Friday, April 29, 2011

"Spring Blush" Fashion Food Fridays




Pants+Bag+Ring+Belt: H&M Cardigan: JCrew Blouse+Necklace: Forever 21 
Sandals: Cythnia Vincent for Target Sunnies: Raybans





Neighborhood: East Village 
65 4th avenue 
New York, NY 10003




Read about the restaurant's history via ippudony.com

I apologize for the lack of restaurant review .. There's no easy way to say this .. 
I simply just don't have the time right now. Sorry.
But please do know ...
Ippudo is the best ramen joint in nyc. 
:)

xoxo





photos courtesy of A.A + A.C. 

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Episode 7 - Strawberry Sandwich Scones


A quick recipe dedicated for tomorrow's royal wedding. For most of us we will 
be watching this historical event on t.v. so why not make something 
delicious to munch on. Enjoy.












xoxo


photos courtesy of A.A

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Episode 6: Carrot Cupcakes "Easter Special"


You will need the following ingredients: 

servings: 30 cupcakes 

2 cups all purpose flour 
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of allspice 
1 teaspoon of salt 
4 eggs 
1 1/4 cups of vegetable oil 
1 lb. grated peeled carrots
1 cup of pecans
2 cups of sugar 

Preheat oven to 350

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice in a large bowl. Use a hand held whisk to combine all the ingredients together. Set aside. 

Using a stand or hand held mixer combine sugar and oil. Blend all ingredients together. Whisk in eggs
one at a time. Continue to mix all ingredients. Take your dry ingredients that we put aside and combine
it with the wet ingredients. Allow the batter to mix. Now hand stir the carrots and pecans. Once ingredients are mixed go ahead and machine mix it for an additional 2-3 minutes. 

Line cupcake pan with oil or baking spray. Use a spoon to fill the cupcake mold. About 2-3 scoops of batter almost 3/4. 

Bake cupcakes for 14-18 minutes. Then cool the cupcakes in a cool rack for a minimum of 30 minutes. 
before icing. 


Cream Cheese Frosting

2 packs of cream cheese (softened)
1 unsalted butter (softened) 
2 cups of powder sugar 
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

Combine all ingredients using a machine mixer. Cool frosting in a refrigerator for a hour before using. 





Enjoy!!! Happy Easter!!!


xoxo


photo courtesy of A.A


Friday, April 22, 2011

"Busybee" Fashion Food Fridays


Sorry for not being able to post any personal fashion pictures this week. Unfortunately, work has occupied all my time and im sadden i haven't had any time for myself except sleeping between shifts. Instead of nothing I figured I would just share the H&M Spring/Summer 2011 editorial spread. Enjoy. Happy Earth Day. 





All fashion images above are courtesy of H&M





Neighborhood: Soho 
475 West Broadway 
New York, NY 10012






Dos Caminos, is a mexican chain restaurant and I personally enjoy going to the Soho location. This restaurant is rather trendy it has a wonderful outdoor seating area that overlooks Houston Street. Inside is a bit small and narrow but the interior is low lit and somewhat romantic. Dos Caminos, is always packed but you can place a reservation via Opentable

My personal experience is always good in here. I never have any problems with the service. The food is delicious and I think the entrees are great in size and price. My favorite dish is the pollo a la plancha. The pollo a la plancha is a spiced roasted chicken over saffron, peas, and raisin. It's an amazing dish that is savory and sweet. With all Mexican/Latin cuisines I just love ordering sweet plantains. It's a great simple but yummy side that will compliment any entree you order.




xoxo


photos courtesy of A+A

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Episode 5: Sinarsahan "Chicken Tomato Stew"


You will need the following ingredients: 

2 lbs. of chicken wings (wash and dry) 
1 can of tomato sauce 
3 cups of water 
1 bell pepper (chopped)
2 potatoes (chopped) 
2 tomatoes (sliced)
1/2 of an onion (diced)
3 cloves of garlic (diced)
2 tablespoons of fish sauce 
4 tablespoons of sugar 
1 can of whole mushrooms
2 cans of quail eggs
1 tablespoons of black pepper 
1 teaspoon of garlic powder 
dash of salt
1/2 cup of soy sauce 

**Caution this recipe requires a lot of arm work .. you will notice a lot of mixing**


Take out a large pot and turn your stove to medium high heat. 

Drizzle and fill your pan with extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add your diced onions, and garlic. Mix the ingredients until the onion is semi-carmalized. 

Add 2 lbs of chicken wings and mix the ingredients together. We want to season our chicken wings with black pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Mix all the ingredients together well. Allow the chicken wings to semi brown it should take about 5 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1 can of tomato sauce, 2 cups of water, sliced tomatoes and mix all the ingredients together. Take your lid and cover your stew. Allow the stew to cook until it's boiling. Approximately cook for 10-15 minutes. 

Reduce your heat to medium low. Add chopped potatoes, 1 cup of water, and mix all your ingredients together. Take a break from mixing and cook the stew for 10 minutes. Allow the potatoes to cook. 

Add chopped bell peppers, 1 can of mushroom, fish sauce, and sugar. Mix all the ingredients together. 
Then add 2 cans of quail eggs mix one more time. Cover your stew and allow everything to cook for 
an additional 10 minutes. 

Voila. Finished. 

Remember Sinarsahan is delicious with white rice. 





xoxo


photos courtesy of A.A


Friday, April 15, 2011

"Taste of Summer" Fashion Food Fridays



Dress: Tucker for Target Cardigan+Bracelet: J.Crew Scraf: H&M Boots: Steve Madden Watch: Boyfriend




Neighborhood: Gravesend 
2725 86th Street 
Brooklyn, NY 11223


Squares

Chicken Parm Hero and Mozzarella Sticks 



Established in 1939 L&B Spumoni Gardens is one of Brooklyn's finest establishment. It has been catering the community for over 70 years. L&B's can be described as a very family oriented place. The restaurant offers outdoor and indoor dining. During the summer days the outdoor dining area gets extremely packed. It is definitely a popular hang out joint for many of the locals.

L&B's is famous for there silician pies. The silician pies also referred to as "squares" is packed with pure simple ingredients such as tomato sauce and cheeses. This simple but super delicious snack has been featured in many T.V. shows such as "Man vs. Food". The restaurant offers a super menu of many popular italian dishes. My favorite dish besides the squares are the chicken parm heros. Don't forget to save room for dessert. The italian ice and spumoni's are just some of the few desserts that you must try. My favorite is the vanilla chip italian ice. It is a perfect treat to end your L&B experience. 




xoxo


pictures are courtesy of A.A + A.C

Friday, April 8, 2011

"Low Key Brunch" Fashion Food Fridays







Blazer+Bracelet: H&M Top: Thrifted Jeans: Levi's Handbag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 
Shoes: Dolce Vita Sunnies: Rayban Watch: Boyfriend



Neighborhood: Union Square 
841 Broadway 
New York, NY 10003

Bald guy on napkin = owner of Max B. 

Turkey Burger, Banana Chocolate Latte, and Waffle fries 

Heavenly.



Max Brenner, is a fanastic restaurant that any chocolate lover dreams of. I enjoy coming here for brunch because they have an amazing variety of breakfast and lunch dishes. Besides the entrees their dessert and beverage menu will make you want to drool. My favorite indulgence from Max B. are the speciality milkshakes and choctails. I cannot stress how heavenly it is. My favorite has to be the banana split latte but the eighties milkshake and pure chocolate truffle granita are just as good. The drinks are served in a cute cup that reads "Drink Me"and I cannot help but say "Yes! Please!". 

The prices are average. The atomsphere is vibrant. The interior decor reminds me of a chocolate factory. The service is impeccable. The only downfall I have is that it can get pack especially after 10am and the tables are a bit close from each other. The best thing about this place is that they offer reservations so if you want to avoid the crowds book through Opentable


xoxo

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Episode 4: Leche Flan Cake




Ingredients:

7 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 can of evaporated milk
1 can of condensed milk
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of water
pinch of cream of tartar
1 pack of fresh raspberries
1 box of classic yellow cake mix
**(be sure to add the ingredients listed on the cake box also)


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Use a kettle or a medium size pot, fill it with water, and boil it under medium heat.

Take a large frying pan and we're going to prepare the caramel on medium heat. Add 1 cup of sugar,
1/4 cup of water, and a pinch of cream of tartar. Mix well with a wooden spoon and allow contents
to simmer. It is very important to not disturb the cooking once it's over direct heat because we want
to allow the sugar to caramelize to a light brown color.

In a large bowl add 7 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, 1 can of evaporated milk, and 1 can of condensed milk.
Use a whisk to whisk all the ingredients together. Set it aside.

To make the cake mix please follow the directions written on the box. Once completed put the cake
mix aside.

By now your caramel mixture should be ready. Be sure the caramel is a light brown color.
Immediately pour the caramel into a baking pan 8" or 9" inch round. Use a kitchen towel or baking gloves to tilt the pan so we can cover the entire bottom of the pan. Add your flan mixture. Then carefully pour the cake
mixture into the pan. Evenly distribute the cake mixture. You can take a butter knife and evenly spread
the top part of the mixture until it's nice and smooth.

Carefully place on your pan on top of a larger pan. We are going to use a water bath technique. Pour the
boiled water into your larger pan. Fill the water were the custard filling should be. Bake the cake for 1
hour and 25 minutes.

Once the cake is finished allow the cake to cool off for 30 minutes. To unmold the cake take a knife and
carefully separate the edge. Take your desired serving platter and place it on top of your cake. Carefully
flip the cake over. You should be able to unmold the cake and voila. Refrigerated the cake for 2-3 hours
before serving. Once it's ready garnish the top with raspberries or any fruit you desire.




Enjoy.





photos by: A.A

Friday, April 1, 2011

"A little bit 70's" Fashion Food Fridays




Shirt: Zara Faux Fur Vest: i heart ronson Pants+Belt: H&M Sunnies: Betsey Johnson
Bracelet+Heels: Forever21 Handbag converted to a clutch: Thrifted



Neighborhood: East Village 
9 St. Marks Place 
New York, NY 10003


Sweet Potato fries and Mozzarella Sticks

BonChon crispy wings 
(1/2 soy garlic and 1/2 spicy) 


If you're a fan of wings and you want to try a unique wing joint then BonChon is the place to go. 
BonChon is a South Korean based franchise restaurant and it's known for their crispy wings. There are several BonChon chains around the city but my favorite location has to be the one on St. Marks. The St. Mark's location can get extremely busy due to the mass traffic of college students and of course everyone knows St. Mark's is the meca of cheap good eats. During the weekends the wait time can get insane so I would advise you to have an early dinner or lunch. 

Typically, a wing joint has many variety of wings to choose from but BonChon only comes in two flavors soy garlic (sweet based) or spicy soy garlic. The wings are heavenly crispy, juicy, and simply scrumptious. I usually order sweet potato fries with my wings. The fries are very delicious. If you're thinking about drinking be sure to order the watermelon soju. It's a refreshing drink served in a huge watermelon that has been carved out to act as a punch bowl. Very creative huh? Be sure to pace yourself because this drink is a creeper. Another thing if you're not in the mood for wings Boka offers many variety of korean dishes and sushi. 



xoxo


photos courtesy of A.A. + A.C.