Ambitious Deliciousness – Dont Eat Lazy.

I picked up King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls that have apparently been around for quite some time but once again, I’m late to the party. They’re slightly sweet dinner rolls that remind me of the rolls you buy at the Asian bakery. Have I been missing out this entire time?! Why haven’t I seen them around NYC?

Crostini, also known as “little toasts,” refer to small pieces of bread that are perfect as finger foods. In fact, I’m sure you’ve had your share of crostini or two at your last cocktail party. And the best part is that you can top bread with anything you want!

Everything in this recipe was created from the ingredients I had in my fridge (I love it when that happens!). The Chinese broccoli and jalapenos desperately needed to be used, along with the leftover cup of pasta sauce in my fridge.

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Ever since I moved to a different area of Queens, I’ve been grocery shopping at Chinese supermarkets. They’re not always the cleanest but it’s hard to compete with the prices!

One day, I noticed that right outside the store, people were drinking from a strange looking thing. I had never seen it before, so I was intrigued. It wasn’t until I came across this video post from Always Order Dessert that I realized it was a young coconut! It’s super easy to cut into, and if I recall correctly, you can even order it as a drink at a Southeast Asian restaurant.

I think it makes for a super refreshing drink, especially on a hot summer day! Even though summer is officially over, I’m holding onto summer. =)

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This dish was born out of sheer hunger, after a long day of working. Call me crazy, but if you invite me to an event, especially one going on for more than a couple of hours, the first thing that pops into my head is, will there be food? If not, can I get food before-hand? Or bring food?

When I’m hungry, I can’t focus on anything! I turn into a cranky monster, and needless to say, no fun to be around whatsoever. If you haven’t experienced this in person, consider yourself lucky!

Taking the time to focus on creating a delicious meal is, of course, preferred. However, there are times when your stomach won’t let you get away with not eating for another minute. Instead of going out to pick-up something to eat, I spend 8-10 minutes on making a super easy noodle dish.

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Have you ever cooked with pork butt before? Apparently, it’s a common cut of pork, and can easily be found in supermarkets and butcher shops.

So I decided to make pulled pork! (The kimchi on top was an afterthought.)

I chose a cold and rainy weekend to make experiment with pork butt. To me, there is nothing worse than cooking under time constraints. Unsurprisingly, the end product is not as good when I’m not relaxed and enjoying the creative process. So during the course of my lazy day, I read a book, finished laundry, and made myself a Pumpkin Spiced Latte (recipe to follow)- all while this was in the oven, doing it’s thing.

Once my microwave timer went off, I excitedly removed the pork from the oven, then poked at the meat with a pair of tongs, I was so happy to see that the meat had tenderized beautifully, giving way to perfectly cooked pieces of delicious pork.

But then I ran into a couple of problems.

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Historically, this dessert was called pound cake becaue it contained one pound of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, making it easy for people to remember, especially since they couldn’t read. But this cake is a bit lighter than that.

This delicious pound cake recipe comes from Deb of Smitten Kitchen. She has the most beautiful photos and great content! Go check it out. She did warn us that this recipe required sifting the flour three(!) times and said it would be well-worth the effort. Boy, am I glad I listened to her!

Featuring T’s pretty plates! Can you see the tiny orange zest pieces?

The recipe called for lemon zest that I didn’t have. But what I did have was a moldy lime and a juicy orange. So the choice was obvious. I chose the latter and continue about my baking.

There were little bits of citrus surprise with every other bite, adding a new element of unexpected tartness, to play off the sweetness of the cake. I really enjoyed this cake and would totally make it again!

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My coworker, E(hi!) gave me a ziplock bag containing Herbs de Provence. According to Wikipedia, “Herbs de Provence (Provençal herbs) is a mixture of dried herbs from Provence invented in the 1970s. The mixture typically contains savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender flowers and other herbs.”

The wikipedia entry goes on to suggest adding it before grilling fish or meat. While I was experimenting with spices, I happened to remember that I had this and decided to use it. The lavender flavor was light, adding a smooth aroma to the sweetness of the peppers. It also looks pretty too!

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