9 Bean Ham Bone Soup Mix

Last Easter, I bought a ham from Bristol Farms.  I got a bigger size than called for since I wanted to have left overs.  I froze the bone in a zip lock with a lot of meat on it.

Last week, I thought it would be good to resurrect the bone and cook some soup.  I went to the neighborhood Honey Baked Ham and purchased the 9 Bean Ham Bone Mix. (less than $5.00)

It called for soaking the beans for a several hours.  It also suggested (optional of course) to add carrots, celery or any vegetable.  I added both carrots and celery. The beans were so pretty, you almost wanted to play with them....which I did while washing them.

I just threw everything in a big pot as instructed.   Since I added vegetables, I also added a lot more water than the 4-6 cups suggested. The hard part was waiting for it to cook as you smelled the nice aroma. 

A soup this good called for equally good bread which I got from L'Amande Bakery and needless to say a good Cabernet.

I almost want to buy another ham just so I can make the soup again!

Thai Original BBQ & Restaurant

Last month, we were invited to the Thai Original BBQ Restaurant in Culver City.  The people we were with were not new to this place; in fact, they have been to the other locations numerous times.  They were experts in ordering as between the 4 of them, I am not surprised if they have had everything on the menu.

It was just fitting for us, the invited, to have the invitees order for everyone. They ordered Dearest Crab with Shrimp Fried Rice and served with Deep Fried Pork. The rice had succulent crab, shrimps, chicken and pork. The deep fried pork was crispy and delicious. The Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce came with Shrimp Fried Rice. You may think this was a lot of rice.  We were all Filipinos, and for us, we never have too much rice especially if it's fried!

The  Shrimp Phad Thai was the best I have ever had. It had the right amount of sweetness; not too sweet and well balanced. We of course had to have the Original Thai BBQ Chicken which was ever so good.  They also ordered the Thai Beef Salad which was my kind of salad, more beef than greens.

Thai Original BBQ and Restaurant have numerous locations: Hollywood (2 locations), Glendale, Covina, Culver City, Union City, and Carson. This is good news to me since Carson is close to where I live.  They also have a location in San Francisco and in Las Vegas.   Check out their menu and locations; http://thaibbqculver.com/menu.html

Din Tai Fung Dumpling House

How exciting can  dumplings be, after all they are just steamed balls with various fillings.

Let me tell you that when you try the dumplings from this famed restaurant, you will never look at them the same way. My friend Ana has always raved about this place. I promised to go with her for lunch and drive the long distance so I can experience the dumplings she would describe and go cross eyed over!

Today, my friend Sandi had some business in Monterey Park so I asked several foodie friends where we can go for lunch. All 3 of them told us to go to Din Tai Fung.
We couldn't get Sandi's comatose GPS in her car to work. To make the long story short, we finally got there around noon.  There was indeed a line; apparently, there is usually a line. On our way there, I called Ana for advise on what to order. We started with the Pork Rice Bun which didn't look appetizing but was good. We could have split one easily as it was heavy. The pork inside was very good, though we thought it was too much rice.

The Juicy Pork Dumplings were the very best dumplings ever. OMG, OMG, OMG......
When you lifted it with either chopsticks or fork or fingers, you could tell it had liquid in it so I put some sauce and popped the whole thing in my mouth. It just burst like a water balloon with a wonderful flavor. Sandi on the other hand didn't think fast enough even if she could tell there was liquid in it.  She bit into the dumpling and liquid squirted all over her.  I asked the waiter about the soy sauce and vinegar that was on the table. He explained to us the proper way to eat these dumplings were to dip them in 3/4 vinegar, 1/4 soy sauce and the ginger. 

The other dumplings we ordered were the Shrimp and Pork. They were also delicious. I had a system going wherein I pulled it apart with my hands and dipped them in the sauce.  We didn't order any rice though we ordered the Pork Fried Noodles which we thought was a good companion for our dumplings. Sandi thought we needed vegetables so we also ordered the Garlic Spinach. This was not as spectacular; I could make that easily so it did not impress me.

We didn't quite finish everything though there were only 2 dumplings left (out of 20) , a bit of noodles (not much) and spinach.  I can now understand how Ana can eat 10 of the Juicy Pork Dumplings; so can I.

Din Tai Fung Dumpling House have 2 locations: 1108 S. Baldwin Ave and 1088 South Baldwin Ave.; both are in the city of Arcadia, CA.

I can't wait to have more of those Juicy Pork Dumplings.

Prosciutto-Pancetta Penne Pasta

Last night, I made the Blueberry Pesto Pizza which was an invention of a man by the name of Lynn Kistler from Bemidji, MN. It was like meeting an old friend; I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that odd combination pizza. See previous blog below:
http://solittlethyme.blogspot.com/2013/02/blueberry-pesto-pizza.html

I had left over red and yellow peppers, red onions, olives and cheese.  Today, I decided I would make a pasta and add all those ingredients plus some prosciutto and pancetta.  I had some Tri-Colore Penne (Barilla brand) which I cooked on the pasta boat in the microwave.  I then proceeded to saute the red onions in a bit of olive oil, added the pancetta and prosciutto.  After a couple of minutes, I added the peppers and the olives.  I poured about 1/2 cup of Mirin sauce and let it simmer for a few more minutes. I then added the cooked pasta which was aldente, to the pan and poured some of the pasta water.  I seasoned it with salt and decided it would be taste better with some blue cheese. It turned out pretty good and with some parmesan cheese......pretty good turned out to be very good!

I served this with a salad and before the salad, I served an appetizer made of Mozzarella whip and cherry tomatoes with olive oil and a balsamic glaze. It not only looked interesting but was tasty.

For dessert, we had salted caramel gelato (Talenti) and I crushed some salted pretzels and sprinkled them on top of the gelato.  Ice Cream Lab from the other night gave me that idea so I can't take credit for it.

I must mention that our dinner was accompanied by a very good bottle of wine from Eden Canyon Vineyards. A 2010 Estate Cabarnet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, California.  You won't find this wine at your local Bevmo, I suggest you go to their website as they are very limited; they are suppliers to some of the top restaurants in Beverly Hills and Las Vegas. http://www.edencanyon.com/

Ice Cream Lab

Abracadabra.....let's have some real ice cream.  I have read about this "lab" and was planning to go with a bunch of my friends in the near future.  I just didn't realize that the future came sooner than expected.  Last night, after a Murder Mystery Dinner at the H.O.M.E. in Beverly Hills, Sandi and I were headed back home.  Beverly, my GPS had me make a right turn instead of going straight. I suddenly spotted Ice Cream Lab  got all excited and looked for a parking spot. It was not too hard as it was around 8:30 p.m., Sunday evening.

We entered the Ice Cream Lab; not a big place but welcoming and crazy fun. They had several blue what looked like electric mixers with special contraptions.  I imagined Jerry Lewis in the Nutty Professor. Kids now probably never heard of him....oh well.....
The ice cream flavors were on the board.  It was an easy decision for me and Sandi.
We both had the Salt Lick Crunch with Caramel, Sea Salt and Pretzel Pieces. Of course, we had to try the waffle as well.

The ice cream was as fresh as can be and could not have been any fresher. Why? It's because it is made to order. There's non-fat milk, buttermilk, whipping cream, organic sugar cane and egg yolks in the mixture.  They then mix everything in the magic bowl, close the contraption and pooooof...as liquid nitrogen is expelled into the bowl (rapid freezing) you get your very own ice cream. There are no additives or preservatives added so as a result you get the freshest, creamiest ice cream.

We both enjoyed the Salt Lick Crunch with the Caramel...loved the sweetness of the ice cream and caramel and saltiness of the pretzel pieces.  I have to tell you that  whatever flavor you decide on, do not pass on the waffle cone.  These were the best I ever had and Sandi agreed.  They were so tasty and light.  I spoke with Joseph, one of the owners and he explained to me that they add vanilla bean into the batter which gives it the light texture.

I have to give credit to Beverly my GPS, as she always looks after me. If it weren't for her, I would not have ended up at Ice Cream Lab.  Sorry Ana, I know you wanted try this place; don't worry as I will be happy to drive back one of these days. 

Ice Cream Lab is located at 9461 S. Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills, California.

Zane's

I was invited by my friend Mary to Zane's in Hermosa Beach, California.  I have heard of Zane's but never had the opportunity to go until 2 nights ago.

It's not a big place; mostly "beach" people.  Energetic aka noisy so we just had to talk a bit louder. Mary has been there previously but decided to order something different. We both liked the sound of the Iceberg Wedge with bleu cheese crumbles, cherry tomatoes, applewood bacon with a ranch dressing.  Our waitress Sarah warned us that it was a big portion. I finally convinced Mary that we should split the order especially since we were ordering a heavy pasta dish. The 1/2 wedge came nice and cold with an appropriate serrated knife. My only complaint was the work of cutting the lettuce (yes, a bit spoiled) but working, always takes a bit away from the eating pleasure. It was delicious especially with the big chunks of thick bacon. Before we decided what to order, I must mention the bread was very good which they served with 3 spreads: olive tapanade, peppers and hummus.

We both wanted the same entree so we ordered the Funghi Pappardelle.  Loved this pappardelle with all sorts of mushrooms with the different textures. There were some crispy and others were chewy with slightly different flavors. I believe this was cooked with wine. Whatever it was cooked in...take my work...it was so good. Since we had 2 mini loaves of bread to begin with, we could not finish our pasta. We decided it would make a perfect lunch the next day.

For dessert, the Cinnamon Sugared Churros was our pick. Served warm drizzled with caramel and vanilla bean gelato, these crunchy churros were quite enjoyable.  Sarah also brought a Tiramisu for my birthday and she noted that since they ran out of candles, I was to blow on the little candle that was on our table. 

To give you an idea of the generous portions, the picture below is of my lunch the following day. Quantity and quality....what more can you ask for?

Zane's was a pleasant surprise.  Though parking can be a pain, the food is worth circling the block a couple of times plus as a bonus, Corkage is free for the first 2 bottles. What a deal!

Enoteca Drago Ristorante Pizzeria

We were supposed to go to a murder mystery dinner at H.O.M.E. in Beverly Hills last Sunday only to discover we had the wrong date.  There were no shortages of restaurants along Canon Drive so we just walked and ended up at Enoteca Drago.  My last Drago experience was in January of 2012 when Drago on Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica closed its doors as they decided not to renew the lease. My friend Cindy and I enjoyed our experience then. So, when Sandi and I came across Enoteca, it was an easy decision to have our dinner there.

As I glanced at the menu, one dish caught my eye; Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe which had lots of  black pepper and Romano cheese. For our second pasta, we thought we would try the Cavatelli with wild boar ragu, porcini mushrooms and fennel.  For our appetizer, we split a Beet Salad with baby beets, pistachio cream, arugula and fried shallots.
This was delicious, so delicious that a bigger portion would have made a good entree for dinner. The Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe was aldente and had the perfect balance of pepper and Romano cheese. The Cavatelli was a bit of a disappointment. It had a flavor we couldn't put our finger on that we thought took away from the ragu flavor. Upon checking with our attentive and lively waiter named Oz, he identified the mystery ingredient....fennel. Somehow we dismissed the ingredient even if it was listed on the menu. The Cavatelli had the gnocchi consistency; somehow we both could not get excited over this dish.  I couldn't help compare it to the boar ragu at Osteria Mozza which is divine!

We were so stuffed as we ate  a few slices of bread and half a dozen grissini (Italian bread sticks).  We were determined not to order dessert till Oz brought us the menu. We thought it would not hurt to just look.  We surrendered and ordered the Sfogliatina Croccante di Nocciole con Marmellata e Sorbetto di Arance e Pepe Nero. What a long name for a dessert..... the bottom was made of chocolate crunch bar; almost tasted like it had rice krispies, then a thick chocolate-type mousse with orange marmalade and orange slices. This was topped with a black pepper sorbetto (ice cream with a high fruit juice or liquid ratio).  We cleaned that plate and left no traces of anything.

Right next to Enoteca Drago is Il Pastaio on N. Canon Dr. in Beverly Hills which is part of the Drago Group with one more in downtown Los Angeles; Drago Centro. They brought it to our attention that they also have a Drago Bakery on Willat Ave. in Culver City. This will be an excuse to drive to Culver City and see what the bakery is all about.