Gestalt Principles?!?!

can you read what it says? teehee.

Design Potluck!

a friend of mine decided to get as many design students together with a potluck. mmmmm....designer potluck. i've noticed after going to many a potluck in college, that most people don't want to actually cook when going to a potluck and usually try to get the drinks or dessert end of the meal and just pick something up at the store. i'm sure many people are just simply busy with school/work and whatnot. so for this lovely design student potluck i decided to make a chicken tetrazzini. just a warning if you're trying to stick to your new year resolutions, this recipe is very creamy and fatty. =) also, i added a good amount more salt than the recipe asked for when making the sauce for the tetrazzini, probably about three tablespoons. but after tasting the finished product it could have used a tad more salt...so be sure to taste as you go. here's the recipe from Giada De Laurentiis:

Chicken Tetrazzini
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday Italian
Episode: Foods that Refuel
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

9 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Remember to add more salt when making the cream sauce. The tetrazzini turned out ok, just gotta remember to add more salt next time. It's a very heavy meal...I feel like I have to go do some extra exercising after eating some.

I noticed that I haven't posted much design related stuff, so here's some upcoming events for me regarding design! This Thursday, at CSU Chico, Garson Yu will be speaking! For those of you who don't know who Garson Yu is, he is the genius behind many motion graphic sequences(movie title sequences, commercials, etc.) such as "The Terminal," "The Italian Job," "Memoirs of a Geisha," and "Brokeback Mountain." You know all those cool movie intros....yeah, he's pretty freaking awesome and thanks to our super cool design teachers (glenda drew!) we get to go hear him talk! super exciting! i'll try and post pix from the lecture.

ok i guess i should be getting back to working on my project...but i feel lazy, it's sunday afternoon!

First Week of School

so the first week of school has ended. this has got to be the most tired i've been after the first week of school! my design classes started off with projects being due in the second class...which of course meant staying up late. last wednesday, being the first wednesday back in davis, meant going to SUDWERKS for some beers with ThMAL. sudwerks is a local davis, ca brewery that offers drink specials on wed and thurs nights. this means it's flooded with the 21+ college crowd trying to save money while getting drunk. but sudwerks offers some good beers. i found that i like the marzen the best but there are a few that i haven't tried yet, such as the doppelbock. the atmosphere is a strange combination of a sports bar, with your jukebox and tv playing whatever game is on, and a german beer house/backyard patio.

just one week into the quarter and i've already stayed up late into the wee hours of the morning last night. so if this blog is tired and doesn't make any sense, i apologize. so if you're a machead, you probably already have heard the news that the iPhone actually exists!

it's so beautiful. i'm contemplating getting one when they come out in june. i need a new ipod and desperately need a new phone. i was looking for a smart phone but this revolutionary cell phone/mp3 player combo is looking mighty nice. but it is now time for me to catch up on some sleep.

Happy New year

hello hello! been a bit since i last blogged and boy have things changed. it's a new year! 2007 is upon us and it's my year...meaning the year of the boar!

ok so the official chinese new year doesn't start til february 18, 2007 but i would prefer that it start sooner than later. wouldn't you if it was your year? some famous people born in the year of the boar include

• tupac shakur
• thomas jefferson
• missy elliot
• lucille ball
• humphrey bogart
• parker mckenna posey

since this is my year according to the chinese calendar and zodiacs, i'm hoping good things will abound this year. this year is going to be a transitional year for me. graduation is only sixth months away! time to start looking for a job or applying to graduate school ::gulp:: but i'm excited for the new changes that will be happening in my life and the little steps i'm taking towards full "adulthood." eeeep! adulthood sounds scary. adulthood = more responsibility and having to pay off my college loans! but then i think i'm looking too far into the future and forgetting the six months i still have left of school...all-nighters, lots of caffeine in many forms, spray mount, not enough RAM on my computer to run all the programs i need for class, long critiques. sounds worse than it is, but it's still a relief to be doing something that may not be making 6 figures, but at least i can say that i really did enjoy my classes and the work that i've done. woohoo.

anyway, today j went to work and t and i were left to our own devices. MUAHAHA. that of course included food and drink. t and i decided that we would make ourselves a new years feast of snacky type foods and drink. then make our way over to tuco's for dessert. t decided she would make spinach artichoke dip and i decided on making sticky sesame chicken wings and we were both going to make some tartines that we saw ina garten make on "barefood in paris." after hitting the grocery store we returned home w/ our lovely ingredients and started cooking up a storm.

i started on the sticky sesame chicken wings which was basically some minced garlic, 2 parts each hoisin, soy sauce and honey to one part sesame seed oil and a pinch of cayenne tossed w/ chicken wingettes and baked in the oven then tossed again when cooked w/ sesame seeds and scallions. trish started w/ the spinach artichoke dip. they both turned out pretty good. then i continued on w/ brownies. a pretty simple recipe from CHOW mag

CHOW's Intense Brownies
CHOW's version of this classic is not too sweet and just a bit fudgy, with a nice cakey top. This recipe is for purists but add in nuts or chocolate chips as you like.

What to buy: We make this recipe using 60% bittersweet chocolate, but for more intensity feel free to use a chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa (not unsweetened.)

Game plan: All the ingredients should be at room temperature before beginning. These brownies will last three days in an airtight container.

Time/Servings:
Total Time: 45 minutes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 16 brownies

Ingredients:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon brewed espresso
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions:
1.) Heat oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Line an 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish with aluminum foil.

2.) Stir the chocolate and butter together in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted. Remove and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3.) Briefly mix together the eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, espresso, and salt. Add the cooled chocolate and mix well.

4.) Fold the flour into the batter until just incorporated.

5.) Pour the batter into the baking dish, and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely before cutting.

The brownies came out pretty good. The espresso really helped to make the brownies "intense." Nothing like food cooking and fresh baked goods to make the house or apartment smell lovely.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe new year! Good luck in 2007!

lazy daaay

so today was an amazingly lazy day. after waking up late, i went to pick up the wii from lori. then stopped by the store to get some ingredients to make chicken curry (recipe from CHOW) and vietnamese coffee cupcakes (recipe from chockylit.) i'm going to try and make cupcakes tomorrow to deliver to my finals ridden friends as i am officially done for this quarter. but the curry came out pretty well; a little more spicy because i wasn't paying attention to the recipe and added more cayenne pepper than i should have. but other than being too spicy for my roommates, it was pretty good. Here's the recipe:

Vij's Chicken Curry from CHOW

1/2 cup canola oil {This is a lot of oil, which pays off in the silkiness of the sauce}

2 cups finely chopped onions (2 large)

3-inch stick of cinnamon

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped ginger

2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric {There’s not as much turmeric here proportionately as in most commercial curry powders—a good thing, because too much brings a leafy astringency to the table. Also note that there’s no fenugreek in this curry—another typical curry powder spice.}

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon garam masala (recipe p. 26) {Making garam masala is really just a game of chicken played on a stovetop—I toasted the cumin, black cardamom, clove, and cinnamon in a dry pan on the stovetop; the smoke started billowing upward, and my two-year-old son and I started hacking. Stirring, stirring—how dark should the cumin seeds get? I settled for a dark coffee color and let the mixture cool off. According to the book, many commercial garam masalas aren’t toasted, so they lack the depth this one adds to the curry.}

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3 pounds chicken thighs, bone in {My husband asked for “legs” at the grocery store, and we ended up with drumsticks—more tendons to navigate, but still tasty.}

1 cup sour cream, stirred {For those of us who always marvel how creamy Indian sauces can be, I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that, in fact, they contain cream. Score one for the moghuls.}

2 cups water

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (including stems)

In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes, until onions are golden. Add garlic and sauté for another 4 minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and cayenne. Cook this masala for 5 minutes, or until the oil separates from the masala. {One begins to appreciate all the moments that serve to concentrate flavors in these recipes. Here, when sweating the onions to start the stew, you go for a little color, unlike the practice with most French preparations; then you add a little garlic and again let things get a little colored. Finally, you add your precious garam masala—which, remember, has already been toasted—and tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and coriander, and let it all cook together again until the tomatoes cook off their juices and the oil separates from the spicy paste below.}

Remove and discard skin from the chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to the masala. Stir well. Cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. Add sour cream and water and stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times, until chicken is completely cooked. Poke the thighs with a knife. If the meat is still pink, cook for 5 more minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour. {Here’s another moment of flavor concentration—letting the curry cool before serving. We were in a rush the first night of the curry and served it hot, but then I ate it for lunch the next day and the spices had knit together with the meat in a much subtler way, and the cayenne’s impact went from a little harsh to a gentle, warming tingle. Do not be afraid to eat chunks straight out of the refrigerator.}

Transfer cooled chicken to a mixing bowl. Wearing latex gloves, peel chicken meat off the bones. Discard bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro. {After cooking this recipe, I tried another chicken curry from the book. It used fewer spices that were kept whole and got most of its punch, instead, from a mint and cilantro chutney that was stirred into the stew shortly before serving. Though they share many ingredients, the difference was striking between this yellow curry’s full-bodied warmth and the other’s play between nutty toasted cumin and coriander, and the rounded grassiness of the chutney.}

i wish i had some good tandoori oven naan to serve it with but i had to settle with cardamom jasmine rice. overall, yummy and tummy warming for a cold winter's day. i'll be making the vietnamese coffee cupcakes tomorrow...and maybe i'll make some vietnamese coffee for me to drink! mmmmm....rich, strong, coffee.

caffeine!

after waking up late today and enjoying a cup of peppermint tea, i did my usual email/gizmodo checking. i had baked some pecan shortbread cookies last night and J had asked me if i was going to bake some more today. as i was hunting for a simple yellow cupcake recipe, i came across a blog article about starbucks and "ghetto lattes." now what is a ghetto latte you ask? the ghetto latte comes in various styles and has various names such as "the poor man's latte" or "bootleg latte." it even has it's own wikipedia page! here'a s quick quote from the page:

"Ghetto latte or bootleg latte refers to a latte where the customer has used the free milk and other condiments to convert a cheaper drink into an approximate copy of a more expensive one."

one starbucks barista discussed the fact that by ordering this ghetto latte, customers are cheating starbucks out of money by ordering cheaper drinks and using all the free items at the condiment bar. here's the full article. the customers are probably just trying to be frugal and i'm sure they're going in there everyday spending money because they're caffeine whores. it's not like they're grabbing the milk canister and running for the door and i don't see any signs saying "2 tablspoons per cup" either. not that i'm a ghetto latte connoisseur or anything. and honestly, if the baristas think that the drink the customers make using the condiment bar is the same as the drinks they're making, i do not want to them to be pulling my shots.



this brings me to another thought. several months ago, i had a most wonderful cappuccino made from Blue Bottle Co. coffee at Tuco's Wine Market and Cafe, and now i've found myself craving cappuccinos. i tried one at starbucks, but it was nothing close to the deep flavors and aromas i was in search of, not to mention the giant bubbles and tepid milk they gave me as steamed milk and foam. as Tuco's is more of a restaurant than cafe and they don't open til 11:30am so i had to find other places to satiate my addiction. Mishka's served Illy and it was fine but i wanted something fresher and not from an "air-free pressurized environment." Finally, i went to Pete's Coffe & Tea. i hadn't ventured to that side of town (it's in the opposite direction of anywhere i need to go) in a few months, but decided to early one morning after dropping a friend off at the airport. and hooray cappuccino! a friendly barista, lovely velvety mircofoam and that perfect combination of espresso and sugar. i stepped out into the crisp morning air and returned to the cave that is my apartment to finish my design projects, but with a most statisfying cappuccino in hand.