chefmeetsgirl

most thoughtful husband, least observant wife

when i came downstairs into the kitchen this morning, i was greeted by a big bouquet of dead flowers.

i texted my husband, “what’s up with these dead guys?”

“they were alive last week when i got them for you,” he said.

whoops. i’ll chalk that up to being 13 weeks pregnant, and almost always either sleeping or throwing up. i need to be more observant, so i can be more thankful for this sweet guy who brings me flowers and doesn’t get upset when they die before i even notice them. i was able to save these two, though — and they look pretty pretty here in the window ; )

ultrasound

pregnant and sweaty in new orleans

clearly the best time to visit new orleans is the dead of summer. all the humidity you could ask for! even better when you’re in the thick of your first trimester and can’t for the life of you — or your loving husband, who is probably so sick of holding your hair back — stop throwing up.

okay, so i’m being a little whiny. it wasn’t all bad! the amazing airbnb we rented was gorgeous, extra roomy and came with a big fat pool to keep big fat me nice and cool. plus, there was shave ice. so much shave ice!

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5 minute side dish: garlic chives

the last few times we’ve been at h mart i’ve stared at the garlic chives and asked the chef what to do with them. i’d never heard of, or seen them before. he was pretty clueless, too.

doesn’t he have a culinary degree?
from the best school in the country?
and i have to google this?!

turns out they’re this mix between garlic and onions, almost exactly like a ramp. in west virginia, where i’m from, ramps are a huge deal. they’re only available from late, late april until early, early june. west virginia even has a ramp festival every year, celebrating and exploring the the culinary uses of the ramp. these things stink to high heavens. and so do garlic chives. in fact, i had to take them out of the refrigerator and put them in a ziplock bag because the chef thought they were making his cans of sparkling water too smelly to drink. garlic ramps are native to asia: the himalayas and china. the chef loves ramps and he loved this 5 minute side dish i whipped up with the garlic chives. he ate all of his, half of mine and the leftovers. then i made him brush his teeth. ; )

garlic chives2

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our home reno

in the last few months, we’ve spent so many hours traveling back and forth between our row home in baltimore and the house we just bought near dc! every day off was spent doing parts of projects here and there: sanding, staining, painting. the hard part is over now that we’ve moved in, but we still have to finish some small details.

we moved in friday, and while i should be spending these free moments unpacking, i’d rather sit on the sofa, watch the mindy project and document our renovation journey. it’s been both challenging and fun, and it turns out this chef of mine is also quite the handyman! here’s the before and after (or, rather, after and before) in our new living room.

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weekend breakfast in bed

the chef’s favorite breakfast is pancakes. every morning we have off together, the first thing he says when he wakes up is, “let’s have pancakes.” fine by me, especially if he does the flipping. i mix, he flips. when i flip it’s a total catastrophe and we eat semi-burned pancakes.

here are a few fun recipes for the best breakfast in bed ever, in three easy steps:
1. get out of bed
2. make breakfast
3. get back in bed and eat.

blueberry + lemon pancakes, cayenne candied bacon and roasted spiced plums. maybe too decadent for every day, but perfect for the weekend : )

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my very favorite room, like ever

your bedroom is supposed to be an oasis. at least that’s what they say.

our bedroom is most definitely my oasis. it’s my favorite room ever. love the windows, love the bed, love the super soft sheets. love the plants, love the stacks of books, love steven’s guitar in the corner. it’s messy and my friend bill would be appalled at how wrinkly the sheets are, and it totally needs a rug but let’s face it – most days you can’t see the floor because of all the dirty clothes. i’m super excited to move into our new home in dc and even more excited to start decorating it, but right now i’m taking a moment of semi-cleanliness to snap a few shots of this oasis we have in baltimore. we’re really gonna miss it here.

bedroom1

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roasted sweet potato soup

creamy, rich, savory. five ingredients (okay, plus s+p and evoo). super healthy, and totally paleo if you’re into that kind of thing. i’m totally not.

around here, it’s the absolute best way to repurpose leftovers after roasting a chicken. this roasted sweet potato soup is my new favorite lunch!

soup

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spanish tapas, anyone?

i’ve always loved finger foods. tiny sandwiches at bridal showers, crab puffs at weddings, doritos on the couch. doritos are finger foods, right?! something about lots of small plates has always spoken to me, and we’ve been enamored with creating grown-up small plate meals lately. korean banchan is a nakano house favorite, but lately we’ve been toying with spanish tapas.

you guys. this meal. it was epic.

octopus

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perfect for spring plum + honey pie

confession: i think i only like baking because the final product is so pretty!

now that plums are coming into season, i’ve been trying a few new ways to use them and so far roasting is my go-to. this cake is designed to be eaten cold, the perfect dessert after a warm spring or summer day. the shell is a homemade, pre-baked pastry crust, slathered with a honey + cream cheese topping and finished with a pile of bright, shiny plums. goes particularly well with sweet tea and blue skies and i’m not 100% sure but i think it would taste even better if eaten in the hills of appalachia (i’m kind of missing my west virginia roots lately, ya’ll).

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we bought a house!

you guys! we bought a house!

it’s right outside of washington, dc and while we are so, so sad to be leaving baltimore — a city we did not expect to fall in love with — we are super excited for this next chapter in our lives. and we love our new neighborhood, lots of papusas, dim sum, more pho than you could imagine. good thing there are nearby gyms, too ; )

house