Altering Your Diet Could Be the Key to Amazing Skin

March 5, 2019

All images courtesy of Unsplash

The Best At-Home Hangover Remedies

February 5, 2019

All images from Unsplash ( https://unsplash.com)

Five Perfect, Fall-Approved Meals

November 8, 2018

Autumn brings with it many promises: the falling of leaves, the start of classes, and for those of us in Chicago, a season that often stops too short as the warm days of summer seem to transition rapidly into the chilled nights of winter. However, the prospect of fall brings the promise of good cuisine, as we return to the comfort of apples, pumpkins, and heartwarming comfort foods perfect for nights by the fireplace. Check out our favorite autumn bites below, guaranteed to take your mind off the coming winter and click on the images for the original recipes!

Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

A classic fall favorite with a twist, these vanilla whipped sweet potatoes make for great snack and a fantastic side dish. Fantastic for large groups of people!

**Potato-Leek Soup with Toasted Nuts and Seeds**

A product of both culinary and artistic beauty, this intricate dish contrasts sunflowers seeds and almonds with creamy broth subtly infused with rosemary and bay.

**Beet-and-Apple Salad**

An uncommon but delectable combination of apples and beets, this salad thrives with horseradish, cider vinegar, and a touch of Dijon. Feel free to experiment!

Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon

Delicate in process and meticulous in construction, the searing of fish is an intimidating ordeal to all but those supremely confident in their culinary capabilities. Infused with honey, garlic, and soy sauce, this sauce-embedded salmon must be tempered until golden, and then garnished with lemon and parsley.

Ben&Jerry’s Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream

Can’t cook? Won’t cook? Don’t know how to make food? No worries. This ice cream is fantastic. Eat it straight out the carton.

Feature gif via.

5 Easy, Breezy Summer Cocktails

June 11, 2018

This is by far the most difficult post that I have worked on for the Blog and not just because I am a little tipsy after testing a couple of cocktails recipes. In fact, the hardest aspect of this piece was choosing just one cocktail to encapsulate the summer season! It's the time of the year when we dine outdoors, drink with friends at picnics on the Point, and enjoy our well-deserved break–so what's the perfect beverage to accompany these serene summer days?

In the spirit of making my life easier, I have made a collection of five recipes that you can pick your favorite drink(s) of the season from.

All of the recipes are from Serious Eats and NYT Cooking. There are many more refreshing cocktails on their websites waiting for you to explore. Enjoy the weather and drink on!

Moscow-Mule

I might be biased, but vodka is probably the most common spirit in a college dorm or apartment. If you don't already have a lonely, half-empty bottle sitting in your "home bar," stop by Kimbark on your way to Hyde Park Produce for the following concoction.

This is a great option for those of who are not typically keen on vodka but would love to finish up that bottle. Squeeze 1/2 lime to the serving glass, add ice and 2 ounces vodka, pour 4 to 6 ounces chilled ginger beer over to your taste. 3 ingredients, 1 minute, there you have it.

Strawberry-Mint Sparkler

Start off your day with the combination of strawberry, mint leaves, and lime. It's a little bit more complicated to make but absolutely worth the effort.

Ingredients:

about 5 medium-sized strawberries
1/2 oz. simple syrup: 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar cooked over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved; cool before using
the juice of 1 lime
10 mint leaves
2 oz vodka
2.5 oz club soda
lime/strawberry/mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Method:

Muddle the strawberries, simple syrup, and lime juice in a shaker. When the berries are dissolved, add 5 mint leaves and gently combine everything.
Add vodka and fill 2/3 of the shaker with ice. Shake for about 15 seconds.
Fill the serving glass with club soda and ice; pour the cocktail (strain the ingredients in it) in the glass.

In-Sandiary

If you are feeling fancy and want to put in more effort, this simple, refreshing watermelon cocktail developed by the American Bartender of the Year in 2012 Joaquin Simo is for you.

To rim the glass: first, dip it in 1 oz fresh lime juice; then dip it into the mixture of 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
Juice 1 cup of cubed watermelon or muddle it in the shaker; strain the solids
Fill the shaker with ice, add 2 oz watermelon juice, 2oz tequila, 1/2 oz lime juice, and 1/4 oz simple syrup. Shake vigorously.
Fill the serving glass with ice and pour the cocktail over. Serve, no, DRINK immediately.

Traditional Sangria

Dear wine lovers, I know you might find the idea of dumping fruits into red wine unappealing, but who said cocktail is spirit-only? Taming the dry Spanish red with some rosé and orange soda, refrigerating it overnight (preferably), and serving with fresh cut apples and oranges–there you have a Sangria that not only preserves, but also showcases the complexity of the wine. Sangria is also perfect to make in large quantity.

Find a big container. Combine 1 bottle dry red wine, 1/2 bottle dry rosado (Spanish rosé), 6 ounces orange soda (preferably not too sweet), 1/2 ounce Torres orange liqueur or Triple Sec, 1 ounces Romate or other Spanish brandy.
Stir with a wooden spoon; let it sit for 5 minutes. Then add sugar to taste.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Serve in glasses filled with ice and fresh cut apples and oranges.

Paloma

I highly suspect you'd also have a bottle of Tequila if you've made it this far. Find a tall glass, (optional: rim the glass with salt), add ice, 2.5 oz tequila, lime juice and top with grapefruit soda. Give everything a gentle stir and serve with a lime wedge.

Feature gif via

In Praise of Lengthy Recipes & Cook to Cure: Coq au Vin

April 25, 2018

If anything, I believe in finding solace in chopping up onions, carrots, parsley, thyme, and the list goes on. I also believe that time spent cooking and consuming dishes is a fulfilling activity for oneself and a kind gesture to others. Setting apart the time to do grocery shopping, clear the kitchen table and wait next to a simmering pot is an escape from Hyde Park to my dream land of cooking.

Ever since I had my first bite of coq au vin/chicken cooked in wine, I wanted to recreate it. From the tender chicken thighs, to the rich yet subtle tastes, and bread soaked in wine sauce–everything in this dish deserves praise in its own right. I took the recipe from an amazing series called “The New Essentials of French Cooking” on NYT Cooking. In addition to the standard ingredient and method, it has a video, a brief history of cooking with wine, cooking techniques and serving tips. I strongly recommend reading the whole post before diving into the recipe itself, as lengthy dishes call for closer attention to details (they are more rewarding to cook too).

My summary of the key points:

Bone-in dark meat releases more flavor and thickens the stew.
Browning the meat sets the foundation of the sauce, i.e gives the umami taste. Take your time here.
Make a day ahead and let different flavors sit, mingle and intensify. So cook enough to have some leftover for next meal or try your best to resist the temptation to finish it straight out of the pot. My own trick is to start cooking after dinner and eat it for lunch the next day.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

To marinate:

Chicken legs and thighs---3 pounds
Kosher salt---2 ¼ tsp
Pepper---½ tsp
Red wine---3 cups
Bay leaf---1
Thyme leaves, chopped---1 tsp

To cook:

Lardons, pancetta, bacon, diced to ¼-inch slice---4 ounces
Olive oil---3 tbsp
Large onion, diced---1
Large carrot, diced---1
White/brown mushrooms, diced/sliced---8 ounces
Garlic, minced---2 cloves
Tomato paste---1 tsp
All-purpose flour---1 tbsp
Brandy---2 tbsp
Unsalted butter---3 tbsp
Pearl onions---12-15
Sugar---1 pinch
Bread---as much as you can eat
Parsley, chopped---¼ cup

Let's get started

1. To marinate: in a large bowl, put chicken, wine and seasoning together; mix well; store in the fridge overnight.

2. Take the chicken out of the marinade (don’t throw it away!) and dry them very well with paper-towel.

3. In a heavy-bottomed pot that has a lid, cook lardons over low-heat for 10-15 minutes, until they are crispy and the fat comes out. Take out the lardons and dry them on paper-towel.

4. Keep heating the pot till almost smokey, cook the dry legs and thighs for 3-5 minutes each side, until they are well-browned. Take them out when done.

5. Add onion, carrot and ½ of the mushrooms and ¼ tsp salt to the pot. Cook for 8 minutes to brown the veggies.

6. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. This is the fancy bit! Move the pot off the heat, push the veggies to one side, pour in the brandy, light it on fire. Or just cook brandy for another minute. After the fire goes off, add the marinade to the pot, boil for 12 minutes to reduce it to half. Skim off foam if it forms on the surface.

7. Add chicken and ½ the lardons back to the pot. Cover with the lid and let it simmer for 1 hour. Uncover and simmer for another 15 minutes, Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. In another skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter and add 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Throw in pearl onions with sugar and salt. Cover, lower the heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Shake the skillet from time to time to prevent burning. Push the onions to one side, add the rest of the mushrooms and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir and brown them for 5-8 minutes. Take the mushrooms and onions out of the skillet and wipe clean it.

9. Heat 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil till bubbling. Toast the bread till golden.

10. Serve! Dip the bread in the wine sauce and coat in chopped parsley. Add mushrooms and pearl onions and lardons to the pot. Pour the sauce over. Top with parsley and bread.

I got intimidated by the amount of fat used in the last few steps, so I just had a french baguette and wiped my plate with it–still delicious.

This dish is way too much for a one-person meal, but perfect for sharing with people you enjoy spending time with. Before school engulfs too much of our life, invite people over and eat!

Feature image via

Make to Impress (Yourself or Anyone): Lemon Ricotta Cake

February 1, 2018

What smells more divine than that rising cake mixture in the oven? With a few ingredients like eggs, butter, flour, sugar and dairy, I have found my path to heaven. One of the greatest joys of baking comes when I stand next to the vent and take a huge inhale of that hearty smell of butter and eggs, in perfect balance with the scent of lemon zest.

---if only I could do this in yoga classes when I am told to take a deep inhale!

This lemon ricotta cake recipe from NYTimes Cooking calls for readily available ingredients and no fancy techniques are needed! In contrast to its elegant simplicity is the impressive final product: when served hot, it has a gooey pudding texture; if you let it set and serve it cold, it turns more like a flan; on top of that, you can play with the decorations-berry sauce, confectioners’ sugar, more lemon zest, whipped cream, ice cream… Let the occasion and your imagination lead you! It’s a perfect dessert to impress your family and friends in this holiday season.

Serves: 12 people

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 quart whole milk (I used almond milk)
1 ¾ cups semolina flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 large or 2 small lemons, zest only
4 large eggs
1 pound (2 cups) fresh ricotta cheese, strained

How to:

Preheat the oven to 325F; butter the mold (the original recipe uses a 11-inch round cake pan; I used the batter to fill a 6.5*6.5 inch square pan and 11 holes of a 12-muffin tin)

Step1:

Bring the milk to boil over medium heat. When it starts simmering, slowly add the semolina and salt. STIR WITH A WHISK CONSTANTLY!! This is the arm workout of the day. For 2 minutes, keep stirring when it gets sticky. The point is to make the mixture smooth and prevent the bottom from getting burnt.

Step2:

Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the sugar and butter. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl; give it a stir from time to time when it's cooling down.

Step3:

Stir in the lemon zest, eggs (1 at a time) and ricotta. After adding each ingredient, beat until smooth. I promise your arms will have a nice workout after making this dessert.

Step4:

Batter in the mold of your choice! Bake for about an hour, until it's golden and fairly set (to test: gently shake the mold and the mixture shouldn't be running around). Take it out when it has cooled down a little bit and decorate!

What I really love about this recipe is that it can be as fancy or down to earth as you like. Eat directly from the muffin tin like my roommates and I did on a cold winter night, or cut it into slices, pair with a nice scoop of ice cream next to it, and finish with a pinch of mint leaves. Find your sweet spot(s) on that scale and enjoy!

Feature image via

Simple, Flavorful Tofu Dishes

December 8, 2017

Tofu is packed with protein and can serve as a meat replacement. It lasts a long time in the fridge and is relatively undaunting to cook. But there’s one problem people tend to cite.

To all those who complain that tofu has no taste: you’re completely right.

Saying that plain firm tofu has no intrinsic flavor is like saying that white bread has no flavor. Or rice. Or pasta with no sauce. Just like the foods I’ve named, tofu can either be paired with things that give it flavor, or else be prepared itself in ways that infuse it with flavor.

As the daughter of immigrant Chinese parents, I’d like to share a couple of simple but flavorful ways my family enjoys tofu.

Fans of Asian cuisine will probably recognize this next one: Mapo tofu is a dish from Sichuan, a region in China renowned for its spicy cuisine. It’s a stir-fry of tofu with an oily but thin red sauce, peppercorns, and chili broad bean paste. It is a classic example of Sichuan “ma la” (麻辣)spiciness, a flavor that isn’t just hot, but also a little numbing—great for the adventurous eater. Mapo tofu is typically prepared with meat, but can be easily adapted to vegetarian or vegan diets. You can easily find a pre-prepared sauce to flavor your dish.

Fermented bean curd (sounds strange, tastes strangely wonderful) is a type of tofu that has been fermented to give it a salty, complex flavor. The two most common types are red and white, with the white kind having a slightly fishier flavor. It’s soft enough to be spread, and can be eaten with toast. You could also stir-fry it with vegetables like cauliflower. One quick high-protein breakfast is a hard-boiled egg dipped one bite at a time in fermented bean curd. Of course, there’s the classic red fermented tofu with plain rice porridge.

Lastly, try tofu skin, or bean curd wraps. These can be used like spring roll wrappers to contain fillings like carrots, mushrooms, shredded cabbage, and can be either steamed or stir-fried. They also taste good on their own, and soak up flavor easily.

I hope these simple recipes will encourage you to try more tofu!

Feature image via

Easy July 4th Recipes

July 2, 2017

Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Floats (via The Butter Half)

All you need are strawberry and lemon lime sodas, vanilla ice cream and a handful of freshly cut berries to make these delicious ice cream floats. Better yet? Prep time takes five minutes, so you'll be serving your guests these cool, delicious treats in no time!

Time: 5 mins