Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Talk about hard times! I’ve managed to roast chicken, make soup with the bones, and save some of the stock for the rice. 
This dish is super duper yummy and is one of the easiest dishes you could make! It’s a great weeknight meal, especially when you’re welcomed by an empty fridge at home after being away for the holiday.
Taking a break from produce shopping, peeling, boiling, frying, deboning, slicing, broiling, and (sometimes) burning stuff, I bring you my personal ode to Tim Tam(s).
This post comes at an appropriate time, as my first encounter with Tim Tam began in Sydney, around Thanksgiving, back in 2006 (even though they don’t have Thanksgiving there).
These amazing small chocolate covered biscuits with the most delicious cream on the inside are a dime a dozen in Australia and New Zealand. While we were there, my sister and I were like drug smugglers, buying as much as would fit in our luggage and then some!
We tried to buy more at the airport but were denied. Reason?
This is a post about being patient.
I had read somewhere that you can take leftover bones and make stock with it. The only problem was, I didn’t have internet access all weekend, so I couldn’t look it up to be sure. So what did I do? I just winged it.
I used the leftovers from my last post to create this delicious stock. It only took about 4 hours to make. Who would have guessed that it would take so long?
If you’re like me and don’t have four continuous hours to spare, do it in batches. I ended up working on this for about an hour, on three separate occasions, in the span of two days. Talk about patience!
I’ve never had to make a turkey before, so I thought I’d act like a real grown up and roast a turkey for the very first time.
My brilliant plan – to roast a turkey for a potluck I was hosting last weekend.
Reality:
1. Look up every possible turkey recipe. Figure out what to do, what to avoid, what I need to purchase.
2. Talk about it to anyone and everyone who would listen. Listen closely for tips.
3. Thursday rolls around and upon realizing that I didn’t have time/room/bucket big enough to brine/(insert excuse here), I chickened out.
So that’s why this post is about chicken, and not turkey. Sorry about that, folks.
If you want a really yummy chicken, it’s important to buy a good, quality chicken. Free range or organic would be a great investment. I ended up with a freshly killed chicken, which tasted amazing, but with a couple of unexpected, well, surprises. Read below to find out.
Winter is upon us. I can spend all winter eating soup, chili, fresh ramen and well, more soup. It’s hard for me to eat a meal without some kind of broth, especially if there is rice involved. How about you? What is your favorite winter food?
Miso soup doesn’t take long to make at all. It’s super easy! I originally made this to go alongside spicy tuna Kimbap. I will do a post on that later, even though I forgot to take final photos.
I’ve heard a few people ask how to make Miso Soup – so I’ll tell you!
You know what? This weekend, after you sleep in a little, why don’t you make some breakfast?
How about some banana almond pancakes from scratch?
With some scrambled eggs?
Keep it simple, you know? Thaw some frozen sausage links or some bacon?
And brew some coffee in your coffee maker. Or some tea, if you’d prefer.
Then, turn on this song by Jack Johnson – especially if it’s raining outside! And relax.
On that historical Tuesday last week, aka Election Day, my cousin J, my sister and I went to Avli, a cute Greek restaurant in Bayside, Queens.
My sister, who had been there before, recommended ordering the eggplant dip, which was described on the menu as “roasted eggplant dip with olive oil and garlic.” For $5, it was a pretty good deal! It also came with warm pita slices. Delicious!! (I didn’t take a photo of theirs.. but here’s my version below.)
That was my inspiration for this replica recipe. I figured, how hard could it be to make?
It looks ok. But how did it taste? Read below to find out.
Jang Jo Rim is a delicious beef side dish that’s simmered in a soy sauce broth with jalapenos and other vegetables. The flavors of the vegetables provide a deep rich broth to a slightly sweet shredded beef.
I grew up eating this dish, as this is a staple in most Korean homes.
So I did some research and found a recipe that looked promising. I made a few minor adjustments and followed the directions very closely.
Make sure you have a lot of time before making this! Jang Jo Rim is not a quick dish; it took over 2 hours to make!
I’d recommend doubling the recipe so that you have more food for your efforts. Besides, Jang Jo Rim will last a while in the fridge.
Why is the chicken shaking? Yea, I don’t know either.
The original dish is actually called shaking beef, or Bo Luc Luc, which is a wildly popular Vietnamese dish. The name comes from the act of shaking the beef to get all the flavors to intermingle.
Since my version of this dish was quite far from the original, I think it’s more appropriate to name it Drunken Chicken. I will try making the real dish next time, with the proper ingredients.
All this pizza talk leads me to say…
I just found out that we don’t have to go all the way to Brooklyn for really good pizza anymore!
Thanks to Blondie and Brownie for the tip!
© 2010 All photos and content by Esther Chai, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.
