Sukiyaki At Home

During the cold, winter months, nothing is more comforting than having a homemade Sukiyaki with all the fixings.

Setting up the table for the feast.

Platter is hot and cooking of the Sukiyaki has begun.

Plenty of ingredients and a flavorful broth simmering together.

Topping it off with spinach towards the end. It is time to eat!

It was a delicious and wonderful evening.

Zz.

Riots Over Nutella Sale

There were riots and serious commotion at a French supermarket chain when it slashed the price of Nutella spread by 70%.

In ugly scenes evocative of Black Friday in the U.S., some customers at Intermarché supermarkets brawled in a bid to bag cheap jars of the chocolate-hazelnut spread, according to multiple media reports.

Police were reportedly called to deal with outbreaks of violence after the chain slashed the price of a 950-gram jar by 70 percent, to 1.41 euros (about $1.76) from 4.50 euros (about $5.61).

“They are like animals,” the BBC reported one customer at an unidentified store as saying. “A woman had her hair pulled, an elderly lady took a box on her head, another had a bloody hand.”

Nutella? Seriously?!

Still, it shows one thing. The more we think that we are different, the more things like this shows that we are not THAT different after all. Things like this happen all over the world. At one point or another, we shake our heads at many things happening in different locations.

Zz.

Somebody Feed Phil

"Somebody Feed Phil" series premiered on Netflix this past weekend. This series is a continuation of the very successful and acclaimed "I'll Have What Phil's Having" on PBS. I had already mentioned in an earlier post that "I'll Have What Phil's Having" is one of my most favorite food shows on TV. This new series follows the same format, including the hilarious Skype with the parents back in NY City.

In this series, Phil Rosenthal goes to Bangkok, Saigon, Tel Aviv, Lisbon, New Orleans, and Mexico City. I thought the episode for Bangkok was the best, while the New Orleans and Tel Aviv were the weakest. I think when the food is a bit too familiar to both the audience and to Phil himself, the episode loses a little of its charm. This happened with his "I'll Have What Phil's Having" series as well, where I thought the LA episode was the weakest. That episode was saved by the visit by his dad and the visit to the bakery. Still, "Somebody Fee Phil" series is way better than most of the crap being shown on the Food Network.

I've only watched each episode twice so far. I plan on seeing all of it many times.

Zz.

Chef and the Farmer New Sign

I love "A Chef's Life" on PBS. I reported earlier of my first visit to Chef and the Farmer a few years ago. And in another post, I reported about having dinner there for a second time this past April, 2017. I'm slow, but I'll post pictures and a report of that second visit in another post.

During that second visit, we saw the new sign in front of the restaurant. In fact, the first thing I said when we arrive was "Oh, they replaced the sign!" The old sign was kinda iconic, because it was always shown in the show, and the theme of the sign matches their business cards, etc. So it was curious to see that they replaced the sign.

But in case this is not known, the 5th season of "A Chef's Life" is currently airing in the US on PBS. On Episode 4 titled "A Food Truck and a Pear Tree", we now know why they had to replace it. The old sign was crumbling, and there was a family of wasps living behind it. The guy who built their "designer" chicken coop was the one who made the new sign.

This episode, though, was quite touching. It showed Chef Howard opening the box that contained the first print of her cookbook. She was in tears as she opened the box, and it was a very emotional moment. As tears were running down her face, she uttered the best line in the entire episode:

I gave it everything that I had,..... and if people don't like it, then I can throw it at them, because it is freaking heavy.

Don't throw that book at me, Vivian, because I LOVE IT. Heck, I even stood in line when you were in Naperville to get it signed! :)

Zz.

Link Between Cancer And Sugar Getting Stronger

The "Warburg effect", which points to the effect whereby cancer cells needs sugar for growth, now has a stronger, newer evidence from the latest study.

"Our research reveals how the hyperactive sugar consumption of cancerous cells leads to a vicious cycle of continued stimulation of cancer development and growth," said researcher Johan Thevelein from KU Leuven in Belgium.

"Thus, it is able to explain the correlation between the strength of the Warburg effect and tumour aggressiveness. This link between sugar and cancer has sweeping consequences. Our results provide a foundation for future research in this domain, which can now be performed with a much more precise and relevant focus."

There has been a lot of effort in the US to regulate the sale and consumption of sugars. This latest result will probably add more fuel to the fire.

Zz.

Steak Dinner At Home

We don't often have steaks at home, but when we do, it's nice to do something really good.

I cooked this one on a pan after applying a kosher salt/black pepper/coriander rub on it. Then I made a pan sauce by frying onions until they are soft, adding some flour in the pan, and then adding milk to make the pan gravy. Salt and pepper to taste.

I also sauteed shallots, onions, and fresh green beans for the veggie side dish. As a bonus, I baked a couple of Trader Joe's hashbrowns.

It was a delicious Friday-night meal!

Zz.

My Most Favorite Korean Restaurant

We have many Korean restaurants in the vicinity (hooray!), but this one remains my favorite. It is the New Seoul BBQ Korean restaurant.

Don't expect slick decor, or anything fancy. This is a place where the food is the main attraction and nothing else. And as with any ethnic restaurant, my rule-of-thumb is, if the population and demographics can support it, the majority of the clientele must be of that ethnicity or else it is not a good restaurant. This rule certainly is alive and well at this restaurant, where you will see plenty of Koreans and other Asians on any given day.

If you order any of the items that is grilled at the table (such as the Bulgolgi), then they will bring out a charcoal pit/hibachi to your table. This is one of the few Korean BBQ joint that still uses charcoal pit instead of gas hibachi. I think it adds flavor to the food being grilled.

Here is a picture of what we had a couple of weeks ago.

It was scrumptious!

It is definitely one of my on-rotation restaurants.

Zz.