California Dreamin'...

Major update on my so called life. Back in December 2014, E and I were driving home from church. More like, we went to church, drove around for 45 minutes looking for parking, gave up and decided to go home, sad at yet another attempt to find parking near our church in Brooklyn. During our drive, E turned to me and said, "I think I'm ready to leave NYC." Gasp! I had been wanting to leave for quite a while although that desire had been waxing and waning for years. But in the more recent months, the need to figure out next steps in life made certain things very clear to me: 1) We did not want to live anywhere else but Brooklyn (and only certain areas of Brooklyn), Manhattan (again, only certain areas) and Queens (only I was open to the idea of heading back to Queens, and again, only certain areas). The idea of moving to Long Island or deeper into any of the outer boroughs to accommodate a family was just not something we were excited to do, 2) other than my sister and cousin, we really did not have family in NYC anymore, 3) a majority of the family we wanted to be near to were on the west coast, and 4) if we ever wanted to buy a home, we would get more for our money in anywhere but NYC.

Of course there were a billion other pros and cons. And the biggest problem was that we were both very much in love with NYC. And we had a very good situation going on...why mess things up? We both had pretty "easy" jobs given our professions, we had a large and amazing one bedroom apartment in a great neighborhood, with parking and very below market rent, we were close to all our friends...but we were in a constant state of "gray" - are we moving? are we not? do we lay down roots here? And to be frank, I was so over it. So off we went to visit Los Angeles in early March and while we were there, God must have blessed this decision because I went on 6 interviews at 3 different places, E went on 1, and within a few days after flying back to NYC, E had a job offer and I was still doing my next round of interviews. By week 2 since our return, I too had a job. Six weeks later, we were gone.

Now we are here in sunny CA. It's different, it will take some adjusting. The people are so much nicer here, but IMHO, they just do not have the hustle. I'm sick and tired of going to Target, buying a bunch of little things, and then having to gather everything into my arms because I forgot to bring my own bags. Or dealing with awful awful LA drivers who are completely absorbed in their own safety or their phones, and therefore become irresponsible and reckless drivers (can you tell how much I hate them?). But I love going to Trader Joe's on a Saturday afternoon and having no lines. Or people who say "hello" "how are you" "goodnight" just as you are walking by. And I love that most of my fruits and veggies come from the many farmers markets in the neighborhood. And I love that I get to work right across the street from the beach (albeit in business formal).

We are learning, adjusting, figuring things out. But regardless, I am so grateful that this move even happened at all, as smoothly as it did, and with both of us having jobs. God is good.

A Love Affair with Breakfast Sandwiches

Dear Reader,

Pre-Made Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches

Does this happen to you? You open your eyes to a beautiful weekend morning, sun is shining, your mind begins to wander to all the things you want to accomplish for the day, and then *grumble grumble*. Your friend the appetite monster begins making some unreasonable demands - something about "breakfast now!" and "where is my coffee!" and "HELLO we've been on a fast for 7 whole hours, where is the FOOD?"

I can relate. This is me on a consistent weekend (and weekday) basis. I've written about my hangry stage (appears around 4pm every weekday), now you meet the appetite monster. So much of my world is driven by a narrow agenda - my next meal.

My usual breakfast cravings are for hearty breakfast sandwiches. In an effort to save time (get. in. my. belly.) and money, I decided to take an hour to pre-make breakfast sandwiches in bulk, package and freeze them for easy consumption. Huge success, even E loved them and brought a few for lunch! Super convenient, super cheap and super easy.

Mangia! Mangia! Homemade Fresh Ricotta!

Dear Reader,

I've mentioned in past stories of dinner parties where I tried my hand at making homemade Ricotta. If you haven't tried making cheese at home, please do! And then tell me all about it because Ricotta is the only one I've made so far. I've heard that Mozzarella is also fairly easy to make, but the added ingredient of rennet always deters me (gotta find it, then go get it, you know, first world problems). One day I'll make Mozzarella, and lay freshly grown tomatoes and basil leaves on it from my organic garden, the garden that I hope will one day exist in my reality instead of just in my food fantasies. In the meantime, Ricotta will do because it's very very simple to make and is sure to wow any dinner party. I use the Ina Garten recipe, which only requires 4 simple ingredients. You can dress up the cheese however you like - my favorite is to use fresh herbs like dill, chives or even rosemary.

For my last dinner party I made this cheese plain and turned it into a delicious bruschetta with heirloom cherry tomatoes and reduced balsamic vinaigrette on top of a crusty baguette buttered to the nines. Simple, affordable, and made with a lot of love.

Homemade Ricotta - adapted from Ina Garten

Curds and Whey

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
4 cups of whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (white vinegar is fine)


Pour the milk and cream into a pot, preferably stainless steel or enameled and add the salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat (so as not to burn the liquid) and stir occasionally. Once the liquids have come to a boil, add the vinegar and stir. Leave the liquid to stand for about 1-2 minutes. You will start to see the liquid curdle, eventually separating into two parts, the curds and the whey (yellowish liquid). During this time, take out a cheese cloth and put it over a sieve or a tall bowl to allow the water to drip down. Pour the liquid into the bowl and let it drain for about 30 minutes. The longer you allow it to drain, the thicker the cheese will be. Make sure the liquid does not touch the cheese cloth. Once you are done, transfer the ricotta into a bowl and discard everything else (unless you want to keep the whey - that's for another recipe). You can serve the cheese immediately or you can cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Mcgyver'd Cheese Drainer

I didn't have a cheese cloth and used a nut milk bag instead, it worked fine. And since I didn't have a sieve big enough I Macgyver'd my way into hanging my nut milk bag onto a wooden ladle, which then hung over a stock pot. I also ended up draining my cheese for about 2 hours which made for extra thick ricotta. Very yummy.

A (Pork) Shoulder to Lean On

Dear Reader,

This past week and half has sped by so quickly. The holiday season is now over and I feel as if I never really got in the spirit, and now, it's too late. Our Christmas tree has been taken down, ornaments put away, and all of the holiday festivities are over. I always get a little blue from January - April, since these are the hibernating months in NYC. When winter really sets in and snow storms pass through overnight. When it's so cold that going out for a quick walk is just out of the question. The good news is that these are the perfect months for hearty stews and meats, roasted vegetables and even more dinner parties since going from house to house sounds so much nicer than going from venue to venue in the bitter cold.

Braised Pork Shoulder Goodness

Today, E and I decided to have a lazy day (these come all too often) and stay in instead of running much needed errands. We put on two pots of coffee, watched Sons of Anarchy and snuggled. Since we were staying in all day I decided to braise some pork shoulder in the oven, as inspired by a friend of mine when we visited her house. I've been trying to think of more dishes that could be made in bulk and saved for lunches and leftovers and affordable protein is always a plus. Pork shoulder (also known as pork butt) is relatively cheap at about $1.50-$2.00 per pound. For a healthier option, you can purchase pork shoulder raised without antibiotics for about $4.00-$4.99 per pound and still make a large amount without breaking the bank.

Braised pork shoulder is great because the actual prep time is very minimal, it's cheap, it can last for a long time, it's versatile and it's very difficult to mess up. I researched a few recipes and ended up making my own, but really, almost anything goes. This recipe is meant to be a guide, feel free to substitute with whatever you think will work. The Kitchn has a great post on the different ways to cook and use pork shoulder.

Homemade Honey Lemon Ginger Tea

Dear Reader,

A few days ago E turned to me and said, "I feel like I'm coming down with something." These words cause a million alarms to go off in my head because E is quite often sick and very very often tired (which leads to him be sick, etc.). Our remedy is to usually take a food based multi vitamin, probiotics, cod liver oil, and vitamin C. Oftentimes this does the trick but if we catch it too late we load him up with a cup of nice hot tea. Ginger, with its natural healing properties and the boost it gives to your immune system is key, but you need to take it fresh, raw and in large quantities. Here is my homemade recipe. I usually fill a mason jar and keep it in the fridge and it stays fresh for at least 3 weeks!

Honey Lemon Ginger Tea
Makes about 1 quart 

Ingredients

1 cup of grated or sliced ginger (about 5-6 medium sized ginger pieces)

3 lemons

8 ounces of honey (I usually end up using 12 ounces)

Honey Lemon Ginger Tea

Scrape off the skin of the ginger using a peeler or the back of a spoon. Once all the skin is off rinse the ginger to clean off any bits that may still be attached. You can thinly slice the ginger or you can put them into a food processor and purée.  I grated mine because I like to get it really small so that it's easier to consume and all the nice juices come out into the tea. Put into a bowl. Next, clean your lemons and zest the skin of two lemons into the ginger. Slice the lemon pieces and cut into quarters and add to the ginger. Then add the honey. Mix well and pour into a bottle (air tight if possible). You can drink some right away but it will get more potent when you let it marinate. After the tea has been in the jar for a day or two, the ginger taste will be noticeably spicier, but don't fear because that's the good stuff! Feel free to eat the ginger as well, the more the better. Turmeric is another great addition with some amazing healing properties. I haven't tried it yet, but hope to for my next round. Stay healthy this winter!

The Holiday Season and Cauliflower Puree

Dear Reader,

It's the holiday season, yet this year my holiday feeling-ness has been slow to come. Maybe because it has been warmer this year than the past, and there has hardly been any snow on the ground. Maybe because I have been feeling pretty lethargic and have yet to come up with a substantial list of holiday goods to bake or meals to make. Whatever it is, I have been slow to join the festivities and I want to rectify this asap. This week E and I have been on vacation, a staycation really, and we have been lazy McGees. All the ambitions of reorganizing our kitchen, de-cluttering, clearing out the linen closet, watching broadway shows and christmas concerts, long drives, etc., have flown out the window and we are instead here on the couch, where have been for the last 4 days. We did drive up to Rhinebeck and to the Culinary Institute of America to have their yummy apple pie and peanut butter latte at the Apple Pie Bakery. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves to cook - their bookstore alone is euphoric.

Cauliflower Puree

I have been thinking of holiday sweets to bake and have only come up with a few items, which I will post about later. For now, let's talk about cauliflower puree. Ever had it? If not, you are certainly missing out! E and I recently had it while in Montreal (which I will have to do a restaurant review of later because it was a culinary party in my mouth that must be memorialized) while at Hotel Herman, the best restaurant I have ever been to in my life. Big statement and I mean it. We had the guinea flower atop of a bed of cauliflower puree and after the entirety of the fowl was consumed, I could not stop spooning the puree into my mouth. Each spoonful was bliss. There were squeals of joy, giggling and lots of words with overuse of exclamation points. So when we returned, I decided to make some for our dinner party of 10.

Quick Homemade Dinner - Thai Curry Night

Dear Reader,

Tonight was one of those nights that was so similar to every other weeknight. I got into my car and raced home, starving, stomach eating into itself and I was angry at the world for putting so many obstacles in between me and my next meal. This is what hangry looks like. Hungry + Angry = Hangry. That's me at 6:00 p.m. The stomach rumbles usually start rolling in at around 4:00 p.m. where I then reach into my stash of Trader Joe's trail mix. By the time I'm on the road I've become an entirely different being. This. is. serious.

Nights like these mandate meals that are quick and easy to prepare, yet are still healthy, delicious and filling (for the very hungry man that lives with me). One such meal is my version of Red Thai Curry, a dish that is seemingly complex but is actually quite simple. Prep time is about 20 minutes (give or take) and ingredients can all be found at your local grocery store. Except for one ingredient, fish sauce, that is usually found in any Asian market.

Red Thai Curry
Makes enough for 3-4 bowls

Ingredients

1 14 oz. can of coconut milk (I use light coconut milk - you can use regular)
1 tablespoon of oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup of broth (chicken, beef or vegetable. If you don't have broth, you can use water instead)
2 tablespoons of red curry paste (you might want to add more curry paste as you taste test)
2 tablespoons of fish sauce (you might want to add more fish sauce as you taste test)
2 chicken breasts, diced
Mixed vegetables (I like to use broccoli, squash and carrots, but you can substitute with whatever you like)

Start by opening the can of coconut milk and setting it aside. You will need to reach for this quickly in the early stages, you'll see. In a saucepan, pour in the the oil and wait until it gets hot on medium heat. Then add the minced garlic, stirring until aromatic. Add the red curry paste, stirring quickly until the paste begins to loosen and spread. Careful, the oil with the paste will start "popping" and you may get hot paste shooting out at you! I like to mix for a few seconds, then quickly pour in the can of coconut milk, the broth, fish sauce and bay leaves and close the lid. If you haven't diced the chicken yet, you can do so while the liquid goodness continues to heat. Once the chicken is diced, add it to the liquid and simmer. After about 6-8 minutes, add in the vegetables and continue to simmer. Squash tends to cook quickly and gets mushy, so if you want to put it in a minute after the harder vegetables, do so, however, I tend to just put everything in at once.

Thai Coconut Milk Curry

So much of this recipe depends on your preference for the curry flavor. Taste test after the chicken has been cooking for at least 8 minutes. I usually end up putting a bit more curry (1/2 tbsp) and sometimes a bit more fish sauce. Once the veggies are soft, turn off the heat. Pour over a bowl of brown rice (or white, up to you), mix, and eat. Bon appetite!

There are a lot of versions of this recipe out there and I have tried a few. But in my opinion, a lot of the additional fuss doesn't make a huge difference for me, especially if I want this to be an easy go-to meal during a weeknight (and during my hangry moments). You can substitute tofu for the chicken. I take this opportunity to pack on the vegetables and like to include snow peas, cauliflower, etc. since this is one of the ways I can trick E to eating more veggies, and since he is also eating the broth a lot of the nutrients are still being consumed. Basil, lime basil, bamboo shoots, bell peppers and potatoes are also some additional flavors and veggies commonly included.

And Then There Was Cake

Dear Reader,

This weekend went by in a flash! I wish I had one more day just to myself to binge watch Gilmore Girls (please don't judge me....). But it's Sunday night and before I get myself ready for bed I wanted to do a post on something pretty amazing. Ice Box Cake. Have you heard of it? I hadn't either, until I listened to a podcast from Spilled Milk (my favorite! Next to Serial) and Molly and Matthew were discussing how easy it is to make Ice Box Cake. Since I was hosting a dinner party this weekend and attending another, I knew I wouldn't want to do much cooking for the latter but I wanted to bring something special and homemade. Ice Box Cake seemed to be the perfect solution, and Reader, it really was. Simple, sweet and it received way more credit than it deserved. The perfect contribution.

Traditionally, Ice Box Cake requires Nilla Wafers from Nabisco, you know the ones I'm talking about. Since they can be difficult to find and apparently they can also be pricey, I went to my good ole Trader Joe's where an appropriate substitute was readily available.

Ice Box Cake - adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

3 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar (I used coconut sugar, which gave the cream a beige tint)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 box of wafers (I used the Trader Joe's 13 oz. Ultimate Vanilla Wafers)

Fruit for topping (I used banana slices)

Vanilla Ice Box Cake

In an electric mixer combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until peaks start to form. On a flat plate, take a spoonful of the whipped cream and spread into a medium sized circle. This is to just hold the first layer of wafers in place. Place 7 wafers in a circle, with one in the middle. Add on another layer of whipped cream (about 1.5-2 heaping spoonfuls), and spread evenly across the cookies. Add on another layer of cookies. Continue until you are out of cookies and finish with a thick layer of whipped cream. Add fruit slices on top of the cake for decoration. You can leave as it is or sprinkle chocolate shavings, cinnamon, whatever you'd like. Voila! It can come out a little sloppy, but who cares, it's delicious!

Leave in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Bring it to your next dinner party, it'll be a hit!

Pistachio Pound Cake and Other Happenings

Dear Reader,

Time has been passing all too quickly in my little corner of the world. Halloween has already gone and November is here. Soon, with all the prepping and flurry of holiday festivities, it will be 2015 before you know it. I have developed a habit of counting time, a form of holding on, which I can't decide if it makes me more mindful and aware of time, appreciative, even, or if I am dreading the passing of time, mourning the loss of my "youth" (that has been long gone, I seem to also be struggling with denial). What I know is, the more you try to hold on the faster time seems to go and I have been trying to adopt the attitude of "life is short". Because it is, dear Reader. Take it from someone who has been carefully monitoring it. It goes by in a pinch.

Pistachio Pound Cake

Fall weather to me triggers pies, loaves of bread/pastries, and hearty stews. When I was a little girl, my father frequently baked a killer banana bread and zucchini bread. Until I was too old, I thought he had cleverly invented zucchini bread and swore that he was a culinary genius of his generation. Clearly he did not invent zucchini bread, but I still believe that his culinary endeavors were adventurous and exciting for a man of his age and circumstance. Pound cake was another one of his favorites, and so in memory of my "youth", I bring you Pistachio Pound Cake. Happy fall weather!

Pistachio Pound Cake - adapted from Leite's Culinaria

I substituted the granulated sugar with Coconut sugar, and used european unsalted butter. I also did not bother with the frosting since we planned to eat it over days for breakfast with coffee. E and i found the cake to be quite dense and a little flaky, but not as moist as I am used to for pound cake. Mr. David Leite has informed me that the lack of moisture may be due to the sugar substitution. Still, i loved the nutty texture added to my morning feed and found it to be a treat.

The Butcher, The Baker ...

Dear Reader,

We have been having some chilly and rainy fall days over here in Brooklyn, NY, but fall days in NYC are almost never wasted in my book and I love them all the same, just because they are part of the very few days that make up my favorite season. With that said, those grey days seem to be made for curling, cozying and cuddling into a favorite throw blanket and binge watching tv show after tv show, or book after book. Days like these call for something homemade and warm, like tea and a nice big piece of fluffy buttered toast. Toast! Aha! Says the brain. We shall make toast, and we shall make it chewy and soft just like the big loaves you can get at almost any Asian bakery. Have you tried them? If not, please do yourself this one great favor and go to your closest Asian bakery and buy a loaf. You can toast them, eat them plain, pull them apart - they are just pillowy and magnificent and so perfect. A statement toast, really. French pastry, I'm sorry, but you ain't got nothin' on Asian bread, a.k.a. Milk Bread, a.k.a. Hokkaido bread.

Fresh made Milk Bread for Saturday morning toast.

Here are two recipes. I have tried the NY Times version and may try the Food52 version next. I won't even attempt to write out the instructions since baking bread is quite a sensitive topic and instructions should be followed very closely.

Japanese Milk Bread Recipe - from the NY Times
Hokkaido Milk Bread Recipe - from Food52

My first batch (pictured above) came out fabulously. I baked into the night and it was well worth it. My second batch...not so much. I doubled the batch in order to get 2 loaves but something must have gone wrong. Lesson learned. If you are a fan of good bread, please make this. And make frequently.

What's for Dinner Tonight?

Dear Reader,

There are some days spent in Brooklyn where everything seems to just make sense. Work. All is well. Like putting that last piece of a puzzle together and looking with sudden clarity at the “big picture” – ohhh, so that’s what I spent hours upon hours sifting through cardboard cutouts for! All the good and bad had and to be had makes sense on this very day. 

I’m so very thankful for such days because it’s when I feel most grateful for my life and I certainly do count my blessings. This week, E and I went for a long walk through our neighborhood, hobbling through cobblestone streets and maneuvering through tourists admiring the NYC skyline (a picture never does it justice, does it?) and our conversations tend to always center around the same vibe. We are so blessed. Even when facing the worst of circumstances, I am so thankful to E for keeping my mind in a high spirited place filled with gratitude instead of resentment or disturbances of my peace. It’s in these moments where we are often overwhelmed with joy and with a real need to celebrate life.

And I have a tendency of celebrating such said life by throwing dinner parties.

Remodeling

I love interior decorating. I don't really know where it comes from, but I was obsessed with Domino Magazine when it was in circulation and wanted to cry when they stopped (they really shouldn't have, I think that was an awful call by Conde Nast). I think it has to do with my never ending need to nest. I lived a large part of my post 17 years old life not really feeling like I had a home, or a place to call my own, and now, when I get the chance I try to make my space my sanctuary (sort of). I used to live in a room at my dad's friend's apartment during my college summers and I just hated that unsettled feeling. Like, huh? I'm living out of your friend's family's apartment? So I literally tore down everything on the walls, plastered any holes, bought new shelves and curtains and just went to town.

Needless to say, after moving in with my wonderful husband, the itch is back, full on. We put the redecorating off for a few months since we didn't really know where we were going to end up, but life is too short to keep waiting, and it literally affects my insides. Here are some of our recent purchases.

Petrie Sofa from Crate and Barrel in super large. My 5'11 husband can lay down flat on it and still have room!

Happy Memorial Day!

How was everyone's weekend? Mine felt surprisingly productive. Call me crazy, but I appreciate productive weekends a lot more than I do relaxing ones. The type A in me (which I stubbornly deny exists) was very proud. Worked late in the office on Friday, did some work on Sunday and today, did the laundry, re-did a part of our living room (namely curtains) cooked some food in bulk for the week, went grocery shopping and bleached the crap out of our vents and windowsill. Whew! Also took a trip to the lower east side and visited the Tenement Museum. I've been wanting to go for over 4 years and it was nice to finally make it. Warning to anyone who takes the tour inside the apartments - it gets really cramped really fast. I almost had several heart attacks because it was so hot and muggy and a woman literally ran out because she was going to pass out!

I made some cous cous today using Paula Deen's recipe. Since I only had about 50% of the ingredients, I improvised. It came out so yummy, even the husband loved it! This says a lot because he is an extremely picky eater and does not like to eat any meal without meat involved. This is definitely a summer-must dish and great served cold. It cools down a hot summer day and is perfect for lunch for tomorrow, or even a picnic dinner at night. Next on the menu of summer dishes, chick peas salad!

Here's this weekend in snapshots:


Dinner with my brother in soho.


The Tenement Museum gift shop.


Whole Wheat Cous Cous from Trader Joe's. I highly recommend!


Final product! Olives, cucumbers and tomatoes (missing feta cheese and parsley but it's fine without).

Lovin' My Blogroll

I have a morning ritual which starts with a hot cup of coffee in one of our many mugs (my husband loves to collect mugs from every city we visit) and reading through my favorite blogs. This is the perfect way to start everyday and inspires my many likes. Here are a few that I came across this past week. Color me obsessed!

The photos in this blog are so beautiful - whimsical, vintage and romantic. Plus, I love following Bethany on her  new journey with her new husband! Click here.

I follow Michael on Pinterest and love all of his pins! As an innkeeper and lover of all things charming, I will take lead from this guy any day! Click here.

Love this girl's sense of style. This is a great lifestyle blog to follow, filled with beautiful and inspiring photos. Click here. 

I love the idea behind this site (and the site itself)! It provides amazing career/life/finance/personal/travel advice for the every girl. I wish I had a site like this in my early 20s, but it's still helpful now! Click here.

Weekend Moments

My weekend in snapshots. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Building your "Somebody"

As a woman in the workforce, I believe that it's very important to find ways to build your "somebody" profile. By "somebody", I mean yourself. I'm a dreamer and somewhat of an idealist by nature, but I'm also very much a realist by experience. I have my lofty goals of helping people using my lawyerly skills while becoming an arts and crafts/baking queen, loving and doting wife, and one day, super cool mom. I also have dreams of becoming "somebody" - building a name for myself based on my characteristics, wisdom and values, the person I want to be, someday. The reality is, all the people I respect and admire became "somebody", one step at a time, and one struggle at a time. Building your "somebody" begins now. Instead of just dreaming of becoming this amazing person (which we probably already are) it's high time we started taking great measures to be our "somebody", now. Women often have a tendency to put their personal goals, and definitely professional goals, on the back burner. There is a sense of wanting to sacrifice for your family so we often end up in dead end jobs because it's comfortable and allows us to get home on time, or not have to travel, etc. That's a respectable life choice and gives all the more reason to start building your "somebody" profile now so that you can fall back on it later if you do decide to make those decisions. There are a few steps I've identified as key first steps (or second, or third and so on) necessary to build your "somebody" profile. By no means do I think this is an exhaustive, or even accurate, list. But they are steps that I believe have helped me, and at the very least, they can only help you. Make it a goal to try at least a few of these over the next few weeks, and stay committed. I'll do the same, and let's see where we end up! FYI-these do not have to be in order.

1) Identify an everyday role model - This is somebody that you interact with or see on a daily basis. I recommend somebody at work, since that's where you spend a majority of your week. Choose carefully and make sure this person has the characteristics you would like to emulate or expand upon (reputation, image, intelligence, work ethics, personality, attitude, perception, balance, etc). This serves as a daily reminder of who you strive to be, your goals and your values.

2) Identify a not-so-everyday role model - This is helpful if you really can't think of anyone for step 1. Try and think of someone that you don't necessarily interact with daily on a personal level, but somebody you strive to be like. Think of what they have accomplished in their lives, their "success" stories or the reputation they have built. This can be a fictional character, a celebrity, perhaps a partner or an executive that you haven't really spoken to, even a blogger! This is helpful because it's more of a far-reaching goal so you know where you want to end up. Obviously, I'm not saying try to be this person exactly, and even if this person doesn't really DO the things you strive to do, it's helpful to have someone as a guide.

3) Network - During and after law school, everyone kept telling me to network. I kind of hate it. It's awkward, it's unnatural and it doesn't really feel like it changes anything in my life. But it really does, if you do it right and if you do it well. You don't have to attend a bunch of events, but it does mean reaching out to somebody that is not already in your network and getting to know them. For every 20-30 people you meet, you will likely make at least 1 person who sticks with you and will come in handy one day. For me, I met one random dude at an event who is a client. Two years later, we are still in touch and try to catch up once in a while. If anything, hanging out with him shows others that I am trying to develop myself on my own, and that says a lot about you. Another example is, I've been keeping in touch with some younger professionals who I work alongside often. They've provided me with some valuable resources and vice versa.

4) Join something - Find some sort of community that you can become a part of where you share a common interest. By having a common purpose/interest, you decrease the awkwardness and you build a good circle of friends. It's a good place to be open and unwind and share your thoughts. Everyone needs an outlet of some sort, and it's great to share it with people who can help you expand your interests. I joined a young professionals network of people who care about microfinance and investing in women in third world countries. I've been really bad about attending events or helping out, but I hope to change that this year. I also aim to join a book club this year! Know of any?

5) Find a mentor - This is really hard. Probably the hardest one of all. If you can use the person in step 1, that's perfect. If not, find someone else whose judgement you trust and who won't blab your conversations. If you find a good mentor, it's absolutely priceless. I encourage you to try any one, if not all, of these regardless of your profession. I think they apply in almost every scenario! I encourage you to try and build your "somebody" now, and make that somebody the person you are.

What's for Dinner Tonight? Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

Yum. It's Friday afternoon, the weekend is so close yet so far due to the unbearable amount of research and writing I have to do for the next few days. But it's ok. Who cares. The weekend is near! It's been a rough few weeks (few months, rather). Tonight is dinner plans with some girls from law school. I haven't seen them in a while so it's exciting to see what everyone has been up to for the last 3 years! Dinner, drinks and then a small show later on tonight. On another note, I was perusing Pinterest, like I usually do, and came across a recipe for Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts. Uh...drool? I want these immediately. I've been trying to "diet" because I've gained 10 pounds since my wedding. For a woman of my height, 10 pounds is not nothing. It's some serious packing and now I really need to lose some of the excess weight. This only makes me want to eat that chicken more. I think the original recipe is with pork, but chicken is an easy and healthier substitute. Happy eating! Maybe I'll try this on Saturday night when the bestie comes over and cuts my hair. Wine, chicken and hair cutting could be a bad combo. Or a really fun one! Have a great weekend!

You can find the recipe here: Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

Bring Something to the Table - and We're Not Talking Desserts

"Bring something to the table". Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, gave a great lecture a few years back about women leaders in the workplace, and her advice about bringing something to the table really stuck with me. As a woman in a profession dominated by male leaders, I can attest to the many frustrations and struggles women face every day at work. Of the infinite number of challenges present, trying to "fit in" and have a voice are the top two on my list. Fortunately, the number of women in the legal field has greatly increased during this generation and the number of women in law schools are at about 50%, give or take. In fact, my summer associate class had more women than men, and my entering class had a LOT more women than men. However, I think the issue lies in who our leaders are. Not many women last - it's the reality. And of the women who have "made it", I can't say that there are many that I have met that I actually admire. I really don't want to look like I'm 20 years older than I am, frumped out, stressed out, or with no children. And I especially do not want to become one of those hard ass women who have spent years trying to be "one of the guys" and have lost any sense of femininity along the way. No thanks. In comes Sheryl Sandberg. Her advice was, if you want to be valued for your work and recognized for your abilities, always bring something to the table. If there is a meeting or a conference call, or even just a quick chat in the hallway, say something that contributes to your work. There are tons of people who are good workers. But there aren't many folks who really contribute to a case and bring new perspective. There are many ways to do this, even if it's just posing a question or pointing out something you worked on that may help. The point is that you show that you are bringing something, or trying to bring something, that others may not have thought about.

As a junior attorney, it's hard to do this because for a majority of the time I'm still trying to figure out what is going on. Junior attorneys are not always included in all of the meetings or phone conversations and so there are always missing pieces. But another piece of advice a senior (male) associate gave to me was, reduce things to what you know, and then try to think of what's important. For example, oftentimes I'm given an agreement to review and I have no idea what the heck all of the terms mean or what the effects of them are. But then I think, ok...this is an asset sale. I am trying to buy something from you. Like buying a vintage gucci messenger bag from ebay (which I did). I want to make damn sure that what I'm buying is real and that it's everything you told me it is. If it's not, I want something in writing saying that I can return it upon a material misrepresentation! Another way to contribute is by working on your client/business development. I may not know a lot about what I'm doing, but I know we can't do any of this if we didn't have clients. So if I'm at all able to reach out to someone who may one day be a client, or can direct me to a client, I'm going to take you out for drinks. On the firm. Hey, if you can't find a way to add to the case, you mine as well get a good meal. A girl's gotta eat!

Try it out. You'll be surprised at the positive results.

I leave you with a pretty hard core picture of Hillary Clinton at work. Now this, looks cool.

Pinterest My Interests

I'm obsessed with Pinterest. Maybe not obsessed, but I can't help logging on a few times a day, scoping out and repinning new finds. For those of you who aren't familiar with the world of "pinning", Pinterest is a website where you create your own categories, or "boards", and you pin/thumbtack the images you like onto your boards. I'm not doing a good job of explaining this, but you're basically taking pictures you see on the internet and storing them into neat little virtual boxes. I mostly like it because I can scope out designs and decorations and keep them in one place to look back on. You can see what everyone else is pinning and their styles and get new ideas! Follow me on Pinterest - Sharon Lee!

Here are a few of my pins:

Look at these gorgeous cakes!





I wish I could add these to my closet:

Kate's Canadian Wear

ate Middleton's daily wear for her Canadian tour has been stunning. It's hard not to obsess just a tiny bit over her Alexander Wang cream colored nautical inspired dress or her navy blue...everything. It's perfect and if I were rich or had more time to spend looking for designer discounts, I would just wear whatever she is wearing. I love Kate's style -- simple, elegant,timeless, stylish without being too trendy. The best part of Kate's daily wear is that everything fits her just so well! I'm sure she has an excellent tailor waiting in the wings...which is also what I would do if, again, I were rich.