Food Maker, Chef, and Traveling Diner
Pistachio Pie is one of the things I remember as a child. My sister would ask my mom every year to make this simple pie for her birthday dessert. There would be blue candles atop (her favorite color) and she would smile big as …
Do you eat artichokes? Have you ever not eaten artichokes because they’re such a pain in the ass? If you’re in this category then this may be for you. Spring is the season for these giants in the veggie world, if you’re used to eating …
Growing up I would venture down to Little Tokyo with my Bachan or if we were picking up my sister from her internship with my mom and dad, we would look in the little shops and I always fancied all the little Japanese confections, knickknacks and trinkets. But most of all I loved to look at the Japanese serving ware. The stores are lined with all different styles of trays, bowls, platters, and every other kind of serving utensil and apparatuses that you could put food on, serve it, cut, or scoop it. It really is so interesting to me. My dream came true seeing all these things when I visited Tokyo in summer of 2009. I would love to go back as soon as I can. I have a whole world I want to explore.
Some of the most memorable Japanese sweets I enjoy are Mochi and Imagawayaki.
Imagawayaki is like a pancake type sweet batter that is made on a special pan that’s kind of like a waffle iron they fill the sides with the batter then press in the middle a sweet red bean paste then fill the other side with a small poker they loosen the batter then flip on side on to the other then continue to let them cook flipping them finally one last time to finish and the end result is a lovely fluffy and little chewy batter that is filled with warm sweet red beans and when you eat them warm you really get the full effect. I bought the imagawayaki that I’m showing here at Mitsura Café in Little Tokyo117 Japanese Village Plz Mall Los Angeles, CA 90012. You can tell these ladies do this day in and day out and their pretty damn good at it. I haven’t had one of these in a really long time. They were so wonderful I had two.
Also when I’m in Little Tokyo I stop at Mikawaya .
This is the birth place of Mochi Ice Cream. It also has wonderful Mochi confections, ice cream, and gelato. But when I go there I mostly go for what my Bachan always called Manju but is known as Wagashi. These wonderfully chewy little confections are made of rice flour and sugar and have a very gluttonous form, sometimes filled with white beans or red beans. Something that my dad grew up on, my mom hates because it always gets stuck in her throat is so sticky and chewy and that I love. I bought Sakura (Cherry Blossom) mochi when I went because two days before had been girls day, they were piling them on the trays with a beautiful array of other mochi items.
My favorite things.
P.S. For those out in Japan or with family in Japan with the earthquakes and tsunami warnings, please be safe! My thoughts are with you all. I wrote this three days ago, posted it, and then my sister called me to watch the news. How terrible I hope every ones okay!
In these moments of tragedy and even in moments of bliss, we must reflect on the process of such natural occurrences having such a devastating impact on our lives and realize how truly blessed and fortunate we are to have our families and friends.
Give as much love as you can out to the universe and show that you really do care. Its not about possession its not about money, or property its about opening your heart. Give someone an extra smile or a heart felt hug and show the real kindness and gratitude you’re capable of. I love you all, and each and everyone of you is in my thoughts.
Sometimes I feel as if I’ve been going and going and there’s no stopping me. I feel a light breath of wind on my body whispering and pushing me along to show me all the new things I could never really come to sit down …
My sister has been talking about having Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles for a long time. She’s been there many times but i always seem to of missed going with her. Growing up in a food capital of the world or pretty close to it, Los …
When you become a foodie or when you go to culinary school or you’ve kinda just decided to widen your horizons in food sometimes certain things you used to eat get ruined but I still believe there are some places or thing that we eat no matter how turned up your nose gets from culinary knowledge, you’d still eat things you ate as a kid because its what you’re used to. This last couple of ventures out have proved that to me and I’d like to share them with you.
I’ve had a very busy last couple days with lots of family and friends.
Saturday night we had Mexican food out in Eagle rock at Ernie Jr’s with my mom, dad, sister, brother in law and Bachan.
My Bachan, a little Japanese lady who’s my dad’s mom, loves Mexican food but it can’t be anything too spicy because spice is not widely used in Japanese cuisine so she’s not used to it. My dads been going to Ernie Jr’s for my whole life and probably since he was in his 20’s. his buddies would go with him there after tennis and my mom and dad would go there on dates. I always get # 22 Rice with Chile Verde, my dad used to always eat it too; it’s made with a tender Spanish rice topped with braised beef in a light green chili sauce with melted cheese over the top for 7 dollars. We always get an order of guacamole which is okay but we splash it with their house salsa and scoop it up with crispy chips,that I always have too many of, its something I’ve been eating for so long it’s still good. We just sit, talk, and eat all together. It’s always been that way, I’m glad we enjoy each others company in a place so familiar.
Later that Saturday night I had girl’s night out and about with the ladies in Westlake and west hills with a couple of cocktails and some dancing before the babies got home on Sunday The music was playing the vodka was flowing it was a lot of fun. Times have changed quite a bit but I’m glad we can get out and do a little dancing \ and wake up the next day, spending time on the couch watching cheesy movies. That evening we had Brawts and caramelized onions with baked beans, some real comfort foods with the girls families return.
I got home Sunday night and packed a lunch because I was headed to Mountain High Monday morning with my friends Joanna and Jack for Joanna’s Birthday. They went snowboarding which I opted out on because I’m notoriously clumsy and I didn’t want an unexpected hospital bill. So I woke up at 5am my normal bed time and was so tired from the rest of my weekend, but I’m glad I went. The snow was so fresh and beautiful. I haven’t seen ice sickles like that since I was a kid. The snow was so thick; you sunk in. I know a lot of you live in snow like that. I can’t even imagine. We made it up there and I read harry potter and listened to music, drinking in all the beautiful scenery and taking pictures.
After they got off the mountain, Joanna wanted to go to Johnny Carino’s Now the story behind this is that Jo and Jack both worked at Carino’s in Simi Valley about two years ago. It was one of those sad stories where one day they were open and in this economy one day they were closed. So they really had no closure on the whole event. I was with her though it and I understood she really loved her coworkers and had a lot of fun at her job. We were about 25 miles away from a Carino’s in Victorville when we went to Mountain High, otherwise there are none where we live. Carino’s is at best mediocre chain food, so I drank more than I ate but I understand the nostalgia and I was glad to be a part of their little going away party.
We enjoyed Hand-Breaded Calamari Served with spicy marinara sauce as well as Baked Stuffed Mushrooms Spinach, Parmesan cheese, red onions and garlic topped with lemon basil cream sauce, roma tomatoes and basil.
Then main course Spicy Shrimp and Chicken Penne pasta, cayenne pepper romano cream sauce, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and green onions.
Happy Birthday Jo I love you!
So where are some of your favorite meaningful places you go?
thanks for tagging along on my nostalgic food journey
cheers
I’ve been food crazy lately see my last entry and I have a couple of food outings that I’ll be attending in the next couple of weeks as well. So those should be super fun! I don’t want to wash another dish for a long …
A Chefs Update…Culinary projects… and the Loudmouth I’ve been up to a plethora of culinary concoctions as of late but not for my usual audience. This week I’ve been lucky enough to book three culinary gigs for myself which have been keeping me quite the …
Love yourself Everyday! Happy Valentines…
I don’t really stand on the same side of the street when it comes to Valentines day but my best wish is to show people that you don’t just need one day to show people you love them. You need every day.
So on this valentines day use it as a reminder of how much love is in your life and be happy. Don’t let the small things get in the way of all the love your capable of and let that love translate to yourself as well. Love yourself and accept yourself with a strong heart! work on your flaws but don’t let them cripple you. Sometimes I need to see these words myself.
I had some plans that went a little under but i’m happy watching tv, drinking champagne, and making dinner for myself.
Oregano champagne Pollo “Saltimbocca”, smashed potatoes, roasted asparagus
be happy and free today
Smile!
with infinite love and compassion
Kimberly
here are some valentines cupcakes I made for my sister
Mexican Chocolate cupcakes with cherry cream cheese frosting
Just pictures today
I’ll get back to blogging very soon
I’ve been wanting Persian/ Greek/ or middle eastern food. But getting my sister to go to the middle valley after she gets off of work is the last thing shes been feeling like doing and I haven’t felt like having lunch by myself lately so …