Cheese around the World

*Note: I thought I posted my Strawberries recap on May 31st, but I must have forgotten to publish it. **

I decided to use June to explore cheese. If I am stump on what to make for any meal, I would eat grilled cheese sandwiches. If it’s grilled cheese for breakfast, I’d add an egg. If it’s grilled cheese for lunch or dinner, add a side of soup or salad. I’d make a charcuterie board a meal. There’s no designated charcuterie board really. It’s more like a plate of cheese, crackers, cured meats, and fruits — it’s the easiest work lunch to pack like adult Lunchables.

Strawberries around the World (recap)

I decided not to do a deadline. At some point I’d like to do a standing page on previous food themes so I can continue to update and share some recipes around that theme. After my Eggs post recap, I thought to myself, “I don’t want to stop sharing recipes about eggs.” A few days later, I made shakshuka. I have to admit, it was not the best shakshuka recipe but I will continue to find a good shakshuka recipe even if April is long over.

So rather than being bound by deadlines, I’ll continue to share some egg dishes just as I want to share some recipe wins around ice cream and festive dishes. But also I do enjoy recap posts because I get to reflect on the past month through food. Plus I think it is fun to focus and explore on a certain food or theme for a month.

Ceiling art at the Getty Villa (PPAC #52)

This is a re-visit from my trip to the Getty Villa, a small museum in Pacific Palisades. Would you believe if I told you admissions to the Getty Villa are free? Plus it’s right on the coast — but watch out — the driveway is very steep.

Staying cool…elsewhere

It’s going to 102F degrees (38.8C) today in my part of Los Angeles. Thank god we are going to the South Bay Botanical Gardens for the monthly dog walk where it will be 77F degrees (25C)!

The Founding fathers of medicine (PPAC #51)

**Note: This post has been sitting in my drafts for a while. When I use to work in East LA, I kept trying to perfect this post. Maybe I felt compelled to because I saw it everyday. But now since I no longer work in East LA, I thought it was time to release it. **

East of downtown Los Angeles there is this large stone building known as the Historic General Hospital, also nicknamed The Great Stone Mother. This building was where Los Angeles County Department of Health Services treated patients from 1933 to the early 2000s when it was no longer compliant to treat patients in this building. Though this building does not treat patients, it does serve other purposes: it’s a work space for many non-profits and non-clinical departments occupy the space. In addition, this building is in the works to be repurposed as affordable housing and other mixed-used development.

The Toxic behaviors end here

What a Saturday! It’s been a while since I’ve been this productive. I took my kid to dance class, ran errands, placed three new plants in the garden, made a mango cheesecake for tomorrow’s Father’s day, and tried a new recipe for dinner.

I’m doing better healthwise. I’ve walked my dogs every morning since Monday. I’ve been going to the gym two to three times per week. I’ve been working on a few projects. It’s great feeling productive, but I still get bouts of fatigue throughout the day. Fridays are when I am the most tired. We went to dinner with friends on Friday and by 8PM, I was ready to go home and lay down.

Mid-Year Reading Status (June 2022 reads)

At the beginning of this year, I decided not to borrow or buy any new books. I wanted to focus on books that have been on hold at the library for some time (I’ve been pushing them back several weeks out), books on my library wishlist, and books I’ve kept on my shelf and have never read. So far I think I upheld this challenge pretty well but I was not perfect. I did buy a couple of books to support Ukrainian authors so that’s on my shelf. And of course, I can never resist borrowing a cookbook that catches my eye. Also, I needed to borrow some light fluffy reads to balance all the heavy serious books I read. In March and April, I was reading a lot of graphic novels for a reading challenge at the library. Graphic novels were never on my TBR pile, but it was a nice change to explore a few. See? Not perfect at all and that’s okay.

Kitsilano Wings (PPAC #50)

This was from a trip to Vancouver in 2018. Was it this recent? For some reason, I thought this was far far longer. We’ll travel international again…one day…even with baby Lana in tow. We were initially planning to go to Australia, but plans fell through :-/.

Countdown until we get a new ricecooker

Here’s to surviving this weekend’s hot weather. This is not a heatwave in Los Angeles — it’s only 94-96 F degrees. The real heatwave here will come later. We do not have central AC, we have box AC in the rooms. To keep the house cool during the day, I close all the windows and cover them with blackout curtains.

Parking garage mural (PPAC #49)

This is probably the most lively parking parking garage I’ve been to. Splashes of color in what’s mostly a grey plain area makes a difference.

Location: North Hollywood at the NoHo West Shopping Center.

It looks like neighborhoods adjacents to North Hollywood also want to become North Hollywood too. Down the street from my house, I saw a sign on a street where they were claim themselves to be “North Hollywood North East.” Maybe my neighborhood will be absorbed to become “North Hollywood North West.” Too many norths to be honest.

Here’s to a Jubilant June!

Happy Weekend Coffee Share! I wanted to share with you a nice bouquet I got from a now-former volunteer from my last job. She’s a soon-to-be graduate at the university I now work at. It was such a nice welcome present and a Mother’s Day gift too. I’ve known this volunteer since she was a freshman and as of last week, she ended her volunteering there and is planning her post-university plans. The years flew by fast.

Here are more elephants (PPAC #48)

Another dreamy mural featuring elephants. You’ll find this mural at the side of an Indian restaurant called India’s Clay Pit in North Hollywood. I have not been to this restaurant yet because every time I pass by this restaurant, it’s too early in the morning to eat a heavy meal and they’re not open yet. Whenever I go to an Indian restaurant, I eat A LOT. Aside from this pretty mural, the high reviews and food photos are enough for me to try it out.