Oishii Eats

Hola 33!

2011-07-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

Dylan knows how to make me feel special, especially on my birthday. Three years ago he whisked me away to Mexico City (one of my favorite cities in the world) and asked him to marry him. Last year, when we moved to our new home with a backyard, he whipped up a 5-course birthday dinner for me and my closest friends.

This year as my birthday was approaching I asked that we'd keep my birthday low key. "Please no dinner party. No dishes to clean. Ok?"

Dylan didn't listen. He never listens.

Since we just finished our collaborative project with Scout Regalia and now have their beautiful White Oak Table Set in our backyard Dylan has been on dinner party mode ever since. I have to admit, I'm in love with this table. The lines, the craftmanship, the white oak...it's all way too beautiful. So, I eventually gave in to a family-style dinner in the back.

DIY Bunting - I will never do it again. Flower arrangement by Gilly Flowers in Silver Lake.

I'd like to introduce Momo. We adopted this guy back in March at Sante D'Or in Atwater Village. We were looking for a "fat cat" and fell in love with him immediately. They said he came from a Dodger Executive. The owner and his wife divorced and he was always on the road. So, fat cat was sent to the shelter. He's very dapper and lazy. He falls asleep on his back and wakes up on our chests. He's a perfect little kid/dog/fat cat.

Farro Salad and "Shirmp & Anson Mills Girts" (We saw Shrimp & Grits mispelled in Austin, and ever since we've been calling Shirmp & Girts)

Dylan made amazing food for my birthday. I don't know how he does it. The amount of dishes for the amount of mouths to feed. I would go crazy and hyperventilate. Dylan on the other hand loves being in the kitchen. Where I am crazy, he is calm. This is why we work.

Snake River Farms Kurobuta Pork Jowls. My new favorite pork cut. Super marbled, tight chewy texture with a lot of flavor.

Lark Cake Shop's Chocolate Ice Box Cake - Seven-layer cake made with thin chocolate wafers layered with fresh whipped cream and raspberries.

I'm thankful for every year I'm able to live. Not everyone makes it to 33, so you'll never hear me complain that I'm getting old. I hope to grow old with Dylan and the wonderful people I get to call my friends and family. Here's to another year. Thanks for reading.

Norococo: Q+A ~ Jeni of Oishii Eats and Dylan of Eat Drink & Be Merry

2011-04-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Dylan and I were recently interviewed by Sophorn of Norococo, a design | architecture | food blog based out of Memphis, Tennessee. Norococo has become our new favorite blog and we're hoping to visit her out in Memphis sooner than later.

Anyways, check out the interview here.

Thanks for reading!

For the Love of Film

2011-04-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

I love film photography. I love the unexpected. I love waiting for my film to develop. Photography is like slow cooking – everything tastes better when it's slow cooked. I have several film cameras {my loves} that I would like to share with you today. Enjoy!

Let's start off with the Superheadz Ultra Wide and Slim camera. I picked up this Sakura San {soft pink Cherry Blossom} when we were in Fukuoka City {Hakata}, Japan last summer and it has been my favorite since then.

This is a remake of the cult classic Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim camera known for it's portability {it's super light}, ultra wide lens, and vivid results. These new Superheadz Ultra Wide and Slim cameras are made at the same factory as the original and features the same wide angle 22m lens. This is a great starter camera for anyone wanting to pick up a cheap plastic film camera.

Fez, Morocco. Taken with my Sakura San Ultra Wide & Slim. Fujifilm Superia 400.

Roatan, Honduras. Taken with my Sakura San Ultra Wide & Slim. Fujifilm Superia 400.

This is my Hello Kitty Diana Mini. Lomography released a special edition Hello Kitty Diana Mini last summer but was only available in Korea. Luckily, Dylan and I had an 11-hour stopover in Seoul, Korea and spent the day looking for this lucky little lady.

I don't know how we found it, but we managed to find this small shop called Toy Camera in the middle of the vintage camera district called Chungmuro in Seoul. If you're ever in Seoul, I highly recommend spending an afternoon in this vintage camera district.

The Hello Kitty Diana Mini was going for $70 USD. You can find the original and still adorable Diana Mini for about $55.

My Hello Kitty Diana Mini fits in the palm of my hand. It is an ultra-compact, petite version of the Diana F+ camera and allows you to shoot square format or half-frame pictures using standard 35mm film. The shots I've been getting have a really nice soft color and feel to them. The Diana Mini is a fun find.

Palm Springs, California. Half-frame pictures taken with my Hello Kitty Diana Mini.

Palm Springs, California. Square format picture taken with my Hello Kitty Diana Mini.

I bought my Fujifilm Cheki back in 2001 when I first moved to Osaka, Japan. It's nearly 10 years old, but it still takes excellent instant pictures. Everyone loves instant pictures!

Siem Reap, Cambodia/Luang Prabang, Laos. Taken with my Fujifilm Cheki. Modeling by Dylan Ho.

Joshua Tree, California. Taken with my Fujifilm Cheki.

This is Dylan's beloved Holga. It kind of became mine when I slapped on some Hello Kitty bandages when the back cover kept popping off. I noticed he's not really shooting with it anymore even since. Plan worked.

If you ever want to start playing with medium-format film, Holga's the best way to start. It is a cheap camera with a plastic body, plastic lens and fixed at 60 mm/f8. The results are beautiful.

Windward Side, Honolulu. Taken with my Holga.

Waimea Beach, Hawaii. Taken with my Holga.

Honolulu, Hawaii. Taken with my Holga.

Dylan picked up this camera, the Canon EOS 1V-HS a couple of years ago and has been one of our favorite film cameras. This camera looks and feels like a beast but still takes pictures with grace and softness.

Cooking at home in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Taken with our Canon EOS 1V-HS and 50 mm f/1.4.

Dylan bought me this Contax 645 for my birthday last year and I absolutely love it! I love the way this camera feels in my hands. I love bringing the Contax on our trips. The Carl Zeiss lens is absolutely amazing. I can't express how much I love shooting with my Contax 645.

House Spirits/Stumptown Coffee. Portland, Oregon. Taken with our Contax 645. Kodak 220 440VC.

As far as choice of film and development, the fun thing about the "toy" cameras is that you can just have fun and experiment. We usually shoot with Fujifilm Superia 35mm film and develop our prints scanned at Costco. For our medium-format films, we love Fuji Pro 400H film. For superb developing, no one can beat the quality and service Richard Photo Lab. We love working with them.

Long live film!

Japan, We Love You.

2011-03-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

After the Fuji Rock Festival, Dylan and I were able to travel to Hokkaido. We took a 9-hour shinkansen train ride from Tokyo and traveled through peaceful inakas (villages). We traveled through Fukushima, Sendai and finally to Hachinohe.

These are a couple of shots I took during our train ride. We slept most of the time, but every now and then I'd wake up and see green fields and a quiet seaside. This is a side of Japan that many people don't get to see.

Northeast Japan no longer looks like this and I am still in denial that this is all gone. I really don't know how to express my emotions to the devastation that Japan has been through in the past week. It's hard for me to even move on and write about our time in Japan. But I hope, in writing about Japan, we can celebrate the country's strength and beauty.

Japan, we love you.

Donate to Japan. Don't forget about Haiti.

牛の蔵 Ushi No Kura

2011-01-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

Say hello to Ushi No Kura.

Ushi No Kura literally means "Cow Collection" but this isn't just any cow collection. Ushi No Kura carries high-grade Wagyu beef from Kagoshima. The prices for Wagyu beef at Ushi No Kura is exceptionally lower than other Wagyu restaurants because the ranch owns the restaurant. Here are the lovely farmers showcased in their Akasaka lobby.

We weren't sure how much to order since we just came from slurping lard-ladened ramen at Mochi Mochi No Ki, so we decided to order a moderate platter of meat. For 5000yen (~$60USD) we devoured a plate of 極上カルビ (prime Kalbi), 極上ロース (prime roast), 極上ハラミステーキ (prime skirt steak), and ホルモン (horumon...pork offals)!

Horumonyaki. Pork offals!

For dessert, we finished the night off with a bowl of Kagoshima wagyu tail soup.

Peasu peasu from Ushi No Kura.

*Thanks to Rameniac for another delicious recommendation.

Ushi No Kura
Akasaka Building 7-9-1 Akasaka
Minato-ku, Tokyo
TEL 03-5573-9062
Subway Chiyoda Line / 3 min walk from Akasaka Station, Exit 7 (exit number 4 after 10 pm) Subway Ginza line noise circle extension / 13 min walk from Akasaka Mitsuke
*Grab a taxi with a gps. This location is far from the station.
www.ushinokura.com

もちもちの木 Mochi Mochi No Ki Ramen

2011-01-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

Before we left for Japan, our friend Rickmond aka Rameniac sent us an email with some of his favorite ramen spots in Tokyo. First on his list - Mochi Mochi No Ki. Rickmond described it as, "State of the art bonito-y fishy shoyu ramen sealed under a layer of oil. F*ckin' dope." Who can say no to bonito-laced ramen steaming under a layer of oil.

My favorite part of eating ramen is watching them turn over my ramen noodles. Such precision.

Mochi Mochi No Ki starts off with a vegetable, chicken and pork bone stock. Then they add bonito, mackerel, anchovies and kombu dashi to give their ramen broth that perfect amount of fishyness. Finally green onion oil and lard are added to seal in the beautiful ramen steam.

This bowl of ramen is a whole lot of wonderful.

Just say no.

Mochi Mochi No Ki
1-4-1, B1F Kitashinzyuku Armavir
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Phone (03) 3368-1751
11:30 am - 11:00 pm
http://www.mochimochinoki.com

デパート Department Store Basements

2011-01-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

Head to any basement of a department store in Japan and you will discover a labyrinth of food vendors selling delicious prepared goodies. Dylan and I always hit up these basement floors before heading onto a shinkansen (bullet train). We'd split up and agree to meet after 20-30 minutes. The best part, finding out what we bought for our journey on the train.

The best department store basements are of course at the busiest stations. Prices for individual pieces of food are quite reasonable, but once you start choosing everything your stomach desires, a lunch can easily add up to $30. Choose wisely.

If you do your research, you'll find out that a lot of these vendors are famous Japanese companies. You really are getting some of the best of Japan in these basements. Who knew basements can be so non-creepy.

とんかつまい泉 MAISEN

2011-01-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

After the Fuji Rock Festival, Dylan and I had a couple of days to hang out in Tokyo again. Since were completely exhausted from camping, the rain, and hours of standing up and walking around we decided to slow things down in Tokyo. When you just want to chill in Tokyo, Aoyama is a good place to be.

Dylan and I headed over to Maisen, a tonkatsu house specializing in deep frying Kurobuta (Japanese Berkshire) tenderloins for the world to enjoy.

Kurobuta tenderloin fried to perfection.

Fatty, delicious, fried heaven.

Dylan opted for the katsu oyako-don, literally the child (egg) and mother (chicken katsu) donburi. It was one of the best we've ever had.

I hope we gave you enough reasons to go to Japan.

Maisen
4-8-5 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku
Phone (03) 3470-0071
11:00 am - 10:45 pm
Subway 3-minute walk from the Omotesando Station exit A2
http://mai-sen.com
map

2010 Fuji Rock Food Stalls

2010-12-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

Fuji Rock Fesival 2010

2010-12-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

In June, I sent a quick email over to Dylan...

"This would be so awesome!"
http://www.smash-uk.com/frf10/lineup.html

Who knew that we would book a last minute trip to Japan and make our way over to rural Niigata for the Fuji Rock Festival. I've been wanting to go for years, but timing, weather and the thought of camping in Japan never really enticed any of my friends. Thank God I married someone like Dylan.

After a couple of nights in Tokyo, Dylan and I grabbed our backpacks and our $29.95 tent from Target and made our way northwest.

It only took 75 minutes to get from Tokyo to the Echigo Yuzawa train station on the shinkansen.

After arriving to the Echigo Yuzawa station, we had to stand in line to hop on a 45-minute shuttle to get to the Naeba Ski Resort where the Fuji Rock Festival takes place.

Like thousands of others, we arrived to the Fuji Rock Festival a day before the actual festival commenced in order to get a nice, cozy and FLAT spot for our tent. That's us, the red $29.95 tent from Target. Dylan managed to pitch our tent within minutes under pouring Niigata rain. Thanks Dylan.

Within a couple of hours, prime flat land has been taken and all that is left are spots on a slope.

If there's any music festival to go to, Japan has to be the cleanest. There were "WOMEN ONLY" toilets and they NEVER smelled.

Don't forget to store your valuables in the Coin Rocker.

After pitching our tent, Dylan and I took a long nap during some of the heaviest rainfall that weekend. We woke up around 10pm, totally dazed and confused. It was still pouring, but we were both extremely hungry.

Thank God the food stalls were all up and running. Ramen in the rain!

The next morning we woke up to this, beautiful forested mountains.

My favorite breakfast, simple donburi with an onsen (boiled for 30 seconds) egg.

On rainy mornings, Dylan would run out and fetch breakfast. There's nothing like breakfast in a tent.

Dylan made a some new friends working the stands. This kid Daisuke is Tupac's biggest fan.

Off to the Fuji Rock Festival!

This is seriously the cleanest festival in the world. Everyday they would pass out these bags (made from last year's PET bottles) to help keep the forest clean. D and I used it to lie down on when we needed to pass out on the lawn. Everyone passes out at the Fuji Rock Festival.

Even smokers are clean. Portable ashtrays!

Like I said, you'll never go hungry at Fuji Rock.

Some of the best chicken sausage I've ever had.

This is the salt they used to season the sausages.

Yakitori all day long.

Freaky pinwheel sausages.

Cheapest snack for 100 yen. Cucumber & miso.

Wood-fire pizza.

Tons of ramen.

Of course, if you want to save money, you can bring your own portable bbq and bincho.

When we weren't eating and catching performances, Dylan and I cooled down by the river.

Every now and then, we would stop and say, "Wow, I still can't believe we're here."

The greatest part of the Fuji Rock Festival and our main reason for coming is to watch some of our favorite bands in another land. We had an amazing time partying with the adorable Japanese fans.

Local Natives

LCD Soundsystem

Vampire Weekend

Dirty Projectors

Them Crooked Vultures

Atoms For Peace

You'll find that after long nights of partying until 6am, people get sleepy.

After four rainy and muddy nights, Dylan and I were ready to head back to civilization. We survived our first international music festival and four nights of marriage in a cramped tent. High-five.

Special thanks to these portable chairs. They saved our lives.

Last goodbyes to friends we made.

Goodbye to our local drinking friends.

Back on the bus at 5am.

Heading back to Tokyo and then off to Hokkaido...

Thanks for reading!

Harro from Tokyo!

2010-07-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

My husband Dylan and I made a last minute decision to spend our summer in Japan, the land of Hello Kitty! Summer is definitely my favorite season in Japan. The heat, humidity, matsuri (festivals), tanabata (fireworks), sitting by rivers are all things that make summer in Japan amazing. We'll be here for three weeks traveling and eating our way through Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka. We'll also be camping (for our first time together) at the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL in Niigata. Forecast shows it's going to rain all weekend there. Wish us luck...we'll need it.

Much rabu rabu (love love) from Japan,
Jeni

The People's Cocktail Competition at Drago Centro

2010-07-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

For four weeks straight, Drago Centro and Michael Shearin, Drago Centro's Sommelier and Beverage Director hosted The People's Cocktail, a weekly cocktail contest held over Twitter. Each Monday they would tweet out a secret ingredient and you have until Friday afternoon to tweet in your recipe. Over the weekend, Michael Shearin and head bartender Jaymee Mandeville worked on the submitted recipes and by Monday afternoon a winner was announced.

Last week, all four winners came together for a final battle for a spot on Drago Centro's summer cocktail list. I ain't gonna lie. I was terrified going up against guys with monikers like SazeracLA, Rumdood and LushAngeles. What did I get myself into???

So thankful my husband Dylan emailed our friends in the area to stop on by. There was a lot of waiting around but with good friends and a stiff Aviation, it was easy to relax and have fun.

My best friends, my husband Dylan and my brother Jeremy. They knew I was nervous but both of them were so encouraging. Love you guys!

Once all the judges arrived, it was time to make cocktails.

Week 1 Chuck Taggart
Secret Ingredient: Blueberries

2 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
20 blueberries
.5 ounce Amaro Ramazzotti
1 barspoon (tsp) Trader Tiki’s Cinnamon Syrup
Lemon peel for garnish

In a mixing glass, muddle the blueberries thoroughly in the whiskey. Add the Amaro and syrup, ice and shake for 15 seconds. Double-strain over ice into a large Old Fashioned glass, and garnish with a large swath of lemon peel.

Week 2 Ron Dollete
Secret Ingredient: Fernet Branca

1 oz. Fernet-Branca
1 oz. Krogstad Aquavit
1 oz. Cointreau
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Week 3 Matt Robold
Secret Ingredient: Gin

2 oz. Bols Genever
.5 oz. Scotch
.25 oz. Simple Syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters.

Stir with ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Week 4 Jeni Afuso
Secret Ingredient: Lemon

1/2 fresh peach
1 oz simple syrup
2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
1 oz lemon juice
Club soda

Muddle the peach with simple syrup. Add the rye and lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain into a tall glass over ice, and top with club soda.

When it was my turn to make my cocktail, all I was left with melted ice and some shaky knees. I don't know how I did it, but I threw out four Momo Rye Fizz's within minutes and even made several drinks for my friends who came.

After the judges, Caroline from Caroline on Crack, Lesley of The Tasting Table, Shauna of The Minty, and Chef Celestino Drago from Drago Centro had time to sip through all the cocktails, they announced Drago Centro's Peoples Cocktail Winner. It was a very close finish, but I was able to push past the big boys and win it with my Momo Rye Fizz. Hooraaaaay!

We spent the remainder of the night celebrating at Caña Rum Bar. Lots of party punch went down. It was truly a great night.

Thanks for reading!

It's Vacation Time

2010-06-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm on vacation, I'll be trying to catch up on some rest and relaxation. Most of my time is being spent waking up at the break of dawn for World Cup or spending time in the backyard sipping on Pimm's Cups.

I'll be back to blogging soon. I promise.

XOXO,
Jeni

Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Los Angeles

2010-06-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

This year, more than any other year I've taught in South Los Angeles, I've never had so many students come to school hungry. My 2nd grade students were coming in cranky and tired and I had no idea why until I asked them. One of my girls broke down crying saying all she had for dinner were potato chips. It hit me and it hit me hard this year, there are way too many kids growing up hungry. 85% of our student population is on reduced/free lunches here at my school. A large percentage of those students actually rely on their two meals at school and usually go home hungry with little or nothing to eat at home. I've never told Dylan this, but I'd bring extra apples and oranges or our delicious dinner leftovers to school because I know I would have a little one run in with a hungry stomach. We've got some major battles to fight for our youth.

I love everything about Share our Strength and their commitment to ending childhood hunger. It was great seeing our community of eaters, volunteers, chefs and restaurant owners come together to support Share Our Strength at this year's Taste of the Nation Los Angeles.

Susan Feniger and Cochinita Pibil Tostaditas

Horseradish Dusted Braised Short Rib on Smoked Potatoes and Quinn Hatfield

Crème Fraîche Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote

Marcel Vigneron and Thai Shrimp Skewers with POM Spherification

Marinated Hamachi with Cucumber Vinegar, Avocado, Granny Smith Apple and Crispy Chocolate Hazelnut with Chocolate Mousse

Chilled Porcini Soup with Mirabelle Coulis, Foie Gras Chantilly/Espuma and Macedoine Salad, Uni Dressing, Maine Lobster

Albacore Onion

Shortrib Tortelli “Caramelles” with Sweet Corn, Chanterelles, Summer Truffle

Carne Deshebrada with Fresh Guacamole, Chipotle Sauce and Mole Poblano Con Pollo

Cochinita Pibil

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

Grilled Pork Sliders,Onion Bacon Jam, Violet Mustard

Charred Beef with Grated Radish

Duck and Fennel Sausage with Grape Apple Slaw

Braised Octopus

Braised and Grilled Piedmontese Beef Cheeks with Lime Hoisin Glaze, Summer Corn Foam, Micro Cilantro

Leffe Blonde

St. Germain Champagne Cocktail

Devon Espinosa

Michael Voltaggio

Giving back never tasted and felt so good. See everyone next year!

An Intimate Birthday Dinner at Home

2010-06-09T10:19:00.001-07:00

When Dylan asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday I had one wish, an intimate dinner party with him and my closest friends. In the past we've held our birthday dinners at a restaurant, but now with our new home with a backyard and McCall's Meat and Fish, we were able to get more creative and intimate. With our trustee dining table, our closest friends, ample wine and beer, some tasteful music – our dinner under the stars in Silver Lake took place. It's amazing what a simple white table cloth and hanging market lights can do for ambiance.

Rosé, peonies and friends.

While we sat outside and enjoyed the evening, Dylan was busy in the kitchen and my brother Jeremy (who just recently flew back from RISD) was busy playing maître d. Both boys worked so hard to make this evening special.

A couple days before the dinner, Dylan asked me to jot down my favorite things to eat and within minutes he came up with a fabulous five-course menu. Here we go...

Razor Clams a la Plancha Razor clams, piquillo peppers, garlic

Maryland Crabcakes Blue crab, rémoulade, watercress

Shrimp n' Grits Shrimp, Nueske bacon, grits

Happy Short Ribs Grassfed beef short ribs, pomme purée, carrots

XT Patisserie Macarons caramel, chocolate, coconut, coffee, earl grey, hazelnut, lemon, orange blossom, passion fruit, pistachio, raspberry, vanilla

*I took a bite out of one of them while walking these guys out to the backyard. Sorry friends.

Jeni's Spendid Ice Cream Strawberry Buttermilk, Gravel Road, Bourbon Butter Pecan, Pistachio and Honey

I love my friends!

Dylan is such a thoughtful and giving person and he really knows how to make me feel so special. He is also notorious for destroying things. Below is Dylan spilling wine over my brand new linen tablecloth. I still love him. I love him for his best and his worst.

After dinner, desserts and drinking, Dylan brought out our strobes along with our Rody's. Time for a photoshoot!

My Fuji Cheki 50 came out to play too.

Thankful for each year I get to spend with the most loving people. Hoping for many more.

Thanks for reading!

Fuji Cheki 50

2010-06-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've been shooting more with my old Fuji Cheki 50 I bought 10 years ago when I was living in Japan. My camera still is in amazing condition and some of the old film is actually better than the new film I've purchased recently. Anyways, in the US they call this camera is called "Fuji Instax." I still call it my Cheki because it sounds so much cuter.

We take this camera along with us on trips now. We're also taking the Cheki on our engagement shoots and our clients get super giddy for them. Everyone needs a Cheki in their life.

Thanks for reading!

48 Hours in Palm Springs

2010-06-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

Arguments. Stress. Dylan and I were hitting some annoying newlywed bumps early this spring and it was really getting to us. In our first year of marriage we've learned this lesson and I think we've learned it well:

When times get tough, take a vacation.

With 48 hours to decompress from the stress of life, we just needed some sun, drinks, mid-century style and a weekend getting out of LA.

Hello Palm Springs!

FRIDAY

Visitors Center
1 p.m. After about 2 hours of driving from Los Angeles, Dylan and I finally arrived to Palm Springs. If you're driving in from Los Angeles, don't forget to stop by the Palm Springs Visitors Center on your way into town. The Visitor Center is in a former gas station designed by Albert Frey. It's a super cool building. Here you can find really nice modernist tour guide, A Map of Palm Springs Modern for $5.

Vintage Style at The Ace
1:30 p.m. Dylan and I are big fans of The Ace Hotel chain. The Ace Palm Springs is "nomad-chic" meets Howard Johnson. The rooms are roomier than the Portland outlet and the grounds itself is an bohemian oasis.

BYOB...Bring Your Own Bar
2:00 p.m. We knew we'd be drinking a lot, so we decided to bring our bar on the road. We chose our favorite spirits, bitters, fresh squeezed citrus juices, gum syrup and glasses for our party to go. Dylan negroni'd it up all weekend while I sipped on Seven Grand's refreshing Big Mak and Corpse Reviver #2's.

Pool Time
3:00 p.m. After a couple of drinks in the room, it was time to take this party outside.

I love lazy time. Nothing like a little R&R.

Visiting Mister Parker's
8:00 p.m. Dinner time at Mister Parker's at The Parker Palm Springs. This is what Palm Springs must have been like back in the 60s. Low ceilings, dim lighting, Liberace-esque piano, and nudie art work makes Mister Parker's so super groovy.

from top counterclockwise
1. Ris de Veau veal sweetbreads, wild mushrooms, leek coulis, gaufrette potato
2. Filet de Porc pork loin with rosemary spaetzle, brussels sprouts, glazed pork belly, honey apple cider sauce onion
3. Salade Frisée poached egg, crispy leeks, warm bacon vinaigrette, brioche croutons

Fireplace at The Ace
11:00 p.m. Spent the rest our first evening sitting by the communal fireplace at The Ace.

SATURDAY

King's Highway
9:00 a.m. Before starting our morning, Dylan and I fueled up at King's Highway, Ace Hotel's stylish redo of a 1950s Denny's.

King's Highway is "reinterpreting American peasant food for the desert with a focus on fresh, organic, and local ingredients." With items like Tequila Cured Salmon Lox and Bagel, Coconut Bread French Toast, Poblano & Chedder Grits, and Ricotta Hot Cakes with Maple Crunch Butter and Bananas, it's no wonder why this new diner has become one of the most popular breakfast spots in the desert.

1. Sage sausages
2. Chilaquiles scrambled eggs, chiles, ranchero, homemade corn tortilla chips

Joshua Tree Farmers Market
11 a.m. Before heading out to Joshua Tree National Park, Dylan and I hit up the town's quaint farmers market at Turtle Island. We ended up grabbing some super sweet and juicy navel oranges at one stand. I love desert oranges! * Turtle Island - 61705 29 Palms Hwy. The farmers market runs every Saturday from 8am-noon.

Joshua Tree National Park
12:00 p.m. Springtime weather at Joshua Tree was simply amazing even at high noon. Dylan and I spent the day hanging out in the back of our car and shooting all the beautiful wild desert flowers.

Casual Burgers at Tyler's
3:30 p.m. Tyler's is a little burger shack on Palm Springs' main drag serving solid old school-style burgers. Don't forget to fill up on their delicious lemonades and potato salads!

El Mirasol
8:00 p.m. There's a time and place for jumbo margaritas and Mexican combination plates and that time and place is Palm Springs. Loved our giant margarita and hard taco/enchilada plate. Yea, I said it.

SUNDAY

Sunday Brunch at Norma's
10:00 a.m. They give you a shot of their smoothie of the day as their amuse bouche once you sit down. LOVE!

from top counterclockwise
1. Potato Pancakes James Beard Award Winning Recipe with homemade cranberry apple sauce and sweet carrot payasam
2. Traditional Eggs Benedict
3. Norma's Sausage Links

I wish we had more people to eat with because the menu looks amazing and I want to try everything. Don't forget to hang out at The Parker after brunch. Jonathan Alder, can you please design our space too?

Sherman's Deli
2:00 p.m. After a couple more hours hanging out at the Ace pool, it was time to check out and say goodbye to our beloved Palm Springs. But before we took off on our 2 hour drive back home, we stopped by Sherman's Deli for some old school deli treats.

Pickled tongue and pastrami sandwich with cottage fries on the side.

We can't wait to head back to Palm Springs, but I think we're going to have to wait until it cools down. The next time we go, I will have to make time for some mid-century shopping and the Trina Turk boutique. So much to do in Palm Springs.

Thanks for reading!

96 Hours in Portland

2010-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Portland: A culture of 20 & 30-something transplants, fair trade coffee, impressive cocktails, sandwiches, bikes and a locavore dining scene. Take a peek at what we got to eat, drink and enjoy in 96 hours while visiting Portland last Memorial Day weekend.

FRIDAY

8 a.m. Dylan and I arrived early from our 6am flight from Los Angeles. Tired and groggy, we were greeted with an abundance of sunshine. Welcome to PDX!

TriMet Max

8:30 a.m. Finally found the MAX. The Max is all you need to get from PDX airport to the City Center. We took the Red Line towards the City Center/Beaverton to get to our hotel. Cost: $4.75.

Checking into The Ace

9:30 a.m. We looked into several hotels, but nothing really caught our eye like Portland's Ace Hotel. Northwestern style and hand painted murals come together at the former Hotel Clyde built in 1912. Having a Stumptown Coffee outpost and Clyde Common adjacent to the lobby was another huge bonus for us.

Stumptown Time
10:30 am I've heard so much about Stumptown Coffee before arriving so it was a magical moment walking into the Ace and smelling what was going to be my favorite cup of coffee. We sat around the lobby checking out the local Portland Mercury (equivalent to our LA Weekly) as we enjoyed our lattes.

This Is Not Ikea
11:00am After checking in and freshening up, we hopped on the free bus line and headed over to Broder for a delightful Scandinavian brunch. Come for the food, enjoy the design. I love a color palette consisting of yellows and teals, add a Scandinavian touch and I go crazy.

Egg scramble with smoked trout.

My first moment with Æbleskivers! I'm in love.

A side of potato pancakes please.

Cocktails at Noon
12 p.m. After stumbling back from our amazing brunch at Broder, Dylan and I were ready for a nap. But while walking by Clyde Common, we couldn't resist a post-brunch cocktail hour.

Portland has a great cocktail scene. Vintage cocktails, fresh local fruits to juice, and a love for small batch spirits has definitely put Portland on the cocktail map.

Visiting The BEAST
6 p.m. You cannot visit Portland without visiting Beast. Naomi Pomeroy, Food & Wine's Best New Chef 2009, brings together all that is Portland at her restaurant Beast. Her appreciation for meat, inspiration from French Grandmothers and love for rock-and-roll music is simply seen and appreciated in her humble cooking.

Beast is a small restaurant in NE Portland with only about 20 seats at two or three community tables. Seatings are at 6pm and 8:45pm. Arrive, make friends, order wine and enjoy watching Pomeroy and her sous-chef Mika Paredes grace through their open kitchen as they plate your six-course prix-fixe experience.

Six-course tasting menu ($60)
1) Chilled Fresh Shelled English Pea Soup
2) Spring Greens with Sauvignon Blanc Vinaigrette and Shaved Sheep's Milk Cheese
3) Shaved Fennel Salad & Charcuterie Plate
4) Rabbit Saddles Stuffed with Brioche & Spring Vegetables and White Wine Braised Leeks with Prosecco Butter
5) Selection of Steve's Cheese, Anise & Fleur de Sel Shortbread Fruit & Hazelnuts
6) Brown Sugar & Cream Cheese Custard.

Our favorite was Pomeroy's Charcuterie plate. So many little bites of delicious goodness.

SATURDAY

Most Bike Friendly City in America
9 a.m. After a full day of eating and waking up with a complete calorie hangover, Dylan and I decided we need to get off our fat butts and work for our food. We ended up renting bikes for the next few days since Portland has an amazing (amazing = best bike city in the US) bike network that can connect you to every corner of the city.

PSU Farmers Market
10 a.m. If you love Farmers Markets, you'll go crazy at the PSU Farmers Market. Don't forget to wait in a long line for Pine State Biscuits!

Fell in love with this egg farmer. I love men in suspenders.

Welcome to the Kingdom of Brine. Picklopolis!

Pine State Biscuit's Reggie Deluxe: Fried chicken, topped with cheese, bacon, fried egg and country gravy. It was worth the calories.

Bunk Sandwiches
12 p.m. Even though we just inhaled Pine State's Reggie Deluxe, it was high noon and we needed to eat a proper lunch. Hello Bunk Sandwiches! They are only open from 8am-3pm, so get there early before the good stuff runs out. We were dying to try their pork belly banh mi, but they were sold out. Sniff.

Dylan's pulled-pork sandwich and Picklopolis pickle.

My PBLT (pork belly, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich. I loved my simple sandwich.

HAIRCUT
2 p.m. If you've followed our travel posts, you might know that one of our traveling traditions is to get a haircut in every city or country we visit. Why? Because it's fun putting your hair on the line for the sake of a laugh. Dylan and I usually get it after several drinks, but this time we were completely sober and had a couple of hours to kill before meeting up with our friends.

I needed a quick trim on my bangs, so we stopped by Rudy's Barbershop in SE Portland. The woman cutting my hair was actually a recent transplant from Silver Lake. I was a little bummed, I wanted a Portland chop. Oh well. She messed up my bangs anyways. So far I haven't had a decent haircut abroad. My stylist hates when I do this. Note: Getting a haircut abroad is a lot more fun when you're buzzed because you won't notice the disaster until the next morning.

Snacks at Pok Pok
5 p.m. Pok Pok is more or less a big bbq party at someone house, actually, Chef Andy Ricker's house. That is how Pok Pok came about. Chef Ricker used to sell take-out Kai Yaang (roasted natural game hen rubbed with lemongrass, garlic, pepper and cilantro) out of his house. People came and crowds grew. He ended up opening up his entire home to cook. It's the house party that wouldn't stop growing. Welcome to Pok Pok!

Tanuki
7 p.m. You're probably wondering how in the hell did Dylan and I find all these great Portland finds. We really have to thank our food friends Kevin of Guilty Carnivore, Ron aka SauceSupreme for you old school Chowhound folks, and their friend Matthew B. We must have sent over 30 emails back and forth before getting to Portland. These guys are truly great men of food.

We met everyone for dinner at Tanuki, a small izakaya in Portland's Nob Hill neighborhood.

Kampai!

Tanuki serves up some homey and creative izakaya dishes that reminds me of izakayas I frequented in Japan. Izakayas are the birthplaces of "what the hell is that" kind of dishes that seem to work out perfectly.

Kelley Swensen at Ten 01
10 p.m. After drinking tons of sake, our friends and I were ready to move on. It was time to get serious. It was cocktail time. We all headed over to Ten 01 for cocktails by Kelley Swensen, one of Portland best bartenders.

We enjoyed staring at his unique stock of spirits while sipping on seasonal cocktails.

One Last Round at Clyde Common
12 a.m. Ended our night with some beers and late-night conversation before heading up to bed. Thank God Clyde Common was downstairs from our room.

SUNDAY

HA&VL
9 a.m. Dylan and I woke up surprised we were still alive after putting our bodies through some major calorie shock in the past two days. Our friend Ron ended up picking us up to showcase HA&VL, one of his favorite Vietnamese restaurants in Portland. HA&VL has daily specials and Sundays are supposed to be their best. This is truly what we needed after two days of eating.

Pho Ga (chicken pho) and Bun Thang (rice noodles with shredded egg and free-range chicken).

Stumptown Annex
11 a.m. The Stumptown Annex is wine tasting meets coffee lab. Cuppings are held daily at 11am and 3pm for free. Evaluate your senses in order understand the balance, body, and acidity of a coffee bean. Please slurp. Like ramen, when you slurp you allow air in (scent) to mingle as you taste. It sounds super geeky, and it is, but it's definitely an experience. Enjoy the caffeine overload.

Eat at EAT an Oyster Bar
2 p.m. My husband loves oysters. We eat them every week almost. If he can switch his career, he'd become an oyster farmer. He'd probably start smelling like the sea. I really hope he doesn't become an oyster farmer.

Eat An Oyster Bar is all Dylan. I can eat a handful while my husband will devour dozens.

Beers, vintage cocktails, oysters, fried okra.

Secret Society Lounge
5 p.m. If you have dinner plans at Toro Bravo (see below) and need some time to kill because they don't take reservations during the weekend, put your name on the list and head over to Secret Society Lounge for vintage cocktails.

Alhough it's not a secret anymore, The Secret Society Lounge is small and quaint. Sit up at the bar and enjoy any of their vintage cocktails.

Toro Bravo
7 p.m. Dylan and I unanimously decided to have have light dinner. Both of our stomachs were screaming "STOP EATING" by day 3 of our trip. We were basically fois gras'ing ourselves into misery.

We loved everything at Toro Bravo, but I think we started losing interest in food. We had a hard time finishing everything. How completely depressing.

MONDAY

Kenny & Zukes
9 a.m. After Toro Bravo, we got a lot of rest and were ready for our last day in Portland. We decided to eat breakfast at Kenny & Zukes since Kenny & Zukes was downstairs from the Ace (another perk staying at the Ace.)

Shared some bialy's with a Corned Beef Hash and 2 Eggs plate with Dylan. Perfect portions for overeating travelers.

CITY OF BOOKS
10 a.m. I was bummed we only spent a hour or so at Powell's Books. It's seriously the best book store I've ever been to in my life. We found some amazing vintage cookbooks inlcuding a 1978 Hong Kong & China Gas Cookbook and a 1947 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide. Sick.

Pastaworks
11 a.m. Dylan and I were heading out to the Columbia River Gorge, so we decided to pick up some deli goods over at Pastaworks in SE Portland. Pastaworks is a cute little European deli and market carrying some amazing meats, cheeses and all things edible. They also make all their pastas which you can try at their adjacent eating space, EVOE.

Lunchtime at the Falls
12 p.m. Dylan and I rented a car and headed out to check out the Columbia River Gorge and waterfalls. Too bad everyone else visiting Portland went the same day too. Instead of fighting crowds to look at falling water, Dylan and I found a bench and enjoyed our leftover Bialy's from Kenny & Zukes, and mortadella, sopressata, cheeses and deli goods from Pastaworks.

Edgefield
2 p.m. On the way back to the city, Dylan and I stopped over at Edgefield for a couple of cocktails. We were blown away at the size of their property. 74 acres! It really was an amusement park for kid-like adults. Golfing, winery, distillery, spa, movies...all without looking like a cheesy Dave & Busters. The McMenamin chain does a really great job restoring old buildings and creating really cool hotels.

Edgefield was once the Multnomah Country Poor Farm which housed incoming farmers arriving to Portland back in the 1800's. So it's not surprising that parts of Edgefield seem creepy, like super haunted creepy.

Kennedy School
4 p.m. Ever imagine how cool it would be to drink alcohol at school. Well welcome to The Kennedy School. We had just enough time to visit the Kennedy School before our flight back to Los Angeles. Like Edgefield, the Kennedy School is part of the McMenamins chain. The Kennedy School was once an old, abandoned school that has been converted to one of the coolest looking hotel spaces we've seen.

Spent our last hours in Portland in the Detention Room drinking some fine vintage cocktails before heading home.

We'll be back up in Portland this Memorial Day Weekend (we're making this an annual thing). We're definitely stopping by our favorite spots and hoping to hit up a new selection of bars and restaurants along the way.

If you haven't been to Portland yet, Dylan and I highly recommend heading over RIGHT NOW. It's a beautiful city with an open-minded and environmentally-responsible community serving up some of the tastiest experiences in the US.

Special thanks to our Portland friends Kevin, Ron and Matthew! Thank you for all the insight and tips! Can't wait for Round 2.

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

2010-04-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

After three weeks of traveling, Dylan and I were ready to come back home from our honeymoon. We spent every single moment of our honeymoon together and we were amazed we didn't kill each other.

Although we have been very close...

Remember the time where we stayed at the mildew infested pousada in rainy Paraty. There's nothing romantic about ultra humid conditions, rain and a mildew smelling room.

I also failed to mention that he accidently locked me in our room for 2 HOURS in Rio de Janeiro while he was downstairs drinking cachaça with other travelers.

Then, there's times like these:

Finding out that there's nothing designer about our design hostel. What we thought was a double bed, was in fact a twin bed times two. Frustrated and cranky, we ended up taking it out on each other. When Dylan rolled over to make amends, our beds came crashing through. Holy sh*t. I thought moments like these only happen in the movies.

Whenever we hit rock bottom moments where life seems so irritating, we simply stepped away. During our honeymoon, we've learned to leave frustrating situations in order to remember what's really important, like eating steak. So the next day we booked a buquebus ferry ticket to Uruguay.

While Dylan was catching up on some sleep on the ferry, I had the chance to enjoy my Argentine snacks as we crossed the Río de la Plata to get to Uruguay. Good morning alfajores! Along with a daily intake of grass-fed steaks in Buenos Aires, I was addicted to sweet, creamy dulce de leche.

Like any of our other trips, we didn't really plan anything ahead of time. When we reached Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, we decided to rent a scooter. But then, for some sick sick reason, we decided we wanted this crazy looking vehicle instead. Why? Honestly, I really don't know. It was hideous.

Regardless of our horrid-looking vehicle, Dylan and I were at peace cruising the quiet tree-lined avenues in Colonia del Sacramento.

Asado (barbeque) is Uruguay's national dish since the country is able to raise large herds of cows all on extensive grass-fed ranches or campos. Ideal weather, lush land and a small population of people have put Uruguay on the grass-fed beef map. Watch out Argentina.

If you had one meal in Uruguay, it has to be at an asado. Asados in Uruguay use wood to cook the meat, a time consuming process for the el asador (hot man pictured above).

We ordered the Asado Especial ($195 Uruguay Peso = $10 USD) which came with pretty much everything in and on a cow.

Starving.

$10 USD for a tray of grassy deliciousness. Steak makes everything better.

Like every country we visit, Dylan is always searching for liquid sodium aka Maggi sauce. He didn't find Maggi in Uruguay, but happened to find these Panceta bouillon cubes.

Eating, drinking and being married. I'm pretty sure I can do this forever.

Thanks for reading.

Our Parrilla Party in Buenos Aires

2010-04-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Before Dylan and I arrived to Buenos Aires, our friends in Brazil warned us about Argentine beef. "If you like steak in Brazil, wait 'til you get to Argentina. You will eat A LOT of beef."

In our week in Buenos Aires, Dylan and I ate at a parrilla at least once a day. Sickening, I know. We didn't anticipate eating so much beef, but once we had our first bite of an Argentine grass-fed cow, it was over...we were addicted.

During our intense study of grass-fed beef, I present our Parrilla Report.

Order - Ojo de Bife (rib eye) and Bife de Chorizo (sirloin strip steak) are the parrillas most popular cuts. Ojo de bife seemed to be the choice among travelers while the bife de chorizo seemed to be a local preference. Both are great cuts. We also recommend ordering chorizo (meat sausage) and making your own choripan (chorizo sandwiches) tableside. Dylan and I also fell in love with morcilla (blood sausages), pig's blood, ground up pork, and offals. Yes, yes and YES!

Doneness - Medium-rare is what we usually request here in the States. Medium-rare is what we requested in Argentina. This is not what we got. Argentine's love their meats a punto (medium) to bien cocida (medium well). So when we asked for medio hecho or medio jugoso (medium-rare) our steaks would arrive RARE...like bloody dripping rare while other times our steaks were medium-well to umm...GREY. Dylan and I got used to sending our steaks back. Do not hesitate sending your steak back, especially at a nice parrilla. I actually think printing out a picture of a steak with your preferred doneness will do the trick. Someone design a Steak Doneness Pocket Guide!

Share - Steaks in Argentina are huge in portion. Share. Save the rest of your stomach space for dulce de leche gelato and empanadas when you walk around afterwards.

Salt - We noticed that Argentine's like their steaks lightly salted. We suggest enjoying your first few bites of grassy beef without adding extra salt or dunking it into your chimichurri. Savor the grass the cows were able to enjoy.

Cost - A grass-fed steak at a parrilla in Buenos Aires will range from $5 - $20 USD, depending on whether you're dining at a local neighborhood parrilla or at one of the high-end parrillas. You can literally afford to eat steak at least once a day. Just make sure you walk it off or make out in the park like the Porteños (people hailing from Buenos Aires) do.

Best Parrilla - Don't ask. Each parrilla offers really different experiences. We found our favorite parrilla at the end of our trip when we finally received a perfect medium-rare steak...without us sending the steak back. To us, that was a miracle. Our advice in finding your favorite parrilla, enjoy each steak along the way.

Just blocks away from our hostel, it was inevitable that we'd stumble upon Buenos Aires' most talked about parrilla, La Cabrera.

La Cabrera is known as a great parrilla but is also known for their amazing spread, because it is HUGE. Like Koreatown panchan (side dishes) HUGE. From clockwise: whipped sweet potatoes, eggplant caponata, zucchini, pickled onions in tomato sauce, potato purée, sweet pickled garlic cloves.

PAPAS CRIOLLAS con huevos revueltos Spanish cut fries with scrambled eggs

And here is our ONE order of Ojo de Bife (rib-eye) along with white beans two ways, creamy endives and baby potatoes. Yes, that's one order.

After sending our steak back two times to get our desired doneness, we were really happy with our grilled steak. I love the scent of grass in this Argentine steak and the marbled fat interspersed with the meat.

When our good friend Anne from TunaToast heard we were heading to Buenos Aires for our honeymoon, she quickly recommended that we head over to Club Eros for what seemed to be her favorite parrilla in the city.

When Dylan and I walked into Club Eros, we immediately fell in love with the place. Club Eros is an old fashioned neighborhood joint with fluorescent lighting, aging locals, rickety tables and an indoor futbol field. Just our style.

Dylan used to play soccer. He likes to mention that he was really good. So that's what he tells me. When I dared him to go and play with some pre-teens and they pretty much kicked his ass. My husband is adorable.

The quality of the bife de chorizo at Club Eros wasn't as great as the fancier steakhouses, but for $4.50 USD, we weren't complaining. It still was grass-fed beef which was a lot tastier than steaks we have in the US, especially for $4.50. I can taste the happiness in these cows. I can taste that they lived a good life.

Pork doesn't get a lot of love in Argentina. It's really a shame because these pork chops were fantastic. Not sure if these chops were brined or if the flavor and tenderness comes from a free-range pig. Doesn't matter, chops were only $4.50 USD.

I'm not sure how many times we ate at Club Eros while we were in Buenos Aires, but we seem to make more friends as we went.

Dinner. Bife de chorizo steak, pork chops, fried eggs, fries and a bottle of Malbec wine for $14.85 USD. Hell to the yes.

A couple of locals suggested we head out to Puerto Madero for a nice stroll along the water. Little did we know that we were being sent to Buenos Aires' equivalent to the 3rd Street Promenade. Yikes.

Anyways, we ended up enjoying sitting out on the deck at Cabaña Las Lilas and staring at all the good looking Porteños wine and dine.

Huge wine list.

We decided to load up on Sangria instead.

Like La Cabrera, Las Lilas provides a nice spread of smoked salmon, roasted red peppers, olive caponata, roasted tomatoes, and provencal button mushrooms.

Here's my half of our ojo de bife. We had to send this baby back several times before our desired doneness was just right. They've got great quality grass fed beef at Cabaña Las Lilas. It helps that they have their own free-range ranch.

La Brigada is an old-fashioned parrilla with an insane amount of Boca Juniors and Argentine futbol memorabilia located in San Telmo.

When you look at a menu like this it's hard not to want to try everything. I wish they had small bites, especially with the steaks.

Criadilla. Look it up on the menu. Dylan wanted to order these. I'm not a big fan.

We ordered the Bife de Chorizo (sirloin steak), which ended up being Dylan's favorite cut. Unfortunately like the other parrillas, we had to send our steak back several times before it was just right. Steaks at La Brigada are standard, nothing stellar.

Amazed that we were actually losing weight in Argentina. We call it the Parrilla Diet. It works.

After several days at our hostel, Dylan made friends with the owner and talked him into using their outdoor parrilla for a parrilla party.

Going to local markets while traveling is what we call sight seeing. Markets in Buenos Aires are so much fun. The meat section alone is drool worthy. Tons of grass-fed beef for a fraction of what we have to pay for in the states. You'll even find Cabaña Las Lilas steaks.

I loooooove morcilla (blood sausages).

Don't forget the Serrano Jamon Lay's!

Dylan loved looking at all the offals.

Beef kidneys.

Argentine's likes their steaks simple. Sal grueso (course salt) is all you really need.

I want a parrilla in our backyard. This makes so much sense.

Dylan and I had an amazing time sitting under the stars and chowing down with the other travelers. We are always so thankful for meeting some of the coolest people from all around. Grilling steaks and sausages at the hostel was probably one of our favorite experiences in Buenos Aires. Sometimes a backyard bbq is the best way to bbq.

After a week of searching little did we know that our favorite parrilla was just around the corner from our hostel. Don Julio is a classic parrilla set in and old building on the corner of Guatemala and Gurruchaga in Palermo Soho.

Don Julio had great chorizo and morcilla with a nice crisp casing.

Dylan and I shared a bife de chorizo. Here's his.

Here's mine. Dylan and I were really shocked that we didn't have to send our steak back to readjust our desired doneness. Serious miracle! Our steak at Don Julio was so juicy and flavorful and had a nice amount of grassiness in each bite.

Don Julio also has a extensive wine list with wines ranging from $10-$300+. Dylan and I closed down the place drinking tons of wine while we enjoyed our last parrilla in Buenos Aires.

Book your ticket to Buenos Aires now and get yourself some Argentine beef.

La Cabrera Cabrera 5099 Palermo Soho

Club Eros Uriarte 1609 Palermo Soho

Cabaña Las Lilas Alicia Moreau de Justo 516 Puerto Madero

La Brigada Estados Unidos 465 San Telmo

Borges Design Hostel Paraguay 4539 Palermo Soho

Don Julio Guatemala 4691 Palermo Soho

*The exchange rate at the time we went was about 3.5 Argentine Peso = $1 USD. It's gone up to 3.87 Argentine Peso = $1 USD. GO!

Thanks for reading.

Honeymoon Hop - Buenos Aires, Argentina

2010-03-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

A 2-hour flight from Florianopolis, Brazil quickly landed us in Buenos Aires for a week of grass-fed steak, Parisian architecture, and Spanish nightlife. Dinners start at 10pm, at the earliest. Nightlife begins at 2am. Sleeping in until noon. Our dollar at a 3.8 to 1 ration. Hells to the yes. This was the life.

I'll be back with an in-depth look at our daily grass-fed steak binge. Oh my Lordy Lord...

Honeymoon Hop - Farol de Santa Marta, Brazil

2009-12-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

Despite Dylan going to the emergency room we truly had a great time relaxing in Florianopolis. Not sure if we'll ever go back anytime soon because traffic in Florianopolis is HORRENDOUS. In Los Angeles we have morning and afterwork traffic jams, they have BEACH TIME traffic jams. When the suns out, so is everyone else.

Trying to get out of Florianopolis to a small town down south was a nightmare. What was suppose to take us an hour, ended up being a 3 hour drive.

Loved that everyone was getting out of their cars.

After the traffic died out, it was all very beautiful.

Our friends who we were meeting in Farol de Santa Marta failed to mention that we need to take a ferry over. Dylan and I were pretty confused here.

Our friends also failed to mention we would be driving along this dirt road FOREVER.

But after driving for 3 hours, we finally found the yellow beach house on the hill. Thanks Al.

Ad men reunite.

Farol de Santa Marta is located south of the city Laguna, 120km from Florianopolis. It is simply breaktaking.

Farol (lighthouse) de Santa Marta.

Feliz ano novo with our Brazilian friends.

While the rest of the kids hung out on the beach, Dylan and I knocked out on the hammock.

We woke up early for one of the best breakfasts on our trip.

We scarfed our breakfast and quickly headed back to Florianopolis to catch our early flight to Buenos Aires. Goodbye Brazil.

Honeymoon Hop - Florianopolis, Brazil

2009-12-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

We were about halfway through our 3 week honeymoon in South America. So far, so good. Err...except for the rain and bumpy roads in Paraty, Brazil. But other than that, Dylan and I were having a blast on our trip.

We were eager for some true rest and relaxation, so we headed to the quiet white sanded beaches in Florianopolis, aka Floripa.

Before hitting the beach, Dylan and I ran into a tiny mom & pop fried chicken shop near Campeche beach.

The people at Chicken-In advised us to make a soy and lime sauce to dip our perfectly fried chicken. Ponzu!

We pretty much took some long ass naps here. ZZZZ.

Our favorite party of Florianopolis were our drives down to Ribeirão da Ilha, a small town preserved with cobblestone streets and colorful tile-roof homes.

The main drag overlooks beautiful tidal flats filled occupied with oyster farms.

When your husband is an ostraphile (oyster maniac) it's not a surprise that he would stop the car, pull over and hang out with these oyster farmers. I'm sure you ladies would too, they were some hotties.

There are tons of local restaurants serving Ribeirão da Ilha's fresh oysters, but no one's oyster are as plump and juicy as Ostradamus'.

Ostradamus is a bit more expensive than the neighboring joints, but that extra money spent in Brazilian Real is completely worth it. We started off ordering a dozen oysters (R$25/$12US).

The oysters from Ribeirão da Ilha are similar to gigamoto oysters. Huge and plump with a pleasant watermelon finish.

Such a refeshing change from all the meat and pao de queijo we've been eating.

Before Dylan was even able to devour these oysters, our time on Ostradamus' dock took a painful turn when Dylan's stomach started to churn. Dylan complained about his stomach the entire day, but we refused to believe he was sick. The night before we ate some shrimp nearby our hostel, and yea, he must have eaten a bad one. He ate and enjoyed a couple of oysters, but whatever was in his stomach took charge and Dylan ended up throwing in the towel.

We tried to rush back to our hostel so Dylan can rest, but he was unable to drive. So we headed to the nearest public hospital. The people working at this hospital were the sweetest. We couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand us. We ended up showing Dylan's driver's license and they somehow filled in random information in their computer.

Several mintues later, Dylan was sitting in a room with a doctor who spoke English. She hooked him up with some Morphine and all was swell.

She sent us out with some prescription meds and some Brazilian love. Dylan ended up feeling better the next day. Thank you Brazil for your amazing health care.

Ostradamus
7640 Rod Baldicero Filomeno
Ribeirão da Ilha Brazil
www.ostradamus.com.br

Honeymoon Hop - Paraty, Brazil

2009-12-14T00:33:00.000-08:00

Dylan and I were pretty bumbed when it was time to say goodbye to Ipanema and head on a long bus headed for Paraty, a historical Portuguese town south of Rio de Janeiro.

Goodbye Rio, hello rain. It pretty much rained every single day while we were in Paraty making it our least favorite part of our honeymoon. It doesn't help that our "private" room at our pousada was separated from the dorm rooms by a door and latch. Getting to our "shared" bathroom meant climbing through two dorm rooms only to find a mildew infested bathroom. Budget traveling sucks sometimes. You really never know what you're going to get. In any other situation, I would have picked up my bags and left, but it was Christmas season in Brazil and everyone and their mamas were out and about traveling...meaning we were stuck at this place.

Dylan and I tried to make the best of it. Most of the time we just stared at our ceiling fan laughing at our horror stories at what we find in our bathroom. Other times we were really close to killing each other.

The good thing is that we learned 1. We'll take it out on each other in sucky situations and 2. We had to learn how to make the best of it. That night we vowed to never stay in our room unless we we really had to.

We ended up spending a lot of time walking around the colonial center dodging water puddles and craters in the cobblestone roads.

The next day we ended up renting a car and getting the hell away from our pousada. Bumpy roads??? Sign us up.

First stop, Cachoeira Do Tobogao. Cachoeira Do Tobogao is the ultimate Slip 'n Slide. It's a peaceful waterfall over one massively smooth rock.

Slides are the bomb.

After spending an hour or so in the rain and waterfall, we walked across the street to the local cachaça distillery.

While Dylan was filling up on free cachaça, I was busy scarfing down these guava butter cookies.

Tons of beaches around Paraty.

Unfortunately, food down in Paraty was just ok. We ended up at a per kilo restaurant in Trinidade because we were starving. I guess a per kilo meal on the road beats American fast food.

I love Guarana. But I really looooooooooove Guarana Zero.

Casquinha de siri everywhere! One of our favorite Brazilian appetizer made with sautéed crab meat, coconut milk, palm oil, tomatoes, bell peppers, parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

Pastéis time!

We spent a lot of time hanging out at the supermarket. Dylan stocked up on random Maggi goods while I stocked up on $5 Havaianas. I love wandering foreign supermarkets!

"Eye patches makes me happy!"

So long Paraty!

Zuni Cafe Turkey Brine

2009-11-24T02:04:00.000-08:00

This recipe is very similar to Judy Rodgers' house-cured pork chops which my husband and I make quite often and absolutely adore. Her brine for turkey is similar, all you need is more water and a big enough vessel to hold the bird. We're cooking a smaller bird this year (making room for duck confit on the menu), so we were happy to see our bird fit perfectly in our 9.5qt Korean Lock & Lock container.

Zuni Cafe Brine for Turkey

Aromatics:
A few crumbled bay leaves
4 Chiles de arbol
3 Crushed juniper berries
several sprigs of fresh thyme

7 1/4 cups room temp. water

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp salt (more if using kosher salt)

If using aromatics, place them in a small pot with about 1 cup of the water. Bring to a simmer, stirring and crushing with a wooden spoon, to encourage them to release their flavors. Remove from heat and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes. Combine the remainder of the water, the aromatic mixture, if using, with sugar and salt.

Make enough brine to completely submerge your bird. Cure in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. (I only have a couple days of brining, so oh well Judy.) Rinse, dry and refrigerate the day before roasting your bird. Before roasting, rinse again, inside and out. Prop upright to drain for at least 1/2 hour. Dry inside with a paper towel.

*Judy Rodgers compensates less salt in her brine than the standard brine (1 gallon : 1 cup kosher salt) with time. So, if you're short on time, you can bump up the amount of salt.

Happy Thanksgiving.

*update - Our Thanksgiving Day turkey came out superb. I owe this brine recipe a lot of credit. Credit is also due to the fact that this was an organic, free-range bird. This turkey really tasted like turkey. Loved the light gaminess in our bird. I really encourage you to spend a bit more next Thanksgiving for an organic, free-range turkey.

Please read The Atlantic's Guide To Buying a Good Turkey. It's a great article! Eat less meat, eat better meat.

Tamura's Fine Wines and Liquors

2009-11-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

After going to Ono Seafood in the morning, I thought I found my favorite poke spot on the island. Well, that was until Dylan urged us to go to Tamura's Fine Wine and Liquor on Waialae Ave.

Although Tamura's has one of the largest selection of liquor and wine on the island, they are really known for their poke.

Our aunties told us not to eat before our family dinner, so Dylan and I snuck these tubs in our room.

Tamura's ahi tuna was incredibly fresh. We loved it's firm texture on each bite. The tako poke was cooked and seasoned perfectly! After our tubs were devoured within minutes and we quickly brushed our teeth before heading out to our family dinner.

Please don't tell our aunties. This will be our little fishy secret.

Tamura's Fine Wine and Liquors
3496 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 735-7100

Ono Seafood

2009-10-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

When my husband dragged me out of bed our first morning in Honolulu I thought he had some sort of great breakfast idea up his sleeves. Yea right. My husband wanted poke. It was 9am guys!

We headed over to Ono Seafood, a random little shop adjacent to an apartment building on Kapahulu. We actually missed it twice, so keep your eyes open. I never knew this little place even existed all this time.

Dylan and I were drooling like kids over the goods in this refrigerator. Local dried tako, opae (dried shrimp), smoked tako, and boiled peanuts!!!

You won't find premade tubs of poke in their display. All poke requests are made fresh when you order. Poke can be made with your choice of white onion, green onion, ogo (seaweed), chili pepper, Hawaiian salt, kukui, shoyu (soy sauce) and sesame oil.

Since it was still morning, Dylan opted for a poke bowl ($5.50) instead of a tub of poke. You know, because poke with rice is a healthier breakfast option than just poke alone.

Look at that poke glisten with sesame and kukui nut oil. The ladies at Ono Seafood do an amazing job at adding the right amount of ingredients without compromising the fresh flavor and bite from the ahi tuna.

I grabbed a bag of smoked tako ($5) for some chewy, smoky and sweet bites of tako heaven.

Go to Ono Seafood! Poke for breakfast is fine with me.

Ono Seafood

747 Kapahulu Ave Apt 4
Honolulu HI 96816
(808) 732-4806

Waiola Shave Ice

2009-10-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

After our delicious poke heavy lunch at Yama's Fish Market, we headed over to Waiola Shave Ice.

Words cannot describe how much I love my Waiola Shave Ice.

We spent the rest of our day at my Auntie's house. Dinner on the driveway!

As we caught up with my auntie, uncle and cousins, our niece played her ukulele under the stars.

This is my Hawaii.

Waiola Shave Ice
2135 Waiola Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 949-2269

Yama's Fish Market

2009-10-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

It was suppose to be a family trip to Hawaii. But at the last minute, my mom decided not to come because she had to take care of her stupid cats. So I was in charge of taking care of three boys...my husband, brother and dad.

Thanks mom.

The boys in my life are simple.

Likes:
Beer
Sleep
Food

Dislikes:
Beach

I like the beach, but that was not on their list of likes...so there went my beach time. My beach time requires a 4-6 hour slot. Those boys could only handle 40 minutes on the beach. I swear I wanted to kick someone's a$$.

Aside from our beach time conflict, we had a great time.

Dylan has been craving poke and ended up dragging us on his mercury-laced poke hunt.

First stop: Yama's Fish Market

I ordered the kalua pork, lomi lomi, shoyu poke and haupia plate lunch since I was starving.

Dylan, being the excessive guy that he is, devoured a tub of ahi limu poke.

Boys!

Yama's Fish Market
2332 Young St
Honolulu HI 96826
(808) 941-9994
www.yamasfishmarket.com

The Grandma I Know

2009-09-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was little I used to always sneak into Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom to peek at their wedding picture. This has always been my favorite image of them. Grandpa, standing tall and handsome and Grandma looking so serious.

I remember one night when Grandma babysat us on a school night when I was 10. When she told me to do my homework, I told her I didn't have any, but she wasn't having any of that. She dug into my backpack and found my homework. With my head facing down, I realized there's no fooling grandma.

Here's another picture that I love. Grandpa's laid back and grandma's nice and proper. The woman had six kids...SIX. She did it all with her hair set and outfits pressed AND without going crazy.

I will never regret decisions to see my grandparents when I was younger. Market runs and eating out...that's what we used to do when I went to visit them. I loved eating with Grandma. She would always kill it and eat more than anyone in the family.

Here's grandpa now at the age of 98. Grandpa has always been really healthy...both mentally and physically. But lately, since Grandma has been through a lot of physical pain and aging, Grandpa has withdrawn and is more to himself. I can't imagine how it must feel to watch your wife of 71 years age so quickly. He is still completely in love with her.

I nearly cried to tears when I first saw Grandma this time around. She lost all her healthy weight and was completely frail. I sat on the couch and peeking over every now and then...holding in my tears. Dylan was there, holding my hand and hoping I wouldn't fall apart in front of her. After several minutes, I ran to the bathroom and let it all out. Seeing her in bed was a complete shock to all the images of the Grandma I've grown up remembering.

When I left that day, I told her she was adorable and Dylan caught this shot of her smiling. Haha...Grandma still loves being cute.

Here's to the best Grandma in the world.

Off to Hawaii

2009-08-28T02:18:00.000-07:00

Last month my brother and I received a check in the mail from our Grandpa in Honolulu. He usually sends us gift money for Christmas, but this wasn't a Christmas check in the middle of July.

It's been several years since I've been back to Honolulu to visit the family. The last time I was there Grandma and Grandpa were pretty healthy. They had their routine...market runs, walk around the mall, Zippy's once a week. But since then, things have changed.

I've been in complete denial that my grandparents were aging. I always thought our Okinawan genes would keep them immortal. But when we got that check, my brother and I knew we needed to see them.

This trip back will be an emotional one.

Sunset Junction - Silver Lake

2009-08-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Every year Dylan and I contemplate whether or not to support the butthead behind Sunset Junction. We side with our community, but at the end, we always end up going. For the past few years, we've been able to attend for free, in exchange for the event to clog our adjacent streets. This year, since we've moved to the other side of the lake, we had to cough up the $ for Sunset Junction.

That's ok, to save money, Dylan served his niu ro mien (beef noodle soup) and we concocted our own vintage cocktails at our place for our friends. Pre-party the classy way. Loved the feeling of beef noodle soup and Kentucky Mules sloshing through my stomach.

My brother and my husband...my best friends. I love them to death.

Booze tickets behind chain link fences. Reminds me of the scene in District 9 where the Nigerians are trading cat food for alien weaponry. Have we become prawns in our own city?

We totally missed Les Nubians, but fortunately we had a chance to party with Sa-Ra.

The big night for us with spending time with KCRW's Jason Bentley at the Hyperion Stage.

We spent the rest of the night here dancing to a DJ ice cream truck...Aurelito & Shakespeare I&I Sound System. It was such a random truck in a random space.

De La Soul, MJ, Prince, BBD, Marvin...the DJs kept spinning and we kept dancing. Partying with strangers under LA's night sky. It doesn't get better than this.

The future of LAPD.

See you next year!

*B&W Second Curtain Sync shots by Jeremy Afuso. I love his Panasonic Lumix LX3 for the SCS shots. So fun!

Praca da Paz Farmers Market

2009-08-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Dylan and I chose to stroll around Ipanema on our last day in Rio. We were super lucky to run into the Friday morning farmers market at Praca da Paz, a park just a block away from our honeymoon hostel-suite at the Ipanema Beach House.

I love how they line up their watermelons. Reminds me of a family portrait when our parents used to line up all the cousins by height.

Our favorite part of the market was smelling all the great spices available.

While strolling around, Dylan kept complaining about his hair.

"It's too long. It's too hot. I need a haircut."

Most people would be scared of getting their haircut from a complete stranger in a foreign country, but we've somehow made it a part of our traveling tradition.

Farmers markets and hair-cuts. Our favorite ways to get to know locals. This family at the salon was so super sweet to us. While I was waiting for Dylan's haircut, his wife ended up showing me all the family pictures in her wallet. So super precious!

Now off on a bus ride 250km south to a small colonial Portuguese town called Paraty.

Las Vegas Restaurant Week 2009

2009-08-11T13:14:00.001-07:00

Help Out by Dining Out!
August 31 – September 6, 2009

Once again, Three Square will be partnering up with the finest restaurants in Las Vegas to bring you Restaurant Week. This is your chance to sample the cuisine of world-famous chefs at a fixed price with the proceeds going to help Three Square end hunger in Southern Nevada.

Below is a list of participating restaurants and the special prix fixe (fixed price) menus they have created. Check back often for additional participating restaurants.

Message from: www.dishlasvegas.com

Asparagus and Ricotta Lune with Butter and Sage

2009-08-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

So now that we know how to make some killer pasta dough, it's time to make some dinner.

After an amazing meal at Osteria Mozza the other night, I decided to open up our Babbo cookbook because my craving for Batali pasta was still lingering. I completely fell in love with his Calf Brain Ravioli in Butter and Sage but I didn't have any calf brain on hand. Shoot. Fortunately, we had some asparagus and ricotta!

Soft, fluffy, fresh ricotta + diagonally sliced, blanched asparagus + parmigiano reggiano + olive oil + salt & pepper. Simple and delicious!

Roll out pasta dough to it's thinnest setting. Scant teaspoons of ricotta filling over the sheets.

Blanket and gently press out air around the filling.

Cut. For small lune (little moons) I used a small plastic lid to do the trick. Done!

Don't throw out the scraps! Scraps are my favorite pieces.

Asparagus and Ricotta Lune
Kosher salt
20 medium asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta, drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 recipe basic pasta dough (see below)

Butter and Sage
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 fresh sage leaves

1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Set up an ice bath nearby. Cook the asparagus spears in the boiling water until very tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and immediately refresh in the ice bath. Once the asparagus spears are cooled, drain and pat dry. Slice each spear very thin on the diagonal, reserving 1/4 cup for garnish.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the asparagus, ricotta , Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil, and salt and pepper and stir well to combine.

3. Roll out the pasta dough to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Cut the pasta sheets into 4-inch rectangles. Place a scant tablespoon of the ricotta filling on one half of each rectangle, then fold them over like a book to enclose the filling. Press the edges of each lune with your fingers to seal. The lune can now be frozen between sheets of parchment until ready to cook.

4. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

5. In a 14- to 16-inch saute pan, heat the butter over high heat until the foam subsides. Add the reserved asparagus and remove from the heat. Cook the lune in the boiling water until they are tender and cooked through (you should taste one to test it), about 1-2 minutes.

6. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 12- to 14- inch sauté pan until it foams and subsides. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and whisk to emulsify. Drain the pasta and add it to the butter. Add the sage leaves and toss gently for 1 minute over medium heat to coat the pasta with sauce. Divide the lune among four warmed plates, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano over each plate, and serve immediately.

Done.

Thomas Keller's Pasta Dough

2009-08-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

It took a couple of months, but we finally found our crank to our pasta machine. Dylan was certain that we lost the crank, but I was determined not to buy another machine just for the stupid crank. Months went by and so did our craving for fresh pasta. Then all of a sudden our crank appeared out of nowhere right there in our cupboard.

See, I told you Dylan. I was right. We didn't lose it. The crank was just misplaced. 15-love Jeni.

This recipe from Thomas Keller is used to make agnolotti (small, crescent filled pasta), but we also use this recipe when making ravioli and maltagliati (mis-cut ribbons).

Thomas Keller's Pasta Dough
from The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
6 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon milk

Mound the flour on a board or other surface and create a well in the center, pushing the flour to all sides to make a ring with sides about 1 inch wide. Make sure that the well is wide enough to hold all the eggs without spilling.

Pour the egg yolks, egg, oil, and milk into the well. Use your fingers to break the eggs up. Still using your fingers, begin turning the eggs in a circular motion, keeping them within the well and not allowing them to spill over the sides. This circular motion allows the eggs to gradually pull in flour from the sides of the well; it is important that the flour not be incorporated too rapidly, or your dough will be lumpy. Keep moving the eggs while slowly incorporating the flour. Using a pastry scraper, occasionally push the flour toward the eggs; the flour should be moved only enough to maintain the gradual incorporation of the flour, and the eggs should continue to be contained within the well. The mixture will thicken and eventually get too tight to keep turning with your fingers.

When the dough begins thickening and starts lifting itself from the board, begin incorporating the remaining flour with the pastry scraper by lifting the flour up and over the dough that's beginning to form and cutting it into the dough. When the remaining flour from the sides of the well has been cut into the dough, the dough will still look shaggy. Bring the dough together with the palms of your hands and form it into a ball. It will look flaky but will hold together.

Knead the dough by pressing it, bit by bit, in a forward motion with the heels of your hands rather than folding it over on itself as you would with a bread dough. Re-form the dough into a ball and repeat the process several times. The dough should feel moist but not sticky. Let the dough rest for a few minutes while you clean the work surface.

Dust the clean work surface with a little flour. Knead the dough by pushing against it in a forward motion with the heels of your hands. Form the dough into a ball again and knead it again. Keep kneading in this forward motion until the dough becomes silky-smooth. The dough is ready when you can pull your finger through it and the dough wants to snap back into place. The kneading process can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. Even if you think you are finished kneading, knead it for an extra ten minutes; you cannot overknead this dough. It is important to work the dough long enough to pass the pull test; otherwise, when it rests, it will collapse.

Basically, knead til your arms hurt.

Double-wrap the dough in plastic wrap to ensure that it does not dry out. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before rolling it through a pasta machine. The dough can be made a day ahead, wrapped and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Now, go make some pasta dough!

Jeni Afuso Photography

2009-08-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

Last December I received an email from my brother entitled: No Effing Around. He threatened that I needed to get serious with my photography or, "I'm enrolling you into Scrapbooks and Our Pets at the local Michaels." Ouch.

Well, lookout "Scrapbooks and Our Pets", Jeni is no longer effing around!

It took me all summer and a lot of coffee at LAMill to get my site together. But it's done!

Introducing: Jeni Afuso Photography

I just want to thank my brother for pushing me and threatening my life with that scrapbooking class at Michaels. To my husband, for being by my side on every shoot and always packing up all our gear all nice and neat!

Here's to new ventures....clink!

Chicken Liver Pâté and Pickled Red Onions

2009-07-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

My love for pâtés, braunshweigner, and liverwurst all began when I was a wee little girl. My stay-at-home mom was raising two screaming kids (only 15 months apart) and was always on survival mode when it came to feeding us. One of my most favorite snacks has always been her pâté toast. Good God. That woman would toast bread over a fry pan with the perfect amount of butter and then spread the most delectable amount of pâté over every side. She'd of course cut off the ends and make me the happiest little 5 year-old in the deep end of the San Fernando Valley.

Several years later, our 5th grade teacher randomly challenged our classroom to try liverwurst. I slapped my hands together, "This is going to be great." Little did I know that liverwurst was not going to go over well with this surburbia crowd. All I heard was whining and moaning, "This is gross!" I really didn't care. "Hand it over, I'll eat it." Yea I said it stupid 5th grade class...I like spreadable liver.

Just the other day I ran into a recipe for chicken liver pâté and I was completely blown away by how easy it was to make pâté!

I ran to my local rip-off store, walked straight to the poultry section and grabbed a container of chicken livers. $2! And no-hormones. Even better.

Chicken Liver Pâté
adapted from Everyday Cooking with Jacques Pepin

1/2 Pound of chicken livers
1/2 Cup thinly sliced onions
1 Clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 bay leaves crushed
1/4 Teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
2 Teaspoons of salt
3/4 Cups (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
Freshly ground pepper
2 Teaspoons Cognac or Scotch Whiskey

In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken livers, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the livers are barely pink inside, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the livers, onion and garlic to a food processor; process until coarsely pureed. With the machine on, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Add the Cognac, season with salt and pepper and process until completely smooth. Scrape the pâté into 2 or 3 large ramekins. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pâté and refrigerate until firm. Serve chilled.

*The pâté can be covered with a thin layer of melted butter, then wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.

By the time Dylan got home, the pâté was ready and he had no problem digging in.

I, on the other hand, wasn't ready to eat the pâté until I had some proper pickles ready. Pickled red onions are one of my favorites. I love the crunch, the color and flavor of this simple pickle. I looked through several of our cookbooks and settled on Zuni Cafe's version.

Pickled Red Onions
adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

1lb firm red onions (about 2 medium onions)
3 C distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 C Sugar
A cinnamon stick, broken into a few pieces
A few whole cloves
A few allspice berries
A Small dried chili
A star anise pod
2 Bay Leaves
A few whole black peppercorns

Combine the vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, chili, star anise, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a 4quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand to allow the spices to infuse the brine.

Peel the onions, trim the ends, and slice 3/8 inch thick. Separate the slices into rings, discarding any green sprouts and leathery outer rings.Uncover the brine and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately add about 1/3 of the rings and stir them under. They will turn hot-pink almost instantly. As soon as the brine begins to simmer around the edges, about 20 seconds, stir them under a second time and slide the pot off the heat. Immediately remove the rings with a slotted spoon and spread on a jelly-roll pan to cool completely. The onions will still be firm. Repeat with the remaining onions, in two batches.

Do it again!

Once the onions have cooled (you can refrigerate to speed things up), repeat the entire process, again in three batches, always adding the onions to the boiling brine, pulling them promptly as the brine begins to simmer around the edges, and cooking them between each bath.

And again!

After the third round of blanching, thoroughly chill the brine, then add the pickled onions. This slightly tedious process saturates the onions with fragrant brine without really cooking them. They should still be crunchy. It guarantees that the volatile purple color sets to a charismatic fuchsia pink. (Simmering the onions in the brine will makes them soft and dull!) There are no short cuts with Judy Rodgers.

Place in jars and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

LAMill - My New Summer Office

2009-07-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

Big things are happening here over at Oishii Eats. I'm on vacation, but I've been working like a mad woman getting my sh*t together for this special unleashing. (I will tell you about it later...I promise.) Anyways, I was tired of working at home because that means working in bed, which means working lying down, which means falling asleep on my face. I needed a new space to work, somewhere close, somewhere...special.

One random night I headed to LAMill. The lights where dim, the music was mellow...it was perfect. And then it hit me, this was going to be my new office space.

Dylan has already told me that I can't come here everyday. So it's only a couple times of week I'll have my special time, just me, my work, and LAMill goodies.

Brioche Donut Holes I've been craving donuts for the past few nights. These are more like beignets, but just as filling.

Chipotle Chicken Salad Possibly my favorite non-salad salad. The Farro Salad at Barbrix and Palate Food + Wine 's Three Bean Salad are still my most desired. But LAMill's chicken salad is perfectly delicious. I love the precious bites of celery, apples and raisins!

LAMill makes some damn good Iced Latte. It's the perfect drink to beat the heat especially when it's too early for cocktails.

Please send me other "summer office" suggestions! Needs to include wi-fi, quiet space, good snacks and drinks!

Ok. Back to work.

LAMill Boutique
1636 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 663-4441
www.lamillcoffee.com

Ramen California

2009-07-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are rarely able to hang out in South Bay until lately when both of us enrolled in a class at Otis out near LAX. Anything by the airport always gives us an excuse to eat in and around the South Bay.

On the day of our class, Dylan was able to get out early and both of us decided to meet at Ramen California at the deep end of Torrance.

Ramen California's chef, Shigetoshi "Sean" Nakamura, came out to greet us. I usually hide in my turtle shell when chefs come out because I personally don't like telling them I have a blog. But we had two dslr's in hand and I'm pretty sure he knew. Anyways, Sean, a very young and creative chef has two established restaurants in Tokyo and his homeken in Kanagawa. So young...that's all I kept thinking!

I am a sucker for anything bread. When I moved to Osaka, I watched my friends lose weight while I gained weight because I was always loitering around all the Japanese bakeries. Japanese are precision people...their bakers are as good as their baseball pitchers. Sean makes a perfect rosemary roll that screams out steamed Chinese bun. I love it. Now throw in a kurobuta pork sausage and you have one nasty pig in a blanket.

Chef suggested we order the fresh flounder carpaccio. Dylan loved it. But I wasn't here for the carpaccio...I was here for the ramen.

Ramen California offers three sizes of ramen. I love when noodle shops offer smaller portions. We decided we wanted to share four small bowls. Of course we wanted more, but we had a lighting class in the next hour and didn't think it was wise to have a bucket of essence broth sloshing in our stomachs while moving equiptment.

Get there early if you want his coveted Reggiano Cheese Tofu Ramen. It sells out. We got there when the restaurant opened for dinner and he was out of cheese tofu. Those selfish lunchers ate all of the cheese tofu. Jerks.

The Californian - signature ramen with over 30 garden vegetables in natural chicken broth.

I recommend starting off with the Californian or the Essence ramen. Why? These are the least mutilated ramens, focusing on the Nakamura's chicken broth. In every slurp, you'll start to move away from the bowls you've had at Santouka and Ippud o. Once you get it, the purity of a chicken broth, you'll start to appreciate the rest of Nakamura's menu.

I heard he's hated at the Torrance Farmer's Market. Nakamura is "that guy" standing by the vegetables inspecting each and every one. The vegetables that appeared in our bowl were flawless.

Heirloom Tomato Ramen with housemade vine-ripened salsa. LOVED IT. The addition of the heirloom salsa added the necessary acidic balance to Nakamura's simple chicken broth. Hot and cold, umami and acid. The heirloom was my definitely my favorite for the day. The Heirloom Tomato Ramen truly showcases Nakamura's passion to integrate California fresh into ramen.

We saved the Marsala Ramen, Nakamura's curry ramen for last. Dylan and I really loved our decision to progress from simple to mean in our hand-crafted tasting menu. The marsala ramen was a great way to end our meal with Ramen California. My only gripe is I wish he offered a spicier version. Onegaishimaaaaaasu!!!

Ramen California
24231 Crenshaw Blvd. #C
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 530-2749

It's Pickling Time - Spicy Carrots, Onions, and Beans

2009-07-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

When our Joy of Pickling book arrived last week Dylan and I giggled with foodie geekiness as we started our new adventure in the life of pickling.

After receiving our $15 box of veggie joy from the South Central Farmer's Cooperative, I was off to find some canning jars. Our friend Michael used awesome jars for his pickled onions at our Hollywood Bowl picnic and advised me to head to Heath Ceramics. Heath Ceramics carries Weck glass jars in several sizes, which are reasonably priced at $3-6/each. (The jars are probably the only things I can afford at the store.) After buying several different jars...Dylan and I were set.

Here we go...

Spicy Pickled Carrots with Garlic and Thyme
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
6 sprigs fresh thyme
5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, cracked
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Heaping 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Heaping 1 1/2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 1/2 pounds small (finger-sized) carrots, or standard carrots cut down into sticks about 1/2 in wide and 2 in long
*We added a couple of Chiles de Arbol just because we can

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, thyme, garlic, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, salt and mustard seeds. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup vinegar.

Put the carrots in a large, heatproof bowl, and pour the warm brine over them. Cool to room temperature.

While the carrots cool, make sure your canning jars are clean.

When the carrots and brine are cool, distribute the carrots evenly among the jars, arranging them snugly. Using a ladle, divide the brine evenly among the jars. The carrots should be completely covered by brine. If not add more 2 parts vinegar and 1 part water to cover.

Seal firmly and refrigerate for at least 3 days to a week depending on the thickness of the carrots.

*Dylan and I had extra brine left over after filling our jar with the carrots. So...what to do? What to do?

We grabbed the onions and beans from our South Central box of joy and pickled them too.

Fellow Spicy Carrot with Garlic and Thyme Geeks:
Whitney in Chicago
By the Season
Exit 51

What shall we pickle next???

Honeymoon Hop - Porcão

2009-07-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here's to many more years of "happy pounds." Clink!

Porcão
Barao da Torre, 218
Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
(21) 3389-8989
http://www.porcao.com.br

South Central Farmers' Cooperative - $15 Box of Joy

2009-07-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

After reading Delicious Coma's post on her $15 Birthday box of goodies from South Central Farmers' Cooperative, I immediately ordered mine. Here's what we got in our box today:

Zucchini
Heirloom Tomatoes
Green and Purple Beans
Long Neck Yellow Squash
Round Squash
Carrots
Scallop Squash
Blue Kale
Red Beets
Green Cucumber
Armenian Cucumber
Red Potatoes
Okra
Green Romain Lettuce
Red and White Spring Onions

I'm so excited to grill and pickle our special treats for the week!

Order your goodies here.

After ordering, pick your box up at the following locations:

Tuesday
Sherman Oaks Farmers' Market

Wednesday
UCLA Weyburn Terrace, Office of Residential Life, or University Village (Sawtelle)
Lawndale Farmers' Market

Thursday
LA City Hall

Saturday
Watts Farmers' Market
Leimert Park Farmers' Market
Lebec, Ca
Culver City
Bakersfield

Sunday
Atwater Village Farmers' Market
Hollywood Farmers' Market
South Pasadena Farmers' Market
Long Beach (every other Sunday)

Thanks for reading!

Hollywood Bowl - Santigold, Raphael Saadiq, and Femi Kuti

2009-06-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

It's official. Summer is here and it's time to drink and listen to great music at the best venue in Los Angeles. Yes, it's Hollywood Bowl time. Summer in LA doesn't get better than this.

This year the ladies did the planning, emails, buying tickets, and sending out maps while the boys did the cooking. It was seriously the most organized Hollywood Bowl picnic ever.

Our friend Michael brought along some excellent Pork Tenderloin Terrine, Pork Rillettes, and Pickeled Onions and Chutney.

Dylan served up a medley of picnic favorites. Apricot Soy Wings, Smoked Paprika Pasta Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, and a Strawberry Spring Salad with Goat Cheese and a Stone Fruit Vinaigrette.

Our friend Mark smoked some Pork Butt for pulled pork sandwiches. That was some tasty ass.

My mom was also in the cooking mix. She brought her delicious goi cuon rolls.

Just when we thought our stomachs were about to explode, our other friend Mark came along a large pot of Kahlua Pork and Smoked Short Ribs (not shown).

Rule 1 Everyone pitch in for the cost of the food.

Rule 2 Bring one bottle of wine.

There were 20 people meaning we had 20 bottles of wine to drink. Happy Hollywood Bowl Day!

After two hours of eating and drinking, we somehow managed to make it to the top of that hill.

Some strange man dancing with us.

We pretty much missed all of Raphael Saadiq (I was so bummed) because we took too long getting up the hill. That's ok, because Santigold truly killed it. I wish she was the headliner because it was nuts when she performed. We ended our night dancing in the aisles to Femi Kuti.

Hope you get to make it to the Bowl this season!

Check out shows here! KCRW shows are the best.

Marcos M. Photography

2009-06-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

We were at a Latino Heritage Celebration assembly at our school when my student Marcos turned to me and started "clicking" away with my lens cap. That's Marcos above....being silly as usual. But then it occurred to me to let him play with the camera.

I strapped the camera around his neck, showed him how to autofocus on our dslr and gave him a few rules like:

1. DO NOT RUN
2. IF YOU DROP THIS CAMERA...I WILL GET YOU!

And he was off...

I'd like to share with you Marcos M. Photography.

Marcos is one of my kids who is super sweet but finds himself making some wrong decisions on the playground. So while he had to stay in during recess, I'd give him some pointers on shooting and composition.

Here are some of the latest shots from our 3rd grade BBQ.

Before school ended last week, Marcos turned to me and said, "Ms. A, I want to be a photographer when I grow up." I nearly cried. Marcos is one of the many reasons why I stay in teaching even when our district treats us like crap.

For those learning to shoot, put down those photo books and stop reading. Get out and enjoy shooting just like Marcos.

Thanks for reading.

A Day in Los Olivos

2009-06-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

After a long night at one of the most fabulous weddings ever, Dylan and I were ready for a day trip to Los Olivos, our favorite Los Angeles getaway. But this time, instead of driving up and around Santa Ynez Hills, we decided to bring our bicycles in tow. Work out and wine tasting. Sign me up.

We started our day off at Los Olivos Grocery for some tri-tip sandwiches and deli goodies. I have an affinity for wine country grocery stores. They are always so cool, stocked with the tastiest cheeses, cured meats and sodas. Another reason I love wine country grocery stores is that you can usually get a pretty good meal without the wine country price tag. Never go wine tasting on an empty stomach. I learned the hard way.

First stop, Tensley Tasting Room. Tensley's famed for their full-bodied Syrah's, but on this hot afternoon Dylan and I fell in love with their Grenache Blanc and Lea Rosé.

Don't be fooled by Tensley's tasting room. It might not be the most aesthetically pleasing compared to a lot of other wineries and tasting rooms in town, but do not underestimate their wines. We loved everything we tasted at Tensley. They make amazing wines!

We ran into this poor fellow on the Santa Ynez Trail. Look at him...he's so peaceful. Still dreaming of acorns and Syrahs.

Oops. I dropped my bike.

Our ride into the Beckman Vineyard Estate was simply amazing. Long drive way, rolling vineyards, and NO CARS. Ahh...I really don't know if we can ever find such bicycling euphoria.

We were lucky to make it for their Library Sundays, a special tasting with a hand-selected assortment of vintage wines. Some were very delicious, other's were tasting very much like licking your grandfather's shoe. It was like a hit or miss with the Libary Tasting...for me. I haven't acquired the taste for old saddle and tobacco in wines...at least not yet. That's ok, because we also enjoyed tasting their usual Rhone varietals. Their 2006 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache Blanc was a winner for us. Go Grenache Blanc. That's 2 for 2. Move over Sauvignon Blanc.

I don't know what it is about riding a scooter or bike with Dylan. Everytime we do, I fall in love with that guy again. I can't really expain it. Maybe it's the fresh air or being able to enjoy the scenery. Whatever it is, I sure do like it.

Visiting the Clairmont Lavender Farms was probably my favorite part of our day. Who doesn't love the calming properties of lavender? Probably people with allergies. Dylan had a major allergy attack...so beware allergy kids.

Need omiyage (travel gifts) for friends and family? Clairmont Farms sells their lavender blossoms in sachets ($2-5). Ohmygosh, I can sit on my butt all day and sniff my lavender sachets.

We barely missed Andrew Murray's Tasting Room. 5pm - Closed! Luckily we rode to the end of Grand Avenue and Saarloos & Sons, the newest kid on the block was still open!

Enjoy Cupcakes.

It was the coming to the end of a very long and sweaty day. We ended up sharing this last tasting at Saarloos & Sons. At Saarloos and Sons, wine is family. Literally. I love the family photos they used to label their wines as each photos tells a distinct story of their history with the land and their wines. Crafted in small batches, once these wines are sold out, they are gone for good. Cherish them now before they go.

Thanks for reading!

Los Olivos Grocery
2621 W Highway 154
Santa Ynez, CA 93460
(805) 688-5115
www.losolivosgrocery.com

Tensley Tasting Room
2900 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805)688-6761
www.tensleywines.com

Beckman Vineyards
2670 Ontiveros Rd
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805) 688-8664
www.beckmenvineyards.com

Clairmont Farms
2480 Roblar Avenue
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805)688-7505
www.clairmontfarms.com

Saarloos & Sons
2971 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805) 688-1200
www.saarloosandsons.com

Enjoy Cupcakes
2971 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441
www.enjoycupcakes.com

Wedding in Oxnard

2009-06-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

If I had the endurance and patience to plan and wedding-wedding, this would be it! Lights, barns, fresh Oxnard strawberries, and a lot of very buzzed friends. Congratulations to Judy and Jonathan!

Dylan and I made Judy and Jonathan's wedding a great excuse to get away for the weekend and stayed at the Q, as Dylan likes to call it. The rest of the world refers to it as La Quinta.

We made sure to pack some of our favorite spirits, freshly squeezed juices, and simple syrups. Cocktails made in the bathroom...keeping it real...err...I mean budget. Pre-party on the potty!

Hungry and Broke - Babbo at Home

2009-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

It was a random Tuesday afternoon and I was craving Babbo NYC. Well, the problem was, we weren't in New York. We also weren't in the mood to drop dollar dollar bills at Osteria Mozza. So, what's the next best thing? Cracking open that Babbo Cookbook that has been sitting on our bookshelf.

After flipping through the dusty cookbook, I chose four simple recipes. Let the tasting menu begin!

Asparagus Milanese with Parmigiano and Quail Eggs

Octopus with Austrian Crescent Potatoes and Spicy Tangerine Citronette

Spaghetti with Sweet 100 Tomatoes and Pancetta

Strawberries and Peaches with Balsamic Zabaglione

To keep our meal at budget prices, we always start our grocery list at the cheapest market. For us, that means a run to Super King or 99 Ranch. Then we move to our 2nd tier markets, Trader Joes or Fresh & Easy. Anything left on the list, we'll head to Whole Foods. I think this 4-c0urse meal costed us about $45-50.

Asparagus Milanese with Parmigiano and Quail Eggs

This is one of those easy dishes that you need to have under your belt for a quick and delicious vegetable course. Once you've got down the technique to blanch-ice-saute asparagus, you're set. The original recipe called for duck eggs, but we had quail eggs on hand, so we decided to use the quails instead. Another $$ saving tip, try and use what you have on hand and don't be scared to substitute ingredients.

I found fresh baby octopus at Seafood City in Eagle Rock for $1.99/lb. Hell to the yes! Eight babies didn't cost us more than $4.

Octopus with Austrian Crescent Potatoes and Spicy Tangerine Citronette

It's no question that Batali knows how cook octopus. His octopus at Osteria Mozza is amazing. Perfectly grilled, tender and juicy. Dylan and I always thought about cooking octopus with Mario's mysterious cork method, so this was a fun recipe to play with.

Spaghetti with Sweet 100 Tomatoes and Pancetta

It was when I was living in Japan where I realized spaghetti is not always served with some sort of heavy marinara or bologna sauce. Early on living there I fell in love with Aglio Olio Spaghetti, which is simple fried garlic, olive oil and dried red peppers. Here's Batali's version with Sweet 100 Tomatoes. His recipe didn't call for pancetta, but who doesn't love some extra swine drippings over pasta?

Strawberries and Peaches with Balsamic Zabaglione

I've become a big fan with mascerating fruits. Batali's recipe for Strawberries and Peaches with Balsamic Zabaglione calls for an Italian Vin Santo which is super pricey. The only bottle I found in town was at Whole Foods and that was $40. Whatever. I found a bottle of Sauterne for half the price and I chugged the rest on my own. Deal!

Asparagus Milanese with Parmigiano and Quail Eggs

Kosher Salt
20 Asparagus Spears
6 tbsp extra-virgin Olive Oil
Freshly ground Black Pepper
4 Quail Eggs
Parmigiano-Reggiano for grating

1. Bring 3 qt water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp kosher salt to boiling water. Set up an ice bath. Blanch asparagus for 1 - 2 minutes (depending on thickness of stalk). Remove and refresh in the ice bath. Cool down. Remove and pat dry.

2. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil over high heat. Add asparagus. Cooked for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove.

3. Wipe down saute pan. Add 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add quail egg. Cook until the whites are firm.

4. Grate cheese over plate.

Octopus with Austrian Crescent Potatoes and Spicy Tangerine Citronette
5 tablespoons extra-virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons hot Red Pepper Flakes
1 two pound Octopus, (6-7 baby Octopus)
1 wine cork Kosher salt
½ pound Austrian Crescent potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice (Yukon Gold are fine too!)
1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh Tangerine Juice
2 tablespoons Champagne Vinegar
½ extra-virgin Olive Oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste
½ Red Onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
1 bunch of Chives, cut into 2-inch lengths

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Farenheit.

2. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the octopus to the pan and cook on all sides over high heat until it had changed color and has released its liquid. Add the wine cork, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the octopus is quite soft. (If using baby octopus, cook for 40 minutes). Cool to room temperature.

3. Meanwhile, bring 3 qts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Fill a large bowl three-quarters of the way full with ice and cold water to keep it close by. Cook the potatoes and sliced onions in the boiling water for 3 minutes, until somewhat tender but still firm. Drain the vegetables and plunge them into the ice bath. Drain again and spread on paper towels to dry.

4. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the tangerine juice and remaining teaspoon of red pepper flakes to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool, then place in a small bowl with the champagne vinegar. Slowly whisk in the ½ cup of olive oil to barely emulsify and season with salt and pepper.

5. Plate octopus over potatoes. Drizzle tangerine citronette.

Spaghetti with Sweet 100 Tomatoes and Pancetta
Kosher Salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin Olive Oil
4 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pint Sweet 100 Tomatoes, or other tiny tomatoes
1/2 bunch of chives, garlic chives preferably
12 fresh lemon basil leaves, finely shredded
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1/8-1/4 lb pancetta

1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

2. Heat olive oil over high heat in a saute pan. Lower the heat to medium and add garlic cloves and pancetta (optional). Cook for 1 minute, until softened and slightly browned. Add the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are just about to burst. Turn heat off. Add chives and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Boil water. I like adding a fistful of kosher salt before adding the spaghetti. Salt is the bomb. Cook al dente. Drain pasta. Add to pan with the tomatoes. Toss over high heat for 1 minute.

Strawberries and Peaches with Balsamic Zabaglione
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Sauterne (This recipe originally calls for a Vin Santo. But Vin Santo's are pretty pricey. I substituted this with a Sauterne)
1 tbsp aged Balsamic Vinegar

1 pint ripe Strawberries
2 Peaches, sliced
1/2 cup Sauterne
1/2 cup Honey
2 tbsp Sugar

Zabaglione
1. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Refrigerate.

2. In stainless steel bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar, Sauterne and balsamic vinegar. Place bowl in a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until the mixture is thick and foamy (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and continue whisking until zabaglione is completely cool. Gently fold the zabaglione into whipped cream. Chill for 30 minutes.

3. Place strawberries and peaches in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine Sauterne, sugar and honey and bring to a boil. Cook until completely dissolved and reduce slightly. Pour hot syrup over the fruit. Give them some privacy and let them MASCERATE in the fridge.

4. Spoon fruit and dollop with zabaglione cream!

Order your Babbo Cookbook here! Warning though...he leaves out a lot of detail. Totally not meticulous like Sunday Suppers at Lucques or Zuni Cafe, so if you're ok with "figuring things out" it's a great cookbook.

Enjoy!

Honeymoon Hop - Siri Mole & CIA

2009-06-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

We totally regret not making it up to the Northeastern coast of Brasil. The state of Bahia, known for their colorful culture and food is really the place to be. Boo to the hoo. To make up for our stupid planning, Dylan and I made sure to pick up some moqueca while we were in Rio.

The locals suggested we check out Siri Mole & CIA.

We started off with Siri Mole & CIA's couvert opcional (optional starters). Most couverts in Brasil includes warm bread rolls and butter. Siri Mole & CIA's couvert, on the other hand, came with several clam and octopus appetizers which were simply stunning. I really loved the tender and juicy octopus. Dylan loved their clams. It all worked out to get our stomachs all juiced up for some old school stew to come.

Moqueca, a seafood stew, is prepared with fresh fish, shrimp, and octopus and is marinated in garlic, onion, vinegar and lemon juice. The seafood is then cooked slowly in a cilantro and tomato paste concoction and finally coconut milk and dende oil (red palm oil) is added for the finishing touches.

Moquecas are served with white rice tossed in coconut milk topped with a spoonful of manioc flour. For those who want to take this dish to the next level, you can add drops of olive oil that has been marinating with malagueta chili peppers. Use with caution. Haha. Dylan didn't.

Thanks for reading!

Siri Mole & CIA
50 Rua Francisco Otaviano, Copacabana
21-2523-4240
www.sirimole.com.br

Honeymoon Hop - Ipanema Beach Snacks

2009-05-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

For years I've been used to traveling solo and having uninterrupted beach time. It's called, "nap, dip, nap, dip, nap, dip." But this time I wasn't alone and Dylan is not so much of a beach boy. He gets really ansy, hungry, thirsty and insisted this is not the beach to nap the day out.

"Err...just breathe Jeni. This is how it's going to roll...FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!"

Before hitting the beach, Dylan and I stopped by the corner market again for some quick snacks.

Pao de queijo!

Dylan snuck these into our basket. Batata Palha, potato straws.

This lady made a killing with Dylan's corn-chomping stomach.

The grilled cheese man! He was totally our favorite beach vendor. The cheese men takes sticks of cheese, douse it with garlic sauce and oregeno and then grill it in their Brasilian Easy-Bake Oven.

Ipanema grilled cheese sticks. Reserve your beach seat now.

So I guess I had no problem sitting on my bootie watching beautiful people defy gravity with their butt strings and chomping on grilled cheese all day. I guess I'd be wasting my time sun-napping in Rio. I'd definitely miss all the action. Dylan was right this time. Just this time though.

To be continued...

Honeymoon Hop - Rio de Janeiro

2009-05-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Dylan and I were pretty bummed when it was time to say goodbye to São Paulo. We were just starting to get acclimated to São Paulo's cosmopolitan nightlife and restaurants. Plus having cousin Alysson to guide us was a serious perk. But Alysson was heading up to Brasilia, his hometown, to be with his family for Christmas. And we, we had a flight to Rio de Janeiro.

Goodbye São Paulo. Sniff.

Ola Rio!

Once we landed, Dylan and I grabbed our backpacks and headed straight for the REAL Bus which dropped us off in Ipanema for 5USD/each vs. the 40-50USD taxi ride. Money saved is money spent...on FOOD.

We walked a couple of blocks from Av. Viera Souto (Ipanema's main beach drag) and finally arrived to our home for the next few days. Ipanema Beach House is like the hostels of all hostels. Located in prime Ipanema, you would never guess this was a hostel.

After settling in with some Itaipavas, we found out there was a Pelé charity game at Estádio do Maracanã. I wanted to sleep soooo bad, but Dylan was dying to go. You should have seen his face, it was like a little Chinese boy in a beef jerky shop. I couldn't say no.

We caught a cab and asked our driver to take us to Estádio do Maracanã. His eyes bulged and he started talking to us in Portuguese. We couldn't understand what he was saying and we eventually found ourselves playing charades with our taxi driver. He made a lot of stabbing motions and we realized he was trying to tell us that Maracanã was a shady area.

When we got to the stadium we proceeded straight to the ticket booth and made sure not to make any eye contact with the "scalpers" along the way. Shady!

Once we got in, everything was fine. We sat behind a cute Brasilian family who ended up sharing some stadium snacks.

We kept seeing guys walking buy selling these rings called Biscoitos Globo. They are the perfect cheesy puffy chip snacks. They come in two flavors...sweet (below) and salty (above).

When we got back to the hostel, we realized that every single restaurant was closed. Oops. We totally forgot it was Christmas Eve. Dylan's caveman instinct kicked in and we headed straight to the Kikarnes, the closest corner market. We picked up some steaks, linguiça calabresa (Brasilian sausages), fresh bread rolls, and grapes...all for less than 7USD.

We headed back to the hostel kitchen and seasoned the steaks with the iodized salt, pepper, and garlic.

We were thankful that Ipanema Beach House had a brick grill in the back we were blessed with this freshly grilled meal. Our dinner was perfect and there is nothing I would change about our first Christmas together.

Cachaça for Christmas. Uh oh.

To be continued...

Ipanema Beach House
Rua barao da torre, 485
Ipanema , Rio de Janeiro
(21) 3202-2693
www.ipanemahouse.com

Kikarnes
R. Visconde de Pirajá, 224
Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
(21) 2239-6499