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RETIRED The Official VS, Beauty & more Thread
November 5, 2011 at
11:50 PM
Let me reintroduce, the VS Social Thread!
Since the Social Threads seem to have been done away with, this is the new home of the VS Social Thread. We talk about everything from VS to Beauty to Coupons to Hot Deals...and of course, our personal lives.
Roll call! Let's get back to what we do!
Please PM everyone who was a part of the VS Social Thread to inform them of our new home.
Since the Social Threads seem to have been done away with, this is the new home of the VS Social Thread. We talk about everything from VS to Beauty to Coupons to Hot Deals...and of course, our personal lives.
Roll call! Let's get back to what we do!
Please PM everyone who was a part of the VS Social Thread to inform them of our new home.
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i wish they update right away and easily traceable.
just tried on the items i just received in the mail:
lace tee [express.com] - too boxy. i had a feeling this may end up being either cute or weird. i think it ended up being weird.
cross over shell top [express.com] - very cute.
cropped pocket tee [express.com] - cute, definitely needs underlayer. although i'm not wowed by it, i like it enough to keep it. also, i think it's different from my other tops so it deserves a space in the closet.
i wish they update right away and easily traceable.
just tried on the items i just received in the mail:
lace tee [express.com] - too boxy. i had a feeling this may end up being either cute or weird. i think it ended up being weird.
cross over shell top [express.com] - very cute.
cropped pocket tee [express.com] - cute, definitely needs underlayer. although i'm not wowed by it, i like it enough to keep it. also, i think it's different from my other tops so it deserves a space in the closet.
You girls are making me want to try some of these foods. I've never seen them, so I can't imagine trying to make them. If it's easy, I'd give it a shot. We eat tilapia more often than any other fish. I think we actually have some in the freezer. Would you mind giving me step-by-step instructions on making these?
oewiz & leftie, I'd love instructions on making the things you mentioned too, if it's easy. Keep in mind this is the first time I've heard of any of them, so I need a "directions for dummies" tutorial.
The bao is easy as long as you are comfortable with yeast and you have a rice cooker or steamer. I recommend putting the dough together and then while it rises, make the custard, then go back to the dough.Also some people make bao with hong kong flour and cake flour, all purpose flour works fine. The reason they use hong kong flour is because it is a super bleached flour and makes the bun whiter.
First we need to make a starter
Ingredients
1 cup warm water
0.5 cup sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
1.5 cup all purpose flour
Steps
1.mix the yeast and warm water in a large bowl and let it sit around for 10 min or so
2. add the flour and stir it together
3. cover with saran wrap and put it some place warm for an hour until it is puffy
4. While you wait for the starter to rise, put together the rest of the dough, you will need
rest of the dough ingredients
0.5 tsp salt
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cups of flour
0.25 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or butter
5. sift together the 2 cups of four, the baking powder, baking soda in a new bowl
6. mix your salt and vinegar together in a cup or small bowl or whatever
7. now take your risen starter and stir the salt and vinegar into it (it should be totes mushy and wet so you can do this with ease)
8.now take your flour/bakingsoda/bakingpowder mixture and stir it into the starter, combine it well
9. add the shortening (you can substitute butter) and work it into the dough with your hands
10 the dough will be sticky and ugly, don't worry, put it on a floured surface and knead until smooth. Add flour if you need to
11.grease a clean large bowl and put the dough in it, cover with saran wrap, put it someplace warm for another hour
12. punch your risen dough down
13. split the dough into however many balls you'd like, depending on how big you'd like your buns, I usually do maybe a fist sized ball, but my hands are small.
14. Flatten your dough into a small round with your hand, don't roll it out thin or anything, it should still be pretty thick in the middle with thinner edges, just flat enough so that you can take some custard with a spoon and put it in the middle.
15. now wrap the custard, pulling/stretching the edges together. Not just like, 4 sides, but all the edges so that the bun is closed. Pinch it all together and flip it over onto either a cupcake wrapper or a square of parchment paper. Do this for all buns. Note, if you take too much dough on the bottom, or too much on one side, your custard will be distributed weirdly in your bun, this doesn't matter unless you are perfectionist so don't worry too much, just try to get the hang on it.
16. Put some water in your rice cooker, BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERFILL OR YOU WILL BOIL YOUR BUNS. A cup should be enough for at least a few buns, just make sure you don't run out.
17. Put your plastic steaming tray into your rice cooker and turn it on to cook or steam depending on what functions your rice cooker has. If you do not own a rice cooker, use a pot and a steamer tray. If you do not have a steamer tray, you can still steam as long as you have a really large pot and balance a small plate or bowl holding your buns on a cup (that won't shatter from heat) inside your pot. This non-steamer tray method may give you slightly soggier buns or less evenly cooked ones, but I've used it in the past. Steam for 10-15 min depending on how big you made your buns. These buns do expand a good deal so don't overfill your steam tray with buns.
18. note, it's ok to steam these longer, I haven't found that they are hurt by steaming for a long time, so if you forget no worries. When the busn are done, the outside will look a bit shiny and the inside should be bread like and a bit fluffy.
19. You think your buns are done, ok take the ugliest bun and cut it in half to make sure the dough is cooked through.
Custard filling
ingredients
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks -save your whites for an castella or macaroons or something.
Steps
1. mix your egg yolks and sugar in a pot
2. add in your milk and heat it on about medium heat
3. add in the flour and mix it in well
4. stir the custard FOREVER until it thickens up, really quite thick, you don't want it to be runny anymore, test it by taking a spoonful. If it runs off the spoon, thicken it some more.
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I like the beach towel too! I think it may have been thicker last year, but I'm not sure. Need to dig it out, but it's a decent beach towel or extra towel if needed around the house or something.
I can send you directions on how to make these via PM later tonight. We usually make these with napa cabbage. Any luck on finding that yet? I'll try to think of something else to make these with : )
The bao is easy as long as you are comfortable with yeast and you have a rice cooker or steamer. I recommend putting the dough together and then while it rises, make the custard, then go back to the dough.Also some people make bao with hong kong flour and cake flour, all purpose flour works fine. The reason they use hong kong flour is because it is a super bleached flour and makes the bun whiter.
First we need to make a starter
Ingredients
1 cup warm water
0.5 cup sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
1.5 cup all purpose flour
Steps
1.mix the yeast and warm water in a large bowl and let it sit around for 10 min or so
2. add the flour and stir it together
3. cover with saran wrap and put it some place warm for an hour until it is puffy
4. While you wait for the starter to rise, put together the rest of the dough, you will need
rest of the dough ingredients
0.5 tsp salt
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cups of flour
0.25 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or butter
5. sift together the 2 cups of four, the baking powder, baking soda
6. mix your salt and vinegar together in a cup or small bowl or whatever
7. now take your risen starter and stir the salt and vinegar into it (it should be totes mushy and wet so you can do this with ease)
8.now take your flour/bakingsoda/bakingpowder mixture and stir it into the starter, combine it well
9. add the shortening (you can substitute butter) and work it into the dough with your hands
10 the dough will be sticky and ugly, don't worry, put it on a floured surface and knead until smooth. Add flour if you need to
11.grease a clean large bowl and put the dough in it, cover with saran wrap, put it someplace warm for another hour
12. punch your risen dough down
13. split the dough into however many balls you'd like, depending on how big you'd like your buns, I usually do maybe a fist sized ball, but my hands are small.
14. Flatten your dough into a small round with your hand, don't roll it out thin or anything, it should still be pretty thick in the middle with thinner edges, just flat enough so that you can take some custard with a spoon and put it in the middle.
15. now wrap the custard, pulling/stretching the edges together. Not just like, 4 sides, but all the edges so that the bun is closed. Pinch it all together and flip it over onto either a cupcake wrapper or a square of parchment paper. Do this for all buns. Note, if you take too much dough on the bottom, or too much on one side, your custard will be distributed weirdly in your bun, this doesn't matter unless you are perfectionist so don't worry too much, just try to get the hang on it.
16. Put some water in your rice cooker, BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERFILL OR YOU WILL BOIL YOUR BUNS. A cup should be enough for at least a few buns, just make sure you don't run out.
17. Put your plastic steaming tray into your rice cooker and turn it on to cook or steam depending on what functions your rice cooker has. If you do not own a rice cooker, use a pot and a steamer tray. If you do not have a steamer tray, you can still steam as long as you have a really large pot and balance a small plate or bowl holding your buns on a cup (that won't shatter from heat) inside your pot with water in it. This non-steamer tray method may give you slightly soggier buns or less evenly cooked ones, but I've used it in the past. Steam for 10-15 min depending on how big you made your buns. These buns do expand a good deal so don't overfill your steam tray with buns.
18. note, it's ok to steam these longer, I haven't found that they are hurt by steaming for a long time, so if you forget no worries. When the busn are done, the outside will look a bit shiny and the inside should be bread like and a bit fluffy.
19. You think your buns are done, ok take the ugliest bun and cut it in half to make sure the dough is cooked through.
Custard filling
ingredients
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks -save your whites for an castella or macaroons or something.
Steps
1. mix your egg yolks and sugar in a pot
2. add in your milk and heat it on about medium heat
3. add in the flour and mix it in well
4. stir the custard FOREVER until it thickens up, really quite thick, you don't want it to be runny anymore, test it by taking a spoonful. If it runs off the spoon, thicken it some more.
Thanks for the recipe. That sounds good. I'll try it this weekend. Hopefully, I can pull it off.
05/15/2012 -100 -100
05/15/2012 Reward issued -1880 -1880
05/15/2012 -100 -100
05/15/2012 Reward issued -420 -420
why is it on separate transactions? it sums up to 2500. why didn't they just say Reward issued -2500?
also, express rewards aren't double-dippable right? just thought i'd check.
darn, i was going to post the link. too bad they got wise.
wow!
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