Saturday, July 29, 2017

Family Trip - Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

Flight to Seattle

Today’s post is a little different than usual.  There won’t be any recipe as my family and I just returned from a short trip to Seattle and Vancouver.  The regular recipe and video tutorial post shall resume next week, I hope, after I tackled all the dirty laundries and house cleaning!   Yeah, that’s the down side after a vacation.  No wonder people get post-vacation-blues!

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

We started our trip with our flight to Seattle.  I’m just glad that both of my my kids love reading.  Therefore, it’s quite easy to keep them entertained for the short flight.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Uber Ride

Since we’re only staying in Seattle for couple of days, we didn’t rent a car but solely rely on the Uber service!  I definitely love how convenience and economical it is, especially within a small city like Seattle.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
charcuterie board: country pork terrine, salami cotto, house pickles

There are so many dining options and wonderful restaurants in Seattle, but we had very little time to spend in Seattle!  I wish we had tried more restaurants, oh well, maybe next time.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
soft eggs*, smoked prosciutto, local greens, pecorino sardo

Our first dinner was at Serious Pie!  The Pizza crust here was simply amazing.  Crispy, crunchy, and light!  The pizza here was definitely one of the top three pizzas I’ve ever had!  So if you happened to be in town, try it out for yourself and let me know what you think.  

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Monorail to Space Needle

The next day, we took the monorail to visit the Space Needle.  The Space Needle is one of the must-visit tourist attraction in Seattle.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Space Needle

It was quite a fun place to visit despite it’s be established for quite some time.  After you purchase your tickets, you’ll be assigned a time to return to the line for a quick elevator ride up to the top/observatory level of the Space Needle.   My kids had a great time up there, taking pictures and checking out the gorgeous view from above.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

These are the views from the top of the Space Needle.  Although Seattle is famous for their gloomy weather, we had quite a nice clear sky that morning!

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Panoramic view from Space Needle

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Another Panoramic view from Space Needle

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Gum Wall

Next, we visited the Pike Place Market….but before that, we took the kids down the staircase for a quick look at the Gum Wall.  If you have a weak stomach, I recommend that you skip this place! 

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

I love this market, we took the kids to see the fish company.



There are many restaurants, cafes, and food stalls in this market and you can definitely spend a day here shopping and eating!  We also stopped by the very first Starbucks.  Unfortunately, the line was super long and we didn’t want to line up especially with young kids!

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

That evening, we had dinner at Blueacre Seafood.  The seafood was fresh and services were wonderful at this place.  But make sure you make a reservation ahead of time, otherwise, you might not be seated for over an hour if you just walked in during dinner hours.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
KASU MARINATED NEAH BAY BLACK COD shiitake | stir fried vegetable | green papaya salad


A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
PAN SEARED ALASKAN HALIBUT sienna rice pilaf | newuakum baby summer squash | lemon buerre blanc

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
King Street Amtrak Train Station

The next morning, we took a train ride from Seattle to Vancouver.  The train was a little bit old, but considered rather clean.


A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

Family Trip - Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Here’s one of the scene from the train ride.  It takes about 4 hours to get to our destination.  We all managed to get a little nap on the train.


A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

China Town, Vancouver

After we arrived in Vancouver, a family member picked us up.  I can’t believe Uber doesn't exist here!  Luckily, the public transportation is quite convenience.  Many places are within walking distance of the Sky Train.  We passed by China Town in Vancouver and had lunch at a local Hong Kong style Cafe.  Sorry that I didn’t take any pictures as we were too busy chatting and eating.  But the food was great there.

View from inside the Sky Train

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Seafood Tower

For dinner, we went to Yaletown, one of our favorite city in Vancouver.  We love this part of town because the whole area is packed with nice restaurants, hotels, and shops!  We tried the Seafood Tower from WildTale Coastal Grill and the kids ordered spaghetti.  Most of the seafood on the seafood tower were fresh and delicious.  Unfortunately, the grilled lobster was a bit overcooked.  Good news is that the desserts made up for it!

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Cream Brulee

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Peanut Butter Cheesecake


A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

The next day, we visited the Waterfront.  You can observe Seaplanes take off and landing here.  The fares varies depending on the length of the flight that you choose.   Since it was a gloomy day, we skipped this attraction.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver
Steam Clock

We walked over to Gastown to check out the steam clock.  You can read more here if you’re interested.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

After all these walking, we stopped by Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for an afternoon tea….and kids went into a pillow fight while we were waiting for our seating!  Thank goodness that we didn’t get kicked out of the hotel!  Phew….

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

I had high expectation of this afternoon tea, especially given the price tag.  The tea was wonderful, ambiance was great.  Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with the overall food quality.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

Picture above were cheese scones, blueberry scones, blueberry preserves, and devonshire cream.  The scones were delicious.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

Up next was maple panna cotta.  This was one of my favorite treat from the whole afternoon tea, besides the tea itself.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

On this plates were wagyu beef corn dogs, sliders for the kids, and duck confit tart. They were alright, but nothing special.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

The next level down the plate tower were lobster rolls and smoked salmon tea sandwiches.  I didn’t get to try the tea sandwich, but the lobster roll was just so-so.  The bread to filling ratio wasn’t quite right and the bread was a bit dry for me.  I would appreciate more if they serve half of the size of bread with the same amount of filling…and it would be better if the bread was buttered and toasted!  Am I asking for too much?  I think I need to make my own lobster rolls soon!

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

The bottom plate were smoked meat sandwiches and bacon slider.  I’m already stuffed by the time I got to this level.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

Lastly, the dessert plate.  Unfortunately, the only item that I liked from this plate was the pecan tart.  The rest were just okay.  I have to mention though, the kids love the doughnuts especially when they can squeeze their own sauce on top!  That night, we had dinner with family.  Sorry we didn’t take pictures of the dishes.  But they were definitely more delicious than the afternoon tea. 

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

The next day, we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge.  Honestly, I’m not really a nature person nor do I like hiking at all.  But we all had so much fun here.  One recommendation is….wear comfortable shoes!!! 

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

The suspension bridge was quite long and a bit swingy when you get to the middle.  But the scenic views around and on the bridge simple takes my breath away.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

This picture above was taken from the Cliff Walk looking back at the suspension bridge.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

And here’s the view when you’re on the cliff walk.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

Throughout the park, there were a few other smaller suspension bridges when you walk up the treetops.  Can you spot us from the picture above?

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

The next day, we took a ferry ride (20 minutes) to Granville Island Public Market.  It was a cute little town to visit if you have a few hours to spend.

Since this is a very short trip, we didn’t get to visit Victoria Island, another tourist destination.  Most people recommended to stay overnight at the Victoria Island as it’ll be too rush for a day trip.  Another popular attraction that we didn't get to visit is the Grouse Mountain.  I guess we’ll just have to save it until we visit Vancouver again next time.

A Short Trip Visiting Seattle and Vancouver

We had a safe flight back home from Vancouver!  Nothing beat Home Sweet Home!  Thank you so much for visiting and reading.  Stay tuned for more fun recipe, where to eat and visit in the future blog posts!  Until next time….

P.S. If you have any questions regarding transportation, restaurants, how to get around, where to go and what to do in Seattle and Vancouver, etc, please feel free to leave your questions and commend below.  I'll try my best to answer them.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Pink Grapefruit Frosé 玫瑰香檳柚子冰冰



How’s your summer so far?  Are you enjoying the summer heat or are you hating it?  For my family, we’ve been visiting the pool, water park, and going to cool places (a.k.a. air-conditioned places) to stay cool.  Please share with me your favorites things to do to stay cool if you have any suggestion!

How to Make Pink Grapefruit Frosé 玫瑰香檳柚子冰冰 - a refreshing summer treat made with Pink Grapefruit and frozen Rosé Champagne    http://uTry.it

However, I still turn on my oven from time to time to bake this once or twice a week.  That’s a necessity!  But other than that, I’m trying to keep the house cool and make as many No-Bake treats as possible.  This Pink Grapefruit Frosé 玫瑰香檳柚子冰冰 is one of my favorite summer treat!  It’s super easy to put together and very refreshing.  You might wonder what is a Frosé?  Well, it’s pretty much Frozen RoséYes, a word that I just made up!?  But hey, this frozen treat is so good that I think Frosé should be included in the dictionary!

How to Make Pink Grapefruit Frosé 玫瑰香檳柚子冰冰 - a refreshing summer treat made with Pink Grapefruit and frozen Rosé Champagne    http://uTry.it

This slightly sweet and tangy frozen treat will cool you off instantly!  The pink grapefruit juice is super fresh and it compliments the floral Rosé Champagne perfectly.  You can even substitute the Rosé Champagne with sparking white grape juice (skip the simple syrup because the grape juice is sweet enough) to make a kids’ friendly version.  But for the grown up, this is a perfect treat after any summer meal!

How to Make Pink Grapefruit Frosé 玫瑰香檳柚子冰冰 - a refreshing summer treat made with Pink Grapefruit and frozen Rosé Champagne    http://uTry.it

If you’re hosting summer parties, this will be the perfect dessert to make because you can, and should, make it ahead of time; leaving you more time to plan for the rest of your menu.  You can even explore and try other citrus juice with this dessert.  But I personally love the flavor and color of the pink grapefruit, so pretty and elegant! 

How to Make Pink Grapefruit Frosé 玫瑰香檳柚子冰冰 - a refreshing summer treat made with Pink Grapefruit and frozen Rosé Champagne    http://uTry.it

I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and video tutorial.  Remember, Eat, Drink, and Be Happy!  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my YouTube channel here.  This way, you won’t miss out on any video and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published. I share a new video tutorial/recipe every week.

How to Make Pink Grapefruit Frosé 玫瑰香檳柚子冰冰 - a refreshing summer treat made with Pink Grapefruit and frozen Rosé Champagne    http://uTry.it


Ingredients and Tools Used:
9x13 Glass Baking Dish with Lid (Click here for more information)
Fleur de Sel (
Click here for more information)
Microplane Zester (
Click here for more information)
Heat Proof Measuring Cups (
Click here for more information)
OXO Measuring Cups Set (
Click here for more information)
Small Stemmed Wine Glasses (5 oz) (
Click here for more information)




Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



Saturday, July 15, 2017

National Ice Cream Day!


Tomorrow is National Ice Cream Day! Yay!  But honestly, I don’t really need any excuse to consume ice cream, especially in the summer.  Did you know that I actually make homemade ice cream all year around?  Now you know! Ha!  To help celebrate National Ice Cream Day, I’m compiling some of my favorite homemade ice cream recipes below for you to drool on!  Click on the names will take you to the recipes!  Stay cool and enjoy!

Neapolitan Ice Cream Pops






Nutella Swirl Ice Cream With Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts




2012-07-20 15.46.40-1edited


French Roasted Coffee Ice Cream


Toasted Coconut and Ice Cream Cone


Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream


Matcha Ice Cream (抹茶雪糕)


Individual Skillet Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream – Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipe Idea  http://uTry.it



315edited


Chocolate Bubble Waffle (Eggette) Cone Ice Cream