Scallion Pancakes

Wednesday, July 30, 2008


To accompany our vegetarian Chinese dinner, Ryan and I made scallion pancakes mmmm. I saw this recipe on TasteSpotting a few days ago and thought it looked too delicious to pass up. Ryan was feeling adventurous tonight so he mixed and rolled the dough while I was cooking the rest of the meal. He actually did a great job (usually he's hit or miss with cooking) and the pancakes were quite delicious. Our dough came out a bit dry so we brushed on more sesame oil to compensate. Next time we'll just add a bit more water up front.



Scallion Pancakes
Courtesy of My Kitchen Snippets

2 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of oil
3/4 cup of boiling water (more or less)
4 tbsp of vegetable oil or sesame oil
1 cup of finely sliced scallion

1. Mix the flour and salt together and then add the 1 tbsp of oil and the boiling water to the flour. Mix thoroughly to form a dough then knead for 5 minutes.
2. Form it into ball, cover and let rest in the mixing bowl for 20 minutes.
3. Form into a log and cut into 12 - 16 pieces then roll each piece into a round disk.
4. Brush with oil or sesame oil and sprinkle with scallions. Roll into a cylinder and then coil it into a snail shape. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
5. Flatten the dough with your hand and then roll it out again.
6. Heat up non-stick frying pan over medium heat and brush it with some oil. Pan fried both side until golden brown.
7. Cut into wedges and serve with any dipping sauce of your choice.


Eggs Florentine

Sunday, July 27, 2008


This morning I dragged myself out of bed for a 10am yoga class while Ryan went to the office to prepare for his trip to Vegas tonight. After class, I stopped by Von's to get brunch items and food for the week. On the menu for Sunday brunch: Eggs Florentine. The last time I made this was in college when I was visiting Monkey at Columbia. It is one of my all time favorite brunch items, along with french toast and huevos rancheros. For today's meal, I used Alton Brown's Hollandaise recipe but only made 1/3 of it. I wish I had made 1/2 of it so I could cover the dish with lemon butter goodness but alas this is probably for the best.



Hollandaise Sauce
Courtesy of Alton Brown

3 egg yolks
1 teapsoon water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pour 1-inch of water into a large saucepan; over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low.
Place egg yolks and 1 teaspoon water in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until mixture lightens in color, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and whisk for another 30 seconds.

Place the mixture over the simmering water and whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, or until there is a clear line that is drawn in the mixture when you pull your whisk through, or the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the bowl from over the pan and gradually add the butter, 1 piece at a time, and whisk until all of the butter is incorporated. Place the bowl back over the simmering water occasionally so that it will be warm enough the melt the butter. Add the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Serve immediately or hold in a thermos to keep warm.

Latest and Greatest

Saturday, July 26, 2008

I know I know, it's been a while since I last posted. Don't hate me.

After the vacation, my mom and Uncle Jaime drove down to visit for a weekend, bearing misc edible gifts such as a bag of tomatoes, a bag of plums, and a bag of nectarines - all of which were hand plucked from the fruit trees of friends and acquaintances. We hung around the house during the day while I cut my mom's hair (gave her a cute stylish bob) and while Ryan and Uncle Jaime enthusiastically discussed whether or not we can install satellite tv. That night, we went out to dinner with Ryan's parents at a Thai restaurant downtown named Rama. The first time we went to Rama was about a year and a half ago when I first moved out to San Diego. I remember thinking the food was bland and unmemorable, so I wasn't sure if my mom would enjoy it. However on this trip, it was very tasty indeed and I was glad to have plenty of leftovers to bring home. Afterwards, we walked to Ghiradelli's and ate sundaes.




The next day we took the parentals to Estancia to show them the wedding venue. Everyone thought it was absolutely beautiful - which it is - and it made me excited to think of the big day.

Since then, it's just been work and yoga for me. Yoga has been going well. I really feel my practice getting better. I even had a major breakthrough with inversions and am now able to kick up to handstand on my own whoo hoo. Work has been meh. I've found myself becoming more unenthusiastic and disastisfied with my job but I'm going to suck it up and finish out my main project before I reassess the situation. Unfortunately, Ryan has been out of town last week which of course makes the situation more grim because I don't have someone to comfort me when I'm feeling blue :). But he's back and I'm looking at things with more perspective.

On the wedding front, Ryan and I have made some progress. We picked a lovely photographer named Kristy to document our special day. Her portfolio stood out from the different options we looked at because she is a photojournalist and seemed to really capture the feeling of the moment. Nothing seemed too staged or unnatural. I've also been investigating "green" weddings. I'd definitely like to make our invitations eco-friendly and try to find flowers from local farms and that are in season during our wedding. Might as well do my small part in making the world a better place.

Vaca Part III: Family

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Since I'm about to keel over from writing all these posts, this will be even MORE abbreviated and mostly food related...

Thurs - Riley arrived and we took him to the zoo with Ryan's mom Laura (see earlier post for animal pictures). Met Ryan's dad Ron in Solana Beach and ate at Pizza Port.


Fri - Ate at Elijah's for lunch. Had usual tuna salad sandwich. Went to Ryan's parent's place for 4th of July party. Watched fireworks from their building which is one block from the water.




Sat - Helped Kim, Ryan's sister, move to a new apartment. Ate lunch at panini place across from Kim's old apartment. Went to Miramar Speed Circuit to go go-carting. SO MUCH FUN. Had indian food at Ashoka the Great for dinner. Ordered samosas, saag paneer, channa masala, aloo gobi, chicken curry, and chicken vindaloo, naan, and mango lassi.

Sun - Ran errands and got frozen yogurt from Yogurt World. Watched Wimbolden men's final which we had recorded. Had family over for impromptu bbq. Ate chips and salsa, corn salad, griller burgers, bbq chicken, and grilled halibut. Made micheladas for the first time.

Mon - Met entire family at CPK for Riley's farewell dinner (except Ron who had to go to LA for work). Went to Golden Spoon for dessert. Riley left the next morning for Cinncinati.

And that is the final conclusion of our vacation! This coming weekend, we hope to just relax and do nothing. The only thing planned is a meeting-of-the-parents. My mom and Uncle Jaimie will be coming from LA on Sat so they can meet Ryan's parents before the wedding. Should be fun. I end with a gratuitous picture of the kitties:


Vaca Part II: Las Vegas

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Whew, I really wore myself out describing vaca part I, so this will be a much abbreviated post by comparision. Just as some background, Ryan's aunt Kaye was also visiting Vegas while we were there. She was spending some quality time with her children Michael and Ivy at the Bellagio. Because Kaye is a high roller, she actually gets comp'd for everything at the Bellagio, including meals for her wayward nephew and his fiance hehe.

Mon - Arrived in vegas and checked into Cesar hotel. Room was pretty nice. More contemporary than I expected. Ate a big steak dinner at the Palm. Ordered ridiculously large slice of carrot cake. Bought pair of Jimmy Choo flats on sale whoo hoo. Immediately proceeded to lose a substantial amount of money at craps (stupid $25 minimum) but gained most of it back. Proceeded to lose at blackjack, quickly left the table with head hung in shame.






Tue - Met up with Kaye, Michael, and Ivy at the Bellagio. Went to buffet and ate misc assortment of foods such as sushi and leg of lamb. Went to chocolate shop, drooled over chocolate fountain, and bought some sweets and coffee. Played some more craps, this time at $10 minimum which put us in a much better mood. Made a little of our losses back. Went shopping at the enormous mall at the Cesar. Ran over to the Mirage for a Danny Ganns (impersonator) show with Ivy and her boyfriend Dario. Very much enjoyed the show although it was geared to an older audience and I only recognized about 40% of the people he was impersonating. Met up with Kaye and had dinner at Noodles, a chinese restaurant in the Bellagio. Ordered veggie tempura, fried tofu, barbequed duck, lobster, and chicken lo mein. Hit craps table again and made a little money. Joined Kaye at video poker and penny slots, hoping we could piggy back off her luck. Ended up losing the remainder of our gambling budget even though Kaye won 500 bucks. Went to bed at 4am.




Wed - Woke up and went to the Venetian. Kaye had given us a Venetian gold club card so we could access the lounge and see how the high rollers lived it up. Bizarrely enough, the lounge had free authentic chinese food such as congee. Must have lots of asian gamblers...Went shopping at Barney's which was having a huge sale. Stocked up on things we really didn't need, although we did find a beautiful jacket for Ryan to wear for wedding. Went back to Cesars and left for airport!


And that was the end of our fun filled vacation. BUT the fun was not over since Ryan's nephew Riley was coming to SD to visit the next day. Stay tuned for vaca part III!

Vaca Part I: NYC

Sunday, July 6, 2008


For the last week and a half, Ryan and I have been on a long overdue vacation. The original plan was to visit our old stomping grounds, NYC, and at the same time attend Ryan's family's annual picnic in NJ. However, since we couldn't get a direct flight back to SD using our frequent flier miles, Ryan had the brilliant idea of extending our trip to Las Vegas for a few days. Here's how it all went down...

On Thurs, my friend Jon drove me to the airport at the crack of dawn for my 8am flight. Unfortunately for me, I was sitting next to a very heavy older man who slept (and snored) the entire time. That would have been fine except he smelled slightly strange and had a tendency to lean towards me in his sleep. Maybe I'm no longer used to flying but by the end of the five and a half hour flight, I was incredibly nauseous and claustrophoic - to the point of losing my sanity. The cab ride did nothing for my nausea but at least I could use my credit card to pay (apparently most cabs accept cc now, yay!). Finally, I arrived at the hotel Ryan had been staying at for work. The Fitzpatrick, located in midtown east, was a smidge dumpy and seemed to cater to an Irish clientele (not that there was anything wrong with that) but it was convenient to Ryan's appointments and had a good rate so he tried it out. I got settled and we headed off to Katsuhama for dinner. Many thanks to Hongjoo who originally introduced me to this delicious Japanese restaurant. I had my usual pork katsu with cabbage salad (dressing is to die for) which came with a prawn fried thing, a crab croquette, and a pickled cucumber and seaweed side. In my haste to eat, I forgot to bring my camera to document the meal :(. To end the night, we hit the movie theaters and watched Ironman, which was very entertaining and pretty well done in my opinion.

On Friday morning, Ryan wrapped up the last of his appointments and then we checked out of the Fitzpatrick and into the Empire Hotel over on the west side by Lincoln Center. Neither of us had stayed there before but the pics online seemed great and the price was shockingly good (we were warned that the room was small but hello, it's NYC who cares?). The hotel actually turned out to be a real gem. It was quite hip with it's contemporary decor and rooftop bar. Our room was indeed small but totally acceptable for two people and our bathroom was very chic with wood tiling/paneling? and uber modern fixtures. Loved it.




After dropping off our things, we rushed downtown so Ryan could meet his friend Dave at the east village Y to play bball. Naturally, I meandered down to Soho and immediately engaged in some intensive shopping. It's amazing how quickly time flies when you're digging through racks of clothing. Several hours and purchases later, I had to stop myself and hussle over to my hair appointment on Lafayette. There I had my hair dyed back to its natural color and got it trimmed and layered. Ryan met me at the salon and got his hair cut as well. The total bill was a bit pricey but we were ok with splurging. Hey, we're on vacation right?? Afterwards, we somehow managed to do more shopping - this time at Bloomie's for Ryan - but the purchases were wedding related and therefore justifiable hehe. That night, we revisited Crema, where we had our first date, and enjoyed a romantic dinner for two. The food and micheladas were as delicious as ever. For appetizer, we had ceviche; for entrees, I had a duck dish with fried plantains and Ryan had skirt steak tacos; and for dessert, I had a chocolate creme brulee and Ryan had a trio of sorbets. With full bellies and bags of clothing, we returned to the hotel and called it a night.




On Saturday, we woke up and got ready to drive out to Clifton, New Jersey for Grandma Bea's annual family picnic. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side as every car in the city was rented out except for a lone white cargo van. Yes, the type of cargo van you would expect to drive 20 immigrants across the border in. Apparently, it was also the type of cargo van that made crazy noises when you went over 65mph. Once there, we enjoyed a day of eating and chatting with relatives. This being my second appearance, it was nice to see familiar faces, though I still had a hard time remembering how X was related to Y. Next time, Ryan's mom will have to sketch out a family tree for me to keep in my pocket for reference. The highlights of the picnic were Sophie the dog, cherry picking, and Renee's amazingly decadent chocolate cake with meringue topping which she made to celebrate our engagement.


Later that night, we met up with our friends at Mezzogiorno in the West Village for dinner. It was great catching up with everyone, while at the same time consuming large quantities of food and wine. The appetizers were very tasty while the entrees and dessert were good but not amazing. After dinner, we headed to Von, an old time favorite bar we used to frequent. There we passed the night away.

On Sunday, we met up with Dave at Sarvannas for some Indian dosas (sooo good). Lucky for us, it only rained while we were in the restaurant eating and let up by the time we were ready to leave. The three of us then headed down to the East Village to met up with Brian and Parisa at Brian's apt to watch the European Cup finals. By the way, Brian's apartment is so cutely decorated. I think Brian has found his calling as an interior designer - and no he's not gay. Afterwards, we played wii for a few hours at which time I beat Parisa at boxing while possibly pulling a muscle. It was fun just to relax and hang out, wasting time like we used to in the good old days when we all lived in the e. village. Anyway I'm running out of steam here with this long post so I'll try to speed things up. Ryan and I meant to go to Brooklyn to visit his friend Mason but plans fell through and we just ate dinner at Rosa Mexicana instead. We had table side guacamole, tacos, and micheladas. The corn side dish that came with our tacos was my favorite. I could eat that every day!



After dinner, we went down to the Village Vanguard, a jazz venue where Dave works, and caught a late night show. The music was great and the vibe was very laid back. It was funny watching the crochety old owner yell at Dave and the other employees about random things.




On Monday, we packed up our things and milled around at the Time Warner center to kill time before our flight. Here's a picture of me in front of Per Se, one of the few restaurants with three Michelin stars. One day...one day when we've got 500 bucks to spend on a meal...


Then finally, we went to the airpot and hopped on a plane to Vegas! Stay tuned for part II...

San Diego Zoo

Thursday, July 3, 2008


We're finally back from vaca! I'll post in detail about it later but in the meantime here are pics I took at the San Diego Zoo. Ryan's nephew Riley is visiting for the weekend from Cincinnati so we took him there today with Laura, Ryan's mom. It turned into a great opportunity for me to experiment with my camera. Here are some of my favorite shots.















Afterwards, we ate dinner in Solana Beach at Pizza Port and then went downtown for the most delicious gelato.