Mom's Kitchen: Chinese Egg Custard Dessert

Between our recent trip to Hong Kong, a broken toe, and craziness at work, I've been rather absent in the blogosphere.  I hope to regain normalcy soon!

Whilst I get back on my feet (literally and figuratively), I'd like to share another Mom's Kitchen recipe.  This one is inspired by all the egg custard desserts I had in Hong Kong.  :)

Prep Time: 5-10 min

Cook Time: ~15 min on low heat

Ingredients: (2 servings)

• 2 whole eggs or 4 egg whites (shown here measured out to be ~100mL)
• 150 mL Milk (for the 4 egg whites)
• 4 tsp Sugar 

Directions:
Start by boiling water in your steamer and then simmer on low heat.  If you do not have a steamer, you can also use a lidded pan and add a metal rack like this one.  You can then place a plate on your rack to hold your cups of custard.

Combine egg whites, milk, and sugar in a bowl.  Beat.

Strain your mixture to ensure smoothness and pour into your custard cups.

Place your cups on your steaming rack.  

Put foil over your cups either individually or my lazy-cover-everything way :)

Let steam over low heat for about 15 minutes.  When done, the egg should appear jiggly but set similar to soft tofu.  Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy!

DIY Roundup: Holiday Decor & Gifts

I found these beautiful holiday DIYs and couldn't resist sharing these!

Glitter Mason Jar Candles DIY (cakerypapery tutorial here)

High-impact, gorgeous candles in only 5 minutes!

Snow Globe Terrariums (pinkpistachio tutorial here)

Create a stunning scene on your mantle!

DIY Cone Trees (Bella Nest tutorial here)

Add your personal touch to cone trees - great for decorating or gifts!

Happy DIY'ing!

DIY Roundup: Upcycle & Refashion

For those who celebrate, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

If you're looking to breathe new life into older items, here are a few fun ideas to try out :)

Repurpose a sweater for a cozy, luxe feel on your footstool (source and tutorial here)

Paint a border on your dress for an edgier look (source and tutorial here)

Add elbow and back patches to your sweater for a whole new look (source and tutorial here)

Happy DIY'ing!

DIY Roundup: Cold Weather Wear

It's been a week and I'm no closer to finishing my projects.  Rather than wait, I'd like to share some great-looking DIYs around the web:

DIY Poncho (source & tutorial here)

I'm looking forward to giving this a shot!

Arm-knitting an Infinity Scarf in 15 Minutes (source & tutorial here)

I've never tried arm-knitting before, but it looks fun to try and the result is so pretty!

Cowl Scarf from Old Sweaters (source & tutorial here)

Always love a good upcycling tutorial

Keep warm and happy DIYing!

Brocaded Box Pleats & Future Posts

The holiday season is here, and along with that, comes holiday sewing.  Right now, I'm working on a new winter coat, a brocade skirt, and a hooded cape.  I have a tendency to get to a certain point in the project and then need to stop and reflect, hence the partial projects.

Anyhoo, here's a look at the brocade box pleats project:

Thinking this might work well for a holiday party

I'd also let to get back in the groove of sharing some of my favorite Mom's Kitchen recipes like Chinese Fish Fillets, Black Sesame Dessert w/ Glutinous Rice Balls, Homemade Rice Noodle Rolls, etc.  If there are any Cantonese / Chinese recipes you'd like to see, let me know and I'll see if Mom has one to share :)

Have a lovely week!

Gone (Fabric) Shopping

I've been slooooowwww with the sewing lately and am working on some holiday sewing projects that aren't yet ready for sharing.  Whilst I tweak those, I have a bit of a mishmash type of post on fabric shopping and food.

If you live in the Bay Area, Fabrix in SF got in some nice wools and sweatshirt type knits:

$15 / yd plaid wool - maybe another cape?  I saw this on Pinterest and am enamored

$2.89 / yd striped heavy knit - I'd like to try making something similar to Michelle's sweatshirt of Michelle Goes North (such a cool neckline!)

At Fabrics R Us in San Jose:

$3 / yd pretty checks - would love to recreate this look from Atlantic Pacific in spring

Online, Joann's has a 60% off regular priced fabric coupon (can also use in stores), 60% off Home Decor fabrics (great cottons for structured skirts), and 60% off fleece fabrics through Tuesday.

In other shopping news, Gap has an additional 40% off sale items in stores.  I picked up 2 more pairs of the Real Straight jeans for $15 each.  Since I had $10 in rewards, this netted out at $10 each:

Gap Real Straight, Mid-rise, online here, $15 in stores, got one destructed and one regular

(IG try-on pic here)

If you have a similar body shape (short and pear-shaped), you may like these!  I find the mid-rise helps mitigate tummy overhang and the skimmer length hits the top of my foot - great with flats or a thin cuff to show off the ankle with booties.  I used the "reserve in store" option online and it saved me from having to dig through the sale racks for my size.  I highly recommend this!

This weekend in eats, I got to meet up with Ping and Karen for ramen:

Iza Ramen w/ side of garlic oil

And followed that up with snacks and dessert at my all-time favorite haunt, Mango Medley:

Baked Scallops - amazing bold flavors

P.S. today's post title is a bit of a nod towards Gigi's Gone Shopping, one of my favorite reads :)

P.P.S. I'm trying out some food photography tips from Crazy Style Love - have you seen her IG feed? It's beautiful!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!

15-Minute Turtleneck Cape DIY Tutorial

This tutorial is perfect for beginner sew-ists.  It consists of 2 simple shapes sewn together with 2 seams.

15-Minute Turtleneck Cape DIY Tutorial

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~15 minutes

Materials:

• 1.5 yards Fleece or heavy knit fabric
• Bonus: Fleece does not fray so you may opt to leave the edges raw / unsewn

 Steps:

1.) First, fold a 40 x 40" square in 1/2 twice so that the resulting square you see is 20 x 20"

2.  From the folded corner, use your measuring tape to measure out 20" all along the edge of the fabric and mark (I use regular chalk, but there are also marking tools in the notions section of your fabric store) as you go to form an arc.  This arc will result in the circle you'll use for your cape.

You can see my blue chalk lines in the above photo from the arc markings.

3.  Cut along your arc lines.

4.  For a typical turtleneck, measure out your radius at the folded tip as 2.5" in the same manner as you did for the cape edges and then cut.

5.  Your turtleneck piece is a 14 x 17" rectangle.  Make sure your 17" edge is the stretchy side of the fabric so that you may easily slip your cape on and off.

If you're using the same type of fleece I am, you'll find that the selvedge edge does not stretch.  Use the selvedge edge for the 14" length.

6.  Fold in half with the right sides together and sew down (use a twin needle or serger for stretch) the open edges.  

7.  Turn your cape pieces inside out and place the turtleneck portion inside your cape.  Line up the edges and sew (twin needle or serger for stretch again - a regular straight stitch would snap).

If you're using fleece, you can leave your edges unsewn since it won't fray.

(You can choose to sew the edges if you'd prefer though!  Just fold inwards and stitch.)

You're finished!

Alternately, feel free to vary the measurements to your preferences.  Here are some ideas:

• Cowl Neck - cut a larger neck opening and a correspondingly longer rectangle (on the stretchy side) for the cowl

• Full-sized Long Cape - Cut your circle as 30" (should essentially by your neck to wrist length + 2.5") instead of 20"

• Capelet - Make your circle 15" (should essentially be your neck to elbow length + 2.5") instead of 20"

Happy sewing!

Inspiration: Hoods and Capes

The recent heatwave has finally subsided, and though it's still far from cold, the 60-70 degree days have been enough to spur thoughts of outerwear DIYs.  Last year, I played with faux leather accents and an A-line houndstooth shape.

This year, hoods and capes have been occupying my mind:

Givenchy Hooded Cape - my Pinterest link pointed here, but the pictures were dead, I *think* the blogger is Chicmuse here.  If you know the real source, please do let me know and I will fix!

Hooded Coat - sourced from TheHunt here

Street style photo - cape dress - sourced from Harper's Bazaar here

It, of course, remains to be seen whether I can successfully create my version of one of these, but I'll definitely try!

DIY Script Shift Dress

I originally bought the Ikea Britten Nummer fabric a while ago, but it wasn't until this pin that I finally made up my mind on what to sew with it.

DIY Script Shift Dress

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 2-3 hours (I kept having to readjust the armscye after I Frankensteined a sleeve onto this bodice from a commercial pattern)

Pattern:  Dress from this tutorial and sleeves from a commercial pattern  (any will do, but just keep in mind the above for adjustments)

Materials:

• 2 yds of fabric (mine is Ikea's Britten Nummer - link above)

P.S.  Funny story about that giant shin bruise.  My 3-year old bounced onto our bed as she usually does, except that her knees hit my shin.  Her reaction?  "You should have moved, Mom."  I couldn't help but laugh.

Sewing Supplies: Sale Alert

Columbus Day sales are almost upon us and it's a great time to stock up on some sewing supplies.

Jo-ann Fabrics 10/10 - 10/13

• Simplicity Patterns, $0.99 each

1353 - Leanne Marshall was one of my favorite designers from Project Runway and the dress options in this pattern look versatile

1607 - LOVE the criss-cross neck detail

1610 - pretty halter neck option w/ a full maxi skirt

1611 - a simple maxi silhouette with sheer panel options

1873 - a pretty fit and flare dress pattern

Also costumes galore here.

• 60% off Fleece
• Would recommend solid colors for simple outerwear or loungewear
• Here's a past fleece coat I've made:

• 50% off Home Decor Fabrics
• I have an affinity for the classic prints found in the Home Decor section.  Pick something washable in 100% cotton.  I'd recommend making something with structure - here are some of my past projects:

Bow Dress

Paisley Dress

Graphic Coat

Parisian Pleated Skirt

Happy shopping!

15-Minute Reversible Infinity Scarf DIY Tutorial

It was starting to get chilly here and it put me in cozy clothing mode (of course, today will hit the 90s, but oh well).  I couldn't resist making this reversible for the versatility and visual interest.  :)

Reversible Infinity Scarf DIY

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~15 minutes

Materials:

• 2 yds of 2 coordinating fabrics (would recommend soft, drapey fabrics like knits / silkies / chiffons)

 Steps:

1.  Cut each fabric into identically sized rectangles - you can customize the measurements to your preferences.  I'm using 14 x 80" for each rectangle.

2.  Put the right sides together and sew down each long side.  Flip right side out.

3.  Put right sides of the short ends together and sew.  Leave about a 2" gap and blind-stitch shut (great tutorial here).

Finished scarf!  

Sewing 101: Tools for Your Sewing Kit

Continuing with beginner sewing, I thought I'd share some useful tools to incorporate into your sewing kit.

They fall into 4 categories:

1.) Cutting - Local fabric stores frequently promote this category for 40-50% off, so wait for a sale!

• Scissors - sharp blades are a must to cut cleanly through your fabric (especially temperamental ones like chiffons).  I've been using Fiskars Razor-Edge Shears.  
• Rotary Blade - as with scissors, a good quality blade is required to cut your fabric well.  I tried a cheapie once and it would fray the fabric before cutting through.
• Rotary Mat - necessary for your rotary blade and helpful for measuring as well
• Straight Edge - any hard ruler will work to be used in conjunction with your rotary blade and mat

2.) Measuring

• Soft measuring tape (not pictured) - great for taking your body measurements (measuring tips here) and for fabric
• Regular (hard) ruler - handy for pattern drafting (I use it to draw in waist lines etc.)

3.) Fixing

• Small screwdriver & brush - (should come with your sewing machine) The screwdriver will be needed for changing out your sewing needles and the brush will clean the lint from the inside of the machine.
• Seam ripper - this is probably the hardest working tool you'll have.  I've probably spent more time ripping things apart than sewing them together!
• Tweezers - useful for digging lint out of your machine or knotted threads when the machine jams

4.) Sewing (most feet also come with your sewing machine)

• Zipper Foot - for zipper insertion, but I also use it for blind hems (tutorial here) (silver foot at the bottom of the photo)
• Standard Foot (not pictured) - for all-purpose / general sewing 
• Buttonhole Foot - this nifty one holds your button on one end and provides the machine the exact length needed for your buttonhole (long white foot at the bottom of the photo)
• Thread (not pictured) - get the basics (black, white, cream, and navy) and then fill in as needed.  Beware of reds and greens!  I always wind up getting the wrong shade so try bringing a swatch when possible. 
• Bobbins (not pictured) - I'd recommend getting 10+ (I have about 20) so you're not always trying to switch out thread colors

Sewing Kit Items

Other "getting started" posts:

1.)  Materials & Tools

• Your Sewing Machine
• Sewing Tips for Your Body Type
• Guide to Patterns
• Fabric Selection Guide

2.)  Sewing Tasks

• Invisible Zipper Insertion
• Blind Hems How-to
• Lining a Top
• Finishing Edges w/ Bias Tape

Hope this was helpful!