Cupcake Surprise

This week on pandagrub we are going to be making mac and cheese cups.

 The panda in the picture above is named Jeremy Lin. He is named after one of my idols: Jeremy Lin. Jeremy is sitting with the ingredients for the mac and cheese cups. The ingredients are: milk, olive oil, elbow macaroni, cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese (mozzarella works good too), salt, and breadcrumbs.

In the picture above Jeremy is sitting with the breadcrumbs that have been mixed with the salt and olive oil.

 Jeremy is sitting with two cups of elbow macaroni. The macaroni needs to be boiled and cooked. After the macaroni is cooked, drain it and add the cheese.

 In the picture above, the cooked macaroni and cheese are in the muffin tin.  Make sure to spray some non-stick spray in the tin before you spoon in the macaroni!

 Jeremy is spooning the breadcrumb mixture on top of the macaroni and cheese. Good job, Jeremy!

 After being baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, the mac and cheese cups are ready to be eaten!

 Yum! This is one of my favorite pandagrub recipes.

This is a great dish for parties and celebrations. For the full mac and cheese cupcake recipe click here.

Restaurant Review: Flying Pig

This week on pandagrub, we are going to be doing a restaurant review on the Flying Pig. The Flying Pig is also a very successful food truck.

The Flying Pig is located in Little Tokyo.  It is located at 141 S. Central Avenue in Los Angeles.  It is right near the Japanese American National Museum and MOCA.  

 This is the Flying Pig's logo. I think the logo is very whimsical.

The panda in the picture above is named Jeters. He is named after Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees.  Jeters is sitting with a cold Mexican coca-cola.  Have you ever had one?   Mexican cokes are sweeter than American cokes in a can.  If you haven't tried one, you really should!   It was $3 for one bottle.

Jeters is sitting with some lobster mac and cheese. This was the best lobster mac and cheese that I have ever had.  The cheese was gooey and creamy.  It was served piping hot in a skillet.  The little size that I ordered was $9.95.

Jeters and I thought that the lobster mac and cheese was so good we finished it all.

In the picture above Jeters is sitting with some pork belly fried rice. My dad got this dish. My dad said that it tasted homemade and that the portion size was just right.

In the picture above Jeters is sitting with some delicious tamarind duck tacos. Look how beautiful the presentation is!  The tacos come with mandarin orange slices, and the meat was very tender. 

Jeters is sitting with some honey bread that is filled with green tea ice cream. This was one of the best desserts I've ever had. Even my brother enjoyed it and that is saying a lot because my brother eats a lot of dessert and he knows what he is talking about.
I was in dessert paradise. The honey bread was warm and soft and the ice cream was cold and refreshing.  It was the best combination ever!
For the full Flying Pig information click here.
I am definitely going to come back to the Flying Pig. My waiter, Dennis, was very friendly and nice. The service was very quick and efficient. I also felt very welcome.

Olive Oil Pancakes

This week on pandagrub we are going to be making olive oil pancakes. Olive oil is better for pancakes than butter because it is made of monounsaturated fatty acids rather than saturated fatty acids.  It's still fat so you shouldn't eat too much of it but it is better than butter. The olive oil gives the pancakes a nice fluffy and smooth texture.

The panda in the picture above is named Gangstar. Gangstar is sitting with some olive oil. 

This is what the pancakes first look like when they first go in the pan.

Here is what the pancakes should look like when they are flipped over.

 Here is the ultimate pancake: the panda pancake. The panda's eyes,ears,and nose are made mini Hershey's kisses.

Look at Gangstar trying to steal the panda pancake!

Here is Gangstar with the mini Hershey's kisses bag. Gangstar loves chocolate. The chocolate really goes well with the olive oil. Try it. You might be surprised.

 For the full pancake recipe click here. Try drizzling it with some organic blue agave maple syrup.

Restaurant Review: Eatalian Cafe

This week on pandagrub we are going to be doing a restaurant review. This restaurant review is going to be about  Eatalian Cafe.

In the picture above is Eatalian Cafe's sign. Eatalian Cafe is in Torrance. It does not look like an ordinary restaurant. It looks more like a warehouse because it is very industrial-looking.  There are lots of exposed pipes, and the floor is concrete. 

The panda in the picture above is named Baby T. Baby T is sitting with Eatalian's menu, and he is so hungry!  

Here is Baby T sitting with some freshly baked bread. They make everything by hand on the premises!  Don't eat too much bread, Baby T!  Save room for the entree!

In the picture above Baby T is sitting with the "soul" pizza. The "soul" pizza has rosemary chicken, red sauce and mozzarella.  The crust is really thin and crispy because all of the pizzas are baked to order in a huge pizza oven.

Baby T can't wait to eat the "soul" pizza!

  The picture above shows some of Eatalian's many gelato flavors.  Like the pizza, it is all homemade.

Baby T finally decided to have the lemon gelato. This is a restaurant I would definitely visit again. Next time I go to Eatalian Cafe, I will try the homemade pasta. For more information about Eatalian Cafe click here.