These muffins are very breakfast-y, not super sugary, dairy free, and gluten free. It has some protein, fruit, good fat, and oatmeal - what else could you want?!
Yields: 14 muffins
Ingredients:
.25 cup coconut oil
.25 cup honey
2 large eggs
1.5 cups of mashed ripe bananas
.5 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla
.25 tsp salt
2.5 cups of oats (pulsed so it’s a mix of flour and some oats)
1.5 cups of berries (olallieberries, blueberries, blackberries, diced up strawberries, etc.)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Whisk coconut oil and honey together until combined well.
Add in the two large eggs and with a paddle attachment, mix on medium-high speed until combined well. Add in the bananas and mix it on a low setting. At this point if the coconut oil starts to solidify due to the cold ingredients, I place it on the stove burner where the heat is released from my oven for a few minutes.
Add in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla and mix at a low to medium speed with the paddle attachment. Add half the pulsed oats and stir it together using your kitchenaid mixer. Then add the other half of the pulsed oats in until well combined.
Add the berries to the mixture and fold it in. If you have blackberries, they will explode and turn your mixture a dull purple/gray so folding is the way to go.
Using a large ice cream scoop, fill 12 lined muffin tins until it is almost filled to the top. These muffins will have a slight dome shape, but not rise a ton.
Bake on the middle rack for about 13-16 minutes. Should have a slight golden edge on the top of the muffin and not look wet. Cool the muffins in their lining on a wire rack and bake the additional 2 muffins as well.
One of my top three favorite chocolate chip cookies and I finally found the recipe in his cookbook! (My other two favorite are Susiecakes and the recipe from Tasty.)
I made about 18 of these and I did an experiment between silpat and parchment paper. (The silpat is on the left and parchment paper is on the right.) My husband likes the parchment paper cookies better. I used an ice cream scooper and baked them for 7 minutes. You can see they are both sort of the same, but the parchment paper cookies spread a little more than the silpat ones and have lighter bottoms. Anyway, 10/10 would make again!
This weekend we made tortellinis and raviolis stuffed with either mushroom, butternut squash, beet mixture, or ricotta. And we made 6 types of colorful pastas with 2 different pasta recipes. Here are the specs below:
Pasta Recipe #1 (based on Salty Seattle’s Recipe) for All Colors Except Yellow
Ingredients:
1 egg
2/3 c AP flour (start off with this much, add more depending on how hydrated the add in is)
.5 tsp salt
Colors:
Red: Beet juice (after puree) and papirika
Blue: Butterfly pea flower
Yellow: Tumeric (used other recipe below)
Green: Parsley and green peas
Purple: Blueberries (didnt come out so well). Try butterfly pea powder and dragonfruit pitaya powder instead maybe.
Pink: Dragonfruit pitaya powder
Directions:
Blend together egg with add-in color. Be cautious - if it is not a powdered add in, this can cause the dough to get VERY sticky because you’re adding in more liquid
Knead the dough and let rest for 30 minutes at least
Pasta Dough #2 for Yellow and Base (based on Serious Eats recipe)
Ingredients:
1 Egg
2 Yolks
5 oz AP flour
.5 tsp salt
Directions: Same as above. You can add tumeric to make the dough more yellow if you need.
Notes on multi color pasta: The dough will dry out VERY quickly when working with that many colors.
After rolling out your pastas, you probably will have some scrap rejects. Don’t throw it away - just boil them up and eat them with whatever leftover filling you have or sauce! They’re too pretty to waste.
Now for the fillings:
Mushroom filling
Ingredients:
Crimini (and Shiitake mushrooms)
Butter
Red wine (splash)
Garlic
Whole Milk Ricotta
Salt
Directions (kind of winged it here):
Throw the butter into the pan until it starts to brown a little
Dice up the mushrooms, mince the garilc, and add those to the pan and cook on medium-high heat. Cook until most of the liquid is evaporated.
If there is still remaining liquid, strain it out before adding it into the blender.
Pulse the blender a few times to make a puree. Add in some ricotta as you prefer and fold it in. Add salt to taste.
I followed the recipe by ramen_lord from his Gyokai Tsukemen recipe on reddit. I had all these ingredients and they were pretty much the same steps as the tapicoa noodle recipe he also has. (I cant remember if this recipe came first or the other one.) I like this one better than the tapioca one though.
Anyway, I was mainly interested in the noodles and made 1/3 recipe (his serves 7 portions of 200 g each.) They were high hydration for sure.
Here’s the ingredients and steps abbreviated for a full recipe:
· 940g King Arthur Bread Flour (94%)
· 60 g whole wheat flour (this is optional, I like the color and flavor it adds, it also reduces some gluten formation) (6%)
· 420 g water (42%)
· 10 g kansui powder (8g sodium carbonate, 2 g potassium carbonate) (1%)
· 10 g salt (1%)
Steps:
1. Add kansui powder and salt to the water, dissolve completely. (Add one at a time to avoid clumping.)
2. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, add flours. Set to stir and run for 30 seconds.
3. While running the mixer on stir, add two thirds of your water mixture slowly, in an even stream. Let the mixer stir for 3 minutes.
4. Add in the remaining water mixture with the mixer running, run for another minute, until small clumps begin to form.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Cover, and let this rest for at least 30 minutes (hour is fine). Dont skip this.
6. Knead it. Take the dough and fold it, sheeting under the 2nd widest setting, then fold it again and sheet it under the widest setting. Then repeat again, until the sheet is quite smooth and not ragged. You'll notice interesting horizontal lines running along the length of your dough if you do the folding right, suggesting your gluten strands are running the length of your dough. This is good; it will help with texture of the noodle. If sheeting with a machine isn’t an option for you, I used to throw the mix into a plastic bag and step on it repeatedly.
7. After kneading, cover with plastic, and rest at room temp for another 30 minutes. This gives the gluten time to relax.
8. Pull out your dough. Portion into workable sizes, and roll out to desired thickness (for me this is 3mm, I actually use a caliper to check, haha), using potato or cornstarch as you go to prevent sticking. Do this with a pasta machine, it is borderline impossible without a machine. An electric one will save you an incredible amount of effort.
9. Cut your noodles with a pasta cutter. I cut with a 3mm wide cutter. (My kitchenaid spaghetti cutter is only 2mm).
10. Portion into 200 g portions, then put into a sealed container like ziplock, or Tupperware, and place in the fridge to rest for at least a day. Helps build flavor, and the alkaline flavor of the dough subsides somewhat.
I liked this one better than the tapioca noodle one, mainly because I like chewier noodle. And it reminds me of saimin. I’ll probably try to run it thinner than a roller thickness of 2 on the kitchenaid next time to see if it does turn into saimin noodles!
So I used this recipe from Serious Eats by Tim Chin because I am always looking for something approachable that I can do within the tools that I have at home. And honestly, I was just SO IMPRESSED by the research he did and all the science behind it.
I dont have a food processor (shame on me) because my apartment is small and space is limited. So instead I prayed that using my magic bullet and kitchenaid mixer would suffice instead. Mixed the yeast and flour, dumped it in the mixer, and poured the liquids.
It didnt start out THAT sticky, but while kneading the dough, it escalated to CRAZY sticky. I quickly learned not to put it down on my wooden cutting board for very long because the dough becomes stuck to the board in less than 10 seconds. Like it was obsessed with the board.
I then pulled and twisted the dough for a good half hour to 45 minutes. I was feeling so cocky I took a video of myself pulling it. (When I played back the video, I had like 3 chins so that’s not going online in case anyone reads this.) I was good. I had technique. I felt like I had it down. However, once it got to the actual pulling of the dough into noodles, I failed SUPER hard. I watched my pulled noodle strands break and then even after flouring them, clump together. What. a. fail.
So what did I do with the dough? I rolled it out in my pasta maker and hand cut it and also put it through the spaghetti attachment. Boiled it for a minute, served it to my husband and called it a day.
Probably will not be making this again anytime soon, and hopefully my arm heals up quick.
This is really a tsukemen recipe I think. I chose it based on the ingredients I had at hand. (Waiting for more bread flour and cake flour.)
Per ramen_lord (see his subreddit and IG), here are the specs for a full recipe (I made half recipe) from his IG:
5 noodle portions at 200g each:
588 g AP flour
7 g tapioca flour
42 g whole wheat (I assumed he meant flour?)
294 g water (42% hydration)
7 g kansui powder (80% sodium 20% potassium) - I just added the baked baking soda (lye water powder)
7 g salt
So based on my assumptions, not sure if this is exactly the recipe he had envisioned. Per the recipe, you combined salts and water, mix dry ingredients separately to aerate, then add 2/3 of the liquid. Stir for 3 min then add remaining liquid. Stir 1 minute, cover (I saran wrapped it), and rested for 30 minutes. Press to knead (basically run it through the kitchenaid pasta maker at a setting of 1) and rest another 30 min. He rolls his to 3 mm, but I have a kitchenaid and spaghetti cutter. So I used the kitchenaid roller at a thickness of 2, then the spaghetti attachment. I wanted the fattest noodles I could get, which is only 2mm on a kitchenaid since that’s the largest the spaghetti cutter’s holes are.
I also experimented with resting times. I cooked all of these for 3 minutes each. Here’s the verdicts:
Rest 30, knead, rest 30, cook same night: Not as chewy, on the softer side
Rest 30, knead, rest 30, cook next day:
Rest 1 hour, knead, rest 30, cook same day: I found it similar to the ‘rest 30, knead 30′ I cooked in the same day
Rest 1 hour, knead, rest 30, cook next day:
Rest 1 hour, knead, rest 1 hour, cook same day: My favorite of the cook same day series and husband’s 1st or 2nd favorite of the day. It was chewier than the others and that’s what I like.
Rest 1 hour, knead, rest 1 hour, cook next day:
Based on the seriouseats study by Sho Spaeth, I learned a lot about hydration, using a kitchenaid on ramen, and tips for kneading. I worked those into my noodle making today along with the tip to use cornstarch instead of flour when dusting your noodles. Honestly that article was super helpful and made me feel better about the crumminess of the low hydration recipes I tried in the past. They literally fell apart. (Those were the most disheartening trials I have done yet and made me want to CRY.) This one seems like it is higher hydration so I’ll start with that and work my way down to 35%. And here’s one more awesome article I found from Yamato Noodle- it get’s a bit science-y but super interesting.
Above, the left is the noodles at a kitchenaid roller thickness of 2 with the spaghetti cutter. On I applied the temomi technique for that texture. Looked awesome and I’m probably just imaging it, but it tastes better too this way.
Above is how it looked like cooked! Make sure you rinse the noodles to get all the starchiness off of them and stop it from cooking further.
And lastly, the broth we had with it on the first night came from the Instapot chicken thighs we made. Threw some shoyu, garlic salt, and a little white and brown sugar in the pot and let it go. It was so flavorful! Had to add a little salt though and it hit the spot!
After I made the funfetti cake this past weekend (which took 9 egg whites), I had quite a few yolks left. So I made the Thomas Keller 7 Egg Yolk Pasta recipe 1.5x. (One recipe requires 6 egg yolks and 1 whole egg, hence 9 egg yolks and 1.5 whole eggs... I literally weighed and halved the last egg.) I initially followed the recipe posted on MasterClass (https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-spaghetti-pasta-dough-with-thomas-keller) but the yolk weight in grams was WAYYY too high. Like much higher than normal. I googled how much an egg yolk should weigh, and my 9 egg yolks in grams were right on point. So I ignored the MasterClass grams instructions.
The recipe also called for it to sit for 5 hours. That is a long ass time. I gave it 2 with extra kneading. Here’s another link for this recipe (from his French Laundry cookbook) saying to wait less time: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pasta-dough-recipe_b_1454318
I also did a color study with this and made a spinach pasta, tomato paste pasta, and a control dough. (The egg yolks made it plenty yellow already.) I added the mix-ins to the egg stage before adding the flour. The spinach had the most water content so we ended up adding a TON more flour when kneading. SO STICKY. Even when we rolled it out, so sticky. The tomato paste was a little better, but still very sticky and had to add extra flour when rolling it out. If you made the recipe with no mix ins, this would be fine.
We made spaghetti, linguine, different designs, etc. It all came out pretty great. I used the vodka sauce and lemon butter sauce from foodsofjane when I finally cooked it and it was wonderful! However, now that I think back on it a bit, it was a LITTLE too eggy for my taste so probably wont go as high as 7 yolks again!
Followed https://sugarspunrun.com/funfetti-cake-scratch/ for the cake for Justin’s birthday.
Notes:
Makes 3 9-in pans. Bake and check at 20 minute mark for oven to avoid over baking (was a few minutes too long)
Used homemade baking strips (https://preppykitchen.com/how-to-get-perfect-flat-cake-layers/) but will probably buy some in the future
Parchment paper on all 3 pans
Did not need to trim or level the cake
Middle rack of oven
Use egg yolks for 7 yolk pasta recipe (since there are so many yolks leftover)
Technically this recipe is a white cake with sprinkles
Cool on wire rack (1/2 hours) and then saran wrap and store in fridge before frosting (1-2 hours)
Remember to tape the cake bottom to the carrier next time to avoid sliding around
Result was very fluffy, not dense at all
Followed https://sugarspunrun.com/cream-cheese-frosting/ for the cream cheese frosting recipe
Notes:
Only did 2 cups of sugar and added corn starch a little at a time to thicken as needed (pop it back in the fridge to firm it up since my kitchen is hot)
Did 1.5 recipes to frost the 3 layer cake (crumb coat and frosted after). Made it into an ombre a cake. Had some left over frosting as well so 1 recipe might be enough if you are not decorating the cake besides that. Note these were not thick layers when I frosted it because my friends dont tend to like frosting too much
Used full fat TJ’s cream cheese
Went with this recipe instead of a whipped cream cheese frosting because it holds up better at room temp and between layers (still needs to be stored in the fridge though)
My county was included in the first wave of Shelter in Place aka Stay at Home Order aka Quarantine. In the last month, my life has adjusted from flying across the country every week and eating out almost every night, to this.
5 AM/5:30 AM - Drag myself out of bed because my client operates on EST and I am in PST. My husband once again does not wake up early with me, even though he said he would the night before. I put on a sports bra because bras mean business and the same tights I wore yesterday. Maybe a different sweater if I feel like I’ve worn the same one too many days in a row. Start taking calls and working.
6:45 AM - Husband actually wakes up and one of us boils some water. We have not been to an open Starbucks in coffee in a long time. Chemix is now in use every morning.
7:10 AM - Lively discussion about who used the last tissue from the box near our bed. It was definitely him.
7:30 AM - Husband leaves for work since he’s an essential worker and I continue to work at my desk. Alternatively, if he’s working from home that day, he works on the dining table and I work at the standing next near our patio garden.
9 AM - eat some eggs and oatmeal because fried rice and pancakes every morning is probably not the best idea.
10 AM - morning snack #1 and more meetings. Walk around the “walking track” which is the loop around the wall that separates my kitchen and living room. My poor neighbors below me.
10:15 AM - morning snack #2 and more meetings. Feel thankful that I can do this job from anywhere, but also feel frustrated because it seems to be business as usual.
11 AM - is this now an acceptable time for lunch?
11:20 AM - Cant wait any longer. It’s lunch time. I pull out the giant container of pad thai my farmer’s market lady gave me on Saturday. She’s had a rough week because of the shelter in place and the rain, but generously gave me enough pad thai to last me a week. I think I’ve now reached the halfway point in this container. Husband sometimes comes home for lunch in time to eat with me, but work is running long today. If he’s already at home, my coworker eats with me.
12 PM - Last meeting and time to do some work without interruptions. But first, a bite of the second pan of cheesecake I made in the last two weeks.
1 PM - Eat out my personal jar of almond butter.
2 PM - I am now tired of work so I take a break and scroll through Instagram looking at glorious photos of food and strategize the next time we should go to Trader Joes. I’ve started to ignore any travel posts/photos because I had to officially cancel my honeymoon next month and it makes me sad. Now I just look at posts of people working out and food. I’m just hungry all the time. Husband comes home starving.
4 PM - Go on a walk outside because I need fresh air. However, bundle up because it’s hella cold. WTF spring. Husband takes half a paper towel to open all the doors on the way out. Yells at me at least once for unnecessarily touching something. Walk around the neighborhood and if someone is coming at us on a sidewalk, move to the empty street until they pass. 6 ft apart yo.
5 PM - Come back and leave our shoes in the ‘triage area’ aka the hallway by the door. We both wash our hands for 20 seconds (I sing the rap part from ‘Wannabe’) and one or both of us takes a Clorox wipe and wipes down our phone, keys, watch, wallet, and headphones. Lastly, we put the used wipe on the floor near the door and wipe the floor. We both toss our outside clothes into the hamper near the door and take a shower immediately.
5:45 PM - Call UPS because a package that says has been delivered was not in fact delivered. The delivery notification said it was left with ‘receiver’ and signed for by ‘Corona’. (Is this a joke?) Walk the building in case it got delivered to the wrong apartment. UPS says they will check with the customer care center in my area and the driver and will call me back in an hour. They never call me back.
7 PM - Eat dinner. Try not to watch or read too many coronavirus things because we’re already anxious. Agree that we should start ripping Clorox wipes in half to conserve them. Start a Disney movie.
7:30 PM - Get into a heated discussion via text with my family around keeping grandma safe and how to handle her care. Several of my uncles are not taking it seriously and are constantly putting her at risk. My aunty who lives with grandma was (is?) sick. When I pictured being married, I never pictured arguing with my husband on a Wednesday night around who should bathe my grandma during a pandemic. We both calm down and eat the last of the blueberry cheesecake.
11 PM - Wake up from the accidental nap I took on the couch and move to the bed. Threaten groggy husband to leave him in the living room if he does not also come to bed. Threats work, and he does. We set our alarms and per our Fitbits, have another night of Poor to Fair sleep due to anxieties about the world we live in at the moment.
As of 1/2/2020, there are currently 33 operating earl of sandwich locations in the US. Here is a list of the Best EoS locations I’ve visited in my opinion:
1) Downtown Disney - The DT Disney location is the #1 location. (I know they were going to close it, but did they?) It provides a good affordable breakfast/late night sandwich option to all park goers and non park goers alike. And even though I was told that all bread was the same at all locations, this one has the best bread. They also used to accept my AAA card for a discount same as the annual pass holders.
2) Planet Hollywood - It’s open ALL THE TIME. Makes for great late night drunky sandwiches. I took my family from Hawaii here and they LOVED it. Also not the most expensive EoS in Vegas.
3) LAX - You can find this location right before TSA in the international terminal. The reason why this is #3 is mainly for convenience. My boyfriend one time almost missed our flight running over to the International Terminal to get us sandwiches, despite the TSA security guard telling him he’d be playing it close. Super romantic. (He made it back for our flight, dont worry.)
4) Disney Springs, Florida - This is high on the list because it’s located towards the entrance of Disney Springs, which also means you’re most likely going to Disney World, and it was located right across from the Hilton Buena Vista Palace where I was staying. There’s ample seating and they carry breakfast before 11 AM like the Disneyland one.
5) DT San Jose - The parking situation down there needs to be better. I’ve had several sandwiches from here since they opened in the last year, however, I’ve only been inside once because I had to wait with the car. The quality of the sandwich though is better than LAX.
6) Boston Common - This is RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the park. Like can you imagine? Walking through the park on a beautiful day, and thinking ‘what else could possibly make this stroll better?’ A beautiful sandwich, that’s what.
7) Flamingo - The cheapest EoS in Vegas. Seriously. If you’re staying down that way, there are very few reasons why you shouldnt get one.
8) Newark Airport - Okay so we had about an hour stopover on that same trip we took to Boston and took a United shuttle to the terminal that had an EoS. It was easy and it came with a bag of chips. And we made our flight. If you’re in the Newark airport, this is a great pre-flight snackeroo.
9) Caesars Palace - I am not about to pay $10+ for an EoS unless my feet are about to fall off from walking so much, I’m drunk, I’m starving, and it’s either too hot/cold to go outside. However, this location is here to serve you if you are one of these people. Or if money is not an object.
10) Philadelphia Airport - They are located near the Delta Sky lounge in the terminal I was in and I had been traveling ALL DAY. It was a lackluster looking location, but I was ready for a sandwich. I ordered my usual, Tuna Melt, and it came out quickly. The bread was hot and the filling was generous. However, when I bit into it, the inside of the tuna melt was cold! I have never had that happen before. The deary store front I could forgive, but not a hot sandwich with a cold inside.
Honorable Mention: RIP EoS at the North Terminal of DTW (Detroit airport). You were convenient and made the sadder side of the airport much brighter, even though you did not participate in the rewards program.
Last time I went to Disneyland Paris, they DID NOT have an EoS there. I’ve passed the one in NYC, but was too tempted by all the other good eateries. Also, what sandwich to get? The tuna melt is the best. The chicken chipotle is easiest to travel with (get the dressing/sauce on the side). Their breakfast sandwiches and mac and cheese are also solid too.
I have a lot of nieces, nephews, and friends with children. HENCE! Here is my list of books I like to buy and my thoughts on them. (FYI - Books make 0 noise, easy to store, and are educational. Do it.) Also a lot of them are about food.
Strega Nona
- Who doesnt love a story about a magic pot of pasta? Also the Christmas one is fantastic too.
Corduroy
- A bear looking for his button. Almost breaks a button off a perfectly good bed.
Frog and Toad
- Great series. Taught me about self control. Taught me I don’t have it.
The Prince and the Li Hing Mui
- Cinderella story with a delicious local Hawaii twist!
Tiki Tiki Tembo
- Ever wondered why the Chinese give such short names to their children?
Make Way for Ducklings
- Takes place in Boston. It’s about how one bored police officer causes ruckus when a family of ducks decides to relocate themselves.
Caps for Sale
- Hat salesman takes nap under tree and (spoiler alert!) a bunch of monkeys steal them.
Big Pumpkin
- Halloween classic. It teaches you about team work to achieve a common goal (aka pumpkin pie).
Bernstain/Berstein Bears Series
- Who DOESNT love these books?? Teaches you great lessons. Like not to each junk food.
Babar
- SAVE THE ELEPHANTS! Also make sure to tell your kid marrying your cousin is frowned upon today.
Richard Scarry Books
- Author might have the word scary in it, but it’s far from it! Fun busy illustrations keep you entertained for hours. Lol the cats.
The Wrinkled Woos
- A textured book. Wrinkly food never looked so good.
The Apartment Book
- One day I’ll make a book just like this. A lot of pictures, great for both children and adults. Gives you what a day in the life of an apartment building is like. I still have a copy of this book.
Amelia Bedilia
- Teaches children what the word “literally” means. And it’ll make you hungry for some lemon meringue pie. Actually this book taught me what lemon meringue pie was.
The Five Chinese Brothers
- Okay, apparently even the Chinese cant tell each other apart in this book. But besides that, it’s all about team work, sacrifice, and special talents. And that being a bratty greedy kid will result in you getting swallowed up by the ocean.
The Paper Bag Princess
- Another story about not being a greedy brat. She was basically a with with a B.
Ferdinand
- Okay, the movie really took some creative license with this one. Basically he’s a peaceful bull and the matador throws a fit because he cant show off.
Arthur Books
- My favorite was the one where he had a wiggly tooth. I learned about what peanut brittle was from that.
Rainbow Fish
- Literally gave parts of himself away. Sharing is caring. Also love the iridescence.
I Spy
- Great for parents and children.
Find Waldo
- Duh.
How Much is A Million
- Funnest math book I’ve ever read. Also Steven Kellogg illustrations are awesome. That detail doe.
Jamberry
- Book about berries. If you dont want to eat berries by the end of this book, there is something wrong with you.
Gregory the Terrible Eater
- A story about how a goat that starts off with good taste in food and great eating habits gets ruined by his parents.
Madeline
- I can hear the song in my head from the TV show. The book is great. Learned about appendixes.
Jamie O’ Rourke and the Big Potato
- Great for St. Patty’s day. Learn about the many ways to consume America’s other favorite carb.
Many Moons
- The court jester is the best gift giver ever. Pretty classic book.
The Hundred Dresses
- I just remember I wanted to draw 100 dresses after reading this book. A lot of them looked alike. Also this was kind of a sad take away.
Pretzel
- Same author and illustrations as Curious George books. About a wiener dog who is very long and tries to win the affections of a girl dog.
Books That Are a Bit More Advanced (Big Range)
Baby sitters club series - These books made me want to write and become an entrepreneur. But also as an adult, I wouldnt trust pre-teens to babysit. And the Specials made me want to travel.
Goosebump series - Green slime. Monster blood. Oh man. And the choose your own adventure ones were great too.
A Wrinkle in Time - What a trip.
Alice in Wonderland - Same comment as above.
The BFG - Imagination has expanded. Also really wanted a lot of little eggs after this.
Matilda - Imagination has expanded x2. Also I wanted powers after this.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - We all know what the movie was like.
Henry Sugar - NOT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. I would stare into a candle sometimes just to see if I could see through objects after.
Ella Enchanted - The romance my preteen self wanted one day.
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - You’ll be very disappointed once you try turkish delight IRL.
Ramona (and Beezus) Books - I remember reading one where they cook dinner for their parents (sounded pretty gross to eat) and one about where she got sick at school (couldnt eat oatmeal for a while). Also enjoyed these as well.
American Girl books series - Fun stories that really put into perspective the time period and are female centric. I would highly recommend reading these and I mean the classic illustrations, not the redone ones. I think I had a lot of Samantha and Molly books, but they were the best. Shout out to Felicity too, life was hard back then.
Everyone has different ramen preferences, but I’m on a quest to find the most flavorful broth (but not TOO rich) and thick chewy noodles. However no matter what your preferences are, here’s my notes (diary) on the ramen establishments in LA/Orange County below. This is mainly for me to keep track of where I’ve eaten and if I’ve liked it.
Shin Sen Gumi, Fountain Valley & Gardena - Although they have multiple locations everywhere, they are consistent throughout. You are given a piece of paper with your noodle, topping, and broth preferences for your whole party, and turn it in. While the broth is good and tasty, the noodles are thin. Probably because this is Hakata style ramen. If you’re seeking solid Hakata style ramen though, this is your place.
Ramen Yamadaya, Costa Mesa - This place is not what I’m really looking for, but close in distance, and my boyfriend likes the charsiu. Thin noodles, flavorful broth, okay service, but the big thing it got going for it is that there’s never really any wait, it’s next to Confetti (ice cream), and it’s nostalgic for me since this is the first place I took my boyfriend to eat ramen ever.
Santouka Ramen, Costa Mesa, San Jose - No matter what Santouka you go to, it’s the same. You need to pay cash, the broth is rich and flavorful, the toppings are minimal, and the noodles are chewy and leave you wishing there was more in the bowl.
Tsujita, Los Angeles - I came here first before Annex. We got a ramen and a tsukemen since they’re known for that. Finally, chewy thick noodles, of course, made by Sun. A++. However, I must be a wuss because man that tsukemen broth is super rich. Like an wave of porky flavor hits your mouth and lingers even after you swallow. Your mouth is coated with it. I ended up using the ramen broth to finish off the tsukemen noodles. The ramen was also the same noodles, but a tamer broth, still a bit pork like.
Tsujita Annex, Los Angeles - Everyone says this place is better than regular Tsujita so I had to come here to see what the fuss was about. If you come in the afternoon on a Sunday, you will have 0 wait. I think the difference between regular Tsujita and Annex is the vinegar in both the ramen broth and tsukemen broth. Thick chewy noodles, porky flavor, lots of bean sprouts, but an overwhelming flavor of pork and vinegar. A little bit too much for me, but my ramen friend loves this place. To each their own!
Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai, Costa Mesa - Came here straight from the airport and there was a little bit of a wait on a Friday night. Located in a strip mall. The ramen had a light broth, which is kind of a refreshing change, and ribbony noodles. If you’ve ever had e-mein, it’s like that but not as chey. They are generous with the charsiu and the toppings come in a nice variety. If you’re looking for something light, yet tasty, this place is for you.
Menya, Costa Mesa - Right around the corner from Santouka in Mitsuwa, this place used to be chicken broth, chewy noodles, and was probably my favorite place in Orange County. However, they’ve recently went from that to tonkotsu broth thinner noodles. Dont get me wrong, the tonkotsu broth is super tasty and leaves that umami flavor after, but the thinner noodles are a bit more disappointing. You still order, pick up your ramen, and bus your own table though.
Ajisen Ramen, Diamond Jamboree - I came here straight from the airport and was starving, so right off the bat, this place had the upper hand. Because it’s in Diamond Jamboree, parking was pretty easy. I will say, their selection is huge. I got the miso and my boyfriend got some kind of spicy pork ramen. They were both okay. The noodles were thin and for a miso ramen broth, it couldve used more miso. Both soups were a bit thin and average.
Orange Tei, Anaheim Packing District - I came here for a “pre dinner snack” (because I eat a gross amount per day) and got the miso ramen and a salad. Sorry to say, both foods were not very memorable. I just remember the broth not having enough taste and the noodles were thin and akin to instant ramen quality.
Meiji Seimin, Costa Mesa - Not sure if you could call this place ramen, if what they’re sporting is udon and soba! I had to include it though because it appears on a lot of “ramen” lists. The udon is on the thinner less chewier side, but I like it. And the soba is good too. There are different hot and cold styles to choose from. It reminds me of a hole in the wall Japanese restaurant in Hawaii where a lot of old people that are regular would frequent often. Simple, yet good. Not ramen though.
Hakata Ikkousha, Costa Mesa - Located near Mitsuwa and in the same strip mall as Capital Noodle, welcome to the parking lot from hell. I came here for dinner on a weekday and it was semi-busy. We got seated ASAP but service was still slow. You order your ramen similar to Shin Sen Gumi, on a paper. The broth wasnt great, but you pretty much dictate what your ramen looks like since you pick your preferences. Maybe if I liked spicy, this place would be great because I saw a lot of orange and red color broths coming out. The noodles were thin and not my favorite. Maybe if I come back, I’ll try the wider noodles? Meat was a bit dry.
Ramain39 Izakaya, Huntington Beach - Big space, got the tonkotsu and black ramen. Black ramen (which is typically burnt garlic) seems to be a thing at some restaurants so I had to check theirs out. There is some spice to it (couldnt get enough water lol), good toppings, the pork is a nice cut, egg is done right, but the noodles are thin round noodles. It’s a shallow bowl of ramen that could use a little more depth and attention to the noodles and broth. Also got the California roll which isnt bad.
Ramen Zetton, Costa Mesa - Came here for a random weekday lunch (ran into an old high school classmate). Located in a strip mall, good amount of seats for lunch time, got seated right away. Got the butter corn miso. I havent seen butter in the ramen since Japan. This place sets itself apart with this ramen and the noodles were thin, but chewy. I’ve only been here once so it may have changed since, but I remember it not being bad. The ramen my boyfriend had sported thick medium pieces of charsiu (none of that floppy layered around the edge charsiu shit). My boyfriend thought it was “okay” so maybe we need to go back and revisit.
HinoNori, Irvine - Tried this place recently. We came in and there were a ton of people standing there, looking like we were the customers they’ve been waiting for. It went from not busy to VERY busy in less than an hour. (This is why we cant go for lunch.) We ordered their tonkotsu and their cold noodle (similar to tsukemen) and got the tonkotsu with a $3.25 add on of a small rice bowl +$1 salmon poke and salad. Worth it. The food came out quickly along with complimentary fruit infused waters. The noodles were skinny and flat (think Adidas superstar shoelace) and chewy which I liked. The toppings were good. The cold noods had beansprouts, bamboo shoots, spinach, egg, and char siu, and the ramen had beansprouts, spinach, egg, char siu, and nori. (Cant remember if there were woodear mushrooms.) My boyfriend did say it was his favorite char siu yet (huge compliment) and that he would come here without me (even bigger compliment and RUDE). The broth for the ramen was creamy, just the right amount of fatty, yet thin enough that it didnt make you feel like you had that porky taste in your mouth. The cold dipping sauce was citrusy and a little spicy and had actual ice in it! And while the salmon poke wasnt the best, we were very happy with it and the salad. I think this place made top of the list so far!
Places to try:
Aoki no Chukka
Killer Noodle (for the tan tan)
Other Ramen Places I’ve Eaten At Outside of LA/Orange County:
So Slughorn is the dad, Draco is his son, and their whole family are pretty much the Weasleys. And Arthur Weasley is the exterminator who helps John Goodman. (Also Dr. House changed occupations and is a police officer.)
But yeah, this movie could be called “Harry Potter - The Early Years”.
This movie was ALWAYS on USA and since it’s been out on HBO, I watch it all the time. Mainly for the house, the lightness of the movie, the pasta, Paris, and old people love. Doesnt hurt Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves, Francis McDermott, and Amanda Peet is in it. I find it hilarious to watch Francis McDermott, since she just won Best Actress for 3 Billboards, play Diane Keaton’s feminist sister. At this point I can mouth along with the script so you know I’ve seen it a lot. Same with hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, back to the future (so good), and my fave, You’ve Got Mail. Unfortunately since HBO shows Sex and the City as well, I can mouth the words to that one too.
So this post is just for questions I have or thoughts that I’ve had watching the movie.
1) If Amanda Peet’s character was originally going to stay the whole weekend with Harry (Jack Nicholson), why did she leave the next day to go back to the city for a benefit dinner?
2) How does Erica’s play end? Doe she end up with the Julian (Keanu Reeves) character? If so, that sucks because this guy loves her plays and now it’s forever immortalized in a play and a constant reminder.
3) Someone buy me this house.They didnt show any shots of the bathrooms, but I bet they’re just as beautiful. Also Amanda Peet said there was a 2 story living room, but I only see one.
4) Did Julian purposely mess with Harry at his last check up appointment after he realized Erica and Harry slept together the day after his date with her?
5) Why didnt Harry just stay at a hotel in the Hamptons? He’s pretty wealthy and I’m going to bet there are hotels. I guess it wouldnt make much of a story if he did though.
6) So the timeline is this: Day 1- Marion and Harry go to beach house and he has heart attack Day 2-Harry gets set up at Erica’s house and accidentally sees her naked Day 3 - they become close and Erica goes on date with Julian; Marion comes back to them making panclocks Day 4 - Marion breaks up with Harry and Erica and Harry do it Day 5- Harry goes to last doctor check up and leaves for city; that night, Harry and Erica have a run in and disaster! She told him by Day 5 she loved him. SO. FAST.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. Listen to the movie soundtrack if you havent yet. It’s good for working to. I’ll add more to this later probably.
