On the beach

When you are with family time just flies by. We've been too busy to blog for the past week or so-but we'll be back soon!

when life gives you leftovers, make the best salad ever

I was just on the phone talking to a friend about balance. How we create balance in our lives and center everything we do around our prioritizes. First you have to know what those priorities are (which takes some people a lifetime), then you have to cut things out that don't align with those priorities and seek out the things that do. The only way it works is if you are reflecting often on how you feel and whether or not these priorities have shifted, evolved or just changed. Sometimes I get off track and think I want something that I really don't want (or start stressing about things that are important to other people, and then remember they just aren't important to me). Stopping and thinking about how I feel, what is actually making me happy helps me recenter - as does a chat with a good friend.

Balance is key and sometimes it means giving up something less important, or something you really, really want and need, but just cannot have at that moment. Like today, I couldn't chat for hours because I had to get into a gym class. Priorities and balance may not seem in alignment all the time, but practicing daily gets you closer to living the life just the way you want.

And this brings me to leftovers. I did not get to the farmer's market or even grocery store this weekend because I was either in the sewing studio or at a bar watching a soccer game. So Monday night I had random food items around. Since eating well is important to me, I used my imagination to make a delicious, albeit strange, salad.

The Strawberry Carrot Dream

Ingredients

a few carrots, shredded about 10 strawberries, sliced some goat cheese sunflower seeds (or any nut) sunflower oil balsamic vinegar honey

Step 1: mix the carrots and strawberries

I like to have these room temperature.

Step 2: mix in the goat cheese

I used a wooden spoon and smushed it in.

Step 3: separately - mix the dressing

You can use any oil, I had sunflower oil so that is what I used. Any vinegar, I used balsamic. You can add salt and pepper - I did not.

Step 4: mix in dressing

Mix the carrot + strawberry mix with the dressing.

Step 5: mix in sunflower seeds

Step 6: Plate + drizzle with honey

Or - mix in with honey and then plate. Whichever you prefer.

This is not paleo or vegan, but those things ain't important to me! :) Two co-workers fell in love with this salad today, as did I.

Enjoy! And keep those priorities straight (but don't freak out when they change, because they will)

Baked Egg roll with Daikon Radish Slaw: a history and a recipe

Here's a little history lesson on the egg roll and a recipe from our friend Kelly Fong -- she's a foodie with a love of writing and culture. We can't wait to try this out! Thanks Kelly for penning such a yummy post!

The infamous egg roll—it’s your average Americanized Chinese side dish; A crunchy, savory, cabbagey wrap deep fried and dipped in that sweet and tangy orange duck sauce. Eggrolls are a modified version of spring rolls, which are the softer, chewier, and original Chinese staple that were used to celebrate the new season in China, says Andrew Coe, author of “Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States.” Spring rolls, originally called spring cakes, date back to the Sung Dynasty in 992 A.D. and consist of flattened flour dough that’s filled with a variation of vegetables (red cabbage and carrots) and precisely folded.

As an American-born Chinese, I didn’t grow up eating eggrolls. Even when I first tasted it, I didn’t have much of a palate for it. But then, as it often does, I had an expected craving for egg rolls…about three weeks ago. Plus, my sister sent me a free voucher to try Plated.com—it’s a site that delivers fresh ingredients to your doorstep, so you can whip up any delicious dish imaginable! I tried my hand at making baked eggrolls with tofu and red cabbage filling and a side of daikon radish slaw. (Thanks Plated.com for the vegetarian, dairy-free, delicious recipe!)

Ingredients:

14 ounces tofu ¼ cup shredded carrots ½ cup shredded red cabbage 3 scallions 2 ounces oyster mushrooms 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 10 wonton wrappers 4 packets soy sauce 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 cups shredded daikon radish ¼ cup shredded green cabbage 2 tablespoons vegetable oil kosher salt black pepper

1 medium pan 1 baking sheet

Step 1: Prep!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain the tofu and dice half into 1/4-inch pieces. (You can save the rest of the tofu for another day.) Finely chop shredded carrots and half of shredded red cabbage. Rinse the scallions, trim and discard roots and slice white and light green parts of the scallion. Throw out the dark green parts. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and finely chop.

Step 2: Cook the eggroll filling.

Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add tofu, carrot, red cabbage, scallion, mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce into the heated pan. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Step 3: Make the egg rolls.

Put warm water into a small bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil onto a baking sheet. Lay 1 wonton wrapper on a dry surface in a diamond shape. Place 2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of the wrapper. (Note: When I first made this, the filling was still piping hot! Make sure you let the filling cool down a bit before placing it into the wrapper—otherwise, the filling will overheat the wrapper and it will break.) Fold bottom edge and then the sides. Dab warm water onto the top edge of the wrapper and roll tightly into a cylinder shape, pressing to seal. Place seam side down onto the baking sheet. Repeat.

Step 4: Bake egg rolls.

Brush 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil onto the egg rolls and bake in the oven until golden and crispy—about 20 minutes. Make sure to flip the eggrolls halfway through the baking.

Step 5: Make sauce and radish slaw.

While egg rolls are baking, combine remaining hoisin sauce, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and half of the sesame oil into a small bowl. Add salt and pepper if necessary. In a large bowl, combine remaining rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.

Step 6: Plate the meal!

Add the rest of the shredded red cabbage, daikon radish and green cabbage to the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil in a large bowl and toss to coat. Once the egg rolls are done baking, divide them up and separate onto two plates with the slaw. Serve with sauce on the side for dipping, and enjoy! Here’s how my meal turned out:

Once you’re finished enjoying it, you can save any leftovers by putting them in a Tupperware and fridging it for the next day. If you’re like me, and you’re trying to lead a somewhat healthy lifestyle, baked egg rolls are a delicious alternative to eating fried egg rolls. ☺

Do you have a recipe you've been wanting to try? Or one you'd like to share?

j + b: on the run in baltimore

[gallery columns="5" link="none" ids="3645,3646,3647,3648,3649,3650,3651,3652,3653,3654,3655,3656,3657,3658,3659,3660,3663,3664,3667,3670,3671,3672,3673,3674,3675,3676,3677,3678,3679,3680,3681,3682,3683,3684,3685,3686,3687,3688,3690,3692,3693,3694,3696,3697,3698,3699,3700,3701,3702,3703,3704,3705,3706,3707,3708,3709,3710,3711,3712,3713,3714,3716,3718,3719,3721,3722"] I am not a fan of big stadium concerts. Too often they are filled with annoying crowds and fail to live up to expectations. Even so, when I found out Beyonce and Jay Z were going on tour I snagged the cheapest seats for my sister and I so we could celebrate her birthday and check out this rare appearance of the two performing together.

Then I forgot about it. It wasn't until last week we realized we didn't quite know where the concert even was or how to get there from DC. Thankfully, Val figured out the logistics and we decided easier to rent a car and drive out than to rely on the train (or get stuck somewhere late at night in Baltimore).

We ordered a car and parking online literally the night before. On Monday, we grabbed the car after eating some Shake Shack, which seemed a good idea at the time but it's only after you eat fast food that you realize you never really need to eat fast food...anyway we figured out how to drive this car, then headed out on the 295 E to Baltimore. Traffic was horrendous, as expected, but it gave us some time to chat and the tree-lined highway made the trip enjoyable. We fought over 50s on 5 vs top 40 and tried to guess what types of music sirius stations like 'Watercolor' played--smooth jazz ;0. It was nice to have some wheels, a sunroof over our head, a/c on and a tank full (or, quarter full, it was a rental) of gas.

Eventually we got to Baltimore, found our parking garage, hopped in an uber and arrived at M&T stadium. We were a little bit late so we didn't waste any time trying to find our seats, but instead just walked in to the first place that looked like a good view. It was a great view and with no one checking tickets, we just stayed dancing in the aisle all night.

Beyonce and Jay Z did not disappoint. Equally show stopping, in very different ways & with polar opposite attire, they graced the stage each individually and as a duo. Their star-quality could be felt across the field, and the energy in the open air stadium, hot and humid under the full moon, was electric.

They played some hits, but mostly focused on 2014 material. My favorite parts were the French new wave influenced visuals throughout--especially the tree dressed city playground during Jay Z's Hard Knock Life and the black and white film montages, the subtle glances between J + B, Beyonce's Houston jacket and Flag dress, Jay Z's command of the stage, Beyonce's command of the crowd, the covers, including Tina Turner and Michael Jackson, clever transitions and the most cinematic home videos I've ever seen.

The finale moment when the two physically joined together and, visually, appeared with Blue, revealed a family affair of heart and soul with a backdrop of fame and a foreground of hard work + dedication to some semblance of privacy...it felt almost spiritual. They may be worldwide super stars, but at the end of the day it's the three of them, building a family and somehow keeping it together, living the life just like the rest of us (well, kind of).

For them, it's just real life.

Overall, a very curated and aesthetically pleasing post-modern tale of love, life and modern-day culture. All the single ladies ain't got ninety nine problems but a surfboard is drunk in love can I get a ?

Really though, well done production and art team behind the on the run tour. And kudos to whoever is taking care of Blue Ivy.

Fabric shopping in New York

We found some awesome fabrics in New York! It took a while to find the colors, weight and feel that we want, but we found some really special textiles that I can't wait to share. But, alas, it will take some time before we have anything to show you. I'm still working on patterns...so yeah.

One of the worst parts of moving away from San Francisco is that I left behind a billion resources--pattern makers, sample sewers, fabric vendors, the best heavy-weight factory ever--and people that loved me even though I drove them nuts at my last job! While I can always go back and/or ship things their way, it's too soon since we're still just trying things out. Yet, it's nice to know that once we have something we really love, we have all the best people to work with!

Until then, we found this sweet sew studio to work in here in DC. It kind of feels like my grandma's attic (if my grandma had an attic) and there are usually sewing classes going on in the other room. The studio is quiet, cool and totally equipped with everything we need. I love being back in the studio, even if it is only on the weekends since they aren't open late enough for me to go after work.

So here's to new beginnings, finding resources when you need them and fabric sourcing! And to the best sister ever who, even though we were both horribly hungover & had stayed out dancing until 5am, will walk with me early in the morning through alleys and aisles on a hot summer day in NY just to find a gem. Psst -- it's her birthday today!

Sunday slowdown: new york

We're heading back to DC after a weekend of fun in NYC. Had an amazing time with co-workers, cousins and friends. Nice to spend a sister weekend together, scout fabrics and hang around the city. Super thankful to everyone for showing us around!

Here's what we've been up to this week:

• Exposed DC meetup and fun times at Black Cat.
• First session of the WDCC on Branding at Discovery.
• Georgetown alumni event with Obama and Bush speech writers.
• Working out of Chelsea Piers.
• Exploring Bushwick, playing pool in the Lower East Side and dancing in Williamsburg.
• Fabric scouting in the garment district.
• Listening to Philip Glass' compositions performed in Washington Square Park.
• Stumbling upon Too Many Zooz street concert.
• Hanging out with our favorite cousin, in Jersey City and Manhattan.
• Tag sale in the Upper West Side.

What did you do this week? When was the last time you visited a cousin?