Fungi Phobia

I'm terrified of a few things:

-Fish
-Aliens
-Butterflies
-Space
-Protists
-Fungi

The last two things on that list are entire kingdoms. KINGDOMS, I say! Mayhaps I will expand on this in the future, but let's just focus on fungus for now. Fungus is disgusting.

HOWEVER.

Mushrooms are ridiculously tasty.



Look how tasty they are (and terrifying). These suckers were sauteed down and shoved into a tortilla with sauteed spinach and Muenster cheese. Quesadillas don't get more authentically Mexican than this.

Just kidding.

It was delicious, though. The stomach pain I am suffering through right now doesn't deter me from wanting more quesadilla in the future.

PS: Just in case you didn't believe me about space being scary...

http://www.youtube.com/embed/HEheh1BH34Q

The music in that video was really scary. It made me think of aliens. I'm scared of aliens. Unless they're aliens from Animorphs. Those aliens rocked.

Okay, more about space being terrifying...

http://www.youtube.com/embed/b0lxbzgwW7I

REALLY, REALLY BIG.

PPS: I would have made them embedded videos, but they didn't fit in the confines of my blog's design. So, I took them out.

B&W

I bake cookies a lot. As if this was news to you. I've been to lots of "famous" bakeries in Southern California. If there's a pastry I particularly like, I tend to figure out how to make it at home so I can tweak it to my liking and save monies. I have yet to make this cookie, however, because there are so many conflicting opinions on recipes out there. I suppose that makes sense, it IS a New York cookie. New Yorkers like to argue. Rabblerabblerabblecookierabble.



This is from Beverlywood Bakery. This place is pretty dang legit. The only other black and white cookie I've ever had was at Canter's on Fairfax (I think that's where it is). These are both Jewishy establishments. Black and white cookies aren't easy to find, especially ones that are Jew/New Yorker approved. I know the one at Beverlywood is approved. My stomach also approves. I ate two of these this weekend.

I think I'm going to try and make these soon. Stay tuned!

My Favorite Herb

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I love thyme. I'm planning on growing my own soon so I can have ridiculous amount of fresh, lemony herb at all times. I actually don't find thyme to be lemony but Giada tells me every episode that it is, so, lemony it is. I just know that it adds a wonderful aroma and flavor to everything I make from chicken stock to au gratin potatoes to parmesan biscuits. I dunno where I'd be without thyme. I guess on an island of blandness.

Do yourself a favor. Get some thyme. It owns parsley in the face. If herbs had faces.

Garbage Soup

Also known as chicken stock.



I needed a way to get rid of my old celery, an old carrot, some parsley, a chicken carcass and some other herbs (rosemary, thyme). I threw in an onion for good measure and the chicken breasts I needed to poach and made some delicious chicken stock. There's something ridiculously satisfying about making chicken stock. The smell that fills the kitchen is homey and comforting and it takes little to no effort at all. Now I need a use for this chicken stock. Maybe I'll just drink it straight. Like a weird Chinese person

Me Want

So that honey boba I never shut up about in the big tubs?



Yea.. bet you want some. I do. It took them 20 minutes to make this, so it was pretty annoying. But... it was worth it. I want more, NOW ):

Tripe?

I grew up eating lots of weird things without ever questioning what they were. Stomach, intestine, ears, God knows what else.



I had dim sum with my mother today and I still couldn't tell you what the dish in the foreground is. But I ordered it and ate it all because I love it. The dish in the background is my absolute favorite, though. It's sticky rice with meat, some veggies, a little bit of egg yolk with a touch of meat sauce all wrapped in a lotus leaf. A Chinese tamale, sort of. Whatever. It's amazing.

I've been keeping a log of all the food I eat because I very much fell off the eating healthy wagon awhile ago. I use livestrong.com/myplate. Unfortunately, Chinese dim sum doesn't fit well with that site. So.. I left today blank. >__>

What Frigid Weather?

The fact that it's still winter didn't deter me from jumping on the spring wagon and whipping up a delicious risotto. I didn't have any white wine in my house and I had some pre-shredded parmesan to use up instead of opening my new parmiggiano reggiano, but, it was still ridiculously tasty. The risotto featured spring's first English peas, asparagus and leeks offset with good ol' salty pancetta. I felt very Anne Burrell-ish as I stirred the crap out of the dish, but it paid off. It's definitely the best risotto I've ever made and one of the best I've had period. Yay me.