next week is all about beauty and fashion... get ready!

lynn in love with the rain

Looks like rain swept across most of the country this weekend! In Texas, it's been pouring non-stop since Friday... a very strange occurance. It's sooo pleasant to wake up to the pitter patter of the rain on your window pane and get to snuggle in deeper into your covers.

While it did put a damper on my tennis plans, I did get to break out my rain boots! I do love me some boots and these cuties that I got on sale from J.Crew didn't disappoint.

We had a great and productive day in the rain, running out for a diner breakfast in my boots, finished cleaning my room, going to the student center gym at the med school to work out. We did a little shopping, followed by getting SOME GREAT news. We ended the night watching District 9 at the Inwood theatre in their comfy leather seats and large side tables. District 9 was a little disappointing, but it's always fun to get to see a movie :)

This morning the rain still woke us up, which means tennis is out again... but I'm excited to see what this rainy day will bring!

lynn in love with garden roses

Hello darlings, Hope you are having a wonderful weekend... I'm enjoying having my husband back for the entire weekend: no work, no travel, no interviews. Glorious :)

A pretty garden rose for you. I've never really liked conventional roses very much, but these wild things are so beautiful. My parents grow them in their backyard and this one has been keeping me company while the husband has been away.

lynn in love with seafood

I had such a great day Wednesday... my mum and I decided to spend the day together. We planned a seafood dinner for my dad and my sister at my place. It was such a blast going to the grocery store with my mom as we feasted on samples at Central Market. My family LOVES seafood.... The tasty clams at Long Beach in Vietnam still lingers in our memories, so we decided to make a clam, mussels, and shrimp dish.

We worked off basic recipe I got from Tyler Florence. I enjoyed the end result which was a very light sauce for our shellfish, but I think for my flavor hungry family, next time, we're gonna have to spice/salt it up a little more.

We got 3 lbs of clams and 1.5 lbs of large shrimp from Hiep Thai (a vietnamese market in Garland), 2lbs of mussels at Central Market. Prior to cooking, Rinse the mussels/clams under cold running water while scrubbing the shells. Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as your wash them. Discard any mussels/clams with broken shells, or whose shells do not close while handling them. We want the seafood to be fresh, and steamed live.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add 3 chopped/sliced leaks (white parts only), 4 minced garlic cloves and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes.

Add the mussells and give everything a good toss. Add 1 cup white whine, 1 cup of seafood stock, and a bundle of lemon grass. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and half a lemon to the sauce remaining in the pot and swirl to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir fry shrimp in another skillet and serve with mussel/clam mixture on a platter. Serve on top of fettucine pasta and with crusty bread to soak up the juice!

A quick clam broth my mum also made.

serve up with a bottle of white wine!

Bon appetit!

A great way to spend time with the family. Next time, I'd probably add some salt, and some seafood spice to liven up the sauce.

On this September 11th, lets be reminded that every day should be a cherished day. Find something to be in love with today.

Happy weekend!

lynn in love with this week's favorites

As a little break from the fried stuff, I wanted to share a few favorite food products from this week. One of the things I like about blogging is getting to share some of the great products that I discover. Some things are too good not to share! I especially like sharing items I believe in, that I know are healthy and good for your body.

All the following can be purchased at Central Market, my favorite foodie market. I love this store because they have such a large selection of amazing produce, fresh lean meats and vegetables, samples galore, and if you shop right, it won't be much more expensive than a regular supermarket.

I've found my new peanut butter of choice! This is Peanut Butter & Co, no-stir Natural Crunch Time. Yummy, yummy, this stuff is great. And made out of only 4, yes 4, ingredients: Peanuts, evaporated cane juice, palm fruit oil, and salt. It's so naturally delicious. I love natural peanut butter, but I hate how for most brand's, the peanut oil separates from the butter and you have to stir to mix it. The palm fruit oil keeps this PB from separating! Oh, and the company has 10 different flavors, and from what I'm reading online, the Dark Chocolate Dream is to die for. It's next on my grocery list. Peanut butter is a great source of protein, but remember it is high in fat, so a little goes a long way.

Mm... a Honey Crisp Apple. I dunno. It's just good :) I'm a notorious snacker. I've been exercising this week and always tempted to eat something calorically carby after my work out. Reaching for a sweet apple is always a better choice and if I eat the whole thing, it always leaves me full and satisfied.

Lastly, a re-discovery: Martin & Weyrich Moscoto Allegro. DE-licious... before I knew anything about wine, I actually disliked them very much.. except for this one. A dessert wine, it as a perfect blend of light, fresh, flowery and sweet flavors... My parents and I don't exactly have the same taste in alcohol, but my whole family loves this wine which has a low alcohol content and is delivered in a beautiful bottle. My palate has now been better educated about wine by my good friend Mandy, and I actually enjoy most wines. I have discovered that I prefer a dryer white and haven't tasted this Moscoto for a few years. I had my family over for dinner last night and opened a bottle of this Moscoto...and immediately remember that I still love this wine very much. It has won gold in a couple of wine festivals, including Dallas Morning news!

Okay that it's! Tomorrow's post: A Seafood feast!

lynn in love with dough-nuts!

speaking of fried dough.... look at this little machine.
can anything else be more appealling??

In one minute, this little sucker with form, fry, and drain little mini donuts!

I wanna a dough-nu-matic!

lynn in love with fried dough

oh I have a goodie for you today! Yesterday, while treking the aisles of Target, we were discussing how almost every country has their own version of deep fried dough. Think about it, it's true! That conversation plus the eager anticipation of the Texas State Fair (Sept 25th, ya'll), made us hanker for some funnel cake. I thought, why wait for the fair to start to get our hands on that delicious golden fried batter.

When we got home, I came across this recipe for funnel cake by Rachel Ray, and went on to making them. Seriously, this was SO easy and yummy...and oddly enough, not that terribly "unhealthy" tasting :). Haha...in the 20 minutes it took to make them, I did manage to set off the fire alarm, plus spot a possum right outside my kitchen window. Possum and funnel cakes.... how positively...Texas! :)

Ingredients for 8 servings (I halved this recipe to make about 6 funnel cakes for the two of us)
3 cups vegetable oil
4 cups flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups milk
3 large eggs
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. In a deep medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350° to 375° on a deep-fat thermometer. I generally use Canola Oil if I'm to use vegetable oil. It claims to be the best cooking oil, with it's low saturated fat, high monounsaturated fat and omega 3 fatty acid profile.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt

3. Make a well in the center and add the milk and eggs; whisk until smooth.

4. Transfer the batter to a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, remove the excess air and seal the top. With scissors, snip off a corner to make a 1/4-inch-wide hole. Carefully squeeze about 1 cup batter (one-eighth of the mixture) back and forth into the oil, making a free-form lacy web.

5. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, turn the cake over and cook until golden on the other side, about 1 minute more.

6. Transfer the funnel cake to paper towels to drain briefly. Repeat with the remaining batter.

7. Dust the funnel cakes with confectioners' sugar and serve hot

we finished ours off with powder sugar, agave nectar, and raspberry preserves. Divine!

Oh.... and I was able to just catch the possum as it traipsed across our kitchen window. Ick, ugly little rascal isn't it??