Broadway Prime - Burlingame, CA

I thought I ought to write about this place if it was the reason (okay, this is an exaggeration) for going back to the bay area last week!  Although The Capital Grille here is awesome, it comes with a huge price tag $$$$$$ if you order traditional (non-Asian sharing) style.  What I love about the Broadway Prime is that you don't have to pick! It specializes in prime rib so you only need to pick the size.  It's 33 dollars to have the smallest version (shown below) and it comes with a salad, creamed corn, creamed spinach and your choice of mashed or garlic mashed or baked potato.  Rumor has it that the owner of this place used to work for the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco.  This place seems to be slightly cheaper but without the old-fashion glamor in SF (unless you are trying to impress you date, who cares?) The good news - it's also easier to get a table here!

Restaurant Detail:
Broadway Prime
1316 Broadway Ave, Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 558-8801
http://www.broadwayprime.com/

Poor Mr. Clock-Turned-Mirror

Hello Summer!  Summer is the time for home improvement right? Maybe I will come up with a project or two myself later.  Recently, it has been rhinestones and rhinestones and rhinestones for me.  And did I mention I sell my first item on Etsy? *clap clap clap* (Maybe I will share some products I made up here later!)

But today I am sharing a photo of my new decorative mirror.  It was a beautiful clock, as you can probably tell with the silver studs.  Poor Mr. Clock fell down from the wall last year and ended up with twisted arms.  He had to go through emergency surgery to remove his arms and replaced it with a new mirror face.  It took me a while to locate the right size mirror AND figure out how to glue it firmly enough (glue gun failed me so this is now glued with superglue for glass).  Now Mr. Clock-Turned-Mirror finds his purpose again!

Kitchen Experiment: My Life in Green Juices

I have been contemplating about doing a little juice experiment for a while.  I had a juicing machine for a while but I was not very happy when I had to throw out a lot of pulp.  Firstly, that was not very cost-efficient (my whole bag of carrots disappeared after 2-3 days of juice-making). Secondly, I wasn't happy with the amount of food waste.  Thirdly, my inner dietitian screamed at me for wasting the most nutritious parts of everything I put into the juicer (there goes all the fiber in your vegetables!!! unacceptable). 

After a long internal debate between the inner dietitian, experimenter and financial chief, the Oster blender proved to be a pretty good investment (depending on how long it lasts). 

Blending fruits and vegetables into juices/smoothies is good because (1) you don't kill the enzymes with all the cooking; (2) the action of the blade when blending may actually release or activate anti-oxidants; (3) combining a variety of fruits/vegetables can be beneficial - say spinach and orange - the Vitamin C in oranges actually aids absorption of the Iron in the spinach; (4) no waste as in you actually consume everything you put into the blender!

I usually just let my creativity decides what to put into the blender that particular day.  But some good things to stock in the fridge are carrots, spinach, cucumber, stalks of celery, apples, oranges and bananas.  For the juice of the day (pictured above), it has spinach (a handful), cucumber slices (another handful), two oranges and one banana (peeled, of course). 

It tastes good and you get your daily dose of fruit/vegetables - that makes a happy me!

Sequin Heart Brooches

I am attracted to things that sparkle.  After rhinestones, sequin seems to be the way to go.  I first saw these sequin heart pins on pinterest or someone's wedding album (I can't remember).  It's such a cute idea to wear these as brooches.  The only thing that kept me from starting this little project was that sequin trims in different colors took me some time to find (even online). They turned out to be harder to make than I have imagined.  So after battling with the sequin trims and my glue gun, I have my first two sequin hearts!  They say practice makes perfect; so more sequin hearts to come in the future! :p

Bunny Mason Jars

I got these mason jars from TJMaxx to get rid of the annoying resealable bags on the bathroom counter top.  And then for the sake of color-matching/getting rid of leftover spray paint, I sprayed them white (not quite perfectly).  I thought they looked okay but wanted to do something fun with them.  So when I saw these cute bunnies from a toy shop during a road trip, I brought them home.  After leaving them in them in the glass cabinet (on display) for nearly half a year, I finally glued them to my mason jars tonight!  Hopefully, these "bunny on snow" jars (yes I named them..) will add a little bit of life to my dull daily routine.

Yume Wo Katare - Cambridge, MA

The name Yume Wo Katare (夢を語れ) means talk about a dream.  Such a pretty name for a ramen shop.

It all begins when I heard from a friend who goes to Lesley University next door that there's this new ramen place with lines all the time.  We decided to give it a try last week when my friends and I overestimated ourselves by ordering the option with 5 pieces of pork.  Some of us even ordered "extra everything".  None of us finished everything in the bowl and we could barely walk out of the place (So uncomfortably stuffed that I had to leave a tip on Yelp telling people not to make the same mistake).

So when another friend suggested that we try the place out today.  I learned from my mistakes.  I ordered the 2-pieces of pork option with a little bit of extra vegetables and finally managed to enjoy the noodles. 

To summarize my visits: 

Tip 1: Order the 2 pieces of pork option on your first visit UNLESS you are known for eating a lot. 

Tip 2: Order extra vegetables (that will absorb some of the fattttt).

Tip 3: If you love garlic, definitely ask for extra garlic. The chef would even serve it on the side (It's free! and the garlic complements the soup perfectly!)

Tip 4: Also, we noticed the chef portioned the noodles based on gender/looks. If you are know your appetite is not as big as it seems, you might as well ask for less/more (see the pictures below!)

Tip 5: There's no vegetarian options.  If you are super health conscious, don't bother going, it's just not for you. 

 My 5-pieces pork noodles

My guy friend's 5-pieces pork noodles with extra vegetables (note the portion difference)

Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Eggs

I am addicted to eggs - my favorite food in the world since I could talk.  When Kenny showed me this Gordon Ramsay video on how to make scrambled eggs, I couldn't wait to try it!  So here it is.  The day after Sandy and her remains, we finally set out to buy some heavy cream and smoked salmon to make our own version.  It makes me happy!

$22 Glass Display Cabinet

I love precious moments. I don't know if it's because I am heavily influenced by my mother, or the precious moment children Bible that I had.  I tried not to buy too many because of the frequent moving, but somehow I ended up with a lot of figurines from friends and spontaneous purchases; and they ended up on my shelves catching dust.

So one thing that I really wanted for my new "playhouse" is a glass cabinet to house all my figurines.  After diligently searching on Craigslist, I got this glass cabinet originally from IKEA for $22! (And it comes with the light too!)

To go along with the white with a splash or red/orange theme in the living room, we had to spray the top and bottom pieces white. Personally I think it looks great! 

 

Completed Bathroom Photos!

This sounds weird, but welcome to the bathroom!  With the new espresso frame for the mirror, we got the ikea RIBBA picture ledge as shelves to hold bottles and stuff.  And in case you haven't noticed the bathroom sign, that was a surprise find at staples when we were waiting for the print. 

And finally, featuring my third printable, specially made for this bathroom! Still experimenting with illustrator... currently in the process of making a christmas card (because it is going to take me a long time) and a banner for the blog! 

Lastly, just a photo of laundry area with the pretty wooden letters I got from Michael's! Thanks to the numerous pictures I saw on my favorite site!

Off to Portsmouth, NH!

 

In my mind, this is not really a road trip since it's only two hours away.  Nevertheless, I heard it is a cute little town to visit besides seeing the nature in New Hampshire. Love how the city center is built for tourists with a lot of pretty little stores.  Though overpriced (you can buy a bottle of wine here for $40 and the same bottle at a freeway-side liquor store for $10), the boutiques and shops are pleasant to look at.

We stopped by Portsmouth Brewery for dinner because it has a high rating on Yelp! Too bad it was a total disappointment or else the trip would have ended on a good note (that's why I don't want to give Portsmouth Brewery a restaurant post). Their beer is so-so (Sorry but Sam Adams is way better) and the food we ordered was so terrible that I couldn't remember what we had when I typed this post (some mussels, deviled eggs, fish?). Anyhow, their taco salad looks pretty good but I don't feel like I should promote that as a dietitian (plus I did not get to taste it).

Bathroom Mirror Project

 

This was how the bathroom looked like.  In need of some "personality"...?  I started using my two most valuable resources - time and internet to see what I can do about this bathroom mirror.  And I came across several blogs that has great tutorials on framing mirrors with moldings.  So I made my "driver" (because I still don't have the courage to drive in Boston) drove me to the BIG store again and wandered into the molding section (next to all the woods and building materials.. I had to admit it's quite scary). I was sick of painting then so when I was relieved to find this dark brown/espresso molding.  I only need two 7-feet molding (total cost ~$18 dollars).

Measured out the length. And my first time using a miter box ever! I did not even know how to pronounce the word - a staff at home depot taught me : p

 

My first cheap cheap seven-dollar miter box.

With liquid nails and caulking gun (of course I did not do this part myself).  Don't you think it looks so much better already? Even with the painter's tape?

I don't have a good picture of the completed bathroom yet (because technically this is my play-room/house not my living space).  But hopefully I can upload a nice picture with all the decorations (and of course featuring my 3rd printable!) soon.

P.S. I am not really a pro in home improvement/DIY projects, so it's better to read tutorials like this one from Elizabeth & Co.

August was Kitchen Month

This was how the kitchen looked like.  Since we don't have the $$$ needed, we cannot upgrade the appliances or cabinets.  But this dark green laminate countertop makes me sad every time I see it, so after some research online.  We bought a countertop transformation kit from Giani at around $60-70 (much cheaper than the other brand in home depot at ~$150).

So we painted the countertop with a black primer that comes with the kit, waited a day, and sponged some pearl white paint onto the countertop.

 Next is sponging on a dark black paint.

And it ends with a bronze paint followed by a clear coat on top.  Looks like granite to me! ... at least it's much better than the original green laminate!

So after my "success"with the countertop, I decided to give mosaic tiles a try.  I remembered seeing flowers made out of tiles on the bathroom wall of some fancy restaurants and thought I could easily recreate something similar... and that thought costs me be two weeks.

I went to the big orange and white store again and got a roll of fiberglass mesh (at the windows section), a huge bottle of glue, some thin-set mortar for glass tiles, caulk x 4 and waited at home for the grey and white tiles that I ordered online to arrive.  I measured out the dimensions (including the light switches etc) and lay out the pattern on the floor.  Then we glued the tiles to the mesh using regular craft glue (with parchment paper underneath), left it overnight to dry, and with the help of Kenny (..hehehe...), put the tiles up using thin-set mortar.

Then the problem came, we used a caulking gun and some caulk we got from the store and thought it looked perfect!... until it dried and we realized we bought clear caulk instead of white. And now we have to go back and get some other ones to finish this up.  But still! Don't you think it looks nice (ignoring some uneven-ness)?

 We also got this fancy set of LED stick on lights with switch at Costco for within 30 dollars.

Thanks to Pinterest (yet again) and the inspiration it gave me, I got this plate rack for $1 at a crate and barrel sale and I am loving my organization of the lids!

Then it's time for some more decorations. Printed these from Over the Big Moon, except I used illustrator to make the last spoon print vertical. And I am loving the Coca Cola print, so much for being a dietitian.

 Anyhow, I am loving the new kitchen!

Kitchen Experiment - Bread Pudding

For my internship this summer, I have been teaching a nutrition class at two residences for developmentally delayed individuals.  To get their attention each class, I would make sure I bring along something to eat or something for them to do.  So after the first few classes, they remember me as the food lady (asking "what are we eating today?" every time) and I ended up with lots of leftover foods.

I did some online research and ended up with Paula Deen's Bread Pudding Recipe.  After a test batch that failed miserably (and of course being tortured by the guilt of adding too much sugar into a recipe), I decided to just go with my gut.  I added around 5 slices of stale white bread, 1/2 cup of sugar, ~1 cup of milk and some vanilla extract.  Soak the bread well in the mixture and baked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

The group of taste-tester friends who are always my recipe-testing lab rats all had varied opinion, some say it's still too sweet, some say it's okay.  So I guess that means room for improvement, but hey, I used up my bread and produced something that goes well with ice-cream!

Getting my Green Thumb?

Growing up in a city (and a very beautiful city indeed), I have never really had the chance to grow anything big (except for peas as a science project) because everyone in the city is cramped in tiny apartments without enough room for human living, let alone plants.  And frequently moving around during my college years don't help either.

However, the time has finally come! As part of my internship this summer, I helped out regularly at a "backyard hospital garden" with 13 beds. The garden grows a variety of foods, including tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, bunching onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and squash; all of which would eventually become donations to the food pantry at the hospital, or be delivered to shelters and residences in the community.  The garden even got featured on a local blog!

Bed filled with lettuce and braising greens (photo taken in June!)

 Colorful produce makes me smile

So I decided to make good use of my tiny balcony (after all I still live in a city) and planted tomatoes, chilli peppers, lettuce, sweet bell peppers and various herbs in pots! How exciting to see things grow! And through no particularly effort of my own (I swear I  don't have much knowledge in gardening), I actually got to eat chilli peppers, lettuce and tomatoes from my balcony!

 Long and lean chilli peppers

 A tiny pepper flower!

Green tomatoes (I ate all the red ones before taking the pictures)

Given my "success" (some herb died miserably, looking all burnt), my future plan is to grow bunching onions (scallions).  Reason? Because it's tough so it will grow in any condition, perfect for a lazy person like me. So for now, let's end with a happy sun flower from the garden!

Gordon Ramsay - London, UK

Gordon Ramsay! During my recent spring break trip to the United Kingdom, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was the only "must-go" request I had and it was definitely the highlight of my trip.  After all, how many chefs got OBE from the Queen? Located in a rather chic neighborhood, one would not notice the restaurant if you weren't looking.

The dining room was clean and bright, perfect for lunch with a couple of friends.  We were seated near the windows as the manager joking said "overlooking our tiny garden".  Since we were there all the way from another continent, we went with the tasting menu to try all the chef's famous creations.  The seven-course meal included foie gras, veal sweetbread with almond veloute (my three favorite ingredients), a lobster ravioli, halibut with the most fragrant broth, lamb with confit breast and braised shank, a mango, jasmine, passion fruit soup (more like a smoothie), prune creme brulee with granny smith apple juice and lemonade parfait with sheep's milk yoghurt sorbet (see menu below for details).  It ended with the signature Gordon Ramsay petit four. Paired with some wine, it was the most delightful lunch thus far.

Restaurant Information:
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
68 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HP, United Kingdom
www.gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad