch. Oh Gosh I am salivating right now... My favorite is their Sausage Burrito and it kills me a little bit inside when I eat it (literally, because it clogs up my arteries). I've tried the Chorizo burrito as well but strangely it doesn't even compare to the Sausage. They've also got tons of other great food but I always stick to the Breakfast Burrito. With lots of Ranch. Yum....

Sorry for the terrible pictures, I was on my way somewhere and didn't have time to make it aesthetically pleasing :(

Lucky Boy
640 S Arroyo Pkwy
Pasadena, CA 91105
http://www.luckyboyburgers.com/

Cashew Chicken Recipe!

Being back at college means cooking for my lonesome self, which nearly isn't as fun as cooking for someone else. Let me just say that it's true when Katie Melua sings that One is the Loneliest Number. I have already begun a small cookbook collection and I am obsessed with collecting recipes. In middle school I used to photocopy delicious recipes from the food magazines and put them into a fun binder. Of course, this was way before I even started cooking so I would like to think being a foodie was always a part of me. One of my favorite cookbooks is Everyday Food: Great Food Fast because the recipes are so simple, delicious, and easy! Most of them don't take very much time which is even better for the fast-paced life of a college student like me. So this recipe comes from that cookbook and I hope you enjoy it!

Cashew Chicken Recipe

Prep: 30 minutes Total: 30 minutes
Ingredients

Serves 4

* 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
* 6 cloves garlic, minced
* 8 scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 3/4 cup raw cashews (4 ounces), toasted
* White rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
4. Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately over white rice, if desired.

I altered the recipe a little to my liking and added some sesame oil. I bought the cashews toasted with no salt from Trader Joe's instead of toasting them myself and they were super scrumptious.

Also, I've made a few things since I've been here but I always forget to take pictures :(

Langer's Is My Little Slice of Heaven.

I love pastrami. Not the pre-packaged super deli-sliced thin type byut the real juicy business. And Langer's is some of the best pastrami that I've ever had. Like my friend said, "The meat melts like butter". I never even eat coleslaw but in the #19 sandwich, I devour it all. The #19 comes with the best Russian dressing that I've ever tasted, delicious Swiss Cheese, crunchy yummy coleslaw, and the most wonderful Pastrami that has ever touched my lips. And the bread! Oh my! It's the best rye bread and its so soft and fluffy but the crust is crunchy and perfect! Langer's is located in Downtown L.A. has even won a James Beard Award. I also tried the fries and the ranch on the side was totes delish! I NEVER eat pickles but I will actually eat the pickle at Langer's. That's how good it is. I've also heard that they have great Corned Beef but I have yet to try it. Oh and I almost forgot, Happy New Year's!

P.S. Try not to salivate all over your screen.

http://www.langersdeli.com/
704 South Alvarado
Los Angeles, CA 90057

Hours of Operation

* Monday - Saturday, 8am - 4pm
* Closed Sundays