January 22 - pickled carrots January 22, 2015 17:14

I was going to quill more today to finish my mom's gift, but the day ran away from me. After my recent Cordon Bleu sushi class, I seemed to have mastered it. By that, I really just mean I've figured out a system to make sushi really quickly. During the class, one of the greatest tips they gave us was to pickle the veggies - kind off. They had us cut up the cucumbers, peppers, and carrots ahead of time and marinate them in rice vinegar and mirin. Made all the difference and provided so much flavour - authentic or not. 

So I decided, if I'm going to be cutting up veggies and marinating them, why not pick the carrots ahead of tjme? First off all, they're not as crunchy which won't give sushi that weird texture. And second, it will give off a great taste. Here's the brine I used, but I'll only be able to tell you if it's good in a week or so - it has to set. 

For a 375ml jar:

• slice up enough carrots to fill 3/4 of the jar. 
• Place them in a bowl and sprinkle a tbsp of salt. This will soften them up
• boil 2/3 cup water, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1/3 cup regular vinegar, 2.5-3 tbsp brown sugar, and a spoonful of Sriracha sauce. Mix, bring to a boil, and simmer for a few minutes. 
• Rinse the carrots to get the salt off. 
• Place them in a jar. Top with the brine. 
• Let cool, then refrigerate. 
• Let stand at least 4 days before eating. 

i love pickles stuff with steak, on salads, with cheese for appetizers, and in my case, I made these specifically for sushi making! 

January 20 - Reese's peanut butter cups January 20, 2015 15:02

I was planning on working more on quilling today but I think another quiet simple day is called for. So I made Reese's Peanut Butter cups from scratch. 

For those who may seem confused for a split second, these:

Justin, so caringly, knows what *I* want, and got me a peanut butter cup mold for Christmas. Just to clarify, these are his favourite - subtle, right? So I decided to give it a try and it turned out simple enough and delicious to no end. Just a bit time consuming for each layer to harden. 

Step 1: melt chocolate. I did half and half of dark chocolate chips and milk chocolate. Melt it in the microwave for 2 minutes at half power. 

Step 2: line your mold or muffin pan with a very thin layer of chocolate and shove in the fridge to harden. 

Step 3: combine peanut butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and salt until a smooth consistency. I don't like it overly sweet so I didn't add as much sugar as one would think. Stick your finger in every so often as you beat it to try it, you can always add more as you see fit.

Step 4: once the chocolate is hardened, spoon in the peanut butter mixture but make sure to leave enough room for the chocolate topping. Shove in the fridge to harden.

Step 5: remake the chocolate for 30 seconds at half power. Spoon a smooth topping. Let harden and EAT! Om nom nom. 

January 10 - sushi January 10, 2015 22:20

Today, a 9 year old dream came to life. I was given a Cordon Bleu class as a Christmas gift from my wonderful parents-in-law. And even more so, it was The Art Of Sushi. 

It took majority of the day, but I learned quite a few new techniques and overall had an incredible time. From getting out of the house, to eating my favorite food to learning cool ways to make it... It really was a dream come true.  

His:

Mine. I may not have a crazy carved dragon of root vegetables, but I got a cute little asian sushi set :D