Grilled Yellowtail (Hamachi Kama)

Fresh seafood is one of my favorite things in the world. Lobster, crab, shrimp, oysters (especially oysters!) - you name it, I love it! I am heading to Chicago this weekend for a bridal shower, and on the top of my Windy City To Do List is eat at Mariscos El Veneno, a Mexican seafood restaurant that one of my best friends swears by. I figure if I'm a fan of Mexican food and a fan of seafood, it can only be a match made in food heaven, right?

But for now...back to today's post - grilled yellowtail! I love ordering grilled fish when I'm at a Japanese restaurant, and when I spied this recipe on Nami's blog, I knew I had to give it a try. This particular cut of the yellowtail is the hamachi kama, which is the collar/neck area, aka the best part of the fish. It's juicy, it's tender, it's fatty - all wonderful things when describing fish.

I love seafood paired with citrus, and this is where the key to this dish comes in: Yuzu juice. Yuzu juice comes from a Japanese citrus fruit that is similar to a hybrid between lemon, lime, and a hint of grapefruit. It is used often in salad dressings or dipping sauces, and I've also been seeing it pop up in fancy cocktail concoctions as well. 

My favorite part of this recipe is that it is deliciously easy: pop it in the oven, prep your dipping sauce, and you're golden!

BB Cream - My Latest Skincare Obsession

I admit it: I'm a skincare addict.

Growing up and throughout my high school days, I was a Clean & Clear junkie. When I started college and was barely making minimum wage, the one thing I would splurge on was skincare products. As I moved into the young professional working life, I also moved through quite a few obsessions with several skincare lines: Clinique, Jurlique, Shu Uemura, and a very long-lived (and still ongoing) love affair with Philosophy. Hope in a Jar, Purity, Kiss Me Goodnight, Miracle Worker...I could go on and on!

My most recent obsession, however, is not around a brand, but around a product: BB Cream. BB Cream, depending on who you ask, stands for either beauty balm or blemish balm. It originated in Korea, and has since made its way into the European and Western markets. It is touted as an all-in-one magical skincare product: moisturizer, primer, sun screen, foundation, and anti aging cream - all in one nifty package. Similar to a tinted moisturizer, it offers a very natural look while still providing light coverage. 

What's more, BB Creams also have healing properties that smooth and refine skin. BB Creams help to soften skin texture, fade scars, and regenerate skin.

Sound too good to be true?

Spicy Szechuan Eggplant with Minced Pork

Before we get into the specifics of this dish, let me just say: 

I really, really, really love spicy food.  

When I was in college, my equally spicy-food loving roommate and I would add some form of spice (red pepper, hot peppers, Sriarcha, you name it!) to everything we cooked. Luckily, this habit has calmed down a little for both of us over the years, but I would say more often than not, you'll find me adding a little kick to my dishes.

This particular dish obviously fits the spicy requirement, as Szechuan dishes are famous for being over-the-top, deliciously spicy. My mom would make this dish when I was little, but I can't say I really enjoyed it too much until I was in college. While I wasn't averse to eating vegetables as a kid, eggplants were definitely not on the top of my must-haves. Over the years, I have grown fonder of them and their versatility in dishes across cuisines. This dish, Spicy Szechuan Eggplant with Minced Pork, remains one of my favorites!  

New Year, New Beginnings

 Happy New Year!

There's something so satisfying about starting a new year:
Clean slate, clean calendar, clean house (working on it)!

Every January or so, I try to make a few loose resolutions in the spirit of the new year. I say "loose" in the sense that they are less tangible than your typical resolution - I hate assigning hard numbers (ie: save 10%, read 2 books a month) because then it just feels like work. So much of my job (and I would think many jobs) is about achieving those numbers and hitting those targets...so I would prefer my personal life not be the same. This way, I can't really fail at my resolutions. I achieve them...just to varying degrees.

So, here they are!