Cookbook Tuesday: Winter

Winter in Southern California is as so: Dry days with average temperatures of 70 and crisp lows in the 50s at night. By most standards, this isn't winter, it's fall. But to me and the rest of the natives this is winter.  

This is book 2 of 3 in the collection of books I have from Yevette Van Boven.  You all remember the book one of three in a previous Cookbook Tuesday right?  Home Made Winter features seasonal favorites and holiday treats. While our traditions may be different for Halloween or Christmas, the tradition of stuffing face is something we can all relate to.

I need that piggy plate in m life. 

I marked a few recipes that sound amazing, like this porchetta. 

Like all the cookbooks I own, I love the design.  I mean check the paper cut outs. 

Thanksgiving is like 2 days away!

Eating Out Sushi

On Friday I read and article that stated that within our lifetime, we will deplete the ocean's stock of fish.  So much so, that the next generation and generations to come will not eat fish from the ocean but from a farm.

By the time we 20-somethings are living it up as 60 and 70-year-olds, we may no longer be able to depend on the ocean to provide us with wild fish and other fruits of the sea.

Read more at: http://nextshark.com/alarming-trends-show-that-we-may-be-the-last-generation-to-enjoy-good-sushi/#rmns

 By the time we 20-somethings are living it up as 60 and 70-year-olds, we may no longer be able to depend on the ocean to provide us with wild fish and other fruits of the sea.

By the time we 20-somethings are living it up as 60 and 70-year-olds, we may no longer be able to depend on the ocean to provide us with wild fish and other fruits of the sea.

Read more at: http://nextshark.com/alarming-trends-show-that-we-may-be-the-last-generation-to-enjoy-good-sushi/#rmns

By the time we 20-somethings are living it up as 60 and 70-year-olds, we may no longer be able to depend on the ocean to provide us with wild fish and other fruits of the sea.

Read more at: http://nextshark.com/alarming-trends-show-that-we-may-be-the-last-generation-to-enjoy-good-sushi/#rmns

By the time we 20-somethings are living it up as 60 and 70-year-olds, we may no longer be able to depend on the ocean to provide us with wild fish and other fruits of the sea.

Read more at: http://nextshark.com/alarming-trends-show-that-we-may-be-the-last-generation-to-enjoy-good-sushi/#rmns

By the time we 20-somethings are living it up as 60 and 70-year-olds, we may no longer be able to depend on the ocean to provide us with wild fish and other fruits of the sea.

Read more at: http://nextshark.com/alarming-trends-show-that-we-may-be-the-last-generation-to-enjoy-good-sushi/#rmns

By the time we 20-somethings are living it up as 60 and 70-year-olds, we may no longer be able to depend on the ocean to provide us with wild fish and other fruits of the sea.

Read more at: http://nextshark.com/alarming-trends-show-that-we-may-be-the-last-generation-to-enjoy-good-sushi/#rmns

THE FUCK!

By the time we are older, fish farms might ensure that sushi will still be around, but we’ll know firsthand that only real sushi is made with the best wild-caught fish.

Read more at: http://nextshark.com/alarming-trends-show-that-we-may-be-the-last-generation-to-enjoy-good-sushi/#rmns

That same Friday, my work decided to have a staff meal of salmon, shrimp and mixed fish.  We have a smoker at work and it cooked everything perfectly.  I'm
made a quick marinade for the scrimps that consisted of the following:

garlic
lemon
salt
pepper 
chili powder 
 Let it all sit together for 5-10 minutes then cook how you will.  It will come out good every time.  I fucking mean it. I also made the brussel sprouts with the following:

brussel sprouts
bacon fat
salt
balsamic vinegar, to be tossed in after they are cooked. 
I kept them wet so they wouldn't dry out on the smoker.  They were perfect. 

Anyways, it was a pretty fish centric meal. Sitting down and eating it with the knowledge that  there probably won't be much of this stuff left kinda laid heavy on me.  Do I take the hippie high road and not eat it, or do I take the YOLO road and eat it because, fuck the next generation?  What are they going to do for me? I ate it. I mean I prepared most of it and I cut my finger using a serrated knife to cut the sprouts. I also didn't bring a lunch. So I ate it and moved along with my day.

 Later that night, after some grocery shopping. we decide to actually eat out.  The husband suggest sushi at White Wasabi.  Even after eating a fish lunch my first reaction was yes.  I didn't think anything of it. We rarely eat sushi. It's not because we don't enjoy it but because it is pricey and tastes evolve. Also food allergies develop. Like me and avocado. 

Everything was great. The atmosphere, the decor and design of the restaurant was on point. I didn't think much of that article or much of anything.  But there was something that erked me, actually a few things. 

It is a sushi restaurant, but the menu of actual sushi, you know, just rice and fish, was very small. However, the menu of specialty rolls was massive.  There were so many options and combinations that it makes people indecisive.   It's not just White Wasabi.  Every sushi place in Long Beach and OC beach cities is this way.  It is maddening! There was a time when I was that person that ate rolls of mixed fish with random sauces. I loved it!

I've grown to not enjoy the rolls so much these days. I actually enjoy the taste of raw fish and rice.  Also a majority of the rolls contain avocado and that's basically poison to me and it's not by choice.  We did order a roll that night but it wasn't as good as the yellowtail sushi.  I was also bummed that they didn't have saba aka mackerel.  It's my jam but, unfortunately, not that night.  I also over heard the couple next to me order one more roll based on the server's suggestion and I witnessed them not finish it or not take it home.  Then it hit me. Sushi guilt.  The weight of a bluefin tuna looming over me. Did these fish die in vain? I wanted to slap them and tell them that you have it so good right now. That some day in the future, that roll will not taste the same.  Do you know that?  Do you know what sushi is?

I did feel bad after the meal. I also considered giving up sushi all together but I probably won't. I like it too much.  We rarely eat it these days and I promise I will never take a bite of sushi for granted. Scout's honor.

In the meantime, reeducate yo self!

This Week in SnackChat

Welcome to This Week in SnackChat. This week, my friends pretty much ate pizza, burgers and tacos.  Gearing up for the Thxgvng holiday.

The power of zza is strong with this one!

Scrimp tacos 

Are those chips in that burger or sandwich? I applaud you. 

You've been warned! Go fourth and partake! 

It's like chips in your sandwich. 

#insidejoke 

Breakfast tacos will never live up to its counter part, the breakfast burrito.  But A for effort. 

I feel that the Thxgvng sandwich is going to be the new pumpkin spice latte. Just like the latte, you can order it any other time of the year.  Some how the crisp fall air compels people to order it only during October and November.  

Snacks that look like mini burgers are the best.  It's like you're eating ten mini meals just sweeter.

I feel in Thailand there are two schools of thought. One is Singha the other is Changs. I tried both and to me, it was clear that I am in the Singha school of thought. Crisp and refreshing. Until I went to PokPok in Portland and had the Changs Slush and my mind was blown.  Changs is best enjoyed with ice and when it is in shushie form it's a next level that is best described as a drunk brain freeze.

When fast food companies hit their target audience. 

Wanna send me snaps? Find me on SnapChat, user name: log.lady 

HAPPY 1st BLOG POST DAY!

One year ago, the first Eizelle Eats Out post was officially posted.  I just ate some pork rinds and I knew I wanted to start something new for myself.  I've grown and rekindled my knowledge of basic html.

As a gift to myself, I bought a monogram mug.

I hope you found this kinda entertaining and I have a bunch more in store for the coming year.  Until then, I hope we can eat out one day!

Cookbook Tuesday: Thxgvng Edition

You might be looking at me and thinking, "Dude, a grocery store pamphlet about Thanksgiving? That's not a cookbook!" Well, to me it is. It was my guide to my very first Thanksgiving. Well, the first Thanksgiving I didn't go home.  I was in Portland. I had a dog,  a cat and we shared this meal with friends and family.  It is one of my favorites to date. It was all ours.  We had so much fun making the food and setting up the apartment. We even had an appropriate fire going in the fire place.

This guide to building stuffing is the best. It is a Chose Your Own Adventure style recipe.  It has never failed me. 

I followed this recipe for the Turkey.  From the brining to to the temperature, at least what I thought the temperature was in my little electric stove oven combo could do. I also didn't use stuffing for my bird. I stuffed lemons,an apple, celery, onion, and some carrots in every oriface.  I also rubbed it down inside, outside and under the skin with herbs and butter.  It was perfect. 

  

This Week in SnackChat

Welcome to This Week in SnackChat! 

Stoner's wet dreams.

I wish my lunch looked like that.

Chicken butt

Inner fat kid is crying that this is not in my mouth.

This is my bar.

Classic

Rubbing salt in my wounds.

Classic mortician puns.  

Cookbook Tuesday: Le Pigeon

It's back! Cookbook Tuesday is back! The day I show off the books that are sitting on my shelves.  Today's book is Le Pigeon: Cooking at the Dirty Bird. Yes, another book from another restaurant from Portland. You should know me by now.

 

One of my earliest memories was being babysat by my God other's mother, my God grandmother.  I would play in the backyard all morning.  They had a sweet playhouse and a coup full of pigeons that I thought were pets.  I would feed them twice a day and run my fingers through the holes of the fence in hopes to try to pet one of the birds.  Most of the time I had to try to avoid them pecking me. It was fun.  As a child I didn't think much of it. My next door neighbors had pet chickens and I had a dog. People have weird pets.  I'm Filipino, so to me, this was kinda normal. 

Fast forward 20 years and I'm talking with my mom and I brought up the pigeons at my God mother's house. 

Me: Isn't it weird that Ninang (the Filipino word for God Mother) had pet pigeons?

Mom: Those weren't pets!

Me: What?

Mom: Have you ever eaten chicken at Ninang's house.

Me: Probably,

Mom: That wasn't chicken.

Well shit.  My friends turned out to be my meal.  

I guess you can say the same for many of the recipes in this book.  A whole section is devoted to rabbit.  I love how cute rabbits are, but they are pretty tasty.  They also make for warm, itchy sweaters. 


 While I haven't made anything from the book just yet, I have eaten here.  It was wonderful.

That Night I Made a Dinner for Two and Snacks for Eight

After about two weekends of not being home it was great to have a weekend to catch up on laundry and general apartment upkeep. It was amazing. We had a clean apartment, I had two little Cornish game hens ready to be roasted and I thought it would be a nice day to have people over for snacks and drinks at 7:45pm.  The original plan was to have two friends over for dinner only but that didn't work out.  So snacks it was.  

I originally wanted to make a roasted chicken but I thought it would be way fun to make Cornish game hens because they are fucking cute! I just want to hug them. I've never seen what Cornish game hen actually looks like so a quick Google search produced what looked like a small chicken.  They are also not game hens, they are boiler chickens. They are also not exclusively female. Mind exploded! 

 I cooked two according to the recipe according to Tosca's Roast Chicken recipe on Bon Appetit.  

I cooked both of them in my cast iron skillet and they were perfect! The juice soaked bread was amazing after a little time in the broiler. I have one more little guy siting in my fridge waiting to be hugged then consumed. The stuffing sounds odd but it is fucking delish! I heart you April Bloomfield! 

  After dinner it was snack time.  I made rainbow carrot fritters, a kale and heirloom spinach with ricotta, and a mushroom terrine made with homemade creme fraiche.  I also made hummus! Our friends are the best and they brought caramel pretzels assorted cookies, pies, mushroom turnovers and a Hormel party platter.  

Bring on the Holla Daze! 

Eating Out Portland

Portland holds a soft spot in my heart.  It is the first and only state I lived in other than California. I was 25 with my boyfriend at the time, now husband, and my best friend. Since moving back, we try to make it out there about two times a year.

This year it was Anissa's #30, so it was pretty special this time around. Unlike my #30, she didn't puke the bed, but like mine, I made food.  Brunch to be exact. 

Ooo I forgot I made a bacon scallion ricotta too! 

The finished plate! 

The brunch spread. Can't forget the booze!  

Because Revolutionary War themed bars are the new hunter's lodge theme bar.  The food here is pretty legit and they have free pool! Oh and a flat screen Big Buck Hunter! Oh and  a photo booth! Oh and a World Cup pinball machine!  Legit cocktails and bartenders but they did't know how to make Washington apple shots. This bar used to be called Madison.  Bus simply remove a vowel and you have Mad Sons. 

Portland Airport started featuring carts and one of them is Pok Pok wing.  We ordered the wings and one of each buns. I really wanted the drinking vinegar but it was outside of security so getting some of those back home is a no go. 

Snaps on the packaging!  The best airport meal ever!  

This Week in SnackChat

Ahhh...it feels good to get over that hump of Wednesday and to slide into This Week in SnackChat.  I start with a SnackChat I Snapped out to my friends.  After a long week of eating out, I needed something homemade and fresh.

To me Halloween is candy, it's a little messy throwing these things into candy bags.  You can say it is a trick and treat all in one.

This is Halloween! Look at that squirrel, it's all like, "Hey, Mr. Goodbar, give me yo nuts?"

From healthy to unhealthy. Sometimes you gotta do the Dew.  So I love the Mountain Dew Twitter. It's like they know their customer and they are gently whispering in their ears, "Hey, I know you game/skate/love Hot Pockets bro, you need to fuel up with the Dew. "

It's a take over. @CallofDuty:#AdvancedWarfare is occupying our YouTube page. Get ready to Fuel up for Battle. https://t.co/Ha1BAY7PjP
— Mountain Dew® (@mtn_dew) November 4, 2014

I miss you Linda!

Dang indeed.  Is that a chicken fried steak?

Heaven indeed. It's not heaven when you think you've washed your hands thoroughly and then you take your contacts out and your eyes burn.

 I'm a sucker for homemade SnackChats. 

The beginning of the week was feeling like Fall.  The air is crisp, when the sun is not out. It makes me sad that I was in Portland the it rained in Long Beach. I mean, I wasn't sad because I was in Portland and I cry every time I leave. But rain in Southern California is like a unicorn. I missed the unicorn and hopefully I can see it soon. 

Gotta SnackChat you wanna share? Send them to me via SnapChat! Username: log.lady