Super Homemade!

I finished this beautifully roasted rotisserie chicken and wanted to try my hand at some hearty chicken stock from scratch! The results after manually slicing off all the tender meat off the bones and stewing the goods for a good hour or so? Amazing freshness and the most flavorful chicken broth I have ever had! The next day, I prepared two big bowls of delicious chicken soup with veggies as an appropriate appetizer for the frostiness of Pittsburgh.

My entree consisted of pan-seared tilapia filets brushed with a roasted red pepper and eggplant tapenade. I also used 3 whole garlics in my new mortar and pestle to get all those yummy juices out and tossed on baby spinach and cherry tomatoes. The veggies were seasoned with a light drizzle of sesame seed oil and crushed sea salt. Fancy enough to go in the seafood section of a restaurant (if I do say so myself!).

Lotus Food Grocery Store

Rating for Pittsburgh’s Chinese grocery store = A-! The reason for the minus is simply higher prices for my beloved frozen section. The bao zi, dumplings, xiaolong baos are pricier than what I am used to. Of course, that’s not stopping me from loading up from all those goodies.

If only Lotus Foods was in my neighborhood and not a 30-min drive downtown past mountains and bridges and tunnels and traffic…Once the weather gets better (I keep hoping), I will try to make monthly trips to this gem of a store. Two words: FRESH TOFU. The cooks make it fresh everyday in the store and bring out these beautiful, pre-cut, steaming cubes of soft, white tofu. Only 35 cents a block! Also, the produce is fresh, the variety is amazing and their prices are incredibly reasonable! I have never seen so many different types of Chinese lettuce and bak choy (qing cai) in one spot. More posts to come featuring delectable finds from this place!

It was also such a pleasure to serve this savory dish on this gorgeous set of square bowls and plates. Thank you, early wedding presents!

Shrimp Wanton Soup:

-packet of frozen shrimp wantons (included soup base and sesame oil)

-bean sprouts

-sliced button mushrooms

-Sichuan style chili sauce

-scallions

-grape seed oil

-garlic salt