Here’s an ode to Chris’ recent Rogue movie review.
Since we were under false pretenses that it might actually be a good ‘n scary giant crocodile flick and it turned out to be kind of a flop instead, I thought I’d surprise Chris with some yummy nummies shaped like the famed swamp creature [...]
Ginger is so Autumn, doncha think? The warmth of fresh Fall spices really inspire the soul and tempt the palate.. why, the very mention of it causes me to spout jenky poetry, apparently.
These Ginger Spice Iced Cookies are so soft and chewy and gingery that someone better stop me.. I feel a [...]
When I was a kid, I wanted a sweet potato pie, but noone I knew made or sold the stuff. Then my dad grew sweet potatoes, but still no pie. When I finally had some (even an authentic Southern recipe I trekked to “wrong side o’ the tracks” Bayview on the Muni to [...]
Banana cream pie has oft been the glut of paranoia for amateur bakers. Soggy crust, bruised bananas, lumpy custard; it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the trouble. Well, I can attest that your woes will be unfounded with this super easy Martha Stewart recipe. The only pain-in-the-ass step is straining the [...]
I tells ya, if you ever want to work out your upper arms, whip your way into shape (literally) by making an Almond Sponge Cake Strawberry Shortcake (from scratch by hand) with freshly whipped cream. Owch.
You separate the eggs, whip the egg yolks until they become “thick and pale”, which is basically [...]
Baking Bonanza! Earlier in the week, I timed it juuust perfectly so I could bake not one, not two, but three things! This is a job forrrrr Oven Efficiency Girl dunduhduhnaaa!! I made a super dense Ginger Choco Cake, a Mushroom Spinach Pecorino Romano / Parmesean Habanero Quiche, and a super-sized Sweet [...]
When I was young, I didn’t much care for kinako, roasted soy powder. The antique-y ochre color, the moldy texture, the bitter taste.. bleh! Now I can appreciate its earthiness, generously dusted on homemade naturally green yomogi (mugwort) daifuku. Sure sounds like some Harry Potter spell (not that I would know, I’ve [...]
Mochi is as traditional as you can get, but it doesn’t have to be boring. You can now find the sweet little ricecakes boldly stuffed with fresh whole strawberries or peanut butter. I decided to take it a step further and combine both “crazy” fillings with tsubushi an. I also tinted the [...]
I know it’s a lot of butter (2 cups = 1 whole box), but by golly I was searching high and low for an awesome CHEWY choco-chip cookie recipe and by golly I think I’ve found it. These were gone in a couple of days even though we didn’t give too many away. [...]
Was I gypped? Is this in fact just a yellow-er nectarine? Sure tastes like a nectarine and looks like a nectarine and has a nectarine seed-pit. But nooo wait, the consistency is definitely smoother, without all those pulpy maroon seed-hugging nubs and strands, and the color is definitely bright mango-yellow pop straight [...]
Can you say “ow”? You might not be able to after eating a Mountain View Stone Cookie. These thick golden brown oblong discs are forged for fantastic gum-busting fury!! You’ll wish you were stranded on a deserted island somewhere just so you could invent new uses for them; building tiles, adze blades, [...]
My goosh, has it been a year already?? My my how the time flies. A year ago the Bay Area was Beard Papa-less. Today we have three locations, two in San Francisco and one in Redwood City! And if you doubted their popularity or Bay Area-ites ability to overindulge, let me [...]
Oh the sacrifices I make to keep you guys entertained. I despise chocolate. The texture, the sweetness, the aftertaste, blech blech blech! But as I do eat it occassionally to report munchies reviews, be aware that I am not enjoying it. I know it’s odd but oh wells. So I [...]
Most people know of Pocky whether they’re fans of Japanese candy or not. But, there’s a new Pocky on the block you may not know about: Men’s Pocky, a dark chocolate Pocky that’s as bittersweet as it is potent. I had to try it out.
The instant the first stick of Men’s Pocky touched my tongue, [...]
I love coconut. Co-co-nut. But I never thought I’d like it formed into bite-sized balls rolled in sugar and dyed a bright crayola red. It’s dewy and chewy in the center with a crispy coating of gravelly granulated sugar. Because the candies are held together with corn syrup, and corn syrup and sugar come [...]
I’m sure everyone’s seen these bright packages before. The cylindrical tubes stacked with ganache-filled biscuits that make you beg for milk. It’s strange because the cookie part is dry and flaky like a cracker and doesn’t seem like the proper pairing for the rich luscious choco spread, but Bahlsen won’t change the mix [...]
Tucked away in the teeny tiny little town of Punalu’u in the Southeastern crook (Ka’u district) of the Big Island of Hawai’i, you will find the longest sweet bread loaf from the southernmost bakery in the entire US. To be honest, driving through Punalu’u is no picnic. There’s a long winding stretch of nothing road [...]
So my friend has been bugging me for the past few months, pointing at the “Munchies” section and asking “when are you going to update it?” Another friend also asked this of me, mostly because he brings me treats from his trips to Japan. Even some of Chris’ friends have asked him about [...]