New Addition: Wusthof Knife

Have you ever won anything from giveaway, sweepstake or lottery? I haven’t until recent month. Thanks to Homemade Delish giveaway, I won a Wusthof 4.5-inch knife! WOO HOO! I was jumping up and down when I received the email. For a moment, I even thought it was a scam. But I quickly realized that I actually won something. That felt really good!

Last week, I received my knife. It was awesome! Sharp and perfect for cutting small things, like vegetables and sandwiches. I am very happy to get an extra knife, especially I used to only have a chef knife.

Beautiful knife

Trying out the knife with tomatoes.

This week, I am not posting a recipe. I am actually exploring recipes with tons of Meyer lemons. And yes, Bryan is getting sick of hearing or tasting Meyer lemons. Hahaha… But after this package of Meyer lemons, he won’t have to see them ever again until next year.

Be sure to check back next week, I have an amazing braised chicken recipe.

Trip to San Diego Zoo

I love animals and I love zoo! I think zoo is a great way to introduce and educate people about animals. And of course, the animals are always cute and funny to watch. Bryan and I went to San Diego Zoo last Saturday.

We have been watching panda cam online and witnessing the growth of Xiao Liwu (7-month old baby panda). We really wanted to see him in person. That was the main reason for visiting the zoo. But animals are always unpredictable. When we finally walked in the exhibit after waiting in line for a while, this little Xiao Liwu just rolled down to the moat along with his ball. The moat is deep and it is next to the viewing area. Once he is in there, it is almost impossible to see him. And he doesn’t climb out by himself really. That was it. We couldn’t really get a good glimpse of Xiao Liwu. As a good photographer, Bryan reached his camera over the fence and got a few pictures of Xiao Liwu. We were a bit disappointed, but this is just how animals are. We know this may happen.

Since we have been in this zoo for a few times, we wanted to do something more. We booked the backstage pass. It was very cool. We got to feed rhinos, touch zebra, see a bunch of cats (like cheetah, clouded leopards, and serval), and take pictures with a few animals. That was a great experience. I would recommend for people who really like animals and are willing to pay extra. If not, walking around the zoo is still just as awesome.

After the backstage pass, we continued to walk around. We saw two babies capybara. They were so cute. I really like them. I always think that they are like giant guinea pigs. Also, we were scared by a male gorilla. The gorilla exhibit is fenced by glasses, so people can view gorilla very clearly without any wires. Bryan and I were standing close to the glass next to a family. All the sudden, a male gorilla ran towards the family and pound the glass real hard. Everyone was shocked and frightened at the moment. Nothing happened and the gorilla went away. Animals are animals. On the other hand, the orangutans were relax and playful. They were much more adorable.

Sadly, the zoo closed at 5pm. We were there for more than 6 hours, but we still couldn’t finished seeing everything. I always wish I could be there for more days. I am looking forward to going back soon.

Want to visit San Diego Zoo? Read

Check out panda cam: Read

Want to visit Southern California? I have a SoCal guide too. Read

Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Hei Fat Choy! Happy Lunar New Year! In this Snake year, wish you all good health, good fortune and happiness!

恭喜發財！新年快樂！祝大家蛇年身體健康！花開富貴！開開心心！

I will be posting a Chinese New Year recipe later this week.

CES Trip to Las Vegas

Last week, I followed Bryan to Las Vegas for CES (Consumer Electronics Show). That’s why I was unable to update the blog.

Driving to Vegas

CES is always an interesting experience. The convention center is just gigantic. There are tons and tons of booths and vendors. It always feels like the show is endless. At first, it was very exciting. But soon, your eyes went kind of blind and tired after all that looking around after a while. Your feet were hurting like crazy. All you wanted to do is sit or sleep.

Even though it sounds not so fun and Bryan has to work, I still look forward to CES every year. Because Bryan and I got to try out some delicious food at some fancy restaurants. I think Vegas is definitely the place to try out different restaurants. Not only there are tons of choices. Most importantly, many of the restaurants are opened by famous chefs, like Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Thomas Keller, Mario Batali, and Gordon Ramsay. Just too many to count. If you love food, Las Vegas is the heaven for you.

This year, we went to Mon Ami Gabi, Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina, Jean Philippe Patisserie, and Table 10. Mon Ami Gabi is our Vegas tradition. We love their French onion soup and the steak. And I love the view and the Bellagio fountain show. It is just so romantic. Wolfgang’s dinner was good too. The most memorable was the Prime Beef Crudo. Oh so delicious!!! The pizza was tasty if only the crust was not too thick and hard. Jean Philippe Patisserie was purely amazing. Bryan got the key lime tart. It was tart and sweet. I love the strawberry filling in the middle. Perfect dessert! Table 10 by Emeril was a pleasant surprise. Everything was delicious. My Creole duck breast was cooked perfectly. Crispy and juicy. The side dishes were wonderful too. That sweet potato puree was my favorite. I got to learn how to make that. The banana cream pie was also not overrated at all. It was tasty!

Steak Bearnaise at Mon Ami Gabi

Key Lime Tart at Jean Philippe Patisserie

And of course, we can’t miss out the buffets. Buffet has a very special place in my heart. My parents used to bring my sister and I to buffet for special occasions. Buffet is always the special treat for me. This time, I went to the new buffet (Bacchanal Buffet) at Caesars Palace for dinner. The amount of choices was impressive. Everything is in a little plate, bowl or basket. The food was pretty good. Just don’t get the slider. The meat was dry and overcooked. Also, Bryan and I went to Wicked Spoon Buffet for brunch. Food was great too. Other than breakfast items, there were a good amount of savory dishes. Of course it was never too early for desserts. We had 3 different gelato, raspberry, tiramisu and Thai tea. After all those buffets, I was so stuffed. Maybe all that CES walking will help to balance out!

Salad Bar at Bacchanal Buffet

I had a wonderful trip in Vegas! I can’t wait for next year, except for those walking! Stay tuned! I will be posting a recipe later this week.

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year!!! Wish you all to have a wonderful year ahead! I am just dropping by for a quick post about my Christmas day.

Two days before Christmas, Bryan and I went to my in-laws’ house to help out with making tamales. We ended up making 99 of them! Woo! Tamale is made with masa. Every families may have a slightly different version. My mother-in-law’s tamale has potato, chicken, capers, and olives. That was what we had for Christmas day lunch. They were delicious!

After lunch, Bryan and I went back home. I made prime rib roast, mashed potatoes, creamed corn and raspberry pavlova for dinner. The menu was totally inspired by Lawry’s. Haha… A few weeks ago, Bryan and I went to Lawry’s for the first time. We absolutely love the food, so I was trying to recreate some of those tasty dishes for Christmas. The end result was not disappointing. The rib roast was pretty juicy and tender. The creamed corn was sweet and creamy. And of course, the dessert came out beautifully. Even though I was so full, I really wanted to eat the whole pavlova! The gooey center was so irresistible  I am going to make them again very soon!

My presents from Bryan this year: Bread cookbook, Converse watch, Egg waffle pan, and The Sound of Music Blu-ray

Overall, I had a great holiday! We did a bunch of things. We went to Santa Monica Pier and LA River. We also spent some time catching up with season 2 Homeland! And we hanged out at home a lot to stay warm. I hope you had a great one too!

Happy 2013!!!

Happy Holidays to you!

 

This holiday, Bryan and I bought some foam holiday crafts from Michaels. We spent a couple of hours putting the foam tree and foam gingerbread house together. They came out great and cute. Then, we had our guinea pig Tuna on a photo shoot. Bryan took some great pictures, and one ended up on our holiday cards.

For our tree, it turned out to be a red, white and blue tree this year. Very American! We didn’t plan on doing that, but it came out beautiful. The holiday corner is just a place where we put some festive things all together. Homer Simpson was originally sitting there already. To make him fit in, I put on a knit hat and a scarf over him. Now, he is allowed to be in the holiday corner. Heehee…

And of course, I made some sweet treat for some families and friends. Chocolate chip cookies and apple cider caramels this year. Hope everyone likes them!

Dear all,

I wish you all a happy holiday! No matter what holiday you are celebrating, I wish you to have some warm and enjoyable time with your loved ones. Happy New Year too!

Best,

Lokness

Thanksgiving Dinner

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! My Thanksgiving meal turned out great! I was most excited about the dinner rolls. Since I have never made it before, it can really turned into a disaster. But at the end, they came out soft and delicious. The turkey legs were flavorful and moist after the brine. The angel food cake came out good as expected. The strawberry sauce definitely dressed up the whole cake. Pumpkin pie was fine, but the crust was a bit hard and dry. I will really need more practices to make the pie crust perfect. Overall, food was good, and I am happy that everyone had a good time.

Turkey legs ready to be roasted

Dinner was served!

Lemon Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Sauce

Pumpkin Pie

Right now, I am trying to get better from the flu. Thanks to my sister who spread me her germs on Thanksgiving day. The good thing is that I didn’t start feeling sick until Sunday. Hope I will be back to normal before this weekend.

Thanksgiving Meal Planning

Thanksgiving is coming up next Thursday. Do you have a plan? I just came up with my menu yesterday. If you are still thinking about what to make, I have some recipe ideas for you below.

Most of my recipes from my menu this year are new recipes, so I am not able to post anything yet. But you can check out some of my older recipes. They may inspire you for your Thanksgiving menu.

Main course:

• Stuffed Cornish Hens

Side dishes:

• Easy Garlic Toasts
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Green Bean Casserole
• Lemon Pepper Honey Toast

Dessert:

• Homemade Banana Pudding
• Mini Pumpkin Pies
• New York Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Cupcake with Cream Cheese Icing
• Pumpkin Gooey Bar

Halloween 2012

This year, we continue with our pumpkin craving. My sister, Hei Man, carved a silly skeleton. I did Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, because I made marshmallows this year. Hahaha… And Bryan carved Homer Simpson. They all came out nicely until today. They are all fuzzy moldy this morning. They were so moldy that I can’t reach in the pumpkins. I wiped them down with some bleach water and cleaned out most of the mold. They should last until tonight. However Homer definitely has turned into an alien, the pumpkin is pretty decayed that the facial lines have changed. Very funny! We will see if anyone can recognize him tonight.

Happy Halloween! Have a great night! Stay safe!

New Addition: KitchenAid Mixer

Three weeks ago, my new KitchenAid mixer finally arrived! I have been wanting that mixer for a few years. I guess every home cook would love to get one. It is a baker’s dream. Yea!!!! Thank you, Bryan!!! I love it!

Buttercup KitchenAid Mixer

After having the mixer for these couple of weeks, I have been trying out many new recipes, like milk bread, cheddar biscuits, marshmallows, cupcakes and cookies. So much fun! Bryan always jokes that he will come home from work one day and find the house stuffed with bread loaves. Haha…. It may just happen one day. Once I have perfect some recipes, I will post them. For now, let me enjoy the exploring. Have a cool and nice weekend!