Spicy hot hot hot!

This recipe and its creator Chrissy Teigen, Sports Illustrated model and inspiration behind John Legend's romantic song, "All of Me," are as evidenced by the photo and title: Spicy hot Hot HOT!  Not just John Legend's personal eye candy, Chrissy is sassy, quick-witted, and LOVES food.  Uh, hello, clearly she's also my spirit sister. Check out Chrissy's blog, for delicious eats, unfiltered hilarity, and an inside look at the fabulous life as a model and wifey to John Legend.

Not only is this recipe crazy spicy but crazy delicious and easy to make.  The smoky flavors of spicy chipotle, sweet brown sugar, tangy lime and garlic always impresses a crowd, and you'll be floored at how easy it is to make. 

Dinner for one, quick and easy enough after a long day at work.

Or even feed a crowd!

 Literally throw all of your ingredients in a food processor or blender, and a few pulses later you've got an amazing full flavored marinade.  The vodka in this recipe helps to keep this marinade at a slushy like consistency, so it keeps in the freezer ready to use at a moments notice.  Make sure to make a big batch to have on hand at all times.  It's simple enough for a quick Monday night dinner after a long day at work, and perfect to just throw in the oven while entertaining your friends for a big family style dinner.  Don't forget that everything in this recipe is to taste, so feel free to add a lil' bit of this and a lil' bit of that until it suits your palate.  Too spicy?  Add more brown sugar and ketchup.  Love garlic or cilantro?  Go for it!  You'll easily find the chipotle chiles in a can in the "Ethnic Aisle/Corner" (cue eye roll) at your local market.

Chipotle Chicken & Mashed Potato Bar: Green Onions, Roasted Garlic Cloves,
Mexican Chorizo, Sour Cream, Cheddar Cheese

I love serving this alongside Chorizo Mashed Potatoes and a spring mix salad.  Chorizo Mashed Potatoes?!  You read correctly, friends.  Swap your tired bacon bits for chorizo, and you'll never look back!  If you've never had Chorizo before, it's a mexican ground sausage with deep complex flavors of ancho chili pepper, cumin, and coriander.  It's often paired with eggs and breakfast burritos, and from now on, you'll be pairing it with these creamy mashed potatoes.  Trust me.  To cook the chorizo, simply remove the casing and pan fry for 6-8 minutes until browned.  If I'm hosting dinner for a crowd, I love to serve a Mashed Potato Bar.  Simply boil and mash the potatoes with a generous slab of butter and few splashes of milk for creaminess.  Serve in a large bowl with separate smaller bowls for the accompaniments of sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, roasted garlic, and chorizo (See pic above).  Your guests can cater to their own tastes by mixing in their favorite toppings.  But if you ask me... load it on up with everything.  The roasted garlic lends a mellow sweetness, chorizo gives a yummy smokiness, the sour cream will cool down all the heat from the chicken, and the bright green onion flavor rounds out all the flavors.  Easily one of my favorite recipes and a crowd favorite with my friends, try this recipe for yourselves and let me know what you think!

Chipotle Chicken 
8 chipotle chiles in adobo

3/4 cup of vodka
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup adobo sauce, from chipotle can
4 clove garlic, chopped
3 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

8 Pieces of Chicken Thigh or Drumstick (preferably skin on)

Put all of your ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree.  The texture should be slightly thick almost fluffy.  You'll want it be thick enough to cling to the drumsticks and thighs.  Simply pull your frozen marinade straight out of the freezer, generously coat all sides of the chicken with the marinade, leaving 5-6 tablespoons of marinade at the bottom for dipping into later.  No need to pre-marinade the chicken, just put it straight in the oven.  You should have a cup or two of extra marinade left over, just put it in a ziploc and save it for next time.  Bake at 400 for 45 minutes, flipping the chicken once you've gotten a deep brown on one side and coat with marinade once more.  Bake until dark and carmelized on all sides, and the juices run clear when you slice into the deepest part of the leg/thigh.  Use your extra marinade on shrimp or pork chops. Saute your shrimp or pork chops with a few heaping tablespoons and serve over a mixed green salad for a quick 5 minute dinner.

xoxo, 
   Sweets & Sass

The Best I Ever Had.... Portland Part I

So let's all just play nice and pretend that I haven't completely abandoned you.  This bi-annual blogging habit is not cutting it, and there are no excuses.  But what I can tell you is that I plan on making up for it in spades, beginning with a post about my favorite food destination to date with some of the"Best I Ever Had..."  I know, I know.  You're thinking, "This girl is totally exaggerating. She throws around the words 'Best I Ever Had' so easily." But I swear on a Magnolia Cupcake, you'll want to take my word for it when it comes to...

PORTLAND

Out of all my travels to the most food-centric cities in the US, including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York; dare I say it... Portland trumps all!  Portland is just as weird as they say and they are dang proud of it.  But I can also say about Portland natives is that I have never met people or chefs more dedicated and passionate about local, seasonal, and sustainable food than in this incredible city.  

Blue Star Donuts

1237 Southwest Washington Street, Portland, OR 97205

www.bluestardonuts.com

Blue Star features the "Best DONUT I Ever Had".  It pains me to even type it, but Blue Star is a few steps ahead of my hometown favorite, Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee!  Doughnut fiends might ask  how it compares to New York's Doughnut Plant.  Sorry folks, Doughnut Plant's got nothing on 'em.  And don't even bother  with Voodoo Donuts.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  Blue Star is the perfect example of an incredible dedication to utilizing quality ingredients in order to create quality food, and you can taste the difference.  Every morning, Blue Star makes their dough from scratch with local and sustainable ingredients.  Flour is direct from Shepard's grain, cage free eggs from Stiebrs Farm, with fillings and glazes made from organic fruits.  Stop in anytime during the day, these puffs of heaven are made fresh throughout the day. Go ahead and order a dozen, and I would recommend that you don't share.  Yeah, I'm greedy like that.

At least 12 different flavors of "The Best You Ever Had" is served every day and made fresh ALL day. Featured flavors include Blood Orange Ginger, Chocolate Mouse, Dulce De Leche Hazelnut, Passion Fruit Cocoa Nib, Blueberry Bourbon & Basil.

Blood Orange Ginger, my personal favorite tastes like pure sunshine.  The bright citrusy flavor of blood orange is accented by the sweet tanginess of candied ginger.

2 girls, 3 doughnuts.  I just couldn't walk away from the Maple Bacon.  They leave me powerless every, single, time!


Wildwood

Every bite of Executive Chef Shreiber's food was thoughtfully crafted, expertly seasoned, and served with heart.  Sadly, just days after our unforgettable culinary experience, Wildwood shuttered after 20 years of service. 

Pork Cheek, Crispy Carrots, and Roasted Beet Risotto 
Never mind the ugliness of presentation, this dish blew us away.  Not only was the pork cheek moist, flavorful, and fork tender, but Lana and I both agreed that the risotto was the "Best RISOTTO I Ever Had."   Slightly toothy in texture yet soft and creamy and delicate.  Salty and savory from the parmesan paired incredibly well with the understated sweetness of the beet.  Hearing that sad scraping of fork against clean plate, we begged the server for a second order of risotto only, and scraped the second plate clean too.

Tandoori Roasted Pork Chop, Foie, Navy Bean  
If you're not familiar with the term Tandoor, it refers to a clay or metal oven that's heat is generated by a charcoal or wood fire, burning within the tandoor itself.  This exposes the food to live-fire and smoking by the fat and juices that drip onto the charcoal.  Think of the delicious smoky char that kisses your tandoori chicken or naan.  Yeahh, the good stuff, you know what I'm talking about.  And can we address the incredible skill involved in cooking this 10 ounce bone-in pork chop to succulent smoky perfection??  Oh, I would lay a big smooch on the Chef for this one!  Lana and I couldn't even help ourselves, we threw all manners to the wind, rolled up our sleeves, and gnawed the last bits of tasty meat right off the bone.  Feel free to do the same.  

Eat: An Oyster Bar

3808 North Williams Avenue #122, Portland, OR 97227

http://www.eatoysterbar.com/

Exploring the neighboring storefronts during our 30 minute wait to be seated at the famed Tasty n Sons, Lana and I were drawn into Eat by the wafting sounds of jazz and further sold on the farm direct oysters.  All served ice cold with a housemade peppered vinegar and wedges of lemon, these Pacific Northwest oysters were crisp and briny.  Come for brunch, enjoy the live music, and DO NOT miss out on the Bloody Mary Bar.  Customize your glass with their blend of peppery spiced, fiery hot Bloody Mary mix and go to town on their amazing housemade pickled green tomatoes, okra, green beans, asparagus, and cherry peppers.  Go. To. TOWN!

Tasty n Sons

3808 North Williams Avenue #122, Portland, OR 97227

www.tastynsons.com

A Portland staple for brunch, Tasty n Sons is famous for its family style comfort food like their take on Steak and Eggs or New American updates on international classics like Korean bimbimbop updated with housemade kimchi, Korean fried chicken and eggs.

Breakfast Board: Sweet Chicken Liver Pate, House Smoked Bacon, Housemade Beef Jerky
 Easily one of the purest, creamiest, sweetest pates I've had.  The pate was the clear winner on this board.  Lana and I had a hard time pretending to be polite when it came to deciding who got the last bite.  
"No, you can have it." 
"No, it's ok, you can have it." 
"OK!! I'LL HAVE IT." 
"oh, uhhh ok...I guess you can have it."

Steak and Eggs
Aka Steak and Eggs^3 power.  This dish is amped up with thick cuts of sirloin, soft cheesy scrambled eggs, and a sweet cornbread topped with savory jalapeno butter served piping hot in a cask iron skillet creating a deep golden crust and soft moist center.

Stay tuned for Part II for more Portland food adventures.  In the meantime, leave a comment and tell me about your favorite food-centric city!

xoxo,

Sweets & Sass

I'm in love...

Yes, my Sweet & Sassy friends and fam, it's true... I'm in LOVE!!  Today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of my move from Orange County to San Diego, and in every way possible, San Diego has completely stolen my heart.

I'm in LOVE with the energy in the city.  Just steps from my front door leads the way to the lights, sounds, and excitement of Downtown Gaslamp.

I'm in LOVE with the people.  San Diegans share my crazy passion for food.  Everyone I've met here has gushed in detail over a unique dish at a local hole in the wall, or offered a laundry list of restaurants that "you MUST try."  San Diegans are fiends for good food, and just my kind of people!

I'm in LOVE with each little neighborhood that has its own culture, flavor, and unique beat.  Little Italy with its quaint cafes and one of a kind restaurants.  Normal Heights, home to Blind Lady Ale House, my all-time favorite bacon and runny egg yolk pizza, and vast selection of craft beers.  Clairemont Mesa is my taste of home, the go-to neighborhood to fulfill cravings for all things Asian.

I'm most in LOVE with the farmers markets here in San Diego.  I love waking up on a gorgeous Saturday morning, taking the trolley into Little Italy, where I can wander the farmers market for hours.  Soaking in the sunshine, reveling in the gorgeous fresh fruits, veggies, and artisanal breads, handmade cured salamis and more...  I'm in sheer heaven tasting and trying every sample I can get my hands on!  Witnesses can attest to my shameless eagerness and quick reach for a sample of a summer-ripe juicy peach or rich aged gouda.

Here's a peek at some of my favorite farmer's market finds...

Everything at the Farmer's Market is grown or made with LOVE.

The orange and tangerine colors of these golden beets are so vibrant.

Radishes are one of my favorite salad additions. Look around for watermelon radishes, they're beautiful. 

Sea Urchin or Uni, as it you may find it on a sushi menu, is one of my favorite treasures of the sea. The spines of this prickly sea creature were literally moving just minutes before he became my lunch!

The bright yellow color is a great indicator its incredible sweetness and slight salinity.  The more amber or orange the sea urchin is, the more bitter/nutty it'll taste. At $10 each, this is an incredible experience and steal of a deal.

A variety of fresh oysters and clams are shucked just minutes before consumption, and can be served rockefeller, on the half shell, as shooters, or grilled. I prefer my shellfish simply dressed with a squeeze of lime and dash of tobasco.

Tamarindo, Horchata, and Pineapple, Watermelon, and Kiwi Aguas Frescas to suite every taste or mood.

Organic eggs available by the dozen, each unique in varying shades of white, ivory, and brown.

How gorgeous are these purple artichokes?

These gems are the perfect topper to my morning oatmeal or yogurt.

Heirloom Tomatoes are hands down my favorite summer fruit/veggie. Each varietal with its own distinct flavors, some sweeter, some more acidic, but each one so delicious. I love to pick a rosy pink and yellow varietal, serve it sliced beside a creamy burrata, and drizzled with an aged balsamic. Can you taste the rainbow?

In just under a year, San Diego has truly made indelible mark on my heart.  If you haven't had the opportunity to do so yet, make your way down the coast and meet my new love.  I'll see you at the farmer's market. ;)

XOXO,

    Sweets & Sass

The Revival

In the last 10 months since the big move, I found myself solely dedicated to making a smooth transition and finding success in my new role and life in San Diego.  Amongst the tasks of making new friends, finding a Muay Thai gym, and working 12 hour days sometimes, the journey to pursue my love and passion for food was put on the back burner.  Well, no excuses anymore!  Now that I'm settled and happily call the beautiful city of San Diego "home," I've decided that it's the right time to pick up where I left off.  Only a meal of epic proportions would be worthy of my beloved Sweet and Sassy friends and family.  My mind quickly went to one of the best, most memorable, and most ingenious meals I've ever had...

ink.

Michael Voltaggio, Top Chef winner, Executive Chef and owner of ink., is known just as much for his reputation as a culinary badass, as he is for his tattoos and brooding good looks.  Voltaggio's mission at ink. is to create a "revelatory experience through food and service." Their intent is to leave each of their diners with an indelible impression. Their mission? Accomplished. This diner? Over the moon impressed! Every dish that arrived to the table was full of contradictions. Delicate ingredients, but full and robust in flavor. Seemingly new and unfamiliar in presentation, yet comforting and familiar in taste. Best of all, each dish had an element of surprise that left me eager and on the edge of my seat waiting for the next to arrive.

A quick FYI about me.  I don't drink.  No, really... I don't drink.  The smallest amount of alcohol, even just the neck of a beer and suddenly I speak fluent Spanish, my face turns stop sign red, and my heart feels like it'll pump right out of my chest.  For all the reasons above, I tend to avoid drinking alcohol.  Lucky me for me, ink. makes unique hand-stirred sodas from syrups made in house.  Flavors vary frequently; we had the apple ginger, pomegranate mango, and cucumber mint lime.  All refreshing and balanced in both sweet and tart flavors.  Please note the ice blocks!  Utilized for their slower melting factor, these ice blocks were just one of the many examples of ink.'s great attention to detail.

Brussel Sprouts- pig ears, lardo, apple puree.A crunchy tower of crisp pig ears were the perfect textural contrast to the slippery lardo and tender roasted brussel sprouts, while the surprising addition of the green apple puree gave a tart balance to the savory and umami brussel sprouts.  Green apple and brussel sprouts?!  A combination that had never crossed my mind before, but now seemed as natural a combination as peanut butter and jelly. 

Crab-mushroom chicharron, charred avocado, whipped fish sauce

Sweet crab wrapped with charred avocado reminiscent of a California roll in form and flavor.  But only reminiscent in a distant cousin of an uncle's sister in law's brother kind of way.  Of the many things that impressed me about ink., I loved their ability to balance every element on each plate.  Salty and pungent by nature, the fish sauce foam imparted the perfect salty balance to the sweet delicate crab.  Or the contrast of the crunchy and crispy mushroom chicharron balanced with the the toothy meatier oyster mushrooms.  The highlight to this plate was easily the chicharron.  They were so incredibly light and crisp, with the same textured air bubbles and crunch of a traditional pork chicharron!  

Egg Yolk Gnocchi- bay scallops, accents of spring

A soft pillowy pasta made of potato, ink.'s innovative take on gnocchi is made of egg yolk. The outer texture mimicked a perfect traditional gnocchi, soft and yielding to the teeth, but the center of this golden pillow of joy yielded an incredible surprise: an oozy rich creamy egg yolk!  Sheer molecular gastronomy magic.  The crunchy sweet snow peas and rich ramp butter sauce really did taste of spring.  Visions of rainbows, bunnies, and flowers danced on my head.

Foie Gras- waffle, smoked maple, hot sauceSandwiched between two thin crisp wafers of waffle, a cold thick slab of rich foie gras laid waiting for our attack.  I was skeptical of how the sweet flavor of maple would pair with the unctuous foie and spicy Sriracha hot sauce.  But as soon as the plate hit the table, we dug in and didn't stop until every last bit of smokey marshmallowy maple cream and fatty duck liver was scraped off the plate.  

Hope you enjoyed the re-christening of Sweets & Sass.  Let me know what you think.  I'm already looking forward to sharing one of my favorite San Diego eats with you next week!

Pregnant Lady Cravings

I woke up last Sunday with a craving for pancakes.  This was no ordinary craving, it was a craving of such epic proportions that I call them pregnant lady cravings aka...

"I need it, I need it by the truckload, and I need it NOW!" 

To meet my tummy's irrational hunger for pancakes, I sought out a recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers, Smitten Kitchen.  With her blogger-street cred and pancake snobbery, I could be sure that her recipe would fill my fix.

The easiest, most delicious, better-loosen-up-your-belt-so-that-you-can-have-two-more banana pancakes.

Smitten Kitchen's original recipe calls for blueberries, but a big hug and a smooch is owed to Mr. Jack Johnson for the sweet tunes and inspiration!  XOXO!  All wet and dry ingredients were not-so-carefully dumped into a bowl, a few big stirs, generous helping of banana, and a couple flips of the spatula later... I had the most golden, fluffy, and perfect pancakes I'd ever made.  I'll also have you know that the original recipe lists butter as an option.  Uhh... not in my house, people.  Butter is not an option, it's a necessity!  I paired my banana pancakes with a few slices of Spam, fresh fruit, roasted brussel sprouts, and a sunny-side up egg.




These pancakes were so seriously satisfying that I made a second batch as an afternoon snack.  This time, I swapped the maple syrup for a dollop of homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of Trader Joe's Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I drowned each banana pancake in that sticky sweet sauce, and shamelessly devoured my plate of rich caramelly whipped heaven.  I implore you to do the same and make these pancakes this very weekend.  The recipe couldn't be any easier!  So easy that your kid sister could make 'em, and so delicious you'll never touch that nasty B...isquick again! ;)

Chasing the dream...

To know me and to have met me, even just once, means you know that I LOVE FOOD!

And since I'm hoping that this will be the beginning of a long friendship between my readers and I, I want to start off on the right foot by being honest...

Yes, I, Miss Sweets and Sass, am one of those obnoxious Asians who takes way too many pictures of every thing that comes to the table and every single thing I eat.  (And... ya better not take a bite before I take a picture first!)

With all the delicious meals I eat and the 1,543,939 photos I take, friends are constantly asking me,

"Where did you eat that and what do you do with all the pictures you take??"

This blog is the answer to those questions.  Even more so, I'm hoping this blog will be the stepping stone into the culinary world that I love so much.  As the title indicates, I'm chasing "the dream."  I'm embarking on a new journey pursuing my passion for all things related to food!  For a while now, I've been toying with thoughts of culinary school, restaurant management, or even opening a bakery (aka any excuse to feed my insatiable sweet tooth.  Shhh... don't tell!)  Nothing seems to fit quite yet, but what I do know is that I have a love for food and I want to share it others.

Hope you'll all enjoy following along as I chase my dream.



XOXO,
Sweets&Sass