28 Friday Oct 2016
Posted in Home cooking pictures
I was originally going to make this dish with black beans pasta. After boiling the pasta, I did not like the texture. Thankfully quinoa came to the rescue. The basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano added goodness.
27 Thursday Oct 2016
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, Front Porch Pops, Santa Ana
Tags
10/2/2016
After our brunch at El Mercado we wisely saved our dessert for the front porch pops. Their pops were way better than the ones from popbar.
Salted Chocolate
My husband’s choice was very creamy and delicious with a hint of salt.
Plum Raspberry Basil
This flavor was right up my alley. Very fruity from the plum and raspberry and aromatic from the basil. It was a little icy though.
27 Thursday Oct 2016
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, El Mercado, Santa Ana
10/2/2016
When I read that Chef Nate Overstreet, formerly of Wheat & Sons is cooking at the newly opened El Mercado, I had to naturally check it out. The space was large and airy. The service was friendly.
Seafood Cocktail Shrimp, Octopus, Cured Snapper, Cherry Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado
Surprisingly it had a lot of seafood. Some were fresher than others. I enjoyed the snapper and octopus more than the shrimp. The broth was very spicy, so the cucumber and avocado helped to cool and balance the dish. The cherry tomatoes were flavorful.
Steak & Eggs Skirt Steak/Soft Scrambled Eggs/Poyayoes/Epazote/Salsa Puya
I asked the steak to be cooked medium rare and I was told that they only cook it one way. When we got the dish as you can see in the picture, we were disappointed that it was more medium to medium well. The quality of the beef was good though. Considering potatoes are not expensive, they could have given you enough to satisfy you a little more. The salsa puya was pretty good.
27 Thursday Oct 2016
25 Tuesday Oct 2016
9/25/2016
I have been wanting to try Alma at The Standard for a while now. When I saw the gorgeous smoke salmon dish, I knew I had to go there and order it. Service was friendly. As we walked in, I noticed to good looking croissants on the counter. I told the hostess, we just had croissants at the Hollywood farmers Market but they did not look as good as these. The funny thing is they were from the same place our croissants were from. The Clark Street. The strange thing was she told us that they did not serve those croissants anymore because they were part of the breakfast menu.
I was very tempted to take this beautiful cactus in a pretty pottery home with me!!
Smoked Salmon with Crispy Potatoes, Egg Yolk, Seaweed, Roe
Yes this tasted as good as it looked but the portion was on the small side for the $21 price tag. The smoked salmon was one of the best I have ever had. The crispy potatoes were great also. The egg yolk was visually appealing.
Anson Mills Grits with Smoked Brisket in Chile Verde, Fried Egg
My husband ordered this incredibly flavorful dish. As I took my first bite, my mouth was on fire but I guess you had to go through the pain to experience pleasure. The brisket was very good and was of a high quality.
22 Saturday Oct 2016
Posted in Home cooking pictures
I use my basic recipe for four pancakes:
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
A little coconut flour, basically half of 1/3 cup
1 egg
2 tbs avocado oil
Less than 1 tsp baking powder
Non dairy milk of choice for mixing
Pancake with sauteed spice apple and Whip cream
I used the very aromatic Opal apple and used cinammon, nutmeg and ginger powder to spice it up.
Saffron, Rose, Cocoa Nibs Pancakes
I added a big pinch of saffron and dry rose to my batter. I topped it with cocoa nibs and rose petals.
Peach Pancakes
I topped my pancakes with the most delicious peaches from Tenerelli farm that I purchased from the Hollywood Farmers Market. The red one tasted like blood orange.
Apple Spice Pancakes
I added cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger powder to the batter. I sauteed my apples with the same seasoning and butter.
21 Friday Oct 2016
Pink Lady Strawberry Gelée, White Chocolate Lemon Mousee, Macron Crunchy
Even though I am not a white chocolate fan, I enjoyed the white chocolate lemon mousse. The strawberry gelee added a nice berry touch.
Mont-Blanc Almond Cream & Pear, Blackcurrant, Chestnut Cream, Meringue
Blackcurrant was the reason I picked this treat. Almond and chestnut added earthiness. Pear was a nice fall touch.
Opera Cake
I thought I was buying a new item but I guess I had their opera cake a long time ago. It was on the sweet side.
04 Tuesday Oct 2016
Posted in Eating and Drinking by city, Long Beach, Playa Amor
9/17/2016
Playa Chop Red Leaf Romaine, Roasted Corn, Red Onion, Tomato, Carrot, Garbanzo & Kidney Beans, Cotija, Pumpkin Seed Dressing, Tortilla Strips with Skirt Steak
It was a good size salad except for the fact that I asked the steak to be cooked to medium rare and they did not bother to cook one side of the steak, so it was more rare. I had to send it back. The dressing was on the sweet side.
Beef Short Rib Birria Charred Carrots, Caramelized Onion Rings, Roasted Tomato Chile Broth, Cilantro, Corn Tortillas, Rice & Beans
Very good size portion. The short rib was cooked perfectly and thankfully it was not fatty. The carrots were pretty good. My husband had the rice and beans and mentioned that the beans did not have much flavor.
Playa Chop Red Leaf Romaine, Roasted Corn, Red Onion, Tomato, Carrot, Garbanzo & Kidney Beans, Cotija, Pumpkin Seed Dressing, Tortilla Strips with Steak
The second try of the salad. This time they cooked the steak to medium. Oh well.
04 Tuesday Oct 2016
Posted in Home cooking pictures
For the smoothie I used: (2 serving)
3-4 Kale leaves
1 banana
1 apple
Fresh ginger and turmeric
2 tbs chia seeds
2 tbs flax Seeds
2 tsp bee pollen
1/2 Cup of hemp seeds
2 cups of water
02 Sunday Oct 2016
Posted in Home cooking pictures
I used:
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup mix of quinoa and coconut flours
1 egg
Avocado oil
1 tsp green tea powder
less than 1 tsp baking powder
Almond milk
Mix the batter to your liking and make your pancakes. I macerated the strawberries in a little Grand Marnier for the topping.
