Super Bowl Devine Munch: Let Me Fix You a Sammie

Super Bowl Sunday is finally here.  Chicken wings, tortilla chips, french onion dip, lentil dip, nuts, and brie cheese.  Yes, I am that person who spreads brie onto her rosemary crisp.  Judge me all you want for not binging on the chips, but how can brie not be welcome at any event?  If asked to pick one favorite, I'd say the Belletoile brie from France would be the one.  Oddly enough, brie makes a great cheese to use for the ultimate comfort food: grilled cheese sandwich.  And, well, Super Bowl means bringing your A-Game to the table. Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sammie in less than 10 minutes.

{CRANBERRY BRIE PEAR SANDWICH} INGREDIENTS Rustic Bread (Sourdough or Rosemary Bread will do) Fresh Cranberry Sauce Sliced Pears Brie Cheese

The subtle saltiness from the cheese, sweet and tarty from the sauce, fresh and light taste of the crunchy pear, and chewy texture of the bread come together perfectly, as a nice balance of flavors burst in your mouth.  Ugh, too good!  Trust me on this one; I am the Sandwich Queen.

Let's go Seahawks!

LOVE, pristine christine

A Sweet Ending to Twenty-Thirteen

Happy New Year to the folks on the other side of the globe and in New York!  Sometimes, you just want to cozy up with something warm rather than a cold glass of champagne on New Year's Eve.  Personally, a wonderfully prepared cup of apple cider warms my soul on a winter night.  I find the aromatic spices to be romantic, so I unconsciously enter a fantastical phase when our house is redolent of them.

Apple Spiced Cider  10 fl oz. Trader Joe's Spiced Cider 1 cinnamon stick (break into halves) 1 small spoonful of Williams Sonoma Mulling Spices

Don't forget to remove the stick and to drain the spices after boiling! You wouldn't want them floating in your cup.  Cheers to you and you!

Good-bye, 2013. Hello, 2014.  See you all in 2014.  Thank you for your love, dear readers, during these last 6 months.

LOVE, pristine christine

Thanksgiving Series: Full with Grace

Thanksgiving preparation begins early in our home.  We start creating a grocery list and shop for the goods the weekend before the long-awaited day.  On Sunday or Monday, the turkey receives thorough cleaning and has its insides removed.  Afterwards, my mom first washes the big bird in a mixture of chardonnay and Japanese wine.  Then, she soaks the turkey with her special seasoning and preserves it in a clear turkey bag.  She proceeds to pour the leftover seasoning inside and shakes the bag.  On the actual day of festivities, the turkey undergoes another round of prepping.  But the night before Thanksgiving, we bake some cornbread to use for our stuffing.  Cornbread plus cornbread stuffing mix? Isn't that too much? Not at all.  The cornbread adds a touch of sweetness and moisture to the dry mix.  I swoon over the heavenly aroma of rising yeast and wait happily by the warm oven.

Like every Thanksgiving, this year's was no less successful.  I wish I had been able to photograph the beautifully roasted turkey that sat on a silver platter of decorative garnishes, but with stomachs growling, I thought it'd be rude for me to stall such feast.  The turkey, succulent and flavorful (thyme, herbs, wine), paired well with the slaw salad and cranberry sauce.  Of course, I always look forward to my mom's stuffing and secret yams, and they did not disappoint that night.  (Surprise: We substitute butter with margarine, and for some reason, everything tastes better!)  And as usual, Mama Kim's creamed corn, green beans, and mashed potatoes were crowd-pleasers as well.

While good food uplifts spirits, the mirth and grateful hearts surrounding us are what truly makes Thanksgiving a marvelous day of celebration.  Sharing our thanks and encouraging each other, I could not ask for more.  I hope all of you enjoyed resting and gorging on an array of dishes.  :)

Good night, and see you on Monday!

LOVE, pristine christine

Monday Musings: Beginnings

A new week has begun, yet again.  Can you believe that we'll say good-bye to 2013 in less than 2 months?  I am in utter disbelief.  This talk about ephemeral time reinforces our relatively short-lived life on Earth.  Let us learn to embrace the unknown and hope for the best when new beginnings come!

Beginnings

1. Bright Winter Staples: a pair of sunnies, coat, fashion ring, anything leather, poppin' colors Leather Bermuda Shorts |Dolce Vita Booties | Marni Shoulder Bag | Tahari Ring | Warby Parker Evelyn Sunglasses | ZARA Coat

2. Chestnuts: Roasted or boiled, chestnuts taste heavenly either way.  The sweet, nutty scent of chestnuts makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  I love more than anything, though, are chestnuts in stuffing... 'tis the season for Christmas carols and delicious seasonal food.

Rest up, fellow readers!

Love, pristine christine

Where's Wednesday: Chowdah' at the Beach

My brother and I visited Chef David LeFevre's Fishing with Dynamite (FwD) for lunch.

We ordered the Maryland Blue Crab Cake, Cape Cod Squash Rolls with Rosemary Butter, New England Chowdah, and Shrimp Po Boy.  The Shrimp Po Boy had a nice twist to it with the spicy sauce, but the sandwich didn't impress me too much.  However, the chowder definitely deserves the raves; I may prefer Chef David's version over the traditional starchy kind.  All in all though, our favorite part about the meal was the cape cod squash rolls.  With the rosemary butter lightly slathered onto the roll, we tasted perfection.  Both my brother and I loved the rolls so much that we asked the chef to pack a box of them to-go for our parents.  I would come back just to stuff myself with the rolls... In all seriousness, I can't wait to return to FwD and give the Mahi Mahi tacos and miso black cod a try! You can check out my full review on Yelp. 

I hope you're having a terrific Wednesday. Until tomorrow...

Love,

pristine christine 

Where's Wednesday: Eating a Bowl of Hope

What pulls and pushes a story is the relationship between the details and bigger picture.  You are the protagonist of your story, and if the binding element of your narrative is hope yet you always doubt miracles, then it'd be terribly wrong of you to profess belief in hope.  Society teaches us to harbor cynicism and permits us to grab onto only an inkling of hope.  What would happen if we defied such norms?  The children in the video below seem to do so.  Inspired by them, I decided to call my new healthy recipe "Bowl of Hope."  These kids fight without rest because they refuse to relinquish Hope, and if they're able to live each day with courage and joy, then I'm sure the rest of us can do the same.

Ingredients 1 tbsp Vidalia onion vinaigrette 1 handful of alfalfa sprouts 1 cup sunburst tomoatoes 2~3 oz. grilled chicken 1/4 cup red quinoa 1/5 Hass avocado 7 walnut halves

1 serving, ~450 calories Directions 1. Grill chicken that's seasoned with some oil oil, salt, and pepper. 2. Boil the red quinoa until the seeds have been full cooked. Drain afterwards. 3. Wash and dry alfalfa sprouts.  Toss them in the onion vinaigrette. 4. Crush the walnut halves into smaller pieces. 5. Layer (from bottom to top): red quinoa, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, grilled chicken, avocado, walnuts 6. Mix and enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnG3MKos87A&w=420&h=315]

Have a fantastic evening, beautiful readers.  Be inspired. Be hopeful. Be compassionate.

Love, Pristine Christine

Where's Wednesday?: Korea in Your Kitchen, Fall in the Wadrobe

Naturally, I associate Fall with not only tweed coats and black basics but with pumpkin and squash as well.  In Korea, people have eaten something called hobak jook (squash porridge), a dish that only nobles and the king could once afford to enjoy, for generations.  Because varying types of porridge exist, not everyone craves a bowl of hobak jook in colder weather or when they fall ill.  I, however, have an affinity for anything related to squash.  For those seeking a healthier, more filling alternative to sodium-heavy soups, this delicacy will do the trick.

Ingredients: 1 Kabocha squash, butternut squash, or acorn squash (I prefer Kabocha but butternut squash works just as well!)* 1/3 ~ 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup ~1 cup sweet rice flour (any Asian market or Whole Foods carries it) 3~4 cups water *If you prefer not going through the hassle of mashing the squash or don't have a blender or food processor at home, then buy 2-3 pounds of pre-cut squash cubes. **If you buy a whole squash, then make sure to cut it open and spoon the seeds out from inside.  You can either keep the sliced pieces in their skin or cut them into cubes.

Rice balls: Mix 2/3 cup of sweet rice flour and 1/4 cup of water together.  When the texture starts becoming sticky and clumpy, begin kneading the rice dough.  Grab half a fistful of the dough and roll it in a ball.  Repeat.

Steps 1. Boil a pot of water until you see bubbles and throw in the cut squash.  Wait until the squash is cooked completely. 2. Option 1: If the skin is already moved, you can use gently mash the soft squash and mix the mashed squash with the boiling water. Option 2: Drain the water and throw the softened squash inside your food processor or blender.  Pour the mix back into pot of boiling water (3-4 cups). 3. In a separate bowl, mix 1/4 cup of water and 3 tbsp of sweet rice flour together. Add more sweet rice flour if necessary. 4. Pour the sweet rice flour mixture into the pumpkin porridge mixture. Stir well. 5. Add the sugar and salt. Taste, taste, taste! I don't like mine too sweet or salty, so adjust the recipe accordingly. Stir well, again. 6. Drop the rice balls inside the porridge and check every few minutes to see whether they are cooked thoroughly.  The rice balls should be firm but soft and chewy.  Make sure they're not oozing like goo. 7. Serve the porridge in a bowl, and you are done! Health perks: abundance in keratin, Vitamin B, Vitamin C

*Note: Please do not overindulge in the rice balls because overloading on these carbs won't be good news for your belly.  I'd say each bowl should have about 5 rice balls.*

Happy Korean Thanksgiving (Chuseok) and Mid-Autumn Festival!

Love, Pristine Christine

Where's Wednesday?: Eggin' it at Urth Caffe

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On Labor Day, my fambam and I visited the Urthe Caffe in Santa Monica.  The egg sandwich and natural beef hash were surprisingly the delicious items off the menu.  Naturally, our disappointment with the "famous" New Yorker sandwich and portabella panini--the two sandwiches that we expected to live up to their fame--magnified by the minute.  Now, I've always experimented with new eggwich recipes, so upon biting into the mouth-watering egg sandwich, I felt inspired to make a healthier, homemade version of it!

Ingredientsorganic eggs baby romaine lettuce or spring mix mayonnaise balsamic vinegar olive oil Torta rolls (personal favorite is La Brea's torta, which you can buy in packs of 10 at Costco!) roasted green chile (Trader Joe's has everything) sliced tomato avocado slices pepperjack cheese

1. Cut the torta roll in half. 2. Lightly toast the halves on the pan. 3. Make a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss some baby romaine lettuce with the dressing mix. 4. Crack an egg into a bowl. You know the drill: break and whisk. 5. Pour the whisked egg into a mini frying pan and, when ready, spoon some of the green chile onto top. 6. Let the omelet rise, and place it on a plate. 7. Melt a slice of jack cheese on the bottom half of the torta. 8. Put the omelet on top of the cheese. 9. Layer with avocado an tomato slices now. 10. Top everything with the salad mix. 11. Spread a thin layer of mayo onto the torta bun. 12. BAM!  Make sure the bun properly holds the sandwich in place. 13. Cut the whole sandwich in half and stick toothpicks through each half Prep time: 15 minutes

Easy-peasy, right?  What can be more delicious than a homemade eggwich at home? Saves time, money, and your health.

Love, Pristine Christine