Sweet and Savory Sweet Potato Latkes

During one of my office potlucks, a co-worker brought in some homemade latkes. It was the first time I had latkes and I was hooked! She had made the classic latkes, but mentioned that you could literally add anything you want to the latkes depending on your taste. Since we are a big fan of sweet potato, spices, and herbs, Chris and I threw together some sweet and savory sweet potato latkes.

Caramelized the chopped onion on medium-low
 heat for about 20 minutes

3 large grated sweet potatoes

6 eggs

Lightly beaten

Gently fold together all ingredients except the sour cream

Cook 1/ cup of mix over medium heat, in 1/4 inch of oil.
Cook about 2 minutes on each side or till golden

Bake at 350 degrees in the oven for
about 15 minutes or till nice and crispy

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet onions
• canola oil
• 3 large sweet potatoes, grated and excess water squeezed out using a towel
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 garlic bulbs, minced
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped
• sour cream or applesauce to top the latkes

Directions:

Over medium-low heat, saute the chopped onions with a little bit of oil. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions have caramelized.

In a large bowl, gently fold all ingredients except the sour cream. Then heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the latke mixture into the skillet and lightly flatten with a spatula. Cook the latke for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake the cooked latkes for an additional 15 minutes or till nice and crispy. Enjoy the latkes with a dollop of sour cream or applesauce!

~Hong

1. 
   

My New Favorite Wedges

I must admit, I am not one to endure pain for fashion. I simply like to be comfortable. However, I don't believe you have to give up fashion in order to be comfortable and these TOMS wedges prove just that.

I bought mine from Nordstroms, which has free shipping and returns. Link here: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/toms-desert-bootie-women/3293448?origin=keywordsearch&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=Black+Suede&resultback=0.

They are made with a suede outside, fabric lining, 2 1/2 inch heel and a rubber sole. For me, they were true to size and can be worn with a thin pair of socks or without. Online, they were described these as a taupe, but it's more a simple light grey which I love! They are extremely versatile and can easily be dressed up or down with jeans, leggings, skirts or shorts. What impressed me most about these shoes, is I can be on my feet for a good 8 hours and still be comfortable! Chris did spray my wedges down with two coats of suede protector in hopes of keeping them safe from the rain and make them easier to clean.

I love these wedges so much that I also got a pair in chestnut:

These are just as adorable and comfortable as the taupe!

~Hong

Corn Salad

The holidays are coming and there will be plenty of food to eat! For Thanksgiving, all of my siblings bring a dish or two to my parents for dinner. That way, one person isn't left with cooking all day long. Chris and I are usually in charged of the ham, but this time, I also wanted to make a simple and healthy side dish. My family loves vegetables so I literally decided to empty my cupboards and refrigerator to make a salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (15 oz each) sweet corn
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans
• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 bunch of green onion, chopped
• 25 mini tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, extract the juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and gently fold together. 

Cover and refrigerate over night. 

Drain excess fluid before serving.

Makes about 10 cups.

Enjoy!

~Hong

Mac 'N Cheese

Who in the world does not love homemade macaroni and cheese? I know I do!  I have made this recipe multiple times and it is always a hit. In fact, my work expects me to make this for every potluck! It's actually very simple and quick to whip up, but would beat any boxed mac 'n cheese any day!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz box of elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup of butter, cubed. 1 Tbsp set aside
• 1/2 cup all-purposed flour
• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 8 oz sour cream
• 8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided (1/4 cup for cream sauce, 1/4 cup for topping)
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (2 cups to mix with elbows, 1 cup for topping)

Cook the elbow macaroni as directed on the package, but decrease the time by 1-2 minutes. Drain the macaroni and toss with 1 Tbsp of butter and 2 cups of cheddar cheese. 

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the cubed butter on medium heat. Stir in flour till smooth and then slowly add the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir continuously until it thickens (about 2-4 minutes). Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream, Velveeta, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, ground mustard and pepper until completely melted and smooth.

If I am making this for a potluck, I like to placed the drained macaroni tossed in cheddar cheese into a crock pot, fold in cream sauce, sprinkle on top with the remaining cheddar and parmesan cheese and finish it at work. That way, it is hot and nice and fresh for the party. I usually put it on high for about hours before serving.

If I am making it for dinner at home, I place the the macaroni tossed in cheddar cheese in a large baking dish, fold in the cream sauce, sprinkle the top with the remaining cheddar and parmesan cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the top is brown and golden.

Eventually I would like to incorporate some smoked Gouda in this dish since that is my favorite cheese! I will let you know how that goes. Enjoy!

~Hong

Rescued

Growing up, my family never owned a pet. So when I "grew up" and got married, the first thing I wanted was to add a pet to our family. My one and only requirement was I wanted to adopt a pet from a rescue or humane society. I simply could not justify paying hundreds of dollars to buy an animal from a breeder when there were so many animals abused, abandoned, and left in a predicament that they had absolutely no control over. I viewed owning a pet as seriously as having a child and I could not comprehend how people could choose to hurt and neglect their pets. So I was determined to give one a true forever home.

If you have read an earlier post, you know that we previously adopted a Siamese cat named Simon and a German Shephard/Rottweiler mix dog, Bandit. We lost Bandit in July after a grueling battle with leukemia and Simon just seemed a little lonely and sad. We were not quite ready for another dog, so we decided to search for a little girl kitty and here is our new addition:

We named her Ava! She is a two months old Calico, domestic lynx mix, her coloring is absolutely gorgeous and she has these mesmerizing green/yellow eyes. She is just the sweetest thing and a vicious cuddle bug! Of course she is from a humane society and the staff was overjoyed to adopt her out! They were concerned that she may not find a home because of her short tail, which is literally about two inches long. They are still unsure whether this is due to a congenital birth defect or her lynx blood, but we loved her nub of a tail.

We were told it may take weeks to months for two cats to tolerate one another and it is recommended to take the process extremely slow. To help ease Simon into having a new little sister, we kept Ava in a large kennel in our guest bathroom for the first few days when we were not home to physically hold her as we walked around the house. We also exchanged blankets so they would get use to each other's scent. Starting on the third day, we had supervised play time and after a few hisses from Simon, they were good to go. Simon warmed up a lot faster than we expected and Ava just loves her big brother!

So rescue a little one for a lifetime of love and fun!

~Hong

Beef Stew Crock Pot

Fall is here and I can feel that slight chill in the air! Both fall and winter always bring on the craving of good old comfort food. One of my absolute favorite is a crock pot beef stew. Chris and I would prepare it in the morning and enjoy the delicious smell of it cooking all day long. Here is how I make mine:

• 2 lbs of stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 carrots, chopped
• About 15 unpeeled mini-potatoes, cute into halves or quarters if they are large
• We personally like the mixed potatoes of yellow, red, and purples that you can get at Costco
• 2 cans (28 oz total) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp of chili paste (optional or decrease the amount for less spiciness)
• 3 cups of reduced sodium beef broth, divided
• 1 can (15 oz) corn
• 3 medium bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange), chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste

Fill your crock pot with the sweet onion, carrots, potatoes, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic and chili paste. Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and brown the beef in small batches at a time and transfer the meat into the crock pot. Pour 2 cups of the reduced sodium beef broth over the mixture and gently stir. Cover and cook on low for about 8-10 hours.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of reduced sodium beef broth and flour until you create a smooth paste. Add to the stew along with the corn, bell peppers, salt and pepper about 30 minutes before serving.

Finally, eat and enjoy!

~Hong

Glitter Nail Polish

I must admit that lately, I have developed an obsession for glitter nail polish! So when Ulta had a buy one, get one free Butter London nail polish, I was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. I have actually never tried Butter London's nail polish, but I have heard great things about it including color pay-off, sustainability, and being free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP and parabens.

To start myself off slow, I choose only two nail polishes. Just by looking at the picture online, I knew I would LOVE Lovely Bubbly and sure enough I did! It is a beautiful purple base with red, blue, and gold glitter mixed in. Two coats will provide sufficient coverage, but I personally liked the deep hue I achieved by three coats.

I used the same base and top coat as I usually do, Rimmel's Base Coat/Top Coat Pro and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. As mentioned in a previous post, I like the Rimmel as a base coat, but not so much as a top coat, hence, I tend to reach for the Seche Vite for that job.

I must admit that I am pretty picky about my nail polish's brush, which the Butter London brush was not necessarily my favorite, but it was not bad either. I prefer a flat brush and the Butter London brush was more round. However, I do like that the brush is slim and short, which allows for better control.

So far, it has stayed put without any chipping for four grueling days and I have received so many compliments! I recently bought six more Butter London nail polishes during another sale on Ulta that I cannot wait to try so come visit soon for updates of my favorites!

~Hong