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Let’s Get Spicy

March 3, 2018 // Posted in Dips & Sauces, Food I Made, Photo Journal, Recipes

March 3, 2018 | Posted in [post_category]

Since it’s a new year, I’m going to start making some changes around here, slowly, but surely. I’ve got a lot on my plate, I assure you it’s not as crunchable or delicious as the Trader Joe’s Quinoa & Black Bean Infused Tortilla chips seen in the above photo, so it could take a long time. Maybe I’ll take an entire year again? HOPEFULLY KIDDING. The Winter Games have been incredible to watch & as a former figure skater, they’re my favorite Olympics. Seeing the Scandinavian countries crush the slopes, but beaten by the French in skating & the Biathlon had my Boston fam & me on the edge of our $200 bargain Crate & Barrel couch. Incredible feats of skill & athleticism. I may not be pregnant, but I definitely know what kind of dreams I have for my future progeny: QUALIFY FOR THE OLYMPICS OR YOU’LL BRING GREAT DISHONOR TO OUR FAMILY. Just kidding, kind of.

So, even though the Olympics are over, the next time a major televised event happens & you feel like hosting a small or large group gathering around a large–or small, whatever, no judgement–screen of pixels, you can whip out your homemade tomatillo salsa, paired nicely with all the tortilla chips.

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Foodie Fridays: Hanoi

February 17, 2017 // Posted in Food I Ate, Foodie Fridays, Gallery, Photo Journal, Travel

February 17, 2017 | Posted in [post_category]

After traveling around Thailand for a week, my family collectively grew tired of eating Thai food. I thought I loved Thai, embracing papaya salad everyday, but I think the endless buffets (thanks to the pre-booked tours) quickly bored our palates. I never tired of mango & sticky rice though, but it never really occurred to me that Thai cuisine isn’t as diverse as Vietnamese cuisine. SHOTS FIREDDDD. Jaykay. Such a first world problem, right? It wasn’t until flying into Hanoi did I truly appreciate the cuisine of my peoplez. It’s exponentially more diverse than Thai food, especially due to its influence from its colonial French past & its Chinese neighbors. We’ve got similar desserts based in coconut milk & then we have these amazing cakes & pastries thanks to the French. We have dozens of various noodle soups, while Thailand only has a handful. While most other Asian countries embrace soy sauce in nearly every dish, Thai & Viet food is similar in that both cuisines embrace fish sauce, a highly pungent & salty fermented fish sauce. It’s often mixed with sugar, water, salt, & vinegar as a dipping sauce or dressing. Fish sauce (concentrated, not mixed) has always been my mother’s secret weapon in enhancing any meal whether it was spaghetti or Banh Canh Cua. Also, MSG. She used a lot of MSG, but the point is, whenever her meals needed a major kick in umami, she pulled out a bottle of fish sauce & measured out a tablespoon of it into her dish. Never fails.

We were excited to finally get our hands on some Vietnamese food, exciting our tastebuds with new combinations of flavors & spices we grew up with. I learned that Hanoi’s goi cuon tom (aka summer rolls) is made with a much thinner sheet of rice paper & honestly, it’s more annoying to eat & make. I love summer rolls. I make them at least 3 times a month, no matter the season, because it’s so healthy, fresh, filling, & low in calories. While Hanoi’s (Northern Vietnam) cuisine is much lighter than Saigon’s (Southern Vietnam), it still has some of my personal favorite dishes: Bun Cha & Cha Ca Thang Long. See all of our eats & travel photos below!

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Foodie Fridays: Bangkok + Chiang Mai

February 10, 2017 // Posted in Food I Ate, Foodie Fridays, Gallery, Photo Journal, Travel

February 10, 2017 | Posted in [post_category]

Cool fun fact: I was going to combine a huge travel dump of photos from Thailand & Vietnam, but decided it’s too overwhelming. Besides, I can break up my trip into 3 different posts, thereby making it seem like I’m suuUUuuper active, but I just scheduled the posts ahead of time. I didn’t realize how many food photos I actually took in Thailand.

So, I was enrolled in an Emergency Medical Services classes at Boston University for a hot minute & since the classes were so long & I have the attention span of Dory in a classroom setting, I finally ended up editing all of my photos from two summers ago (!!!! – I’m the worst) & last October’s trip to Maine. DROPPED that class – too busy with work & other shenanigans. Probably will retake it in the summer when I’m not as busy. Would be fascinating to ride in an ambulance. It’s too bad the experience won’t be anything like Sirens. That show was hilarious, RIP. Anyway, my family & I went on an amazing trip to Thailand & Vietnam for nearly a month. We vacationed first & then volunteered with MEMO to help out our peoplez. Tears were definitely shed & so many of us got food poisoning, but it was all worth it. Literally shed our blood, sweat, & tears helping the underprivileged in Vietnam. You can scroll down to see my travel photos, but otherwise, here’s a massive food photos dump featuring some of the best eats from Thailand & Vietnam!

Okay, time to shut up: IT’S SLOBBERING TIME. I can’t believe I just made a Marvel pun. What is wrong with me. Puns are the worst form of humor. Halp me.

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I Made Poké For My Friends & They Fell In Love

January 18, 2017 // Posted in Entrées, Food I Made, Photo Journal, Recipes, Sushi

January 18, 2017 | Posted in [post_category]

TiffanyBee.com | Salmon & Sea Bream Poké

Isn’t it amazing how terrible 2016 was? There were so many things that just melted our brains from Brexit to Trump, police brutality to Aleppo, devastating natural disasters to Orlando & more. Congratulations on making it to 2017, but I regret to inform you that it’s not looking up all that much. Okay, forget the whole negative introduction because we can’t fight bollocks with hatred & pessimism. Let’s start this new year at Tiffany Bee on a more positive note: how I convince people to hang out with me i.e. if you feed them, they will come. Last year, I made poké for my friends & they loved it. This year, I’m finally sharing my recipe. For those of you out of the trendy food loop, poké is a Hawaiian dish consisting of seasoned raw fish that is complemented by a variety of accoutrements including rice or vegetables. It is an incredibly fresh & healthy dish, depending on its seasoning & accoutrements. If made in the comforts of your own home, it is easily more affordable & tastier than a restaurant. California’s been sprouting poké restaurants everywhere, you’d think they weren’t in a drought. Bad pun, I’m sorry Cali, forgive me. While it’s raining poké in Cali, Boston has only grown one poké restaurant & FFS it’s not even in Boston Proper, it’s in Somerville. That’s okay though, because where Boston is slacking, I GOT YOU COVERED WITH THIS RECIPE SO SCROLL DOWN, LOOK @ MAH PICS, & CLICK ON THE RECIPE LINK 2 FALLINLURVE.

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I’ll Never Phoget You

October 20, 2016 // Posted in Entrées, Food I Made, Noodles & Pasta, Photo Journal, Recipes, Soups

October 20, 2016 | Posted in [post_category]

Wow, Tiffany, a “pho pun”, how original. I know, right? Have I devolved into dad jokes? Never, because I’m too hilarious for that. I just had to, because I’m finally publishing my 100% vegan pho recipe. Told you I’d never forget you. I took a really long hiatus, but I’m present, I promise. I even added a bunch of new albums in the gallery – granted half of them are from last year. It’s been a busy year, get off my back, y’all!! I’ll get around to my European photos by the end of this month…I hope.. Anyway, back to the pho: whether you’re a meat eater or not, it’s a scrumptious recipe, so you can take your reservations & judgment & shove it right up your hairy nose holes. Pho is pronounced “fuh?” not “foe”. Source: I’m Vietnamese. There’s a question mark to indicate that you’re supposed to raise your voice as if you’re asking a question. In Vietnamese, pho has two question marks on the “O”, so trust me & lower your inquisitive eyebrow. If you’re an avid meat eater & think the idea of pho being vegan is absurd, you better swipe left right on out of here. Vietnam is known as one of the least religious countries in the world as its main “religion” aka folklore/cultural beliefs is heavily influenced by Taoism, Confucianism, & Buddhism. Many Buddhists are vegetarian/vegan, thus the meat-free versions of Vietnamese cuisine is 1 trillion times better than any quinoa kale salad you’ve ever had. There are lots of great vegetarian restaurants in Vietnam, so open your minddDdddD.