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When I started The Sunday Dish, I told myself I was going to do everything I could to not miss a week. To stay consistent. To not break the chain. And three weeks in, I broke the chain 😉 This is why I usually don’t do regular features around here on Kitchen Konfidence. My work/personal life schedule can sometimes get hectic, so the only regular standard I hold myself to is to share at least 1 recipe a week. However, today, I am getting back up on the horse, because I really enjoyed writing and sharing The Sunday Dish parts 1 and 2, I want to keep this going, and I’m not going to beat myself up over missing a week ;)!
PS. I missed last week’s article, because my wifi situation was unexpectedly nonexistent while at a bachelor party in Mexico (more details below). Let’s dish!
- When we last left off, I shared the incredible Thai meal Jorge and I cooked on Valentine’s Day. Several days later I treated Jorge to my own over-the-top dinner as a belated-Valentine’s Day treat (I was working that entire weekend). Similar to a dish we love at Davanti Enoteca, the appetizer was homemade bread topped with freshly made ricotta and honeycomb. For an entree, I served two big, fat grilled steaks (1 lb each) topped with porcini butter along with braised fennel and dill fingerling potatoes. And dessert was this walnut variation on Sweet Paul’s World’s Best Cake (pictured above). Everything turned out really well, and Jorge was very happy 🙂
- Around the Internets, I found these tasty morsels:
- Brian made the most vibrant Beet Dip with Hazelnuts. Seriously check this one out.
- Gaby made this Bacon Brussels and Leek Pizza, and I really, really want a slice (or two). There’s also a layer of roasted garlic paste. YUM!
- Steph recently shared these Easy Oven-Baked Sesame Chicken Thighs. They look so sticky and golden. I could see this recipe making it’s way into my weeknight chicken repertoire.
- 6 words: Chocolate Poundcake with Bacon Bourbon Frosting.
- Sam made this Fennel and Radish Salad that looks so simple and so tasty (and healthy too!).
- Joy made these decadent brownies, and so did I!
- Sarah shared this No Bake Key Lime Pie and I wish I was eating it right now. It looks SO tasty.
- Claire made this Cauliflower Brie Soup. I’ve never had soup with brie in it, but I love the idea. Brie is a fav.
- 30 minute Cinnamon Rolls?? Yes please!
- I’ve been on a shrub kick recently, so I’m loving this Ginger Shrub Dark & Stormy Cocktail.
- The weekend following Valentine’s Day was spent in Las Gaviotas, a small community just south of Rosarito, Mexico. I was there for a bachelor party. One of my best girlfriends is getting married next month, and I’m in the wedding party! I won’t get into all the details of the weekend, but I will share some food highlights. On Saturday, we ventured down to Ensenada, where we tracked down La Guerrerense, a street vendor known for tostadas and seafood cocktail. I first heard about La Guerrerense on the Good Food Baja Show, and I’ve been dying to go ever since. Pictured above is the seafood cocktail packed with large pieces of shrimp and octopus. The liquid is flavored with tomato juice, hot sauce and lime juice. I just couldn’t believe how tender and fresh the seafood was. Octopus can be tough, but this was just perfect. I also ordered two tostadas, one with octopus and one with mussels. The seafood is coarsely chopped up with fresh herbs and vegetables, then spread over a crunchy tostada. Laid out across the front of the cart were jars and jars of La Guerrerense salsas. I drizzled the hot salsa over my tostadas, and couldn’t have been happier. Later in the day, we stopped by a fish market in Ensenada to pick up fresh seafood for dinner. I prepared these Ceviche Tostadas as an appetizer, and for the main course, tequila-lime shrimp and grilled sea bass steaks with pickled onions. Accompanied by cold beers and margaritas, the dinner was incredible. Not a bite of seafood left on anyone’s plate.
- I wrote my first article for Lifehacker!
- Looking for some fun cocktails in San Diego? Check out this article.
- If you live in the San Diego area, you must check out Green Acre, a hidden little gem of a restaurant by Brian Malarkey. Pictured above: root fries with ginger aioli, pickled things (green strawberries, fennel, onions and cucumber), and a shocking pink agua fresca made with pitaya (cactus fruit) and meyer lemon. Each pickled thing is soaked in a different brine. The green strawberries are spiked with lavender!! For a good laugh, try reading this like Stefon from SNL (joke compliments of Billy). Check out some other restaurant highlights on Instagram.
- Season 4 of Girls started out a bit slow, but it’s reeeaaaally getting good. Are you following along this season? Jorge made me a gif of one of my favorite moments so far:
- Speaking of TV programming, Netflix recently released House of Cards Season 3. We are two episodes in. If you’re not a fan already, I’d recommend watching Seasons 1 and 2 asap. So good.
I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!
Lizthechef says
I made your fabulous porchetta pork tenderloin last night and it was a hit! Larry, not usually a garlic fan, gobbled up the roasted garlic as well. It is going to be our next dinner party menu. Many thanks – and it halfway cured my flu…
Brandon Matzek says
Yay!! So glad you two liked the recipe. Thanks for sharing results Liz.
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats says
That is my favorite appetizer at Davanti too 🙂 we often recreate it for dinners at home. My favorite twist is to add some white truffle salt or oil to the ricotta !
Brandon Matzek says
That’s such a great idea! I just got some truffle salt from Trader Joe’s, so I’m going to give that a try.
DessertForTwo says
I’m so with you–when I commit to some sort of blog sharing theme, I immediately drop it like its hot. Lately, I’ve had to only say it in my head and never out loud and give myself forgiveness when life gets in the way.
xo
Brandon Matzek says
Glad to hear I’m not the only one!
Sippitysup says
I love La Guerrerense. It alone is worth the drive from LA. Next time take Highway 3 from Tecate all the way down with a stop in Valle de Guadalupe. It’s a food lovers dream. GREG
Brandon Matzek says
That’s the next trip on my Mexico to-do list!
Shanna @ pineapple and coconut says
Thank cake!!! Gaaahhh so pretty and so delicious looking. Jorge is one lucky guy!
I haven’t watched many series on Netflix. We don’t have TV service just netflix and I rarely watch it. I am so lame when it comes to TV – everyone talks about all these shows and I have no clue about any. I should watch this one though. Everyone says its so good. Like that cake
Brandon Matzek says
I’m not really into politics, but I still find House of Cards so entertaining. And yes!! We had so much cake leftover. Too bad you couldn’t just swing by for a bite 😉
Terri Steffes says
Seriously. The best food photography on the internet. Gorgeous photo of that cake! Wow! Promise you won’t come visit my blog, seriously the worst food photography. I’ll learn. Probably should stop using my iPhone, huh? I love House of Cards, in a warped kinda way. What I mean is: the state auditor in Missouri recently committed suicide. Sad news. However, I immediately thought: who is behind this? what don’t we know? Is there a Clair in his life?? You are a great find, I am a new follower.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks so much Terri!! Glad you like my photos. And there’s nothing wrong with sharing iPhone photos 😉
I have a few friends living in DC, and after watching Seasons 1 and 2 of House of Cards, I asked them, “is this what it’s really like there??” Could you imagine? I would need some serious hazard pay to work on the hill 😛
Marye says
Congrats on your LifeHacker article! The cake looks stunning… and droolworthy… and… could you just email me a slice, please?
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Marye!! They need to invent that technology like asap 😉
Jenn [ Peas and Crayons ] says
House of Cards is DESTROYING MY SLEEP! Ohmygosh! I’ve had to “hide” half my friends on Facebook because they’re watching it faster than I can keep up and ruining all the drama! The nerve! =) Ohmygosh and congrats on Lifehacker!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Jenn! Yes, I’ve also been trying to avoid all spoilers!
Alice says
Hey I’ve only recently begun to read your blog and I enjoy your Sunday Dish! 😉 I have a Sunday feature that has come to a temporary halt since I have been without a slow cooker and have just moved overseas so I’m sure I have readers scratching their heads right about now! But I plan to pick it up again just as soon as I get my slow cooker back! No sense in beating yourself up about missing a week… or in my case, several. 🙂
That cake looks great! I can’t believe Trader Joes has truffle salt?? I’ve been looking for some for awhile!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks for the reassurance Alice! Yes, they had the salt in their “new products” section for a while, but now it lives near the spices. I’m not 100% sure if it’s still there though, they like to switch things up frequently.
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
You had me at that cake. Talk about ugly-beautiful, what a triumph! I live in DC and haven’t seen a single episode of House of Cards (at least not the American version) – DC is actually a lovely place and while there is certainly a lot of backstabbing, I’m betting it’s no worse than any other competitive environment in business or academia.
Brandon Matzek says
Haha yes, that’s a good way to look at it!
I’ve been to DC a number of times, and I agree, it’s definitely lovely. As long as you’re on Frank Underwood’s good side 😉
Kiano says
How are green strawberries compared to the red?
Brandon Matzek says
Green strawberries are unripe strawberries. So they are more tart. Very little sugar development.
Nutmeg Nanny says
I’m so excited about House of Cards…you don’t even know! I have yet to watch an episode of Girls. This must change.
Brandon Matzek says
For sure!! And we just finished episode 8 of HoC 🙂
Yummy Food Pictures says
Hi Brandon, thank you for sharing this. I can’t wait to try this recipe soon! I am really impressed with your photo you really have this great eye for details. I hope I can also create that photo, truly a .
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks so much!!