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By Sophia, on March 9th, 2010
How many hours have you been up today?
It’s been a long day for me. I’ve been up since 8 am (I know, it’s really late for some of you grannies, but it’s early for me!), and it’s been layers and layers of stress and worries piling on top of me, hour after hour from morning till now. And…I’m exhausted. Mentally, I’m burned out. Emotionally, I’m hay-wired. Physically, I just want to bury myself in my bed with my Pooh bear and watch trash TV until I knock out.
Spring break is coming, but I feel like I won’t really be able to enjoy it because I have two major mid-terms and a presentation project due right after. What’s more, I just found out that my project partner dropped the class without warning, and now I’ve got double the workload. The jerk didn’t even bother to respond to my emails. He just simply stopped showing up to class and our meetings.
The worst thing? I’ve still barely accomplished half the stuff on my To-Do List. The incredulous thing? I’ve got 2 whole weeks to do them, but I’m still stressing over them way ahead of time.
Stress. It’s basically self-torture. Think about it. No, really think about it. How much of the things you stress about…are actually worth stressing over? And of the things that are actually “worth” the stress…how much of it can you solve or accomplish by stressing over them? A man called Richard Carlson once said: “Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.” It might sound like an exaggeration, but right now…with my brain throbbing and my eyes crazed, I’m pretty sure his summarization is right on spot.
Stress. It comes through manyl forms, from circumstances to situations to relationships to random sequences of thoughts. But ultimately, it comes from myself: My own stubborn insistence that something is so important that it’s worth losing my inner peace over. My impatience, my perfectionism, my insecurities, my selfish ambitions and desires.
Stress. When used right, it keeps you on your toes, and motivates you to keep on going. When used wrong, it just drains the life and energy out of you. So how do we find the right balance so that stress becomes a productive factor instead of self-punishment and guilt?
I’ve come down to these few conclusions about stress:
- Stress is a Self-Infliction
- It accomplishes nothing; therefore, a waste of time
- Anything done under stress cannot be enjoyable
And thus, I’ve decided to deal with stress with these following steps:
- Recognize that nothing is more important than my inner peace and joy
- Analyze what stresses me out: Is it worth it?
- If it isn’t, puke it out; it’s just poison that will infect my entire system
- If it is, turn the stress into an incentive to do something about it
- Be positive about what I need to do…and enjoy it. I’ve got to do it anyway (since I decided that it is important), so I might as well make it enjoyable somehow.
It’s quite liberating, to realize that stress is really just self-torture, because that means that I have the power within myself to change that around. In other words, stress is in reality, powerless, unless I give it the power to inflict pain upon myself. Unfortunately, the problem comes with this strange streak of masochism we humans seem to have…for some reason, we just seem to love torturing ourselves.
Take, for example, this lovely jar of spicy oil:
 Under the Foodzie affiliate program, I was recently sent this jar of Chile Crunch to review and sample from Chile Colonial.
This jar isn’t your average chili oil. It’s Mexican in origin, and is chock-full of crunchy bits of fried garlic, onion, and chile de arbol, hence the name, Chile Crunch.
 Now, before I proceed, let me tell you something about me which you probably already know: I tend to venture to the extremes. There is no middle ground for me— I either love it or hate it; leave it or go the full way. And when it comes to spice, I definitely zoom up to the maximum level, especially since I’m Korean. Come on, we Koreans were weaned off with kimchi and gochujang. Point is: Unless you can stand the heat and have a stomach of iron like mine, don’t do this at home, kids.
As soon as I received this jar, I just had to sample it. Like, right away. My affinity for spicy stuff took over my rationality. So I took a big spoon, and…
   Oh, yes, I did. It was glorious, in all its crunchy, spicy, oily goodness. I say it with all honesty, despite the last weird face I made. For a moment, I actually even thought there was some kind of sweetness in there. All pleasure lasted for about 15 seconds while the contents were in my mouth. And then, they made its way to my stomach, and that’s when hell started to burn.
Don’t worry, I’m still alive. Nothing lots of ice-cream couldn’t remedy. And besides, I had to be alive to make this amazing dish next with this hot mama:
Chile Crunch Pasta with Spicy Caramelized Walnuts, Edamame, and Panko
- 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil from Chile Crunch
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3-4 oz whole wheat linguine pasta
- 1 tablespoon Chile Crunch
- 1/4 cup Panko
- 1/4 cup edamame
- juice from 1 orange
- orange zest, about 1 tablespoon
Heat up the oil in a skillet until hot. Toss in the walnuts. Add the sugar, and stir until walnuts are toasted and coated. Remove from skillet and let cool:
 You might want to leave a few walnut just for munching once it’s cooled and hardened. It’s awesome! Spicy, yet sweet from the caramelized glaze.
Next, bring a pot of salted water to boil, and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. If your edamame is frozen, you might want to give it a quick boil, too.
Heat up the Chile Crunch oil in a skillet again. Toss in the panko, and stir to coat, letting it crisp up. Stir in the edamame and pasta and spicy caramelized walnuts, then squeeze in the orange juice, and sprinkle in the orange zest. Toss to mix, and serve.
 Ah! The dish turned out fabulous!
 It’s the first time I’ve had Panko-coated pasta, and I love the crunchy texture in there.
 I added edamame for some color, and it ended up working really well in this dish, and also added some good protein.
 The best component of this dish was definitely the spicy caramelized walnuts. I could snack on these all day long!
 I have to admit, this dish was spicy. It certainly cleared up any sinus I didn’t even know I had! If you’re a spice wimp, you can tone this dish down by using less chili oil, or just leave the heat to the walnuts and use regular oil for the pasta.
  The Chile Crunch is extremely versatile, so you’re not just limited to pasta. Sabrina from Rhodeygirl Tests used it to marinate shrimp. Check out her recipe here!
Okay, time to prepare for my mid-term tomorrow. Here’s an example of unnecessary stress: I was stressed because I felt like I had to blog, even though I was behind on my exam preparations. In the end, I still blogged (well, duh). But I told myself that I would blog…only if it became a form of recreation. And you know what? I really did enjoy writing this post. And now, I’m all ready to hit the books. Stress begone!
Question of the day: What is one thing you stress over that is not “worth” it? What is one thing that is actually “worth” it? How can you make that enjoyable?
P.S. In case you think I have forgotten about the “You Are What You Cook” Challenge…I haven’t! I promise that I will do a round-up soon! Oh, and if you haven’t already…check out the awesome recipes submitted to BSI: Brussel Sprouts!
By Sophia, on March 8th, 2010
Aaaaaaarrrrh! Busy busy busy! I seem to have agreed to host last week’s BSI at a bad time…but in between studying for mid-terms, I just had to squeeze this post in, because I owe it to all those wonderful bloggers who submitted to last week’s BSI: Brussel Sprouts.
I know time was extremely short to send in original recipes, and I really appreciate those who made the effort to send previous posts as well. I was kind of worried that nobody would submit anything, heh heh…that would be really humiliating. I wonder what I would have done. Maybe never blog again…Nah, just kidding.
Anyway. Here are the submissions to BSI: Brussel Sprouts:
Christina submitted two previous posts:
1. Shredded Brussel Sprouts
 Wow. How cool are these? I’ve never had brussel sprouts shredded before, and it’s something I’ve got to try. I love the addition of those lovely pine nuts, too!
2. Brussel Sprouts with Maple & Bacon
 Wheeee! Maple + Bacon must be the best combination ever! The Royal Marriage of sweet and savory!
Averie from Love Veggies and Yoga also submitted two:
1. Brussel Sprouts Salad with Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing
 Averie likes her brussel sprouts barely cooked, so that it retains its fresh crunch. I have to respectfully disagree…I like it blasted under high heat! But a brussel sprout is a brussel sprout and they are all yummy…especially with Averie’s wonderful dressing!
2. Coconut-Roasted Vegetables with Coconut Oil
 This is a mainly fennel and potato salad, with sugar snap peas, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, carrots, and mixed greens. Both of Averie’s recipes are vegan and gluten-free, so it’s perfect for people watching their diets, whatever it is (unless it’s an anti-veggie diet, in which you should not even be reading this post). Averie says that the anise flavor of the fennel makes for an interesting combination with the coconut and ginger. Yum!
Esther from Ambitious Delicious curried favor with my Asian-ness by submitting this Asian-themed Roasted Brussel Sprouts:
 You must check this out. She used fish sauce! No, don’t give me that scrunched up nose…Fish sauce is liquid crack! It is umami-concentrated liquid…makes everything so flavorful! I also loved that Esther used butter in this…Butter makes everything better!
Shannon and I must have ESP, because she just happened to combine sweet potato and brussel sprouts together as well into this lovely Sweet Potato Pasta with Shaved Brussel Sprouts:
 Um. Finally. Some lovely carbs! Gah! I’ve never come across sweet potato-flavored pasta before…This totally blew my mind! In a good way, Shannon, as all your recipes always do? By the way, did you ever check out her cookies..with bacon?! This girl is a culinary whiz!
And now, this is yet another freaking impressive dish cooked by Veronica of Recipe Rhapsody…Caramelized Tofu over Brussel Sprouts!
 This dish was derived from 101 Cookbooks, which is one of my favorite food blogs. Veronica apologizes for the “bad” picture…but it’s not the quality of the picture she should be sorry for, it’s for making me ruin my keyboard with a flood of drool! Gosh, if anyone can make me eat tofu and enjoy it, it’s this girl!
Next, Laura from The Cooking Photographer sent in this carbilicious Radiatori with Sautéed Brussel Sprouts:
 Um, hell yeah. Now that’s how I like my brussel sprouts…roasted, grilled, or sautéed. Cook the heck out of it, baby! And toss it with lots of gorgeous carbs! This will convert any brussel sprout-hater, all right!
Danielle from Coffee Run might be the only one to actually create a BSI recipe within the BSI week…but hey girl, you didn’t actually submit it to me. Too bad, I spotted it with my cunning eye! Our smart student from V-Tech created this Roasted Brussels with Coconut Alfredo:
 Cheeeeeeese! Or…not? She fooled me! This one is actually totally vegan…she used nutritional yeast! Danielle claims this feeds 4 people. Um, hahaha! That’s a joke, right? This will make a nice snack sometime. Thanks, babe!
Biz, my dear friend…I don’t think we can be friends. You don’t like brussel sprouts?! Blasphemy! Hee hee, I’m kidding, of course. Biz, being the generous old soul (not that kind of old) that she is, offered to share her mother-in-law’s recipe:
Bonnie’s Brussel Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries
1 pound fresh brussel sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
3 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (no fake butter!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked ground pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries
Slice the sprouts thinly – can use a food processor. Set a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Cook – stirring constantly, until the pecans darken and begin to give off a toasted aroma – about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter and continue stirring. Once the butter is melted, add the sprouts, salt and pepper and cook – stirring constantly until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender. Approx. 6-10 minutes, depending on how thin the sprouts were sliced. Remove from heat – add the cranberries, toss and serve.
Dang…I only wish there was a picture to come with this awesome recipe! Pecans, butter, cranberries…what a combination!!! And I totally lol-ed when she added, “no fake butter!” Hee hee! Thank you, Biz! 
Ah…now comes the hard part: Choosing the winner. I honestly had a hard time deciding…I’ve moaned and pondered and obsessed and agonzied and vexed over this so much I’ve got brussels sprouting in my brain. Sigh. But I’ve promised not to use the random integer, so here’s my final decision.
The winner of BSI: Brussel Sprouts is……………………
Laura with her Radiatori with Sautéed Brussel Sprouts!
 Congratulations, Laura! I chose Laura’s dish because it’s a complete meal in itself, and I loved the inclusion of bread crumbs for some crunchiness in that pasta. I also loved the little pinch of red pepper flakes in there, and the burst of fresh lemon! Overall, a perfect hit!
Thank you for all those who submitted…it was a toughie, that’s for sure. And for this week’s BSI, hop on over to Joanne of Eats Well With Others’ blog for secret ingredient…Thanks, Joanne, for agreeing to host! Joanne is one incredible, intelligent woman…I don’t know which one is smarter: her brains or her appetite, but they’re both pretty incredible!
Question of the day: What is your favorite way to eat brussel sprouts? Do you like it cooked, or kinda raw, or completely raw? (Is that edible?)
By Sophia, on March 6th, 2010
Hahaha, it was hilarious seeing you guys try to guess which was the lie to the little “Seek the Lie” game on my last post. Though, a few of you made a boo-boo and guessed the truth instead. Okay, I’ll put an end to your torture and reveal the answer:
So here was my 6 truths and 1 lie (Not 6 lies and 1 truth!):
- I did Chinese dance when I was in the first and second grade in Singapore. Once, I had to dress up as a duck, complete with bright yellow feathers around my buttocks.
–> Truth!
I even have pictures to prove it. I had a duck beak for a hat, and I wore this bright yellow leotard, and my “dance” moves were basically waddling after a mother duck, who wore a brown leotard. Until now, I have no idea what possessed me to agree to do such a humiliating act.
- I can’t stand chocolate-flavored anything like chocolate ice-cream, brownies, chocolate muffins, etc.
–> Truth!
I even gave the answer away later in the post when I mentioned I don’t like chocolate in my food! I like plain chocolate by itself…but for some reason, detest it combined with anything else. I especially have a strong dislike for chocolate chip cookies. When I first came to America, I forced myself to eat them to live out the cookies-and-milk dream I had. I managed to choke them down by dipping them in lots and lots of ketchup.
- I once almost drowned trying to do gymnastics in the baby pool. I did a head-stand, and got stuck with my head immersed in the water and my legs flailing in the air.
–> Truth!
This was the second time I almost drowned. The first when I was pretending to be a pirate looking for sunken treasure. My imagination will one day kill me.
- I have a strange habit of gauging the price of anything with the number of Supersize McDonald’s french fries. For example, this sweater is worth 15 Supersize McD’s french fries!
–> Truth!
By the way, I spent 40 Supersize McD’s french fries worth of groceries today at Costco. Boo hoo. T___T;;
- I did beam gymnastics in Singapore. I am uncannily flexible, and I totally rocked at the beam.
–> Lie!
Congrats to all who guessed #5 as the lie! Beam? Are you kidding me? I’m the clumsiest person on earth, and I have the scars to prove it. I did trampoline gymnastics instead, and I was horrible, because I just did not know how to tighten my muscles. Also, I was a total slacker and only did gymnastics because I had a crush on one of the gymnasts.
- There was a time when I was obsessed with bagels. I ate 6 bagels for dinner every single day. Guess which kind? Cheese, of course.
–> Truth!
What is so impossible to believe about eating 6 bagels? Believe it. They were good bagels too: Noah’s bagels from Costco. Remember: never, ever, ever underestimate a petite Asian female’s ability to eat.
- I’m a deadly deep-sleeper. I need 2 alarm clocks to wake me up, and even so I still sleep through them frequently. I once fell off the double bunk bed but still did not wake up. Maybe I fainted in my sleep?
–> Truth!
When I’m asleep, I’m basically a corpse. Why do you think I miss so many morning classes? Because I sleep through my 2 alarm clocks. I can sleep standing up, too. I once fell asleep while walking. I almost fell off the rail.
That was so fun, I might do something like this in the near future again. Wheee! Thanks for playing, guys!
Oh, and before I forget, here’s a shot of what I had for Fried Food Thursday:
 I was gonna get fries from my school dining hall, but they happened to have an Asian theme going on…and I haven’t had bastardized Chinese food for a long time, so I thought, why not?
 It’s deep-fried tofu doused in a sweet-and-sour sauce, by the way. It was okay. Not to sound arrogant, but I’ll bet I can make a meaner, leaner version of this myself. But that’s for another time.
Today, it’s not about recipes, it’s just about going out and enjoying other people’s recipes. I’ve had a lot of you ask me where I get my inspiration for recipes. Well, my inspiration is, simply, from eating other people’s food. That’s the joy of going out to eat. You get to try something you’ve never eaten before, something that introduces you to new products, ingredients, techniques, and cultures.
And no matter how cool and wacky my recipes are…how can I compete with traditional recipes that have been passed down from family to family since 1923? I can’t. So, I just sit and eat my humble pie. Or in this case, my humble enchiladas.
Awhile ago, my church friends and I hit by a famous Mexican restaurant in downtown Los Angeles called El Cholo. El Cholo is a place rich with history, and prides itself of its authentic and traditional family recipes. But what impressed me most was the warm, hospitable vibe it exuded:
 The decor is Spanish-influenced, and the interior architecture is reminiscent of an earlier century. Kind of the place you want to be in on a chilly wintry night, sharing a mug of beer with strangers by the fire. The walls were also decorated with phots of early Los Angeles history and celebrities.
 The only thing that perturbed me was the dim lighting. I guess they would rather call it “warm, intimate, soft lighting”…but what the hell. I want to be intimate with my food, too…and how can I be when I can’t even see it?
 But the fish tank was cool, I’ll give them that! Random, but totally wicked cool!
  Even the bathroom was oldie-style:
 Sorry, couldn’t resist. It was a huge group of us ladies. Church ladies who lunch! Tee hee.
 The menu choices were rather limited, but that’s a good thing I suppose since the first clue to an unauthentic restaurant is a menu the size of…say, Cheesecake Factory.
I had trouble deciding what I wanted…so I asked the waiter for help, and he promptly pointed to the most expensive item on the menu. I, like a fool, took his advice and ordered that. I got the Crabmeat Enchilada:
 Corn Tortillas wrapped around succulent crabmeat with Jalapeno-Cilantro Pesto Sauce, Sour Cream, Fresh Avocado, Black Beans and Rice.
 Here’s a secret: I did not take the picture at my table. After my waiter served me this dish, I took it and ran to a particular spot in the restaurant that had a teeny bit of natural light peeking in. That, my friend, is true dedication of an obsessed food blogger.
 Bad lighting aside, this dish…was fabulous. Holy crab! I’ve never had better enchiladas in my life! The crabmeat was utterly succulent, with that savory sweetness of good crabmeat.
 But the sauce…that Jalapeno-cilantro pesto sauce was definitely the star! It was rich and creamy, without being overly cloying or heavy. Perfecto!
 And the cheese! This was definitely a whole bucket of cheese! These people know the way to my heart!
 Most of my friends seemed to be watching their weight, and ordered the lighter Annie’s Early California Enchiladas:
 Corn Tortilla stufed with Garden Fresh Vegetables, Spinach, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Jack Cheese, Corn and Tomato Salsa.
 And none of them could finish this.
What? I don’t understand, I’m so confused. Because I sure had no trouble polishing off mine:
 (I ate up that little portion of rice afterwards, just in case you were wondering)
You know, this reminds me…there was once an online forum with a topic asking what cuisine you dislike. I said I don’t really like Mexican food, because it’s a bit too greasy and messy…and frankly, ugly. A guy (I think he was Mexican) responded immediately, “Like your face!”
Wow. People get so sensitive about food. But I guess food is a lot more than taste. It’s got a sort of pride, a culture, a tradition, a story behind it. We all have our food memories and backgrounds and stories. There are certain food we grew up eating which stirs up nostalgia, or a flood of emotions. Food is an integral component in our lives, both physically and emotionally. I guess my “You Are What You Cook” Challenge touches on that, too.
Okay, reminder: Entries for the challenge is due…today! And so is the BSI entries. I will most likely post the winner on Tuesday, but next week’s BSI host will be announced before then so that there is plenty of time to submit your entries to the next BSI. I’m sorry this week’s BSI was posted so late; I was only notified on Tuesday late afternoon myself. But thanks to all who submitted previous posts!
Question of the day: What is one food (or several) that instigates memories, traditions, emotions, etc. for you? And what is the most you’ve ever eaten in one seating?
By Sophia, on March 4th, 2010
I feel like making this a fun and lighthearted post today. In fact, I feel like skipping in a frilly frock with bows in my hair, humming Sound of Music. Can you tell I’m in a pretty good mood? Take advantage of days like these to ask me for a favor/money/gift/etc and I just might give it to you.
I’ve also been rewarded a fun award by several generous bloggers:
 The rule is to come up with six outrageous lies, and one outrageous truth about myself, and to let you guys guess which is the truth.
Interesting note on lying: I’m actually a terrible liar, because I wear my emotions on my sleeve. But during my ED days, I was the Devil Deceiver himself. I became so freaking good at lying, I scared the hell out of my parents. In fact, my dad broke down crying for the first time in his life after discovering one of my deceits, because he realized that his daughter was gone, replaced by a self-absorbed pathological liar.
Whoops. I promised to keep this light. Sorry. But my point: ED changes your character into something as hideous and disgusting as he is. However, thank and praise the Lord that the more I shook loose from ED, the more my previous personality shone out. And now, I’m kind of lost my ability to lie again, which may or may not be a good thing. 
So, I decided to change the rules a bit, and do 6 truths and 1 lie:
- I did Chinese dance when I was in the first and second grade in Singapore. Once, I had to dress up as a duck, complete with bright yellow feathers around my buttocks.
- I can’t stand chocolate-flavored anything like chocolate ice-cream, brownies, chocolate muffins, etc.
- I once almost drowned trying to do gymnastics in the baby pool. I did a head-stand, and got stuck with my head immersed in the water and my legs flailing in the air.
- I have a strange habit of gauging the price of anything with the number of Supersize McDonald’s french fries. For example, this sweater is worth 15 Supersize McD’s french fries!
- I did beam gymnastics in Singapore. I am uncannily flexible, and I totally rocked at the beam.
- There was a time when I was obsessed with bagels. I ate 6 bagels for dinner every single day. Guess which kind? Cheese, of course.
- I’m a deadly deep-sleeper. I need 2 alarm clocks to wake me up, and even so I still sleep through them frequently. I once fell off the double bunk bed but still did not wake up. Maybe I fainted in my sleep?
Okay, churn your brains: Guess which is the LIE?
While you work those amazing brains of yours, let me share the amazing treat I had for Sweet Treat Wednesday. Since my school is in downtown Los Angeles, we are never short of Latin-American food and grocery stores. The main grocery store closest to our school is Latino, too, and it has a pretty good Mexican bakery, with all sorts of pastries and sweet breads that I’ve never seen before. Take, for example, this:
 I have no idea what you call this. I’ve searched online and I still don’t know. Any Latinas/Latinos out there who can educate me? I’ll just call it bobina de pan for now.
 It’s a huge coil of bread, crusted with a crumbly, sugary crust. The bread is a buttery milk bread that is only slightly sweet. It was awesome! It reminded me a lot of this Korean sweet bread that I really love called Soboro bun. Except this Mexican version cost me only 40 cents, and the Korean one will cost me about $1.50 for less quantity. SCORE! $__$
My good friend Adam also sent me a picture of his Sweet Treat Wednesday:
 A real glazed donut (Note: there’s nothing “Holey” about it, either)!! He managed to combine both Sweet Treat Wednesday and Fried Food Thursday into a single deep-fried sugary treat (the cheater!). Adam, I have not had my fried food today yet, but I’ll let you know when I do! By the way, I was thinking: If you guys have celebrated Sweet Treat Wednesday or Fried Food Thursday, do feel free to send me your pictures as well, so I can post it on my blog every week.
Again, I emphasize: there is nothing wrong with eating a real honest-to-goodness treat (sugary or fried) once in a while! Actually, I eat one almost daily, and I do not mean a cup of froyo or 3 miniature organic cacao nibs. I needed that extra sweet treat and snacks to sustain me through this long day. Not everything has to have perfect proportions of carbs to protein to fat. Not everything has to be rich in fiber and vitamins. My point here is not that you should scarf down fried chicken and gravy all the time. The thing is, I also do eat plenty of healthy stuff…and I know most of you do, too, so you can totally afford an indulgence. Everything in balance.
Here’s an example. I’m on the run from classes to classes non-stop on Wednesday, so I need to eat something that is fuss-free and portable, something that I can nibble on especially since I have charcoal on my hands from art class. Now, I usually avoid bars, because frankly, I dislike Larabars, and I don’t like how most bars are dessert-flavored. But 18 Rabbits recently sent me a sample of all their bars to try, and they’ve been a life savior:
 Here are the flavors, all in fun and kooky names:
- Funky Figs & Cherries
- Cheeky Cherry Chocolate
- Haute Diggity Date
- Nibble a Sultana
- Belle Banana Foster
18 Rabbits is a granola company that prides itself of its pure and simple yet authentic treats. The appealing factor about this company is that they actually have a living relationship with their farmers. The source of their ingredients are from local producers and artisans like Meduri Farms, Straus Family Creamery, Butternut Mountain Farm and San Joaquin Fig.
 Because they prefer to work with local growers and food artisans, their products are not 100% organic, but 80-90% of the ingredients in our granola and granola bars are certified organic.
  In addition, 18 Rabbits granola bars are wheat-free, non-GMO, sulfur dioxide-free, and relatively safe for gluten-allergies (but you might wanna check with your doctor if yours is severe). They are naturally sweetened with unrefined maple syrup and honey, and chock-full of high quality seeds and nuts.
 I hate to sound commerical…but their products blew me away. It is definitely one of the best bars I’ve ever had. The best thing about it is the lovely, sticky chew.
 Check that out. Doesn’t that scream, “CHEW ME NOW!” to you? Chewy is my favorite texture, so this was the biggest plus for me.
 The other great thing about these bars is that there is no fake flavors or taste to them. It’s not “cheesecake” or “cookies-and-cream” flavored. It tastes exactly like the ingredient it was made with.
 My favorite was, surprisingly the Cheeky Cherry Chocolate.
 I didn’t even take a picture, because I was sure it would be my least favorite! I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate in my food, nor am I a fan of cherries and chocolate together. But the bar won me over with its combination of that tart dried cherries and the dark, bitter chocolate. So. Freaking. Good!
Okay, reminder: March 7th, which is this coming Sunday, is the last day to submit your BSI: Brussel Sprouts recipes, and also your last day to submit your “You Are What You Cook” Challenge entries!
Question of the day: You’ve probably forgotten, but take a look up at the “Creative Writer” Blogger Award. Can you guess my one lie?
And did you celebrate Sweet Treat Wednesday or Fried Food Thursday…or both?
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Contact Need a bitch buddy? Or simply have a suggestion, question, blah blah blah? Email me at: burp.excuzme@gmail.com
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Under the Foodzie affiliate program, I was recently sent this jar of Chile Crunch to review and sample from Chile Colonial. 
Now, before I proceed, let me tell you something about me which you probably already know: I tend to venture to the extremes. There is no middle ground for me— I either love it or hate it; leave it or go the full way. And when it comes to spice, I definitely zoom up to the maximum level, especially since I’m Korean. Come on, we Koreans were weaned off with kimchi and gochujang. Point is: Unless you can stand the heat and have a stomach of iron like mine, don’t do this at home, kids. 
Oh, yes, I did. It was glorious, in all its crunchy, spicy, oily goodness. I say it with all honesty, despite the last weird face I made. For a moment, I actually even thought there was some kind of sweetness in there. All pleasure lasted for about 15 seconds while the contents were in my mouth. And then, they made its way to my stomach, and that’s when hell started to burn. 
You might want to leave a few walnut just for munching once it’s cooled and hardened. It’s awesome! Spicy, yet sweet from the caramelized glaze. 
Ah! The dish turned out fabulous! 
It’s the first time I’ve had Panko-coated pasta, and I love the crunchy texture in there. 
I added edamame for some color, and it ended up working really well in this dish, and also added some good protein. 
The best component of this dish was definitely the spicy caramelized walnuts. I could snack on these all day long! 
I have to admit, this dish was spicy. It certainly cleared up any sinus I didn’t even know I had! If you’re a spice wimp, you can tone this dish down by using less chili oil, or just leave the heat to the walnuts and use regular oil for the pasta. 
The Chile Crunch is extremely versatile, so you’re not just limited to pasta. Sabrina from Rhodeygirl Tests used it to marinate shrimp. Check out her recipe here! 
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(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)
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