Frozen Yogurt Shaved Ice

Le sigh. You think with two cameras and a smartphone I would have somehow been able to capture the awesome Filipino pork skewers and chicken bbq we made yesterday. Or the giant ten-course (?) Chinese family dinner we had after my grandmother's memorial service. Or my sandwich from Specialty's. Or the delicious eggplant dish Jeff created. Nope. I was out of battery every time.

Luckily, during my six hour cleaning spree yesterday I found all my charger cords in the backpack I brought to Hawaii. Which reminds me of a great treat perfect for the hot weather we have been experiencing lately.

There is a place in Kona that takes shaved ice to the next level.
We found this place through Yelp and they give discounts during check-in too!

Frozen Yogurt Shaved Ice

Tropical Frozen Yogurts
Kailua-Kona, HI

Step 1: Fill Cup halfway with shaved ice.

Step 2: Add frozen yogurt swirl on top.

Step 3: Cover with tall peak of shaved ice. Pack in tightly.

Step 4: Add flavored syrups.

Does your shaved ice look like this right now?

If yes, you are on the right track.

Step 5: Swirl on condensed milk OR sprinkle local favorite Li-Hing-Mui as topping.

Step 6: Eat first. Thank my later.

Enjoy!

Fraiche

Where have you been all my life?

Fraiche
http://www.fraicheyogurt.com/

Pictured: frozen yogurt with apple crisp.
I highly recommend the mochi topping.

Locations:
1910 fillmore,
san francisco, ca

644 emerson,
palo alto, ca

 459 lagunita dr.,
stanford campus, ca

Morning Mimosa

Good things happen when you start your day with a mimosa.
My current theory says the better the mimosa, the better your day will go.

You think I'm joking?

Last weekend I had by far the best mimosa I've ever tasted and in one day we...

...saw a friend we hadn't seen in years, 

...had an unexpected break to squeeze in a gelato trip, 

...did not have to pay anything for bicycle repairs, 

...got a free couch set,

...spent the rest of the day drinking delicious mimosas and playing video games.

Can you guess who did what?

(Note: I should probably mention increasing the amount you consume does not have the same correlation.)

I send my lucky vibes over to you with this recipe.



Morning Mimosa

Props: Franz, Jeff

Mix:

1/2 Tropicana No Pulp Orange Juice

1/2 Martini & Rossi Asti Sparking Wine (more recipes)

Stir gently. Serve chilled in champagne flute.
Enjoy your day.

 

Dining: Supper Club

Dine About Town

I hadn't done Dine About Town for a few years but my buddy Bianca was in town and the timing was perfect. Dine About Town is an annual event where several (pricier) restaurants around town have a prix fixe menu at more affordable prices - $17.95/lunch or $34.95/dinner.

Most of the items on the fixed menu tend to be different than their regular menu but you still get to experience the ambiance, cuisine style, and chef's abilities at the fixed price. Be aware that some participants price points aren't that far off from the fixed menu cost. For this reason, I opted for a restaurant that was less known for amazing food and more known for its memorable experience.

i am very impressed with my friend's camera's abilities in dark rooms.

Supper Club

website

Slightly, I mean VERY, different than your typical fine dining experience. With locations in Amsterdam, Istanbul, Ibiza, SF and LA, the international chain entertains each night with one seating of a fixed menu (typical $45-80) and dinner is accompanied with a show.

My old roommate went in college and reported her experiences to me. I remember her mentioning eating on beds, strangely dressed dancers and a woman that descended from the ceiling then pulled a tape measure out of her nose. Disturbing, but memorable was my impression.

Despite having one seating, Opentable had RSVP various time slots. We thought we were late to our 7pm reservation and speedwalked/jogged a couple of blocks. Arrived sweaty, hungry, and frazzled. To our surprise we were greeted by an angry (not-so)gentle-man sitting behind a table demanding what we had to show for ourselves (yikes! they take being late to your reservation seriously here!) and scooted us off to Detention.

detention

Apparently the theme of the night was academics. I felt a bit bad for my friend because she just wrapped up her school year and the last thing she probably wants to think about is school. I won't give it all away but there were old-school desks with the tops that open, an equally-upset teacher, grilled cheese sandwiches, brain juice, and of course, the bed tables.

bed tables. remember to wear nice socks.

The performances are more sparse on weekdays and luckily no one pulled a tape measure out of her nose. But there was a woman with incredible abs more defined than SJP in Sex in the City circa Season 4 (the episode Margaret Cho convinces Carrie to be in a fashion show, she becomes fashion roadkill on the catwalk, and ends the episode strutting in her briefs showing the world her washboard abs). Well, Incredible abs woman performed with aerial silk and another woman sang one of my favorite songs "Summertime". The DJ was great, the chef danced to footloose, but we left before the restaurant opened up as a club.

i assume this area is for when the place turns into a club at night.

Entertainment was great, unfortunately the food was another story. My original hope was to eat something light for dinner. I glanced at the menu and saw that token word "salad" and thought I was safe. Unfortunately, to my dismay the salad was topped with a giant piece of fried chicken. One delicious hunk of fried chicken. The following courses were delicious, but also heavy, leaving me with an unsettled stomach before a night of dancing. Never a good combination.

I spent the rest of the night drinking soda trying to burp myself.

1st course

Crispy lime chicken salad
Wild mizuna, Carmelized pineapple
Chayote, Spring pea puree, Tomato anchovy salsa
(aka the salad with a giant fried chicken)

We were so hungry this one didn't get a chance to be photographed.

2nd course

Black angus NY strip
yukon potato and basil mash, wax beans, pickled shallots, pink peppercorn sauce

3rd course

Butterscotch pudding

Caramel popcorn, Cashew praline
Local blueberries, micro mint

frosty is that you?

it has green. therefore, you would think it was healthy.

[last thing: pad kee mao]

Group Food: Filipino spaghetti

I am by no means a cook or chef. Growing up I got stuck peeling shrimp for dinner parties. Although I now have master shrimp peeling machine abilities, I pretty much lack any other kitchen-related skills.

The lunch team ministry at my church is called Soul Food. Now I can try out new recipes and develop new culinary skills on a guinea pig group of 30 people. What could possibly go wrong... [insert BIG smile]

FYI: There hasn't been any casualties yet. That I know of.

There is nothing more awesome than gathering around a table with friends/family/community for a meal. The Group Food labeled posts are ideas for cooking/serving for large groups. I will only put things that have worked for us. If they worked for you or did not, please let me know!

Filipino Spaghetti

Filipino Spaghetti was quite a hit a month ago so we tried to repeat our luck. Filipino food is awesome because everything is sweet, flavorful, includes tropical fruits like avocado or pineapple and is almost always fried. This is one of those non-fried dishes but it is sweet and it contains HOT DOGS! (Did I mention I like hot dogs?)

Family recipe from: Franz

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic

1 big onion

1 big carrot

1 red bell pepper

1 1/2 tablespoon small crushed pineapples (can)

1 teaspoon sweet relish

1 bottle jufran

small Hunt's tomato sauce

1pound ground meat (pork, beef, turkey, etc. Franz likes pork. I like beef.)

3 Ballpark hot dogs

oil 

salt and pepper

1/3 cup ragu (optional from jufram to become only 1/2 bottle)

water (optional)

sugar (optional)

1 package spaghetti 

parmesan cheese 

Chopper/food processors are your friends!

How To:

[pasta]

Cook according to directions. Add salt and oil to water for taste and keep noodles from sticking together. Strain when ready.

[sauce]

1. Chop garlic, onion, carrots, bell pepper.

2. Add oil to cover bottom of pot. (If you are Franz, you will sautee each ingredient separately. If you are me, you dump in everything at once.) Sauce garlic, onion, and carrots until soft.

3. Add meat and sautee until meat almost completely cooked. Color will change.

4. Add bell pepper, jufran (ragu), and tomato sauce. Mix until some of liquid evaporates.

5. Add one glob each of pineapple and relish. Salt and pepper to taste.

6. Optional, gradually add sugar to taste and water to thicken.

Serve sauce on noodles. Sprinkle parmesan on top.

Multiply batch based on size of party. For 30-40 people we probably quintupled it.

Serve buffet style.

Eat at home with a tiki cup.

Kitchen: Japadog

Do you dream of how furikake could be incorporated into every meal?

There is a place in Canada that combines two of my favorite foods- the all American hot dog with a dish dash of Japanese details. Ballpark meets what a Japanese night market could be. Japanese food tends to be several small dishes delicately prepared and allotting with a few bites each. Americans don't seem to appreciate this as much. We want to be filled, with portions worthy of the cost. I'm surprised I haven't seen something like this sooner.

The Japadog

[see the original]

 

Unfortunately, I am no longer within driving distance of Canada and cannot experience the place firsthand. Perhaps it is better this way. Not knowing and living in ignorant bliss completely satisfied with the homemade imitation.

Inspired by: Japadog
As imagined by: JM

Other props: Gary

How to: [in order]
Hot dog in bun. Teriyaki sauce. Caramelized onions. Grated turnip. Seaweed flakes. Sriracha mayo sauce. Furikake. Green onion.

[last thing: Starbucks iced caramel macchiato]

Hello

I've thought about this project on and off for the past year.

This blog is a spin-off of my facebook photo album titled "You Are Getting Hungry" which apparently made many people hungry, including myself. The photo album was actually created to get more eating buddies and share/recommend dishes I truly enjoyed. I spent the year procrastinating, researching and debating everything from which blog site to use, titles (this f life, hello delish, yumyumintum, ahhyum, iloveyum), and what I should include as content. This cycle of hesitation and procrastination probably would have continued if a certain chain of events hadn't occurred.

1. Yesterday, I read an article of top 5 regrets people have on their deathbed, the first one being lacking the courage to live life true one's self instead of according to others expectations.

2. Two days ago I read a guide to blogging that mentioned a) committing for the haul, b) choosing a topic you enjoy and c) focusing posts on the topic(s). I tend to blog all over the place. This will be great practice in discipline for me.

3. Someone was playing loud rock music outside at 1am. I couldn't sleep.

4. In my sleepy-but-awake state, scrolled through my facebook notifications. Someone commented on the photo album, I scrolled through my photos and quickly became hungry.

5. I decided. Nothing fancy, just start something and work out the details later.

A work in progress. Suggestions are very welcome.

[last thing: starbucks green tea latte]