All Things Chill

You Tube link here. Taken from a recent tweet:

Favorite song (and way to say I love you) of right now: Ingrid Michaelson - Take me the way I am

Apparently, it’s been featured on an Old Navy commercial just like Lights - February Air… which only makes ME WANT TO BUY EVERYTHING FROM OLD NAVY. lol jokes. But honestly, if I want to support a marketing department do I support the store in which they are advertising for… or do I just send a letter of acknowledgment without sounding like a fanboy? lol.

Why is Old Navy doing what they’re doing? Because brands like Zara and H&M have been pushing affordable clothing - competitive to Old Navy - with amazing efficacy and a fashion-forward vibe. If you’ve seen the commercials made by Old Navy recently (it’s on their website -its redesign is funky too), they’re hip, stylish and chill - a far cry from FAMILY FLEECES and that weird 50’s color scheme. I don’t miss those one bit. ONE BIT.

Half-assed analysis aside, I think that they’re simply surfing the Internet looking for cutesy sounding girls with really indie sounds to build a commercial off of. Hee hee. Hey, it’s a pretty good idea! Haha.

It’s cheesy, but it’s got my attention!

~Spec

Stress chicken. Welcome back Herschell.

~Spec

Quick stir-fry. Protein: Chicken. Starch: Brown rice. Veg: garlic, ginger, napa cabbage, onions, carrots, celery. Liquid: canola oil, soy sauce, sesame oil. Crunchy: fried previously homemade frozen egg rolls.

~Spec

I made chicken stock a few days ago while making a quick (ok not so quick lol) salad for dinner. I pretty much used the recipe I’ve posted about before, but this time I pulled two frozen chicken carcasses (one from last week and the other one from this meal) that I saved in gallon-sized ziptop bags. Oh, I also didn’t add garlic (I roasted my last head for that night’s salad dressing).

What I didn’t explain in the previous recipe post is how to store the stock. I followed the two-stage cooling method (you can find an example here) for safety & sanitation’s sake. Once the stock is cooled (and incidentally the layer of the fat is removed from the top), just chill them in regular ol’ ice cube trays and let them freeze overnight. Just pop the cubes out the next morning, then bag ‘em and tag ‘em (just like the picture above). Ugly handwriting / chicken drawing optional. LOL.

The frozen stock will keep for about 6 months! Use them to finish your pan sauces, deepen the flavor in soups, enrich gravies - you name it! Oh, when you want to use the flavored cubes of deliciousness… follow Alton Brown’s advice:

Whatever you do, I don’t care if you’re using fresh stock or frozen stock, you want to bring all stocks to a boil for two full minutes before using. Just in case any nasty bugs moved into the neighborhood.

I’d hate to have bugs in MY neighborhood. And by neighborhood, I mean your intestines. You’re just asking for a weekend in the “think tank.” And by think tank I mean… oh nevermind. LOL.

MMMMM stock!

~Spec

If you haven’t heard already, Flickr, my favorite photo archiving site / community (and one of the only online services I pay to subscribe to), has unleashed video uploads to its paying members (news via Laughing Squid). WOOP WOOP. So, now that I finally found my portable video camera and had time to upload its contents… I can share with you a video of some good times that Mark and I had in Seattle.

Please note that Flickr has limited their videos to 90 seconds and 150mb. Scary to some, but it pushes the filmmaker to keep things concise which will ultimately lead to more entertaining clips without all the fluff. Yes? Yes. I’m sure you don’t want any more of my 3+ minute sappy-sappy monologues either. LOL. I’m excited!

Youtube isn’t going anywhere, but I’m sure glad Flickr is realizing some of its potential. Hee hee.

YAY video blogs!

~Spec

Challah French Toast with Crisp Applewood Smoked Bacon

When I work on Sundays, I normally start my day a little late. I roll outta bed (so Liana doesn’t wake up), slink down the stairs and hang my arm on an open refrigerator door while I take inventory of what to make for my morning meal. It’s the most relaxing part of my weekend. Hee hee.

Between the items I bought from a quick pajama stroll to the corner market and what I had in the fridge… I made French toast & bacon! It wasn’t the most elaborate of breakfasts, but I did end up using my new Cuisinart coffee grinder… to make powdered sugar (and blend spices!). Just throw a couple tablespoons in and let the machine work its magic! MMmmMMmMMmm. They’re normally around $20, but if you look around… you’ll prolly find something similar (Krups or Braun) for about $15 on sale. Good luck!

To make the toast, I cut thick 1” slices of challah bread and soaked it in a mixture of 4 eggs, 1 pint (2 cups) half and half, a tbsp. of vanilla, 1/2 cup of sugar and a pinch of Kosher salt (about 1/4 tsp.) for as long as I possibly could which totally was overnight 30 mins. I then buttered a non-stick skillet until nice n’ bubbly before I dropped the slices in, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. After that, just get every side golden brown and sprinkle some powdered sugar right on top - it works best when you scoop a spoonful in a fine-mesh strainer and tap it over the food for a snow-like effect. Mint leaves completely optional. Haha.

Liana and I ate it all in bed with some strong drip coffee while watching Jamie Oliver’s Jamie @ Home show on the laptop to get some summertime meal ideas. That is, if it EVER WARMS UP HERE IN SEATTLE. lol.

YAY breakfast in bed!

~Spec

Liana and I drove around the University District last week to find a quick (and cheap) bite to eat. She initially wanted Indian food (which we eventually got yesterday @ Qazi’s), but the ones that we walked past weren’t 1) filled with college kids and 2) had sort of a snotty menu. Oh well. Some further wandering lead us to Pho Tran, which was packed with college students, Asian people AND SOME EVEN ASIAN STUDENTS. lol. SUCCESS.

For those of you who don’t have a pho joint at every corner (you know who you are), wiki has the deets:

Phở is served as a bowl of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations featuring tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs (heart, liver, etc.) are also available.

Liana got the “A”, which was the large chicken (breast) pho and I chose the #14 - a beef pho that had flank, soft tendon, brisket and tripe. What always disturbs me about some pho joints is that… regardless of what you order, it’s ALL THE SAME PRICE. You want chicken? Yes, $5. Just flank? Yes, $5. Oh, you want everything that we classify as MEAT in your bowl of pho? Well, that’s different. $5. lol.

What I’ve found most intriguing is that whenever you dine in ANY Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle is that you receive two complimentary cream puffs. EVERYWHERE. The ones at Pho Tran were handily swept up by Liana in her little hands… carefully pulling a bite-sized sample to analyze and process in her mouth. I didn’t think that they were special, but her consensus was positive, so if you’re ever looking for Vietnamese cream puffs… I guess here’s a good a place as any. Hee hee.

We also tried “Vietname Restaurant” (wow. generic) recently on 15th avenue NW after learning that Lunchbox Laboratories was closed for the day (more on that place later). The broth was considerably sweeter and the soft-tendon… remarkably soft. Liana preferred this bowl compared to the one last week, but I liked the sodium-enhanced soup from Pho Tran. Such as life. lol.

If you’re a fan of hot, sour, savory and sweet… grab $5 outta your wallet / purse / whatever and treat yourself to a bowl of pho… especially if it’s still cold where you live!

BRRRRRRR

~Spec

First off, HAY I DID MY TAXES TODAY. YAY.

Secondly, I bought a few things for my Rock Band set to make things more presentable. I mean, if the game is emulating *real* instruments, aren’t authentic accessories just as good, if not better than the cheap game stuff? Answer? YES. There’s even a genuine drum pedal mod in the werks! EEEEE.

So I walked to the corner music store (dude, AWESOME) and I picked up a $15 guitar no-name rack (double guitar stands start around $50) and a semi-expensive ($10 is a LOT) pair of rubber-filled Zildjian anti-vibe drum sticks. I was going to rock out with a microphone stand just for kicks, but I think I have one hiding in my room in my parents’ house from my old mobile dj days (the cheapest one was $30 too lol). I’M SO CHEAP. lol.

Lastly, I have a question to my fellow Rock Band-ians… Is there an easy solution to attaching a cowbell to the existing drum kit? I was asking around, and the people who I talked to said that the clamp solution would be too involved and similarly… TOO EXPENSIVE. Just thought I’d throw it out there. Hee hee.

YAY Rock Band!

~Spec

Smoked Salmon with Faux Caviar & White Chocolate Wasabi Sauce

Today’s Top Chef winning recipe by Andrew D’Ambrosi, Dale Talde and Richard Blais, here. While I won’t analyze the entire show, I’d like to touch on Zoe’s comment that was along the lines of this:

“If smoked salmon, white chocolate, wasabi and celery root is gonna win Top Chef, the I don’t want it.”

Argh. That kind of immaturity is the kind of stuff that irks me to no end. I mean, there are a lot of people who aren’t feeling the molecular biology thang (which is a term that’s starting to bloat with all the diverse techniques that are beginning to surface**) but honestly, don’t hate on someone’s food if you’re pissed ’cause you’re in danger of losing… it’s just ugly. It’s one thing to talk smack, but it’s another to belittle the entire judging process of what is essentially a glorified game to make yourself feel better. Plus, it’d be nice to hate on if you even TASTED the food.

Liana and I were talking about the quote afterwards and I suddenly switched on ramble-mode. Look, I know there are egos in the kitchen. I know there’s yelling, screaming, backstabbing, smack talking and what not… but to say that a flavor combination that’s quite unconventional wouldn’t work is just being close minded. There’s a reason why Grant Achatz can do what he does as a microbiologist - he was the sous chef under Thomas Keller at the French Laundry. Say what you will about Keller and his team, but they know their stuff - ingredients, their infinite preparations and what they pair well with. He has such a strong foundation that he has the luxury to explore food in every way, shape or form.

And honestly, that’s why I cook at home. I want to build a foundation as well - not as extensive by any means, but still. I want to know what a proper brunoise of shallot with Irish butter will taste like stuffed under the skin of a roasted chicken. I want to know how flour and butter make a roux which makes a Béchamel sauce which makes a sexy plate of mac and cheese. I want to know how different cans of tomatoes work in stews (domestic tomatoes are way too acidic, while Italian tomatoes are deep in flavor). I want to know if I have the capacity to set my internal clock for the exact moment that the cartilage and collagen breaks down in a beef stew. I want to know how much lemon juice is just right. I want to be able to taste a dish by just reading its recipe. I want to know that I can trust myself throwing sliced bread under a hot broiler to toast without burning the heck out of it and burning down the house and Xbox. And Wii. And uhh… hmm… my turntables (YES DEAR I’D SAVE YOU FIRST LOL).

It’s just like Michael Jordan and the free throw…

..Jet Li and the horse stance…

…Walt Whitman and the rhyming verse…

…Shigeru Miyamoto and Super Mario Bros…

…Mike Einziger and the “power chord…”

The basics are the key to greatness.

I would go on, but I totally just spilled ginger ale all over my desk and subsequently on my leg. I’ll just write that off and offer a toast to greatness. TO GREATNESS.

Cheers.

~Spec

**read this interview with Heston Blumenth (Fat Duck) and Grant Achatz (Alinea) for more information

Cranberry and Apple Crumble with Dutch Vanilla Ice Cream in a Single-Serve Dutch Oven

I’ve been trying to get my mind around desserts, only to justify writing in the obligatory (believe me, obligatory) “All good things must come to an end” Matrix quote. Seriously though, I recently procured some really cute single-serve Dutch ovens on the cheap that I’ve been meaning to use even before I left for Chicago (Oh, btw I’m back in Seattle hee hee).

So, to keep things simple, I made a quick apple and cranberry crumble (recipe here). It didn’t take very long and if you bake, 95% of the ingredients should already be in your pantry. I juiced fresh clementines instead of the ol’ OJ, but other than that, I kept it as directed (I kinda wanted to add oats, but oh well). Mix your dry, mix your wet, throw in cooking vessel and bake! Oh, and don’t forget to add some vanilla ice cream!

I also made Roasted Lamb atop Cibatta Crostini and White Bean Puree with Baby Spinach in a Parsley-Oil Lemon Vinaigrette, which in a broken-down sense… an open faced sammich. I marinated the lamb in mint, rosemary, parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. I then seared it on all sides until golden brown and tossed it in a 350 degree oven until the internal temp reached 135.

The other components were easy to make. The white bean puree was made with canned white beans, parsley, red pepper flakes, chicken stock, a healthy amount of salt and freshly cracked pepper. I made a parsley oil (something like this but without the cheese cloth) to brush on the cibatta bread to toast under the broiler and also added some lemon juice to dress the spinach.

I assembled the plate by ladle-ing the white bean mixture in the center of the plate, with the cut ends of the crostini in the puree with the meat placed on top. I dressed the salad and tried to get as much height as I could. If I could do it again, I’d use 4 crostini instead of two to make a sort of an “X” - cool for a fancy appetizer and maybe use frisee, since it’s able to be architecturally sound - at least better than the spinach. OH WELL IT’S ALL GONE NOW. LOL.

YAY double dutchin’ and lamb!

~Spec

I’ve been using my laptop for the past week here in Chicago and I thought I’d give it a lil’ love with Jesse Hodgie’s Maintenance 3.8 Automator Script Action (Apple link here). It’s probably the placebo effect, but everything seems a little mo’ snappy (MORE SNAPPIES!). Streaming video seems a little smoother too. Are you asking what Automator even is?

Automator is an application developed by Apple for Mac OS X that implements point-and-click (or drag-and-drop) creation of workflows for automating repetitive tasks. Automator enables the repetition of tasks across a wide variety of programs, including the Finder, the Safari web browser, iCal, Address Book and others. It can also work with third-party applications such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop

If you have an Apple computer and are running either Tiger 10.4 or Leopard 10.5, ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out! You Mac will thank me later.

Yay clean machine!

~Spec

Larger view here. I hung with the closest people I can call “extended family” and enjoyed a full day of relaxation with my cousins. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them and to tell you the truth (and no offense to anyone else I know) - hanging with them is best way to feel what having real brothers and sisters is like. Don’t worry, I’ll spare you my ramblings on that topic. Man, I got issues. LOL.

If you were wondering… kuya = a Tagalog (Filipino) word for older brother. The cake itself was made of chocolate and it was so gosh darn dense, the frosting got stuck on the roof of my mouth like peanut butter. Gross, but still tasty! YAY. We also had some STANDARD HAY IT’S YOUR BDAY FILIPINO fare: sinigang which was deliciously tangy, pancit palabok which had the most succulent shrimp and other dishes from a local Chinese restaurant (WOW REAL CRAB MEAT IN THE RANGOON AMAZING).

I’d like to thank all my cousins for making my visit as fun as the one two years ago! Thanks to Bern for being so artistic with the icing, Ben for not breaking his dad’s van, Brit for helping me blow out the candles and for Bethany for showing me that you *can* beat Rubix cubes! I never get tired of laughing @ nothing with you guys. Feel free to call me anytime. Remember, I’m in Seattle… it rains 24/7 anyway. Haha, jokes!

“At least you HAD his scarf.” LOL.

~Spec

Taken from a birthday dinner @ Maggiano’s in Oakbrook, IL with Jas, Gar, Lori, Rho and Jacs (names shortened to protect the innocent lol). We ordered drinks (made mine a Tanqueray on the rocks) and dinner for 6 people: calamari, bruschetta, veal marsala, veal parmesan, the rigatoni “D” with chicken, and a gnocchi special with sausage that was actually made with ricotta cheese instead of potatoes (kinda blows my mind hee hee). It was enough food for everyone with just a LITTLE bit of leftovers for breakfast the next morning! YAM YAM NOM NOM EAT ‘EM UP. Disclaimer: Maggiano’s is part of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, but it never really disappoints. In alignment with a side note here, consistency is everything!

Today I turn twenty… (man, do I really have to do the math EVERY TIME? lol) SEVEN. And even though the last minute countdown to midnight was rather uneventful (I completely stuffed myself with GEWD Mexican food around 9pm and slipped into a food coma once I stepped into the house LOL OLD MAN), I feel as though I should say a few words before I get back to my regularly scheduled REM cycle:

I’m one day further from twenty and one day closer to thirty. If my friends Jorge, Diego, Brian, Jeff and Don (I totally outed ALL OF YOU lol) are any indication of what life will be like then - to put it simply, it’s seems like fun. I’ve always felt like I grew up too fast - been too independent of my family too quickly… quickly trying to assimilate the good traits of people I chose to model myself after. It sounds cliche (lol which *sounds cliche* in it of itself), but it has brought me to where I am today.

So uh, where the heck is that btw?

Spiritually, I’m in a good spot. Being in Chicago for these past couple of days has greatly reinforced my value on old friends. Picking up at the point just before I left for San Francisco (now Seattle) as if nothing ever happened puts all of my anxieties of “Will it be different” or “Will I need to justify myself and my choices” at rest. It was like I never left (that’s a good thing). Sure, there are changes - people are getting married, having kids… but I can deal with that. I see it as my “family” getting bigger. What only-child wouldn’t want THAT? Hee hee.

In Seattle, (and brace yourself for some cheesiness peoples) I co-exist, breathe , cook, argue, cuddle, care and live with (and for) one of the most precious people that I have ever met in the entirety of my life. Everything, and I mean everything in this very existence has been to improve myself, to learn HOW to be a better human being in so my aspects so that I can be worthy of catching a brief moment of attention from someone like her… and stretching it until forever.

Everyday that I spend with her, our lives intertwine like bunched up Christmas lights or jump ropes after recess. Yup. Jump ropes and Christmas lights. It makes me happy. <3

One final note:

I know pressure comes from all directions. The weight may be too much to bear and it may hold you down as if you’re trying to crawl for the first time.

Keep trying to improve yourself homeslice…

…and keep your head up.

It might take 27 years, but you’ll finally find peace.

Happy birthday to me.

xoxo,

~Herschell