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Week Enders | 1April17

Well, that happened…
I went to the farmers market near work for the first time in AAAGGGEEESSSS. You know when you know something isn’t in season, but it’s in your face anyway? Yeah, strawberries. I bought them, and in my best Kevin Hart voice, they weren’t ready.

Thanks, Canada.
Get thee to YouTube or some other viewing entity and find your way to the hilarious Canadian sitcom, Kim’s Convenience. It’s about a Korean Canadian family who own a corner store in a downtown Toronto neighborhood. I can’t decide which of the parents I love more. Mr. and Mrs. Kim aka Appa and Umma, are just gloriously-much immigrant parents, with first gen twenty-something children, who are funny, human, complicated and caring in an everyday-messy, meddling parent kind of way. I love that, for the entire family, their multicultural worlds exists in all areas of their lives from the friendships they have to the communities that populate the store and their church. You see lives intersecting, easily.


Damn, Gina.
Since the Hulu/CW (that’s what it’s called, right?) deal ended and The CW went home with all of its shows, I keep forgetting about Jane The Virgin. Good thing is The CW site and app aren’t restricted to a cable login. It’s super easy to watch the last 5 eps. But, how am I going to remember check the app, though? No, really. I need to work on that.

My So-Pod Life …
Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period – Vincent D’Onofrio talks craft and Denzel on the latest ep. He’s much funnier than I would have thought and I’ve crushed on him since Mystic Pizza.
They Call Us Bruce – Pop, Politics, Culture in Asian America. In ep 1., Jeff Yang and Angry Asian Man’s Phil Yu talk about the heavily shaded Netflix series, Iron Fist. It’s also where I got the Kim’s Convenience tip.
S-Town – I know, I know. Everybody’s talking and typing about this newly launched podcast from the folks that had everyone obsessed with Serial. I’ll check it out.

Almost gone, Girl.
Here are a few movies that are leaving the stream in April. I’m going to have a binge session with a few of these this wknd: Terms of Endearment (Hulu), Fatal Attraction (Hulu) Menace II Society (Netflix) Resident Evil: Extinction (Netflix) Drumline (HBO) Romancing The Stone (HBO). New York Mag has the full list for HBO, Hulu, Netflix and more.

What’s Really Real…
Now that I’ve got Sling, I watch all of the US Real Housewives franchises. Well, except New Jersey. And Dallas. I don’t watch those. We’re looking at major season/city shifts happening in the next two weeks. The newest crew, the ladies of Potomac, start season 2, on Sunday. Season finale for RHOBH is Tuesday. New York returns on Wednesday. The Atlanta finale is Sunday, April 9th. But, I’m really waiting for the Atlanta reunion, because, well, Andy said to.

This weekend, I might be:
+ hanging out at the Glossier LA pop-up.
+ staring at the ocean.
+ binge watching Kim’s Convenience.

What are you up to?

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Something Simple | Better Brown Rice

With the exception of Chipotle visits, my rice life is pretty brown.

I switched to brown rice in the early aughts.  A rice cooker became the go-to, because paying attention to a pot on the stove for 45 is 40ish minutes too long for me.

For all of that time, I have to confess: I made mush.  Like, really.  Dull and tasteless.  And, I settled.  Settled for bland, beige mush for years.  I had to smother it in black beans, a curry or a tomato-based sauce to mask the sadness and disappointment.

I was always a little jealous of those grains huddled together, yet, so free, on plates and in bowls prepared for me.  I just couldn’t do it at home.  I tried long, short, jasmine and basmati.  I went with what everyone told me, 2:1.  That’s how it’s done.

Until, one day, I really wanted to recreate the veg/grain salad that I picked up from a shop around the corner from the office.  I wanted make my own big bowl of leafy greens, colorful veg and rice with tahini dressing that didn’t cost eight bucks for a half cup of joy.  I wanted it bad.  I’d figured out how to make the dressing.  Bought all the veg.  But, I just stared at the big jar of rice. The one thing that was going to fuck it all up.

I don’t know what made me google.  It didn’t, really, cross my mind that what I was told could be wrong.  I think I was just, finally, trying to figure out what I wasn’t doing right.

So on my google adventure, I got a hit that made all the sense.  Martha said I was using too much water.  Simple as that.

No, really. It was that simple.

Since then, I’ve tried both 1.25 and 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of rice.  I, usually, do 1.25.  And it’s sooo much better.

Have I made the salad? Um, so…

Bottom line: Don’t settle.  Figure out what works for you on the stove or rice cooker.  I’ve you’re pushing buttons on the microwave or dumping out that frozen bag, you should have already been fine.

N♥

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Tastes Like Home | Daddy’s Stroganoff

sometimes it’s just the memories that remain…

I didn’t realize how isolated I’ve felt here, soooo far from family, until recently. Having a kitchen full of home has helped me feel a bit less alone. I’ve been updating and elevating {♥: girrrlllll…} childhood favorites for a while, but there are some really special ones I’ve been a little afraid to try.

When my dad died, all I could think about was how fun it was when he pulled Beef Stroganoff and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from his divorced dad’s bag of tricks. I wandered the stacks at the Central Library for looking for stroganoff recipes to help recreate those long ago weekends. Losing him wasn’t unexpected, but it was heavy. I let something else sparkly catch my eye and a daddy made dinner got shelved.

I decided to cut out meat and dairy almost three years ago. At some point, the idea resurfaced to, rah-rah, Veganize it! I bought noodles and faux sour cream. And a weird aftertaste ended the adventure almost as soon as it began. The noodles stayed in the pantry, all uninspiring. The sour cream stayed in the fridge, opened and undesired.

When I decided make some of my tastes of home for Vegan MoFo, I knew I had to finally do Daddy’s Stroganoff. I looked around for recipes. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to follow a vegan one, almost as written, or go with a veg version and replace the dairy.

I picked a vegan one. Bought the few items I was missing and set off to make something good. Um, so, yeah. I followed the directions and…

I didn’t like it. At all.

It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t right.

I hate wasting food. I really hate wasting food that I’m not proud of but I know to be *kanyeshrug* okay. I kinda wish I had that guy who, you know, eats anything. I could be all… “You eat it. It’s too hot. I’ll just have watermelon and a bit of wine.”

But, yeah, no. That’s not what happened.

All is not lost, but I’m just sayin’… I l♥ve mushrooms, and days later, it still feels like I flushed a big old bag and a half from TJs down the loo. {♥: but you, uh, did.} I drank most of the bottle of wine, so there’s that. I still have soy milk in the fridge. I don’t normally use it, so I may need to figure out how to make soy creamer. I have more peas and they will find their way into a good curry. It’ll all be okay.

I do have to finish that bag of noodles. Maybe I’ll roam these mean internet streets for a better stroganoff fit. I could even dive deep into Miyoko Schinner’s Artisan Vegan Cheese for a bit of homemade sour cream.

I am glad I tried this. My love for Daddy’s Stroganoff may just have been about the beef, the tangy sour cream and me as a willful kid getting one over on my ‘no red meat’ eating mom.

This little disaster isn’t going to stop me from making the other things I planned this week.  The heatwave, she just might do that.

Nikki♥

 

 

 

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Something Simple | When It’s Too Hot

yeah… i am so of a certain age…

It’s so hot. Too hot. Not fun, hot. Waterfall of sweat, hot. I don’t want to be in the kitchen. I don’t want to cook. I keep trying, but the heat is just… uggghhhh.

My Vegan MoFo plans are going awry. I had a schedule. It was already causing a bit of anxiety. Now, the appearance of summer in September is so not helping. I wanted to make elaborate(ish) dishes and bake things. I created an editorial calendar and made grocery lists. I’ve already put in thought, money and a bit of heart.

Maybe the heat is just telling me to be who I am. I like it quick and easy. I like something simple w/lots of flavor. I do want to step out of my comfort zone, but I will also have to just let things unfold.

So, my day has been all about a tiny watermelon sliced in half and a large iced americano.

How do you handle shifting mid-course? And do you have a favorite salad, fresh juice or smoothie that saves you on a hot day?

Nikki♥

 

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Vegan MoFo | Happy Birthday to Me

So, yeah, I’m back…

Hello, September. I know it’s been ages. Almost a year, actually. And to come back, I needed a bit of inspiration and a bit of a push. Enter, Vegan MoFo.

I, somehow, didn’t really know about the Vegan Month of Food, but I’ll spend my lovely birth month exploring, sharing, opining and eating… lots.

First up, birthday cake. Or I should say, birthday cupcake. The downtown Sprinkles and I have a little ritual since they opened and the downtown Babycakes closed earlier this year.  Once a month, I give myself permission to have one {♥: One?}, okay, maybe two red velvet cupcakes. But, seriously, I can only go once, because I know trouble when I taste it.

I, openly, long for the first of the month. Beg days to hurry, if just for the short, short time it takes me to drag a finger through the creamy icing with its hint of coconut. I marvel at the moistness of the cake after cracking the top and peeling the paper. Then, somehow, I’m transported. Crumbs and hard Vs are all that remain.

I had a non-vegan moment right after I got back from Brasil this past spring and I tried one of the “look, but don’t touch” flavors. I think it might have been like Cuban coffee or something. Honestly, the vegan red velvet was better, lighter, brighter.

So, for my birthday, there was no discussion. Even if it was only a discussion to be had in my head. It was Sprinkles all the way. Sprinkles, FTW.

Happy Birthday to me, indeed.

Nikki♥

 

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HFTS | Mother’s Mixed Pickle

just something i picked up at the shop…

Popped into my local South Asian grocery for lentils and came home with a new little treat.

I take my time in the aisles, always looking for at least one thing to bring home just to try.  So far, I’ve only had this pickle with a dal, but it was pretty good.  It was hot, all tart and full of texture and bite.

If there’s any country that seems to have more sway and space in my pantry, it’s India.  And this lovely little pickle is making itself right at home.

n♥

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Home From The Market | Hollywood 2Sept12

just a few things that made it home from the market…

Cauliflower | Collard Greens | Tomatoes | Onions | Thomcord Grapes | Green Peppers | Kale

I went shopping with a post-birthday, champagne headache yesterday.  With a full day planned, I realized, early, that my patience was in short supply and very little meandering would be allowed.  Shoulders were quickly shrugged and I was on to the next stall.

Then, I saw those Thomcord grapes.  I saw them and smiled wide.  I picked up a few.  Chatted and smiled some more.

Just as easily and quickly as I know things aren’t for me, I know when they are.  Those grapes.  Those grapes were dark and lovely.  I knew they would make me giggle as they burst with all kinds of memories and a bit of longing.

One of the things that I love about going to the market is that I get a chance to be excited about simple things without being dismissive of the emotions, as if they have to be or do something more to be deserving of joy.  I let myself experience the pleasure I get from delighting my senses.  Things are just beautiful.  Or taste amazing.  Or make me happy.

There’s no ‘enough’ attached to the Thomcord grapes.  There are no grand plans, either.  I’ll just wash them and nibble, until they disappear.

n♥

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Something Simple | Tweaking Store-Bought Dumplings

the little things can make a world of difference…

I used to love making gyoza.  I kinda miss it now.  I miss the stuffing and the pleating.  I miss experimenting with flavor.  I don’t miss the pork, but I miss what it did inside that wrapper.  I’ve tried to make my own veg dumplings, but they just haven’t come out right.  Yet.

So, in the meantime, to fulfill the need, I grab a bag of the Thai Veg Gyoza when I’m in Trader Joe’s.  I was disappointed at first.  I had been heavy handed with the sriracha, garlic and ginger in my own, so TJ’s mild did not rock my world.  Why don’t I just got to my local Korean spot where they’ve got an aisle full of options?  TOO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM and I’m scared of the tofu/soy products inside. (I did just try one the other day.  Taste great, but an odd disappearing filling and ew, corn.)

Since I’m at TJ’s, um, a lot, and usually want something quick when I get home, I decided to try the dumplings again and cook them they way I used to do my homemade.  But, something was still missing.  It wasn’t until I added a pinch of salt to the steam liquid that I hit pay dirt.  Now, I have to stay away from them.  A bag isn’t long for the freezer.

Something Simple | Tweaking Dumplings/Gyoza/Potstickers

 a bag of gyoza | lemon juice | salt | water | grapeseed/veg oil

In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons or so of lemon juice to one tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt.  Stir to make sure salt dissolves. Heat non-stick pan.  Add 2 tablespoons of oil.  Place 10 gyoza in the pan leaving space between them.  Brown bottoms over high heat. (I pick them up frequently to see how dark they’re getting.)  Cover when they’re just about the color you want.  Get your bowl.  Lift cover just enough to quickly pour in the diluted salted lemon juice.  Cover again and allow gyoza to steam.  Try not to lift cover to see if all of the water is gone, but listen to see if you start to hear sizzling.  They’re done.

While the dumplings are steaming, I toss together a dipping sauce made of fresh grated ginger, sriracha, lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Quickly cooked and eaten.  Seriously.

n♥

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Home From The Market | Hollywood 24June12

just a few things that made it home from the market…

Collard Greens | Curly Kale | Ginger | Tomatoes | Yu Choy

I cried on the way to the market.  I was in the middle of the street, when I noticed I was steps from my dad’s ‘I-only-have-the-kids-on-the-weekend’ car.  I’ve only seen a few Datsun 280zs since I was little.  For an instant, I was in the backseat with my black Barbie, making up stories, on the way to Benihana.  But, just for an instant.  The wave of recognition washed over me and the tears came with the warm tide.  It was the fifth anniversary of his death.

I was in my head deep at the market, on auto-pilot.  I slowed to inhale the incense and oils for sale by the old man drifting off in his chair.  I weaved my way through the people lined up for seafood, to get to the stall run by the Asian family selling my yu choy and ginger.  Rejoining the flow, my eyes darted quickly from left to right trying to gauge my interest and intent against the pace of the crowd.  Within minutes, I was overwhelmed and determined to get out.  There are always too many people, but this day was different.  Holding back the tears and hoping to dull the ache, I knew I still needed to get tomatoes and greens, but, then I could leave.

Comforted by Spotify on shuffle playing songs I loved, I donned blinders to rush through the intersection of produce and prepared.  I didn’t even realize Marisa from Food In Jars was there doing a demo.  I must’ve walked right past her.

The end was in sight.  I’d made it to the herb stand where I pick up my collard greens.  But, yeah, no.  Grandma boxed me out as she chatted with her granddaughter; meanwhile, the mom fingered my greens; and dad came over to pay with one hand full of cash, the other full of kale.  I was bouncing on sneakered feet, antsy.  I love black folks and all, but come on my people, keep it moving.

I was stuffing greens into my waxed canvas tote bag and preparing to re-enter the flow like a double dutch champion, when he caught my eye.  I looked up to see a beautiful, deeply chocolate man, in all his Chiwetel Ejioforian fineness, staring.  I was so caught off guard.*  I was still stuck and struck, unsure of how I was supposed to feel about my dad.  For the first time, I wasn’t a full-on, red-eyed, ugly crying, hot mess, but I still got freaked out by a 35 year old car.  I guess, I needed to get out of my head.  And in that moment, surprisingly, all it took, was for a dude to get my attention when I wasn’t paying any.

I did another half lap up Ivar and back, smiling all easy and broad, then headed home.  I brought back food, a better mood and a few slugs that came along, on the greens, for the ride.

Every year is something different.  And every year, you’re still there.  Thank you, Daddy.

n♥

 

* so, yeah. we exchanged smiles. awkwardly. mine was all hesitant+black+nerdy.

okay, like seriously, there were more black people at the market than i feel like ive ever seen.

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Back To The Market

so..yeah…

I’m going to the market this weekend and will be back to posting the goodness.  I’ve been shooting.  Just mostly instagramming, though.  I’ll put up some of those that I like this week.

This image is from Hollywood 18March12.  I’m in love with it.  No, really.  I did a ‘Look, Ma.  I did this!’ text, too.

n♥