Bird Pick- Tea & Herb

As some of you know I love tea and visiting tea houses. For the past few weeks I have been on a "tea kick". Tea is my coffee when I wake up in the morning.
Tea is a great source of caffeine and is good for detoxing.

Bird Pick- has many different teas you can choose from. Perusing around the store was fun. I was able to see all kinds of teas that I have never seen before such Chrysanthemum, milk teas, lavender and Pu-erh teas in their natural form.
One of my friends purchased a Pur-erh tea from Bird Pick and I have been addicted. Since I can't work out at the present time this tea has kept me energized throughout the day.

Bird Pick has every type of tea you can imagine. It's a Tea Lovers Heaven. However, you will pay a pretty penny for this great find. 1/4lb bag of Pur-erh will set you back $30. Not sure how many cups I will get out of it but I do not plan to waste one leaf.
Bird Pick has several locations. The one I visited is in the new Santa Monica Mall.

Tea Lovers you will ADORE this place.

Wine Cheese and Cracker Night- Wine of the Month

Peju Winery is one of my favorite wineries in Napa Valley. The last time I went wine tasting I was able to pick up a bottle of their 2006 Zinfandel.
The Zinfandel was very peppery but not as bold as a lot American wines you get in Napa. It's straight to the point and goes down smoothly. What I like most about Peju's wine is that I am never disappointed.
I went to Wholefoods last night and picked out a local Salami mixed with wine, an Italian dry salami (piccante), an aged (gouda) "houda" cheese and a truffle tremor cheese. The truffle tremor cheese had a double layer of brie and goat cheese. It was absolutely beautiful!
My favorite crackers are made by LA Panzanella. What I like most about their crackers is that it doesn't take away the flavors of the cheese or meats you are eating. Its light and crispy and not too doughy. You can find these crackers in your local Wholefoods or Oakville Grocer in Napa Valley.

Roasted Halibut w/Dijon Mustard Creme Sauce

Looking for a dish less than 30 minutes to make and delicious?
This recipe is for you :-) I give it 4.5 Stars. I substituted the red snapper for halibut. Since I am not a lover of capers I added a little lemon instead.
I followed the instructions to the T and it came out perfectly flaky.
Thank you Ina Garten!!


4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the creme fraiche, 2 mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

Crumbs Bake Shop

A friend of mine suggested I try Crumbs. Since it was my girl friends birthday I decided to buy an assortment of different flavors. To be honest I was really excited about trying Crumbs because they have locations in Los Angeles as well as NYC.
To say the least, I am still a Sprinkles fan and no other cupcake compares. Crumbs is very dry and the cup cakes are huge. Their frosting are elaborate and definitely makes your mouth water when reading the descriptions.
I tasted
Crumbs classic red velvet, cookies n cream, dulce de leche, baba booey and chocolate strawberry.
I wasn't happy at all. The cupcake itself as mentioned before were dry and lacked flavor. I felt like I was eating a grocery store cupcake that you bring to a Halloween office party. I wasn't impressed with the frosting flavors. I prefer to buy store bought frosting (Betty Crocker) and add my own cookies :-)
Unfortunately $36 dollars wasted.

agave nectar- natural sweetener

A friend of mine recently introduced me to agave nectar which I have been using in my teas. I have been reading in recent articles that its healthier and a lot of vegans will substitute it for honey.
In my honest opinion a little goes a long way and if you have a sweet tooth what better way to reduce your sugar intake and reduce calories.

100,000 view on Taco Video

Today we are celebrating a milestone in Jasmine's Kitchen. Yesterday we hit 100,000 views on our taco video! Thanks everyone for their support....


cut and paste the video to your browser


http://www.youtube.com/user/jasmae44?feature=mhum#p/a/u/2/KvnhUm4hkWU

Real Cajun- Donald Links

Donald Links Cookbook- Real Cajun is a must buy! Just made his pork pot roast. DELICIOUS!!!

Katana's Hollywood- The Ultimate Japanese comfort food

Last week was my girlfriends Annie Bday and what better place to celebrate your birthday in Hollywood. Its right across the street from my favorite Hotel, The Mondrian and the Sky Bar.
Our party sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the beautiful evening weather. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me but I did happen to have my cellphone which caught the highlights of the evening.
I have never been disappointed at Katana's. The food is solid and yummy. I have tried pretty much everything on the menu. Here are some of my favorite dishes just so you can have an idea what to order when you go ;-)
~Kobe Beef Tataki with Garlic Ponzu Sauce
~Miso with Clams
~Tuna Carpaccio with wasabi soy truffle oil
~Lamb chop marinated in soy garlic

You never have to worry about this place having a lack of seasoning.

New Orleans and whats new in Jasmine's Kitchen

Hi Everyone! Its been a while. I apologize that I haven't blogged pretty much most of the summer. A lot has happened since then. In July I got really sick and it lingered for more than 2 months. During my recovery I started a new job and needed to get situated. As soon as I was back on my feet I was in a car accident that has had me on bed rest. Go Figure I had a stroke of bad luck!!

I hope you all enjoy the slide show. I was lucky to had scored tickets to the opening game of the NFL season in New Orleans. As you can tell I enjoyed a lot of good food. I also came home with a Slamming recipe on BBQ Shrimp and its to die for. If you're interested in the recipe you can always email me at jasmineskitchen@gmail.com



xoxoxo
Jasmine

My Little Farmers Market- Although not for Sale

Here are some pictures of my grapes I am growing on the patio and my cherry tomatoes. I've noticed that the cherry tomatoes are far more sweeter than the ones I purchase in the store.

My Birthday- A.O.C.

As a lot of you know I have been sick for the past 3 weeks. Sorry that I haven't been able to update my blog as of late.
A few months ago while my friend was visiting LA I snagged a magazine called "My LA" which features a lot of the good restaurants here in LA. I ran across this restaurant and went online to see the reviews. Everyone had nothing but good things to say. I was a little nervous because it was my first time and it was my birthday and I didn't want to take any chances.
The food was divine and I am so happy that I chose this place. The restaurant is located on 3rd Street close to a lot of my favorite places to eat. The decor is very straight forward which is really nice. You can either pop in after work or throw on a nice dress. My clothing didn't quite fit in with the crowd but that's not me anyways. LOL. I like to stand out sometimes with my BIG ol Hair and spiky heels.
The menu was awesome. We had a cheese tasting which included one of the best Gouda cheeses I have ever tasted. It was called Noord Hollander. They accompanied it with a dried fig in which I added a coppa, sopressata and cacciatorini salami.
This restaurant is the type of restaurants that serves small plates so you can share. It's really nice when you order a lot of different dishes because if you don't like one there's always something that will trump the other.
Okay back to what we ordered; we ordered the stuffed rabbit. Yes... stuffed rabbit. I was a little nervous because I have never tried rabbit before. The chef did a good job with this dish. It tasted like a tease to Thanksgiving dinner.
I also ordered the halibut with a carrot puree and creme fraiche. The halibut was perfectly cook and to me was the best on the menu. The carrot puree tasted like it had a yam mixture but I may be mistaken.
We also had the lamb skewers which were tender and juicy.
and last...for the birthday girl I had the chocolate french toast with hazlenut and coffee ice cream for dessert. It was really good and worth every single calorie.
This restaurant has made it in my top 7 restaurants in Los Angeles. I am looking forward to going to Tavern (the owners other restaurant) in Brentwood.

Moiselle Catering-Fair Housing Elegant Luncheon

Moiselle Catering catered a sit down elegant luncheon for the Fair Housing Council in Santa Ana.

On the Menu

Artisan Bread with fresh herbed balsamic vinegar and oil

Arugula and mixed green salad served with a peach mint basil slaw drizzled with Passion fruit Vinaigrette

Rosemary & Garlic crusted Filet Mignon served with a special mustard barbeque sauce

Asparagus and Hollandaise sauce

Garlic mashed potatoes

Special Thanks to: Svenje, Adolfo and Ingrid and all the Fair Housing Council committee

Star Chef Event- Pasadena, Ca

Wow.... can't believe its been a full year since I started the blog full-time. Last year was the start of me documenting my favorite restaurants, favorite dishes, wines and much much more. The Star Chef Event was the first blogged event on food from Jasmine's Kitchen.
This Year it was the 90th Anniversary for Rosemary's Child Non-Profit organization. If you'd like to know more about Rosemary's Child please google it. There is so much to give to these youth and young ladies growing up in todays world.
Yesterday was a full packed day. After catering an event across town I took a quick nap, raced to pasadena to enjoy all of my favorite vendors of Pasadena, my friends, the music and raffles. Of course I didn't win the trip to New York but I was very appreciative to be around adults and just relax for a good cause.

Cornish Hen Marinated in Balsamic Vinegar

Cornish Hen Marinated in Balsamic Vinegar. I used to use this recipe 10 years ago when I owned a clay pot. Since then, I have misplaced my clay pot and use a turkey bag for this recipe which works just as good.
The Balsamic carmelizes and gives the cornish hen a sweet flavor. The turkey bag allows the for the cornish hen to stay moist and succulent. Once the fresh ingredients are added to this recipe its a keeper!!

Ingredients
1 cornish hen
3 cups balsamic vinegar
1 white onion julienned
1 whole garlic chopped in half
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions
1.Place all ingredients in a ziplock bag over night and refrigerate.
2. preheat over 375f
3. place all ingredients in the turkey bag and lay in casserole dish, twist and tie, poke six wholes on top and tuck in excess bag into the dish.
4. Place in oven

Cook for 45 minutes.

The pictures aren't the greatest (taken from camera phone)

Minnesota Graduation Weekend

I flew to Minnesota last week for my sisters HS graduation. My family decided to have a family dinner at a party hall where we could all sit and enjoy dinner together. With the help of my sister-in-law Serika we prepared Bolognese meat sauce with Orchiette noodles and baby brocolli, shrimp alfredo, caprese salad, bruschetta and desserts from my Big sister Kenya. For my ingredients I went to Cosetta's (located downtown St. Paul), Wholefoods and Kowalski's both located on Grand. I went to Party City in Roseville for my designer plastic ware.
Here are some of the pictures from that day. I also took a picture of my favorite house on Grand just in case someone wins the lotto and buys this house for me. LOL