New Nikon Camera

Went to LA flower market and arrange some flower for baby showers. 

Potstickers from Dean Sin World

Brentwood Farmer's Market Dinner

I had to make dinner for one last night and last weekend I went to Brentwood Farmer's Market Dinner and bought a bunch of vegetables, specifically some corn and cauliflower.

Have you guys been to Blue Cow restaurant in Downtown LA? Food is pretty good but what is memorable is the Singaporean Roasted Curried Cauliflower. It comes in a brown bag and it's kind of like a popcorn cauliflower. I've been trying to recreate this dish for months but unsuccessfully. I do find one that is pretty tasty here. 

Roasted Curried Cauliflower Recipe

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 1 large cauliflower (or several small ones), ~2 lbs
• Curry powder
• Olive oil
• Kosher or sea salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Break cauliflower into medium-small florets and place into large bowl or baking pan. Be sure the pieces are as evenly sized as possible, or they will cook unevenly. The smaller you make the pieces, the quicker they will cook and the more caramelized they will become, which I consider a good thing.

Drizzle cauliflower pieces generously with olive oil and season well with salt and curry powder. Distribute evenly in a single layer at the bottom of a baking pan. If necessary, use a second baking pan to be sure the pieces aren’t too crowded.

Cover the pans with foil and place into the oven. Roast, covered for 10-15 minutes. The cauliflower should be slightly soft and start looking translucent. If not replace foil and cook another 5 minutes.

When the cauliflower has finished steaming, remove the foil and toss with tongs. Continue to roast, stirring every 8-10 minutes until the tips of the cauliflower begin to brown and become crisp as pictured. Approximately 30-35 minutes. (It only took me 15 minutes of turning it around instead of 30 minutes).

Adjust salt to taste (you will probably need another sprinkle) and serve.

Another simple recipe I did is a super easy roasted corn from here. 

Garlic Corn on the Cob

 INGREDIENTS:

12 ears corn, husked and cleaned 12 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat grill for medium heat, or preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Place each ear of corn on a separate square of aluminum foil. Place 1 tablespoon of butter on each one, and sprinkle with garlic powder. Wrap ears tightly with the foil.
3.	Place ears of corn on the grill or in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning over occasionally.

 The very important thing to note is just oven at 350 degrees F and corn for 20-30 minutes. I just added garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper.

Voila dinner is ready!

Dahlias

Bought some dahlias from the Brentwood Farmers' Market. Two bunches for $4. They don't last as long though mm... may have to look into other flowers next time.

Banana Bread with Walnut from Tyler Florence's Recipe

I have some sad looking bananas in the pantry today and because I'm bored, I started to browse for a banana bread recipe.

This one from Tyler Florence for banana bread pops out because it seems easy and it is easy! So the banana bread is yummy but I only had 3 bananas when it required 4 bananas and I think that is why mine came out a little bit dry. I substituted Walnuts for Pecans since I was out. Noticed also how my photos are coming out great ;) Arthur gave me a Nikon D3100 camera that I am trying to use more and more.

Give this recipe a try and tell me what you guys think!

Banana Bread with Pecans

Total Time:

2 hr 50 min

Prep

25 min

Inactive

1 hr 10 min

Cook

1 hr 15 min

Yield:

1 loaf

Level:

Intermediate

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 overripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.

Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.