to move up and down
Gastro Porn
obscene and stimulating fare for your tummy
So I baked rainbow sprinkled cake pops, too, for Ralf’s birthday on the roof
Red velvet cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting, topped off with a chocolate covered peanut for Ralf’s birthday
Bacon Maple Sugar Piggies by yours truly
Homemade cheddar leek & prociutto muffins by yours truly
Sea Bass over Portobello Mushrooms with garlic sautéed Kale by yours truly @ home
a taste of home
CHICKEN AFRITADA
When I was growing up one of my favorite dishes that I would always request my Mom to make was Chicken Afritada. I have fond memories of practicing piano and smelling the home cooked goodness coming from the kitchen while my Mom cooked.
Afritada is a traditional homestyle dish that was strongly influenced by the Spanish colonialism of the Philippines. It is a chicken cocido or Spanish stew that is braised with tomato sauce and vegetables.
Today… it’s still one of my favorite meals but instead of my Mom cooking… it’s me cooking it for myself. Good thing she gave me the recipe when I moved out!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 chicken (thighs and drumsticks
- 3 peeled and sliced potatoes
- 1 diced onion
- 1 head garlic
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 can of chicken stock
- 1 can of tomato suace
- 2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
- pepper
Method:
- Fry the chicken in a skillet on both sides until brown then set aside
- Saute the garlic and onions in a wok or cooking pot
- Add the chicken
- Pour the tomato sauce, patis and stock. Allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes
- Add potatoes and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes
- Add the green and red bell peppers and simmer for an additional 3 minutes
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Serve over steamed rice
And Voila!
Turned out almost as good as the way I remembered my Mom’s rendition.
Click Photo Gallery to enlarge Photoset
GUEST CHEF: RAMONA
I met Ramona when I moved from San Francisco to New York through a mutual friend. He thought that we would get a long so he gave us each other’s info. We communicated via email and had a couple of phone calls weeks before we physically met in New York.
Meeting for the first time was like going on an online date (but not). What is one supposed to expect in person? Will I recognize her? Will she recognize me? What if we didn’t get a long like we did virtually?
When we did finally meet the night turned out to be one of the greatest nights I’ve ever had in New York City… magical! From eating a great dinner, going to a cool Adidas party to hanging out with MTV’s Black AMEX elite… not to mention we hit it off fabulously and have been sharing crazy memories ever since.
Ramona moved back to Cali for school about a year ago. So when I recently visited back home, hanging out with her was definitely on my itinerary. We met at her new place in Oakland and she cooked me this tasty Vietnamese stir fry with her Mom’s homemade spring rolls. She even mixed together a cool, new drink (new for me, anyway) called the Moscow Mule that tasted refreshingly delicious. I will definitely be adding that to my mixology list for future gatherings.
Moscow Mule:
- Vodka
- Simple Syrup
- Ginger Beer
- Lime
I can’t wait until she moves back to New York!!!
The 4pm hustle
The 4pm hustle happens Monday through Friday right before leaving work to go home. Well… it isn’t really a hustle but more or less the moment where I gather suggestions and feedback from coworkers, search the interwebs and make my final decision on what to cook/eat for dinner. I’m pretty indecisive when it comes to matters of the tummy. There’s just so much out there that my stomach craves… I need the guidance, really!
Usually, if I make a meal at home during the work week, I’ll whip up something quick and easy. I reserve the more ambitious dinners for the weekend.
For this evening’s dinner, I initially had in mind a poached egg atop a smoked salmon sandwich with goat cheese. But after receiving snub remarks from one particular coworker (who thinks I have an egg addiction) I opted not to. Instead I decided to cook an easy Tuna linguine pasta. I used whole grain pasta as suggested by another coworker- good thing, too, because I don’t need the extra love handles!
- Whole Grain Linguine
- Canned Genova Tonno Tuna
- Shallots
- Oyster Mushrooms
- Mustard Greens
- Olive Oil
- Lots of Cracked Pepper!
Sunday’s dinner
Since y’all read my previous post then you must know that I ran errands most of today. One such errand being the most important of them all…. grocery shopping!
I haven’t cooked for myself in awhile and figured that today would be a good day. This is what I whipped up…
Filet mignon with homemade steak sauce and kale with oyster mushrooms and shallots. Oh… so damn good!
Here’s what the steak sauce contained:
- worcestershire sauce
- tomato paste
- brown sugar
- vinegar
- grain mustard
- pepper
The sauce complimented the slab of meat perfectly! I made enough sauce for another steak dinner sometime this week…. Yum!
Thanksgiving in San Francisco!!!
After 4 years of skipping out on flying back home for Thanksgiving, I’m really glad that this year I decided to go. It was good to be back home and be with loved ones during the holiday feast.
And a feast is sure was! Here are a few pics of what we had…
Beet Salad…
Stuffing…
Dinner Rolls…
Cranberry Sauce in the making…
Honey Baked Ham…
Carved Turkey…
The table of goodies…
My plate…
& Dessert… Toffee Banana Bread Pudding!!!
