Perfect Imperfection: Rosemary-Lavender and Zesty Lemon Soaps

When I first started making soaps, I strove for perfection.  I wanted soap blocks to be in a perfect rectangle shape, and sliced with perfectly angled corners and edges.  I wanted the color to be consistent, with no weird discoloration whatsoever.  Anything less than that went down as a big fat failure in my little obsessive mind.

After making several disappointing batches, however, I realized that it was virtually impossible to achieve the kind of results I was looking for (especially since I’m still very new at this).  And my attitude was taking away the fun and the true reward of making anything handmade.  I learned that it is those little imperfections that add lovely character and charm to those soaps that are irresistible to make and use.

Two batches of soap I made a few months ago finally cured and I started using them recently.  Instead of slicing them right away, I kept them uncut in a log so it took a little longer for the inside to dry.  When I touch the middle, it still feels a bit soft and bouncy, but I used them both in the shower the other day and they lathered just fine!

The soaps you see on left are Lavender and Rosemary Shampoo Soaps from the Japanese book, Soaps for the Four Seasons, by Kyoko Maeda.  (I use them to wash my hair and body.) I boiled several twigs of rosemary that I picked  from my herbal garden and used that in place of water.  I added several drops of lavender essential oils to give it a calming feel.  I used the same recipe as the Signature Marseilles Soap I made the other day (my absolute favorite recipe using olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil), with extra rosemary essence.

The soaps on the right are called Zesty Lemon Soaps (also from the book), using olive oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and lemon, bergamot and other citrus essential oils.  Talk about making your shower smell heavenly!

I think I’m going to be spending a couple of hours this weekend to prepare some holiday soaps for friends and family. I can’t wait!

I Eat, Therefore, I Run: Hodori Korean Restaurant

I am fascinated with running the way teenage girls are obsessed with becoming a cheerleader. I think about it all the time, daydream about running like a Kenyan, and I even find myself staring at runners as I drive by local parks or running tracks. I read a bunch of running and marathon books and I even watch high school track meets on television. Then why is it that, with such deep admiration I have for the sport, I still have difficulty putting on a pair of Asics and hitting the pavement? Perhaps it’s the “idea” of running that I am in love with, and not the actual, physical aspect of the sport. Or maybe it’s just pure laziness (oh my gosh, had I turned into one of those annoyingly gluttonous sports fans who scream at the TV screen while sitting around on the couch with a bucket of hot wings?). Whatever the reason, it is about to change!

I made a commitment to finally turn my running life around by sticking to a regular training program to ready myself for the Los Angeles Marathon in March. This time, it’s for real. No more lame excuses on why I can’t get my lazy butt off the couch. I’m going to do this, and I’ve decided to cherish the journey along the way. I suppose I’m one of the few people who does this in reverse. While people make the commitment first and train for the marathon, I completed the marathon and made a commitment. I think running the marathon in Portland earlier this month made me respect the race even more, and made me fall in love like I never thought I could.

The training I selected is based on the book, The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer, written by three coaches who teach a highly successful 16-week marathon class at University of Northern Iowa. I’ve had this book for a while and after sampling other books and marathon programs for beginners, I found this to be the most appropriate for my physical level. The book is a little text heavy but it contains valuable information about training your mind and body for the 26.2-mile run.

To kick-start my new found commitment, I participated in Nike Human 10K Race last weekend, running around the USC campus at midnight with thousands of other insane runners in Los Angeles. The race was particularly enjoyable because I got to run with 20 or so of my sister’s running friends who were very kind, welcoming and full of endorphin-charged energy! I had a strong 6.2-mile run and afterward, a group of us went out for a very late supper at Hodori, an all-night Korean diner on Olympic and Vermont, to celebrate our recent accomplishments.

It has been more than a decade since my crazy days of partying until a crack of dawn and dashing to Fred’s or Canter’s to recover from excess drinking, but sitting at a diner at 3:00 a.m. surrounded by a bunch of boys and girls reminded me of the good of days as a wee 20-something. I think it’ll be another 10 years until I would be out this late again, but it certainly made me feel a little young at heart!

Who needs a cup of coffee to keep you awake when you have spicy plates of banchan to provide some kick?

Dumplings and Rice Cakes in Beef Broth for me … delicious

Yook Gae Jiang — a fire-ry soup!

Spicy Soft Tofu — like chicken soup for a tired (and sleepy) body!

If nothing else, delicious food after a run should motivate me to commit to running. My new motto in life should be, “I eat, therefore, I run.”

Hodori Korean Restaurant
1001 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA
★★★☆☆

Portland Marathon!

I must be the luckiest person in the world. The luckiest, in that I did everything I wasn’t supposed to do when running a marathon, and still managed to cross the finish line injury free and still smiling.

I’ve learned early on that marathon is such an honest sport, that it gives back what you put in. This means that the strengths you gain from each step you take during training is what is going to help break through the “wall” and guide you to the finish line. But silly me, I didn’t train whatsoever for the race. The typical training schedule requires that you run at least three times a week, with one long run on a weekend (usually leading up to 18 miles or more) but my frequent travel and laziness prevented me from hitting the pavement on a regular basis. The longest run during training was eight and I barely ran once a week … and that is really, really bad.

Second, it is a cardinal rule that you do not wear brand new outfits to a race. It is recommended that you wear something your body is already familiar with, to avoid any potentially unpleasant incidents like chaffing. Silly me again, I wore my spanking new yellow shirt and Capri-type pants I picked up at the Nike store the other day.

Third, I was supposed to eat pasta and carbohydrate-rich food the night before, drink lots of water to properly hydrate, and go to bed early. Instead, I chomped down on pork tenderloin and stayed up late.

Despite all my flaws, what I’m most appreciative of is the fact that my body stayed with me throughout the journey. My legs were so strong and powerful that they push me forward. My knees were so unselfish, that despite the extra poundage, they still let me go from one place to another with occasional skips and hops. Despite the years I neglected them from smoking, my lungs still stuck by me and allowed  me to take in the deliciously fresh Oregon air. My heart, broken several times, still beat in rhythmic melody, bringing music to my life. As I ran and walked the 26.2 miles, I talked to my body parts, thanking them for believing in me and always staying with me. They carried me through the marathon, and in life, and realized that it is, at last, my time to give back to my best friend and return the unconditional love.

My sister, who is also my personal trainer and my rock, suggested that I make a commitment and “marry” my body, just like I would with someone I love. This means that I would take care of it by loving every part of it, and feeding it with healthy nourishment – in both food and thoughts. With the marriage, I make a promise to be true, through good and bad, in sickness and in health, richer or poorer. And, especially after feeling the love it has for me, I can only say … I do.

The marathon was particularly touching because my friends Maya, Tiffany, and Ted, along with my boyfriend, were all cheering for me at the finish line. I had to hold back tears when I turned the corner and saw their smiling faces. And even though they were not here in Portland physically, I knew that my family was cheering for me from sunny California.

I am the luckiest person in the world.

Carb-Loading at Mother’s Bistro!

Right after we returned home from a fun-filled weekend in Vegas, my boyfriend and I repacked our luggage to fly to Portland — this time for the Portland Marathon! (Wow, I’ve traveled to three cities in mere two weeks and more to come ahead!)

Running the marathon in the Rose City has become an annual event for me ever since I participated in the race last year and had a blast (although that wasn’t how I remembered it when I was running / walking in the pouring rain ).  The race also gives me an excuse to visit my best friend Maya and spend a lovely weekend with my boyfriend in the scenic Pacific Northwest, so with the exception of the 26.2-mile self torture that I have to endure, this is a dream mini-vacation for me.

We arrived to PDX early on Saturday and after we checked into the hotel, picked up the race bib, did some retail therapy at the expo, and had a quick brunch, we rested at the hotel until Maya met us for dinner.  We walked over to one of my favorite comfort food restaurants a few blocks away, Mother’s Bistro.

I usually make a point not to blog about a restaurant I previously talked about but this place is an exception (this is my third time writing about this place — here and here).  Mother’s Bistro is not the most extravagant joint in the culinary-rich Portland food scene, and there are, admittedly, other restaurants that I love more (alas Paley’s Place), but it always hits the spot for me.  It’s comfortable, cozy and warm – just the way I like it.

Clockwise from top left: Lamb skewer (daily special), Carlton Farms Pork Loin Medallions, Mother’s Macaroni & Cheese Du Jour, and Chicken & Dumplings

I was hoping for a pasta or other carbohydrate-rich menu options but there weren’t any so I settled for a plate of pork loin medallions with mashed potato (carb!) and vegetables.  I took a bite of my boyfriend’s Mac and Cheese Du Jour (tonight’s was Mexican style), and loaded up on rice pudding (which also became my breakfast on the marathon day)!  Everything was delicious, as always, especially the desserts.  You just can’t go wrong here.  Oh, how I wish I can just pluck this restaurant and take it home with me to Los Angeles!

Pear Huckberry Tart and Bread Pudding

I know I indulged, but there has got to be something good that comes out of running a 26.2-mile monster the next day, right? By the way, the only reason why you see an empty restaurant on the top photo was because we were the last ones to leave.  Trust me, this place is packed 24/7 (but definitely worth the wait).

Mother’s Bistro
212 SW Stark, Portland, OR 97204
★★★★☆

Uncorking My Culinary Curiousity: Bouchon

The first thing I did when I found out that I was going to Vegas for the hockey game was to make a reservation at Bouchon at the Venetian. And this was almost six months ago!

Just like many other food lovers in the country, I’ve been mesmerized by Thomas Keller’s award-winning French masterpiece for many years now, often visiting a local bookstore to just get the glimpse of his beautiful cookbook, The French Laundry, also the name of his restaurant in Younville in the Napa Valley. Both the restaurant and the cookbook are out of my reach budget-wise (although I did get the cookbook from a former colleague couple years ago when she found an extra one floating around from the business meeting she held at The French Laundry – and the book was autographed by Keller himself) but when I leaned that he has a more casual bistro in Vegas, I just had to pick up that phone to secure my spot in this gastronomic heaven!

And what a dining experience it was. I don’t know how to properly explain the flavors my mouth experienced that night expect to say that it was highly sophisticated and perhaps calming.  The food reminded me of French women – that they may not necessarily be mind-blowingly gorgeous, but their perfection and precise attention to detail make them simply divine and absolutely beautiful. The swirl of dressing and sweet syrup on the beet salad was like the casual but well-placed Hermes scarves on their beautiful, long neck, and the way the steak was cooked was like feeling their soft scent of the perfume in the air. Not in-your-face like the big breasted and flashy women with a bottle of cologne splashed on their plastic bodies … but like classy, svelte, intelligent ladies you would see strolling down the streets of Saint-Germain Des Pres.

Salade de Betteraves et Poires, marinated beet and poached pear salad with tossed hazelnuts, green mache and champagne vinaigrette ($12.50)

Soupe a L’Oignon, classic French onion soup ($9.75)

Macaron au Gratin ($7.50)

Steake Frites, pan-seared prime flatiron served with maitre’d hotel butter and French fries ($36.50)

Saumon Poele, saute Scottish salmon with a cassoulet of pole beans and marinated tomatoes with whole grain mustard sauce.

Wonderful things do come to those who wait.

Bouchon
Ａt the Venetian, Las Vegas, NV
★★★★★