International trade has made the world a smaller, more accessible place--a concept reflected wonderfully in a cheeseboard. Marcona almonds from Spain, mission figs from California, apricots from Turkey, and cheese, oh the cheese from all over: Italian parmesan, French Brie, Swiss Gruyere, and of course wine soaked toscano. Food globalization is a wonderful thing. For … Continue reading Of Cheeseboards and Thanks
Holiday
Whipped Body Butter – 4 ingredients
I've used coconut oil for years: as a moisturizer, a makeup remover, in hair, as a lip balm, in cooking. It's wonderful, and it's even more wonderful when it's easy to spread as a body butter. Pretty simple to make really -- the key is that you need a "butter" that is softer at room … Continue reading Whipped Body Butter – 4 ingredients
Gifts!: Soft Caramel Chews
Caramels can be finicky, too high of temperature and the caramels can be too hard, too low, it won't set properly. I've spent some time making caramel topping, hard caramels, and finally...finally tackled soft caramel chews. Those delicious bites, delicately chewy, sticking to your teeth in the just the right way, bursts of salt and … Continue reading Gifts!: Soft Caramel Chews
Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies
I am about half way through intern year, and there is so much I want to say. I want to tell you about the first time I wrote orders for a patient. I want to tell you about the first mistake I made, and what I learned from it. I want to share with you … Continue reading Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies
DIY Candy Gifts 2016
Hello world! I'm doing a gift post before January! I'm so happy, it's an accomplishment really. The joys of being a fourth year medical student. Anyways, this year I've tried using the phrase "holiday gifts" or "winter gifts" rather than Christmas gifts to be more inclusive to those people that don't celebrate Christmas. I don't, … Continue reading DIY Candy Gifts 2016
Belated candy gifts
Whoops, I meant to post this before the winter holidays were coming to a close. Whoopswhoopswhoops. But life got in the way. The making of the gifts, the sending of the gifts (after the traditional gift giving day because who can keep track of pesky USPS holiday hours?), the traveling, and all that relaxing. But … Continue reading Belated candy gifts
The Shah (now Shah-Hoppenfeld) Tex-Med Holiday Extravaganza! AKA Thanksgiving 2014 in Review
My whole family is vegetarian. Well, my immediate family. For generations, we have been vegetarian. When my parents first moved to this country, that was a bit of a novelty. There weren't vegetarian restaurants galore, and whole foods selling all varieties of "fake meat." There was peas, cabbage, beans, and the occasional magic of tofu. … Continue reading The Shah (now Shah-Hoppenfeld) Tex-Med Holiday Extravaganza! AKA Thanksgiving 2014 in Review
How To Make…Homemade Holiday Cards
It's always made me a little bit sad that we don't receive as much as people did "in the old days." Now it's just bills, ads, and the occasional notice of some kind. That's part of what holidays and birthdays so special...checking the mail to see that, lo and behold, people that you don't necessarily see everyday … Continue reading How To Make…Homemade Holiday Cards