Who Will You Create?

February 8, 2010

Yay! I was ecstatic to hear the positive responses to my “You Are What You Cook” Challenge. I didn’t really talk about the details because I wasn’t sure anyone would jump on board, but now that I’ve been assured that some of you will join the challenge, here’s the basic guidelines:

Guidelines for “You Are What You Cook” Challenge

The recipe has to be original: It can be a spin off somebody else’s recipe, but it has to have your own unique touch on it. Remember, this dish should define you, and you’re not a carbon copy off someone else! In the case that you borrow someone else’s idea, please take note to give credit to that person!
It has to be about you: It can be either the definition of your name, or your personality, or someone you aspire to be, so long as it’s all about you
If you have a blog, please post it on your blog, with an explanation of why you chose certain ingredients, and how they play into your dish. Recipes and pictures are optional, but preferred. After you post, send me an email with a link to that post.
If you don’t have a blog, that’s okay. Send me an email with the same instructions I’ve listed above.
The deadline will be 4 weeks from today’s date: March 7th, 2010.
I will later do a post with all the round-ups of your dishes, complete with pictures and links.
I’m still debating on whether I should also make a separate page for this, but I’ll let you know if I do.

I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with! And seriously…it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece…The most important rule in this challenge is to just relax…and have fun!

You know, I was watching Ratatouille for the 138th time a few nights ago, and little Remy said something that rang in my mind until now. Remy was talking admiringly about humans, and how they were different from rats because of their ability to create. Well, that got me wondering…What have I created during the past 22 years of my life? I certainly haven’t been creating any acclaimed artwork, or building landscapes; nor have I been composing a brilliant song, or inventing something new.

That got me panicking, just a bit—Dang, what have I been doing?

But then I scaled down my perspective, and broadened my mind. And you know what? I may be young and pretty much an obscure Nobody in this world, but I am creating something, every day, within my own circles: I’m creating myself. I’m creating my emotions and opinions and beliefs and morals. I’m creating my social groups. I’m creating my own thoughts and speech and actions.

These daily little creations? They may seem small in contrast to the grandiose masterpieces of the world…but they are so much more than those shiny objects which we admire from afar. They might even go unnoticed…but they have the ability to actually touch a person’s life, starting from oneself.

So. What are you creating daily? Worries, anxieties, complications, and stress? Or love, empathy, peace, and thanksgiving? We have more power than you think…because in every moment of our daily lives, we are creating something. Add that all up, and it forms who you are.

And that’s my little pep talk for you to start brainstorming for this challenge. Honestly, it’s not the overall product you need to focus on, it’s the details— the different ingredients you choose, and how you prepare them, and how you combine them together. Perhaps, you might even get a little bit more insight and motivation on yourself, eh?

But obviously, you can’t be defined by just one single dish. You’re way more complex and intricate than a single dish! Plus, you can interpret yourself in so many different ways.

Take this dish I’m going to share with you, for example. I think it defines me, because it’s got pretty much all my favorite and trademark ingredients in it. As you can see, my blog layout theme is Kabocha: I can eat a whole kabocha in one seating and still want more (Same can be said for Maggie and Coco). Second, I’ve been extolling the majesty of the runny egg ever since I started this blog, so much so that Biz seems to mention me whenever she blogs about a runny egg (and also Brandi!). I’m also the Queen of Sweet + Savory: The majority of my dishes have some kind of sweet and savory element to them. My favorite meal is brunch. I adore carbohydrates, especially in the form of bread (Hello, Rebecca, fellow bread-whore!).

Combine them altogether, and here’s a Burp and Slurp signature dish:

Kabocha French Toast BAT with Runny Egg

1/3 cup kabocha (flesh only)
1 whole egg
~1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
cinnamon (to taste)
salt (to taste)
2 slices Raisin-Cinnamon bread
2 strips of bacon, fried
green apple, sliced thinly
tomato, sliced
another whole egg
maple syrup

Mix together the kabocha, egg, milk, vanilla, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt. Dip the bread into the mixture and let it soak it up:
Then heat up a sprayed pan, and cook the kabocha french toast on each side for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry up an egg, sprinkle a bit of salt on top.

Then assemble the BAT by piling on the bacon, apple, and tomato on one side, and then topping it with the other french toast, and then finally the egg. Drizzle with maple syrup.
Ah, that egg is a topper! I used Eggland’s Best eggs:

I was provided a coupon through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, which was of course awesome because Eggland’s Best truly has the best tasting eggs ever. I don’t always get the chance to buy them because I tend to buy my eggs in bulk. Yeah, that’s how much I love eggs!
This sandwich was supposed to be a BLT, but I was out of lettuce, so I used a Granny Smith apple instead.
It worked perfectly, because of the tangy, juicy bite of the fruit. Better than bitter lettuce, if I say so myself!
I was seriously in heaven as I chowed down on this baby. What is better than having all your favorite ingredients in one dish? Especially when you’ve got that lovely, sensational golden yolk oozing out like that!
The walnuts in the batter was an afterthought. I wasn’t sure they would stick, but they did, and they made for a lovely crunchy, nutty texture and taste to the french toast.
This was a rather hefty meal though, so I had to use a fork and a knife to dig through it.
I was thoroughly satisfied when I was done. Never a good meal without a contented burrrrrrp~

Did that give you a little more inspiration for your own signature dish? I hope so! Now, get cooking, and send me your YOU creations!

Question of the day: Just a little teaser to your creations…What are you thinking of? Any particular ingredient in mind that you think defines you?

'cuz burping and slurping is mandatory and polite when it comes to good eats

Who Will You Create?

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