The art of traveling

Unfortunately with traveling there is always going to be flight delays, missed connections, lost baggage, missed flights, and all the etc run ins. Basically it's best to plan the day of arrival loosely. I made the mistake of trying to cram happy hour and a Xmas show with my parents which I missed. 

It was quite stupid really, the flight was delayed by 30 minutes and I could have made it if they did not have to de-ice the plane. I was thus late by 5 minutes and even though I huffed and puffed my way catching the last tram to the gate, it was futile and the gate read CLOSED. It makes me very nauseous when put in those situations where I know I have about a 5 minute window to hustle or else the chain of events drastically change.

I was now to be stuck at the airport for 6 hours. Ugh!!! 

Miss not seeing my friends. Miss the xmas show that my parents already booked. It's such a pain in the stomach, and everywhere else. I just absolutely abhor dealing with such dismal weather which delays and makes everything else so dangerous. Unnecessary stress.

Anyway I am thankful that I am safe as my one friend who I was supposed to meet for happy hour assured me. 

The art of powerful thinking

When I was in track in high school, my coach would tell me that everything was 75% mental and the rest was physical. I remember an instance when my parents finally came to my first and last meet. I begged for them to watch me run, and finally they showed up one day after 3 years of being in the team. My mother was getting impatient bc our race was delayed and ended up leaving to go back to the car. My dad said he couldn't wait anymore either and they both left. My heart sunk and 20 minutes later I was on the track, crouched on the starting blocks, the bang of the gun, and I took off running. The sorrow I felt, heavy in my heart, bursted and I exploded across the track, beating my personal record, little tears streaming down my face. I was proud, but not really at the same time. I carried my first place ribbon and caught a ride back on the bus.

"How did you do?"

"I got first. " In my head, I knew it was the power of disappointment that drove me to soar to the finish line. I did wonder how things may have panned out had they stayed. Would the power of impressing them move me as fast as the rage I had? I'll never really know because they never came to another race. 

Now, sometimes challenges can help with success in my childhood story. Challenges test our strength to prevail and to work with the circumstance and knowing how to adapt. Knowing that certain things won't ever change in the case of my parents, they never came to another one of my track races or marathons. But I learned it was okay. 

Peppers

As a rule of thumb, always wear gloves when cutting any sort of pepper. Unless you are absolutely sure that it is a regular bell pepper. Today I underestimated the power of  Hungarian pepper thinking that it was a cubanelle pepper. My fingers and hands were unbearably "hot" 3 hours post handling. I could not even enjoy my tasty dinner.

The only relief I got was from running cold water over my hands and of course time. Time heals all.

The art of beautiful food

Braised salmon with kale, heirloom cauliflower, pine nuts, currants

The art of not sharing drinks

My friend posted this article recently regarding a baby that had passed from a simple kiss.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2860038/They-took-tubes-got-nurse-passed-away-Parents-anguish-newborn-daughter-died-kissed-cold-sore.html

This brings to my attention the many times I've ordered a drink and my friends are curious about it and want to try it. I don't want to be rude, but I'm also deathly afraid of contracting herpes, hepatitis, colds, and other disgusting viruses.

And also it's rude when you don't offer when they inquire about your drink. The proper thing to do is to sip through the cup not the straw. 

Anyway here are some ways to avoid people sipping through your straw when you have a unique drink in your hand:

1. Don't drink anything unique 

2. Don't drink at all

3. Don't offer your drink to anyone

4. I'm fighting off a cold, sorry 

5. Let me get you a straw

New bed reloaded!

Our new bed arrived today and it was the best thing ever! I fell into a state of sleep that was so comforting like a baby being swaddled. And I drifted off into a dream world that was so serene. And I kept wanting to sleep as my alarm would sound off. You spend a third of your life sleeping, you might as well be comfortable doing it and not be waking up with aches and pains. Definitely worth the price! I would never ever go back to a volcano again! 

Letter Art Design

My friend made these the other day and I had no clue what they meant. I told him the pictures were interesting. Until he told me they were our names and I was blown away!!

Bone Marrow

I developed a love of roasted bone marrow when I had my first taste at Minetta Tavern in 2012. Since then, I would seek it out and order it anytime it was on the menu. It is just so luscious and delectable, spread upon a small toast paired with marmalade and sharp herbs. The best way to describe it is meat butter, but much more globby and scrumptious.

I moved to a desolate town away from the big cities. The closest restaurant worthy of dining was located more than 70 miles. Because of this, if I had a craving for something, I would have to make it on my own. Which is definitely not a bad thing. Saves money and perhaps it can be created better than any restaurant.

So today I went to our local farm market and found some chopped femur bones. I asked the butcher to slice then length-wise for me. He did and brought them back inquiring what I was using them for. "A lot of people use them for dogs because they're good for them." I said I was eating them, it's super tasty almost like a meat spread. And it was only $3.80 for a long femur bone sliced in 3 parts. 

Excited, I hurried home to start my creation.

I set my oven for 450 and bone married (bone side down) went for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I sautéed some brussel sprouts. To accompany it, I sautéed onions with sesame oil and agave nectar. I also toasted some multigrain bread. I prepped my rosemary salt and thyme to pair with the final spread. 20 minutes later...

Korean steamed egg-Gaeran Jim

I absolutely love steamed eggs and get excited everytime it comes out as a ban chan during Korean meals. My good friend Terrence and I would always go to this one Ktown spot after clubbing and get the same dishes. We both admitted that we secretly came just for the steamed egg.

My Korean friends recently told me how I could make it in the microwave and it blew my mind on how quick and easy it was! 

Ingredients:

2 eggs (I prefer cage free organic brown eggs bc I'm just bougie like that or maybe I've been played into the whole health craze in a brainwash.)

1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

1/8 cup of flax milk

2 dashes of sesame seeds

4 diced green beans (raw)

In a heat safe bowl, whisk the eggs and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Microwave for 3 minutes. It will be very hot so use a pot holder to remove and to rest the bowl.

This healthy savory treat can be eaten any time of the day! It definitely can curb your hunger until the next real meal. Enjoy!! 

Here is another version of the steamed egg without the green beans, yum! 

The art of small talk

With holiday parties, along comes the joy of small talk with people you will never see again. It's the worst when you run out of things to say and unfortunately with no where to run, so you're stuck staring awkwardly at their face. So here are a few techniques I use to keep conversations going.

1. Find something you like about their outfit or accessory.

I like that pink cheetah purse! Meeorew!! You will be returned with at least a smile. 

Bossé will even point out the fattest vein he sees on someone's hand and say, "Oooh that's a nice vein. I can get access to you no problem!"

2. Although boring, you can always pull out the where did you grow up or what do you do for work? 

3. If the holidays are around the corner, ask if they have plans for travels or parties? If not, tell them about your own plans. 

I'm taking my parents to a farm stay where we will collect eggs from chickens, milk cows, churn butter and do other farm chores. What do you think about that!? 

4. Discuss the current event. Like great that you're here! How do you know the host or hostess? 

Avoid: Do u come here often? (Patti stanger adamantly preaches this.) 

Ginger Beer

Both Bossé and I love ginger beer. Nonalcoholic, delicious, and it guzzles down your throat with a mild burn. We have tried several different brands including Reed's, Barritts, Fever Tree, Stoli, Bundaberg, Fentimans, Gosling's, Regatta, Cock N' Bull. Our favorite is Fever Tree for its taste, bubbles, burn, and most importantly the bits of remnants at the bottom of the bottle. 

We have purchased copper mugs to create our own Moscow mules which consists of one part vodka, three parts ginger beer, ice filled to the top, and squeezed lime. Sometimes I make it part greyhound with a splash of grapefruit juice.

I now want to undergo the challenge of making my own ginger beer:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Homemade-Ginger-Beer-357980

Here is my final product after storing away the combination of ingredients for 36 hours. I used my juicer to make the ginger juice instead of grating the ginger to save time and to avoid the hassle of straining! Another important thing is to release some of the carbonation by unscrewing the lid slightly and let it fizzled and then tighten again. This is to avoid explosion when you finally open the whole lid! We don't want any casualties! I'll update on its taste, right now it's sitting in the fridge chilling for 12 hours. 

The art of blogging

It's been almost 10 years since I had a blog because I used to be loose lipped and would tirade on topics that would raise controversy. Eventually it caught up with me and I was threatened with a lawsuit for libel. I argued with the first amendment and it just got extremely ugly and messy. 

Now after going through many experiences in my life including many moves, job changes, and dealing with a multitude of volatile situations..I've learned to think differently about life challenges.

My friend had posted that quote and I found that it embodies my reflection on how to carry oneself on a daily basis. Well, minus the church part. (Swindoll is a devout Christian while I find myself to be more spiritual.) 

Moving to a city without friends or family was difficult for me. But it taught me the importance of learning to stay positive and channeling away the negative. You can't force anyone to act a certain way, but you can change the way you feel.

I also do admire  Bruce Lee and I will leave on this quote:

Goldilocks finds a new bed

I was having the worst sleep the past few months, waking up and finding myself slumped into a volcano, waking up with a twerked neck or shoulder, waking up bc my bed mate was tossing and snoring  and making the bed quiver. Humph! "Enough was enough," declared Goldilocks!! It was time to visit the 3 bears and to steal one of their beds!

Bossé and I first set off to Sleep Number which may be expensive, but seemed ideal because each of us can adjust our side of the bed to the way we felt most comfortable. And also for me to elevate Bossé so he would stop snoring. I could see myself elevating him to a full 90 degrees if I was awoken and wanted to make sure the snoring would never return  for the night. 

We got absolutely no attention while we perused the different sleep numbers at the store. I suppose it was that weekend after Black Friday and all the sale associates were occupied. Personally, I didn't really want to have a sleep number mattress. I just wanted something firmer that wouldn't cause me to wake up with debilitating body aches or to be awoken from my bedmate getting off the bed causing me to bounce up and down. The $4000+ price tags and lack of attention caused us to depart shortly after laying on a few models. 

We returned to a store called Sleep Doctor one week later and was met with a very friendly manager named Sam Knap. I mean how unique is that to have the word nap in your name?! 

He gave us the basics of mattresses: springs, latex, sleep number, and tempurpedics. I wanted to do away with the springs completely since they were so old skool and were notorious for bad support. The latex made me feel that it could potentially become our current situation a few years down the road. The "sleep number" actually is a gimmick because there is a thick piece of foam lodged in the middle separating the 2 sides into areas smaller than twin sized beds. It also allowed room for malfunction which made us nervous. The tempurpedic though... 

I was drawn to the cloud immediately and sold within 10 minutes! I could not feel Bossé getting up or even walking around the mattress next to me. I was excited to have a comfortable night sleep without body aches. The tempurpedic also had excellent service and a 10 year warranty. With 2 free airflow pillows and a mattress moisture protector cover...Goldilocks had found a new place to rest soundly for many nights to come and more! 

Our new primadona cloud! 👸

Ugly Christmas Sweater

It's that time of the year again when Santa Clauses roam the city, Christmas lights adorn store fronts and homes, jolly Christmas jingles blasting everywhere you go, and ah yes..the annual office Christmas party. Now what to wear? The office chatter is filled with the females wanting to doll up and get dressed to the nines in heels, blow outs, dresses. I suggested that we do ugly sweaters to bring back Halloween in December. I was met back with shaking heads.

Chainsmokers put it best about owning it:

""At the heart of the release is a message that encourages fans to take control of self-identity.

"We look at the word 'Kanye' as an adjective," Pall says about the track. "The song is about what it means to be like Kanye. It's about just owning it no matter what you're doing. Whether you're on top of the world partying in a penthouse or you're driving an old car playing your favorite song, it's about enjoying the moment you're in and feeling like you're the king. You embrace that confidence."""

Nothing ever beats wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. I was going to make an ugly Christmas sweater for the first time and I will own it like no one else' business.

Bosse and I set off for Value-Land the biggest thrift shop in the city. I drove up to  the huge empty parking lot where I saw a small family racing across the lot, one in the cart with a mystery box and one pushing like he was fleeing from the cops. Interesting. I locked my door a couple times for good measure. Beep Beep.

We perused through the aisles finding all sorts of eccentric and outrageous outdated Christmas themed items. A snowman ornament, a few stockings, several Santa Clauses of multiple sizes but all unwieldy and in character, different versions of reindeer and Rudolph. Then I stumbled upon this super gnarly looking red fleece sweater with Christmas penguins on the front. What was even more special about this outfit was the name Sandra Commons written on the back collar in black sharpie. It reminded me of those sweaters that the elderly folk all wore in the convalescents homes I visit. Every resident had all their personal belongings marked or engraved with their names. It's not uncommon for another resident to absent-mindedly take someone else's stuff to use as their own...or perhaps it may even be their conscious ploy at times. After an hour, we had successfully acquired 20+ items in our scavenging and as we were getting rung up, we played Price is Right. Bosse guessed. "$15!" The cashier asked if either of us had a college ID. Since she asked, I whipped out one that I just happened to have from 2001. 10% off everything. "$9.38" No waaay. We were feeling especially giddy and ecstatic.

After a Kmart run for needles, Velcro, and fabric glue, we were ready to assemble our creations.

An hour later, our official ugly Christmas sweaters had come to life!!