Divine Charcuterie

Food seems to be top of mind these days and what’s better than some gouda ole’ cheese and meat? Also, why are charcuterie platters so photogenic? The pic above is one than my super awesome chef cousin made for me last spring. He’s a pro and can definitely cook….i.e. he doesn’t just arrange nice looking charcuterie boards.

This one below is a board for people who are HUNGRY for a full meal. Hangry eyes may think that this is a small amount of food but its very filling. You may regret eating it all by yourself cause you might get sick so sharing is probably is a good plan.

This is from Cultured at the Mt. Vernon Marketplace. Worth a visit. Also–get a fancy cocktail. They know what they are doing.

Here are some others that are super pretty:

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Hope you are inspired by the boards. Treat yourself.

101 in 1001: Winter Update

It’s SPRING!!! Yay. I really need some sunshine and we got a beautiful 70+ degree day yesterday. Love it!

This Winter was a really big drag. I really picked up on yoga and working out to get some energy. Spring is my favorite season b/c:

1. Outdoor seating!
2. Longer Days
3. You start see more friends as they come out of winter hibernation
4. It’s my BDAY in May! 🙂

Soo…here’s my progress for 101 in 1001. Not too shabby considering my level of motivation this Winter. I got some good reading, cooking and documentaries in.  I would highly recommend reading The Martian and the documentary, Abstract Design (on Netflix).

I did have a modified goal (22) this winter– I realized that I will not be in town for Pimlico so instead I will count my trip to the Daytona 500 as a replacement experience. Though I never planned to go it was similar to Pimlico as it was something that I have never experienced before. Both very east coast/southern things that I just never experienced living in the PNW. That’s me at DEWALT Experience in the Fan Zone. Staying #DEWALTTough as always.

Personal

1. Start and finish 101 in 1001
2. Deactivate Facebook (January 1, 2015)
3. See 2 Broadway plays (Dirty Dancing, Phantom of the Opera)
4. Go to 5 different museums (Walter’s Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, American Visionary Art Museum, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, B&O Railroad Museum)
5. Travel to NYC (January 2015)
6. Send 3 people unexpected care packages
7. Go to an NFL game
8. Visit a family member who I have yet to visit
9. Go to a winery
10. Read 25 books (Unbroken, The Tipping Point, Born to Run, Girl on a Train, The Great Gatsby, Never Let Me Go, Beautiful Boy, Modern Romance, Tender is the Night, The Secret History, Big Little Lies, Brave Enough, Torch, Room, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, The Husband’s Secret, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I am Malala, Luckiest Girl Alive, The Martian)
11. Read all the books written by one author – I read all of Cheryl Strayed’s books! She is excellent!
12. Pay off my car
13. Volunteer for an organization (Hackerman Patz House, Sinai Hospital)
14. Get new glasses
15. Plan 3 weekend getaway trips (NYC in February, Outer Banks North Carolina, Lake Ariel, PA)
16. Host a dinner club
17. Create a lean closet (January 25, 2015)
18. Take a cooking class
19. Try vegetarianism for a month
20. Go to 3 concerts (Kiran Ahuwalia, Taking Back Sunday, Global Citizen Concert in D.C.)
21. Go camping – Check out my post about my backpacking trip!
22. Go to Pimlico horse race – MODIFIED
23. Travel to 2 new cities (Kitty Hawk, NC, Oranjestad, Aruba)
24. Go to brunch with bottomless mimosas
25. Make homemade ice cream
26. Go to a TED conference
27. Take a self-defense class
28. Invest in 12 new coffee table books (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up)
29. Learn how to fish tale braid
30. Do a headstand in yoga
31. Stay with 5, 2 more airbnb hosts
32. Visit an amusement park (Zoo in D.C.)
33. Get a massage/spa day
34. Purchase a nice camera
35. Lose 10 lbs
36. Find some plants for my apartment
37. Send 30 handwritten notes/letters (30/30)
38. Clean up iTunes library
39. Join or start a book club
40. Make 2 new friends in Baltimore
41. Order mussels at a restaurant
42. Develop interests in 2 random topics/subjects (Watercoloring, Blogging)
43. Purchase decorative pillows and a nice throw
44. Create a time capsule to be opened at age 30
45. Create a list of all the US States I have visited and states that I have yet to visit  See my post about it here.
46. Watch a Ted talk a day for 2 weeks
47. Sell something on Etsy
48. Purchase something on Etsy
49. Participate/Comment on an article on the NYT
50. Travel to Europe
51. Watch 15 seasons of TV (Orange is the New Black 1-3, Broad City Season 2, House of Cards Season 3, Silicon Valley Season 2, Game of Thrones Season 5, True Detective Season 2, The Wire 1-5, Mad Men 1, United States of Tara 1-3)
52. Purge on beauty products; only keep what is needed and used
53. Learn how to do my own eyebrows
54. Make 10 OpenTable Reservations (Blue Agave, The Food Market, City Cafe, The Helmand, Woodberry Kitchen, Iron Rooster, Mission, Cazbar, Tabard’s Inn, Cafe Deluxe)
55.  Save $10 for every item completed on this list
56. Reread all the Harry Potter books
57. Watch all of The Lord of the Rings movies
58. Watch all movies that won best picture of the last 10 years
59. Watch 10 documentaries (Dark Girls, Citizenfour, Nature, The Minimalists, Abstract Design)
60. Go to a speakeasy
61. Visit a upscale thrift shop – The Zone
62. Go to a poetry or story slam
63. Write 6 product reviews (6/6)
64. Make a friend through blogging

Professional

65. Learn to use Adobe Illustrator
66. Increase twitter followers to 300
67. Get a promotion at work – WOOO!
68. Take the GMAT –Took GRE instead but July 2nd!
69. Invest money (January 28, 2015)
70. Attend a conference
71. Make business cards
72. Become a mentor to someone
73. Take a online class or certification
74. Complete at least 50 posts on my blog (50/50)
75. Transition blog to a self hosted domain
76. Earn a bonus at work
77. Create a style guide for blog

Creative

78. Take a calligraphy class
79. Start a lifestyle blog (January 11, 2015)
80. Oil paint on canvas
81. Make 25 new foods from cookbooks (Cauliflower and Pea Bhaji,Pressed Tofu, Tomato Garlic Tortellini Soup, Chili con Elote, Gazpacho, Aioli Sauce, Brazilian Salsa, Moosewood Lasagne x 2, Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole, Caramelized Garlic Tart, Mushroom Ragout with Poached Eggs, Brussell Sprouts in Cream, Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies, Roasted Red Tomato Sauce, Minestrone Soup, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Macaroni and Cheese, Buttermilk Pancakes, Home Fries, Oven Baked BBQ Chicken, Green Bean Shiitake Stir Fry, Paprika & Garlic Mashed Potatoes)
82. Learn to make pasta
83. Take an interior design class
84. Do 5 Pinterest DIY projects (Bird House, Lavendar Goat Milk Soap, Watercolor Desk Frames)
85. Write a travel story
86. Paint with watercolors
87. Create a stamp of my own
88. Attend a glassblowing workshop
89. Re-create resume in a creative format
90. Make a book on blurb
91. Find a doodling book and doodle everyday for a month
92. Conduct 5 photography shoots

Health

93. Join a pool for lap swimming
94. Stop drinking for 1 month
95. Meditate once a day for 1 month
96. Try fasting or a cleanse
97. Do a yoga retreat  This is a modified goal. Instead of doing a yoga retreat, I decided to join Corepower, a yoga studio in Federal Hill. Read about it here!
98. Drink green tea instead of coffee for 2 months
99. Start using natural and sulfate free shampoo 
100. Stop washing my hair everyday
101. Hike a trail in a national park (Arikok National Park, Aruba)

I’m going to keep on keeping on with this list. It’s crunch time!

The Best of Thailand

As you can tell from my Instagram, I spent my holidays in Thailand. I saved up all my vacation days for this end of the year trip so I was pretty excited to get out of the states for a while. It was especially timely considering the state of our country post-election.

I always feel so refreshed traveling. Even though it does make me uncomfortable at times I come back home with a new perspective. This trip really got me thinking about what it would be like to live abroad in a country where you do not understand the language, culture and often the values are totally different than yours. I had a lot of time to think on the beach 🙂

I spent my time in Thailand in 3 different places: Bangkok, K0h Phayam and Sam Roi Yot. All places were unique and delicious in their own way. 🙂 I have broken down all the food in one section and then all the places I visited in another.

THE FOOD–

Thai is absolutely, hands down my favorite cuisine. If I had to pick just 1 dish, I would have Prawn Tom Yum Soup with Noodles forever. So spicy, lemony and the seafood really tops it off. Who knew breakfast could be so spicy ?

Wish I could tell you what restaurant this was from but it was SO GOOD. Fried squid, fried rice and Pad Kee Mao all for a grand total of $6. I wish good food were this affordable in the states.

Here’s another variation of Pad Kee Mao. Everyone makes it a little differently. Another name for it is Drunken Noodles. This infamous Thai dish was invented by someone with a bad hangover. He added everything he had in his kitchen to a wok and viola, out came Drunken noodles–or so the legend goes.

We also got whole fishies! They were SO fresh and SO cheap! This whole fish, beer and sticky rice was $12 for 2 people.

and now for street food/market food:

Squid and Shrimp?

Deep Fried Squid Balls

❤ Coconut Ice Cream 🙂 

Meat on a Stick at Chatuchuk Market- YUM

And of course, there was also drinking… Beer, coffee, Thai tea and more 🙂 

So food was a highlight of the trip. 🙂

But when we weren’t eating and lazying on the beach here are some of the places we visited.

PLACES TO GO–

Chatuchak Market: 
If you missed the real food memo, you can find some fake food at a stall at Chatuchak market. Not sure why you would need this but if you need ANYTHING, Chatuchak market has it. It may take 2 days to find what you are looking for as you wind through the labyrinth of the market aisles but the huge array of goods is quite amazing. You can find anything from china wear, fast fashion shoe and clothes stalls, restaurants, pet “adoption” stalls, stationary and soap stalls, as well as fresh food/fish vendors.

The Grand Palace/Temples in BKK:
If you are in BKK you should definitely visit at least one of the temples. If you have to choose try The Grand Palace. It’s so grand and ornate that its difficult to compare to other temples. PSA: if you go to the temples, make sure you wear conservative clothes. Pants and covered shoulders are advised. When we were visiting, it was a few months after the death of Thailand’s beloved King so most visitors wore black to mourn his passing.

Jim Thompson House in BKK:
In BKK you can visit the former home of Jim Thompson who was known to have started the Thai silk industry after WWII. The home is converted into a museum where you can see his vast collection of art. There is a tour if you are interested in walking through.

Spinning Silk

 

Dyed Silk

Koh Phayam:
Koh Phayam is a small island off the Western coast of mainland Thailand. This island is a very special place. It’s super distinct from one side to the other and offers both a romantic getaway feel as well as younger hippie, backpacker feel depending on your what you are looking for. The island has a few main roads but does not support cars–motorcycles, scooters or walking only.

It was a bit overcast during our stay but we got lucky and saw a few gorgeous sunsets.

Beaches perfect for throwing a frisbee around! 

Can’t forget about the 60 min Thai Oil Massage on the Island-the best!

Sam Roi Yot National Park:
This park is huge but you should definitely visit if you have the chance. Some breathtaking views, beaches and caves.

Sam Roi Yot – Caves

AND for probably the most stunning and unique part of the part. There is a temple INSIDE the cave! When the sun hits the temple it glows like someone has turned on the lights. Truly AMAZING. Saved the best for last! 

And with that, I will stop raving about my trip to Thailand.

I feel so blessed that I was able to explore the beauty of Thailand. But as always, there are still so many unexplored places that I’d love to revisit someday.

Until then, safe travels to all the adventurers out there!

XO

 

 

101 in 1001: Fall Update

I’m slowly accepting the fact that we are fully into Winter. So, here’s my progress for the Fall. It’s going slowly but surely!

Personal

1. Start and finish 101 in 1001
2. Deactivate Facebook (January 1, 2015)
3. See 2 Broadway plays (Dirty Dancing, Phantom of the Opera)
4. Go to 5 different museums (Walter’s Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, American Visionary Art Museum, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, B&O Railroad Museum)
5. Travel to NYC (January 2015)
6. Send 3 people unexpected care packages
7. Go to an NFL game
8. Visit a family member who I have yet to visit
9. Go to a winery
10. Read 25 books (Unbroken, The Tipping Point, Born to Run, Girl on a Train, The Great Gatsby, Never Let Me Go, Beautiful Boy, Modern Romance, Tender is the Night, The Secret History, Big Little Lies, Brave Enough, Torch, Room, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, The Husband’s Secret, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I am Malala)
11. Read all the books written by one author – I read all of Cheryl Strayed’s books! She is excellent!
12. Pay off my car
13. Volunteer for an organization (Hackerman Patz House, Sinai Hospital)
14. Get new glasses
15. Plan 3 weekend getaway trips (NYC in February, Outer Banks North Carolina, Lake Ariel, PA)
16. Host a dinner club
17. Create a lean closet (January 25, 2015)
18. Take a cooking class
19. Try vegetarianism for a month
20. Go to 3 concerts (Kiran Ahuwalia, Taking Back Sunday, Global Citizen Concert in D.C.)
21. Go camping – Check out my post about my backpacking trip!
22. Go to Pimlico horse race
23. Travel to 2 new cities (Kitty Hawk, NC, Oranjestad, Aruba)
24. Go to brunch with bottomless mimosas
25. Make homemade ice cream
26. Go to a TED conference
27. Take a self-defense class
28. Invest in 12 new coffee table books (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up)
29. Learn how to fish tale braid
30. Do a headstand in yoga
31. Stay with 5, 2 more airbnb hosts
32. Visit an amusement park (Zoo in D.C.)
33. Get a massage/spa day
34. Purchase a nice camera
35. Lose 10 lbs
36. Find some plants for my apartment
37. Send 30 handwritten notes/letters (30/30)
38. Clean up iTunes library
39. Join or start a book club
40. Make 2 new friends in Baltimore
41. Order mussels at a restaurant
42. Develop interests in 2 random topics/subjects (Watercoloring, Blogging)
43. Purchase decorative pillows and a nice throw
44. Create a time capsule to be opened at age 30
45. Create a list of all the US States I have visited and states that I have yet to visit  See my post about it here.
46. Watch a Ted talk a day for 2 weeks
47. Sell something on Etsy
48. Purchase something on Etsy
49. Participate/Comment on an article on the NYT
50. Travel to Europe
51. Watch 15 seasons of TV (Orange is the New Black 1-3, Broad City Season 2, House of Cards Season 3, Silicon Valley Season 2, Game of Thrones Season 5, True Detective Season 2, The Wire 1-5, Mad Men 1, United States of Tara 1-3)
52. Purge on beauty products; only keep what is needed and used
53. Learn how to do my own eyebrows
54. Make 10 OpenTable Reservations (Blue Agave, The Food Market, City Cafe, The Helmand, Woodberry Kitchen, Iron Rooster, Mission, Cazbar, Tabard’s Inn, Cafe Deluxe)
55.  Save $10 for every item completed on this list
56. Reread all the Harry Potter books
57. Watch all of The Lord of the Rings movies
58. Watch all movies that won best picture of the last 10 years
59. Watch 10 documentaries (Dark Girls, Citizenfour, Nature)
60. Go to a speakeasy
61. Visit a upscale thrift shop – The Zone
62. Go to a poetry or story slam
63. Write 6 product reviews (6/6)
64. Make a friend through blogging

Professional

65. Learn to use Adobe Illustrator
66. Increase twitter followers to 300
67. Get a promotion at work – WOOO!
68. Take the GMAT –Took GRE instead but July 2nd!
69. Invest money (January 28, 2015)
70. Attend a conference
71. Make business cards
72. Become a mentor to someone
73. Take a online class or certification
74. Complete at least 50 posts on my blog (50/50)
75. Transition blog to a self hosted domain
76. Earn a bonus at work
77. Create a style guide for blog

Creative

78. Take a calligraphy class
79. Start a lifestyle blog (January 11, 2015)
80. Oil paint on canvas
81. Make 25 new foods from cookbooks (Cauliflower and Pea Bhaji,Pressed Tofu, Tomato Garlic Tortellini Soup, Chili con Elote, Gazpacho, Aioli Sauce, Brazilian Salsa, Moosewood Lasagne, Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole, Caramelized Garlic Tart, Mushroom Ragout with Poached Eggs, Brussell Sprouts in Cream, Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies, Roasted Red Tomato Sauce, Minestrone Soup, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Macaroni and Cheese, Buttermilk Pancakes, Home Fries)
82. Learn to make pasta
83. Take an interior design class
84. Do 5 Pinterest DIY projects (Bird House, Lavendar Goat Milk Soap, Watercolor Desk Frames)
85. Write a travel story
86. Paint with watercolors
87. Create a stamp of my own
88. Attend a glassblowing workshop
89. Re-create resume in a creative format
90. Make a book on blurb
91. Find a doodling book and doodle everyday for a month
92. Conduct 5 photography shoots

Health

93. Join a pool for lap swimming
94. Stop drinking for 1 month
95. Meditate once a day for 1 month
96. Try fasting or a cleanse
97. Do a yoga retreat  This is a modified goal. Instead of doing a yoga retreat, I decided to join Corepower, a yoga studio in Federal Hill. Read about it here!
98. Drink green tea instead of coffee for 2 months
99. Start using natural and sulfate free shampoo 
100. Stop washing my hair everyday
101. Hike a trail in a national park (Arikok National Park, Aruba)

Pesto Please!

For the last couple summers I have meant to make a big batch of pesto and this year, I finally got around to it. I wanted enough so it could last me through the whole year because I am a pesto fanatic. Love it on toast, pasta, mixing it with sauces, on pizza and more. If you like pesto (even just a little bit!) you should try out this recipe–

Start to finish in 20 min!

Ingredients: 

• 9 garlic cloves
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 6 cups basil (I used Thai basil which makes the pesto a bit sweeter)
• Olive Oil (half cup)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• pepper

Instructions

Remove all the leaves from the stems, place in bowl and wash throughly. 

Add all the chopped garlic…

…and then the pine nuts.

Transfer into a food processor and add a bit of pepper. I kinda mix in the basil as I went since my food processor was a little bit too small.

Add in olive oil as you go and it should appear something like this–

Scrape down the sides and chop until it is the consistency you prefer. Then, add in the parmesan. Some people prefer having the parmesan added in by hand at the very end but since my parmesan wasn’t grated very finely I decided to throw it into the food processor.

Chop away and enjoy 🙂 Fresh pesto should keep well in the fridge for a few days but make sure you cover it.  I decided to freeze mine so I can enjoy this summery pesto all year long.