S I M P L E S T
B L A C K  S E S A M E
I C E  C R E A M

Hello! Can you believe I'm writing this?! I literally have a sleeping 4 week old newborn stuck on my body & I'm dancing/ swaying as I type :) His name is Dean & I'm in love with him! Vera, who is a toddler now, is asleep in her crib & this is what I call my 1-2hrs of "me time". 

Ever since having babies & buying a house there is so little "me time". It's wildly hard to find the time to even drink coffee while it's hot! Or even use the bathroom. One thing I know is that despite the lack of time I must find it for myself. This is what keeps me "me" & what makes a good mama. That's why I made a point to write out this simple black sesame ice cream recipe.  

I have been trying to come up with shortcut/ easy peezy recipes for things I'm craving that won't take me a whole day. Black sesame ice cream can be found at asian markets (which I don't live too close to anymore) & it may sound a bit strange at first but there's definitely something addicting about it. This took me about 10 minutes to whip up. So. freaking. easy!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp roasted black sesame seeds

4 big scoops vanilla bean ice cream (I love & use Häagen-Dazs)

1 tsp agave/ honey/ or maple syrup 

2 capsules of activated charcoal (for that extra black color)

Instructions:

1. If your black sesame seeds do not say "roasted" give them a little toasting on a hot pan on the stovetop to release the nutty flavor.

2. Take your ice cream & let it soften on the counter. 

3. Grind your seeds by hand or use a food processor- I use my little smoothie bullet thing which works great. 

4. In a freezer safe container (I used a 16oz soup container) add your vanilla bean ice cream, ground up sesame seeds, little bit of sweetener, & activated charcoal powder. This is not necessary but since I had some on hand I figured why not! Mix mix mix.

5. Throw a lid on it & stick it in the freezer. Done! Let it come back to a firmer consistency before scooping. I did this all the night before & was able to have it after lunch the next day.

I garnished with extra black sesame seeds & ate this so fast since I knew one of the two babies could wake up at any second. Definitely the easiest way to get what I wanted. This is totally a cheat way of cooking but I'm embracing it! Don't judge :)

E A S Y
M A T C H A
T O A S T

Ingredients:

Sliced brioche toast

1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon of matcha powder

4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Mix together softened butter & sift in powdered sugar + matcha powder. Stir well!

2. Slice your toast up & smear away.

3. TOAST! 

4. Enjoy :)

H A L F  B A K E D
N U T  + O A T  B A L L S

You know what is underrated? OATMEAL. After being pregnant and having my baby I found myself eating more oatmeal in my life now than ever before. I loved making overnight oats in the summer but since it's officially cold & wintery here I've been eating it warm.

Oatmeal is the epitome of healthy. I have been feeding my baby oatmeal as her first solid foods & you have to wonder! If it is the first thing introduced to babies it has to be full of goodness. It has tons of antioxidants, lots of fiber, is a good source of carbs, protein/ fats, can help lower cholesterol levels, and the list goes on. Oatmeal also helps with milk production- which was why I started making these little balls! 

These oat balls can be found all over Pinterest. The basic foundation you need: oats, some honey & some kind of nut butter. If you don't like almond butter try all peanut butter. I like the way both taste in these. I also add all the extra stuff in it because I like crunch, variety & more ways of sneaking in the healthy stuff.

I hope you try these out! Let me know if you do :)

Ingredients:

3 cups dry oats

½ cup coconut oil

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup almond butter 

lots of honey!

(optional)

hemp hearts

chia seeds

sprouted buckwheat + millet

ground flaxseed

vanilla extract
maca powder
goji berries

Directions:

1. Toast half the oats with coconut oil (OPTIONAL!) Usually 375° for 10 minutes is enough to brown them a bit. Plus, it makes the kitchen smell incredible like you're baking up goodies.
   
   
2. Add everything to a big mixing bowl and mix. Add what you like!
   
3. Roll into little balls- this is the fun/ annoying part. Start with clean hands! If they crumble and don’t stick add more honey or nut butter. You really have to squeeze them together to get them into balls! I use a spoon and press a bunch into my palm, then continue to add & pack more. When your hands are too sticky just rinse and start with clean hands again to make it easier to roll into balls.
   EDIT! HOLY S-COW I FOUND A TRICK! Take two layers of plastic wrap about 1ft long and scoop some mix into the middle. Wrap to make a ball & squeeze to make it nice & compact. Open up and use hands to press into a firmer ball. SO MUCH CLEANER!! 

   
   
   
   
4. Cover and stick them in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.
5. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks (if they last!)

Notes:

I like the taste of it half toasted. You can do it all untoasted (hello, way easier). Also, try old fashion or steel cut oats! The quick cooking kind are small & crumbly but you can def use it too.

You can add coconut flakes, dried cranberries, goji berries, raisins, m&ms, pistachios, dates, chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, protein powders, pretty much whatever you want. Dip them in chocolate if you want! Or even add CBD oil in it?! The possibilities are endless.

B A C O N

J A M

Why hello there :) 

How's it going?! What's new with you! I can't believe it's been 9 months since my last post. A whole, nine, long, tiring months. Things have been pretty pregnant in my life! I'm sure you know this if you follow me on instagram. I am pretty much done cooking the biggest, most amazing thing yet- my baby girl! She is due in less than 3 weeks- wish us all the luck pleaaaase! #makeloveinthekitchen shit just got so real.

I figured I'd try to get myself back to posting recipes to keep that foodie spark in me alive. I've also been doing tons of calligraphy & hand lettering (if you follow me on here)! Life can never be too full or busy can it? The answer is yes.. Yes, it can..

On to this bacon jam. The first time I ever had it was in Austin, TX at this super cute restaurant. My girlfriends & I had just got done swimming at Barton Springs (which is so freaking cool) & we decided we needed some good food to end the day. Off we went to Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar! 

Let's just say that by the end of our meal, all three of us purchased a jar of this crack they called bacon jam. It's been a few years but I was recently reminded of it from a relative posting her batches! I love how food can take you back to a certain time, place, memory. 

This was pretty easy to make- just expect to be standing by the kitchen stove for awhile STIRRING. Also, if you're pregnant your feet will most definitely be sore by the time you're done! I made twice the amount in this recipe & had two full jars of this stuff! I have very lucky friends & family ;)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb bacon cut into 1" pieces

1 Sweet onion chopped

4 shallots, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp cane sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions:
1. Heat up your cast iron skillet to medium high. Now prep your onions/ shallots.

2. Prep your bacon! 

3. Add olive oil to skillet & brown onions & shallots.

4. Add bacon & start to sauté. If there's not enough room you may need to work in batches to ensure your bacon doesn't steam!

this was too much & I had to take some out

bacon is a little crisp here!

5. Once you have stirred the bacon around enough to a slight crisp you can add the rest of the ingredients: brown sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup & apple cider vinegar.

6. Bring to a simmer & let the sauce thicken (around 30 minutes). Do a taste test here & try not to burn your tongue! Once thickened, take it off the heat.

7. When the bacon jam is cool enough- start putting batches into a food processor or a magic bullet. Leave some chunks of bacon in tact though for texture!

8. Ta-da! That's it :) Honestly, so easy. Now go & make some deviled eggs or pancakes to throw it on top of.. orrrrrrrrrrr just eat it by the spoonful?!

Mmmmmmhmmm.. thanks for reading & cheers to summer finally being here! Let me know if you are going to try this out.. or if you're pregnant.. or if you are done with this heat. 

M A T C H A
R I C E  K R I S P I E S

Hello my sweet cheeks! I cannot believe it's already November 2017- not to mention yesterday it SNOWED for the first time! Life moves way too fast it's scary. That being said- it reminds me to make sure I spend my time doing what I love. What do I love to do? Well, besides snuggling my husband + kitty I also love to nap, cook/ eat, & also practice calligraphy! 

I've been super busy turning my passion for hand lettering into a more real-life hobby/ side thing & I can't explain how happy this has made me. I also have my first pop-up shop next month on December 21st! *If you're in the area please stop by J.Crew at the Rockingham Mall!

Side story: I always knew I loved the art of calligraphy & fonts/ pens/ markers/ stationary but it wasn't until my wedding that I realized how much I love it! So if you have Instagram & want to know more please follow my new page. 

Okay, so about these matcha rice krispies! GOD THEY ARE EASY TO MAKE! In all honesty I am only using this super easy recipe as an excuse to come back & say hello to you all :) Also, I freaking love matcha anything.

One box of Rice Krispies makes enough for TWO batches- so make sure to buy not one but TWO bags of mini marshmallows when at the market. Also, you can find matcha powder online like I did here.

Ingredients:

1 12oz box of Rice Krispies

2 10oz bags of Mini Marshmallows

2 tbsp Vanilla Extract

6 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Matcha Powder

1. Get out your biggest wok or pot! You want the most roomy one in case you spill krispies all over the place. Set your heat to MEDIUM.

2. Melt 3tbsp of butter & add 10oz of mini marshmallows. Start stirring! Use a rubber spatula :)

3. Once you get a little melting action add 1tbsp of vanilla extract. Mix until you don't see any more marshmallow lumps.

4. Keep on stirring! Don't stop! Now turn off your heat & add 1tbsp matcha powder. Feel free to sift this in but I wasn't that concerned.

5. Add 6oz of rice krispies & stir until it is all evenly mixed. Get out a nice pan & spray with coconut oil or butter it up. Dump it all in & flatten!

6. Let it cool & flatten it out more if you'd like. Don't forget to eat that goodness off the spatula :)

7. Cut up into squares & sprinkle more matcha powder + powdered sugar on top (if you want to be extra). Enjoy & try not to give away all of them!

Make the next batch now or wait a day or two! I promise you'll be running out of treats sooner than later.

I know.. it's almost too easy I shouldn't have even had to post a recipe.. BUT I really hope you make some because of how easy it is! My little sister & her friend both think they taste like Green Tea Kit Kats- but I think they taste like green tea rice krispie treats!

Hope you all have a magical Thanksgiving & Christmas! Maybe I'll be able to post another blog before then but maybe not! There's so much to do for this pop-up & I am just casually freaking out but extremely excited to share my goods to the world. Love you! 

S U G A R
A P P L E

Mmmm.. don't you just love how certain foods, aromas, places, etc. can bring back memories.. the good ones at least. This particular, peculiar looking fruit brings me back to my childhood. Sitting with my legs crossed watching cartoons I would devour as many as my mom would give me. The sugar apple, aka custard apple/ sweetsop/ cherimoya, is one of my top favorite fruits of all time & I will tell you why.

1. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie.. so kewlzzz. Alien eggs? OK! Lemme eat dat.

2. The taste! It is unlike any other fruit. Very sweet yet subtle. Very smooth & creamy yet has texture. Not pungent, not overly juicy to the point it's all on your arms. So exotic. Think asian pear + lychee had a bambino!

3. The names are all super. freaking. adorable. *squee!*

So if you can get your hands on one of these, how do you eat one? First off, look high & low at all your local asian markets! If you are in the Lowell, MA area check out Bangkok Market on Chelmsford Street. Then wait for it to ripen. You can tell when the outter "shell" starts to crack & seperate. 

I was especially lucky to have my aunts from sunny Florida ship these to me. I look forward to this time of year so much. Thank you aunties!

Now to break this little fucker open. No need for knives. I also like eating purely with my hands so note that as another reason. Slowly remove each segment of skin to reveal a chunk of flesh. Take a bite & be ready to spit out the seeds! *Even though there are lots it doesn't take away from how stupid good this fruit is.

What's left are a bunch of little outter pieces & shiny, pearly seeds. Ahhhhh so good! Plus, they are apparently really good for you?! Check >> this site << out for more info because I don't feel up to typing about all of them.

This sugar appple had such an effect on me that I am going to try to sprout them & possibly attempt to grow one into a tree! (VERY WISHFUL THINKING) But just look how cute. Hi I'm Jeannie & I'm in kindergarten. 

What next? I'm gonna find some more of these sugar apples so I can purée the shit out of them & add Tito's vodka to it! YES PLEASE. Sugar apple martini oh myyyy..

So yeah, basically.. you need this in your life. As always, thanks for reading! ♥ 

L A O T I A N

B E E F  J E R K Y

AHHHH.. The time has come. My beef jerky has been perfected! This winter I've picked up a new, super tasty hobby & that is making my own seen hang (beef jerky in Lao)! Every snow storm we've had up here in New England gave me an excuse to make a new batch. I'm so happy to say that after a handful of tries (all which were edible thank god) the winner has been chosen. May I present to you my Laotian Beef Jerky (sticky rice + jeow not included).

Are you thinking: "I don't have a dehydrator, how am I going to make this?" Fear not! I made all my jerky in the oven. Traditionally, I remember growing up & my parents would actually hang beef in the kitchen from the tops of the cabinets. I'd bring friends home after school & seeing their WTF faces from the cuts of meat dangling was priceless. 

This method in the oven is a little less 'beef-in-yo-face'; although on a hot summer's day I feel like hanging it up to dry would be a funny thing to do to my husband!

If you are worried about your beef jerky being too bland or too salty, you can always do a taste test. Snip off a tiny piece of the marinated beef & nuke it in the microwave for a minute or until cooked. I usually do this with my eggroll filling, too! 

As far as cuts of beef goes I tried sirloins, flanks & also both top + bottom round roasts. The winner? The cheaper cuts taste just as good as the more expensive ones! I will buy the best deal at the market & trim it up. I like to leave some fat for flavor but feel free to get rid of it if you want.

Pleeeaaase let me know if you plan on giving this recipe a try! I know it's been awhile but I would love to hear from you, my readers. Yes.. you are reading this therefore I can actually say that! As always, thanks for the support. This .com ish ain't free so I hope someone out there appreciates this!

Ingredients:

3lb Top Round Beef Roast 

1/2 cup Soy sauce

2 tbsp Fish sauce

2 tbsp Oyster sauce

3 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp Black pepper

1/2 tbsp Garlic powder

1/2 tbsp Onion powder

1/2 tbsp Red pepper flakes

1 tbsp Sesame seeds

Skewers + Aluminum foil

Directions:

1. Start by taking the beef out of the package & rinsing. If using a big roast, slice in half and transfer onto a plate. Place into the freezer for 20-30 minutes, enough to firm up the beef for easier slicing. *Use a serrated knife!

2. In a large bowl whisk together all the ingredients. 

3. Again with the serrated knife slice beef into 1/4" thick pieces. You can do more of a thin strip or do a big, flat piece. Cut the beef against the grain (this site helps explain). Also, feel free to cut off most of the fat (but leave some for good ol' naughty fun!) 

4. Mix sliced beef in with marinade & let sit in fridge covered for a day.

5. Next day! Hello again [: Put one oven rack at the lowest and one at highest setting. Line bottom rack with aluminum foil. 

6. Drain any remaining marinade and start to skewer the beef- one skewer should fit 6 pieces. Dangle them in the oven on the highest rack with the pieces in between each slot. 

*Here's another picture! The foil helps keep your oven clean from marinade drips.

7.  Now slide those racks in real nice & set your oven to the lowest setting. Mine goes to 170°F. To allow air to flow in the oven wedge a wooden spoon in the door like this.

8. NOW TO WAIT! I set my timer for 4 hours. At the last hour check out your jerky. The smaller, thinner pieces may be done! They shouldn't be hard but firm. Take those out. Leave the chunkier guys in there for the full 4 hours. You can tell it's ready by the color & firmness. 

9. Are we done? NO!! We're not done yet! Remove the rest of the jerky from the oven.

10. Now, it's time to flash fry these suckers! FLASH FRY. This is where Laotian beef jerky differs from American styles. It not only gives it a shiny gloss but also a nice smoky flavor. Heat up some vegetable oil in a wok, pan or fryer if you have one & throw them in! Just a few seconds will do, you don't want to burn your jerky.

11. Line a tray with paper napkins and drain the ready to eat beef jerky. The picture below shows the freshly-flash-fried pieces on the left next to the batch that are waiting their turn.

Serve with sticky rice & a nice spicy dip like jeow mak len.. mmmm & you have yourself a damn tasty Lao meal! 

What do you think? Going to try it or nah? If you do, please please please let me know! Or don't. Whatever. Do you. If you made it all the way to the end of this blog post then high-five to you! Happy Spring!

N O V E M B E R  E A T S:
N E W  Y O R K

NEW PHONE. WHO DIS!?

Please forgive me for I have sinned.. it's been 7 months since my last blog post! Things have been insanely busy in those months. I literally became a new person- hi! My name is Jeannie Richardson now! Although I still haven't gotten around to legally changing it..

Yes, on October 8th I married my best friend in the whole wide universe :) We're pretty pumped. Our cat, Yumi, is too.. she really loves it. Here's a picture from our big day!

photo by Seamless Photography

Since Todd & I won't be taking our honeymoon until next Summer we decided to take a "mini-moon" to hold us over. During the summer I saw one of his favorite musicians (Seu Jorge) was going to be touring/ doing a tribute to David Bowie through the Life Aquatic movie. Obviously the Boston show had little allure compared to the New York City one! 

NY has always been a favorite of mine- mainly for the food. I nervously make a list of places to try & basically revolve my whole (world) itinerary around it. We were able to make it to almost every spot I listed- we would've thrown up if we went to all of them :)

Here are all the pictures I was able to capture:

Umami Classic @ Pokéworks

First tried this place almost 10 years ago & visited it again!

Such a neat, little izakaya :) @ Yakitori Taisho

Asparagus with Mentai Mayo

Supa Tuna Don

Yakitori! Beef tongue, hearts, livers, quail eggs, pork belly, etc!

Creamy Salmon Yakisoba

Crème brûlée Dough'ssant filled with a vanilla bean cream! UGH <3

@ Dessert Club | Chikalicious

Matcha soft serve in a churro cone

@ Dessert Club | Chikalicious

Nova Lox Bagel @ Ess-a-Bagel

Imperial Stouts @ Hops Hill

Super crunchy & fresh REUBENS 

Burrata with Anchovy Stuffed Tomatoes @ Cacio e Pepe

Food dreams come true! Cacio e Pepe tossed in a giant wheel of cheese!

I napped so hard after this

Filipino Brunch @ Maharlika Chicken & Ube Waffle 

Mango Stuffed French Toast

Arroz Caldo & Crabcake Benedict in the back! 

Yummy Aiyu Jelly Lemonade @ Baohaus

Our favorite @ Artichoke PIZZA! 

THANK YOU TO MY COUSIN ANDY & HIS WIFE ANNIE FOR PICKING THESE UP!!
Chocolate & Walnut Cookies @ Levain Bakery (Chocolate & Peanut Butter not shown but was amazing!! By far the best cookies we've ever had)

Another treat from them: Cupcakes from Two Little Red Hens

That.. was quite the little trip! I'm hoping to start blogging more now that I don't have a wedding to plan. I want to eventually start taking better photos, too. How? With the sun setting at 4pm? Lack of that good, natural light? Somehow.

Saaanku for reading! Til next time, pus pus.