Momofuku Ssam Bar

 Cordova and Pork Buns

Duck Sandwich

 Jenny & June

Sorbet and grapefruit pie

Lunch at Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village. David Chang is the owner and chef of this restaurant, and the food is amazing. I love the pork buns and the duck sandwich. It's definitely a place to take visitors. (It's on the meat heavy side so it's not ideal if you're a vegetarian though they do have seafood options.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies.. Yum! I got the recipe off the back of an Arm & Hammer baking soda box. It's a very solid recipe, and easy to make. The most important thing is to make sure that the consistency is tough and not too liquidy. You want to be able to form ball-like batters when placing onto the cookie sheets because they tend to flatten out when baking.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2  Eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then pour into the dry mix. Beat until creamy.
4.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Use a spoon to drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheet. Place in oven and cook for about 8 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cookies and tea <3

Reusable snack bags

I pack a lunch four times a week so I was really excited when my friend sent me reusable snack bags (locally designed, locally made!). They're perfect for packing a sandwich or a handful of nuts, and they come in colorful prints.

Here's the link in case you're interested: Re-twilly

Chicken Katsu

 I know we are health-conscious in this day and age, but once in awhile I just crave fried food! So I decided to make Japanese-style fried chicken (or katsu), which is simple to make. When my mom would make katsu, she would use pork and it would taste so good.

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 strips of boneless chicken (I usually get the frozen tenderloins from Trader Joe's)
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 egg beaten
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (You can find this in a Japanese or Korean market)
• 1/4 cup of oil (or however much you need)

Directions:

1. Place the flour, egg and panko crumbs into separate shallow dishes. Coat the chicken breasts in flour. Dip them into the egg, and then press into the panko crumbs until well coated on both sides.  
2. Lightly cover a frying pan with oil and turn heat to medium-high. Place chicken in the hot oil, and cook 3 or 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper for taste. Best served immediately after cooking.

Make sure you close all the doors surrounding your kitchen - all the frying will stink up the place! And of course, you have to have some vegetable so I cooked some kale.

Ddukguk (Rice Cake Soup) Recipe

Ddukguk is one of my favorite childhood dishes. It is served on special occasions (such as New Year's Day) and also everyday occasions. It's very simple to make and requires basic ingredients. I left out a couple ingredients, but it still tasted fine. Click here for an original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 14 oz. can of chicken broth
• 3/4 cup of sliced rice cakes
• handful of baby carrots
• 1 bunch of scallions
• pepper and nori to taste

1. Boil chicken broth and rice cakes in pot. Lower temperature to medium-low heat after it boils.

 2. Place carrots into broth. Cook for about ten minutes or until rice cakes are fully cooked (I like them past al dente).
3. Then season with scallions, pepper, and pieces of nori to taste.

I know I left out a few key ingredients such as the fish sauce and sesame oil. I like to tackle cooking from memory, and I didn't check the recipe when I was cooking. Oops! But it turned out fine and saved a lot of time. Wait for the soup to cool a bit before you eat.

Curry In A Hurry

Japanese curry is an amazingly simple and delicious dish to make. The main ingredients you need are the curry mix and whatever vegetables you want to throw in (sometimes I like to use a combination of fresh and frozen veggies - saves prep time). I usually just follow the recipe on the box of the curry mix as a rough guideline. It's really hard to mess up the recipe - if the curry is too savory, add more water.. if it's a little bland, add more mix!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package of curry mix (I usually use Vermont Curry in Medium-Hot, 8.8 oz)
• 3/4 cup chicken (or whatever meat you want to use)
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup of baby carrots
• 1/2 cup of frozen mixed vegetables
• 3 cups of water

1. Cut meat and saute in saucepan until lightly brown.
2. Throw in onions, potatoes and carrots.
2. Add water until boiling and then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 minutes.

Serve over rice. Voila! Since this dish makes several servings, it's a great option for when you're having guests over or you just want to save some for leftovers.

Sunday Morning and Home Potato Fries

I really enjoy Sunday mornings mainly because I have a routine of eating breakfast, going out for a walk and getting ready for church.

One of my favorite breakfast meals is french toast. And it's relatively easy to make! You can add more stuff to make them fancy, but a simple egg base will do.

French Toast
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 slices of whole wheat bread
  
• 1 egg
• maple syrup
• cinnamon (optional)

1. Mix the egg in a small bowl.
2. Place a slice of bread into the whisked egg to absorb. Flip over to the other side. Repeat for the remaining half slice. (1 1/2 slices of bread should absorb one large egg).
3. Lightly coat the pan with spray or oil. Place bread on the pan until toasted brown. Flip over to cook the opposite side.
4. Serve with maple syrup and sprinkle cinnamon on top.


Voila!

Home Potato Fries
Ingredients:

• 3 Idaho potatoes
• 1-2 tbs of cooking oil
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Ketchup

1. Rinse and peel potatoes. Soak potatoes in water for a bit for better cooking.
2. Cube potatoes
3. Coat the pan with about 2 tbs of oil (I used olive oil, but anything will do). Place cubed potatoes onto pan and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cover pan with lid and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Remove lid and cook for another 10 minutes or until slightly brown.

I think I ate two potatoes worth of fries in one sitting. No reservations, all gut.

Anyway, this blog started out as a fashion blog, but now it's turning into a food blog! I'm usually the type who likes to cook and make a big batch of food for the week. However lately I've been having strange cravings and a strong desire to be a little bit more adventurous with my cooking. Well, here's to new beginnings!

Butternut Squash Soup

Alas, I am not a cook. My strength lies in baking, but I mustered up the courage to make one of my favorite soups: Butternut Squash Soup. It's relatively easy to make, but it takes a long time to prepare.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 package of baby carrots
  
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (14 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
• 14 fluid ounce of water
• 1 (14 fluid ounce) container of tomato sauce
  
• garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Pour the olive oil in a large pot, and cook the onion, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in chicken stock, water, and tomato sauce to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

(Modified from this recipe.) The one thing I like about making soup is that it's very forgiving (like baking) if you don't have certain ingredients. You can opt out of adding a particular ingredient you don't have or substituting something similar such as tomato sauce instead of peeled tomatoes.

(After it's been pureed.)

Bon Appetit!

Trick: You can freeze half of it in the freezer since this calls for a big batch. This is helpful if you are cooking for one like me!

Confessions of a Baker...

With my newfound free time, I've been rediscovering old hobbies such as baking. Baking from scratch is very therapeutic, and it's something I gave up during my volunteer year. I'm definitely glad that I haven't lost my love for baking.

Homemade Granola (Recipe from Joy of Baking) - The recipe called for 1/2 cup maple syrup, but I would put in slightly less next time and try adding 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.




Almond cookies with chocolate chips (Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com) - I tried making my own almond milk the other day, and I had leftover ground almond so I decided to make cookies with it. I added 1/4 cup more flour and threw in some chocolate chips.


The verdict: these cookies have a rich nutty flavor. I approve of this recipe - it's a keeper!

Los Angeles

I went back home to California for the holidays, and it was definitely good to catch up with family and friends.

Went for a walking tour in Pasadena to see the Gamble House, which is a beautifully crafted house. I definitely recommend the tour if you're in town.

@ The Grove - great place to window shop and enjoy the fresh air.

@ the Walt Disney Concert Hall


Now I'm back in NY, and it's back to work for this chica!