Sunday, December 19, 2010
Coffee: Friend or Foe?
I swear, I'm not one of those crazy, self-diagnosed insomniacs; it just happened I didn't listen to my own good conscience or my college coach and left my sad little supplements to be for the last minute.
He warned me, "those things sneak up on you pretty fast," and I just thought to my lonely self, "oh, but I'm so happy these days! Glitter! Butterflies! Sufjan Stevens! My first A on a DBQ! I'll get them done!"
Three weeks have passed, and here I am.
Currently, I am procrastinating.
Today, I write to you about coffee.
First, I have a really cool mug:
It is a souvenir from my Iowa days; that's right, I lived in the beating heart of America.
Where corn grows a plenty, and the skies are robin-blue.
The baseball players (and the corn) become visible once hot liquid is poured into the mug.
How did I come to acquire such an object?
Apparently the movie Field of Dreams was shot in Iowa, and our family visited the baseball field.
I don't even know why. No one in my family has watched the movie.
No one in my family (with the exception of Jen) has any significant hand-eye coordination skill.
Well my dad does, and thank the lord, as he's a surgeon. But I don't think this hand eye coordination carries over to sports.
(NOTE: golf is not a sport).
Anyways, I got this mug as a souvenir, and my sister got a dorky locket necklace.
If you haven't guessed by now, I use the mug to drink coffee.
Yay coffee!
I can talk forever about this beverage; this goes from personal stories in which coffee has played a role, embarrassing moments, to disjointed fragments of erudition from my AP World Coffeehouse Debate sophomore year.
Here are some boring stories--
Personal Story:
During one of my alumni interviews, I had clover-brewed coffee from Starbucks for my first time.
I don't even know what clover-brewed means, but it was amazing.
The interview also felt like a blind-date, because I didn't know what the guy was supposed to look like, thus, I was reduced to making eye contact with every 20-something male that walked through the Starbucks in Boston's Financial District.
Not as unpleasant as it sounds. ;)
To be realistic, it was quite unpleasant/anxiety-producing because I was worried he wouldn't be able to find me/forgot about me/missed me/didn't know I was asian despite my last name because I didn't say 'hello'/make the first move etc. etc.
At the end, the interview went well (a subjective statement on my behalf, so I don't really know), and the clover-brewed Venti warmed my frigid digits during the whole two hours so I wouldn't have to sit on them like a total dunce.
Embarrassing Moments:
I spilled coffee on my scarf and my boots one morning in the library (the same morning I was covered in glitter because my Beowulf project needed much, much glitter).
On the bright side, my scarf smelled really good (yum coffee!), and my boots are that awkward beige/light brown shade that one can never be sure if it is clean or dirty.
In retrospect, I don't consider this situation embarrassing, but I guess other people would.
But some of my friends laughed at it, so I guess that qualifies it as an embarrassing moment in my life.
This also happened in the high school library.
I don't think Ms. Metcalfe knows.
Please don't tell her.
Remnants of Knowledge from Sophomore Year:
Excuse the picture, which is geographically inaccurate in context of the next few sentences:
I got to write a pretty sweet affidavit as a coffee stall owner in the Arabian peninsula.
You know, the usual deal: recanting the story of how a goat herder noticed his goats acting crazy, how the monks used the beans to stay awake for long prayer sessions, etc. etc.
The Coffeehouse Trial was just a swell party.
So is coffee a friend to society? I would say yes.
However, it is a diuretic, and it makes you frequent the bathroom quite a bit.
So really, is coffee an endearing friend that allows us to work longer hours, or just a cumbersome pest?
Discuss, discuss, discuss!
P.S. It would bring me great joy if you re-read this post in a NPR voice.
Also, listen to this interesting story on the economy and the cappuccino:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/12/17/132115320/after-the-crisis-an-economist-reconsiders-cappuccino
You can never have too much caffeine,
Steph
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
What I did With My Leftover Turkey.
I made a turkey chopped salad with spicy avocado dressing! (Shown above with Cape Cod potato chips).
The recipe calls for jicama which is a crazy big plant (the size of a 12 year old's head) that slices like a potato but is quite clear and almost flavorless.
It's really crunchy and refreshing.
I swiped the last one at the grocery.
EPIC WIN.
I didn't add cilantro because I passionately dislike the pungent herb, so I used parsley instead.
I also found the onions to be a tad too spicy, so I would rinse them in cold water or just use less for round two.
I also think yellow peppers would be a good addition as far as color goes.
Serves 4.
Here's the original recipe, courtesy of epicurious.com, who got it from Bon Appétit:
Ingredients:
1 large avocado, halved, pitted
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups diced turkey
1 cup diced peeled jicama
1 cup diced red onion
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Romaine lettuce leaves
Directions:
Scoop avocado flesh into mini processor. Add lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, and olive oil and process until smooth. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.
Mix turkey, jicama, red onion, bell pepper, and 1/2 cup cilantro in large bowl. Add avocado dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide lettuce leaves among plates. Spoon salad into center and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cilantro.
Enjoy,
Steph
P.S. Do you guys even read my blog?
Ketchup Chips Revisited
I don't even know what to say.
Remember way back when when I lamented the lack of ketchup chips stateside?
Well LOOK AT THIS NOW.
Athina sent me this photo earlier today; photographic evidence that ketchup chips are alive and well in Massachusetts.
Please, don't crinkle your nose and scoff "eww", because, and I quote, these chips were "so good" and they are worthy of "stock[ing] up" on.
Go eat your leftover turkey.
Steph
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday Brunch with the Lee Family
I thought I should that just incase.
You know, because it can get pretty confusing at times because Lee is such a common last name.
Like, one would think it's safe to assume that the name "Lee" indicates asian ancestry, but then there are caucasians with the familiar last name (Rober E. Lee of the Confederate Army anyone?) that just screws you over, and now you're sitting there and going "What since when?".
At which point I direct you towards google.
Well, Poppa Lee decided to resurrect our Sunday morning chow festivities back from the halcyon days of 2005 (circa summer camps and multiplication charts).
We used to have a legitimate feast every Sunday morning, complete with grapefruit, blood oranges, melons, watermelons, some yellow korean fruit that doesn't grow on American soil, biscuits, bagels, danishes, bacon, ham, potato salad, noodles, and probably kimchi. I don't remember kimchi being there, but it wouldn't surprise me.
I mean, let's be real here.
I'm Korean. My family's korean.
A Korean meal is never complete in the absence of kimchi.
Anyways, this time around our family of five decided to plop our jolly selves down at Henrietta's Table (One Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA) for brunch.
This is where one can consume raw cheese, multiple pâtés, smoked salmon, herbed smoked salmon, bagels, crackers, mashed butternut squash, broiled atlantic salmon, fried polenta, rib eye from the carving station, waffles, omelettes, chicken, danishes, chocolatines, some green vegetable i didn't like, roast eggplant/carrots/you-name-it-it's-there, and of course, the brunch favorite, egg benedict.
There were a lot more vegetables, but that really isn't my thing so I wouldn't know.
And you know what's really great about Henrietta's Table?
Other than the delicious meal and semi-attractive, Russian-accented waiters?
The dessert table bitches:
You are currently drooling over the strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and chocolate mousse cake.
My sister had this, and I had cheesecake, pumpkin crème brûlée, and somethingsomethingdulce that I forgot the name of.
All before 2 in the afternoon.
Delicious.
Eat like champions,
Steph
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Theo's
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
tim. tam. slams.
Reading the online AP Biology textbook of course.
And blasting Sufjan Stevens. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwuT6m5roU).
The obsession has yet to subside.
I'm also doing tim tam slams.
I realize it sounds pretty illicit, but it is as harmless as the American oreo cookie dunk.
The tim tam slam is the Australian equivalent, but much, much more fun.
I got these at Omni (right across from the fish section). I'm so happy.
Now here you are given choices: either bite them on two diagonal corners...or bite them on each end so it will be horizontal.
Partially immerse the biscuit into your hot drink of choice (hot chocolate, coffee, tea, butter beer, Miruvor etc.)
And suck on the other end as if drinking the beverage through a straw.
When the liquid reaches your lips, quickly devour the biscuit.
It's much more chocolatey and entertaining when consumed this way, rather than just straight from the package.
Do you guys like them?
Also, if you knew what Miruvor was without googling it, show yourself, because we MUST be friends.
Keep snacking,
Steph
P.S I'm totes rockin' Asian Student Union's "Fight the Flood" bracelet in most of these pictures. Get yours for $3 and support the cause! Proceeds will be going to Doctors Without Borders, my favorite NGO and future employer (i can dream)...(http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/).
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Wicked
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Breakfast at Mel's
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Lord of the Rings
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
PUMPKIN CUPCAKES.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Missing our Northern Neighbour
In Canada, it is possible for one to purchase a bag of Ketchup chips.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Cupcakes...and my Sunday morning.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Breakfast #2
I was totally craving this Stonewall Kitchen salsa that someone brought to my World Lit. class for a culture presentation, but I forgot it's name and it made me very sad.
Friday, October 8, 2010
TONIGHT.
I'm having swordfish!!!!!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Survey Results
Monday, September 27, 2010
Eritrean: Asmara
Sunday, September 26, 2010
PAD THAI
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
albino raspberries (golden raspberries)
Monday, September 13, 2010
pulled pork in new york! (what I had this Saturday)
Monday, September 6, 2010
hungry people.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A Warm Welcome to You All
Hello everyone!
Welcome to Gastronome Guild. The Guild is where we, the high school students, can get together to share recipes, photos, and anecdotes relating to our triumphs and travails with food.
Whether it be in the kitchen or at a restaurant, we’ve all been there: gel food coloring clumping with the flour, grease fires, failed tomato slices, amazing chilean sea bass, rude waiters, can’t-pass-up guacamole, and so much more.
Here at Gastronome Guild, we’ll post Do’s and Don’ts, restaurant reviews, pictures, and quick recipes (for all the procrasti-bakers out there). And we won’t be able to do this without your help! Send us things at gastronomeguild@gmail.com, and expect to see it up in this blog real soon!
Also, unlike traditional Weston High School clubs, we will not regularly meet on Wednesdays. However, we will have monthly outings to restaurants, baking parties, and other activities that may fancy our well developed taste buds.
So all of you teenage epicureans and gastronomes out there:
If you ever feel the urge to procrastinate, visit us here; and stay as long as you like.