Fridgg: What's For Dinner?

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Kale

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I know you might be wondering… who abducted Allison and replaced her with someone who posts regular, timely blog posts?!?!

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I made this recipe, oh… about a year and a half ago. And it’s been sitting in my “to blog” backlog ever since then.

It may not have even occurred to me to blog about it this week, except that my family has randomly decided to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (for possibly the first time ever). I’ve been tasked with bringing a side dish that our vegan guest can eat, so I’m making this (without the bacon and butter, of course)!

If you’re not vegan, this dish is also fantastic with the addition of bacon and butter. 😀

Recipe from Tastespotting.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs sweet potatoes, scrubbed, chopped into large chunks
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 large bunch of kale, ribs removed, sliced into thin ribbons
• butter, for serving (optional)
• bacon, cooked, crumbled (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Put sweet potatoes in large pot, and fill with enough cold water to cover them by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Reserve about 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain the sweet potatoes. Remove skins.
3. In another pot, boil the sliced kale until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.
4. Mash the sweet potatoes with olive oil, adding cooking water to get the desired consistency. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Stir in cooked kale.
6. For non-vegan guests, you can stir in butter, and/or top with cooked, crumbled bacon.
7. Enjoy!

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.