Chicken

It's America's favorite, they say. Indeed, the chicken I've tried here are not just big, but undeniably delicious. I may still be loyal to a Filipino food chain, Jollibee, but this particular chicken, is a must-have and must-repeat.

Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles is named one of the best chicken in America. And as soon as I finished reading that article in Yahoo last year, I called my husband to buy me Roscoe's chicken that very same day. We were on the phone while he was there and it was jampacked that day. The line is long but the wait is all worth it. 

As soon as I saw my chicken when he went home, I felt how homemade that was. More meat and less breading. The waffles may also be an everyday thing for most Americans, but putting chicken and waffles together made that first try, really satisfying. Like my cousin said about Roscoe's, "Who would've thought it can go together?" True. And after this first try, I knew in my head I'm going to try Roscoe's again. But this time, right in the restaurant. First hand. 

Karisma, a good friendof mine, has been asking me on food trips in LA since last year and Roscoe's is the top in our list. So yesterday we went to the Pasadena branch. We planned that we had to go on lean hours to avoid the line my husband told me about. So we were glad that there was ample parking when we arrived and people are just starting to come over for brunch. We were seated in less than thirty seconds and the server came quickly with the menu. The list is not only long. We were tempted to order a lot. So, we just asked the very nice lady server to give her recommendation. We ordered a $15 worth of chicken and waffles that's split into two and one side for the little boy, Jakob (of course, he can't be left out with our food trip *wink*). 

  

Trying Roscoe's chicken in the restaurant is really way better than having it taken out. The skin is crispy and the chicken is meaty and moist. The gravy is so good that it's almost a soup in our meal. Alternating mouthfuls of chicken and waffle is sinfulness. Karisma and I didn't mind the calories we were getting from it all so we just skipped dessert just to lessen the guilt. In between eating and attending to Jakob, we were chatting about trying fried chicken recipes at home. 

 I told Karisma that Peter and I never had a successful fried chicken yet. But we're trying again soon and this time with better technique and material we never had - a thermometer. I will surely post whatever outcome we'll have. 

And if we're to give this a rating, this one's got to have a lot of stars. With great food and great service, this one's something-worth-to-try!

Break the routine

Every day is a different day. Some days are plain, some are special and some are lonely. I started off the week feeling low probably because I've been doing what I'm doing a bit long (with no breaks or whatsoever) and I needed something new. I've been procrastinating a trip with Jakob to an indoor playground that's just a bus ride away from our place. So yesterday, I woke up feeling jumpy already. After a therapeutic conversation my mom (that's how I describe it because I suddenly felt fine by just a mere voice of a woman who knows me best), I decided I've got to help myself and just do something.
I initially planned for two bus rides. I was imagining Jakob running on the grass at the Americana at Brand in Glendale (hip and cool place). So I took the 10:15 am ride and got down to my first stop, four minutes later. I still have ten minutes to wait for the next bus to get to Glendale. But, I suddenly realized, I shouldn't be going that far if we can walk to the playground which is two blocks away. And so, I followed my gut. Paid $9 for a whole day play (which we didn't do of course), with free wifi internet and an enormous joy I gave my son.
I've been skeptical the past months if Jakob can handle other kids. He's been around older kids which spoils him a bit, as he usually gets what he wants. So, I realized this is the best time to give it a shot. My happiness multiplied as I see him smiling at other kids and saying "baby" and "hi" to them. He's such a delight!

We were there for the whole two hours and ended up our trip with lunch at the famous Oinkster in Eagle Rock. When we got home, I was even more productive with household chores and felt very proud for it. Now I thought I should do this regularly :-) Weekly, I guess. I'll see.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/11022197@N03/4389655875/in/set-72157623367768859/

As a tribute to "breaking the routine" theme today, I'm sharing a recipe that made the turn a lot tastier not just for me but for Jakob, or maybe your toddler too.

Breakfast: Cheese Omelet with Cumin

Recipe:
-2 eggs
-cheese (your desired amount but not as much as the 2 eggs :-)
-a pinch of cumin (you can buy in Asian stores)
Note: no need for salt as you already have cheese in it, for the flavah!

Steps:
1. Beat the eggs, add a bit of water (to prevent the egg from toasting). Then add a pinch of cumin.
2. Heat the pan, add a small amount of oil. When temp is high, turn it into medium low heat.
3. Pour the egg mixture and after about 30 sec, add the cheese.
4. Fold the egg and when it is fluffy, turn off heat and put in a plate.
5. Toast some bread. Spread some butter/jam if desired. Matched with your favorite fruit or yogurt.

What's for today? (To Tess & For Moms Who Need It)

I haven't made blogs for the past three or so months and it's nice to be back in a bigger page where I can write my thoughts again. This is going to be a great week!
 So how did this start along.
Tess (my friend and batchmate in Australia) and I have been exchanging emails the past days sharing stories and catching up. But she specifically is asking me about feeding Jakob. I'm no expert. I just have all the time in the world to experiment (that I guess, is one big advantage of a stay-home mom). On her recent email, she's asking me what am I preparing for Jakob today. And actually, as of this minute, I haven't really thought of something.
It's a really serious business for moms to feed their children well. For moms who have their parents around or experienced nannies, lucky you because they exactly know what to give them. But for moms like us, we always have to figure out by ourselves. For some, feeding time is a struggle. I went through that. I also went through a stage that I can't sleep at night thinking what else should I do to make Jakob eat what he has to and enjoy it at the same time. So before I give today's recipe, here are some of my realizations about feeding my little one.

Every stage has different stories. Mine is 21 months and there's a variety of food he can eat now than before. But there are also type of food that I don't give him yet like shrimp, mussels and the like because of mercury content. It pays to read books or online help about feeding babies and toddlers. That way, you get to know a variety of vegetables, protein and carbohydrates that I can mix and match to make it something new everyday.

Every baby or toddler is different. Some are easy to be fed and some are such a pain. There might be times that he no longer eats the veggie he used to eat. You were so proud that your little one has eaten broccolli a few months back, and now he's not even touching it. You know what? Losen up. That's the next best realization I had. Sleep it over. Get over it.

For some whose little one is as old as mine or like Tess' who's just a little over 12 months, they're very much aware of what's going on around them. So I would always suggest a routine. And there's an article I read that we, mommies, shouldn't be expecting our babies/toddlers to sit on their chair as long as we do :-) It's such an achievement for them to last five or ten minutes there! And congratulate them, commend them. A "good job" or a high five will make that habit last longer in the next coming months. Also, I was so afraid before to let Jakob eat on his own, or mess around with his food because I hate the cleaning part. But I realized how it helped him and me later. He's eating on his own with fork most of the time and it also gives me time to eat my food. It's like having a date with my son every meal :-)

So now, we come closer to the food itself. I noticed that toddlers are adventurous on the texture of food. That's why, it was difficult for me then if I give Jakob pasta or rice everyday. There should be a variety. Maybe not on the carbs, but on the protein. We were surprised one time that Jakob ate about 3 average sized spring rolls that my sister-in-law, Ate Cynthia made. It has veggies inside and it gave me an idea that he likes the texture because spring rolls are crunchy! And if your little one has complete set of teeth, maybe you can try this. But for now, I'm gonna skip the crunchy part. I'm trying this simple pasta recipe with peas and chicken that I saw on tv last weekend. I'm just giving it a tweak. I'm adding chicken for the protein.

Ingredients:
-pasta (for Tehya, use elbow macaroni or small ones. I use penne or spaghetti for Jakob).
-frozen peas
-chicken breast (sliced, cubed)
-heavy cream or milk that Tehya is drinking
-salt
-pepper
-jack cheese or regualr cheese (grated)

Steps:
1. Cook past according to direction. When the past is almost done, dump the frozen peas too. Then drain together when cooked. Set aside.
2. In a pan, put a bit of oil/olive oil then cook chicken about 1-2 minutes each side. Chicken breast is easier to cook. When cooked set aside.
3. In the same pan (just clean the oil), put the heavy cream or milk, a bit of salt (as you'll have cheese later) and pepper to taste. Then put the pasta and peas. Mix them well. Then add grated cheese. Mix well.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: As I said, I'm not an expert. I do not hold a degree of some sorts and I'm just writing my personal experience (you know, blog hehe). If and when you cross this blog and tried what's in it, it's basically your choice. May or may not work for you. But it would be such a delight if you read my blog, try what's in it and be happy with the results.