By: Alexa Ramirez

It is without a doubt people will enjoy a variety of foods this holiday season, each with their own delicious main courses and side dishes. This leaves many people, including myself, looking for the perfect rolls to accompany those meals. After extensive research, I found a recipe for rolls that looked absolutely delicious and relatively easy to make. These rolls were made for a Thanksgiving dinner, but are very versatile, and would work well with any other holiday, or non holiday, meal.

The recipe I found is from the Kirbie’s Cravings webiste, and my inspiration was from an instagram cooking page (their handle is: @kayzukhs).

The recipe calls for:

• 2 1⁄2 cups of bread flour
• 1⁄2 tsp of salt
• 11 tsp of sugar(3tbsp+2tsp)
• 1 large egg
• 1⁄2 cup low fat/fat free milk
• 120 grams of tangzhong*
• 3 tbsp of unsalted butter
• 2 tsp of instant yeast

*The tangzhong method
The tangzhong method is an Asian method of bread preservation that is intended for many different types of bread, all for them to be kept fresh and soft for longer periods. It is made with a flour and water mixture that is prepared several hours, to a day before, using bread flour and water and then mixed into the dough with the other wet ingredients. This tangzhong needs to sit for several hours, to a day, before adding it to the bread and for it, you will need:

• 1⁄3 cup of bread flour
• 1 cup of water

After getting all of my ingredients, I started to make the tangzhong. It was really simple; I mixed the bread flour in water and heated it over medium heat until it thickened, then placed it in a medium bowl and covered it in Saran Wrap before putting it in the fridge to sit. After preparing the tangzhong, I preheated the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit, and mixed the dry ingredients and then the wet ones before adding in the tangzhong.

After that, I kneaded it all together until it was no longer sticky, and had a thick but stretchy consistency, which is what the recipe said to aim for.

I then rolled it out into nine separate rolls and let it sit for two 40-60 minute waiting periods. This part of the process was the worst for me because it left me so much time without any baking to do.

Once the waiting was done, I was able to cover an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper and take the rolls out of the bowl and into the pan. I then covered the rolls with one egg, as instructed, and decided to add some basil to the top for my personal touch.

I then baked them for 30 minutes as suggested on the website and finally finished with delicious-looking rolls.

I was so excited to try them at dinner the next day, and they exceeded my expectations! Considering this recipe was my first time making bread from scratch, it was a challenge but left me with a delicious result. The bread turned out fantastic, it rose nicely creating fluffy, tasty rolls.

They paired nicely with the food I ate with my family and weren’t too filling, which is often my problem with dinner rolls. They had a rich flavor that was delicious and savory, versus the overdone, over-sweetened flavor that is common in rolls, and it paired perfectly with our dinner of turkey, potatoes, and veggies.

Another thing I enjoyed about this recipe was that my family hadn’t heard of this baking technique before, so it was interesting to learn about it and be able to share my knowledge with others who enjoyed baking. The recipe also called for ingredients that were easy to access, and could be found at most grocery stores, which was something I appreciated.

My recommendations after using this recipe, for anyone deciding to try it out, would be to set many hours aside when baking them because my biggest challenge with this recipe was how much time I spent waiting around on the bread before I could bake it. This is true of most bread, but is worth taking into account before baking so some time is set aside.

I also recommend branching this recipe out to many non-holiday meals! It makes for a great pairing to most savory or sweet foods and would be a great addition to any table. Overall, I rate this recipe, and my experience, a 4⁄5.

By: Kaylen Fuentes

This recipe was adapted from: frugalmomeh.com and www.Iilluna.com

As it gets colder, and winter approaches, many people are looking for things to do with Thanksgiving, winter break and the new year. One thing I enjoy doing in my free time, and especially the colder months, is baking. So, here’s a recipe for blueberry lemon bread!

Tools you will need for the bread:

• One big bowl
• One medium bowl
• A whisk or an electric mixer
• A 9-inch loaf pan
• Wax paper
• Measuring glass

Ingredients you will need for the bread:

• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 stick of salted butter (melted)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of milk (of choice)
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 and a half cups of fresh blueberries
• 2 teaspoons of lemon extract

Tools you will need for the frosting:

• Two small bowls
• Whisk or electric mixer

Ingredients you will need for the frosting: 

• 3 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1 and a half cups of powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of lemon extract

(Before starting this process, preheat your oven to 350 degrees).

First, in a medium bowl, cream together your melted butter and sugar using an electric mixer or a whisk. I prefer to use an electric mixer because it’s easier and much faster.  

Once you have the butter and sugar mixture add both eggs, vanilla extract and milk. Mix with the electric mixer once again, but be sure not to over mix because then the loaf will not come out as fluffy and the texture will be more tender.

Then, in a big bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder, this mixture you can mix with a whisk or a spoon since it doesn’t need too much mixing.

After both the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together in their separate bowls, slowly mix in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients little by little. This part should be done with an electric mixer.

Once the dry and wet mixes are mixed together into the dough for the loaf, add a drop of lemon extract. A little bit goes a long way, so don’t add too much, especially since there will also be lemon juice and extract in the icing.

Next, prepare your pan. Add parchment paper to the bottom and around the side of the 9-inch loaf pan. Then cut off the excess paper sticking out around the top.

Then, before adding the blueberries, pour about ⅓ of the batter into the loaf pan. 

After preparing your pan, with the rest of the batter, fold in the blueberries gently, I try not to mush them because I find the bread better when they’re whole. I added about a cup, maybe a cup and half, but add as much or little as you’d like. Then pour the rest of the batter into the pan. The batter should be filled slightly under the top of the pan, because the loaf will rise.

Place the loaf pan in the oven and bake for 60 minutes. When the 60 minutes is up, the loaf will still be light in color so I baked it for about another 15 minutes for it to get golden.

While the loaf is baking, the icing can be started.

For the icing, take your small bowl and melt down 3 tablespoons of butter. 

Afterwards, add the butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract into a small bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth, and all the lumps are out.

Once the loaf is cool, ice the top of it with the icing and enjoy!

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this recipe. It was delicious and a perfect treat for Thanksgiving. Something I would like to do in the future is try this recipe with different fruits! I rate this tasty recipe 5/5 stars, and I will definitely be making it again.

By: Gabe Kleiber

Lake and Irving is an American style restaurant located, unsurprisingly, on Lake Street and Irving Avenue. My family and I recently went there for dinner; here are some of my favorite things we got.

While it may be an “American” restaurant, it certainly doesn’t stay in those boundaries. The first dish I had was the poke nachos with wonton chips, ahi tuna, garlic aioli, and jalapenos for spice. The wontons were cooked nicely. They had plenty of crunch, and were light and airy. The aioli fits the other ingredients perfectly, and is the biggest source of flavor in the dish. Overall, it is a great Asian spin on a beloved Mexican Dish.

Next we had the Luxe burger, which has beef, cheese, black truffle, foie gras butter, aioli, and a brioche bun. While that may sound complicated, in actuality it is just a cheeseburger. It was amazingly juicy, extremely rich, and is one of my favorite burgers ever. Even though it had a simple concept, the ingredients and execution was complex and incredible. Probably my favorite dish I tried.

Another entree we got was the buttermilk chicken sandwich. It has bacon, chicken, cheese, aioli, and is served on grilled sourdough.
This wasn’t as good as the burger, but still quite good. By far the most interesting thing about it was the sriracha aioli, which I have never seen on a chicken sandwich before but worked quite well. Definitely an underrated way of adding spice and flavor to a sandwich.

Overall, I really enjoyed this dinner. There were some things I wouldn’t get again, and some that were merely good, but their best dishes more than made up for that, especially the burger and the poke nachos. This was the best meal I’ve had in weeks, and I would highly recommend you try it. 8.5/10

By: Alexa Ramirez & Kaylen Fuentez

For our review, we’ll be going to the Japanese bistro, Haiku. They serve a number of things such as sushi and hibachi, which is what we decided to order. We ordered their Kappa Maki rolls, Onion soup, as well as their Chicken Hibachi.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the ambiance; it was very calm, it wasn’t too busy, and was fairly quiet. They had slow, quiet music playing in the background and yellow dim lights throughout the restaurant.

We were checked on 2 or 3 times before our food was served, our glasses of water were filled frequently, and we were checked on while we were eating to make sure we had everything we needed.

It also didn’t take long for our food to come and we were able to get our checks quickly.

We ordered 3 dishes: an order of Sushi, Hibachi chicken, and we each got an order of Onion Soup.

The Sushi Roll we ordered was the Kappa Maki (cucumber) roll. It was priced at $5 for 6 rolls, a very reasonable price, and came with a few additive elements such as soy sauce, wasabi and ginger. The sushi rolls consisted of cucumber, seaweed and white rice wrapped on the inside. These rolls were delicious, and tasted very fresh. This order, aside from being super delicious for non vegetarians, being a delicious vegetarian option was definitely a bonus. We rate the cucumber roll a 4.5/5 stars and would definitely get it again.

Another thing we ordered was the onion soup, which was priced at $3. Aside from the actual soup, inside there were mushrooms and scallions. The soup was very savory, tasted really good, and was a nice warm appetizer, especially on a cold day. We’d rate the onion soup 4⁄5 stars as well.

The next order we received was the Hibachi Chicken Junior, which was the smaller version of the regular Hibachi Chicken. It cost $12.95, and was served with chicken, fried rice and veggies. The chicken was cooked to perfection and perfectly balanced savory and sweet sauce flavors. The fried rice was warm, savory, and overall my favorite part of the dish. The cooked zucchini paired well with these two, and really tied the dish together. All of the dish’s components were spectacular and deserves a 5/5.

Overall, the excellent service, kind waitresses, the welcoming ambiance, and delicious food they serve really push Haiku over the top. This restaurant has so many delicious dishes to choose from and is friendly to all people hoping to enjoy this amazing place. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this restaurant and rate it a 5/5.