#1 Birthday Pancake

It was my friend's birthday on the 12th, and I decided to make her a cake. This was the first time that I've attempted to make a birthday cake. Well, it's not really a "cake", because I made it out of pancakes instead of sponge cakes.

Preparation:

1) Bake 3 pancakes (I used Trader Joe's brand of buttermilk pancake mix)

2) Slice fruits of your choice (I used strawberries and bananas)

3) Whip up fresh cream (Add sugar if it isn't in there already)

Process:

1) Place one pancake as a base layer.

2) Evenly lather up with whipped fresh cream.

3) Place the sliced fruits.

4) Cover the fruits with whipped fresh cream.

5) Place another layer of pancake, and repeat steps 1-4.

6) When finished, evenly lather the entire cake.

7) Decorate as desired.

And VOILA

I used blackberries too! And I used a cookie cutter to cut out a heart-shaped pancake out of the layer that I had messsed up. I wanted to put my friend's name on there, using Betty Crocker's icing pen, but... The icing would not come out!! I do NOT recommend those. So I had to opt to putting a piece of sliced strawberries on it :(

The taste? Yummy!!! My friends really liked it :D

"It's like breakfast and dessert combined!"

When I tasted the pancakes, I was worried because they tasted pretty salty. However, the sweetness of the fruits and the fresh cream made a wonderful balance with the saltiness.

A success!!

#2 Breakfast - Greek yogurt with fruits

This has been my recent boom. When looking to buy some plain yogurt at the grocery, I discovered Greek yogurt. I remembered that when I bought some breakfast at Grand Central a few months back, it was Greek yogurt with strawberries, which I really enjoyed. So, I decided to give this a try.

I sprinkled some sugar over sliced strawberries and blackberries (because the strawberries were pretty sour...), scooped some Greek yogurt, and put some honey on top. (The carton I bought was pretty big, so I could probably eat about 3-4 servings from it.)

The result? I LOVE the texture and taste of Greek yogurt, and its combination with fruits and honey is amazing!

#3 Nattou Pasta

I am a HUGE fan of nattou. Give me a bowl of hot, white rice and a box of nattou, and I'll be happy. However, not many people are fond of nattou - first of all, they smell. Second of all, they taste unique (I think they're DELICIOUS). Third of all, the texture is kinda weird. Lastly, it doesn't look that great... Whatever the case, I love nattou. PERIOD.

Awhile back, I read an article in a magazine that interviewed one of my favorite Japanese singers. He stated that his recent boom was "nattou pasta." I got to thinking, "Hmm... Do people really make nattou pasta? I wonder how it tastes?"

I totally forgot about this until today, when I decided I want some nattou for dinner. I didn't feel like eating rice though, so I decided to use up what little spaghetti noodles I had left. Here's what I did.

INGREDIENTS:

Olive oil, garlic, egg, baby spinach, spaghetti noodles, some gnocchi, some butter, black pepper, NATTOU!!

PROCEDURE:

1) Boil water. Crack in an egg and let it broil? Poach? Just enough so that the yolk is soft and runny.

2) Boil up the spaghetti noodles and gnocchi. Drain it when finished and leave it to the side. (You can rub in some olive oil to keep it from bloating or sticky, but I didn't. Ha.)

3) Over light to medium fire, pour some olive oil into a pan and parch(?) sliced up garlic. Yum- The garlic smell!

4) Throw in the baby spinach and let it wither while you parch it with the garlic.

5) Pour in the spaghetti noodles and gnocchi.

6) Throw in a small piece of butter and let it melt all over the noodles.

7) Sprinkle some black pepper and mix it in well.

8) Whip up the nattou with the mustard and sauce that comes with it.

9) Pour the spaghetti onto a plate, pour the nattou over it, and then place the egg on top.

The result? I would definitely make these again!! They were yummy yummy yummy. But if I want to make them again, I have to go out and buy another box of spaghetti noodles... :(

one meal that i enjoy making and eating is oyako-don, which is a popular japanese everyday meal. it doesn't take a lot of ingredients, and it is easy to make. and not to mention filling. 

so. what is oyako-don, really? 

well, according to wikipedia:

Oyakodon (親子丼), literally "parent-and-child donburi", is a donburi, or Japanese rice bowl dish, in which chicken, egg, green onion, and other ingredients are all simmered together in a sauce and then served on top of a large bowl of rice. The name of the dish, parent and child donburi, is apoetic reflection of the fact that both chicken and egg are used in the dish.

no other explanation could be more perfect.

there are many, many different ways to make oyakodon, and ingredients vary as well. what i will be posting today is probably THE most basic recipe for a quick meal. (you know, grad student and all.) 

INGREDIENTS:

-sugar

-soy sauce

-two eggs

-chopped green onions

-sliced onions

-chicken (chopped up into an edible size)

-instant rice (or cooked rice, if you're not lazy like me)

not much, huh? i usually use chicken breast, since i buy a whole pack, season it with salt, pepper, and minced onions, and throw them in the freezer in ziplock bags. 

i did use a measuring cup, but for the spoon, i used an eating spoon. (hmm... sounds weird.)

in a frying pan, pour in a cup of water, about 2-3 spoons of soy sauce, and one spoon of sugar. turn up the heat, and let it boil!

add the sliced onions and let it broil for a while. add the chicken blocks, and turn them around so that they get evenly cooked. 

crack two eggs in a bowl. puncture the yolks once or twice, and mix them just a little bit. 

pour the eggs over the chicken and onions. i guess, like a blanket? then add the chopped onions, and cover the pan so that the eggs get boiled? broiled? poached? whatever. 

meanwhile, pop the instant rice into the microwave. 

then pour the mix over your bowl of rice, and voila! here's your oyako-don. 

yummy. 

and the appropriate expression for this kind of occasion? 

OISHII!!!