All posts by Annie

Indonesian, Pork, Poultry

Indonesian Chicken and Pork Satay (Sate Ayam dan Babi)

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Sweet marinated meat, skewered and char-grilled for that irresistible, flame-kissed, smoky flavor.

Indonesian Chicken and Pork Satay

Indonesian Pork and Chicken Satay 2

If you recall I have had many wonderful eating experiences stemming from that International Dorm in Hawaii (Niku-Jaga, Chicken Pho, Thai Son-in-Law Eggs, Indonesian-inspired Sauteed Shrimp). But for this particular recipe, my memories are not based in the dorm. Yes, the Indonesian friends who made them were from that dorm but we had taken the satay and hibachi (portable grill) and had gone to cook them at the park by the beach. Hawaii does that to you—it makes you want to go out to the beach as often as you can!

So imagine with me, if you can, the cool tradewind breezes, and in the background, the sound of Hawaiian music playing on somebody’s boombox, the blue ocean beckoning a slight distance away, the wide, expansive park next to the beach and us sitting under a shady tree with our hibachi going. Now that you have that setting in your mind, imagine any food not tasting just wonderful. But this was satay, it wasn’t just any food, it was GOOD food.

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American, Bakes, Cakes, Egg, Fruit, Western

Banana Nut Bread Recipe

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What to do with bananas going ripe?

bunches of bananas

Banana bread is one of my favorite things to eat when I’m hungry or when I’m needing a little pick-me-up during the afternoons. I guess as a lover of all things banana, I just enjoy the goodness of the banana flavors and the comforting bite of the tender and moist bread. To me, I’ve always thought that banana bread isn’t really a bread at all, it’s more of a cake (just like the Dutch apple cake that we posted recently). Can anyone tell me why they’re called breads?

And of course, when you add walnuts to the mix, that just adds another layer of texture to it. I almost always add more nuts to my batter than what is called for. For some reason, walnuts just go really well with bananas. I read somewhere that toasting the nuts also prevents the nuts from turning black in the baked goods. So, I toast the walnuts before adding them in to the batter.

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Malaysian, Noodles, Poultry, Shrimp, Thai, Tofu

Tom Yam Fried Beehoon

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Tom Yam Fried Beehoon

Elizabeth and I have been friends since high school. Our friendship was not the most immediate—she is naturally more suspicious and takes a long time to warm up to people. I, on the other hand, will talk to just about anyone who is near me. So the first time we met, I had come up to her to say hello and ask her name only to be met with a suspicious, “why do you want to know?” At least, this is what Elizabeth tells me. I don’t remember that at all. I only know that we’ve been good friends for a long time. We’ve been through years of sitting next to each other through high school, work (graduate school for me), and of course, FOOD.

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American, Vegetables

Leek and Potato Soup Recipe

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An easy, healthy, hearty soup with extra oomph.

leek and potato soup

It’s only been in the past year or so that I’ve discovered leeks. Before that, I would use it if it was called for in a recipe, like the cioppino hot pot recipe, but otherwise, I did not know how to cook with it. But this past year, I visited the farmer’s market a lot more and tried to experiment a little bit more with unfamiliar ingredients.

Whenever I would see leeks on sale at the market, I would normally buy some and treat them like onions in several of my dishes, putting them in my quiches, soups or even in my stir-fries. But really, this humble soup is one of the most wonderful ways to showcase leeks.

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