I Scream, You Scream

I don't know about you guys, but I am an ice cream lover and an avid eater of ice creams. I prefer it in a cone, on a stick, as a sandwich, or even taco form; just as long as I don't have to worry about washing a bowl or cup later. So when you wrap the icy treat with something sticky and sweet, hey, I am all over it.

{ my little mochi }

If you haven't already heard about or tried mochi ice cream, it's a Japanese dessert where  a ball of ice cream is wrapped with a chewy layer made of sweet, glutinous rice flour. The Mikawaya brand is perhaps the most common in the US and is usually carried at Asian grocery stores and specialty food stores (like Trader Joe's). I love that they're the perfect size for a light dessert, but I honestly think they should put more than just 6 measly pieces in one box. I also think they should sell variety packs, but whatever. It was late. I had a craving. I had the ingredients. Can you really blame me? I mean, look at them...

{ EAT US! EAT US! EAT US! }

Can't you hear each one of them calling out to you? Saying "Please eat me. I need a warm stomach to call home." How do you turn that little guy down? You don't. And that is why you should make them to satisfy your insatiable cravings. Just think about it, this recipe yields about 30 pieces. THIRTY. FREAKIN'. PIECES. IN YOUR FREEZER. AT ANY GIVEN TIME. Need I say more? 

{ mmm... strawberry }

Mochi Ice Cream
(makes about 20-30 pieces) 

Ingredients 

Pint of ice cream (any flavor you want, go crazy)
2 cups glutinous rice flour
2 cups hot water
2 cups sugar
Corn starch
Food coloring (optional)
Flavor extract (optional)

Instructions

1. First, you want to take your ice cream and shape them into uniform pieces. Lay them on a sheet and freeze them until they harden completely.
2. To make the mochi, stir the water and sugar in a microwavable bowl. Add the rice flour and mix well. There should be no lumps.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for about 3 minutes. Stir the dough in the bowl a couple of times and place the plastic wrap back on the bowl.
4. Heat in microwave for another 3 minutes. Stir it to make sure the consistency is the same all throughout. (WARNING: IT WILL BE HOT!)
5. Cover a large surface (like a cutting board or countertop) with plastic wrap and generously sprinkle with corn starch. 
6. Place the dough onto the dusted surface and dust more starch on top of the dough. You might also wanna dust your rolling pin.
7. Roll out the dough to desired thickness. I like mine pretty thin (maybe 1/4").
8. Using a circle cookie cutter (or even the rim of a bowl or glass), dust the edge with starch and begin cutting your circles out. Let them cool.
9. Remove ice cream from freezer and quickly wrap each one. Place back in freezer or consume immediately. You call the shots, here.

Tips: When shaping the ice cream, I used a melon baller, but I've seen some people use a silicone mini cupcake mold. If you decide to flavor or color your dough, do it prior to heating in the microwave. This recipe yields 20-30 pcs because it all depends on how big you want your pieces and how thick you like your mochi. I like mine to be about 2 bites, so mine were pretty small, but if you go bigger, you'll probably get about 20. Also, I went for the cuteness factor by stuffing my mochi into tea cake molds. If you want yours to take on a particular shape, it's easier sprinkle to the insides with starch, lay the mochi deep in the mold first, and then stuff the ice cream into it. It'll hold the shape better. 

{ green tea flavored. I like the little indentation on the top }


ENJOY!

Souper Trooper

I came home yesterday to a flatmate with the flu and this morning I woke with chills and a fever. I'm sick, too.

Yuck.

And being that I don't really have much of an appetite for anything else, I made soup. 


Zuppa Toscana - 
(adapted from this recipe, feeds about 4)

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground Italian sausage (I used turkey)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 large white onion, diced
1 cup kale, roughly chopped
8 oz chicken broth
1/2 quart water1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large Russet baking potato, cut into 1/2" cubes
Salt (to taste)

Instructions

1. Cut raw sausage into small bite-size pieces and brown them in a large soup pot. Remove from pot and set aside.
2. On low heat, add to pot garlic, onions, and crushed pepper. When onions become soft, add broth and water and bring to a light boil. 
3. Add the potatoes and cook on low-medium heat until they become tender. Add cream and salt.
4. Then, stir in sausage and kale. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Anyway, I'm going to keep this post short and sweet. I'm tired and I have a hot bowl of soup waiting for me. And sorry for the crappy photo. I had to use my phone because I couldn't find my camera.

Sew Fresh & Sew Clean

"Ain't nobody dope as me; I'm dressed so fresh, so clean. (So fresh and so clean, clean)"
For a long time, I thought there was nothing I disliked about baking. Baking is a science, much like chemistry and, being a geek, was one of my favorite subjects in school. I love mixing things together and seeing them react to form a compound substance, I think it's fun to calculate how much I need of one ingredient to get the perfect consistency, and so on and so forth. However, when I attempted to make cookies with my niece, I made the mistake of letting a 4-year-old mix dry ingredients with a hand mixer. By herself. Flour had gotten all over our clothes and, right then and there, I discovered my first gripe. The mess. The mess is what I hate. I decided it was probably time to start wearing an apron to avoid such situations. And since then, I have been slightly obsessed with them.

I now present to you my coveted, retro Marvel Comics apron:

First things first, I am not a seasoned seamstress. Truth be told, the last time I'd worked with a sewing machine was in my 8th grade Home Economics class and I was fully supervised. This apron was not as easy as I'd thought it would be. Instead of using double-fold binding tape, I thought I could get away with using linen tape for the trim. I was so, so wrong. It made the fabric bunch in the weirdest places and made it look all sorts of shitty that I finally took it apart and bought the double-fold binding tape. Then, when I started sewing with the correct tape, my seam wasn't catching on the back, so I had to start over. Again. But the third time was a charm and this picture was the finished product. I swear, I am probably never going to let anyone wear this thing because of all the blood, sweat, and tears put into it.

Some important things to note (aside from the emphasis on using double-fold binding tape) are to choose heavier weight fabrics, invest in LOTS of pins, and practice turning corners. I also found that when using a printed fabric whose pattern you'd like to maintain (in my case, the Marvel logo), it's best to choose a more narrow binding tape than a wide one. I originally used a 1/2" wide tape, but then went with the 1/4" so it wouldn't cover so much.

After showcasing it on my tumblr the other day, I got a message that there was an actual pattern available for free from Susan Branch. I checked it out and it seems like her version would end up being just slightly smaller than the one I got from CP, but it's not a big deal. I wish I would've known about it sooner rather than trying to "wing it" with my own pattern. 

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

We've had such gloomy, rainy weather lately and that usually keeps me at home and in the kitchen. Because I gave up red meat for Lent I've been able to experiment with other types of protein, but, no matter what, you really can't go wrong with a perfectly roasted chicken. It might not be the fanciest thing on the planet, but is certainly comforting when done right. My dinner the other night was chicken with Portobello mushroom gravy (just a white gravy with 'shrooms), baked potato, and broccoli.

Before I get into the how-to part, I need to warn you - this is only for one person. Literally all of my meals are made for one unless I'm back home (desserts are a different story), so please keep this in mind when making any of my recipes for a family.

So... Wanna know the secret to tender, juicy, flavorful chicken? Bake it in a bag! I usually wrap my chicken in a little foil packet, bake it, open the packet, and bake it some more. This will give you the most moist piece of poultry every. single. time.

This is what I did...

First, I give my bird a salt bath by placing it in a large container and adding enough water to cover the chicken. Then, I add a tablespoon of salt and mix it around until it gets completely dissolved. Cover the container and let sit for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 400°.

Meanwhile, cut a large piece of foil to fully wrap the chicken plus some extra. This part is completely optional, but I like to flavor pretty much anything savory with garlic. I crushed 2 large cloves of garlic and put them in the middle of the foil. Then, I washed and drained my chicken and placed it on top of the garlic. Sprinkled it with a little salt and black pepper, wrapped it so that very little air could get through, and popped it into the oven for 20 minutes. Once the 20-25 minutes have elapsed, take the chicken out, open the bag up completely, and bake for another 10 minutes to get that nice golden color (or if you're in a hurry, pop it under the broiler for 2-3 mins). Take that sucker out.

Now, I am a huge fan of side dishes. I can't have just a steak or just salmon. I need something to go with it. The broccoli I had that night was simply steamed, but that baked potato... Well, that potato was on a different level. I'm used to baked potatoes taking anywhere upwards from an hour to fully cook, but this way I was able to cut the time in half! What I do is that I slice the potato, but I don't cut it all the way so it still maintains it's shape. (You can do this by putting a chopstick on both sides of the potato as you cut. This keeps you from slicing all the way through). Rub it with some olive oil and add salt/spices to your liking. I put garlic and rosemary in between each potato slice. Bake using the foil bag method at 400° for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove potato from foil and bake at 550° for 5-10 more minutes. Plate with your chicken and broccoli and eat your precious, little heart out, babes. You deserve it.

P.S. - When it comes to cooking, I pretty much wing it. So my apologies for my lack of any real structure/measurements to this. And thanks to my cousin, for allowing me to help her birdie in its time of need. It showed me that I need to let others know their way around food and be more dedicated to my blogging endeavor. In the words of Chicago, "You're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration."

Happy Pi Day!

{this mini pi went great with my morning tea}

When the thought of creating a food & crafts blog first entered my mind, I was making this apple tart and I figured it would be a great first post as it was my inspiration! My first attempt was actually a squarish version, but when I corrected a friend that it was a tart and not a pie - it hit me.

Pi. Apple pi. 

For some reason, I found this incredibly amusing (and quite clever!) that I decided to create a pi-shaped apple concoction. Then the idea to debut my blog on Pi Day came about and, thus, Apple Pi in the Sky was born. Anywhoozie, I'm gonna stop talking and get to the recipe for this baby.

French Apple Tart - 

Ingredients

Puff Pastry (can be store-bought, but I used this recipe)
2 large Granny Smith apples
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp orange juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the thawed puff pastry and deeply score a dashed 1 cm-thick perimeter with a butter knife. I usually stick my knife all the way down, make a 1-2 inch cut, and leave a cm in between. The finished product should look like a frame with a perforated line. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Slice the apples. I used a mandolin with the 1/8" slicer, but feel free to go thicker if you prefer. You may need to add an apple if you do this. Carefully staying within the dashed line, arrange the apple slices in whatever you pattern you like.
3. Put in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add maple syrup, lemon juice, and orange juice. Mix thoroughly.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg.
6. Remove tart from oven and lightly brush cinnamon syrup mixture on top of apples only. Then brush beaten egg on perimeter of puff pastry. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until pastry turns a deep golden brown. Let cool on rack. 

Tips: If you decided to make your own, great! The only thing with the recipe I posted is that I subbed the AP flour with pastry flour. You will only need about half of what it yields, so freeze the rest or double the apple recipe. Also, make sure you have plenty of time on your hands as it takes approximately 3 days to make. I know, I know. It's a long, laborious process, but is soooo worth it in the end. Trust me. Your stomach will thank me.

{the mega pi}