New Venture

I totally apologize for neglecting this blog.

During the time where I took a break from writing in this blog, I started working on something major.  For a period of time, I dropped off of the face of the earth and did some serious soul searching.  Through encouragement from friends and family, God, and opportunities opening... I decided to take the plunge into something new and jump into photography.  I also wanted to recreate my old blog into something better with my new venture so I hope you can continue to follow me. I still wanted to have recipe post, inspiration posts, and whatnot so check it out here at www.monicawangphotography.com.  Thanks for reading this!  I really appreciate it.  Will continue to post new stuff. =)

Special thanks to this book here for helping me build the home page!

Scrumptious Vegan Blueberry Muffins

This is my first real post in ages.  I was contemplating to just stop writing in this blog because most days I don't feel like there are enough hours in the day to get everything done.  Therefore, I am reducing the number of pics I put in each post because it takes a lot of time to organize and edit the images. Even though I will not do step by step pictures anymore, I still hope you get the gist of things.  I really do miss writing in here and oddly enough, the posts motivate me to cook and document things.  I motivate myself.  Haha!  That sounds weird.  

And, I get this question a lot but people always ask me if I cook still.  The answer is yes.  I love cooking and it has become a part of me.  I can't live and eat without cooking but I have found quicker ways to do things and improvise on the spot.  I will try and share my tips =)

These blueberry muffins are super yummy.  I actually like them MORE than regular blueberry muffins because they taste totally delicious but are a lot healthier and easier to make.  I don't have to bring the butter to room temperature and I can practically mix everything with a regular fork so I don't have as many dishes to wash.  Another thing I have challenged myself to do... cook without making as many dirty dishes!  I got this recipe from GP's cookbook which I adore still.

Recipe
Makes 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup real Vermont maple syrup
1/4 cup light agave nectar
1 cup white spelt flour
1 cup whole spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen and thawed them)

How to Make
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with papers.

Mix wet ingredients together, stir in the dry ingredients, and fold in the blueberries.  Divide among the muffin cups and bake 'til a toothpick tests clean and the muffins are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let them cool before eating.

To thaw the blueberries quickly, I used a glass container and microwaved the blueberries 30 seconds at a time (tossing in between every time interval).  Make sure not to overheat the blueberries!  You want them to be room temperature when you add them into the batter.  I also used a strainer to remove all the berry water before adding them to the batter.

 

They are the perfect thing to eat to start off your morning!  Especially Monday mornings.  The only downside to this recipe was that the ingredients were quite expensive for simple blueberry muffins.  Definitely don't let any of the muffins go to waste. 

I'm back from my super long hiatus...you guys probably thought I was dead.

I gave my blog a makeover.  Since I have been getting much better at Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop I couldn't help but change things up a bit.  I wanted things to look a whole lot cleaner and I actually missed writing and documenting things on this little blog.  All I have been doing the past 4 months is constantly work and as much as I love it, sometimes it is good to switch things up a bit for my own sanity.  I can't promise I can update quite as frequently as I did before but I will try once a week or something.  I will try my best!

Anniversary

Yesterday, I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my husband at Sotto.  The food and cocktails were so good.  I can't believe 1 year just flew by for us!  I already feel like this year is flying by too even though we are only in February.  

I'm trying to find time to fit my blog into my new schedule but having a really really hard time doing so.  Thanks so much for still checking in once in a while!   This is a super lame post I know....

Home Office Design: Part 1

I am still alive over here!  Just super duper busy.  I don't have time to even post this entry but I'm squeezing it in.  I'm working on my home office slowly but surely and I wanted to share my progress.

I was inspired by this gallery wall for my home office so I went for a little visit to my local thrift store to find the frames.  I was looking for flat vintage frames in metal and wood.

Source: joannamay.org via Monica on Pinterest

I picked up all my picture frames and mirror for about $70.  It was a steal especially since I did consider buying frames from Etsy but the shipping costs were killer so I'm glad I found my frames locally.  Most of the frames ranged from $1 to $7 and the large vintage mirror cost me $23.  I first started by cutting out pieces of newspapers in the size of my frames just so I could see how the wall would look before I started pounding nails into the walls.  It was a lot easier than I initially thought.

And ta-da!   I'm still trying to figure out what to put in some of the frames.... that is a whole another project in itself.



If you are curious, I got my table from Cost Plus World Market, chevron rug from Urban Outfitters, sea shell book ends from this Etsy shop, and the chair and desk lamp from Home Goods.

New Year

I'm not one to write resolutions because they always seem incredibly hard to obtain.... like when people say they are going to cut out sugar from their diet or they are going to work out.  It's like huh?  That already sounds like a fail.  Sorry to be a pessimist.  Resolutions sound so final and it is hard to say that I'm never going to do anything again like I am never going to eat sugar again.  Yeah... sounds like even more of a fail when I put that into context.  I try to set little goals throughout the year and for me, I like that idea much better.  I am not one to sit still because I am always moving around doing something!

2011 Highlights
Got married to my best friend

Traveled to 6 different countries and got to experience it through my husband's eyes.  It was his first time in Europe.

Gracie learned how to swim.

I quit my job.

I read 20+ books.  I can't actually say read because I listened to them. I'm totally into audiobooks which allows me to multitask when I'm listening to a book like driving through horrible LA/OC traffic or washing dishes.  My husband caught me crying last night in the kitchen after going through one of my favorite books on my ipod.  Haha!  I am quite the dork.  These were my favorite books this year some of which I have gone through twice already..... Hunger Games (fyi, the 3rd book was my least favorite), The Kitchen House, World Without End, Unbroken, and The Help.  I am always looking for new books to read so please share if you have a good one.  It will be much appreciated!!!

Got a new car which is my favorite.  It is so functional and I've made up my mind that I'm sticking to mini-SUV's forever.

Learned how to use my dslr camera quite a bit through this blog and found my favorite lens so far.

2012 Goals in Process
I'm leaving corporate finance and running far FAR away.

Drink less wine, drink more water.

Read more books including the Bible.  I'm currently on Baby Proof which is totally fitting for me if you know me well.  I want to read through the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series this year too.

Learn how to edit film and make videos.  I took a free Apple workshop this week for iMovie and already getting started on this goal.  I couldn't pass up a free class!  I want to take more of them.

Learn graphic design.  I already got started on Adobe Illustrator and watched youtube tutorials this past weekend.  Knowing how to use this tool will be perfect for thoughtful gifts for friends and family.  I can make customized stationary, calendars, whatever!  Love it already.

Set up an art corner in my new office to paint.  Loving the idea of creating abstract art from here.

Go to Hawaii for the first time.

Embrace turning 3-0 and love every minute of it.

Pay more attention to my husband and be a better wife.  I get easily distracted by all my interests that I sometimes forget that I should be including him in my list of interests.  Whoopsie!  I know I need to be better about this.

This is a totally random collage but I thought this post needed some sort of visuals.  This is where my mind is at today =) All over the place as usual!  That is the norm. 

 

image source (left to right):  1/2/3/4/5/6/7

Pumpkin Spice Bread

I quit my corporate job this week.

I feel like a free bird and God has answered my prayers.  Hallelujah.  I cannot say that enough.  I didn't know when this day would ever come and I'm finally working for myself.  I actually put those type of thoughts at the back of my mind in a deep dark well never to be resurfaced again.  However, the opportunity presented itself unexpectedly and I am so incredibly thankful.  I get to start 2012 completely anew.  My new role is going to be super demanding so my upcoming challenge will be how to manage my time and find balance.  I have had a lot on my mind the past few weeks so I decided to take a little breather and bake this bread.  I got this recipe from my coworker and adjusted it for less sugar and whole wheat.  It is still really yummy and satisfying without all that sugar and saturated fat.

I took the image below on my new desk for my home office which isn't finished yet (I blogged about ideas a couple weeks ago here).  I love my new desk and will post pics when my office is all done.  Thanks to my husband for finding it!  I have the best, most supportive husband.  Just wanted to say that!

Makes 2 loaves (one for you and one for a friend)

2 cups pumpkin
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (if you want it to be sweeter, I recommend adding 1/2 cup of sugar)
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup room temperature water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup toasted walnuts
Butter for greasing the pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 9 by 5 loaf pans with parchment paper and grease with butter.  Mix together the dry ingredients (the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda) in a medium size bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, and water with a whisk.  Gently fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Add in the walnuts and mix 'til combined (do not overmix).  Pour batter into the pans.

Bake for 60 minutes or 'til an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans.

I always do half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.  If you do 100% whole wheat flour, it tastes a bit dry and grainy so the half and half strategy works for me.  Otherwise, I do 100% whole wheat pastry flour.  It doesn't taste so whole wheat-y if you know what I mean. 

My trick to getting the loaves out of the pans is to line the pan with parchment paper.  Trust me it works! I line the pans with the parchment paper, lightly grease the sides with butter, fill the pans with batter on top of the parchment paper, trim the long edges of the parchment paper with scissors, and bake.  I use the sides of the parchment paper to pull the bread out.  It is so much easier this way.

The loaves came out and they made my house smell delicious in the process.  

Surprise!

Just in case you are curious about what I put away in my giveaway boxes I thought I should post this.  Homemade gifts are great, thoughtful gifts for friends and family...well, at least I think so.  I try to do it every year when I have the time.  All the people who ended up signing up for the giveaway were my personal friends so I decided to give away the boxes to everyone who signed up. 

I finalized on these three recipes to put in my cookie tins.  They were tested by my kitchen and passed.  =) 

 

Here are the links for the recipes!

Lemon ricotta cookies seemed to be everyone's favorite!  It is one of my favs and I don't have a sweet tooth so I love the lemon-y lightness of the cookie.  Plus, the texture is soft from the cheese. 

These chewy chocolate chip cookies are totally scrumptious and my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Just how I like my chocolate chip cookies....perfectly soft and chewy!  They are semi-technical to make because the recipe has weight measurements so you have to use a food scale.  You also have to refrigerate the dough for an hour before you bake it but it is so worth the effort!  I cannot say that enough.  The results are awesome.  You won't believe you even made these yourself after you have a bite.

Last but not least, I put ancho chili rosemary roasted nuts in tin because not everyone has a sweet tooth so nuts were an easy choice. Definitely check this recipe out! 

If you are curious, I purchased these non-toxic cookie tins from The Container Store.  I found the velvet ribbon from MJ Trim.  And, I got the cellophane bags at Sur La Table so the contents inside the tin wouldn't be a total mess by the time the receiver got the box in the mail.  

So 'til next year!

DIY Holiday Flags from The Sweetest Occasion

I stole this fabulous idea from The Sweetest Occasion and they were designed by Belletristics.  

How cute are these flags?  

They will help guests to keep track of their own drinks and they are FREE.  I used the grey and white striped straws leftover from my wedding but you can use bamboo skewers too if you don't have straws.  The download is here.  Act quick!  You still have time to do this one before the weekend is here!

  

Christmas is almost here

Christmas is just around the corner and I feel like I have a million things to do.  We are hosting dinner this year which is starting to become a family ritual because we happen to have a lot of space and we just love having people over at our house.  It makes our house seem so much cozier.  

image sources left to right: 1 unknown / 2 unknown / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7


This is my checklist of all the things that will be on the menu this year.

Prime Rib....check!
Butternut Squash and Broccoli Soup...check!
Creamed Corn...check!
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread...check!
Roasted Cauliflower with Mint and Pine Nuts...check!
Whole Wheat Mac and Cheese...check!
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes...check!
Chinese Sticky Rice...check!
French Green Bean Casserole...check!
Dessert by 85C Bakery....check!
Mango Rosemary Cocktails...check!
Blood Orange Mimosas...check!

I think
this is
enough food.....

Friends... please come by if you are around and hungry on Christmas Eve.  Our house will be fully stocked!

Holiday Giveaway Boxes

For those of you who participated in the holiday giveaway, the boxes went out today!  I shipped priority so it should be there in 2 to 3 days.  I stayed home on Sunday and baked a LOT.  I feel a huge sense of accomplishment getting it all done.  It is still a surprise for what is in them but I tried to put a good mix of goodies in there.  Look out for your box! 

Dumpling Day

Over the weekend, we got together with all of our cousins on my husband's side and made pork dumplings.  It is an annual family tradition that we started doing.  The recipe is from my husband's grandma and it is perfect for a group activity because if you want to make traditional Chinese dumplings, it takes a lot of manual labor.  There were about 8 people working constantly for 5 to 6 hours to make 500 dumplings.  I'm not going to share the recipe today because it's one of those recipes that you add a little bit of this and a little bit of that in there and I didn't keep track of the measurements.  Sorry! 

 

However, I will share a secret to making them.  You have to churn the ground pork with chopsticks to tenderize the meat properly.  We grabbed 5 or 6 wooden chopsticks and held them together with a rubber band and the guys (you need major arm strength), churned the meat for about a good hour 'til the pork looked like tuna fish and thickens.

Wrapping the dumplings... try doing this 100 times!  It's better with a glass of wine and good company. =)



You can eat the dumplings steamed or fried.  We did both.  Totally delicious either way.

Ancho Chili Rosemary Nuts

Well hello there!  I'm still alive over here.  I have been busy thinking about life and hibernating when I can.  It has been really cold in LA lately.  Don't laugh my Chicago friends.

Christmas is just around the corner.  Mat and I are hosting Christmas dinner for our family and I am thinking of all the things that need to be made... prime rib, cream corn, roasted veggies, jalapeno cheddar corn bread, mac and cheese... I'm getting excited just thinking about it!  I'm also making these nuts along with a couple other goodies so people can munch on them with wine and cocktails before dinner.  This recipe was adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts.  This is a great recipe because you can make these ahead of time and you can also package them for little gifts to friends and coworkers. 

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Canola oil
4 cups nuts (use a mixture of your favorite nuts)
2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice (you can use grapefruit juice too)
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, divided
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush a generous amount of canola oil on the bottom of a baking pan.  Toss nuts with 1 tablespoon of canola oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice, ancho chili powder, 1 tablespoon of rosemary, and 1 teaspoons of salt.

Roast nuts in the oven for 25 minutes.  Toss the nuts with a metal spatula or wooden spoon half-way through.  Remove from the oven and toss with 1 tablespoon of rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  

As the nuts cool, toss the nuts frequently to prevent them from sticking to one another and to the bottom of the pan.  

These nuts are addicting.  They are sweet, salty, smokey, and aromatic from the rosemary.  Perfect combination of flavors.  

Home Office Design Ideas

I want to warn you guys in advance that I am not going to be posting as often as I used to.  I am considering a new opportunity (completely unrelated to this blog) and I have to take time off to think about it.  You never know what a little itty bitty blog can do which led me to this new opportunity.  I never did.  My husband never did......but God works in miraculous ways.  And here I am contemplating life and what I really want to or should do with it... what we should do with it (now that I am married, I have to do the "we" thing...haha).

In the meantime, I'm going converting one of our bedrooms into a home office between Christmas and New Years.  We always needed an office in the house and now is the perfect time to do it.  We currently have this spare room we use as a laundry room so our lazy selves do not have to fold laundry and we can leave it hanging around or in baskets everywhere.  Sounds lovely huh?  I think we can make much better use of it.

Here are some of my ideas....

I really want a Louis ghost chair.  What would drive me to spend $400 for an uncomfortable looking plastic chair?  Because it looks oh so pretty!  I have to run this by the husband (crossing my fingers).

Source: designsponge.com via Monica on Pinterest

Cool artwork.  I haven't decided if I want a big art piece hanging on the wall OR.....

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Monica on Pinterest

Lots of various pieces hanging on the wall.

Source: stylebyemilyhenderson.com via Monica on Pinterest

Can I please get a cool chandelier?  I'm obsessed with chandeliers.

 

Source: fabulousonabudget.com via Monica on Pinterest

Bookshelves for all my books too!  Yes, definitely need some of those.  I like how there is a mirror hung on the bookshelf too.  You know... so I can check myself out while I am working.  I'm totally KIDDING.  But it would look pretty if there was a mirror hanging or some type of artwork.

Source: luxeandlillies.blogspot.com via Monica on Pinterest

I probably have to figure out a way so that the whole office isn't totally fem so Mat can use it too but I haven't figured out how yet.  Still thinking.....

Roasted Cauliflower with Mint and Almonds

Through the images, I know this dish seems underwhelming but it is so incredibly good.  This dish is inspired by the roasted cauliflower dish I had at Girl and the Goat in October (I posted my Chicago visit in a past post here).  Before, I would actually categorize myself to be a cauliflower hater because I thought the texture was too crumbly and the taste was totally blah.... it even smelled a little off.  However, roasted cauliflower tastes nutty and delicious and the texture isn't crumbly and weird anymore.  Who knew?!?  This is definitely going on my Christmas menu.

Makes 4 servings

1 head cauliflower, cut into pieces with the hard core removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 fresh mint leaves torn
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons walnut oil

Preheat over to 450 degrees F.

Spread the cauliflower across a baking pan.  Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 to 35 minutes and toss the veggies every 10 minutes or so.  The cauliflower should be nice and browned.

Toss the warm cauliflower with almonds, lemon zest, mint, and walnut oil.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  Serve right away.

 

Toasting nuts on a pan over the stove is the easiest way to ensure that the nuts don't get burnt.  The crunch from the almonds add a contrasting texture to the dish.

 

The lemon zest and mint pair so well with this dish because they perfume the dish... do not omit these items out of the dish if you can help it.  With all the different flavors and textures, I bet you didn't know that cauliflower could even taste like this!

DIY Christmas Bubble Wreath

Please call me Martha from now on.  I don't even recognize myself and I don't know how this whole domestication thing came about.  I was one of those teenagers that had an insanely messy room with clothes strewn across the floor.  I never ever made my bed and had blond and blue highlights in my hair.  I would eat Doritos for lunch and sour watermelon gummies and ice cream for dinner.  Now, I cook at home and make Christmas decorations in my free time.  Hello, my name is Martha. 

 

 

This was my original inspiration from Pottery Barn.  It costs $79 and I obviously did not want to pay $79 for a wreath.

 

24-inch faux pine wreath

Glue gun & glue sticks

Variety of Christmas ornaments

Ornament ties or floral wire

Ribbon

Scissors 

 

Tie the ornaments around the wreath with either ornament ties or floral wire (you will need wire cutters if you use wire).  Start with the big ornaments first and then the smaller ones.  Glue the ornaments to the wreath and let it dry overnight.  Trim the ties with scissors. Check on the wreath the next day to ensure that the ornaments are secure.  Tie the ribbon on the top and you are done! 

 

 1 1/2 to 2 hours

 

24-inch faux pine wreath - $4

Glue gun & glue sticks - $7.50 (I bought it from Michael's and had a 50% off coupon)

Variety of Christmas ornaments - $20

Ornament ties or floral wire - Free (the ties came with the ornaments)

Ribbon - Free (I had some leftover from another project)

Scissors - Free

Total $31.50

These are the supplies.

 

I was originally going to buy wire to do this but then I noticed that the ties were included in the box of ornaments so I decided to use that instead.  I bought the ornaments and faux pine wreath at Target.

I went a little crazy with the ornaments.  It looks like a big bubbly Christmas wreath to me now but I like it :)