savory cornmeal pancakes

Over these last few weeks, I've made a plethora of goodies. Goodies that had little photoshoots with my Sony. The same Sony that I can't find the adapter of. So I can't upload the pictures. This was a huge disappointment.  Here's a list of all the things I've made.

• Pepperjack Popovers
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
• Blueberry Muffins
• Pumpkin Bread with a Cream Cheese Swirl 
• Cheddar-Herb Quickbread 
• Corn Muffins 

All of these were so good! Hopefully, I can find my stupid adapter that LOVES to play hide and seek with me soon. Boo. Meanwhile, I have these amazing cornmeal pancakes I made today. Using my noggin, I decided to take these with my phone. Instagram, thank you for saving these odd lighted pictures. I love you.



I never considered myself a chef. At most, I was an amateur baker. At my lowest points, I was a carblovin' teenager with a clunky camera. I usually leave the cooking to my mom, who is an amazing cook. She can whip up delicious, improv meals from anything. It's siiiick, to say the least. But, when I am home alone, hungry, and left with no leftovers, I love to experiment. Mac and cheese from scratch. Quinoa with a cheese sauce. Quinoa with zucchini and Italian sausage. Fried rice balls.

This time, I had a  practically full sack of cornmeal that I bought for corn muffins just sitting in my pantry.  I settled on cornmeal pancakes because I wanted to try to cook with cornmeal. I opted to make these savory but you can easily turn them into a sweet breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. Just add some vanilla and drizzle with maple syrup or honey. ALSO, hi vegans! These are for you! I added some sour cream because I wanted to be risky but omit that. Use 1/4 cup of any milk subsitute and you are set.



Savory Cornmeal Pancakes with Carmelized Onions
adapted from Mark Bittman
Serves 1-2

3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
scant 1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp (+ more for serving) sour cream
1 large onion
cherry tomatoes
ground pepper

Slice an onion thinly. Heat up a thickbottomed pan (I used a glass pot) and coat it with olive oil. And follow these instructions.

While the onions are getting delicious, put the cornmeal, salt, and boiling water in one bowl. Let it sit for ten minutes.

Stir in the milk slowly until it is thick but spreadable. Add the sour cream and oil and stir to combine.

Heat up a griddle or cast iron pan. Follow the best instructions for making pancakes. I never use the conventional way because it just don't work for me. I always keep it at medium heat because the pan always spurts oil and becomes a hot, scary mess. Follow Mark Bittman's instructions, unless you're like me.

when the pancakes are done, put them on a paper towel over the plate. You don't have to but I like to. Your onions should be a nice light brown. If you want to caramelize them even further, feel free too. I like them with a crunch. To serve, top the pancakes with the onions, a dollop of sour cream, and sliced cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper.

Dig in! Take a forkful of all the elements and swoon. Happy eating!

good riddance, two thousand and eleven.

2011 has been one of the most turbulent years for me.

Perhaps it's because 2011 is the year I turned sixteen.
Or because I had to balance doing schoolwork with studying for the SATs, sleeping, and exploring new culinary adventures.
Or because the Arab Spring occured. It kept me up some nights, thinking.
Or the Occupy (insert city name here) riots started, which also kept me up.

I went through both laughter and tears, blessings and curses. I made new friends and lost a very special one.

One of the most intelligent, frank, and funniest boys I ever had the pleasure of knowing left us on December 29th. For seventeen years, he bellowed his distinct laugh and made his friends and family laugh and smile with his antics. It was holiday break, time for relieved sighs and hours spent with friends and family. It was time to start fresh and anew. But three days before we rang in the new year, he passed away due to heart complications.

When I found out, I couldn't stop crying. He was one of my best friends two years ago. Although we grew apart, he still knew just what to say to make a girl smile. We had a social science fair we were both attending together in mid January. I was so excited to be with him again, to hear his hearty laugh, and to laugh at his jokes. I wanted to tell him the things I couldn't tell him two years prior. I was waiting for that fair. After I stopped the tears streaming from my eyes, the fact that I wouldn't see him at that fair wandered into my mind. The fact that I still had things to say to him made my heart pound against my chest. I was filled with regret but I was helpless at this point.

Grieving is a such delicate topic, laced with intricate feelings. It is reflects different on everyone; it is an unique experience. I never had to grieve before. This was the first time a loved one of mine passed away. Parents' of close friends have passed away and my heart ached for my friends. I cried for them. Baked for them. But I never used a whole box of tissues in two nights, like I did on December 29th and 30th.

The end of 2011 was a terrible one. I couldn't ask anything worse. The start of 2012 wasn't dandy either; my emotions was still ripped and raw from his death.  My heart still pounds quickly when I hear or say his name. Instead, my friends and I refer to my friend as "he" or "him". Half of the world is male and yet when I say "he" or "him", my friend understands me, and vice versa. You know what's beautiful? More than 400 people came to a memorial service at our high school. Knowing that some many people love and care for him makes me smile uncontrollably. He touched so many hearts in his seventeen years. He was something special. I will never forget his sweet smile or his hearty laughter. Unexpectedly, I learned lessons from him. 1) Live every second like it's your last. 2) Speak up and say what's on your mind because you never when the person you want to say it to will disappear. I will keep his memory with me forever. However, I must plow through life, complete my goals, and celebrate my achievements. I can't linger like this anymore. By regretting and dreaming, I bring my own tears and heartaches.

When I got my appetite back, I ate a plate of makeshift penne cacio e pepe my mother made. (That lady has a gift with Italian cuisine, I swear!) The next day, I made it again and had two bowls for breakfast. Although it wasn't exactly the same cacio e pepe you saw here or here, it was simple, delicious, and filled with just enough unami to make me sigh. Oh carbs, how I love you so! Here's a recipe that might make you laugh due its simplicity.

a toast to toast

Give me a choice between a few slices of bacon and a chunk of a baguette, smeared with strawberry jam and pat of butter, and I'll choose the latter. While some people take pleasure in eating ginormous hamburgers sandwiched in between deep fried bacon grilled cheese (ie. these guys), I prefer simpler alternatives. Bread. Toast. Pasta. With butter. With jam. With olive oil and garlic.

So basically, I love carbs. Its pure comfort food to me. When I feel stressed out, overwhelmed, or hungry, I reach for it. Its a problem, yes. But I'm working on it!

Today, in particular, I wasn't having s great day. When I got home, I was hungry and needed something to fuel me up quickly because I had a volleyball game in two hours. I was in no mood to wash a ton of dishes and pans. I glanced toward my counter and saw a glass Pyrex filled with bread slices. (Specifically, bread that my momma made the night before and cut this morning to make me my lunch.) I toasted a slice right up and decided to see how many different kinds of open faced sandwiches/ toasts I could make. I made three.

letting go of the last bits of summer

Ah, the end of summer. It has always been a sad part of the year for me. No more delicious popping-out-of-its-skin stone fruit or refreshing watermelon to look forward to after a long day. No more excuses for gorging on more pistachio ice cream ("It cools me off!") or making salads for dinner ("It's too hot to cook."). At the same time, I have a lot to look forward to: pumpkins, denim jackets, camel colored suede, cinnamon infused desserts, warm hot cocoa, Thanksgiving. Even though I was always sullen about summer ending, autumn's arrival is something to celebrate. Let's celebrate with good food. Goodbyes are easier with food, don't you think? Let's cook some summer-y dishes to use up the last of the produce and our longings for summer food. Let's look forward to autumn.

There are those dishes that you would prefer to eat only in the summer, right? For me, its those salads with mayonnaise based dressings, the ones that are sweet, slightly tangy, and have little bits of crunchy surprises, that call for me during the summertime. This broccoli chicken salad is seriously the epitome of what a easy summer side dish is to me. Its simple and tasty. It has a medley of different flavors that meld together effortlessly. Its summer time, and the living should be easy. Take sips of ice cold Coke in between bites of this magnificent salad and other barbecue staples. The only regret I have with this salad is that I discovered a few weeks before summer comes to close. I wish I had time to eat more of this... Anyway, enjoy!



broccoli chicken salad 
inspired by Whole Foods' Broccoli Crunch
serves 4-8

2 - 2 1/2 heads of broccoli
2 1/2 tsp sugar
3 oz vinegar
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 medium onion
2 - 4 chicken breasts, boiled or grilled
2 oz pecans, or any other nut
4 oz raisins, or any dried fruit

First, make the dressing. Dissolve the sugar into the vinegar, mixing every few minutes. When almost completely dissolved, add the mayo and mix well. Cut the broccoli into florets. Wash then blanch them in heavily salted water for a few seconds, immediately dumping the florets into water and ice. Drain and toss with the dressing so it can soak up flavor.. Dice the onion. Add them to the broccoli. Toast the nuts. While they are toasting, dice the chicken into bite size pieces. Add the chicken into the bowl. Set aside the nuts to cool for a bit. If they are pecans or any other large nut, chop into smaller pieces. Toss in the nuts and dried fruit. Dried cranberries and raisins can be used whole. Apricots, and other fruit in the same size range, should be diced. Toss everything together. I like it much better when it is served immediately. The flavors are more vibrant. However, this salad can be chilled. Try to savor this dish within a day or so. Enjoy.