Hog & Rocks

The name says it all on what to order here. I've had one raw oyster once before when I visited Australia and that was just in my seafood pasta. So when my friend suggested we get oysters for dinner, I was excited to try something new!

My friend and I picked one fancy oyster each and left the rest up to the $1 Happy Hour Chef's Choice oyster selection. I got the Kusshi oyster from British Columbia, described as ultra clean and delicate. My friend got the Black Point oyster from Washington, described as firm, cucumber, and grassy. Now that I've really tried raw oysters, I stand by my original claim that the taste is so... oceany... like that's what eating the ocean must be like...

Kusshi and Black Point Oysters; Chef's Choice Oysters

Next, we ordered the Ham Tasting Plate which came with flatbread and a trio of hams with various accompaniments such as melon, candied almonds, and ricotta. Truth be told we couldn't tell the difference between the ham trio but they were all delicious! My favorite pairing were the candied almonds!

We decided to share an entree and went for the Napa Valley Spring Lamb because it's a dish we both don't cook at home. The lamb came atop of artichoke, padron, charred date, and farro. I've only ever had lamb once before in the form of a kebab when I was in Morocco and I remember it being really fatty, chewy, and not that great. But the lamb dish from Hog & Rocks was a winner, super tender and very flavorful.

Napa Valley Spring Lamb with artichoke, padron, charred date, and farro

We then opted out of the restaurant's dessert and instead walked to Bi-Rite Creamery on Valencia Street. I've been obsessed with coconut lately so I got a scoop of the Toasted Coconut flavor and it was as coconutty as expected. Good night.

Recipe: Chili

For staples like chili or quickbreads, I'm always looking for that one perfect recipe that I can rely on for a go-to meal or snack, something I can rely on to provide me with excellent results. Therefore I've tested a fair share of different chili recipes, looking to form the perfect recipe, and I finally have one!

I loosely based my recipe on Smitten Kitchen's, subbing out kidney beans for pinto beans (I've made the recipe using kidney beans and I prefer the softer texture and mellow flavor of pinto beans) and omitting some of the seasonings completely. I'm sure the original recipe is delicious but I always want to keep my ingredients to a minimum and use ingredients that I'm guaranteed to have in my pantry at any given day.

The result is an earthy, deep, smooth, and semi-spicy chili that screams comfort food. A bowl of this on a rainy winter day would be perfect. I like to top a bowl of chili with avocado slices, cheddar cheese, and crushed tortilla chips for the crunch. On the side, I like more tortilla chips with salsa or a big hunk of cornbread to dip into the chili and soak up all the liquid.

Chili

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

½ large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup beef broth

1 packet chili powder

dash of crushed red pepper

1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 15½-ounce can pinto beans, drained

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

optional toppings and sides: avocado, cheddar cheese, sour cream/plain Greek yogurt, tortilla chips, cornbread

Instructions

Place a large French oven over medium-high heat.

Add ground beef and cook until browned, ~5 minutes.

Add the onion and cook until translucent, ~3 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Gradually add the broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the French oven.

Stir in the chili powder packet and crushed red pepper. Add tomatoes and stir well.

Let boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the beans, salt, and vinegar, and stir well.

Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes more.

If there is too much liquid, turn up heat to high and leave uncovered so the liquid reduces to preference.

Place in bowl and garnish with avocado slices, cheddar cheese, and crushed tortilla chips.

Serve hot with tortilla chips and salsa or cornbread.

Recipe: Strawberry Bread

Strawberries in quick breads can be a hit or miss, which is why I very rarely bake them. Sometimes I find the bread too watery and that's just gross. If I have strawberries, I would eat them fresh, in yogurt, cereal, and on pancakes and french toast. But on one fated day, I had TOO many strawberries and they were starting to go bad. I hate to waste food so I decided to use the strawberries in a quick bread and chop and freeze the rest for future quick bread use. I used two separate recipes, using buttermilk (also had too much of) instead of yogurt. Either ingredient will work wonderfully. One trick I learned is to store leftover buttermilk in the freezer, using ice cube trays to portion out 1-2 tablespoons. Therefore when you need buttermilk (because come on, who really uses all the buttermilk in one recipe?), you just need to defrost, stir, and boom! all ready to go.

This strawberry quick bread is perfect for breakfast and/or as a snack. I reduced the amount of sugar per usual and my favorite way to have it is to warm it up and spread a thick layer of peanut butter on top. Yum.

Strawberry Bread

Inspired by Peanut Butter & Peppers and Five and Spice

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Ingredients
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

lemon zest

2 tbsp canola oil

2 large eggs

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk or plain greek yogurt

2 cups strawberries, sliced and chopped (if using frozen strawberries, do not thaw)

1 tbsp sugar for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, sift and mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add the lemon zest.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together oil and eggs until well blended. Then whisk in the vanilla extract and buttermilk or greek yogurt.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture bowl and stir gently together with a spatula until it is about ¾ths mixed. Gently fold in the strawberries until blended. Do not over mix.

Spoon batter into a 9x5 loaf pan. Sprinkle top with sugar.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until it is deep golden on top and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Shield pan with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning.

Cool in pan for ~5 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack or cutting board. Allow to cool further, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

SF Giants

After nearly a year of living in San Francisco, I finally attended my first Giants game. I've been wanting to go to a game of course but the opportunity never came up until now. The Giants lost terribly 11-0 to the Cincinnati Reds.

La Boulange

Taste testing = working. The Almond Croissant and Orange & Cinnamon Morning Bun are glorious when warm. Def recommend.

Currently Listening To...

The Weeknd - Belong To The World

Popcorn

It's pretty crazy how much time Popcorn and I spent together when I lived at home. Hmmmm... what to do on the days I miss my little furball?

Smuggler's Cove

Some sort of Pineapple Rum Cocktail at the pirate themed bar, Smuggler's Cove. Too sweet but pretty orchid.

Chobani

I've tried nearly every brand of Greek yogurts available in the US and remain partial to Chobani. I've been a longtime fan of Chobani and have been a covert ambassador for the company. I've received a giant box of samples a few years ago and also convinced my college to sell Chobani in its mini market, although I was probably the one buying all of it. I received another shipment of Chobani by winning a game of "Spoons" that the company used to host on Twitter. I also spoke with HR when I was in college about a potential internship at the company. I was ecstatic when I found Chobani at grocery stores in Australia and was completely envious when they launched their yogurt bar, Chobani SoHo, in New York. I hope they make their way to San Francisco next.

Last Friday, I received a 20 pound freeze-packed box of Chobani yogurt after correspondence with the company's community coordinator. Chobani sent me a variety of flavors, some I've tried and some I haven't. So happy!

Pancake Crazy

I woke up really early to move my Vespa before street cleaning at 6AM and couldn't fall back asleep. So instead I kind of went overboard and made a giant stack of pancakes. I wanted to use up the remaining Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix that's been sitting in my pantry for far too long. It's all part of my Operation Pantry Clean-Up. There's a lot of pancakes in my future, which I have no problem with.

Cook

Hard work.

Vespa

Rather an impulsive purchase. Although ever since studying abroad in Italy and seeing Vespas all over the streets, I told myself I'd have one too someday. Why not?