Thirsty Thursday?

Is that what fratty partiers call tonight?

I'm a little out of the loop.

I've also been loopy. Finals are fast approaching, so my blog will be neglected for just a while longer :( not that anyone really cares. I promise to write a real entry come mid-December!

Lemon drop martini. A "girly" drink. I don't feel guilty about a girly drink, dagnammit! I can do things straight no chaser without making a face, but quite frankly, that don't taste as good. I'm honestly not big on alcohol in general. I'm not sophisticated or matoor enough to enjoy my spirits neat at this time..

This was before I realized I should probably make a bigger effort to take a nicer picture for you guys.
 

so I tried

but I failed. My eyessss! They burrrnnnnn!
Just like my throat does.

Reinstating random food fact of the day: Today, Pump tried the tiniest droplet of flavored rum and almost died on my floor from disgust.


cheerioooo,
trish

major recap

hey, people!
i know i haven't updated in a long while. school and laziness make an extremely horrible combo. let me sum things up by saying i slept through a midterm last thursday, the same day i had a research paper, another paper and a presentation as well.

let me present a recap, mostly in photos, to give you a glimpse of what i've been up to for the past 2 months. sorry this post doesn't have more written thoughts (or is this a good thing? i'm no writer). many thanks to the ladies who took most of the photos in this entry. all of my friends utilize their SLRs more than i utilize my point and shoot, so i haven't been taking many pics of my own. hehe.

p.s. hope you like the new layout! the pic in my banner was taken by lil c :) big ups to blogger for stepping its game up and to lil c for schoolin me.

banh mi inspired steak sandwiches for bible study

don't make fun of my abnormally chubby, small baby hands. pretty sure they've been the same since 3rd grade. photo by yooni

pot roast served atop cheesy polenta w/ scallions. wish i had a few more hours, but it was still "pretty good"

photo by yooni

21st bday:
dinner @ brookville restaurant here in cville

columns, L to R: rosemary olive bread; components of a pork belly sandwich; some kind of salad; egg-topped steak w/ green beans; the most meltingly tender pork tenderloin ever w/ squash, some kind of grain, and greens; perfect roasted brussel sprouts w/ cheese and some kind of pig (bacon? pancetta?); and a cheese platter. all local. one of the best meals of my life. photo by yooni

i got an ice cream maker! the cuisinart ice-21 :D thanks, ladies!

yummy bday cake from albemarle baking co.

photo by yooni

my housemates are the BEST! they semi-surprised me with a lovely dinner at home :) i got a marble mortar and pestle too. thank you so much! i love you all!!

photo by ongel

trip to nyc:

$1 nyc pizza

photo by yooni

compost cookie, pork buns and crack pie @ milk bar

photo by yooni

me in my natural habitat. haha sike. last meal at some diner in nyc

photo by yooni

last meal of the trip outside of a dunkin donuts with food from wegmans. centreville, va.

photo by lil c

baking improv, failure (crap beer batter bread) and success (cheddar bread w/ chiles)

photo by ongel

ice cream from my ice cream maker! :D

top: blackberry-lemon vanilla froyo. bottom: pumpkin ice cream w/ pie crust chunks
photo by pump

another shot of the pumpkin pie ice cream. mm.

coca convention people @ carter mountain apple orchard!

phone pics @ va film festival:
vintage: the winemaker's year. great documentary.

happythankyoumoreplease. JOSH RADNOR AKA TED MOSBY WAS THERE! we were right in front of him.

hope you all enjoyed :) regular programming will resume shortly.

cheers,
t

Monty Sweets Swap

My housemates and I hosted a sweets swap (Angela was inspired by a blogger she follows) last weekend. A smashing successss (say it in the Queen's English, pls). I def recommend hosting a dessert or appetizer exchange with your friends, but keep it on the smaller side for that intimate feel ;) What's better than good food and good company? Not much.
Thanks very much to Angela who took all of the photos in this post!

Lucy made scrumptious apple pie bars, Christy made perfect white choc, cranberry, and pecan cookies, and Angela made the cutest little red velvet cupcakes (w/ cream cheese frosting!) I ever did see.

I made mini cinnamon rolls. Think tealight candle size.

Even if I don't have a sweet tooth, I couldn't resist trying everything! Thanks to everyone who made it to the swap :)


Cheers,
t

new beginnings

Note: this was written last Saturday.

There are new beginnings everywhere around me: a new era for UVA football (not hopeful though. Opener tonight vs. Richmond!), a new school year, new acquaintances, and a new home @ the university.

sneak peek of the room

someone please come and straighten these out for me.

I'm so thankful to God for lookin out for me 24/7. None of these new beginnings should be taken for granted! As classes begin and the campus is teeming with different faces, sometimes I need to go to my happy place. This happy place is the peaceful house that I share with Angela, Christy and Lucy :) It's a big change from my apt last year, and even though I miss Jojo and Steff, it's refreshing to change things up.

This morning, my housemates and I went to the farmer's market downtown, which always means a delicious time. The weather was perfect (temps in the 70s? HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?!), my girls are the best, and the stands had so much to offer. I picked up some figs and Italian plums.

When we got back, I cobbled together a simple lunch: grilled ham and cheese (don't hate on the American cheese product. It is classic) and figs dolloped with vanilla greek yogurt.

I love how the fig's insides are crunchy with seeds and glossy with nectarrrzzz!

Oh, Lucy and I also picked up this ginormous locally-grown watermelon for $5.

Anyway, just a short little post to commemorate the beginning of great things. Thanks be to God.

cheers,
t

Where did the time go?

OOOOOOPSSSS. Hello, my most likely very few readers.

Summer's been so relaxing. I guess I didn't realize how time was flying. How've your summers been? Let me know in the comments :) As for myself, the days have been filled with friends, family, and lounging at the pool. Sprinkle in a few weeks helping at the parents' store, a short run of VBS, and two day trips to Cville, and you've got the gist down pat.

While I haven't kept up with the blog, I've been in the kitchen. I'm not much of a baker, but I've done two trials of biscotti for a different post, so watch for that :D Spoiler: my first batch was horrendous in true sucky baker fashion.

Forgive me for all of the pics in this post, none of which were taken in natural lightning.

Last night, I made cheddar cheese puffs for an appetizer. Super elegant and easy, homies. If you wanna get all fancypants widdit, call 'em gougeres with a French accent. They're basically savory versions of unfilled cream puffs. Be warned that cheese puffs aren't healthy, requiring a whole stick o' butta (for about 25-35 puffs, depending on size). Even though they were Xtremely tasty, so tasty that Xtreme doesn't start with an 'e', I could feel the puffs makin me puff in some unwanted places, namsayin'? I stopped eating after about 3 of them (or something ).

yummy specks of pepper and thyme. The inside of the puff looks really mushy, but really it's the melted cheddar.

The only thing that comforts me is that the puffs are hollow, so you're not taking in as many carbs as you'd suspect from the outside. Hehe. Pate a choux produces profiteroles (cream puffs), eclaires, cheese puffs and NUN'S FARTS among other things, depending on how you prepare it. If you're making gougeres, try to stay away from high-moisture content cheese like mozzarella. They're traditionally made with gruyere and other hard cheeses. But yay for adaptability! I just finished making cream puffs, but I filled them with fat free vanilla ice cream instead of creamcream. SOOO GOOOD! My mom turned spastic when she ate hers :)

o haaaaay, sis! and ice cream puffz.

Wherever you look, the basic recipe is pretty much the same. Because of that, I can't really cite a single website, so I'll repost everything here with my adaptations and notes.

Basic Pate A Choux
1 c milk
1 stick butter
1 tsp kosher salt for savory pastries, or 2 tsp sugar + pinch of salt for sweet pastries
1 c flour
4 eggs, room temp
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Bring milk, butter and salt (or sugar) to a boil on medium high. Take off heat and stir in flour all at once. Return to heat, stirring the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a smooth ball. Stir on med-low heat for 1-2 more minutes to get rid of excess moisture. Take off heat and turn stove off. Let the paste cool off for 3-5 minutes. Whether by hand or with a mixer, incorporate the 4 eggs, one at a time (at first, the eggs won't seem to mix in, but keep stirring until the dough is smooth again). The dough/batter should slowly "tear" or drip off your spoon, leaving a hanging "V" shape. Add whatever flavorings at this time (1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice at this point for gougeres. I also added fresh cracked pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and thyme). Fill a piping bag or large ziploc bag with the dough, and pipe little mounds (about 1 Tbsp or golf ball size) onto parchment paper, 2 inches apart. Try to pipe with the bag standing vertically at all times for even distribution. Wet your finger and pat down any dough peaks, which will burn otherwise. Brush each mound with your last egg+water mixture. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, and 350F for another 10-15 mins or so. Try not to open the oven door, since steam is what causes your puffs to puff! Keep an eye on your pastries during the 350F phase, because diff sizes require diff baking time. They're done when golden brown and puffy.
Shut off oven and take your pan out. Poke each puff with a toothpick to release excess moisture, and return to the cooling oven for 5 min. Serve as soon as possible, or freeze and reheat at 350F.

cheers, homies

t

lots of elote

Mmmm. Summer means fresh sweet karnnnn!

My cousin had promo coupons to get a dozen ears of corn (and a cantaloupe!) for free at the Chesterfield Berry Farm's market off 360 West.There's nothing like produce straight from the source. Grilled. With butter. And chili powder. And lime juice... Do you see where I'm going here?


Enter: "Mexican" corn, or elote (our take, anyway). Sure, you can enjoy the pure, unadorned flavor and sweetness of corn. But why not indulge once in a while?

Boil and/or grill the corn, slather on some butter and mayo (I go lightly on both, but feel free to use your own judgment), dust with seasoning (we did a mix of chili, cayenne, and garlic powder), salt, and top with cotija cheese. We couldn't find cotija, so we used queso fresco. Squeeze on some lime, and you're on the flavor train to euphoria. I had cilantro on hand and added it for color, but it's totes unnecessary.


Everything works together in a big way. The corn is crunchy, creamy, tangy, spicy, smoky, and slightly salty. MMmmm I'll be having this again for the 4th of July. You better believe it.

Also picked up some CBF-grown green beans for 1.99/lb (I think the scale at the cash register makes your total even cheaper). Check out the little market down Hull St. towards Amelia, less than a mile past Skinquarter Rd on your right.

Cheers.

These streets will make you feel brand new

..and 10 lbs heavier.

My cousin and I hit up the city that never sleeps. Our adventure was about beautiful things: delishuzzz food, all kinds of art, beautiful people, and irresistible clothing & accessories.

Sorry to my nyc acquaintances for not meeting up; our schedule was packed. And I'm lazy. These excuses ultimately explain my lack of photos documenting the trip. I literally didn't take any digital cam pics other than these -_- I promise we did a lot more than what follows. Sure, my feet perpetually ached, I sweat like Park Chu Young with his nasty hair (with none of the effort), and I was more concerned about "being in the moment" than snapping a shot. But deep down, I was just lazy and we were constantly on to the next scene.

Wafels & Dinges

Call the W&D hotline or check their Twitter for the daily password in order to receive a free 2nd topping. Sometimes the password is actually a dare/challenge, such as impersonating a soccer player or telling your best Knock, Knock joke o_o we were wussies. Sigh.


The Brussels waffle with Nutella. We liked this the best. Light, crispy, slightly lemony, with a crunch from sugar crystals that were sprinkled on top of the batter before being waffled.


The Liege waffle with Belgian chocolate fudge. Denser than the Brussels, pleasantly chewy (more of a bread/doughy treat), and rich.

Sun Say Kai (or Gai), Chinatown

Roast pig with crispy skin lunch special for $4.50. Comes with steamed rice and napa cabbage. Some people expect totally irrelevant things from a hole in the wall, ducks hangin in the window kinda place like this. They complain that the rice is plain, the "cabbage-like" veggie is whatever, blahblah. Realize that this joint serves up simple, fast, unapologetic food. The O.G. cooks do meats justice for the most part. I ordered the roasted pork, and it was pretty darn tasty, but the skin prob wouldn't have been a tad stale (it was still crispy) if I'd come earlier in the day when it was fresh. That's my bad. I wanna try the roast duck and short ribs next time. Great service from red-vested old schoolers, hot tea, and juicy meat makes one happy girl (that's what she.. nevermind).

Chelsea Market

Need I say more? This is what [edible] dreams are made of. Food Network is also made of this. Rather, the network has some office space in this building. So does Oxygen network, MLB.com, and Google (all closed to the public). Try to go when the place isn't crowded, which is probably never :( That's my main gripe about the place.

Check out the grocery store for cheap spices (20-25 whole nutmegs for $1.89?!). Of course I HAD to buy a microplane (for the NUTMEG!) and swhing shwing it around the market like a ninja. $1-2 cheaper than retail price at Bowery Kitchen Supply.


Hale & Hearty Soups in Chelsea Mkt. Chicken and avocado sandwich with really tasty lobster bisque.

Kvass

People were handing these out for free, but it just wasn't my thang. My reaction might have been different if I'd been given any background info, but my initial thought was that the bev tasted like a beer-gone-wrong without the alcohol. Guess I wasn't far off. Very little sugar, which I wasn't expecting when I read "soda". After reading the article, though, I'd give it another sip. Maybe.

Calexico

Yep, Calexico's got a sit-in location in addition to its carts.



Steak burrito. At first, I thought $8 was kinda steep. Then I noticed how much freaking steak they gave me. Happy stomach. Great flavors, though I wish I could've tasted the avocado crema more.



Salsas from the complimentary salsa bar. L-R: roasted pumpkin arbol, maybe jalapeno and then habanero or vice versa. What really matters is the pumpkin arbol sauce, which I've since discovered has a huge fan base. That jank is tangy, peppery, nutty, and straight up delectable with a wonderful texture. I think my head would explode from uncontainable delight if I could drizzle that over...


53rd & 6th halal. Some quick clarification.

Combo plate, baby!! :D :D :D :D before white/red sauce. This is Peter freaking Parker, ok? Once you mix with the rice/sauces and spoon it into your mouth, the Spiderman side will be jumpin all up in there. Nothing more needs to be said. Go get some.

And so ends my nyc post. Hope you enjoyed some part of it! I can't wait to go again in the fall.

Cheers,
t