Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

oooh i can never say no to some good lemon cake. one of my fave things to do is go to starbucks and get their shaken green tea lemonade (1/2 sweet) and a lemon pound cake. and my favorite part of that cake? the thick, sweet, lemony icing on top.  too bad this particular recipe doesn't have a really thick icing, but it does have great flavor and i think one of the easiest and tastiest cakes i've ever baked. 

i learned something in cooking school this week that im really trying to follow: mise en place. it literally means "put in place" in French, and it means to gather all your ingredients all measured out so when you start a recipe, you can really go with the flow and not have to stop to get something measured.  a reason why i never did this was because well, i didn't know there was such a thing, and also because i didnt want to wash all those extra dishes. haha i'll admit it! using an extra bowl for 3 teaspoons of salt is a waste when i can just measure it out from the jar! but i completely understand this approach to cooking and will respect the French :)

look how pretty it is with sliced strawberries

Recipe

Daikokuya - Little Tokyo, Los Angeles

One of my favorite places to eat in J-town is Daikokuya. they are open until at least midnight so it totally fits into our weeknight schedule. there is almost always a wait, which i dont mind cause its just so yummy.  sitting at the bar at Daikokuya reminds me so much of the time when jason and i were lost in tokyo so we ended up at a ramen joint and had the best ramen of our lives.  we might never get the chance to go back partly because we are both so busy, but mostly because we dont remember what that place was called, or even which part of tokyo it was located at.  boo, but at least we will always have Daikokuya ...

i order tuna rolls ($4) almost everytime i see them on a menu cause they are my fave. 

i drench them in lo-so soy and some wasabi, yummmmy.

these gyoza (5.95) pork & veg dumplings, are the best things ever!

they are shaped differently than normal gyoza because they are made in-house fresh everyday, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. perfecto.

aah, the long awaited Daikokuya Ramen (8.50).  A tonkotsu soup base made of boiling pork bones, fat and joints it is super flavorful and soothing.  Combined with the special ramen egg noodles, pork belly, bamboo shoots and my favorite part: the perfectly marinated hard boiled egg, this bowl of goodness truly hits the spot.

(i usually dont like photos of half eaten food, but i just had to show how perfectly boiled this egg is ... )

Go get some Daikokuya!

Cuisinart 11-cup Food Processor

YAAAAYYYY !!! i got it!!! my parents bought me this while they were at costco cause i obviously wouldn't stop hinting that i wanted it. i am SO excited to use this for so many things like pureeing meat for egg rolls or potsticker stuffing and shredding up carrots and lettuce to make a great salad.  but what i'm psyched about the most is the special PowerPrep Metal Dough Blade which is designed to use with the low speed setting to make the "most perfect dough". i totally love to bake so im hoping to make a great apple pie for summer!