Heart Warming Chicken "Noodle" Soup with Spaghetti Squash -- for ONE, on a rainy day

As if things can't get worse, I got a cold, with a bloody nose. The rain outside did not help lightening my mood, either. Sigh. I had to do something to cheer myself up. My lunch did the trick -- it was so comforting that it may have cured my cold!

Roast Chicken for ONE -- after a hard breakup

I cried. Hard. For a while. After a 4.5-year-relationship has finally come to an end.

It felt like a whirlwind of emotions, intense and overwhelming. And my nose started bleeding, even more violently than my heart.

Consolation from friends and family has helped me to stand on my feet again. It is becoming clear that taking care of myself is the first priority right now, starting with -- nourishment.

Rye Berry Salad with Grilled (Wine Marinated) Chicken Breast, White Eggplant & Purple Dandelions -- eating with your eye

I have been a lazy bone, especially when it comes to blogging.

It is not that I am tired of cooking -- I still cook everyday, and have managed not to repeat a single dinner for several months (with the exception of ratatouille and fish en pappillot). I'm also not tired of blogging -- it's still in the back of my head. In fact, there are so many pictures of food stored in my phone my local storage is running short.

The problem is: the day is getting shorter and shorter nowadays, and by the time I finish cooking, there simply isn't enough natural light to make the dish look as appetizing as it really is. I would usually spend a good 10 minutes moving the plate from one spot to another, holding down my urge to just devour the dish because it smells so good. Finally I'd be too hungry, and ended up settling on some photo snaps, and finish dinner in 5 minutes, hoping that lightroom will save the world when it comes to under/over/uneven exposure. (Don't judge the fact that it took me less time eating that fiddling with the lighting situation.)

Guess what? It is weekend today, which means that I got to visit the farmer's market and finish cooking before sunset!

Roasted Beet Pie with Blue Cheese & Caramelized Onions -- simple pie, big flavors

This is another savory pie for the 9th square pie contest. Again, the main ingredients are from the summer farmer's market behind Woosley Hall, courtesy to the Yale dining service. The bundle of beet roots with beet greens were $2.00/bundle. It was just impossible resist those beautiful beets, and as a result, we found ourselves eating beet salad, beet burgers, even beet cakes. And now, it's time for a glorious beet pie.

Pota-toma-to Pie -- a savory pie to celebrate summer (my first pie contest)

9th Square is a fun neighborhood -- bar crawls, soccer village, and now a pie contest! Here is the deal: for $15 dollars, you get to enter the block party with tables piled with pies, where you get unlimited pies, ice creams, live music, and a cash bar. Everything goes to charity, and if you bring a pie to share, you get to get in for free. Sounds like fun huh? I mean, can you think of a better way to start of the weekend than all-you-can-eat pies?

Salmon Steak en Papillote with Spinach, Summer Squash and Cherry Tomatoes -- dinner in a packet

Believe it or not, the all time most popular post on this blog is about using the "en papillote" method to cook whiting fish. It was among the first few posts that I wrote, the formatting was a mess, the pictures were directly from a low-quality cell phone camera, and I didn't even write out the recipe in the end! I don't feel my post  did the method justice -- it is a fool-proof method to cook a delicious fish (and a ton of other things).

There are three things about "en papillote" that I love. It is easy -- all it takes is some assembling and you can just throw it into the oven. Done! It is also pretty hard to mess up. Cooking fish can be hard because it gets dry quite easily. But with all the juices sealed in, it almost guarantees the moist fish with packed with flavors. I like the fact that I get to OPEN something as well. If you get it at a restaurant, it is like a surprise parcel. Even when making it at home, it is still mysterious as you never know how things will turn out exactly. It also reminds me of Christmas time and makes me very happy.

Want to guess what is "en papillote" this time? (Technically one would use parchment paper, I am cheating a bit with heavy duty aluminum foil here. )

Oven Roasted Ratatouille -- affordable farm to table cuisine

If you are like me, you probably watched the infamous Disney movie featuring a mouse chef before having tasted the dish. I still remember the night I went and watched this American film dubbed in French during my year in Montpellier, and coming out of the movie theatre, hungry for a plate of ratatouille. I was somewhat shocked, a couple days later, to found out that this dish was such a pantry stable, that it actually came in a can (just like tomato puree)!

Never the less, if made right, this dish is a killer. My good Swiss friend Stephanie brought it over for a Thanksgiving's dinner once, and oh mine, the nicely roasted turkey found itself neglected that night.

Open Face Chicken Naanwich -- leftovers are wonderful for lunch

I love dining out in summer time -- sitting out on a patio with a glass of white sangria or margarita. I also love the numerous barbecue parties -- blue cheese burgers, grilled steaks, corn on the cob, and of course, lots of beer. My point is, with the increasing dining options, I tend to cook formal meals less frequently in summer. Heating up the stove twice a day is just not that appealing somehow.

So when I do cook, I make more than enough for a meal, and rely on the leftovers for a while. Trust me, leftovers can be very tasty! Here is a lunch we have been having for lunch ever since I discovered the fun of making naan at home.

Herb Roasted Split Chicken Breast -- end-of-the-week dinner hack

It's that time of the week again -- we departed from the excitement from the last weekend; lunch rotation has made a full round from sandwich to wraps to salad to leftover casseroles, and dinner had gone through beef/pork/salmon/tofu, yet the next grocery trip is not quite here yet. You wanted to make something delicious but am already somewhat worn-out. It's high time, to pull out some chicken breast from the freezer, again.

A life-changing trick I learned recently was to defrost meat in the fridge with added spice and herbs, which forms a pseudo-marinade -- The flavors sink in while defrosting, and no additional time is needed at all. 

Simple Stuffed Mushrooms with Minced Pork-- fancy dinner?

I know, I know -- it was Memorial Day yesterday, and I should have posted something about grilling. The fact is, we did have an awesome BBQ event in Wooster square: from a delicate salad with pomegranate to freshly baked bread to a 2 lb turkey drumstick to numerous hotdogs and hamburgers and kebabs to home-made  graham crackers and marshmallows among a gazillion awesome things. Unfortunately though, all of us were too busy consuming, and none of us took any foodie pictures!

So I'm here to talk about something else: stuffed mushrooms. Just slightly a different vibe, but I guarantee you'll like it!

Fresh Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Asparagus and Cauliflower -- quick (and balanced) weeknight dinner

I was going to write the past weekend, including the last show of the season at the Yale Rep, hanging out with friends at our place catching up till 3 a.m., a tasty Mother's Day brunch with D's family, a great run of Dungeons and Dragon's, and a Game of Thrones viewing party...Then I quickly realized that we were so busy DOING things, that we only took ONE photo, for all that have happened!

Though this photo is of my favorite people -- J&C enjoying their fluffy chocolate pancakes at the Mother's day brunch. The pancakes were bigger than their faces! J kept saying that his hands got dark (because of the melted dark chocolate chips), yet both seemed to have enjoyed lunch very much. They finished the pancakes without a single drop of maple syrup. I love how they stuck to the true taste of a plain old chocolate chip pancake! The brunch for adult included bacon & salmon eggs Benedict (with homemade hollandaise sauce), hash browns, more bacon, and mimosa (of course)! We were too busy eating and chatting for pictures. So...I won't be writing about that.

Instead, I will be writing about random dinner, that I happened to snap a couple shots before it was gone.

Pig Roast with Old Friends!

Some friendships are meant to last -- you don't necessarily have to talk every day, but in the bottom of your hear, you know the bond is and always will be there. Last weekend we drove down to Dobbs Ferry, NY to visit a friend that we hadn't seen for 3 years, over an awesome pig roast!

It took us a while to get there (Friday traffic is always the worst), plus it took a long time for us to find a parking spot. We kept circulating a block down from the eatery, and the smell just made us salivating.

It was so nice to see L, J and their lovely lovely boy N. N is the first baby that D and I have ever held. I still remember how nervous we were since last time we saw him, he was still a tiny baby with a wobbly head -- we were so afraid of breaking him that we held our breath having him in our arms. I couldn't believe that he was a real boy, talking and singing and all that!

I ordered the swine and wine dinner, which includes a three-course dinner with a wine pairing for each. D opted for the hogs and hops (beer pairing) instead, and we were able to have the "full" experience both.

Ladies Love Meatballs -- one-step recipe

It's been almost two months since I last got together w/ S. Man, how I miss it. We click so well when it comes to movies, dramas, wine, food and our boyfriends -- did I mention our boyfriends are actually best friends? Let alone the fact that we live less than 2 blocks away from each other!

I am so happy that we got to have our ladies night last Thursday. S must be the best guest ever -- not only does she always show up with a bottle or two of delicious wine, but she was also a great and talented help in the kitchen.

That night, we had oven-baked cajun meatballs, quinoa loaf with green peas, stove-top popcorns, and home-made macaroons. Couldn't have made the dinner without her!

Thick Cut Bacon, Parsley Hash Brown, and a Sunny-Side Up Egg -- I earned my first tip!

Ah, Sunday is finally here, together with the nice spring weather! We woke up well rested, to a sunny and warm day.

D is hungry, as I am taking a break from making a batch of these muffins every other day, which is why I am making him a hearty breakfast while he is out getting us some coffee from the Starbucks around the corner.

Soy Ginger Marinated Salmon -- I want this every day

To put everything in context, I just got back from a fancy 3-course from the top French restaurant in town, that's been rated "excellent" by New York times, and I'm still salivating when writing this post.

As always, the main dish itself was easy enough to prepare. You need a piece of very fresh salmon. I was browsing in the Asian grocery and saw the WHOLE fish, and just simply could NOT resist purchasing 2 pounds, even though I had no idea whether it is wild-caught and that it is more expensive than the regular Stop & Shop.

It just looked too good to pass.

Skin on, bone in, as raw as it can be -- just how I like it!

Please forgive the picture quality, as it was quite late when we ate (and that I am still living with iphones instead of a fancy DSLR as a poor graduate student...)

Chicken & Wild Rice Skillet -- stretching the leftovers into a tasty one-pot meal

You may have already known how a great roast chicken is done, but do you know how to transform the leftovers into a magnificent dish? Guess what, we are going to show you a way!