Unless you've got buns, hun'

I made my first attempt at cinnamon buns last night. To be more accurate, I prepped the buns last night and baked them this morning. I get intimidated by yeast breads because I'm always afraid the dough won't rise or I have the water too hot and will therefore kill the yeast. However, this recipe called for instant yeast, which you throw in with your dry ingredients instead of a active dry yeast, which requires a wet start.

My dough took longer than 2 1/2 hours to rise, probably because for the first 1 1/2 hours, I had it covered with just a wet towel instead of saran wrap. No worries, I put the film du plastique on and just waited longer until the dough doubled in volume. The dough was also extremely easy to work with. I didn't put a lot of flour on the board, but it never stuck while I was rolling the dough out.

While the buns were in the oven, I tried to go back to sleep for another half hour, but the aroma of the buns made me hungry and I didn't sleep well at all. Now my apartment reeks of cinnamon and it's lovely. Maybe the homey atmosphere will make someone rent my apartment today so I can end my lease early and move to my new apartment...

Cupcakes go to work

I made cupcakes again this weekend for a baby shower at work. Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting, all from scratch.

I bought blocks of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate at Trader Joe's for half the price I would've paid at my local store. Yay Trader Joe's!

And the cupcakes were a success :)

Pretty dress!

I found a lovely dress last Friday at Ann Taylor. I stood there debating whether to buy it, but it was such a lovely fit and in the clearance rack that I caved. I think Julie would appreciate the color.

Otafuku

Today, P and I checked out Otafuku in the East Village. It's a tiny little place that sells Japanese street vendor food. The only seating available is the bench seen in the picture above. P used to live in Japan and used to survive on okonomiyaki, which is a pancake of sorts, filled with cabbage, scallions, and a filling of your choice. I had shrimp and P chose pork (I think it was bacon). The savory pancake is topped with sauce, bonito flakes, and dried seaweed. It was yummy, but I thought the takoyaki was better.



This was my first takoyaki experience after waiting a few years to try it. I'd first heard of takoyaki from a bonus movie at the end of the second Card Captor Sakura movie and wanted to try them ever since. Takoyaki is a round dumpling the size of a golf ball, and it's stuffed with octopus, ginger, and scallions (you can see them cooking in the picture above). They're also topped with the same sauce and toppings as the okonomiyaki. You can get six takoyaki for $5, or go for a combo takoyaki/okonomiyaki for $8, which is what P and I chose. I also got a yummy apple tea, which didn't have any high fructose corn syrup. Healthy and delicious!

Weekend Update

I've been busy this weekend, and I'm not proud of the way I've spent the bulk of my weekend. Since returning from Annette's, I've been craving Katamari (the PS2 game, not calamari). However, I didn't want to spend $129 on a PS2. I do want one, but not for that price. I remembered my friend P had one in his apartment and I doubted he's played it much since starting law school two years ago, so I asked if I could borrow it. Since it's been a dust collector at his place, P told me I could borrow it for as long as I liked. Sweet!

I baked him a key lime pie for his trouble and I've been playing Katamari ever since. It's a little sad that I think I'm past where Annette is in her game, but then again, I'm not studying for the Bar exam.

Also, Spiderman 3 has been filming in my neighborhood this weekend. I think I saw Tobey Maguire yesterday when Josh and I were walking back from lunch. If there's a scene in the movie where Peter Parker tosses money in the air, I'll know then.

Last night, Josh and I went to Brooklyn to see my Boss B play with his band. Sadly, Amber and her super cool mom couldn't make it to the show, but we had a good time. Boss B's band is awesome, and I told Josh, "I have the coolest boss ever" while Boss B was bouncing around the stage like a rock star. Too cool.

Noodle Bar

This past week, Katie and I had lunch at Noodle Bar on Carmine St. It's a cute little restaurant with a few tables and a bar right at the kitchen so you can watch the chefs in action as they quickly cook up the noodle dishes.

I had the soto ayam, an Indonesian chicken soup, which consisted of egg noodles, shredded chicken, crispy shallots, and sprouts. The soup was delicious and had a little kick to it. The portions for the soup noodles are huge, and I got mine for $7. True, you can find cheaper in Chinatown at Noodletown, but in the Village, it's a pretty good price for a filling lunch.

Katie had the beef lo mein, and it was quite good. I think a large part of that is due to its freshness. After all, we were sitting about 5 feet from the stove, so the noodles were piping hot. The dish was large enough for one hungry person, so I think for $10, it's a little bit pricey. The soup noodles were a better bargain.

To PA and back

I have returned from my mini break in PA, visiting the new Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Annette.

Thanks to them, I now have Playstation 2 envy, specifically involving a diabolically addictive game called We Love Katamari. I want a PS2 Slim now, but I don't feel like paying $129 for it. However, I'm really addicted to Katamari and want to play NOW.

I'm such a nerd.

Hollywood meets New York

I think they're filming a "major motion picture" in my neighborhood. They've had their fancy equipment set up every night on a few blocks close to my building. Some production lackey tried to prevent me from going to a pastry shop for dessert on Sunday, asking me if I lived on that particular street. I stared at him and said I wanted to go to the pastry shop and he let me pass.

My friend Jeff, a movie production assistant told me that I don't have to listen to those guys and that he can't keep me from walking on that street. And he said that if it ever happened to me by my building and the movie people were being assholes to me, I should just go inside and bang a pot with a spoon from my window to disrupt their shooting and they can't do anything about it.

Cheapo

I'm really cheap sometimes. Of course, my cheapness serves as rationalization for the other junk I waste my money on. I like to have my hands manicured and my feet pedicured (esp. during the summer, what with my wearing the forbidden flip-flops to work and all). However, I discovered that keeping my fingers in my beloved french manicure is like pissing money away. I type a lot, cook, wash dishes, etc. In short, I'm not a pampered wealthy housewife who uses her manicured finger to point at stuff that needs to be done so her household staff can serve her.

Surprisingly, pedicures last longer, so I get those during the summer. In order to rationalize that cost, I do my own french manicures. I've been slacking a bit since moving to NY; law school tended to take up a lot of my free time, and when I got my publishing job, it wasn't necessary to look nice. It's not like I was working at the golf club anymore, greeting members as soon as they walked into the clubhouse.

Anyways, today I purchased Seche Vite, the best top coat ever. I've seen it in magazines, but never believed what they said since many products have failed to deliver, like SolarSpeed Spray, which is supposed to dry your polish with one spritz. Anyways, Seche Vite is supposed to dry all the layers of your manicure within a couple minutes, but I found it didn't even take that long. It was amazing and this product has my thumbs-up seal of approval!

Cupcake Test Drive

Our department is having yet another party in a few weeks. We had two at the end of May and we're probably going to have three this month. My VP's invitation said, "If anyone chooses to bring baked goods (you know who you are) or wine or anything, please let me know." For the last two parties, I've brought in a blueberry cake and my chocolate chip cookies. I didn't have any other dessert recipes appropriate for a big office party, so I figured I'd trot out a new recipe.

The problem is: I don't like bringing in a first-time recipe to social functions. I have a fear of fecking up a recipe and exposing others to its badness. Therefore, I must try recipes out first before their official debut. Think of it as quality control.

Last night, I decided to try making Ina Garten's vanilla cupcakes and topping them with Magnolia's chocolate buttercream. I remember when baking was a huge production for me and my prep time took much longer than the recipes stated. Now I've got my methods down pat and I find that I bake a lot more easily. You might wonder why I would make both the cupcakes and frosting from scratch when both are readily available in box/tub form. I don't like the way cakes taste when they're from boxed mixes. It's easier to tell a fake cake when it's vanilla as opposed to chocolate. The vanilla tastes artificial and no matter how long you bake it, there's always a lingering taste of raw batter. The frosting also tastes artificial and usually too sweet and heavy.

The vanilla cupcakes turned out lovely, although I think I put too much batter in the cups because they overflowed and became flat-topped. The tops were crispy yet chewy at the same time and the cake had body that could hold up to frosting better than the too-soft boxed mix cupcakes.

I had to modify the chocolate buttercream recipe a bit. The recipe was for a more creamy frosting, and it seemed like there wasn't enough when I was done making it. It also looked too runny for my taste, so I threw in more confectioner's sugar. In the end, I had a chocolate buttercream that reminded me of chocolate mousse. It was light and wasn't too sweet, thanks to the melted semi-sweet chocolate.

After Josh declared the cupcakes a success, I brought the rest to my cousin's house today for a family gathering, where the kiddies smeared their noses with frosting.

I can't wait to make them again!