Easy To-Do Japanese Gift-Wrapping

this is typography
tamago
pandapad.com blog
+cherish+
hungry for pixels
meomi.com

flash games:
http://www.i-dac.com/game/fgame.html

make a 3d snowflake from wikihow:
wikihow-make a 3d snowflake

martha stewart:
christmas crafts

paperbag flowers

The Science of Cooking. Michael Ruhlman

exploratorium's the accidental scientist - the science of cooking.

found some interesting links from david lebovitz's blog:
david's blog!

now this link cracked me up!
chew on that blog's december monthly mouthful showcased the most witty and funny things that food writer and bloggers posted online.

japanese letter sets

http://www.fujitv.co.jp/kosodatv
http://www.printout.jp/
http://wall-calendar.jugem.jp/
http://www.k4.dion.ne.jp/~aoiro/index.html
http://www.gakugei.co.jp/paper/
http://urawa.cool.ne.jp/chon_2/pc/pc2_1.htm
google search="letter set" japanese

crafty blog:
being crafty
a little hut
all at sea
handmade detroit

cute blog!
adorablog
parsiri
creaturecomforts
pinkyboi
create my event
plastic and plush

store!
http://www.occupiedshoppe.citymax.com/page/page/4049522.htm


just because:
colourlovers blog is a beautiful artist blog which plays on color.

traditional japanese craft - temari printable patterns:
japanese temari

papercrafts!
allthingskawaii's search of printables
papermodel maniax
pacopee size box
mongovillage
mococo+PRINT
kao-ani.com
http://www.sakunet.ne.jp/~hayaka1/
paper museum
canon creative park
printables lj community
san-x character printables

tanabata streamers from davidseah.com:
david seah's tanabata streamers

in chinese with some japanese links:
http://blog.roodo.com/dfazen/archives/112984.html
in japanese:
http://home.highway.ne.jp/oz/techo/linkt.htm

Print stickers and charts
Play beautiful
katamari memory game - get a printable card game!

gosh, this blog is soo pretty! The photos and colors are so nice!

posie gets cozy

Boosting your vocabulary has more than just a purpose for you, it's Free Rice for the rest of the world.


let's go shopping:

watercrystal miniature gift shops -sells japanese craft books and other items, such as crystal beads. I haven't shopped at this place before, but the books might be of interest.
gama-go- clothing shop with interesting designs.

blogs of interest:

yarnstorm
behind the curtain
papercrave
kooohkies
kitty genius
sanriotown
kt sanctuary
akihabara news
dyepot,teapot
craft'n'cutie's australian blog
bad fortune cookie

i hope that everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving if you celebrated it.

Somethings I want to remember...A Ginormous list.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ip/0,3100,FOOD_27596,00.html - Paula's Party
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_pa/0,1976,FOOD_10234,00.html - Paula's HomeCooking

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32630,00.html -Sugar Rush's French Meringue

http://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/ - Paula Deen Magazine
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=bed+and+breakfast+recipes - B& B recipes search

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_78750,00.html -Nigella Express' Hokey Pokey
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_77074,00.html -Nigella Express' Chocolate Macaroons
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_77077,00.html - Nigella Express' Budino Di Cioccolato

http://search.foodnetwork.com/food/recipe/nigella+express/search.do?N=0&No=15 - Nigella Express recipe search

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_11426,00.html - Wuollet's Brownie Enormous

http://www.digitalcookbook.tv/ -Digital Cookbook

http://dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/2199/Recipe.cfm - Chewy and Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm on the Flaky Biscuit Hunt! (google: flaky biscuits) Cuz sometimes you want to not buy biscuits in the exploding can. I get scared...really... by the gunshot twack sound they make.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=174938
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=10027&postRepeater1-p=33
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=10027&postRepeater1-p=34
http://www.aminglingoftastes.com/labels/Sides.html
http://www.southernangel.com/food/biscuits.html
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45592
http://www.baking911.com/quikbrds/biscuits.htm
http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/04/everythings-better-with-biscuits.html
http://www.kswheat.com/upload/got-biscuits.pdf
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20050706/ai_n15832300

As Halloween comes to an end...

With all the candy still in tow,

All your pumpkins are in a row...to be made into pumpkin pie.

cooking for engineers' pumpkin pie - this year it's this recipe for Thanksgiving. I've always liked to use the Libby's recipe. Making my own crust? Maybe not this year. It's interesting to see that Michael Chu of CookingForEngineers.com has blindbaked the pie crust and cooked the pumpkin filling beforehand- making for one tasty pie. Can't wait to try it!

Whole Wheat Sablés

doll-doll

paper crafts-

http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~kaznao/kamikousaku/paper.htm

http://rarebirdfinds.typepad.com/rare_bird_finds/

http://kawaii.vox.com/

more chocolate recipes!

coffee fudge brownies at slashfood

make your own homemade twix @ chow.com.

october is breast cancer awareness month!

visit

bake for the cure!

random stuff:

remember october is breast cancer awareness month.

cute comics

yotsuba
habanero-tan

Cookie recipes that I want to try!

brownie points' alice medrich's melting chocolate meringues
baking bites' brown sugar chocolate chip cookies

printable stuff!

http://www.allthingskawaii.net/links/Downloads/Printables/

http://www.san-x.co.jp/charapri/top.html

http://users.livejournal.com/_shakty_

http://whererainbows.blogspot.com/

http://cute.startkabel.nl/ - look at paper goodies


hello kitty cake box!

http://www.katzwhiskas.co.uk/contentcollectionpage~Type~2~Category~6715.aspx

Get Your Cyborg Name

Get Your Cyborg Name

cute game to play:http://www.spellenservice.nl/spellen/1366-Fun%252520game.html

Zakka!

http://www.squidoo.com/zakka/

http://www.saucylouise.com/

http://blog.zakka-zakka.com/

http://www.kitty-craft.com/

google search: http://www.google.com/search?q=zakka&hl=en&start=0&sa=N

you can grow your own tiny cactus??

http://www.strapya-world.com/products/7229.html

cute places to visit.

http://cute.startkabel.nl/

http://www.geocities.com/anikaoland/indexkao.html

http://www.kao-ani.com/tutorials/papercraft.php

omg this is too cute!

knitty-woodins from knitty fall 2007

by http://mochimochiland.com/ who happens to have even more cuter patterns.

i want : knitty's bubby and
kate!

a few weeks ago, i received a hand sewn pouch from a Japanese pen-pal of mine.
She called it a kinchaku. So, I decided I would like to send her a hand-knit one back.
I haven't decided if i wanted to knit in the round or flat then sew it up.
\\patterns to knit a drawstring pouch.

http://knittingwithlaura.blog-city.com/pouch_pattern.htm
http://www.knitpicks.com/purse+&+bag+knitting+patterns_PL30021005.html
http://www.sovereignit.com/warploom/knittingpouch.shtml
http://members.aol.com/JSchlossma/kpouch.html
http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/bagdeco2.htm
http://www.magknits.com/Nov05/amulet.htm
http://designsbyblackdog.blogspot.com/2007/02/zakka-pouch-knitted-base-youll-need-50g.html

sewn patterns:

http://www.purlbee.com/patterned-jewelry-pouch/
http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/miscneedlecase.htm
http://dragoknit.blogspot.com/2007/02/box-bag-tutorial.html
http://slateblu.typepad.com/weblog/
http://mylittlemochi.typepad.com/my_little_mochi/2005/05/origami_pocket_.html

some places of interest that i found on the web.
(these might be duplicates, cuz sometimes i forget if i've linked before.)

http://www.midnightknitter.com/blog/
http://www.studiotamar.com/
http://craftywench.typepad.com/knittingwench/
http://craftlover.wordpress.com/
http://ruthlessknitting.ruthlessediting.com/
http://karmakitties.com/blog2/
http://big_girlfeet.blogspot.com/
http://www.fluffbuff.com/japanese_craft_books/
http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/japanese_crafts/
http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/japanese_crafts/2.html
http://sarahpeasley.com/
http://www.y2knit.net/
http://www.purlbee.com/
http://sweaterscapes.com/pursepat.htm (this pattern is more like an envelope)
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/bags_totes_purses.php
http://www.knitpicks.com/FREE+Knitting+Patterns_PL300218.html
http://wolfandturtle.net/Yarnpath/index.php/
Yarnpath/comments/the_doggie_bag_or_the_bag_lady_strikes_again/
http://wordpress.com/tag/japanese-pattern/
http://www.volks.co.jp/en/index.aspx

baby patterns:
http://www.fabulousyarn.com/fabyarns_knitting_patterns.htm

another idea...

http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2007/09/zakka-tissue-cozy.html

Amigurumi Links!

http://del.icio.us/snuffykin

this is a bookmarks list from the i love amigurumi community on lj.

http://www.crochetme.com/Dec_Jan_0405/reads_round.html- the magic round.

http://my.athenet.net/~nimoe/ - the immortal shanty has patterns for plushies and amigurumi.

now i need to learn how to crochet. >-<;;

My Melody Skirt and Cute Shirts!

http://www.piximix.com/ - cute shirts

http://www.hearte.co.jp/product/98 - a my melody skirt!

Is Your Food Safe?

These two blogs are notable in the fact that they address food safety, United States policy, the FDA, the USDA, and food packaging safety.

U.S. Food Policy
Food Karma Alert

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

Updating the blog....

I know that I haven't posted in a long while. I feel that the design on this blog is not exactly looking very nice at the moment...so I feel that a redo is sorely needed.

In the meantime,

Here is a good place to get a free e-book baking book. Also, check out the website while you are at it.

https://www.preparedpantry.com/index.html

http://warmnfuzzy.vox.com/
http://del.icio.us/valerief/printables
http://del.icio.us/valerief/sanrio
community.livejournal.com/printables
http://community.livejournal.com/hellokitty_club/
http://www.apple-town.org/main.html
http://www.livejournal.com/interests.bml?int=sanrio
http://hkcreativity.canalblog.com/
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/07/more_sanrio_crafts.html
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/crafts/

Pucca Flash Games

Puccaclub-listed under Amusement
Jetix's Pucca Games
Pucca Funny Love
Pucca Bushin


Pucca is also coming out with an online racing game by gravity available only in Korea:
Pucca Racing

Yikes! Haven't BLOGGED in a while! o_O

Something cute and fun!

This is the Komaneko movie!



^_^

Ben & Jerry's :P

I missed their free scoop day in my area! BOooOOo! So, I just went to my 7-11 and been eating pints. Not all at once mind you...a couple of pints here and there. My view on some of the flavors are here:

Banana Split: Banana and Strawberry Ice Cream with walnuts, fudge chunks, and fudge swirl.

My opinion- Banana ice cream was overwhelmed by the strawberry. I think I got the batch without the mix-ins( hardly any walnuts). Not memorable.

Oatmeal Cookie Chunk: Cinnamon ice cream with Oatmeal cookie and fudge chunks.

My opinion - I love this. The cinnamon ice cream with the lovely texture of the oatmeal cookies and fudge were definitely a hit with me.

Creme Brulee: Custard ice cream with a swirl of crunchy caramelized sugar.

My opinion - I loved the ice cream and texture of the crunchy bits of caramelized sugar. However, the sugar would get stuck in my molars.

Half-Baked:

Vermonty Python:

Chunky Monkey:

New York Super Fudge Chunk:

Chocolate Fudge Brownie:

Cinnamon Buns:

Everything But The... :

Chocolate Almond Nougat:

:D haven't posted in a while sooo here goes:

http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/70177.html

http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/60615.htm1

I love chocolate, especially good chocolate. Now large chocolate corporations want to cheapen chocolate by using some derivative fat instead of cocoa butter! Outrageous, I say! From the CandyBlog - found via The Accidental Hedonist.

Don’t Mess with Our Chocolate!I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the FDA controls what fits under the definition of chocolate for sale in the United States. They want to make MOCKOLATE into CHOCOLATE.
-->
I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the FDA controls what fits under the definition of chocolate for sale in the United States. They want to make MOCKOLATE into CHOCOLATE.
As it is, chocolate is not an unhealthy treat. Cocoa Butter, which is composed of stearic acid, has been found to have no effect on blood lipid levels (cholesterol). Cocoa solids have been shown to have a positive effect on our bodies because of the high levels of antioxidants, insulin-like and anti-inflammatory compounds.
The new rules would completely obliterate the current definition, basically making any concoction containing cocoa solids and a fat into Chocolate. Like magic!
The rules currently state (basically) that chocolate must contain cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Other things can be in there, like milk fat and milk solids to make milk chocolate and a small amount of milk fat can be added to dark chcoolate as well. The new proposal would allow products that contain NO COCOA BUTTER to be call chocolate."

We all know that these mockolate products are crappy. They don’t taste the same ... they feel oily or greasy on the tongue and don’t have the smooth buttery melt. But the big chocolate companies that want to make this cheap mockolate will flood the market and confuse consumers ... ultimately just frustrating us with bad experiences and wasted money (and possibly a fatter belly and clogged arteries).
You know what? The FDA doesn’t have to give the CMA what they want. You have the power to reject this ... but you have to tell the FDA!

I remember watching a Friends episode "The One With The List" (208) about mockolate...and it tasted bad. And I quote:

MONICA: Ok, this is pumpkin pie with mockolate cookie crumb crust. This is mockolate cranberry cake, and these are mockolate chip cookies. Just like the Indians served.

RACHEL: Oh my god.

MONICA: Oh my god good?

RACHEL: Oh my god, I can't believe you let me put this in my mouth.

PHOEBE: Oh, oh sweet lord! This is what evil must taste like!
***
MONICA: Now, in some of these recipes, the quantities may seem just a little unusual, uh, like these coconut mockolate holiday nut bars. I've indicated four cups of coconut, and four cups of crushed nut, and only, uh, one tablespoon of mockolate.

MR. RASTATTER: Doesn't matter.

MONICA: What?

MR. RASTATTER: Our FDA approval didn't come through. Something about laboratory rats.

MONICA: Oh, gosh, I'm sorry.

MR. RASTATTER: Yeah, well, anyhoo, here is your check. Thank you for all the trouble you went through. Um, listen, you didn't eat a lot of it while you were cooking, did you?

MONICA: Well, uh, I ate some.

MR. RASTATTER: Oh, some, that's fine. Some is fine. Some is not a lot. So, it doesn't burn when you pee, does it?

Please comment to the FDA website and stop this atrocity please. Please visit this website and save the GOOD STUFF! Keep it real! Do it before April 25th 2007!!
DON'T MESS WITH OUR CHOCOLATE!!!

No Need to No-Knead So Far.

Now I must be the only one in all the world that hasn't made the absolutively, posituley awesome no-knead bread? Why not? LOL. Why don't you just go with the flow? what's stoppin' yah, eh?


Now don't get me wrong, I've been thinking about making this bread since it debuted in the NYTimes site last Nov. There was all the hub-bub in the Foodie Stratosphere. :) Isn't it nice to follow a trend and be the last one?


Okay, I'm bending and capitulating to the will of the masses. I will post on my results eventually, using this method i saw on the egullet boards. link: no knead bread at aresrocket.com. It uses a Pyrex bowl, because some of us don't have cast-iron dutch oven. Le Creuset anyone? Not me. :P I'm still waiting for someone to give a HUGE wedding party, so I finally take advantage of a wedding registry. haha. But, I digress. :D

yummy food here at homesick texan, tex-mex flavors and chicken fried steak yumm~

sigh, having an active two year old doesn't allow me much time for crafting, but i will be adding links and things that i find interesting in the meantime.

Chicken Tinola, a little bit of childhood.

I made chicken tinola, a filipino dish with chicken, chayote, and ginger with chicken broth. My mother used to make this dish a lot when I was a child, especially during winter. Considering the weather in San Jose has been a mite chilly of late, this is definitely a dish that warms the body. :) My hubby who is still getting used to filipino food ate it. My two babies love it. It's really easy on their little tummies.

Chicken Tinola

3 to 4 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces (I used about 8 bone-in thighs.)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced.
4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced.
5 c. water
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil or in my case, canola
2 tbsp. of fish sauce, I used squid brand.
4 green chayote squash,peeled and sliced
5 potatoes,peeled and quartered
dash of pepper

Peel and cut the chayote into sliced. Peel and quarter the potatoes.

In a 6-quart stock pot, heat the oil. Add the garlic and saute. Add the onion and ginger. Saute until onion is translucent.

Place the chicken into the pot, stirring occasionally to meld the flavors. Stir in the fish sauce and pepper. Brown the chicken a bit, 4-5 minutes.

Pour in the water and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until chicken is throughly cooked.

Skim off the fat that comes up.

Add vegetables and bring it to a boil once again. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until chayote and potatoes are tender but firm.

Serve with rice.

I like to season my tinola with a combination of fish sauce and lemon juice. :)

Blueberry Muffins!

I am sad. My camera batteries are dead. :/

But, I baked some BLUEBERRY MUFFINS...which were mostly devoured by my two-year old. lol. They were very moist and tender.

Here is the recipe, from the Good Home Cookbook, edited by Richard J. Perry.

Blueberry Muffins

2 c. AP flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. (1 pint) fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin pan or line the pan with paper baking cups.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until creamy and light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the milk and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the flour mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in the berries.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pan, and cool briefly on wire racks. Serve warm or cooled.

I'm a brownie.

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted. Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2006/06/langues_de_chat_au_the_vert.php
http://vanillagarlic.blogspot.com/
http://bakespace.com/
http://weblogs.thingsasian.com/tablogs/page/cheiter

Tasty, tender Salmon. :)

My husband came home from Costco and brought back this package of center cut atlantic salmon fillets. Fresh frozen, individually packaged, skinless, boneless...very convenient, especially for me since I hate gutting fish. Packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and other yummy healthy goodness, salmon is one of my favorite fish. These salmon fillets became our dinner yesterday.

Seasoned Salmon Fillets in Lemon Butter
Serves 4 or 2 with big appetites.

4 salmon steaks, skinless and boneless*
kosher salt
ground pepper
cayenne pepper
1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tbsp, 4 oz.)
1/4 cup of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a glass baking dish, place fillets about 2 inches apart.

Pour about three-fourths of the lemon juice over the fillets. Season the salmon with salt, pepper and cayenne.
Pour the rest of the juice on top of the salmon. Don't worry the seasonings will stay on the fillet.
Add butter to the pan. You can either let the oven melt the butter or premelt it before hand if you want to control the amount of butter used.
Place the dish in the center rack. Bake the fish for about 25 minutes, until the fish is opaque or about 160°F.

The fish should tender and flake away with a fork when done. You can use the lemon and butter mixture in the dish as a sauce.

Cook's Notes: Just be warned there are small bones that were probably not discernable to the eye, so proceed with some caution when serving to small children.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

okay, this is my first try at my own food porn. lol. the pictures are terrible,especially where the ice cream scoop is about to melt over the bowl.haha.

Chocolate Bread Pudding( adapted from Martha Stewart's Chocolate Bread Pudding)The ingredients with the starred notations are my substitutions.

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk ( i used 2%)
1 1/2 tsp of madagascar burbon vanilla extract*
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon*
5 mini baguette (not sourdough) loaves*
8 ounces BAKER'S semi-sweet chocolate plus 2 ounces BAKER'S unsweetened*
8 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar*

Heat the oven to 325°F. Place the cream, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes to infuse flavors.

Cut the baguettes to into 1/4-inch thick slices. Reserve the end pieces. Then, cut the slices into quarters. Fill a 9-by-12 glass baking dish with the quartered pieces.

Return the milk mixture to a boil, remove from heat. Add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour chocolate mixture very slowly into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until fully combined.

Slowly pour half the chocolate custard over bread, making sure all the bread is soaked. Arrange the reserved bread on top in a decorative pattern, and press firmly so bottom layer absorbs the chocolate mixture. Spoon remaining custard over bread until it is completely covered and cracks are all filled in. Place plastic wrap over the dish: press down to soak bread throughly. Remove plastic and wipe edges of dish with a damp towel. Allow dish to sit for 30 minutes.

Bake for 45 minutes. Cool slightly for 15 minutes. Serve with ice cream (I used Breyer's Chocolate-Vanilla-Strawberry) or creme fraiche.

Notes:

The original recipe noted 1 whole vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped, 3 cinnamon sticks (optional), 1 loaf brioche( about 1 pound, or substitute white bread), 12 ounces roughly chopped valrhona or other bittersweet chocolate, 3/4 cup of sugar. The last step for baking the bread pudding was to set the glass dish into a bain de marie, baking until set for about 35 minutes. I tested this pudding for the first time without the bain de marie and found out it came out a drier product that was still yummy. LOL. The next time I make this using the hot water bath.

Oh rice, where have you gone?

Costco for my family is an indulgence. Being around a wherehouse-like place where there are ginormous packages of food and the absolute potential of what can be made of these ingredients makes me drool. Rice is one of those ingredients and a staple in my household. While I know I could buy 50 lb. bag of premium jasmine or calrose at an Asian Market, like Ranch 99...Costco had koshihikari rice! Koshihikari is a japanese variety of short grain rice: tasty, sweet, and smaller than regular calrose. here is an image of koshihikari taken by jei2046 on flicker.
of course, the Costco we frequented didn't have the rice we covet in stock! :( we had our one time lucky purchase, which left us craving and just settling for kokuho rose in the meantime.
japanese rice even had a discussion on egullet. link:types of japanese rice

chocolate yearnings and crepe cake

david lebovitz hosted SHF# 27 with considerable success. I was blindsided by the ENMASS of CHOCOLATE!!! the id took over and drooled on the keyboard. the ego took a vacation:

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe2210057

http://foodaholic.wordpress.com/2006/11/06/adults-only/

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/magazine/15FOOD.html?pagewanted=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ei=5088&en=6a3214a2c87faab0&ex=1273809600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/2007/01/sugar-high-friday-27-chocolate-by.html

and this:

http://uktv.co.uk/index.cfm/uktv/food.recipe/aid/517173

new blog to add:

http://accidentalscientist.blogspot.com/

Widgets.

added a widget of epicurious recipes and joined technorati. :)

Water Conundrum: Bottled or Tap?

The average human body is made of 50-60% water. We have to drink a lot of it. About 8-10 glasses of water a day, in forms of milk and juice too. That's about 64 fluid ounces, so we don't dehydrate. Too much water is bad too.

In light of an article in a recent san francisco chronicle,How water bottlers tap into all sorts of sources, remember all that label reading you do when you go to the grocery store? you know how you check for fat,transfat, and calories per serving? please check the source of the water on that water you get. you might just have purified drinking water from a municipal (read, tap water) reservoir. take that alhambra. lol. or a mountain spring in napa. or the aquifer in fiji.

and a word of advice, if you have a bottle of water in your car and it's been sitting there or you took a sip of it and reclosed it and forgot about it....don't drink it. you might get sick from the microbes in the water.

it's cold...

...i'm dying, but not from the cold:

from this:

planning to redo the layout of this blog soon.

Yasukochi's Coffee Crunch Cake

Saturday afternoon, my mom, my husband, the babies and i went to SF Japantown...in search of the beloved BLUM'S Coffee Crunch Cake my mom had long coveted. First stop we make is to Yasukochi's Sweet Stop, located in the Super Mira grocery store. The owner,Yasukochi,was there today. He was really sweet and friendly, considering we were there just at the last minute. My mom was really excited and decided to purchase the Coffee Crunch after delegating with about what cake she wanted: either the mocha or the coffee. I said you should get the coffee one, since you've missed it for how long. We were talking to the owner about how my mom heard about the cake from tv and that how she was missing BLUM's special cakes, since BLUM's had closed its doors in '69 or '70...she was soo elated that Yasukochi's still made these cakes. He had mentioned EYE ON THE BAY and had numerous news clippings about his bakery on the counter. And said counters were practically empty! There were only few cakes left, and we had gotten the last Coffee Crunch cake!

The cake was $22.00 and worth every penny and every yummy bite.

http://www.galaxylink.com.hk/~john/food/cooking/shanghai/xiaolongbao.htm
http://eatingchinese.org/
http://www.chinatownconnection.com/xiao-long-tan-bao-recipe.htm
http://www.gretchencooks.com/recipes/875_Ikea_Daim_Torte

When's the last time you cleaned your fridge?

Okay, here's the scenario:

You're hungry and you're craving for some spaghetti or some other pasta dish. There's some pasta sauce in your fridge, you look at it...and from what you can tell, visually it looks okay. You look around for the freshness date, but it's been rubbed off. So, okay, you gingerly take it to the stove where a pot eagerly awaits and screw off the lid only to find....A HUGE COLONY OF MOLD IS RESIDING IN THE LID!

Yes, gross. And, it happened to me. I promised myself that instant if I have a premade sauce to use ALL of it the same day or make it from scratch.
And how I wish I knew about these digital day counters from:DaysAgo. The counters tell you how many days since you opened it, closed it, and stored it. The counters are good for other things like reminding you to water that plant sitting on the window sill getting too much light. Pretty neat huh?

To make things easier, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a handy dandy chart of refrigator/freezer storage...also on the daysago site. here's the chart. this chart also answers the age old question of the length of time eggs are fresh.

Anyways,I admit I use the premade stuff out of convenience, since I have two small children and a hungry husband to feed. I prefer classico or bertolli. Or TJ's marinara.

Obento desu!

happy new year! ;D

japanese bento box site:

e-bento!

happy new year all!
japanese beading links~

beading bees
beadsmania
kiwa
sally's beads shop

omura craft store

helpful guide
guide to beadwork
jewelry supply

asianfanatics.net forum: handicrafts