Tamarind Water Recipe

We just went to try a new Korean BBQ place by our house.  Food is good and we enjoyed spending time with our family, but now I am so full, and also feel and smell like a big piece of greasy-beezy pig belly...when we got home, the first thing came up in my mind was the tamarind water I made last week.  Hm...hm...so refreshing, and now I successfully turned myself from a fatty big belly to a less fatty one=)

So you will ask, what is tamarind?  Tamarind is a fruit found in Africa and tropical Asia.  These not so good-looking (they look like Mr. Henkey from the South Park, see picture above. LOL) but surprising tasty fruits are very popular in India, Mexico, Southern Asia, Egypt and portions of Spain.  Tamarind water is one of the most popular agua fresca drinks from Mexican cuisine.

This drink is super easy to prepare and you don't need a lot of ingredients.  Here is my recipe:


6-7 tamarind pods (usually you could get this fruit from Mexican market or Indian/Asian market)
6 cups of water
2 cups of white sugar

Tamarinds with shells

Getting the pods out by hands

About 6-7 pods

1.  Remove the pods from the shells by hands.  I used about 6-7 pods, but it depends on size of the tamarinds and your personal preference (Remember this fruit is a little on the tart side).

Boil 6 cups of water in a tall pot.

 2.  Boil 6 cups of water.  Once the water got boiled, put the pods in the pot and boil for another 25 mins.

3.  Grab the pods out from the pot (they are very soft after boiled, so using a strainer will be a great choice to take them out from the pot).

Mash them good.

4.  Put the soften tamarinds in the strainer and put a bowl at the bottom of the strainer, and try your best to mash them good to get as much as liquid out from them.  After you got the liquid from the fruits, you could discard the seeds and the tamarinds.

5.  Put the liquid back to the boiled water and now you could add 2 cups of water.  Boil for another 10 mins.  

6.  Let the tamarind water cool down before putting it in the fridge.

7.  Add ice and enjoy=)

This drink is so refreshing, so easy and cheap to make, and it makes a good addition in your fridge.  Whenever you need something to refresh your mind, just pour some out and add some ice, and it will certainly put a smile on your face=)

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Finally, I had time to upload some pictures I took over the weekend last night.  Last weekend, Mr. G's parents were having an early birthday party for his dad.  They didn't ask for any gift from us, I decided making some cupcakes as a birthday present for my father-in-law.  These cupcakes were inspired by my Fall/Winter favorite drink - hot apple cider with whipped cream and caramel on top. 

My mother-in-law knew that I was busy, so she just asked me to create one special cupcake topper for her husband.  She asked me to make Ginger, their dog and also my father-in-law's best friend as a topper for him.  So I made a 2-D/3-D Ginger holding a piece of birthday cake.  Ginger came out so cute and the family was so happy to see her on the cupcake.

The cupcakes were a big hit!  Mr. G even asked me just to make a dozen for him.  He said this is the best cupcakes I ever made; it reminded him of caramel apple but on a cupcake.  I am sure I am going to make these cupcakes real soon.

PS.  My sister's baby decided to come out earlier.  Baby MacRay was born this morning at 8.  He weights about 7 pounds and 2 oz.  Both my sister and the baby are doing great.  My parents are so excited to welcome their first grandson.  I could not wait to greet my little nephew this weekend.

Max Brenner Chocolate Restaurant (Las Vegas, NV)

Mr. G and I go to Las Vegas quite often in the past few years.  Sadly, we have not yet got chance to visit Vegas together this year due to our busy work schedule, friends' weddings and other family events since our last visit in September 2010. 

During our last visit, we stopped by Max Brenner Chocolate Restaurant (located at the Forum Shop at Caesar Palace in Las Vegas).  The atmosphere of the restaurant is very casual - good for a quick bite, a coffee break, an after-dinner-hang out-place, a desert place for couples, a casual family dinner or a fast and decent brunch.  However, the shop is relatively small compared to most of the restaurants in Vegas though, if you have a big group of people (more than 6), that would not be a good fun place to dine together.

Their famous hot wings

Mr's G hang over breakfast

My chicken panini sandwich

My pren-go friend told me chocolate and pinkle are a great combination!  She didn't lie; they were pretty dang good.

My strawberry white chocolate milk shake

We went there on a Sunday morning for a brunch before leaving Vegas.  We got there at the perfect time because they offer both breakfast and lunch menus; the menu is short but "sweet".  They offer mostly American classic food (sandwiches, wings, burgers, and milk shakes).  They provide good size food portion; the taste of the food is great and price is reasonable.  We will definitely go back again to try more stuffs the next time.

Although their breakfast and lunch menu are small, but they do have an extensive dessert and drink menu.  Since only two of us, and Mr. G was not ready for something too sweet in the morning, so we didn't get chance to try their dessert.  We did order a strawberry white chocolate milkshake and a hot chocolate for our drinks though.  Both of them are so tasty, and you could not miss them!  Their signature chocolate pizza has been featured on the Food Network Show's The Best Thing I Ever Ate - Pizza.  They have a little To-Go counter just right outside the restaurant, if you just want to grab a slice of the chocolate pizza of some cookies, you could just order it from the To-Go counter.  They also have a little gift shop inside the restaurant.  You could take home some cute gifts for your family and friends or just pick up something "sweet" to reward yourself!

You could order the chocolate pizza by slice.

Chocolate bar

Pipe full of chocolate

Picked up a mike shake glass and a mini fondue set for myself.