Loteria - A blogger meet up

This past Saturday, I was able to meet up with a few LA bloggers. I love meeting people, have I told you that yet? The place was Loteria Grill at the famed Los Angeles Farmer's Market.

Snagged this shot from Sophia. :)

I was initially invited by Sophia from Burp and Slurp.  At the time, I wasn't sure if I was able to make it as I'm currently producing a small project, so my time tends to my iffy during production days. But I was glad that I was able to go. I've been asking Sophia as to when and if we were ever going to meet. And I'm glad that time has finally come. I was also glad to meet three (new to me) bloggers as well.  Andy and Amanda from Two Boos Who Eat and Ameena from Fancy That...Fancy This.

Andy, Amanda, Ameena, and Sophia

We all come from different backgrounds and yet food has a way to bring us all together. It was a little funny when we all whipped out our cameras at the same time.

Ameena with her tacos.

Amanda

I'm tempted to grab that cup of guacamole. :)

Andy

Sophia

The Napolitos Ensalada that Ameena graciously shared with us. It was made from fresh cactus paddle with tomato, chile serrano, onion and cilantro in a light lime vinaigrette.

It was interesting. I've never really had cactus before so I wasn't quite sure what to except in terms of taste and texture. It was tasty though. 

Oh yeah...before I forget. I ordered the Tacos de Camaron with some rice and beans, which was shrimp tacos. I so wanted to try the conchita pibil, but I wasn't going to break my lenten vow after all this time. My original choice was enchiladas, but the shrimp sounded tasty. Though, it did take a while for my food to arrive. (?) I kept going back to the counter just to make sure that they said my name as everyone else had already gotten their plates. The server did say that the "shrimp takes a while to cook." Really? It was tasty. But a bit pricey. All that for $11 bucks for something that didn't really "wow" me. The only saving grace were the fun conversations we all had.

Father's Nature Lavash Wraps

Father's Nature Lavash Wraps is like this little hole in a wall place in Old Town Pasadena. It's not directly located on the historical Colorado Blvd (Route 66). But it is close. It's sandwiched between Diesel and Forever 21 on De Lacey Ave.

I've been here many times before. Especially when I was going to college nearby. I was actually there 2-weeks prior to this meal, but I thought I had forgotten to bring my camera so that I can show you the delicious wrap I had gotten, only to find that I actually did have it in my purse the whole time.

They serve Greek and Mediterranean style wraps. Awesome place for vegetarians. I order their delicious falafel wrap. Inside is lettuce, tomato, parsley and pickled turnips and a good helping of falafel in almost every bite and is served up with their own tahini sauce. Other items on the menu include an eggplant wrap, their well-known Father Nature wrap that has broiled chicken. They have a nice selection of choices for a decent price.

Sukjunamul - Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish

This is probably one of my favs among the banchan dishes served in many Korean meals. Plus, I guess I just like bean sprouts. There used to be this one little restaurant that I loved to frequent and I'd always asked them to replenish the little dish of bean sprout. I'd still eat up all the other banchan dishes, but this would always be one I'd ask for more than once.  I don't remember where I had gotten the recipe below. I found it in my little card box where my chicken scratch looked almost semi-legible. I had gotten it many years ago from somewhere. It was one thing I've been wanting to learn how to make and I never figured that it would be simple and easy to do. Why I hadn't made it before boggles my mind. I'm so glad I now know how to make this at home.

Serves 2

Sukjunamul (Korean Bean Sprouts)

12 oz fresh bean sprouts
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 small garlic clove - minced
1 green onion - fine shopped
1 tsp sesame seeds

Bring a small pot or sauce pan of water to a boil seasoned with some salt. Add the bean sprouts and boil them for roughly 2-4 minutes. Drain them from the water and cool. Sprinkle the salt, and mix well.  Let it sit for 2 minutes then squeeze out the excess water. Add the sesame oil, garlic, green onion ans sesame. Toss together. Set aide for 30 minutes before serving. You may add a little more salt or some soy sauce for more flavor.

Sweet Potato Bake (Pizza Style?)

This was my attempt at trying to make a crust out of sweet potatoes. I had 3 of the white variety. I though of making potato chips, but slicing them was a bit of a chore at the time. So I grated and chopped it finely andmixed it up with some olive oile, salt, pepper, and paprika. Baked it until It looked ready. I prebaked it before adding the toppings. It came out a bit soft and it was still soft even after baking with the toppings. But it was actually really good. I used a fork to eat it, but it was definitely tasty. I'll eventually figure out how to properly crisp up a sweet potato in the oven. For now I'm content with some of the resulting dishes I've had.  It was actually fun to tear into it.

Serves 2-3

Sweet Potato Bake (Pizza Style?)

3 small to medium sweet potato (white variety)- peeled grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp dry thyme
extra virgin olive oil
1 c Bertolli Arribbiata Sauce
1 1/2 c shredded cheese
1 small tomato - deseeded and chopped
1/4 c sun dried tomato - rough chopped


Preheat your oven to 450˚F

In a bowl, mix together the grated sweet potato, salt, pepper and paprika. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Press down firmly until it forms a crust 1/4-inch thick. Pre-bake for 10-15 minutes.

Pineapple Almond Bars

I loved those coconut lemon bars so much that I wanted to make more. But the second time around, I decided to change it up a bit. I had opened one of the large cans of pineapple tidbits when the idea hit me on the head. I didn't want to throw away all the delicious juice it came with. Sometimes I prefer the juice to the actual fruit. So pineapple bars it was!It's basically the same procedure as making the lemon bars. For the base I added some almond slices into the mix. Pineapple and almond do go well together.

Once baked, I put a tiny chunk of pineapple evenly space. It's best to do that part before the top layer of crust settles. One of the neat things is that after you sprinkle the powdered sugar on top. It melts into the little pineapple chunk, so it sort of looks like a tiny crater.

Makes 12 to 24 bars.

Pineapple Almond Bars

crust:
vegetable oil or cooking spray
3/4 c unsalted butter - 1 1/2 sticks - cold cubed
2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c brown sugar - packed
1/4 c confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar) - plus extra for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c almond slices

filling:
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 c granulated sugar
1/3 c all purpose flour
1 c pineapple tidbits
1 c pineapple juice

Preheat your oven to 350˚F

Grease a 9x13 - inch pan with the vegetable oil or cooking spray. Then line the pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Grease the foil as well.

In a food process, pulse the butter, flour, sugars and salt until it feels of a dough texture.  About a minute. If you don't have a food processor, mix and mash together with your hands until you get a doughy consistency. Pour the flour mixture into a bowl and add the almonds.

Place the dough in the pan and press evenly, making sure there are no cracks. Place in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, roughly 25 minutes.

While the crust bakes, make the filling. Whisk together, the eggs, yolks, sugar and flour until a smooth consistency. Add the pineapple juice.

When the crust is finished, remove from oven. Turn the oven down to 300˚F. Pour the filling onto the warm crust and return the pan into the oven. Baked for another 30-35 minutes or until the filling has set.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, garnish with the pineapple tidbits evenly spaced. Then put in the fridge until it firms up -- 2 hours. When the filling has set, remove from the pan and slice. Dust with some additional powdered sugar.

Guinness batter Fish and (Baked) Chips - St. Patrick's Day Edition

I don't think I need to tell you what day it is, do I? It's time to get your green on!!!!!

I decided to make something simple and a common delicacy to our friends across the pond. Fish and chips. It's good food. Rather than making the usually batter, I decided to make it into Guinness batter fish and baked chips. I fish of choice here are some nice fillets of cod, but you can use any white fish you like, like haddock or tilapia. I bake up the fries first. That would give me time to cook up the fish.

I make the batter and pan-fry the pieces. It's usually deep-fried, but I try as much as possible to avoid it when possible. I like how the batter has a creamy-like texture to is and you can definitely taste the beer after it's been cooked. It's a nice flavor to the fish.

Make sure you have yourself a pint of Guinness today.

Serves 2-3

Guinness batter Fish and (Baked) Chips

Fish
2 fillet of cod, haddock, tilapia (any white fish)
salt
pepper
1 c flour (plus extra for dredging)
1/4 c water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2/3 c Guinness Stout
Canola or peanut oil

Baked Chips
3 russet potatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Preheat your oven to 400˚F

Cut the potatoes lengthwise into thin or thick sticks. You may peel them if you desire. Place the cut potatoes into a bowl or large ziplock bag and add the salt, pepper, paprika, and olive oil. Toss together and coat evenly. Place the sticks on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp. For extra crispiness, you can place the chips into the broiler for a minute or two. When the chips are done baking, remove from the pan and season lightly with a little salt.

While the chips bakes, cook the fish. In a bowl combine the flour, salt, pepper, water. Lightly stir to combine. Then add the Guinness. Mix well removing any clumps. Set aside and prep the fillets.

At this time preheat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet. You may cut your fish into sizable pieces. Season with salt and pepper and dredge the pieces in some all-purpose flour. Place the dredged pieces in the batter. When the oil is really hot, slowly and carefully place the fish and pan-fry for 2-3 minutes per side. Place the fish on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Serve together and enjoy with some malt vinegar, ketchup, or your preferred dip.

Four Cheese Spinach Bake and A Winner

First, we've got a winner!! A week ago I announced a giveaway for the 1-year birthday of B + B. I got some interesting and diverse responses to what you favorite dishes are. It was nice to read a variety of tastes.  Thank you to everyone who entered. I was going to do it the old fashioned way by pulling a name out a bowl, but things happened in the last couple days that prevented it. So I used my back up via random.org.

And the winner of the really cool sushi book and kit is....................................

ValleyWriter from Adventures in the Pioneer Valley!!!!!!! 

Email me your address (jenn@jenniferrazon.com) and I'll get this fab prize your way. Congrats!!!

--

Now, onto today's dish. I still had that second Bertolli sauce to try out courtesy of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program and Bertolli. The Four Cheese Rosa. It tastes much like an alfredo sauce with a hint of tomato. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It a nice creamy texture and smooth at the same time. I cooked this up with some pasta. And I remember that I had some frozen spinach left in the freezer that I need to use up.

The pasta I used for this are some small shells. I find that they scoop the sauce really well. Mix in the spinach and well as the sauce. Topped it with some shredded cheese that I mixed with some panko crumbs to give it that nice cheesy and crunchy crust. Simple weeknight meal.

Serves 4-6

Four Cheese Spinach Bake

2-3 c uncooked pasta
1 c leafed spinach - from frozen (defrosted and squeezed of water)
1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa
1 tbsp garlic powder
pepper to taste
2 c panko crumbs
1 c grated parmesan cheese


Preheat your oven to 375˚F

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, season the water with salt and a small drizzle of olive oil. Drop in the pasta and stir a couple times to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other. Cook until al dente, roughly 8 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together the panko and cheese.  Set Aside.

Once the pasta as cooked drain most, but 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the spinach, garlic powder, and Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa sauce. Season with a little pepper and mix well. Pour the pasta mixture into an oven safe dish and spread evenly.  Then pour the panko-cheese mix on top.

Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15 tto 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and crumbs lightly browned.

Serve warm.