Saturday, November 26, 2005
Dinner at Home
Baby Back Ribs cooked in the Ron Popiel "Set it and forget it" Rotisserie Oven. I used turmeric in the spice rub this time. Note to self: Do not use finger-staining spices in rubs for food to be eaten with fingers. The flavor was nice though.
Lunch at Home
Turkey Leftover Casserole
This was an uninspired concoction of leftover turkey, broccoli, ricotta and irish cheddar, with a little Tabasco thrown in. Not bad, not good, but at least we didn't have to throw away all the leftover turkey.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Late Lunch at Home
Leftover Prime Rib with Creamed Spinach
My first attempt at creamed spinach was pretty damn good--I think it was the bacon, and maybe the cream cheese.
Clam Chowder
Fresh herbs, lots of clams and cream, and turnips instead of potatoes.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thanksgiving Feast at Home
We decided to forgo the family route this year and host Thanksgiving at our place for our friends. Preparations for the feast started earlier this week. Due to the fact that Giao doesn't eat turkey (if turkey tasted any good why would people only eat it once a year?), he cooked up a prime rib. Everything else was made from scratch by Alexis (unless otherwise indicated).
Hummus
Lots of lemon and garlic.
Caprese Salad served on Crostini (courtesy Kelly)
Spinich Artichoke Dip
This cheesy goodness was made with cream cheese, sour cream, spinach, artichoke hearts and peperoncini.
Turkey
The turkey was a perfect golden brown. And it was neither under nor over cooked. The method was as follows: brine for 4 hours, cook on 500 for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 350 , cover with oil soacked cheesecloth and cook until internal temperature of breast is 160.
Fresh Salsa (courtesy Nik)
Yum.
Sausage and Sourdough Stuffing
Fresh rosemary, sage, thyme and cilantro made all the difference in this stuffing. Also, sauteeing the celery, onions and bell peppers in the pork fat rendered from the sausage helped.
Sweet Potato Soup
This soup was incredibly creamy and not too sweet.
Brussel Sprouts Sauteed with Bacon
The bacon flavor turned the typical bitterness of the brussel sprouts on end.
Dinner Rolls
The recipe for these rolls was courtesy of Alexis' mom. They were devoured.
Mashed Potatoes
Lots of butter and cream.
Yams and Cippolini Onions Baked in Balsamic Vinegar.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Oranges and Fennel
Cheddar and Chive Scones
Prime Rib
Actually it's probably somewhere between select and choice. Either way it's a tasty looking $90, 5-week dry-aged piece of cow.
Giao marinated this prime rib in a paste of roasted garlic and horseradish. It was then baked in a 470 degree oven for 15 minutes to create a crust. Then the oven temp was reduced to 250 and it was cooked until the internal temperature reached 110. It was excellent.
Hence, more pictures of prime rib.
And more pictures of prime rib...
Apple Pie with Freshly Whipped Cream
Sweet Potato/Apple Butter Pie
Low Carb Lemon Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust
Apple Pie
Pecan Chocolate Pie
Just a standard pecan pie with a couple handfuls of chocolate chips added into the batter.
Hummus
Lots of lemon and garlic.
Caprese Salad served on Crostini (courtesy Kelly)
Spinich Artichoke Dip
This cheesy goodness was made with cream cheese, sour cream, spinach, artichoke hearts and peperoncini.
Turkey
The turkey was a perfect golden brown. And it was neither under nor over cooked. The method was as follows: brine for 4 hours, cook on 500 for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 350 , cover with oil soacked cheesecloth and cook until internal temperature of breast is 160.
Fresh Salsa (courtesy Nik)
Yum.
Sausage and Sourdough Stuffing
Fresh rosemary, sage, thyme and cilantro made all the difference in this stuffing. Also, sauteeing the celery, onions and bell peppers in the pork fat rendered from the sausage helped.
Sweet Potato Soup
This soup was incredibly creamy and not too sweet.
Brussel Sprouts Sauteed with Bacon
The bacon flavor turned the typical bitterness of the brussel sprouts on end.
Dinner Rolls
The recipe for these rolls was courtesy of Alexis' mom. They were devoured.
Mashed Potatoes
Lots of butter and cream.
Yams and Cippolini Onions Baked in Balsamic Vinegar.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Oranges and Fennel
Cheddar and Chive Scones
Prime Rib
Actually it's probably somewhere between select and choice. Either way it's a tasty looking $90, 5-week dry-aged piece of cow.
Giao marinated this prime rib in a paste of roasted garlic and horseradish. It was then baked in a 470 degree oven for 15 minutes to create a crust. Then the oven temp was reduced to 250 and it was cooked until the internal temperature reached 110. It was excellent.
Hence, more pictures of prime rib.
And more pictures of prime rib...
Apple Pie with Freshly Whipped Cream
Sweet Potato/Apple Butter Pie
Low Carb Lemon Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust
Apple Pie
Pecan Chocolate Pie
Just a standard pecan pie with a couple handfuls of chocolate chips added into the batter.
Breakfast at Home
To fortify ourselves for the Thanksgiving feast-making ahead of us, Giao made a quick omelet.
Omelet with smoked Salmon, cream cheese and fresh dill
Omelet with smoked Salmon, cream cheese and fresh dill
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Dinner at Basil, San Francisco, CA
Basil is a moderately priced Thai place not too far from our house, although Alexis had never been there. The food was much better than expected.
Tom Ka Gai $4
This was a surprisingly exceptional version of this common Thai soup. It is sour and slightly spicy, and contains coconut milk, chicken, straw mushrooms and cilantro.
Spring Roll $7
Veggies and tofu wrapped in a rice paper wrapper, served with a sweet/spicy peanut-esque sauce.
Nuer Takai $11These angus beef cubes were sauteed with bell peppers in a slightly sweet sauce. Very good, but the portion was quite small.
Catfish with Crispy Fried Basil $13
This fried fish was served with whole green peppercorns and crispy basil in a savory sauce. Very nice.
Lunch at Work
Breakfast at Home
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Dinner at Home
Steamed broccoli with crispy garlic butter.
Pan-fried catfish with capers and lemon.
Lunch from Pizza Orgasmica, San Francisco, CA
Salmon Caesar $8
Not nearly enough salmon on this caesar, but it tasted fine.
Not nearly enough salmon on this caesar, but it tasted fine.
Antipasto Salad $8
This was wholeheartedly disappointing. I expected a bowl of meat, cheese and chopped lettuce and received a green salad with 4 pieces of salami.
Food: 0
Service: N/A
Decor: N/A
Website
Health Code Violations
Monday, November 21, 2005
Dinner at Oola, San Francisco, CA
One of the few late-night eataries in the city, Oola is located in a beautiful industrial loft-like SoMa location. The service is friendly and always enthusiastic. The ribs here are consistently the best in the city (and probably the best I've ever had.) Usually we would share it as an appetizer, but tonight we both got our own dinner size order.
Kumamoto Oyster $2/each
Classic preparation of these heavenly treats.
Seared Ahi Tuna $12
They added hearts of palm to this dish since we had last been too Oola. It definiately added to the dish (destructive as it might be). I felt a little guilty eating it, but it was soooo good.
Baby Back Ribs $18
These ribs are amazing. The meat just falls off the bone. Apparently this is because the meat is braised for 36 hours. The only drawback is that the sauce is pretty sweet, but these are so good it hardly matters.
Brandied-Cherry Apple Crisp $8
The fruit was not too sweet and not too tart, but the crumble crust was a little overbearing in this dish. Double the fruit and halve the topping and it would have been great.
Website
Health Code Violations
Kumamoto Oyster $2/eachClassic preparation of these heavenly treats.
Seared Ahi Tuna $12They added hearts of palm to this dish since we had last been too Oola. It definiately added to the dish (destructive as it might be). I felt a little guilty eating it, but it was soooo good.
Baby Back Ribs $18
These ribs are amazing. The meat just falls off the bone. Apparently this is because the meat is braised for 36 hours. The only drawback is that the sauce is pretty sweet, but these are so good it hardly matters.
Brandied-Cherry Apple Crisp $8The fruit was not too sweet and not too tart, but the crumble crust was a little overbearing in this dish. Double the fruit and halve the topping and it would have been great.
Ratings:
Food: 2
Decor: 2
Service: 2
Food: 2
Decor: 2
Service: 2
Health Code Violations
Breakfast at Home
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Dinner at Home
Lunch from Jersey Joe's, San Carlos, CA
Jersey Joe's in San Carlos lies in a strip mall off of El Camino. The restaraunt itself is unremarkable, with a few booths, tables, and large TV being its main features. It specializes in Philly/Jersey area sandwiches, cheese steaks and hoagies. The cheese steaks are edible but a far shout from Cheese Steak Shop, and of course real Philly Steaks. They do have a low carb breadless option though.
Low Carb Mixed Chicken and Cheese Steak $12
Low Carb Cheese Steak - $6
Website
Health Code Violations
Low Carb Mixed Chicken and Cheese Steak $12
Low Carb Cheese Steak - $6
Ratings:
Food: 0
Service: N/A
Decor: 0
Food: 0
Service: N/A
Decor: 0
Health Code Violations
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