The Quintessential Pasta Dish

Last night I tried my hand at cooking.  While I excel at baking, cooking is far more difficult for me.  The idea of not having a recipe, of “faking it,” bothers me.  I’m sure there is some dark psychological reasoning behind my dislike of cooking, but for now, it is simply that I just don’t like it.  However, I gave it a try, and while the execution of the recipe was a bit rocky, the end result was, in a word, delicious.

Pasta with olives, tomatoes, and prosciutto

The finished product is quite nice to look at, and it was even nicer to eat.  The recipe was also manageable for someone who has limited cooking experience, so everyone should give it a go! I split the recipe in half because only I was eating, but the original, which is below, serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• cold water for boiling
• 2 tsps sea salt
• 3 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 shallots, finely minced
• 1 cup black olives, pitted
• 3 to 4 tomatoes, diced (you can also used canned tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbsps tomato paste or concentrate
• 3 Tbsps unsalted butter
• reserved pasta water (optional)
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• handful of parsley, chopped
• about 1/3 pound prosciutto, for garnish

Prep: Fill a large pot about halfway with cold water.  Bring that water to a boil.  While the water is boiling, I would get the other ingredients measured out and ready, just because it’s difficult to saute while chopping tomatoes at the same time! When the water is boiling, add the salt and the pasta to the water, and cook according to the box.  Once done, drain the spaghetti but save one cup of the pasta water for the sauce.  Wipe clean the pot, and over medium heat add the olive oil.  When the oil is hot (it will start to smoke) lower heat to medium-low and saute garlic and shallots for about 1 minutes.  Increase heat to medium again, add olives, and cook for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and cook until soft, about 1-2 minutes.  Once soft, add the wine and stir until the alcohol is evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste and butter until dissolved.  Once dissolved, put pasta back in pot and stir gently, until all the pasta is coated with sauce.  Add the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems dry to you.  Serve pasta with Parmesan, parsley, and prosciutto slices sprinkled on top!!

Pasta!!!

 

More pasta!!

How I Will Gain the Freshman 15

UCLA is perfectly placed.  Walking around Westwood, I noticed all of the different and amazing food places that are there, that I will soon be exploring.  One, however, caught my interest, so much that I had to give it a try during orientation instead of waiting.  The place is called Diddy Riese.

The line was what piqued my interest.  It was so long that it left the building and wrapped around all the way to the front of the restaurant next door.  I reasoned with myself as I walked past, ready to forget the place.  “The line must mean something.  No, I can’t.  I don’t have time.  Yes, you do.  Come on, it has to be good if people are willing to stand outside for that long.  Ohhhhhhh Okay. ” And that is how I chose to buy a really great dessert.

For those of you who don’t know, Diddy Riese is a cookie and ice cream place.  The cookies are made right there, in the shop, as, I believe, is the ice cream.  The cookies on their own are not the most amazing I’ve ever had.  I can make better.  But with the ice cream, it creates a combination that is amazing.  I had a choco chip cookie with almond mocha chip ice cream.  It was delicious!!

Diddy Riese ice cream and cookie

This place is where I will gain the obligatory Freshman 15.  Not at the dining halls, or the on-campus cafes.  Here at Diddy Riese.  

 

Organizing that Unruly Jewelry!!

I don’t know about any of you, but until recently I barely organized my jewelry.  Whenever I needed something, I would reach into the sad little compartment organizer that I used to store jewelry in, pull out a chain, and commence untangling it for the next half hour.  It was an awful arrangement! Something had to be done to end my suffering!! About five months ago I was perusing a little website called Pinterest when I came across this great idea!

 

Before, my jewelry was organized like this:

I believe it’s safe to say that the improvement has been great. Both my taste in jewelry and my skill in organizing it has grown tremendously.

And it was extremely simple to get to this level of organization. All it required was a few clear pushpins, a hammer, and some patience (if you are like me and drop the pins on the ground occasionally -_-). Hanging jewelry from the wall also gave my room more personality.  I get to showcase my jewelry, which is an essential part of any outfit and which says a lot about the wearer.  However, if some people think that just hanging a few chains from a wall isn’t fancy enough, there are many other options out there.  I’ve seen some people use a brightly painted plank of wood as the background, or cork board, instead of just the blank wall, which seemed like a wonderful idea.

There are endless possibilities to organizing jewelry in a fun and funky way.  I definitely recommend this one!

 

Dat Cake, Man!!

Before I go any further, I must clarify that this cake is not just any cake.  It isn’t some boring, half-remembered dessert that that one family made at that one dinner party that no one enjoyed.  This cake is one of the best cakes I have made in a long while.  For a friend’s birthday, I decided to go all out – party, presents, cake, everything.  I think it all turned out quite well, but the cake was exceptional.  I was restricted a bit in the construction of the cake; a friend of mine doesn’t like chocolate cake, chocolate biscuits (or cookies, for you lot out there who aren’t Anglophiles like me!), or chocolate ice cream, a sentiment that I cannot even begin to fathom.

I decided on a yellow cake with a chocolate frosting and a garnish of powdered sugar, strawberries, and little gold dragees.  It sounds a lot less spectacular than it actually was. The yellow cake was moist, just how it should be .  The recipe came from the KitchenAid recipe book that a person receives after purchasing one of their mixers.  The chocolate frosting is some of the best I’ve ever tasted.  It doesn’t leave that awful aftertaste in my mouth like most do.  Just thinking about that taste makes me shudder.  The combination of the cake and frosting created a lovely masterpiece that will definitely be made in my household quite often now.

Here is the recipe for both the yellow cake and the chocolate frosting.  The cake was an amazing hit with my friends, and I know if others make it it will be just as popular!

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour*
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

*If you don’t have cake flour, never fear! The quickest way to convert regular flour to cake flour is to remove 2 tablespoons of flour for every cup you use.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift dry ingredients into a bowl (I usually only sift the flour and ignore the order to sift the other dry ingredients.  It requires too much effort to sift everything, and it always turns out alright in the end anyway).  Add shortening, 2/3 cup milk, and vanilla.  Beat for about 1 minute.  After beating, add the remaining 1/3 cup milk and both eggs.  Beat until completely mixed.  Pour the batter into two buttered and floured 8 or 9 inch cake pans.  Bake cakes for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temp
• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temp
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 2 1/3 powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk (as needed)

Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy.  Mix in powdered sugar and cocoa. After completely incorporated, add in the vanilla.  Once mixed, add milk in small quantities, and mix in between each addition.  Stop adding milk when the frosting mixture is smooth in consistency.

After the cake has cooled, frost to your heart’s content.  Decorate the cake how you wish!! Get creative and grate some dark chocolate into funky shapes and put on top of the cake, or go simple and slice some strawberries to put on.  Enjoy!!

Vanilla cake, chocolate frosting

Just for fun. . .

More cake!

One more!

Slice of cake!!

 

Inspector Lewis

My love of British t.v shows has reached an all new level of obsession, in the form of Inspector Lewis.

Lewis and Hathaway

Though I have never watched any of the previous show, Inspector Morse, the “sequel” to the show is wonderful.  Before this series, detective shows have never really interested me.  In my opinion, it seems as if every producer in America has gotten together and decided that the motto of a detective show should be “the gorier, the better”.  Not my cup of tea.  Inspector Lewis, on the other hand, goes against the grain and favors intellectual deductions rather than shocking images.  I have spent many a night this summer staying up till 2:00 in the morning, marathoning the show, not caring that in the morning I would be completely exhausted.

It helps that the characters are so amazingly interesting.  Detective Inspector Lewis, the partner of the previous Inspector Morse, completely understands the human mind.  His partner, Detective Sergeant Hathaway, is the Cambridge educated man that can recite whole passages of Shakespeare and Keats on demand.  Together, they make a kick ass team that can solve almost any mystery but, like Sherlock says, they “don’t write about the unsolved ones.”

Inspector Lewis is most definitely a show that everyone should watch.  There are in total seven seasons of this fabulous show, though they may continue making more.  Let’s hope so!!

The Search for Crazy Leggings has Ended!!

It used to be that I would frown upon anyone wearing leggings and a t-shirt.  It looked strange, especially if the t-shirt was by no means long, and didn’t cover the person’s butt. I believed that the least the person could do was invest in a shirt that went down long enough to keep from scarring the minds of those who got to see the underwear line. However, my thoughts and views have changed.

Maybe it’s because I watch more Audrey Hepburn movies now, or maybe it’s because I have grown as a shopper and dresser, but lately I have found the style of shirt and leggings more appealing.  It’s a comfortable outfit, and is perfect for both going out and staying in.  And if I decide to wear black leggings and a black shirt, I can pretend to be Audrey, if only for an hour or two.

Audrey Hepburn in signature outfit

To fulfill my legging craving, I decided to go crazy.  Instead of a conservative pair of black leggings, I invested in design and creativity.

Crazy Leggings!!

Say hello to my new leggings! Tribal patterns are all the rage right now, which I am happy for, and with a casual black tee and some understated jewelry, I am set to go down to the coast and window shop!

Delicious Coconut Cake

About four months ago, my mum and I attempted, and I mean “attempted,” to make a coconut cake.  I don’t know what went wrong, but it turned into some kind of gooey coconut mush that fell apart when we tried to take it out of the pan.  Bad experience.  But ever since that fateful (for the cake) day, I have been trying to find that perfect coconut cake recipe.  And I finally found it!!

Coconut Cake

The picture doesn’t do the cake justice.  It really was delicious, and actually quite nice to look at…while I was eating it.

And a bonus was that it was quite easy to make, which always makes something taste better.

I found the original recipe through Pinterest, a wonderful wonderful site that sucks up hours of my day, and allows me to find amazing recipes that I will never have the time to make, and outfits that I will never have.  *sigh*

Anyways, I thought the recipe was slightly hard to understand, so I decided to include it here.  I have to say, the cake is perfect for the summer.  The cake itself is extremely light, and the recipe calls for a frosting of whipped cream, which makes it that much lighter!

Ingredients for Cake:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 3 1/4 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 tsps salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups dried sweetened coconut + additional for garnish

Ingredients for frosting:

• 3 cups whipping cream
• 2 Tbsps sugar
• 1 Tbsp rum (optional)

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.  Set aside.  In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add eggs, then yolks, one at a time, and beat until completely mixed. Mix in vanilla.  In another bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then mix in half of the milk.  After mixed, beat in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, and then the rest of the milk.  To end, mix in the rest of the flour mixture.  Fold in the coconut.  When finished, scoop equal amounts of the batter into the two cake pans, and spread evenly.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Once done, remove cakes from oven and place on a cooling rack.  Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto the cooling rack. The let cool completely.

In the meantime, whip the heavy cream and the sugar in a bowl until soft peaks form.  At this time you can fold in rum if you want.  To frost the cake, split each cake so that you have four layers instead of two.  Frost each layer, and then sprinkle coconut on the top as a garnish.

I love this cake, and I will definitely be making it again.  As with every dessert I make, I like to enjoy it with a nice cuppa.

You can quite easily change the recipe as well.  Even though it is essentially only two layers of cake, the product is quite big.  If you want to split the recipe in half, you can just make one cake, split that in half, and end up with two layers.  Or if you want something really different, instead of a whipped cream frosting, you could use a chocolate buttercream or chocolate glaze instead, but still use coconut as a garnish to tie it all in. The possibilities are endless.  It’s up to you to explore them.  Enjoy!

The Perfect (If Not the Healthiest) Breakfast

I woke up today with a mission: to make the perfect breakfast. Let’s just say, I succeeded.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you the Nutella French Toast:

 

Doesn’t that just look delicious? If you are thinking yes, then you are correct.  If no, then I must ask: what is wrong with you?

While this breakfast is a tad on the sweet side, and is definitely not healthy, it is most certainly scrumptious.  And, as it turns out, quite easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bread
• around 1/2 cup nutella
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp butter for pan
• Powdered sugar for serving

Directions: Spread nutella on two pieces of bread, and then place remaining bread on top to form a sandwich.  Heat pan on medium heat.

In shallow bowl, whisk together egg and milk.  Add in butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, and whisk until mixed.  Place 1 Tbsp of butter on heated pan and swirl to coat.

Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture, coating both sides, and then place in pan.  Cook for 1-2 minutes on either side, or until golden brown.

Serve with powdered sugar on top.

This breakfast is just what I needed this morning!

Music to My Ears (Literally)

I love soundtrack music.  Before you scrunch your nose in distaste, I should say that soundtrack music is not the stuff you find at Target.  Glee and Hannah Montana are not my definitions of soundtrack music.  I love movie scores, like Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, The Mission, and Indiana Jones.  John Williams is a personal hero.

As a little pat-yourself-on-the-back present for surviving high school, I bought myself three CD’s.

Atonement, Slumdog Millionaire, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I have to say, Spotify is amazing when I want to listen to one song, but there is something so special about holding a CD in my hand, or listening to music from a quality stereo system.  Perhaps it’s because I grew up in a household where Sinatra and Miles Davis were often playing, and where a turntable was always at the ready, but something about MP3 downloads bother me.  I would much rather spend a little extra money and own the Compact Disc.

The three movie scores I decided on were Atonement, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  Out of the three, I would only watch The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel again.  Atonement and Slumdog Millionaire were a bit too disturbing, even though they were excellent films.  However, the music from all three is amazing.  Atonement is haunting, and proves to be one of Dario Marianelli’s best.  Both Slumdog Millionaire and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel have a mix of sweeping orchestral arrangements and Indian music, which is amazing to listen to.  Both Thomas Newman and A. R. Rahman did an excellent job of bringing those two very different genres together. All three are soundtracks that I very much enjoy listening to.  I am so grateful that I survived high school, so I wouldn’t feel guilty buying them.

My Love of Converse

I was the first one to wear Converse at my elementary school.  They were blue, laceless, and amazingly awesome.  Since that fateful day when I first clapped eyes on Converse, I have had a love for those shoes.  Something about them makes me want my closet to look like this:

Converse!!

Converse are a great way to make a statement (as you can tell from watching Doctor Who.  Tenth Doctor, anyone?).  I love how you can dress them up or down.  You can wear them with a dress, or with your favorite pair of jeans.  That versatility is essential when it comes to your wardrobe.

I myself own only six pairs of Converse, a number that pales in comparison to the 36 pairs in the picture above.  Hopefully, I will someday have the same amount, if not more.  I would definitely appreciate it, though I doubt my closet space would feel the same.  Thankfully, my friends share my appreciation for these shoes, so much so that we take pictures with them.

More Converse!

Unlike Sherlock or Doctor Who, I can rave about my new pair of Converse to my friends, and they won’t look at me like I’ve grown a second head.  When I wear Converse out and about, it gives me a feeling akin to carrying a cup of Starbucks coffee.  I am stylish, and people will look at my feet and envy me my maroon high tops.