[Laguna Beach] [American] K'ya Bistro & Bar

K'ya Bistro & Bar
1287 S Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 376-9718
http://www.kyarestaurant.com

Dr. P and I went to K'ya Bistro for happy hour on Friday.  We got there around 5pm.  The place was completely packed.  The host told us they were fully booked till 9pm, and they were not taking walk-ins.  Seriously?  But he told us they have a new dining area downstairs at their wine cellar.  That area will open at 6pm for walk-ins.  We really really wanted the food at K'ya Bistro.  Fine, one hour wait then.  By the way, they don't have the 1/2 off all food happy hour anymore.  Now they have a new $5 happy hour menu.



We decided to walk around Laguna Beach for one hour.  It was a really nice walk along the beach and shops.  The sunset view was beautiful.

[Slow Cooker] Potato and Leek Soup

I bought leek to use in Salmon Noodle Bake.  The market had the leek for sale 3 of them in a bundle.  I used one in the salmon recipe, and still had 2 leeks left.  Potato and leek soup!  Couldn't think of a better way to use up the leeks.  And I have almost all the ingredients at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com, too.  This soup tastes good with a little bit of cream when served, but I didn't have cream at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  So I added a little milk, and it was just as good.  It was a hearty and healthy vegetable soup (if you don't add the prosciutto).  Perfect for a cold winter night.


Potato and Leek Soup

Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cooking time:  3 hours
Serves:  4

[Bread Machine] Roasted Garlic and Dry Jack Bread

I wanted to try the Zojirushi Bread Machine again.  This time I used the 2 lb loaf bread machine properly and made a 2 lb loaf bread.


Roasted Garlic and Dry Jack Bread

Wow!  The loaf turned out to look so perfect!  The side was crunchy, and the top was so soft and fluffy!

[Cooking] Salmon Noodle Bake

Salmon Noodle Bake is a very healthy dish with lots of vegetables in it. It wasn't too hard to make, but did required ingredients to be cooked separately first before placing in the oven. The leftover tasted even better the next day because the noodle absorbed more flavor from the sauce overnight. Both Dr. P and I really enjoyed the dish.


Salmon Noodle Bake
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/salmon-noodle-bake-recipe-ghk0111

Serves: 6

[Cooking] Spicy & Tangy Curry Chicken

I always thought Indian food is hard to cook.  It needs so many different spices.  But I managed to cook a super easy and delicious Indian meal last night... thanks to my sister.  ;-)


Spicy & Tangy Curry Chicken

First, I cut 4 pieces of chicken breast into bite size pieces.  Chicken breast were from Omaha Steak package that my sister got me for Christmas.  Sauteed the chicken in pan with some olive oil.  While the chicken was cooking, I boiled some water to cook some taro that my sister gave me.  She got the taros from Alhambra farmers market.  It didn't have the strong taro taste, so I just used it like potato.  Then I added the diced cooked taro, along with a bag of veggie mix (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot) into the pan.  Cooked for a few minutes.  Then add.....

[Teddy & Twinkle] Dachshund Maybe?

Teddy and Twinkle are getting bigger and bigger. While Twinkle is getting taller, Teddy is...



Getting longer and longer!

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

We wanted to try a Colombian restaurant after our Monday night puppy kindergarten, but we found out the restaurant was closed on Monday when we got to the door.  I tried suggesting going to a few different places.  Dr. P kept on saying, "Mmmm.... what else?"  But when I asked, "Sango Sushi?"  His eyes lit up, and stepped on the gas.



This is just a regular looking Japanese take-out kind of restaurant.  I would never suspect they have super fresh and high grade sushi here.  Actually the first time I took Dr. P there, he got mad at me.  He was like, "I said I want sushi.  Why would you take me to a take-out place?"  We left that day because Dr. P didn't even want to try anything just by the look of this restaurant.  I insisted we go back to try again later.  He finally agreed.  Now he said Sango Sushi is his favorite Japanese restaurant in Orange County.  I guess you can't judge a book by its cover.