10-min Recipe: Grilled Basil, Tomato, Mozzarella Sandwich

I am not very fond of cold sandwiches because I think hot or grilled sandwiches are just so much better.

When I was in Italy last year, besides pasta and pizza, I fell in love with fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese - apparently made from buffalo's milk rather than cow's.  I was impressed that the AutoGrill chain off of the A1 highway was selling these really yummy grill-to-order sandwiches...buffalo mozzarella with prosciutto was my favorite.  If only the US would have chains like these!

If you buy fresh mozzarella cheese, they are so good as a snack or as an appetizer when served with thinly sliced prosciutto (another newly found love in the food department for me!).  Let me digress for a second about prosciutto...If you don't like prosciutto, chances are you haven't had good prosciutto because there is a large number of counterfeiters out there :-)  My favorite brands are Prosciutto "di San Daniele" and "di Parma", which apparently are the areas that make really good prosciutto per wiki.

The recipe below is borrowed from the hostess of one of my bookclubs.  I also love the basil taste.  Add prosciutto or salami if you want some meat.  This dish is definitely great for any big get-together because it is simple and quick.  

Grilled Basil, Tomato, Mozzarella Sandwich Recipe   

Pictures:  On the left is the pre-grilled sandwich and on the right is the post-grilled version.

Ingredients: Serves 1

2 large slices of light/airy Italian or French white bread
2 basil leaves
1 fresh mozzarella cheese ball, cut in round slices
1 tomato, cut in round slices
1 garlic clove (crushed and diced) or garlic powder (powder might taste better but I haven't tried it).
2-3 teaspoons of olive oil
Salt to taste


Preparation:

1. If using fresh garlic, combine the garlic with 1 tsp of olive oil and brush one side of the bread with the oil+garlic mixture.  Brush the other side of the bread with some of the olive oil.  If using garlic powder, brush both sides of the bread and then sprinkle the garlic powder on one of the sides. 
2. Assemble your sandwich by placing 2 slices of mozzarella cheese, 2 slices of tomatoes, and then then the basil leaves on the garlic side of one of the pieces of bread.  If you are using fresh garlic, you may want to sprinkle some salt to suit your taste.  Note that some garlic powder already has salt if you are using the powder form.  Put the other piece of bread on top.  
3. Add some olive oil on a pan and turn the heat to medium or medium high.  Place the assembled sandwich on the pan.  I find that putting something heavy on the sandwich (like a bowl) will help melt the filling.  
4. Flip the sandwich after 1-2 minutes or until it starts having that golden brown grilled look.
5. Serve while still warm and with a mixed salad if you need to meet your veggie quotient.  Enjoy!

Thoughts on Cooking...and 30-min Shaking Beef Recipe

About 6 months ago, I found myself eating out almost every meal.  Although I love trying a new restaurant/cuisine/dish, at least half if not more of the meals weren't really up-to-par, and yet I am paying good money for them.  Some of the meals even made me wonder how the restaurant owner had the gumption to open for business with food like that.  I know I am sounding like a snob, but I am "serious" about my food!!!

Since I often found myself thinking "I could make this dish better than this restaurant", I started wondering why I didn't just walk the walk and start cooking more at home?

*I think* I am a good cook because my discerning palette knows how to season food well and what good food tastes like.  I used to dislike cooking because I would not be in the mood to eat my own food if it took me longer than 30 minutes to prepare.  It didn't help that my mother is a phenomenal cook, and so I grew up liking eating more than cooking :-).  Also, for at least 10 years (not anymore though), my mom would do this epic all-day cooking of preparing a gizillion meals to stock up the freezer whenever I came home from college or when she came to visit me.  Of course, I would have to be on my feet all day helping!

I knew from previous relapses that I would need to be realistic and keep my dishes to 30 minutes in order to stick with cooking.  I am proud to say that have been cooking at home a lot and even amped up to 5 nights a week (except Friday and Saturday) for the last 2 months.  

Moving forward, I will start blogging about my favorite dishes to share good recipes with friends and motivate myself with my cooking effort -- kind of like the "Julie and Julia" food blog.  

My cooking philosophy:  Although I will list quantity of ingredients in recipes, I follow the golden rule of tasting my food and then tweak the seasoning as needed.  If it's my first time trying a new recipe, I often mull over what could be changed next time.   So I encourage you to do the same.  

RECIPE 1:  VIETNAMESE SHAKING BEEF

Foreword:  I didn't really care for shaking beef before living in SF because I am a confessed picky beef eater.  However, when I had shaking beef at Slanted Door several years ago, I just absolutely loved how tender and tasty it was. Then it dawned on me that what I loved was the tender filet mignon!!!  

Source:  This recipe is from Chef Luke Nguyen on the Cooking Channel. I tinkered with it a bit to fit my own taste.

Picture:  I added extra sauce today and so the beef looks very saucy in the picture.  Don't do this.  I think the dish is better with less sauce.  

Ingredients for Shaking Beef: 

• 1 lb of filet mignon or filet mignon tail, cut into cubes.  Note: Luke's recipe uses sirloin.

• 2 tablespoon of oyster sauce 
• 1 tablespoon of hot water
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil (Side note:  This oil adds a lot of taste to wonton filings)  
• 1 teaspoon of sugar or Splenda
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 small onion, in long slices
• 1 tablespoon of butter or cholesterol-free butter substitute
• pinch of salt
• pinch of course cracked black pepper 

Ingredients for Side Dishes:  

1. Dipping sauce:  A mixture of soy sauce and chili (fresh or from an Asian chili bottle).  I also add a bit of vinegar.  The Shaking Beef is very good without the dipping sauce.  So try it both ways.  
2. Salad:  Mixed spring salad with grape tomatoes, olive oil + balsamic vinegar dressing. 
3. "Optional" baguette or  brown/white rice:  I typically skip the carbs.  If you want rice, I would recommend cooking it in advance or use the low-maintenance 90-sec brown rice.  

Preparation and cooking instructions:

1. In a bowl, create the marinade by combining oyster sauce, hot water, sesame oil, sugar, black pepper, and salt (season to taste).                
2. Add the beef and marinate for 10 minutes.                                                           Cooking Tip #1:  While waiting, prepare your side dishes (including dipping sauce) above.  
3. Heat the wok or pan to medium high heat, add butter, garlic, and onions.  Brow the onion/garlic mixture for 2 minutes or longer depending on how well you like your onions cooked.  Scoop the onion mixture out to a separate bowl and set aside.
4. Clean the pan with a wet piece of paper or cloth.  Turn the pan on high heat until smoking hot. 
5. Add the tablespoon of vegetable oil.  Add the beef and seal on each side for 1 minute.  The beef should be charred on both sides.  Cook the beef for another 1-2 minutes but don't overcook.  The beef tastes the best at medium rare.                                                                                                    Cooking Tip #2: Taste the beef and add more salt/pepper or seasoning if needed.  
6. Remove the beef from pan and plate it.  Leave some of the sauce in the pan OR create a little extra sauce with 1/4 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tbs each of oyster sauce + sesame oil + hot water.                    Cooking Tip #3:  Unless you need the extra sauce, I wouldn't recommend using it b/c this dish is supposed to be on the dryer side so that it is less like a wet chinese stir-fry :-)  
7. Put the onion/garlic mixture back in the pan with left-over sauce.  Twirl the mixture around for a minute or so and then plate it on the side next to the beef. 
8. Serve the Shaking Beef with the dipping sauce, salad, and/or bread/rice.  

Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

One of my local meetup.com bookclubs chose The Giver as our reading for this month.  The book turned out to be one of the most memorable and thought-provoking read I have had in a while.  It is also a short 1-day read.

It's a science fiction book for young adults that has received lots of awards.  It is on the banned list for some states but is on the school reading list for others (like Wisconsin).  I generally don't like the idea of books being banned.  With that said, this book is probably more meaningful to adults anyway and might cover topics that are not suitable for young adults.

Now about the book...Jonas, the main character, is a 12 year-old boy who has grown up in a utopia society called Sameness where there is no pain or suffering because everyone's life has been arranged by a committee to achieve harmony.  For example, husbands and wives are selected by the committee so that their temperament balance each other out, one boy and one girl are assigned to each family, and so on...To maintain this harmony, rules against things like boasting, lying, etc. are also in place.

Every child in this Sameness society goes through a coming-of-age ceremony when they turn 12, and they receive their life-long career assignments during this ceremony.  For example, if the assignment is to be a Nurturer, then the child will start receiving training that then evolves into their long-term career of taking care of newborns.  Each child has been observed by the committee from childhood until right before they turn 12 so that the assignment is supposed to match their intellectual capacity and temperament.  During this ceremony of the twelves, Jonas ended up receiving one of the rarest and most important assignment, and the training that followed set up of a chain of events that forever changed Jonas' life and his perspectives.  

This book might be a slow read starting out, but the eerie feeling that something was off with this perfect society kept me engaged...and it's an important stage-setting part for the book.  I liked the part after Jonas received his assignment the most because that was where the action picked up and Jonas' discoveries started.

I think this is one of those books where different people will pull from it different meaningful life messages depending on your own life experiences.  The book resonated with me and hit close to home because I had lived in a culture where there were more rules and less choices.  I also walked away with 2 meaningful messages...First of, to me, it seemed to be a cautionary tale against the lack of diversity.  As someone who likes living in places where there is diversity in people, experiences, and food (the most important factor for me!), I could not imagine not having those options.  The second message seems to be that both joys and sorrows need to co-exist in order for our lives to be fulfilled.  Sorrows give us more appreciation for joyous events.  While not experiencing pain or not having to make tough choices seems tempting, is living without choices and emotions still a LIFE?

A new lunch spot

Yesterday I found a new restaurant and I am very excited about going back. The fact that it opens all-day from lunch through dinner rather than stopping lunch service at 2:30pm is a find in my book b/c that means I can come here for a late "linner" sometimes. This place also has outdoors seating where I can chill, enjoy the cool air, and people-watch or read a book. Last but not least, I really dig their food...and it's European (mostly Italian) cuisine, which is one of my favorites.

So I splurged yesterday because I was having linner and I figured I had double the money to spend :-) I ordered a little bit of everything and was pleasantly surprised that I liked everything I got. Here is a breakdown of what I got and how yummy everything was:

• Mixed Salad: For most meals, I try to meet my vegetable quotient for the day by starting with a salad. Wasn't expecting much since sometimes restaurants tend to not focus on the salad and just give you some unexciting dressing and greens. Though simple, I really liked the flavorful house vinegarette dressing. Olives and gorgonzola cheese also helped to give the salad more umph.
• Risotto with chicken and spanish chorizo: Generally, I like risotto but it isn't something that jumps out at me when there are other more exciting options. Yesterday, for some reasons, all I could think about was how yummy the texture of the risotto would be and everything else on the menu paled in comparison. Who knew that slightly crispy spanish chorizo (like the kind in a paella) would be so good in a creamy risotto. Hmm...I can still taste the chorizo now :-)
• Mango Panna Cotta (spelling?): I loveeeee panna cotta ever since my first Vietnamese coffee (similar to a strong milky French latte) panna cotta. This one was soooo good. It's much softer than a creme brulee (also one of my favorites) and it's so creamy...and it was huge...I really did not need a portion that big but unfortunately I think I licked the plate clean.

Obviously, I can't eat here everyday but it's definitely a great find for when I want to treat myself to a nice lunch or dinner. I want to try their paella next!

It is a matter of perspective

Ok, I know I have been MIA for a while with my blogs. Part of it is because I haven't been able to find time to write. The other part is that my weekdays lately have been too hectic and less active, and so by the weekend I cannot wait to be out and about rather than being indoors. Anyway, hopefully my first blog back from the 8-month absence won't be the last.

Sometimes when multiple things or changes happen at the same time, even if some of those things are minor or out of your control, they tend to accumulate and end up making you feeling like "when it rains it pours". This is how I have been feeling for the last 2 weeks. I have been reading a book ("Feeling Good" by David Burns) that explains how your feelings are not always the reality because you might have thought distortions that create those unnecessary pessimistic feelings and anxieties. So I know that I need to put things in perspective rather than letting my pessimistic thoughts roam wild :-).

Below are the people in my life and things I enjoy that at the end of the day help to provide me with a more balanced perspective that my life is very good after all and that I have a lot to be thankful for:

1) My Friends: I have an introverted side to me that tends to keep my circle of friends small and that enjoys 1-1 company. So my close female friends and their support are important to me. These past 2 weeks, it has been helpful for me to just chat with my friends from Indy and Salt Lake City. Most of my friends have a great sense of humor, and so even random funny chit chats have been very diverting. The serious chats also help a lot and it makes me very thankful to have friends who are kind and empathetic.

2) My Family: I am also thankful for my husband and my dog. To cheer me up, my husband has been taking me out more often on the weekend to go hiking, the movies, and just to be out-and-about. I think it was cute that he brought take-home food one day and said that he had specifically picked out certain food to surprise me - ribs and chicken. I am also very thankful for my dog whose affection and neediness make you feel very loved. I have always wanted a big dog and a golden retriever is the best cuddling kind.

3) Brookstone Snuggies: I did get the idea of the Snuggies from the informercial but the one that I got is from Brookstone (which is not called a snuggie). Even though the Brookstone one is more than twice the Snuggies cost-wise, it is worth every penny because they are made of more quality materials than the fleece materials that Snuggies are from. This is probably our most favorite recent purchase because it warms you up instantly and you can use it anywhere (on the couch, at night as a blanket, etc). We love our snuggies so much that it seems to be a defining moment for us. My husband jokingly said that our life can be defined as pre-Snuggie and post-Snuggie.

4) Good movies: I am a huge movie buff and good movies always do the trick of providing just the right diversion. The movies I watched recently that I really like are: Changeling, Easy Virtue, A Serious Man, and Lost in Austen (the BBC short series) . A Serious Man is not my favorite movie from the Cohen brothers but it was an engaging movie and I did like how they were able to capture the realism of daily life. Last year the Cohen brothers won an Oscar for No Country for Old Men, which was an interesting movie, but my most favorite movies of theirs (in order of preference) are O Brother Where Art Thou, Burn After Reading, and possibly Fargo (I can't remember the movie very well).

5) Buying or receiving new and cool stuff: I love buying new things. However, the thrifty side of me does help to keep my shopping in check and also gives me an appreciation every time I get something new. My husband needed some more winter clothes recently and I really liked having an excuse to get him new clothes :-) I love getting our quarterly wine club shipments because I never know which type of wine I will get and it saves me time from having to go wine shopping at the store. I am really looking forward to the new iFrogz luxe iphone cases we just ordered to replace my husband's worn-out case because we will get 3 cases for the price of the same one that we paid for at the Apple store. This also means that I will get one of the cases in a combo bright green/black color, which I can't wait to use. Of course, I love the fact that our snuggies have worked out so well. Finally, I love that Christmas is coming so that I have an excuse to get my husband, our parents and relatives, and myself gifts.

The Asian Art Museum

Years ago when I was in San Francisco attending a conference, my company actually rented out the entire Asian Art Museum and held an appreciation gala for their customers. So of course I got to attend it. It was one of the most memorable part of the conference. First of, I had never seen such an extensive collection of Asian artifacts. Secondly, because San Fran is known for its Chinese food, we actually had authentic Chinese food catered -- roast pigs, roast duck, dim sum appertizers...you name it. I have to give kudos to the event planners for giving such an authentic feel to the whole event. Finally, being able to browse some of the museum exhibits while munching on such delicious food was just the coolest thing ever.

Anyway, it was so packed that night that I never really got a chance to see the museum in full but I always knew that I wanted to go back and visit it some day. So a couple weekends ago, I suggested to my husband that we tried out the Asian Art Museum. The special exhibit this month and for the next couple months is from Bhutan. Who knew that people in Bhutan were so religious - most of their art work were very influenced by Buddhism. There were actually a couple monks from Bhutan painting their special religious art work (I forgot the name) the day we were there. One thing that really impressed me was these pictures of temples on the side of the mountains in Bhutan. One of these temples is very famous and was even in a Travel magazines a couple months back. Apparently, traveling in Bhutan requires a lot of hiking up these mountains and it's very still costly to travel to there.

In addition to the special Bhutan collection, the museum also has a huge permanent collection of other Asian countries that spans 3 other floors. So it's literally the biggest collection of Asian artifacts and arts I have seen or heard of. I didn't realize how big it was and only alloted 3 and 1/2 hours for the museum. So even though we walked around pretty much non-stop for 3 and 1/2 hours, we only saw part of the China and India collection. Then we had to speed browse the rest of the countries - Japan, Korea, South East Asia, the remaining China, etc.

What I like about this museum is that it has such a variety of things from stoneware to robes to bedframes to scuptures/art work to Chinese carved jade collection, etc.

So needless to say we really do need to go back again some other time this year and spend a whole day next time. Coming up this summer is the Sumarai (sp?) special exhibit -- which should be very interesting!

Oscar-nominated movies

The Oscar this Sunday inspires this post. Below are a list of nominated movies or movies where the nominated actors came from that I either liked a lot (2 thumbs up), like a little but not crazy about (half a thumb), or didn't like too much (where my thumbs couldn't be found) :-)

Nominated movies that were 2 thumbs up for me:
1) Slumdog Millionaire: very original storyline and authentic scenery from Mumbai
2) Frost/Nixon: really good performance by the nominated actor who played Nixon. It makes me want to buy the original 70-something Frost-Nixon interviews from Amazon.
3) Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Breathtaking sceneries. Fast paced. Good acting. It's quirky but the storyline was kind of original and so it's very entertaining. It is still not my favorite movie though.

Nominated movies that were half a thumb up:
1) The Visitor: Most people would probably love this movie and so I might be an exception for not completely loving it. I liked the actor and the storyline idea (a change in the monotony of life, diversity, etc) but there were parts of the movie that were boring for me.
2) In Bruges: I love the dreamy quality of Bruges and the scenery. Liked the acting too. However, the storyline can be a little looney but this is probably because it's a comedy.

Nominated movies where my thumbs couldn't be found:
1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: At 3 hours, it was too long and it made me wonder if the Editing team went on strike. Sure, I was impressed with the movie's central idea and the technology. But in the end, both my neighbors and I thought it dragged.
2) Frozen River: I liked how the lives (and poverty) in the movie were depicted very realistically. The ending wasn't expected which was good. Overall, it was just too much chasing around and a bit of stretched storyline.
3) The Duchess: I completely do NOT like this movie. It has well-known actors in it but it's too predictable. I have seen these types of movies a gizzillion times over and it's just not new.
4) Man on Wire: My husband loves this movie. I think it's a guy movie and there must be something in the adventurous nature of crossing a wire that appeals to guys. I didn't like it because I find the whole process a bit tedious. However, it was put together well.

Movies that were not nominated that I really liked (at least 1 or 2 thumbs up):
1) Burn After Reading: I love the Cohen brothers ever since O Brother Where Art Thou (they also make No Country for Old Men last year). It has a huge star-studded cast. It's very fast-paced and unpredictable. Brad Pitt is kind of funny in it.
2) Miss Pettigrew for the Day: Great actresses (McDormand from Fargo and Amy Adams). Fast paced. Just a lovely chick flick with a Victorian feel even though it wasn't during Victorian time.
3) Mamma Mia: Love the sceneries. Much better than the stage version...and how can you go wrong with any Abba songs?
4) Wanted: OK, I am not going to say that this is my favorite movie because it is not but it's an entertaining action-packed movie. What I liked most was that I didn't see the twist coming until it was there.

Nominated or non-nominated movies I have yet to see and I am dying to see in the next couple weeks:
1) The Wrestler
2) Milk
3) Gran Torino