Hokkaido Milk Bread

Here I am, frantically struggling to update all the latest pictures I've taken before school starts. Unfortunately, I feel like a few of my most recent shots haven't had much thought into them. I'm not entirely satisfied with the composition of some of them...but that's okay. The most important thing is that I put them down on this blog, and maybe in the future, I'll correct these photos again.

For the majority of my life, I feel like I've been handed amazing situations and people who have really helped me through life. And for the most part, I am in constant shock at how much I have lucked out by receiving these gifts.

Recently, I've been learning to become a little more impulsive, a little more carefree, a little more free to whatever life throws at me. But sometimes, when something comes along that is almost too good to be true, I hesitate to accept it immediately. It's even after you've closed your eyes and pinched yourself blue to awaken yourself from whatever dream you may be having, when you look up and see that same thing waiting for you as open and accepting as ever, that you should maybe start considering it as reality. Maybe? I don't know...it's still a dangerous concept to let yourself go completely because it puts you in a very vulnerable position. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice in the way I feel...

Chocolate covered Fortune Cookies!

It's Father's Day again! Unfortunately, unlike last year, I won't be home to celebrate with my dad. It's kind of a shame because my dad is a sucker for things like that. My mom is more low-maintenance in this department (she's all practicality), but Dad has always been the softy.

Sooo...with the help of a friend, I came up with an ingenious idea for this year's Father's Day. I sent a care package - with a giant chocolate covered Fortune cookie!!! FYI, give fortune cookie makers some props because the damn thing is a lot harder to make than it looks. But after a few failed attempts, I got the hang of it and started having quite a bit of fun with the folding. It got to the point where even the friends on my floor couldn't finish them anymore, there was just too much chocolate and cookie everywhere. Oh by the way, expect a messy kitchen if you ever undertake this endeavor. Especially with the chocolate - melted chocolate is always bad news on a clean counter top.

Sesame Scallion Bread (Zhi Ma Da Bing)

I've always wondered what it would be like to travel to parallel universes. Universes where the "what if" or "what would have"'s of our reality actually came true in another place at another time. There are just some times when you see the perfect opportunity, the perfect setup, the perfect moment...but at the wrong place, the wrong time. That's happened to me quite a few times already, and I don't think there's anything more frustrating than looking back and realizing that you were 95% of the way there...but didn't quite make it. 


I always try to tell myself never to regret the things I've done or haven't done in the past. It is the experiences that make us who we are, not our age, not our mentalities or principles. God made us to be imperfect; the most we can ever hope to do is fumble our way in the dark and hope that we make more rights than we do wrongs. 


But...sometimes, when you are so close to the finish line of a race, you just can't let go of that feeling of ALMOST...almost. 


Life certainly plays funny tricks with us. I'm starting to learn that it likes to throw a lot of curveballs that sucker-punch me just when I least expect it. The feeling of defeat leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but I think in the long run, it's all meant for my own good. I've just got to learn to stop and accept. It's a lot like surfing, which may have been why I was never too good at it. I have to learn to stop fighting...just let the worries roll over me like the waves of the ocean. 


And one thing I do know is that at the end of the day, everyone will be ok. 

Coconut Macaroons

And this finally concludes the epic morning of baking that I decided to embark on the other day. I had already made banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and whole wheat pita all in the span of about 2-3 hours. But then again, if I was making so much rich, fatty foods...then I should probably counter it with a lighter, healthier snack, shouldn't I? Not that coconut macaroons are exactly "healthy", but in the world of cookies, I think it's pretty high up there. After all, there's no butter, fat, oil, or anything. The only real villain in the recipe is sugar - which I admit there is a lot of...but then again, it's a cookie...give it a break.

The recipe is slightly more complicated than the one for chocolate chip cookies, but still very simple, as are most cookie recipes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

COOKIES!!!!!

I think one problem I have is that I get so many ideas that I get in over my head and overestimate my limits. That's not just cooking - it happens with a lot of things I do (which is why I used to mess up so much back when I worked in a biology lab...tissue culture just isn't going to forgive you for that). So it finally dawned on me that I had been undertaking so many ambitious baking projects recently that I hadn't even spent time on the basics.

Anyway, I have some leftover chocolate chips from a while ago, and they've been begging to be used ever since. And, of course, what else is more basic than chocolate chip cookies? Plus, Dad has been asking for cookies for a while...so I thought I may as well bake a few of them for him. They're incredibly easy to make - all you have to do, really, is dump everything into a big bowl, stir it all together, and toast it in the oven. Well, if you want pretty cookies, you need to take note of a few more details, but that's the general gist of it.

Banana Bread

Mom has this thing with bananas. She eats them religiously...so whenever we go to Costco, she buys bags and bags of them until our shopping cart looks like it belongs to a family of monkeys. Personally, I'm not as crazy about them. Don't get me wrong - they actually taste great and anyone who runs knows the value of bananas and potassium, but somehow they just seem to disappear too fast. Take apples, for instance. You have to bit your way through the entire fruit, turning it consistently and working at your share of the flesh. Same with berries or small fruit - you have to pick up each individual fruit to eat it. Even stone fruit are a hassle because you have to do some tongue acrobatics to fish out the pit inside. Anyway, my point is that I prefer fruits that are a little harder to eat because it sort of makes the reward of eating the fruit more fulfilling, whereas the banana is simply too easy to eat (and where is the fun in that?). Or maybe I'm just weird (again).

Anyway, Mom had 2 leftover bananas that were turning black and literally falling apart. Definitely not good eating. Solution? Banana bread!

Sesame Scallion Bread (Zhi Ma Da Bing)

So yesterday, just as we were about to leave for a hike at San Antonio Ranch, our neighbor came over and invited us to an impromptu Barbecue kickback (apparently two of the invitees were supposed to be set up during the occasion, which was why it was held in the first place). Mom immediately started brainstorming on what to bring and initially thought of her Chinese-Korean hybrid Japchae, but Dad told her it didn't exactly fit in with the theme of a Barbecue. So after much speculation, she settled on her no-fail recipe for Chinese sesame scallion bread or Zhi Ma Da Bing.

I actually got pretty excited at this because I've wanted to post a photo for the longest time. I'd honestly have to say that this is one of Mom's best masterpieces of all time. The food item itself is fairly simple, but this is one of those food items that depends more on skill than anything else.

Anyway, I'll honestly have to say that this recipe deserves 5 stars in difficulty. It is HARD, and chances are that anyone who attempts it will mess up the first few times (or more, as in my case heh heh...). But once you get it down, the results are well worth the effort. Plus, it's kind of cool when Mom brings it to parties, and people around her ask what restaurant she ordered from :)

Good for You Granola

So in a fit of boredom yesterday, I finally drove to the local public library and started browsing through a few more cookbooks (hopefully they will yield the next few upcoming posts). As I started heading back to the entrance, my eyes caught sight of a list of books along a random shelf. Somehow, I had found my way through the diet section (eh, I'm not a believer of diet fads) and into...the nutritional department!

Now, you have to understand: I'm not exactly a normal person. At least not for my age. Nutrition is one excellent example of that. I'm obsessed with nutrition. I love learning about the health benefits of food, exercise, lifestyle, etc. In fact, of all the classes I've taken as an undergraduate, nutrition was by far the most interesting (as in leaning on the edge of my seat interesting). I'm also very averse to meat (I actually started off college as a vegetarian, but the limited options of the school cafeteria actually led to me being quite badly malnourished by Christmas break, so I had to stop), and I can literally eat 4-6 servings of fruits in a day (and that's not even counting the vegetables). Actually, though, I think most of it ties back to the fact that I run a lot. I guess when you engage in a sport that's as taxing as running, every little boost in health makes a difference.

Dorayaki with Green Tea Cream Filling

Today was one of the slowest days I've had in a very long time. I hadn't slept well last night and woke up pretty early for no particular reason...after all, it wasn't like I had any pressing issues to address. Anyway, I woke up, ate breakfast (I think I'm starting to OD on fiber, what with FiberOne cereal for breakfast and lunch, and dinner consisting mostly of purple rice and vegetables), and decided to pass the morning making Japanese dorayaki, or sweet pancakes.

Traditionally, dorayaki contains a filling of adzuki (red bean) paste, but Dad doesn't really like it, and we didn't have any in the house. Oh, did I mention that the temperature sky-rocketed to about 95F today? I didn't really feel like leaving my front door, never mind driving to the market. So, anyway, I did some research, and apparently, people have started putting all kinds of fillings inside - peanut butter, custard cream, even nutella! I found a recipe for the custard cream and decided to tweak it a little with our leftover matcha (green tea) powder.

Vegetarian Dim Sum Dumplings

I've been feeling a little guilty lately because a lot of the food I've been making for my dad has been dessert-ish and unhealthy. It's hard, though, because Mom usually makes main dish, and we don't have extravagant dinners to begin with, what with our household consisted of just 3 people. But still, I figured I had to start cutting down on the sugar and fat and maybe look into something a little more health-friendly.

I recently borrowed Andrea Nguyen's book Asian Dumplings from the library (check out her website), and it's filled with all kinds of cute and delicious recipes. Among them were the clear-skinned dumplings that you usually find in dim sum. Of course, you automatically think Har Gow which, disturbingly enough, contains pork fat (still not disturbing enough to keep me from gobbling those goodies down at restaurants - hey, so long as I don't see them putting it in right?), so I chose instead to make vegetarian dumplings, which are significantly healthier. Plus, I felt guilty about using the meat in the house, so veggies were cheaper and available on hand.

Shanghai Shepherd's Purse Wontons

Yesterday Priscilla came over again...amidst a chaotic mess of flour and meat in the kitchen! Mom decided it would be cool to make wontons that day so we could join in (and then stuff Priscilla with a lifetime's supply for her family too). I think Mom has fun feeding visitors....so long as she gets the credit when they smile with their mouths full.

Now, I know when people think 'wonton' they jump to the image of the Cantonese pork-stuffed dumplings found either in soup or deep-fried and crispy (think Panda Express). But of course, Mom is a Shanghai girl, and the only wontons she will ever make are Shanghai style. And, of course, anything Shanghainese is bound to have the infamous Shepherd's Purse vegetables native to that part of China. I think the real wonton is supposed to be stuffed with a mixture of ground pork and shepherd's purse, but Mom's version is a bit healthier, with a higher percentage of veggies and the addition of shrimp.

Candied Pecans

Mom is a huge fan of nuts. It's weird, because she usually hates desserts (she's more of a savory food person), but when it comes to nuts, there's a special place in her heart. I guess when you look at it, Chinese snacks usually consist of nuts. Plus, they're usually not as sweet.

Well, whatever the reason, Mom has a special craving for this recipe of candied pecans. She's so funny - she asked me to find the recipe for her, but when I read her one, she stared accusingly at me and scolded, "No! That's not right!" as if it were my fault the recipe read the way it did? She's very proud of her food. When I told her I was going to post this online, she insisted that she be noted in the credits. Silly mom.

Mantou (Steamed buns)

Man, I have to admit. This was a very very epic trial that actually amazingly succeeded, thanks to the help of my dear mother and my wonderful friend Priscilla. Not only did they do the hard work of cooking and working the dough, but they also tolerated my random runs to the window so I could take the thousand food photos throughout the process.

So Priscilla (who I rarely see, as we go to different colleges) found out about my cooking craze and decided to visit and join me in the kitchen for the day. We decided to tackle wheat mantou (or Chinese steamed buns) interspersed with red and black quinoa for an added kick of health. Surprisingly, Mom got involved as well and even contributed to the rising and cooking parts of the process. She taught us one interesting trick - when rising yeasted dough, you can heat up a microwave oven, then turn it off and place the dough (wrapped in saran wrap and laid on foil) on top. The warmth of the preheated oven is just enough to give the yeast a cozy, comfy place to expel their carbon dioxide.