Dining In: Morey's Salmon, Costco

Thank goodness for sample hour at Costco, because without this, I may never discover things amongst the thousands of products they have.  By the way, I have no problem saying I fore go the $2 pepperoni pizza to make room for sample hour.   Anyways, back to why I'm writing.  I cooked Morey's marinated wild salmon, from the freezer isle and this is pretty awesome.  Its marinated with oil, paprika, onion, garlic and other spices but most importantly packs a surprising punch.  The package includes 6 filets at around $15, which I think is a good deal for salmon.  Now the box offers several ways to cook it; I prefer baking so it doesn't dry out as fast.  After it's just about ready, I like to place the filet skin side down a pan so it's nice and crispy.  The broccoli is steamed, seasoned with salt and pepper, and/or if you're Filipino, dip in vinegar :) With the rice, I actually take some of the marinate that has fallen onto the baking pan after the fish is done cooking, and mix it into the rice to add more flavor.  I don't know about you guys, but being Asian and eating rice all the time, I get sick of the same white or fried rice.  This whole thing takes less than a half hour to prepare and I'm for anything that will put dinner quickly on the table without having to go fast food all the time.

Melting Pot, Irvine CA

Unfortunately I didn’t start off with cheese fondue because I knew my pants would no longer fit around my waist by the time I got to dessert, which meant that I would have to walk out of there pantless. So for my entrée, I went Mojo style, which is a broth with Caribbean style seasonings, splashed with lemon and orange juice and topped with cilantro. They also have a garlic and wine house seasoning that you can shake onto anything if you want to add a little more saltiness if that’s your thing. My meats were teriyaki sirloin, filet mignon, chicken and salmon. The teriyaki sirloin sounds weird to be dipping in Caribbean flavored broth, but trust me, you’ll like it. After you’re done cooking it, then you have 5 different sauces you can dip your meat and veggies in. Quite honestly, I think it’s a little too much just because I think it crowds the table and I only use the one that I think is worthwhile. Ah the Green Goddess, sour cream with parsley and green onion. There’s no need to go into any more description, that’s all you need to know. It goes with your meats and veggies alike. I really like fondue because when you cook meat in broth, it doesn't dry out and it doesn't overcook. It remains plump, juicy and infuses well with the flavors of the broth.

Now dessert: the reason why I had to sacrifice the cheese. I wish I didn’t have to, but I need to think of the big picture here. So I went for the cookies and cream fondue: dark chocolate and marshmallow cream, crushed Oreo cookies then flambéed with 151 (insert smiley face). Your weapon of choice: strawberries, pound cake, brownies, bananas, marshmallows, rice crispies and cheesecake. The fondue itself great, given the ingredients, I think you’d have to be dimwitted to mess this one up. As far as your dippers, my complaint is that the portions are off. I thought there was a good amount of strawberries but that’s it. They can do without the cheesecake and brownie; those are forgettable even with the chocolate. But they need to bring on the pound cake. There was only one tiny piece and I had to snag it before my other half noticed with was there to begin with. But overall it was a great meal and I accomplished what I always set out to accomplish, unbutton my pants and fall asleep.

Dessert First: Taiyaki waffles at Mochilato, Irvine CA

A Japanese-Italian sweet shop, featuring traditional mochi, gelato, Italian shaved ice topped with fresh fruit, and even mochi stuffed with gelato. What I had was a Taiyaki, which is a Japanese waffle topped with strawberries, bananas whipped cream, a house sauce and chocolate gelato. It normally comes topped with a crème brulee gelato, but something about the chocolate gelato just felt so right. But after talking to a friend who is actually Japanese, supposedly a Japanese waffle doesn’t exist. Whatever, it was still worth ordering. This waffle is perfect in thickness, slightly thinner and not at all dense like the chunky, starchy waffle that requires you to stretch your mouth to the limits. This waffle is light and airy, and has a distinct sweetness that adds a perfect compliment and in no way overpowers. Just by looking at it, you can already tell that this is something special that you’re just about to divulge in. Just make sure that when you’re sharing with your friends, they don’t end up slicing their piece with your plastic knife and then licking it. And when they stare at you in envy for not ordering the same thing, try not to feel bad.

Dining In: Clark's quiche, allrecipies.com

So for some strange reason I had a craving for quiche. I looked for a recipe and came across Clark's quiche from allrecipies.com. Not only did he have 400+ positive reviews; but his introductory paragraph stated that the recipe called for two pies because if you only bake one, you'll regret that you didn't bake two. Now if that doesn't make you want to try it out, I don't know what will. Even my other half loves it and this is a guy where you wouldn't look at him and think, " oh yeah, this guy eats quiche." This quiche is jammed packed with bacon, onion, ham, spinach and three kinds of cheeses. However, I believe his use of sour cream sets this quiche apart from the others I've had. I mean how genius is sour cream?! But that, it makes this meal not a skinny jeans kind of meal.

TIPS: (1)Poke your frozen pie crust with holes with a fork so it doesn't bubble.
(2)Pre-bake the crust before putting anything in so that it doesn't turn out mushy.
(3)When you do your final bake, cover the crust with foil so it doesn't burn.

Recommendations: I used Mrs. Smith's frozen crust, I liked how golden brown it came out to be. I have also used Marie Calendar's frozen crust and I don't prefer it. The color was not as nice and the crust turned out a little mushy.



http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Clarks-Quiche/Detail.aspx

Finally online

So after a few weeks of collecting content and returning from the Gilroy Garlic Festival, I'm finally starting my food blog. To get better sense about me and my mindset, read the appropriately titled "About me."