HOMEMADE PASTA!!

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool, That's Amore!!

Hi Guys!! I'm taking a two day Pasta course at Brookline Adult Education!! It starts tonight; I'm sooooo excited!! I will learn how to make fresh pasta and sauces from scratch!! No more boxed pasta and Ragu for this gal!! Updates and pictures to come! :D

So I just got back from my pasta class and it was AMAZING!! The teacher was great, and everyone was so nice!! We made everything from scratch! I never knew pasta was so easy to make yourself! The types of pasta that were made were: spinach ravioli with a butternut squash filling, red pepper ravioli with a cheese filling, regular ravioli with cheese, regular ravioli with butternut squash filling, and fettuccine alfredo!!

We were in charge of the Spinach ravioli with a butternut squash filling topped with a thyme/shallot butter sauce!!!

Spinach Ravioli with a Butternut Squash filling!! Thyme and shallots butter sauce!!

Finish product!!! combine ravioli and sauce, garnish with herbs, tomatoes and cheese!!!!!

#3 post - MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI!!!

My friend Elissa and I love some of the same food. One in particular is MOCHI!!
Everyone say hi!!

^ that's Elissa
(i'm not sure if she's goign to laugh at the pic or kill me... i'm pretty sure laugh)
She found this awesome mochi recipe and taught me how to make it!

You will need:
* 1 cup glutinous rice flour
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup water
* 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* cornstarch
* microwavable bowl
* cutting board
* plastic wrap
* knife greased with oil
* mixing spoon
* sifter


Batter:
Mix the following in a microwavable bowl:
* 1 cup glutinous rice flour
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup water
* Add 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract


Combine flour, sugar and water



Add 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Mix together


COVER BOWL WITH PLASTIC WRAP - IMPORTANT
Microwave for 2 mins, then mix, and microwave for 30 seconds


While the batter is mixing in the microwave, cover a cutting board with plastic wrap and coat with cornstarch.
(mochi is VERY sticky; cornstarch will help it not stick to everything)


Add the microwaved batter onto cutting board and cover in cornstarch

Let it cool


Spread out mochi mixture, and cut with a greased knife


make sure you coat all sides of the mochi with cornstarch so they don't stick together

sift off excess cornstarch from mochi pieces

sprinkle mochi on ice cream and serve!!!!

#2 Vietnamese Food!!

My mom is an amazing cook!! She made some AWESOME Vietnamese food!!



You can eat it with basil, lettuce and fish sauce!!

#1 - Blu Restaurant

So every month, one of my best friends, Jonathan and I have dinner to catch up with our busy busy lives.
This time we went to Blu Restaurant in Boston.
It's above the Boston Common movie theater and the Ritz Apartments.
The food was PHENOMENAL!!!


(the restaurant is very dimly lit, so I didn't want to use the flash on my camera b/c it would most likely give everyone a seizure, sorry if the pics are dark!)




Drinks:
Red Sangria

Appetizer:
Polenta Fries: with Truffled Fondutta and Chives

Jumbo Pan-Seared Diver Scallops: with braised cabbage, thyme, and brown butter

Entree:
Roasted Duck Breast: wild rice, sauteed escarole and apples

Lobster Club: with Arugula, tomato, pancetta, and chipotle aioli

Candy For Breakfast Anyone?

I'm pretty sure at all hours of the day you can find me munching on candy. I'm always in the mood for it!

My latest craze? Cadbury chocolate mini eggs!

I've been eating them for breakfast every morning this week :)

You can only find them in stores around this time for Easter. yayy!!

*munch* *munch* *munch*

MOCHI ICE CREAM BREAK!!!

2nd post of the day!!

On my lunch break I went to The Boston Tea Stop in Harvard Square. They hands down have the BEST MOCHI ICE CREAM EVER!!!!


They offer iced/hot teas, milk teas, bubble teas, MOCHI, and dumplings. I'm so impressed by their mochi/teas that I'm sure they have good dumplings.

FOOD CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: TRY THEIR DUMPLINGS.


Boston Tea Stop is located across the street from the Galleria on JFK Street




They have a large variety of flavors/types of tea and mochi to choose from: click image to enlarge




Some days they don't have all their flavors, but lucky for me, I liked all the ones they had:

They package it in a sealed to-go cup: I bought 2 red bean, 2 Taro, and 2 Chocolate Mint







Mochi Ice Cream: ice cream covered with a Soft doughy outter shell.


SO BOMB!!!


Next time you're in Harvard Square, Check them out!! AND call or txt me since I work around the corner and am always in the mood for mochi.


happy eatings everyone!! Remember, happy tastebuds = a happy heart!!

Gong Hay Fat Choy!! Happy New Year!!

Happy Chinese New Year everyone, it's the year of the TIGER!! :) :) New Year = New changes to the blog!!

So, I've been busy busy busy with family celebrations! You know what this means? FOOD FOOD FOOD AND LOTS OF FOOD!!! It's all about spending time with family and eating tons and tons of food!!


This year, my parents went big; they got a whole Roasted Pig!! [you can click on the pictures to make them larger!!!]







mmmm look at all the food!!!





we had roasted pork, Chicken, pan seared steak with choy, a mushroom vegetarian dish, a vegetarian shark fin egg dish, soup and fish (not pictured).



Here's to a new year!!! happy tastebuds = a happy heart!

unhappy tastebuds... :(

It's been a while since I've updated. Sorry guys, I've been slacking!! So here comes the first BAD review of this blog...

I went to eat in Harvard Square with my friend Elissa and we decided to eat at Veggie Planet


It's really tiny inside so you can't help but feel like you're sitting on stranger's laps trying to eat. We ordered the "soup of the day", bruschetta, and the Peanut Curry, and 2 crimson berry iced teas.

1. "Soup of the Day" - sweet potato curry soup....first few gulps made me reach for my berry iced tea.

2. bruschetta - it wasn't too bad, but they could have put more mozzarella, garlic and tomato on it...at least more than 1 piece.

3. Peanut Curry topped with fried tofu- we ordered it with coconut rice, but instead they put coconut rice, curry, tofu and brocolli on pizza....it was horrid. The coconut rice was tasteless, the "tofu" definitely didn't taste or feel like tofu...the curry looked like green poo glopped on...need I describe the taste?






4. crimson berry iced tea - it's hard to mess up ice tea, so I give them 1/2 star for that....but i did need to add sugar


Not going back again! Take my word for it, don't try it...but if you like shooting your tastebuds in the face, then go ahead!

And Let me add: I usually really like vegetarian food. My grandma and some of my family are vegetarians, therefore I'm always on the look out for places that have great vegetarian food. So far I have yet to find a place in Boston that is worthy enough for their tastebuds. California is where it's at for GREAT VEGGIE FOOD!!

Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Crostini!!!

So, I'm all better from my cold and can finally taste things again!! woo!! This weekend I made some delicious Mozzarella tomato basil crostini's! It just goes together so well!

Ingredients:
French bread cut diagonally
Olive oil
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Tomato
Basil

1. First cut the french bread diagonally and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on it. Toast in the oven for about 5 mins, until lightly golden.

2. Sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella cheese ( let it melt on bread)

3. Add tomato and basil. Slice and Add Mozzarella Cheese

















Bake until cheese is melted!

















NOW IT'S TIME TO EAT!!