tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62555118474907101572024-03-13T08:44:22.921-04:00Eat. See. Live.Ramblings of foods and travels from a California girl living on the East Coast...Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-17427220861263598362012-11-13T23:13:00.003-05:002012-11-14T08:22:17.921-05:00New Orleans!Time flies fast..I was going to upload Nola pics after we came back in September and now it's November! <br />
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I turned 29 last month and for my birthday George took me on a quick New Orleans getaway for some good cajun eating! People say getting older sucks. Minus the obvious getting older and body deteriorating part, I actually really like that I'm approaching 30--I'm still learning how to be a mature adult..I hear it comes with age... a..n..y....d..a..y now..</div>
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For our food-cation we wanted to take it easy. On the agenda: stroll, eat, repeat. Nola is a wonderfully delicious place if you like (fried)(sea)FOOD!! </div>
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<i><b>Hotel: Hyatt Regency</b></i></div>
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<i>Across from the Mercedes Benz Superdome, our hotel was located .5 miles away from the French Quarter in the business district. Gorgeous! Even the call button for the elevator was swanky swank!</i></div>
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<u><i><b>Getting Around: </b></i></u></div>
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<i>Put your city common sense hat on. The streets do get seedy real fast! Uptown, Garden District and the French Quarter are the nicest parts of town.</i><i> </i></div>
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<u><i>Areas to be cautious of or avoid: </i></u></div>
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<i>Lets get real--we're small asian people. If we get mugged, George is not very bad ass and I don't run fast. So to be safe, we stayed away from the more abandoned, seedier parts of town!</i></div>
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<i>* West of Canal street. It's an area that was hard hit by the hurricanes and has not really recovered.</i></div>
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<i>* Avoid Basin street. It's where the project housings are. I lived 4 years in the projects..mm..it's not where you go to relax.</i></div>
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<i>* North Rampart Street and it gets worse when you cross the I-10. </i></div>
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<i>* If you're staying outside of the French Quarter, do not walk to the FQ at night unless you're a ninja, packing heat, or want to get mugged. TAKE A CAB!</i></div>
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<i>* Note: Taxi rides are cheap but can be gross. </i></div>
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<i>* Also note: Some taxi drivers are shady (and clearly high) and charge you whatever they want w/out turning on the meter. All in all, have fun and be alert. We encountered some very awesome people and some not so very nice folks.</i></div>
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<u><i><b>FOOD:</b></i></u></div>
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<i>Welpp, crawfish was out of season in September (booo! no crawfish boil!) and no raw oysters thanks to hurricane Isaac. But no fret! There's plenty to eat!</i></div>
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<b><i>1) Daisy Dukes--24 hour joint for late late night eats</i></b></div>
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<i>Landed around midnight on a Thursday, dropped off our bags, and headed here. Didn't expect much but my oh my did Daisy Dukes have a big selection. One thing we noticed immediately--seafood is so fresh and cheap in New Orleans! </i></div>
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<i>My absolute fave was the fried oyster po'boy. Look how much fried oysters you get?! Freshly shucked, crispy, juicy fried oysters literally all over your plate!</i></div>
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<i>I tried their gumbo but it was just ok...</i></div>
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<i><b>2) Deanie's:</b></i></div>
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<i>Had to come here for BBQ Scrimps ever since I saw it on Man v. Food. BBQ Shrimp was everything my mouth could have ever wanted. I also love that the x-mas tree and the pig angel have stuck around all year long!</i></div>
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<i>Little touches--boiled red potatos and butter greet us instead of bread</i></div>
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<i>Omgomgomg! Here it is!! </i></div>
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<i>Nola bbq shrimp has nothing to do with a barbecue grill or bbq sauce. It's a cast iron pan filled with large giant shrimps complete with oogly eyes bathing in a bubbling buttah sauce with spices and green onions, accompanied with a fresh, piping hot toasted baguette to sop up that amazing sauce. </i></div>
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<i>I've already gone out to buy a cast iron pan so I can make this at home!</i></div>
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<i> Dig in! Grab that ginormous shrimp and suck on the head. Let that orange butter sauce drip down your wrist and elbows. Lick it, double dip, no one will judge you...</i></div>
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<i>Sigh..DROOL! I want some now..</i></div>
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<i>I of course couldn't pass up another chance to eat more Po'Boys! Who doesn't love fried stuff on bread! Their shrimp po' boy and gumbo was good but nothing special. Just come here for the BBQ SHRIMP!</i></div>
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<b><i><u>3) Beignet Battle:</u></i></b></div>
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<i><b>Round 1: The infamous Cafe Du Monde!</b></i></div>
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<i>You pretty much sit down outside and everyone orders the same 2 things: beignets dusted with powder sugar and chickory coffee from a napkin tin menu. Oh, and it's CASH ONLY!</i></div>
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<i>I also found a bunch of Vietnamese women working here! I instantly felt welcomed! And these ladies are fast with your orders!</i></div>
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<i>Here it is boys and girls...</i><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ler1vyjAz2I/UKHK7PywcqI/AAAAAAAAFN8/XwR9Zmwn4rc/s1600/pic10.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<i>Verdict? =/ Not the best beignets I've ever had. I like it hot and crispy and less doughy inside. These were cold and dense, not light and airy. Over hyped..?</i></div>
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<i> The </i><i>chickory cup of coffee hit the spot! I grew up drinking this coffee at home with a Vietnamese filter and condensed milk so this was comfort in a cup.</i><br />
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<i>The pigeons couldn't resist the crumbs...</i></div>
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<i>The floor was practically littered with powder sugar and beignet crumbs..In my next life, I want to be this pigeon..</i></div>
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<i>Getting some gifts at the Cafe Du Monde gift shop.</i></div>
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<i>Note: If you're buying beignet mix, this gift shop actually has the 2nd lowest price we saw anywhere for $3. We saw the same box as high as $10 around town and at the airport! Don't get gyped!</i></div>
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<b> <i>Round 2: Cafe' Beignet: </i></b></div>
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<i>I actually liked these better--came out piping hot, crispy, airy. There were less people here so they had time to make it to order, unlike at Cafe Du Monde. </i><i>In conclusion, a bad beignet is still amazing. I like sweet fried dough! But I've had better elsewhere. </i></div>
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<b><i><u>4) Charbroiled Oysters Battle: Drago's vs. Acme Charbroiled Oysters Battle </u></i></b></div>
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<i>One of THE BESTEST things I've ever eaten! Charbroiled oysters are A MUST eat in New Orleans!</i></div>
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<i>They're addictive and probably reallly bad for you. But if clogging my arteries with a buttload of butter and cheese and dying an early death is wrong, I don't want to be right!</i></div>
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<i> A lot of places serve these, but we were told the two most popular places are Drago's and Acmes.</i></div>
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<i><b>a) Drago's </b></i></div>
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<i>Look at that bubbling browned cispy parmesan cheeseee!!!! My favorite thing after I'm done slurping them down (and burning my entire mouth) is to gnaw the burnt cheese off the shells!</i></div>
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<i>For the recipe: <a href="http://www.gumbopages.com/food/seafood/char-erstas.html">Drago's Charbroiled Oyster Recipe</a></i></div>
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<i>HOT SHELLS!</i></div>
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<i> Too good to resist. ROUND 2 PLEASE!</i></div>
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<i>Thank you to our awesome waiter who suggested the stuffed soft shell crab! Holy moly this dish was heaven! One giant soft shell crab stuffed with MORE crab split into two giant portions...</i></div>
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<i><b>b) Acmes</b></i></div>
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<i>The oysters were a tiny bit jucier and more plump here b/c they were less overcooked. </i><i><br /></i></div>
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<i>I can't pick and I don't care--both places win in my book! Deeeee-licious!</i></div>
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<i><b>4) Mother's </b></i></div>
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<i>A friend who went to lawschool here recommended this place to me. A tiny bit out of the french quarter but worth it! Long lines and a packed house on Saturday for lunch!</i></div>
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<i>We got the Ferdi Special--packed with their famous baked ham, roast beef, debris and gravy. All meats are roasted that day! I don't have to point out that this was one juicy succulent sandwhich! This thing was sitting in it's juices!</i></div>
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<i>I also got another fried shrimp po'boy. Light batter and perfectly fried shrimp.</i><i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_3JMUa57aM/UKHLbF-yLaI/AAAAAAAAFPE/EYgWQlt8hHs/s1600/pic21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_3JMUa57aM/UKHLbF-yLaI/AAAAAAAAFPE/EYgWQlt8hHs/s640/pic21.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div>
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<i>And the hospitality was downright amazing. Great staff!</i></div>
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<i><b>5) Emeril Lagasse's NOLA:</b></i></div>
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<i>Ok..Emeril..I was excited to come here...</i><i><br /></i></div>
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<i><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UuR0V87fHwM/UKHLfLkB3GI/AAAAAAAAFPM/dUBx9X6Dvz0/s640/pic22.jpg" width="640" />The </i></div>
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<i>But what the hell is this crappy frou frou overpriced food? The restaurant was nice--two floors with an elevator and great wine selection, waitors were very formal (a bit excessive to have 4 waiters who kept bombarding us) but the food was mediocre. F-A-I-L.</i></div>
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<i>The best thing we ate there were these herb freshly baked rolls and butter and this pork belly salad. The pork belly consisted of two bites..but at least it was good and the salad had an amazing dressing.</i></div>
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<i>I was most excited about the duck but it was pretty bad. Needed salt..or any flavor really. It was bland and the skin wasn't crispy. </i></div>
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<i>Do not order the BBQ shrimp from here--it's no good. Go to Deanie's!</i></div>
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<i>One of my pet peeve is spending hard earned money on overpriced food that just isn't good. We ran out of there, delcining the dessert menu, and headed straight to Acmes to redeem ourselves with charbroiled oysters!</i></div>
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<i><b>6) Borgne </b></i></div>
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<i>On our last night, we decided to hang around our hotel to catch the jazz show. Inside our hotel lobby was Borgne by James Beard award-winning New Orleans chef John Besh.</i></div>
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Reasonably priced, fresh seafood, and an overall fantastic meal!</div>
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Couldn't leave N.O w/out one (or two) last charbroiled oyster hurrah! These were made slightly different--broiled in the oven with added bread crumbs for extra crunch. Equally droolworthy and delicious!</div>
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Who says seafood and cheese can't go together! Another wonderful proof that oysters and cheese make for a delectable combination. This dish was surprisingly light, creamy and flavorful with the sweetness coming from the fresh oysters and the saltiness from the shaved parmesan.<br />
It really reminds me of uni pasta!</div>
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<i>Salty potatoes and chorizo. No bueno.</i></div>
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<i>My "fish in a paper bag": snapper baked with w/ carmalized onions, fennel, and cherry tomatoes cooked in crab fat instead of butter or oil.</i></div>
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<i>All this eating had me in a wonderful food coma...</i></div>
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<i>*Two places we reallly wanted to try but did not have the stomach space. Both extremely popular with very long lines and cheap prices:</i></div>
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<i>1) Johnny's Po'Boys</i></div>
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<i>2) Central Gro. Co. for their famous Italian Muffulettas </i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JvIttA1dtAs/UKHMFbSpunI/AAAAAAAAFQc/3NtQaVg5sAc/s1600/pic33.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JvIttA1dtAs/UKHMFbSpunI/AAAAAAAAFQc/3NtQaVg5sAc/s640/pic33.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Something is defintely in the air here..</i></div>
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<i>It's the jazz music you hear at every turn of the corner..the songs with no rhyme or reason blending into another. I found myself tapping my feet, bopping my head, feeling giddier...The laughter of tourists slowly riding by on horse carriages...the smell of fried foods..*sniff sniff* is it beignets?? oysters? shrimps???!</i><br />
<i>the not so pleasant smell of old homes being torn down, gutted..rebuilt...smell of stale booze and sewage. I don't completely understand this city..but I'm glad I experienced it.</i></div>
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<i>Grab a daiquiri or a hurricane and come with me for a stroll..</i></div>
<i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCDp473QqOo/UKHMSyRAXgI/AAAAAAAAFQ8/T5bkNxzntik/s1600/pic5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCDp473QqOo/UKHMSyRAXgI/AAAAAAAAFQ8/T5bkNxzntik/s640/pic5.jpg" width="640" /></a></i><br />
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<i>Inside St. Louis Cathedral</i></div>
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<i>I love Royal Street--so many art shops displaying local artists with so many interpretations of New Orleans. </i><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zRTP5eP_0mg/UKHMc0ZNwcI/AAAAAAAAFRM/2CedOSEb2ZA/s1600/pic7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zRTP5eP_0mg/UKHMc0ZNwcI/AAAAAAAAFRM/2CedOSEb2ZA/s640/pic7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Also found this artist finishing up her seafood feast painting!</i></div>
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<i>She quoted me $1200 I believe for this painting...eeek!</i></div>
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<i> So may of these cutie pies hanging around the galleries napping...</i><br />
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<i>Impromptu jazz brightens your already happy mood and gets your toes tapping..</i></div>
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<b><i><u>Night:</u></i></b></div>
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<i><b>Bourbon Street </b></i></div>
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<i>Oh my goodness--I wish I snapped more photos..</i></div>
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<i>13 blocks of bars, strip clubs, and neon lights. Pants and clothes optional. Pale bony strippers play peekabo at the doors, hip hop and jazz starts and ends nobody knows. All into one hot mess on Bouron Street. </i><br />
<i>Cheers to you Ms. Big Booty in your underwear</i><i> booty-clapping on stage.</i></div>
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<i>Just a warning: </i></div>
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<i>If you're going to try and look cute in your heels and wedges, beware of giant potholes =(</i></div>
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<b><i> French Market</i></b></div>
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<i>A tourist magnet for overpriced little trinkets, jewelry, food and drinks...</i><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_yMWjxw1xw/UKHL_u6RQMI/AAAAAAAAFQM/tyzfunUAK2A/s640/pic31.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<i>Couldn't resist a pnia colada --it was hot!</i><br />
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<i>Of course I went to the casino (and lost)! And ofcourse this was where all the asians were hanging out..lol</i></div>
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<i>And after you've walked til your shins ache, there are even foot reflexology places you can go to for cheap massages--you know..the asian ones where they slap your feet, yank your arm and crack your back for $45/hr. Not as cheap as $10/hr like in southern California but I was surprised there were so many here!</i><br />
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<i>I had a wonderful birthday. Thank you dear =) </i></div>
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<i>And my very first macbook!</i></div>
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<i>(perfect timing as all the keys on my Toshiba laptop were broken.=D) </i><br />
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<b><i>To another wonderful blessed year! </i></b></div>
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Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-33908166605562773172012-11-07T08:41:00.003-05:002012-11-07T08:51:42.384-05:00Mo'BAMA!!!Living and working in the D.C area has been such an amazing experience. And yesterday I was able to vote in the swing state of Virginia, a battle ground state where I knew each vote, especially mine counted to make a difference.<br />
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And now, with unexpected voting turn outs and everyone's hard work, we have this man for 4 more years =D...<br />
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<em>(Women for Obama fundraiser, pre re-election)</em></div>
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And come January, a few more firsts for me, INAUGURATION DAY festivities!</div>
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I'm going to take my lunch and sit across from the white house today and be thankful the right man is still in there...</div>
Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-3746429874689263282012-09-25T12:08:00.002-04:002012-09-29T23:23:32.892-04:00Food-away to NYC!It's really nice having NYC be a bus ride away--there are so many amazing amazing eats and it feels like this city is eating at every hour. Isn't it great when GOOD food doesn't close at 9! or 12 or 2! or 4 a.m?! After work on Saturday 2 weeks ago, we hopped on the uber cheap Mega Bus to meet up with some friends in NYC for a food-away. What happened 4 hours later can only be described as EPIC FOOD GLUTTONY allll nigght longgg!<br />
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(I apologize in advance for the photos--there were lots of snap and eat moments. No artistic food porn here.)</div>
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<i>Between the hours of 7pm and 4am, the following places happened, in my mouth. </i></div>
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<i><b>1. Porchetta</b>: sammich place</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/porchetta-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/porchetta-new-york</i></a><i> </i></div>
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<i>The first and last time I had one of these was in Siena, Italy (2005) during a street festival. The skin was thin, crispy and crunchy, the meat rolled up with herbs, tender, and juicy--all between a rustic baguette. Sigh..it was wonderful..=)</i><br />
<i>Why that face you ask? The italian guy in the middle was grabbing my ass! He's lucky both my hands were full with delicious meat and wine!</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0UydT2zBPK0/UGB7my-UjgI/AAAAAAAAE0U/RT4BnYo87Vo/s1600/me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0UydT2zBPK0/UGB7my-UjgI/AAAAAAAAE0U/RT4BnYo87Vo/s640/me.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>To this day, I seriously still daydream about that very sandwich. So imagine my utter excitement when Will (our old college friend aka food/bar guide who's been living in NYC for 6 yrs?) took us by this place!</i></div>
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<i>Behold the porchetta sammich:</i></div>
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<i>Verdict: meat--juicy! flavor--good! But it's way too expensive ($10) for a dinky sandwhich AND most importantly, where's my crispy skin??! The skin didn't render out all the fat so it was chewy! Still, it's better to have porchetta in your life than none at all =(.</i><br />
<i></i><br /></div>
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<i><b>2. Ippudo: </b>ramen joint</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/ippudo-ny-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/ippudo-ny-new-york</i></a><i> </i></div>
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<i>The line here is always LONG. Get there 2 hours early (seriously), put your name down, get the Ippudo App on your smart phone, and they'll notify you when your table is ready.</i><br />
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<i>While waiting we headed around the corner for some octopus balls...(no, octopus does not have actual balls)</i><br />
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<b><i>3. otafuku</i></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/otafuku-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/otafuku-new-york</i></a><i> </i></div>
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<i> - </i><i>combo B, takoyaki - "octopus ball" & Okonomiyaki (potato/cabbage shrimp pancake)</i></div>
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<i>Hole in the wall, no seats except for the bench outside. It happened to also be crazy stormy that night so we all huddled under our umbrellas trying to poke at these balls with plastic forks.</i><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GRFdJDKRuFc/UGGWT5OUCuI/AAAAAAAAE1E/i_cEKYmdIIY/s640/collage4.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<i>mmm....they were ok...The balls had a lot of batter with very little pieces of squid inside..and the pancake was never my favorite to begin with. Dammit, a waste of space!</i><br />
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<i>BACK at Ippudo with time to spare. What to do...but order beers and pork belly buns at the bar! </i><br />
<i>These pork buns were tender, a tiny bit salty, and had the right amount of color and char-ness served with iceburg lettuce. I didn't appreciate how good these were until I had another version at Momofuku later...</i><br />
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<i>FINALLY SEATED! </i></div>
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<i>What we ate: </i></div>
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<i>-Shishito flash-fried japanese peppers with yuzu salt. I was really ready to hate them but Will insisted that they're his and the restaurants most favorited item. They come out hot! Tastes slightly bitter, and really yummy dipped in yuzu salt. Such an awesome little snack. Finally a non spicy pepper I like!</i></div>
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<i>-Akamaru modern ramen, Spicy miso ramen, and another order of Pork buns please! </i><br />
<i>There was so much more on the menu I wanted to try! I also heard their chicken wings were good!</i></div>
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<i><b>4. Crif dogs: </b>for deeeeeelicious weiners!</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/crif-dogs-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/crif-dogs-new-york</i></a><i> </i></div>
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<i>Go here!!</i></div>
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<i>Reason 1, 2 and 3: Good Morning (deep fried bacon wrapped weiner with melted cheese + fried egg), Chihuahua (deep fried bacon wrapped weiner with avocadoes and sour cream), deep fried CRISPY tater tots! YES YES YES! </i><br />
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<i>Even AFTER several meals, and self doubt that you have any inkling of stomach space left, I stillll recommend this place. So I unbuttoned my pants, and we came in for at least a bite..or 2..or 3...</i></div>
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<i><i>Reason # 4: an unassuming phone booth inside a little hot dog shop with a SECRET door to a SECRET swanky swank BAR through the phone booth!</i></i><br />
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<i>Go in the booth, pick up the phone which activates a secret camera. If you're cute, the bartender on the other side will let you in. If you're ..not so cute...you're just a dork standing in a phone booth. </i><br />
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<i>Hehehehehe Albert tried and couldn't get in! But the girl did!!!</i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cqgwcsb-ay4/UF_le5LgTzI/AAAAAAAAExc/p1t4L_6pTSA/s1600/collage11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cqgwcsb-ay4/UF_le5LgTzI/AAAAAAAAExc/p1t4L_6pTSA/s640/collage11.jpg" width="640" /></i></a><br />
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<i>If anything, the cheap deep fried weiners here (that surprisingly tastes clean and not greasy) tastes great and people watching to see who's rejected by the secret bar God behind the phone booth is fun!</i></div>
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<b><i>/;5. Big Gay Ice Cream Shop </i></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/big-gay-ice-cream-shop-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/big-gay-ice-cream-shop-new-york</i></a><i> </i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Ok, come on..how can I not get ice cream from a place called Big Gay ice cream shop!!! </i><br />
<i>Albert's head hurts from flavor overload !</i><br />
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<i>I had to try the Salty Pimp (vanilla icecream, dipped in chocolate, injected with salted caramel and then sprinkled with freshly ground sea salt)!</i></div>
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<i>OooooOo..not a fan...Well can't say we weren't warned...it was SALTY.</i></div>
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<i><b>6. Kasadella - </b></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/kasadela-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/kasadela-new-york</i></a><i> </i></div>
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<i>-tebasaki wings (crispy lightly soy ginger garlic flavor wanggs are my weakness!!)</i><br />
<i>-beef salad with garlic chips (yuuummmm!): but too salty!</i><br />
<i>-OooOO! Chicken skin cracklins!! I've never had chicken rinds before and dipped in yuzu sauce no less! GOOD!</i><br />
<i>-My plum wine with club soda: could have been sweeter but I love anything w/ fizzz!</i><br />
<i>-Grilled Squid Legs: I always get so excited when I see this on the menu but not a lot of places do it well. This place was not an exception..it was rubbery and tasted really fishy...</i></div>
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<i><b>7. Summit bar -</b> for dranksssss</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-summit-bar-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-summit-bar-new-york</i></a><i> </i></div>
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<i>I don't know much about alcohol and only drink occasionally but this bar was packed crowded with locals and had some amazing drinks on the menu. Will recommended the:</i><br />
<i>-Guv'nor: </i><i>Yamazaki 12 Year Whisky, toasted cardamom infused agave, Japanese yuzu, fresh orange juice</i></div>
<i>& I got the the Governess which is the same thing but made with Russian Standard Vodka. </i><br />
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<i>I ended up really liking the Guv'nor better. Who knew I rather sip on whisky than Vodka!</i></div>
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<i>Their cocktail list: <a href="http://www.thesummitbar.net/cocktailmenu.html">http://www.thesummitbar.net/cocktailmenu.html</a></i></div>
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<i>They also cut their own giant squared ice cubes--cute! My attempt to put the whole thing in my mouth failed..</i><br />
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<b><i>8. Meatball shop - </i></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-meatball-shop-new-york"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-meatball-shop-new-york</i></a><i> </i></div>
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<i>At this point, we were beyond full--except for cow whale pig George NG who "could go for a couple of balls!!!". </i></div>
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<i>Will: These meatballs are AWESOME when you're drunk. But what's so awesome is that they taste good even when you're NOT drunk! SOLD! Lets go!</i></div>
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<i>Now, lets get real serious about THESE meatballs for a minute...Nobody's gonna re-invent the meatball (unless you count crusting it with bacon then deep frying it and injecting it with some cheese). I'm talking about classic moist and flavorful meatballs. Sounds easy enough but so many places overdo it, overdry it and mix all kinds of crap I don't want in my meatball. I just want "NAKED BALLS!!"</i><br />
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<i>MMmmMMmm! in a spicy classic tomato sauce (!!!) and pesto (!!!)</i></div>
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<i>WHERE else can you get amazing meatballs at 2: 30 a.m?? God I love NYC! This place was still buzzling and alive with hungry ball lovers!</i></div>
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<i>9) Last stop--<b>Halal cart</b> somewhere in East Village to eat back at Will's place. I had all of 3 bites left of stomach space in me. I can't resist a good spicy halal cart!</i></div>
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<i>Ready to chillax on Will's roof with a spicy (!) chicken and lamb plate.</i></div>
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<i>(p.s. I love you NYC..but I can't imagine living with these apartment stairs with no elevator, the trash...on a hot east coast humid afternoon..? yikes! Lets just be food friends)</i></div>
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<i>I love summer nights with good friends and good food =)</i></div>
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<i>Thanks Will for letting us stay with you and for showing us the good eats!!!</i></div>
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<b>SUNDAY MORNING:</b></div>
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<b><i>Why not brunch into lunch?</i></b></div>
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<i><b>1. Clinton Street Baking Company:</b></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/clinton-st-baking-company-new-york#uery:clinton%20street%20baking%20company"><i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/clinton-st-baking-company-new-york#uery:clinton%20street%20baking%20company</i></a></div>
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<i>A very crowded, very busy, and very small local brunch favorite!</i></div>
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<i>Mmm...90-120 minute wait. We'll get a text when our table is ready! Time for boba!</i></div>
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<i>Storm be-gone! Hello beautiful sunny sunday morning!</i></div>
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<i>I love NYC's chinatown--so crowded and alive! </i></div>
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<i>Kung Fu Boba to get the stomach rolling...</i></div>
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<i>Oooh only 1.5 hours wait! We were buzzed and summoned for brunch!</i></div>
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<i>The prize, the must have: fluffy, airy pancakes topped with blue berries and maple butter. Albert, Christine, George and I were debating ordering a second stack...They were so light! Deeelicious!</i></div>
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<i>The weird one colored yellow omelette with mushroom and monterey jack cheese was scary to look at...Real eggs don't look like that! the accompanying hash brown though? On point! Crispy on the outside and full of pillowy mash on the inside!</i></div>
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<i>Potato pancakes: I feel like I should love potato pancakes..but I don't. But these weren't served savory style but with a sourcream apple sauce and the crispy outside makes it irresistable!</i></div>
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<i>mmm...I could go for some more of these soft pillow bites right now..</i></div>
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<i>Since we all shared everything we had a teeny bit of space left for our last meal in NYC, RAMEN!!! It is the only responsible thing to do (the things I have to do for this blog *smh*)--to compare the other hyped up ramen place, MOMOFUKU (home of my beloved pork bun recipe that I tried a few blogs ago) to Ippudo.</i></div>
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<i>On the way there we saw this giant turtle on the sidewalk... just chillin' w/ his lettuce</i></div>
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<i><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-35SVkT5_UTg/UGGWlGRqFbI/AAAAAAAAE1M/wMjogwcCTmc/s1600/collage21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-35SVkT5_UTg/UGGWlGRqFbI/AAAAAAAAE1M/wMjogwcCTmc/s640/collage21.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div>
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<i><b>2. Momofuku Noodle Bar -</b> for pork buns, momofuku ramen, miso ramen</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/momofuku-noodle-bar-new-york">http://www.yelp.com/biz/momofuku-noodle-bar-new-york</a></div>
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<i>Eh..wasn't impressed. We came in at lunch--the place was crowded but there wasn't a huge line--ding ding ding #1. </i></div>
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<i>Pork bun: No crispy char, no flavor..bordering BLAND! Pickled cucumber..bland...Why you effing with my pork bun momo!?! Why!</i></div>
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<i>Ramen: no fatty murky broth. The broth felt really healthy. Except one flavor stood out above the rest: salt! It was very salty!</i></div>
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<i><b>Ippudo wins!!!</b></i></div>
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And that, in a gut-shell was our food adventure in less than 24 hours! Thank you for reading!!!</div>
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See you NYC for more delciousness in October!!</div>
Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-70342665924066772232012-09-21T01:11:00.002-04:002012-09-21T08:02:25.985-04:00Labor Day WeekendGeorge and I went home Labor Day weekend to mainly visit my sister who recently had a seizure. These scary moments jolt you out of your every day routine and comfort. It reminds you to stop being so absorbed with your own life and not to take loved ones for granted. Living so far away, it's easy to forget this. So we flew back to spend some wonderful quality time with friends and family. I wish we had a chance to meet up with everyone, but as usual, so little time. <br />
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<i>It also happened to be Cal's first football game that weekend in the newly built stadium. Timing worked out--from Oakland airport straight to campus for the game! Sigh...nostalgia! I've missed this place dearly.</i><br />
<i>My old apartment with a landlord who smoked weed all the time! My old dorm room!!!! Oh to be broke college nerds again... </i><br />
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<i>AAAAHHHHH!!!!! I've waited YEARS for this!!! TOP DOG!!!!! Oh the sweet succulent spicy glory! You were exactly how I remembered--grilled to perfection where the hot dog skin just pops as you bite into it. Who does not love a place where on Halloween, the cooks cook NAKED. </i></div>
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<i>GO CAL! We cheered, we sang...w</i><i>e still lost b/c our quarterback is stupid but who cares! I had a blast (and got super burnt!). </i></div>
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<i>We met up with my family afterwards and treated everyone to what else, CRAB! Pham-ily grubbing time at PPQ. Crab + Phams = very happy gluttons.</i><br />
<i>Another reason why I miss the west coat--DUNGENESS CRABBIES!</i></div>
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<i>I get my love of food and buffets from these two crazies--thanks mom and dad!</i></div>
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<i>These garlic noodles--so garlicky and buttery--I wanna rub them all over my face while stuffing them into my mouth! </i><br />
<i>And this is why we're friends--Jacky took his noodles and mixed it with the crab guts RIGHT in the shell! GENIUS!</i><br />
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<i>Really good fruit mousse cake for mine and george's birthday!! =D Thanks Evelyn!!!!</i></div>
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<i>Still a tiny bit of room for boba and crepes....oh so burnt...</i></div>
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<i>Family dinner #2 in Concord. It's not a family get together unless there's a whole roast pig. Thanks Ma!!!</i><br />
<i>My uncle also made papaya salad--and manually grated the papaya himself! They do know how to make a girl feel extra special for coming home! =)</i><br />
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<i>Yes that's right, this is how we've done since Vietnam!! We throw down on the floor! </i><br />
<i>I love being asian sometimes!</i></div>
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<i>Oh hey, shirt twinsies =D</i><br />
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<b>Waterballoon fight!!</b></div>
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<i>Oh Boogs...Bwaahhha</i><br />
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<i>Weapon refuel!!</i></div>
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<i>Birthday dinner back in the city at our old favorite Japanese place! Thanks guys =)!!!</i></div>
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<i>And for dessert, WINGS and Purple Kow boba (thanks helen!!)! They're so damn good!</i><br />
<i>If I'm in the city, if I have any breathing room left, I'm getting San Tung WINGS--hands down YUMS! </i></div>
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<b>BRUNCH in the Castro!</b><br />
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<i>We had to park in front of "Rock Hard" and we HAD to buy something to get change for the meter. It isn't brunch w/out BJ poprocks first! </i></div>
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<i>Jamal + Violet Burton Class of 2001...tawww....=)</i></div>
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<i>OoooOo colors...</i></div>
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<i>After brunch was ..a small snack at Ike's Place--number 1 Yelp rated place to get a sammich!!!</i><br />
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<i>Unfortunately, my last day in the city was quite a hoot! After brunch some idiot 22 yr old chic was lost and on her cell phone. turned when she had a red light and totaled my cousin's car. She at least repeatedly said "omg, it was totally my fault." A-w-e-s-o-m-e! Luckily we all got out ok with minor neck pain! <b>PLEASE, do not text and drive on the road!</b><b>!!</b></i><br />
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<i>Last meal before we catch our red eye back to D.C--at Pakwan Pakastani and Indian Restaurant (deeelicious!) in my old ghetto project neighborhood where I used to run through dark alleys on 16th and Valencia. I had no idea it's now a swanky swank hipster up and coming neighborhood! There goes my street cred... </i></div>
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I'm so grateful and happy everyone was in good health and spirits.</div>
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Eat well, live well, and please drive safely everyone!</div>
Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-70300297313208597592012-09-20T22:18:00.004-04:002012-09-24T09:37:29.989-04:00New Glasses!!I'm stuck wearing glasses foreverrrrrrrrr so I might as well scream it on top of the world--I got TWO new pairs of glasses!!! This is literally like Christmas morning to a four crossed eyed blind child! Thank you to my cat who knocked my old glasses on the floor, unbeknownst to me running around in the morning, and stepped on them. <br />
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I went for SIX whole days without being able to see--good god. <br />
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<br />Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-77149601503593229732012-08-29T10:22:00.000-04:002012-10-30T02:55:44.626-04:00G's 30th!George recently turned 30 this past week--another blessed year, older, wider, and wiser! =p hooray!! We've had many blessings to be thankful for this year. A friend's recent untimely death and my sister's sudden seizure reaffirms for me to be thankful everyday for another day, and to concentrate on the blessings that we do have.<br />
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So while we're still relatively young, still have all of our teeth, health, body parts..etc..we're going to celebrate!<br />
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<i>Gift first! I couldn't wait to give it to him--the new 15" Apple macbook pro with retina display laptop! I think I was more excited than he was..=D</i></div>
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<i>In our fat ass style, I took George to a 20 course traditional Japanese dinner and made him a home-made birthday card with some well wishes from his friends in CA!</i></div>
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<i>It's his birthday but he doesn't really drink but I will! This house made plum wine was too hard to pass up!</i></div>
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<i>We had a 3 1/2 hour dinner..from 6-9:30..insane..</i></div>
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<i>Really good quality fish and lots of house specialities and traditional dishes from Japan which I can't remember names of...</i></div>
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<i>fatty tuna, sweet shrimp, giant prawns, sake clams, lobster miso soup..fatty tuna to name a few...</i></div>
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<i>Beef tatake, reallllllyyyyyyyyy good sashimi, housemade tofu with uni and wasabi, poached fish in broth</i></div>
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<i>A type of female fish from Japan with pickled eggplant, fish poached in tofu skin in dashi sauce..</i></div>
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<i>George painting his fish with soy sauce b/c apparently soy sauce is not supposed to touch the rice..OooooOoo..didn't know that..</i></div>
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<i>ooh man, this plate was .... interesting..</i></div>
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<i>cold liver, cold fish jelly cubes...cold conch poached in dashi in its own shell (actually pretty yummy!!) , a cold candied whole egg yolk, cold poached intestines...not the japanese food i'm used to but very fun to try new things!</i></div>
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<i>Lobster claw tempura =) I want more!!! Those were succulent, crispy, juicy little suckers!! Raw lobster sashimi, grilled oyster with red miso paste</i></div>
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<i>Happy birthday happy eating face =)</i></div>
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<i>chicken shabu shabu that later became a porridge complete with a quail egg! OoOooh!</i></div>
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<i>3 hours later, the the sky has darkened and we're full to the seams, here comes the dessert!!! The creamiest and lightest most decadent green tea brulee I've had. Hands down--the best of my adult creme brulee eating career. So good that we actually ate the creme (and the entire thing) instead of just eating the burnt sugared parts!! The black sesame icecream with sake plum was super yums too!</i></div>
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<i>The restaurant staff signed George's bday card and gave him a coupon for a free sashimi next time.</i><br />
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<i>Back at our apartment, I gave him his card!</i></div>
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<i> George's home made bday card/collage...Thank you to everyone who contributed! =D</i><img border="0" height="460" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dUEBtZ_0raY/UDriIQ8WkdI/AAAAAAAAEp4/o-0qCpQihZQ/s640/card1.jpg" width="740" /></div>
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<i>Next up we head home to S.F for labor day weekend to visit my sister and to celebrate with friends and family.</i></div>
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<b>Happy eating and safe travels everyone!</b></div>
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Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-11070842430623605892012-08-19T18:05:00.002-04:002012-08-20T09:32:09.799-04:00Fatty McFat Pork Belly in my Fatty Fat Belly-The TrilogyHello blog =) I've missed you! August is flying by so fast, I can't believe summer is almost over! My goodness!<br />
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George and I made these fat ass dishes about a month ago and I'm so excited to finally have time to post it! So, you know my food philosophy, if I die in ten years due to high cholesterol and most likely a heart attack, SO BE IT! I can't live a deprived life without fat! Braised, fried, stewed..pork belly is a damn piece of delicious fat!<br />
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We went to a ramen place where they served pork buns. So inspired, George and I bought 3 slabs of fattty pork belly to make some of our own. NOTE: I don't get home til pretty late on weekdays so the preparation and eating had to be spread out into 3 long agonizing days.<br />
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So lets get cooking so we can make THIZZ!:<br />
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1) Left slab: Crispy Skin Chinese Roasted Pork Belly</div>
We've made this at home several times and it's super simple! Dust five spice powder only on the meat side of the pork belly. No real measurements--put as much as you like.<br />
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Key to crispy skin: the skin has to be DRY! Some people leave this slab of meat in the fridge for 3-5 days. The dryer the skin, the puffier and crispier it will get in the oven.</div>
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Pat the skin to ensure maximum dryness</div>
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2) Middle + Right Slab: Marinated using David Chang's famous Momofuku NYC eatery recipe and cookbook by the same name. If you google it, you're going to find a LOT of variations of his recipe and bloggers discussing cooking temperatures. I'll let you decide which way you want to cook it.</div>
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1/2 cup salt + 1/2 cup sugar mixture rubbed all over the pork belly.</div>
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Put the slabs a ziplock bag and rub the mixture all over the pork belly.</div>
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TADA! Done--in the fridge to marinate.</div>
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The crispy roast pork will sit in the fridge to dry out til DAY 3.</div>
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DAY 2: </div>
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I literally sat at work day dreaming about my pork belly dishes...and every time I thought about eating it, a grin would involuntarily spread across my face. I'm giddy now just re-thinking about it.</div>
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So, Day 2, Momofuku slabs going into the oven. They need to be baked and then refrigerated for easier cutting after all the fat has cooled and hardened.</div>
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Ready for the oven!</div>
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After it's cooked, resist the temptation to eat it, cut it, lick it...</div>
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you will burn your tongue =(. Fridgerate!</div>
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For me this meant waiting til the next day since it was already bed time =(</div>
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DAY 3:</div>
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IT'S HERE!!! </div>
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Crispy chinese roast pork in the oven! DONE!</div>
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Momofuku's pork belly chilled, cut into pieces, AND then GRILLED to heat up! DONE!</div>
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I made quick pickled cucumbers to cut through the grease.</div>
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We bought store bought chinese buns and just quickly steamed them. OMG i'm so ready to eat!!!</div>
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DEVOUR! Hoisin sauce, siracha sauce, cucumbers, two kinds of pork belly. Life does taste this good!</div>
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I promised myself, I'm gonna take the stairs more.....</div>
Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-40337812055202018632012-07-17T17:37:00.003-04:002012-07-21T10:33:20.885-04:00Ca Nuong--Roasted Catfish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Roasted whole catfish is one of my many favorite vietnamese dishes, and one of the healthiest. This dish uses very little oil, catfish's high in omega-3 fatty acids, and it's eaten with lots of veggies. </div>
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The problem is, the way I love it cooked is with the whole catfish DEEP FRIED so the skin's crispy and the fish is juicy on the inside. It's also one of my mom's time saving tricks. You go to the asian supermarket, buy two catfish, have them clean, gut, and deep fry 'em for you. Then you walk out with two parchment wrapped fish bouquets smelling like fried goodness. Then you go home, top them off with roasted peanuts and scallion oil and crunch and munch away on the crispy skin. THAT's how I like my Ca Nuong--fast, fried, and delicious. Fish skin should always be crispy in my (and George's) book. </div>
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But since our seafood section of the asian market only cleans and doesn't deep fry, I have to roast the damn thing in the oven. All around bOooOs from George because there was no crispy fried skin and it was a healthier meal. But it was still so good!</div>
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<em>The end product: </em></div>
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<em>Ca Nuong topped with scallion oil and roasted peanuts. Hats off to whoever discovered the combo of fish, green onions and peanuts, wrapped in rice paper, dipped in spicy fish sauce. GENIUS!</em></div>
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<em>Step 1: Get your catfish cleaned and gutted at the supermarket. Some places will also clean off the black skin for you, some won't.</em></div>
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<em>Step 1a: My super market didn't so I took an extra step at home. To clean off the black gook on the skin (which gives the fish a fishier smell and taste AND will prevent your fish from getting a gorgeous brown color), dunk it for 1 minute in boiling water. Then take it out and scrape off the black gook w/ a brillow pad. I used a butter knife..which left knife marks on my fish =(. Don't do that...=/</em></div>
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I cleaned some black off but it could have been cleaner. Anyways, HUNGRY.</div>
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<em>Step 2: </em><em>Rub your fish down ..heheheh. </em></div>
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<em>On the skin, rub about 1/8 cup of honey per fish. This will get you that delicious brown roasted color and crispy skin (not as crispy as deep frying =( but whatever!)</em></div>
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<em>Then rub on olive oil, salt, pepper, minced ginger, a couple swigs of fish sauce mixture on the outside + inside of the fish. Some people also use minced lemongrass. I should have been more generous with my seasonings.</em></div>
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<em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fbnEHBCsqNw/UANi4ekvsQI/AAAAAAAAEkY/D8-rpYdEYII/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fbnEHBCsqNw/UANi4ekvsQI/AAAAAAAAEkY/D8-rpYdEYII/s640/IMG_0529.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />Step 2a: Marinade for a few hours or over night..I baked it right away. Too hungry!</em></div>
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<em>ALSO: I should have done this --make 3 slits just barely through the skin of your fish on both sides. This relievs the tension on the skin when you roast at high temperature so the skin crisps up instead of tearing like mine did. </em></div>
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<em>Step 3: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you fridgerated your fish to marinate, take it out and let it come to room temperature. Then pop it in the oven.</em></div>
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<em>For a 3lb fish, it's about 40 mins. My fish was a lot smaller, around 1.5 lbs, so roast for about 15 mins.</em></div>
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<em>During the last 5 mins, turn it up to BROIL for a crispy golden color. Make sure you watch the fish so it doens't burn!</em></div>
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<em>(Looks creepy i know...but it'll taste good! Promise!)</em></div>
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<em>Step 4: Meanwhile, make your Nuoc Mam Cham dipping sauce. If you need a recipe, </em><a href="http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2009/06/nuoc-mam-cham-vietnamese-dipping-fish-sauce.html" target="_blank"><em>The Ravenous Couple</em></a> <em>(recipe)--one of my go to blogs for Viet food has a great one. I just went by taste to make my sauce.</em><br />
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<em>* 1 cup of hot water</em><br />
<em>* </em><em>4 tablespoons of sugar</em><br />
<em>* juice of about 1 whole lime </em><br />
<em>* 6-8 cut thai chile peppers (I like it spicy!!)</em><br />
<em>* 5 cloves of minced garlic (I like it garlicky!)</em><br />
<em>* 1/4 cup fish sauce.</em><br />
<em>* Adjust to taste. It should be sweet, with a small hint of sour (and if you prefer, a kick of garlic and spicyness!)</em><br />
<em>* some people also add </em><a href="http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2009/05/pickled-carrots-and-daikon.html" target="_blank"><em>pickled carrots & daikon</em></a><em> (recipe)</em><br />
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<em>Step 5: Toast your peanuts. Watch 'em and move them around, these suckers burn FAST!</em></div>
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<em>Step 5: I like lots of peanuts and scallion oil on my fish. I chopped up about two bunches of green onions , then add olive oil to the height in the picture. Let it soak in lowwww heat then remove off heat once the onions have slightly wilted. We don't want the green onions to turn brown.</em></div>
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<em>Step 6: Once the catfish's done, top it off with scallions in oil, and tons of roasted peantus.</em></div>
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<em>I'm ghetto so I lined my table with old Washington Posts for easy breezy clean up! Fish sauce is NO joke if you get it on your table!</em></div>
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<em>My ginormo roll--some veggies, some fish, lots of skin, lots of peanuts and green onions. Now dip baby dippppppppp ! Let me see that ca nuong roll =D </em></div>
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It was good but not greeaaat--I must get a deep fryer!</div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-60541484445509820792012-07-11T11:17:00.004-04:002012-07-13T22:25:02.357-04:00Beat the Heat!!<div style="text-align: center;">
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BAH! This weather is madness! It's like walking around in a sauna, with hot sticky icky humid 102 degree air blowing at your face all day and night, evvuuurrryyyday--THEN out of nowhere, crazy lighting thunderstorms! I form puddles of sweat just standing still! I said I'm going to enjoy everything the east coast has to offer while I'm here so...ok..here goes another hot summer!<br />
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<i>So to stay cool, aside from staying indoors at work all day long (yuck) for the FREE AC (yay!), I sneak out for the occasional happy hour drinks to keep me cool and fuzzzyyy =) Especially $5 mango mojitos!</i></div>
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<i>Lets be serious, I go to happy hour for the cheap-o food. Sometimes I just order water. I'm a bartender's worst nightmare. </i><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W3r0iz2ukEs/T_z_mYiFE5I/AAAAAAAAEg8/sju6F6_9Ao0/s640/IMG_0493.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<i>Ducking into every other store for free ac to cool off is the best!! And a little fro' yo from Red Mango topped with mochi and mango chunks hits the spot!</i></div>
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<i>Aaah, I'm a weirdo and always seem to want hot soup in crazy hot weather. Back in CA, we used to do hot pot dinners in 100 degree heat and just have fans blasting at our faces while we dunked raw meats and veggies into boiling spicy broth. It's a good ol' time sweating everything out! Plus, it's liiikkeee excercising while you eat..right?</i></div>
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<i>So last friday we went to Toki Underground for ramen..in an "up and coming" area of H street--which is kinda like the Tenderloin area in S.F..so you have to lock your car door and watch your back! It has a great dive, hipster vibe. We parked illegally in an Autozone parking lot and went in search of Toki Underground.</i></div>
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<i>First of all, it's not underground. Second, neither the address or the restaurant name is visible. Its only identification is this dinky door, with thisss symbol and the entrance is next to a crowded bar! </i></div>
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<i>I really like the feel of the place. It sits on top of a bar, low lighting, cute little trinkets, literally a hole in the wall!</i></div>
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<i>mmmm...yums. Apple soda</i></div>
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<i>Already makes me smile--a giant fatty bowl of broth, al dente noodles, with runny egg yolks, rolled up crunchy veggies, tender stewed pork, and seaweed! I'm gidddy! I love comfort food.</i></div>
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<i>Eat, sweat, eat, sweat</i></div>
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<i>4 stars, 387 Reviews on Yelp. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this place was something special, a gem find. It's great for D.C's standard which really only has a handful of good ramen places, not including places out in Maryland. The broth's really flavorful, fatty-- that nice murky brown that can only come from stewing fatty pieces of pork all day long! I'm defintely coming back here to try other stuff. I also want to try <span style="color: #0044cc;">Sakuramen </span>--another well known ramen place in D.C. But having eaten at some pretty good ramen places in CA and NYC, D.C's still got a bit to go to compete!</i></div>
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OH in case you were wondering what kind of bi-polar weather we're dealing with--> watch the video. 102 heat, then crazy storms!!! BAH! (please excuse the dramatic narration and curse words..I was TOO excited!)</div>
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<iframe height="385" src="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5gPE_rJkVOiTVZxMVJKNHFBOUU/preview?pli=1" width="640"></iframe>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-25709403478369104842012-07-10T23:45:00.001-04:002012-07-15T11:52:24.385-04:00Happy July 4th!!!I can't believe it's already our 2nd July 4th in D.C! Time flies by fast!! This year a couple of our dear friends came to celebrate with us and as usual, we ate lots of fatty foods, stayed up late, and even managed to squeeze in some gambling. All while sweating like fatty pigs in 102 degree heat!<br />
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<i>A lil' half smoked, chilli cheese fries, and fried chicken to start off the mid week holiday!!.</i></div>
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<i>cupcakes, macarons, happy hour boozing (and yummy grilled squid!), and fatty steaks!</i></div>
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<i>Some Viet food action--snails in coconut sauce, shaken beef (bo luc lac), grilled clams and mussels topped with sauteed green onions, peanuts and shallots, crab fried rice, and the infamous Ray's Burgers</i></div>
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<i>night time strolling and shenanigans</i>.</div>
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<i>I still get excited about this view...</i></div>
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<i>Stuffing our faces before heading to see fireworks. This year instead of trekking into D.C, we just walked to Iwo Jima from our apartment, found a nice spot amongst the crowds and stared right into D.C to see the fireworks shooting from the Monument.</i></div>
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<i>Sitting, the asian way!</i></div>
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<i>Not a bad view at all!! Congress, Monument, and Lincoln all visible from our seat in Virginia! And we didn't have to deal w/ the mad metro crowd!</i></div>
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<i>After a 6 hour gambling trip (and winning!), complete with spooky ghost stories, singing to sappy love songs, and telling stories of relationships' past (ahem, QUANG!), we decided to feast on a giant ass Korean bbq meal at 4:30 a.m. The sun was up by the time we left the restaurant at 6:30 a.m. BED by 7 a.m. Then I had to drag my ass to work til 8 p.m =((</i></div>
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<i>Somehow we all managed to get up to grab our last lunch together before everyone headed to the airport and I had to go to work...</i></div>
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<i>Van's obsessed with the white chocolate blondie spread from this place, jacked some for his plane ride and even bought a jar =p (fatty pants)</i></div>
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<i>It was so nice seeing everyone =)</i>. <i>Happy Birthday America!!!</i></div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-36854936263813039962012-07-05T21:08:00.004-04:002012-07-05T21:08:53.080-04:00Chipotle Chiles ChickenYOU MUST TRY THIS RECIPE! New ingredient revelation--Chipotle Chiles in Adobo sauce is the ****!!!!!<br />
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<i>Flava town in a can! </i></div>
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I made this dish last Wednesday night to pack for Thursday's lunch. I received a text from George Thursday morning at breakfast: "This is sooo gooood. This is a game changer." Whatever that means..lol! But please please please I beg of you--cook this!<br />
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I saw this dish on <a href="http://sodelushious.com/">http://sodelushious.com/</a> -- a food blog that belongs to singer John Legend's super hot super model Thai and Norwegian mix gf, Chrissy Teigen. She can cook, actually eats what she cooks, and is pretty to look at (for you non-cooking boys)!<br />
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Her recipe is really quick and simple and can be found on her blog. I found another recipe that added a couple more spices to the mix so I just combined the two together--not that this dish needed any more flavor!<br />
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Also, the day before I made chicken guisado and already had half of my ingredients ready to go!<br />
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<b><i><u>Chipotle Chiles Chicken Recipe:</u></i></b></div>
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Throw all of this into a food processor:<br />
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* 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. (They also sell them in small cans so I just used 1 whole small can)<br />
* ~ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice <br />
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste (Chrissy said to use ketchup and the other recipe didn't mention it. I find that it gives the sauce more body)<br />
* 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, from chipotle can (I dumped the entire can into the food processor =D)<br />
* a giant handful of garlic! LOTS of garlic! I LOVE garlic!!<br />
* 1/2 red/yellow onion<br />
* 2 teaspoons light brown sugar (I used trader joes cane sugar)<br />
* salt to taste<br />
* 1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
* 1 tablespoon of paprika (I used smoked papikra)<br />
* 1 teaspoon of ground cumin<br />
* 1 teaspoon of chili powder<br />
* some cilantro<br />
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<i>Hit pureee and that's it!!!! Taste and flavor to your liking. Be careful! This thing packs major HEAT!</i></div>
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<i>Now get ready to slather this baby all over your thighs and
breasts--chicken that is, grilled giant prawns on salad with
avocados, and soooo good as a salsa for chips and mmm juevo rancheros! </i></div>
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<i>I made mine with chicken thighs--browned them with salt n' peppa, tons
of garlic powder, then simmered them in the sauce til the chicken got
nice and tender. I served it with basmati rice, fried plantains, and
fresh corn because they're in season! </i></div>
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<i> I already made this twice in 1 week!! SOO GOOD!</i></div>
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<i>Chrissy' tip: to freeze this sauce and for pure awesomeness, add in</i><br />
<i>* 3 tablespoons tequila or vodka to keep the sauce slushie-like for easy defrosting for future use.</i><br />
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Hopefully this is another non-boring chicken dinner recipe you can add to your repertoire!</div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-36700299744241251912012-07-02T00:38:00.003-04:002012-07-06T14:40:14.388-04:00Pollo Guisado and Home-made Flan!Last tuesday I was a hungry monster and was dead set on making <b>pollo guisado</b> and <b>home made flan</b>. Problem--I had just worked 11 hours and was exhausted. BUT, my rule of thumb is you must always obey the stomach when it craves for something. Plus I haven't posted a cooking blog in awhile so lets get cooking!!<br />
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<b><em><u>Dish #1: Pollo Guisado</u></em></b></div>
My craving for pollo guisado came from a visit to the Dominican Republic embassy. They were serving it for lunch and it looked scrumptious! When I went to look for a recipe, there was oddly a lot of food trash talking online between dominicans and puerto ricans staking out this dish as their own national dish. And here I am, Vietnamese, and blogging about pollo guisado--hah!. Whoever made it, at the end of the day, it's a yummy (and easy!) braised chicken stew joining all the flavors you probably already know and love to cook with. This dish....it's going to wipe out the hump day blues! <br />
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Note: This is a moshposh of 4 recipes that I mixed together. Everyone has different ways of making it and this is my version:<br />
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For 2 people:<br />
* 4 chicken thighs with bone and skin on (I like skin and the bones gives it more flavor while braising)<br />
* salt and freshly ground black pepper (it makes a huge difference) <br />
* garlic powder<br />
* olive oil<br />
* 1 green bell pepper--finely chopped<br />
* 1 bunch of cilantro<br />
* 1 small red/yellow onion, quartered. (I also threw in some delicious pearl onions that a friend randomly gave us from his garden!)<br />
*2 plum tomatoes, quartered.<br />
* 1 tablespoon or so of tomato paste<br />
* a buttload of fresh mashed garlic. I LOVE garlic!<br />
* 1-2 pinches of oregano<br />
* 1 habenero<br />
* 1 packet of Goya sazon con azafran seasoning (if you wanna get fancy with it, add a SMALL pinch of saffron). Albertsons, Giant, Hmart has this seasoning.<br />
* 2 potatoes cut into chunks<br />
* 1-2 cups of chicken stock as needed (~1 can of stock)<br />
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<i>1) Get all ingredients together. I like to keep my surroundings really clean and clean while I cook.</i></div>
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<i>Pat the chicken dry, season both sides with salt n' peppa and lots of garlic powder!</i></div>
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<i>2) Always brown/sear your meat to get a nice color and crust before you braise it for maximum flava!</i><br />
<img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h61cToCTmm4/T-p9a9O8O-I/AAAAAAAAEZ4/hsbf2rMDAtg/s640/IMG_0330.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<i>3) Meanwhile, chop up your veggies</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1UN_uFTZLMs/T-p9Uft0-7I/AAAAAAAAEZo/7-Db1A-qpsQ/s1600/IMG_0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1UN_uFTZLMs/T-p9Uft0-7I/AAAAAAAAEZo/7-Db1A-qpsQ/s640/IMG_0327.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>3) Remove your chicken from the frying pan once it's brown. Add in your diced bell peppers, onions and the buttload of smashed garlic! Saute those suckers in the same oil you seared the chicken in on low heat til the onions get translucent.</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHOIONywU-I/T-p9ejuZePI/AAAAAAAAEaA/z9BhAOykUSc/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHOIONywU-I/T-p9ejuZePI/AAAAAAAAEaA/z9BhAOykUSc/s640/IMG_0332.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>4) Then add in your cubed tomatoes, a pinch of oregano, and a handful of coarsely chopped cilantro. I also like to layer flavors by LIGHTLY salting at different times. KEEP TASTING while you cook!</i><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KjFrGgss8RQ/T_DJjunHdoI/AAAAAAAAEeU/D7yeu7LcRns/s1600/IMG_0336.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KjFrGgss8RQ/T_DJjunHdoI/AAAAAAAAEeU/D7yeu7LcRns/s640/IMG_0336.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Colors of the Dominican flag--minus the blue.</i></div>
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<i>5) Once the tomatoes and everything cooks down (about 5-10 mins ), add in your sazon con azafran packet. OOoh and Aaah as you see the beautiful color! </i><br />
<i><br /></i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-guQZuB54_44/T-p9v6CGH8I/AAAAAAAAEaY/CrPbhQB95lI/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-guQZuB54_44/T-p9v6CGH8I/AAAAAAAAEaY/CrPbhQB95lI/s640/IMG_0339.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>6) Now add about a tablespoon of tomato paste and the habeneros. I like it real spicy so in goes all the seeds!! (stand back, don't let crazy habenero steam get into your eyes!) Stir, cover, let it simmer for 5 mins.</i></div>
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<i>7) Add back your chicken, skin side up, and pour in enough chicken stock to only cover half the chicken. If you cover the chicken completely, the chicken skin will cook off the meat, resulting in soft fatty chicken skin floating around your stew...ew! Cover and braise for 15 mins on low-med heat. Remember to stir the <u>bottom</u> of the pan frequently so it doesn't burn and add more chicken stock as needed!!!</i></div>
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<i>8) After 15 mins, add in your cubed potatoes. (note to self--use a bigger pan you fatass!!) Re-cover and braise til the potatoes are done and thighs are super tender (~15-20 more mins). REMEMBER, check regularly and stir the bottom !</i></div>
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<i>9) And voila! Ready to EAT! Top it off with more cilantro and you've got a hearty (and healthy) flavorful chicken dish!</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NmqVhghk9eE/T-p-yKMynsI/AAAAAAAAEbw/w4L6loP60y8/s640/IMG_0364.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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Now normal people would stop here..but while the chicken was braising, I started my flan! Man I loveee flan! Growing up my mom would make us instant flan out of the box--equally yums but recently I had the lightest, creamiest flan at Jose Andres' restaurant, <i>Jaleo</i>. I found his recipe online and had to make it. The idea that I could eat his creamy flan everyday was enough motivation!<br />
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Trick to this dish is <i>p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e</i>. Chef Andres cooks the custard longer and at really low heat so the eggs gently coagulate which produces a silky mouth-feel. The flan separates—the bottom half is creamy, the top more jelled. Not your dense, rubbery, and marred by air bubbles flan!</div>
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<b><em><u>Dish #2: Jose Andres' Flan Recipe:</u></em></b><br />
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<u>For the caramel sauce:</u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
* 1/2 cup sugar <br />
* 1/2 cup of water </div>
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<u>For the custard:</u></div>
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* 3/4 cup sugar (I found this to be a little too sweet so whenI made it a 2nd time, I only used 2/4 cup (next time I might even go for only 1/4 cup). Just add more caramel to your flan later when you eat if you want it to be sweeter.)</div>
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* 1/2 cup half-and-half</div>
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* 1/2 cup heavy cream</div>
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* 1 vanilla bean, split (We ain't rich Jose. I used 1 1/2-2 teaspoon of good trader joes vanilla extract)</div>
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* 1 lemon peel (love this!!)</div>
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* 1 cinnamon stick (I just shook in ~1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon spice)</div>
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* 3 large eggs</div>
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* 2 large egg yolks</div>
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* Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.</div>
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<i>1) Caramel-ing!: melt your sugar on LOW heat and watch it! A burnt pan full of sugar is a nightmare! </i><br />
<img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVHzAdy3l6Y/T-p-Kx95--I/AAAAAAAAEa4/qRWO1C-CwoI/s640/IMG_0351.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<i>If you're scared it'll burn, add in a little bit of water from your 1/2 cup of water.</i></div>
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<i>2) Custard Part 1: while watching the caramel carefully, get your half n' half, heavy cream, vanilla extra, lemon peel and cinnamon into the pot.</i> <i> Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, removing the pan from the heat just as it reaches a boil.</i></div>
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<i>mmm..smells so good</i></div>
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<i>Ok, this dinky lemon peel makes all the difference. You really taste the lightness and freshness it brings to the custard! Hell, next time, I might just buy the boxed flan and boil in the lemon peel!</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IsWCj44kEjI/T-p-qHSNirI/AAAAAAAAEbg/CaczGWW_66Q/s640/IMG_0360.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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WATCH THE CARAMEL!</div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ylXaZ-7Ggg/T-p-t4WbB_I/AAAAAAAAEbo/1V39nx7TAQw/s640/IMG_0362.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<i>3) Custard Part 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks.</i></div>
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<i>I've already got 3 whole eggs in the bowl, now I'm just extracting my 2 whole egg yolks.</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="582" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O7_NS_HF-lI/T_DJk0KbRRI/AAAAAAAAEec/0byCbjmdhiM/s640/IMG_0367.JPG" width="640" /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cO3slEdrhAs/T-p-4Ilv9II/AAAAAAAAEcA/g0Q78XEJRPU/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<i>4) Carefully & SLOWLY pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs, whisking vigorously in the bowl so you don't cook the eggs and end up with ..sweet scrambled eggs</i></div>
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<i>Caramel's done!</i></div>
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<i>5) Take the hot caramel off the heat and add in the remaining 1/2 cup of water. The caramel will sputter and release steam and harden. Pop it back on at low heat and re-melt. Now you have caramel sauce!! </i></div>
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<i>6) Cool off the caramel sauce a bit then coat the bottoms of the ramekins with 1-2 teaspoons of caramel sauce.</i><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKHdP7YpgOc/T-p_QRzLHdI/AAAAAAAAEdA/LY99EUc9F04/s640/IMG_0383.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<i>7) Slowly pour the custard on top.</i></div>
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<i>8) Fill hot water midway up the ramekins so you create a slow warm bath during cooking</i></div>
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<i>8) Pop in the oven at 275 for 45-55 mins. </i></div>
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<i>Out of the oven!!! EEK! =D Be patient and fridgerate overnight to let it set and then get ALL over thizzzz!</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1uTOjRSUxdo/T-p_uM9n68I/AAAAAAAAEeI/Rmpvuk1ZFhQ/s640/IMG_0403.JPG" width="480" /></div>
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<i>All packed for lunch! Now thisss gets me out of bed and off to work!</i></div>
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<i>Of course I had to share some with George too...who was busy playing diablo allllll night!</i></div>
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For next time:</div>
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1) Pollo Guisado: try it with red and orange bell peppers to add different flavors. I also ran out of bay leaves this time--add 1 leaf next time, add 2 habs, and make MORE!</div>
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2) Flan: get real vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks! yum!</div>
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ENJOY!!! </div>
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<strong><em>Next up, chipotle chiles chicken... oh yeaaaa!</em></strong>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-87215694283236961932012-06-23T01:28:00.000-04:002012-06-23T11:09:41.387-04:00Pham-ily Vacay in Vancouver, BC<i>For Father's day weekend, my sisters, George and I decided to take my parents to Vancouver, BC. If there are two things my parents love most, it's asian food and gambling. We're not exactly a family of healthy eaters..or active sporty people..which explains why I am the way I am. As my dad puts it (while he's popping cholesterol pills) "I have high cholesterol but I can't help it, I can't diet. I love food too much!" DITTO!</i><br />
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<i>It rained 3 of the 5 days we were there but a little rain made it feel cozier and provided for some very interesting moments on the trip!</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Warning:</span> ridiculous amount of asian food pics ahead!</b></i></span></div>
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<i>Our hotel was located in Richmond, B.C right in the heart of Golden Village. There was literally asian food on every block.</i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jeG3O97_Y_0/T-PnVm07PGI/AAAAAAAAESM/4iXKIPyD3r4/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jeG3O97_Y_0/T-PnVm07PGI/AAAAAAAAESM/4iXKIPyD3r4/s640/IMG_0042.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> God, I wish D.C had a food court like <b>Aberdeen mall.</b> Mango Boba with grass jelly made with fresh mango!! Roast duck noodle soup, HK milk tea, made to order crispy wings, pork short ribs over rice = meal #1</i> <i>while waiting for parents to arrive.</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bzCfZU9e0PQ/T-FJhD7uZYI/AAAAAAAAERU/-guFgBRbXZk/s640/aberdeen+collage.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<i>Fruits galore!!!! Not since living in Vietnam have I tasted fresh mangosteen and langsart--til now...it knocked my socks off!</i></div>
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<i>Fresh mangosteen, dragon fruit, longan. cherimoya, rambutans, starfruit, langsart, rose apple, and alano sapodilla, durian (my faveee!). I remember eating so many of these from my childhood--especially climbing up my neighbor's trees to steal their fruit!!</i><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-isMaagaNnYA/T-XaanmXtKI/AAAAAAAAEZI/joLLH72lo24/s1600/fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-isMaagaNnYA/T-XaanmXtKI/AAAAAAAAEZI/joLLH72lo24/s640/fruit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Can't stop eating... </i></div>
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<i><b>HOT POT</b> in Richmond, B.C</i><br />
<i>Some highlights...</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>1)
LIVE shrimp, still moving after it's been skewered on a stick...creepy,
unnecessary, inhumane.. but that's the traditional way of
doing it..It's supposed to make the shrimp taste sweeter. And it
doess..it doessss*sniffles* sorry shrimp! </i></div>
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<i>2)
thinly sliced geoduck. In whole form, geoduck looks super phallic! But when
thinly sliced it can be eaten raw sashimi style or quickly dunked in
spiccyyyy hot pot. YUMMO!</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>They also served us (free!) cold sweet chrysanthemum tea. Deee-licious with spicy hot pot! </i></div>
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<b><i>Dim Sum </i></b><i>in Richmond. B.C</i></div>
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<i>Nothing to hoot and holler about--just normal dim sum comfort food goodness. There were so many available options!</i></div>
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<i>My favorite's always the fried turnip cake squares sitting in a crispy fried wonton bowl</i> <i>and the short ribs soaked in msg oil and blackbean sauce!</i></div>
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<i>I had to cushion in non-eating activities to 1) make stomach space and 2) say we did stuff in Canada other than just eat!</i></div>
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<i>So we headed to <b>Granville Island</b> in Vancouver (for some light munchies!</i>). <i> </i></div>
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<i>Gorgeous sunny day!</i></div>
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<i>My mom and dad crack me up:</i></div>
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<i>Meet my dad--here wearing a polo shirt with plaid shorts, knee high white socks, with loafers, and (real) Gucci sunglasses.....and my ma!..in her clubbing clothes--lacey black dress--ankle boots, and Coach purse. We fall somewhere in between.</i></div>
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<i>Puppets are fuuun!</i></div>
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<i>Walking around Vancouver's Chinatown...you can probably Google up images of it..I was more interested in buying fresh egg tarts and pineapple buns!!</i></div>
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<i>Light dinner before heading to the Richmond Night Market!</i></div>
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<i>*2 course peking duck action: 1 with only the crisppy fatty juicy skin atop of crunchy shrimp chips wrapped in crepe; the 2nd with the duck meat minced with garlic and ginger for lettuce wraps</i></div>
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<i>*Whole steamed fish, salt n pepper shrimp, stir fry veggies, seafood soup</i></div>
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<i><b>Richmond</b>'s infamous<b> night market</b>! I came to eat! Lets go!</i></div>
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<i>Oh god all the smells were intoxicatingly deliciously. Everywhere I turned my nose was hit with the smell of bbq meats and seafood! Something was being stir-fried, grilled, steamed, deep fried at every corner! </i></div>
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<i>ARGH!!! I was so pissed my stomach couldn't hold more!</i></div>
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<i>Highlight of the market: grilled squid topped with sweet and spicy sauce...That bbq char, the chewiness of the tentacles, the slightly sweet and spiciness of the sauce..I want moreee!!! Where can I get this in the states?! </i></div>
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<i>Ice cream churros were..meh..nothing novel to brag about! If anything, it just took up valuable stomach space for more meat!</i></div>
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<i>This place is a serious food lover's/fatty's dream!!!</i> </div>
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<i>Warning: it's super crowded and taller people <u>will</u> drop food on your head!</i></div>
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<i>OooOOoo Rice Burger Shop! Where the buns are made with grilled rice!</i></div>
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<i>Boogs and Fatty in line for yummy</i> <i>honey green tea...</i></div>
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<i>Whilst I ran off to buy us some grilled beef on a stick--cumin and spicy rub! </i></div>
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<i>The rotato line was 2 hourssss long! =( So I had to stare while this littler girl ate hers! I'm sure it was amazing!</i> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zsrMAEDhzKs/T-UD8yiA2EI/AAAAAAAAEVI/LX9lZjXQ67M/s1600/might+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zsrMAEDhzKs/T-UD8yiA2EI/AAAAAAAAEVI/LX9lZjXQ67M/s640/might+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Hahaha look at that ridiculously long bratwurst! lol and the sophisticated cooling method used to cool off my eggette order.</i></div>
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<i>The next day, my family and I visited the International Buddhist Temple</i>. <i>Too bad it rained..this place was absolutely gorgeous!</i></div>
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<i>OooOOOO! There's a shop for just tofu desserts! Don't be scurred, it's just silken tofu topped with black sesame paste!</i></div>
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<i>My family went more traditional and topped theirs with sugar and ginger syrup--equally delicious and very comforting. George topped his with evaporated milk and canned fruits (it tasted so gross)!</i></div>
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<i>9 course Japanese bbq and beer! Drinking and eating fatty foods always brings our family together!</i></div>
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<i>While my parents gambled, George, Julie and I went out for dessert!</i></div>
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<i>Another wonderful asian treat (which a LOT of people will go peee yewww to) is DURIAN! I LOVE DURIAN! I'd wear it as perfume if it wasn't ban from airports. Some people think it smells like..shit. I think it smells and tastes wonderful!</i></div>
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<i>Apparently there is a little Vietnamese community in Vancouver located along Kingsway Street. So of course my ma wanted some!</i></div>
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<i>My mom wanted vietnamese food cooked by vietnamese people, not Chinese owned vietnamese restaurants like in Richmond.</i></div>
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<i>Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Bun thit nuong, ca kno (stewed catfish in claypot) and rice...hits the spot on a rainy day!</i></div>
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<i>Of course George is stealing my food</i></div>
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<i>One of my must do on this trip was for us to "hike" to the <b>Lynn Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver</b>. LOL a LOT of things went wrong on this "hike." </i></div>
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<i>1) It was storming and 2) we were ill dressed. </i></div>
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<i>I forgot to pack my boots -- hence trekking through the mud in my flip flops! My mom was wearing a dress, wool coat and coach purse, my sister had on shorts and pink sandals...hah! </i></div>
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<i> We alll looked ridiculous and so unprepared next to hikers with walking sticks and rain gear!! But we somehow made it =D It was a lot of fun! The air was so crisp and we shared the trail with so many dads who were out with their families celebrating Father's Day as well!</i></div>
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<i>In the woods, looking like we're ready to go shopping! hahah!</i></div>
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<i>Up and down the stairs and mud trails in flip flops holding bags of Vietnamese sandwiches for lunch! FAIL!</i></div>
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<i>(Shhh..don't tell my family that I opted for the 30 min. hike to the bridge instead of just driving and parking the van next to the bridge =p)</i></div>
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<i>The view was absolutely gorgeous.</i>.. </div>
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<i>The bridge sits 160 ft high from the bottom of the canyon--surrounded by tall douglas-furs, vine maples and waterfalls</i></div>
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<i>Father's Day Dinner at <b>Joes Fortes Seafood & Chop</b> in Vancouver.</i></div>
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<i>FATHER'S DAY DINNER is served!</i></div>
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<i>To hell with cholesterol! </i></div>
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<i>Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad smothering his king crab meat with a slew of garlic butter... See why I had to force them to hike!!!</i></div>
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<i>Left to right: Whole lobster, fondue dish with sauteed garlic and butter for dipping, lobster oil ($28/bottle), steak, king crab legs (succulent juicy meat! hubba hubba!), seafood tower, oysters, seared ahi tuna, seared scallops, truffle fries</i></div>
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<i>While my little nephew got chicken tenders off the kids' menu.</i> <i>I would make that face too if I couldn't have lobster and oyster shots Ry!</i></div>
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<i> I'm classy!</i></div>
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<i>No dinner is complete without dessert! </i></div>
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<i>Walking off our fatty meal by souvenir shopping!</i> </div>
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<i>Cheers for the drinking and gambling age to be 19 in Canada!! I got to go with my little sister to the bar and teach her how to play black jack at the casinos!! Phamily bonding time!!</i></div>
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<i>Good bye Vancouver! </i></div>
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<i>My souvenir/snack for the flight: green tea kit kat! mmm!!!!</i></div>
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<i>Hooray for a delicious Phamily Vacay! </i></div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-27720656908840357322012-06-07T11:36:00.006-04:002012-06-12T23:50:59.375-04:00Just do it!!!<div align="center">
<i>I saw this on a friend's page...</i></div>
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<i>Whatever you've been itching to do--whether small or life changing--JUST DO IT! =D</i></div>
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</div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-82712544081848110562012-06-06T00:20:00.000-04:002012-06-06T00:47:43.158-04:00Learning How to SewSuper girly post I know -- but I promise there are pictures of food below! Say what?! sewing + food? Of course food!<br />
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I've always had an itch to learn how to sew--mainly for my own hemming sake since I'm short and my pants are always too long. Or to hoochify an outfit and put slits here and there <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-happy112.gif" /></a> With tedious boring school out of the way (yay!) and now that I'm finally not <i>as</i> broke (double yay hallelujah happy dance!) as I used to be in law school--I am determined to pursue all<i> </i>my hobbies and learn new fun skills!<br />
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Growing up my mom had this giant hideous industrial size hunk of a sewing machine from back in her sweatshop working days (it's now shoved into our kitchen in S.F--asian house-duh!). She used to buy THE ugliest cheapest fabrics to make THE ugliest curtains for our apartment and then with the scraps, make my sisters and I pants--yes, that I would have to wear to school. Imagine me, fresh from Vietnam, fob home permed hair, wearing red coke bottle glasses with matching red-poinsetta-patterned-polyester-fabric-with-lace trimmings-curtain-pants. Y-I-K-E-S!<br />
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So I guess there's a pent up need in me to try and make prettier things. Since I only have Sundays off from work I had to sign up for a beginners express class at <i><b>G Street Fabric</b></i> in Falls Church, VA. For $150 you get 2 Sundays worth of classes from 11:00 to 6:00 p.m. We learned to make a tote and start on pjs! <br />
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<i><b>Day 1: </b>picking out materials and fabric for our tote</i></div>
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<i>Sewing your own stuff is NOT cheaper. Cute patterns are pricey! I ended up choose these two fabrics for my tote at $12.95/yard!!! This is the most expensive tote I've ever owned! And it's made by meee--not even a designer! And in the beginning,
you end up making ugly crap that even you yourself might be too embarrass to wear for fear you have to tell people you made it!</i></div>
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<i>uh..what kind of thread..?</i></div>
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<i>Measure, cut, sew!</i></div>
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<i>But first, lunch break for some Filipino food with some new Filipino friends I made! Self note: don't make it a habit of get into a stranger's car after just meeting him for an hour...</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J4LpHCn_jPk/T86sH-XtIWI/AAAAAAAAEL4/m3G0oVzlAC8/s1600/IMG_9941.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J4LpHCn_jPk/T86sH-XtIWI/AAAAAAAAEL4/m3G0oVzlAC8/s640/IMG_9941.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Chris, filipino, said his mom comes here all the time for filipino food. I'm gonna take his word that this place is good--being that I have not even seen a filipino restaurant around here and I miss Goldilocks and lumpias and pancit and halo halo!</i></div>
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<i>Booo--apparently the lumpias here are made the southern way? so it looks more like an omelet and has gravy on it! Not the deep fried little egg rolls I'm used to =(. Sigh, get it together VIRGINIA!</i></div>
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So my friend ordered the pancit --yums! </div>
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<i>I got chicken adobo--not the best I've ever had..ok..i'm never having it here again. But I ate it all because it's meat in sauce and it comes with garlic fried rice! </i> </div>
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<i>and these are the southern lumpias.. </i>=/ <i>I'm not a fan</i> of these</div>
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<i>Super full and sleepy--we're back to sewing! This machine costs $2k..holy mamajama</i></div>
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<i><b>Day 2: PJ making + tote finishing day!</b></i></div>
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<i>I found a soft cotton flannel material to make my pjs. I figured if i'm gonna make it, I rather buy cute fabric...and even if it has no legs, no seams, no crotch, i'm still going to wear them because I made them--so the fabric might as well be cute. PJ fabric = $16.00</i><i><b> </b></i></div>
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<i>okie dokie--here's the finished tote! I ended up making it reversible! This is the inside!</i></div>
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<i>This is the original outside!</i></div>
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<i>I even carried my crap in it and the handle hasn't broken off, the seams haven't come undone! wow nelly!!!!</i></div>
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<i>My unfinished set of PJs! I have to go back to class and finish the shirt and shorts.</i> </div>
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<i>Ducks and bears!</i> </div>
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<i>Learned so many cool tricks and skills in just two classes! Time to start putting more money in the piggy bank to get my own sewing machine!</i><br />
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<i><b>Thanks for coming! =)</b></i></div>
<br />Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-55158692783803676442012-06-04T00:43:00.001-04:002012-06-04T13:29:40.660-04:00Dragon Boat Festival A couple of weekends ago George and I competed in our first--the 11th Annual Dragon Boat Festival with our APABA-DC team on May 19-20th, 2012 in Georgetown. The weather was absolutely perfect--sunny with a slight breeze and no humidity! Though it was brutal waking up at 6 a.m Saturday and Sunday, competing in multiple races, and coming home sore and bruised, we had a blast hanging out with everyone and rowing our asses off! I even gained some arm muscles..but have probably since lost it...<br />
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I didn't realize how much focus, strategy, training, stamina, and team work dragon boat takes! I highly recommend it to everyone who loves being out on the water and getting a good work out without being stuck in the gym. And NO, it is not just an asian sport. We saw many diverse teams out on the water--most of them kicking our scrawny asses! <br />
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APABA-DC entered two teams, Water and Fire. George ended up being on the ...ahem ..weaker Water team because he kept wacking people in the back and splashing too much water (hehehehe). I was placed on the Fire team--the more hardcore team! Fire competed amongst the elites--with teams who will be representing the U.S in Hong Kong this summer in the International Dragon Boat Festival. <br />
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<i>Rise and shine! Bright and early and ready to set up!</i> </div>
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<b><i>Day 1: 250 m race. </i></b></div>
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<i>Holy crap I can't believe I'm up this early for the sole purpose of a sporting event...</i></div>
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<i>7 a.m--teams setting up</i></div>
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<i>Need coffee! We were healthy the first day! Bagels and coffee </i> </div>
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<i>Team meeting</i></div>
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<i>Opening ceremonies</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KL8FENxlJPc/T8gt8Sb0RVI/AAAAAAAAEEo/XJqgR4gamwA/s1600/opening+ceremony.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KL8FENxlJPc/T8gt8Sb0RVI/AAAAAAAAEEo/XJqgR4gamwA/s640/opening+ceremony.jpg" width="512" /></a> </div>
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<em>We ready!</em><br />
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<i>LETS DO THIS!</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="608" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ua7KS41vx0M/T8gs8VwOvXI/AAAAAAAAED4/Uo2hmGhQLz8/s640/IMG_3689.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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<i>Running to see where we placed after placement rounds </i></div>
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<i>Stretching it out!</i></div>
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<i>Team captains Cathy and Nhat</i></div>
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<i>There's George on our Water team!</i></div>
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<em>My team -- Fire--racing the 250 m and getting our butts kicked! We're in Boat #2!</em></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-da5XJqhVB6M/T8gtr58JB4I/AAAAAAAAEEg/8yF-6ajYbUw/s1600/launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-da5XJqhVB6M/T8gtr58JB4I/AAAAAAAAEEg/8yF-6ajYbUw/s640/launch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Exhausteeddd--sleep eating a banana</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-maBvENN4AeY/T8guE28md_I/AAAAAAAAEEw/wQdwImN_wBo/s640/sleep2.jpg" width="456" /></div>
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<em>Passed out</em></div>
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<i>One of the crazy elite teams we rowed against--DCH Racing from Queens, NY. They were the 2006 Champions of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York.</i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QAX08gGw-vQ/T8g9i5YvLOI/AAAAAAAAEGE/khEzZ1HDODQ/s1600/IMG_9792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QAX08gGw-vQ/T8g9i5YvLOI/AAAAAAAAEGE/khEzZ1HDODQ/s640/IMG_9792.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>I love asian drinks and snacks!!! Coconut juice and chrysanthemum juice boxes!</i></div>
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<i>ridiculously jumbo bag of shrimp chips</i> <i>and crackers</i></div>
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<i>And Banh Mis for lunch!!!</i></div>
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<i>Ngai, George and I in an enticing conversation about butt pads </i></div>
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<i>It was so fun to see all the teams camping out. There was even a blind team called "Outta Sight" and a breast cancer survivors' team!</i></div>
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<i>Dry runs</i></div>
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<i>Rowing 250 m out to the starting line for the 250m race. I'm 3rd on the left!!! =D</i> <i>I was freaking tired from just rowing out to the starting line! Damn paddles were hella heavy!</i></div>
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<i>Fire team coming back from a hard race</i></div>
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<i>George stuffing his face with a red velvet cupcake right before getting called to marshal</i> <i>for his third race of the day</i></div>
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<i>Cheering the APABA Water team on!</i></div>
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<em>I LOVE this photo of Nhat celebrating our win!</em></div>
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<i>End of Day 1, poopped and sore!</i></div>
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<i><b>Day 2, 500 m</b></i></div>
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<i>Ziyang found some noodles for breakfast..</i></div>
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<i>Breakfast of champs! Melody's ginger scallion noodles that she made at 5 a.m!</i> <i>Eaten with coffee straws as chopsticks</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gOXRtugaRYs/T8wzAINEnQI/AAAAAAAAEIo/qLPeVEaYlUg/s640/IMG_9892.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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<i>and Krispy Kreme ofcourse!</i></div>
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<i>Group warm ups are always fun! George ain't having it</i> </div>
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<i>Team Water rowing out to the 500m start line. What sucks? The start line was 500ms out!</i></div>
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<i>LUNCH!! </i></div>
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<i>Eye on the prize</i> </div>
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<i>In between races, we danced! Doing the shuffle..</i></div>
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<i> Fire team placed respectably in the B Division and ended up winning Bronze in the 250 m race while Water placed in the E division and won Bronze and Silver in the 250 m and 500 m. </i></div>
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<i>Yay team!</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMOjKr01IYI/T8gtjGidaTI/AAAAAAAAEEY/iUyUc2f3rOc/s1600/group-500m.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMOjKr01IYI/T8gtjGidaTI/AAAAAAAAEEY/iUyUc2f3rOc/s640/group-500m.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To learn more about dragon boating and see some seriously synced up hard core rowing from some of the professional teams, watch below:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ilCTwmpSfWQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span id="goog_1641688800"></span><span id="goog_1641688801"></span></div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-27583093664219892472012-05-09T22:00:00.003-04:002012-05-09T22:03:34.706-04:00Passport D.C<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Totally fatigued and sick while writing this post so I'm sorry if none of what I'm writing makes sense!</div>
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Last Saturday I was bad and ditched work to go to Passport D.C. Passport DC is a month long celebration of international cultural
Awareness in Washington, DC where more than 70 embassies open their doors to allow visitors to come inside and learn about each country! We've been dying to go inside these gorgeous old mansions and this was the perfect opportunity!! It's also an easy way to travel around
the world without leaving the city! Next weekend all the European embassies will open their doors but I have to work =( </div>
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<i>You can pick up souvenir passports and get them stamped at every embassy</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PGgIZiaD-I4/T6iYAXa0K0I/AAAAAAAAD6k/qz7Lrjkvdw0/s640/IMG_0011.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<i>First stop, Indonesia! The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia is the former Walsh mansion Evalyn Walsh McLean is also the last private owner of the 44 ½ carat Hope Diamond!!</i> </div>
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<i><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VW_nB6ceglQ/T6iYGBNbqTI/AAAAAAAAD6s/En34cHvVrTo/s640/IMG_0014.JPG" width="640" /></i></div>
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<i>Definitely the</i> <i>most luxurious embassy we saw that day.</i></div>
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<i>gorgeous main staircase</i></div>
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<i>Off to the Bahamas!</i></div>
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<i>Free tasting of a variety of rum cakes!</i></div>
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<i>Embassy of Haiti</i></div>
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<i>Dominican Republic--Food + free rum and coke!</i></div>
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<i>mm..i have to look up these recipes and try it at home!</i> </div>
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<i>Lunch Break at out favorite french place in Dupont Circle for some Moules Bretonne!</i></div>
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<i>and some sorbetto to cool off from the heat!</i></div>
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<i>mmm..honey lime pineapple!</i></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">long lines for Japan. Everyone wanted to meet the ambassador!</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zdPLvWWHzTk/T6ibEpmik2I/AAAAAAAAD_E/ENDL6P0j19g/s1600/IMG_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zdPLvWWHzTk/T6ibEpmik2I/AAAAAAAAD_E/ENDL6P0j19g/s640/IMG_0098.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DcjVc8MByXM/T6ibK5TREXI/AAAAAAAAD_M/rgTdqigGUvk/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DcjVc8MByXM/T6ibK5TREXI/AAAAAAAAD_M/rgTdqigGUvk/s640/IMG_0099.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DWqQ4Ztjuug/T6ibTPirKRI/AAAAAAAAD_U/wDnkvBCo20M/s640/IMG_0103.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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<i>We celebrated Cinco De Mayo at La Sandia</i></div>
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http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-sandia-mclean </div>
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<i>where i found the creamiest and cinnamony-iest horchata ..it was quite heavenly! I could go for some right now!</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QEqMwezMcB0/T6icpLYNHDI/AAAAAAAAD_k/5hOnzIixjkI/s1600/2012-05-04+21.29.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QEqMwezMcB0/T6icpLYNHDI/AAAAAAAAD_k/5hOnzIixjkI/s640/2012-05-04+21.29.50.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>and the same could be said about their guacamole! Overpriced of course but oh so creamyyyy</i> <i>and simple! Delicious!</i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bqcHpGPl3bE/T6icv3GWloI/AAAAAAAAD_s/4t9N2rSws1c/s1600/2012-05-04+21.32.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bqcHpGPl3bE/T6icv3GWloI/AAAAAAAAD_s/4t9N2rSws1c/s640/2012-05-04+21.32.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m6CyQiVOJKM/T6ic4Zksa8I/AAAAAAAAD_0/tK4cRZ-Oz2A/s1600/2012-05-04+21.36.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m6CyQiVOJKM/T6ic4Zksa8I/AAAAAAAAD_0/tK4cRZ-Oz2A/s640/2012-05-04+21.36.47.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>and some overpriced street tacos!! Oh how I miss El Taurino in LA!!!! Where the hot sauce makes your face burn oh so good!</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AgoXvJDyK6A/T6ic-L0Re1I/AAAAAAAAD_8/EPMFmOVA9vI/s1600/2012-05-04+21.40.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AgoXvJDyK6A/T6ic-L0Re1I/AAAAAAAAD_8/EPMFmOVA9vI/s640/2012-05-04+21.40.23.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>oh man..i'm getting hungry and thirsty again..</i></div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-35171511957130041852012-05-07T23:12:00.001-04:002012-05-07T23:40:44.699-04:00Gospel Choir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In high-school I was a part of an amazing choir called the Touch of Class Choir of Philip and Sala Burton. For four years we traveled, ate well, sang and danced our hearts out to jazz, classical, gospel, r&b and contemporary music. To this day, I get nostalgic just thinking of all the amazing times we had together. </div>
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<i><b>A trip down memory lane...</b></i></div>
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<i>Can you spot me? (glasses and bangs) Performing at church in high school--even though I am not all religious.</i> <i>The food afterwards was aahhhmazing </i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UR_MO2AQQiM/T6cOvEvi7zI/AAAAAAAAD4g/Lyn6HCpisHQ/s1600/gospel+choir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UR_MO2AQQiM/T6cOvEvi7zI/AAAAAAAAD4g/Lyn6HCpisHQ/s640/gospel+choir.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Our choir director made it a priority that as young people, we traveled! Here we are in Shanghai, China. A small group of us from the choir were selected to go and perform on an all expense paid trip by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to sing in China for an event to bridge the gap between the two sister cities, San Francisco and Shanghai. We sang on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship and vacationed in Florida and the Bahamas and even sang for President Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton and Governor Gray Davis!</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="504" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XvN-MhGyUKg/T6cOu6zw2RI/AAAAAAAAD4c/-YrvQpmcU04/s640/Gospel+2.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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<i>So I was super excited to find out that the The Hamilton Hotel in D.C
was hosting a gospel brunch with the Howard University Gospel Choir!</i></div>
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<i><b>Breakfast Buffet and good music? Yes please!</b></i><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JpQZrM-_U68/T6dAT0dZxWI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/SglfiJgiAms/s1600/IMG_9713.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JpQZrM-_U68/T6dAT0dZxWI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/SglfiJgiAms/s640/IMG_9713.JPG" width="480" /></a><i><b> </b></i><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fb-QSdBpWfY/T6dAc6A2JuI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/R9-_-wQAE-4/s1600/IMG_9715.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fb-QSdBpWfY/T6dAc6A2JuI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/R9-_-wQAE-4/s640/IMG_9715.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
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<i>Waffle station! Is anything better on sunday than freshly made fluffy waffles????</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqSWkyTIZu4/T6c_YZQEYMI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/HHAHaY-uxCA/s1600/IMG_9694.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqSWkyTIZu4/T6c_YZQEYMI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/HHAHaY-uxCA/s640/IMG_9694.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
<i>A sold out house!</i> <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-79sjbwDMtTg/T6c_L6yctrI/AAAAAAAAD44/mss__MkimVE/s1600/IMG_9687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-79sjbwDMtTg/T6c_L6yctrI/AAAAAAAAD44/mss__MkimVE/s640/IMG_9687.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> Fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, shrimp and grits</i>, <i>smoked salmon</i><br />
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<i>Mac n cheese, bacon, gumbo, some egg and sausage in there..some hash...lol</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AfU2gqclrE/T6c_f9LLiGI/AAAAAAAAD5g/lPcTI2it-mg/s1600/IMG_9697.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AfU2gqclrE/T6c_f9LLiGI/AAAAAAAAD5g/lPcTI2it-mg/s640/IMG_9697.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
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<i>I love it when fruit tastes like fruit..sweet, ripe, juicy, delicious</i></div>
<img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HHEiQRsUVU/T6c_bvxYAKI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/oIGeqTQWitM/s640/IMG_9695.JPG" width="640" /><br />
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<i>Omelet Station!! </i><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--6jC50xNz20/T6c_vswfgvI/AAAAAAAAD5w/UXdRRAymXXw/s1600/IMG_9703.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--6jC50xNz20/T6c_vswfgvI/AAAAAAAAD5w/UXdRRAymXXw/s640/IMG_9703.JPG" width="640" /></a><i> </i><br />
<i>Briskettt! </i><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SDwnBeHd0RA/T6c_2Y-lz_I/AAAAAAAAD54/fbgK5Cil5qc/s1600/IMG_9704.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SDwnBeHd0RA/T6c_2Y-lz_I/AAAAAAAAD54/fbgK5Cil5qc/s640/IMG_9704.JPG" width="640" /></a><i> </i><br />
<i>Glazed ham! YESSS!</i> <i>YES!</i><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rUu10bQVaGM/T6c_-yjnPsI/AAAAAAAAD6A/IEwFYPNO8RE/s1600/IMG_9705.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rUu10bQVaGM/T6c_-yjnPsI/AAAAAAAAD6A/IEwFYPNO8RE/s640/IMG_9705.JPG" width="640" /></a><i> </i><br />
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<i>Complimentary mimosas and bloody marys--I tried not to drink so much since we had dragon boat rowing practice later...Too much food + alcohol before going out on the water = disaster</i> <br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDATDTLIHkI/T6c_nUUmqMI/AAAAAAAAD5o/3h-BL3w_qSQ/s1600/IMG_9698.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDATDTLIHkI/T6c_nUUmqMI/AAAAAAAAD5o/3h-BL3w_qSQ/s640/IMG_9698.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
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<i>The Howard Gospel Choir!</i> <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vnTrCenJuyI/T6c_T4v3rpI/AAAAAAAAD5I/6vPzZIeVUFM/s1600/IMG_9692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vnTrCenJuyI/T6c_T4v3rpI/AAAAAAAAD5I/6vPzZIeVUFM/s640/IMG_9692.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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*sniffles*love*</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8A3PGdfsULk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/T0pVEKEotp8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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<i>I need to find me a choir to join..!.</i></div>
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<i><b> </b></i> </div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-41379314988342468042012-05-06T01:41:00.001-04:002012-05-06T13:25:53.416-04:00April Happenings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>1) GEEK FEST: <i>Video Games Live Concert at the Strathmore in Betheseda, MD</i></b></div>
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<i>George coerced me into going to a video game concert awhile back...sigh. While it's sorta cool to listen to a full live symphony orchestra and choir play popular video game music for 3 HOURS, I felt uber geeked out and oddly out of place--mainly because I didn't show up dressed in costume and know all the songs. But we even saw a wedding proposal--the guy proposed to her in game lingo!</i><b> </b></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw8nzzKHgsQ/T4eWT4_lypI/AAAAAAAADyY/HHqsVlIyhXM/s1600/IMG_9485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw8nzzKHgsQ/T4eWT4_lypI/AAAAAAAADyY/HHqsVlIyhXM/s640/IMG_9485.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZH1Kjs7N8U/T6X1u7MCLgI/AAAAAAAADyo/CvbgaM3YdWc/s1600/IMG_9486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZH1Kjs7N8U/T6X1u7MCLgI/AAAAAAAADyo/CvbgaM3YdWc/s640/IMG_9486.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i> </i></div>
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<i>The princesses duking it out with dance moves</i> <i>on the Kinect</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OAbMYBh_eg8/T6X13d0KsBI/AAAAAAAADyw/WpkUjKa4DSY/s1600/IMG_9493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OAbMYBh_eg8/T6X13d0KsBI/AAAAAAAADyw/WpkUjKa4DSY/s640/IMG_9493.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SzPgyqKWtfw/T6X1_pfb6kI/AAAAAAAADy4/P3iorTaMcNY/s1600/IMG_9502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SzPgyqKWtfw/T6X1_pfb6kI/AAAAAAAADy4/P3iorTaMcNY/s640/IMG_9502.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> </i></div>
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<i>We were amongst the serious gamers up in third row</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oG22Amwg9qw/T6X2IVtXN4I/AAAAAAAADzA/8Rbuu2kUXnA/s1600/IMG_9507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oG22Amwg9qw/T6X2IVtXN4I/AAAAAAAADzA/8Rbuu2kUXnA/s640/IMG_9507.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>Gorgeous venue!</i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VgfxRe2s3A/T6X480mBgkI/AAAAAAAADzw/8v8485itgHo/s1600/strathmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VgfxRe2s3A/T6X480mBgkI/AAAAAAAADzw/8v8485itgHo/s640/strathmore.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> George seated and ready!</i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZCqN7sxEaU/T6X2RVoyETI/AAAAAAAADzI/M_0jOxpBScg/s1600/IMG_9512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZCqN7sxEaU/T6X2RVoyETI/AAAAAAAADzI/M_0jOxpBScg/s640/IMG_9512.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Costume contest final contestants! </i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a--oj-s8nHo/T6X2YuUYgJI/AAAAAAAADzQ/cOQd3dfkTGo/s1600/IMG_9514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a--oj-s8nHo/T6X2YuUYgJI/AAAAAAAADzQ/cOQd3dfkTGo/s640/IMG_9514.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tommy Tallarico: creator, video game composer</span> playing his bad ass guitar</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ambxr6ngGIY/T6X2gfK0ahI/AAAAAAAADzY/dQQF18rjw0Y/s1600/IMG_9521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ambxr6ngGIY/T6X2gfK0ahI/AAAAAAAADzY/dQQF18rjw0Y/s640/IMG_9521.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> the dude from Halo</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4QA19b388Q/T6X2nc4dDdI/AAAAAAAADzg/nHE6HL--T5g/s1600/IMG_9523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4QA19b388Q/T6X2nc4dDdI/AAAAAAAADzg/nHE6HL--T5g/s640/IMG_9523.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>This was the most worth it moment of the night --late night happy hour at Hank's!! $1 oysters, Shrimp cocktail, shrimp boil, and ceviche! wooohoo!</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oD_Dvp-viQA/T6X2zQb08kI/AAAAAAAADzo/BODILvRFMqw/s1600/IMG_9526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oD_Dvp-viQA/T6X2zQb08kI/AAAAAAAADzo/BODILvRFMqw/s640/IMG_9526.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>2) DRAGON BOAT PRACTICE</b></div>
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We're on the APABA-DC (asian lawyers club) team for the Dragon Boat Festival this year! Our team name is Bakuwanas. APABA-DC enters in 2 teams each year, Water and Fire. We decided to be "hard core" and be on the FIREEE team! We've been training for several Sundays now and practice has been rough since I lack stamina, ab and back muscles and pretty much have no strength and power. But I love paddling and being out on the water and learning something new!</div>
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The festival's on May 19th weekend. Hopefully I can get some good shots of us being out on the water. It's gonna be cray!</div>
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http://www.dragonboatdc.com/</div>
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<i>First Sunday practice down by the pier - next to the seafood market and the crab boil--so cruel.</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wi2B0ygq4o/T6X8UIeoIPI/AAAAAAAADz8/vzw0qIsS9Mg/s1600/IMG_9556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wi2B0ygq4o/T6X8UIeoIPI/AAAAAAAADz8/vzw0qIsS9Mg/s640/IMG_9556.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>3) WEDDING!</b></div>
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<b>Albert and Christine gets married in S.F</b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6laXqjy78eI/T6YC5ySLmbI/AAAAAAAAD04/9uvSZ8xHNKw/s1600/IMG_9751.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6laXqjy78eI/T6YC5ySLmbI/AAAAAAAAD04/9uvSZ8xHNKw/s640/IMG_9751.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b> </b><i>For more photos:</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101230564820043.3015080.1207448&type=1&l=673d4c82cf">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101230564820043.3015080.1207448&type=1&l=673d4c82cf</a></div>
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<i>It's always fun to come home, eat, and catch up with every one! But as usual, too short of a trip =(</i></div>
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<i>Vietnamese lunch with family and some old college friends in San Jose, CA</i></div>
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<img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9yRmZ4H2FY/T6YEoAJNyFI/AAAAAAAAD1g/_Yw56f-dotE/s640/IMG_9957.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGvbwn2o-tE/T6YEd6RCeAI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/Lsu79qfdcKA/s640/IMG_9956.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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<i>My littler sister aka "The Booger"</i></div>
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<i> The nephew aka Lemon Head (b/c he has giant ears)</i></div>
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<i>Delicious grilled beef wrapped with onions!</i></div>
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<i>BOBA time!!! Real mature boogs, real mature</i></div>
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<i>My cousin Evelyn, aka "young goat" </i></div>
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<i> Skipping back to the van!</i></div>
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<i> <b>GO BEARS</b> =D I'm a menace!</i></div>
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<i>At Jacky's house for some Kinect fun</i><i> </i></div>
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<i>And because we're ghetto, we also jacked some lemons from Jacky's lemon tree! </i></div>
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<i>Another awesome trip back home! And to top it off, we flew back on the BEARD!!! on Virgin America! </i><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: orange;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: orange;">GO GIANTS</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/fly-bye-baby-san-francisco-giants-plane_n_1389893.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/fly-bye-baby-san-francisco-giants-plane_n_1389893.html </a></div>
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<b>4) PRESIDENT OBAMA!</b></div>
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<i>I also met the President this month! Nearly lost my mind and could not contain my excitement..hence the crazy looking photos with my giant mouth wide open and crossed eyes..Definitely one of the best moments of my life! </i></div>
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<i><b> </b></i></div>
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<i>He's amazing...I'm gonna cry</i></div>
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<i> omg omg omg I look crazy!</i></div>
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<i>I'm surprised that asian secret service didn't tranquilize me</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YOW279O1SkM/T6YAVUnKB5I/AAAAAAAAD0g/kEeg2UfwvnU/s1600/IMG_4389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YOW279O1SkM/T6YAVUnKB5I/AAAAAAAAD0g/kEeg2UfwvnU/s640/IMG_4389.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>For more photos:</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101242204523983.3016542.1207448&type=1&l=17199ba80f"><i>http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101242204523983.3016542.1207448&type=1&l=17199ba80f</i></a></div>
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<b>5) FOOD!</b></div>
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<i>Tried out a new Peruvian place!</i><b> </b></div>
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<i>http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-chalan-restaurant-washington</i><b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pw2VMuyeELo/T6YQY4BrrkI/AAAAAAAAD28/Z8IjOSX0Log/s1600/IMG_9123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pw2VMuyeELo/T6YQY4BrrkI/AAAAAAAAD28/Z8IjOSX0Log/s640/IMG_9123.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> My pisco sour cocktail: grape distilled brandy, key lime juice, beaten egg whites for the frothy foam, topped with cinnamon</i></div>
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<i>Knocked me out!</i></div>
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<i>One of my favorite Peruvian dishes</i></div>
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<i>lomo saltado - stripped beef sauteed w/ fried potato, onion, and tomato, served w/ rice </i></div>
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<i>Camarones a la Limena: shrimp sauteed in butter..</i></div>
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<i>you can't go wrong! </i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGVFrcqRHjo/T6YQnPQlMfI/AAAAAAAAD3M/bm2WJrg06UU/s1600/IMG_9128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGVFrcqRHjo/T6YQnPQlMfI/AAAAAAAAD3M/bm2WJrg06UU/s640/IMG_9128.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Spicy peanut sauce! </i></div>
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<b> </b><i>Parihuela - seafood soup </i></div>
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<i>Seafood tasted ok--probably a frozen mix. But the giant clam was delicious! </i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2X5Urrshz0/T6YUCBF4_iI/AAAAAAAAD4I/CUH4oEdrbsg/s1600/IMG_9133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2X5Urrshz0/T6YUCBF4_iI/AAAAAAAAD4I/CUH4oEdrbsg/s640/IMG_9133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Not the best flan I've ever had but I can't resist flan!!! </i></div>
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<b>6) MEET JOE BLACK</b></div>
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<i>Joey--the new addition to our family!!!</i></div>
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<br />Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-13626455358602345552012-04-12T11:25:00.001-04:002012-04-12T11:25:40.647-04:00Chasin' Tails<div style="text-align: left;">
The opening of a new crawfish joint in the neighborhood deserves a "HELL YES!" "THANK GOD" "WOOHOO" post. <br />
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This reminds me of when I first moved to Orange County and had crawfish boil for the first time. I came home sniffing my fingers, re-salivated, and demanded we go back the next day. Weekly crawfish $80 meals became a must!! Our wallets got skinnier, we developed back fat and major heart burn but it was alllll soooo worth it.<br />
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O.C (randomly) had so many options. When my first choice Boiling Crab wasn't available, I ran to my next favorite--Claws or Rockin' Crawfish. When that wasn't available there was The Kickin' Crab near our house. As long as it's spicy and I got limes--it'll be a finger lickin' good ol' time.</div>
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Then I moved to D.C. I am all for new adventures in a new city because I had no doubt that I would eat my way around town to find delicious food. But crawfish boil in a bag is a rarity and it was the one thing D.C couldn't satisfy me with--with the exception of Hot n' Juicy which was great in times of emergencies when my crawfish cravings possessed me--but their sauce was too unpredictable and inconsistent--and the other cajun places around town didn't do boils.</div>
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But just last weekend, a new crawfish place opened in the neighborhood <i>(drum roll) </i> ......... </div>
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<b><em>CHASIN' TAILS!</em></b></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/chasin-tails-crawfish-arlington">http://www.yelp.com/biz/chasin-tails-crawfish-arlington</a> </i><b><br /></b></div>
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<em>Whoever opened this place did their research and down right stole some ideas and learned the mistakes of Boiling Crab (i.e naming their combo sauce "whole shebang", having a "watering hole" instead of closed bathrooms doors, not watering down the sauce and sheisting us on corn, sausages and potatoes!!) and they did a few things that we found to be excellent in their own right.</em><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-etYCb3Ueo_I/T4ZUN_d0RDI/AAAAAAAADwk/wU5hRsuZq2g/s1600/IMG_9532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-etYCb3Ueo_I/T4ZUN_d0RDI/AAAAAAAADwk/wU5hRsuZq2g/s640/IMG_9532.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<em>We came at linner time--around 4 p.m. I saw lots of Vietnamese faces as well--ofcourse, wherever the seafood is, there we are!</em></div>
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<em>Random: One of my favorite shirts the servers had on: <strong>"That fish CRAY!"</strong></em></div>
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<em>Lets get down to business:</em></div>
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<em>*1 coke to share, 2 waters</em></div>
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<em>*2 lbs of fresh crawfish (which came with corn, sausage, and potatoes) Whole Shebang, N'awlins spicy</em></div>
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<em>*1 fried oyster basket, please substitue regular fries for sweet potato fries (yum!) for $1 more (our server ended up giving us regular fries for free! yay!)</em></div>
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<em>*1 basket of 6 chicken wings</em></div>
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<em>*and for later, your beignets (fried to order) and strawberry jam (freshly made every morning)</em></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OaN7yJylJCM/T4ZRorGg_nI/AAAAAAAADuU/9aOV6hCGWTU/s1600/IMG_9535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OaN7yJylJCM/T4ZRorGg_nI/AAAAAAAADuU/9aOV6hCGWTU/s640/IMG_9535.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><em>Crap..i'm salivating again</em> </div>
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<em>sweating and hot from the spicy n'awlings heat already</em></div>
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<em>fried oysters..so fresh, so clean, so juicy tasting--and lightly battered in cornmeal</em> </div>
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<br /><em>The wings!!! Fried and then tossed in a wet garlic rub! Juicy on the inside as well but George said they could use a bit more salt.</em></div>
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<em>His excited face!</em></div>
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<em>I love sweet potato fries =)</em><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>And lastly, the beignets..small dainty fried things sitting on a mountain of powdered sugar next to fresh strawberry jam</em></div>
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<i>I devoured these</i></div>
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<i>That damn jam is so good, my eyes are crossed! </i></div>
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<em> Not bad for us!</em></div>
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<em>Let the hearburn and stomach pains ensue!</em></div>
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<em>Next food goal trip: taste the real crawfish boil and beignets in N'awlins Louisiana!</em></div>
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<br /><strong>My food motto: You gotta eat good!</strong></div>
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<strong>In the words of my wise cousin Evelyn, YOLO!! </strong></div>
</div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-35877822328147473442012-04-01T10:10:00.001-04:002012-04-01T10:24:42.436-04:00100th Anniversary: National Cherry Blossom Festival<br />
Lately my weekend's been limited to just Sundays but no amount of work is going to stop me from greeting spring with open arms--especially when every Washingtonian has raved about how gorgeous spring in D.C would be. <br />
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<i>Sneaking out of work on a Saturday to go down the block to snap some photos</i>.</div>
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<i>(It's been a blessing getting to work near the white house--lunch breaks are a special treat. But..random bomb threats--are not so fun!</i>)</div>
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<i>Tourist season has started with this gorgeous weather and Cherry Blossom Festival! Segway tour group mania in front of the White House.</i></div>
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<i>This makes it incredibly hard to stay indoors!!</i></div>
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<h1 style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<i>National Cherry Blossom Festival's 100th Anniversary</i></h1>
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<i>In 1912, Tokyo, Japan gifted DC with 3,000 cherry blossom trees to be planted around the Tidal Basin in East and West Potomac Park and on the grounds of the
Washington Monument. This year's National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the centennial celebration and is expected to bring in...a butt load of tourists. The festival was scheduled to begin on April 27 for a five-week
celebration. But thanks to March's extra weird warm weather, flowers and cherry blossoms bloomed, peaked and have since fallen since March 22nd. Once bloom, they last for only 7 days so we made it our top priority to make time to go watch these beauties before they all disappear. </i><br />
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<i>Last Sunday, we walked from VA to D.C across the Memorial Bridge to the Tidal Basin. We were greeted by my all time favorite flowers--tulips!!! They were blooming everywhere!!!</i></div>
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<i> Once we reached the north side of D.C's Tidal Basin, there are over 100 varieties of tulips that bloom every year. A total of about 10,000 Holland bulbs in a dazzling
array of colors and varieties are planted and cared for by the National
Park Service. And best of all, it's FREE to stroll amongst these beautiful babies! Great exercise and low budget activity!</i></div>
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<i>Did you know that tulips are first known to
have graced the palaces of Turkish royalty and were brought to the U.S.
via Europe by the early European settlers? </i></div>
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<i>We were laughing b/c it seemed someone got lazy and accidentally threw some red ones in with the yellow tulip patch</i></div>
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<i>We made it to the basin!!</i> <i>The cherry blossoms peaked Wednesday March 22nd because it was so warm but we couldn't make it out! </i></div>
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<i>The extra warm weather caused a huge frenzy amongst the trees' caretaker since they were going to bloom too early which meant no cherry blossoms for the latter majority of the festival. </i></div>
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<i>We had good timing and came on the open ceremony Sunday of the festival and caught a great firework show!</i></div>
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<i>The area and grounds are covered in pink petals--absolutely gorgeous</i></div>
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<i>So glad we caught sight of them before they all fell off...</i></div>
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<i>Renting a peddle boat to awe in the surrounding sights! Naturally George steered and peddled while I ooed - aahed--and snapped a bagillion pics!</i></div>
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<i>From the water--in front of Thomas Jefferson's memorial </i></div>
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<i>Trying to jam our giant faces into the picture--fail</i></div>
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<i>A view of Martin Luther King's memorial </i> </div>
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<i>Along the banks of the basin</i> </div>
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<i>Weeee! I feel so freee! </i></div>
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<i>N<b>ak Won Korean Restaurant, Annandale VA</b></i></div>
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<i> Walking and doing touristy stuff makes you mighty hungry</i> <i>so we metroed back to VA, hopped in the Corolla (aka named Mo'nique) and drove to Koreatown in Annandale, VA to eat linner at 4 p.m</i></div>
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<i>We were told to try this place because they have fresh pork belly! mmm...I love bbq fat!</i></div>
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<i>My hands are shaking--hence the blurry shot--from strong sensations of hungriness and salivations.</i></div>
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<i>This dish hit the spot--fried octopus..spicy, tender, a bit sweet, amazing with rice!</i> </div>
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<i>and since we were in the Korean area, I had to get bingsoo!</i></div>
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...<i>I get really excited when I eat good</i>!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>For more information on The National Cherry Blossom festivities: visit, http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/</i></span></div>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-45993044506941867092012-03-31T22:19:00.001-04:002012-03-31T22:19:45.369-04:00D.C Barred!Thank you D.C for finallllyy letting me in!! It only took 6 months for my application to be approved! But now I'm barred in CA and D.C--which just means more papers that I can't afford to buy frames for..<br />
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<i>Swearing in ceremony on January 26, 2012</i></div>
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<br />Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-59703966104278975222012-03-31T21:35:00.004-04:002012-04-02T15:58:39.532-04:00ArtPhew! It's been a hot minute. My last post was in February and now we're beginning April! Time has flown by so fast and it's about to be a year since we've moved from California...this is insane!<br />
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At the beginning of the year I made a conscious effort to do several things that's been on my to-do list since... high school! One of them being ART CLASSES =D -- nothing to do with school to further my career or to make money but simply for pure happiness.<br />
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So a couple of months ago I enrolled in a portraits art class in my neighborhood and got the great experience of drawing live models and exploring different mediums I've never pushed myself to try. It kinda sucked working a 10 hour day then going to a night class for 2.5 hrs, squinting, trying to draw a model, and make her look semi human. But I'm so happy I did it!<br />
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Unfortunately work started taking over my Mondays - Saturdays so I had to quit but I managed to attend a majority of the 8 classes and even checked out the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery for some inspiration. It was definitely one of the most rewarding thing I've ever made time for myself to do.<br />
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<i>Here we are in February--ready for some art!</i></div>
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<i>Hehehhe one of my favorites</i></div>
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<i>LL Cool J!!</i></div>
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<i>I could not believe this was not a photo of Maya Angelou but acrylic on canvas..holy smokes! </i></div>
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<i>The inside courtyard of this museum is simply breathtaking! You can come here to study, read, relax...absolutely beautiful. And it's filled with beautiful live orchids! </i></div>
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<i>These quotes and portraits inspired me to draw freely in my own art class. Here are some of my own creations:</i></div>
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<i>Live model</i>, <i>loose vine charcoal </i></div>
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<i>I am most proud of this one because it was all drawn with my LEFT hand! ...Who knew my left hand had any coordination...?!</i></div>
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<i>Live model, pencil, white charcoal pencil on mi-teintes gray drawing paper </i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9U1UtgZf2tI/T3erSQIkyLI/AAAAAAAADl8/uGRF86iAI_w/s1600/IMG_9448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9U1UtgZf2tI/T3erSQIkyLI/AAAAAAAADl8/uGRF86iAI_w/s640/IMG_9448.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J9kGmXot4gE/T3ercUy5NcI/AAAAAAAADmE/ARy4NoDHosk/s1600/IMG_9451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J9kGmXot4gE/T3ercUy5NcI/AAAAAAAADmE/ARy4NoDHosk/s640/IMG_9451.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>My first attempt at doing a straight on self-portrait with water color, without sketching..</i></div>
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<i>oy...NO bueno.</i> </div>
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<i>Feeling loooosee, I decided to practice some more with water color on a sketch of a pomegranate I did a few years back</i></div>
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<i>Then I brought a giant water color brush and decided to paint this portrait and finally let water color do what it does best..run, smudge, bleed, and create on its own. Being an extreme control freak...this felt wonderfully free.</i> </div>
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<i>Unfinished</i></div>
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<i>Watercolor--not just for kids!</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ne_y4XA5vJA/T3ervnVWiDI/AAAAAAAADmk/ujj1HicMapY/s1600/IMG_9462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ne_y4XA5vJA/T3ervnVWiDI/AAAAAAAADmk/ujj1HicMapY/s640/IMG_9462.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Random--I found this picture in my old sketch book. This was a chair, draped with my favorite travel bag, in my room/apartment in Italy when I was traveling abroad in 2005.</i></div>
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<b><i>Hopefully this inspires you to let loose and create your own art in whatever medium frees you !</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Thank you for reading =)</i></b></div>
<br />Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-56401539393352058982012-02-12T22:27:00.000-05:002012-02-12T22:27:01.417-05:00Weekend Staples<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've posted this place before but I'd like to dedicate this post to my most favorite, favorite, favorite Szechuan restaurant--Joe's Noodle House. We literally MUST come here every other weekend (we have 3 frequent diners card from here!). A weekend without Joes feels empty and incomplete. My great love for numbing spicy szechuan food makes the fiery heartburn (and ahem, other burning sensations) the morning after soooooo worth it!!! </div>
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<i><b>Joes</b>--Rockville, MD</i></div>
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YOU COMPLETE ME!</div>
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<i>Saturday and Sunday afternoons are pretty bad--longgg lines--since this place also isn't very big! </i></div>
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<i>a MUST order #1: spicy porkchops </i></div>
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<i>I've got my eye on you pork chop!</i> </div>
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<i>We saw a neighboring table eating these crispy fried dough. I'm a sucker for these with porridge! Great, hot, fresh, and crispy. Too bad the porridge was super bland! </i></div>
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<i> a MUST order #2: an even spicier fried tofu with minced pork</i>! <i>GOD where have you been all my life!</i></div>
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<i>mmmmmmmm..garlicky greeen beans-- </i></div>
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<i>AND must have #3 to complete the weekend: Boba from Bubble Tea Cafe--Rockville </i></div>
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<i>A 32 oz. lychee boba with lychee jellayyy and honey green tea</i> <i>with small balls</i></div>
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<i>=D YEEEEE =D </i></div>
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<br />Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6255511847490710157.post-7092318430780138652012-02-12T19:23:00.001-05:002012-02-12T19:23:59.088-05:00My Mama's Bun Rieu<br />
I ran outside today in flats and a light coat to go for a walk thinking it was sunny and warm. Yikes! It was 27 degrees and there was snow on the ground. I ran back inside and decided to make Bun Rieu!<br />
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I like making Bun Rieu at home more than buying it at Vietnamese restaurants since they always use ground pork and fried tofu in the broth. This recipe's straight from my mama, who only uses lumps of crab meat and lots of tomatoes! <br />
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<i>I used to buy dungeness crab and hand pull the meat out but that took way too long. I found out that you can buy crab meat (thanks Caren!) at Costco!</i></div>
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<i>Giant tomatoes! </i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_Vuq33QjME/TzhO96966HI/AAAAAAAADh8/yKuxEbDLzb0/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_Vuq33QjME/TzhO96966HI/AAAAAAAADh8/yKuxEbDLzb0/s640/IMG_0071.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
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<i>The beginning of a delicious, tomatoe-y, crabby broth</i></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HcIjFNMTW7s/TzhPAvZKhcI/AAAAAAAADiE/a_9jhcKI7_k/s1600/IMG_0072.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HcIjFNMTW7s/TzhPAvZKhcI/AAAAAAAADiE/a_9jhcKI7_k/s640/IMG_0072.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<i>Making crab patties</i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aIuDhjaMH4Y/TzhPCs8v_4I/AAAAAAAADiM/OTtbDvrSVy0/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aIuDhjaMH4Y/TzhPCs8v_4I/AAAAAAAADiM/OTtbDvrSVy0/s640/IMG_0073.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Frying crab patties </i></div>
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<br /><i>READY =D</i></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-piS8VClTxDo/TzhPI5NhiRI/AAAAAAAADic/yPQaEPJSW0g/s1600/IMG_0075.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-piS8VClTxDo/TzhPI5NhiRI/AAAAAAAADic/yPQaEPJSW0g/s640/IMG_0075.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<i>I can eat this for days...</i></div>
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<i>Perfect and comforting on a cold day =)</i></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LnrXmhy8dUU/TzhPLDx6oKI/AAAAAAAADik/ZN0viADWnJE/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LnrXmhy8dUU/TzhPLDx6oKI/AAAAAAAADik/ZN0viADWnJE/s640/IMG_0079.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-piS8VClTxDo/TzhPI5NhiRI/AAAAAAAADic/yPQaEPJSW0g/s1600/IMG_0075.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a>Tam Minty Phamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208352546940586158noreply@blogger.com3