101 things in 1001 days

so i gave up on 7x7

Kind of. Every time I go up to the city, I forget to look up beforehand what to eat and internet is too slow to look stuff up when i’m there. Now i just want to hit up all the places on the list instead of specifically ordering those dishes.

1. Roast chicken and bread salad at Zuni

2. Coffee-rubbed pork shoulder at Range

3. Carnitas taco at La Taqueria

4. Spicy crab and grits at the Front Porch 3/18/2009

5. Chasu ramen at Katana-Ya

6. Burger with fries at Slow Club

7. Shaking beef at the Slanted Door

8. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery

9. Tofu soup with kimchi at My Tofu House

10. Baja-style fish tacos at Nick’s Crispy Tacos

11. Pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina 11/11/2009

12. Porchetta sandwich at RoliRoti at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

13. Soup dumplings at Shanghai House

14. Beef brisket at Memphis Minnie’s

15. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot

16. Katsu curry from Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill

17. Tea-leaf salad at Burma Superstar

18. Salumi misti plate at Perbacco

19. Tuna tartare at Michael Mina

20. Chicken pot pie at Liberty Café

21. Pizza margherita at Pizzeria Delfina

22. Vietnamese roasted pork sandwich at Saigon Sandwich

23. Beer sausage with sauerkraut and grilled onions at Rosamunde Sausage Grill 2/16/2009

24. Blue Bell Bitter from the cask at Magnolia Pub

25. Loaf of bread straight out of the oven at Tartine (bonus: sliced while still warm and slathered with Brillat- Savarin cheese from Bi-Rite, down the block)

26. A classic gin martini at Bourbon & Branch

27. Papaya salad with salty crab at Sai Jai Thai

28. A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Café

29. Spaetzle at Suppenküche

30. Laughing Buddha cocktail at Cantina

31. Pan con chocolate with sea salt and olive oil at Laïola

32. Pupusas at Balompie Café #3

33. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib

34. Yellowtail collar at Oyaji

35. Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery 11/11/2009

36. Dry-fried chicken wings at San Tung

37. Rotisserie chicken at Limón Rotisserie

38. French fries at Hayes Street Grill

39. Pierna Enchilada torta at La Torta Gorda

40. Cheeseburger at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher

41. Pho ga at Turtle Tower

42. Fried-shrimp po’boy at Brenda’s French Soul Food

43. Mint julep at Alembic

44. Cannelé at Boulangerie Bay Bread

45. Galapagos cocktail at Absinthe

46. Chips and salsa at Papalote

47. Ceviche at La Mar Cebichería Peruana

48. Angels on horseback at Anchor & Hope

49. Ginger snaps at Miette

50. Giant pretzel with mustard at The Monk’s Kettle

51. Maccaronara with ricotta salata at A16

52. Fried brussels sprouts at SPQR

53. Garlic soup at Piperade

54. Spiced-chocolate doughnut at Dynamo Donut with a Four Barrel coffee

55. Milk-roasted pork at L’Osteria del Forno

56. Caponatina with burrata at Beretta

57. Goat stew at Kokkari Estiatorio

58. Absinthe daiquiri at Jardinière 3/19/2009

59. Huarache with cactus salad at El Huarache Loco (Saturdays at the Alemany farmers market)

60. The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza 2/19/2009

61. Crab soufflé at Café Jacqueline

62. Shrimp-and-chive dumplings at Ton Kiang

63. Meatballs with grapes at Aziza

64. Paper masala dosa at Dosa

65. Crispy eggplant at Jai Yun

66. Pig parts at Incanto

67. Sand dabs at Tadich Grill

68. Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

69. Licorice parfait at South

70. Omakase menu at Sebo

71. A Fernet at R Bar

72. Arancini at Ducca

73. Popovers with strawberry butter at the Rotunda

74. Corned-beef sandwich with Gruyère at the Sentinel

75. Fried green beans at Coco500

76. Chicken hash at Ella’s

77. Eggs benedict on the back patio at Zazie

78. Chilaquiles with a fried egg at Pastores

79. Onion strings at Alfred’s Steakhouse

80. Apple fritter at Bob’s Donuts

81. Chicken curry at Punjab Kabab House

82. Fried chickpeas at Piqueo’s

83. Sweet-potato fries with banana catsup at Poleng Lounge

84. A margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant

85. Pulled-pork sandwich at Roadside BBQ

86. A cheese slice at Arinell Pizza

87. Fresh spring rolls at Out the Door

88. Buckwheat crepe and a French cider at Ti Couz

89. Lamb schawerma at Truly Mediterranean

90. Slow-cooked egg at Coi

91. Albondigas soup at Mijita

92. Bacon-wrapped hot dog from a cart in the Mission (preferably when you’re drunk)

93. Seven courses of beef at Pagolac

94. Mango with chile, lemon and salt at Doña Tere’s cart (At the corner of 21 and Treat Streets, no phone)

95. 3 a.m. bowl of caldo verde soup at Grubstake

96. Baby-coconut ice cream from Mitchell’s 10/17/2009

97. Sesame balls at Yank Sing

98. Basil gimlet at Rye

99. Clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Co.

100. Cheese course at Gary Danko

60. Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Hazelnuts

via use real butter
makes 4 mini loaves

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups smashed, very ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I usually put in 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Mix in the bananas. Combine dry ingredients and mix into batter alternately with the sour cream. Add nuts and chips. Mix well. Pour into four greased mini loaf pans (I just lined with parchment paper), or one bundt pan, and bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. (Not wet and gloppy, but moist crumbs are okay).

picture via

101. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

via joy the baker
makes 45 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips, or any chip you like

Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool cimpletely.

Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Notes: instead of using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop, I just used my normal mini scoop and baked for 10-12 min. Also, instead of powdered sugar after baking, I sprinkled the cookies with turbinado and demerrara sugar before baking.

email from a coworker

Hi Everybody,

As you may know, the Philippines has fallen victim to the most devastating typhoon it’s seen in over four decades: Typhoon Ondoy.  Since Typhoon Ondoy, 280,000 people have been displaced and there have been over 300 fatalities.  Almost directly after Typhoon Ondoy, another huge storm went through the Philippines, and directly hit my mom’s home town Tuguegarao, on the island of Luzon.

The organization I was in at SF State, League of Filipino Students (LFS), and the alliance to which they belong, BAYAN-USA, have been working non-stop over the past week or so to collect donations to send directly to the victims of the Typhoon.  I wanted to share ways in which you can help us… only if you have time, resources, and are willing to do so.  No pressure at all!!

1. Donate Money Online:  Go to http://bayanusa.org/ and donate through PayPal.  These funds go directly to victims and don’t go through a lot of the bureaucracies associated with large non-profits like, say, the Red Cross.
2. Donate Supplies/Money at Drop-Off Sites: We accept boxes (to send donations), medical supplies, non-perishable food, blankets, clothing, office or school supplies, toys or kids’ comfort items, etc.  **Right now, the biggest need is for big boxes and medical supplies (ie. vitamins, bandages, hydrogen peroxide, Tylenol and Advil)**.  Here are the drop-off sites:

• • Filipino Community Center (FCC) - 4681 Mission St. , San Francisco , CA
    • Monday through Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm
  • Liwanag Kultural Center (LKC) - 222 Lausanne Ave , at the hillside Park Clubhouse, Daly City , CA
    • Monday – Friday, 3:30pm – 6:30pm
    • Sunday, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
  • Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership– 310 Eigth St., Suite 215 , Oakland , CA
    • Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 6:00pm
  • United Methodist Church – 474 Southgate , Daly City , CA .
    • Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 6:00pm
  • Filipino Youth Coalition and Filipino Community Support – Corner of Kenesta Way and Clarice Dr. , San Jose , CA
    • Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 6:00pm
  • Valley Fair United Methodist Church – 1251 Sandia Ave. , Sunnyvale , CA
  • Me! I can collect any donations you are willing to give and bring it to FCC or LKC.

1. Learn more for yourself: You can visit the blog about our relief efforts and how you can help at http://bayanihan4ondoy.wordpress.com/
2. Spread the Word: ‘Cuz knowledge is power!

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  Anything you can do to help will go a long way to those in need.

Instead of donating what I’ve saved to MSF like I had planned originally, I’ll be giving to BAYAN-USA.

and the jay-z song was on...

sheesh that is a bad song.

alright time for the updates.

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60. Rapid Ragu

via nigella lawson
serves 4

2 tbsp. garlic oil
1 cup cubed pancetta
1 lb. ground lamb
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups sliced onions (about 2 medium onions)
⅓ cup Marsala
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes
⅓ cup green lentils
½ cup water
½ cup grated red Leicester or Cheddar (optional)

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions are a deep golden brown and soft, about 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure to use a gentle heat and cook the onions slowly so they don’t burn.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a wide, medium-sized saucepan, and fry the pancetta until beginning to crisp. Add the lamb breaking it up with a fork in the bacony pan as it browns. Tip in the caramelized onions, Marsala, tomatoes, lentils and water and bring the pan to the boil. Simmer the ragu for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Sprinkle over the cheese before serving, if using.

Notes: I used italian sausage instead of lamb, so I opted out of pancetta too. Instead of buying or making garlic oil, I just minced two garlic cloves and tossed it in after browning the sausage. Didn’t know if it made a difference, but I let the garlic brown a little in the sausage/oil for a bit, then threw in the lentils for a bit and coated it with the oil too. Also used the Marsala to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Didn’t let the ragu simmer for the whole twenty minutes because I didn’t time cooking pasta well and didn’t want it to overcook. Lentils may have been underdone but since no one in my family had had lentils before, they didn’t notice.

60. S'mores Brownies

via joy the baker
makes 9x13 pan of brownies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup graham cracker, roughly crushed with your hands
12 big marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9×13-inch baking pan with 2-inch-high sides. Combine first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Stir butter and chocolate in a medium sized bowl over a  heavy  saucepan of simmering water.  Stir chocolate and butter in this double boiler until melted and smooth.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Stir in warm chocolate mixture, then dry ingredients. Fold in graham crackers.  Pour batter into prepared pan. Dot with 12 large marshmallows.  Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30- 40 minutes minutes.

Marshmallows will be browned and puffy but will deflate as the brownies cool.  Cool for at least 20 minutes than slice with a sharp knife, cleaning the knife with hot water if it gets too messy and sticky.  Serve or wrap individually in wax paper for storing.