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A good book
My friend Karthik sent me this article from the NY Times (attached below since you have to log in to NYTimes online to be able to access it.) I am a huge huge fan of fiction books and really enjoy reading vivid stories that come to life on the page. Speaking of which, I am SUPER excited to see the Hunger Games movie at midnight tomorrow! I have never really considered how reading fiction may affect our sensory systems, but this article seems pretty logical to me. The fMRI studies this article cites discuss something we all have experienced, though maybe on a much less “scientific” level. When I read…
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A Madhatter Cake!
This weekend I attended my friend Meera’s Madhatter themed bridal shower. She asked me to make her a whimsical and fun cake incorporating floral flavors in green, pink, and black. Here is the final product: The green & black layer is Lavender-Lemon cake and the pink layer is a rose cake. Both are covered with a vanilla buttercream frosting and vanilla fondant. Decorations are in buttercream and fondant except the feathers which are not edible. (Recipes to follow…) To assemble the crooked cakes, I used the 10 inch and 8 inch Mad Dadder’s crooked cake pans. I highly recommend them if you are looking to create this effect. After the 10…
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Review: Calafia (Palo Alto)
I’ve been to calafia a few times, so I thought I should write about it. I’ve heard it was started by the ex-head chef of Google. Very Bay Area nerdy cool. Brunch Items: 1. Eggs chiapas without bacon and with poached eggs instead of fried. The tostada and eggs were well made. I wish the rojo sauce had a little more spice to it, but I asked for some hot sauce and it did the trick. 2. Blue Max without ham sub mushrooms. I love love love poached eggs with a good hollandaise and this did not disappoint. 3. Two Eggs with Biscuits and vegetarian Mushroom Gravy. LOVED this dish.…
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Text health?
Interesting article (via MobiHealthNews.com) about health care plans adopting texting and mobile apps as a way to communicate more efficiently with subscribers. I definitely need to look into whether or via Palo Alto Medical Foundation has an iPhone app. Prescription refills on the go? I like that.
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Review: Tamarine (Palo Alto)
I recently visited Tamarine in Palo Alto. This Vietnamese place has been on my “To Try” list for a long time, so I thought I should check it out. We ordered: Banh Mi Roti —> Really amazing, soft roti with a great panang curry dipping sauce. Could have used a bit more spice in the sauce, but it was scrumptious as is. Chili-Lime Aubergine —> I really love eggplant, so I had high hopes for this dish. It was just ok. I felt that the temperature was a little off and scallion shreds on top had a weird texture. Panko Crusted Pressed Tofu —> Wow! This dish was absolutely amazing.…
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St. patty’s day fudge (made with bailey’s irish cream)
When I was in middle school, I absolutely LOVED going to Great America (our local theme park) and riding all the roller coasters. At the end of every day, I would get a big piece of fudge and eat it in the car on my way home. I remember the fudge shop having many many different flavors, though I tended to be a pretty loyal fan to the thick, rich chocolate fudge. With St. Patrick’s day soon approaching, I wanted to make a slightly more adult version of this sweet treat. Here is my recipe for Bailey’s Irish Cream Fudge! Ingredients: 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate 8 ounces sweetened condensed milk…
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My lab is fab!
I know this blog is supposed to be about things I make, but my lab got me this amazing birthday cake that was soooo delish!!! Chocolate cake with a mocha mousse, and a chocolate ganache topping. AMAZING. Thanks Parvizi Lab Family!!!
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Be mine (Valentines Day sugar cookies)
In my book Valentine’s day is just a good excuse to eat tons of sweets and chocolate and drink pretty girly pink cocktails. Here is the recipe for some sugar cookies (that my lab is getting to try) Ingredients: 2.5 C Flour (All-purpose) 2 C sugar 1 C butter (at room temp) 1 T vanilla 1/2 t baking powder 1 t baking soda 1 egg 4 T buttermilk Frosting (I will give a few variations of frosting recipes in an upcoming post!) Recipe: 1. Preheat oven to 350 F 2. Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, and then add in the egg and beat on low. 3. Add in all dry ingredients slowly to mixer and combine 4. Add…
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Superbowl peanut butter cups!
I wanted to make something quick and easy to take to a Superbowl party. I wasn’t in the mood to make something elaborate because since the 49ers were eliminated, I’ve been very depressed about football. These are quick and easy. Ingredients 1 C graham cracker crumbs 1 C peanut butter (unsalted)- pref the chunky kind with peanuts 1/2 C powdered sugar 5 oz Chocolate chips 2 T butter melted Some coconut to decorate Recipe 1. Mix together graham cracker, peanut butter, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl and press into the base of a pie pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. 2. Melt chocolate chips in a double broiler (or microwave) and pour over…
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Mint oreo cheesecake bites
My brother’s birthday party was Saturday so I wanted to make a bite sized dessert that his friends could enjoy. My brother LOVES Andes mints so it was great that my local grocery store started carrying Andes Baking chips which are absolutely amazing! This recipe is an adaptation of something I found on browneyedbaker (an awesome food blog!) but I prefer to do it this way because it avoids the shortening. Ingredients: 5 oz (half bag) of Andes Baking chips 4 oz regular cream cheese 1 row of oreos (from the normal 3 row oreo container) Parchment/wax paper Handful of white chocolate chips (optional) Dash of milk (optional) Recipe: 1. Crumble the oreo cookies…
