Restaurant review coming soon

Hello again!  I know I haven’t been able to update you all on anything lately.  It is hard to keep up with schoolwork as well as maintain this site daily, and even more so to cook/bake in the free time that I have; I have less and less time as free time because I have this lengthy color project for my Interior Design class due in about a week and a half from today. Yikes!!

However, don’t fret!  I will soon be trying out new recipes for you all before Halloween hits.  This will also be in tune with the magazine company I am keeping in contact with.  Because of the magazine thing, I won’t be submitting the recipes to tastespotting.com anymore; that would go against their guidelines to post so I won’t do that.  I’m not going to say what I am making exactly, but look for some creme brulees, cheesecakes, and entrees to come.  I’ve been told I make a good casserole. Hehe.

As for the restaurant review, in a few hours (precisely a little under 8 hours from now) I am going with a few friends to eat at this quaint little joint called Crepes and Corks, which is located in Del Mar, CA.  It will be our first (well a majority of us in the group, anyway) to there so don’t worry there will be tons of pictures to come!  Yes, they serve crepes AND wine there; oh delish!  But no, they serve breakfast to dinner and thus far their online menu already won me over.  The first time I laid eyes on their menu I was already salivating.  I hate to keep you all in the dark, but look for new things to come.  I promise!!!  Until then, happy eatings.

new concepts and ideas coming soon

Yay!  I’m so excited about what’s to come in the near future regarding recipes.  I’m also currently writing up recipes for a magazine that my friend is currently in the works of with the company she’s interning for.  I’ll let you all know when I get more information about that venue.

I just thought about some new concepts I could incorporate into familiar recipes like cheesecake recipes and substituting ingredients in the crust or cake itself, as well as upgrading familiar recipes like pumpkin pie for the Thanksgiving weekend, and a bunch of variations on creme brulee.  Ooh I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it.  I know I know I know, I’m so excited.  Hehe.. thank you Pointer Sisters for that great song.  ‘Til next time, happy eatings!

Sinfully Indulgent Brownies

At least that’s what comes to mind when I bite into one, hehe.  Anyway, I first made these for my dad’s 53rd birthday out of a simple store-bought brownies cake mix and my own imagination on how flavors worked.  However, it didn’t start out that way that day.  My mom actually wanted me to buy a store-bought cake.  I know; atrocious idea, right?  Well it’s certainly the simpler way of things, but for me, I wanted to make something special for my dad.  I am still, of course, daddy’s little girl.

At first I thought about making a variation on the chocolate-dipped strawberries in a brownie version, but then I thought about it further and completely scratched out the idea because I didn’t want one flavor to overpower another, and if I put in strawberries, I would need to either dry them well or remove more of the liquids added to the mixture.  So,without further adieu, here is the recipe.  The pictures will be uploaded later after my night class is over.  Also, I doubled my batch for the brownies because I didn’t want thin brownies, so if you would like thicker brownies, double the batch below when you bake them (following recipe is for one thin batch).

 

Sinfully Indulgent Brownies

Sinfully Indulgent Brownies
Makes approx. 32 (given size of cuts)

1- 19.5oz Family Size Chocolate Fudge Brownie mix
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white chocolate chips (It adds color and I love white chocolate, so feel free to change these up to your favorite chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Follow brownie mix box as directed.
3. Add Bailey’s Irish Cream and cinnamon into the mixture.  Fold in half of the white chocolate chips into this mixture.
4. Line 9″x13″ pan with baking sheets cut to size of the pan and the pan’s sides.  Spray lightly with a cooking spray so the brownies will come off the sheets easier.
5. Spread mixture evenly over baking sheets and top off with the remaining white chocolate chips.
6. Bake as directed below, give or take a few minutes.  (As mine was a double batch, I baked for 40 mins in the oven.)
7. Once brownies are baked, remove from the oven and let it cool for at least an hour.  Place pan into fridge to cool until firm enough to cut into.

The night I presented them to my dad, lined with candles and all, the flavor was very rich, indulgent, and VERY moist.  The hint of cinnamon was present in the smell rather than in the taste.  There was also a hint of the Baileys in the brownies as well as the white chocolate and milk chocolate from the mixture.  For the rest of the brownies I refrigerated overnight and cut them just a few hours ago.  Let me tell you…the flavors were more prevalent and in-your-face than previous.  You could taste more of the Baileys and the brownies kept their moistness still.  The picture I will post up look a bit like regular chocolate brownies with white chocolate chips on top, but do not let the image fool you.  The taste is much more brilliant than what the image looks like.

So close I can feel it..

Can you believe it?  The holidays are almost here, and by holidays I mean the one towards the end of November and onward.  Why is that, I get to present and make another likable creation again!  TIRAMISU!  For those that have tasted my versions before want seconds, and thirds, and have even contemplated on hiding the rest of the uneaten tiramisu from others (true story).

I thought I would share that because I get so excited every year making that.  It’s tedious work but the finished result is phenomenal.  I remember when I first made it that my boyfriend’s mother would ask me to make it almost every time she saw me at their house.  No joke; you could even ask him and he would tell you the same.  Of course I didn’t make it every time, because well, some ingredients are very costly for me and I just can’t get them all the time (that would be the mascarpone cheese I’m referring to).  I only make it between the Fall-Spring seasons as it is when I can easily find ladyfingers for sale at the supermarket.  Anytime after that and I resort to using poundcake from the freezer aisle.

Look for that blog to happen in the near future as well as many others, like what I just ate for dinner today: banh xeo (the Vietnamese pancake), rolled with spring roll wrappers, mint leaves, lettuce, cucumbers, and dipped in a hearty peanut butter & hoison sauce dip.  Yum!

Until then, happy eatings!  Great things come with some anticipation.

Shirley Temple cupcakes

Hello again!  So part 2 of the last baking adventure I had and here it goes…  Earlier I posted up the recipe to the soft snickerdoodles so that everyone can enjoy a good (and delicious) recipe.  It wasn’t too complicated and I made sure each step was easy to understand.  Like I said before, the recipes are very kid-friendly.

The cupcakes were part of a surprise for a friend’s birthday because Shirley Temples are one of the favorite drinks when we go out to eat on the town.  It’s also a classic non-alcoholic drink using Sprite (or 7-up) mixed with maraschino cherry juice, or sometimes even with grenadine.  Thus, I am so glad to have come across such an exquisite recipe that is pretty unknown except for a small number of people.  I had actually thought of making the Cherry Limeade cupcake, but because my friend is allergic to certain types of foods, I thought I would keep it simple.

Shirley Temple cupcakes

Shirley Temple Cupcakes
adapted from: http://www.therepressedpastrychef.com

Yields 12-18 cupcakes, depending on size of muffin pan

1 cup Sprite Zero (I used regular Sprite; just a little more sugar)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
3. Combine the Sprite, sugar, and oil, and whisk vigorously.
4. Combine both wet and dry ingredients well, but don’t overbeat.
5. Pour mixture halfway into cupcake liners.  They will rise, so 1/2-3/4 of the way is good.
6. Bake for 10-15 mins, give or take a few minutes depending on the altitude and oven ranges.

For the frosting:
a little grenadine
your favorite buttercream frosting (I used mine from a recipe I found online with Magnolia Bakery)
dry Maraschino cherries, chopped (I squeezed most of the juice out with a towel)
optional: Maraschino cherries & cut-down straws, for garnishing

1. Let your cupcakes cool for 10mins or longer so the frosting won’t melt.
2. Mix in the chopped cherry bits into your buttercream frosting, and frost your cupcakes.
3. Top with garnishings if you prefer.  I cut a few bendy straws as well as topped the cupcakes off with a Maraschino cherry to give the look of a Shirley Temple drink.

 

I had done the cupcakes the night before and frosted the morning after so that the flavors would mellow together.  I have heard the flavors will intensify overnight.  You can also add in grated lemon zest for more flavor, but I omitted them because I didn’t have any lemons with me.  The icing was literally the perfect topping on the cake.  The lemony-lime flavor of the cake (“sour” portion) and the sweetness of the frosting balanced out; plus, the cake was very moist.

Needless to say, those who were able to enjoy, or got a chance to grab, some of the cupcakes, really enjoyed devouring them.  It was something different than most, not only for the flavor but for the ingredients and cherries mixed into the frosting.  The chopped cherries gave the frosting a little more texture and spiced up the would-be mundane regular frosting on most store-bought cupcakes.  All in all, the cupcake was rather enjoyable.  Also I have heard from one of my cousins that he also used the extra frosting I gave him with the snickerdoodles, and “they were heavenly” (direct quoting here).  Until the next posting, happy eatings!

Soft snickerdoodles

And very soft, indeed.  Let me say that originally I was going to make these cookies for my friend’s birthday, but having eaten some (you can’t eat just one…they’re just so addicting) on the day that I made them, I couldn’t resist on making another batch yesterday just because.  Let me say that the recipe allows for the cookies to stay soft for about 2 days, but honestly, I think it’s a guess because usually the cookies will be gone the same day if not the morning after.

So let me start by saying that luckily I found an awesome recipe for soft snickerdoodles on one of my most visited recipe site (recipezaar.com) for anything and everything, and adapted it to my taste.  The pictures will be up soon once I’m done for the day with all of my classes (translation: I won’t be done until after 9:30pm tonight). I always forget to take a picture of my creations when they are just done, and laying neatly on the cooling rack, so what you see are the snickerdoodles that have been placed inside a small to-go container.

snickerdoodles..to go!

Soft Snickerdoodles

Yields: 24-48 (depending on size of cookies you want)
Prep time: 10-15mins;   Bake time: 8 mins (each pan)

1 cup butter, room temp (I used Country Style margarine and eyed 1 cup)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

To roll around:
3 tbsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon (I used 50/50 mix of pumpkin pie spices & saigon cinnamon)

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix butter and sugar together until well incorporated.  Then add in eggs slowly, one at a time.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add 2 cups of flour and slowly mix so the flour doesn’t go everywhere.  Continue adding in flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough is formed.
5. In a shallow bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.
6. Scoop out about ~1 in. ball of dough and roll in the palm of your hands so there aren’t any rough edges.  I used a melon ball scooper to measure but also scooped out more than planned so I could have larger-size cookies.
7. Coat each rolled ball of dough in the sugar-cinnamon mixture and place on a cookie sheet.  I used a silicon mat and lightly sprayed it with cooking spray so that the edges of the cookies won’t burn.  Also lightly tap down the mound of the dough because as it bakes, it will not get as flat as most cookies.  Leave 1-inch in between each for room to spread.
8. Bake for 8 mins until there is a slight crack on the tops of the cookies.  Let them sit outside the oven for about 10-20 sec and then take them off of the pan immediately to relax for another 10 mins before settling them into a tightly-sealed container.

So on Saturday morning when I made my first batch I used the melon ball scooper and they came out really small (the size of the scooper) so I improvised later to add more dough and make them bigger.   That day I made about 60 cookies, of which some had been broken by “accident” only to find their way into my mouth.  Well you know, a baker has to try his/her creations to, you know, test to make sure they aren’t poisonous…   Yesterday with larger cookies, I made about 40 of the cookies, so the yield of cookies depends on how small or large you make the cookies.

So this is recipe #1 of the set of 2 that I will post up.  The cupcakes I have made will be up later when I have pictures for this recipe.  And ta-da, the suspense has been lifted when I say that the cupcakes I made this past weekend were Shirley Temple cupcakes.  Stay tuned for more info on that, and until then, happy eatings!

[edit Sept 15, 2009 @ 12am]
Hey, they’re still soft!   Oh and they taste yummy in hot cocoa or tea. Mmm…

Foodie funk

Ahh I have been shaming myself on this blog.  Shame shame shame on me.  I’m sorry I haven’t been on here much to blog about the importance of yummy food.  I was aiming, at first, to blog everyday either on new recipes, restaurant reviews, or any events that I have gone to that had food.  However, I’ve been kicking myself into school mode since school has started (Aug 24), and have been lacking in this department of food blogging.

I do promise, however, that I will be making not one, but two recipes as desserts by the end of this week (and yes they are very kid-friendly).  Keep a look out for Thursday or Friday for a new post.  I thought I’d let you all know ahead of time.  Now, I don’t want to spoil the surprise because these two recipes will also be for this weekend because it is for my friend’s birthday…and a surprise it will be.  I don’t want them to not be surprised so I’m sorry to say that I will keep you on the edge of your seats as well until further notice.

Look for one of the recipes to be very familiar as you can find them everywhere in stores and restaurants (ie: some type of cookie), and the other to be a cupcake recipe…which should be rather new.  Oh no, I’ve done it now; I’ve given you your hints of the week and blown my cover.  So I guesss until then, happy eating!

Happy Monday!

I’m going to apologize for missing in action for the last few days…  I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain on Saturday with a few of my friends and didn’t get home until pretty much the next day around 2am.  Needless to say, there was also one of my friend’s 21st birthday on Sunday night so I wasn’t able to log on and post my review of Jeong-won, the Korean BBQ place in San Diego, CA.  However, I will be able to post the pictures later tonight once I am done with classes for the day… Done!

Today was my first day at school for Fall 2009 semester..starting at 11am and continuing until 9:30pm.  I hope we get out early in my next and last class of the day because it should be just the syllabus stuff; that is, unless lecture actually begins today.

Without further adieu, let me say a few things about Jeong-won, the Korean BBQ (all-you-can-eat) restaurant.  It is situated in a complex next to a billiards place on Convoy St. in San Diego, CA next to Cathay Bank and an International Cuisine place on the corner. 

It may take a little longer to be put at a table only because the restaurant size is not quite as large as others.  If you have a smaller party (4 and under) you will most likely be able to get a seat first, and if you have a larger party, odds are you will have to wait longer for a big enough table (or many tables put together) in order to be able to sit together.  The prices range from $9.85 (lunch) to $22.95 (dinner), plus tax and each person.  Sodas are $2 and usually with only 1 refill, so I would advise on just grabbing water, as there are 2 selections in the back of the room on their yummy iced teas.  Hot/Cold sake and other alcohols are also there for your selection and reasonably priced.  Their soft-serve is also really good and situated in the back of the room next to the various iced teas.

There are only a few selections available for the all-you-can-eat, but they come in a mass quantity at once.  Say you want some bulgogi (marinated bbq beef), they will arrive raw on a plate with about 10 strips of meat as well as onions, mushrooms, or green bell peppers, so that you can grill them however you would like yourself.  They do, however, have an unlimited supply of your appetizers in little dishes for each person (seaweed, kimchi, daikon, etc.) and korean pancakes, which are delicious, as well as one packed bowl of white rice to accompany the appetizers (you can ask for more if you run out).

[ oops will insert correct picture in later! ]

I always get the bulgogi, seafood combo, and vegetable combo whenever I go.  I once tried the marinated chicken, but found out that it was a bit dry for me while the bulgogi was juicy and tender.  My friends always get the tripe, liver, amongst others when we are there.  Pretty much for dinner at the $22.95 (+tax) rate with an order of water comes out to be $25 (with tax and a tip).  Prices aren’t too bad as you can definitely eat your money’s worth there.

Jeong Won Korean BBQ
4690 Convoy St
Ste 104
(between Opportunity Rd & Engineer Rd)
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 292-4670
jeongwonkoreanbbq.com

Hours: Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Petits Pots de Creme au Mocha & Coconut Curried Catfish

Hi! Sorry for the delay.  I never really noticed how long in a day it actually takes to categorize and upload pictures from my camera & laptop (all spanning 2 years back). Phew.

So the other day I made two dishes, both of which I have never ever made before.  I would first like to thank this book done by Carole Clements and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen: The French Recipe Cookbook because without that book I would not have been able make the mocha pots de creme.  So thank you, but also thank you to the movie that inspired me to keep on cooking.

Anyway, mocha pots de creme is essentially “mocha cream pots”…but doesn’t the first option sound so… how do you put it…fancier? Hehe.  So a few hours after cooking, I presented a sampler of both dishes to my boyfriend, Mike, who is twice as eager to eat anything I make.  Woo!  Usually he scarfs down any kind of food like a guy usually does, but this time he savored the flavors, which meant that the dishes were dang good.  I even tried a sampler myself, and let me tell you that it was like I died, went to Heaven, and floated on top of a pile of food.  I was essentially on Cloud 9.

The mocha pots de creme wasn’t too sweet and a hint of coffee as well as the Baileys that I put in set me in relax mode.  It was the only dish of the two that took longer to cook, only because it was baking away in the oven and I was tempted on eating it right as it came out.  Sadly I forgot that there was to be some time of cooling before I could try some.  But when I could eat it, I dove right in and savored every spoonful.  

Mocha Pots de Creme mocha pots de creme part 2

 

mocha pots de creme...all gone

The coconut curried catfish was so creamy and flavorful the pieces of fish nearly melted in my mouth with every bite.  The curry didn’t make the dish too overpowering as if you add too much that would be the case, and the coconut milk helped soften and balance the curry taste.

Coconut Curried Catfish

Don’t let the picture fool you (of my ending results) because if you had been there, or if we had the technology for Smell-O-Vision, it was divine.  You might be dying to grab these recipes so I took the liberty to type them out for you.  One came from the book, and the catfish I adapted from a recipe I got off of Tastespotting.com, another yummy food website filled with recipes.

          ———————————————— * – * ————————————————

Petits Pots de Crème au Mocha (Mocha Cream Pots)
Adapted from: The French Recipe Cookbook; By: Carole Clements & Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen

 

Serves 8

 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
2 cups milk
1/3 cup superfine sugar
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional; in my case I used Bailey’s Irish Cream; add more if you like)
7 egg yolks
whipped cream and candied cake decorations (garnishing)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Place eight ½ cups ramekins in a roasting pan.
2. Put the instant coffee into a saucepan and stir in the milk, then add the sugar and set the pan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the coffee and sugar have dissolved.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth.  Stir in the vanilla extract and coffee liqueur, if using.
4. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks to blend them lightly.  Slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture until well blended, and then strain the mixture into a large pitcher and divide equally among the ramekins.  Place them in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Bake for 30-35mins until the custard is just set and a knife inserted into a custard comes out clean.  Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and allow to cool.  Place on a baking sheet, cover and chill completely.  Decorate with whipped cream and candied cake decorations if you like.

 

          ———————————————— * – * ————————————————

Coconut Curried Catfish
adapted from cdkitchen.com

Serves 4; Total time: <30mins

1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp flour
1 1/2 lb. catfish, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:
Combine the curry powder, salt, and flour in a bowl and toss with the catfish.  Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 30 secs.  Add the catfish and cook about 3 mins, until lightly browed on all sides.  Add the coconut milk, lime juice and zest, and soy sauce (honestly what I did was lime juice & zest, and then coconut milk and soy sauce so the coconut milk won’t burn on your skillet).  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 mins.  You can also flip over the catfish so that each side is evenly coated with the coconut milk mixture.

I served this dish with rice  because fish goes with rice, and the leftover sauce tastes really good mixed with rice, anyway.

So tomorrow, I will post up some pictures of adventures my friends and I just had recently at an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place called Jeong-Won.  It was so good my clothes and skin still smell like the smoke and marinated meat off of the cookers.  So until next time, happy eatings!

Start of a new journey

Hello world.  Let me first introduce myself to you.  I’m currently 23 and pursuing a degree in Criminology and Justice Studies with a minor in Chemistry.  I have always been a fan and contributor to the food world as far as I could remember, whether or not it was through my eyes of watching my mom or other adults cook, eating at restaurants, or even at my own experimentation with food.

I have been coined, through friends, as the Dessert chef.  Why, you may ask?  My friend Diana, aka: Di, and I like LOVE food and making food.  She does mostly the appetizers and food-food, while I cater more to the desserts.  However, we aren’t just stuck in our own arenas but dive into each other’s as well.  Both of us experiment based on tastes, flavors, smells, and common knowledge of food to make oh, so yummy food.

This will be my blog about my adventures, pictures included, through food.  I will also delve into details on recipes as well for all of the other foodies in the world who would like to make them as well. 

So last night I had the most wonderful opportunity to watch the new movie, “Julia & Julie”, or so I think that’s what it’s called. It’s about the life of Julia Child and a woman named Julie who decides to blog about her one-year journey cooking up all 524 recipes of Julia Child in 365 days. That, in itself, is determination.

I’m not going to ruin the movie, but in the end there is a “happily ever after” moment and we learn just how…awesome.. Julia Child is/ever was. If you’re a foodie like me, you will LOVE this movie. I recommend checking it out.

Speaking of this movie, and as a foodie, I felt inspired to tackle on my version of boeuf bourginon (sp?) as did Julie & Julia Child. However, due to my lack of funds, I’m sure that will wait.

However, all is not lost, and I will thus “experiment” in making a Mocha Pots de Creme for tonight. That’s right, add some expresso and some coffee liqueur (Bailey’s is the only one in my stash so far) and we’re golden. Also, I will be making a certain something with catfish and coconut milk. I have an inkling to steam it in coconut milk so that the flavors can be infused into the catfish, but we will see if I can find myself our steamer.

So today I will be making them, and posting up pictures tomorrow for whomever to see. I also will post up food pictures of past and future events I have gone to. I have this yearning to photograph yummy food; it’s like a weakness. Hehe.

Anyway, it’s about noon-ish and I have to start cooking at some point. See you sometime tomorrow and happy eatings.