EMPANADAS



Ingredients: 3 cups of whole wheat flour, one egg, 1/4 tablespoon of salt, 1 stick of unsalted butter, 6-8 tablespoon of water, Add all the ingredients together and add water as needed to make dough stick together. Knead dough until it becomes a clump ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.



Flatten dough and use a small bowl or mug to make circles for empanada. The ingredients listed should make about 25 small size empanadas.

Add stuffing in empanada. For mine, i kept it low-fat with lean ground turkey meat stir fried with onions, cumin, olive oil, diced celery, carrots spiced with parsely and oregano leaves. You can choose to go vegetarian and just use vegetables and cheese. I added cheddar cheese to another batch which makes the empanada juicy inside.

Fold the empanada and seal the edges with your fingers first and after to make sealed ridges, use a fork and press down on the edges all around. Use egg whites to cover the empanada before baking in the oven to give it the nice glow when it's cooked.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cook empanadas for 15-18 minutes. Feel free to wipe the empanadas with more egg whites to give it the nice glow.

The finished product. You can serve these with salsa to add flavoe and juice to the empanada or just it eat it plain. These are low-fat empanadas since it's made out of 100% whole wheat flour with lean ingredients. Dont be afraid to eat more.

Voila. The batch i made with the cheese inside topped with salsa. So good and fresh from scratch

Unexpected Find of Art



Made from tissue paper



Recycled Bottle Caps




Fallen Leaves



Hanging Art

So it's been quite some time since I've last written a blog. This is much due to settling into a new home and relocation of residence. As we moved from 6th Avenue downtown and into suburban life into a home, I've been EXTREMELY busy with interior/exterior design, planning, scheming colors, palettes on paint and most importantly been researching into thrify, budget saving decor since I am planning to use a lot of the inventory we already possess.

When James took me on one of his work board meetings, I met some pretty important/influential people but it was the unexpected scrap art that caught my attention. The art pieces displayed above were made from children who are enrolled in the art educational program in the facility.

I couldn't help but be inspired by these children who made their own masterpieces of ART from scraps of NOTHING. By nothing, I mean to say, recycled items, things you can use that's available from walking outside the door and NOT into a BED, BATH and BEYOND or a PIER 1 IMPORTS. Not to say that this unexpected factor is 100% responsible to convince me to make my own art decor but I have to give credit on the research and readings on MANY home improvement magazines. I am very happy I came with James to his meeting. It was the push I needed to make my own art pieces to personalize our new home.

Portuguese Dinner: Madeira-Mushroom Steak



Madeira-Mushroom Steak




Madeira Wine, Portuguese Wine. Rainwater version and fine rich version. Both great for culinary tasting




Full image of the plate



Madeira-mushroom sauce was used for steak and mashed potatoes sauce. PERFECT!

The taste testers for my new recipe. Phaly, Lett, E Don and James

Dinner followed with wine and "spirits". As always...



Lett sampling her plate.




Bring on the drinks....




The Stellas were great as a dessert...we were so full.

 

Madeira wine is Portuguese wine that is great to use for seasoning steaks, chicken, veal and pork. I came across this during a brunch with a couple of girlfriends. My girlfriend Kham ordered a chicken Madeira and I instantly fell in love with the Madeira-mushroom sauce. My culinary instinct of course became curious on how to master this recipe only to stimulate my own version of it.

Naturally, I did a little research and to share a brief history used from Wikipedia:

"Madeira have a long winemaking history dating back to the Age of Exploration when Madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the New World or East Indies. To prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral grape spirits were added. On the long sea voyages, the wines would be exposed to excessive heat and movement which transformed the flavour of the wine as the wine producers of Madeira found out when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip. Today, Madeira is noted for its unique winemaking process which involves heating the wine up to temperatures as high as 60 °C (140 °F) for an extended period of time and deliberately exposing the wine to some levels of oxidation. Because of this unique process, Madeira is a very robust wine that can be quite long lived even after being opened." I can understand why this wine is so special for its culinary contribution.

Instantly after learning this I had to go out and buy the wine and incorporate it in my dinner. Since I love to cook for others, I invited some friends to be my test-tasters, Lett, Phaly and Don. I wanted to see if they would like the sauce since they all have great taste in food and they would be my greatest critics.

The entrée consists of the Madeira-mushroom sauce over sirloin steaks. Side dish was homemade red mashed potatoes with melted-mozzarella cheese and topped with the Madeira-mushroom as gravy topped off with buttered asparagus.

For my Madeira-mushroom sauce, I used olive oil to grill the mushroom, added butter, salt and pepper, the Madeira rich wine (not rainwater version), cornstarch, fresh thymes and mushroom extract seasoning. Try it; you can’t go wrong with that sauce on any type of meat or as a gravy topper.

As my friends finished their plate, I couldn’t be happier to hear their evaluations. As a culinary-fanatic for as long as I have been, I usually look forward to any critique because I love to hear what I can do better and it just forces me to challenge myself. But simply from what they said, there was nothing that needed to be improved and I usually am my own worst critic, and this mini-dinner party I am content to say I can pat myself on the back and actually mean it. =)

Live, Laugh and Love. Dinners with friends and great conversation is what it’s about… “Bon Appétit et Avoir plus dîners avec les amis, c’est bonne chose, n’est-ce pas?”

Laotian Treats

My mom, Helen and my older sister, Alisa travels back to Thailand and Laos more times than I can possibly count it. I've only had twice the privilege to visit my country of origin since my family left to come to America. My very first visit back was in1994 and again in 2004. Ever since then, out of all the exotic and domestic destinations I've added in my list of travels, nothing beats going back to my HOMELAND.

Tonight, my mother and sister returned from their recent trip and paying them a visit was mandatory for me to indulge in the treats they usually bring back. 

Some of the photos you see below are items that reminds me most of my country. I miss its' beauty dearly. Enjoy!!! 

My sister making the Laotian money tree out of banana leaves, skills she learned from her mother in law

She is using them for her blessing of the Buddha. This brings me memory of my grandmother who also does this beautifully.

Laotian traditional iridescent silk skirts, gifts from my sister. These are actually more modern since they are shorter than the normal "sin" length.

Everyday wear Laotian "sin" skirts from my mother. I've seen my grandmother weave and make this on one of my prior visits back to Laos. It's an amazing process to observe and learn how they make it.

Handcrafted Gold Laotian Belt. This belt made from my mom's "own" gold she brought back to Laos so they can specifically customize her belt being crafted to this design.

She made 10 of her own gold belts like these, which she is re-selling and making her profit back exponentially. Helen always the Hustler.

 

BeerLao and Dried Squid, a Laotian favorite appetizer

Authentic Tamarind Wood Cutting Board. Homemade from the heartwood/sapwood timber of the tamarind tree stump. Many Thai/Laotians use tamarind wood as their cutting board because it is well-known for its durability.

iPhone4 Art: Snapshooter

Advocate spokesperson for Apple products is not in my job description however I do have years of experience with camera phones and I must say that the iphone4 camera trumps all competition.

As I was browsing through my photos, I knew I had to share some of the great benefits to owning this camera phone. Another reason, lately I've had the desire to actually purchase a camera to call my own. I sampled quite a few professional cameras such as the Canon, Sony and Nikon and realized that the photos from my iphone are actually just as great.

During my research for my camera purchase, I discovered the different classification of photographers such as a Snapshooter. According to Ken Rockwell Ken Rockwell, “Snapshooters who are graphic artists or otherwise visually literate people often make fantastic images that impress everyone. These snapshooters are artists and don't even realize it. Believe it: it's the photographer who makes an image, not a camera. Snapshooters use point-and-shoot and disposable cameras, which give the same excellent results as the Leicas, Nikons, Canons and Contaxes used by everyone else.” Would I label myself as an artist? NAY! But I do share common traits as Ken describes and can only aspire to be.

Another discovery I made during my research is that I am not alone in iphone photography. A well-known artist in the industry, Chase Jarvis features iphone photos as one of his credentials in his art portfolio. Check his link. Chase Jarvis  Figuratively-speaking, his work of art is Goliath compared to my David-skills. Nonetheless, his Goliath skill only motivates and inspires me to be as great as he. But to go this long with just an iphone and create images just as great as a $900 or plus expensive camera, I say, not too bad. Not bad at all….

Enjoy the photos…

6th Avenue Gaslamp during our evening strolls



Mosiac to gaze upon during our dinners



Colorado Sunrise - 2011 Road Trip





Coronado Sand/Surf Time



Maple Wrapped Potato - my culinary creation





The Black Sea (in our jacuzzi)



Sunset on the P.C.H. on the Harley

 Morning stroll to & from home/work

Woodrow & Jessie Bessie



Poolside at the condo





 Our rejuvenator juice



Mom's backyard BBQ



Winds of Morro Bay, CA

Daily Grind Outfit



4th of July on our balcony



Desert Treasure: Anza-Borrego

Bay sulking in the scenery

Barrel Cactus

Buckhorn Cholla







Surviving Desert Lily





Ocotilla Cactus

Panoramic Trail

Just Do It!

So much more to discover here, this is only a glimpse....

My curiosity of Anza-Borrego could not be more fulfilled with the short visit I made this past weekend. I managed to convince my best friend Bay to come along and enjoy the scenic route with me. I must give credit to an old friend (Ning) for sharing her visit there thus inspiring my visit to formulate my own assessment.

I have been on many hikes but this one stands out on its own. Why? Well, first the drive there offers a preview for what you're about to take in. Your eyes will be enchanted by the beaming bed of flowers settling among the vast open land. How can something so simple be so beautiful?

Upon arriving, I will admit I was apprehensive on embarking this trail but that's just how I am with any hike I have NOT set foot in. As we proceeded further into the desert, my eyes couldn't stay still. The wildflowers were bursting in the midst of the desert waiting in tranquility for my awareness. I can identify why many have come here.

The hike on the panoramic trail is only a small fraction of the desert. However, when we reached close to the top of the trail, I noticed my ears were NOT being whistled by the wind anymore but this time it was a bird soaring right past us. I can still envision its colossal wings and how elegant it maneuvers in its' glide with the wind. I can’t recall the type of bird but its’ noise and presence left an impression on me.

I anticipate making several trips here again to relish what Anza-Borrego has to share. I can only hope the images I captured stimulates interests as it did for me. Enjoy! =)

Sanh