A Joyeux Noel Indeed

A Joyeux Noel Indeed

One of my fave pics taken - from top of Arc du Triomphe,  unintentionally wrong aperture and speed.

Its amazing what a difference a 7 hour flight can make. We  had been on vacation (officially) 2 days and were already in the happiest mood!  We stayed in the 2 Arr. which is perfectly located in central Paris. We were able to walk to the Galerie Lafayette and Printemps on Friday evening, which was ...hectic to say the least. It was beautiful but felt a little like Times Square - a gazillion people + shopping. To avoid the crowds we ducked into a Monoprix and did some shopping to stock up on the essentials. On the way back from our jaunt we stopped off at the Rue Montorgueil - gorgeous street lined with shops, markets, brasseries, boucheries, boulangeries and cafes! Needless to say that a few hours were spend eating escargot and sipping cafe in one of the quaint cafes. Its amazing how much people watching goes on over here; where we were seated was facing the sidewalk and it seems like a national past time to people watch (and smoke!).

Day Two was spent touring the Jardin des Tuileries and walking all the way down the Champs Elysees to the Arc du Triomphe. The day was brisk and sunny so it was perfect weather for walking; we were able to check out some of the Christmas Market at the Champs Elysees and to also see (and climb) the Arc du Triomphe; a gorgeous Napoleonic piece of history. (I can still smell the sweet scent of vin chaud and crepes being made as we walked by each stall)

Christmas dinner was at Le Train Bleu at the Gare du Lyon ; a famous resturant constructed during the late 1800s with elaborate frescoes on all the ceilings. A sumptuous 7-course meal was  presented in traditional French - fare and we were stuffed by the end of our meal to say the least.

Since most of the boutiques and cafes were closed - or running on holiday time - we decided it would be best to explore some the churches on Christmas. Once of which included St. Eustache ( which was a few minutes from us) as well as attending an organ concert on Christmas night in Notre Dame Cathedral. The concert itself was played on the large organ and the movements were very long; can't even imagine what is must have been like to play there as an organist. The sound was beautiful because it echoed throughout the entire church and surprisingly it wasn't as packed as we thought it would be!

Versailles was on the docket for the next day and while it was beautiful and grandiose in all of its French splendor, the hoardes of tourists was quite a bit much to handle. Still we enjoyed walking the grounds and seeing a bit of French history.

The rest of the week was spent walking around the various arrondissement and randomly finding ourselves in cafes and restos. We were able to see the Eiffel Tower (of course) and it was much more stunning in person than from far away. You always seem to see it peeking between buildings in the skyline of Paris, so being able to see it up close was really special.

We spent a few days touring the museums as well including the Musee du Louvre and Musee D'Orsay. Which I must say D'Orsay was our favorite - impeccably curated with tons of works from the big names in Impressionist paintings as well as post-Impressionism and pre-Modern. Absolutely breathtaking to see all those Monets, Chagalls, Renoirs up close!!

New Years Eve was spent back out at the Jardin des Tulieries - because you have a view of the Eiffel Tower without having to brave the huge crowd!! It was actually really wonderful to ring in the new year watching the lights glitter of the Tower at midnight, magical almost.

As you can tell Paris has left a huge impression on us Chais; we definitely cannot wait to make a return trip to Paris and hopefully next time to the countryside as well. (Granted, since we have been back we have been having some serious carb-withdrawals -I can't even begin to explain how good all breads/pastries are over there. In fact I don't think we had a meal that we disliked! Definitely miss being spoiled by that!)

I'll be posting a link to our photo album since I didn't want to bog down this page with all the pics!
Paris Album

Au revoir!
S

October in Pictures...

October in Pictures...

Hanging out at the Bentley Football game, cheering on Kyle. 

Players warming up.

Visiting friends in Boston, Ma.

Candlepin bowling. MUCH harder than I'm making it look, with my perfect form and everything ;)

Crisp, fall morning pic from our building before heading down for work.

An interesting display at a Wal-Mart in Virginia. (Don't even know what you would do with all of that processed meat!!)

Our team for the Tough Mudder, VA race.

Bryan making his way down an obstacle.

Bryan and our friend Greg awaiting my approach to the half pipe.

My very feminine and dainty run up the half pipe, thanks to the guys who dragged me up the rest of the way!

The final obstacle, Electroshock Therapy - running through a bunch of live wires, ouch!

Decided to go for a Star Wars theme for our Halloween Party - I'm Princess Leia, Bryan is a Sith Lord and Napoleon was Yoda!! (Obviously he loves his costume based on the facial expression)

His + Hers Pumpkins. Can you tell which one the dentist carved?

Halloween Cake Pops I made for the party!

October was a very very busy month for us.... A trip to Boston to watch Kyle play Bentley Football, visiting old dental school buddies...Then the Tough Mudder race in the Virginia mountains the next weekend (10 miles up and down mountains definitely took its toll!!)....then hosting a Halloween party at our place for all our friends!! As busy as we have been - we're so grateful to have the opportunity to travel and to spend time with great family and friends! Hope you enjoyed the pics.

Next up on the itinerary -  Thanksgiving in CA then our winter retreat to Paris!

S.

there's a chill in the air...

there's a chill in the air...

Absolutely couldn't wait for the weather to get colder. It was the most welcome feeling EVER. Nothing beats the east coast fall/autumn, crisp sunny days and chilly nights. Perfect weather for apple cider, pumpkin carving and hearty home cooked meals.

In addition to enjoying the weather...Bryan is pulling teeth and taking names in clinic and I'm trying to finish my thesis this semester, so needless to say the Chai's have been having quite the hectic fall season.

I've also developed quite the online shopping problem... as you can see below I had to purchase my seasonally fashionable boots...this year its suede wedges. (I've convinced myself that this will be tre chic for our trip to Paris in December but maybe not if we're trudging through the snow!) I've also found ways to justify other purchases online for Paris - which means we'll be living off of croissants and cappuccinos alone for two weeks.

Anyway, below is a delish recipe for an Apple Dutch Baby, a baked pancake, that is perfect for lazy Sunday morning breakfast and ideal with a cup of coffee or tea. I made it using some fresh Jonagold apples, milk and eggs from the market, which is typically what I end up doing most Sunday mornings. I love making breakfast/brunch with my market finds, its such a great way to start our Sundays. Here's the link for the recipe Apple Dutch Baby - I would note that they didn't include any extracts, but I would add about 1/4t. of vanilla or almond extract.

We're headed back to CA this week for Kylie's 1st birthday - although it doesn't even seem like a year since that little angel entered all of our lives, looking forward to seeing the West Coast fam and friends! Have a great start of October everyone!



S.

Still enjoying gelato at Pitango during the fall....especially the affogatos!

Huge boots! I'm about 5'9 in these, love it!

Apple Dutch Baby, fresh outta the oven, sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar!!

Someone is definitely enjoying his Sunday nap and the cold weather. 

A much needed respite...

A much needed respite...

Spent a couple of days Labor Day weekend in Santa Fe, NM with Aunt Tish and Uncle Rich. Neither of us have ever been to the Southwest and I must say, we were extremely surprised with how much we enjoyed everything there.

I'm not going to lie, the amazing hosts, nice dinners, perfect weather, shopping and spa day definitely didn't hurt either...but Santa Fe definitely has gorgeous mountains and desert terrain. (Unfortunately I got lazy and didn't take my nice camera so my phone pics will have to suffice!) Of course the Southwestern influenced cuisine, extensive art galleries and turquoise jewelry were ever present - all of which made for a much needed getaway.

By the way, anyone going to Santa Fe needs to book a day at the Ten Thousand Waves Japanese Spa - it was the best 4 hours of my year so far hahaha.

October outlook is insane, three weekends out of Oct. we will be traveling out of state, hopefully I can post some pics though!

View from the kitchen out onto the terrace.

Bryan in relaxation mode.

Me posing with the pepper ristras.

Enjoying lunch al fresco.

Getting blinged out with some gorgeous turquoise and gems. 

Hurricane? What hurricane?

Hurricane? What hurricane?

I'm not going to lie - I was actually excited to experience my first Hurricane. I know that sounds absolutely insane, but considering it wasn't going to be severely damaging to MD it seemed a little exciting. Considering we just experienced two natural disasters in a week - earthquake on Tuesday and weekend of Hurricane - I can't say it hasn't been interesting. Although I must say, being a native of CA the earthquake was a bit unimpressive. But I guess I'll take unimpressive and safe natural disasters over any other kind.

With Labor Day weekend coming, we'll be headed out of town - to avoid the maniacal Baltimore Grand Prix - which I'm sure will be amazing, but I'll pass on the madness of later summer + alcohol + racing fans in favor for a gorgeous, relaxing weekend in Santa Fe!

Will post pictures soon, take care!

summer is hot. life is hectic. and i'm a horrible blogger.

summer is hot. life is hectic. and i'm a horrible blogger.

 After realizing that I hadn't posted to this blog in AGES I felt mightily guilty as I sat down the other day and browsed though the abysmal 'blog' history or this page. Initially I had really hoped that this was a good way to keep in touch with friends and family until I realized that not everyone really checks things like this...at least it seems like most of my family doesn't at least...anyways, I will persevere on....because it seems like maybe someone is reading!

Early June we were lucky enough to have Gina, Josh, Kylie and Brianna visit for a week long East Coast adventure. Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves and I'm hoping we can have more family visit again soon!

The sibs doing what they do best, posing + funny faces

Hanging out in D.C.

While June sped by with Bryan's 26th birthday and then early July with my 27th birthday - we've started to realize how quickly life is moving this summer! Bryan is busy in clinic now and seeing patients and I've been working in a new position at work and trying to finish my graduate program in December. (Fingers crossed). 

Just after blowing out candles on my birthday cake!

Napoleon beating the heat in the 'kiddie' pool. 

Well that's it for updates as of now...coming up we have a trip to Santa Fe planned to visit Aunt Tish and Uncle Rich VanCamp, who have graciously offered to host us while we explore New Mexico for Labor Day weekend! But otherwise its just the daily grind of work, school and more work! Hope everyone is doing well, will post some recipes and pics soon...just recently made the best cupcakes ever and will share the recipe and pictures. If there are any cupcakes left. =) 

Come on spring!!

Come on spring!!

We thought that this past May would bring around more sunshine and flowers but its been quite a dreary, rainy May. Decided to take advantage of our viewpoint from the balcony and snap some shots of the lightning as it made its way over the city..I know, probably not the safest idea I've ever had, but it was a great way to learn some interesting new functions on the camera.

What pretty cool about the second picture is that you can see the lightning in the far right of the frame...I really wish I could have caught more of the storm on camera but unfortunately my trigger finger on the camera was a little lame....so I'll try again soon since we are expecting more storms this week. 

On a much happier note - and not weather related - we are so happy that the market has finally opened! Fresh milk, fresh eggs and the amazing smell of roasted pit beef wafting up from under the JFX. Mmmmm.... even better is that we can go back to relying on our weekly Sunday ritual of shopping for fresh and organic groceries right around the corner. I think that maybe the market was my first true sign of spring and hopefully a promise of warmer days to come.

Have a great spring! Pictures for our upcoming NYC Memorial Day weekend with the rest of the Chai's coming up soon!

A sense of normalcy...

A sense of normalcy...

This month has been a lot about getting back to a routine...the beginning of April was another whirlwind for us however.... My sisters, Beba and Liya, came to visit for their spring break, which was tons of fun and mostly marked by trips all over the east coast  from NYC to DC! It was so nice to see them out here yet seeing them traveling by themselves made me realize how quickly they are growing up, yikes. There are some funny pics below of their trip...plus some awesome places we visited. Sad to see them go home, but I know they had a lot of fun -  its always great when all the girls are together (oh and Bryan too.)

Anyways, April out here has been a weird mix of weather for us, really making us yearn for the steady warmth of spring. The farmers market finally opened - a month early - so we are back to enjoying fresh food from our local Maryland farmers. Kale and dark leafy greens are in season, along with asparagus and late harvest apples, so its been nice to snatch up all of those things before the weather gets warms and brings summer fruit and veggies. 

We are also supremely happy to be getting our fresh milk again - which really is a splurge at $3.50/half gallon, but its really that good. I've included a recipe for a fresh veggie spring fritatta, which has really become a part of our Sunday morning ritual. Get up and head out to the market to get everything on our grocery list - usually includes milk and eggs along with some fruits and veggie - come home and make breakfast with some of the market pickings and enjoy with a fresh cup of coffee or tea. 

I actually first made this fritatta - using another recipe found - for a family brunch when Brianna and Kristie were visiting us, but we've come to discover that there is just something wonderful and rejuvenating about spending a morning at home enjoying breakfast together on Sundays. Just wish we could do this everyday.....

Well, I've avoided writing my paper for long enough!! Please see pics and recipe below and have a wonderful spring =)

S. 

Sweater tree in Hampden

Napoleon and his Aunties <3

Taking a picture of the girls taking pictures of their cupcakes @ Sprinkles Georgetown

Spring Vegetable Fritatta 

Serves 2

6 large eggs, scrambled with a dash of milk(can omit egg yolks also)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 small roma tomato, diced

6 spears of asparagus, stalks peeled and chopped into small pieces

handful of chive blossoms with chive stalks, chopped

1/2C chopped kale

1/2C grated, shredded or small pieces of cheese (I like to use Gouda or goat cheese)

salt and pepper to taste 

olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe pan on the stove on medium-high heat. Add garlic and allow to saute until garlic is fragrant, then add diced tomato and pinch of salt and pepper. Saute 5 minutes. 

2. Add asparagus, chive blossoms and kale , saute until asparagus is tender and kale has wilted slightly, another 5 minutes or so. 

3. Add beaten eggs, along with some more salt and pepper, allow to cook for another minute or so until egg is still runny and uncooked on top, but slightly cooked on the bottom. 

4. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the egg.

5. Broil on Lo in an oven on the top third rack until top of the egg is slightly brown and puffy. (about 2 minutes)

6. Remove and serve!

I really like playing around with the vegetables I use - pretty much whatever is seasonably available. Also spices can be added, I added Ras-al- hanout (a Moroccan spice) but you can use rosemary, basil or thyme. Meat is also a flavorful addition to this as well, just saute it with the garlic - bacon or prosciutto is probably best. 

Bon apetit!

Cooking for One: Mushroom and Fennel Risotto

Cooking for One: Mushroom and Fennel Risotto

I found myself cooking for one this past week while Bryan was away for a conference. Really didn't want to spend time defrosting meat, then figuring out what to do with it! Instead I decided to feed my craving for some creamy risotto =) I know that sometimes it can be daunting, and truth be told no one makes it perfectly unless you've got an Italian grandmother (then maybe she can), but it can still be delicious and utterly satisfying if you cheat a little. The NYT has a great article that describes risotto basics (NYT Risotto) and while many people do not have arborio rice on hand - its definitely helpful to have since it keeps well...and trust me you'll be craving risotto many times after making this one. 

Here's the recipe! Bon appetit!

Wild Mushroom and Fennel Risotto

(serves a very hungry 1 or side dish for 2 ) 

By S.Chai

8-10 oz. wild mushrooms ( I used portabella, oyster and trumpet) 

1 bulb of fennel, sliced very thinly, reserve fronds for garnish. 

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

2/3 cup of arborio rice
3-4 cups of chicken stock ( low-sodium)

1 1/2 T butter

1T olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese

salt and pepper 

2T heavy cream

Bring stock to a simmer in a stockpot over medium-low heat; reduce heat to low. In another heavy saucepan on medium-high add the olive oil and 1 T butter. Once melted add the fennel and saute until they are slightly translucent then add all the mushrooms and garlic. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Continue to saute until they are aromatic and fennel is slightly caramelized (about 5 minutes.) Remove vegetables from pan into a bowl and set aside.

Add another 1/2T of butter to warm pan and a tiny bit more olive oil. Add the rice and cook over medium-high heat for about one minute, stirring to coat with the butter. 

Add the first addition of simmering stock, about 1/2 cup. Stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add another addition of stock and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process until the mixture is creamy and a bit loose; the rice should still have some chew to it. The process will take about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, add the fennel and mushroom mixture, also the cream and parmigiano. Stir, season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds. 

Devour immediately. 

*Note: while typically I'm a risotto purist (i.e. not adding cream) I had some on hand and decided to add it at the last minute, I must say that since my risotto technique is still subpar, cheating with the additional cream did make the risotto much creamier that it would have been. Also many recipes for risotto require white wine but it can always be left out. 

ALSO... A wonderful recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Arborio Rice Pudding ( for all the left over arborio rice you'll have...) this recipe is insanely easy and absolutely delish. 


from Smitten Kitchen
Arborio Rice Pudding
Adapted from Gale Gand
1/2 cup Arborio rice
4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split
3/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a large saucepan, place all the ingredients, except the almond extract and raspberries. Bring it to a gentle boil and then turn it down to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Taste the rice to check for doneness. The rice should be very soft and plump.
Take the pudding off the heat and stir in the extract. Pour into dessert bowls and stir in some fresh raspberries, or other dried or fresh fruit. Serve immediately.

Let me know how it goes!!

S. 

You know you've lived on the East Coast too long when...

You know you've lived on the East Coast too long when...

In the midst of a hectic research/work/study schedule, I suddenly realized two very interesting things... 

1. I haven't baked in about two weeks (which is terrifying for me, however my waistline is much happier.)
2. The snow is almost completely gone and its warming up, is it really almost the end of February?   

To rectify point #1, I tried baking macarons again. This recipe is courtesy of Dave Lebovitz with a lot of helpful tips on how to perfect this deceptively easy cookie recipe. If you've never had traditional french macarons I can't really say you've lived life. We were gifted this wonderful treat by our friends who had visited Paris and brought back some macarons from the famed Laudree, there were so many beautiful flavors packed into these lightly crunchy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside confections! After finishing the box (this was a very sad day in the Chai household) I vowed to learn how to make them. Using the Lebovitz recipe my first try turned out really well: 

I want to say I did something special, but I really didn't...and these were so good that the whole batch lasted about 20 minutes in the house. So I figured I would re-try the recipe recently and it completely failed! I just got flat,chewy (albeit delicious) cookies. It was quite disheartening and I chalked up the first experience to beginners luck. Hopefully the third time is a charm, I plan on giving it a go this weekend!! 

Anyway, the weather has been remarkably better, especially considering we wait for the bus every morning and somehow that's become more tolerable with the weather being 45F+. Granted, now I know I've been living on the East Coast for too long...48F is balmy. This terrified the native Californian in me, who probably back home in 48F+ would be wearing a parka. 

Other than the usual things we are busy with, we have finally finalized plans for our winter trip to Paris!! This is super exciting because Bryan has never been to Europe so I'm definitely going to enjoy watching him lost in translation for about a week and a half. We have rented a flat in the center of Paris - very close to Notre Dame and about 3 minutes from Les Halle. Being there for Christmas and NYE will definitely be a great experience and while we'll definitely miss spending the holidays with our family, it seemed like a good opportunity to travel to Europe since its just across the pond!

We are really looking for suggestions on where to go and what to do from family and friends who have visited!! Especially off the beaten path type places, we love that! 

S.

Bryan and I with Kylie at her Red Egg Party.

Back to Reality

Back to Reality

I think we always under estimate how much of a whirlwind traveling can be - especially when we get back home and still continue to live out of our suitcases for about a week. This past holiday season was jam-packed with family events - Christmas, engagements, weddings, babies, lions, tiger and bears - Oh my. Promise to post those pics soon.

Bryan has hit the ground running with his research, we are really hoping that he can rejoin clinic this summer without having to work on any more experiments (which means an on-time graduation!!). But now it means that he's working really long hours - meaning I have weekends to update this blog! I guess I can't really complain because my classes start up again in about a week so we'll both be busy again.

I guess suffering together isn't too bad =)

More updates soon, Happy 2011!!

S.