Canada Day Trip

The other day, my friend Jenn and I decided to take a day trip up to Toronto, which happened to be my first time in that city. It's only about 100 miles from Buffalo so it's not a long trek to the city.

CN Tower in Toronto (my view from Chinatown)

I couldn't go to Canada without eating poutine. Just in case you are unfamiliar with poutine, it's pub fare in Canada, aka drunk food. It's fries topped with gravy and cheese curds that's oh-so-delicious but oh-so-bad-for-you. I first had poutine when I spent a summer up in Banff five years ago. There were many nights that ended in getting poutine delivered and then scarfing it down with my friends.

Banff's Poutine

After finding not so great versions across America over the years, I decided the only way to eat proper poutine was in Canada. I did some research and found a poutine place that Anthony Bourdain visited while he was in Toronto for his Travel Channel show, The Layover. Poutini's House of Poutine serves several different kinds of poutine: vegan, vegetarian, topped with bacon, pulled pork or maple syrup. Jenn's a vegetarian so we split the vegetarian option. 

Poutini's poutine was pretty darn good, I only wish the cheese curds were more gooey melty. But Poutini's boasts that their fresh cheese curds are extra squeaky. And squeaky fresh (and not melty) they were. The vegetarian gravy was super tasty and I wasn't missing the meat gravy at all. 

I had a list of potential cupcake bakeries to go to but managed to stumble upon Le Dolci bakery on the way to an Anthony Bourdain recommended bar in Little Italy (which we never got to since it was closed). Lucky for me, I didn't have to scour the streets for a cupcake, it fell right in my lap. Too bad it wasn't a great cupcake. The frosting didn't taste like anything but it was supposed to be Cookies 'N Cream on top of a chocolate cupcake. Only plus, it was a pretty moist chocolate cake. Each cupcake is $2.50.

I love Asian bakeries because I love Asian pastries! I made sure to patronize one while in Chinatown. To my surprise, I saw a cupcake staring right at me on the shelves of Ding Dong Pastries (normally the shelves are lined with curry-filled, red bean-filled or taro-filled buns; not your-average-super sugary American pastries) . The cupcake was a frosting-less Chinese-style sponge cake called a Paper Cup Cake. It is supposed to have a rich egg flavor. The one I consumed actually had a nutty flavor rather than an eggy overtone. Not quite a cupcake but was a different treat that I might never have purchased at an Asian bakery. Fluffy, mild and just okay. I'll stick to eating taro buns. Each paper cup cake is 70 cents.

Toronto was an eclectic, diverse and accessible city. The trip was short but I hope to visit again soon to explore the city more and also try some more cupcakes.

My Camera 2.0

Last year I was super excited about my fancy camera purchase. The camera: Panasonic Lumix GF3  Micro 4/3 camera. It's smaller than a DSLR camera but still uses interchangeable lenses.

Fast forward a few months and I wasn't as thrilled with my camera only because Sista Min has a schnazzy Canon DSLR, which takes noticeably better pictures.

my cute niece is modeling 

I've always been a fan of Canon cameras but they didn't have their version of a mirrorless camera out when I purchased mine. So I started to explore new ways to improve my camera without abandoning it entirely (which I considered).

The fascinating trait of a micro 4/3 camera is that with the proper adapter, any camera lens can be used. I decided to go the route of old Canon FD lenses from the 70s and 80s. They don't have fancy auto-focus (needs to be done manually) but still have the high quality of Canon lenses.

Bonus: cheaper price for vintage lenses on Ebay ($0.99-$100+). Micro Four-Thirds lenses are $130-$800+. Adapters are only $16.

This video does a great job of explaining how it all works.

After going on a bidding craze on Ebay for lenses (camera lens bidders are vicious), I finally settled on a Canon FD 50mm F1.4 lens. It gives my pictures a softer and higher quality, which I love. And for you photography enthusiasts, the bokeh is amazing. I can't wait to expand my arsenal of lenses.

So hopefully with time, my picture taking will get better. I'm still definitely a novice but am slowly learning more about photography. In the meantime, please excuse some not-so-great looking pictures.

On a side note: there goes my dreams of having a smaller camera. My new lens adds a considerable amount to my camera.

40 Hours in NYC

A quick trip to NYC with work gave me less than 48 hours to continue my exploration of the city after my lil trip in March. That didn't stop me from crossing off things on my must eat list. I spent my first day with friends and the second day with the parents running around the city. 

Bagels: I'd always heard that NYC bagels were different and infinitely better than your average bagel. I didn't have too much time to wander from my hotel since I was waiting to be joined in the city by Mom and Dad Chung. Normally I would have followed the advice of numerous top bagel lists but instead grabbed my first NYC bagel at the nearby Pick-a-Bagel. According to the New York Times, a bagel that is "near perfection" is "crunchy, not too dense or sweet, and just chewy enough." Well I think it was a good amount of chewy and crunchy but nothing life changing. I'll have to try again next time I'm in the city. I was still happy with my breakfast that morning. 

Ramen: After my concert, Dad Chung was craving a second dinner so we took a quick walk to one of NYC's top ramen places: Totto Ramen.  I wasn't too hungry but decided to share a spicy vegetable ramen with Mom Chung. It was an intense amount of veggies, which also included salad greens and avocado. 

I preferred the flavor of my dad's spicy pork ramen but this was an interesting combination of veggies and ramen. Both were a lil heavy with sesame oil. The ambiance was very hole-in-the-wall and there seems to always be a line to get in the restaurant. Even at 11pm on a Wednesday night, people were still eagerly waiting to get their hands on a bowl of Ramen. Wasn't my favorite ramen ever but was an enjoyable time with the parents.

Soup Dumplings: Being in Midtown offered lots of options nearby. I decided to take my parents for some famous soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai. We tried two kinds: crab and pork. Pork was obviously the better of the two but both were fun to eat. This was my parents' first experience with these dumplings and they quickly became fans. The dumplings soothed us on a rainy afternoon. 

Cupcakes: Ok, I'm stating the obvious when I say I got cupcakes on my trip. I consulted several top cupcake lists for NYC and made a list of potential bakeries to visit. Sugar Sweet Sunshine (I went there in March) and Two Little Red Hens were on every top cupcake list I saw. That's saying something for a city with over 80 cupcake bakeries. Well, couldn't make it to Two Little Red Hens again but did go to two other bakeries. 

I spent my first day exploring the East Village and made sure to go to Butter Lane. They only had three types of cake available: vanilla, chocolate and banana, but there was a myriad of frosting options. I asked for a recommendation and ended up with a Maple Pecan Banana Cupcake. On their menu, they have flavor combo recommendations and each cupcake is $3.25.

located at: 123 East 7th Street, East Village, New York City

The maple syrup was very fragrant upon eating and the combination of the frosting and cake did indeed make it reminiscent of pancakes (as the employee told me). The cake was almost too moist that it was borderline gummy. Delicious nonetheless and it was gobbled up immediately. 

My second cupcake was from Amy's Bread, which appealed to me since it was only about a half mile from my hotel. The focus at the bakery is obviously bread but they did offer a few cupcakes: vanilla, chocolate and red velvet with a variety of frosting. I decided on a devil's food cupcake with chocolate frosting, which was $2.95.

located at: 672 Ninth Ave, Hells Kitchen, New York City

This cupcake hands down had the best frosting I've had in a long time. It was fudgy and thick and perfectly delicious. The cake was excellent too. It seemed polar opposite from the adventurous cupcake the day before but the simplicity of this cupcake allowed its quality to shine. 

NYC is 4-4 for cupcakes I've had in my two trips. I'm impressed and can't wait til my next visit to the Big Apple. 

My trip also included super tasty Korean at the hip Danji restaurant (which included bulgogi beef sliders), late night crepes at Viva La Crepe, thick cut fries with dipping sauces at Pomme Frites, an inspiring concert and a good day with the parents. 

Hello Bundt

My third bundt cake ever baked wasn't recorded on the blog but the memory of it is vivid. I remember making a delicious cinnamon and chocolate chip coffeecake bundt and gobbled up most of it alone (I did get some help from Twin Sista and her bf).

Fast forward a year later and since I didn't write about the bundt, it took some time to search for the recipe online. So now I find it necessary to record it so I don't find myself in the same situation: furiously scrambling to look for the recipe. 

The Recipe: Our Favorite Sour Cream Coffeecake from King Arthur Flour. 

This coffee cake is perfectly moist from the sour cream (I used low-fat plain yogurt, which I have on hand most of the time). I added chocolate chips for a lil extra bonus (and omitted the nuts) but the cinnamon filling alone brings great flavor to the cake. I also added the cinnamon filling to the top of the cake after it was finished baking.  

Don't have a bundt pan? Works in a square 9x9 baking pan too. 

This cake is accompanying my work colleagues and me to NYC tomorrow. 

Cupcake Decorating Class

When I saw a Groupon for a Cupcake Decorating Class, I knew I had to go. I purchased a class for two for more than half off the original price. (I love a good bargain).

Even though the groupon said "a class for two", it was a class of about twenty people. I took my friend Loren along for the journey.

hard at work

We each got six cupcakes to decorate (three different flavors: red velvet, vanilla and chocolate with different colored vanilla buttercream frosting). There were preset designs with a Spring Theme. We were provided with bowls of frosting, sprinkles, candies and other toppings.

The Final Results:

clockwise from top left: pear, garden, hibiscus, bee hive, cherry pie, sea turtle

The class was really entertaining but just being around that much sugar gave me a sugar overload (even though I wasn't consuming anything except the occasional frosting licking off my fingers). Minus the sharing of the pastry bags (which caused a waiting time and soft/warm frosting), I think this class was a success. 

located at: 634 Main Street, East Aurora, New York

Swirls Cupcakery is located about 15 miles south of Buffalo in East Aurora. It has cupcake classes offered on Sundays and Wednesdays. They have five everyday flavors as well as daily specials. Their cupcakes are $2.95 each. 

I decided after decorating to also get an official cupcake from the bakery and was recommended their Lemon Burst cupcake. It was not moist enough for me but had a lovely citrusy flavor that was light and not too sweet. The lemon curd filling was a tasty addition to add a bit of pop to the cupcake. 

Wanting to compare one of the decorated cupcakes to the Lemon Burst, I tried the Red Velvet (the pear one) cupcake since it seemed the most springy after squishing the wrapper. It definitely had a better texture and was pretty tasty.  Normally I would shy away from the cupcakes I decorated since they're topped with so much frosting but they are some pretty enjoyable eye candy. Not totally professional looking but some good fun nonetheless. 

On a side note: While I was conservative in my decorating, Loren was creative and added some lovely decorations to her cupcakes. We had some impressed ladies next to us. 

Just Say No (To The Refrigerator)

The other day, I found myself with some extra time before work to go explore the indoor winter market in Buffalo. It runs from January to May and is still in its beginning stages but definitely has some charm. It's housed in a 19th century renovated "green" building.

located at: 346 Connecticut Street, Buffalo, New York

While there weren't many stands, I went only for one reason: a cupcake. Blackbird Sweets has recently made a permanent home inside the market. They had about six flavors available at the market on Saturday and each are $2.50. They also offer cookies, cake cups and brownies.

I decided to surprise friends at work with some cupcakes and ordered coconut chocolate, lemon blackberry, and red velvet. Since I let them choose their flavor, I ended up with the red velvet. At first, I could tell the petite treats had been housed in a refrigerator, my biggest NO-NO when it comes to cupcakes. Please don't refrigerate your cupcakes! (People are just asking for a dry, dense mess).

Aside from the refrigeration, I was pleasantly surprised by the cocoa flavor coming through in the cake and the deliciously balanced cream cheese frosting on top my red velvet. I just had to let the cupcake sit out for awhile at room temperature and then it was perfect to eat (and the texture got better).

On a side note: For a friend's birthday,  I resurrected an old favorite cupcake recipe, one that I had once blogged about at the beginning of the blog. These were my NWS bake-off win in 2009 and I can still say is one of the best cupcakes I've ever had. I'm not tooting my own horn here, it's a great recipe. Thanks, King Arthur Flour for these super delicious Carrot Cupcakes.

Cooking for More Than One

I usually only cook recipes pared way down to about the serving size of 2. I'm only feeding myself so when I found myself preparing an entree for a work potluck, I wasn't exactly sure how much food to make.

Well, I kind of went overboard and am now stuck with the leftovers--an amount that would have been appropriate to bring to the potluck initally.

My original logic: one package of quinoa, uncooked, said it yielded 9 servings. That could feed a group of 20 or so people.

I cooked it all and was overwhelmed with the amount of quinoa I had. And I was afraid of burning my quinoa, it ended up a lil too liquidy and mushy. But use this helpful tutorial on how to cook fluffy quinoa from The Kitchn. I should have! (The article also mentions that 1 cup of uncooked quinoa makes 3 cups cooked. I made 9 cups of quinoa?!).

As for leftovers, I changed things up and formed some of the quinoa into a patty, coated in breadcrumbs, heated it up and topped with an egg. Yum.

The recipe:
Asian Quinoa Salad adapted from this recipe and this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tbs canola oil

1 tbs rice wine vinegar (i like seasoned, less stinky)

1 tbs honey (or less, depending on preference)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs soy sauce

½ tsp sriracha sauce (optional)

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

1 tbs ginger, grated

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup cooked and shelled edamame

½ cup slivered almonds

1 cup shredded cabbage (pre-packaged cole slaw mix)

Directions:

1. Bring vegetable/chicken stock and quinoa to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about fifteen minutes.  Once cooked, let cool.

2. Mix canola oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha, garlic and ginger together and stir until well combined.

3. Toss remaining ingredients with cooled quinoa and vinaigrette.