Category: Takeout

What’s Cooking This Week—Home Sweet Home

2/28/2016

Lavender and statice from the less messy yard!

After a lot of travel, I’m happy to stay close to home for the next few months! This gives us a chance to clean up our yard/garden. We were starting to look like the abandoned house where the crazy cat lady lives. No longer! Now it's only the messy house that should hire a gardener.

And as bonus, I found some flowers!

And instead of weekend binge-cooking, we're going with meals that make me happy to be at the table and in the kitchen.

Sit-down Dinner Sunday
Roast chicken and bacon/Asiago bread stuffing (swapped bacon for Portuguese sausage) and a green salad. I originally wanted to make the bacon sourdough stuffing (original link here, but I made some serious modifications) from Thanksgiving, but forgot that it needs and apple and kuri. However, stuffing, like fried rice, is very forgiving. Hard to go awry with a little cured meat, a little onion, spices, and a starch.

Hockey Night Monday
We have been big fans of Nick the Greek in downtown San Jose. Now one is closer to us!! We stood in line for free food for their soft opening last Thursday, where they get the kinks worked out on their food lines. I’m happy to pay it for real this week. Just remember that if you are lucky enough to go to an opening where there is free food, it is good manners to at least leave a tip. The entire household is happy that Nick is in the neighborhood!

Happy Meal

#Leftovers Roulette Tuesday
Leftover Kalua pig and cabbage over hot rice, and yes, there will be another egg too.

Wednesday
Dinner by oven. Mayonnaise chicken, roasted cauliflower, and a green salad.

Thursday
Oyako donburi. Full disclosure is that the husband makes this 99.9% of the time, and it is one of the few things he will make without measuring. I LOVE the simplicity of this and it tastes like happiness and home in a bowl—eggs, onions, chicken, shoyu and hot rice.

Friday is #MeatlessOneDay
Black bean burger (from Cooking Light), in pitas with Sriracha sauce, mayo and salad greens. It 'feels' burger-ey and the panko makes it crunchy without adding too much filler. Also works as a cheeseburger.

Have a good week all!

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What's Cooking This Week--Cool Stuff and Hoarding

8/17/2015

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All beds in the house are happily filled. The birdies have been flying in and out all summer, so it's nice to have them roosting for a bit. It's noisier, messier, crazier, and yet happier and more relaxed.

A full house means feeding a full ohana. Hence, last weekend's hoard cooking included roasting a chicken, freezing the bones, making spaghetti meatballs, homemade pork sausage, another batch of homemade tomato sauce, which then was turned into Jambalaya (shrimp-less, so it freezes better). Oh yeah, and planting 12 more lettuce sprouts, which are currently Not Very Happy in the 100+ degree heat.

We've also gone a little beet crazy. Roasted six big ones and have stocked up on both goat and feta cheese, plus some lemons and pine nuts.

Just a hair overcooked, but still YUM!

Sweltering Sunday
Nakayoshi Gakko Somen Salad (but with soba because that's what was in the pantry), seared furikake ahi and fresh hamachi. Please note that Mitsuwa in San Jose has excellent air conditioning.

Back to School Monday
Spaghetti sauce (with homemade tomato sauce as a base) and Meatballs fresh from the freezer.

Tuesday is #MeatlessOneDay & #Leftovers Roulette
Greek Salad and green onion bread. I cut up a ton of cucumbers and tomatoes, plus we have the feta cheese. It might be a kind of Greek panzanella. No stove, oven or grill needed.

Random Wednesday
Beets with goat cheese and pine nuts, soda crackers, hard-boiled eggs, hummus, and salad. Sometimes dinner means kinda foraging.

Thursday is In-N-Out Day
Volleyball playoffs mean birdies' choice. See what Bay Area Birdies crave. And yay, no stove, oven or grill. Note that In-N-Out also has excellent air conditioning.

Fish on Friday
Dashi salmon. My cousin's recipe uses the powdered dashi from S&S saimin, mayonnaise and chopped red, green and yellow peppers. It sounds weird but it's really good.

Looking forward to the last weeks of summer with a full house.

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What's Cooking This Week? Do Not Try This at Home

5/20/2014

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Still too much of a good thing

Last week, we learned that takeout every day is a bad idea. It gets expensive and at the end of the week, even only eating half-portions, I was feeling a little Morgan Spurlock-ian.

This led me to ponder how often Americans eat takeout in a week. Based on a Pew Research survey, 78% eat out at least once a week. What?! So here's really what we ate, and not cooked.

Fundraiser Sunday
Mountain View Buddhist Temple Teriyaki Chicken. A bargain with nearly a whole chicken and perfectly cooked white rice. The closest thing to home cooked all week.

Meatless Monday
Guacamole, salsa and roasted zucchini. Made by the teenagers.

Pizza Tuesday
Amici's Milano and Boston pizza with a bag of salad.

Tofu Hotpot Wednesday
Kong Tofu. Bibimbap and spicy tofu hotpots. With lots of leftovers for lunches.

Old-people volleyball Thursday
Marie Callendar's. The rec league is recognizing our team for being either the oldest team, or the "longest tenured team." We've gotten to the point where the reason we play is to go to Aunty Marie's apres-match.

Detox Friday
You can only eat out so much, even with variety. Like Dorothy said, "There's no place like home."

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What's Cooking This Week--The New Normal

8/28/2013

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It has fruit therefore it has become breakfast.

One less person at the dinner table is the new normal. So far, Chili Cheese Fritos and a humongous piece of red velvet cake seem to help me to get used to this.

So the new normal better happen fast.

But the new normal is also one person at the dining commons making friends, chatting about where they are from, what classes they are taking and perhaps even engrossed in a Very Serious Discussion About Very Important Ideas.

This will happen fast too.

Practically speaking, who knew one fewer teenager would mean tons more leftovers. They last two days instead of one! I even got a bite of something before it was inhaled.

Meatless Monday
Tomatoes on garlic asiago cheese bread toast with fresh basil. Summer at its finest and no stove or oven.

Tuesday
Christine's Clam Chowder. We are not in New England, but we can pretend we are.

Wednesday
Crock Pot BBQ Pork Sliders. And freezing the leftovers, almost unheard of!

Thursday
Furikake Kale Chips, a Sriracha sauce riff on Mayonnaise Chicken, and rice. How can this not be good?

Friday
Birdie in the Nest's Favorite Takeout. Amici's Milano for Birdie and Boston (oh the irony!) for me.

Aloha to all and here's to the new normal, on both coasts.

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What's Cooking this Week--The Season of "Lasts"

5/15/2013

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The end of the school year torpedoes away in a mad rush of "lasts"--piano recitals, soccer games, concerts, school functions, end-of-the year/season parties, banquets, proms. I think that unless one lives in a rocking singles community, a lot of your life's cadence is based on the academic year. It's a bittersweet time, so what's cooking this week is my personal comfort food.

Busy, bittersweet times

Not Meatless Monday
Chicken, Stuffing and steamed green beans. I LOVE stuffing, and yes, this happened on a work-day. It's an injustice that stuffing happens only when it's cold or during the holidays. Here's how I did it on a Monday.

1) Buy a Costco or Safeway rotisserie chicken, green beans and a small-diameter loaf of very crusty french bread. 2/3 of a complete meal before you even unload the car.

2) If you are really in a pinch, also buy pre-sliced onions, mushrooms and celery. I chose to chop, but mainly for the therapeutic mental health benefits.

3) When you get home, chop onions, mushrooms and celery and cube up the whole loaf of bread. The small-diameter bread means more crust, less chopping, and better texture on stuffing.

4) Make stuffing and dump it into a pan. Turn the oven on and let it go until the bread gets crusty, about 20 minutes. Put the green beans into a microwave-able glass bowl, cover it with a damp paper towel. Go 2 minutes.

5) Eat, be happy and pretend it's the weekend or a holiday.

Take-out Tuesday
L&L Hawaiian BBQ. This is the most consistent plate lunch when I'm not in Hawaii. Game 1 of the Sharks vs. Kings didn't go the way we wanted, but at least we ate well.

Meatless Wednesday
Summer Soba Salad. A good quick full-meal salad.

Thursday
Chicken Divan, with the rest of the rotisserie chicken. Another one of my comfort-foods. When I first started cooking, this was the one of the few things
I could make consistently.

Yep, this was once a fish.

Fish on Friday
Okonomiyaki with kamaboko. No char siu/chashu after last week's literal pig fest.

If dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets are still considered chicken, then kamaboko is most definitely fish.

Good luck to all those students in or approaching finals angst...and to their Very Patient, Always Even-Tempered, Supportive Parents!

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What's Cooking from Mom and the Husband

2/28/2013

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Where has Feeding My Ohana been?! I spent last week back home in good ole' Leeward O'ahu. Offline.

Although my friends gave me grief for not having a smart phone, and I did have to seek out a Starbuck's for WiFi to my iPad for directions to get together with the above-noted friends, it was very relaxing not to be online-all-the-time. Everyone should do this once in awhile.

Here is a quick summary on what we've been eating--here and at Mom's house. While we had plenty of vegetables, there was no meatless any day. We were on vacation, after all.

Bay Area Monday
Yakisoba. I cam home with yet another head cold, so this was made by the husband. This is my son's favorite meal, and soon we'll have to start making three packages.

Crispy wonton and roast pork.

Great Aloha Run Day
Crispy wonton, roast pork, and pork with sweet and sour cabbage. I also introduced the family to Co-worker Kale Salad. Mom approves.

Bay Area Tuesday
Carbonara Hironaka. We've not eaten this in a really long time and it was nice to come home to this.

Day at the Beach
Sanny's Hamburgers and Gravy. Homemade plate lunch.

Back in the Bay Area Takeout Wednesday
Yiassoo Greek Food, Tapioca Express and Whole Foods Chocolate Cake. Procured by my fabulous husband.

Thursday
Unfried Baked Chicken from People Magazine. It was very peppery and a little too salty. This is a good idea that needs some re-tooling. Stay tuned.

Weird Rainy and Windy Hawaii Day
For the last two days of our vacation, it poured. Buckets. So it was Mom's Watercress Soup, but made with kale, and just as good. Watercress can be tricky to get in the Bay Area, so this was good advice from Mom.

Leeward Drive Inn, very retouched

Glorious Hawaii Beach Day
Leeward Drive Inn Fried Noodles. Just a satisfying lunch after a morning at the beach. Please note they don't make mandoo anymore, but the Pork Cutlet and Gravy is still fab. And remember, it has and will always be cash only.

Back to the Mainland, but definitely keeping the Hawaii vibe going as long as we can.

Aloha Friday All!

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What Was (Barely) Cooking Last Week

9/17/2012

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Hmm. When last I posted, I deliriously anticipated a speedy return to cooking after a couple of days. My kids cycled through this cold after a few days, why not me too? Then the reality of a middle-aged body with bad sinuses made itself very apparent.

One week later and still sniffling.

I've never been a fan of starving a cold or anything else, so we did not starve last week, thanks to takeout and my truly awesome husband. I've chose spicing out a cold and so here's what we ate last week.

Starve a cold? Nope.

Monday
Indian Pizza from Pizza Pub. Yes, we used a ValPak flyer, but it turned out pretty well. Indian pizza is more like putting the spicy Indian chicken dish of your choice (tandoori, tikka masala, paneer or butter) on a flat naan bread-like crust with onions, hot peppers and a little cheese. Not so much pizza as flatbread, with a nice differentiated crunch from both crust and veggies. Plus, it was temperature and spicy hot, just what stuffy noses needed. We will definitely try this again, and not just when we are sick.

Tuesday
Oyako donburi. Almost chicken soup and pure comfort.

The pork loin magic sauce

Wednesday
From-scratch Grilled Pork Loin. This is becoming a good go-to meal for especially hectic days. Start-to-finish in about 45 minutes, including marinating time.

Thursday
Kalua pig and Kim chee fried rice. We had leftover kalua pig, snow peas, shredded carrots and rice. Add an onion and kim chee for another meal of spicy comfort food.

Friday
Sandwiches from Ike's Lair, Cupertino. IF hockey season ever gets started, this will likely replace our beloved Togo's. Gasp, there I said it. Why? A great value, a lot of vegetarian and vegan sandwiches, and seriously amazing Dutch crunch bread. Our favorites, #19 Home for Thanksgiving: turkey with Havarti, cranberry sauce and sriacha; Steve Jobs: eggplant with pesto and provolone and #6 Hot Momma Huda: Halal chicken, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, ranch and provolone. Four sandwiches will run about $40, but you will have enough for at least two meals.

I would also like to thank the cyber-ohana for all of your kind words and cold remedy suggestions! Hearing from you all was good medicine indeed. I am on the mend!

Eat Well. Be Well.

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Five Star Falafel--Turkish Plate Lunch

8/10/2012

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Oh, the power of real friends and a little Facebook. Here is how I happened upon Five Star Falafel.

Iskender Kebab--Sliced lamb and beef

Our real-in-the-flesh friend posted some dreamy and drooly food pictures on Facebook for her real- and cyber-friends. Turns out her husband's friend launched Five-Star Falafel in Santa Clara about three weeks ago.

Based on this, we tried it last Sunday. It was so good I went back there on Thursday for lunch with my Boss. He ate everything and I still have a job, so this is a very good sign.

This is the Turkish version of plate lunch. Tasty food, BIG portions and the place is spotless. The owners are very friendly and they'll even show you the spits of meat they are using and explain the cool Turkish tea machine.

The appetizer plate, pictured below, is a hefty meal of 8 different items, plus all the pita bread you can eat. The specialty platters range from about $8-$12. You'll have plenty of leftovers unless you are REALLY hungry. They have a bakery case full of baklava and all manner of combinations of filo dough, walnuts, honey and pistachios.
Best value goes to the $5.99 for 12 pieces of falafel. A great deal, especially considering that I bought 13 bagels for $10 earlier that morning!

Five Star's location is not exactly easy, but it's well-worth seeking out. It's tucked in the corner of a nameless, faceless strip mall on El Camino Real, with a weird entry turn on one side. The food is ono and made to order, the portions make it a great value, the staff is friendly, and the place is spotless.

This place is good food and good people. All the more reason to eat there.

Five Star Falafel
3099 El Camino Real (close to Calabazas Blvd.)
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 241-1900
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Credit cards accepted

Appetizer Sampler Plate

NOTE: I was not paid for this post.

Chicken Shawarma

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More on Feeding a Cold

2/18/2012

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Life marches on--beautifully

Apologies for the absence. The entire household was slammed by a nasty respiratory virus. The kitchen was more like a medicine cabinet. The well-planned sick menu from 2/7 did not happen past last Tuesday.

I'm on the mend, but still not quite genki (元気), already having gone through 2 boxes of tea, 6 lemons, a bottle of honey, at least 4 bottles of Odwalla Strawberry C Monster, grapefruits, tangerines, a package of li-hing mui, and various OTC meds for stuffy, achy, runny, congested and generally feeling-like-you-know-where.

How on earth do you feed your ohana when you're in a sick bed 15 hours a day? Be realistic. Wash your hands. Frozen meals, takeout, and whatever you can manage. And remembering that even 2 sick weeks out of my life is very short, and will pass. So here's how we managed.

With thanks to all who gave me your "Feed a Cold" suggestions, especially the ones for the hot toddies.

Bought.
Citrus products. Grapefruits, lemons, tangerines. It's a little too convenient and just plain weird that these are in peak season at the same time as colds.

Boxed salad greens. There were a few days when salad just did not sound good, but this is one of those "You know it's good for you" foods.

Made. Minimal cooking. Maybe 10 minutes of standing up at a time.

Breadmaker bread.I ran out of bread and was in no condition to go to the store. Bread is water, butter, flour, salt, sugar and yeast into the bread machine. Then go take a nap.

Teddy Bear Chicken Soup--Chicken soup has been sometimes dubbed "Grandma's Penicillin." Perhaps not my Japanese grandma, but there is something comforting about a hot bowl of soup when breathing through the nose is an impossibility. Made awhile ago, and frozen for just such days as these.

Miso soup with tofu. This is "My Mom's Pencillin." As a child, I had this whenever I was sick. So much so that for awhile, I didn't like tofu because I associated with being sick. Boil about 8 cups of water. Add about 1/4 cup miso and a few teaspoons of dashi. Cut up a block tofu, dump it in and you're done. Mom said it has everything that's good for you and no fat or oil so it's easy to digest.

Simple Spaghetti. Extra heavy on the garlic and red peppers and boiling water for pasta is good for your sinuses.

Takeout. Takeout is a fabulous option when you are sick, as long as you choose carefully. Light soups or stews or anything that's not too heavy or greasy. A little spicy is good when I'm congested.

Pho. Pronounced "Fuh," this is the generic name for all kinds of Vietnamese noodle dishes. Like miso soup, this is light warm broth. I had it with noodles, won ton, lime, bok choy, bean sprouts and jalapeno. Plus a drizzling of sriracha to help clear out my sinuses. Light, spicy and nutritious.

Tandoori chicken. Husband brought a big pan of this the night before he went down for the count. Spit-roasted spicy chicken with lime, roasted tomatoes and basmati rice. After all that soup, it's good to use your teeth.

Even when you fell icky, you can still Eat Well. Soon enough we will all Be Well. Stay healthy everyone!

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What's Cooking This Week--Veggie & Vacation Tales

8/15/2011

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Sunset at Waikoloa. This is what Paradise looks like.

No, I've not given up on vegetables. However, after returning from a lovely, battery-recharging trip home to Hawaii (see left), the garden is in full-production mode, thanks to a lot of TLC from my in-laws. Going the full week with homegrown veggies.

My brain is still on Hawaiian time, so this week's menu is a mish-mash of a couple of things we had on vacation and a few things that take advantage of the garden being in full yield.

Monday: Mauna Lani Leftover Chicken Pasta Salad, with our lettuce and cukes. My brilliant and and very resourceful vacation-buddy made this using all the leftovers from our last day in Kona.

Tuesday: Take out! Curry House 30% off day (Wednesday too)

Wednesday: Chicken Adobo with the adobo-sauced garden bok choy and jasmine rice. This is the exact same meal I made two years ago when we got back. Bok choy is running amok.

Thursday: Bottle+ BBQ Chicken (adding a little Li-Hing powder), grilled zukes and eggplants (still from the garden) and some garlic naan bread from Trader Joe's.

Friday: BBC(tm) pizza. Bacon, Bok Choy (tomato, mozzarella) Variation on a BLT. Taking a Boboli pizza whole wheat pizza crust, our tomatoes, the rest of our bok choy, bacon, and mozzarella. Could be good. Or a disaster. Stay tuned.

Enjoying the last bits of summer!

Eat Well. Be Well.

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<<Previous

What’s Cooking This Week—Home Sweet Home

What's Cooking This Week--Cool Stuff and Hoarding

What's Cooking This Week? Do Not Try This at Home

What's Cooking This Week--The New Normal

What's Cooking this Week--The Season of "Lasts"

What's Cooking from Mom and the Husband

What Was (Barely) Cooking Last Week

Five Star Falafel--Turkish Plate Lunch

More on Feeding a Cold

What's Cooking This Week--Veggie & Vacation Tales

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