Happy Weekend #33

Right, so how long has it been since we last posted? Well, thank you, loyal readers, you.

This weekend post is dedicated to E Yee-Yee. Above is a remake of her famed chocolate cake. We were so grateful that she shared her recipe, but now she leaves us with a greater gift than we could have ever expected.

Please enjoy some randomness by reading THE LAST SEVERAL POSTS here:
Social Eatz
Little Giant
Szechuan Gourmet
White Castle
Bryant Park Grill
Vive la Crêpe!
Starbucks Petites
Aureole
The Best Chocolate Cake In The World



Related Posts: Happy Weekend #30. Happy Weekend #31. Happy Weekend #32.

Happy Weekend #32

Pain de Mie

Wow. We haven't done a weekend post since November?
It's a lazy night. Above and below (in addition to "Straight" Baguettes and Lavash) are the reasons why. I'm taking my first 5-day weekend culinary course in Artisanal Breadmaking. I. LOVE. IT. Look for a career change real soon. These photos are from the first two lessons (Saturday & Sunday). Unfortunately, you're missing about 97.89% of the experience of bread. If only you could at least smell them through these photos...

Brioche

Pain aux Cereales

Bagels & Kaiser Rolls

Happy Weekend!

Read THE LAST FEW MONTHS' POSTS here:
Pancake Month
Cafeteria
A Little Love Shack
Peep Peep!
Ajisai Japanese Fusion
Piccolo Cafe
Joe's Shanghai


Related Posts: Weekend #29. Weekend #30. Weekend #31.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello Yummy Friends.

Since we actually have followers, we feel obliged to send out a little note of apology for our hiatus:

Sorry!
Two posts in the past two months is a little sad [Sorry. but...at least there's two?!. ]We still have our autumn header up, and it's definitely winter (hello, tons-o-snow!) [Really sorry. but...it's cute, isn't it?!]. We're even late with our New Year's greetings [Really really sorry. but...it's still the new year.].

Offline life has been mentally and physically exhausting, and while we shouldn't use that as an excuse for neglecting our blog...well, we will. But don't worry! We haven't neglected our appetites, and surely enough, we've kept up with eating. And since people tend to make resolutions during this time of year, we'll pretend we made one to be more diligent about our blogging (ahem. resolutions are made to be broken. justsaying.). But don't expect our resolution to go into effect until February (by which time, we hope you'll have forgotten).

Anyway, here's to more posts in 2011 than 2010!! Have a great year everyone!!

Happy Post-Thanksgiving Weekend #31

HAPPY [INFORMAL] HOUSEWARMING J & M!!! Oh yeah, and D.

In this basket:
Pumpkin Bread
Frosted Carrot Cake
Pound Cake

It's a first making Pumpkin Bread, and while K thought there wasn't enough Pumpkin taste, E begged to differ. And while K thought there was enough carrot taste, E begged to differ again. The only thing we agreed on was that the pound cake was perfectly browned all around, and the carrot cake could have done with a little less density. We hope everyone had a splendid Thanksgiving. Enjoy some quick breads and this/last week's unrelated posts!

(And I guess we'll get a small ad in here) Rawrs!

Read THIS WEEK'S POSTS here:
The Spot
KoFoo

Read LAST WEEK'S POSTS here:
Cuba Cafe

Related Posts: Happy Weekend #28. Happy Weekend #29. Happy Weekend #30.

Happy Weekend #30

Happy Birthday to E, happy birthday to E, happy birthday dear Eeeeee...

As a Rainbow Cookie FIEND, there really isn't a cake that could appear to be more appropriate for E's birthday. Never judge a book by its cover. This cake, surrounded and topped with rainbow cookies deceptively houses chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and raspberry jam. Mark our words, it's also deceptively sugary sweet and tastes best frozen. Tricky.

That being said, they make pretty good Italian cookies (and we read the cannolis are excellent)... Now that Palma's is gone, this is a decent replacement. Let's take a moment of silence for Palma's, those of us who remember that petite bakery store...

Found at:
La Dolce Bakery
3141 U.S. Highway 9
Old Bridge, NJ


Read THIS WEEK'S POSTS here:
Paris Baguette

Read LAST WEEK'S POSTS here:
Hill Country Chicken
Ça Va Todd English


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #27. Happy Weekend #28. Happy Weekend #29.

Happy Weekend #29

Spicehhhh! Okay, not really.

If you're tired of your good old fashioned milk hot chocolate and want to change things up a bit, Vosges offers this "Aztec Elixir" cocoa. It has: ancho & chipotle chillies + Ceylon cinnamon + Madagascar vanilla bean + cornmeal + dark chocolate - but the bite is ever so slight. It's not as spicy as other Mexican hot chocolates we've tried, but it's a nice deviation from the norm for those days you're feelin' just a tad bit risqué.


We paired it up with some gourmet marshmallows straight from...Chicago! (Thanks L for finding and steering me to them!) So many flavors to choose from, but settled on the coconut and strawberry (pictured), hoping to find them online. Alas, it is not to be, and we'll have to make a trip to Vancouver to pick up some more yummy flavors. ...unless someone tells me they sell them at Wholefoods? (*wishful thinking*)


Read THIS WEEK'S POSTS here:
Bianca's
Congee Village

Read LAST WEEK'S POSTS here:
Luzzo's

Read LAST LAST WEEK'S POSTS here:
Guy & Gallard
'wichcraft



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Happy Weekend #28

With all these individual apple pies cooling on the rack, it looks like we've finally opened that bakery! Unfortunately, no, not so.

After spending the week working on things intangible that will take months to complete, it's nice to take a day (and a half) to work on something with instant (or day-later) results. Plus, said results are so cute!

In case you're unfamiliar with Williams-Sonoma (Say, what?!), these molds come in a variety of shapes. Even though it's more time consuming to make individual pies, the results are just that much more satisfying. Also, you don't have to share...that's always a plus. Great spices to add to your apples include: cinnamon (well, duh!), ground ginger, nutmeg, and don't forget the salt. Just a little of each goes a long way!


Read THIS WEEK'S POSTS here:
brgr
vivo
FoodParc


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Happy Weekend #27

We're cruisin' to Canada this week for an Extended Eng-Lee-Fung Extravaganza! All we can say is that... It should be interesting. Or deadly. Whichever.

In preparation for our travels, we always like to stop by one little place for all our traveling needs (and then some). The Christmas Tree Shop. It stocks seasonal items, kitchenware (hello, wafflemaker from B's Xmas list!), a galore of travel-size mumbo jumbo, and cosmetics. Everything you could dream up, you can probably find it there. Now that we think of it, they don't actually seem to sell that much Christmas stuff. But it's the bomb diggity anyway.

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Salted Caramel Milkshakes
Grimaldi's Pizzeria
The Chocolate Room

Read LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
La Crêpe Parisienne

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Happy Weekend #26

Remember this post back in March, when we said we'd have another installment of taytay-making in a month? Yeah, well, we had it. We just didn't post it.

Third time's a charm, right? Eh...almost. As many times as we've attempted getting the perfect dough, we just don't know the right combination. Our magic touch ain't so magic either.

Our aunt starts off the early morning by mixing the ingredients in her kitchenaid mixer (I bet this wasn't part of grandma's recipe back in the day). We knead the dough a little more by hand, trying to get it to the right consistency. Our hands and plates are powdered, and if the timing is right, our Starbucks delivery arrives (note: the timing is most often OFF T__T).


Somewhat of a combination of the previous two taytay adventures, we use both types of filling, in similar shapes, but two different types of dough. We start the morning making the clear triangular-shaped taytays, filled with: mushroom, scallion, pork, water chestnut, & chinese sausage (lap cheung). While these are steaming, we start on the more difficult dough - it's always too sticky, too stretchy, or too thick, and always uncooperative. They're the same triangular shape, but filled with ground nuts + sugar (these used to be E's favorite until she started making them -.-;;).


I have a feeling we're due for another taytay-making adventure SOON. Anyone wanna join us?


Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
soba-ya
Ça Va

Related Posts: Weekend #23. Weekend #24. Weekend #25.

Happy Weekend #25

To our utter astonishment, the end of July has crept up on us, burned away in the blazing heat of greenhouse gases. To your utter astonishment, it appears we've started blogging again. Yeah. Sorry about the hiatus. (But if you aren't currently gasping in surprise at this post...Then, we're not so sorry. Ha.)

This week we're cleaning out the cobwebs in our minds as a means to clean out our Blogger Garage. Enjoy...whatever we can remember. And this Carrot Cake test.

We've come across a few Carrot Cake recipes that also incorporate Pineapple. Always ones to test, this recipe is a compilation of a few recipes. Verdict? Pineapple lends a downright crunchy texture to the cake that we can't say we're too fond. On the bright side, that Dream Creamy White Frosting (yes, that's what it's really called) was a success. It's a great (not quite perfect) combination of White Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Butter, and a wee bit o' Sour Cream and Almond Extract. Let the testing continue!

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Turning Point
Bar Pitti
Bridgeway Diner

Read LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Boqueria Soho
Gregory's Coffee

Read LAST [LAST, LAST] WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Gelato on a Stick
Veniero's (with Pictures)


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Happy Weekend #24

[Insert excuse #29483 here.]

With great Spring weather comes the promise of hot, sunny Summer days to come. And when we start off May with a fried picnic (coordinated by J) and a fine prospect (Holla!), nothing screams, "Summer's A' Coming!" like Homemade Fruit Tarts. With dozens of people arriving (dozens of which we don't really know and some we don't really "know") for loads of Korean Fried Chicken, it's hard to know everyone's palate preferences. So what's better than a Make Your Own Sundae Fruit Tart (grown-up style)??


We baked the individual tart shells, cooked up the vanilla pastry cream, and brought strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apricots, kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapes. Everything was prepared at home then packed in separate plastic containers for people to choose on their own. Let's do it again! As soon as we get more tartlet pans... -_-;; What would you put on?

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Panera

Read LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Baoguette
Boi Noodles

Read LAST-LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Borba
Coconut M&M's
Red Mango

Related Posts: Happy Weekend #21. Happy Weekend #22. Happy Weekend #23.

Happy Weekend #23

Obviously we're still suffering from some rare, but serious, form of Jet Lag in the blogosphere.

You may only go on vacation for a week or two... or three, but every other weekday of the year is spent in a groove. So, why is it so hard to get back into that groove?

Maybe it's because you're still dreaming about those Pipers crisps you bought on a last-minute whim at the cafeteria of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew. What can I say? We have excellent instincts. And so do them farmers.

If any of you know where we can pick these up in the US, please share your secret!

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Ele Cafe
Village Tart


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #20. Happy Weekend #21. Happy Weekend #22.

Happy Weekend #22

After vacation and a forced "vacation", it's hard to get back into the swing of things. Better late than never, right? (Doesn't this photo look straight out of a Lily O'Briens ad?)

Meandering around Midtown and Chelsea, someone handed out a postcard for a free chocolate (with purchase) at Lily O'Briens'. And lo and behold, the store appeared a couple blocks away. A free chocolate? With the purchase of other sweets we have yet to try? Why, hello there...

The sticky toffee is for those with a serious sweet tooth-- it's SERIOUSLY sweet. But strangely addictive. Just have that glass of milk handy.

Read LAST WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Verlaine + Baohaus + Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Court Jester


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #19. Happy Weekend #20. Happy Weekend #21.

Happy Weekend #21

Is it a happy weekend? I'm here, but would like to still be in London, and K's (stuck) in London, but would rather be here. Oh, woe is us. What can we do but wallow in good food!? XP

While in London, we did a little crazy supermarket shopping (armful of junk food anybody?), and M ended up with these bad boys:

I obviously jacked this from their website, as I completely neglected to capture a photo
I refrained from buying any myself (so dumb!), but M shared her's during lunch, and....when do I ever pass up on chips?!? OMG the Caramelised Onion & Sweet Balsamic Vinegar was yummmmmm! And look at all the other flavors they have! If you can find these in the U.S., I'd HIGHLY RECOMMEND you grab a bag for yourself, and about five for me (for now).

Potato chips are my absolute favorite snack, and they go just perfectly with burgers and sandwiches. ;)


Read THIS WEEK'S BURGERWICH UPDATES here:
Five Napkin Burger
Five Guys
Pret A Manger


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #18. Happy Weekend #19. Happy Weekend #20.

Happy Weekend #20

In anticipation of E returning from her trip to London/Paris, this week's posts are dedicated to the delightful Macaron, simultaneously chewy, crunchy, and melts-in-your-mouth. These are pictures of our second stab at homemade macarons. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the recipe. To get that perfectly circular shape, the perfectly smooth top, and the perfectly crusty bottom is much trickier than anticipated. A trickiness that, quite obviously, remains unmastered. These cookies are expensive for a reason.

Read THIS WEEK'S MACARON UPDATES here:
des macarons français. français?
Macarons GRATUITEMENT, Le Premier
Macarons GRATUITEMENT, Le Deuxième
Ladurée


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #17. Happy Weekend #18. Happy Weekend #19.

Happy Weekend #19

Happy Easter and Passover to all those who celebrate! What better way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ or the Hebrews' escape from enslavement than with pizza?! Well, we don't observe either, so we don't know any better. One thing we do know is that E's co-worker isn't doing us any favors by introducing these Tastykakes, offered seasonally as part of their Spring Classic Collection:

Uhhh... Coconut Cake? Wrapped in Dark Chocolate? Yes, please!

Oh! And, no worries, you can buy 18 boxes of 6 packs of 2 online. Hippity Hops. Doesn't the name just tickle your funny bone?

Read THIS WEEK'S PIZZA UPDATES here:
OTTO
The ORIGINAL Frank Pepe
Lombardi's


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #16. Happy Weekend #17. Happy Weekend #18.

Happy Weekend #18

Here's to a completely Asian-themed post!

It seems like we've been making a lot of these tay tays lately, and despite the undesirable 9AM start on Sunday mornings, we do welcome the practice and family bonding time :)

Unlike the peanut-filled ones we made last month, the filling in these consists of mushroom, scallion, pork, water chestnuts, and the irresistable favorite - Chinese sausage (aka lap cheung, 臘腸). And as you can see, the different filling also calls for a different shape. These are usually everyone's favorite of the different types, and it's no surprise when whole take-out boxes are finished within minutes. Well...at least that held true when grandma made them.

We haven't mastered the perfect dough, thickness, or shape/size consistency, but hey - I think we've still done a pretty good job. Who cares if they're not as pretty, as long as they're still yummy! Don't worry Grandma - we'll keep practicing.

Keep a lookout for our third installment of taytay-making in another month - back to the peanut filling, but a whole new shape! ;)

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Sapporo
Ginger's
Weng's Palace
U-Yeeeeeeee
Crown Palace



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Happy Weekend #17

With vacation to the UK on our minds, all we can seem to focus on is Shortbread; shortbread this, shortbread that. So, Thanks, Scotland!

These Shortbread sandwiches were made for Valentine's Day and transported directly to Chinatown for the Lunar New Year. Since shortbread is pretty much all about the butter, never skimp on it and always use a high quality butter like: Organic Valley Cultured, Hotel Bar, or Land O' Lakes. Shortbread is a simple recipe to follow, but heightens with spices, extracts, or citrus zests. Also, it's one of the few cookies that retains its shape through baking. So whip out them cookie cutters. Huzzah!

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATE here:
Cafe 360


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Happy Weekend #16

No excuse prepared for last week's lack of updates. So, pretend it never happened and skip to this week!

With week-long threats of a dreary End O' the Week, the perfect way to get through a damp day is most definitely with some piping hot food. This week's posts suggest a variety of food types from different meals, but honestly, you can't finish off a dark day without some-- DESSERT! (Yeah, we know we all see mind-to-mind.)

Here's some APPLE PIE for your eyes.

From Christmas. In the Emile Henry Artisan Ruffled Pie Dish from Williams Sonoma (Thanks KM!). The pie crust cut-outs were done using holiday mini-cookie cutters from Crate & Barrel.

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Macaroni Grill
Korean Pick-Me-Up
Soho Park


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #13. Happy Weekend #14. Happy Weekend #15.

Happy Weekend #15

This week's theme is Readers' Pick. Lucky you. Will it be:
A) Sweets to Welcome Luck for the Lunar New Year
B) Lent Temptations
C) Fastest Posts Possible, OR
D) Hodgepodge, YUM!

To continue with whichever theme you chose this week, here is PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE.
As a first attempt, the cake appeared to be the epitome of "Funky". But, no worries. Appearances can be deceiving. It tasted just as scrumptious as a non-funkified cake. It's a Martha recipe (again...), but next time (Oh, yes. There will be a next time) we'll definitely be changing things up a bit; less sugar and a less crumbly cake, maybe White Chocolate or Yellow Cake from my trusty cookbook. If you've never had this type of cake before (caramelized pineapple? chewy, crunchy, crusty edges? all with a vanilla cake?), "Holla!" at us, and we will definitely have to HOOK. YOU. UP.


Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Crumbs
O_O
Sunshine Bakery
Cookie Monster

Related Posts: Happy Weekend #12. Happy Weekend #13. Happy Weekend #14.