Ikea Meatballs

Dear IKEA,
  I heart your meatballs.  Who else will sell me affordable home furnishings and place a freezer with meatballs at the checkout...  No one.  I love you and your 2lbs of balls for under $4.

PS: Your creamy sauce packet is boss too.

Sweet Potato Vines Sciene Project

I came home one day to find my sweet potato budding vines.  Then, the vines started growing leaves...  I need to take a more detailed shot of the leaves beacause they are really beautiful.  They are green with purple veins and resemble insect wings.  I am really fond of insects in general, so I decided to keep the old potato to see if it would do anything interesting.
  At this point, it has only been growing like this for 2 weeks.  I remembered a school science project that I did as a child where we took Idaho potatoes and put them in a mason jar.  We suspended the potato only about halfway into the jar using toothpicks as a support system to hold it up.  (as you can see at left)   Then put enough water in the jar to get the bottom wet to feed it.  I remember the result was long crazy vines that my mom actually hung in the corner of our dining room because they were really pretty.  (It grew well inside with indirect light, so I can only hope that it will go crazy on my patio.  We'll see!)  The sweet potato has far more colorful leaves than the one I grew as a kid, so i'm really stoked to see if this is going to work again and what it will look like!

Kitchen Decorating

This weekend, I decided to spruce up my kitchen.  The cabinets are just regular boring creme colored with wood trim.  I live in an apartment now, and so redoing the cabinets is not an option.
  However, doing something like this is an option.  These are self adhesive decals from IKEA and will run you about 10 bucks for 4 sheets.  The photo at left is just a sample of the whole kitchen now.  The decals were pretty easy to apply and come off without ruining the surface.  The package mentioned that it is not suitable for freshly painted surfaces, so be cautious with that. 
  This was a really cheap and easy way to give my kitchen a whole new look for just $10!

UPDATE:  I just found some more of these decals at Aaron Brothers this morning. However, the price was $20 for a set.

New Tiki Mugs by Sven Kirsten

Last Saturday, we went to Bahooka Restaurant in Rosemead, CA for the release party for the new Sven Kirsten tiki mug.  They set up the back room with a DJ and Mr. Kirsten himself was there to autograph the mugs, his books, dvd's and posters.  It was a full house for sure and it was nice to see so many people from the LA tiki community enjoying themselves.
  We did not eat this time as we were on our way to a BBQ in Hollywood, but I have eaten there in the past.  They are supposedly 'famous' for their short ribs, however I will need to disagree.  Their signature salad dressing is not bad at all, and you can buy a bottle when you leave.  Overall, the food was just ok... But you're really not going for the food.  Their drinks are the balls.  I would suggest taking a date and getting the bowl.  Its a drink for 2 and it arrives at your table on fire!  (Who doesn't love a kitchy drink on fire)  So delicious and the atmosphere is insane.  No nook goes unthemed in this dark maze-like cave.  Tiki and nautical decor litter the entire restaurant and will give you a serious case of rubber-necking.  I would go as far as to say that the place is almost entirely lit by the 110+ aquariums filled with hundreds of beautiful fishes. 
  I would highly suggest that you grab a drink and take a tour of the restaurant and soak it up.  Its visual delight!  (And the drinks are strong!)

Tomato Plant!

I am starting a garden on my patio.  We're actually redoing the patio slowly to include a cabana where we can sit outside and watch movies or do some reading.  But for starters, we're getting a garden going.  We don't have real dirt.  The concrete is concealed with astro-turf which is suprisingly comfortable.
  This is our first tomato plant.  I put it in a pot and gave it some miracle grow.  I am hoping that it will produce a lot of tomatoes.  I wanted to grow tomatoes specifically for the purpose of harvesting them green for frying.  They are so delicious and tart...  It is truly a summer treat!

My Lil' Kitchen Helper

    I got this little Mummy Chef when I was in New Orleans last.


    To his left is some sage growing in the window.

Smoking Talipia on a Fire Pitt

   While camping at Leo Carillo, I smoked some talipia.

    It was pretty easy.  First I put the fish on skewers and just left them on the fire pitt to get the smoke and indirect heat.  We were burning real wood, so it absorbed a real nice smokey earthy flavor.

    For the marinade I broke open a bag of Zatarain's crab boil and mixed with some lemon juice and Sunny Delight.  Oh hell yes.

The Amazing Bacon & Shrimp Weave

This is my new masterpiece, the Bacon & Shrimp Weave.


Here's what it was filled with:
-Apple Smoked Bacon
-Deveined & Peeled Raw Shrimp
-Smoked Gouda Cheese Chunks
-Thyme Sprigs
-Jalapenos (cut up as small or as big as you like)
-Cayenne Pepper
-Lemon Zest

    First, weave the bacon like you would a basket.  You'll end up with a square shape.  It helps if your bacon is really cold because the firmness makes it easier to work with.  I actually stuck in the bacon in the freezer for a little while.  Your bacon will come back to room temp pretty quickly, so work fast.  For reinforcement, I actually doubled the bacon on the ends and that worked out pretty well.
    Then sprinkle as many shrimpies as you think you can roll up easily.  Season with lemon zest & cayenne pepper to taste.  Add a layer of your gouda chunks, Thyme sprigs and jalapenos.
    Last thing is to roll it up like a giant piece of sushi.  You're going to need a buddy to help with this part because you will be tying the whole roll using kitchen twine.  Use as much twine as needed to make sure they whole thing stays tightly rolled during baking.  Remember that its going to be ooey gooey goodness when it comes out of the oven.
    I baked this one at about 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.  You wanna make sure that the shrimp are cooked throughout the roll because this thing is pretty big and dense.  The bacon on the outside will harden into a nice brown shell.
    Let it rest for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy!
    It was absolutely delicious and I want to put lump crabmeat in the next one.

Crawfish Boil in Lousiana

My dad can throw a mean crawfish boil.












Here's what you need to do it proper:
-Crawfish (try to get them eary in the season because they tend to get smaller and tougher towards the end.)
-Zatarains's Crab Boil
-Tony Chachere's Seasoning Salt
-White Onions
-Garlic Heads
-Red Potatoes
-Lemons
-Lots of Salt
-Lots of Newspaper & Paper Towels
-One Giant Pot

I also like to make a dippy sauce using Sweet Cream Butter, Lea & Perrins Worcheshire, Fresh Lemon Juice & Tony's Seasoning Salt.

Wine Tasting at Rosenthal in Malibu, CA

    This is a great place to go wine tasting for LA locals.  Great wine without the long drive.  Plus, it has an outdoor patio and its right on PCH and has a great beachy ambiance.  You can even order Mediterranean food from the restaurant adjacent and they'll bring it over to your table at the winery.  Its always a good idea to eat when wine tasting.
    My friends & I agreed that the Surfrider Red and the 2008 Surfrider Pinot Noir were the big winners that day.

This is how we do Mardi Gras in Hollywood

Deepfried Catfish (in Oak Grove Fish Fry)& Peanut Oil, Shrimp & Mango Chicken Sausage Etouffee, Smoked Tri Tip, Beer, Hurricanes, King Cake, Cajun Music & LOTS of colourful beads.

Baby Gator Mouth

Welcome to my new blog where all we do is cook & eat.  Get your forks ready and share my adventures in food!