happy thanksgiving

  

I am thankful for family, friends, and the delicious meals we share and the fun memories we make.  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  xo

ready for a dinner party!

One of my favorite things to do is host dinner parties + gatherings. Of course you need to have delicious food but presentation + decor is also important. I have been searching for various items to fulfill my vision for the perfect table setting. Thanks to these adorable napkins from Nell and Mary, I think my goal has been achieved. I like to keep things minimal, you don’t want your table to look so crowded, and something as small as napkins can make a difference.

So now that my table is set, let’s get the party started! 🙂

build your own poke bowls

I love a good poke bowl but even more when I get to build my own! Mainland Poke is a new spot in town and has quickly become one of my favorite spots. You start by picking your base, then decide on what fish, add sauces and finish off with toppings. My go-to choices are white rice (they have kale/baby greens for the healthier people out there), tuna and salmon, sriracha aioli for my sauce, avocado, seaweed, onions, Hawaiian salt as my toppings. IT IS SO GOOD! What I like best about this place is that their fish is cut into big chunks where other places chop up the fish into small pieces and it gets mushy.

If you like poke, you definitely need to try this place soon! 🙂

go here: Ostrich Farm

I love meeting up friends for brunch on the weekend. It is one of my favorite things to do. I also love exploring and checking out new places so what’s better than brunch at a new place? 🙂

There are so many hidden gems in Echo Park and Ostrich Farm is one of them. The decor is modern and simple. We sat at a booth and I felt like I could’ve stayed there all day.

The food was hearty and homey. I enjoyed everything and could’ve eaten more. I can’t wait to go back for dinner and try more delicious dishes!

pictured: poached eggs with chickpeas, feta, spicy tomato sauce // lentil bowl with roasted vegetables, chiles, sunny side eggs & tomatillo salsa // mashed avocado, lemon & chili flakes on toast

garlic rosemary steak

Happy new year everyone! Thank you for following me on my food adventures. It has been hard finding time to cook these days but it is one of my resolutions to try and find more time to cook, try new recipes, and host more gatherings.

For my first post in 2015, I wanted to try a new steak recipe. I usually just season my steak with olive oil, salt & pepper but I wanted to try something different this time. I saw this recipe on Bon Appetit for garlic-rosemary steak and gave it try. This would be perfect for anyone who likes rosemary and garlic- lots of strong flavors here. I think I want try making herb butter next time. Let me know if you have any suggestions! 🙂

Recipe for garlic-rosemary steak courtesy of: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/garlic-rosemary-steak

Ingredients:
3/4 cup plus 7 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/4 cup 1-inch pieces rosemary sprigs
1 1/2 pounds hanger or flank steaks, cut into four 6-ounce steaks
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
6 large garlic cloves, sliced
Coarse sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation:
Heat 3/4 cup oil and rosemary in a small saucepan over medium heat until oil begins to bubble and an instant-read thermometer registers 140°, about 2 minutes. Let steep at room temperature for at least 2 hours or cover and chill overnight (the longer it steeps, the more flavorful it will be). Strain oil; discard rosemary. Set rosemary oil aside.

Rub steaks with 1 Tbsp. olive oil; season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Quickly sear steaks on all sides and transfer to a cutting board (they will still be quite rare; you’ll finish cooking them shortly). Let rest for 10 minutes.

Clean and dry skillet. Cook remaining 4 Tbsp. oil and garlic in skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until garlic is dark brown but not burnt, 3–4 minutes. Remove pan from heat; discard garlic. Transfer 2 Tbsp. garlic oil to a small bowl; reserve.

Cut steaks against the grain into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Heat remaining garlic oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add half of sliced steak to skillet and cook, turning once, until cooked to desired doneness, 1–2 minutes for medium-rare. Add 1 Tbsp. rosemary oil; toss. Transfer steak and oil to a platter. Repeat with reserved garlic oil, steak, and 1 Tbsp. rosemary oil.

Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with more rosemary oil, if desired.

new spot: Dinette

If you haven’t gone to Dinette yet, then you must go soon. It’s a cute little cafe in Echo Park that serves coffee, breakfast items & pastries. You order from the window and can take food to go or enjoy sitting at one of the tables.

The first time I went with a friend, we couldn’t help ourselves saying comments out loud while we were eating- like “mmmm”, “omg this is so good”. And it really is that good. Everything is DELICIOUS. I might make it one of my goals to try every single item on the menu and every single pastry on display.

It’s tempting not to over order when you look at the menu because it all sounds good.

You can never go wrong with avocado toast.

The waffle with poached egg and bacon is a must have. The combination of sweet and savory is mouth watering.

This breakfast pizza is also a must have. I mean, just look at that egg.

quick & easy appetizer: endive leaves with goat cheese

If you are going to a Thanksgiving dinner or gathering this week or throwing a party and need a quick & easy appetizer, try making endive leaves with goat cheese! All you do is mix softened goat cheese, 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh dill, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Then you add a spoonful of the cheese mixture onto each endive leaf. Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper & dill. I like the crunch from the leaves and the savory cheese. It just takes a few minutes to mix and assemble everything and you’ll have a plate of pretty leaves in no time!

the first Simply Delish Gathering

Last night, I was so excited to host the first Simply Delish Gathering with a fellow foodie, the lovely & talented Stephanie Chang. We were surrounded by great guests, delicious food & fun conversations. Thank you to everyone who attended! I am so thankful to be able to meet new people and be inspired by others.

Our theme was a late autumn gathering and we decorated the table with pumpkins, persimmons, leaves & each person had an apple with a name tag (idea from Pinterest).

We served citrus herb roasted chickens as one of the main dishes. This was the juiciest chicken I ever had, made by Steph. Check out her recipe on how to perfectly roast chicken.

I wish I took some more photos of the food but I was just too excited to sit down and start eating! Thank you to Steph for being an amazing co-host and to our new friends 🙂

weekend recap: apple picking + apple tarts

My friend Aileen & I decided to go on a little adventure and go apple picking. The nearest apple farms we could find were out in Oak Glen so we took a nice little drive to Willowbrook Apple Farm. It’s over an hour away from Los Angeles so it’s not close but we had lots to catch up on during the drive 🙂

The farm was so cute. There were several trees we could pick apples from. There is no fee to enter- you just have to pick the bag size you want and pay a flat rate. They also have an apple cider making station and sell yummy caramel apples. It was such a lovely activity to do during the day.

I was happy to come home with a bag of crisp, ripe apples and decided to make apple tarts. It is so easy to make if you already have frozen puff pastry.

Just slice the apples and pour brown sugar & salt on top. Then place the slices on top of the puff pastry and bake! You can find my previous post/full recipe on apple tarts here 🙂

roasted chicken legs with lemon & thyme

One of my cooking goals is to cook a whole chicken. I have yet to do so but for now, I will settle with roasted chicken legs. I just did my own thing by sprinkling the legs with salt and pepper and then searing them in a pan with olive oil. Afterwards, I put them in a baking pan and topped with sliced lemons, garlic and thyme. Then I let it cook in the oven for about 30 min. It came out juicy and flavorful.. perfect for a simple dinner. I think I will try the same thing with a whole chicken next time! 🙂

Ingredients:
chicken legs
olive oil
salt & freshly ground pepper
fresh thyme leaves
lemon, sliced
garlic clovers

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt & pepper on each leg. Add olive oil to a pan and sear the legs until they start to brown.

Place the legs in a baking pan and top with sliced lemons, garlic clovers & thyme leaves. Bake for about 30 minutes.