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ktmoomau

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Everything posted by ktmoomau

  1. ktmoomau
    They likely will have this, but they specifically asked me to help stock the chest freezer they just bought, so this will probably get used after the meal train ends. I might cheat a little though and pick up a few nice frozen items from some local places- i.e. Italian Store, etc, to go along with what I make them.
  2. ktmoomau
    So I am trying to think of meals that I can make to stock my SIL's freezer as she and my BIL are having a baby soon. I freeze a lot of items- mainly when I have an excess of items, but don't necessarily freeze a lot of whole meals, as I don't have a huge freezer. What are your favorite frozen meals you make for you, or take for others? I was trying to think of things that were satisfying, but I could also make somewhat healthy, these are the ideas I came up with: Tamales, chicken and veggie enchiladas, lasagna, whole wheat waffles, green mac and cheese, stuffed shells, soup- maybe like a brunswick stew. Searching on pinterest is difficult for this one as a lot of people's freezer meals are just huge lists, or are things that aren't very gourmet or lack any sort of vegetable component. Bonus points for items that can be made in nicely stackable tin or plastic containers.
  3. ktmoomau
    This continues to be the best restaurant in Alexandria, that some people and no one knows about at the same time. Which is good as it is a really small restaurant, and you do need a reservation. We started with a wonderful dashi with enoki mushrooms and fish (I can't remember which), next course we upgraded the sashimi and had toro, urchin, river trout, and a range of other fish, all of them where just delicious. The next course was pork tenderloin with a foie gras, miso sauce and roasted eggplant- again really nicely done, very rich, but balanced with the nice grilling of the eggplant. Main course was a curry mussel udon/french onion soup mixture. That sounds like a terrible combination, but it was quite delicious, I would have loved to have taken the leftover broth home to put some ramen noodles into the next day. It made the dish very unxious, the udon noodles though cut through the richness, and the mussels were really plump. Last course was a yam ice cream and small crispy roll with red bean inside. The meal from start to finish was just delicious, the pacing was good, our server was really nice. It is a very close space, and if you can get the bar seating, I really enjoy that. Really the food here is quite complex and just really focused.
  4. ktmoomau
    Closed- this last weekend was their last I believe. It is really too bad, they had the best wings in Alexandria hands down. We got their wings delivered one last time last night.
  5. ktmoomau
    We went with friends to try a few things on Saturday night. There was a small wait (about 20 minutes). I liked how modern and clean the space was. They have a drink menu, but we got hot tea. We had: BBQ pig feet- I really liked these and they weren't as spicy as other items, so I would come back to them to fend off a little heat of other items. Dry fried cauliflower- this was really good. A lot of places have dishes like this now (Kung Pao Cauliflower, buffalo cauliflower), but I liked the dish. Not spicy, and again a bite you could come back to after spicy for a little balance. Scallion Bubble pancake- this was fun, not the best thing we ate, but I liked the crisp and tender balance. It seems like a hard bread to make, and I always like seeing interesting bread items. Chang's favorite beef jerky- this had a little ma-la taste to it, not super spicy, but not mild. I liked the scallions with it, it had a nice chew but wasn't overly dry. Grandma's original fish balls- these were so light and tender, not at all the normal rubbery fish ball you may have experienced. This may have been my favorite order of the night, just because the texture and taste was so well done. Farmer's chicken chili pot- the chicken in this dish was amazingly tender, and it wasn't as chunky as other "farmer" type dishes. The bean sprouts underneath had a really nice flavor to them as they soaked up the sauce- not spicy, but well seasoned. Pickled Chili Flounder fish Pot- this was the spiciest dish of the night. I coughed after the first bite. But it had a good sour/spicy flavor to it, and again the fish was really tender, and not rubbery or overdone. Glutinous rice with brown sugar- essentially the Chinese churro- in a good way.
  6. ktmoomau
    Hubby can't make it, open up that spot on the waitlist.
  7. ktmoomau
    Last week was a big batch of beef vegetable soup, with beef roast that I cooked in the instant pot with some beef broth, and then once easy to cut/shred, I added to a dutch oven with some vegetables from the freezer- corn, peas, green beans, limas and crushed tomatoes. Bay leaf, oregano, a little seasoned salt that I am trying to use up, and pepper. Hot sauce and saltines on the side. Last night was ground turkey, bell pepper and onion stuffed enchilladas with red chile sauce and cheese. Served with a can of Trader Joes Cuban style black beans (which I really like as they seem a bit softer from the can and are a bit easier to digest) and guacamole. Tonight will be tamales that I defrosted from the freezer. And then a reckoning of sorts for what I want to cook going forward. The fridge is a little empty, the pantry has a lot of items, but not full meals, I kind of need to do ingredient cull.
  8. ktmoomau
    I am in for that date. Hubby generally has to work all President's weekend, but let me check with him. I might be a plus one.
  9. ktmoomau
    I'm in depending on date, likely with Hubby.
  10. ktmoomau
    I went to Whole Foods right before NYE for some cheese and other party items. The one in Pentagon City, because we were right there anyway. They were OF COURSE out of stock of collard greens. (At least Giant had them in the canned section.) I bought a butternut squash that got moldy two days later- that was very disappointing. I bought another piece of produce that I ended up tossing, I forget what it was, and the celery went bad really quick, as well. I used to go to Whole Foods for produce that was a little nicer than some other places, but that trip really let me down. I HATE throwing away food. I normally can find a way to use stuff- even if it means I juice it, freeze it, etc, to use it in time, but these really caught me off guard as it was so fast that they went from decent looking produce to bad.
  11. ktmoomau
    Hey Weezy, Question- we have some old, and I am sure inexpensive knives in my work office. I would like for one of them to be able to cut things here at the office if need be- a block of cheese, an apple, more easily. Is it worth having something sharpened, or should I just go to Teeter/Target or something and buy a couple new knives for the office? I don't like to waste things, so I would prefer to just get them sharpened. I also have some of my collection that you have sharpened before that I need to arrange drop, so could do it at the same time if sharpening is appropriate.
  12. ktmoomau
    All of them!!! Ha,ha,ha. So the second Saturdays look fun. They will be doing a little retail then for cheese. The Alpines she brought to our class were really delicious. I didn't realize how much I liked Alpine cheese. The private class prices aren't terrible if you can put a group together. I would do a more specific class than what we did- which was a pairing class, but as a first class the pairing was super fun!
  13. ktmoomau
    I was just there last weekend for a friend's birthday. Bottomless Brunch. All the brunch items were good, and they managed to have a few vegetables, so that was appreciated. The potatoes are crack, especially when I have been limiting my carbs a bit. It was a good place for a birthday in their private room. But man the Penn Quarter location is loud when you are outside that room. I must be getting old. I need to try this chicken obviously.
  14. ktmoomau
    This weekend, staying at the Huntington Hotel (I love this hotel, they are normally great). We used to go a lot, but haven't been back in a few years, we will be back in May too, which will be during our wedding anniversary. Splitting this trip with Napa. Probably won't split the May trip, unless we REALLY love Napa. I grabbed a res at Rooh for one meal. But give me recs for May!
  15. ktmoomau
    Last night was green pasta with pesto from the freezer and TJ fresh English peas. We had a side of greek turkey meatballs that I made with onion, egg, breadcrumbs, feta and some herbs. I also finished the butternut pear soup I had made. (Topping it with a little cheese and bacon made it just a little more interesting) Last week was salmon curry with ramen noodles one night, homemade turkey green chile verde tamales with rice, beans, salsa and guac another. We have been doing a lot of delivery recently just because Hubby has been sick and I have had events. I'm hoping to convince him to grill some steaks since it is halfway decent out at night.
  16. ktmoomau
    I was talking to the CheeseMonster at a recent class, and she was saying that for cheese- while European cheese are subsidized- that if you have no cheeses at those lower price points, it is hard to get people in the door to a specialty cheese shop, and because the selection will be lower overall it will be doubly hard to get people in the door to better cheese shops. Also they will be paying more in freight that was often distributed with other products which now won't be as high of orders. It was a very interesting conversation- I wish I could recall more of it.
  17. ktmoomau
    We had these I think in Chengdu- you could load up on skewers you choose, take your choice up front, they would have you select a garlic or spicy broth, and bring your skewers in a cold brother of whichever of those you selected. There was all sorts of meat and vegetables. I loved the lotus root. It was a big street snack, although lots of fast casual places did this too. They loved this, so if they haven't been to EDH for this, we might have to go here with them and check it out!
  18. ktmoomau
    You have the exact same sentiments as my husband on this. It's why we haven't been to some places we would otherwise go.
  19. ktmoomau
    Sequoia was in a YouTube vlog I saw and looked beautiful, nice to know it is good! Thank you, thank you, very helpful!!!!
  20. ktmoomau
    Thanks to you and DishGo for the recs. Have any winery recs? Likely only have time to visit 1-2. I don't mind trying to reserve something, and don't mind paying a good bit for a tasting. Noted on Swan Oyster, I might be able to do that when I go back in May!
  21. ktmoomau
    Would you rather have stayed there and go into Hoi An, or have stayed in both?
  22. ktmoomau
    Ok, planning a trip to Vietnam with my Mom, I likely would do a good two week trip, maybe even a couple more to add in travel days- Things we like to do: beaches, shopping- Mom will love the custom dress making, eating, cool tours, temples, etc. My Mom is older, and not super athletic- she is fine, but we aren't going to do bike tours for long distances, climb tons and tons of stairs or home stays. We can bike around a city, hike some, etc, just not epic adventures I might go on with Hubby. We will do a normal plan of flying into Ho Chi Minh/Hanoi and flying out the other. Mom really wants some time on Halong Bay- and that type of environment is one I haven't gotten yet from my other trips. I am trying to figure out where to prioritize along the way. We loved Bali and Croatia and that is kind of the feel we are going for a mix of beach, water, history, shopping, food. We will likely do flights for big distances, unless the night trains give us a lot more time in one place we want to see. But I want Mom to be comfortable. I have been to Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, China- so I am not quite as enamored the big city, temples thing as I was on my first trip over, but want to see all the cool things, and don't want Mom to miss out. I would like thoughts on itinerary: Hanoi with day trip to Ninh Binh (3 days) (Vintage Vespa Tour to see city highlights, Ninh Binh Tour) Halong Bay (2 nights, I heard one wasn't really enough to be able to spend a lot of time there, need to find a good company to use) Hoi An (4 Days) Hue/Da Lat/ Nha Trang (This is where I need advice) Ho Chi Minh City (2 days) (Saigon Street Eats Tour or Other Foodie tour) Thoughts on places you liked- preferences city to city and why? Also interested somewhat in things to do/ tours/ food recs- but I figure there are so many places, and we will mainly be eating by what we are near. Anyway, not many posts above, hoping a few more people have been.
  23. ktmoomau
    Last night was pounded chicken breast with garlic and herb seasoning, Brussels sprouts roasted until crispy topped with a hot honey sauce, and a bit of butternut squash puree. Last week was mostly turkey sandwiches on white bread. It's just amazing how good freshly roasted turkey breast is on white bread with a little Duke's Mayo.
  24. ktmoomau
    I gained 2 pounds back over the holiday- BUT ONLY 2! I will take that. I don't feel too bad about that. And really since I started WW I was so busy at work I wasn't working out. So hoping that helps get me back on track.
  25. ktmoomau
    Going out to SF and Napa and will likely be back in May- this trip we have 2 1/2 days- 3 days in Napa, 2 days in SF. A shorter time in SF as we will likely be back in the Spring. For SF I am having a big debate, there are just so many places I haven't been, and at this point I can't really remember all the places we have been. Matt and I have been on a bend lately of preferring a little less big tasting menu, and a little more interesting and hole in the wall places. But Matt would put up with one more fancy tasting menu format likely. Matt would like to go to 21st Amendment at least to have a beer, and the Tonga room for a drink (no biggee as we are at Huntington). Places we have liked before: Anchor and Hope, Spruce, San Sun Restaurant, Out the Door, some really good Ramen place in Japan Town, Nopa, Tacolicious, Chris Cosentino's previous restaurant- forget the name, Flour + Water... I can't remember if we went to SPQR or if I just liked their cookbook? I was thinking of trying: Tsuta, Chong Qing Xiao Mian or Hang Ah, Farmhouse Kitchen Thai, and/or maybe an Italian like Locanda (Delfina was on my list till I read about it being pretentious, that isn't our style)... Californios or Rooh also looked good. And we have never been to La Taqueria... Thoughts?
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