Vietnamese spring rolls

7-31-2014 Thu. warm, sunny.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- steamed dumplings 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries
DINNER --- Vietnamese spring rolls ( bean sprouts, lettuce, cilantro, mint, green onion, rice noodles, shrimp )  | Burrata salad | wine 

 

• an elaborate way to eat a shrimp salad

family tradition

7-30-2014 Wed. mild, clouds.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee  
LUNCH --- pasta 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries
DINNER --- steamed dumplings ( bok choy, chicken, shittake) | salad | wine

 

• have been making these little things for years.

simply pasta

7-29-2014 Tue. cool, sunny.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- potato and eggplant
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- nectarine | green tea
DINNER ---  Burrata and tomato | pasta with caramelized onion and sausage | sauteed mustard greens | salad | wine 

 

•   in a hurry

bronzino

7-28-2014 Mon. warm, windy.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- steamed Ji-cai buns 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- nectarine 
DINNER ---baked bronzino with herbs, lime and chorizo | pan-fried baby potatoes | simmered Chinese eggplant with fermented fava bean sauce | salad | wine 

 

• have fresh fish when you can get it.

Burmese food

7-27-2014 Sun. hot, clouds.  


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | bread and cheese | berries | grapes
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- watermelon 
DINNER --- ( at Burma Road , with friends ) salad with pickled tea leaves | ginger salad | rita bread with chicken and potato dipping sauce | rice noodle soup | mustard green and beef | pork with pickled mango sauce | shrimp in tomato based sauce | beer 

 

• a group dinner to try out Burmese cuisine. 
• spotted a brilliant yellow hummingbird this morning on the way to B. class 

glistening sea bream

7-26-2014 Sat. warm, sunny.  


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | croissant | bread and French cheese | Champagne grapes | blueberries 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- water melon | lychee 
DINNER ---  baked whole sea bream with lime, chorizo, and herbs | sauteed Roma beans | sauteed fresh corn with green chili | salad | wine 

 

 

•   carried  French cheese back from Amsterdam 
•  sea bream is fresh and amazingly good  
• Woody Allen's Moonlight,  eye candy but not much magic.

Japanese bites

7-25-2014 Fri. warm, clouds.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- steamed Ji-cai buns 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- nectarine | green tea
DINNER ---  chilled soba noodles with dashi dipping sauce  | pan-fried gyoza | teriyaki eel rice with simmered summer vegetables | salad | wine 

 

• the chilled, fried, and simmered.

zucchini fritter

7-24-2014 Thu. warm, clouds.



BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice and shittake mushroom 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries
DINNER ---  yellow zucchini fritter | spicy green beans | rice | salad | wine 

 

• a couple of finds from today's farmers market

stuffed bell pepper

7-23-2014 Wed. hot, clouds.  


 BREAKFAST --- coffee
 LUNCH --- potatoes and pasta
 AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries
 DINNER --- roasted stuffed green bell peppers | sauteed shiitake mushrooms | sauteed young spinach | rice | salad | wine 

 

• not easy to find a right size of bell pepper

duck confit

7-22-2014 Tue. hot, cloudy.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- green pasta 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME ---  tea | cherries 
DINNER ---  duck confit | pan-fried new potatoes with rosemary | avocado salad | wine 

 

• confit is a good cooking method for summer, easy and cool, a day of curing in the fridge, a night of low-temperature poaching in oven.

steel bowl and porcelain garlic

7-21-2014 warm, cloudy. 



BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with cauliflowers 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- nectarine 
DINNER --- green pasta with fresh spinach sauce | wine 

 

• two new members on the dinning table, from MOMA and Still House East Village

vegetables from farm to table

7-20-2014 Sun. warm, sunny.  


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | watermelon | bread and cheese 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | grapes | strawberries 
DINNER ---sweet corn | curry cauliflower | sauteed pea shoots | rice | wine 

 

• summer vegetables from farmer's market

squids will be squids

7-19-2014 Sat. warm, sunny. 


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | bread and cheese | watermelon |champagne  grapes
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea 
DINNER --- soup noodle | squid simmered in dashi | wine 

 

• noodle soup for lone diner. today's catch are whole squids with bones and everything.

matsuzaka noodle soup

7-18-2014 Fri. warm, sunny.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- ( in the air) prosciutto | bread | watercress 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea 
DINNER ---  soup noodle with cilantro, tomato and mushroom | ice cream 

 

•   comfort food No 1, particularly after on the road for a period of time

dashing around in Holland

7-17-2014 Thu. warm, sunny.  


 BREAKFAST --- coffee
 LUNCH --- ( Street food In Amsterdam)  banana | sandwich 
 AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- ( at Nel's ) tea | wine and snack 
 DINNER --- ( market food in Amsterdam ) prosciutto | watercress |  sausage | Burrata cheese  | beer

 Amsterdam

Nel's garden

 DIY dinner

 

• a day of dashing  around considering it is not a big country.  Nel's garden with hundreds of blooms like 10 years ago.

It rains fishes, and scallops too.

7-16-2014 Wed. warm, sunny. 


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- ( at It Rains Fishes, The Hague)  Chef's menu 3-course :  Northern sea herring and tomato soup shot | almost raw northern sea scallop, salmon, tuna and shrimp with greens and mustard sauce | bronzino filet with ratatouille and almond sauce 
DINNER --- tea and bread 

 Mauritshuis

the lonely and grumpy-looking Goldfinch 

an evening wandering in Delft 

Lunch at It Rains Fishes, backyard 

 

• an impressive array of fishes and seafood, excellent cooking  ( or not cooking), focused composition and well thought paring. This place turns out food better than the M-starred HanTing.