I love to cook. I love to cook for myself, my boyfriend, my friends and family, and for strangers. I love talking about food. I love learning about food. If it has to do with food, you name it, I love it! So this post will be about just that, FOOD!
Everything in Australia is more expensive than in the States. The most appallingly expensive thing is the lime. In the States they cost about three or four for a dollar. In Australia, if you can find them, they will set you back $2 per lime. CRAZY! But a bottle of lime juice, which I've had to settle for, costs $1.50.
In the U.S. there is an herb called cilantro, and a spice called coriander. The difference in an herb and a spice is which part of the plant it comes from. So an herb is the leafy stuff: parsley, thyme, basil, etc. A spice, on the other hand, comes from different parts of the plant, like the seed, bark, stalk, and so on. Cilantro is the leafy part, coriander is the seed of cilantro. In Australia its all called coriander. In the grocery store i saw it and was confused but I understood it. My shopping mate wasn't as convinced so we rubbed, smelled and tasted it to confirm. Silly Aussies we thought. But we explained to an Aussie and of course they thought the same of us.
In the States, store bought eggs are white and the yolk is pale yellow. You pay extra for brown eggs and extra for cage free and free range eggs and those sections are much smaller. And you always find eggs in the refrigerated section nears the milk. Just as side note, there is no nutritional difference between white and brown eggs, they come from different chickens. Maybe white eggs are more popular because they are easier to dye at Eater, but that's just my speculation. In Australia, all the eggs are brown, I haven't seen any white eggs. The bigger selections of eggs are free range and cage free, the caged eggs are a smaller section and it says "CAGED EGGS" on the packages, they are still cheapest. Second, they are in the middle of an isle, not near a fridge! And lastly, the yolk is orange! It threw us for a loop for weeks. And the not refrigerating still bothers me a bit. I must research this more.
Lastly, what Americans call the bell pepper, Aussies call capsicum. Since capsaicin is give a chili its heat, I can see why its called capsicum. But we ordered a pizza a few days after we arrived that had capsicum on it. We thought we were trying something different. And English coworker told me they are called just peppers in England. Another side note, When Christoper Columbus landed in America and called the natives Indian and it stuck. The same happened with peppers. A pepper is a spice, a bell pepper is a chili. But Chris Columbus called the chili a pepper and it stuck as well. So maybe the Aussies are right on this one thing...
Here is a great Guacamole recipe that I brought with me and have gotten rave reviews. These are all estimations, add as you see fit, if you think its too much, than it is! If you want more of one thing and less of another, do it!! Most recipes are not rules, they are guidelines!
2 large ripe avocados, they shouldn't be rocks when you squeeze them gently, they should give a bit.
1 lime, juice of, or lime juice from a bottle, maybe 1 or 2 tablespoons
1/2 small onion, chopped small
1 jalapeno, 2 if you like the heat, leave seeds in for more heat
1/2 of a big bunch of cilantro (coriander if in Australia)
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
salt and pepper
Corn chips
Mash the avocados and lime juice to a slightly creams consistency, I like to leave a few chunks, then add and mix in other ingredients one at a time. add salt and pepper last, I add quite a bit of salt, so add a bit, combine, taste, then add more if necessary.
Serve with corn chips.
some variation: add sour cream if its not creamy; add diced tomatoes; add ground cumin.
Brown Butter Brownies
This is a recipe my friend found and we have made them multiple times at the hostel.
10 tablespoons of butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of cinnamon
2 eggs
flour, as needed, about a cup
First brown the butter. Heat it up, but don't burn it! Take off the heat when it turns a medium brown. It will have a nice nutty smell.
In a bowl, have your sugar, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon.
Add the brown butter to the bowl. Add the vanilla, mix well.
Add one egg at a time, combine well after each egg.
Add flour slowly until you get the brownie consistency. It should be thick but not like cookie dough. If its too think, thin it out with milk.
I like to sprinkle brown sugar on top before baking to make it look pretty.
Grease a baking pan, or a muffin pan like I do since the hostel doesn't have a baking pan. Cook at 350 degrees F, or about 175 Celsius (rough estimation!) until almost done. You still want the center to be a bit gooey.
Some variations we have tried: replacing some of the sugar with brown sugar; we didn't have enough flour so we substituted the rest with oats; we added too much, but a pinch of chili powder will give it a nice little kick.
Have fun!
Leave your comments in the comment box or on Facebook. Until next time....
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
OH Australia
We've had a bumpy ride getting to Australia. We were told we would be in a hotel and that a car would pick us up at the airport and drop us off at the hotel. In reality, we caught the shuttle and it dropped us off three blocks away from the hostel... in the rain no less. We didn't originally see ourselves as backpackers, so we packed our lives into the biggest suitcases we could find. I had two 50lb suitcases, my travel partner Jaima had three maxed out suitcases, for a total of 250lb between us. Not to mention, we both had carry on luggage as well, so add another 100lbs. OK, no more complaining about that. Its boring for anyone other than us and i don't want this blog to be boring and whiny. SO lets make the rest of this post a positive one and I'll share some dislikes next time.
I have a love/hate relationship with the $1 and $2 coins. At first it was all hate. Annoying!!! There are so many coins here! In descending order: $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c (no pennies, I'll talk about that in a moment). The $1 and $2 dollar coins are gold and the $2 is smaller than the $1. The first week I was carrying around so much change it was ridiculous! On a side note, I also had a handful of American coins as well, which banks will not convert. I jingled everywhere I walked. And I held up lines with a fist full of coins, examining every coin for its amount and counting slowly as to not mess up and have to start over. Oh the annoyance on the cashier's faces! I can only imagine what curses they were saying about us in their heads. Bloody Americans!!!
My new love of the coins have come in the form of a tin can piggy bank. My first deposit was $13 in coins! It can only be opened with a can opener. Once full I shall open it and deposit all this money. Lets just hope nothing comes up that needs me to open it before its full. Fingers crossed!
The penny... As I mentioned earlier, there is no Australian penny. Which I love! So when something is advertised $14.99, at the register it comes up as $15. Its a rounding system, it rounds to the nearest 5 cents. It can occasionally be a rip off because you round up more than down, but you are paying literally pennies to not have to deal with pennies. Not to mention that in America, the number one nuisance is the penny. That's a documented fact.
The best thing about traveling is the people you meet along the way. The Original hostel we stayed at, in Perth, didn't really have internet. Well, they did, on one computer that you had to pay $10 for 2 and a half hours or pay $10 to use your own computer for 2 and half hours. But it was a $10 minimum so you pay $10 bucks for 2.5 hours or 20 minutes or whatever, you get the idea. Well because I was so jet lagged, the second day we were in Australia, in Perth, I went to bed at 7pm. And woke up at 4am wanting to use the computer for just a little bit. There was one lone person in the lobby on his own computer with one of those wireless jacks that you get from your phone provider. There was no one at reception to take my money for a few hours. I huffed and was about to walk back to the room when that traveler, from India, asked what I was upset about. I told him I wanted to use the internet but was going to have to wait a while. He asked if I wanted to use his computer. What? He said he was waiting for a friend to pick him up and still had to get ready and that i could use his computer while he was getting ready. I asked if he was sure if he wanted to leave such a valuable item with a complete stranger who could potentially steal it. He said he liked accent and that I seemed trust worthy and he didn't mind leaving it with me. I assured him I wouldn't steal it and that i was about to pay $10 for 10 minutes of internet anyway. So he left the lobby and I got to set my crappy phone service and send a little email. He came back a few minutes later looking for his ride and i gave him his computer back and wished him happy travels.
We moved from that hostel to one in Fremantle. We were put in a room with 10 beds. We now had eight new roommates, seven guys and one girl from California. The guys were from all over, three from England, one Scott, two Irishmen and one Aussie. Roommates have come and gone. One Irish was replaced with another, he was replaced with an Aussie girl. The second Irish, one of favorite people in the room, was replaced with another Irishman, and he is quickly replacing the first as my favorite. The Scott has a Canadian girlfriend who had moved into the room as well, and that's now eleven people for ten beds. These are some of the most interesting I've ever met. One of the English guys is from Jersey Island, right off the coast of France. Another is from Essex and is the easiest person to talk to and has such a great laugh that he's nickname is Tickles.
The most important thing in traveling, and in life, is to have an open mind. We are meeting new people everyday and trying new food, more on the food later.
We're decided to stay at the hostel for our duration in Fremantle.
More to come!!
Ask questions and/or leave comments in the comment box and I will do my best to answer either in the comments or in another blog post.
I have a love/hate relationship with the $1 and $2 coins. At first it was all hate. Annoying!!! There are so many coins here! In descending order: $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c (no pennies, I'll talk about that in a moment). The $1 and $2 dollar coins are gold and the $2 is smaller than the $1. The first week I was carrying around so much change it was ridiculous! On a side note, I also had a handful of American coins as well, which banks will not convert. I jingled everywhere I walked. And I held up lines with a fist full of coins, examining every coin for its amount and counting slowly as to not mess up and have to start over. Oh the annoyance on the cashier's faces! I can only imagine what curses they were saying about us in their heads. Bloody Americans!!!
My new love of the coins have come in the form of a tin can piggy bank. My first deposit was $13 in coins! It can only be opened with a can opener. Once full I shall open it and deposit all this money. Lets just hope nothing comes up that needs me to open it before its full. Fingers crossed!
The penny... As I mentioned earlier, there is no Australian penny. Which I love! So when something is advertised $14.99, at the register it comes up as $15. Its a rounding system, it rounds to the nearest 5 cents. It can occasionally be a rip off because you round up more than down, but you are paying literally pennies to not have to deal with pennies. Not to mention that in America, the number one nuisance is the penny. That's a documented fact.
The best thing about traveling is the people you meet along the way. The Original hostel we stayed at, in Perth, didn't really have internet. Well, they did, on one computer that you had to pay $10 for 2 and a half hours or pay $10 to use your own computer for 2 and half hours. But it was a $10 minimum so you pay $10 bucks for 2.5 hours or 20 minutes or whatever, you get the idea. Well because I was so jet lagged, the second day we were in Australia, in Perth, I went to bed at 7pm. And woke up at 4am wanting to use the computer for just a little bit. There was one lone person in the lobby on his own computer with one of those wireless jacks that you get from your phone provider. There was no one at reception to take my money for a few hours. I huffed and was about to walk back to the room when that traveler, from India, asked what I was upset about. I told him I wanted to use the internet but was going to have to wait a while. He asked if I wanted to use his computer. What? He said he was waiting for a friend to pick him up and still had to get ready and that i could use his computer while he was getting ready. I asked if he was sure if he wanted to leave such a valuable item with a complete stranger who could potentially steal it. He said he liked accent and that I seemed trust worthy and he didn't mind leaving it with me. I assured him I wouldn't steal it and that i was about to pay $10 for 10 minutes of internet anyway. So he left the lobby and I got to set my crappy phone service and send a little email. He came back a few minutes later looking for his ride and i gave him his computer back and wished him happy travels.
We moved from that hostel to one in Fremantle. We were put in a room with 10 beds. We now had eight new roommates, seven guys and one girl from California. The guys were from all over, three from England, one Scott, two Irishmen and one Aussie. Roommates have come and gone. One Irish was replaced with another, he was replaced with an Aussie girl. The second Irish, one of favorite people in the room, was replaced with another Irishman, and he is quickly replacing the first as my favorite. The Scott has a Canadian girlfriend who had moved into the room as well, and that's now eleven people for ten beds. These are some of the most interesting I've ever met. One of the English guys is from Jersey Island, right off the coast of France. Another is from Essex and is the easiest person to talk to and has such a great laugh that he's nickname is Tickles.
The most important thing in traveling, and in life, is to have an open mind. We are meeting new people everyday and trying new food, more on the food later.
We're decided to stay at the hostel for our duration in Fremantle.
More to come!!
Ask questions and/or leave comments in the comment box and I will do my best to answer either in the comments or in another blog post.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Thai Bistro
Loved!! I really need to listen to Ducums more often. I always feel overwhelmed when we eat any kind of Asian food. There are always so many options!!! Duc went straight to what I should order. Knowing what I like and love, "You should get the basil fried rice."
"But this sounds good and this sounds interesting..... What are you getting? That sounds good, maybe I want that one...." I say. To which he replies, "You don't like rice noodles. Get the fried rice." The server comes over and asks if we're ready, "We need more time but we'll start with the spring rolls." Duc tells her.
I calmed down a bit and reread a few choices, and finally came to the realization that was Duc was right (don't tell him!). The server came back with spring rolls and I ordered the basil friend rice. I love spicy food, if you haven't noticed, therefore I wanted my rice more than just the medium heat it came with. But Duc said that since it was a Thai place, they always under score their spicy, so medium is actually pretty hot (This is true at most Thai places we've been to. Not so here.). So I ordered it as is with the medium heat.
I love crispy spring rolls. Its the only way to have them. When she came back with our food, she also brought the good stuff.
The ground fresh chili was so good and spicy! The basil fried rice was so not spicy and this was perfect.
This is my basil fried rice with chicken, onions, and red and green bell peppers. I always try to get something different, but this was so good, it will be hard not to order it again when we go back. Duc says the rice was good, a little too moist for him. He says that fried rice is usually made with rice that was made the previous day. So he could tell by the moistness that the rice was made that day.
One last side note about Thai Bistro. I cant say enough about how good the food was, but the atmosphere was on a different plane. They covered the chairs in fabric and I felt like I was at a wedding reception. The tables were also covered with a white table clothe and two big red off center squares with a piece of glass of top. Fabric was everywhere, like Joanne's threw up in there. And the worst part, Christmas decorations were on the walls. It wasn't that long after Christmas, but because I work retail, I've come to despise the holiday and its shoppers.
"But this sounds good and this sounds interesting..... What are you getting? That sounds good, maybe I want that one...." I say. To which he replies, "You don't like rice noodles. Get the fried rice." The server comes over and asks if we're ready, "We need more time but we'll start with the spring rolls." Duc tells her.
I calmed down a bit and reread a few choices, and finally came to the realization that was Duc was right (don't tell him!). The server came back with spring rolls and I ordered the basil friend rice. I love spicy food, if you haven't noticed, therefore I wanted my rice more than just the medium heat it came with. But Duc said that since it was a Thai place, they always under score their spicy, so medium is actually pretty hot (This is true at most Thai places we've been to. Not so here.). So I ordered it as is with the medium heat.
I love crispy spring rolls. Its the only way to have them. When she came back with our food, she also brought the good stuff.
This is my basil fried rice with chicken, onions, and red and green bell peppers. I always try to get something different, but this was so good, it will be hard not to order it again when we go back. Duc says the rice was good, a little too moist for him. He says that fried rice is usually made with rice that was made the previous day. So he could tell by the moistness that the rice was made that day.
I'm not a fan of rice noodles, I feel that they are more gooey than pasta noodle, and there's something else that I cant put my finger on. It has something to do with the texture. Rice noodles are just different and while I don't hate them, I don't prefer them either. But this pork was excellent. I kept moving rice noodles searching for the pork.
After we finished our meal the server took our plates and then brought out two scoops of Neapolitan ice cream in a heart shaped bowl. It was precious! We reminisced about how Duc's favorite was strawberry and he would scoop only the strawberry from the container. I did the same with the chocolate. Duc said hopefully our future child likes vanilla! Yep, we are the cutest couple ever!
One last side note about Thai Bistro. I cant say enough about how good the food was, but the atmosphere was on a different plane. They covered the chairs in fabric and I felt like I was at a wedding reception. The tables were also covered with a white table clothe and two big red off center squares with a piece of glass of top. Fabric was everywhere, like Joanne's threw up in there. And the worst part, Christmas decorations were on the walls. It wasn't that long after Christmas, but because I work retail, I've come to despise the holiday and its shoppers.
I think they're trying too hard. The staff was so nice! And let the food speak for itself! This place is great, you just have to get over the decor first.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Roxy
I used to live in Corvallis where the best Hawaiian restaurant is located, Local Boys. It is so good that all Hawaiian restaurants will always be compared to Local Boys. Right off campus, awesome food and great teriyaki.
We've tried Aloha Grill and its the worst place! So we weren't expecting too much from this place. But We loved this restaurant! We've already been back.
I ordered my favorite chicken dish that I loved so much at Local, shoyu chicken. Duc did the same with short ribs. Hawaiian dishes usually come with two scoops of steamed rice and one scoop of macaroni salad. Also, Hawaiian food is eaten with chop sticks. I assume because its a Pacific Island. Something else about Ducums, he's Vietnamese, and doesn't like using chopsticks, or doesn't prefer them. He often uses a fork at Asian restaurants, and this is no different.
Shoyu chicken has a great juicy flavor and the meat just pulls apart. Its a lot like pulled pork, but chicken and it tastes way different. Duc isn't a fan. The mac salad is macaroni noodles, mayo, carrot, seasoning, and various other ingredients depending on who you talk to. Its one of Duc's favorite things. The last time we went, he had two mac salad scoops and one rice.
These ribs are really good, but I hate bones and fat so I don't go near them.
Their teriyaki isn't bad, but it doesn't hold up to Local Boys. Om the first visit, we sat in the adjacent room, so we had been forgotten about for a bit and waited for a while before we got our food. The second time we sat in plain view and our food came out pretty fast. Its a great substitute for Local Boys while we're living in Tualatin.
We've tried Aloha Grill and its the worst place! So we weren't expecting too much from this place. But We loved this restaurant! We've already been back.
I ordered my favorite chicken dish that I loved so much at Local, shoyu chicken. Duc did the same with short ribs. Hawaiian dishes usually come with two scoops of steamed rice and one scoop of macaroni salad. Also, Hawaiian food is eaten with chop sticks. I assume because its a Pacific Island. Something else about Ducums, he's Vietnamese, and doesn't like using chopsticks, or doesn't prefer them. He often uses a fork at Asian restaurants, and this is no different.
Shoyu chicken has a great juicy flavor and the meat just pulls apart. Its a lot like pulled pork, but chicken and it tastes way different. Duc isn't a fan. The mac salad is macaroni noodles, mayo, carrot, seasoning, and various other ingredients depending on who you talk to. Its one of Duc's favorite things. The last time we went, he had two mac salad scoops and one rice.
These ribs are really good, but I hate bones and fat so I don't go near them.
Their teriyaki isn't bad, but it doesn't hold up to Local Boys. Om the first visit, we sat in the adjacent room, so we had been forgotten about for a bit and waited for a while before we got our food. The second time we sat in plain view and our food came out pretty fast. Its a great substitute for Local Boys while we're living in Tualatin.
A Lakefront Grill
Its not really a lake to start. Its more of a pond. But its a really nice place for a walk and feeding the ducks. Duc has plans for a remote control boat this summer on that pond. If you're in Tualatin I would suggest going. And dining at the restaurants around it, except this one. We are trying a new one about once a week.
We were originally going to a another restaurant but they weren't open for a while longer so we went instead to Hayden's Grill. My first impression was that it was really, really dark. Then, that it was really, really old. As in, all the customers are old, the menu is old, the napkins are old, and the bread was old.
I ordered the artichoke and crab ravioli. I had to hold my phone up to the food and take a picture with Duc's phone because there was absolutely no light! The best thing about my meal was the Caesar salad before the ravioli. The lettuce was crispy and it wasn't drenched in dressing.
The ravioli, on the other, was tough and barely warmed up. I tasted a little crab, and I'm not sure that there was any artichoke in it at all.
Duc had the pork wrapped prosciutto on a bed of asparagus and mashed potatoes. I found it over done and chewy. The asparagus was good, the potatoes were dry.
One word: SALT!!!!!! There was none!! At all! Salt is your friend!
With the old environment, old patrons, and lack of seasoning, I couldn't help but wonder, "what would Gordon Ramsey think?" I would think that if they don't do a little revamping, they'll die away as their customers die away.
We were originally going to a another restaurant but they weren't open for a while longer so we went instead to Hayden's Grill. My first impression was that it was really, really dark. Then, that it was really, really old. As in, all the customers are old, the menu is old, the napkins are old, and the bread was old.
I ordered the artichoke and crab ravioli. I had to hold my phone up to the food and take a picture with Duc's phone because there was absolutely no light! The best thing about my meal was the Caesar salad before the ravioli. The lettuce was crispy and it wasn't drenched in dressing.
The ravioli, on the other, was tough and barely warmed up. I tasted a little crab, and I'm not sure that there was any artichoke in it at all.
Duc had the pork wrapped prosciutto on a bed of asparagus and mashed potatoes. I found it over done and chewy. The asparagus was good, the potatoes were dry.
One word: SALT!!!!!! There was none!! At all! Salt is your friend!
With the old environment, old patrons, and lack of seasoning, I couldn't help but wonder, "what would Gordon Ramsey think?" I would think that if they don't do a little revamping, they'll die away as their customers die away.
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Durian Fruit
First, the durian fruit smells DISGUSTING!! It smells much like sweaty gym socks that have been left have been left in a back pack for a week. When we got to Duc's aunt's house for New Year's Eve, this dessert was covered. Its sticky rice with durian in the middle. I was asked if I'd ever had it, "No". When the lid was removed that smell hits you in the face!
I couldn't not try it. It was a challenge that I couldn't resist. After dinner, Ducums' aunt cut the dessert into small portions. I took one and thought about it. You really cant think about it too long, with durian, just do it!!
The Durian has the consistency of an avocado. And sticky rice is just as it implies although it sticks together, and not on you.
The sticky rice does nothing to help the horrible taste of the fruit. I had one bite. Chewed, tasted, then gulped, no chugged water. Ducums' father asked me what it tasted like and I told him a sweaty gym sock. "What? No! Not a gym sock, it's sweet." "Yes! Its a gym sock!"
To top that off, after drinking some bubbly champagne, I burped a little durian up. It was the worst thing ever! Maybe even worse than forcing it down in the first place. Now they say I have to try it fresh. That it's sweeter when fresh and much better. I'm not sure I'm up for that challenge.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
OOPAH!!
I wanted to hang out with my two best friends and meet one's new beau. So of course, I dragged Duc and made him have a good time (he says it wasn't too bad). We couldn't think of a place to go, so the new beau suggested going to Alexis downtown, a Greek restuarant. We met him there and as we sat down the server came out with two orders of spanakopita appetizers he had ordered while he waited for us.
I love spanakopita! It's a mixture of spinach, rice and feta cheese stuffed between fillo dough. The fillo dough layers were crispy, the best way to have it.
Next came the flaming greek cheese. He brought it out, said a few Greek words then "OOPAH!" and the room was quite. We didnt realize we were suppose to say it back. We got it right the next time when he brought it out to another table. "OOPAH!" he said. "OOPAH!" we exclaimed back.
The cheese is called saganaki. The menu says it's pan fried, flamed with Ouzo. The cheese was a bit bitter or tart, but in really good was. We put the cheese on our bread and it was devoured in minutes.
The appetizers didn't stop there. Next were the dolmathes (most know them as dolmas). These can be served hot or cold, but I prefer them hot. They are little football shaped rice and lamb mixture (sometimes vegetarian) wrapped in grape leaves. Served with a lemon sauce.
For dinner I had the kleftiko served with rice and veggies and a Greek salad. The server described it as a greek pot pie in fillo dough. It had chunks of lamb with carrots and other veggies. The dough was so crispy.
I love spanakopita! It's a mixture of spinach, rice and feta cheese stuffed between fillo dough. The fillo dough layers were crispy, the best way to have it.
Next came the flaming greek cheese. He brought it out, said a few Greek words then "OOPAH!" and the room was quite. We didnt realize we were suppose to say it back. We got it right the next time when he brought it out to another table. "OOPAH!" he said. "OOPAH!" we exclaimed back.
The cheese is called saganaki. The menu says it's pan fried, flamed with Ouzo. The cheese was a bit bitter or tart, but in really good was. We put the cheese on our bread and it was devoured in minutes.
The appetizers didn't stop there. Next were the dolmathes (most know them as dolmas). These can be served hot or cold, but I prefer them hot. They are little football shaped rice and lamb mixture (sometimes vegetarian) wrapped in grape leaves. Served with a lemon sauce.
For dinner I had the kleftiko served with rice and veggies and a Greek salad. The server described it as a greek pot pie in fillo dough. It had chunks of lamb with carrots and other veggies. The dough was so crispy.
Ducums ordered the entree plate of dolmathes. We had so much food that we took some home. Fillo dough reheated tastes a bit stale, but you really taste the dough. It was still delicious the next day.
I loved Alexis' Restaurant!
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