Filipino Lumpia Shanghai-YA!

This is a party favorite. I like to make huge batches of these little bad boys and stick them in the freezer. You can be as creative as you want with the fillings. One time we didn't have ground meats, so my mom used shredded chicken, and pieces of longanisa(future post on that coming soon!) You can use beef instead of pork if you are banned from eating pork. 

Chopping Garlic. One of my favorite things to do!

Usually when i cook things, i always start off with the TRINITY-Onions-carrots-celery. Remember this. Get used to it.

When you saute that stuff,
the smell is most divine.

In this recipe we are just using onions, garlic, and carrots. No cooking required.

l-r soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, cilantro, garlic, s&p, onion, carrot, ground pork

Don't be shy. Just get messy! It's liberating. You can also use a food processor.

you can find these in the freezer section of any market. they're cheap.

i use a small amount of meat so it cooks faster and theres MORE crunch fun to go around

Doesn't that just make you want to stop what you're doing right now and do whatever it takes to have some?

Playlist:
anything by Lea Salonga
anything from the 60's, 70's, 80's

CATTLE HOT POT!

I went to all you can eat $17.95 Cattle Hot Pot in Richmond. I usually don't like hot pot. But Damn this was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOefinOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

You can pick two broths! Cost extra. Top is hot&spicy, bottom is preserved egg and cilantro. 

These prawns were DELICIOUS. So creamy and rich.

Seaweed, pumpkin, oysters, mussels, baby octopus...

"Just like the ocean." Says Su as she dumps it into the boiling pot!

The meats were divine bovine.

On the menu was deep fried fish skin. These bad boys were the B-diggity. They taste like Muslim-friendly pork rinds. We kept ordering these no problem.

I love this place and will come back again. It's small, so i recommend making reservations. 2hr limit. I didn't get more pictures of them meat cuz i was too into the meal to keep documenting anything. Most of the documenting was done in my mouth. YUM!

French Onion Soup

butter, olive oil, broth, onions, marjoram, emmenthal, baguette

Slice onions thinly and evenly. Saute on low heat with butter and olive oil. This process should take over 20 minutes.

May I suggest the following things to read while passing the time between occasional stirring:

1. Preacher by Garth Ennis for Vertigo
2. Young Liars by David Lapham for Vertigo
3. Any short story by Ray Bradbury

I guess you could also use this time to cut the baguette into slices and toast in the oven until hard like croutons. Brush those bad boys with some extra virginal olive oil. Whats that? Thats olive oil that has never even had one impure thought. Shred some cheese too. Just don't forget to stir the onions before it burns, and your life is over.

the onions should reach a golden hue. i got impatient.

add flour

add marjoram and then broth. $alt&pepper.

do something like this

 Try to get more cheese on the edges so you get those imperative crusty bits.

Playlist:
If it isn't love by New Edition
Starlight by Muse
Swedes in Stockholm by Tokyo Police Club
Sweet Dreams by Emily Browning

Shortbread first timer con/ Cornstarch

This recipe is pretty basic and easy to manipulate. I'm just warning you now. Be prepared for future mutations to this recipe.

1 cup butter (go ahead and use salted)
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cup flour
1 Vanilla bean pod
leftover raspberries (for snacking on)

375 degrees








I bought a pack of vanilla beans from Granville Island for a really good price. I forgot what it was. I do remember it being better than anywhere else I ever bought 'em.

split the bean lengthwise and scrape beans

Tastes kinda bland so i added some lavender infused honey. Any honey would do. I plan on getting some food grade lavender for the next time. Lavender is the new matcha powder.

Playlist 

Borderline by Madonna

Kindling by Architecture in Helsinki

Total Hate by No Doubt feat. Sublime

Now I've Found You by Hellcat and the Prowl

Knut

RIP epileptic bear. I love you.

Fresh Raspberry Dark Chocolate Chip La dee da's

These are good. Never made em before. I like raspberries. I like dark chocolate. I wish i had sea salt cuz i like that too. Next time i guess.

the things 

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (damn i wish i had sea salt)
1 cup melted butter (grr i wish i had a quarter...)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (wish i hadn't. too sweet now)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 yolk of an egg
chocolate chips of your liking
rasPberries

and hemp hearts. but i ran out.

I started with mixing the flour, b-soda, and salt together in a bag, because i had already accumulated a lot of dishes in the sink, and didn't want to use another bowl. I also like things to look worse than they really are.

remember that scene in Ong Bak?

Then i beat the crap out of the melted butter and b-sugar and w-sugar(which i will never add again, cuz tooooo tooo sweet) and vanilla and egg and yolk.

Next throw in the chocolate chips and delicious raspberries. And whatever else you wanna throw in there. Diamonds, gold nuggets, sea salt, truffle oil, balsamic, la dee da...

Put that dough in the fridge for a couple of hours or more. It's best to place it right next to the pickled beets and homemade vinegarette for obvious reasons.

The oven should be at 350 degrees where i'm from. Place some dough on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. The cookies should still look raw when time is up, but that's how you can achieve ultra chewy power. Just let the cookies be as they cool off. Keep in a tupperware container to maintain chewiness. Otherwise, keep out in the open if you want them harder. Thats what she said. 

Recommended playlist to this recipe:

Call me by Blondie

Shadow of the Night by Pat Benetar

The Cave by Mumford and Sons

Undercover of Darkness by The Strokes

Dance Party by Piebald

In the Orchard by Tiger Army

Everything i Want to Be by Save Ferris

New nail art by Kaoko! PANDA PANDA PANDA!

L-R Hungry Panda, Sleepy Panda, Itchy Panda

dancing pandas

Kaoko is so funny. She noted that a month from now, when i get a new design, she's going to have to KILL each panda with the drill. "Short life."