You say kim chi, I say kim chee

What a great start to the week!  I’ve been at work for 7 hours now and with no air conditioning!  The building's air conditioner chiller system had decide to break down and if you don't already know, I live in the Caribbean where it is like 30 C - 25 C all the time!  Management supplied us with 1 fan between 4 people so we could comfortably work. Thanks, but that’s not going to make it better. Then after about 6 hours of sweating in the heat, we were supplied with a variety of ice cream treats, Gatorade and water.  Of course the ice cream won me over and I was able to last a couple more hours.  All thanks to the sugar rush.  Although, you had to eat the ice really really quick because it will melt before you can even enjoy it! So, not only do I feel sweaty but now I feel fat as well.  I’m not usually a whiner (whatever my husband says is not true!) Let me tell you, it feels like I'm in a Bikram’s hot yoga studio right now!  The crappy thing is you never get to the Shavasana pose (which is my favourite part of any yoga class).

Ok…back to my post. As mentioned last week, here is my Kimchee recipe.  I’ve made Kimchee for many years and made it the traditional way and the quick and easy way.  I have found this method works best for me and tastes the best.

Ingredients:

•10 cups of water

•2 Napa cabbages, washed and cut into 2-inch squares

•1 cup coarse salt (or kosher or sea salt)

•1 Tbsp finely grated garlic (use a micro plane or grater)

•1 Tbsp finely grated ginger (use a micro plane or grater)

•½ cup red pepper flakes (kochukaru is the traditional Korean kind and it not as spicy so you use more and it gives the kim chee that nice red spicy color. You can use  ordinary red pepper flakes that you can find in any grocery store, just put in as little or as much as you want depending on how spicy you like your kim chee.) ***

•2 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (again depending on how spicy you want it.  You can omit the red pepper flakes and use just this.  I prefer this as it has such a great flavor) ***

•3 Tbsp sugar

•2 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar

•5 scallions cut into 1/2 inch pieces

•2 Tbsp fish sauce (It smells awful but gives the kim chee it's flavor) ***

Preparation:

1. In large nonreactive bowl or pot, mix salt into water.

2. Add cabbage to salt water and if necessary, weigh down with large plate so leaves are all submerged.

3. Soak cabbage for 5-6 hours or overnight.

4. Remove cabbage and rinse very well with cold water to remove all the salt, squeezing out excess liquid.

5. In a large bowl, mix garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, Sambal Oelek, sugar, vinegar and scallions.

6. Add cabbage and coat with seasoning mixture.

7. Pack the seasoned cabbage into a large airtight jar with lid.

8. You can enjoy the Kim Chee right away and place it in the refrigerator; it will last for about 2 weeks.  If you really like ferment kim chee place it in a cool place for 2-3 days before serving or putting in refrigerator.

****I don't usually measure.  This is a estimate of what I put into my kim chee, you should adjust the ingredients depending our your tastes*****

Ok, I think I’ve been a good citizen for long enough…I’m gonna bounce the heck outtta of this sweatshop…  J  Going straight the beach with my little munchkin and then take a nice cool dip in our pool.

Happy Monday!

How to pack for a trip

With my upcoming trip back to Vancouver for the holidays, I have to be sure I pack strategically.  With the abundance of great shops and boutiques, I'll need to bring only the necessities.   Also, since it’s Christmas, I know about 80% of my suitcase will be filled with clothes and toys for my little munchkin. I definitely need to make sure there’s some room for mommy’s stuff too – clothes, shoes, spices, and the latest kitchen gadgets.

This will be my first plane trip alone with Baby C and without the help of the Hubby around (to pawn the little bugger off when I need some me time); I have to make sure I bring lots of things to keep him busy!  IPAD - check, books - check, toys - check, monkey binky - check, sleeping pills – ok maybe not, but I can dream right?  Did I also mention that a flight from Cayman to Vancouver is about 9 hours with about 4 hours of layover…and that’s a direct flight!  ***sigh***.  It’ll be all worth it when I get to see my family and friends, enjoy all the great food spots Vancouver has to offer and shop at my favourite stores...

Anyways, if you're like me, you typically spend days trying to figure out what to pack and without fail, always seem to over pack!

I always dread the day before any trip.  Why is it that you always feel like you’re forgetting something? Then when you get to the airport - it's when the fun (frustration) begins.  You have to go through every single security check point with a purse, diaper bag (filled with liquids – milk, juices, lotion, and diaper cream – all the stuff the security screener loves to question).  You have to carrying all this while pushing a stroller and managing a whiny, restless toddler, can we say nightmare?  On top of that, you have this impatient person behind you, staring you down as if you’re an idiot. Well… “I’m sorry but maybe you can lend a freakin hand?”  Ok, you can tell I’m not really looking forward to travelling with Baby C all by myself.  I envy those moms who do it so seamlessly.  Their babies and toddlers are happy, smiling and jogging along with them through the airport (reminding me of the Mary Poppins movie).

Also, why is it that every time you come back from holidays and your suitcase is always bursting at the seams, even when I didn't buy anything?  I'm praying quitely to myself that the ticket guy or girl is in a good mood and will overlook that we are 5 extra pounds over the limit!

Anyways, after lots of trial and error, I think I finally have a handle on this packing thing.

Here are some tips on packing which helped me save time and space.

-          Make a checklist (I love lists….)

   

-          Lay your clothes out by outfits  (i.e. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 - this ensures that you have all your outfits planned out and avoids the "what to am I going to wear" situation.)

-          Pack items that are double duty like yoga pants that moonlight as PJ’s. a sarang can double as a wrap.

-          Roll your clothes.  Tightly roll softer, wrinkle-resistant garments, like T-shirts, cotton pants, jeans and place them along the base of the bag. 

-          Place folded items on top.  Next, fold stiffer and/or wrinkle-prone garments like starched cotton shirts and blazers.  Layer these folder items over the rolled clothes.

-          Drape longer pieces like pants and skirts.  Fold longer items in half, filling the length of the bag with them, alternating waists and hems at the ends.  Pick the bulker items to wear on the plane so they don’t take up precious luggage space.

-          Look for nooks and crannies to fill with smaller items like bras and socks, Stuff the cups of your bras with rolled up socks to maintain bra shape.

-          Snake belts around the perimeter of the bag.  Then cover the whole pile with a dry-cleaning bag. Thanks to the bags slippery surface, folded clothes won’t stay in one place long enough for creases to set.

-          Pick three pairs of shoes (I know it can be hard, but trust me saves you sooo much in weight).  Choose a casual sandal (depending on the weather), loafer or ballet flat are my favourites, running shoes and an evening shoe – go for styles that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.  Wear the heaviest pair en route and pack the others along the sides of your suitcase in resealable bags.

-          Stow inexpensive jewellery in a seven day plastic pillbox or a small container.  Wear any fine jewellery en route to ensure it won’t get lost or stolen. 

So that's it!  Simple..I don't know why I spent sooo many years being frustrated and overwhelmed with packing?

Also I just love this look, simple and most importantly comfortable!  I think I will be wearing something like this en route.

Halloween!

I’ve been pretty busy lately cooking up a storm and trying new recipes.  My newest obsession is Korean food. Since we don’t have the luxury of great ethnic restaurants in Cayman, that we have in Vancouver, I decided to try making it at home.  This week, I've made so far: beef bugogi, homemade kimchee, Korean potatoes, Korean sesame spinach and tonight I’m going a little further east and trying my hand at making a dish famous in Singapore  - Hainanese chicken and rice.  I’ll post the pictures and recipes as soon as I get a chance to upload it to my computer.

Anyways, it’s almost Halloween and if I had to choose one tradition that I do secretly enjoy it would be Halloween!  It’s such a fun holiday. I just love how it’s a family affair - from the trick-and treat afternoons with the kids to grown-ups dressing up in spooky outfits going to crazy parties and the endless supply of sugary treats (hated the houses that gave raisins and peanuts – what the….)

Last year Baby C was dressed up as a little adorable tiger. He was only 4 months old at the time and the costume was sent to us all the way from Canada by my lovely sister in law. The tiger costume was polar fleeced and lined (with a big belly and all); it was soft and fluffy, perfect for a crisp autumn afternoon in Vancouver. As you can imagine, it didn’t work out too well.   In Cayman, it was not ideal. It was torture for the little guy. Anyways, he lasted just enough for us to take some picture and then screamed for us to take it off. 

So this year Baby C is going to go as superman!  In the summer, while back in Vancouver, my lovely sister in law brought Baby C a superman swimsuit and since we are in Cayman and it's hot here all the time, I figure he could use it as a costume for Halloween as well.  Now all I need is to find him a red cape!

30 days and counting....

Another reason I started this blog is because I am about to enter into a new chapter in my life.  My dearest hubby has supported my decision to stay at home and I recently announced my retirement from the corporate world.  30 days to go...but who’s counting?

The arrival of my little bubbers has changed a lot in my life, mostly for the better and while I would sometimes love to be able to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday mornings and have my cup of coffee with no interruption, I wouldn’t change what I have for the world.

To sum things up, he brings constant laughter in my life and makes everything so much more fabulous!

When I became a mother, I was confused, scared, tired, excited, overwhelmed, mesmerized with his every existence and falling in love each day.

It’s astonishing how many dramatic changes babies go through in the first year. It’s like the entire evolution of man all compressed into 12 months. From near blindness to semi-consciousness to rolling, sitting up, crawling and finally bipedalism!

I sometimes find myself questioning if I made the right choice.

When I was working, I would see other moms who would get to stay at home, stacking blocks, going to play groups and filling sippy cups. And I feel envious. A year has flown by in a blink and I missed half of it; I missed his first crawl and his first steps. I don’t want to miss another precious moment with him.

I will be able to say I was there for it all and for that reason, I’m happy with my decision.

Debutante

Welcome!!!

Today marks my debut as a blogger, let’s see where this goes. I think the hardest part of starting a blog is figuring what to call your little corner of the blogger universe! I came to the crashing realization that any title I could think of was already claimed.

Anywhoo…I thought I’d start by introducing myself:  I am a Vancouverite living in Grand Cayman with my dearest hubby and little bubbers.

This blog is to share my love of food, tips and “war stories” of being a newbie mom (hopefully other parents can relate) and reconnect my obsession with fashion, style, shopping…basically all things fabulous!

I hope you all enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!