House of Zeta

Good food, drinks, friends and ukulele!!!

Category: Lab On The GO (Page 4 of 4)

Japanese Market

December 3, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Another Turkey day has come and gone and we are sad to see it go. Unfortunately we  arrived at our destination late so we didn’t get any pictures of what was made.  There was the usual suspects, more about Turkey, cost green beans stuffing cranberries but  with a few new items.  I made Jason’s famous smoked sweet potato/potato mash, there was a refreshing fennel salad, more sweet potatoes with paprika, and Anna’s butternut squash with parmesan cheese, thyme and fresh parsley.  Luckily for us Jason did take pictures and made a fabulous pumpkin pie that disappeared faster than giblet gravy!  Or was it a pumpkin pie?  I told everyone I would let them know what was it it but not til after.  So without further ado the secret ingredients in the the pies were Butternut Squash and Brandy.  No pumpkins were harmed in the making of this pie.  We got the recipe from The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/video/2012/11/14/dining/100000001903215/pumpkin-pie.html  We thought, hmmmm interesting lets do it! The results speak for themselves.  Two pies gone in no time.  We also had an actual pumpkin pie and it was also delicious.  But I think from now on it’s Butternut Squash Pie that will be made in The Lab.

So for my birthday we did a couple things, view one of them was go to our favorite Japanese market the Mitsuwa Marketplace in New Jersey.  The prices are amazing and the selection is always interesting and different.   We usually end up with half the store and very full bellies.  This time we actually ate before we shopped, viagra
but not before taking a quick spin around.   We had a great meal of Spicy Melty Pork Ramen and Pork Don.  Then went in for the kill.  We started in the produce department grabbed some Kyo Ninjin carrots from the local Suzuki farm, along with some daikon radish, and Chinese cucumbers we pickled using a Miso Pickling Mix.   We also grabbed a jar of Teriyaki mushrooms,  a package of dried mushrooms for soup,  some saki, wasabi peas,  instant miso soup and instant curry for those long busy days at work  when you have little time for lunch.  We always pick up something we have no idea of what it is,  this time it was a package of unusual veggies in water.   To me they are screaming soup!!!  We actually showed great restraint this time.  With only two bags of goodies we walked away happy and not over burdened with what we purchased.  All in all it was a good Birthday outing.

Hurricane Kimchi

October 28, 2012 / / 0 Comments

What did you do during Tropical storm Irene or Hurricane Sandy? If your like us, price you trekked to Chinatown and played the theme song to Gilligan’s Island at Dub Pies or trekked to Chinatown and performed at a un-ukuklele cabaret as Rocky Horror Picture Show and made kimchi. Chances are your not, story but lucky for you we actually braved both storms to make this fermented gold. Here are some pictures of our crazy adventures.

Beach Camping

October 9, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Camping season is almost over. Well for most people. We will be starting our forest camping and may even do a bit of winter camping. If Jason has any say it will include waking up to a fresh snow fall. But that is another post. This post is about beach camping. We were very lucky this year. Usually we only get one weekend before the mosquitos devour everything in their path. Thanks to a mild winter and an even milder summer we were lucky enough to get in 5 camping weekends! Sun, adiposity sand, erectile riding waves, unhealthy ukuleles and great food. It was a dream summer. We usually set out on Friday or Saturday morning and hit the ferry to Watch Hill where we would walk about a mile and a half before setting up camp. Then it was a celebratory beer, hit the waves and start thinking about food. The first night we usually had salmon and mashed potato’s with a vegetable, like curried corn. Second night was usually chili, sometimes meat, sometimes veggie. Lunches were mostly grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches, sometimes grilled asparagus. Breakfast is eggs and bacon with left overs thrown in for good measure. The trick to camping for multiple days is carefully planning the menu. It sounds like we have it all together but that took years of tinkering. I do have some grand plans for big feasts, but all in good time. I feel we have it down now. Who knows a maybe this will be the year I roast a chicken and turn the leftovers into soup, or roast a pork shoulder.

$3 Grab Bag!

October 9, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Look what you can get for $3 at the farmers market! We got 2 bags!! We made a cucumber salad, try added the carrots, treatment celery and some onion to our roast chicken, advice then with the leftover chicken, the veggies and drippings from the pan we made Chicken Pot Pies! The potato’s will go great in the morning with eggs and bacon. The parsnips and yellow beets we will roast with other root veggies later this week and the peppers we will probably stuff and make an appetizer out of them. So the next time you stop by your local farmer’s market and see a grab bag don’t walk away. With a little imagination you can make some really amazing dishes, and you’ll be supporting local businesses.

And the Emmy goes to……………..

October 1, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Here at houseofzeta.com we are often asked to cook a meal or make a dish for a party and we are always happy to oblige.  This was the case a couple Sundays ago when I went to a friends house to watch the Emmy’s.  O.K. so it was my idea, approved I had some new recipes and wanted to try them out.  Also, order it’s a great excuse to see friends and dish about celebrities.  Sounds like a win, win situation to me!  I went shopping for the final ingredients, prepped what I could and made the trek to Williamsburg.  As I unpacked the bags my friends were like, “did you bring the whole kitchen?” And on closer inspection, I kinda did!  I hadn’t realized it till I started to pull everything out of the bags.  I brought ingredients to make pork and kimchi dumplings, chicken satay, a cabbage and snap pea salad and beef with onion soup.  Oops my bad!  Like I said it was my idea so why not feed everyone, right?!  As I got to work on the feast a friend brought some multicolored baby potato’s to add the the meal.  It was perfect addition, we just boiled them and plated the with the rest of the meal.  The unintentional star of the night was the Beef and Onion soup. It was hearty, rich and just the right dish to end our culinary trip around the world.  Everyone was so pleased with the soup that they were like we need this recipe, put it on the blog!  I was taken back a little, I was really proud of the satay and sauces, of course our dumplings are always a hit.  But if the crowd wants beef and onion soup you give them beef and onion soup.  So without further ado, here is the recipe enjoy!!!

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Beef and Onion Soup
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 6 quart pot
  • 1 Lb of boneless round steak or chuck steak
  • 2 tablespoons of butter, divided
  • 3 large onions
  • 8 ounces of mushrooms
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • ¼ cup of dry red wine, plus a little more.
  • 1 table spoon of worcestershire sauce, divided.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
  1. Cut steak into 3 inch strips
  2. Cut onions into ¼ inch rings
  3. slice mushrooms
  4. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pot
  5. Add meat, cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat or till done.
  6. When done set aside.
  7. Melt second tablespoon of butter.
  8. Add onion and mushrooms.
  9. Cook till onions are translucent, about 10-15 minutes.
  10. Add stock and meat, red wine, salt and peeper.
  11. Cook for 30-45 minutes.
  12. The last 15 minutes add half of worcestershire.
  13. Add the rest if you want more.
Notes
The wine and worcestershire are approximates because everyone's tastes are different. I put between ¼ and half a cup of wine and the whole tablespoon of worcestershire, but I like really bold flavors. Remember these ingredients can make or break a dish. They are very strong flavors so you don't want to go overboard cause there is no coming back if you do.
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Road Trip part 2: Lobster Rolls and Mystic Pizza

September 19, 2012 / / 0 Comments

On our trip to P-town we had a couple things on our minds, mind Lobster Rolls and Mystic Pizza.  While we played our ukulele gig at WOMR and ate Wellfleet oysters, which are amazing and if and when you make your trek to P-Town we highly recommend getting a half dozen or two.  The Squealing Pig  http://www.squealingpigptown.com/   is our top choice,  make sure to pair it with their Smoky Seafood Chowder.  Our quest for  a great place to get our lobster on, came in the form of The Red Shack.  With big chunks of lobster, avocado, tomato, a leaf of lettuce and simple seasonings, it was the clear winner, hands down.  The second place price went to a little unassuming place called The Fish Market that was recommended to us.  There are many places along the Cape to get one but these were the ones that really made us want more.  Special mention goes out to the Box Lunch, http://www.boxlunch.com/.

 

Our next obsession led us to the famed Mystic Pizza http://www.mysticpizza.com/ in Mystic Connecticut.  Julia Roberts may have made it famous, but the proof of why this place is so popular is in the sauce and the care they take in making a great pie.  We went with the house special which had sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, green bell pepper, onion and mushrooms and a classic Hawaiian pie.  They were perfectly cooked, the crust was buttery with just the right crunch and the sauce was worth all the hoopla, sweet with just a hint of spice.  The portions and flavors worked well together, you weren’t left with too much or too little of anything.  If you opt out of the dining room or take out counter, make sure you take your pie or slice to the Mystic River Bascule Bridge, built in 1920 and enjoy a gorgeous view of the harbor.  And for special treat be kind to the bridge captain and they may let you up in the tower to see and amazing view and a little history lesson.  The bridge tower will be replaced by a new one next year so get there and see it while you can.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystic_River_Bascule_Bridge   With our bellies full, the warm Mystic hospitality and memories we got back in our car and happily made our way back to the great big city.

 

 

Road Trip!

September 12, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Destination: Provincetown, approved Mass

Occasion: FUBAR  Annual Ukulele Bash

I love a road trip.  There’s something very  exhilarating about getting in a car and just driving for hours to your destination, prostate whether it be a camping trip, a cross country trek, or staying at the fabulous White Horse Inn in Provincetown.  For me the journey is as important as the destination.  I spend hours, even days prepping.  I start by mapping out the destination and where possible rest stops could be, pre planning the music, even what I will wear on said trip.   Needless to say it should be functional and fashionable.  Comfort and ease are the secrets to a great road trip.  I’ve been on many road trips and have learned a thing or two on how to get from point A to point B, all while keeping peace, stopping for food and the occasional emergency bathroom break.

Probably the one thing I like more then being on the open road is making play lists for the trip.  this is where I spend a good portion of my planning.  Now if you have multiple travelers always give everyone equal time to play what they like.  Figure out how much time you will be traveling and divide the music up that way.  I love hearing what my friends listen to on road trips.  You want to mix it up, so that you don’t get bored, also you don’t want the 3 am party happening all the way there.  Who ever said “variety is the spice of life”, must have been on a road trip.  I always have a little bit of everything, from rock to country, dance, pop , songs everyone can sing to some mellow music.  As a long distance driver(my maximum is somewhere around 10 or 11 hours), I can attest to a little mellow goes a long way.  This is where a good co-pilot is helpful and essential.  You may need them to get you out from being lost or turning the music down so you can think.  They should be someone who can read a map, give good direction with some authority and be able to calm you down if you get stressed out from traffic. They should also be able to spot a gas station, rest stop or food.  All very important jobs and a good co-pilot can make or break a trip.

Another of my favorite things to have is snacks!!!  I’ll admit I don’t always have time to make food, but if you can,  it is a wonderful slice of home away from home.  I m a huge fan of crostini with some hummus, hard boiled eggs, finger sandwiches, grapes, bananas, dried fruit or beef jerky, vegetables, like carrots, celery, grape tomato’s.  You want “no muss no fuss” food.  A good wrap can be  easy to make and eat, like a chicken and muenster cheese with sriracha mayo, baby greens and sliced granny smith apples.   Whatever you choose, try and keep it simple and leave some wiggle room for a random food stop.  You or someone else may have a favorite place to stop along the way and don’t want to fill up on snacks before you get there.

If you follow these simple guidelines you should have a great fun trip.  don’t forget to get gas and take lots of pictures!!!

 

A sample of what is on my playlist for this road trip:

The Delays, Dolly Parton, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Kylie Minogue, George Michael, Culture Club, Loretta Lynn, Kirsty Maccoll, Roisin Murphy, Rilo Kiley, Joe Blossom, Amanda Blank, Cazwell.

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Sriracha Chicken Wrap
Author: 
Recipe type: Lunch, Road food
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Chicken breasts
  • 1 medium onion
  • 4 tablespoons of Mayo
  • ½ teaspoon of Sriracha(less if you don't want it spicy)
  • salt and pepper
  • Romaine or Butter lettuce(your choice)
  • 4 slices of Muenster cheese
  • 1 Granny smith apple
  • 4 large tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil divided(more if needed)
Instructions
  1. Chop up onion
  2. Chop up chicken
  3. Add onion to medium heat frying pan with pinch of salt & pepper
  4. Cook onion till translucent, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add chicken with another pinch salt and pepper.
  6. Cook chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, or till done.
  7. Set aside to cool a little
  8. Core and quarter apple
  9. Slice into ⅛ in slices or thinner if you like and set aside
  10. Tear up lettuce in to pieces
  11. When chicken has cooled a little, add Sriracha and Mayo
  12. Warm tortillas slightly so they are pliable.
  13. Assemble wraps, sauce, chicken, lettuce, cheese, apples & roll in tortilla.
Notes
The amount of Mayo and Sriracha can very, it all depend on your tastes. Some like more, some like less. Use your best judgement and keep in mind your fellow travelers tastes as well.
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