After the cake and chocolate swim Zombie Frank went into a sugar coma and we had to call The Doctor.

Here is Zombie Frank taking a break in a delicious coffee place in Koreatown.

Although our VJ star (Bebe) called out sick, we were able to through our first recipe video together.

“Is that really how you say a VJ?”

I don’t know, you’re the human, you should!  Check out our first attempt to show how-to make some of our favorite recipes.

Here are a few things you should know before you watch:

Hello, welcome back to Opinionated Ant.
Hungry? I was so I nagged my Human into making her fresh summer rolls. Before she would let me eat them though we had to make a how-to video. Normally, Bebe the Concert Aficionado would be in her princess apron and lording over the kitchen, but she was excused since she handed in her doctors note. We can’t afford to get sick you know. And neither can you so before you start please wash your hands.

“End of Public Health announcement.”

I was wondering when you’d butt in Human.
Here’s our recipe sans video… if you’d prefer an audio demonstration go here.

Ingredients

Spring roll wrappers (softened in water)
Mint (cut, shredded to your desire)
Lettuce(large pieces to make “cups” or shredded if you prefer)
Carrots (shredded or sticks)
Cucumbers (sticks, it’s easiest to eat this way)
Vermicelli
Avocado (small slices)

 Directions:
Have softened wraps ready, my human does one at a time only because she forgets and puts them on top of one another (don’t do that- they’ll stick!).
Cut up all vegetables.

If you are using large pieces of lettuce place the vermicelli, carrots, cucumbers, avocado and mint inside it. Place the lettuce cup inside the wrapper and roll up.

(If you’re using shredded lettuce then you can just through it all together inside the wrapper.)

 
Remember to tuck in edges (HT usually does around halfway through) as you roll.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (fish sauce, peanut sauce, soy sauce, hoisin and or rice wine vinegar).

Since these are “fake” summer rolls the combinations are limitless. Some of our favorite ingredients are:
Crab meat, shrimp, leftover chicken or steak; Mint, basil, cilantro; bean sprouts, vermicelli… you get the idea.

Are you looking for an authentic (or other variation) recipe? Here are a few sites to get your stomach acids pumping!

*Rasa Malaysia~Goi Cuon (Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls) with Hoisin Peanut Dipping Sauce Recipe
*Passionate Eater~Fresh Summer Rolls (Goi Cuon)
*Eating Out Loud~ Healthy spring rolls with peanut sauce

Ever tired and want to order in but terrified of making the call? Perhaps, you don’t like to deal with the hassle or you get easily flustered on the phone.

My humanoid is not afraid of the telephone itself, but when it comes to ordering food for herself or others butterflies quickly flutter in her stomach. Getting tongue-tied, forgetting half the order and even her own address are common problems that come up. My human may say all of these things to her family when they ask her to order food but in reality it’s pure laziness on her part. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a real problem for many. I’m searching for a support group while my human types.

Here are a few techniques my humanoid implemented to get over her telephone trepidation.

Ask others to call in your place
If you are with friends ask one to call in the order instead. This technique should not be used all the time, it’s enabling you to take the easy (lazy) way out as well giving your friends more fodder to tease you with.

Rehearse
Don’t laugh, but if you get easily flustered and tongue-tied try rehearsing your order and address if need be, ahead of time. You can always write everything down, that’s one thing HT  learned the hard way (she called a Chinese Place and ordered of Domino’s menu).

Find Alternatives
This one is a very broad technique. Let’s break it down further.

Picking up the food
Placing the order physically in the restaurant.
Going out to eat
Ordering and eating out.
Order online
My human’s new favorite, but this does limit your choices considerably.
Go on a diet.
A financial and physical one that is.
This not only helps your budget but your cholesterol too.

Try one of these techniques tonight to get your take-out in the quickest, most-stress free way; that is unless you decide to make your own food, which I think can the scariest idea of them all.

From MR+G on Flickr

Well, not literally, I’m not a dog!  I love all food in general but here are a few recipes I’ve found online that I salivate just looking at.

Desserts

Kahlua Cake- Third down in post.  Yum, Kahlua …

Pan Sautéed Nectarine Wedges with Coconut Ice Cream~ With Rum…

Orange and poppyseed cupcakes with passionfruit butter cream~ I like step-by-step directions, my human has a smaller chance of messing things up.

Where do I find my favorite recipes? Usually in my human’s mind, although 50% of the time her concoctions are terrible. Since she is an unreliable source, I have turned to books and websites.

Here are a few newly discovered food sites I can’t wait to investigate further. Now if only I can convince BeBe to cook for us it will be a guaranteed success.

Beach Eats~  The Diva on a Diet and she’s fierce!

Picky Cook~ Beautiful site, delicious food.

Lightbulb Cuisine~ It’s a Easy Bake Oven Blog, so intriguing and their Fudge is no joke.