LA Food Festival

The LA Food Festival is going on now through mid-December and is absolutely worth checking out. Each weekend there is a specific type of food featured and if one of them tickles your fancy, well then you must go!

A friend and I made it to Ramen week a few weeks back and despite the 90 degree heat and the fact that I unceremoniously dropped my sunglasses into my bowl, the ramen was phenomenal.

Coming up this weekend is an Asian themed night market. 

Get those chopsticks ready!

Click here for the LA Food Festival schedule.

Foodie, 

Kate

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The mini chalkboards in my room.

Veggie Pasta

I have made a batch of this once a week for the past few weeks, dividing it up to create four or five lunches. It's quick, healthy, colorful, and works served hot or cold.

I whipped some up last night and took a few pics throughout the process.
*I apologize for the poor picture quality. 

[1]
I sauteed some garlic and pepper in olive oil, while I boiled pasta.

[2]

I chopped up a few of my favorite veggies.

Asparagus, bell pepper, eggplant, mushrooms.

I also added almond slivers and a few pieces of salami that were on their way out. 

[3]

Added a touch more olive oil and sauteed the veggies in the pan for a bit to let all the flavors come together. When the pasta was done I threw it in and cooked it for a few more minutes just to make sure the flavor dispersed evenly. 

Bon Appetit!

Veggie and Carbo Loaded, 

Kate

2 Ingredient Cookies

I know, I didn't believe the title of the recipe either when I read it!
But it's true! 

Well kinda...

Just to be clear...this is a pile of cookies, not just one.

I used two old bananas, a cup-ish of oats, which is really all the recipe called for, but I went ahead and added a few more things. I threw in a handful of chocolate chips and two handfuls of walnuts. Clearly I didn't feel like dirtying my measuring spoons. Then I mashed everything until the banana was all mixed in, then baked at 350F for 15 minutes, or until I thought the banana looked more baked then mushy.

I made these little cookies last night, and while they turned out a little more like banana bread and a little less like cookie, they still were a unique little treat.

The actual recipe with step by step pictures is here. 

Perfect over-ripe banana solution,

Kate

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Tune: We Come Running By Youngblood Hawke. 

Accomplishment: Watching my 2nd years answer some challenging reading comprehension questions. 

Obsessions: Homemade tortilla soup.

Cream Cheese & Lox

Since quitting school lunch way back here, I have been feeling that I am not quite meeting my fish quota. Though I have yet to get up the courage to cook salmon in my own little kitchen, lox and cream cheese is still one my all-time favorite snacks. I stumbled upon some tasty-looking lox in my local foreign good's store and instantly pieced together dinner in my mind.

This isn't so much a recipe as it is a simple assemblage procedure: lox, cream cheese and onions on a toasted baguette with a few greens and tomatoes mixed with olive oil and balsamic. Top it off with a generous sprinkle of rosemary over everything and a little sparkling water to drink. 

YUM.

I need to live in New York,
Kate

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Accomplishment: Making it safely to school, despite the crap weather. 

Obsessions: Buzzfeed App.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Full disclosure, I made these little guys so long ago I can barely remember what I did. However, I do remember absolutely loving them, and the fact that my mouth watered ever so slightly when looking at the pics is reason enough to share them, regardless of how long ago they were made. 

This recipe comes approved by Kate and Rachel. 

Enjoy!

Wrapped and Rolled,
Kate

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Accomplishment: Having an all around good Friday. TGIF!

Obsessions: Cooking with sesame oil.

Apple Crumble

One of my all-time favorite desserts has to be warm apple crumble with vanilla ice cream. YUM! Last weekend, my good friend, Mike made me a lovely dinner followed by an apple crumble while I played with baby Rido. I have been craving another bite of warm apples and ice cream all week. 

Last night, Kris, Rachel and I, attempted to make our own apple crumble. I googled a couple recipes, taking a few of their suggestions before throwing caution to the wind and completely wingin it. 

Here is my, notremotelyexact recipe...

*I peeled and cut up three apples, and placed them in a clear baking dish...while we watched Ellen YouTube clips.
*In a separate bowl, I mixed flour, brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon....I simply mixed until I like the color of the mixture. (Somewhere, Julia Child just rolled her eyes).
*I poured my powder mixture all over the apples.
*Melted some butter in the microwave then poured that all over the place.
*Threw some muesli (my town doesn't really do granola) on the top.
*Chopped up a ton of walnuts and made a thick layer of those bad boys on the top of my creation.
*Then I baked it.
  -Because I have a microwave oven, that's in Celsius and doesn't pre-heat, I don't have any hard and fast facts about the baking process. I can tell you it was on 190 C for about 7 Ellen clips. I took it out when it looked golden brown and started to smell good. Good luck with that.

None the less, it was to die for! 

My friends and I gobbled it up. Either they really enjoyed it, or I just have really good friends ;) Thanks guys. 

Crumbled, 

Kate

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Accomplishment: Answering all my emails.

Obsessions: Taco salad.

Chicken & Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce

Stayed in last night to create this lovely dish. 

The recipe was simple and quick. I added green beans to get some color in there. 

My mom would be proud.

The dish would be great served with pasta or some brown rice, but given the obscene amount of rice I had for lunch yesterday I substituted the suggested carbs for a glass of white wine. 

A home cooked meal, white wine, plus a 3 hour long skype session with Jessica made for a great Tuesday night in. 

Chicken and rice, and everything nice,
Kate

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Accomplishment: Working on my resume this morning.

Obsessions: My daily Someecards calendar. THANKS MEGAN G!

Lemon-Soy Sauce Chicken

Earlier in the day yesterday, my friend and neighbor Kim, let me in on her new favorite recipe, Lemon-Soy Sauce Chicken. Given that last night was officially the coldest in a while, I had zero desire to leave the house after returning from a brisk jog. Instead I opted to tidy, do laundry, and make this little creation, all with a glass of wine. It was lovely.

Now, I don't have an actual recipe for you, since I basically just followed Kim's instructions, and she kinda just made it up. 

But here is what I did...

-Saute onions and almond slivers (I also added chili peppers) in a frying pan. When onion is soft, add cubed chicken.
-When chicken is almost cooked, add equal parts lemon juice and soy-sauce to the pan. I kept adding until I liked the taste. (Sorry, no real science in this one!) I then added chopped green beans.
-Boil pasta.
-When chicken is cooked and pasta is done, drain pasta and add to the pan.
-Add more of the lemon/soy-sauce combo if need be, to make sure everything is flavored.
-Stir it a few more times and you are good to go!

Sorry I couldn't give you all more detail! Or exact measurements... 

Though I think this is one of those dishes that can't really go wrong.

Lemon zested and Soy-Sauced,

Kate

P.S. Took the remainder for my lunch today, and even cold it was to die for. Thanks Kim!

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Tune: Die Young By Kesha

Accomplishment: A productive morning.

Obsessions: Lemon/Soy-Sauce chicken and pasta.

Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

I have had no energy to cook any sort of dinner the past few days as I try to adjust to my daily routine. It has also been too hot to really cook anything properly. So, I have been sticking to salads in various forms. The other day I came across this, Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad Recipe. It's so simple I'm surprised there is even a recipe for it. I highly recommend it for anyone who is cooking for one, or doesn't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. I added some toasted walnuts and made some garlic bread to go along side. 

Enjoy!

Simple Salad-ed,
Kate

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Tune: Whistle By Flo Rida.

Accomplishment: Successful speech contest practice.

Obsessions: New Lancome eyeliner from the Duty free store.

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps

When I go home to southern California, one of my first pit stops is P.F. Changs. Their lettuce wraps are to die for. A few years ago, our local mall put in a P.F. Changs, and to say I was excited would have been an understatement.
I frequently order their appetizer of lettuce wraps as my meal.
Sharing with no one. 

On a whim the other day, as I was dreaming about the lettuce wraps on a 90 degree afternoon, I googled and found this recipe for the chicken covered wraps. I was even more thrilled when I realized I could get all the ingredients in Japan! 

I made them last week and they turned out better than I expected. 

I invited a friend over and we split a head of lettuce as we wrapped and inhaled each little wrap.

Wrapped Up,
Kate

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Tune: Africa By Straight No Chaser.

Accomplishment: Knowing more of my schools song, during closing ceremonies.

Obsessions: Cold `hot chocolate` from the vending machine at the end of my alley.

Sangria

Since quitting kyuushoku about a month ago, I have found myself eager to try new recipes now that I am free of school lunch.  I am frequently looking up recipes at work, deciding whether or not all the ingredients are available in Japan, then heading to the store to harvest them. Being that it is summer, most of my meals have been amazingly colorful, and straight up beautiful. 

So much so, I can't help but snap a few photos. 

So, since I have become so camera happy in the kitchen, I am adding a new little tab to the left hand side of the blog, called, foodie. I plan to add a few pics of my gorgeous meals and a link to their recipes for anyone that is interested.  

My latest kitchen adventure has been sangria. I love sangria. And after talking to friends who were telling me how much they enjoyed a few glasses while ringing in America's birthday, I decided I wanted in on the fun too. I used this super simple recipe last week. My batch lasted through the weekend, and was an excellent addition to the tacos Debs and I had for dinner Monday night. 

See my first, unintended, foodie posts, here and here.

¡Olé!

Kate

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Tune: Upside Down By Jack Johnson.

Accomplishment: An awesome taco salad for lunch.

Obsessions: Iced coffee.

Pineapple Salsa

On this lovely Friday, I have spent the morning sleeping in and going for a jog, as Chiba prefecture has a holiday. I am still not exactly sure why we have off school, but I don't really care. I'll take what I can get.

After tidying my apartment, I was looking in the fridge, checking on food that was on its way out of its prime. I came across some pineapple that needed to be moved, so I started googling things to do with pineapple. I came across this simple Pineapple Salsa recipe from Whole Foods. Man, I miss Whole Foods. 

I added a yellow bell pepper, and skipped the stove top process, and since finding fresh cilantro in Japan is proving impossible, I had to use dried. 

Tortilla chips are also non existant here. So, I made my own, cutting up a pack of tortillas, brushing them with olive oil and pan frying them with garlic salt. 

The combination was to die for. 

I invited my neighbor Kim over, and we split this little taste of California on our Japanese holiday. 

Tired Pineapple Rejuvenated,
Kate

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Google Search: Simple Pineapple Salsa.  

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Accomplishment: Modified recipe that turned out great.
Obsessions: Will & Grace reruns.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I made one of my favorite desserts last night, chocolate covered pretzels. I have a thing for the salty/sweet combo. Originally, I had no intention of documenting this activity nor sharing it publicly. Though, when I took a picture of my creation to text to a friend, the picture came out too cute to keep to myself. The textured brown of the pretzel and darker brown of the chocolate, with the contrast of the sprinkles and nuts, made for a very photogenic snack and a major lunch enhancer.

[prep]

[dip]

[decorate]

[milk]

 [boss]

Dipped and Sprinkled,

Kate

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Oh, that ones broken, I`ll eat that one too...