I don’t say something is “the best” very lightly! I found this amazing recipe on tik tok with 447.3k likes and it does NOT disappoint! The only thing I do different is I use this vegan oyster sauce (I’m allergic to shellfish and this is the best tasting vegan version I’ve tried), I salt and pepper to taste instead of use the salt quantities he recommends (too salty for my taste) and I use bone in chicken thighs so I get that yummy crispy skin. See below!
Also, I’ll add some broccoli since I’m an adult and don’t eat a meal without a fruit or vegetable. 🤣Look how the sauce caramelizes.
And my kids are as obsessed as I am. That is the true test of a repeat worthy meal for me!
I’ve tried the cucumber recipe they also suggest but didn’t like it. I really love this one instead.
I’ve made this may times! Above is with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Let me know if you try it and what you think!
Just had a friend over tonight for a weight lifting workout, dinner, reflexology session (my treat), and craniosacral treatment (her treat)! We fit in so much tonight!
Anyways we had a yummy noodle stir fry (below) and it reminded me that my bestie recommended –
The best tasting vegan oyster sauce
This vegan oyster sauce has just become a sudden family favorite. Nate will drench the entire dish with more after I’ve already made the meal. You literally have to just saute garlic, onion, and any meat and any veggies and then add this sauce and it’s magical. My kids love it too. Definitely glad I listened to my bestie when she pointed it out on our latest visit to Town and Country. It just makes every stir fry over the top amazing.
An amazing Chat Gpt recipe we have on repeat- sour cream aioli
I’ve written about a garlic broth I drink anytime I feel off that keeps me from getting sick. Well, Nate won’t drink that, so so give him this aioli! It has three raw garlic cloves just like my broth, so it too does the trick! I add it to rice bowls like the above picture or you can dunk sweet potato fries in it or any vegetable fritter. Delish! Even yummier than mayo based aioli.
My go to homemade tortilla recipe
This recipe is so easy and simple and addicting! If I have the time, I always prefer a homemade tortilla. I also swear by this tortilla warmer.
I love talking food! Do you have any favorite random foodie finds? I’d love to know!
Tonight at a real estate investor’s meetup with my friend
I’m on my period! Hurrah 😒 I’ve been taking a lot of naps this week, because, I remind myself, on my period, I can treat napping as a sport. See below! Here are a few things that I’ve found helpful during that time of the month.
My body doesn’t want to fast when I’m pmsing
I once talked to a friend who said something that stuck with me. She said, “I’ve just come to accept that it’s always going to be harder to stick to my good eating habits when I’m pmsing. Well, it turns out that our body needs to feast during that time, so that makes sense! (See above) Now that I know this about the body, I can eat more during my luteal phase, guilt free.
Friends don’t gatekeep! Here’s what I’m so glad I’ve learned from other foodie friends.
The website that lets you bypass paywalls
This app or this website- justtherecipe.com
This is one of those things that feels illegal to know about, but it works! Every single foodie I’ve told about this website/app has been extremely grateful. Goodbye NYT cooking subscription or Bon appetit paywall! My bestie told me about this and it just feels like the coolest magic trick! Just copy and paste your paywalled link to this website or app and the paywall magically disappears. Try it!
The most important cooking class to take according to my chef friend
The best investment to my years of cooking has been to take a knife skills class! I had a friend who was a chef and worked at Whole Foods. At the time, Nate and I didn’t have kids yet and we were really into taking cooking classes together as a date. One day, I asked her which class she recommended and she said “If there was only one class I could recommend you take, it would be a knife skills class because it will speed up your time in the kitchen and make cooking more enjoyable.” She was so right! Now, more than 10 years later, I’m so glad I took that class, and I think of her every time I cut a bell pepper or chop up some herbs.
My favorite pan
This is a 14 inch pan my brother just gifted me for my bday. Did you know that a 14 pan even existed? I did not! Now I don’t have to cook my Brussels sprouts in batches! My largest pan was a 12 inch before this one and now I’ve got 2 more inches all the way around to stuff more food! And yes, we’ve been lied to again- ceramic nonstick pans are not good.
Thanks for reading! What are you cooking these days? I’d love to know!
There’s usually a stop to a local thrift store to try on clothes
If you have a best friend who lives nearby like I do, this is an idea for making sure to get away every so often. We get together with our kids and with our families, but there’s nothing like a getaway with just the two of us or us and a couple more girl friends roadtripping to nearby small towns to do our favorite common hobby- puttering. Puttering through quaint towns, we’ve realized, is best done sans hubby and kids who are never quite as enthusiastic with the hobby of puttering. You feel rushed by hubby, you see. You worry your kids will touch delicate ceramics and break them or run through the store, suddenly wanting to play tag indoors. Puttering is best done with other ladies who also enjoy a leisurely putter. 🤣
The details of an SOS
Portland is a great place to putter! We love South Division street which is where it all started.
SOS stands for Help! Get me out of here! I need a break away from all my responsibilities! The rules and details can vary, but for us, it happens 4 times a year, once every season. We have an SOS every winter, spring, summer and fall. We try to roadtrip to nearby towns.We have gone to cute towns like San Antonio, Portland, Gig Harbor, and Poulsbo. It can be one night, two nights, or just a day trip. The point is to have some alone time with lady friends, or your bestie, so you come home feeling refreshed in a way that you can only feel refreshed hanging out with your girl friends.
What to do during an SOS
These are some great activities for an SOS, but of course, tailor it to the needs and wants of your girl friends-
Eat food your husbands don’t usually pick- ours are typically Indian and Mediterranean My closest friends are all foodies so we like to eat on our SOS trips – this place is southern food at Southern Kitchen in Tacoma, which we love! High tea is as girly as you can possibly get! Try something you guys have never had before. This is called a khachapuri, a Georgian cheese-filled bread, topped with a baked egg and butter.Peruse some bakeries. Find a cool new ice cream spot- this is Indigo Cow’s Hakkaido milk waffle milk Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako MBR Find the fanciest local grocery and look for an ice cream flavor you’ve never had before (love this flavor!) and indulge in a girl meal (bread, cheese, beef jerky, salami, chocolates etc) late at night watching Bridgerton, drinking wine until 2am. Find an amazing brunch spot! This is Ida Claire’s in San Antonio where they make their butter in house! Get dressed up and hit a bar for some fun drinks and apps.
There’s so much more you can do- check out art galleries, thrift stores, plant shops, get gelato, go to every cute gift store in town etc. The point is to get away for at least a day and not cook, not clean, and if you stay overnight, stay up as late as you want talking and catching up, sleep in as late as you want, not make your bed, and truly get a day off from your responsibilities as mother and wife.
It’s the best! Do you do something like this? Would you try something like this? I’d love to know!
P.s we highly recommend spending some time on your road trip on Spotify or Pandora listening to a station that plays songs from your teenage years! We loved 90’s pop on and Pandora.
I wonder if you’ve ever had this dilemma- you’re not an actual cowboy/cowgirl so you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on a cowboy hat but you do have that cowboy themed company party to go to or that line dancing girl’s night out, and you want to be decked out wearing the right accessories. That was our dilemma! So Nate and I did a bunch of research and came up with these hats that fit perfectly (for men and women). I’ve found that a 11cm tall and no taller hat is just perfect as far as hat heights go, so it doesn’t look silly.
Also line dancing with the ladies is my favorite girl’s night out if you need a good reason to party! We have a place near our house that does lessons, and it is a blast.
I am such an underbuyer that I will not buy more beauty products until I have completely run out of a product. I was due for a new blush, and being super frugal and also super lazy, I wanted something that would double for lip and cheek and had some staying power so I didn’t have to reapply several times a day. The problem I’ve had with many lip and cheek stains is that they give too much color. This color works really great if you know your season in color analysis, and you’re a summer or a winter. I would not go with this particular shade if you’re a spring or autumn. Choose a color that is warmer.
I like almost everything I try from Costco. I reason that I will probably like anything from a bulk store because enough people have loved it enough for it to make it to a bulk store in the first place.
But there are only a few things I love. When I say love, I mean I will get actual cravings for a specific item. I have tried many yakisoba noodles in my 44 years on this planet, from restaurant to store bought, and these noodles are my absolute fav. It doesn’t come with a protein, so I usually just add chicken, beef, or friend tofu. If I’m feeling extra one day, I’ll drizzle some fish sauce on it. Omg my mouth is watering, and it’s close to lunch time.
Anyways that’s it for today! Thanks for reading! Do you have any favorite cowboy gear, beauty products, or Costco finds? I’d love to know!
Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I’m going on a hike with my dog and buddy since it’s a rare day of full sun in the winter, and I’m seeing my brother on Sunday. There will probably be some board games with the family. I love a relaxing, low key weekend. Here are a few things I’ve been up to lately.
Cupping for back pain
I’ve had back pain in this area since breastfeeding my oldest son since I started sleeping on my side and my belly. Cupping has been the most effective way to treat my pain! Have you ever tried it? I learned about it when I worked at an acupuncturist clinic in college and one of my best friends bought me this cupping set for a wedding gift. Although I learned the traditional method using fire and alcohol, this set is safer and uses suction. I’ve been using this set regularly for 15+ years.
The idea behind cupping for pain relief is speeding up healing by increasing circulation and bringing old blood to the surface (hence the big hickey marks). The deeper purple the area, the more it needed it.
How I cut my hair at home in layers
I’ve never had a haircut at a salon worthy of the price tag. So, in an effort to save money, I’ve been cutting my hair at home. First I have my oldest son, Noah cut the back in a straight line (see him hiding behind me?).
Then I stand in front of my mirror and using the top of my shower curtain as my guide, I follow this video to cut my hair in layers. That’s it!
The healthy meal my kids are obsessed with
This meal might be categorized under “weird meals I ate growing up that are completely normal at our house” 😝
All I do is take firm tofu, cut it up in rectangles, dry it with a towel and dip them in avocado oil. Then I airfry these pieces for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until they are crispy, turning them at the 15 minute mark.
When they are done, I cut them up Into slices and serve with boiled or steamed green beans, brown rice, and soy sauce and lemon to dip in. The boys are obsessed with this meal!
Are there any weird, healthy meals you serve your kiddos? I’d love to know!
A Filipino friend used to make me her chicken adobo and it was the best I had ever had. Of course I had to ask her to spill her secrets! So, this is what I learned! Btw, this is the base recipe I use with these four tweaks below.👇🏼
1. Use seasoned rice vinegar instead of distilled white vinegar
Other chicken adobo recipes I had tried were too salty. This little switch makes a huge difference in balancing out the saltiness of the soy sauce. It’s perfection!
2. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar or coconut palm sugar during the last 5 minutes
Other chicken adobo recipes I had tried were too watery. Adding this tablespoon of sugar at the very end makes for a thicker, more caramelized sauce. I swear if you do this, you’ll never go back!
3. Put the whole black peppercorn in a metal tea bag
I love the flavor that the whole black peppercorn gives to the dish, but I hate having to fish out whole peppercorn while I’m eating. This solves the problem! Since it’s metal, it can cook with the dish.
1. Serve with eggplant
My friend started me on this too. Eggplant pairs really well with this dish! I just pan fry it and add a little bit of brown sugar and this soup base until the eggplant is caramelized. Serve everything with brown rice!
Happy Monday! Sunday I had my “regular” with my brother Allan. We had vegan Chinese food, and went to Goodwill, Costco, and the library. It felt like a lazy day for sneaks and comfy joggers. I’m kinda obsessed with my new red hat. ☺️
As someone who wears hats a lot, I’ve noticed the way to make them look right is to make sure the top of your head is touching the top of your hat here-
This is to make sure the hat doesn’t look too tall.
The lazy salad I make almost weekly
You know you’re a woman of a certain age when your favorite salad dressing is a combo of olive oil and red wine vinegar. 🤣
I crave some variation of this salad almost weekly. This is for one serving- like a big bowl for one. All it has is
5ish slivers (must be slivers so it’s not too much of a bite) of red onion
Equal parts of any of the following, whatever I have on hand- garbanzo beans, chopped parsley, tomatoes halved (best is on the vine cherry tomatoes), hearts of palm, cucumbers, red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, or marinated artichoke hearts
A capful of olive oil
A capful of red wine vinegar
15 turns of freshly grated salt (or more)
15 turns of freshly grated pepper
Amazing with any meat dish and rice. My favorite is fried fish.
A case for having more than one child
My brothers Dee and Allan and I
I know not every couple is able to have more than one child, but if you are, please hear me out.
My father was just in the hospital with a host of problems after a bad fall he took last month. My brother Allan, in the medical field, was a much needed resource navigating this. My brother Dee, who works remotely, was able to drop everything in the states at a moment’s notice to fly to the Philippines to physically be with my dad. I’m mostly useless here, so the only job I had was to call and make follow up appointments for my dad. We have been on WhatsApp a lot over the last few weeks discussing all the details. My mom also needs 24 hour care.
It’s already so very stressful and emotionally exhausting to have a parent in the hospital, and I can’t imagine doing any of this without the support of my brothers. There are two of them and three of us.
So, please consider that if you only have one child, there is only one of them and there will be two of you to care for when you’re elderly. This is not something I have thought about until just now with my father’s stint in the hospital, but it has gotten me thinking about just how grateful I am to have my siblings to talk to, share with, and maneuver any health issues my parents go through. So, if you’re a couple with only one child and are debating about whether or not to have any more, please take this into consideration. I know there are many reasons to have one child or more than one child. This is just another case for the latter.
How was your weekend? Nate and I stayed up late watching the new Netflix movie, “People We Meet on Vacation,” which I highly recommend especially if you love a slow burn kinda romance. I haven’t loved a movie/show in a while, so this was refreshing to watch. Here are a few other things I’m obsessed with currently!
The nail polish for anyone who is a summer or winter in color analysis
I am super, super picky when it comes to nail colors. I will choose one and wear it and only it for years. I have also gotten super, super lazy about my nails and can’t be bothered with anything dark because the chipping happens so soon and is so obvious. For a while I was doing gel nail polish with this awesome kit that lasted for a couple weeks, but I have currently reached a new level of lazy with my nails and cannot even be bothered with a UV light. My friend Amber was helping me choose between two at the drug store, and this one was her pick. I love it sooo soo much! It’s perfect if you are a summer or winter as it has a cool toned silver and pink hue. It’s subtle enough to not look absolutely terrible when it chips, and feels natural like clear nail polish with the added benefit of being opaque enough to hide dirt under a growing nail. I’m OBSESSED.
The only way to store garlic
This is my brother, Allan’s point! We have this silly inside joke every time we have made a suggestion to the other person and the other person ends up taking the suggestion. The suggester gets a “point.” This point system is for bragging rights, but nobody actually knows how many points anyone has. 🤣
Anyways, back to garlic. I’ve stored garlic different ways over the years that were not ways I’d recommend. Cut up and pre minced garlic in a bottle never tasted as good as fresh, and fresh garlic in the bulbs would end up growing stalks and shriveling up. Also no bueno. So Allan suggested buying garlic raw but pre peeled and freezing it!
I am obsessed because unbeknownst to me, when you take out frozen and peeled garlic from the freezer, it dethaws on its own in less than a minute, I swear! After a minute, you can take a chef’s knife and it’s soft enough to smash into a buttery paste.
The perfect solution! Lasts forever, tastes fresh, has no added preservatives, and easy to use. No more smashing and peeling raw garlic! I love to buy the bulk peeled and raw garlic from Costco and freezing it.
Trust me, when you start storing and buying garlic this way, you’ll never go back!
The Korean dish I’m always craving in the winter
If you’re local to the Seattle area, I love this dish from Stone Korean Restaurant
I was watching this beautiful, subtle romantic drama called “Past Lives,” which I highly recommend if you like a nuanced, slow moving, emotional love story. The American husband’s favorite Korean dish was yukgaejang, so being a foodie, I had to stop the movie and write it down! The next time my brother and I had our Sunday regular meetup, I had to try the dish. Now I get regular cravings for this dish, and it feels weird that I didn’t know about this dish for 43 years! It’s a hearty beef brisket stew with vegetables and scallions and it goes perfect with banchan and a rainy day.
Anyways happy Monday, thanks for reading!
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