Corned Beef Hash

Corned beef hash

Our grocery shopping is done piecemeal balancing price and quality - canned goods at Aldi, fresh vegetables at Miles Market, and meat at Costco. If we need Japanese staples, we go to CAM.

Our previous excursions to Aldi, a discount grocery store, in the area were miserable - watching people pick through boxes of fresh vegetables intermingled with canned food.

We finally found a new store (North Olmsted) that still smells of fresh paint that we do not mind patronizing. The stores do not carry everything even a mom & pop store would carry, but what they do carry appear to be in good condition and competitively priced.

At Miles Market, we recently picked up 10 lb of russet potatoes for $1. When I strode by a display of corned beef ($2.29) at Aldi, a tsunami of warm fuzzies overcame me. We didn't eat corned beef hash often, since my mother usually made Japanese meals from scratch and wasn't really in to canned food, but when we did I loved it. I probably didn't consume as much Spam as your average local from Hawaii, but won't deny that I ate a healthy (or is it unhealthy?) amount.

The corned beef my mother bought was packed in a red and black can and originated from Argentina. The corned beef at Aldi is from Brazil and appeared a lot more processed than I remember.

Corned beef hash with ketchup and egg

It's nothing earth shattering, but here is my version of corned beef hash:
vegetable oil
5 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
fresh ground black pepper
Fuller's Fine Herbs Beaujolais Blend from Mendocino, CA (dried basil, oregano, thyme, tarragon, rosemary)
1/2 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp onion, grated
1 can corned beef
fresh ground black pepper

ketchup
1 egg yolk

The potatoes were fried in enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the pan under low heat with pepper, herbs, garlic, and onion until mostly cooked (approximately 10 minutes).

The corned beef was broken up and heated with the potatoes until the color of the smeat changes from pink to your desired hue of brown. For this shade, it was another 10 minutes. The heat was turned up to high the last 3-4 minutes to crisp everything. I also added more black pepper.

The Beaujolais [herb] Blend was a gift from my father years ago when he visited Mendocino, CA.

I prefer to eat my corned beef hash with ketchup and a raw egg yolk with extra black pepper. It wasn't as salty as I expected, which means less rice intake. A good thing.

My corned beef hash with ketchup and egg

Bug prepared his plate of corned beef hash with Kewpie mayonnaise, sriracha, and shoyu. This was pretty tasty; as such, the way my 2nd serving was prepared. [sorry, no pic]

The dish was pretty filling and cost a total of $2.50 for 4 servings plus white rice. It was a nice way to bring back the feeling of those carefree times when my biggest worry was what which fishnet stockings I was going to wear to school the next day.

- Cassaendra

Top 10 Films of the Decade

As the decade comes to an end, "Best of/Worst of" lists are abound. As a movie buff, I figured I'd throw in my lists for the decade. The following list is my personal top 10 favorite movies from the past 10 years (2000 – 2009). The selection does not reflect money made at the box office or importance to film in general. These are the films that I find myself watching over and over again.

10: The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy (2003-2007). I was always a fan of old pirate movies when I was a child and I was quite excited when the first Pirates movie was announced. I didn't have very high expectations going into the theater.

Johnny Depp blew me away! Johnny's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow was fantastic and made the movie for me. Pirates is a popcorn film - entertaining with nothing profound. It's a nice little throwback to the old pirate movies with great special effects.

9: Donnie Darko (2001). I'm not sure if it was the title or if the trailer just didn't inspire me, but something about this film made me steer clear of it when it was released. Years later, a friend of ours suggested we'd like this movie. Several years later, a local video store was closing and everything in sight was marked down super cheap, so I picked up this little gem for a steal.

When I viewed the movie, I dove in fresh with no recollection of the trailer or the premise of the movie. To my surprise, it was an intelligent film. Not knowing anything about the film was a great boon for my enjoyment factor. Rarely does an original movie come along that does not force feed details to the audience, and challenges them to question what they saw on the screen. This film deserves multiple viewings to get a good grasp on what is going on.

8: The Dark Knight (2008). I was not a Batman fan until I saw this film. I saw Batman Begins well before seeing this film. While I didn't hate it, I wasn't entirely moved by it.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the performance of the late Heath Ledger in this film. We almost never buy into hype but decided to see this film in the theater anyway. Cassaendra loved Batman Begins, so if I wasn't thrilled at least she would still enjoy it.

Holy crow! Heath's performance was outstanding! He is the main reason I liked this film so much. His version of the Joker was crazy and diabolical, but most of all believable. It's rare that someone can pull off a character that is as terrifying. That is not to discount all the other outstanding performances in this film. Everyone was on their mark. This didn't feel like a ridiculous superhero movie. The characters actually felt real for a change.

7: The Host (2006). I enjoyed monster movies when I was a child. While leafing through an issue of Fangoria one day, I saw an article on The Host. I rarely read Fangoria these days as they tend to be overly biased on their film coverage, writing only about mainstream horror movies. In this particular issue, they covered this little-known Korean monster movie.

The Host was shown under limited release in the US. When we found out it was playing at a local art house theater, we had to take advantage of viewing it on a big screen.

This movie has it all: a unique monster, believable characters, humor, and tension. This, folks, is the best monster movie I have ever seen. While the creature in the flick doesn't do the building stomping or mega monster fighting à la Godzilla, it does seem plausible and very real.

6: Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003). I did not read the books before seeing these films, but I was a Peter Jackson fan before this trilogy came out. Brain Dead (Dead Alive) and The Frighteners rank high on my short list of all time favorite films.

When I heard that PJ was taking on a very large and serious project like LotR, I was surprised, but most of all I was uncertain how it would turn out. Much to my and the rest of the world's surprise, it turned out better than anyone could have hoped (especially the studios that turned him down LOL!).

I love fantasy and I LOVE these films. Great story, thanks to Tolkien, and wonderful visuals by a relatively unheard of studio at the time, Weta. One could easily call these films the Star Wars of modern times; epic in every way, e.g., story, budget, influence, technology.

5: Sin City (2005). Style and substance. Normally those two don't go together very easy, especially in the world of big explosions and pretty CGI. Robert Rodriguez always has a flair about his movies and that didn't stop with Sin City. This movie is best described as film noir meets ultra violence.

Sin City is violent, gritty, violent, stylistic, violent did I mention violent? The violence in this film is very over the top, yet oh so entertaining. Based on the comic series of the same name by Frank Miller, who also co-directed the film with Robert Rodriguez, the movie is faithful to the source material.

4: Shaun of the Dead (2004). Many zombie movies came out over the decade. While the zombie fan in me thinks that is great, the film buff in me knows that means there are bound to be a lot of stinkers. Shaun is the cream of the crop. This gem of a film pulls off what few can, the horror comedy.

This movie is a great commentary of the way we walk through our day like zombies, while being very witty and downright horrific (in a good way). Simon Pegg is great as the Every Man stuck in a boring job with relationship problems. The characters in this movie feel like people you could very well meet on the street.

3: Clerks 2 (2006). Kevin Smith goes back to the well for this raunchy comedy and I hope he keeps going back. I love comedies, but I'm also very fickle when it comes to them. Rarely do they make a lasting impression on me or make me chuckle more than a few times throughout the film. Clerks 2 breaks that mold. I laughed so hard in the theater that at one point my side actually hurt. No kidding! That, folks, never happens to me, well except the time I saw The Kids in the Hall live, but that is for another time.

Dante, Randall, and the gang are back, and the wit is just as sharp as ever. The humor isn't for the feint of heart or the prudish. Nothing is sacred in this film, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings...nothing. Every time I watch Clerks 2, I laugh, despite having watched it at least 20 times.

2: Inglourious Basterds (2009). I like World War 2 movies, pure and simple. When I first heard about this movie, I had mixed emotions. While I like a fair bit of films directed and/or written by Quentin Tarantino, I also dislike several. I took the plunge and saw this in the theater, and couldn't be happier. The movie gets better with multiple viewings.

Inglourious Basterds has all the trademarks of Tarantino flicks in spades: homages to older films and directors, violence, and a lot of dialog.

The movie has very little in common with the 70's Italian film it takes its name from, other than being an exploitation flick set during the European Theater of World War 2. If you're a fan of war movies like The Dirty Dozen and Kelly's Heroes, you'll love this movie.

Look out for Christoph Waltz at Oscar time. If there is any justice in this world, he will win one for his portrayal of Col. Hans Landa.

1: Band of Brothers (2001). While this is technically an HBO mini-series, it stills ranks number 1 on my list of movies. This is MY list, after all, so deal with it. Few movies or series make me want to watch them again the second they end. This is one of them.

Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg and running over a span of 10 episodes, the story is about the men of the 101st Airborne, Company E, during the European Theater of World War 2. The series starts with a flashback of the company during boot camp, continues to the night landing on the eve of the Normandy Invasion, and ends with the take over of the Eagle's Nest, the final holdout of Adolph Hitler.

The performances are top notch and the emotional power is amazing and the production is stunning. If there was only one war movie/series to watch all decade, this would be it. Make sure to have tissues on hand for episode 9, as it covers the death camps.

Next year, The Pacific comes out on HBO. The series will be similar to Band of Brothers, but will cover the Japanese Theater. I can't wait! If it is half as good as Band of Brothers, I'll be pleased.

- Bug

Fade to White

We are fortunate to be able to continue buying fresh vegetables and fruits for reasonable prices at Miles [Farmers] Market as winter nudges its way into our lives.

Each week, we come home with 2 large bags filled with fresh vegetables, typically spending $10-15 on each trip this time of year. During our recent trip, we foraged potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, grapefruit, pears, oranges, basil, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Cabbage patch

With both of us sick, we veered from our meal plans for the week. Our dinner two nights ago included brussels sprouts, zucchini, fried chicken tenderloins, and rice with furikake, toasted sesame and nori.

Bug tossed, in batches, a carton of brussels sprouts into a grill pan and sauteed the zucchini separately in a pan.

Jailbird sprouts

After the vegetables were done, Bug fried the breaded chicken tenderloins in peanut oil. Dunked in an egg wash, the tenderloins were rolled in a simple but flavorful breading that consisted of flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.

As a front row spectator, this came with the benefit of being at arms length to the grilled sprouts while the meal came together.

Dinner's ready!

I can't imagine a more perfect batch of moist and tender fried chicken. The batter was crisp, not abrasive, and delightfully peppery.

The meal was also cheap.
1 lb of brussels sprouts ($0.99)
2 zucchini ($1.27)
8 chicken tenderloins ($1.37)

Total: $3.63

This was a delicious dinner with enough leftover for a light lunch to anticipate while sitting in morning meetings.

- Cassaendra

Soup's On!

On Tuesday, I was beginning to feel a touch under the weather. By Thursday, I felt awful, sitting in meetings for the majority of the day with nearly full-blown symptoms of a cold, frequently scurrying to the bathroom from guzzling water, cranberry juice, and jasmine earl grey green tea throughout the day. Saturday came quickly as I slept through most of Friday.

Bug made a scrumptious batch of potato-asparagus-corn chowder while he was still well on Saturday.

Chowdah with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Ingredients:
1 lb bacon
5 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
water
2/3 lb asparagus, chopped (1-2" long)
2-3 c corn
5 c whole milk
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Prepare several layers of paper napkins on a plate to absorb grease from cooked bacon.
2. Fry bacon. Lay cooked bacon strips flat on paper napkins and set ~1/4 c bacon grease aside.
2. Place potatoes in a soup pot, then add enough water so it is level with the potatoes.
3. When the water boils, reduce to a simmer until potatoes are cooked, then remove from heat.
4. Meanwhile, blanch asparagus. Set aside.
5. Separate 1/4 of the cooked potatoes and 1-2 c of liquid from the soup pot. Transfer to blender and puree.
6. Pour potato puree in to soup pot with the remaining cooked potatoes. Return soup to simmer.
7. Add corn, asparagus, and milk to soup pot. Stir.
8. Add bacon grease (1/4 c). Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Simmer until soup is at desired temperature, few minutes.
10. Ladle soup in bowls and add several pieces of bacon to each bowl.

Garnish with cheese, croutons, or whatever you prefer. I prefer extra black pepper and cayenne pepper.

The sweet, plump, and crisp corn brightened the soup. Of course, the bacon added a crunch, as well as a smoked meaty flavor. We enjoyed it so much, the pot of soup lasted just 1 day between the two of us.

If pfeffernüsse, a nutty, spiced cookie, were available all year, it would be one of our top guilty pleasures. We prefer Bahlsen, but Trader Joe's seemingly drier version was the only one available this year. As much as we adore pfeffernüsse, we have never attempted to make them ourselves. Their scarcity is a good thing!

Pfeffernüsse with some ice cream

I don't recall which grocery store we walked in to a week ago, but they had Edy's ice cream on sale so we were suckers took advantage of the reduced price and picked up orange sherbet, caramel cone crunch, spumoni, and French vanilla. The ice cream tends to be a little fluffy, but for the price, they are good.

- Cassaendra

First Snow

Our first snow of the season arrived today, fashionably late by about 2 months. While we received only a dusting, I'm sure our foot of snow will arrive soon enough.

First snow of the season

I am appreciative that we are not under the same blizzard warning that Baltimore and Long Island residents are currently experiencing with a snowfall forecast of ~2 feet over the weekend.

There is a special spring in Akemi's step when we take her out for a walk in snow. It isn't because her little paws are frozen. She really enjoys prancing like a fox through fluffy drifts as high as she is.

Akemi's first icy snacks of the season

Our walks today consisted of taking 5-6 steps, pausing for Akemi to take a quick bite of snow, moving 5-6 steps, another snow snack, and so on. The fine white dust around her snout made her look a bit dodgy.


Song of the day:

Lupin the Third '78 by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Thanks to Michael for indirectly introducing me to Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra(TSPO). I received an email from him this morning with a link to a beautifully filmed video of Ti Amo by Exile and inquiring about the identity of the lead character. After digging around, I discovered he was Atsushi Yanaka, a baritone saxophonist for TSPO. They look fun live!

Lupin III was a great anime series.

- Cassaendra

Tauntaun

Bug emailed me a picture of the best bed of all for those cold winter nights - a tauntaun!

Tauntaun sleeping bag (image taken from ThinkGeek.com)

Yes, it's real (the sleeping bag, that is) and can be purchased at Thinkgeek.com for $99. Intestines included!

I realize this probably isn't very amusing if you aren't Star Wars fan.

- Cassaendra

No Bone, No Waste

Bug is a World War II buff, so I wasn't surprised when he picked up The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945 by Geoffrey C Ward and Ken Burns yesterday. He had a 30% discount coupon and $5 gift card that dropped the price of the book on sale for $9.99, originally priced at $50, to $2.53 (tax included).

As the title indicates, this book focuses on wartime life experiences instead of strategies and schematics.

Bug pointed out an insert that dealt with food rationing in the US, which displayed a picture of ration tickets and a Spam advertisement (pun unintended).

Spam meal idea (picture taken from The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945, pg 222)

The ad suggested Spam birds, probably for Thanksgiving:

Wrap thin slices of Spam around your favorite stuffing, fasten with toothpicks, brown in a hot oven. Serve with garden peas, fried candied sweets.

Many people these days would be appalled by this, but I find it interesting. Then again, I enjoy eating Spam.

One can look at this and victory gardens as flag-waving propaganda, but I would rather view this as the ingenuity of people stretching what little was available.

Spaters

Inspired by the Spam birds and nudged by a growling belly, I fried up Spam with leftover mashed potatoes. Bug named them Spaters (Spam taters). Getting the Spam to remain closed was a bit of a challenge, crossed and parallel. I would have applied the toothpicks closer to the top edge, but I was afraid of the roll tearing.

The combination of salty, smoky, slightly crunchy and charred Spam was tasty with the lightly salted skin-on garlic mashed potatoes.

- Cassaendra

Akemi Meets Santa

While out for a walk earlier in the week, Akemi discovered Santa lying limp in the dirt.

Super Sleuth Akemi investigates Dirt Nap Santa

As she leaned forward to sniff the rotund rubber object, it slowly writhed in the dirt and repeatedly slurred, "Ho, ho, hooo."

Freaked

Akemi leaped backward, startled by the possessed portly man and his mysterious message. Was he friend or foe?

She had no time to ponder as we marched forward. She shuffled backward, tugging against her harness, gaping at the hapless figure.

- Cassaendra

And Dim Sum

After spending too much on my large linen Chococat backpack, we walked across the hall in to Li Wah at 1:30 p.m. As we opened the door from the quiet hallway, we entered a large, bustling room with several carts being pushed down rows of the nearly full restaurant...I remembered my last trip to this restaurant nearly 15 years ago, I ordered take out and vowed never to return because of the lousy service I received. A conversation with a co-worker piqued my curiosity.

From 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. each day, Li Wah serves dim sum. This was the first time I've ever had dim sum in Cleveland. The last time I had dim sum was in Kaimuki with my father 8 or so years ago.

The dishes are priced by size - small ($2.25), medium ($2.75), and large ($3.25), if I recall correctly.

We picked out har gau (shrimp pocket dumplings), pork and shrimp shumai (cylindrical dumplings), char siu baau (barbecue pork in a sweet brown bread), steamed meatball with fried tofu, spring roll, and another dumpling with shrimp and water chestnuts. I am not fond at all of water chestnuts, but this dumpling was good; especially with the chili paste and shoyu. It gave the dumpling a woodsy (yes, I know that's an overused description along the lines of earthy) flavor, similar to bamboo shoots. Maybe they really were bamboo shoots...

Condiments are placed at each table: shoyu, chili pepper paste in oil, salt, and pepper.

Bug wanted to check out their regular fare so he ordered a platter of Hunan beef. He was disappointed with the soft texture of the beef and the slight tang. I enjoyed the BURN of the chili peppers! WOW!

We finished our meal with custard tarts and soft tofu in sweetened water. The custard tarts were meh, but the texture of the soft tofu was so silky, it was at the brink of cohesion. Amazing! The flavor of the sugar water reminded me of potato starch simmered in water and a little sugar, a dish my mother would make for me when I wasn't able to chew.

We passed on the congee, various chow fun, phoenix (chicken) feet, sesame balls, pig stomach, choy sum, and mussels. The mussels came 15-20 in a large glass soup bowl, all for $3.25. What a temptation, but we had already picked out 5 items at that point and I was waiting for the hot case with the buns to roll by.

My favorites were har gau, shu mai, and the mega-silken tofu. While this may not be the same quality as one would get in Honolulu, San Francisco, etc., I really enjoyed this meal. Bug hated the meal. He didn't like the chewy texture of the dumplings and the mega-tender, gummy beef.

How unfortunate, at least for me, as I enjoyed listening and watching the animated voices and expressions of the crowd. One could feel the warmth of the gathering for yum cha.

- Cassaendra

Li Wah
2999 Payne Ave 102
Cleveland, OH 44114-4436
Tel: (216) 696-6556

Rain

While searching online for a block print image by Hiroshige, I ran into a poem by Miyazawa Kenji, a Japanese geologist turned poet and activist, who lived until 37 years of age in the early 1900s.

Ame ni mo Makezu (Be not Defeated by the Rain)
Written by Kenji Miyazawa
Translated by David Sulz

Be not defeated by the rain, Nor let the wind prove your better.
Succumb not to the snows of winter. Nor be bested by the heat of summer.

Be strong in body. Unfettered by desire. Not enticed to anger. Cultivate a quiet joy.
Count yourself last in everything. Put others before you.
Watch well and listen closely. Hold the learned lessons dear.

A thatch-roof house, in a meadow, nestled in a pine grove's shade.

A handful of rice, some miso, and a few vegetables to suffice for the day.

If, to the East, a child lies sick: Go forth and nurse him to health.
If, to the West, an old lady stands exhausted: Go forth, and relieve her of burden.
If, to the South, a man lies dying: Go forth with words of courage to dispel his fear.
If, to the North, an argument or fight ensues:
Go forth and beg them stop such a waste of effort and of spirit.

In times of drought, shed tears of sympathy.
In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy.

Stand aloof of the unknowing masses:
Better dismissed as useless than flattered as a "Great Man".

This is my goal, the person I strive to become.

Miyazawa is known for his novel, Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru (Night on the Galactic Railroad), which was made into an anime of the same name where the main characters are played by cats.

Older anime and manga fans may recall "Galaxy Express 999" by Matsumoto Reiji (Leiji), which was inspired by Miyazawa's novel. Matsumoto is also well known for his involvement in Uchu Senkan Yamato (Space Battleship Yamato, also known as Star Blazers).

As for the block print, I didn't find it.

- Cassaendra

Shogun of Cleveland

A couple months ago while driving around the city, we stumbled upon this awesome deli on Superior Ave and E 85th St. I finally got a shot of it.

Sho'Nuff!

If you need a reminder of where this came from...

The Last Dragon

Years ago, my mother and I watched this movie numerous times as it aired frequently on HBO. Bruce Leroy always made me chuckle. I wonder when the remake with Samuel L. Jackson as Sho'Nuff will come out?

Unfortunately, the deli was closed when we drove by at 8:30 a.m.

- Cassaendra

Recreate

We've been so busy (doing what?) it has taken me a week to post what I created for last week's Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell challenge - recreating a favorite restaurant dish. Of course, this entry was too late, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

La Bodega is our favorite sandwich shop. Bug orders the #44 Italian sub ($8.95). The sandwich includes salami, pepperoni, ham, olives, tomatoes, banana peppers, onions, provolone, Italian herbs and dressing.

My favorite for the past 5 years has been the #36 grilled eggplant sandwich ($6.95). The sandwich comes with bocconcini, tomato, and pesto mayonnaise served in a rosemary ciabatta. It's a very sloppy (wet) sandwich to eat. I'm not sure why, but the sloppier the sandwich the more delicious they tend to be.

All sandwiches are panini grill pressed and include a small bag of chips.

For years, I've been meaning to make this very simple sandwich. I almost feel embarrassed to present this as a "challenge," but it is a dish I have been meaning to make. I blame the eggplants sitting at Miles Market.

Bug is the grill master of the house by default, since I don't grill. I believe the eggplant is roasted at La Bodega.

Grilled eggplant atop toasted sour dough bread

Basil Pesto
Miles Market has the best fresh basil, price-wise and freshness. We also picked up a chunk of parmesan. When I grated the parmesan, I was surprised it didn't stink like the bottled ones by Kraft that Bug always gets.

Basil pesto

Ingredients:
2 c basil
1/2 c pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c parmesan, grated

In a food processor, blend basil and pine nuts. Add minced garlic. Slowly add the olive oil. Add parmesan.

We didn't make mayonnaise from scratch. I should probably do that some time. For the pesto mayonnaise, I just used Hellmann's mayonnaise and mixed it with some of the basil pesto.

Kenji Alt has an excellent article on basic and animal fat mayonnaise.

Basil pesto mayonnaise and ciliegine mozzarella

As usual, we've made substitutions. I wasn't able to find bocconcini and rosemary ciabatta so I instead bought a container of ciliegine (cherry-sized fresh mozzarella) and a loaf of sour dough bread, respectively.

I chose sour dough because I love the way mayonnaise brings out the sourness in sour dough bread.

The ghost of Hello Kitty

So the cheese doesn't roll all over the place, you can either squeeze it flat with your fingers or nuke it for 20 seconds. Nuked, the cheese becomes a hot, pliable goo of gummy cheese but looks presentable. The cheese may look weird squished, but it has a better texture and flavor.

Tomatoes weren't used since I didn't find any worth buying.

I don't have the counter space for a panini grill so I toasted the bread in my Hello Kitty toaster. She decided not to grace us with her countenance.

The sandwich was similar in flavor to La Bodega's. While smaller and not as messy to eat, I liked our sandwich better because the smoky flavor of the grilled eggplant and the sourness of the bread.

- Cassaendra

La Bodega
869 Jefferson Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113-4627
(216) 621-7075

Mad Cactus

For several months, we have been questioning why there aren't any Mexican buffets. Recently, we passed by an "express lunch buffet" banner hanging at the Mad Cactus and had to check out the food that "made [them] famous."

We understand that buffets are often not as good as real food because there's only so much control over quality one can have over a dish sitting under a lamp, even at buffets where we have paid $30-40/person.

I do find buffets, when offered, an inexpensive way to explore how the restaurant is run without having to make a commitment.

On the day we went, for $6.75 we got:
- tortilla bowls, hard shell tacos, tortillas
- salad lettuce
- shredded lettuce
- jalapeno slices
- black olive slices
- diced tomatoes (mashed up)
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- salsa
- celery sticks
- ranch dressing

Hot stuff:
- seasoned ground beef
- shredded chicken with peppers and onions
- cheese enchiladas
- enchiladas
- churros
- chipotle chicken wings
- refried beans
- rice pilaf

The plates were oval, 3" x 6" at the widest points, so I made 3 trips to the buffet, eating 1 scoop of cheese enchilada, 1 chicken wing, 1 scoop of rice, 1 hard shell taco, 1 soft taco, 1 churro.

It's hard to make melted cheese and corn tortillas look appetizing, especially sitting in a pan at a buffet. At any time there seemed to be 0-3 cheese enchiladas...flat, crusty, and spread out. I cut out a piece like I would lasagna. It tasted like, well, cheese and tortillas.

Each time I went up, the beef enchilada pan was empty. Bug was able to get some. Apparently, they were displayed 3-4 enchiladas to a pan, sliced in small bite-sized pieces. According to Bug, they were "edible," but "nothing to write home about."

The wings weren't bad considering they looked a bit leathery from sitting under a lamp. I am also not a big wings fan because of the skin+work to meat ratio. The batter was peppery.

If you love frozen tv dinner rice pilaf, you'll love their rice.

The shredded chicken for tacos was pretty tasty and what you'd expect since it was simmering in broth, onions, and peppers.

I'm sure the churros would have been great if they were fresh out of the fryer. Since we walked in at 12:45 p.m., an hour after they opened their buffet, they were hard-shelled, dark brown, 1" nuggets of dough. The texture was off, but they were edible - crunchy and sugary with a touch of cinnamon.

Service was poor. Bug ordered soda and saw the server in the area twice the entire time we were there. Once, 2/3 through the meal after he waved her down when his glass had been empty for 10 minutes, and the second time was to drop off the check, ignoring Bug's empty glass.

I'm not sure what we expected from a Mexican lunch buffet. Bug didn't feel the need to ever return.

- Cassaendra

Mad Cactus
9175 Pearl Rd
Strongsville, OH 44136-1401
(440) 234-7427

Urban Ninja

We decided to get rid of both of our air conditioners because they were going to cost more than we were willing to pay to clean and service. The air conditioners worked fine and were high end energy efficient models. They just need serviced and cleaned in a really bad way after 8 years of heavy operation each summer.

Bug wanted to set them outside early in the morning, minutes before the rubbish truck would arrive. I put my foot down and asked that he set them out as early as possible the day prior to pick-up, since people religiously go through our rubbish each week.

Bug took 2 trips, huffing and puffing as he lugged each air conditioner alone down 1 long and steep flight of stairs and down a short set of steps. It was raining, so I was concerned he was going to fall.

Bug hobbled back upstairs and waited 7 minutes for me to get ready so we could go out and get some pet supplies. Yes, 7 minutes. It's only pet supplies!

By the time we stepped outside, the patch of grass where Bug left the air conditioners was empty. I looked both directions on our street. It was clear of traffic. The grass didn't even have a chance to remain pressed from the weight.

While I expected our stuff to be taken, I didn't think it was going to disappear that quickly. I'm sure the person who took them will be pleasantly surprised they actually work.

- Cassaendra

On Top of Linguine

This week's Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell challenge is to create a spaghetti and meatball dinner paired with wine.

I have always felt cheated when ordering spaghetti with meatballs because it's frequently 1 or 2 large meat-anvils weighing down a sparse bed of spaghetti and runny marinara. For this reason, I avoid ordering it unless there is nothing I desire on the menu.

Not covered in cheese

Since this is our first time making meatballs for pasta, we will not be teaching anyone any secrets.

Meatballs:
1 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb spicy ground Italian sausage
1/2 c plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp dried oregano
salt
black pepper
olive oil

Sauce:
26 oz roasted red pepper pasta sauce (Bove's of Vermont)
28 oz diced tomatoes with sea salt (Dei Fratelli)
1/4 c red wine (2006 Chateau Malbat Bordeaux)
2 shiitake, minced
2 cloves roasted garlic, minced
1/2 c kalamata olives, pitted and minced
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, minced
3 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp thyme, ground
2 c zucchini, diced
2 c yellow squash, diced
1/4 c basil, chopped
black pepper
crushed chili peppers

1. In a large pot, simmer pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, bordeaux, shiitake, roasted garlic, olives, sun dried tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme.

2. Hand-mix beef and sausage with breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix egg into meat mixture.

3. Shape meat into 1" spheres and fry the meatballs in olive oil (~15 minutes per batch).

4. Add meatballs, zucchini, and yellow squash to sauce and simmer (~45 minutes).

5. Add basil a few minutes before serving.

6. Sprinkle fresh ground pepper and crushed chili peppers to taste.

We normally have larger chunks of vegetables and add carrots, broccoli, green bell peppers, fresh mushrooms, and celery to our spaghetti sauce in addition to the vegetables used tonight, but our broccoli crowns were yellow and we forgot to get celery, green bell peppers, mushrooms, and carrots, and didn't feel like driving out to the grocery store. Fortunately, we always have shiitake in the freezer. The omission of cheese was due to my dislike for cheese, specifically, parmesan and romano.

The sauce was sweeter than usual and not as meaty tasting. We also prefer our vegetables firmer, but I wanted to make the sauce as normal looking as possible.

The meatballs were more subtle in flavor that we expected. We were thinking of adding caraway or fennel seeds, but not knowing the flavor intensity of the sausage, we decided to err on the side of caution.

After Bug made up the batch of meatballs, I noticed a few meatball recipes that included water. While I am not ecstatic about revisiting meatballs, this has piqued my curiosity. I may make a small batch to find out what difference (assume textural) adding water will make, and add it to meat sauce.

As for drinks, Bug drank iced tea and I drank water. I don't drink alcohol. The bordeaux used in the sauce was a gift. I don't recall how long we've had it, just that it's no more than 3 years old.

- Cassaendra

Hold the Mustard

Auf wiener-sehen!

After 5 weeks of fun and turbulence with Mustard, we've given up on the little guy and returned him to the Mutt Hutt.

Mustard was my first experience of having a dog off a leash in an unfenced area and at my heels where ever I turned. He was a crowd pleaser and always rolled on his back when a dog or human walked near him. When he was off-leash outside, he looked like the happiest little thing in the world where nothing could poop on his parade. That was the fun part.

The not so fun times quickly engulfed the good...

When we received him, he had a persistent cough that wasn't actively treated. There was some speculation that he had kennel cough. We were quite concerned, watching over Akemi to see if she would develop a cough since she was never administered a bordetella vaccine, as we were advised against having it by our veterinarian if she wasn't going to be boarded.

From day one, he piddled every time he was let out of his crate and urinated on the carpet and bed, even 30 minutes after being taken outside. The only place we have carpeting is a strip under our computer chairs, and he always picked my chair.

We bought a lot of toys in an attempt to avoid the two fighting over toys. We were concerned that Akemi would feel that he was intruding on her turf. Unfortunately, it was the other way around. Any time Akemi picked up a toy, Mustard would drop the toy he was playing with, snarl at her, and take her toy away. The ferocity tapered as time passed and it became a friendly tug-o-war competition.

In hindsight, scolding Mustard when he did bad things netted the best result. It kept him at baseline, but his behavior did not improve. We also learned how protective Akemi was over Mustard. When he was scolded, she would run from any part of the house and come between us and him.

When we tried rewarding him for better behavior and scolding him for bad behavior, he reacted poorly to discipline. If we picked him up prior to being scolded after he did something bad, he would scream. If he wasn't being scolded and picked up the same way, he would react indifferently.

This confirmed to us that he knew the difference between bad and good behavior. Our initial thought was that he was just an honestly dumb dog.

We removed the discipline component by ignoring his bad behavior and rewarding good behavior, which began the quick spiral downward to unacceptable behavior.

Mustard would swallow his treat and take Akemi's treats from her mouth. We were already separating the two dogs during mealtime, where Mustard would eat in the crate and Akemi would eat outside. He would whine after he scarfed his food down and saw that Akemi was leisurely eating her food. If we let him out, he would eat all of her food. The treats were administered separately with one dog caged. Mustard would cry from inside his crate watching Akemi savoring her treat. It was too much drama, so we ceased giving them treats.

Our first day at the dog park was embarrassing. We found out Mustard still had issues sharing. When one of the labrador retrievers ran with a stick with other dogs in tow, Mustard screamed and lunged at the dog. He did the same thing to two other dogs as they ran with the stick. He also scratched a little girl, who was standing in front of us, unprovoked. We left before things escalated.

The next day, we returned to the dog park. A different group of dogs were there. Mustard began screaming and attacked one of the dogs unprovoked. We left the dog park immediately.

Late that evening, Bug noticed a tuft of fur in Mustard's mouth. Puzzled, he kept an eye and observed that Mustard was pulling clumps of fur from Akemi's backside. For whatever reason, Akemi did not react.

This was the last straw. Bug was getting rid of Mustard ASAP.

Before we informed Mutt Hutt our intentions of returning Mustard, Bug received a call the next morning to drop Mustard off. An accusatory conversation took place with Rebecca regarding a conversation on UTIs with our neighbor the night before. Bug wanted to quickly be rid of the dog, so he ignored her instead of arguing.

I hope Mustard is able to find a home. He would be better off where he:
- can be kept outside so he can pee anywhere to his heart's content
- is the only pet so he doesn't go into a jealous rage over food or toys
- isn't scolded
- can be pampered, since he is an extremely needy dog.

On a positive note, we better appreciate Akemi's charming and aloof nature. She appears not to be affected by Mustard's absence. It was worth the $200 "rental" fee to see how Akemi would react to another dog in the household. We've decided that our next dog will be another shiba puppy.

- Cassaendra

Bun Rieu

We stopped by our regular Vietnamese haunt, #1 Pho, for the purpose of having a sinus clearing meal. Bug was having major issues with congestion likely due to allergies, and I was on the verge of delirium tremens from not having had their summer rolls and pho in ~3 weeks.

XTC

Their chargrilled pork summer rolls are the absolute best appetizer/finger food I have ever eaten. I am not a fan of pork, but I could eat 10 of these myself.

The pork is sliced thin, marinated, then char-grilled. Crisp lettuce cools the warm meat. Perfectly cooked vermicelli and rice wraps balance the saltiness of the pork and the salty-sweet piquant nuoc cham.

These rapturous rolls are an excellent marriage of salty, spicy, tart, sweet, crunchy, warm, cool, fresh, and smoky!

Plain Jane

Instead of ordering my usual pho tai, hold the onions and cilantro, I opted for bun rieu -- tomato crab soup.

I have never been to Vietnam to know how close this is to the real ting. I really doubt pig's blood is used here, and I've never asked. I suppose all that matters is that it tastes good.

Go ahead, point that accusing finger at me saying I'm a hypocrite with regard to authenticity. I'm Japanese so I can be a little bitter about restaurants touting authentic Japanese cuisine and serving beef broccoli, egg rolls, hot and sour soup, and cap the meal with a fortune cookie. Prideful? Maybe.

I have no problem with people experimenting with food, mixing several cultures, or calling it fusion. Don't pass it off as authentic (I'm looking at you, restaurants)!

All dressed up and ready to go...into mah belly

The bun rieu served here has an oily sheen, but doesn't (lip)smack of grease. The soup is nothing like pho, and has an obvious tart tomato component. Pieces of tomato can be fished up along with an abundance of small seasoned meatballs that break apart easily. Also, the noodles are round instead of the flat sticks associated with pho.

A side platter of bean sprouts, lettuce, jalapeno peppers, and a wedge of lime is brought with the soup. Lettuce in hot soup seems weird; however, the lettuce served isn't your wimpy buttery lettuce, but a hearty, crunchy variety.

Bun rieu is a wonderful soup, but my heart is still with pho tai. Sadly, I no longer press the issue about getting the meat raw in a platter (to manage meat doneness to my preference) for fear that my topmost important request of no onions and cilantro be overlooked. Not ordering pho is a very serious decision. Bun thit nuong cha gio (cold vermicelli with char-grilled pork, spring roll, Thai basil, mint, bean sprouts, lettuce, chopped nuts, and nuoc cham) is another favorite.

I should take back the comment about fortune cookies, since it has been ruled in a court of law that someone of Japanese descent invented it.

- Cassaendra

#1 Pho
3120 Superior Ave
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
(216)781-1176

TV Party

Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell project this week focuses on what we eat while we watch television.

I initially thought we could get plates reminiscent of the aluminum platters used in TV dinners with sectioned areas. I thought I saw some at Target, but when I didn't, I wasn't compelled to look anywhere else and decided to use a long pastry tray.

My next thought was to make something that was slightly thematic as ChefTomMohr brought up. The tv shows I watch these days don't lend themselves to food themes -- Castle, CSI, Dexter, and Mentalist...or cooking shows on PBS. I don't have satellite or cable tv.

TV party tonight

So, I threw some food we had leftover or were quick to assemble between commercial breaks.

Spinach salad

Spinach salad was topped with a locally made gorgonzola pear dressing with riesling wine by Vino de Milo. I'm NOT a fan of gorgonzola, but this wasn't bad. It wasn't as pungent as I expected, but maintained its stinky presence. We bought the dressing to see if we should buy more bottles to give away as box stuffers.

Pasta salad

The pasta salad was left over from a side the other night. Ziti and rotini mixed with olives, roasted red peppers, artichokes, zucchini, yellow squash, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Sardines

The sardines were canned with tomato sauce, which I simmered with cayenne pepper and black pepper, then garnished with nori and sesame seeds. This was really easy to put together, I almost felt guilty. Almost.

This was a lot of food so I brought leftovers for lunch the next day.

Fun song, but I still don't like Black Flag

- Cassaendra

Nate's Deli

Several years ago and each party since, the office has catered food from Nate's Deli, a restaurant that serves primarily Lebanese food, as well as deli sandwiches. We usually have several trays of shawarma, shish tawook, and falafel wraps, tabbouleh, hummus, baba ghanoush, and fattoush.

Our office party is where I met and fell in love with fattoush, a refreshing blend of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, onions and parsley, tossed with oil, vinegar, and sumac, and served with toasted pita chips.

Fattoush

Since the order is catered at work, the pita chips are delivered separately instead of mixed into the salad. Serving the chips separate is my preferred style of eating this, scooping the salad with the crisp toasted chips. The chips and the tart sumac take the edge off of the onions for me, a raw onion hater.

The heaping platter that you get at the restaurant is only $4.25. This and a side of stuffed grape leaves is probably all you need for a filling meal that won't feel like you ate bricks.

Shish tawook

Another dish I enjoy is shish tawook ($4.75), skewered marinated chicken. I've never had it as a platter, only served as a sandwich wrap in fresh pita with garlic mayonnaise and lettuce. It is traditionally served over rice.

Pickled turnip and peppers

I believe the pickled turnips came with the shish tawook. The turnips were crunchy and probably pickled in vinegar and something to make it pink, as I didn't detect any other flavor. The pickled peppers were a touch spicy and unexpectedly salty.

We also ordered a shawarma sandwich, beef strips sauteed with finely chopped onions. I forgot that it came with chopped onions, so Bug ate the whole sandwich.

Stuffed grape leaves and yogurt

The grape leaves were stuffed with rice and ground beef. The flavor of the leaves were atypically subtle unlike our numerous experiences at other [Greek] restaurants and at home. I wonder if it's the brand of grape leaves used or different preparation. They were well made and, for $7.50, the portion was generous.

Bug walked in not expecting to like it as much as he did. I'm glad that he likes this place, since their food is modestly priced and the people there seem happy to be there. Good food, good vibe, good prices.

- Cassaendra

Nate's Deli
1923 West 25th Street
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 696-7529
*cash and check only, closed Sundays

Okonomiyaki

Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell project this week is pancakes.

The first thing that popped into my mind was okonomiyaki (お好み焼き). The literal meaning of the two kanji are "like" and "cook."

Okonomiyaki

When my mother was busy during the weekends, she would occasionally cook a quick and easy version of okonomiyaki for lunch. It wasn't as thick or dressed up with stacks of toppings as the Hiroshima variety. She also wasn't from Hiroshima...

I never got her recipe, but I recall that it was basic: flour, water, eggs, cabbage. My job as her assistant was to make the sauce, which was merely Best Foods mayonnaise whipped with shoyu, to taste.

Basic ingredients:
2 c flour
3/4 c water or dashi
2 c cabbage, shredded
3 eggs
neutral oil

Sauce:
Kewpie mayonnaise
okonomiyaki sauce

Makes 2 servings, 2 pancakes per person

1. Mix the flour and water (or dashi).
2. Add cabbage to batter and mix.
3. Add egg to cabbage and batter mixture.
2. In a heated, oiled pan, pour batter in a circle and cook to desired crispness.

Semi-naked lunch

For a Hiroshima flair, I added a yakisoba layer. Sapporo Ichiban yakisoba (chow mein) is my preferred variety, since the noodles are a desirable texture. For my concoction, I added sliced bamboo shoots and mushrooms to the yakisoba and took the liberty of sprinkling the laver that came with the yakisoba package, as well as shichimi togarashi for a little zip.

I would have used shrimp, cut up in smaller pieces, but the bag in the freezer we thought was shrimp was, instead, a bag of dumplings. Boo.

My mother would have served just the two pancakes for lunch with a mayonnaise-shoyu sauce.

Dressed pancake

A typical okonomiyaki will have katsuobushi shavings layered on top. The shavings are made of preserved tuna and look like wood curls.

This is no where near what I have had in Hiroshima at an okonomiyaki restaurant our relatives took my father and I. It was piled at least 4" high. I'm rubbing my belly just thinking about it!

I have yet to make okonomiyaki like my mother's, but through trial and error, I hope to obtain that texture and flavor one day.

- Cassaendra

Ingenuity Festival

The Veterans Memorial Bridge was constructed in the 1910s at a cost of over $5 million. The top (open) deck provided a vehicular and pedestrian connection from Downtown Cleveland (Superior Avenue) to the west side (Detroit Avenue) over the Cuyahoga River, while the lower deck was for streetcar traffic.

Lower deck, Veterans Memorial Bridge

In the 1950s, streetcars no longer operated along the bridge so access to the lower deck was closed off, while the upper deck remained in use.

Benched

Several times per year, the closed off lower level is open for tours and art exhibits, like the Ingenuity Festival: The Bridge Project this weekend.

The end is near...

The beautifully dreary, misty weather served as a perfect prelude to Electric Junkyard Gamelan, a percussive band using pots and other apparatus (similar to Einstürzende Neubauten's music from the early 1980s). The spacious, practically underground auditorium couldn't have been better aesthetically and acoustically.

...or just some people passing by on their bicycle

The footpath along the bridge that crosses over the river consists of wood boards laid over metal grating. If you walk over the dark edges shown in the pictures you are able to see the river ~100 feet (~30 m) below. The Superior end of the bridge turns into dirt.

Rapid stop

Half way across the bridge, the gaps between the beams and the wood boards along the center walkway become wider so I had to jump to get across. The grating was still under the boards, so a toddler wouldn't plummet between the boards, at least not a chubby one. Someone could lose their cuff links, ring, or keys, however.

Adorable booties

Zocalo (Superior end)

There seemed to be a lot more activity along the Superior Avenue (Downtown Cleveland) end of the bridge, with more artists hanging their artwork and a busier bar.

Bar (Superior end)

The atmosphere was more what I'd imagine the scene in Berlin would have been like 25 years ago with bands playing in abandoned industrial buildings lit only with a couple of stage lights.

Watery grave

The atmosphere is dank in the furthest reaches of the Superior end of the bridge, since there are areas that are submerged like the stairwell. To my disappointment, I was unable to take my camera, which has an excellent motion stabilizer, since my battery was drained and, instead, took Bug's camera.

Street car named Expired

A stage was set up in front of one of the streetcars. Several nooks were utilized as stages for other spoken word performances.

A sliver of the Downtown Cleveland skyline (Detroit end)

The hearse in the picture is awesome.

- Cassaendra

Having a Ball

Hop hop hop

One of a few pictures of the fuzzy that isn't a blur.

- Cassaendra

Ohio City Players

While cruising around yesterday, a new storefront painting of a skeleton with a hat holding a burrito caught our eye. When we arrived home, Bug tried to find a menu online for Ohio City Burrito. Their website was new so it only advertised basic information.

We didn't want to eat out tonight and normally don't impose so close to closing (30 minutes). Having read a review that the food was amazing and inexpensive, we decided to give it a try.

The storefront

The store opened its doors 5 days ago so everything still smells and looks new, with dainty utensil holders, and that awkward new store vibe.

There are ~7 black tables with cute, bright, and cartoony Day of the Dead themed artwork of flowers and skeletons painted on the lacquered tabletops amongst the sunny walls and white embossed tin ceiling.

Menu

There were 6 people in line when we slipped in. The line moved pretty quickly, so it took ~10 minutes for us to order.

Bug ordered the Barbacoa beef Brother's burrito ($6.15) and I ordered the shredded chicken Brother's burrito ($6.15). The format is like Que Tal, a Mexican style Subway, where your burrito is sent along an assembly line and you decide which ingredients will go into your burrito, taco, or salad.

Building a burrito

Ingredient choices include sour cream, guacamole, white rice with cilantro, black beans, refried beans, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese mix, 3 types of salsa, and pickled jalapeno peppers.

We ordered our burritos with sour cream, guacamole, rice, shredded lettuce, and cheese. Not knowing the heat rating, we stuck with a medium heat salsa to be safe.

Barbacoa beef Brother's burrito

I preferred the chicken burrito over the beef burrito. The beef had a subtle smoky flavor and was a little dry; whereas, the chicken was moist and a bit tangy. The sour cream and guacamole was timidly smeared and the cheese was given a light hand. The center of each grain of rice was crunchy. The refried beans were all right. The salsa wasn't spicy at all.

Bug was irritated with the rice as well as the disparity in serving sizes. The person in front of us had the same order, but was served twice as much beef.

Shredded chicken Brother's burrito

I ordered horchata ($2.00), a rice drink I've never tried before. It was a sweet, chalky, malt-nutty flavored milk with a cinnamon accent. I could have drank a quart!

Bug ordered a pineapple cocktail that was dispensed self-serve with the usual sodas. Jarrito brand drinks are also sold. I overlooked the selection because I figured it would be more expensive than purchasing them at the grocery store.

Bug wasn't impressed and does not want to return. I didn't think it was horrible and would give it another try a few months from now. When I do, I'll order my meal with fiery hot salsa.

- Cassaendra

Ohio City Burrito
1844 W 25th St
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 664-0908