Food Attempt: Chai Tea from scratch

I have been constantly craving chai tea since the start of spring. I remember trying my friend Jane's homemade chai tea 2 Thanksgivings ago and it was amaaazzzing! However, the thought of making chai tea from scratch (or anything for that matter) sounded so overwhelming. So I never tried to make it myself. Instead I would secretly hope that someone would make it for the next get together or holiday party. 

I went through several containers of Trader Joe's spicy chai tea latte, but my tastebuds are becoming harder and harder to please. No longer satisfied by the powdered mixes, I decided to ask for the recipe. Above are my results of another attempt at making edible things!

Major takeaway from this experience:

1. Cardamom seeds look like mini poops. 

2. Sometimes things can sound more intimidating than they really are. 

Anyways, happy weekend!

Walking with Trees

"Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees."

James and I were able to get a mini break this month to visit his family in Virginia. It is so nice to finally be here while the weather is still warm and sunny, as opposed to the winter months when we usually visit for the holidays. We were out and about almost every day, which made this past week fly by so quickly that I am having trouble remembering all the details. I do remember walking. A LOT. A lot of exercise for an inactive body like mine. 

We went to several different parks and trails in the area. Here's a super short recap of our time in the woods. 

- Surrounded by trees and enveloped by nature. Explored the woods with Ninja on his first hike and he LOVED it. 

- Ninja had his first real "Squirrel!" moment from the movie Up, which only confirmed that he is not to be trusted and can never ever be off leashed. We are not being dramatic when we say he almost jumped to his death by leaping off the overlook deck onto the tree branches. If James had not pulled him back at that moment...yikes!

- Played with Ninja on the jungle gym. Ninja went down his first slide (more like I pushed him down). Nevertheless, James and I were proud parents.

Everything's still a blur as of right now. Have not completely recovered from our long drive home yet. Ninja is pooped and passed out from last week's adventures. James is backed at work. For me? Well, I guess it's laundry time!

Food Attempt: Clam Chowder

Ok. Let's start by clarifying that I do not consider myself a cook. I mostly just rely on online recipes or easy recipes from friends. If I could choose, I would prefer you cooking for me. I am intimated by all things complicated in the kitchen (I pretty much shut down if there are more than 5 ingredients in a recipe), and the one thing that I am afraid to cook is seafood, specifically shellfish. I have had glimpses of my parents making lobsters and crabs several times, and they were some of the most traumatizing moments of my life. But the ironic thing is that I LOVE shellfish. I love shrimps, crabs, clams, lobsters, mussels, you name it. Those are some of my constant cravings. 

After a cookout over the weekend (which I was only in charge of making chicken wings), I ended up with a big bowl of leftover clams. I begged people to take it home with them at the end of the night but no one did. So I was left with a bunch of yummy clams and zero ideas as to what to do with them (besides reheating them in the microwave...) I searched and searched and finally stumbled upon this clam chowder recipe from the food network. See recipe here. 

Feeling courageous the next day, I decided to give it a try. Here are the results.

Voila! 

Despite of the multiple freak out moments during the process, I managed to make clam chowder from scratch! I ended up improvising majority of the recipe but I think it turned out pretty okay!

An Indigo Summer

Yay! Summer is here! I love summer, and it is by far my favorite season. It means lots of sun, dresses (or rompers), beaches and more! No excuses for not going outside anymore. Anyways, here are a few of my favorite summery things. A compilation of different textures and patterns.

Cynthia Rowley New York romper, Threshold Hand-dipped stoneware, Nate Berkus beach towel, and SOLO eyewear sunglasses.

If you have time, check out SOLO eyewear! They are a very cool company that gives back by partnering up with non-profits around the world. Every pair of sunglasses sold funds eye care for people in need. There are several other stores like this one, but I guess I will save those for another post in the future. =)

Have a great day, everyone!