CHOCOLATE BROWNIE ICE CREAM

On my off days, I enjoy baking and cooking for friends and family. I hear that food is the way to a man's heart, but yet I find myself still single. Oh well, at least my friends and family love me!! (Or at least they love my food and desserts!)

Well, tommorrow I'm going to my good friend Michelle. Since I haven't seen her in a bit, I decided to make her a batch of my homemade, full of TLC brownies!

People come in and ask, "when is the next time that you're going to have chocolate brownie ice cream?". Well since I'm in my baking mode, I guess we'll being making that flavor for all next week.

I only use the best ingredients, in my cooking, baking, and of course in the ice cream process. My brownies are made with organic Green & Black's chocolate. Love their brand! It has an earthy chocolate taste that is perfect for baking.

I went to pastry and baking school at The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) for recreation. My instructors would be proud of me that I continue insanely baking. Here's my recipe for my homemade brownies.

CHRISTINA'S SUPER YUMMY, FULL OF TLC BROWNIES

Ingredients:
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) of unsalted butter)
8 ounces Green and Black's Baking Chocolate
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

one 13X9X2 inch pan that should be greased with butter and lined with parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and turn off heat. Put the butter and chocolate into a stainless steel mixing bowl and put this over the saucepan of water. (This is also called a double boiler.) Stir the chocolate and butter occasionally until melted.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the sugars, salt and vanilla. Next, stir in our chocolate and butter.

4. Slowly fold in the flour.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Make sure that the mixture is spread evenly. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

ENJOY!

SCHOOL PROJECTS ON CICF

We are very flattered that so many people decide to do their school projects on the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory! Students ranging from elementary schools to graduate schools have done projects on CICF.

Xiao Wen who is regularly comes to buy ice cream after going to school at Transfiguration, gave me a copy of the project that she did on CICF. She did a great job at describing the ice cream making process to her class. She received a score of 90! That's my girl!

Michael Healy who is a NYU film student is currently working on a documentary on food processes. We were lucky enough to have him interview us and film us producing our signature ice cream cakes. Hopefully when he finishes his project, we can post it on our UTUBE site.

Other school projects that we have been involved with was teaching a small group for NYU's Stern School. On saturday mornings for one month, a small group of students would come to CICF and discuss small business ideas and practices.

Columbia's Chinese Association also did a short film which included CICF for one of their past China Nights.

If anyone is interested in doing projects on CICF, feel free to email me!

CHINATOWN REMEDIES FOR THE COLD WEATHER

We've just been experiencing this front of cold weather and everyone has been coming down with something or other. I, myself have been feeling a little under the weather.

When I get sick, Dad usually buys some Ginseng and Chinese herbs. Chinese herbal treatments have been used for thousands of years so I'm sure that the stuff works. These can things can be found at the herb shop a few door down from us, in between us and 69 Restaurant. My friends Amy and Jason's family own the small shop. I love the fact that Chinatown is so community oriented and all the businesses are friends with one another.

NY Noodle Town, Wonton Garden, and Bo Ky Restaurant are all places I would go to get some soup to cure my winter blues. At all of these places, you can get an order of hot wonton noodle soup for less than the price of an order at McDonald's.

Although some feel that the winter is not the optimal time to eat ice cream, I beg to differ. I enjoy my ice cream the most during the winter!

Keep warm!

ZEN BUTTER

Customers usually ask what inspires us to create a certain flavor. Well, one of our newest flavors is Zen Butter, and I'll give you the DL on how we came up with this flavor sensation.

Back when I was in high school (which was like a decade ago), I met my friend Chris Tzen (last name pronounced "Zen") . From the first day that I met him, he has been getting on my case to make a peanut butter ice cream. I would always reply that we can't make peanut butter ice cream because there's nothing exotic about it...

One day when I was in a restaurant eating cold Asian peanut butter noodles with sesame seeds, the idea hit me! Eureka! Peanut butter ice cream with toasted sesame seeds. Who knew that those noodles we eat so often would be a source of inspiration.

So here I am ten years later, finally with peanut butter ice cream. I found it only appropriate to name it after him with a Chinese twist. Hence "Zen Butter" was born.

TEACHING ICE CREAM MAKING FOR THE NEW YEAR


Cathy wanted to do something special for her daughter's preschool class to teach them about Chinese culture for the Lunar New Year. After she found out that the Chinese were actually the first to invent ice cream, she invited me to teach a lesson on ice cream making at York Preschool on the Upper East Side.

Preschoolers are so funny. I asked them what was in ice cream and one kid replied, "ice". Man, I love kids!

All the kids had a blast because we were able to make our own red bean ice cream! At first they were a little grossed out that we were making ice cream with actually beans but in the end it grew on them.

Surprisingly, most of them were adventerous enough to also try things like the taro, green tea, and lychee.

It was a real treat for me because I do miss teaching and being in the classroom again.

HOLIDAYS FOR FAMILY BUSINESSES

People in small business say that "holidays for others are not holidays for us". Many businesses do a bulk of their sales during the holidays. Family businesses have to especially work hard because during days like Chinese New Year, many people prefer to have off.

What was our Chinese New Year like? At CICF we were definitely understaffed and insanely busy. We don't get a chance to take it easy because we are so busy preparing the ice cream and the cakes all week long. Everything we do here at CICF comes with a lot of TLC and hard work.

Today me and dad headed to work extra early to prepare for the New Year. Dad bought some dim sum and coffee for us and our employees. This was our "Chinese New Year lunch". It was still great though, but it's different from the typical homemade the meals that we just did not have time to fit in our schedules. Our business operates like a small family so it's still very special during the holidays.

Dinner was of course from our neighbor Moonhouse Restaurant. They were so packed that we had to get our orders to go. My friend Jeanie and her mom always put a lot of TLC in their food so our New Year's Dinner was special none the less. Me and Jeanie have a barter system going on...she trades her food with my ice cream; this way we are always guaranteed meals with dessert.

I have scooped ice cream and decorated cakes for almost 18 consecutive hours. It was definitely a busy but good new year. Gung Hey Fat Choi and Good Night! This blogger needs to catch her zzzs.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

At CICF, we believe that is the responsiblity of local businesses to give back to the community. We have been fortunate to have a certain level of business which allows us to be involved in a plethora of organizations and events. We consider not only Chinatown our community, but the greater NYC area. CICF has given back to places like the local hospitals and schools, as well as having participated in events such as the Special Olympics.

Growing up working at CICF, I learned that I really love being involved in the community. Recently I joined the steering committee of this great group called Project by Project (PBP).

What's cool about PBP is that it is made up of young Asian professionals. It's a fun atmosphere to work in because everyone is around the same age and views PBP as a learning experience. Not only are we helping our community, but we are also fostering growth in one another as future leaders. To learn more visit www.projectbyproject.org .

A popular event that we have coordinated in past years was our "Holiday Toy and Book Drive". I started this event in memory of my grandfather who had passed away earlier that year. Although there are many holiday drives, not many are specifically focused on Chinatown.

For 3 consecutive years we asked friends, employees, local businesses and customers to donate new books and toys to our local Gouveneur's Hospital. All monetary donations were used to purchase books and toys from local community businesses.


I hope that CICF can inspire other small businesses in our community to keep up to date with issues in our community as well as give back what they can.

PLACES I GO TO IN CHINATOWN

Everyone constantly asks me for suggestions on "where to go in Chinatown". I used to suggest more tour guide friendly answers. Recently, people have been asking me more specifically, "Where do you personally go in Chinatown?" Well here's the honest answer...

Usually I start my mornings before work getting breakfast (after all it is the most important meal of the day!) by going to Yuen Yuen on Bayard Street. Here I get a large fresh squeezed orange juice for a mere $2 and change. The little lady who runs the shop is a cute little 'paw paw' (Grandma).

Then I head over to Hsin Wong which is located across the street from my store. I'm always greeted wth a smile and the cook usually remembers my order. I tend to be a creature of habit so I usually order the congee with pork and preserved egg (pay dan sau yook jewk) and a bread cruller. This delicious meal comes out to be less than $5. Nothing is better than some hot food in your stomach on a cold morning.

With all this yummy food, I am ready to start my day! =)

In between work, if I can sneak out for a bit...I get my occasional hair cut and highlights at Sunny Hair Salon on 11 Pell Street. I always ask for Sunny (the owner) to personally to cut or color my hair. Michelle also does a very good job. The prices are extremely reasonable and the hair washes using reflexology is very relaxing.

Since I do lots of manual labor at CICF, I do get an occasional back massage. I skip over to Pell Street for my $15 back massage. Can't beat that price!

For dinner I almost always hop over to Moonhouse which is located right next door to CICF. My close friend Jeanie's family owns it. I will personally say that I have never had food made with such love. My favorites are the Moonhouse Casserole and the Soup Dumplings with Crab. It's a gourmet meal that won't hurt your budget.

I also do like the Vietnamese-Chinese cuisine from Bo Ky Restaurant on Bayard Street. Their restaurant is also a second generation family business which gives it a lot of character. The food is excellent at dirt cheap prices. It's always busy so you know that everything is always fresh! I love the pho with beef! I am also a fan of their country style duck.


Good luck on your future adventures in Chinatown!

LUNAR NEW YEAR (YEAR OF THE PIG 4075)


Chinese New Year is Feb. 18th. People born in the year of the pig are viewed as being good to their friends and family. They are honest but often naive. They also achieve a great deal of success both socially and financially. Good matches for them are people born in the year of the rabbit or the ram.

Chinatown is at its livliest this time of the year. People from all over the country come to check out our events and foods during the lunar new year.

Our new year festivities include the parades that feature the traditional lion dances & martial arts. This is our biggest attraction. I must have seen every parade & I have never been disappointed. It just seems like the parades grow bigger and bigger every year! This year it will be held on February 25th from 1:00-5:00.

The Museum of the Chinese in the Americas (MOCA) will also be having a flower market in Columbus Park on February 16th and 17th. In our culture, flowers are symbolic of good luck, fortune and prosperity. The flower market will also have interactive artist booths. This is definitely a great event to go to with children, family members, and/or friends.
(Columbus Park is located on Mulberrry Street; between Bayard Street and Worth Street.)

On Lunar New Year's Day, Chinatown will be having the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival. It will be held at Chatham Square (Between Bowery, Mott, & East Broadway) on Sunday February 18th from 11:00am-3:00 pm. Best of all, admission is free and you'll have a blast!

Later that night, we will be having our Illuminations: Lunar New Year Fireworks Spectacular. It will be at Columbus Park and this will also be free.

And don't forget that a huge part of Chinese New Year is eating! Chinatown has great eateries and it's the perfect time to celebrate. Food is one of the most important things in our culture. I've been asked where's a good place to eat for the holiday and quite honestly, I tend to eat at the same places that I always eat. My family, friends and I just order different things. We celebrate by ordering the more expensive dishes like lobster, abalone, and sharkfin soup. These are just some of the exotic dishes that are offered.

And if you really want to end the day with a bang, stop by for ice cream. Although I'm around ice cream all day, I'm still always craving some! Don't forget to say "hi" to me and wish me a happy new year!

CHINATOWN, NYC

Chinatown is definitely my favorite place in NYC. I'm not only saying this for obvious reasons (such as we have the best ice cream) but because Chinatown has so much culture. It is always so lively, bustling with people.

Here, you can buy some of the best quality items for the cheapest prices. I will not buy my seafood, produce or meats anywhere else. Growing up, my father would always buy things fresh from Chinatown and cook them in our home in Queens. To this day, I still continue this tradition.

Chinatown also offers a variety of cusines. Some of the varieties are Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fujianese, Vietnamese, and Malaysian. Where else can you eat a delicious meal for about $5. That's even cheaper than fast food.

We also have museums, shopping, and our occasional festivals and parades. For more information you should check out www.explorechinatown.com.

And by the way...whatever you do in Chinatown, make sure to save room for ice cream! =)