Sweetened Iced Jasmine Tea

First thing to know is that I LOVE jasmine tea; it is my go to tea!  And I have found a delicious one at great itty bitty spot in LA, Kaya Street Kitchen.  In addition to the jasmine tea, which we will get to shortly, everything here is amazing!  They have creative recipes that taste fresh and the menu allows you to customize to your liking.  Order anything, you cannot go wrong.

Now, the jasmine tea!  

First reason this is great, you don't see a lot of iced jasmine teas, you will will find it hot here and there, but rarely iced.

Second reason, you can have it sweetened or unsweetened.  Now, normal, I do not add anything to my green tea, but the sweetened version is such a delicious treat that intensifies the Jasmine flavor. My husband, who is normally a black tea or coffee drinker, even loves this sweetened version!  When you make it at home you can customize the sweetness to your liking.  

And third and most importantly, it reminds me of the bottled jasmine tea I feel in love with in China. 

Now this is super easy to make and you can make a big batch to have all week or for a lovely brunch.  It will be a great staple during this hot summer!

Wanderer's Shopping List

4bags Jasmine Tea (You can also use loose tea; just pick a jasmine tea you like)

8cups Hot Water

2tbsp Agave 

Place tea bags in large pitcher, or if you don't have one you want to put the hot water in, a pot works as well.  You can transfer this after it cools.  Bring water to just before boil; remember with green teas, you don't want the water boiling.  Pour over tea bags, steep for 2-4 minutes; remove tea bags.  Add Agave, stir to dissolve.  Chill 4 hours.  

Now just serve over ice and kick your feet up; if you are lucky enough to have a yard with some jasmine growing, I suggest sitting by that beautiful flower!

Spicy Miso Pork Belly Ramen

Okay, so for those of you who have never been to Japan or to a ramen restaurant, real ramen is not Top Ramen.  While many of us may have been sustained by the packaged ramen during our college days or ate it as a kid growing up (it was a favorite of mine after swim team practice), you have not experienced real ramen if this is all you have had.  If you are lucky enough to be in a larger city with a ramen restaurant, make your way there now; cause while I am going to give you my recipe, modeled after one of my favorite ramen spots, Urban Ramen, it is just never quite the same.

But now that Trader Joe's carries this delicious already cooked pork belly, it makes this dish so much easier.  Of course if you want to make this veggie friendly you can sub in tofu or just load up on veggies.


Wanderer's Shopping List
1 TJs Pork Belly
8ounces Ground Pork
4cloves Garlic - finely chopped
2tsp Ginger - grated
8ounces Shiitake Mushrooms - coarsely chopped
4cups Chicken Stock
2tbsp Miso Paste
1tsp Chili Oil (more if you like things really spicy like me)
1package Noodles (Check out the asian food section in your grocery store; you will find all sorts of yummy noodles.  Best ones for ramen are either the package ramen noodles, don't use the flavor packet or yaki soba noodles.)
1can Bamboo Shoots
3heads Baby Bok Choy - coarsely chopped
1cup Bean Sprouts
2-3 Green Onion - finely chopped
Seasoned Soft Boiled Egg (see directions below; make ahead)
>4 Eggs
>4tbsp Soy Sauce
>4tbsp Rice Vinegar
>2cups Water

4 servings

Seasoned Soft Boiled Eggs - Place 4 eggs in medium pot and cover with water, bring just to boil; turn off heat and cover for 7 minutes.  Remove eggs and place in cold water.  Meanwhile, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar and water in zip lock bag.  Once eggs are cold enough to handle, peel carefully and place in zip lock bag.  Place in fridge for 24-48 hours.

Preheat oven to broil.  Slice pork belly into 1/4 inch slices; place on baking sheet.  Broil pork belly for 2-3 minutes each side.  Watch carefully, things can burn quick under broil.  Set aside once done.

While that is happening, add ground pork to large skillet or wok over medium heat, breaking up while browning.  Once meat is partially cooked, add garlic, ginger and mushrooms.   Cook until meat is browned and crisped.

Couple of tips for grating your ginger; first use a spoon to remove the peel, a lot safer than a knife and works amazingly well.  Once you have the peel removed, place a piece of plastic wrap over your grater (you want the really fine one)  and grate the ginger on top of the plastic wrap.  It is crazy, but the plastic will not break and you will have all of the ginger on top of it and can easily remove it.

Meanwhile, add chicken stock, miso paste, and chili oil to large pot.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.
While simmering, cook noodles to directions in separate pot, add to ramen.  Add pork belly, ground pork mixture, bamboo shots and bok choy.

Take seasoned eggs and carefully add one to each of the four bowls; carefully cut each egg in half longways.  The heat of the soup will warm up the egg and cook it a little more.  Add bean sprouts to each bowl.  Top each bowl with noodle/meat/veggie/broth mixture.  Be sure to get a little of everything in the bowls.  Top each with sprinkle of green onions.  Add chopsticks and you are ready to chow down!

Fried Chicken and Biscuits Eggs Benedict

These days every restaurant has a take on the classic eggs benedict; and while I do love the classic, some of these twists are quite delicious.  This fun play is inspired by a great little restaurant in West Hollywood called Fat Dog.  The place is great for brunch, has some fun drinks at good prices and a yummy selection of dishes(pic above) to pick from that they have put their mark on.  And true to their name it is dog themed and has a patio that is dog friendly.

Wanderer's Shopping List
1tbsp White Vinegar
4 - 8 Eggs (This can be served with 1 or 2 eggs each depending on how hungry you and your troops are)
4 Chicken Thighs
1/2cup Flour
1/4cup Parsley - finely chopped
Vegetable or Sunflower Oil
Salt
Pepper
8 Biscuits (My husband swears the best biscuits come from the back of the Clabber Girl baking powder can, so that is what I used.  You will need flour, shortening, butter, salt, milk and of course baking power)
Hollandaise Sauce (I used this recipe and it was delicious!  You will need egg yolks, lemon juice, butter, cayenne pepper and salt)

<4 Servings>

This recipe is a little bit of a juggling act, so if you have an extra set of hands offering to help, accepted.  You can do this on your own, you will need your oven to keep things warm for timing purposes.

First, start with a little prep for everything.  Go ahead and fully prep your biscuits so they are ready to bake; set aside.

Next, on a plate mix flour with salt and pepper, just enough to season the chicken, about a 1/4 teaspoon of each; set aside.   You want small to medium sized pieces of chicken, so you are going to pound it a little so it is not so thick and to even it out; this will help so that it fries evenly.  Great technique is to place the chicken on a cutting board (your raw meat designated cutting board) and place a piece of wax paper over it and then hit with your mallet until it at the desired thickness.  About 1/2 thick is good.  If you don't have a meat mallet, a rolling pin or skillet works great.    Once done, dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture; set aside.

Prepare your ingredients for your sauce; squeeze your lemons, separate your eggs and make sure your butter is softened.  Two easy ways to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites; both you will need two bowls:
1 - Crack the egg in half and tip the egg back and forth between the two half over a bowl pouring off the whites.  Once separated, place the yolk in the other bowl.
2 - Crack the egg in to your hand over a bowl, slowly let the whites go through your fingers until you have only the yolk left, place in other bowl.
Set items aside, you will want to make your sauce last.

Preheat your oven for your biscuits and cook to instructions.  Meanwhile, heat a 1/2 cup of oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Once up to temp, place chicken carefully in the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes each side.  If your skillet is large enough, you may be able to all 4 pieces at once; just be carefully not crowd the skillet, better to do this in 2 batches if needed.  When done, place on paper towel lined plate to drain of excess oil.

While chicken is frying; bring a large pot of water with the vinegar to a very low boil.  Crack eggs one at a time into a small bowl; holding lip of bowl at the edge of the water, slowly pour the egg into the water.  Cook 3-5 minutes, depending on how firm you like your yolks, then remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate.  You can have 3 eggs in at a time.

I know poaching eggs can be a little intimidating, if this is too much for you, there are a couple of work arounds.  You can use a poaching pan, usually 4 eggs at a time.  If you don't have the pan, there is this awesome trick my sister taught me.  Spray a skillet with a little non-stick cooking spray and bring to medium heat, drop eggs in (# depends on size of skillet) and cook until whites begin to firm, then add water, enough for inch in the skillet, continue cooking until done.

Now make your hollandaise sauce.  Keep everything else covered with foil while you do this and it should all stay warm.  The sauce cooks pretty quickly.

Assembly time.  Two biscuits per plate, top with piece of chicken, egg or two, pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with parsley(that you found time to chop somewhere in all this) and a dash of cayenne pepper for color.  

Enjoy with your favorite brunch peeps; we made this as a late mother's day breakfast and it was a hit.  Goes great with a bloody beer or bloody mary.

Just a quick note.

Okay...so let's start with the obvious.  It has been a really, really long time since I have posted anything.  All I can say is that a lot has happened in that time; which means there is plenty to say, plenty of recipes to be posted and lots of cooking to do.  In this time I have traveled much for work (was not home for more than 48 hours straight in a 3 month period), went on my first Asia trip, celebrated two dear friends weddings, experienced new love and a great loss, and of course, had many great meals and delicious great drinks.   I am looking forward to sharing new recipes and tips with you all!  Check back soon for the next post!

Wild Mushroom & Bacon

The first night of any trip is always the one where I have the least amount of energy; after how many hours on a flight, trekking with your bags to your lodging and of course finding your way around where you are going.  Then of course you could be adjusting to what ever time change too.  So, I am usually all about finding a local place near the hotel for dinner that first night.  Which means that you could end up with not an amazing meal, since you are out for convenience.  This time in Vienna, we lucked out and stumbled onto the most amazing restaurant that warmed us up in the rain and made me feel so happy!  Good food, nice glass of wine while it is raining outside; sounds like a good night to me.

A small part of me feels like I am in Disneyland when I am in Vienna; the city is so incredibility clean and well kept.  I only wish LA was so clean.  Also, all of the ingredients are fresh; everything taste grown local.  I love the food vendors along the streets, everyone bustling to and from work, and locals going for their morning jog through the palace gardens.  I could definitely live there! 

On to the food!  This is such an easy one to make and so good!

Wanderer's Shopping List
Olive Oil
1 large Potato - peeled and diced
1lb Slab Bacon - diced in to 1/2 inch cubes
16oz mixture of Mushrooms - roughly chopped
4-5 cloves of Garlic - diced
1/2cup White Wine
Parmesan Cheese

For the mushrooms, the wilder the better!  But just pick 2-4 different types that you like.

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat; add potato and cook stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.  Add bacon; cook for another 15 minutes.  Add garlic and mushrooms; cook for 5 minutes.  Salt and Pepper to taste and add wine.  Cook down wine and remove from heat.  Plate and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Now pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy!

Minted Carrots

I spent a few weeks in Philadelphia over the past couple of months for work.  Anyone that has traveled for work knows that it is not quite the same experience has traveling for leisure.  First, generally you do not get to pick the destination; second, you may be spending most of your free time on your own; and thirdly, most of your time is taken up with work!

With all that said, let's focus on the positives.  First off, it is a trip!  And I love a good trip.  Secondly, you have to don't have to do any dishes, laundry or other house hold chores like on a normal work week.  And thirdly, there are still lots of great opportunities to explore the food.  First a couple of highlights of Philly.

My absolute favorite place in Philadelphia is the Philadelphia Museum of Art!  I went both trips and would go every time I am in Philly!   First off, they have Wednesdays, pay what you want; don't be cheap here, give them at least 50%.  The building is so amazing I could just wandering there for the day.  As many of you know, the infamous "Rocky Steps" or actually the "museum steps" that lead up to the museum are here and you can get your iconic photo at the top.  It also has a great view of the skyline here. 

Also, if you have time, check out the hippos and shark tunnel at Adventure Aquarium.  Watching them feed the hippos is awesome!  Now to the food!

Of course, you have your normal food icons of Philly.  You have the Philly cheesesteak; Philadelphia cheesecake; and I didn't know it before traveling there, but your pretzel twists (those are a big thing there).  And we will get to all that in another post; but this post is about a unique little recipe I discovered at, this yummy little place down the street from work, Agno Grill. The ingredients here are so fresh and simple; but creative and delish!  Check out their site for the details  on their menu; as we are talking about the amazing carrots!

They roast the carrots and then toss them with mint!  Simple, right!  And amazing!  These carrots are so good and so easy to make; add them to a salad, to a rice bowl, a wrap, have them as a side on their own.   I kept going back the whole time I was there for these carrots!

Wanderer's Shopping List
Carrots (as many as you want; washed and peeled)
Mint (lots - good handful; washed, dried and diced)
Olive Oil
Salt

That's it!

First, break out your cast iron grill or head over to your BBQ.  Grease up which every you are using and put your carrots on there for 20 minutes rotating throughout.  If cooking on the cast iron grill, cover with foil loosely.  You want good grill marks, but you are not cooking the carrots fully.  They should still have a slight, slight crunch to them when you remove them. 

Next, let cool slightly and cut carrots on a bias.  Toss in bowl with small ( I mean small) amount of olive oil, your mint and salt to taste. 

And you are done.  Now you can add these to any salad or whatever you would like; get crazy.  Trust me; you will be making this all the time!  If you are not a mint fan, give it a try with basil or thyme. 

Lil' Lemonade Pies

I love lemon! I am the girl that sucks on my lemon wedge...so good!  And lemonade is possibly one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks.  So when I saw the idea for Luscious Lemonade Pie Cookies at Cocinanda Con Alena, I had to give this a try.  I wanted to make this my own, so I did the lemon curd and the pie crust from scratch. 

This is so great for all you summer parties!  My favorite is the fact it is pie and finger food; makes it perfect for BBQs but more elegant than your basic brownies or cookies.  I totally recommend this hit for 4th of July; you will be a rockstar!

Wanderer's Shopping List

Lemon Curd

7tbsp Lemon Juice

4tsp Lemons Zest

1cup Sugar

2tbsp Cornstarch

6tbsp Water
6 egg yolks

1/2cup Butter - cut into small pieces

Pie Crust

2cups Flour

2/3cup Shortening

1/2tsp Salt

6tbsp Water

Egg Wash
1 Egg
1tbsp Water

Extra Sugar to sprinkle

First you are going to make the lemon curd. Mix your sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and lemon juice; heat in pan over medium heat until blended and bubble.  Meanwhile, place egg yolks in a bowl and lightly mix; add half of your lemon mixture to yolks, stir and return mixture back to the pan.  Mix and cook over medium heat just until it begins to boil.  Lower heat and cook 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add butter, one pieces at a time, stirring until melted.  Cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap, pressing it down against the curd.  Chill for one hour. 

Now your pie crust; you can use any pie crust recipe you would like; I used this one from Better Homes and Gardens.  Just be sure to make the double crust with whatever recipe you do use.

Once you have your pie crust all rolled out; spread with your lemon curd over half (or one if you rolled it out in two).  Give a generous layer on there; you want to taste that lemon curd.  And yes, this is going to be a little messy putting these together.   Next, place your other rolled pie crust over the top or fold in half.  

Messy time!  Take your round cookie cutter and push down through both layers; before lifting up the cutter, take a butter knife and use the handle side to push down the edges all the way around.  Lift cutter.  Repeat until all is cut out.  Pull away the in-between stuff and place your lil' pies onto a greased cookie sheet. Coat each pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Cut small X into top of each pie.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350.  Check every 7 minutes if you are compulsive like me and have a crazy oven.  Remove from oven and cool.  Bring to party and have everyone talk about how amazing them and you are!