Homemade Dessert: Poached Asian Pears w/Ginger Ice Cream
We rarely eat dessert, but when we do, it’s got to be extra yummy!
Excited about…
A new recipe I found on Thekitchn.com. I have yet to try it, but it sure looks yummy! Looks like I’ll have to make a trip to SM Seafood later this week. Or maybe I should save this one for Valentine’s Day!
Vietnamese Ginger Dungeness Crab
Yes, it’s 2010.
New Year, new toys. =) Any New Year resolutions for me? Nope. Just gonna keep smiling, be grateful everyday, stay motivated, and continue to inspire my family & friends to live well.
Vroooom. Cooking mama likes to go fast!
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Photo Credit: Larissa Cleveland
Day dreaming about the warm, sunny days, and summer-like days we had just weeks ago. Above is a beautiful photo of the sunsetting in Venice Beach, CA.
DIY Wedding Projects
Weddings are supposed to be fun, special, and definitely not stressful. I’ve heard countless stories about people stressing over their wedding budget, but I’m happy to share some great ideas for some DIY wedding ideas. Whether you’re having your wedding @ the Ritz, or just at your favorite gallery spot, every wedding can be spruced up with beautiful decorations.
For my wedding, I handmade all of my menus, table numbers, and place cards. I know Michaels and other craft stores offer ready made pieces, but why not spend a little more time not money and make your wedding really stand out. I purchased all of my supplies from Paper Source, and they have a wide assortment of colors, pre-cut papers, hundreds of stamps, dozens of embossing powers, and high quality papers to choose from.
DIY Table Menus
Supplies You’ll Need:
– Paper Source Pre-Folded Tent (comes in pkgs of 12)
– Paper Source 8×11 pearly paper (comes in pkgs of 12)
– Rubber Stamp & Ink Pad (any craft store)
– Embosser Heat Tool (Paper Source)
– Glittery, Clear, or Matte Embossing Powder (Paper Source)
– Inkjet or Laser Printer (any)
– Glue (double stick tape doesn’t work well)
1. Layout menu and print on high quality 8×11 paper (i used a pearly/shimmery ivory)
2. Measure the space on your table tent, and mount the menu (w/glue) with a colored sheet of paper.
3. Assemble all the pieces together and glue them done.
4. Wait until everything is completely dry, then use your favorite stamp to embellish your menu.
5. Use ink pad, stamp, sprinkle embossing power, then use embossing heat tool to set your design.
6. Voila! You have a gorgeous table menu, to display your delectable fare for the afternoon/evening. We did 1 per table, since we had 25 tables total.
What Is Love?!
Love is, homemade Chicken Pot Pie.
Heart shaped ramekins from Whole Foods, Pie Mold from Wiliiams Sonoma
Fresh out of the oven...smells delicious!
Dinner for 2, served with love!
The filling inside is gooey and full of flavor. Ckn, celery, carrots, and onions. Simple, but good eats!
If you’re interested in the recipe, drop me a msg! I’ll be happy to share.
My New Juicer.
Love, love, love, my new Breville juicer from Crate and Barrel. Every other day, I make fresh juice and keep it in the fridge for the next morning. Once you’re spoiled with the fresh taste, you’ll be reluctant to go back to bottled ones. Sorry, Naked…i’m totally cheating on you. =(
I always keep my fridge stocked with fresh OJ, apple, and carrot juice. My specialty is a blend of all 3, and it’s so delicious. Another favorite of mine from Eple (@ the Grove) is Apple Ginger. I’m going to have to try that at home next time.
I made a fresh batch to take with me over the wknd, but discovered that my internal calendar was totally off. I thought it was already Friday, but today is Thursday. So, I had to finish up the juices I made and packed for the weekend. =(
Yummmy!
Very Shagadelic!
Shall we shag now or shag later?! hhahahahahaa.
Our new addition to home. A charcoal gray shagadelic rug!
New Years 1st Homemade Dinner.
Truffle red miso soup w/bunmeji & oyster mushrooms, Cold tofu, and Hamachi Kama w/ponzu.
See me in JPY Magazine!
For those of you that live in SoCal, you can pick up a free JPY Magazine at most Japanese markets, ramen joints, and tea/dessert shops. This is a quarterly magazine that has great tips on where to shop for cute fashionable clothes (like things you see on the girls in Japan), healthy places to lunch, and also the best nail salons (Japanese nail art). This magazine will be on stands until February, so grab a copy and see if you can spot me out!
See me on TV!
I just filmed for a short segment for The Doctors, and you can catch me on in January! They told me it’s scheduled to air on Thursday, January 7th or right around that date. You have to tune in and watch me! To find out what channel The Doctors is in your city, click on the image to be re-directed to their site for local listings.
The Holidays Make Me Feel Warm, Loved, and Joyful.
We’re only 1 wk from Christmas, and I’m so excited to see JP open his gifts. Of course, I never forget to pick out special things for my family and friends too. This year, I decided to put a more personal touch to my gift giving, by making gift baskets and lil stocking stuffers for my friends. I also made Fuego a mini stocking too! We plan to fill it up to the brim with treats, and let him enjoy it while we’re opening our gifts.
This gift basket was the perfect gift for my neighbor Trisha. It was full of healthy snacks from Trader Joes, a perfume fragrance from Aveda, and White Truffle oil from O & Co. (most favorite ingredient in my kitchen).
My gift basket creation!
"Worm" is my dog's nickname at home. I added a monkey, since he likes to sound like a monkey in public. It's embarrassing!
These mini bags and decal transfers are from JoAnns, and the cute tissue is from Border’s. Sorry, can’t tell you what’s inside!
Lil stocking stuffer gifts inside!
I added some Christmas spirit to some of the mini gift bags.
Happy Holidays and don’t stress out about gift giving. You don’t have to give, to show that you care.
Another beautiful sunset today. Happy Holidays!
How To Make Healthy Frozen Pops In 10 Minutes!
Most people tend to gain a few pounds over the holiday season because of all those decadent desserts, but why not be smart and make your own healthy treats.
I was in Williams Sonoma last week doing some Christmas shopping, and ran into this cute ice pop maker called Zoku. At first, I was really skeptical about it claiming to make frozen treats in about 7 minutes. Since WS has a great return policy, I decided to scoop one up and give it a try. WS carries really great products, and they also have really helpful sales reps that will answer any questions you have about the products they carry.
JP was at the store, so I told him to pick up some juice for the ice pop maker. He was a bit confused, but got some Santa Cruz juice for me anyways. I love that brand, since they don’t add extra sugar in their juices. He brought back Strawberry Lemonade and Pink Grapefruit. After 10 minutes, voila!
The magical Zoku frozen pop maker. Available @ Williams Sonoma.
There's the Strawberry Lemonade Pop! It was super tasty, and had a nice texture. Not too icy at all.
My Doggy Is Ready For Christmas!
During these cold winter days, my doggy Fuego loves to sunbathe by the patio door. Doesn’t he look adorable in his new sweater?! Mommy picked it up from the guys over at D.O.G on La Cienaga.
Fuego loves you.
Our Anti-Turkey Dinner.
For Thanksgiving day this year, we decided to do a regular dinner, except we had to indulge in extra crabby legs! Our anti-turkey dinner consisted of:
Jean Georges Scallop Soup with Ginger & Leeks
Organic Caesar Salad
Broiled Chilean Sea Bass
Chilled Crabby Legs w/Classic Cocktail Sauce
And, Fuego had kibbles!
King Crabby Legs, Jumbo Sea Scallops, and Chilean Sea Bass...all from Santa Monica Seafood!
My buddy Mr. Turkey, stopped to take a photo with me @ Whole Foods. =)
Recycle Your Wedding Gown!
Wonderful news! I just sold my gown to a beautiful bride-to-be in Asia. It feels so great passing on my gown, especially knowing that someone else can feel as luxurious and pretty as I did on my wedding day.
I highly recommend using preownedweddingdresses.com, since they really do get a lot of traffic from brides-to-be from all around the world. For a nominal fee for $20 to post your gown/accessories, you can create your own customized sales posting. Potential customers can view photos and read specific details about your gown. Keep in mind that you need to be reasonable with your pricing, since everyone is looking for the best price they can get. You are competing against many other gowns on the site, so the key is to provide as much information as possible, and clear photos of your gown.
It was really hard parting ways with my gown, but I just know that it didn’t deserve to sit in my dark closet for the next 50 years!
Recycle and share your gown, so another bride can look and feel beautiful on her day too. Here is a sample of what my listing looked like.
Sharing Is Caring.
The holiday season is usually a time where people are more compassionate toward others. Sharing your love, affection, food, and resources is a nice way to spread joy.
Homelessness & hunger are a huge problem worldwide, especially here in LA. JP and I have definitely been more conscious when it comes to wasting food. We make an effort to put aside food that we’re not going to eat or finish, and have it packaged up to-go. We simply take it down to Santa Monica and drop it off with someone in need, so that their tummy may be also comforted with food. In recent months, we’ve also re-packaged our pillows (in their original plastic zippered bags), and brought those over to distribute as well. Sleeping on the ground is definitely not comfortable, so we hope the pillows will give them some comfort to their aching bodies.
Most of us live each day and probably never think about how it feels to be homeless. Every time I drive down the street, I see men, women, and children, wandering the streets during the day, with no shelter to rest their tired bodies at the end of the evening.
People may assume that people are homeless because they are druggies or alcoholics, but many don’t realize that sometimes they are just down on their luck. Unemployment, divorces, and grievances takes a huge toll on your mental health, and it typically leads to depression, and then that can lead to drug abuse or alcoholism. You get my point. I don’t think anyone in a healthy mental state would choose to be homeless.
So…whether it is today, tomorrow, or next year, do think about sharing your wealth with those who could use some assistance. If you could spare 1 can of food, a blanket, jacket, gloves, or shoes, that would make a world of difference.
Btw… CB2 has teamed up with the LA Regional Food Bank to take in donations for this holiday season. In return, they are giving 15% off your purchase.
Give
Do you ever wonder how long your food is good for?
Stop throwing away your money and find out how long you can keep your food.
Well, I came across this really cool article on Re-Nest and thought it would be nice to share with you. If you’re like me, there are those moments when I reach into the fridge, to only discover some old fruit or yogurt I had totally forgotten about. Because most fruit and vegetables do not come with an expiration date, I guess you have to go by how it looks. With other food items, it may be hard to judge whether or not it’s safe to eat it, so it usually ends up as rubbish.
Instead of prematurely throwing away your food, double check on this nifty website for additional information food storage and the safe amount of time you have to consume it. It will probably end up saving you money in the long run, since throwing away food = throwing away money. Be safe, eat well, and save yourself a stomach ache! Enjoy!
DIY Halloween Costume Accessories.
My dear friend Katherine is going to be Hello Kitty this Halloween, so we had to get creative and find the right outfit and accessories. After scouring several stores, we realized that this is going to be a DIY kind of costume. Soooo…Katherine made her own Hello Kitty furry ears from scrap materials at home, and I made a cute bow to affix over one of the ears. And for the outfit, we plan to recycle one of my Halloween costumes from the previous year. Can’t wait to see how everything looks, once it is all put together!
Supplies you need to make the bow:
– Felt
– Embroidery thread
– Embroidery needles
– Cotton (to stuff inside)
– A good imagination!
Fuschia bow, made out of felt.
Voila! Now we're just missing the ears...
Supplies you’ll need for the ears:
– Faux fur scrap pieces
– wire clothes hanger (to add shape inside of it)
– thread & needle
– ribbon or headband, to attach ears & bow
Made by Katherine!
The choice of outfit was inspired by these two photos of Hello Kitty:
Sneak peak inside shopping tote from the Farmer’s Market!
I look forward to the weekends, because there’s less people on the road, and I get to stop by the local Farmer’s Market. I’ll posted number times about my trip to the Farmer’s Market, but here’s your chance to see what’s in our shopping totes!
Asian pears, fuji apples, nira (Japanese chives), daikon radish, nasu (Japanese eggplant), vine ripened tomatoes, and leeks…
Fresh Komatsuna (Japanse Mustard Spinach) & Fresh Arugula!!
And, last but not least, pomegranates!
Inside are ruby red kernels, full of sweetness & tartness.
Be Eco-Chic…Recycle & Trade Your Clothing!
I’m always online searching around for eco-friendly tips, and luckily I stumbled across a super cool website called ThredUP.
Donating is very life giving, in more ways than you can imagine. At random times during the year, I find myself sifting through my closet to put aside tops, dresses, coats, and even accessories to donate to my local church & Goodwill. I must say that most of the items I’m giving away are of really good quality and value.
Soooo, ThredUP encourages you to recycle clothing through their super creative program. Here’s how it works! At ThredUP, they have you send in your goods, you specify on your profile what brands you’d like to receive and sizes you wear, then they will send you some clothes in exchange that are in the same brand tier! It’s more like an exchange program, for your designer clothing! It sounds like a really cool concept, since you don’t know what you will be receiving in the exchange! I still feel it’s important to donate, but I’m definitely going to give this a try as well. Remember, these are expendable goods that were on the way out the door anyways, so why not swap them out and get some different threds! It’s like getting a mystery bag of goodies in the mail. =)
The guys who started up this company are Harvard Busines School Grads, and I think they’ve got a really cool business model. I can’t wait to see how popular it gets! At this moment, you can only trade short/long/sleeveless shirts, however in the near future, they will add several new categories. Check out their site and hopefully you’ll give it a try as well.
Happy Sunday!
What a wonderful day!
Breakfast/Lunch: Whole Foods
Afternoon: Church
Early Evening: Went to the movies with Trisha, and saw Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs in 3D!!!
This was such a fun movie to watch in 3D! It was better than Chicken Little!
Evening/Night: Cooked dinner for JP & I…Chilean Sea Bass, Sauteed Ong Choy, Jean Georges Corn & Crab Soup (same one we served @ our wedding)
Late Night: Baked Bouchon “cork” cakes (aka, mini chocolate cakes)
Very rich and strong chocolate taste. A little too much for me, since I don't eat sweets often.
Our Dessert: Fresh organic pomegranate, from the Farmer’s Market. It was delicious!
Sweet and tart. I love fresh pomegranate.
It’s now time to watch Entourage, Desperate Housewives, Hung!!! Oh how we love Sundays!
DIY Project: Paint it blue, call it new!
So, finally!!! We’ve officially started the DIY (or have someone else do it, if you’re a cheater like me) projects at home. It took awhile to decide on a color for the guest room, but I ran over to Home Depot and had the guy mix up something extra special for me. Looks like it’s time to decorate the wall with some art, or maybe even some vinyl decals. Stay tuned for updates!
Here it is…
In the process...
Voila!
Here's a different view from the living area.
Hooray! Our DIY Project Begins…
After flipping through dozens of wallpaper sample books, we’ve finally decided on something for our master bedroom. The color theme will be: purple, black, silver, and white. I’ve also included some pieces that we may incorporate, to transform our space into a stylish bedroom. Total budget: $1000
Happy217 