I'm still looking for a lollipop pan so once I've made these I'll add pictures...but until then I thought I'd post the recipe so you can all enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups (440g) caster (superfine) sugar
2/3 cup (230g) glucose syrup
1/4 cup (60ml) gin
1/2 cup (125ml) tonic water
a few drops of food coloring (whatever color you desire) - I think these would make a fabulous St. Patty's day treat
Place the sugar, glucose, gin and tonic water in a medium saucepan over low heat and cook, without stirring, for 8-10 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to high, bring to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture reaches 150C (300F), hard crack stage, on a sugar thermometer. It should be a light golden color. Remove from the heat and stir through the food coloring. Lightly grease 12 lollipop molds. Carefully pour the sugar mixture into the molds and press a lollipop stick into each. Allow to cool at room temperature until set. Makes 12.
Source: Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 41 (I wish I could take credit, but I can't)...you can find this magazine at most major book stores or grocery stores
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Cooking in Chiang Mai
To change things up we decided to take a cooking class in Chiang Mai. Many of our friends recommended the Thai Cooking School, which is run by a famous Thai chef who has his own TV show. The class lasted 6 hours (from 10-4pm) and we made 6 different dishes throughout the course of the day.
We had three different instructors who helped us throughout the course of the day, all very sweet Thai women. For each dish we watched the instructor cook the meal and then we took our turn...then we got to eat our food! Needless to say we were all very full!Below are some pictures and a brief description of our dishes...
Thai hot and sour prawn soup (Tom Yam Goong) - super easy to make and oh so tasty :)
Thai Style fish cakes (Tord Man Plaa) - good, but not my favorite dish. I think I'd like this dish better if it weren't deep fried. It lost a lot of its flavor.
Green Chicken Curry (Gaeng Kheo Wan Gai) - I was pleasantly surprised with my ability to recreate this dish!
Thai Fried Noodles (Pad Thai) - surprisingly, very few of us got the sauce right for this dish...I thought my noodles were flavorless
Minced Chicken Salad (Laap Gai) - super easy to make and very tasty...probably the closest thing I've had to Thai lettuce wraps. We ate this dish with cucumbers but you could serve it with any fresh vegetable.
Water Chesnuts with sugar syrup and coconut milk - very light and refreshing. This was super easy to make and quite good!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Halong Bay
At times I felt as if I was in another world. Though I enjoyed Hanoi, my time in the city brought about mixed experiences...little did I know what was in store. On June 14th we boarded a bus to head to Halong City, where we would board a boat to tour the islands. We decided to take a 3 day/2 night tour of Halong Bay. We spent the first night on the boat and the second night at Cat Ba island, one of the many islands in Halong Bay. Along the way we had the chance to explore several of the treasures in the area (which included kayaking, swimming, visiting the floating villages and viewing several caves) 
The floating villages were quite interesting...these people literally live in houses smaller than most house boats and the entire town is comprised of this. It appeared that the livelihood of these people was based on us tourists!
After kayaking and swimming we anchored for the night...we were extremely lucky because we had a great group of folks on our boat. Most were between the age of 23-31 and came from all over the globe. If I am remembering correctly, there were people from England, Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Australia, Canada and America...pretty impressive! It made for a fantastic night and the scenery could not be beat!
The floating villages were quite interesting...these people literally live in houses smaller than most house boats and the entire town is comprised of this. It appeared that the livelihood of these people was based on us tourists!
After kayaking and swimming we anchored for the night...we were extremely lucky because we had a great group of folks on our boat. Most were between the age of 23-31 and came from all over the globe. If I am remembering correctly, there were people from England, Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Australia, Canada and America...pretty impressive! It made for a fantastic night and the scenery could not be beat!
The next day we got up for an early breakfast and then headed to Cat Ba island for the day. Meera and I were supposed to go trekking, but some how this got lost in translation and we didn't get to go...frustrating, but not much we could do. The island is a cute little beach town that thrives on tourists. In the afternoon we headed to the beach for a couple of hours...It was absolutely fabulous! White sandy beaches and the water as warm as bath water. At first we had the beach entirely to ourselves, but within an hour the scene quickly changed when tons of others joined us...I've never seen anything like it...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Vietnam Adventure - Week 1
So I realize I've been absent for a while, but it's been so busy since I arrived in Vietnam. Since leaving San Fran I've technically visited four cities, though I'm not sure an airport stop-over counts. We (my partners in crime for the next 6 weeks, Meera and Christy - both class mates from Haas) all arrived in Saigon within a few hours of each other...Christy and I met in Tokyo and we then met Meera at the Mme Cuc hotel in Saigon; a hostel in the backpacker district. It's super cute the staff are super friendly and love to practice their English.
We decided to take it easy our first day and let ourselves gradually get used to the time change and heat. After a quick cup of coffee at the hostel (coffee with condensed milk...I'm pleasantly surprised by how tasty this is) we headed out for a day of exploring, but first we satisfied our hunger with what soon became our morning breakfast...streetside egg sandwiches with cilatro and chilli sauce on a baguette...so tasty! and only 10,000 dong (about 80 cents). We also found a cute smoothie bar called the Juice Box and discovered a wonderful drink called Sinh to (can't go wrong with fresh tropical fruits!)
During the rest of the day we made our way around the city visiting the Reunication Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the local city market (for a few local goodies) and the Notre Dame Cathedral; while doging motorbikes in the streets...this city is crazy...one tour guide told us that the population in the greater Ho Chi Minh City area is about 10 million and there are 5 million motorbikes...at times the streets are wall to wall with just motorbikes, forget about driving a car in this city. We soon learned that the bus companies allocate atleast an hour to leave the city.
After a whirlwind tour of the city we ended the day at the Vietnam Traditional Massage Institute, which was coincidentally a few doors down from our hostel. Little did we know the Institute is co-located at a school for the blind, so I just got one of the strangest massages of my life from a blind Vietnamese women.
Stay tuned for more from the first week (and I promise to post pictures)...Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels, Hoi An and Hue!!!
We decided to take it easy our first day and let ourselves gradually get used to the time change and heat. After a quick cup of coffee at the hostel (coffee with condensed milk...I'm pleasantly surprised by how tasty this is) we headed out for a day of exploring, but first we satisfied our hunger with what soon became our morning breakfast...streetside egg sandwiches with cilatro and chilli sauce on a baguette...so tasty! and only 10,000 dong (about 80 cents). We also found a cute smoothie bar called the Juice Box and discovered a wonderful drink called Sinh to (can't go wrong with fresh tropical fruits!)
During the rest of the day we made our way around the city visiting the Reunication Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the local city market (for a few local goodies) and the Notre Dame Cathedral; while doging motorbikes in the streets...this city is crazy...one tour guide told us that the population in the greater Ho Chi Minh City area is about 10 million and there are 5 million motorbikes...at times the streets are wall to wall with just motorbikes, forget about driving a car in this city. We soon learned that the bus companies allocate atleast an hour to leave the city.
After a whirlwind tour of the city we ended the day at the Vietnam Traditional Massage Institute, which was coincidentally a few doors down from our hostel. Little did we know the Institute is co-located at a school for the blind, so I just got one of the strangest massages of my life from a blind Vietnamese women.
Stay tuned for more from the first week (and I promise to post pictures)...Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels, Hoi An and Hue!!!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Graduation Weekend
Well the time has now come and gone. I'm now an MBA!!! Hard to believe that I could jam so many things into 2 years time. It feels like only yesterday that I packed my car and made the drive south to Berkeley. So much has happened in the last two years, from classes to case competitions to exciting travels around the world...Business School has definitely been an adventure!
Graduation was at the Greek Amphitheatre on the Berkeley campus on Friday, May 16th. The weather was gorgeous, perhaps a little too warm. We all melted under our black robes during the two hour ceremony. Bengt Baron the CEO of V&S Group (Absolut Vodka is one of the most well-known brands) gave the commencement address.
After graduation there was a celebration by the clock tower. It was great to see everyone with their friends and family. My mom and sister made the trip down for the weekend and my uncle even flew up for the day. After the reception we headed to the Claremont Hotel for a cocktail before my uncle had to leave for the airport. Later on, Jean, my mom and I had a fantastic dinner at one of my favorite spots, Wood Tavern.
Check out a few picts from graduation.
Graduation was at the Greek Amphitheatre on the Berkeley campus on Friday, May 16th. The weather was gorgeous, perhaps a little too warm. We all melted under our black robes during the two hour ceremony. Bengt Baron the CEO of V&S Group (Absolut Vodka is one of the most well-known brands) gave the commencement address.
After graduation there was a celebration by the clock tower. It was great to see everyone with their friends and family. My mom and sister made the trip down for the weekend and my uncle even flew up for the day. After the reception we headed to the Claremont Hotel for a cocktail before my uncle had to leave for the airport. Later on, Jean, my mom and I had a fantastic dinner at one of my favorite spots, Wood Tavern.
Check out a few picts from graduation.
A few more pictures from the weekend
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Amusing Running Article
Though most of you may think I'm nuts for running as much as I do, there are a few folks who understand my love for the sport. While I was searching for upcoming races, I came across an article that describes 10 types of 'runners.' I hate to admit it, but I've seen most of these types of runners at some point in my running career...take a look and vote for your favorite or perhaps most obnoxious runner.
1) The Frightened Dog Swatter - love the description (especially the tiny pack of Paris Hilton purse dogs)
2) The Human Cybertron
3) The Loud Runner
4) The Desalination Machine
5) The Salination Machine
6) The High Five Twister
7) The Stink Bomber
8) The NBA Pro
9) Doctor 90210 - perhaps the most amusing
10) The Gazelle and the Sloth
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/The_10_Types_of_Runners.htm
1) The Frightened Dog Swatter - love the description (especially the tiny pack of Paris Hilton purse dogs)
2) The Human Cybertron
3) The Loud Runner
4) The Desalination Machine
5) The Salination Machine
6) The High Five Twister
7) The Stink Bomber
8) The NBA Pro
9) Doctor 90210 - perhaps the most amusing
10) The Gazelle and the Sloth
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/The_10_Types_of_Runners.htm
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