Missing Maui...

I just got back from my babymoon in Maui and boy am I missing the beautiful sunsets, gentle breeze and all the delicious food.. Overall the trip was very relaxing... with the exception of the drive we took to Hana. With all the curvy and rough roads and views comparable to what we have near San Francisco, I was a bit underwhelmed and felt like baby Chong was experiencing his first roller coaster. None the less, the trip was extremely memorable and its always tough coming back to reality..

I'll be taking off for LA for the next 2 weeks while Arnold is back in Toronto for a few weeks as well. Since we got married, this is the longest time we've been apart so I'm hoping time somehow flies by.  I miss you already sweets!

I am looking forward to hanging out with my sister who is due with her 1st child any week now! It'll give me a sense of what to expect in the 1st week or so of birth.  I'm so anxious and antsy to become an auntie! Unni, fighting!

Better late than never..

I had a rude awakening when I went to go to see my doctor last week for my monthly prenatal checkup.  She told me that I was gaining 'massive weight' (her exact words) and that I need to slow it down asap. She proceeded to ask my what my daily food intake was and as I listed off everything I ate from morning to night I realized to myself that my self-control had gone out the window the moment I found out I was pregnant.

So, I'm turning over a new leaf..26 weeks into my pregnancy. Only salads for dinner here on out.  I realize breakfast and lunches I can't skimp on since I need enough  energy to get through the workday. So today I whipped up a Honey dijon Salmon salad.  Considering it wasn't fried or pan-cooked, it actually tasted quite delish!

When we got home from work today we were thrilled to find that my mother's gift had arrived!

LG Prime Mat - (Poro-poro Design)

Can't wait to see our baby boy crawl on this cushiony mat!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today we got off to a late start and walked to a near by breakfast spot.  Afterwards, on our way back we stopped by Jeremys and I found myself the perfect Diaper bag! It was a bit above my initial budget but with the help of my friend's b-day contributions, I decided to go for it.

Tod's Nylon Pashmy Pocket D Bag Media Bag

The nylon material of the bag makes it extremely light and easy to carry around.  The only thing I'm slightly worried about is the size. Hopefully I can fit enough diapers..change of clothes..and a change pad in there!

Also Happy Mother's day to all the mother's--and mother's to be out there.  I'm especially missing my mother today.

My parents visiting one of our favorite cities, Salzburg a few months ago

Arnold and I posing in front of the same river bank :)

You can't win them all..

On my last post I mentioned our next dish would be Sam Geh Tang (Chicken soup infused with Ginseng). I was so excited to try it out because I LOVE chicken and always get excited to scoop up the sticky sweet rice goodness in the middle.

I didn't know how labor extensive it was and we forgot to remove the chicken skin prior to boiling.  Also, I let my giddiness get the best of me and stuffed the poor chicken silly with the rice.  A few hours later I opened the lid to see that the chicken had been annihilated. The rice was spewing out and overall, it was just a hot mess. I guess you can't win 'em all. This was the first time we had made a dish that failed to impress us.  Hopefully our next dish, galbijim won't disappoint.

Stuffing the chicken cavity with dates, rices and garlic

The finished product.. Not quite what I had in mind.  It didn't help that the rice wasn't fully cooked

We decided to forgo the Korean version and sliced up some carrots and celery to turn it into an American chicken soup!

Also, Mother's day is just around the corner and since I'm a soon to be mama, Arnold told me to pick a little something for myself.  I have a few items on my wish list that I probably won't be getting anytime soon but a girl can hope right?

Hermes Belt - Reversible

Stuart Weitzman - Alex Wedges

I've been waiting for these wedges to go on sale for the past few years but it never does. At a certain point I just have to make a decision to invest in them or opt for a cheaper pair and start getting some mileage out of them.  I've been eye-ing the Hermes belt as well and perhaps it's the laid back San Francisco side in me coming out, but I can't help feel that the 'H' buckle + burnt orange would be too flashy?  Maybe the belt will have to wait until I'm a few years older.

Tina & Arnold (Julie & Julia...)

After watching Julie & Julia last year, I was inspired by Julie's diligence and determination to complete Julia Child's French Cook book in a year.  So, for the past 2 weeks Arnold and I have been cooking up a storm and It's been a wonderful way for us to spend some quality time with each other. We always complain that there's a serious lack of solid Korean food in the Bay area so we decided to start off with some of our favorite Korean dishes.

My go to source for easy to follow recipes are: weekofmenus.com and maangchi.com.

Sunday: Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Dweji Bulgogi)

Monday: Soy Based Chicken (Dak Doree Ttang)

Tuesday: Kalguksoo (forgot to take pic!)
Wednesday: Sukiyaki (forgot to take pic!)

Thursday : For dessert we checked out Smitten Ice-cream

Def not worth $6/cone but it was cool checking out the liquid nitrogen-assisted ice cream maker

Our next dish: Sam Geh Ttang and Kalbi Jeem. Stay tuned!

So much for my attempt at portion control for my Hawaii trip. sigh..