It’s cookie season right now, which means smells of chocolate and peppermint or green and red sprinkles should be filling the kitchen counters. Instead, I decided to make the most spring inspired cookie in the book. Maybe my head skipped Christmas and I fast forwarded to Easter. These purple dotted shortbread took me to warmer days and sunny skies, where the smell of grass is fresh and pastel hued flowers have just started to bloom.
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December 04 2009 | books & cookbooks and cookies & bars and recipe and thoughts | 8 Comments »
If Korea celebrated Halloween, this is the candy you would find in your bag.
Break me off a piece of that Kic Ker bar. Look familiar?
Jjang Shyuh Yo, cola flavored, sour gummies.
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November 02 2009 | cookies & bars and recipe and thoughts | 5 Comments »
Halloween is a holiday I always look forward to but never seem to enjoy when the actual day arrives. I love seeing all the Jack-O-Lanterns and ghost shaped cookies but never get around to doing them myself. I especially procrastinate when it comes to putting a costume together. I’m that crazy person who goes to the costume store on October 30th to find the cheapest item and combine it with random clothes from my closet. On the one day “too much skin for a not so skinny girl” is acceptable, I find the most modest outfit and go bundled in scarves and jackets. I’m probably more provocative in my everyday clothes, which is saying something.
It’s really a shame though because the one year I want to really do something is the one year I’m in a city that doesn’t celebrate. Before I left and before I knew I was leaving, my friends and I bounced back different ideas from Peter Pan to Wicked to Alice in Wonderland, and even Star Trek. I was really enthused about the idea of finding the perfect character. Sigh, it’s probably just one of those reverse psychology situations. What you can’t have you want. I probably would’ve ended up digging through my closet, last minute, and resorted to being Mulan or something. I mean, I’ve got that Asian part down.
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October 26 2009 | cookies & bars and recipe and thoughts | 14 Comments »
I walked out of the subway on the Upper West Side and knew instantly that I was in the right place. The smell of baked chocolate and browned butter greeted me as I stepped out into the sunlight. It may have been my imagination and the anticipation of eating Levain Bakery’s famous chocolate chip cookies, but I lie not when I say I followed my nose to the small, almost hidden gem of a bakery. Actually, it wasn’t quite a direct journey. My sense of smell may be good, but my eyes sometimes fail me. I walked deliriously up and down Amsterdam Avenue trying to locate the semi-sub level bakery. I finally caved, and asked the fruit cart man who told me it was around the corner below the waxing salon. Hey! It wasn’t just me though, even my friend confidently strode past it and continued almost half a block before I finally caught up with her as I hopelessly (and obnoxiously) yelled, “Angela! Angela!” to a girl who had her headphones on. Levain is a very humble place. It’s not fancy, cutesy, or filled with shades of pastel. Here, it’s all about the tastes and smells.
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August 30 2009 | bakeries & restaurants and new york and thoughts | 5 Comments »
I grew up mostly in Seoul, Korea. I attended an international school where I was taught entirely in English. The world I lived was very normal to me, but when I really think about it, it was a little bit strange, unique, and pretty interesting. I lived in an Asian country, in the land of my ethnic origin, but was primarily immersed in a Western based society that followed American pop culture. My background is a fusion of both American and Korean cultures. I watched Full House, had a crush on Zach Morris, and learned about terminal sicknesses and everlasting love through Korean melodramas. I ate tons of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Korean takeout Chinese noodles, and these chewy treats. I usually had two Thanksgiving breaks, first in early-mid fall and later in November. I was fortunate to experience parts of both cultures and am really glad I grew up the way I did.
While I was in Korea, I think the most exotic and foreign part of America was its food and food products. It was easy to find out about American music and movies but a box of Sun-Maid Raisins and Betty Crocker Cake Mix, not so much. One of the products I found so fun was Quaker Oats. I know! It’s a sort of mundane, everyday brand here, but back then, that cylinder cardboard container was special. I probably bought them for well over their normal price at the black market where they sell American food items. I’m not sure why they call it the black market in Korea because those place are not illegal. Maybe it’s because everything is ridiculously expensive but people still find the need to buy them.
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August 07 2009 | cookies & bars and recipe and thoughts | 9 Comments »
