pound cake

butter butter... and more butter.



traditionally, the pound cake recipe calls for 1 lb of butter, 1 lb of sugar, and 1 lb of flour, hence its name. pretty basic. pretty easy. the pound cake is one of those high butter to flour ratio cakes, creating a dense and buttery treat for those occasional cravings. the recipe has been modified over the years to alter the consistency and taste, and really, who wants to eat a pound of butter?

but THIS... this pound cake recipe is heavier than most on the butter and def Paula Dean worthy. don't get me wrong, i'm sure Paula's a lovely lady whose recipes are well thought out and delicious but when her name comes up, the first thing i think of is a stick butter. but i digress...

After 2 different attempts at slightly varied pound cake recipes, i tried the Entenmann's Pound Cake recipe found here. i must say, after my share of Entenmann's as a kid, i am pretty well acquainted with the buttery cakes, and the final result of this recipe came pretty close.

modified recipe calls for:

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp of vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups of flour
1/2 tsp salt

heat oven at 325 degrees. spray loaf pan with Pam or butter.

beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add vanilla extract. add eggs one at a time alternating with the flour and beat until just incorporated. i added a 1/2 tsp of salt (the orginal recipe calls for none) as salt tends to bring out the flavors in most sweet foods. be sure NOT to over mix the flour into the batter or you'll get a really dense and dry cake.

pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a tookpick comes out with a few crumbs on it.

excellent served with fresh strawberries (and vanilla ice cream, if you have some)! i probably won't be baking this again though. it was DELICIOUS but too buttery. most definitely not a healthy choice of foods but what baked good is healthy?

hmm.. perhaps that is my next mission: to make tasty AND healthy baked treats!

a stranger in the sky

9:03pm | 2009.03.10

i look up at the sky every night
to see the wax and wane of the moon.
all at once mysterious, beautiful, frightening...
the moon never seems to hold a consistent form.
i think it's what frightens me.
the ever changing and uncertain
lack of control
ever luminous until
it sets out again only to return
changed
different
changed
inconsistent
a stranger in the sky i knew
a form i hadn't known before.

weekend musings

it looks like spring has sprung, quite suddenly, might i add. just at the beginning of the week, we had 6 inches of snow on the ground making it seem like March was going to be a frigid month here in Virginia. a few days later, we hit a high of 79 degrees! although i do want to welcome the wonderful warm temps, a part of me is a little disturbed that our climate has reached such extremes.

Monday, March 2, 2009 & Friday, March 6, 2009

it's a little overcast as well as a bit humid but with the change in temperature, signs of spring are surely here. it seems to be mating season as i was woken this morning by the squawking of birds outside my window. the cardinals sound the most feisty today.

Above & Below

let's just hope this spring weather decides to stay with us for a little while before the summer heat kicks in. enjoy!

food for thought...

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

-- Mother Theresa

yam yam yam

one of my earliest memories is of the smell of roasting yams on a frigid winter day in Korea. you would turn the corner and the sweet, earthy, pungent smell would hit your senses making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. well, that's how i remember feeling at least. that scent still brings back memories of that time period, the neighborhood, the kids that i'd play marbles with on a dirt path, and the sheer joy of having a sweet, steaming hand warmer between my cold little fingers....

it's been snowing on and off all day so i thought i'd revisit that memory by roasting some in our oven. the whole house immediately filled with the smell of sweet goodness.



(these are def. yams... i think?)

on a similar note, i've been trying to figure out the difference between a sweet potato and a yam. apparently, these 2 bulbs are not even related!? the sweet potato, which is part of the morning glory family, usually has a thinner skin with a starchy flesh much like a potato. what we all know in the U.S. as yams are thicker skinned with a orange, moist and sweet flesh. however, these "yams" are a mysnomer and are actually also sweet potatoes. (so i'm still trying to figure out what the HECK a yam is)

the word "yam" is of African origin -- njam, nyami, djambi -- meaning "to eat."

i wonder if any of these have any relation to the word "yum" or "yam yam yam" -- the sounds that Korean children make to refer to eating something particularly yummy... hehe... perhaps. ^^

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

HOLY COW! these are good!



so my obsession with baking continues. did i mention how much i hate baking? after many disappointing endeavors to bake the perfect batch of cookies, by God, i think i've come across the perfect recipe. these are DELICIOUS! it probably helps that i was looking through the list of 50 best food blogs in the world and just happened to settle upon #1 to seek out a recipe.

indeed these cookies are delicious and i think i am in shock that i was able to whip up such yummy treats in a short period of time. an easy recipe to follow, resulting in a cookie, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside (as all perfect cookies should be), with a not-too-grainy oatmeal texture. i used just 1 Cup of chocolate chips instead of the 1 1/2 C it asks for, making it bearably sweet. next time i think i'll use even less.



Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Orangette, thanks!)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs best-quality vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup best-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups quick-cook oats, or rolled oats zizzed in a food processor for a few seconds

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter and brown and granulated sugars until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk, mixing until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients, working until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and oats by hand, using a wooden spoon. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour. Use a table knife to scoop and press dough into ¼-cup measuring scoops, and plunk the mounds onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be three inches apart.

3. Bake cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove and Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes.

easy as sunday mornings

i wish everything were as easy as Sunday mornings...
i have fond memories of Sunday mornings as a kid since it was the one day of the week my parents were off from work. we'd wake up to the clanking of pots and pans from the kitchen and the scent of something yummy wafting through the vents. Dad would have Vivaldi or an aria on full volume to fill our small apartment and we'd hear the rise and fall of his deep voice as he reminisced about old times with Mom. while rubbing the sleep from my eyes, smelling breakfast, and hearing the cacophony of familiar sounds, it was the only time i felt completely safe. it was the only moment that i didn't need to worry about or feel responsible for anything. no pretending to be a young adult... just being me was enough.

God, i miss that feeling.

Macaron Attempt #1

....FAIL.

my first attempt at French Chocolate Macarons was kind of a nightmare. i don't think i whipped the egg whites enough to make stiff peaks in the meringue. boo.... resulting in spreading and cracking (and smoking?) and sticking. no good. these ARE NOT easy to make and technique is EVERYTHING. these treats are not something you can just whip up on whim which makes me dislike making them even more. but with any failure i face, i feel like i should attempt it again. the plus side was that these flattened, cracked out macarons didn't taste bad at all. crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside. subtley nutty from the almond flour and slighty chocolatey from the cocoa powder. if they had turned out nicer, i would have made a vanilla cream ganache to make little sandwiches. but alas, these cookies did not pass. perhaps they will be better paired with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert tonight. can't go wrong with ice cream.

Happy Cow hails from Korea

Cows immigrate, too.

Keith Olbermann on Marriage Equality

Keith Olbermann is THE MAN. I cannot express how grateful I am to him for making such bold statements on behalf of the LGBT community and allies. I *heart* Keith! I wish more people could be as passionate and as expressive as this man.

Trust Art

Interesting concept. Great PR and fundraising strategy for artists while investors get a return for publicizing the art. But it is only a brilliant concept when the art is good. in my humble opinion, the art featured in this year's collection is not so appealing. i do not understand what the artists are trying to accomplish. listening to what the artists had to say didn't clarify much either. In order to instill trust in investors, the art must inspire. i was not so.

New Year's Resolutions

a little belated... I didn't have much inspiration or motivation to make them in the beginning of 09 but after an amazing weekend surrounded by wonderful people, the energy of the city I love, and meeting wonderful new people really gave me the courage to look forward with hope. Just a little schpeal on this blog to keep myself accountable.

I resolve to:

1. Choose to surround myself with good people
2. Maintain healthy communicative relationships with those closest to me
3. Exercise for good health-- mind, body, and spirit
4. Offer more words of praise, encouragement, and condolences to those who need it
5. Take better care of my eyes (aka... stop staring at the computer screen for extended periods of time)
6. Take Bailey for longer walks.
7. Spend as much time as possible outdoors
8. Start training again for races
9. Not linger on negative thoughts, people, experiences, conversations.
10. Be more focused and goal oriented w/ out all the distraction
11. Brush up on photography skills
12. Smile more often
13. Listen to more music
14. Dance more often
15. Not eat based on emotions
16. READ BOOKS

the list goes on... and it's all a work in progress always. but to have set goals to work on is an important thing. It shows you and only you how you have failed and what you have accomplished. It keeps you motivated and accountable. but always a work in progress....

mexican wedding cookies

Hold the Macarons!!! I didn't have much time today to experiment with the Macarons so I quickly whipped up a batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies (aka Russian Tea Cakes, Butterballs, Snowballs, Italian Butter Nuts, etc...). Every Christmas (9 years and counting...), one of Mom's customers bakes these sweet melt-in-your-mouth treats for us. They're soft and buttery like shortbread, with a pleasant nutty crunch.

During my trip to San Francisco in early December, Mike and I baked the Christmas version of Mexican Wedding cookies with pistachios and dried cherries (get it? green pistachios and red cherries=Christmas colors? haha! ). They were delicious thanks to Mike's excellent baking skills. The smooth nuttiness of the pistachio went really well with the tartness of the cherry. They were addictive but we made sure to have just one a day due to the 2 cups of butter that went into the whole batch... oh WHY must they be so unhealthy!? (as I bite into another one...)

Here is the recipe that I used for this batch (adapted from joyofbaking.com):

2/3 cup (65 grams) toasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans)

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (30 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar

1 teaspoon (2 grams) pure vanilla extract

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 cup (110 grams) powdered (icing or confectioners) sugar, sifted

Toast Nuts til golden. Cool completely. Grind in food processor or blender with 1-2 Tbsp of flour from your 2 Cups so that the nuts don't stick or become pasty.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the remaining flour and salt and beat until combined. Stir in the nuts. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour or until firm.

Form the dough into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls and place them 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove and cool completely. Roll cookies in confectioners sugar.

Tip: Be careful not to touch the cookies while they're hot because they are delicate and crumble easily. Also make sure the cookies are cool before covering in powdered sugar because the sugar will melt.

i think i've had my share of cookies for today... (gotta hit the gym tonight!)
Bon appetite! :-)

new year's obsessions

much like new year's resolutions, i find that in the new year, i seek new things to be obsessed about. last year, it was electronics (which i couldn't afford). this year, recipes. and god, i hate recipes! clarification: i hate having to follow recipes... a tsp of this, 2 2/3 cupsof that... UGH. I do NOT have the patience to follow meticulous instructions. but for some reason, after i had decided that i was not very good at baking, i became obsessed with perfecting baked goods. so far, with success! at least with the limited baking that i have attempted... baking really is all about understanding the chemistry of how one ingredient interacts with another ingredient all under specific conditions-- hence, following recipes to a T. but scouring the 'net for recipes, i've come across some a m a z i n g food blogs with PICTURES. Glorious mouthwatering marvelous PICTURES! how could one resist trying to recreate such delectable goods? not i. so i have been quite busy in the kitchen these days, spending whatever spare time i have in my daily routine to cook or bake something new.

my new mission:
Macarons

Chocolate Macarons, Photo from www.davidlebovitz.com (one of my fav food blogs)


some of these food blogs that i've been reading through have been really helpful in getting ideas for my kitchen repertoir. i get really excited reading through recipes blogs... ( also happens when i read through cookbooks, which i do quite frequently). it makes me wonder... WHY DIDN'T I GO TO CULINARY SCHOOL?! FOOD makes me so happy! eh... actually, lemme clarify. the PROCESS of preparing food for others makes me super happy.

will update with macaron results!

snow falling on...

....BAILEY (aka Bubba)!

i cannot believe we had our very first major snowfall of the season this late! It was lovely to wake up to... the kind of snow that floats down to the ground in all its powdery glory. and then Bubba had to go pee and poop in it! HA!

from the kitchen

... mochiko muffins! i got the recipe from Mr. B, who baked these for my turkey dinner. i tried making them from scratch last weekend and they turned out awesome! [possibly better than Mr. B's... shhh....]


crisp on the outside. moist, chewy, and sweet on the inside. de-lish.

Happy Lunar New Year, ppls!

recap: the view

.... from within. it kinda sucked! haha... but it was pretty damn awesome to be surrounded by millions, eagerly anticipating the moment that President Obama was sworn in. you could feel the energy building despite the bitter cold.




at this point, i was so happy that i didn't even care that i was filming the sky most of the time. the crowd roared like no other... me included!

history in the making

an incredible day it was! witnessing such a historic moment in the midst of 2 million or so people from all over the country in 20 degree temps brought forth an emotional outpour. while all of us were jam packed into the Mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument and beyond, there was an overwhelming sense of hope for the possibility of change and progression for this country and this world of ours. it wasn't just the US that held its breath upon the inauguration of Barack Obama, but also the world that awaited this change of power and politics.

my recap will come on another day. i'm exhausted from 10 hours of standing in below freezing temperatures w/ nothing in my stomach (my dog ate my breakfast) and a few txt msgs to fuel me throughout the day (thanks!), but here are a few photos...

holy cheeses!

http://www.cheesecupid.com

i've died and gone to heaven. well, not yet... maybe after i try some of these pairings.

If Gaza Falls...

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n01/roy_01_.html

a good article written by Sara Roy, who teaches at the Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies. it gives us a glimpse of the urgency of the situation within the confines of the Gaza strip.

when a territory and its people have absolutely no authority over its boarders, coastline, and airspace, how can it be autonomous? when Israel denies access into and out of Gaza, which includes denying humanitarian aid and food into the territory, how can Israel claim there is "no humanitarian crisis" ???? why is there even a debate? what ever happened to the role of the UN?

word of the day

Urban Dictionary's Word of the Day

birthday: // noun

The day I came out of a vagina

umm... ya think?

feel it coming

That’s it, I’m all better now
Spit up the last of what made me hurt
I feel light as a feather now
At last I finally know my worth

Thought I’d never learn to be alone
Open all the windows wide
Turn the ringer off the phone
Light my orange candles every night

And I’m wishing on a new moon
Something better’s coming
It’s coming soon….
I feel it coming, I feel it coming, I feel it coming...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
refreshing and inspiring... reminds me of how i felt that one summer day after a downpour in Cambridge... beauty finds its way in such varied ways...

Mochiko Goodness

*edit: this is the correct recipe! i gots a good memory. will post pics if and when i bake them.

must write down quickly before i forget!

Mochiko Muffin Recipe:

1 box of Mochiko
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick butter
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 can red bean paste (reserve)

mix dry ingredients together. mix wet ingredients together. add wet to dry. pour mixture into muffin pan, filling each cup halfway, add the bean paste and then fill the rest of the cup with the mixture. bake at 375 degrees for 30 mins.
A friend baked 20 muffins and brought them over. They were gone within the hour.
Delicious! moist! chewy! and not too sweet!

will confirm if this is the correct recipe. even if it's off by a little, it's mochiko so you can't fail completely (says the girl who often fails miserably at baking).

turkeyed out.

What a fabulous weekend of hot home cooked food, vino, and good company. I hosted my first turkey dinner on Saturday preparing the works for a crowd of 12 with the help of my trusty assistant - aka... little sis, J. I cooked my very first turkey which turned out succulent, juicy, well seasoned and just lovely. And I normally dislike turkey. a lot. When we host Thanksgiving dinner at our place, someone else always brings the turkey. Sometimes, the turkey is soggy or just plain dry and bland, which I'm sure many of you have experienced. It's a turn off and most people prefer chicken over turkey any day. But I was determined to prove to my guests that turkey could be a delectable experience with the right methods and some tender love and care.

I started scouring some recipes online but in the end, I had to be true to myself. I hate following recipes step by step, measurement by measurement.... I don't have the patience for it most of the time because cooking, to me, is about experimentation and deconstructing good food that I've tasted in the past. I've gotten to a point where I can list out the ingredients in food I taste so that I can throw it together in my own kitchen.... all of which is why cooking is such a liberating experience. It gives you the freedom to apply your palette, test your skills and have a little fun while you're at it.

So I won't give you an exact turkey recipe but a brief run down of the important stuff:

Started with a frozen 16 lb turkey, defrosted it in the fridge for a day and then defrosted the rest of it in a tub of water for another 5 hours. * Afterwards, instead of brining (letting the turkey sit in a salt bath to season), I covered the turkey in coarse Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn inside and out. * I left it in the fridge wrapped in plastic for 24 hours. The salt draws the natural juices of the turkey to the surface and perfectly seasons while keeping it juicy. * After a day of chillin' in the fridge, I washed the turkey, patted it dry and applied a butter herb marinade (2 sticks butter, fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper) under the skin of the turkey. (I felt like a surgeon doing this as it was quite messy and in need of a steady delicate hand when separating skin from flesh while spreading the marinade.)



I placed chopped apple, mushrooms, garlic, and celery, with a sprig of rosemary into the cavity before tying the legs together and sewing the cavity shut. (This also required surgeon hands.) * Afterwards, I salted and peppered the skin again, layed the rest of the chopped fruits and veggies around the bird and poured 2 cups of turkey stock into the pan. * It went into the oven preheated at 325 degrees and stayed in for about 3 hours and 10 minutes, basting every 45 minutes or so. * When the thickest part of the meat reached 160 degrees, it was done and I took it out of the oven to lay to rest for about 30 minutes while the juices redistributed throughout the bird.


(Please disregard the random feet that loom above the delicious turkey.)

The result: Fantabulous. Moist. Tender. Seasoned. It was damn good.

Along with the yummy turkey, the meal consisted of mushroom gravy from the drippings, mushroom-rosemary-apple-cornbread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, wok seared green beans with sesame seeds, corn and green bean casserole (made by J!), candied yams, cranberry sauce, sweet potato tempura, gaht kimchee (made by Mom)... all from scratch, all within a span of 4 hours.

some more action photos:


Above: Sister J (sounds like a nun, no?) taking pride in her casserole. Below: Photo of me taken mid jump/dancing for joy and blinded by the flash. I danced to techno in the kitchen the whole day. No incriminating photos, thankyouverymuch.


Happy neighbors!

It was a lot of great food with tons of leftovers... def. a lot to make with just 2 pairs of hands in the kitchen but it was worthwhile. The best part of cooking is being able to share the goodness with friends and family, never without a bottle of wine of course, and always over good conversation, sprinkled with lots of laughter. This recipe is fail proof. :-) Cheers!

SHOOOOW ME THE BURGERS!!!!!!

funny enough, i have never been a huge fan of burgers. however, i will admit, they can be damn good on certain occasions. when i have my burger cravings ( like i'm having now), i'm looking to experience that mouth watering satisfaction that comes with each bite. food also allows me to revisit specific memories and good times. i think that's the greatest joy i get out of cooking and eating out with good company. these burgers are no exception. without further ado... a few reasons to start salivating...


1. Mmm..... White Castle. Greasy yet fluffy, laced with onions, a slice of dill pickle, ketchup and mustard, these little burgers are perfect for consumption in 4 bites or less. Did you know that White Castle was the first fast food burger joint in the US? WC opened its doors in Wichita, Kansas in 1921. Wichita??! I always think of the grand 'ole state of New Jersey when I see these slyders. (YEEEAH~~ Harold & Kumar!!!!) I must say, these are the perfect little late night snack after a night of drinking. Something about salt and grease remedies hangovers oh so beautifully. (note: the hairy hand pictured above is not mine, thank you very much.)



2. MMmmm.... the first time I ever had an In-N-Out Double Double, it was 9:30am. I was famished. And I sure as heck wasn't going to leave the west coast without having one of these famed burgers. Plus, my friend, HY, had RAVED about this joint for too long for me to pass up. De-light-ful. The fresh, made-to-order, slightly seasoned, juicy patties were def. the best fast food burger I had ever had. Hands down. No wonder there are so many fans out there. (Eh... They even sell In-N-Out paraphernalia.) I had such great food while I was in SF so I wasn't sure if we'd be able to fit a double double in but it was mos def. worth the 9am trip. Oh, what I would do to access an In-N-Out for lunch today! *stomach growl*



3. Mmmmm.... the first Five Guys opened their doors in 1986 in Arlington, VA but only began franchising in 2001 in the DC Metro area. I recall seeing the quick expansion of the burger joint in Northern VA and DC with lines out the door. They've begun further expansion into NYC (West Village) and other neighboring cities. A much better alternative to McD's or BK. Still fastfood. Still greasy. Still yummy. Difference is that it's all fresh, made to order, you can ask for any topping you want for free, and they serve complimentary peanuts while you wait. haha! Best eaten at the restaurant as the bun stays fluffy and soft and the fresh cut fries are still crispy and hot. I think the sizzling fries with malt vinegar is my favorite part of the experience. *drool*

The MMMmmm Factor:

White Castle: Mmmm....
In-N-Out: MMMMmmmmm...
Five Guys: Mmmmmm....

Hungry?

hello again!

i've decided that it's time for something new and different. i usually turn to blogging when i need to get rid of writer's block (or an excuse to procrastinate). i have found myself needing to write a lot these days for various projects so i also find myself increasingly trying to remedy the barriers that one faces by writing to a cyber audience... my tremendous and anxiously awaiting audience of all 4 (+ or -) of you! ...and mostly just verbal diarrhea but it always helps to unblock the junk up there (and yes, down there, too). wait, what are we talking about again?

so no, contrary to the title of my page, this will not be a blog full of all the juicy gossip i have stored in my head, but more of a page to share with all 4 of you my interests in food, cooking, traveling, politics, books, city/suburban life, etc and commentary. but come visit often enough and i'll have a juicy something or other. enjoy!

now onto something more serious:

President To Face Down Monster Attack, Own Demons In Action-Packed Schedule