..my random thoughts..

..Home Alone...AGAIN!..

2010-10-10T20:54:00.001-04:00

The boyf's parent's are on vacation, so we're left to fend for ourselves. *SOB* Their absence is deeply felt. They'll be gone for over two weeks, so I'll be responsible for any cooking that is to be done. Cooking during the week will be a lot more difficult since we're both pretty busy, so I decided to make a huge batch of bolognese sauce. Tonight was whole wheat penne with bolognese sauce. I will probably use the rest of the sauce one day this week to make a baked spaghetti dish with eggplant parm or lasagna. Another night will be turkey chili. I don't really have a plan for the rest of the days, so I'm just going to wing it. D: It's easy to be lazy with ourselves and order take out or go to a restaurant, but one thing we must be diligent with is our little Lucky. If only he were self-sufficient!


He's so cute...

The bolognese sauce I make is really simple and it's not from any specific recipe. It's not completely from scratch either. I usually buy a jar of organic pasta sauce from the market and I'll add ingredients to it.

Ingredients:

2tbsp of olive oil

1/2 of a large yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic

1lb of ground beef (I use 97/3 ground beef)

1jar of pasta sauce (preferably something with really simple, healthy ingredients and very low in sodium)

2tbsp of brown sugar (adjust according to how sweet you would like it)

1tbsp of dried parsley

3tbsp of chili flakes (use more or less depending on how spicy you like it -- 3tbsp is good for us, but we like our food spicy)

salt and pepper to taste

All you need to do is...

Add oil to a large pan. Add the garlic and onions. Then add the ground beef and brown. A lot of people like to drain the liquid that collects from browning the beef, but I like to keep it in the pan. Add the pasta sauce, parsley, chili flakes, and brown sugar. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Adjust and tailor the flavors to your liking. Cook your pasta of choice according to the instructions on the box and then mix the sauce with the pasta.

Why the safety goggles? My eyes are super sensitive when cutting onions.

While the pasta was good, it was not the star of the show. I also made cheddar biscuits today! The recipe is supposed to be similar to Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I LOVE me some Red Lobster biscuits. I think the only reason why I would want to go to Red Lobster is for the biscuits. I got the recipe from Rasa Malaysia. Rasa Malaysia's recipe yields 10-12 biscuits, but since it's only me and the boyfriend eating it, I didn't want to make a bunch and then have it go to waste. Most of the recipe, with the exception of the garlic powder and dried parsley, was cut in half. Method was slightly revised as well:

1 cup Bisquick biscuit mix (I got the Heart Smart Bisquick Mix)

1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/8 cup butter (melted)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

**Preheat oven to 450 degrees**

1. Mix Bisquick biscuit mix, milk, and cheese together until soft dough forms.

2. In a separate bowl, mix butter, garlic powder and dried parsley together. Take half of the mixture and incorporate it into the dough. Make sure the mixture is incorporated well in the dough for evenness of flavor.

3. I separated the the dough into two large biscuits. You can probably make 4-5 smaller biscuits. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. Since I was making two large biscuits, it took a bit longer to bake (about 10-15 minutes)

4. 3-5 minutes before biscuits are finished baking, brush the other half of the butter mixture onto the tops of the biscuits. Sprinkle a few pieces of cheddar on top. Allow biscuits to bake for the remainder of the time.

Finished product

The biscuits came out really good. One thing I would change is instead of using mild cheddar, I would use sharp cheddar (mild cheddar was my choice). I felt there needed to be more of a strong cheesy flavor to it.

I can't wait for the parental units to come back...

..Beef Stew Noodle Soup -- Abridged..

2010-08-25T19:14:00.001-04:00

The boyf may find this blasphemous, but I was never a fan of Beef Stew Noodle Soup. The ones I've had were either too bland, too oily, or just plain not good. Plus, aside from pho, I've never been a big fan of soup noodles. This has changed though and it's because of the boyf's dad. He makes a great bowl of Beef Stew Noodle Soup which is called Niu Rou Mian in Chinese. I always get excited when he makes it. I even crave it sometimes. I decided that I had to learn how to make it. Traditionally, the way to make this dish takes many hours since it involves making a stock from beef bones and stewing the meat. While I have a lot of patience, I do not have patience for food. If I want something, I want it then and there. I can't wait 5-6 hours for it. Luckily, the boyf's dad has cut down the cooking time to about an hour. Instead of making the stock, he makes a stew. The flavors of the liquid of the stew are very condensed and intense. Then he adds the water used to cook the noodles to dilute the liquid from the stew and that is the soup base. He doesn't have an actual recipe to follow. He does everything by eye, so I did my best to approximate the amount of ingredients used. Everything should be tasted along the way and adjusted according to your taste.

Niu Rou Mian Recipe - makes about 4-6 servings
1lb of beef brisket - cubed
2tsp of hua jiao a.k.a Sichuan peppercorns + 5-6pcs of star anise in a spice bag or tied in a cheese cloth
1 pack of beef stew spice pouch - purchased in an Asian market. The pouch contains anise, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, cloves and licorice.
1-2 tbsp of oil (vegetable, canola, olive oil -- whatever your preference is)
3/4 of a 16oz can of diced tomatoes (you can use fresh if you want)
1pc of scallion - diced
4-5 cloves of garlic
4 slices of ginger
1.5 tbsp of soy sauce paste
About 1/2 cup of premium aged soy sauce.
1tbsp Chinese rice wine
3pc rock sugar (small pcs - the kind he used looks like pebbles)
2-3tbsp of Dou Ban Jiang a.k.a spicy broad bean paste
1/2 cup of water
cilantro and scallion for garnish - depends on how much you like
2 cups of veggies - For veggies, you can use some form of bokchoy (regular, baby, Shanghai, etc.) or spinach. I prefer bokchoy.
You will also need a package of noodles. Sorry, I don't know what the brand is that we use, but it looks like linguine. You can use udon noodles too. Unfortunately, I don't know how much noodles you should use.

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add beef. Let it cook for about a minute or so and then drain the beef. Run the beef through cold water and put aside. Do not thoroughly cook the beef. You should still see some pink.

2. In another pot, put in the 1-2 tbsp of oil. Saute garlic, ginger and scallion. Add beef. Add soy sauce paste and aged soy sauce. Add the rock sugar. Cook and stir occasionally for about 3-5min.

3. Add Chinese rice wine and 3/4 can of diced tomatoes.
4. Add 1/2 cup of water. You should do a taste test at this time. The mixture should be saltier than what you're used to since you will used cooked noodle water to dilute it later. If it's not salty enough, add some salt or chicken base or soy sauce.
5. Add 2tbsp of spicy broad bean paste. Add more or less depending on how spicy you like it.

This is the brand we use

6. Add in the homemade spice pouch as well as the store bought one.
7. Cook on med/low-low heat for about 50-60 minutes. The beef should come out very tender. Make sure the heat isn't too high or else your beef will come out chewy and tough.
8. Cook noodles according to the packages direction. You should wait until your stew is almost done to cook the noodles (depending on how long it takes for your noodles to cook). You should also steam your veggie of choice at this time.
9. Put your noodles in a bowl, add a few pieces of beef and a few ladles of liquid from the stew. Add some of the water used to cook the noodles. Adjust the proportion of the beef stew liquid and the water according to your taste. Top it with veggies. Garnish with scallion and cilantro.

It's not niu rou mian in the traditional sense, but I love it. :)

..Summer's Over..

2010-08-25T17:12:00.001-04:00

I can't believe school starts tomorrow. I'm not exactly excited about it, but I'm not totally hating the idea either. I've been off for 3 weeks, so I look forward to being busy again, but we'll see how I feel when I get really busy. For my last weekend of freedom, the boyf and I decided to go away for the weekend. Since we didn't have that much time we decided wherever we went would have to be close by. We decided on Providence, Rhode Island because it was only a little over a 3 hr drive and we've heard that it's a nice and quaint city. The place is certainly small! We were able to explore most of the main attractions of the city within a few hours. The city is very clean and quiet. We arrived on Saturday and we weren't sure what to do with the rest of our time there, so we decided on an impromptu trip to Boston the next day since it was only about an hour drive. The gods were not on our side because it rained the entire day Sunday. We didn't let the rain stop us though. We went to Faneuil Hall Marketplace, New England Aquarium, Copley Square, and The Shops at Prudential Center. Then we drove to Cambridge and visited the M.I.T and Harvard campuses. I love the area surrounding Harvard. There are a ton of shops and restaurants. It's lively and there's a lot of charm in the architecture of the buildings. I'm not sure if I could ever live in Boston because of it's harsher winters, but I certainly love the look and the feel of the place. Definitely one of my favorite cities.

There won't be many trips from now until the end of my fall semester. I can't wait for another vacation! It's probably a little too early to say that...haha...

..Steamed Milk & Ginger Juice Dessert..

2010-08-16T22:08:00.003-04:00

I know. The title sounds weird. Milk and ginger juice? It's actually a pretty popular dessert in Hong Kong. In Cantonese, it's called "gerng dun lai". "Gerng" is ginger. "Dun" is steam. "Lai" is milk. If you don't like ginger, you will most likely not like this dessert. I'm actually not a fan of ginger, but I don't mind it in this form. I was craving Dau Fu Fa which is a very soft, tender tofu dessert. It's more complicated to make and I wanted a quick fix, so I decided to make the steamed milk dessert instead. I knew what went into it, but I wasn't sure exactly what the proportions were. Luckily, my mom knows how to make it. Like many Chinese parents I know, my mom didn't have exact measurements. Well, that's not completely accurate. She did have measurements. She would say things like "1 big bowl of milk" and "1 soup spoon of sugar". I wasn't sure exactly how much "1 big bowl" or "1 soup spoon" was, so I used what she told me and toyed with the measurements. Here's the recipe:

2 cups of milk - I used 1% lowfat
1 & 1/4 tbsp of rock sugar
3 tsp of juice from a piece of ginger

1. Peel a piece of ginger and extract 3 tsp of juice from it. My mom told me to grate the ginger to get the juice, but I used a garlic press to extract the juice instead. It just seemed easier that way. Just make sure pieces of ginger do not get into the juice. If it does, strain the liquid. If the pieces are big enough, you can probably pick it out. Set aside.

extracted ginger juice

2. In a pot, heat the milk and rock sugar until the sugar is dissolved. You should whisk the milk until the sugar has dissolved.

heated milk w/ dissolved rock sugar

3. Remove the pot from heat and pour the mixture into another pot or large bowl. You should then pour the mixture back into the original pot. You should do this back and forth pouring several times. I think I did it about 8 times. My mom says this ensures the dessert will be silken and smooth. There will be foam/bubbles on top of the milk. Skim the foam/bubbles off.

4. You will need 3 ramekins. Measure out 1 tsp of ginger juice and pour into each ramekin.
5. Pour the milk into each ramekin. Put the ramekins into a double boiler or steamer and cook on medium/low heat for about 30-40 minutes.

The dessert was a huge hit with the boyf's mom and dad. The parental units had seconds! Our family friend, Rita, liked it a lot as well. The boyf didn't like it, but that wasn't surprising to me since he doesn't like ginger or hot desserts.

I'll definitely make it again. I don't feel guilty for having this kind of dessert since it's not super fattening or unhealthy.

..Chipotle Black Bean Burger w/ Baked Sweet Potato Fries..

2010-08-16T16:25:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to try black bean burgers for a while now, but I was either too lazy or too busy to make them. I tried to look for frozen ones, but either I couldn't find them in the supermarket or the ingredients used in the ones I did find scared the crap out of me. I generally like to stick with things that have simple, natural ingredients. If the ingredients of the food includes a bunch of stuff that I don't know or can't pronounce, I'll usually pass on it. All I have is time for the next two weeks, so I decided to make my own black bean burgers and bake seasoned sweet potato fries.

The ingredients for the chipotle black bean burger are as follows (this isn't my original recipe. I found it online a long time ago, but forgot where I found it. The chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and cayenne pepper were my additions.):

Chipotle Black Bean Burger

1 - 16oz can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1/2 of a small onion
1/2 of a green bell pepper
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of chili powder
1 cup of bread crumbs (I used whole wheat)
1 tbsp of cayenne pepper
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce + 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce
1 egg

1. Rinse and drain black beans. Then use paper towel to pat dry the beans. Tranfer black beans to a bowl and mash them.
2. In a food processor, chop bell pepper, onion, garlic and chipotle pepper + 1tbsp of adobo sauce. Add the black beans into the food processor and incorporate the black beans into the mixture.
3. In a bowl, mix 1 egg with the chili powder and cayenne pepper.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the black bean mixture and stir until everything is fully incorporated.
5. Add bread crumbs and mix. (The original recipe called for 1/2 a cup of bread crumbs, but the mixture was still a bit watery after I added 1/2 a cup so I added another 1/2 cup to make sure the mixture would stick together and hold.)
6. Make patties -- this recipe makes 4
--Finally, you can cook it however you want. You can grill it, bake it or pan fry it. Each side of the patty should be cooked 8-10 min.

For the sweet potato fries, I didn't have a recipe to work with, so I just winged it.

Baked and Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

1 sweet potato peeled and cut into strips

1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

pinch of salt

fresh ground pepper - I just eyeballed it

1. Peel sweet potato and cut into strips

2. In a bowl, mix oil and sweet potato strips

3. In a separate bowl, mix the parsley, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

4. Add the spice mix into the sweet potato and oil mixture

5. Stir and make sure the strips of sweet potato are evenly coated with the spice mix.

6. Bake for 400 degrees (F) for about 40 minutes. After 20 min, flip the fries. Make sure the fries aren't crowded when baking. If the fries are crowded, it'll come out mushy rather than crispy.

I'm happy with the outcome! The black bean burger came out spicier than I expected. I like the heat, but I think this might be too spicy for some. The fries came out nicely seasoned and crispy. I also made a spicy mayo to accompany the fries. All you need to do is mix Sriracha hot sauce with mayo. Mix it according to how you would like it. I like it spicier, so I tend to use more Sriracha. I also mashed half an avocado, seasoned it with a little salt and pepper, and added it on top of the burger. I used Arnold's Sandwich Thins as the bun (toasted).

The one thing I would add is probably a little bit of salt and pepper into the black bean burger. There was flavor, but it could have used a little bit more.

..Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program..

2010-07-29T15:29:00.001-04:00

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Kellog's Fiber Plus cereal in flavors Berry Yogurt Crunch and Cinnamon Oat Crunch. Both flavors are pretty good, but I prefer the Cinnamon Oat Crunch. The Berry Yogurt Crunch was a little too sweet for me. I did like the yogurt clusters though. They were a nice addition to the cereal. I don't usually eat cereal in the mornings anymore, but it's always a good option when you're short on time. Thanks to Foodbuzz for letting me be part of the Tastemaker Program. Thanks to Kellog's for their generosity and giving me two full sized boxes of cereal!

..mm...protein ice cream..

2010-07-09T16:16:00.004-04:00

One of the benefits of being part of the Foodbuzz community is that there is a wealth of information and you can learn so much. While I'm not a klutz in the kitchen and there are a few dishes that I make pretty well (I think), I'm not particularly creative. I can follow a recipe like nobody's business, but I haven't really come up with anything super original, so being exposed to so many different people and ideas can definitely inspire you. Everyone that I have contacted for help and advice was more than friendly and willing to help. I love reading Heather Eats Almond Butter because she has a lot of great, healthy recipes to substitute the bad things that I love. One of them is ice cream. Protein ice cream to be exact. I know that it won't take place of ice cream. I don't think anything can take the place of ice cream, but if I can find a healthier alternative to sate my cravings, then I'll try it. After reading Heather's blog and contacting her (thank you again!) in regards to how I should go about making my flavor of choice, green tea, I went out and got the ingredients I needed. I don't normally include protein powder in my diet and Heather did say it wasn't necessary, but I wanted to stay true to the recipe. It isn't protein ice cream without the protein! I went to Whole Foods and got a single serving of Jay Robbs vanilla whey protein powder (I didn't want to commit to an entire container for the fear of disliking it), guar gum, almond milk, and matcha green tea powder). I already had the xantham gum. I'm glad I can put it to use again because this stuff is NOT cheap.

The foundation of Heather's protein ice cream recipe is as follows:

1C non-dairy milk - I used almond milk

30gr of protein powder - I used Jay Robb (Heather's protein brand of choice)

1/4tsp xantham gum

1/2tsp guar gum

17 ice cubes

I used 3 tbsp of matcha green tea powder.

I didn't add a sweetener since the protein powder, matcha powder, and almond milk already had some form of sweetener in it.

First, I blended the almond milk, protein powder, guar and xantham gums. Then, I added 3tbsp of matcha powder and blended it some more. Even though we have a strong blender (we have a Blendtec), I didn't want to add all the ice cubes at once for fear of breaking the blender, so I added about 5-6 after each blend. I know, this blender is known for blending bricks and IPhones but I just wanted to err on the side of caution. It's not my blender, so I'd feel awful if I broke it.

The texture is good. It's like soft serve. I don't think I blended it long enough since there were still little bits of ice, but that's ok. I was afraid of it being too sweet, but it was actually not sweet enough. There wasn't enough green tea flavor either, so I dusted some green tea powder on top of the ice cream. I'll definitely add more matcha powder next time.

The recipe did not disappoint. I typically don't like protein powder, but I didn't even notice it. It was really good and much needed on a hot day like today. It's a great alternative and I'll definitely be making it again. I've been meaning to make an avocado flavored ice cream. Maybe I'll try that next!

..cheesy goodness..

2010-06-11T16:11:00.002-04:00

Several months ago, I saw "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on FoodNetwork. It was an episode dedicated to cheese. Being a cheese lover, I was very much intrigued and I was even more interested when Ina Garten talked about the best grilled cheese she ever had. I LOVE grilled cheese. It has everything I like. Bread? GOOD. Butter? GOOD! Cheese GOOOOOD! I figured I would try it out, so I googled the restaurant E.A.T to find the exact location and to check out the menu. Being a New Yorker, I am fully aware of how pricey this city can be, and being that this restaurant is in the UES, I knew it wouldn't be an inexpensive restaurant. When I saw that the grilled cheese sandwich was priced at $14.50 I was a little shocked. $14.50 for a sandwich? A grilled cheese sandwich?! I was unwilling to try it for a few reasons. One reason is obviously the price. There are some things where I am more than willing and happy to splurge on. I am very unwilling to splurge almost $20 after tax and tip for a grilled cheese sandwich. Don't get me wrong. I am not against spending money on food. I am a food lover after all. There are times when I will spend a decent amount of money to support my eating habits, but it depends on what it is. Another reason is the fear of falling in loving with the sandwich. What if it IS really good -- the best? What if it becomes something I want to eat often? What if the price no longer matters because I NEED the sandwich. I don't want to go bankrupt for my grilled cheese addiction. I believe Ina Garten when she says it was the best thing she ever ate. She has good taste! She also has much deeper pockets than I do, so she can enjoy things like this. Since I can't, or rather, unwilling to spend the money to pay for it, I decided that I would just try to make it myself. Ina Garten said the sandwich is made with rye bread, butter, and gruyere cheese. To be a little more healthy, I used whole wheat and flax bread, "I Can't Believe It's not Butter" spray , and smoked gruyere cheese. I assembled the sandwich and used my George Foreman grill.

The sandwich was good! Using gruyere gave the sandwich more flavor since it's saltier than typical grilled cheese sandwich cheeses such as American cheese or Swiss cheese. I didn't have to spend $14.50 for it either. I am still very much interested in trying the best grilled cheese sandwich Ina ever ate. Maybe one day...=)

..i know...it's been a while..

2010-06-04T19:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, so "a while" is an understatement. I haven't blogged in exactly two months. The months of April and May were busy. I had a lot of work to do and I had finals to study for. It was during these two months that I would curse myself and regret my decision for going back to school. Needless to say, I didn't want to do anything that required brain power after finals were over, and yes, that includes blogging. After enjoying a few days off, it was back to school for me since I am taking two classes during the first summer session. Memorial day weekend was fun. We had a bbq at our house. Several friends came over, and we had a feast. The day began with lots of food, drinks and conversation. Then we brought out the board games and things got serious. We started with Taboo, and a lot of screaming and shouting ensued. We ended the night with Cranium. The game involves charades, impersonations, clay molding, drawing, trivia, humming, etc. A lot of fun. A lot of food. I think I'm still trying to work off the 20lbs I must've gained from that weekend. D: My summer should be pretty stress free, so I will definitely try to update more often.

I'll be honest. The idea of blogging was not in my thoughts today. It was only when I received my Moo cards in the mail that I thought I would write a little update and show them off! Like many people, I love free stuff. It doesn't matter if I don't need it. If it's free, I want it. If it's cute, even better! When FoodBuzz sent out an e-mail saying that they were giving a promo code for 100 Moo cards for any featured FoodBuzz publisher that wanted it, and I jumped at the chance. Free and personalized? They had me at free! It doesn't matter if I have no one to give them to. =P The biz cards come in nice card stock quality, there is a nice variety of artwork, and it comes in a smaller, sleeker size than traditional business cards. It's a bonus that these cards are "printed on paper sourced from sustainable forests and the box is 100% recyclable."

I know. They're so cute. =D

..Home Alone..

2010-04-04T23:17:00.002-04:00

When I decided that I would quit my job to go back to school, the boyf and I decided that it would be a good idea to sublet our apt in the city and move into his parents house. This was one way we could alleviate some of the financial burden he would feel from having to support the both of us. His parents have been more than great, gracious and generous and they do a lot for us. Every night we come home, dinner is already cooking and we never have to worry about food or going hungry. The parental units went on a well deserved vacay over the weekend and they'll be gone for an entire week, so the boyf and I have to fend for ourselves. Being that I'm the only one that cooks in the relationship, it'll be my responsibility to make dinner every night. D: I haven't had to worry about cooking dinner in over a year. I've been spoiled! It's stressful having to think about what to cook every night, so I thought I'd get a head start and came up with a rough menu for this coming week. Tonight was supposed to be pizza night. I was going to make it from scratch and everything, but guess what? I didn't have 70% of the ingredients because I decided to wait until today to buy them and nothing is open because its Easter! I completely forgot! What's a girl to do? I looked in the fridge and saw three things:

Noodles, Fish Cake Sheets, Firm Tofu

Then I remembered I saw recipes for fish cake and tofu on FoodBuzz from honeyandbutter that looked really, really good. Whew!

Pan-fried Tofu w/ Sesame Dressing

Recipes from honeyandbutter:

Pan-fried Tofu

10 oz pkg tofu/sliced and pat dry
1 TB oil
salt
pepper

Add oil to a preheated skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu slices and brown on both sides, about 5-6 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Salt and pepper each side to taste.

For dressing:
1/8 tsp minced garlic
1 TB minced scallion
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 TB soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame seeds, toasted Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Spoon over pan-fried tofu.

Spicy Fishcake Saute

Spicy Fishcake Saute
2 cups diagonally sliced sheet fishcake
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 TB korean red pepper paste
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 toasted sesame seeds
1 TB vegetable oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 TB minced green onion
Heat pan over med-high. Add vegetable oil and onion. Saute 2 min, then add fishcake. Add the rest of the ingredients and saute for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with more sesame seeds for garnish.

For the fishcake saute, I didn't have onions, so it was left out of my dish. I put in a little too much red pepper paste. I also burnt a few pieces by accident. Oops! In my defense, we just got a new stove and I'm not used to it yet. It's more powerful than the old stove. Also, as you can see, my fishcake saute isn't really in the shape of diamonds. LOL. honeyandbutter's dish looks and probably tastes exponentially better than mine! Even though I made a few mistakes, it still tasted really good. It was flavorful and spicy.

The pan-fried tofu dish did NOT disappoint. It was really good. The sauce was delicious! I became paranoid with potentially burning more stuff, so I was overly cautious. I think I could've pan-fried the tofu for a little longer for a prettier, brown color. It's okay though because the tofu tasted really good. The boyf really liked this dish. I'm definitely making these dishes again and hopefully without any mistakes. Thank you, honey!

As for the noodle dish, I tried to replicate what my mom used to make for my brother and I when we were little. My mom is a single mom, so she always tried to make really simple and easy dishes. She didn't always have time to shop for groceries, so she often improvised with whatever was in the fridge, and that's what I had to do tonight due to my own forgetfulness.

Since my mom often cooked by randomly throwing things together, I didn't have a recipe to work with, so I kept track of what I used and how I cooked the above dish.

16oz pack of noodles (photo above has all the info)

2 cups of baby bokchoy - chopped

2 pcs of chinese sausages - sliced diagonally

3tbsp oyster sauce

2tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1tbsp chili garlic sauce (rooster sauce)

1/4 tsp minced garlic

1tbsp chopped scallions

1tbsp vegetable oil

2 eggs - whisked

Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce & chili garlic sauce in a bowl and set aside.

Heat pan on med/high heat. Add vegetable oil, minced garlic and scallions. Add chinese sausages and stir the ingredients in the pan for about 45 seconds. Then add noodles. (you might want to add a little water to the noodles to break it apart). Stir everything together. Pour in the eggs & continue stir frying. Then add vegetables and let it cook for a little bit longer. Finally, add the sauce mix and stir. Make sure that everything gets covered by the sauce.

My mom definitely makes this better than me. I think my dish came out a little bland, but the boyf said it was good. He's probably just being nice and I do appreciate it! I'd probably add a little salt into the whisked eggs. I'd probably put in a little more oyster sauce and chili garlic sauce as well. Luckily, I had the other two dishes to offset this one. =)

..Friday Night Dinner..

2010-04-02T23:37:00.001-04:00

We're all staying in tonight. "We're" as in the boyf, his bro, sis-in-law, the boyf's parental units, and myself. We decided to make our own "hand rolls" for dinner. Boyf's sis-in-law, Annie, and I went to a Korean supermarket and bought a bunch of groceries. After prepping all the veggies and frying some eggs and spam, dinner was finally ready. It was a late start to dinner. We didn't start eating until 9pm, but the food was good and healthy for the most part. (Sans the spam. It was light spam? hee..)

Sheets of seaweed, masago caviar, alfalfa sprouts, julienne cucumbers,

spam, avocado, perilla leaves, imitation crab meat, cilantro, eggs, slices of salmon sashimi, wasabi and soy sauce (not pictured)

Of course we can't have all this without rice

Put some rice on a piece of seawead

Load it up with some goodies, wrap it, and stuff your face!

In trying to follow the rules after the BP cleanse, I didn't eat any meat. I mainly ate salmon and veggies. I did have a few pieces of imitation crab meat though. I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to eat fake meat of any kind...Oh well =P

..Excited..

2010-04-02T23:35:00.000-04:00

I love Kashi. Over a month ago, I saw a Kashi commercial on TV and they were offering free samples of their new products. I also love free stuff, so I signed up for a sample and made the boyf sign up for one since we're only allowed one per e-mail, per household and he had it sent to his office. Sorry for being greedy, Kashi. In my defense though, I usually end up buying the products I try, so its a win-win Kashi =). The samples take about four weeks to arrive, so it was a long wait. Here are my samples:

I'm excited about the dark chocolate coconut snack bar. I like their cereal too. I just hope that the crisp is not as hard as the GoLean Crunch. I usually have to let my GoLean Crunch sit in milk for a bit to soften it. It's good stuff tho! So excited! Can't wait to try my new samples!

They have hot cereal that's really good too. My favorite flavor is the GoLean Honey & Cinnamon. There was a period where I ate it almost every day for a few months.

..End of the Cleanse..

2010-03-31T21:00:00.000-04:00

Today was my 2nd and final day of the BP cleanse. It wasn't bad at all. I did take the easier route and had solid foods for dinner though. I would definitely do it again, and maybe try to drink juice only. I gotta admit that I was getting kind of tired of drinking juices. There were a few times during the day where I craved solid foods...any solid food, but good thing I had enough self control not to succumb to my cravings. Today's dinner was Pesto Zucchini and Collard Wrap with Creamy Red Pepper. The dinner also came with pumpkin mousse. I decided to forgo dessert tonight. I will almost NEVER pass on dessert, so I'm sure you can tell how unexcited I was about "pumpkin mousse". I wasn't too impressed with last night's "chocolate mousse" and pumpkin isn't exactly a favorite flavor of mine. Tonight's dinner wasn't as good as last nights. The pesto sauce in the zucchini dish had dijon mustard in it. While I usually like Dijon mustard, I thought the taste was overpowering. The rest of the dish was pretty bland being that it was only zucchini strips with grape tomatoes. I thought I would really enjoy the collard wrap, and with the first bite or two, I did. However, with each following bite, I noticed that it was becoming more and more salty. I can eat salty stuff, and this was pretty salty for me. I removed the collard wrap and ate the creamy red pepper portion and that was OK. There is this mystery creamy white sauce in it and I have no clue what it is. It was also in the Creamy Vegetable Napoleon from last night's dish. I looked up the ingredients on BP's site and the only ingredient that I was not able to identify in the dishes was the "nutritional yeast". Maybe that's it...

I thought tonight's dinner was alright. The zucchini dish was forgettable and the wrap was a little too salty for my taste, but it wasn't a bad dinner. I walked away from the dinner table filled, but not stuffed and as long as I'm not hungry, I'm a happy camper.

How do I feel after the program? I don't feel like Wonder Woman as I had originally hoped, but I do feel a difference in energy levels. I also feel healthier because I've been ingesting only nutritious, healthful things. I feel like all the nasty stuff in my body has been expunged. I'm not a vegetarian and I don't think I could be one, but there are definitely times when I feel kind of gross after eating meat, so it was nice to get a break from eating it. I would definitely do it again, and I would want to be more daring and try for a longer period of time!

Pesto Zucchini

Collard Wrap with Creamy Red Pepper

Pumpkin Mousse

..BluePrint Dinner..

2010-03-30T20:48:00.003-04:00

First day of the program was not bad at all. I actually feeling pretty good. I definitely feel more energetic. Before committing to the cleanse, I wasn't sure what I was more apprehensive about ingesting -- the food or the juice. The juice turned out better than I thought. Then dinner time came around and I was prepared for the worst. I have friends who have tried other food programs, and they ended up hating the food. It was always too bland and boring. As mentioned in my earlier entry, my dinner would consist of one container of Red Bell Pepper Soup, one container of Creamy Vegetable Napoleon. I was more than pleasantly surprised. The food was really good, fresh and tasty. The soup had a good level of spiciness to it. It had a lot of flavor. I think I was more concerned about the vegetable napoleon than the soup because I really dislike veggies that are mushy and rubbery (like when you bend a celery stick and instead of it breaking, it just bends into a U-shape). Since the veggie dish had a little bit of liquid in the container and had sit overnight in the fridge, I was afraid there would be a texture issue for me. To my delight, there was no such issue. In fact, it was really fresh, flavorful and savory. The zucchini still had a nice crunch to it. The dinner also came with a small dessert. They call it "chocolate mouse". The ingredients as per BluePrint are as follows: raw cashews, raw cacao nips, filtered water, agave nectar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and sea salt. I can't say I loved it. I thought it was OK. When I initially tasted it, I didn't like it. It tasted bitter and I'm sure its due to the cacao nips. After a few tries, it got better, but it left a chalky, gritty feeling in my mouth afterwards. I didn't think it was horrible, but I can't say I loved it either. Of course, I forgot to take pics of the actual food, so I'll have to borrow the images from BluePrint's site!

Red Bell Pepper Soup

Creamy Vegetable Napoleon

Can't wait to try tomorrow's dinner. I hope it's just as good!

..Spring Break!..

2010-03-30T13:26:00.003-04:00

Spring break is finally here! I was looking forward to this time off, but unfortunately, my week is filled with work. Why am I blogging then? I'm totally procrastinating. Up until the last day before spring break, I was reading or studying. I'm so tired of it. I did work over the weekend too and yesterday, I went to volunteer at a hospital. A girl needs a little break once in a while. =) I do have to admit that yesterday wasn't all work and no play. I finally redeemed a manicure/pedicure coupon I bought from Groupon for Element Beauty Lounge . $25 for a lavender manicure and pedicure is not that bad...especially in the city. The regular price for this particular manicure is $62. O_O. (I love getting a deal, especially now that I'm a student. Last week, I got 4 $25 gift certificates for 2 restaurants for $2 each. Not bad eh?) I wouldn't have gone yesterday because it was raining and gross, but the coupon was going to expire on the 31st and yesterday was the only day I was going to be in the city. I was also carrying what seemed like 40lbs in my backpack because I had decided last week that I was going to finally try the Blue Print Cleanse and to avoid paying $40 shipping charges, I went to pick up my juices & food at one of their UES locations. Probably not one of my brighter ideas, but I saved $40! I was always interested in cleanses & detoxes, but a lot of the ones I read about seemed pretty extreme/hardcore for me. e.g. master cleanse. After reading a lot of positive reviews and finding out that they have less extreme options such as Juice 'Til Dinner, I decided I would give it a shot. I am only doing a two day program to test it out. Doing 1 day seemed like I wasn't really giving it a chance and 3 days seemed too much. What if I hated the stuff? The juice 'Til Dinner option is just more moderate and since this is my first time doing a cleanse, I'd like to ease into it. (Yea yea, call me a wimp!)

Today's meal consists of 4 juices and a 2 course meal (Red Bell Pepper Soup & Creamy Vegetable Napoleon) that's vegan, raw, and gluten free. BluePrint is also nice enough to include a snack and dessert. (I'm not sure why I placed the #of juices from 4-1. I guess it's bc I'm Asian and we read from right to left? =P)

I had juice #1 already which is a blend of romaine, celery, cucumber, green apple, spinach, kale, parsley, and lemon. I can't say that I LOVE the taste, but I did get used to it and it's really not that bad. I've read in the reviews that some hate it and some love it. I'm kind of in between. I am now drinking #2 and it's really good. It has pineapple, apple and mint in it. Blue Print is not cheap at all, so I don't suggest doing it unless you're going to stick to it. The juices and food do not have a long shelf life at all, so it'll go to waste if unused. I'll give an update as to how I feel after two days. I hope I feel like Wonder Woman! *flexes*

Also, here are a few pics from two weekends ago. The boyf and I went to Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ and had some yummy food!

This is my lunch: broiled salmon set

The boyf's: spicy miso ramon

Not a complete meal without dessert...

Taiyaki: fish with red bean inside

So good...

dessert #2: Green Tea Bubble Tea

Dessert #3: green tea ice cream

Yep...we know how to indulge...=)

..i'm baaack..

2010-03-18T22:32:00.001-04:00

I know. It's been a while. I'm sorry. I've been so busy with school. My anatomy class has been kicking my butt, but I refuse to relent. *makes fist* While I've been studying these past 5-6 days or so, I've basically ignored everything else. Tasks like taking showers and eating became nuisances because they're time consuming. My hand hurts from taking notes and my back aches from sitting at a desk for endless hours. After this post, it might be a while before I can update again since I have a lot of studying, papers, readings, etc. to do. Being a student (a good, diligent one) is not easy. It sucks having to do work on the weekends when everyone else is enjoying it. On a lighter note, the boyf and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary this past Monday. We didn't really get to celebrate since the weather was horrible and I had to study. Since our anniversary was on a Monday, we decided to have dinner the night before. We went to a local Korean restaurant and the food never disappoints. I have pics, but I haven't uploaded them yet. On Monday morning, I woke up early to make him blueberry pancakes. Since it was early and I was still half asleep, I only took one pic. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the finished product. It's okay though because my pancakes never look good...haha, and I don't want to embarrass myself by posting demented looking pancakes! They never look perfectly round and golden, but as long as it tastes good..right? =) D:

I got the recipe here. The recipe calls for the batter sit for an hour, but I didn't do that because I didn't have enough time and they still came out good. The pancakes were light and fluffy. I'll definitely make these again. I used fresh blueberries instead of frozen ones. The boyf surprised me with flowers. <3

So pretty!

Even though I had a pretty busy week, I still made time for some good food. I had an interview/orientation last week at a hospital on the UES (Upper East Side) to volunteer. When I finished, I went to Naruto for some chicken cutlet curry over rice. Food was good and the portions are HUGE.

I must've been in the mood for Japanese food last week because a few days later, I went to a ramen place in Union Sq. I forget the new name, but it was originally named Setagaya.

The soft-boiled egg is the best. They call it salted or salty egg. I forget. It doesn't just taste salty though. The yolk tastes like they cooked it in cooking wine. So good. I wished I knew how they did it! If anyone knows, hook a sista up!

I've been craving banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) for the longest time and I finally decided to get one. I don't get to eat banh mi's often since I only like them from one place and it's a bit out of the way for me. I decided that I could no longer deny this craving and trekked to Chinatown just to get one and it was worth the trip. The place that I go to for my banh mi is called Saigon which is located on Mott St. Saigon used to be this small shack around East Broadway and they would always sell out by early afternoon. There have been several times when I made the trip just to get a sandwich and left empty handed. Thank goodness they expanded and I never have to worry about not getting one. First timers might find their store a little strange. The first half of the place sells crystal and beaded jewelry. The first time I went to their new location, I was a bit confused, but my attention quickly shifted to the back where the aroma of banh mi was enticing me. The place is really small and there is a bench along the wall, but it's definitely not a sit down place. Who cares tho...it's all about the banh mi!

They've expanded their menu. They used to only have a few sandwich options.

Looks good, don't it? YUM. Not sure if anyone can tell, but I was in the train station when I whipped out my sandwich and took a huge bite out of it. I couldn't wait. It was still warm and it was delicious.

..finally..

2010-03-08T23:59:00.001-05:00

It finally stopped snowing! Not only did it stop snowing, but it's actually warmer and sunny out. Thank goodness. The snow, rain and cold weather was really starting to irk me. The weekend was beee-u-tee-ful. I didn't get to really enjoy the outdoors on Saturday, but I went out for a jog on Sunday, and it felt great to run without having to bundle up. I think the last time I ran outside was in November. I did layer up a little since I'm still in the winter mode, but I quickly shed those layers and was able to run in a t-shirt and capris. I conquered a small hill and made it my biyatch...BUT my run was short lived. =( I don't have running sneakers at home since they're in my locker at the gym, so I wore a regular pair of Pumas that didn't have much support. Since I have fallen arches, I could feel the over-pronation in my feet. After a while, I started to get this tight feeling from my arch up to my inner calf. SUCKS! I'm still feeling a slight pain today. I hope I didn't do any damage. I was hoping that it wouldn't matter what kind of sneakers I wore. I guess my feet are used to wearing stabilizing sneakers with a lot of support. I wished I was able to run like the Tarahumara, but unfortunately, I do not have that kind of athletic prowess. I first learned about the Tarahumara when I read, actually listened, to the audiobook "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. It was such an inspirational and interesting book. They are a Mexican tribe of super athletes. They basically run barefooted and for very long distances. I'm totally simplifying this summary. There is a lot more to them and the book, but it's just too much to type out. The book also writes about a few other really interesting ultra marathoners. I felt like such a wimp when listening to the audiobook.

This is what the Tarahumaru run in. It's called a "huarache"

This is what I ran in and I'M complaining...=P

I really liked this book. I learned a lot. The book mentioned that the technology behind running sneakers might actually be detrimental to the health of your feet. The book also mentioned that the rule of having to buy new sneakers every 400 miles or whatever is just a ploy to get runners to spend more money.

Side Note: I can't seem to get used to listening to audiobooks. I thought it would be great to have someone else read to me. I thought to myself, "I'd save so much energy!" That's not the case though. I actually think I end up spending more energy trying to make sure I don't drift off into another thought or zone out. It's not like listening to music. You actually have to pay attention. When I listen to music, it's just in the background and I can do other things. When I listen to an audiobook, I just sit there, listen and make sure I pay attention. I find myself constantly rewinding because get lost in another thought or I zone out. I guess it's just a weird concept for me. I much rather read an actual book.

..SNOW DAY!..

2010-02-26T17:16:00.001-05:00

I woke up early this morning to get ready for school, and after washing up, the boyf says to me, "Did you look outside?" I was too tired when I initially woke up to pay attention to anything, but then I looked outside and my jaw dropped. I honestly didn't think it would snow this much. First thing I did was check my school's site, and to my delight and relief, classes were canceled! YES! Then I receive an email from my philosophy professor saying that our exam will be postponed until next Friday. Double YES!

I love looking at freshly fallen snow. It's white, pretty and peaceful. Unfortunately, undisturbed snow is short lived. It gets dirty, slushy and gross. I should have taken pics when I first woke up, but like always, I forgot. I only remembered AFTER we were almost done shoveling which was several hours after I had woken up. I'm such a doof! I did get to take some pictures of the backyard where the snow was still pretty and untouched.

Here they are...

..perfect lunch for a nasty day..

2010-02-26T17:11:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since my last update. Sorry! With school, going to the gym, homework and studying, certain things go by the wayside and the upkeep of a blog is definitely one of those things. The weather sucked yesterday. It was miserable. It was cold. It rained and snowed the entire day and the last thing I needed or wanted was another sandwich for lunch. I wanted something hearty. I wanted something that would warm me up and fill my belleh. Luckily, Jenby and I made plans to have lunch at BCD Tofu House in K-Town. They specialize in organic tofu soups which are MSG free and they have these great lunch combos. They give you the option of having vegetarian, seafood, etc. tofu soups. It's also nice that you can choose the level of spiciness. Jenby had the combination of mild vegetarian tofu soup with her signature ice cubes and salmon teriyaki. I had the combo of regular seafood tofu soup (no ice cubes since I love my food piping hot) and a hot stone pot bibim bop. I asked for vegeterian bibimbop, but it came with a bit of ground beef anyways. I guess the waitress made a mistake, but since I'm not a vegetarian, I didn't mind and I was too hungry to ask her to fix it. I've been to this place a few times and I'm never disappointed. They give big portions and there is a nice variety of food (which I love!). The food is always tasty and there is just the right amount of spiciness for me.

They give each person one of these salty fried fish.
It's a bit too salty, but still good.

From bottom left to bottom right: raw seafood, i believe. Maybe it's like a Korean ceviche? Pls correct me if I'm wrong! Pickles, kimchi, cucumbers and potato salad

Hot Stone Pot Bibim Bop (I think that's what it's called)

Seafood Tofu Soup

I didn't take pics of Jenby's food because I was too busy eating my own food! This lunch hit the spot. Can't wait for our next outing, Jen!

..i've got a craving..

2010-02-15T00:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Lunar New Year! Happy Valentine's Day! We went to dim sum to celebrate CNY. Food was great, but unfortunately, I don't have any pics to share. I was so lost and immersed in eating my food that I completely forgot. Even after a big dim sum lunch and a decent sized dinner, I just got a craving for something. A few months ago, I went out with the boyf and some friends for a night of drinking. We all had one too many drinks, and needless to say, I was not feeling well the following morning. What a bad idea that was. Especially since I had class the next day. I was in dire need of some comfort food and the first thing that came to mind was noodles. Did I want something spicy or something salty and savory? I wanted both! I was in the K-Town area and I immediately thought of spicy seafood noodle soup and jajang myun. I decided I would go to Shanghai Mong. I've had jajang myun and spicy seafood soup from another restaurant (Hyo Dong Gak) which was better, but Shanghai Mong served both of these noodles in one bowl which is divided into two parts! I get the best of both worlds. I love it when that happens! I've been to this restaurant before and I remember the noodles being pretty good and tasty. While the food did its job of comforting my hangover, I can't say that it was as good as I remembered it. The seafood spicy noodle soup definitely lacked flavor and spiciness. They also skimped on the noodles in this portion of the dish. The jajang myun was okay. While I do not have a hangover right now, hehe, I'm craving these noodles again. While I don't think Shanghai Mong is as good as Hyo Dong Gak, I love the variety that Shanghai Mong provides.

Jajang Myun // Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup

..another year..lunar year that is..

2010-02-13T22:32:00.001-05:00

Another year, lunar year that is, has come and gone. Tomorrow will be the first day of the year of the Tiger. I just finished nye dinner with the boyf's family. His parents spent the entire day cooking. I'm stuffed! Here's what we had:

Dried Pork sauteed with scallions and red onions

Garlic and Herbed Baked Pork Chops

Bean Curd with Celery, Pork and hot peppers

Baked Red Snapper

Chicken with Scallions

Nappa Cabbage, Beef Balls, Shrimp Balls and Tofu Soup

Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Everything was delicious. My favorite dishes were the bok choy & mushrooms and the soup. Very simple and light, yet full of flavor. We're all going to venture out to Flushing for dim sum tomorrow. It's going to be hectic. I've already made a mental list of things I want to eat at dim sum. I rarely get to have dim sum these days, so I can't wait! It's actually a bit surprising that there will be Chinese places open tomorrow. CNY used to be the one day where almost every Chinese person would take off. We can work on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, etc., but CNY was untouchable. It's a bit sad since it feels less festive, but in these times, I'm sure everyone is trying to hustle to make some extra money.

I wish everyone a prosperous and healthy new year!!!

..dilemma..

2010-02-13T01:15:00.000-05:00

After deciding that I would once again become a full-time college student after several years of working, I realized there would be a few changes I would have to get used to. Being surrounded by people several years younger than me and having to do things like homework, papers, and studying for exams were expected. I still wince at the thought of having to do homework, but it's all part of the game, right? The one thing that I still have not gotten over is the lack of income and independence. While the boyf (boyfriend) has been great to me and has supported me 100% without any complaints, I really dislike having to depend on him completely. I'm sure its pressure and stress for him even if he does not say anything. I'm used to paying for myself, buying things, paying bills, and most importantly, buying food whenever I want. heehee. In attempts to protect the boyfs wallet from my ravenous belleh, I try not to eat out (of course this is in addition to trying not to spend in general, but I can't deny that food isn't a priority, a love, a passion of mine. =P).

When I went to school #1 (I recently transferred to school #2), I would pack lunch almost every day. Luckily, school #1 had microwaves, so I was able to bring food to heat up. I didn't have to subject myself to only sandwiches and salads. I'm not very creative when it comes to cold foods. Unfortunately, school #2 does not have any microwaves, so I bring sandwiches, bagels and little snacks to eat. To alleviate the boredom of sandwiches, I will buy lunch from the cafeteria once in a while, but I always feel this pang of guilt when I do. I mean, I always feel guilty whenever I spend money these days since it's not mine to begin with, but food is something I can avoid spending on. So, to solve this little dilemma of mine, I've decided that I have to be creative. If it's cold food I have to eat, then so be it, but I'm going to enjoy it, dammit! I have been surfing the web for ideas and recipes. I've already got a few that I want to test. Once I find something awesome, I'll share it with the world. =) If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears...or...eyes...rather. =D