Just a single thought to go with my cake pop picture..

I absolutely adore cake pops. They are tasty, adorable and full of delicious guilt. However, I don't know if I could make them.

If there is one thing I MUST have clean at all times, it is the dishes. And from what I have read and heard from braver, more generous cook/baker friends, cake pops dirty a ton of dishes. More than average. Call me OCD if you will, but I can not tolerate dirty dishes in my house (or others', if I'm VERY drunk and VERY close friends with the host). Just ask my college besties, whose dishes I have washed on many a drunken night.

That's not to say I don't adore and appreciate a delicious red velvet cake pop that I didn't have to make. It's an especially lovely treat at work - see the aqua camouflage?

The good, the bad and the ugly

The good:

(The dog being adorable; Christmas wreath by the elevators at the hospital I work at; HONEY BADGER SURGICAL SCRUB CAP; the most amazing spicy miso ramen at Mitsuwa marketplace in Irvine)

The bad...

(The boy using a paperclip in lieu of a button and throwing the pants in the laundry basket, thus ruining several items of clothing; apple and milk, my two nemeses combined; work related stress, especially in regards to supplies)

... And the ugly.

(IV site from when I got E coli, the type that has been in the news because it has killed people, according to my doctor. Wonderful.)

And that's been life for the past two weeks. Lots of good, a little bit of bad, and one really ugly thing.

Taste of Hope San Diego

Yesterday looked like this in the morning:

... and like this in the evening.

Hiking at Torrey Pines State Reserve, which was fun until I got separated from the boys and got lost for an hour (so scary..), then volunteering at Taste of Hope at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel. I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I was too busy volunteering :( it was fun, though, and for a great cause - raising money for City of Hope, a research hospital.

Of note: the caprese on a stick with a basil oil syringe, and the panna cotta on a spoon. Nom.

Lovely Sunday. Too bad tomorrow it is back to work for me.

Soy sauce chicken with hardboiled egg.

This is a supremely comforting food for an Asian American girl like me. It's a very familiar dish in our Taiwanese household. Long braise, tasty flavors.

Some changes: I leave out the star anise that my dad loves to use, and instead of a fresh tomato I used sun dried.

Braising liquid:
Soy sauce
Ginger
Onion / scallion
Tomato
Garlic
Sugar
Black pepper

Optional spices
Star anise
Sesame oil
Chili flakes / whole dried hot chilis

I used hard boiled eggs and chicken legs, but you can use chicken thighs or bone in breasts; try to use something with a bone to give it more flavor and so it doesn't fall apart when you remove it from the cooking liquid. You can also cook beef or beef tendon this way.

It certainly won't win any beauty contests, but it got two thumbs up from both of the boys I live with (both white and unfamiliar with soy sauce braised food, for the record).

I added lots of chili flakes along with a potato and baby carrots. Delicious, hearty and spicy! Try it in your slow cooker on low if you don't want to babysit a braise. So easy.

Sweet chili shrimp.

This recipe involves ketchup. Don't judge.

Scallions
Ginger
Garlic

Ketchup
Sugar
Rice vinegar
Sriracha
Sesame oil

Shrimp
Water chestnuts

Cornstarch (optional)

No exact recipe. Create sauce with wet ingredients to taste. If necessary, thicken sauce with a cornstarch slurry during cooking.

Serve with rice. Nom.

Keep calm and carry on..

I've been having a tough time at work lately. The stress has been getting to me - the busy schedule, the inflexibility, the pressure to perform, my inability to let my OCD go and let people help me.

And then there are the other worries: when will I be able to finish Masters degree while moving around so often? What will happen to my relationship when I am gone from January to October next year? How will I lose all the weight I've gained since this January?

I am trying to remain positive. Attempting to have gratitude, grace and poise despite anxiety and stress. Apparently this is a theme lately. An unfortunate one but hopefully one that will be resolved via constant reminders of things I am grateful for.

My handsome man and my feisty pup.

Beautiful friends, these among so many others that I refuse to take for granted.

Good music, especially live.

Good food, even though I'm currently on a diet and can't eat very much for a while.

Blue skies and gorgeous Southern California weather.

As you can see, I'm trying to keep my sense of humor.

As the newly popularized saying goes, "Keep calm and carry on."

I'm trying.

23 before 24.

*My updated list! I've gotten a lot done since I started this!*

I love lists. They keep me focused and on track. This love of lists extend to my personal life as well.

There are a lot of resolution lists on all types of blogs, the most common being the "_ before (your age)" lists. It's a little late in the game for me seeing as my birthday was in January, but I want to give it a go!

Here's my "23 before 24" list.
1. Visit one city that is completely brand new to me.
2. Do something that completely terrifies me. Skydiving comes to mind.
3. Do at least 30 hours of community service / volunteering. Doesn't sound like a lot but on a busy schedule it's my bare minimum that I want to do. (As of July 15, four down, 26 to go!)
4. Read ten books. Again, not much but see above.
5. Send at least five packages of presents to friends. (Three down, two to go!)
6. Go scuba diving.
7. Eat vegetarian for a week. It'll be a challenge living with two carnivorous boys.
8. Eat at one relatively fancy restaurant with J. (Cucina Urbana was amazing.)
9. Three weekend getaways with J. We've done San Francisco, the next two should be Santa Barbara and Vegas ;)
10. Take one really nice photograph and turn it into wall art.
11. Buy something from an independent artist. (Love the map we got from Etsy artist IScreenYouScreen.
12. Go surfing with J. (Took a humbling surfing lesson with J, who stood up during his first lesson!! <3)
13. Do the touristy Hollywood thing with J. It'll make him happy.
14. Braise short ribs. Yes, that's a goal. It's fancier than anything I've ever made before! DONE July 23! Ugly, but done :)
15. Take a yoga class.
16. Get my palm read. For fun of course.
17. Take a long walk on the beach, romantic style.
18. Make my own mojito!!
19. Bake a cake for someone. (DONE!!)
20. Knit something. Anything. Even a scarf.
21. Take a nice family photo. Can you believe it's been months since I've seen my brother? I really miss him. I'm such a bad sister.
22. Make a proper creme brûlée, crackly sugar top and all!
23. Find a place to try burrata, clearly the cheese of my yet to be realized dreams. (Again, Cucina Urbana was the place to complete this task. LOVED it.)

And that's my list! It's not in any kind of order. Let's see how far I get into it.