Home-style Cantonese Ginger and Green Onion Lobsters...

Lobsters in ginger and green onions have always been a Cantonese Chinese restaurant favourite but never attempted in my kitchen. I imagine few have as it can be a rather daunting and challenging task to undertake with live lobsters (the only way I would want to prepare it). But now I can say I slayed, conquered and served it home-style! With Lunar new year around the corner, this lovely culinary representation of the dragon in Chinese culture symbolizes strength and good luck as it turns vibrant red when cooked. This particular lobster dish is a classic and serving it brings high energy, longevity, respect and prosperity to inaugurate the new year of the Rooster!

Home-Style Cantonese Ginger and Green Onion Lobsters

(adapted from thewoksoflife.com)

two 1¼ to 1½ lb. live lobsters (choose fiesty, lively lobsters for optimal freshness) or use 6 to 8 frozen lobster tails
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup oil for shallow frying, plus 2 Tbsp.
6 slices ginger
3 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine or shaoxing wine
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
pinch of sugar
fresh ground white pepper

If not preparing lobsters right away, keep live in open bag in fridge.

When ready to cook, place lobsters in the sink and run a stream of cold water to wake them up. Try to prepare the lobsters when ready to cook and eat for its best taste, although dissected on a dish up to two hours in the fridge should be fine.

First off, you want to put the lobster down as quick as possible. I do this by lifting the head shell upwards and pressing a sharp knife into the flesh of its head. This should do it and then I remove the head shell to dispatch the lobster. You can discard or trim them so that they can sit upright on the plate for presentation.

Twist off the lobster claws, and cut off the smaller legs. Discard the rubber bands. Set claws aside.

Remove and discard the lobster gills, which are inedible (these are attached on the sides of the head revealed under the head shell). Take out the tomalley and innards if you don't want to use them or include it in this dish. We love this delicacy and of course it stays put!

Both heads contain a nice chunk of tomalley (liver and pancreas)

Cut off the tail portion (there is a nice piece of meat in it). Split the lobster lengthwise from the head portion to the end of the tail, so you have two halves. Take each half and cut into two to three equal pieces. Cut the head piece with attaching legs in half, then halved again.

Separate the elbow joint from the claws and crack each claw with a cleaver (using a mallet may help). Note: Splitting the claw with the light colour side up tends to be more porous and less slippery than the dark side (although I cracked one claw dark side up).

Dissecting and setting all the lobster pieces on a platter.

Pat dry any excess water on the pieces with a paper towel. Mix the flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl, and lightly dredge the lobster pieces. Dredge only the exposed meat to seal in the juices.

At this point, many restaurants deep fry the lobster in a large wok to quickly seal in the juices. I like to shallow fry in the wok, and 10 seconds will do. This flash fry method cooks the lobster about 70% of the way through, enhances the lobster flavour, produces a rich colour, and seals in the juices while preventing the tender meat from overcooking.

Heat 1 cup of oil until hot (wooden skewer inserted shows tiny bubbles shooting upward its sides) and drop the lobster into the wok for about 10 seconds, stirring occasionally. The shells should turn bright red almost instantly. Remove to a sheet pan to drain and towel pat.

Now onto the actual dish- start with a clean wok over high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. oil to the wok, along with the ginger. Let the ginger fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the white portions of the onions and the lobster claws (their shells are thicker and needs two minutes of cook time before adding the rest of the lobster and stir fry for one minute, adding the garlic, keeping the heat on high.

Pour the wine around the out sides of the wok and immediately cover it. Let it cook for about three minutes. This step infuses or “bakes” the lobster with the ginger and green onion flavors. Uncover the wok and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, and the green part of onions. Stir fry for another minute. You can add a couple tablespoons of water if the wok is too dry. Remove onto a large serving platter.

And there you have it! Home-style Cantonese ginger and green onion lobsters!
No guts, no glory.... Utterly delicious!

Another lobster feasting occasion. This time with lotsa tomalley!

Lobsters always add the "feast" in a meal. 

Dinner is served!!

Celebrate Lunar New Year with Asian Hot Pot...

The Rooster will crow its infamous crow to welcome 2017, a new lunar year celebrated across Asia January 28th. It was a privilege along with my mother to check out Korean Galleria Supermarket's York Mills location last Friday as they kicked off the year with a multiple "Asian fondue" demonstration. Sponsor products included condiments and sauces from Lee Kum Kee and seafood from Anchor's Bay. Host chef Sang Kim, award-winning author, chef and restaurateur (Toronto's Blowfish, Ki Modern Japanese, Ame Cuisine, KOKO! Share Bar and more) showcased how hot pot traditions are famously celebrated in China, Japan and South Korea in their distinctive styles and ingredients.  During new year, this do-it-yourself experience becomes a special gathering for family and guests at the table to cook their favourite foods in one or two large communal pot(s) of simmering broth. Across the countries, this meal ritual is meant to bring good luck, peace and happiness to the entire family. 

Well-organized and interactive, the event was a fun tasty experience with guests parting with a generous tote of Galleria and sponsor products to enjoy at home!

Chef Sang Kim

Media press and guests enjoy the experience first-hand.

The first demo introduced China's hot pot otherwise known as Mongolian fire pot. Two broth bases were featured in one pot separated by a divider. Yin- seafood, and yang- spicy Szechuan. The ingredients included sliced lamb, sliced beef rib eye, shrimp, fish ball, bean curd, tofu, napa cabbage, watercress, enoki, mushrooms and potato. The raw meat and vegetables cook quickly, thus a few minutes will do, and tasty morsels are fished out with basket ladles into individual bowls, to be dipped into your choice of sauce and eaten right away.

For the Chinese hot pot, dipping sauce is an important aspect since the food is rather bland by boiling. The customize-your-own combination can include soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli oil or sauce,  shrimp paste, sesame paste, preserved red bean curd, chopped green onions, cilantro, garlic, vinegar, sugar and wine. A fresh raw egg can also be cracked into the sauce concoction to bring down the heat of the ingredients (yang) before dipping and eating. Note the soup becomes rather rich and flavourful as you go from cooking all the delicious variety of foods in it, and more soup/water is added to replace the amount that has been boiled away or scooped up. At my home, we always finish our hot pot meal with flat rice noodles (ho fun) bathing in the tasty broth, and slurp our way to the end.

Lee Kum Kee's assortment of condiments and sauces perfect for dipping.

This dual soup pot allows for double the flavours and fun!

A rare photo of my mum and me.

Next was Japanese hot pot, also called sukiyaki (literally meaning "to grill on a flat spade"). A heavy-walled shallow skillet is most suitable for cooking sukiyaki. The base here is a sweet soy sauce (made with soy sauce, sake and sugar- a definitive characteristic of home-style Japanese cuisine) and only requires a shallow amount to simmer-cook the ingredients. Sliced beef is most popular, clam, scallop, napa cabbage, watercress, onion, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, tofu and yam noodles were also enjoyed. A distinct difference between Japanese hot pot to Chinese is that it does not require any dipping condiments. The broth imparts its light sweet and savoury flavours while enhancing the foods' tastes when cooking. Served over hot rice, the umami flavours are soaked up and each bite becomes more irresistible and full-filling.

Sukiyaki is traditionally done with beef but seafood is complementary and can be added too.

The last demo was the most noteable for me as I was least familiar with Korean hot pot. There are several varieties but the one chef Kim showed us was Korean Army Stew or Army Base Stew (Budae Jigae), and is apparently one of the most popular hot pot dishes in Korea. It uses a seasoned hot pepper paste and flakes to make the base for the broth. Some out-of-the-ordinary ingredients such as Spam, sausage, processed cheese, as well as tofu, king mushrooms, kimchi, rice cake, instant noodles and green onions make up this hearty and highly-addictive stew. Interesting facts I've learned-- soon after the Korean war (in the early 1950’s), food was extremely scarce so surplus processed foods from the US military bases were a great supplement for the Koreans, thus the creation of army stew-- a Korean-American fusion stew that incorporates processed foods such as Spam, sausages, canned baked beans and sliced cheese. An unusual combination at first, but no doubt was it savoury and delicious!

There's that slice of processed cheese.

A true meal-in-one-- taking hot pot or instant ramen to another level!

I love the addition of sliced Spam and frankfurters... It reminds me of good ol' fashion Hong Kong-style toppings in macaroni soup growing up in a Chinese household. I will definitely be bringing some of this nostalgia by making this for my family!

The spicy broth penetrated the ingredients and the melted cheese
gave the stew a slight creamy dimension. 

After such a delectable experience at Galleria with chef Sang Kim, I was more than inspired to do some hot potting with my extended family as a prelude celebration to the coming lunar year! Here is our version Chinese-style. For more details on how to entertain with your own Chinese hot pot, read my previous Post.

The dual soup pot will hold chicken broth in one side and vegetable broth in the other.

This second pot of broth contains herbal ingredients as a healthy soup option.

Cool vegetarian appetizers complimented the hot meal.

Hot pot is a healthy way to try new foods and tastes. It is as enjoyable to cook together as it is to eat.

A cold beer or glass of wine goes well to reduce the heat from the eats. Cheers!

To read on how to create your own DIY hot pot at home, check out my previous Chinese new year post on Chinese Hot Potting. Come back and join me this week for more celebration foods for the upcoming lunar new year of the rooster January 28th!

Entering Vietnam Made Fast and Easy With Vietnam-Visa...

With Chinese new year and festive celebrations around the corner, I am thrilled to announce an opportune partnership with Vietnam-visa.com, in one of my dear to heart food and travel countries. If you are like me who loves to travel to eat, make Vietnam your next destination.

A bit of background. My husband is from Sóc Trăng, a province in the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam. We were lucky to go visit his family in 2004. While in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital we were delighted by a range of sumptuous, exotic foods, and equally seduced by the chaotic pulse and bustle of everyday life into the steamy nights with bright lights. Other than the amazing and elaborate meals we had at the family table, the best eating experiences were had by hitting the streets. Before sunrise, produce markets swell with people. Women were seen stoking kitchen fires and filling flat baskets with tin steamers and arranging soup or fresh spring roll ingredients; these baskets were then hung on both ends of bamboo poles and hoisted upon their shoulders as they hustle their goods to the flood of passersby. Others set up shop with a simple table, cooking ingredients and equipment surround, serving their offerings to hungry customers who would crowd around make-shift plastic tables to eat. The floating markets on small boats and the electric night markets add to the Vietnamese gastronomical charm. 

The symphony on the streets were alluring in itself from the crack of dawn to the day fading into evening-- the buzz of vehicles, the voices of children and busy commuters, families of five riding on one motorbike, steady-handed bicycle drivers toting live animal cargo, trucks, cars, all zipping, weaving and honking their way down overcrowded no-lane boulevards. The frenetic energy and chaos, and the impromptu seeking of food all day all night in the form of savoury, sweet, spicy, soft or crunchy is right there in the streets of Vietnam.

A valid visa is required for almost citizens of foreign countries to visit Vietnam for any purposes from visiting friends and families to going on a business trip or leisure vacation. Fortunately, it is much easier these days for foreign passport holders to apply for visa to Vietnam as there are three available ways to go about this matter.

i) Applying for visa at Vietnam Embassy (traditional way, visa picked up at Vietnam Embassies) or two ways on-line: ii) apply for Visa on arrival with Vietnam-Visa.com (visa picked up at Vietnam International Airports) or iii) obtain an e-visa. Click on site to read more.

With over 10 years experience, Vietnam-visa.com, officially launched by Vietnam Discovery Travel is the first and premier commercial website providing Vietnam visa on arrival for thousands of international tourists annually. Their website receives over 1000 daily visits and 7200+ Likes on Facebook.

Book your trip with Vietnam-Visa

As lunar new year approaches (this year it is January 28th), Tet is celebrated in Vietnam over three days but was traditionally celebrated for one month. Foods eaten at Tet always include steamed rice cakes known as banh chung (square to symbolize the sky) and banh day (round to symbolize the earth) and are used as offerings to ancestors as well as special gifts to relatives and friends.

Banh chung-- a traditional rice cake on Tet holiday (lunar new year)

If you are interested in discovering a food culture that revels in its own rich traditional ingredients and techniques, as well as blending contrasts of French colonialism and foreign influences, travel to Vietnam and taste the diverse sophisticated flavours yourself. 

Communal eating at the table during dinner is an important meal for the Vietnamese as a chance for family to bond after a long day at work that includes extended members such as grandparents. This is also the time for the old teaching the young ethic standards and social norms, traditional rules and etiquette from ancestors, etc. Food is a leisurely experience that involves grazing among a selection of shared dishes. Family meals are simple but refined, often consisting of a soup, a simmered main meat dish, and a stir-fried vegetable dish all placed at the table with abundant rice. Dipping sauces and condiments are also served to enhance the foods. If any dessert is offered, it is fresh fruit and this could be anything from fresh mangosteen, rambutan to durian (an exotic treat for travellers).

There is much unique moments to experience such as spending down-to-earth time with locals and eating in a homey setting, or on the streets. Entering Vietnam is hassle-free with the improvement of visa documents. Now foreigners can get Vietnam visa on arrival with no inconvenience if they travel by air because all procedures are online before applicants get passports stamped at arrival airport. Immerse yourself in Vietnam's paradise of local traditional meals and street foods with an unforgettable visit. For a deeper culinary experience, book Vietnam Discovery Travel's best-selling food tours at the moment such as Hanoi Cuisine Walk and Street Foods of Hanoi.

A typical traditional Vietnamese family meal

* Last two photo credits goes to Vietnam-Visa.

As a freelance writer & recipe developer for Huffington Post Canada, here is my latest contribution-- Five-Ingredient Pasta Dishes You Will Love for the Italian Trade Commission. Pasta stars in these four Italian-inspired dishes made simple with just five ingredients aside from pantry staples olive oil, salt and pepper.  The recipes were created to be full on flavour to welcome hearty appetites at the table.

SPONSORED FEATURE

Five-Ingredient Pasta Dishes You Will Love

Huffington Post Canada  |  By Huffington Post Canada 

There's nothing better than a plate of pasta. On second thought, there is -- a plate of pasta made with only five ingredients and whipped up in mere minutes. Each of these recipes are scrumptious, full of flavour and serve four to six people, making them the perfect weeknight meals.

Even better, each recipe is made with only the best Italian-made ingredients and in partnership with the Italian Trade Commission. You can be sure that each mouthful will be a blissful bite.

Lemon Shrimp And Artichoke Farfalle

The combo of marinated artichoke hearts and lemon gives a tangy dimension to this enticing one-skillet shrimp pasta enhanced with fresh basil. 

1 500 g package of authentic Italian farfalle
1 Tbsp. Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound uncooked medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 artichokes cleaned and julienned
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and then add salt. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until it’s just under al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid before draining pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

In a skillet on medium-high heat, add oil and sauté shrimps until almost cooked. Add artichokes, 2 tsp. lemon zest, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, reserved water. After two minutes of cooking, add in the pasta. Cook for another minute while tossing well. Top with basil just before serving.

JAZZ IT UP: Toss pasta at the end with two or three Tbsp. of creamed horseradish for a spicy kick.

Fettucine With Chili And Blistered Tomatoes 

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese and spicy olive oil create a light sauce that’s mixed with charred tomatoes and crispy bread crumbs for a restaurant-inspired pasta dish.

1 500 g package of authentic Italian fettuccine or linguine
1 tsp. chili flakes (crushed red pepper)
3 Tbsp. Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cups Italian imported grape tomatoes
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO or Asiago PDO cheese
1/3 cup dry seasoned or regular bread crumbs
Ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and then add salt. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until it’s just under al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid before draining pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

In a skillet on medium heat, add crushed red pepper and Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Cook until sizzling for about a minute. Increase heat to medium-high, and add tomatoes, cooking until blistered in spots, about three minutes. Lightly crush tomatoes, and continue cooking until soft.

Add one cup reserved cooking liquid. Let simmer for two minutes and then add 1/4 cup cheese and the pasta. Cook and toss, adding more liquid if necessary, until sauce coats pasta, about one minute. Top pasta with remaining cheese and bread crumbs.

JAZZ IT UP: Garnish with chopped parsley. 

Bucatini With Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

A rich pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto. It’s an easy dish to make, perfect for busy weeknights. 

1 500 g package of authentic Italian bucatini
1 cup imported Italian sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese
1/4 cup Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves
Ground black pepper to taste

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

Place sun-dried tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese, Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garlic in a food processor; blend until finely chopped and thoroughly combined.

Toss pasta with pesto until evenly coated. Add cooking liquid while tossing, if necessary.

JAZZ IT UP: Garnish with toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh basil leaves.

Lemon Parmigiano Reggiano PDO And Prosciutto di Parma PDO Pasta

1 500 g package of Italian imported Tagliatelle
Zest of 2 lemons
1/3 cup Italian extra virgin olive oil
150 g Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), freshly grated
150 g Prosciutto di Parma PDO slices, cut into thin strips
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid before draining pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat up the olive oil (medium/medium-low) and toss in the sliced prosciutto and the lemon zest. Remove from the heat. Add cooking liquid and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO until thick and creamy.

Add the mixture to the pasta and toss until well coated. Use extra cooking liquid (if needed), spoonfuls at a time to make mixing easier.

Finish with freshly ground black pepper.

JAZZ IT UP: Add a few leaves of fresh sage to the mixture.

Take your culinary skills to the next level with only the best Italian-made ingredients. Even the most simple pasta dishes become gastronomic gems with carefully chosen oils, pastas and cheeses made in Italy. Learn more at the Italian Trade Commission.

Food Revolution Toronto January's Cooking Contest...

To another amazing year ahead at Food Revolution... We hope that you all had a brilliant festive season and already leading the way with your New Year’s resolutions. Are you looking to improve your eating habits by cutting out the unhealthier ones and increasing the nutritiously delicious ones? Looking to cook more often, learning new cooking skills or getting the family involved with you in the kitchen? However small or big your goals are, I wish you success, fun and much happiness in the journey. 

Resharing from Food Revolution Toronto:

Happy New Year from the Food Revolution Toronto team! Our #bestnine2016 represents a wonderful year of home cooking from our Ambassadors, a visit from @jamieoliver himself and supporting great community organisations like @aplaceforfood . We're hoping 2017 brings more of all this! Vive la #foodrevolution !

Photo Credit: Food Revolution Toronto

For our January #CookWithFoodRevTO challenge, we're cooking up Jamie Oliver's Smoky Veggie Chilli from #FamilySuperFood - perfect for chilly January days! Starting January 2nd 2017 until January 31st 2017, cook up a batch of the chilli for your chance to win a Jamie Oliver cookbook thanks to HarperCollins Canada.

Photo Credit: Smoky Veggie Chilli

How To Enter:

Make Jamie's Smoky Veggie Chilli, snap a picture and share it on social media using the hashtag #CookwithFoodRevTO and tag us on FB, or at @FoodRevToronto on Twitter or Instagram and you'll be entered to win a cookbook!

Eligibility and Contest Rules:

– Contest begins on January 2nd 2017 at 9am EST on and closes January 31st 2017 at 6pm EST.
– Prize consists of one (1) Jamie Oliver cookbook
– Open to readers of the age of majority with a Canadian mailing address.
– No purchase of any product necessary for entry.
– Winners will be chosen randomly (using random.org) from all qualified entries on January 31st 2017 after 6pm EST.
– Winners will be notified via email February1st 2017 and will have 48 hours to respond to the email.
– Winners will be required to answer a skill testing question.

Reflections and Wishes For The New Year...

It was timely, starting the new year fresh off reading New York Times bestselling author Neil Pasricha's (The Book of AWESOME)-- The Happiness EquAtion. Glad I soaked it up, as much of the content aligns with my own perspectives on how to live a happier, meaningful, simpler and humble life. Things I have been reckoning, packaged into neat chapters with relatable real-life stories. As I reflect on the past and look into the new year and beyond, there are three true happiness-shaping takeaways that best resonated me which I want to share with you:  

1. Turn What You Have Into Enough

2. Always Be You and Own It

3. Slow Down, Breathe, Look and See

I read that for more than a hundred years, we have been living in the age of More instead of Enough. It is a consumerist culture ingrained in us. We have grown up in a world where more has always meant better, a shift from a needs to a desires culture. We want new things even before the old has been entirely consumed. We see that easily with the rapid market replacement of new versions of iphones and electronic gadgets-- we want the latest and the greatest. I don't own a smartphone. My friends often ask, how does a food blogger, a lover of all-things-food not own a smartphone just for snapping up food photos alone- whenever, whereever? I have a five-year old mobile phone (to make and answer calls, to text, and no fancy features), a standard decade-old Fujifilm camera and an old B brand laptop computer to organize my photos. Are they less convenient than an all-in-one? Much far less. But my time-honoured devices work and they work well. I am happy to keep them separate. And I don't feel I need anything more than what I have.  They may not be the latest but for what I need them to do, they are the greatest. I am talking about gadgets here, but this translates into everything. Nicer clothes and more of it, blingier jewelry and more of it, fancier or faster car, bigger house with an even bigger backyard... When you are not content with what you have, you will always seek and want more. When will enough ever be enough?

Train the brain to turn what you have into enough. And you may realize that what you have is already great and you don't need more. 

Photo Credit: Quotesvalley.com

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, " To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." I so agree. Being you removes regrets from your life because you live the life true to yourself and not the life expected of you by others. Happiness is a choice, and there is nothing more authentic and gratifying than living a life where you are you, and be admired, respected and loved for who you are. I switched careers early on, into the world of food, and I have been following my passion since with abandon-- to be open to experience and embrace whatever opportune me. Was my parents on board learning I wanted to work in culinary after getting a degree in University, a diploma from College and then working at a well-paid, pension-covered government job? No, but my love and achievements in the culinary years that followed proved myself to them and defied my family's expectation of me. At the work front, had I always been forthright with my opinions, held my ground and debated my ideas to be heard and considered? Flat out, No. I look back and wish I was better at that, more confident in sharing even my quirkiest ideas during my corporate tenure. I second guessed speaking up and often settled with the majority because it was easier. I loved the work I was doing but I was not confident in being different. Only when I left, started my food blog and created projects on my own terms did I feel I was being, communicating and doing the real me. It was so freeing! As Gandhi famously says, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." Absolutely- 360 honest being, through thoughts, words and actions. Hurray! I finally felt I was in the driver's seat, able to express myself authentically without the confines of family and work culture expectations. And with that I was able to savour my greatest ideas and turn my efforts into passionate accomplishments which I take deep pride in today. 

The feeling you get following your heart is not always comfortable at the beginning, but it's always comfortable at the end. Be You- wierd, warts and all, Own It and Be Cool with It.

Photo Credit: QuoteAddicts.com

Neil Pasricha says, "Creating space is the secret step to freeing yourself from the oppression of your busy life." I recall in my thirties, how I thrived on being busy. People asked me how I was doing, and I'll respond enthusiastically, "I'm so busy!" As though busyness defined my mood, indicating how important and productive my time/days were. My calendar was never chockful short of work and appointments-- I held a full-time job and part-time and stand-by ones, I was going to part-time culinary school, I volunteered at countless food events, I had endless meetings with friends at restaurants and coffee shops to discuss big ideas, sometimes about food, sometimes not, being there for anyone and everyone especially when they had problems... it was non-stop, it was go, go, go and go some more. Fast forward to getting older, having three kids, I now work as a freelance culinary consultant and food writer, I create my own projects and am a Food Revolution ambassador, part of a global fight for real food, and food education for all campaign (something I deeply believe in and champion). I am surely not any less busy than back when but the key now is that I know to prioritize my family demands while allowing myself time and mindful space to do the things I love. "Fuel your brain, and let it run wild by removing access points. Close the doors, and lock the windows, but answer the bell," exclaims Neil. Ding! The bell is my family. Ding! The bell is my closest friends. Ding! Ding! My passions and my work. It took a long time to learn the importance of guarding my brain, and energy from unnecessary distractions, but I'm definitely getting better at it. I will always continue to love giving random acts of kindness for people I know and to strangers. But because I am an empathetic person by nature, it is that much more crucial that I don't deplete my reserves by delving deep on just anything, with anyone and everyone. I risk myself of being drowned with nothing left for me. I make a point to regularly nourish my mind and restore my energy with conscious yoga and meditation. To be the best I could be for the people and things that matter, and to know when to walk away from people and things that don't. It takes a lot of courage yes, but your mind, body and soul, and your universe will thank you for it.

So slow down, breathe, look and really see. Take care of you-- your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship in your life. There is only one you, ever. Cherish your time and You! :)

Calvin and Hobbes

In the spotlight of all this, reflecting who I once was and the appreciation of who I have become, I am ever so grateful for my life right now with everyone and everything in it! I wouldn't have it any other way and I have my family, friends and readers to thank from the depths of my heart. Thank you always for your support from the moment we met and since the launch of Susan's Savour-It! Wishing you and your loved ones a HaPpY NeW YeAr with everlasting love, health, passion and happiness! Cheers and kudos to finding your own happiness equation! I'm looking forward to having more of these life conversations whether it's eating and living better, cooking healthier, and leading a life rich in experiences rather than in materials. Be well, Be happy and talk to you soon!