Salad cups

I can't think of anything easier than this - ceasar salad without a fork.  My friend Amy made me homemade caesar dressing and I put together rotisserie chicken and romaine, along with Parmesan cheese and croutons.  This is the perfect party appetizer and it was fun to eat.

Noodle Soup

What's the best part about a big chinese meal?  The leftovers of course!!!  I always look forward to taking leftovers home and making a noodle soup out of it.  It takes the noodle soup to a new taste level and helps cut down the grease from the original dish.

Amy's Kitchen

My friend Amy can cook.  She makes amazing meals and my favorite thing to hear in the world is "when can you come over?  I want to cook for you."  She is so passionate about food and I love hearing her talk about food.  I love going to the restaurants that she adores because I know it is the real deal.  Here is her fabulous blog with some awesome recipes!  Below are some pictures from a recent dinner she hosted.

Blue Fin Sushi Buffet

I love this buffet, where quality and quantity merge nicely.  My cousin-in-law, who regularly goes to sushi buffets in LA, declared the sushi rolls and sashimi here to be the best of the bunch.  I loved the arugula salad and jelly fish that I could get, along with seared salmon rolls, salmon sashimi, as well as a respectable selection of chinese stir fries.  There was also chicken teriyaki, katsu, tempura, along with mini korean pancakes and a veggie soon-do-boo like soup.

Just be careful with the drinks - the cups are huge and the servers fill it up diligently, so don't get too filled up with the liquids.

Summer Salads

Salmon Nicoise Salad - Nordstrom Cafe

Greek Salad - Panera Bread

I love salad in the summer time.  It's so refreshing that it's no wonder that it's exactly what we crave to combat the summer heat.  I've had my share of great salads this summer and posted my favorite ones.

Solo Sushi

My mother-in-law relieves me once a week and practically kicks me out of the house for the day.  It is such a nice break.  I get to eat my meal in at my pace and actually taste my food.  I love being a mommy, but especially love it when Jayden is being well taken care of while I get a break!

5 years!

This past weekend was our five year anniversary.  We went on a road trip the weekend before - that's how we like to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  And this past weekend, we were happy to spend quality time with Joe's sister and brother.  We went to the flight museum and had a great time. 

Din Tai Fung

Another visit to Din Tai Fung.  It was one of my first outings with Jayden in April.  When I thought of which restaurant to go to, it wasn't about the food.  It was about which location was the most baby friendly.  Baby friendly qualifications include cleanliness, accessibility with a stroller.  I have found restaurants at the mall to be the most baby friendly - you also get a meal and an outing in one trip. 

Tofu

Stuffed puffy fried tofu

Soft tofu with meat and enoki mushrooms

I'm always amazed at all the different tofu products that are out there.  There is at least three different types of "plain" tofu - soft, medium, firm.  There are many different types of fried tofu - dense, puffy, and of course, stinky.  There is also soft tofu pudding, which is one of my favorite desserts.  I love the endless combinations you can do with tofu - there are ton of traditional ways to cook it - add it in soup, make mapo tofu, or be creative and come up with your own dish!

Guacamole

Joe and I both love guacamole.  I found a wonderful and simple recipe from Ina Garten.  I'm hooked!  It's so good that no other recipe will do.

Tomato and Basil

Tomato and Basil at Central Market

It is such a great combination and while you can have it all year long, it is most refreshing to have in the summer.  I love that the tomato and basil combination can be get along with cheese, shrimp, bread, etc.

Caprese salad

Tomato Basil Shrimp

Bruschetta

Lychee Martini

The Lychee Martini from Wild Ginger - Bellevue.  It was just as strong as I remembered it to be, from the last one I had a couple years ago.  I was so happy to be in the right place, at the right time, to be able to fulfill a long awaited craving.  The Wild Ginger at the Bravern is a really good place to eat (albeit pricey) - the food is always consistent every time I go and the service is amazing.

Happily, a martini glass and a baby bottle is not mutually exclusive.  We were there for lunch and of course, I could only have one, but I was still a very happy camper.

Roast Duck

I love roast duck, I think even more than roast pork.  A friend had suggested red wine to go with it and although I have yet to put that together, I know that it will be a fantastic pairing.  I was recently in Chinatown and in a hurry for dinner.  I was lucky enough to be able to scarf down 1/4 of a roast duck and it was such a treat. 

All Grown Up

My cousin Johnny and I have not always gotten along.  Ok, we have always been each other's counterpoint since we were young.  It's hard to understand why, since these days, we seem to see eye to eye on most things, and have great conversations, especially with a little wine.

Black Bottle

Pink Lemon Drop and White Sangria

I'm not sure what possessed me to get a cocktail at a restaurant called Black Bottle.  Clearly, this new mommy was in need of a cocktail.  It is my first official one since I got pregnant and it was nice and strong (at least I thought it was).  It was great to catch up with friends and get back into the swing of happy hour.

A friend had already been here before so she expertly ordered her favorite dishes, which were all a hit.  Particularly the roasted broccoli - it was such a simple concept, but it was so well seasoned, that I don't know if I could have done that at home.

Gorgonzola and pear flat bread

Pork belly kimchi

Roasted Broccoli

chocolate torte

buying the experience....

I noticed that I tend to buy the experience, instead of actually experiencing it.  For instance, I was enamored with these super cute picnic items at Target and was about to pick up the lot of it.  However, I had an epiphany - how many times have I enjoyed a picnic this summer?  And do I already have these items?  I would be lucky if I could go to more than one picnic per summer, and I already have two coolers at home (though not as cute).  I realized that I really just need to actually plan a picnic, and not necessarily buy more items for it.  It's all about the planning these days, because summer weekends can easily slip by before you realize!

Green Leaf Restaurant

My dad had been wanting to go to Green Leaf Restaurant for a long time.  It's not the type of restaurant our family would normally frequent.  Mainly because they don't serve Chinese food.  My dad kept seeing lines and lines of people outside of this restaurant and he knew that he was missing out on something good.  The Vietnamese flavors were fresh and vibrant and delivered to our taste buds the flavors of sweet, sour, savory, and hot.

Tofu and lotus root appetizer salad

BBQ pork vermicelli noodles

Seafood pan friend noodles

Summer Colors

Fragrant flowers from my friend's garden

I never understood why people would want to spend all the time gardening.  Until a friend of mine gave me a lovely bouquet that she pulled together from her garden.  It was so beautiful and fragrant, with a perfume that I've never smelled before from store bought flowers.