Cafe Duke's Pasta Recreation

Wattup homeslices. It's me again, back with another amazing post.

During the weekdays, I like to treat myself to Cafe Duke's for lunch. It's a nice, short walk from work to this restaurant, and it provides me with a nice escape from the office. I always find myself in their pasta line, where customers can select from a variety of ingredients, noodles, and pasta sauce...and have chefs cook their pastas right in front of their eyes. For my pasta dish, I always order the same things: angel hair pasta, garlic, and chicken. Pretty shocking right haha?

I woke up this morning deciding I wanted to cook dinner tonight. But what was I going to cook? I still had some left over pasta and thought, perfect, time to recreate my lunch from Dukes. So today, I give you my take on Evan's Cafe Duke's Pasta. 

Ingredients: 

From right to left: 2 packs of thin-slice chicken breasts, Angel Hair pasta, Garlic, and olive oil

1) First, slice the chicken breasts into smaller quarter sized pieces. This way, that'll ensure that the chicken breasts take less time to cook all the way through. Unfortunately, this is a very laborious task, so if you're lazy, this is not the task for you. Also, it's kinda gross, so weak stomachs are not welcome.

 * so much chicken!

2) This is my favorite task; grab one whole clove and slice them into thin pieces. As you cut the cloves, the kitchen air will be filled with a delicious garlic smell. If you want to know what heaven smells like, just slice some garlic and let the air be filled with its scrumptious aroma.

 * garlic looks so beautiful.

3) Now, cook your pasta. You know the drill: boil the water. Once it's boiling, dump the pasta into the water and let it sit for about 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle some salt in the pot to make sure that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

 * I added a box and a half of angel hair pasta

4) Now, once the pasta is finished cooking, set it aside. Turn the stove to a medium setting. Grab a skillet pan, add olive oil and the chopped garlic to the pan, and cook the olive oil/garlic concoction for about 2 minutes. You don't want the garlic to brown!

 * this smells soo good!

5) Now, add the chickens to the pan and cook the chicken with the olive oil and garlic until the chicken no longer has that raw red color. Remember, raw chicken is gross and eating them raw will induce diarrhea....and DEATH! So moral of the story is, don't eat raw chicken.

6) Once the chickens are beautifully browned, add your pasta to the pan. Thoroughly use your dextrous wrists to evenly disperse the pasta into the chicken and olive oil. As well, sprinkle salt to taste. 

7) DUNZO! This is the finished product; it's a thing of beauty. 

* Note: I eat a lot because I'm a fattie. This is not a normal amount people would cook. This'll last me for about 3 days tops. However, with the portions I utilize, this'll last a normal person about a week! Yay for efficiency and pre made food!

Well, hope this was interesting, hope this wets your appetite...and definitely give this a shot! It only takes about a total of 30 minutes to complete, from prep time to cooking time! Plus, this pasta dish will allow you to carbo load, allowing you to maintain your energy during the lulls in the day!

Toodles
 

Thanksgiving in Dallas

Heeeeey everybody! So I'm in Texas right now, relaxing and enjoying all that the South has to offer me. Along with that, I've been reaping the benefits of enjoying my mother's home cooking....as they say, there's nothing better than a home cooked meal!


I forget when, but earlier this week, my parents surprised me with WHOLE STEAMED LOBSTERS!!! mmmm, twas delicious! And unlike my normal self, I actually remembered to take pictures! Enjoy....

 * Whole live lobsters! They looked menacing!

 * Because they were menacing, it was time to end their lives....in other words, drown them in boiling water! talk about torture!

 * Diced scallions, seranno peppers, ginger, and garlic. You'll find out what this is for later...gotta keep you on your toes.

 * dead lobsters :). so lifeless and less menacing.

 *My daddy really likes to eat his lobster with "special sauce." Look closer, do you see anything familiar??? That's right, it's the garlic, peppers, ginger, and scallions from earlier! The sauce contains soy sauce and sesame oil, in addition to the herbs! 

 *gobble gobble! I thought this plate was cool. It's got a turkey in the center.


As well, to celebrate Thanksgiving, instead of the usual turkey, we decided to eat duck! Why? Because we're Chinese, and that's what Chinese people do.

 * whole duck on our special rotisserie machine :)

* duck after being put through the rotisserie! Delicious!

Wonderful food for a wonderful break! Stay tuned for my next post

My Super Complicated Shrimp Concoction

As the title states, today's blog will be focused on an extremely complicated shrimp recipe I made up...key word being "extremely." Be prepared to be amazed out of your pants...or dress...or skirt.

Ingredients: 

Left to right: Sriracha hot sauce and 2lbs of frozen shrimp.

* That's right, that is the famous "Sriracha" hot sauce found in every single Vietnamese restaurant. I've yet to find a Vietnamese restaurant that doesn't carry this hot sauce OR a person who hasn't fallen in love with this delicious red viscous liquid....mmmmm :)

1) You want to defrost the frozen shrimp...so place it in a skillet, turn the stove onto a high setting and watch some television for approximately 20 minutes. The shrimp will defrost but don't forget that you have the stove turned on; otherwise, you'll burn the kitchen (and house) down!!! I suggest watching television while sitting in near proximity of the stove...that way you can use your peripherals to keep a constant eye on the shrimp.

2) Once the shrimps have defrosted, squeeze the Sriracha hot sauce onto the shrimp....add as much as you'd like...obviously, those who can handle the heat will add more than those who can't...but the main idea is you want your shrimp to turn from a "pink" color to a "red" color...simple enough. 

 * shrimps in the process of turning color...notice how some are more red than others. Serious cooking going on here.

3) Now, you'll want to evenly stir the Sriracha around the shrimps. Once you've decided that all the Sriracha love has been evenly spread amongst the shrimps, cover up the skillet for about 20 minutes. This forms a nice sauce and allows the Sriracha to soak into the shrimp. That's f()$@n' smart!

* This makes me believe that I am truly a genius.

4) Oops...I forgot to take a picture here...but after those 20 minutes have elapsed...YOU'RE DONE. You'll know the dish is finished when all the shrimps are red, submerged in a red lava, and your nostrils are pentrated with a delicious smell.


Obviously, a very complicated dish....it takes only the most intelligent of people to execute the dish to perfection.....but all that "hard" work is worth it: the dish is delicious and lasts for 3 days...so that's 3 days where you don't have to cook...and 3 days where you get to feast like a king!

Till the kitchen calls me again, peace out!
 

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Spicy Shrimp

Two posts in one week. I should earn a reward or something.

Well, stupid Hurricane Sandy has, in essence, rendered New York city useless....and by that, I mean transportation is still a mess,  I can't travel downtown via subway...so I can't entertain myself with what the city has to offer. Therefore, my conundrum has become YOUR delight: I'm back in the kitchen, doing what I do best: not burning the house down and making edible meals.

Today's meal is Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Spicy Shrimp!

Ingredients: 

* From left to right: Angel Hair Pasta, Parsley, Lemon, Garlic, and 2lbs of shrimp.

Yeah, I eat seafood. I'm not just a meat guy. Variety is the spice of life.

1) First, toss the shrimp with the juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup of parsley, 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes, 6 garlic cloves, salt, and 2 tbsp of olive oil. The key to this is to grab a small spoon to mix everything with. Why? Because the small spoon allows you to be dextrous with your wrists and mixing capabilities. That's smart!

* pretty colors. So pretty.

2) Next, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add the shrimp concoction into the skillet and let it cook until its pink and firm....;) Pink and firm is the way to go. Pink and limp...makes for sad people.

 * seeeeexy. notice firm and pink state of the shrimp.

3) After the shrimps are cooked, remove them from the pan and set them aside. This is a genius move on my part.  Yaaay me!

 * shrimptastic!

4) Now, lower the heat to a medium low temperature, and add 1/4 cup of olive oil, 8 cloves of minced garlic, and a shit ton of red pepper and parsley into the skillet. Stir it to allow all the contents to be evenly dispersed.

 * it looks like clam chowder! but delicious clam chowder!

5) Meanwhile, while all this is going on, cook the pasta.

 * this is what the pasta looks like after it's cooked.

6) After you've stirred the olive oil mixture for about 5 minutes, add it to your pasta and toss it around....shake it like you shake your booty. :) yeaaaa buddy! afterwards, sprinkle the parsley on top and add the shrimp!

8) Dance and celebrate! The dish is now complete!!!!

* voila! dunzo! look how pro this looks.

Once again, another masterpiece by chef Evan Lee. I should have my own cooking show.

Till the kitchen beckons me again....

NOTICE...HURRICANE SANDY HAS HIT NEW YORK.

That's why I haven't been blogging...because of Hurricane Sandy. It's the largest Atlantic hurricane in diameter....ever...with winds spanning 1,100 miles. Craaazy. Good thing for me is that I live in the Upper West side...which means I didn't get hit too badly. However...

I can't say the same for Lower Manhattan and other areas of the city. This Hurricane Sandy brought a destructive storm surge to NYC. It flooded numerous streets, tunnels, and subway lines in Lower Manhattan, as well as cutting off electricity in many parts of the city and its suburbs. The funny thing is that it caused the most damage in New Jersey, especially in communities along the Jersey Shore. Early estimates are $20-25 billion dollars, which would rank Sandy among the top five most destructive hurricanes on record.

It'll take weeks to get the subways back in order...so that'll be fun commuting place to place.


But as I said, I wasn't a victim of any of these effects...which makes me happy and sad. On the one hand, I'm safe, had power, and didn't have to go to work. On the other hand, I've never been in a hurricane, so I was looking forward to roughing it out with my fellow New Yorkers. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry.

I don't know what I'm gonna do with all this water I bought myself....

Angela's BDAY

Whoa. This weekend was Angela's birthday!!! Surprisingly, this is the first time I've spent her birthday with her...not because I'm a horrible boyfriend, but because the time hasn't been right until now....so yea, I made sure that the first birthday we spent together would be memorable. I took her all around Manhattan...and even bought her a leather jacket she'd been craving for a while haha.

On Saturday, I took her to a very nice restaurant, Bobo NYC. Yep, that's right. This fancy restaurant's named "Bobo." I wonder what genius thought up that name haha. Bobo NYC offers offer a contemporary take on seasonal French classics...which basically means deliciousness. So without further ado, here are the dishes we had. On a side note, I forgot to take a picture of the bread we had. It was delicious! The butter was light and fluffy!!! 

 * my dish: steamed bass w/ ratatouille and deliciousness!

That's a really bad description of the dish...but I really don't remember what else contributes to the dish. All I know is my mouth was in heaven with every bite I had of the bass! That fish was soo succulent, cooked perfectly. Even Angela loved it...and she's a seafood expert.

 * Angela's dish: NY Strip steak with scallion salad AND homemade fries.

OH MY GOD! Sooo delicious! For a french place, they cooked the steak perfectly....much like a legit steakhouse. The salad was...meh, but who cares? The fries were super delicious! Well seasoned...an it had the green stuff on it (parsley), so you know it's legit.

On Sunday, Angela and I went to Hunan Balcony for dinner. It was super delicious...and amazing. It's a mix of American and Traditional Chinese cuisine. Oh my goodness, deliciousness!!!

 * my dish: basil beef. very delicious...but what the heck? there were only 3 pieces of basil. when I see "Basil beef" on the menu, I expect 1092I409834 pieces of basil haha. But despite this, it was nevertheless delicious!

* beef noodle soup...an oldey but a goodey! Super delicious! I also think Angela's shirt accentuates the dish. YUMMY!

Yep, fun weekend, delicious food, what more could you ask for??? :)

Till next time...toodles

Rosemary Chicken Thighs.

So I've been getting requests to blog about what I cook during the weekdays after work. Now I normally don't entertain the thought, because I'm always tired after work and don't feel like cooking elaborate meals. Instead, I just utilize my George Forman Grill and whip up something random. However, I decided to gift my loyal fans with an "inside look" at what goes on in the kitchen during the weekdays.

Today, I decided to utilize the remaining chicken thighs left over from my Lemon Chicken dish from Sunday and cook my patented "Rosemary Chicken Thighs." 

Ingredients: 

 From left to right: Olive oil, Chicken thighs, Salt, and Rosemary

1) First off, make sure that the chicken thighs are rinsed off and clean! Otherwise, you end up with a bunch of gunky bloody stuff that, frankly, is not enjoyable.  Once the naked chicken thighs are clean from their bath, drizzle some olive oil, salt, and rosemary to taste and knead the ingredients into the chicken thighs. Don't be afraid to get rough, the deeper you massage, the tastier the chicken thighs.

 * chicken thighs all happy to be "dressed up" with the ingredients

2) Now, let the chicken thighs sit in the "marinade" for 15 minutes. During this lull, pour yourself a nice glass of water (or other beverage) and turn on the Foreman Grill. Once the time has elapsed, place the chicken thighs in the Foreman Grill for about 10 minutes.

 * this was when I got really excited. Even though the chicken thighs had just been put on the grill for a second, the smell that exuded from the grill was already heavenly :)

3) Once those 10 minutes have elapsed, you'll want to check the chicken thighs to make sure that they're thoroughly cooked. Again, you don't want a bloody mess; that'll just make for a sad evening.
If the chicken thighs are thoroughly cooked after 10 minutes, YOU'RE DONE! HUZZAH! If the chicken thighs are still raw, no worries :). Take the chicken off the grill, place them on a plate, and microwave them for 2 minutes. The heat rays from the microwave will zap the rawness out of the chicken thighs! That's using your head! ;)

* The finished product. It ceases to amaze me how sexy the grill marks are.

So there you have it, a simple, delicious, and quick meal for a tired working man. Hope this post assuages ya'll's appetites. Till next time...

Lemon Chicken Part Deaux

It's been a while since I last posted....I feel really bad. However, in these past few weeks that I've been absent, I've been methodically thinking about what to cook next. So here it is...

Lemon Chicken...Part Deaux!!!! 

Ingredients:

From left to right: oregano, thyme, white cooking wine, chicken thighs, 2 lemons, and garlic!!!!

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Easy enough.

2) Next, fill up 1/4 cup measurer with olive oil and pour the white cooking wine into a 1/3 cup measurer. Again, simple stuff.

* i like our cup measurers. they're very sleek and sexy.

3) Meanwhile, add the white wine, 1 tablespoon of grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice ;), 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves, and salt to a mixing bowl.

4) Warm the olive oil in a small sauce pan over a medium heat. Then add the garlic and stir the garlic around for about a minute. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T LET THE GARLIC TURN BROWN...because we like our garlic white, not brown.

*I forgot to take a picture of this step. Oops.

5) Once the time has elapsed, turn off the heat. Then, add this super sexy (and fragrant!) concoction into the sauce pan and stir it around to evenly disperse all that delicious goodness.

* that looks so good! and I like my red spatula!

6) Now, pour this sauce into a baking dish.

* the garlic look like tiny tadpoles swimming in a polluted pond.

7) Now, rinse the chicken thighs and pat them dry. Then, place the thighs skin side up onto the sauce. Using your underrated feminine dexterity, lightly brush the chicken thighs with olive oil. Then, LIBERALLY ADD SALT AND PEPPER TO EACH THIGH!!! (this is my favorite part)

8) Cut the non-grated and juiced lemon into 8 wedge pieces. Tuck these wedges between the chicken thighs. Sexy.

* those are not my hands, in case you were wondering. My hands are manlier.

9) Now comes the hardest part. Bake the chicken for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken, until the chicken skin is lightly browned.

* chicken in the ovens. yummy. the lighting makes the chicken look seductive.

10) DUNZO! The chicken is finished, the kitchen smells deliciously garlicy and lemony, and your appetite is well worked up!

* the finished product....with rice.

This is a succulent dish. Very lemony...very garlicy....and oh so juicy. I'm very happy I decided to cook this tonight. My stomach is in a super happy place right now.



Stay tuned for more exciting posts to come....

Don't know what to call this

This past weekend...September 15 and 16th to be exact...was spent eating out. How come? Because Angela (my girlfriend) came to visit me, and I wanted treat her to a nice weekend of eating out. So where did I take her?

MCDONALD'S!!!!

Ok, that was a joke, but we did eat out this past weekend...

Saturday
To preface this, Angela really wanted to check out the sweet lunch deal from Sura Thai Restaurant. For those of ya'll who don't remember what it is, read my other post. I'm not going to repeat myself -___-.  ( <------ that's my favorite face! ) Well, we spent the rest of the day checking out Union Square, which is technically in the center of Manhattan. After walking for a while and spending a good chunk of our time in Barnes and Nobe (because we bend the rules like that), we decided to check out a very popular Japanese restaurant: Ippudo! And yes, I did post about this restaurant earlier...so if you don't recall what type of food it serves, check it out as well.

Now, unfortunately, the line was ridiculously long at Ippudo, so we decided to check out a neighborhood restaurant. Wanna venture a guess as to what kind of restaurant it was???

Answer: THAI!!!!

Yep, that's right; Angela and I overdosed on Thai food on Saturday. However, despite having just eaten the cuisine, both Angela and I really enjoyed our dinner selections. We ventured away from our usual order (spicy basil fried rice with chicken) and both got noodles!

* Angela's dish: the "drunk man's" special. I don't know why it's called that, but it was delicious. And it was served in a silver bowl, so you know it's made with real skills.

* my dish: the "fisherman's noodle bowl" special. It contains a lot of calamari, shrimp, bak choy, spicy sweet sauce, and my favorite, GARLIC! I don't know if this is what fishermen eat, but if it is, I want to become a fisherman! IT WAS THAT DELICIOUS! :P


So after dinner, Angela and I went to a Bubble tea place for dessert. I had heard about this from my coworker, so I wanted to give it a shot! The place was super clean and "upscale," which means it was built with the idea of people sitting around and chatting. It was called "St. Alp's Tea house." I have no idea what they were thinking when they named this place.

 * My drink: Milk green tea. Simple, frothy, delicious.

* Angela's drink: Matcha milk green tea w/ green tea jelly. Basically, this was a green tea special. For those of ya'll who don't know, matcha is a green tea power used in baking, to give desserts a "green tea" taste. It was delicious...but powdery. Still worth a try. Obviously, Angela is more adventurous than I am!

Sunday 
I like to call this day "Lazy Sunday." In other words, it's a wake up and do nothing type of day haha. However, I will muster up the energy to walk to dinner. We went to an Italian place called "Carmine's." It's a family style Italian restaurant, which means that the portions are HUGE and meant to be shared. Really delicious, fairly priced...what's not to love?

* This is a Meat  Bolougnese w/ Angel Hair. It was delicious. I really enjoyed how the waiter served us our food....he made the whole "fork/spoon" combo work. I finally understand why Italian restaurants always serve a spoon with pasta dishes. Unfortunately, I couldn't make my food look as nice as this when I tried using a fork and spoon.

Well, that's it for my food pictures. Stay tuned for more exciting posts!

Labor Day Weekend Continued

More Photos from this past weekend:

We went to FAO Schwartz, the most magical toyplace in all of New York...and the world! I wish I would've gone as a kid; definitely would've been a huge chunk of my childhood!

 * Lookout, it's Spiderman! Or shall I say, your "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-WOMAN!!!"

 * Oh wait! Now it's the impenetrable, super scary, ultra angry SHE-Hulk!!! RAAAWWWRRRR!!!!

 * This is not outside FAO Schwartz...I don't remember where this was taken actually :). Ooops.

*** Update: this is at Carnegie Hall, where accomplished artists perform.

 * Spiderwoman wants more attention! She's needy!

 * This is Batman...made entirely out of legos! Imagine how many individual Lego blocks there are....not to mention how skilled whoever built this "testament to mankind" must be.

* She-Hulk is angry because you're more enamored with Lego-Batman than her. Never make the same mistake again...or else!

* Now it's the Sultan of NYC and his Queen. The Sultan has a huge brain, hence the massive turban.

* Biiig fluffly doggies. Angela and I are very ecstatic!


Me madre also wanted to check out the famous Apple store on 59th and 5th ave. What makes this so unique is that there's a glass encasing of a huge "Apple" logo, but the actual store is underneath the ground. Very ingenius. Very smart.

* Mooooom...so happy with her Jamba Juice and Apple picture. I know it's her because of those bright teal shoes...

In addition, we also checked out the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The building is so gigantic, that we only got a chance to check out 2 exhibits. We'll definitely be back for sure. I also realized that I'm growing old in that after 2 exhibits, I was super sore and tired. Craptastic.

 * Mom, standing next to a naked statue of a majestic sumo wrestler....
Ok, it's not a sumo wrestler, but it's massive! 

 * Angela and I outside the Met!

* My mom and I outside the Met. I'm a very popular person to take pictures with...obviously.

* I'm standing next to wonderful statue ;) I'm clearly happy in this picture.

And now, for some pictures from the roof of Hudson Park aka my apartment:

 * Angela and me.

* Mommy and Angela

 * The beautiful view of the Hudson...and New Jersey. My old apartment is located in the foliage somewhere....

And finally....the most epic picture of the entire weekend:

* Yes, that is the bbq outside my backyard. Notice the happy expressions on my mother's and my face. Clearly, as native Texans, we appreciate a nice, BLUE, old fashioned grill.

Hope ya'll enjoyed the pictures!