Peering in to the Crystal Ball

I know I am posting this diy gift idea just as the holiday season is coming to a close (had to make sure gift recipients didn't catch wind of this surprise via the web!), but if you plan ahead like me, you'll want to keep this idea in your back pocket when the 2013 wedding season begins.

Giving Tuesdays

First there was Black Friday, then along came Cyber Monday, and this year I learned about a new concept - Giving Tuesday - my favorite one yet.  While these terms apply to the days following Thanksgiving, I chalk up the fact that Christmas fell on a Tuesday this year to more than coincidence.  (Also, for the past several years, I have been volunteering on Tuesday evenings...the stars are aligning, I tell ya!)

Steel-Cut Oats for Slowpokes

I am Big Cereal's worst enemy.  Every other city I go, I weave breakfast into the conversation so I can spread the word about steel-cut oats, an actual wholesome and satisfying way to start your day, not just one that claims to be (ooh, take that Big C).  I even offer demos...which, courtesy of open minds, have yet to be passed up (uhh and seriously, who is going to pass up an offer to have breaky made for them!?  not me, ever).  This time I took my talents to South Beach Tampa to continue the journey of bringing real breakfast back.

The Festive Colors of Clean Food

Plating by Meera; Photography by Preetham; Consultation by Spouses

Sometimes I look at sleep as merely the time that passes between dinner and breakfast.  Haha kidding, I do love my slumber dearly.  But I can't lie and say that I wasn't dreaming of coffee, eggs and fruit as soon as dinner was over.  Morning couldn't arrive fast enough.

A Meal Fit for a Chef

Last night I cooked for a chef. It was time to bring my A-Game. 

Perfectly Plated by Chef Meera

The planning began on Wednesday night because everything would need to be prepared on Thursday night since I wouldn't be back home until 8:00 on Friday night. Make sense? Ok, good. Now, I wanted to experiment with some new items but also whip up something tried and true in case the newbies failed. Then again, the advantage of having a chef friend is that she can wave her magic wand hand and repair my blunders! So ahead I went...

Kids Say...

If we ever meet in person, you will surely hear about my three nieces within the first five minutes of our conversation.  In all likelihood, I will recount something really cute they said or did based on the daily newsfeed I get from my sister.  I just adore how genuinely they say "the darndest things."  And this little girl reminded me so much of them.  I don't know how it is that I never came across this video before, but it has got me and hubby laughing over and over again...what a cutie pie!

Simple Smoked Salmon Sandwich

Oh, do you know the sandwich man,

The sandwich man, the sandwich man...

Yep, that's right.  Muffin man was so (18)80's...now that we know muffins aren't really all that good for you, it's time to upgrade this jingle for modern day tastes.  Enter, my husband, future proprietor of sandwich shop using fresh, local ingredients.  This is his dream in life.  On our wedding website, in describing ourselves and our favorite things, he started by listing sandwiches.  My mother-in-law was less than pleased that this is what her son wanted to broadcast over the world wide web; she kindly requested that he reorder his list.  But it stayed at the top...and this, ladies & gents, is how his legacy began.

***

While hubs is a computer geek by week, he quickly sheds his pocket protector, dons a chef hat and transforms into a world-class sandwich maker by weekend.  In other words, 

Perfect Preetham from Pittsburgh makes superb Simple Smoked Salmon Sandwiches on Saturdays & Sundays.

Ooooh snap, is that some awesome alliteration or what!?  (due credit goes to sis for the first part)  Ok, now you try it!  The alliteration, sandwich or both :-)

A Surefire Party Pleaser

Whenever there's going to be more than 2 people total visiting Reddy Kitchen, guacamole is our go-to appetizer. It's fun, healthy, and fits perfectly in 1 of our 3 serving dishes (while we no longer live in NYC, apparently we still think we do...cabinet space = precious real estate).

Guac + chips is an ideal starter no matter what type of cuisine follows; we like to mix and match cultures here at Reddy Kitchen.  I love when guests ask if there is mayo in it aka my invitation to proudly respond, "Nope, that's the natural creaminess of avocados!"  Woohoo, it's always the little things that bring me so much joy :-)  Thank you, Mother Nature, for the textures, flavors and colors you have bestowed upon us.

Anyway, this is one of the few items for which I am the head chef, not the sous chef - can I get another woohoo!? And I know "fresh" guac is readily available at grocery stores, but this homemade recipe takes less than 15 mins. and slicing open those perfectly ripe avocados is just so satisfying.

It's Holiday Card Season!

Michael's is stocked with Christmas kitsch and my beloved Costco is advertising holiday photo cards.  This means it's safe to post about a DIY greeting card idea without being that jack...o' lantern who preemptively talks about the holiday season!

Recipe for Healthy People 2020: Miso Soup

For the USofA, today is Election Day...but for me, it's THAT and my hubby's bday!  After multiple trips to the polling station (less crowded at 6:15 PM vs 6:15 AM --> totally missed the memo on that), we had adequately repped red, white, and blue and decided that for dinner, we would pay homage to his love of Japanese food.  We made our classic shiitake miso soup in the Vitamix - a very straightforward, healthy, and light recipe when you want to spend minimal time in the kitchen and maximum time planted in front of the TV rooting for your favorite candidate.  Don't worry, I'm not going to jip hubby.  Tomorrow I (not WE) am making his favorite dinner and dessert...shh, it's a surprise!

Quinoa Upma

Oppa Upma Gangnam Style!

We were recently invited to lunch by my brother-in-law's wife's mother's first cousin (commit this to memory - there may be a pop quiz later!).  Within minutes, we discovered that he is a big time foodie - the kind of foodie who drives two hours in a foreign land to have a taste of a highly acclaimed restaurant, the kind of foodie whose mind frequently and not-so-secretly revolves around some food-inspired thought. His wife is an amazing chef with a remarkable repertoire of healthy food ideas, armed with organization skills that Martha Stewart would envy and a green thumb, judging by the umeboshi leaves thriving in their backyard.  We had found kindred spirits in this perfect "pear".

No Hay Wi-Fi!?

Punta Arenas, Chile

I just don't get it.  When I was practically at the end of the earth, a stone's throw away from Antarctica, I was able to connect to free wi-fi and even FaceTime with my family from the airport.  On the other hand, when I'm traveling in the US, a lot of major airports only offer the kind of wi-fi that you have to pay for.  That's not the kind of wi-fi I like.

I was at a restaurant in NYC last night and the password to their wi-fi account was listed on the menu.  This really kind of struck me and I found myself wondering why Internet access is made so easy in places where we should engage in socializing i.e. restaurants and why there are barriers in places where we are often "flying solo" (ahah pun intended!).  I'm a social butterfly and have been known to make a friend or two at the airport, but more often than not, I'm doing my own thing when I'm there.  As I patiently wait in the boarding area (aka find a spot next to the gate entrance where I can hover and prepare to shove people out of the way so I don't get stuck checking my rollerboard!), I feel compelled to seem like I'm doing something important rather than just staring off into space.  I'm always wishing that I didn't have to ruin my already poor eyesight by squinting at my 4G-enabled phone while my shiny laptop tells me that Safari can not display the page.

On a slight tangent, I absolutely think American society, as friendly and outgoing as we are, has lost sight of the value of socializing in person for the benefit of our health and intellectual wellness.  I plead guilty.  Since reality says we are reliant on digital communication though, I do hope that airports and other places in America catch the complimentary wi-fi bug that has already reached the ends of the earth, but I also hope we can do a better job of knowing the time and place to use it.

Read this blog post my sis recently wrote called "Right There, but Unavailable".

The United States of Dreamers & Realists

For some reason, going for a run always reminds me of how lucky I am to have a supportive husband who wants me to be happy and nudges me to follow my dreams.  Maybe it's because I feel free and strong.

I meant to post this quote from Modern Family on Facebook on our wedding anniversary last month, but that day came and went.  So I'm going for the better late than never thing here.  I feel like this quote is especially fitting for us because my husband clearly has a man crush on Phil and I share many personality traits (and a haircut) with Claire.

Two peas in a pod.  (Before meeting me, my husband never flossed!  Good thing I gave that dreamer a reality check about oral hygiene.)

An Ogre Comes to Visit

I didn't necessarily intend on plating our dinner in the form of an ogre.  I think this is the direct result of being an aunt to three nieces ages 5 and under:

My husband seemed confused but delighted at our meal turned art project!  Here's the down low.   Details on how to make the individual parts to follow in other posts (too tired right now and have miles to go before I sleep) -

• 1 plum sliced and drizzled with honey
• chickpea + quinoa salad on a bed of arugula
• roasted brussel sprouts
• yogurt with dill, salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice served on the side

On a mushy sidenote: in my mother tongue there is no word for nieces or nephews.  They're considered as your own daughters and sons.  Isn't that just so sweet?  And it's so fitting because that's exactly how I think of my little ones.  The natural born worrier that I am, I'm constantly fretting about them and when I see them, I'm consumed by how to make them feel happy.  I'm strict with them too, but I think this is what helps make them the polite little princesses that they are.  Oh yeah, and I guess their parents have some influence too :-D  My sister really is such a wonderful mother to them.  Patient, incredibly loving, teaches them to do the right thing and be confident (just to name a few).  I hope as their second mom, I am also doing a good job teaching them how to be their best selves.

Stop Dilly Dallying, Start Doing

I've spent a year and a half, maybe even two years, worrying about getting my blog just right.  Spent countless hours thinking, writing, perfecting...and rarely publishing.  And then I came home this weekend and in two hours, my sister came up with a vision for her blog, designed it, produced it and started writing on it, fearlessly.  I think this proves that she is superior to me in all walks of life, but that's ok because I'm still my parents' favorite ;-) Anyway, the point is that I am lucky that the two people I spend the most time with in life, my sister and husband, are big time do-ers and non-worriers, people I can learn a lot from.  The way it goes is that they give me advice, I don't listen, and then later I change my mind and decide they were right.

So it took me awhile to get here.  My MO has always been thorough, thoughtful, methodical.  But I'm here now. And I have a lot to share about some of the things I love the most.  And I want to challenge myself to learn how to think in a different way.  Unstructured, spontaneous, roll with the punches.

I wasn't blessed with great mechanical skills, but I have a really sharp memory and I'm going to use it to give you all sorts of travel advice from all the places I have been lucky enough to visit.  I'm going to blah blah yada yada about healthy foods and sound like an extremist talking about how we have banned cereal and ketchup from our kitchen, but I really just want to be educated about food, enjoy the good stuff often and the not-so-good stuff sparingly, and gush about how happy food makes me and the togetherness it creates with my foodie friends and fam who are so awesome - not only because they love food - but because they are good, down-to-earth people at the core.  And one more thing, I am all about learning and sharing, so lots of that too.

Thanks for standing behind me sis, hubz and future readers :)