I wants me some…

more at ecowongs.

Accidental Tacos

Before PoppyMom and PoppyDad left for NorCal, we went out to Surfas Restaurant Supply and Gourmet Food where mom picked up some baking supplies:

When we were poking around in the store, we heard over the PA:

“Attention Surfas shoppers!  We’ll be having a sushi demonstration in our kitchen in the back!  Please join us!”

I thought to myself, “That might be fun, we should check that out.  We might even get some free sushi!”  The PA announcement continued:

“We’ll also be giving out free samples of pot stickers by the front entrance!”

I continued to think, “Forget the sushi, let’s get some pot stickers!”  The PA announcement continued:

“And the Kogi Barbeque truck will be in the parking lot from noon to 3!”

I continued yet again: “Kogi!”

We originally heard about this phenomenon from our friends the Noritakes, who made a late night run out to Alibi in Culver City to intercept a taco truck.  It’s a taco truck that makes stops all over the LA area and serves up Korean BBQ style tacos and burritos.

We waited outside Surfas for the truck to arrive and we noticed a small line forming.  We figured that the line was short enough and that we didn’t really need to wait in it, we’d just get in line when the truck showed up.  Turns out we should have gotten in line.  When the line got longer, I advised my parents to go snag a spot while I fed Emmett his lunch.

When the truck finally pulled up, the Surfas employees moved the line into the parking lot, in which my dad was about 20 people back.  About 30-40 minutes later, we made our order (which was, unbeknowst to me, a LOT more than we could eat).

That’s my dad on the far right.

The feast.  In addition to this, we had enough burritos for everyone for dinner, including Christina (who was on call at the time).  This is the view of the line when we rolled out of the parking lot:

I’m glad that I accidentally ran into this truck.  I don’t know that I’d ever find the time to go out of my way to chase down a taco truck.

My Husband the Baker

Mr. Nathan has taken into his head to bake bread once more. I suppose now I should say, he’s taken it into his hands. At any rate, I just wanted to show off his handiwork before we consume every last crumb. He’s a bright guy, but this is how the bread baking jaunt started today.

“Hey, I think I want to bake bread today.”

“Ok. Very good.”

“What kind of flour do we have?”

“Bread flour.”

“Oh. I want to bake the American Sandwich Bread recipe. Is it in the King Arthur cookbook? I can’t find it.”

“No. It’s in the Baking Illustrated.”

“O yeah. thanks.”

So that’s my ingenius counter-part. He comes up with an idea and I have to help him focus so he can execute it. Nevertheless, execute finely he does… (i think i want another piece already.)

The finished product, fresh out of the oven.

Emmett is happy, because he thinks he's going to get some.

out of the pan

First Slice!

Oh, and by the way…  we had this for dinner, also made by my husband, the baker cook:

Seared Ahi Tuna Steak (marinated with salt, pepper, sesame oil, cilantro, green onions, and ginger)

Tonight’s Menu…

• Chayote Squash Soup
• Roast Duck
• Steamed Striped Bass
• Spicy Eggplant
• Bok Choy
• Steamed Rice
• Cheesecake from Amandine

We were all entertained by a young man in a monkey suit.  Due to camera issues, pictures will be forthcoming (from Chaass-Yeeyee and Hooters-Yeeyee and Auntie Sheena (how do you say Auntie in Korean?)).

The cheese no longer stands alone…

We found ourselves on this Thursday afternoon at Trader Joe’s in downtown Whittier.  We made our usual rounds, stopping to look at the cheese, the bread, the frozen fruit, etc.  However, this time, Emmett made good friends with a block of Gruyere.  I tried to take it from him to replace it with a cheaper chunk, but he resisted with his usual cries of despair.

Throughout the rest of the trip, Emmett is clutching on to this hunk of cheese as if it were the last thing he would ever hold, even to the point where the guy at the register had to quickly scan it and hand it back to him, for fear of a crying child in the checkout line.

So, we load up the car and make way for home.  Emmett is dutifully holding his cheese in his carseat.

We’re about halfway home, and we pull up to a stoplight.  There’s a break in the chatter on the radio, and I hear slurping from the back seat.  I glance in the rear view mirror, and this is what I see:

HE WAS EATING THE CHEESE!!!  THROUGH THE WRAPPER!!!  I was laughing my butt off, and Christina was appalled at our ravenous son.

This is what we ended up with by the time we got home:

The wonders of parenthood.

tasties…

So lately, I’ve been busy busy at the hospital, spending more of my hours with the benign gynecology team than my own dear family of Y-chromosomes. But as we got used to the hours, I managed to scrape together some sane moments to do some due diligence to what I consider my household duties. Some may consider these wifely duties, but as I live in the very progressive San Francisco Bay Area, I must pay some homage to the PC terms and references in our daily lives. At any rate, in an effort to make sure that my dear Mr. Nathan does not languish in my absence, I’ve stocked our kitchen with an assortment of scones. I started off with a couple of simple recipes (and some half and half procured from Sunday services…) and expanded from there. So far, I think I’ve liked the version of mega-scones filled w/ homemade fig jam, Cranberry Lemon Scones, and cheese and scallion. There are pictures that will come along at some point…(ahem, mr. nathan?) But these have sustained our early mornings with our not-so-tiny man, and boosted those desparate late afternoons when I get out of the OR.

Scones

2.5-3 cups of all purpose flour

2.5 TBSP of baking powder

1 tsp of salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 stick of chilled and cubed butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

up to 1 cup of cranberries or chocolate

Zest of 1 large lemon or orange (or 2!)

1. Combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter. Throw in the cranberries and zest.

2. Mix together the egg, milk, and extract. Combine with the dry.

3. Knead just enough to get dough to come together. Feel free to add up to 1/4 cup of flour. (this can vary depending on how humid the weather is.)

4. Shape the dough into a giant circle about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Bake (preferably on a stone) at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes.

Other snackies to come, including granola and biscotti.

Six Decades Young

Happy Birthday to Grandpa (Yeh-Yeh) Wong! We helped to celebrate by heading to the Poppyside for dinner on Saturday night. We had crab, crab, and more crab. And we topped off the evening by enjoying a chocolate opera torte from our good friends at Sugar Butter Flour. Good times.

Pictures!

Don’t worry about that last picture, Emmett’s loins were fully girded. Good food, good times.

Welcome to CHILI’S!!!!

So, we all went down to Cupertino to eat at Chili’s and Auntie Katie served us.

We had:

and

It was pretty good. Don’t know if I’d eat it again. The service was impeccable.