the past few weeks in quotes
"this is my favorite pen. try it."
"...ohhh, that's nice"
"right? i love the way it feels."
"i feel like i just cheated on my sharpies"
"best i've ever had"
---
"any dressing?"
"honey dijon, please."
"you don't need any more honey"
"i'm sorry?"
"you're so sweet already"
---
"sometimes it's right to do the wrong thing"
---
"there's a skinny girl inside me dying to get out but i can usually shut her up with a box of cookies"
---
"what a marshmallow"
---
"why are asian girls so beautiful? you're perfect from head to toe"
[later, to nancy]
"i'm going to marry your girlfriend. probably not tonight, but in the future"
---
"k, don't talk, right."
---
"the human heard is an idol factory"
---
"she smells nice...how can you resist that?"
---
"people grow out of trees and have superpowers in another world"
"these good fairies are getting all of the good shit. something bad has to happen to them."
---
"i love pot because i love being scared and hungry at the same time"
---
"i think cake was invented as a way to eat frosting without looking like a pig"
---
[metaphor for delivery vs. digiorno]
"your baby is dead but then you found it in the gutter, ALIVE."
---
"i get so stupid when i get hungry"
---
devouring new york city: desserts
CAPPUCCINO and NY CHEESECAKE
The Plaza Hotel
SOMETHING DELICIOUS
Max Brenner's
RED FIRE CHOCOLATE TORTILLA
Vosges Chocolate
SWEDISH CANDY (and Nancy)
Sockerbit
half-eaten COCONUT CUPCAKE
Magnolia Bakery
TIRAMISU
Bar Stuzzichini
LIEGE WAFEL
with strawberries, bananas, walnuts, nutella//speculoos spread, whipped cream
Wafels & Dinges
<3
half-eaten CAYENNE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
in a cone lined with spicy peanut butter
Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
DARK CHOCOLATE BANANA CUPCAKE
Sprinkles Cupcakes
1:35 am
COUCH POTATO
Just watched RED the other day while I was in New Jersey. Helen Mirren is such a badass.
I need a new show to watch. Olga and Morgan suggested True Blood but from what I've gathered, it's essentially a mash-up of Twilight and Heroes and there is a character who makes other people have orgies when she vibrates...I'll think about it...
GIRL CRUSH
Emma Stone. Admire her confidence and wittiness
SHOPPING LIST
Fedora
Wedges
Shoulder Bag
Sephora gold sparkly nail polish
TERRIBLE MEMORY
Today, I saw this guy standing in front of me in line at Starbucks. I swear know him from somewhere but I just can't remember where. It's driving me crazy.
CANNOT leave NYC before going to
D'Espresso Cafe
A Poetry Slam at Nuyorican Cafe
The Brooklyn Bridge at night
OBSESSED with
Pinterest
ALSO
where did all of my time go?
WHICH REMINDS ME
So much for regularly updating my blog over the summer...
I'll post some pictures soon. let's start with food...
Just watched RED the other day while I was in New Jersey. Helen Mirren is such a badass.
Can't wait to watch Crazy Stupid Love. Emma Stone AND Ryan Gosling AND Steve Carell? Yes, please.
GIRL CRUSH
Emma Stone. Admire her confidence and wittiness
SHOPPING LIST
Fedora
Wedges
Shoulder Bag
Sephora gold sparkly nail polish
TERRIBLE MEMORY
Today, I saw this guy standing in front of me in line at Starbucks. I swear know him from somewhere but I just can't remember where. It's driving me crazy.
CANNOT leave NYC before going to
D'Espresso Cafe
A Poetry Slam at Nuyorican Cafe
The Brooklyn Bridge at night
OBSESSED with
ALSO
where did all of my time go?
WHICH REMINDS ME
So much for regularly updating my blog over the summer...
I'll post some pictures soon. let's start with food...
Union Square to Madison Square
........ ....... ...... .... ... .. .
It’s a warm and sunny Wednesday afternoon. Retail stores occupy 18th century buildings next to modern office spaces. A few men in business suits hastily weave their way around slowly wandering tourists with their heads in the air and armed with their maps and cameras. Passer-bys speak in English, French, Korean, and Russian. Standing at the intersection of 14th Street and Broadway at the South West corner of Union Square, it is evident that the square is the junction of much more than just 4th Avenue, formerly known as Bowery Road, and Broadway for which it was named.
The area is lively and bustling with a sea of different people and the sounds of busy traffic. Given its central location in the city, the square has been a prime venue for commerce, entertainment, and cultural and political events since its transformation from burial grounds to a public square in 1839. During its earlier years, the neighborhood was largely a residential area for the elite and home to esteemed brands such as Tiffany’s. Towards the end of the 19th century, the square became popular grounds for labor protests, political rallies, and other mass gatherings. It was here, in 1882, where the first Labor Day Parade was held (Sennett, 163-175).
Although the square has transformed into a largely commercial area, remnants of its past still remain. While scanning the buildings surrounding me, I notice new and modern structures that have been built and retail stores now occupy the 19th century skyscrapers. What was once the Century Publishing Co. in the 1880s Queen Anne-style building is now a Barnes & Noble Bookstore (Follett). The former Germania Life Insurance Company Building has been transformed into the esteemed W Union Square Hotel. The Union Square Savings Bank is now used as the Daryl Roth Theatre, showing modern performances such as Fuerza Bruta. Other commercial stores such as Whole Foods and Staples surround the square, as well as a collection of popular restaurants (Union Square Park).
Serving as the cross-section of many subway lines, the square continues to be a prime gathering place for people. There is a very fast-paced and energetic atmosphere, magnified by the whiz of people and cars passing by, the sounds a man playing his guitar on the sidewalk, and the digital timepiece that counts down the seconds until midnight. I make my way over to the steps of the square where a crowd has gathered, passing a group of skateboarders practicing their Ollies on the sidewalk, vendors selling paintings and mangoes in the shape of flowers, and a few tables of chess games on the way. Everyone is watching as a group of three young boys spin in circles on the ground in sync to music that is blasting from a boom box.
As impressed as I am by their talent, my attention is averted by the smell of freshly baked bread that wafts in my direction, something I cannot walk away from. I am guided through a stretch of lawn to the North West side of the square and am met with kiosks lining the edges of the pavement displaying baked goods, fresh produce to handmade gifts. I recognized this as the popular Greenmarket that is held a few times a week, attracting people from all around the city. Beginning in 1976, the Union Square Greenmarket has grown to become New York’s flagship farmer’s market where artisans can sell their locally produced products (GrowNYC). As I stroll down the path mixed with tourists and locals both young and old, I see a bread stand that seemed to attract a particularly large group of customers. Their selection is extensive but my decision is narrowed down by a local who recommends that I buy their Cranberry Walnut Bread, insisting that it is their best. Eventually, I reluctantly leave the Greenmarket and head towards 5th Avenue.
The street is lined with midrange retail stores and specialty restaurants, including Mesa Grill owned by the famous Chef, Bobby Flay. The sidewalks remain crowded with satisfied shoppers carrying their purchases from Anthropologie, H&M, Zara, and the like. One could easily spend a whole days worth of shopping on this small strip of 5th Avenue alone.
Just when I begin to feel like the commotion of Union Square is behind me, I am enticed by animated sounds of laughter and chatter emerging ahead, signaling me with its twinkling lights. Various restaurants had set up small kiosks along the perimeters of a patch of pavement called Worth Square to sell a few items from their menu. Apparently, I had stumbled upon an ongoing event called Madison Square Eats, a popular spot where business people come to relax after a day’s work and friends gather for a bite to eat and a drink.
A much calmer yet still vivacious Madison Square sits right beside Worth Square. Named after James Madison, the square opened as a public park in 1847. It is home to many iconic buildings that make New York City what it is today such as the Flatiron Building, the first two Madison Square Gardens, and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Building, which was the tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1909. In the late 19th century, the square served as one of the city’s most elite neighborhoods but lost much of its former vitality towards the end of the century when the wealthy moved uptown.
The City Parks Foundation renovated the park in the 1990s and it has now re-emerged as a lively area in the center of a revitalized business district where residents and people who work nearby come to relax (Madison Square Park). Though the park is bordered by numerous office buildings, restaurants, and retail stores like Union Square, I find the area to have a more laid-back vibe and decide to sit down on one of the many benches that line the pathway running through the park. On the bench next to mine a man reads a book while enjoying the summer weather. A number of people pass by with their dogs on their way to the dog park. Children run around on the playground to my left. Couples stroll aimlessly but contently down the pavement. At the far end, I spot a line that wraps around an entire side of the park waiting for a burger or shake at the Shake Shack, a permanent food stand that is never without a line. In front of me is a large sculpture of a face, a temporary piece of work by Jaume Piensa entitled “Echo”, the only thing that left me feeling a little unsettled because of its enormity (NBC New York). Though businesses largely border the area, the lively yet tranquil and friendly energy of the park has drawn an increasing residential crowd.
Circling back to 5th Avenue, I trace my steps back to Union Square. The Greenmarket is gone now and a group of salsa dancers have taken is place. Though people and events come and go, the steady hum of cars and chatter continue and the steps of the square remain populated. My walking tour was only one mile in length but was packed with numerous attractions pulling me in every direction. I know I could have walked the same path again and encounter a completely different and exciting experience.
new york city
time is a scary thing.
it never seems to pass at an agreeable pace. when i am wishing it's tomorrow, i swear the hands move counterclockwise. but when i am loving every single second, hours slip by unnoticed.
i can't believe it's been nearly two weeks already since i've been in the city. i miss home but i'm beginning to love it here and we all know what that means...too soon i'll be home missing new york. there's so much to do here, it's slightly overwhelming. but i'm going to try really hard to find time to document my adventures and stories of notable encounters while i'm here.
ch-ch-ch-ch-chia
These muffins are perhaps the healthiest thing I've ever baked.
After finally getting my hands on some Chia seeds, I've been wanting to try using it in baking. Now that exams are finally over (yayyayyyskdjajdlkoei!!!!), I can go crazy with my beloved chia. Originally, I was planning on making a chocolate fig muffin but after I dumped in the cocoa powder, I realized that we had eaten all of the figs...not surprising. Luckily, we still had some frozen berries in the freezer. Since I was too lazy to find a good recipe using chia seeds, I decided it would be fine to trust my instinct (ha..) and sort of just threw everything into a bowl so the measurements below are really rough estimates. Surprisingly, they turned out crunchy on the outside and really light and fluffy on the inside and not dense and glutinous like I feared as a result of using little/no sugar and butter.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 large egg
1/3 cup honey
6 tsb chia gel
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
a few tablespoons of cocoa powder if you want
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup berries
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together the greek yogurt, chia gel, honey, vanilla extract, and egg. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, oats, wheat bran, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the berries. Spoon the dough into 9-10 muffin cups. Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. attack.
(my sparing amount of cocoa powder gave it a funny color...)
Daisy Cakes
left: Choc full o’ Passion Vanilla bean cupcake filled with passion fruit cream and topped with milk chocolate frosting
right: S’mores Chocolate cupcake filled with ganache and topped with toasted meringue and graham cracker
I've been meaning to stop by Dasiy Cakes since the beginning of the school year when I first heard about it but didn't get around to it until recently. Their shop is a big, shiny trailer located in a small parking lot on the corner of some random street in the middle of downtown. I love the vintage small-town, local neighborhood shop vibe it has. I've only tried a couple "gourmet" cupcakes before but I'd say these definitely take the lead. The cupcake bases themselves were good. They were more dense than box cake mix and the outside had that irresistible crunchy crust. In my opinion, the filling was what made these cupcakes better than other i've tried. The passion fruit cream was...amazing. It was light and creamy and actually tasted exactly like passion fruit. gah, so good. As for the ganache filling in the s'mores cupcake, yeah...impossible to deny that, especially paired with the toasted meringue topping. Reminds me of the pwild and campfires. (:
I brought these home to share with the family. Yes, they diminished quickly. sigh, if only i could eat desserts guiltlessly like this everyday.
defining happiness
a few photographs by Rodney Smith. love the playful and optimistic yet playful approach to his photographs.
currently...
the first day of spring break (really? already?)
in a food coma from home-cooked deliciousness overload
mourning over tonight's duke-unc game
watching inception
browsing recipes with matcha green tea
i just bought some matcha green tea powder from the asian market today and already used it in the japanese cheesecake i made for dessert. (i think i like japanese cheesecake better than regular cheesecake. it's like...cake meets cheesecake, like a denser, moister version of sponge cake. light and airy, but also creamy at the same time. almost melts in your mouth. yum yum yum). so excited to use it in my collection of about a million recipes that i think would taste good infused with some green tea.
some inspiration by michelle...
death by chocolate
Yes...I realize that this is the third consecutive chocolate-related post in the past month...Given my incessant craving for chocolate, I should probably be diagnosed with addiction. I can't go a day without a dose of some form of chocolate. It's just...so good.
(me on Valentine's day...yeah, it was bad...)
But ANYWAY, back to my intended subject...
In light of the recent NY Times article deeming Durham (surprisingly) as one of the top 41 places to go in 2011, I decided it was time to actually venture outside of campus and discover the mysterious unknown. Okay, not that dramatic. But in all seriousness, I knew of a few unique and worthwhile places in Durham and I'd occasionally go to the farmer's market but I had never really explored the "revitalized" Durham that supposedly has a bunch of outstanding restaurants and cafes scattered around downtown. Partly because I'm lazy and partly because...no, yeah that was my only excuse. Pathetic, I know. When I actually did get over my laziness, I thought I'd start out with one of the places mentioned in the article. Scratch bakery is this cute little bakery/dessert shop on some random, hard to find street (probably because I suck at directions) in downtown. Everything looked SO GOOD. How good? That sea salt sprinkled dark chocolate croustade good (see above pictures). It was half gone before I could take a picture of it. My friend also had their molten chocolate cake, which was also to-die-for. literally. almost. It was fudgy and molten-y on the inside and the edges had a slight crisp to it...basically the perfect combination.
okay...must find some chocolate now...
the milk bread project
It's times like these when I wish I had better photography skills.
"when in doubt, go all out"
-kickboxing class 2.14.11
for some reason i feel this could potentially be very dangerous in certain situations...like food.
brownie break...
oh hello second semester, you snuck up on me unexpectedly. why are you suffocating me with endless amounts of work already?
must de-stress...
so I sort of played around with pattycake's original black bean recipe and turned it into a black bean cheesecake brownie bar with peanut butter, walnuts, chocolate chips, and a crumbly oatmeal crust. or something exactly like that but with a more creative name. definitely creamier than the original, and i love the additional overwhelming amount of other random add-ins. if i was skilled enough to make a decent oatmeal crust, then i could probably eat this everyday.
winter break
my winter break breakdown:
40% sleeping
30% cooking/baking
20% eating
10% food blog surfing
yeah...lots of food...
I literally spend hours upon hours drooling over mouthwatering pictures of food on foodgawking, tastespotting (thanks to nancy!), seriouseats, the wednesday chef, cannelle et vanille, livlife, david lebovitz, food52, the pioneer woman, pattycake, and other similar deliciouss sites...
oh how i wish i could be an amazing photographer and make delicious food and take hypnotizing food pictures..sighh..oh, and also have incredibly high metabolism so i can eat all of these foods without turning into a whale.
While I was in Washington, I also spent a lot of time learning traditional Taiwanese dishes from my grandmothers. pictures soon! (hopefully)
craving right now...
oh how i wish i could be an amazing photographer and make delicious food and take hypnotizing food pictures..sighh..oh, and also have incredibly high metabolism so i can eat all of these foods without turning into a whale.
While I was in Washington, I also spent a lot of time learning traditional Taiwanese dishes from my grandmothers. pictures soon! (hopefully)
craving right now...
Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey
chocolate peppermint cheesecake bars. (oh my goodness...*dies*)
oh yeah.. i want to try nutella brownies sometime when i have nutella. it's basically..pure nutella...YUM. seems to me like a college kid staple food.
i really want an occasion to wear heels and a pretty dress. if only it wasn't so cold outside! (it's actually sleeting right now..the worst). this frightful weather calls for warm, chunky sweaters that i don't have. also want more feathery things! love.
currently reading...
A Clockwork Orange
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
...my goal was to finish these before break ended but that didn't really work out, of course. new goal. finish before..uh.. february?
stumble upon...
yes. i realize that i spend an unhealthy amount of time on the computer. should probably change that and go out and be active or something...tomorrow.
for now, apparently english teachers across the country amuse themselves by making a collection of analogies from their students' papers. but these are actually hilarious...
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides
gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
2. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
3. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
4. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
5. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
6. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
movies watched...
salt.
hm...i think that's it actually.
ok...movies i want to watch...
black swan (even though it's scary...)
country song. because it has leighton meester and i've watched too many of its trailers to not watch the whole thing.
morning glory.
tangled.
the tourist.
also officially finished all three seasons of greek and lots of csi.
what a productive break!
happy 2011! (10 days late)
(:
what i dream about...
Do you ever wish there was a rich, delicious dessert that was actually healthy for you and not just empty calories? I definitely do...all.the.time.
well,
wish granted.
I'm always perusing, trying, and altering different recipes to make them healthier. I finally found one that is simply to die for: black bean brownies by pattycake. It's rich, chocolatey, fudgy, moist, melt-in-your-mouth, everything you want in a brownie. It does have a little bit of a grainy texture due to the black beans but it's sort of concealed by the creaminess of the brownie...I actually kind of like it. My family and I finished almost all of it within a couple hours after it came out of the oven. Definitely going to be a staple dessert recipe.
recipe
I altered Patty's recipe a little bit to accomodate the ingredients I had at home. basically just substituted the coconut oil for olive oil.
2 cups cooked black beans
2 large eggs
1/4 cups agave nectar
1/4 cups brewed coffee (or Kahlua liqueur)
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cups olive oil
1/2 cups cocoa
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cups chopped dark chocolate
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend together black beans, eggs, agave nectar, coffee, vanilla and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together cocoa, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in chopped chocolate. Pour mixture into a greased 9" x 9" pan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
my mom calculated the nutritional information using this program that she has:
One 55 gram (about 1/15 of the whole batch) serving contains
156 Kcal, 4.4 gram protein, 3.2 gram fiber, 4.3 gram sugars, 9.7 grams fat (mainly from the olive oil and 4 oz chocolate chunks)
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