With the 81 degree weather, please don't make it any harder for me to leave you.
It is officially spring here...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Open letter to my eyes
Dear eyes,
I know I abuse you and make you stare at a computer for hours upon hours each day, but it isn't going to make anything better for our relationship if you continue to deteriorate. Yes, I can frame you in pretty glasses (and can get new ones as you decide to stop working as hard and focusing as well), but really... you look so much better without them, don't you think?
Please take it into consideration...
Love,
Me.
Went to the eye doctor this morning... stronger prescription? Check.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Happy daylight savings!
Happy daylight savings!
At the end of yet another quarter, and I always wonder how we got here. Hard at work or hardly working? It's the same question, whether as a student, or as a contributing member of the work force.
Spring break is less than a week away. On the agenda: exploring Los Angeles. I always take my home city for granted, and I've decided to take advantage of what it has to offer: eats, drinks, the sights, the sounds.
Speaking of eats and drinks:
I decided to continue the trend of photographing my food with animals that are present... in this case: chickens!
I had a wonderful breakfast of oatmeal pancakes on Friday with Heatherrrrr: an incredibly relaxing way to usher in a weekend full of work. I'm more of a waffle person, but appreciate a good pancake... and these are good pancakes. First off, their appeal lies in how simple they are to make. Secondly, you can snack on whatever leftover oatmeal you make that doesn't go into the dough (me: always a fan of the snacking during meal making). Thirdly, they are perfectly sweet on their own without syrup, and go perfectly with a handful of berries on the side. Fourthly, these are just so comforting. The oatmeal makes them substantial and doesn't make you feel like you're eating just fluff (as they can sometimes feel). Confirmed: raspberries remain my favorite fruit.Next, I visited Orenchi Ramen, a ramen place in Santa Clara, upon the recommendation of James (and Yelp). It opens at 5:30 for dinner, so getting there at 5:25 should be sufficient, right? Nope. Line out the door, and the entire waiting area is crowded. My name goes on the list, and we manage to miss the first wave of seating. Luckily, a Korean market is across the street, so I geek out over Asian goods, like kimchi, Pocky, and Botan rice candy (sadly, no kimpop to be found) while waiting to be seated. The service at Orenchi is quite prompt and friendly, so we were seated about 45 minutes after first signing up, and brought our beverages a few minutes after getting to our table.
Meet the best chicken karaage.
I felt mildly guilty that I was eating this chicken, since I had visited such cute ones just the day before... but this was too good to feel guilty. Hot, crispy, flavorful... with cold beer? Definitely. Paired with Yebisu, it was incredible. Japanese fried chicken and beer, mmm. Just about tied with my favorite combination of pizza and beer. I was sad to have just one piece and have to share the rest, but I figured I had another treat coming for me... and indeed I did.
Meet tonkotsu ramen.
The broth was thick-- so savory and not very salty (although I feel like I've been drinking gallons of water after the fact). But, the best part was the noodles: so chewy and relatively thick, which were very satisfying. The egg was perfectly poached, although I think my favorite still may be at Himawari or Daikokuya.
Verdict? The 25 minute drive is definitely worth it. Even if they didn't have ramen, give me a plate of karaage and a cold Yebisu, and I'm a happy girl.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Scientific studies...
... sort of, not really. I/any other girl could have told you this: The Allure of a Man's Uncertainty
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Apparently vegan
I was inspired by this recipe that popped up on one of my favorite food sites (Diner's Journal of the NY Times): Vegan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Apple With Candied Walnuts.
I had to go to Trader Joe's to pick up some food, so why not get some of my favorite ingredients? Love me some B.sprouts, B.squash, and apples! Regardless of how this experiment turned out, I could still roast the sprouts and the squash and eat it... and eat the apples. Basically, this was a win-win situation.
The recipe calls for Honeycrisp, but alas, TJ's was all out. I had to go for Pink Lady, which are pretty similar in taste (neither too tart nor too sweet, but pretty intense in flavor) and seem to hold up well when cooked. TJs is a godsend when it comes to butternut squash: the pre-cut, pre-peeled bagged version... so wonderful.
Easy peasy, throw it all in a baking dish together with olive oil, sage leaves, salt and pepper:
Let it sit in the oven for 45 minutes, and the apples come out all soft but not mushy, and everything else has been perfectly roasted. I decided to make some quinoa so I could throw the two together for lunch... naturally I had to try what tomorrow would bring:
Color explosion, basically. It was really really tasty, something I wasn't expecting. I have never thought to throw apples in with the other two veggies, but it adds a great sweetness. I did not add the maple syrup or the candied walnuts the recipe called for, since I'm definitely looking for it to be more savory than sweet; it doesn't seem to be missing anything at all! It would be a great side dish to some meat, but it goes fantastically with quinoa and will serve me well tomorrow.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Rainy Sunday... and a labor of love
What to do on a rainy Sunday? Ride the train and bake cookies, of course!
In order to uphold my reputation as the best cookie baker (and the best sister) in my brother's life, I promised that I would bake cookies for him one weekend. So, I took the train up to the city this morning, had delicious pho for lunch, and picked up ingredients from Whole Foods-- organic this, unbleached that. Not my usual stop for baking goods, but my opinion on that to come.
I knew going into this job that I wouldn't have my trust Kitchenaid mixer, the beautiful red machine that I've had since I was 12. I was a precocious young thing, asking for a mixer (of all possible gifts I could ever want) for Christmas. And, I have to say, it was one of the best presents I have ever received. Dear 12-year-old me: Good choice. It has added so much deliciousness to my life and to the lives of others. I thought, at the very least in this San Francisco kitchen, I would have a hand blender, the kind that you plug into the wall but have to stand there holding while it does the work for you. Turns out that was a no go. All I had at my disposal was a whisk. So, I had to go old school on these cookies, turning them into a veritable labor of love (and an arm workout).
Recipes these days take the stand mixer for granted. My trusted recipe for cookies sure does-- "Use the stand mixer that your kitchen must be equipped with (a no-brainer, since you're reading the New York Times), outfitted with the paddle attachment so that it can use the power of approximately a third of a horse to cream the softened butter and sugars together for 3 minutes." (I looked this up, and indeed, it's got a 250-watt motor, which according to Google, can be converted to 0.3352 horsepower)
Now, horses are much bigger than I am. In fact, they are a lot larger than my brother is, too. But, put the two of us together, and about 15 minutes later, you go from this:
to this:
Indeed, my brother and I put together approximately equal the amount of work that a third of a horse can do over the course of 3 minutes (except, give us over 10): to cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.Luckily, the rest of the recipe is easy to do without working one's shoulder to death.
And the final product:
Yum. They turned out wonderfully-- a little crispier on the edges than I'm used to, but it provided a nice contrast to the chewiness of the center.
No more pretty pictures follow, but I'm going to give my opinion on using a place like Whole Foods to supply my baking goods-- ones that I consider to fall in what I call the "conscious" category. Organic, cage-free, unbleached are all options that they provide: options that are good for the environment and better for the body. In general, I would love to do a side by side comparison, using bleached versus unbleached all-purpose flour, organic light brown cane sugar versus "standard" light brown sugar. To be totally honest? I couldn't tell the difference. I'd like to say I'm enlightened when it comes to my choice of food-- I'd prefer organic to non-organic, same with unbleached to bleached. And sure, I buy free range/cage-free eggs when I can. But, when it comes down to the fact that the goods in the more "conscious" category are more expensive and there is no noticeable difference in taste, I'm more likely to go for the cheaper. The things to splurge on? The quality of chocolate, vanilla, butter-- things that are likely to affect flavor right off the bat. Because let's really think here- you aren't making cookies to be health conscious or environmentally friendly. Eggs, butter, sugar, and a whole lotta love are being mixed together to make something that warms the soul and makes people happy. In the long run, if I have a lifestyle that can sustain making choices that are better for the environment and making batch after batch of baked goods: no question, let's save that environment. But for now, keeping in mind that there's no difference, just eat the cookie and enjoy.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Enjoy the day!
It's a beautiful afternoon and I've discovered a new favorite pastime:
Eating and reading on my porch.
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