Vegetarianism

Are you a vegetarian? Why or why not?

Towards the beginning of the summer I had decided that I would at least try to be a vegetarian for a week. My thinking was that if I could live a healthy life without eating meat or other animals, then why not? There’s no need to live off of other living things if I don’t have to, right? As the summer progressed though, I found myself seeing things through a different perspective and ended up completely changing my mind on the matter.

Tea

What’s your favorite tea related memory? What does tea mean to you?

I am enjoying tea more and more everyday. I had grown up drinking the hot beverage with my grandparents, and when I was still living with them, my grandmother was the religious tea drinker in the family. Not bothering with strainers or tea bags that seem to just slow her down, my grandmother would just grab a handful of tea leaves and pour hot water over them straight into a big mug. The leaves would rise to the top, unfurling as they did, and then eventually settle down at the bottom, where my grandmother would usually get at least another cup out of them before throwing the worn leaves away.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I love oats, especially in baking.  They add such a wonderfully hearty and wholesome texture to anything, whether it is to cookies or bread.  As oatmeal sprinkled with brown sugar and raisins or granola with nuts and honey, oats are so versatile to fit anyone’s tastes.  Good for your heart yet also to your taste buds, these cookies will give you a boost of energy and help mitigate that little tinge of guilt for indulging on something so yummy.

I normally prefer the traditional oatmeal cookies with raisins and the sweetly spicy notes of cinnamon but I didn’t have any raisins around.  I was craving some oatmeal cookies and still had half a bag of chocolate chip cookies so I thought I’d make these cookies.  Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, these cookies are delicious either way.

These cookies actually taste like a cookie version of a granola chewy bar.  They’re like the heartier and slightly healthier version of the classic chocolate chip cookie.  Seemingly tough on the outside, these cookies are so soft once you bite into them, falling apart neatly in your mouth into chewy little morsels.  The oats give these cookies a nice bite and texture to go along with the sweet and slightly bitter chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate Chip Scones

The first time I ever made scones was in seventh grade home economics class almost nine years ago.  It was a basic recipe and we made it in groups of three as the teacher hovered over us with directions and a careful eye for any potential messes.  I, of course, took over and more or less made the recipe myself.  I remember it turning out alright, maybe a little bit dry as I probably used too much flour while rolling it out, but my group devoured it with some butter and honey nonetheless.

I haven’t made scones since, which in retrospect now seems a little bit strange since I love tea.  What better accompaniment to go along with a hot cup of white or green tea but a flaky, sweet scone?  I did some hunting around to find a good recipe and found several but I always somehow end up using Ina Garten’s recipe; she is definitely my go-to source for any basic recipe I need.

These scones look and smell wonderful straight out of the oven.  They are firm and hardy to the touch but breaking one in half, you can see the flaky and light layers of moist bread.  The scones are not overwhelmingly sweet, giving the chocolate chips the perfect base to develop their flavor over the moist biscuit texture and flavor.  They are perfection with a hot cup of light tea.

Chocolate Chip Scones

Eggs & Tomatoes

Summer is here and I’m back on campus again for research and work.  While it may seem dull to be back while school is out and everyone is away on vacation or at home, it’s actually not that bad.  Campus is almost completely different during the summer months than it is during the regular fall and spring semesters.  The atmosphere is so much more laid back and, even if you’re taking classes or doing research, it’s almost enjoyable to have something to do with more time and focus — even if it is reading for professors or homework.

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the absolute best things about being on campus during the summer months is the farmers’ market every Saturday morning.  There’s just something exciting and rewarding about waking up early and heading out with your tote bag to pick up some produce and baked goods from the local farmers and merchants.  This past weekend I picked up some plump tomatoes, a basil plant, eggs, and the sweetest strawberries I’ve ever eaten.  It was exciting to see what was in season and the variety of local fruits and vegetables displayed in wooden cartons and modest cardboard boxes.

So, with the three ingredients that I picked up, I decided to make something simple and easy.  Eggs & Tomatoes came to mind as it requires no other additional ingredients than the ones that I picked up except oil, sugar, salt and pepper.  I love this dish as it’s easy to make yet is flavorful and goes so well with rice.  A lot of people like to eat scrambled eggs with ketchup or salsa and rice, and I just consider this recipe to be a slightly healthier and definitely fresher version of that.  Salty, sweet, and just subtly sour from the tomatoes, this recipe is perfect for a light yet filling meal.

Eggs & Tomatoes

Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s the end of the semester and, more importantly, the end of another year of college!  I can’t believe that I only have another year left on campus.  I finished my last final exam today and am now left with more free time than I know what to do with.  It’s funny because when I have work, it’s actually more fun to procrastinate and do the same things I would do when I have free time yet enjoying it all the more.

So what better way to use up some free time than to bake a cake?  And better yet, a carrot cake! As the end of the semester approaches, everyone is scrambling to use up all the food they have before they leave.  A friend of mine had an excess of carrots so, of course, the logical choice was to make this delicious cake.

The combination of all spice, nutmeg, and cinnamon makes this cake an exceptionally fragrant and delicious one.  Its hearty and moist texture goes well with the spices, and the carrots add a distinct sweetness and taste.  Overall, the cake was easy to make yet yielded a deceptively complex melding of flavors that is sweet and spicy yet with a hint of warmth.

Carrot Cake

Asparagus & Crab Soup

This is another classic Vietnamese recipe and personal favorite.  It, like the sticky rice pudding with black-eyed peas,  is a staple at most Vietnamese celebrations, anything from  baby showers to birthday parties to weddings.  In fact, it’s actually quite infrequent that you would eat this when you’re not at a some kind of party or restaurant.  I grew up eating this at every single Vietnamese wedding I went to as a child so needless to say, it has a special place in my heart.

This soup is basically a Vietnamese version of the ever popular and ubiquitous egg-drop soup, except with asparagus and crab, of course.  I did some research and according to a few sources, asparagus was introduced to Vietnam via the French.  Asparagus in Vietnamese is măng tây which translates to western (tây) bamboo (măng).

The crab meat makes this soup a very savory one, accented nicely with the unique taste of asparagus.  The salty sweetness from the crab pairs well with the mellowed soup base flavors while the eggs add a rich heartiness to the overall dish.  The thick consistency coats your tongue for just long enough to blend all the delicate flavors into a completely satisfying sip of soup.

Asparagus & Crab Soup

Sweet Potato Treats

Living in a dorm like mine you get to meet a lot of diverse people.  It’s always interesting to walk into the kitchen to see what someone is making for lunch or dinner.  Often times it’s something exotic smelling, an old recipe from someone’s mom or grandmother, and others times you are struck with a smell so familiar that you can feel like you’re at home.

The following recipe is from a friend of mine who is an international student from Japan.  I came back one weekend from being home and she offered me some of these little potato treats and at once I was addicted.  They have the perfect creamy texture in your mouth once you bite into their tender outer shell.  The taste is somewhere in between a custard and a puree.  It has the wonderful aroma of sweet potatoes and is just sweet enough that just one or two or three or four is simply not enough.

Sweet Potato Treats

Sticky Rice Pudding with Black-eyed Peas

Heading off to college, the thought of missing home-cooking never occurred to me until after about a month of eating the same old cafeteria food (which, might I add, still isn’t very good to begin with).  Before too long, I was already suffering through the monotony that was mass-produced “food” and desperately missing some of my favorite home-cooked meals.

I endured it my freshmen year when difficult access to a kitchen made it inconvenient to cook at all (all freshmen are required to have meal plans at my college so kitchens were not top priorities in freshmen dorms).  As soon as I had access to a comfortable kitchen however, I immediately started attempting to recreate a lot of my favorite dishes from home.  I’m glad to say that meal plans these days are a faraway memory.

While this classic Vietnamese dessert wasn’t the first thing I attempted away from home nor is it my most favorite (although it’s close!), it has been thus far my most exciting accomplishment.  I’ve always found Vietnamese desserts to be so daunting to make as their delicately simple yet complex flavors often disguise their easy preparation.  Needless to say, I was quite pleased by how well this recipe turned out to be for how easy it was to make.

It is hard to convey the concept of chè to someone who didn’t grow up eating it.  While it definitely refers to desserts, the nomenclature doesn’t necessarily denote a specific dish but rather refers to a type of dessert.  Just like the word “pastry” can include anything from tarts to pies to even certain types of bread, chè can range from fresh fruits to rice to beans and even to grass jelly.

This particular chè, called chè đậu trắng, is a combination of glutinous or sticky rice, coconut milk, and black-eyed peas (đậu trắng). It is cooked all in one pot and the only other ingredients are sugar, water, and a dash of vanilla extract.  It is a completely traditional in all Vietnamese cuisines and very common at parties and celebrations as it is such a universal crowd-pleaser.

Its flavors carry distinct notes of the creamy coconut milk, wherein the sticky rice and peas simmer until the dessert is done.  The black-eyed peas add textural relief against the pudding-like texture of the rice while adding a delightfully nutty taste at the same time.  As comforting as it is delicious, this chè can stand alone as a snack or complement the end of any meal.

Sticky Rice Pudding with Black-eyed Peas

Banana Bread

I remember sitting in front of the television several years ago completely mesmerized by a warm and friendly looking lady making orange yogurt on the Food Network. Using a cheese cloth and sieve she strained a tub of plain yogurt and made it into a creamy rather than watery dessert, adding orange zest and juice, honey, and vanilla. Utterly simple but simply genius!

What does this have to do with banana bread and who is this mystery lady?

From that moment on, after witnessing the transformation of something seemingly unpalatable as plain yogurt into a lively combination of sour and sweet, tangy and mellow, I was hooked on Ina Garten — more popularly known as the Barefoot Contessa.

Ina Garten’s thoughtful recipes combine simple ingredients that intuitively complement each other to yield wonderfully tasting food that just makes sense. Easy but elegant without a touch of pretension, it’s easy to see why the Barefoot Contessa has such a devoted following.

The banana crunch muffin recipe was the first that I tried when I finally got my hands on one of her cookbooks this past summer. I love muffins because they’re so versatile, lending themselves easily to a filling morning breakfast or a sweet afternoon snack. I’ve tried other recipes for banana bread and muffins but none have come out as good as these.

The flavorful bananas clearly lay the foundations for both the tastes and textures of the remaining ingredients. The bread bakes to a golden perfection that is soft and moist with the delicate flavor of the bananas seeping through every spongy fiber. The little specks and gooey bits of banana scattered through the bread creates a striking and rustic pattern to the eye. But it’s definitely not all aesthetics with this recipe.

Banana Bread