I opened my Tumblr mail during my procrastination study break and found that the wonderful Aina of Red + Black Apron has chosen my blog to be one of the recipients of the Laine Blogger Award. This award was originally intended for beauty bloggers but they realized that it would be for everyone’s benefit if this award is shared and extended to other sectors of the blogging industry.

The following are the rules with regard to giving out this award:

1. Link back to the blogger who awarded you

2. Blog about the award

3. Give the award to 5 other bloggers and let them know

Since I’m already done with the first two steps, let’s proceed to the last one. Although it took a while to decide, I’ve decided to send the awards out to these 5 bloggers (and since pictures speak louder than words, I’ve decided to let the pictures do all the talking) :

1. Cooking in the city:

2. Candid Appetite

3. Belly of Ecuador:

4. Anime Recipes

5. Behind the Food Carts

Enjoy!

  6 months ago       70 notes
  candidappetite  cookinginthecity  behindthefoodcarts  bellyofecuador  animerecipes  recipe blog  food blog  

PICKLE CHIPS:

[ 1/3 cup flour + 1 egg + 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce + 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder + 1 1/2 cups of Panko Japanese bread crumbs + 1 jar of sliced pickles, drained and patted dry with a paper towel + vegetable oil for shallow frying ]

1. Preheat oil to 350°F.
2. In a bowl combine the egg and flour to make a paste.
3. Add the Worchestershire sauce and garlic powder.
4. Dump in the drained pickle slices and coat evenly with the batter.
5. Pour the Panko bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. You can sprinkle some Cajun seasoning in here if you want to.
6. Coat each slices of pickle with the panko breadcrumbs. Press to coat evenly. 
7. Set coated pickle chips onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes. During this time you can prepare your dipping sauce (I made mine using honey mustard, mayonnaise and more honey).
8. Remove pickle chips from freezer and fry in batches, for about 5 to 6 minutes.
9. Drain onto paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until all the pickle chips have been fried. Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

  6 months ago       607 notes
  food  pickle chips  pickle  photographers on tumblr  

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

  6 months ago       30 notes
  get ready for the twist  lady antebellum  need you now  

Butterbeer (recipe)

  6 months ago       93 notes
  food  drink  butterbeer  dessert  halloween  harry potter  photographers on tumblr  

How do you feel about having butter in your soda? Because that is essentially what this is. You can substitute it for artificial butter flavoring, but if you can’t find any then I’m afraid it’s the ol’ clarified butter to the rescue. I did find the idea of buttery soda borderline repulsive at first, but I have to say that it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s pretty damn good. Really good, actually, especially when you top it off with the buttery foam. I thought it was a little too sweet at first, but once you start sippin’ there’s no stoppin’ - it becomes strangely addictive. You have been warned.

On another note, right now the power is out and I’m writing this in my pitch black room with the aid of an internet USB modem. Tomorrow is Halloween after all, and I thought it’d be nice to post this up should any of you guys feel like trying it out.

***For the alcoholic version, you could add a dash or two of butterscotch schnapps to the recipes.

BEER FOAM (recipe from Feast of Fiction):

[ 6 tablespoon of sugar + 3 teaspon of vanilla extract + 1 cup heavy cream + 2 teaspoon of butter flavoring or clarified butter ]

Combine ingredients in a large mixing/Kitchen Aid bowl.

Mix or whip on a medium to high speed until you get soft peaks, this can take anywhere from 2-4 minutes.

And now to make the actual butterbeer(s). You can have them hot and/or cold, so let’s start with the one that takes a bit more work - the cold version.

Before we begin, if you don’t feel like going through all these steps, you can just buy yourself a bottle of cream soda (rumour has it that IBC cream soda is the closest to tasting like the real thing) and add a few drops of artificial butter flavour to it and stir. But, if you feel like working that elbow grease, here’s the how to:

COLD BUTTERBEER:

[ 2 cups granulated sugar + 1 cup water + 1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 to 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (to taste) + 4-5 tablespoon hot water + 2 liters sparkling water + 3 teaspoon butter flavouring or 2 tablespoon clarified butter ]

In a medium saucepan set over medium high heat, stir together the sugar, water and butter flavouring.

Once combined, bring the mixture to a bowl, swirling gently as needed (do not stir it again until you add the vanilla). Boil until the mixture turns from cloudy white to perfectly clear, and then to brown-ish, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

If using a vanilla bean, add it to the hot  syrup and allow to steep for about 15 minutes. If using vanilla extract, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of extract, as desired.

Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.

To make butterbeer: Combine all of the syrup with 4-5 tablespoons of hot water to loosen it up and help it dissolve before adding the 2 liters of sparkling water.

Serve chilled topped with a few tablespoons of the foam.

The next version is the one that will warm you up. Perfect for the current season, I’m assuming. It has none of that fizzy soda taste so I don’t really know if you can call it butterbeer, but it’s still nice all the same.

HOT BUTTERBEER (recipe from Feast of Fiction):

[ 1 glass of milk + 1 tablespoon of Butterscotch Caramel (or to taste) + 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or to taste) ]

Mix all together in a pot on medium heat. Stir until drink is desired hotness.

Serve hot topped with a few tablespoons of the foam.

BEER FOAM:

[ 6 tablespoon of sugar + 3 teaspon of vanilla extract + 1 cup heavy cream + 2 teaspoon of butter flavoring or clarified butter ]

1. Combine ingredients in a large mixing/Kitchen Aid bowl.
2. Mix or whip on a medium to high speed until you get soft peaks, this can take anywhere from 2-4 minutes

COLD BUTTERBEER:

[ 2 cups granulated sugar + 1 cup water + 1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 to 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (to taste) + 4-5 tablespoon hot water + 2 liters sparkling water + 3 teaspoon butter flavouring or 2 tablespoon clarified butter ]

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium high heat, stir together the sugar, water and butter flavouring.
2. Once combined, bring the mixture to a bowl, swirling gently as needed (do not stir it again until you add the vanilla). Boil until the mixture turns from cloudy white to perfectly clear, and then to brown-ish, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. If using a vanilla bean, add it to the hot  syrup and allow to steep for about 15 minutes. If using vanilla extract, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of extract, as desired.
4. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
5. To make butterbeer: Combine all of the syrup with 4-5 tablespoons of hot water to loosen it up and help it dissolve before adding the 2 liters of sparkling water.
6. Serve chilled topped with a few tablespoons of the foam.

HOT BUTTERBEER:

[ 1 glass of milk + 1 tablespoon of Butterscotch Caramel (or to taste) + 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or to taste) ]

1. Mix all together in a pot on medium heat. Stir until drink is desired hotness.
2. Serve hot topped with a few tablespoons of the foam.

Enjoy!

  6 months ago       611 notes
  butterbeer  dessert  drink  food  harry potter  halloween  

A crowd of mugs for the butterbeer post.

  6 months ago       21 notes
  photographers on tumblr  

Holy cow this was on the Huffington Post! First step to Legit island.

  6 months ago       89 notes
  food  mochi  ichigo daifuku  japanese dessert  huffington post  photographers on tumblr  

“Eat Drink Man Woman” - opening scene. 

Watch this. Please.

  6 months ago       49 notes
  eat drink man woman  Ang Lee  

Lemon-Raspberry Corncakes (recipe)

  6 months ago       585 notes
  food  dessert  raspberry  corncake  pancake  breakfast  photographers on tumblr  

I’ve never been much of a pancake person. I think it stemmed from an incident that happened more than a decade ago, when I was home-sitting and found a jug of maple syrup for the first time. I had been very excited because I’ve never had it before, until I saw the expiry date. The whole jug of unopened maple syrup was to expire that exact same day. So I racked my brain as to what to do to finish it, when I found a box of instant pancake mix in the pantry. I quickly followed the instructions on the box and it yielded 20 or so pancakes.

I then took one, drowned it in syrup and topped it with a pat of butter, salivating at the sight. First pancake gone and I was still going strong, but by the fourth one I was beginning to feel lightheaded and nauseous. And that was when the doorbell rang; it was a friend of my brother’s (and his sister). And I found my new victims. I practically threatened them by saying I won’t let them near the game consoles until they finish 3 pancakes. Each.

Let’s just say I’ve never looked at pancakes the same again. But don’t let the story above discourage you from these. It was inspired by the segment on “3 Sisters Cafe” on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The cornmeal makes the outside super crispy while the inside soft and fluffy. I could definitely polish one or two of these away without much trouble.

RASPBERRY CORNCAKES:

[ 1 cup cornmeal + 1/3 cup all-purpose flour + 2-3 tablespoon sugar (I used dark brown sugar) + zest of 1 lemon (save juice for lemon curd recipe) + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt + 3/4 cup buttermilk + 1 tablespoon melted butter + 1 cup fresh raspberries ]

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Add buttermilk, zest and melted butter; mix well until batter is thickened.

You can gently stir in raspberries here, or you could drop as many as desired onto griddle after you ladle the batter.

Heat a griddle or large skillet lightly coated with butter over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook about 3 minutes, or until crisp and golden.

Carefully flip cakes with a spatula and cook other side for an additional 3 minutes or until done.

If you want to serve these corncakes with some lemon curd, here’s a recipe for it:

LEMON CURD:

[ 1/2 cup lemon juice + 2 teaspoons lemon zest + 1/2 cup sugar + 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk + 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces ]

Place the zest, juice, sugar, salt, and eggs in a metal bowl. Whisk away. Add in the butter, clamp on an instant-read thermometer, and set the bowl over a tiny pot of simmering water.

Don’t ever stop whisking gently or you’ll end up with a layer of scrambled eggs on the edge of your bowl.

Keep cooking and stirring until it’s thick, and the thermometer reads 160°F, 5-10 minutes.

Place a fine-mesh sieve over another metal bowl and press the curd through it with a rubber spatula.

Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve corncakes with lemon curd and extra raspberries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

RASPBERRY CORNCAKES:

[ 1 cup cornmeal + 1/3 cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoon sugar + zest of 1 lemon (save juice for lemon curd recipe) + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt + 3/4 cup buttermilk + 1 tablespoon melted butter + 1 cup fresh raspberries ]

1. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Add buttermilk, zest and melted butter; mix well until batter is thickened. You can gently stir in raspberries here, or you could drop as many as desired onto griddle after you ladle the batter.
3. Heat a griddle or large skillet lightly coated with butter over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook about 3 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
4. Carefully flip cakes with a spatula and cook other side for an additional 3 minutes or until done. Serve with lemon curd and extra raspberries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

LEMON CURD:

[ 1/2 cup lemon juice + 2 teaspoons lemon zest + 1/2 cup sugar + 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk + 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces ]

1. Place the zest, juice, sugar, salt, and eggs in a metal bowl. Whisk away. Add in the butter, clamp on an instant-read thermometer, and set the bowl over a tiny pot of simmering  water. *Don’t ever stop whisking gently or you’ll end up with a layer of scrambled eggs on the edge of your bowl.
2. Keep cooking and stirring until it’s thick, and the thermometer reads 160°F, 5-10 minutes.
3. Place a fine-mesh sieve over another metal bowl and press the curd through it with a rubber spatula.
4. Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to use.

  6 months ago       198 notes
  food  raspberry corncakes  breakfast  corncake  lemon  dessert