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.

Homemade Ciabatta

One of my favorite things to bake is bread -- so much care and dedication are required, and I'm always reminded of how amazing the art of bread making is. 

My brother's favorite kind of bread is milk bread, because it's so fluffy and soft; don't get me wrong, I love milk bread for peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, but I have a soft spot for crusty bread, like sourdough, french bread, and ciabatta. 

When making bread, I highly recommend watching several videos and reading through a few recipes to get a feel for the general process. The best tips I can offer are to ensure that your water/milk (for any bread recipe) is between 110 - 115*F and to add 1/2-1 tsp of sugar to the water/milk before adding the yeast. Adhere to the temperature range because that's the environmental condition in which the yeast can grow in, and the sugar serves as food for the yeast to help it grow! And heads up: ciabatta is a little unique, because there's one step that must be completed the day before making the bread (plan ahead!)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Have you ever been to a baseball game?

To be honest, I don't care too much for live sporting events unless I'm watching soccer, but there's something about the American tradition of attending a baseball game that I wanted to experience firsthand. Atlanta Braves games are significantly cheaper than Yankees tickets, so my good friend and I took the opportunity to attend a Friday night game between the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.

I couldn't contain my excitement when we walked up to the gates -- with all of the lights and the grand entryway, I felt like I was at Universal Studios or Downtown Disney.

The Braves ultimately lost ;), but we still had a great time talking, enjoying the fireworks, and shivering together(or in my case, shaking like a wet dog). I'm especially grateful to have had the opportunity to attend a game during the Braves' last season at Turner Field. 

A Full Heart

I look back on the past 9 months with nothing but a very grateful and full heart.

White Cake with Raspberry Compote, Lemon Curd, and Buttercream Frosting || Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Last year, I sneakily pulled off an afternoon tea party for my mom and a few of her friends; unfortunately, I wasn't able to do something like that again this year, but I realize now that this recipe is very similar to the "Rustic Lemon Raspberry Petit Fours" I served last year, so I guess I was able to up my game ever so slightly ;)

This recipe is actually very simple, but is easiest when completed over a span of 2-3 days! I've scoured the internet for decent recipes, and found two great ones from AllRecipes (one of which I tweaked). What I love about AllRecipes is that it's just like Amazon but for recipes -- there are tons of reviews, some with great tips. You can also see how many people have rated the recipe (kind of like the statistic on Amazon that tells you how many people have bought a product/rated it) to determine if the recipe is worth your time! 

(Also, just to clarify, this isn't technically a "white cake" recipe since the recipe calls for both egg yolks and egg whites, but that's what the original recipe calls this, so I'm rolling with it!)

Why the sudden interest in finding the best recipes? During my visit to Linton Hopkins' restaurants, Chef Hopkins mentioned that many of the current recipes out there aren't 100% accurate because chefs are worried about competitors stealing their recipes. Given that, I've become very wary of recipes that I find online (that means you should be wary of mine too ;P) -- I made cornbread today as well (recipe to come soon), and realized that the blogger wrote "greek yogurt" in the ingredients list but "sour cream" in the directions...sure, both are interchangeable, but that emphasizes the importance of keenly analyzing recipes before making them! :)

I think I've stalled long enough, so let's get into the recipe/tips:

Georgia Aquarium (Photo Journal)

Ponce City Market (Photo Journal)

I was able to catch a few breaks this weekend, and one of my college best friends and I ventured off to Ponce City Market and The Beltline for a bit. Ponce City Market is definitely one of the coolest places I've been to --- it used to be a factory, and has now been transformed into an awesome shopping/dining area that's reminiscent of Chelsea Market/Krog Street Market. There's plenty of places to take photos at, and you'll see a lifetime's worth of dogs around!

If The Beltline sounds familiar, it's because I walked a bit of it just a few weeks ago during my visit to Krog Street Market. Who knew Atlanta was the real trendsetter, and NYC was just the popular kid who made the underground, hipster thing "popular"?