Savory Sweet Living

Bocuse d'Or USA Competition 2012

2012-02-11T17:22:00.000-05:00

A few Sundays ago, I attended the Bocuse d'Or USA competition at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park courtesy of Kitchen Aid USA. The Bocuse d'or USA competition determines the chefs that will be representing the U.S. to compete in the Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France in 2013. It is a biennial event, and the world's most prestigious culinary competition; often referred as the Olympics

A Glimpse of 2011 and a Look Ahead

2012-01-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

As the last of my immediate family members moved away from New York in early 2011, I was feeling somewhat detached. I wanted to fill my time and energy on doing things I enjoy. In retrospect, I believe I subconsciously decided 2011 will be an adventurous year for me. I then immersed myself into cooking, eating food that I love and crave. I met even more wonderful food-loving people than the

New York Cookie Swap and Corn Cookies

2011-12-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

November went by in a flash as I spent two weeks eating my way through Vietnam; I came back and was thrust into the beginning of the holiday season. First it was Thanksgiving, and now the Hanukkah/Christmas season is upon us. Before I left for my trip to Vietnam, the second annual cookie swap tickets went on sale, and I made sure I got a ticket before I left. I was fortunate to be invited

A Pie Party Potluck & Butternut Squash Jarlsberg Cheese Croquettes

2011-10-24T12:30:00.032-04:00

When I first started blogging I had no idea about the amazing food blogging community that exists anywhere let alone right here in NYC. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover the wonderful food enthusiasts on the stream of twitter feeds constantly sharing what they're eating and/or cooking. I started reaching out to some of these people that live in the city, and the first two people I met

Coconut Caramel Pulled Pork Empanadas

2011-10-16T13:32:00.000-04:00

In my most recent post, I wrote about Marx Foods 100% grass fed beef, and when I visited their blog page, I noticed they started a new blogger recipe challenge. This challenge looks really interesting as they send participating bloggers a sample of five random ingredients, and each must use two out of the five ingredients to make an original recipe. As someone who is always up for a good

Pan-Seared Steak and Pan Sauce with Asian Flavors

2011-09-21T10:40:00.001-04:00

I recently entered the Grass Fed Beef Steak Giveaway by Marx Foods, and won a dozen grass-fed top sirloins. These 100% grass fed black Angus beef are from New Zealand. They are much tastier, leaner and have less fat than grain-fed beef. If you're not familiar with Marx Foods, you should really check out their products. It is an online specialty food market from Seattle providing the

Making Pictures of The Big Summer Potluck

2011-08-02T11:56:00.001-04:00

The second annual Big Summer Potluck was held in Pennsylvania this past weekend. It was organized by Pam, Maggie and Sharon of Three Many Cooks and Erika of Ivory Hut. The event was sold out for months, and I wasn't one of the lucky ticket holders. I had come to terms that I would miss out on a wonderful opportunity to make connections with other bloggers and hanging out with great friends

Mango-Cucumber Salsa and Duck Taco

2011-06-06T10:30:00.081-04:00

It's been about a week since I came back from a much-needed vacation in St. Croix. While I was there, I ate some delicious mangoes which made me think about the tropical salsa I made for my graduation buffet a few years ago. I paired it with roasted five-spice duck and Chinese pancakes. The tropical salsa I made had mangoes and pineapples but this time I only used mangoes. I also added

Oven-roasted Baby Back Ribs and Home Made Barbecue Sauce

2011-04-15T10:00:00.144-04:00

Due to a fire that happened a few years ago in my condo complex, we were ordered to remove all gas or charcoal grills from our roof decks even though they were not the cause of the fire. Like some of my neighbors, we bought an electric grill. It does a decent job, but you can't compare to the smoky flavor you get from the open fire. Since then, I roasted my “barbecue” baby back ribs in my

Tea Time - Vanilla Cupcakes with Passion Fruit Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-04-07T17:02:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, I participated in Tristin and Tyler's fashion photo shoot for an upcoming issue in Babiekins Magazine, a children fashion and design magazine. Tristin and Tyler are 7 year old twins who have their own web series called "Tristin and Tyler's Tales from the City!". They promote green living and teach other kids how to have fun in the big city. The busy Eco twins also started

Coconut Cauliflower Soup with Seared Sea Scallops and Cilantro Oil

2011-02-22T11:36:00.001-05:00

Cauliflowers are now in season, and I recently went to a couple of restaurants that offered cauliflower soups as their specials. They were mostly pureed then added some cream to make it nice and creamy. I love the intense cauliflower flavor, but I long for something different so I decided to add some Thai spices and thicken it with coconut milk instead of cream. I also want to add a protein

Roasted Pork Belly with Red Cook Flavors for Chinese New Year

2011-01-30T18:19:00.000-05:00

Chinese New Year is just days away. This year Chinese New Year lands on Thursday, February 3. As a little girl growing up in Hong Kong, it was one of my favorite holidays as it is the most celebrated holiday in the Chinese culture. Every family would gather for a reunion dinner the night before to feast on the many dishes that are made to represent good luck and longevity. On New Year's day

Fried Brown Sticky Rice Balls with Duck Sausage

2011-01-13T17:18:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about what I should make for the first post of the year. While considering what dish to make, I have been fighting a serious cold for weeks. As a result I've been craving for some comfort food. Therefore, I decided to make something that I could eat to satisfy my own craving and still create a unique and interesting recipe. During my last visit to my local farmers

Cookie Swap - The Ultimate Cookie Party

2010-12-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

As the holiday season begins, many are baking special treats and traditional holiday cookies. I was especially excited this year to bake since I was invited to my first-ever cookie swap that was organized by Chris & Karen from The Peche, Maggie from Three Many Cooks, Gail from One Tough Cookie and Abby Dodge. The idea of this swap is brilliant as each person is responsible to bake and bring 3

Voting Begins for A Chile & A Spoon Contest

2010-12-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

As you can see in my last post, I tested an amazing seasonal soup with chilies. If you enjoy my recipe, here's your chance to help. The poll is now open, pleas vote here for my Spicy Kabocha & Quince Soup with Thai Flavors. I had a really fun time testing this recipe so thanks in advance for you support; and I hope you enjoy my recipe as much as I did. P.S.: To prevent vote fraud, the

A Spoonful of Chiles - Spicy Kabocha & Quince Soup with Thai Flavors

2010-11-27T11:10:00.032-05:00

I have always loved spicy food. Ever since I was a young girl, I remember watching my grandfather eat pickled chile peppers from a jar with his congee. Congee is a rice porridge and many Chinese eat this soupy rice along with other savory items for breakfast. I remember trying the pickled chile for the first time. It was salty and spicy but it complimented really well with the plain

Roasted Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese with Crispy Topping Plus An Award

2010-11-03T12:29:00.000-04:00

Butternut Squash has become one of my latest food obsession. I love the sweetness of the squash and it is a great ingredient for the fall and winter. It is also a good source of fiber and vitamin A & C. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I am craving for more comfort food. I thought I would make a classic cheese sauce (Mornay) to make the ultimate mac and cheese. The twist is to

Tag - You're It! - A Game of Blogger Tag

2010-10-29T15:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post so let me update you on what I have been doing lately. I'm currently working on a couple of recipes and can't wait to share. In the meantime, I've been busy with other responsibilities of being a food blogger. As a food blogger, not only do you have to do research and blog about the recipes that you think your readers would be interested, you also

Project Food Blog Entry #3 - Girls Night In

2010-10-03T19:45:00.001-04:00

Once again, I would like to thank the judges and everyone who voted for me to advance to the next round. I truly feel blessed and can't believe I am now participating in round three of Project Food Blog. For this challenge, we were asked to host a luxury dinner party where our guests will discover new tastes and exotic flavors. We were also asked to share our hosting secrets such as how

Project Food Blog Entry #2 - Holy Samosa!

2010-09-26T12:00:00.001-04:00

Wow, thank you for voting me through the next round of Project Food Blog! There are so many talented bloggers out there and I am truly appreciative of the opportunity to advance. So with not much time to celebrate, it is back to business and moving on to the next challenge. The second challenge requires us to make a classic dish from another culture. We were asked to pick an ethnic or

Project Food Blog Entry #1 - Touch the Heart!

2010-09-17T16:41:00.003-04:00

What have I gotten myself into?! That was my first reaction when I received the details of the first Project Food Blog challenge. Project Food Blog is an interactive competition that Foodbuzz created. Foodbuzz is a food blogger community I recently joined, where I met many interesting food bloggers. Our first challenge requires us to blog about why each contestant thinks he or she has

Egg Custard Tart

2010-09-07T21:45:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before, I'm not a baker and I prefer savory than sweet. However, ever once in awhile I like to try my hands at baking. So this time I thought I would go back to basics and make one of the most popular Chinese dessert recipes. A dear friend of mine has given me some Chinese cookbooks as I thumbed through these books to get recipe ideas, I found this one by Ellen Leong Blonder.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2010-08-23T20:58:00.000-04:00

Summer is almost over and as a warm weather lover, I'm a bit sad about the impending change of season. However as a food lover, I look forward to the braised and stewed dishes in the cooler weather. I have purchased some short ribs for barbecue; however since the last couple of days have been raining, I thought I should just try braising them instead. Braising is one of the cooking methods I

Whole Wheat Spaghetti alla Carbonara

2010-08-18T10:58:00.003-04:00

I love pasta or any type of noodles; it is my ultimate comfort food. So it was no surprise when I fell in love with this dish many years ago in Rome, it was love at first bite. The best part, it is so simple to make but so delicious. I make this sometimes when I'm home after a long work day and don't want to spend hours cooking. I also find myself making this when I have nothing in

Wild Sockeye Salmon with Mushroom Israeli Couscous Risotto

2010-08-10T22:20:00.141-04:00

After months of hearing great things about the newest Fairway that opened in Westchester county, I finally visited this past weekend. It is a playground for food lovers to touch and smell all the freshest produce, bake goods, seafood, specialty cheeses and organic products. The space is enormous and it took me over two hours to comb through each aisle. The employees there were so nice and