Do you like a little kick in your food? A tasty heat, a quick zip, a bit of pizzazz? I'm not sure you would jump to think of Guam first when you're seeking some spiciness but maybe you should. The husband-wife duo over at Layna Sa Pika Este recently reached out to us about an intriguing product of theirs which uses a hard-to-find and hard-to-grow pepper: their traditional donne dinanche hot pepper paste. Though the creators operate just outside of Portland in Oregon, their inspiration comes from their roots (or as the husband, Jorge, claims, he is "chamorro by marriage") and that type of inspiration begets authenticity. We were excited to see what this pepper paste was all about and how we could incorporate it into our own meals.


The basis of the paste is the Boonie Pepper of Guam which is hard to find on the mainland, a fact we could believe as we and others hadn't heard of it before. After what seemed like endless attempts at growing the plant itself in Oregon, the couple were able to finally get some going at a rate that made it possible to begin offering live plants, peppers, and pepper paste to their community. We got a lovely 8oz. jar to try as well as some infused sea salt to perk up some dishes.

I asked what the creators like to use the paste on in particular, and they shared their favorite: a dipping sauce called finadene composed of soy sauce, cane vinegar, diced onions, and a dab of the dinanche. Additionally, others have found success in mixing it into spicy poke bowls, congee, Thai curries, pho, smoked sausage, riblets, and empanadas. Traditionally, the paste in Guam is used in dipping for primarily BBQ meat but also shrimp patties, lumpia, dried beef, and more. The possibilities seemed as endless as many other hot sauces but the key difference in this paste versus other pepper pastes seemed to be the island influence.


Specifically, coconut cream plays a big role in the base of this paste. We noticed it right away when we opened the jar of it and then tasted it. The coconut cream mellows the heat out just a touch. Don't get me wrong - it still is quite spicy in its own right but the cream helps. It also gives a different aftertaste than most pepper pastes because of the lingering nature of coconut cream. Garlic, shiitake mushroom, and bonito are also ingredients in the paste whose inherent umami traits shine through. I knew that to use this, we'd need to play along with those particularities.

The first approach was to brush it all over a large pork roast I was putting in the oven one night. The paste seeped into the meat beautifully and actually caramelized a little, likely because of the palm sugar. That left a sweet-and-spicy crust on the roast along with the coconut-y aftertaste. Next, I combined some paste with soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and rice wine to saute Japanese mustard greens - it played well with the brown sugar to cut through the mustard's bitterness while contributing a lingering heat. Predominantly, we've been brushing it onto slices of pork belly we roast so it melts into the fat and caramelizes around the meaty sections for a tasty crust. That pork belly then either becomes a part of a variety of tacos or mixed into braised greens. I'm excited to see what more we can use it for, seeing as little goes a long way. Its coconut undertone makes it a fantastic fit for Asian dishes overall.


We are by no means hotheads/pepper seekers but the uniqueness of this particular paste had us curious and it all came down to one little pepper: the Boonie Pepper, or Donne Sali as it is known on Guam. Small, bright red, and quite pungent, it is a powerhouse packed into an unassuming size and shape. Grown since the time of Spanish arrival on Mariana Island, the pepper's spread and cultivation are told through a legend that said the Sali (local birds) took the seeds to nearby islands after feeding on them. Layna Sa Pika Este wants to continue this spreading of the pepper by building their many products out with strong, unique recipes built from high quality ingredients. Having had their flavorful and versatile paste now, we can see that this spin on pepper pastes could definitely gain some ground, especially for those who want some island flair to their heat.

Photography by Duc Duong.

As you might have remembered, Duc has become obsessed with jerky lately and making it to satisfy the salty snack urges he gets from time to time. Easy for me if he makes his own - I don't have to worry about doing anything! He recently discovered biltong, a South African jerky, through one of the jerky subreddits he subscribes to (yep, Reddit has everything) and purchased a sampler pack right away. I have had biltong in the past and really enjoyed it but he hadn't before so this was an exciting venture. It was like opening an early Christmas gift for him when the package arrived in the mail.

Anyhow, from what I understand, there aren't many places that make biltong outside of South Africa so finding a company in the country that did was a neat find. The packages we bought were from Warren Pala at Braaitime which is based out of New Jersey; the flavors were Traditional, Peri Peri, Cajun, Garlic and Parsley, and BBQ Mesquite. If you're curious what makes this South African jerky unique, you should know that it is nothing like traditional American beef jerky. I would liken it more to bresaola or a dried prosciutto. It is tender but not juicy, flavorful but not salty, and not at all chewy. What's also interesting is that Braaitime's particular product is hand-sliced and all-natural.

(Note: YMMV stands for "Your Mileage May Vary") There has been an influx in recent years of meal prep and full meal services that offer convenient, local pick-up locations or complete doorstop delivery for its ever-busy working customer base. People claim to be inundated with the day-to-day doldrums to the point that putting together a memorable (or at the very least, decent) meal seems a lengthy chore. Is there not enough time in the day to cook? There must not be as we've seen these meal services thrive and have, ourselves, tried some based on invitation. Some deliver the raw ingredients needed to make a meal while others provide the entire dish as is. We recently heard about Chef'd because of Chef Rahm Fama whose two dishes we tried. Our experience with Chef'd? There were definitely great and poor aspects to making the two meals.

Founded in 1981 in Seoul, South Korea, Pulmuone Co. was built on Won Kyung Sun's dream to develop a farming cooperative with the first organic farm in South Korea and a store that sold organic vegetables. Fast forward a few years and a subsidiary is born as Pulmuone Wildwood Inc. (also referred to as Pulmuone Foods USA) in the United States. The US company has also split into several brands, Wildwood and Monterey Gourmet Foods, and has offices in both California and New York (headquarters are in Fullerton, CA). It was at the headquarters that I joined a group gathered to see what meals could be cooked using Pulmuone products. The chef of the evening was Executive Chef Nathaniel Nguyen of The Prince & Pantry.

Do y'all remember Cooking Planit from the huge spice giveaway I did a few months ago with 49 other awesome bloggers? Well they have another fantastic giveaway going on but this time for T-fal cookware! Who doesn't want a fantastic new set of cookware to use, especially if it's free? You'll have to check out the giveaway post to see how you can get your entry in; for now, check out my review below of this app available on iOS. I took it with me from "start" to finish beginning with the grocery store.


So what is Cooking Planit? It's an app that walks you step by step while cooking. This includes prompting of when to prep a certain ingredient and when to start another while notifying of when a third may be already done. It helps with pre-planning, shopping, and even cooking by keeping you on track and not wasting time. Whether you don't have enough time in the day to think of all of these things or you are just looking for ways to hack your meal making, Cooking Planit works to have your bases covered and has been awarded by Toque Magazine in 2012 with the Best Food App Award for Best Cooking.


I opted to do their Creamy Orzo with Corn and Peas recipe which is just one dish. They actually have entire meals available for your cooking needs where they arrange the steps by the timing of each part of the meal (for example, if the vegetables need to be steamed from the entree at the same time as the dressing needs to made for the starter, it will guide you accordingly). I came across this recipe by looking up what to do with fresh basil so yes, there is a comprehensive "Search" function to use. If you want full meals, these are categorized by theme or style. With every recipe, ingredients and equipment are listed along with the estimated time it takes to prepare the meal. You can even preview the steps before committing to a recipe. With your Cooking Planit account, you may also click to add the grocery list to a running grocery list on the app - this is definitely a big help with meal planning and kitchen timing.


When you start the recipe, it reiterates the ingredients needed. These are also separated by the aisles they would be in in your grocery store to make it easier to grab everything in one place. Doesn't this sound like it would help train you into becoming a meal planner? Then it moves to the steps, all the while letting you know about how long it will take before your meal is completed (for example, if you started at 5:30pm, it would let you know that your meal would be done at, say, 6:05pm).

 

While using the app, it provides very large text to be seen from far away, the ingredients needed on the side, and voice recognition so you don't have to swipe your screen with a dirty finger. The voice commands include "Next step," "Go back," and so forth. It worked out very well except for when I was further away. The steps actually started with the very basics including just prepping ingredients. It times your whole process so sometimes it won't let you get past a certain point until  it is sure that a certain number of appropriate minutes have passed.


This how to cook app is certainly a good investment for several types of people: new cooks learning how to cook, busy parents, meal entertainers, and even food techies. Because it easily categorizes its recipes (all developed by Cooking Planit), you will not have a problem finding what you need, especially with its advanced search technology. Our orzo turned out fairly well, particularly because it had been helped every step of the way as Cooking Planit does for you. You might want to consider it! Make sure you check for the T-fal cookware giveaway to get you started in your cooking adventures.

Photography by Duc Duong.

Today's recipe is from the Cooking Planit app. I'll be participating in a T-fal cookware giveaway (look for information on the 19th!) coming up and wanted to show you all a recipe that they have available for the everyday cook. When I made it, I actually did half the recipe portion due to ingredients on hand but the recipe below is for four servings. It's listed as taking 40 minutes to make at 6 minutes prep and 34 minutes cook time. We both liked it a lot since it was simple yet flavorful. The steps below will be written as they are in the app (available on iOS) though I have combined a lot of them. They do it one line at a time.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tbsps unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound orzo
• 1 cup corn, frozen
• 1 cup peas, frozen
• black pepper
• kosher salt
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

(The recipe also listed the following tools needed: microwave, stove top, chef's knife, cutting board, fine mesh strainer, measuring cups, measuring spoons, microwave-safe bowl medium, medium saucepan of 2-4 quarts)


Step 2: Prepping the ingredients
"Pick basil leaves off the stems. Pile leaves on top of each other and slice crosswise into thin ribbons to measure the indicated amount. Smash the garlic under the side of your chef's knife to remove the peel. Mince the garlic. Measure out the frozen peas and corn into a medium microwave-safe bowl."

 

Step 3: Cooking the orzo
"Fill a medium saucepan 2/3 high with water and cover. Place over high heat. Proceed with next step as water comes to a boil. Once water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt and stir in the orzo. Cook until tender but with a slight bite, about 9-10 minutes or according to the package instructions. Place the peas and corn in the microwave and heat on high for 2-4 minutes until mostly defrosted. Once you've strained the orzo, place the empty pot back over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted and oil is warm, add the garlic. Saute for a quick minute to soften then add corn and peas. Saute until they start to caramelize."


Step 4: Finishing
"Once peas and corn have started to caramelize, add the orzo to the pot and stir in the basil, grated Parmesan cheese and remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat once the butter is melted. Transfer the creamy orzo with corn and peas to a serving dish or dinner plates and serve warm!"


Photography by Duc Duong as Minerva was trying to read and cook at the same time.

I don't find myself often standing in front of a chip display at the grocery store very often. I suppose it's just not normally something I think about as I'm not a salty-foods snacker (but certainly am a snacker!). In fact, if I do end up having chips somewhere in my pantry, they're bound to be tortilla chips. However, when I do decide to purchase a bag of the potato-ey goodness that are chips, I often reach for kettle chips.

I was approached a little bit ago with information about Classic Foods' new line of chips, the Risi Papas Caseras series. It's an homage to Mexican cuisine and contains four flavors all with indigenous chiles from Mexico. "Papas Caseras" translates to kettle chips (yes, the title of this post is a little redundant...), the crunchy slow-cooked style of making flavorful and awesome chips, and all of the flavors highlight a different chile which leads to sweet, tangy, zesty, and fiery choices for any buyer. I had a chance to give them each a try AND snag a box to give away to one of you readers, so read on about them! Bonus: the packaging is in both Spanish and English.

"Habanero – The Habanero is one of the hottest chili peppers one can find. True to their name, these chips offer a fiery and zesty flavor that is sure to test the taste buds of even the most seasoned lovers of spicy foods."

We tried this one first. You'll find it in an orange bag that's bordering on red in color. When you first open the bag, you'll notice the bright orange color of the chips as they are seasoned with the habanero. The smell is distinctly of that pepper but the heat is not unbearable. Coming from me who is a wuss with spicy stuff, that's saying something. Sure, the more you eat though, the bigger the heat. It definitely gives a fiery kick once you have enough of them but the first few hardly hurt. [1 oz. serving of ~17 chips = 140 calories]

"Serrano – The spicy and tangy Mexican chili flavor creates a mouth-watering sensation that will make the tongue curl and ask for more."

This was actually our favorite for its tanginess. You almost wouldn't expect it coming from chips or the Serrano pepper but it's present and pleasant. We had first recognized the smell when we opened the bag of the green pepper that is usually on the sweeter side of chiles. The heat was still there but not nearly as much as the habanero; there was definitely a more vegetal taste to this which we really liked! I'm sure this would be a great chip to also dip with a fresh salsa. [1 oz. serving of ~17 chips = 140 calories]

"Adobadas – Adobadas chips are flavored with Mexico's famous red chili marinade. It satisfies the hunger cravings with its zesty and sweet taste."

I have to say that my first impression when seeing the chips as I opened the bag was that they looked heavily seasoned. First impressions do count because I coughed when I put the first chip in my mouth from all of the powder. It's not necessarily a bad thing but may take you by surprise. A sweet chip, the Adobadas' tomato component is strong and very bold. Try this one if you like that sweet tanginess that's associated with the vegetable. [1 oz. serving of ~17 chips = 140 calories]

"Con Salsa - These lightly salted chips contain a packet of spicy and savory La Guacamaya® hot sauce giving you the option to spice things up with one of Mexico's tastiest sauce."

This one was an oddball among the others because of its packaging. Instead of there being some kind of chile pepper powder/flavoring added to the chips, there was a packet of hot sauce inside the bag. Personally, I find that strange and difficult for a casual eater to handle; who normally takes out sauces from a bag of chips and spends the time to open it, pour it on the other chips, and finish them? However, I know that some past products from other companies used to have chip bags like that so perhaps it's in their likeness that this was made thus. The chips themselves were very plain without using the sauce, including not being salted. These are good more for a potato fix than a chip fix. [1 oz. serving of ~15 chips with salsa = 130 calories]


So, we had fun styling the chips as we took pictures of each. They all had a great crunch to them that you know and love from kettle chips. If you're interested in purchasing these 5 oz bags which retail for $2.49, you can pick them up from Hispanic grocery chains Vallartas, Cardenas, and Superior. If you don't want to purchase them right now but want to give them a try for free, you can enter my giveaway to try and win a chance to. Classic Foods will send one 5 oz bag of each flavor right to the winner's door! Why wouldn't you enter? “They are totally iRISIstible!”

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: I received one or more of these items for this review. All opinions stated are 100% mine. I am not in contract nor do I work for any of these companies. I am not responsible for the shipment of the prize as the sponsor ships the prize; thus, I am not responsible for prize fulfillment. This giveaway is U.S. only. Thank you for entering!

I had my first exposure to DRY Soda by going to the Golden Foodie Awards pre-events because DRY Soda was one of the sponsors. They had their drinks available at some of the pre-events which made it easy to be lured into trying them out. I had seen them before because, let's face it, it's hard to miss good design! Their clean cut branding is a good tribute to their own clean cut creations.


After such, I did get to meet with some of the reps at the actual Golden Foodie Awards event itself. Selena and April were such friendly people that it was difficult not to strike up a conversation! I had had the lavender one before at a prior event (which is a subtly floral soda that you would enjoy if you need just a hint of lavender in your life), but they were showcasing just about every one of their line that night. So naturally, I gave the majority of them a shot. My first was the blood orange, a sweet citrus that was refreshing. Next I had their vanilla bean which was quite heavily scented with the creamy smell of vanilla. April got me to try the rhubarb even though I don't like rhubarb in general; it was surprisingly enjoyable! I walked away with a good sense of their product but still curious about the other flavors - to my surprise, Selena sent me a thank-you card for dropping by to speak with them (how sweet of her!) and an opportunity to try some more.


So I did! I went to a Whole Foods (they're available at Bristol Farms and Whole Foods) to get a 4-pack of a flavor I hadn't tried. Since lime was a "common" soda flavor and juniper wasn't available at the time, I went with the cucumber. At 45 calories for a bottle, not bad! If you want to get a sense of what the sodas are like, you can visit their site to see the flavor profiles; however, to get a real idea, I suggest having some. It's more sophisticated than flavored sparkling water but not as cloyingly sweet as mainstream sodas get. The DRY sodas are touted as having few ingredients (all natural) to highlight just those flavors to the fullest. I like how they also provide food pairing ideas on the containers of what to drink with! So the cucumber was very refreshing and not sweet at all aside from the natural sweetness of a cucumber. It's a great drink to have by your side for sure. Give them a try one day when you're looking for a no fuss soda.

When Duc and I were in Idyllwild on our anniversary trip early August, we stumbled upon a shop that was dedicated to jerky - Grandpa's House of Jerky. What a neat place to come across. We enjoyed our purchase back in our cabin later, and I couldn't help but tweet it.


To my surprise, I got a nice tweet back from Janie at House of Jerky, the main distributor. I love seeing companies care about their customers and how they like the products. That's a great way to add a more personal touch to the relationship between the two and to show that there is a face to whom one could reach out. Not only do they have excellent customer service but their jerky is superb! I got the opportunity to give twelve of their huge array of jerkies a try at different sizes (with help from Duc and my younger brother of course) and man were they amazing. I have pictures of everything for your drooling pleasure too (and notes)!


The first one we tried actually was one of my favorites - the teriyaki beef. Consisting of top round, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, honey, pineapple juice, water, liquid smoke, black pepper, garlic powder, and ginger powder, this cut had a sweet aroma with an unknown texture to my naive jerky experience. It was soft and very addictive as the juiciness showed its true impact upon constant chewing; with a lingering sweetness and sauce present in every bite, this was truly a top favorite.


The black pepper beef was the kind we had bought in Idyllwild. Made of top round, soy sauce, water, pineapple juice, liquid smoke, black pepper, and garlic powder, this peppery smelling jerky was too salty for any of us. The pepper was good though but in general, the jerky was thick-cut and a bit tougher than desired.


Next up was the black pepper kangaroo (who doesn't want to give kangaroo a try just once?). It contained irradiated kangaroo meat, water, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, black pepper, liquid smoke, garlic powder, and white pepper. With a sweet and peppery aroma, this jerky was slightly salty and much softer than one might imagine (able to bite through with one chomp).


Then we moved on to the teriyaki turkey, a product made from turkey breast, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, honey, pineapple juice, water, liquid smoke, black pepper, garlic powder, and ginger powder. The aroma was sweet and the jerky was translucent! The teriyaki sauce really makes all their jerkies awesome and this was no exception as it was very flavorful, light, juicy, and well-balanced with black pepper.


The hot beef, wow. The hot beef is no joke and you'll see why when you see the ingredients list: top round, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, pineapple juice, water, Tabasco, habanero pepper, red crushed chili pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, liquid smoke, black & white pepper, and ginger powder. With a salty and already apparent spicy aroma, I knew it'd be trouble for me. It was! It was a fast yet lasting burn that lingered as the juiciness inflicted more pain onto taste buds. We all sweated but man was this good as the spices were complex and still well-done. Try this one if you want to get kicked in the face.


The black pepper buffalo jerky had buffalo, water, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, black pepper, liquid smoke, garlic powder, and white pepper. It smelled lightly peppered and a tad sweet. The meat was a bit too veiny for me but the sweet & savory lingering taste worked.


Black pepper turkey was turkey breast, soy sauce, water, pineapple juice, liquid smoke, black pepper, and garlic powder - this one ended up being a little tough, salty, and dry.


Sweet and spicy beef brisket: a wonderful end to whole beef brisket, water, brown sugar, honey, seasonings, pineapple juice, cayenne pepper, Tabasco sauce, black pepper, liquid smoke, garlic powder, white pepper. Everything smelled sweet and thick. It was a juicy and soft meat that had a little toughness to it. Overall, there was a nice backburn to this, so it made it much easier to eat after the slight sweetness. This made it to my top 3 list.


Venison (venison steak, water, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, liquid smoke, black pepper, garlic powder, white pepper) is a thicker meat than what you may be used to. Surprisingly, the process of turning it to jerky removes the overwhelming gamey taste that may occur with venison. This jerky was slightly dry as the meat itself is extremely lean and had a salty aroma.


Black pepper wild boar was a little different as it was distinctively porky. I'm not sure swine in general is a good meat to turn into jerky? The ingredients explicitly said the meat was from feral swine, and the rest were typical of the other black pepper jerkies. It was soft, salty, and sweet with an emphasis on the pepper. Again, very porky.


Not too long after having the sweet and spicy beef brisket, we had the regular sweet and spicy beef composed of top round, water, brown sugar, honey, seasonings, soy sauce, pineapple juice, Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, liquid smoke, black pepper, garlic powder, and white pepper. It was quite pliant and soft but had the juiciness necessary for something with a kick. I mean, after all, you want more sauce to help swallow the burning in your throat. It was one of my favorites.


Lastly but not least was the natural style beef jerky. It had all the makings of a basic beef jerky and yet, I didn't like it so much. Too much salt perhaps too on this one. It was a thick cut and quite a tough one as we had to tear away strips to consume.

Overall, that's a lot of meat! No wonder it took my taste-testers and me a long while to get through them all but now I definitely feel spoiled when it comes to jerky. When I went on a recent hike with my brothers, we had brought along beef jerky from Costco and my younger brother complained about how it wasn't good anymore after having had House of Jerky jerky. That's quite the compliment! I mean, he's a growing teenage boy. They tend to like food in general, hah. Anyhow, I really enjoyed the softer jerkies it seems like (teriyaki beef, sweet and spicy, etc). House of Jerky makes a fabulous product in general - I'm debating stocking up on some for snacking. I mean, great customer service + free shipping + amazing jerky? How do you lose on that one? Thanks to Janie and your team for doing such a delicious job!