sweet HONEY | an art blog

chicken soup and cake

2007-09-27T23:54:00.000-07:00

made campbell's select chicken soup and a vanilla cake for s.c. who was feeling sad about not being head drum major. The soup was because she's sick. It's pretty strange. I've always that that it was an Euro-American thing to eat Chicken Soup when you're sick. For asian, we eat like porridge or rice with water because it's really plain. Apparently, chicken soup causes mucus flows to expel and trap bacteria. It also clears up a stuffy nose for a bit and is generally just nutritious. Though, I'm not sure how nutritious canned soup is.

And for Culinary Club, we have the opportunity to go to Bistro 561 and have a tour of the kitchen! Updates on that later as soon as I make reservations for like 20 people.

Sautéed Gnocchi with Tomato and Onion

2007-09-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

I love gnocchi-- it's hard work, but I love how potatoes are made into a soft, crunchy cake. Although I like mine a little more browned [see picture], gnocchi is the perfect appetizer.

The recipe came from Béa's La Tartine Gourmande food blog. Her Gnocchi dish is expertly made with delicate and artful presentation. I who knows little abou gnocchi was easily burnt and crumbled. I did not have Taragon so I substituted an Italian Herb mixture that you can buy at the grocery store and no cheese. But I assure you, the Tomatoes still had quite a lot of flavor.

I started by using real Roma Tomatoes, but you could always buy canned [and drained] Italian-seasoned Tomatoes.

For the gnocchi:
1 lb Russet Potatoes
1 egg
2 oz all-purpose
1 tbsp chives, chopped

For the Tomatoes:
4 Roma Tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh Tarragon [or Italian Herb Seasoning, if you are already using canned tomatoes, this is not necessary]
1 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper

Gnocchi:
Preheat your oven to 400 F and prick the potatoes all over. Bake for one hour or until tender. Cool, scoop out flesh, and pass through a Potato Ricer. Why? You don't want lumps and clumps-- a ricer ensures a consistency in the smoothness of your "mashed" potatoes.

Add flours, chives, egg, and season with salt.

Mix the dough but be sure for it not to be too wet as they will break apart later on and take long to boil. Add flour if necessary. The dough should stick together.

Roll dough [if not rollable, more flour!] into 5 inch rolls about 1-1.5 inches in diameter and wrap it securely in plastic film. Boil for about 10 minutes remove and cool in iced water.

for the tomatoes:
Blanch your tomatoes by cutting crosses on the end and boiling for 10 seconds. Place in ice water immediately. Peel of the skin and dice.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic, onions, and herbs. Season with salt. Be careful not to burn the garlic as it will leave a bitter taste. Cook on medium heat until the mixture is soft and onions are translucent. [5 - 10 minutes]

Add tomatoes and simmer on medium-low heat until the mixture has reduced. Season.

Finish:
cut your gnocchi into 1 inch rounds. Heat olive oil on a non-stick frying pan and fry until golden brown to your taste.

Garnish each round with a dollop of tomato. Add some Parmesean cheese shavings and decorate with a tarragon sprig. [In my case, it's not tarragon haha].

Swordfish!

2007-06-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

For the first time, I've decided to cook some fish-- even though my dad thought that some fishy smell was gonna stay in the house forever. But he thought wrong. :O I got the recipe from Giada De Laurentiis' book, Everyday Pasta. I changed it a little because I don't have a grill so I pan-fried it instead.

Fish:
Swordfish seasoned with Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil.

Pasta:
Citrus Pesto
1 bunch of fresh basil stemmed [3 cups]
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
1 clove of garlic
zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 c. parmesan cheese

Boil Pasta [I used angel-hair]. Drain and Reserve 1/2 c. of water. To make the pasta, blend the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon and orange zest and juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. While running, slowly add olive oil so that the pesto is smooth. To save time, you could always buy premade pesto sauce and add the citrus ingredients. I did that and shoot, it still tasted phenomenal and hey, it's like Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade.

Grill Swordfish. And serve pasta topped with parmesan. Place a swordfish on top and garnish with some zest.

Yay. :D

oh yeah by the way guys... it's summer...

Bloopity Bloop and a Flower!

2007-03-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

I finished 7 explications in 2 days. I am waiting in anticipation for the next set!

Spring Break is in under 11 days! Get ready for stuff other than photography!

Anyone have ideas for a [healthy] Dairy-Free Breakfast? I'm lactose intolerant and a student low on time so breakfast is always annoying. :<

Orchid
I got lost in the feeling of things...

Are We Self-Centered?

2007-02-28T00:07:00.000-08:00

My dog killed a rat this weekend. She's really happy-- or more like, she thought she was playing with it. The weekend was a good day for photography.

My friends have actually decided to make a documentary of us for when we graduate. We had wanted to start Senior year but we decided that we should start now so that we wouldn't lose interest by next year. It's pretty fun-- haha. I think the group of six that we usually have have some many great ideas. The problem is that we never follow through with it. I think that's what kids nowadays are all about. Big dreams but there still is reality. Ah, life sucks hard but it's better with friends. Thinking about senior year seriously makes me sad.

Anyways, during Journalism, I read that my generation is the most egotistical generation as of yet. Known as generation Y, this generation boasts the most narcissistic college students...ever. The problems with this self-centered personality is the inability of students to get along with other people and accept failure. When confronted with failure, they often get frustrated easily. It reminds me of my younger brother who is extremely confident and gets exasperated when he cannot do things right. Professor Jean Twenge of the San Diego State University did a test called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory [NPI] and asked questions like "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to." Many of generation Y scored high on this test for Narcissism.

What is the cause? Many blame the education system, the parents, and of course the media. All over, preschoolers are influenced by higher authority that they are special. The reason behind this has been the idea that it will raise the self-confidence in children. However good self-confidence is, this "confidence-booster" has also done it's job of raising bratty, short-tempered, and dishonest kids.

And the funny thing is is that it's true. Generation Y [my generation] is all about and Myspace, LiveJournal, and even I myself have fallen into the clutches of Blogger. Many children are more rebellious than ever-- and in a bad way, if I might add. Like many freshman college students, they think that they can take care of themselves but when faced with an obstacle, they sit, pout, and throw a tantrum.

Source: LA Times, The Battalion
Photographs: Coco and Dead Rat, Dandelion, Old Wood Pile [Backyard "patio" thing we demolished and had rebuilt because it started to rot] that has started to rot and rust, Garage
All photos belong to Karen-- only dandelion was photoshopped.

Soba Tsuyu

2007-02-09T01:59:00.000-08:00

This dish is known as Soba Tsuyu. It can be considered a healthy meal by most people. It's very simple to make. I'm not sure, but it might be an acquired taste for Asian Sauces. Soba is buckwheat noodles. Soba Tsuyu is the easiest dishes to make using Buckwheat Noodles.

-Soba Noodles
-1/2 c. Soy Sauce
-2 cups Dashi Soup [buy the powder kind and just mix with water until you get the saltiness you like]
-Mirin
optional:
-scallions
-Furikake

Boil Soba Noodles [one bundles should be enough for like 3 meals] until soft. Wash with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside in the refrigerator to cool if necessary.

For the Sauce, mix about a 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 2 cups of dashi soup [you can find the powder mix kind in the asian aisle or an asian theme store], and 3 spoonfuls of mirin [it is a type of rice wine vinegar but whatever rice wine vinegar should be fine]. Mix together over a stove until boiling. Cool in the refrigerator. If you are lazy you can always buy the Soba Noodle Sauce in a Japanese Store.

If you want, cut some scallions and mix it with the sauce-- it's really all up to taste. Serve cold-- it's a cold dish. Mix sauce and Noodles. Decorate with Nori pieces or even Furikake [dried salted vegetable or fish "powder"--more or less "pieces"] with shreded Nori.

Lately, however, I really want to retry making those Chocolate-Cherry Cookies posted by Erielle of Fancy Toast that failed at the Christmas Baking Contest-- I didn't put enough Baking Powder [and we ran out of it] so the delicious cookie dough refused to rise. I had tried using Baking Soda but to no avail. Oh well. Ah~ it was good dough.

Happy Birthday ME and Nancy~

2007-01-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

My birthday is coming in 2 days [sorry for the lack of posting, nothing happened...]!

I wait in anticipation for my presents-- but it kind of sucks for my friends who have to buy double the presents because my other friend has the same birthday as me...except we are a year apart. Too bad <3~ style="font-weight: bold;">cheap asian and spending $20 on me, $20 on Nanar, $20 for dinner, $6 for me and Nanar, and $? gratuity... Wow, I feel like a jerk. Seriously.

But I got some really nice stuff, so thanks everyone! I'm really happy!

1. Baggie and Slipper thingies - Nanar
2. Electric [dangerous] Bed Warmer ♥ - Skava, Amanda, Jennifer, Kai
3. Sephora Giftcard and Mirror - Katie
4. Bath and Body Work's Bag with smelly stuff and interchangeable heart necklace - THE BOYS
5. Express Giftcard / [finding me a Date to Winter Formal? ♥] - Military boy, ~~Kyle~~ Kevin
6. Locket Necklace "Karen is so totally awesome" - Stephany
7. Cute Red Skull Shirt - Kat
8. Clock/Picture Frame [that was supposed to be for Xmas] - Anderson
9. Makeup [Double-Eyelid Tape hahaha, wow]

I love ~~material things~~ my friends~

One more year older and one more year put behind us but we're all getting one more year closer to our goal. Driving, Boys, Graduation, whatever-- I know you guys will all be there for me and so, I love you guys~

Hawaii 2008?

Visit to The Nucleus | Art Gallery and Store

2007-01-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

Passing Ships
Copyright Kazu Kibuishi

I went to the Nucleus today! I think Alhambra is kinda ghetto-- but since I live only about half an hour away, I decided to go to the Nucleus to check out the Imaginary Spaces exhibition [it was the second to last day]... I originally went to check out Kazu Kibuishi's Passing Ships print in the flesh-- but I ended up discovering a lot of other artists too such as Jon Han and Israel Sanchez. Nonetheless, I can honestly say, it's a lot better to see everything there than online. Kibuishi is kind of like the coordinator of Flight comics-- which I own two books only. Sorry! But, really, he's like a master-- all of his work impresses me.

I even went through the trouble of ~~wasting money on~~ buying one of the Passing Ships prints. $35!--Nonetheless, as a fan, I'm really happy.

Overall, even though the Nucleus a really small place-- it has a lot of exclusive art books and prints as well as a little art gallery that's filled with treasure-- go check out the newest exhibition starting January 13th called Dig Me Out. Featuring artists like Chitose Yagi, Kazuko Taniguchi and Teriyaki Tagashira.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T22:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I just want to say, Happy New Year, everyone! Even though this is only my 10th post, it's still a new start and a new year! I hope you've all made some resolutions [to break...or keep]. A few to start for me is to stop procrastinating which coincides with sleep earlier [before 3]. Honostly, it's the last week of Winter Break and I'm not done with over 75% of my homework! Go me! I might add photos later-- I'm not on my own laptop.

1. Stay Healthy.
2. Stop Procrastinating.
3. Sleep Earlier.
4. Continue Self-Study of Japanese.
5. Finish all Art Projects.

Bees, Flowers, and Maison Akira

2006-12-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to play with my camera~

The images are kind of really big so... sorry! I thought I was gonna resize later so yeah. Maybe I will. Or not. Who knows?

Anyways, ~~Flower Sex~~ Close ups of Flowers and some berries:

I went to Maison Akira! It was a blast-- even though so little people went. I have to tell you, it was a quiet little restaurant but at the same time pretty formal. I really liked it! I loved how two different culinary styles were mixed together-- French and Japanese. Who would've thought? I kind of wanted to try Escargots but I knew I wouldn't have the mind set and the stomach to handle it. I think it's mostly psychological.

I ordered Grilled Beef Rib Eye. It was good. But I kind of regret it because most reviewers say that he is more skilled with fish than he is with meats. My favorite part of [my brother's] dish was the Wasabi Potato Mousseline. I thought that that was so creative. It tasted like potatoes with a hint of wasabi-- not spicy at all. We had two creme brulees. Kinda sweet for me-- I'm not a big fan of sweets but they were good. One was a Lavender Infused one and the other one was just good old fashioned chocolate. Maison Akira was really good but it had it's faults too. I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 4.

After the Rain::
It started to pour while we were eating. Looking out when it ended gave a really brisk clean feel. While stepping out, everything seemed to be washed away and fresh.

Soon after, the wind decided to blow-- biting our noses, whirling around our bodies.
It was cold.

Merry [Late] Christmas!

2006-12-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas Party was crazy. My Polaroid picture got messed up, it looks like the tree's on fire--["I'm so hot, the tree caught on fire"] Tomorrow, Culinary Club is heading out to Old Town Pasadena... but, it's officers only + Jonathan now. This club sucks! And it's the truth-- I wish people would check their emails.

Recently, I've gotten addicted to probably the most retarded game in the world. But they make it so cute and competitive that it's fun. It's pretty much the same as the downloadable BeJeweled for your cell phone. Ijji.com presents, Switcheroo. Saying that made me feel pretty retarded...

I did some watercolor paintings the day Winter Break started. It was nice to know I had some more time. But I still have to finish my Art Mosaic we're doing for the Color Lesson-- it's gonna take me forever because I made it too intricate.

I made something for Christmas-- a couple+mistletoe! Too bad no one used the mistletoe at the Christmas Party. Secondly, is a random girl in a different style that I normally would use. I'm trying to deviate more from that anime-ish style-- I usually find my style a mix between that and a more cartoon style. I like it anyways. Lastly, I've been working on this for a while...I decided to use colorpencils [I got the 120 Prismacolor Premier Set for a Christmas Present so I couldn't resist...] instead of watercolor. I'm thinking of using different mediums anyways [I photocopied like 3]. I want to get a scanner so I can work on solid colors and see how it looks. The problem with the last one is that his arm is way too long and awkward looking-- at least to me.

Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you've all had an enjoyable holiday! And people, let's not party too hard! Enjoy Winter Break no matter how short it is-- I am at least!

::Christmas Party 2006::
[You can kinda see me in the picture >D]

Blogs! that I had to hint.

2006-12-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

Clio Chiang and Jen Wang are my freaking heroes. [k and it's true :D] They are probably one of my all time favorite artists. Jen Wang stuff is in my art journal. I want to go see her at her upcoming Monster Sex show at the Amber Lounge in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it's on a weekday [12/14--tommorow!] and I live [only] 5 hours away. Only...

Hint Hint~ I want Jen Wang stuff [which is coming back in print January]. And guess what January is! My Birthday!

Also, I love newly discovered blogger, Beth and her views on her Third-Grade Teacher. Made me have a giggle fit. But I feel bad...I just kind of found out on my own. :

"How did I find out about Santa? My third grade teacher asked those of us who believed in Santa to raise our hands. Four of us did. She then told us we were old enough to know the truth and spilled the evil beans. Broke my heart. Coal-hearted b*tch."

Anyways, I've started on something new but I'm still working on that scarfy girl-- Just lack of time...
They are supposed to be from seperate images...[but they don't have to ♥ jk ] But compare the hair and eyes. I couldn't decide so I just made both.

[Oldschool] Photos

2006-12-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Sophomores...

.::Lazy Days::.

Sorry guys, I've been dead on my actual art progresses on my digital art work... but, as you can see, I love taking photos of my dog♥. The first image was old-school photos from Halloween, 2006 that I dug up. Oh, those sophomores. I'll try to post something by this Friday or Saturday.

I wore this on Halloween since there is not other time to wear it. It was a waste of money. But my grandma likes it when I wear clothes like when she was little. I think she's a cute old...rich lady. She really likes my mother because she is the youngest daughter in the family. That's probably why I got Fumiko as my Japanese name. In Chinese, my name is Nai-Shing. We always mix Japanese and Chinese culture because my grandma married a China-man. :) so cute.

Taebin Returns-- Sort Of

2006-12-08T16:45:00.001-08:00

Taebin [or Danny], member of the korean band, 1TYM, came to perform for the Korean Youth Festival [see left, I managed to get some photos ♥] on December 6th. It was held at his hometown-- which is where I live. Tickets were ten dollars. Though the show 'started' at 6PM and ended at 10PM, it was more or less a talent show. I came at 8PM because of my schedule. Not to say it wasn't interesting but I wanted to see Taebin. According to annual returners to the show, Taebin comes often enough-- seeing as it's his hometown but many are uninterested except the ladies. I'm not sure how most shows go, but he sang two songs at 9:30PM and left. I felt bad for him because it didn't seem like he enjoyed being there catering to a small group of mostly 40 - 50 middle-school korean girls. He has star status, apparantly, and had a reputation to uphold. I guess I can understand that. He also seemed like he had a very quiet and shy personality despite his popularity. Nonetheless, I didn't get my money's worth and grabbed a free gift bag on the way out unsatisfied with the show.

They didn't even check my $10 ticket.

But I got to touch his hand♥ -- yeah, I'm shallow.

The show was still pretty awkward since I saw a lot of the Korean people at my school-- and they knew I was a non-Korean immediately. Not surprisingly, my school forms cliques easily-- being a primarily Asian community. According to a Korean friend, l.l., Koreans have a Chinese/Japanese-Radar and he "[uses] it all the time." Which is frightening...

Danny, or Taebin, is currently working on a solo album or single. Called Taebin Vol. 2 that should be coming sometime in December 2006. 1TYM is still on hiatus due to Jinhwan's service in the military.

Rice and Noodles

2006-11-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

I found riceandnoodles-- a food blog by mae. It's just spectacular. The food [and photography] is great. A lot of her recipes are oriental-- from Filipino to Chinese-- and are usually self-invented and experimented with. But the result is always the same: good food and good art. A second hobby [and perhaps future job?] is cooking and the culinary experience.

I really love her recipe for Oriental Chicken Sausage Rolls.

Shopping on Black Friday

2006-11-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

I was walking through the mall when a lady shoved past me carrying a ton of bags. It's likely she spent over $300 on holiday shopping. She looked back with a snobbish look on her face as if I was the one who was in her way. Well, the first thing that popped into my head was instinctively something on the lines of, "Christ!"

People can be a little rude around the holidays-- especially when there is literally a month to go until Christmas. Well, that's what you get for shopping on Black Friday...

Anyways, progress on the picture that I've totally been putting off. It's also my first work on the computer for over a year...

Alameda St, Downtown LA
[picture is slightly crooked...]

2006-11-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

It's been hectic, but I've gotten tired of everyone using xanga and myspace... I mean they "are so overrated." I hate to be generic, but they are. So, here I am at blogger.

progress::.

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