le blog de zon

nature documentaries

2011-11-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

I remember watching tons of nature documentaries growing up, especially ones narrated by David Attenborough. Can I just say that I like Earth narrated by David Attenborough better than Sigourney Weaver? I stumbled this youtube clip this morning and I can't help but laugh.

Who knew seals were so friendly.

Volunteer Park

2011-11-24T00:27:00.000-08:00

Seattle was lucky to have some sunshine this past Saturday and I went out for a quick (and brisk walk) at Volunteer Park. I don't remember there being this many leaves hanging around this time last year but this has been a fairly mild fall. Designed by the same Olmsted brothers who are famous for New York's Central Park, Volunteer Park is also the home of the Asian Art Museum. It doesn't take long to walk through the park and so it's nice to go when the conservatory is open. There are 3 separate rooms in there, a very steamy rainforest with lots of orchids and ferns, a cactus room and the special room of the month was the chrysanthemums. I have never seen flowers this big before, they were the size of volleyballs! The best part about the conservatory is that it's free and each season the special exhibit changes.

Going from Home #3 to Home #1

2011-10-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

photo by me

This time tomorrow I will be 2 hours into my 14+ hour jouney back home to Taiwan! While I never actually lived there, it's where I was born and where my family is. I'm going back for 9 days of eating and visiting family (also throwing in a 2 day trip back to Hong Kong, which I consider home #2. I lived most of my childhood there) I had a hard time packing due to the weather situation. It's already becoming very cold in Seattle (think 50's) and Taiwan is still in summer mode with temperatures in the mid 80's! I'm hoping that it won't be too cold the day I get back to Seattle because I will only have a sweatshirt on me for warmth. I can't wait for some good home cooking and real Chinese food!!

Monday questionnaire...on a tuesday!

2011-10-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

I had this all ready to go from Amarixe but forgot to hit post. Thank goodness blogger saves all the drafts!

1.) Mood: excited! I leave for Taiwan on Thursday! It's about 80 degrees over there and I'm having a hard time packing. Fall to me is high 50's and boot weather. I'm suppose to bust out my summer clothes in the fall?!

2.) When making a sandwich, do you care if one of the bread slices is the end of the loaf? I save the ends for the very last sandwich so it's two butt ends together. I don't mind crust but I really don't like the butt ends.

3.) What is the weather like today? Sunny, high of 52

4.) Current nail polish: bare, don't want to bother looking at my chipped nails on vacation

5.) What ring setting do you keep your cell phone on at night: loud or silent? (Or the phone completely off?) My phone is always on silent. I check it quite often (addicted to my crackberry) so I don't every keep the ringer on.

6.) Current outfit: COH kellys, blue silk top and H&M jersey blazer with the suede elbow patches, with my jcrew gold bow moccasins.

7.) What is your favorite Disney movie? Hands down, Little Mermaid!

8.) Can you whistle using your fingers? I can barely whistle let alone whistle using my fingers :(

9.) When doing laundry, do you separate loads (lights/darks, delicates, etc.) or throw everything together?
I only seperate out my jeans, everything else gets thrown in together. So far, I've avoided disasters but it might be time to be an adult and really take care of my clothes.

10.) Weekly goals:
Get the house ready for my housesitter and to not miss my flight! I have yet to miss a flight in my life but my dad will always call me 2ish hours before my flight to make sure I'm at the airport.

Seattle Restaurant Week-RN 74

2011-10-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Seattle Restaurant Week is one of my favorite events of the year. It's a great budget friendly way to try out new restaurants. Usually my friends and I even order off the fixed prix menu just to sample some of the other items on the menu. This past Monday, I went to RN 74. I've walked past it many times downtown but could never find a reason to go. It's got a great vibe and definitely a special occasion type place (at least for me, I don't go to that many nice places :/) One of the main reasons we wanted to go to the restaurant was because we heard great things about the tomato fondue with gruyere grilled cheese squares (which wasn't on the fixed prix menu, we ordered it separately). It definitely was delicious and a great decision on our part to try it. I wasn't feeling all that great towards the end of the meal (not because of the food) so I'll have to go back to try it again. Not that I'm complaining, I give RN 74 two thumbs up.

Etsy Find

2011-10-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've been noticing a lot of arm candy on fashion bloggers this season. I'm not much of a watch wearer let alone any sort of bracelets. I found these while I was perusing Etsy a while back and placed an order with Ayofemi Jewelry. She's got tons of colors and styles to choose from. I had a hard time picking just 3 items to order. I love how delicate they look and the pop of color they bring to my outfits. I can't wait to find more bracelets to add to my arm candy.

Girls weekend in Vancouver

2011-10-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

It was K's 26th birthday back in September and what better way to celebrate than a mini roadtrip to the great white north, Vancouver! It was perfect because there was also a Sounder's away game (which we won by the way :) ). We spent most of Saturday at the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The weather was gorgeous and the view was amazing. I was surprised at how shakey the bridge actually was. It was really hard to keep my balance. We originally were going to go bungee jumping but had to cut it out due to lack of time. It was a nice preview of things to come :)

Wining and Dining..at Smith

2011-10-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Late night stop at Smith for orginally some short rib poutine but they were out of gravy and cheese curds! I had to settle for a glass of champagne and split the short rib entree with a friend. Not quite the same but equally as delicious. I never realized how hard it was to take photos of food in a place where it's mostly lit by candles.

SVC Wayzgoose

2011-08-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know about other cities, but in my opinion, I think Seattle is one of the best cities for "fun on the cheap". This past weekend, I went to the free School of Visual Concepts Wayzgoose event. I stumbled upon it via The Stranger (local Seattle newspaper). I was sold when I read that they used a steamroller to make giant original letterpress posters. It really is a contest for the local letter press houses to see who can make the best poster. The posters are auctioned off at the end with the proceeds going back to the school. The giant posters are hanging in the background of the picture below, drying in the sun.

There was so much to see there! There were a bunch of booths with lots of original cards/calenders/posters and then there was a 'make your own Wayzgoose poster' demonstration! I came out of the event with a class schedule (I'm deciding between a letterpress printing or a photoshop one), free t-shirt, tote bag and tons of free posters! Here is just a few of the posters I got.

The event ticket printed on really nice cardstock with gold edging

Blue Wayzgoose poster I printed

Bookmark/Washington Skull sticker that I got

I ended up buying 6 raffle tickets right before I left...and I won an letterpress print of Mark Twain done by a local artist! I can't wait to go to this event next year!

Agua Verde

2011-08-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Agua Verde is one of my favorite places to grab Mexican food. Though, I don't know if I can really call it authentic Mexican food, it definitely has a Pacific NW twist to it. There's a good variety of the classic Mexican items (like carnitas taco), seafood tacos and vegetarian tacos. I love their yam tacos! Another plus is that in the summer time, they also rent kayaks. I haven't done it but before this summer is over, I'm going to rent a kayak and then grab lunch afterwards. The restaurant was too full so I wasn't able to take a shot of the interior but it looks and feels like the restaurant is in someone's home.

drive in movie...an all american experience

2011-08-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Am I abnormal for not wanting to always go out on a Friday night? Sometimes I just want a mellow night out with a girlfriend :) Since it has been so nice in Seattle lately, we decided to go for a drive in movie! It's a pretty good deal, $8 for 2 movies. The only downside is that we can't change theaters after the first movie. We decided to watch Friends with Benefits followed by Bad Teacher (well, we didn't actually make it to the 2nd movie, FWB was over close to midnight!)

I loaded up the back of the Subaru with a mattress pad and threw in tons of pillows. Voila! Make shift bed and we even brought healthy snacks with us.

All we had to do was wait for the sun to set....

I was surprised at how fun the drive in was. While I don't condone talking during movies, it's nice to be able to talk to a friend without worrying about disturbing my neighbors. The other major plus was bringing in my own snacks! We brought hummus/carrots, cheese/crackers and grapes. I would definitely go back to the drive in again. If only it wasn't a 40 min drive!

I've always wanted...

2011-08-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Pocahontas boots. I don't know what about Minnetonka boots has me wanting them year after year. I usually talk myself out of them due to the fact that they are suede (so fairly impractical in the rainy winters here) and they don't seem that sturdy. I saw this picture recently from Dear Scarlet

Granted, she's so adorable that she can pull anything off, it's made me want Pocahontas boots all over again.

best homemade sandwich ever

2011-08-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

crusty sesame bread, brie, raspberry jam (don't knock it until you try it!), turkey, bacon and spinach. I could eat it for lunch EVERYDAY

coconut cupcakes with lime curd filling

2011-08-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

I felt extra crafty over the weekend and decided to bake cupcakes for my coworkers birthday. She loves all things lemon flavored (lemon bars being her number 1 weakness). I've had this Ina Garten coconut cupcake bookmarked forever and decided that a coconut cupcake with lime curd filling would be the perfect baking challenge. I read over the reviews for the recipe and it seemed like the key to a light and fluffy cupcake was the beat the butter and sugar for at least 5 mins. I decided to use the whisk attachment instead of the paddle attachment just for extra precaution. It seemed to do the trick, the cupcakes came out moist and fluffy. I didn't have a single cupcake left at the end of the day. I'm going to call this a success and giving myself a pat on the back.

I am in love with the mini flower cupcake liners. They are so festive!

I wish...

2011-08-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

I was crafty enough to piece together a fun vacation video like this

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Foodgawker vs Punchfork

2011-08-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Foodgawker ever since it came out. Who needs cookbooks when you have Foodgawker! I'm usually on there towards the last hour of work and I need to madly figure out what I'm going to make for dinner. The one thing I didn't like about FG is that half the time, when it was my turn to try out the recipe, I would fail miserably. At least when I take recipes off of Food Network, there were many reviews/friendly suggestions on how to tweak the recipe to make it foolproof.

I recently found Punchfork which uses real time data (from twitter/facebook likes etc) to rank all the food related blog posts. So the creme de la creme are feature on the front page. I hate to say it (since it feels like a popularity contest) but those recipes have never let me down (I have yet to have a recipe from Smitten Kitchen turn out bad!).

Dahlia Lounge

2011-08-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine another chef in Seattle that has more restaurants than Tom Douglas. Just in South Lake Union he has 4 restaurants in the span of 2 blocks. I went to Dahlia Workshop for breakfast last month.

They only serve biscuits there and fancy ones at that. I got the frittata biscuit.

It definitely was not my light breakfast and by the time lunch time rolled around, I still wasn't hungry. They do seem to have a pretty interesting sounding happy hour that I will have to come back to take advantage of. As for breakfast, I don't know if I would come back again. It wasn't all that special. I'd rather spend my money at the other TD establishments

I finished...

2011-08-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

my first knitting project! A super simple circle scarf but at least I know I will wear it. I'm on the hunt for my next project. I think it will be a scarf again.

lace tees

2011-07-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this website at work today and I fell in love with the coral super distressed tee.

The more I browse the website, the more I realized that the name sounded awfully familiar. I realized that Diana Eng was on my favorite season of Project Runway! I loved Daniel Vosavic and Chloe's Fashion Week collection. I was even given a signed copy of Danny V's coffee table book from a good friend (It said, Zon, Thanks for always rooting for me, Danny V) for Christmas! I think I may have to watch a few episodes now on Netflix. Remember the shenanigans of Santino and Andre? Hands down, best season of Project Runway!

Celine Box Bag

2011-07-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge handbag fiend, I can probably count the number of bags I have on one hand. Of the bags that I have, they are all brightly colored and slouchy. This was pointed out by a guy friend so it really must be very obvious. I keep seeing the Celine Box bag on style blogs and I think it's time to break out of my bag mold. I don't know what it is about this bag but I have the urge to say that I NEED it.

Since I have the extra money to afford a Celine bag nor can I stomach the price tag of one, I'll just have to keep hunting on ebay for a similar vintage equivalent.

Airbnb

2011-07-15T13:08:00.001-07:00

I love traveling and I used to love hotels just as much as I love traveling. It wasn't until summer my freshman year in high school that my love for hotels started to waver. I lived in a hotel for about a month while my family hunted for a house. Living in a hotel for longer than a week started to have it's downfall. No kitchen which meant eating out everyday, we had to do laundry in the laundermat and worst of all, we were essentially living out of our bags the entire time.

I stumbled upon Airbnb about 2 years ago and for my national trips, I've been booking on Airbnb. I have yet to book an international stay but they have some pretty swanky (and very resonably priced apartments!) So far I don't have a single complaint. Some places do ask for a sercurity deposit (but for some reason, I've never had to pay one) and a moderately priced cleaning fee (some don't since I'm actually staying in someone's apartment). I start my search with the location/date of my visit and then I click the whole house/apartment to myself. I don't know know how I feel about just renting a room quite yet. Maybe eventually I'll give that a shot. I pay less than I normally would for a hotel, I have a kitchen (laundry too if I need it) and best of all, wifi and a parking spot! This was the view of the apartment I recently rented in Portland:

I loved it so much that I even looked up the price of an availble unit in the same building. I can actually afford it which makes moving to Portland very tempting.
More pictures of the lovely studio here.

While the apartments are as luxurious as some hotels, it's definitely nice to have some extra cash in the pocket. Plus it makes pretending to be a local much easier!

Grilled Cheese Grill

2011-07-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Even though Portland is not that far from Seattle, I find it hard to stray from the gems I've already discovered. One of the gems is the Grilled Cheese Grill (which has now branched out into a second location-The Double Decker Bus!).

When I first found this place, I was too full having just polished off a slice of pie and chai at the Random Order House. It was too interesting of a place for me to drive by and not stop in. This time around, I arrived on an empty stomach. I really like the interior. They transformed the bus into a little restaurant. Each table comes with a box of Trivial Pursuit so we can quiz each other while we relive our childhood. Half the bus is booths and the other half is "bar" seating. There's a pretty fun mural painted on the ceiling but due to the time of night, it was hard to photograph.

I think it's hard to mess up on grilled cheese and while they do have a few fancier sandwiches on the menu, patrons are really mostly paying for the ambiance. And the fact that they are open until 2:30 am, a good drunken snack!

HH at Smith's

2011-07-12T22:45:00.001-07:00

Sometimes after a long day at work, I just want to meet up with a good friend and catch up over some fries. I can never say no to fries. Especially if they are smothered in gravy and cheese curds. Poutine is hard to find in Seattle and Smith's is one of the few places that as this artery clogging treat on the menu.

This is the first time I've been to Smith's with the windows wide open. Finally summer has arrived in Seattle!

my favorite combo as of late

2011-07-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

I recently added a sparkley gold topcoat (Deborah Lippman Boom Boom Pow) to my growing nail polish collection. I've been adding it to all my manicures because 1) I spent $20 (!? when did I become that person?) on it and 2) a little sparkle adds a little bit of fun in my everyday life.

I also never realized how hard it is to take a good picture of my own hand! Sorry that only my pinkie is in focus. Base pinkish nude color is by Sally Hansen.

4th of July

2011-07-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a relaxing long weekend! 4th of July was never a holiday that I celebrated while growing up but I get why it's a big deal. This year, I kept it low key and stayed at home to enjoy the fireworks. If you look real close, you can see the space needle. Best of all, I didn't have to fight traffic getting home :)

Ballard

2011-07-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

I had to drop my car off to get an oil change today and I decided to take a walk through Ballard instead of waiting in dealership. Since I normally don't go to Ballard to browse, I discovered so many cute little boutiques! I had no idea there was a Dolce Vita store in Seattle! Everything in the store was 25% off and I found a really great pair of flat sandals for only $45 but I decided to put it down (though I may go back for it tomorrow...) Since it was a fairly slow day in the neighborhood, I was able to chat with many of the store owners and ask if I could take pictures inside.

I found a really great mid century modern furniture store but the owner didn't want me to take pictures :(

This little paperie was hidden inside a candle/jewerly store. I loved all the party invites and decorations they had inside

Then I went to Flour bakery and got myself a macaron and a sparkling lemonade. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading my Rick Steves Paris guide (!! Paris!!)

Dinner Club-Volterra

2011-06-30T10:44:00.001-07:00

I'm lucky to have a group of friends who love food as much as I do. Recently, my friend Liz started a dinner club with my coworkers from Crew Cuts. We plan on going to a nice restaurant once a month and go all out. Appetizer, cocktail, entree and dessert, the whole shebang! I missed the first meeting (at Chez Shea) while I was in Boston so I cleared my schedule to make sure I would be able to attend the 2nd meeting at Volterra! The restaurant is named after an Italian Village that the owners got married in. It was a wonderful experience. Our waiter was so friendly and had great suggestions for us. He actually was a patron first at the restaurant and as soon as he heard that there was an opening at the restaurant, he quit his job of 7 years to work at Volterra!

Our Appetizers
Polenta with Wild Mushroom Ragu

Caprase Salad with Smoked Trout

Tart with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes

Salads
Roasted Beets, Arugula and Walnuts (this was mine and was my favorite! I love roasted beets)

Cannelloni Salad

House Salad

Entrees
Pork Jowls and Wild Mushroom (this was my dish and it was so good)

I loved the rustic fat spaghetti noodles in this dish! Spicy tomato sauce with goat cheese and pulled pork

The Wild Boar! Liz was adventurous and went with the recommendation of the waiter. It was also the dish that made him jump ship and work at Volterra

We were so full at this point that we shared 2 desserts. A hazelnut honey panna cotta and a rich chocolate orange cake.

I love the ambiance of the restaurant and the food was delicious. I can't wait to go back and try some of their other dishes. Also a great plus that the menu changes all the time so there is always new things to try.

**All photos taken by L.Lee

first hike of the season

2011-06-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

I think like much of the US, the weather patterns has been a little off this year. I know Seattle has very mild summers but this year it was been slow to warm up. Even though it was still a little damp on Saturday, I still went on a 3.5 mile hike on the popular Mt. Si trail in North Bend. We only went up a little bit of the Mt. Si trail before we veered off onto the Talus Loop. It was a very enjoyable slightly strenuous hike. It was nice not being on the main trail, we only shared the trail with about 6 other hikes.

On our way back down the mountain, I had to constantly step aside to let hiking going up the mountain pass me. Even though we started our hike at 9:30, it was still a little chilly and the entire mountain was covered in fog. Towards the late morning, it felt like I was walking in a greenhouse, so much moisture in the air!

Overall, it was a great hike less than an hour away from the city. I can't wait to go on more hikes. I am always in awe of how GREEN Washington is.

Grim's

2011-06-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to limit myself to only eating out once a week. It's been hard not only because it's the easiest way to lure friends out to hang out but also because there have been a plethora of new restaurants in the Seattle area. Earlier this week, I went to Grim's on Capital Hill, which is advertised as "steam punk meets silent hills". Not quite sure what it means but I loved the vibe of the place. Inside there were a couple rows of reclaimed old fashioned cafeteria tables, the kind where the stools are attached on a swivel head. It's pretty easy to lose your balance on the stools so I can only imagine what would happen after a couple drinks!

I've heard from various people that they have really good grilled cheese sandwiches so that's what we ordered! I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the food but no worries, I'll be back there soon enough to document. I know all the new restaurants are using mason jars but I still love seeing them.

I'd definitely come back to try the other menu items and people watch.

hex nut bracelet

2011-06-24T20:46:00.001-07:00

I've been seeing this diy tutorial float around the blogosphere and decided to make my own out of neon pink twine from Home Depot.

Ignore the scary mannequin hands (how do people take pictures of bracelets?!) I love the gold against the neon pink and the whole project only cost me about $4 to make!

Adventures in May

2011-06-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

In the month of May I went to:

Chicago

To hang out with my one of my closest high school friend who got engaged this year! We had so much fun catching up and exploring the Oak Park neighborhood that we were staying in. It was walking distance to the Frank Lloyd Wright museum and we saw many of his designs in the neighborhood. It was much too short of a visit and I can't wait to go back to explore more of the city.

Boston

To help move Kate (of leblogdekate fame) back to Seattle! It was another quick weekend trip but we also went on a soccer adventure! Team USA vs reigning World Cup champs Spain. I didn't expect the US to win but it would have been nice to see US score a goal. I can't wait to go to a real USMNT game!

tulip festival

2011-05-07T20:49:00.001-07:00

The weather gods must have forgotten about Seattle because we are still stuck in gloomy winter weather. Randomly last Sunday, I got a text from an ex coworker. "Hey Z, it's sunny out, if I treat you to breakfast, want to drive to the tulip festival?" I don't need to be bribed with breakfast for a fun adventure up north. I never believed the hype of how beautiful a tulip field is and honestly, how long can I spend in a tulip field? Well, the answer is 3 hours. Yup, I was there for THREE hours.

Doesn't it seem fake? The farm is huge! They have a garden that guests walk through and breaks down each variety of tulip. Then they have 2 separate fields FULL of tulips. I was a little sad that there was so much red. I wish they had some yellow tulips in the fields!

chocolate macarons :)

2011-02-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

I forgot how much work macarons are but they are so much fun to make! This was my first time making them the French method. I listened to all the advice online and only mixed it 50 times before I piped them out. I waited anxiously for 10 mins before I peeked to check if I had little feet. Success!!

Chocolate macarons with white chocolate raspberry ganache. I had to make 3 batches of the ganache. The first 2 failed so badly. I don't know what went wrong! Ironic how the easy step, the filling, was what messed me up!

caramel corn

2011-02-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to clean out my pantry for the past month or so. In the big pantry clean out, I found a bag of popcorn. I was given a whirly pop for christmas years ago and it makes popping popcorn so much more fun than doing it in the microwave. Every once in a while, fruit just doesn't cut it as a dessert so I whip up a batch of caramel corn. It takes about 15 mins to make and if I put it in an airtight container, it lasts me about 4 days. Not exactly the healthiest of all snacks but I don't make it that often :)

addicted: nail polish

2011-02-05T15:39:00.001-08:00

I don't know if there is anything more blingy than coppery pinky nails! I saw the Butter London Rosie Lee polish when I was in Portland last weekend and I had to have it. This is just 2 coats and I don't see any bit of nails peeking through. I don't even want to think about how long it will take to get it all off :)

rainy days = soup

2011-02-05T15:29:00.001-08:00

It's been wet and dreary here in Seattle lately (though we were lucky enough to have 3 sunny days in a row last week). The cherry tree at the end of the block has started to flower so I keep telling myself that spring is only just a couple weeks away. Soup in my opinion is one of the quickest meals to pull together and I can have it for lunch for at least 3 days. I took this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and added sausage. I can already tell that it will get better and better the more I reheat it. I was too lazy to poach and egg to serve it up a la Smitten Kitchen but I can only imagine how tasty it would be.

Here is my picture.

I used spinach because that was what I had on hand and used more broth than needed (I only had a bit left in the carton and I hate leaving a small amount that is good for nothing).

about 1 month behind

2011-01-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

I'm not great at keeping new year's resolutions but here are a few things I want to accomplish this year...
-run a 5k
-finally going bungee jumping
-buying my scooter
-take a really great picture and get it printed on canvas
-visit Chicago
-get 1 more stamp in my passport (to a place I've never been)
-clean out my closet and maintain it (I have WAY to many things I don't wear and I don't think I would miss it if I sold/donated it)
-start doing volunteer work
-figure out what I want to go to school for and actually do it.

cardis

2010-12-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

Working at J.Crew has taught me a few things about putting myself together. One of the quickest way of looking pulled together is to throw on a cardigan. (Actually part of the dress code at J.Crew is that you always need a 3rd piece, cardigan, vest or blazer) As a result, I've accumulated more basic cardigans than one person should own. I've definitely curbed my jcrew shopping quite a bit since I work at Crewcuts now and I don't have many friends who have kids. Until I found out that I can fit into size 14 there...well only size 14 boys on top. I came to the realization when I was closing down the store and was folding this caridgan.

It is one of the softest and coziest cardigan I've seen in a while! It probably doesn't hurt that it is also cashmere. I might wait for it to get marked down again before it gets added to my cardigan rotation.

Toulouse Petit Breakfast HH

2010-12-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Whoever came up with the idea of breakfast happy hour is a GENIUS. Unfortunately it only runs Monday-Friday when most people have to work but it does start a personal day off with a bang :). Toulouse has everything on their breakfast menu (with a few expetions of pricer items with crab but even then at $9) for $6. I've been told that their caramel french toast is "the bomb" and their bengiets are pretty good too. I'm really more of an eggs benedict person so I was torn between the french toast and their classic eggs benedict. Luckily I went with 2 other friends and we decided to splurge...we each got our own dish and split the caramel french toast AND bengiets. I mean come one, when were we all going to be free in the morning of a work day again? It was well worth it. The french toast truly was amazing. Sweet but not too sweet and light and fluffy on the inside. I've never had bengiets before but I can say that they were delish esp with the espresso anglaise dipping sauce that came on the side.

I forgot to take pictures of the bengiets before we attacked it, better luck next time I guess.

Pine State Biscuits

2010-12-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

I saw Pine State Biscuits featured on Diners, Drive-in and Dives and was sort of tempted to go. It was the raving reviews on Yelp that pushed me over. I think had it not been featured on tv, I wouldn't have picked this place to try. I love biscuits but fried chicken is not my thing.

First of all the place is small but very cozy. Just a few tables but a huge bench outside for people to eat their food.

Since there was already a line out the door, I had plenty of time to decide what I wanted to try.

I think in reality I should have tried one of their specialities but I went with the Mcinsley with the fried chicken, mustard, honey and pickles. It was super messy to eat so no pictures of the yummy sandwich. I'm glad I decided to try PSB, I'd definitely come back again!

me + sports

2010-12-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it happened but I've become slowly addicted to more and more sports. Soccer is the only one that I try to make an effort to watch but I've been making a bigger attempt to catch all the various sporting events in Washington. I went to a Marniers game last year, many Sounders game and went to a Thunderbirds game. I don't understand a lot of football (esp why it takes 3 hours to play a game that should only take 1 hour) so I haven't yet made it out to a Seahawks game. A couple months ago, I made a trip up to Vancouver. Vancouver and Portland are my 2 go to places whenever I get bored of Seattle. This time, I timed it so I was going to the season opener of the Vancouver Canucks. What I didn't know that it was their 40th anniversary of being in the NHL. Not only that, but they were playing the exact team (to the DAY) 40 years ago. I really lucked out because they had a cool ceremony in the beginning with highlights from the first game and brought out many members of the original team. They also gave each person a special pin to commemorate the day. Not wanting to spend $100+ on a jersey, I got a shirt to support the team. It was a great game, super exciting and I can see why people get addicted to the game.

Toulouse Petit

2010-11-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

This year I managed to go to 4 restaurants during restaurant week. My favorite out of all the ones (even though they were all excellent) was Toulouse Petit in the Queen Anne neighborhood. Although they are famous for their Breakfast Happy Hour (which I've heard from multiple people that it's amazing and I'm going on Thursday) I went for dinner (3 course meal for $25).

The atmosphere in there is so cozy. There's candles all over the wall and big cushy booths to sit in. Service is great and the food was resonably priced with huge portions (even during the restaurant week promotion). I had the fried chicken gumbo, fresh pasta with pine nuts/chanterelles/sage and white chocolate bread pudding. Sorry for the lack of food pictures, it was dark in there :) Definitely be prepared for the breakfast happy hour pictures!

flecks of gold

2010-11-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

Like everything else in my life, I go through waves of being obsessed with one thing or another. Not too long ago, I was really into nail polish. I would change the colors before it even started to chip. Then I stumbled upon this gold flecked top coat by Rococo. After some intensive googling for pictures, I decided I MUST have it.

I can't wait to play with other color combos!

Banana cupcakes? Muffins?

2010-11-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? Is it really just the frosting? I was reading an old issue of Bon Appetit and saw this recipe for banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. It really just is banana bread in muffin form with a good serving of peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Maybe by calling it a muffin it's less caloric? Regardless, it was delicious and I would make it again.

pumpkin bread with nutella

2010-10-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

To me fall equals pumpkin ravioli and hot apple cider. I had a couple minutes to spare at the end of the day so I decided to spend it browsing foodgawker. A co-worker pointed out how delicious this recipe looked. Direct quote, "You HAVE to make this, Zon, it's making me salivate, it looks SO good. I surprisingly had all the ingredients for it so I made it a mission to make it the same night.

I had enough batter to make 3 mini loafs. I bet they would be great muffin sized too! I can't wait to taste test it tomorrow.

yum yum yum

2010-10-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the time to do any sort of fun cooking (or baking for that matter) but as soon as I have time to think about what I want to cook, I am making this recipe. Is there anything better than gnocchi mac and cheese?!

Recipe here

oh hot water

2010-10-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

So far, this has been the worst month out of the year for me. In the back of my mind, I keep thinking, it can't get any worse than it already is. Friday night, I did a Crewcuts roll out, crashed at 7 am and got up 11. Bummed around the house (cleaned and watched a lot of soccer) then I went out for about 2 hours shopping with a friend. I got home ready for a hot shower and bed (call me lame but it's really hard to recover working from 9pm-7am!) I stand in my shower waiting for about 5 mins waiting for the water to heat up. Thinking, hmm, it normally doesn't take that long for it to heat up, I jump back into clothes and go check out the hot water heater. No pilot fire. GREAT, one more thing to add to my awful month. 45 mins on Sunday + $350 lighter, I temporary have hot water. I still need a part to fully fix my water heater but I'm crossing my fingers that I can avoid that for at least a couple more weeks. 2 days without a shower really makes me wonder how people go a whole week camping!!

headbands

2010-09-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

The only downfall with short hair is that the growing out process is so unflattering. I'm at the stage where it just skims my shoulders and flips out at all the awkward angles. I'm starting to think that the only chic way to do it is to wear more headbands.

Although at times, it makes me feel like I'm 5, it sure beats the same hairstyle every single day!

green tea macarons w/ white chocolate ganache

2010-09-28T19:51:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that I didn't do a whole lot when making these. My friend Liz who is in baking school used a recipe that she got in class. I pretty much let her take over my kitchen while I helped sift and measure ingredients. They were SO GOOD. I must get back to making macarons again.

Fall in Seattle

2010-09-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone complained that summer was too short this year in Seattle. It didn't reach over 80 too many days which was fine by me. Upper 70's = the perfect day in Seattle. We are not equipped for hot weather since no one here has air conditioning. Now that it has started to rain daily, I can bust out my boots and hunter wellies. Even though I already have way to many pairs of boots, I still like to browse through the stores to see what they are offering. I saw a pair of the Loeffler Randall Riley boots in black at Nordstroms and I instantly fell in love with the zipper at the back.

But who has the money to spend $900 on trendy boots?! Luckily, Steve Madden already has a k/o for a fraction of the price.

c25k again...

2010-09-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know how people always manage to exercise everyday (I struggle with every other day!). I think somewhere between balancing a full time job and a pt job, I always fall off the c25k train. But nothing like new flashy sneakers to get me back on board. That and the fact that I'm going to give myself a deadline of running the jingle bell run December 12th. I just need to get it over and done with!

bullet points

2010-09-14T22:04:00.001-07:00

the fastest way to update my blog!

got a promotion at work, yay!
took a vacation to California, San Fran and Santa Monica
slowly working my way through Rosetta Stone-Spanish (it's hard!)
got some spiffy new running shoes (tentatively going to run the Jingle Bell Run 5K in December)
made some green tea macarons (they were amazing!!)
brought tickets to the season opener of the Vancouver Canucks (!!! So excited about this)
got a crock pot and made delicious hoison pulled pork

pictures and real posts to follow soon!

I love lists

2010-08-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Especially food related lists. Every time Seattle Magazine releases a Top (fill in the blank) of Seattle I ALWAYS buy it. I now have the issues on burgers, restaurants, desserts and I would have breakfast if I didn't lend it out to a friend (sad, it was the best issue! Luckily, the article is online) Yesterday at the grocery story, I saw that they had an issue about SANDWICHES. I haven't heard of half the places in there and I can't wait to eat my way through the issue. Any takers? I want to try at least 1-2 sandwiches from each category!

Portland Haul

2010-08-02T18:30:00.001-07:00

Even though I'm off the clothing ban (I had to get some new clothes for work), I ended up spending more on books than I did on clothes on my recent trip to Portland. No trip is complete without a trip to the Waffle Window! This time I had to try the chocolate dipped waffle along with the 3 B's (Bacon, Brie and Basil) and I can't believe it took me so long to try it. It was amazing.

I could spend hours and hours in Powells. I can't imagine how much money I can spend there! This was only after about 45 mins of browsing. I had to put a few books back and email myself the titles so I can borrow them from the library. I never really wanted to read Eat, Pray, Love but the movie trailer made it seem pretty interesting. Everything else I brought based on the back and I hate to admit, on the cover. I miss reading!

Tuesday night dodgeball

2010-07-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday and Friday nights on Capital Hill means dodgeball in Cal Anderson Park. I stumbled upon this about a year ago and I wander by every once in a while. There is something that I love about watching people get hit in the face. I'm a closet violent sports fan (hi hockey and rugby!). Here is a crappy video I took of the mad dash to get a ball.

It only gets rowdier and rowdier as the night goes on. It's a great way to just chill with friends on a Tuesday night.

lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes

2010-07-10T11:28:00.001-07:00

The best part of the weekend is having the time to make a real breakfast! I have to admit that I rarely get pancakes when I go out for bunch because omelets are more enticing to me. I saw this recipe on the Food Network (Secrets of a Restaurant Chef) The recipe didn't call for blueberries but I had a carton from my CSA box that I needed to use up. It tastes even better with them. Again they were light and airy due to whipping up the egg whites separately.

gooey coconuty goodness

2010-07-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

I've been slowly cleaning out and reorganizing my pantry. One thing that I seem to keep buying is oddly enough coconut milk. I'm slightly addicted to making green curry for dinner since one batch can last me 3-4 meals. So when I found 4 cans of coconut milk hidden in the back, I decided to make the Triple Layer Coconut Custard Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as the original recipe, so I am posting her picture.

It's a little tedious to make but so worth the time. Even the cake by itself is worth the extra dishes it takes to separately whip up the egg whites. I can't wait to make this cake again!

my oh my

2010-07-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

another bazillion days since I last updated. I can't help it! it's World Cup time! So besides watching a ton of soccer, I've managed to sneak away and watch The A-Team.

Now before y'all judge me, there is a backstory to why I went to see The A-Team. Remember a while ago when I went to Vancouver and we accidentally walked on to the set? Well, they didn't let us cross the street so we weren't really "on" the set. I had to watch the movie to see what they were doing in that specific scene! It actually wasn't all that bad. Definitely action packed and who can really complain about Bradley Cooper right?

early moring shopping

2010-06-19T07:19:00.001-07:00

'roid love

2010-06-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out boxes from under my bed (I was looking for a dress that I swear I didn't donate) and I found my box where I stashed my polaroid cameras. Why do I have them in a box and not running through the city using them? BECAUSE THEY STOPPED MAKING FILM FOR THEM. I brought up as much as I could before I stopped seeing them instores/online. I think I have 3 more boxes left in my fridge. Luckily, there is a company out there who wants to revive the art of instant film and brought polaroid's film making machines. Unfortunately for me, no matter how often I check, they haven't restocked since they debuted the new film. For now, I'll just have to keep checking and store my camera back safely in the box.

It doesn't really look like much, does it? If you pull up on the part that's sticking up....

and the camera pops out!

It's an SX-70 model if anyone is curious and the tab part that you pull on is the view finder. The fun thing about the camera is you have to manually focus and you get to see your images right away!

messenger bag

2010-06-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Since I've been getting into a habit of walking home from work (yay, 2.6 miles!), I've been on the look out for a nice leather messenger bag. Not that it's a good enough reason to justify a purchase but it's annoying adjusting my regular bag because it keeps slipping off my shoulder! Here are my 2 contenders

or I can go back to using my timbuk2 bag that I used for school. Practical but not nearly as cute.

SF recap

2010-06-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, can I say that time is flying incredibly fast and now it's June?! Not that it feels like summer with the Seattle rain, summer is really just around the corner. I was super lazy after I got back from my weekend trip from San Fransisco and just uploaded my photos off my camera. I had a great time and can't wait to go back again.

Started off the trip with dimsum in Chinatown.

It took us a while to find the official gate of Chinatown.

Followed it up with ice cream from Ghirardelli's though we were not the least bit hungry. I could have easily shared the sundae but for some reason it didn't occur to us to split one.

Then dinner that night, we went to the burger bar of Hubert Keller fame. It was super tasty and they had sweet potato fries! Luckily, the next day we planned a lengthy bike ride to burn off all the calories.

We were warned that the bike route we were going to take wasn't easy and the guy who got our bikes ready questioned us to make sure we really knew what we were getting ourselves into. Apparently, no map of SF is drawn to scale and it's TRUE. At least it was gorgeous out and the views were amazing.

We thought we biked 20 miles (that's what the map said) but in reality it was close to 17. I still like to say 20 miles because it sure felt that way with all the hills. We ended the night with a night tour of Alcatraz.

They opened up the hospital on the 3rd floor and I would be lying if I said it didn't creepy me out. The place gives me the heebie jeebies!
I don't know why it looks so bright, it was close to sunset when we were there.

Definitely some gorgeous views of the city from the rock.

Whirlwind tour of SF and great times with friends. I can't wait for our reunion back in October!!

Full Circle Farm

2010-05-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

I guess I never shared the farm that is supplying my CSA box. I ended up going with Full Circle Farms. It seems like a reasonable price, delivers to my door and I can change/preview the weekly selection online. They also allow me to swap out any of the fruits/veggies that I don't want. I even had a service rep call me after my first box to see how things went and if I could give them some feedback. My next box is this coming Monday and this is what I have coming:
Spinach, Arugula (which I swapped out for green onions), fingerling potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers, mangos (which I swapped out for pears), white peaches, strawberries (which I swapped out for green beans) and valencia oranges. It's going to be great to get my new box on Monday. I am excited for my peaches!

I'm taking off tomorrow

2010-05-19T22:02:00.001-07:00

for SFO! I'm so excited! It's only my 2nd time there but this time around, I'll have a local tour guide who has also graciously hosting me until Sunday. I won't be taking my trusty dslr with me since I want to travel as light as I can but I'll still take plenty of pictures. See you when I get back, readers :)

SIFF

2010-05-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Starting next Thursday, The Seattle International Film Festival aka SIFF starts. Last year, I was encourage to go by a friend and ended up loving the 2 movies I saw. The Swimsuit Issue is on Comcast On-Demand if anyone wants to check it out. It's about a group of men starting their own synchronized swimming team and it's hilarious. K and I have been trying AGES to find this movie on dvd so you can imagine how shocked I was when I saw it on On-Demand.

This year, I am volunteering! Mostly because I can get free tickets to movies. I'm all about the free stuff :) I can't wait for the film festival to start.

Sperry topsiders...are MINE!

2010-05-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

I totally love them even though I call them my 'frumpy old man shoes'. No joke, ask my friends at work. It's how I described them and one of them proceeds to tell me that it's cute and all the kids at local high school are wearing them. Like Kate, said, they really do look better when they are all broken in. I will be rocking these all summer long so outfit ideas/suggestions will be much appreciated!

Tortellini Salad

2010-05-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

I found a decent salad to use up my vegetables from my CSA box on Apartment Therapy. I like how there is tortellini in the mix to make it more of a substantial meal. I've had it for lunch the past 2 days and I'm not tired of it yet! I used broccoli/radishes/mushrooms instead of the ones listed in the recipe since that was what I had on hand and it worked out just fine. The dressing is a little bland so on the 2nd day I mixed in mustard with a bit more olive oil. I think I can probably find a better dressing for the salad but now now, it works.

picture from Apartment Therapy.

Williams-Sonoma

2010-05-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's just me but I get excited when I receive the glossy W-S catalog in the mail. I love browsing and imaging what else I can shove into my kitchen that already has no more storage. Last summer, I gave in and brought the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. I made about 5 batches of ice cream that summer before I put it away. I am determined to bust it out again this year and at least make 8 different types of ice cream. The year before that, I brought the Cuisinart Griddler. I use that sucker at least 2-3 times a week! It has earned it's spot on the counter next to my rice cooker. I really like the fact that the plates come off for easy cleaning. I think I'll be good this year and not get anything from the catalog but if I could, I would totally get this badass blender!

I got sucked into watching the infomercial on tv and now all I think about is the different smoothies I can make all summer long....with the HOMEMADE ice cream that I make.

why I jumped out of bed at 6am

2010-05-10T07:31:00.001-07:00

Today I got my first shipment from a local CSA! I got inspired by K who is getting one from her BIL's farm. I'm getting it every other week (delivered on Monday) and I was surprised how big the box was!

It's got a nice mix of fruits and veggies. I got 4 apples, 5 oranges and a MANGO! The mango is a little random and I had to double check my list to make sure I wasn't going crazy...Veggie wise I got, lettuce, carrots, radish, mushrooms, tomatoes, purple tomatoes, spring onions and broccoli.

Notice that I subbed in the tomatoes? I originally had strawberries and since I'm not a huge strawberries fan, I'm glad they allowed me to change it. They also give a couple recipe suggestions which I appreciate!

Sperry topsiders

2010-05-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

It might be because I see these on my fellow employees at Crewcuts and in the J.Crew catalogs but I've been bitten by the boat shoes bug. I keep waffling over if I will really wear them. I think they may be one of those, "looks cute on others but I won't wear them" things. We'll see though...they are on sale this week at Nordstrom.

The countdown has begun!

2010-05-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

15 more days and I'm off to San Fransisco! I am so excited! This time I am going for longer than just 2 days and doing more of the touristy stuff (plus visiting a close friend!)

sorry blog!

2010-05-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

for not posting in ages! I haven't done anything blog worthy lately (or at least I think so) so I'm sharing a few things that I've bookmarked but never posted about. One of them is a blog called They Draw and Cook.

Here is a recent example of the type of stuff they post on there.

I just love this illustration! It reminds me of the drawing style of the Little Golden Book series that I read when I was growing up. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here is a cover of one of the books.

I am also crazy addicted to Design*Sponge. Specifically the before and after pictures. I wish I had the design eye that others have. It's hard to tell that it's the same room! I think everyone has the same dream of buying an old run down house and flipping it to something amazing.

chocoate cupcakes

2010-05-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a go-to chocolate cupcake recipe and I decided to test one out by Ina Garten. I got mixed reviews from the people that I gave them out to. Some felt it tasted chocolately enough and some said it was too sweet. It definitely isn't a fancy cupcake since it was made with hersey's chocolate syrup but it definitely was chocolatey enough for me.

Ingredients

1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
11 fluid ounces chocolate syrup (recommended: Hershey's)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
Candied violets, for decoration, optional

Directions

Line muffin pans with 12 paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly in the pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache. Decorate with candied violets, if desired. Do not refrigerate.

July 25th

2010-04-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Season 4 of Mad Men starts back up July 25th! I started watching this show at the end of Season 1 and managed to catch up (thanks to On Demand) in 3 days. I am a huge fan of marathoning shows on dvd. I usually can manage to stay away from my regular shows (3o Rock and HIMYM) but I couldn't resist tuning in every Sunday to watch. I can't wait for it to start back up!!

Eugenia Kim for Target

2010-04-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

The one thing that sucks about living near a university is that the Target is so picked over. I went to Target to check out the Eugenia Kim for Target line on Sunday (the day it was released) and half the display was empty already. Either the collection got put out early or I was blind and didn't see the rest of it. I rarely wear hats (usually on rainy days) but I think I would wear this sucker in the summer when I walk home from work.

I just love the mint green color!

Marination Mobile

2010-04-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Today for lunch, Jackie and I walked down to check out the famed Korean taco truck here in Seattle. Holy cow, the line was super long!! It was well worth the wait. I wasn't very hungry and just got the Ahola slider (pictured in the magazine cover) and it was delicious! The slider had a crunch slaw and kahula pork. They also have 4 different kind of tacos (including a tofu one!), kim che quesadilla and kimchee fried rice. I think it might become a regular stop for us every Monday.

nailpolish

2010-04-18T17:08:00.001-07:00

People always comment that I wear really dark shades on my nails and then I realized I only own dark colors. So I got some fun bright colors for spring!

Just ignore the slate color...I just had to have it.

new camera toy!

2010-04-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting a medium format film camera FOREVER. One of my favorite photographers on flickr has this model so I've been slowly collecting bits and pieces. I started with just the body and got it for a great deal on ebay. It's missing the battery cover but it still works without it. I took it to a local camera store to get it cleaned and the owner of the store sold me a lens for cheap. I've had the body for at least 7 months but I still couldn't use it because I didn't have a viewfinder or screen. I got the view finder on ebay but it took forever for a screen to appear. Almost 9 months AFTER I got the body, someone finally listed a screen so now I finally have a complete set! I downloaded the manual and I just ordered some film for it. Hopefully next weekend, I can take it out to play!

saturday night = roller derby night

2010-04-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw Whip It, I really wanted to go to a Rat City Rollergirls bout. I went to the exhibition match (since it was the end of the season) and while it was exciting, it was no where as exciting as a real bout. So when P called me up to first ask if there was a Sounders game (wow, my friends know me well! and since there wasn't) invited me to go to the bout, I jumped on the chance. I secretly love violent sports (but no blood, please) so I thought this would be right up my alley.

These girls are brutal on the rink. One of the crowd favorites, Anya Heels, was the hardcore, she would send the girls flying and ended up in the plenty box. She was pretty much sitting there for the 1st half the match.

I ended up rooting for Team Throttle Rockets (mostly because we were sitting in their supporter section) and they ended up losing by just 1 point. It was amazing because it was all because of Voltron 3000 who made up the deficit of 25 points to bring them to a neck to neck battle until the end. Another bonus was that we ended up setting a national record in attendance for a derby with a crowd of 5,600+ spectators. I am bummed that I will have a Sounders game the next match because I really want to go to another match.

I took a video but it didn't load probably on to flickr, I'm posting it anyway even though it wasn't one of the more exciting rounds of the night.

PS: Sorry, P, if it seemed like I wasn't totally with it at the rink, I HAD to check up on the Sounders. I swear, I had a TON OF FUN.

ready for an easy breakfast?

2010-04-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Dutch Babies aka German Pancakes in muffin tins!

It only takes about 20 or so minutes to make these lovely treats. Maybe I didn't fill mine as full as recipes says but I ended up with 36 instead of 24. If I had berries, I would have filled it with that but instead, I just had them with lemon juice and powdered sugar!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
blend all the ingredients together
butter the muffin tins
fill the tins about 1/2 full
bake for 15 mins

See, easy peasy!
This is how puffy they are right out of the oven

and literally just a minute later

Wednesday = trivia nights

2010-04-07T23:13:00.001-07:00

at the Kangaroo & Kiwi with the ladies at work!!! I really thought we would at least place in the top three today (the pot can get up to $200!!) but unfortunately we didn't.

This is only the 2nd time I've been here and we definitely did much better this time than last time thanks to the parents of a team member. I think it's hilarious that my contribution to the team was actually a SOUNDERS question. That and figuring out that one of the pictures in the picture round was Steve Zahn. It was so much fun and I'm definitely going to come back for trivia nights.

how lovely are these cookies?

2010-04-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

I saw these cookies on another blog and they are so much fun! They were made for an 80's themed party. Too bad I don't have much luck with sugar cookies. These are tempting enough to make me want to try again.

oh sounders

2010-04-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

2 games in a row in the freezing rain!! Luckily this time around, my friend Liz and I were smarter and wore rainboots and got us some hand warmers to keep us warm. Seattle hasn't gotten the memo that it's April and it should start to get warmer. Because it was raining I only took a few pictures.

Thanks, Liz, for braving the rain with me!!

photo by Liz L!

a late wishlist wednesday post

2010-04-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been browsing J.Crew's website quite as religiously as I used too. I was working at Crewcuts on a slow Saturday and my friend was showing me a dress on J.Crew's sale section. I hadn't browsed it in so long that there was NEW stuff in the sale section that I've never seen before. Surprise surpise, all 5 items this week come from J.Crew.

1) these gladiator sandals in the dark brown (sold out online already! There's pictures in the current catalog)

2) Emilie Leather Mocs

3) Bisbee Satchel

4) Grey checkered shirt

5) tiffany blue jackie cardi, there's a vintage zebra print cardi in the catalog that is also sold out online. If I wasn't on a ban, that sucker would be sitting in my closet.

orange chocolate cupcakes

2010-03-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

I think these will be my after work project. It'll be my treat for cleaning up the house! You'd think with all the rain that we've been getting would make me more productive at home but it hasn't.

It looks like it should be fairly easy to make these.

Recipe
1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
Replace Water with Orange Juice
Replace Oil with Grape Seed Oil
1/2 Orange Zested
Follow box directions with the added and replaced ingredients. For parchment cupcake papers cut 3 1/4” squares and squish down into cupcake pan.

ORANGE ZEST ICING
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
8 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
3 Tablespoons Orange Juice (add more juice if needed)
1 Orange Zested
Mix all the ingredients until smooth. Use a round piping tip to pipe the icing. Zest an additional orange for to garnish and sprinkle a little sugar on top.

pictures from design*sponge

new obession

2010-03-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Madeleines. All I need is a pan to make them.

Pictures courtesy of thekitchn.com

cheesey crackers!!

2010-03-21T18:49:00.001-07:00

omg, these crackers (puffs?) are SO good. I've been sneaking them none stop since they've been out of the oven. I didn't roll them out as thin as they should have been (it's hard to roll out chilled dough and I got tired) so they are crispy along the edges and slightly chewy in the middle. I used pepper jack cheese since that was all that I had in the house and I would probably use that again. I think next time I will try to roll them out thinner to give it more of a crunch.

Recipe is over at Home Cooking in Montana

Greenlake

2010-03-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

Since it was so nice outside this morning, I decided to take a walk around Greenlake. There also happened to be a high school crew meet going on there! Lots of people/dog watching. I think I pretty much decided that I need to get a labrador in the near future. We saw the cutest black labrador pup! My friend Paula spied a hummingbird along the water. I inched closer to take a picture but it flew away.

(I don't know what crazy setting my camera was on, the sky was NOT this blue today)

After 1 lap around the lake, we ended up walking up to Hiroki's (thanks, Hollin, for the rec!) to get a treat. I ended up getting the orange roll and it was delicious! So much better than the lemon ones I made!

THEN I went to get sushi for lunch. All in all, a GREAT Saturday!

cherry blossoms and a shout out!

2010-03-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks goes to my friend, Jimmy, for tip about taking photos from the art building in the Quad. I've been wanting to go to the Quad and take photos of the cherry blossom at UW but either I get off too late or it has been raining. Finally a sunny day and a free afternoon came around and I managed to get a few shots in. I might head out there again tomorrow morning to get shots without shadows.

NUTELLA

2010-03-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

I have a couple snacks that I can never have in the house. One of them happens to be nutella. I can go through a COSTCO sized jar in about a week. I eat it on toast for breakfast, as a snack with peanut butter and the best (worst health wise) is to dip Trader Joe's peanut butter pretzels in it. I just never get tired of the chocolately goodness. Luckily, my friend Paula got me a couple of the nutella single size packets so now I can enjoy it in the proper amount.

Photo by: Shiner.Clay

hmm, sticky lemon rolls

2010-03-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

As I'm typing up this post, my own batch of sticky lemon rolls is sitting on my counter rising. I don't have great luck with yeast so hopefully it turns out somewhat edible. It's always hard baking on a work night. Mostly because I can't put off cleaning the dishes like on the weekend. The picture from The Kitchn will have to do until I bake the rolls off tomorrow.

Recipe

Wishlist Wednesday

2010-03-17T22:46:00.001-07:00

I haven't done one of these in a while. Here's what is on my mind:

1) Love this giant tote. Not that I need another bag! Bag is made by Dirkab on Etsy

2) Branch bobby pin by Woodland Belle

3) These terrariums. I'm not quite sure where they are from, I just bookmarked the image and not the website.

4) Polaroid camera necklace. One of these days, I'll do a post on all the polaroids that I have. Too bad they stopped making film because all of them are still functional!

5) This lovely mini to-do list chalkboard. I always have such lofty goals to become organized and it never happens. Maybe this is my final push?

Last post about PDX

2010-03-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

Figures the last thing I have left to post about Portland is about food!!

We went to Random Order Coffee House to get some of their famous pie and chai! They have a huge selection of pie (sweet and savory). I ended up going with Meyer Lemon and it was delicious. Just tart enough to not be overwhelming.

The last find of Portland was a COMPLETE accident. We were driving from Random Order Coffee House on our way back to I-5 to drive north when we came across this sign.

It is a school bus turned GRILL CHEESE RESTAURANT. How amazing is that!!! Not that we were very hungry (especially after pie) but we HAD to get something.

(click to enlarge menu)
The tables on the bus have yearbook photos and each booth has a little box of trivia to keep patrons busy while waiting for food.

The ceiling of the bus has a great mural. I was only able to capture part of it.

There is still so much to explore in Portland and I can't wait to go back again!

good cloudy day project

2010-03-14T14:32:00.001-07:00

For Christmas, I made some of my friends monogrammed tote bags via the tutorial on design*sponge (tutorial)

Here is mine (sorry, took the picture at night)

Now I just need to make one for myself!

guess what came in the mail today!

2010-03-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

My season tickets for the Sounders!!! Maybe only 1 other person is as excited as I am to get them. So for you non-Seattlites, might as well skip this post ;)

rave green box!

open box

scarf/ticket book

tickets!!

scarf!! The beginning of the season is almost here, I'm so so excited.

I love J.Crew but it apparently doesn't love me :(

2010-03-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but I am addicted to J.Crew. When I worked at Anthroplogie, I only brought a cardigan and a dress (after working there for a little under a year). At J.Crew I could find something that I want every time I walk in there. Luckily, I work at Crewcuts now and I don't have anyone to buy for. Money saved! I was going online to browse the online catalog when I noticed that the title says "Access Denied"! Luckily it's not blocked but I do wonder why it says that.

Portland part 2

2010-03-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

The best thing about the Ace Hotel is that they have FREE bike rentals. I've never biked on the streets of Seattle but it is super bike friendly in Portland. They have an entire lane (regular sized car lane) for the bicycles so I never have to worry about cars next to me.

I am a huge waffles fan and so far every time I come to Portland, I go to the Waffle Window! I got the 3 B's (basil, bacon and brie) and it was sooo good.

Kate got a sweet waffle that looked equally delicious.

We biked around some more to burn off the calories (plus it was a gorgeous day). Spring is definitely coming to the PNW. Love all the cherry blossoms!

Proof that I went biking. The orange blob near the bottom is the truck bed that we borrowed to take the photo. I think I need a tripod ;)

Portland part 1

2010-03-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

So last Saturday (I'm so behind on blogging!) I went down to Portland for a quick weekend getaway trip. I've always heard about the amazing the food carts down there. We decided that since the Korean food cart was the busiest, it would be the one that we would try.

There were so many tasty choices. I got the spicy pork and Kate got the tofu bento. Both were equally good (very spicy!) and very cheap. We didn't even come close to finishing it and could have easily shared it.

We walked around and went shopping before checking in to the Ace Hotel Portland. What a fun hotel! I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the lobby but it has a great lounge area with free wifi, free bike rentals and a Stumptown Coffee attached to it as well a 2 restaurants with great reviews in yelp. Unfortunately, we already had so many places to check out so we didn't even think about eating there.

I don't know how they managed to have 2 full sized beds in the room. It was still very roomy with room for suitcases. I also have to say that the pillows there are amazing. I tracked down the company who makes it and I'm tempted to order them!

chocolate peanut butter cookies

2010-03-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

I first made these cookies way back in 2007 and they are now my go-to cookies whenever I need to bring a treat. They are so easy yet they seem so fancy since there is a peanut butter inner filling. Here is the recipe. (I must make my cookies bigger because I only get 24 cookies)

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

3. For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 (3/4-inch) balls.

4. On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls. (I flatten the chocolate dough with my palm in my hand. That way it doesn't stick to the counter AND 1 less thing to wipe down)

5. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

6. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they're just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. Makes 32 cookies.

Taiwan pt 2

2010-03-02T22:32:00.000-08:00

No one ever believes me when I say that my grandparents owns a piggery and grows all their own vegetables/rice. Seriously, they buy only small amounts of pork, beef, seafood and fruit. Everything else they grow in a special plot with no pesticides. My great grandmother is 60+ years old and still gets up at 5 am everyday to tend to her crops. Even though it rained EVERY since day there. This is what it would look like if the sun is out.

I took this last time I went back. Taiwan's temperature is so mild that crops can grow year round. My parents usually pick enough vegetables to last them 2-3 days.

Here is my mom with a huge bundle of spinach and my dad with 2 heads of cauliflower. He also had 2 pocket full of green beans. There is truly nothing better than vegetables that fresh.
We also have banana trees!