Japanese Pot Roast

Really hoping that I'm not jinxing the potential prolonging of winter by posting this recipe! Although I will have to say, one positive about winter is the cozy meals that we get to make and enjoy. I just love sitting at home on a cold weekend winter day and smelling the slow roast of whatever is sitting in my baby dutch oven. Gotta pull out the positives of the changing seasons, right?!

So this winter recipe puts a modern twist on a traditional dish via Williams Sonoma's cooking blog, a new fave website of mine, by the way. The soy and mirin and subtle hint of star of anise really pull the flavors together and the tenderness of the meat. Ohhhhh the tenderness of the meat. The Japanese word "boro boro" comes to mind when thinking salivating over the condition of the meat. Boro boro translates to falling apart and after 2.5 hours of slow heat on the stove top, this meat certainly is perfect! Most grocery stores should carry the Japanese ingredients listed in the recipe, but if not, any Asian or even organic grocer should do the trick.

Enjoy the rest of winter!

Served with Haiga brown rice and miso soup with seaweed. Garnished with green onions

 

Wanderlust Wednesday: Coron

It's almost cruel to myself to post about a place so warm and relaxing while I sit here in ten degree weather in Chicago, but looking back I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to take this trip. Here goes.

Last December I took a trip to the Philippines to attend a wedding just outside of Manila, so added a few island getaways to the mix during my 2 week trip. The trip was very reasonably priced once we finally got to the Philippines , but with 15 hours from Chicago to Hong Kong, 2 hours from Hong Kong to Manila and roughly an hour from Manila to Coron, you can only assume the transportation costs. But it's all worth it once you finally get there!

So here are some photos from Coron, an area of the Palawan Province, just about an hour flight away from Manila. Travel & Leisure highlighted Palawan as No. 1 on the World's Best Island list last summer, so it was only natural that I take that advice before it becomes the next big thing! Our Coron portion of the trip lasted only three days, but everyday we woke up early to go on boating excursions that took us to to fresh water lakes, deserted islands, prime snorkeling spots, hiking. Our boating tour guides helped us select fresh seafood from the "wet market" in the mornings and cooked it for us mid-excursion. We even drank fresh coconut water! Typing this out makes me feel like it was all a dream as the beaches were the most pristine that I have ever seen in my life, the people so accommodating and the seafood so fresh. Take me back.

Next up on the Wanderlust list: Boracay and Manila.

 

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Tanta

I really hate to keep saying "I found my new favorite restaurant", but I just can't help it sometimes. This is Chicago after all and there are too many good eats to choose from. However, I'd like to say this time, I mean it!

Drum roll...Tanta. Sean and I went to Tanta a few weeks ago for his birthday and all the critical pieces of a great dining experience exist at Tanta-great decor, service, booze and of course the food. Gaston Acurio, Tanta's owner and Peruvian restaurant king (his restaurant in Lima is currently No. 14 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list), has brought it. I mean brought. It. I've dined at Acurios' La Mar in San Francisco, but Tanta is just so, well, Chicago. Much more casual, with the freshest of ingredients.

I always love learning new things during these experiences too; this time I learned about a new type of Japanese fusion called Nikei, which is Peruvian-Japanese. I mean, what?! Eastern flavors prepared with South American influences. Uniquely perfect. In my mouth. 

See what we ordered below. 

And yeah, I'm definitely going back.

Mural work by a Chicago artist

oh, hello

 

Pisco Sour (Pisco: yellowish-to-amber colored grape brandy produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile)

Nikei menu: Pobre (left)-skirt steak, quail egg Criollo (right)-scallops, smoky sesame beef, huacatay cream

Grilled Octopus on top of a delicious whipped peruvian mashed potato dallop

Empanadas

More Nikei

Braised lamp shank, cilantro, aji amarillo, cannelli beans, radish criolla

2014

What? It's already 2014?! 

2013 flew by and here I am three months without a blog post. Considering I moved into a home, traveled 8000 miles from home to the Philippines (post to come) and am planning a wedding, I have just been trying to catch up with the day to day. Grateful for everything that 2013 brought and looking forward to sharing more of my Chicago experiences in 2014!

Here's what I've been up to this last month: polar vortex snap shooting from the sky, perusing town for wedding fabric and home goods decor at the Grand Ave Design District, window shopping, eating (per the usual) and getting gussied up for a formal event downtown. More to come from this last month!

Shot taken on January 14th

Stella McCartney beauties that have been added to my wish list via Saks Michigan Ave

West Loop Goodwill find

Mindy's Hot Chocolate late night goodness

Eenie meenie miney moe.  J Crew, Sue Wong and Asos

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO