That was what I had for dessert, along with a piece of that hazelnut+rum+raisin milk chocolate. Before that was stir fried broccoli florets with salt and pepper, and a piece of tilapia fillet with cajun seasoning sauteed in butter.
My French visa came back today, it took no more than a day, and that includes mailing time. I drove twelve hours to Atlanta and back for that. Multiple entry, good for twelve days and valid from March 3rd to June 4th of 2005. I get to go to France, wee. Must refresh French to get by, at least to order food.
Must clean room. It is padded with articles of clothing, towels and blankets.
Must sketch for ceramics. I'm really happy Betsy likes my work. I think I'd be pretty good if I could just build faster and stronger. Most of my ceramic butterflies died before they made it to the kiln. I squashed a few.
Found recipe for those yummy Chinese sweet buns. Must make soon.
Pineapple Buns
NOTE: you can use your own sweet breads recipe which makes 12 buns. After 2 rises and punch downs, shape them into round buns of 2 oz each.
Ingredients:
Sweet bread
***********
---Sponge:---
70 g bread flour
40 g water
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
make a sponge by mixing the ingredients and let stand, covered for 4-15
hours.
PINEAPPLE TOPPING use ¾ - 1 oz per 1 - 1 1/2 oz bun
******************************************************************
(can be kept for long time in refrigerator/freezer)
3 oz sugar
2 oz butter
1 pc egg yolk
1/2 tsp soda
2 tbsp milk
5 oz flour
2 tsp baking powder
Directions:
Sweet Bread
***************
---Dough:---
Fermented Sponge
7 oz flour (reserve 1 oz for kneading)
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten (reserve 1 tbsp for egg wash)
2 tbsp milk (or 1/2 tbsp milk powder + 2 tbsp water)
2 tbsp water
1 oz butter, softened
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar, yeast in milk and water. Mix in
sponge, egg and flour.
2. Turn onto a large work surface, smear dough on softened butter,
knead in more flour (about 1 oz) if neccessary if too sticky. knead for
a few times until butter is evenly incorporated. Cover with a clean wet
towel, let stand on work surface for 20 mins.
3. Knead for further 5-10 mins until dough is smooth and elastic (but
not sticky).
4. let 1st rise in a covered bowl over warm water, about 1 1/2 hour.
Punch down.
5. let 2nd rise covered over warm water again, until doubled or
tripled, about 1-2 hours. Punch down, rest for 5 mins.
6. Shape 2 oz each, put seams down on lightly greased pan. Let rise
covered in a warm place until doubled. Put on prepared "pineapple
cover" [as follows] and then egg wash.
Recipe for "pineapple" topping:
********************************
1. beat butter and sugar until creamy and fluffly.
2. add in egg yolk, soda, milk, mix well.
3. sift flour and baking powder, add to butter, and mix with slow speed
or by hand until smooth and not sticky. Beware not to form gluten.
4. Chill, wrapped in pastic film, in refrigerator for use [about 1
hour].
5. take out and knead as little as possible, if too dry, put in some
oil, if too runny, put in some flour.
6. take 1 oz of topping and roll out but don't roll too big, or too
thin, [about 3mm] slightly smaller than the bun top.
7. brush the bun with egg/water and put the topping on rised bun right
before baking, score with knife LIGHTLY to make checked pineapple
surface effect, brush on egg wash and bake at 180*C [375*F] for 10-15
mins on middle rack.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Coffee and cigarettes
Journeyed to Atlanta and back to process my visa for France. It was a relatively smooth drive, and I got a decent amount of sleep before heading off. I met Matt for lunch, and had a fun, though short time at a Thai restaurant in Buckhead. The place booted us thirty-five minutes into our meal because it was past their lunch hours. Boohoo.
Menu: Chicken with Thai peanut sauce for Matt, and fried catfish fillets in a tangy brown sauce for Ai-Ling. Rounded off with a piece of Ritter Sport's milk chocolate with raisins, rum and hazelnut. Maybe I'm a picky eater, but I thought the brown sauce had too much "tang" and the crust of the fillets on the verge of being leathery. Maybe Matt had better luck with his chicken. Moderately good food + very good company = still a positive experience.
Atlanta , as I discovered this afternoon, has very friendly traffic. During the half hour bit of congestion I experienced driving out of the city, the guy in the pickup truck (a nice one, with a cab) in the next lane offered me some chocolate. I suppose the weather was too warm today to keep chocolate in the car from melting, so the guy decided to eat it and share some too.
This is a much delayed realization, but I have ridiculously low tolerance for vices like caffeine, cigarettes and Red Bull-esque chemical cocktails. Went to Tallulah's tonight for a bit after getting back to Chapel Hill, and felt a strange detachment between mind and body movement. Then I remember the two extra large 16 oz cans of energy drink I sipped through during my day of driving. Whew. The same thing happens to me with a cup of coffee, two cigarettes or a glass of wine.
Must do reading.
I heart Kings of Convenience and Interpol.
Must clean room. Will begin by bulldozing clothes off floor, tomorrow.
Menu: Chicken with Thai peanut sauce for Matt, and fried catfish fillets in a tangy brown sauce for Ai-Ling. Rounded off with a piece of Ritter Sport's milk chocolate with raisins, rum and hazelnut. Maybe I'm a picky eater, but I thought the brown sauce had too much "tang" and the crust of the fillets on the verge of being leathery. Maybe Matt had better luck with his chicken. Moderately good food + very good company = still a positive experience.
Atlanta , as I discovered this afternoon, has very friendly traffic. During the half hour bit of congestion I experienced driving out of the city, the guy in the pickup truck (a nice one, with a cab) in the next lane offered me some chocolate. I suppose the weather was too warm today to keep chocolate in the car from melting, so the guy decided to eat it and share some too.
This is a much delayed realization, but I have ridiculously low tolerance for vices like caffeine, cigarettes and Red Bull-esque chemical cocktails. Went to Tallulah's tonight for a bit after getting back to Chapel Hill, and felt a strange detachment between mind and body movement. Then I remember the two extra large 16 oz cans of energy drink I sipped through during my day of driving. Whew. The same thing happens to me with a cup of coffee, two cigarettes or a glass of wine.
Must do reading.
I heart Kings of Convenience and Interpol.
Must clean room. Will begin by bulldozing clothes off floor, tomorrow.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Goldfishing
After consuming 20 potatoe chips,three slices of white bread with Nutella and half of tomorrow's lunch just before midnight, I'm reminded once again of my body's inability to distinguish between hunger and appetite. I wasn't the least bit hungry. Feeling nervous about my ceramics project tomorrow though. I want to finish it, but afraid I won't be able to by 2pm tomorrow. So what do I do? Stuff myself with food. I think I feel a stomachache coming on, induced by binge eating.
Sleepy. Will wake up in a couple of hours to continue working.
Must remind self to take the time to savor food. Food is not the answer to stave off nervousness.
Alternatives: 1) smoking: my lungs will hate me
2) drinking: plum wine. yum. highly expensive. will
not repeat Nalgene bottle incident. am not, and
will not become alcoholic.
3) exercise: the most healthy alternative, though my
butt is lazy and doesn't like to move much. I will
walk more and be less American-like by leaving car
at home instead.
Wow, writer Hunter Simpson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) shot himself last night. Age 67.
Right, sleep
Sleepy. Will wake up in a couple of hours to continue working.
Must remind self to take the time to savor food. Food is not the answer to stave off nervousness.
Alternatives: 1) smoking: my lungs will hate me
2) drinking: plum wine. yum. highly expensive. will
not repeat Nalgene bottle incident. am not, and
will not become alcoholic.
3) exercise: the most healthy alternative, though my
butt is lazy and doesn't like to move much. I will
walk more and be less American-like by leaving car
at home instead.
Wow, writer Hunter Simpson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) shot himself last night. Age 67.
Right, sleep
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Idiot's day
Must drag my sorry procrastinating ass, despite various projects and presentations coming up, all the way to Atlanta next Tuesday in order to hand in a visa application in person. Then I would drive back to Chapel Hill, and wait and hope that I would receive approval for my visa in the processing time of two weeks, which would leave less than two days before my flight leaves for Paris March 10th. Lovely. Would I have to drive back to Atlanta again to pick up my passport? Or would I trust U.S. Postal Service's Express mail to deliver me the document by 3pm Thursday afternoon? That is if I get my visa. 6+ hours of solo driving in the crowded and congested mess of Atlanta. Great. I'm now sitting at work, at the circulation desk behind the art library, numbing my frustration with a small Nalgene bottle full of Sauvignon Blanc. *sigh* Life sucks, like that sorry piece of online fortune cookie I clicked on last night. [see previous post].
I should be sleeping...
The evils of menstruation - eating a large bowl of popcorn in the middle of night. *munch munch munch*
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Fish Tacos
Had two fish Tacos from Burrito Bunker today. $5.35 with tax. (I paid much more than that of course, using my parents' money and Tarheel Takeout).
The tacos were really good. Two fried flour (flour! so much better than corn) taco shells filled with seasoned and grilled whitefish, shredded lettuce, onions, large chunks of tomatoes and a creamy "lime" sauce. The fish was pretty heavily seasoned, though not in a bad way. The vegetables tasted fresh, and the flour taco was warm and deliciously crisp. It was a satisfying [lunch + dinner = ] dunch, although in terms of fried flour tortillas, Carrburitos still has the best fried flour chips.
All in all, a happy eating day.
[Yogurt and granola, pineapple sherbet, leftover crab&shrimp spring rolls + shittake mushroom noodles, creamy milk chocolate truffles, two fish tacos, pieces of week old baguette with strawberry jam, trail mix and (sorry Allison...) last piece of the incredibly decadent double fudge ice cream + chocolate chips + chocolate cake + chocolate icing =] brownie.
Whew. I'm having one of those "womanly" days, can't you tell?
The tacos were really good. Two fried flour (flour! so much better than corn) taco shells filled with seasoned and grilled whitefish, shredded lettuce, onions, large chunks of tomatoes and a creamy "lime" sauce. The fish was pretty heavily seasoned, though not in a bad way. The vegetables tasted fresh, and the flour taco was warm and deliciously crisp. It was a satisfying [lunch + dinner = ] dunch, although in terms of fried flour tortillas, Carrburitos still has the best fried flour chips.
All in all, a happy eating day.
[Yogurt and granola, pineapple sherbet, leftover crab&shrimp spring rolls + shittake mushroom noodles, creamy milk chocolate truffles, two fish tacos, pieces of week old baguette with strawberry jam, trail mix and (sorry Allison...) last piece of the incredibly decadent double fudge ice cream + chocolate chips + chocolate cake + chocolate icing =] brownie.
Whew. I'm having one of those "womanly" days, can't you tell?
Dinner at Lantern
After work yesterday (the day after Valentine's) , I made up my mind to go for a fancy dinner. I had made some sort of vague dinner plans with Alli W, but didn't reaffirm it with her (She happened to have left her phone in her room, so dinner with her was a no-go).
I strolled out of the Art building after work, and after finding out from Emily that Blonde Redhead and Interpol are playing at Disco Rodeo the weekend after next weekend, I walked leisurely up Franklin street toward Carrboro. (Sidenote: anyone want to see Blonde Redhead and Interpol with me? Tix go for, oh, say $18?)
I contemplated restaurants like Lime & Basil, 411 West, Tallulah's, but somehow made my way into the empty bar at Lantern minutes past 5:30pm, right when the place opened. Maybe I should have gone to Crook's Corner instead, or perhaps Fuse; I would really like to try somewhere new.
It was just me and my notebook at the round table, where I ordered a fuchsia pink Singapore sling, crab and shrimp stuffed spring rolls in Bibb lettuce wrap and fresh herbs, and a chanterelle, black trumpet & shitake mushroom hotpot with homemade tofu dumplings, local squash, hand-cut soba noodles and mushroom dashi. There were enough food to feed two, which sadly means I would have to save dessert for my next trip.
The Singapore sling was tasty, a little too much alcohol and not quite as tart as ones I had in Singapore. The alcohol left me a little tipsy for the rest of the night, even through Joan Nathan's lecture on Jewish food in America several hours later.
The springs rolls were delicious. Three little rolls, filled with a fragrant blend of crab and shrimp meat, as well as fresh basil and herbs (could it have been mint?) are fried until golden and flaky. You then wrap the rolls in a large green leaf of Bibb lettuce, with a few sprigs of sliced green onions, and small leaves of fresh basil. The dipping sauce which came with the dish was too pungent and tangy for my taste.
The Shiitake mushroom hotpot was standard fare. In it, I found thin, noodle like slices of egg skin, julianne bits of orange colored squash, mushrooms, and wide, rather floury hand-cut noodles. The broth had an overwhelming shiitake flavor. The fried tofu dumpling, of ground tofu, spices and (I believe) squash, was the highlight of the dish. The rest was, *eh*.
Conclusion: Next time, skip the entree all together. Just drinks, appetizers and desserts. It was still a very satisfying meal, and I would definitely dine by myself more frequently from now on. I would like to take more solo ventures to fancy restaurants, courtesy of my father's credit card. ($38 for a one person dinner is an extravagant expense for a "poor college student.")
Upcoming food ventures (hopefully) : Sage Cafe, Oishii, Crook's Corner and Fuse.
Just ordered takeout from Burrito Bunker. Tarheel Takeout is so overpriced, yet it's one way I can exploit parents' money using my One Card. Shame on me.
I strolled out of the Art building after work, and after finding out from Emily that Blonde Redhead and Interpol are playing at Disco Rodeo the weekend after next weekend, I walked leisurely up Franklin street toward Carrboro. (Sidenote: anyone want to see Blonde Redhead and Interpol with me? Tix go for, oh, say $18?)
I contemplated restaurants like Lime & Basil, 411 West, Tallulah's, but somehow made my way into the empty bar at Lantern minutes past 5:30pm, right when the place opened. Maybe I should have gone to Crook's Corner instead, or perhaps Fuse; I would really like to try somewhere new.
It was just me and my notebook at the round table, where I ordered a fuchsia pink Singapore sling, crab and shrimp stuffed spring rolls in Bibb lettuce wrap and fresh herbs, and a chanterelle, black trumpet & shitake mushroom hotpot with homemade tofu dumplings, local squash, hand-cut soba noodles and mushroom dashi. There were enough food to feed two, which sadly means I would have to save dessert for my next trip.
The Singapore sling was tasty, a little too much alcohol and not quite as tart as ones I had in Singapore. The alcohol left me a little tipsy for the rest of the night, even through Joan Nathan's lecture on Jewish food in America several hours later.
The springs rolls were delicious. Three little rolls, filled with a fragrant blend of crab and shrimp meat, as well as fresh basil and herbs (could it have been mint?) are fried until golden and flaky. You then wrap the rolls in a large green leaf of Bibb lettuce, with a few sprigs of sliced green onions, and small leaves of fresh basil. The dipping sauce which came with the dish was too pungent and tangy for my taste.
The Shiitake mushroom hotpot was standard fare. In it, I found thin, noodle like slices of egg skin, julianne bits of orange colored squash, mushrooms, and wide, rather floury hand-cut noodles. The broth had an overwhelming shiitake flavor. The fried tofu dumpling, of ground tofu, spices and (I believe) squash, was the highlight of the dish. The rest was, *eh*.
Conclusion: Next time, skip the entree all together. Just drinks, appetizers and desserts. It was still a very satisfying meal, and I would definitely dine by myself more frequently from now on. I would like to take more solo ventures to fancy restaurants, courtesy of my father's credit card. ($38 for a one person dinner is an extravagant expense for a "poor college student.")
Upcoming food ventures (hopefully) : Sage Cafe, Oishii, Crook's Corner and Fuse.
Just ordered takeout from Burrito Bunker. Tarheel Takeout is so overpriced, yet it's one way I can exploit parents' money using my One Card. Shame on me.
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