wonder foodie: cooking with grandma

During the past few weeks I've been making many calls to my grandmother to enlist her help in making some of the dishes of my childhood. It's great to have her instruction on how to properly steam yook beng (meat cake) or how much water is needed make lan fan jook (a thick rice porridge).

It's the feeling of passing on a legacy, and being reminded of all the great dishes you ate and loved while growing up.

My favorite feature on Chow is the Cooking with Grandma segments. Each one highlights a grandmother cooking with her grandchild -- and even though the measurements are not exact, the love and history in the recipes are overflowing. Love it! This most recent feature is one of my favorites - Cooking gnocchi in a tomato-porcini sauce with Grandma Paola! Mmmm, I think I'll try this one soon.

friday photo: horsin' around

Today's photo was taken by my photography professor from college. When I was her student, she showcased these beautiful photographs of horses and I recently rediscovered them in her online portfolio. I love horses, they are elegant and beautiful creatures with a quiet yet fierce kind of spirit. I think I'd like to be a horse for a day, just to see how it'd be to run in the fields carefree.

Check out the series that she has posted, they are breathtakingly beautiful - in the meadow, of their backs, and in their stalls.

photos by mimi plumb

missing in paradise

I've been missing here on the blog for the past few weeks since I was preparing to leave work for a while - mostly in part to a fabulously relaxing vacation in Hawaii that we had! It ended with a surprising Tsunami warning, so we were rudely awakened on Saturday at the crack of dawn by an ear-piercing siren that continued for a good minute and a half. Safety first, even in paradise!

Luckily, no one was hurt and the vacation itself was absolutely lovely. Lots of sunning, swimming, and eating delicious tropical delights. A girl really couldn't ask for much more. Shave ice, homemade mochi, banana mac nut pancakes, and some Fighting Eel shopping. Aloha!

image taken at lani kai beach, on the island of oahu

friday photo: happy valentine's day

We don't usually celebrate Valentine's Day on the day of the 14th, but we always go to the same restaurant on February 13th. It's low-key, but wonderful. We just like to focus on spending time with the person you love, making eye contact and laughing about the things that brought you together. Nothing fancy, no huge gifts or crazy things like that. Simple and lovely.

image source unknown (from some lovely blog)

a little soundtrack: love it live

I am a big fan of chill music, and who defines chill beachy music better than Colbie Caillat? Here's a great song that my sister sent me today, with none other than our man Justin Young singing backup vocals. Listen to them hit those highs!

Live music is wonderful - unplugged and soulful, none of that overproduced electronica. Enjoy!



See a great version of her hit "Bubbly" here.

humanitarian photography

Recently I received an amazing book from a good buddy that showcased the photography of Jeremy Cowart as he traveled around the world with the Passion World Tour to 17 cities across the globe to celebrate their shared faith. The images are stunning, as they capture the spirit of the nations they visited - the faces, the people, the hearts of many enraptured in true joy as they worshiped the God of the universe.

It brought to mind the good that photography can do. Transporting individuals like us in America, to the hard truth and amazing hope that is alive in other nations. Beyond our entitlement, success, busyness, and materialism - there is something else. I felt it when I was in South Africa almost 5 years ago, and it really crept into my heart and underneath my skin. It really snaps me back into reality when I am too full of myself and this American existence. Since then I've been reminded to be conscious of this often, and it is more apparent when you are faced with photos that speak of it ... loudly and clearly. You may recall that I was drawn to these photos from the TOMS shoe drop - and little did I know that it was the work of humanitarian photographer Esther Havens. While clicking around the web one day, I came upon her site and blog and was touched by the images I saw. Take a look (click to see them larger), and I hope you're encouraged to be more grateful, less busy, and hopeful. Not in a cliched, feel good kind of way -- but with true, heartfelt understanding of others around the world. Go to her site to click on more countries and see more photos.

images via awakening the book and esther havens

simple slip ons

My search for the perfect slip-on sneaker continues, I must be mourning the old days of Keds. I was reminded of the comfy shoe search when this ad popped into my mailbox. J.Crew is carrying these sweet Bensimons for the under 12 set. Aren't these great? The colors are perfect! Modern, minimalist, and fun.

image via jcrew