Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Are the holidays over yet?  I feel like I'm going to ring in the new year with a few extra pounds from all the food consumption over the last couple of weeks.  It all started with the turkey, ham, stuffing, pumpkin pie...and I realize I've been eating nonstop since.  Oh man, do I dare make a new year's resolution to start hitting the gym?  Maybe not.  I'll just start taking the stairs at work instead of the elevators to make myself feel better.

I made these buttermilk drumsticks for a Christmas potluck and everyone liked it.  The recipe comes from Nigella Lawson on the Food Network.  If you ever have leftover buttermilk in the fridge and want to whip up something delicious for dinner, try this recipe.  The chicken came out very tasty and juicy.  I read some of the reviews to go heavier on the spices because they were bland so I did.  I didn't have maple syrup so I substituted with pancake syrup and maple extract.  I don't think the syrup made any difference.  Next time, I'll try using brown sugar.  I also added paprika and extra garlic and marinated the chicken overnight.  Right before roasting, I sprayed the top of the chicken with PAM and broiled it at the end to brown.

Buttermilk Roast Chicken (6 servings)

Ingredients
12 chicken drumsticks (appx. 3 lbs.)
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, bruised and skins removed
1 T crushed peppercorn
1 T sea salt or 1 1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 T maple syrup

Directions
Place the chicken drumsticks in a large freezer bag, and add the buttermilk and 1/4 cup of oil.

Add the bruised garlic cloves to the bag with the crushed peppercorns and salt.

Sprinkle in the ground cumin and add the maple syrup, and then squish everything in the freezer bag around to mix the marinade to coat the chicken.

Leave the buttermilk marinated chicken in the fridge ideally overnight or out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Take the chicken pieces out of the bag shaking off the excess marinade, and then arrange them in a roasting pan lined with foil.

Drizzle over the 2 remaining tablespoons of oil, and then roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until brown, even scorched in parts, and juicily cooked through.

Merry Christmas 2010

It's been almost one year since I started this blog.  Time sure flies!  I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and thank you for reading Bowl Half Full.  Happy Holidays!

Cowboy Cookies

I'm on a tight budget this year so I made these cowboy cookies as Christmas gifts for my co-workers. My sister made these last year for her friends and I thought it was such a cute idea. Bakerella had this recipe for cowgirl cookies. I had most of the ingredients at home so all I really had to buy were Christmas M&M's, chocolate chips, and walnut pieces.

Cowboy Cookies

You'll need:
1 quart Mason jar
Dry ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cooking oats
• 3/4 cup m&ms
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

Method:

Layer the ingredients in the following order:
1st - Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt
2nd - Oats
3rd - M&M's
4th - Semi-sweet chocolate chips
5th - Brown Sugar
6th - White Sugar

7th - Chopped nuts

Pack everything down tightly or it won't fit.  Seal the jar with the lid and tie a ribbon around it to make it pretty.  

Include these directions with your gift: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Empty all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together.  Add 1 slightly bean egg, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together.  Use hands to get everything incorporated if necessary.  Then roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.  Makes 26-28 cookies.

Samurai Noodle

I am having ramen withdrawals.   It has been very chilly lately and the last time I had a good bowl of ramen was this past summer.  Yes, it's been that long!  Hubby took me to Samurai Noodle for my birthday in July.  We heard that Samurai opened a second location on University Ave so we decided to give it a try.  The new establishment was a lot bigger than the one in the International District.  My first experience at the original location was horrible.  The restaurant was a hole in the wall and very cramped.  We had to wait a long time and were seated on a really tiny table with barely any leg room.  We felt rushed to eat our food because there were other people waiting in line.  I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived to the University Ave location for lunch.  The restaurant had a lot more open space and we didn't have to wait!  

I ordered the tonkotsu ramen, a rich pork broth served with firm noodles.  Pork marrow is boiled for a long time resulting in a creamy white soup.  The ramen was topped with a slice of chashu, wood ears, and green onions.   It would have been better with menma.

Their portions were not very big so I ordered extra noodles.  Hey, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't eat.  I'm not ashamed of it either.  

Hubby ordered the spicy ramen.  I can't remember if it was tan tan or spicy miso.  I could be wrong on both guesses.  It's been too long.  Overall, the food didn't disappoint.  Seattle still needs more ramen places though.

Lunch was very satisfying but it didn't stop there.  Prior to this, we went to Sweet Iron for Leige waffles (Belgian pearl sugar waffles) in the morning.

I had the strawberry waffle and hubs had the chocolate waffle.  I like Belgian waffles but the Leige waffles were too sweet.  I think it was more suitable as a snack or dessert than breakfast.

Then we went to Biringer Farms for berry picking.  I had hoped for dry sunny weather but it was wet and cold that morning.  Luckily, I was well prepared with my rain gear - boots and all.  

Later that evening, hubs invited my family and friends to surprise with a bbq feast at the park.  Finally the skies cleared up and the sun was out.  I couldn't ask for better weather. 

Caprese skewers

Orzo salad with micro greens

Curried couscous

Mediterranean grilled vegetables

Chicken sausages

Also not pictured here was grilled salmon.  I love salmon!  And look, he even baked me a strawberry white chocolate cake from scratch topped with more strawberries!  Yum! 

Bibimbap

Bimbimbap is a Korean rice dish mixed with vegetables and gochujang.  The banchan takes a lot of work to prep but the dish is super easy to make!  You can save a lot of time from cooking the veggies if you already have a lot of leftover banchan in the fridge.  This dish is typically mixed with seasoned stir-fry meat like beef or pork and sunny side egg on top of the veggies.  Below is an adapted recipe from "The Korean Table". 

BIBIMBAP (literally means "mixed rice") - serves 2

Short grain rice

Eggs

Beef rib eye or ground beef

Soybean sprouts

Carrots

Cucumbers

Spinach

Sesame oil

Sesame seeds

Soy sauce

Green onions

Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

Sea salt

Brown sugar

Honey

Rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Cook rice in the rice cooker and prepare veggies according to the recipes below. 
2. Prepare eggs sunny-side up right before assembling.
3. To assemble, scoop rice into big individual serving bowls and artfully arrange each of the seasoned veggies on top of the rice.  Please beef in the center.  Set one fried egg in the center on top of the beef.  Add a dollop of gochujang sauce.  Drizzle a bit of sesame oil (optional).  Mix well and dig in!

SEASONED VEGETABLES:

Bean Sprouts 
1 tsp sea salt
1 lb. soybean sprouts
4 T chopped green onions
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 T sesame oil

In a medium saucepan with lid, combine water, salt, and bean sprouts.  Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover with lid, and steam the sprouts for 5 minutes. Strain the sprouts and transfer to mixing bowl. Mix sprouts with green onions, sesame seeds and sesame oil.

Carrots
4 medium size carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchstick strips
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 T sesame oil

In a medium size skillet, heat the sesame oil on medium heat.  Add the carrots and salt and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Spicy Cucumber Salad
1/2 English cucumber, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds or cut into matchsticks
1 tsp gochujang
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
salt

In a large bowl, toss cucumbers and pinch of salt.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  Gently squeeze liquid from the cucumbers and transfer to bowl.  Combine gochujang and cucumbers. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds.

Spinach Salad
1 lb. spinach, washed
1 T toasted sesame seeds
2 T sesame oil
1 tsp sea salt

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add spinach.  Cook for 1 minute.  Strain the spinach and rinse with cold water.  Take one handful of spinach at a time and squeeze the water from the spinach.  Cut spinach into 2-inch pieces on a cutting board.  Transfer to a bowl and add sesame seeds, sesame oil, and salt. Mix well.

SEASONED BEEF
1/4 lb. rib eye cut into strips
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp brown sugar

In a small bowl, mix together the beef, soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar.  Marinate for 15 minutes. Heat a small skillet and stir-fry until cooked. Set aside.

GOCHUJANG SAUCE
2 T Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
1 T rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 T water
2 tsp sesame oil

Combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Richmond, B.C. Summer Night Market

Summer is a long stretch away especially since winter hasn't officially started yet.  One of the things you must do when visiting Seattle in the summer is drive up to Canada.  Why? Because the the day is long (thanks to daylight saving time), the sun is shining, the Canadian border is less than 3 hours away from Seattle, and you don't have to hop on a plane to visit a foreign country!  We always visit the Summer Night Market whenever we are in Richmond, B.C.

The atmosphere at the night market always reminds us of our daily trips to the night markets in Taiwan.  The night market in Richmond is held annually all summer long and it's always packed with hungry people. 

Berries galore!

These spiral-cut potatoes are making appearances everywhere.  Much like french fries, these spiral-cut potatoes are deep fried on a stick and is a popular street food in Korea.

Chicken Yakitori

Takoyaki (octopus balls)

Hong Kong Egg Puffs

Sesame Egg Puffs

I always look for Hong Kong Egg Puffs at these events.  They're described as Hong Kong style waffles and are best eaten warm while the outside is crispy and the"bubbles" are soft and hollow on the inside.  I ordered the sesame flavored egg puffs and it was delicious!

Grilled squid with spicy chili sauce

Fried tofu with spicy chili sauce

Cute signs

This vendor was selling everything from yam fries to corn dog and Taiwanese chicken cutlets.   I wanted to try everything on their menu - everything looked so good!

Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken cutlet

All good things must come to an end.  Farewell, Summer Night Market!  See you again next year!

Redhook Ale Brewery

A few months ago, I took my husband to a brewery tour in Woodinville for his birthday.  When we got there around noon, we were hungry and decided to eat at the Forecaster's Pub.

They had many Redhook ales on tap.  I can't remember what we ordered.

The restaurant offers the typical bar fare like burgers, sandwiches, salads, and daily specials.  We had an Entertainbook coupon for a free entree so we decided to splurge on an appetizer.  The salmon artichoke dip was good but on the heavier side.

Hubs had the Turkey B.L.A.S.T. (bacon, lettuce, avocado salsa, swiss, and tomatoes) served in a flaky croissant.

I wasn't in the mood for burgers so I ordered the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich.  It sounded good on the menu - herb marinated chicken breast topped with pepperjack, peppered bacon, and chipotle ranch, served on whole wheat with guacamole, lettuce, and tomato, but it was disappointing.  The chicken and bun was too dry.  All sandwiches were served with couscous salad which was a bit too acidic for my taste.

It was time for the brewery tour after our big lunch.  The tour cost only $1 per person.  It included 5 samplings of beer and we got to keep our souvenir tasting glass. Our guide was very knowledgeable and funny.  He took us through a history lesson of Redhook and explained how they brewed their ales.

We didn't get to walk around the brewery because it was closed on the weekend.

The tasting glass was a lot bigger than what I had expected.  After my second beer, I just took a sip from my husband's glass instead of refilling my glass with others to sample.  Sure, you can call me a weakling, but I was really full!

Overall, the experience was fun and you can't beat $1 for beer tasting.  My piece of advice: don't eat so much before the tour!

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

I hate it when a recipe calls for one ingredient that requires a special trip to the grocery store and the leftover goes to waste because I don't know what to do with it.  I had bought a whole quart of buttermilk and only used 3/4 cup to bake a Devil's Food Cake.  The buttermilk was just sitting in the fridge waiting to go bad so I looked up what I can make and low and behold, I found an Almond Poppy Seed Muffin recipe from Nook & Pantry!  I had the best Almond Poppy Seed muffin at work one time and I've been craving more.  This was just perfect!  


I only had a mini muffin tray so I made mini versions instead.  I also adjusted the recipe by increasing the sugar and almond extract measurements and adding toasted sliced almonds on top.     


Easy Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
Adapted from Nook & Pantry

Ingredients:
2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 C sugar + 2 T sugar
4 T melted butter
1 1/4 C buttermilk
1 1/2  T poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
toasted sliced almonds (optional)


Directions:Preheat the oven to 350ºF, adjust a rack to the middle position. Spray muffin tray with nonstick spray.

Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk egg, sugar, and almond extract together until combined, then whisk in the buttermilk and melted butter.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and fold to just combined. Do not over mix. The batter will be fairly thick. 

Divide the batter evenly into the tray.  Top with almonds.  Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Flip the muffins out of the tray and cool them right side up on a cooling rack.

Makes 24 mini size muffins.

Food + Friends + Hawaii = Priceless

My trip to Hawaii earlier this month was a blur.  Good thing I took pictures to prove I wasn't dreaming.  I traveled over eleven hours in less than 3 days but it was okay because I spent time with great friends and ate to my heart's content.  Best of all, I witnessed my friend wed her high school sweetheart after 14 long years. Congratulations to the both of them and I wish them a lifetime of happiness!  It was an honor.

Needless to say, I was in a time crunch so as soon as I arrived, my friends picked me up and headed straight to the North Shore.  We had a late lunch at Grass Skirt Grill in Haleiwa and ate their signature ahi burger and teriyaki cheese fries.  No pictures here except for the fries. Guess I was hungry.

The burger was very fresh and healthy.  The ahi was cooked well since I shared it with my friend who is pregnant and amazingly, the fish was not dry at all.  The fries taste just like it is with teriyaki sauce and cheese.  Nothing to write home about. 

 

Matsumoto Shave Ice is a very popular place for shave ice in the North Shore.  There's always a line no matter what day of the week or time of day you go.  We shared a large cone with li hing, guava, and lychee flavors with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and read beans on the bottom.  So refreshing!

After lunch, we drove around in search of Laniakea Beach but we passed many beaches along the way but was unable to find it.   Laniakea, aka Turtle Beach, is well known for Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles or "Honu" sightings.  Our last stop was Dole Plantation before heading back to town.   This is a very popular tourist attraction in Wahiawa.  There are many activities to do including the pineapple express and the world's largest maze.  I don't know if it is still the world's largest however, but the Dole Whip is a must try if you like ice cream and pineapples.  I added li hing powder to mine.  Yummy!

 

It was already dinner time after our galavanting adventure on the north side so we opted for a late dinner at Sweet Home Cafe.  My friend highly recommended this place which specialized in Taiwanese Hot Pot.  We arrived around 9 p.m. and waited for at least 40 minutes to get a table.  I heard that hot pot restaurants are getting increasingly popular in Hawaii and Sweet Home Cafe was one of them.  The menu consisted of a list of broths you can choose from as well as a variety of sliced meats.  The other hot pot ingredients including vegetables and seafoods are in the refrigerated section in the back of the restaurant.  All you do is walk up to the fridge and grab what you want to eat.  There was an incredible variety of items and sauces to choose from.  The items are priced by plates based on the color just like a kaiten sushi restaurant.    

 

We ordered a clear beef based broth and a healthy herb broth.  I liked the herb based broth a lot.  It was very tasty which made every item cooked in it very flavorful.  After dinner, they served a complimentary bowl of tapioca shave ice.  It was so good!  I would go back again just to have their dessert.  It was a very fun experience.

 

Saturday was the wedding so we started our day early to maximize my time in Hawaii.  I always stop by Diamond Head Market to grab a blueberry cream cheese scone when I visit.  I love it because the scone is moist and fluffy like a hybrid between a scone and a biscuit.    

 

It's been a while since I went to Diamond Head State Monument.  I remember going there a lot when I was a kid.  Maybe because they started charging entrance fees to pedestrians and cars that we stopped going there.  I always wanted to revisit this historic place so we made the trek over to Diamond Head after my "morning snack". The hike is an easy 0.8 mile trail with some stairs leading to the summit. At the top, you can see the crater and the eastern coastline of O'ahu.   

 

After an hour hike, we went to the KCC Farmers' Market.  I've been to the Saturday market the past two times I went back to visit.  Many locals and tourists alike visit here to patronize the the many food and produce vendors selling unique products of Hawaii.   I wanted to gobble up everything in sight! 

I had planned to eat ramen for lunch but we were stuffed from the farmers' market.  Since the wedding was still hours away, we went to Genki Sushi in Aina Haina to kill some time.  Yes, we have Genki Sushi in Seattle now but the spicy tuna in Hawaii is so much better.  

Next door to Genki's was Cake Couture Cupcakes.  I was too full to eat but I picked up a red velvet cupcake anyway for later. 

The wedding was held at Ko'olau Golf Club in Kaneohe later that evening.  The venue and atmosphere was just beautiful.

The couple treated their guests to a buffet spread for dinner after the ceremony.  Delish!

We went to Tenkaippin for lunch the next day for my last meal before heading to the airport.  This ramen shop has won a following for their delicious Kotteri ramen being their top seller.  The Kotteri is a chicken based broth thickened with chicken collagen.  The broth is very thick and almost gravy-ish in texture.  I prefer the Assari Ramen with a lighter shoyu chicken broth.  Speaking of ramen, I miss Taishoken.  This used to be my favorite ramen place until they closed down over a year ago.    

 

Thanks for reading!