Umami Burger

According to Wikipedia, "Umami, popularly referred to as savoriness, has been proposed as one of the basic tastes sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human and animal tongue. Umami (旨味^?) is a loanword from Japanese meaning "flavor" or "taste" (noun).^[1] In English, however, "brothy", "meaty", or "savory" have been proposed as alternative translations.^[2][3] In as much as it describes the flavor common to savory products such as meat, cheese, and mushrooms, umami is similar to Brillat-Savarin's concept of osmazome, an early attempt to describe the main flavoring component of meat as extracted in the process of making stock."

This is what I researched before going to Umami Burger off  La Brea in LA.  I heard many reviews, read yelp, and was referred by one of my best friends to go and check this burger joint out when I get the chance. I didn't want to set my expectations too high, but this place was looking pretty good. Umami Burger wasn't a big space, it fit no more than 20 tables, and the wait wasn't too bad.  I do not recommend others to go in a large group, this would be disastrous.  Keep it small folks, no more than 2-4 at the most.  Anyway.. let's get to the yummy and juicy parts.... the food...

Must have a good beverage while eating some yummy food! Tony ordered a root beer (his favorite) and they brought out, Sparky's Root Beer.  Neither Tony or I had every drank this root beer before and we were excited.  It had a great Sassafras taste, wasn't too sweet, went down smoothly and had a great bite at the end. 

I was fascinated with the water "glass" they served our water in.  They were made of plastic, and had an indentation on one side of it, so when you are drinking out of the cup, you can place your thumb on this part of the cup.  Simply genius... and it fit my thumb perfectly!

<-- the Manly Burger
Tony ordered this burger which contained beer cheddar cheese, smoked salt onion strings and bacon lardons. 

The Umami Burger --->
The signature burger was super yummy.  The beef was juicy, the caramelized onions were nice and tender, the shiitake mushroom was bursting with flavor, subtle green chillies, and a salty parmesan crisp. It was beyond what I thought I was going to get.. what won me over was the shiitake mushroom and the parmesan crisp.. I am a sucker for cheese

<-- inside the Umami Burger

 you can see the shiitake mushroom on one half of the burger, and right next to it is the ketchup along with the green chillies and parmesan crisp...

The tempura battered onion rings were soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.  I just wished they had a bit more flavor... I will try my best to recreate this myself at home... but with some kick to it!

Sweet Potato fries topped with brown sugar.

The best way to end my night.... Red Bean Ice dessert from a local Chinese cafe.  This classic dessert contains red beans, ice, condensed milk and a bit of coconut milk.  My mouth is still drooling...









Also I am excited to report that I will be receiving a DSRL camera very soon!!!

Picnics, Parks, and Pasta

Yesterday was the big day... taking GG to the park for the very first time.  It's something my sister has been wanting to do.. and the opportunity came up where I would be able to take her.  March 27 is my Sorority's 10 year anniversary, and to celebrate with families, a picnic was thrown in honor of this special milestone.  GG fell in love with the large spaces to roam around in and the fact that there were so many other people at the picnic didn't hurt either.  I was so hungry by the time we got to the park, I didn't even think about taking some pictures of what I was eating.  Ooooo well! Below are just a few photos taken throughout the event.

GG's close up!

After roaming the park for a little bit, GG saw the playground and was determined to go there...

I was really happy and proud of GG because she was able to roam around and be social with all the various people at the picnic.  I love how this photo has my love in the background watching GG ever so closely...

A few of the Sisters were hula hopping, and GG went straight towards them wondering, "how do they do that?" and "where can I get one?" She went right in the middle of them and began dancing.  The girls were awesome sports, and placed the Hula Hoop around GG and circled around her. She liked it so much... we took all 4 hula hoops home with us... thanks to my Chi Sisters!

 There is just something about this photo that I love so much... Might be a combo of GG's joyous face, and the sandal and converse high tops in the background... I am a sucker for shoes....

Absolute joy that only swinging can bring out in someone... look at that tongue!

more swinging please!!!!

This photo is visual proof that GG loves Tony.  He stopped pushing her on the swing, and he began swinging on the other side.  She automatically repositioned herself and began looking at him while he swung.  This went on for several minutes.  

Got a last minute call from my brother, asking to push our weekly "Sunday Dinners" to tonight.  I quickly thought about something that would be yummy and fast to make.  Chicken Parmigiana, made with panko "breadcrumbs", mushrooms, tomatoes, basil,  tomato sauce with angel hair pasta. 

Herb Salad with roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. 

Garlic Bread with parsley on top.. yummy!

Good Food with some Good People

This whole week has been crazy bananas... After a long week it's nice to know I can come home and make an awesome dinner with my family. 

My brother requested crab cakes, since it had been such a long time since we have eaten them.  It was my very first time making crab cakes.. and it was pretty difficult! Mixing the ingredients together was easy, but forming them into little balls and adding the bread crumbs was a bit difficult.  I really wanted to get panko bread crumbs, but I forgot to grab some while I was at Whole Foods.  Overall, my family really liked them, but next time, I will try the crab cakes with panko and I will let them set up in the ice box for a little bit longer. 

Cajun grilled shrimp baby! The shrimp came out yummy with the various favors of the spices...

This past weekend I went to the farmers market with Tone.  I got the spicy sausage, he got the bbq tri tip, they both were satisfying.. but the winner of the whole meal... garlicky mushrooms... this when I had a foodie epiphany... how could something so small and so simple... make me so happy? I was clear... I have to share this food moment with everyone I know.  Of course, I made my own version of what I had at the farmers market... crimini mushrooms, with green onions, dab of butter and olive oil and lots of garlic! super yummy!

Gotta have our daily veggie intake!

I had fresh goat cheese for the very first time at the farmers market.. and I immidately text my good friend to tell her everything I loved about it. (My Cheese Expert) I bought some of this awesome goat cheese and went home and made a salad.  Red leaf lettuce with avocado and goat cheese with roasted tomato dressing with olive bread on the side from whole foods. 

I was invited to a Pampered Chef party my friend was hosting.  There were these amazing mini cupcakes... chocolate cupcake.. with the middle filled with chocolate frosting and topped with Irish Cream (tasted like Bailey's!) frosting.  Irish Car Bomb in cupcake form... with a Guinness to wash it down.. next time... next time

On Saturday I went to the Lakers Fan Jam in LA with some friends.  I am not a die hard Larkers fan... but they needed a photographer and I wanted a chance to do something different.  Long story short... the Lakers disappointed me... we waited an hour to get into the event... and waited an additional 4 hours to get an autograph but was turned away for no reason... I, along with hundreds of other that were in line with me, were not happy fans...I even bought a t-shirt for my niece, GG, so the players could autograph it... sorry GG.. but the Lakers organization have failed us...

<----GG with her new shirt.... no autographs included....

GG attacking me because she wanted to be the photographer...















PS- I am looking into buying a new camera... I would love to get a DSRL... any suggestions???

Vibrant Colors of the upcoming Spring

While at the Farmers Market this past Sunday, picking up a few things for Sunday Dinner, I couldn't help but notice the vibrant colors of all the wonderful produce that were displayed.  The deep greens in the lettuce and asparagus, red, oranges, and light greens from the heirloom cherry tomatoes, and various flowers that were growing nearby.   I was very excited to go home and get cooking! 

I was feeling a little ambitious so I attempted to make Beef Stroganoff.. something I have eaten before, but never made myself.... The Stroganoff did not come out like "traditional" Stroganoff, but it wasn't too bad.  It was nice and meaty, thanks to the tri-tip beef, Portabello and Oyster mushrooms and all the yummy beef stock, but a bit creamy from the sour cream that was mixed in.  Even though it didn't come out the way I wanted, it wasn't too bad.  My family and Tony actually liked it.  Not to shabby....

My favorite dish I made on Sunday was hands down, the Bruschetta/Tomato Salad. I picked up some wonderful Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes at the Farmers  Market, and tossed them with some left over parmigiano reggiano, basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.  Ate this with toasted sourdough crustinis... YUMMY!!! My favorite were the vibrant colors...

got these yummy asparagus from the FM too, they were skinny little things, but the perfect size for GG to snap in half! 

I have never made cream puffs before, but my sister had requested something sweet for the end of our meal.  She suggested cream puffs, which I was hesitant due to my lack of knowledge, but I was feeling brave and went for it! I was really surprised how easy they were to make.  We were all very excited about how they came out.  Maybe next time I'll make some chocolate ganache to dip them in before filling them with custard!

My ambition continued on throughout the rest of the week.  I decided to make my rendition of the egg salad sandwich I got from Euro Pane a few weeks back, my with my own little twist.  I failed at soft/medium boiling the eggs (they ended up being full on hard boiled eggs!) but it was ok.. next time I will get it right! I made my egg salad with homemade mayo, using olive oil as the oil base.  It was really rich and hearty mayo... I mixed it in with the eggs, some chopped up onions, and various seasonings.  I toasted up some sourdough bread, grabbed the Bruschetta mix I bought from Trader Joe's, mixed greens and made a little bed for my egg salad. 

Trader Joe's Bruschetta on top of sourdough crustinis. 

Here is GG fascinated with the Parsley bunch I had after trimming off the leaves.  Her first encounter with raw produce in the kitchen... She wanted to rip those steams apart!

And then she felt how wet they were and she did not like that very much... Sorry GG!

Tacos and Beer Pong

Tacos and Beer Pong.. Oh My! On a cloudy and gloomy Saturday afternoon, hoping and praying to the rain gods not to ruin on our little shindig... we ate Tacos and played Beer Pong for hours on end.  The party started off great, good friends were arriving and we had our choosing of 3 different types of tacos carne asada (beef), pollo (chicken), and al pastor (pork) .  My dear friend, Micheal, hired a "taco lady" for the event, so none of us needed to worry about cooking which was a nice break for us cooks. 

The tacos were good and fulfilling.  The lady was very nice, and was constantly asking us if we wanted some more to eat.  There were at least 20 young men at the party so she definitely had a lot of cooking to do.  I ate the pollo and carne asada tacos topped with green sauce, onions, and cilantro.  On another trip over to get some more tacos, I noticed on the grill, some crispy corn tortillas.  I asked the cook, how she did that, because there wasn't a fryer attached to the grill, and she explained that she just continued to grill the corn tortillas over and over again, until they get nice and crispy... right away I said... wow... and one of those crispy ones please!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to go home and try it myself. 

We played Beer Pong for literally hours.... it all started with a few games, then it turned into a Tournament. The shocking moment the whole night was actually watching My B, play beer pong! And not only was he playing... he was really good at it!!! A friend even an official Beer Pong Table.

Some of us took Beer Pong VERY seriously...

Lastly, we took a group photo of the last group of people that stayed til the very end of the party.  We were all filled with deliciously made tacos, and tasty adult beverages. 

I love....

Sandwiches....

They are one of the Loves of my life... simple but well made bread and an awesome filling (whether that may be, cold cuts and cheese or the classic peanut butter and jelly), I love so many things about sandwiches. Which brings me to my next subject.  Earlier this week, I was talking to a good friend and she mentioned that LA Weekly came out with an article, 99 Things to Eat in LA before you die.  Of course, I immediately opened my laptop and read the article.  I am always looking for neat and yummy places in and around LA to explore.  I found this little bakery in Pasadena called Euro Pane.  The article stated everyone must have the Egg Salad sandwich, served, open faced with medium boiled eggs with sun-dried tomato spread on a choice of toasted bread.  All it took was one bite, and I was in eggy bliss, but the more I ate it, the more I thought to myself... I can make this! So, a few days later, I went and bought another egg salad sandwich, a tuna sandwich (this one fore Tony), side salad for us both, and some yummy desserts. 

I started to dissect the egg salad.. the different flavors... what is in this thing?! I know for sure, medium boiled eggs, salt, pepper, mayo, chives, sun-dried tomato spread, mixed greens and toasted bread.  I am going to duplicate this egg salad! Will keep you posted on my progress. 

Also, got the Tuna with cranberry walnut bread.. the tuna was fresh and did not have the overwhelming tuna smell that we are all too familiar with.  It had a good balance of mayo and the cranberry walnut bread gave it some sweetness. 

Side salad with vinaigrette, I added some grated Parmigiano Reggiano and shook my container to mix all the goodness.  The salad was crisp mixed with the tangy vinaigrette was yummy, but the kicker was the added Parmigiano Reggiano, it gave the salad an extra depth of flavor. 

I also got the Monkey Bread (donut like texture topped with Cinnamon and sugar crumble) and a fruit tart.  I have not yet tried the tart but I hope it tastes just as good as it looks.  I am definitely a visual person, and I always eat with my eyes first.

Dreaming of...

Zucchini and Yellow Squash with some cayenne pepper

yum.. maybe some roasted garlic and chive compound butter on top....

Here's GG saying Hello World!