follow me...if you want

I finally decided to jump on the social media bandwagon! You can find me on twitter @writeveronica and instagram.

just in case

These days I have to be even more organized when I go out. That means thinking about naps, feeds and diaper changes each time I plan on leaving the house. Pair that with hauling a bag filled with diapers, wipes, extra clothes, a portable change mat and anything else we may need when not at home. It was a pretty difficult adjustment at first, but now I feel like I have it down pat (most days). Something I put together recently was a little emergency kit that I carry in my bag at all times (note: not a diaper bag. I just can't do it). 

I bought a small toiletry bag from MEC and filled it with some things that I may need when I'm out and about. Included: Purell (I'm not totally sold that this stuff actually works, but it makes me feel better in a pinch—like on the subway), kleenex (snot, puke, you get it), Mustela cleansing cloths for babies (I use them instead of wet wipes), a bottle of water for emergency hand-washing in parks or when eating outdoors (I hate not being able to wash my hands before eating or feeding Maxwell), and snacks!!!

I grabbed all of these from MEC too. I'm not one for energy bars, but sometimes I have no time (or forget) to eat and I feel better knowing I have something I can scarf down fast if need be. Also, I was pretty intrigued by the selection of "energy chews". I'll let you know if they work!

100 days old

Over the weekend, Maxwell turned 100 days old. And because he's half Korean, we decided to throw him a baek-il party. You can read about this Korean tradition here, but basically it's a celebration of a baby surviving its first 100 days (back in the day a lot of babies didn't make it to 100 days, so it was a reason to celebrate). We weren't planning on marking this milestone, but then I thought about how great of a memory it would be for Maxwell, so we rushed around and got everything the day before. It was a sweet little party for three! 

The table included Korean Shingo pears and a baby watermelon (there's always fruit on a Korean celebration table), Asian snacks, sticky rice cakes, and the requisite baby photos.

The sweet Korean rice cakes (tteok)are a must. I like the really soft and chewy ones stuffed with red beans (the tan, white and brown ones). The shiny green, red and pink ones have a liquid honey centre. The cake-like multi-colour slices are much drier, not very sweet at all and even though they look mighty pretty, they're definitely my least favourite.

We also had a very non-traditional (but delicious) ice cream cake with two kinds of ice cream inside: cookies and cream and gold medal ribbon. 

The party continued the next day thanks to Maxwell's halmoni and halabujee (grandma and grandpa in Korean). They brought even more rice cakes, fruit, kimbap, and two cakes.

Halmoni made a traditional steamed rice cake that says "100 day celebration" in Korean lettering made out of dates.

We love you not-so-little Mundoo! You make us smile and laugh every day!

another year

Sometimes when Mundoo is crying, I say, “I understand. You’ve only been on this earth for two and a half months, everything must be terrifying! Can you believe I’ve been here for 33 years?” Well, let’s make that 34 now. Over the weekend, I celebrated a low-key birthday. I treated myself to a new iPhone (!!!) and spent the day with my two favourite boys. We capped off the evening with some cake and dirty Chinese food (you know, the deep-fried everything and red sauce-type of Chinese food). Sometimes it sooo hits the spot. 

checking in

It's been all about baby around these parts which means I've done next to no cooking or baking and definitely haven't been going out for any good meals lately. But who cares when you have a healthy, happy (for the most part), growing babe!

Luckily, for Valentine's Day/Joe's 35th birthday, my mom volunteered to babysit so that Joe and I could sneak away for a quick lunch down the street at Milagro. The appetizers were the most memorable part of the meal: a delicious ceviche of octopus, shrimp and crab, and a chunky guacamole served with crispy tortilla chips. 

We ended the day with a simple vanilla birthday cake from Dufflet and my two Valentines. 

oh baby!

On December 20 at 11:57 p.m. Joe and I welcomed our little Maxwell Dae-Won Park into the world. He made his due date by mere minutes with a fast and furious delivery! We couldn't be happier and can't believe how much we love this little dude already. Here's me and my 40-week belly the day before Maxwell was born (I already gave up on wearing makeup and straightening my hair at this point). 

And Maxwell just after entering the world:

He looked mega Korean when he was born and all the nurses kept saying how much he looked like Joe. He's changed so much already though. Here's our little Mundoo (this is our Korean nickname for Maxwell) at almost 3 weeks old:

what's really been cooking

Blogging has taken a bit of backseat here these last few weeks. But it's with good reason: in a matter of weeks (eek!) Joe and I will be welcoming our first baby into our little family. It's an exciting time, but also a stressful time. Luckily we are blessed with great friends and family which definitely makes things easier. I'm going to try my best to keep up with posting and I semi-promise that this won't become a baby blog (I may not be able to resist showing you some of the awesome prezzies I've been receiving for our baby dude), but if it goes quiet over here, at least now you know what's up. In the meantime, here are some shots from the baby shower that Adam and Davis threw me. They know that cured meats and cheese are the way to my heart. 

farm anatomy

Farm Anatomy has quickly become one of my favourite books from 2011. Covering everything from barn styles to how a cow's stomach works, this illustrated guide to the basics of farm living has me daydreaming about moving out of the city and settling down on a small hobby farm somewhere in rural Ontario. 

east side

Over the weekend, Adam and I ventured out to Queen East. My very first apartment when I moved to Toronto with Joe over 10 years ago (whoa!) was actually on Queen East near Pape. Back then, the area was, lets just say, quite a bit seedier and undesirable. Now, there are tons of great vintage and modern housewares stores, specialty shops and cute cafes. 

Joe and I actually moved back to the east end again about six years ago, this time to the Beaches area. We absolutely hated it (relying on the Queen streetcar to get anywhere made us crazy) even though we had a way larger apartment that cost way less than what we pay now.

I guess I'm a west-end girl at heart, but visiting the east side was still a nice way to pass an afternoon.

bits of my weekend

My weekend was spent: 

Transplanting the succulents that have been growing like mad on my windowsill.

Enjoying a hunk of the Pied-De-Vent I picked up in Montreal.

Making my favourite oatmeal raisin cookies.

Roasting a whole chicken and root vegetables for Sunday night dinner.

odd bits

Jennifer McLagan's cookbooks are some of the most-loved (and most-used) cookbooks on my shelf. Bones, Fat and now Odd Bits, all celebrate the parts of an animal that often get neglected—the innards, organs and leftover cuts.

I’m actually a fan of those parts. It's the odd bits that offer such great textures and tastes. Saute me up some gizzards (just a splash of soy, lots of green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil). Trotters and tails? Yes, please (they do wonders for soups). And don’t get me started on my love for pig face (sisig is one of my all-time favourite Filipino dishes and consists of a sizzling plate of sliced pig ears, jowls and other random head pieces).

But then there's tripe. My arch nemesis. I can't stand it. But I'm willing to give it another try. I might even try McLagan's minted tripe and pea salad. 

dinner for one

Solo dinners for me usually mean toast and eggs or crackers and cheese. But over the weekend, while Joe was in NYC, I decided to put together a couple semi-decent meals for myself. Sadly, I'm a creature of habit and my meals pretty much looked the same.

 * instant Japanese Hiyashi Chuka cold noodles, too many dill pickles and a Rowe Farms striploin grilled medium-rare. I found that Stewart's cream soda at the back of the fridge. Classy.

* instant Japanese Hiyashi Chuka cold noodles (again), dill pickles (surprise), Japanese potato croquettes

great food series

Recently, I've started reading Penguin's Great Food Series. A tribute to some of the most influential food writers of all time, the series spans the last 400 years and celebrates everything from recipes and entertaining to etiquette and social issues. I only have six of the 20 books, but am excited to add the rest to my ever-growing book collection. So far, I've found each volume to be relevant, amusing and most of all, inspiring. Also, take a look at those covers! They're a thing of beauty.

* images from Penguin