Sweet and Sour in Boston

Some home cooking pics.

Chicken Korma

Bought from Costco for $9, ready in 5 minutes and surprisingly really, really good. It's not going to replace getting take out from Mela or anything like that, but getting this and having it ready in the fridge whenever we don't want to cook is a nice option. Trader Joes naan is also a nice $2 option.







Huevos Rancheros

Making the refried black beans was easy. Just simmered the black beans from a can on the stove top with a half a can of water. Then on a non-stick skillet, heat some oil and garlic and then add the beans and a little of the water and cook over medium high heat. Use a potato smasher and smash beans, adding water it was simmered in slowly until you get a consistency you like.

I made a guac and the ranchero sauce was really just diced tomatoes and garlic with a little hot sauce added.

Plating was simple. Refried black beans on the bottom, baked crispy tortilla on top of that, some cheese, some ranchero sauce, two sunny side up eggs, and a little guac on top.

Holy crap I haven't posted in a long time. It hasn't been that we haven't gone out to eat anywhere, just been lazy. Here's some quick hits reviews.

Koreana

We got reservations for four on a Friday night for 8pm. Was told that if we weren't there by 8:15pm they were releasing our reservation. I can see why. When we arrived, it was freaking packed. The bar was packed, the sushi bar was packed, the entry way was packed. Our notoriously late friends (island timers) weren't there yet and it was only a couple minutes before 8. Luckily they showed up right on time and we were seated immediately. We ordered a lot of food and all of it good. Pros: bibimbop and bulgogi. The ok, but not as good: Wine Sam Gyup Sal and shrimp. Overall: a great night of food and friends. Definitely get a reservation when you go. I give Koreana a 3 and 1/2 out of 5.



EZ Grill

The greatest invention of all time? Maybe not, but it's close. The EZ Grill is the greatest tailgating accessory ever. Cooks fast, hot, and cleanly. I highly recommend. A 5 out of 5.







Pops

Went here for brunch. Not the cheapest spots for brunch, maybe a couple of dollars too much on each item, but the portions are huge. Huevos Rancheros had a nice touch with refried black beans and the Manwich was just crazy huge and filling. I give it a 4 out of 5. (This review is for brunch only.)





McRib

This is the greatest invention of all time!!!! I am so glad the McRib is back. 1 Million of out 5.




Home Cooking

Made bo luc lac and a Vietnamese fritatta with canned spicy tomatoes. Turned out really good.





I started buying sardines because Alton Brown said it's good for me in helping me lose weight. I made a sardine paste and put it on some toasted bread. Not a bad dinner.

This was one of the best meals we've made in a long time. Homemade meatballs with homemade pasta. So freaking good. Plus I finally used the immersion blender we got as a wedding gift. I'm going to have to recreate the meatballs this weekend, so let's hope I can remember how I made these. All beef meatballs, some bread crumbs, chili paste, parsley, garlic...I'm sure I'll remember it.











On October 2nd OU beat Texas and we attempted to make Banh Xeo at home. It turned out ok, but for some reason the texture wasn't quite right. A little too rubbery instead of crispy. Maybe needed to thin out the batter with more water...However, it did taste pretty good.

My mom used to make this dish for us to eat with rice all the time. It's simply a ground beef frittata. A good recipe can be found here.

I took some liberties with the recipe and made it my own. I used ground beef, black beans, rotel tomatoes and lots of eggs. We served it over rice.

It turned out to be way too much food for two people. but wasn't that bad tasting at all. Maybe next time I'll leave out the black beans though because that took to be the dominant flavor.