The Lucky Peach

I always hear rave reviews on Momofuku in NYC. It is known as a great after hours place for ramen and beers. I haven't been there but one day I will trek my way in the village.

Ramen is one of my comfort foods. Once in a while I have these noodle cravings that I drive about an hour and a half to have an authentic bowl of Japanese Ramen noodles in Fort Lee. I have this idea that maybe I can make my own broth and buy the a fresh pre-made noodles in Mitsuwa. So, when I heard that Momofuku owner and chef David Chang is publishing his own recipe book based on his popular dishes, I need to check this out.

Momofuku meant lucky peach in Japanese. It is also the first name of the man that has invented the instant noodle. Although, David Chang is Korean-American, his passion with everything noodles made this his specialty. His specialty is French cooking and you would also find good fusion pastry desserts.

David Chang introduction.

The broth recipe is tedious but you can make it in a large batch.

Another reason I want to read this recipe book was for the recipe of his famous Bo Ssam. It is the Korean version of the Lechon but they marinate it overnight with salt and sugar and oven roast for at least 5 hours. It is easy to make.

You eat it by wrapping around the lettuce with rice and some Korean sauces. With David Chang's recipe, he recommends to pair it with fresh oysters. I plan to make it (sans oysters) and let my sisters try it on a test run.

A close-up from the photo. This should how it look like. Unlike the lechon, it didn't have the crispy skin but the sugar gave it the glace and the flavor.

Aren't you hungry yet?

The Momofuku book sells at $40. I think it is a great addition to your book collection and a good reference for fusion Asian recipe.

Click here for the Bo Ssam recipe at NY magazine.

Winter and Ice Skating

Winter is not one of my favorite season. I grew up on a quiet fishing village where the sun is out most of the time and weather is nothing but tropical all year round. Growing up, I always get a Christmas card from relatives abroad that has a picture perfect snow covered gardens with small inviting chalets that has wood burning fireplaces. I always wonder what it feels like to be surrounded with snow. I over romanticized it till I have this picture on my head about winter wonderland.

Reality had set in when we first moved to New Jersey. I remember it was the middle of winter, about a couple of days before Christmas. My relatives greeted us in the airport waiting for us with bundles of winter gear. My first winter jacket was a dark brown that look like a varsity jacket. It was big for my size but I remember it was so bulky that I just didn't like how it felt. That year also had the biggest blizzard of the decade. I was excited to see that too much snow, well, till my parents told us to help clear the driveway. After a couple of days after winter wonderland had turned into slush and it was replaced with dirty snow. 

From then on my love affair with snow, winter and the cold weather were swept away. On winter season, I tend to hibernate. I only leave the house when its necessary and usually hide under the covers. After years of waiting for winter to pass through, I have learned to embrace it. I don't see Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve without the cold. Hubby introduced me to ice skating. As of now, I haven't tried skiing but one day we would make the trip to the mountains to try it at least once. It was 4 years ago since the first time I donned ice skates. Looking at kids sliding down the rink, it look like fun - and easy. 

One thing about ice is that it is very slippery. I am so concious of not falling on my backside that I forgot to have fun. I gave it another shot. A couple of hours later, I am sliding without holding on to the sides and bravely cross the rink all the while hubby was making circles around me. He is such a show off. I can easily kick his ass in swimming but this is his sport. And he made sure to make fun of me while I slide off like a turtle. The next day I woke up with sore muscles, my back is hurting and feeling off, something different. I found out I was pregnant. 

My first skates.

Fast forward to 4 years later, Madison is 2.5 years old. I thought of ice skating again. I bought myself and Maddie toddler skates, the one with double blades for balance. She wore the skates and was able to walk around with it, only not on the ice. Once on the rink, she didn't want to skate. We both agreed she was too young for it. I also learned that toddler skates rental were free on the ice rink. I decided to return her skates and kept mine. I intend to ice skate in the future.  

Winter Sports

The 2010 Winter Olympics is wrapping up tomorrow. The athletes that competed made is look like easy that while I was watching a sporting event it was easy to yell at them for not pulling through. It does look easy till you have to do it yourself.

While I am only interested in figure skating competition, it turned out that I like watching the speed skating competition. I am in awe with the South Koreans on the speed skating competition, they always the top contender for the gold medal. I also notice that most of them start skating laps and settle at the back but in the middle they make they way to the front always on the last minute making the other competitors didn't know what happened. Most of the time this strategy works but last Torino Olympics, there was a South Korean speedskater that was eliminated for illegal pass making the second person after him getting the gold medal.

Another thing that made me excited about this recent Olympics was the presence of Filipino-Americans in the competition. One day, I am hoping to see the first Philippine flag on the podium with its anthem for the world to hear after winning its first gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Everyone can always dream.

Speedskater Celski. He won Bronze.

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig. They won Silver.

I will definitely watch the closing ceremony with a sad heart.

Not you typical Vampire House

If you are a fan of the Twilight Saga, this might get your attention. The modern Cullen house that was used in the movie Twilight was for sale for a cool $3 million dollars. This ain't your Adams family abode. The price was probably inflated due to the popularity of the movie and fans would like to have it as a shrine. The property is located in Canada.

Let's look at the details:

Front

Living area.

 I am not sure if this the same space where Jasper jumped Bella when she had a paper cut.

 

 To me, this is the biggest seller. Very spacious and lots of natural light.

Masters bedroom.

The pool area.

Movie or not, I still think it has good modern amenities, it has a spacious uncluttered look that has a lot of large windows for a good dose of outside light.

photo source: cnn.com