'Best Way to Eat Corn on the Cob' YouTube Video

I have a very particular way of eating corn on the cob and people always comment how neat my method is when they seeing me working away at one of my favorite vegetables. I have been joking for awhile now that if I was ever to make a YouTube video, how I eat my corn would be what I would film – because I am random like that. So, I decided to put actions to my words and bring this video to life.

I love to say that “nothing is easy,” and through this video-making process, I was reminded of those words and felt a new appreciation towards YouTubers and the art of video making. I had to think about what I wanted to say then recorded myself several times repeating the same lines over and over again because I kept messing up. I had to figure out the best way to film my corn eating demonstration, Frankensteining together my tripod and selfie stick to get a decent overhead shoot. Trying to find the appropriate music led me down a whole world of free-to-use music I had no idea about. And, editing everything together with my nonexistent video-editing skills was fun, but eventually I got so tired of listening to my own voice. Lol.

This will be my first and only YouTube video I will make, but as Justin Bieber says “Never say never.” Who knows – maybe I will be inspired by another random topic in the future. Until then, hope you enjoy the video and will try this corn-eating method. Happy eating!

Dinner Inspired by the Aisles of Trader Joe's

JB and I love watching the cooking competition ‘Chopped’ while we eat dinner. Chefs whip up an appetizer, main course and dessert with basket ingredients that are revealed to them just before cooking, with a chef being eliminated after each round. It is really fun to watch and yell at the TV when a chef does something that we know the judges will not appreciate, like being too liberal with the truffle oil.

Inspired by the show, I joked that we should cook each other a dinner with ingredients from Trader Joe’s because we love the grocery store and because I am random like that. This would also give us the opportunity to try some TJ’s products we typically would not have picked up. Without the pressure of a time restraint and, disappointingly, without the thrill of winning a $10,000 prize, I set about bringing this meal to life.

Pretending our apartment was a private kitchen of sorts, I worked on the evite for this unique dining affair. I decided to use a brown paper bag background to tie back to the grocery store theme.

Once JB confirmed yes, I sent him this confirmation email, which I thought was quite amusing.

It was hard trying to decide what to make for each course. I felt the pressure of wanting to impress JB with something delicious and unexpected as I combed the internet and walked through TJ’s on several different occasions for inspiration.

I was also hoping to plate my dishes beautifully like the ones below but quickly decided to keep it simple enough to execute in our tiny kitchen.

I knew I wanted to use the signature Trader Joe’s grocery bag in some way for my menu. I decided to cut out the circular graphic and write all the dishes I would make on the other side.

Here are all the items I picked up at TJ’s. Not pictured the Italian blood soda and sparkling water I got last minute to make a welcome drink. I tried to select items that I never bought at TJ’s, i.e. the brioche toasts, the everything but the bagel sesame seasoning, green chiles and dijon mustard.

I also bought a few more ingredients at other stores. You may be say that is cheating as this is a Trader Joe’s inspired dinner but who’s checking? Plus, my dessert needed black sesame paste, which I would not be able to get at TJ’s – it is too Asian. Maybe in due time like the Korean Style beef short ribs.

DINNER IS SERVED AT CASA DE IBU

WELCOME DRINK

Italian Blood Orange Soda topped with Sparkling Water and Mint

TRADER JOE’S INGREDIENTS: Italian Blood Orange Soda, sparkling water

INSPIRATION: I had this drink at a friend’s gathering and thought it was so pretty and refreshing - perfect for the summer. You can add vodka to take it up a notch.

APPETIZER

Smoked Salmon Toasties with “You are my everything” Bagel Seasoning

TRADER JOE’S INGREDIENTS: Wild sockeye smoked salmon, dijon mustard, everything but the bagel sesame seasoning, brioche toasts, light cream cheese

INSPIRATION: I tried the toro toasts at Brooklyn’s Shalom Japan and thought they were so charming – all the wonderful flavors and textures of a lox bagel in miniature toast form. I chopped up the smoked salmon and seasoned loosely based off of Ina Garten’s salmon tartare recipe. I then sprinkled with Trader Joe’s wildly popular “Everything but the bagel sesame seasoning,” green onions and capers.

MAIN COURSE

Salsa Verde Chicken with Summer Corn Salad and Our Usual Rice

TRADER JOE’S INGREDIENTS: Boneless chicken breast, green chiles, salsa verde, lite shredded mozzarella cheese, roasted corn

INSPIRATION: I turned to YouTube for my main course. I found a simple baked chicken recipe from Journey to Health using canned green chiles, salsa verde, and cumin. I paired the protein with a corn salad inspired by Ina Garten, jasmine rice and lime wedges. I realized after dinner that I forgot to add the plantain chips for some crunch. Oh well…more for snacking in front of the TV.

DESSERT

”B.S” Panna Cotta with Blackberries and Crushed Sesame Seed Candy

TRADER JOE’S INGREDIENTS: Milk, heaving whipping cream

INSPIRATION: When I tried the black sesame panna cotta at Washington, D.C.’s Daikaya, all my tastebuds started to sing. It was such a simple and not-too-sweet dish that satisfied my undeniably Asian platter. I tried following the recipe from Cooking with Dog, but as I did not have a kitchen scale, figuring out how much gelatin powder to use would prove to be quite tricky. I realized I did not add enough gelatin when my panna cotta would not set so I had to just freeze it.

TAKE TWO!

The flavors of my first panna cotta were good, but I really wanted to get the texture right for my second attempt. For this one, I added a bit more gelatin powder which did the trick - the panna cotta was delicious! A few days later, I tried making it a third time and I got the gelatin measurement wrong again and it was way too firm and had tiny beads, which were not pleasant. Who knew gelatin was such a sensitive ingredient to work with! *Shaking my fist*

MIGNARDISE

(I was curious to know if there was a word for a small bite after dessert, similar to how an amuse bouche is a small appetizer that is enjoyed at the beginning of a meal. I found the word mignardise, which are tiny pastries or sweets, usually served with coffee)

”A Dutch Ending”

TRADER JOE’S INGREDIENTS: Caramel bites

INSPIRATION: As JB is from the Netherlands I wanted to create something inspired by his birthplace. My last item of the evening was inspired by two classic Dutch treats - the bitterballen and the stroopwafel. The former are deep-fried and breaded balls filled with a savory filling of beef, veal, or chicken. I thought it would be fun to make something that looks like a bitterballen, but with all the sweet caramel goodness of a stroopwafel wafer.

MELTED HOT MESS

I thought this would be the easiest thing on my menu to make as all I need to do was to shape my Häagen-Dazs Caramel Cone Ice Cream into a ball and then cover it with chopped caramel bite crumbs. Just a bit of DIYing. But, I had such a hard time keeping the ice cream from melting - I did not realize my freezer had spots that were not as cold as the others. Such a fail!

Here is the one that looked the most decent to serve, dressed with a Dutch flag that I saved from my Holland trip.

It was tricky switching hats as hostess, server, cook, and dinner date. As the server, I jokingly asked JB, “I have not seen your dinner date all night, is she ok?”

I crack myself up.

All in the all, the dinner was a success and I had so much fun flexing my creative muscles in the kitchen. I definitely would like to cook another dinner with just Trader Joe’s ingredients and try some more complicated dishes. Maybe Trader Joe’s can sponsor that meal. *wink wink…lol*

I always say that “nothing is easy” and while cooking this dinner I was reminded of this saying. I had to put together a excel sheet to keep me more going insane. The paper would eventually be covered with notes and a bit of middle school math to figure out how to convert grams to ounces for my black sesame panna cotta.

During this cooking process, I felt an new appreciation for all those who work in the food industry. The food may be the final output, but running a restaurant takes a tremendous amount of skill to plan and develop a thoughtful menu, to source quality ingredients while sticking to a budget, to run a smooth operation in the kitchen and in the dining room, to everything else I have no idea about. I will try to think about that the next time I am quick to poo-poo a dish because it was not to my liking.

Til next time, happy cooking, happy creating!

New York City Pizza Crawl

One of my closest friends here in New York is moving to LA tomorrow and I am pretty bummed about it. This move has been in the works for a couple of years now, but it still feels surreal to know that Janice will no longer be here anymore. Who will I hang out with?!

Well, a few weeks ago I asked Janice what she wanted to do for our last one-on-one hangout. I was surprised when she texted back “I wanted to do a pizza crawl.” She confessed that even after so many years in the Big Apple she never had that amazing New York pizza slice that everyone always raves about.

Honestly, I was not too thrilled about doing a pizza crawl as I am usually full after just one slice – how would I be able to chow down on three or four? I replied with a noncommittal answer and let a few days pass. But, the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I should plan this crawl. Fulfilling my friend’s simple wish was more important than me worrying about my stomach’s capacity.

So the planning began, with me combing through pizza lists on sites like Eater and Thrillist, watching pizza reviews on YouTube, mapping out locations on My Google Maps to figure out the best route and just letting my creative juices flow to bring this crawl to life.

First, I designed an evite featuring this perfectly-themed illustration I came across on Pinterest. I just found out while writing this post that it is by an Mexican-born artist Ilse Valfré based in LA – if this is not a sign I do not know what is!

It was nearly impossible to choose just five spots as there are hundreds of pizza places in the city. I reluctantly decided to stick to places that sold slices as it would be impossible for us to eat a whole pizza at multiple locations. Hence, sit-down restaurants like Lucali, Emmy, Roberta’s and L&B Spumoni Gardens were crossed out. I tried to have a good mix of classic spots and a couple lesser known hidden gems. Once, I decided on the locations, I designed a pizza-shaped card with a short description for each place we would hit up.

And, what is a pizza crawl without some score cards? We would rate each pizza from one to five in the categories of crust, cheese, sauce, appearance and value.

I inserted each description card and two score cards, one for me and one for Janice, in a brown paper envelope that was a nod to the color and texture of a cardboard pizza box.

Before arriving at each location, I gave Janice an envelope that she would open to reveal where we were going. Here are the spots and the descriptions that were on each card. Let the drooling begin!

Location One
Di Fara Pizza

82-year-old owner Dom DeMarco has been making pizzas in this Midwood spot since 1964. These pies come slathered in a San Marzano tomato sauce, generously topped with parmesan, a leaf or two of fresh basil, and a heavy drizzle of olive oil poured from a silver can.

1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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LOCATION TWO
NY Pizza Suprema

It is fair to be skeptical with the storefront banner proclaiming they have the #1 pizza slice in Manhattan. But, this no-frill spot near MSG is turning out cheap slices that have impressed even the most hardened pizza aficionados. The crust is stiff enough for folding yet oily enough to stay moist.

413 8th Avenue, New York, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

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Location THREE
L’INDUSTRIE PIZZERIA

Located in Williamsburg, L’industrie is a cash-only shop owned by Florence native Massimo Laveglia. With a perfect five score on Yelp, you can expect the use of high-quality ingredients to dish out classics like the Margherita and fancier options with proscuitto and truffle sauce imported from Italy. 

254 South 2nd Street, Brooklyn, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

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Location FOUR
Prince Street Pizza

This Noho shop took over the space of the oldest Ray’s Pizza — another iconic New York City pizza brand. The Spicy Spring is the signature here, a Sicilian style square topped with fra diavolo sauce, fresh mozzarella and spicy pepperoni that curl up into little grease-filled cups of pure heaven.

27 Prince Street, New York, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★

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Location FIVE
Joe's Pizza

Joe’s is home to the quintessential New York slice, compromised of a crust that is equal parts thin and crispy and even layers of cheese and tomato sauce. The shop was opened in 1975 by Joe Pozzuoli, who is originally from Naples, Italy, the birthplace of pizza. Beware of copycat locations. 

7 Carmine Street, New York, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

You may be wondering which was our favorite. Both of us absolutely loved DiFara. My theory on why it tasted so good was because the pizza was made fresh and not reheated in the oven like the others…but who knows. I will definitely go again – I did not realize that it is a quick train ride from my apartment.

I was worried that we would be done with the crawl really quickly so I had some activity fillers in my back pocket like watching a movie, walking the Manhattan Bridge, going to the Renegrade Craft Fair or the Mermaid Parade. But, just visiting the five pizza spots was a full-day adventure. We started at noon and finished around 8pm, with a pitstop at Sister City for a drink.

This was such a fun experience, trying some really delicious pizza, encountering random characters on the street and sketchy train (woman who asked for my seat) and making wonderful memories with my dear friend while being reminded how special and diverse the city of New York City is.

In closing, a note to Janice: Thank you for coming into my life in my early years of living in New York when I was trying to find some solid girlfriends who I could have meaningful connections with. I am really debating if I should get back on Hey! Vina now that you will be gone.

Growing up, my dad had a framed poster hanging in our house with various life lessons on it. One I always remembered is ‘do not hold back those who are leaving.’ (가는 사람 잡지 마라) As I said at the beginning of this post, I am really bummed that you are leaving New York City and wish you would stay. But, my excitement outweighs my sadness as you step into the next chapter of life in LA where you will really be able to grow into your fullest potential and shine as an artist.

All the best Tree Neck…I cannot wait for the day I am watching a show or movie and see your name in the end credits and can scream, “Yesssssssh! That’s my girrrrrrrrrl!” Love you.

Sweet Taste Test: DIY Box of Gummies

I absolutely love gummy candies. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon Sockerbit, a charming Swedish candy shop in New York City's West Village. It is a candy lover's paradise with a plethora of gummy treats to choose from in a minimally-designed space that is undeniably Scandinavian.

After joyfully eating through half of my purchased sweets even before I made it home, I was inspired to send some to my boyfriend back in California. Of course, I would make a DIY project out it, designing a custom candy box filled with treats for him to sample.

I began my project by taking a trip back to Sockerbit and picking out sixteen different gummies. It was really hard to narrow down my selection but I tried to pick a variety of flavors, colors and shapes. I also tried to make sure they would comfortably fit into the candy box. Aren't they all so colorful and pretty!?

I would need to design a few printed items to bring this candy box to life. I began by creating a box liner with each gummy's name and assigned number on it.

I inserted the box liner into the base of a plain white box that I got at a craft store. This box measured 4.37"(L) x 5.75"(W) x 1"(H).

A box label reading "Sweet Taste Test" was adhered to the center of the lid.

Next onto the box divider. I cut three strips of cardstock to fit the width and height of the box and three strips to fit the length and height. Then I cut three evenly-spaced slits in each strip, making sure not to cut all the way through. I, then, carefully inserted the strips into one another to create a secure interlocking piece, as seen in the below right image.  

The divider fit perfectly into the box. What a relief!

Next, I designed a score card that asked my boyfriend to rate each gummy on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the tastiest. The scorecard also asked if each gummy tasted better than my favorite gummy of all time, Autodrop Cadillacs from Holland. They are the only things that make my tastebuds literally jump when I think about them. I am salivating right now!

And finally a note card with a poem. As what candy box would be complete without a one? Definitely not this one.

Now for the best part! Placing each gummy into its new home.  

Assembling everything together.

The finished candy box came out better than I would have expected. It was too cute to part with but off I shipped it to the West Coast knowing how much my boyfriend would get a kick out of this surprise gift. He absolutely loved all the gummies, especially the #Social candy ones but we both agreed that nothing beats the taste of an Autodrop Cadillac.

This was a really fun and unexpected project that was not only so much fun to make but tasty as well. I think I may need to head over to Sockerbit soon to get my sweet fix!  

Oh so sweet! DIY gift

My Sushi Love Affair

I love me a delicious sushi set. It is probably one of my favorite things to eat. Then again, there is not much I will say no to when it comes to food. I previously designed several fruits in the shape of hearts and wanted to do the same for a few of Japan's most simple yet meticulously crafted dishes. I should mention though, that the California Roll is actually an American invention. Anyways, let the love fest begin!

If you are not craving Japanese food now then I may have failed in my design. But if you are, Sushi Yasaka is a fantastic casual joint I recently went to here in New York. I highly recommend it. Also, Sushi Mori Tomoaki in Hong Kong is a sweet gem to go to.