Ummm...

So I was going through my earlier photo albums on iPhoto and lo and behold! An album of my earliest red velvet cake!


At first I was taken aback. I thought, "who made this shitty cake?" And then it hit me; in my family of five, there are only three people that bake; my mother, who's creations are beautiful, my sister, who does it out of a box, and me.

Can we please look at this again?


How ugly is that?

Not to fear though, the time stamp reads October 29th, 2008. Which means I have three years under my belt and I will prove to you in a timely manner that I'm capable of baking cakes that doesn't look like someone vommed all over giant round steaks.


Here is the recipe, courtesy of the Food Network, and my shining light, Paula Deen:

Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients:
Red Velvet Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cocoa
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 (1 ounce) bottle red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Cream Cheese frosting:
1/2 cup margarine ( I know...since when does Paula use margarine?)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 box confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped lightly toasted pecans

Directions:
For the Cake:
Pre heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) round layer cake pans.

Sift flour, baking soda and cocoa together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl mix together oil, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla. Add to the bowl of eggs and sugar and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture by alternating the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Always start with the flour and end with the flour.

Pour batter into pans. Tap them on the table to level out the batter and release air bubbles. Bake for 2 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake though, or you'll end up with a dry cake!

Let the layers cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out of the pan. Cool completely before frosting. (This is VERY important).

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Let margarine and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Cream well. Add sugar and beat until mixed but not so much that the frosting becomes "loose". Add vanilla and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.

NOTE: The above recipe is from the Food Network, but there are a couple things I would like to add; frosting always tastes better when made with butter. I've had frosting made with margarine or crisco, and I'm just not a fan. Furthermore, before frosting the cake, it's important (or helpful) to do a "dirty frosting". It's also known as a "crumb coat"; apply a thin layer of icing to the top and sides of the cake, and put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Take it out, and frost the cake. "Dirty frosting" makes it easier to frost the cake without worrying about the crumbs.

Hope you have fun!
Steph

Restaurants (a heads up for juniors choosing internships)

For the past few weeks I've been waitressing (lunch service) and bussing (dinner service) at a French Bistro in the South End for my Senior Internship.
It's been really fun and I love the people I get to work with; easy-going, multi-lingual sweet and sarcastic beings.
Another really great thing about interning at this bistro is they feed me really well.
Just, not that well.
And I was interested in learning more about the restaurant business.
I came out appalled.

I was disappointed (and disgusted) to find that they recycle their bread baskets (after cutting off the "touched" ends) to make bread pudding, and asparagus butts (in addition to regular asparagus) to make "special of the day" cream of asparagus soups.

And don't even get me started on their "clarified" butter.

paradise cakes

Paradise cakes are banana chocolate chip pancakes with coconut shavings sprinkled on top.

Good, but not euphoric.

just bored ya know?

So I made spaghetti.

Breakfast Sandwiches

At some point during the school year, the WHS caf has decided to make the transition from sausage patties that have the same diameter as the english muffins to sausage patties with diameters that are significantly smaller than the english muffins.

I was a bit saddened by this discovery, as I am one that enjoys a 1:1 bread to meat ratio with my sandwiches and burgers.



How do you feel about them?

BuRg3rZ

Edom nomming on a burger from Flat Patties (33 Brattle St, Cambridge).

So yum.

I met the owner sometime in December; it went something like this.

My friend and I walked in on our way home to pick up some napkins for her to blow her nose.
The owner walked up to us and goes, "You guys think you can just use the napkins without buying anything?"
Of course we were caught off guard and profusely apologized. Good thing he was kidding.
He described the process of making the burgers (local beef, home-made buns, etc.) and gave us frozen custard samples (madagascar vanilla-to die for).

You should go there.

I really like it because the burgers aren't too big; they're not a challenge to finish for the average hungry hippo.
Also, they toast their buns. (That's the way I like 'em.)

Love you all,
Steph

So today

I went to the gym.
And then I went to In A Pickle in Waltham (655 Main Street).
It was kind of funny because it was right next to The Elephant Walk (663 Main Street).
The Elephant Walk has little elephants walking together on their window.
But that's not why it was funny.
It was funny because I went to The Elephant Walk for lunch after my many ortho appointments in the past year and a half (yes, after I got those braces tightened), and I never noticed the breakfast joint.

Are you laughing?

I'm not. It stopped being funny when I typed it out.

So at In a Pickle I had the Mexican Omelette, Margo had the Western, and Kristi had a chocolate chip and banana pancake with oatmeal.

I enjoyed their homefries slightly more than the one's at Mel's 310 Commonwealth Road. In retrospect, I enjoyed them much more than the ones at Mel's, because Mel's replaced their regular homefries with some thinly cut potatoes that makes me sad. But their banana crumble makes up for it.

You know what made us upset though? There were six people that came after us that got seated before our group of 3.

Like, we were hungry.
You know that feeling you get when you have 3rd lunch, but you usually have 1st lunch, so your body thinks it'll get food in at 10:14, but you actually don't get any until 11:28?
Yeah. That.

But that fact was ameliorated by the fact they gave us legit butter, not the single serving kind in tiny plastic thingys.
I love butter.

Also, props to Margo and Kristi for whipping me into shape (literally at the gym, and having me update the GG blog).

Things I Hate

Those of you that were lucky enough to have Mr. Banker for Honors American Lit last year remember the end of the year speech. The speeches were our last assignment for the year, about 5 minutes worth of time to say anything you wanted to; to share, to explore, to ponder, to expose, to vent, etc.
Of course I chose to vent.
And of course, I talked about the things I hate.
This is a growing (and extensive) list of things that irk me, to things that I vehemently abhor. They ranged from body odor (seriously, CVS has deodorant for $5 a pop) to Jew jokes (though I find Asian jokes hilarious.)
But you know what I really hate?
Food élitists.

I don't hate them necessarily. I just highly dislike them, and occasionally want to punch them in the face when I meet an especially arrogant one.
Hear me out.
By "food élitist" I mean people that refuse to eat at diners, fast food joints, street carts, unlabeled hole-in-the-wall restaurants because it's not "good enough" for them.
These are not people that choose not to eat at these places due to "health concerns" and "lack of décor". These people are more concerned with the price of the menu.
What the hell?

Chicken. With 40 Cloves of Garlic.

I find this post hilarious, because despite the name of the dish, I took no time to take pictures of the garlic.
All 40 cloves I painstakingly cleaned and peeled.

I told my mother, "Mother, do they not sell pre-peeled garlic at the super market?"
To which she replied, "My dear daughter, those have a "bad garlic" smell to them; it's much better to peel your own,"

So it took me an extra 5 minutes to prep.

Woe to my world.

A even bigger woe, as I had to cut a whole chicken into ten pieces. By "I", I mean I cut the drumsticks and then couldn't figure out how to amputate/dislocate/lacerate the rest of the poultry, so my mom did it.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen:
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Yield: 4 servings.
1 3- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
About 40 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned broth.
1. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Place a deep, nonreactive skillet or Dutch oven over high heat, and add oil and butter. When fats are hot but not smoking, add chicken pieces skin side down and cook until skin turns an even, golden brown, about 5 minutes. Work in batches, if necessary, and carefully regulate heat to avoid scorching skin. Turn pieces and brown them on other side for an additional 5 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Bury garlic cloves under chicken to make sure they settle in one layer at bottom of skillet. Saute, shaking or stirring pan frequently, until garlic is lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add wine and stock, scraping bottom of pan.
3. Cover and continue cooking until juices run clear when a thigh is pricked, 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve chicken with garlic and pan juices and, if desired, rice or sauteed potatoes.

I only have reds and riesling in storage, so I ended up using vermouth, which is a FAR CRY from a dry white. I don't even know why we have vermouth.
I find the darnest things in my pantry sometimes!
But the fact I used vermouth makes me want to cry thinking of it. It's like when a recipe calls for panko crumbs but you decide to save $3 and make your own by toasting white bread crusts and putting them through the food processor...except maybe worse.

Next time I would DEFINITELY use a dry white though; the vermouth wasn't overpowering, but I have a feeling following the recipe would have led to a simpler dish.

Where are the pictures you ask? Not here...yet.

P.S. Vermouth is quite good if used with shrimp, a little garlic, and fettuccine.

Eat well,
Steph

Monday Night

Mother dipped some strawberries into chocolate.
Unfortunately, the strawberries were kind of ugly.

Still yum.

All I wanted was cassava balls...

And they didn't have any.

For winter break our family trekked down to Cancun; with a little urging from me to Poppa Lee (lamenting my rejection from WashU and the inevitable fragility of my mental health), the trip was booked.

I'm only half joking.

In any case, the last time I visited a warm weather destination, I discovered the wonders of cassava balls, and fell in love.

So obviously on this trip, I was planning on stuffing myself silly with some quality cassava balls: deep fried, sweet, and sticky. The innards somewhat resembling freshly made rice cakes, but better. And Cancun did not have any.

:(

I was so sad that I whipped out my euro textbook on the beach and cried while Sufjan Stevens sang to me:


And I felt a little better afterwards.

HI KRISTI!

Here's Margo, Allyson, Kristi, and Chelsea.

You can tell they're all really excited.

That was because we had squash ravioli's and veal/chicken mess (?) and Caesar salad for dinner with yellow cake with chocolate frosting and ice cream and Crunch bars and Kit Kat bars and Hershey's kisses and we played Just Dance and got our fortunes told and the fortune teller said I'll meet Sufjan and it made me really happy oh and Kristi was also extremely surprised and shocked and it was great and this is such a run-on sentence it's not even funny.

Oh god, but the squash ravioli was SO good. I can't describe how delicious it was. It was just so much yumminess.
Who's a good writer now?

Happy early 18th Kristi!

I shall be back posting posts circa December/January in the next few days.

Keep eating,
Steph

Coffee: Friend or Foe?

Once again it is Sunday night/Monday morning, and I am wide awake.
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

I'm just going to say...

The patty melts at Friendly's=bomb dot com.

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 Brunch with the Lee Family

By the Lee family, I mean my 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

Theo's

Oh hey Sarah and Vicky!

Getting ready for the game eh?

On the table:
-bacon cheeseburger
-fries
-pizza
-chicken fingers with BBQ sauce (not shown here)

Theo's also has huge pieces of baklava for $3.

I love burgers and baklava!

As far as powderpuff went, Weston beat Wayland 25-6.

Eat more,
Steph

tim. tam. slams.

It's 12:29 a.m. and what am I doing?

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/).

Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Wicked

By wicked, I mean all things good.

These good things include:

Gruyère, garlic, bread, garlic, heavy cream, and nutmeg.

Gruyère: It melts. Similar to how I melt whenever I hear "To Be Alone With You" by Sufjan Stevens. Sigh.

Garlic: I love garlic. I like it cooked so it's sweet and caramelized, and I also like it raw when it's spicy and a wee bit painful on the tongue.

Bread: Complex carbs are good for you.

Heavy cream: I'm really not sure about this one, except that it's used when making icing, some brownies, and soups. I like how it's called "heavy cream" not "light cream" or "lo-cal cream".

Nutmeg: Goes in pumpkin pies. That's about as far as I know.

Pop the munchkin in the oven for 2 hours, and voilá!

If I were to change things, I would add more bread and reduce the amount of garlic (I used 4 small cloves).

But I don't think I'll ever make it again; my family doesn't appreciate my stuffed pumpkin, and though I love eating, I can't bring myself to polish off four servings worth of ooey-gooey, rich, pumpkin/cheese/bread/garlic fare.

Would you make this? Would you eat it? Would you feed it to your loved ones? Or to your enemies?

Please respond (in English) to my queries below, in the comments section.

If you decide to forgo this option and respondez dans une autre langue, c'est pas de probleme parce qu'il y a Google Translate.

Test me.

LOVE my Gastros 4 lyf3

Steph