Bristow Fresh

Open Sky

2011-12-11T09:25:00.001-08:00

The sky was so beautiful the other day at sunset.

Then I saw two jets fly past each other.

I always think they're comets or falling stars.

Next Collection

2011-12-11T08:10:00.001-08:00

Found the next thing I'll be keeping an eye out for in my mini collections: planters! This ceramic calf planter was $3 and is so freaking cute I can barely stand it. It's so much more fun antique hunting when you have something specific in mind. I saw a ton of that were not quite my style and some that had a box on the side, but I really like ones that are part of the animal.

Just Another Creepy Doll Day

2011-12-11T07:59:00.001-08:00

There is never a shortage of creepy dolls at antique shops.

Never ever. Doesn't matter which one you go to.

My Room

2011-12-11T07:07:00.001-08:00

Just a little peek inside our bedroom. My love of all things vintage

applies to my clothes, shoes and jewelry too!

Together is Good

2011-12-08T07:32:00.001-08:00

These beautifully designed, metallic prints are a fundraiser for Nicole Daniels' (Endë Photography) father-in-law, who was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. If you'd like to help send Jerry to Texas for treatment, you can purchase two prints for $36 or three prints for $54. Purchase the prints here and read more about it here. via @designsponge on twitter

All images from Endë Photography + Art

journaling

2011-12-06T15:09:00.001-08:00

I started journaling when I was I was a preteen, corny and dramatic as only young girls can be. For years, I wrote regularly, documenting all the boys I liked, new jobs, school and every fight I had with my friends, my boyfriend or my parents. I don't write for myself as often as I like or should anymore, but I do return to it whenever my personal life is in turmoil. My most recent journal started last year when I was in the midst of a low point in my marriage. We were preparing for a divorce and it was really kind of devastating. The journal did not last long. My husband and I worked hard to change and make our way back together. We did and now it feels like so much time has passed. These are some pages that looking back, makes me laugh even though I was in so much pain.

This is the first time I drew and doodled with my journaling. On the very first page I had written: Today seems unbearably long. I had a moment of sadness but I drew myself into the sunshine again. Even through the gasping, ugly tears, I was ever the optimist.

Happy December!

2011-12-01T06:56:00.001-08:00

Designed and illustrated by Linh Trieu/Fresh Fish Creative

The older I get the quicker the days, months and years fly by, which I'm sure is true for us all. Our lives have become so busy that a quick glance at the calendar can seem like more dates are marked off then open. Especially during the holidays. For this December, I wish you all the serenity, calm and happiness that comes with loving your lives just as they happen to be at this moment. I also wish you many more moments being surrounded by friends and family who inexplicably drive you crazy and give you comfort at the same time. Happy Holidays, whichever one you may be celebrating.

Movie Supper Club

2011-11-30T21:01:00.001-08:00

November Supper Club

Hosted by Craig & Jeanne | Theme: The Movies

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The idea for this month's supper club was to cook a dish from a movie. You could interpret this any way you wanted, but the point was to coordinate your dish with a specific scene. Leading up to Supper Club, there was some confusion whether we were going to stick to the theme, but in the end, it all worked out just fine. The Rohner house was decorated for Christmas with a lot of vintage ornaments. There was a place at the table for a friend who passed away recently. Our thoughts and our conversation sometimes circled around to other friends who couldn't make it to dinner. Mostly, it was supper club as usual, eating lots of good food with giant bottles of wine, talking on top of one another and toasting to all the things for which we are thankful: friendship, eating like kings every month and of course, the next supper club.

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First Course: Steak Tartare, Jason

Some Serial Killer Movie

Raw meat, murders. It works. Jason tried to use as food processor at first, but it turned his beautiful meat into mush. He ended hand-chopping it and serving the tartare on little, round crackers.

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Second Course: Baked Potato Soup, Tim & Lynn

Maybe Soup Nazi from Seinfeld?

Bacon, Cheese, Potatoes. Hearty goodness. In addition to the sour cream, bacon, cheese and potato chip garnish, Tim also peeled the skin off the potatoes and baked them into crisps. It was really terrific. Seriously though, after this soup, I was so full. It had everything.

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Main Course: Il Timpano, Craig & Jeanne

"Big Night"

Il Timpano is a giant puff pastry-like dish filled with pasta, meats and cheeses. It was kind of like a giant baked lasagna and more ambitious than anything I would ever try. Craig used ricotta instead of provolone and it was too wet to set, or so he says. Next time, they're making the pastry thinner and cooking it longer for a golden crust. We thought it was delicious the way it was, but won't mind if he has to keep practicing. We're all more than happy to taste his experiments.

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Main Course: Duck, Linh & George

"A Christmas Story"

We bought the duck from Kim Long Asian Market in Columbus Park. To keep in line with the movie, we went for take out. While we watched the clip, it was the first time I noticed that the restaurant they went to was called Bo Ling. We have one in Kansas City and man, oh man, would it have been funny.

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Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ice Cold Milk, Rachel & Seth

"Stranger than Fiction"

Rachel says that although they don't actually make the cookies in the scene, it was his enjoyment of the cookies that made you want to eat them. Using someone else's oven, Rachel's cookies were a smidge overdone, but I'll take fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies any day. It was a such a nice way to end the meal.

And of course, our group goof off.

Autumn at the Lake

2011-11-22T08:50:00.001-08:00

The girls and I went down to a friend's lake house this weekend. It was a one-day getaway and it was a nice break from our regular lives. The sun streamed through the clouds just like the top picture for our entire drive down. It took us five hours to make the normally two and half hour drive. Our first stumble came from inaccurate directions. When we figured out we were too late to meet the rest of girls for outlet shopping, we stopped in Cole Camp, Missouri. There was a craft fair going on that weekend so the town was hopping. Lots of old ladies with perms in antique shops and city girls with rhinestone jeans and purses. Paul was in a "business meeting" all weekend. I love how he put quotes around it because it makes me think of my friend Scott, who called all his #2's at work, business meetings.

Lake houses invariably have weird, kitschy decor pieces that are scattered throughout the property. Like this creepy, blonde kid nestled among the leaves, an alligator at the edge of the deck and of course, loads of light house decor. The house looked exactly as my own parents would have furnished it, down to the maroon couch set.

We drank Bloody Marys and lots of Jameson and hot tea, built a fire, walked and sometimes fell through the piles of leaves and acorns and stuck our toes in the cold lake water. We did each other's nails (very badly), gave one another hand massages and ate brownies. Mostly we alternated between eating, drinking and waiting. Those girls were on a marathon shopping trip!

No one really wanted their picture taken, including me, but we managed to get a few shots of ourselves goofing around and hanging out.

Kina Grannis

2011-11-18T06:02:00.001-08:00

This video is a work of art, ingenuity and took two years to bring to fruition.
Can you believe it's made of jelly beans?! The song is beautiful too.
Directed by Greg Jardin and his team. via Creature Comforts.

Tacos & Beer

2011-11-15T13:47:00.001-08:00

Concept #1: Design by Linh Trieu/Fresh Fish Creative

Believe it or not, I'm chairing ANOTHER fundraiser next year, one of two I will be coordinating. I must be a glutton for punishment to plan two events so close to each other. A couple of months apart is pretty close in my book. Since I will basically be managing two committees, I've reached out to more people to help out instead of trying to handle it all on my own. Especially the design aspect. To get the ball rolling on one of the events, I knocked out a concept to present to the Advisory Committee. I kept the beer and taco imagery, but simplified them into more streamlined icons that are repeated. The palette is yellow, orange and green. (Ignore the date and times, I just plugged in approximate details).

This event has an existing logo, but with the gradients, clip art and questionable font choices, I thought a redesign was in order. I've been told that the advisory committee loves and wants to keep the old logo. However, I think you can't possibly know what you want unless you have more options. Fingers crossed that we get approval to update the event logo. I'll share the other two concepts next week. They'll be designed by my friend and former co-worker Chris Magee-Jenks, who I hoodwinked into chairing the design committee for this event. Once we nail down a concept, I'll share more details about the event and organization. If you're looking to get involved in fundraising, we would love the help. Email me about volunteer opportunities!

Last year's logo.

Return of The Road Kill Chronicles

2011-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

One day you're hanging out in the treetops, lobbing walnuts down to the ground and chasing each other making loud, squikky noises. The next you're laying flat as a pancake at the end of a driveway, staring up at the sky wondering, oh shit, what the hell just happened?

Life in Transition

2011-11-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

My neighbor moved away recently, but she still comes home on the weekends. Right now, her house is mostly empty and there are a lot of little piles laying around. Since I'm using her bathroom while mine is being redone, I see it many times a day. I've always loved her house and everyone who comes to mine, stands across the street admiring hers. For good reason, Kat has impeccable taste and style.

Park Pics

2011-11-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Some fall photos I've been taking, mostly on our park excursions. {1} We have tons and tons of squirrels, but not a lot of chipmunks in our yard. Saw this little guy at Loose Park and he is so tiny. {2+3} George picked up some acorns at Berkeley Park and I said something like, is this an acorn tree? And he looked at me dumfounded. Oak trees have acorns, there's no such thing as an acorn tree. Boy, did I feel stupid. {4+5} Leaf floating in the pond and moss on a wall at Loose Park. {6} Split log that we sometimes sit on in our backyard, which is absolutely covered in leaves right now.

In the Walls

2011-11-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

My bathroom is getting an overhaul at the moment and it's a full gutting process. When the 600 lb cast-iron bathtub came out today, some paper treasure was unearthed. I didn't find a suitcase of gold or bundles of cash buried within the walls, but these old cards were pretty neat. I'm not sure what game they were for since the cards go to at least 14. Lovely fonts and colors though.

warm toes

2011-11-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

These slippers from Anthro look so warm and I love the mix of patterns and colors. $68

Baby Plants

2011-11-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

I received a succulent arrangment as a thank you gift this summer and during the move inside for our supposedly colder weather, I found two babies that had sprouted off into the moss. Since I was doing a bit of housekeeping, the moss was headed for the compost, but not these teeny, tiny babies. I have some vintage jars with the smallest necks and they were perfect for these newborns.

Magic

2011-11-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Even though this is something I found through Yahoo! and everyone has most likely seen it already, it's still too cool not to share. Nature is amazing and wonderful all the time.

Lemons

2011-11-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

When life gives you lemons, squeeze it on everything. My not-so-secret vice is to add lemon (and hot sauce) to all my food. Just saying the word makes my mouth pucker up and water. My vice for sourness is also George's pet peeve. I love to slice up lemon and lime wedges and then leave them on the counter. Today's treat was hot water with lemon and honey.

Happy November!

2011-11-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

Illustration & Design by Linh Trieu/Fresh Fish Creative

Have a lovely month! Can you believe this beautiful fall weather we had last month?

Here's to November getting a little colder so I can wear my new coat.

Germania

2011-11-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Supper Club strikes again! This month, our hosts Rachel and Seth chose to hold our monthly dinner on All Hallow's Eve. Spoooooky! Not everyone could make it, but we had fun, nonetheless. Our theme was German food and it was surprisingly good. I didn't grow up eating ~~very much~~ any German food so I was at a complete loss. Luckily, my husband recalled a dish he enjoyed at a friend's house years ago and saved the day for our course. Some even came dressed for the ocassion – it was awesome and hilarious.

First Course » ~~Schwenka (sp?)~~ Schwenker

David & Katie made these little pork burgers with onion that were insanely good. Easily my favorite for the night. Loads of great flavor and oozing with juice that dripped down my hands and all over my face.

Second Course » Ribs + Kraut

The Mead family special! I'm not sure I love the smell of sauerkraut cooking for 8 hours in my house, but it was really wonderful. Monotone food is a crime in my book, so we added color by serving in raw, red cabbage cups and adding a parsley leaf.

Main Course » Homemade Sausages, Pretzel Buns and Grandma's Potato Salad

Seth and Rachel ground a bunch of different meats and made their own sausages. Super impressive. I was slightly scared of the albino color, but the flavor was great. Rachel was worried that it was bland, she is a stickler for preparing it exactly as the recipe says. I actually enjoyed tasting the meat though. The pretzel bread was so good. Jeanne made her grandma's potato salad recipe, it's just vinegar and no mayo. We loaded up on three kinds of mustard, two kinds of German ketchup and went back for more sauerkraut and whew, what a meal!

Sweet Course » Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice Cream

We had a chef in the house as our guest, Mr. Carter Holton. Carter and Jason made this together and they said it didn't take that long. When you're an expert pastry chef though, it only takes minutes to make paper thin dough. When you're not, it could take a million years and still not be right. Jason did a great job cutting up the apples though.

As always, we enjoyed a lot of good drinking: German beers and wine, a hot cider and rum drink and even some bourbon, whiskey and Bailey's. Every Supper Club dinner leaves me so full I'm about to explode, but the company and the food are always too good to pass up.

meaningless

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, I liked a page on facebook that I thought supported one of my favorite events, the Wellie Race (now the Wellie Walk). I've attended for the last four years and each year, my husband and I bring a different group of friends to "our" secret small town. The event takes place during the city's Irish Fest weekend in the month of October; in addition to the requisite Wellies, the participants wear all shades of greens or are in costume. My husband helped organize the event for a couple of years, but for the most part, I have had the pleasure of only attending. As many fundraisers as I've organized over the past five years, trust me, being "just a guest," is a true pleasure.

Unbeknownst to me, the founders/organizers of the event had some behind-the-scenes drama regarding the event. One of the founders used his page to spread some misleading (to my eyes) information about the walk/race, and always being the pot-stirrer, I decided to call him out on it. I have no loyalty to either side and have no idea what happened between them, but I really love this event. Our Wellie Race group usually caravans out there after a group picture and we have so much fun walking through this small town of charming houses and local stores. Every year, we end up buying bits and bobs from the antique shops, have breakfast in the cafe, buy sweets from the candy store, and basically support the tourism and economy of this town, in a fairly small, but still important way.

I understand that as one of the founders, this guy is emotionally attached to the event, but little did I know how much my comment would rile things up. In the space of one thread, I was accused of being hateful, meaningless, a free entertainer, libelous, and oh yeah, a blogger.

I found his ranting laughable, but what disturbed me is how easily I was dismissed. I've worked with this type of "gentleman" before. He is making a living writing and publishing a free newspaper while I am a "blogger who entertains people for free." I am meaningless while he is the founder of this event. His Irish readers are more valid than my "hipster" audience. I write fiction while he concentrates on the FACTS.

To that point, I would like to say, Fuck You. Immature, crass, stupid? Maybe. But that's what I want to say. Just because you're a man and you're older does not make your opinion more valid than mine. Just because your medium of communication is more traditional than how I choose to voice my opinion does not make you more important. I am making a living too, it might not be through my blogs, but I work very hard to create projects that mean something to me, projects that inspire me and support the things and the people that I believe in.

I've been dismissed as someone who doesn't know what she's doing before. By a similar type of man. And you know what I did? I blew the project out of the water and made it hugely successful. So I hope the behind-the-scenes "drama" dies down by next year. Because my Wellies are always ready for a little action.

2012 on my mind

2011-10-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

2012 Frank Calendar

I am in love with this calendar – a year of gorgeous, whimsical illustrations. A couple of clicks later and this little beauty is en route from Australia to my front door! via eat drink chic

Tomato

2011-08-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

I made a new bestie recently for The Employee Lounge blog. I started a new feature over there called Friday Fun Day to motivate myself to get away from the computer and make art. I think everyone has the ability to be creative and I'd love to see more people not be afraid of it like I once was. After being rejected for a special art program in elementary school, I thought, art must not be for me. Isn't it crazy that I let a small thing like that determine who I was for so long? But I found art again in college. I walked past the design program projects in the halls and just like that, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I usually name my besties, but this one is just called Tomato. Made with felt, buttons, thread, tulle and poly-fill.

Korean Drama

2011-08-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I'm addicted to Korean dramas. Even though they're sometimes ridiculous, I can't stop watching them. But like any genre, once you watch or read enough, you start seeing patterns. This is just an ode to my favorite shows right now. While I was "researching" why Koreans always took out their cell phone battery instead of just turning it off, I found out that I wasn't the only one who was deconstructing all the insanity in the world of Korean dramas. You can read a great list of fun facts here while this post explains they why of the cell phone battery thing.

Baby Connor

2011-08-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

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My photog friend Beth got some new lights and a new nephew she can adore through her lens. I had to share some of the great photos she took recently - I really love the light, the textures and the sweet sleeping poses. That said, newborns are probably my least favorite stage of childhood. I just don't think that most newbies are that cute. So I say very obvious and stupid things like, "Oh, look! You have a baby!" My second least favorite age is when they have buck teeth bigger than their faces, like awkward beavers. To all my mommy friends, I'm sorry, but it's my truth. I will love them all dearly when they are at least 9-months-old and can look me in the eye and smile and gurgle. As for Connor, the mouth puckering one was pretty stinkin' adorable.

All photos used with permission, Elizabeth Cook Photography.

Hoot! Hoot!

2011-08-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

I swear my friends are still getting pregnant and having babies left and right.

Even though I continue NOT being a fan of baby showers, I am, however, always

delighted to design their invitations. As usual, they don't stifle my creativity with

a lot of restrictions or rules, just the event details, the rest is left to my imagination.

For this invitation, I did know they are having a baby girl and

her room would be decorated in an owl theme.

Before I worked at Gear, I bought a lot of vector stock files because it was faster and

easier than illustrating everything myself. But I learned some tricks on the job, including

learning how to use the pen tool better. Now I can make those illustrations myself!

This owl was based on a vintage trivet I own but modernized with stripes and a fresh

color palette. The font is Napa which I love and got free from here.

Usually, I'm not very good at creating designs that work for more than

one person or project. But I can see this one working as a template with some

color changes for semi-customization. So what do you think?

Happy July!

2011-07-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Some Important Dates in July

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July 1 - Canada Day

July 4 - Independence Day

July 14 - Bastille Day

And it's National Hot Dog Month!

Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition

2011-06-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Some logo work I recently did. The Employee Lounge is a sponsor of this years's event!

Girls Lake Weekend

2011-06-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I was invited to join a bachelorette party at the lake. Kat organized the entire trip and it was such a great weekend getaway. We stayed in a huge lake house next to a cheesy but colorful restaurant/bar staffed with young, beautiful teenagers. A chartered boat picked us up for an entire day of swimming and drinking. I met some amazing women who were so much fun and we made it the whole weekend with no drama or catfights. Just some great memories and one of the most fun bachelorette parties I've been to in a long, long time. Much better than a bridal shower. For sure.

Last group picture on the boat. Our house is the peach monstrosity behind us.

The bachelorette looking gorgeous on the water.

Christine met Garrett at her birthday party. Her friends had purchased her
a "new boyfriend" doll but Kat one-upped everyone and brought a living,
breathing, real man for Christine. Love is great that way, isn't it?

The only man present that weekend was Mr. Man. We hung him in our window the whole time.

The braver girls ripped off their clothes and went skinny dipping while it was still light out.
I was not one of them.

Paradise is open!

Party Cove at the Lake of the Ozarks. This was actually a nice, quiet weekend, which meant less pee
and fecal traces in the water. Our boat had bathrooms, these other ones did not.

On the way back, the sun streaming through the clouds was just gorgeous. Photo by Katie.

Cupcakes, drunk girls, food fight. What a perfect way to end a bachelorette party. :)

new shoes?

2011-06-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

After a couple of years wearing the crap out of ballet flats, my feet decided to protest. I now suffer from fallen arches and my feet hurt like hell whenever I try and sneak on any kind of flat shoe. It's always better when I wear a heel but my poor footsies need all the support they can get. I love these lace ups, the color, the fun floral pattern. I can see myself wearing them all year-long. Need Supply Co. - Matilda Lace Up, $81.99, only size 8 left!

Passing Time

2011-06-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

Tina....love this photo.

Amanda just graduated from college!

Cindy....hidden talent, Chinese yo-yo, YO.

Tracy was THE cutest baby ever. I can still hear her saying her alphabet.

When I moved to Kansas City, my cousins were all just little, adorable babies. I visited every year when they were younger, but as they were turning into teenagers and adults, I saw them less and less. Then I blinked and they all grew up, graduating from college, turning twenty-one and partying, hanging out with their boyfriends. How did this happen and wasn't it just yesterday that I was doing all those things myself? I'm glad I get to keep up with them on-line at least (photos are from their facebook pages). These are just the girls. We had a whole mess of boys in the family too.

daddy

2011-06-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

This is my dad. He looks pretty much the same, minus the sneakers, plus a beer belly. He still loves those polo shirts. He still smokes his lungs out. He still parts his hair on the left and wears that same hair cut. Even though I'm 34-years-old this year, I still and will always call him daddy. When we talk on the phone, he makes sure nothing is wrong and immediately hangs up. We do not have heart to hearts, it's enough for us to know that nothing is wrong. But he'll call me back at least two more times. Every. Time. Now that I know what's coming, it makes me laugh. I just look at the phone and wait. Yes, daddy?

This is my father-in-law, who I called Daddy Charlie ONCE. I grew up thinking that I would call my father-in-law Dad or something like that. Not because I have an urge to, but because I was raised to. I still remember the day I called him that. We were at the Tara Hotel in Killybegs, Ireland, where George is from. I just blurted it out, half serious, mostly not. It felt weird and from my father-in-law's freaked out expression, it definitely came off as weird. So I stick to calling him by his name, Charlie, and we talk about the weather. Just like with my own dad, I try to get off the phone as quickly as possible.

Happy Father's Day to both my fathers. Even though we don't exactly connect on the phone, I am lucky to have two wonderful dads.

brass clips

2011-06-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Image Source: Baum-Kuchen

Love office supplies and these brass clips from Baum-Kuchen are so nice. $17 for the dozen, available on pre-order. I want them but I think they'd make an even better addition to my gift closet. So perfect. via Black Eiffel

sparkly fingers and toes

2011-06-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

I only get a pedicure once a year. Maybe twice. Last year, I didn't get one at all because I wore ballet flats for most of the summer (which led to fallen arches and major foot pain, but that's another story). I always seem to be mucking around in something and as embarrassing as this is to say, I always have dirt underneath my nails. A few weeks ago, my friend Debbie treated me to a pedicure. Instead of regular polish, I got two-tone orange and brown. My pedi guy told me I looked like I had two bruised toes. I ignored him AND an old guy who told me the same thing. True to form as always, I bumped my foot on God knows what and ruined my fresh pedicure as soon as I got home. I smudged it around to "fix" it and from where I'm standing, and as blind as I am, it didn't look too bad. Top picture is blurry but I loved how it turned out anyway.

Still, two weeks later, my piggies were in need of a freshening up. I haven't painted my own toes in a long time, maybe three years? I'm just not that good at it. But then I saw this awesome nail treatment and it was totally do-able....even for a clumsy polisher like me. Two coats and some glitter? Can. Do. Nail polish was on sale at Target ($0.84 each), so what the hell, I gave it a go. I loooooooved how it turned out. I liked it so much I even gave my fingernails a coat of glitter.

Ruffled Clutch

2011-06-14T09:29:00.001-07:00

Image Source: Bon Bon Atelier

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Fun ruffled clutch tutorial from Bon Bon Atelier.

weekend at the lake - part three

2011-06-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

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Everyone has or should have one of those crazy friends who, no matter what, makes every situation more fun, more exciting and more memorable. For us, that friend is Tim. Whether it's a quiet weekend away or a full blown house party, Tim is always ready to bring out his alter ego, Luchador, to amuse us, to make us shriek with laughter and sometimes to make us shield our eyes when he's out in his full glory. Timmy was the keeper of our flame, carting wheelbarrows full of driftwood during the day so he could keep the bonfire burning bright and warm each night. He was our grill master and smoke master and the best bit of drama anyone could want to keep things fun at all times. Thank you, Tim, for always bringing the party with you wherever you go.

weekend at the lake - part two

2011-06-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

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For this year's lake trip, we invited our Supper Club friends along. Which meant that packing plenty of food and adult beverages were of more importance than the latest swimsuits or accessories. Each couple picked a meal to cook and we tried to eat lots of fruit and veggies. Part two of the lake weekend is all about the grub.

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Friday Night // Tim & Lynn // Barbecued ribs, burnt ends and turkey sausage with quinoa and grilled zucchini. I chimed in with some sliced green mango and my fresh hot sauce. Tim trucked down his own Weber and immediately started that intoxicating smell of charcoal on the grill. It was my favorite meal of the weekend and we had enough to send a plate to Ruben, the resort's owner. The next day Ruben confessed that he had just eaten dinner, he was only going to take a bite and do a little taste test. He ended up eating the whole thing! As our full bellies and sticky fingers will tell you, the rest of us were all in complete agreement, it was a fucking awesome dinner. Afterwards, we devoured Rachel's special lake brownies. Ohmygoodness. What a perfect way to end our night!

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Saturday Breakfast // Rachel & Seth // Breakfast casserole, pancakes, bacon and fresh fruit. The hot sauce made a reappearance! I made a gazpacho-style Bloody Mary mix that was not super; next time, I'll make it much easier on myself and just buy it. I'm a big fan of Original Juan's mix....so spicy and perfect, why was I messing with that?!
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Saturday Lunch // Linh & George // Gazpacho soup and sandwich fixings. Make your own and serve yourself. I made my sandwich with two pieces of Farm to Market bread and filled it with loads of fresh veggies, sprouts, tomatoes, onion, peppers. George's was on potato bread with mayo and cheese. I was prepared to not like George's sandwich because it looked so plain, but it was actually quite good.

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Saturday Dinner // Jeanne & Craig // Grilled hot dogs with Hormel chili and cheese, fresh veggies and dip. I went with pickles and peppers for a faux Chicago dog instead of chili and cheese. For dessert, beer and race track snacks! With the family pass at the race track, you get half off on funnel cake. It was fresh from the fryer and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

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Sunday // Leftovers // For breakfast we cleaned up the rest of the ribs, burnt ends, pancakes, breakfast casserole and fresh fruit. At lunch, we made more sandwiches, and snacked on Durian chips, dried cuttle fish and pimiento cheese. I was worried that we had way too much food, but we packed just the right amount. And finally, my Asian snacks made an appearance!

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Horse Glasses

2011-06-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Image Source: Candystore Collective

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When I was at the antique mall, I saw this beautiful set of drinking glasses, frosted, with simple gold and white horses. I already have so much glassware of my own, but I couldn't resist buying them for my Kentucky Derby loving friend Jeanne. Before I could them gift them to her, I ran into one of my favorite servers, Rita at Genessee Royale. Rita is also a horse lover who, like Jeanne, throws a big Kentucky Derby party every year. Unlike this set pictured above, mine did not have the wire carrier and it only had seven glasses. So Rita ended up with three and Jeanne got four. The full set is available at Candystore Collective for $96. I think I got my seven loose glasses for $10. I practically stole them, right?

When I purchased these horse glasses, I immediately texted Jeanne: I have a prezzie for you! She promptly replied: I have something for you too! Later, we exchanged our unexpected surprises for each other, and I shrieked with delight. Guess what she got me? Juice glasses! Thanks to Tina at backyardINK for sharing this link.

weekend at the lake - part one

2011-06-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

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Three years ago, our friends invited us to join them at Sunflower Resort, their annual summer getaway at Lake Pomme de Terre. There's a television we never turn on. No phones or computers to distract us. Just the zipping of speed boats in the distance and lots of time to catch up on books and trashy magazines. Craig and Jeanne have been going for the last fifteen years. After we went that first time, it was easy to understand the appeal. It's small, quiet and the two best days of relaxation and sunshine we get all summer. If you're ever near Wheatland, Missouri, make it a point to stop and take a moment to escape from all the busy-ness of life.

For this first lake post, all the wonderful quiet moments of a weekend getaway.

Busy Bee

2011-06-06T06:21:00.001-07:00

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My prickly pear was in full bloom this weekend and the bees were helping themselves. I caught one diving right into the soft pollen center, swimming around and then popping back out after it had its fill.

Makeover

2011-06-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

Caged heart at the Birdie's storefront on 18th Street in the Crossroads.

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After working on my other blog, I realized that I needed the same visual consistency for this one. The fonts have changed. I re-designed the header, added some navigation tabs underneath and moved some of my links around. Popular Posts (from the last 30 days) and Recent Comments are new features. You can also click "Like, Love or WTF" at the bottom of each post if you don't feel like making a specific comment. And the color scheme now consists light grays, pastel green and white, soft colors that recede so you can focus on the posts. Hope you like all the changes, please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions for improvement. My husband already told me to darken the gray a smidge on the header. I just might listen to him this one time. I was so excited to be back with my new look that I posted some over the weekend. It's great to be back!

Happy June!

2011-06-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

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June is my one of my favorite months in Kansas City. If we're lucky, then for a week or two out of the month, the weather is cooler and a lot more tolerable. The grass hasn't burned to a crisp yet and there is just gorgeous color everywhere. What's your favorite month of the year in your part of the world?

SOME IMPORTANT DATES IN JUNE

June 5 - World Environment Day

June 14 - Flag Day » also National Flag Week

June 19 - Father's Day

June 21 - First Day of Summer

This is also Candy/Dairy/Gay Pride/Rose/Fruit & Vegetables Month!

Calendar illustration and design by Fresh Fish Creative.

Recipe - Hot Sauce

2011-06-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

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I learned how to make this hot sauce from my friend Rebecca, a small-town Kansas girl who ended up marrying a friend of mine from high school who is Lao-Hmong. Not only does she make this great hot sauce, her sticky rice and papaya salad are amazing too. I have a lot of friends who are in interracial marriages and I am always impressed by the ones who adapt and embrace a completely different culture. Although I love my husband and his Irish roots, I never quite fell in love with bubble and squeak, beef stews or potatoes served a hundred ways. I much prefer the bright, spicy, acidic flavors of southeast Asian food. Give me some lime, cilantro and fish sauce and call me a happy camper.

Rebecca makes this hot sauce by hand in a mortar and pestle so the colors are brighter and the flavors have more depth. I am lazy so I throw the whole lot into a mini food processor and bzzzzzzz, blend the crap out of it. This is a yummy dipping sauce for grilled steak and chicken and sticky rice, but with all the fresh ingredients, it will only last one extra day in the fridge. I poured the hot sauce into a long-necked bottle (which is what I had laying around), but a wide-mouth jar is much better for this chunky hot sauce. I added a hand-drawn label, created during some extremely dull moments of jury duty.

Read the recipe after the jump.

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Fresh Fishy Hot Sauce

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a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes

a handful of cilantro

2-3 cloves of garlic

5+ Thai chili peppers

1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce

sugar if you make it too hot

Linh's Lazy Way

Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and blend. Adjust your ingredients until you like it. Sometimes, I squeeze in a bit more lime or splash in some extra fish sauce. I like it stinky and sour. If I make it too spicy, then I add a bit of sugar to calm the heat.

Rebecca's Traditional Way

You need a baked clay mortar and wood pestle to make this.* If I remember correctly, she put the peppers and garlic in first and pounds them until the pieces have broken up. Then she adds the tomatoes and pounds them. This really blends all the flavors together. Fish sauce, lime and chopped cilantro are stirred in. Don't forget to adjust the flavors as needed.

*I have linked to a site to show you what it looks like but you can probably get one at your local Asian market for half that.

Last Bloom

2011-06-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

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All the pretty flowers that were heading for the compost pile after a recent house cleaning. Photos ©Fresh Fish Creative

Deconstructed Piñata

2011-06-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

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Last month, Rebecca and I designed the window at Bespoke Salon for First Friday in the Crossroads. After seeing this post on The Small Object, I was determined to make and use those tissue paper pom poms asap. They are just too adorable. Since the window went up during the first week of May, I based the window design on the vibrant colors of Cinco de Mayo. Originally, I wanted an actual piñata in the window, but after some thought, decided to simplify it and ended up with a deconstructed piñata instead. Read more about our process and cost breakdowns after the jump.

Although it doesn’t look like that many pom poms, it took us four hours to make them. The first hour alone was figuring out how to do it. As soon as I find some time, I will make a step-by-step tutorial with photos. Promise. It took us an hour to buy plants and candy and another two hours to put the window up. We debated between using baker’s twine, fishing line or regular twine. Rebecca decided on the regular twine, the frayed threads added a nice rustic feel. We didn’t have a ruler or tape measure on hand so we cut a length of twine for measuring, folding in equal parts until we got to a spacing size we liked. Candy was tied to the ends of the twine to weigh it down and the poms poms were then hot glued onto the twine randomly.

Clear glass jars held gumballs, lemon drops, pixie sticks and tootsie pops. The plant box and the bottom ledge of the window are at the same level so I had to run home and grab two long, wooden boxes to give the candy display some height. Even though I am sometimes accused of hoarding, it sometimes comes in handy!

The signage and storefront to this salon are so subtle we often drive right past it and have to double back. The bold colors really drew attention to the window and we were ecstatic with the final result. Here’s a cost breakdown:

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Tissue paper » $20

Candy » $30

Vintage Vessels » at least $50-$75. Our actual cost, probably $10-$20

We’ve been collecting these for a while so I don’t know the

the actual cost, this was an estimate for the 14 containers used.

Flowers, Plants & Potting Soil » $40
Total Cost: $100-$110
Total Time: 7 hours

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Thanks again to Sarah Neuburger at The Small Object for the inspiration. Photos ©Fresh Fish Creative

Back on Monday

2011-06-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, I took a whole month off the blog and didn't even realize it! For the first two weeks, I just got really busy and just couldn't pull it together. The next entire week was because of a blogger meltdown....so not. my. fault. :) Then, I decided I was going to switch over to Wordpress. That might still be happening but not until I grasp basic coding. I was at a total loss and completely frustrated that there wasn't just a do-over button somewhere. I do have tons to share so I'll be back to regular programming starting on Monday along with a blog overhaul. My sincerest apologies to my friends and readers who are now pretty sick of seeing that butterfly top. Thanks for checking in!

Sequin Butterfly

2011-05-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

I picked up this gorgeous 100% silk butterfly-sequined top at a garage sale near my house this weekend.....for only TWO DOLLARS. It was made in India, has a rayon lining and a couple of loose threads but it is seriously amazing.

Our Very Un-Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Watching the Royal Wedding this morning, Kate licking her lips nervously, William with the slightest smile on his face looking like he was trying not to laugh, it reminded me of my own wedding day. Even though we only got married in the dining room with our friends standing and sitting where they could find a spot and not filmed live for the entire world to see, I was still a nervous wreck. My shoulders shook as I laughed through the entire ceremony. I am just thankful it was short.

As the Asian in the relationship, you would be pretty safe in assuming that I was the most recent immigrant in this relationship, but you'd be wrong. When George I and got married, he wasn't fresh off the boat by any means, but I was definitely more American. He was on a student visa from Ireland, I had just gotten my citizenship. We had two choices: extend his student visa or get married. So what the hell, we got married....ten days after meeting with our immigration lawyer and talking to George's friend Brian who is a pastor.

The wedding album below is what we had to put together to show immigration that our marriage was real. Otherwise, I don't think we'd have one. So thank you, Mira, for making us take the time to compile this moment in our lives.

At the time I loved to make books. This one was already made, but I did cover it with hand made paper. It's not a very big album and half the pictures inside are of our friends and family.

The keys to our hearts. Very cheesy now that I look back on it, but I loved them when I put this together.

This was the invitation to our first wedding.

I got everything from Paper Source and made them by hand.

George wrote the poem for our invitation:

From two different worlds

Brought together by love and held by a promise

To love one another forever and always.

We invited about 50 people and had plans to get married in our backyard.

Tiki torches were placed in a circle so we could be surrounded by family

and friends. But it rained and we got married in our dining room instead.

Brian looking a little exasperated by our non-serious wedding day antics.

I wore white slacks from J. Crew and a lace camisole with no bra. George wore

J. Crew khakis and a blue linen shirt that neither of us bothered to iron.

Rosalie put my hair up halfway and stuck some babies' breath in.

We were definitely low key, I had no interest in wearing a white gown.

Our cake table consisted of an Andre's cake, Luanne's cake server and knife,

a bowl of mints, George's graduation sash with his country colors, a vase of roses,

and for some reason a He-Man figurine.

Both George and I had just graduated from college so our budget was nil.

This photo makes me laugh. We were so tacky and happy with so little.

Thanks to good advice from my bestie Rossana, I invited my parents.....

but only three days before the wedding. We had plans to keep it a secret from our folks.

Thus my parents came to my house on a Sunday in their casual best while George's parents

were kept in the dark. They found out later and were, understandably, a bit peeved with us.

The rain did let up finally and the girls braved the sodden ground to catch the bouquet.

I remember feeling fat on my wedding day. And now I only wish I was that "fat."

This is a terribly long post already, but earlier when I mentioned our first wedding,

it meant that we ultimately had a second wedding. Our. Real. Wedding.

The one we actually told our families about.

I designed my own wedding invitations but this time I got them printed....even the envelopes.

They did not match the red of the invites, but we were still on a budget. Now I have a ton of

red envelopes that have our address but say the Trieu Family.

I designed a trifold invite, printed on glossy stock in two colors, red and black. It was all very modern and clean. My family hated, hated, hated the invites even though I used red, a lucky color in Chinese tradition. But it was a very non-traditional card at the time and trust me, there's no pleasing my family.

The response card was a tear-off postcard.

For our second wedding, we had a traditional tea ceremony and then a seven-course wedding banquet. Since a lot of our guests were from out of town and unfamiliar with our wedding customs, there was a separate invite for the tea ceremony along with a description of what that all entailed.

I planned both weddings in an extremely short amount of time (one day for each). For me, getting married wasn't about all the finery much to my family's dismay. Plus I hated all the attention. I made lightning quick decisions about my dress, the cake and what restaurant to go use. I'll always treasure the memories and be happy in knowing that even on a non-existent budget, we still had our big day and we paid for it all by ourselves.

Ahem.....It's Our Turn

2011-04-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

After one month of starting The Employee Lounge, Tina and I are finally getting our own moment in the spotlight and we're looooving it. Ha! We had no idea our service industry blog would be so well-received, but thanks to Kansas Citians who love their food and the restaurant world, we just got our first piece of press. Follow this link to read all about us in the Pitch's Fat City blog! They, of course, did not credit Tina, but fyi, she set up the shot and took this picture for our article.

Peak Performance

2011-04-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

I stopped volunteering last year because I was so burned out. Between my office job and freelance work, my schedule was already full. Still, I took on yet another non-profit fundraiser because I love to coordinate special events so much. When I started volunteering a few years ago, I got a lot of my girlfriends involved. With every meeting and every event, we grew closer and now, we all actually help each other out quite often. Which is the case with Peak Performance for Children.

Thanks to my good friend Della, I'm now helping her coordinate this event. In addition to leading all the committees, I usually end up on or am the only member of the design team. This is my logo for this year's event. I'll share other collateral pieces as they're developed. Event details coming soon too!

Wedding Shower Invitation

2011-04-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Some wedding shower invitations I designed last week.

UPDATE: Since Chris is harassing me for more information about my invites, here are some additional details. After trolling the blogosphere for inspiration, I was finally inspired by an oval. Yes indeed, the oval is where this all begins. ~~Sometimes~~ Often, I get creatively blocked and just looking at other people's work help jog my brain into action.

THE CLIENT

Kat, my friend and neighbor. She is hosting a wedding shower for Christine and Garrett and asked for something bluegrass theme. I went for the warm, casual, country feel of bluegrass music rather than anything musically related.

COLORS

Originally this piece was going to be black ink printed on color paper, but Kat didn't sound too enthused so I chose colors to match their Save-the-Date cards (PMS 173 and Black PMS 5) and printed on cream stock. These were just color copies.

FONTS

Cowboy Rhumbahut, Poplar Black, Viva la Rivoluzione, Yella Belly

PAPER

80# cover, Sundance Warm White by Neenah Paper Co.

Most of my friends are on a budget, thus they ask me to design things, and I help them save even more money by making some budget decisions. As a designer, I would love to get everything printed and matchy, but as someone who is always watching their dollars, I make certain adjustments.

++ Printed envelopes? Never. Yeah, it makes the whole package look great, but people spend seconds looking at envelope before it's torn open and thrown away. If you want to make it look special, use a stamp. Or choose a color envelope.

++ Print versus Copy. Copiers are fast, easy and inexpensive for small jobs. With a nice paper, you get instant quality for less money. I would love to be able to letterpress every single job I get, but the reality is that the money isn't always there.

++ Paper. Spend the money on paper, it makes everything feel better.

++ Do it yourself, but think of how much time you're saving and how big the job is. Sometimes, it's better to just pay someone.

favorite comment

2011-04-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Public Enemy #1. Don't let that pink dress fool you. She is vicious! Especially if you pretend to attack her dad, Jason.

Our Supper Club is an exclusive group, but the hosts get to invite guests every month. With a core group of eleven people and one nasty little dog, most of our tables are bursting at 13-14 dinner guests. Bella is my new nemesis. I do provoke her every chance I get but I kind of find it amusing to scrap around with a five pound dog once a month. Anyhow, that's another story. We get a lot of jokesters (also known as OUR FRIENDS) who like to complain about not getting an invite. I have to share this facebook comment from our friend Jamie. He is so sarcastic, love him. Well, he heavily hinted at wanting to come to Supper Club for the last week or so and thanks to Matt and Sloane, we will finally be including him. But just this once.

Dashing Bobby

2011-04-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Image Source: Keiko Lynn

Now this is how you wear a bow tie and vest. This is the boyfriend of one of my favorite style bloggers, Keiko Lynn. She has an amazing sense of style, makes her own clothes and is a whiz at make up. She's so awesome and I'm so jealous.

Image Source: Keiko Lynn

New Dress

2011-04-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

My new favorite place to find cheap vintage dresses is Cowtown Mall on 31st and Gilham. This one was $5! The length is okay, but I'm going to hem it up and make it a mini dress instead. What do you think of my boots? Kat gave these vintage leather beauties to Jeanne, but since Jeanne has monkey feet (her words not mine), she gave them to me. They're a smidge too big, but with inserts and thick socks, they are absolutely perfect. Everything in this outfit is either vintage and/or gifted.

* Vintage Liz Roberts Inc. Dress from Cowtown Mall - $5

* Vintage Corelli Boots - gift from Jeanne

* Vintage Blue Blet - $1

* Owl Necklace - gift from Tina

* Jade Bracelet - gift from my mom

* Gold Bracelets - $1.50

April Supper Club

2011-04-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Instead of cleaning and setting the perfect table for Supper Club this month, I made a hand-drawn, hand-colored poster. It only took about three hours, hahahaa. In hindsight, I probably should have showered and set the table before I started this project, but I honestly thought I could whip it out in say, half an hour. Of all the ways I've decorated the table, this little poster got a better reaction from my guests than any flowers, candles or napkins. It was so great seeing everyone ooh and ahh over it.

George and I hosted this month's supper club at Chez Bristow and the theme was Fast Food. Our instructions: choose a fast food restaurant, your favorite item from their menu and create your own version of it. Usually I am much better prepared to host, but I've lost track of the days recently. Time is flying by and it was our turn before I knew or was ready for it. The last minute prepping could have led to what I had jokingly called "Mass Hysteria Supper Club Meltdown." Instead, we all ended up in the kitchen, falling over all each other laughing and ended up having a wonderful time. For the food pictures, I "enhanced" everything in iPhoto to play up the artificial colors that remind me of fast food. Unfortunately, Rachel made all of her ingredients herself, even the bun, and it was disgustingly delicious. I think we all went into a food coma last night. A big thank you to my friends for another fabulous Supper Club!

Kansas City Snapshots

2011-04-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

This week, Tina and I were out earlier than usual for The Employee Lounge to catch up with some brunch places for the blog. That left us driving around the city on a busy Friday lunch hour unable to shoot or talk to any more employees. It was cold and gray, but the cloudy skies provided great light. We turned the lens around to the city and I snuck out my camera too.

As an amateur photographer, I am always intimidated by real photographers, their knowledge, their backgrounds and especially their big, fancy cameras. I bought and love my DSLR but for me, it's just a bigger point and shoot. My list of things to learn grows by the day and one of them is definitely grasping F-stops and other photography lingo to really understand my camera and what it can do.

Thankfully, Tina graciously offered to teach me some tricks and pumped me up with flattery. I am excited to see what she captured that day ~~and I'll link to her as soon as she posts~~. Click here to see Tina's view of KC.

Top to Bottom:

(1) Top of Building and gray skies taken on Jefferson off Summit. (2) Really raw almonds at the spice store in City Market (3) Railroad tracks from Beardsley Road (4+5) My muddy, then semi-clean wellies (6) Ceiling art at Spool in the Crossroads (7) Birdies' bikinis seen from the outside (8) A graffti art wall on 18th Street (9) A plane attached to the telephone pole in the Crossroads All photos taken by Linh Trieu ©Fresh Fish Creative

Love Your City

2011-04-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

City Market from Jon Lemmon on Vimeo.

Great video by Jon Lemmon of our beloved City Market and I absolutely love the shirt worn by the girl in the video. After years of admiring other city's open markets, like Pike Place in Seattle, and all the farmer's markets in Santa Barbara, I have finally come to realize that our market is just as awesome. Not that I haven't always liked it, but with the new(ish) signage, the garage sales on Sundays, the new businesses reinvigorating the area, it's all coming together for me.

Vietnamese Banana Cake

2011-04-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

I took a visit to the City Market this week and got a ton of veggies for $10.50. Only half my haul is pictured above. The same produce at the supermarket would have been at least 3-4 times as expensive. It's not as convenient and you do have to plan ahead, but I definitely need to make more of an effort to go down there! A lot of times, there are "on their last legs" produce offered, like these super ripe bananas which were $1 for an entire basket.

I found this recipe for Vietnamese Baked Banana Cake on Almost Bourdain and it sounded like my mom's banana cake. It didn't look like hers, but I gave it a go because the recipe and steps sounded so ridiculously simple that even a novice baker like myself could make it. The end result was a deliciously rich, banana-y dessert that I will be making again soon. Very soon. Because I still have more bananas! I much prefer it hot out of the oven, but traditionally it is eaten cold. And next time, I think some whipped cream or ice cream would make this standout dessert even more amazing.

Bananas are so easy to prep! Peeling and slicing only took moments. Then some caster sugar was added to give the bananas a nice syrupy coat. The rest of the ingredients (eggs, butter, flour and condensed milk) got mixed together and the bananas folded in. That's 20 minutes AT THE MOST. I didn't have a deep round cake pan like they had shown over at Almost Bourdain, so I used a rectangular pan instead and it tasted just as good. I just sliced them into squares and rectangles instead of pie shapes. All the sugar gave it a crispy crust with the filling being a hot custardy texture. The house smelled like heaven.

The next morning, I wrapped them up in some cellophane and butcher paper and tied it up nicely with my unending supply of baker's twine. Over at The Employee Lounge (my other blog), we recently chose an Employee of the Month and an Honorable Mention. Along with their gifts, I also delivered some home-made banana cake. Short story long, this is a great dessert, hot or cold and easy to make. Definitely give it a try.

Army Trunk

2011-04-13T05:35:00.000-07:00

This was definitely the buy of the day, a U.S. Army trunk from 1943. The top is a bit dinged but the military green paint is magnificent. I love the rusted latches and the layered stenciled type. There's a tray inside with wooden handles on the sides. I'm dusting this piece off and adding some casters to turn it into our next coffee table. $15.

Estate Sale Finds

2011-04-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

Fabric suitcase with cute red rainbow stripe. $1.00

One in red.

Adorable pink napkins. $1.50

Mittens are not in season but these were too cute. $1.00

Plastic school chairs. $10 for all four chairs.

before and after

2011-04-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

WTH? Is this any way to treat a beautiful radio? Surrounded by coffee and tea containers and sugar packets?!!!

There. That's better.

My "Famous" Instant Noodles

2011-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

I love Asian instant noodles, there are so many different kinds and flavors. But for the "recipe" I'm sharing with you today, this is my preferred noodle type and brand - MI LAU THAI. The shrimp flavor comes in a red bag as shown below, but the seafood flavor is in a very close reddish-orange package. The seafood flavor lends a completely different flavor profile, which I personally don't like, but of course, you should try both and see which you prefer. If you're allergic to shellfish, there's also a chicken flavor.

Each package will come with the noodles and four flavor packets: one with dehydrated onions, one silver package and two with brownish liquids inside. If you use another brand of instant noodles, you may only get one or two flavor packs. But don't worry and continue on with the next steps.

You will also need cilantro, green onion, white vinegar and Sriracha chili sauce.

There's not much measuring in this recipe, but sometimes I use a soup spoon (approx. 1 tbsp) to measure my vinegar. Most of the time I eyeball it.

(1) Boil water in a pot. Just use enough to cover the noodles. You can also boil your noodles in a saucepan if you're only making one or two packs. Once the water boils, add your dehydrated onions and noodles to the pot. Don't overcook the noodles, maybe 3-5 minutes.

(2) While the water is boiling, I like to empty all my sauce packets into small prep bowls/dishes. The brown liquids get combined and the silver packet gets dumped into a separate bowl.

(3) If the water still hasn't boiled, go ahead and chop your cilantro and onions. How much? It's up to you. I like a lot of greens in my food so I use huge handfuls.

(4) When the noodles are done, strain all the liquid out and give it good it a good shake.

(5) Pour drained noodles into a large nonstick sauce/frying pan and cook on high heat.

(6) Add the brown sauce packets onto the noodles and spread the love. Toss the noodles around to get an even coat around everything. It's okay to let the noodles sit a little while, it fries up and crisps the bottom which I kind of like. If you don't have these packets, just skip straight to the next step.

(7) Do the same with the silver flavor packet. Spread it around and give it quick stir.

(8) Add the vinegar next, it'll make the pan sizzle a little. I typically use 1 big spoonful for every package. For less acidity, just can use less or omit this ingredient altogether. Next squeeze on the Sriracha. Give it a another quick stir, about 30 seconds and you're almost done!

(9) Add chopped cilantro and onion and give everything a good stir.

(10) I made four packages of noodles for this little photo shoot, so I definitely put my lunch into a smaller bowl. Delicious with kim chee too. :)

Birthday Bits

2011-04-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Some of the nice prezzies I received this year. My friends always get me the best gifts, but this is the first time ever George nailed all the presents.

Fisher Price Wood Toy Cash Register, my fourth cash register! Thanks Georgie.

No Sale and #1 keys are stuck but the drawer still pops open.

Can't wait to drink these.....after I recover of course. Another successful gift from G.

An orange owl votive holder which will look so cheerful on the porch this summer and some art supplies from Beth who says that I have to keep doodling my little characters even though I don't have boring meetings to sit through anymore.

A super cute owl necklace made by Tina's mom. I admired earrings like
this on a girl at Happy Gillis and was so thrilled to get this!

Anthro sent me my 15% card and as luck would have it, Mary and Rebecca got me some money to spend there!

The Anthro gift card came in the cutest mini notebook.

Tina put the owl necklace inside this adorable pouch, hand-made and hand-embroidered by her sister.

Gift cards to a fave brunch spot (Happy Gillis), to a new restaurant my friend works at (Tavern in the Village),
a subcription to my new favorite magazine (Vogue Living Australia), scratch tickets and some birthday cards.
Thank you Matt, Sloane, Matt, Lucy, Tim, Lynn, Jeanne, Craig, Kat, Doug and Shelley!

Remember that radio I hinted at? I got it! And I love it.

Trinh swore I said I wanted to make my own ice cream. So now I can make it whenever, wherever.

A special hand-made card by Rebecca.

birthday hats

2011-04-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

For my birthday party this past weekend, my friend Rebecca suggested the girls get together a couple of hours early so we could do our hair and make up together, have snacks and drink champagne. Best idea ever! Jeanne brought over the crazy hats while my collection consists of more sedate straw hats. We ate Rebecca's chicken laab, Debbie's chocolate cake from scratch and my "famous" instant noodle stir-fry. We were having so much fun it was hard to leave for the actual party!

prayers for winston

2011-04-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Winston's photo by Jeanne Rohner via facebook.

My friend's dog has cancer and only has a few days left. He was already a rescue with no teeth, thus the cute little tongue action. For everyone who has ever lost a beloved pet: they are family and the loss is heartbreaking. Poor little thing, sending my love and prayers to Winston for a comfortable passage on to an easier life in the next world. UPDATE: Winston rebounded and is doing well and still kicking around!

not ready to be older

2011-04-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

photo and garlands by Sarah Neuberger, The Small Object

My birthday is just around the corner, number 34, and every year it seems to take me a bit by surprise. I think I'm too lazy to get all worked up about it anymore. Months ago, I was all jazzed about a joint party with Vira, but as the date approaches, I am kind of just shutting my eyes and trying to get past myself. I haven't visited Rosalie in months and the dreaded white hairs and split ends are prevalent. The body is a saggin' and a droopin' and since I refuse to exercise regularly, I have no one to blame but myself. But, and there always is one, I have amazing friends. Who have all been emailing me about birthday week: what are we going to do, when are we going to start, what if we do this, how about coming to my house for brunch, let's do each other's hair and makeup before we go out, what should I get you, you are so hard to buy for, you have everything. To my wonderful friends, thank you, thank you, thank you and I am lucky to be so loved. In the meantime, I am inspired by these wonderful tissue garlands that I may just have to make for when the girls come over for the pre-party.

photo and garlands by Sarah Neuberger, The Small Object

April Already?

2011-04-05T05:42:00.001-07:00

I hate to brag, but ever since I quit my office job,

the days have literally flown by. I'm kind of

like the mushrooms in the middle, arms lifted in joy,

high on life or something like that.

Some special dates to remember in April:

April 1 » April Fool's Day

April 10 » My Birthday!

April 15 » Tax Day

April 19 » Passover

April 22 » Good Friday

April 24 » Easter Sunday (late this year)

April 27 » Secretary's Day

April is also Grilled Cheese Month!

Genki Sudo

2011-04-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

I know this is my second Asian music video in a week but this will blow your mind, especially the crazy choreography at the end. Even though I didn't understand a word, it's all in Japanese, the music still sounds great. You can download Genki Sudo's song for free from their blog. by way of black eiffel via stereogum

More from Kaw Point

2011-04-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Just sharing some industrial and doggie pics from our walk.

KC from Kaw Point

2011-04-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after a week of cold, dreary weather, we had a record 86°F spring day. However, George and I were glued to our computers ignoring the sunshine. Then thankfully, our friends Tim and Lynn called to suggest a walk along the river at Kaw Point Park with our dogs. It's a riverfront park situated behind an industrial park that is not easy to get to and one that we had no idea existed. It was a great chance to see downtown from another perspective. Click on any of the images for a larger view. All photos by Linh Trieu ©Fresh Fish Creative

Nem Chua

2011-04-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Nem chua is one of my most favorite snacks. This sour meat snack is not for everyone, but there are plenty of fans and thus many variations. I've been eating a lot of nem chua recently. Every time I go the Asian market, I grab one. My mom made her own and brought us a ton of it recently. And just this weekend, my mom's friend sent some over from Denver. Perfectly square and garnished with a thin slice of raw garlic, a delicate basil leaf that infused the nem chua with fresh herbal flavor, and dotted with whole peppercorns, this version from Little Saigon in Denver, Colorado was hands down the most beautiful. Photos by Linh Trieu ©Fresh Fish Creative

Breaking Even

2011-04-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

Sister singers who are just adorable.

Baby H

2011-03-31T06:45:00.000-07:00

Daddy Bruce with our niece, B.

Two weeks before my little sister had E, George's little brother, Bruce, had a baby girl. They are both about five months old now and we're becoming quite the international family. Bruce lives in Ireland, along with the rest of George's family, so we haven't met his gorgeous baby girl in person just yet. Thanks to facebook, we've been watching her grow. And of course, I have to share another one from my side of the family!

Little Big E.

hello sandwich

2011-03-31T06:12:00.000-07:00

The blog of Vogue Living editor Ebony Bizys is full of all things Japanese (read cute, colorful, graphic, amazing) but right now she has posted detailed accounts of what is going on after the earthquake and tsunami. Her personal story of how scared she was really hit home for me. Hearing someone's story, for me, always means more than a general news story in terms of making me understand how important, life changing, things are. Whether it's a natural disaster or one of the endless wars in the news everyday, it's the personal story that moves me to action.You can read an interview about Ebony here.

Group Photos

2011-03-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

Smile!

Be Crazy!

Now be serious!

We had another Supper Club this month and the theme was Tried and True (favorite recipes that people ask you to make often). The results were a varied hodgepodge of dishes: peanut butter and jelly "hors d'œuvres," bbq (ribs, sausages, cheesy corn), knishes, salads, flan and my contribution stir-fried instant noodles, that surprisingly all ended up tasting delicious together. I'll be sharing my "secret" noodle recipe later. Trust me, it's super fab. But no food pics this month. Instead, I'm showing off our group photos. These are always so much fun to take and even more fun to look at later. We're very bad at our serious faces though.

groundwork

2011-03-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

Although no one would exactly call me an outdoorsy person, fine artist and illustrator Danna Ray manages to capture all the moments of camping and being outside in the great, big wild so beautifully, that even an indoor person like me gets it. When I actually do go camping, it's quite fun but it's thinking about going camping that makes me dread it. The bugs, the heat, the fresh air. Ugh.

You can see more of Danna's work on her site or buy a print here or on etsy. I'm thinking this would make a great wedding gift, especially of the socks sleeping beneath the blanket of grass. Artist found by way of halcyon days

spex club

2011-03-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

Spex Club offers some hipster frames that are cheap enough you can try out several trends at once. All frames are $58 and only $88 with a prescription. They also have a wide selection of frames on sale for half off right now ($29/$44). I like to try on many, many styles before I actually buy. Wouldn't it be nice if they had a feature where we could virtually try on these glasses? by way of design for mankind

jinxed. by my mother.

2011-03-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Buddha love my mother, but she is the bearer of bad news, doom and destruction and general superstitious heebie-jeebies. My parents live in Illinois and rarely come to visit, but when they do, my mom can't help but unleash all her gloomy predictions upon me. She visits fortune tellers regularly and I know she asks what lays ahead for her daughters. So yes, she does love us and cares deeply about our futures, that I am sure of. But can you stop jinxing me now?

A mere three weeks ago, within moments of stepping through my front door, my mom said to me, "This is a bad luck year for you." Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phone. I already had a bad luck year, I told her. And guess what, I'm still here. And if I have another bad luck year, I can try again in 2012. I try to stay on the optimistic side of life. Yeah, things suck now, but they always get better. Just forge ahead and think of the good things in life. But it's really hard to do that when eerily, my mother's ominous predictions of misfortune start to reveal themselves.

Right now, we're pouring money down the drain for a rental property (courtesy of my sometimes flighty parents). There's a lot of stress related to a former tenant trashing the place and leaving us an entire storage unit's worth of trash we have to remove before repainting, fixing holes in the wall, broken steps, doors and windows, etc. And I just happened to quit my job and my steady income.

Yesterday, George says to me, "I don't want to add to the bad news, but I think the washing machine is broken." Yep, kinda knew that. And this morning, while I am drying my hair, the cord starts melting and plastic-burning smoke is filling the air. Yep, knew that was coming too. So is it bad luck? Or a series of maddening coincidences with bad timing?

My mom is just grasping conversational English after thirty years of living in the United States (which I am so insanely proud of her for) so she's not exactly reading my blog yet. But if she did, I want to say this: Mommy! Stop jinxing me. No more superstitious nonsense, okaaaaaay??? You're ruining my life!

And yes, I still call my parents Mommy and Daddy. Or Ma-Ma and Ba-Ba in Chinese. But when I am talking about my mom instead of to her, always, always, it's my mother who did something to drive me batshit crazy.

There! It's off my chest. Now up to the rental house in my half-blow-dried wonky hair to do some painting. I will be taking lots of pictures to share later. Stay posted!

winter. it just won't quit us.

2011-03-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Some shots I took while walking the dogs yesterday. The snow came down in wet slushy flakes that soaked all of us. But it was beautiful and really not too terribly cold. I think the spring flowers will survive this, they've gone through worse in past years. All photos by Linh Trieu, ©Fresh Fish Creative.

Snow on my phlox and ground cover.

Snow coming down fast and furious on the spirea.

Snow on the red blossoms in my neighbor's yard.

Winter and Spring still duking it out.

Snow on a poor dead bunny.

Snow on daffodils.

Snow on a pine tree. Which looks normal, but it's supposed to be spring right?
Basically, snow everywhere.

pho

2011-03-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Styled by Linh Trieu / Photographed by Elizabeth Cook
for Cooking with an Accent: An Immigration Lawyer's Cookbook

My mom is making pho today. I can't wait to have some later! Pho brings to mind an intense, long and stressful project I worked on years ago with an immigration attorney. She was my husband's immigration lawyer, she was my client, and not only did we help produce the cookbook, we were even a part of it. Cooking with an Accent featured her immigration clients, favorite recipes from their homeland and each person's immigration story. I chose pho, which I had never made, but loved to eat. My mom made it for me and I just brought over all the ingredients, put it in a bowl, then styled and shot it. Totally cheated of course. But I have to say it was more effort than the other Vietnamese client who made grilled hot dogs. While neither of us cooked anything, I still felt superior. :)

I now know how to make pho, but I don't use the recipe in this cookbook. My mom gave me directions but she cooks from memory. Her directions were long, her measurements were eyeballed and I was thoroughly confused. I use this recipe instead and although not as good as my mom's (of course), it's still amazing.

The following images are from the cookbook Beth and I worked on for free. We were young, we were dumb and we almost blew our heads off working on this project. But we gained A LOT of experience and I'm still proud of working on it. I was the project planner, designer, art director, food stylist and editor. Beth was the photographer and we scheduled and styled the shoots together. George came up with the title and also did some major editing. Would I ever do something like this again? Yes, definitely, but for free? Never in a million years, not for all the experience in the world. You can buy one for yourself here but I cannot guarantee that all the recipes work (see above where I mentioned my mom's pho recipe). Click on the images for a better view.