My first BRIC Party!!

I'm back again! I want to tell you about a party I had last weekend. The idea for this party I got from someone else and I thought I had to try it! So the idea of the BRIC party is that each person that comes brings food and we all share a meal together...but the twist is you have to try a recipe you have never made before and bring it even if it flops. (You can't do a trial run a few days before to make sure its good, you have to make it right before you come!!) This could be something you have tried but don't use the same recipe (for example, you ate apple pie before but never tried making it yourself...and you can't use a recipe that you already knows works great because its your mom's apple pie recipe or whatever) Even better if it is something you have never even tried before! My friend and I made up the name BRIC...here is what it means:

B = Bold/Brave

R = Risky

I = Innovative

C = Cooking

So, I started small and had three friends over, they made shrimp scampi, cream cheese noodles with chicken and broccoli, and dirt pudding, all of which turned out delish! I made orange chicken, which I have eaten before at restaurants but never tried making before. Amazingly it turned out great!! Its really not that hard! Basically you fry up chicken strips/nuggets and then whip up the orange sauce and pour it over the top of the nuggets. To make the sauce thick you add cornstarch, which to be honest I had never used before and it worked amazingly at thickening the sauce up!! The sauce had a really nice orange flavor, but didn't turn out "orange" so I called the dish Brown Chicken (which sounds really gross). I guess they must add something to make Orange Chicken "orange" at the restaurants. :)

Ian  made Bananas Foster which we have never tried before. You cut the bananas and put them in a skillet with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and then after the bananas are soft you add rum (but we used brandy because we couldn't find rum for a reasonable price) and then you light it on fire...only bummer was that it didn't light!! :(  He served it over vanilla ice cream and it tasted delicious, if only we weren't already so full from eating all the other food!

I know its a little scary to try new things and serve them for the first time to your guests!! I usually try new things for the first time and just eat it with Ian to make sure its worthy of serving to guests. :) So this is truly risky! But I think its great to break yourself out of waiting till dishes are perfect till you would attempt to serve them to your guests. :)

Next time I think I will invite more people, tell each one a specific category to choose from such as appetizer, main dish, side dish, or dessert. That way we don't end up with too much of one kind of food. Also it would be great if everyone brought a copy of the recipe they used, and I would print out recipe cards for people to copy the recipes they loved on to.  

You can totally use this idea and add other ideas to make it more crazy if you want! Tell me if you think of any creative ideas!

Will I ever really blog?

I feel so inspired by looking at other people's blogs and seeing all the pictures, craft ideas, and recipes. :) Even so I have a hard time thinking of what to write about. Blogging is so different than journaling...because other people read this! I have heard of so many other people who started a blog and just wrote a few posts....will I be another unsuccessful blogger? So far the odds are truly against me. :)

Frozen Bean Burrito
Price ￥1.5 / 23 cents

First of all the wrapper totally tricks you, you think raspberry, or grape or some kind of fruity goodness especially because of the fact they have some on ice cream in the picture. WRONG!! You don't bite into anything purple and fruity! What is there to greet you on your first bite? Nasty brown beans that's what. They are supposed to be sweet red beans but no matter what you call them, they are beans and should not be in combination with ice cream in any shape or form. You might as well make this your main meal and get some salsa and sour cream to go with it. Some of the comments from those who tasted:  "you need to knaw it like a beaver" and "the texture is fiber-ish like wood". After you finish the beans there is vanilla "ice cream" at the bottom which was like frozen white water. Craving beans and needing more fiber in your diet on a hot day? Then maybe you might want one.

Final Verdict: Beany
Rating: ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Got milk?

Milk flavor with raisin milk ice
Price ￥1 / 15 cents
This "milk" flavored ice is decent enough. It's soft, creamy, and sweet. The surprise is the real raisins within. So if you love raisins and are specifically looking for something that is milk flavored with milk ice then this is the one for you!

Final Verdict: Specially made for those who love milk and raisins and who just can't get enough of that combo.
Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Menthol Ice Pop
Price: ￥1 / 15 cents

This popcicle is the equivalent of a cough drop and breath mint all wrapped up in one. It is the consistency of ice with some menthol flavoring thrown in. You literally do have fresh breath afterward, but its not really what I was hoping for. Have a sore throat or bad breath...then this is the popsicle for you! Don't have either? Then pass this one up!
Final Verdict: Useful for a frozen after dinner mint
Rating ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Weeding out the good from the gross...begins with just one taste

Hot summer days need some refreshment don't you think? What is better than a delicious ice cream bar or a icy cold popsicle to cool you down? Over the course of the next few weeks, I with the help of some friends will be reviewing the creative variety of ice cream/frozen popsicles that Asia has to offer us. This is such a painstakingly difficult project to undertake but we will endure for the sake of others, that you might know what is absolutely worth trying and what you wouldn't even give your dog to eat.

Hope you enjoy reading and you are inspired to try something new!

I'm finally entering the blogging world!

Well after much thought on what my blog name would be, I finally decided on the collage of me. I choose this name because I want to write about things I am interested in or thoughts that I have, the random things and the deep things.  This blog isn't so much about Ian and I and what is going on in our lives, but just a space for me to write about the interesting and random, the serious and crazy. I believe that each person is a beautiful collage full of mystery and beauty waiting to be discovered. I want to share my collage that I am still discovering, with you.