Paris.

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My love for Paris probably started the summer before my freshman year in high school after watching "Beauty and the Beast" for the fiftieth time. It was the first time I started to care that Lumiere spoke French or that the words 'bonjour' and 'monsieur' were repeated multiple times throughout the film. Haha. A similar kind of thing happened with the "The Sound of Music" ages ago. After learning about Hitler and the Holocaust in junior high, I realized Rolfe (one of the characters) was a member of the Nazi Party and the funny sounding phrase he kept saying in the film was "Heil Hitler" - it was an "ohhhh" moment for me.

I have yet to visit Paris, but WILL take my own photograph of the Eiffel Tower one day. Maybe even open a bottle of champagne under it. I hear that's what the French do? Just want to try it~ Maybe I'll take a bottle of sparkling cider with me on the plane for the occasion. Haha~~

I think I'd want to visit Paris for New Year's Eve despite the freezing cold. Wishing French people a cheerful Bonne Annees and exchanging bises (small kisses on each cheek) at the stroke of midnight sounds great to me!

Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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We need a little Christmas~

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Aside from Christmas songs on the radio, holiday decorations and peppermint lattes - my favorite part of Christmas is the wrapping of gifts. :) Sitting on the floor with scissors, wrapping paper, tape and ribbons makes Christmas whole for me. Love it! All I'm missing now is a Christmas tree...

Thankfully, I'm a paranoid freak when it comes to buying gifts early - so, I'm nearly done. Woohoo! :) I finally started wrapping gifts today~ Check out Martha Stewart's gift wrapping ideas! I'm actually just using regular rolls of holiday wrapping paper from Target this year. :)

Some of my gifts will probably be homemade - but, this all depends on how diligent I decide to be. Haha. If I do make homemade treats, there are three recipes I'll probably use. :) Chocolate caramel popcorn (with pecans instead of macadamia nuts); Walnut snowball cookies & Kellogg's Rice Krispies. Yummy~

Anyways, good luck to you all and to all a good night. But, seriously - good luck on your Christmas shopping and gift wrapping! :) Merry early Christmas!!

Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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holiday. chocolate. presents.

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You can make your own chocolates, have them imported from the UK or simply pick up a few affordable Belgian bars at a local Trader Joe's. Whichever way you prefer your chocolate - chocolate adds something very special to the holidays. And, it can be a great gift (if done right). So, in honor of chocolate - I did a little research and here are some of my chocolate faves. It was a lot of fun. Wish I got paid to do this. :)

First, Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolates. This chocolate shop is located in Philly, the largest city in Pennsylvania aka "The Chocolate State" (home to the Hershey factory). Once you visit the webpage, you'll want a box of chocolates for yourself - and I say, get one. I'm purchasing a box for myself very shortly. Haha. It is a bit pricey ($17.95/box of 9 chocolates; $23.95/box of 12 chocolates) compared to the huge box of chocolates you can buy at Walmart for $5.99 - but, it's unique and a great possible gift for your friends and family. Just see the photos! Plus, you can say you had them shipped from Philadelphia. :D Haha. Let Marcie Blaine make tummies happy.

Second, Chocolate Editions. Based in Brooklyn, New York - Mary and Matt share wonderful chocolate bars made of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, strawberry chocolate with us. There's an array of chocolate combinations - pick and choose your favorite here. Check out the Chocolate Pie Chart - it's a neat and tasty gift for chocolate lovers. Trying to think of people who might appreciate this edible gift...hmm...

Third, Rich Chocolates & Candies. Chocolatier, Lauren Pett, specializes in handmade artisan chocolates. Take a look at her collection of chocolates. Scrumptious. Unfortunately, you can only buy her chocolates at a few stores in Chicago, Illinois. Makes me a little sad because I'm not visiting Chicago anytime soon. Maybe I can purchase the chocolates through one of the stores online? More research needed.

Lastly, though these treats don't fall under the chocolate category - I'm going to mention them anyway. Haha. Ever had salted caramel coffee or hot chocolate? Delicious, right? Well, Petite Bouchée specializes in packaging caramels au beurre salé (salted butter caramels) - flavors range from expresso to gingersnap. Their most popular flavor is the fleur de sel and the pricing isn't too bad. I think I'll buy a couple bags for myself. I mean, other people...

Okay, that's enough chocolate for now. Wait...no, it's not! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this entry almost all about chocolate. :D

Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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chicken curry salad sandwich.

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Simply Recipes is a food blog I faithfully follow - one of my favorites. I discovered it about a year ago while browsing the internet for a peanut butter cookie recipe. Here's the cookie recipe. :]

If you've ever had the chicken curry sandwich at Urth Caffe - you know how amazing it is. If you haven't tried it and want to pamper your tummy with sandwich goodness, PLEASE order it when you visit Urth [at any of their four locations]. You won't be disappointed. ;]

For those of you who don't like driving and/or live outside of Los Angeles - there's a solution. Make it at home. The recipe [below] isn't a sandwich recipe, but in between two slices of bread - it can be. If you use this recipe, I hope you make many people very happy. Enjoy it with your favorite drink. Mine is lemonade or Cactus Cooler. :]

Chicken Curry Salad [sandwich]

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• Salt
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 heaping Tbsp yellow curry powder
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 apple (tart or sweet, your preference), peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (just lightly packed)
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise optional

Method

1 Heat olive oil on medium/medium-high heat in a thick-bottomed sauté pan. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle some salt on the chicken pieces while cooking. Check doneness by removing the thickest piece and cutting it in half. If it is still pink in the middle, keep cooking. Try not to overcook the chicken or it will be dry. Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon, set aside in a bowl.

2 Add yellow onion and cook. After a few minutes, when the onions are beginning to get translucent, add 2 heaping tablespoons of yellow curry powder. Cook a few minutes more, stirring frequently. If the curry sticks to the bottom or the mixture gets dry, add a bit more olive oil to the pan. As you stir, scrape up the stuck curry bits. Add raisins, and cook, stirring another minute. (If adding optional mayonnaise, remove curry from heat and mix in mayo.) Add raisin and onion mixture to chicken and mix well, coating the chicken pieces with the curry infused olive oil. Refrigerate until cool. At this point you can make the salad a day a head of time.

3 When you are ready to serve the salad, mix in the apple, green onions, and cilantro.

Serves 4.

[recipe: courtesy of Simply Recipes]

Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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The Duck and Bunny.

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I came across a creperie called The Duck and Bunny via Amy Cao's blog. If you don't know who Amy Cao is - she's a writer + food blogger residing in New York. Um...I'd like her job, please. :] She also has her own website: Amy Blogs Chow and uploads very cool videos about food called Stupidly Simple Snacks. I just watched a bunch of videos on how to make simple snacks and I'm making the deviled eggs tomorrow! Yummy~ May you be inspired as well. ;]

Okay, back to what I was talking about - The Duck and Bunny. The creperie is based in Providence, Rhode Island - located just seven minutes away from the Amtrak station I'll arrive at on my 'holiday' [as the British would say]. My reasons for wanting to visit The Duck and Bunny are as follows: their peanut butter and banana sandwich looks amazing AND it's in Rhode Island [the perfect place to visit on my way to Boston]. Which reminds me, maybe I'll pack a peanut butter and jam sandwich for my plane ride to New York. Another lingering thought: should I take my laptop? Probably not, right? Okay. :]

Another very cool website: Foodspotting.com. My initial reaction to this website was - how am I discovering this now?? + a few OMG's. You'll probably do the same thing - if you don't, I'm truly sorry. Whether you live in Los Angeles or Buenos Aires - you'll find plenty of great places to eat through this website. Try it! :]

Okay, I'm off to watch Toy Story 3! I hope it's as good as people say it was!! :] Good night! Over and out.

Posted by : Grace J. Lee
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