Apple Turnovers (Naturally Sweetened)

When we were little and my parents worked in Manhattan each day, they'd bring us little treats often: street vendor popcorn (the only popcorn I like), Irish soda bread on St. Patrick's Day, Au Bon Pain cranberry nut muffins from mom, and Halal Guys' chicken/gyro platters, cheese danishes, tuna melts from Eisenberg's, and apple turnovers from dad. What a wonderful childhood, am I right? ;)

My parents no longer commute to Manhattan, so over the past few years, whenever apple turnovers enter this house, they tend to be from Sam's Club. Now I'm all for indulging in life's treats and pleasures, but you have to do it right -- mass produced, wholesale store stuff don't always cut it (not an attack on Sam's, I promise).

So for last Father's Day, I decided to make apple turnovers at home to go with breakfast. Granted, I used generic, store-bought puff pastry, which includes not so great ingredients, but there weren't any alternatives, and I was not about to labor over homemade puff pastry. I opted not to add any sugar to the filling because the apples were sweet enough, and the rest of breakfast seemed pretty rich, so we didn't need any additional sweetness.

While I made this during the summer, what's more appropriate for the fall than an apple related treat? What's great about this recipe is that it's also very simple -- get your kids in the kitchen!

iPhone Photo Journal I

I've been trying to improve my photography skills over the past few months by studying a lot of Instagram accounts/photos and watching too many YouTube photography videos, and something that I always am puzzled by is how some people can take such amazing photos using the humble iPhone. 

The iPhone is incredibly light sensitive, so it's possible to get really great photos, but the lighting must be optimal. I think what also makes photos (iPhone or camera) so interesting is the texture, composition, and mood that they convey. Here's a handful of photos from the past few weeks -- all of which were taken using an iPhone 5s (no filters, minimally edited using Windows photo viewer):

Watkins Glen & Seneca Lake :: Photo Journal

Nature in all its glory.

Over the past year or so, hiking has become one of my favorite activities. There's nothing better than strapping on a backpack with a water bottle and a camera, and seeing waterfalls, foliage, open pastures, fallen over trees, and little critters. 

Seneca Lake Wineries :: Photo Journal

The day before my parents helped me move into school, we drove around to a handful of wineries around Seneca Lake. Don't get so excited - I didn't taste any wine, my parents did. Though it doesn't seem like there's much to do when you're not the one tasting the wine, there was quite a lot to see. I was surprised by the abundance of photo opportunities at these wineries, and wanted to share what I saw :) :

Chocolate Hazelnut (Nutella) Peanut Butter Brownies

Man oh man, do I have a lot of recipe posts to catch up on! I made these Nutella Peanut Butter brownies as a little birthday treat for my brother in late May, and I'm finally getting around to sharing the recipe. 

Now before we start, I want to make a little disclaimer: I do not personally support brands that use palm oil as an ingredient -- I made this decision after researching for my article, "Say No to Palm Oil". At the same time, I'm also a firm believer in not wasting. My brother, a fan of Nutella (which is made of palm oil), had about 1/4 jar left -- and what was left was the grainy, not-so-spreadable stuff. So in order to not waste what was left in the jar, I combined the nutella with this classic brownie recipe. For future recipes, however, I would either make my own chocolate-hazelnut spread or buy one that doesn't include palm oil as an ingredient. So the bottom line of this disclaimer - I'm not a supporter of Nutella, but we had some leftover, and I didn't want to waste it, so I did use it in this one batch!

East Village Photo Journal

Last weekend, my mom and I made the trek into the city to go thrift shopping. We came home empty-handed (aside from an umbrella we got to protect us from the torrential rain), but we did have plenty of photos and memories to keep. We spent most of our time in the East Village, but we did walk through Chinatown to get to a new dim sum restaurant (don't recommend it though; my preferred dim sum restaurant is still the Golden Unicorn).

I chose to wear this outfit in particular because it was comfortable, easy to walk in, and suitable for the 95*F weather. One of my go-to outfit "equations" is a dress + converse + my simple tote bag. There's minimal jewelry, sunglasses are the perfect accessory, and I feel like myself wearing it all. 

My Unofficial Guide to Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia, y'all. I feel so lucky to have called this place home for 9 months and to have experienced so much in such a short amount of time, that I just had to add ATL to my "unofficial guide" series.

Instead of organizing the locations by category/activity (like I did in My Unofficial Guide to Princeton), I'm going to do my best to divide this guide up by geographic area/neighborhood.
Atlanta is like New York City, with all of its events, festivals, opportunities, attractions, and different neighborhoods. Unlike NYC, however, it's not as crowded, has more green space, and doesn't have a reliable public transportation system (sorry, MARTA. Note: uber will be your go-to). The historical remnants of the Civil War and Southern culture itself are prolific (compared to the Northern focus on the Revolutionary War), and making conversation with strangers is no big deal.

Oh, and you'll hear people say "y'all" a whole lot.

Though I was able to see quite a bit of the city, there's so much more that I wasn't able to take advantage of. This city is teeming with rising opportunities and potential, and I highly recommend that you come visit. A few years ago, this snobby Northerner would have never considered dipping her toes into Southern culture, but looking back now, it's been such a wonderful, and truly life-changing, experience. Atlanta is a hidden gem, and I'm very thankful that I had the opportunity to live there.

So let's jump right into it; let me highlight what my old stomping grounds has to offer.

Pineapple Korean BBQ Chicken

We're all busy and prefer food that requires minimal effort, especially after a long day of work. What's great about this recipe, is that it's easy and quick, like many prepared meals, but also healthy, which many prepared meals are not. 

What I've done during my high school years, and what I'm doing now, is getting as much preparation work done during the weekends, so that all I have to do is stick some stuff in the oven/reheat food up after a long day. This is a very effective way to anticipate and treat your "hangry" moods ;) What I love about this recipe in specific, is that it can be prepped over the weekend and shoved in the oven as you get home, so you have time to unpack/unwind from your long day-- minimal work required! 

It isn't exactly pineapple season right now, so I chose to use canned pineapple - if you do this as well, please read the ingredients label and make sure that the only ingredients are pineapple, pineapple juice, and/or water. I'll include recommendations if you choose to use fresh pineapple as well!

Gothic Revival || Photoshoot in Princeton

I had the privilege of catching up with two of my best friends on Saturday night, and of having a little photoshoot session with them. I've been searching far and wide for this location on Princeton U's campus, and I'm just unbelievably happy that I've finally found it :) 

The gothic architecture draws light into the building in such an eerie, beautiful way; with the architecture and wearing the soft, easy maxi skirt, I definitely felt like Rapunzel or Elsa, isolated in a big, beautiful castle ;)

Peach and Raspberry Galette

Happy Father's Day!

This morning, I made homemade apple turnovers (no sugar added) and poached eggs over sausage patties and a bed of greens for the family. I'll share those photos sometime in the future, but today, I'm sharing the photos of (and recipe for) the peach & raspberry galette I made for my dad's birthday, just a few days ago.

I'm veeery proud to say that I've finally made a good pie crust. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've tried to make pie crust and have been left with a tough, chewy, hard shell instead of a flake-y, tender crust. I'll include as many detailed tips as possible for making the crust below!

Vegan BBQ Pork Buns (Cha Siu Bao)

I'd go into detail about how BBQ Pork Buns, among other Chinese bakery goods, were vital parts of my childhood, but I'm on the brink of passing out from exhaustion ;) I'll let the photos and the recipe do the talking for today :)

Almond Crusted Milk Bread French Toast with Maple Caramelized Bananas

One of the most memorable meals I've eaten was at The General Muir in Atlanta -- I had a pecan crusted french toast (photo below) that was topped off with caramelized bananas, and oh my word it was good. If I had to point out one thing that I didn't like, it would be that parts of the challah were on the dry side...honestly though, there's not much that I can complain about ;) 

This recipe was inspired by the french toast I had at TGM; I didn't have any pecans on hand, so I used almond meal instead. Instead of using challah, I used thick slices of homemade vegan milk bread (I used Mary's recipe, but I do have one myself too!), and instead of making a caramel sauce to top raw bananas with, I cooked/caramelized bananas in maple syrup. The frozen raspberries weren't a part of the original plan, but I needed a pop of color for the photos, and they ended up pairing very nicely with the french toast! In the end, I didn't get the same results, but that's not what I aimed for. All I wanted was some bomb french toast, and that's what I got ;)

Miso Mushroom Risotto (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

When I went to Restaurant Eugene, I ate Chef Linton Hopkin's truffle risotto, and couldn't help but think about how I wanted my dad and brother to try it too. This play on risotto was inspired by that trip and our Asian background, and I have to say, even though I'm not that big of a rice fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this! My dad went back for seconds too, so I take that as a sign of success :)

What I love most about this recipe is that it's a great way to use up leftovers, particularly sticky rice. It's customary to make fried rice with leftover rice, but fried rice is best made with loose, not sticky, grains. So instead of making fried rice, I capitalized on the stickiness of the sticky rice to make creamy "risotto" (quotations around "risotto" because risotto is traditionally made with arborio rice). 

Just a heads up - I attempted to pair the risotto with crispy brussels sprouts for textural variation, but it didn't really fit with the rest of the dish, so I'm omitting it from this recipe. If you do want a brussels sprouts recipe, however, check this one out! 

Princeton Reunions Weekend

Who doesn't love beautiful architecture and a lively campus? 

Just a few days ago, my friends and I walked onto Princeton University's campus to find that we were in the middle of their annual Reunions Weekend celebration. People were decked out in orange and striped gear, and everyone was enjoying the music, food, and games. We were walking around at noon in 90*F -- harsh daylight and humidity are not the best conditions for photographing, but I did my best and here are some of my favorites:

Slow Cooker Pineapple Pulled Pork Sandwiches (with Homemade Apple Cabbage Slaw & BBQ Sauce)

Living in the South for nine months opened my eyes to Southern culture, particularly Southern cuisine. Did you know that each state/region has its own unique take on barbecue?! 

I've had a few pulled pork sandwiches here and there this past year, and I wanted to bring a little piece of Southern culture back home. Granted, Southern foods are notorious for being latent in butter, animal fat, and sugar, but this is a lightened up version that I still find to be quite delicious.