When everything is upside and topsy turvy

Things are settling now, but not in the way I expected. Living in Echo Park, especially with Machiko, is amazing however. Our mornings are full of hiking, smoothies, eggs in a cast iron skillet, psychoanalysis, and foam rolling. Evenings are Farmer's Market inspired spreads with fresh flowers, Evan's sous chef-ness, puppy cuddles and synth pop.

I am happy with that. And I am happy with my job. And I am happy that I have the time and flexibility to focus on being happy, healthy and mindful and being able to focus on side projects.

A lot of this introspection has been brought to the forefront by Starting Bloc, an amazing institute I attended earlier this month. I learned that I oscillate, almost maniacally between being so available to people that I burn out and swing toward isolation and introversion. I'm learning to find more balance and identify which relationships I need to invest in and prioritize.

But before I get too maudlin, I have to say this month has been and will continue to be full of amazing, memorable and life-giving experiences.

Two weeks ago, my mom, bro and I met our family in Vegas for a long over-due reunion. Jas and my cousin Jag are carbon copies of each other - chill, laid-back, sensitive men, while Neen, Karen and I are bombastic nurturers with a penchant for margaritas. And seeing my mom with her sister was beyond amazing and warming and wonderful and inspiring and lovely - as was seeing them at a club with us and watching people twerk. [Also we loved Hakkasan, Julian Serrano, and Mon Ami Gabi - thanks friends for the recs].

Machiko, Cassi and I also hosted our first D12 at the new apartment, which went well with homemade bruschetta and hummus; pasta salad with fireroasted peppers, kalamata olives, tomatoes and cucumbers; kale salad with cara cara oranges, feta and avocado; and rosemary, garlic, lemon chicken.

After, I was reunited with my O-Staff loves, some of whom I hadn't seen in four or five years. They are still my family and put up with so much from me, including abbrevs, dog obsessions, coaching me through my first years of college and being my support system through my toughest times. I am overwhelmed by the gratitude and love I felt for them on Saturday and I hope I see them all sooner rather than later.


I also got to see Larissa and her adorable Princess P. Larissa was my sounding board for a lot this weekend and helped me really focus in on my next steps for this year. It also helps that she is the funniest and warmest person like ever.

Other things to look forward to:
Birthday celebrations!
Sara B is visiting me this weekend!
Mammoth!
More Vegas!
Sylvan Esso and Jose Gonzalez shows!
(And cuddling Sophie at the end of each and every day)

 Also some inspiring words that have been helping me focus on bettering myself, especially re: interpersonal relationships:

- I cannot give you power, I can only give you the space to assumer your own power.

- "Doing what one wants to do because one wants to do it is hard for a lot of people, but I think it’s particularly hard for women. We are, after all, the gender onto which a giant Here To Serve button has been eternally pinned. We’re expected to nurture and give by the very virtue of our femaleness, to consider other people’s feelings and needs before our own. I’m not opposed to those traits. The people I most admire are in fact nurturing and generous and considerate. Certainly, an ethical and evolved life entails a whole lot of doing things one doesn’t particularly want to do and not doing things one very much does, regardless of gender.

But an ethical and evolved life also entails telling the truth about oneself and living out that truth." Cheryl Strayd, Dear Sugar columnist

- "Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace." Amelia Earhart

- Choose joy.

FOUR 30 Minute Meals and Some Pro-Tips

If my lack of posting on the blog is any indication, my life has changed dramatically since starting work at the firm. Machiko and I wake up around 5:30/6, go on a walk/hike with Sophie, make tea, smoothies and breakfasts, and I'm out the door at 7:10 to make it court. On non-court days, I get to take a longer hike with them and maybe catch a couple of minutes of my podcasts, before heading out. I work, come home, walk Sophie for another 45 minutes and start prepping dinner.

(Writing that, I've suddenly become acutely aware of how boring my life is.) The system Machiko and Evan and I have worked out is pretty great. Essentially, we split grocery shopping with Machiko picking up produce (potatoes - sweet and yukon, kale, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and anything on sale lol) and interesting protein options (i.e. beef bones, pork belly) and Evan getting the trader joes staples (cheeses, wines, sweets and dough) and me picking up the specialty items day-of when I figure out what I'm going to make us. We try to eat only organic and lean toward lighter meals, although the recipes below feature lots of protein :)

So I come home, make dinner and Machiko and Evan do the cleanup. Boom. This is all memorialized in my Instagram posts. Since we started this, quite a few people have asked how I come home and manage to cook dinner for the three of us, especially considering the time it takes to prep, cook and execute a meal. 

In reality, it takes about 20-30 mins to complete the following meals (not including cooking time). Part of this is that I've planned the menu ahead of time, my kitchen is clean and organized, I know how to slice and dice quickly, and I almost never follow recipes (they take too much time.) I have to thank my mom for the fooducation. We never ate processed foods growing up and rarely got take out, so cooking is just obvious to me. Like brushing my teeth or making coffee. 

You just learn along the way what flavors go together, how long to cook certain types of food, etc. Of course, one always has failures. For instance, last night I tried to make a guava serrano chile sauce for my tilapia. It was AWFUL. Like disgusting. Like Evan had to immediately throw away the barf-inducing contents. I'd never prepared guavas like that (softened with onion and garlic) and apparently, you cannot do that. But the rest of the meal consisted of easy staples - quinoa (cooked in organic chicken broth) and roasted sweet potatoes, Bar Ama style alongside the coconut crusted tilapia.

Although I usually post recipes separately, I thought I'd do a roundup of the best meals we've had in the last couple of weeks where there was a special something elevating the meal from basic to luxurious. 

MEAL 1: Coconut Crusted Tilapia with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Seasoned Quinoa.

Coconut Crusted Tilapia:

- Get fresh deboned tilapia fillets (We like the fish at Gelsons)

- Rinse and pat dry

- Prepare three flat plates with a lip.

- In the first, put in a 1/3 cup all purpose flour with a heavy dose of pepper and paprika

- In the second, whisk up two eggs

- In the last, mix 1/3 cup flour with a 1/3 unsweetened coconut flakes.

- Take a fillet, coat in flour, then dip in the egg, and then coat in the coconut mixture

- PRO-TIP: use tongs, bc it gets gummy; also just flip the fillets in the mixtures rather than spooning the mix on top.

- Do for all the fillets

- Heat up your choice of oil in a pan on medium (preferably one with a higher smoking point.)

- Once oil is hot, meaning you should hear a strong sizzle when you place the fillet in, place fillet in middle of the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until each side is golden brown. 

- Fish should be flaky and butter

- Serve with a sprinkle of salt and cilantro and a wedge of lime.

MEAL 2:  Cast Iron Skillet Burrata Pizza with Balsamic Onion Jam, Fresh Basil, and Roma Tomatoes on a Garlic Herb Crust

Balsamic Onion Jam:
* I get tired of tomato sauce on my pizza, so I whipped up some really quick onion jam to use at the base sauce.
- Take one big white onion and thinly slice
- Sautee onion in olive oil on medium until wilted and translucent - around 5-7 minutes
- Pour in a couple of tablespoons of balsamic (we used one flavored with elderberry)
- Cover, lower heat, and let cook down for 20 minutes
- You may have uncover and let the liquid cook off so its more jammy and easy to spread on the crust
- Use this as a spread over the unbaked pizza crust and cover with toppings

Meal 3: Ribeye Steak with a Green Salad, Parmesean Mashed Potatoes and a Veggie mix of Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Garlic and Onions

 Parmesan Mashed Potatoes:
*To be honest, I'm not a meat and potatoes girl, but I was craving comfort food and so I whipped this up.
- Take four big potatoes, peel and quarter
- Boil until you can poke them with a fork
- Drain and mash
- Add 1/2 cup grated parm, 1/4 cup heavy cream and olive oil and mix up. You can add more oil or cream to get the consistency you like
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Chop up some italian parsley and mix in before serving.

MEAL 4: Honey Whisky Pork Ribs Served with an Avocado Green Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette and Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes 

Honey Whiskey Pork Ribs:
* This was a bit of a cheat. Generally I cook ribs for 3-4 hours in a dutch oven until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. But I'm in a time crunch in the evenings, so I stole my mom's Nuwave and whipped these up in less than 40 minutes (INCLUDING COOK TIME).
- Rinse and pat dry pork ribs (always do this with protein to freshen the taste).
- Rub in salt and pepper and family spice blend (cumin, cayenne, garlic, ginger, etc).
- Douse with your BBQ sauce (I used a generic honey whisky base sauce, then added soy sauce, (more) honey, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper since we had those things on hand and not much else).
- Place in NuWave, drop on a bit more sauce over top.
- On high heat, roast for 12 minutes
- Turn over and roast for another 12 minutes
- Serve with BBQ sauce
- PRO TIP: If you do have a NuWave, put chopped peeled beets and sweet potatoes in the drip pan so that the pork juices and sauce flavor the veg - two dishes in one!

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. :)