peace in my pans: August 2010

Coffee Multigrain Pancakes w/ Flaxseed Meal

It's been raining for 3 straight days in Boston w/o breaks. Addy (our dog's name), we're not in Boston anymore! What is this crap, Paris? In any case, the craving for cooking and flower shaped pancakes came to mind for brightening the day.

This recipe is for ONE. 1/2 cup of multigrain flour, 1/2 cup of water*, 1 package of Vinacafe instant coffee (has milk), 1 egg, and 1/4 T of flaxseed meal (unless you're used to this stuff to want to add more, if not - start slow, or you might experience unpleasant stomach symptoms). Do NOT over beat. Blend and let sit for about 10 minutes.

*if you choose to just add some other kind of instant coffee w/o milk then add milk instead of water

1/2 cup of multigrain flour. I mixed everything in here since it's easier to pour with the spout.

1 package of Vinacafe Instant Coffee w/ coffee, milk, and sugar. This is when knowing how to read in Vietnamese comes in handy.

Add an egg and 1/4 T of flaxseed meal.

Blend and remember, no over beating, because if you do you will end up with super tough pancakes. The color is a bit darker due to coffee mix.

Heat up your pan (low-med heat) with some butta'.

Pour slowly. Remove ring and flip once when the edges are bubbly like in this photo. Flipping more than once is one of the cardinal sins in making pancakes. You will end up with tough pancakes.

Fluffy texture that you want. Enjoy with warm Grade A maple syrup. I'm totally diggin' the slight hint of coffee.

New York City

Most of friends know that I am not crazy about the City. However, I did truly enjoy this visit. My friends definitely spoiled me and indulged me in my every request from walking 30 blocks to Magnolia on Bleecker to get frosting shots just to hear me say "forget it" to waiting over an hour to eat brunch at Prune and grabbing 12 cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar just so I can get the peach tote (i collect bakery tshirts so in lieu of a tshirt - tote bag it is). And in the words of one my wise friend, "anna, order freely". Not only that, I was picked up from the train station in the wee hours of the morning with hot agedashi tofu waiting for me to devour!

Pinkberry for the 1st time. But look at those Alessi Paper Towel Holders - how familiar?! Fortune Cookie will get a kick out of this one since he hated it. Also, I did not eat this in lieu of a real dinner. I'm a "substantial" Asian girl.

Practicing my chopsticks holding skills at Gyu Kaku because we all know I can't hold them quite right and is tired from years of hearing "you hold them funny" comments.

Wagyu?

Feeding into the Korean Fried Chicken Hype at a place where the color theme is red and white w/ a name I can't care enough to remember.

Milk Bar Cookies + tote and that's D bringing some Houston to NYC w/ his fashion statement of socks and sandals. My favorite had cornflakes and marshmallow in it with some other stuff. I ate one of each kind... about 6 different flavors at about 2K calorie each.

Ramen at Ippudo with braised pork belly (gosh, this is so damn trendy now) and soft boiled egg (this crap too - the kind i was spoon fed at 3 - yes, warm yolk). I swear... the broth was made from fat concentrate and at least 3 egg yolks b/c it was so rich that even I, who love everything bad and fatty, could not eat more than 3 bites.

Mantou Buns w/ Braised Pork Belly (delicious but oh so trendy)

And we all know how much I love agedashi tofu. With this dish, I taught a young boy at the table how to transform into a gentleman.

Classic Bloody Mary with chaser... yes, I did say that.

Nothing quite like oyster and sausage for brunch. Ingenious!

Fixings for our plate of lox and smoked sturgeon

I might be dreaming of this for a long while...

Since I could not make it to 2nd Ave Deli... I ordered this. I couldn't be happier.

My dear friend has not had soup dumplings before so we ended the trip with a visit to Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown.

You can't find me happier than this moment here... packaged ice cream cone + walk in the park.

Post-Bar

It's been almost a whole month since I've taken the bar exam (July 28 and 29th). There are lots of things I don't miss about studying for the bar but (there's always a but) there are some things I do truly miss. I miss having my younger sister and our spoiled black lab hang out in my room as I study. I miss being a student. I miss family meals together. I miss shopping trips. I miss seeing goods friends (I've made) at bar prep.

In any case, there's been a lot of changes since then. Peter has moved to London and is loving every moment. The old apartment is completely empty and lease is almost up. I've moved to the Back Bay and loving every second of living on Comm Ave and alone for the first time. I'm officially now in my late 20's. I went out to San Francisco for the very first time and suffered from hypothermia. Kidding. It was cold though. Went to wine country for the first time. Went to my first bridal shower and bachelorette party in PTown. My brother got married. Went to NYC (deserves its own post) to see a friend from Houston whom I haven't seen in 5 years. I started working in my very first office... probably, the most exciting news since taking the bar exam. Must admit, lots of firsts this summer!

I understand how much this blog has transformed from purely recipes and instructional cooking photographs to a blend of the former and narrative writing. I'm diggin' it.

Jazz Festival SF

Picnicking in Napa

PTown

Bridal Shower, the chocolates were amazing and any attempt to save them for another was pure failure.

Birthday Cupcakes from Sweet Bakery with Kien's impatient hand

Birthday Cake from the Fam from Coldstone Creamery (for a whole month once, i had coldstone ice cream every night after dinner) - and every year the joke about how I flipped out on the blank bday cake still comes up.