Roast Chicken and "Bayless" Rice 10/21/07

Rick working, or struggling with the chicken

Two small chickens from the local farm! Now that looks more famliar to me. When I first came to United States, I almost thought that American chickens were half-turkey, amazed by the size. Gosh, those tighs! Anyway, I was at my host family's again to have a nice dinner.

Rick Bayless Recipe

This was a rice dish wish peppers such as poblano and cheese. This was very good! As Linnea said, "Rick Bayless never disappoints us." Of course the cheese was good, and I loved the peppers. Just the right spiciness too.

Today's vegetable = Cauliflowers

Roasted Chicken = Simple but always good

The chicken's always good, the cauliflowers were surprisingly good even though I normally don't like them that much, and the rice was a surprise. The cheese was good and I love those peppers with a spicy taste to it!

Linnea's Tarte Tatin = Simply Amazing

This tarte tatin was just amazing. I especially liked the edges of the apples where it turns sticky and extra sugary because of its texture. This is very close to becoming my favorite dessert, while I do not know what is in that place right now.

Veal Stew with Penne 10/14/07

Homemade Bread

So after watching Michael Clayton, another good movie choice by Linnea, we also had a very nice dinner. It was a chilly day with drizzle and stew was a very nice idea.

Just look at that steam! I wish I had the chance to be there in the earlier in the day and smell it as it cooked. How happy I was to see the peas and mushrooms! It was served over penne, sprinkled with Parmesan.


I really enjoyed it; I had twice as much as it is shown on the plate. I also "helped" Lizz finish up her vegetables, in fact the best part of the stew. I am writing this so later on I can tell my kids about "dear aunt Lizz with childish eating habits."

I almost forgot about dessert, but still somehow, very mysteriously happened to have extra space for the apple pie and caramel icecream, all made by Linnea!

Brio Tuscan Grille: Troy, MI 10/13/07

A pretty Busy Lunch Day @ Brio

Linna and I went to the Brio chain in Somerset Mall for lunch around 1:30PM. It looked quite busy today and I saw many people ordering stuff from the Bellini Brunch Menu served Sat & Sun 11AM-3PM.

Today's Lunch Specials

Soup of the Day: Minestrone

Linna had a brunch earlier and just wanted a bowl of soup. Though I like creamy minestrone, this was pretty good, I thought─Linna liked it even more. I think we have something for sliced or diced vegetable combination.

Veal Tortellacci $7.95

This was the daily special appetizer. Our server said he loved it, so I gave it a try and liked it. Not much ground veal, of course, but the herb & parmesan cream sauce was good. The diced tomatoes, basil, and pinenut crust were nice too; I would have liked more tomatoes.

Tuscan Grilled Pork Chop $11.50

Brio always serve huge amount of mashed potatoes;though I can never finish it, Linna helped in this case. This was good except the edge was a bit burnt─the side near the potatoes. But overall I was happy with my meal.

Dolchinos $7.25

Linna, aside from her soup, wanted some dessert. Actually the first thing she did upon arriving was asking for the dessert menu. She orders Dolchinos, a dessert sampler. From the top left corner clockwise: Stawberry Shortcake with Panna Cotta on the bottom, Tiramisu, Chocolate Zabaglione, and Creme Brulee. The desserts were all satisfactory and Linna loved them.

The bill was $32.91 for two excluding the tip. We had two servers today because they shared a section, and both of them were very friendly. I would like the place perhaps a little brighter during lunch time, because it was rather dim. Not a big concern, though.

Previous Brio Tuscan Grille:
Pasta Fra Diavolo & Veal Saltimbocca 09/2007
Chicken "Under the Brick" & Tournedo Di Manzo 06/02/07

Salvatore Scallopini: Birmingham, MI 10/12/07

Salvatore Scallopini (Birmingham Location)

It was quite a cold day for October and I wanted something warm and creamy. Then I remembered that Salvatore Scallopini had a dish with pesto cream sauce for a daily special yesterday; I thought maybe they would have something similar today as well.
So the hostess did not recognize me and I was helped rather late till I asked her if I should put my name down, but it was quite a busy night and she was kind other than that; the server today was very cheerful and attentive too, and I enjoyed the dinner alone─yes, alone. But it isn't too bad when I enjoy the food.

Pollo Simone $15.95

So it wasn't the same dish, but they did have something I wanted. It was Pollo Simone, grilled chicken breast with garlic pesto cream sauce, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. I substitued angel hair with fettucine.
The only thing I did not like about this dish was that the tomatoes were perhaps too pungent, but after all I do not like the olives standing out either, so maybe it is just a personal preference. I usually like the unique taste of tomato making the cream sauce not too rich, but this was a little too much than the usual sundried tomatoes I was used to. However everything else was great, and the fettucine and mushrooms went well with the cream sauce with garlic and basil flavor. I really enjoyed it.

Previous Salvatore Scallopini:
Chicken Francese & Ravioli 10/11/07
Penne Palamino 06/05/07
Chicken Tosca & Cream Puff 06/01/07

Salvatore Scallopini: Birmingham, MI 10/11/07

Bread and Marinara Sauce

Lizz and I went to Salvatore Scallopini for dinner today. A pretty cold day for October, and rainy too. There were some daily specials that appealed to me: chicken with pesto cream sauce, a veal dish with artichoke, and tomato cream sauce fettucine with shrimp. Now that I think of it, maybe I should have tried the chicken.

What the table looks like

The meals are served with a choice of soup of salad.
I chose vinaigrette instead of creamy Romano dressing.

The entree I ordered came with a side of pasta, potatoes, or vegetables. I chose vegetables.

Chicken Francese $13.95
dipped in egg, parmesan cheese, sauteed in lemon garlic butter

I thought it was rather bland; I liked it but not as much as Chicken Tosca. The sauce was okay, but the chicken needed more of either parmesan or garlic flavor.

Ravioli with Palamino Sauce, half meat half cheese $10.95
Lizz sprinkled it with crushed red peppers.

We didn't think it was a great choice, but okay.

The bill came to $26.30 or something for two excluding the tip. I would say today's meal wasn't very great, though it wasn't bad. I like Salvatore Scallopini because it is casual enough to hang out with my friends. I will still have to try other entrees such as Chicken Cacciatore, Veal Piccata, or Filletto Diana. I like their marinara sauce that comes with the bread, but didn't find their palamino sauce very interesting; maybe I should try an oil based pasta sometime.

Previous Salvatore Scallopini:
Lunch, Penne Palamino e Pollo & Sandwich 06/05/07
Dinner, Chicken Tosca & Dessert Puff 06/01/07

Ratatouille and Lamb 10/07/07

Ratatouille and Cuscus.
I had a great dinner at my Host Family's again.

Leg of lamb marinated with Hoisin sauce and garlic.
Yum, this was amazing. Tender meat and good sauce, any more?

I tried Cuscus for the first time in my life.
I really love the texture, though I don't like olives in this one.


Ratatouille with vinaigrette, slightly burnt but still tasting amazing.
If only it didn't take so long to cook, I'd have it in the dorms often.


So I thought these three went very well together.


And of course, Linnea's amazing dessert as usual.
She used a new recipe for lemon tart and I like this one better.
I especially like the crust.

So, I really enjoyed this dinner. Yum.

Yom Kippur Dinner 2007

These are the pictures from Yom Kippur dinner over at Julie's.

These mini sausage rolls were great!
I actually think I was too filled up with these

Khala Bread Linnea made. Sweet Khala!


Very good roasted chicken.


My favorite fatata was the one with mushrooms and asparagus.



Here comes dessert!

Apple Tart... lovely. I'm in love.

Pumpkin cheesecake; pumkin's not my favorite.

Chocolate Tart with hazelnuts!

Apple Tart was just amazing.
All I remember about that night's dinner is first the little
appetizer sausages and then the apple tart in the end. Haha.