Moose Bread? ;

i dont usually bake much,
its not that i cant , i would just rather COOK food instead~
But today i decided to try out this recipe called "Moose Bread".
its a sweet molasses bread, studded with golden raisins.
i wasnt sure how this was suppose to look, so i decided to google it
to help me get a sense of how it should turn out, but i couldnt find any pictures of it.
i wonder if theres another, more common name for this recipe,
rather than "Moose Bread" ?

"Moose Bread" - (Hobby Farms recipe edited)

i never knew molasses was so stinky!

but the end result of this was

sweet, chewy, crumbly satisfaction.

Recipe ;

- 1 cup of molasses 

- 1 egg

- 2 1/2 cups of flour

- 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1 tsp of salt

- 1 cup of golden raisins

- 1 cup of milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, beat the wet ingredients

together, and in a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients.

pour the wet into the dry, and fold in the raisins.

bake the mixture in a 9inch square baking dish,

for 45 min or until golden brown.

The Starving Artist is Gettin` Paid! ;

Can you believe im working for a magazine?!
i recently got hired at "Hobby Farms" magazine co.
as their freelance photographer!
basically, im sent a list of their recipes, i cook the food, & then take pictures of it~
how great is this? im getting paid for a hobby that im already doing!
Special Thanks to Peter Lam, for hookin` it up !
I had a free day today,
so i decided to get a few of their easier recipes done with.
Here they are :

"Fresh Peach Preserves";
its basically like a peach jam. it was pretty simple to make,
but my only problem with this recipe, was that it required
"fresh" peaches in WINTER; so theyre no longer in season!
its fine tho, i used canned ones.
shh dont tell!

"Fresh Peach Preserves" (Hobby Farms recipe edited)
Heres the peach preserves on some toast; quite yummy

Recipe ;

- 4-5 ripe peaches

- 1.5 tbs of lemon juice

- 3/4 of a cup of sugar

Peel & pit peaches,  remove any bruises on the fruit,

& discard.  Coarsely mash the peaches and stir in the

lemon juice.  Pour the mixture into a large skillet(not cast iron)

add sugar and cover the pan. Bring it to a boil in high heat,

for a minute. Remove the lid & reduce the heat so that the

peaches continue to bubble, but dont boil over.

Cook & stir the mixture until it reduces to half.

(do not over cook, preserves thicken as they cool)

skim off any foam, immediately ladle it into a heat proof 

container , and let it cool in room temperature for an hour.

Cover and store in the fridge (can store for a week.)

*makes 2 cups.

"Farmer Fuel Trail-Mix"
yet another simple recipe; all i had to do was buy
assorted nuts, fruits, and a few pretzel bites & tada!
a quick & easy snack

"Farmer Fuel Trail-Mix"
i thought i`d get creative, by using a small paper bag &
crumpling it until it was soft enough to fold into a little
 pocket pouch. over flowing with
sweet, nutty, crunchy, salty goodness ~

"Blueberry Kiwi Smoothie"
not only does it have blueberries & kiwis,
but it also has a generous pinch of cinnamon
& dizzle of honey. yumm

"Blueberry Kiwi Smoothie" (Hobby Farms)
in a tall, frosted glass~

Recipe ;

- 2 cups of ice

- 1 cup of your favorite flavored yogurt

- 1 cup of blueberries

- 1 cup of peeled kiwis

- 1/2 cup of milk

- 2 tbs of honey

- generous pinch of cinnamon

Blend the ingredients togther, and serve

right away.

* makes 2 large servings

"Maple Roasted Parsnips" (Hobby Farms)
i never knew what parsnips were until today.
it looks like a giant, white carrot.
and has a very strong smell of it as well.
Although these were baked in maple syrup
until they turned golden, sweet, and crispy,
i can say with confidence,
that i personally, do not like parsnips.

Recipe ;

- 2 1/2 pounds of parsnips

- 1/5 cup veggie oil

- salt & pepper

- 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel & cut the parsnips (french fry style),

should be about an inch wide & 1/2 thick.

Place the parsnips into a roasting pan, &

pour oil over the parsnips & mix them well,

coating each parsnip. Pour the maple syrup

over the parsnips & bake until tender

(about 35 mins) or until crispy & golden.
*serve as a side dish for a meaty main course
   ex; roast beef.

2nd Dinner at Midnight;

i`ve always had this horrible habit of eating after midnight,
i cant seem to sleep unless i munch on something beforehand.
They say its not good for the digestive system, could cause weight gain,
and swelling in the morning..
but luckily that doesnt seem to be an issue for me! hohoho~
Either way, habits are hard to break, & i doubt ill be stopping anytime soon.

midnight dinner today?
korean BBQ !
marinated onions, garlic slivers, kimchi, lettuce wraps &
spicy sauces (pepper sauce & bean paste)
it was SO good !

& for my dessert, a big cup of pomegranates.
arnt they pretty? 

Pika-two ;

aahh~ Pokemon.

One of my childhood favorites.

i use to watch their shows, collect the cards, and i even dragged my parents

to the theater, when Pokemon the Movie; "Mewtwo Strikes Back"  first came out.

It was all for that holographic Mew card that they were handing out with our tickets.

my dad fell asleep during the movie, and my mom complained about how

lame the movie was, but it was all so worth it for me and my little bro~

(RIP to the original creator of Pokemon; Satoshi Tajiri, Oct 30,2010..)

Bento Box #8: Pikachus & Pokeball
This was my first attempt, but i wasnt satisfied with how
flat this one ended up looking. it lacked volume.
(requested by tommy & wilson)

Bento Box #8 : Pikachus & Pokeball (2nd attempt)
I decided to add a fluffy pile of fried rice, with
clover-shaped pieces of meat & veggies instead !
(requested by tommy & wilson)

i was actually lucky enough to find these tiny
cookie cutters, when i was shopping the other day!
12 pieces for $10 ; not too bad.
these help a lot with making cute cut-outs for my bentos.

My First Week ;

These were the bento boxes i made in my first week of actually attempting them !

Some of my earlier designs and ideas were inspired by googled images of other

works and characters, with a touch of my own personal twist, ofcourse!

but as i’m becoming more comfortable with creating these, i’m continuously

developing my own style of cooking, texturizing, and detailing techniques,

while brainstorming of what foods would mix well with eachother.

(believe me, its no easy task!)

& at the same time, i’m also improving my own personal ability to think about
interesting and unique themes/designs that would keep my bentos
fun to check-out everytime!
Bentos made from Nov 4, - Nov 12, 2010

Bento Box #1: Egg Ninja & Penguin w/ Bow-tie
this ones the first bento box i`ve ever made !

Bento Box #2: Hello Kitty Curry
yum japanese curry with hello kitty rice?!

Bento Box #3: Sleeping Bear w/ Polka-Dot Blanket
now this one was just way too cute to eat !
(inspired by kevin)

Bento Box #4: Totoro w/ Leaf Umbrella & Friend
inspired by the movie ; "My Neighbor Totoro" 
i LOVE the works of Hayao Miyazaki !
if you havnt watched any of his movies, go do it NOW!
(Totoro took me almost 2 hours to make..
 remind me to never make gray characters ever again.)

Bento Box #5: Jack Skellington & Spam Bear Musubi
inspired by the movie; "Nightmare Before Christmas"
i mean honestly, who DOESNT like that movie?
a total classic.

Bento Box #6: Panda Bears, Mini-Kabobs, & Lessons
okay, this may not be one of my best works, but i did
have alot of fun teaching my baby cousin, how to make
a bento box!
did i mention hes 8 yrs old? 

"Mini-Kabob"
heres a picture of the mini kabobs we used for
 bento box #6 (above).
its a cube of steak, a half white mushroom,
a baby tomato & a slice of white onion.
all pierced together by a toothpick! so cute.

Bento Box #7 : Egg Chicken in nest, Puppy w/ a Bone,
Pork-Filled Piggy, & Girly Bear
first, id like to apologize for the crappy picture quality.
making these characters took longer than i expected
and along with losing an hr from daylight savings,
the sun went down sooner than expected. thus making
my picture not as bright & vivid as the others.
anyway, the bottom of this Bento is filled with
home-made yakisoba ~

The Appetizer ;

To think, my first word was "mam-ma".. 

& in korean, that could mean one of two things; "mommy" or " food".

my mom probably popped out an egg of joy when i spoke my first word,

but in secret, im sure i was attempting to ask for some nom-ables ~

That being said, my talent seems to be an odd variety of artsy-fartsy things;

-cutting hair (and actually gaining compliments from hairstylists)
-making cards (all handmade, taking hours of work. 

making me spend anywhere from $10-$75)
-graphic designs (which i will be majoring in)
-doing nails
-drawing with pencils (having my art put up in a 
 couple local museums & art shows)
-and, cooking. (to even be considered for hire by a farm&food magazine,

as their free-lance photographer)

So, back to the topic of food.

art & food have always been two separate loves of mine.
i used to just have fun with cooking and trying to take
the perfect picture(s) of everything i made, to post on my facebook.
recently though, my interests started moving beyond just cooking,
and into plating and food designs.
thats when i started to make "bento boxes"
i made my first bento box on nov. 4th, 2010,
and ever since then, ive been hooked

Bentos for me, are a stress-reliever~
Actually cooking in general can be.

creating something that tickles the eyes & the tummy ? how great is that !

especially when you get to see the looks on peoples faces
when they see what you`ve made.

& better yet, love how the food tastes?

its unexplainable bliss~

You could say that my palette for food is adventurous.

i like any sort of food, and im willing to try anything atleast once.

especially when its experimenting with random food.

examples to some of the weird things ive tried are..

mayo dipped pickles, cups of orange juice with floating cheerios pieces,

"balut" (a boiled, fertilized duck egg), "bbundegi" (marinated silkworm larvae),
& i think i`ve accidentally swallowed a gnat before..

The list goes on !

you name it, ill try it.

as Andew Zimmern says : " If it looks good, eat it . "