{Buffalo} Harbor

I celebrated my birthday in at Acqua Catering & Restaurant which was very near Niagara river and enjoyed the magnificent water views. The sky, once covered by heavy snow now is truly clear. The water birds were all flying and singing. I couldn't be more grateful to the gorgeous view that the nature gave us.

{Buffalo} Acqua & Birthday Dinner

I had a very memorable birthday dinner at Acqua Catering & Restaurant. During the Buffalo restaurant week, many local restaurants offer solid $20 deal for multiple courses, so did Acqua. Having not known anything about the dishes there, I was attracted by the well-designed website & location first (yes it is very important for restaurants to have a great website to attract 1st time visitors!). As stated in their official website, "Enjoy our innovative menu created by Chef Edward Dolski offering specialties of the surf- a vast assortment of fresh seafood dishes. Enjoy one of our culinary creations while enjoying a spectacular view the harbor". And, it turned out the dishes surprised me too. The Asian Spiced Braised Short Ribs with Oriental Noodles is not authentic Asian food but totally conquered my stomach by the mouthwatering and very freshly seasoned broth. My roommate had a pan-seared Seabass which had a crispy skin and moisturized mouth-feel. 

Talking about my birthday, I got a lot of blessings from my families and friends, as always. And the past year was very special with many achievements - I graduated with my MBA, moved to a new city and started my 1st full-time job in my favorite industry. I visited many lovely places with my beloved ones, met so many amazing people during work & travels from all over the world, which enriched my simple everyday life. I started this blog and recorded so many great memories here. Moreover, I realized that family & friends are my most valuable asset. I learned, how to give more love & spend more time with people I care and love.

Banana Mocha Cake + Hello April

This banana mocha cake is INDULGENCE. Since this is my birthday week so I just want to enjoy. Today it is 60 degree and I can TRULY hear the birds singing. I miss spring, I miss the feeling that I can sit outside of a cafe under the sunshine. Can't wait to welcome the spring!

Recipe

Ingredients

3 bananas

1.5 cups light brown sugar

1.5 cups strong brewed coffee, cooled

1 cup oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2.75 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

Steps

Preheat oven to 350F. Mash the banana and mix in the brown sugar until blended. Add the coffee, oil, Vanilla, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon and salt. Fold in the flour and baking sod. Pour into an ungreased 9*13 pan and top with the chocolate chips. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Weekend Friend Night

Last Saturday night I spent a great night with a friend from Thailand. She brought me the best homemade spring roll (and she said it is very easy so I am going to learn how to make it). I cooked traditional Chinese corn noodle with vegetables (I was really flattered when she said it is delicious!). I am very grateful to the fact that I have so many friends from different countries and always bring me new knowledge about a country, people, cultures, and food, which makes my life colorful & exciting!

{New York} Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is a bridge in New York City and it is one of the oldest suspension bridges in USA. In the Spring & Summer time, many NYC citizens will come here for a long walk and you definitely feel the air you breath here is different. Dream big, and play hard. 

{Shanghai} Starbucks Desserts

Hi Friends!

Somehow the it is snowy again in Buffalo, whenever the weather is chilly it makes me just want to stay at home I have a temptation to write a post......OK, today I would like to show you some interesting desserts in Starbucks in Shanghai. You may think: who hasn't been to Starbucks?? Well, Just like KFC and McCafe, Starbucks also have totally different items catering to local people's preferences, and some of them are even seasonal. Believe it or not, the food I am showing you right now are all winter 2013 menu items, and Starbucks China is launching new things for the spring. 

Healthy Irish Yogurt Bread

Hi Friends,

Can't believe a week has gone again! I have been extremely busy during the week participating project meetings for the new year, and it was a lot of fun! Now it is time to relax and bake. I have been searching for many recipes which are healthier and lighter, and I believe girls are all the same - we always want something to treat ourselves but don't make ourselves guilty and regretful. I found this super easy yet very light recipe and I cannot wait to try it even though I am already super tired after back-to-back meetings today. I promise you it tastes like a traditional cake which consists of butter + sugar + whole bunch of flours, BUT if you see the recipe you won't be concerned to have more bites!

By the way, I got this super cute and stunning Starbucks candy mug from my co-worker as a Christmas gift, absolutely love it! 2013 has been an amazing year and I got a lot of love, help and encouragement from a lot of beloved ones. I am sure 2014 will be even amazing too!

{Shanghai} Teddy Bear Restaurant

Hi Friends,

Happy Weekend! 

Since it is such a sunny day (can't believe today is 50 degree while only 2 days ago it is 0 degree??), let' s go back to the sunny Shanghai and experience this CUTIEST ever Teddy Bear Restaurant.

This lovely restaurant is located in Shanghai Tianzi Fang (I will write another post about it), a place where cute cafes, souvenir shops, small galleries and old traditional Shanghai houses are all together. On the first floor, it is almost like a teddy bear doll museum and you will see many bear dolls with different sizes and different styles (I love the biggest one and thinking about buying one once I have a big big house). The second floor is the dining area where you can choose to sit inside or enjoy some sunshine in the balcony. Needless to say, even in the dining place there are teddy bears every where (hug hug hug). 

{Shanghai} Stunning Night

Shanghai is my second favorite city in China - the first one is no doubt my hometown Fuzhou, where I spent 18 years, for me, the beauty of Shanghai is not only the amazing skylines, but how traditional scenes and modern flavor meets. The river, the pretty girls, the skyscrapers, and the quite old streets, everything here has a special flavor coming along with its history and story. 

Talking about fashion, many people will say Paris, Milan, Hong Kong and New York, and I will say please don't forget Shanghai, a new fashion city, and more importantly these years a lot of Chinese designers are showing their own attitude by incorporating Chinese traditional elements into the details, which we call FUSION. Many luxury groups has been targeting Shanghai as their new flagship place in China - Prada, LV, Gucci, Miu Miu...you name it, or in Asia. Now it was 10:00PM, and for many young people, they just leave their office, and the night life just started...

Simple Joy - Chocolate Chip Cookie

Hi Friends!

I hope you all had a very joyful Christmas and New Year vacation! what's your festive surprise and sheer exciting moment? I know it has been a long time (again) that I haven't updated my blog, which was because I had a great time in December travelling back to Asia. My trip schedule was pretty tight: Vietnam - Korea - Shanghai, China and my hometown Fuzhou, China. This past holiday season for me is not about gifts or good foods (I mean they are still important), but the time I was able to spend with my parents. Since my college time, every year I can only spend 2-3 weeks at home either because of internships or school projects, and the time became even less after I came to America. So I really value my time to talk and eat with my parents & grandparents. 

I truly wanted to share what I have found interesting during my trips, and I visited many, many, many...fine cuisine places which delights my entire December, however, for some unknown reason I couldn't visit my blog in China (just like I couldn't even use Facebook in China), so I have to change my photo sharing place to Instagram. 

So, keep in touch via Instagram as well, you can follow me by finding "linglingchenjourney". 

Festival Macaroon

Hi Friends,

What's your favorite go to place during the weekend? Shopping? Gym? Natural park? For me, it is just staying at home (especially now it is getting so windy in Buffalo), sipping some hot tea (it must be chai, such as pumpkin spice or hazelnut  or spiced apple cider, and doing something that you will never get to do when work keeps you running - taking pictures for great food. So the last past weekend I spent approximately 1-2 hour taking pictures for these delicious macaroons. The combination of savory and colour can be magic. I hope these bright & shiny colours can bring you some happiness. 

Saturday Morning

It was rainy and gloomy on Friday so I didn't expect that my house was filled with sunshine on Saturday morning. Sitting at the balcony and listening to the coffee machine brewing was just fun and lovely. Going to apple picking soon!

Peaceful Afternoon

A peaceful afternoon at my balcony. Smelling the drizzling air mixing with the harvesting aroma in my garden, and thinking nothing. What a beautiful release. We all need a time to be just empty, clean and fresh. 

Snapshots - Life on the Go!

Hiking at Niagara Gorge

Last one month probably was my most relaxed time during the past two years (actually I was pretty busy with my work transition and moving into a new house, but I felt great starting a more settled-down life) and I took so many pictures during my travel to Chicago and dining experience several restaurants in Rochester before I leave this lovely city. OK, but there was something wrong with my camera SD card so I have to fix it before I can show you in this blog, hopefully my pics will be safe there since they are my very valuable asset. Life has been great - I moved into a new house and I am already starting discovery of great restaurants in Buffalo/Niagara - I just constantly find new projects for myself to do. The pictures here were all taken by my phone, so they are not very appealing but still records for my life. 

Campus Walk at UR

Two years. This August I finally finished my MBA classes will start my life's 1st full-time job. Looking back, I am very self-fulfilled and proud of what I have done and what I have conquered. Busy classes, tons of assignments, several internships, two case competitions, one club leadership. I also feel very blessed to study at University of Rochester, a place where I met many new friends and professor who gave me tremendous help, support and encouragement to go on and on. The pictures here were taken in the spring, while I feel it worthwhile of putting them here to memorize the beautiful moments on the campus. 

{Milwaukee} Creamy Blue

Several weeks ago I spent a terrific weekend meeting my old friends from different school time in Milwaukee and Chicago. I always feel life is so magical that people from corners of the world can know each other, leave each other, and meet each other again. As you can imagine, my trip was filled with lots and lots of talks to catch up with the tiny details of everybody's life. 

{Rochester} Restaurant 2Vine | Lunch with Boss

Having been working with Xerox since February, I always feel so blessed to have the excellent opportunity to work with wonderful products, learn the advanced marketing best practices, and mostly, a group of great people. I am also very grateful for having a wonderful boss - Sue. Yes, she has all the terrific qualities I can see in a boss. She is hardworking and intelligent; She is fun and always laugh; She mentors me patiently and introduces me to understand different groups at this giant corporation; She allows me to take initiatives and walk out of my comfort zone; She acknowledges me as a critical thinker to challenge her philosophy; Apart from all that, she is also a good friend who can talk to and rely on. Believe it or not, Sue is a good musician!

{Rochester} Cherry, Cheers!

Cherry is one of my beloved fruits (part of the reason is because it sounds like "Cheers") on the planet and I got to see so many of them yesterday. Back to my high school time, not many supermarkets in China were selling this kind of fruit except for Walmart, and it was so expensive ($7 per pound!!!) that I couldn't ask my Mom for them very often. I could only got a special treat of eating cherry before the National College Entrance Examination. 

Lilac Blossoming Recap

In the breathtaking beautiful Highland Park at May, I had the pleasure of experiencing the notable event at Rochester, a flower city - Lilac Festival. Feeling like a butterfly enjoying the scent of these cute flowers. I was truly grateful to the glorious gift by nature and Rochester. 

Love,
Lingling

Escape to the Farm - Public Market

Sometimes I really doubt if I am a modern-time girl - this old-fashioned farmer's market is just far more attractive to me than those overwhelmingly huge shopping centers in NYC or Los Angeles. I enjoy so much indulging myself with all kinds of fragrances from fruits, vegetables, honey and various wines. Sweet and floral, these are most gorgeous smells in the world.