Um, what, it's 2015 already?
I hope you all had a grand time celebrating the new year!
On New Years eve, I happily bid 2014 goodbye by freezing my appendages off marching for a mile, sans winter coat, for the First Night Boston parade. If you saw a somber girl waving a blue fan around, that was me! (I swear I was trying to smile but my cheeks were frozen). My family and I finished the night at the fanciest schmanciest seafood restaurant I would never be able to afford if it weren't for a generous gift card. Also, I'd like to apologize to the chic-looking man sitting at the adjacent table for witnessing my pitiful attempt at eating a carrot, which fell off my fork, bounced off the table and rolled on the ground. This is why I don't belong in places like this. Sigh.
In terms of baking, I'm happy to say that 2014 was filled with more "yums" and "mehs" than "bleughs", at a ratio greater than ever before. I have grown a lot (in waist size? or in knowledge? I hope it's the latter) since I started baking (and eating) my stress away as an angsty junior in high school. If there's anyone I owe my progress to, it's my wonderful family members for being my willing guinea pigs (some more willing than others) and for offering unconditional support and feedback. I'm also thankful for my newest crop of guinea pigs - yeah, I'm talking about you, college-mates! <3
Now, as I'm about to begin another year and another semester at college, I look forward to building on what I've learned and making use of new tools. I have compiled 12 food resolutions - mostly of recipes of I want to try and things I want to accomplish. So, in no particular order:
MAKE: Lady and Pups' Imploding Honey Custard Cake
Everything about this makes me want to cry tears of happiness. It's a cake that IMPLODES with gooey custardiness! Therefore, it automatically earns a spot on my must-make list.
MAKE: Woodland Bakery Blog's Crumb buns
I hope you all had a grand time celebrating the new year!
On New Years eve, I happily bid 2014 goodbye by freezing my appendages off marching for a mile, sans winter coat, for the First Night Boston parade. If you saw a somber girl waving a blue fan around, that was me! (I swear I was trying to smile but my cheeks were frozen). My family and I finished the night at the fanciest schmanciest seafood restaurant I would never be able to afford if it weren't for a generous gift card. Also, I'd like to apologize to the chic-looking man sitting at the adjacent table for witnessing my pitiful attempt at eating a carrot, which fell off my fork, bounced off the table and rolled on the ground. This is why I don't belong in places like this. Sigh.
In terms of baking, I'm happy to say that 2014 was filled with more "yums" and "mehs" than "bleughs", at a ratio greater than ever before. I have grown a lot (in waist size? or in knowledge? I hope it's the latter) since I started baking (and eating) my stress away as an angsty junior in high school. If there's anyone I owe my progress to, it's my wonderful family members for being my willing guinea pigs (some more willing than others) and for offering unconditional support and feedback. I'm also thankful for my newest crop of guinea pigs - yeah, I'm talking about you, college-mates! <3
Now, as I'm about to begin another year and another semester at college, I look forward to building on what I've learned and making use of new tools. I have compiled 12 food resolutions - mostly of recipes of I want to try and things I want to accomplish. So, in no particular order:
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| A picture's worth a thousand words. |
Everything about this makes me want to cry tears of happiness. It's a cake that IMPLODES with gooey custardiness! Therefore, it automatically earns a spot on my must-make list.
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| Crumbs over buns |
I've been a loyal follower of former Woodland Bakery owner Gretchen Price since she called herself the Crumb Boss, and yet somehow I've never gotten around to trying one of her brilliant recipes. I always imagined myself making a trip to NJ, buying one of the bakery's staple crumb buns and maybe even meeting Gretchen in person (cue the fangirl squeal), but those hopes were kind of dashed when she sold her bakery last September and moved onto bigger, better things - namely, setting up a filming studio so she can churn out even more amazing recipe videos than before. I'm not complaining! Instead, I will conjure up a bit of Woodland Bakery - sans roadtrip to NJ - in the comfort of my own kitchen.
Bring on the cake-wiches
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| It's not what it looks like. |
Ever since my sister got me a sandwich-shaped cake pan for Christmas, I've been obsessively brainstorming cake-wich possibilities. My first cake-wich was a classic PB & J, but there are so many more classic and not-so-traditional combinations I can't wait to try.
Bake something nostalgic
I'm already eyeing these chewy peanut butter kiss (aka peanut butter blossom) cookies, which I used to make at my afterschool program in elementary school. These were my favorite childhood cookies, and for some reason I've been having major cravings recently.
MAKE: Annalise Sandberg's Chocolate Magic Custard Cake
If there's magic in it, than it's got to be good. Right? This chocolate cake batter seems magical because the cake starts out like regular ol' batter, but comes out of the oven with a spongey layer, a gooey layer and a brownie-esque layer. It must be witchcraft. I'm wondering if coconut milk can replace the large quantity of milk in this recipe. Well, I'll only know when I try.
MAKE: Joanne Chang's Sticky buns
Joanne Chang is one of my heroes because of her incredible journey from working in finance to becoming a pastry chef and owner of Flour Bakery + Cafe. I'm a big fan of her bakeries down here in Boston, and I own both of her cookbooks. And yet, I haven't tried Flour's iconic, ooey-gooey, sticky buns. Chang even battled (and beat) Bobby Flay with her sticky buns recipe. So these are a must.
We have a slow cooker!
Now that our suite has been bestowed with a slow cooker, I am on the lookout for more slow cooker recipes to try. The french onion soup we made for our suite potluck turned out really well, and I'm eager to see what else we can do with this amazing little pot.
Participate in a cookie swap
For the past four years, food lovers have partaken in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Not only does this sound like loads of fun and a great way to connect with other food bloggers, but also it sounds like all sorts of deliciousness! Even better: this swap raises money for various charitable causes. Count me in, please.
MAKE: Brown Eyed Baker's Homemade Clif bars (no bake)
If there was a food pyramid for students, granola bars would have its own tier. Granola bars have kept me going since middle school up until college; for years, I'd eat at least one a day. Chewy, crunchy, sweet or salty - I love 'em all. If you are what you eat, then, I am basically a walking granola bar. Nowadays, I always make sure to keep a few in my bags for when I'm running around campus, and I always keep one next to me when I'm taking 3 hour final exams. But reality is, granola bars are pricey, and based on how quickly I consume them, don't fit well into my student food budget. Michelle came up with a recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip no-bake "Clif bars", which are right up my alley and maybe even my budget. Just in time for another busy semester!
Go on a food adventure
This is actually in the works. And it will be happening - very soon. To be continued!
Update the blog with recipes on a regular basis.
No more random hiatuses! Except maybe during finals. Self-explanatory.
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| (photo from here) |
I'm already eyeing these chewy peanut butter kiss (aka peanut butter blossom) cookies, which I used to make at my afterschool program in elementary school. These were my favorite childhood cookies, and for some reason I've been having major cravings recently.
 |
| 1 bowl of cake batter...3 layers of magic |
If there's magic in it, than it's got to be good. Right? This chocolate cake batter seems magical because the cake starts out like regular ol' batter, but comes out of the oven with a spongey layer, a gooey layer and a brownie-esque layer. It must be witchcraft. I'm wondering if coconut milk can replace the large quantity of milk in this recipe. Well, I'll only know when I try.
Create a magnificent cake.
I've always wanted to go "all out" and whip up (pun intended?) some elaborate cake. The only issue is, when I have the time to do that, it usually means I'm at home on break, but there's really nobody at home who would be able to enjoy it due to family members having a host of dietary restrictions and food intolerances. Or maybe, I can challenge myself to create something elaborate that is accommodating to a variety of food intolerances; now that would be pretty cool.
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| Brioche covered in sugary, buttery "goo". Heck yes. |
Joanne Chang is one of my heroes because of her incredible journey from working in finance to becoming a pastry chef and owner of Flour Bakery + Cafe. I'm a big fan of her bakeries down here in Boston, and I own both of her cookbooks. And yet, I haven't tried Flour's iconic, ooey-gooey, sticky buns. Chang even battled (and beat) Bobby Flay with her sticky buns recipe. So these are a must.
We have a slow cooker!
Now that our suite has been bestowed with a slow cooker, I am on the lookout for more slow cooker recipes to try. The french onion soup we made for our suite potluck turned out really well, and I'm eager to see what else we can do with this amazing little pot.
Participate in a cookie swap
For the past four years, food lovers have partaken in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Not only does this sound like loads of fun and a great way to connect with other food bloggers, but also it sounds like all sorts of deliciousness! Even better: this swap raises money for various charitable causes. Count me in, please.
 |
| Granola bars are a major food group in a student's diet. |
If there was a food pyramid for students, granola bars would have its own tier. Granola bars have kept me going since middle school up until college; for years, I'd eat at least one a day. Chewy, crunchy, sweet or salty - I love 'em all. If you are what you eat, then, I am basically a walking granola bar. Nowadays, I always make sure to keep a few in my bags for when I'm running around campus, and I always keep one next to me when I'm taking 3 hour final exams. But reality is, granola bars are pricey, and based on how quickly I consume them, don't fit well into my student food budget. Michelle came up with a recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip no-bake "Clif bars", which are right up my alley and maybe even my budget. Just in time for another busy semester!
Go on a food adventure
This is actually in the works. And it will be happening - very soon. To be continued!
Update the blog with recipes on a regular basis.
No more random hiatuses! Except maybe during finals. Self-explanatory.
What are your food resolutions?
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