One of the most physically annoying things about aging is not the wrinkles & fine lines visibly showing–get on those anti-aging serums, stay out of the sun, use sunblock, moisturize daily, get ahold of some Asian genes, etc–but that agonizing pain in the back of your mandible. You know the pain I’m talking about, right? That jerk wisdom tooth who’s popping up to say, “hey gurl, sup?” & your response is, “BYE FELICIA, DISAPPEAR.” That pain. Yeahhhh, so since I can only pop so many pills of Motrin before I destroy my liver & overdose, all my food choices have been solely categorized under, “can I feed this to a baby?” and “cannot feed to baby.” Thank goodness for my random craving for cháo (also known as congee or rice porridge) a few weeks ago because it’s so easy to make & I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Also, it falls under the, “10/10 can feed this to a baby.” I mean, it’s not exactly healthy to be exclusively eating it because rice is not going to fulfill the essential vitamin spectrum for a healthy body, but look, my mouth hurts to chew so I’m going to choose to slurp on rice porridge. That’s where the versatility comes into play though! Dressing up porridge with your favorite ingredients will help you get over the general boringness that is porridge.
Nikon D5300
It’s finally Spring, but New England kind of doesn’t care about seasons, so it’s already snowed a few times. But listen, I’m not here to talk about the drunk weather patterns of New England, I’m here to share a new recipe I’ve developed in partnership with Trident Seafoods, working with delicious surimi by Louis Kemp. Being a full-time student & working part-time is no easy feat, especially when you also need to find time to feed yourself & not break the bank. This is especially true for any working busybody or mom, so I came up with a recipe that y’all can bang out in 20 minutes or less!
If you’re new around these parts, hi, I’m Tiffany & I’m addicted to sushi. It’s always my default craving, however very expensive, especially when I want to blow my wallet on omakase. I admit that sometimes all I want is just a California roll–invented by Chef Ichiro Mashita who wanted to appease his LA customers who were turned off by the nori (seaweed) in sushi by flipping the rice inside out–because it’s an inexpensive & reasonable alternative to raw fish. This is especially appealing if you’re pregnant or scared of raw fish, so embrace this tasty alternative, y’all! Louis Kemp Crab Delights are made from Alaskan Pollock—a highly sustainable white fish also known as the world’s biggest source of palatable fish, which is commonly used in imitation crab products—and real snow crab. Let me just smash cut to the chase since I know you just HAVE TO KNOW WHAT IT IS I’VE MADE THAT ONLY TAKES 20 MINUTES TO MAKE, HURRY UP. It’s a deconstructed California roll in a bowl! Let me introduce you to my version of a quick & easy California roll fix for busy moms, millennials, people, everyone: the Spicy California Sushi Bowl. Spicy is always optional, but it’s essential in my household because the kick makes life more interesting.
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So, I’m the worst & I really thought I’d be able to edit all of those photos from my trip to Thailand & Vietnam last summer during winter break. I got some of it done, just not all of it. I’m ashamed, but I had other priorities such as allowing Civilization V to ruin my life with my friends. Just one more turn, right? Well, that’s over with. I’m back in Boston, which means it’s about high time I get my act together. Despite having a -9000 presence in the blogosphere this past month, I still got to team up with Vegas.com to make a pizza that was inspired by one of their many hotels. I immediately thought of Paris, only because I really have no idea how I would have time to spray paint neon butterflies & mushrooms to put on a pizza for the Wynn. Since the hotel capitalizes on Parisian culture–or at least what they think is–you’ll easily find French Onion soup & quiche on their menus. This is awkward; I forgot how to blog so I’m just going to cut to the chase: I made a pizza that tastes like the lovechild of a mushroom quiche & French Onion soup. Here’s the part where I make you click a link to stay on my page longer to see my photos. Also, don’t forget to check out resorts in Vegas if you want to spend Spring Break soaking in the heat, day drinking, & pool party life. Wait, that actually sounds really nice right now considering my feet are frozen right now.
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In an attempt to be more festive because I haven’t had the time to make Thanksgiving themed recipes, I’m sharing with y’all recipes I’ve written in the past–all which make great Thanksgiving dishes–& recipes from others. I’m partial to these food bloggers because they interact with their readers, so please give their recipes & websites a visit. Such beautiful scrumptious pictures & recipes, what’s not to love? Shameless plugs + friendly plugs, simple, short, & sweet. Hopefully these recipes get you inspired to get cookin’ this holiday season.
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I’m happy to announce the winner of my Soapy Giveaway is, drum roll please, Tara of Aigoo-Chamna.net! Congratulations, Tara! Thrilled that you won & you most definitely deserve it. Tara is always one of the first people to read my posts & leaves thoughtful comments. Very pleased that she won, but it was all the more easier for her to win when a bunch of people got disqualified because they failed to do one simple thing: leave multiple comments on different posts. Womp womp! Oh well, their loss is Tara’s win. Visit her blog & befriend this friendly blogger! Thanks to all those who participated & be on the lookout for another giveaway in the future. I’m bound to have another one. 🙂
Let’s get on with my previous promise to share Vietnamese recipes, shall we? I bring you a delicious fish & noodle recipe from my peeplez. Cha Ca Thang Long (Grilled Turmeric Fish with Dill) is a very popular northern Vietnamese dish, which has a transliteration of “grilled chopped fish from Thang Long.” While we were sweating in Vietnam’s summer heat, my family went to lunch at a restaurant in Hanoi which only served Cha Ca Thang Long and it was quite excellent. However, I’ve had better in the comforts of my own home (& my mother’s cooking) & at Pho Quang Trung. It’s also comforting knowing you can eat fresh herbs raw without worry of parasites too, so there’s that. This recipe is not meant for those who don’t like seafood or fish sauce, because honey, fish sauce is the soy sauce of Vietnam. In other Asian cuisines, soy sauce is the base for many dishes, but in Vietnam, it’s fish sauce. It’s the secret ingredient my mom uses to make her spaghetti sauce full of umami goodness.
BONUS FUN FACT: Ancient Romans also used fish sauce in their spaghetti too, so don’t you judge my mother for adding her Vietnamese fusion ways into pasta.