oh my gahhh kill me now

rain, you're making things very very difficult.

it's BANANA time

In the spirit of BANANA 2: The Asian American Bloggers Conference, I made one of my favorite desserts of all time, Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding. 

Photo from serious eats NY

This pudding is near and dear to my heart, because every time I eat it, I vividly remember several sweet memories of New York. My first bite was back in 2008 when I stayed with my friend, Bob, in Manhattan. I had cooked my pièces de résistance, korean spicy braised short ribs, for 10 of my close friends in NY as a special thanks for making my trip oh so wonderful. Erika and Rich brought the pudding and from what I remember, Erika fed it to me, and I instantly fell in love. With both Erika and the pudding.

Photo from that very night, the night we became wifeys

On Bob's roof. Yep, that's pudding my hands.

The second time I had it was when I went back to NY in 2009. I hadn't told any of my friends I was visiting because I was there for work and unfortunately had no time to meet with anyone. I was pretty bummed b/c I didn't have time for any of my favorite things - friends, levain cookies, magnolia's banana bread pudding, a long walk around nyc. My first night, I left my hotel on a quick search for bottled water and as I was crossing the street, I literally ran into my dear friend, Bob! and and AND in his hands was a plastic bag, and in that plastic bag was a big container, and in that big container was none other than Magnolia's glorious banana pudding. What I thought would be a boring night in NY ended up being eventful and tasty! We ended up watching Shakira perform at the Rockefeller ice rink while feasting on pudding. 



My third time was in 2010 when I was back in NY for a business trip. Again, I thought I wouldn't have time for friends, but I think life just really likes me when I'm in New York, because!! The place where I was hosting an event for work just happened to be RIGHT across from the new Magnolia Bakery. I ended up walking there with my friend, Rich, and we indulged on all things Magnolia, which obviously included the pudding. 


So many memories induced by this creamy banana pudding. Mmmm. 
I shall now leave you with some photos I took today of my pudding making process. I love making desserts that don't require baking!!  

first, i made the pudding. instant vanilla pudding mix + water + condensed milk

oh my dear goodness. whipping the heavy cream by hand made me sweat profusely and cry out in pain. it took foreverrr. word to the wise - if you want to whip heavy cream but you don't have a mixer, buy or borrow one. unless you want uneven muscle tonage (my right arm is now buffer than my left).

i folded the pudding into the whipped cream. i also had many taste tests. ;)

before making this, i already knew i wanted to share the pudding with several different friends. so i bought some fun clear plastic cups. how cute are they.

stacking time: cream, wafers, bananas. repeat, taste test, repeat, repeat. ;)

now the hardest part. letting it sit in the fridge for a day so all the flavors meld together. 

Recipe from Grace Notes NYC

A Beautiful Morning

Today is one of those days where you feel like anything is possible. 

view from Belmont Station

There is a strong, if not exact, correlation between the sun and my mood. 

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Los Angeles has bloomed.

view from 3rd street in Little Tokyo

A sneak peek into Hanami time in Japan. It's going to be AHHH!!Mazing. 3 guys and a girl. Who all love eating and exploring and explosions. Eatsplorsions, here we come!

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I sometimes wonder what I'd eat if I were to be homeless and begging for coins on the street. I keep a mental list. It's pretty substantial. Today, I've added Trader Joe's 19 cent bananas to that list. 

I got all of these for $1.14. Potassium for my belly.

I'm making Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding today. I almost forgot the bananas, but Trader Joe's saved the day.

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Sidenote: I love watching babies and children eat. Not in a creepy way.

Dream journaling

I had a dream last night that combined creating trees as art, the most random coworkers, the most random acquaintances, a maze-like subway, rural villages, busy city streets, major skateboarding action inspired by Far East Movement's Rocketeer music video, a Costco in Thailand and a USC campus that did not really look like USC but was definitely USC in my mind.

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Sidenote: I like having hiccups. The surprise factor makes it fun.

happy

happy valentine's day.

i celebrated valentine's day early last night with roomies, tacos from our corner truck and sweet potato fries. and a documentary on wolverines. they're pretty awesome. and by they, i mean tacos, sweet potato fries, wolverines and most of all, roomies.

Teach Me How to Desi

Teach me how to dougie. Desi style.


And whoa. Possibly the largest identified case of human trafficking in the U.S.

Finally, It's Really Happening!

i'm going to frolic around hundreds of sakura trees. hanami time, baby.

I've been telling one of my best friends from high school that I'll visit her in Japan...since 2003.
Long overdue, but it's finally happening.

YFT
in Japan.
in the spring.
Hecks ya.
Sugoii to the max.

<3Y