Happy Birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Now eat cake.

ACK Cooking Series: Cinnamon Rolls

On my last full day in Chicago, I had a few minutes in food heaven: Ann Sather's Cinnamon Rolls. These cinnamon rolls were so soft, warm, and gooey; everything that a breakfast/ brunch dessert should be. Ever since that morning, Ive been wanting to a good cinnamon roll, and I mean a GOOD cinnamon roll. And since there are no Ann Sather's in New York or Massachusetts, it was either to go back to Chicago or suffer with substitutes...

And then I found the recipe.

ANN SATHER'S CINNAMON ROLLS (from the Chicago Tribune)
Makes 12 rolls
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 cup milk, scalded, cooled
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar glaze, optional, recipe follows

1. In a large bowl, stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in milk, melted butter, 1/3 cup sugar, salt and 1 cup flour. Beat with a spoon or an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Gradually stir in 11/2 cups flour, keeping the dough smooth. If the dough is still moist, stir in 1 tablespoon flour at a time to make a soft dough. Cover with a dry cloth and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the raised dough in half. On a lightly oiled board, roll out (with a lightly floured rolling pin) and stretch 1 piece of dough to make a 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Spread 2 tablespoons of the soft butter over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Beginning on the long side, roll up tightly, jelly-roll fashion. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Cut the dough into 2-inch slices. Place on greased and floured baking sheets. Let the dough rise (in a warm place) until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
5. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Take the baking sheets out of the oven and place the cinnamon rolls on a wire rack to cool.
6. Top rolls with a sugar glaze immediately, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

POWDERED SUGAR ICING
Makes 1/2 cup
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk, plus additional as needed

1. Combine sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing is loose enough to drizzle.


Warm, soft, gooey, sweet, yummy, delicious, and best of all, HOMEMADE.
Now, they werent exactly Chicago's Ann Sather's cinnamon rolls. They were quite small compared to  Ann Sather's because I was too impatient to let the dough rise. But dang, I make a good cinnamon roll.

Quick FYI: Research shows that the smell of baking cinnamon turns men on the most http://bit.ly/b1qgAR Oo honey, I'll make cinnamon rolls any time you want me to ;P

Here are some photos of my cinnamon roll making.

  Made my own icing

The dough

Rolled out, cinnamon and brown sugar stuffed, cut and ready to put in the oven.











Out of the oven

The final product

Love. Yum.

Appreciation for your Food

In my normal time (when Im not blogging), I study marine science and biology. So whenever I go out to eat with friends and I order a seafood dish, my friends always ask,
"Why do you eat fish? Arent you like a "fish-hugger"?"
I always shoot back at them and say,
"Really?" as I shove a piece of fish down my throat.

Im sorry but as much as I love studying fish and seafood, I also love eating it.
Why, a perfect example of this is exactly what is happening this summer. I am studying the bay scallop population here on Nantucket (I wont get into the nitty-gritty of it. It takes too long) and ever since Ive been studying them, I have been just craving to eat a scallop, which recently has been fulfilled.
Another example is back in college during lab class; when I would dissect an animal for class, I tend to get hungry. Then right after lab class, I head straight to the cafeteria.

You're probably thinking: wow, you're disgusting and pitiful.
All my vegetarian and vegan friends out there are probably hating me to forever.

But here is how I think of it: You have a better appreciation for your food and your meal if you kill it yourself. You work for your food.

The other day, I went out to eat with a friend because I was too lazy to cook. I had lobster and my friend gave me a piece of her scallops (because you know, I research them and all).

Now this lobster wasnt all ready prepared to be eaten with merely a fork.

I had to tear into this baby. And it felt great. I felt all primal like way back when, when our early Homo sapiens/erectus ancestors didnt have tools and had to hunt for their food. Yea, that way.

Check out this carnage.

See, I wouldnt appreciate my food if it was prepared for me poorly; actually I would be pretty upset.

So I love food, especially seafood, when I catch it myself or rip into it myself. I appreciate it a lot more.

Moral of the story here is yes, I study marine animals and yes, I eat them but I appreciate it a lot more if it was caught by me, killed by me, prepared by me, or ripped into by me.

Sorry folks!!!!

Sorry that I havent updated in a long time. Ive been pretty busy with work, sight seeing, taking advantage all the things the island has to offer, and most importantly, planning my next food extravaganza.
But I will be back and ready with a whole new post.

Stay tuned....

ACK Cooking Series : Chocolate Chip Muffins

Since I had some extra ingredients lying around and I was tired of eating turkey and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, had to give this recipe a shot.
I love chocolate chip muffins from Dunkin Donuts but since there are no Dunkin Donuts on Nantucket island, I wanted to make some. So I found a recipe on allrecipes.com, made sure to read the reviews on it, and adapted to my own.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

You'll Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to Make It:  

>Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.
>In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. 
>In another small bowl, combine milk, oil, vanilla, and egg; blend well. 
>Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.)
>Fill cups 2/3 full into muffin pan. 
>Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with a combination of an extra 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
>Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan. Serve warm. 

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Chip-Muffins/Detail.aspx

Also because I made so many for one person to eat (and trust me, these muffins are filling), I froze the extras. Then whenever I wanted to eat one, Id reheat them in the microwave for 30 sec to a minute and it was be good as if they were fresh from the oven.

ACK Cooking Series : Easy Chicken Bake

So I am currently on Nantucket (or code name ACK), a quaint 14-mile-length island off the coast of Massachusetts. It is an awesome and beautiful place... when it's not raining. Monday I left 70F and sunny New York City for 50F and windy. Boo. But I really do love the people here, the quaint shops, the beaches, and the scenery. So I hope the weather gets better! Cross fingers. But Im pretty ecstatic that I will be here for the entire summer :) That means Ill be doing a lot of cooking :D

So anyway, because it was ridiculously cold I wanted to try to cook something warm and comforting.

Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake

You'll Need:

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1-1/2 lb.  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1/3 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans, peas), thawed, drained

How to Make It:  

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
PREPARE stuffing as directed on package.
MIX remaining ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with stuffing.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done. 

Adapted from Kraft Foods Stove Top Stuffing
 
It was a good recipe. It was sorta tad too creamy for me and hence a little bland. If I was to change one thing, I would maybe add more spice, garlic powder, pepper? I dont know. 

But overall, I love cooking :)

Vietnamese food vs. Chinese food

While giving a friend a tour around New York City, I was asked the question, "What is the difference between Vietnamese food and Chinese food?"
Good question. Vietnamese and Chinese are both Asian right?

Well, even though it may seem that there isnt a big gap between the two, (people who speak Chinese work at Vietnamese restaurants, right? And there are also Vietnamese people who can speak Chinese (with the exception of my downstairs neighbor's wife..)) there is a huge difference. And there are definitely some restaurants that there are people who speak Vietnamese, those are the good restaurants.

Speaking of languages, there are people who can speak both Vietnamese and Chinese. One of my good friend's dad is this way. But let's go back to food.

I think Viet food has a more fresher taste. Whenever you order a Viet dish, there is usually a hint of mint or cilantro or lemon and those ingredients adds a lighter taste and feel to it. Heavier ingredients like meats are usually cut very thin but still packs quite a flavor. On the other hand, Chinese food is usually has a thick handed of sauce and the meats are kind of big and has a bit of bulk.
The country of Vietnam is a warm place surrounded by mostly water, they are big on fishing and lighter island flavors.
China is a big country both has very warm places and cold places. Most of China is mountainous and  inland and those areas are colder in climate hence heavier and thicker meats and sauces are essential.

At least that's how I think of it.

I thought about this while eating Viet food for lunch at Pho Hoai (8616 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209) with another good friend of mine. Sporadically, I was like "wait, let me take pictures of the food we're about to eat and post it on my blog." Haha.

Cha Gio Vietnamese spring roll. Note the mint off to the side.

Com Ga Nuong Grilled chicken with rice. Off to the corner, is an orange liquid that is fish sauce. Many people think its smelly but I dont know; it has a nice taste to it like a sweet and sour taste, and I like it. Also note the cucumber off to the side for freshness.

Bánh mì Vietnamese sandwich. It comes in many variations but it's basically a baguette with thinly sliced pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, pâté, mayonnaise and Vietnamese sausage.

Oh, I forgot to also add that Pho is big on the Vietnamese menu. Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). The soup includes noodles made from rice (vermicelli) and is often served with Vietnamese basil, mint, lime, bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the diner. The fun part of it is that the beef usually comes to you rare so you have to submerge it in the hot soup and cook it from there. It is quite delicious; it's just that my friend and I didnt order it at the time.