a mix & matchy blog

12 dates of christmas/winter

2012-01-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

Date #12 (the finale): Today was Mark's day off so we slept in and leisurely went to lunch at Cuisine of India in Mt. Prospect, IL. Mmm, Indian food. After waiting an appropriate amount of time we went downstairs to our apartment's indoor pool and jacuzzi. Mmm, relaxing. For dinner I made some barbecue turkey legs and wings (homemade barbecue sauce, woot woot!) with baked potato fans. Mmm, dinner.

I've posted about this delicious barbecue sauce before, here. And I (for the most part) followed the recipe for baked potato fans from Cook's Country, here.

brought to you by pinterest

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

Mine is Brown Tooth Jenkins. LOL!

weekend movie suggestion(s)

2012-01-27T06:30:00.001-08:00

images via www.google.com

I've been sick A LOT lately so I've had the opportunity to watch a lot of movies. If you're looking to watch something streaming on Netflix this weekend then check out these two inspirational documentaries.

The first is Mad Hot Ballroom. This movie follows several NY public elementary school classes that are taught ballroom dancing in order to compete in a citywide competition.

The second is Pressure Cooker. I admit that I cried watching this one. It tugs at your heart strings a little more than Man Hot Ballroom. This movie follows an inner city Philadelphia culinary arts teacher, Mrs. Stephenson, trying to prepare a classroom of high school seniors for a citywide cooking competition where thousands of dollars are given away in college scholarships.

california craving : el toro bravo

2012-01-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

I've got to say I really crave good Mexican food a lot here in IL. I think living in the 'burbs has a lot to do with it but in general I'd say that Mexican food is tastier at home in CA. I'm talking about the late night, hole-in-the-wall, shady looking, slightly dangerous feeling, Mexican food places that make you happy to be alive. I'm talking about places like El Toro Bravo in Costa Mesa, CA near Triangle Square. I posted this picture in 2010, here, right after Christmas....good times, good times. Augh, fresh ingredients, authentic preparation, and killer flavor...makes you want to cry.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : what to register for

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

image via www.amazon.com

Luckily winter has been rather mild this year in IL and boy am I grateful. However, I know that not all years will be like this one and in preparation for frigid nights and long winter months we registered for a heated mattress pad with amazon.com. But I think even if we had stayed in CA I still would have registered for this bad boy for those cold desert nights in the winter. Yes, it's not as cold has IL but thinly insulated homes and mostly non-double paned windows in CA make for a cold cold sleep (I've had to sleep in a sleeping bag before in CA...I know, I'm such a wimp). Some of the features I was looking for was a heated mattress pad that had two controls and one that was not like the electric blankets of old where you basically only feel the heat from the thick, hard wire mechanisms woven back and forth in the thin scratchy blanket. No, sir. I wanted the luxurious feel of heat without the hard wires. We registered for the Soft Heat Warming Mattress Pad and Mark's wonderful cousin got it for us. This is a mattress pad and not an electric blanket so it covers your mattress and the fitted sheet goes over the pad. Dual controls allow each half of the bed to be at different temperatures (which is a must with a guy and a girl) and the 'soft heat' comes for ultra thin wires that make the whole mattress feel evenly heated. I've turned on the heat so far when I've been sick, when my 'special friend' has visited me, and of course when it's been chilly at night. We've been pretty happy with it!

online love : adabelle's fashion lounge

2012-01-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

I saw the first dress on Pinterest and thought, "Oh, I like the colors and graphic shapes." The pin took me to Adabelle's Fashion Lounge and originally I just wanted to save the image for future inspiration but then I looked at the price: $47. "Whoa. That's not bad at all," I thought. Here are some other dresses/top that I thought were cute and at a somewhat reasonable price. My favorite would have to the third dress....reminds me of a sunny soda shoppe. I think it would be adorable worn while riding a bike with a basket. CUTE!

[1] Geometrically Yours Dress - $47 (sold out)
[2] Afternoon in Rio Top - $33
[3] The Pretty Parallels Dress - $79
[4] The Simply Bow-utiful Dress - $63

anticipating wes anderson : moonrise kingdom

2012-01-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

Oh the loveliness of the costumes and colors. Oh the quirkiness of the plot. Oh the subtle comedy. Oh Wes Anderson. Can't wait to see this.

oxtail soup

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

2012 has started off kind of germy. Both Mark and I have had the flu at some point in January. I decided to make oxtail soup as a comfort food remedy for the two of us. Oxtail soup is common in most Asian cultures and it is a favorite among Koreans and Filipinos. Although it's done with some differences the basic recipe is the same. The simplified version is: grab a big pot, add oxtails, bones, water, and boil. However, truth be told that making this soup is a very long process and it will infuse the house (for better or worse) with the aroma of the soup. Since I'm Korean I opted to try the Korean style.

This is actually my first time making oxtail soup. Traditionally the broth of the Korean version is supposed to be a milky white color but at my house it has never been this way. The taste is just fine but the color was always amber. In an effort to try to get the milky white result I looked to good ol' Google to lead the way. I tried following a recipe I found online, here, however as you can see I did not achieve the milky white color. Ok, I admit that I didn't follow it to the letter. Of course there are many different ways to make the same dish and I suspected that the milky look is achieved through the boiling process and so I turned to my friend Sandy's mom, the Korean food guru, for advice. She suggested that next time I boil the bones only on medium heat for an hour and then on low for a full day. Only after the cloudy broth develops should you add the oxtail meat.

The look might be off but the taste was yummy so Mark and I were happy campers. Next time I will try it her way and report results.

what i'm working on

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

After a relatively long time of transitioning and adjusting to life here in IL I've finally started to design again. I know the Native American look is all the rage right now in fashion and I guess it kind of got me thinking about some Native American pottery that my friend Anderson (woot woot!) and I saw. I'm still seeing stuff through the lens of the craft industry, hence the cutesy feel, but it feels good to create again.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : one heart weddings

2012-01-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

via www.weddingclipart.com

Invites, programs, RSVP cards, menus, and thank you cards can be really expensive and really stressful to take care of yourself. Designs can be expensive and turn around times can be too long if you find yourself procrastinating. One Heart Weddings is one resource for wedding print materials. Their site has many different style options and categories for you to choose from. You personalize the text, download the art to your personal printer and print at home. Most likely this will cut down on cost because you'll be able to buy the paper yourself and just hope that you don't run out of toner! Then all you'll have to do is get a group of friends together to cut the edges off the paper.

A one year subscription is $39.95 (on sale now for $33.96) and this will let you download your hearts content for the duration of your subscription. The only limitation is that you cannot download more than 100 images per day. I'm not sure why anyone would but there it is. They also have two other sites for other occasions in your life, Share Holidays and Baby Tidings. Pricing is done differently on these sites. All three sites are run by Ellinée Design House out of Portland, Oregon.

**I'm not a paid by Ellinée Design to say these things. I'm just a fan.

remembering MLK

2012-01-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

never gets old

2012-01-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

This song makes me so happy. I don't know what I love more...the singing or the dancing. What a classic.

albino brain chiggers attack!

2012-01-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I posted about snow before but I think this time it can really be considered snow. We've been sliding on the roads, scraping the car windows, and turning our little fingers into ice cubes. Above is the before and after shots of our balcony. Pretty crazy. Below you'll see the trees behind the wing of our apartment. Makes me want to watch Lord of the Rings for some reason.

12 dates of christmas/winter

2012-01-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Date #11: We tried out a new sandwich place called Which Wich in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. It kind of reminds me of getting sandwiches at the Eagle's Nest at Biola. You grab a sandwich bag and check off your customizations for the order and hand it to an employee who will ring you up and send the bag to be filled with your order. Surprisingly they have locations in CA. I'd never heard of the place until moving here. The sandwiches were good but I'm still on the hunt for my go-to sandwich place here in IL.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : sandwich cake?

2012-01-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

image via panini happy

So, of course, if you want to do a non-cake (or don't usually like cake, like me) there's always cupcakes, or cake pops, or pies, and having a dessert/candy bar instead. But how about a sandwich cake?? I think this would be really lovely for a kind of off-beat, quirky, day-time reception, don't you? It's a little unexpected, a little cheeky, and looks really delicious.

The sandwich cake is posted on Panini Happy and it'll show you step by step of how to make this tasty beauty.

12 dates of christmas/winter

2012-01-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

It's no longer the Christmas season or even December but we're still gonna keep going until we complete the 12!

Date #10: So we were hoping to take the train to downtown Chicago, eat lunch and a hot dog, and visit the Shedd Aquarium today on their free day but we couldn't find parking at the downtown Elmhurst train station! It was crazy. So we just had coffee and went to Whole Foods because Mark wanted to make dinner...he's cooking steak, of course. ;P

soap box

2012-01-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm going to get on my soap box for just a minute and then I'll be done.

What is the deal with people littering? Mark and I were at a Stop sign leaving a parking lot and the young girl driving a Hyundai (you know who you are!!) opened the car door and dropped an empty plastic bottle of Dr. Pepper on the ground. Who does that these days?! What's even more frustrating are smokers who litter cigarette butts out the window as they drive. If you are a responsible adult enough to make the decision to smoke then you should be a responsible adult and dispose of your cigarette properly. Drains might not lead to the ocean here in IL but if you've ever done a beach clean up you'll begin to notice the endless number of cigarettes on beaches and in the ocean.

Sigh, that's it.

weekend gardening

2012-01-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well, we don't have a yard and it's too late to have flower pots on the balcony because of the weather. And even though we've been enjoying 'warmer' winter temperatures it's a far cry from the 80 degrees right now back in CA. So I only have two small house plants inside that I'm trying to keep alive until they can go outside on our balcony. I tried to grow a basil plant from Trader Joe's but it died. Apparently it dies on most people. Hopefully in spring I'll be able to buy a dwarf citrus tree that we can keep inside and outside. It'll be great to have the fruit available for cooking too. It's a little depressing to be dreaming of spring so early in the winter season. :/ I guess that's another reason why I wanted to have plants, to have something green and alive inside while everything is dormant outside in the winter.

I repotted the plants out of the plastic containers they came in. Loosened the roots a bit and repotted using potting soil in a larger pot with a drain hole at the bottom. Taking care to fill any air holes in the pot, I made sure to keep the soil line at the same level of the roots as how they came originally. I gave it one good watering then placed the plant where it's care instructions suggested. Every week or so I rotate the plants to that all sides will get sun and I won't have a leaning plant towards the window. I also try not to over water the plant (which is so tempting sometimes) and follow the watering instructions that the plant came with. Since these plants are around more for decorative leaves than for their flowers I like to pick off the flowering parts in the beginning to let the plant use all it's energy to produce more leaves.

weekend movie suggestion

2012-01-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

If you consider yourself interested in fashion or self-expression and haven't seen Bill Cunningham New York yet then do yourself a favor and watch it this weekend with a nice glass of wine. If you have Netflix you'll be able to stream it online. For a CA girl it was a really interesting look in the NY fashion scene and for a creative person it was incredibly inspiring to learn about Bill Cunningham's passion and dedication to what he does.

feeling the love

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's January and the Christmas decorations are down but I'm already looking toward February because, well, it's hard to decorate the house for "Martin Luther King, Jr. Day." The bank is tight for us so I definitely don't want to buy anything to decorate the house for Valentine's. I looked around the house and I spied 3 decks of cards in our game area. I pulled out only the heart cards and started arranging them on our dining table to create a heart shape (it's hard to work with rectangles!). Here's what I came up with:

I've seen people do this same idea with pictures which would be really cute, like here and here. I'd suggest printing and cutting your pictures into squares to make your life easier.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : magazine inspiration

2012-01-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

A wedding is basically a big party with a big budget and hopefully a once-in-a-life occurrence. However, the crazy party planning that happens for a wedding can be reined in for the more frequent get-togethers that happen in our lives. Birthday parties, girls' nights, poker night, themed events, showers, holidays, etc. Sometimes we need a little inspiration and while there's definitely a lot out there on the internet I always really enjoy the good ol' magazine too.

There's a new magazine called Mingle: Creative Ideas for Unique Gatherings. It seems to be seasonally released (as in only 4 releases a year) because the one I looked through at Barnes and Noble said "Autumn 2011." Some events in the magazine are too extravagant for my taste and budget but they're fun to look at and get ideas for small things like decor and party favors. Next time you're at Barnes check it out!

Here are some pages from inside the magazine via their web page:

happy new year!

2012-01-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

I saw this thing on Frank Chimero's blog before. I emailed it to myself but when I tried to search for it now I couldn't find it. His blog changed so many times in 2011 so that's probably why. ANYWHO, Frank Chimero is an artist that I like and I've posted his work here before. I'm getting sidetracked again .... SO, previously on his blog Frank wrote about how he experienced this MadLib-esque list of interview questions that went as follows:

I like ____________________.
I love ____________________.
I want ___________________.
I was ____________________.
I am _____________________.
I will ____________________.
I think ___________________.
I know ___________________.

I thought it would be fun to use the format and tailor it to look back on my year and see how I'd answer those questions. Some of the questions I had multiple answers for and others I had a harder time answering. I wanted this record of 2011 to be honest and not too fakey positive because 1. It wasn't a perfect year and 2. That's definitely not how I roll.

I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year and all the best that 2012 can offer you.

Here's how I answered those questions....

12 dates of christmas .... i'm still alive

2011-12-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, seriously, don't get sick this winter. Whatever the heck is going around is nasty. 2 weeks of being sick (and sick over the holidays mind you) has been just horrible and gross. Do whatever you can my friends to avoid the bug. What has helped me somewhat is Mucinex DM (I got the Target brand one).

So the last two weeks have been a blur and I don't think I can remember all the stuff that has happened however here's what I do remember:

Date #4: Take our makeshift Christmas card picture and have lunch.

Date #5: Have dinner and coffee with Mark's old roommate (group date haha).

Date #6: Decorate Christmas stockings together.

Date #7: Watch Nacho Libre again on Christmas day to start a family tradition and go out for a sushi dinner.

Date #8: Drive to WI for my old co-worker's wedding and have lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market (fried cheese curds are divine).

Date #9: Have a sushi dinner in WI (the fish was not bad!) and watch the Laker game together.

sick in bed

2011-12-20T22:37:00.001-08:00

Augh. I am sick yet again. Rolled out of bed to say 'Hi.'

snowy morning

2011-12-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

Aw, lovely morning snow. We'll see how long it lasts. It might melt away before the weekend is done.

12 dates of christmas

2011-12-16T09:38:00.000-08:00

Date #1: Watch "The Pixar Story" on Netflix at home.

Date #2: Buy Santa hats at the Dollar Tree and then drink coffee and eat Pumpkin Cheesecake (my favorite!) at Barnes and Noble. Lastly, hit up the jacuzzi in our apartment complex.

Date #3: Eat Thai food and drink Thai iced tea (reminds me of Kayla!) at Nathan's Noodle and Rice in Elmhurst, IL and then forget to bring home the leftovers (doh!).

california craving : tommy's

2011-12-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up craving The Original Tommy's. Damn it. Flavorful, thick, rich chili that sticks to your insides smothered on and eaten with everything. :((( I almost had them cater the wedding....too expensive. My brother and I would eat Tommy's together in the middle of the night. You can't live in Fountain Valley, CA and not love Tommy's.

I'd like to order a #2 with extra chili and tomatos with chili fries but with the chili on the side and a Coke. That's my usual. Now I will go cry as I eat cereal for lunch.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : christmas traditions

2011-12-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

Mark and I were talking about it recently but this will be one of the few Christmases that we've ever spent together even during our dating career. Of course it's extra special that it our first as hubby and wifey. We'll be spending the Christmas season apart from our parents (although we'll be spending some time with his aunt and uncle and their family) and it got me thinking about starting our own Christmas traditions. I think we kind of talked about this before we got married. Like, who's parents would we have to go to on Christmas Day or on Christmas Eve (That's a tip right there. Figure that stuff out BEFORE the Christmas season. Unknown expectations from the family are a bitch!) but I don't remember that we talked about starting our own traditions.

I guess our first tradition was getting a tree. Neither of our parents put a tree anymore so I suppose it'll be a tradition for us now. I stumbled upon the idea on this blog, here, who got it from this blog, here, who got it from this blog, here. The idea is "12 Dates of Christmas" when you intentionally spend time together during the Christmas season. One of the bloggers and her husband each secretly wrote dates and put them in envelopes to be opened and done on different days and it seems like the other bloggers just intentionally did things together during the month.

I think this is a great idea for people who are married, who are dating, and who are single. For instance, if I were single I'd go on 12 "dates" with different friends to catch up with during December. That would be a lot of fun. I like how some of the dates that the bloggers go on are simple like: decorate the tree and listen to Christmas music, or see Christmas lights, or do some Christmas shopping together. I think the key here is being intentional during this season to connect with people and show them you love them because that's what the first Christmas was all about.

christmas gift ideas : baggu bags

2011-12-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Baggu reuseable bags are prefect for your eco-friendly friend or a frequent day traveler. A cool stocking stuffer because of their size. Check out all the nice colors and patterns. The bags vary in shape and cost from under $10 - $100+. I'm partial to the stripes if you couldn't tell. :P

christmas gift ideas : funko pop! dolls

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Funko makes these cute POP! dolls that you can find at Target and Barnes and Noble stores and I'm sure other places too. These would be ok for kids but they're really made for big kids (aka adults). They have most superheros, Star Wars characters, and some popular Disney characters. Some of them are bobble heads whereas others are not. While they are incredibly cute I must say that the quality of these dolls are very poor. The consistency of paint and color can be off and messy so choose your doll carefully before buying.

pantone color of the year : 2012

2011-12-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

2012 has been dubbed the year of Tangerine Tango by Pantone. I think the color is more orange and less red than what the swatch looks like in the press release (above).

Here are a few things that I pulled on Polyvore to get a feel for Tangerine Tango. Remember that lighter shades can be drawn from the color to get a more creamy orange (reminds me of Orange Bang!) or keep it as a saturated almost tropical orange color. Is it bad that I'm ready for spring now?

turkey noodle bake

2011-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

We had leftover soup and I decided to make a casserole type noodle bake. Keeping this recipe from Pioneer Woman in mind I made my own noodle bake. I thickened up the soup (about 2-3 cups) with some extra butter, flour, and milk. Threw in some noodles that were cooked a little under al dente and some pulled turkey meat. Gave it a stir, poured it in a casserole dish and topped with it with mozzarella cheese. 350 degrees for 30 min and browned the top with the broiler.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : rings

2011-12-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

I think more engagement rings will have color to them in the future with the influence of rings like the sapphire royal engagement ring. Diamonds beautiful and traditional but for many people they're just not economical especially when you consider that the wedding will not be cheap either. For me personally I preferred having color to my engagement ring because it seemed more interesting and unique than a diamond that everyone has. Plus, I knew that Mark was definitely limited to a budget. Mark chose the ring himself (with the help of some secret agents) but I definitely dropped hints that I didn't want a diamond.

Check out beautiful examples from Bario-Neal that use colored stones and that I think would be really pretty engagement rings. I like the raw stones and the reticulated bands (kind of bumpy) bands that they have on the site. I'm not suggesting that you buy rings from Bario-Neal (unless you really want to) but get ideas from the site and find a jeweler who can make an affordable version. Definitely not for everyone's taste but it's nice to know that different options are available out there. One thing that I'd like to mention is to keep the wedding band in mind when you think about engagement rings (or mention to your guy if he's choosing the ring). For example, my ring's tapered band is so that a typical wedding won't lay flush to it. It'll require a custom wedding band to match but we didn't discover this problem until we went wedding band shopping. Probably something that should have been pointed out by the jeweler that Mark went to but oh well it doesn't keep me up at night.

[1, top] Custom Turquoise Ring
[2] Cala Sapphire Ring
[3] Avens Ruby Ring
[4] Custom Airy Sapphire Ring
[5] Custom Bezel Ring with Rough Sapphire
[6] Custom Rough Emerald Ring

honey : modern comfort cafe

2011-12-06T14:26:00.001-08:00

Today, our "Sunday," we had brunch at Honey in Glen Ellyn, IL for the first time. One of our friends had good things to say and we were kind of in the area so we checked it out. I had the Caprese Benedict which is two poached eggs on a tomato-basil foccacia bread with fresh mozzarella cheese and topped with a creamy basil pesto infused hollandaise sauce. I love pesto and I love eggs benedict so it seemed like a match made in heaven. Was actually pretty good. The eggs were wonderfully poached (you know how I LOVE a runny egg) and the pesto went really well with the dish. The foccacia bread was a little tough in the beginning but once it soaked in some yolk and pesto it was fine. Mark had the Lunchbox Meatloaf Sandwich which was good too. The sweet potato fries were good. The point-and-shoot picture of that came out blurry so I'm not putting it up. :/ Sorries.

date night dinner

2011-12-05T21:02:00.001-08:00

It's our Saturday on Mondays so Mark wanted to have a date day. We tried a new place for dinner, Tom & Eddie's in Lombard, IL. They serve 'gourmet' burgers. Mark tried The Ampersand signature burger (top) and I tired the Baby Bella & Swiss signature burger (bottom). They were pretty good...not sure if it was worth the price. What REALLY impressed me was the Boylan sodas that they had on the fountain. Trader Joe's used to sell Boylan sodas at but no longer. :((( I believe they had 5 flavors at Tom & Eddie's....my favorite being Black Cherry. I think I would go there just to get a soda and bring a huge jug to fill up.

the most wonderful time of the year

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

I love the Christmas season. My friend Steve and I always start listening to Christmas music as soon as Halloween is done. I have to do it secretly because Mark gets mad when Christmas encroaches on Thanksgiving. I hope your hearth is filled with holiday cheer. If not then get on the ball this weekend, yo. These are the Woodland ornaments from Martha Stewart at Home Depot. A set of 71 is like $20. Not the best quality but a pretty good deal in my book. Don't forget to buy hooks.

how to tie a tiny bow

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I thought about posting this under my "Unsolicited Wedding Advice Wednesdays" but I thought, "Naw, bows are cool everyday." So I spied this trick while in China with my lovely work buddy, Shelby, what up! We were looking at notions and embellishments but I saw a lady making tiny bows out of really short pieces of ribbon. She had a box of maybe a couple THOUSAND pieces of ribbon...uber cray cray. But she was cranking them out in seconds and I just stared as Shelby was busy working haha. Anyway, I wanted to share this trick because one thing I HATE is wasting ribbon. God, I'm such a nerd.

Please forgive my horrible looking nails. I totally forgot to buy nail polish remover at Target today. :/

Step 1:

Cut your ribbon.

If you're not sure how long to make your ribbon piece I suggest making a test ribbon first. When you find a length that works measure it and keep it to the side so you can cut your ribbon pieces to the correct length. You'll find that the width of the ribbon will impact how long to make the length. My ribbon width is 1/4" and the length was 6.5" from tip to tip.

Step 2:
Loop.
Take one of the ends and make a loop close to the end with the rest of the ribbon behind it. Notice that the short end is on top of the loop. This makes one of the tails and 'rabbit tails' of the ribbon so if you already have an idea of about how long these part should be then you'll know how short to make this first loop.

Step 3:
Wrap.
Use your right thumb to hold the loop made in step 2 and wrap the long piece of ribbon around your thumb. This will be the middle part of the bow.

Step 4:
Pull the second loop through.
Ok, this might be tricky to explain but the next step is to make another 'rabbit ear' with the remaining long end and pull it through the middle loop around your right thumb from step 3.

Step 5:
Tighten.
Even out the tails of the bow and the size of the 'rabbit ears' of the bow and tighten. You're done! You've made a tiny bow without wasting extra ribbon and it only took a short amount of time! Adhere these bows to scrapbook pages, cards, crafts, invites, hair clips, whatever you like!

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : vidalia chop wizard

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm not usually one to recommend "As Seen on TV" products (Shake Weights and Pajama Jeans come to mind) however I will make an exception for the Vidalia Chop Wizard. You can register for it at Bed Bath & Beyond or use one of those 20% off coupons you always get in the mail. The Vidalia Chop Wizard is great for chopping vegetables (especially onions) in to uniform pieces. It comes with two different size grates that cuts the veggie as you press it down with the cover. I especially like to use it when I chop veggies for soups, chili, and salsa. Easy to use and dishwasher safe is a gold star in my book!

creamy turkey soup with egg noodles

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so Mark's work gave him a free turkey but I knew we were going to his aunt and uncle's house so we didn't need the turkey for Thanksgiving. I broke down the raw turkey and froze all its yummy parts for later use and boiled the remaining carcass to make homemade turkey stock. It was a lot more stock than I needed for this soup but I froze the rest in some ice cube trays for later use.

**update: This post was written last week and since then I've had to make a second batch of this because Mark liked it so much. :P

Homemade Turkey Stock
**You don't have to use a carcass but if you use breast, wing, thigh, etc meat use the bone-in because it will taste better.
Turkey/chicken carcass (hahaha it seems so barbaric) or bones or actua
1 large onion, rough chop (large pieces)
3 celery stalks, rough chop
2 large carrots, rough chop
1 Tbsp of italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper

1. Place your protein carcass/bones in a large stock pot. Fill with water until carcass is covered. Throw in the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1-2 hours. Skim off any foam or extra oil that comes to the top. Once it has cooled, skim off any fat and remove carcass to salvage any meat that is available. Save meat in a separate container. Strain the stock and toss the bones and veggies.

Creamy Turkey Soup with Egg Noodles
**Obviously you don't need to make your own stock for this. Store bought chicken stock will do just fine.
1/2 cup of butter
1 large onion, large dice
1/4 cup flour
6 cups of turkey or chicken stock (more or less depending on how thick and creamy you want it)
2 cups cream and/or milk
3 stalks of celery, large dice
2 large carrots, large dice
1 peeled potato, large dice
5 stalks of green onion or 1 leek, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
cooked turkey meat
egg noodles

1. In a heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven saute onions with butter. Before the onions get soft, mix in flour. Cook for about 2 min. Scrape the bottom of the pot while adding cream and 2 cups of stock. Stir until it thickens a bit. Add remaining veggies, garlic, and stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 min or until the veggies aren't raw anymore. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. (If you're not going to eat all of the soup in one sitting then I'd recommend cooking the noodles separately.) Add noodles and cook until al dente. Place cooked turkey meat in bowl and ladle over the meat with the soup. Garnish with sliced green onions.

copycat dinner

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Two Sundays ago Mark and I had dinner at our friends' house (what up, C+S!) and we were served some delicious food. Tonight's dinner was a copycat of that de-lish meal with salmon and roasted broccoli. The creamy turkey soup on the side was my addition to the meal which I will share tomorrow.

Oven-Roasted Salmon (adapted from ATK)
1/2 stick of butter
1 shallot, minced
1 heaping Tbsp of fresh dill, minced
1 (4 lb) side of salmon, skin on (mine wasn't but I think skin on would've tasted better)
2 lemon, one sliced and the other for juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and adjust rack to middle position
1. Melt butter in a saucepan, add shallots and cook until soft (1min). Take off heat and add dill and the juice of half a lemon.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty foil and spray with cooking spray. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and lay on foil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover salmon with the dill butter and lay the sliced lemons on top. Roast for 12 min. Serve with lemon wedges and extra fresh dill.

Roasted Broccoli (adapted from Rachael Ray)
**I used my toaster oven while the salmon was in the oven but you can use the oven just the same.
Broccoli
EVOO
Chili powder
Paprika
Garlic, minced

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees
1. Prep the broccoli by removing the tough other skin on the stem with a paring knife. Cut to bite-size pieces. Line the rimmed tray with foil and place broccoli on top. Lightly drizzle EVOO evenly over the broccoli. Sprinkle with chili powder, paprika, garlic, and salt + pepper. Roast until bright green, about 12 min.

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you have a happy and safe holiday with family and friends.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : vacuum

2011-11-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

via google.com

It's been two months since we moved to our cozy little apartment. We only have carpet in our bedroom and because of the moving expenses we opted to wait to buy a vacu-um ("Enchanted," anyone?!) a little later. But a little later ended up being two months later (I know, gross). We actually might have waited longer if Mark's allergies hadn't gotten so bad LOL. Mark has pretty bad allergies so we had to do some research to get a good one. We ended up getting the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Vacuum Pro. It's a really easy to use vacuum and we were both impressed by it's suction power. One con is that it's attachements need to be stored separately but so far that's the only bad thing. We bought ours from Bed, Bath, and Beyond with a 20% off coupon and paid about $160.

how i fold t-shirts

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

So a while back I watched a Japanese video on YouTube that demonstrated how to fold a shirt and I was so amazed by the sorcery that time to time I would yield its magic to fold my shirts. Nowadays I use a method that's based on that video but is less confusing for my brain. I will share my method with you today. In hind sight I should've used my Lakers t-shirt for this but whatever. Happy laundry folding!

Step 1:

Holding the top of the t-shirt with your right hand and the bottom hem with your left fold back the right sleeve. Notice that the fold is not directly on the collar but like 2 inches away. Adjust this distance to your preference.

Step 2:
Take your left hand holding the bottom hem to your right hand and fold the t-shirt in half bringing the bottom hem up to the top of the t-shirt.

Step 3:
Next, fold back the left sleeve to match what you've done up til now. Notice that the distance from the collar on either side is somewhat even. I know, it's kind of anal but if you're actually following this post you're probably a somewhat anal person. You're in good company, friend.

Step 4:
Fold the whole thing in half again so that it looks like the picture below. You did it!

Ok, so if you're like me at this point you'd want to see a demonstration. So using the timer setting on my point and shoot I have tried to do the steps again but including my hands. This was a very awkward process to shoot. Imagine me setting up the camera and hunching in front of it with the shirt above my ducked head. All in my PJs.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:
This is a shot of what Step 3 looks like from the back of the t-shirt.

g-ear up for the holidays

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA. I just got back home from a WONDERFUL week-long trip back to home home in CA (woot woot!) and then I got sick. :/ It's it always like that? It was like IL was punishing me for coming back. :P Just kidding, I probably over did it when I was home. Anyhow, this fabulously unemployed person (Target rejected me!) is dreaming of Christmas and beautiful holiday parties with sparkling pink champagne ("An Affair to Remember", anyone?!). Here are some dazzling earrings from Charm & Chain that I would wear to such a soirée.

[1] Esmerelda Earrings, $58

[2] Navette Earrings, $62

[3] Carly Earrings, sold out :(

[4] Double Teardrop Earrings, $148

[5] Small Pearl Rhinestone Studs, $120

[6] Somerset Disc Earrings, $70

book review : little old lady recipes

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Full disclosure I received a free copy of Meg Favreau's new book published by Quirk Books, "Little Old Lady Recipes" in order to do this review. You can purchase it here.

Once again, thanks to Eric at Quirk Books for letting me review so many awesome books.

I really wanted to review this book because in my experience the best tasting dishes have been made by people who are "little old ladies" and I always find myself asking them for their recipes. This pocket-sized book is packed with everything from everyday recipes (like pancakes) to dishes you'll want to take to your next potluck (like tuna surprise casserole). You won't find the latest and greatest in gourmet food here but you'll find the oldies but goodies that you'd find from your grandma's kitchen. Well...not MY grandma since she's a 1st generation Korean woman but you know what I mean.

The recipe I decided to tackle was the one for frosted cinnamon rolls. I've never made cinnamon buns before and to be honest I was a little nervous about making it. Any time I work with yeast I feel a little nervous. I always feel like I'm going to 'hurt' them or kill them somehow and nothing will rise.

So the way the recipes are written are very much in the voice of a little old lady. As in, there are specific measurements but there are also generalities written in to the recipe. For example, the recipe calls for the first resting period of the dough to last "until doubled." So basically what I did was what an episode of Castle on On Demand and guess when it looked like it had doubled. I kind of wished it had given me some kind of timeline like an hour or whatever but in the end the buns came out fine and it wasn't a big deal.

So the cinnamon buns came together pretty easily and I have to say that they weren't the loveliest of all cinnamon buns that I have seen but they were yummy just the same. Mark had one after work and he said they were "delicious" so I guess my first time with these babies went a-okay. One bonus of making these is that they made the apartment smell divine. :P

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : straws

2011-11-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

via thesugardiva.com

So for my wedding we couldn't serve alcohol and we didn't want to just serve water either so we went the trendy route and had bottles of colorful soda that we got at Restaurant Depot (what a wonderful place to buy stuff). And since we were already being trendy I thought I'd by those cute striped straws that you see everywhere nowadays. Unfortunately something got lost in the measurements (either I measured wrong or didn't measure at all or maybe the bottel change, who can tell....) and the straw was about the same height as the bottle itself. Which isn't an issue when there's soda in the bottle because the fizz makes the straw float a bit but the funny thing with soda is that you tend to want to drink it in which case the straw would sink and become useless INSIDE the bottle. Anywhoo...I returned the straws and we served the bottles as-is because I couldn't find longer straws but I thought I should share this cautionary tale in case you decide to buy those cute straws for your wedding or your next party. Measure, measure, measure. Most cute straws are 7 3/4" or somewhere around there.

HOWEVER, in my recent research (5 min ago I googled 'stripped straw') I discovered that The Sugar Diva now sells LONG 10 1/2" striped straws, here. Not in every color sadly but they do come in hot pink, aqua, and grey. Yay!

via thesugardiva.com

belated happy halloween!

2011-11-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some point and shoot shots on our walk yesterday. Technically it was Monday but it's considered our Saturday because Mark has been working Wednesday–Sunday lately. I'm going to press some fall leaves to take home to give to my mom. She loves ginko leaves.

tip of the day

2011-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

via ikea.com

Tip of the Day: Next time you have a jar lid that you just can't seem to open but you feel like it's a funny situation because YOU were the one to close the jar last time so you think to yourself, "Well if I'm strong enough to close it this tight I should be strong enough to open it?", try wearing a rubber kitchen glove on the hand that is doing the turning to grip the lid much better.

lolz

2011-10-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

image via Pintrest

My hubby's man crush: Maurice Moss from the British show, The IT Crowd. You will recognize Chris O'Dowd from the movie, Bridesmaids. If you have Netflix you can watch streaming episodes online. Oh those crazy Brits....

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : real life

2011-10-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

image via google.com

So I'm a planner. I like to think ahead and have a plan in place. My co-worker is the same and when her daughter was a senior in high school she started getting together somethings for her to take with her to college. The typical stuff like bedding and stuff but she also got together a medicine/first aid kit. She said that young people just don't have the wisdom of life to do something like this for themselves. As in they wouldn't think to buy band-aids unless they cut themselves really bad and have to drive to Target to buy a box with their bloody finger. I thought this was a really good idea and I also think it would be a really nice gift to give or receive because when you're getting married you're not thinking about the next time you might get sick. This maybe not the most "aww"-worthy gift but very practical one (which I like).

So here are some medicine cabinet/first aid kit ideas:

band-aids (technically bandages), different sizes
cotton balls
rubbing alcohol/antiseptic
antibiotic ointment
Q-tips
gauze with tape
cold medicine
thermometer
Alka Seltzer
TUMS/antacid
Advil/ibuprofen
Tylenol/acetaminophen
Tiger Balm (is rumored to cure cancer...just kidding)

apple pie

2011-10-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

My first pie made from scratch from the crust to the filling. It was stressful LOL! I made a few mistakes but it was a good learning experience. I had actually finished putting the top crust on and closed it up when I realized I forgot a step and had to open it back up like a banana. Oh my....

But all in all it turned out just fine and I couldn't taste the mistakes but only the yummy apples Mark and I picked.

mary blair (1911-1978)

2011-10-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Mary Blair's birthday is today. She was the genius behind so many dearly loved Disney creations including the original 'It's a Small World' at Disneyland (they should never had changed it) among other things. She's my hero.

etsy love : ilovedoodle

2011-10-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Check out these cool, smart, witty, and cute prints from the ilovedoodle store on etsy.com. Here are a few of my favorites:

[1] Woody Allen

[2] Ballet of Mustache

[3] All we need is... love

[4] The Choir of Antartica

[5] Happy Ever After

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : blogs

2011-10-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

I never really followed blogs of any kind until I started planning my wedding. I'd only have a few websites that I would frequent but once I started planning for my wedding I knew I would wanted to check out wedding blogs regularly to help me plan for my "budget" wedding. Now that I'm done with my wedding I find that I still following wedding blogs for inspiration for other things.

Bride Tide has published their Top 100 Wedding Blogs of 2011. All the ones that I follow were on the list so I have nothing to add to it. However I would like to suggest that on top of wedding blogs that brides-to-be also check out photographer's blogs. And now would be the time to make a shameless plug for Love & Lemonade who shot my wedding. Love you Nina! :)

an apple a day

2011-10-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

quick snap shots at the local grocery store

I don't think we're in California anymore, Toto. Yeah, I definitely live in the midwest now. How can I tell? It's apple season....I never saw so many apples before....haha

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : what to register for

2011-10-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

I always had a love/hate relationship with dishtowels. Some do the job right but some are horrible and make the job twice as difficult because I'd end up having to finish up with a paper towel or something. I hate it when you have a puddle on the counter and you wipe it with a dishtowel but it just ends up pushing the water all over the counter....so annoying.

Now, full disclosure I have NOT tried out these towels but I've experienced so many bad towels that I really want to get them when I have some disposable income. It's like when you have the right tool for the right job it's just magic. These Now Designs Ripple Towels have been tested and recommended by Cook's Illustrated (parent company of America's Test Kitchen an Cook's Country). They had testers use the towel and discovered that the towel was able to fit in hard to reach areas like inside champagne flutes and still get a streak-free shine. Stains were removed after one wash and the towels themselves only had 17% shrinkage after washing from their original 30"x 20.5" size. See their comparison chart, here. Check them out at cooking.com or amazon.com.

world without color

2011-10-11T01:21:00.000-07:00

Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1964 via National Gallery of Art

2AM...wide awake...head downstairs to the gym and jog/power walk for 30 min...for some reason afterwards I feel more like myself than I have in 4 months. I hope I'm starting to come out of my funk. I'm tired of feeling this way.

lake geneva, wi

2011-10-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

I went to Lake Geneva, WI for the first time this weekend for a women's retreat armed just with my point and shoot camera. The weather was unusually warm and the lake was really beautiful. It seemed like Lake Geneva was busy with tourists visiting for the last warm weekend before the cold really hits. The trees around my area in IL haven't really put on their complete fall wardrobe yet so I was really happy to see all the fall colors in WI (you can kind of see the different colors behind the water). So pretty. I picked up some leaves to press and send to my nephew in CA.

EOS

2011-10-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Recently my lip balm ran out and I was about to buy a new one when I saw this cute little sphere in sea foam green. I was a little more expensive than what I went to Target to buy but I had to try it out because it was just so darn cute...always a sucker for color + design.

The brand EOS stands for Evolution of Smooth and a lot of their products are made with organic and/or natural ingredients. Their unique lip balm is called "Smooth Spheres" which comes in several flavors/colors but they all apply on clear. The sphere has a twist off cap which reveals a dome of lip balm. The one I got is Sweet Mint and it gives the right about of minty fresh tingle. Here are some other flavors from off their website:

If the unusual shape of the sphere is too weird for you then they have three different flavors of lip balm in stick form. One thing that I really like about their website is that if you click "find a retailer" it'll show you exactly which of their products local stores around you carry. So convenient! I think next I'll try out their hand lotion...

taking a break

2011-10-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Fall has hit IL and it's wonderful. The windows are open, the humidity is gone, the sun is still shining, and the leaves are starting to change colors. This is my first time being in IL for the fall and I'm enjoying it.

Unpacking has been more challenging than expected so on Mark's days off we've been trying to do fun things....like apple-picking. The last time I went apple-picking was in CA when I was just a kid. I think it was a 2 hour car ride to Apple Valley and let me tell you it was no joy ride getting there but I remember having a good time picking the apples and eating as many as I could.

For our apple-picking pleasure we went to the Jonamac Orchards in Malta, IL. Fall as been a bit colder than usual so we were told that the apples weren't ripening as fast as usual so the pickings were slim. We found more half-eaten apples on the ground than on the trees themselves. But we had a good time nonetheless choosing our pickings and being outside together.

We rewarded our hard work (check out that heavy bag...nay, BUSHEL of apples Mark had to carry) with apple donuts and an apple slushie. Yummers!

Yes please and thank you!

unpacking is worse than moving....

2011-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

We've moved in!! And we're still unpacking...we've run into some problems that have called for some "creative" solutions. I'll post pictures of the before and after once there is an after that I won't be embarrassed about.

In the meantime, enjoy this YouTube tutorial about how to wear a scarf in different ways with a girl who looks like she could be Michelle Kwan's sister!!

we interrupt the regularly scheduled programming

2011-09-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

...to bring you the following message: Mark and I are moving! We'll be packing and boxing all week so forgive the pause in blogging. We're really excited to move into a modest apt that we'll be able to make our own. I'm packing and taping just like I did a couple months ago so it's just like old times for me. See you guys in a bit!

online love : rifle paper co.

2011-09-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

I love it all. 'Tis all I can say. But I shall say much more. I love the simplicity, the hand-drawn quality, the colors, the texture, the touch, the feel, the fabric of our lives...hang on a second I'm having an Aaron Neville moment. Anyway, I love it all. Just spend an hour on their site looking at all the goodies, www.riflepaperco.com.

korean comfort food

2011-09-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Mark once asked me if I could choose to eat one Korean side dish (bban chan) for the rest of my life which one would I choose? I think any self-respecting Korean would either say or have to consider saying kimchi. My father says that in a Korean household it's never a real meal without kimchi. For us it's almost the visible symbol of being Korean. It gets added to all sorts of dishes: soup, rice, noodles, you name it we add it. Even with the famous Kogi trucks kimchi was one of the first ingredients used to create Korean-Mexican fusion food.

One of my favorite traditional kimchi applications is in bbin-deh dduk or "Korean pancake." The dry mix for the batter is sold in Asian food markets and you basically add whatever additional ingredients you want. Seafood, scallions, onions, peppers, kimchi, whatever you want really. Mmm, I love how comfort food just hits the spot, you know? It's like getting together with an old friend.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : prop styling

2011-09-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

inspiration room via www.homegoods.com

When I was planning my wedding I had a very VERY small budget. Mostly because Mark and I were paying for the damn thing ourselves and because we really didn't want to spend a lot on one freaking day and we most certainly didn't want to be in debt because of it. But being more sensible about the budget didn't mean that it couldn't look "pretty." A memorable and beautiful wedding is personal and subjective. Weddings (nowadays especially) no longer have to fit a mold. A proper wedding doesn't have to include waiters, fine china, and lofty centerpieces unless you want it too. It can be homey, simple, casual and anything in between!

Your wedding, whether you're a proletariat or bourgeois, will have a specific look and unless you're able to hire someone to be your prop stylist you'll probably have to do a lot of leg work yourself. My first suggestion to find cool accent pieces (aka random crap on the tables to make things look cool) is Home Goods. Home Goods is part of the TJ Maxx family but unlike TJ Maxx these stores do not sell clothes. You'll find cool stuff from furniture, kitchenware, wall art, and everything in between. New pieces are frequently being brought into the stores so go back often.

Some pieces that I got from Home Goods were some vintage style wire baskets and a few white wooden picture frames. The prices, I thought, were pretty reasonable and I found myself wishing I could afford more than the few pieces I got there.

pictured by Love and Lemonade

Of course you should also check second-hand stores like Goodwill for awesome finds but in my experience it's usually a shot in the dark if you're looking for something specific. I went to Goodwill for inexpensive plates and glassware for displaying desserts and reception table centerpieces. Ikea is also a best friend of mine for prop styling. Be sure to check the "As Is" department for even more discounted pieces that might be slightly damaged or in complete. I bought Ikea cabinet doors for $7 a pop to display our family and personal pictures at the wedding.

Another good idea is to talk to people who have recently gotten married. They might have things you can borrow. One couple who got married at our church before Mark and I did were nice enough to let us borrow their beautiful glass apothecary jars from their reception. In fact they even lent them to another couple that got married after us too! Last but not least, raid your parent's house. They've been living longer than you so that means they have accumulated a lot more junk. :) Take advantage of random objects that your parents and relatives might have around their house. Happy hunting!

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : dinnerware

2011-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Market Street Dinnerware by Kate Spade for Lenox

Larabee Road Dinnerware by Kate Spade for Lenox

Dinnerware. Love it or hate it. How many settings do you get? What color? Do you need a whole set? Will you end up using the 5" party plates? Augh, dinnerware. My mom's advice to me when I moved was, "Don't buy expensive dinnerware. Just go to Ikea." And while I heard her I didn't listen and I bought dinnerware from Crate & Barrel. C'mon, you're just starting a new chapter in your life, Ikea dinnerware just feels like you're going backward to college. In some ways I regret not listening to my mom's advice as I stupidly break dishes and freak out because it's a discontinued design. Dinnerware sets can be satisfying because everything matches but also imprisoning BECAUSE everything matches. At least for me an incomplete set of something can bug me to no end. By the way, how cute are these Kate Spade sets for Lenox?!

So here's a little questionnaire that Mark and I asked ourselves and helped us make some dinnerware decisions:

Do we see nice china as an INVESTMENT or not, as in is it "worth" extra money?
Do we enjoy ENTERTAINING guests (having groups) at our house? How many people could realistically fit in our house?
Will we ever have to host FAMILY events, i.e. Christmas dinner, Easter brunch?
What kind of DECORATING style do we have, i.e. modern, country, boho, Asian?
Does one of us have a PERFECTIONIST type personality?
What kind of dishes do we ALREADY have?

Q.1. We decided that we didn't see fine china as an investment but I thought it was worth a little extra money to have something nice for the house. So instead of going for Ikea we settled for an affordable design (that was on sale even!) from Crate & Barrel. Remember, investment also means you're probably going to have this for the rest of your life so you probably should up the place setting amount you're thinking of getting thinking of the future.

Q.2. I enjoy having small-medium sized groups over for dinner and I knew we might have to host our church small group at some point so we settled on 8 place settings (10 was tempting). Personally, I think that unless you're a recluse the minimum for any couple is 6 settings (especially if you'll be having kids). Before you starting over compensating and getting 16 settings you have to think about the second question: How many people realistically can fit in your house or apt? If only 10 people can fit comfortably then there's no reason to get 16 settings UNLESS you're going the investment route in which case you might want to because you're not going to be living in that small apt forever.

Q.3. If you think you'll ever have to host a family event you probably should get something nicer than Ikea. Unless both your families are totally casual and are fine with whatever. In which case you may be in denial or have the perfect family.

Q.4. This might be a hard question for the couple to answer together. If your styles clash or have a tendency to fluctuate you might want to consider something classic and neutral like white that will go with everything.

Q.5. If one or both of you have a perfectionist personality you might want to get matching sets as opposed to a more eclectic/boho style of mix and match dinnerware. However, be warned that dishes do break and sets may not remain perfectly intact forever.

Q.6. If one or both of you have already accumulated a lot of random dishes you might want consider donating them to a poor college student or to Goodwill. But if after all the discussion you're happy to keep what you have in all it's mix and match glory you might consider running with that idea.

It's not for everyone but if I had enough money and time I would go the mix and match route. I'd probably stick to a color palette (like yellow and navy, for example) and to a shape (roundish), and a size (8"-8.5" or 10" are standards). It would be no problem if one broke because it wouldn't have a set to disrupt and they'd still stack nicely in the cabinets.

Zaine Plate from Crate & Barrel

Mum Plate from Crate & Barrel

Hamptons Yellow Salad Plate from Crate & Barrel

Natural World Dessert Plate, Hummingbird from Anthropolgie

From the Deep Salad Plate, Octopus from Anthropologie

Sen-Gaki Salad Plate from Anthropolgie

Petite Fille Plate from Anthropologie

zaru soba

2011-08-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Zaru soba is a Japanese cold noodle dish. The noodles are made from buckwheat flour and topped with nori (Japanese seaweed). Served with the noodles is a dipping sauce that can have grated daikon radish, chopped scallions, and wasabi added to it. The soba noodles are served on a slotted bamboo mat called a 'zaru' but I didn't have one but I did have a bamboo sushi roller. On a hot summer day zaru soba is very refreshing and I would think pretty healthy.

Zaru Soba, serves 2
2 bundles of buckwheat soba noodles
shredded nori (optional), I used scissors

Follow the cooking directions on the noodle package. Rinse the cooked noodles with cold water and drain. Wrap the cooled noodles around your fingers to create little "nests" of noodles. Top with nori.

Soba Sauce (store bought, look in Asian food aisle or Asian market) **check to see if your sauce is concentrate or if it's ready to serve as is. If the sauce is too salty add water to dilute.
grated daikon raidsh, grate on the small holes of your box grater
chopped scallions
wasabi

When ready to eat combine all sauce condiments in the sauce dish. Make sure the wasabi dissolves or you might get a spicy surprise! Dip the soba noodles in the sauce and eat.

book review: the cookiepedia

2011-08-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Full disclosure I received a free copy of Stacy Adimando's new book published by Quirk Books, "The Cookiepedia" in order to do this review. You can purchase it here.

First of all, how cool is Eric at Quirk Books for letting me review so many awesome books. Thanks, Eric!

Ok, on with the review. First impression: I love the cover. I'm a huge fan of kraft paper so whenever it gets applied in an unexpected way (like the cover of a cookbook) I love it!

"The Cookiepedia" contains what the author considers the top 50 classic cookie recipes. The interior of the book is wire-bound and the cookie contents are divided by genre of cookie: Buttery, Chocolaty, Fancy, Fruity, Spicy, and finally Nutty and Seedy cookies. I thought the interior design of the book was easy to follow, cool-looking with the hand-drawn elements, and I really like a section at the end of each recipe to write personal notes about the recipe. I usually end up writing on the margins of my cookbooks so this was a nice touch. One thing that I wasn't too impressed with was the photography. The beginning of each cookie chapter as a collage of all the different cookies in that section and to me the design solution wasn't very appetizing. I thought the photographs of each specific recipe was much better but that's just my opinion.

I tried out Stacy's recipe for Lemon Chewies. I'd never heard of these cookies before (maybe it's an Asian thing, lol) but from the list of ingredients it looked like a winner and for me I wasn't disappointed. The cookies were lemony and chewy! Go figure! ;P Now, of course, since I'm a meddlesome little twerp and as my father would say "a very stubborn and will-full person" (we have a normal dysfunctional relationship) I HAD to make my own adjustments to the original recipe. My additions were made basically in hopes of boosting the lemon flavor. I added lemon juice in the cookie and glaze and probably tripled the total amount of lemon zest used in the entire recipe.

Lemon Chewies (adapted from The Cookiepedia), yields about 25 cookies

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 egg

1/3 cup honey and lemon juice (fill 1/3 cup half with juice then finish off with honey)

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and mix to incorporate.

2. In a separate bowl, crack in the egg and stir in honey and lemon juice until fairly well mixed. Add it to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add flour mixture a third at a time and let it mix in fully each time before adding the next third. Don't forget to scrape the bowl as you go along.

3. Scoop out a round Tbsp of dough and roll gently into a ball. Place on a lined cookie sheet or on a Silpat 2 inches apart. Flatten and shape with your fingers. Bake for 13-15 min or until the cookies are set and the bottoms are golden brown. Cool for 5 min before removing from baking sheet. Cool for 15 min before glazing (should not feel warm at all).

Lemon Glaze

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice, add more as needed

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1. Mix the sugar and lemon juice together. It'll take a while but keep at it. Add more lemon juice if needed. You want to get the consistency of shampoo or conditioner. Once you get to this point mix in the lemon zest.

2. Place the cooled cookie "face down" in the glaze and roll the "face" in the glace and lift out. Let the extra glaze run off the cookie back in the glaze bowl. Scrape any excess with a spoon. Let the cookie drip off additional excess on a wire rack.

3. Let the glaze dry until it's set (around an hour or so) and put cookies in an air tight container with parchment paper between each layer of cookie.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : what to register for

2011-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

In the kitchen your best friend is your trusty knife. Some people are more comfortable with chef's knives but I prefer a santoku style knife. I find that I'm able to have more control with the smaller 6.5" santoku knife and sometimes the girth of an 8" chef's knife is more girth than what is necessary for the everyday jobs. But at the end of the day you need to work with what you're used to or what you're comfortable with. Above is the Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife. And below with the terrible picture is the MAC brand Santoku knife #SK65.

One tip for buying a knife is to try it out if you can. Unfortunately most stores don't carry a wide variety of knives. If you register with amazon.com consider putting knives on your registry so that you can try out what you get and return what you don't like. Another thing to remember is that it's important that the handle is such that when you grip it your knuckles don't hit the cutting surface. Since all purpose knifes are more for chopping and not for butchering it's a good idea to have a blade that is not too wide but has a balanced weight to it when you hold it. Knives are a big investment and if you find your match it'll last you for many years to come. Remember, a dull knife in some ways more dangerous as a sharp one so keep them sharp!

some more s'mores

2011-08-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Have you seen s'mores all over the blogosphere as of late? It's late summer and everyone is enjoying the last bits of the season as much as possible. As you know I love my s'mores but sometimes it's just a s'mores table for one (That's right, pictured above is serving for one. Don't judge me!).

Have you seen these babies? Stacker Mallows are made for s'mores. Part of me feels like I'm only getting half (maybe even less) a true mallow but the cuteness factor was too much for me.

If you have a toaster oven then s'mores for one is super easy and these Stacker Mallows actually work well with the toaster because it won't over brown thanks to their shallow size.

Openface Toaster Oven S'mores, serving 1

2 graham crackers, broken in half (4 pieces total)

semi-sweet chocolate chips, as desired

4 Stacker Mallows

1. Pre-heat the toaster oven to 400 degrees as you assemble your s'mores. Top the half graham cracker with a layer of chocolate chips and finish with a Stacker Mallow.

2. Place the openface s'mores in the toaster oven. Toast for a few minutes until the mallows begin to puff up, about 2-3 min. Then crank up the toaster oven to "Broil" for a few seconds to brown the mallows. The amount of time between "brown" and "burn" is only seconds so you want to keep an eye on these. Remove s'mores once browned and serve immediately.

**I haven't made these using regular marshmallows yet but I'd imagine that the size of regular mallows would up the burn risk factor during the "Broil" part so be careful!

what i'm working on

2011-08-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : handkerchief

2011-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I wasn't supposed to cry at my wedding. There were bets placed that Mark would cry and I would not. Ok, bets were placed by me. Everyone knows that Mark is the more emotional one and I was not supposed to cry. I was supposed to be the happy smiley one all day. And I was...until I cried.

Nina, in her glorious wisdom, at the last minute suggested that I take a tissue with me before I walked down the aisle. At this point I was still highly confident that the only tears that would be flowing would be from Mark. The bridesmaids thought of subtle placement for the tissue...tucked in the bouquet (veto: it'll probably fall out), folded in my hand (veto: what do I do when I hand off my bouquet again and again), in my bust (veto: how am I supposed to retrieve it? Put my hands in the cookie jar?!). At the last moment I decided to go tissue-less and it turns out I needed it. I had to strategically look at the ceiling during prayers or dab my eye with my finger. Learn from my mistake. You may or may not cry. But if you DO you do not want to be tearing without something elegant to catch your tears. Consider a sweet embroidered handkerchief.

The one pictured above is from BeCreativeCrafts on etsy.com, here. The ones below are from The Irish Linen Company in the UK. I'm not sure if we're able to order from the US but here are some lovely options if we can, here. I think these would be lovely gifts for bridesmaids too.

Ok, so I'm all about DIY or "value" options so if buying an embroidered handkerchief doesn't fit the budget then considering buy very inexpensive white handkerchiefs and the swap meet and dying them to match your wedding colors with Rit fabric dyes (find at any craft or fabric store). I've even dyed fabric using acrylic paint. It may come out blotchy but I kind of like that. Check stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or second hand stores for patterned handkerchiefs. Or try raiding your mom's or grandmother's dresser drawers.

Last issue: what do you do with the handkerchief when you hand off your bouquet at various points during the service? Of course you could hold it in your hand but if it's during a time when you need both your hands (like a candle-lighting) my idea was to use those thin latex elastic hair ties (but not in neon colors haha) that are used for kids hair and wrap one near the top of your bouquet. Tuck a corner of the handkerchief through the elastic to keep it attached to the bouquet when you hand it off. This will allow you to pull it free with you need it and tuck it secure when you don't.

***Update: Another great site with affordable prices is chewingthecud.com. Check out their gift wraps (aka big handkerchiefs here). I might buy one to wear as a scarf during the fall. :P

i heart breakfast.

2011-08-16T00:01:00.001-07:00

oops.

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Oops. I broke something. It was really dumb. I was defrosting some chili in a bowl in the fridge overnight and instead of microwaving the chili in a room temperature bowl I got lazy and tried microwaving the chili in the cold bowl. Yup, epic fail.

The bowl cracked and of course it was part of a discontinued set from Crate & Barrel. I went online and saw that the bowl was still in stock with limited quantities but even though the damage was my fault I wondered if C&B had some kind of grace policy. I was right about to email C&B's Customer Service when a little dialogue box opened. It was their "Live Chat" Customer Service. I chatted online to a customer rep and she was able to send me a replacement bowl for free. How wonderful! I love C&B. My friend, Shelby (woot woot!), likes to say "It never hurts to ask." Very true, very true indeed.

SO, rather than throw away the damaged bowl I decided to wash it, reuse it, and make it my new spoon rest! Ta-dah! Yes, I have issues.

charm & chain : sale

2011-08-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

There's a sale at Charm & Chain going on here. Here are a few that I like from the "Under $100" pieces.

[1] Small Turquoise Oval Ring

[2] Pearl Chandelier Earrings

[3] Clear Rhinestone Ball Station Necklace

[4] Lucky Earrings, Pink Topaz

[5] Wood Beaded Necklace Turquoise

mexican pizza? chalupa? taco?

2011-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to to call this. A Mexican pizza? Well, if you're going by official "Taco Bell" (yeah, we're going for AUTHENTIC here) standards then I believe it needs to be on a corn tortilla. Chalupa? I don't think the shell is doughy enough to be a chalupa. Taco? Well, "taco" is so general, I guess that would work....

Last night 3pm rolled around and I had to think about dinner. We eat dinner pretty early at about 5pm. 1. Because that's when the hubby comes home and he's hungry most of the time 2. Because if you eat dinner there is a better chance for SECOND dinner later. LOL jk jk (or am I?!)

See, I had all this taco meat leftover and I wanted to get rid of it. And I also happened to have a few flour tortillas but Mark is not a fan of soft tacos. He hates them in fact. He's a hard shell kind of a guy. Only this is weird because he hates corn chips. But anyway..... In a moment of zen I thought, "I wonder if it would be good if I fried the flour tortillas." Because, as you know, hard taco shells are nothing more than fried corn tortillas. Maybe the same magical properties would apply to frying a flour tortilla. Verdict? It was a hit. YES! It's the little things in life that make me happy... like a hubby with a happy tum tum.

[Insert name here of what you think what is pictured above], serves 2
4 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
cooked taco meat (I used a combo of beef and al pastor pork)
your preferred toppings (I used diced red onion, sliced scallions, shredded lettuce)
shredded cheese
vegetable oil (don't use EVOO when frying)

1. Cover the bottom of a heavy-bottom skillet with oil. Heat oil with high heat. When the oil looks shimmery or just hot in general test by dropping a sliver of a tortilla to see if it will fry. When ready use tongs and fry one tortilla at a time. The tortilla may puff up so use the tongs to keep the side touching the oil. Flip when brown and adjust temp if it's browning too fast. Place on a paper towel.

2. Top your fried flour tortillas with meat and toppings plus some salt and pepper. (**Optional: my cheese wasn't melting so I put the topped tortillas under the over broiler until the cheese melted and put the lettuce on AFTER. ) Serve immediately and with hot sauce or salsa. Fold like a taco or eat flat like a "pizza."

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : solemates

2011-08-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

When my friend Eric got married it was a beautiful outdoor ceremony on a mansion property with beautiful green grass everywhere. Because I had a small part in the ceremony I wore my heels to look nice for potential pictures. Unfortunately the entire night my heels were sinking into the damp grass and the way it made me walk I probably looked pretty dumb. Luckily my shoes were black otherwise my heels would've been stained a muddy brown. What do you do about something like this? Especially if you have to wear heels during the wedding?

Have you heard of SoleMates? SoleMates cover the base of the heel to increase the surface area of the heel to prevent sinking yet it remains flexible for walking. My first impression was that it's really ugly. Haha but you've got to wonder, "How often do people look down at the back of your heels?" SoleMates would be great for brides and bridesmaids in heels with outdoor ceremonies. The length of a long dress or blades of grass would easily camouflage the heel of the shoe. If it's within your budget consider having SoleMates for your guests to protect their shoes and their balance.

Update: After reading Kristin's (hihi!) comment I was reminded of this chart. Apparently SoleMates offers different sizes. I don't know why but this info wasn't on their "Products" page but on bottom of their "How it Works" page, here. Weird.

omd : forlife q teapot

2011-08-09T02:41:00.000-07:00

I have a hobby. I like collecting teapots. I don't particularly drink tons of tea but I just like the way they look. To me they represent beauty, design, and connecting. I have 5 in my collection so far and unfortunately only 2 were able to come with me to IL. Here's a picture of one of my favorites, click here and see them in action, click here.

I'm usually more fond of older designs like the Hornsea design from the first previous post or like vintage Mikasa Cera Stone designs but recently I purchased a Japanese teapot from Mitsuwa here in IL to use for everyday tea service purposes. It's really simple and lovely so it meets 2 out of 3 for my criteria save for one. It drips. There's nothing more annoying about a teapot than one that drips. It makes you question yourself, "Is it me? Is my pouring technique not demure enough? Should I change into a kimono even though I'm not Japanese?" No, no the failure is in the design. Sometimes even the most pretty teapots suck at pouring because of poor design. Often the culprit is the spout. My advice when buying a teapot is to try it out before purchasing if you can (I wish I had done this). Also, based on my current frustration, avoid horizontal spouts. Look for ones that are downward pointing.

Pictured above is a Forlife Q teapot and it's the current "object of my desire (OMD)." It's design is more modern than I usually am drawn to but I still think it's quite attractive and I love the color. Although I don't own it I have read reviews praising it's pourability.

homemade pizza

2011-08-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Oh man I do love pizza. I love a good sandwich, pizza, burger, fries, hmm maybe I just love FOOD. :P Well, I've been wanting to make homemade pizza for a while. I never really had the chance to before until now. I used a recipe for pizza dough from annies-eats.com, here. She has great tips for making pizza dough as well.

When it comes to pizza it's all about the dough. The dough has to be right and for my first try I'd have to give myself a 7 out of 10. Satisfactory but not there yet. But that's ok because that just gives me another reason to keep making pizza!

The dough was a variable that I had only limited control over but the toppings were completely controllable. I had some scallions, onions, tomatoes, cremini mushrooms, minced garlic, bacon (not pictured) and of course sauce and cheese. In addition to all these toppings I added two eggs. This was inspired by the best pizza I ever had which was from Mario Batali's restaurant Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, CA. It was their pizza with egg, bacon, yukon gold potato and bermuda onions. DELICIOUS! Augh, the runny yolk was just perfect.

I might have added too many toppings hahaha but you gotta love that runny yolk!

etsy love : kristiana parn

2011-08-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

How cute are these? These are prints of the original art so they're really affordable. You can shop more at Kristiana Parn's shop here.

[1] I love the bunnies snoozing on the branches.

[2] Mark claims that the panda is his "spirit animal" so I have a soft spot for panda bears.

[3] Poppies have become my new favorite flower and this print reminds me of the wallpaper in my bathroom back in CA.

[4] + [5] And you know I LOVE my foxes from here and here.

where did my socks go?

2011-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

via nytimes.com

A Silicon Valley startup company called Lytro is working on a new digital camera that would let you adjust the focus of an image AFTER you've shot the image. AFTER! *socks blown off*

This would be very exciting for amateur photographers but I wonder if professionals would shake their heads at this new technology. Technology all too often has the unfortunate effect (affect? damn, I can never tell which one) of watering down time-honored skills, techniques, and traditions. However, one comforting fact is that technology, for now, is still wheeled by a person so application of technology is still but a tool that is subject to the creativity and inspiration of the artist.

If you want to play around with a simulation of the Lytro technology check it out, here.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : guests with cameras

2011-08-03T03:45:00.000-07:00

Photo by Howard Min via Love & Lemonade

Where's Waldo? Where's the real photographer in the shot above? Oi, Asians and their cameras...even the friggin' kid has a camera. LOL

Before my wedding my brother who has a DSLR emailed me and asked me to contact my photographer, Love & Lemonade (woot!), to see if it would be ok for him to take some shots during the wedding. I had never heard of such a request before. Initially I thought, "What's the big deal if you shoot during the wedding too?"

Later it was explained to me by Nina that sometimes flash photography can compete with the main photographer's camera and completely ruin shots. GASP! Wouldn't that be the WORST?! Your photographer is paid a lot of money to take beautiful pictures and how crummy would it be to have their shots and in turn YOUR shots be ruined by a wedding guest's camera?

At the wedding in Maryland that Mark and I went to we witnessed a very trigger happy wedding guest. He went ON STAGE to get his shots! Whoa....balls of steel. Mark and I kept looking at each other as the real photographer had to maneuver AROUND this wedding guest to get his shots! Oh man...I really wanted to grab that guy by the collar.

Here's a blog post that Nina wrote regarding the subject of wedding guest cameras and the people who love to shoot them. It's a very educational post for the wedding guest but also for the bride and groom. I think if I could do it again I would have added a small blurb about flash photography on our wedding program asking our attendees to request guests to have no flash photography and explaining why as they signed in.

s'mores bars

2011-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Mmmm, s'mores. I love them. It reminds me of camping, bonfires, the beach, and a lot of work....you're killing me smalls! (The Sandlot, anyone?!) In CA it was a staple to make s'mores at every summer bonfire but it often became more work than enjoyable. You're constantly trying to keep sand out of the marshmallow bags, fighting over who would get the metal poker (aka a metal hanger) next to roast their marshmallow, and having to use broken graham crackers. Inevitably two people would become the s'more factory. One to roast and one to assemble while the rest of the group ATE. Sometimes it's more effort than it's worth. Making s'more bars is a good alternative to the real deal BUT I'd have to say that it could never replace the real deal.

S'mores Bars (adapted from the Eagle Brand recipe)
4 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups mini marshmallows

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13"x 9" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 2/3 cup of sweetened condensed milk until the cracker crumbs makes a ball. Add more sweetened condensed milk a little at a time if more moisture is needed. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 min or until slightly puffed up. Let the pan cool as you prepare the chocolate. Increase oven temperature to broil.

3. Mix chocolate chips and remaining sweetened condenseed milk in a glass bowl and microwave 1 min. at a time until the chips are melted. Mix in vanilla. Put 6 dollops of the chocolate mixture over graham cracker crust and spread.

4. Cover the chocolate with the marshmallows and press them in. Broil until the marshmallows have been browned...keep an eye on it! Rotate the pan for even browning or cover darker areas with foil. Cool on the counter and cut when at room temperature with a wet knife then chill.

yeah, it really happened...

2011-07-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Just a little over two months ago I married my best friend. We didn't have a lot of money or a lot of time but we were rich with creative friends. We wanted our version of the 'budget wedding' to be FUN, joyful, but most of all totally US. I think the biggest compliment I got about our wedding (other than people still talking about the reception burgers weeks after the wedding) was from my friend Randy who said that with most generic weddings you can insert any couple into the wedding and it would still "fit" but with our wedding it was unmistakably Mark and Hannah. <3 It's what we were going for.

One thing that was really important to us was photography. We were really lucky to work with Love & Lemonade. It was just so natural to meet Nina. We talked and hung out like old friends and it was so easy on the wedding day to work with her.

Check out some of the shots from our wedding day on her blog, here. A friend of Nina's, Teresa Heath, offered to shoot film photography for the wedding. Mark and I were both overjoyed with this. Film is so wonderful....we love we love! Check out Teresa's shots on her blog, here.

brined pork chops and steamed gailon

2011-07-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love pork. I love it more than beef...usually. ;P Give me bacon, ribs, or a pork chop and I'll be happy. Sometimes pork chops (the other white meat) can be dry and lack flavor. Brining pork is an easy way to solve both these problems.

Basic Brining Formula (from Cook's Illustrated, you can also link here)
1 quart (4 cups) cold water + 1/4 cup table salt + 1/2 cup sugar
Use 1 quart of brine per lb of food, brine for at least 30 min. in the fridge

To this basic brining formula I added:

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp peppercorns

1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 cloves of garlic, minced

I brined my bone-in pork chops for about 3 hours and when I was ready to cook I removed them from the brine and patted them dry with paper towels. I cooked them with vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on high heat to get a quick sear (the chops were on the thinner side so the cooking time was fast). There's an urban myth that pork should have zero pink however it is safe to eat pork done medium (a little pink). If you have an instant read thermometer it should read 145 degrees. However, remember that pork, like beef, increases its internal temp even after it has been removed from the heat so remove it a little shy of the desired temp.

To serve with the pork chops I steamed gai-lan (Chinese broccoli or kale). I served it with my version of a traditional Chinese sauce served with gai-lan:

Gai-lan Sauce:
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice wine
1/4 tsp sugar
add water to thin out sauce as desired

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : what to register for

2011-07-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

As promised last week we'll talk about rimmed sheet pan accessories! Should you register for two Norpro 18"x12" Commercial Grade Aluminum Jelly Roll Pans it would be a great idea to register for items that would work in harmony with your rimmed sheet pans.

First, I'd recommend getting wire cooling racks that fit inside the sheet pans. ATK recommends a grid-style rack with tightly woven, heavy gauge bars, and that is dishwasher safe. Register one per sheet pan. These cooling racks will be useful to cool baked goods, of course. However, these will also be useful roasting and for draining grease.

Second, if you bake a lot I'd recommend getting Silpat liners for your rimmed sheet pans. Again, one per sheet registered for. These nonstick liners will allow you to bake without greasing the sheet pan and you'll never have to wonder if you have parchment paper at home. Some bakers still prefer to cook/bake with parchment paper but I find that having the Silpat liners is a good reusable resource that's earth-friendly.

modcloth love : hoo loves owlies?

2011-07-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

[1] Taste Buds Shaker Set [2] Owl in the Same Spot Keepsake Box [3] Know It Owl Mug in Cream [4] Know It Owl Mug in Coffee [5] Owls of a Flavor Measure Cups [6] Beau-tea-ful Surprise Mug in Owl

chicken katsu with cabbage salad

2011-07-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Apparently it's Japanese week here in the Filipino/Korean household. Last night we had chicken katsu for dinner. Tonkatsu is a Japanese PORK cutlet that is breaded and fried and served with a rich sauce. This dish has become a favorite for Korean restaurant owners to put on their menus only in our Koreanese (Korean/Japanese) we call it donkatsu. Hahah one letter difference: T versus D. While I love a good tonkatsu it's made with pork and I only had chicken on hand. Chicken katsu is usually found more in Hawaiian style restaurants.

Traditional to the Korean version of the Japanese tonkatsu it is served with a shredded cabbage salad with Thousand Island dressing. I don't know why but Koreans love Thousand Island dressing. It's like their ambrosia or something. Mark has observed this over the years growing up in Irvine, CA as well.

A Japanese (Korean style Japanese however) restaurant in Buena Park, CA called Yoko serves my favorite donkatsu. What makes the whole experience really FUN is while waiting for your donkatsu they give you a Japanese style mortar and pestle with toasted sesame seeds. You are to grind the seeds as much as you prefer and they pour the katsu sauce on top of the sesame seeds. It's SOOOO FUN! *Clapping hands loudly* As you grind the seeds you hear them popping and you can smell the nutty aroma of the ground sesame. I like having a lot of sesame seeds in my sauce. *Droool* I love it so much that I have my own Japanese mortar and pestle (you can find it at any Japanese market like Mitsuwa or Marukai)! I tried to mimic the experience at home too.

Anyway, here's what I did to make the chicken katsu at home:

Chicken Katsu (highly adapted from a recipe, here), serving for 2
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut large breasts (kee kee) horizontally if needed) - pound to 1/2 thickness

Flour mixture:
1/4 cup of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp paprika

Egg mixture:
2 eggs, beaten
5 dashes of favorite hot sauce (optional)

1 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (and as needed)
Vegetable oil

1. In a heavy-bottomed skillet or dutch oven (what I used to minimize splatter) heat enough vegetable oil to cover 1/2" the bottom of the pan with oil. Heat over med-high heat. Test oil readiness by putting in a small piece of panko to see if it will begin frying. It should not turn dark brown immediately but should begin sizzling.

2. Prepare 3 large containers. In the first container whisk all flour mixture ingredients. In second container whisk all egg mixture ingredients. In the third container put panko bread crumbs evenly on the bottom. Once the oil is ready reduce heat to medium. First coat the pounded chicken with the flour mixture, dusting off any excess. Then quickly dip each side in the egg mixture. Lastly, coast the chicken with the panko by pressing it into the chicken with your hands. Immediately place chicken in oil for frying.

3. Don't over crowd the pan. This might mean that you do one or two pieces of chicken at a time. Fry each side until golden brown, about 3-4 min on each side. Place katsu on a paper towel lined tray to absorbe extra oil. Don't stack the katsu as this will steam the katsu and make the outside mushy. After the first batch is done let the oil reach its hot temp again as you prep the next piece of chicken with the flour, egg, panko process.

4. Cut width-wise into 1" slices and serve with katsu sauce. Serve warm.

Cabbage Salad, serving for 2
1/4 medium cabbage
Thousand Island dressing

1. Remove any part of the cabbage core. Shred using a food processor or a mandoline.

2. Give each serving a heaping amount of shredded cabbage and top with dressing.

chicken skewers with zucchini salad

2011-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

This recipe was inspired from Matt Armendariz's "Dak Sanjuk" recipe in "On A Stick!" Normally I would've just stir fried the ingredients in this recipe but I was inspired to put it on a stick!

Chicken Skewers (my concoction), serving for 2

1 chicken breast cut into bite sized cubes, marinated

1 scallion, large slices

1/4 red onion, large slices

wooden/bamboo skewers

marinade for chicken:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp of EVOO

1 Tbsp of sesame oil

2 Tbsp of Korean hot pepper paste

Dash of salt, pepper, and sugar

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add cubed chicken and marinate for at least 30 min. in refrigerator. Mush (technical term here folks) the bag with hands and be sure the cubes are thoroughly coated with marinade.

2. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Alternate chicken, scallion, and red onion on skewers. Bake 15 min on each side. (Optional: broil for the last 2 min for a nice char) Top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve warm.

Zucchini Salad (my concoction), serving for 2

1 medium zucchini, small dice
1 small tomato, small dice
1/4 red onion, small dice
juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Cut all the produce to be the same size. Put all ingredients in a bowl and toss to allow juices to cover evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : what to register for

2011-07-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

A rimmed baking sheet is probably one of the most versatile tools in the kitchen. Not only can it be used for baking cookies but it can be a roasting pan for vegetables. With a fitted rack it can roast meats while draining unwanted grease, like here, or a mean batch of jalapeño poppers. Baking a pie? Place a rimmed baking sheet under your pie to catch dripping juices which can smoke your oven AND it will make removing your pie from the oven much easier. And probably the most elementary function of the pan would be a convenient tray for prepping food or for finished foods like when grilling outside. Using a rimmed baking sheet is safer for transporting large batches of finished meats with their flowing juices than a shallow serving plate or a paper plate for that matter!

Norpro 18"x12" Commercial Grade Aluminum Jelly Roll Pans come for a great price at $16.35 on amazon.com, here. According to ATK, you want to look for a lightly colored sheet pan for even heat and browning and you want something with some weight and heft. It's also a good idea to register for two especially since they're so cheap but also because it's handy to have two available. For example, when baking cookies it's better to have two sheets available and just one. The second pan can be prepped with the next batch of cookie dough while the first one bakes. Putting cookie dough on a hot baking sheet can cause the dough to prematurely melt and run and it might alter the finished product.

If your oven is an older model it might be a good idea to measure the inside of your oven space before purchasing an 18"x12" sheet. My home oven in CA was older and I discovered that the width was slightly smaller than 18" so I had to purchase a smaller pan. Next time: rimmed sheet pan accessories!

book review: on a stick!

2011-07-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Full disclosure I received a free copy of Matt Armendariz's new book published by Quirk Books, "On A Stick!" in order to do this review. You can purchase it here.

On A Stick is a collection of recipes of food on a stick (duh) that would be perfect for your next party or just dinner. Food on a stick or skewer makes eating fun and portable. Some of the best appetizers and carnival foods are on sticks and in fact some of my favorite foods are on sticks. I do love me a good corn dog. The ones at Disneyland are AWESOME but I digress....

This beautifully photographed book is divided up in to two sections: savory and sweet foods on a stick. Some of the recipes are for old standbys (like the corn dog) but others are unexpected like pizza on a stick or s'mores on a stick. While some of the recipes are informative a lot of the recipes can be described better as inventive on an old idea. As in, it's not completely original to have a recipe for frozen bananas covered with chocolate and peanuts (everyone together now: on a stick!) but how about a frozen Elvis banana by adding chopped bacon on the outside too? Skewered melons isn't a new concept but how about mojito melon skewers?

I'd recommend this book if you love to throw parties and need a little creative nudge for new appetizer ideas. It would also serve as a good gift for food or food photography enthusiasts as Matt Armendariz is one of the most notable food photographers today.

daifuku mochi

2011-07-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Mochi is the Japanese word for a soft rice cake. When mochi has a sweet filling it's called daifuku or daifuku mochi. A very common sweet filling is red bean. Think of it like a rice cake bon bon. While mochi is a Japanese interpretation similar rice cakes can be found in many other Asian or Pacific Islander nations. For Americans a common association with mochi is with ice-cream or as a small white topping found at frozen yogurt places.

If you live in Orange County, CA check out Mochilato in Irvine. Their twist on mochi is to fill mochi with Italian gelato. Yumm! Although it's pricey it's also really tasty. Their shaved ice is also really good. Great place to go for dessert if you're on a date or if you have a group...the only fun way to eat shaved ice is with friends.

Homemade mochi is relatively easy to make. You just need to work fast and expect the first couple of ones to turn out weird. It was much too difficult to take pictures during the process because my hands were covered with cornstarch but here's the receipe:

Red Bean Daifuku Mochi (recipe from Alice K.)
1 box of Mochiko sweet rice powder
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups of cold water (start with 2 1/2 cups and increase as needed)
1 can of mashed red bean paste
1/4 cup of corn or potato startch
Small cupcake liners
(you'll need a microwaveable steamer as well)

1. Mix all ingredients except starch and red bean paste in the microwaveable steamer. Mix until a peanut butter consistency is reached. Lock steamer lid and microwave 4 min. Open and stir mixture once more and microwave for additional 4 min.

2. Cover work surface and hands liberally with starch. Scoop 1/3 of the mixture on to work surface and roll to a snake-like shape. Cut a small piece and flatten to create a circle. Fill the circle with red bean filling and gather the edges of the circle and pinch closed. Lightly dust the outside of the mochi with starch to prevent the rice paste from drying out.

3. Let the mochi cool on a tray dusted with starch. Place mochi in cupcake liners when completely cool. Finished mochi can also be put in the freezer for later.

technical difficutlites

2011-07-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

Technical difficulties here in IL as in power outages. We had a pretty nasty storm rough up the area and some 800,000 people have unfortunately been out of power. But as for me things were OK.

*Cut to Thursday morning when I tried to take a shower only to be found...

IN THE DARK *

(cue horror music)

I was seriously confused because the storm came and went on Monday and 3 days later I'm out of power, whaaa?! The neighbors are saying that they heard a big BOOM in the morning and they thought one of the transformers (no, not robots in disguise) had blown. Unfortunately for our cluster of homes we were the ONLY ones effected (affected? I never know which one to use) by the blown transformer. GREAT.

So I pack our food in a single ice chest, grab the flashlights and candles, and hope for the best. Luckily for us the power was restored tonight (Saturday around 1am) but unluckily for us all of our ice-cream melted in the ice chest. *sigh* We should've eaten it. Anyway, 2 days of zero power was seriously rough and I don't recommend it. It's kind of scary how relient we are on it. We're hoping that power will be restored in the surrounding cities soon too.

So, here's my preventative and during-the-event advice should you find our self without power:

Eat the ice-cream first!!! Seriously, it's not going to last. Just get it over with and eat it all.
Keep all your flashlights with working batteries in an easy to find place. Not easy to find when you have electricity but easy to find should you be in the dark. BIG difference.
Keep matches and candles in the same place as well...again, in an easy to find place. Careful not to start a fire with these candles.
Get bags of ice if you can and pack food away in an ice chest. Layer ice and food. If you don't have an ice chest try putting large containers of ice in the freezer and fridge to keep the the temp down. Your fridge is essentially a big ice chest when the power is out. Put trays or dish towels underneath the containers of ice to collect condensation. No peeking! The more you open the doors the more heat with enter the fridge.
If you have a gas burning stove that needs to be lit by turning a nob setting that clicks then your pilot light is ignited by electricity. Unless your gas is out too you'll be able to use your gas stove but you'll need to light it with a match. Careful not to burn your eyebrows off when you light it though!
Keep your window shades drawn if you rely on A/C to keep your home cool during the day. In fact, get out of the house. Go watch a movie or walk around at a mall.
If you have elderly neighbors be sure to check on them especially if it's a hot summer day.
If you need to shower in the dark I recommend pointing your flashlight at your bathroom mirror or on something lighter in color like a wall or shower curtain. This will help scatter the light and illuminate the room more than with a single beam from the flashlight. It's called science children and I'm Asian so I know what I'm talking about (not really, I saw it on MythBusters).
If other parts of your area are unaffected (again, which effect/affect do I use?!) recharge electronics at a local Borders or Starbucks.

double chocolate cranberry biscotti

2011-07-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas my gift to my former co-workers at Me and My Big Ideas was homemade biscotti. One batch yields at least 30 pieces so it's a great idea and cost effective for group ideas. It's really easy to make and for me I've found that it's more consistent from batch to batch than most cookie recipes.

For my biscotti I adapted a recipe from epicurious.com, here. I swapped walnuts for cranberries (walnuts are...bleh, am I right?!) and omitted the confectioners' sugar. C'mon, DOUBLE chocolate biscotti, is the extra powdered really necessary?! Haha I guess for some the answer would be YES. For me I'd rather taste the chocolate flavor with the cranberries than be overwhelmed with the taste of sugar.

I made this batch for a friend's birthday here in IL who roasts his own coffee beans! Whoa. It's actually really tasty stuff. Biscotti is a tasty treat that usually goes dipped in coffee but it's not too shabby with a cold glass of milk too!

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : what to register for

2011-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Unless you're lived on your own for a while and have accumulated a lot of housewares over the years you'll probably find that the majority of the things you register for will be for the kitchen. One of the things I'd recommend is a good cutting board. You'll want one that has a large enough surface area for large cuts of meat but won't slip from underneath your knife (horror movie images come to mind). The Architec Non-slip Cutting Board has soft feet under the board to help grip the counter. It might be a good idea to register for two different colored boards (one for meat and one for produce) in order to minimize cross contamination. These boards come in two sizes: 11"x14" and 8"x11".

meatloaf

2011-07-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

In my quest to make food that can be made ahead for Mark's lunch and be freeze-able I decided to make an old standby: meatloaf. These mini meatloaves look like little footballs but they're the perfect serving size for one. My meatloaf is full of veggies and I even got to make use of my pre-minced garlic from this previous post, here.

I follow Michael Chiarello's recipe for Italian Meatloaf only I add 2 small carrots and 2 ribs of celery to the veggies and in place of marinara sauce I top my loaves with tomato paste. These mini meatloaves are packed with good-for-you stuff and it's nearly a 1:1 ration of meat to veggie after the extra produce I added. A good trick is to bake the little guys is on a rack fitted in a rimmed sheet lined with foil. This way the grease drains out and away from the loaves and clean up will be a cinch.

After you've baked the batch just let them cool on the rack before wrapping them in plastic wrap and popping them in the freezer for later. Defrost over night in the fridge and microwave when you're ready to eat.

how was your 4th?

2011-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

July 4th we celebrate freedom and the freedom to eat. BBQs galore, am I right? I went to two BBQs this year. One was at a church friend's house and the other was at my house...I didn't plan either of them, I just showed up and ate. LOL.

Lunch was at the friend's house and we had deep fried turkey with bok choy and fried rice (it was a Chinese household, can you tell?). It was DEEE-licious. I think once you've had deep fried turkey you can't have it any other way. So moist, juicy, flavorful, and QUICK! Dinner was at my house and we had homemade burgers and beer-soaked brats. Again, DEEE-licious.

The only thing I contributed to both meals were jalapeño poppers. These halved jalapeños are stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped with bacon, skewered with a toothpick and then thrown into a 375 degree oven for 25-55 min (25 min if you want them to still have a snap and retain most of their spicy heat, 55 min if you want them to be more mild in spice). Anything wrapped in bacon is a winner in my book so these puppies were gold. Oi, it's a good thing 4th of July only comes once a year....otherwise I'd become a glutton.

i'm over the moon!

2011-07-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last month patternpeople.com held an open call for submissions of pattern work for their upcoming e-book, Repeat After Me. There's no money involved but just free publicity if your work is selected and it would be something really cool to put on my resume. Honestly, I emailed my work, hit 'Send' and had pity on myself for even trying. I don't know why I get so down on myself. I mean it's just not healthy thinking, you know? It doesn't hurt to try.

Cut to today. I hear a beep from my Blackberry saying I've received an email. I have this thing where I can't leave an email or message unchecked. Even if it's spam and I'm just going to delete it. Just knowing that my phone is blinking a red light with an unopened message bugs me to no end. What can I say, I have issues. So I immediately went to my phone to delete the spam email that I knew would be there. However, instead I received the following email (truncated due to size):

I found myself shouting the email aloud as I was running upstairs to meet Mark in our office (he was confused as to what was going on). Cut to us jumping like little school girls (ok, I was the one jumping) and shouting (we were both shouting). I realize that perhaps only one of my designs was selected and I'm not getting paid for my work to be published BUT my work is being published!! I really needed this boost of encouragement, you know? Sometimes you wonder if you're any good. If maybe you should just quit. Maybe you're the only one who thinks your stuff is worthwhile. So it's nice to get a thumbs up from a third party. Someone who is un attached to you personally. It's a nice feeling.

I google chatted my friend, Tony, from art school about the good news. We were commiserating with each other about how we feel unsure about our abilities sometimes. And Tony shared this AMAZING quote with me by Ira Glass, superhero host of This American Life (if you don't know what this is you should hang your head in shame. Subscribe to the free podcast on iTunes):

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : wedding rehearsal

2011-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Outfits from J. Crew

The wedding rehearsal is usually held a day or two before the wedding. It's a run through of the wedding ceremony and it involves everyone who participates in the wedding; from the bride and groom all the way to the ushers. Out of town guests and family members are generally invited and for many people this is the first time that extended family members catch a glimpse of the in-law side. Usually after the wedding rehearsal a dinner is hosted by the parents of the groom in which everyone who attends the rehearsal ceremony is invited.

This can be a stressful time for the bride and groom since it's so close to the big day and because they have the most to remember in terms of the ceremony. Stand here, look at me, don't look at me, repeat after me, speak up, turn around, carry this, don't step on this, etc etc etc. So the last thing you want is to have a tense and awkward rehearsal.

A couple of things to remember:

Communicate a clear start time. People will ALWAYS be late. If there is a strict timeline be sure to communicate this clearly to parents and wedding party members especially.
Write down questions you have for the officiant and/or church coordinator. Write 'em down because wedding brain will be fully blown and you won't remember at the rehearsal.

Consider sending an evite to keep track of dinner guest numbers if you are inviting a lot of people to the rehearsal and dinner.

Let everyone know what the dress code is for the rehearsal. The last thing you want is for family members to be embarrassed for being underdressed when it's the first time meeting the in-law side.

Provide copies of directions to the dinner. Include the address and directions from the rehearsal site to the dinner site.
At the rehearsal dinner be sure to eat but also take time to walk around to all the tables to say 'hi' and 'thank you'...it's also like a rehearsal for the wedding reception.
Be sensitive of out-of-town guests who may not know anyone else at the rehearsal. Make strategic introductions so they might be able to make a new friend or at least have good conversation during dinner.
If any changes need to made to the ceremony or last minute instructions need to be communicated be sure to do so immediately or delegate someone else to do so.

stovetop roast chicken with lemon-herb sauce

2011-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I think ATK should pay me for these posts.

So we're about a month into our new marriage and I've begun to realize how difficult it is to cook everyday. Don't get me wrong. I love to cook, I really do, but when you've lived at home for your whole life and cooking to you meant prepping a single meal for 6 people it's hard adjusting to the pace of cooking for two everyday (and I guess microwave burritos can become a tiresome filler meal). I sought the advice of others who have gone before me in this gauntlet called "the first year of marriage" and I was told was I was afraid of hearing....you have to plan.

Augh, really? It's weird too because I'm such a planner, I love lists, I love the Stickies application on my Mac, I even use Google Docs! But for some reason planning meals was just not "fun" to me. I guess I had this picture of myself with a stocked fridge and thinking to myself, "Hmm, what shall I throw together today?" *Cut to me whipping up some master piece meal on the fly in 30 minutes or less* But I'm no culinary student and I have a hard time remembering what I did yesterday let alone a recipe for roasted chicken. Sigh. So I must plan.

Basically my game plan right now is to cook in larger servings than 2 and either 1. Pack leftovers for Mark's lunch or 2. Freeze freeze freeze. My game plan for the daily menu is pretty haphazard...a little beef here, a little chicken there, etc. I think this will be the tricky part. I'd love to be able to plan each day so that leftovers could be incorporated to the next day's completely different menu but I'm not that creative with food. I guess I'll just have to learn by trial and error.

Last night's dinner and subsequent lunch was ATK's recipe for Stovetop Roast Chicken with Lemon-Herb Sauce. A really crispy skin on a chicken that was roasted in a skillet instead of in the oven with a tangy and flavorful sauce.