Craving Cake!

So...Vietnamese cakes are one of the best in the world, in my opinion. For my 18th birthday last year, I had a HUGE cake custom-made with an aromatic and sweet cheese-batter, similar to a Japanese cheesecake, with strawberry and whipped cream as a filling. It was HEAVEN. So, of course, I craved it...
Since I currently am in Vietnam, I went out and ordered one. While ordering, I was eying a cake up and down so I bought that cake for the day and the cheesecake for the next. My family in Vietnam thought it was somewhat abnormal to have cake without a reason...my reason was simple; I craved it.

So, the first cake I bought was a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. The filling was something like a pineapple chutney, which was okay...just sucked that they didn't offer chocolate-battered cakes...

The second cake, for the second day, was, of course, the cheese-cake. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I was very impressed by the decor, white chocolate roses and all...even if the cake got a bit smooshed during transport. Only thing is, the cheese wasn't as pre-dominant as the one in my birthday cake...oh wellz.

Rather than Cooking Food...Let's Ink Food!

Awesome sleeves!

It's mid-way into October and I have not been in the mood or mentality to whip any delicious dishes up. And yes, I have been eating, thanks...just not anything special or really good...lotsa junk and comfort foods, like mashed potatoes with corn and (veggie) gravy; macaroni, spaghetti, curry...chips...and yeah...
Basically I've been a sad panda...and stressed out so cooking is a no-no.

 

....

So, instead of featuring any dishes or recipes, I am going to do a tribute to tattoos....food tattoos, since body art strikes a harmonic cord in my soul and food is saturated into my heart.
And before you go ahead and judge or whatever, just appreciate the artistry of the tattoo, not the who, what, where and why's of the tat. It's art, deal with it.
So here ya go.

I love this one

 

Death before Decaf. True that.

Breakfast head.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok...not food...but still!

 

 

Home Grown Tomatoes and Chinese Roasted Pork

Today, the majority of my tomatoes have fully ripened and I am very proud of them. When I look at these vibrant fruits, I feel very, very happy! They bring me great pride. My favorite type of tomato is the Cherokee purple, a type of heirloom tomato that is sweet and great with balsamic reduction and olive oil.  I still have a box of tomatoes that are on their way to ripening.

Also today, a little ceremony took place in my house as an offering to spirits who may have wondered into our house during our renovations. As according to tradition, we pray and offer flowers, fruits and meat as a way to respect these spirits so that may leave us with good luck and not misbehavior or bad fortune. The meat that we offered was chunks of Chinese Roasted Pork, equaling at around 12 lbs altogether. Traditionally, we should have offered an entire pig but that would have scared the crap out of my brother and their would not have been a lot of meat.
What makes me rave about the pork is that this local business offers the best roasted pork throughout of Edmonton. The shop is called Tran Minh, located in Chinatown. The family is very cheerful and accommodating to what you would like, whether it be lean cuts, less sweet, full meals, or just a few slices of sausage for a snack, they would be happy to oblige. My family enjoys minimal pieces of fat in our pork, and lots of meat. I never knew it was possible to have such little amounts of fat in Chinese Roasted pork but, as seen in the photos, all you can see is a huge piece of savory and succulent meat, with an extremely crispy skin.
This place is an absolute must for Edmontonions with a palette for Chinese roasted pork.

Oreo and Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

 

I came across this idea somewhere on the web but never got a chance to try it out until now. It's simply a very sweet and fudgey, brownie with a chocolate chip cookie base and oreo cookies in the center. I must say that this must be the sweetest dessert that i have every made, so sweet that I decided to cut it into small morsels, something like fudge cubes. I made these morsels for a farewell, campfire party for my best-est friend, who is moving to another province. I'm glad she and her guests enoughed this insanely sweet treat.

 

 

  

Curried Leg of Lamb Pot Roast

Made this for dinner today: boneless leg of lamb dry-rubbed with curry spice, salt, pepper, then browned in a little bit of grape seed oil and popped in the oven to roast with 1 1/2 cup of beef broth and a splash of red wine; onions, garlic, leeks, carrots and chayotes. I roasted mine for around 1 hour at 420 F but follow the packaging on your leg to see what it suggests for cooking time. Served simply over hot rice with generous scoops of the au jus and veggies. It would be great with rustic mashed potatoes as well! My dad loved it (he had three huge slices of the lamb, yikes!).
If you do not have time to wait an hour and want to eat it as soon as you're off work/school/whatever you do, then just pop everything in a slow cooker before you leave (cut things up and season the night before). The meat will be extra tender and you could serve it in anyway you see fit (as a sandwich, on rice, on potatoes, with quinoa etc.)!
Happy eating!!