Tag Archives: Food

One Week Ago, We Were Enjoying Jack’s Wife Freda

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It’s hard to believe that one week ago I was sitting across from CK at Jack’s Wife Freda in NYC. We opted to celebrate CK’s 23rd birthday together, just the two of us, on my last night in the city. I’m so excited I was finally able to devour a meal at Jack’s Wife Freda. So many instagrammers I follow are always uploading lovely photos of their coffee, menu and food, so I knew it was going to be a hit.

CK ordered the Matzo Ball Soup to start with and its large matzo ball and broth helped hold off the hunger pangs we’d acquired trekking downtown. For the main course, I ordered the Prego Roll and must admit the skirt steak in the sandwich was a bit salty for my taste, but I still enjoyed it and indulged in the delicious crispy fries. CK ordered the House Pasta for dinner and I really liked her dish, the bolognese sauce had the perfect ratio of meat to pasta. I’d definitely go back again, and this time I’d love to try the Whole Roasted Garlic as a starter, we saw it on another table and man did it look good.

A Day in LA | Joan’s on Third and MILK

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Joan’s on Third | Short Rib Sandwich

Joan’s on Third | Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Sandwich

Carolina Zoning Out at Joan’s on Third

Ice Cream Sandwiches at MILK Bakery

Since CK takes off for the Big Apple next month we have been savoring are time together figuratively and literally. This past weekend we headed up to LA for the usual mix of food and fun. We had a delicious lunch at Joan’s on Third and everything was sooooo good and soooo fresh! The ambiance was quite relaxing and although it was a tad on the warm side, the outdoor seating was a must.

For some dessert we headed over to MILK for some ice cream sandwiches. Now, I know ice cream sandwiches same old same old, but these were no ordinary ice cream sandwiches. The already delicious ice cream was sandwiched between macarons, yes I know, Macarons a blogger dream! I mean to die for! I had the cookies and cream and CK devoured the watermelon sandwich. These are a must get for sure, I can’t wait to go back and try other flavors!

InstaWeek Number 10

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Yummy food snaps from the week. Finally tried Umami Burger with Sara B./ Had another good Chipotle meal/ Made some BBQ at home for the BF and I

Sister Time. CK and I spent Sunday afternoon exploring Abbot Kinney. We stopped by Intelligentsia and the coffee was amazing!

As usual we’re linking up with A Little Dash of Ash. Follow us @bettinakina and @carokina. We took some fun outfit photos on our little day trip adventure, we’ll post these up tomorrow. Stay Tuned. Xoxo-Bettina

Pinterest Productivity: Homemade Wontons with Spicy Sauce

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TGIF it’s time for some Pinterest Productivity! This week I chose the Homemade Wontons with Spicy Sauce pin from my “Yummy” board. I would definitely make this recipe again; the prep was easy, they didn’t take long to cook and they were delicious. I’m a little sensitive to MSG so I left the MSG out of the sauce and didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. I know a lot of you have this recipe pinned as I’ve seen it pop up on my Pinterest feed, so don’t hesitate any longer and make these wontons this weekend!

Homemade Wontons with Spicy Sauce Recipe via Return to Sunday Supper

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 5 minutesTotal Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For the Wontons
Large pot of boiling water.
1/3 pound raw shrimp, washed, deveined, tails removed and finely minced.
12 wonton wrappers, defrosted
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Dash salt and white pepper
1 egg (for egg wash)

For the Sauce
1/4 cup thin (light) soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Accent
(Accent is a flavor enhancer used in Asian cooking, it’s also known as MSG – I didn’t use any Accent and it was still good)
1 or 2 tablespoons (depending of how much heat you like) hot chili oil

Garnish
2 scallions (green onions), sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Wontons:

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.
Wash the shrimp, remove the tails, devein and finely mince.
To the shrimp, add 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, dash of salt and white pepper.
Whisk the egg, and brush the wontons lightly on one side. (This is what is going to seal the wontons).
Evenly divide the shrimp mixture onto the middle of the wontons. Fold them to make a triangle. Press the edges together. Let dry for 10 minutes.

Sauce:

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, Accent, and chili pepper with oil.
Place wontons into boiling water and cook until done (about 4 minutes, when the wontons start to float). Remove with slotted spoon.
Serve immediately with the sauce and scallions (green onions) as a garnish.

Here are some photos of the prep and finished product, hope you all try this recipe out!

The CK Files – St. Patrick’s in San Fran

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This past weekend I (CK) ventured up to San Francisco to visit my best friend. It also happened to be the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day, which meant I had to pack some green with me. This funky fresh outfit was created around the AG green pants I purchased when I first started working at Anthropologie. I knew I wanted to be comfortable enough to walk around the city but still have that edgy feel, which is why I chose the leather jacket to top off the outfit. I went with colors, an eccentric clash of accessories and a comfy wedge that would carry me around the city. Hope everyone had a fun St. Patrick’s Day weekend!

The BFF & I

Luckily the rain cleared up for St. Patty’s Day

The Shades

Green Sushi

The Baked Egg Boat

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The Pinterest Productivity series continues this week with the Baked Egg Boat recipe. I must confess, I didn’t make this lovely dish for brunch. Instead I made it for dinner and it was super delish, the crunchy bread and cheesy creamy center was absolutely divine!

I’m going to continue bringing pinned recipes to life in the Pinterest Productivity series, but I’ll be adding in some fun DIYs next week so stay tuned! Let me know if there are any particular pins you’d like to see brought to life from my DIY board.

BAKED EGG BOATS (makes 4)

INGREDIENTS:

4 demi sourdough baguettes (I used 2 sourdough loaves)

5 eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream

4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped and fried until crisp

3 ounces gruyere cheese, grated

2 green onions, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt, the pancetta adds a lot of salt)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cut a deep “V” through the tops of each baguette until about a 1/2 inch to the bottom. Partially unstuff the baguettes. Set aside.

3. Place the eggs and cream into a mixing bowl and lightly beat together. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and lightly season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide and pour the mixture into each baguette boat and place onto a baking sheet.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and set in the center. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, cut and serve.

Pinterest Productivity – Feta Pasta Salad and Party Popcorn

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Pinterest productivity, what does this mean? For me, increasing my Pinterest productivity means making a conscience effort to bring recipes, DIYs and inspired outfits to life. Last week I became painfully aware of the fact that I have only created 5 out of the 150 recipes I have pinned to my “Yummy” board. I  decided to take action, and am determined to bring to life a minimum of 1 pin per week. Whether it’s a new style or recipe, I will be documenting my Pinterest productivity here on the blog and on Instagram.

Todays post includes 2 of the 3 recipes I featured in my Kick-Off Pinterest Productivity post. I did make a few tweaks to these recipes, but for the most part the Oreccheiette Feta Pasta Salad (Court & Hudson) and Party Popcorn (She Wears Many Hats) recipes remained as the Blogger’s originally intended. We had the pasta salad for dinner, and indulged in the white chocolate candy covered popcorn for dessert.

Oreccheiette Feta Pasta Salad (Mine should technically be called Shell Feta Pasta Salad) 

1 box Orecchiette pasta (I used a bag of Shell pasta)
1 carton of grape or cherry tomatoes
20 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup lemon garlic dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta until al dente, drain and place in a large prep bowl. Pour dressing over the warm pasta and place in the refrigerator to cool. Slice tomatoes in half and place in a small bowl. Chop basil into small flakes or to preferred size, add to tomatoes. Once pasta has cooled combine the tomato/basil mixture and feta with the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. If needed, add a bit more dressing as preferred. Chill salad for 1 hour to meld flavors.

Lemon Garlic Dressing

Ingredients

2 – 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl or put them in a jar and shake to blend. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. If the dressing is too zingy for you, feel free to add more olive oil to soften the flavor.

Recipe via Court & Hudson

Party Popcorn

6-7 ounces (weight) white candy melts, melted
8-9 cups popped popcorn, lightly salted
sprinkles or nonpareils in your favorite color (note to self, use brighter sprinkles next time)

On a large baking sheet or bowl, gently mix in the melted white candy into the popped popcorn. Now for the sprinkles! Sprinkle the sprinkles before melted candy hardens.

Recipe via She Wears Many Hats

From Pinterest To My Tummy

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Baked Egg Boat via Shop Sweet Things

I need to increase my Pinterest productivity. By productivity I mean, I need to start doing something with the insane number of photos I’ve been pinning! I’m up to over 3,000 pins, I don’t even know how this happened. Well, maybe I do, fashion week happened (and is happening) and I must have pinned like 500 photos between NYFW and LFW.

I feel like I’ve done a good job of using my Pinterest photos to inspire my real life DIY mani’s and outfits, where I’ve been lacking is in the food department. By the food department I mean my “Yummy” board. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I think I’ve only made 5 out of the over 150 recipes I’ve pinned to this board. This week I’m making a change! I’m going to pick out 3 recipes a week from my Pinterest board, make them, and either post the finished product here on the blog or over on Instagram (@bettinakina) to keep me honest. This week I couldn’t resist selecting the Baked Egg Boat, Oreccheiette Feta Pasta Salad and Party Popcorn. These are recipes from some of my favorite bloggers!

Oreccheiette Feta Pasta Salad via Court & Hudson

Party Popcorn via She Wears Many Hats