Baked Crispy Chicken Wings

We went on a Big Bear cabin trip earlier this year and I was determined to find a way to make crispy chicken wings. However, I hate deep frying so I did a google search to see if I can find a way to bake the wings. Do the wings compare to wings you might get at a Buffalo Wild Wings or similar restaurant? Absolutely! These wings are easy, delicious, and perfectly crispy! Now I can enjoy one of my favorite comfort foods at home.

Recipe Adapted from Just A Taste

Ingredients:
~2 lbs chicken wings (about 20 wings, I prefer all "mid joint pieces")
Olive Oil
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic Powder

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a baking rack on top of it, set aside
3. Clean the wings and pat dry with paper towels, place in a bowl
4. Drizzle some olive oil on the wings (~ 1/2 to 1 tablespoon)
5. Lightly season with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
6. Toss the chicken wings to coat well and place them on the baking sheet, "pretty side down"

7. Bake for 25 minutes, flip all the wings over, and continue baking for another 25 minutes
8. The house will smell amazing and the wings will be perfectly crispy! Toss in your favorite wing sauce and enjoy! Today, I tossed mine in premade Frank's buffalo wings sauce.

Healthy Vegan Raw Carrot Cake Balls

My sister found this recipe on instagram and I am now a believer in healthy raw desserts! So delicious, so healthy, and so simple to make with only 4 ingredients. It tastes exactly like carrot cake! These are a good guilt-free alternative  when you are craving sweets and they also make a good pre-workout snack.

Recipe from @maja_lalalala on Instagram

Makes approximately 20 balls

Ingredients:
2 medium carrots grated
1 cup dates
1 cup nuts*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
about 2 tablespoons shredded coconut** (enough to coat the cake balls, I didn't really measure how much I used)

1. Peel and grate the carrots
2. Pit the dates
3. Combine shredded carrots, dates, nuts and cinnamon in a food processor. Mix until you have a sticky dough mixture.
4. Using a tablespoon, measure out the "dough" and roll it into a ball.
5. You can use ground cinnamon or shredded coconut to roll the balls in.
6. Voila! I hope you try this recipe so you can enjoy these delicious healthy bites!

*I used unsalted mixed nuts but I think any type of nuts would work for this recipe 
** The shredded coconut we got from Trader Joe's was too long and big so we put it in the food processor to make it smaller...this made a prettier coating for the cake balls 

Goodbye my friend

Earlier this week I lost a friend to cancer. I've been thinking about her every day since I found out. Throughout the day I would forget and then my thoughts would gravitate back to her. We were high school friends and roommates during our freshman year of college. I remember our conversations about love, our dreams, korean dramas, and Youtube beauty guru stuff. We didn't see each other often, maybe once every few months for a new foodventure or lunch at our favorite restaurants (Jazz Cat Cafe or Boiling Point) to catch up on each other's lives. More importantly, every time we hung out we are always able to pick up as if we talked all the time. We shared so many common interests and I admired her for developing not one, but two cool blogs. 

She was only 25. It shouldn't be this way. I keep thinking that I would get the news that she was in remission and that she would be ok. I can't believe that she's gone. I'm a nurse, I see devastating stuff all the time but this hits so close to home. My heart hurts for her and her family. She is one of the most optimistic and strong people I know. When she told me about her diagnosis, she never once asked why this was happening to her. She took it head on and was so full of life even after her surgery. She will continue to motivate me everyday. Because of her, I will strive to live life to the fullest and not keep putting things off to do later. 

Thank you for the memories, our foodventures, and your friendship. Rest in peace, Kristine.  

For the love of Bánh Mì! (Vietnamese sandwiches)

Bánh Mì or the Vietnamese sandwich is yummy goodness inside a bun with a perfect combination of fresh baked bread, Vietnamese deli meat, Vietnamese pickles, veggies, pate, and creamy bơ (Vietnamese mayonnaise)...aka heaven in a bite. This is a cheap eat easily bought but if you had time, you should try making this at home because it tastes 1000x better! I recently served bánh mì at my 25th birthday party but I cheated because my mom made the pickles and bơ. This weekend, I finally had the chance to experiment with making these and the result was delicious so I wanted to share it with you today.

If you have ever been to a bánh mì shop, you know that there are many types of bánh mì with different fillings. The one I have here today is my version of the cold cut special combo (bánh mì đặc biệt).

Ingredients for sandwiches:
French baguettes (I like mine on the soft side and I highly recommend you buying these freshly baked)
cilantro
cucumber
sliced jalapenos
headcheese (giò thủ)
Vietnamese sausage/pork roll (giò lụa )
pate spread
soy sauce

Ingredients for Vietnamese pickles đồ chua:
1 large daikon
4-5 carrots
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 cup vinegar

Ingredients for Vietnamese mayonnaise: 
3 eggs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Prepare the Vietnamese pickles because this tastes better pickled overnight.

• Shred the daikon and carrots into thin strips
• Wash the shreds with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 tablespoon salt. Without rinsing, drain the liquid and place the shreds in a colander and let it sit for about 5 minutes
• After 5 minutes wash the shreds with water in a vigorous manner by squeezing the portions tightly 
• Drain and firmly squeeze the shreds to remove all the water and set aside
• Prepare the brine. Use your judgement for how much brine to make versus how much shredded veggie you have. If it is not enough for the veggies you can double the recipe (which is what I ended up doing).
• Place 2 cups of warm/hot water in your container or jar. Mix with 1 cup sugar, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 tsp of salt.
• Place the veggie shreds into your container and set aside in the fridge. Đồ chua tastes better pickled at least overnight but you can enjoy it after a few hours if you wish. 
• The flavors improve with time and your pickles can last 4-6 weeks in the fridge. 

2. Prepare the Vietnamese mayonnaise. 

(recipe and photos courtesy of my mom at Junniebites)

• Mix 3 egg yolks with a hand mixer on low. Mix the egg yolks in one direction and slowly drizzle in the oil as you continue to mix.
• When the egg and oil mixture thickens to the consistent you would like add the onion powder, garlic powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. And there you have it, the best buttery, garlic-y and creamy Vietnamese mayonnaise...my favorite! 

3. Prepare your sandwich components.

• Slice your cucumbers in to thin strips.
• Slice your jalapenos.
• Thinly slice your Vietnamese cold cut meats.
• Wash your cilantro.

4. Put your sandwich together.

• Start with slicing your baguette in half length-wise.
• Spread pate on one side and bơ on the other.
• Fill the sandwich with your meat fillings.
• Fill your sandwich with pickled veggies, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeno.
• Drizzle a bit of soy sauce on top to taste.
• If you're feeling fancy, top with a fried egg. Highly recommended, very yummy. 

25!

Lien found some baby videos of us this past weekend. We spent hours watching it with mom and dad. Even though it's been 23 years since then, things are no different. I still secretly pick at foods in the kitchen when my mom isn't looking and she still asks my dad what he wants to drink with dinner. It was so much fun going down memory lane. Which reminds me why I love Instagram...I can look back a year later and see what I was doing. I love the idea of this. Finding those videos reminds me the importance of documenting life as it happens.

This post is over a week late. I will work on writing posts and keeping up with this blog in a more timely manner :)

Last week, I turned the big 2-5! It's just a number but I do feel different. It was a big milestone and I was able to celebrate it with my favorite people and my family. I'm glad Minh's family was able to come, including my favorite babies! They are so much fun :) My dad's speech nearly made me cry. We celebrated with a tea party/Vietnamese food party. It was perfect and well worth the work. To me it was less about celebrating my birthday and more about making an occasion where friends and family could gather and catch up. I very much enjoyed every minute of the party and all the hard work we put into prepping was well worth it!

It was a very Pinterest inspired event. We decorated with DIY pompoms and even made our own photobooth. My sisters and I slowly collected fun photobooth items weeks leading up to the party.

I've accomplished a lot at 25 and I can't wait to accomplish more in the future. I know the future will have a lot of exciting things in store. It already is proving to be a very good year for myself and other important people in my life who will be embarking on very exciting new adventures in the coming months. I'll be starting a 30 by 30 list soon so keep posted for that. I will also be starting a new chapter in my life come fall 2013. I'll be going back to school at Cal State Long Beach for my master's degree to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner! I'm very excited for that. I feel very blessed and loved. Can't wait for what the future has in store!

Acai Bowls!

My sisters and I headed to Huntington Beach one weekend to try Ahi Poke bowls at North Shore Co. When we saw Banzai nearby, we couldn't resist the temptation of stopping to try Acai Bowls. I remember my friend Dannie talking about how good they are so we stopped to try and the rest is history! This is happiness in a bowl! We got the Maui sunset, which was an acai smoothie topped with fresh fruit, coconut flakes, granola, and a drizzle of honey. The combinating is so amazing, you've got to try it! So after making 2 trips to Banzai in a week (we live about 25-30 minutes away), I needed to find an easier way to satisfy our cravings for an acai bowl. Not to mention, one bowl at Banzai costs $8-10 dollars so I wanted to find a cheaper alternative. This is what I came up with and it tastes almost the same at a fraction of the cost. It is very simple to make and takes me about 10 minutes or less. In addition, this is very good for you because Acai is loaded with antioxidants and boasts a variety of other health benefits.                 

Ingredients for One Bowl
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup frozen mixed fruit
1/2 cup frozen berries
1 cup acai juice

Toppings
Granola
Shredded coconut
Chia seeds (optional)
fresh fruit
honey

1. Put the frozen fruits and acai juice in the blender and blend until smooth. You are looking for a consistency that is slightly thicker than a smoothie you would drink. I always have frozen fruits in the freezer for acai bowls or a green smoothie. You can get the Acai juice from Costco or you local health food store.

2. Pour the mixture into your serving bowl and top with your desired toppings. Drizzle some honey to finish and that's all there is to it! 



Drowning in "what-ifs"

Don't you hate it when you're presented with so many options and don't know where to even start? If you think about it, we are presented with choices every single moment of every day. It can be simple things.What should I have for breakfast? What route should I take to work? What should I wear? Should I exercise? Should I eat that cookie that's just calling out my name? And then it could be complicated. What do I want to do with my life? Should I go to graduate school?

I am the most indecisive person ever. Unless I'm having a craving for something specific...don't ask me to decided where we should have lunch because it'll be dinner time before I make up my mind. I just think way too much. As soon as I make up my mind, I think of another alternative almost immediately and that is why it takes me forever to make up my mind. Sometimes I get so frustrated at myself when I spend all day trying to make a decision and by then it's too late to get anything done. Do you want to know what's even worse? I spend all day making a decision and then end up feeling guilty about my choices or second guessing myself. The dreadful cycle just continues and nothing gets done. Drives my sister bonkers.

Lately, I have been working hard to change this bad habit. If my mind starts to think about all the alternatives, I have to mentally remind myself that there's a reason for the decision I made and I should stick to it. I think that this has already made me into a more productive person. It's a work in progress though. For example, I had several tasks to complete today before going to work. I spent a few minutes trying to rationalize with myself and push some things off until tomorrow but then had to remind myself that it's important to finish things off my to-do list. I was pretty proud that I got everything that I needed to do completed before heading to work...even if that meant not being able to watch the new episode of "Once Upon A Time" lol, there's always time for that later before heading to bed this morning.

On another note, I have suddenly learned that if you don't inquire...you won't ever receive. So I took a chance and emailed someone a question because it was better than trying to plan my future based on what my assumptions are. I need to know what's out there before I can make a choice because it makes no sense to worry about options that might not even exist. There's another thing I need to stop doing...in addition to thinking too much I also worry way too much. I'm going to work really hard at this because life is too short to waste.

Ah...I'm going to be a quarter century old next month! I can't believe it. Excited but scared at the same time.

Thai Green Shrimp Curry

Ah...green curry. One of my favorite comfort foods and I didn't know how easy it is to make! Perfection at first bite and hits just the right spot when the green curry craving hits. This was my second attempt and because I followed the recipe more closely this time, my green curry tastes exactly like what I order at my favorite Thai restaurant. I felt like changing it up a bit and had my green curry with quinoa instead of rice and it was very delicious. You can use any type of protein you have on hand, I had some shrimp defrosted so that's what I used in this curry. Get creative with the veggies you want in the curry as well. The most important component is the flavor of the curry sauce and the rest can be left to your imagination. I think that eggplant and bell peppers would go great in this dish.

Recipe adapted from RasaMalaysia @ http://rasamalaysia.com/thai-green-curry-recipe/

1/2 lb shrimp (or your choice of protein)
3 tablespoons green curry paste (Mae Ploy brand)
2 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 can thinly sliced bamboo shoots
1 can straw mushrooms
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
1/4 cup Thai basil leaves
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
olive oil for frying

1. Drizzle some oil on the frying pain and saute the green curry paste until fragrant.
2. Add half of the coconut milk and stir it for 1-2 minutes until incorporated. Add the kaffir lime leaves after crushing them a bit with your hands to bruise them because it will release more flavor.
3. Rinse and drain the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Add into the pot and continue to stir.
4. Add the shrimp and continue cooking until it is cooked.
5. Add the rest of the coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar.
6. Add the basil and remove from heat. (I didn't have basil this time but the dish still turned out great, but I know it will taste even better with basil added in)

I made all this is abut 30 minutes! Like I said...had no idea that it was so easy! If you are a green curry enthusiast, you  must give this recipe a try!

Chewy Toffee Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

After seeing all the yummilicious posts from last year's great food blogger cookie swap hosted by Julie from The Little Kitchen  and Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil, I knew I wanted to participate this year. Click on these two links to check out the recipe round up from last year, part 1 and part 2.

I'm ecstatic because this year, participating in this fun cookie swap also benefited a great charity  We raised over $4,000 for Cookies for Kids' Cancer. OXO matched our donations and even mailed each participate a good cookie spatula (which I was very surprised I got in the mail because I wasn't expecting it). It's one of those sweet unexpected gestures that made me smile.

The cookies were definitely fun to make and receive but my favorite part was the networking. Through participating,  I was able to discover new blogs I would not have had the fortune of stumbling upon otherwise. I'm sure I will have a lot more fun in discovering new blogs once the recipe roundup posts are up. I'll update this post with those links when they become available. Instagram was also very fun, check out #fbcookieswap for some delicious pictures.

It feels like Christmas already because I'm already having so much fun reading posts and going on a Pinterest frenzy. Check out my cookie board here.

For the cookie swap, I baked up a batch of what I like to call "Chewy Toffee Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies." They are actually called "I Want to Marry You Cookies" because the recipe maker got a proposal with these cookies. You can find the original recipe and reviews here.

After a failed attempt at making brownie cookies, I went back to the virtual drawing board and the name of these cookies caught my attention first so I decided to give it a try. The result was deliciousness! They taste like coconut, toffee and chocolate. What's not to love? Clean up is also easy because everything happens in one pot! I already have plans to recreate this recipe by adding coconut flakes and walnuts.

Chewy Toffee Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields 3 dozen cookies (depending on size)

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chocolate chips

1.  Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. Remove from heat and add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir until the whole mixture is incorporated and all the sugar has melted. This process gives the cookies a toffee flavor. Chill this mixture for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract when the mixture is cool.

3. Add the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to the mixture.

4. Stir in both types of chocolate chips.

5. Line a baking sheet with foil. Using a 1 tablespoon spoon, roll into cookie dough balls and place closely on the baking sheet.

6. Chill for about 30 minutes in the freezer.

7. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the cookie dough balls and make for about 15-17 minutes. They won't look like they are done fresh out of the oven but when you let it cool for about 5-10 minutes, the cookies will be perfect and chewy.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I had a lot of fun baking and sending out my cookies. Waiting for cookies to arrive was also very fun and delicious!

Betsy from BetsyLife sent me some really delicious Lemon Creme Sandwich cookies.
I got some really yummy Maple Pecan Toffee Cookies from Cathy at Savory Notes.
Last but not least, I received some candy cane puffs from Teri at The Freshman Cook.

I sent cookies to Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers, Jessica from Little House Big Heart, and Emily from Pink Tiger in the Kitchen .

If you are interested in participating next year head over to this page and add yourself so that you will be notified when the cookie swap happens again next year.

Top 10 Favorite Holiday Movies

I can't believe it's already December! I love this time of year. The weather gets colder and one of my favorite things to do is cuddle at home and watch a heart warming Christmas movie. Christmas movies are something I look forward to every year. Some might be cheesy cute, but that's the beauty of a good chick flick...makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside. My favorite are the ones that are shown on Lifetime TV or ABC Family network. Unfortunately, they don't make movies like they used too. I haven't seen any recent new Christmas movies I've been even marginally interested in. These are my top 10 favorite holiday movies to date. Hope you find some time to smile with some of these this season!

1.  Last Holiday (2006)
This movie is undeniably my favorite movie of all time! I don't think it's actually set during Christmastime but it has snow and the title has "holiday" in it...does that count? ;)  I have seen it over 10 times and have never gotten sick of it. Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a woman who has always played it safe and ''lived her life in a box." She's a dreamer who envisions herself married to a cutie at work named Sean and owner of her own restaurant. Instead of enjoying everything in the present moment, Georgia lived a boring life and did not allow herself to indulge in everyday pleasures. When she finds out that she only has three more weeks to live, she became determined to catch up on what she's been missing out on her whole life. She embarks on a luxurious trip of a lifetime, where she finally learns to enjoy life for what it is. I love this movie because it makes me smile. I love watching her transformation as she lets loose and finally enjoys herself. I love that the movie revolves around food and the fact that this movie definitely will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling when you're done watching. If you'e a hopeless romantic, like myself, you will love this movie too.

2.  Comfort and Joy (2003)

This is another transformation movie that I happen to love. Practical businesswoman, Jane, doesn't know what she is missing from life until after a fateful car accident. She wakes up from the accident as a completely new Jane, who is a happily married woman and a mother of two. As she adapts to this new world and falls in love with Sam all over again, she begins to realize that there's much more to life that she's been missing. This is such a feel good movie, I highly recommend it.

3.  Recipe for a Perfect Christmas (2005)

Food, lovestory, and Christmastime...what's not to love? JJ, a food critic, has a hard time focusing on her work when her mom drops in for an unwanted visit. Meanwhile, Alex is a restaurant owner who is desperately trying to save his business. In exchange for a restaurant critique, Alex agrees to distract JJ's mother by taking her out on dates. Things get complicated when JJ finds herself falling in love with Alex...

4.  His and Her Christmas (2005)

Opposites attract. I don't know how true this saying is but it's certainly true in this movie. Tom and Liz are both columnists but are polar opposites of each other. He works for a large scale city newspaper and she works for a small community newspaper ("The Voice"). When his company buys her community newspaper, Liz is afraid that her paper is at risk of not being an independent circular any longer. In response, Liz starts a new column about the beauty of Christmas, which ending up increasing the readership of her newspaper. It is her hope that her efforts will save "The Voice." If Liz succeeds, Tom's new television show would be in jeopardy  Therefore, he writes a counterpoint column that focuses on the impractically of Christmas.The rest is history. This summary was harder than I thought it would be but it's a very cute movie so check it out if you have the chance.

5.  Borrowed Hearts (1997)

I am a sucker for Beauty and the Beast type movies! I love to watch the jerkface male lead transform into a woman's perfect man. I love this trend in Korean Dramas too. When something sweet in a movie makes my heart skip a beat, it goes on my favorites list, and this movie did just that. Eric McCormack plays a mean business man (Sam) who enlists his employee, Kathleen, and her daughter to pretend to be his family so that he can seal a business deal. True love follows as Sam spends more time with Kathleen and her charming daughter. I love this movie, I hope they play it sometime this year on Lifetime but I might just buy myself a copy just so I can rewatch it.

6.  On the 2nd Day of Christmas (1997)

If you loved him in Just Like Heaven and 13 Going On 30, you'll love Mark Ruffalo in this cute Christmas Movie. I know I do. Trish and her niece  Patsy, are professional pick pockets. When they are caught red handed in the mall, they are at risk of being separated for Christmas. Bert is a mall security guard that takes pity on the pair and offers to "guard" them for a few days under the condition that he guarantees that he turn them in the day after Christmas. Bert takes Trish and Patsy home for the holidays. You'll have to watch to see what happens next ;) I must say, the grumpy Bert will never be the same after spending time with these two gals.

7.  Serendipity (2001)

Serendipity means "happy accident." Aren't most love stories a happy accident? I know mine is. This movie focuses on the theme of fate and soul mates  I have to admit, some of the things that happen in this movie seem over the top and the crazy coincidences in this movie rarely (if ever) happen in real life. However, fantasy is also a reason why we love to watch movies. This couple met years before on one fated shopping trip and parted ways with minimal information about each other. Watch this movie to find out how they finally get in touch again and if they are meant to be with each other or not.

8.  A Mom for Christmas (1990...yikes!)

An oldie but a goodie. I remember watching this movie as a young kid and if I still remember if even though I haven't seen it in over ten years, it must have been a good movie. Jessie, a young girl who lost her mom when she was three, wins a free wish from the mall. She wishes for a mom for Christmas. Her magical wish brings the store mannequin (Amy) to life and Jessie brings Amy home to spend Christmas with her family. Sounds bonkers, I know...but childhood memories are childhood memories. I really enjoyed this movie when I was younger.

 

9.  Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)

Melissa Joan Hart plays a desperate 30 something year old that kidnaps an unsuspecting man at gunpoint. She takes him home for the holidays to play the part of her boyfriend. Surprisingly, this bizarre chain of event leads to a sweet holiday love story.

10.The Family Stone (2005)

This movie is based on the holiday misadventures of the Stone family and it shows how even a dysfunctional family can come together to enjoy the holidays.

What are your favorite holiday movies?

Japanese Curry

Why spend 10 bucks at a place like Curry House to satisfy your Japanese Curry craving when you can make enough to feed 12 people with the same amount of money? This recipe is super simple and easy on the wallet. Japanese curry was one of my go to dishes when I was still going to school because it can be made in one pot and tastes even better the next day. This dish is also one of my favorite warm comfort foods perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients (12 servings )

2 lbs chicken (or any other type of meat, pork or beef would work well)

salt

pepper  

4  medium sized potatoes

2 carrots

1/2 onion

1 bell pepper

6 cups water

1 package of curry mix

Serve with cooked rice

Each curry sauce mix box comes with two individual packages of curry bricks. You can easily half the recipe and save one of the packages in the fridge for a later time. This recipe is highly customizable, I just use what I have on hand. You can change up the type of veggies and meat you put in. You can also make this vegetarian by adding only veggies and tofu.

For this recipe you will need to buy a box of Japanese curry mix, commonly found in most Asian supermarkets. I believe the price ranges from $2-3 dollars per box, which makes 12 servings of curry. This is my favorite brand, I can't say much about other brands because I haven't tried them. You can pick the spiciness level from mild to hot.

Directions

1. Start by rinsing the chicken and cutting it into small bite sized pieces. Put it in a bowl and season with a little bit of salt and pepper.

2. Prep the vegetables. Peel and dice the carrots and potatoes. You can put them in a pot of boiling water until tender. My secret trick is to put them in a bowl with water and microwave for 10 minutes. I feel that this cuts down my cooking time and I only have to use one pot for the whole cooking process.

3. Dice the onion.

4. Warm up a stockpot or large wok and drizzle a little bit of oil in it. Add the onion and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the chicken and stir fry until all the pinkness is gone and the meat looks done, about 7-9 minutes.

6. Drain and add the carrots and potatoes to the wok. Add the bell peppers. Stirfry for about 5 minutes.

7. Add 6 cups of water (follow the curry package instructions for accurate amount of water). Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes and meat are tender.

9. Turn off the stove and add the curry bricks into the wok. Stir well until all the bricks have dissolved.
8. Serve on top of rice. I like to also add some thinly sliced cucumbers for some freshness.

Enjoy!

Lessons learned from used car shopping

Great news! My boyfriend, Minh, finally bought a car yesterday after about about a month of looking. Helping look for this car was one of the most stressful and difficult things I've done. Minh has never done this before so he didn't know where to start. I also know next to nothing about cars because I'm super spoiled by my Daddy, who takes care of all our auto affairs. We also needed to find a car fast because he and his sister needed the car to get to school and work. 

As the weeks went by with no luck, I quickly became very antsy and stressed about the whole situation. We decided to sacrifice precious time so we could find a good car to invest in that was safe, reliable, and within our budget of $6000-$7500. The time riding the bus paid off because the car we got was a steal! I am, by no means, an expert but I just wanted to share some things I've learned from this whole ordeal, hopefully it will help someone else in the same situation.

Consumer Reports sample

• Patience.You'll need it, lots of it. It takes a long time to search for deals and research cars. We really didn't want to rush into anything and make a mistake. Sometimes you find a good deal but can't make it out to see the car and it gets sold to someone else so you're back to square one. And sometimes you find a good car but look it up on Carfax and find out that the seller was lying to you. If you have time and patience, you'll likely end up with finding a good car.
• Decide what cars you want. I went to a local Barnes and Nobles and looked at the consumer reports magazine to see what cars were the safest and most reliable. There's a used car reliability chart towards the back that looks like the image on the right.I was only looking at cars from 2000 onwards. My top picks for reliability and price are the Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, and Honda Accord. 
• Meet my new friends, Mr. Carfax and Ms. Kelley Blue Book (KBB). Before going to see a car, I always look at the KBB values and the Carfax report if the car's license plate number is available.
• I paid about $60 bucks for a Carfax subscription, which allowed me to search an unlimited number of cars within a month time frame. 
• This allows me to search the history for all the cars I was interested in. I look for reported mileage, ownership history, and if the car has been in any accidents or if the car is in salvage condition. This research is very important to ensure that you are not being lied to.We were about to buy a very nice Honda Accord with only about 70,000 miles on the odometer however, the Carfax report said the last reported odometer reading for this car was over 200,000 miles...!
• Look for deals in your local newspaper. I religiously perused the classified section of Vietnamese newspapers because they had a lot of ads. We found our car in the Người Việt newspaper. I preferred this method because the cars are mostly from private owners. I felt this was less stressful for me because I don't enjoy working with dealers. This method was also convenient because most of the cars are located in Orange County, which made going to see the cars much easier. Be cautious of sellers who routinely buy cars from the auction to fix up and resell, they tend to do a crappy job because they care more about making a profit. I preferred to look for people who were selling personal cars because they tend to take better care of it.
• Check out local bulletin boards. I found a great car looking at the bulletin board of a local grocery store...you never know.
• Scan Craigslist cautiously. I was a little weary with looking for cars on Craigslist because my parents had a bad experience where they were almost robbed when shopping for our last car. However, there are lots of cars on here and it's in English :)  My recommendation is to get a Carfax account and look up the cars before you go. Many sellers post pictures of their cars with the license plate and I would look up cars first before I set up an appointment to go see the car. 
• Ask a person who knows cars to go look at cars with you. We were lucky to have my dad help with the whole process. I would look up everything initially but he's the one to tell us if it's worth checking out or not. He also came with us and inspected all the cars.
• Paperwork business. Let me tell you, I did not know the paperwork would take so long to go through. This was mainly because they were a first time seller and we were a first time buyer.
• If you are buying a car from a private seller in California, visit this link for all the paper work information. 
• I learned yesterday that you can still buy a car if the title or pink slip is missing. You just need to fill out this form.

Oh the joys of becoming an adult! I'm so glad it's over and done with but I'm also glad that I've learned so much because of this experience. I now know what to do when we're shopping for our next car! I hope someone out there finds this blog post helpful. Happy hunting! 

Foodie 100 Challenge: Vietnamese

I was looking for cooking inspiration this morning and stumbled upon Wandering Chopstick's "100 Vietnamese Foods to Try" post. I invite you to visit her original post for links to recipes for each dish at Wandering Chopsticks.

I'm surprised I have already tried a lot of the dishes on this list. How many have you tried? 

I would add these 5 items to the list:

101. Banh Bot Chien (Vietnamese fried rice flour cake), this dish popped into my head because I remember vividly having this freshly cooked in Vietnam
102. Banh Tam Bi (Rice noodles with coconut milk and shredded pork, one of my favorite comfort foods)
103. Bap Nuong Mo Hanh (Grilled corn with scallion oil)
104. Bun Thang (Vermicelli Soup with chicken, egg, and pork)
105. Chao Ca or Ga (Fish or Chicken porridge)
106. Mit (Jackfruit)
107. Nhan (Logan)
108. Sau Rieng (Durian)
109.Thanh Long (Dragon fruit)
110.Thach Dua (Vietnamese jello with coconut)

I highlighted the dishes I have tried. 8 out of 100? Not bad :)

1. Banh Bao (Steamed Bun)
2. Banh Beo (Rice Flour Discs with Dried Shrimp)
3. Banh Bot Loc/Banh Quai Vac (Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp or just Shrimp)
4. Banh Canh Cua (Udon-like Noodles with Crab)
5. Banh Chung/Banh Tet (Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cakes)
6. Banh Cuon (Rice Noodle Rolls)
7. Banh Gio (Steamed Triangular Rice Dumplings)
8. Banh Hoi (Rice Vermicelli Sheets)
9. Banh It La Gai (Nettle Leaf Dumplings)
10. Banh It Tran (Round Rice Dumplings with Pork, Shrimp, and Mung Beans)
11. Banh Khot/Banh Cang (Mini Savory Pancakes)
12. Banh La/Banh Nam (Steamed Flat Rice Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp)
13. Banh Mi Hot Ga Op La (French Bread with Sunnyside-Up Eggs)
14. Banh Mi (Sandwiches)
15. Banh Pa Te So (Pate Chaud)
16. Banh Tieu (Fry Bread)
17. Banh Tom (Shrimp and Yam Fritters)
18. Banh Trang (Rice Paper) Bonus points for eating soaked, no-soak, and toasted varieties.
19. Banh Uot ("Wet" Rice Noodle Sheets)
20. Banh Xeo (Sizzling Crepes) Bonus points if you've eaten both the palm-sized Central-style ones, and the wok-sized Southern-style ones with turmeric and coconut milk.
21. Be Thui (Beef with Roasted Rice Powder and Fermented Bean Curd)
22. Bo Bia (Spring Rolls with Chinese Sausage, Dried Shrimp, and Jicama)
23. Bo Kho (Beef Stew)
24. Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef)
25. Bo Ne ("Stand Back" Steak and Eggs)
26. Bo Nhung Dam (Beef Dipped in Vinegar)
27. Bo Nuong La Lot (Grilled Beef with Wild Betel Leaves)
28. Bo Tai Chanh (Beef Carpaccio with Lemon)
29. Bo Xao voi Khoai Tay Chien (Beef Stir-fry with French Fries)
30. Bo Xao Xa (Beef Sauteed with Lemongrass)
31. Bun Bo Hue (Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup)
32. Bun Cha Hanoi (Hanoi-Style Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork Patties)
33. Bun Nuoc Leo Soc Trang (Soc Trang-Style Noodle Soup with Fish, Pork, and Shrimp) Bonus points for its more pungent cousin Bun Mam (Noodle Soup with Fermented Fish Broth)
34. Bun Rieu (Vermicelli Rice Noodle Soup with Crab Paste)
35. Bun Thit Heo Nuong (Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork)
36. Ca Bong Lau Nuong voi Mo Hanh (Roasted Catfish with Scallion Oil)
37. Ca Kho To (Braised Catfish in a Claypot)
38. Ca Phe Sua Da Phin (Iced Drip Coffee with Milk)
39. Canh Bi/Bau Nhoi Thit (Pork-Stuffed Winter Melon Soup)
40. Canh Chua Ca (Sour Fish Soup)
41. Ca Ri Ga (Chicken Curry)
42. Cao Lau (Noodle Soup with Pork from Hoi An)
43. Cha Ca Thang Long (Hanoi-Style Fish with Dill and Turmeric)
44. Cha Gio/Nem Ran (Spring/Egg Rolls) You only get points if you've eaten the Vietnamese egg rolls wrapped in rice paper, not the version with Chinese wheat egg roll wrappers. Bonus points if you've also eaten Central-style Cha Ram (Shrimp Egg Rolls) and Cha Gio Bap/Ram Bap (Corn Egg Rolls).
45. Cha Lua (Steamed Pork Loaf)
46. Chanh Muoi (Salty Lemonade)
47. Chao Tom (Grilled Shrimp Paste Wrapped Around Sugarcane)
48. Che Bap (Corn and Tapioca Pudding with Coconut Milk) or any other coconut milk-based che such as Che Chuoi (Banana Tapioca Pudding) and Che Ba Mau (Three Color Pudding).
49. Che Sam Bo Luong (Dessert Soup with Dried Dates, Dried Longans, Lotus Seeds, and Seaweed)
50. Che Troi Nuoc (Dough Balls in Ginger Syrup)
51. Chuoi Chien (Fried Bananas)
52. Chuot Dong (Southern Field Rats)- I don't think I'll ever be able to check this off o_o
53. Com Ga Hai Nam (Hainanese Chicken Rice) must be eaten with #82.
54. Com Hen (Clam Rice)
55. Com Lam (Sticky Rice Steamed in Bamboo)
56. Com Tam (Broken Rice)
57. Com Ruou (Fermented Rice Wine)
58. Cua Rang Muoi Tieu (Salt and Pepper Crab)
59. Dau Phong Luoc (Boiled Peanuts)
60. De (Goat)
61. Dia Rau Song (Raw Herb Platter)
62. Do Chua (Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon)
63. Ga Nuong Xa (Grilled Chicken with Lemongrass)
64. Gio Thu (Head Cheese with Pig Ears and Tree Ear Fungus)
65. Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)
66. Goi Cuon (Salad/Spring/Summer Rolls)
67. Goi Ga (Chicken Salad)
68. Goi Mit Ngo Sen (Young Jackfruit and Lotus Root Salad)
69. Hot Vit Lon (Fetal Duck Eggs)
70. Hu Tieu (Tapioca Noodles with Pork and Shrimp) Bonus points for both Saigon, with barbecued pork and shrimp, and Nam Vang (Phnom Penh) style with liver and ground pork.
71. Kem Flan
72. Lau (Hot Pot)
73. Mam Nem (Fermented Anchovy Sauce)
74. Mam Ruoc (Fermented Shrimp Paste)
75. Mi Hoanh Thanh (Wonton Noodle Soup)
76. Mi Quang (Turmeric Noodles with Pork and Shrimp)
77. Mi Vit Tiem (Egg Noodles with Duck and Chinese Herbs)
78. Mi Xao Don (Crispy Chow Mein)
79. Muop Tom Xao (Loofah and Shrimp Stir-fry)
80. Nem Chua (Pickled Pork Sausage with Shredded Pork Skin)
81. Nem Nuong (Grilled Pork Patties)
82. Nuoc Mam Gung (Ginger Fish Sauce)
83. Nuoc Mia (Sugarcane Juice)
84. Oc Buou (Apple Snails) or any other sea snails
85. Pho Ap Chao Bo (Pan-Fried Rice Noodles Sauteed with Beef)
86. Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup) bonus points if you've eaten filet mignon pho and for Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup)
87. Rau Ma (Pennywort Juice)
88. Rau Muong Xao (Water Spinach Stir-fried)
89. Soda Xi Muoi (Salty Preserved Plum Drink)
90. Sinh To Bo (Avocado Shake)
91. Sinh To Ca Chua (Tomato Shake)
92. Sinh To Dam (Aloe Vera Shake)
93. Sup Mang Tay Cua (Asparagus and Crab Soup)
94. Tiet Canh (Blood Pudding)
95. Thit Heo Kho Voi Trung (Braised Pork with Eggs)
96. Tom Tau Hu Ky (Shrimp Paste Wrapped in Bean Curd Skin)
97. Tra Atiso (Artichoke Tea)
98. Tuong Ot (Chili Sauce) bonus points for Vietnamese American Huy Fong Sriracha Chili Sauce and extra bonus points if you use it to make Sriracha Buffalo Wings
99. Xiu Mai (Meatballs)
100. Xoi (Sticky Rice)

Read more: http://wanderingchopsticks.blogspot.com/2008/09/vietnamese-100-foods-to-try.html#ixzz29OYPy6uE

September 2012 Favorites

Inspired by the Youtube beauty guru monthly favorites videos, I bring you my own favorites this past month. I have really been enjoying watching the videos that come out because I learn of new products and get inspired to try new things. Included will be beauty, food, and other random favorites.

Beauty  

1. Revlon lip butter and Just bitten lip stains! 
I have been obsessed with both of these products for a long time! They have been a viral trend since they first came out. I remember going to multiple stores to hunt for them and they would always be out of stock. Luckily, they are much easier to find now. Never buy these when they are not on sale! They often have coupons you can use in addition to the sale. The best deal I have found yet was at CVS, where I paid about $6.50 for one and got $4 CVS extra bucks, which I often used to purchase another lipstick. You can usually do this multiple times at CVS, which is awesome.

I've collected about 7-8 lip butters...that's how obsessed I am! The packaging is so cute and the product is really great. It's moisturizing and fun. The colors are more on the sheer side but some of the berry and red color lip butters have good color payoff. My favorite this past month was Sweet Tart. It's a bright in-your-face pink and I fought with myself for weeks before just giving into buying it and I'm glad I did. It turns out to be a fun wearable color. I only hesitated in buying this color because I typically don't wear bold colors...until I decided to just go for it.

My favorite Just Bitten Lip Stains are Honey and Sweetheart. The Just Bitten Lip Stain in Honey is a really nice "your lip but better" shade and the Sweetheart color is lot more pigmented and bright. The premise behind this wonderful product is that it is a lip balm as well as a lip stain. It goes on glossy and is pretty hydrating but when the initial sheen is worn off, you still have nice color left on the lips. I am a big fan of this because I hate reapplying lipstick and worrying about where my lipstick goes after I eat something.

2. Revlon PhotoReady concealer
I don't know what happened this month but I had a bad breakout during that time of month. I usually don't have blemish issues but when I do, my photoready concealer is my best friend. It blends really well and does a great job of concealing my trouble areas and under eye circles.

3. Suave Dry Shampoo

I learned about dry shampoo from several people on Youtube and decided to give it a try. The first time I tried it, I thought the texture felt weird and it wasn't working. However, after a few tries, I started to really like it. It helps absorb oils in your hair between washes and this particular one also gives me some volume...which is a big plus because my hair is naturally fine and flat. This dry shampoo also smells like citrus heaven, a major plus! 

4. Makeshift makeup bag from Ikea
I honestly don't know the intended use of this bag but I use it for my makeup now. I really like it because it's a structured bag so it's easy to see all my stuff and it's such a nice hot pink color.

Food

My coworker introduced to me these individual snack size hummus packages from Costco. I love these because it makes me eat more veggies and very portable. I enjoy these with cucumbers, carrots, sweet bell peppers, or crackers.

Current song obsessions

1. This cute cover of "Good Time" by Luke Conard and Missglamorazzi. I love the filming!

2. LK Con Song Yeu Thuong by Dan Truong. This is a medley of Dan Truong's hit songs. I didn't hear this song before I saw him perform it live. Ever since that night, I've been addicted to this song. The beginning is slow and a bit different but the middle is so upbeat and cute. I'll be writing about my concert experience in a later post. 

Cheesy avocado egg breakfast burrito

I love the combination of egg, cheese, and tomato on a hot breakfast sandwich. I was craving quesodillas the other night so I went out and bought some whole wheat tortillas. What I came up this morning was delicious, healthy, and super simple to make.

Easy guacamole 
1 avocado
1/2 lime
pinch of salt to taste
handful of grape tomatoes

Ingredients (for 2 burritos)
3 eggs
shredded cheese
2 tortillas
1 chicken apple sausage (costco)

I diced the tomatoes and mixed it together with the avocado, lime juice, and salt to make the guacamole. Next, I heated up my frying pan and slightly warmed the 2 tortillas up. After dicing the sausage, I added a bit of olive oil onto the pan and panfried the sausage bits until slightly brown. Crack eggs onto the pan and scramble. When the eggs are almost done, I separated it into two equal portions and sprinkled cheese on top. To assemble, scoop half of the eggs onto the tortilla and top it with half of the avocado mixture. Enjoy with ketchup and Tapatio.

Voila! Super easy, delicious, and nutritious! My mom's a pretty harsh critic and even she was wowed by these. She even gave me the biggest completment because she said my dad would love these (he's tougher critic than she is).

Let's get down to business...to defeat the BUNS!

I think it's finally time to tackle the one goal that has been on my every new year's resolution list for the past 10+ years...to lose weight! My boyfriend, Minh, said something last night that really motivated me to achieve this goal once and for all. He shared with me that it's been one of his life's goals to participate in a marathon. He's wants to start working out and getting in shape together. It's about time I practice what I preach...I'm always worried about our health so I should also take the steps to become healthier! After all, words are cheap!

I was able to lose 20 lbs during my college years. Unfortunately, over the past 2 years of working 12 hour night shifts, I've slowly gained back about 7-10 lbs. I do feel better about my body most days compared to when I was 20 lbs overweight. I suspect I feel this way because I have gained muscle and definition during the last 5+ years. Earlier this year, I was a lot more consistent with getting at least 3 workouts in a week. Lately, it's been more like 1 workout a week. I think it's ironic I slacked off during summer time when most people are trying to lose weight to fit into their bikinis. Anyhow, I am going to commit to at least 3 workouts a week now! It might have been the coffee I had at lunch but I had a great workout today to kick this off. I took bodypump and turbokickboxing. I freaking LOVE round 52! I had so much fun today :)

Diet wise, I started to eat healthier last week and I already feel a different in the way I feel and look. I feel that I am not retaining as much water and I have more energy. I looked in the mirror yesterday and my face looks less fluffy. Last week at Costco, I stocked up on small individual packages of hummus, grape tomatoes, and honey baked turkey. Hummus is soooo delicious with veggies. I've been packing the tomatoes, carrots, and whole grain cheezits to  eat with the hummus, so yum! I've also recently tried silk vanilla soy milk with cereal, also very tasty. After watching Minh pack lunch yesterday, I'm more inspired now to pack healthier but tasty lunches. He made fried rice with sausage, mushrooms, and onions which was very good. I've learned that if I pack more legit salads, I will probably enjoy eating them more. I'm not a salad person unless it's prepackage from Trader Joe's but I'll give it a try!

Cue the motivational music ;)