Showing posts with label Carmen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carmen. Show all posts

Thai Chicken Rolls

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

In an attempt to save some money I decided to make lunch for a friend and I. A co-worker told me about Thai Chicken rolls and I decided to give them a shot on my day off. They turned out pretty good!!

Before I even touched the chicken, I made the Thai vinaigrette which consisted of peanut sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, and sugar. Smelled scrumptious.



Then I sliced up some boneless chicken thighs and browned them in a frying pan.

Look at that golden crust :)
I let the chicken cool and shredded the bigger pieces by hand. Then I put it in a large bowl with a bag of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) and poured the vinaigrette over it. I tossed it until it was all well combined.


With that done, it was time to wrap. I bought a pack of rice wrappers. Soak each wrapper in warm water until pliable. Scoop some of the filling and wrap it like a burrito and you're just about done!
TA-DA! 

Ditmas Park Adventure

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day! Well, my dad's not home and I woke up early, so Carmen and I decided to meet up to go explore a nearby area.

I'm in love with Ditmas Park.

I can see the appeal of living here. Birds chirping, sound of sprinklers, Victorian houses with their green lawns (because they actually have front yards), the slow crawl of people walking their dogs. Even the drivers are nice. It's one of the rare times I didn't feel like I needed to rush across the street.


The suburban rush really hits you when you start entering the "name" streets. It's not East 1st, 2nd, 3rd Street anymore. It becomes Argyle Road, Wellington Court, and the like. The street names seem to bring out the personality of the homes more. They're no longer just a number!

It makes a perfect Sunday walk to the farmers' market on Cortelyou. The emergence of this Park Slope-esque is relatively new (few years?) but still, I can't believe I've never known until now...considering how close I live.

So it was decidedly brunch at The Farm on Adderley. I got the famed Yelp Fishermen's Eggs and Bloody Mary.


I've never had a bloody mary before so I have nothing to compare it to, but this one had all my faves. Pickle, onions, and tomato juice. The onions added a 'zing' to it, but the waiter confirmed that there was also hot sauce in it. I liked it. The fishermen's eggs were so good. It contained 2 poached eggs, smoked trout, potato latke, and mixed greens. That was not a small portion. I finished the entire. thing. Even the potatoes. I never finish the potatoes!


Then we headed next door to Qathra. I don't drink coffee, but because they're famous for it, I'll try it next time. We sat in the back outdoor area. So pretty! Both of these restaurants would without a doubt be the perfect date spot! It was cloudy at first, but by the time we left, it was sunny and picturesque. Being decor obsessed, I liked the touch of the little fountain with lots of foliage. Anyway, I ordered a regular latte with a smoked salmon sandwich. Yes, I'm aware I just had a meal before this.



The regular latte, well, tasted like a regular latte. It didn't have any sugar, but that was fine with me. The smoked salmon was also very yummy. No complaints. It got very messy though. There was probably a little more cream cheese than necessary. The smoked salmon was very generous. I still had a whole sliver hanging out by the time I was down to my last bite. 

We relaxed there for a while (didn't bother keeping track of time) watching ants and reading magazines.  


Look at all the magazines we brought! Yes, we actually read them. And I took a photo of an ant communicating with another ant because I just felt that "one with nature" in the middle of a neighborhood that had to be too good to be true. Ditmas Park isn't going away anytime soon but I'm sure in a few days, I'm going to wonder why I ever took that picture...

It was a quick walk through the last of the farmers' market, then on to the Flatbush Food Coop that's like a Whole Foods alternative. I got some tea and soap, and it was a Sunday wrapped up before 4.

I've always wanted to live in the middle of the city among skyscrapers, but factoring in the late night barhopping and loud traffic, this slow and quiet kind of lifestyle is a haven when you need to escape from chaos.

I'm addicted!


-Debbie

Recipe: Green Tea Mochi Cake

Monday, June 4, 2012

I was Yelping for places to eat near work and came across Cafe Zaiya. After reading the reviews, I was intrigued and had to go try the Chocolate Mochi Donuts, and let me tell you it was delicious. My co-worker compared it to a zeppole. It wasn't as sweet and puffy as your average donut, it was a bit chewy but in a good way. After trying the chocolate mochi donuts I came across a recipe for Green Tea Mochi Cake. The recipe calls for a cup of butter which has me kind of scared...so I may try to find an alternative to make it a little healthier.I imagine the texture of this cake to be similar to that of the donuts. While I haven't had time to try this recipe out yet, I'm posting this as a little reminder to self to try it out possibly next weekend. Look out for an update next week with pictures. :) Till then, if you're in the NYC area, definitely stop by Cafe Zaiya and get yourself a Chocolate Mochi Donut. They sell out fast!

-Carmen

Lazy Sunday

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Sunday is usually a lazy day for me. I like to lounge around the house in my pajamas and relax before another hectic week begins. Yesterday I whipped up enough chicken parm to last me until lunch today so I didn't even have to cook! All I had to do was reheat my pasta and throw the chicken in the oven to warm up. It was a simple recipe. I threw some garlic and red pepper flakes into olive oil so the oil becomes infused with the flavors, followed by a touch of chicken stock and a can of crushed Italian style tomatoes. Let that simmer for 30 mins and you have your very own marinara sauce. The chicken was pretty simple, you take some thinly pounded chicken breasts, dip it in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs. (I like to use Japanese panko bread crumbs) *Make sure your flour, egg, and bread crumbs are all seasoned.* Then you just pan fry your chicken. Ladle some sauce in a baking dish, put the fried chicken breasts on top, cover with more sauce, and top it with some cheese. Throw it in the oven at 425 until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with spaghetti and sauce on the side.
yumm

It was a tad chilly today and I was craving some hot chocolate. Of course I had a bunch of midterms to study for and did not want to risk having to face the distractions of going out to Dunkin Donuts. I decided to just make some Nutella Hot Chocolate. Heat up milk with however much Nutella you like and that's it. Top it off with whipped cream if you like. I normally opt not to put whipped cream for health reasons but i had a tiny bit left in my fridge so i decided to use it up so I can make room in my fridge.
because everything is tastier in a mustache mug :)
That's all! Happy Sunday everyone! :D Now back to the never ending pile of notes I have to get through before the weekend is over! D:

-Carmen

Recipe : Tiramisu Cupcakes

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

I love tiramisu but always thought it was a bit inconvenient to transport from place to place. After craving it for weeks and weeks, I finally decided to search through my bookmarks to find the tiramisu cupcake recipe I had saved. The first time I made it, an angel food cake base was used. This time around I opted for a different cake base. I followed Martha Stewart's Recipe hoping that she would not steer me wrong. 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
  • 3 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Coffee-Marsala Syrup
  • Mascarpone Frosting
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod.
  2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.
  3. Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined.
  4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Cupcakes straight out of the oven. Notice the poked holes on the tops. 
* For the coffee-marsala syrup, I substituted Kahlua for the Marsala to give it a more authentic tiramisu taste. I also poked holes in the tops of the cupcakes and ladled the coffee syrup over it as opposed to brushing it on. If you are going to do this, I recommend you poke the wholes while the cake is still hot. 

The frosting was quite simple to make as well. I also folded in some Kahlua at the last minute. Be warned...last time I attempted this tiramisu frosting, I added the Kahlua and over mixed the frosting causing the alcohol and mascarpone cheese to have a curdling reaction. I recommend folding it in right before you frost your cupcakes.
Mascarpone frosting with a dash of coffee liqueur.
Frosting piped and a light dusting of cocoa powder later, we have the final product.

Yummm!


The final verdict: The frosting was delicious but the cake part was a bit too dense for my liking. I definitely prefer the angel food cake as a base but if making from scratch it seems wasteful to crack so many eggs just to toss the yolk away. Try this recipe out!! I may just make these again using an angel food cake base once I  figure out a substitute for fresh egg whites. 

-Carmen


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