jjajangmyeon

learned how to make jjajangmyun this year. turns out its almost exactly like making korean curry. one difference is that i chop the vegetables finer.

start with some slices of samgyeopsal, diced finely and cooked until crispy. the same usual curry/stew suspects are here: potatoes, carrots and onions






a few minutes before the veggies are ‘done’, add in spoonfuls of jjajang sauce and a couple more spoonfuls of peanut oil and make sure the jjajang is dry-fried well. afterwards add water, bring to boil, then thicken with a little cornstarch slurry.






cook the noodles in a large pot and while they cook, turn the heat to low on the sauce and steam frozen peas and chopped jumbo shrimp under a lid







steamed perfectly. sauce is done






mix well...






the small bowl of (cold) noodles is for max. ive given him sauced noodles before but it was a _really_ long day (battery on the car is dying. almost needed a jump) and he was also very very well fed. so the noodles were more for his entertainment.

if you give him sauced noodles, it takes 10 minutes after dinner to clean the whole room up. and another 10 minutes to wipe him down







often served with danmuji but i hate danmuji. we only eat takuan and there is no takuan where i live.

also peas arent always used. often ppl add zucchini as part of the stir fry step and garnish the dish with fresh shredded cucumber (in addition to the foul danmuji).

otherwise, this is pretty typical.







there are oatmeal remnants (next to his left hand) that he ate with dad while i was cooking and a mum mum behind the bowl (his right hand). and before that hed had like a dozen graham crackers and lots of yogurt and cheerios.

we were able to eat without any crying or any screaming. he was rather quietly enjoying himself.






glad we did not sauce

The Palermo pie at La Sicilia

The Palermo pie at La Sicilia
The Palermo pie, their heart-stoppingly delicious grandma-style pizza, is a stunner. It features a 1/2" thick, parbaked square crust foundation topped with thin slices of fresh mozzarella, slathered virtually edge-to-edge with a devastatingly good crushed tomato sauce bursting with garlic and fresh herb flavor. A sprinkling of grated pecorino finishes it off.

Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies

Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies
"These rich chocolate cookies were a hit at my house. The addition of the cinnamon-sugar coating put them right over the edge.
We enjoyed them on the first day of spring with a glass of cold milk. But I will definitely bake up a batch on a cold snowy day next winter, and dip them into a mug of steaming hot cocoa."

Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips (not in the original recipe, but I thought they were a worthy addition)
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined. Add chocolate chips (you will probably have to stir with a wooden spoon at this point).

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the 2 tsp cinnamon. Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place about 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are just set (7-8 minutes), rotating sheets halfway through (the recipe is written to cook for 10 minutes, until the centers begin to crack...around here, we don't like our cookies crispy, soft and chewy for us please. If you prefer a crisp cookie, cook the full ten minutes.). Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

kirk gets around

the "special fork"

the "special fork"

yarn wrappings

yarn wrappings

spamoni marshmallow

Smørrebrød: Salmon, Radish and Apple Open-faced Sandwich

Smørrebrød: Salmon, Radish and Apple Open-faced Sandwich
"Smørrebrød translates from the Danish for butter and bread. But there is no butter here, because it seems a little redundant when there is already a sprightly base of horseradish-infused ricotta hiding out beneath thin slices of peppery radish and tart green apple. Topped with a generous helping of smoked salmon and a delicate sliver of lemon and finished with a spray of fresh dill, the sandwich is sturdy enough to fill your belly but the takeaway is its light, refreshing interplay of sweet, tart, salty and crunchy flavors."

SMØRREBRØD: SALMON, RADISH AND APPLE OPEN-FACED SANDWICH
Yield: about 12 small sandwiches

4-6 slices rye bread (I’m fond of German rye bread that’s thinly sliced, found in health food stores)
4 ounces smoked salmon
1 small bunch radishes
1 tart green apple
1 lemon
fresh dill
-
1/2 cup ricotta, drained
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
-
salt + pepper to taste

For appetizers, slice the rye bread into thirds. For a more substantial serving, slice the bread in half.

First, combine the ricotta, horseradish and lemon juice and mix together with a fork. Add a little salt to taste if needed.

Using a mandoline or sharp knife, very thinly slice the apples, radishes and lemon.

Spread a generous layer of the ricotta on the bread. Add one slice apple, followed by radish, salmon, and then lemon. (You can eat the lemon!) Crack some black pepper over the sandwich and top with a sprig of dill. Serve immediately.

ascii store sleeping bags

ascii store sleeping bags

ascii sleeping bags

full circle

lion icebox cookies

lion icebox cookies

Penguin Icebox Cookies

Penguin Icebox Cookies

the big lebowski

The Four Icon Challenge
the big lebowski

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Becky Bakes and Picky Palate via BonAppetit.com

This is not my usual Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but I suspected that mine would spread too much and reveal its delicious innards prematurely, so I used the cookie recipe included in the original recipe.
Ingredients

* 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
* 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 3 1/2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 package Double Stuff Oreo cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
4. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Caterpillars for breakfast!

hmmm. cheese steak hoagies or bi bim bob? choices choices

dog

lambingtons

lambingtons

Lemon Meringue Lamington, uncut

Lemon Meringue Lamington, uncut

Lemon Meringue Lamington

Lemon Meringue Lamington
Rose's Heavenly Génoise:
from Rose's Heavenly Cakes
50 grams clarified butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs at room temperature (250 grams)
125 grams superfine sugar
66 grams cake flour
60 grams cornstarch

Coat a 10" tube pan with cooking spray and flour then set aside. Set a rack in the lower third of your oven and allow it to thoroughly preheat to 350°F.

Microwave the butter until it is almost hot (roughly 110-120°F), add the vanilla and cover to keep warm.

Bring a sauce pan of water to a simmer and in your mixer's bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. With a whisk, stir the mixture in the bowl sitting over the pan of simmering water (not in the water) until just lukewarm to the touch.

Attach the bowl to your stand mixer and with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed for a minimum of 5 minutes until it has more than quadrupled in volume.

While the eggs are beating sift together the flour and cornstarch. Remove 1 cup of the egg mixture and whisk it into the bowl with the melted butter and vanilla and set aside once again.

Working quickly with a balloon whisk or a silicone spatula fold in half of the flour into the egg mixture and once it is incorporated, fold in the remaining flour.

Scrape down the bowl to insure all the flour has been incorporated and then fold in the butter mixture. Fold in, scraping the bottom of the bowl to ensure all the flour has been moistened (but not so much that you deflate the eggs) and immediately pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the sides begin to slightly pull away from the pan. Avoid jostling the pan while baking or opening and closing the door too often as it could cause light delicate cake to fall.

While baking, spray a wire rack with non-stick cooking spray and have a small offset spatula handy. Once the cake is done it should be removed from the pan immediately. Slip an offset spatula around the sides of the pan and unmold the pan onto the rack.

Allow to cool completely.

Cut the cake into 2.5" cubes (or more efficient wedges) and arrange them together onto a baking sheet. Now they are ready for the lemon syrup.

Simple Lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

In a pan over medium low heat, stir the sugar with a heat safe spatula until sugar has dissolved. Don't allow this mixture to boil. Allow the syrup to cool before using.

Take your cake squares and give them a generous coating with the lemon syrup, allowing it to absorb into the cake. This both moistens and flavors the genoise.

Lemon curd coated Lamington and bottle of lemon syrup

Not So Humble Lemon Curd:
Adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes
1/2 cup egg yolks
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 teaspoons butter, melted and cooled.
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup + one tablespoon lemon juice
pinch salt
zest of one large lemon

Place the lemon zest into a large bowl and set a fine mesh strainer on top.

In a medium sauce pan add the eggs, sugar and butter and whisk together until combined. Add the lemon juice and salt and sift in the cornstarch whisking well. Swap your whisk for a silicone spatula and cook the curd over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Cook the mixture gently, or the eggs will curdle. If the mixture starts to give off steam, remove from heat for 20 seconds to allow the mixture to cool slightly and then return to the heat. Do not allow it to boil. In roughly 10-15 minutes the curd will have thickened and should coat the back of your spatula like a hollandaise. Pour this mixture into the bowl of zest using the strainer.

Mix then chill the curd for roughly an hour until completely cool.

Once ready, you can start assembling your Lamingtons.

Start by applying a thick layer of curd to the top of the of the génoise pieces and sandwich another on top. Spread the curd on the top and sides of the cube and then sprinkle with desiccated coconut.


Coated with coconut

This could be a reasonable stopping point for this Lamington (it is delicious, we ate a bunch like this) but I am not a very reasonable person. I decided I wanted a billowy, spike covered Lamington and if you do too, preheat the oven to 375°F and start the meringue.

Basic Meringue:
6 egg whites at room temperature
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine the eggs, cream of tartar and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer (making sure it is very clean, as a trace of oil can ruin a meringue). Beat the eggs with your whisk attachment until soft foamy peaks form and then slowly begin adding the sugar, beating until you have stiff but not dry peaks.

Arrange the Lamingtons on a large baking sheet lined with parchment and either pipe on the meringue or apply with a small spatula. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes until golden brown and serve immediately.

Alternatively you can whip out your kitchen torch to toast your meringue with the flame. I did this with several Lamingtons and while playing with fire is oodles of fun, I ended up preferring the look of the baked meringues.