Production Eats - No. 24

This week has been an unexpectedly busy week. But in a good way. I worked on two shows. Each working two days. The first was a new show called The Defenders. That one has Jerry O'Connell and Jim Belushi in it. It's a new show, so I'm not really familiar with what it's about. The two days I worked on that one were pretty short days.

The second show I worked on was Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. This one has Forest Whitaker and Janeane Garafalo, of which were in the scenes I worked on. I also worked two days on this one. Two LONG days. This shoot was cool because I got for play "injured" with fake blood and ride on a gurney. haha... Oh yeah...lunch was pretty delicious, too.

DAY 1

Top clockwise: Grilled salmon, Roast beef, slice of white bread with a pat of butter, Some salad with corn/ranch dressing/bacon bits, steamed veggies, rice

Tender roast beef. still slightly pink -- just the way I like it with some au jus. Mmmmmmmmm....

A small slice of German Chocolate cake, and some fruit.

I gotta balance all the sweetness with something so why not some cantalope and pineapple, which was sitting underneath the cake. 

DAY 2

Top: Chili, BBQ ribs, tuna steak, Mac and Cheese, Corn on the cob, A small piece of cornbread, Fries

This one had a little more of a southern flair to it. The mac and cheese was probably some of the best I've had in quite a long while. The ribs were "fall off the bone" clean and tender. I also mixed up the fries and chili to make chili fries. hehehe... got a little creative on the last part.

The all too familiar salad with some fresh mushroom and corn

dessert: chocolate chip cookie and a small slice of german chocolate cake.

They also had ice cream, but I was getting pretty stuffed. Though I was tempted.

Production Eats - No. 23

I'm happy to report that I made it out of my film shoot alive!!!!!! Two days of shooting in the forest. Three actors, 8 crew members...walking up and down a steep trail with all our equipment and other essential items. I'll be writing up a special post for that in the coming days. I'm in recovery/hibernation mode now. Well...not as much as I'd like as I've been working on different sets this week, but I've been working on catching up on tons of reading.

A week ago, I worked on a show called No Ordinary Family. I guess it's a new one from ABC. Don't really know what it's about or who's in it. All I know is that I played an 18-year-old high school student. Yes, I can still pass for that age...yet oddly enough, I don't get carded as much when I go out for drinks. hmmmm... We had ourselves a nice catered lunch.

Steamed veggies, some caesar salad and fresh mushroom slices, grilled swordfish, some potato wedges, meatloaf, sauteed veggies.

You can't see the sauteed veggies, but it contained some zucchini and squash. I did enjoy the meatloaf. I wouldn't normally admit to that as I greatly enjoy the Filipino version of meatloaf.

For dessert...we've got the usual fruit and a chocolate chip cookie. Yum yum!! But what I like was the crumb cake. It wasn't a big slice, but it was enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. :)

I'm still here with some random eats

I'm still here. I'm still alive and kicking. It's coming down to the wire as I'm only days away from shooting a new project. I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm feeling anxious. I'm ball of mixed emotions right now while trying to get all the final little details in place. I do apologize for my lack of commenting on some your blogs out there. I try to read several when I have some downtime from pre-production.

Anyways...I've been having random eats lately. --

Mini penne pasta with spinach, garlic, tomato mix

I used two large tomatoes and cooked those up with a few garlic cloves, then added some frozen spinach I had in the freezer. You can add this with any kind of pasta.  It a fast ease "go-to" meal.

lumpia, rice, lechon with liver sauce, Filipino style spaghetti, grilled hotdog on a stick

This one is actually from my friend's daughters 1st birthday. It was a rather big celebration with a few Filipino traditions. The delicious lechon and crispy skin. Oh yeah... there was rice, too.

I did have seconds as they also had some sisig and Filipino bbq on a stick. Must not forget to mention the birthday cake. No birthday is complete without the cake, right?

Chinese Chicken Salad from Joan's on Third

I love this place. Located several blocks from the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. This place serves up quality food that would make you come back. My favorite item on the menu is this salad. Fresh, filling and delicious. It's a great place to chill in the afternoon. It's always packed. Not once when I have gone that there was a lull moment. It was a nice break from an afternoon of doing production stuff.

I also love their cupcakes, which I had for dessert. A nice vanilla cupcake. Yum!!

Ground beef mix with potato, onion, red bell pepper

For the life of me, I can't remember the name of this one. But I have my mom to thank to cooking it up. It's slightly Filipino in cooking style and very reminiscent to potato hash in some ways. You generaly eat this with rice, but we decided to go with the lettuce wrap route.

Mmmmmm...

Well...hopefully after this weekend I'll be able to get back into the swing of blogging. I actually miss putting up my daily posts. It's like I'm going through some withdrawal. Hahaha... But I'll be back. And I can't wait to share with you all my new project. I'm excited!

Chicken Burger

I'm a dork!!! I've been meaning to post this recipe for the past couple of weeks. It's literally been sitting in draft mode on my blogger dashboard. I keep telling myself that I will post it "tomorrow" and tomorrow passes and it becomes a couple weeks. So, I've finally kicked my behind and FINALLY posted it.

Anyway, I'm digging those sandwich thins from Orowheat. Rather than having a really big burger bun, I can have myself a couple nice pre-sliced pieces of bread. I remember having some ground chicken in the freezer and one of the first things that come to mind were chicken burgers. I added a simple seasonings here and there like salt, pepper, and a green onion. Also, a dash of soy sauce and some panko crumbs. Chicken in any form is one of those meats you've got to season or you'll find yourself with a bland piece of meat. The interesting thing about ground chicken that I noticed is that it doesn't shrink as much as burgers do when grilled.

Here's a simple juicy chicken burger for your summer grilling.

Serves 2.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

1/2 lb ground chicken
2 green onion - chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
pepper
1/3 c panko crumbs
1 medium tomato - sliced
4-slices of bread
 shredded mozzarella cheese

In a bowl mix together the green onion, panko, soy sauce. and season with a little salt and pepper.

Divide into two equal patties. Set aside.

Prepare your grill or skillet. When ready grill each side 2-4 minutes until is forms a nice light brown crust.When cooked. Let the patties rest for a couple minutes to let the juices redistribute.  Toast your bread, or bun and spread some mayo and/or mustard. Top with a couple slices of tomato and Voila.

Best enjoyed warm with a nice soda to wash it down.

Planning with a Sandwich

The clock is ticking away as I prepare for my new film...er...project. Alright...the cat's out of the bag. The project I'm working is a film. It's a short film really, but it's still a film. Not my first one, but I hope that I hope will lead to something else. :) This is what has been taking up most of my time. Just a little portion of what I have to deal with to prepare.

Storyboards, paperwork, casting, paperwork, designs, meetings, research... and did I mention paperwork. Planning, planning, planning!!

I took an afternoon lunch venture to my favorite bakery. Porto's Bakery in Glendale. I've written about them a few times on B + B before. I've been going to them for years ad nothing would stop me from going there now, no matter how crowded the place can get at times.

I happen to choose a time when it was close to being near the end of the lunch time rush. Luckily, I didn't have trouble finding a seat as most of the people ordering at the cafe were getting "to-go."

As an appetizer, I order a tasty chorizo empanada. It's one of the reasons why I love this place aside from their baked goodies. They also serve delicious Cuban treats. Delish! It's not like an empanadas I've eaten before. I love the really flaky crust on them.

As the main attraction, I get the grilled chicken sandwich. I usually get the Cuban or the Medianoche, but I was in a poulty mood on that day.

It had some grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, dijon mustard, mayo on a piece of french bread. Served with a side of marqiuitas (fried plantain chips).

Delicious tender chicken. It's a simple sandwich that fills you up right. 


Porto's Bakery
315 North Brand Boulevard,
Glendale, CA

(818) 956-5996

Cathy's Deli

The next couple weeks are going to be busy for me. I've been spending quite a bit to time up in the Santa Clarita area lately. Getting to know the place. It's like becoming my new "hood." Sort of, but not really. You see...I'm filming a project up there in the next few weeks, so my posts may become a little sporadic as I become more involved in the pre-production preparations. My head is everywhere right now trying to get the details done. Crossing them T's and dotting those I's.

It's actually a project I've been planning to do for a while, so...I'm glad to finally get in done. During my location trip yesterday, a friend of mine suggested this little deli.

Cathy's Deli

Located in a tiny strip mall like complex. 

The place isn't too big. Not too busy either, which suited us fine. It's got a deli/mom and pop restaurant feel to it.

We both order the french dip sandwich. Almost looked like a philly cheese steak in appearance. It came with some au jus sauce and your choice of french fries, cole slaw and a couple other choices that I forgot. I took the french fries. It also came with a pickle spear. As you can see, I was nearly half way done with my sandwich until I remember to take a picture of it. Hunger plus a tasty sandwich equals forgetfulness. Or maybe it's because i have too much going on in my noggin right now. HA! Either way I downed that sandwich. I like that you get the sauce on the side, that way you can make your own perfect sauce to bread ratio.

Cathy's Deli

23120 Lyons Avenue
Newhall, CA 91321-2670
(661) 288-2217

Childhood Nostalgia and Some Chowdahhh

Sometimes we have a treat that we used to have when we were children. We crave to have them once in a while. One of them for me was some good ol' fashioned Thrify ice cream. Now-a-days you can find them inside any Rite Aid.

Rite Aid used to be called Thrifty back in the day. I'm glad they didn't change the name of the ice cream parlor. It's nostalgia all the way. I remember I used to buy a single scoop of strawberry in a waffle cone every weekend when my mom and I would walk to the mall. It was a little treat for ourselves after running errands.

On this trip, I get a single scoop of butter pecan in a cup. And it still tastes great after all these year.  

Next...yesterday, I took a trip up to Malibu with a friend, who was doing some location scouting for a project he was doing. I was happy to come along to help him. Besides, it got me out of the house. Granted, I'm working on my own little project at the moment, but I think I needed a little bit of relaxation.

We've been having some odd weather here in SoCal. I'm not complaining, but usually this time of year we would be having some kind of heat wave. I'm not used to wearing a sweater in July.

After the scout we were pretty hungry. Being at the beach does take quite a bit of energy. We headed over Neptune's Net which was just down the road from where we were. Only if I lived closer, I'd come by this place more.

The delicious selections

A half pint of warm clam chowder with some saltine crackers

Chili Cheese Fries

I loved the clam chowder. It was warm with nice chunks of potato and clam. It was perfect for the overcast weather in the area.  I like to crunch up the crackers and pour then into the cup. They also have one where you can have it with a sourdough bread bowl. I would have gotten that, but I ordered some chili cheese fries. The one thing I liked about their chili is the nice chunks of tomato and whole beans in it. My kind of chili. Mmmm...

The neat thing is the location as well. Right near the beach with a view of the water.

Smell that fresh ocean water. Mmmmmm...

It was a nice afternoon spent. 

Thrifty Ice Cream at Rite Aid

216 South Brand Boulevard, 

Glendale, CA 

(818) 243-1126

Neptune's Net

42505 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265-2221
(310) 457-3095