Fresh Peach Jam

There's nothing like a well toasted sour dough bread in the morning with lots of fresh peach jam that is made by a friend with tender loving care; no preservatives just good old fruit with good old natural sugar. Soft boiled egg to go with the toast and a cup of strong coffee with whipping cream.....and you'll be ready to conquer the day.

I thank Mertz for another jar of  her delicious peach jam.

Thanksgiving in September

Sandi got a free turkey a couple of months ago and she's been threatening to cook it. Since it was not a big one, she announced that she would cook it on Monday, yesterday. She informed us it would be very simple. Her table setting led me to believe this would not be a simple dinner.

She cooked the turkey with 2 kinds of stuffing, sweet potato cooked 2 different ways, creamy mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a most delicious broccoli cooked in olive oil, garlic and lemon.

The simple dinner turned out to be a feast! She made a wonderful apple crisp with McIntosh apples and Cortland apples which she brought all the way from Vermont.

Who says Thanksgiving should be in November? Thank you Sandi for a great dinner as always!

Manila Sunrise

My friend Cora once mentioned that the Manila Sunrise has the best Pancit Malabon, a noodle dish that originated in Malabon in the Philippines. It is usually topped with pork, chicharon, green onions and eggs. I drove to the city of Carson to finally try the Pancit. I got there and pondered what else to get as I examined the rest of the dishes closely.  They all looked delicious. I got a beef dish and one that looked intriguing. It was called Ginataang Langka which is jackfruit cooked in coconut milk.

All three dishes were very good but my favorite was the Ginataang Langka. I've never had a fruit (not sweet) cooked this way. It had pork in it and it was a bit spicy. It was divine mixed with steamed rice. I will have to try and make this dish in the near future.

Manila Sunrise is located at 21828 Main St. in Carson, California.

Standing Egg

It's always a challenge to try and make an egg stand on it's own. You can only do this twice a year; the spring and fall equinox. That is when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when day and night are of equal length. I usually can do it in a few seconds but this time it took me several tries with several eggs. This is the first time I've tried it with brown eggs. That may be or may not be the reason.

I hear one can also balance a broom. I will have to look into that and try it sometime.

Filipino Dinner

I usually get invited for meals so I thought this time I would cook. I put some effort in preparing dinner for a couple of friends. I made Chicken cooked in coconut milk; with vinegar, garlic and whole peppercorns and Pancit Bihon (rice sticks). The Pancit Bihon is my grandmother's recipe. I made it a year ago but before that, it's been 40 years since I last made it because her recipe called for frying the vegetables individually. I tried doing it easier this time. I fried the carrots, celery and string beans together then added the cabbage after 5 minutes. The pancit consisted of pork, cooked ham and shrimps, onion, garlic, mushrooms and chicken bouillon.

I of course had to make steamed rice to go with the Coconut Chicken. The coconut sauce lightly showered the rice and made it nice and creamy. It was a starchy dinner; rice, and rice noodles but who cares. A bottle of Rosé Champagne complemented the dinner very well.

For dessert I made Calamansi Pie (Philippine lime). It had just the right amount of tang. It was the perfect dessert after the chicken and noodle meal.

My guests left quite happy.

Chez Melange

I haven't had brunch at Chez Melange since they were still in the old location on Pacific Coast Highway. Mertz had invited me and Sandi for brunch as a "welcome home" celebration for Sandi as she just got back from a trip from Vermont. At the last minute, Sandi called and informed us that she wouldn't be able to make it as she developed a splitting headache. I told Mertz we should just postpone the brunch but she thought we should go anyway and then go again with Sandi later.

Mertz was excited for us to try the Mimosa Flight. That was 3 ounces of each: Orange Mimosa, Pomegranate Mimosa, Pineapple Mimosa and Mango Mimosa.The presentation alone was exciting. We started with the orange and worked our way to the end. Funny that we both thought the orange was the best and the least favorite was the pineapple. 

We decided to order 2 entrées to share. The first one was the Eggs Panchitos; scrambled eggs, ground beef, chili relleno, sope, hot sauce. The second one was the Migas Con Huevos; chorizo, tomato, caramelized onions, olive oil, garlic, oregano, breadcrumbs, scrambled with eggs, tomatoes and feta cheese. Both entrées were delicious and were a good combination but the Eggs Panchitos was outstanding. The sope was a bit crunchy and made a perfect base for the eggs and beef. The chili relleno was delicious. We were both very happy with our meal. 

We managed to drink all of the Mimosas except for the pineapple. We were both getting sleepy so Mertz suggested we get up and walk to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf around the corner and get us some picker upper before we head over to the movies. She had a large coffee and I had a Caramel Cappuccino which I really enjoyed. 

It was a delightful lunch and a fun afternoon thanks to Mertz. I can't contain my excitement because I know that there will be a repeat performance as soon as Sandi feels better. Chez Melange is located at 1611 S. Catalina St. in Redondo Beach, California.

Pizzeria Mozza

It's been over 5 years since I've been to Pizzeria Mozza; Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's restaurant in Los Angeles. Mertz and I got out of the Laemmle Theater in Santa Monica at around 3 p.m. Mertz wanted to go to Osteria Mozza since she has never been there but they didn't open till 5:30 p.m. so we ended up at Pizzeria Mozza which is right next door to Osteria and it opens from noon till midnight.

We ordered the Mozza Caprese; burrata cheese with cherry tomatoes topped with a pesto sauce. We also ordered the Pane Bianco to go with the Caprese. The Fried Squash Blossom looked to good not to order so we did. We asked our server Julie if she thought that would be enough and she said it depends on how hungry we were. We both agreed we were hungry. It would have been a mortal sin not to order a pizza, after all this was their specialty. We decided on the Funghi Pizza since we both love mushrooms (sorry Sandi). The burrata was creamy as expected and was great on the well toasted bread. The fried squash blossoms were so light and airy and filled with wonderful ricotta cheese. The pizza was great. Lots of mushrooms and cheese. The crust was the best; thin crust with puffy and charred edges. Believe it or not, we ate everything.

Julie came back to ask us about dessert. We were too full but thought it would not hurt to look at the menu. One stood out; Butterscotch Budino, Maldon Sea Salt & Rosemary Pine Nut cookies. We hit the jackpot. Loved, loved, loved this Budino. It was super delicious with bits of salt. Definitely a winner and sure to be ordered again. I have to mention that we both didn't care for the cookies at all. We saved some calories there.

Pizzeria Mozza is located at 641 N. Highland in Los Angeles.