Two Weekends

As promised, two weekend’s worth of doings.

Halloween weekend (10/30 ~ 11/1):

Tested an electric taiyaki maker that I brought back from my grandma’s house in Taichung. I took leftover vegan jackfruit carnitas filling and whipped up a spelt flour batter for the “waffle” part; turned out really well! The spelt flour gives the taiyaki a nice, nutty taste. I’m already thinking of various sweet and savory possibilities for fillings for future taiyaki.

Handed out Halloween candy to the kids in the neighborhood (we had a lot of little kids this year, about 80 or so). And yes, we did give out granola bars, so not cool but it’s better than handing out toothbrushes or apples. That little pile of candy at the bottom is my own “stash.”

Made a trip to Sprinkles to try their limited edition Caramel Apple cupcake (spiced cake with chopped apple topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting and cute ghost cutout) and bought some for my sister to take home to her roommates.

I snarfed my cupcake late at night by myself in my room to ease the guilt.

Made a dairy-free spaghetti squash quiche. A bit flat, but tasty with the addition of shoyu, sake and mirin (Japanese flavor inspired). Will post the recipe soon on the food blog.

Last weekend (11/6 ~11/8):

Ate a dinner of Italian food with my sister (who came home from school for the weekend) and parents; my favorite part of any Italian meal is dipping fluffy focacci in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pair it with a bowl of minestrone soup and I’m good to go.

Took my 15 year old cousin to Hooter’s for his birthday on Sunday for a nice family meal (haha). I really enjoyed indulging in deep fried foods (a luxury I don’t partake in very often), especially the deep fried pickles. It was an interesting place (my first time) and was funny to see random busty waitresses riding around the restaurant in tricycles and throwing food orders around. For those who are wondering, it was totally fun and not awkward at all to be eating there with cousin, parents, sis and uncle and aunt. Though I did suffer from massive heartburn afterwards.