Friday

My First Balut

This weekend I finally got to try Balut- a popular and common Phillipino and SouthEast Asian treat.

Amy plopped the balut on a silver egg cup for me at breakfast- my first thought was that this was an interesting piece of 'ugly beautiful' haha.









I honestly couldn't stop cringing inside but it smelled really good, like warm chicken broth. After a couple chews, I started to like it more and more, but my eyes couldn't stop staring at it's veiny shell so I couldn't get myself up for seconds. I would definitely not mind having it again sometime, thanks Amy!

-Angela

Saturday

Simple, quick lunches!



I'm always either on the go or have a time limit on how long lunch is. But that doesn't mean you need to compromise the quality of what you're eating! Don't succumb to frozen meals or having to go out and buy food all the time. Here's two favorite recipes I have that are so simple and take no more than ten minutes to prepare!

SEAFOOD CORN CHOWDER

This recipe is so versatile - you can add and take out whatever pleases you. The only standard ingredient I would suggest is having the corn and an egg.

This time, I used canned cream corn, shirmp, hot dogs, mozzarella cheese, pasta, and some salmon furiyake. It's so simple - just add the corn into a pot, a cup or two of water (depending on how you like the consistency), and wait for it to boil. After it boils, add the remaining ingredients and stir in one egg.







Yay, it's done! Tastes great with baguette too!


It's quite healthy too, and definitely filling. :)


SMOKED SALMON PANINI

This recipe was inspired by the #8 Nugget sandwich, smoked salmon on foccacia. It's so much easier and cheaper to make it yourself at home. Just obtain a sandwich maker or all-purpose George Foreman grill!


The ingredients are of course whatever you would like in your sandwich. I used smoked salmon, shredded imitation crab, tomato and cucumber slices, mozarella cheese, and a dill mayo spread.

Just assemble the sandwich as you like and put it onto the grill. It should be ready within 2-4 minutes!

Cut and serve with a side of fruit!

Looks delicious?

It was!


- Candice

Monday

Cooking Club's First Iron Chef Competition

The Cooking Club on campus hosted their first Iron Chef competition last sunday and it was a blast.

Here are the officers/judges diligently tasting and scoring-



"What was the secret ingredient? "
"Who made what?"
"Did it actually taste good?!"



The secret ingredient: Peaches!!
Rules: Make and plate 1 appetizer, 1 entree, and 1 dessert in 1 hour.
Here are the lovely ladies of the opposing team: Stephanie & Jackie


My team: Johnny & Me


The competition was pretty fierce; here's Johnny grilling chicken in hot chipotle salsa (the steam kept fogging up his glasses so he took them off haha) and here's Stephanie pan frying her chicken in olive oil and making sure it stays tender.

Here's what Stephanie & Jackie cooked up:
Appetizer: Peach & Spinach Salad

Dessert: Fresh Peach Pie and Spiced Peach Turnovers
Stephanie said she preferred fruit pies that don't seem like they are lazily filled with mushy jam but with actual whole fruit. After trying their homestyle peach pie I agree; why mash up an already good thing?
Entree: Seared Chicken with Olive Oil and Peach Sauce
I am in awe of the fact they could bake from scratch (a highly sensitive and personally frustrating way of cooking) in under one hour. Good work!

Here's Johnny & Me going mad in the kitchen:

Johnny carefully plates Peach Chutney onto his Chipotle Chicken


Okay, don't do what I am doing and neglect a flaming stove! This is my careless attempt at candying tortilla chips which, thankfully, turned out well.

On our menu:
Appetizer: Peach & Mango Salsa with Candied Chips and Lettuce Wrap


Entree: Hot Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Peach Chutney

Dessert: Peach & Mint Gazpacho Topped with Whipped Cream


This year's Iron Chef winner was...

Thanks Johnny for your intense work and  creative ideas! Go team!

Looking forward to next year~
-Angela