Fridgg: What's For Dinner?

Weekly Wanderings {week 7}

Do you do big Sunday dinners with your family?

We never did growing up (although Sunday breakfasts were totally a thing), and that’s not something Son and I do these days either.

But randomly, last weekend, my sister (who’s taking care of my dad right now) invited us all over for dinner.

It was fantastic, and I’ve unofficially decided it’s going to be a thing that we do every week (except for this week, because we’re doing it on Tuesday for St. Patrick’s Day instead), from here on out. 😀

I made these miso-roasted potatoes and mushrooms, and there was also pot roast, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and artichokes. Delicious all around.

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A few years ago, when we first moved into this apartment, Son and I started a garden.

At first, it worked out, and we even got a little tomato harvest!

And then it failed spectacularly.

Unfortunately our porch gets very little sunlight, our area tends to be very humid, and OHMYGOD SO MANY BUGS. Our poor little garden hardly stood a chance.

So we’ve had this little planter sitting outside by the walkway, empty for years. And recently, we’ve noticed it’s actually started growing random weeds and stuff. So Son decided, on our way out to run errands, to pull out the weeds and plant some seeds, just to see if anything happens. We’ll see…

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Boiling Point is comfort food. I love their Japanese Miso hot pot, and Son always gets the Lamb one. So satisfying.

Our favorite Thai restaurant is right next door to Boiling Point, so even if we get Boiling Point, we always have to stop by for take-out.

Their bathroom mirror wants you to know that you are beautiful. ^_^

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As I’ve mentioned a month ago, I’ve started learning to crochet!

First things first, learning basic stitches on scrap yarn.

Next up, a potholder!

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You know it’s going to be a good day, when your mom shows up with a pink cardboard box full of… chashu bao!

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My sister’s girlfriend, Hal, wanted to try ramen for the first time, and asked me where she could get some. Son and I were planning on going to Mitsuwa this week anyways, for the Kyoto Fair, so we invited them along.

Unfortunately, the bento advertised for the Kyoto Fair was unavailable, but she still got to try takoyaki, okonomiyaki, ramen, and tempura.

Although the bento was unavailable, there were still some packaged foods for sale. We got some sesame and chocolate yatsuhashi (Kyoto-style folded mochi), which were delicious!

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We loved the yatsuhashi so much, we went back the next day for more, to give to Son’s parents (and get some more for us, as we had already shared with my family).

We also tried a matcha dango. It was strongly matcha-flavored, and refreshing on such a hot day (we’re in the middle of a crazy heat-wave).

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It’s weird seeing cows in the middle of Southern California.

I’m pretty sure they thought it was weird seeing people pulling up and taking pictures of them, while they were trying to eat.

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It’s been a while since we’ve gone to the Chinese restaurant that we love in Chino Hills, so we had forgotten how delicious everything was.

We got the braised eggplant, mapo tofu, braised pork belly, and steamed cod. All were fantastic. We definitely overate.

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Links I’ve loved lately:

I wish I could have this breakfast sandwich to start off every day!

This hermit crab video made my week. They line up in order!

This ice cream sounds AMAZING.

I want to live here.

I need to make this Thai-style salmon chowder, and this spicy Korean clam chowder. All the Asian chowders!

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Weekly Wanderings posts may include affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Key Lime Pie for Pi(e) Day!

Happy Pi(e) Day!!!

Math has always been my favorite subject (I’m the kind of nerd who gets excited when I have an excuse to do math), and I adore pie. So it’s no surprise that Pi(e) Day is my absolute favorite random holiday of the year!

This key lime pie is easy to make, delicious, and also totally color-appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day this week.

And even if you think these food holidays are ridiculous… when is it ever not a good day for pie? 😀

Recipe from The Daring Gourmet.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp butter
• 2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 cup fresh key lime juice
• 1 tablespoon key lime zest
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. To make the crust, place the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and bake for 7 minutes. Let the crust cool completely before adding the pie filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. In a large non-metal bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and zest, and the sour cream. Stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust and bake for about 10 minutes. Make sure to not brown it.
6. Let the pie cool completely, then transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least two hours before serving.
7. Enjoy!

Friday Fridgg Favorites

{photo credit: Dani}

a few of my favorite things on Fridgg this week:

this meal would make me very happy {Cooking on a Budget}

ooey gooey wonderfulness {The Golden Cookbook}

this drink sounds so refreshing {Cooks with Cocktails}

i need to make this salmon {Olive Dip}

the fudge version of key lime pie! {What Charlotte Baked}

craving doughnuts {Cosmopolitan Cornbread}

the most amazing chocolate cake {Vanilla and Bean}

take me back to japan {Otaku Food}

this is my dream hash {A Skinny Rich Girl}

such beautiful berry pies {Lara Ngai}

i want to put this peanut dressing on all the things {As Easy As Apple Pie}

bacon chicharon. WHAT. {Dude For Food}

the chicken sandwich to beat all other chicken sandwiches {Kitchen Sanctuary}

this chocolate cake is what dreams are made of {Cooking with Vinyl}

son is always asking me to make jambalaya {Delicious Meets Healthy}

brunch, my place, these sweet potato pulled pork waffles. let’s make it happen. {Southern Fatty}

i love the idea of this fudge {Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt}

do want these pancakes {Cooking and Beer}

the heat wave we’re having in LA right now make these mini peach pies sound perfect this week {Unkhanny}

i’m a fish taco kind of girl {Cooking Glory}

all the potato things {All That’s Jas}

dude. honeycomb cake? so much yes. {Runway Chef}

these cookies sound so tasty {The Spiced Life}

i’m kind of obsessed with these arancini {Kitchen Sanctuary}

the prettiest danishes {Cooking and Beer}

this octopus looks like a string of rubies {Spanish Food Blog}

i would have been WAY more into the turkey burgers my mom used to make for dinner, if they looked like these {Cooking and Beer}

my Friday Fridgg Favorites are a very small selection of the photos and recipes on Fridgg that I’ve loved in the past week. this is by no means an all-encompassing list of what’s awesome on Fridgg this week. take a look, and find your favorites!

do you have a favorite that I didn’t mention? let me know in the comments!

Miso-Roasted Potatoes and Mushrooms

“We’re making pot roast and artichokes tonight if you wanna come over.”

I had planned on stopping by my dad’s house that evening anyways to check in on him, so when my sister texted me, my answer was an obvious yes.

“Shall I bring anything?”

“If there’s a vegan side dish you want to bring, that would be cool cause I think Vivian [our brother’s girlfriend] is gonna be there and she’s vegan.”

I’m always up for a food challenge, so I dug through my bookmarked recipes, looking for something tasty. It needed to be something easy, too, as I only had a few hours to run to the store and cook something before I was supposed to be at my dad’s.

This Miso-Roasted Potatoes and Mushrooms recipe from A Thought For Food fit the bill perfectly. Vegan, easy to make, sounded tasty, and (hopefully) filling enough to act as a main for Vivian.

Within a few hours, my kitchen smelled delicious.

We may have snuck more than a few bites before we left for dinner.

Dinner was a rousing success! Everyone loved the miso potatoes and mushrooms. The pot roast, brussels sprouts, and artichokes my sister and her girlfriend made were delicious.

I’ve already invited myself over to do it again next Sunday. 😀

Recipe slightly adapted from A Thought For Food.

Ingredients

• 1 lb fingerling potatoes
• 1 lb white mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsps minced ginger
• 3 tbsp white miso
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp chopped parsley (optional)
• 4 stalks green onions, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the miso, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Add the potatoes and mushrooms to the bowl, and toss to coat.
3. Transfer potatoes and mushrooms to the lined baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for 30-45 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork, stirring halfway through.
4. Transfer roasted potatoes and mushrooms to a serving bowl. Sprinkle fresh parsley, green onions, and sesame seeds on top.

Weekly Wanderings {week 6}

The last couple of weeks have been more hectic than usual, what with dealing with taxes (bleh), and more client work than usual. Hence the lack of a Weekly Wanderings post last week, and a several-days-late post this week. On the bright side, I got a new desk chair! I’m all about celebrating the little victories. 😀

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I had to take care of something at my dad’s in the middle of the week, which was the perfect excuse to steal an old-school ice cream sandwich from his freezer. I never have these at home, but they’re like a taste of my childhood summers. Neapolitan for the win!

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Last weekend, we had to head inland to visit Son’s dad. For some reason, traffic was waaaay worse than normal, so we ended up taking a detour that cut through Chino Hills state park. Driving through the hills felt like we were on vacation. We even pulled over to the side of the road for a little bit to take in the scenery, while Son took a cool little video of the moon.

We got some much-needed rain that evening – as the sun was setting, you could see the storm clouds moving in.

We went for Korean food, as we tend to do when we visit Son’s family. Tofu soup is especially perfect on cold, rainy evenings.

Son opted for a spicy seafood hot pot that he had seen other people ordering in the past. He quite enjoyed it.

And we found the ittiest, bittiest, cutest little crab in Son’s dinner!

After dinner, we ventured through the rain to a dessert restaurant called Wähfle. I got the “Salted Ganache” Wähfle, with chocolate ganache, bacon, candied walnuts, and vanilla ice cream. Just as decadent and delicious as it sounds.

Son got the “‘Murica” which had berries and sweetened condensed milk, while his dad got the creme brulee Wähfle. All were delicious.

And then, on our way home, we stopped by the grocery store. And found a couple of ducks in the parking lot! Son herded them off to the side of the parking lot so nobody would run over them. As we left, the employees of the grocery store were tossing the ducks pieces of bread. Hopefully the ducks got home alright!

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Lest you be fooled by all the beautiful, delicious, magazine-quality food I post (*snort*), let me assure you that most of my meals consist of roasted veggies, rice, and frozen meatballs. And just in case you might think I’m the most amazing cook… you should probably know that I managed to burn all the green beans, asparagus, and mushrooms I made earlier this week. I’m super talented like that.

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Though I used to be a Girl Scout, I don’t really buy Girl Scout cookies much anymore. But I also can’t let a year go by without at least one cookie… and luckily for me, my mother knows me well. I had started craving Tagalongs, and when I stopped by to visit my mom earlier in the week, what do you know – she just happened to have a few Tagalongs set aside just for me!

My mom’s awesome like that.

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So… my younger brother is pursuing an acting and modeling career. Which is awesome. I’m totally jealous.

And his girlfriend (who’s also an actor/model), had the idea that Patrick should start taking ballet classes, to help with his career. Since I used to dance quite seriously, he asked me if I knew any beginner adult ballet classes he could take… and then asked if I would join him. I enthusiastically agreed, of course, as it has been waaaay too long since I’ve been in the studio, and I miss it dearly. Plus, I’m never in better shape than I am when I’m taking ballet classes.

Wednesday was our first class.

… I may have overdone it just a bit.

I couldn’t walk the next day… or the day after that. Or the day after that. And even now, nearly a week later, my calves are still rather tight.

Oops?

Worth it, though! Back to do it all over again on Wednesday! 😀

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Of course, the day after the ballet class, my sister invited me to go to the farmer’s market with her.

Remember the part about how I couldn’t walk? Yeah…

Well, she and her girlfriend felt bad for me, so they stopped by with flowers and kettle corn afterward! So sweet. Made my day. ^_^

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Our new favorite sweet snack: toast with sweetened condensed milk. SO. GOOD.

My brother’s girlfriend, who is also Vietnamese, suggested soaking French bread with Vietnamese coffee, then dipping that in sweetened condensed milk. Guess what I’m trying next? 😀

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Reading: I just finished Servants of the Storm, which I bought a couple of weeks ago when Amazon had it as a Daily Kindle Deal. It’s pretty good, not as spooky as I’d worried it would be, but still a good, suspenseful book.

Now I’m reading Libriomancer, which is a fun book. Kind of reminds me of a mix between the Dresden books and Percy Jackson. A nice, light read (would be a good beach read), and it also happens to be on sale for Kindle right now.

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And lastly, in case you’re worried my life was getting a little too boring, we spent our Friday night chasing a cricket out of our apartment. How it got in (and all the way to the back room!) we’ll never know, but it was a slow, jumpy chase to the front door that involved the tossing of decorative plates, see-through tupperware, and reflective poster paper. Thankfully, both for the cricket and for the sake of our sanity, we finally got the poor thing outside! Sweet, sweet silence.

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Links I’ve loved lately:

This is a powerful piece.

Uptown Funk is my jam these days, but this version is by far my favorite.

Who knew vegan ice cream could sound this delicious?!

I need this pork belly in my life.

Also, this Sriracha duck.

And I always love a good bacon waffle.

This strikes a chord. Even though I don’t have kids, work from home, and could be considered to be somewhat experienced in the kitchen, even I have trouble getting a good meal on the table most days! Sometimes, pre-packaged frozen foods (see: meatballs, above) are just easier, and tastier, and feel like a more reasonable option.

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Weekly Wanderings posts may include affiliate links. All opinions are my own.