Happy 2019!

Wow! I can’t believe I have had this blog for a FULL year! I didn’t think I could do it. It originally took a little bit of nudging from a friend to get it started and now here I am—just over a year later. Well, congrats to me for that!

How did you spend your holiday? I spent Christmas and New Year’s in Boston visiting my family. Originally, I wasn’t sure if I was going to visit my family for the holidays. But after my Tulum trip over Thanksgiving (when I quit my job, chopped off 6 inches of my hair, bought a ukelele), I booked a one way ticket to Boston and I am so glad that I did. It was really nice to get out of LA and see my family, even if it meant braving the cold winter. I got lots of play time with my little niece and nephew. I got to play the ukelele for them even though I don’t know how to play (anyone want to teach me?). My mom made some of my favorite Cambodian dishes, including noodle soup, hot pot, pineapple sweet and sour soup, and vermicelli noodles. I also cooked for my entire family Christmas Eve. I made tomato confit with spaghetti, garlic shrimp, scallops, and grilled eggplant. I think it was a success—at least, they didn’t tell me otherwise.

Even though I was in Boston for a relatively short time (though it kind of felt like a long time), I unexpectedly made a connection with someone new. Unfortunately, he lives in Boston. Why does this always happen to me? Sigh. I must love the East Coast boys. But I also love LA. That’s the problem. Why don’t I connect with anyone here? LA is big enough. Help!

While I had fun back in Boston, I am SO happy to be back home, in my own apartment, in my own bed. My body is not made for East Coast winters. My skin was so dry and irritated. My eczema acted up. I felt ugly. And I didn’t know how to dress cute in the cold. I didn’t bring any sexy clothes for dates. Plus, my mom’s place is not that comfortable. She doesn’t like me messing up her kitchen. She keeps the house cold. She wants me to wear a scarf in the house. But Mom, scarves are made for outside! Also, I felt guilty if I slept in too late or wanted to lounge on the couch all day. The first thing I did when I got home was take a hot shower, turned on my fireplace (because in LA, it’s just a flip of a switch), put on sweatpants, and ordered my usual dish at my favorite Thai restaurant. Then I slept all afternoon that first day and slept 10 hours that first night. It felt SO good. Now, I’m rested, adjusted, ready to face the world. It’s back to reality. What is on my to-do list for the new year? Finish my cookbook, find a new job in fashion, learn the ukelele, continue working out. So let’s go Davy!

'Tis the Season for DIY Holiday Gift Baskets

This past weekend, I attended a friend’s outdoor winter wedding cocktail party. For a gift, I wanted to do something that was more personal than a purchase from her registry. Since the bride loves food and cooking, I thought of making her a few homemade specialty sauces and toppings. I included a jar of fried garlic because it’s an essential Cambodian ingredient that would give the gift an extra personal touch. Then I made harissa for the first time ever. I had introduced my friend to this Moroccan chili paste over a year ago and I remembered she really liked it. I had a little leftover for myself and loved my creation! I will definitely be making more of this for myself in the future. It’s a great topping on meats, fish, shrimp, veggies, eggs—basically everything! I also tried making tomato confit after being inspired by a random Instagram post. This was probably my favorite new recipe to make! You can serve it over pasta or on top of a crostini (maybe paired with herbed goat cheese), as well as over meats and veggies. I felt like the basket needed one more homemade specialty item, so I decided to make olive tapenade at the last minute after watching a character on Black Mirror make it during an episode. It’s amazing where you can randomly find inspiration!

For the finishing touch to my gift basket, I included a bottle of bubbles and a scented candle, and then sprinkled in pieces of chocolate. I got the basket from World Market. The gift basket kit included raffia stuffing, clear plastic wrap, and a gift tag. I lined the basket with additional colored tissue paper and then added crumbled up packaging paper underneath the raffia stuffing to add more cushion to prop up the gifts.

This was such a fun gift to make! All the toppings/sauces were also very simple to create. I had my own labels printed at Vistaprint and bought jars from The Container Store. You can make your basket as fancy or as simple as you want. Here are some more ideas for homemade specialty items: hummus, eggplant or roasted red pepper dip, pesto, chimichurri sauce, pickles, jam, freshly ground chili powder, fig spread, or salsa. I tend to prefer savory over sweet but I really like the idea of a fig spread with goat cheese and honey on a cracker. In addition to your homemade specialty items, you can include wine, candles, a fancy giant matchbox, chocolate, crackers, truffle salt, truffle oil, or salami. I hope my post has inspired you. Happy Gift Basket Making!

Goodbye 2017!

How many of you were ready to say goodbye to 2017?  I definitely was ready!  2017 was a challenging year for me.  But I believe that everything that needed to happen in my life happened because I had some lessons I still needed to learn.  Even though 2017 started out a little rough, it ended very nicely... I am so grateful that all of the decisions I made last year led me to Boston for 3 weeks to cook with my mother.  It is not often we get an extended amount of time to spend with our mothers as adults!  Even though I felt like a child again living back at home (and I probably stressed my mom out), the time I had with her this past December was very special.  I also fell back in love with Boston (although, I did not fall in love with the cold).  I was fortunate to get to witness this winter's first snowfall, enjoy a white Christmas, eat delicious food, cook with my mother, read bedtime stories to my nephew, host a small baby shower for my older sister, catch up with my old high school friend, reconnect with an old college friend, reunite with friends that I made in Costa Rica last July on a yoga retreat, and surprisingly, make a new friend in the short amount of time I had in Boston.  I felt ready for 2017 to end but I also felt nostalgic to say goodbye as I reflected on that journey. 

2018, I am ready for you!!!