For the past 6 months I’ve been reading up on wines– from the barreling process to the different regions where grapes are grown, also learning about the vast variety of flavors ranging from the fruity to floral, to the full-bodied to medium and the dryness and smoothness, down to what these characteristics in the wines would pair well with — the venture of my wine adventures was much more complicated than I initially had anticipated, but nonetheless interesting!

When Foodbuzz and Buitoni presented a proposal to host a dinner and wine pairing for friends or family, I jumped at the opportunity.  I have never had a wine pairing dinner nor had I ever tried any Buitoni products before so it was a win-win for sure.  Plus, what better way to spend my birthday than with good food, good wine and great friends? I came up with the following menu and included the wine pairings with it –

Appetizers

Roasted Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper Bruschetta

topped with toasted pine nuts and fresh goat cheese on garlic cracked pepper crostini

Fruit and Cheese Plate

muscato grapes and fresh organic strawberries with Argentinian cheeses

**Paired with Yellow Tail Riesling

Salads

Caprese Salad

vine-ripened tomatoes with basil and fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic

Whimsical Spring Salad

shaved radish, green beans, heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, toasted pine nuts and fresh goat cheese

**Paired with Yellow Tail Riesling or Christian Moueix Merlot Bordeaux

 Entrees

Vegetable Primavera with Bolognese Sauce

quatro formaggi agnolotti with yellow squash, zucchini, green beans, broccoli and basil

**Paired with Steel Merlot

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Porcini Alfredo Cream Sauce

porcini mushrooms sautéed in white wine and shallots

**Paired with Steel Chardonnay

Pan Seared Rib Eye with Whole Wheat Linguine

linguine tossed in lemon garlic thyme butter topped with Argentinian parmesan

**Paired with Ghost Pines Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert

Warm Brownie Bites with Ice Cream

 gooey brownie with vanilla or chocolate Bluebell ice cream

White Chocolate Mousse Tart with Fresh Organic Strawberries

made with pecan shortbread crust

Ingredients for Roasted Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper Bruschetta (serves 6-8):

• 1 baguette – sliced in 1/2″ rounds
• 2 oz extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 eggplant, halved vertically
• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, roasted, diced
• 6 basil leaves, chiffonade
• 3 oz goat cheese
• 2 oz toasted pine nuts
• salt pepper to taste

*** What the heck is chiffonade? It’s a technique of cutting ingredients like herbs into ribbons.  You stack the leaves on top of each other and roll them into a cigar-like shape, the cut the roll crosswides and the pieces will unravel in ribbons.

Pre heat oven to 350 F.

Line 3 baking sheets with foil and set aside. 

Take eggplant halves and generously coat with olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic.  Pierce the skin of the eggplant with a fork to decrease cooking time.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and arrange facedown on baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until eggplant is softened. In a bowl mix 1 oz olive oil, the cracked black pepper and garlic.  Arrange crostinis on the remaining two baking sheets and brush w4th mixture.  Bake for 5-6 minutes or until crostinis are slightly golden brown.  (You do not want to over bake your crostinis or your guests will break their teeth)

Set prepared crostinis aside.  Once eggplant is cooked, remove the outer skin — you should be able to peel it off easily just using your hands (be careful to not burn your fingers).  Place in a large bowl with roasted red bell peppers, tomatoes and basil.  Taste with salt and pepper.  When ready to serve, place mixture on crostinis and top with goat cheese and toasted pinenuts.

Ingredients for Caprese Salad: (serves 6-8)

• 6 Roma tomatoes
• 1 ball or 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
• 10 basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
• salt pepper to taste

Sliced tomatoes in 1/4 inch pieces and the same goes for the mozzarella cheese — the size of the tomatoes and cheese should be about the same.  Arrange on large serving platter, alternating between the tomatoes and cheese.  Garnish generously with basil and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.  Taste with salt and pepper.

Ingredients for Whimsical Spring Salad: (serves 6-10)

• 5 medium radishes, thinly sliced
• 10 oz green beans, blanched
• 16 oz yellow or white corn, kernels only
• 1o oz baby heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 4 oz toasted pine nuts
• 8 oz spring mix
• 8 oz arugula
• 6 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the ingredients (except for the cheese, pine nuts and lemon juice) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  When ready to serve, toss with lemon juice and garnish with goat cheese and pine nuts.  Taste with salt and pepper.

Ingredients for Vegetable Primavera with Bolognese Sauce: (serves 6-8)

• 8 oz ground sirloin
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 container of Buitoni’s All Natural Marinara Sauce
• 1/2 zucchini, diced
• 1/2 yellow squash, diced
• 4 oz broccoli florets
• 6 oz green beans
• 6 oz roma tomatoes, diced
• salt pepper to taste
• 2 packages of Buitoni’s Riserva Quatro Formaggi Agnolotti

Bring a large pot of water to a simmering boil.  Take a large skillet or heavy bottomed saute pan and melt butter at medium heat.  Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.  (Do not disturb the ingredients too often, or else they won’t properly caramelize)  Add the ground sirloin and when almost thoroughly cooked, add Buitoni’s marinara sauce.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add the remaining vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, place the packages of Buitoni’s Riserva Quatro Formaggi Agnolotti in the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes.   Drain and place into the sauce mixture.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately and garnish with shaved parmesan if preferred.

Ingredients for Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Porcini Alfredo Cream Sauce: (serves 6-8)

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 oz white wine
• 2 oz cream
• 1 container Buitoni’s Alfredo sauce
• 2 packages of Buitoni’s Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

Bring a large pot of water to a simmering boil.  Take a large skillet or heavy bottomed saute pan and melt the butter at medium heat.  Once the butter is bubbling, add the shallot, garlic and mushrooms and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.  Add the wine and cook for an additional 2 minutes and add the cream and alfredo sauce and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes.  Meanwhile place the packages of Buitoni’s Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti in the boiling water and cook for 304 minutes.  Drain and place into the sauce mixture.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Taste with salt and pepper.

 Ingredients for Pan Seared Rib Eye with Whole Wheat Linguine: (serves 6-8)

• 1 16-18 oz rib eye
• 2 tablespoons butter + 4 tablespoons for pasta
• kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 packages Buitoni’s Whole Wheat Linguine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• salt pepper to taste
• parmesan for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a simmering boil.  Pre heat oven to 400F.

Take a medium skillet or saucepan and melt the butter at medium high heat.  Sprinkle both sides of rib eye with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  Once the butter is bubbling and slightly browned, sear the rib eye on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Place in the oven and cook for about 8-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the steak) for medium rare.  If the steak is still too red, simply place it back in the oven at 3 minute intervals until it has reached the desired color.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet or heavy-bottomed saute pan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter at medium heat.  Once butter is bubbling, add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant.  Place the linguine in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes (reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water), drain and add to the large skillet.  Add the pasta water along with the lemon juice and cook for 2-3 minutes or until water has been soaked up by the pasta, taste with salt and pepper.  Take the steak (after allowing it to sit for 10 minutes once it is removed from the oven), slice thinly and place over the pasta.  Garnish with fresh thyme and shaved parmesan. 

**If the pasta still seems a little dry, simple drizzle with olive oil. 

Ingredients for White Chocolate Mousse Tart with Fresh Organic Strawberries: (makes 1 x 9″ tart)

Ingredients for White Chocolate Mousse:

• 6 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker’s), chopped
• 1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 16-ounce basket organic strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced lengthwise

Combine white chocolate and 1/4 cup whipping cream in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; cool chocolate mixture until lukewarm, about 15 minutes.

Beat remaining 1 cup whipping cream and vanilla in large bowl until peaks form. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with cream of tartar in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in whipped cream. Transfer mixture to cooled crust; smooth top. Chill overnight.

Combine jam and lemon juice in small saucepan; bring to simmer, stirring over medium heat until jam melts. Remove from heat. Arrange sliced strawberries in concentric circles atop tart. Brush berries with melted jam mixture. Chill tart up to 2 hours and serve.

Ingredients for Pecan Shortbread Crust:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons (about) ice water

Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl; add butter and shortening. Using electric mixer, beat at low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water. Beat until dough holds together, adding more water by 1/2 tablespoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap disk in waxed paper and chill until firm enough to roll, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 12-inch round. Peel off top sheet of paper. Invert dough into 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish; peel off paper. Press dough gently into dish. Trim overhang to 3/4 inch; turn under and crimp edge decoratively. Freeze crust until firm, about 30 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until golden at edge, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans; continue to bake until crust is pale golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 12 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

Wine List

• Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
• Steele Merlot 2007
• Christian Moueix Merlot Bordeaux 2005
• Stelle Chardonnay 2007
• Yellow Tail Riesling 2008

I’m turning 25 on Sunday, yes a quarter CENTURY old.  How did that happen?  Where did the time go? What does this mean?

Since I was 7 I would tell my mom “I can’t wait til I’m an adult.  Then you can’t tell me what to do and I can do WHATEVER I WANT!”  Boy, how I wish I could take those words back.  Being an adult isn’t all that it’s cut out to be.  Frankly, it’s stressful and partially confusing.   What happened to those wonderful days of allowances, despite the early curfews, those were really cool.  What happened to free room and board, what’s with this having to pay rent business?

All that time I was trying so hard to grow up, I finally get here and I realize “Hey this kind of sucks.”  These things called “bills” start to appear, and then taxes and insurance, mortgage payments, so on and so on.  Before I knew it, I had responsibilities and priorities, why isn’t there a disclaimer for adulthood?

Though I just hopped on the adulthood bandwagon, this little voice inside of me is freaking out.  When you tell people “I’m 25″ there are expectations!  By this time, people expect you to have your life in order (kind of).   My mother told me “You don’t get any more birthday or Christmas presents once you turn 25, you’re too old for that.” UHM WHAT? Before I know it, it’ll be time for kids, wrinkles, and cellulite, and probably in that order.

Okay with all jokes aside, growing up is actually pretty exciting– I’m getting married next year, I’m moving into our first home in a few months, and I finally figured out the route I wanted to go for my career.  All very good things that I am extremely fortunate for, maybe turning 25 isn’t that bad after all.

I decided to make this Lemon Meringue Pie, because I found some beautiful lemons at the store and well, it’s my birthday week, I eat what I want I found this recipe on Epicurious, it was printed in an 1995 issue of Gourmet Magazine (r.i.p.)

For shell

• 1 recipe Pastry Dough for a single-crust 9- to 10-inch pie
• raw rice or pie weights for weighting shell

For filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

For meringue

• 4 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar

Make shell:
On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 13-inch round, (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit into a 9-inch (1-quart) pie plate. Trim edge of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and crimp edge decoratively. Prick shell in several places with a fork and chill, covered, 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line shell with wax paper and fill with rice or pie weights. Bake shell in middle of oven 10 minutes. Remove paper and rice carefully and bake shell until golden, about 12 minutes more. Cool shell in pie plate on a rack.

Lower oven temperature to 350°F.

Make filling:
In a heavy saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt and gradually whisk in water and milk, whisking until cornstarch is dissolved. In a bowl whisk together egg yolks. Cook milk mixture over moderate heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil. Gradually whisk about 1 cup milk mixture into yolks and whisk yolk mixture into milk mixture. Simmer mixture, whisking, 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, lemon juice, and zest until butter is melted. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap.

Make meringue:
In another bowl with an electric mixer beat egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Beat in sugar in a slow stream, beating until meringue just holds stiff peaks.

Pour filling into shell and spread meringue on top, covering filling completely, sealing it to pastry. Draw meringue up into peaks and bake pie in middle of oven until meringue is golden, about 15 minutes.

A few tips on the pie:

• Don’t be an eager beaver and allow the pie to refrigerate for at LEAST 6 hours or preferably overnight — or else the filling will still be runny
• The filling is a bit sweet, so for those who want to reduce the sugar to 3/4 cups, feel free to do so.
• Make sure your meringue is properly whipped, if you do not whip it enough the topping will become watery, if you over whip it it will be chunky.  The meringue should form stiff peaks, do the bowl test — turn the bowl upside down and if the meringue’s stick and do not drip, they are good to go.
• Be sure to add the meringue to the filling while the filling is still warm and place the pie in the fridge AFTER it has cooled off or else you will have moisture collect on top of your pie.

Yesterday my mom stopped by to drop off my wedding photos from China, and as promised I will share a couple .  Hope you guys have a great weekend and remember: When Life Gives You Lemons…Make Lemon Meringue Pie

(hand-woven scarf by a teacher at the retirement center)

One of the very first things I noticed about my Jiu-Ma was her incredibly bright and florid energy — aside from the fact Collin and I had trouble keeping up with her the entire time, she didn’t seem a day over 40 nor did she look it.  In America, the common attitude of growing old usually creates fear — the exhaustive strive to stay 20 through face lifts, botox, plastic surgery, you name it.  Not to mention the ever foreboding nursing home, where adults send their parents when there is no longer a “place” for them anymore.

In China, it seems the elderly embraces their maturing lives with enthusiasm, fearless of age and wrinkles and constantly striving to stay in the know.  A few times a week, Jiu Ma goes to a local community center (funded by the government) where she is able to attend any class of her choice — ranging from singing, dancing, art, computer and technology, movies, — all the teachers are there on a volunteer basis and all classes are free.

The most recent class she’s been attending has been knitting — boy does Jiu- Ma have some impressive handwork.  She urged that Collin and I have plenty of little panda bears (ASAP!!) so she could make little outfits for them…(not for a few more years guys).  She’s been attending classes for the past 4 years and along the way she has made many friends — they will go out to eat, take little vacations together, throw parties for every occasion — there is nothing old about it.

All the women in her knitting class were full of laughter and smiles — avidly surrounding the teacher, showing her their weekly creations, learning new techniques — I couldn’t help but smile along with them.

It brought me much comfort to know these options were available to my mother when she moves back.  It has been a lonely journey for her here, with her business and schedule, it left little time for much else.  I made Jiu-Ma promise me that she will make sure my mother keeps physically and mentally active once she moves here — her response? “No problem! She, I, we make many friend!” I know they will.

(Jiu Ma has cute little feet, Collin wears a size 13)

My Jiu-jiu likes to tease Jiu-ma for her love of trendy electronics — ” I don’t understand why she buys all these gadgets and then never really knows how to use them.” Jiu-Ma immediately exclaims “Bullshit!” She grabs her Ipod Touch (which I don’t even have btw) and plugs it into her Ipod speaker box, feverishly mashing the buttons on the screen, scrolling rapidly to find the song of her choice and suddenly pauses “Why can’t I find the song?? It disappeared! Where did it go??” I look over at Jiu-jiu who slaps his head and rolls his eyes — “See, what did I tell you?”

You gotta love that Jiu-Ma.

(Dancer wearing a traditional dress from the Qing dynasty)

She took us to see a fashion show of the “History of Classic Fashions of China” which showcased the different styles of fashion throughout the ancient Chinese dynasties.  The 60 minute show used over 600 props, 1200 costumes and equipped with 80 dancers and 40 different scenes.

We were lucky enough to be moved to the first row where we got to see all the intricate details that were on the costumes.  I think my favorite dynasty is the Tang Dynasty.  During that time, fashion focused mainly on feminine elegance and charm.  The designs are very “fairy-like” with heavy influences from nature — with free-flowing fabrics and elegant silhouettes.

We also ventured through the open markets in Shanghai — where local farmers bring in their produce and sell their goods at different stations — very similar to the farmers’ markets that we have here.  There was anything you can think of, hundreds of different types of veggies, seafood, fresh proteins — Collin spent the majority of the time poking at the live fish.

It was funny to see all the extraneous animal parts that American’s wouldn’t even dare to touch here, unless it was in a form of a hot dog.  They had pig ear, tendon, chicken feet, duck feet, giblets, kidneys, stomach — and yes, I have tried all, and yes, I do enjoy eating them very much.  (Don’t judge me!)

They even had fresh chickens.  Now THAT is what I call FRESH.  I felt pretty bad for the little guy, seeing he must know his fate but I am sure he will later on be transformed into a tasty soup or a nice dish (Morbid? Perhaps.  Delicious? Absolutely.)

One of our favorite restaurants on this trip had to be Dong Tian Restaurant (we went twice), located right on the intersection of Tian Ping Lu and Guang Yuan Lu, served probably the best Szechuan food I’ve ever had.  Not only that, the dishes were cheap and they also had an English menu for foreigners (Collin loved this.)  Above we had the Salted Chicken Sauteed with Dried Red Chilies — I don’t think they used enough red chilies in this dish… The fragrant and slightly sweet flavor of the red chilies was enveloped in every bite, the smells were incredible– if only smelling like Chinese food was fashionable I’d wear it as a perfurme.

We also ordered the traditional Pork with Garlic Sauce and Kung Pao Chicken (Collin’s ultimate favorite) which were swimming in a beautiful sea of bright red chili oil.  The hotness level of these chilies are very different from what you’d experience from a jalapeno.  Opposed to a painful burn, these chilies give you a tingling burn, where you can feel the oils ooze out of your pores and not before long the sweat will begin to drip down your face.  Also with the addition of the Szechuan Peppercorns, they almost numb your mouth as you eat them — it’s much more enjoyable than it sounds!

My favorite would have to be the Garlic Spareribs — I had to be polite and limit myself to 2 but easily could’ve stuffed a good 6-8 (It sucks to be a “lady” sometimes).  They brined the spareribs over night and dusted them in cornstarch.  In very hot oil they fried the garlic and spareribs leaving you with a crisp and frangrant outside and juicy flavorful meat on the inside.  I’ve never been so in love with a rib.

(left – Trio of starters: marinated mushrooms, oven dried tomatoes, marinated broad beans.  right – Sweet potato fries)

Our last meal in Shanghai, we took Grandma to her favorite restaurant — Tang’s Cuisine — I couldn’t find the address anywhere so I will have to ask my mom when she gets back.  They served high-end dimsum and they have a variety of beautiful teas.  I picked the rose-bud tea, which enveloped your senses with rich rose aromas with ever sip and left you with a sweet delicate aftertaste.

We ordered a variety of dimsum, my two favorites were the Luo Buo Gao and Char Siew Bao.  Lu Buo Gao is better known as Turnip Cake — it is a rice flour based cake with shredded turnip, chinese sausauge, dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms.  It is steamed and then cut into pieces and panfried.  Char Siew Bao or BBQ Pork Bun, is a steamed bun also made of mainly rice flour that is filled with a sweet and savory bbq pork filling.

(left – Chicken Feet right- Stir Fried Pork with Wasabi)

Collin loved the steamed chicken feet — which my entire family was very impressed with.  Most people will shy away from this dish but I find it wonderful.  When prepared correctly, the meat simply melts in your mouth with a wonderful combination of textures and flavors from the fermented black beans, soy sauce and sugar.  The fried pork was cooked nicely, though I was not really feeling the wasabi mayo on top.

(Steamed Beancurd with Vegetable filling)

Grandma really loved the steamed beancurd — it was very soft and the beancurd skin soaked up all the delicious juices from the filling.  I enjoyed this restaurant for its artistry, every dimsum entree that was served was plated exquisitely.  The attention to detail was impressive and the food was cooked well.  Grandma ate happily the entire time, smiling at Collin and pointing to the dishes and telling me “Tell him to eat! Eat more!”  Trust me Grandma, you don’t ever have to tell Collin that .

Jiu-Ma dug out some old pictures of our family and I thought I’d share a couple.  This was my grandma and grandpa on their wedding day, I am guessing around the 1930s.  My mother told me before the Cultural Revolution, our family did well for ourselves.  I find my grandmother a striking woman, with her delicate features and porcelain skin.  Mom also tells me grandma was always the perfect lady — always very polite, lady-like in her ways, never raised her voice, and LOVED to dress up.

I often wondered where I got my love for shopping from, my mother never buys a single thing.  She tells me in many ways I am like my grandmother, and now that I’m older I see it too.  Granted I am rough around the edges and I may not always be lady-like in my mannerisms, I embrace the beauty of being a woman.  Whenever I go out, I enjoy dressing nice, putting makeup on, making sure everything is in place — and yes, my grandmother still does that now.  When we went out to dimsum she wore her best jacket, put on makeup, styled her hair and finished off the whole outfit with her hella cool shades — the woman is hip.

In the pictures above, the little chubster is my mother.  She is the youngest in the family by 14 years.  I can see where I get my goofiness from, most of the time my mother stays very collected but she always has her spurts of random goofiness that makes me laugh til my sides ache.

Going back to Shanghai this time has really changed my life.  Little by little I am learning more about my family half way across the world, every time I go back I grow closer to them.  I feel fortunate to be able to have that part of me, to hear the stories of my childhood before I moved away, to meet and love the people who helped raised me, where for so long I only knew through a picture, and to experience and soak in the culture and life of the place I was born.

I gave my grandmother one last hug before I left, I hugged her tight and told her “I will see you next year.”  Fighting back the tears, I really hoped that I will have the opportunity to do so.  To have my life enriched by all the beautiful women in my family, it’s times like these that I don’t want to say good-bye.  It’s times like these when I wish I could stay, walk to Grandma’s every morning, give her her daily dose of hugs and kisses and then go on with my day.  It’s times like these where I wish I could eat and laugh and hang out with Jiu-Jiu and Jiu-Ma and anyone else in my family whenever I wanted to.  But it’s these times that you hope for, that push you to work harder towards a future that will help you fulfill these desires. I hope I will have these times soon.

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Thank you all for entering my very first giveaway, it was a great success! Using Random.org I selected a winner… Congratulations to Silvia from CitronetVanille for winning my very first giveaway!  Please e-mail me with your address as well as your selection for the picture you would like on print .