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I don't know what says fall and winter more than warm, spiced pumpkin with hearty faro, crispy brussel sprouts and pomegranate seeds!! I know that I am like 3 months late to the game but better late than never?  I hope all my vegetarian friends and family are now satisfied with a recipe they can make after all the times they keep asking me for a veggie dish!! Even for people who eat or love meat, this is a perfect option because of all the different flavors and fulfilling feeling after you dig in.
In elementary school, all my friends were Asian (like chinese, vietnamese...etc.). They adopted me, the brown girl, as their honorary Asian friend, taking me for my first (but not last) time to eat things like pho, bubble tea, and so many of the best asian (especially Vietnamese) food ever! If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been as addicted to boba/ bubble tea as I am now. I would always get the classic black milk tea with pearls until one day I was adventurous and tried the passion fruit great tea! Ah! Is this what passion fruit tastes like?- or as close as possible I am going to taste fresh passion fruit??? Either way, that sweet tropical drink got me hooked.  So the other day when my sister and I go into the kitchen, we see this huge bag of, uh, oval shaped, tiny eggplant like purple things?? We spent so long trying to guess what our dad brought home until he finally told us they were fresh passion fruit! Ohmygawd. We flipped. My sister, like me, has now become a HUGE foodie and has reached that absurd level of getting excited over food- yes friends, imagine me times two.
I have never seen fresh passion fruit in my life at any grocery stores so we were so intrigued as to where our dad found these amazing fruits- his friend's back yard! So thank you dad's friend for these beauties <3 I mean look at the crrepy-ish, alien-like, liquid gold, enticing purple bulbs of goodness- phew, that was a mouthful. If you have never tasted fresh passion fruit, it's kind of like a cross between pineapple and apple and lemon, pure amazingness. PSA: only eat the passion fruit when the outside is SUPER wrinkley, you will get the sweetest juice then. I had to find a good way of putting 20 passion fruits to use so I sprinted (aka grabbed my phone) and went on Pinterest and thought that crème brûlée would be great! Give this a try and tell me how you like it :) !! Who doesn't love bacon. Er- bacon coated with a sweet and spicy glaze, yes now we're talking. A couple of years back, I was in the city with my cousin and she took us to this brunch restaurant that served a "Million Dollar Bacon".  If your'e thinking this bacon was wrapped in gold or something, it wasn't; it was coated it something wayyyyy better than gold, sweet and sticky maple syrup, a spicy mix of chili and then baked until it was almost candied liked. I had already been making bacon like this before I came here but this restaurant use a triple chili mix! The fresh black pepper took EVERYTHING to the next level.
If your family is like mine, I am pretty sure that if you go into your kitchen pantry right now, you will find some bag of granola. I mean honestly, it is the greatest topping for anything. It is super quick and easy to throw onto some yogurt with fruit, or eat it with your oatmeal, or to just simply snack on throughout the day. Although, have you ever thought about what those manufacturers actually put into your store bought granola? No? Yah me neither until I started making it on my own.  When my friends started to tell me that "granola isn't actually as healthy for you as you think it is", I would doubt them immediately because 1.) it says right there on the package "HEALTHY Granola!" Like i mean who would question that? However, some brands truly are "healthy" but others just lie to your face. And 2.) isn't granola just oats and nuts and a bunch of healthy stuff mixed together?? YAH actually, a lot of packages load it up with a bunch of sugars, excessive fats and processed things to help store it and make it taste better. NONONONO! Soon, your "healthy granola" turns into this despised back of brown oats sitting in your cabinet waiting to be finished.
Cinnamon rolls are probably the most quintessential breakfast items that almost every child remembers waking up to in the morning. That sweet, spicy smell of the cinnamon wafting through the house, trailing to your bedroom, waking you up from your sleep, and making you run to the kitchen to check what's in the oven. It is the perfect combination of warm,soft and chewy dough spiraled with the cinnamon sugar, buttery goodness and then finally lathered on with the cream cheese frosting- in this case, a MAPLE cream cheese frosting. You didn't expect me to make normal cinnamon rolls now did you? I must warn you that these fist sized cinnamon dough balls are ADDICTIVE! Do not even think of making these if you are on a diet of any sort because one whiff of these and you've just gained 5 pounds. But no one reading this post or even making these at the moment isn't even thinking about a "diet" right? Okay good.  I am not a salad person. If I had a choice between a nice juicy burger and a salad, there would be no hesitation to order the calorie packed burger. Just boring greens plainly dressed does not sound good to me. And then, this recipe came to mind.  If I am going to eat a salad, it's gonna be something like this: super flavorful meatballs infused with Mediterranean spices like cumin and chili, a crunchy mix of greens tossed in a bright dressing and then the whole thing is mixed with colorful veggies and fruits like kalamata olives, mango and cucumber. Can I just say kalamata olives are my most favorite thing at the moment. I never liked them when I was younger because they were too tangy but now, I can eat them straight outta the jar- anyone with me?
When I was younger, I had piano class every Saturday morning. This was probably the worst part of my weekend because 1. I never practiced and 2. I never looked forward to getting a lecture from my piano teacher for not practicing... I know, I know, I should've probably practiced- but that's besides the point. The highlight of my Saturday was always going to the farmer's market after class each week!! My dad and I would stay there for a while, tasting the free samples and I would just go crazy about all the interesting things each vendor would sell. The best, BEST part of the farmer's market was the bread that one vendor would sell. His stall was all the way in the back, almost like a hidden gem that only the people who ventured through the whole street would find. When we got back home and unloaded our goodies, my family would start on our weekly grilled cheeses with the half eaten bag of bread because my dad and I could not resist it during the drive home. These grilled cheeses weren't your normal ones. We had recently seen Giada (from Food Network) make this amazing spinach pesto and pancetta grilled cheese sandwich- oh my. Every Saturday, you would find our kitchen smelling of the bacon, the fresh pesto full of garlic and basil and the pillowy bread toasting on the side. Oh yessss! I wanted to relive that nostalgic time so I tried recreating my childhood favorite with a little bit of a spin.  Yum Yum Yum. What sounds better than a 30 minute seafood dinner, filled with a rich tomato sauce and perfectly cooked orzo, sitting with your family outside on a warm summer night- er scratch that, for my family more like a Thursday night watching last night's episode of Master Chef or reruns of Modern Family. Anyone with me?  |
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Who's Rachel?
Hey! My name is Rachel. I am a typical 16 year old high school student living in the bay area, California, loaded with academics, clubs, sports...and more stuff you are all probably familiar with. The not-so typical part of me is that I. LOVE. TO. COOK. learn more here!
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