Susie's Birthday, and an amazing Canoli! (Restaurant Review)

I have high standards for Canoli's. Ever since I went to Florence and had ordered one at one of my travel groups lunches, I can never simply eat a canoli. Actually, I can never simply eat anything, but canolis are a distinct acception.

Before I tell you more about this creamy, crunchy, amazing canoli... I'd like to say Happy Birthday to SUSIE! I hope we made it good, now keep studying for your midterms(I know I should be).

Now I'd suggested the restaurant that Susie had decided on, a wonderful little place called Strings Italian Cafe. It's a chain Italian restaurant located near my University, and some call it a step above Olive Garden. Whenever I come back to school, I make a point to go here. Just because their salad is always crisp, sweet, and the dressing is home made. Their minestrone soup is very delicious, and their bread? It's just plain heavenly. This time I'd decided to get something different than my usual choice of pan-fried ravioli, which is what Susie got.



I got the Strings' Combo Plate, which included a lasagna slice wrapped in a garlicky, crispy pastry shell, and beside it a helping of tortellini alla panna.



Now as for desserts, which we had plenty of, I think the ones worth mentioning are the canoli and the tiramisu!



So that's the amazing canoli, I ordered it without chocolate sauce because, as you'll see in the next picture, they use waaaay too much chocolate sauce.



See? But hey, it was still delicious!

All in all, a very enjoyable birthday late lunch! Happy birthday again, Susie! :]

Restaurante Review: The Odyssey (Granada Hills) [Rana]

This restaurant is high end. Not really, it attracts a great crowd and the atmosphere is amazing. The view is perhaps the best part of the experience, at least that's what people say. My favorite part of the experience is the Creme Brulee. Yup. We'll get to that later though.

The link: The Odyssey Restaurant



My brother ordered the seafood medley. There's a lobster tail, a scallop, white fish(I don't know which), and a slice of salmon. That all on a bed of pasta. My brother couldn't even finish the lobster tail, I ate some.



This is what I ordered. Filet mignon, cooked medium rare, over mashed potatoes(which were amazing), topped with fried onions, and a side of veggies. I finished the meat, and had two bites of potatoes. Honestly, it's waaaaay too big a portion.



This was my dessert. When I saw Creme Brulee on the menu, I just had to have it. And when I saw that it was topped with seasonal berries? I nearly fainted. I did what I always do. Slowly pick the berries off and eat them one by one, then dig into the sweet, creamy custard and crunchy chewy sugar coating. It's amazing. This is the dessert to order when you get here, no questions asked. My brothe had the red velvet cake, and hated it, so he stole a bite from me. Look, let me just tell you, when I'm eating Creme Brulee, you do NOT steal a bite from me. :]

-Rana

Steak, couscous, and grilled bread (Rana)

It's official. This is my favorite food. Depending on the time, I can almost guarantee you that I will always be up for eating steak. It's so simple to make, I really only used olive oil and Montreal steak seasoning, as you can see in the picture. I cooked the steak to a medium rare, and it was melt in your mouth delicious. Especially with a huge dollop of A1 steak sauce(the condiment I use on EVERYTHING).

The couscous was storebought, on sale for a dollar in the managers special aisle. It was really sweet and delicious, a wonderful texture and a great light side for an otherwise heavy meal.



That's the steak, raw, and drizzled with olive oil. I was outside, about to grill it, and I couldn't wait.



Mmm, look at those beautiful grillmarks. Sometimes I don't cook it thoroughly enough to produce grillmarks, but that's only when I get fresh meat that I know wont kill me if I consume some type of bacteria or something. You can even see a little of the grilled bread, which was warm, olive oily, and very chewy and delicious.



That's my steak, medium rare, a little of A1 on the side, and some amazing couscous salad to accompany the smoky, grilled flavor. I have no shots of the grilled bread, but trust me, it was delicious. Yum yum yummmm!!!! I have no ingredients or anything, it's a simple recipe. I just eyeballed everything.

-Rana

Rana and Vivi cook together! :D

It happened, kids! We finally found the time, in between work and just an outrageous busy schedule, to get together as friends(with Rana's best friend Laila) and makes some good eatin'!

Want a list of what we made?

Caprese Bites(Rana)
Chicken Fajitas(Rana)
Arab Carne Asada(no, it's not Shawarma...)[Rana]
Tomato Salsa(Rana)
Shrimp Patties(Vanessa)
Spinach and Mushroom Enchiladas(Vanessa)

Mind you, Vanessa worked her butt off on those shrimp patties, and the sauce that came with them. But the recipe or picture wont go up just yet. Vanessa's making a new batch, and then putting up the recipe when she gets internet again. For now, you guys are stuck with my recipe. Sad, huh?

I'm providing the recipes for the Caprese bites, and the Arab Carne Asada.

First off, the Caprese bites are an idea I got from Yummyland, a food blog I frequent. The recipe is so easy, and those pictures do absolutely no justice. Grrr. Just go to her blog, she does a much better job, and doesn't stupidly use her phone camera.



Now time for the Arab Asada(I've shortened the name, so sue me...). It's only called that because I have no idea how to make carne asada, and Vanessa(Vivi) thought of a Mexican food themed get-together. So I spiced it up a bit. This is my recipe:



Arab Asada:

Ingredients:
As much thinly cut meat as you want.(I got the meat for Carne Asada especially because it was on sale!)
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
1 onion, cut in half then sliced
1/2 a bulb of garlic
1 tsp ground rosemary
3 tbsp Olive Oil

Slice the meat as thin as you want it, I did thick slices, and slice against the grain so the meat isn't too chewy. Place in a big bowl. Sprinkle with as much cumin as you'd like, I did around 2 teaspoons. Crush or slice the garlic and add to the mixture, add the olive oil, the rosemary, the onion, and some salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for a while(when I was making this I was also working on some failed plantain chips and the Caprese bites). Heat up a pan and a little bit of oil, then dump all the bowls contents into the pan and fry it all around. I wanted to serve it medium well done, but they sat too long(for good reason).

Place the complete and hot meat and onions into a soft taco, as much as you like. Garnish with cilantro(Laila hates it), salsa, fresh sliced avocados, and sour cream. Whatever you'd like! I had one, but if I could have eaten more, I would have. I know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow. ;D

So there you have it! Afterwards me and the girls went to Rite Aid for ice cream, but I was the only one who got some. Mmmm, Mint 'n' Chip!

-Rana

Quick for Sick Mashed Potatoes!

So these aren't my go to mashed taters, they're my moms. My mashed taters are made with loads of parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream. And roasted garlic. The special thing about these mashed potatoes is that they help with tummy aches!



We made these today because my housekeeper, Yolanda, wasn't feeling to well. She's like family so me and mom had to do something. We put four potatoes in a pot to boil on low heat for a loooong while, and waited.

Quick for Sick Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes, boiled until tender
1 handful of parsley, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp. of margarine
1/2 a lemon, squeezed
Olive oil, to taste

Step 1:
Mash the potatoes with a fork, make it rough so you still sort of have to chew to eat it.

Step 2:
Add all the other ingredients, mix them in.

Step 3:
Enjoy!

It's really yummy, I just had a plate, and honestly it's really easy to make.

-Rana

Restaurant Review: Adoro Mexican Grille

During Anime Expo my mother decided to treat me and my cosplaying brothers to some food. A year prior, at Anime Expo, we'd gone to the same hotel we were staying at that week. So we decided to go to the same Mexican restaurant we visited last year. Adoro Mexican Grille. It was as amazing as before. :]

I only took a picture of my food, because I love how they'd designed the plate. My guilty pleasure? Those pickled onions. They were absolutely amazing. And the avocado mash on top. To die for.

So I ordered the Burrito Fajita:



Located in the heart of Downtown, Los Angeles, this restaurant is pleasing to almost all senses. I loved the service, we got to sit outside because my mom wanted to smoke, and the food was just simply amazing. I wish I had got a shot of the inside of my burrito. The meat was cooked to a medium rare perfection. This was the fanciest Mexican restaurant I have ever been to.

The waiter made little small talk at the end of the meal, asking about the convention and such, and he actually gave us a little bit of guacamole for our free freshly made tortilla chips. This food was amazing, I recommend it to anyone visiting downtown Los Angeles. The prices are just a tad high, I got one of the cheapest meals on the menu, but it's a real bang for your buck.

-Rana

LET THEM EAT CAKE! :D

CAKE! CAKE AND CUSTARD! CAKE AND CUSTARD AND CREAM! CAKE, CUSTARD, CREAM, AND BERRIES! YESSSS!



Angel Food Custard Cake and Berries:

Ingredients for Angel Food Cake:

12 eggs
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
Directions

Step 1:
Separate eggs and discard yolks. Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 2:
Sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times, set aside.

Step 3:
Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites, beat on high speed.

Step 4:
Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time.

Step 5:
Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.

Step 6:
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.

Or do what I did and buy one from your local grocery store. :D

Custard recipe is at this site: Vanilla Custard Recipe

And for the cream on top just blend some heavy whipping cream, about a cup, and wait until slightly stiff. Slice some strawberries any way and decorate as shown in the pic, or get creative. The custard is in between the cake which I had cut in half. :] I zested some fresh lemons and sprinkled it on top. Super yummy. You can also decide to drench your cake in liquor. I happened to make one drenched in peach flavored liquor. It adds a very nice bite.

Enjoy!

-Rana