I Am... Sunday Brunch: Bacon Potato Cheesy Sesame Bing Bread
In February, Mike and I took a quick trip to Chicago – I'm going to be putting up a little photo essay soon, I hope. It wasn't our first time in the city so we took it pretty easy, basically spending all our time eating and attempting to walk in the snow. On our first night we hit up Parachute, a cute place serving up modern Korean-American. Last year Bon Appetit named it one of America's best new restaurants and when I read the description of their signature bing bread, a crispy, pancake-like bread, loaded with potato, bacon, and scallion and served with sour-cream butter for slathering, I just had to make it.
Read More →
I Am... Friday Finds: 3.4.16
I'm so happy it's Friday. This week feels like it's been going on forever! But, the weather's taken a turn towards Spring and the smell of sunshine and freshly cut grass has been brightening up my days. Mike and I are planning on going to see Zootopia this weekend and I'm really excited. It's also my dear friend's baby shower and I'm making some cupcakes for it.
Read More →
I Am... Cookies and Cream Affogato
Do you have a case of the Tuesdays? Well, cheer up because free coffee is back at McCafe from February 29 – March 6th! Celebrate by sending your loved ones a coffee gram to connect over a free McCafé coffee. I'm going to be sending my dad one because my dad absolutely loves coffee and free things.
Read More →
I Am... Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese
In high school, my brother and I always used to eat microwave chicken cordon bleu as an afternoon snack. My mom would buy a giant pack of frozen cordon bleus from Costco and we would go to town. The combo of crispy breaded chicken, melty swiss cheese and ham will always and forever be nostalgic to me. I couldn't resist popping all the ingredients between two thick slices of bread, because hello carb heaven. Toasty, melty, cheesy, chicken-y ham goodness!
Read More →
I Am... How to Make: Crispy Oven Baked Popcorn Cauliflower
Are you guys watching the Oscars tonight? I'm going to try to catch it, but since I haven't watched many of the movies nominated, I might just be munching on popcorn cauliflower, sans Oscar. I love these cauliflower popcorn guys so much. Almost as much as I love roasted cauliflower, but maybe even a little bit more because I like a little bit of crunch. You have the best of both worlds with these guys: the outsides are crisp and crunchy and the insides are meltingly tender like the roasted cauliflower you know and love. Add in some skinny ranch dip (thanks to the lack of mayo) and you've got the best healthy TV watching snack ever!
Read More →
I Am... Ivan Ramen Toasted Rye Ramen Noodles
Have you guys ever watched Kung Fu Panda? It happens to be one of my favorite animated movies. It has everything: the laughs, the feels, and the hero's journey featuring a fat and friendly panda. The movie starts off with Po, the only panda in a tiny bunny/pig village, a literal outsider in an ordinary world. He dreams of kung fu at night, but by day he works in his father's noodle shop.
Read More →
I Am... Sunday Brunch: Japanese Inspired Avocado Toast
I have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with avocados: I respect and love them, but I also find them incredibly annoying. They're kind of finicky, those little dark green buggers. You can never (or at least I can never) just go to the store and pick up a perfectly ripe avocado. Once I tried and the poor little guy had a thumbprint sized bruise where someone had overzealously gave him a squeeze.
Read More →
I Am... Friday Finds: 2.19.16
We just got back from a little trip to Chicago where we stuffed our faces with caramel popcorn, pasta, burgers, and lots of Asian inspired foods. It was a good trip, especially because it snowed! I'm planning on doing a little re-cap soon, but knowing my track record at putting up travel posts, it may be sometime in the spring? Although I did put up a Stockholm post yesterday, so check it out if you haven't yet!
Read More →
I Am... Stockholm and Swedish Meatballs
Last November, after our epic trip to Iceland, Mike and I took advantage of the budget airlines in Europe and headed on over to Stockholm. In my mind, Stockholm was a city full of gleaming white buildings, new and shiny, kind of like Ikea on steroids. What I found, when we landed, was the complete opposite: Stockholm was a charming European city, much like all the other European cities I've been too – full of historic buildings, quaint squares, and friendly locals. We spent our time in the city doing what we do best: wandering and eating. It was the complete opposite of Iceland (where we spent all of our time in a car) and it was absolutely glorious to be able to stretch our legs. I find that walking is the best way to see a city, especially if you have the time and patience to do so. It does take twice (or more) as long to get to where you're going, but as they say, it's about the journey, not the destination. Our wanderings led us to multiple Swedish meatball dinners, Swedish street food, hip and fun grocery stores, and ALL the fun home and decor stores. The Swedish meatballs in Sweden were an absolute revelation. I know that Swedish cuisine is more than just meatballs, and I never (ok, always) fall for the hype of supposed famous foods, like paella or deep dish pizza (sorry Chicagoans!), so I wasn't expecting too much. I mean, I hoped that they would be good, but they blew me away. I'm a big Swedish meatball fan, even the ones at Ikea, so having authentic meatballs was definitely a highlight. I love the way they serve them: always with the smoothest mashed potatoes, rich creamy gravy, pickled cucumbers, and tart and fresh lingonberry sauce. After having real lingonberries, I don't think I could ever go back to lingonberry jam. [video loop="true" mp4="https://iamafoodblog.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/stockholm.mp4"][/video] The hotdogs were a surprise highlight. We found a famous hotdog stand (there are several around the city) and went all out and got a double dog. It was super exciting because, I mean, look at it: The two dogs are broken in half because they're so long and stuffed into a baguette. We had the spicy lamb merguez and it was so, so good. If it looks like all we did was walk around and eat, we basically did - Stockholm will forever be a city filled with delicious meatballs, quirky hipster shops, and hot dogs. I hope to see it again soon!
Read More →
I Am... How to Make Chicken Pot Pie Pizza
I like making pizza in the winter because it's doubly generous: heating up the oven warms up the house and eating a hearty pizza warms my soul. This chicken pot pie pizza is what happens when you don't want to make a pie crust but have a major chicken pot pie craving. Maybe you magically have pizza dough at the ready: you're are on a no-knead pizza kick or perhaps you just picked up some dough from the grocery store? No matter what, pizza on a cold night is a guaranteed way to have a cozy night in. A quick white sauce, shredded chicken, potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots on a crispy cheesy doughy base is everything you'd wish for on a cold, snowy night.
Read More →
I Am... Sunday Brunch: Greek Yogurt Pancakes
Happy Valentine's Day friends! I hope you guys are having a cozy one, either with someone special, or even just by yourself! To be honest, I made and ate this little stack of Valentine's pancakes all by myself because sometimes, a solo stack of pancakes is just what the doctor ordered.
Read More →
I Am... Friday Finds: 2.12.16
What a crazy week it's been! It was the Super Bowl, Chinese New Year, and Valentine's is coming up. I recently started taking pottery class and I've been beyond busy. Pottery class is so much fun. I've always liked classroom learning (call me a nerd, because I am!) and it's both peaceful and frustrating: peaceful because it's really just you and the clay; frustrating because the clay doesn't really do what I want it to. It's also a lesson in patience because man, does it take forever to actually get to the point where you're even going to glaze your pottery, let alone fire it.
Read More →
