November 26, 2012

Afternoon snacks at TMSK

Entrance


I did super tourist-y stuff while I was at Taiwan, and one of them was to visit art museums.  There was an art exhibit next door, so afterwards, we stopped by TMSK for some fuel to keep us going (art exhibits can be quite tiring!)  But once we got to TMSK, we realized that the art exhibits wouldn't end.  TMSK shares the building with Liu Li Gong Fan, which is another collection of art... but that explains why TMSK has such awesome decorations.


Interior


Indoor decor


Walking into the dining area was an art exhibit in itself. The neon blue lights were all throughout the room, even on the floors!  And they had all sorts of figurines, from tiny ones to life size birds.  Plus, the bench-style seating arrangements had an outdoors-y feel...kind of reminded me of PUBLIC in New York, but much more decked out.


Racks of wine
Rows of wine


Afternoon Tea
Pound cake served with 3 types of cookies


Afternoon Tea
Cranberry scone served with three types of cookies


I was a little disappointed by the afternoon snack sets here.  They only had 2 options: pound cake or cranberry scone.  The honey pound cake was very soft and moist, but it had a very faint honey sweetness.  I liked the cranberry scone much better.  It was served warm and fluffy, and it was so soft, almost like a sponge cake!

The cookies were quite delicious as well.  They were the buttery kind with the rich, crumbly texture, and it just went perfectly with a nice, ice-cold glass of .... 


Green Tea


... BEER!
Just kidding, this is just green tea.


Art figurines


They have tables and tables of figurines all throughout the dining area that you can look at!  But don't worry, it's not like you're in a museum and you can't step over the line.  It's a very casual setting, and at nights, they even have bands playing live music!  Sadly I didn't get to meet any celebrities when I went, but apparently some pretty big pop stars played there before.

But the best part about TMSK is not the art, or the music.....


It's ..... THE BATHROOM!!!


Trippy bathroom


Wooooo, it was like going into a club on ecstasy!  All the walls were reflective mirrors so there were like 837103543 images of myself and the toilet.  (Perfect place if you want to camwhore...your face is on the walls 360° haha.)  There were so many people taking pictures in the common area, probably because it's the trippiest bathroom you'll ever walk into.  Makes all other bathrooms seem like prisons...ONE MIRROR AIN'T GOOD ENOUGH NOW!




TMSK
信義區光復南路133號, Taipei, Taiwan 110
+886 2 2766 5610
http://www.tmsk.com/xst/

November 22, 2012

How to Make Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  I like to think of the holidays as a license to stuff yourself crazy.  "I shouldn't be eating my sixth slice of pie but...oh heck!  Thanksgiving is only once a year, might as well finish the pie."  Yeah...that's me.

Highlight of Thanksgiving dinner: the big juicy (or, if unfortunate, dry) turkey.  And you know what's also awesome?  TURKEY BACON!  I'm so addicted to this stuff, I could probably eat in place of the real turkey (imagine if you brought out a tray of bacon instead of a turkey harhar).  It's got all the good fatty taste that normal pork bacon has but with turkey flavor and 60% less fat!  That right there, is winning.  Less fat in each piece means you could eat more of it.  BOOYAH! 

And with these strips of gold you can make...


bacon cinnamon roll 1
Bacon cinnamon roll


...the King of Breakfast: best of the savory and the sweet.   And you could even use this as a side dish to your real turkey!  Of course you could use whatever bacon you'd like but I'm telling you, turkey bacon is MMM!

Making it is super easy


You'll need:
  • Pilsbury Cinnabon Cream Cheese Rolls
  • 8 strips of bacon


Pilsbury Cream Cheese Cinnabon


Jennie O Turkey Bacon
Turkey bacon...mmm...


Pilsbury Cream Cheese Cinnabon
What's in the can: the rolls and cream cheese frosting


How to make bacon cinnamon rolls


  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Unroll each piece and just place a strip of bacon on to it.  Roll it back up.  By sticking the raw bacon right in there to bake with the roll, all the good bacon fat gets soaked up in the bread!
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes.


And then BAM! 


Bacon cinnamon rolls 2


How mouthwatering is that?  I'm writing this post two in morning right now and I'm starving!  My tummy's making all these crazy noises.


Bacon cinnamon rolls


And for the final touch...


4. Drizzle on the cream cheese frosting.


Bacon cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting


I always loved pairing savory with sweet!  And for some reason, breakfast items are the best.  Breakfast sausage dipped in maple syrup = heaven!!(On the other hand, Cathy thinks they go horrible together.  She doesn't know the good stuff!)


Bacon cinnamon roll 2


Eating this in the morning makes waking up so much easier!  I should make this a Monday ritual





November 20, 2012

Shilin Night Market in Taiwan!

Now that New York is over, it's time for Taiwan!  Over the summer, I (Cathy) went to Taiwan with my family (without Jocelyn, how heartbreaking...)  But I ate enough for the two of us (not in the pregnant way haha), and I can't wait to share all the food with Jocelyn and everyone else!


Taiwan Street


One of Taiwan's most popular attractions is the night market, the biggest and most popular one being Shilin Night Market. And OHOHO I felt so at home.  Everyone was just eating and having fun, regardless of the time.  It felt like the night could go on forever!


Fried Chicken Cutlet
"Large Fried Chicken"


I'm sure everyone has tried fried chicken before, but I bet you've never had chicken like this!  I mean, it was bigger than the size of my hand and probably even my face.  It was like popcorn chicken on steroids, but since it was so big, it was SUPER JUICY inside.  I really wanted to finish it while it was still fresh and hot, but I also wanted to save room for what was ahead.


Xilin Night Market Stands


Oh my gosh, look at all that food and people!  It was quite overwhelming walking in and being surrounded by food everywhere you looked.  It was like a little kid walking into a candy store, not knowing where to start.  It would have been pretty awesome to try one item from each stand, but it was pretty hard to say no to all that good food...and also the pressure from the vendors.


Squid Soup
Squid Soup


Sausages
Yes, those are all sausages.


Sausage in sausage


This was the most interesting stand ever.  I mean, how on earth (in Taiwan) do you eat so many sausages?  Well, the trick is to get rid of the bun and substitute it with a sausage, and voila!  You've got yourself a sausage in a sausage sandwich! 

Taking the first bite was rather interesting.  You bite through one sausage, just to find another sausage inside.  And the sausages even have different flavors. The lighter sausage on the outside had a more rich and herb-y flavor, and the darker sausage in the outside had a sweeter, more mellow flavor.  Sausages are usually already packed with flavor, but having two in one bite was just BAM BAM! 


Sausage in sausage
Sausage in a sausage side profile


Mango Shaved Ice
Mango Shaved Ice


Mango Snow innards
Mango Shaved Ice innards

If you're in Taiwan, you have to get mango shaved ice!  I upped it up a notch and got the mango snow (for like 50 cents more...harhar gotta love Taiwan), which has a fluffier texture and milkier flavor.  Top that with sweet mangoes, mango syrup, and condensed milk, and you got a happy Cathy .


Cute and furry alpaca stuffed animals


After eating all that food, make sure you browse around!  Asia in general has the cutest things (although they may not make sense).  Here's some adorable stuffed alpacas.  They love you!  And haha, don't they kind of remind you of an inverted sausage sandwich?




Shilin / Xilin Night Market
Dadong Rd., Danan Rd., Wenlin Rd. and Jihe Rd., Shilin Dist.
Taipei City 111, Taiwan 

November 12, 2012

Let's get nostalgic about New York

Sophomore year of college, all of a sudden the two us were addicted to good food and we started this food blog.  Then we started looking at other people's food blogs and we ran into The Wandering Eater and her fabulous blog.  The food in New York looked so much better than the food we were eating on school campus.  We couldn't tear out eyes away from her photos and practically looked them everyday.  We even set her photos as our desktop wallpaper. (Haha, looking back we sound crazy.)

And then one night, we were laughing and joking around.  "What if we went to New York?"  And then a few days later, we thought, "Why not go?  Nothing is holding us back!  We should go while we're young and have a fast metabolism."

And BOOYAH!  A few months later, after much planning and money saving, we hopped onto a plane to New York to eat our hearts out!

This is our last post for New York but it pretty much summarizes our whole trip in New York.  All of our favorite moments in photos.

Chicago airport
A stop in Chicago Airport

First thing we saw when we stepped off the plane!

First taxi ride

HOME BASE
The Carlton Arms Hotel: Our home base

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How do we lock our hotel room?  Old school padlock baby!
How do we lock our hotel room?  Old school padlock baby!

Bedroom is painted 360 degrees
Our room was painted 360°

...even the counters are painted

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Pubic hair woman on top of our mirror
Pubic hair woman on top of our mirror

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Stairwell, no elevators

Third floor hallway
Third floor.  Check out the bathroom sign (harhar)

Third floor bathroom
Third floor bathroom walls

Our hardcore planning on display

Stepping out

First meal

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Warming up

20 layer cake
That's 20 layers

Cathy
Cathy

Jocelyn and car
1st attempt: Jocelyn and car

Take 2
2nd attempt: fail

Take 3...YAY!
3rd attempt: YAY!

Bethesda Fountain
Bethesda Fountain, Central Park

Central Park

Kitty cats

Can you find Cathy?
Can you spot Cathy?

Trump Tower
Trump Tower

Ice rink at Rockefeller
Ice rink at the Rockefeller Center

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Can you find us?
Can you spot us?

Times Square

Flatiron Building
Flatiron Building

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Broadway: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Going up to the Top of the Rock
Going up to the Top of the Rock

WE'RE IN NEW YORK!!
WE'RE ON TOP OF NEW YORK!!

Empire State of mind
Empire State of mind

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Top of the Rock

Creepy Ronald McDonald up on the second floor watching your every move
Creepy Ronald McDonald

Grand Central Train Station
Grand Central Train Station

Second taxi ride

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Banh Mi snack

Top Shop

SOHO New York

Coin size red velvet cupcake

Washington Arch
Washington Arch

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Still House

Pylos Greek Restaurant
Pylos Greek Restaurant

Lafayette Street

Mr. Krabs
We walked so much, Jocelyn got a callus...say hi to Mr. Krabs!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Our best meal in New York

The different types of people who ride the subway
The different people who ride the subway

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge was quite tiring

Brooklyn Heights

Apple Cobbler Cupcake

LOVE LA
LOVE LA from NY

Manhattan Bridge

Sitting under the Manhattan Bridge
Sitting under the Manhattan Bridge

It was 4°C
It was 4°C and we were still out walking

Dip your card!
Dip your card!

Eataly New York

The best dessert ever. EVER.
The best dessert ever.  EVER.

Last supper in New York
The last supper

Love from New York to California
Sending love from New York to California

Banana & Peanut Butter Square Yeast Doughnut

Ending with a BANG!
Ending with a BANG!

Last taxi ride

Crippling bag
Crippled bag.  It was SO heavy!  (We didn't take the wheelchair.  That's be horrible.  We just placed it there a few seconds to relieve our shoulders.)

New York souvenirs