Spring Break 2013: Chicago

Cloud Gate (The Bean) 

Panoramas from the John Hancock Building.  SO nice to be near a large body of water! 

FOOD from left to right:  Prosciutto, brie, and caramelized onions waffle Sandwich from Bel-50, Sashimi from Arami GO!, Miso Butterfish from Roy's Hawaii, and Poke from Roy's Hawaii 

glitter gradation nails

back in highschool, I used to get calgel glitter manicures for $50.  whyyyyy i would pay that much is beyond me, but I finally decided to figure it out myself.  I went to the store to pick up some of those French manicure stickers but I couldn't find them anywhere in CVS.  Too 90's maybe?  I picked up some of those binder reinforcements instead, cut them in half, and used them exactly like I would the French manicure stickers.  It worked just fine, although my thumbnail was a bit of a challenge because the half doughnuts were too small.  I just had to improvise and layer it to make a larger sticker.  I used a silver polish, for the French manicure.  As for the glitter gradation part, I used Essie's Luxe Effect's glitter polish.  All i did was paint the top nail where the silver was and sort of drag the brush downwards so it looked like it was fading.  Seal it with a layer of topcoat and all finished!  For a fraction of the cost of calgel or gellish!!

in talks: China to Develop a Food Safety Department?

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-03/05/content_16277008.htm

wow.  It took me three years as a triple major to realize that I could combine all of my interests by studying food policy in China.  IF a food & health agency were to be created by the CCP within the next year,  and IF I get into my study abroad program, I could use my entire senior year to write my thesis on the implementation process of this agency.  I don't think I can express how excited I am!!!

China currently does not have an agency that is dedicated to food and drug safety.  There are 13 other agencies taking care of these duties, but divvying up responsibilities often causes confusion and miscommunication.  Food contamination and health scandals have plagued China for decades.  It is great to see that after SO many deaths and illnesses caused by contaminated foods, the CCP is finally taking action and making an effort to clean up their image.

I know this probably doesn't interest anybody but me, BUT this is really exciting for me on so many levels!

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

Earl grey tea isn't something I'm normally too fond of.  Citrus + bitter tastes don't complement each other well in my experience (reminds me of eating straight orange rinds...yuck).  I had about 4 earl grey teabags laying around because like the drunken klepto I was freshman year, I stuffed my cute little tory burch clutch full of tazo teabags from the frat's breakfast buffet setup.  The funniest part was that I was caught redhanded by one of the fraternity brothers, but he just laughed...probably at how pathetic I looked.  I REGRET NOTHING.

Since then, I drank all the good herbal and black teas and left the earl greys lying around.  I believe what prompted me to utilize the tea into my baking was a recipe I found for earl grey panna cotta.  After doing some research, the only simple recipe I could find was for earl grey shortbread cookies.  Meh.  Shortbread...something else I am not quite enthusiastic about.  Might as well give a whirl.  Worst case scenario, I let my roommates eat all the cookies.  After trying failing miserably at shaping a log out of incredibly dry dough, I gave up on the shortbread and added an egg to the mixture.  The result... ?

Beautifully delicate cookies!  The earl grey bergamot flavor is subtle, giving the cookies a delightfully grown-up taste.  I dusted them with sugar to sweeten it up a little more, but that is totally optional.  

Earl Grey Tea Cookies 

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients: 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup powdered sugar [optional: 1/4 cup to dust cookies]

2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves (about 6 teabags) 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon room temperature water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Pulse together dry ingredients in a food processor, until tea leaves are pulverized.  (I used a blender, which worked fine) 
3. Pour dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Add vanilla, water, butter, and eggs.  
4. Beat until smooth dough is formed.  
5. Shape dough into balls (about 1 tablespoon per ball) and place onto baking sheet (I covered my baking sheet with aluminum for easy cleanup) 
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden. 
7. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to serving platter/wire racks to cool completely.  
8. optional: dust with powdered sugar and serve warm!

recipe adapted from here, thanks food network!