It is raining and is cold. So is my heart. The coldness doesn't numb me. Instead, all my senses are so keen. I said no to all activities. I think I need some alone time to retro my days, years, rather than escaping the fact. I tried to exercise and yet the endorphin did not suppress the sadness. Neither did the video games. I have tried hard to kill times, to resist against the negative thoughts, to think less, and to find a way to heal. I told myself crying as I want. You can imagine the eyes are always puffy. I look funny and I am cold.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Brawta
This place has stylish decoration. Exotic type stylish. Something I haven't seen in California. Perhaps it is because the style is more Caribbean. Many wood carvings. Bold color paintings. I could see the passion through the decor. Kind of tropical. I couldn't stop looking around to appreciate this little restaurant. My friend told me there are many Caribbeans in New York. A Caribbean place is not quite special. If you walk around, you will get dozen of them in blocks. True, something normal for New Yorkers. Well, but for me, a Caribbean place is special. My friend brought me to this place since this is her favorite Caribbean place. I am glad to dine there. This New York trip introduced me many new things and gave me much excitement. The Caribbean dish, the cupcake, the pastry, and the performance are the main contributors to the excitement.
My friend said somehow the taste of the Caribbean meal reminds her of Taiwanese food. It's intriguing. She said the chicken dishes are the best in this place. So I ordered a pineapple chicken. She wanted to try something new so she ordered a lamb. She was right. Despite the looking, the tastes are similar to Taiwanese style meals. The late night, I was busy immersing myself into the joy of the dinner and the place.
My friend said somehow the taste of the Caribbean meal reminds her of Taiwanese food. It's intriguing. She said the chicken dishes are the best in this place. So I ordered a pineapple chicken. She wanted to try something new so she ordered a lamb. She was right. Despite the looking, the tastes are similar to Taiwanese style meals. The late night, I was busy immersing myself into the joy of the dinner and the place.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thanksgiving recipe III
A hot soup is always a brilliant idea for cold weather. I have longed for having a good carrot soup for years. Well, a comparable one to my memory. I had a very good carrot soup three years ago in France. Since then, I have been looking for a good one. Perhaps, I can make a good one. I told myself. It could be a good idea, perhaps. I looked for it online and found this recipe. In my memory, the soup has a ginger flavor. Not sure if I tasted any leek flavor. Hesitant to replace the leeks with ginger cubes. Well how about keep the way it is at this time?
What we used for 6 people
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 carrots
- 2 leeks
- 2 cup2 chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks
What we did
- peeled carrots and sliced them
- cleaned leeks and sliced them
- used the food processor to finely chopped sliced carrots and sliced leeks
- melted the butter in a pot
- put carrots and leeks in and raised the heat to medium
- cooked about 10 min
- put chicken broth, salt, and pepper in
- brought the mix to a boil and simmered it for 30 min or until the carrots become soft
- mixed the heavy cream and egg yolks and put the mix in
- cooked about 2 min
- tasted the soup
- used the blender to smooth the soup
The result looked perfect. Of course, the soup was tasty. A not heavy soup goes well with a good dinner. It warms people's hearts and bodies.
What we used for 6 people
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 carrots
- 2 leeks
- 2 cup2 chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks
What we did
- peeled carrots and sliced them
- cleaned leeks and sliced them
- used the food processor to finely chopped sliced carrots and sliced leeks
- melted the butter in a pot
- put carrots and leeks in and raised the heat to medium
- cooked about 10 min
- put chicken broth, salt, and pepper in
- brought the mix to a boil and simmered it for 30 min or until the carrots become soft
- mixed the heavy cream and egg yolks and put the mix in
- cooked about 2 min
- tasted the soup
- used the blender to smooth the soup
The result looked perfect. Of course, the soup was tasty. A not heavy soup goes well with a good dinner. It warms people's hearts and bodies.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thanksgiving recipe II
I have thought to try the spring roll for weeks. The freshness of the spring roll shall please stomachs for the Thanksgiving dinner. This little appetizer turned out well and proved itself as a good complement to a heavy dinner.
What I used
- A package of rice vermicelli
- A package of rice wrappers
- 12 big prawn
- Several fresh basil (not chopped and a nice shape basil made the spring roll look delicious)
- Several fresh mint (not chopped and a good shape mint was another essential element of a nice looking spring roll)
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Dip I)
- Finely chopped peanuts (Dip I)
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce (Dip II)
- 1/4 cup water (Dip II)
- 1 clove minced garlic (Dip II)
- 2 tablespoons white sugar (Dip II)
What I did
- Boiled rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes
- Drained the vermicelli
- Boiled the prawn
- Peeled the prawn and cut in half
- Put some warm water in a big plate
- Dipped one wrapper into the water for 10 seconds to soften
- Transported the softened wrapper to another dry plate and laid it flat
- Put three half prawn, skin outside, in the center
- Put three big basil leaves on top of the prawn, one per prawn
- Put some mint leaves on top of the basil leaves
- Put some vermicelli
- Folded the wrapper starting from the bottom, then sides, then the top
- Turned the finished spring roll to ensure the prawns are on top (look better)
- In a medium bowl, mixed all ingredients for Dip I
- In a medium bowl, mixed all ingredients for Dip II
I made the first one and then had my guests to make the rest. It was fun to make spring rolls. The hard part of this recipe was to prepare all the ingredients. The doing part was not hard at all and fun. The doing part created many interactions among guests. The amazing part was that no matter how the spring roll looks, it always tastes good.
What I used
- A package of rice vermicelli
- A package of rice wrappers
- 12 big prawn
- Several fresh basil (not chopped and a nice shape basil made the spring roll look delicious)
- Several fresh mint (not chopped and a good shape mint was another essential element of a nice looking spring roll)
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Dip I)
- Finely chopped peanuts (Dip I)
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce (Dip II)
- 1/4 cup water (Dip II)
- 1 clove minced garlic (Dip II)
- 2 tablespoons white sugar (Dip II)
What I did
- Boiled rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes
- Drained the vermicelli
- Boiled the prawn
- Peeled the prawn and cut in half
- Put some warm water in a big plate
- Dipped one wrapper into the water for 10 seconds to soften
- Transported the softened wrapper to another dry plate and laid it flat
- Put three half prawn, skin outside, in the center
- Put three big basil leaves on top of the prawn, one per prawn
- Put some mint leaves on top of the basil leaves
- Put some vermicelli
- Folded the wrapper starting from the bottom, then sides, then the top
- Turned the finished spring roll to ensure the prawns are on top (look better)
- In a medium bowl, mixed all ingredients for Dip I
- In a medium bowl, mixed all ingredients for Dip II
I made the first one and then had my guests to make the rest. It was fun to make spring rolls. The hard part of this recipe was to prepare all the ingredients. The doing part was not hard at all and fun. The doing part created many interactions among guests. The amazing part was that no matter how the spring roll looks, it always tastes good.
Thanksgiving recipe I
First and foremost, I wanna share my turkey recipe. I modified the online recipe. The outcome was - a pure awesomeness. The turkey was not dry at all. Juicy and tender. The skin was crispy. Although the preparation took time and efforts, I was quite happy to cook that 17 - 18 bl turkey, especially when I saw smiles from my guests.
What I used
- A fresh turkey
- A chopped carrot
- 2/3 bottle of lemon juice
- A chopped yellow onion
- A package of fresh rosemary
- Several bunches of fresh mint
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
What I did
- Cleaned the turkey especially the cavities and arm bits, dried it inside and outside with napkins
- Inject the lemon juice into the cavities
- Let the turkey sit for 5 min
- Applied the salt and pepper both inside and outside
- Let the turkey sit for 5 min
- Applied the olive ail to the outside, massage the turkey at the same time
- Preheat the oven to 400
- Adjusted the turkey and ensured the turkey was breast down
- Sprinkled salt and pepper generously
- Opened the bottom cavity and put carrot, onion, rosemary, and mint in
- Opened the top cavity and put rosemary and mint in
- Used the turkey's neck skin to close the top cavity
- Casually put the rest of the rosemary and mint around the turkey (e.g., around the thighs, wings, arm bits)
- Put the turkey inside the oven
- Cooked for 2 hours (no heat reduction)
The turkey looked super gorgeous after 2 hours baking. The skin was crispy. The smell was nice and not overwhelming. I was worried if I put too much rosemary and mint. Not at all, I think the amount was just right. The meat was unbelievable. Guests told me that this turkey was by far the most juicy one. I was flattered. Thanks to this online recipe I was able to have a perfect turkey debut!
What I used
- A fresh turkey
- A chopped carrot
- 2/3 bottle of lemon juice
- A chopped yellow onion
- A package of fresh rosemary
- Several bunches of fresh mint
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
What I did
- Cleaned the turkey especially the cavities and arm bits, dried it inside and outside with napkins
- Inject the lemon juice into the cavities
- Let the turkey sit for 5 min
- Applied the salt and pepper both inside and outside
- Let the turkey sit for 5 min
- Applied the olive ail to the outside, massage the turkey at the same time
- Preheat the oven to 400
- Adjusted the turkey and ensured the turkey was breast down
- Sprinkled salt and pepper generously
- Opened the bottom cavity and put carrot, onion, rosemary, and mint in
- Opened the top cavity and put rosemary and mint in
- Used the turkey's neck skin to close the top cavity
- Casually put the rest of the rosemary and mint around the turkey (e.g., around the thighs, wings, arm bits)
- Put the turkey inside the oven
- Cooked for 2 hours (no heat reduction)
The turkey looked super gorgeous after 2 hours baking. The skin was crispy. The smell was nice and not overwhelming. I was worried if I put too much rosemary and mint. Not at all, I think the amount was just right. The meat was unbelievable. Guests told me that this turkey was by far the most juicy one. I was flattered. Thanks to this online recipe I was able to have a perfect turkey debut!
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