I remember Santa Monica farmers market as a booming place all year around. They had gorgeous produce and flowers no matter what season. But the best for me and Pat were the amazing taco trucks. Yum!
Here at the Trenton farmers market, things are not so bright. If I go in the winter, hardly any of the stands are open. There are some flowers but I really don't know how they grow those when it's snowing out. But this weekend, it was the best scene that I've seen at this particular market. It was packed with people and amazing produce including peaches, tomatoes, scallions, cucumbers, corn, etc etc.... So among various kids' favorites, Pat and I also picked up some amazing tomatoes of different sizes and colors to make some yummy tomato sandwich. It's such a delicious snack and so simple to make.
Tomato Sandwich.
Toast a piece of bread til brown and crispy on the outside. Use one slice of toast only.
Spread a good coating of mayo while still hot.
Cut thick slices of tomatoes of various sizes and colors and put a generous amount on top of the toast.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Eat while the bread is still warm!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
resuming my food list
breakfast: 2 slices of toast with almond butter; small world cafe coffee (it's really good)
lunch: pork cutlet
snack: brownie (from le pain quotidien - really really good but it's scary - lots and lots of butter. I bought this at the store today but I've made some in the past. They are amazing. See recipe below); iced coffee
dinner: Hungarian goulash with egg noodles (made in crockpot - really easy and pretty yummy); sisi's leftover ice cream
I went to my weekly meeting/ site visit in NY. Tuesdays always leave me starved so I don't eat salad for dinner. I am definitely getting round. 20 week ultrasound coming up in a couple of weeks. We will most probably find out the gender then! I am guessing another boy.
Le Pain Quotidien Brownies
Makes 14 brownies
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 - 64% cacao)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
5 eggs, beaten lightly with a fork
1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons pastry flour
1. Roughly chop the chocolate into pieces. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and add the butter. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, until the two ingredients have melted. Mix well and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sift the sugar and flour together, then stir into the chocolate. Add the eggs and mix well. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. The batter will thicken as it stands.
3. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Spoon one-fourth cup batter into each paper-lined cup. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. The brownies will still be moist when done; they will puff up and fall slightly as they cool.
Hungarian Goulash - crockpot style! (modified from recipe on recipezaar.com)
* 2 lbs beef stew meat - no need to cut
* 1 large onion, sliced
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 3 carrots - just to get more veg in the meal
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 cup water
* 1/4 cup flour
Dump everything into the crockpot except for flour and cook on low all day. Turn on crockpot before you go to work and unplug when you get home. Mix the flour with a bit of water and pour in at the end to thicken the sauce. Break up the meat in the pot with fork so it's easier to serve and eat. Serve over egg noodles.
Pat said the Goulash was OK. Terran was sick and didn't eat much. I think Sisi liked it. She ate the noodles. She never eats meat. I woofed mine down and thought it was yummy.
lunch: pork cutlet
snack: brownie (from le pain quotidien - really really good but it's scary - lots and lots of butter. I bought this at the store today but I've made some in the past. They are amazing. See recipe below); iced coffee
dinner: Hungarian goulash with egg noodles (made in crockpot - really easy and pretty yummy); sisi's leftover ice cream
I went to my weekly meeting/ site visit in NY. Tuesdays always leave me starved so I don't eat salad for dinner. I am definitely getting round. 20 week ultrasound coming up in a couple of weeks. We will most probably find out the gender then! I am guessing another boy.
Le Pain Quotidien Brownies
Makes 14 brownies
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 - 64% cacao)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
5 eggs, beaten lightly with a fork
1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons pastry flour
1. Roughly chop the chocolate into pieces. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and add the butter. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, until the two ingredients have melted. Mix well and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sift the sugar and flour together, then stir into the chocolate. Add the eggs and mix well. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. The batter will thicken as it stands.
3. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Spoon one-fourth cup batter into each paper-lined cup. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. The brownies will still be moist when done; they will puff up and fall slightly as they cool.
Hungarian Goulash - crockpot style! (modified from recipe on recipezaar.com)
* 2 lbs beef stew meat - no need to cut
* 1 large onion, sliced
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 3 carrots - just to get more veg in the meal
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 cup water
* 1/4 cup flour
Dump everything into the crockpot except for flour and cook on low all day. Turn on crockpot before you go to work and unplug when you get home. Mix the flour with a bit of water and pour in at the end to thicken the sauce. Break up the meat in the pot with fork so it's easier to serve and eat. Serve over egg noodles.
Pat said the Goulash was OK. Terran was sick and didn't eat much. I think Sisi liked it. She ate the noodles. She never eats meat. I woofed mine down and thought it was yummy.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Pho for dinner
I made pho tonight for the first time. I actually didn't make it tonight. I assembled it last night and let it cook in my favorite crock pot while I was at work. I looked up recipes online and most calls for making beef stock out of bones. I don't know what that even means so I just used beef stock and added spices. It was easy and turned out awesome.
Terran said "mmm, mama, this is so good." And Sisi sat very quietly and continuously shoved noodles in her mouth. Pat said that the beef was cooked too long but the soup was right on. Such great compliments!
Here's the recipe. I got it from one of my favorite crock pot websites: crockpot365.blogspot.com
--6 cups beef broth or stock
--2 inch chunk of ginger
--2 whole star anise
--1 cinnamon stick
--2 sliced green onions
--1 lb thin sliced beef
--package of rice noodles
--2 t fish sauce
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1/2 t black pepper
put everything (except the noodles) in the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. If I were to do it again, and if timing was right, I'd put the meat in during the last hour or so. Cooking thin slices of beef for 8 hours just disintegrates the meat. I knew that it wasn't a good idea but I knew I was going to be home late tonight and wouldn't have that extra hour til dinner. Oh well. Maybe next time. I will also put in cloves next time since I have some of that on hand.
The smell in the kitchen was amazing when I got home. Pat picked up the kids and got home before I did so he cooked the noodles in the pot. Overall, it was definitely successful and I will definitely do it again. Pho is definitely one of my favorite foods!
Part of the reason I made pho is because Pat hasn't had it in a long long time. I work next to Chinatown in Philly so I get pho at least every other week. For Pat, who is stuck in Lawrenceville, NJ, there's no where to get pho nearby. Due to lack of good restaurants in the area, I've resorted to cooking things that I wouldn't usually make. Pho is one example, and last week, I made Ropa Vieja - which was also pretty damn good. I'm such a good wife.
Terran said "mmm, mama, this is so good." And Sisi sat very quietly and continuously shoved noodles in her mouth. Pat said that the beef was cooked too long but the soup was right on. Such great compliments!
Here's the recipe. I got it from one of my favorite crock pot websites: crockpot365.blogspot.com
--6 cups beef broth or stock
--2 inch chunk of ginger
--2 whole star anise
--1 cinnamon stick
--2 sliced green onions
--1 lb thin sliced beef
--package of rice noodles
--2 t fish sauce
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1/2 t black pepper
put everything (except the noodles) in the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. If I were to do it again, and if timing was right, I'd put the meat in during the last hour or so. Cooking thin slices of beef for 8 hours just disintegrates the meat. I knew that it wasn't a good idea but I knew I was going to be home late tonight and wouldn't have that extra hour til dinner. Oh well. Maybe next time. I will also put in cloves next time since I have some of that on hand.
The smell in the kitchen was amazing when I got home. Pat picked up the kids and got home before I did so he cooked the noodles in the pot. Overall, it was definitely successful and I will definitely do it again. Pho is definitely one of my favorite foods!
Part of the reason I made pho is because Pat hasn't had it in a long long time. I work next to Chinatown in Philly so I get pho at least every other week. For Pat, who is stuck in Lawrenceville, NJ, there's no where to get pho nearby. Due to lack of good restaurants in the area, I've resorted to cooking things that I wouldn't usually make. Pho is one example, and last week, I made Ropa Vieja - which was also pretty damn good. I'm such a good wife.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
I'm still here
It's been a long time since I wrote here last. It's only because I have a big news and it's hard to write about anything else. Patrick and I are expecting another baby in January! Now, we are just trying to enjoy having "only 2 kids". It's going to be a chaotic mess (as I hear from other parents of 3 or more) but that's the future of our family and it's going to be awesome!.
This pregnancy has definitely been different. I've been a little more tired and a little more sick than before. The fetus is a health nut. My craving everyday is SALAD. I was never a fan of salad but one of my meals is always salad and it's oh soooo gooood! weird. The other day, we all went and got chick fil-a (really amazing fastfood). I would usually get the chicken sandwich but the thought of it made me feel ill and ended up with a salad instead. That's so not me!
Another awesome news is that I am now a registered architect in New York. I was hoping to get my license in California last February but failed the last exam that is only required in CA. I was pretty upset about it and decided to put all of that frustrated energy to complete a few more paper work to apply for license in NY. It worked so here I am. Finally licensed! I am still going to try to get a license in CA and my retake of that last test is in November....
Terran turned 4 in July and we had a party for him at home. Photos to come. Sisi is not even 2 yet but is able to talk a lot and communicate with us. Her development might be just normal but it surprises Pat and I since Terran was especially slow at speech. Although now I realize that all of this, how early they walk, talk, use the toilet, etc. don't really matter. They will learn to do it eventually.
In June, we took a family vacation to DC. It was really fun and photos to come.
This week, we are taking another summer vacation to Jersey Shore. Renting a house and spending time at the beach and boardwalk is a culture around this area. We're going to try and see what it's all about. The kids have never been to the beach so it will be fun to see them in all that sand! My sis and her husband are also coming down from NY to join us so that's going to be great!
This pregnancy has definitely been different. I've been a little more tired and a little more sick than before. The fetus is a health nut. My craving everyday is SALAD. I was never a fan of salad but one of my meals is always salad and it's oh soooo gooood! weird. The other day, we all went and got chick fil-a (really amazing fastfood). I would usually get the chicken sandwich but the thought of it made me feel ill and ended up with a salad instead. That's so not me!
Another awesome news is that I am now a registered architect in New York. I was hoping to get my license in California last February but failed the last exam that is only required in CA. I was pretty upset about it and decided to put all of that frustrated energy to complete a few more paper work to apply for license in NY. It worked so here I am. Finally licensed! I am still going to try to get a license in CA and my retake of that last test is in November....
Terran turned 4 in July and we had a party for him at home. Photos to come. Sisi is not even 2 yet but is able to talk a lot and communicate with us. Her development might be just normal but it surprises Pat and I since Terran was especially slow at speech. Although now I realize that all of this, how early they walk, talk, use the toilet, etc. don't really matter. They will learn to do it eventually.
In June, we took a family vacation to DC. It was really fun and photos to come.
This week, we are taking another summer vacation to Jersey Shore. Renting a house and spending time at the beach and boardwalk is a culture around this area. We're going to try and see what it's all about. The kids have never been to the beach so it will be fun to see them in all that sand! My sis and her husband are also coming down from NY to join us so that's going to be great!
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