Happy Sunday!

It is just one more week to go before the popular football game night.  The Super Bowl.
It is recognized as one of North America’s most watched sporting event.I am looking forward to watching the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers play for the Vince Lombardi trophy as well as all the fantastic commercials. The halftime shows musical guests are British band  Coldplay, who will also feature Beyonce, both of whom I am sure will be a huge hit.

Many people will be at their favorite bar cheering for the teams or just enjoying the spectacle of this great sporting event.  For those of us staying home and watching the game, I thought this slow cooker pork tenderloin & roasted cauliflower Verde soup would be an excellent option.  If you are hosting a super bowl party it is an easy,  warm and fragrant comfort dish your guests are sure to love.

Add a few appetizers  including  Homemade Salsa, Homemade Guacamole, and Homemade Mango Salsa.  All of these tasty sides are perfect for your guests to snack on before the big game starts.

This was my first my first time making this pork and cauliflower Verde soup, and I did a lot of research to find the perfect blend of flavors.
The common ingredients used in most recipes are garlic, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, and cumin.

For the protein pork and chicken are also suggested.  I want to make the chili somewhat healthier so I opted for a lean pork tenderloin.

I went between cauliflower and chickpea and was concerned the cauliflower was going to be too mushy, but I roasted the cauliflower instead, and it maintained its shape. In the end, the cauliflower came out as the winner.

I received invaluable advice from some amazing women from the chef-Chixs group, and I am grateful.  A special thank you to the Chef-Chixs community lead by Nani Romero, Madeline M Jordan, Pamela Gram, Beverly Calhoun, Tami Young and Elizabeth Luis-Santiago.  ​

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my recipes.
Have a good time and enjoy the super bowl!

​Natty

Broadway Street in Lakeview has  several good sushi options.  A year ago, an interior design George P. decided to throw his hat into the ring by opening  a sushi restaurant name Shiawase which means Happiness in Japanese. Co-owner Wany Phuang, has worked in the restaurant industry for over ten years and opening the restaurant was her dream.  George P. interior design aesthetic is found in the contemporary Japanese design.

The wooden tables,  luxurious booths, and contemporary curved wooden chairs encourage interaction between patrons.  Bar seats in front of the sushi bar offer a great view of the centerpiece which is the custom built sushi bar. It is made from Pecking Cypress wood from Florida. The lighting is enhanced by pink/purple pendant lights. The natural wood feels in the overall interior has been centered around the simple, clean lines of contemporary Japanese design. 

I started my Saturday brunch with the robata platter serve. It is the perfect size to eat alone or to share. The owner said it was popular to order with rice.  I agreed to eat it with rice if I wasn't planning to order ramen after. 
The Robata Platter comes with shishito pepper, eggplant, chicken, pork, ribeye, bacon asparagus, bacon cherry tomato, shrimp miso and I added Bacon Scallop. Robata or Robatayaki is a Japanese method of slow-grilled over hot charcoal.

 My top 4 items robata menu you must try are: 

- Bacon Scallop Robata
 Bacon Wrapped Large Scallop. I can capture the distinct aroma flavor of charcoal from this giant scallop.

- Ribeye robata:
 the perfect portion of meat on the skewer that has been marinated in house special sauce and are flavorful and nutty with a hint of the charcoal flavor. 

- Bacon Cherry tomato:
 I  never thought grilled cherry tomato and bacon would work, but Shiawase proves that Bacon can make magic with every food. I love the tomato juice that comes out after you bite into the bacon wrapped red tomato cherry. Simply delicious.

- Escolar Robata:
 Escolar is well known for being  fatty and creamy and is served with ponzu sauce to compliment the fish. 

For the second appetizer, I had the  Sashimi Matsu set that was absolutely fresh and well presented and decorated on a  rectangular glass plate. This set comes with 20 pieces of sashimi; salmon, tuna, super white tuna, yellowtail, ame-Ebi, Ika, Tako & ebi. 

​For the main course, I had Lobster Signature Maki, Sakura Signature Maki, and Combination Spicy Miso Ramen Soup. 

​I heard so many good things about the ramen here. So It was a time to come by and taste some for me . I ordered the Combination bowl which served in a traditional ramen style bowl with ramen base topped with marinated chicken drumstick, Cha-Shu pork, Grilled Shrimps, sweet corn, boiled egg, and seaweed, in a spicy miso broth. The broth itself had so many different dimensions of flavor. It wasn't overly spicy but give a little hint of heat from the chili which was complemented by the creaminess from the sweet corn. The owner said the broth took three days to cook to reach its perfect flavor. I think the star of this bowl was the marinated drumstick chicken which was so tender.  The marinade sauce came through in each layer of the meat.  I could eat this bowl Every week for the entire winter. It is the perfect comfort food.

Lobster Signature Maki: served on bamboo sushi board with a stunning lobster tail as decoration. It was a version of lobster roll but in a deep fried sushi rice roll (instead of bread) topped with spicy lobster mixed, black tobiko and radish sprout. 

Sakura: for someone who want to go light on the carbs try this roll. It is rice-free with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, kankama, masago, asparagus, mango, spring mixed, ponzu sauce

Keys
Atmosphere: Contemporary Japanese design.
What to eat: Robatas- Robata Platter ( 13 ), Escolar ( 4 ), Bacon Scallop (4), Ribeye robata (3)
                        Vegan option- Eggplant Miso Robatas (1) 
                        Sashimi Set -  Sashimi Matsu ( 35 )
                        Signature Maki-Crystal (14), Lobster (15), Four Seasons (15)
                        Veggie Lover Maki - Yasai (7), Garden (7)
                        Ramen - Ramen Noodle Miso-Spicy Miso Soup (12-18)
What to drink: BYOB

Thank you for stopping by and checking out the review. 

Natty

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Cupcakes are the perfect treat for a birthday party, who doesn't like a cake in a little cup with frosting and sprinkles on top. This a perfect dessert to bring along with you if you have a birthday party to attend.  It was made even memorable when it is homemade and baked from your kitchen. 

Thank you, Joy the Baker, for the inspiration. I like the  Idea of baking  your own cake and with it show gratitude to everyone in your life. With my own 36th  birthday coming up this week I baked these delicious cupcakes to thank you to you all for all the support I receive daily for my blog. Also a special happy birthday to any of my followers who shares January with me as our birthday month.

Cupcake flavors and decorating can be tailored to whomever you are giving them to or in this case to your own personal style.  This includes favorite characters, superheroes, princesses, animals, cartoons, purses, sports, hobbies or just plain sprinkles to make them special. 

For me, my favorite cake and simple vanilla infused Orange flower water flavor frosting, and some sprinkles make me most happy. Generally cupcakes are light and fluffy but this is a pound cake, so it is more dense and firm. This pound cake recipe is from my favorite author:  Rose Levy Beranbaum ( The Cake Bible ). I just added the  Orange flower water flavor to make it fragrant and with a  smooth citrus taste. 

I hope you enjoy not only the look of the cupcakes but also just how delicious they are.

Thank you for stopping by and reading :) 
Hope you all have a wonderful Birthday 

​Natty