Natas

My other half’s friend, Natas Kaupas bringing classic skateboard graphics to life in an interactive installation at Public Domaine La Gaite Lyrique. So if you are in gay Pari this summer, check it out, it runs from June 18th – August 7th. My favorite is the Ray Barbee board, ragdoll playing cards. Sweet! Check them out here.

honeybees

When we first moved into our house last year a neighbor came by to welcome us to the street with a loaf of bread and a bottle of honey he collected from the beehives he keeps. A baker and a beekeeper two doors down, sweet!

A few weeks ago my neighbor, Stu said it was time to change out the screens from the hives in his backyard. With all the rain over the winter and the flowers going off it turned out to be a very productive spring for the bees so he was collecting honey a bit earlier than usual this summer. And what a process! I had no idea. It’s pretty genius what’s involved in a bottle of raw honey, what a precious commodity it really is and how lucky am I to have access to local honey, local as local gets here, only two doors down. My mom was visiting at the time and she made sure to take a few bottles back to Laos with her for my 97 year old grandmother as it’s hard to get raw honey in Asia now. The lack of food regulations and greed, most claims of 100% raw honey being sold are actually mixed with corn syrup, yuck! Here’s a  Globe and Mail article I read awhile back about the global honey problem, it’s pretty sad and geeze indeed to a struggling and corrupted industry.

Turn on the smoker, convince the bees there’s a forest fire, in a frenzy they’ll gorge themselves on honey, get too fat to fight, too full to bother stinging.

swarming…

brush the screens clear of debris, heat up the electric knife blade

turn the wheel, drip, honey drip… then pass the collected honey through a double stainless steel sieve and let it rest, now ready to pour and store in airtight containers. Voila! Sweet honey  and beeswax that’s perfect for waxing, just in time for summer, score and score!

Thanks to my neighbor, Stuart and his wife, Geneal for letting my mom and I tag along, we learned so much that afternoon. xo

summer bling

Summer gold, some favorites right now.

(the smaller top 2 18k gold bracelets are Dinh Van, larger bottom bracelet is costume jewelery from a local boutique in Solana Beach).

souliers et sandales

(or chaussures et sandales)

In heavy rotation right now.

(Havaina skinny flip flops, Antik Batik studded leather sandals, Rachel Comey low leather booties and Maje grey suede booties I scored on Ebay awhile back, our now beat up welcome doormat was a housewarming gift from our friends at Centre).

banh cuon

My mom just returned from a quick trip to Malaysia with some friends and lady talked my ear off. So nice to hear she had a fantastic time, the food, the sights, the people, next time I’ll have to join her.

I’m having banh cuon (Vietnamese rice crepes) today, they are lightly stuffed with peppered ground pork and thinly sliced wood mushrooms. There’s a house down the street from my mom’s place in Laos that sells these freshly made and every time I visit she always stops there on her way back from the temple every morning on her bike to get us a huge plate to share. As Laos neighbors Vietnam we grew up eating a lot of Vietnamese dishes, this one is light and easy and fresh tasting with mint and cilantro and quickly steamed bean sprouts all tossed in a tangy sweet sauce that has just a hint of fish sauce and lots of fresh lime, topped with crispy fried sliced shallots, this is my mom and I’s breakfast of champions! My mom’s dear friend, mae Loth always made these for us growing up in Canada, she was our local pro rice crepe maker and I will be sharing the recipe on a future post. Today I bought rice crepes from Song Huong Restaurant inside Vinh Hung Vietnamese Market in Mira Mesa, it’s easy and tasty, just like mae Loth’s and just like the lady down the street from my mom’s.

Hello NYC, meet la familia Johnson!

Lani and her crew moved to New York last week. So excited for them, what a great experience it’ll be for her young family. Have fun guys! xo

yves saint laurent

Casual Fridays

(Yves Saint Laurent grey patchwork top, Phoebe Philo for Chloe black horn chain 

and with pretty leather Marni sandals).

jaeow

When my parents visit I can always count on there being some jaeow in the kitchen, a chutney-like paste that’s pounded in a mortar and pestle. There are so many variations of it, whatever’s available be it roasted tomatoes or mushrooms, we made a lot with green chilis this time as they were in season at Zion Korean Market on Mercury St. in San Diego. Served with some sticky rice and some steamed squash and beans from my neighbor’s garden, it’s a simple veggie meal, Lao style.

Roasted Green Chili Jaeow

12 fresh green chilis, roasted

5 cloves garlic (unpeeled), roasted

1 large shallot (cut in 4 pieces), or 2 medium size shallots, roasted

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp fish sauce

2 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Roast the green chilis, peeled shallots and the unpeeled garlic on an open fire/broiler. It’s easiest to skewer the garlic and shallots so you don’t lose any over an open flame, my mom didn’t bother getting bamboo skewers so she sliced off a few thin sticks off the top end of a chopstick. Once roasted/lightly charred, remove the skins from the garlic cloves.

2. Lightly pound the roasted green chilis, garlic and shallots in a mortar and pestle, add in all the remaining ingredients. Mix to a chunky paste. Form a bite size ball of sticky rice in your hand and top it off with a bit of jaoew.

happy father’s day!

Our dads live far away, in a different country, a different continent. Happy Father’s Day!

Mami and her dad at our local beach, sweet!

(Ella Moss dress , Target cropped jean jacket)

Bruuuuuce…

R.I.P. Clarence Clemons