The most important thing

I wonder what Olympic athletes actually eat during competition. All the Kellogg and McDonald commercials that try to connect their products with athleticism is really strange.

Anyways, this is one of my imagined breakfast of champions: grapes, greens, frittata and a yogurt smoothie.

Extended famiree

My baby brothers started a blog mostly to show off my mother's cooking. Take a peek at http://peculiarnest.blogspot.com

Friends in tasty places

My good friend Ehsan is interning at the famed Chez Panisse - which means that he needed to take a break from prepping squid and gem lettuce, and make a proper meal. Well, I obviously invited myself over for a tasty time. Below is a Thomas Keller style chicken, golden beet/dill/goat cheese salad and a salad with the most beautiful summer produce.

His mother offered us a rose-saffron-pistaccio ice cream and it was so very very amazing. I highly recommend it but I think you can only get it at Iranian markets.

midsummer night's update

hello everybody (or nobody) !

here is a mid-summer update.

my time in paris ended on a sweet note at breizh cafe with the amazing crepe briochine (sautéed banana, vanilla ice cream, and breizh's famous housemade caramel sauce). if you are ever in paris, for the love of god, GO (but you'll have to make a reservation first). oh and for pre-dessert get the gallette maraîchère, full of fresh market vegetables.

new york summer started with some fried octopedes because, well, when associated supermarket is selling many pounds' worth of baby octopedes for only $8, why not buy them?

next came the momofuku bo ssäm. i think the topic has been exhausted on this blog but let me just reiterate one more time in case you didn't get it: FATTY PORKY HEAVEN.

there was some excellent banh mi from banh mi saigon, which gives you pretty good bang for your buck. i have since been to v-name cafe on 1st & 1st, and it was equally cheap & delicious. recommend both.

then came a few rounds of dim sum at our fave 88 palace, the first better than the second, further reinforcing the fact that sunday mornings are the only real time to get dim sum so as to get the best selection. pictured here are two of my absolute favorites, jia leung and ham siu gok.

okay now i'm getting confused about the order of things. somewhere in here was a visit to the big gay ice cream shop, at which max & i shared the monday sundae and holy hell let me just say: why doesn't anyone else put nutella in their ice cream sundaes???

we made a berry pie for july 4th because this pie dough from david leibowitz is pretty fun / easy to make and also because fresh homemade whipped cream is da best. we were a little too eager though and decorated the pie before it cooled, which resulted in a melted cream berry crumble creation. still delicious.

after a long, long, long and arduous process of stephen + his friends trying to find an apartment to move into, we finally found a great place in the east village that has been fun to move into. it has also been fun to break in the kitchen with healthy dinners like this veggie mung dal thing i made that actually looked like the picture in the recipe (!)

aaand less healthy creations like homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream (there it is!), a favorite from last summer's ice cream endeavor.

last but certainly not least, i got a $5 stick blender off craigslist for stephen me, thus forever smoothies on the fire escape!!!

here's to many more before the summer's end.

battle of the toppings

How do you like your Mister Softee's?


On another note.

mo' momo

This is extremely belated but check out my winter bbq party spread --- and yes, we did that Momofuku bo ssam. I'm so excited to be coming back home for the summer and you know I'm going to get my grill on. All you babes in Caleee-four-knee-ya, be prepared for a deliciously meat-y summer because MOMMA'S COMING HOME!

Highlights of the winter BBQ: my mother did a soju love-shot with my old friend from highschool. 

Easter weekend in Brasil

Hi famiree! This weekend I went to Ouro Preto. It's an old mining town and most of the buildings are at least 300 years old. It was so so beautiful and cute - to the point of not being real. For easter they have a big celebration where they cover all the cobblestone streets with carpets made of colored sawdust with designs of saints and other fun things. Then on easter sunday there is a big parade with a bunch of bible characters. I took a lot of pictures of babies, but I decided to be serious and share these instead.

Fatih

Today Claire and I went on a mission to find some Byzantine churches in the old part of Istanbul called Fatih. Typically, we did not actually accomplish anything that we set out to do, but we had a good time anyway. Google needs to learn about Turkey. My top priorities for them are Turkish and the locations of things on maps.

We made it to an amazing restaurant called Eski Kafa where you go into the kitchen and point to what you want.

We each got a plate of different delicious vegetarian things including bulgur kofte balls, eggplant stuffed with pilav, potato börek, fasulye beans, and grape leaf dolma.

You can sit outside in camping chairs with a giant stone thingy as your table. The waiter let us try all of their juices that they make, I got hibiscus and Claire got plum.

It comes with yogurt and little pots of hot pepper flakes and mint. Then a friendly cat came to visit and sat next to our table.

Many tulips are in bloom in Istanbul now!

Then we stopped for a sarma from Fatih's famous sarmacısı, in operation for 4 generations, since the Ottoman time.

Sarma is a kind of spongey cake soaked in sweet syrup with apricot jam and coconut and pistachio on top.

We never made it inside a Byzantine building, but we did get to the Şeyzade Camii, built by Mimar Sinan in 1548.

Sophia visits me in London, Or: Brainwaves unleashed and transcribed

Sophia visited me in London on Thursday, and it was really nice seeing a familiar face. We talked about her aunt, and she watched me wolf down a giant bowl of pasta and vegetables as I do regularly because it’s one thing I’ve mastered as an art. Then we bought 40s at Sainbury’s. Neither of us had a bottle opener, so we had to buy a bottle opener that I carried for the rest of the night in my pocket—not at Sainsbury’s, but at Londis because Sainsbury Local doesn’t carry bottle openers. (Why?) I see that guy working at Londis all the time. He has very judgmental eyes, in my opinion. We walked to my campus and sat on the steps and drank our 40s like we were back at Columbia until we both had to pee. So we did. Then Sophia wanted to walk to the river (was that subconscious?), and so we went on our way to the river. But then we got sidetracked by a “Mexican” restaurant. We thought, “Sure, why not.” (Read: life happens, why not!) Sophia ordered a margarita, and I ordered a mojito and dedicated it to Yooni and Livy. They were both tasty. We wanted chips, so we ordered chips. This is the best part. We waited I don’t even know how long for chips. Multiple waiters and bartenders on their own volition assured us that there was nothing like some grand kitchen conspiracy—just some mishap. They even offered to give us chips on the house because we had been waiting for so long. We happily agreed and waited, just laughing and talking and catching up. We were in a chip-less blackhole for, like I said, I don’t even know how long. We watched as many other parties all around us got chips. But it was fine because our chips were coming soon. Except that they never did. Eventually they apologized, saying that they ran out of chips. To make it up to us, we could order something off the menu free of charge. We ordered some tostada with avocado. The lady commended our choice and assured us it’d come up soon. Except that it never did. They (at that exact moment in time, d’uh) ran out of avocados. She apologized again and suggested tacos—free, naturally. So we did. And then there were tacos in front of us. And then we ate the tacos. And laughed. And then we left. Oh, I forgot about the Bohemia. Whatever. It plays no crucial role in the overall plot of this mundane story.

We took the tube to Shoreditch. First we visited the Book Club. It was full of 20 to 30-somethings and felt a lot like Brooklyn, which made me miss New York. Some British man sitting next to me asked me if I knew what the “Shoreditch #&*@$%#” was. (That’s not profanity; I don’t remember what he said. I couldn’t even remember after telling this story to Sophia approximately five minutes later.) People danced and we had Mexican beer and then went to Catch. The poster or whatever for that night was too funny to pass up. (I just spent the last 10 minutes looking for it on the internet to no avail.) I asked the bouncer how long the line was to get inside. He was confused. I came to my senses and used “queue.” Yank.

Then we got to my room and watched the trailer for “A Dangerous Method.” Keira Knightley does a Russian accent. The plot suggests many things that I’m not sure I’m happy with. It also has Michael Fassbender in it.

We just barely arrived at Bill’s before they stopped serving breakfast. (Why would any establishment cease breakfast foods at any point during the day? TIME IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT.) I had a near-proper English breakfast, as there were no beans. However, my eggs were so perfect-looking. We tried their jams and laughed about the chips. The grapefruit and ginger flavored jam was my favorite of the four we tried. Sophia also ordered bubble and squeak (link to Wikipedia page). We didn’t know what it was either. Bill’s also had really nice bathrooms with the pully thing to flush. I rarely see nice bathrooms, which is why the previous sentence was noteworthy.

We finally walked to the Thames and walked along the water to the Tate Modern. There was a scary performer in a box with face paint that almost gave me a heart attack along with those metallic men that give me nightmares as well. The Tate Modern is a really strange space and very un-American in design. A lot of it is unused and industrial. We went through the third floor. We felt hung over. We got more coffee. We went to the fourth floor and debated whether or not to pay 9 pounds to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibit. I thought of Yooni. We didn’t end up going, but it’s there until June, so I’ll see it eventually. We went to the fifth floor, which I think I preferred to the third floor.

Sophia and I then walked some more and eventually settled at Foyles. We laughed at the goofy covers of British edition books. We both got lost looking around. I always get hit by this sense of longing for a steady home for my books instead of in boxes. This time was no exception. I paced around the aisles without much purpose after that. Always in transit.

Then sadly, Sophia had to go back to her aunt’s. We walked to Euston Station and said goodbye. I bought a bagel to combat the heartache. I also wanted a bagel. I arrived home, bagel in hand, and sent Simon a homey gift.

Fin.

Famiree Portrait

This semester has been somewhat hard for me because it's strange adjusting to not being with the famiree all the time. As I mentioned, I'm in London; Nicole is in Paris; Vanessa is in Istanbul; Terren is in Rio de Janeiro; Devin is back in Arizona; and Yooni, Steph, and Livy are in New York.

To put it succinctly, I miss all of you.

-CPK

Famiree inspires a post

Hi, everyone. It's CPK. I'm in London for five months studying at UCL and hanging out with Max on the daily. Anyway, a couple weeks ago, I went to Paris to visit Nicole, Lauren, Ian, and my friend from high school Anna. Ian and I went to le Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture, a more-or-less abandoned railway. It was really cool, so I wanted to share some pixXx.

Hopefully I'll be able to do a bit more traveling, as classes at UCL end on 23 March, and I don't have my one exam until some time in May. Though very tentative, I really want to visit Vanessa in Istanbul(!!!) and Julien in Frankfurt. I'm going to force Julien to go to Vienna, Prague, and Berlin y/y/y/y/yyyyyy.

adventures in being classy as hale

hi famiree, and non-famiree lurkers (?), i don't know if the latter exist, but if so, hi to you also! if you can believe it, this is my debut on famireetime. i know, i am horribly lazy and this is quite overdue. hi, blog world! anyway, with so many culinary prodigies in famiree i always felt a bit intimidated to post, coupled with the fact that i cook so rarely. unless you count kraft mac n' cheese (WHICH I DO). once, i tried to microwave hershey's kisses in the microwave with the foil still on. in my defense, i was 14, but this may give you some clue as to how much natural kitchen prowess i have. (read: none)

however, i have a lot of free time now that i am taking some time off from school and living in phoenix. i need some projects to challenge me, and cooking is one of them! my friend and i have started a weekly tradition of getting together and cooking dinner, and i've surprised myself how fun and relaxing it is when you have a partner in the kitchen. when i'm by myself i get scared and second guess myself, but more on that another time.

last night we made a delicious flatbread with balsamic, prosciutto, goat cheese, caramelized onions, and basil. spoiler alert: IT WAS QUALITY. really easy, really delicious, and really really classy.

YOU WILL NEED: (for two small flatbreads)

1 yellow onion

about 3/4 a tablespoon brown sugar for caramelizin'

1 tablespoon of salt

balsamic vinegar

some goat cheese

a lil package of prosciutto

fresh basil

2 small flatbreads (we got ours from whole foods but if you're feeling ambitious you can use dough, or make your dough from scratch! we're not at that level just yet)

the whole process is pretty intuitive, but if you're a noob like me, listen up:

cut up yo onion, and heat a medium skillet with some olive oil and a small amount of butter. listen to that sizzle! throw in your onions and let them sit for a bit, then add your brown sugar and salt. stir. let em get nice and brown and caramelized. we let ours sit for longer than normal but that just made them extra sweet and delicious when paired with the bitter balsamic.

wash your basil. get your flatbreads ready! we poured some balsamic on to start (eyeball it), added the onions, goat cheese, and strips of prosciutto. pre-heat your oven to 400 F, and then throw those babies in. we let them sit for about 7 minutes, enough to warm everything up, let the cheese get soft and melty, and the prosciutto crispy and delicious. take them out and top with basil and a drizzle of more balsamic!

EAT AND ENJOY. this is seriously good. and truly easy!

into ze oven

protip: enjoy with wine! we chose a cheap chardonnay from my local sketchy liquor store. see, classy as hale!

Greetings from Turkey

I'm in Turkey for the next few months! I should blog you some food pictures, but that would first require me to take some. For now, here are pictures from the trip I just took to Kapadokya in central Turkey.

Apple & Banana muffins with creamcheese filling

Guys, we said we'd have a fun international friendship experience! Seize the moment! BLOG NOW!
Here are a handful of muffins that I made the other day. Who doesn't love cream cheese? With apples? And Bananas????

3 parts cold cream cheese, 1 part granulated sugar. Cream and roll into balls to place on the top of the muffins before you bake.


Apple Cake/muffin adapted from Martha Stewart
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp kosher salt
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups of sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups of shredded apples
2 Tbs of bourbon

Preheat oven to 350, line your tins, whisk your dry goods except sugar in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar, then mix in vanilla, eggs and bourbon. Mix in apples, add flour in 3 parts. Add batter to the tins halfway up the cups.
Add creamcheese balls, pressed lightly into the batter before placing in the oven. Bake for ~17 minutes.

Banana Muffins adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Jacked up Banana Bread
4 ripe smashed bananas
1/3 cup of melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla
2 Tbs bourbon (to be honest i was pouring liberally)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cup of flour

Heat oven to 350. Mix butter and bananas. Then add vanilla, sugar, egg, bourbon, salt, and spices. Add baking soda and finally the flour in 3 parts. Fill cupcake liners half way and add the cream cheese balls to the top and press down lightly. Baked for ~18 minute.
To be honest, I liked the apple recipe better. 

photobooth update

Two things:

1. Crochet Strawberry necklace I made the other day. I don't, yet, have the balls to wear this in public. But I will, never fear, I will.

2. The newest (and possibly the most practical considering my kitchen appliance addiction) member of the family: the 6 1/2" baby cast iron skillet. Literally the perfect size for two eggs. There will be more photos of the baby in action l8r. 

HI I'M BACK

...and in paris! i have returned to chronicle my latest food endeavor: a new batch of macarons each week. i figure that will give me enough time and tries to master them. i don't have class on tuesdays, so that will be my macaron day.

i have made macarons a few times, undaunted by the comments that it is a very specific art: one stir too many and they're ruined. must've been beginner's luck, because the first two times they came out fine and delicious without too much grief. the next time, though, they were a disaster.

mustered up the courage to attempt again today. failed miserably, again. going to have to try a little harder next time, it seems. it was still fun though. for example, TIL: there is only one type of powdered sugar at monoprix, and it comes in a container like this:

?????

anyway, stay tuned until next tuesday, when i will (hopefully) have something more exciting to share! and i hope my counterparts abroad will also soon return to chronicle all things famiree time. until then.