Home Entertainment System

I haven't had the time or space to entertain for quite some time. Finally, I found a window of opportunity to just do it. It was so much fun.

I invited the girls over for a clothing swap and brunch. At first I was a bit apprehensive about how I was going to cook all that food and make the place look nice for my esteemed guests, especially because I overslept, but things all turned out quite well. The day before, I went to the Farmers' Market to pick up a few bunches of flowers to make an arrangement. It turns out there was enough for two. Usually the flowers are the center of attention while the greenery serve as a backdrop, but I decided to turn the tables this time. This is the arrangement that graced the dining table (it was later moved to accomodate more hungry guests):





Quite a bit of French Lavender was left, so I stuffed them into a round vase and put that on the coffee table.

The cooking went off without a hitch, but it did take some conscious planning. I started with the chili first because it needed to slow-cook. After the chili-cooking was underway, I primped, snapped a few shots of the flowers, and washed some dishes associated with the chili cookoff. As it got closer to the scheduled start time, I started cooking sausages and applewood smoked bacon. While the meaty stuff cooked, I beat some eggs together and scrambled them. Everything came out piping hot by the time the guests were ready to eat.





My friends brought over corn muffins, croissants, strawberries, a dip for snacking a bit later on, and champagne for mimosas. After we ate, we played dressup. It was really fun! Having a successful event alleviated my anxieties about entertaining in general. I'm already looking forward to hosting another get-together, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Skewered and Askewed

The first week back in the States after travelling overseas felt awkward. I thought that by thinking, "Jet lag, what's that?", I'd be able to ignore the issue and feel completely settled in. Alas, that was not to be. I felt completely upside down all week. I've been busy trying to get caught up with the hundreds of emails (work and personal) and stacks of papers that piled up in my absence, and in doing so, there was no time to buy groceries and fix up a proper meal. Now that I want to cook to start the week right, I have to be out of town again; there's no point in buying groceries, not have time or be around to do anything with them, and let things spoil for no good reason.

At least I feel committed to cooking. As long as I have a particular dish in mind, I'll get motivated to work on it. This is the same situation as what occurred before I left for my trip--I somehow got fixated on the idea of making kabobs because it was easy, filling, and delicious, so even though I was tired after getting home from work, I went ahead and did it. This recipe is great for working professionals because the labor can be split into different days, and if the portions are small, less prep time is needed. Also, if you know in advance that you need to feed a small army on the next day, kabobs look great and are generally crowdpleasers.

The concept is simple--cut up the meat one night, marinate it, put it on skewers on the next day along with some veggies, and grill or broil. The process really is that simple. However, it can be a bit time-consuming. The bamboo skewers had to soak for 30 minutes before use (so that they won't burn), and while that was being done, I washed and cut up a bunch of veggies. Since the value pack of sirloin I got was a bit short of 2 pounds of meat, it took a while to get them all skewered up. It was pretty fun to try and come up with different configurations so that no two skewers were exactly the same:



Cooking was very quick and easy--drizzle some olive oil on the kabobs, broil one side for 5 minutes, turn, and broil some more until the desired level of doneness (another 5-10 minutes). It was delicious, and I had enough food for lunch and dinner for almost a week.



Now I have to figure out what to cook next time...

Original Recipe

There are lots of stories of college students surviving on ramen, but I was not one of them. After moving out of the dorms, I had to figure out the cooking situation. Sure, I've done a little bit of cooking before, but they were simple things and not quite a full meal. However, I was pretty excited about living out on my own and was determined to be a good cook. After all, if I could cook up chemicals in class without blowing anything up, cooking food shouldn't be a problem. I picked an ambitious menu for a first complete meal (pork chops, potatoes, and veggies). While the potatoes were more of a challege than I anticipated, I wound up with a delicious meal in the end, and the small triumph spurred me into being more creative and experimental. Cookbooks offered some guidance, but I preferred to create my own dishes. I had a ton of fun.

Tonight was a trip down memory lane, as my roommate and I tag-teamed to cook up one of my favorite recipes that I can call my own--my Tuna Casserole. It is a very inexpensive dish ($3-4 at most), and it can last quite a few meals if you are cooking for yourself. It is really easy to make, and will leave you wanting more. I have even gotten non-fans of tuna to enjoy it.

The recipe requires rotini pasta, tuna, condensed cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese, celery (or green beans), cracker or bread crumbs. I don't measure (I eyeball everything), so I can't really quantify how many ounces of this or that to put in, but you can add your best judgment. It is really hard to screw this up.

1) Pick a casserole dish or baking pan. Figure out how much rotini pasta it would take to cover about 2/3 of the depth. Boil that amount of pasta, preheat the oven to 275F in the meantime, drain, and pour into the pan/dish.

2) Grab a can of tuna (or if the dish is big, make it 2). Drain, then mix in with the pasta.

3) Slice and dice up some celery. Or, if you'd like to get rid of some green beans (which is what I did tonight), cut up some of that. Saute for a few minutes in olive oil with an optional smashed clove of garlic to flavor. Mix in with the pasta and tuna.

4) Open up a can (or 2, if the dish is big) of condensed mushroom soup. Mix it in with the pasta mixture until you get a nice, creamy concoction.

5) Add in a little bit of cheddar cheese and mix with the pasta. This will give the casserole a little bit more cohesiveness when it's done. When that's done, cover the top of the pasta mixture with cheddar.

6) The crust can be made from either Italian bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. I prefer breaking up thin, crunchy water crackers in Ziploc bags, then pouring it all over the top to create a very crunchy crust. We used Italian bread crumbs tonight and it was quite good.

7) Bake for 20 minutes, or a tad longer if you want a toastier crust.

8) Eat.

All That and a Bag of Chips (if you'd like)

It's been a while since I did a food post. After a long day of work, it is hard to get motivated to make a nice meal. Sometimes the cooking part isn't hard, but the cleanup can be very daunting. These days, the economy is a driving force toward cooking more and eating out less, or toward eating cheaper foods. Fast food burgers are quick and cheap, but they aren't always tasty and definitely aren't good for you. The more upscale burger joints turn out gourmet burgers, but not everyone can afford (or justify) the price of a $10 burger. Fortunately, good burgers can be made at home; at the price of one gourmet burger, you can feed a few people or make several meals for yourself.

Personally, I don't like to add ketchup, mayo, or mustard so that the meat won't taste bland. I prefer that the meat is well-seasoned before it's cooked. Today I like to share my burger recipe. With less than $2 worth of materials, I made enough to last a couple of meals.

I had about half a pack of ground beef (a little over $2 a pack...I can't remember the weight) in the freezer, the leftovers from making something else. I was going to save that for a chili, but I came home craving a burger today and didn't want to spend the money eating out. Since I didn't have everything I needed, I hopped over to the neighborhood market to get some romain lettuce, a tomato, and an onion (total cost: $1.13). The rest was easy.

Since I don't measure, all I can tell you is what to add "to taste." Here's what I did:

1) Quick-thaw the meat in a "waterbath" (I just don't do microwaves because the edges of the meat end up getting cooked, especially ground meat). I covered the bottom of a pie tin with a quarter of an inch of water, then I put the frozen meat package upside-down so that the saran wrap side is partially submerged in water. The water melts the ice quicker than it would have if the meat was left out in open air. Since the foam bottom of the package needs to be thawed as well, I covered the bottom of a second pie tin with water and put that first pie tin on top.

2) After thawing, spread the ground beef out in a mixing bowl. Finely chop a little bit of onions, smash up some garlic, and throw it with the meat. The trick is to add just enough onions and garlic to flavor the meat without making the patties fall apart.

3) Add a dash of pepper, some celery salt (or regular salt, if you like), a little bit of Worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar (keeps the meat tender and gives it a bit of flavor), a tablespoon of mustard, and an already-beaten egg (which I believe holds the meat together better).

4) Shape the patties. I chose to keep them small because of issues with the bread (more on that below).

5) Cook the patties in a frying pan with some olive oil. Sear on high heat, then let it sit in medium-low heat to keep the juices in the meat. If you have a George Foreman grill, that will save some time and possibly cut down on the fat as well, but I do think the frying pan produces better-tasting results (mmm...carmelized onions).

6) If you have burger buns, that's great. If you only have loaves of sliced bread, that's OK too. You can either eat the burger like any other sandwich, or you can use a cup to cut out a round shape. (You can save the trimmed-out parts to make croutons or a bread pudding.) I kept the patties small because I only had sliced bread, and I wanted to play around with a concept--a stack of discs. I used a large cup to cut out the bread for the base, put on some lettuce, put the patty on top of that, then smaller slices of tomatoes, then a smaller piece of bread up top. To some degree, presentation does matter. A well-presented plate made me more eager to enjoy the meal, and tricks dinner guests into thinking that you've slaved away over the stove to put together a fabulous meal.


I wish I had a bottle of red wine and some fries (or chips) on hand to go with the juicy burgers, but I was quite satisfied without them. Prep time was minimal, and while it took 15 minutes to cook it to the way I want it, I didn't really have to watch over it too much.

Mani's Bakery Survey (and $5 gift card)

When I have to stay up late but still want to catch a few hours of sleep, I use a good chai latte as my midnight oil instead of coffee. However, very few places make it exactly the way I want it. Thus, after I get off the freeway from work, I'm willing to drive out to Mani's Bakery to get my large chai latte, and occasionally, a delicious organic baked treat. While I can't afford the cakes and tarts on a regular basis, the inexpensive day-old muffins serves as a healthy breakfast.

Sadly, I've noticed some changes recently. The operating hours have shrunken, and the price has gone up a little. According to their blog, the drop in sales compounded with rising operating costs may result in the end of the business. That would be quite sad. To look for ways to improve the business, Mani's is offering a $5 gift card to those who complete a customer satisfaction survey. Depending on your initial responses, it can be a fairly lengthy survey, but I think it is well-constructed to seek out honest opinions. I had planned to go there tomorrow before my LACMA trip anyway, so the gift card comes in handy.

If you've been to the cafe before, want to support it, and plan to go back sometime this month (before the gift card expires), you can take the survey here.

Larger than Life

This morning, I woke up remarkably early for a Saturday. I've been waking up fairly early lately for work assignments, so I suppose I got used to it. My day started off with a very big breakfast with a group of friends at the Griddle Cafe in West Hollywood. I didn't bring my camera, so I couldn't fully capture the enormity of my breakfast (the dinner plate-sized pancakes were even bigger), but to give you an idea, here is the size of my leftovers. I was full after consuming just one of my Apple Cobbler French toasts with some of the apples served on the side, and I was only able to accomplish that with help from some friends. As I'm typing this, I am stuffed.


I had no idea that the food portions were going to be that big, but I carried some mighty big accessories that were quite befitting of the occasion. I have been wearing a lot of rings. One day I'd be wearing something very dainty, and the next day I would be wearing a big honkin' ring. I found a couple of cheap rings from the Loehmann's clearance bin, including the big greenish-gray cut glass cocktail ring below. It was remarkably inexpensive for something in remarkably good shape.

I also brought along a big, easy-to-carry hobo, which I dug out of the DSW clearance bin a few days ago. Although I have a variety of purses, I did not have one in a simple neutral color ever since my old one went out of commission. Usually I don't like carrying big bags around, since I just don't like having to deal with the bulk, but sometimes I do need something roomy and capable of being thrown-on-and-go for day-to-day errands or a night on the town. The hobo bag, however, has not been very appealing to me. Although I like the casual and easy-to-carry aspects, the bags I have come across were either too slouchy, too big, too small, too casual (and thus not all-purpose), or too expensive. I never did find the perfect one until now. It is both luxurious and casual at the same time--very chic, with the right amount of slouch, a simple design, and a few choice metallic accents that do not add extra weight.

I became disappointed with my last everyday bag because the lining tore within just a couple of months of use, so this time, I looked for something with a sturdy lining, either in cotton or leather; the thin acetate linings just won't do. For something made of soft, supple leather and a well-made suede lining, the bag is incredibly affordable (around $60) and better in quality than bags in the 3-digit dollar range, which all seem to have the type of lining I have been trying to avoid. The fact that it is not a hip and trendy label probably helps keep the price down. Usually I associate the Liz Claiborne brand with dowdy "missy sportswear," but the accessories have been rather modern and wearable. My black Liz Claiborne work bag may have its limitations (the pretty but color-leaching red lining being one of them), but it has been a faithful workhorse for the many years after I discovered it at Ross. I hope that the new bag will also last as many years, and then some.





[Converse One Star for Target jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs t-shirt ($15 from Macy's, but at no out-of-pocket costs because I purchased it with a gift card), Liz Claiborne bag, ABS ring, J Brand jeans, Nike sneakers]

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope that everyone will enjoy a wonderful time with your loved ones. A few days ago, I came across a newspaper editorial in which the author extols the holiday as her favorite. What she said is true--it is a wonderful holiday because it's not about consumerism, like Christmas has become. It is a time to spend with those we care about and to show them our appreciation.

Given the economic mess we're in, I find this Thanksgiving to be especially special. While life has its ups and downs, the concept and holiday of Thanksgiving is constant. I am especially grateful for having what I have this year, of things big and small. One of the little things I enjoy is being able to shop at Trader Joe's. It is certainly a step up from the budget markets I've been limited to for years, and it provides nutritious, definitely interesting, sometimes quirky, and most importantly, accessible and affordable fare. Since it is on my way home from work, I have been stopping by quite a bit for groceries in order to save time and gas money. I love going by the free sample section and try out the foods. Once I tried a small square of this one--so fresh, not overly sweet, and simply delicious--I had to bring one home.


My Thanksgiving outfit this year is a lot more toned down than usual. Some may say it is not festive at all, since the colors are so dark, but I just want to be comfortable on one of my few days off. The bracelet adds a dash of holiday cheer, and the flats are festive, aren't they? My feet hurt from walking around in heels for a few hours yesterday, so I decided to go with flats.


[BCBG sweater, Mike & Chris suspender skirt, my own Daisy Chain bracelet, Christian Lacroix metallic gold flats]

I'll be busy with working this weekend, but I'll definitely squeeze in some Christmas shopping in the form of sample sale shopping. I'm not going to stand in those crazy lines and freeze my butt off only to get indoors and find that all the good deals are gone. The malls will be avoided by me like the plague, but the electronics stores might have the deals I want this weekend.

Politically Motivated

The people who know me best know that I'm pretty outspoken when it comes to politics. I've always felt a strong sense of duty to head to the polls, particularly because it's a privilege that many people around the world do not have.

At the same time, I feel equally strongly about not pressing my beliefs on others. Hence, you won't find a whole lot of political content on this blog, if any. The only thing I would urge is that citizens should go out and cast their ballots. Most people I know gain satisfaction from their civic participation. If that satisfaction is not enough to drive you to the polls, maybe a few Election Day freebies will:

-Krispy Kreme (mmmm...) is offering a free star-shaped donut with red, white, and blue sprinkles to those who sport an "I Voted" sticker.

-I'm sure that most people have heard about the Ben & Jerry's free scoop of ice cream deal on Tuesday (between 5-8 p.m.). I heard that the company had some concerns that the voting requirement would run afoul of some state election laws, so they're offering that free scoop to *everyone*!

-Today the New York Times website had a big ad that tipped me off to another freebie: Starbucks is offering a free cup of brewed coffee to those who say they voted.

If you hear about more, let us know by leaving a comment.

Dime and Dine

I've never been to the iconic Philippe the Original, where the french dip sandwiches have been much heralded. I've heard many people sing it praises (though I did hear one story of bad service), but I've never gone to Philippe's. Until passed by it on my way home from the UPS pickup site recently (to pick up my Sublet cardigan), I didn't know where this place was. When I did finally come across the restaurant (which had parking in the back!), I made a mental note to come back one of these days.

October 6 might be the day I'll go. That is the day when Philippe's celebrates its 100th birthday. Imagine that! To commemorate the occasion, Philippe's will be selling that famous sandwich for a dime. There will probably be several thousands of people there that day, and I'm not even joking about that, but maybe it'll be less crowded when I go there after work.

[The lowdown is courtesy of the LA Times food blog.]