What Do You Know About Coffee?

For all the coffee addicts out there, I've found a bunch of infographics that'll float your boat! :) Click on the image for the original source to larger (and more readable) versions.

via Explore

I Cooked This Year

I baked the turkey this year in my in-laws' home and my parents also came! Thought I'd make it easy for both pairs of parents by taking on the majority of the cooking :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Burlap Banner by atcompanyb

Recipes for Thanksgiving!

So Thanksgiving is coming up next week and if you need a little help coming up with a dinner plan, I've gathered several interesting (and tasty) looking options on the web that doesn't seem too hard to make. Just click on the photos or links for the recipes, which are a collection of side dishes, desserts, and miscellaneous stuff (like pumpkin puree, good for other recipes :)

Apple Bombes, via Zap*

Meat Keeps Holiday Guests Calm

If you haven't noticed in the past years of your entire life, everyone gets a little antsy during the holiday season. Whether it's finding parking, Christmas shopping, or grocery shopping for big holiday dinners, people are a little more nuts than usual. Sometimes I wonder why we can't all calm down a little, but I'm probably hypocritically plowing through an aisle of toys while wondering said thought. Thanks to researchers (or people who are eternally curious about other people) and just in time for the biggest dinner party coming up in a few weeks, research suggests that meat actually makes us less aggressive. (Sorry vegetarians! Be warned that there will be lots of pictures of meat).

5x7 English Bulldog Thanksgiving Card by snowy4052002

Craving Fatty Foods? Sleep More

Mr Fox and Mrs PB scoffing burgers by Emily Dyson

According to a small study (via The Body Odd), not getting enough ZZZs can make it harder for you (and me) to resist temptation. That makes sense. Whenever I'm tired at work, I end up drinking a coke and eating whatever candy I can find around my desk and/or the kitchen. I'm also more likely to eat junky food at lunch.

Sweet Tooth = Sweet Personality?

Just in time for Halloween, let us ponder whether having a sweet tooth equals having a sweet personality. After all, we do use taste-related words to describe others -- in fact, I just used "sweet" to describe a type of personality :) We use words like "honey," "sweetie pie," and "cupcake" to positively describe kind and caring people, and use words like "bitter" and "salty" to describe not-so-likeable people. Once again, I've been reading The Body Odd and they've found a couple of studies that claim individuals with a sweet spot also show sweet behaviors.

Halloween Ghost Brothers Cupcake Toppers by mimicafeunion

China (part 2)

I came back from vacation almost 2 weeks ago and this is a continuation of pictures from my post last week, which was more about the streets of Beijing. This time I'm focusing on food because that's what we're all interested in, right? I mean, who doesn't love food? Once again, excuse the unprofessional quality of the pictures, including tilted angles :) You know, I just can't seem to stand still and take a picture at the same time.

[Warning: image heavy!]


Sugar-coated hawthorne berries on a stick! Sooooo good and probably healthy since I'm eating fruit, right?

Pumpkins

Maybe it's a little early for a post like this, but I'm seeing a lot of fall-inspired items on Etsy and it's transitioning me into the mood for autumn. Pumpkin hits the spot right now, and since I'm a little hungry, everything's going to be food-related. Ready?

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin and Spice Truffles by estheraguirre

Cute Bento Box Lunches

Alright, I've been eating a lot of Japanese food for lunch because there's a Japanese supermarket near my work that sells packaged lunches for a very reasonable price range. Unfortunately, they do not sell super cute bento boxes like the ones I'm going to show you. One day, I'd like to make a couple of these for my future kids and be the coolest mom ever, but for now, let's just gush over how cute and fun they look! :)


by luckysundae over @ flickr and her blog at cuteobento

The Truth About 100% Orange Juice?

I was feeling a little sick today so I thought drinking some orange juice would help. I've always heard that Vitamin C and lots of liquids are good for recovering from colds (although I had a slight fever, so maybe that wouldn't have helped). Interestingly, I found this article, while browsing Yahoo, that states even "100% pure" orange juice is artificially flavored.

Orange Ginger Marmalade by BartonArtel

No wonder the typical "fresh-squeezed" orange juice from grocery stores never tasted like fresh oranges to me, which is why I never liked orange juice much. Apparently, in order to mass-produce orange juice, big name brands (like Tropicana, Minute Maid, Florida's Natural, etc) pasteurize fresh orange juice and take out all of the oxygen in order to preserve it without adding chemicals (the juice is then stored in million-gallon tanks for up to a year before shipping out to grocery stores). Once the oxygen has been removed, the juice no longer tastes much like oranges, so companies have their own blend of artificial flavoring to make the juice taste like oranges again and to make sure each carton is consistently flavored with the taste their juices are known for.

Coffee and Donuts May Be Good For You

Most people are addicted to coffee, and not just in the morning. Many of us notice and chuckle to ourselves at the stereotypical police car in front of the donut shop. Everyone has their guilty pleasures, but what if your guilty pleasure (of a daily donut and coffee in the morning) is actually good for you?

Hello, Morning 8x10 Fine Art Print by TheLightFantastic

According to an article on The Body Odd (one of my favorite sources of interesting information :), Spanish researchers have found that caffeine and glucose actually make you smarter. Apparently, the sugar-caffeine combo boosts your brain in terms of memory and attention.

Fudgesicles

I made an amazing discovery yesterday, which is to make the easiest fudgesicle pops ever! Okay, maybe it's not really a new discovery or anything - it's just amazing to me, because I can't believe I haven't thought of it already. It's sooooooo easy!

DO NOT EAT - this is soap. Please resist the urge, especially if you are bathing with this. (I don't think I've ever wanted to eat soap more than today...)
Fudgesicle Handmade Soapsicle by SoapStore

All you need is a package of Jello instant chocolate pudding, some milk, popsicle molds, and a freezer. Just make your chocolate pudding following the instructions on the package, pour into the molds, and freeze. Then it's done! Finished! Easy! :D The lazy man's (or woman's) chocolate pop. Now I can have fudgesicles whenever I want. Isn't it great? Life is great. (Just humor me if it seems like I've just discovered the sky is blue).

Maybe someone will give you a pity popsicle if you wear these (as in: "Aww, give that poor girl a fudgesicle.")
Fudge bar earrings by inediblejewelry


Warning: The delicious-looking items below are NOT edible!

Chocolate Fudge Solid Sugar Goat's Milk Body Scrub by Quintescentials

Dark Chocolate Mini Donut Soap Set by KcSoapsNmore

Seven Layer Chocolate Fudge Cake Soy Wax Melt by TheTemptingTart

Chocolate Bon Bons Paperweight by Bananamoo

The following delicious-looking items ARE edible :9 (Could you tell the difference?)

Breath of Fresh Air

Felt like getting out and getting some fresh country air lately, but that's not happening any time soon, so I made a treasury instead :)

Shades of yellow by skippydesigns

Sugar Free Lemon Truffies by tookies

'White Linen & French Countryside' by petitehermine

Sugar Free Lemon Tr... tookies $30.00	FLAVOR Word Sign Ha... TheSteelFork $26.00	Delusions 8 x 10 Fi... francoiserache... $25.00
Tall glass cork bot... theduchessofda... $12.00	enjoy the journey skippydesigns $30.00	Astrology Constella... redmetyellowcr... $12.00
Hazel Atlas Turquoi... jaditekate $21.00	Chicken With Feathe... unitedthread $20.00	Bookish Crane Mobil... SpareBedroomSt... $28.00
Salt and Pepper Lov... FlourishCafe $10.00	3D Wall Butterflies... hipandclavicle $65.00	Just For You - Vale... whimsywhimsica... $4.50
Faceted Brilliant (... gemagenta $42.00	mini bowls set of 3 paulova $46.00	Teardrop earrings -... knap $28.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

Festive Snacks

Yesterday, I decided to make some hot wings and clam chowder.



I tell myself it's healthy because I baked the wings without oil and I used 2% milk for the clam chowder (and a little butter...) Still healthier than what I'd get in a restaurant! Whew, conscience pacified.

Lamingtons Pink Vanilla Coconut by tookies

Valentine's day's coming up (in a month) and stores are already stocking up on hearts and lovey dovey stuff. I'm really more concerned about what we're going to eat. Should we eat a love-filled homemade meal or go out to a nice restaurant? Hmm... even though I enjoy the challenge of creating a good meal, there are some things even I can't make (like sushi. I'm afraid of messing up raw fish) but I definitely want a chocolate cake waiting for me at home, whether we go out or not.

Valentine's Day Cake Ball Hearts by sweetnuzz

Lunch and Movie Adventure in Union Square

A couple of friends drove up from Washington D.C. for a visit yesterday, so the hubby and I had lunch and a movie with them for a double date. They really wanted to try Ippudo, a super popular ramen restaurant that doesn't take reservations and charges twice as much for a bowl of ramen compared to most other ramen restaurants in the area. The place opens at 11a.m. and by the time we got there, which was about 10:58, there was already a long line at the door. Good thing our friends got there at 10:45 so they were at the front of the line.



The first thing I noticed is how cool the chairs were. Now I can eat and publicly cuddle with my husband at the same time! YES! Or, to let everyone know that I'm mad at him, I can pull my chair apart or (even better) switch the chairs so we have two arm rests between us (that'll show everyone in the restaurant what's up).


Cute.


Hubby got the special.


I ordered the classic. Mine was much better.

Simple Bubble Milk Tea Recipe

One of my favorite drinks ever is boba (a.k.a. bubble tea or tapioca milk tea), and coming from California (where boba stores magically appear on any street corner when a craving hits), I never realized how strong my addiction was until I moved to New York, where the ONLY good boba shops are in Manhattan Chinatown or Flushing Chinatown.

Tea Charm Necklace by FatallyFeminine

Because I live in the Bronx, it takes me over an hour to commute to either Chinatowns, so sometimes, I feel like killing a craving is not worth the commute. (Why do I live in the Bronx? Ask my husband, who thinks everything is an adventure). You can't just stock up on boba drinks and put it in the fridge because the tapioca balls only have a few hours of prime taste + chewiness. So out of desperation, I decided to make my own damn boba.

It's actually not too hard, though it may not taste exactly like what you'd get in a store. Different shops have their own secret recipes anyway so there's never really one exact taste.

Milk Tea Choker by ProteanJewelry

Here's what you'll need:

• Black tea or green tea (I prefer black tea)
• 2% milk (you can use 1% or fat free but it doesn't taste as creamy)
• Condensed milk (optional)
• Sugar syrup (recipe below)
• Tapioca balls (can be bought in any Asian supermarket or online)
• Any type of fruit (optional)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be stuffing myself with delicious food :9
Hope you're enjoying your dinner and giving thanks with your loved ones!

We're Talking Turkey Cupcake Kit by cupcakecrafts4u

Healthy AND delicious cookies!

Call me a traditionalist, but my favorite cookies are good old chocolate chip cookies. Because I'm such a chocolate chip cookie fanatic, I'm ashamed to say that it's pretty much the only type of cookie I bake, except when I receive requests for variety (from the family and friends). I started getting into "healthy living" a while back and have tweaked many of my recipes to contain healthier ingredients because I can't give up my baked sweets.

Extra Virgin Unrefined Pure Coconut Oil by kessil2000

Here are a couple of my tricks

• Use cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil instead of butter. I usually substitute half of the butter called for in a recipe with coconut oil. Many people use applesauce as a substitute but applesauce doesn't make crispy-edged cookies (though they make moist cakes). You only need 75% of the amount specified for butter (for example 3/4 cup of coconut oil instead of 1 cup of butter). Coconut oil is high in saturated fats but they have a different effect on us than the saturated fats derived from animals. It is actually very heart healthy. Depending on how much butter you decide to substitute with coconut oil, your cookies will range from not tasting like coconut at all to having a coconut-y aroma. Coconut oil also makes a great cooking oil due to its high smoking point and is great for your skin (more on that in a future post). Don't you love multi-use products?
• Substitute half or more of the required all-purpose flour with wheat flour, quinoa flour, flaxseed flour and/or amaranth flour. To add additional flavor, you can incorporate almond meal, coconut flour, hazelnut flour, and many other options. If you can't or don't want to look for almond meal or hazelnut flour and you don't mind having occasional tiny chunks of nuts in your cookies, you can just buy almonds/hazelnuts and throw them in the blender until you're satisfied with the texture. Watch your cookies because they may require a little less time to bake.