Food Prep!

This semester I'm in a great class that I'm so excited about called food preparation. 3 hours of lecture and then actual hands on cooking which is so much fun. It makes me want to go to culinary school more and more.

Anyways, the first day that we actually got to cook in was basics so we made a tomato salsa! 

It was a pretty simple first class. We cut up 4 tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of jalapeno, 1/4 cup of minced scallion, 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, and about 2 tablespoons of lime juice. I think we added a splash of tomato juice to thicken it just a tiny bit and added salt to taste.

It was a really good salsa. Actually it was the first salsa I've ever made so I'm pretty proud of myself. Not that it was a difficult recipe but small steps! 

ROC - Mariachi

A few of my friends and I have this great Mexican grill where we love to go. Pitchers of margaritas are a must and at Mariachis they're fantastic and not too expensive. 

Of course Mariachis moved and is now Don Patrons but it's pretty much the same exact thing only a new name. 

For my friend's 22nd birthday this past February she decided she wanted to go. It's still good. Even as Don Patron. 

It's almost a tradition to order margaritas and just about everyone upgrades and orders a giant Corona-Rita (A  margarita with a little bottle of Corona tipped upside down in it). It's a crazy. 

Back when it was Mariachis I ordered a Taco salad which was so much food and really really good.

This time around I decided on the Enchiladas Verdes O Rojas (I think?) which was really good. There's just enough sauce on top that mixes well with the rice and gives everything tons of great flavor. The plate is also a great size and is really filling! 

Since it was my friend's birthday her boyfriend arranged for a birthday dessert which turned out to be deep fried ice cream with a cute little candle on it. It was super cute! She passed it around too because we were all so full so I got a try. Deep Fried Ice Cream is Boss. I can't believe I've never had it before! I want to go back just for that right now honestly. 

Football and Pizza Buns

Sounds a little weird I know, but I did make some pizza buns just in time for the Superbowl this year! 

I found the recipe online and it was a super easy to make and a big hit at the party I went to. 

Take some of those instant pre-made biscuits in a tube, separate them out and flatten them. Then take a little pizza sauce and top it with whatever you like. The recipe I found was just classic pepperoni and cheese so I figured I'd try to go with that for my first try with these pizza buns. 

Turns out kind of knowing how to make dumplings/pork buns came in handy! Fold up the sides to make a dough-ball and bake at 425 for 18-20minutes! Brush them with an eggwash and sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano or whatever you like. I packed them in kind of tight to keep them together. We had to reheat them by the time I got to the superbowl so personally they were a little dry but I'm pretty confident that right out of the oven, they would've been perfect! 

Super easy to make and a great treat to bring to parties and whatnot. Plus it's pretty cheap to make a lot of them which is always great for broke college kids! 

Chinese New Year!!!!

New Years is one of my favorite times of the year. The asian food markets in town always have the best treats and pastries for New Years and my family celebrates like crazy. 

Dad always starts off by doing his food offering/prayer deals which are just comforting. It sounds a little odd but coming home from school to a makeshift table right as you open the front door is fun. There's always special cakes and a whole boiled chicken (head and all.. when I say whole, I mean whole) sitting next to incense that fills the whole house. 

Dragon dances and lucky money in red envelops are like Christmas for us asian kids. (Only I get Christmas too thanks to mom so it's like Christmas part two). 

This year, was actually the first time I saw actual cakes at the store though, so my mom and I got pretty excited. So, here is us Asians adapting to American life, making cakes! 

Even when we do cake's it different though! All the fruit says enough for me. I can already see the inside being a light vanilla angel cake kind of deal with fruit in between the layers and the frosting being a light whipped cream. Some things are easy to conclude. And I love it. 

CUBA - 304 O'Reilly Take Two!

Take two was much more adventurous and a little more exciting. 20 of us loud americans in a tiny little restaurant's second floor. Cuba is never ready for us all. They did a pretty great job though. 

I started off my sharing a ceviche with one of my friends that was fantastic! It was super tart but the seafood was incredible, I would eat a huge plate of that and be happy. 

Then as a main dish I tried a curried rabbit. This is the first rabbit I've ever eaten and it was also really really really good. I would eat rabbit again just based off of this.  

Of course it came with a side of rice and those classic Cuban plantains (we could seriously not get enough of it). Seriously, 304 knows how to make food and it was the best way to end the trip in Cuba.