Just Pictures: Going Back For More Laduree

My dear friend from New York came back last month for our friend's wedding and she surprised me with one of the most wonderful things I have ever put in my mouth - macarons from Laduree.  It was fresh, decadant, and seriously one of the best macarons I have ever tasted!  These soft and delicate cookies had just the right amount of sweetness and flavor to it that you did not want to stop eating because it was hurting your sweet tooth, and trust me, I've had that happen quite often before with other macarons.  Laduree is a French-based company and they recently opened their first (and only, for now) store in the United States (in Upper East Side in New York).  Due to the high standards of Laduree (and thank goodness for that!), the macarons are flown directly from Paris three times a week to the store in New York.  No wonder these macarons are so wonderful!

Luckily, this discovery came in time for our New York trip, leaving today (yup, the day after Thanksgiving... are we crazy??) for a few days in the Big Apple to do two things: visit our friends and EATTTTTTT!!  It has been awhile since I've blogged about traveling, so I'm quite excited for this trip and am planning to take lots of pictures so that I can report back!  Stay tuned!

 Pretty box.

From left to right: Salted Caramel, a berry-type (seasonal), Orange, Strawberry, Pistachio, and Chocolate.  The salted caramel and the berry ones were the best!

Sweet Potato Chips

Per my last post, I received 2 super-duper large sweet potatoes.  So what ever happened to the other potato?  Well, they ended up being sweet potato chips.  I just couldn't resist! 

A delicious sweet and salty snack to munch on any day of the week!

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients
- ~650 g sweet potatoes (1 really really large or 2 large sweet potatoes)
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- vegetable oil

Tools
-deep fryer (optional)
-mandoline (optional, but makes this process so much easier if you have one)

Steps
1. Wipe the sweet potato clean with a paper towel (do not wash!  This will allow more moisture to enter the sweet potatoes and result in a longer time to fry the chips).  Peel and thinly slice the potatoes.

2. Heat a pot (or use the deep fryer if you have one) with vegetable oil, enough to cover the sweet potato chips while frying.  Place in a bunch of chips in at one, making sure all of the chips are covered in oil.  Do not overcrowd your pot - it will take longer to fry the chips.  After a few minutes or once the chips are golden-brown, remove from pot and lay on paper towels to soak in excess oil. 

Enjoy once the chips have cooled down!

I really need to buy a good mandoline.  Without one, I had to do it the old-fashioned way... by knife.

Sweet and Spicy...

My mother-in-law handed me two ginormous sweet potatoes the other day.  Think football-sized potatoes. Think brick-sized spuds.  I'm not sure where she found these abnormally large potatoes but now they're mine, and I have to think of ways to use them.

Between me and the hubby, I am the only one that likes sweet potatoes.  I get excited over sweet potato fries, the sweet potato tortilla chips from Food Should Taste Good (they really do!), good 'ol fashioned baked sweet potatoes (with the skin), and anything sweet potato-related.  It's just that good.  But the problem is the hubby.  I know I needed his help with eating these huge sweet potatoes, but how would I "trick" him into eating something he doesn't like?  I set out to find a recipe that would pair sweet potatoes with other items that may overpower the potatoes, a flavorful dish, and something healthy so that he doesn't have eaters remorse afterwards.  Luckily, I found it.

Sweet and Spicy Turkey, Beef, and Sweet Potato Stew with Coconut Milk
from Kalyn's Kitchen

Tools
- crock pot

A few variations...
...I didn't have enough ground turkey so I grounded up a slab of sirloin beef in order to yield 1 pound of meat.
...I didn't have any green onions so I added green peas instead.  I know, not really a substitute but I thought the peas would be a great touch and color!

All the cooked and uncooked ingredients go into my favorite appliance in the kitchen - the crock pot.

Truly a sweet and spicy dish... first you are hit with a sweet yet salty taste, then the spiciness lingers in your mouth for a few minutes... until you take the next bite.

Just Pictures: Pizza and Movies Night

As I mentioned in my previous post, I hosted a "Pizza and Movies" night this past weekend.  It all started with the purchase of 2 cans of Italian tuna in North Beach, San Francisco (we have been craving Tuna and Onion pizza for quite awhile...).  I also wanted to make other pizzas but thought it was too much for just the two of us.  If I make multiple types of pizza with only the two of us to eat, I know that we will try to stuff as many slices down as possible, and then wake up with regret to a pizza hangover the next day. 

Friends.  That's our solution!  With 3 different types of pizza and 5 mouths ready to eat, there was enough to go around that we still ended up cramming as many slices down as possible.  We then planted ourselves on the couch for the next 5 hours and watched 2 movies to help our digestion.  I think I had a slight pizza hangover the next day, but cured it with a slice of pizza (duh) for breakfast.  Heh. 

Great friends, great food, great night!

Fresh spinach, prosciutto, and shaved parmigiano-reggiano with mozzarella and tomato sauce.  First bake the pizza with mozzarella and tomato sauce, let sit for 5 minutes, then place fresh ingredients on top.

Meat lovers: pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom.  When it's done, you can see the meat fat sizzling on top of the pizza!

Italian tuna and onions.  It will always be one of our favorites.

Oh yeah, we had a salad too, but who wants to see pictures of that...??

I Heart Panna Cotta

Someone should make a T-shirt that says that.  I love... adore... heart... panna cotta!  Needless to say, I am really excited to share this recipe.  I had some doubts before making this dessert because panna cotta tastes quite delicate, and so I thought the techniques to make this dessert were also delicate and complicated.  Boy, was I glad I was wrong!  It's so easy, so fast, and you just mostly let the refrigerator do the work for you!  I made this dessert yesterday for a "Pizza and Movies" night at our house, where we gorged on 3 different types of homemade pizza and watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and Crazy, Stupid, Love.  This dessert hit the ultimate happy spot my lucky belly!

Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta
from Pinch My Salt

What I did...
...I found the hazelnut milk at Whole Foods (not too expensive, just $2.57!).
...added chopped hazelnut, lightly toasted on the stove.
...strawberries worked great with this dessert!   

Large raw hazelnuts from Trader Joe's.  I orginally bought these nuts to make hazelnut milk, but it came very handy for this dessert.

Nom Nomm

One for me, and one for... me again.

Pumpkin + Gingerbread

It's nippy outside.  I have to face the facts: winter is here.  It's mid-November, just about one and a half months left until the end of the year.  Lately, more of the food blogs I frequent are posting holiday-related recipes, and I am quite content with it since I love these flavors.  When I first saw this Pumpkin Gingerbread recipe, I didn't have any expectations of what the combination would taste like.  To be honest, I only reason I made this was to finish up the pumpkin puree leftover from the Halloween cupcakes.  The pumpkin gingerbread mini bundt cakes turned out to be fabulous... it was soft, full of pumpkin and ginger flavors, and not at all too sweet that will hurt your tooth!  I must be mastering the skill of combining dry and wet ingredients together because I am shocked at how moist this cake is!  Or I just got lucky.  Either way, give this recipe a try... you won't regret it!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Mini Bundt Cakes
from Simply Recipes

What I did...
...because I only had 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree left, I cut all of the ingredients in half .  I used minced ginger and substituted molasses with maple syrup.  Instead of vigorously whisking the dry ingredients together, I sifted the flour and spices.
...filled 4 mini bundt pans.
...bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

The combination of pumpkin and gingerbread flavors were like bursts of the holidays in my mouth!

Mapo Tofu... Hmm Hmm Spicy!

On a cold and rainy day, which is what we've been experience as of late, a nice hot and spicy dish on top of white rice or noodles is a great way to end the day.  I loved the fact that I used soft tofu in this dish (you can choose between soft or medium-firm) because the tofu melted in my mouth much like M&Ms.  I cooked egg noodles to pair with the dish and the thick salty and spicy sauce mixed quite well with the egg noodles.  Gosh, I am drooling as I talk about it!

Mapo Tofu
from Appetite for China

A few tips (and variations)...
...I used soft tofu for this dish... it was perfect!  When cutting the tofu, slice it horizontally across first to yield two layers of tofu, and then cut into cubes.
...I substituted pork with ground turkey.  Equally delicious (and healthier too!).
...I used the black bean garlic sauce instead of fermented black beans, pictured here:

...the chili bean paste (make sure to get the spicy kind) is the same as the ones you would use for Za Zang Mien, pictured here:


...I didn't have any leeks so I used green onions instead.
...I left out the sherry/rice wine and ground Sichuan pepper since I didn't have any... the peppers may have made for a spicier dish.
...I added cremini mushrooms since I had to get rid of them soon.