Lazy Rice Cake - Poisonous Food Journal #3

Ok, this entry is a little complicated. The ingredient I am working with this time is Japanese Rice Cake.

It is very much like mochi in texture after it is cooked. And there are many ways to eat it. What you see above, is the more popular way I would say...You put the cooked rice cake in soy bean powder, which is not seasoned but smells great with a soy bean aroma. And you drizzle black sugar syrup over it to eat it sweet. You can buy all these ingredients in a Japanese supermarket, or if you are in Taiwan, normal supermarket.

Japanese prepares the rice cake in an interesting way during festive seasons - pan fry. The cake starts off hard like a plastic. And once it is heated, it softens to mochi texture. When pan fry, it crisps up on the outside, and expands like a balloon during heating, and collapses after removal from heat. And it tastes fluffy and crispy at the same time.

My way and most lazy people's way, is to just boil them in hot water. Or even better, to microwave it for no more than 1 minute and it is served.

So why is it complicated for this entry?

First, to qualify into the Poisonous Food Journal, it has to be strange. This is not strange.
Second, it has to be cooked in a lazy way and the microwave treatment is not especially lazy for this particular type of food.

So my Japanese friend introduced me to a unique way of eating the rice cake. Salty.

Apparently, you can wrap the rice cake in Kraft Singles and seaweed, eat it warm and gooey with melting cheese. It is kinda like a sushi for lazy and strange people...Ok, she protests.  But let me just say, if that is not strange enough, I don't know what is.

Well, I thought I'll introduce you a Chinese way of eating a salty rice cake to complete this journal entry. You can replace the Kraft cheese with Taiwanese dried shredded pork (the kind that you usually eat with congee or bread in Taiwan). It absorbs the moisture from the microwaved rice cake, so when you wrap it with seaweed, the exterior remains crunchy and your fingers clean and dry.

I know, another dish worth dying for. 1 min (rice cake cooking time) + 1 min (wrapping time) + 10 mins (eating time) = about 3 hours of satisfaction. Great bargain.

As usual, eat at your own risk!

New Experiment - Polymer Clay

Very unlike me, I'm uploading a B/W picture because the polymer clay I have at home is only green. And the color distorted the shape into a totally different view. Here in grey you can see what I want to achieve. I want to create a feather cluster piece with a heavy texture that is not feather-light.

Earlier in Manhattan at the Met museum, there was an Alexander McQueen show which you are probably aware of. His show is called Savage Beauty and you can get the collection of pieces shown in a book with the same title. One of the show pieces is called the Horn of Plenty, which is made of black duck feather.

I was very inspired at the show and I have been thinking of ways to execute a ring in metal that would look like feathers forming a shape, without being the traditional wing-shaped rings that you can easily find in the market, looking like a biker ring. Not that I have any issue with biker rings. I love them but it is just not the right type of rings for Harlequin&Lionhead, nor Bunnies Can Dream.

As I am venturing with sheet wax trying to recreate the look in metal for Harlequin&Lionhead, I discovered a different way of doing it for Bunnies Can Dream. And that's why I have made the strange feather looking piece at the top. It's is bits of polymer clay pieced together and because of the material, is obviously quite fragile and won't be fit to wear as a ring. I don't believe in jewelry that you cannot wear everyday. Unless, it is just an art piece for runway show.

So I think I may make it into a necklace instead so it will not easily bump into things and get damaged. I am imagining a white and a black version. What do you think?

And if this first attempt turns out great, I may just do a series featuring more Mcqueen inspired items. Like a piece that celebrate this dress, Voss. It is made of razor-clam shells.

UPDATE - Comforting strange tofu - Poisonous Food Journal Entry #2

So there you go folks. I just ate it in 2 seconds. This is delicious and after it's made, it does not look so poisonous isn't it?

OK, more to come on the Poisonous Food Journal. Stay tuned.

Comforting strange tofu - Poisonous Food Journal Entry #2

I wanted to put up something quite scary for the 2nd entry but I feel like something comforting in this sudden chill and rainy day of NY.  So I'm posting my recent favorite - Instant tofu.

Soft tofu is so flexible. You can eat it directly from the box with syrup (or if you are lazy like me, just brown sugar). Or you can dump it into the pot with meat stew and chili pepper sauce to make Ma Po Tofu dish that is warm and savory.  But the challenge to extreme laziness is to make a salty warm tofu dish WITHOUT a stove, pan and meat.

Yes, make it like instant noodles! That's why you are reading this.

3 steps to ultimate laziness:
1. Open package and drain water out. (If you don't, this will really become poisonous) Then cut the tofu inside the box, then dump them into a bowl.
2. Add Japanese rice topping. (it has salty flavor in it and you can choose from a range from plum and seaweed, to fish and sesame. Get them at your local jap grocery stores) Add a little bit of water.
3. Microwave the whole thing for 2 mins on high, take it out, mix and eat.

All can be done in no more than 15 mins hohoho...

Good luck and remember, eat at your own risk!

Never say enough to bibs!

Macrame Hoop Bib Necklace series just got 2 new additions. The above is a color combination made specifically for the coming fall. It is an umbrae of salmon, pumkin, mustard and shell, dressed in copper tone hardware. Not only is it durable (clon threads are water and tear proof), they goes with so many beautiful colors for this coming season.

The one below is called Sunshine. Obviously because of the sunny colors of teal, mandarin and gold. And slightly different from the other bib necklace, this one features wooden wedges adding a 3D spotlight to your neckline. Add a pop of colors in your darkening wardrobe of the fall/winter.

For more of my jewelry, visit my store Bunnies Can Dream at http://nikisha.etsy.com/

Infamous salty oatmeal - Poisonous Food Journal Entry #1

To kick off the Poisonous Food Journal, I have to start with my infamous salty oatmeal that turns my husband's stomach and scared my ex-coworkers during lunch/dinner table at work pantries of different agencies across the continents.

It all started in college and it actually tastes more like Chinese congee and not poisonous at all. If I am willing to make this stove top, this could be a tasty healthy comfort food. But of course, this journal is for the lazy and hungry, so stove is obviously not available in our circumstance of discussion.

Laziest way:
The easiest way is to get the 1-minute oatmeal, throw in a pack of instant soup, add water and microwave. Voila! 1 minute later you have a high fibre-low calories meal. Do it in a paper cup you don't even have to wash anything.

Edible way:
Take dry Asian mushroom and soak it in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Then slice them up.
Take your old-fashioned oatmeal, add the water from the mushroom and half a can of soup or a pack of instant soup (replace it with chicken essence if you don't have any soup at home), add some more water, throw in the mushroom or even add an egg, start boiling everything and in 15 minutes you have a great tasting, actually pretty healthy meal, and a lot of pots and bowls and utensils to wash.

Good luck and remember, eat at your own risk!

P.S. I'll add a pic of my bowl next time I make it ;)

Poisonous Food Journal

Inspired by my life long friend, I am going to start a series to document some of the strange combinations of food I eat that I find extremely delicious (at least to me!) This is for the lazy and the hungry. So if you are too precious about your stomach, you can skip this.

BTW, there is a real reason behind my store name "Moldycupcakes" so now you know.

So look for the tag - Poisonous Food Journal from now on.

Stay tuned ;)