tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85790552011-12-21T17:58:53.119+09:00To help me remember life's little moments so I don't forget.Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.comBlogger2241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-41073427612081271582011-12-21T17:44:00.000+09:002011-12-21T17:58:53.139+09:00

We bid goodbye to Oliver’s and Tarangire in the morning as our Asilia driver drove us to the Manyara airstrip to be greeted by our new guide/driver from & Beyond. From the airstrip it was a 45-min drive to the Ngorongoro Nature Reserve. I first heard about the crater from a good friend who worked for a South African bank. Based in London, he makes frequent business trips to Johannesburg and

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-74120753390583801812011-12-06T16:05:00.001+09:002011-12-06T16:52:58.705+09:00

It seems that I’ve waited forever to go on a safari trip but the timing was just never right, and I also couldn’t decide which African country to go to.  This year, while planning hubby’s mandatory 2-week leave I stumbled upon a company called Tanzania Odyssey based in London that specializes in safari trips in Tanzania and Kenya.  After corresponding back and forth with Ted from T.O. for a while

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-11595443003378457032011-09-20T21:53:00.000+09:002011-09-20T21:53:41.697+09:00

This past Sunday was our 12th wedding anniversary, which is also known as the silk anniversary. I only found out about this via an internet search when a friend asked which anniversary is the 12th. As it happened, one of the presents that I got for hubby is a silk tie, so it’s totally in sync with the theme! Two days before our anniversary I received a tip from a chef friend that my local

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4Singapore1.352083 103.8198361.098096 103.503979 1.6060699999999999 104.13569299999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-62955403259367469292010-01-09T00:31:00.010+09:002010-01-09T00:54:32.742+09:00

The first time I attempted to make a gingerbread house was four years ago. I was in Tokyo and going to Le Cordon Bleu. That was also the last winter we lived in Japan. Since then, Christmas seasons had been spent moving, traveling, and being busy with teaching and churning out cake orders. This year, I made a decision to stop teaching all classes one week before Christmas and not to take any

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-72139639617551834122009-08-31T17:09:00.004+09:002009-08-31T17:17:02.675+09:00

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts to make, be it the traditional coffee kind or my own green tea version. I also like to make a stenciled pattern on top with icing sugar, after the coco powder or green tea powder, to give it a little something extra.In the past, I've always had to ask someone to help me with this taks, either to hold the stencil or to do the dusting. The problem with that

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-8760750446699407222009-06-17T12:51:00.015+09:002009-06-17T18:00:27.681+09:00

Like I said, I’ve turned into a Twilight fan. For three weeks after I came back from New York, I lived and breathed the Twilight saga, reading the books over and over again, watching the DVD, listening to the soundtracks, and searching any Twilight related video clips on YouTube. Yeah, I know, it’s all a little bit obsessive. The worst part though, is that I don’t have many friends who’ve read

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-65046217176796352452009-06-14T15:36:00.004+09:002009-06-17T12:49:30.804+09:00

It all started on a long-haul flight from Tokyo to New York city. I already had plenty of sleep from Singapore to Tokyo so I was wired. After watching Gran Torino and Benjamin Button, and even a stupid Jim Carrey movie called the “Yes Man.” I was left with either watching a LOT of Clint Eastwood oldies or the teen vampire flick Twilight. Don’t get me wrong, I love Clint Eastwood in his early

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-58203401473671743802008-09-17T21:32:00.007+09:002008-09-19T11:54:01.743+09:00

Last month while having lunch, a friend casually asked me whether I signed up for the photography workshop at the American Club. She said that it would be conducted by a famous National Geographic photographer and that it consisted of five days of photo-taking and critique sessions. Even though she couldn’t remember the name of the photographer, I knew I wanted to sign up instantly.I have been

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-48204567433462475132008-08-18T18:55:00.002+09:002008-08-18T19:03:24.052+09:00

I have been watching the Olympics and getting so darn inspired by the amazing athletes. Without a question, they are all extremely talented but what I admire most is the sheer determination and dedication they have shown. The most obvious example is Michael Phelps, who’s won every one of the eight gold medals that he set his mind on winning. But it is those athletes who were dismissed as

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-77417201298168965712008-08-11T17:38:00.015+09:002008-08-12T12:34:07.005+09:00

I’m a breakfast person. I like long leisurely breakfasts, either at home or at a roadside café, with a good cup of cappuccino. On weekdays I eat alone, because Jason leaves work at the ungodly hour of 7:30am and no amount of love can get this sleepyhead out of bed at that hour to have breakfast with dear hubby. Plus, unlike me, Jason is NOT a breakfast person. So weekday breakfasts are simple: a

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-47757595681735346672008-04-29T15:30:00.011+09:002008-08-28T09:55:37.236+09:00

One thing I won’t complain about living in Singapore is the size of the place. True, it is just one tiny island that you can drive from one end to the other in less than 45 minutes, but it is conveniently located for easy traveling. Most places in Asia are just a short hop away and even Europe and Australia are well within 12 hours. North and South Americas and Africa are a little far to get to,

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-70909568927394386522008-02-24T10:00:00.003+09:002008-08-28T09:55:49.756+09:00

Our waiter greeted us with “Hello, my name is Mike, and my blood type is O. What’s your blood type?” Yip, our waiter. I was at a restaurant, not a blood bank.Lynette and I and a couple of other ladies started this lunch thing last year. We don’t meet regularly and it’s not always the same group because people are out of town all the time, but whoever can make it will go and we usually try to eat

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-84284271957831531602008-02-21T12:16:00.013+09:002008-08-28T09:55:50.447+09:00

Last Saturday, we went with Lynettte and a group of friends to the lovely Sichuan Do Hua restaurant for a Chinese New Year celebration dinner. But, wasn’t CNY last week? Yes, and no, because traditionally CNY is celebrated for fifteen whole days, ending with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day. So we were well within the celebratory period.Lynette had outdone herself by booking the most

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-30112710814078535202008-02-15T13:44:00.008+09:002008-08-28T09:55:44.627+09:00

Here’s how I spent Feb 14th, 200812amv – 1:45amEmergency Room of Mount Pleasant Animal HospitalLibby and Cherry Garcia got into a fight and Libby’s two upper canines were ripped from her gum. The one on the right is pointing horizontally out instead of down. Her upper lip couldn’t even close properly. After a shot of antibiotics, pain relief meds and some blood sample we were sent home

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-14852492929105739862008-02-10T23:21:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:40.974+09:00

I am not much of a gardener. In fact I have never been successful at keeping anything alive for more than a year, except for those hearty house plants genetically engineered to take abuses such as long periods of draught when we travel and constant blast of cold air from the A/C vent. I do try to keep a little herb garden though because I use fresh herbs in my cooking so much. My little herb

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-66537024873259744882008-01-30T17:45:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:36.514+09:00

Despite the hot weather (I think our brief “winter” is over now) I find myself suddenly craving for a Japanese dish called butano kakuni （豚の角煮). It’s basically a braised pork dish made with pork belly or any cut of pork with layers of fat and lean meat. It is not sophisticated food but it has to be done the right way with the right flavors in the broth. One of my favorite izakayas in Tokyo serves

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-80764789608419556002008-01-21T16:48:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:42.474+09:00

It all started one night when I was surfing the internet and discovered a website selling all kinds of cookie cutters. They were extremely reasonably priced, with most selling below $2. Now, if you ask me I’ll deny it but I think I might have a secret agenda to collect all the kitchen gadgets and pastry tools ever made, so finding this treasure trove really had me over the moons. An hour of

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-3570567576406858192008-01-07T17:53:00.000+09:002008-01-07T21:33:08.799+09:00

First of all, let me just say that one should never surf the internet while half asleep. Because when you’re almost falling asleep you tend to make decisions without using your brain, which is what happened to me around New Year’s. I was browsing through flickr as a means to put off going to bed, as I tend to do on so many late nights. As always, I checked comments that people left on my photos.

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-71610968962280247492007-12-03T18:48:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:46.154+09:00

Singapore is a great place to live: clean air, safe environment, convenient location for traveling in South East Asia and all the modern amenities you can think of. However, living in a tropical country where seasons blend into perpetual summer has its drawbacks. For one, you are always in shorts and T-shirts and the only way to wear your hair is up. The simple act of pulling on a pair of jeans

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-11526081791145670832007-10-19T18:57:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:39.325+09:00

Having lived in Tokyo for almost six years, I get approached a lot by friends and cyber-acquaintances for recommendations on sights to see and places to eat when they visit Japan. While I am by no means an expert on either subject, I do have a list of favorites. After typing out more or less the same responses at least half a dozen times in the past year, I finally got smart and decided to write

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-6546753073347764312007-10-02T23:01:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:41.697+09:00

Without a question, my favorite holiday is Christmas. Even though it’s becoming more and more over-commercialized, I still enjoy seeing all the Christmas decorations and hearing the carols, not to mention the sweet aroma of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven.My second favorite holiday, also without a question, is Halloween. It is probably not a coincidence that it happens in the peak of

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-2788420010035665422007-09-04T22:22:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:48.467+09:00

Yes, I know it’s been a VERY LONG time since my last post. Long story short, the minute I came back to Singapore from Provence I was swamped with work, both pastry and a big photo assignment, leaving me with little time to sleep, let alone blogging. I did manage to sift through the thousands of photos I took in Provence and sent them off to friends and family, but even that took almost a month to

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-35888878555751987732007-06-29T17:15:00.000+09:002007-06-29T17:16:52.905+09:00

I never thought I’d be so depressed going to Provence. We’ve been talking going with our friends Albin and Agnes for years and finally made the booking in February. Both Albin and Agnes are food lovers and avid cooks so the idea is to go for two weeks, rent a villa, go to the market in the morning, lay by the pool during the day and cook and eat and be merry. Agnes is bringing all her food

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-74418526603487345802007-06-25T00:05:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:46.838+09:00

A while ago my friend Lisa asked me if I had ever heard of this restaurant in Spain where they do crazy stuff with food. She was referring to molecular gastronomy by Ferran Adrià at his restaurant El Bulli, which is only open half the year. Ferran Adrià spends the rest of the year in his “lab” developing new recipes. She said it sounded really interesting and wondered if there was any place in

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-44487838418726824402007-06-22T21:26:00.000+09:002007-06-22T21:33:28.333+09:00

Just a very short post to report that I finally found a way to use up the bad griottes. Following some blogger’s suggestions, I removed the griottes from the alcohol syrup and soaked them in syrup instead, hoping the strong alcohol taste would leech out. That didn’t work.Along came Cherry, who virtually put me on house arrest because I had to watch her constantly, sneaking to a different room

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-16044085048325658222007-06-08T21:10:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:40.280+09:00

We spent the last five or six years wanting a second dog to keep Princess Libby company. She indicated earlier on that she’s partial to golden retrievers and border collies. Since border collies usually require plenty of outdoor space for exercise we decided that a golden retriever is more suitable for our city lifestyle. The plan was to get a golden retriever puppy after we come back from France

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-34167825689240456652007-06-06T15:08:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:43.880+09:00

When I saw the one off event Cook and Eat Meat hosted by Home Mades to raise awareness of iron deficient anemia, and to get more women to eat meat, I thought, why not? I haven’t been anemic since adolescence, but I’m a woman, and I do crave a big hunk of nicely cooked meat once in a while. Although I enjoy a nicely grilled medium-rare wagyu steak, I usually leave Jason to order that and take a

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-61915657164469836682007-05-30T19:58:00.000+09:002007-05-30T20:10:32.311+09:00

Last week, my fickle Gaggenau fridge that refused to be fixed finally died a sudden, yet not completely unexpected death. It’s been months in the works. First too warm, then too cold, and when it finally reached the right temperature, it kept on tripping the circuit.I am convinced that the repairmen who made at least ten trips in the doomed attempt to repair the fridge had somehow caused this.

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-76775389263945169822007-05-18T00:47:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:47.597+09:00

If you asked me what my all time favorite cake is, I’ll probably say black forest. Growing up in Shanghai, it was one of the few western desserts available, and mom used to buy me a piece from the bakery as a treat on special occasions. Ask Jason what his favorite cake is, he’d definitely say black forest. Maybe he had the same childhood memory or maybe it’s just a testament to black forest’s

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-79289485802743385282007-05-13T18:43:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:45.320+09:00

I’m a girl of simple tastes. It doesn’t always have to take pan fried foie gras or melt-in-your-mouth millefeuille to wow me, although I have nothing against the finer things in life either. The point is, I’ve always been a fan of pound cakes. I know, I know, they’re loaded with sugar and butter and cholesterol from all those eggs, but what can I say? At three o’clock in the afternoon a slice of

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-45141853452315934812007-05-11T01:04:00.000+09:002007-05-11T01:05:55.391+09:00

We finally got our act together and bought a car. No more standing in the sun waving down taxis or calling four cab companies on a rainy day and not getting through to even one. All our troubles are over! But not so fast. Here’s the thing. We didn’t stay long enough in Hong Kong to get a car and when we lived in Tokyo our car had a great navigation system that included a back camera with

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-69575330164633002382007-05-04T18:46:00.001+09:002008-08-28T09:55:43.185+09:00

There must be a macaron goddess watching over all of us mortals who try to perfect the art of macaron making. She is the one who decides which worthy bakers are to be bestowed with the gift of the perfect macarons, and which ones must keep on whisking egg whites and sifting almond powder until the end of time. I thought I was the few lucky ones to have received the gift. Yesterday I learned that

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-70649080335613420222007-04-29T21:42:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:38.537+09:00

Ever since my visit to Hidemi Sugino’s Tokyo patisserie, Idemi, and bought his book, I’ve been flipping through it at least once a week, usually before bed, and mainly to drool over all the pretty pictures and relive the cake extravaganza I had with my Le Cordon Bleu classmates. Although I did pinch a few ideas from the book here and there I had never mustered up the courage to try any of the

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-57109674644310891942007-04-21T22:36:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:51.145+09:00

I am never one to waste food. I always freeze the extra egg whites; I never throw away any sablee or puff pastry dough scraps; I even save the pineapple cores and coriander roots to flavor soups. If it’s edible, I’ll find a way to use it, some way, anyway.When I made the Opéra the other day, I miscalculated how much coffee butter cream I needed and ended up with lots of leftover. Even though I’m

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-32359874033558210352007-04-21T17:53:00.000+09:002007-04-21T23:14:56.491+09:00

Ten batches of macarons, two batches of cupcakes and two batches of sponge cakes later, I still haven’t come off the pastry-making high brought on by the month-long hiatus. What to make next? Then I remembered the congnac I asked for but never drank on the flight from the States. Of course, I’ll make an Opéra! It’s been ages since I’ve made an Opéra, mainly because it’s such an intense

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-89327922154261674512007-04-18T18:37:00.000+09:002007-04-18T18:54:37.206+09:00

I guess it’s only natural that once you’ve been away from something for so long it takes a little time to get back into the swing of things. For the past month and a half I’ve been in the US helping my parents pack up the house and move back to Shanghai for their retirement. The only cooking I did was frying up a few batches of donuts, and tossing the occasional salad. Once we arrived in

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-23017873300131121752007-03-28T03:12:00.000+09:002007-03-28T03:37:53.657+09:00

Ever since leaving the US to live abroad donut has become a luxury. Gone are the days when we buy donuts by the dozen and munch on it whenever we liked (once you hit 30’s your metabolism just won’t take that kind of abuse). Having donuts for breakfast is also out, since donut bakeries in Asia don’t open at the crack of dawn, as Dunkin donuts do. This didn’t bother us too much. Although we

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-23162562870798315822007-03-25T02:36:00.000+09:002008-08-28T10:41:31.398+09:00

I present to you, Enchanté, my way of spreading the joy of whisking, piping, baking, and everything to do with French pastry.When I enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu I vaguely had a plan to eventually have some sort of cake business. By the time I finished the basic level I had narrowed it down to a home-based cooking class with the occasional order-made cakes. Two years and three countries later, it

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-62889511108162697462007-03-17T08:47:00.000+09:002007-03-17T10:17:39.270+09:00

Hey y’all, many of you already know that I have recently started my little business – Enchanté, but some of you may not know that I’m also going to be teaching some classes at a cooking school in Singapore called Palate Sensations. It’s a really cool place set up like a large home-kitchen in a historical black and white house (you’ll need to have visited Singapore to know it). Owner Lynette is

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-27061277966116431222007-03-15T08:30:00.000+09:002007-03-15T08:33:27.237+09:00

I was at my bank yesterday, closing up one of two accounts I have and transferring all the money into the other account. Then I changed the address on that other account to our Singapore address.The whole thing was taken care of in less than 15 minutes and not once was I asked to show my ID! I brought my two checkbooks so I knew what the account numbers were, but is that proof that I was the

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-88780979832677567772007-03-12T08:31:00.000+09:002007-03-12T09:40:51.699+09:00

It's been more than a month since we moved into our new place and I have yet to go to the pool or the gym just once. It seems that all of a sudden I had a million things to take care of everyday and there never seems to be enough hours in a day. All I did, all day long was opening up boxes and putting away stuff for the first week. When that’s done and taken care of and I thought I could take a

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-52189517093763135602007-01-18T05:29:00.000+09:002008-08-28T10:40:29.278+09:00

Anyone who’s ever worked with chocolate knows that it’s all about the temperature. Control it properly the chocolates will turn out shiny and beautiful but make the slightest of mistakes, you’ll either end up with ugly spots and streaks (a.k.a. blooming) or worse, a glob that never properly sets. A friend of mine who’s an avid chocolate maker says she never makes chocolates in the summer

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-20390591901215854702006-12-15T21:34:00.000+09:002006-12-15T21:40:14.108+09:00

On December 7th, 2006, I was handed my certificate of completion, diploma and a silver medal. My stint in Tokyo to finish the final level of the patisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu is officially over. In the course of two and half months I ate numerous cakes in the name of field study; bought too many cookbooks for research purposes; and force fed friends who are too nice to say no way too many

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-65250716863388887722006-11-21T21:07:00.001+09:002006-11-21T21:07:46.267+09:00

“I should go to the morning practical session even though we’re only making jam and jelly candy today.”“I’m so tired I just want to go home and sleep.”“Ok, if I can make the 8am bus I’ll go to class. If I miss it, I’ll take the Narita express and go home.”“But even if I go home I’ll only get two hours of sleep before I have to get up again and go to the afternoon lecture.”These thoughts drifted

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-41134252565149629022006-11-13T21:52:00.000+09:002006-11-13T21:59:48.959+09:00

The original plan for Saturday was to go to Mt. Takao to take photos of the autumn leaves and then have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Ukai Toriyama, with my roommate Tanya. Of course the weather wasn’t cooperating and started to rain before we even got up. Looking at the gloomy and dreary weather, Tanya and I decided to stay in and have a lazy day instead. I was finishing up my

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1163167073657351922006-11-10T22:56:00.000+09:002006-11-11T22:24:08.432+09:00

Before Sunday my entire thoughts were occupied with how to improve my cake recipe, but when it’s finalized at last there’s suddenly nothing to do. Jason’s leaving also left an empty feeling, even though I knew I’d see him again in less two weeks in Singapore. So when I got home after seeing him off in Tokyo station, I felt like I had to do something to occupy myself, like cooking something,

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1163165307859695072006-11-10T22:22:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:32:52.893+09:00

I finally have a cake recipe. After giving the first four prototypes to virtually everyone I know in Tokyo and getting plenty of feedbacks, I completely revamped the recipe(a big thank you to Pei-ran and Yoko who gave really honest and constructive criticisms). The complaints people had for the first four versions are mostly about the grapefruit. The taste was too subtle, so unless told, most

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1161585394723184602006-10-23T15:34:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:37:15.987+09:00

As you all know, the reason why I left Jason and Libby in Hong Kong in the care of a 26 year old nanny to come to Tokyo for three months right in the middle of yet another international house moving is to get my French patisserie diploma from Le Cordon Bleu. Seeing that it’s the one and only goal, it goes without saying that I aim to achieve it.The final exam for the patisserie supreme course at

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1160316933305819942006-10-08T23:07:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:37:51.911+09:00

Dear Mr. Hidemi Sugino,You don’t know me, but you probably remember the strange group of five women who went to your Kyobashi shop Idemi and ordered thirteen cakes, spent more than two hours passing the plates around taking turns tasting each cake, and each bought a copy of your autographed recipe book the other day. Well, I was one of them.The first time I heard about you was from Keiko’s blog.

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1159801032883613642006-10-02T23:55:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:38:36.393+09:00

To make a long story short, five months after moving to Hong Kong, less than four months in our apartment, and two months after getting our brand new furniture that are custom made to fit our apartment, we are being transferred to Singapore. To be fair, the choice was partly ours because I never really managed to like living in Hong Kong, and on a recent trip back to Singapore I realized how much

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1150355044247341272006-06-15T16:01:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:38:54.876+09:00

Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere as wet as Hong Kong in my life. On top of the almost constant rain for the past month, water is literally coming out of thin air! Don’t believe me? Here’s how.Almost as soon as we arrived in Hong Kong, everyone started warning us about the humidity in Hong Kong and how everything is susceptible to mold. A dehumidifier seems to be THE must-have item

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1146131415238995572006-04-27T18:42:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:39:45.901+09:00

Remember the apartment that I told you all about (the one with the nice kitchen and a double fridge)? Jason liked it too and we put in a bid for it. After a few rounds of back and forth we came to an agreement with the landlord on the rental price. This happened over the weekend, and I was so happy that this saga was finally coming to an end that I went furniture shopping. Then yesterday we

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1145644836942416142006-04-22T03:36:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:40:07.200+09:00

Hi Jason-sanLibby-chan left Japan as scheduled. She is so cute dog. We let her drink some of the water before just before giving to CX also filled some water to the dish. She was shaking when I put onto the car but by the time we arrived NRT she was fine. At the quarantine inspection she was just walking around the room and looking for way to go out. After the inspections when I said 'HOUSE' she

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1144992612043743952006-04-14T14:26:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:40:43.968+09:00

Jason has a strange fascination with apartments and houses. Back when we were in Tokyo and looking for a property to buy, he would sit at the computer and sift through hundreds of web pages, looking for something to catch his eye. When it became pretty clear that we were moving to Hong Kong, his attention turned to Hong Kong rental properties. He found about half a dozen property web sites and

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1144663962203123322006-04-10T17:51:00.000+09:002006-11-10T23:41:08.419+09:00

Take a good look at this picture. Can you find the bed? This is Shama SoHo, the one and only serviced apartment building in Hong Kong that will accept a dog. Located in the heart of Hong Kong’s SoHo district, it’s a stone’s throw from the famous bar and club district Lan Kwai Fong and just around the corner from the mid-level escalator. Not a bad place to be if you are into hanging out in pubs

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1144657791617812782006-04-10T17:29:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:24:33.568+09:00

Let’s see, in my last blog entry I was telling you the secrets to perfect macorons. Two months passed by without a sound from me, and now I’m writing in a tiny little serviced apartment in Hong Kong’s SoHo district, sans dog, with a pot of hot soup simmering on the stove, waiting for Jason’s return from work. Yes, life can be funny sometimes. Just when I thought I had everything planned out (I

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1139405624874097282006-02-08T22:29:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:24:54.409+09:00

First of all, I think something needs to be said about my long absence from this blog. I guess I just lost the motivation to write. Surprisingly, two days of school generated such copious amounts of notes to be typed up that it usually takes me two or three days to put them all in order. After that, who has the will to type anything else! So what brought me out of “retirement”? Macarons!

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1131541062263276352005-11-09T21:52:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:27:09.419+09:00

Ever since I started Le Cordon Bleu a month and a half ago, I had almost no chance to eat any dessert other than the ones made by me. On top of the large quantities of things I churn out at school every Thursday and Friday, I also get the itch to make something of my own once in a while. As a result, Jason’s colleagues and our friends and neighbors have been having desserts pushed on them on an

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1130833291800776112005-11-01T17:10:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:28:46.167+09:00

Ok, to be fair, my life is not too shabby. We’ve got our health, Libby’s still going strong at age seven, and we are happy with the way things are for the most part. So I shouldn’t complain, right? But it's my blog, so I am going to anyway, damn it!It all started three weeks ago when we went to Hong Kong for the weekend to see some friends. Since we only had two days and have exhausted most

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1130742913411126342005-10-31T16:13:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:29:12.108+09:00

As some of you know, I won the “Edibility” category of the ninth “Does My Blog Look Good In This” photography contest last month. Through my win I found a friend in Chubby Hubby, a blogger from Singapore, and a fellow flickrist. I was an instant fan of his aesthetically pleasing and creative food photographs. So when he told me that he was hosting the tenth DMBLGIT contest and asked me to be a

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1130233397785036772005-10-25T18:41:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:29:39.372+09:00

A couple of months ago when we went to London, our friends whom we stayed with served us a typical French breakfast on their roof top terrace over looking the Tower Bridge. The first item on the menu was buttered toast dipped in soft-boiled eggs. Maybe it was the fabulous view, or maybe it was the crisp morning air, gooey egg yolks never tasted so good.Last weekend, we found ourselves stuck at

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1129528705216842412005-10-17T14:53:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:30:05.298+09:00

Does anyone know the English name for this flower? It’s called “gui hua” (桂花) in Chinese and “kin no mokusei” (金の木犀) in Japanese, but what’s it in English?I was pleasantly surprised my first autumn in Japan when I woke up one morning to a distantly familiar sweet fragrance that I hadn’t smelled since I was a kid in China. It wasn’t until then that I realized that all the trees in the yard were

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1128435811347157642005-10-04T23:17:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:30:26.939+09:00

I had some free time today so I thought I'd organize my blog entries into categories, and what do you know? I found out that I wrote my very first blog entry exactly one year ago to the day!Two hours of hard labor later, I now have manually categorized every single blog entry I wrote in the past year. Now if you would turn your attention to the side bar, you'll find something called "Let There

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1128391886185380072005-10-04T11:09:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:30:52.352+09:00

Three people cut their fingers; one person never showed up; one girl lost her wedding ring (later found); another thought she’d lost her mind when she couldn’t find her things in the locker after class (she used the wrong locker and the rightful owner of the locker turned her things in to the administrator); many people locked themselves out of their own lockers (myself included, twice. LCB has

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1127809873992827402005-09-27T17:19:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:31:15.358+09:00

In two days I start lessons at Le Cordon Bleu. Isn’t it exciting? I went to the orientation session last Friday and received my uniform (two jackets, a pair of pants, two aprons, a hat, and two kitchen towels, all with the LCB crest) and a serious-looking tool set. Of course the first thing I did when I got home was to take a photo of the jacket and the tools to commemorate this landmark day.

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1126850489192536272005-09-16T14:59:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:31:30.709+09:00

We recently went to the UK for a wedding and on the way back stopped in Langkawi for a five-day mini vacation. While the hotel we stayed in the London suburb was everything I had ever imagined the English countryside to be, the food was less than satisfactory. But then again, food is not exactly England’s strong suit. So no disappointment there, and we looked forward to the gastronomic treat

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1126679046470988692005-09-14T15:20:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:32:23.113+09:00

Last week Jason came home and announced, “Someone sent me a free food magazine today. It looks pretty good. I’m leaving it on the dining table.” I took a glance in that direction and saw a thin booklet with a not-so-attractive cover. Those of you who know me will know that I’m a very visual person, especially when it comes to recipe books and food magazines. If my attention is not grabbed

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1126191815437949692005-09-09T00:01:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:33:01.908+09:00

I went for a cooking lesson today and out of the five people who signed up only another student and I showed up. The teacher announced that since enough material was measured for five people, we’d have to prepare five servings. A normal person who hears this will assume that the five servings of food will then all be consumed, now won’t she? Wrong!I swear I’m not saying this just because I’m a

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1125986148891315752005-09-06T14:52:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:33:22.110+09:00

I know, I know, Tibet was two months ago, and we’ve already gone on another trip between then and now, but what can I say? Didn’t I confess to being a hopeless procrastinator a long time ago? Better late than never, right? Like I said before, Tibet was such an exhausting trip and what little energy I had left afterwards was drained on the post-trip photo-editing saga that took weeks. When

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1124880896231570642005-08-28T19:54:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:33:38.206+09:00

I was delighted to find out that the theme for the 18th IMBB, hosted by Linda of At Our Table, is “Summer’s Flying, Let’s Get Frying!” for I had been doing just that. Earlier this year, I decided that it was high time to do something about my being Chinese and not knowing how to cook Chinese food. I made a conscious effort to look up Chinese recipes in search for dishes that are not too

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1124938914640837922005-08-25T12:00:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:34:50.852+09:00

Going to a wedding in Hampshire, UK, then stopping by beautiful Langkawi on the way back. Be gone for ten days!

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1124889349086422452005-08-24T21:57:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:35:10.389+09:00

I went to LCB for a trial lesson today, after which I signed up for the fall term of basic French patisserie. Yup, I finally did it! I’ve been contemplating doing this for almost two years now. However, their strict attendance policy (you flunk out if you miss more than two theory lessons, and three tardiness count as one absence) prohibited me from taking the evening classes while holding

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1124364561183694712005-08-18T20:27:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:35:36.453+09:00

I love Obon week, I just love it! With all the people going back to the countryside to pay respect to their ancestors, the streets of Tokyo are virtually empty. There are no lines no matter where you go; no traffic jam; no construction next door; AND I was the only customer when I arrived at the chocolate bar on the second floor of Pierre Herme’s Aoyama store.I thought I was only biking over to

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1124202255313952802005-08-16T23:20:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:35:49.559+09:00

Seeing that my mutilated thumbs are not good for much of anything else except for typing, I decided to catch up on some of the things that I’ve been meaning to post on this blog. First on the long overdue list is the monthly installation of cooking ABC for July. I know I said I was dead tired from the Tibet trip but I did drag my sorry ass out of my house a couple of times to the cooking school

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1124158157342445612005-08-16T11:08:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:36:09.535+09:00

I blame the carrot for being extra hard. I blame Sonia the cleaning lady for hiding the safe guard of the slicer in some obscure place so I was forced to push the carrot with my bare hands. I blame the blade for being so darned sharp. But most of all, I blame myself for being so stupid and careless. What was I thinking! Was it absolutely necessary to get exactly two cups of shredded carrots?

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1124027886628326022005-08-14T22:46:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:36:31.526+09:00

“You are turning into a COMPLETE Japanese!” Jason said to me when I told him I’d be leaving the house at 2:30pm to meet my friend Tanya at Odaiba seaside park in time to watch the Tokyo Bay fireworks (hanabi) show. Jason, on the other hand, would have nothing to do with the hot and humid weather, the crazy crowds, or the you’ve-gotta-be-there-four-hours-before-the-show crap. So I embarked on my

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1123560780971027432005-08-09T13:10:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:36:50.988+09:00

This is a picture I took on our blissful ten-day vacation to the Maldives resort Soneva Gili almost three years ago. The water is such a heavenly turquoise blue that I could hardly take my eyes off of it. Even before Maldives however, I have always been in love with water, or at least the idea and fantasy of it. For you see, as much as I love being near water, I am also deeply afraid of any

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1122983226513499822005-08-02T20:45:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:37:18.616+09:00

Actually, I came back from Tibet two weeks ago. But is it only me or does everyone feel a low after a vacation? Up until now, I’d always had to go straight back to work the very next day I came back from a trip, so no matter how depressed I was, I still had to get up and throw myself back into the routine. This time was different though. I could sleep in all I want and didn’t have to get out

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1120193797708510282005-07-01T13:55:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:41:19.863+09:00

Farewell, my little tiny cute cucumbers! I’m sorry I’m not able to move you inside or to Hsin-li’s house along with the rest of the herbs. You’re on your own now for two weeks while I explore the Plateau of Tibet. I hope it rains a lot in Tokyo. But if it doesn’t, I hope the 2L bottle of water I stuck in the pot will provide some relief. Look at how much you’ve grown in the three weeks that

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1120123686135199232005-06-30T18:27:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:37:46.562+09:00

June is the rainy season in Japan, before the really humid and hot summer smothers anyone who dares set foot outside. Taking advantage of the still bearable temperature, I made an effort to go to the cooking school as much as I could this month.I only went for one bread lesson in June because cooking and cake lessons kept me busy.This is a wheat germ bread, the first bread I’ve made at the

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1119532729359520442005-06-24T15:41:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:38:02.334+09:00

I was a little rusty coming back from a month long break in the US, so when I went to my first cooking lesson in May, I forgot my camera. As a result, I don’t have any photos of the delicious meal of Korean seafood pancake (chijimi), cold cabbage roll with boiled pork and shiso leaves, and the custard filled dessert spring roll to show you. I am, however, going to give you the recipe for the

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1119521967862232932005-06-23T19:14:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:38:27.629+09:00

My sweet Libby turned seven today. That’s 49 in human years! (But according to this, her real age is only 32. Yes, I’m a compulsive test taker.) There’s a Chinese saying that goes something like this “a girl goes through eighteen changes before she becomes a woman” (女大十八变). I kowtow to this because it so accurately applies not only girls, but girl dogs also.This was Libby at the tender age of

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1119440722153945182005-06-22T20:38:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:38:49.913+09:00

The baton was passed to me by AG of Grab Your Fork . I am guilty of indiscriminate buying of cookbooks everywhere I go, sometimes forgetting that I have a book already and buying a second copy (memory problem, as always). In the recent couple of years however, I’ve veered more towards on-line recipes (Allrecipes for everyday cooking, Epicurious for more complicated dishes, and google searches

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1119344171872987352005-06-21T17:54:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:39:12.333+09:00

Scientists might finally be close to finding a way to predict who will develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and how to prevent it. AD is a subject close to my heart not only because the company I just quit launched the first AD drug into the market, but also because I used to work with patients with AD in nursing homes and know what a debilitating and dehumanizing disease it can be. The ones whose

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1119254458606088712005-06-20T19:55:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:39:31.205+09:00

The world is made up of all kinds of personalities. There are shy people, outgoing people, funny people, dull people, smart people, not-so-smart people, etc. etc. Then, there are the crazy people, creeps that behave in such bizarre ways that they should be locked in their houses and never be allowed in public. We met such a person yesterday.It started out as a pleasant hike in Mt. Takao on a

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1118909939043554302005-06-17T16:12:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:39:45.736+09:00

Life in Flow is hosting the ninth edition of Sugar High Friday and the theme is Tantalizing Titillating Tempting Tarts! Since I am a self-proclaimed queen of tarts, I simply have to make an entry to this one, if only I can figure out how to submit my entry (technical problems). But even if it never makes it into the SHF roundup, it’s ok too, because it is something that I’ve been meaning to try

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1118818829241845132005-06-15T15:58:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:40:02.811+09:00

Ok, I’m going to come clean and tell you that I actually had this a while ago, shortly after I came back to Japan. I know some of you have been waiting for another PH review, and I really did mean to tell you about it sooner, but what can I say? Life as an unemployed bum can sometimes get so busy.Ok, first let’s get this out of the way. Someone asked me for the address of the Pierre Herme store

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1118649856862244752005-06-13T16:57:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:41:01.806+09:00

The idea of an herb garden from which I can pick fresh ingredients to cook a tasty meal has always appealed to me. Never will I have to think of ways to use up an entire bunch of dill when all I needed was one tablespoonful, or resort to dry herbs for less than satisfactory results.My inspiration in the gardening area is my mother, who diligently starts a vegetable garden every spring with

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1118282743022423232005-06-09T11:00:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:41:39.464+09:00

Last week, I received an email from the creative director of Allrecipes.com, the website that I use frequently for everyday meals. He said that in appreciation of all the photos I submitted, they wanted to send me a free Dinner Tonight cookbook. How nice of them to do such a thing!Here’s a little background. Allrecipes.com started the photo feature at the end of last year. They encouraged

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1117596910588908372005-06-01T12:27:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:41:58.162+09:00

Ever since I saw the lovely picture of the brownbread ice-cream that Keiko made, I knew I had to put ice-cream maker on the top of my shopping list when I was back in the States. I decided on the 1.5 Qt version made by Cuisinart because of its sleek design, and its perfect size to stuff into my suitcase. Since it doesn’t make a ton, hopefully there won’t be any detrimental effects on my

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1116976595915090322005-05-25T08:13:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:42:39.546+09:00

Make that a smelly dog, for in my absence last month Jason did not bother to bathe Libby. Even though Libby is one of those dogs that don’t naturally smell (lucky us), she does like to roll in the grass whenever she gets a chance and whatever smell in the grass that appealed to her is usually foul to us human noses.Besides a stinky dog enthusiastically welcoming me with little yelps and spinning

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1115853838857941732005-05-12T08:20:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:43:04.204+09:00

This, my friends, is called Dobos torte, a death-by-chocolate kinda dessert that makes your blood sluggish and your artery clogged up like outbound Rt. 66 on a Friday afternoon. I have wanted to make this for so long, but I knew I had to share the artery clogging aftereffects with people dear to my heart. So I took it to a get-together of friends from high school last weekend. It’s only fair that

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1115578898021386562005-05-09T03:48:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:43:17.320+09:00

April was a busy month for me at ABC cooking studio. I was taking free trial lessons, regular lessons, and I was only in Japan for the first two weeks because of my trip back to the US, so let’s get started before I forget even more details.I was interested in two out of the three cooking menus offered in April, the first one being brunch with omelet.I almost always order an omelet with ham and

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1113542441525183772005-04-29T20:38:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:43:36.148+09:00

You thought you weren’t going to hear anything on Pierre Herme until I’m back in Tokyo, didn’t you? (Whoever this hypothetical “you” that is holding your breath waiting for the next edition of the PH series is.) Did you think I’d abandon you like that? Oh no, I’m way ahead of you! The week before I flew back to the States, knowing that my only choice of store bought dessert would be Dunkin donuts

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1114646188336314712005-04-28T08:55:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:43:54.997+09:00

… asked an acquaintance of my parents’ when we ran into him at the office of the acupuncturist that my dad is seeing. This was after my dad told him that I was back from Japan for the month. He thinks I’m still in college! Hell, I’ve been out of grad school for almost eight years! It’s good to know that I’ve still got my youthful looks, heehee. Note to self: must pull hair into ponytail more

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1114303322780171602005-04-24T09:26:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:44:12.767+09:00

At the same time that I found out about the Sugar High Friday, I discovered the subject for the IMBB: Orange. After my disappointing attempt at the molasses themed SHF, I was determined to redeem myself somehow. I have to prove that I can make desserts outside of my own kitchen too, without the plethora of fancy kitchen tools at my beck and call. So it was decided that I shall make a dessert for

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1114215015981007582005-04-22T20:10:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:44:32.847+09:00

Extremely jetlagged after my seventeen-hour flight to my parents’ house in Virginia, I turned on the computer and read blogs to keep awake. And what do you know? It’s time for another Sugar High Friday. The theme is molasses, and it’s hosted by Derrick of An Obsession with Food . Then I realized that the deadline is this Friday, meaning I only had one day to think of what to make (relying on

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1114133890829836632005-04-21T21:57:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:44:45.705+09:00

I've been shopping around for a digital SLR as a birthday present for myself (oh no, the three major pigging-out sessions do not count as presents) and was weighing the pros and cons of a Nikon D70 versus a Canon EOS 20D . I was so paralyzed with fear for making the wrong decision that I couldn't bring myself to buy anything for the longest time. This is an SLR we are talking about after all. If

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1113742348799038542005-04-17T21:50:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:45:15.384+09:00

Four hours and fifteen minutes is the time; Nagano is the place; and April 17, 2005 is the date. Not bad for a first marathon, eh?Other than some minor muscle aches and a painful ankle, Jason is recovering surprisingly well. He even hobbled to our favorite izakaya for a little celebratory dinner. Meanwhile, I am thoroughly exhausted from being chauffer, cheerleader, and photographer/videographer.

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-1113549382803618822005-04-15T16:14:00.000+09:002006-11-11T10:45:40.884+09:00

A full day of rain on Monday brought the 2005 hanami season to an end (hanami means viewing of flowers). Cherry blossom petals floated down in twirling dances from the branches and landed on every horizontal surface within reach: playgrounds, stairs, cars, drinking fountains… Overnight, the trees gave up their white geisha makeup and sprouted the freshest shade of spring green.Even though this is

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com2