9/14/2012

In the bento: orecchiette with carrot and fungus, sauteed potato with seaweed, pan-fried miso salmon, caramel onion with mushroom.

9/13/2012

In the bento: stir-fried rice noodle, panfried salmon, sauteed cabbage, mushroom sauteed with shiitake mushroom, carrot sauteed with pepper, potato sauteed with seaweed.

9/12/2012

In the bento: leftover carrot and shiitake mushroom rice, basil sauteed with eggplant, sauteed cabbage, steamed fish, braised pork belly, tempeh sauteed with bitter melon.

Braised Pork Belly

A staple dish from Shanghai, my sweetest memory of home. I have been craving this dish since I came to the States years ago. But I never manged to cook once like what sits in the memory. However, I was inspired by the blog "Anthropologist in the Kitchen" which has a video showing how to make another staple dish called sweet and sour rib. The principle is the same. So I tried again during the weekend of this mighty meat dish...And I nailed it. It was exactly what I have been craving for. I was so excited and bought more pork belly hope to make more.

9/10/2012

In the bento: steamed rice with carrot and shiitake mushroom, sauteed bitter melon, steamed white fish, braised pork belly, sauteed cabbage.

8/21/2012

In the bento: pan fried spot, sauteed zucchini and broccoli, pan fried pork, cherry tomato, rice (under)

Milk Bread with Aged Montegrappa

I haven't baked bread for a while. This week, I took the wild yeast out from the fridge days ahead and baked this bread with a lot of white sesame, flex seeds, and aged montegrappa cheese. The cheese made a great difference by the fruity smell and salty taste. The wild yeast has been growing very well in the summer. The warm temperature seems to be greatly liked by the yeast. Hopefully, before the weather cools down, I can make some more bread.

8/20/2012

In the bento: brown rice cooked with carrot and mushroom, sauteed cabbage, pan-fried pork, stir fried broccoli, tomato.

8/2/2012

In the bento: millet with rice, stir-fried onion with green pepper, sauteed carrot, tamagoyaki, wine marinated pork belly.

8/1/2012

In the bento: Angel hair with green onion flavored oil, sauteed daikon, sauteed green pepper, steamed fish.

7/31//2012

In the bento: instant noodle, roasted green pepper, sauteed mushroom, scrambled egg with green onion, sauteed carrot.

Cavatappi n Cheese

Last Friday when in whole food, I discovered that there were cheese nuggets sold. These nuggets are those small pieces that cut from the big piece. So this is nice for people to try different cheese without having to buy a big chunk. I got the apple wood smoked Gouda and reserve Gruyere to make my mac-n-cheese using cavatappi. It was the best mac-n-cheese I ever ate. The flavor of reserve Gruyere and smoked Gouda really stood out and I also used some sharp cheddar. The most important thing was to use a good cheese so even a little will go a long way! Definitely a keeper.

7/2/2012

In the bento: carrot mushroom rice, sauted okra, shiitake mushroom sauteed with bottom mushroom, tomato sauteed with egg.

6/27/2012

In the bento: Cavatappi with tomato stir-fried egg, sauteed bitter melon, green bean, red pepper, pan-fried cat fish.

6/26/2012

In the bento: rice, sauteed okra, sauteed red pepper, steamed shrimps, pan-fried cat fish, sauteed bitter melon.

6/25/2012

In the bento: rice, sauted mushroom with shiitake mushroom, steamed shrimp, sauteed cauliflower, sauteed green bean.

Squid Ink Pasta with Fresh Squid

The dark pasta has some special attractiveness to me that I usually order it if eating out. But the price sometimes wasn't worth it. I bought this pasta again from Trinacria, which is pricey in the pasta category, but much affordable than eating out. I sauteed a lot garlic and pepper flake in olive oil, and quickly toss together the fresh squid and boiled pasta. The taste wasn't too much different from regular pasta, but the color is stunning!

Truffle Oil Pasta with Pecorino

I have to say the pasta bought from Trinacria is the best I have ever ate. And I think I am going to repeat that claim every time I cook them. The texture is perfect al dente, not like some store brand when cooked would become mushy. Also, it won't stick to teeth, like some others will do. The  Cavatappi is a cute spiral shape with tube in the middle. I simply drizzle with some truffle oil and sprikle with a lot pecorino. Delicious!

Avocado Shrimp Salad

This is a simple salad can be put together in 20 minutes. I started by boiling two red skin potatoes, and meanwhile, chopped red pepper and shrimp. When assembling, I grated some garlic, added the chopped potato, pepper, shrimp and avocado. Sprinkle with some salt and drizzle with mayonnaise. A delicious salad is done.

6/22/2012

In the bento: sauteed cauliflower and red pepper, spicy brined turkey gizzard, rice with pea, bacon and shiitake mushroom.

6/21/2012

In the bento: black bean porridge with black sticky rice, sauteed zucchini, sauteed red pepper, sauteed oinon with pork liver, steamed shrimp, rice.

6/20/2012

In the bento: rice with shrip broth, onion sauteed with pork liver, steamed shrimp, sauteed zucchini, egg with red pepper.

6/19/2012

In the bento: steamed shrimps, sauteed bitter melon, stir-fried pork liver, sauteed zucchini with red pepper, rice.

6/12/2012

In the bento: spinach bacon rice, pan seared salmon, mushroom sauteed with peas, carrot with shiitake mushroom.

6/8/2012

In the bento: Chinese leek with rice, sauteed bitter melon, steamed palmburo fish, kelp with mushroom.