.: recipe, illustrated :.

So happy when I found this site through Creature Comforts. You can search the recipe by ingredients, meal type (and if you're like me who only care about how pretty things look: by illustration style) and you can submit your own. Here are a few of my favorites:

by Wilma Sanchez 

by Sara Zampedri

 by Fabiana Attanasio

.: What's for dinner? :.

paper from sugarplum paperie, fonts from kevin and amanda.. they're free!

There are three kinds of fried rice that I like: my grandma's orange-based fried rice which is very complicated, kencur (lesser galangal) fried rice which smells yummy and super simple, and the Hong Kong-style fried rice. I don't know where the name came from but my mom called the white, no-soy-sauce fried rice as the Hong Kong style and it sticks with me. So this is for dinner, hopefully someone will like it! :D
click here for recipe. or click on the image for larger version

.: get crabby :.

*paper from Sugarplum Paperie - frame from Weeds & Wildflower*

Along with fries and calamari, crab cakes are my favorite appetizer-thingy that sometimes cost as much as the main dishes. Since crab is expensive here I use the crab in pouches available in the supermarket's frozen section. Click here for a bigger version of the recipe card (or you can click on the image for larger version and do the right click-save as)

.: easy peasy part two :.

I'm in the mood for soup lately, probably because of the cold, SanFran weather. And I'm still such a lazy student who does not want to spend all her time cooking, therefore soup is such a good choice. This time, I use different ingredients. So here goes my random 'whatever' soup, again:

ingredients:
3 cubes of chicken broth
3 tbs of soy sauce
1 tbs of black pepper
2 leeks, chopped
3 full size carrots, cut into small circles
1 big russet potato, peel and diced
3 corns ( supposedly cut them into 4 smaller pieces but it's tricky to cut corns)
5 sausages, cut into small circles

how:
boil half pan of water, drop the chicken broth. Stir. Add soy sauce and black pepper. Add carrots and corns. Wait until carrots turn a bit mushy, then add potato and chopped leek. Add sausages last. Dinner is served.

.: easy peasy :.

After a month long of cooking experiments I return to SanFran and find an empty fridge. I got a crate full of various instant noodles tho... Then after about 5 days eating instant noodles with variations (meatballs, mushrooms, meatballs AND mushrooms...) I decided to try cooking again. Nothing fancy, of course. So I went to 99 ranch and bought about three bagfuls of shtuff. I'm too lazy to create something complicated and I don't really want to spend money on produce that I won't use again later. If you don't have time but want something healthier than instant noodle, make a soup. Today's menu is a 'whatever goes' soup. Here's my recipe:

ingredients:
2 blocks of chicken broth (if you use powder, about 2tbs)
meatballs
shrimp balls
fish balls
cubed tofu
chopped chinese cabbage
enoki mushrooms
chopped leek
and if you like you can also put in button mushrooms & cilantro. I added tom yum sauce because I like my soup sour and spicy.
directions:
boil about half a pan of water, drop the chicken broth in, stir. Add the veggies, then add the other ingredients. Voila, you have a soup.


I also bought a french press to prevent me from donating money to a Starbucks everyday. I love it! I got myself the Bodum Brazil 8-cup french press and use Starbucks' French Roast (can get away from them really...) I still use my Starbucks' mugs so I still feel like I have a fancy coffee... I mix 6-8 spoonful of coffee and 2 tbs of condensed milk. Yum...