My Apologies, I've Been Eating.

Way too much... To the point where I actually try to workout once a week. Since dieting is not in my lifestyle vocabulary, some sort of physical effort to keep my "physique," with my eating habits, has got to suffice.

So here's some of the homemade food that got me through the work weeks these past months, and some wonderful new treats.



Spam and macaroni in a miso broth finished with green onions. My mom used to make me macaroni and pieces of ham in a soy sauce based soup whenever I was sick. I do variations like this one whenever I need a pick me up. It beats chicken noodle soup every time.



My friend bought me a little jar of Giada De Laurentiis' Sun Dried Tomato Pesto. I tried it out on the left picture with some sauteed onions, freshly grated Parmesan, and basil. Didn't feel that I could taste the pesto very much, so I gave it another shot two weeks later. I sauteed onions again, put some chicken and grape tomatoes in, fresh basil, no cheese, and it was delicious! But still couldn't taste the sun dried tomato part very well. The grape tomatoes made the pasta, so I was still very satisfied.



Another awesome friend made me fondue for my birthday. When I saw how easy it was, I made some for my family. That is a big bowl of wonderful cheese: sharp cheddar and pepper jack to be exact! Cut with some beer and salsa. We ate it with carrots, barbecue flavored chips, bagel pieces, grape tomatoes, and broccoli. The picture to the right is made up of leftover dippers from making fondue for the pesto friend. It was my little brunch this morning: bagel piece, sour cream, green onion, and a grape tomato. I had 7 of them.



I am in sandwich mode. I haven't had a BLT in a long time. I finally had all the ingredients to make one and it was heaven in my mouth. The bacon was so crispy and the tomato was perfectly sweet to make BLT perfection! I didn't even add anything special. There's something so simplistic about a BLT that tastes so damn good.

The bean-curd was my after sandwich snack. Don't let the name deter you from trying this snack.. nor the fact that it says "Juicy" on the package. If you like tofu and don't think it's just a health-food thing, you will like it. Plus, the way this bean-curd is prepared definitely does not equate to healthy living.



Lastly, the treats that I actually documented! Chocolate covered bacon and a Chinese coconut cream kind of pastry. The chocolate covered bacon was okay. In my opinion, there should have been a thinner layer of chocolate. I'm just gonna have to make it myself for the way I want it, but at least I finally tried it!

The pastry is a new item introduced into the Dim Sum menu at my favorite Dim Sum place. The first time I saw it, people were fighting over the plates when they came out. That says something when Chinese people are fighting over food. So my family got a plate and I've been hooked since. They come fresh out of the oven, piping hot, nice and puffy! It's got the Asian bakery sweet bread taste. And on the inside it's filled with what looks like custard and coconut flakes. If you like pastries from Asian bakeries, you will LOVE this.

There has been so much more that I've eaten these past few months. This past weekend alone I had all you can eat Korean barbecue and a Nutella crepe in the same night; then In-N-Out burger animal style, extra spread, and fries the following day. If I really were to divulge in everything I've eaten, diet should be in my vocabulary. Mmm... too bad.

Shepherd's Pie

My second attempt.. even though my first attempt was 2 years ago. It's not like I had a bad experience with my first shepherd's pie. I just have a dominantly Asian kitchen stocked with Asian ingredients. It's hard to make European food with Asian staples. Of course I know I can always buy the ingredients, but I can't cook up money. If I could though.. I'd spend it on cheese...

Anyway, I'm really happy and excited to start experimenting with flavors since this try was a success. It's a very basic recipe with garlic salt being the most dynamic seasoning used. I've already got ADD MORE MEAT noted. Also, the picture says otherwise, but there's more than just carrots in there: celery, onions, and garlic. I did plan to add corn but my meat to vegetable ratio was something like 2:9. Still, it was very satisfying, incredibly easy to make, and even easier to devour. Hopefully it won't be another 2 years before I make shepherd's pie again.

Cravings, Cravings, Cravings!

And none of them completely satisfied.. Very sad face. I'm gonna keep this short and sustaining. Much like the food I ate: gets me through enough of the craving to hold on a little longer until I can taste wondrous victory!





I made the cornbread last week. Definitely not good enough to completely satisfy my craving for the fattiest, most delicious cornbread ever made by my friend. Plus, there was no bacon in it.

The xiǎolóngbāo (small steaming basket dumpling) is from the freezer section of an Asian market. I know, it's really depressing.. but sometimes I just need that little extra push to get me through the arduous journey of a craving. At least I got to eat red vinegar! LOVE red vinegar.

Having a craving as a foodie is probably more challenging than having a craving as a pregnant woman. But I haven't been pregnant so I can't say. All I know is that Usher got it right: I got it, I got it bad... for the food.

Macaroni & Cheese with Kimchee!

I wish everyone would be as excited about mac n' cheese with kimchee as I am. I can't believe this flavor combination took so long to wander through my hungry mind. But really, when people think about cheese they don't automatically think pickled spicy vegetables to accompany it. So I guess my tardiness to welcoming AMAZING into my life is explainable.

My first real tasting wasn't today though. This is actually my leftover boxed macaroni and cheese enhanced with sauteed garlic, onions, and sausage that I combined with store bought kimchee. Even as leftovers, it is still amazingly delicious! My first encounter was actually a little different: the mac n' cheese had sauteed onions and garlic, extra cheese, crushed bacon, and tons of pepper with homemade kimchee (the perks of having a Korean as one of your best friends). Heaven.

I know there are skeptics that think this combination sounds horrific. It's just like eating creamy pasta topped with fresh basil. And when you get that bite of fresh basil, you suddenly feel that this heavy pasta you're having doubts about finishing becomes easier to finish.

Now that I am fully aware of this American classic comfort food combined with Korean tradition, I am on a mission to make the ultimate recipe. It will be foodgasmic.

Pork Shank & Eggs

I'm not entirely crazy about this dish: slow cooked pork shank soaking in a kind of sweet soy sauce with hints of star anise. Not that I'm ungrateful for my fobby Chinese mother's hard work and enthusiasm for sharing her recipe with me; I am just neutral about the food. What I do love about this dish is the aroma it produces as it simmers away. The aroma is nostalgic. Every time light, airy waves float through the house and into my nose, I.. am... home . I think it's the star anise that attracts me. If someone comes out with a fragrance that has the slightest hint of star anise in it, I might overdose on perfume.

When actually consuming the above, there are no complaints. It never changes. The pork is always tender, the eggs always have that beautiful brown layer of sauce seeped into its exposed layers, and the sauce is always in abundance. My childhood flashes before me whenever I eat it! ... Not really. I'm neutral.

I need a scratch and sniff star anise..

Peanut Butter & Banana ... w/ Bacon?

I am 100% sure someone within a 20 mile radius of me already tried this. I, however, have not until today. And to be honest, I think I like the classic the way it is. I'm not saying this because I don't like bacon. That is beyond far from the reason why I am supporting the classic tonight. It's because I can't taste the thick cut deliciously crisp bacon in the sandwich (..well bagel in this case). You know when you get a smoothie with banana in it and all you basically taste is banana with a hint of everything else? Well this bagel with peanut butter, banana, and crushed bacon had exactly the same thing going on as the smoothie, plus peanut butter coverage. The only way I know my bacon was present this morning is: 1. I had really nice crispy textures popping in my mouth, and 2. I put it there. I didn't just try one bite to test the flavor combination out. I tried multiple! And still.. no bacon taste victory. What's the point of putting bacon in something if you can't taste its deliciousness?

Congratulations peanut butter and banana classic, you overwhelmed the bacon. I'm not angry though, you're still delicious in your own right.