tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-298405062012-02-16T18:13:54.523-08:00An <i>ah-lian</i> was whisked away to the far, far away land of "Ah-mare-lee-car". When the <i>gila</i> East meets the not-so-sane West, out of the chaos ensues hilarity!Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.comBlogger151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-1450674539903433792008-11-11T21:38:00.000-08:002008-11-11T22:26:03.117-08:00

This is the follow-up post on my Taiwanese Crispy Chicken Addiction. In Part I, I shared my quick fix recipe, but when time allows, I would fry up a batch of my own chicken cutlets.Taiwanese Crispy Chicken2 Chicken breasts2 egg1 cup flour2 tsp salt1 tsp paprika1 tsp five spice powderButterfly the chicken breasts.In bowl, crack eggs, add 1 tsp salt, paprika and five spice powder and 2 tbsp water.

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-19830824672391247782008-11-10T18:50:00.000-08:002008-11-10T21:00:58.688-08:00

Korean barbecue never really caught my fancy until Oz Korean BBQ. When I first saw the place two years ago, the name made me wonder. Oz, as in slang for Australian? Oz the tv show? Dorothy's fantasy destination?After about two weeks of guessing, I decided to find out. The moment I stepped in, I was immediately charmed. Dark wood furniture lined the room. The walls are painted with delicate pink

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-65014853467951410172008-10-18T20:28:00.000-07:002008-10-18T22:09:56.123-07:00

After that first taste of the honey lavender ice-cream at the Slow Food Nation Taste Pavilion over the Labor Day weekend, I have fallen in love with the idea of lavender in my food. It didn't help that a spate of recipes, food ideas, and pictures utilizing lavender in the creative culinary uses flooded the Internet in the following weeks. Naturally, I have to get my hands on a bag of culinary

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-25547746889856286252008-10-04T16:42:00.000-07:002008-10-04T17:07:13.235-07:00

5-minute Apple-Peach Jello Cups1/2 packet peach instant jello mix (I used sugar-free since I have only that in my pantry.)1 large white peach1 cup apple juiceHeat 1 cup of water in microwave until boiling. Add 1/2 packet of instant jello mix and stir until dissolved. Add 1 cup chilled apple juice.Cut up peach and cube it.Distribute peach cubes among 9 silicon cups.Pour jello mixture into the cups

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-76342985333760117892008-09-30T16:45:00.000-07:002008-09-30T21:05:12.005-07:00

I visited my best friend, S, in the Bay Area last night and she suggested dining at Daimo in Richmond, CA. During my past few trips along the Interstate 80 between Sacramento and San Francisco, I've noticed Daimo more than once. This restaurant shouts out to highway commuters with its strategically placed blazing sign reading "DAIMO". Somehow, while cruising by at post 70 speeds (Shh... don't

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-1301536289153492682008-09-28T20:55:00.000-07:002008-09-28T23:25:05.024-07:00

Every year from the Labor Day weekend until about Thanksgiving, the sleepy town of Camino awakes as it opens its doors to visitors from all over California and neighboring states. Although I have lived in Sacramento for almost 4 years, it was only until last weekend that I saw Camino, more commonly known as Apple Hill in its full glory. My past visits, perhaps two or three of them, were all in

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-57353267558253802502008-09-26T18:42:00.001-07:002008-09-26T19:08:54.284-07:00

There has been one or two posts on brussels sprouts on Foodbuzz lately, making me hungry. When I saw some at the store yesterday, I knew it was time for bacon and brussels sprouts to meet once more. In the above dish, the brussels sprouts were quickly cooked in a microwave and then placed under the broiler after being tossed in a light coat of olive oil. Dry direct heat intensifies the natural

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-79193134374764028512008-09-24T21:22:00.000-07:002008-09-24T22:37:57.065-07:00

I'm craving some quiche, but didn't feel like making it from scratch, so I made a few substitutions. Instead of using salmon fillets, I used frozen salmon burgers, and also replaced the quiche crust pastry with store bought pot sticker wrappers.Homemade Salmon Mini QuichesIngredients2 salmon burger patties2 cup loosely chopped broccoli1 pack of pot-sticker wrappers (about 40)6 eggs1 cup monterey

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-34340625148389717242008-09-14T20:48:00.000-07:002008-09-23T22:32:28.169-07:00

Eating moon cakes on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the ways to celebrate the night. However, sitting cross-legged on my deck outside isn't my idea of a good time. And my husband and I have been watching Conan the Barbarian & Conan the Destroyer back-to-back and didn't want to really leave the living room.As such, the celebrations this year is all held indoors. I fished out my

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-62125382935068556832008-09-14T15:40:00.000-07:002008-09-14T16:14:05.905-07:00

The first time I had this, it was made by the immigrant mother of my husband's good friend. This rich spicy dip takes the pico de gallo a step further with avocado and piquant jalapenos.Picardo1 large ripe hass avocardo1 large ripe tomato / 2 medium tomato1/4 large yellow onion1 T chopped cilantro1/2 serrano pepper / Cholula hot sauce1/2 lime / lemon1 sprig spring onionSea saltPepperDice avocardo

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-2680348117275880502008-09-13T15:12:00.000-07:002008-09-13T18:24:27.549-07:00

At the recent Slow Food Nation held at San Francisco, I received an email the day before, telling us to bring our water bottles. That I did, and in it, I included half a lemon sliced thinly with a 3-4 sprigs of mint mixed with the home-filtered Sacramento tap water & ice. That worked out really well as my husband and I wandered around the pavilions and washing down our tastings with lemon-mint

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-74812067891073600032008-09-07T11:15:00.001-07:002008-09-07T11:30:56.823-07:00

Strawberry toast is a quick and simple breakfast, made from the strawberries I purchased the day before at the Farmer's Market. It took only 10 minutes to assemble (only if you want it to look pwetty) but if you're in a hurry, that can be cut down to 5 minutes.Strawberry toastFresh strawberriesSliced wheat breadCream cheeseHoneyGranola (Optional)1. Slice strawberries thinly. I used a slicer but

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-51124048895244589802008-09-06T16:04:00.001-07:002008-09-06T19:56:45.318-07:00

Here in Sacramento, summer this year struck me as being milder than the past two. The heat on most summer days remained in the 90s, and only shot past 100 on a handful of days. Yet, as we move into the early September, Mother Nature must have remembered and filled the last few days with the usual Sacramento scorching summer heat. And it was in this heat that I arrived at the Certified Farmer's

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-78292244499134164312008-09-05T22:05:00.000-07:002008-09-05T22:31:46.318-07:00

Pizza is considered an universal food by many, and with good reason. Even my grandma, an immigrant from China back in the 30s, and a lady deeply rooted in the traditions and foods of her homeland, could be seen biting into a slice of Hawaiian pizza from time to time. My grandma is cool, right? For me and my husband, a pizza can be a lot of things, party food, college food, comfort food, and

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29840506.post-1153079084809950592006-07-16T12:11:00.000-07:002006-07-16T12:44:44.816-07:00

It took a journey across the world to find the Lian in me. I've been toying with the idea of a new blog, a differently defined perspective. It all began when I start to watch the way I switch codes whenever I'm talking to fellow countrymen. It seeps through in the way I type, the way I talk, and even the way I act.Since secondary school, my friends have told me I am loud, like a lian sometimes

Lian @ Heartnoreply@blogger.com1