Deepavali

or Diwali also known as the festivals of lights and is an official holiday in Singapore.  we learned about the history and lit candles.  it was awesome.

me and Titi's girls

This photo is gorgeous! 

the Mom!

age of innocence

me showing the girls where i'm from and how far i traveled to come to singapore

my reading princess stories to these two princesses

Cycling in Singapore...

is not so fun only because the city dislikes bicycles.  my friend and i have found it incredibly difficult to find a place to lock our bikes and on top of that, everyone here tells us that our bikes will be stolen if we ever park it outside.  i got so scared that i ordered a kryptonite lock from the states that just arrived and weighs more than my bicycle.  fun stuff, seriously.  overall, it's still super cool (super) to ride around the city as an alternative mode of transportation - i mean, walking can only be so fun, right?!

i might not look like it in the photo below but i had a super crappy day from being yelled at by different people b/c of where i tried to parked my bike (chained to a pole on a sidewalk).  i almost thought they and i saw very different things, of course one of us was being delusional - what i saw was a compact bicycle and what they saw was an 18 wheeler trying to park in the middle of the road.  these days, if i'm lucky i can lock my bike up to a tree since i've yet to meet the tree's owner. 

in other news... life is good.  rami (owner of the white bicycle and college buddy from brandeis days, how random, right) and i will attempt at 6am ride around the city this weekend.  college 2.0. 

College 2.0

I feel like I just moved onto campus and about to explore this new life that awaits me.  Only that it has been 10 years since I was a new freshman at Brandeis.  It's almost like I live in this bubble in the center of the world - and in it, contains everything I need in order to function (quite) well.

What's even better is that... I just bought this awesome bike below to ride around the city in style! It is indeed... college 2.0.

First 30 days in Singapore

(doing what i do best... eating or squeezing lemons)

These past 30 days have proven both emotionally challenging and exciting beyond words.  I spent my first 3 or so days in tears and convinced I've made the wrong decision to leave Boston.  I spent the next 20 or so more days completely infatuated with Singapore - believing that I've made the best decision ever.  And... I spent the last few weeks missing home and everything associated with the U-S and A.

All the thoughts and feelings I have now are quite premature since giving this place a chance will take a lot more than 30 days.  For now, I'm happy I'm here, on many different levels, but there is this place deep inside of me that wishes I were still somewhere in the continental USA.

I guess I'd feel better if all of you start making plans to visit me.  So, feel the pressure and come to Asia.  Remember to holla' at your girl when you're here.

Moving to...

SINGAPORE.

Yes, that's right.  I'm moving to the Lion City this fall.  For work.  Indefinitely.  I am still recovering from my ACL surgery - I am now more patient with myself than I have ever been, ever.  But from all that I've read and heard, it seems like I'll be doing little cooking in S'pore and a lot more fooding around town.  I hope to stay more updated and keep everyone posted. 

Super Food Quinoa!!!

Being injured blows.  Blows, blows BLOWS.  I am not feeling like myself, I am often frustrated, and I want nothing more than to be able to move around like I used to.  It takes me a year and a half to get anywhere and I'm constantly in pain.  I can't wait for surgery and start the recovery.  Because did I mention, this BLOWS?!

So, in order to feel whole - I took a trip to Whole Foods.  I bought everything green and healthy to make a super food quinoa.

In goes broccoli, cilantro, parsley, edamame, carrots, tomatoes, and chicken. I seasoned with reduced balsamic vinaigrette, salt & pepper, and shaved parmesan. So so healthy and super yummy.

Bottle of wine is from Ehlers Estate. Not bad. Not bad.

Part of the Whole Foods haul.  I bought some baby kale greens and it's oh so flavorful. Move over baby spinach.

I get started on reducing my balsamic vinegar but forget to add some mustard seeds. Trust me, makes it exponentially more delicious. Try it.

Ever since I came back from Stockholm, I can't seem to eat enough parsley.  It's also so green and pretty that it gives food a nice POP.

I did a medium fine chop. Yeah? Yeah.

Never realized how pretty a broccoli crown is.  I might want no other bouquet than a broccoli bouquet one day.

Slice them with a stalk focus? Does that make sense? Well, slice it however it makes sense to you so whether that is stalk focus or not.

Then throw them in a pan that had heated olive oil with some salt and sugar in it... medium heat should work.

Oh cilantro. It's such a staple in Asian cuisine. I chopped them the same way I chopped the parsley. Medium fine chop.

So pretty and firm.

Sliced baby carrots.

Because black beans are the superior beans. Rinse.

Ingredients that don't need cooking: parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, carrots, and black beans.

In the pan: broccoli, edamame, and carrots.

Here's a better photo. I think.

I poached some chicken tenderloin. I know, I know, can they look any more bland?!

I chopped them.

I throw them into the pan and pour the reduced balsamic vinegar all over it. See.. I had a plan.

Cooked quinoa. Oh la la.

All mixed together. How pretty!

Action shot!!! Yes, squeeze some lemon in to it if you insist.

Rib-eye. Non-related but made it to my plate tonight for dinner.

I hope I will feel the same way about my first born as I do about the fat on this piece of meat.

Dinneerrrrrr.

Tết Party @ Mi Casa

I have been so lazy about throwing an apartment warming so I used the Vietnamese Lunar New Year as an excuse to host a party with awesome food and people.

On the menu...

1) Thịt Kho Tàu with Chicken Eggs and Quail Eggs
2) Chao Ga: Congee with ground pork and thousand year old egg
3) Goi Ga: Chicken salad 
4) Pork, shrimp, and taro dumplings
5) Xôi Gà Mặn: Sticky Rice
6) Chè Đậu Xanh Bột Báng: Vietnamese mung bean dessert with tapioca and coconut jelly 


I complained to my best friend Lola as to why our ancestors make these dishes so difficult and tedious to make.  Seriously, seriously... so many fine details and one must be so meticulous!

The boys watching the game and do you notice yours truly in the back with the awesome apron?!

The ladies serving themselves and yours truly by the stove - serving congee to order.  It was a pretty legit party. 

Game gear. 

Mr. Frechette enjoying his Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. Again, made to order. Jelly, yet?

Congee. Made. To. Order. 

ACL and Meniscus Injury

This sucks.

I'm out of commission for a few months.

I'll try to cook ASAP and post photos.

For now, surgery on Valentine's day and recovery into Spring.

<3

Quinoa with Green Beans and Red Peppers

In organizing my pantry, I found a nice box of quinoa from Trader Joe's.  I have never made quinoa before but I have definitely eaten plenty of it - courtesy of the Whole Foods' Food Bar.  Oh yeah.  I cooked the quinoa according to the box's instructions, which was quite simple.  It directed me to treat quinoa like I would with rice.  Since I made chicken broth in my previous posts, I just used that to cook my quinoa.  

I added hand shredded chicken meat, diced bell peppers, candied sliced raw almonds and sauteed green beans with candied garlic.  I also grated a ton (a 1/2 cup) of parmesan cheese into the quinoa for a nice subtle salty and creamy flavor.  So, go easy with the salt as well.  I prefer to season as I serve instead of seasoning the entire bowl of quinoa before serving.  

I topped mine with some sliced scallion greens just because... it makes it tastier and prettier.  

These grains are tiny. 

1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of broth.  Easy? Easy.  I cooked it covered.  It took about 10 minutes on low heat. 

These are some beautifully poached chicken thighs if I can say so myself...

Hand shredded then chopped for smaller bites. 

Two diced red peppers. 

Candied raw almonds.  To candy: add some oil about 1 T, heat it up, sprinkle some sugar about two pinches, heat it up, then throw it 1/4 of sliced almonds.  Stir often and cook until the almonds are coated and sticky.  I don't like to have them super sweet so add more oil/sugar depending on your candied preference. 

Heating up the garlic with some sugar and thyme.  I needed some herbs in there.  I don't wait until the garlic are brown because the green beans take a year and half to cook.  So don't worry, the garlic with brown as the green books cook with it. 

I love the texture of crisp cooked green beans and candied almonds.  Delicioso. 

Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. 

Then mix. Mix. 

Then admire and devour.