Monday, April 28, 2014

Starry Night San Francisco Painting



This painting is inspired by Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh's 1889 painting: The Starry Night. Van Gogh is a painter that focused on post-impressionism, which used bright colors, exaggerations (shape, form, color), distortions, free/outlandish brush strokes -- as opposed to impressionism's quaint and soft brush strokes, and a focus on natural light/movement/time.

Reading about Van Gogh's biography is really interesting. He began drawing when he was young, but did not begin to paint until his late 20s. In his lifetime, he has produced over 2100 artworks, which includes many oil and watercolor paintings. Impressive.

The Starry Night is an oil on canvas painting and one of his more well-known artworks. It shows the view from his room when he stayed at the asylum, Saint-Remy-de-Provence, in France. In this painting pictured above, you can see some similarities: the notable swirls in the sky and the dark buildings. However, Van Gogh created his swirls with lines while I used shorter strokes. One theory of the Starry Night is that the swirls are actually a part of his hallucinations!

Anyway, the only two important building structures in my painting that "reflects" San Francisco is the coit tower and the transamerica pyramid. The other buildings are vague no-name structures. The funnest part of painting this was definitely the swirls! I used yellow, white, light green, blue, and orange. The light shadows on the buildings was also fun because of the quick stippling brush strokes -- it's refreshing to use new techniques.

I visited the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands before, but unfortunately The Starry Night is located in NYC's Museum of Modern Art. Definitely want to go visit it one day!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Chocolate Oatmeal

Chocolate Oatmeal

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon of cocoa mix
  • 4 pistachios (unshelled)
  • 3 cashews
  • 4 pecans (halves)
  • 1 whole banana (sliced)
  • 1 strawberry (medium size, sliced in half)
  • grounded Saigon cinnamon
  • honey

You can microwave the oats in water and then mix it with cocoa (you can also boil the oats in a pot, but this would take longer and you would end up with more dishes to wash). If the oatmeal is too hot and you're in a rush (or you're super hungry), add soy milk! The cold temperature of the milk right from the fridge lowers the temperature and you're able to eat it right away without the possibility of burning your tongue.

I love oatmeal and it's usually my staple breakfast whenever I have time to eat at home (otherwise, if I'm running late, I would just grab a granola bar). You've probably heard this saying time and time again, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There's a reason why it's called breakfast, because you break the fast. So make sure to eat something when you wake up!

Matcha Green Tea Pocky & Kit Kat

Green tea flavored snacks are all the rave in Japan (not surprisingly as it's a major antioxidant and deeply a part of the Japanese culture), and I'm glad some of their goodies are making their way to the states!

Green tea snacks are usually made from two different kinds of powder. The first kind is made from the loose leafs of green tea leaves. The second is from finely grounded green tea powder that is of much higher quality than the former. The most common type of green tea flavored-anything is made from regular green tea leaves since it's more accessible and easier to make. Matcha (or maccha) goes through a much more vigorous production process and can be quite expensive, and therefore rare. 

Matcha has many health benefits:
-High levels of antioxidants
-A calming effect (helps lower stress)
-Vitamins and minerals 
-Boosts immune system
-Boosts metabolism and helps with weight loss
-Detoxing
-Lowers blood sugar levels and cholesterol

Although matcha is mainly produced and consumed in the Land of the Rising Sun, there are some matcha flavors in the western world too. Starbucks and many other coffee shops now have green tea latte. The most popular green tea snacks are pocky and kit kats (as shown in the picture above). They can be found in Japan or in Japanese shops in the states (ie. Daiso, Ichiban-Kan).

Friday, April 18, 2014

Bundt Cakes

Red Velvet and White Chocolate Raspberry bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes! 
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Moist, flavorful, and yummy. These bundtlet's (that's what they call it) literally melts in my mouth with every bite. Both are topped with their signature frosting, cream cheese (used with real butter!). The frosting is absolutely rich and delicious that I even licked some off my hands (couldn't help myself as I am a lover of sweets). The White Chocolate Raspberry is made with white chocolate cake with raspberry puree while the Red Velvet is made with cocoa, buttermilk, and a sprinkle of chocolate chips! Yum!

I like how the company uses the "freshest and finest ingredients," using fresh eggs, real butter, and cream cheese. I also like how their bundtlet's are wrapped in an individual plastic container, making each one special and ready-to-go.

For those of you who have never heard of a bundt cake--not surprising, as its competitors are the notable cupcake and macaron--they are a style of cake with a unique ring-like shape. Basically, they resemble a donut, except the bottom is completely flat and the top resembles a circular worm with repeating nodes (yes, odd comparison). There isn't a particular recipe for the bundt cake, as opposed to the pound cake with a 1:1 ratio of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. As long as it is made using the bundt pan to produce that particular look, then it can be called a bundt cake. I believe it's called a bundt cake because the word bundt resembles bundles, which is what the cake looks like.

The bundt cake is inspired by the Gugelhupf, which is a similar cake that was popular among the Jewish community from southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Alsace. 

The main difference between the Minneapolis and European one is that:
1. The American version uses flour, sugar, and eggs while the European uses yeast dough, raisins, almonds, and kirschwasser (cherry brandy popular in European sweets).
2. The latter is much higher in length with an extra layer on the bottom.
3. Fruits, nuts, and coffee are often associated with the Gugelhupf.

I'm not sure why bundt cakes aren't as popular here in the states (or maybe it's a west coast thing?) as compared to a cupcake. Maybe it's because it's more difficult to decorate them in a way that makes it look more attractive to eat. Nonetheless, I'm glad there are some stores that continue to specialize in the beauty of bundt cakes!

Monday, April 14, 2014

Tile Painting- Mural Project

 Before firing. Painting with acrylics over clay tiles. June 2013.
After firing. On the wall. April 2014.
The entire mural, made of numerous small clay tiles painted by different individuals. Completed in November 2013.

Exciting to see this up! It's pretty cool to leave a permanent mark at your alma mater and know that it will always be there whenever you visit the university. It's particularly special because the location of this mural is where I use to work at too. :)
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Quotes from the mural:

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you sow." - Robert Louis Stevenson

"We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk." -Wangari Maathai

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Picnic Day 100th Year Anniversary

In celebration of Picnic Day's 100th year anniversary, I made a cow using any edible food scraps I could find in my kitchen. 

Ingredients:
•Brown rice (face)
•Carrots (horns)
•Blueberries (eyes)
•Almonds (nose)
•Dark chocolate pretzels (nose ring)
•Sun-dried mission black figs (ears)

Originally I wanted to make a cow with pancake batter, but I didn't have a squeeze bottle or bananas! So I decided to make it using toast but I didn't have any bread at home (strange I know). So I opened the refrigerator door and scoured through everything possible to find ingredients that I could potentially use. I grabbed the items and laid them all out on the kitchen table, and began the process.

I love food art and being able to express my creativity on something practical (like eating haha). Food art with a theme is especially fun and exciting when you get to celebrate and showcase a holiday or special event.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Sakuramochi w/White Chocolate

Mochi (mochigashi) is a type of confectionery originating from Japan. It is a rice cake that is made of mochigome, a form of short-grain glutinous rice. It is made from Japonica rice, or rice that is grown in Japan. This particular rice is used because the short to medium mochigome lack amylose, a component of starch that resists digestion. Since mochi has little to no amylose, they are highly digestible, and as a result tend to have a higher glycemic index (AKA will result more quickly in a higher blood glucose level in the body after consumption). In other words, you should eat up with moderation! :)

Mochi is produced using glutinous rice, which are pressed and molded into a rounded ball shape. In the past, the mochitsuki process to make this was quite labor intensive. They would soak and cook the rice overnight, and then pound the rice with mallets and mortars the next day. Talk about exhausting! Nowadays, mochi can be made in your own home using the microwave!

They are often served as wagashi (Japanese sweets that are often served along with tea) and traditionally consumed during the Japanese New Year--although they are very popular and produced and consumed year round. 


Mochi come in other forms, such as daifuku, which are mochi with a sweet filling (anko azuki beans--sweetened red bean paste--are commonly used). I've also seen mochi ice cream, which are a mochi exterior with an ice cream filling! These can be found in certain grocery stores such as Trader Joe's.

The mochi pictured above is the "Harajuku Mochi Chocolat: Sakura." It's a product of Japan, so it is imported and therefore a bit more expensive. They used artificial red food coloring to obtain the rich pink color, which contrasts with authentic sakuramochi that uses red bean paste. The white chocolate filling was also almost non-existent. The mochi not only tasted better, but the flavors definitely overpowered the chocolate. Not only could more chocolate be added, but the quality could also be improved. It was not very rich and tasted quite artificial. Although they do use real cocoa butter, it was not enough to give the chocolate an intense and creamy taste. The mochi itself, on the other hand, did not disappoint. :)