Salsa's and Spring Break

For most college students, Spring Break is just around the corner, but here at UNC Asheville, it's already over.  Today is the first day back, and Spring Break couldn't have gone by more quickly.  Some of my friends went to the beach, others explored big cities, and a few simply returned home to take a much-needed break from school and work.  As boring as it may seem, I had a nice time just staying in town, going to work, and meeting friends.  Although my break was not accompanied by any major events or adventures, it was wonderful to be able to clear my head and think about something other than school.  Regardless of the fact that I am taking my lightest course load in my college career, I have been the busiest this semester, and homework is always eating away at my time!  So, sleeping in and pushing thoughts of school to the back burner was a real treat.   

Since the weather has been so nice lately, it was fun to walk around town this weekend and bid farewell to Spring Break over dinner at a popular restaurant downtown.  Yesterday, a friend and I checked out Salsa's, a restaurant that's always teeming with customers, but which neither of us had tried before.  As this was seriously the high-point of my break, I thought I'd include it on the blog.  Salsa's serves Mexican-Caribbean food and has a warm and colorful atmosphere that is perfect for lively conversation and relaxation.  Although we have a lot of Mexican restaurants around Asheville, Salsa's fusion menu is unique, and for me, pretty unexpected, since I’m not used to eating this kind of cuisine.  All told, it was an exciting excursion into a world of new food, and a nice way to end my otherwise quiet Spring Break.  During this last month and a half of the semester, look forward to learning about some local coffee shops and hiking spots, new residence halls, student activities, and even more good stuff to help acquaint you with life here at UNC Asheville! 
PS: Check out Salsa's website here!

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Food Trucks: El Kimchi

Last week, while I was driving home from work, I noticed a food truck parked at a local restaurant that caught my eye for a number of reasons.  First, I hadn't seen many food trucks in Asheville before, and second, this truck is called "El Kimchi," which, if you've been keeping up with this blog, interested me because I'm a big fan of Korean food.  Upon further investigation, I found out that El Kimchi seems to be a recent upstart, and sells both Korean and Mexican cuisine at various locations around Asheville.  Since this is my first real contact with a food truck, I am finding the excitement of its ever-changing locations quite a treat.  On its official Facebook and Twitter pages, it posts several times a day where it will be parked, and seems to take location suggestions from customers eager to indulge their taste buds.  If you want to know where to get your fill, you have to check their social networking pages for the surprise location.  Since I love surprises and Korean food, the combination of the two proved too delightful to resist, so today, my friend and I found out where the El Kimchi truck would be parked from 11 to 2 pm, and headed over to West Asheville to grab a bite for lunch.  We enjoyed some chicken and pork rice bowls and the daily special, goon mandu (군만두, dumplings filled with tofu and veggies), and got to know the owners a bit.  The food itself was great, especially the dumplings.  What a delicious afternoon!  

Curious about other food trucks circulating Asheville?  Check out these links for some more information, and then go give them a try! 

http://www.blogasheville.com/blogasheville-food-truck-roundup-5580

http://www.mountainx.com/article/35469/A-food-truck-primer

http://www.mountainx.com/article/39879/Blind-Pig-adds-Battle-FoodTruck-to-Avl-Beer-Week-events

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Be Mine ♥

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  Although the local meteorologists called for snow (70% chance!) this morning, it is shaping up to be quite a beautiful day, not even a cloud overhead.  How will you celebrate the holiday today?  Will you take advantage of the lovely weather for a romantic stroll outside?  Whatever your plans, I hope they are filled with warmth, happiness, and, of course, a little love!  On Sunday, my sister and I prepared some goodies to distribute to our friends to let them know how grateful we are to have them in our lives.  Although nothing seems to say "Happy Valentine's Day" like chocolate, we decided to whip up a batch of sugar cookies with pink frosting instead.  We felt that homemade cookies would be the very best way to spread a little holiday cheer, and had a blast baking and distributing them.  As my Valentine's Day present to you, I'm sharing the photos we took of the cookies (have a virtual bite!) and the recipe we used.  If you want to make these for your loved ones, I hope you'll give it a try.  The cookies are soft, moist, and delicious.  Enjoy with a glass of cold milk, or share a few with your friends.  They'll put a smile on your face, and bring some joy to your Valentine's Day, no matter how you end up spending it! 

Recipe (borrowed from here)

For the cookies:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
7-8 tablespoon milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set  (do not overbake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all).  Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use a spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable).  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 dozen large cookies.

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Books & Breadboard

This morning, I met my parents, sister, and grandfather for a delightful brunch in Biltomore Village, a part of Asheville I don't think I've touched upon yet.  Biltmore Village is an area close to Asheville High School, the hospital, and the River Arts District, which I visited last semester.  Located in Biltmore Village is the Biltmore House and Estate, known for being the largest privately owned home in America.  (When the weather warms up, I'm hoping to take a trip to the Biltmore House and post about it, so stay tuned for that!)  There are a number of small shops and restaurants in Biltmore Village itself, so we could have visited any of these for a satisfying meal, but today we chose a small little place called the Books & Breadboard.  As the name suggests, this little cafe is part bookshop, part eatery.  The place itself is actually a tiny bookstore, but there are tables scattered throughout, which allows customers to simultaneously enjoy a calm atmosphere, browse for books, and enjoy good food.  All dishes are served on wooden cutting boards, which adds a touch of whimsy to the meal.  When spring arrives, they will open up the patio seating outside, allowing diners to enjoy the warm weather and a view of downtown Biltmore Village with their new books and cup of morning coffee.  Check out the website for more information!

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Welcome Back 2012

Hello, everyone!  For those readers who have either begun the spring semester, or are about to go back to school, how was your winter break?  Did you visit friends and family or take any exciting trips?  As your loyal blogger/Asheville native, I stayed true to form and spent my break in the Asheville area.  However, just because I stayed home does not mean that I had difficulty finding things to do; on the contrary, this was one of the most eventful winter breaks I think I've ever experienced.  I floated between my apartment near campus and my family's home north of Asheville, working, spending a little time with my family, meeting friends, and even travelling a bit.  As promised, here's a quick recap of what I was up to over break...

Skiing

My first experience skiing was when I was about 12 years old.  Although I enjoyed the day-long foray into the crazy world of winter sports, it not until last month that I again felt compelled to strap a pair of skis to my feet and hurtle down a mountain at dangerous speeds.  Regardless of the fact that I am, even after a full day of skiing, pretty bad at the sport, I had an awesome time.  The weather was warm, so only a few runs were open (luckily, one of these runs was a beginner's slope), but as evening fell, it began to get cold and rain a little bit.  I ended my second ski experience with a lot of good memories (and bruises).  I had such a good time that I think I'll do another post about where to ski in Western North Carolina.   

Eating 

If you've read some of my previous posts on this blog, you may not be surprised when I say that I really enjoy eating Korean food.  So, I was extremely happy to discover that a Korean restaurant has been opened in Asheville.  I've often thought that, given the profusion of Thai, Chinese, and Japanese restaurants around town, the only thing missing was a Korean eatery, and now we have one.  Its name, Stone Bowl, comes from the hot stone bowl that is used to serve many Korean dishes like bibimbap ("mixed rice," 비빔밥) and jjigae ("stew," 찌개).  I ordered some bibimbap, and enjoyed the numerous side dishes, or banchan (반찬), that came with the meal.  Although I ended up eating a bit too much, I left feeling full and warm, and will definitely be returning sometime in the near future.  If you like Korean food, or are interested in exploring a new kind of cuisine, I suggest giving it a try!

Travelling 

Finally, over the break, I was able to spend some time travelling.  My friend invited me to St. Augustine to visit with her family for a few days, so I was able to take a small road trip and enjoy the even warmer weather of Florida.  The trip wasn't necessarily the most eventful of vacations (we basically hung out at the house and the beach), but it was wonderful to be able to dig my toes into the sand, get some reading done, and just rest a bit.  We enjoyed snacks and conversation on New Year's Eve, a quiet and enjoyable way to usher in the experiences and journeys that 2012 has in store.  In the end, the weather and scenery was so beautiful and the company so fun, that when the time came to leave, I could hardly stand to tear myself away.    

Thanks, 2011, for the experiences and friendships we were able to enjoy.  Welcome, 2012; may we all find happiness in the new semester and the new year.

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Holiday Treats

With exams about halfway finished (the final exams will be held on Wednesday), and my senior thesis successfully completed, I thought that today might be a good day for me to take a break from studying and relax.  Something that always helps me unwind and relieve stress is baking, something I've been doing a lot of this semester.  Blueberry pie, apple pie, brownies, cookies, muffins--I have made all of these since school started in September, and I'm not sure if this is more reflective of my academic stress or my culinary productivity!  In any case, I thought it might be fun to share one of my favorite recipes with you all in case you're feeling stressed or looking for a tasty snack to share with friends.  It's easy to make and delicious, a definite win-win! 


What you'll need: 
Square pretzels (waffle-weave style)
M&Ms
Hershey's Kisses


Directions: 
Preheat oven to its lowest setting (anywhere between 150 and 170 degrees)
While oven is heating, spread pretzels on a cookie sheet, unwrap the Hershey's Kisses, and place one Kiss on each pretzel.

When oven is finished heating, put the pretzels in for about 5-7 minutes, or until the Kisses are pretty melty.  Some kinds of Hershey's Kisses take longer than others to melt, and some (like the ones with caramel or cherry filling inside) are just wrong for this project.  

Remove tray from oven and quickly press an M&M into the center of each Kiss.  You've got a limited window of time to do this, so have your M&Ms ready to go.  

When you've finished, put the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to let them cool off and set.  When they've hardened, you can dig in!

The combination of sweet and salty makes this treat pretty addictive, and if you play your cards right (give them to your friends, family, or coworkers), can even help boost your popularity!  Also, they're so small that it's easy to take them with you to the library or, if you're sneaky enough, to an exam!  Enjoy~

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