Mint Chocolate + Walnut cookies

I tried these at a friend's house about a month or two ago. She's a phenomenal baker and is about to be a mommy very soon! Last night, I've been having severe craving for these cookies so I whipped up a batch and finished half of it while watching HGTV. I love how our house smelled like minty chocolatey goodness! The hubs and I are leaving out of town for a wedding tomorrow so this shall be my last post for the week! Happy weekend!

(click to enlarge)

seaweed + rice = love.

I have never met any korean folks that doesn't like salted seaweed (gim) with rice. It's like...the BEST stuff out there. Even the most whitest koreans I know dig this super simple + humble pairing. I have fond memories of myself as an eight year old, making salted gim (seaweed) with rice for my 4 yr old sister and we'd eat as many as we could while watching Tom & Jerry until our mum came home from work. Fast forward to college, I have memories of making this for my, then boyfriend (now husband), in my dorm room when our meal points for the cafeteria ran out. And this morning, I checked our bank account and crap, realized I went a bit overboard in our monthly budget...so, this called for modest yet very delicious seaweed and rice meal =). Sucks living off a resident salary, especially when he gets paid only once a month.

Thai Red Curry...among other things

*Note* Recipe for this added below =)
Whenever we are craving thai food, I make this chicken and bamboo red curry dish. It's fail-proof and super easy to make. I learned this dish from Aunt Chinda (my husband's aunt who is a BRILLIANT cook!). I wish we lived closer to her so I can learn more yummy thai dishes. The other dish I made is chinese broccoli (gai-lan) sautéed in loads of garlic and oyster sauce. Again, this is fail-proof! And of course, my husband was whining for more greek yogurt with honey. He is such a child sometimes. 

Thai Red Curry with Chicken + Bamboo strips:


Ingredients:
- 1 can of coconut milk (double check the can and make sure it doesn's say "for dessert")
- 1 can of Bamboo STRIPPED shoots, rinsed
- 1 can of Maesri brand red curry
- 3 thai chili peppers, thinly slivered
- a handful of basil leaves
- 2 tablespoon fishsauce (optional)
- 1 medium pack chicken thighs (boiled and shredded into strips, throw away skin and cartilage)

> Over medium to high heat, add coconut milk to a large pot. Bring to simmer and add 3/4 of the red curry paste (or if you want it spicier, add the entire content). Stir frequently until the paste is completely dissolved. Keep simmering until you see red oil separation forming in the coconut milk for about 5 minutes.
> Add cooked chicken strips, bamboo shoots, and thai chili peppers. Let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Add basil leaves last and cook for about 2 more minutes. 
> Serve over jasmine rice.


Bon appetit!

spicy + simple fritatta

Polished off a plate of my spicy (with splash of Louisiana hot sauce) fritatta this morning. I just wish the sun would come out and melt all this damn snow. What to make for dinner?

100% good + delicious

If you have a juicer / juice extractor at home, you might want to give this a try. I've been drinking this every morning with different fruit/veggie variation. Tastes SO much better than store bought juice. Plus you know it's 100% natural and made right before your very eyes!

Here's my favorite combo: beet, fuji apple, carrots and celery

menu no.2

Tonight's menu was something quick and simple due to the vikings vs. saints game (still watching the overtime game - go vikings! - scratch that...saints just won...ugh, I feel like crying now). Anyway, I made this delicious thai porridge that my husband's aunt taught me a while back. It's cooked with seasoned, garlic pork (cooked separately), egg, and cilantro, then the whole batch is seasoned with a bit of soy sauce and fish sauce. For dessert, we love eating this pan cooked roti bread drizzled with sweet condensed milk, sprinkled with cinnamon. Just roll it up and chomp away! Delicious!

menu no.1

Salad was incredibly crisp, earthy and delicious! Warning, this is on the bitter side but the sweet honey dressing balances it quite nicely! Husband on the other hand wasn't quite so thrilled at the horseradishy taste of the watercress. Whatever. I LIKED it. The soup was hearty and delicious - perfect to eat on a chilly winter night. Dessert, omg...DROOOL! Husband never tried greek yogurt before and let's just say, he licked his bowl clean =). Email me for a pdf recipe.

hi there!

Welcome to my new foodie blog. I decided to start Tea loves Honey as a way to document all my cooking and baking experimentations as well as practice my very weak photography skills (also perhaps a place to rant?). I've always dreamed about hosting intimate and theme-styled dinner parties in my home. My at-home design studio keeps me busy enough with paper + print related projects... but lately, I have been itching to tap into other creative mediums as well - I just haven't figured out what that exactly is...but for now, it's FOOD. Starting this blog seems to be the perfect outlet for me to document all my creative musings during our remaining time in Iowa (until hubbie finishes his residency, just 1.5 more years left!). It will be very interesting to see how our life, as we know it, will unfold.... I will try to update as much as I can with photos and menu/recipes. Wish me luck!