Green-tea Panna cotta ;

it feels like its been forever since my latest blog entry,
ive been so caught up with friends, movies &  work, i guess i either got too tried or lazy to write a blog entry. (im sure you've all gone through a point like that, one time or another.)
Anyway! im glad to be back with a delicious new recipe; Green-tea Panna cotta !
it took me about 2 tries to get it right, the first batch came out too watery / creamy, when it was suppose to have a similar consistency to mousse or like flan .. ? i realized my mistake on that was the lack of gelatin. i was reading a basic recipe for "pannacotta" online, and it said to add 1 1/2 tbs of gelatin, but when it didnt "gel" i looked at my package of gelatin & i guess it just needed more.
On my box package it said 1 packet of gelatin for 1 cup of liquid. *facepalm*. i should of read the box first. 
My mistake; it happens !
Anyway, although i didnt add 1 whole package to the cream, (because i wasnt looking for a Jell-o consistency); i added half for each cup, and it came out wonderfully, so just remember to READ the PACKAGE first before using! haha.


Now before i post the pictures, i want to say... 
i LOVELOVELOVE anything thats GREEN TEA FLAVORED !
whether its just plain tea itself, ice cream, mochi, cakes, cookies, whip cream, custard, green-tea infused drinks; such as boba/tapioca drinks.
(i always get the Passion-fruit Green-tea's in tea stores) yum yum!
i recommend heading over to your nearest asian store RIGHT NOW and buy green tea mochi icecream !
Actually, ive seen them selling these in local American markets as well, theyre getting very popular~
so give that a try the next time youre in the freezer section of your nearest grocery store!
they come in a variety of flavors; vanilla, chocolate (yummy), strawberry, & green-tea (my favorite).


Is anyone else a die-hard fan of certain flavors?
Chocolate-addicts perharps?

Honey Vanilla Panna cotta w/ Green-tea Topping

Recipe ;

Pannacotta

- 3 cups whipping cream

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

- 1/3 cup Honey

- unflavored gelatin

Topping

- 1/4 cup honey or sugar

- 1/2 cup whipping cream

- 2 tbs green tea powder

- whip cream (optional)

- raspberries (optional)

For the Pannacotta portion; 

Combine the cream, vanilla, salt, & honey in a

large pan, & heat on low heat until warm, then

add gelatin (according to box instructions, i used

1/2 a serving package, others might require a few tbs).

Mix thoroughly until gelatin is completely dissolved. 

pour into individual serving cups or bowl & refrigerate,

until "gelled".

For the Topping ;

In a mixing bowl, combine first 3 ingredients &

whip until fluffy. (the end result should be slightly

bitter from the tea, yet sweet from the cream & honey.)

Add a large spoonful of topping onto each serving cup,

add a dollop of whip cream, & top off with a raspberry.

ENJOY !

A Perfect Single Serving
isnt it pretty?

"American Classic" Breakfast ;

>> Before i begin with my food entry,
i would like to thank Chrysta  for the give away prize !
and Deepa Praveen for The Lovely Blog award !
Thank you both, for these gifts~
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Now, i just started working at Puma, and i guess the morning shifts VS my sleeping schedule is really getting to me,
i normally stay up until 7am ! but work requires me to be AT work by 8:30am.
So, you can imagine how that would be difficult to adjust to, haha, but i noticed that having a big filling breakfast usually perks me up enough to get through the day.
i was in the mood for an "American Classic" breakfast; so thats exactly what i ended up making, with a side of fresh cut mangoes
(since im still craving for them like crazy).
But, unlike most health-cautious people, a protein shake just doesnt cut it for me, i need to feel crunchy, savory, hot, or spicy FOOD between my teeth to feel full & satisfied. its just how i am, anything otherwise sounds depressing .. haha.

A Huge Hearty Breakfast
gotta indulge once in a while right?

- 1 Slice of Toast, halved

- 1 Over-easy Egg Fried

- 2 Strips of Bacon

- 1 Sausage Pattie

- 1 Mango Sliced

Oh, and an update with my baby plants;
The Baby Tomato plant hasnt shown any signs of fruit yet, but it has shot up like a weed! its over a foot tall now, when it was only about 7 inches tall when i first bought it a couple weeks ago.
The Strawberry Plant however, is growing MORE fruit, & what was once green berries are now almost ready for picking, as blushing red berries. i cant wait !

Strawberry Plant

Tomato Plant

Oh, and another hobby i just got back into is Drawing, this time i drew my best friend, Tiffany.
Its an old picture of us, but its one of my favorites, it was right after we ate at Red Robbins a couple years ago, we grabbed a couple of their balloons that they always had floating around their restaurant,
as we left; and continued to walk around the shopping plaza, we were sucking the helium out of the balloons and talking to each other in chip-munk voices, cracking up at the ridiculous high pitched noises that were escaping our throats.

Me & Tiff
Ahh, Tiff, im sorry if this looks terrible,
im just starting to get back into drawing
so bear with me. haha
(atleast this looks better than my previous
drawing of Kevin, (post below.))
haha

& a note to kevin's mom ;
PLEASE, SPANK KEVIN FOR PICKING ON ME !
he keeps telling me to shuuut up  :'(

Vegetable Soup ;

i know ive been a bit laggy with the food updates,
ive been a bit under the weather lately,
which gives an excuse to make soup, right?

Vegetable Soup
its really simple to make

Recipe ;

- 2 large tomatoes peeled & halved

- 1 small onion quartered.

- 1 cup chicken or beef broth

- 1 carrot, sliced into small pieces

- 1 clove garlic

- 1 cucumber peeled & halved

- 1 tbs olive oil

- salt & pepper to taste

(When it comes to recipes like this, you can get

really creative with it, feel free to use any sort of

your favorite vegetables & herbs for this soup.)

Place everything in a large pot, and boil until all

veggies are tender. Carefully, pour into your blender,

& blend until smooth.

Enjoy.

Ah ..
words cant describe how nervous the news makes me. .
i live 15 minutes away from our nearest beach, and the "Redondo Beach" they're referring to is less than an hr drive away from my home.
So besides this earthquake / tsunami warning 
AND the radiation that MIGHT be coming our way;
it seems im in a pickle.
i really hope this is all media bull shit,
& this "ring of fire" pattern stops before it hits California.

SOooo, to get my mind off a few things,
ive decided to pick up drawing again,
but damn, i havnt held a pencil in years.. and ive lost my touch.
oh well... practice makes perfect right?

oh god, i hope he doesnt get

offended when he sees this.

haha

i havnt drawn in 5 years!

haha !
my next attempt will be my best friend Tiffany. ♡

A Plateful of Sunshine ;

With the catastrophe going on in Japan, the world has seemed to have dimmed in color a bit..
parts of California has been affected by the Tsunami as well,
and im hearing about the major issues in Japan's Fukushima Neuclear Power Plants;
There is radiation that has been detected in Japan, and the radiation cloud could drift over here as well.
Sigh..
im in "coward mode" right now, and not looking up any more information on the topic,
i just want some color back into the world, or specifically, MY world.
Here are a few sparkling tid-bits of my life.
1.  ive been craving Mangoes & Strawberries like its nobodies buisness ! Atleast theyre very colorfully pretty & healthy right? Not to mention,  absolutely delicious !

Heart Shaped Pancakes with Mangoes & Strawberries.
check out my Vanilla Pancake Recipe by clicking here .
eating a plate of sunshine to start your day really chases away
the gloom blues.

2. i have contributed a donation into the RED CROSS, to help aid Japan.
3. ive just recently been hired to work at Puma, the Athletic clothing store (with the helping hand of Brandon) and the thing thats so great about it, are my co-workers, theyre such happy, easy-going individuals. and better yet,  Puma  supplies me with FREE clothes & shoes, every.. season i believe? to keep up to date with their latest fashion, AND in addition to that, i also get a 60% discount on all store items! yay.
4. My baby Tomato & Strawberry plants are growing healthy & happily!

The Strawberry Plant
its finally showing fruit !
5 little green berries, can you see them?
i cant wait till they start turing a pretty ruby color  ~

5. & i wanted to specifically thank Kevins mother for a very generous & heart felt offer, & to let her know coco is actually completely useless in warning me with worldly catastrophes.. haha, but he says hello !

My Dog; Coco & His Squished Face
adorable, aint he?

Food LOLs ;

All my fellow blogging friends are older than 18, so it seems okay to post a few Food Funnies that do contain some sexual content.
all out of humor though, so no harm, haha.
i found some of these to be ridiculously funny and i laughed till my stomach hurt.
The video is from YouTube, called "Macho Salad"
(its not in english, i believe its in swedish actually.)
& the conversational texts are from a website called "DamnYouAutoCorrect.com"
its basically conversational errors caused by auto-correct
during text messages. most of these are from the iphones.
(Check it out, it made me laugh till i cried.)

You Want Jalapenis with that?

Awkward Love

Masturbating Cherries

Baby Pirates with Garlic

Secret Ingredient? Crap.

Really Want Crispy Dick

Lettuce Pants

Lil Wayne Meets Rosemary

Live by the Crack pot, Die by the Crackpot

Eating Slaves with Rachael Ray

Moms Porn

Sexual Shopping

Cooking Boogers

Do Mexican Scrotums contain lead as well?

Grounded Black People

Devils Food

Better Butt Flavor

The Lovely Blog Award ;

Thank you Sonali, from Only Fish Recipes for my Lovely Blog award ! im flattered that you thought of my blog, as you were picking your "15 lovely bloggers", and i tip my hat to you for having a blog that is completely dedicated to  fish & seafood dishes! 
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Now, the rule for accepting this award is to simply just pick 15 "lovely" bloggers & to leave a message on their blog asking them to pick up the award, but i thought id add a little "something something" & write a little about each blog. Im sorry i could only pick 15.. 
i do have a ton of fantastic bloggers on my list, and you guys will def. have an award coming your way, the next time an award pops into my blog ♡
- - - - - - My Lovely Blogger Picks -  - - - - 
1. i can honestly say that Katerina was my first active "blog friend", shes always so generous with her thoughts and comments, and through her, ive met a lot of other bloggers which became our mutual friends. Katerina, i know youve gotten this award so many times but id just like to say thank you for being my first active follower ♥ Check out her blog, at Culinary Flavors, its where all the cool kids go ! haha.
2. Rebecca is one of the most creative & compassionate people ive met in the blogworld, she has such a natural way of writing that makes it enjoyable to all her posts. Not to mention, her pictures are always fun to check out as well, shes a fantastic craftsman and a wonderful friend to everyone who knows her, Click on Hopewell Creek Designs to check out her heart felt blog.
3. Meg Smith in Cooking.in.College has such a great personality, she presents delicious & healthy food into all of her posts, and i find myself wandering over to her blog ever so often to browse through them all !
4. Bento Bird has such BEAUTIFUL & colorful pictures of her bentos, she was kind enough to give me few tips on improving mine as well, which im really grateful for. Thank you for your help, its helped me to have a better blogging experience~
5.  Being Suzy Homemaker is a great blog, filled with foods that i consider to be wonderful "comfort foods", shes great at describing the recipe & is always helpful with the tips, overall her blog is SO YUM !
6. Tante Kiki is a wonderful greek blog, filled with a ton of home made desserts & entrees. Shes a very active "poster" and is constantly posting her food pictures, a real busy bee ! you'll never get bored while following her~ 
7.Oh, Megan from Muncher Cruncher, is one heck of a super-woman. Not only does she post "healthy AND delicious" food, but she also adds on the nutritional facts for them as well, i think she could kick Jillian Michael's ass any day of the week, and twice on Sunday!
8. My name twin, Stephanie ! From Thorns Have Roses has a very colorful blog, filled with funny, conversational topics anyone can join into. i``ve only recently started to follow her, but i find her blog entries to be very fun, you'll probably find me posting on them quite often!
9. "CG" from Cooking Gallery is  yet another bento blog! i enjoy watching her funny little bentos, and admire her hard work WHILE keeping a full time job, you go girl ! i vote that we should pick a character together, and build a bento together ! haha
10. OH my goddd, Honest Vanilla why are you such a Goddess with your photographs?! it makes me jealous! hehe, actually, i loveee your work & your recipes, they look jaw-droppingly delicious ALL . THE . TIME . !
11. Talk about Fancy living, Design Wine and Dine is always posting mouth watering food, that looks SO elegant and delicious, every time i go visit her blog, my tummy grumbles its reluctance. (i think it doesnt like the fact that it can SEE the food, but not eat it, poor thing.)
12. Mari's Cakes is THE blog for all people who have a huge sweet tooth, shes very innovative and creative when it comes to her sweets, i mean, did you know you could make delicious pineapple juice with the pineapples tough, leathery, rind ?! can you say brilliant?
13. Tastes of Home is another blog that i have recently started to "follow", but im in love with it already! i LOVE chinese food, the real traditional stuff, not the crappy kung pao orange chicken from panda express, nonono , THIS is the real deal, and she manages to describe the recipe in such an easy-to-make way, its almost impossible to not give it a try.
14. For some yummy indian dishes Deepapraveen is the place to go, she posts delicious food, and is super descriptive with her recipes. & shes always so helpful when it comes to questions for her dishes~
15.  Indie.Tea is a BEAUTIFUL blog in a class all its own. Her pictures are so simple, but they manage to hold on to the feel of comfort, by using solid, earthy, natural tones. im completely in love with her blog !