Would You Eat This? -- My Food in China, Week 1

Born in China, having lived on three continents, I thought I had tried it all: escargots, squid on a stick, fried cicadas, grilled grasshoppers, salads consisting ducks' tongues and snake skin. Within two hours of my flight touched the ground, I quickly realized: Oh no, I was so wrong. I had not even touched the tip of the iceberg.

First, I was greeted by this lovely duck carefully prepared by my folks, simmered in a clay pot for over 5 hours.

Huh. Did I tell you it's stuffed with sticky rice, chest nuts, dried scallops, Shitake mushrooms, salted pork, bamboo roots, chicken gizzards, and lotus seeds? Once I came to peace with the duck head, the meat was lean and a bit tougher than chicken. It also had a slightly more earthy tone. This dish is a famous Shanghai style dish, and is supposed to be super nutritious (perhaps from the comprehensive ingredient list).
Bottom line: I would eat this VERY occasionally, maybe once a year on special occasion. I would NOT replace my turkey with this duck though as Ralphie's family did for Christmas.

I am going to do the rest of this post based on how gruesome the picture is, instead of by chronological order, just to ease you in. One day I walk home and found this sitting on the table.

3-Step Homemade Fresh Ricotta -- with Leftover Whey from Mozzarella!

A couple weeks ago, I tried my luck in cheese making for the first time. The end product of 1 lb fresh Mozzarella  (and the fun of making it) was super encouraging. So I went ahead and tried making another soft cheese, Ricotta. Similar to Mozzarella, both of them can be either enjoyed fresh as a snack when paired with something as simple as crackers, or they can be used in a whole range of dishes: pizza, lasagna, pasta, salad, you name it. The beauty of making ricotta is that: you can use leftover whey! it doesn't cost anything extra other than a piece of cheesecloth and some heating up on the stove top! Speaking of frugality and sustainability, what could be better than making cheese out of a cheese by product? I have gotta try it!

I found the process itself surprisingly simple -- heat, cool, drain.

Egg-in-a-Boat -- a Nutritious Pre-flight Breakfast

Counting all the breakfast you have ever enjoyed (or dreaded), you probably have tried one of the "egg-in-the-something": egg-in-a-hole, egg-in-a-nest, egg-in-a-bowl, etc. But have you every tried the egg-in-a-boat?

Yep you are seeing this right. It is a baked egg in avocado! It was a perfect breakfast to have on the day of departure, when the fall weather had just started to creep in around the New England area. Rich and luxuriously creamy, perfect with a side of toast and a mug of black coffee. 

A Month in China Day 0, via Air Canada -- going through immigration without a valid visa (how did I do that?!)

10 years ago, I left my hometown and started my life on a foreign continent. After my recent events in life, I looked back and reflected on how I ended up where I am now, and realized something that was quite shocking: more than 90% of the memorable and/or life changing events happened AFTER I left China. I suddenly felt the urge for a visit, no, a life back home, to be re-immersed in this rich culture and to maybe gain some new perspective in life. If nothing else, I will at least be able to visit some friends and family, and experience a ton of great food. Such urge was growing bigger day by day,  I just needed the last kick to get me off an enjoyable day-to-day life. Finally, a round-trip ticket for $760 did the trick. I mean,  who can pass THIS up?

At 2:40 a.m. September 18th, I packed one single suitcase and started a journey. Within the next 26 hours, I experienced several events that was more than a little surprising: I crossed the US/Canada boarder WITHOUT a valid VISA to each country, and with fresh fruits intact in my carry-on; I looked for a healthy and ended up eating at Mc Donald's; I got super fresh meals served before everyone and had a very boozy flight on Air Canada; and I almost drank a whole glass of dairy creamer before going to bed in full exhaustion. Man, where shall we start?

Friday Pizza on the Farm + Sunday Chewing on the Farm

FRIDAY

My first volunteer experience on the Yale Farm was super fun, and of course, I had to go back for more on Friday. And guess what, on Friday, there was a pizza party!

Yep you heard it right. Apparently, through fall, Yale hires pizza interns who starts roasting newly harvested vegetables and making pizza dough at noon every Friday. By 5:00 p.m., at the end of the volunteer hours, all volunteers are invited to a pizza feast to celebrate the hard work. You probably already know that New Haven is famous for its pizza, and the farm pizza has the reputation of being the best in town. Having sampled all the local pizzerias that claim to be the "best", I had my  doubts. But one bite later, I became a total believer. Oh my goodness, weren't those delicious!

Grocery Roundup -- Week 3, last week before a vacation abroad

I am going away for a month, starting next Wednesday. I am somewhat excited to visit China for a month, imagine the adventure in food! Anyway, the past week has been full of nutritious and organic local food. Including two farmer's market trips. The first trip was already described in details before, bring our starting grocery expenditure to a frugal $12.

The second trip happened today with my friend Sarah. As usual, we sampled some delicious cheese and soup, and finally found the Yale Farm stand that I worked for! There, I bought the most amazing bulb of fennel for a mere $2. (Their salad mix was also a great bargain but I had already bought some at the 2nd stand I saw! Patience, patience...)

Roasted Beet & Salmon Salad with Pink Grapefruit & Avocado

Who doesn't like a piece of nicely cooked salmon on a bed of fresh leaves, accompanied by some fragrant roasted root vegetables and slices of creamy avocado? It has got the fatty juicy meat, a beautiful color and a ton of healthy omega-3!

The fresh salmon was on sale at our local grocery store last week, together with some beautiful blend of organic greens and some ultra fresh ruby grapefruit. Combining those with the potatoes and golden/red beets from farmer's market and some home made mozzarella, I made a pretty tasty salad for Thursday pre-game dinner. It was so good that D did not even ask for salad dressing, for the first time!

Homemade Fresh Mozzarella -- the Deliciousness (!) and the Lessons Learned

During one of my random casual internet surfing mornings, a cooking lesson from the Kitchen tipped off the idea of making some fresh Ricotta at home, and I immediately got a starter kit online. Then there was the dilemma for me: Mozzarella or Ricotta? Luckily D immediately opted for the former, and here's what we ended up with (only for a few minutes before they got into our, fine, my tummy).

Wednesday Afternoon on the Farm

Were you ever intrigued by what it is like on a farm? Were you ever tempted by the wild, natural farming life style? If you were somebody like me, the answer would be "Yes! Many times!" I have always dreamed about living a rural life, especially after reading the Swiss novel "Heidi" at the age of 10. I was fascinated by the idea of sleeping on a hay stack, waking up to a mug of fresh goat's milk, and staying up chatting under a million stars in the sky. Today, my dream came true. Well, sort of. I finally got to work on a (not certified but better than) organic farm, for about three hours in the afternoon. 

London Broil Two Ways

When I hear London, I think  fancy. But don't let the name fool you, London broil is not an expensive cut of beef. In fact, it is actually a technique to marinate and cook some tough beef, either top round or bottom round. If you do it right though, the meat will come out REALLY juicy and good.

Potato Salad -- a lighter version, always a crowd pleaser

We have been trying our best to enjoy the last bit of New England summer lately -- having one or two cookouts plus game nights every week, occasional trips to the vineyards, or just hanging out and have dinner on the porch. Group gatherings usually involves sharing food, and potato salad has always been a safe and welcomed dish to bring along with us for sharing.

Not long ago, I acquired a great bag of potatoes from the farmer's market, and turned parts of it into a delicious potato salad to go with an end-of-the-summer grill.

The recipe was adapted from the food network, with a bit of a twist to make it slightly lighter and healthier.

A New Discovery -- CitySeed Farmer's Market in Wooster Square

If you are a pizza fan, you'd probably heard of the little Italy in New Haven -- rumor has it that pizza originated from here. However, unless you are in tune with natural/local/healthy living, you probably is not aware that it also hosts one of the best farmer's market in town. As a new comer to the scene, I was disappointed that last week was the end of the seasonal Uncommon Farmer's Market at Yale, so I did a little research online, and stumbled upon this awesome weekly event.

I was able to find about a dozen reviews, but nothing very recent. Overall, it seems high end, good quality and a little bit on the expensive side. Well, I was very intrigued. It is less than a 20-minute-walk away, and the weather has been gorgeous  -- really, there is no reason NOT to check it out.

And I am glad I did.

Seared Ahi Tuna

I am currently reading reading "The New Optimum Nutrition Bible" by Patrick Holford, which I find quite informative and up-to-date. Apparently it is one of the standard textbooks for nutritionists. The general advice from the book is to reduce meat intake, and eat more vegetable based protein instead. Additionally, it is recommended to eat omega 3&6 rich fish twice a week. Obviously the targeted audience is from the west, where seafood is far less popular and tends to be more expensive. I remember the days when I used to eat seafood every day, and twice a week seems like a punishment. However reflecting back on the past ten years living in the US, my regular seafood consumption dropped to below once a month! And most of them come from Sushi restaurants! Recently I am back on a seafood/vegetable rich diet, and I feel so much better. It turns out that it is far more affordable than I expected. One example is our recent dinner of Ahi tuna.

We were lucky to catch a promotion at our grocery store and purchased a whole pound of wild caught Ahi tuna steaks (officially called yellowfin, note: several years ago, an NYTimes article pointed out that the mercury level in bluefin tuna was alarmingly high, compared to the yellowfin and albacore).

I have had multiple experience of going to a restaurant and found out the Ahi tuna on their menu was not available at the time of ordering. Now I can finally just make my own!

Grocery Roundup -- Week 2, Farmer's Market + Going (more) Organic at the Grocery Store

Last week we bought a ton of food, and splurged a little on lobsters and frog legs, so this week we went easy on ourselves. Farmer's market is again, a must-visit. Although essentially non of the produce has an organic label, I believe the high cost to obtain the label is the issue.

The rainbow chard and the beets (which turned into some yummy veggie burgers later) were a huge hit last Friday. They looked so fresh that people were asking around for cooking instructions, on the spot. I'm a big fan for both, same goes with the arugula. We had basil and mushroom left in the fridge at that time, so both were skipped. The cauliflower and the potatoes were new addition, and both turned out amazing tasty. It is a pity that this farmer's market is summer-only. I hope that there will be another one this week! The total cost for this visit was $13. What a sweet deal!

Carrot Salad for Our Labor Day Cookout

Our labor day was over shadowed by a POTENTIAL thunderstorm in the late afternoon, which complete threw us off our track for a BBQ outside...In hope that the weather would hold up, I made some carrot raisin salad, potato salad and veggie burgers. 

My college cafe got me hooked on their carrot raisin salad, besides delicious zucchini bread and smoked salmon crepes. After graduation, on those melancholy days, I would spend "tremendous" effort and spend a whole 10 minutes to make this salad. I know, I know, it is super easy to make. (and cheap too!)

Game Night

Last Thursday some friends come over to have dinner and play Crack the Case. Completely opposite to D, I am no fan for computer games, as I tend to get frustrated very easily. Board games, on the other hand, are addictive. The two of us can easily lose a Saturday afternoon or a week night to a single round of game!

To feed 4-5 people other than ourselves, our menu included garden salad with homemade croutons, with a raspberry-basil  vinaigrette dressing, a beef & sweet potato curry, brown rice, and coconut brownies. And you have probably already seen the snacks: a huge bowl of very spicy guacamole and some homemade whole wheat tortilla chips.

Whiting (Fish) en Papillote

From my cooking class in France, I learned that"en papillote" (in parchment) is the best way to cook fish, as every single drop of juice is sealed in a little packet made of parchment (hence the name) or aluminium foil (modern adaption). The New York Times has an excellent article on this technique if you are interested.