Michelle's story

Hello everyone!

2011-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I think I'm going to be temporarily focusing on my Korean blog. I'll be back eventually...just not sure when :( Hope everyone continues cooking/baking! :D

Spicy Rice Cakes Pt. 2 (떡볶이)

2011-03-11T11:38:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! Quick post today since I have to study for finals. Here's spicy rice cakes with Kimchi dumplings and sweet potato noodles wrapped in dried laver and fried! :)

Delicious!

If anyone needs the recipes for the kimchi dumplings, the fried dried laver, or spicy rice cakes, please leave a comment :) Good day!

Milk Bread

2011-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, now let me start off this post by saying that I absolutely adore bread. Especially the warm and soft texture that embodies a freshly baked bread that comes straight from the oven. Perfection! :) Now...let's have a moment of silence to whoever decided to throw together some yeast, flour, salt, and sugar in the past..............................................THANK YOU!!!!

Now if bread wasn't as high in calories as it is, I could be consuming loaf after loaf. Yup, that's how much I love my bread! But my favorite bread is definitely those you find in Asian bakeries...someone please open a Paris Baguette where I live...pretty please? If you haven't tried an Asian bread please head out to the nearest one ASAP! Or...if the closest one happens to be too far away, let me take a moment to describe "the Asian bread" to you. It's soft. It's fluffy. It's tender. It's definitely more sweeter than the average white bread you find in the bakery aisle in your local grocery store. You can sort of imagine the sweetness factor of a King's Hawaiian Bread to "the Asian bread." But of course, the Hawaiian Bread lacks the tender aspect, the lovely crust, the softness, and...well you get the point. "The Asian bread" usually has a nice simple syrup or honey coating on the crust to give an extra semi-sweet bite before you dive into the bread itself. Of course, my description isn't up to par with this type of bread...but hey, I tried.

Anyways, let me get to the point. Yesterday, I finally decided to try out this lovely milk bread. I've always bookmarked it for some time but I haven't actually gotten around to making it. The recipe calls for the use of the Tangzhong method which is known to keep the bread incredibly soft and moist up to several days (I actually can't verify this since my family gobbled up the whole loaf before there was any left). The method involves cooking flour and water with a one to three ratio and keeping it in the fridge for several hours before adding it to the bread mixture. The secret lies in bringing the Tangzhong to 65C. And...it takes an incredibly long time to knead if you're doing so by hand. It took me an hour (and my arm is semi-swollen). But! It's all worth it cause this was amazinggg! :)

The difference between this and "the Asian bread" is that this uses no chemicals to keep the bread soft. It's the 65C that helps the bread retain its softness for several days.

I wasn't originally planning on doing a post for the recipe since I was somewhat skeptical. I was just hoping to get some good bread and that was all. But...it's too good not to share so here it is! :) Oh yea...and because of this reason I don't have step by step photos this time. And, I apologize in advance for the photo quality! I was too excited to try this out that I couldn't concentrate on taking the photos :( Now...time to go hunting for a bread machine?

Milk Bread
From Christine's Recipes
Ingredients:
Tangzhong (湯種 The amount is enough to make two loafs):
50gm/ 1/3 cup bread flour
250ml/ 1cup water (could be replaced by milk, or 50/50 water and milk)

Bread:
350gm/ 2½ cups bread flour
55gm/3tbsp+2tsp caster sugar
5gm/1tsp salt
56gm egg (equals to 1 large egg)
7gm/1tbsp+1tsp milk powder (to increase fragrance, optional)
125ml/ ½cup milk
120gm tangzhong (use half of the tangzhong you make from above)
5 to 6gm/2 tsp instant yeast
30gm/3tbsp butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)

Directions:
Tangzhong:
1. Mix flour in water well without any lumps. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon, whisk or spatula to prevent burning and sticking while you cook along the way.
2. The mixture becomes thicker and thicker. Once you notice some “lines” appear in the mixture for every stir you make with the spoon. It’s done. You get the tangzhong. (Some people might like to use a thermometer to check the temperature. After a few trials, I found this simple method works every time.) Remove from heat.
3. Transfer into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling wrap sticking onto the surface of tangzhong to prevent from drying up. Let cool. Chill in fridge for several hours. (I chill it overnight.) Then the tangzhong is ready to be used. (Note: When you are ready to use the tangzhong, just measure out the amount you need and let it rest in room temperature for a while before adding into other ingredients. The tangzhong can be stored up to a few days as long as it doesn't turn grey. If so, you need to discard and cook some more.)

Method (To make one loaf):
1. Add all ingredients (except butter) into a breadmaker, first the wet ingredients (milk, cream, egg, tangzhong), then followed by the dry ingredients (salt, sugar, milk powder, bread flour, yeast). (Note: I used to make a small well in the bread flour, then add the yeast into it.) Select the “dough” mode (refer to the menu of your breadmaker to select the kneading dough programme).
2. When all ingredients come together, pour in the melted butter, continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. The time of kneading in the breadmaker is about 30 minutes. Then let the dough complete the 1st round of proofing, about 40 minutes, best temperature for proofing is 28C, humidity 75%, until double in size.
3. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide into 3 equal portions (see picture 1). Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
4. Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape (See picture 2). Fold 1/3 from top edge to the middle and press (see picture 3). Then fold 1/3 from bottom to the middle and press (see picture 4). Turn seal downward. Roll flat and stretch to about 30cm in length (see picture 5). With seal upward, roll into a cylinder (see picture 6). With seal facing down (see picture 7), place in the loaf tins to have the 2nd round of proofing (see picture 8), until double in size. The best temperature for 2nd round proofing is 38C, humidity 85%.
5. Brush whisked egg on surface. Bake in a pre-heated 180C (356F) oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until turns brown. (I baked it for 25~30 minutes since I felt that 35 minutes was too long). Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. (I brushed it with melted honey in the end).
* Step-by-step pictures are available on her site: Christine's Recipes

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2011-02-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! :) It's been a long time right? Well today I'm back with a full post! Yay! haha :) It's been so long because...well, it sounds like an excuse but as I mentioned before, I'm on the quarter system which makes it difficult for me to update often. There's too many tests! I've pretty much had a test since Week 3 and we're approaching Week 9 already! Eek >__< But on a more positive note, three more weeks and then it's spring break! Yayy! :) haha :)

Okay so today I wanted to introduce one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. It's none other than the Chocolate Sheet Cake from the Pioneer Woman's website! haha :) This recipe is pretty much foolproof. Super simple, super easy, and it definitely satisfies my intense chocolate cravings. I've made this time and time again and even though I usually cut back on the sugar and butter (by a slight amount to make myself feel a little better about all that sugar and flour and butter) it's delishhhh! :)

Today I opted to skip the pecans since I didn't have any on hand...and it was still delicious. haha :) I like the chocolate flavor from the cake and the frosting adds a sweet touch to the moist cake. Very moist and flavorful...and I believe the moist aspect of the cake is from the buttermilk. The frosting is definitely on the sweeter side as all frosting should be (or else it shouldn't even be called frosting). I actually halved this recipe this time since I was running out of powdered sugar. I also baked it in a springform pan for about 17 minutes and it was perfect! Anyways, time for me to stop talking and let the pictures do the talking! Hope you enjoy & happy baking! :)

Chocolate Sheet Cake
From the Pioneer Woman

Cake:
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cups Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Frosting:
½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
1-¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Directions:
1.In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

2. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.

3. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

4. In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

5. While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

6. Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Good day everyone! Stay warm!

Japanese Cheesecake

2011-02-07T00:03:00.000-08:00

Today I made Japanese Cheesecake. Definitely soft and fluffy. I used the recipe from the link above but opted for less lemon juice and added a touch of vanilla extract. Make sure that you use the cream of tartar when beating the egg whites and if you're using mixing the egg yolk mixture first, thoroughly clean the beaters before you go on to the egg whites. Remember that the tiniest drop of egg yolks and oil/butter (anything of that sort) will not allow the egg whites to form soft peaks properly. Topped with homemade fig jam and paired greatly with a cup of tea. Enjoy :)

Chocolate Cookies with Butterscotch Chips

2011-01-27T23:22:00.000-08:00

So! I decided to make this somewhat like a twitter? You know, with short posts? haha :) So here goes...

01.27.11 Yay for late night snacking :) Definitely heading to the gym tomorrow haha :)

Chocolate cookies with Butterscotch chips :) Baked 8, ate 2...at 11PM~ But, all worth it...delish!

Spicy Rice Cakes (떡볶이)

2011-01-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I updated here...been busy with school work already. Anyways, today I wanted to share a quick recipe with you. It's Korean Spicy Rice Cakes. I actually made a Youtube Account recently and I posted a video about this :) I think I'll be moving onto Youtube now so please come visit :)

Spicy Rice Cakes
Ingredients:
Rice Cakes:
2 1/2 cups rice cakes (30 sticks)
2 sheets fish cakes
1 cup onions
3/4 cup cabbage
1 stalk green onion
sesame seeds (to taste)

Broth:
2 3/4 cups water
4 pieces dashima
7 dried anchovies

Sauce:
2 1/2 tbsp red pepper paste
1 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp garlic (minced finely)
2 tbsp cooking syrup (corn syrup)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, boil dried anchovies, dashima pieces, and water for 10 minutes on medium-high heat.
2. Meanwhile, cut the onions into 1/3 in pieces, the cabbage into 1/2 in pieces, and the green onion into 1/4 in pieces. Set aside.
3. Once the broth has boiled for 10 minutes, discard the dashima and dried anchovies. Add the red pepper flakes and red pepper paste into the broth and stir to dissolve (it may be difficult to dissolve the red pepper paste at first, but it will eventually dissolve).
4. Once dissolved, add white sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic and stir. Boil on medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. After 5 minutes, add the rice cakes, onions, cabbage and stir. Cook for 2 minutes.
6. Cut the fish cakes into 1 1/2 in triangles and stir into the mixture. Keep on stirring and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes (if you do not stir from time to time, the rice cakes will stick to the bottom of the pan).
7. Add the cooking syrup and cook for an additional minute. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
8. Enjoy! :)

Food For The Gods

2010-12-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS! :) Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and spend quality time with your friends and family and loved ones. I'm going to keep this post short and simple since I have to go back to spending some quality family time :) haha!

Anyways, today I baked Food For the Gods! I actually received a package from Faye several days with some lovely holiday goodies. She sent me chocolate-dipped anise biscotti, keflet cookies, and Food for the Gods! I loved all of them but the Food for the Gods was definitely my favorite. It was actually my first time trying it but the slight sweetness from the dried dates, crunch from the walnuts, and the chewy texture of the bar itself was SOOO good! And it's nice and buttery. Let me tell you, you just MUST make this as soon as you have walnuts and dates in hand! GO GO~! I'm going to actually go grab some more to eat right now! hahaha :)

Food For The Gods
From Faye
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs
1 cup walnuts, rough-chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in the upper middle position. Line 9" x 13" rectangular pan with aluminum foil, slightly grease and set aside.
2. Sift 3/4 cup of the all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Meanwhile, sift the remaining 1/4 cup of flour separately and use to dredge the chopped dates.

3. Using a wire whisk, combine melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Mix well until all the sugars are dissolved then add the honey. Add vanilla extract (I accidentally forgot this part till the end). Continue mixing until creamy.

4. Fold flour into the batter using a rubber spatula in 3 different additions. Lastly, fold the dredged dates and walnuts.

5. Pour the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes when using a 9”x13” pan. (I baked for about 30 minutes since I used a bigger pan). It should be done when skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

6. Cool completely before slicing into bars. I suggest refrigerating for an hour before slicing. I like it chilled before eating as well because then I get the chewy texture which complements the walnuts.

PS. This is not very figure friendly but since it's the holiday and since there are walnuts which are healthy for you (sorry, my lame excuse). I think this is definitely worth it! I mean, you MUST eat during the holidays right? haha :) Happy baking & good day!

PPS. Excuse the photo quality of the finished products. Natural light disappeared! :(

Brownies

2010-12-12T13:48:00.000-08:00

Who loves brownies? Actually, the real question should be...who doesn't love brownies? I have a HUGE sweet tooth and nothing satisfies my sweet tooth like a good old brownie. Oh yea! :)

There's essentially two types of brownie lovers - those that enjoy a more cake-like texture and those that enjoy a more fudge-like texture. I fit into the latter category because I really like my brownies more on the gooey side...yummm! It's definitely hard to find fudge-like brownies at stores as most sell cake-like brownies. When I was a kid, I didn't know that brownies could be like fudge! My mom used to bake my brother and I Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate brownies from the mix and the taste is never to be forgotten. It was so good at that time! But, as I grew up and discovered the fudge-like brownies with a more gooey inside and a nice crusty exterior, I fell in LOVE! haha :) My brother, on the other hand though, still enjoys the cake-like brownies...I guess he's still attached to the box mix?

So, when I make brownies, I always face this dilemma - should I make cake-like or fudge-like brownies? Essentially, satisfy my sweet tooth or my brother's? And...my brother usually ends up winning! :( Another problem is...I like adding different toppings or mix-ins (nuts, dried fruits, etc) now that I'm older, but my brother still enjoys just the pure chocolate taste. :( But this time, I decided to go with a more dense, fudge-like brownie and I just sprinkled some toppings on top to compromise! :)

Anyways, enough of my brownie story! haha :) Today I wanted to share with you a brownie recipe from David Lebovitz! He's definitely one of my favorite bloggers and foodie! You should check out his website next time because his pictures and food adventures seem amazing! :D

Brownies
From David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup sugar (I used brown sugar simply because I ran out of granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (I eliminated this)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Line the inside of a 9-inch square pan with 2 lengths of foil, positioning the sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing the excess to extend beyond the edges of the pan, or with a single large sheet of extra wide foil or parchment paper. Lightly butter the foil or parchment.

3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the chocolate and stir until it is melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Add the flour and stir energetically for 1 full minute—time yourself—until the batter loses its graininess, becomes smooth and glossy, and pulls away a bit from the sides of the saucepan. Stir in the chopped nuts.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the center feels almost set, about 30 minutes. Do not overbake.

5. Let the brownie cool completely in the pan—this is the difficult part—before lifting the foil or parchment and the block of brownie out of the pan. Cut the brownie into squares.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2010-12-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I've been MIA for the past few days or 2 weeks (I think?) because I've been busy studying for finals and finishing last minute projects, etc. But I'm back because it's finally winter break for students on the UC system! Yay!!! :) Anyways, the holiday season is coming up and it's time to bake cookies and cakes and desserts! Time to gain weight? haha :)

So, I've been thinking of something with a cinnamon-y flavor because what represents the holidays better than something warm like good old cinnamon? And I was planning on making gingerbread cookies because I always make them during Christmas time...yup, I still like decorating my gingerbread people! haha :) But, when I stumbled across a blogger's recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Bread, I knew I had to give that a try! As you guys may know...I LOVE bread, absolutely adore it! And Cinnamon Raisin Bread is definitely on top of my favorite breads' list. But I'm pretty picky about this type of bread because it's hard to find a cinnamon bread that has the perfect balance of flavor, cinnamon, sweetness, and raisins in the grocery store and bakeries for a matter of fact. And, I feel like Cinnamon Raisin Bread needs to have a smooth texture, yet, it needs to be able to hold up for making French Toasts the next day.

I decided to go with Circle B Kitchen's recipe because she claimed to have a pretty perfected Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe. And let me tell you, it's definitely a keeper (according to my family). Looks like I won't be looking at Cinnamon Raisin Breads in the bread aisle any longer. Anyways, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did :)

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
From Circle B Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups (11.25 oz) unbleached bread flour
1 ½ cups (6.75 oz) whole-wheat flour (I used whole wheat)
2 T (.6 oz) gluten flour (I eliminated this)
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (.38 oz.) salt
3 tablespoons (1 oz.) powdered milk
1 1/2 teaspoons (.17 oz.) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) shortening or unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½+ cups (12 oz.) water, at room temperature (I used about 2 additional tbsp)
½ cup (+) raisins
1/3 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:
1. Whisk together the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, gluten, sugar, salt, powdered milk, and yeast in a 4-quart bowl of a standing mixer. With the machine running, add the shortening, and 1 ½ cups of the water. When fairly well mixed, slowly add the raisins and continue mixing on low speed until the ingredients form a ball. It should be fairly tacky. If not, add a little more water and continue mixing. It is better for it to be a little too soft that to be too stiff and tough. *I did this process without a stand mixer and it works perfectly fine.

2. Knead for another 10 minutes or so to make a firm, supple dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky. Create a ball with the dough, dragging it towards you against the counter to create surface tension. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

3. Combine the cinnamon and sugar. Remove the dough to a flat work surface and press it by hand into a rectangle about 8 inches wide, and 10 to 12 inches long. Sprinkle liberally with 3/4 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll up the length of the dough pinching the crease with each rotation to strengthen the surface tension. It will spread wider as you roll it.

Pinch the final seam closed with the back edge of your hand or with your thumbs. Place the loaf in a lightly oiled 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch bread pan; the ends of the loaf should touch the ends of the pan to ensure an even rise. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon/sugar. Loosely cover with plastic wrap.

4. Proof at room temperature for approximately 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough crests above the lip of the pan. *Mine rose up less because I used a 9in loaf pan.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

6. Place the bread pan on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the oven. The finished loaf should register 190 degrees in the center, be golden brown on the top and the sides, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

7. When the bread is finished baking, remove it immediately from the loaf pan and cool it on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours. *I brushed it with some melted butter and honey for a glossy finish.

This recipe is not too sweet and it's really good. My crust came out dark in the picture, maybe because there's no more natural light right now :( I followed Faye's suggestion and brushed the loaf with a mixture of melted butter and honey and it gives it a nice finish and a slightly sweeter crust! Yum~! :)

PS. This is random, but is anyone going to Korea this summer? I'm thinking of studying abroad again this summer!

Random #3

2010-12-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

I'm currently in the process of making Cinnamon Raisin Bread! I'll be back with that post as soon as finishes rising and baking up in the oven! Meanwhile, I just wanted to share with you guys some of the foods I've made or I've been eating or the things my mom cooked in the past few weeks :)

Hachiya persimmons grew in my backyard! These are the worst fruits if they're not ripe - they're super bitter and leave a funky feeling in your mouth. Astringent much? :( If they're ripe however, they're really sweet and good! You should try freezing them too!

A simple curry and rice.

Spaghetti.

Dduk gook. It's pretty much beef broth with rice cakes and different seasonings. It's commonly eaten on New Year's Day and it's good with dried laver sprinkled on top.

Chicken cutlets on a bed of greens made for my brother :)

Tous les jours bread! Tous les jours is pretty much a Korean bread franchise from Korea and there's a branch in my neighborhood so of course, I have to buy some!

And lastly, kimchi burger made from my mom!

Buttermilk Cornbread

2010-11-24T18:14:00.003-08:00

I love cornbread. I love the texture. I love the slight brown crust that forms on the top as it bakes away in the oven. I love dipping it in a hearty bowl of chili. In the end I just love cornbread! :D

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided to make cornbread but my brother consumed all the corn and there were absolutely no kernels left to be seen in the house. Then I stated that my mom bought canned corn in the most recent post. But, guess what? The corn is now GONE! Brother Cho!! :(

But as usual, I was still craving cornbread so I just decided to make some albeit the lack of actual corn. Cornbread without corn? I've made it like that before! haha :) So I decided to make it once again. Oh yea, by the way, if I actually make errors in my sentences or words are missing, please forgive me. My laptop keypad has been going a little crazy recently. It makes folders by itself and it seems to get stuck? I try to move it around but it works perfectly at one moment then it stops moving the next. I think I might need to visit the Apple store again :( Sigh~ Anyways, I have to keep this post short because I want to publish it before this computer starts going crazy on me again.

Now this cornbread recipe...I found it on All Recipes long time ago and it's the same recipe I've been using for quite some time. I like the 1:1 ratio of flour to cornmeal in the recipe and love the buttery flavor. It's a very basic recipe so you can definitely add your favorite ingredients to give it certain twists. I'd say add cheese, jalapeno, and bacon bits if you want this to stand alone and reduce the sugar by a bit. You can also add dried cranberries to give it another dimension and keep the same amount of sugar as the recipe calls for. Oh yea, definitely cut down the sugar if you prefer a cornbread that's not sweet. This recipe leans towards a sweeter cornbread. :)

Buttermilk Cornbread
Recipe from All Recipes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
* You can also feel free to add jalapeno, bacon bits, and other toppings of your choice.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan (I just lined mine with foil and then greased it).
2. Melt butter in large skillet (I put it in the microwave for about 45 seconds). Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain.

3. You can also add the toppings of your choice during this period of time. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving everyone! And let us all reflect on what we're truly thankful for :)

Random #2

2010-11-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

I'm home! :) I'm thinking...time for a Thanksgiving vacation, yay!! :D But...reality says otherwise. I actually attend a UC school so I'm on the quarter system which means time to start studying for finals and cramming information that I should have memorized earlier. I also have to work on a powerpoint presentation for my geography discussion. Sigh~ I think most UC students (minus Berkeley and Riverside...or was it Merced on the semester system?) have a love/hate relationship with the quarter system. They love the fact that the quarter goes by in a matter of 10 weeks...but at the same time, there's more to learn and study in that short amount of time. And just because a quarter is only 10 weeks doesn't stop professors from throwing in the copious amount of midterms, papers, and finals! Ugh! But! I still appreciate the fact that I have the chance to take courses in a greater array of subjects (with the exception of my major and minor classes) in comparison to those in a semester system. So, it looks like Thanksgiving Break will end up being study time. I guess that's fine with me since we won't be having the large family Thanksgiving this year...we're putting that off to Christmas cause my grandma's sick :(

Regardless of whether or not we have that Thanksgiving dinner, I'm still thinking of making some cornbread soon...I've been REALLY craving some of that corn-bready texture for a few days but someone (aka Brother Cho) ate all the corn kernels :( But, on a lighter note, my mom bought some canned corn...so I guess I'll have to make do with that~ haha :) So please look forward to that post soon, tehe :D

Anyways, it's been super cold in SoCal as I mentioned in the previous post. Today I had to take the bus home and I missed it by probably like 1 minute (I saw it leaving!)...so I had to wait 45 minutes in the windy and gloomy weather. Someone save me!! :( haha! So I came home and had a cup of tea and now I'm super warm :) So before I go, I just wanted to share with you guys some of the pictures I've been taking recently.

After all the wax melted. I love the simplicity of this picture yet it brings back a lot of different memories.

A glimpse of my desk after it's been cleaned, cleaned, cleaned! I can't seem to get rid of all those dolls though! I've had them for too long.

After studying, it's time for a treat!

Plants in my front yard. I think these are absolutely beautiful! :)

If you haven't already tried these, please give them a try! So yummy! :) I'm a sucker for ice cream :(

I love the leaves after the rainfall :)

Please click on the pictures for a larger view. That's it for today! Hope you have a wonderful day and stay warm! Don't get sick!! :D

Red Velvet Angel Food Cake

2010-11-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

First off, it was sooo cold in SoCal yesterday! :( Freezing! I love the rain but the weather following the rain wasn't so...great! I ended up sleeping with two different blankets! Anyways...that's my rant for today! haha :)

So the recipe that I want to share with you all is Red Velvet Angel Food Cake! Who loves a good old red velvet cupcake? And who like angel food cakes? Me...and me! :) I love the subtle chocolate flavor and lovely cream cheese frosting that's key for red velvet cupcakes. And I'm a HUGE fan of angel food cakes (please look at previous posts). So when Faye posted up pictures of an Red Velvet Angel Food Cake a few days ago, I was definitely excited to give it a try...it's the best of both worlds! :) Like having two desserts in one? hehe :)

I was actually planning on baking cornbread yesterday...but someone (aka my brother) ate all the corn kernels :( So I decided to skip baking anything for this weekend until I remembered Faye's recipe! As I mentioned, the weather fell below 45 degrees F where I happen to live and my parents went to the sauna at night. My brother and I were bored and craving something to satisfy our sweet tooth. I suggested that we make the Red Velvet Angel Food Cake and my brother, who had yet to try a red velvet cupcake in his 16+ years of living, readily agreed. Is it weird that he's never tried a red velvet cupcake? I mean, I've baked it a few times but where was this boy?! haha :) Anyways, so the story goes that he agreed to bake this angel food cake with me. Sibling bonding time much? Yup! :D

I was somewhat skeptical to make this yesterday just because there was lot of moisture in the air due to the rainfall. And egg whites are not necessarily the best friends with moisture, humidity, etc. Thank goodness for the creation of cream of tartar though because this turned out yummy and will definitely be a keeper! :D So for those of you that are angel food cake fans and red velvet cupcakes fans, please give this recipe a try! You won't regret it! :)

Red Velvet Angel Food Cake
Recipe from Faye
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 large), room temperature
1 1/2 cups caster sugar, divided
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp red vegetable food coloring
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F.
1. In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, the cocoa powder and the cake flour. Set aside.
2. Beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Add the warm water, vanilla, food coloring and lemon extract and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute.
3. Sift the flour/sugar/cocoa powder mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions and gently fold it in after each addition. Take your time and do it gently to avoid deflating the egg whites.
4. Spoon or pour batter into an to an ungreased spring form or 9 inch tube pan with a removeable bottom. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface.
5. Bake for 40-42 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Transfer the cake straight to the freezer while preparing the frosting. Freezing the cake before frosting helps to make the frosting smoother and to avoid crumbs when slicing the cake in two for filling.

*Note: A few of the pictures during the process. The lighting wasn't so great in the kitchen last night so I ended up with pictures that weren't of the best quality. So, here's some pictures during the process.
Cocoa powder:

My brother separating the egg yolks and egg whites. It was his first time but he's pretty good! :)

We ended up throwing all the egg yolks away because we didn't want to bake anything else. Kind of a waste but oh well~

Brother's first time whipping egg whites too! Proud of him :D

Adding lemon extract, vanilla extract, food coloring. As you can see, I ran out of liquid food coloring so I ended up using gel food coloring.

Love the color. Dislike the fact that it takes so much food coloring to achieve this color!

Off to be baked! :)

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cupful cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 cupful cool whip, well chilled
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Beat cream cheese and confectioner's sugar till creamy.
2. Add vanilla extract and continue beating for a minute.
3. Fold, do not beat the well chilled Cool Whip till fully incorporated.

Done!

A look at inside the cake.

A bite for all my readers :)

Hope you all enjoy & please stay warm in the cold! Drink lots of tea and watch out for the flu! Take care :D
PS. Here's a link for those that have never made angel food cake before. It's from Alton Brown's show and it was definitely helpful when I made my first angel food cake.

Random Post #1

2010-11-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

Warning: This is one of those random rant posts! haha :) Please go on to the other posts if you don't want to hear my rants (sorry)!

So, I've been doing my fair share of thinking recently regarding my future career and if Economics is necessarily the right path for me. I like Economics...I really do! But at times (especially during the peak of midterms and finals), I seem to get too stressed out. Maybe all college students have to cope with the same type of stress during their university years at point or another, but I'm wondering if this stress is really worth it. I feel like I'm attending classes and college in general just so that I have the so-called "back up" plan...you know, just in case? You see, my dream career is to open up a huge restaurant of my own...one that serves foods from a few different countries and is divided into various sections. I even have this interior/exterior envisioned in my head. haha :) As you can see, I've been wanting that dream career for a long time. I've always wanted a career that involved food and culinary arts ever since I started becoming a frequent viewer of the Food Network. :) Talk about inspiration much? haha :D

Anyways, so my dilemma has been whether or not I should continue with Economics. A major in Economics definitely opens up more doors for my future but at the same time I don't want to end up sitting in an office looking at numbers all day long. I like field work (hands-on activities) much more than sitting down and staring at the computer for hours at end...meaning, that I don't necessarily want to become a CPA. But, my friend's dad has been encouraging me to look into CPA work...hmmmm~

I've also dreamt about becoming an interior designer. But I've heard that students involved in that career have to go through rigorous amounts of work and I don't know if I'm ready for that. Maybe I'm not just not school material! :( It's just more stressful since I was a pretty decent (no conceitedness here) student in high school - I maintained a relatively decent GPA and I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. Maybe the stress comes from that fact that I've become more of an average student here. :(

Career-involved stress. Miss my best friend. Want 3 years to pass by quickly. Can't wait for Christmas! Maybe I'm scared of growing up?

Sigh!

Anyways, I'll stop the rant for now! Too much ranting! haha :) I think all this stress calls for a trip...I MISS KOREA...can't wait for summer of 2012!! :( To relieve all this stress, I need to go to the beach or take a train trip somewhere (hopefully Hearst Castle!) or go to the mountains! I'm a nature type of person :D Or go do some karaoke? Anyways, thanks for listening to my post readers :)

PS. Does anyone know any good places to volunteer on Christmas day? I feel like I should start getting involved in my community. Oh yea, I'm also going to start reading novels now! So any book recommendations would be great! :)

Lastly...pictures to reminiscence! :D

LA Sunset.

Yonsei University.

Chocolate cookies my friend and I made from box mix and without a cookie cutter.

Backyard picture at 6 AM.

LA sunrise while hiking.

Have a lovely day! :)

Purple Sweet Potato Cupcakes

2010-11-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! :) I don't have much time to write this since I have to working on my powerpoint for my language class and an outline for my geography class. :( But, I just wanted to quickly share with you guys this recipe! It's a purple sweet potato cupcake recipe! I actually had a lot of purple sweet potatoes so I wanted to go ahead and make a cupcake out of this! Hope you enjoy & I'll be back with a longer post soon! :) Have a great day!

Purple Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Adapted from Fake Food Free
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup pureed sweet potato
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp ube flavoring
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Bake purple sweet potatoes in an oven at 410 degrees F for 50 minutes to 1 hour. You can add slits in the sweet potatoes if you want to cook faster. You can check if they're done but poking a hole with a chopstick. If it goes through, it's done. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool and then take off the peel and mash with a fork.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and prep a cupcake/muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until mixed and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Add in the sweet potato and continue to mix until combined. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Mix until all ingredients are combined.

5. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix just until combined. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cupcakes are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.

6. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before topping with your favorite frosting. I used a cream cheese frosting from All Recipes.

It turned out a little green in the end but it was good. I was sad that the sweet potato flavor wasn't as prominent as I wanted, but it good nonetheless. I could taste more of the cinnamon and ube flavoring than the purple sweet potato itself. I think the cream cheese frosting was more prominent in this recipe. Next time, I'll substitute pumpkin puree for the sweet potato since it's bound to stand out more in the recipe.

Seafood Jjim (해물찜)

2010-10-30T16:38:00.001-07:00

First off, let me say that I'm super sorry for not updating this blog for over a month!! I'm so bad :( It's just that I seem to be having tests week after week! Whew~ :( And I have another midterm coming up this Tuesday for my Economics class. Sigh~ haha...the life of a college student! haha :D Anyways, on a brighter note, winter is coming! OH YEA! I have to say that winter is definitely my favorite season. I don't like the cold weather so much but I love wearing sweaters and scarves so it's my favorite season! :) And plus, I get to bundle up in a thick blanket with a cup of tea and watch dramas (during my vacation of course). And the best (which might also be the worst) part of wintertime is...FOOD TIME! From Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas then to New Year's! :D Love the holiday season! :) Anyways, I was really deciding on what I should make...something to celebrate Halloween or a warm soup? Then my mom suggested making Seafood Jjim which is a seafood and vegetable medley in hot pepper paste sauce! It's definitely good but warning: it is not intended to those that are NOT heat tolerant! It's spicy! haha :D Hope you enjoy!! :)

Seafood Jjim
Ingredients:
3.5 lbs monkfish (cut into 2 in. cubes)
8 oz sea squirt
3/4 cup Korean hot pepper paste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sesame oil
1/4~1/2 cup Korean hot pepper flakes
2 large onions
2 large jalapeno
1 bunch minari
3 lbs. soy bean sprouts (head & tail removed)
5 stalks green onion
1 lbs medium shrimp
1/4 lbs scallop
1/4 cup corn starch + 1/4 cup warm water (optional)

Directions:
1. Prepare the sauce for the Seafood Jjim by mixing together Korean hot pepper paste, black pepper, minced garlic, sake, soy sauce, grated ginger, sesame oil, and Korean hot pepper flakes.

2. In a large bowl, mix the sauce, monkfish, and sea squirt until thoroughly combined. Cover with a plastic wrap and let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.

3. Meanwhile, cut the onions and jalapeno into 1/2 in slices.

4. For the minari, get rid of most of the leaves, leaving only the stems. Cut the stems into 1 in. slices.

5. Cut the green onions into 1.5 in slices.

6. Devein the shrimp if you haven't already done so.

7. Add 2 cups of water into a pot. Add the bean sprouts and boil it with lid closed for about 8 minutes. Do NOT, I repeat do NOT open the lid during the cooking process or else the bean sprouts will smell and they can't be consumed. (I forgot to take pictures for this process). Also, don't over boil or the sprouts won't retain their crunch. And though the instructions ask for the removal of the head & tail, I kept the tail on because it has a good percentage of vitamin C (healthy!)
8. In a separate pan, add the marinated monkfish & sea squirt mixture, onion, jalapeno, and shrimp and cook until the monkfish is thoroughly cooked for about 15 minutes with lid on. You can also add the corn starch/water mixture at this point to thicken it up.

9. Add the bean sprouts, green onions, and minari and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Don't overcook or else the bean sprouts will not retain it's subtle bite.

10. Plate and serve! Enjoy!!

Hope you all enjoy & have a safe, fun-filled Halloween! :D

Makgeolli Bread (술빵)

2010-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Makgeolli is a type of Korean alcohol often known as Rice Wine. Korean people love drinking it while eating pajun or Korean pancakes! The lesser known use for Makgeolli is Sul Bbang (술빵). It's literally translated as alcohol bread...and it is some yummy stuff! :D I haven't actually made it before and when my grandma gave me the recipe she cut out from a newspaper when I visited Colorado, I knew I had to give it a try! This recipe is pretty good...a tad too sweet when it's warm but it's perfect when it's cold! Next time, I'll try leaving the bread mixture in the refrigerator overnight so that the flavor can develop. I think it'll taste even better! Make sure you allow the bread to cook all the way through or the middle of the dough is going to taste like alcohol (the alcohol burns off during the steaming process). Also, use a cheesecloth in lieu of wet paper towels and such because the bread will stick onto the paper towels. Anyways, hope you enjoy this recipe and I'll be back soon! :D

Makgeolli Bread (술빵)
Ingredients:
1 cup Makgeolli (beer can be substituted)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar (loosely packed or scant less)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
* optional ingredients: sesame seeds, raisins, steamed sweet potatoes, steamed pumpkin, pumpkin seeds

Directions:
1. Mix Makgeolli, eggs, salt, and brown sugar in a large bowl to form small bubbles.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mixed until almost free of lumps.

3. Place cheesecloth onto a steamer and pour in the batter. You can top the batter with the optional ingredients.

4. Steam for 30~35 minutes on medium-high heat. You can check to see if it's done by poking a hole in the middle with a wooden chopstick.

Lots of sesame seeds for me! :D

Cut it up!

Get some Makgeolli ready on the side.

Texture! Very moist~

Perfect Blueberry Muffins

2010-09-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for the last week or so. I actually went to visit my relatives in Colorado so I didn't really have the time to cook or bake. I didn't have the most amazing time but it wasn't too shabby either. I'm glad I got to see my mom's side of the family since the last time I visited them was back in 2004...but honestly, it was a bit boring because there's no one to play with around my age group. But, I really really enjoyed visiting the Rockies. It was so cold in the mountains!! But, the view was AMAZING! My camera just couldn't capture the beauty of the mountain...so refreshing after having been in an overpopulated South Korea for 2 months and a suburban area (with nothing much to do). I'm starting school soon too...moving back to the dorms on the 17th actually...so I'm sad to say that I won't be able to update this blog except for the weekends! :( But, I'll be reading all your comments so please keep them coming! :D Anyways, since I've visited Colorado, I wanted to share with you some pictures :) Picture Time! :D

Colorado
In the car...

You see that white spot over there towards the middle, right? They're like little lakes in the mountains...first time I've ever since such things! :D

The Rockies!

Squirrel...they were so small!

Time to move on! Anyways, I also randomly decided to make blueberry muffins today! It's been forever since I've last made muffins :( I'm really (for real this time) going to start dieting tomorrow so I decided to treat my self to these muffins! These are the perfect muffins! Yummm~ I was actually so skeptical with the batter at first...since it's incredibly thick...almost like cookie dough batter! I almost added milk to the batter since it seemed way too thick! But, I trusted the Smitten Kitchen and they are seriously so yummy! I ended up eating 3 by myself...yea, bad! They're not that sweet and the slight scent of lemon makes them refreshing~ They're moist and the scent of butter lingers on the muffins! Give them a try~

Perfect Blueberry Muffins
Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces or 71 grams) unsalted butter , softened
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I used greek yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces or 191 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon (7 grams or 1/4 ounce) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces or 105 grams) blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don’t bother defrosting)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper liners or spray each cup with a nonstick spray. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Zest a lemon.

2. Add yogurt and lemon zest to the mixture. Put flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a sifter and sift half of dry ingredients over batter. Mix until combined. Sift remaining dry ingredients into batter and mix just until the flour disappears. Gently fold in your blueberries. The dough will be quite thick (and even thicker, if you used a full-fat Greek-style yogurt), closer to a cookie dough, which is why an ice cream scoop is a great tool to fill your muffin cups. You’re looking for them to be about 3/4 full, nothing more, so you might only need 9 instead of 10 cups.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean (you know, except for blueberry goo). Let cool on rack (ha), or you know, serve with a generous pat of butter.

Enjoy~ Happy baking everyone! :D

28 Random Facts

2010-08-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I know this isn't a post about food, but I thought it would be fun to post 28 random facts about me~ I was tagged by HL! So here I go! :D

28 Random Facts
1. I was born 10 days later than the expected arrival date...sorry mom!
2. I sometimes stay up to watch Korean baseball (the game starts at 6:30PM on the weekdays and 5:00PM on the weekends Korea time...which essentially means 1:00AM or 2:30AM)! Go LG Twins! This is a picture of my favorite player! :)

3. I used to favor Korean idol groups over other artists...but I'm over that phase now & I'm open to listen to anything minus heavy metal/rock! But, I particularly like R&B and slow, soothing songs!
4. When I grow up, I want to design my own home...the exterior would be very old-fashioned (hanok style) and the interior NEEDS a modern kitchen! I want there to be many open windows throughout the house and I'm going to place a small stream close to the entrance of the house with lots of trees! This picture is an example of the exterior I'm looking for! :)

5. I hope to build a restaurant in the future that presents a variety of different foods from different cultures..and I want the chefs to come from the native country from which the food/menu originated. I always feel that in order for people to understand and appreciate different cultures, they need to eat the food first!
6. I really wanted to major in Business but they don't have that major at school...so I'm an Economics major. But, I really really want to go to UPenn for grad school!

7. I've never flew internationally until this summer when I went to Korea to study/visit. I'm probably going to Korea again in 2 years because overall, I had a great experience! Anyone down to go 2 years later?? haha :D
8. I think I'm starting to develop a shoe fetish thanks to my roommate :( hahaha~

9. I haven't read for pleasure for such a long time until this summer! I just didn't like reading!
10. I'm interested in the people, culture, happenings of North Korea. It's such a secretive country and I want to learn more and help out those people in need!
11. I started baking beginning of my high school years after inspiration from the Food Network! My favorite chefs are Giada DeLaurentiis and Ina Garten (minus her immense use of butter in many of her dishes...she does this pretty secretly too!) haha :D
12. My favorite color...it's hard to decide! But for clothes, I like neutral solid colors like navy, gray, maroon. For other things, like accessories, I like yellow and red and green (mustard, ketchup, and lettuce?) haha :)
13. I'm a 21st century girl...need to be connected via internet! Oddly, I don't use my phone much~
14. The song that I've listened to the most this summer is definitely missA's "Bad Girl, Good Girl." I'm so tired of the song, yet I always end up listening to it again & again.
15. I went to the Korean Music Festival at Hollywood Bowl this year with free tickets thanks to my roomie! :D I used to be obsessed with Beast back then...not so much anymore!

16. My favorite cooking ingredient is definitely garlic! I love garlic...I hope I don't smell like it though :( My favorite baking ingredient is chocolate...I can't get enough of semi-sweet chocolate chips! Yumm~
17. I love, love, love naps! Sleep time! :D
18. I prefer the cold over the warm! Yay for winter, boo for summer! :( I love wearing comfy sweaters and sweatpants and drinking hot coco! During the winter, my family often times lights up the fireplace and we roast sweet potatoes and potatoes! So good!
19. I have three dogs! The oldest is approaching his 12th birthday, the middle is turning 4 soon, and the baby is 2! :)
20. My favorite store is pretty much Ikea! I can't get enough of the stuff there...the food, the modern displays, the bed sheets, etc! I want to work for Ikea in the future if that's a possibility!! :D
21. I always tend to buy my jeans from AE...there's just this comfiness about AE! :D
22. This summer...I ate so much Korean ice cream that I lost track of how much I ate...it was the most ice cream I've ate in my entire life! Sometimes I ate 3 different ones everyday...SO good! If you visit Korea, please try all the ice cream!

23. I strongly dislike the scent of coconut/vanilla/etc perfume/sprays! I love the smell of vanilla extract and love the taste of toasted coconuts but the perfumes/sprays have got to go! I don't know what's wrong, but it makes me want to throw up :(
24. The state I've visited the most is Colorado because my mom's relatives live there!
25. I'm impatient! Yes, so bad! :( But, I have to walk in front of people when they walk too slow and I need things to be done...when they need to be done!
26. My guilty pleasure is carbs! Very bad but I like bread! It's yummy~ Whole wheat bread, hawaiian bread, baguettes, focaccia bread! Funny thing is though, I don't like rice that much...is that weird?
27. I love, love, love spicy foods! I used to eat a whole kimchi by myself with rice when I was little (I think I was too obsessed back then)! I love Sriracha (aka Rooster sauce)~ Yummm!
28. I am a major procrastinator! This is especially bad since I'm also impatient (#25)...when these two characteristics overlap = stress! I get overly stressed for no reason sometimes :(

Done! Wow, this was kind of difficult? hahaha :D But, I had a fun time doing this! :) Anyways, I want to tag Faye who sent me a bunch of extracts and allowed me to taste the goodness of Pandan and any followers/viewers who are interested! Happy baking everyone! :D

Pain à l’ancienne Baguettes

2010-08-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone~ So, it has been super hot in southern California as I mentioned in a earlier post...and I found out that the particular place that I live in about 15° F higher than LA! Temperatures have been reaching over 110° F! :( But, I've been craving bread lately so I had to bake something~ I actually decided that I wanted some slices of a nice baguette. Of course I can go pick up one at my local bakery but I prefer homemade bread just because I know that there aren't 100 ingredients that I've never of! So, I decided to be a little ambitious and made baguettes! :D Yay~ I love this recipe! It has a nice crust and a chewy inside...and it consists of only 4 different ingredients! I must admit though, the process of making them was a little tedious because the dough is fairly sticky and the dough needs to be fermented 3 times. There's also a beginning process where you have a mix the water and dough and stick it in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours to bring about the natural sweetness of the flour. Overall, great bread and I would definitely make again! :D

Pain à l’ancienne Baguettes
From Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Ingredients
unbleached all-purpose flour: 4 cups/17.6 oz/500 g
water, ice cold: 1 cup + 6 tbsp/11.5 oz/325 g

water: 3 tbsp + 1 tsp/1.8 oz/50 g
salt: 1.5 tsp/.3 oz/9 g
instant yeast: 1.5 tsp/.2 oz/5g

Notes:

* Best to use King Arthur all-purpose flour or another flour with a higher protein content than regular supermarket all-purpose flour.
* Peter Reinhart’s pain à l’ancienne in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice is based on a method very similar to this recipe. In Reinhart’s version, the salt and yeast are added before refrigeration.

Directions:
1. Mix together the flour and the ice-cold water until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.
2. Knead 4 to 6 minutes, until the flour is thoroughly hydrated and a smooth ball of dough is formed.
3. Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. The bread will be sweeter the longer the dough rests (this process of resting the dough before adding yeast is called autolyse).

4. Add the additional water, salt, and instant yeast to the cold dough. Knead until the water is completely absorbed, about 6 to 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky. The dough will initially have the consistency of chewing gum and will not readily absorb the additional water.

5. Ferment #1 90 minutes at room temperature
6. Using gravity and a bench scraper to help you, lift the dough to stretch it into a long rectangle and put it back on the counter with the short side facing you. The fold it into thirds vertically, like an envelope, and then fold again horizontally.
7. Ferment #2 90 minutes at room temperature
8. Stretch and fold again.
9. Ferment #3 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, or until almost doubled
in size
10. Preheat Oven 460ºF / 240ºC
11. Divide 4 equal pieces using a lightly moistened bench scraper
12. Preshape: On a lightly floured surface, gently shape each piece into loose ovals by tucking the sides underneath the pieces of dough. Handle as gently as possible to avoid degassing.

Pain à l'ancienne French Baguettes Shaping
1. Rest: 10 minutes
2. Shape: Stretch gently into strips, about 12 to 16 inches long.
3. Steam: 1 cup of boiling water poured in a heavy steam pan
(preferably cast iron)

4. Bake: Bake for 8 to 9 minutes at 460ºF / 240ºC. Rotate the loaves and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is deeply browned. The thickest part of the baguette will register 205ºF / 91ºC when done.
5. Cool: At least 30 minutes

They're done! :D

More pictures:

Look at that crust!

A slice for you...

And a slice for me!

It seems like a very complicated process by text, but it's a bit easier so please refer to the site! :D Happy baking everyone~ Have a great day! :)

Tart Frozen Yogurt

2010-08-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Today I'm going to do a quick post mostly because it's too hot to stay on my laptop! haha :( I am strongly disliking the California weather! :( Anyways, I came across Korean American Mommy's blog and I had to try the tart frozen yogurt! I didn't add enough sugar to mine so mine were a bit tart! haha, but overall, the frozen yogurt was super satisfying for this hot weather!

Tart Frozen Yogurt
Korean American Mommy

Ingredients:
2 Cup Fage Yogurt
2 Cup Buttermilk
3 tbsp Matcha Powder (I used 미숫가루 powder for a bean-flavored taste)
1/4-1/2 Cup Sugar (You can use other sweeteners such as honey; taste as you go for the perfect sweetness)

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Follow your ice cream makers manufacturers instructions. Enjoy some right away!

Putting all the ingredients together~

Mix until smooth~

Pour it into the ice cream maker~

Tada!! :D

Time to eat! :)

Enjoy everyone~ Happy baking...and eating! :D

Pecan Pie Bars

2010-08-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! It's been too hot these days in southern California to be cranking up the oven. But, since I decided to go on a diet tomorrow (I gained wayyy too much weight in Korea), I decided to give myself a last treat. Actually, my diet was supposed to start on Monday, but since I took out one of my wisdom teeth, I made myself an excuse to eat ice cream...at night (utter failure)! So I decided that I would start my diet today, but I failed again...well, this time it was because my wisdom teeth area was in a lot of pain. I actually had to do surgery to remove my wisdom teeth since it was laying down sideways. It was a relatively quick process this time - probably about 15 minutes - unlike last time which took over 45 minutes. Still, I was in a lot of pain. Anyways, I decided to go ahead and treat myself with this Pecan Pie Bar. I LOVE pecan pie and thought it was just necessary to try these out! Hope you guys enjoy them too! :D

Pecan Pie Bars
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Crust:
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold)

Filling:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 jellyroll pan with aluminum foil.

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to flour mixture.

Toss and use a pastry blender to cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles crumbs the size of peas.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and press into a smooth crust. Poke several holes in the crust with tines of a fork. Bake about 18-20 minutes until light golden brown.

Hello pecans!

Chop up your pecans into small pieces.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and add sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth.
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Add in the chopped pecans.

Incorporate the pecans into the wet mixture.

Pour filling into the pre-baked crust. Return to oven to bake for about 20 minutes until filling is set.

Cool on a wire rack until completely cool.

Use foil to lift bars out of pan and cut into squares.

Pecan pie bars are done! Happy baking everyone! :D

Fig Galette/Tart

2010-08-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm back home! :D I actually got back yesterday but because I couldn't sleep during my plane ride, I was so tired I couldn't do anything! Overall, I had a great experience in Korea but I'm really glad I'm home. I'm loving the California sun and the slightly breezy weather at night~ And, best of all, no humidity! Oh yeaa~ haha~ Anyways, I'm back in the kitchen and ready to start baking. I was originally planning on making a angel food cake (you guys should know my obsession with those)...haha :D But, I went ahead and made Fig Galette because we have a huge fig tree in the front yard! During August and September, it's war with the squirrels for the sweetest and most plump figs and my dad has been winning so far! He picked out some wonderful figs for us to eat~ So, I wondered...what should I make/bake today with these figs? And then, I decided to make some galette~ I was originally planning on roasting them in the oven and them drizzling them with a balsamic reduction and wrapping them around some prosciutto. But, I'm not a huge fan of prosciutto so I decided to go ahead and make a fig galette. I'm still super tired today so I was hesitant to make these. But, in order to post a new entry - sorry I've been a bit slow in Korea- I went ahead and baked! :) This fig tart consists of frangipane, figs, and cream cheese! Don't be afraid to make the frangipane...it sounds super fancy, but it's pretty much just butter, almonds, sugar, and an egg~ Anyways, here's the recipe! Hope you guys enjoy!

Fig Tart
Adapted from Chez Pim
1/4 the Frangipane recipe below
1 9-inch Pie Dough
7~15 figs (depending on the size)
Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp water)
1/2 tbsp white sugar (to dust galette)
2 oz cream cheese (optional)

Frangipane (Makes enough for 4 9-in tarts or 8 5-in tarts)
Ingredients:
75g whole almonds (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup of white sugar
3/4 stick butter (room temperature)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and place them in the oven. Roast them for about 10 minutes, or until slightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.
2. Put the cooled almonds and the sugar into a food processor and process until fine. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla extract and pulse until well-combined. If you don't want to use it right away, divide the frangipane into four equal parts, wrap each tightly in plastic. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, and up to a month in the freezer.

Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 stick butter (cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
3~5 tbsp water (iced and cold)

Directions:
1. Pulse the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 6-8 times.
2. Add a tablespoon of water at a time pulsing in between until it starts to clump together to form a ball.
3. Place the dough on a clean surface and shape it into a disc and wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Assembling the Fig Tart
1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
2. Roll out your pastry dough to about 10-inch diameter - more or less won't harm anything.

3. Spread about 1/4 of the quantity of frangipane on the dough, leaving about 1 inch parameter around the outer edge of the dough. (If adding the cream cheese, add cream cheese, then layer the frangipane on top).

* With the frangipane.

* With the cream cheese.

* Assembling the frangipane on top.

4. Quarter the figs (only halve if small) and arrange them -pointy end up will be prettier- in concentric circles to cover the frangipane. (I just sliced them into 1/3-in slices to make it easier).

5. Fold the edges in, pinching a little to make sure they stick. If you want, you can brush the dough with eggwash and give it a good shower of sugar. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown. Or, if making 2 tarts, then bake for 25~30 minutes.

* Sealed edges.

* Applying egg wash mixture.

* Sprinkled with sugar and ready to pop in the oven.

6. Serve while warm or cooled.

Slice anyone?

Huge figs!

Happy baking everyone! :D

Korea Part 8

2010-08-09T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! :D Sorry I've been lagging with the blog updates! I've been pretty busy lately cramming for finals, visiting places, eating, and watching baseball...go LG Twins! :) I'm going to be returning to the states this week...oh yea! I've enjoyed vacationing and studying in Korea, but it's time to get back! :D Anyways, I don't have much time today to write a long post so this is going to be relatively quick! But, I'll post up pictures for you guys to enjoy! I think I'll be back in Korea 2 years later with my brother so if anyone wants to join, feel free to come along! :)

짬뽕 I ate! It's a spicy noodle dish with seafood, onions, and cabbage! So good! :D

Assorted meats that I've never tried before! The whitish one is apparently the pork skin? It has a somewhat jelly-like texture and it's good at first, but after about 3 slices, it tastes weird!

Beautiful colored banners hanging from a museum I visited!

1950...Seoul! It's a special exhibition in a museum I visited! The exhibition had artifacts from the Korean war...pretty sad :(

There was a really cool model of the city of Seoul! This was amazing...especially all the small details! :D

Korean donuts are just AMAZING!!

Love the LG Twins! :D I love Korean baseball because the unity of the fans are what makes the game so energetic and so much fun! There's different chants/songs for every player and it's super fun! There's even a person in charge of initiating all the cheers and cheerleaders too~ There's also different contests during the game! :D

Favorite player...lucky 7 오지환! ^^

Lucky #7 once again! :D

Free drink that came with one of my desserts...it's like little seeds inside water...so good! :D

Walnut tart~

Tuna sashimi! So good!

This is a jjimjilbang which is just a hot room! This is the mud room~

I watched Inception & Ikee on the same day...Inception was good but Ikee was too gory! Love Korean movie theatres though! The first show was less than $5 and they gave us free popcorn too! :D

The power of the LG Twins fans!

Raining at the stadium~

Baseball once again...love it! :D

This was one yummy pizza...squid ink crust topped with shrimp, sweetened yogurt, cranberries, pineapples, and cheese! The squid ink crust is good when dipped with a honey mixed with white wine!

Roasted onions with cheese! :)

Carb overload in Korea!

Rice cakes with seafood~

Dumplings with meat & veggies! Delicious! :D

Walnut and peanut bread! I'm really going to miss this one!

And lastly, my Korea trip isn't complete with some shopping!

Korea Part 7

2010-07-15T22:03:00.001-07:00

What, Michelle's back already? Yes, I've decided to write another post so quickly because I had such ambivalent feelings about yesterday. I actually went to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) that divides the north from the south (of Korea). As you may all know, Korea is the only nation in the world that is divided between two states - Republic of Korea and Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It's so sad to see that my grandparent's home country is a divided nation and the trip was definitely an emotional experience. The tour was about $10 in US dollars and it's basically a 2~3 hour course. I first went into the DMZ and it was a great experience initially. There was a military officer who had a very beautiful smile! :D hehe :) At the entrance, they checked our passports and we were in! The immature side of me was so excited for this trip~

Getting ready to leave at Imjingak for the DMZ!

A bell in Imjingak.

Souvenirs.

Alcohol imported from North Korea.

Notes on the fence in Imjingak...most were hoping for reunion between the north and the south.

A picture of my ticket before I left~

The first stop for this trip was at the Third Tunnel of Aggression which was discovered in 1978. It was a tunnel supposedly designed by the North Koreans to launch a surprise attack against South Korea since the north and south are technically still at war - only an armistice has been signed but not a formal peace treaty. Of course the North Koreans denied this statement, painting the walls of the tunnel with coal to claim that it was for coal mining purposes. It was so cold in the tunnel and on the way down, you have to duck your head so the tunnel doesn't touch your hair. When you get to the bottom, you have to duck while walking since it's a small tunnel. It was an interesting experience - what were the North Koreans thinking when building this tunnel? How did the North Korean soldiers in the 1970s feel walking through this same tunnel that I walked in through today? After coming out of the tunnel (we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the tunnel unfortunately), I took pictures of the outsides~

Outside the tunnel.

Water fountain in front of the 3rd tunnel.

The next stop was the border between the north and the south. This is where the more emotional side of me came out. We stood on pretty much stood on a cliff/ledge type of place and there was about a 4 feet wall brick border so that people would stay inside. From the top, you could see the fence that marks the boundary between the north and the south. It was so painful to see - how can one ethnicity be divided by a fence? It's ridiculous! From the binoculars (you have to pay about $0.50) you could see the imitation villages of the north. Though nobody occupies these, they were actually built to show the south that the north was "prospering." However, there are little houses in front of them in which people occupy. Though it wasn't too distinct since the weather was gloomy here today, I saw an elderly woman or man (he/she had a crouched back) and a child or another adult from the north. The fact that I see someone of the north just makes me sad. It reminded me of the North Korean documentary I saw several days ago about how people in the capital of Pyongyang have lives of luxury, receiving 1 chicken and 5 eggs per person every month. If that's the life of luxury in North Korea, how did those two people that I saw live? What were their living conditions like? I definitely learned to develop a greater appreciation for my life. I should stop the complaining! Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures beyond a certain point here...there were military officials guarding :(

Behind the walls.

Stone markers.

Beyond these walls is a place where nobody lives. There's a bunch of grass, shrubs, etc. before you can see the village of the North Koreans. There's a fence that marks the 38th parallel. I couldn't step any closer since to take the pictures...you see the mountains in the background though? Those are North Korean mountains.

The next stop was at Dorasan station. It's a train station that used to run from North and South Korea. Unfortunately, it doesn't run anymore and we never know when it's going to run...but I hope that in the next few decades, there would many passengers flowing in and out of Dorasan station. The final stop was at a market place that sells some North Korean products and souvenirs. Not much there, but I ended up buying some crackers and my roommate bought some alcohol~ haha :D

Dorasan station...used to run between the north and the south.

Railways.

North Korean soju.

Candy imported from the north.

Overall, I had a great experience - possibly the best I've had in Korea so far. Someday I want to visit North Korea and even though I know I won't be able to see the concentration camps and the poverty (they don't take tourists to these areas), I still want to see how my fellow brothers are like. It seems that reunification of the north and south won't happen anytime soon since there's so many cultural, social, and political differences but I hope that those days comes very soon!

Korea Part 6

2010-07-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been too lazy updating my blog..haha! I didn't know there would be so much work for summer school! Who would have thought? Well, I just finished another quiz this Monday and a midterm today...and I have a quiz and another midterm on Monday on top of a project that's due Tuesday! :( Anyways, I have to update my blog right? :D I'm waiting for my pictures to upload onto Photobucket so I can resize them into smaller sizes...takes forever since I shoot on RAW! :( haha! While it uploads though, I'll tell you a little bit of my experience in Korea! So far, I've had ambivalent feelings towards this country. I love the fact that the food here is absolutely amazing and the street food is cheap! Koreans have a huge array of different foods and it's awesome! Of course, there's a downside to Korea as well. I especially dislike the humid weather...I'm not really used to such humid weather back in CA although I've heard that it's getting much more hotter. I dislike the fact that I have so much homework even though I love my 4th period Introduction to Western Philosophy class! Absolutely love the professor for the class since he's very chill and we watch different segments of films and discuss what decision we would make in the protagonist's situation...the time goes by so quickly! :D My 2nd period class is alright...I have neutral feelings towards that class since the professor seems to be very into his history and has a fair grading system - quizzes every Monday (15%), attendance (10%), midterm (25%), weekly reflection papers (15%), final (25%), and 2 additional papers. He said we'll also have samgyubsal night soon too as a field trip! :) The 3rd period class seems to be the problem...it's a fairly interesting class on modern Korea from the late 1800s onward. However, he goes wayyy too fast! And, because my internet actually picks up in that class, I end up chatting online or browsing food sites. It's definitely my fault for falling behind on the reading but it just goes by too fast! :( Ugghhh!

Anyways, I've been semi-missing home so far...I miss my bed (hate sleeping on the floor though I've gotten used to it). And I don't know if it's just me (or not) but I feel somewhat claustrophobic in this country. There's too many people packed together - it's obvious from the many different apartments. I love the fact that so many of the older generation are such hard workers (it's very inspirational to me)! And, I like the fact everything is so accessible - food stores, grocery shopping, etc...don't have to walk more than 5 minutes...the closest one to me is actually right besides the apartment. I love the little market comes in every Friday (they sell different foods, blankets, clothes, fresh fish, etc) and I like trying out different foods! :D Another thing I dislike about this country is the fact that I've been gaining weight (a lot, actually). It's a very sad thing especially when I know I should maintain better eating habits, yet, I end up eating like 3 ice creams per day...you can't find all those brands in America can you? Plus, the little grocery store next to the apartment is 50% off for ice creams! :D and :( haha! Oh yea, one thing I noticed is the lack of trash cans in Korea...please Korean government, install more trash cans...I don't like littering! And also, Korean drivers, please allow pedestrians to cross the street first. Or, allow pedestrians to finish crossing the street before you honk at them! Anyways, to end on a positive note, picturesss! :D

Fashionita grandpa I saw on the subway...look at his colorful shoes! :D

I went to Mr. Pizza today and ate potato gold pizza! They also have a branch in LA so check that out! The crust is stuffed with sweet potato and topped with cheese! :)

And I know this is not a relevant picture, but it's Doojoon from Beast...my favorite! :D He came out in a new music video!

Another slice of my potato gold pizza...toppings include potato, sour cream, dried oregano (it might be parsley...I didn't really pay attention), crushed tortilla chips, and bacon...very calorific!

And yes, in Korea, people use knives and forks to eat their pizza...I miss eating it by hand!

Made some chocolate cookies...from box mix! You know that it's almost impossible to find vanilla extract and semi-sweet chocolate chips or regular cocoa powder in this country? Where are all my bakers?!?

I've been drinking this on a daily basis for the past several days! It's really good...it's pretty much Hongcho (which is vinegar-based with different berries) and you mix it with water. It's awesome and refreshing! :)

Went to nrb and had some canned peaches...they put lots of ice in there so it was refreshing!

Anyone care to have some pistachio ice cream?

Korean corn...the colors are prettyy!

Crispy homemade soy sauce fried chicken wings!

More Korean plums! :D

I also ate this amazing shaved ice dessert...it had a hint of melon taste and the sauces are chocolate and strawberry syrup and the fruits were nice and chilled! It was a refreshing treat after shopping around the whole day!

And simple white bread to accompany the shaved ice!

Street food!

Street vendor about to fry up some fish cakes wrapped in perilla leaves!

Fried octopus (?) and fried sweet potatoes~

Fried potato chips on a stick...you dip it in dried seasoning! Dip, dip, and more dipping! :D

Cold noodles (nengmyun) with donkatsu!

Affogato gum...yummy at the beginning but has a strange aftertaste and it is not long-lasting as the package indicates!

The secret to eating a more yummy packaged patbingsoo...add milk! :D

Korean yogurt! Definitely less sweet than American yogurt and in small cute packages~

I'm not sure if I posted a picture of this already, but banana milk is AMAZING! I want to drink it everyday!

Oh yea, and don't forget to check out Narith's blog! He attends the same Yonsei summer school program as me and he updates his adventures in Korea! :) You can also spot my 4th period professor on his blog~ And also, don't forget to check out Kim's vlogs! She's trying to update vlogs during her stay in Korea~ Happy baking and cooking everyone! :D

Korea Part 5

2010-07-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy with school lately! So much homework even if it's summer school! But, I'm updating with pictures :D hehe :D Most of the pictures are of ice cream...you can see that I've been eating plenty of them! :)

Chocolate ice cream.

Korean plums...aren't they pretty?

Another chocolate ice cream. Twin sticks this time!

Coffee ice cream that tasted like coffee slushie!

Duck meat with Korean chives.

This ice cream is milk-flavored ice cream on the exterior and a red bean filling with bits of rice cake!

Milk shake ice cream.

Strawberry ice cream.

Double double ice cream...combination of apple and strawberry flavors.

Sweet potato chips! Love these...so yummy, except that they're over 400 calories for a small bag.

Fresh Korean crackers...the woman at the store said she popped them several minutes before I bought them! Very crisp!

Yay for fresh Korean crackers!

Fresh sweet potato crackers!

Cracker with laver seaweed and peanuts!

Patbingsoo in a cup?!? Doesn't have the fruits but it does have the little mochi rice cakes...pretty good though!

Korea Part 4

2010-07-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been meaning to post some pictures of the places I've visited. But, I've been pretty busy visiting different places, eating, eating, and did I mention eating? Why is the food in Korea so good? :( On top of that, I recently started summer school in Korea so I have to start studying as well. I really really dislike the humid weather here in Korea, but I guess I'll have to deal with for another month or so. After being here for a few weeks, I realized that there are many pros/cons to this country. And honestly, I developed a greater appreciation for the US. I love the fact that food is so cheap in Korea. You can definitely get a decent street meal for less than $3. I love the fact that the milk is amazingly delicious in Korea...yumm~ That goes for all the other food in Korea as well! :D The only problem is the weight gain :( Ugghh~ I also definitely love the older generation of people in Korea - they work hard. It's definitely inspiring to see people set up their shops even while the rain is pouring down so heavily! They're truly admirable! I really strongly dislike the fact that nearly the entire male population of Korea smokes. I really dislike the smell of smoke but after being in Korea, I think I've gotten used to it. My lungs will hate me for this :( Anyways, I'll stop ranting now! :D Time for pictures!

The school that I'm attending...Yonsei University.

I wish the classes looked like this!

A museum in front of the Blue House (President's residence).

Building next to the Blue House...you see the blue rooftop?

A palace I visited...it was the secondary palace to the royal family.

Namsan Tower.

National Museum of Korea.

I also visited a cat cafe in Korea...interesting experience!

And lastly, a view from the airplane I took to Korea...snowflakes!

Korea Part 3

2010-06-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Updating with more pictures of the things I ate...today, I headed over to different palaces and tourist spots so I'll upload pictures of those scenery within the next few days too! :D
From left to right (top to bottom): green tea castella bread from Paris Baguette, bbundaegi (silk worm cocoon), buchu kimchi, flavored radish

From left to right (top to bottom): pig's feet, pig's feet wrapped with lettuce, garlic, kimchis, candy made with strings of honey with nut and sugar filling, korean melon

From left to right (top to bottom): chupa chups strawberry flavored, burger king, peach iced tea, cat from a cat cafe

From left to right (top to bottom): bbobgi (which is simply sugar and baking soda), spicy rice cakes (I ate this at least 3 times so far), korean candy, brownies

From left to right (top to bottom): kancho crackers with chocolate hazelnut filling, fish crackers, cold stone, turkish ice cream (chewy texture, I like!)

From left to right (top to bottom): fresh seafood they catch for you when you order, another chupa chups (I'm addicted!), so many different types of milk, absolut vodka!

If anyone's interested in seeing the different tourist attractions I visited, feel free to add me on facebook! I uploaded it there but it takes a much longer time uploading on blogger!

Korea Part 2

2010-06-21T04:14:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody~ I've been planning on making a Con List of the things in Korea, but I've decided to hold that list until I experience Korea to its fullest (or at least experience as much as I can before I head back to the States). Today, I decided to upload some of the pictures I took of ...food! :D I've taken pictures of the scenery as well, but since my blog is mainly focused on food entries, I decided to stick with food :) I've eaten more foods than the ones that I'm about to show you all, but sometimes I haven't had my camera available or it wasn't the right situation to take pictures. My favorite food, which is not pictured here today, is Korean beef(한우). I can't describe how good it is! It tastes like a mixture of beef and has a subtle bacon or pork flavor and I ate it as part of shabu shabu. It melts in your mouth! Make sure you try the Korean beef when you get here! And like I stated, everything tastes good! Make sure you try everything (at least a little bit of each thing) once you get here! :D
Korean Food
From left to right (top to bottom): pig's feet, fermented foods, steamed eggs, fried vegetable hodduk.

From left to right (top to bottom): hodduks frying, hodduk filled with brown sugar, sugar, and nuts, coffee house, waffles with green tea ice cream, strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, maple syrup.

From left to right (top to bottom): Noodles in fish stock, black bean noodles, rice cakes, fish on sale in the outdoor market.

From left to right (top to bottom): Meal-in-one: corn dog covered with fries in lieu of a batter, corn dogs, soup with ramen and assorted meats, Paris Baugette garlic crackers.

Korea Part 1

2010-06-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm in Korea currently so I haven't been able to update this blog! I'll update with pictures within the next 2 weeks or so. I've been busy visiting different relatives and I don't have internet access 24/7 here so life has been somewhat difficult. I'm too dependent on the internet right? haha :D Anyways, I haven't gone out to eat too much since my relatives prefer cooking homemade meals for me. But once I move into my friend's cousin's house, I should have more freedom :) haha :D Anyways, for today's post, I'll just list some pros & cons after being here for a good 3 days just for anyone that's interested in visiting :D

Pros:
1. Amazing food: I can't stress this part enough! :) The food here is AMAZING! The first time I went out to eat, I ate at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It's a restaurant located in NamDaeMoon(남대문) and my friend's dad was bribed into the restaurant that said they'd give just free steamed egg (계란찜). My friend and I weren't expecting much from this restaurant since its workers were literally bribing people to come in! But I'm SO glad I ate at that restaurant. We ordered GalchiJolim (갈치조림) and TofuJolim (두부조림) and it slightly spicy and so delicious! It's definitely the best I've ever had! The radish in the GalchiJolim was definitely my favorite part. I ended up eating more white rice than I planned on consuming! Soo good! The Black Bean Noodles(자장면) was so good too! Usually in California, it's a lot saltier than I'd like to eat my noodles. But here, it's a different story! It's absolutely delicious! :DEven the homemade food is amazing! My relatives make their own Soybean paste(된장) and they do a lot of different food preserving. They make their own ginseng alcohol and also make Korean plum juice(매실). Soo good! When you visit Korea, please try the different foods! I think its the best way to retain great memories of your trip (a reason why I value food over physical souvenirs) and its one of the best ways to experience different cultures.

2. Bus system: The bus system is definitely a pro. Korea has two different lanes dedicated to buses only. They definitely come relatively fast. You would see at least a bus come every minute (even though they may be going to different locations). When you arrive, make sure to purchase a T-money card. It's a card(they also have little keychains as well) you can buy at any convenience store and load it with money in advance. The catch is to scan you T-money card when you get on the bus as well as when you get off, or you'll be charge for extra distance. But, there is definitely a con to this bus system. Some of the different drivers are insane. Some drive too fast, some drive when the light has already turned red. I guess I can't blame the bus drivers completely because the transportation system in general is a bit hectic, I'll talk about this soon in the Con list.

3. Different Foods: There's so many different foods you can try in Korea! Several days ago, my aunt bought me waffles topped with ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and maple syrup and it was good! There's also pho restaurants I've seen, Indian restaurants, and Italian restaurants. There's also a handful of Western food chains if you're craving your favorite Western foods - Outback Steakhouse, Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Coffee Bean, McDonalds, and Burger King. There's also a handful more. And definitely check out the different selection of Korean food. The most popular restaurants are SoonDae Houses(순대집/blood sausages), Italian restaurants (which are definitely fusion restaurants suited more for Korean taste), Beef/Pork Restaurants which have different selections of meat (Koreans love meat), Sashimi Houses with many restaurants where you can eat fresh sashimi (they usually catch the fish straight for you fresh from the tank).

4. Karaoke: If you love to sing or need a way to digest your dinner, make sure you visit a karaoke room(노래방). It's relatively cheap (about $10/hour) and sometimes even less. Usually, they also give you free service as in extra hours if your pay for a certain amount of hours.

5. Alchol: I'm not an alcohol fan but if you like alcohol, this can definitely be a pro. There's a lot of Koreans that consume alcohol in Korea with chicken or pork belly and brisket. It's definitely much cheaper here in Korea, especially the Soju(소주) and the minimum age to drink is 20 years old in Korean age (if you were born in 1991 or before) so drink up if you like to drink!

I'll update the Con List tomorrow! One thing is though, avoid mosquitos at all costs! I got bitten in the face in 3 spots in one night :( And, now I look like I have a bruise under my eye :( I'll update with pictures within the next few weeks and update the Con List tomorrow! If anyone has more questions, please comment :D

Salted Caramel Brownies

2010-06-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm leaving for Korea this upcoming Tuesday so I won't really have access to a kitchen for the next two months or so. So, for the last several days, I've been taking full advantage of the kitchen, yay! :) I've been baking this recipe, trying out that recipe, etc. Today, I want to share with you Salted Caramel Brownies from The Pioneer Woman's Kitchen. I've had great success with many of Pioneer Woman's recipes. Her Shrimp Pasta was amazing and the Chocolate Sheet Cake is heavenly! :) I feel like I'm advertising her website, haha :D But it was really good! Yesterday, I decided to make these Salted Caramel Brownies because...I mean, what better combination is there than sweet & salty? I completely eliminated the gelatin mixture because I was reading the comments and several readers had problems with the gelatin becoming too gummy. I was scared the caramel would burn since I don't have a candy thermometer so I ventured into the "safe" zone and hence, my caramel came out lighter than usual. I should really get a candy thermometer right? haha :D Overall, I enjoyed the recipe...the caramel topping wasn't the best (I like Ina Garten's better), but it wasn't too shabby. But I really liked the brownies. It was slightly gooey in the middle and somewhat fudgy? I like :) hehe :D Oh, and because I had some coconut and I wanted some Girl Scout cookies, I added toasted coconuts on top. Word of advice, always toast your coconuts in the oven to ensure even browning. I was too lazy this time to turn my oven back on so I did so on the stove and it didn't brown evenly. Anyways, as always, good day & happy baking :)

Salted Caramel Brownies
Ingredients:
Brownies:
6 ounces, weight Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
¾ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
2 cups Sugar
3 whole Eggs
1 cup All-purpose Flour
* I added a 1 tsp of vanilla.

Caramel Glaze:
½ cups Heavy Cream
2 cups Sugar
½ cups Water
¼ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt (I used 1 3/4 tsps sea salt)
* I added an additional 1 tsp of vanilla.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter or baking spray.
2. In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring until melted. Add sugar and stir gently until combined. Remove from heat.
3. In a separate bowl, gently whisk the eggs. Add a small splash of eggs to chocolate mixture, stirring immediately (but still gently). Drizzle in the rest of the eggs, stirring constantly.
4. Add flour and stir until combined. Pour batter into greased baking pan and spread to even out the surface.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from oven to cool completely in the pan.
6. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream. Do not boil.
7. In a separate tall saucepan, combine sugar and water. Do not stir. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns an amber color—not too dark, but definitely amber. Remove pan from stove.
8. Add warm cream, butter, and salt. Stir gently until mixture is smooth and well combined.
9. Pour caramel glaze all over completely cooled brownies. Allow to set completely. Cut into small rectangles and serve.

Ube Cheesecake

2010-06-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, I made Ube Cheesecake and let me tell you, I'm not too fond of ube, but it was indeed delicious! :D I made a slight booboo while making this cheesecake. It may be because I was tired from exams, but I didn't align the sides of the springform pan with the graham cracker mixture, but instead, lined the bottom only. I don't know what I was thinking, haha! Anyways, this is a nice and dense cheesecake...it's particular best for those that actually enjoy the taste of cream cheese! It's definitely on the more dense side because it doesn't contain any sour cream or anything to make it "lighter." Anyways, I hope you enjoy this recipe adapted from Faye and I'll be MIA from the kitchen for awhile. It really does suck because I want to be baking since it's summer time but I'm taking a trip/study abroad in Korea during the summer and I don't really have access to a kitchen. But, I will definitely be updating with pictures of different foods I eat during my stay there. Good day & happy baking everyone! :D

Ube Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups graham crumbs
6 tbsp melted unsalted butter

Filling:
4 cups softened cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (the original calls for 1 cup)
3 extra large eggs (the original calls for 4)
2 tbsp ube flavoring
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Pulse the graham crumbs and melted butter in a food processor. Press into a springform pan evenly to the bottom and a little bit to the sides. Set aside.

3. Using a stand up mixer, cream softened cream cheese and sugar till smooth for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating.
5. Add the ube flavoring and vanilla extract and continue beating. Continue mixing till creamy and silky for about an additional 3 minutes.

6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for an hour.
7. Turn off the oven but leave the cake inside till the oven cools down. (I recommend placing a foil over the cake so it doesn't dry.)

8. Cool completely before chilling in the fridge before serving.
* Note: It helps if you bake your cake in a bain marie or water bath to avoid cracks. Just place the cheesecake in the middle of a baking sheet and pour boiled water around the edges.

Good day & happy baking everyone! :D

Sugar Cookies (Revisited)

2010-06-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm finally done with finals! So, I didn't do too well on my Stats final today but all is good because I'm done with another year of school :D Yay! Next year/quarter, I know not to sign up for classes with finals 3 days in a row...that's a total killer, especially if the last few finals are the most important classes. My body aches from the lack of sleep, but returning to the kitchen makes me one happy camper :) I was thinking of just resting today, but I decided to go ahead and bake...hehe :D I feel like I've been away from the kitchen for too long (even though it's been less than a week). Oh yes, for those in college, don't look at food blogs because they are distracting! haha :D Anyways, today I decided to go ahead and bake sugar cookies. I'm not too fond of sugar cookies as I mentioned before, but it's fun for decorating different things. My original plan was to make Cookie Lollipops, but I didn't have lollipop sticks. I thought I had some at home, but I couldn't find it, so I decided to just go ahead and play with the dough :D Hehe~ Anyways, the recipe is linked to the Cookie Lollipop :D Good day al!~

Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) unsweetened butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups (650 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
food coloring, in various colors

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix together salt and flour. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar till creamy (for about 3 minutes). Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and beat again until it’s light and fluffy for an additional 3 minutes.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.
4. Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather it into a ball. Divide dough into small balls and add food colorings of your choice. Make sure the food coloring is well incorporate into the sugar cookie batter.
5. Wrap each ball with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
6. When the dough has cooled, preheat oven to 350 F (176 C). Roll out dough into 1/4 inch thickness. You can incorporate different colors together if you want. Cut different shapes with cookie cutters.
7. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for 8~13 minutes depending on width of cookies.

Aren't the colors pretty? tehe :D

Bake away~ You see that little gingerbread man with the buttons on the top corner? That was my prettiest one after it baked, but my dog ate it when I left it on the table :(

Angel Food Cupcakes

2010-06-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

I know I should really stop with the whole egg whites thing that I have going on but I've been on a Angel Food Cake high these days and I can't stop myself! It's sooo good! haha :D I really can't write a long post today because I have to study for finals, but we all have to eat during the midst of studying right? With that excuse, I baked Angel Food Cupcakes today! I baked ones with lemon, pandan, and mango...hehe :D You can pretty much say I'm addicted! :D Here's the link back to the original Angel Food Cake post...the only difference you need to adjust for the Angel Food Cupcakes is to bake for 20~25 minutes for 24 medium cupcakes from the batch and also to add different flavorings in lieu of the mango flavoring.

Angel Food Cupcakes
Prior to baking...can you guess which colors belong to which flavorings?

This is green pandan...isn't the color adorable? My personal favorite :D

This is pale yellow lemon...yummy~

And pale orange mango Angel Food Cupcake!

Enjoy everyone! I'll be back next week with a new post! I have to go back to studying! Happy baking~

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

2010-05-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to make Pita Bread for the longest time...mainly because I love Stacy's Pita Chips. Pita Bread is perfect for stuffing different fillings because the inside is a hollow pocket. Today, I decided to make some Pita Bread (finally!)...and I might make some Pita Chips later on too :D These Pita Breads are relatively simple and they cook up pretty quickly too. Just be aware, if it's a really hot day, don't make this! The oven needs to be set at 500 degrees F, which will add a lot of extra heat in your house! This recipe is adapted from All Recipes...I adapted it to make a more healthier version by using some whole wheat flour. Hope you enjoy!

Peppy's Pita Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 tbsp of warm water (make sure it's not hot)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsps active dry yeast
*optional ingredients: onion powder, garlic powder, dried herbs (rosemary)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix warm water with active dry yeast and olive oil and set side. In another bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, and sugar (you can also add the optional ingredients as well).

2. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and form into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 8~10 minutes.

3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, dry place and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour (or until doubled in size).

4. After the dough has risen, turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.

5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.
Hope you enjoy this Whole Wheat Pita Bread! Oh yea, and also don't forget to turn on the oven light...it's fun to see the Pita Bread puffing up within 10 seconds or so ^^ Happy baking everyone~

Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread

2010-05-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Several days ago, I purchased a bag of whole wheat flour, wanting to make some whole wheat pancakes. Yesterday though, I had this intense craving for some yummy bread...one that was nice and chewy in the inside with a crusty crust. But, since I ate a lot of unhealthy entrees yesterday, I knew I had to go with a more healthier option. After looking for different whole wheat bread recipes online, I was lost. I couldn't find one that used all whole wheat...I guess bread flour is needed to make a more chewy bread? But, I came across the Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread from King Arthur Flour which I can say is a definite keeper. It's good...the only thing I don't like is that's it's a little more dense than I would have liked...but it's whole wheat, what I can expect? I'm glad it's a healthier option and the flavor is wonderful. I actually let the bread rise a second time in the fridge overnight because it was too late, I was getting sleepy, and I wanted a deeper flavor development. I hope you enjoy this recipe! P.S. Don't look around King Arthur Flour website for too long...it looks like I'm going to end up purchasing more of their products! tehe :D

King Arthur Flour's Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 1/3 cups (10 1/2 ounces) water
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey, molasses, or maple syrup
3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) nonfat dried milk
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
*I also mixed in 1/2 cup rolled oats

Directions:
Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.") Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices.

Pandan Angel Food Cake

2010-05-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

Has anyone tried pandan before? I didn't even know what pandan was or what it tasted like prior to baking this Pandan Angel Food Cake. And let me tell you, I was once a strict vanilla and lemon extract lover, but I've converted...pandan flavoring is definitely my favorite now :D It's so good...the taste is a bit difficult to describe...I feel like it's a mixture of a vanilla flavor fused with some hazelnut flavoring. Anyways, it's super good! I think everyone should give this one a try! ^^ The recipe is the basic Angel Food Cake recipe from Faye. It's a fool proof recipe as long as you make sure to beat your egg whites to soft peaks and as long as you take your time folding in the sugar/flour mixture!

Pandan Angel Food Cake
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups egg whites (10-12 large), room temperature
1 ½ cups castor or baker's sugar, divided
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp pandan flavoring
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp green vegetable food
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish (toasted)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ¾ cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.
3. In another bowl (make sure it is large since the egg whites grow in size during the whipping process), beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining ¾ cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
4. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks. You will know when you have soft peaks because the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter. If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite down. Don't be afraid to slow down the mixer and check a few times as you get close. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks.
5. Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and fruit flavorings/extracts and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute.
6. Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions (depending on your proficiency with folding flour into egg whites) and gently fold it in after each addition. It is better to take your time and do it gently than to rush and deflate the egg whites.
7. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan with a removeable bottom. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
8. Remove from oven an invert pan over a bottle. Allow to cool completely or overnight. Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom, of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it. Use a serrated knife to slice in a sawing motion - use the knife as you would a saw because the cake springs back when you touch it.

Whipped Coconut Creme Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup softened cream cheese or neufchatel cheese
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tsp coconut flavor
2 cups cool whip, well chilled

Directions:
1. Whip cream cheese and confectioner's sugar till creamy. Add coconut flavoring and continue beating with an electric mixer. Fold in cool whip (but do not beat).
2. Chill until firm then using a spatula spread the frosting evenly on half of the cake then put the other half on top. Spread some more of the frosting on top and on the sides. Top with toasted coconut flakes and the sides as well. Chill before serving.

Lemon Sponge Roll Cake

2010-05-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I made Angel Food Cake and I had so much egg yolks left over. Not wanting to waste anything, I decided to go ahead and make a Lemon Sponge Roll Cake. The recipe is adapted from All Recipe's Egg-Yolk Sponge Cake. It's pretty simple and it's delicious as well. I love the lemony filling that I made...its perfect paired with strawberry preserves. Anyways, here's the recipe...enjoy!

Lemon Sponge Roll Cake
Ingredients:

Roll Cake:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup egg yolks
1 egg
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water

Lemon/Strawberry Preserve Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup of homemade whipped cream
1/2 cup strawberry preserves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a jelly roll sheet pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper.
2. Sift together twice: flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour back into sifter.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat egg yolks and whole eggs with an electric mixer until thick and lemon colored (about 5 minutes). Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition. This should take about 10 minutes.
4. Fold in lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, and vanilla extract. Sift dry ingredients into egg and sugar mixture and fold in. Do not stir or beat. Add boiling water and fold in quickly, just until liquid is blended. Pour batter onto the sheet pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes. Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.
6. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and confectioner's sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream.
7. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Add a layer of strawberry preserves. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Enjoy everyone~

Angel Food Cake

2010-05-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

I finally got mango flavoring thanks to Faye! :D When I received the package, I immediately took out my eggs and I knew I had to make another angel food cake! I made one last week - a lemon one- but the Mango Angel Food Cake was more delicious this time around! The inside is slightly chewy in texture and airy because of all the air incorporated during the egg white whipping process. The outside is slightly crunchy with a sugary texture. It's so delicious! This will definitely be one of my go-to recipes all thanks to Faye! :D

Angel Food Cake
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups egg whites (10-12 large), room temperature
1 ½ cups superfine sugar, divided
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp of fruit flavor (extract of your choice)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ¾ cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.
3. In another bowl (make sure it is large since the egg whites grow in size during the whipping process), beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining ¾ cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
4. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks. You will know when you have soft peaks because the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter. If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite down. Don't be afraid to slow down the mixer and check a few times as you get close. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks.
5. Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and fruit flavorings/extracts and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute.

6. Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions (depending on your proficiency with folding flour into egg whites) and gently fold it in after each addition. It is better to take your time and do it gently than to rush and deflate the egg whites.

7. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan with a removeable bottom. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
8. Remove from oven an invert pan over a bottle. Allow to cool completely or overnight. Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom, of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it. Use a serrated knife to slice in a sawing motion - use the knife as you would a saw because the cake springs back when you touch it.

*Notes: I used a springform pan and it turned out perfectly fine. Faye suggested topping it with powdered sugar or a mango frosting/whipped topping. If you are interested in those, please visit Faye's site for the recipe! Enjoy everyone~

Kimbab aka Korean Rice Rolls (김밥)

2010-05-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Kimbab (김밥), literally translated Seaweed Cooked Rice, is great for a quick snack or a fast lunch. Kimbab is definitely one of those on-the-go foods and in Korea, lots of people take this food for picnics (소풍) since it's very convenient or they simply purchase it from the street vendors. Kimbab is also known as Korean Sushi, but it's actually different because sushi generally involves less fillings and tends to use raw fish. Kimbab does not involve raw fish...most of the ingredients are actually cooked before the roll is assembled. Though it is somewhat tedious to make since there's a lot of fillings involved, it's well worth the effort. Kimbab is such a diverse dish...you can add whatever fillings you want, or take out whatever fillings you don't want. My personal favorite is what I call the "standard" kimbab which consists of imitation crab, fish cakes, carrots, pickled radish, japanese sausage, eggs, and spinach (or cucumbers that have been slightly salted). I also like Kimchi Kimbab :D Kimbab goes well with fish cake soup (오뎅국) and it's perfect with Korean Spicy Rice Cakes...just dip it in the sauce and it's definitely a match made in heaven! If you have leftover Kimbab the next day, why let it go to waste? Dip the cut slices of Kimbab into beaten eggs and cook on the pan. It's a wonderful leftover to eat :D Today, I want to share you my family's recipe for Kimbab...hope you enjoy! :D

Kimbab
Ingredients:
5 medium carrots
11 sticks of imitation crab
1 1/2 pickled radish
4 korean sausage
12 oz fried fish cakes
8 eggs
10 cups of cooked short grain rice
2 bundles of spinach
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cooking syrup
4 cloves of garlic (minced and divided)
salt & pepper (to taste)
sesame seeds
olive oil
sesame oil
25 sheets of dried seaweed (not the salted, roasted kind)

Directions:
Let's start off with the carrots. Peel the skin of the carrots with a potato peeler and julienne it into small strips. In a pan on high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, carrots, a pinch of salt and pepper, and sautee for 2 minutes (you want it to retain a subtle crunch). Set aside.

While the carrots are cooking, beat 4 eggs together with a pinch of salt. In a square pan (if you don't have one, you can use a circular pan), place 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook the egg on one side till almost fully cooked. Then flip (turn down the heat if necessary so the egg does not burn...the second side should cook faster than the first). Repeat this process with 4 more eggs.

Place the cooked eggs on a cutting board. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Then cut into thin strips (if you do not allow it to cool, the eggs will crumble while cutting). Then set aside.

For the korean sausage, first, peel the casing (the inside should reveal a pink-colored sausage). Cut each sausage into 6 long strips. Add 1 tsp of olive oil in a pan. Cook the sausage on one layer for about 3 minutes or until slightly golden. You do not want to add salt to the korean sausage. After fully cooked, set aside.

Cut the fried fish cake into thin strips. Add about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add fish cakes, add a pinch of pepper, and cook on high heat for about 1 minute. Then add 1 tbsp of soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp cooking syrup, incorporate, and turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soy sauce reduce for about 3 minutes. Then set aside.

Meanwhile, cut the pickled radish into thin strips (you can also use the yellow-colored variety). Set aside.

Moving on to the imitation crab. Cut each stick of imitation crab in half (length-wise). Add 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper into a pan and cook in a single layer for about 2 minutes on high heat. Turn off the stove and set aside (this needs to be a quick process of the imitation crab will start to pull apart). Set aside.

Take two bundles of spinach. In boiling water, blanch the spinach. After blanching, wash the spinach with water. Then squeeze out the water (make sure you fully squeeze out the water or it will make your Kimbab soggy later on). Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt to the squeezed spinach and mix. Set aside.

Time to assemble now! :D
Place a sheet of dried seaweed on a bamboo mat. Add 1/3~1/2 cup of hot white rice (you can add sesame oil to your rice if you find that it is a little too tough).

Add a layer of your fillings and start rolling the seaweed...make sure you roll it tightly (remember practice makes perfect...don't be scared if you mess up the first time!)

Place the rolled Kimbab onto the bamboo mat and this time, roll it with the bamboo mat. Make SURE that it is tightly pressed together.

Squeeze tightly together. Then set the roll aside. Continue repeating the same process with the rest of the Kimbab. Then, wear a plastic glove and coat the glove with some sesame oil. Cover the Kimbab rolls with sesame oil (this ensures that the Kimbab roll doesn't dry out along the edges and it adds an extra depth of flavor). Make SURE that you add the sesame oil AFTER the kimbab rolls have sat for at least a good 5 minutes.

Cut up and serve! :D

Banana Loaf with Oat Topping

2010-05-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

As soon as I came home today, I noticed the overripe bananas laying in the room. I knew I had to bake something! Instead of the usual banana nut muffins, I decided to go ahead and make a banana loaf...with a nice crunchy oat topping to complement the flavors of the loaf. This loaf is incredibly moist and flavorful and I think it would be my go-to banana loaf recipe for now :D This yummy banana loaf is from Joanne Chang's kitchen, Flour's Famous Banana Bread. The oat topping is an old recipe that I had lying in the drawer. Don't let your old bananas go to waste...hope you all enjoy this recipe!

Flour's Famous Banana Bread with Oat Topping
Ingredients:
Banana Bread:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I used 1 cup)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed (I used 4 cups)
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream (I used yogurt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (I omitted this)

Oat Topping:
2 tbsp cold butter (cut into small pieces)
3 1/2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup rolled oats

Directions:
Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper or you can grease and flour it as well.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil.

Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche (or yogurt), and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts.

Pour into a lined loaf pan. Meanwhile, combine oat topping with a fork until crumbly. Top the banana loaf with the oat topping and allow it to bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Allow the loaf to cool on a rack, then serve.

Korean Barbecue

2010-05-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Korean Barbecue has definitely become more widely popular lately. Even my non-Asian friends enjoy eating Korean Barbecue which consists of anywhere from chicken to pork to beef (marinated) or non-marinated. My favorite Korean Barbecue tends to be grilled black pork belly (흑돼지 삼겹살), grilled brisket (차돌박이), and marinated short ribs (갈비). I believe each piece of meat goes well with different toppings. Today, I want to introduce you some of my favorite meats, sauces, and toppings that go best with each respective meat. This will be a long post, but it should be a pretty informative introduction to Korean Barbecue so you can enjoy it in your respective households.

Meat:
When it comes to different meats, you can grill any you'd like. The marinated ones are usually soy sauce based and Koreans tend to eat more beef and pork when it comes to grilling meat (though they love fried and marinated chicken). The most commonly grilled meats are pork belly and brisket. I personally like to eat black pork belly because sometimes, especially if the meat is of lower quality, the fat might release an unpleasant smell on regular pork belly (sometimes people don't notice this, but after years of eating both qualities of meat, I can definitely see a huge difference). I'd definitely recommend going to a butcher and asking for the best quality meat. As for me, I like to go to a local shop that focuses on meat...the meat is more expensive, but since there aren't too many extra "flavors" added to the meat, you want a good quality pork belly that won't smell. When it comes to pork belly, you can either grill thinly sliced or the more thicker sliced meat. I like both. When I'm craving for a slightly crunchy piece of meat, I like to go for the thinly sliced meat. When I want a hearty meat chunk, I tend to grab the thicker slice of pork belly (usually 1/4 inch). Oh, and also as a side note, the pork belly Koreans eat are different from the traditional bacon or pancetta you might have heard of - they are not salted, cured, or smoked. In Korea, adults and the older crowd tend to eat pork belly with soju (소주, a Korean alcohol) so if you enjoy alcohol, feel free to drink it as well. But, a warning, alcohol and pork belly is not the best combination for your liver!

Another piece of meat that I enjoy eating is grilled brisket (차돌박이). It's a rather simple piece of meat and you can't really go wrong with this meat. It's always eaten thinly sliced and it cooks up just as quickly.

For those that don't really enjoy the "meat" flavor, but need the protein in your diet, you can always go with marinated short ribs. These are my second favorite type of meat, with grilled pork belly as my first choice of meat. Marinated short ribs (양념 갈비) is pretty much short ribs marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sugar, ginger powder, sesame oil, green onions, pureed onions, and pureed fruit (usually Asian pear, apple, or kiwi). It's left to soak in the marinade for a few hours to a day or so. It is the perfect grilled treat. Delicious!

Grilling Techniques:
Now that I covered the different meats that I enjoy, I want to share some grilling techniques. It's best grilled on a table gas grill or a table charcoal grill. It's definitely recommended to cook the meat on higher heat so that the meat is nicely seared and the flavor is amazing - if the meat seems to get too dark, turn down the heat. You usually want to start by drizzling some sesame oil onto the grill. A few teaspoons or a tablespoon should do the trick. The sesame oil flavor is prominent in the beef brisket since it has a strong smell to it. If you're not too fond of sesame oil, I'd recommend going with canola oil (or a vegetable oil of your choice). Do not use olive oil since it may smoke.

Usually, brisket is grilled before anything else. The cooking process is very quick since the meat is so thinly sliced. You may or may not want to add salt and pepper. I personally don't add salt and pepper because the side dishes compensate for the recommended sodium intake. I don't recommend you cook the brisket until too dark because the meat will become more tough but if you like the seared flavor, I believe you should go with a longer cooking time. Pork belly is grilled after brisket and it is definitely grilled for a longer period of time (make sure the pork belly is cooked thoroughly before consuming). You do not need to add oil for the pork belly since the fat on the pork is enough to compensate for the oil needed. You can grill marinated short ribs alongside the pork belly as well (but do add canola oil on the marinated short rib side if you plan to do this). You can also grill some kimchi (김치), fermented spicy cabbage, below the pork belly since the fat rendered from the pork will add a nice flavor to the kimchi. For grilling kimchi, I recommend you go with a spicy cabbage that's not fresh and has been fermented for some time (the sour the better). Serve the meat while it's nice and hot :D

Side Dishes:

The possibilities for side dishes are definitely endless. Here, I'll just recommend a few that I personally enjoy.
1. Mushroom and onions: I simply grill onions and king oyster mushrooms together in a pan with some sesame oil. After sprinkling with salt & pepper, I allow it to cook so that the onion retains a subtly crunchy texture. The onions become sweet and the sesame oil adds a depth of flavor to the mushrooms.
2. Thinly sliced onions: You definitely may want some thinly sliced onions (make sure they are VERY thin) alongside your meat. You can eat this with pork, marinated short ribs, or any meat of choice.
3. Thinly sliced garlic: Garlic is definitely recommended (especially when eating pork belly). It gets rid of the unwanted smell of the meat.
4. Greens: This consists of lettuce, perilla leaves, korean peppers, cucumbers. The lettuce and perilla leaves are perfect for wrapping around your meat and the korean peppers/cucumbers are great for dipping in hot pepper paste sauce (고추장) or in soybean paste sauce (쌈장).
5. Pajori (Green Onion Salad) or Lettuce Salad: This is pretty much thinly sliced green onions or lettuce tossed in a soy sauce based dressing.
6. Rice Paper (떡보쌈): Rice paper has become more and more popular these days to eat with it. It's a great substitute for rice and it's perfect for wrapping around your meat.

Sauces:
1. Hot Pepper Paste Sauce (고추장 or 초고추장): Hot pepper paste, straight from the packaging, or mixed with vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame seeds.
2. Soybean Paste Sauce (쌈장): I personally noticed that non-Koreans do not like this sauce as much as Koreans too. It's pretty much Soybean Paste (된장) mixed with some Hot Pepper Paste (고추장), garlic, sugar, sesame oil.
3. Sesame Oil Sauce: Sesame Oil Sauce consists of sesame oil, salt, and pepper. It's usually a dipping sauce used for the brisket.
4. Sriracha Sauce: Sriracha sauce, garlic, chili sauce, fish sauce, and some sugar. This is pretty much a Vietnamese-inspired sauce that I've tried several times at a restaurant (it's relatively new compared to the traditional sauces to the Korean Barbecue field).
4. Jalapeno Soy Sauce: This is pretty much my favorite sauce. It consists of hot pepper flakes, jalapeno, soy sauce, and vinegar. It's a great dip for the meat, and it's very simple to make. You can also add the thinly sliced onions that I recommended in the "Side Dishes" and let it sit there for a few minutes so it can quickly marinade. It tastes delicious!

Today, I will be sharing my recipe for this quick Jalapeno Soy Sauce.
Jalapeno Soy Sauce
Ingredients
2~3 medium to large sized jalapenos (if you prefer more spicy flavors, feel free to add more)
2 scallions or green onions
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of apple vinegar
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

Directions
Thinly slice the jalapenos.

Thinly slice the green onions. Place the jalapenos and green onions in container. Add hot pepper flakes

Add soy sauce and apple vinegar and mix together. Seal the container and allow it to sit in the refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

I hope you found this post informative and hope you make some Korean Barbecue at home! Enjoy everyone~

Soy Sauce Rice Cakes (간장떡볶이)

2010-05-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

I love rice cakes. Something about the chewy texture and its subtle flavor really intrigues me. I particularly love spicy rice cakes...and I believe that many other Koreans would definitely agree. Spicy rice cakes can be eaten as a simple snack, an appetizer, or a meal. Street vendors all over Korea sell these yummy treats and there are so many different variations you can make with them. Today, I decided to make a simple Soy Sauce Rice Cakes recipe. And it's particularly best for those people that love rice cakes, but can't tolerate the spicy factor of traditional Spicy Rice Cakes.

Soy Sauce Rice Cakes
Ingredients
3/4 cup of thinly sliced beef of your choice
2 1/2~3 cups of fresh rice cakes (packed)
1/2 cup of beech mushrooms
1 small onion
1 tbsp sesame oil (plus more for extra drizzling)
pinch of black pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup water or fish stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp cooking syrup
1 egg
2 tsp water (divided)
s&p

Directions
Slice the fresh rice cakes into 1-inch slices. *If you're using frozen, make sure you thaw it out first, then slightly cook it in boiling water. Cut the meat into thin slices.

Place 1 tbsp of sesame oil onto a frying pan. Add the meat and garlic and sprinkle with a pinch of black pepper. Add onions and stir until meat has cooked.

Add in soy sauce, water, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, rice cakes, and beech mushrooms. Turn down the heat to medium and allow the sauce to reduce for 5~10 minutes. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolk and egg white.

Add in a 1 tsp of water to both egg whites and egg yolk. Add in salt & pepper. Then whisk with a fork. On another pan, pour some oil and cook the eggs separately. After they have slightly cooled, cut them into thin strips.

Taste the rice cakes and adjust seasonings if necessary. Drizzle with sesame oil and add eggs on top. Enjoy this Soy Sauce Rice Cake recipe everyone~

Oreo Truffles

2010-05-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my brother and I were craving some sweet snacks at night and so we made some simple Oreo Truffles. I pulsed the Oreo cookies in a food processor until it was finely ground and then mixed in some cream cheese. I told my brother to coat the Oreo Truffles with vanilla candy melts. Though he didn't make the prettiest coating for the truffles, they turned out to be a sweet simple treat :D Thank you Kraft Foods for this easy recipe! :D

Oreo Truffles
Ingredients

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) Oreo Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted (I used vanilla candy melts)
small-medium coarse sea salt (optional)
white chocolate (melted, optional)
coco powder (optional)

Directions
Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs, coco powder, or sea salt. You can also drizzle some melted white chocolate on top. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Enjoy everyone! :D

Nutella Rice Krispie Bars

2010-05-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, I went to visit my grandma and you know my grandma, she likes to give us A LOT of different foods - from tomato juice to gochujang sauce to flour. When I last visited my grandma, she gave us lots - I mean four boxes worth - of Rice Krispies Cereal. With so much cereal, I wanted to create something yummy from it. Of course, I could have made the usual Rice Krispie Treats with marshmallow and that would have been perfectly delicious, but I was looking for something different. Searching through the web, I came across Peanut Butter Squares from Honey Never Spoils. It definitely sounded like a good peanut butter treat, but my main guinea pig for trying my recipes is my brother and he's not too fond of peanut butter treats. He enjoys pb&j sandwiches, but the peanut butter treats are not really his "thing." Thus, I decided that I'd make him some Nutella Rice Krispie Bars...super simple with 4 basic ingredients and 2 optional ingredients! Enjoy the pop, crackle sound from the Rice Krispies! :D

Nutella Rice Krispie Bars
Ingredients
4 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Nutella
1/2 cup cooking syrup (or corn syrup)
1/4 cup + 2tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of small-medium coarse sea salt (optional)

Directions
In a saucepan on medium heat, mix together the Nutella, corn syrup, and sugar. Continuously stir together until the sugar dissolves and bubbles begin to form. After approximately 5 minutes (or until bubbles begin to form), turn off the heat. You can pour in the vanilla extract at this time.

In a large bowl, pour the 4 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal. Add the Nutella mixture and mix thoroughly. Press into a loaf pan lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt if you would like.

Cut up when cooled. Enjoy everyone!

Green Tea Dorayaki

2010-05-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I have nothing else to do at my dorm, I re-watch the videos from Cookingwithdog! It's really entertaining and the cook is really amazing at what she does! I've been wanting to test out some of her recipes, and this weekend, I decided to give it a go. The recipe I chose to make today is Green Tea Dorayaki. I used her basic dorayaki recipe and added a few of my own touches, includes adding green tea because of its health benefits. The dorayaki is moist and the red adzuki bean filling is a sweet addition to this dish. I made the red adzuki bean using an old recipe I had...it would be perfect if the adzuki bean is mixed with whipped cream to make it lighter. All in all, this is a delicious recipe! Enjoy everyone~

Green Tea Dorayaki
Ingredients:
Dorayaki:
2 large eggs
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 1/2 tbsp water
pinch of salt
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 tbsp water
1 tbsp green tea powder (or coco powder for chocolate dorayaki)
Vegetable oil

Filling:
1/2 cup of adzuki beans
10 cups of water (divided into 2 cups, 2 cups, and 6 cups)
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, place adzuki beans and 2 cups of water and boil for 6 minutes or until it bubbles. Throw out the water. Again, place the adzuki beans into a saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Boil again for 6 minutes or until it bubbles. Turn off the heat, throw out the water, and add the adzuki beans back into the saucepan. This time, add 6 cups of water and boil it for 1 hour and 30 minutes on medium-low heat until the beans become tender. You may need to add more water during the boiling process.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix eggs until light and frothy. Add in sugar and mix further.

3. Add honey in the wet mixture and incorporate. In a small bowl, mix together baking soda and 3 1/2 tbsp water. Add into the egg mixture and incorporate.

4. In another bowl, sift together flour and corn starch. Add into wet ingredients and incorporate until it's free of lumps. Be careful not to overmix! Place plastic wrap over the large bowl and cover for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of water along with the green tea powder and mix.

6. Heat griddle to medium heat (you may need to adjust) and using a paper towel, evenly smear vegetable oil onto the griddle. place a ladle full of the dorayaki mixture and make 4 inch circles. Flip when small bubbles begin to form. It should be a quick process (1~2 minutes). Place dorayaki onto a rack and cover with a wet paper towel or wet kitchen towel (to keep moist).

7. After the adzuki beans have boiled and become tender, drain out the water. Place brown sugar and milk/heavy cream along with adzuki beans back onto the stovetop and mash the beans. Mix and allow it to cook for 8~10 minutes on low heat. Blend the filling in the food processor until mostly smooth.

8. Allow the adzuki bean mixture to cool. Then add a tbsp full of the filling between two dorayaki slices and press slightly. Enjoy~

Spring Rolls

2010-05-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Spring Rolls are definitely one of my favorite foods. They're simple to make - there's not much cooking involved - and the taste is very clean. There's many different spring roll recipes out there...some as simple as shrimp and romaine lettuce and some with an extravagant list of ingredients. Today, I want to share with you my simple spring roll recipe...you can add/take out any ingredients you'd like. It's perfect for cleaning out the fridge!

Spring Rolls
Ingredients:
Warm Water in a shallow dish
Rice Paper

Filling Ideas:
2 lbs large/jumbo shrimp (deveined) or 2 lbs of marinated spicy pork *If using shrimp, you need salt, pepper, 3 tbsp butter, white wine to sautee.
1 head of romaine lettuce
3 avocados
6 sticks of imitation crab
2 tomatoes
2 cups of mungbean sprouts (washed)
3 persian cucumbers

Sauce:
1/4 cup ground chili paste
1/3 cup hoison sauce
2 tbsp chili sauce (Sriracha)
juice of half a lemon

Directions:
1. If cooking shrimp, melt butter and add shrimp to a pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, add a drizzle of white wine, and cook for 3 minutes or until pink. If cooking pork, add marinated pork to a pan until cooked thoroughly.

2. Wash romaine lettuce and julienne it into small pieces along with persian cucumbers. Tear sticks of imitation crab into bite sized pieces. Slice avocado and tomatoes in 1/8 inch pieces. If serving later, make sure to drizzle some lemon juice on the avocados to prevent browning. Wash mungbean sprouts and set aside.
3. For the sauce, mix all four ingredients until thoroughly incorporated (you can also use a more traditional peanut sauce if you want).

4. To assemble, soak the rice paper into the warm water for about 10 seconds. Flip over and do the same for an additional 5 seconds. Add desired fillings and pour sauce as well (start off with a little bit a sauce, then gradually increase as desired...it might be too hot!)

5. Wrap up the rice paper and eat~

Lemon Bars

2010-05-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I decided to clean up my baking closet - organize the different chocolate chips, put the sugar in one corner, put the flour in the other corner. While cleaning up the bits of this and that, I came across a lemon bar recipe that was shoved under the chocolate powder. I thought, since the weather is getting warmer, why not give this a try. I didn't quite remember the taste of this particular recipe so I gave it a go! It was nice and delicious and super yummy! I wish I can give credit to whomever this recipe belongs to, but I didn't write down the owner of this recipe. It was delicious nonetheless! Enjoy~

Lemon Bars
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups flour (sifted)
½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
1/2 tsp lemon zest

Filling
4 eggs (beaten)
2 cups white sugar
½ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest (grated)
¼ cups flour
½ tsp baking powder

Directions:
1. For the crust, mix the softened butter into the flour and powdered sugar with your hands (or a pastry blender) until it clings together. Press the mixture into a 13×9″ greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly golden.

2.For the filling, beat the eggs with a hand mixer for about 5 minutes until frothy. Add the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. In another bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Stir into the egg mixture. Pour over the baked, warm crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy everyone!

Banana Nut Muffins

2010-05-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate to see food go to waste? I certainly do! And that's what happens several times in my household with bananas. We usually purchase bananas because it's simply a healthy snack (better than chips, junk food, etc) to munch on...and it definitely satisfies my sweet tooth. The problem is, especially because summer is approaching, the bananas get too ripe too easily. And, I like eating my bananas slightly before they're ripe...so extra ripe bananas are something that I just refuse to eat! haha :D Luckily, there's always banana nut muffins to save the day! Yay~ haha :D These banana nut muffins are moist and flavorful and they are banana-y! :D I hope you enjoy them as much as I do...NEVER let your ripe bananas go to waste! This recipe is adapted from an All Recipe recipe :D

Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 large bananas, mashed (I left some of them in small chunks)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Combine sugar and butter and mix. Add eggs and mix further.

3. Mash bananas in a separate bowl (leave some chunky if you wish). Add the mashed bananas into the wet mixture. Then slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERMIX!

4. Chop the walnuts and incorporate into the muffin mixture. Add mixture into muffin cups about 2/3-3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20~25 minutes for standard sized muffins.

P.S. Please excuse my pictures! I started playing with my 35mm f/1.8 lens today for the first time (and I started shooting RAW images)...so I haven't adjusted to it! Hehe :D Anyways, feel free to add mini chocolate chips or blueberries or lemon zest to the muffins! Happy cooking & eating everyone! Oh yes, and happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! :D

Challah Bread

2010-05-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

I love challah bread...something about it is so good. I love the subtle eggy (if that's a word) taste of the outside and the subtle flavors inside the bread. I am a lover of bread crusts (yes, I love my bread crusts!) and I find the exterior texture and taste of the challah bread to be wonderful! This weekend, because I had yeast, I decided to go ahead and make challah bread, along with my cinnamon rolls. After searching for a recipe, I came across Smitten Kitchen's Challah Bread recipe and it was good. Oddly, I found it to be slightly too dense for my taste buds, but I think it would be perfect for making French Toast...just dip the bread in a batter of cinnamon, egg, and some cream or milk. I made two mini loaves of challah bread, one topped with black and regular sesame seeds, and the other with raisins. I would definitely have to say the bread with the raisins was the best one! :D Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I did! It's somewhat tedious because there are 3 different rising times...but the baking part happens fairly quickly and the bread is delicious! This is adapted from Smitten Kitchen! :D

Challah Bread
Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1/2 tbsp plus 5 tbsp sugar (use 4 tbsp if you don't like it too sweet)
1/4 vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
3 medium eggs (or 2 1/2 large eggs)
1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp sea salt
4 to 4 1/3 cups AP flour
1/4 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 tablespoon sugar in 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp lukewarm water.
2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
4. At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between. (I used a Youtube video for this part, it helps!)
5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking. (I dabbed one of my fingers in the egg mixture & spread it on each section of the loaf)
7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden if making 1 loaf. If baking 2 loaves, put it in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls

2010-04-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats fresh cinnamon rolls baked straight from the oven. The ooey gooey aspect of the melted brown sugar which creates a molasses-caramel flavor as well as the slight crunch from the walnuts and pecans are definitely one of those matches made in heaven! Combined with raisins that were steeped till plump, the cinnamon filling is absolutely delicious, not to mention very sinful. It's perfect with a simple glaze on top which enhances the sweetness from the buns. I am a true cinnamon roll lover and I think it's best eaten with a drizzle of warm caramel sauce over the top (albeit the additional calories). Unfortunately for me, I was only able to take a small bite since I made a promise to myself to cut back (almost entirely) the sweets in my life for a good 2 months. It was a good bite...though I am SO VERY tempted to eat the whole bun! Whoever invented cinnamon rolls, I have very ambivalent feelings toward him/her...amen to them for creating this goodie but it really does suck that the butter component is must! Anyways, please give my cinnamon roll recipe a try...I think you'll enjoy them!

Warning: This is NOT a figure-friendly food but it IS a tummy-friendly food :D

Michelle's Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1 cup warm milk (divided into 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter (melted)
1 tsp sea salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 2/3 cups + 1 tbsp AP flour (you may need more/less)

Filling:
1/3 cup butter, plus more for pan & topping (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins (steeped in warm water)
1/4 cup pecans (chopped)
1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)
1/4 chocolate chips (optional)

Glaze:
3 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2~4 tablespoons warm milk

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup warm milk with yeast and set aside. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup milk, white sugar, butter, sea salt, egg, and vanilla until incorporated. Add 1 1/2 cups of AP flour and mix. Add in the yeast mixture and the remaining flour. Combine until incorporated.
2. Lightly flour a surface. Knead the dough for 8 minutes or until smooth.
3. In a greased bowl, place the dough and cover with a wet paper towel. Place it in a dry area (I usually put it on top of my stove) and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size (approximately 2 hours).
4. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Combine both sugars, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts, and pecans. Set aside.
5. When the dough has risen to double the size, place it on a lightly floured surface and punch the dough. Roll it out to a 14x9 inch rectangle. Smear the 1/3 cup of softened butter across the entire dough, leaving 1/2 inch on the outer edge free from butter and filling. Spread the filling throughout the dough.
6. Roll the cinnamon buns into a log shape, pinch the edges, and cut into 14 buns. Place cinnamon rolls onto a well-buttered pan (cut side down) and cover. Allow it to rise for 50 more minutes. Then, bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 25~30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Mix melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Add in powdered sugar and mix until there are no lumps.
8. When the cinnamon rolls are out from the oven, brush with some melted butter. Then drizzle the glaze on top while the buns are still warm (but not hot). You can also add caramel at this point.

Enjoy~ And like I always say, feel free to amend to your own tastes and try new things!

Nutella Molten Lava Cake

2010-04-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

Nutella is just one of those gooey, ooey, yummy treats that I love spreading on breads, adding to milkshakes, and straight up eating with a spoon. The only downside of it all is the...calories! :( Anyways, starting tomorrow I promised myself to cease the sugar intake for 2 months. We'll see how that goes. Anyhow, today is the last day where I can actually feast on some Nutella and some chocolate and sweets. I've been wanting to make another Molten Lava Cake after the Savory Sweet Life recipe came out in a not-so-pretty shape. So today, I decided to give Bell'alimento's Nutella Molten Lava Cake a try. It was very good, but not as amazing as Savory Sweet Life's Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. Anyways, I enjoyed the last kick of chocolate I can get for the next several weeks~

Nutella Molten Lava Cake
6 oz of bittersweet Chocolate Chips
4 tbsp of Nutella
6 tbsp of Flour
11 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
3 whole eggs + 3 additional egg yolks
1/4 cup of sugar + 2 add. tbsp
1/4 cup of chopped Hazelnuts (I used pecans) (optional)
Strawberries (optional)
Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions:
Place your butter & chocolate chips into a double boiler & allow to melt completely over the steaming water. Stir frequently. WHILE the chocolate butter is melting. Place the eggs & sugar into the bowl of your mixer. With the whisk attachment mix on medium-high speed until they become light & thick (about 8-9 mins). When light & thick add the flour & mix together. SLOWLY & GRADUALLY pour the chocolate/butter mixture into the egg mixture. Mixing on low until well combined & develops a glossy sheen (about 5-6 mins).

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. WHILE the mixture is finishing it’s final mixing (turning glossy) GENEROUSLY spray 4 small ramekins with cooking spray. When the batter is finished it’s time to assemble:

Place your sprayed ramekins onto a cooking tray. Ladle batter HALFWAY up the side of each ramekin. Then, spoon 1 tbsp of Nutella into each ramekin. Finish ladling remainder of batter into each ramekin (do not overfill). Bake ramekins for 1o-14 mins until outside is solid and top appears to be soft (but NOT jiggly)

WHILE cakes are cooking, chop your walnuts & cut your strawberries. When cakes are ready CAREFULLY remove them from oven, place a plate on top of each one and quickly invert it. With a kitchen towel remove the ramekin, cake should fall right out. Garnish with nuts & strawberries. Serve immediately!

Banana Blueberry Smoothie

2010-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

There are days when I feel like just drinking a simple smoothie that is both nutritious and tasty. Of course I resort to Jamba Juice when I'm at school or away from home...the only downside of it all is the high sugar content and the use of sucrose, fructose, glucose, and all the -ose. haha~ Anyways, today was one of those days where I felt like drinking a smoothie. And when I feel like drinking or eating something, I MUST have it! The good thing is that I had some fruits at home to make myself a smoothie. I like the fact that smoothies are so diverse...you can mix just about any fruit or vegetables to get a great tasting smoothie! You can also add some brown sugar or a tad bit of honey if you're craving something sweet. As for me, I like drinking smoothie with yogurt in it...I don't know if it's just the thickness I enjoy or the taste of plain, slightly tart yogurt. Anyways, I want to share with you all this Banana Blueberry Smoothie~

Banana Blueberry Smoothie
1/3 cup of frozen blueberries
1 small banana
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat milk (or any other milk)
1/4 cup ice cubes

Directions:
Throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy!

I like eating mine with a good old croissant :D

P.S. Feel free to experiment your way! You can add more banana if you like a stronger banana taste and the same goes for the blueberry content! Also, you can opt out on adding the yogurt if you don't particularly enjoy the taste. Add honey or sugar if you'd like...and feel free to use different fruits in season!

And because I'm new to photography and I believe that I'm improving (somewhat)...I decided to share pictures of what I took the past few days :D The first one is skittles, the second is dduk bo ssam, the third is 7 different grains, and the last is junk food! Please critique, comment, etc~

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-04-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chip Cookies are definitely one of those comfort foods that I just can't enough of. It's super simple to make and something about it always makes me want to eat more and more. Hence, I've tried many different CCC recipes in the past. I think my favorite recipe so far (this may change in the future of course) is Alice's (Savory Sweet Life) Best EVER Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. It has the sweet characteristics that embody the perfect cookie as well as a twist - a slight saltiness from the sea salt.

I'm excited to introduce to you all this recipe because I guarantee that it is going to be one of the best! haha :D It's sweet and salty and PERFECT! So go and grab your brown sugar, sugar, flour, sea salt, and chocolate chips, and get ready to give this recipe a try!

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour *If at all possible, please weigh the flour
1 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt (NO table salt!)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups/16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet & milk chocolate in a 3:1 ratio)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 5 minutes on medium speed on a K-5).

Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated. Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter should be somewhat thick.

Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface. Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

PS. Make sure to beat the cream and sugar for 5 minutes (this step is IMPORTANT!) AND, make sure to have a cup of milk at hand :D

Grapefruit Yogurt Cake & More~

2010-04-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Grapefruit. Pink grapefruit. Yummm...so yummy! haha :D I am a HUGE fan of grapefruits, particularly those pinkish ones with a slightly pink and orange hue on its shell! It's not only yummy but it has relatively few calories and it's very nutritional! With that said, I was looking for a way to infuse the awesome-amazing-ness factor of grapefruits into a cake or a dessert of some sort. I mean, some sugar won't hurt right? Without searching too far, I came across one of my favorite bloggers - yes, Smitten Kitchen - and she had a recipe for a Grapefruit Yogurt Cake. If there's lemon yogurt cakes and orange yogurt cakes, why not grapefruit yogurt cakes? I HAD to give this try! After baking it, let me tell you, this is one light, airy, and super moist cake! Without further ado, here is the recipe for the cake :D

Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 extra-large eggs
3 teaspoons grated grapefruit zest (approximately one large grapefruit) (I added 4 tsp!)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan. (I did this step later on in the process!)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, grapefruit zest, and vanilla.

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the grapefruit-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

And these past few days, I've also made:
Star mini-sandwich bites :D Aren't these adorable? Inspired by my roommate who claims she can't cook/bake anything!

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies that were absolutely simple and heavenly...from Savory Sweet Life! The sea salt addition is absolutely perfect!

And lastly my seafood linguine with mussels, shrimp, and baby clam meat :D

Molten Lava Cakes & Chocolate Strawberry Marble Cake

2010-04-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's not usually a good idea to have chocolate around me...or ANY sweets for that matter! I can't stop eating them for some reason! haha :D Anyways, several months or weeks ago (probably the latter), I bookmarked a recipe from Savory Sweet Life...her Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes looks utterly delicious and scrumptious and was exactly what I would call the epitome of the goodness of chocolate! Wow, I sound like a total chocoholic! haha :D Anyways, I really wanted to try it out for quite some time but I didn't have the chance too...or maybe my cravings weren't strong enough when I actually had the time to bake? haha :D So anyways, I decided to make them at last...and let me tell you, they were amazing! Chocolately, sweet, yummy, gooey, chewy, yummy...oh and did I mention yummy? haha :D Yes, I'll stop talking now and show you pics...oh yea, I need some serious help in following recipes (especially the part where it says to spray cooking oil before placing the chocolate mixture)...because, apparently I forgot to do so...and it turned into quite a sticky situation. Though I admit, it was still yummy albeit the appearance.

Molten Lava Cakes from Savory Sweet Life
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
8 oz (1 cup) chocolate chips
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
OPTIONAL : 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (Kahlua) OR 1 tsp. instant coffee powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 6 -6 ounce custard (ramekin) cups or cupcake tin. In a medium microwavable bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for 60 seconds and then in 30 second increments until smooth (about 1.5-2 minutes total). Add flour and sugar to chocolate/butter sauce. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Add vanilla and coffee liqueur/instant coffee and mix everything until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the each cups. Place cups on top of a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny.

Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates or you can serve each molten lava cake still in the cup.

Oh yea...and these are some personal tips after making the recipe.
1. Add the egg yolks/egg before you add the dry ingredients to it (but make sure to let your chocolate cool slightly or temper your eggs before so it doesn't scramble). This would help prevent the slight clumping of the dry ingredients.
2. Use ramekin cups! I used to have them but I don't know where they disappeared to! That is a mystery. And please DON'T be like me and forget to spray cooking spray on the ramekins or muffin tins.
3. Cook longer than 10 minutes...I cooked for 11 minutes but it was still too liquidy.
4. Be careful when handling the ramekin or the muffins tins when they come out of the oven. Mine was too hot so I accidentally dropped it...hence, my picture looks like a gooey mess!
5. Be adventurous! Add orange zest if you like a slightly orange flavor. Another good idea would be adding a small pinch of slightly course sea salt. Oh yea...if you love crunchy in your cakes/cookies/etc, add nuts in the mixture as well!
6. Use milk chocolate for younger kids and use semi-sweet/bitter chocolate for adults/older people...I think kids would enjoy the milk chocolate more and adults would prefer the latter.

Lastly, savor every bite cause you're going to want more! I actually want some more right now...good thing there's no more butter in the house! Anyways, enjoy~

And just because I also made some Chocolate Strawberry Marble Cake :D

Care Package :D

2010-04-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

After ordering a care package a few days ago, I received it in the mail today! Thanks to PandagrlCP.blogspot.com :D I would definitely have to say that the shipping was extremely fast. Though she stated that it would arrive within 2~4 weeks, I got it within 3 days. Very fast delivery! So without further ado, I'll list the pros & suggestions just in case~

Pros:

1. Fast shipping: Thank you so much again! I live in California (and she's in MD) and it came within 3 days~
2. Good variety: There was a good assortment of different candies and different snacks! The color variety was good as well (with the jelly sticks in pink and green and the Hi-Chew candy in orange)~
3. Package: It was definitely a sturdy package and the address label was very adorable and a clever idea! It gave a nice touch to it :D
4. And honestly, I knew I was going to receive the package, but I was excited nonetheless to receive it!! I hope other customers and other people that receive the packages will feel the same!

Suggestions:
1. Labels: I think it would be great if you had labels for some of the ingredients on the candies or maybe warnings for peanuts, nuts, etc. I don't understand Japanese...but I'm not allergic to anything so that's good.
2. Packaging: I think it would also be great if the candy (Hi-Chew, hard candies, gum, etc) were in a separate little package or if the jelly sticks were tied together with a small ribbon (I think this would make it prettier).
3. Card: A small greeting card (maybe 100~150 characters or words) would be great because it would allow the person receiving it to get a special message~
4. And this is just purely my suggestion, but maybe make a few different packages...like different assortment of candies in one, chocolates in one, crackers/choco pies/custard pies in one, and maybe the rice crackers/seaweed in the final one. I think this option would be good just because some people don't eat chocolate or some don't eat candy but they do enjoy choco pies/custard pies...and because the other things would end up becoming a waste. So maybe an exclusive "Chocoholics" package or "Asian candy" package?
5. Different Priced Packages: Maybe you can have packages with different price ranges since some customers may want to order bigger/smaller packages for their friends/family/etc?

Anyways, thank you SO much again! Good luck with your business and I hope to order from you once you officially launch your site!

Korean Pancakes & Sandwiches~

2010-04-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

Pajun, jun, bindedduk, korean pancakes...all are the same thing! My favorite korean pancakes are definitely the seafood ones with an assortment of different vegetables. It's perfect with a slightly nutty (from the sesame oil), slightly tart (from the vinegar), and slightly salty (from the soy sauce) sauce. My second favorite korean pancake is so difficult to decide! I love the kimchi ones with lots and lots of kimchi juice and thinly sliced kimchi as well as the nokdu ones with pork, sprouts (my favorite...I can't emphasize this enough), and kimchi. My brother's favorite korean pancake on the other hand, is a simple one with korean squash. It's pretty much just a flour mixture with water and korean squash. I love the fact that korean pancakes are so diverse...you can make simple one with an edible flower on top...or add all different kinds of meats, seafood, and vegetables. The possibilities are endless!
Anyways, please enjoy this pancake recipe and experiment with all different fillings of your choice!

Ingredients:
1 cup of korean squash (thinly chopped...julienned)
1/2 cup AP flour
3/4~1 tsp salt (use less if you're going to use a soy sauce dipping sauce)
1 egg
1/2 cup water
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour and salt). Add water and egg and mix together.
2. Fold the korean squash into the mixture.
3. Heat a pan with a generous amount of vegetable oil.
4. Add a ladle full of the korean pancake mixture and spread out the mixture along the pan.
5. After 2 minutes or so, flip over and press it down with a spatula.
6. Flip...and then flip again until both sides are nice and golden brown.

Remember, feel free to add your own toppings!

And for lunch...I had some sandwiches :D

Random Food~

2010-03-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

Random foods I've made in the past:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries (with semi-sweet chips):

Lemon Blueberries Scones (tasted more like muffin tops but were good nonetheless; with a lemon glaze on top):

Shrimp Scampi Pizza (with marinated shrimp, no yeast pizza dough, and alfredo sauce as the base):

Bibim Nengmyun (with onions, sprouts, romaine lettuce, cabbage, persian cucumbers, and gochujang sauce with sesame oil):

Lemon yogurt cookies :D

Lemons are so prettyyyy!

Pancakes :D

2010-03-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm sad that I haven't been blogging lately...but I really should! I had a relaxing spring break and I'm back at school now! These are some stuff that I've made in the past!

Fluffy pancakes (from All Recipes)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray

Directions:
Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

These were definitely light and fluffy and super yummy! I made it into mini-pancakes and added some fresh blueberries and chocolate chips into the mixture! I also made some plain ones...enjoy!

Yummy-oh! Fresh blueberries~