NomNom: Double Chocolate and Espresso Cookies

After I started to recover from being sick a couple weeks ago, my food cravings started to slowly come back which was a sure sign that I was on the road to recovery. Thank God.

I don't usually get chocolate cravings (I'm more of a cheese craving kind of gal) but every once in a while, I will get a hankering for anything chocolate flavored and that happened around the time after I was feeling better. There's no rhyme or reason for the food I'm craving at that moment--only that it must be satisfied quickly. I just feel sorry for the boy I'm dating <insert batty eyelashes>.

I had this recipe bookmarked for awhile but I didn't feel compelled to make it just yet...until last week. These are not only chocolate cookies but double chocolate cookies...I mean....

This recipe involves chocolate covered espresso beans which I didn't have in my pantry but I did have espresso powder. After reading the reviews on this recipe, several people commented that they substituted the beans with espresso powder which worked out just as well. Win.

I used 1 tablespoon of espresso powder the first time around which unfortunately didn't do much to the flavor profile, so I decided to double the measurement the second time around. Bingo.

These cookies almost remind me of brownies because they come out so deliciously moist, chewy, and gooey when they're first out of the oven. The hardest part was waiting for these babies to cool....so I may have tried to eat one while it was still warm and may have made a chocolatey mess on my hands and mouth from the melted chips that are nestled into the cookies. Oops.

Have a great weekend. Xo.


Ingredients (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via food network) Yield 10-12 cookies
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup dark chocolate-covered espresso beans (I substituted with 2.5 tablespoons of espresso powder)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (recommend Ghirardelli)


Procedure
1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmer water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

3. In a bowl of a food processor, finely chop the chocolate covered espresso beans. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chopped espresso beans, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

4. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients and stir until thick and smooth. Fold in the melted chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop level 1/4 cupfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until slightly puffed and the tops begin to crack, 18-20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets and serve.

Summer Sequins

Photos courtesy of Melanie Yu

Sequin top, necklace-J.Crew (buy here, here)

Faux leather skirt-Boundary & Co (buy here)

Shoes-Pour La Victoire (old)

Bracelets-David Yurman

Sunnies-Karen Walker (buy here)

Happy Wednesday everyone! I mentioned several weeks ago that I'd be putting myself on a month long shopping ban (successful so far!) which means recycling existing items in my closet, with this leather skirt being one of them;)

Have a great rest of the week. Xo.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Took a trip to NYC to visit my little sister. Since we both have a bit of an unconventional work schedule, our schedules don't always align. But, this holiday weekend we happened to be both off for the long weekend so I decided to visit.

2. Made an unplanned stop by Bouchon Bakery on the first day of exploring the city since it started to rain on and off during the afternoon. The very first time I tried macarons was from Bouchon several years ago and that pretty much set my standards for macarons. This and Maison Lauduree are probably my top favorite macaron places.

3. Went to eat dim sum at my usual go to place in Chinatown, Jing Fong. There's always a wait on the weekends even though the place is HUGE. It's basically an enormous banquet hall where you will most likely share a table with strangers but that's part of the experience. Trust me, the wait is worth it.

4. Finally went to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. It's been bookmarked for quite awhile now and since we were already in Chinatown to eat dim sum, we stopped by for dessert. I tried the lychee and almond cookie flavor which were absolutely mind blowing. I'm still thinking about the lychee flavor...

5. Walked the Brooklyn bridge for the first time since the weather finally turned around. Gorgeous views of the city--highly recommend.

6. Went to a new ramen place called Ramen Misoya located in East Village. The broth was good and savory but not sure if I would rank this high up on my favorite ramen places. My loyalty still lies with Totto Ramen in NYC;)

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Hawaiian Fried Rice

Food confession time. I'm in love with spam.

It all started when I was a young child when my mom would make us kimchi jjigae (a delicious kimchi stew) with spam in it or put it in gim bap (korean version of sushi rolls). I loved having it in my kimchi jjigae so much that I would refuse to eat it if she cooked it with another type of meat. Gosh, I was such a brat. Sorry mom.

Most people probably might find Spam to be gross and overtly salty but I love it anyway. Spam, rice, and roasted pieces of seaweed with a side of kimchi is one of the most simplest and satisfying meals to me. When I was on vacation in Hawaii during my childhood, I distinctly remember going into a 7 Eleven and seeing individiually wrapped musubi sold as snacks! It's basically spam sandwiched into rice, all wrapped in seaweed. So perfect. So great.

When I first came across this recipe, I was intrigued about this take on non traditional fried rice. I loved the idea of using sweet and salty together for this dish, but the only problem I had with this recipe was that they used ham. I mean, the recipe is titled Hawaiian fried rice so it's only appropriate to use Spam. Le duh.

Leftover rice from the past week or even from your take out/delivery is the perfect excuse to whip this incredibly easy dish in about 30 minutes. But, let's face it. Do we need an excuse to make really good fried rice?

Hope you enjoy the long holiday weekend ahead. I'll be spending mine in NYC visiting my sister:) Xo.


Recipe (Adapted from Cook's Country) Yields: 4
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Tapatio or Sriracha), more or less to taste (I used 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon vegetable, canola or peanut oil
2 cups cooked, chopped ham (I used Spam)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
6 green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 cups cooked rice, white or brown, cold
3 large eggs
1-2 cups pineapple pieces

Procedure
 1. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce. Set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or electric frying pan heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil until rippling and hot. Add the ham, red bell pepper, and the chopped white parts of the green onions. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and the red pepper is tender (but not mushy), about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook another minute. Scrape the mixture onto a plate and set aside.

2. Heat another teaspoon of oil in the skillet until hot. Add the cold rice and cook, breaking up large clumps, until the rice is heated through, 5-6 minutes.

3. Push the rice to one side of the skillet and heat the last teaspoon of oil on the empty side of the skillet. Crack the eggs into the hot oil and stir lightly with a spatula or wooden spoon, cooking until the eggs are lightly scrambled and set. Stir the eggs and the ham mixture into the rice. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the rice and cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined and hot.

4. Off the heat, stir in the pineapple and green parts of the onions. Serve immediately.

Coral Crush

Photos courtesy of Melanie Yu

Blouse-H&M (old)

Faux leather skirt-Boundary & Co (buy here)

Clutch-Saint Laurent (buy here)

Shoes-Pour La Victoire (suede version here)

Bracelets, ring- David Yurman (buy here, here, here)

Sunglasses-Karen Walker (buy here)

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's no secret that I love practically anything leather when it comes to fashion, so when I first saw this skirt a couple of months ago, I instantly gravitated towards it. Leather is usually characterized as "tough" and "edgy" but when you include feminine pleats and soft colors to that, it gives that piece much more personality. 

Hope you're having a wonderful week so far and thanks for stopping by! Xo.