When Kaleo, my fiance, and I visited Hawaii, we probably ate our combined weight in poke. Poke is an authentic Hawaiian appetizer or side dish that is positively divine. It’s very similar to ceviche, except soy sauce is used instead of citrus as the base of the sauce.
As I’ve said before Deb Perelman’s blog, Smitten Kitchen, has been a source of recipes for me for years. Her explanations are always clear, the recipes are creative, and the food never disappoints. This recipe comes directly from her and is actually almost completely unmodified.
Chicken Adobo is actually a Filipino dish that one of my best friends introduced me to. It’s tangy, sweet, and salty all rolled into one simple, flavor-packed recipe. Chicken adobo also happens to be a common Hawaiian food, so it’s become somewhat of a staple for us. Generally, there aren’t many vegetables in this dish, so I’ve long since made it my own.
My desire to learn to cook Jjajangmyeon actually came from a K-drama I watched awhile ago. One of the characters owned a Chinese restaurant in Seoul that was famous for fast and delicious jjajangmyeon, and it looked so tasty. Prior to this experiment, I had never had this dish before; and when my fiance and I eat Korean food, it’s generally BBQ. I didn’t trust finding a restaurant that made it well, so I resorted to the internet, and my new favorite Korean blog, Maangchi.
Desserts are always a long and arduous conversation in my house. Not because we can’t decide whether to make something; it’s more we can’t decide what to make.
Another excellent holiday treat, these Pumpkin cupcakes are a crowd pleaser. These definitely pack a large amount of pumpkin flavor; paired with the maple buttercream, I just can’t stop eating them! I better make a New Year’s resolution to workout more because this holiday season is going to fatten me up. 🙂
Age Dashi Tofu is a classic Japanese side dish that is positively heavenly. When I was living in Japan, I used to eat this weekly at the Waseda Dining Hall, where they have perfected the art of this subtle dish.
As you’ve probably noticed, many of my baked good recipes come from my Oma (Oma is German for grandmother). My father taught me to cook, but it was Oma who taught me to bake. Baking was actually a love of mine long before the cooking; those wonderful holiday weekends spent making gingerbread cookies in my Oma’s kitchen, covered in flour, and wrapped in the apron she made me, sparked my need to show affection with baked goods.
UPDATE: I posted new pictures to this post because a really great photographer friend of mine was visiting, and she helped me take a bunch of new pics. Also, I tried this with a darker beer, a brown ale called Leffe Braun, and it was delicious. The spiciness of the darker beer transferred really well to the bratwurst. Thank you to the reader who made this suggestion!
Beer Bratwurst are a serious favorite in my house. For starters, they are so easy my fiancee can make them. Also, they take only 15 minutes and are so tasty you don’t need any condiments to eat them. These brats are juicy, flavorful, sweet, and have the added bonus of making the most wonderful onion topping. Did I mention they are super simple? We are talking 3 ingredients and impossible to ruin. Anyways, I highly recommend this for those late work nights or days when you are just feeling lazy.
Alright, so admittedly I’ve been a terrible blogger for the last month; but I’m in the process of preparing enough posts to take me through to the new year. I also promise a couple “extra” posts during the holiday season to make up for the ones I’ve missed.
So without further adieu, here is a new recipe recently added to my arsenal that’s just perfect for the holiday season: sweet potato pie.
MY UMAI 