An extended vacation

I typically work tuesdays and some saturdays.  But this week, I got pretty lucky and get an extended break.  So happy about this because it is like 10 degrees out and feels like -6 degrees.  Tomorrow it is in the single digit and really in the negatives.  It is suppose to be cold like this until friday, then next week it'll be in the 20s.  We've gone into the deep of winter.  Wuah!  So I am glad to be able to hibernate at home and watch the coldness from inside.

Today is a day of chores.  Not too excited about this, but I figure I should get it all done today. Bathrooms, kitchen, baseboard, dust, and etc.  Tomorrow, I'll do the laundry and iron.  Probably bake and cook up something here and there.  This is what I do when I am not working.

I get to chill a bit more here on my couch where the sun is nice and bright during a day like today.  I am digesting my breakfast then I shall work out and begin my chores.  But for now, it's time to bask in this sunshine.

Hello 2015!

It's the first day of the year and we got a late start. A rather lazy beginning!

I made crepes for brunch. Three different kinds: sugar, Nutella and banana, and blackberry cream. 

Crepes are really simple to make. You just need a good recipe and the right pan. With the leftover crepes, I made a Mille Crepe Cake. 

This was our brunch; eggs and bacon on the sides. 

I can't wait to dig into this tomorrow. It's going to be my sweet treat!

I also made an apple pie because I promised Frank that I would make him one for New Year's. He wanted a pie for his birthday, but I thought a cake was better suited for that occasion. So we got to indulge with some apple pie, YUM!

I really like the lattice top. It just makes it look so pretty. I make this about 2-3 times a year and we are so sad when the apple pie season ends.

For dinner, we made Paella. 

This is one of my favorite things to eat. I bought a special pan just so we can make this dish. It's great to make for a group of people. We'll probably make this for friends and family in the future.

2014 gave me a lot of time to reflect, learn new things, and meet new people. I am really grateful for those opportunities and for what lies ahead in 2015.

Cheers to 2014 and Hello 2015!

Pumpkin

Of recent, I have been making my own pumpkin puree because Frank likes that in his morning oatmeal.  He also likes to buy sugar pumpkins since they are in season being that Fall and Halloween is amongst us.

I roasted these babies up over the weekend so I have the pumpkin puree for the week.  It is really easy to make.  Heat up your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook them for 40 minutes.  Make sure you take out the pumpkin seeds and just lay the halves face down.  Stick a knife through them and it will make taking off the skin much easier.  Then you can simply puree it through a food processor or mash it with a fork or a potato masher.  I wash and let the pumpkin seeds dry and roast them the next day and get roasted pumpkin seeds.  It's a superfood, ya know?

Since I had to roast two pumpkins this week, I had some excess and decided to make some pumpkin pie.  I made a basic pie crust using Laura in the Kitchen's recipe.  The pumpkin pie filling recipe I used came from Chef John from Food Wishes.  I actually only used half of the pie crust that I made and tweaked the filling recipe.  Rather, I used 2 eggs, and pretty much halved everything else for the most part.  If I am so inclined, I might write it up and post it later.  But you can tell, I been kinda getting lazy these days.  Sorry for that!  I ended up with about 12 mini pies and a bonus with the extra filling that I baked in a ramekin and got an extra little treat.  I baked them at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then reduced the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for another 20 minutes.

Mini Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Custard

I was rather pleased with how these turned out.  They aren't too sweet nor are they over seasoned.  It has just the right consistency.

Coconut Milk Bread

I made this last night as my post recovery treat for my upcoming PRK surgery. This is the baby roll and here is the momma loaf. 

Upcoming recipe post in the future so look forward to it!

I made a video!

Many of my friends know that I bake and cook a lot.  In fact, I spend a good amount of time in the kitchen.  For example, today I made Multigrain Bread and blueberry muffins.  I've gotten into the routine of making homemade bread.  Since moving out here, I have had plenty of time to get to know plenty of recipes.  

I often watch things on youtube and subscribe to many youtubers. There are a lot of great channels out there and I am very grateful for the people who make these videos.  I recently made one myself.  

Check out my youtube video entry for Eugenie Kitchen's Nespresso Espresso Maker Video Contest.  I made a Green Tea Castella Cake. I learned a lot about castella in the process and a bunch of other baking techniques.  Baking for me is a lot of fun; so filming it and editing the footage introduced me to a whole another level.  

It is so hot here, likes in the 90s and with high humidity. I must admit it is terribly unpleasant.  Why are the winters here so cold and the summers so sticky?  That's a BOO all around.  After work today, I did my work out and showered.  Then I just laid around the couch trying too cool off.  Boy, I'll tell you microfiber fabric insulates a lot of heat in this humid climate.

I've had a pretty eventful week since I have been back.  This past Friday and Saturday, I worked a Demo gig with Oral B promoting an Electric Toothbrush. It's sales experience which I can add onto my CV.  It was really tough standing for 6 hours. I was in a lot of pain after the first day. The next day, my demo table got trashed so I made due with a table and decorated it with the product. Unfortunately, that's when someone was checking up on me.  But she was cool about it and said I did a good job.  Phew!  I also had a mystery shopper.  It was an eventful Saturday.

My demo table

My impromptu demo table after it got trashed.

After work on Saturday, I also committed to volunteering at the Summer Celebration at the parish we have been attending. It was actually quite fun manning the Ice Cream Station.  We got all suited up as you can see.

It's Friday!

Last week, I had a gig as a Brand Ambassador Dental Hygienist in which I promoted the Sensodyne Dental Health Spa at Fiestas Puertorriquenas (Puerto Rican Festival).  It was pretty cool because Humboldt Park isn't my usual stomping ground.  I got to step outside my comfort zone and experience another part of Chicago.  I got to meet a lot of really cool people and spread the word out about how to help prevent acid erosion.  I was able to network with local hygienist which was ideal because I am looking for work out here now.

I had Puerto Rican food for the first time.  I really enjoyed the arepas.  Here are some pictures from the festival.

Combo Plate: Rice, Chicken and Plantains

I call this Lechon

Arepas, YUM! The corn and cheese fusion!

Sensodyne Dental Health Spa

Humboldt Park

I thought this week was going to be pretty chill, but it was quite the opposite.  I ended up going on a casting call, had an interview then followed up with a working interview.  I also got some good news this week.  I am a licensed RDH in Illinois, that's why I was able to do that working interview.  I found out earlier this week.  I honestly thought I wouldn't find out until next week.  Hence, I assumed I would be pretty free.

I also got a call back from the casting call.  The clients were very happy with me, but I was unable to commit to the shoot day because I will be out of town and already have commitments for those dates. So I am kinda sad about that because it was a good opportunity.  Oh well, perhaps next time.

I am hoping next week will be a bit more chill.  I just have one event that I know of.  I am super excited because sushi is involved.

I am waiting for my other half to come back from the gym so that we can get some strawberry custard ice cream. It's my reward for such an eventful week.  Off to make some dinner, it's going to be chicken salad or chicken wrap.  We'll see what happens in the kitchen.

Multigrain Bread

Last week, I was experimenting with adding chia seeds and flax seeds into my bread recipes.  I was really happy with how it turned out.  In fact, that's how this multigrain bread was born.  I pretty much used the basic foundation of my Honey Oat Bread Recipe and added the chia and flax seeds.  With this recipe, you will get a nice soft texture and the bread will be delicious because of the butter.  

Now, let's say you want a more dense multigrain bread that has a lot of chew.  Then you would not use the butter or only use like a tablespoon and add 6 tbsp of flaxmeal.  This will give you a denser bread and you will not get as much rise out of it.  It will still be very delicious and you may just have one slice instead of two because you will feel more satisfied.  

Multigrain Bread Print

Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cup warm water

2 ¼ tsp yeast

¼ cup honey

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 cups bread flour

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/3 cup milk powder

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp chia seeds

3 tbsp Flax seeds

2 tsp honey (warmed)

2 tbsp oats

2 tsp flax seeds

Directions:

1. Combine warm water, yeast, honey, and butter in a small bowl and stir.  Let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

2. Using a stand mixer bowl, add bread flour, milk powder, salt, chia seeds, flax seeds, and yeast mixture.

3. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough for 10-12 minutes on setting 6-8 or until it comes together. (Start off slowly so you don’t get a flour cloud).

4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and continue to knead until the dough is nice and smooth.

5. Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough in the greased bowl, forming the dough into the shape of a ball.  Coat the top with some oil to prevent getting a film on top of the dough.

6. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm draft free spot and let rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size.

7. Grease a 9X5” loaf pan with some oil and set aside.

8. Form the dough into a loaf by rolling out the dough into an 8X8 and rolling it like a jellyroll.  Pinch the seams together and place it in the greased loaf pan seam side down.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise for another hour or until it doubles in size.

9. Lightly brush the top with honey and coat with oats and flax seeds.

10. Preheat oven to 350 degree and bake for about 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Rotate halfway through and if the bread starts to brown before it is done, loosely cover it with foil. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

I was playing with Flipagram and made this video of my bread rising.  I love a good proof!

Wanderlust Chicago & CHGO DSGN

This past weekend, one of my dear friends came to visit me.  She introduced me to Wanderlust.  We did Yoga in the City at Grant Park.  It was a great event and the day was perfect, sun and all.  I've never done one of these and am really glad I did.  Thanks Linh!

We snagged some great freebies and got to try some new products.  I would definitely come out to another one of these events and would encourage anyone to.  Since it was quite warm that day, I got a little sunburned.  Next time, I will have to use the sunscreen spray.

Here are some pictures from our Wanderlust adventure. #WLChicago +Wanderlust

Butler Field. Wanderlust Chicago.  What a great backdrop to practice yoga!

Yoga in the City

Getting ready to unleash our inner yogis.

After Wanderlust, we checked out the CHGO DSGN exhibition going on at the Chicago Cultural Center. This is really cool exhibition featuring pieces of recent objects and graphic design curated by Rick Valicenti.  I would highly recommend checking this exhibition out if you are in the area or planning a visit to the Chicago area.

Here are some of my favorite pieces. 

Symbols 

Green River

Yesterday, we watched the dyeing of the Chicago River. This happens between Columbus and Wacker Drives.  The best views are on the east side of the Michigan Ave. bridge, the west side of the Columbus Dr. bridge, or upper and lower Wacker Dr. between Michigan Ave. and Columbus Dr.

Chicago knows how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  About 45 pounds of vegetable dye color is used to dye the Chicago River between Columbus and Wacker drives. Another event is the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Through the city there are events in Irish Pubs and etc...

Our day started out early.  It is best to get there around 9 am to watch the dyeing of the river. Here's a clip of how they get the river to turn green.

View from upper Wacker Dr.

View from the Michigan Ave. bridge looking west.

Panoramic view of the Chicago River from the Michigan Ave. bridge.

Kayakers and crewers in the green river.

Afterwards, we headed over to Do-Rite Donuts to try their selection of donuts.  I was not a fan; I thought they had a sub par selection and the glazed selection was lacking in texture.  It did not taste fresh.  The carrot cake donut was pretty good.  I am not a cake donut fan, but this one was pretty good. I do like the giant donut in their store front.

I prefer Doughnut Vault over Do-Rite Donuts.

We met up with Daun and checked out a couple of bars/lounges.  Theory was the first stop. Then had some grub at XOCO.  And then checked out Fedora Lounge.  After that we called it quits.

Frank and Daun at Fedora Lounge.

Green beer for St. Patrick's Festivities.

It was fun checking out the festivities and seeing all the people dress up.