Friday, March 27, 2015

Pesto Pizza.


There is one simple question for all you foodies. Who doesn't love pizza? It's that comfort food that never seems to fail that satisfaction-need your tummy seems to desire at any random hour of the day. Pizza is a dish of Italian origin that consist of flat, round base dough baked with a topping of tomato sauce and cheese, typically with added meat or vegetables. But in today's creative mouths, we have expanded our taste buds and went beyond just the tomato, cheese, and pepperoni.

With pizza, there just seems to be this instant chemistry my mouth has with the melted cheese, the stacked meats, the nice crunch- but still soft- crust, and the veggie delights sprinkled on top. For a more scientific understanding, this chemistry that seems to form is known as the Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction occurs mainly in most kinds of cooking where it is a specific chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugar that gives browned foods their desired flavor.

The gent and I decided to get our tastebud dancing and create our own Maillard reaction. We both agreed on a homemade pizza because what's better than tossing whatever-the-heck you want on your own pizza. To make our life easy, we got a store-bought pre-made pizza dough. Those who are curious, we bought our pizza dough from Vons. If you walk over to the pizza section, they will have certain flavor pizza dough that is already made and ready to be rolled.

Of course, you can put whatever you want on your pizza dough. Let your pizza dough be a empty pallet and just toss whatever you crave onto this canvas. For those of you stuck, here is a list of ingredients to guide you to make your own delicious pizza.

It's simply, fun, and absolutely yummers!

I N G R E D I E N T S _____________________________________


Not Shown: 
  • Avocado 
D I R E C T I O N S _____________________________________
1. Roll out pizza dough to desire shape and length. (Tip: it helps to place some flour around the pizza dough to prevent excess sticking)
2. Spread your sauce to serve as your glue or base. Here, we used pesto (my favoooritteeee). 
3. Put your desired ingredients in any order you like. 
4. Bake in oven for 18-22 minutes (if you are using store-bought, pre-made pizza dough) or until curst is nice and golden brown. 
5. Take out of oven. 
6. Cut desire slices. 
7. Eat, eat, eat- bon appétit! 

Here is a video of the gent and me prepping some yuma! 


Sunday, March 15, 2015

Final Exam Stress Tips.


Hello Babes,

 I know for many finals are just around the corner- actually, for some it might even be tomorrow. So, with that said, I thought I give some quick personal tips on how to relieve some of that stress that may be bundling up inside of you right now.

1. Drink lots of water- We have all heard people, parents, teachers saying to "Drink more water!". And let me just tell you, you should! It keeps you hydrated, awake, and replenishes that brain of yours. So drink drink drink because at the end of the day, water is truly your best friend.

2. Stand up and stretch every now and then- It's important to get your blood flowing. 
  • Take a lap around the apartment or house or wherever you may be studying. 
  • Ease that muscle tension from sitting and being hunched over your textbooks and notes all day.
  • Remember to get up every hour or so. 
3. Day Dream
  • It doesn't hurt to take a 5-10 min. break after every hour or so to just stop and day dream. 
  • Day dream about happy thoughts, love, even about nothing. 
4. Make a Studying Playlist. - I sometimes can't study unless I have some kind of music or noise playing quietly in the background. 
  • Create a playlist that you know you won't get distracted from the lyrics. 
  • Find songs that are soothing and that will allow you to focus. 
5. Eat Healthy- When you're studying ,good nutrition often slides way down on the priority list. We easily turn to an immense amount of coffee for energy, or easy take out because you don't want to waste time preparing food. But, good nutrition should be part of your study plan because it's going to help you kick those test's booties. The more fuel your brain gets, the better you'll study. It's true. 
  • Make sure, make sure, make sure to eat (a healthy) breakfast every morning. For me, I usually have some cereal with almond milk and bananas. Breakfast is definitely an important meal. A good, healthy breakfast fuels you up and gets you ready for the day as your brain and body are deprived from the necessary energy over night. Without a good breakfast, people can easily get irritable, restless, and tired (and we definitely don't want that). 
  • Snack smart. Smart snacking will enhance studying as you may find yourself retaining more information. Make sure to keep your blood-sugar level stable as well. Some examples of smart snacks include: banana with almond butter, apples, crackers with hummus, unsalted nuts. 
  • Eat at regular intervals. Eating regular meals will help keep your nutrients and energy level more stable. 
Hope these simple tips will help you as much as they have helped me! Good luck with finals, my quarter lovers. 

Friday, March 13, 2015

Cherry Blossoms.


FINALLY! It's that time of year again, where I just cover my instagram with photos after photos of cherry blossoms. This is absolutley my favorite time of the year. I mean come on, am I wrong to love spring this much? Every year, around the end of March, my school's quad (University of Washington, Seattle), is covered with cherry blossom trees. Breathtaking? Absolutely. 

The significance of cherry blossom trees can be traced back hundreds of years in Japanese culture. It is a symbol of fragility and the beauty of life. It is a reminder that life is amazingly beautiful but short. Every year, Japan has a yearly flower-viewing celebration called hanami. It's an event where thousands of people hold feasts under these cherry blossoms trees, also known as sakura. Going to Japan during spring time is definitely a bucket list for me (probably will have to wait till I retire, but wait I shall).

These cherry blossom trees, with their short, but beautiful blooming season is really just a simple metaphor that describes human life. More reason to love these beauties.

 So, when I look at these flowers every year, it's a good reminder to me that it's imperative to take a step back and remember that life isn't just about the stresses and how well you do in school. It's a reminder to me that life is just too beautiful to not enjoy. I need to remind myself to just take a deep breath, love the people around me, do crazy (but legal) things, continue doing what I love to do, but all keeping in mind that being happy is the main goal amongst them all.

Hopefully, where ever you may be, there is a cherry blossom tree near you. If there is go to it, take (a gazillion) photos, and take the beauty all in. These flowers only bloom once a year for a short period of time, so go.

Teafunny's Archive.


Hello My Darlings, 

 So over this past week I have started up a new tumblr to share with you my archive of memories, thoughts, adventures, and moments I have made, captured, and cherished. This is a page where I can just share some photos of mine to spread my love and joy for life and the people that play a part in it. Come take a look, explore, and open your eyes as I pour some of my favorite moments with you guys on a day to day bases! 

Link (click on title): Teafunny's Archive.

xoxo: 
Teafunny

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Settling in Seattle.


Hello, My Beautiful Readers! 

  Today, I would like to share with you a piece I have written for Suspend Magazine. Over the past few years, attending school at UDubb, walking from classes to classes, dancing along the street, and always carrying my iPhone around, I have slowly collected a few of my favorite photos I have taken in Seattle. 

 It's hard for me to find complete content with any of my works including: my blog post, my photos, my instagram, etc. I always seem to find flaws, whether the color is off or the photo isn't straight, or I find that my words seem to be jumbling around too much. But, after writing this specific piece for Suspend Mag, I have finally found that content I've been longing in my works. It's hard to come by a piece like that, and that's why I couldn't be more happy and humble to share with you guys my journey  over the past few years living here.  I hope you enjoy my words, my photos, and my adventures as much as I enjoyed writing this piece. 

All I have left to say now is, Eeeeeeeppp!!!! 

Link (click on title): Settling in Seattle

Warmly, 
Teafunny