PSL. Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat. Asian Food.

It's OFFICIAL.... Autumn is finally here!

(or Fall depending on where you are in the world, but lets overlook that detail)

'Tis the season of leaves, bonfires, cosy blanket cuddles, candles, berry toned lipsticks and PSL (Yes, Pumpkin Spiced Latte, people!)
♥

I cannot believe it is already Autumn - Next thing we know it will be Winter and Christmas then straight into 2016! Something I also can't believe is that I started this blog about a year ago now - although I did "hibernate" for about 6 months, 1 whole year has seriously gone by so quickly! 

♥

I definitely feel like I have grown as a person comparing myself to how I was a year ago. Although sometimes we don't feel it.. If we all truly took time to think and reflect on ourselves - we would see the changes! 

Often time goes by and it is the same daily routine - waking up, going to school / work then before we know it - it's time to go to bed! Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat... right?
There is this idea that life must always be full of adventure, spontaneity, happiness and be "perfect" but the truth is 90% of the time it won't be. Although it's not necessarily a bad thing!
♥
So, this week just gone has been pretty "unusual" (not in a bad way) compared to my normal day to day.. But I loved it! I got to catch up with some of my closest gals, baked a cake for my parents wedding anniversary and celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節) with my fellow Asians.
Yes, a lot of Asian food was consumed this week.. Chinese, Japanese AND Vietnamese!   
It was the busiest week I've had in a while, to say the least... 
But I Thank God for giving me every minute of this week to enjoy! 
I think that in the midst of all the repetitiveness in our lives - we appreciate the time we get to spend with our nearest and dearest more! If everyday were a happy day and always an adventure.. we would probably take it a lot more for granted! However, when our lives are ever so slightly "unbearable and dull" the good times we can truly appreciate and enjoy!
♥
Thank God for Good days // Thank God for Bad days // Thank God for Family & Friends and the opportunity to spend it with them!

♥

Wendy 
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Hibernating. #TeamTamal. Life?

Hey.. 

So it seems as though I've been on a hiatus for 6 months (shall I just call it hibernating?) and I haven't posted in a very long time. I don't think there is a specific reason, but sometimes life just happens and before you know it WHOOSH it is 6 months later and the Great British Bake Off is back on! I know - its crazy, right? And it's nearing the quarter finals! #TeamTamal, anyone? He is just delightful, such a lovely guy and a great baker! :)

Anyway back to the subject, I think I may have started a blog for the wrong reasons - I almost felt a bit pressured into doing it because it was "THE thing" to do.. 

I might have pressured myself to do this before I had even fully thought it through enough!

♥

Although I still am unsure of what direction I want to go with my blog.. Well apart from fact I like centering my text and using the Georgia font! I feel like this is just a great opportunity to keep a record, somewhat like a diary to keep track of my "food" journey. I love sharing my food experiences because it is something we will always have in common - cause everybody gotta eat, right? 

♥

All I know is that each day we're learning and no matter what lesson it is in.. 

I am so thankful that I have God with me, but I always need to learn to be grateful to Him. We are given each day and have this life to live - sometimes we have done wrong but need to admit it, reflect upon it, then make the necessary changes and ultimately learn from it to make us a better person! 

♥

I can say that I recently experienced this while assisting my brother when he was attempting to bake. He was so excited about making something to share with family and friends, he had already built up this scenario in his head where he would succeed and all would be dandy. But little did he know he'd end up burning it and there would be no dessert. Of course he didn't take it well and was very unhappy - but only through doing wrong and messing up do we know how to pick ourselves up, reflect on what we did wrong and learn from it. 

(And yes, after my brothers 3rd try - he was successful! Yayyy!)

Life is a path and a journey... We Live and We Learn and should Thank God for each day! 

Wendy x

Bill’s. Bill’s? Bill’s!

So last weekend was that very special and celebrated day again.. No, not your birthday (hope you had a great day, if it was), but I’m talking about Valentine’s Day. And what better way to spend Valentine’s Day than going out for a Breakfast date with one of your best friends? (Well yes, I suppose going on a date with your partner!)
That is exactly what I did! :)

As previously mentioned, Durham is one of the places I love to visit especially for eating out, shopping and visiting friends. We decided to be spontaneous and just decide on the day where we wanted to go for breakfast and I had recently come across Bill's Restaurant, so it seemed like a plan.

You know that saying “The food does the talking”; well before all that, me and my friend were so impressed by the interior of Bill’s – casual and quirky yet welcoming and unique. I think we both sat down and were extremely excited for the food to come and we hadn't even looked at the menu or ordered yet. It took a good 10 minutes to decide, because everything Bill’s had to offer sounded SO GOOD! The signature Bill’s Breakfast & Vegetarian Breakfast was what we settled on eventually.

We waited for what seemed like 5 minutes  – then the food arrived and we both had the biggest grins on our faces. The delicious smells made our tummies rumble even more and the food looked like a beautiful picture that I didn't want to ruin by digging in. I had a preconceived idea that the breakfast would look like your usual “traditional breakfast” on a plate, you know what I mean, right? But how wrong was I! One of the best breakfast’s I have ever eaten, it was absolutely delicious – me and my friend actually considered ordering another once before had even finished!

Hello, massive teapot!

THE absolute cutest S&P shakers I have ever seen!

Definitely a HAPPY Valentine’s we had and unquestionably a place to visit again in the future! May need to sample the rest of their menu too! hehe

Bill’s on Saddler’s Street is undoubtedly a place worth visiting! I recommend you visit any of the various branches spread out across the UK! 
Go, go , go… NOW!!!

Wendy

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Korean Cooking!

I am so excited to share this post with you all because those of you who know me personally, I have always loved Korean culture (especially in the last 6 years or so). I have always been fascinated by Korean ways of life and especially how different or similar they are to the Chinese, because I am Chinese as you know. ;)  And because I went through a teenage phase of loving Korean Pop (VIP for life, haha xD), K-dramas, TV shows, Make up and Food – I’m glad I can dedicate a post to Korean Cooking.

Asian culture has slowly infiltrated Western society over the years, more so the Chinese, Japanese and Indian civilisation for example. Whereas Korean culture has taken a back seat and were not as highly recognised (well in the UK).. Until now! A few years ago when a guy named PSY galloped onto our TV screens and was all over the internet, I think was the moment when the world was fully exposed to Korea. Shortly after many began to become fascinated with Korea and it opened a whole market in the Western world, especially for K-Pop.

Although I have always been intrigued by Korean cooking, until recently I personally had never attempted homemade Korean dishes. Aside from the obvious that I am not Korean I always felt that it was quite a lengthy process, the ingredients were not widely available and many of the dishes I researched seemed quite complicated – so it was a clear no go zone. Food Network is such a great channel that I cannot stop raving about that inspires and encourages me to cook and experiment in the kitchen. Lately I have been obsessed with Chef Judy Joo’s (a French trained Korean-American Londoner) Korean Food Made Simple TV show. I don’t want to share too much but would urge you to watch the show (which airs every weekday @ 3:30pm and 6:30pm), she travels to her home country and also shares step by step loved recipes she has developed over the years.

After watching many episodes of the show, I actually plucked up the courage and cooked a Korean meal for dinner – It turned out better than I anticipated! 

I cooked up a storm of 

Korean Rice Cakes & Fish Cakes, 

Kimchi Fried Rice and BBQ Kalbi Beef! 

(All Recipes can be found via Food Network website!)

Absolute essential in Korean cooking, to spice things up.. Literally! (Definitely not for the faint hearted!)
Gochujang is a new favourite ingredient of mine now!

KIMCHI IN DA HOUSE!

Such delicious melt in the mouth Kalbi beef!

Hope you guys give it a go and try out something new!

Good Luck

Wendy

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Afternoon Tea @ Betty's, York

Betty's is the absolute perfect place to visit for Afternoon Tea and all things sweet! If you ever find yourself in Yorkshire, you must dine at Betty's or you will be missing out! (Seriously, because Betty's Tea Rooms can only be found in the UK). Even if you do not regard yourself as having a sweet tooth, they offer a menu full of savoury dishes for you to enjoy too. I can guarantee once you've had the Betty's dining experience, you will be planning your next trip even before you've finished eating. This may be a good thing though as there are always queue's for a table, which goes to show its popularity among customers. 

One of the main things I love about visiting Betty's is the comfortable and inviting environment when dining there; suitable for a quick breakfast, catch up lunch with friends, shopping spree refueling or even a baby shower get together. No matter what the occasion, Betty's is a sophisticated yet cosy and welcoming place to dine. 

I recently visited York, with relatives of mine, to do some sightseeing and as they'd never been to Betty's, I was glad I could be present for the occasion.

  

If you don't fancy dining out and having the full Betty's experience, why not visit their store to purchase the wide range of baked goods they offer such as Cakes, Chocolates and Biscuits? Thinking of buying something special? Opt for the Gift's & Hampers, Speciality Tea & Coffee or even Cookery Books and so much more! 

And if that isn't enough to persuade you.. Here's little old me enjoying my Afternoon Tea! hehe

Until next time,
Love Wendy

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Baby Shower Baking!

So one of my lovely and dearest friends organised a Baby shower recently and I was so delighted when she asked me to provide cupcakes for her little prince party. I mean my friend is having a baby for the first time! :)  Apart from the fact that it was such an exciting event, I actually had an excuse to bake for people other than my family, which I thoroughly enjoy. (I even set a countdown calendar app to count down the number of days leading up to the shower.)  Baking for others is a great way to share and also show your love and appreciation for them in return. It’s true – try baking a cake, cooking dinner or simply making cheese on toast for your mum; I can guarantee she’ll love it. (Unless she is lactose intolerant or is allergic.)

But back to the cakes.. Considering there was no brief with the exception of incorporating the colour blue, I was pretty much able to use a variety of flavours, colours and ingredients without limit. But sticking to classic flavour combinations is the safest option and they are guaranteed to be enjoyed, therefore I decided on the popular favourite Vanilla and Chocolate cupcakes. I don’t know what it is about baking cupcakes, but I love being able to decorate them and make them my own signature cupcakes.

In my opinion, homemade is always the way forward (that is if you have the time). When I was making these cakes, I decided to try out a cupcake frosting that was premade and ready to use to save time,  hoping it would taste good and look just as good as the packaging. But I was so darn wrong – It tasted too sweet and artificial, did not manage to frost even half a dozen cakes and was so thick that it made the cake look incredibly disproportionate. Homemade butter frosting saves the day every time.. Remember that when you’re trying to take a shortcut next time, Wendy!

Here's what went down...

 

So after the slight drama in the kitchen, these were the outcome of the Baby Shower cupcakes. I’m glad that they went down a treat and that my friend trusted me enough to allow me to bake them for such a lovely get together. Thank you so much!

All the Best for 2015! 

May God Bless you all with a Happy and Fruitful year ahead! :) 

Wendy

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