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!

Wedding Toms Sneak Peek

October is gone in the blink of an eye.  And I feel like I haven't accomplished much.  Projects, papers, exams in school are not even half-done.  I always wonder how and why we cramp everything in the last month of the semester.  Anyway, I am glad that November's coming up since winter is my favorite season (if I can magically make every day a sunny day, I don't mind the snow).  Can't wait till Thanksgiving (eating and shopping: two of my favorite things combined!); but this year, I also can't wait till December because of my birthday (it always happens in December for some reason), friends' visits, Christmas, and adding to the list this year - weddings!

I saw this pair of pretty rhinestone converse online and really wanted to make one! I am glad my friend took my offer on that.  Today when Hurricane Sandy was visiting, I pulled out all my supplies and started gluing rhinestones! Now I am half-done, awaiting some more rhinestone deliveries. 

By the way, I used real Swarovski crystals, which makes it... expensive (of course if it's for a friend it does not matter).  But I am currently researching ways to make it cheaper.  I heard acrylic rhinestones are cheaper but not as sparkly, so I might give those a try next time. 

More photos to come : ) 

My snack of the day - Dragon Fruit!

Dragon fruits usually look pretty crappy even when they are available in the states.  But I couldn’t resist buying one when I saw them at a Chinese supermarket last week.  So the dragon fruit became my between-class snack today!

Since dragon fruits are not well known to most of my friends here, I did a little research on its nutrient content (after all, I go to a nutrition school).  To my surprise, dragon fruit is getting some interest from people because of the whole “super food” craze.  From the cactus family, it’s also called pitaya.  The fruit is “football-shaped” as described by a website I came across; and have a leafy skin that is mostly red (with a yellow version).  The flesh can be white or bright red (may stain your clothes) with lots of tiny black seeds.

As a fruit, dragon fruits are rich in a lot of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C (which I learned is really good for your skin today).  And of course all the other benefits of a fruit: NO cholesterol, NO unhealthy fats, NO trans fat, LOW calories, HIGH dietary fiber, and a lot of anti-oxidants.  

What I haven’t thought of are the essential fatty acids in the seeds of dragon fruits (surprise fact #1).  Since they are tiny and basically all over the “flesh” of the fruit, you really cannot pick out the seeds when you eat it.  The good news is, eating the seeds give you a lot of healthy fat that your body needs. Surprise fact #2: the oligosaccharides (a type of sugar) have been shown to survive the very acidic gastric juice into the intestines; which then stimulate the growth of good bacteria!

Makes me happy to know I am snacking well : )