POST
/pōst/
After in time or order
HOLIDAY
/ˈhäləˌdā/
A day of festivity or recreation when no work is done
Shrimp & Zucchini Ribbon stuffed shells in creamy pesto
Happy New Year, Everybody!!
새해 복 많이 받으세요
Feliz año nuevo
Bonne anné
新年快乐
Great, now that we got the formalities over with…Let’s get down to business.
It’s been a crazy start to 2019. Honestly, it feels like we’ve been running just to catch up starting with day ONE. Amongst the craziness of each start of the year, we gather a few of our closest friends into our tiny apartment & cook a meal In our even tinier kitchen. Our Post-Holiday Holiday Party (P.H.H.P) has been going strong for the past 4 years & this year was no different…except the menu.
But before I get to the menu, let me tell you a bit about our annual get together. I moved back home to LA 11 years ago from NYC with myTERI in tow and we started to realize that when we needed to stay in LA, we missed our family on the east coast & when we were able to go east, we missed our friends on the west side who’ve become our family. Thus began our annual P.H.H.P. After the obligatory work parties & family gatherings, a girl (well, THIS girl) wants nothing more than to cook, eat, drink & feed our people who have the same in mind. It may sound a bit cliché but I truly have been very lucky and blessed to have people on my team who are caring, fun loving, & fellow explorers of food…all whom are chill & can be chill with each other. These dinners, along with my future monthly cooking posts, have been a way for me, not only learn about food & cooking techniques, but also to show my appreciation & gratitude to my fr-amily (friends+family) who’ve been there for me through thick and thin. I love you all.
Like I always say, food has a great way of bringing people together. And I love food! I love cooking food, I love experimenting with food, and I love to feed people food. Yes, let’s be honest, it’s all about what I love this year. Let me be selfish in 2019…let me evolve me, grow me, feed you ME through my foods and adventures. I get a high from seeing people try my food. It’s fun to watch people analyze it as they taste and tell me their opinions on what they liked and what needs to change on my next attempt. You’re all my test bunnies!! **disclaimer: I apologize to PETA & all bunny enthusiasts for feeding my bunny friends a home cooked meal…they were asking for it & loved every bit of it!!**
This experiment is about learning from each other. I hope to continue this year with cooking myself and with others in order to take my relationships to another level. You get to know so much about people when you’re in a kitchen together. Will we work well together? Will we crash and burn? Will we get into a knife fight over who gets to take the stove first? Let the adventures begin!!
my crazy chicken scratch…weeks of thinking, changing my mind, adding, crossing out…my madness
Every year, around October we start thinking about the menu. No theme…just good food. I try to have a well balanced menu with light bites & savory dishes. What’s worse than a party that makes you leave with an empty stomach? Not in my house! Considering I come from a small 3 person family, I find it difficult to cook for just 1-2 people. I eat a lot & feed a lot…my new mantra. Some dishes are a staple on our menu, such as Teri’s Classic Lasagna & Famous Swedish Meatballs…a must at every party. And others that allow me to explore new dishes & techniques.
In the past few years, I’ve really tried to make dishes that were extravagant and time consuming. Many of them kept me in the kitchen while my guests had started eating and I would come out towards the middle end of the meal when people were already getting their seconds. I was over ambition to try to have all the food piping hot as soon as it is served. It did take a toll…I was in the kitchen frantically cooking more than I was enjoying everyone’s company. So this year, I planned on making dishes that are as delicious but could be prepped in advanced and quickly cooked right before people started filing in. I’m learning as I go, people! I’m not a professional, I just play one in the movie in my head. All in all, I definitely had more fun during this year’s party with more time to catch up and talk nonsense with everyone.
After planning a menu, scratching out, adding more, re-working and finalizing the menu, here’s what was served:
1. Meats, Cheeses, & Assortments
2. Endive with Avocado Hummus topped with candied kumquat slices & pomegranate reduction/vinaigrette
3. Poke Taco on baked/fried wonton
4. Baked Beet Chip with Smoked Salmon Mousse
5. Shrimp & Zucchini Ribbon stuffed shells in creamy pesto
6. French baguette (originally Spaghetti cups) with tomato jam, basil & crispy chicken
7. Chicken Pot Pie ( by Dave & Jill Karp)
8. Steak w/Cheddar Biscuits & Mushroom Gravy
9. Steak Cube w/Coconut Mojo Verde pipette
10. Teri’s Famous Classic Lasagna
11. The Lee’s Swedish Meatballs
12. Champagne Jelly Shot with Pomegranate Caviar
Drinks:
1. Autumn Kiss – my go to seasonal for 2018
2. Lychee Frost
I’m so happy that my first post of the year can be of my wonderful fr-amily and hope to keep the momentum going!! Thank you all for joining in the fun & tasting.
Special shout-outs to:
· Perla (IG @perla.g_calligraphy) for her artisan calligraphy work of the menu…amazing & so beautiful. My event looks like the real deal now!
· RJ (IG @typeintypeout), the amazing photography who makes my food look so yummy!!
· Francis and Teri for being the best sous chefs every time!
I’m so excited for my next post…keep an eye out!!
Happy meals and onward to our next food adventure,
theCULINARY·IST