Day 2 - Buenos Aires

We decided to go to the "countryside" of  the Buenos Aires Province - Tigre. It is a day trip distance from the city Buenos Aires and it's reachable by train from the city. It is a town sitting next to the Rio Lujan, with historic museums and nice scenery. It is not only a tourist attraction, but a relaxing weekend day trip for locals. There are two train routes to get to Tigre. You can take the Linea Mitre Train, starting from Retiro Station to Tigre Station, or you can take the Tren de la Costa (train of the coast). In order to take the Tren de la Costa, you will need to first take the Linea Mitre train to the Maipu Station, then change to the Tren de la Costa and take it all the way to the final stop Delta. It is a little more expensive to take the Tren de la Costa, but the name probably already gives it away that the train ride is along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. There is a little ocean view and it is a pretty nice train ride, so I would recommend taking it one way and taking the simpler route the other way. Seven out of the eleven stations are original, and these stations have history, art displays, and entertainment.

Tigre is Tiger in Spanish, and apparently in the early years, tigers were hunted in the area, hence the name. There are Boat/Bus tours of the area, and it was quite nice. It brought you to different museums and attractions of the city, such as museo de arte, museo naval de la nacion, etc, It is definitely a beautiful place to walk around on a Saturday/Sunday. One thing to keep in mind, Monday is a bad day to go there, because everything is closed! Guess how we found out? We went on a Monday! We couldn't get inside of the museums and there are very limited activities on that day. Bummer..... Still, it was a nice day.
On the way back to the city, we took the Tren de la Costa, which passed by the Chinatown in Buenos Aires (Belgrano). We took a little walk around to see what the Chinatown looks like in Buenos Aires. I was very surprised to see a Chinatown in South America because I didn't know there is a Chinese population here. I guess Chinese are everywhere. (lol) This Chinatown also has the typical Chinatown "gate", and a few blocks of Chinese restaurants and stores.

That night, we planned to go to a Tango show. Well, Tango originated in Buenos Aires, how can we not go! There are a few places people recommended, and we went to this place called "Cafe de las Angelitos". It is around USD 80 - 90 per person and it is a package including transportation, dinner and the show. I was super excited! The food was okay..... a little disappointing (unlimited refill of wine though). But the show afterwards was AWESOME. I was expecting a few dances, but it was 2 hours of singing and dancing, and it was absolutely marvelous. I, personally, do not know Spanish, so it was very difficult for me to know what is actually going on. But, it looked like the show was telling a story, with occasionally solo singing, and tango dancing. It was such an enjoyable night.

Live music <3

Tango pose

Memorial Day Weekend - Seattle in 3 days Part 3/3

Day 3

Can't believe this is the last day already! First thing in the morning, coffee and breakfast! I was debating to try the waffle in Moore Coffee Shop we saw on the first day or try this waffle place called "Sweet Iron" and I decided to try Sweet Iron. (Bad choice) We ordered coffee, the Bacon + maple syrup waffle, and Berry compote + whipped cream waffle. It was mediocre, honestly, it was a little disappointing. (even the coffee!) In order to make it up for this unfortunate experience, we went to another coffee shop called "Storyville Coffee" and they have excellent coffee!! After I got a good cup of coffee, then, we can continue our itinerary. Today, we wanted to explore the Northwest part of Seattle. First destination - Fremont Troll! The Troll was sculpted by 4 local artists, and the goal was to rehabilitate the area under the bridge, which has become a dumping ground and haven for drug dealers. (Information from wikipedia) It was a really cool sculpture and it was huge!! Must have been a very challenging project! Then, we crossed the bridge (right above the troll) to the south lake union, where you can find a lot of historical landmarks around. We found a boat called Lotus, and she was built in 1909, so she is over 100 years old but still beautiful!!! The owner said that the boat is still seaworthy and they take her out every summer! Almost everything inside is original, and there are 3-4 bedrooms in which tourists can reserve and stay. The room looks cute and cozy, might not be a bad idea to stay on the lake next time! We walked around the lake a little bit before heading back to the city. From the park around the lake, you can see the space needle pretty well.

Lunch time!! We are not missing any opportunities to try different restaurant around here! There is a very popular pizza place called "Serious Pie" in the downtown area. There are actually 3 locations for this place, but we chose the one in downtown because of the itinerary. It wasn't too long of a wait, and the pizza was DELICIOUS! Very creative toppings and the crust was so thin, but just thick enough. We ordered the pizza with roasted morels, crawford farms asparagus, and taleggio. The waitress said that each pizza could feed one person, but we just had breakfast not too long ago, so we decided to have a light lunch and just ordered one pizza. (Now that I think about this, maybe I should have ordered 2! It was soooooo good) After lunch, we decided it is the right time to enjoy some art. Next destination - Seattle Art Museum (SAM). You definitely will not miss the SAM, as it has a giant sculpture outside the building. It is a kinetic sculpture, meaning it moves, and it is called the hammering man. Basically, it is a giant man hammering right outside the museum. Hammering Man is a project by Jonathan Borofsky which have been installed in various cities around the world, kinda like the LOVE sculptures around different cities. Interestingly, the Hammering Man rests his arm every year on Labor Day, so don't go on Labor Day if you want to see the moving Hammering Man.

I have learned something shocking!! Maybe you guys have already known, but if you don't, here it is!! Most of the museums' entrance fees are only suggested!!!! Basically you can pay any amount you want! (because they get funding from the government to run the place) They don't usually tell you the price is suggested because they want you to pay for the suggested price, but you can actually pay less than that if you wish. I can't believe I did not know about this all these times!! Well, that being said, I would still suggest that everyone pay the full price to support art!
Different people have different tastes in arts, and the exhibitions they had this time weren't my type of art. But exhibitions change all the time, so check before you go if you are picky like me! Next destination - Ferry ride! It might sound stupid, because we are not trying to get to the other island. All we want is to experience the ferry ride and see the city view from the ferry. We took the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton. It is an hour ferry ride, and you only have to pay for one trip, the return trip is free. We spent a very relaxing time on the ferry, enjoying the breeze and the view. We walked so much these 2 days, (sore feet...) it is kinda nice to sit for a while.
What's for dinner? I made a reservation at an Italian restaurant called "the Pink Door" tonight. The review seems to be very positive and it has different performances every 30 minutes from 6:30 - 8:45 at dinner time. The entrance is literal enough, a pink door! The restaurant has a very charming, homey feeling to it, which I really like. We ordered Tjarin (Pancetta, aspragus, sugar snaps, green garlic & raw egg yolk), the mushroom risotto with parmesan crip and the Cioppino. The Cioppino was okay, the seafood was not as fresh as I thought. But I really like the pasta and the risotto. That is a very nice spring vegetable pasta, and the raw egg yolk gave it a very creamy texture. For the risotto, the waiter said that they made their own mushroom stock, and you can definitely tell! The risotto was cooked right and the parmesan crip was definitely a plus. We ordered 2 desserts, but they were okay. (can't believe I did not get ANY satisfying dessert on this trip!!)

So much for the food. What made this dining experience exceptional is definitely the performances! During our dinner, there were 3 different performances, and I do not know what they are called. It is like pole dancing, but not with a pole. Instead, the female performer was dancing in the air with the hanging ribbon/hoola hoop. They are slightly exotic, but very very nice performances. I just love it. After dinner, we have one last stop before going back to the hotel and pack - Kerry Park!!! Probably one of the best spots to see the city view! (with the Space Needle in it this time) But we decided we needed a coffee after the meal, so we went to this place called "Uptown Espresso". It is in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. (We were going to go to Caffe Fiore, but it was closed) It is a very spacious coffee place in the area if you are looking for a place to study/read a book/chitchat with friends, and most importantly, the coffee was great! Then, we walked to the Kerry Park from the coffee shop, which is not too far of a walk, but it is very uphill. We figured it is probably a good idea after all the food we had the past 3 days.

Perfect timing! It was around 8:30-9pm when we made it there, and it is finally starting to get dark! And the view was spectacular! There is another park I was thinking of going called the "Seacrest Park". It is more like a skyline view instead of this close up view of the city. You can walk along the water, enjoy the sea breeze, and look at the city. Unfortunately, we have a 6am flight to catch tomorrow, so we decided to go back to the hotel and save this for next time. But if you have time, you should definitely go! On a clear day, the day view is very pretty too. On this note, our short 3-day Seattle trip has come to an end (*sob*until next time!). I will definitely come back if I have a chance! Bye Seattle!

*Travel tips* I reserved the rental car from enterprise a couple weeks ago for 4 days and it was around $180. And as you all know, you can cancel a rental car reservation anytime without any cost, so I checked again 2 days before the trip, and I got a new quote for $80! I was like "holy shxt!". And I canceled my last reservation and made a new one. That saved me $100!!!!!! I also checked for the plane tickets to see if there's any last minute deal since the ticket I got happened to be refundable. But I already had the best deal. Something to keep in mind! Always plan the trip ahead of time so that you have more time to look for deals (if the budget is a concern), and never forget to check again before the trip too!

P.S. I promise I will be continuing the South America trip posts!

Memorial Day Weekend - Seattle in 3 days Part 2/3

Day 2

I always love nature. And there are two beautiful national parks close to Seattle, the Olympic National Park and the Mt. Rainier National Park. I had a hard time picking which one to go, and I looked at some reviews, and decided to go with the Olympic National Park. We woke up really early because it is a 2-hour drive to get there from Seattle, and therefore we need coffee!!! The only good coffee place I found that's open at 7am in the morning is actually on the Pike's Place Market called " Le Panier", and the coffee is very good and they are famous for their pastries, so we got some for the road! When we finally arrived at the park, we went on the staircase rapid loop trail. It is a 4-mile trail with lots of trees and water, absolutely gorgeous!

There's a picture of the car we rented for the trip! A convertible 2-seater! They ran out of options by the time we picked up the car, so we ended up with a nice convertible! *bonus* I have been to a lot of national parks around California, Arizona and Utah, but the habitat here is just soooooo different. It is just sooooooooooooooooo green everywhere! Even the branches of the trees are covered with mosses and ferns! The water of the creek is so clear and green that I feel like I can just drink it! (don't ever do that... bad idea) After this gorgeous hike, we were looking for some other hikes, but unfortunately, this part of the park is very segregated from the other parts of the park. There are supposed to be some coastal hikes, beaches hikes, mountain hikes, a variety of different sceneries, but unfortunately, despite our endeavor to try to find it, we got lost and barely made it out of the woods. (A large portion of the roads were unpaved......with holes....) I guess I should have done more research before I came, oh well..... I thought I have been to enough national parks that I would be able to find my way in this one...... Anyways, we went back to the city and decided to visit the Chinatown/International District. Then, we went to downtown Bellevue to have some good Taiwanese food, the place is called "Facing East". That place was just PACKED, but it was worth the wait. There is some authentic Taiwanese street food that is not easy to come by in US, and the food was pretty good.

Last stop before the night ends, we went to the space needle! How can you tell people you have been to Seattle until you have been to the space needle! It was not too bad of a line, and apparently there's early/late bird discount (6-9am, 9-12pm), which in my opinion, is the best time to see the day/night view anyways! The space needle is 600 feet tall, and was built for the 1962 World's Fair, same idea as the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 World's Fair. (a little fun fact moment there) The SkyCity Restaurant is a revolving restaurant at 500 feet at the space needle if you would like to enjoy the city view while you eat. I did not go for it because I don't think the food is worth it. We went up to the top and the city view is awesome! (One thing about this view is that.... the space needle is not in it lol)

Memorial Day Weekend - Seattle in 3 days Part 1/3

I know.... I know.... I should be writing about the South American trip... But, I just went to Seattle this past weekend! And since everything is still fresh in mind, let's take a detour to Seattle, Washington before we head back to South America! The picture above was taken in Kerry Park at night, that is absolutely the best spot to see the city view with the iconic space needle. Beautiful!

So, we left on Friday night after work and came back to LA on a super early flight on Tuesday morning to get back to work on time. That gave us 3 full days to explore the area!

Day 1

What's better than starting the morning with yummy breakfast and coffee! We went to this place called "Tilikum", and the breakfast was absolutely delicious! We had eggs Benedict with falafel instead of typical English muffins, seasonal green hash, and dutch babies (baked pancakes)! It is the first time I've had Dutch babies, and it was G-O-O-D! It is crispy on the outside and so soft inside. I might like that more than regular pancake! (I am going to try to make it) I am telling you, that was a very satisfying breakfast! Then, we walked around the neighborhood a little bit, very clean and very green. There are a lot of cafes, coffee shops nearby, if I were to live here, I would definitely try each one of them out.

There are just too many coffee shops around, and we walked past another one called "Moore Coffee Shop". Time to get another coffee! It is a very cute little coffee shop with waffles!!!!! I love waffles! (But that's just me) If not because we just had a very full breakfast, I would probably go for a waffle. We ordered a latte and a cappuccino, and they are both very good with very adorable latte art. I love individual unique coffee shops, and I can't imagine living in a city without that! I am already falling in love with the city! After coffee, we went to the Pike's Place Market. On the way there, we stumbled across an antique store, which has a very interesting collection of antiques, including old pocket watches, fishing poles, telephone booths, record players, etc. I am not sure if the electronics are still working, but it is definitely a good decor if you are into these kinds of things.

They also have a collection of playboys from the 1950s to 2000s, and I have to say..... it was a lot classier back then! We also saw the aquarium and the pier along the way. It is a cloudy day here in Seattle (as usual I guess), but I have had enough sun in California (I am not bragging), so I am loving the weather here.

Finally, we are at the Pike's Place Market. First, there is the market with fresh seafood, and different market stuff. Besides the farmers' market, there are a bunch of different little stores in the building, like gadget stores, bookstores, vintage stores, etc. There is one photography store called "Reflection on Seattle", and I really like his work. Instead of mundane pictures of Seattle (space needle, Seattle great wheel, the city view, etc.), his photos are all reflections of those icon symbols in puddles of water. Since Seattle has so much rain, that makes it the perfect theme for Seattle photos.
Opposite to the market, there's the FIRST Starbucks ever world history!!!!! Look at the logo, everything was still there! The boobs, the tail, the belly and everything!! I like that logo a lot better than the simplified one right now. I remembered a pictures I found online a while ago, making fun of the Starbucks logo. (shown on the right from google image search)
The Starbucks has a huge line of tourists waiting to taste the coffee from the first Starbucks, but I figured unless the beans are from 1971, the coffee should just taste the same as the regular Starbucks. The street behind the first Starbucks is the Post Alley, which hosts numerous restaurants and bars. Nearby, we found a very interesting bookstore called "left bank books". It has very unique decor and a very atypical selection of books. It also has a lot of chairs and places to sit for people who want a quiet place to read next to this not-so-quiet touristy market. We spent the whole afternoon walking along the pier, the market, and going into all these little stores. It was so much fun! Then, we walked around the downtown a little bit, and I just love the city vibe! There are so many people walking around the street!!! They are not in the car driving around, but walking!!! I guess it is memorial weekend, but still, I love the hustle and bustle of the city life!
I did a lot of research on restaurants that I intended to try, and it seemed like there was a lot of good food here in Seattle! I ended up with a long list of restaurants, but since there were only so many meals in a day.... I had to pick! And tonight, it is the "Barolo"! It is a fancy Italian restaurant. It is located in the downtown/financial district area, so it has a little business meeting vibe. (I have learned from experience that.... it is often not a good sign.... just personal opinion) We did not order any appetizers because none of them looked exceptionally appealing. Instead, we ordered 3 main courses, Rigatoni al Ragu’ d’Agnello (the lamb leg Ragu), Spaghetti alla Carbonara e Zucchine and Branzino con Verdure e Patate (Chilean sea bass). The dinner was good, but that is also the problem.... it is just good.... nothing extraordinary. The menu was uninspired, the combination of the ingredients were very expected..... we did not even order dessert (which is usually my favorite part), because the dessert menu was boring too. The food was good, but this is not a "wow" type of restaurant, and even if I do live in Seattle, definitely won't go there again. But it's just me. I tend to like a bold and creative menu.

Day 1 - Buenos Aires

Speaking of maximizing time, we took a red eye flight on Friday night after work, and our first stop is Buenos Aires, Argentina. We had a layover in Mexico City for a couple hours and we arrived on Saturday night (A direct flight would have been a lot more expensive..... maximizing time with limited budget..... poor student T_T) We decided to stay in a relatively nicer hotel in Buenos Aires called Lennox Hotel. (It's going downhill from there) It is at a very convenient location and very close to a lot of the tourist attractions by foot as well as the subway station.
After we had a good night rest, we woke up early the next day (did not want to waste any time), and we walked around the city. First day of the vacation, first day in a foreign country, everything is so new and exciting and AWESOME. It was a Sunday morning, so the streets were still quiet. I just LOVE the architecture here, everything looks so historical.

Then, we went to San Telmo, which is a oldest "barrio" (neighborhood) in Buenos Aires. This is a very well-preserved area, with cafes, antique stores,  There is a flea market held there every Sunday called Feria De San Pedro Telmo. This is definitely a must-go attraction if you happen to be there on Sunday. Antiques, vintage, handicraft, jewelry, art, street performances, all in one place. I had so much fun picking souvenirs for friends and families. The price is very reasonable with room for bargain. I had a hard time controlling myself not to go too crazy!! I don't want to spend all the money on the first day of the trip!

Anyways. We found a nice historic restaurant for lunch around the area, and the place is called "El Federal". Everything there looks so historical. The tables, the chairs, the tableware, even the people!!! OMG!!! It feels like I went back in time.

Then, we went to La Boca. The early settlers of this neighborhood are thought to be Italian and probably this is the reason this area retains a strong European flavor. If you are a big soccer fan,definitely go to "La Bombonera" ,which is the famous soccer stadium in Argentina. After that. we went to the Caminito, which is a street museums and traditional alleys with colorful houses. This is the place where Juan de Dios Filiberto for its famous tango piece "Caminito". It is a little touristy for my taste, but oh well..... you are in Buenos Aires already, must as well go take a look. There are a lot of street tango performances, and also street vendors that sell tango-related memorabilia. This place is right next to the river Riachuelo, which is very nice to walk around.

This pretty much concludes the first day in Buenos Aires. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, a couples cathedrals, buildings, memorial sculptures, everything was so pretty!! We couldn't wait for tomorrow!!!!

My South America Adventure - Christmas 2014

I have been wanting to write about this for a long time (before I forget about the details of the trip). It was an amazing adventure and experience so far in my life (I am hoping to have a lot more of these kinds of experiences). We went to 3 countries (4 technically if you count the one afternoon we spent in Brazil), Argentina, Bolivia and Peru in 3 weeks, and it might sound like a long time, but there is just too much to see. Although we have seen a lot, what we saw was just a tiny tiny tiny portion of the country, and there are sooooo many reasons to go back there.
I was planning this trip since summer, and I was super duper excited about the trip from the day I have decided to go! I am just a tiny Asian girl who does not speak any Spanish, so of course I am going with the boyfriend. Men do not like to plan trips (EVER!), so it is always my job to make sure things happen. Therefore, the whole trip was planned by me and me alone.  In my opinion, it is a pretty damn good itinerary for 3 weeks. It was very intense, but it is not often that we get to go to South America, so maximizing time to do/see things is definitely my priority. I am going to try my best to take you with me through this journey of mine for the next series of posts.

Maude - A restaurant by Curtis Stone

Just found an interesting restaurant called Maude, opened by an Australian celebrity chef. It is a very small restaurant with only 25 seats. What's special about this place is that they have a theme each month, focusing on one key ingredient, and using that ingredient to make a nine-course dinner. I really like the idea, and here's what they have for this year. I love asparagus, but it is already the end of April...... OH MY! November and December are white and black truffles!!!! I love truffles (who doesn't!?), I am soooo going! I haven't been to this place yet, and none of my friends have, but it does look very appealing. I will keep you posted!

Sycamore Kitchen - La Brea

Last weekend, we revisited an awesome bakery/brunch place in La Brea called Sycamore Kitchen. If you guys have been to "Hatfield's", this place is owned by the same owner. They closed the Hatfield's restaurant at the end of last year (I made it there before they closed the place, and it was G-O-O-D), and opened up a new place called "Odys + Penelope", which is a little more casual grill place.
I was planning on only getting baked goods and coffee (trying to save some money), but I just couldn't help myself....... So, I got a couple baked goods to go: Chocolate hazelnut pie, flourless lemon custard, blueberry buttermilk scone and buttercup. I know.... that's a lot, but they all looked sooooo good............ We ended up eating the chocolate hazelnut pie for dessert actually...... this is why I went running the following day to try to run it off. I went with some friends, four of us, we each ordered a dish and coffee. I always think that 4 people is a perfect number for a food outing. Enough to try different things, but not too many people because it's hard to share dishes and chat.

Here's what we ordered:

Left upper corner: Cappucino and stumptown cold-brewed coffee
Left lower corner: [Cured salmon tartine, avocado, capers, hard cooked egg, radish, creme fraiche] in  the front and [Yucatan Bowl - Chicken tinga, black beans, corn tortilla, fried egg, avocado, pico de  gallo] at the back
Right upper corner: Pork belly hash, roasted peppers and onions, russet potatoes, two fried eggs, spinach
Right lower corner: Eggs Benedict - Honey-sherry glazed pancetta, poached eggs, fried rosemary, hollandaise

They are all absolutely delicious, but my favorite is definitely the pork belly hash, and if you guys like something light in the morning, cured salmon tartine would be an excellent choice. For the pork belly hash, the potatoes are crispy, and it was stir-fried with grounded pork belly, with slight sweetness from the red pepper and onion. Then, you poke open the egg yolk, and mix it with the dish. Party in my mouth! For the cured salmon tartine, it is perfect for people who prefer a light brunch. Salmon is fresh, with a tiny hint of sourness from the creme fraiche. Very refreshing.

There are a lot of interesting unique stores on La Brea. After having a yummy brunch, you can walk around the street, going into different stores, and see if you find something you like. We went to a store that has very pretty jewelry from Peru, a lot of carpets from India, and they also have different kinds of helmets/sword/armor (look like those in the movie 300). A very weird combination of things in one store, but it is so fun browsing these stores. Even if you are not planning on getting anything, you might find it entertaining just to look around. There are a rocking-chair store, a couple of furniture/décor stores, a chandelier/lamp/light stores, etc., you can definitely spend a whole afternoon wandering around these stores.

Huckleberry Santa Monica

Picture from http://foodgps.com/huckleberry-cafe-bakery-thursday-night-family-dinner/

It was a while back when I went to Huckleberry. I remember it was after my dentist appointment. I hate going to the dentist. It is the most uncomfortable and torturing experience of human kind. (Well.... it is a little exaggerated...) As much as I hate it, I go to the dentist to have teeth cleaned regularly. (The motivation being having teeth to eat when I get old) I usually have my dentist appointment scheduled in the morning before work, and as a way of rewarding myself after this horrendous hour, I would go to a nice breakfast/brunch place. One of the places I went is Huckleberry, which is very close to my dentist.

It is in a single-story building with a high ceiling, which makes the place look very spacious. (I have a thing for high-ceiling places) It has big tall glass windows and doors, which allows the natural light to come through. The interior design of the place is simple and cozy, but it also gives you a positive energy in the morning. The quality of the food is crucial of course, but the ambiance and decor of the restaurant can definitely enhance the dining experience.

It was my first time there. We got Huevos Rancheros and a bunch of baked goods. It was a while ago, so I am a little fuzzy about the particular taste of the food, but I remember it was delicious. One thing stands out in my memory of this place, and it is their blueberry cornmeal cake. It was moist with a tiny coarse texture from the cornmeal, layered with blueberry on top and in the middle. The combination is just magnificent. Therefore, I started to look for recipes online to try making it, and I found one that replicates it pretty well. (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/blueberry-cornmeal-cake)

Ingredients

11/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups yellow cornmeal (I like to use medium grind because it gives you a better texture)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
6 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
10 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar (divided)
11/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used blueberry yogurt because it gives it more blueberry flavor)
3 cups of fresh blueberries (I like to use wild blueberries. Wild blueberries are smaller and they give you a more intense flavor, but unfortunately, I only find them frozen.)

1. Preheat oven to 325F and grease the cake pan.
2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside.
3. Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla extract and honey in another bowl and set aside.
4. Using electric mixer, cream the butter with 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon of sugar.
5. Gradually add the egg mix in step 3 to the creamed butter, and beat to blend.
6. Then, add the flour mix in step 2. Beat on slow speed to blend.
7. Add in the Ricotta Cheese and yogurt. Beat on slow speed to blend.
8. Pour half the batter into the pan, then scatter half the blueberries over. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the blueberries.
9. Pour the remaining batter and scatter the remaining blueberries over.
10. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the tester inserted inside come out clean. Cool on rack or in pan.

As you can see from the ingredient lists, it is a very evil recipe. You never how much butter and sugar is in it until you actually make it yourself. I tried using less butter or sugar, but it just doesn't work as well. I guess I can never be one of those vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free people. It is just too much to sacrifice. Instead, I try to work out as much as I can. Eating is my motivation to work out. Ironic, isn't it?

Dating a girl who loves food

There are a million articles out there titled " xx things to know before xxxxxx" or "xxx reasons to xxxxx" or "xxx things you should do before you die", etc.... These article titles are drawing less and less attention from me because they are getting... um.... stale. It seems like people are just trying to come up with random list of stuff to write about.
Then, I came across this article about "17 Things to Know Before Dating a Girl Who Loves Food" yesterday on facebook. (This is my source of interesting articles/news nowadays) Since I love food, I was curious about what it has to say, and I found it awfully descriptive of me.....

1. She is very willing to pick out restaurants for every date.
* For me, it is to avoid a disappointing dining experience.

From Google Image (http://www.nutritionbynature.com.au)

2. If you bring her good food, this is what she will look like...... (exactly like when a squirrel found nuts......picture on the right)
* For me, it definitely beats flowers.

3. The most asked question is "what are we gonna eat later?"
* There are definitely scenarios that we talk about what should we have for dinner while we are having lunch or discussing breakfast plan when we are lying in bed.

4. She will plan her travel itineraries according to what she wants to eat.
* For me, it is more about experiencing the food culture in a place. It doesn't have to be a well-picked-out restaurant, it can be anything like street food or a random restaurant I walk pass with a lot of locals.

5. If you want to live with her, you need to be prepared to save her a snack drawer.
* Well, I definitely have a spot for all my snacks, and it is never empty.

6. She always has a list of restaurant/food that she wants to try.
* And that list never gets shorter........

7. You will probably gain some weight due to all this awesome eating you are doing together.
* From my past experiences, there is no exception.

8. Her idea of an interesting read is a Yelp review.
* Indeed, I am a loyal reader.

9. She spends most of her money on food.
* Not most of it, but plenty..... you pay for what you get.....

10. Her eyes are most definitely bigger than her stomach.
* Due to the limitation of time and money, I might not go back to the same restaurant. Therefore, there are always too many things I want to try on the menu, and ended up having a lot of leftovers. I never let the food go wasted! So, I always bring them home. ^^

11. She always has food with her, you do not have to worry about getting hungry when you are with her. 
* I do have a snack drawer at home and in the office..... never gets hungry.....

12. Do not give her the chance of meeting any hot chef, she might not be able to control herself. 
* Definitely a dream come true!!!!! What a yummy package lol

13. Weekend plan: a) try out new restaurant, b) try out new recipe or c) go to farmer's market
* If we are not going on any trips, what else can we do besides eating?

14. During a fight, getting her favorite dessert might just solve the problem.
* Absolutely! How can one resist.......

15. If you do not agree with her taste of food, this might get you into a serious fight.
* There must be something wrong with his taste buds! No doubt.

16. You can always ask her where to go and what to eat.
* A lot of my friends text me when they want to know where to go eat. I often get texts like "I am in xxx area, and I want xxx cuisine, but not too expensive. Restaurant recommendation please?".

17. Besides saying "I love you", the best way to show her is to buy her food she likes. 
* Nothing says more than when I really want a piece of key lime pie, and when I get home, I found that he bought one from my favorite bakery.

Fellow foodies, how well does that describe you? Anything else you want to add?

A recap of "The wave"

Yes. It is in the United States. Yes. It exists. And yes. It is stunning. Where is it? It is in Utah. From Wikipedia, "The wave is a sandstone rock formation, on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes, in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, on the Colorado Plateau'. In order to preserve this spectacular nature, only 20 people per day is allowed to go on this trail to see "the wave". You will need to enter a lottery to get the permit of this hike. It is only $5 to enter the lottery, and I got very lucky that I won the lottery in March and was able to experience this incredible scenery. (Apparently, there are people who try for years.... )

This whole area is basically compacted sand, and the wavy landscape is shaped by years of wind swirling around the sandstone. If you try to rub the sandstone with your finger (NOT recommended! We are trying to preserve this beautiful nature), the stone turns into sand. It is amazing how nature works, isn't it? The trail is very undefined, so we went with a tour guide (Dreamland Safari Tour). I do not want to risk getting lost, and dying of heat in the day/ dying in freezing cold at night, especially when I am a complete idiot when it comes to nature navigation. The tour guide is from Belgium, and 20 years ago, she decided to come to the states to learn English, and decided to stay here. After years of exploring difdifferent options, she finally found her passion in nature and decided to become a tour guide of the beautiful canyons. Very interesting and inspiring story.
It is a 7-mile hike round trip, and it was not very strenuous. Since we went in March, the weather was not too hot. Well..... it did get a little hot around 2-3 in the afternoon when the sun is right above you, but for the most part, it is a lot better than in summer. The very first picture above was the signature shot of the wave , which is spectacular, but on the way to this awesome destination, the scenery was absolutely amazing as well. Everywhere is sooooooo... what's the right word.... WAVY! In a way, I'd like to think it is the architecture of nature. We do have a lot of cool buildings, cathedrals, etc., but nothing like this. I can't help but feel humbled by the power of nature.

Speaking of the power of nature, 65 million years ago, dinosaurs went extinct because of some kind of natural disaster (there are a lot of different theories). And in the United States, Utah is one of the big playgrounds for the paleontologists, and fossils are constantly found in the area. (There is a Utah Natural Museum I believe.... if anyone is interested) Guess what we saw!! DINOSAUR TRACKS!!!! (Picture on the left) OMG!!!This is just too cool! They were not easy to spot, and fortunately, we have a tour guide to help us find them! Otherwise, there is no way on earth that we could have found it ourselves. Besides the ancient dinosaur tracks, there are also tracks of small animals that live around the area. You can see the little footsteps (picture on the right), and the tail being dragged along when it walks. (super duper adorable <3)

Below is one of my most satisfying shots of the trip. Believe it or not, as dry as it looks, it rains quite a bit here in the canyon, and it often causes flash floods. A lot of the hikers do not live in the area, and therefore do not understand the danger of flash floods. The current is so high that it can wash you away or even cars sometimes. (I was told by the tour guide) The day we were there, there is still water from the rain a few days ago, the reflection of the canyon and the sky in the water definitely made the shot!

This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime kinda trip. Not that I don't want to go back to this beautiful landscape, it's just.... there are too many other places that I want to go..... and.... and...... there is only so much time and money..... Since I won this lottery, maybe it's time to invest on the money kind of lottery? (lol) If I have enough money, there is only ONE thing I want. Travel! I want to see the world, every corner of the world. From the common popular tourist cities (Paris, Rome, etc) to the very small villages in China to the safari in Africa to the glacier in Antarctica. Every accessible (Or inaccessible? I am very
adventurous) corner of the world, I want to see it! I want to take pictures of it to show the rest of the world what our world looks like. (I am working on the technique part.... ) What are the people like in different places? What are their cultures? What are their stories? Not to mention all the amazing scenery from different part of the world. I would die with regrets without seeing the world, which most likely is going to happen..... the world is big..... but I definitely would not forgive myself from not trying.
Go travel as much as you can! Experience the world! It is very different than watching the discovery channel or the national geographic channel, but I have to warn you, it is addicting.

Bruin's Day

To start off the day with some homemade breakfast! Blueberry lemon pancake! I make pancakes once in a while, usually Saturday/ Sunday morning. Unfortunately, it was never perfect. Either too thick or too thin, but today, I think I found the perfect ratio! Very fluffy and it tastes amazing.

For those who are interested in the recipe:
1.5 cup All purpose flour
2.5 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 cup buttermilk (Substitute: Milk + 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, let it sit for 5 minutes)
3 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup blueberry
1 lemon zest

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix the egg, buttermilk, butter and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
Then, add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, do not beat. Mix it gently, and if there's lumps of flour, it is okay. It will dissolve when you cook the pancake.
Add the blueberry and lemon zest. Cook with butter. (It makes the pancake coated with butter perfectly, with a little crust on the outside, and really soft inside.)
Serve with maple syrup. (It is just sooooooo much better than corn syrup)

Perfecto!~

Hello World

This is my first blog!! I am sooooo excited about this! At the same time, I really hope I can keep up the blog nicely. So, hello everyone, I am Jesmine. I live in Los Angeles. I love food, thus I love cooking too. I love travelling. I love photography (although I am not that good). I am a third year graduate student in Biochemistry PhD program. Whenever I am not in lab, I am either cooking good food, or eating good food, or going somewhere for fun. That's my life.

First thing I am going to share this weekend is.... (drum roll.....) coffee!! I just bought coffee bean from Blue Bottle Coffee! Last October, I went to San Francisco with a couple friends for the Nike Women Half Marathon (My first half marathon!). And I tried the Blue Bottle Coffee, and fell in love with it. I just found out that I can purchase the coffee bean online with no shipping fee (Or it's included in the price...?). I got the 17ft ceiling, yes, that's the name of the coffee bean, and it is pretty good. I LOVE COFFEE. I own a French press, a coffee machine, and aeropress and moka pot are on my list. Well, if one day, I become rich, a nice espresso machine is going to be an irresistible purchase. I get headache if I don't drink coffee in the morning, so I figure I have an addiction to it. Therefore, I tried to quit coffee once, but I just like it too much to give up drinking coffee. I guess I am a "coffeeholic".