Jul'12 First Week Misc

This first week of July flew by; and the 4th of July Holiday came and went.  Several days were spent getting ready for the get-together, and almost in a flash it's over.  However, I have to say that the food turned out quite well.

For lunch, we had:

• BBQ chicken, sausages, and tri-tip.  We used one of those old-fashioned simple grills with charcoal.  It may take longer than the newer bigger ones; but, it still worked okay.   The chicken and sausages were marinated in the basic BBQ sauce and onions.  The polish sausage tasted better than the smoked.  The tri-tip was marinated using a Kansas City seasoning - I did not need to add salt, since it already had it
• BBQ corn - took out the "hair" and soaked it in water and BBQ'd with the skin.  It took a long time; but, the ones that were boiled first, did not taste as good
• Grilled zucchini - marinated with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  These turned out good.
• Bread - bought those sold in the store from Brea Bakery, which can be heated before serving.  The multi-grain was better than the ciabatta
• Fruit - watermelon, cherries, and pineapple
• Spinach and Strawberry salad - used rosemary ginger orange-infused olive oil with raspberry balsamic vinegar and it was really quite good
• Japanese Yam Fries - cut up the yams and baked with seasoned pepper and salt at 450degF.  It was good.  (The previous evening, I also boiled the yams, mashed them, and mixed with almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey; and it was also pretty good.  Though the fries were better)

For dinner, we had:

• Salmon - baked with sesame leaves and vegetables (courtesy of my friend) as well as some Gobo
• Stir-fried broccoli with carrots; and also green beans
• Rice noodle with chicken - it was more most this time.  I cooked the noodles with sesame oil and soy sauce and placed it in the dish.  Then I mixed soy sauce with broth and seasoning; then added the shredded chicken; and poured over the noodles
• Tofu soup - to soup base, just added tofu and green onions
• Char Siu Pork - baked the pork which was marinated in the char siu sauce 

Today, my friend and I went to the Rose Garden and Exposition Park.  It was nice, and I had not been there in quite awhile (Though parking was $8 at the Natural History Museum, which had underground parking; which was better than the $10 parking at other lots)

Afterwards, we went to the Little Ethiopia on Fairfax between Olympic and Pico.  We parked on the side streets near Whitworth and ate at Little Ethiopia restaurant.  The food was good; and the decor was cute, with a section that made it seem like we were in an African hut.   The waitress was also really friendly.  We had the vegetable lunch platter special for $6.99 and the lamb stew or wat for $10.  The lamb was especially good; and it's always fun eating using the injera (flat bread).

I have some cabbage in my fridge; and today's meal inspired me to try to make Ethiopian cabbage.   Looking at some recipes, it seems that I can pan fry the cabbage with carrots and onion in olive oil; then mix in turmeric and cumin with salt and pepper; and just cook till soft (I think potatoes are optional)

On the way back, we stopped by the Citadel outlets.   It was amazing how expensive everything was - I suffered from sticker shock quite a bit.

I feel blessed to have been able to spend the week with family and my friend.   And, I am grateful to all those who helped fight for our nation's independence and our freedom.

Next week for our class potluck, I'm thinking of bringing an Asian salad.  I'll bring the ingredients separately and mix together when I get there (and because they are cold, I can just keep them in a cooler with blue ice).   I plan to bring a spinach or salad green mix, shredded chicken, green onions, and mandarin oranges; and I'll bring an Asian dressing (likely something with ginger).