delicious popcorn is just a stovetop away

guess what? you can make popcorn on the stove. this is what our ancestors did millions of years ago before microwaves were invented. i am oldfashioned and don’t have a microwave. i also have no counter space. one day i will take a picture of my kitchen and you will understand. for now, here are instructions in case you want to avoid that nasty fake butter stuff in microwave popcorn and make it on the stove.

1. heat up your biggest pot that has a lid (unless you have some pot that is large enough to hold a marching band. in that case i suggest you use the pot you boil pasta in.).
2. turn the heat to medium and add a couple tablespoons of oil (olive oil is what i’ve been using but i think something with a lower smoking point would be better. maybe canola.) and three popcorn kernels. cover with lid.
3. when you hear one of the kernels pop, dump in the rest of your kernels. at least 1/4th of a cup, but don’t completely cover the bottom of the pot. cover with the lid. don’t go anywhere. beware of burning.
4. when the popping slows considerably, remove from heat and top with anything your heart desires.

i like to eat my popcorn with a little salt or with lemon juice and cholula hot sauce. or sometimes i sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top. i hear some people like butter on their popcorn.

before i forget

stream of consciousness food related items:

*jicama, carrot and chicken summer rolls, beef and bean thread noodle summer rolls

*we got a grill. i made fajitas, a turkey burger, salmon

*sushi rolls with grilled salmon

*eggplant rollatinis stuffed with spinach and ricotta and baked in homemade tomato sauce

*La Parrilla has EXCELLENT molcajetes. We got the Azteca which includes grilled nopales, carne and chicken, onions, jalapenos and panela cheese in a delicious red sauce. It also comes with frijoles de la ola and rice and soup on the side. Corn tortillas of course.

*Will i never get to experience the beauty of Casa Bianca (other than the couple pieces of take out pizza i sampled at K&R’s housewarming)? it’s always closed when i go. which means i always end up at spitz. which is really good too. the classic doner kebab totally hit the spot although i was previously craving the falafelite which they were out of.

*morningstar farms veggie sausage patties are tight. yum yum.

*the california pizza kitchen is just whatever. why do i go out to eat so much? well, at least the heat is an excuse for now. it’s way too hot to cook in my house. it’s to hot to sit still in my house these days.

*so i go to HARU ULALA. last night they had a special of japanese peppers stuffed with spicy tuna tempura. the fried cheese is camembert and very melty and delicious. people come in to steal toothpicks and napkins. it’s a great place to relax and drink beer and nosh. next time we will try the fried soft shell crab.

this post is really boring so i’m adding some random pictures from the internet of foods i like to eat.

fried calamari. i love the tentacles.

i miss my mom’s pesto made with fresh basil from our garden. she uses almonds instead of pine nuts. this is the best simple food ever.

char siu bao. i’ve been meaning to make this again soon but yeast doughs are so time consuming.

moo shu pork. a favorite of my brother and me since childhood. i don’t approve of this folding technique though.

tacos al pastor. need i say more?

i love sushi

Twice in college I was a piece of nigiri sushi for Halloween

a weekend of really tasty things

Oh man, it’s been ages since I’ve updated. But I’d like to go back in time to a wonderful weekend vacation that I took up to the bay area. It was filled with really tasty meals. [Note: all photos are courtesy of Kelly. Thank you and I really need a digital camera.]

Kelly, Rosa, Miguel, and I drove up to Menlo Park to attend the wedding of my friend Rebecca’s father. Friday night we met up with my Grandpa Louie for dinner in Chinatown, San Francisco at one of our old standbys, the Four Seas. Grandpa Louie had asked what we wanted to eat, but I trust him to choose the dishes except I did request Moo Shu Pork. So we got to the restaurant and started with an appetizer that they created just for us because apparently restaurants in Chinatown don’t serve Moo Shu Pork. I tried to get to the bottom of it, but G-pa kept getting calls on his cell (he’s so popular!). I dropped the subject, because the replacement was muy muy tasty. I think they called it Mooshi Pork with Lettuce Wrap. We all ate a lot of this, because we didn’t realize how many more courses would come. Next to arrive was Sizzling Rice Soup. One of the underrated Chinese soups in my opinion. This wasn’t so sizzling (which was disappointing) but it was full of vegetables and seafood delights that we couldn’t identify. Next up were the main dishes of Shrimp Fried Rice, Hot and Sour Pork Ribs, Peking Duck, Steamed Chinese Broccoli, Honey Walnut Shrimp, am I missing anything? Well, it was all delicious.
Here’s a picture of the remains of the feast. We barely made a dent in all the food. You can also see Miguel taking a camera pic and Rosa taking a digi pic.
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me and Grandpa Louie
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Next on the agenda of tasty meals was the wedding dinner on Saturday night. Well, I must say we took full advantage of the open bar so probably our tastebuds were killed by alcohol. But from what I recall, my steak with herbed mashing potatoes and vegetables was really delicious. Oh yeah, there was also an appetizer of a mini crab cake on fennel with mustard sauce and a really delicious salad that included arugula, cheese, candied hazelnuts and pears. There’s no picture of the food, so this will have to do.
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We left early on Sunday to make it back to LA in time for the Sergio Mendes Hollywood Bowl concert. I love the Hollywood Bowl; I think it’s really one of the best things about Los Angeles. Where else can you bring in your own food and BOOZE? Nowhere I tell you. So we took some beers and some Zankou Chicken and had ourselves a feast. It was delish, but I don’t need to tell you that about Zankou, you probably already knew.