Cheesecake Factory

The Kahlua Coffee Cheesecake and the White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake were one of the best I've tasted. The caramel and white chocolate were surprisingly not too sweet. And I love that there was actually macadamia nut on the cheesecake. Definitely something I'd order again.

~ A

Purple Kow

This tapioca place is only a few blocks from my house on Balboa street next to the Balboa theater. The drinks are pretty good. Not exactly up to par with Teaway. But it's cheap considering how big the cups are.

~ A

Waterfront Pizza

For the end of the quarter celebration as well as Christmas gift exchange, my classmates and I went to Waterfront Pizza in Foster City for dinner. I ordered a chicken pesto pizza with spinach. It was very good. The chicken and tomatoes were diced in a good size. So you can taste each individual ingredient. If it weren't so far away, I wouldn't definitely go again.

Fruit tarts

These are the fruit tarts I made. The tart is from a short bread cookie recipe. While I tried to make the custard pudding from a recipe I found, it didn't turn out right, sadly. Instead, I used ready made vanilla pudding (Snack Pack), and placed fruits on top.

I bought both mini cupcake molds and flower molds. But the flower one, depicted here, made it difficult for me to pull out the tartlet.

~ A

ABC Bakery and Restaurant

Located on Noriega, this restaurant is always busy. You can find Chinese American food for a decent price. I order a shrimp chow mein while my friends ordered seafood fried ramen. Both were good. The chicken wings which were crispy with a hint of spiciness was also very good. My only issue with this place is the service. My noodles came out relatively fast but the ramen took an extra 15-20 minutes. It just seemed too long of a wait.

~ A

Powderface

In San Jose, on Story Road by Walmart, I've seen a sign for "New Orleans Beignets and Coffee." Curious my cousin and I went to try it.

Unfortunately, because we've had beignets at Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the beignets at Powderface cannot compare. The beignets are supposed to be light and fluffy, covered with powdered sugar, but this place was more like a churro than anything else. I was disappointed.

Perhaps eventually I will find a place here on the West Coast that truly captures the tastiness of beignets of New Orleans.


~ A

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Friday, June 17, 2011

Strawberry Banana Muffins

I went to Sweet Tomatoes, a restaurant similar to Fresh Choice, last week. They had very good strawberry muffins. I wanted to make my own. But then, I thought since my friends and I like banana nut muffins, why not try strawberry banana muffins?

So here is the result. While banana nut muffins are best straight out of the oven, it's not quite so with strawberries. I think the strawberries taste a bit sour fresh from the oven. Once it cools, it tastes sweeter. *shrug* Maybe it's just me.

Ingredients:

2 large ripe bananas

1 cup of cut fresh strawberries

1/3 cup olive oil/melted butter

1-1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

a pinch of salt

1. Mash the bananas and mix in the oil or butter.

2. Add in the strawberries.

3. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt.

4. Mix in the flour.

5. Put batter into muffin tins.

6. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 regular muffins.