The Alternative Thanksgiving for the Alternative Folks

Thanksgiving. A fake holiday that appeared out of nowhere, well it appeared somewhere in New England, and now infest our lives with gluttony. Delicious, naughty, gluttony. Let's be honest, it's a dumb holiday that shouldn't be celebrated. Us assholes need more than one day to be grateful. And honestly Canada I am disappointed that you joined the fad. Well, at least from what I hear it's not THAT big of a deal. Ok, I don't hate the holiday, but it's really silly.

I enjoy spending the day with the people I love, and eating my brains out, and watching football, just as much as the next guy...or lesbian. I just hate that they teach kids about the whole pilgrims and indians thing. That part is lame and just wish they would get rid of. Just teach the kiddies to not be selfish assholes and pass the damn potatoes! Don't use the phone at the table! Don't interrupt your uncle when he's ready to yell out some homophobic comment! Oh, wait...hmmm. Anyway, I digress.

This Thanksgiving, the Thanksgiving of 2010 was probably the best one I have ever had. Mainly because I didn't have to really impress anyone. It was stress free! Yay! Only 2 people came, we didn't have 5 desserts, we didn't have football, we didn't have awkwardly boring blessings, NOPE. Sadly none of those things happened. It didn't matter, because the 2 people that came were my girlfriend and I, we had 8 dishes, only one pie, and a fantastic iPod shuffle was going.

We had a list. A list that we worked 2 days on. A list that was left at the store. A list that was filled with yumminess. We decided to go shopping the day before(I know madness)and tackle anyone that got in our way. We went to 5 stores and almost got everything on the list except brussel sprouts. We marched on. Got home, unloaded and decided to chillax. No prep-cooking. We slept in and rolled out of bed. Coffee and breakfast, check! Now, lets start cooking!

We had an ALL vegan Thanksgiving extravaganza!

The Dishes:
Mashed Potatoes
Sourdough bread stuffing
Mushroom and red wine gravy
Sauted Green Beans
Corn
Roasted Root Veggies
Tomato Salad
Roasted Mock Dock

The Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie(Vegan, store bought, but delicious)

We chopped and cooked. I did some dishes. My GF did the others. We collaborated on some. Some we had trouble, but in the end, to our surprise, everything came out AMAZING. Our favorites were the stuffing and mushroom gravy. Both were first for us. The gravy was amazing and unintentional. We were trying to do something else(I forget what) and then we decided that gravy was a must. Stuffing, we never made and had no idea we got sourdough rolls instead of regular white bread rolls. The sourdough added such a great flavor with the gravy and everything else. It was incredible.

After we slaved for a couple of hours, and finally added the last touch to the mock duck: cranberry sauce. We sat down and enjoyed our hard work. Excited to try our feast! First bite was epic. We were extremely proud of ourselves. A little sad that no one else could try our hard work, but if someone else had come by our little celebration, it wouldn't have come out this great. The no added pressure of cooking for others was what made the meal. We had zero expectations and just kept saying, "It's just for 2". That made things go really well.

We stuffed our faces to satisfaction. We chilled, watched a movie, went for a walk, and then we had pie. That came out perfect. Really delicious, not too sweet pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Oh, yes. Seconds please! Nom! I looked at my lady and gave her a kiss and said that I loved her and had the best Thanksgiving ever. We sat in utter bliss as the night fell on us.

Thanksgiving, you are one of my favorite holidays, but really to me you don't need to be this perfect , traditional, (un)patriotic bullcrap. You are beautiful just the way you are.

Gyoza Fo' Sho'za!

Trying to keep up a blog is a lot harder than most people think. I still have a passion for eating and now cooking. Always looking for my next adventure in that department. I took a side step with putting my enjoyment for writing to the side and actually picking up a skill that will make me...money. The world runs on money and well, I don't have much but I need to be part of the game I guess.

Since, I have a couple of days off from fixing/cleaning computers, I've decided to do a bit of this writing thing and tell you what crazy adventures I have been up to!

So, a couple of months ago a friend invited me over for a dumpling extravaganza. I have enjoyed dumplings in the past at such great places like the Dumpling Inn, but I must say I know very little of the little guy. Only that he/she is delicious. We also took a stab at making Xiao Long Bao aka soup dumplings.

With an assembly line of amateur cooks we began the processes of making these guys. We had some people pre-make the dough, others rolled out the dough into little circles, others stuffed the dumplings/gyozas, and finally others fried/steamed the lil' guys. It was a long process. But the sweet smell of the possible gyoza/dumpling madness that was SO near made the trance of building and creating all to rythmic. Music and laughs filled the air. Stories of how my grandmother/mother made their dumplings, really made the process almost traditional. Even if it was our first time. Some how, the expectations kinda dwindled. We weren't too concerned about how they were going to come out, but instead how much would we each get to eat. The process was satisfying. Anytime you put hard work into food, it just makes it delicious.

First batch of fried gyozas were up. We all stand and wait, making our own styles of dipping sauce. Some preferred more vineager, others more chili paste. We dove into the mountain of gyozas. By the time the first batch was ready the second batch was up, the third etc. There must have been at least 60-80 gyozas, I have no guestamation of how many. There was A LOT. Our brave rough and tumble group of six were ready to eat ourselves silly. We ate like kings and queens of the Fatland. So much doughy goodness with the hint of pork and mint and chives and chili and garlic, and soy sauce....SO good. The Xiao Long Bao dumplings were finished steaming. These were a little more difficult and only the brave attempted to make these. Xiao Long Bao are dumplings with a soup/broth filling and bits of meat. In the end I think it was a tempeture issue. The soup dumplings were not so soupy. Seems the steam had taken the broth away. We ate them anyway, proud of our attempt. Talk about ways to improve, kinda like we were a team that had just battled an honorable adversary.

The end of the night still full and eating, we talked and laughed more. Patted ourselves on the backs for a great meal. Still talking about food. Always, searching for that ultimate meal.

Hooked on a Vegan

This post is about the great vegan revelation I have stumbled upon. Now, in the past I have tasted some veggie/vegan options and haven't been that impressed. It always left me wanting more and never swayed me to change my carnivore habits. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I am not turning vegetarian or vegan...but/however, I am dating one and that is one step that I wouldn't have considered before. Lesbihonest. So, yes I am dating a vegan with vegetarian tendencies. (That cheese is just too damn good. Sorry I outed you sweetie.) Thus, I have embarked on the vegetarian/vegan train! Choo choo!

As I stated before, I have tried vegetarian and vegan food before said relationship. But only until now have I openly searched for veggie/vegan options to strike my hunger upon the first pitch my stomach throws my brain(or is it the other way around). Usually it was the very last thing on my mind, or after a very unhealthy binge of very unhealthy food consumption. Lucky for me, San Diego(or I should say SoCal) has picked up extreme healthy eating like a bad habit. There are a number of restaurants that are fully vegan/veggie/raw/organic or incorporate at least some dishes, aaaaaaand are actually good! Holy crap! Who would have thought?

Now, there are a number of reasons that I will now opt for veggie and vegan food, other than the love interest. One of them being that, I can't eat shitty food like I use to. Sad but true. Fried food, fatty food kills my stomach. But also for me, dairy and eggs kill my stomach too. Needless to say, breakfast food is always a pain. Laden with eggs and dairy I always opt for the veggie/vegan dish since those people(respectively) do not eat said things. Making me very happy! Let's face it, eating a huge plate of bacon, sausage, and potatoes isn't really healthy...although delicious, I have to eat that stuff few and far between. On special occasions like vacations or birthdays!(All birthdays, not just my own)

So, my special lady and I have cooked some amazing vegan food together. Only two plates thus far but BOY were they amazing and simple.

The first dish happened when I was invited to my friend Tracie's birthday party extravaganza the other day. She wanted veggie/healthy food choices for the potluck. So me and my lady decided we would make vegan Spring Rolls. We bought rice noodles, mint, spring roll wraps, cilantro(cualantro if you're Costa Rican), red bell peppers, tofu and a nice peanut sauce for dipping. Now the trick to wrapping the Spring Rolls is just show 'em who's boss. Corral the ingredients. Lay the bell peppers first, then the rice noodles, then the tofu and top it off with a few leaves of mint and cilantro. Then you wrap 'em up nice and tight and tuck 'em in like a baby. We warmed up the tofu with some soy sauce(and maybe some other things...I didn't do that part). Mmmmm, delicious and it looks like you did a lot of work.

Second dish! Me and my lady wanted to spend a nice evening in.

Movie: Finding Nemo.

Food:Stir Fry tofu style.

So we got baby bok choy, baby broccoli, bell pepper, snow peas, mushrooms, tofu, soyaki, and brown rice. Basically, we chopped onions, ginger, and garlic threw it in a pan with some olive oil. Let cook for a bit. Added the tofu that was marinating in some soy sauce. Then we added all the veggies. Now, the next time we do it definitely we need to add the veggies that cook the fastest last and the ones that cook the longest first. Slight problem but ultimately it did not ruin the dish. After it cooked we plated and ate like champions. It was very delicious! We added a little heat to it too. You give me rice and soy sauce and I am a happy person!

Seriously can't wait to cook some more dishes! Try new foods! And dance with my lady in the kitchen...some more:)

Steamed Pork Buns and the Howiemania!

My bestie Howie is a pretty awesome guy. Not only does he know some awesome places to go eat, he always has the best food at his parties in his lovely home. I heart you Howie's home! He's funny, he's rad, need i say more?

Pork is delicious. So many great things come from pork. Bacon, sausage, pork chops, ham, pork belly.....arrrrrrrgrggrggrrg. Sorry, I had a Homer moment with pork. But how could you not??

So, Howie decides he is going to have pork steamed bun sandwiches with cabbage and sauce on top. So F-IN GOOD! Well, it was basically make your own sandwich. He prepared the pork shoulder all day the day before and slow roasted it in a roaster. The meat was beautifully spiced and just juicy as hell. There was a nice cabbage salad to top it with, courtesy of my mom. Soft delicious buns steamed and ready to be opened and stuffed with goodness. Everyone brought something. There was SO SO SO SO much good food people had fourths and fifths! We basically started eating from 3 until 11 at night. It was awesome.

Some of the other dishes that stood out were, the sweet potato mash that Kristyn brought. The bread pudding with bourbon sauce that Kim brought...had to smack my mom for that one. It was that good! The dream inspired cardamom cookies Jenne made which were really good. I hearted them. Candice brought these lemon cookies that were a big hit. I love lemon and cookies...really can't go wrong with that. There was SO much food. People just kept coming with plate after plate after plate of food. It was hard not to stop eating even though we were all pretty stuffed!

The mood got mellow and we all relaxed outside with a couple of us singing Rock Band inside. It was a day filled with new friends and old. Some that traveled far and wide. Definitely a special evening . Lots of reminiscing and telling old stories to new friends and vice versa. Howie had a great time and that's all that matters. It's always a treat when other people have a awesome time on your birthday. I know I did!

Easter, Earthquakes and Red Velvet Cake!

This is the second posting I have done on my cousin. She is jumping up and down as we speak.

My cousin Mireya is pretty sweet. She's adorable and loves to cook. I have yet to really try any of her cooking, I have in her defense, tried many of her baked goods which are pretty amazing.

For Easter we went to my sister's house in Santee(ugh). The whole family was there. Minus some cousins and nieces. Everyone brought something. Beverages, candy, food and desserts. Yummy. Sadly I only took pictures of the desserts because...well, they were amazing! We gathered 'round and watched soccer and talked away about family memories and wishes and dreams. It was a pleasant time. Now, it was time to eat. Everything was set out.

Some of the food we had:

My bro-in-law's mother was there and she brought enpanadas(Argetinian style). They were SO good. I ate quite a few. They had beef, veggies and hard boiled egg w/ a flour crust. We brought ham and ensalada russa(Russian Salad). The Russian salad is basically a type of potato salad with pickled beets, boiled carrots, tomatoes, and boiled eggs. My Abuelita brought sateed zuchinne, and Arroz Con Pollo...not like my mom's but rice is rice for me. Dessert time! My cousin made a red velvet cake from scratch. Yes from scratch! She is that awesome! One of the best red velvet cakes I have had yet. So, yummy and melty and the frosting is just amazing in your mouth. Buttery light goodness. She has painstakingly perfected this recipe for over a year now and I really think she's got it. Side note: She also makes these red velvet balls dipped in white chocolate that are really really good and is probably my favorite dessert she does. My oldest sister Emilia bought this really good coconut flan. It was one of the best I have ever had as well. Coconut and flan? Who knew??

As we ate away and drank our fair share...the Earth decides to have an earthquake. So much shaking I almost threw up from all the food I just pigged out on. Man, was that scary but didn't stop us from getting seconds and thirds. Good times in California.

I forgot to mention other things we had, there was some grilled chicken and steak. So much food!

So, Easter came to an end and it was kinda sad not being able to spend Easter with some kids around. I really wanted to paint some eggs. Oh well. Hope you all didn't get too scared with all the shaking. We do live in one of the best places to have an earthquake FYI. Wish I had some red velvet balls dipped in white chocolate *HINT HINT* Pup!

Arroz Con Pollo(TODO)

A couple of weeks ago my little cousin Mireya aka Puppet had a request for my mom. She needed to bring a dish to one of her cooking classes and wanted to impress the chefs. What better way then to make Arroz Con Pollo!?! My mom makes a KILLER Arroz Con Pollo, which many of you have tried. I have donned it Arroz Con Todo! Todo in Spanish means EVERYTHING, which is pretty much what my mom puts in this dish.

Since it's a family secret and has been passed down from my beautiful aunts in Costa Rica, to my mom, and now to my cousin...I can't tell you the recipe. I can tell you what is in it...kinda.

The Arroz Con Todo has: Rice, chicken, lil' smokie sausages(my personal fav), green olives, capers, cabbage, onions, carrots, Italian sausage, mushrooms, shrimp, green beans, slices of steak, and peas. It may vary from time to time depending on the person she's making it for but you'll see some or all of these ingredients in the Arroz Con Todo.

Traditionally Arroz Con Pollo is just rice with chicken and you don't see all the other things my mom has added. Lots of people call my mom's Arroz Con Pollo a mix of Paella and Jumbalaya. I call it delicious. Something I have grown up with all my life. Never did I ever think it was special. Just a typical Costa Rican dish that was fed to me and I ate. That changed once I discovered food in a whole different way and have learned a great deal about my love for it. Not just food but the passion about it and the love and care people put into it.

I take great pride in the knowledge and love my mom puts in her dishes. I now know about the secrets and the special ingredients that she puts in these special dishes. I'm extremely proud of my cousin who is studying the art of cooking and hopes to be a professional chef some day. She has learned a great deal from my mom.

So the girls cooked away, and finally finished and emptied the giant pot into a giant dish ready to serve. The culinary faculty at my cousin's school raved and ate their faces off. Her chef instructor along with other chefs took some home. People asked what was in it, how was it made, but my cousin gave very little information out. She came back and told my mom about what all the chefs said and that made my mom happy. Cooking is all about the love you put in the meal. The care you take in picking out the ingredients and prepping the food. The hope that once you plate it someone will like it. Such a personal interaction that people forget. Next time someone cooks something for you, remember that and appreciate it.

Indian food:An amateur with a view

So, I know very little about Indian food. It's really a damn shame. My first experience with Indian food only happened a couple of years ago and I've LOVED it ever since!

Don't know the different plates other than tandoori, masala, and curry...oh and naan. I don't consider myself an expert on Indian food but I do consider myself an expert eater...or as I like to say a whore for food. Let's face it friends...I am. For some unknown reason people love feeding me. I don't know why. Could it be that I'll try anything? Or eat anything? Maybe. I'd like to think that I make an excellent companion at the dinner table. Talking about world issues, and down economics...ok, maybe not those things. More like the unreal reality shows we watch to make us feel better about ourselves. And of course sexual innuendos I murder with each "normal" conversation. Am I really that shallow? I'm working on it!

Yet another wonderful dinner party at Howie's. This time the cooks were Jenne and Howie the dynamic duo that brought us Big Night:Timpano Extravaganza. I am the silent partner, or so I'd like to think. For one, any idea we have about food, they're always game. So, we cook it out and BAM dinner. Okay, maybe I don't "help" with the cooking. I'm the silent partner because I just shut up and eat.

This night the players were Todd, Greg, Miko, Jenne, Howie and well me:). Miko and Todd brought mango lassi. Miko's was homemade and delicious. Todd's was store bought but also a delicious substitute. Now, onto the food.

The menu:

Lamb in Yogurt Cardamom sauce

Cornish Hens in Apricot sauce

Saag(Greens with cubes of cheese)

Buttered smothered cabbage and cauliflower

Sour Mango relish

Paratha(flatbread)

Raita(yummy yogurt dip)

Jasmine rice

Yeah dude. That's what I said!

We sat down at the large dinning room table and began to dig in to the different plates all over the place. The foundation of rice, set up for me to add all the goodies. The Lamb in Yogurt Cardamom sauce was so delicious. The hens were just fallin' off the bone. I mean EVERYthing was spectacular. This night was awesome. AMAZING food.

We sat around picking here and there. Couldn't quite put the forks down. We talked about accents, and languages...one of my favorite subjects. Got good laughs at those who could do all the different ones in the US well. I think Todd won that contest. That's what dinners should be about. The rituals of eating. Great food+Great conversation. My life doesn't suck. It actually rocks.