'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!

Lost in Tulum

I generally dread my birthday in November every year… for many silly reasons. This year, I decided to treat myself to a yoga retreat for my birthday so that I would have something fun to look forward to. I decided on Tulum as my destination and Amansala for my retreat. Verdict: I had the BEST time!!!

Each morning started with meditation at 7am, then a 2-3 mile beach walk, and yoga all before breakfast. The morning continued with either a fitness class or a tour that involved physical activity (cycling to and from the Mayan ruins, swimming in a cenote, or kayaking). This was followed by lunch and free time, mostly lounging on a day bed on the beach. Then there was the option to do 2 more fitness classes before ending the day with evening yoga.

Classes were not mandatory. I had the option to be as active or as lazy as I wanted. I listened to my body and soul. I’m not usually a very physically active person. But I also sometimes get restless staying still for too long. This combined with the super hot fitness trainers motivated me to participate in more classes than I had expected. And I’m glad I did! It felt rewarding to challenge myself physically.

All meals were included in the retreat, but only healthy dishes were served—fresh green juices, fruit, yogurt, granola, small (tiny) tacos, and lots and lots of salad! I returned home to Los Angeles feeling stronger and lighter, physically and emotionally. I was ready to make some changes. I chopped off 6 inches of my hair, quit my job, got a ukelele, and bought a one way ticket home to Boston for the holidays. Am I crazy?! Maybe. But I think it’s time for a change. I am ready to clear some space in my life to make room for something better. What that means exactly, I’m not sure… I’m taking a chance.

Roasted Eggplant Over Hummus

My favorite type of cuisine would have to be Asian food because it’s what I grew up eating. I know it’s also a very broad range but there are a lot of flavors that are similar across different Asian countries. My second favorite would have to be Italian, which I know is everyone’s favorite because who doesn’t like pasta? When I have cravings, it’s usually for an Asian noodle soup or pasta. Actually, that’s not true. I also LOVE street tacos (my favorite is the al pastor from Leo’s Taco truck). And I love seafood—oysters, Cajun crab legs, and lobster rolls. Oh wait… I also love fried chicken (Korean fried chicken, in particular). I love a lot of food. And I have a lot of cravings. However, I’ve been recently trying to branch out a little and explore more Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors.

Recently, I tried Jaffa on 3rd Street in LA with one of my friends, whose favorite food is Middle Eastern. We ordered lots of dishes to share and it was delicious! I really enjoyed the shawarma salad bowl with spiced chicken and toum. The chicken was so moist and succulent, and the yogurt dressing was creamy. The salad was very filling and flavorful with the toum (Lebanese garlic sauce). I like how Israeli salads incorporate lots of cucumber and tomatoes. I don’t like salads that consist mostly of lettuce. The other dish I had there that I loved was the charred eggplant with tahini. It was a perfect combination of creamy, sour, and sweet from the tahini, lemon juice, and honey. After having this dish, I knew I wanted to recreate it at home.

Although it is a lovely idea to make tahini from scratch, I don’t have the time or patience for that. I bought a container of eggplant hummus at Trader Joe’s instead. The dish at Jaffa also had an Israeli herb and nut. I used peanuts and parsley as a substitute. Here is a rough recipe below. This recipe is pretty simple so I didn’t measure anything when I was making it. Below measurements are to be used as a guide.

Roasted Eggplant Over Hummus (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant, sliced into 1-inch thick segments

• 1 container of any hummus of your preference, I used eggplant hummus

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 cup of chopped parsley

• 2 cups of halved grape tomatoes

• 1/2 cup of crushed roasted peanuts

• 1 lemon

• honey

• olive oil

• salt

• pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. On a baking sheet, lay out eggplant slices. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping over half way through. I like to turn the oven to broil for the last few minutes. In a frying pan, lightly sautee the onions and tomatoes. Do not fully cook. I prefer it a little wilted and blistered. After it cools down, pour into a mixing bowl. Add parsley and then season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and about 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Mix and refrigerate. Before plating the baked eggplant, spoon out hummus onto a large plate and spread the hummus into 3-4 small intersecting circles. Place slices of eggplant onto the hummus, lining them up so that they overlap. Top the eggplant with the tomato, onion, parsley slaw. Sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts. Drizzle plate with honey. And that’s it!

In My Dreams

I had the strangest dream last night. I’m driving along a narrow, dark road with rails. I don’t know where it leads. I don’t know why I’m on this road. And I don’t know where I’m going. I can’t see anything. It’s pitch black. But I keep driving anyway, using the rails to guide me. There are people in front of me but I can’t see them. I keep inching forward cautiously, afraid that I will hit someone. I can’t stay still because I’m in the middle of nowhere. I have to keep moving but I feel nervous. Finally, I get to a crossroads. Darkness has faded and there is finally light but it’s super foggy so I still can’t see very far into the distance. I have 2 options. I can choose to continue going on that same path even though I don’t know where it leads. It looks like it gets lost in the fog. Or I can go into the train station that has suddenly appeared. I choose to go into the train station, but then I don’t recognize any of the destinations on the map. I am frustrated. I don’t know which train to take, where I am, or where I’m going, or how I even got myself into this situation. I’m lost. And then I wake up.

It was one of those dreams that lingered, long after I was awake. They say that dreams are a reflection of your current state of mind. I have also heard that your mind works to resolve issues in your dreams. Perhaps, my dream was trying to tell me something or provide me with an answer to a question I didn’t know I had. This feeling of being lost has been reoccurring for me, not just in my dreams but also in real life. My dream did not need to tell me this. I had been feeling it everyday for maybe…the last year as well as on and off throughout my life. By now, I really should have learned to embrace this feeling. But I naturally resist. I get uncomfortable. I feel anxious. I fight it. I worry about not knowing my destination. I worry about being complacent. I worry about moving in all different directions but never really getting anywhere. Maybe I need to stop trying to hold on so tightly, let go and ride the wave. How do I do that?

About a year ago, I once told a stranger about my journey last year: getting laid off, starting a cookbook, and going through a break up all at once. Embrace the uncertainty, embrace the unknown, he urged. He said, “You may not like your apartment now, but you know what, this could be the last apartment you live in on your own, as a single woman, before you meet your life partner and move in with him.” When I told him about not knowing what I was doing with the cookbook, he said, “You’re going to figure it out. You’re going to finish the cookbook. Once you finish the book, you’re going to think back on this time when you didn’t know what you were doing and appreciate the journey. Embrace this part of the process.” It helped to hear someone say that to me.

This week, 2 random strangers reached out to me, one on my blog and one on my Instagram. The person who reached out to me on my blog is from San Diego and he just wanted to say that he hoped I finished the cookbook and that he loves Cambodian cooking. The person who reached out to me on Instagram wanted to tell me that she peeked at my blog and loved my story and encouraged me to keep writing because she is looking forward to my cookbook. Sometimes, kind words from strangers make all the difference.

xx

Davy

My Favorite Bolognese!

I love bolognese. It’s my go-to Italian dish in LA. I used to like it super chunky but after having so many different variations here, I discovered that bolognese is actually really good when it’s a little creamy. Not too creamy though. I’ve made many versions of bolognese, never keeping track of measurements until now. I have always just tasted as I cooked and added whatever was needed in the moment. Earlier this year, I dated someone who believed he had Celiac and was also allergic to dairy. I wanted to make him a diary-free bolognese and I experimented with coconut milk. Surprisingly, it was delicious! While the relationship did not work out, my creamy bolognese did and I am grateful for that! It’s now one of my favorite things to make! And this time, I have it all written out so that I can recreate it whenever I want. I always have some in my freezer to eat later! Here is my slightly creamy but still chunky bolognese recipe. Keep in mind, I tend to go heavier on veggies because I love vegetables. Feel free to cut down on the vegetables. I hope you like it!

Davy’s Bolognese (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1½ cups of carrots, diced (You can cut down to only 1 cup. I generally prefer lots of veggies.)

1½ cups of celery, diced (You can cut down to only 1 cup. I generally prefer lots of veggies.)

¾ lb or 12 oz of cremini or white button mushrooms, chopped up/diced (optional —mushrooms aren’t typically included in bolognese recipes but I love them and had to have!)

1 small sweet onion, diced

1.75 lb (large) can of unsalted crushed tomatoes

1 cup of tomato sauce

½ - ¾ cup canned coconut milk

½ cup white or red wine (white preferred)

½ - 1 cup of water (or pasta water or chicken broth)

6 garlic cloves, diced

6 sprigs of thyme

3 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp black pepper

½ tbsp red chili flakes (optional-I like it a little spicy!)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup of shredded parmesan (optional)

1½ cup of chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:

In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium to high heat. Add onions and cook until they have lightly browned. Add garlic, carrots, and celery. Add a tbsp water. When carrots have softened, add mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. When mushrooms are mostly cooked, turn heat down to medium. Add meat and season with 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp sugar. Break up the ground meat into smaller pieces, lightly browning it. Add wine and stir, cooking for a few minutes longer until some of the wine has evaporated. Then pour in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and add chili flakes, remaining 1 tsp salt, and sprigs of thyme. Turn heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 2 hours, with lid slightly ajar. Stir periodically. Add water (or pasta water or chicken broth) halfway through after the sauce has thickened.

After 2 hours, taste the sauce. Add additional salt or pepper, if needed. Pour in coconut milk. Simmer for another hour on low heat. Don’t worry if there is a lot of juice. Sauce will thicken as it cooks and once it sets. If it is too thick at the end, add some more water.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with fresh parsley and parmesan.

Spiced Cauliflower Steak with Avocado Chutney

Any cauliflower lovers out there? While I do eat meat, I still enjoy creating hearty vegetarian recipes every now and then. A couple years ago, I used to be a vegetarian. There is a part of me that still misses that lifestyle and how healthy my body felt. But once you start eating meat again, it’s hard to go back! It’s more fun to share food with friends and there are definitely more options when you eat out at restaurants. I try to limit my meat intake to when I eat out, but working on this Cambodian cookbook has got me eating lots of meat again! Today, I’m taking a break from meat and Cambodian food to make cauliflower steaks. It’s nice to mixed things up every once in awhile! Here is a simple and easy recipe for Spiced Cauliflower Steak with Avocado Chutney.

Spiced Cauliflower Steaks with Avocado Chutney (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

Cauliflower

·      1 cauliflower head

·      3 tbsp olive oil

·      1 tsp salt

·      2 tsp cumin

·      2 tsp curry powder

·      1 tsp paprika

·      1 tbsp lemon juice

Avocado Chutney

·      1 avocado

·      2 garlic cloves

·      ½ cup mint

·      1 cup cilantro

·      ½ cup cucumber

·      1 tbsp olive oil

·       ½ tsp salt

·      ½ tsp honey

·      1 tbsp lemon juice

Toppings

·      ½ cups of tomatoes, finely diced

·      ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

·      3-5 lemon wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Cut cauliflower head into ¾ inch segments.  Smaller pieces of the cauliflower may break off.  This is okay. Lay steaks and any broken pieces flat on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and massage evenly into the cauliflower.  Sprinkle with salt, cumin, curry powder, and paprika on both sides.  Pour lemon juice over the steaks.   Let the cauliflower bake for 30 minutes, flipping mid way through.

Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the avocado chutney in a food processor until it is creamy and smooth.  Set aside.

Once cauliflower has finished baking, allow to cool for 15 minutes.   Plate cauliflower steaks, drizzle with avocado chutney, and top with diced tomatoes and cilantro.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Faux Noodles

Like most people, I love pasta! But sometimes it can be too heavy on my body. When I need a break from carbs but still crave noodles, I sometimes make faux noodles (or zoodles) with zucchini in a light summery sauce. It’s refreshing, easy to make, and delicious! You just need a spiralizer. If you don’t already have one, you should get one! I own the OXO one at Bed Bath & Beyond. You can transform almost anything into noodles!

Summer Zoodles (Serves 1-2)

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, spiralized

1 sweet corn on the cob, boiled and then shaved off the cob

½ sweet onion, diced

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup of fresh shredded basil leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp butter 

1 cup of freshly shredded basil leaves

Instructions:

In a sauté pan, over medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil.  Once pan is hot, add spiralized zucchini noodles.  Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp freshly ground pepper.  Stir and cook for a minute.  Be careful not to overcook as you don’t want your zoodles to be soggy.  I prefer them only lightly cooked. Remove and set aside in a bowl.

In the same pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil.  Add onions and let brown, stirring periodically.  Add garlic and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with remaining ½ tsp salt and pepper. Let tomatoes cook until they soften slightly.  Add shaved corn, lemon juice, and butter.  Lower heat and let cook for another couple of minutes. 

Turn heat off.  Add zoodles into the pan, mixing into the lemon butter sauce with the corn, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.  Sprinkle with fresh basil.  Mix again, plate the zoodles with additional fresh basil, and serve.

Return from My Hiatus...

It has been awhile since I've posted. Blogging takes a lot of time!  Anyone want to help me? Lol.  I got a new job at the beginning of the year and it has kept me really busy.  It has been challenging to balance a full time job with cooking and learning new recipes.  I ended up ordering take out often and not spending any time doing what I love (though I was spending lots of $ for food delivery service). I made a new rule for myself. If I must eat take out, I have to physically go pick it up myself and not order delivery.

Cooking relaxes and rejuvenates me.  And feeds my soul and body (literally).  I don't like coming home to an empty fridge.  It’s also not healthy to eat out all the time. Cooking is part of my self-care/self-love routine and I have not been showing my body any love lately. My cookbook was not getting any attention for most of the first half of this year and that made me really sad. Without self-care, I felt little motivation to do anything.

With much thought and deliberation, I decided to work part-time so I can give a little lovin’ to my cookbook again. It was not an easy decision to make. I had to give up a full time salary to pursue this passion project. Money can’t buy back time and it was time for me to invest in myself. I have been working part-time now for about 2 months and I almost feel like my normal self again. I have dedicated my non-work days to cooking and feel even busier than I was before! People think I have all this free time now that I have 2 extra days “off” but I am treating those days like work days by getting up at the same time and working on my cookbook for the entire day. This means researching, discussing recipes with my mom, running around to at least 2 different grocery stores within the same day, cooking, washing LOTS of dishes (because I don’t own a dishwasher or a microwave), taking photos, following up with my mom about how the dish turned out, writing the recipe, etc, etc, etc. It is a lot of work! But it’s work that I love! I’m so happy and grateful that I can cook again!

Since I’ve last posted, I have had a busy but fun summer—figuring out my life, cooking, going to weddings, and doing a little traveling. I traveled to France for my brother’s wedding and also got to spend some time in Boston. Here are some pics from my summer travels. Hopefully, I won’t wait as long before posting again! <3