If I Stay

I finished this book by Gayle Forman a day or two ago. It was beautifully written and very sad, but it didn't really give me new food for thought. It did, however, remind me to appreciate all of the people in my life who I love and who love me. That's always a good thing. Overall, this book was a wonderful read, even if it wasn't a major mind stretcher.

Oyako Donburi

This is one of my favorite Japanese dishes!

Recipe from Almost Bourdain.

Serves 2

Ingredients
2-3 cups cooked Japanese rice
1 boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-size
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 eggs, beaten lightly
½ cup dashi stock
1 teaspoon of mirin
1 teaspoon of Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
Salt to taste
Some chopped shallot for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, bring together dashi stock, shoyu, mirin and salt. Pour half of the mixture into a small shallow pan. Bring to boil.
2. Add in half amount of the chicken and onion, cook until almost done.
3. Pour in half amount of the lightly beaten eggs in a thin stream over the chicken pieces.
4. Add in shallot and cover the pan. Allow to simmer until the egg is almost set.
5. Gently slide the chicken and egg onto the top of rice in a bowl. Repeat the same process for another serving.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

I just finished this book by Patrick Ness. Unfortunately, I can't write about this yet either, as I am supposed to be at work soon...

It is later and, since I can't entirely remember my first impressions of this book, I will post parts of the email I wrote to my boyfriend immediately after finishing the book:

I finished the book. I somehow ripped through 479 pages.

It was good, but it ended with a cliffhanger, curse it! It's a series, so I'll need the next book, but the book after that that won't be out until Sep 2010, so I'm reluctant to continue for now, like I'm reluctant to read the next book in the Hunger Games series. I want to draw them out. haha.

I enjoyed this book (The Knife of Never Letting Go - by Patrick Ness - it's part of the "Chaos Walking" series), but I have to say it didn't hit the exact same spot as Hunger Games. This book gives me some things to think about in terms of information overload, but certain parts of the books seemed to be slight cop outs to me - or... they weren't as complicated or profound as I was expecting. Maybe in the later books they will be elaborated upon.

I don't think either Hunger Games or this Chaos Walking series is good for kids like Harry Potter was... in HP there were times of safety and times of just... relaxation. In these books, it's nearly perpetual fear, paranoia or near-panic. Makes me a bit too adrenaline-y to sleep.

Emanuel Ungaro Fall 2009

Taichung Metropolitan Opera

Finally! Some architecture to post about! And of course, it's a project by Toyo Ito.

Images from Inhabitat.com.

Deep-Fried Bananas

Anyone who has gone with me to a Thai restaurant where a fried banana dessert (with ice cream! and honey!) is served knows that I love this dessert!

Recipe from Seasaltwithfood.


Ingredients
12 Ripe Bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 2 pieces (the sweet Burro banana or plantains)
Peanut or Vegetable Oil for deep-frying

120 g All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Sugar
½ tsp Sea Salt
25 g Desiccated Coconut
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
300 ml Water

Directions
Combine all the ingredients for batter and mix well.



Pour enough oil into a saucepan or a in deep-fry on medium to high heat. Coat the bananas with the batter and fry until golden brown in color. Remove the fried bananas with a slotted spoon and drain on papers and serve warm.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

I just finished reading this, but it's so late I don't think I'll be able to write properly about it. I will write in the morning!

Let's see... it is far past the morning. It's much later. Let me see what I recall about reading this... I know that I definitely enjoyed the complexity in the writing of this book. I loved the many ideas presented, and they definitely gave me something new to think about. It was incredibly well-written and does what the book itself does - digs into the past and confronts it so that the past does not remain hovering, haunting over you. I appreciated this book, but it did not move me as viscerally as I like my favorite books to. I know, you must think I only enjoy the commercially appealing books that include cheap thrills or emotion, but I don't think that's true. I think incredible, well-written books can be complex with ideas and well-crafted in a way that fully envelope you into the story and grab you into it. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books. Perhaps if I shared the history that this book speaks of, it would have moved me further.

Berkeley Food

I was just reading a blog that mentioned French scrambled eggs (really soft, moist eggs cooked slowly over a double boiler - where the water has been brought to a boil over high heat, then the heat lowered to a simmer and the bowl over the water buttered before eggs are poured in to cook). This made me think of the many things I miss in Berkeley...

• Cheeseboard
• Bakesale Betty - the fried chicken sandwiches, the scones and cookies
• La Note
• Venus
• Chez Panisse
• The Asian Ghetto (Steve's BBQ beef, Gypsy's Godfather's favorite and the calzones, chicken chow mein from the restaurant in the far right corner, Thai Basil's pad thai or pineapple fried rice, King Pin donuts, Sweetheart's boba milk tea, Quickly's green tea with green tea jelly!)
• Strada Cafe - the apple cloud dessert
• Betty's Oceanview Cafe - the soft-cooked egg omelets
• Ici - lemon ice cream with a hand-rolled cone
• Lulu Rae's Confections - the lavender hot white chocolate
• Cheesy sticks from West Coast Pizza (incredibly greasy, but fantastic!)
• Potato Puffs from Gregoire
• Nation's grilled cheese sandwich and banana cream pie
  

To be continued...

Kettle Corn

Kettle corn is probably one of my favorite things to eat. =)

Recipe from SavorySweetLife.

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels (mushroom kernels!)
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

*Special Equipment – A large pot with lid

Directions
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add popcorn and sugar giving it a quick stir and then cover with lid. Once popcorn starts popping, pick it up and give it a quick shake every few seconds until popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. Do not make the mistake of removing the pot from heat without transferring to a bowl. Due to the high heat of the pot, if you don’t transfer the popcorn it will caramelize and perhaps burn.

Tips
3 kernels of corn should be added to the oil in the pan at the very start. Only after those kernels pop should the rest of the corn and other ingredients be added to the hot oil. Do this instead of adding the popcorn to cold oil and heating it together (which saps the popcorn of needed moisture).

More so than any other popcorn, Mushroom Popcorn kernels are very heat sensitive. They need higher heat (over 400F) to pop with the explosiveness necessary to get that big puffy ball shape, and to get it from the overwhelming majority of the kernels in the pan (which should be the result).

Hair accessory!

ADAM

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I just finished another book today. I told you I've been inhaling books. Anyhow, I loved the way Anderson writes in this book. It leaves an impression. She phrases things in ways that I would never have thought to. It's a great book about depression and the inability to properly communicate things that need to be communicated. The matters of high school were hard for me to relate to, but as I'm sure I'm older than the target age of this book, I guess that makes sense. It's a rather heavy book for teens, but books like this are the kinds of books people need to read to balance out the endless nauseatingly sweet books. It reminds you of reality.

Apple and Cinnamon Mini Pies

There is no way I could have resisted.

Recipe from Technicolor Kitchen.

Ingredients
Pastry:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
1/3 cup (75g) cold unsalted butter, chopped
1-1 ½ tablespoons iced water

Filling:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
2 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon golden raisins
½ teaspoon corn starch
½ teaspoon water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon milk
granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Directions
Start by making the pastry: process the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. White the motor is running, add enough iced water to form a smooth dough and process until just combined. Knead the dough lightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Now, prepare the filling: place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until melted. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and raisins and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cook for 5 minutes or until the apples are just tender. Place the corn starch and the water in a bowl and stir to combine. Add to the apple mixture and cook, stirring, for a further minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter four 9cm tartlet pans.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of non stick baking paper, until 3mm thick, and cut eight 12cm circles from it. Line the prepared pans with four of the dough circles – make sure you leave a tiny overhang of dough. Divide the filling between each pan and top with the remaining dough – make sure you seal the filling well inside the tartlets, sticking the overhand of dough and dough circle together, pressing the edges with the back of a spoon; otherwise the lid might get loose after the pies are baked.
Use a small kitchen knife to trim the excess and to score the tops of the tartlets. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Makes 4

Warm Spinach and Mushroom Salad

I know my inspiration lately has been heavily food related, but architecture, most likely as a result of the recession, has been lacking these days. There aren't nearly as many projects anymore.

Recipe from Global Table.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
12 oz assorted mushrooms (Iused 4 oz French Horn Mushrooms; 8 oz Oyster Mushrooms)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp olive oil, plus 1 Tbsp for the last step
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 lb baby spinach
1/4 cup slivered almonds
salt, pepper

Directions
1. In a large skillet over medium high, saute mushrooms in 3 Tbsp olive oil until reduced and golden brown. Add garlic. Saute a few more minutes, until fragrant. Add raisins. Deglaze with white wine.

2. Add spinach and turn off heat. Toss for a few minutes to wilt. Transfer to serving bowl. Toss with slivered almonds, 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

Chinese Sticky Rice

My grandma makes this every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always want to get the recipe from her, but forget every time, so when I found this recipe, I realized it would be a perfect second option! My grandma puts little dried shrimp into the rice that nobody likes, so it was good to see that this recipe does not contain them.

Recipe from Noodle Fever.

Ingredients
2 cups of sweet rice, soaked for 2-3 hours
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves of garlic
3 shallots
2 stalks of green onion
3 links of lap cheong
2 links of pork sausage
1½ cups mixed mushrooms
10-12 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and diced
1¾ cups water and/or mushroom soaking liquid
1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Chopped green onions and cilantro to garnish

Directions
1. Mince garlic, dice shallots, slice green onions. Chop up your lap cheong into small dice.

2. The wild mushrooms kind of got lost in the dish, so I'll probably skip them next time, and just use shiitakes. If you're soaking dried mushrooms, submerge them in just enough hot water to cover, let them sit for half an hour, and save the liquid to add to the rice. Dice mushrooms.

3. If you're using water chestnuts, peel off their tough brown skin, along with any mushy or rotten bits with a sharp knife, then dice. Don't make these too tiny, or they won't retain their crunch. Definitely do not substitute canned water chestnuts. These are watery and soft and will ruin rather than improve the texture of the final dish. A few stalks of diced celery would make a reasonable substitute.

4. Heat oil in a large wok, then add the shallots. Let them get slightly brown, which should take about four or five minutes. Toss in the garlic, and then start squeezing in your pork sausage, throwing the casing away. Break the sausage up into small pieces (I like to use two wooden spatulas for this step) and cook until browned on all sides. Toss in the rest of your chopped ingredients: mushrooms, green onions, water chestnuts, lap cheong, and give them a quick stir.

5. Drain your rice. Dump this into the pan and mix well with the other ingredients. Then turn off the heat and transfer the whole mixture to your rice cooker. If you soaked mushrooms, pour the reserved soaking liquid into a measuring cup. As you pour (slowly), check if there's any grit from the mushrooms in the soaking liquid. Stop pouring before the grit makes it into the measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1¾ cups total. Add this to the rice cooker. You can also just use water for this step.

6. Add soy sauce. Hit cook. This took half an hour in my rice cooker.

Toasted Mushroom Pasta

This looks amazing... I guess I really like pasta...

Recipe from Gimmesomeoven.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. fresh mushrooms (approx 2 cups), cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 oz macaroni, or other pasta
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Directions
Heat a large heavy skillet over very high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan. Sautee the mushrooms until browned, but not cooked all the way through, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the parsley, garlic, oregano and cook for another minute or so. Pour in the wine and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and remaining sauce to a bowl, and set aside.

In another large skillet or saucepan, add the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil and the butter. Add the macaroni and stir it constantly until it is a deep golden brown (this should take about 5 minutes). Be sure to watch carefully, as the pasta can go from toasted to burnt very quickly!!

Once toasted, pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the pasta is al dente, or almost tender. (This should take approximately 10 minutes.)

Stir in the mushroom mixture and cream and cook for a few more minutes to let everything come together in a beautiful creamy, but not claggy sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and pepper. Taste for seasoning, add salt if needed, but the parmesan is usually just salty enough. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh parsley, and more parmesan if you’d like!

Books I've been reading lately...

This post should actually be called "books I've been choking down in the last month." In attempt to soften the blow of post-college reality, I've been immersing myself in all types of fiction. Just so I can keep note of what I read, I felt like it'd be good to list the books here. Maybe I should keep track of my movies as well. Anyhow, my favorite book so far, obviously, is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I loved this book. I read it with such fervor and it took me longer than usual to detangle myself from the clutches of the book's world post-read. To me, that signifies effective writing. This book intrigued me so much, I have decided to purchase the entire series, but, as the 3rd book does not come out until August, I've been holding off on beginning the second book in order to space out the novels a bit. I could write lengths more about this book and the ideas it presents and the joy of its characters, but, for the sake of brevity, I will restrain myself.
2. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom - I did not expect to enjoy this book very much. I generally enjoy Mitch Albom's books, but I figured this one would be very similar to his previous ones, with an added aggravating religious message. This did not turn out to be entirely true. It was not irritatingly religious. And, while it helped me remember to prioritize certain things in life, it was also not radical in its messages. It was a mild read, though, as I am incredibly sensitive, I did find certain parts touching.
3. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown - This book was a wild disappointment, as I usually enjoy Dan Brown's books. The characters and plot were entirely unconvincing. While it brought new issues concerning the government to light for me, its overall execution was greatly lacking.
4. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon - I was really interested in this book and, while it was well-written and enthralling, I guess it didn't quite strike the perfection chord with me. Not that I should be comparing books with similar subject matter, but in terms of portraying autism in a riveting plot, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night was far more successful. Though, I'm sure Ms. Moon was aiming for thoughtful, rather than riveting.
5. Trouble by Gary Schmidt - This surprised me with how well-written it was. The characters, in some aspects, could have been placed into even more complicated theories and situations, but, as this is a teen novel, their problems were somewhat simplified. Regardless, I enjoyed this book and found that it addressed rather pressing race issues in a satisfyingly, non-cheesy manner.
6. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix - I literally just finished reading this book about a half hour ago. It has an incredibly consuming plot. I shirked several duties tonight in my need to find out what would happen next in the book. The same sense of mystery and suspense that kept me reading, however, wavered a bit near the end. I enjoyed reading this book, but it did not offer as much food for thought or character development as Hunger Games did. Regardless, I will probably read the next installments in the series, as it supposedly concerns historical fiction, and I love historical fiction! Onwards!

Lavender Hot Chocolate

Ever since I tried the Hot White Chocolate with Lavender at Lulu Rae's Confections in Oakland, I've been hoping to get the chance to return and try it again. My friend Jayson and I drank it one cold night, near the holidays and it completely lit up my day. This recipe, from a la mode, consists of dark chocolate instead of white, but I hope it's as delicious! I can't wait to try it soon.

For a creamier hot chocolate, a 1 to 1 ratio of dark to milk chocolate can be used. Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
3 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao)
1 ounce milk chocolate
1/4 teaspoon lavender buds

Directions
Heat milk and lavender over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the milk begins to simmer. Remove from heat and let lavender steep for 5 minutes. Strain lavender and return milk to saucepan. Over medium heat, add chocolate and mix until chocolate is melted and incorporated. Whisk milk mixture for 10-20 seconds until frothy. Pour into mugs or bowls and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Natalie Portman

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

My mom and dad love oatmeal. I think this would be the perfect thing to make for them on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Recipe from Une-deux senses.

Yields: about 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup steel cut oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups milk
2/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped into bits (I used Granny smith)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla

Healthier version:
- exclude the brown sugar
- reduce cooking oil to 1/8 cup
- add another 1/3 cup applesauce
- maple syrup to drizzle on top

For the apple pie topping:
3 medium apples (I used Granny Smith)
2 tbsn. unsalted butter
1 tbsn. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of allspice

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking dish, set aside. In a large bowl combine the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar (if using). In another bowl, combine the milk, applesauce and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix to combine. Fold in the apple bits and then place mixture into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently stir the mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

To make the apple pie topping, heat the butter in a medium saucepan until melted. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Saute until desired consistency and slightly caramelized, about 5 - 7 minutes. Serve the hot oatmeal with the apple pie topping and/or some sugar-free maple syrup!