Thing That Are Keeping Me Going Today

It's a pretty slow week at work or at least the adrenaline of needing to know so much new information has slightly subsided. But I can feel an achy throat coming on and a desperation for a yoga class, and sitting at my desk all day is weighing on me. BUT THERE IS SILVER LINING. Namely these things:

1. SERIAL Podcast: I already finished the podcast and felt disillusioned and unsatisfied, although it's amazingly well-done. I just wish there had been more of a resolution. Then this happened:
Key 'Serial' Witness Writes New Affidavit Supporting Adnan SyedRead more: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/serial-witness-never-recanted-alibi-adnan-syed-20150120#ixzz3PUHdfipn 

2. From NPR: "The songs of Elliott Smith are widely revered — especially by those who came of age in the '90s — but a new generation of listeners is only beginning to discover him. Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith is likely to expose new fans to the great singer-songwriter... This album, by Jessica Lea Mayfield and The Avett Brothers' Seth Avett, was made over a four-year period with great love for the man and his songs."
3. Reminiscing about three days ago, when my weekend was full of housewarming parties, birthday brunches, reunions, and yummy food and drinks. Grateful to have so many good friends from undergrad and law school. Also special shout out to Cass and Kelly (pictured below) for letting me crash with them last week:
4. The entirety of Taylor Swift's new crap. I hate myself because I love it so much. I've also memorized all of it. "Wildest Dreams" is kind of my song right now. God help me. Anywho, this cover makes my obsession slightly better?


Listen to "Somebody that I Used to Know" here.

5. Meditation. I've been meditating for a few minutes in the morning and evening and even in the afternoon when I get a chance... just five to ten minutes to center myself, which has helped keep my energy up and my anxiety... winninnggggggggggg

xx

An Immunity-Boosting Soup and Reunions

After months of talking about, Brooke, Ivana, Evan and I finally reunited over dinner last night. Words cannot express how much I love those girls. They are so funny and smart and lovely and I felt like I had just seen them yesterday, rather than 8 months ago.

For the occasion, I made a Kale-Garbanzo soup because we've all been fighting off colds and allergies and flus and such. Truth be told, I am always underwhelmed by the idea of soup. Ramen, curry, pho are different. Those are life-giving. Your regular old cup of minestrone doesn't really appeal to me ever. However, this is silly. Because when I have made soup at home, i.e. asparagus soup or chicken tortilla, it's always been comforting and life-giving and warming and delicious.

So last night, I decided I'd improvise a soup recipe and it actually turned out pretty well. Super tasty, fragrant and substantial. I paired it with a later course of sweet potato tacos, which is one of my favorite, easy vegan meals to make.

[Sorry for the wretched photo of the soup - I wasn't really paying attention bc I was laughing too hard.]

Sooooo the soup recipe:
KALE AND GARBANZO BEAN SOUP


- chop an onion and sauté in olive oil
- mince four cloves of garlic and once onion is softened, throw in the garlic
- Add 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and a few dashes of chili flakes
- Add four or so handfuls of chopped kale
- Add four chopped tomatoes
- Add one container of organic vegetable broth
- Add one can of washed garbanzos
- Simmer for 25 mins

It's a light, flavorful broth with substantial vegetables. Will definitely make again and will probably add some celery and carrots as well.

xx

NOW.

The big news: full employment and new lease in echo park (move in Feb 1). Plus, building my business still.

More on all that later I'm still in shock from everything happening.

But a little note on the whole New Year's Resolutions thing. Usually every year, I make a list of resolutions. Then I forget about it. I think I primarily do this because the list is long and has things on it that I've wanted to get around to since I was like 9 and think that this is my year that I finally learn how to crochet or make a million dollars.

But what my real problem is is that I spend so much time planning and plotting instead of actually doing anything.

So there I was, during the holidays, thinking about how this year, I was going to master French pastries. I've wanted to do this for years. But it's intimidated me and just seemed to be too much to take on when I still have trouble boiling and peeling eggs. So it went on my list for sometime in 2015 when I'd finally get it together and buy almond flour for macarons. I know this sounds silly, but it's pretty much a metaphor for my life.

My mom doesn't believe in resolutions. Her philosophy is just get it done, no need to sit around mooning about something when you can just get up and do it. So I took her berating to heart, went to the store and bought everything for macarons and croissants - to make them from scratch.

$85 dollars later, I had my organic flours, butter, sugar, food coloring, yeast, extracts, etc. And I set it upon myself to make both croissants and macarons on Christmas Eve in addition to the French dinner I was making (cornish hens, roasted roots veg, sauteed asparagus and stuffed portabello mushrooms for the vegs.)

It was a lofty goal, over ambitious and resulting in an exhausting day. To give you an idea, I used Martha Stewart's croissant recipe, and apparently only five people have used it. But I learned some lessons. First, my croissants were amazing, although uniformity was a bit lacking. The macarons were moderately successful. They are notoriously difficult, depending on the humidity, temperature, and technical skills. They were tasty, but again, I need to do a bit of practice.

So onto the lessons.

1. There is no point in waiting. I should just do things. It's not like I woke up every day thinking about my goal of croissant mastery, but it's been on my goal list. I kept putting it off for convenience or laziness. Finally,  I just had to do it and realize that waiting was a waste of time. In addition, accomplishing the goal gave me a boost of confidence, which is always nice. The point is that at this time I had the resources and technical know how to make these stupid pastries. Of course there are more complicated goals, like getting my Ph.D at some point. I can't just like apply right now. However, I can keep up on my reading and theory without starting the application process now. Same thing with learning to brew beer, finish my novel, and expanding my consulting work.

2. However, overextension or lack of preparation can pretty much eff everything up. Yeah, I did both recipes. I don't know why I HAD to make both the croissants and the macarons in one day on top of two different dinner menus. So I did. And it was fine, but it wasn't my best work. This annoyed me, because in hindsight, I was completely capable of executing a far better result. In addition, as my mom pointed out, I didn't really enjoy the process because I was stressed and tired. This defeated my purpose and the general end result in cooking, which is a sense of comfort in providing the people I love with good food. So in the future, I need to whole ass one thing, instead of half-assing like five things.

So instead of my long list of resolutions, I'm making a vow to myself to do what I want, when I want it, but doing it with a whole heart and full focus.

xx

Echo Park - Dinette

Despite my conflicted feelings about gentrification, I meandered down to Dinette in Echo Park for breakfast. My flexible schedule means I get to take advantage of food offerings and morning jaunts that I normally would not have.


Sophs and I picked up a latte and an amazing croque monsieur. MIND BLOWN.

Let's go over the reasons why I love this place:

1. The Croque Monsieur was comparable to the ones I'd get in Paris, perfectly toasted, great use of herbs, nicely done béchamel, and quality ingredients, and was served piping hot with a side salad. I impressed with the execution and the portion. Win. A must-try. Delicious.

2. The ambiance. Even the slightly irritated, tatted up, apron wearing barista was a good fit for the chipper industrial chic window cafe. The shiny, crisp display with an abundance of freshly made pastries was perfection.

3. The heating lamps. It actually fell below 65 today and walking down with Sophie, I had my doubts about how comfortable the outdoor seating situation would be. (They only have outdoor seating btw.) They have heating lamps. Stop. I can't even. I enjoyed my breakfast without frostbite.

They offer a range of hot breakfast items, sandwiches for lunch, and delicious looking pastries. I definitely recommend it for a quick bite to eat.

Afterwards, Sophs and I stopped at her favorite dog treat store, Blue Collar, to pick up a jerky treat, which she demolished before I even paid. They had been closed on our way down and she was quite disgruntled. Then we did a quick Elysian Park hike and here I am, doing some work/playing with the new instagram filters.

Roasted Garlic/Veg and Caramelized Onions with Spicy Italian Sausage Penne

I'm in a comfort food mood. (The real question is when am I not in a comfort food mood?) Yesterday my mom asked me to prepare something hearty for a late lunch and as the dutiful house-daughter, I was happy to oblige. Afterwards, Lauren and I hit up the Anaheim Packing District for ice cream sandwiches and girltalk. Quite a nice day all in all.

I sort of threw this together and it turned out surprisingly well. *Pats self on the back*.

The recipe: 
*for three to four people

- 1 zucchini, chopped up in bite sized pieces
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 eggplant, peeled and chopped up in bite sized pieces
- 1 red onion, sliced
- a couple of tablespoons of butter
- one large hot italian sausage, removed from casing
- one can of diced tomatoes
- 2 anchovies (optional, but yum)
- olive oil
- four or five big basil leaves, julienned
- a small, small handful of parsley, minced for garnish
- penne pasta, 3-4 large handfuls (for three people)
- chili flakes, thyme, oregano, black pepper, salt

Directions:

1. Throw the sliced onion on low-medium heat with salt and pepper and butter in heavy saucepan until caramelized (15-20 mins)
2. Roast garlic cloves, zucchini and eggplant with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili flakes (400 degree until soft, about 20-30 mins) -> you may have to flip over the veg halfway through to cook evenly
3. In a large saucepan, put in about three tablespoons of olive oil with basil on low heat. Let the basil infuse into the oil for about 10 minutes.
4. Toss in Italian sausage and anchovies and sear with basil oil on medium/high heat.
5. Once this is done, add the can of tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes (medium heat)
6. Toss in caramelized onions and roasted veg and garlic and a few dashes of chili flakes, oregano, and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat.
7. Toss with penne and garnish with parsley.

*My family eats more sauce than pasta, so you may need to adjust the recipe to fit that. :)

"Healthy" Whole Wheat Coconut Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips + A Magic Trick to Ripen Bananas

This weekend was so fun, between beer tasting with my mom, sushi with Lauren, Seven Grand with Becky to celebrate Kayla's birthday, hiking with the pups, the LA IPA Festival at Mohawk Bend (yum Ladyface and Smog City), partying in Echo Park with Rob and co., brunch at Modern Eats, a play, "Stage Beauty," with Lauren and the fam, drinks at the Old Ship and other merriment, I needed a day off to decompress. 

 I've been really enjoying everything right now, even though finding the right fit for work is a bit difficult. I've been trying to slow down my days and figure what I'm really meant to do. Anyway, I've been craving banana baked things. So I woke up this morning and decided to make banana bread BUT we didn't have any ripe bananas.


Have no fear! 

PRO-TIP: I popped the four bananas in the oven at 300 degrees for roughly 40 mins, until they were blackened on the outside, and mushy on the inside.  Let cool before mixing in to the bread.

Whole Wheat Coconut Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
* Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
4 bananas, mashed
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 bag chocolate chips

Directions:

- Mix up the dry ingredients

- Mix the wet ingredients

- Mix together everything, don't beat too much otherwise the gluten makes the bread tough

- Put in greased 9x5 pan (I used coconut oil)

- Bake at 325 degrees for 75 minutes, until knife came out clean

- Let cool

- Slice and inhale

Grey Day Comforts + a Bacon Recipe

The last few days have been an emotional roller coaster. Between making hard choices about what I want to do with my life, discovering new things about people in my life and what to do with that information, and trying to get Sophie to pee in the rain, it has been a long week. Margs with Christina, a delicious dinner at Tar and Roses with Alene, and finally being sworn in as a licensed attorney have certainly been cushioning the dreariness however along with truffle goat cheese pizza making and hiking with Jacy and Evan.

[I would like to add that I have been feeling disillusioned and disappointed with both the Ferguson and Garner cases as well as with UVA revelations. However, this blog has never been my venue to discus my political and social beliefs. It is important, however, for me to acknowledge that these events have affected me deeply.]

But on to other things. I want to practice a bit more gratitude in looking at the things in my life that are good and sharing them with you :)

1. My Bacon Sandwich Brunch

I've been enjoying my mornings with my mom, over good coffee and discussions about politics, which sometimes get a bit heated. It's also my opportunity to cook, since Jas doesn't invade the kitchen until later in the day. Today, I made the following breakfast sandwich, which was delicious - it has rosemary, chili bacon, with sriracha mayo, lettuce, a fried egg, grilled onions and melted aged English cheddar cheese.

Recipe (if you can call it that):
- Sriracha mayo: 1 tbsp of mayo mixed with sriracha to taste
- Bacon (fried in fresh rosemary and chili flakes until crispy)
- Fried egg (obviously over-easy)
- French bread, toasted with your favorite cheese
- Onions, fried in the bacon fat
- Some organic, washed lettuce (arugula would be great too)

Assemble. Inhale.

2. Reading Longread's Best of 2014.
Great long-form narratives. I've especially liked "The Murders at the Lake" by Michael Hall. It's totally like Serial except in magazine form. Also, Like Malone's "You’re 16. You’re a Pedophile. You Don’t Wantto Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do Now?" It's a sympathetic look at individuals who are often reviled. It is sensitively done and interesting. Definitely a must-read.

3. Being inspired by ClosetVisit at the recommendation of my friend Machiko. 
It's become my addiction and style inspiration. The blog documents the style, closets, homes and inspiration of interesting and trendsetting women, including film directors, travel bloggers, designers and photographers.

4. Beverages of all kinds.

This sounds dumb, but omg, this week has been winning. I've had a host of high quality and comforting drinks this week. You must try the:

- Lavender-whiskey cocktail at The Edison
- The mocha at Modern Eats (a new brunch place, which also has amazing fennel sausage)
- The coffee at Woodcat Coffee in Echo Park. I thought this cafe was silly for opening up down the street from Stories, but the quality is superb and the vibe super chill.
- The Breathe Easy tea from Traditional Medicinals to ward off any winter blues.

5. The coming weeks.

Despite my uncertain future, the next few weeks are looking fun and relaxing, with the IPA Fest tomorrow at Mohawk Bend, birthday celebrations in DTLA tonight for my friend Kayla, holiday parties, brunch plans with my former co-clerks, baking days and girls' nights. I'm trying to take the advice of my mom and family friend Katherine, that I should soak up this low-key time and enjoy myself. Which is exactly what I plan on doing.

xx