Sunshine

I am free from the below freezing weather for a bit. I get to enjoy warmer climates.  Unfortunately, not entirely a vacation but primarily for business.  This is quite a stressful trip for me with a lot on my plate. Last week, I prepared meals for Frank while I am away.  I think I made more stuff this time around than last.  It was good that I started early.  I also got to experiment with some other recipes.

I made Mung Bean bread.  It was more plain than I would have hoped, but I was happy with how it turned out.  Next time, I may experiment with red bean.  I also made some meatballs out of turkey and baked them.  Baking them is less fatty so I would suggest that and it is easier (less mess and clean up).

I am stressing over my practical examination that I am attempting next week.  My 1st choice patient cancelled on me.  I am now using my back up.  I am so very thankful that I had planned a back up, or else I would not know what to do.  Now I am continuing to search to see if I can find a backup.  I hope that all goes well, or else... it just really was not meant to be.  

Squats

I started this inner thigh regime workout this week.  Today I did a new workout and it was INTENSE! I could not even finish my yoga workout.  And when I went downstairs to check the mail, it was really hard to walk down the stairs.  I am really bad at doing squats and this had a lot of those.  Woe is Me.

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.

Draw My Life

Today was our first day teaching our Apprenticeship class. We are teaching students about Comics. Our first lesson plan included: the history of comics, the difference between cartoons and comics, and touching on global issues.  We realizes that 6th and 7th graders don't really care about global issues. That kinda makes me sad, but at the same time, I do understand where they are coming from.  I am hoping that at the end of this apprenticeship they will care more about such thing.  I was going to give up talking about global issues, but now that I think about it; this exposure will be good for them.

Frank did a great job correlating how the effects of pollution can result in global warming and thus effect the environment, such as the livelihood of animals causing their possible extinction.  I even threw in a the Superman example. You know how the people of Krypton caused their self destruction through means of abusing the world they lived in. We were trying to get them to understand as how they can use these global issues as themes for their comic. Does that sound boring?  There's Captain Planet who wants to save the planet.  Who else?  Smoky bear is a fictional character helping to prevent forest fires.  And the list goes on.

During some points in the class, the students were out of hand.  It is very interesting learning behavior tactics from our Teacher Lead and the Citizens Teacher Group.  They are really good at it and I really commend them for all their efforts and hard work.  I am a bit more passive, so it was interesting seeing Frank regulate the kids too.  I think some of the chaos caused a twinge in his neck.  We went out for frozen custard after class as a treat.

We did a fun activity with the students.  I created a 4 panel comic template.  In this, we wanted the students to create a Draw My Life Comic Strip.  This is a great activity for getting to know each other and at the same time reflect about your own life.

Here's my Draw My Life Comic Strip

This is Frank's Draw My Life Comic Strip

Spring Forward

It's that time of year where we SPRING FORWARD.  We lose an hour, but gain light.  I'll take it!  I love this time of year because getting that extra hour of light really makes me happy (cue happy dance).  

Waking up was really tough this morning.  Usually, when it is time to spring forward, I go to sleep an hour earlier to make up for that lost hour.  I don't have to worry about that these days.  Currently, I have no set schedule or obligations for the most part.  Towards the end of this month and next, I have a gig so I will have to regulate my sleep schedule. 

It's a beautiful day out; I can't believe its in the 50s!  A great way to start off springing forward.  I want to venture outside but I have some research that needs to be done.  We have our apprenticeship class this week, so I need to read up on the history of comics and prepare a 10 minute power point presentation.  This apprenticeship is through Frank's work.  We are working with Citizen Schools and teaching middle schoolers about Comics.  I will probably talk more about this in the future.  

On Saturday, I made Stuffed French Toast.  I ranted about this on my last blog entry.  Last year, I made this using Surfa's baguette. This time around, I used the Hokkaido Milk Bread I made on Friday. In retrospect, I probably should have waited until the bread became more stale.  In the end, it still came out yummy.  I also wanted to add that is a rich French Toast, so a little bit goes a long way here.  

At Starling Diner, the French Toast is not fried, rather it is broiled.  They also use a baguette instead of a square loaf of bread.  The baguette is soaked in a crème anglaise. 

What is crème anglaise? Simply put, it is an English cream that is a mixture of sugar, egg yolks, hot milk and vanilla flavor creating a light custard, often used as a dessert cream or sauce or some sort.

The bread can be stuffed with any filling you desire.  I used a mascarpone filling in which I mixed together mascarpone cheese and honey until I got a creamy consistency.   You can also use sugar instead of honey.  A splash of lemon will also give it a little more flavor.  

The bread is soaked in the crème anglaise and I baked it at 450°F turning once for 8 minutes.  I topped it with powdered sugar and served it with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. You can also broil it if you like, but be carefully for broiling can burn easily when you aren't keep an eye on it.  This is why I like to make my fresh whipped cream first and set it in the refrigerator until I am ready to use it. That way, I can watch my french toast cooking and flip it over once, so that both sides get that nice golden brown color.  

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST Print

Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

4 thick slices of French bread or baguettes

Choice of Fruits

Crème Anglaise

3 egg yolks

3 tbsp sugar

½ cup milk

½ cup cream

½ tsp vanilla extract

Mascarpone Filling

4 oz mascarpone cheese

1 tsp honey

Fresh Whipped Cream           

1 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Fresh Whipped Cream:

In a bowl, combine whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.  Using an electric mixer, whip until stiff.  Place in refrigerator until ready to use. 

Making the Crème Anglaise

1. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until the egg mixture is pale yellow and set aside. 

2. In a saucepan, combine milk and cream on medium-low heat just before the point of boiling. 

3. Slowly add the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper and prevent the eggs from scrambling.  Whisk in vanilla extract.

4. Heat mixture on medium-low and stir constantly until it reaches 156°F-165°F.

5. Strain mixture through a wire mesh to remove and clumps of egg and set aside. 

Making the Mascarpone Filling

6. Whip mascarpone cheese with honey using a spatula until creamed together.

7. Pipe mascarpone filling into bread.  If you are using a baguette, create a hole on side and tunnel through, pipe in filling.  If you are using French Bread, use thick slices and make a slit on top keeping the side edges intact and fill in the middle.  You can also make the slit on the bottom if you like. Basically, you are trying to keep the filling from spilling out while baking them.

*I used Hokkaido Milk Bread and it was rather flavorful; same way I described for filling the French bread.

Bathing the Bread in the Crème Anglaise

8. Soak the bread in the crème anglaise, 30 seconds-1 minute per side.  If you are using slightly stale bread, you will not soak it as long.  If you are using very stale bread, you will soak it for longer. 

*I used pretty fresh bread, so I did not soak it very long.

Plating it up

9.  Place bread on a baking sheet lined with foil and grease lightly. Cook on 450°F for 8 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. 

*You can also broil this, but I tend to burn things on broil, so I like to cook it on 450°F on the top rack.  Watch it carefully. 

10. Serve with powdered sugar, fresh whipped cream, and fruits.  Enjoy!

Baking Bread

Lately, I been craving French Toast.  There is one key ingredient when making french toast; you need bread.  The most delicious bread to use for French Toast is some form of brioche.  My Hokkaido Milk Bread is very similar to a brioche bread; just less eggs and butter.

Today, I made Hokkaido Milk Bread so that tomorrow or the next day, I can make some French Toast. I was never really a big fan of French Toast until I had it at Marston's restaurant in Pasadena.  They top their french toast with corn meal flakes and the crust really stands out and keeps it from being soggy. It is absolutely delicious!

Another place worth mentioning is Starling Diner in Long Beach.  They stuff their french toast baguette with mascarpone cheese and it is out of this world.  I made my own version once and it was delicious.  I might attempt something similar when I make french toast.

I made a loaf of bread and 4 little buns in the form of a brioche bun.  I cooked them for about 20 minutes.  The loaf takes about 30 minutes.  It is also important to watch them because when they start to brown, you want to loosely cover them with foil.  I love how these get so big in the oven.  When you first put them in, they aren't as big as how they turn out.  I also like to use an egg wash because it gives them that golden brown color and bread like top.  When they come out of the oven, I brush them some melted butter.

Here is how the buns turned out.  I shaped them like a brioche because I wanted to use my brioche molds.  And I enjoy little buns.

Here's what the texture looks like.  It is quite elastic and you can see the layers of softness and fluffiness.  

 

Fresh Bread in all its glory.  It smells so good in the house right now. Makes me hungry blogging about this.  Off to munch on some bread.  YUM!

Pandan Waffles

This morning I made Pandan Coconut Waffles.  I used my basic waffle recipe and adjusted it to integrate the pandan flavoring.  This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of coconut milk.  You can also just use regular milk.  I added the coconut milk for some enhanced flavoring.  I also used pandan paste; pandan extract would also work.

I was quite happy with how it turned.  I really enjoy a crispy light waffle. And this has just a little bit of character with the pandan and coconut flavoring.  I whipped up some fresh whipped cream and strawberries to enjoy my morning treat.

Pandan COCONUT Waffles Print

Yields four 8-inch waffles

Ingredients:                                                            

¾ cup all-purpose flour                                            

¼ cup potato starch (or cornstarch)                        

½ tsp salt                                                                 

½ tsp baking powder                                               

¼ tsp baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup coconut milk

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large egg, separated

1 tbsp sugar

½ tsp pandan paste

For Fresh Whipped Cream:

1 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Set oven to 200°F.  This is where you will place the cooked waffles until all of them are made.  It will keep them warm and crisp until ready to serve.

2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, potato starch, salt, baking powder and baking soda. 

3. In a Pyrex measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, coconut milk, vegetable oil and egg yolk.  Whisk together and set aside.

4. In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the pandan paste.

5. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. 
6. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula until just incorporated.  Be careful not to over mix, you want to retain the air to get light and airy waffles. 

7. Turn on the waffle iron.  As it is heating up, this will allow your batter to set a bit.  I set mine to around 4-5. 

8. Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (about ½ -2/3 cup) and cook until the waffle is crisp and nutty brown (follow the manufacturer's instructions for timing at first and then adjust to your liking).

9. Set the waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven.  Do not stack them.  When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately with your choice of toppings (berries, whipped cream, maple syrup).

Fresh Whipped Cream: (optional)

In a bowl, combine whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.  Using an electric mixer, whip until stiff. 

Alterations

A couple of Christmas's ago, Frank bought me a sewing machine.  It wasn't exactly my Christmas gift, more like a belated birthday present.  It has come in very handy.  I've altered a couple of his pants. Yesterday, I altered his trouser using the Blind Hem Technique with my sewing machine since I had the blind foot.  

I was thinking about taking a sewing class to learn all about the features of my sewing machine.  That sounds troublesome though because it is so cold and I just don't want to leave the house when it is too cold. I sound so lazy, but single digit weather is painful for someone that grew up in warmer climates.  

My next project is to shorten the sleeves on Frank's suit.  Boy that is going to be a lot of work!!!! Especially the button details.  Alterations can be pretty pricey.  We altered two suits and it was like $150 or something.  From then on, I decided to take on these DIY projects.  Wish me luck on that suit sleeve shortening, I might attempt it tomorrow.

Today is Ash Wednesday.  Typically this is when Lent begins for Catholics.  I grew up Catholic. However, I am not a practicing Catholicism these days.  I always found church boring and would fall asleep in church.  It was something I did because I was told to go to church.  Perhaps, that light bulb has not touched me yet.  I have been on pilgrimages and there were enlightening, but I find it all to be forced in the sense that I have to want to be there and not guilted or commanded to make a presence. That is my peace on that.  

Anyways, I have decided to give something up for lent.  I decided to give up shopping.  I have a closet full of clothes.  I find this to be beneficial because it is easy on my wallet and it will keep me from buying more clothes that won't fit in my tiny closet.  I also need to do some spring/winter cleaning to clear out clothes that I am no longer wearing.  

Green Pancakes

From my last entry, I mentioned something about making pancakes.  I did end up making them.  They were green pancakes.  I flavored them with pandan and that is how I got the lovely green hue.  Of course, when you cook them, they will have that lovely golden brown color.  Since I made buttermilk pancakes, they tend to be fluffier and you can see the rise and hence the green color.

Pandan is commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking as a flavoring.  It is most commonly sold as pandan leaves, pandan paste, or pandan essence.  It smells like coconut to me, but more mild, yet very aromatic.  I have been experimenting with this flavor recently and it is very agreeable to most people.

I made Pandan Buttermilk Pancakes.  I have also been trying to use flaxmeal more to substitute butter, oil and eggs in my recipes.  I halved the original amount of butter and replaced it with flaxmeal.  It probably result in a more dense nutty flavor.  I was happy with the end result.

Pandan Buttermilk Pancakes Print

Yields: 8-9 pancakes

Ingredients:

Dry

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

6 tsp flaxmeal

Wet

2 eggs separated

2 cups buttermilk

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp pandan paste

Directions:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. 

2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg whites, buttermilk and pandan flavoring.  In another bowl, whisk egg yolks and melted butter. 

3. Make a hole in the middle of your dry ingredients to pour in the buttermilk mixture and egg yolk mixture.  Combine until just moistened.  Do not overwork the batter for it will result in tough pancakes. 

4. Lightly butter your griddle or pan and wipe excess with a paper towel.  You can also preheat the oven to 200 degree F to keep the cooked pancakes warm until you completely cook the rest of the batter. 

5. Measure out 1/3-1/2 cup of the pancake batter, cook on medium-low heat for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Usually when you see bubbles around the edges of the pancake they are ready to be flipped. 

6. Serve with your choice of toppings (fruit, butter, maple syrup or such).  Enjoy!