Dude, I'm cheesing my f-ing brains out right now. *

O.

M.
F.

G.

That's what I said when I stumbled across a particular article in L.A. Times' The Guide today. Actually, it was more of a Tourette-like shriek of excitement that I apparently could not contain. You'll read why in a second. Here, I'll walk you through it (my thoughts are in parentheses):

" YES, IT'S CHEESY (Hmm, what? Cheese? You've caught my attention..)

It's a slice of life organizers bill as "an orgy of cheese." (Ooh, please do go on..)

Begun in 2003 by a group of friends living together in a loft, the Grilled Cheese Invitational (Wait just ONE minute. THERE IS A FESTIVAL EVENT DEDICATED TO GRILLED CHEESE?! I'm going to piss my pants right now I'm so excited.) has grown from 16 competitors and 80 attendees to 150 sandwich makers and a crowd of as many as 800 attendees, who will serve as judges (!!!) blah blah blah blah... FREE.. blah blah. Blah. "

.. Yeah, actually right there I just kind of just skimmed through the rest and bolted to my computer to RSVP, only to find out it's fricken' maxed out its capacity! And then I got really bummed. And then after I pulled out of my momentary depression, I signed up for its e-mail list to be notified of cheesy announcements and to know in advance when the next event rolls into town.

And I can't wait. Just check out the categories for the competition.

Mmm.. my imagination's running wild with cheesy fantasies.

*

They say goodbye, and I say hello.

Sigh. Blogging's a challenge when you're feeling uninspired -- especially after discovering that three of some of your favorite places to eat have recently closed up shop.

* * *
The first victim: TeaZone (often mistaken for a Lollicup) in Fullerton, located on State College and Chapman.

Yelpers apparently weren't fans, but I wholeheartedly stand by a statement I've made many-a-time: TeaZone had the best spicy chicken karaage combo meal out of any boba dive I've ever eaten at. Albeit MSG-ridden, no doubt, the chicken was the crispiest, tastiest around, and it was piled high on a bed of perfectly firm and sticky steamed rice (you can't imagine how hard this is to ask for at a boba joint). Additionally, the overstuffed box came with two mystery side items (which were always hit or miss for me) and what I like to call the "scene stealer" of the meal: a small offering of a wonderful spicy green relish thing embedded in the rice, buried under the chicken along with a few salted, roasted peanuts.

TO THIS DAY, I still have no idea what that was. And it pains me greatly to think that I may never find out.

Oh, and this seems rather insignificant after all that, but I also LOVED their chopsticks. They were the cylindrical kind that are tapered and have a good weight to them -- you know what I'm talking about -- not the cheapo boxy things that look like tiny pieces of lumber, which separate terribly unevenly and leave splinters in your grub.

* * *
Second: I nearly cried (no joke) when I drove by what used to be Main Street Pizza Pasta and found out that it's been replaced by some generic-looking Greek food place. I can't even remember the name of the new place. I'm too heartbroken.

No more plump homemade cheese raviolis in creamy tomato-ricotta sauce. No more fast fixes of linguine with clams. No more al dente pasta cheaper than the non-al dente pasta served at Olive Garden and the like.

I mean, seriously, how could you not want to cry?

* * *
Lastly, the Asiana Grill bid farewell to Tustin. This one I kind of saw coming -- not because the food was terrible. It was pretty great -- not the best, by far -- but certainly much better than the other Chinese lunch option I'd been going to. It was the really awkward location. Coming from a certain direction, I would have to make a u-turn quite a ways away to be able to get to it. It's not a place you stumble on easily.

Anyway, as a Chinese fast-food joint, they made everything fresh and to order. Orange chicken is so much better crispy and piping hot than it is soggy -- wouldn't you agree? And you could get cream cheese wontons as one of your combo items. Sa-weet. But alas, it's no more.

Luckily, I read about Chicken Bowl Express in OC Weekly last week and decided to give their kung-pao chicken a try this evening.


I think it will be a very satisfactory Chinese food replacement. And by satisfactory I mean excellently YUMMY.

* * *
Chicken Bowl Express
554 N. Tustin St.
Orange 92866
714.532.6858

P.S. This post officially concludes "international month," which was kind of a bust. Oh well.

Goodnight and sweet corn.

I clutched the bubble-like bag of Golden Sweet Corn snacks in my hand and just stared.


I know it's still Lent. I just don't care.

The bag broke open with an easy pop and I proceeded to pour them into my mouth in a steady stream of salty-sweet snacky goodness. I grinned as my cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk's. I ate the whole damn bag, and they were heavenly.

And then I woke up.

Wow. I can't believe I actually dreamt about eating snacks. I don't think Lent's ever done that to me before. When I decided to give up snacks, soda and non-homemade confections, I thought it'd be easy. But apparently it's had a profound effect on my subconscious. Okay, I'm probably being very melodramatic, but really, I can't recall the lack of fried food, red meat, or bread ever haunting my dreams before!

These corn snacks by Regent (they come from the Philippines!) are one of my favorites. What I find so special about them is: not only are they made from corn, they mimic the flavor. Other snacks will trick you, and show a cartoon of a giraffe eating some corn, or a potato-person roasting a cob of corn, or even the corncob itself dancing and speaking Korean. But these snacks won't taste anything like corn. These cartoons apparently just illustrate that the snack is made from corn. I know, it's all very disappointing.

These, however, do not disappoint:


By the way, after I took this photo, I had a very difficult time putting them back into the bag. Man oh man.

But I did allow myself to lick the corn-flavored crumbs that were graciously left on my fingers. Hopefully it will hold me over for the next two days.

Golden Sweet Corn is available at many Asian grocers. Your best bet is probably 99 Ranch Market.

Next stop: Indonesia (or Southeast Asia) for coco-pandan birthday cake.

One of my birthday presents to myself each year is the joy of making my own cake. Unfortunately, I was so bogged down with other obligations this year that I couldn't start my cake until the very last minute.

But I think I still worked it out:


This coco-pandan cake was actually still a blank canvas as party guests were arriving, and I finished decorating it with the help of my pastry chef cousin Irene while people were eating birthday brunch.

I was going to do some fancy piped shiz on it, but I was too lazy. Luckily, Nature gave me some lovely decorating tools: I took leftover kiwis originally intended for healthy snacking, sliced them ever-so-thinly (as I only had 3 left), strategically stuck them on my cake and patted myself on the back.

Of course, Irene showed me up by piping adorable chocolate embellishments all over it. As her former "bakery assistant" (I use the term loosely), I loved watching her work.

In fact, she gave me this recipe for coco-pandan cake. The cake is a simple chiffon with pandan flavoring, with fresh (actually, canned, but y'know, NOT dried/flaked) young coconut between the layers.


Coconut-Pandan Cake, courtesy pastry chef cousin Irene
8 oz cake flour
9 oz superfine sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
1/2 cup water
Pure vanilla extract, to taste
20 egg yolks
10 egg whites
1 tablespoon pandan extract (recommended: Kupu-kupu brand)
Green food coloring, if needed

Sift together the flour, 8 oz of the sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine oil, water, egg yolks and vanilla in a mixer fixed with the whip attachment. Mix on low speed until everything is incorporated. Add the flour mixture and whip on high speed until doubled in volume. Add the pandan extract. Add green food coloring for extra color, if needed.

While the flour mixture is mixing, add the remaining 1 oz sugar to the egg whites. Whip the whites until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the flour mixture in 3 additions.

Divide the batter among two 10-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper on the bottom. Bake at 350 degrees until tops are firm and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-ish minutes (unfortunately, I didn't time it).

"Fresh" Coconut Filling:
3 cans young coconut meat (recommended: Aroy-D brand)
Mochiko (sweet Japanese rice flour) to thicken
Sugar, as needed

Drain the coconut meat, reserving some of the juice. Chop the coconut meat into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add the Mochiko to the coconut, a tablespoon at a time, until the filling is a creamy, but not pasty consistency. Thin it out with the juice as needed, and add sugar if you want to sweeten it even more.

Right here I actually heated equal parts of Mochiko and coconut juice in a saucepan over low heat in order to dissolve the flour and make it less gritty before I added it to the coconut, but it's not entirely necessary.

Simple Icing:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the whip cream and sugar in a large bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat in the vanilla toward the end.


I had originally planned to make coco-pandan cupcakes, but I couldn't figure out a way to translate the fresh coconut element to cupcake-form in time for my birthday. I'm still thinking about it.

Hey dontcha know that we're off to see the world.

Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome...

.. once again to my blog.

This month I will take on an "international theme." A majority of recent posts have been all about American comfort food, but it's true I love all types of cuisines. So this month, I will commit to blogging about non-American food. I realize this is quite an ambition for someone who blogs so sporadically. But! I will do my best.

To kick off this theme, I'd like to share a meal that was inspired by a film about excitement, intrigue, kick-ass songs, killer dance moves, and worldly adventures. A film that stands the test of time.

That's right, I'm talking about The Chipmunk Adventure.


Don't hate. You know this movie's awesome. And no, this isn't that blasphemous update starring Jason Lee.

Anyway, at one pivotal moment of the film, Theodore is husked away by the rest of the gang to have a crazy rock n' roll jumping dancing showdown thing with the Chipmunks' female counterparts and rivals, the Chipettes. Poor little Theodore, who hasn't been able to get some hearty eats the entire adventure and now has lost his delicious Mediterranean meal, desperately cries out,

"BUT MY COUSCOUS!"

And that was the inspiration for this dinner.

Lamb and Feta Burgers with Cumin Yogurt Dressing, Bob Sloan, Great Burgers

Couscous Salad with Peas and Mint, Emily Haft Bloom, Burgers Every Way


A few alterations: I couldn't find ground lamb easily (although I imagine it would have been tasty), so I used ground beef, which was still excellent. And I used yellow peppers instead of red peppers for the couscous. Because I felt like it.

That night, we ate our couscous and watched fondly as Theodore scaled the steps of the Acropolis three at a time and enthusiastically gyrated his hips with his brothers.

A happy belated Valentine's Day.

My boyfriend luurrves me. Why?

This could be one reason:


Valentine's Day fell on a Thursday this year, so we waited until the weekend to celebrate. I decided to show my love for him by slow-cooking the shiz out of some beef. This smoky beef stew with blue cheese and chives had enough tender, fall-apart meaty goodness to ensure our future together. Hehe, kidding. Maybe.

For me, this recipe is one of those where you can't argue with any of the ingredients. To quote Sunset Magazine, "bacon, smoked paprika, and chipotle chile powder give this stew layers of smoky flavor." Red wine gives it depth (I used a Shiraz Cabernet), onions add sweetness... and who doesn't like buttery potatoes and carrots? To top it all off, tangy blue cheese slowly melts into the stew to complete a flavor masterpiece.

This recipe doesn't mess around.

Cornbread muffins were a perfectly sweet accompaniment to the salty smokiness of it all. It's teetering on the edge of my dish and contemplating a skinny dipping.


DO IT. JUUMMMP.

By the way, Trader Joe's Cornbread Mix (complete with real corn kernels!) is awesome. Of course, I added even more corn and then sprinkled the tops of my muffins with sugar. I couldn't help it. I love corn and sugar.

Oh, and I didn't forget about dessert: peanut butter and chocolate fondue, with apples, bananas, pretzels and strawberries.


Yes, I garnished it with sprinkles shaped like lips. And what.

Avocado makes a better dessert.

+

+

=

YUMZERS.

I'm sure this has an official Indonesian name (maybe just es alpokat?), but I call it avocado soup. Mother whips up this delicious coffee-flavored avocado dessert for me using just fresh scoops of avocado, ABC brand Mocca Syrup, crushed ice and a touch of water.

Actually, she makes it for herself, and then I steal it.

Guac is great and all, but the buttery avocado just.. belongs in dessert.

Lent --> Best meal I've had at Wahoo's yet.

I take Lent as an opportunity (/excuse) to slightly curb my bad (but oh so good) eating habits for 40 days (when I don't slip) out of the year. My body's health shrieks, "THANK GOD," while my taste buds and love for all-things-food quip, "Dammit, is it this time of year again, already?"

But tasty foodventures can result from avoiding poultry and red meat on Fridays (and Ash Wednesday). One of the most obvious: more samplings of seafood. My dearest seafood. How I love thee.

Coming into Wahoo's Fish Taco today, I was expecting to order a standard blackened fish bowl, with rice and beans, pico de gallo -- you know, the usual Lenty food.

But hunger told me I had to get enchiladas. One fish enchilada and one shrimp enchilada, both swimming in "spicy green sauce," to be exact. And hunger get what hunger want. (Yes, I had to say it. And no, hunger didn't want a hot dog.)

By the way, for those of you who've never been to Wahoo's, the green sauce is a f-amazing creamy cilantro-lime dressing that's not really as hot as it claims, but it does have a little kick to it. I like to pour it on everything. And with enchiladas, melted cheddar floats on top for a bonus? HELLS YES.

As I mulled over the so-so black beans versus the so-so white beans, the cashier, in all his terrific genius, suggested all rice. Oh my gah! That's exactly what I wanted. DOUBLE hells yes.

All this resulted in what I believe to be my Wahoo's "recipe." Took me long enough (I found my Chipotle recipe on the third try). I wish I'd taken a photo; I didn't know this meal was going to be such a historic event.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, besides the whole "no-meat" rule on Fridays, I've given up soft drinks, chips and snacky things, and non-homemade confections.

Me, too, Cream Pan! Me, too!

Waiting for even more rave reviews before visiting the little Cream Pan turned Japonaise Bakery & Café in Tustin? What's wrong with you?!

If for some crazy reason, you need a little more persuading (you crazy!), here are a couple afterthoughts from yet another humble blogger. Please do try..

The best lemon poppyseed bread ever:


So very zesty and ... poppy. Heh. Poppyseeds make me giggle. And this is loaded with them, so you can imagine that I was very happy as I was devouring it.

And the walnut bread, neither altogether sweet nor savory. Just.. nutty. And yummy. Here, it's toasted and slathered with Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter, which practically melts into the warm nooks and crannies:


Go already. (Or come with me!)

* * *
Japonaise Bakery & Café
600 El Camino Real
Tustin 92780
714.665.8239

Heavenly heifer: Divine Bovine beef jerky.

I just spent more than $30 on beef jerky.

Why, might you ask?

Because it's divine. In fact, it's Divine Bovine. She's graced me with her tender, sweet, succulent jerky goodness.


That photo still might not be convincing enough. Okay, imagine eating popular, name-brand beef jerky you buy at the grocery store. Tastes alright, but tough, dry, over-salted, and shoe-leathery may come to mind. If that's beef jerky hell, Divine Bovine welcomes you to beef jerky heaven.

The Original is savory and a little smoky, with just the right level of saltiness; Honey Teriyaki is its sweet companion.

But my very favorite, the one I fell in love with in a car dealership gift shop*, is Wild Honey Teriyaki. For a brief moment on your taste buds, it poses as its sweet angel sister, the normal Honey Teriyaki. All of a sudden, your tongue envelops in flames.

It's a heavenly heifer that will give you one hell of a mouth burn. But as your ears redden slightly and tiny sweat beads start to form on your temples, you will reach for more.


Mmm-hmm. Holy Cow is right.

*A little anecdote: I actually happened upon Divine Bovine while waiting for a routine car check-up at Longo Toyota. Bored and feeling snacky, I browsed the gift shop for something to munch on.

"Ooh, what's this? I loves me some beef jerky."

So I paid $6.99 for a 4 ounce bag at the cashier. And it was so good, I had to buy it again the next time I was back at Longo Toyota for another service.

And then since I didn't have to return for another 4,000+ miles, I turned to the Internet to get my jerky fix. I ordered one of each flavor, pulled out my credit card, and placed my order. And I got a confirmation e-mail..

.. from Anthony Longo.

COINCIDENCE?!? HA! I think not. I mean, how common of a name is "Longo"? And I was wondering why it wasn't cheaper to buy the jerky online. Don't gift shops -- especially in car dealerships -- hike up the prices? But this jerky pretty much costs the same online as it does in the gift shop. IT ALL MAKES SENSE.

Actually, I have no real idea if Anthony Longo is or is related to Mr. Longo of Longo Toyota. But thank you Mr. Longo(s). Thank you for the beef jerky.

* * *
Longo Toyota
3534 N. Peck Road
El Monte 91731
626.580.6000

UPDATE 2/5/08, 11:09 PM:
So uh... apparently.. this jerky is available at your local Stater Bros. ... for only $5.99..?? Dude, I could have gotten an extra bag with what I paid!

I've got a sheepish smile on my face right now. Heh..