braised caramelized sweet pork and eggs! mmm

vanilla bean and star anise kumquat marmalade... so delicious!

either i have the most amazing friends or the littlest things make me happy! :)

earlier this week, i received a package from houston texas. it was a box of kumquats that my dear friend picked from her family's front yard and sent me; oh, how incredibly lucky to be able to grow such interesting little fruits! i've never had these before!

i can only begin to imagine what would be in my own garden if i lived in a climate where it was warm year round! 'til then, thank the universe for the great people i've been fortunate enough to befriend and call kindred spirits! i like to believe "your vibe attracts your tribe!" and when you find your tribe, love them hard!

using rice wine, pure honey, vanilla bean and star anise... i made a delicious kumquat marmalade. think: subtle notes of amazing flavors paired together on a citrus dancefloor! not to mention, the sweet fragrance that filled the air in the process! mmm. #happygirl

...and because the essential oils-rich peel is as edible as the fruit itself, it all stayed in and was just an added bonus that all the health benefits were concentrated even further during the cooking process! not to mention, the peels also served as all natural pectin for the marmalade and it all came together perfectly!

yeah, i'm kind of a cooking nerd too, haha. it's sorta ridiculous how excited i can get at the thought of playing with a new ingredient and learning all about it! you know what they say, "you are what you eat!" so make sure it's nothing easy, fake or cheap! ;D

i only love sleep because it's a time machine to breakfast! sure makes for another perfect companion to buttered toast and bagels..! a tangy and refreshing kumquat strawberry lemonade doesn't hurt either. if i close my eyes, i'd almost believe it were summer in wisconsin this early morning! bon apetit.

banana blossoms, whaaat!?

i love food too much to settle for mediocrity out of convenience... and that's where my passion for cooking and experimenting really developed. living in smalltown us of a, the ethnic food scene (notably my favorite!) is definitely lacking among a sea of more conservative and/or less diverse restaurants when you consider the landscape of my life! don't get me wrong, we have some amazing places with fresh new chefs among us moving away from the traditional, but my focus right now is mainly on the lack of a quality southeast asian spread in central and northcentral wisconsin!





i hate to admit this, but during my tenure in the big[ger] city i seldom cooked, if at all. and it was because authentic and quality cuisine across the board was available everywhere! from fine dining establishments to food trucks and hidden gems of mom&pop shops, there were always the joints that consistently lived up to their reputation and hype! in addition, there was always what seemed to be a new up and coming spot that offered cool little twists on traditional dishes and flavors too which were also a favorite passtime i regularly looked forward to exploring and enjoying.

the smell and nostalgia of asian marts and supermarkets are within some of my earliest childhood memories... fruits and vegetables that came imported fresh from asia were always readily available and considered staple ingredients for me growing up so i just assumed it was for everyone. little did i know what i thought to be common were actually "exotic" to the average person.

today, i bring you banana blossoms. another thing i'd not realized until recently was the amount of care and time we take in prepping these "exotic" vegetables for consumption! for instance, preparing these florets is no joke! you have to literally take out the stamen inside each piece before it goes in a bath of lime-aciduated water to keep it from browning... and it's quite time-consuming. no wonder they're not popular in menu item dishes... but i sure am glad i was raised with the knowledge and palate to be able to incorporate and appreciate them - heck, even experiment with them in various dishes like i did here - for my own satisfaction! :) yummm.

who needs takeout when you can master the simplest chicken padthai, ever!?

i think everyone should be able to make a good chicken padthai from scratch! i'm always trying to imrpove my own recipe by trying others and tweaking it to my own personal preference... and here's a super simple and balanced rendition!

sweet, sour, salty, tangy, delicious! it's a tamarind-based explosion of traditional southeast asian flavors in every bite... and definitely one of my favorite dishes to try when exploring a new restaurant because seldom do you find them made exactly the same.




note: i improvised with the ingredients i had on hand (as i usually do) - so instead of bean sprouts and roasted peanuts i threw in fresh chilies and cilantro! nonetheless, the sauce is what makes/breaks the dish and this one's delicious!


soak your rice noodles in warm water. in a small bowl, combine all (pictured) ingredients to make the sauce. once your rice noodles are al dente, strain them and set aside. mince some fresh garlic and shallots. slice your chicken... and have eggs and chilies on hand. also, chop up your herbs and vegetables. it's important to have everything prepped and ready to go before the actual cooking because it's quite fast once you start! :)

in (preferrably) a wok, heat up vegetable oil and add in the garlic, chilies and shallots - until aromatic. add chicken and once it's almost cooked, move it aside in the wok and scramble your eggs. once the eggs and chicken is cooked, throw in the noodles (it's important to keep stirring to avoid sticking) - heat should be on high. drizzle in your sauce to preference; the more you add, the stronger the flavor! once your noodles are cooked through, take the wok off the heat and add the green onions... making sure they steam in the heat from the noodles. garnish with cilantro (and roasted peanuts + bean sprouts) and enjoy!

trust me, it took longer to type this out than it actually does to whip this baby up! :) enjoy!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: black chickens

once you go black, you don't go back... she said!

did you know there was such a thing as black chicken? and i don’t mean as in dark feathers... but black skin, bones and even internal organs. there are actually several black chicken breeds in the world, especially in asia, but the most popular of all has to be the chinese silkie.

silkies are beautiful birds, covered in fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk, but underneath all that fluff they are far less attractive. their skin is a dark-bluish color, the flesh is dark beige and the bones and some internal organs are pitch black. although in the western world silkie chickens are sold mainly for ornamental purposes, in countries like china they are considered a super food and are appreciated for their deep, gammy flavor. called “wu gu ji” or “black-boned chicken”, the silkie has been prized for its medicinal value ever since the seventh or eighth century. chinese women consume it after they have given birth to get a boost of energy, but it’s also said to have a positive effect on the yin, blood, lungs and stomach.

anyhow... my girlfriend was amazed i've never had it before (let alone even heard of it before now) and was on a mission to change that! ;D she even cooked it the traditional way over an open fire pit while we grilled jumbo shrimp appetizers on skewers - and it turned out to be an awesome dinner! thank you!

just another random thursday!

as some of you may know, i try to head up north a few times a month to see my dear friend chef larry raymond - aka sweet baby ray of the popular sweet baby ray's bbq sauce - with my homie doc and more often than not he'll prepare a breakfast or lunch for our visits. as if they aren't always something spectacular, this week's was definitely a treat!

what's hot, sweet and wet!? our italian beef sandwhiches straight from the one and only JOHNNY'S..! and we didn't even have to go to chicago or wait in line. it's nice to have friends who have friends! haha. thanks, chef! ;D

i was pretty stoked when he mentioned it for lunch because i had literally just watched anthony bourdain's "the layover," in chicago, where johnny's italian hot beef was a main feature and definite must eat! and it just so happened that chef just had a friend visit from chicago who brought him up some, along with the infamous au jus. mmm! definitely delicious and worth all the hype!

(fun fact: chef's friend who visited was "santa," the same santa during all the macy's christmas day parades you see on television! hah.)

however, i do have to say my favorite part of these visits would have to be the company while enjoying the northwoods unplugging next to the lake for a few hours each week. like the signage in his cottage, "if you're lucky enough to live by the lake, you're lucky enough." ;D yes, i'm a lucky girl with great people i'm grateful to call friends. i'm definitely looking forward to some fishing this season!

birthday dinner with the girlfriends!

several girlfriends' birthdays fell closely together at the end of this month, so we decided to celebrate them all over a nice dinner at our local back when cafe.

friends really are the sisters you get to choose and although i can't believe it's been 15 years, i'm looking forward to so many more years with you all!

as i was going through the menu of calamari and lambchops, i couldn't help but notice the ribs featured; special shout out to my dear friend chef larry raymond, the man behind sweet baby ray's bbq sauce! <3 i couldn't not try it!

enjoyed a great evening over laughs with the best ribs in town and libations before a fun night out downtown with some of the best friends a gal could ask for! happy birthday, ladies... love you all to the stars and beyond!

a bridal shower, fit for a starr!

what a lovely bridal shower for e, one of the kindest souls i've been blessed to cross paths with! the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and her mom - a fellow kindred spirit - did a beautiful job putting together the amazing spread. it's no secret i'm a fan of anything that includes homemade healthy treats and live plants as party favors - so thank you for including me in on this special occasion! i'm definitely looking forward to the upcoming wedding! bless your hearts.

a typical date with the bestie.

in the midst of our busy lives and relationships, my best friend and i try to get together at least once a week... whether it's to cook up our favorite foods to appease the day's cravings, run errands together, or just to do absolutely nothing but lounge around - it's always good for the soul and an even healthier outlet for our kindred spirits!

today, our day off was synced and since the boyfriend let me sleep in, i woke up refreshed and motivated. ambitious as i was, i decided to bring out the infamous picnic basket that's been hibernating since last fall and surprise her with a lunch date before our planned museum trip to check out the origami exhibit on this beautiful spring day!

mission; accomplished! we enjoyed it at my favorite spot that boasts one of the most incredible views in our quaint city... and it was definitely the perfect beginning to what would be a very good and productive day and evening! friends truly are the shelter from life's rainy days.