a love/hate situation

Chimmy, my beloved pomeranian, has this obsession about buns.

Yes, hamburger buns. Especially the ones from In-N-Out or Arby's. He'll usually eat 1/2 of the burger and 1 bun and will secretly sneak the other bun in to a secret hiding stash and will guard that area until he finish nibbles that one bun. If you try to take it away from him, he will, I mean WILL, attack you.

It's cute, yet annoying. Why? Sometimes he'll bring the bun and hang out in the middle of the way, obstructing the pathway to out. You'll come close by to the area, he'll automatically guards it and starts growling. One point you think it's cute, the other you're like, "WTH, will he bite me?"

I teased him one time, and I literally got bitten and bled. True Story. Never tease a protective dog.

As proof, here's a video of my Dad teasing the Dog to the point he started coughing (poor thing...)

Gotta love this crazy dog.

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

So Currently I am...

So I was browsing around and found this mini-survey from Imaginary Fiction, and I decided that I want to participate. In a way it's my way for sorting things out of my mind. I remember doing this often back in xanga/myspace time (oh the ancient blogging days!) and I kinda miss doing this. Expect occasion life stories of Rima :)

Obsessing Over: Bohemian and Gypsy lifestyle. Ok, I'm not gonna lie but I've always love the idea of traveling around, cheaply, and just pretty much enjoy life. Like there's nothing in this world that could bother me. For a moment I wish I can just quit what I do and buy a caravan and roam around America. Haha... But I don't think that would happen. Also I'm obsessed on looking for another job. I don't know, it looks like I have this complex where I want to try something else with my Nursing career. I love action and I like trying something new. So far I have a background in Emergency and now Interventional Radiology. What's great about those department is that everyday I'll encounter with something different. I can't stick to the same routine everyday. Gah, that's not loving-your-job in my world. But we'll see. Currently I'm browsing around towards Orange County (I see my future there, tee hee). Also I'm obsessing about getting more sleep. Don't ask. 

Thinking About: how to save money for my future plans (read: wedding & baking classes)... how in the world can I clean my dog's teeth :( 

Anticipating: my mom returning from Indonesia. I can't wait for the gifts she's bringing me. Oh and can't wait to see how Chimmy will react when we pick her up at the airport. I expect crazy barking. 

Drinking: WATER, which I lack of. Sad, but true.

Wishing: that I really don't have to work my butt off to support my family... that I have a better paying job where I don't have to work full-time yet still can support my family and to do something that I'm really passionate about, baking!

So what are you currently doing?

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

Rima

Food Time: Under 2 Minutes Nutella Chocolate Cake

FIRST THINGS FIRST: SORRY for the poor quality of the pictures. I was too excited to make this, I was like, "I don't care" when I was snip-snapping my iPhone to take the pictures.

Anyhoo... Are you one of those people who are too tired after work, BUT crave for something awesome as a reward without wracking your wallet? (I sound like a bad marketing person). Whatevs, but I was so happy when I stumbled upon this recipe online. The little baker in me wants to make something, but since I'm on-call for work, I can't make a full-on cupcake entry (imagine the disaster, mid-mixing, getting a call from work to come in!). So I browsed around (hello, Google) and found this amazing recipe. Great thing was that the ingredients are common in anyone's own kitchen, no need to get anything special.

Are you excited? I was excited. The awesome part was that the cake came out YUMMY. You can't complain eating a fresh "baked" cake out of a MICROWAVE. Yes, the mighty microwave. Gotta love the power of the micro. 

These are the perfect cake for us women when we're in the PMS time of the month. Craving for chocolate? Let's go. Get your whisk and bowl and mix this baby in 30 seconds, pop it in the microwave, and INDULGE. Trust me, I'm in that moment now and this made me & my nerves happy.

FYI: Serves 1-2. Awww yeaa... Portion control!

Warning: As mention by the source, this recipe calls for 1 egg. Yes, it gets cooked in a microwave, but maybe not long enough to fully cook the egg. The longer you cook the cake, the drier it gets. So make them at your own risk. Make sure you know the source of your eggs to prevent any salmonella exposure. Other than that, try it. 

This beats my PMS habit of eating a spoonful (or two) of Nutella cream. 

Under 2 Minutes Nutella Chocolate Cake

adapted from Bake to the Roots

You will need (and rejoice!):

• 1 tablespoon Nutella
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 heaping tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• optional: you may add 1/8tsp of Cinnamon if you want that kick.

1. In a bowl, dump all the ingredients and whisk all the way until the batter is fully mix. Important!

2. Grab a ramekin (I used a medium size one; if you have small ones, grab 2. Please do share!), grease it and pour batter in to it. You can even use any ceramic coffee mug. Cute, huh?

3. Microwave ramekin(s) on 70% power for about 30 seconds. You will see the batter rise like lava (don't freak out!). If you think the batter is not fully cook yet, add 10 seconds more. As a reminder, the more you add seconds, the drier the cake will be. 

4. ENJOY. Dollop them with whipped cream, cream cheese, chocolate syrup, leftover frosting, ice cream (!!!) or anything. In my case, I had tapioca pudding, and I was like, "meh, that will do!"

Once again I'm sorry for the poor picture quality. Other than that, NO REGRETS. Hahaha.

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

Rima

Food Time: Baked Penne with Turkey Bacon & Spinach

Yes! I have promised you with a recipe entry and so here it is. Today is my day off (gotta love any day off, right?) so after roaming around the gym trying to break a sweat, I decided I wanted to bake (what's new?) but this time something savory. I've made this before, but that was years ago and I didn't remember the ingredients. Good thing I remember I got this from Real Simple website long time ago, and with the power of the internet, I had the recipe in my hand. Liberating. 

I doubled the recipe, thinking I can use some leftovers, but ahoy, it made plenty for  a 1 week leftover. Hahaha. Good thing I have people at work who can use some food. Why not bring it. It's Nurse's Week. 

Baked Penne With Turkey Bacon & Spinach

adapted from Real Simple

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped. The more the merrier for me, because I am a garlic fan.
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp of dried crushed chili pepper *optional* I love my pasta spicy.
• 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 24 ounces penne 
• 8 slices of Turkey Bacon, cooked and chopped into small bits and pieces
• 1 12 oz bag of ready to use Spinach
• 16 ounces mozzarella, grated (about 4 cups)
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Get your baking dish, in my case I used 2 of my medium size Pyrex, and with that I still had some leftovers to place in ramekins. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion until fragrant and slight transparent. Then add the garlic, crushed chili peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes.
3. Cut up the whole tomatoes in the can with scissors or food processor. Add to the saucepan with the vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. You may add more salt/pepper to your taste.
4. In the mean time, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the penne for half the package directions’ recommended time. Why half? Because the penne will continue to cook while baking. 
5. Add the spinach to the sauce and cook, stirring, until it begins to wilt, about 1 minute. Add the chopped bacons, stir. Add the drained pasta and toss to combine. 
6. Fill up your baking dish half way with the pasta mix and sprinkle with 1-2 cups of the mozzarella. Top with the remaining pasta and sprinkle with the remaining cups mozzarella and Parmesan.
7. Place the baking dish and bake until bubbling and beginning to brown (OMG THE SMELL WAS AMAZING), 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Serve warm and pair it with your favorite (alcoholic) beverage.

Pre-baked

fresh out of the oven. OMG.

Afterwards, my kitchen was a hot mess, literally. I couldn't wait to eat them, so I ate some pre-baked ones and they were delish :) I can't wait for dinner to eat the baked ones. Call me a fatty. But, hey! I worked out today. I deserve an award. Haha.

If you do make these, let me know! I want feedbacks :)

moonbeams & bunny kisses,

Rima