recipe // thai bbq sauce

A little sneek peek to keep you reading :)

When I was in college, I spent the second half of my junior year studying abroad in Thailand. I chose Thailand for a number of reasons, but one of them was the food (also among them was "when ELSE will I have the opportunity to go there??!"). I love Thai food and could eat it every day; studying abroad there gave me the chance to do just that for a few months ;).
Of course there were many more meaningful reasons to choose Thailand, but for the purposes of this blog post, I'm sticking to food.

;)

My sweet host family at my graduation from the program, Spring 2009

When I was there, one of my host family's favorite things to do was find new things for me to try. Um, okay! They let me help out in the kitchen making meals too, which was pretty cool. After four months, I'd tried some really amazing foods. Some were delicious, some were more... adventurous.

a typical lunchtime salad at the university canteen // Stir fried vegetables and mango with sticky rice

Village food, all cooked in a banana leaf or bamboo pole // Locusts, which were horrifying but tasted like roasted pumpkin seeds

Before I left the country, I had my host family help me pick out the most authentic Thai cookbook to take back to the states with me. They picked well; I have tested it quite thoroughly :)

 

The food at most Thai restaurants and in most cookbooks originates from the southern parts of the country (Bangkok Thai), and the food I'd been eating was very much Northern Thai. While the majority of the recipes aren't exactly like what I had while I was in Thailand, they are dang close. It just takes a little tweaking for a recipe to transport me right back to the street markets.  This book got me through my Thailand withdrawals, that's for SURE.

I prepared dinner on Mother's day for my family and grandparents, right after I got back from Thailand!

My ABSOLUTE favorite food while I was there was the BBQ pork skewers you could pick up for about 30 cents at any street market. I was craving them the other day (Jordan & Elisse's honeymoon instagrams from Thailand are to blame for that!), so I pulled out the book. I was not disappointed.

Oh hello there time-traveling :)

I didn't have any pork, but the beauty of this marinade is that it plays well with really any meat (although I would definitely say that the pork is my favorite!). It's not quite the same flavor as the stuff the street vendors sell, but it's the closest I've tasted since being there. And that is something to celebrate.

 Ingredients: 
1 lb meat of choice, cut into ~1" strips (I used chicken, but any kind will do. Pork is the tastiest!)
Marinade:
1/4 c honey
3T ketchup
2T soy sauce
2t minced garlic
1/4t ginger
1/2t pepper (white pepper is best, but I used what I had)
pinch salt 
Wooden skewers (soaked in water at least an hour)
To serve: 
red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and/or minced green onion

Step 1. Pour all marinade ingredients into a Tupperware container or bowl.  
 

mmmmm. Yummy!

 Mix marinade ingredients well with a spoon or basting brush.

Please excuse the upside-down image. You get the point.

Add chicken pieces, stirring well to coat each piece of meat well. I like to cover the container and give it a good shake! Refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour (the longer the better).

 

Step 2. Once at least an hour has passed and you are ready to cook, begin threading your meat onto presoaked wooden skewers. Try to keep them threaded as flat as possible so they will cook evenly.

 
Step 3. Grill the skewers on a foil-lined grill (for easier cleanup!) for 3 minutes or so on each side until thoroughly cooked. Keep obsessively brushing the meat with the marinade as it cooks. Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds/red pepper flakes/green onion and serve!

 Give it a try and tell me what you think!

go ahead. save some green.

Hi guys! Happy Thursday. I'm just popping in for a sec to take a break from a major disaster of a project--here's hoping I can fix it and pull this off.

ANYWAY. I thought I'd pop in with some information about some of my fabulous sponsors. Didn't know I had sponsors, didja? Well, I do, and they're awesome. Here are just a few; give them some love!!

Tiny Prints (the same company that brings you Shutterfly, Wedding Paper Divas, and Treat!) are running a special deal of the day today for their new photo Christmas ornaments: 25% off all ornaments with the coupon code DEAL1010. This coupon code is good until 8am tomorrow!

Here are just a few of my favorites.

(see the rest here!)

Chalk Crystals // Champagne Sheen

Our First Christmas // Mistletoe Corners

They are also running a special on all holiday cards OR wedding invitations until 10/15: 15% off ALL card orders or 20% off orders over $149 using the coupon code 20HOLOCT. Their cards are so fun and modern, and if I can't get my act together to design my own this year, I'm totally using this one or this one or maybe this one. Too hard to choose!

Lastly, as you can see from the above banner, any Save the Date

Blurb is my favorite photobook company by far (and I've tried a lot of them!). Their prices are reasonable and their quality is fabulous. If you haven't already seen it, I wrote a review of their products here.  They are offering free shipping (up to $15!) using the promo code: SHIPSAVINGS.

Jane (formerly known as Very Jane) is a site offering daily boutique deals, and they've got some awesome stuff right now. Like this coated stone necklace or this personalized bar necklace.

Coated Stone Necklace, $15.99 // Rustic Bar Necklace, 14.99

Or this double v-necklace, or perhaps this leatherette envelope clutch. There's lots of cute stuff there; check 'em out!

Double V necklace, $5.49 // Envelope Clutch, $12.99

Have a shop or blog you'd like to sponsor? I only accept partnerships that either reflect my personal style or would be an interest to my readers. Shoot me an email and we can chat!

the last few days: beach babysitting, fall fads, and margarita monday

Número uno.

digging holes // skipping rocks // goofy kids // finding fun wedding goodies

Forgive the tiny and weirdly spaced pics; I hate uploading directly from my phone! This weekend was my college's homecoming weekend, which meant that alumni from all over congregated in Santa Barbara for the festivities. One of those alumni was my cousin (mom's cousin, but who's getting technical?), who was celebrating her 20th reunion this year. While she celebrated with her friends on campus, I volunteered to hang out with her 3 kidlets, and we had a blast. Skipping rocks at low-tide, scavenging for leftover wedding props people left on the beach, digging holes; sometimes I forget how much fun the beach is for a kid. I mean, I love it, but it's a whole new playground when you do the beach with kids. I usually only get to see these kiddos at family weddings (of which lately we've had lots!) but a wedding is not exactly the time to really get to know family, right? Especially kids. We had a ton of fun and I can't wait to see this family again at my baby brother's wedding in November.

Número dos.

enjoying "fall" on my patio // homemade Pumpkin Spice "latte" (café au lait, really. Divine)

Fall in Santa Barbara doesn't mean the same thing as it does in other parts of the country, but we still try to participate in traditions that are quintessential "fall". Pumpkin spice-flavored everything still shows up on shelves. Scarves and sweaters and boots magically appear in stores and closets and in street fashion, although the scarves are lightweight and boots are as often seen with skirts and shorts as pants. I am guilty of snagging a jar of pumpkin butter off the Trader Joes shelves as soon as it appears and making my own pumpkin spice coffee creamer (because I can make my own creamer but can't bring myself to try pumpkin butter for some reason. Don't care enough maybe). I made my first batch this weekend and I am so glad I did. It's delicious and every bit as glorious as Starbucks only cheaper, less fat, and not as cool I guess? Who cares. I'll share the recipe on the blog next week; it's worth it.

Número tres

Former students Baylee and Katie and I yesterday at Margarita Monday! (I MISSED ALL THE REST OF YOU TOO!)

Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a few former students for a little reunion catch-up over Margarita Monday (um, let me just say that you can sign me up for that again whenever). What was supposed to be just a quick meetup for coffee turned into a fun 2-hour laughfest full of equal part catching up and reminiscing. These guys are no longer my former students; they're my friends! This group of students (the Westmont Psychology class of 2014) are like my protégés; they were freshmen my first year as an instructor in the department, and I have watched and helped them grow into intelligent, well-rounded, and thoughtful men and women. I LOVE IT! The Instagram comments/tweets/Facebook messages/texts/etc from everyone I used to work with reminds me so much of how blessed I was to have had such an incredible work experience. I do not regret leaving my job at Westmont in the least, but I do certainly miss the fantastic people I worked with. I love these guys so much! 

diy // altering a t-shirt neckline

Today, I'm sharing another way to refashion an unflattering t-shirt: changing the neckline (to see how to make a baggy t-shirt more fitted, click here!).
When we left off, our t-shirt looked like this:

Fine, but still lacking. Particularly in the neckline department--that crew-neck is worse than a 90's choker/tattoo necklace! I don't know if I have a big head or what, but anytime I find a casual shirt I like, it barely fits over my noggin. If I can manage to squeeze my head in, it chokes like crazy! Stupid. 

Also (and maybe this is just me), but I find crew-neck shirts just unflattering in general. Something about a wide and unbroken expanse of fabric across one of my larger areas... Maybe this is why I don't love wearing t-shirts. 

Thankfully, taking an unflattering or a too-tight neckline to something more pleasant is an easy fix, particularly on a shirt that has ribbing on the collar! Here's how you do it:

Step 1: Using a piece of colored chalk (or pen or whatever you have on hand), mark where you would like the new neckline to land. Take into account the ribbing, which will add a little more height.

Step 2: Cut out the new neckline. When you get to the ribbing, stick as close to the seam as you can, but leave a little something (less than 1/4").

Step 3: Stretch the ribbing so that it will fit along the new neckline. Starting in the center of the ribbing, pin to the new neck opening, right sides together. Keep stretching to make sure it is evenly spaced.

{If you want a v-neck instead of a scoop-neck at the end, you'll have to sew a "pinch" into your ribbing (as seen below). I wanted a scoop-neck, so I didn't do this step.}

 

Step 4: Sew the ribbing to the new neck opening, stretching as you go. Try to follow the previous stitching so that the transition between the shirt's seam and yours is not noticeable.

Step 5 (not pictured): To give the shirt a completely finished look, topstitch around the new neckline, following the line of the original topstitching. This will help the collar lay flat, as well as make the shirt look like it was bought this way!

Aah, I DO have a collarbone! I didn't go super-low on this one because of the logo, but ribbing is surprisingly stretchy and can accommodate more than you might think. Experiment!

And that, my friends, is as complicated as it gets. Not overwhelming at all, right??! I've saved so many t-shirts that I would have initially deemed unsalvageable this way, and the best part? Once you've mastered the alteration of necklines in t-shirts, doing the same to sweatshirts and sweaters is the same process.

before // after

The difference is subtle, but femininity is subtle, am I right??

an enchanted evening at pier 27

Happy October, Folks!
Things have been a little off in our household, so sorry for the lack of posting lately. Sometimes, life takes priority over blogging, and this was one of those times.

The past week Tim and I were up in the San Francisco Bay Area staying with my parents. Tim was supposed to meet clients up there all week and so we figured why not turn it into work AND play! Most days was spent hanging out with my mama while everyone else was working (we dropped off some donations at the Salvation Army and inevitably came home with a patio set), and one of the days we had a gala to attend (similar to THIS one).

Best "vacation" ever.

This gala was again an anniversary fund-raiser, and Tim's company was a sponsor. It took place at Pier 27, which is also known as the America's Cup Arena {for those of you who didn't know, the America's cup sailing competition took place last week in the San Francisco Bay. It occurs to me that if you a) don't sail or b) don't live in the area, you may not even know what it is! I only knew it was happening because of the traffic haha}

The New portion of the Oakland/SF Bay Bridge. // All black-tied up for the shindig!

The venue for the gala was spectacular. It overlooked the race area, and was filled with sailing paraphernalia.  Twinkle lights were strung across the room on repurposed rigging, decorative pillars were former ships masts; the bar and cocktail tables were even made from the salvaged hulls of retired sailboats. It was really something.

Diet cokes and a sunset over the America's Cup boats. A perfect evening!

In contrast to the first gala we attended, this one was black tie. Uh, seriously, let me go peruse my gowns to see which one I will wear...HA! I ended up wearing a slinky floor-length black prom dress that was mercifully still in the back of "my" closet at my parents' house. It wasn't too dated, yet anyway. I managed to not get a single full-length photo, silly me.

SF Mayor Edwin Lee // Edward Norton

There were some big headliner-speakers at this event, too. Edwin Lee, mayor of San Francisco, spoke about this company's legacy in his City. Edward Norton (yes, THE Edward Norton!) spoke about the importance of  affordable housing in inner-cities, and Shaun Donovan (Secretary for Housing and Urban Development) talked about governmental policy changes that will support this company's cause. A heady night, that's for sure.

At the end of the evening

Despite the awkwardness of the long speeches (I'll admit I was a little lost on the policy stuff!), it was a fun night. It was fun to play dress-up for a night on the town, even if we felt like we had no purpose being there. It still was an adventure!

The Bay Bridge at night