Tag: american

Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make all my usual Christmas deliciousness because Brandon had his hip replaced just before Christmas. The unknown of going through a surgical procedure was a little unsettling, but luckily his hip replacement 

Cu-Tea Boba Baby Shower

Cu-Tea Boba Baby Shower

Baby Fujitaki # 3 is on his way! My brother, Kyle, and my sister-in-law, Viet-Linh, are having their third child and…drum roll, please…it’s a boy! Needless to say, his arrival is much anticipated, especially since Kyle already has two daughters, Adelyn and Quinn, and my older sister, 

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

I have 6 years of Thanksgiving blogs on Unrivaledkitch, which to me, shows my commitment to being there for my family and I am truly grateful that I have been able to take on this tradition for the ones I love and to share these awesome moments with the people who mean so much to me. Thanksgiving, as I’ve said before, is one of my favorite meals to cook. This year I was pretty ahead of schedule with cooking and cleaning, so big thumbs up for me, because, of course, that can be a challenge with an overly ambitious menu. Our Thanksgiving meal has some staples that we always enjoy and then the rest is open to my interpretation, which is the fun part for me.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Brandon joined us for Thanksgiving this year and I asked him to sit out for the cooking. He cooks all year long and sometimes someone else cooking for you is just the thing you need. I know, when I was cooking, that’s how I felt. My mom and grandma brought a bunch of snacks and sweets and we all made a beautiful meal together. I am so grateful for my family and all the sacrifices and success we have had, and to our extended family, friends and beyond, we hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving with the ones you love! And here is what we ended up with this year:

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Menu
Brined Turkey with Roasted Aromatics, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage
Roasted Turkey Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Hassleback Red Rose Potatoes
Bacon, Leeks, Sausage and Roasted Wild Mushroom Cornbread Dressing
Zucchini, Celery, Scallions and Black Olive Stuffing   
Roasted Cream Corn with Turmeric and Bacon
Creamed Spinach, Broccoli and Green Beans
Roasted Yams with Brown Sugar, Marshmallows and Cinnamon
Sweet Potato Casserole with Agave, Granola, Brown Sugar and Pumpkin Pie Spice Marshmallows
Pomegranate & Guava Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean Casserole
Steamed Corn
Roasted Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts with Garlic
Honey Baked Ham
Bachan Jello
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
Rice Krispies Treats
Spinach Dip
Pimento Cheese
Deviled Eggs
Cheers,
Unrivaledkitch
Maleeya’s Minnierella 4th Birthday

Maleeya’s Minnierella 4th Birthday

I can’t believe that Maleeya is already 4-years-old. It’s almost a month later and I’ve been slacking on my food blogging, but this was a very special birthday party catering and since I’ve blogged about each of her birthdays, I can’t stop at 3. So 

Maleeya’s First Birthday Celebration and Catering

Maleeya’s First Birthday Celebration and Catering

My niece, Maleeya, just recently turned one on Easter, which was April 8th, so we decided that it would be a good idea to celebrate Easter with our family, including a small birthday celebration for her and then, the following Sunday, have her huge birthday 

Happy Birthday Viet Linh; Dinner at Raphael

Happy Birthday Viet Linh; Dinner at Raphael

My sister-in-law, Viet Linh’s, birthday is just one day before my sister’s birthday.  I’m always exhausted and super busy during March, but it’s always fun. For Viet-Linh’s birthday I was happily invited to dinner at a beautiful restaurant called Raphael.  It’s located in the very up-and-coming area of Studio City, where plenty of good food is feeding the mouths of the lavish dining culture in the valley. The clientele is a bit older here, but the décor speaks something of class and elegance.

As we perused the menu, we were told by our very attentive waitress that the restaurant’s menu is devised as a small plates menu and that two or three choices per person would be sufficient for sharing and consuming.  My brother and his wife had been here before so they decided on a couple of their favorites and then had me choose some as well. We ordered a good sampling of the menu’s diversity and decided to start with eight dishes and then order more after, in order to see which ones, if any, we would like to have again.

mussels, chorizo, white wine, grilled bread
 This dish was decidedly plain, a bit on the flavorless side, with the chorizo being very mealy instead of a crisp addition.
 
charred octopus, soffrito, romesco verde, “ajo blanco”
 
This plate is visually stunning. The flavors are interesting, but nothing was very aggressive or intense in flavor, like I thought when I first saw the dish, but still very good.
 
black cod, caramel, Vietnamese spiced duck broth, herbs
Probably one of my favorite dishes of the night. The spices were aggressive and the duck broth was flavorful and bright, with the addition of a bit of sweetness and the buttery flesh of the perfectly cooked cod. This is a go to dish for Raphael.
albacore tartare, Thai flavors

An interesting presentation and a good flavor profile for a classic preparation. Nothing over the top, but a very well executed, delicious dish.


roasted beets, goat cheese, coffee
Visually stunning. The beets were perfectly roasted and their texture wonderful. I don’t know if I generally like the combination of flavors here with the dusty coffee. It didn’t have a very pungent flavor. A beets dish nonetheless; nothing over the top, but wonderful presentation.
hawaiian kampachi tiradito, crispy shallot, chile vinaigrette, cilantro, finger lime

Lovely Kampachi. Kampachi is one of my favorite fish, especially when turned into a delicious raw preparation, such as this. The flavors were well-rounded with spice, salt and acid and I loved it.

fried chicken, grilled frisee, mashed potato, chorizo gravy
 
not pictured
This fried chicken is first sous vide and then fried, leaving the large round mound of meat in the inside, very tender, and the outside, very crisp. It’s a delicious dish with very light and fluffy mashed potatoes and a salt riddled gravy. A highlight in the meal.
 
pork belly, Vietnamese flavors
 
This pork belly is served very crispy on the outside and with a delicious pate, almost like a Vietnamese style banh mi, with pickled carrots and daikon, as well as some fresh cilantro. Very appetizing and a wonderful set of textures.
 
veal cheek, farro “risotto”, truffle

Farro is one of my favorite grains and I’m glad we decided to get this dish, because it was just the perfect luscious consistency. The veal cheek melts in your mouth and the crunch from the hearty farro kept me coming back for more. Well done.
 
pork tenderloin

The flavor of the dish was good, but by the time I had it, it was difficult to decipher everything in the plate–there was so much going on. The pork was cooked well and the plate itself beautiful.

banana bread pudding tempura bananas, peanut brittle, housemade peanut butter ice cream

I’m not a big fan of bananas, but my sister loves this dessert: it’s her favorite. It was rather well done. I liked the peanut butter ice cream.

lemon meringue three ways

My favorite pairing is raspberry and lemon. The textures and different styles of making the creams and foams of the dish was masterful, interesting and like nothing I’d ever had. I loved the whole thing.
 
The whole meal was really an interesting progression of flavors, interesting techniques and different ideas put together. Chef Adam and company are doing a wonderful job showcasing flavors of the season and their own multicultural style and I can appreciate and learn from their style and techniques. Thank you for a wonderful meal.
 
Afternoon Lunch with a Sweet Friend; Happy Birthday Jo!

Afternoon Lunch with a Sweet Friend; Happy Birthday Jo!

Joanna is my Asian sister from another mother. We have high adventures including copious amounts of flowing mimosas or wonderful bottles of wine, delicious food, lots of life chats, and plenty of shit talking. We’ve grown and changed along with one another and made it 

Chicken and Biscuits

Chicken and Biscuits

I have a great love for American comfort food. I know most people tend to think of comfort food as just southern style but what I’m talking about are the dishes that comfort us in our own way. My mom fried chicken that she shook 

Why Write Recipes When You Can Just Cook?

Why Write Recipes When You Can Just Cook?

I cook often. If I could blog as easily as it seems for me to whip something up to eat in the kitchen, I’m sure I could fill another four blogs with my recipes. But as most of you know, I cook with more intuition than I do with recipes. Recipe writing is an art, a skill, a talent and I’m trying my hardest to be able to do more of it, but sometimes it’s very difficult for me to do so because I was never taught to cook from recipes; I was taught by watching the people I love, make the food they love.  I hope even if there aren’t recipes per se on my blog about everything I cook, if you’re curious about how to make something or how I’ve made something, you do a little research – say hello, drop me a tweet, facebook comment, e-mail, or whichever way we chat, let me know and I’ll come up with a way for you to make it happen. Here are some of the dishes I’ve photographed in the last week of ideas and meals we’ve enjoyed at home. I want to come back and write recipes for them all, hopefully one day I will. But here are the descriptions and a couple of quick recipes. I hope you enjoy these tasty ideas.

 

Romaine Hearts and Arugula Salad with Minced Beet, Pears, Pistachios, Avocado, Cucumber and Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 romaine heart, cored and sliced into small pieces

8 oz arugula

1 large beet, boiled or roasted, peeled and minced into small pieces

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup of shelled pistachios

1 pear, peeled and thinly sliced

½ hot house cucumber, sliced

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

To make dressing

Add balsamic, honey and Dijon together and add a pinch of black pepper and salt. Mix together well and then slowly pour in extra virgin olive oil till incorporated. Use less or more oil for your desired consistency.

Combine all vegetables in large bowl, except for beets, and toss with vinaigrette.

Before serving, sprinkle on minced beets and consume.

 Black Pepper and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with White Wine Cherry Tomato Basil Sauce and Lemon Zest served aside Roasted Red Potatoes

Roasted Red Potatoes

Approx. 3 lbs of medium to small-sized red potatoes, quartered and washed, but not peeled

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced sage

1 tablespoon minced rosemary

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Pepper

In a large pot, add red potatoes, cover with cold water and add salt to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook potatoes in water until almost done, about 15-20 minutes, but still having firmness when poked with a fork.

Drain water from the potatoes.

Place the potatoes in large bowl and add a couple pinches of salt, pepper, garlic, herbs, and ½ of the oil, incorporate well and place on a large baking sheet. Then pour the rest of the oil over the top of the potatoes.

Put the potatoes in preheated oven and cook for about 15 minutes. Take potatoes out and shake and stir them loose to roast other sides another 10-12 minutes, till crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside.

Serve with your favorite meat or vegetables.

Carrot California Chile Colorado with Braised Beef served over Black Rice with Roasted Beet Greens and Garlic and Romaine topped with Avocado

Sliced Turkey, Roasted Zucchini, Mushrooms, Almond Butter, Spicy Carrots and Rice Noodles topped with Almond Cilantro “gremolata”

New York Strip Milanese (New York Steak seasoned with cumin, coriander, black pepper and lemon, then breaded in panko and deep fried) served with Slow-Cooked Black and Pinto Beans with Roasted Garlic and Tomato Spanish Rice

Potato, Sausage and Kale soup with Red Pepper Flakes and Parmesan

Cheers

-Unrivaledkitch

 

The Disneyland of West Hollywood Pancake Houses: The Griddle Cafe.

The Disneyland of West Hollywood Pancake Houses: The Griddle Cafe.

On a weekend morning, with the sunshine in full effect, the girls and I decided that pancakes were in order. I’m not much of a breakfast person, but the ladies (Stephanie and Bryn) are and they’ve been raving to me about the delicious offerings of The Griddle