WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | scallion pancake | grape fruit AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | roasted Chinese wild walnuts DINNER --- broiled chicken drumettes marinated with spices | tong-hao leaves porridge with crushed peanuts| rice | fennel salad | wine
chicken drumettes
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an exhibit on E. Saarinen at Finnish Embassy
lucky to have seen quite a few of E. Saarinen's masterpieces in the US. not so much luck to find out about Finnish food here, maybe similar to Swedish cooking?
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- ( at S &I's reception)California cider | New Haven style pizza | Malaysian style chicken and noodles | Chinese style meat and vegetables | ice cream from Columbus, Ohio | carrot cake AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | clementine DINNER --- baked and pan-fried butternut squash | steamed manila clams with lemon juice | cai-fan（菜饭） creamy rice with winter greens, winter bamboo shoot and cured pork in vegetable broth | wine
vegetables for broth, Egyptian rice, squash patty, crust of creamy rice
Chinese greens, bamboo shoots, cured pork and Mediterranean rice
a fusion of Shanghai-style Cai-Fan (rice cooked with greens and pork) and Mediterranean paella rice dish cooked with broth and olive oil. the broth is prepared with a long simmering of fresh vegetables with olive oil. Egyptian rice is short-grain creamy wholly absorbing the broth, the closest to the famed Spanish Bomba rice. Chinese ingredients of young mustard green, winter bamboo shoot, and Hunan cured pork add wonderful texture and flavor to the rice mixture.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with stew of wheat gluten and vegetables(leftovers) AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- chai DINNER --- Chinese-style cured fish and pork | baked Japanese sweet potato | French onion soup | garlic bread | fennel salad | wine
Chinese cured fish and pork, Japanese sweet potato,French onion soup
French onion soup is kind of like French baguette, basic French food, but not easy to achieve at the particular level as that in France. this time the soup is better than some earlier attempts. a vegetable broth ( simmered fresh fennel, carrots, celery, cabbage, radish and garlic ) is used in the place of beef broth. It is a good way to use leftover french bread, cheese to create a hearty and soothing meal.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with shrimp and vegetables ( leftovers ) AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple DINNER --- white miso marinated and pan-fried Chilean sea pass with shiso and lemon juice | stir-fired red pepper and jalapeno | stew of wheat gluten with wood-ear, carrots, celery, and mushroom | rice | fennel and pear salad | wine
Chilean sea bass was marinated in white miso for a sweet and salty flavor. a slow grill would be the best, here a low heat, very little oil careful pan-frying worked just fine as well.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | Norwegian pancake | apple AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | mandarin honey orange DINNER --- tempura of fermented tofu with shiso dipping sauce | braised baby octopus in wine and ginger sauce | nabe ( hot pot ) of napa cabbage, leek, shiitake, Chinese winter greens, fried tofu, radish, red sweet onion, and Chilean sea bass | rice | wine
the nabe broth is very flavorful thanks to all the fresh vegetables simmered together, even with a hint of spiciness from napa cabbage. Chilean sea bass is as tender as silky tofu when poached in this broth. when the content of the nabe is finished, the broth is finished up with a bowl of steamed rice.
pomegranate gives subtle tangy kick to oysters, a trick learned from a restaurant in Oslo. Mackerel adds smoky flavor to the soup noodle. Ed joined us and enjoyed food and drink.
the stuffing for the pepper has good consistency and flavor, just needs something to get a bit firmer texture when ground meat is replaced by tofu skin.
BREAKFAST --- coffee| LU cookie LUNCH --- rice with sauteed bitter melon ( leftovers ) AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- Japanese green tea | apple DINNER --- tempura of stinky tofu with bonito dipping sauce | warm sake | lightly pickled and sauteed young mustard green and bean sprouts | Shanghai-style short ribs| rice | fennel and pear salad | wine
tofu tempura and sake
shanghai style ribs
the trick to get melt-in-mouth ribs: low heat and slow cooking. braised in rice wine and spiced soy and sugar, it usually takes more than a hour on the stove.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with sauteed bean sprouts | steamed dumplings AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | sesame cookie DINNER --- Tonkatsu ( pan-fried breaded pork chop) | sauteed bitter melon and mushroom with fermented black bean sauce | rice | baked Japanese sweet potato fries
a fried pork chop top of a steamed rice bowl is a popular quick meal, Da-pai Fan in China, or Tonkatsu in Japan. it is a fusion food in the early days of western influence to the far east.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | baguette with goat cheese pan-fried little dumplings | grapefruit AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea DINNER --- smoked mackerel and roasted piquillo peppers with crackers | home-made gnocchi with vegetarian ragubolognese sauce | fennel and radish salad | wine
mackerel and piquillo
ragubolognese
gnocchi from scratch
ragubolognese using shiitake and fried tofu skin in the place of ground meat. diced garlic, tomato and onion are cooked in olive oil first like sofrito. finely chopped fried tofu skin and shiitake are sauteed with wine and spice. minced celery and carrots are slow cooked in olive oil and broth, then mixed and cooked with sofrito and shiitake/tofu skin. these ordinary vegetables cooked in this labor-intensive and time-consuming way tasted extraordinary, full of flavor and distinguish texture.
home-made gnocchi are fresh and soft. experiment more with the proportion of potato and flour to get a slight chewier texture.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with stir-fried cabbage and pork AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple DINNER --- roasted-then-fried butternut squash patty spiced with cumin and curry | marinated jelly fish threads with chayote with kelp paste | curried onion and string beans | rice |pear and fennel salad | wine
quite a bit of spice and curry into the fall vegetable dishes
11-11-2010 Thu. gougers day, brilliant blue sky and sun.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- ( at K. Izakaya and Sushi restaurant) white miso soup | skewer of chicken, beef and duck sausage | hot stone ( grill on the table) wagyu beef, shishito pepper and gold ptotato | steamed rice AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea BEFORE DINNER DRINK --- frisco ( cocktail whiskey, benedictine, lime juice, lemon juice, slice of orange ) DINNER --- huevos rancheros: refried black beans | Mexican rice | fresh salsa of tomato, onion and cilantro | sunny-side-up eggs | wine
a perfect fall day to visit Sidney's wood studio
lunch at K. Lzakaya
kushiyaki
hot stone grill on the table
first visit to K. Lzakaya restaurant not too far from Sidney's studio, sit among all the sushi eaters and had smoke arise from the hot stone table grill. Wagyu beef is tender and juicy, only coarse sea salt and pepper are used, no dipping sauce. the white miso soup here is good with distinguished kelp scent.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- ( at J.G. Chinese restaurant ) sauteed mushroom and seafood | orange beef | rice AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple DINNER --- steamed dumplings with fillings of minced chicken and mustard green | pear and fennel salad | wine
mustard green adds a little spicy taste to the dumplings. the texture could have been a little coarser, recalling how it is at the old neighborhood breakfast corner in Shanghai.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee| apple AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea DINNER --- (1) oven-roasted Japanese sweet potato || (2) Iranian flat bread | goat cheese | wine || (3) Tong-hao and egg porridge with crushed peanuts| rice |
three-tier dinner, separately prepared and served. Tong-hao leaves are in season, tender with strong scent, though not as fresh and young as those at markets in Shanghai. Tong-hao porridge goes extremely well with plain rice.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee| coconut cream bread | scallion pancake | apple AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea DINNER --- fresh water fish stew with tofu and shiitake | stir-fried eggplant in garlic and fermented fava bean sauce | rice | avocado salad | wine
the fish stew broth is flavorful , so is tofu, but the fish meat itself lacks firm texture. a lot more to learn about fresh water fish, this one is called " bamboo shoot" fish, it is supposed to have a tender and sweet taste.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- steamed vegetable buns AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea DINNER --- home-made wonton in dashi broth with spinach and egg
so-called Shanghai big wonton is filled with minced scallion, shrimp and chicken. egg is cooked first like a thin pancake then cut into thin threads. dashi broth is prepared in the traditional way of using kombu ( dried kelp) and katsuo-bushi ( dried bonito flakes)
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- ( at Pear's in Seattle )"downtown duck" burger | "fireside" beer AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea DINNER --- ( at Cutter's ) Manila clams in wine sauce with fries | soba with vegetables | mojito
duck is dry and flavorless, clams are not fresh and overcooked, soba is mishandled by making into lo-mein like substence, mojito is sickly sweeter than Coke with hardly any trace of rum. a tasteless ( and not cheap) experience of Seattle down town food
fresh winter bamboo shoots
eats shoots and...
... leaves 
Japanese sweet potato fries without frying
chicken drumettes
an exhibit on E. Saarinen at Finnish Embassy
vegetables for broth, Egyptian rice, squash patty, crust of creamy rice
Chinese greens, bamboo shoots, cured pork and Mediterranean rice
Chinese cured fish and pork, Japanese sweet potato,French onion soup
tofu tempura and sake
shanghai style ribs
mackerel and piquillo
ragu bolognese
gnocchi from scratch
a perfect fall day to visit Sidney's wood studio 
lunch at K. Lzakaya
kushiyaki
chestnut turns golden in the garden
