Hot Day? Cold Sesame Noodles!

We've found a way to beat the Temp-Rapture - my mom's cold sesame noodles! I was just throwing it together so apologies for no specific measurements.

Cold Sesame Noodles
1. Cook egg noodles (we used thin spaghetti), rinse with cold water and toss with sesame oil. Put in refrigerator.
2. In a blender, add:
- Sesame paste (we only had peanut butter so that worked)
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Chicken broth
- Siracha (or wasabi)
- Garlic
- Ginger
3. Blend sauce until smooth and to your preferred seasoning. Toss with noodles.
4. Prepare toppings. We had left over chicken and scallions. Other toppings: julienne cucumber, scrambled egg, ham, etc.

Grace through Jewelry

I wanted to create pieces that have a clean aesthetic, made of the best quality materials, easy to wear and had helping/ healing properties. I also love ancient and religious jewelry that have their own power and meanings. Wearing the pieces have made me so happy - beyond the "I made it" but they remind me of gratitude and grace.

The first craft involved the red string concept that has meaning in Kabbalah, Hindu, Tibetan Buddhism, and Chinese legend. The red string has protective properties and brings people together. I added 8 silver seed beads to represent the 8 limbs of yoga and 8 is a lucky Chinese number. I'm playing with this really gorgeous red silk string so more bracelets coming.

Heather and I went to bead heaven - Potomac Bead Company in Hagerstown, MD. I love the mala (prayer bead) bracelets used by Buddhists and made 3 sets of bracelets: green jade with green aventurine rose, rose quartz with pink candy jade, river stone with quartz. Jade attracts love and money, protects against accidents and misfortune and heals kidney, heart and stomach issues. Aventurine brings good luck, protects the heart, and heals heart, lungs, adrenal glands, etc. Rose quartz is a love and heart chakra stone like jade - enhancing love and lowering stress. It heals a number of ailments. River stone protects property and the quartz provides power, clarity, and is the Master Healer stone.

Whether you like the jewelry because how they look, because they can help with an issue or enhance a quality, because they refer to historical/ religious ideas, I'm happy to work with you to make a perfect piece for you.

Let me know:
- Type of jewelry (I'm making bracelets these days but it would be fun to make other kinds of jewelry)
- Size/ length: The common bracelet length is 7 inches but I have thin wrists so I use 6.75 inches. I can make the bracelets bigger or smaller.
- Color
- Any qualities/ properties of the stones

I may not have the stones/ materials on stock so it might take awhile for me to get everything together but it'll be worth it because you'll have the exact piece you want!

Birds Hate Me

I have been pooped on 4 times in my life. There's an overpass that I had to walk under on my way to elementary school and a pigeon dropped one on my head. Side note: the poo in the overpass smelled like grapes and so I associate grapes and raisins with bird poo. I was hit in Middle School and High School as well. It's always on the way to school so that I could start the day with poop in my hair. There's another time as an adult.


Even if they don't hit me, they try. There have been multiple poops on the windshield on my side of the car. There are poops on the side window of the car where I sit. There were poops on my bedroom window. They keep trying.

There have been 2 more recent attacks. I took my parents to Brookside Gardens and there was a particularly raucous goose barking at anyone in the Japanese garden area. When we passed it, it was chasing and biting another goose so we just thought it was protecting it's space from other geese. My mother and I posed on the small wooden bridge and just before my dad snapped the picture, the goose dive bombed us and dropped a poo 3 inches from us into the water. That was the scariest attack - especially since the poo would've been very large.

Last Saturday morning, I was driving to drop the car off at the mechanic and as I turned out of my street, I heard a loud plop on the windshield. A bird had dropped a huge worm right at my head. It was squirming and sliming up the glass.

It'll be interesting to see how many more attacks I can log.

Vietnamese Beef Salad

I can't verify that this salad is indeed Vietnamese but that's what M calls it. It's an awesome night when I look in an empty refrigerator and have all the ingredients for a good dish (I haven't gone grocery shopping in a long time and have been trying to eat all the food in the fridge and pantry because we are moving on Saturday). This will feed 2-3 people and we eat it over rice. Yes, lettuce on rice - like bibimbop!

Vietnamese Beef Salad
- Lettuce sliced in thin strips (butter, bib, red leaf and even watercress works)
- 1 tomato medium dice
- 2 thinly sliced hard boiled eggs
- 1/4 lb eye of round thinly sliced against the grain mix with soy sauce and oyster sauce. Heat olive oil in wok, brown quarter of onion and 1 clove of garlic, add meat mixture, sautee.
- 1 lime

Place lettuce in bowl. Add eggs (I like to put them in a circle) around the bowl. Heap cooked beef in middle. Sprinkle entire salad with lots of fresh cracked pepper. Squeeze juice of 1 lime. Toss and serve over steamed white rice.

Baked Shrimp with Panko Stuffing

It has been non-stop wedding shows at our house and in this one episode, 2 weddings both served Shrimp Oreganata. So, of course, I had to have it - with my own twist.

Baked Shrimp with Panko Stuffing

- 1.5 lbs shrimp butterflied (I folded the tail over),

- Coarsely chop 5-6 of the shrimp (maybe I'll use crab next time)

- Salt and pepper

- 3/4 cup panko

- 4 tbsp butter (melted)

- 1/4 chopped parsley (I used a couple of tsp of dried oregano)

- 2 tsp minced garlic

- White wine

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Butter a baking dish and layer with shrimp. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix the chopped shrimp, panko, melted butter, parsley, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Top the shrimp with the bread crumb mixture, make sure all the spaces between the shrimp are filled. Drizzle with white wine. Bake 8-12 minutes.

Cauliflower Soup

We have not been able to take a picture of the soup because it gets eaten so quickly. It would be so much easier with a hand blender *hint to M*. M, "This is the best baby food I've ever had!"

Cauliflower Soup

1 head of cauliflower roughly chopped
1/4 white onion
4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock for vegetarians)
White truffle oil
Fresh ground pepper

Add cauliflower, onion and broth to pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Allow to cool to room temperature and puree. Return to pot and warm. Pour into bowls and drizzle with truffle oil. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Favorite Things: Spring 2011

My year is divided not by actual seasonal months but by fashion seasons. It's not officially Spring yet but I'm salivating over the new spring colors, textures, clothes, shoes...


I'm loving the nude shoes that have come out this Spring and these Lucky Brand Emmie flats match my skin tone (with a little pearly shimmer). I'm hoping that the nude flats will make me appear taller and of course, go with everything.


I' m also on a bit of a make-up kick and am trying to brighten up my look. I've read endless positive reviews of Tarte's LipSurgence natural lip stain. I remember running down to the make-up store to get it only to find it sold out. I had given up on it until my sister came to visit me this past weekend and BOUGHT THE LAST STICK of the color I wanted (Enchanted).

Being the good big sister I am, I didn't take it from her and went down to get one when the next shipment came in. It was everything I dreamed of. It gave me a subtle pink lip (like I was out running in the cold or something), lots of non-greasy or sticky moisture, and a lovely mint flavor. I also love the line because they are cruelty free and made without parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, sodium laurel sulfate or synthetic fragrances. I can eat and not have a napkin or cup smudged with pink!

Broiled Chicken Kebabs & Soy Ginger Salad Dressing

The cold winter has me dreaming of my mom's barbecue chicken. I thought I could broil chicken kebabs using her marinade. We had some lettuce and arugula and wanted to make a dressing that would complement the chicken. My biggest critic, M, liked it and asked for them to be added to the repertoire. Amounts are estimates.

Mom's BBQ Chicken Marinade:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 2 tsp sugar

I cut up boneless skinless chicken thighs and put them in the marinade for 6 or so hours. Soak skewers in water for 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Add chicken to skewers and broil for 4-6 minutes. Turn and broil for another 4-6 minutes.

Soy Ginger Salad Dressing:
- lemon juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 1/4 thumb ginger mashed
- 1/4 cup olive oil

Remembering Uncle Thomas

One aspect of Chinese New Year is honoring the deeds and memories of the deceased. None of our ancestors are buried in the NY metro area so we never did the whole visit graves, burn incense and money thing. This year, my father and sister came to visit me for Chinese New Year and we made a pilgrimage to visit my Uncle Thomas.

Uncle Thomas was my father's older brother and was the first of the siblings to come to America. He and his family settled in VA where he worked designing and building nuclear submarines. I have extremely fond memories of driving past the Mormon Temple to Virginia, eating at amazing Chinese restaurants, chasing after blue crabs before they were put in the pot, and visiting the Air and Space Museum. Uncle Thomas loved football and was a rabid Redskins fan. He was always laughing and would say something really fast that I couldn't understand and laugh again. His sentences were punctuated by deep hearty laughter.

We spent the whole weekend in honor of him. We ate lots and lots of good food - Maryland Crabs steamed with Old Bay and Peking Duck (at a restaurant we think he took us to). We went to visit him, put our hands together and bowed. We spent lots of quality time together laughing. And, we watched the Super Bowl.

Urban Winter Survival Gear

It just so happens that I have finally discovered my winter all stars before one of the worst winters the northeast has ever experienced. After testing them out, I'm very pleased to say that I am warm and toasty no matter what Mother Nature throws at me.

1. Canada Goose Mystique Parka (http://www.canada-goose.com/): I have gone through nearly 10 full-length down coats from Land's End through Patagonia. They were only warm when sitting in a car - heaven forbid there was any wind. It was the Patagonia Down With It Parka that pushed me over the edge. For all the good reviews and the price, I was sure this coat would be the one. Not even close. I returned it the next day. M and I went to Hudson Trail Outfitters and had an amazing salesperson that agreed that down coats were pretty much just for fashion and that the key to staying warm is a windproof shell. Canada Goose combines a down layer (with a second layer to make sure you aren't covered in feathers like the Land's End Commuter coat) with a completely wind and rain proof outer shell. The deep outer pockets are at the perfect position and lined with snuggly fleece. The sleeves are ribbed at the wrist so there is no chance any wind comes up the arms. The other great thing is that the hood is perfectly constructed and stays on your head regardless of the winds whipping around you. Canada Goose is renown for creating outerware to survive the Arctic. Rebecca Romjin Stamos requested a coat be made for her during the filming of X-men. The Mystique Parka is what they created and it will keep me warm and snuggly for years to come.

2. UGGs/ La Canadienne/ Merrell: There is nothing worse than cold, wet feet and shoes ruined by salt and puddles. UGGs saved my life during my long commutes from NJ to midtown (I would change into flats that I kept in my cube). They are so warm and comfortable and if you treat them with a water-resistant spray and you don't go puddle jumping, they'll keep your feet dry as well. For those of you who just can't succumb to wearing UGGs, I adore my La Canadienne and Merrell boots. My rule for precipitation is skirt and La Canadienne boots because pants always get wet. Again, the Canadians know how to survive winters. La Canadiennes are waterproof, insulated, comfortable and pretty cute. Another plus for me is that they are the right shaft height and circumference for my bird legs (they come in a wide range of heights and circumferences). For days that I wear pants, I really like my new Merrell Tetra Catch waterproof booties. They are as comfortable as sneakers and insulated.

3. Northface gloves and hat: To me, Northface creates more "fashion" wear than clothes to actually survive a winter but their accessories are not bad. My Northface knit cap is perfectly shaped and has a layer of fleece around the edge. My gloves are fleece and yet surprisingly windproof.

4. Hot Chilly's/ Plush Tights/ Silk Baselayers: I didn't know about baselayers until I decided to learn how to snowboard. For snowboarding and staying warm on the weekends, I rely on Hot Chilly's baselayers (http://www.hotchillys.com/). They come in a range of warmth levels and are cut really well for women (I find most baselayer pants come up past my belly). Silk baselayers work very well under work clothes and aren't too hot when you are working inside (http://www.wintersilks.com/). And for those skirt days, I LOVE the fleece lined tights by Plush!

Non-Asian Chicken and Broccoli

The next set of recipes may be basic for most people but for me, anything using an oven is revolutionary. My parents used the oven to store pots. M said, "This was one of the most delicious dishes not from the continent of Asia."

"Best Broccoli of Your Life"

We had bought a bag of broccoli florets from Costco. There are only 2 of us and there's only so many nights we can eat beef and broccoli stir fry. I found "The Best Broccoli of Your Life" from Amateur Gourmet. And, it was pretty darn good.

- Dry broccoli florets (about 2 big bunches)

- 5 tbsp olive oil

- salt

- pepper

- 4 garlic cloves minced

- 1 lemon

- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss broccoli with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Layer onto baking sheet and roast in oven for 20 to 25 minutes until some of the florets are browned (I had forgotten the garlic and tossed it in 5 minutes before the end and they were fine). Remove from oven. Toss with lemon zest, lemon juice and cheese. We didn't have any cheese and it was quite delicious without it.

Baked Chicken Thighs

I have been trying to bake chicken thighs for over 3 years and they have been underdone, overdone, too salty, etc. I have finally figured out my oven (25 degrees hotter than what the dial says) and the below recipe.

- 2 tbsp butter

- olive oil

- 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

- 1/2 cup flour

- 2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp spice mix of your choice

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Heat oil and butter in a skillet. Mix flour, salt, pepper and spices (I used Bouquest Garni) in a plastic bag. Drop chicken thighs in the bag and yes, shake it. Shake off chicken thighs and place in skillet and fry golden brown (don't overcrowd). Place chicken on a baking sheet and put in oven for 30 min - 45 min until done.