what am i gonna do without my franke?

What am I gonna do without my Franke was the marketing slogan of Franke faucet and sink products during the Euro craze of the early 90s here in the US. It was a period when American found infatuation with everything European.

crutches for my tree

In my first trip to Japan I was so mesmerized with the harmony of men with nature. You can see that everywhere in the parks and temples. I love the landscape design and the thoughtful pruning and training of the tree. What especially caught my eyes were so often very old trees are propped up with supports. The supports comes in all sorts, from very simple bamboo stick to massive load-bearing timbers - always so beautiful that does not compromise the beauty of the tree.

french country stew - part 2

Very often the dishes that I prepare for a meal is driven by what I have on hand. Two weeks ago I went shopping in a rare occasion that most of the ingredients were for Western dishes. I bought a bag of carrot and a stalk of celery and after a few dishes I still have plenty left over. There is no better excuse to make another pot of french country stew to use up the carrots and celery.

smoked salmon with chinese broccoli

This is a variation of the smoked salmon dish I made a few weeks ago. I made some tweaks on the sauce and use Chinese broccoli instead of asparagus.

deep fried taro biscuits 炸芋頭餅 - part 2

I have been craving for some deep fried taro biscuits 炸芋頭餅. I picked up some clams and a package of taro.

brunnhilde limped home

Pretty woman spells trouble, many would say. A week ago Tatyana Brunnhilde went shopping for new shoes. On the way home I could tell she was not herself. Her pace was sluggish. Fortunately the trip was short and we made it home uneventfully.

rhubarb orange sauce

I have never cook with rhubarb. It was long time ago living in Toronto I befriended a neighbor. His parents always plant this strange looking plant and I had no idea it is rhubarb, let alone how it taste. One summer day his mom serve us rhubarb pie. I would say it is one of my favorite pie. I love the tartness. That was the only time I had rhubarb.