The Yüki blog

This is so weird

2011-02-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

Why are people stumbling upon my blog? Go stumble upon my real blog...

silly people.

www.theyukiblog.com

This is no longer my home

2010-10-23T16:48:00.001-07:00

I can be found here. Wordpress all the way, baby.

THIS IS MY CURRENT BLOG

Capitol Hill Block Party: Day 2

2010-08-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Day 2 was shopping day. There wasn't much in the way of music we wanted to see, so we went downtown, to Pike Place market. It always seems like a better idea than it actually is to go to the market. It was alright though... we all found a bunch of things. I can't go to the market and not go to Sur la Table, so I got a couple of things there. Nothing too exciting.

Cheryl bought that thing. I think.

I managed to find some taxidermy.

And some Pokemon.

So that was that... due to a wave of overwhelming exhaustion, I slept through the only band I really wanted to see on Saturday, !!!. We ended up seeing the last mainstage band of the night... ummmmmmmmmmm.... Atmosphere? Yeah.

Capitol Hill Block Party: Day 1

2010-07-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Cheryl, Shawn and I hauled our asses across the border and into Seattle for the Capitol Hill Block party music festival

Trader Joe's is the best!

In Line up, looking PIIIIISSED.

. After what turned into a 4 hour trip into the city, we made it to the festival to be greeted with what appeared to be an hour-long line-up for will call tickets.

Okay, it wasn't... and we did make it in to catch the last half of Bear in Heaven's set, which was pretty fantastic. They sound like an eerie version of Grizzly Bear, and their album Beast Rest Forth Mouth is worth a listen for sure.

Bear in Heaven, yo.

OHMYGOD, YEASAYER WAS SO GOOD!

LOOK THEM UP: YEASAYER!

They are all fantastic musicians, with a

fantastic live perfomance...

and they are all really fucking hot.

That didn't hurt.

This is what I have been working on

2010-07-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

More to follow.

Later.

Fun with Rodents: My first experience with Taxidermy

2010-07-10T01:35:00.000-07:00

Sabrina is my best friend. One of the reasons this is so is because we have similar interests. Our mutual interests include fashion design, eating (like there is no tomorrow), The Libertines, yesyesno, art faggotry, and most recently, taxidermy.

just for the record..

We're not sick;

We are artists (lol).

But really, the reason we finally decided to sit down and cut up dead animals was because of a fashion school project I had. The assignment was to expand our creative horizons. We were encouraged to experiment with new ways of being creative. Lots of people tried land art, embroidery, figure drawing, painting, sculpting, singing, you name it. So I'm a bit eccentric... and I wanted to do something nobody had done before for this project, hence the taxidermy. Word got out that I was planning on stuffing dead animals, and whaddayaknow... another fashion student jumps on board. So Serena, Sabrina and I got together on a quiet day in April and stuffed us some rodents.

If you don't wanna see pictures of dead animals being cut open, you better stop here.

COMMENCE DEAD ANIMAL PHOTO MONTAGE:

Supplies: Borax (to dry out the pelts), dollar store scalpels,

latex gloves, bulletain board, push pins, thread, cotton batting,

garden wire, sequins, false wings, embroidery thread,

2 jumbo rats, pack of 3 mice (dead as doornails, would have been pet food)

Saby found a mouse!

First incision: we sliced down the back, and peeled the skin

off, scraping the fat away as we peeled.

"Don't you just love it when you get a good peel?"

Serena holds up her work.

Mouse = skinned.

Rat time!!!

So this is the skin of the rat being pulled off of the flesh.

I love how you can see the eyeballs in the body mirrored with the

eye sockets in the hyde. It's eerie.

To dry the rats off quickly, we blow dried their skin until it was

slightly stiff. Not too stiff thought... you still need to be able

to sew it up.

I started sewing up the pelt before I put anything into it.

Then I stuffed with with a wire shape, wrapped in cotton batting.

I also sewed butterfly wings onto it. Isn't she pretty?

Rats are done.

From left: Serena's Rat, My rat (Esme), and Sabrina's 2 headed monstrosity of a mouse.

Let's fall in love

Making it look good

2010-06-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been paying more attention to food photography, especially in blogs and Foodie mags. One of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, has fantastic food photography, so do my favorite magazines: Food and Wine and Bon Appetit. This is a great guide for anyone who is interested in documenting their culinary adventure. Now I just need to master my camera, ~sigh~.

One of the keys to good food photography is setting. This, of course, includes the background and the lighting, but another important part of setting is the setting. Table setting, that is. As a poor starving student/cook/designer, I didn't have much in the way of nice dishes. Since dish sets are 'effing expensive, I went to Home Sense and bought one of a bunch of things. It was just over $30 for all of these.

I got 4 different shaped bowls and 2 different plates, so I can mix and match with different fabrics and create some great table settings. There's usually just one or two of us eating, so having one of everything isn't an issue.

After I got my beautiful new dishes home, I didn't waste any time before putting them to good use. For lunch, I made a delicious variation on Penne Alfredo. The alfredo recipe is a modified version of Kraft's "Smarter Alfredo", which uses chicken broth as a base (instead of butter). But don't worry, I fattened it back up with lots of cheese. Recipe is here...

Penne Alfredo with Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms with a Roasted Paprika Chicken Breast

Alfredo Sauce

3/4 Cup Chicken Broth

1/4 Cup Cream Cheese

1 Tbsp. Flour

1 Clove Garlic, Crushed

1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan (Fresh!)

1/3 Cup Grated Mozzarella

1 Cup Spinach, packed

2 Large White Mushrooms

2 tsp Olive Oil

Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast, seasoned with paprika and pepper

2 Person portion of Cooked Penne (about 3 cups cooked)

Chives, for garnish

Directions:

To make the sauce, bring the chicken broth to a low boil, and whisk in the cream cheese, flour and garlic. Once it's thickened a little, stir in the cheeses, and keep warm until the Pasta and Chicken breast are ready.

Sautee the spinach and mushrooms in the olive oil, and set aside. Mix the Penne with the alfredo sauce, and divide between 2 bowls, and top with the spinach and mushrooms. Slice the chicken breast, and lay attractively across the spinach and mushrooms. Top with chives, freshly grated parmesan and cracked black pepper.

I need a hobby, or something.

2010-06-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Watermelon Sangria

This is what I did today, in order of execution:

- Watched Sex and the City
- Thought about steak, a lot
- Went to go buy steak
- Ate steak
- Watched more Sex and the City

I haven't been motivated to cook anything recently (except Steak), but do have some pictures to share of things I've made over the past few weeks (but no recipes).

For the boyfriend's birthday last month, I made a picnic to have at English Bay. Here's the Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Scallops.

Fig and Kalamata Tapenade.

Tapenade on canapes with goat's cheese and walnuts.

A couple weeks ago, I visited my mom in Kelowna.

I cooked up a storm.

BBQed shrimp skewers

Herbed Mushrooms

Eggs baked in Tomatoes with Emmenthal and Dill

Country Apple Sausage

Ebelskivers with Apple Sauce, Tomatoes and Sausage

This is how I made the eggs for the bennys... they got put in plastic bags with grated cheese and green onions, then boiled til softish.

Chive and Emmenthal Eggs Benedict on Croissants with Roasted Garlic

and Goat's Cheese with Sauteed Spinach, Roasted Red Pepper Hollandaise

and Smoked Oysters (Original Creation)

Illustrating...

2010-05-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've attempted a fashion illustration... months even. I used to feel like I was quite good at illustrating, but my skills have gotten a little rusty. That's just one more thing to work on this summer. I got an e-mail about submitting an illustration for Vancouver Fashion E-zine, so I decided now was a good of a time as any to brush up those illustration skills. I'm pleased with the result, although with more effort, it could have been better. It's not on-par with some of the stuff I've seen on there before, but for me it's alright!

Subtraction Cutting

2010-05-26T17:31:00.001-07:00

Julian Roberts (this guy is such a badass, his website is only open on wednesdays, and if you want to own one of his garments, you have to first learn how it was made), the brilliant man who came up with this method, is visitng my school in June, so I went into school (on summer vacation, I should add) to draft/sew with my friend and teacher.

We are the ultimate keeners.

Subtraction cutting is a method of garment construction that involves techniques such as tunneling and plugging... I don't fully understand it. I have yet to read the book... Sabrina can explain it much better than I can. Maybe I'll give it a shot in a week or so.

This something I made with the tunneling method... um, it was supposed to be a skirt. It ended up being waay too long, but I think with a couple more tries, this technique could be mastered.

This skirt kind of turned into a tube dress.

From the Left: Lesley's tunnel dress, Sabrina's tunnel dress, Lesley's Coil dress, Sabrina's blobby tunnel dress, and my plug skirt. The skirt is made by cutting out a blobby shape, starting and ending at the hem, and sewing a circle larger than the shape into it, creating protrusions, and a wider hem.

If you're interested in creative methods of garment construction, I strongly recommend checking out Julian Robert's book: School of Subtraction Cutting.

Summer is approaching...

2010-05-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

...and I have been busy sewing swimsuits to prepare. Some of them will be for sale on my Etsy, but I think I may just have to keep some for myself. If only we had beach weather. I guess thats what I get for moving to Vancouver from Kelowna. Whatever, it was worth it.

Holy ****ing Hollandaise: My First Crack at Eggs Benny

2010-05-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's official... I'm a butter troll. Between the puff pastry, the hollandaise, the butter-seared shrimp, and all the butter I snitched while cooking, I think I probably consumed about a half-cup of the good stuff morning.

Photography by Chris Young

But holy ****... was it ever worth it. My boyfriend is somewhat of an Eggs Benny connoisseur, and without fail, will order that whenever we dine out for breakfast. He's actually got a top 5 list going of his favorite Eggs Bennys in the city. I can't recall the entire list, but some of his favorites are Locus's Corn Bread and Vegetarian Chili Benny (he's a vegetarian), and Twisted Fork's Brioche and Salmon Benny (okay, he's a pescatarian) . I think The Reef's Jerk Salmon Benny with Citrus Hollandaise was up there too, if I remember correctly. So, I had pretty high standards to meet when I set about creating this dish, but I must've done something right, because I made it into the top 5!

What went wrong:

1. ****ed up the hollandaise. It was beautiful until I put it over the double-boiler to keep it warm. The egg cooked, and the sauce separated and became ugly. Although still delicious, I knew the speckly hollandaise wouldn't make the top 5 cut.

Tip: Make the Hollandaise LAST, so its warm when you serve it.

Pictured above: The good Hollandaise. Mmmm. (I took this one. Only this one.)

2. Too much hollandaise. The boyfriend disagrees, but next time, I will be skipping that extra layer of hollandaise between the shrimp and the eggs.

3. Puff pastry was a bit overcooked.

Tip: Time it so the puff pastry is ready at the same time the eggs are done poaching so it can be assembled while everything is still hot. Cook it til it's just golden brown, but not crunchy!

Shrimp and Avocado Eggs Benny on Puff Pastry with Sauteed Spinach

Serves 2

1 Square Puff Pastry, thawed

1 Recipe Hollandaise Sauce (If you use free-range eggs, your yolks will be darker, giving your hollandaise a richer color. Do it.)

1 Cup Peeled Shrimp

1 tbsp Butter

1 Clove of Garlic

1 Avocado

1 Cup Spinach, Packed

4 Free-Range Eggs

Directions:

Divide the Puff Pastry in 2, and roll them out to fit into your baking vessels (I've used boats here, but you can use large custard cups or bowls if you like). Bake until golden brown, at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, Sautee the shrimp, 1 Tbsp of the butter and garlic, and set aside. Use the same pan to sautee the spinach with the remaining Tbsp of butter, and set aside. Get some water boiling, and poach your eggs. If you've never done it before this video is extremely helpful. Transfer the poached eggs into warm water, to keep them warm. Make the hollandaise sauce! It helps to have assistance for this part, so one person can do the hollandaise while the other assembles the rest of the benny. To assemble: Slice the avocado, and spread along the top of the puff pastry. Lay the shrimp on top of the avocado, and 2 poached eggs on top of each serving. Top it all off with Hollandaise, and the sauteed spinach.

Ta-Daaa!

I have to say, this is one of the most awesome things I have ever created. It could easily be improved, but for a first attempt at Eggs Benny, I can't complain. What I love about this dish is the potential to get creative with all the different components: the base, the toppings and the hollandaise. I can safely say this is not the last time I will be making Eggs Benny.

Omnomnom.

That's a Wrap

2010-05-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last night's menu was meant to be tostadas. Um... couldn't find any corn tortillas, so I went for Pita instead. I guess this makes this meal Mexi-Greek... with a little Malaysian for dessert.

The recipe for the wraps is loooooong, but it's basically everything you see pictured, and a mexican-marinated tofu, with home-made refried beans.

I'm just gonna say it... my guacamole is awesome. I'll share the recipe for this one:

Cumin-Tomato Guacamole

2 Ripe Avocados

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Finely Diced Onion

1 Tbsp Cumin

1 Chopped Tomato

1 1/2 Tbsp Chopped Cilantro

2 Crushed Garlic Cloves

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, and leave it slightly chunky.

These are my stuffed jalapenos. I didn't know what to stuff them with, and couldn't find a satisfactory recipe, so I stuffed them with leftovers from the fridge.

Leftovers-Stuffed Jalapenos

5 Green Jalapenos, Cored

3/4 Cup Cooked, Flavored Couscous (this was my leftovers)

1/4 Cup Cream Cheese

1/4 Cup Spinach Dip (also leftovers)

Salt and Pepper

1/2 Cup Grated Mozza

Fill the cored Jalapenos with the couscous. Mix the cream cheese, spinach dip and S&P together, and spread on top of the couscous. Top with Mozza, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

...and Deep-Fried Bananas and Ice Cream for dessert!

I'm Impressed...

2010-05-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

Owen Pallett gets a gold star *

Showing off the goods

2010-05-08T00:10:00.000-07:00

I was in my first fashion show last weekend, at Shine Nightclub in Gastown. It showcased Kwantlen Student designers Jamie Carlson (myself), Meagan Squre, Vickie Tse, Alisha Leong and Olivia Tang, and half the proceeds went towards Chile relief. My line featured 3 summer outfits, inspired by romantic nostalgia. Meagan's pieces were edgy and urban, Vickie's were funky and casual, and Alisha & Olivia's were upscale beachy. By no means was it a 'big thing', but it was great to work with models, hairstylists and make-up artists for the first time... it was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday.

Feast your eyes...

Designer Vickie Tse and her models

Me and My models.

My fabulous ruffled bikini design, modeled by Carlie

(now on sale at my etsy shop!)

Me and my model, Chelsea, wearing the

grecian goddess dress.

Models, yo.

Chelsea, wearing my dress, and Vickie's model, wearing her creation.

All of my designs from the show are on sale at my Etsy Shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/yukiApparel

In the beginning, there was french toast

2010-05-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is my first post, but let's skip (most of) this introduction business and get straight to the good stuff. I'm a fashion design student whose alternate passion is for cooking. This blog is my way of chronicling my creations; clothing and cuisine. You'll find out what I do, how I do it, and perhaps even why.

Time for show and tell:

I feel like my culinary skills are getting to the point where I can start making up recipes on my own, and they won't necessarily suck ass. Experimenting in the kitchen is something I've been doing since I was far too young. When I was in around 8, we used to have "special drink day" every Sunday, where I was allowed to raid the fridge and attack the blender with whatever sickeningly sweet ingredients jumped out at me. One drink that will always stick out for me I called "Fruits of the Okanagan Sunrise". The name isn't bad... but unfortunately, this drink consisted of green apples (unpeeled), mini marshmallows, granola, ice cream, and syrup. Even my 8-year old self was repulsed by this crunchy disaster. Another failed experiment was "Potato-Pistachio Surprise" which involved boiled-cubed russets (which don't hold their shape), drenched in coconut milk, and sprinkled with crushed pistachios and sweetened shredded coconut. Blehh. Experiences like these have put me off of inventing recipes for a while, but my spark has been re-ignited.

My idea was to take french bread, cut thick slices, and cut the centre away from the crust. I would then slice the centres in half, horizontally, and fill them with goodies before putting them back together and drenching the whole thing in egg. Unfortunately for me, my french bread was hard as rock. There was no slicing through this sorry sonofabitch.

So I compromised the integrity of my toast, and opted for plain, pre-sliced whole wheat bread. Once it was soaked it egg, cooked to a nice golden brown, and loaded with syrup and ice cream, whole wheat toast didn't seem too bad at all. This was pretty damn tasty.

So, here's the Recipe:

Pear & Cream Cheese-Stuffed French Toast

(with Ice Cream!)

Serves 2

4 Slices of Plain Bread (or you can do it the french toast way, but probably use 6 pieces)

3 Tbsp Cream Cheese

1 Tbsp Jam or jelly, any kind will do

2 Pears, sliced (really only need 1 1/2, just eat the rest or something)

2 Large Eggs

1/4 Cup Milk

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbsp Triple Sec (or any Orange-flavored liqueur. Orange juice will do too)

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

A couple scoops of Ice cream

A Drizzle of Syrup, any kind will do

How to execute:

Start by dividing the cream cheese evenly between the 4 slices. Spread the jam on 2 of those slices, and arrange the sliced pears on the other 2. Put them together, to make 2 sandwiches.

Turn a skillet on to medium, and melt some butter in it. Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, triple sec and lemon juice together in a bread-sized bowl. One-by-one, dunk the sandwiches in the bowl, making sure they soak up all the liquid. Transfer to the hot-buttered skillet, and fry on each side until golden brown, and the egg is cooked all the way through.

Cut each sandwich in half, transfer to a plate, and arrange attractively... topping it off with a couple scoops of ice cream and a drizzle of syrup.

Now that's breakfast.