washi tape phone bling

I'm running out of things to decorate in this place! I figured my phone case could use a little jazzing up, so I took on this minute-long project...and now I sit, twiddling my thumbs.

In other news, you MUST try this waffle recipe sometime in your life (Ham and Cheese Waffles from bon appetit). I made some this morning with girlfriends and we devoured them all before I remembered to take a picture. I definitely prefer my meals to be more savory than sweet, so if you're anything like me, I promise you will enjoy these :)

thai chicken pizza

With lots of help from my friend FC, I spent most of my Saturday afternoon making this Thai chicken pizza with peanut sauce. Twas delish! At first I was afraid that my chicken was too dry (I had covered it in olive oil, salt and pepper and baked it at 350 degrees for 30 min) but once coated with the sauce and baked for about 10 minutes, everything was juicy and delicious.

If I was to do this again, I would recommend using only 1-2 tbs of fish sauce in the peanut sauce, as we found it to be a little too overwhelming (although a little extra coconut milk was enough to take it down).

spicy bean sprout soup

Apparently this is an excellent remedy for hangovers. I found out it's also great when it feels like 4 degrees outside.

In addition to the basic ingredients, a lot of recipes out there include dried anchovies and/or kelp for a more flavorful broth. I'm not a fan of anchovies and I didn't have any kelp on hand, so I can tell you that it also tastes pretty good without either. You just need something in addition to the bean sprouts and you'll be set.

taiwanese cooking jackpot

I've been complaining a lot about the lack of websites dedicated to Chinese and Taiwanese recipes, especially when compared to the vast number of sites dedicated to Japanese and Korean cooking. No more excuses are allowed however, as I've recently stumbled upon the Taiwanese version of Maangchi, Taiwan Duck. The site is relatively new and only has about 40 recipes, but there are videos for each and nice pictures of the end product. The first thing I'm going to try is the hot and sour soup... except I might be allergic to white pepper - still trying to figure that out.

image via Taiwan Duck

There's also the site Taiwanese Cooking which I'm a little less impressed with (I mean, really... Cranberry Chicken Salad Delight?)

KYAHHHH let's go :D

brunch & friends

I think brunch is one of the greatest things ever. It's a delicious opportunity to simultaneously eat sweet and savory, it occurs on the weekend, and it's cost-efficient because you save yourself a meal.. or two.. depending how late (and how much) you eat.

I also thing potlucks are great. Any social event involving food already ranks high in my book, but an event where you can just make one dish but eat several is perfection.

And so I decided to host a brunch potluck. Partly because one of my New Year's resolutions to be more social and partly because I wanted to make sweet potato and sausage hash. I ended up not having enough time to get the sausage (decided cleaning the bathroom was more important), so I suppose I'll save that for another day.

We went all out with our parfait station, breakfast burritos, roasted potatoes, pumpkin bread and mimosas! I still don't have wine glasses, so we drank them out of mugs. It was still really great. Also fun fact, my couch is the perfect height for my dining table, thus giving me SO. MUCH. SEATING!

Thanks friends :)

Pumpkin Spice Loaf Bread (courtesy of DC)

3 cups flour 2 cups raw sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin (puree not pie filling) ½ cup water 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ½ cups dried cranberries ¼ cup unsalted walnuts 12 muffin cups

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine raw sugar, melted butter, oil, eggs, pumpkin and water. Beat for 90 seconds, or until well mixed. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices, stirring until no streaks remain. Combine flour mixture and pumpkin mixture. Stir in nuts and cranberries; stirring only until all ingredients are mixed. Cover batter and allow to set at room temperature for 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched. If to be frozen, allow to cool for 1 hour, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap; store in freezer zipper bags. To reheat, wrap loosely in foil and bake for 5-10 minutes at 350°F. Or they may be reheated in the microwave wrapped loosely in a damp paper towel.

mochi cake

In my quest to become a Korean chef extraordinare, I decided that I was going to skip over the entrees and go right to dessert. Enter: mochi cake. Not really Korean, but sticky rice love can break boundaries that way.

Recipe via Week of Menus

It was easy and freakin' delicious. Officially my new favorite dessert/snack/pseudomeal.

Next I'm going to make red bean mochi cake. And then blueberry mochi cake. And then I will find some other delicious substance and throw that in too because I am obsessed.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Recipe 
(Makes one 9X13 pan, or 24 squares)
1 lb box of mochiko flour (3 cups equivalent) 
2 1/2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk
5 large eggs
1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup of butter) melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9X13 baking pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mochiko flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup (4 cup capacity), beat eggs, then add coconut milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
4. Carefully pour the wet ingredients over the mochiko flour mixture and whisk until mixture is smooth and uniform in texture.
5. Pour batter into greased 9X13 pan. Carefully smooth out the top. 
6. Bake for 90 minutes, until top is golden brown and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
7. Allow cake to cool for about 30 minutes on a rack, and then carefully flip it out and cut into 24 squares, or the size of your choice. Can store mochi cake for three days, covered.