Macaroni Salad with Imitation Crab

Although this post is titled 'Macaroni Salad,' no macaroni were actually used in this recipe. You've just been trolled! In all seriousness though you can pretty much substitute any non-noodley pasta. In this case I opted to use campanelle which are bell shaped pastas; it was nice because the bell kind of served as little cornucopias for the sauce and ingredients. I decided to do this recipe because I've been craving macaroni salad for ages. No not the gooey crud you get in a bucket from the supermarket; I was craving something restaurant quality. More specifically, I was craving the macaroni salad from a little business in the South Bay called Cherrystones. The quality of their food is amazing and one of the most memorable things of course was their macaroni salad. If you're ever in the area, do try the Chilean sea bass; it comes with macaroni salad. (;  Bon Appetit!

Macaroni Salad
1/2 pound pasta
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I went real light on the mayo, just add more if desired)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 stalks of celery, diced in small pieces
1/2 carrot, diced in small pieces
1/4 cup onions, diced finely
4 sticks of imitation crab, shredded

1. Cook pasta as instructed on the package. Rinse cooked pasta under cold water and allow pasta to cool and excess water to drain.
2. Mix the mayonnaise, onion, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and coat evenly.
4. Fold in the chopped celery, carrot, and imitation crab.
5. Refrigerate and serve cold.

If desired, you can also add some chopped boiled egg! I didn't add egg because I forgot. ): Enjoy!

London, you're my mate.

Hello my fellow followers. As you may have noticed I have been MIA for awhile and that is because I have been backpacking in Europe. The trip was great and for the next few posts I will be sharing my foodie adventures with you. Let's start with London shall we?

My first meal in London was Fish and Chips at The Half Moon near the Queens Mary Campus. Unfortunately the picture I took of that was blurry so I'll provide you with a shot of my beer instead. Besides, it's just fish and chips right? What surprised me most is that the pint in the UK is huge! In the US, a pint is 16 ounces whereas in the UK it is 20 ounces. What do you get when you add exhaustion and alcohol together? This:

Needless to say, I did not feel very well however I managed to recover so yay me!

One of the things I really enjoyed was the Farmer's Market on the Queens Mary campus. There was fresh produce, sausages, baked goods, exotic meats, and food vendors.

All very tempting. 

Unlike the US doughnut, the ones here have a more bread-like texture. 

Giant vat of paella!

I've never even heard of some of these veggies before. I'd love to live here to be able to have access to all these awesome ingredients. 

Cheese bread; still warm!!!

The only thing I bought; it was delicious! There's just something about farmer's markets that I love. 

Prior to coming to London, a friend of mine suggested that I try a pasty. There were numerous flavors to choose from such as lamb and mint, chicken and mushroom, cheese and bacon, etc; I opted for a steak and ale pasty. Although this is probably more of a snack kind of food, I thought it could be a meal by itself.

If you're going to London, you must try an afternoon tea session. This was definitely one of the more memorable moments. It's just a great opportunity to feel fancy, eat dainty goodies, and have a nice chat. Pinkies up!

High tea ranges from approximately £10 to £50 depending on the place. As a more wallet friendly alternative, we had sweet tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury. There's actually more than one location for this place and funny thing is we got lost getting here. We ended up going to an alternative location and they happened to be having a 2 for 1 deal. It was only for sweet tea so the set did not contain sandwiches however it was as lovely as can be and more than enough to eat!

I chose Earl Grey, however my sister got the Jasmine Silver Needle White Tea and it wass AMAZING!

One of my most favorite things from London is clotted cream.  Average of 64% fat content? YOLO!

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is one of the cooler pubs I had the opportunity to visit during my stay in London. I'd say you should go too because it is one of those places with a lot of history and the interior is super cool. Apparently this pub has been frequented by the likes of Mark Twain an Charles Dickens. Awesome huh? Originally I wanted to come here for the Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding but unfortunately I cheaped out and got the Ye Olde Famous Steak and Kidney pie instead.

I'm not sure if this was one of my favorite dishes but I thought the meaty filling would've been great with a side of rice. Am I too Asian or what? Next time, I definitely need to get that Yorkshire Pudding!

And of course, if you're in the UK, you need to try a full English breakfast. I thoroughly enjoyed this! Yum!

Although it makes me feel guilty to say this, the rumors are true! Food here is generally on the bland side. On a positive note, compared to the states the produce in London is amazingly fresh and of superior quality. I just wished they used more spices than salt and pepper. So is food in London all bad? Not at all! I loved their Asian food and by Asian I mean their Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. After all, the national dish in the UK is Indian Curry.

With all seriousness, seriously. Indians sure have a way with spices. 

This was not a typical Indian biryani. I think it's actually Bangladeshi. What I found was interesting was the  ingredients they put in here. Lemon peel, herbs, chili peppers, etc; great ideas for future recipes no?

And here I end this British adventure with something sweet. There were also a lot of Indian sweets shops nearby where I stayed. (For all your Indian needs, check out Brick Lane.) I'm not sure what this is called but this is just one of the many things I sampled. I say if you're in a foreign country, just try it if it looks interesting. Cheers!