my parents came back from new york with all kinds of chinese goodies that i grew up eating. as a kid, these treats didn't seem like anything special, but absence always makes the heart grow fonder. as in, my inability to find anything remotely close to these yummy chinese snacks and dishes has caused me to long for them dearly. in my opinion, east bay's chinatown has nothing on new york. above, "deung" made by my mom's aunt. deung consists of lapcheong (chinese sausage) and peanuts in sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf. comfort food heaven.

have no idea what i'm talking about? don't worry - i can go so far as to haphazardly order dim sum in barely intelligible cantonese. but with this, maybe there's hope.

easter weekend... and a little too much fun with instagram

/ 1 / erica + alex's wedding cake samples from my favorite restaurant... all of which were delicious (what a way to start the weekend) / 2-3 / picking out a bouquet / 4-5 / spaghetti con le cozze (not very easter-y, but who cares)

i spent last weekend recharging in sonoma. my mom's garden proved to be an ideal spot to sit and relax, as everything smelled so good - the citrus blossoms, honeysuckle, jasmine... it was the perfect environment to think about a friend i miss very much.

this is makaria farm - where m now resides and works. so beautiful, right? you can read about his progress as a first time farm apprentice here.

photo by m.

who says you have to look like schlump when you cook? thanks for the apron mimsy!

behind-the-scenes snippets of:

// 1 // steven alan's fall collection 2011 preview

// 2 // j.crew's womens spring 2011 behind the design

it's such a treat to catch a glimpse of a designer's thought processes, no?

today's farmers market loot... kind of seems like i'm carbo-loading. so i guess my secret is out: i love bread.

dinner: this salad + roasted asparagus done up Alice Waters' way + sandwich of black forest ham, fig jam, and brie.

something at which to marvel... and maybe the new definition of "handsome".

a trip in pictures / 1-3 / stumptown coffee at ace hotel. it's pricey for a reason. a little known fact about portland's ace hotel - there are free old school erasers and pencils... not really a selling point, but it's a real perk in my opinion. other portland highlights: frances may, alder + co, clyde common, jam. wish i had time to eat at the farm / 4 / roadtrip means winding skeins of yarn from happy knits for future projects / 5-6 / the ferry from vancouver to nanaimo on vancouver island / 7-9 /  granville island's public market / 10-11 / vancouver / 12-13 / a friend

it's one week later and i'm back in california from my week-long roadtrip to british columbia with m! i had big plans to document the drive and cities we visited. unfortunately, i wasn't particularly diligent about taking photos since it rained pretty much every day. i'll see what i have on the ol' camera at some point. in the meantime, these are some ridiculous photobooth pictures from portland.