Ireland 2013: Eating Away from Home

While Tim attended the Linaro Connect 2013 Conference in Dublin, the kids (Miriam and Brahms) and I went around the city just being tourists.  Sight-seeing, shopping, eating and just observing what people did.  Dublin is a very cosmopolitan city that thrives on tourism.  Everything significant catered to tourists.  Shops that sell t-shirts, mugs, tea towels with green-shamrock prints, mugs and sweatshirts with Guinness labels, Ireland baseball caps (as if they played baseball in Ireland), cheap jewelry pieces that bear the markings found in one of the many ruined monuments, and little tiny woolen-sheep toys are everywhere.  But I was looking for something Irish - something that the nationals like more than what tourists like.   

Without prior information, the only way to tell that a restaurant is good is the busyness of the place.  People always swarm around places that serve good food at a reasonable price. That was the basis of our choice of places to eat.  When it comes to eating it appears that my kids and I are more adventurous when their father is not with us.  Tim always stick to those that are "proven and tried" but we are more willing to discover new ones.  It is those that we try for the first time that will linger in our memories and which will always give depth to the experience of a given culture.  Last year when we went to Taipei, my kids and I found this family-run restaurant in a corner of a street.  We could not read the menu nor the people in the restaurant understood English but we ordered based on the pictures of food on the wall.  It turned out we had the best food and cultural experience there.  We will always remember how the owners of the restaurant had us sit next to the table where they were eating.  

During our time in Dublin one of the places we tried is Zaytoon, a Persian restaurant located on Parliament Street.  The food we had brought back memories of Turkey.  On another night, we had Greek food at Corfu Greek Restaurant.  This was recommended by my former hall mate, Thomae Kakouli-Duarte.  The Kleftiko - lamb that was wrapped in foil was so tender and delicious.  Brahms had Greek Burger -Bifteki, Miriam tried the Souvlaki chicken kabobs while Tim had a Mixed Grilled Platter.  It was like experiencing Greece in Ireland!

Since we stayed in a self-catering apartment we had the opportunity to try what Dublin folks eat on a regular basis.  Lewis tradition says that the grocery store tells a lot about a certain culture. I cannot name a country that we've visited where we did not go to the local grocery store.  We had a several types of the Irish sausages made of real Irish beef.  I was tempted to buy blood pudding but I resisted, maintaining the sanity of my family.  We deliberately chose those that occupied large spaces on the shelves and are not common in US grocery stores.  Between restaurant food and those we prepared, we ate a lot of lamb.  

The kids never got tired of Fish and Chips. On the tour to the Cliffs of Moher, they both had Fish and Chips (for the last time on this trip) at the Monks Seafood and Restaurant Bar.  Tim and I both had a bowl of their famous Fish Chowder with freshly baked bread.  It might sound weird to most people but I had to have some Irish oysters.  They are really good.  

Every night in Dublin, we watched Murdoch Mysteries while we ate Jaffa Cakes.  Tim and I drank more tea than coffee although every morning Tim would walk to the place called "The Art of Coffee" to buy us some latte.  My coffee experience in Ireland made me appreciate our own espresso maker at home.  During the course of the week, the kids and I, when we were feeling tired of the food we were eating, went back to something familiar to remind us of home - Burger King!  In Limerick, we tried the Irish version of McDonald's which is the Super Mac.  The significant difference is fried chicken.  Not only do they serve hamburgers made of Irish beef, they also have Irish fried chicken served with lots and lots of chips (French fries).

When it comes to sweets, there was always a new type of cookie to try.  We were even pleasantly surprised to find this British delicacy (which we love) so common in the grocery stores.  Ice cream places that are marked by a huge ice cream cone are prevalent in Ireland - it was hard to miss their existence. It was comforting to see the sign at the end of every tour we took.  There was even one at the Hill of Tara!  We also sampled Tesco's Tiramisu and Creme Brulee making some of evenings in Limerick memorable.  When we traveled to Adare, we got fancy desserts at the Adare Manor.

Almost every time you say Ireland, people think of beer.  Unfortunately, we are not a beer-drinking family.  Tim, along with all the participants of the conference, even had a tour of the Guinness Storehouse where they had a dinner.  But he skipped his pint.  :)

Cassava Cake deLight

While cleaning the freezer yesterday, I saw bags of frozen cassava buried under all the more popular selection of foods.  The immediate thought that came to mind is Cassava Cake.  It's been ages since the last time I made cassava cake.  Ate Ludy Tanchoco gave it to me when we were still living in the Bay Area.  She used to make it for the potlucks at BABF.  It is the best cassava cake ever.  However, her recipe is loaded with fat and calories (just look at the pictures below - I even misspelled the word "ingredients" :)). 

Today, I made my cake with some modifications.  I used only half of the coconut milk, butter, and condensed milk.  Tim, Brahms and I sampled it...and the verdict:  it is still very good! Nonetheless, there's still a lot of room left to make it less rich.  

This recipe has been in my recipe binder for almost two decades.  :) 

Bread Pudding: Only in the Absence of Pies

Torta-Bread Pudding

Costco sells Torta bread which is so good for making sandwiches.  The only problem with this soft yummy bread is its short shelf-life.  During the holidays, we had a lot of left-overs from entertaining and I was determined not to allow them to get sucked into garbology.  This recipe -modified from an old recipe- is ideal for any of the sweeter breads such as torta or Hawaiian bread.  This bread pudding is custardy inside and crispy on top! 


Ingredients

• 7 pieces  day-old torta bread
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup craisins
• 7 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Tear bread into small pieces into an 8 x 11inch baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with craisins.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.               
5. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.  Enjoy!  

25-Minute Meal

Juggling our schedule on Wednesday evenings is a little bit tricky.  Miriam has a play practice at 4-5pm.  Then at 5:45-7:00pm both Brahms and Miriam go to Youth Band practice at church.   They both stay there till 8:30pm for Youth Group.  Therefore, the only time that we can all eat together is between 5:00-5:45pm.   Sometimes I plan ahead so we can have a meal at that time.  However, there are also times when I get busy and forget about the time.  It is during such occasions when I have to rely on quick meals. 

Today I made a fast yummy and healthy meal.  Prep and cooking time was 25 minutes. 

The Menu
Pan-Seared Ahi Tuna (served with soy sauce and wasabi)
Sliced Avocados
Steamed Rice

Rice took the longest time to cook - 20 minutes.   But while it was cooking I had the time to set the table, slice avocados, and sear the tuna.  While we ate Brahms had the time to talk about his history report.  We finished eating in time to leave but they did not have the time to wash their hands.  I had to run to the car and give them all a squirt of hand sanitizer just to neutralize the smell of fish.  It worked! 

Easy-to-prepare wholesome foods are always welcome in our kitchen.

Recipe for Crepes

Family and relatives eating crepes.

One of our traditional dishes for breakfast is Crepes.   We serve it with Nutella and sliced fresh fruits in the summer.  When the weather is cold, we use warm apple sauce or plum sauce.   I particularly like crepes because I am not the crepe maker in the family.  :) 

Crepes*

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

Mix and sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Beat with hand beater or whisk until smooth.  Lightly butter your skillet (unless you are using a non-stick skillet where “buttering” is optional); heat over medium heat.   For each crepe, pour scant ¼ cup of the batter into skillet.  Immediately rotate skillet to spread the batter to a desired size. 

Cook until the edges start to separate from the skillet.  Run a wide spatula round edge to loosen; turn and cook other side until light brown (the second side is usually lighter in color than the first side).  Stack crepes; keep covered.

If desired, spread Nutella then add sliced-strawberries, diced mangoes, or jam of your choice over each warm crepe; roll up.  Top with whipped cream, syrup, or powdered sugar.  

Makes 12 crepes; 105 calories per crepe.  (One recipe is barely enough for our family)
___________
*Adapted from "Betty Crocker's Cookbook - 40th Anniversary Edition".

After the crepes.

Shannon Learns To Cook Tri-Tip

Shannon is feeling too happy.

Mondays are often busy for our family.  Brahms and Miriam have music lessons around the time that I would be cooking dinner.   Papa Murphy's Pizza is a convenient solution most of the time.   However, when I plan ahead the family can have something homemade in spite of the hectic schedule.  Last week there were two tri-tip steaks that were marinating in the fridge...so I asked Shannon to grill them while we were at the music lessons.  The idea scared her since she hasn't used the outdoor grill before.  So I pre-heated the grill and left her very detailed instructions.   She was nervous but she had no choice because her Dad was on a conference call - she was the only hope.  To her amazement, she cooked the steak while she did her homework.  We had dinner before seven o'clock.

Menu: 

Spring Salad with Feta-Cranberries (dried)

Grilled Tri tip Steak

Tater Tots

 Mangoes

Grilled Tri-Tip Beef Steak

Ingredients

 3-4  lb. tri-tip steak

3  Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2  Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1  Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Procedure

1. Prepare marinade by mixing balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and worcestershire sauce.
2. Coat the meat with the marinade one or up to five days in advance by placing the marinade and the meat in a Ziploc bag.  Squeeze out air and seal the bag then put it in the refrigerator.
3. One hour before cooking, bring out the meat to get to room temperature. 
4. Preheat grill to 450-500°F.  Liberally coat the meat with Montreal Steak seasoning.
5. Place the steaks on the grill to sear for two minutes on each side. 
6. Turn down the temperature to medium heat (350°F) and cook the meat for 10 minutes on each side.  For thicker cuts of steaks, increase cooking time accordingly. 
7. Take the meat off the grill and place on a tray.  Cover with foil loosely and let it stand for at least 15 minutes.
8. Slice the steak across the grain and arrange on a serving platter.
9. For a balanced meal, serve with your favorite carb-food, vegetable, and fruits.

Panini for Dummies

Ham-cheese-and-Arugula Panini

One of the most -often-used gadgets in our kitchen is the Panini press.   It makes sandwiches instantly warm and crispy.    Ham and Cheese with Arugula Panini is one of the sandwiches I made last week for lunch.  The procedure is very very simple but I am writing it here for my children; they want me to record all the foods that I cook at home. 

The quality of sandwiches depends on the ingredients used.  (Like you didn't already know.)  The mayonnaise can be skipped if you are trying to cut on fat.   Whenever we get a chance to get them, I also like to put sprouts (alfalfa, broccoli, etc.) and basil to add a different flavor.  

Ham-Cheese and Arugula Panini

Ingredients:
4 Slices of wheat bread
1 tbsp. Mayonnaise (optional)
1  tsp. Dijon mustard
12+ arugula leaves
      Sliced red onions
2-4   Slices of swiss cheese
8 ounces Thinly sliced Black Forest Ham


Step by step Procedure:
1.  Preheat the Panini press to # 5-6.*
2.  Make the sandwiches making sure that the chesses are piled along the center
    Spread mayonnaise and Dijon mustard evenly on to one side of two bread slices.
    Divide the arugula leaves and onion into two (sandwiches) and lay them over the mustard.   Arrange 4 ounces of ham over the vegetables.
   Top the meat with one or two slices of cheese making sure to pile them in the center of the bread so that they will not leak out during the process.
 Complete the layers with the other slices of bread.
3. Grill.  Place in Panini grill press until deep brown marks appear on the surfaces of the bread or when melted cheese begin to show on the sides of the sandwiches.
(*In the absence of a Panini press, use a preheated grill or sauté  pan.  Press down the sandwiches using a heavy pot.  Turn when one side is brown.  Cook the other side until melted cheese begin to show.)
4.  Enjoy.  Cut the sandwiches in half and serve with fruits on the side. 

Savory Saturday - Orzo Salad

Here's a light and refreshing vegetarian salad to try.  Some of our friends and relatives are turning to be vegetarians these days.  Although we are not planning to turn our backs on the red and white meats, learning to make and eat vegetarian recipes is important in maintaining good relationships and goodwill to everyone.   It is for this reason that once every week I try to serve meatless food -in my family. 

Basic Orzo Salad

1   box orzo

1   medium size English cucumber (diced)

2-3  tomatoes (seeded and diced)

1   small red onion

     Calamata olives (chopped into chunks)

6-8  leaves basil (chopped)

1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese

4 Tbsp Olive oil  (add more if desired)

1 lemon (Juice and zest)

Salt and pepper to season.

Cook orzo according to direction on box. 

Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Add all ingredients.

Toss and refrigerate.

Serve and enjoy.

Lemon Poppy-Seed Scones

Lemon Poppy-Seed Scones

Scones have become a part of my family tradition.  It is one of the lasting cultural effects I got from living in England.  Unlike the British who eat theirs during tea time, we serve ours for breakfast with coffee - milk in the case of my children who refuse to have their growth stunted.  We have our standard fruited scones which resulted from a lot of experimentation but when feeling inspired, I still continue to experiment on other ingredients and methods.    

If your food processor is getting dusty in the cabinet, this recipe will fix that problem.   It makes mixing a lot faster - but of course you still can use the normal procedure that you've always known.  The food processor is only recommended to simplify the process.  

The scones in this recipe are crusty on the outside and moist inside.  They are really good.  You can make the scones smaller as these are very huge ones. 

Lemon Poppy-Seed Scones

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup poppy seeds

4 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp grated lemon rind

1 teaspoon salt

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cubed 

1 large egg

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup reduced-fat milk

1 Tbsp sugar (for frosting)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375º F.

Position rack in middle of oven.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon rind and salt) in food processor.

Add butter and cut in, by using pulse action until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk egg and lemon juice in medium bowl to blend.

Add to flour mixture.

Pulse until moist clumps form.

Transfer the mixture into a larger bowl.

Add 1/3 cup milk.

Using a spoon gently work the mixture until dough comes together, adding more milk if dough seems dry.

Gather dough into ball with floured your hands

Flatten to 8" round on a flat surface

Cut round into 8 wedges

Transfer scones to large baking sheet one-inch apart; brush with milk.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp sugar.

Bake until scones are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Crepe-Making

If you truly love something then you always find ways to have your way to enjoy that something.  That was the case with Brahms this week when he had to make his first crepe. Until now he always depended on his father who is the sole crepe-maker of the family to provide him the crepes.  Now he advances one step by learning to prepare it.   I believe that after this experience that he will soon be offering to make crepes for the family.

We filled the crepes with strawberries, Nutella and whipped cream and served with sausages on the side.  Would anybody be interested to have the recipe he used?  :)

Eating From the Garden

Straight from the garden!

Today we harvested and ate our first radishes and baby bok choy.   I washed the radishes and we ate them immediately.  The French Breakfast radishes were very good - not bitter at all.  I simply stir-fried the bok choy (pechay) whole along with two cloves of garlic and some salt.  That served as the accompaniment for the rice and spicy chicken that we had for dinner.  There's really nothing like fresh veggies from the garden! 

All clean and ready to eat!

Who would not like to eat these now?  :) 

Savory Saturday - Broccoli Salad

Freshly baked baread to go with the salad

I always prefer salads that are made of green plant parts over the pale iceberg lettuce which looks like it is devoid of beneficial nutrients.   At home gulay (vegetable) is almost always a part of our meals.  I love cooked vegetables while everyone else like raw.  This salad is one of the few ways I like to eat broccoli raw.  The recipe is from my friend Julie G.  She makes it to Friday nights bible study and I enjoy it every time except for the one time that she did not cut the broccoli florets into bite sizes. :)  California broccoli can sometimes be very intimidating so make sure that the pieces fit in the mouth without involving creative oral maneuvering.

Broccoli Salad
Broccoli flowerets cut in bite size pieces
½ -1 small red onion sliced in rings (if desired)
½ cup sunflower seeds roasted
Sliced mushrooms
1 lb bacon fried crisp and crumbled ( I suse bacon bits)
Craisins (dried cranberries)

Dressing: 
2 parts mayonnaise
1 part sugar
1 part red wine vinegar

Mix the dressing and let stand in refrigerator until ready to serve. Mix rest of ingredients in a large bowl. When ready to serve stir dressing and toss with salad.  (Cauliflower may also be added)
Enjoy!

Some Pies are Better

In our family pie is considered the staff of life.   My husband often quotes his late grandfather Waldo by saying "All pie is good pie.  Some pies are better but all pie is good pie."  

As the only person who makes pie in this house, I must say that I have made a great discovery.  WinCo's Lemon Meringue Pie is much better than what I make.  Although the crust is not that great, WinCo's Berry pies are also very good.   An even more important discovery is that my entire family agrees with me.  Now I don't have to make lemon meringue or berry pie as long as we live near a WinCo Store.  I will still enjoy making apple, peach, cherry, plum, and pumpkin pies yet I will also enjoy the break from time to time.

Savory Saturday - Pasta Salad with Smoked Salmon

My children have asked me more than once to compile our recipes into a customized Family cookbook.  It's their desire to bring this "cookbook" with them to college.  What a great idea.  Eating familiar food in an unfamiliar place will help them adjust more easily.  My problem is that a lot of my recipes have ingedients that are estimated.  To write recipes would require that I measure ingredients and time every step of the cooking process.  Time consuming, but I'll try.   

Pasta Salad with Smoked Salmon

Served warm or cold, this salad is a perfect for a busy college student.  It is simple and easy to prepare.  The ingredients can be adjusted according to desired taste.

Ingredients:

1 lb uncooked pasta

baby spinach (desired amount)

tomato, diced (desired amount)

smoked salmon (desired amount)

1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 or more pieces kalamata olives (optional)

1 tbsp capers (optional)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain the pasta (aldente).  Lay the spinach in a wide bowl.  Pour the hot pasta over spinach.  Set aside salmon and add all other ingredients.  Toss the salad adding more seasoning as needed.  Top with slices of smoked salmon.  Enjoy your simple balanced meal! :)

Long Break is Over

Avocado-Tomato Panini

As we end the long break, I cant help but thank God for blessing us with the time that my children and I have spent together uninterrupted by long hours of being in school.  Among the things we shared were hugs, kisses, remembrances, eating in and out, working together, watching "Jeeves and Wooster", playing games, joy-riding to nowhere, making paninis, planning, reading, watching birds, riding with a student-driver, frustration in erradicating ants, walking to Starbucks for coffee and hot chocolate, baking and eating cookies, and many more...  

Tomorrow, we will get up early, eat breakfast quickly,  pack lunches, kiss goodbye, go to music lessons again.   Fortunately, there will be evenings when we will be all together once more.

Chocolate Crinkles

Savory Saturday - Lamb Kabobs

We were busy today taking down Christmas ornaments and putting them away.  Spent a little bit of time raking some leaves and before we knew it the sun was down.  Grilling is often our solution for hungry tummies when time is limiting.  Moroccan Lamb Kabobs with Mint Yogurt Sauce was for dinner.  Yummy.  This is one of our favorite recipes for lamb.  Our friends who swore they didn't like lamb ate it with gusto.  Make several batches of the spice/seasoning mixture and store in a jar for faster preparation in the future. 

Moroccan Lamb Kabobs*

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds boneless lef of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes

Mint-Parsley Yogurt Sauce (Recipe also provided here)

Combine all spices and seasonings in a bowl.  Place lamb cubes in a shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle and rub spice mixture into lamb with hands.  Thread lamb cubes into skewers.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat.  Grill kabobs for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked to desired doneness.  Transfer to serving platter and serve with Mint-Parsley Yogurt Sauce for dipping.

Mint-Parsley Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt and ground black pepper

Combine first six ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Happy tummies make happy faces. 

Food At The Cucina

Ahi Tuna with Greens, Hot and Sour Soup; Wasabi Soy Sauce

Light and Spicy Meal

Most of the time it is better to eat at the Cucina  (that's the name I gave to my kitchen).  Here the price is better, you can choose the ingredients, you are aware of  how the food is handled, and it is more private than  restaurants.  Eating at the Cucina does not bring regrets to me.  I already know what I am going to get and there are no surprises except when experiments are being conducted.  There is one disadvantage of eating at the Cucina -- we get to wash the dishes afterwards.  On the other hand, we get to go out in the backyard to drink our coffee.

Last week Tim and I went to try the new vegetarian Indian restaurant in Folsom.  The food was full of flavor but for a carnivore like me, the "characters" seemed missing from the sauces.   To me, it was like listening to a symphony without a melody.  Tim liked it.

This week, we tried another Indian restaurant in Cameron Park.  I ordered lamb in creamy spinach sauce and Tim had chicken.  I liked the naan but the food was not exciting.  I have no reason to go back to that restaurant except to try their lunch buffet.  Maybe having a variety of food to choose from would give me a better experience.  There are four indian restaurants in the area that I've been to.  So far the best is the one on Bidwell near the DMV.  They serve chevron and mutton which I think are really good with the indian spices.  The one on Broadstone Market was good the first time it opened but I noticed that the food quality is deteriorating.  But in the end, who am I to judge whether and Indian restaurant is good or not.  If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then taste is determined by you and me.