The Kitchn - 5-ingredient Mini Pumpkin Pies

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I tried out a new recipe for pumpkin pie this year - these 5-ingredient mini pumpkin pies from The Kitchn.  The filling was super easy to prepare, and the only step that took longer was making sure to press the pie crust dough fully in the muffin cups without breaking apart the dough.  

This mini pie option is good to have on hand in case you're planning on having a variety of desserts - that way people don't have to commit to a larger dessert and miss out on the other options, haha.  This was a great little bite-sized dessert that was just as delicious the next day! 

Din Tai Fung - Bellevue, WA

I always try to go to Din Tai Fung at least once when I'm in Seattle - it's just too good to pass up since there isn't one by me!  In addition to the soup dumplings, I also love the side dishes like the rice cakes and fried rice - it's all delicious.  

During my recent visit, I noticed two new fun things at the restaurant - the first being a Lego model of the restaurant, haha! I love the window that shows the workers making the little soup dumplings inside.  

On our way out I stopped to look at the little stand of merchandise that is sold there - and had to get this little shrimp Shumai keychain, haha.  I have a soup dumpling one from a past visit that I currently use, but this one is too cute to pass up!  

Starbucks - Seattle Been There Series Mug

 

I couldn't resist picking up this Been There Series Seattle mini mug on my recent trip to Starbucks - it helps that it's a good size to squeeze into a carry on bag, haha.  I love the city-specific drawings all packed on to the small mug.  If your tree is big enough, it also comes with a string on it so they make sure cute Christmas tree ornaments!  I've seen these in person in only a few cities so far, so I'm happy to have one from the birthplace of Starbucks :o) 

Seattle Visit - Hello Kitty Exhibit

While I was in Seattle back in December, I had the chance to check out the Hello Kitty exhibit at the EMP museum, which was really fun and had SO many pieces of Hello Kitty history to look at!

From the EMP museum site: Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty invites you to explore Hello Kitty’s colorful history and influence on art and culture in the first-ever exhibition of its kind. Organized as part of Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary celebrations, Hello! showcases rare and unique pieces from Sanrio’s archive alongside mixed media works from contemporary artists around the globe inspired by Hello Kitty and her world.

Gain a new appreciation for the evolution of this transcontinental icon, and learn about the critical role she’s played in bridging Japanese and American cultures in the US. As Hello Kitty always says, “You can never have too many friends!”

They did an amazing job putting SO many Hello Kitty related items together in a cohesive collection - from the early days of developing the Hello Kitty character, to all of the modern items with the Hello Kitty face on them.  They even had the dress made out of Hello Kitty plush dolls that Lady Gaga wore for a photo shoot!

This Hello Kitty exhibit runs until May 2016 so be sure to check it out before then if you are in the area!

Seattle Visit - Fumie's Gold Mont Blanc Buche de Noel

It's been a while since Christmas, but this cake was too delicious to not share on the blog! While I was in Seattle visiting my parents for the holidays, my mom ordered this fabulous Mont Blanc Buche de Noel from Fumie's Gold in Bellevue.  We always make at least one trip to their store when I visit for all of their Japanese-style cakes which are always delicious.  

This special order cake was the perfect combination of a Mont Blanc (sweet chestnut flavor cake that's very popular in Japan) and a roll cake (also popular in Japan).  The squiggly (technical term, haha) part on the top is a very distinct Mont Blanc component, and it's a sweet chestnut paste that is so delicious! I wish that Mont Blanc cakes were more prevalent in the US - I think they would be really popular if people saw them more often in bakeries!

Santouka Ramen - Tsukemen

I'm a big fan of the ramen at Santouka in Bellevue, WA, and try to go there at least once when I visit my family.  I normally stick with one of the ramen choices on the menu, but on my last visit in July I decided to try out their Tsukemen, where the noodles are in a separate bowl, and they get dipped into the slightly thicker broth.

I'm really happy that I tried out the Tsukemen at Santouka - it was DELICIOUS!  Because the broth is thicker, it really coats the noodles well and still maintains the chewy texture of the thick noodles.  The broth bowl included most of the toppings that the regular ramen does, so there's a lot to eat in the thick broth.  From what I recall, it includes the chashu (pork), menma (bamboo shoots), negi (green onion) and the best part, the aji-tama (marinated soft-boiled egg).  Seriously though, I don't even like most preparations of eggs but the aji-tama gets me every time, it's so so good. Some people might be thrown off by the thick broth compared to "regular" ramen, but I really love the strong flavor in every bite!  I will definitely be including the Tsukemen to my regular rotation whenever I go to Santouka moving forward :o)    

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka - Bellevue

103 Bellevue Way NE

Suite 3 

Bellevue, WA 98004

Dashboard Confessional - July 22nd, 2015

"Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember..."

On July 22nd, while I was in Seattle, I had the chance to see Dashboard Confessional with Third Eye Blind again (I saw them in Philly back in June), this time with a Dashboard Confessional VIP package!  The VIP package was totally worth it, with an early pre-show meet & greet with Chris Carrabba, acoustic performance of a bunch of songs, signed pass, and a poster that I still need to go to IKEA to get a frame for, haha.  

Despite my brain short-circuiting the minute that Chris Carrabba said "Hi" during my turn at the meet & greet, I managed to take some photos and mostly just take in the fact that he was singing literally an arm's length away from me. He played a bunch of songs that they would not be playing at the actual concert, and it was such a great opportunity to hear some old favorites, as well as some covers/different songs. 

The concert was held in Redmond, WA, at Marymoor Park's concert venue.   It's an amazing venue with food trucks, real bathrooms (yes this is a major bonus for outdoor venues, haha), lots of alcohol vendors, and plenty of tables/seating for people to chill out in before the concert or between the sets. I was seriously impressed with how nice this concert venue was put together, and I would love to come see another show here soon if I am in town for one!

I mainly went for Dashboard Confessional, but I was once again very impressed with Third Eye Blind's live performance- so many great songs, and everyone knew all the words it seemed like.  Also, Stephan Jenkins is 50?! He seriously looked pretty much the same as he did in the "Semi-Charmed Life" video, with slightly longer hair, haha.

What a fantastic night with two amazing live bands! I love that they went on tour together, and now this makes me really want Dashboard Confessional to go on another tour immediately!  Over a week later, I'm still a little overwhelmed by the fact that I finally met Chris Carrabba....!!!

Japanarama: Baked Pudding Kit Kats

I always love trying out the fun Japanese Kit Kat flavors, but this one was especially interesting with the interactive component to it.  It's a pudding flavor (likely a Japanese flan, which is usually called "Purin"), which in itself isn't that unique, but there's also a big picture of a toaster oven on the front of the bag suggesting that you toast them!

Pudding flavored Kit Kats are already delicious, but the extra step of toasting them in the toaster oven adds a tasty touch to the bars.  You definitely have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't totally melt away/burn, but it's also sort of fun to see them brown and bubble up through the toaster oven window.  It adds a slight caramel-y taste as well, like a quick and easy creme brulee.  I'm so happy I got a chance to try these, and I hope they come out with more unique flavors and preparation ideas as well! 

Seattle Visit - Afternoon Tea

While I was in Seattle back in May, I took my mom out for afternoon tea at the Fairmont Olympic hotel in downtown Seattle.  I was a little worried that it would totally empty (I'm not sure how many people actually go to afternoon tea these days), but there turned out to be a number of other guests also enjoying the tea as well, including a big bridal shower group.   

The service was attentive but not overbearing, and the selection of foods we were served were a nice mix of savory and sweet.  I especially liked the cute passion fruit macaron lollipops and the open-faced smoked salmon sandwiches.  I tried the 1907 blend which was made for a Fairmont hotel anniversary, which was bolder than my mom's Darjeeling (she tends to like lighter flavored teas), and I enjoyed it a lot. 

A nice surprise at the end of our tea was this plate of fresh chocolate-dipped strawberries with a candle and mother's day message!  It was a great way to celebrate Mother's day one day early with my mom and cap off a tasty afternoon tea. 

The Fairmont Olympic 

411 University Street 
Seattle,WA 98101 

Lunchtime Links for February 19th, 2014

• Love & Olive Oil: Homemade cookie dough Oreos. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: 3 ingredient single serving Nutella brownie. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chocolate shortbread heart cookies. 
• Brown Eyed Baker: Homemade peanut butter. 
• Bakerella: S'mores cupcakes. 

Georgetown Cupcake - Super Bowl Cupcakes

I just had to share Georgetown Cupcake's offerings from Super Bowl Sunday a few weeks back - how cute are these??  In addition to the Denver and Seattle cupcakes, there were also regular football cupcakes and Puppy Bowl themed cupcakes, so they made sure to think of all "Bowl" fans, haha.  Georgetown Cupcake always provides a fun way to celebrate an event with something delicious! 

Seattle Visit - Pike Place Chowder

For as many times that I have visited the Pike Place Market, I haven't actually sat down and eaten full meals much in that area.  Usually I'm too busy walking around and trying to avoid running into fellow visitors to actually go anywhere to sit and eat, haha.  During my last visit however, my mom and decided to stop in Pike Place Chowder for lunch; she had been recently during my brother's visit and thought it was pretty tasty.

We got to Pike Place Chowder about 20 minutes after it opened, and there was already a long line winding around the corner from the small shop.  The line moves quickly though, since most people are there for the chowders which don't need much preparation once the order is placed.

We got two different types of chowder: New England Clam Chowder, Market Chowder (this day's chowder had oysters and sausage included), and a Dungeness crab roll.  Everything tasted so fresh and delicious, especially for a seafood lover like me! The chowders were both good, but I really liked the Market Chowder because of the sausage and slightly spicy flavor.  The crab roll was stuffed with Dugeness crab, it was hard to keep everything inside the bread haha.  There are plenty of places to see and eat at in the Pike Place Market area, but if you're a fan of chowder I would definitely recommend this one!  I would love to go back with a group and try the chowder sampler - I saw a number of people sharing this, and it looked like such a fun way to try out all of the different chowder variations. 

Pike Place Chowder - Pike Place Market location

1530 Post Alley 

Seattle, WA 98101

Seattle Visit - Din Tai Fung

Ever since I found out about the Din Tai Fung restaurant in Bellevue (outside of Seattle), I've made it a point to go there at least once when I'm visiting my parents.  This past visit was no exception - my mom and I had an early lunch before shopping in the Bellevue mall for the afternoon.  

I've been to this Din Tai Fung location when there's been long waits before, so I would definitely recommend getting there about 15-20 minutes before it opens for the day.  When we got there, we still waited in line, but the hostesses came up to each party to reserve a table and provide a menu, so once the doors opened everyone had a table to go to right away.  By having such an efficient seating configuration, it was all the more faster to getting the delicious soup dumplings as well! 

In addition to our delicious lunch, I wanted to pick up a little trinket before heading out. I picked this cute soup dumpling mascot keychain - so fun!!  The only bead thing about having this key chain is that I always want soup dumplings whenever I look at it, haha.

Seattle Visit - Modernist Cuisine Photography Exhibit

Normally when I visit my parents in Seattle, a lot of my time is spent at home relaxing, with a few planned outings to downtown Seattle in between.  This past Christmas I wanted to check out the Modernist Cuisine exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, and I'm very happy that we had a chance to go.  

This was also my first time visiting the Pacific Science Center, and while the majority of the exhibits were geared towards children, it was educational and pretty fun haha.  There were tons of people there enjoying the interactive sections of the vast science center. 

But the best attraction for me what definitely this photography exhibit.  Beautiful photography + amazing looking food, what's not to like?  The ones with the split appliances especially were so cool to see, and such a unique way to look at cooking methods.  According to the website, it looks like this exhibit will be traveling to other cities starting in February - so if it come anywhere near where you are, I would definitely recommend checking it out! 

Lunchtime Links for September 30th, 2013

• Picky Palate: Pumpkin pie smoothie.
• The Live-In Kitchen: Pumpkin chocolate chip bars.
• Serious Eats: Ramen in Seattle.
• The Kitchen: How to freeze cookie dough.
• Cookies & Cups: Pumpkin apple muffins. 

Seattle Visit - Nishino Restaurant

During my recent visit to Seattle, my parents and I got to try the omakase dinner at Nishino restaurant.  The restaurant itself is on the outskirts of what I consider to be central/downtown Seattle, tucked away into a hilly residential area. The space was pretty small but very bright and airy throughout the dining room, with an open kitchen.  All of the courses were fresh, delicious, and mostly seafood-based as you can see in the photos, which I really enjoyed. It was all beautifully presented and overall a really lovely dinner!

1: Salmon, toro, clam

2: Amaebi shrimp ceviche

3: Albacore tuna sashimi and salad

4: Miso cod, vegetables

5: Walla Walla onion, maitake mushroom, and oyster tempura

6: Arctic char and vegetables

7: Nigiri, negitoro roll, soft shell crab roll

8: Assorted mochi and fresh fruit

Nishino
3130 E. Madison
Seattle, WA 98112
206.322.5800

Seattle Visit - Tanakasan Restaurant

After seeing a Serious Eats post about TanakaSan in Seattle, I knew I definitely wanted to try it out the next time I was in town!  The menu seemed Asian/mostly Japanese, with a bit of a twist in the ingredients or the preparation, which I always like trying out just to see how creative some chefs can be.

To start off brunch, my mom and I got some yuzu and tea drinks and settled down with the menu.  We chose a few plates from the dim sum menu, as well as the tanakasan ramen which was more of an "entree" size compared to the others.  

The dishes were all really great - I especially liked the pork belly and corn in the ramen, and the addition of bacon to the Osaka pancake (okonomiyaki in Japan) was a welcome change, haha. The restaurant space was airy and bright, and I would love to come back again to try some other dishes - especially the twice fried chicken wings which we didn't have enough room for this time!

Part of the brunch menu

Lemongrass pork- bibb lettuce, nuoc cham, pickled daikon

Chili char squid- fragrant herbs, jicama, lime, serrano chiles

Osaka pancake- shrimp, bacon, bonito, Kewpie mayo

TanakaSan ramen- rich pork & sweet corn broth, pork belly, soft egg, black garlic butter, scallion, shiitake

TanakaSan

2121 6th Avenue

Seattle, WA 

206.812.8412

It's Pumpkin Spice Latte Season!

The other day, I saw an ad on the metro by Starbucks, celebrating a decade of Pumpkin Spice Latte seasons.

TEN YEARS?! My obsession has officially entered its 10th season, according to this metro ad. Crazy!

It's still pretty warm out, but I am certain that I'm not the only one that is looking forward to tucking into a cup of creamy pumpkin goodness ASAP.  On a somewhat related note, I'm headed to the Starbucks Mothership this week so the blog will be taking a vacation as well :o)  Enjoy the start of PSL season, everyone!!

Lunchtime Links for June 24th, 2013

• Serious Eats: TanakaSan in Seattle. 
• Bake at 350: Peanut butter swirl chocolate chip blondies.
• The Kitchn: Strawberry kitchen finds under $50.
• Cookies & Cups: Toasted marshmallow krispie treats. 
• BGSK: Peanut butter icebox cake. 

Dessert Keychains

A while back I got these super cute dessert-themed keychains from Japan, courtesy of my uncle.  They were freebies that came with certain bottled drinks as part of a promotional giveaway during the summer a while back.  We have a raspberry macaron, Mont Blanc (chestnut cream dessert), and a cream puff.  All three of these are some of my favorite sweets, which makes them even more fun!