f u l f i l l m e

I know I'm totally lame for not taking a picture, but I made the cake last Thursday and it was late by the time I finished so I didn't have any natural light left. Also it wasn't that pretty and we ended up eating the whole thing within three days or something like that. The recipe was so delicious that I had to post it here.

The cake had a wonderful balance of spices, and the cream cheese frosting was a fantastic compliment. I was a tad bitter about the frosting. We don't have a stand mixer or even a hand mixer, so I had to make the frosting by hand. I do have an immersion blender, but the whisk attachment is crap. It was still tasty, but just a bit lumpy.

Also, the cake was dense and a bit of heavy, so if you like your carrot cake light and fluffy, this isn't for you.

( Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting )

The weather was stormy -- perfect soup weather. I overcooked the noodles so they were a little mushy, but it was still tasty. Some of the carrots and most of the onions weren't soft enough after the 8 hours, so next time I will probably cook it longer and add the noodles later. I liked the onions with a little crunch, but I like my carrots really soft. Also, I normally detest celery, but I didn't use as much as directed, and they were soft, so I didn't mind them as much.

( Slow Cooker Vegetable Minestrone )

( Garlic Pork Roast )

Alterations:
- Didn't brown first
- Used more broth

Notes:
A little dry, but still tasty. Not sure how to remedy the dryness. My theories is that the dryness was caused by either (1) the liquid not covered the meat completely or (2) the cut of meat.

( lunches )


( Slow Cooked Korean Style Short Rib Soup )

Alterations:
- Closer to 7.2 lbs before trimming fat
- Slow cooked on high for 8 hours instead of 6 hours
- Used thinner noodles
- Boiled noodles per package directions rather than soaking

Sushi and tempura, made by my boyfriend and me, respectively.

I also tempura'd jalapeños. They were delicious! Flavorful and not painfully spicy.

I have been feeling ill the past few days, so I thought I would try my hand at home-made chicken noodle. To give my stomach a rest, I used one of the more plain recipes I found.

( Simple Chicken Noodle )

Alterations:
- No celery
- Pasta noodles
- Added garlic powder

I finally got around to trying mmmbento's thai-style "sushi" rolls. I couldn't decide if I liked the sauce or not so I ended up putting it in a bottle to take separately.

Since cantaloupe is one of my favorite fruits and they are not too expensive, I will probably be packing them often ^_^

( for tomorrow )


My boyfriend and I made lunch together ^_^

I got impatient to eat so I just took the pic with the first two katsu cutlets that were finished. Too bad: the other ones were nicer looking. But it was still tasty as usual!

My boyfriend and I cooked dinner together tonight with my new knife set.

( the filling )

( Thai Chicken Wrap with Spicy Peanut Sauce )

My alterations: I used spearmint tea instead of fresh mint and left the skin on the cucumber.

The top part contains a packet of instant miso soup with tofu and the chicken-filled siopao fits perfectly in the bottom container. I used one of my new veggie cutters for the carrots and made some edamame.

When I drained them, the carrots stained my strainer. T_T If I'd known it would stain, I would have used the other one. I'm sort of weird about staining. Oh well. Now I know for next time.

In any case, I am loving this new bento bowl. At first I was afraid it would be too small, but I think it will be great. It doesn't fit together as tightly as I would like, but that's what the elastic is for. ~_^

It is actually one of the last few that I was allowed to order. I've been going a little crazy buying new bento boxes; I need to slow down. -_- I have 2 more on the way, a big serving bento, plus the one I'm bidding on -- but I don't expect to win that auction. Anyway, it's better because now I can focus more on the food. And with the serving bento, I'll even be able to post to my groups on weekends. ^^