Saturday, June 27, 2009
So after much moping around these past two days, I finally packed for the next eight weeks of my life! Tomorrow, I will begin a two week trip with my family minus my older brother, leaving me, my little brother, my mom, and my dad. After two layovers (which I dread), we’ll go to Kauai for a week and then to Maui!!! I’ve been to Maui three times before, and I still love it! I’m looking forward to it all. I also made some onigiri to eat because I will be traveling for about 15 hours total tomorrow with no served meals. I’ll also have some sandwiches made by the morning!
I’m looking forward to going, but I do have quite a few things to do in those two weeks… like register for my classes! My classes for next quarter are so specific, so I really hope I get them! I don’t know if I’ll be updating during my trip, but I’ll try to remember to take pictures!
Now, literally about six hours after I get back from Hawaii, I will fly to San Jose to start summer school!!! I will be there for six whole weeks, and I will definitely miss my friends. I have so much to pack and hope I have packed everything I need.
So ta-ta for now!!! I will be updating my Twitter via mobile!!! @baotokim
Monday, June 22, 2009
I recently got my friend’s birthday present in the mail, and he got me exactly what I wanted! I love birthday presents because I can ask for things that I want but would never really pay for on my own. I got a bento box and a Sigg water bottle!
I can’t wait to use my bento box during the school year! I don’t really have any place to bring it even at school because I live on campus. Going with the bento box theme, my friend and I went to Mitsuwa and shared some onigiri. I was then inspired to make my own rice balls, and they turned out okay. I’m looking forward to making more in the future.
I also really like my Sigg bottle. I haven’t used it much because at home, I drink with a cup. I also don’t bring it to the gym because I’m afraid of dropping it and getting a dent! I would never buy one on my own, but college has made me all about sustainability. I never liked using plastic bottles anyway, plus these bottles give you a chance to be fashionable, haha.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Now that I’m temporarily back home, I’m back in the kitchen! I’ve been dying to make a pasta salad to eat a healthy lunch, so I chopped up some bell peppers, red onions, sundried tomatoes, and cucumber to add to some orzo pasta. I also made some accompanying balsamic vinaigrette. It was quite tasty and extremely convenient to eat with a spoon. I’m really happy with my progress in the kitchen and entree department!
Being home, I also bake. Now, I have to bake in moderation because everyone in my family complains I am making them fat! Then, when I bake for my friends instead of them, they get super jealous and complain I don’t bake for them when they clearly ask me NOT to bake for them! It creates such a dilemma, so I always have to split whatever I bake. I’m not a huge oatmeal raisin cookie fan, but a friend who is leaving soon requested it. I made them for the first time, and they turned out wonderfully! My brother also loves oatmeal raisin cookies, so I guess it was a win-win situation.
Last night and today was a completely different baking adventure. I made vanilla cupcakes completely from scratch, and I also got to use the party cups that I stole from my school’s Mexican eatery (used to carry salsa). They were pretty dense but smelled of wonderful vanilla! Last week, while in San Jose, I bought Nutella in bulk, so instead of going for a traditional buttercream frosting, I opted for a Nutella frosting. I also found some cream cheese in my refrigerator, so I combined the two together to form a frosting reminiscent of Giada’s favorite combination of Nutella and mascarpone cheese. The frosting was lumpy because I didn’t have an electric beater on hand, but luckily the chopped almonds covered it up. The almonds really add extra flavor, too!
