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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!

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 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.

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!

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!

1) They're better than onions (more anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins)
2) High in Vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, folic acid; good source of calcium, iron, protein
3) Aids brain function and helps prevents Alzheimer's disease
4) Easily digested
5) Lowers blood sugar levels for those with diabetes
6) Cancer prevention: liver, stomach
7) Boosts immune system
8) Thins the blood to help prevent against cardiovascular diseases
9) Promote liver health
10) Makes skin look younger

I have a whole array of weird eating habits, but I consider myself lucky to have habits like these that keep me balanced next to the 12" pizzas that I swallowed the other day.

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:

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. 

I remember that episode on Friends when Monica tries to recreate Phoebe's grandmother's cookie recipe who claims to have gotten it from her grandmother, "Nestlay Toulouse". Hahahaha, I love that episode.

ANYway, I was eating my cereal, Post Grape-Nuts and discovered a cookie recipe in the back of the box. The only reason I even bought the cereal was it said FREE COOKIE INSIDE! Which I naturally ate before even opening the cereal packet.

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup Post Grape-Nuts cereal

Since it’s President’s Day, classes were not in session today. I woke up early afternoon craving pancakes but 10 minutes later and some sniffles (almost done recovering from a week-long cold) confirmed what I really wanted was a bowl of congee.

I’d never bothered learning how to make congee even though it was a breakfast staple growing up. I only made my first and only plain congee last year when I was in the mood for something bland. But this time, I wanted something with more flavor. My dad’s a really good cook and I still like watching him do his thing in the kitchen. One of his culinary tips is to cook the spices/herbs first to bring out the flavor, buttttt I don’t think that’s a secret. For us, that usually means it’s either the scallions, garlic, or ginger. So I used ginger. Why? I don't know, cultural instinct? :)


I sliced about 2 inches and put it in the pot as soon as I turned on the fire so the water had time to soak it in. I also added a few dashes of salt to the water for taste. To save time, I did my prep work while the rice was boiling.




I was too lazy to leave the house so I only worked with what was in the refrigerator. What I have here are baby carrots, cilantro, and because I did not have any scallions, I used onions. As soon as I finished cutting them up, I transferred them all to the pot.