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.