Embracing Parenthood

Being a first time parent to a newborn baby is hard. Here's some of the challenges we've dealt with thus far:

• He didn't have enough wet diapers by day 3 so we had to supplement with formula for 5 days.
• We both had to take antifungal medication for 2 weeks for a suspected case of thrush (which I still don't think he actually had).
• He's still dealing with jaundice - the levels are relatively low but it still hasn't gone away completely.
• He got a diaper rash.
• He's a pretty poor napper and has gone 6-7 hours without sleep.
• He spent much of the first 3 weeks cluster feeding.
• He started rejecting the bottle this week after 4 weeks of getting at least one bottle a day.
• It takes at least 1-2 hours to put him down for the night.
• He still wakes up 4 times a night.
• He wakes up at 5-6am fussing but not hungry, so it's very challenging to know how to soothe him. Sometimes he just wants to be held but often times he'll continue to whine as he's being held. 

But it hasn't been all doom and gloom. Here are some of the positives:

• After my milk came in, we've been able to exclusively breastfeed.
• His latch is great (no more pain for me!) and he's gaining plenty of weight. He gained almost a pound a week for the first 5 weeks! He's now 12 lbs 10 oz at 6 weeks.
• I managed to feed him 2 oz from a bottle last night during a dream feed - while that's not a full feeding, I'm starting to feel hope that he won't starve when I go back to work. 
• He naps well while being held - this isn't an ideal or sustainable long-term solution but there's nothing like a newborn cuddle so I'm trying to enjoy them for as long as I can. Plus, I just successfully put him down for a nap drowsy but awake for the first time ever! He's been napping for over 40 minutes after 15 minutes of fussing. Let's see how much longer he can go.
• We have some amazing friends who have been bringing us tons of food and help us hold him so we can have a free moment to eat with two hands.
• All my diaper stockpiling has been working out well! It's been great not having to stress about running out of diapers on top of everything else we worry about.

Most importantly, Jeff and I love him more than anything else. Even with all the poopy diapers, night wakings, spit up, and fussing, we love and cherish being his parents. This time goes by so fast - we already miss his early newborn days because with all the weight he's gained, he looks like a completely different baby now! Dare I say, God willing, we already know we want another one?

Finally enjoying a Geisha's Kiss from Sushiritto! Although I just found out breastfeeding moms should avoid tuna. :(

Post Labor & Recovery

Two Nights in the Hospital

All the nurses at the hospital were fantastic in providing assistance with swaddling, diaper changes, breastfeeding, and general infant care. They were also very generous in providing additional supplies to take home such as diapers, pads, wipes, post-partum underwear, etc. The hospital gowns were actually quite comfy and convenient for breastfeeding - while they weren't fashionable, it's not like I was going anywhere (although I did end up wearing it for a few pictures in the first day photoshoot...luckily the photog used good lighting and the baby to cover up how unfashionable it was..hehe). I only left the room once to see Lucas get weighed. I almost wished I had one to take home! None of my pajamas or nightgowns are as convenient or comfy for breastfeeding. The food was also pretty good. There was a huge selection of Indian foods to choose from. I always chose the congee option, since I wanted something warm and comforting.

The only thing about our hospital stay that I would complain about is that everything was so poorly and haphazardly scheduled that we never got any kind of rest. Within the two night stay, there were multiple pediatrician, OB, and nurse visits, a circumcision, a lactation consultant visit, jaundice test, hearing test, first day photography shoot, baby bath, scheduled skin-to-skin...I'm sure there are more things I'm forgetting! Because none of these were scheduled, they would just barge in whenever, so we never ended up getting any sleep. I wish there was a way to schedule these things so that we could get blocks of uninterrupted rest. It definitely left me feeling very frazzled and exhausted when we arrived home!

I also wished that I could have stayed in the hospital long enough for my milk to come in. The day we came home from the hospital, Lucas didn't have enough pee diapers so we ended up having to supplement with formula to ensure that he was hydrated. Unfortunately, the nurses didn't warn us that this could happen and what we should do if it does - I heard they actually do have extra formula they provide for situations like this, but because they are so keen on having moms exclusively breastfeed, they won't give it to you unless you ask for it. I had no idea to ask for it and they never brought it up. In fact, I had never met our pediatrician at that point so I wasn't even sure who to contact after hours that night. Luckily I was able to get connected with an after hours nurse hotline that gave us instructions on what to do. Since then, my milk has come in and Lucas has been gaining weight well with just breastfeeding!

Recovery from Labor

The epidural took awhile to wear off so I didn't start feeling pain until the day after delivery. But I knew it must be pretty serious since nurses and doctors kept checking in on my bleeding and putting ice packs down there to minimize swelling. The nurses were especially diligent about my first two trips to the bathroom - I had two nurses help me to the bathroom just to make sure I was steady and to make sure I was peeing enough. It helped that everyone was female, as the recovery ward is no place to be modest! They never gave me anything stronger than an ibuprofen, which was mostly sufficient for the pain. The only times I really felt pain down there was when I had to sneeze or cough. I thought about buying a Sitz bath beforehand but I never got around to it. Now I'm glad I didn't end up buying it! There's so much random crap to buy post-pregnancy, I'm dealing with enough Amazon deliveries and returns as it is. Plus, what new mom has time to sit around in a Sitz bath after every bathroom trip? I did feel a little bit of pain in my abdomen area starting the second day - the doctor said that was a good thing, because it meant my uterus was contracting back to its normal size thanks to all the breastfeeding Lucas was demanding for those two days in the hospital. It definitely didn't feel like my uterus was contracting at the time, since I still looked and felt 5 months pregnant.

I didn't weigh myself at the hospital, which is probably for the better because I might have been disappointed with the lack of weight loss. After 2 weeks, my uterus definitely shrank down a lot more, so I only looked like I was 3 months pregnant. I'd probably attribute this weight loss to my Chinese post-partum diet, as low salt is a key factor to the diet to ensure new moms don't retain excess water. I've also been eating a lot of traditionally "hot" foods, which are probably making me sweat out excess fluids. I'm still not sure how much I weigh though - I don't see my doctor until 6 weeks after delivery for a checkup. Here's hoping everything will be okay by then! Not that I'm looking to do any intense workouts but it's very impractical for me not to lift anything heavier than Lucas. When I go out with him, I still need to carry the car seat and stroller too!

Week 38: Valentine's Day, A New First Month Nanny, and Dilation

Valentine's Day

We celebrated our last Valentine's Day as a couple of two at Fleming's Steakhouse (and ran into some friends there, who are also expecting!). I keep getting told that we need to savor our last days by eating at nice restaurants and watching movies in theaters so we were more than happy to indulge in that advice from our more seasoned parent friends. Jeff enjoyed a tasty rib eye steak while I had a delightful Chilean sea bass. I am always the weirdo that gets seafood at a steakhouse. Of course, I never say no to a chocolate lava cake. :)

A New First Month Nanny

We found a new nanny for the first month! She was fully willing to share all her medical records with us and get vaccinated, so I'm feeling much better about her. This whole situation has made me feel so vulnerable and makes me wonder how anyone is ever able to find reliable care that they can trust. At least with this first month nanny, she will never be completely alone with our baby so I feel okay that I can supervise and make sure things are getting done the right way.

Dilation

I found out during my checkup this week that I'm 3 cm dilated! My doctor says that she would be very surprised if I went past my due date at this point. I'm excited that I managed to get to 3 cm without having to suffer through any contractions and I'm only 2 cm away from justifying the need for an epidural. We're this much closer to meeting Lucas face to face! :)

Week 36: Maternity Belts & Looking for a First Month Nanny (Again)

Maternity Belt

My hip pain got so bad that I finally caved in and got a maternity belt, which both my yoga instructor and doctor recommended. I wanted to try it on to make sure I got the right size so I ended up paying significantly more by purchasing it in a brick and mortar maternity store versus online (it pains me to see how much cheaper it is on Amazon!). After a few days of wearing it, along with taking warm baths and yoga stretches, I wasn't really feeling much better. If anything, I was feeling worse because the pain had spread to my lower back! Strangely enough, after a hellish day with way too much walking and standing around at Super Bowl City, I started feeling better. So I'm not sure if it's the belt or the forced strain and activity but I'm glad to be feeling more like myself. If that's the extent of what I have to suffer through while pregnant, I'll consider myself lucky!

Looking for a First Month Nanny Again

Unfortunately, the original first month nanny we hired isn't going to work out because she won't get the flu and TDAP vaccines. I know that some may think it's unnecessary to be such a stickler about vaccines - it's unlikely anything will happen. But I don't wish to take chances with my baby! Being sick is hard enough - being sick as a newborn is infinitely worse. Plus, whooping cough is potentially fatal for a baby.

I just wish we'd known this earlier but I'm glad we found out before I let her near our baby and put him in danger. Now we're scrambling to figure out what our options are. If we can't find another nanny who's already vaccinated (or willing to be vaccinated), we may just opt for a meal delivery service that specializes in making the traditional Chinese post-partum meals for new moms in the first month so that at least I won't have to worry about food. There's only two of these in the Bay Area and I've heard I-San House is the better of the two. Jeff might also try to rearrange his work assignments to take part of his paternity leave during my first month so I won't be all alone. The good thing is that after taking all those classes, we feel more confident about taking care of a baby so we feel like we could manage if we didn't have a first month nanny. We would be extremely exhausted though!

Super Bowl City, San Francisco, February 2016

Week 31: Lalaland, Toddlerhood, & The Good Dinosaur

Lalaland

I took the last flight of my pregnancy (and 2015) to visit family down in LA this past week. This is likely my last flight for a really long time! The trip was great but definitely too short. Luckily there was enough time to hit up all my favorites:

• Half and Half Tea House: I like their caramel iced milk with 25% sugar.
• Porto's Bakery: A few of my favorites are pictured in this post from earlier this year here (guava pastries, potato balls, and the caprese sandwich). The lines are long but they tend to move relatively quickly - the longer wait is really for the food.
• 101 Noodle Express - The best chicken noodle soup and juicy potstickers (see here)!
• Chang's Garden - All the food here is really solid; I especially like their minced shrimp in lettuce cups.
• Banh Mi My Tho - Love their meatball banh mi - this is my favorite banh mi place by far! There is always a wait but it's worth it.

Toddlerhood

My darling nephew is now 3 and a half and currently going through a very sweet and adorable phase. While I will definitely try to savor each phase leading up to, I really hope baby Lucas gets to such a great phase in toddlerhood too! Here are some new developments I've noticed:

• Independence: He's learning to do more things by himself so his mantra is "I can do it!" I was worried it would get annoying and bratty but it's actually just hilariously cute. Getting dressed does take a lot longer as he insists on doing it himself but then ends up getting stuck in his sweaters for awhile. Rather than getting frustrated or cranky, he just perseveres on until he gets it right.
• Affection: He will reciprocate I love you's and I miss you's. He also initiates hugs more. It broke my heart each time I had to turn down his request to hold him, with my ginormous belly and all.
• Emotional control: Even though there were times that he was clearly upset, he did a good job of not throwing tantrums in public. He didn't get fussy or loud when we didn't buy him any toys at the store or when it was time to leave the museum.
• Speech and conversation: Even though most conversations involve a lot of "why?" and "why not?" questions, it's still fun to talk to him and get an understanding of how his mind works. It's also funny (and dangerous!) when he imitates us, so we try to be a lot more careful of our speech around him.

The Good Dinosaur

It pains me to say this, since I love Pixar movies but this is not one of those Pixar movies that's good for adults. The plot is unoriginal and the story is slow - but that didn't stop me from crying at the end anyway. Oh pregnancy hormones! Still, it's a good movie for young kids that love dinosaurs. Some parts may be a bit scary though, depending on the age of the child.

Week 30: Baby Shower Recap and Being Pretty and Jealousy

Baby Shower Recap

I mentioned a few weeks ago that our awesome friends threw us an amazing baby shower! Here are a few pics of the awesome dessert and hors-d'oeuvres table. 

Love this diaper cake, especially with the little booties on top. Also, a sneak peek of the reusable bags that Katie had made as favors for the guests.

There was also a ton of food we forgot to take pictures of: some large trays of salad and pasta from Bucca di Beppo and 5 pizza pies from Delfina. Delfina states that they can do half-baked pizzas on their website but they misheard when we ordered so they ended up baking them fully and taking 20 minutes longer than they promised. I am currently on a Delfina strike because of I'm still miffed at how the server nonchalantly said "oh yeah I didn't hear that you wanted half baked...sorry it took so long." Don't cross a pregnant woman!

Nonetheless, the shower was just right for us - we didn't want to go overboard by inviting too many people. Katie's house can only fit so many of us! Plus I didn't want to seem too gift grabby. In our current stage of life, we can broadly categorize our friends into three buckets:

- Friends with kids, who have their hands full trying to manage their kids

- Friends without kids who are happily enjoying their kid-free stage 

- Friends without kids who are really hoping to have kids soon

Maybe it's just me but it feels awkward to celebrate this stage in life with other friends, particularly since most can't relate. I feel like they have other things to worry about, the last thing they're thinking about is showering us and our new baby. I'm just not good at having the attention all directed at me and my growing bump!

Being Pretty and Jealousy

I was listening to a Fresh Air podcast with Jennifer Lawrence this week - I don't particularly love her but she actually made a few good points that stuck out in my mind as good parenting tips. Haha...go figure.

• She grew up thinking she was ugly but it didn't matter to her. If she ever had a daughter, she wouldn't want her daughter to obsess over being pretty either. She'd want her daughter to question "Who cares how you look? Why does that matter?" I love that! If I ever have a daughter, I hope she will grow up this self-assured so that she doesn't care about her looks either.
• When girls in school were mean to her, her mother would say "Oh they're just jealous of you!" Her brothers would then say "Don't tell her that! Maybe she's just an *sshole!" While a bit harsh, I think it's kind of awesome and true most of the time. I have always hated how parents always claim other kids are jealous of their perfect angelic wonderful kids who don't need to change at all. Regardless of jealousy, it doesn't mean that your kid isn't a jerk!

Week 29: Tips for Flying in the Last Trimester

Boston 

I spent the past week in Boston for work. While most of the time was spent working, my colleagues and I did get to enjoy some New England cuisine and a bit of Boston. We indulged in some delicious seafood at the Atlantic Fish Company and decadent desserts at Max Brenner - both conveniently located right across the street from the Prudential Center. 

The Atlantic Fish Company has great service! I loved the flavor of my spicy lobster linguine but found the clam chowder too heavy and salty.

Max Brenner, on the other hand, was disappointing. The dark hot chocolate with marshmallows was great but small, the molten lava chocolate cake was dry, and the waffle was stale. I suspect I should have tried the fondue or crepes instead! So I'd be willing to give them another try. 

On our last day, we took some time to walk around drizzly Boston. Here's a view from Boston Commons:

Flying in the Last Trimester

Pregnancy wise - it's a lot harder to fly at 29 weeks! Here are some tips to make flights more bearable at this stage:

• Having an aisle seat is critical for the frequent bathroom trips and much needed stretching breaks.
• Bring sufficient food. Since my flights to and from were 6-7 hours, I made sure to always have a sandwich and fresh fruit. Don't count on purchasing in-flight options, which will consist of lots of cheese and cold cuts.
• If you're flying alone and bringing a carry on, make sure you're able to lift it up into the overhead bin yourself. Don't assume strangers will help you because no one offered to help me and I'm very visibly 7 months pregnant! I ended up bringing a duffle bag because my roller bag is pretty heavy. I need to invest in lighter luggage!

While it pains the wanderlust in me to say this, I'm glad this is probably the longest flight I'll need to take for awhile. Flying while very pregnant is tough, and flying with a baby won't be any easier!

A wedding at the Ramekins

Last week, we had the pleasure of attending a gorgeous wedding at the Ramekins in Sonoma. Jeff and I were both honored to take part in the wedding as an officiant and a bridesmaid respectively. Because I have a great memory for little details and cute stories, I helped him draft up his speech, which he delivered beautifully. He received so many compliments, I started joking that he was available for hire at future weddings! 

Love the hanging florals for the ceremony

Gorgeous centerpieces for every table (and now my coffee table)

Because the Ramekins is a culinary school, the food was some of the best I've ever had at a wedding. No rubbery chicken in sight...

A delicious salad to start off the meal

There was a last minute no-show at our table but the kitchen graciously served us their entree anyway, which we shared family style at the table. I typically discriminate against vegetarian options but now I see that I've been missing out - this mushroom ravioli was amazing!

Sea bass - perfectly cooked and paired with a light, flavorful sauce

Jeff loves his steak! If I'm being honest, I'm not a huge fan of beef when sea bass is an option.

A beautiful cake from the Ramekins, supplemented with delicious angel food cupcakes from Angel Heart Cakes and Krispy Kremes (per groom's request!). The espresso chip and strawberry cupcakes were my favorites of the night!

This was definitely one of the best weddings I've ever attended! Jeff and I are close friends with both the bride and groom, so it was a lot of fun for us to participate in the wedding. We also got to catch up with familiar faces and old friends during the cocktail hour and reception. Most importantly, the newly wedded couple took care to make sure everyone had a good time and it definitely paid off. Here's to a lifetime of happiness and joy for the bride and groom!

Ad Hoc & A Proposal

During the festivities of this past weekend, we managed to squeeze in a meal at Ad Hoc in Napa, one of Thomas Keller's more "affordable" restaurants ($52/person still isn't exactly cheap). They offer one set menu served family style so I was a bit nervous - I like having options! What if the options included foods I don't like? I can be a pretty picky eater! Luckily, the food was great and the company was even better. 

Delicious salad of TFL lettuces, which were grown in the "Laundry" garden - I normally don't love salad but this one had a great citrus dressing that was just the right amount of lightness and sweetness combined.

Steak with button mushrooms, asparagus, parsnip puree, and blue cheese butter - the steak was a bit rarer than I'm used to but it was delicious. I'm not a fan of blue cheese so this was one of those rare occasions that I didn't indulge in butter. It's probably better that way!

Almond financier topped fresh whipped cream - I found the dessert plenty sweet without the caramel so I'm glad the server offered to serve it on the side instead of drizzled all over. I thought it was going to be too corn bready for my tastes but it ended up being really yummy.

Goat milk cheese with honey - I love the combination of sweet and savory at the same time!

I kind of wanted to try the fried chicken at Addendum right behind Ad Hoc but we were super stuffed after four very satisfying courses. It seemed a bit excessive to top off the meal with fried chicken. Plus, we weren't able to stay because Bryan was going to propose that night! 

Of course, no proposal goes off without a hitch and this one was no exception. After dinner, Jeff and I had been instructed to drive to Palo Alto and wait while the happy couple drove to the proposal spot. It just so happened that along their drive, Sandy caught us walking in downtown Palo Alto. As she rolled down the window to call out to us, Bryan drove off rather quickly, worried that we might accidentally spill the beans. Luckily, we did no such thing and she was none the wiser. After the proposal took place, they came back to meet us and we shared lots of hugs, laughs, and details. It's been a long time coming so we are super excited for them! 

Delfina

Our friends Jack and Anna were visiting from NY so we took them to Delfina to experience one of SF's most popular restaurants. Luckily, they were up for eating early so it wasn't hard to snag a 5:30 reservation online. There was a line of people waiting when we arrived though, so I'm not sure how long the wait would have been without the reservation. Hopefully, I never have to find out!

We had some decent, if not boring appetizers so I'll skip those and dive straight into the more photogenic foods.

Delicious tender steak with frites that resemble In N Out fries 

(not my personal preference but I know others that love the fresh potato cut taste)

Delfina's famous spaghetti - one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had outside of Italy, rivaled only by Scarpetta's rendition of this dish

I love Delfina's different renditions of panna cotta! Buttermilk is probably my favorite but the jasmine panna cotta is a pretty close second. Light and delicious with just the right hint of jasmine.

Even though we were already stuffed after dinner and it was getting rather chilly, we still made our way across the street to Bi-Rite Creamery for a second dessert. I couldn't let them come all the way to San Francisco, be within a block of Bi-Rite and not try a scoop of their famed ice cream! The ice cream wasn't particularly photogenic so I didn't snap any pictures - but I definitely recommend the creme brulee flavor.

Comfort food at Hana

We were in the mood for comfort food this weekend so we went over to Hana by Saratoga. There's really only one dish I love here, which is probably why we don't come out here more often. The menu is only available in English and Japanese, even though the food is exclusively Chinese. They disguise scallion panackes as "negi mochi". I wish they would just embrace their Chinese-ness!

I can never say no to dumplings but they make their dumpling filling a bit too sour, in my opinion. 

I don't typically find cabbage super exciting but I really like their spicy cabbage dish. Just enough kick to make this vegetable interesting and delicious.

This was my first time trying their spicy tan tan noodles - it will likely be my last time too. Way too much noodle and way too little of anything else. The flavor wasn't anything special.

This unassuming bowl of chicken and cilantro noodle soup is the star of this little restaurant. The noodles are perfectly al dente and the broth is so simple yet so amazing. This is the epitome of what I consider the perfect comfort food.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I probably won't be craving chicken noodle soup anytime soon...so per our usual cadence, I probably won't be back for another 6-8 months. Until then, Hana!

Tiramisu recipe

We were lucky enough to celebrate Lunar New Year's twice this year. Our friend Jessica invited a group of us church friends over for hotpot.  I offered to bring tiramisu - somehow this has become my signature dish to bring for this group over the years. It's a pretty easy recipe so I'm always happy to oblige when it's requested. While it's not particularly photogenic, it's super delicious!

I've adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com - Jeff particularly likes that it doesn't involve any raw eggs, as he finds raw eggs gross and unhygenic. 

Ingredients

•  6 egg yolks
•  3/8 cup white sugar
•  2/3 cup milk
•  1 1/4 cups heavy cream
•  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1/2 pound mascarpone cheese
•  1 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
•  2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
•  1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cover and chill in refrigerator. (The directions says to chill for an hour but I usually don't have the patience to wait more than 20-30 minutes.)
2. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. 
3. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee.
4. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.
5. Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. 
6. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

Solbar

The morning right after our abundant Chinese New Year feasting, Jeff and I drove up to Napa to meet his cousins at Solbar for a delicious lunch. They're visiting from Taiwan so I wanted to make sure I picked a great restaurant - the Michelin star didn't hurt either. I liked that the Sunday brunch menu was a bit more than eggs and waffles. Luckily, Solbar didn't disappoint! We chose to eat family style so that everyone could try a little of everything.

Here's what we ordered (clockwise from top right):

• beet salad
• scallops
• lucky pig
• fish tacos
• shrimp lettuce cups
• fried chicken & french fries (not pictured)

Our favorites were the fish tacos, shrimp lettuce cups, and fried chicken. The food was quite reasonably priced, considering the location and Michelin star rating. Along with a bottle of rose, our total was less than $50/person (including tax and tip). After all that, we were stuffed so we passed on dessert! 

My only gripe was the service. We were consistently out of water - the servers would constantly come by to ask how we were doing but never take the initiative to refill our water. Also, we had half a pot of pork left from our lucky pig dish and they never offered to wrap it up for us. When they came to take it away, we just assumed they would wrap it up for us. Our mistake perhaps, but there was over half a pound of pork left. It wasn't until we are all in the car empty-handed that I realized no one received a to go box for all that leftover pork. Big fail, Solbar! 

Next time, I'll do my best to plan early and get a reservation for Auberge du Soleil. Much better views and service along with excellent food!

New Year's Feasting & A Not-So-Oily Sticky Rice Recipe

This past weekend, we had an amazing Lunar New Year potluck with friends at our house. There were only 6 of us so there were plenty of scrumptious leftovers for everyone to take home. I'm blessed to be friends with such great cooks! I'm probably biased but I honestly believe the food we made (and ate) was just as good, if not better than the food I've had in a lot of restaurants. 

 

Clockwise from top right:

• oily rice 油飯 (recipe below!)
• braised pork belly 紅燒肉
• fermented rice with sticky rice balls 酒釀湯圓 
• steamed snapper with tofu
• drunken chicken 醉雞
• the whole spread in one shot!

For those who are interested, here is an approximate recipe for the "oily rice" (油飯). Even though it's called oily rice, it really isn't very oily at all. It's made with a special sticky rice and is savory and delicious all at once!

Ingredients

• 8 cups of sticky rice
• 1/2 bag of dried shitake mushrooms
• 1/2 bags of dried shrimp
• 3 pork chops
• Fried red shallots 
• Soy sauce
• Sugar

Recipe

1. Soak mushrooms in water for 1-2 hours (or until soft). Save the water and dice the mushrooms.
2. Cook rice separately in rice cooker (I had to do a little trial and error to figure out the right proportions - may differ by rice cooker).
3. Dice up the pork chops and marinate the meat in soy sauce and sugar.
4. Cook dried shrimp in oil and then add mushrooms.
5. Cook for awhile and add mushroom water when it gets dry.
6. Add red shallots.
7. When it starts smelling fragrant, clear out space on pan.
8. Add oil in cleared space and put meat in.
9. Cook thoroughly until meat is done.
10. Add more soy sauce and sugar.
11. Remove from heat.
12. Mix meat, mushrooms, shallots, and shrimp with cooked rice.
13. Adjust taste by adding soy sauce and sugar until the taste and color are right.

Thank goodness for friends and family that make each year even better than the last. Happy Year of the Sheep to all!

Valentine's Weekend in LA part II

No trip to LA is complete without Korean BBQ. This time we tried Soowon Galbi with Jeff's cousins. This isn't a buffet but we still left very stuffed! They don't take reservations so we got there at 5pm - we still had to wait 30 minutes but it was well worth it. Of course, we had many portions of galbi:

Even though we were stuffed, we had to make room for their famous ice cream macarons. I opted for strawberry, which looked more like watermelon. The ice cream flavor was light and fruity, although the macaron was a bit crunchy. 

We love getting Taiwanese breakfast favorites and baked goods at JJ Bakery - here's a peek at their selection:

We also checked out Lemonade, which I found a bit overrated and pricey. The 5 item salad bar for over $11 is ridiculous - it was just 5 small scoops of food! I didn't expect to pay almost $50 for lunch for 3 - especially when it's cafeteria style food. I did like the truffle mac n cheese and blueberry mint lemonade but I won't be coming back here. The regular lemonade's not even that great. There's way better and more affordable food in LA to be had!

Valentine's Weekend in LA part I

We spent Valentine's / President's Day weekend in Los Angeles, which of course means we had delicious food. Porto's is a super popular bakery and cafe in LA. Whenever we come here, we always get a box of guava cheese pastries. Don't judge - we share! 

Here's a close up of their yummy potato balls, another Porto's favorite.

This was my first time trying their Caprese sandwich. Definitely won't be my last!

101 Noodle Express has all my favorite Chinese comfort foods, cooked just the way I like them. Their potstickers are perfectly crispy and juicy.

I'm also a big fan of their chicken noodle soup - the handmade noodles are chewy and thick and the chicken broth is amazing.

I actually like bubble tea more in NorCal because they have so many authentic chains from Taiwan but the fresh fruit teas at AU79 are pretty delicious too. Passion orange tea is my favorite.

This is only what we ate in the first half of the weekend! Part 2 to come...

Girl's Day Out Recap

Katie's girl's day out was a huge success! She didn't know what we had planned for the day so every time we got into the car, she looked for clues to figure out where we were headed. She admitted to being nervous so we took advantage of that by teasing her that strippers were an integral part of the day's activities (spoiler alert: we lied, they never showed up...hehe).

The bridesmaids plus Katie started the day with brunch at Cafe Borrone. I knew there would be much more gluttony later on in the day so I opted for a delicious, healthy-ish salad with avocado, blood oranges, and walnuts. Most of the time, I get the French dip sandwich or Belgian waffles with berries here.

From there, we picked up the rest of the girls and headed to Dry Bar. I asked for the Cosmo blowout and ended up looking like Shirley Temple...huge fail! The stylist insisted on tighter curls because they would relax throughout the day. That never happened, even though she didn't add any product...oh well. This was still a fun activity though! But you can't really chat with your friends during the styling since it's really loud and they can't guarantee that groups can sit together. 

Afterwards, we headed to La Jolie for pedicures. We were super early, since I added in lots of buffer time between appointments, just in case. You just never know with a large group! Luckily, La Jolie was gracious enough to let us lounge in the front with some champagne and soda until it was our turn. 

Once our feet were properly pedicured, we headed over to Village Pub for dinner. My scallops were fairly light so I had plenty of room for my favorite dessert - their chocolate souffle! Better than Alexander's and Cafe Jacqueline's, in my humble opinion. 

After dinner, we went back to Donna's house for some scrapbooking, gifts, and more dessert. It was super tame but we all had a lot of fun chatting late into the night. :) Katie said she had a great time, despite (or because of?) the lack of scandalous activities. Of course I'm biased, but I'd like to think this was a pretty well-planned day. Catching up with girlfriends while getting pampered is the best - we need to schedule these more often!

Super Bowl Sunday

Jeff decided last minute to throw a Super Bowl party - and I was probably one of the last to find out! Despite my need to over-plan everything in advance, we managed just fine with 36 hours notice. It helped that our generous friends brought wings, guac, cookies, and chips. I also had leftover Espresso Chip Angel Food Cake (from Angel Heart Cakes) courtesy of Katie's non-shower the day before, so our food prep was minimal. 

On top of all that, Jeff made chicken satay with peanut sauce and salsa, Sandy and I made caprese salad skewers (a la Piatti's), and Bryan made sangria. Here's the recipe for the chicken satay and peanut sauce:

Chicken

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (8 oz each) sliced into thin 1/2 inch strips
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• red pepper flakes for garnishing

1. Marinate chicken strips in peanut oil and garlic for about 30 minutes and then grill.  
2. Sprinkle cilantro and red pepper flakes on top.

Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• pinch of cayenne pepper or dash of chili sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. (We do it by hand because we're lazy.)

I don't watch football so I wasn't particularly interested in the outcome of the Super Bowl. I am a marketer so I did find the commercials interesting. If I'm being really honest, it helps to see the reactions of others as they watch commercials so that I can better understand what kind of advertising does and does not work. Yes, I can be a huge nerd sometimes. :)

Plus, it's always fun to get together with friends at home. I guess I've always been a homebody because this has always been the easiest, funnest way for me to hang out with friends. Even during my single days, I was never really into  clubbing or barhopping. I've always preferred staying in with good food and great company - I guess the former is technically optional, if not highly preferable. Luckily I've got great friends that can indulge these preferences!

Planning a Girl's Day Out

I mentioned earlier this week that I'm in the midst of planning a celebration for Katie, who's getting married later this year. She didn't want a shower or bachelorette so we had to get around it by designating this as a "Girl's Day Out" that just happened to be before the wedding. :) All kidding aside, I think this is more aligned with what she wanted, as she wasn't interested in the typical bachelorette shenanigans or shower games.

We have approximately 7-8 girls in our group, which I think is just right. A large enough group to feel fun and festive, but not so large that we're unwieldy and impossible to manage. Here's what the tentative schedule looks like:

1:00pm: Blowouts at Dry Bar 
I've been to Dry Bar with a friend before and it was awesome! It's a nice way to feel pampered while bonding with your girlfriends.

(Photo credit: Dry Bar)

3:30pm: Pedicures at La Jolie
One of the other bridesmaids recommended La Jolie. The pictures look lovely - definitely better than the usual places I go to for a quick, cheap pedicure. While those cheaper places are great, they don't quite give off the pampered, relaxed vibe we're trying to spoil Katie with. :)

(Photo credit: La Jolie)

5:30pm: Dinner at Village Pub
Village Pub is one of my favorite restaurants in the area - and the Michelin guide clearly agrees with me. :) The menu frequently changes but luckily, their delicious chocolate souffle with earl grey creme anglais is a pretty consistent staple on their dessert menu. This is a great restaurant for celebrating special occasions.

8:00pm: Cake / tea / gifts / scrapbooking

After dinner, we'll be heading to one of the girl's houses for some scrapbooking so that Katie will have a memento of the day. Truth be told, I have never scrapbooked before so I'm not sure how this will go - thank goodness someone else will be heading up this activity! We're also planning to have some tea with burnt almond cake (her favorite!) as we "shower" her with gifts to end the day. Even though she didn't want a typical shower, I wasn't going to stop her generous friends from buying her gifts. I'm thinking about getting her the awesome cake pop and donut hole maker that I got from our White Elephant - she actually brought the gift but admitted that she considered keeping it for herself! So I won't win any points for effort or originality...but at least I remembered? :)

There were tons of other good ideas we all came  up with for the day:

• Hot tub rooms: I've heard good things about the Palo Alto Watercourse Way and the rates are super reasonable. Unfortunately, we have a pregnant mom in our group and some others that aren't crazy about hot tubs.
• Group cooking classes: We tried looking for a reputable cooking class that wasn't super expensive - unfortunately, these don't seem to exist! I'm just not interested in paying $100+ to cook one meal - at that price, I'd much rather have someone else do all the cooking and cleaning for me. We did get some reasonable quotes for group cooking lessons on thumbtack.com but we weren't sure if the instructors were any good. Plus, most of these instructors don't provide the venue and none of us have houses with kitchens that are big enough for 8 of us to cook in at the same time. 
• Pole dancing class: I've heard lots of good things about these types of classes. Katie has already done that before but if she hadn't, I would have looked into this some more.
• Group yoga class: Katie enjoys yoga so this could have been a fun option. It's too bad one of our favorite yoga instructors is out on maternity leave right now! I imagine we could have practiced outdoors in the park somewhere if we couldn't find an indoor space large enough.

I'm super excited that we were able to throw this together within 3 days! Crossing my fingers that everything turns out well.

Ramen Izakaya Yu-Gen

I was excited to explore a new ramen joint that Nicole discovered this past weekend - Ramen Izakaya Yu-Gen in downtown Mountain View. I try to limit my ramen intake these days, as I don't want to over carbo-load in one sitting - but once in awhile, a bowl of hot ramen really hits the spot!

Most of us ordered a tonkotsu broth ramen. I love how they give you the option to make the broth spicy, as well as add a side of karage for $3. The broth was solid and the noodles were decently chewy.

Jeff ordered the paitan chicken broth ramen with 5 spice chicken, which actually came with a whole chicken leg. I thought this dish was really expensive, even with the extra side of chicken, which Jeff found unimpressive.

Luckily, there was no line when we arrived as a party of 6 for Sunday lunch. Perhaps they're still new so people don't know about them? If it stays that way, this could be my new go-to ramen place. I do love the customizable spice levels for all their ramen options!