Congrats!

Congratulations to Bravo TV and Top Chef for winning an Emmy tonight for best Reality Competition Program. I have been an avid and dedicated fan for all 7 seasons and it's a show my whole family can agree to watch (this isn't easy). While my friends are catching up on True Blood and Gossip Girl, I'm watching Top Chef on my computer. I'm completely memorized by the challenges, the competitors and of course, watching them cook. Top Chef has made cooking fun and exciting to watch and somehow made Tom Colicchio sexy. I'm amazed at how these competitors can turn simple ingredients into a gourmet or specific meal under such a strict time limit. The one downside is that the show always makes my stomach growl and I find myself reaching for something to eat.

Bravo to Bravo! Keep up the great work, I have no complaints except to let me take Padma's job :). And Top Chef Desserts premiering next month? Can't wait!

Bucket List.

Now that I'm a 5th year in college (school started today), I decided I need to live it up at Purdue and do everything I've always wanted to do and honor Purdue traditions (old & new). I have a few things checked off like a fountain run, den pops, a drunk meal at Triple XXX, tailgate, etc. Last year as a senior I was always thinking "Oh I have another year, I'll just do it then." So now I have to do it so I don't regret anything! I'm sure everyone can relate when I say "Man, I love college."

There is this food truck by the bars that is famous for its late-night drunk food. It has hot dogs, french fries, chili fries, chili dogs, chicken fingers, you name it! It's called Famous Franks and it stations on Thursday-Saturday nights where the drunks can flock to the greasy and fried snacks. I've never actually ordered anything from there, but always wanted to. (HELLO, I'm the junk food queen). So after a fun-filled night with my friends, I decided to go to Famous Franks. I got the Fat Girl and my mom is going to shoot me for getting this since it probably added another chin and clogged a few arteries. (Sorry mom!) It includes: mozzarella sticks, chicken fries, bacon, fried onions, ranch sauce and probably more heart attack ingredients that I didn't realize all in a hot dog bun. This is definitely the epitome of drunk food and though I enjoyed some of it, after more than three bites I wasn't really feeling it. I think it was too greasy for me and don't really enjoy drunk food unlike some of my friends... What comes next wasn't pretty, but I'm happy I at least tried it before I graduated :).





Me in front of the Famous Franks truck during football season last year (free dogs, so obviously lovin' life!)

So Long Summer.

Being at home after China was heaven. I got to see friends, veg out on the couch, watch all the American TV I wanted, understood what people were saying and ate everything I wanted. Plus, I was able to do a little cooking myself. My parents are so great when it comes to cooking food that I'm craving or won't be able to eat at school...which is a lot. Though a week wasn't enough to eat everything I wanted. Here's a little collection of things I ate last week.

Now that I'm back at school, I will try to update as much as I can, but there is a lack of inspiration and creativeness in the food here. I'm sure it'll mostly be pictures of hamburgers and fast food ;). Thanks to my dad who let me bring one of the nice cameras too school to further my foodie life. I hope I can one day take a photography class one day.

Happy Hour at El Matador: Margaritas and (mass amounts of) Mexican food:






Pan-fried tofu made by my mom:


Breakfast:


Homemade guacamole


Japanese Ramen (REAL ramen):


Quick sashimi:


Dinner with family friends: Lamb, vegetable salads:










Ending the summer with the perfect cool snack, Trader Joe's popsicle (raspberry, lemonade, strawberry):


Goodbye summer!

Egg-Cellent

I have a few obsessions in life. When it comes to fashion, it's stripes, anything American Apparel and cardigans. On the tube, it's Top Chef, Man v. Food and Teen Mom (don't judge, you know you watch it too!). Other things include naps and my iPhone. I have many obsessions when it comes to food, but I have a weird obsession with cooking and eating eggs. I think cooking eggs is so much fun since it can be used in so many ways. My favorite type is over-easy because I love seeing the yolk ooz out. So for breakfast yesterday I decided to make a breakfast sandwich. It is a very healthy option when using an english muffin and I decided to add spinach. I haven't been very successful cooking eggs over-easy since I always end up cooking the yolk, but I finally did it!




While my mom and I were grocery shopping, we decided we wanted to make homemade tortillas because we have a tortilla press we never use. We bought some masa, but once we got home, we couldn't find the tortilla press. We ended up using a rolling pin, but they didn't turn out as even and flat as we hoped. Even though my mom and I were making fun at how they weren't turning out well, they ended up tasting pretty good. With store-bought tortillas, you can taste the chemicals and artificial flavors they use to keep the tortilla taste, but with these homemade ones you can really taste the corn. They didn't look like professional tortillas, but a top chef doesn't start out making everything perfect, right? We used leftover grilled chicken and zucchini, lettuce, onions and salsa for the filling. Leftover chicken goes a long way, I was able to put it in a salad for lunch as well!

Hungry in Seattle.

A trip to Seattle is typical for the Yuan family on the weekends. My mom and I decided to go into the city since everyone else is gone on a typical cloudy Seattle day. After eating so much (delicious) Chinese food for 2 months, I was craving something different. Seattle has so much variety, making it difficult to chose just one (from Chinatown to the best seafood in the Pacific Northwest), but I had one specific food on my mind: a lamb gyro from a Greek stand at Pikes Place. Definitely hit the spot. The meat is juicy and delicious, but I think it's the tzatziki sauce that makes it. There was a long line at the Pike Place Chowder shop and I saw a sign for a speciality crab roll. Definitely will want to hit that up next time!

I'm testing out a new, professional camera. The one I really want to use is out of commission right now since I can't find the battery charger, so I'm using a smaller one. The pictures came out beautiful, but I think I could use some lessons. I noticed today that Seattle is a perfect place to take pictures. Especially Pikes Place Market. It's a haven for the camera happy. The fruits and vegetables are amazing and full of color and vibrance. And the flowers are to die for. If it's in season, the market has it. Here are some of my favorite shots today. Enjoy the beauty of Seattle (my home and proud of it! what what!)

Food Baby.

(I loved blogging while I was in China, so why stop now!)

Food has always been a big part of my life. Not only does the Food Network and the (new) Cooking Channel continuously blast on our Panasonic flat screens, but it's the only thing I can think about. I get my fix by reading food blogs, watching competitive cooking shows, looking at food porn, (attempting) to cook and of course, eating everything until my hearts content. While everyone is watching Gossip Girl and Twilight I'm watching Top Chef and Iron Chef. I get made fun of for looking up menus of different restaurants, but that's how I get my food fix.

I'm a big believer in healthy and organic foods. It doesn't have to be organic, but fresh and colorful. My parents are a firm believe in feeding us only the best and that's the philosophy that I now follow. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, PCC (a local grocery store) are my havens and playgrounds. I would be as dangerous as a fat kid in a candy store if you let me run free and grab whatever I wanted. But food has always been a big part of my family. From cooking together to my parents always having dinner parties. It's a way for us to spend time together. This is another philosophy I want to follow through in my life.

This blog will document my adventure in eating and cooking. From my hometown in Seattle, to college at Purdue, to wherever my life takes me, I will be getting my foodie fix by eating all my favorite foods and trying all kinds of new grub. My friends know me as the little girl who can eat everything and we will see how much I can live up to that name!