10 Questions to Ask Your Mom

I've been working all week on a mini project that will debut itself tomorrow on Mother's Day. It's nothing big or earth shattering, but I can't wait for everyone to see it!

In the build up to this Mother's Day project, I've been thinking a lot about my relationship with my mother. If I am being truly honest, my relationship with my mother is more about me than it is about us. She is the only person in the world who always puts me before herself. She is constantly giving me what I need (whether emotionally or physically), telling me what I want to hear, calling me when it's convenient to my schedule, listening to my problems, moving countries so I can pursue my swimming career, waking up at 4.30 in the morning to send me to morning practice ... you get the picture.

Now that I am an adult, I'd like to somewhat rectify this selfish situation. I'd like to really get to know the woman I've known my whole life, to stop asking so much from my mother and more about my mother. After all, there is no better way to get to know a person than to ask questions about them.

Without any scientific basis or real research, I came up with 10 questions that I think will help anyone get to know their mother better . Try them out yourself this Mother's Day. You might even learn something about yourself!

1. What is the one thing you would have done differently as a mom?
I don't know if I specifically asked mama T this question or it came up during one of our deep conversations, but the answer to this question will tell you so much about your mom, not just as a mother but as a woman.

2. Why did you choose to be with my father?
Whether we like it or not, unless we consciously change this, we model our intimate relationships after our parents'. So knowing why your mom chose your father will bring deeper insight to your relationship choices. Plus it's always interesting to know.

3. Which of us kids do you love the most?
Mama T won't answer this question, and I am sure you're mom won't either (unless you are an only child). But its still worth a shot!

4. Is there anything you've always wanted to tell me or say to me but never did?
Just watch, my mom is going to tell me I was adopted! LOL

5. In your experience, what is the biggest myth about motherhood?

6. What do you consider your proudest achievement? And you greatest regret?

7. In what ways am I like you? And not like you?

8. Is there anything you regret not having asked your parents?
People usually regret what they haven't asked, not what they have.

9. Is it harder or easier being a mom now or when you were raising a family?

10. What is the best thing I can do for you now to show you I care?
When I was younger, each time I presented Mama T with a Mother's day card or gift expressing my love for her, she would tell me " If you really want to show mama that you love me, I'd rather you be obedient than write me cards or buy me presents."

This statement used to pierce my heart b/c 1. It hurt me to think that she didn't want/like my offering and 2. I knew what it was cost me to promise to be obedient (I sure was a pig-headed child). Now that I am older, I understand what she was telling me. So, ask your mom and then you can give her what she really wants/needs from you.

Tea Anyone?

I'm not a coffee girl. I was not that college kid who survived on a diet of late nights and caffeine. I went to bed every night at 10pm (I had to be up at 5.30am!!) and only drank coffee on the last day of a 5 day meet in order to convince myself that I wanted to jump in the cold pool and warm up for the 200 breast.

I'm not a coffee girl. But since I've stopped swimming, I will say that I have developed a taste for tea, all kinds of tea. I love the earthy taste of the tea leaves and the dryness that it leaves down my throat. Mmmmm.

Which is why these Bright Morning Teacups by Australian artist Samantha Robinson are exactly my cup of tea (argh I can't help but pun now!). Delicate and cheery, these porcelain cups are hand decorated, ensuring that no two designs are the same.

If you aren't as into tea as I am, consider using these teacups as alternative vases. Float single blossoms in the teacups and display them in a group or peppered through your house.

No matter how you choose to utilize these teacups, they will surely bring a smile to you face!

Details:
Bright Morning Teacups
Anthropologie
$128.00 for a set of 4

Botero

A couple of weeks ago, I made my virgin trip to Sin City... Las Vegas! Similar to my situation with Little Tokyo, I'd never ever been to Las Vegas despite living in Southern California for almost 8 years now-apparently, I never really lived outside of my bubble until now! I blame swimming!!

Anyway, so the maiden voyage to Vegas was made for work, but thankfully, I had a little time to play whilst there. NOTE: Play in the sense of walking the entire strip for exercise and dining out at fancy restaurants but no play in the "normal" Vegas sense of the word, I had to work till 3 am every night I was there!

On my first night in Vegas, my boss and I had plans to dine with our PR reps at Botero. Set in an ultra sleek looking circular lounge at the Encore, Botero's interior sported extravagant white leather chairs with black trimmings, 6 white leather-padded pillars in the middle of the restaurant surrounding a giant voluptuous lady statue, and walls donned with paintings by the artist Fernando Botero.

While we waited for our dining compatriots who were running very behind our 9pm dinner time, my boss and I were starving so we ordered some apps to keep us happy. An order of Hamachi tartare with crispy rice cake and sweet chili vinaigrette as well as a wild mushroom tart with gruyere cheese and arugula did the trick. The hamachi was very fresh and sweetly spicy but the rice cake was a little too deep fried for my liking. Additionally, I've had much better crispy rice cakes from BarFood in LA or even Katsuya.

However, I will give Botero's Hamachi tartare a little shout out for an innovative presentation. Served on little metal spork-like contraptions, this tartare was easy to pick up and pop into ones mouth without the tartare falling off the rice cake, or sauce dripping everywhere. Genius!

The puff pastry on the wild mushroom tart was flaky and tasted like it came from a frozen package of pre-made dough. However, the wild mushrooms did add just the right touch of umami meatiness that my growling stomach wanted. Moreover, I've always been a huge fan of the combination of nutty Gruyere cheese mixed with the bitter spiciness of the arugula, so this dish wins with me despite the lackluster puff pastry.

Upon the arrival of our other 4 dining companions, we dove straight into ordering our main meals. If you haven't noticed by now, I like to split entries with whoever I am dining with- it allows me to try more food + I'm very indecisive so having 2 choices helps- and this meal was no exception. The first dish my boss and I split was an order of the Kobe short rib with potato puree and rosemary. The smell of the rosemary was intoxicatingly delicious but the short rib fell short. Dry and overcooked, the meat lacked any sort of flavor or natural jus. Blah would be how I would describe it.

The second split dish was the European Loup De Mer (Mediterranean Sea Bass) served with niçoise vegetables. The sea bass was nicely seasoned although a little over cooked. The star of this dish was definitely the niçoise vegetables which were sweet and flavorful.

For dessert, our table split and order of Botero ice cream cupcakes that came in "childhood favorite flavors". I tried the lemon flavored ice cream cupcake and was left a little under impressed. The cupcake was too buttery and soggy- it crumbled in mouth but not in a good way. On top of that, I was left wanting more from the disk of lemon ice cream that sat atop the cupcake. It lacked any kind of citrus punch and did not go well with the slightly unpleasant cake below.

Details:
Botero @ Encore Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-770-5315

Tomato Soup Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Saying goodbye to a friend is never an easy thing. This past Sunday, I attended a farewell potluck brunch that was thrown for a good college friend of mine who is heading home to Colorado before going off to Law School in the fall. For brunch, I made a Tomato Soup Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting cake as my contribution to the party.

I know you're already a little curious and maybe even a tad turned off by the tomato soup in this cake and I don't blame you. I mean seriously? Tomato soup? Cake? But truth be told, this slightly rebellious recipe produces an amazingly intense colored spice cake that is fragrant and moist. The recipe is easy enough that even a goof in the kitchen could not screw it up! So go ahead, give it a try!

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons Shortening/Crisco (I used unsalted butter instead)
2 cups Granulated Sugar
2 cans (10.75 Oz. Each) Condensed Tomato Soup
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
3 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Nutmeg
½ teaspoons Ground Cloves
_____
Frosting-
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
1 pound Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Milk, Or More To Reach Desired Consistency For Icing

Directions:
1. Cream together shortening and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the tomato soup and baking soda- yes, the foamy mixture you now have in your bowl is normal. Panic not, its the acid in the baking soda reacting with our soup.
3. Once combined, mix the soup and baking soda into the creamed sugar mixture. Add all other cake ingredients in the order listed.
4. Grease a bundt (Buunntttt!! LOL) pan
5. Spread into the prepared bundt pan and use a spoon or flat spatula to even out the surface
6. Bake at 350F for approximately 45-55 minutes, until done. Let cool.

To make the cream cheese frosting cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese in a bowl. Add enough milk to make it spreadable, usually about 2 tablespoons/ Pour over the cooled cake.

I got a little zealous with my milk to frosting ratio and my frosting got a little too runny for my liking, but the taste was still fab!

Recipe Courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

Blue Plate Oysterette

For the final leg of my friend's spring break extravaganza, we thought we would break free from our Asian streak and go with some lovely fresh seafood (after all, one can't get delectably fresh seafood in Arkansas) at Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica.

Designed by Tim Clarke, the interior of the restaurant had a very East Coast beach cottage feel. With clean lines, wicker high chairs, and wrought iron tables, I imagine this is what a casual Hamptons eatery would look like- casual, calming and classy.

For starters, we ordered up a plate of fresh Metcalf Bay oysters. Served with the usual suspects of a lemon wedge, house made cocktail sauce and mignonette, these metcalf oysters were plump with a sweet smokey finish. Beautiful, but I will say a little on the small side. They were slurped down within minutes.

For our main dish, we decided to split an order of Peruvian ceviche with rocoto chiles and papas huancainas. The scallop ceviche was a little more tart and spicy than I expected, with the rocoto chiles adding a slight burning aftertaste, but in a good and intriguing way. The papas huancainas (made with boiled Yukon potatoes, humongous corn kernels, hard boiled eggs, topped with a spicy creamy sauce and served a top lettuce) lacked a little tang, but I am guessing was left as such in order to counterbalance the intensity of the ceviche.

We also split an order of the blackboard special of ocean trout with toasted barley, tomatoes and mushrooms. The ocean trout was lovely up till the point that I found a bug crawling among the barley. Argh! I am pretty sure it landed there sometime after the food was placed in front of us but needless to say...

To replace our bugged ocean trout, we ordered the shellfish bouillabaisse with baguette toast, house-made rouille and grated gruyere cheese. Made with shrimps, clams and mussels, this classic Provençal seafood stew truly hit the spot and we forgot all about the gross bug in our ocean trout. The broth of this bouillabaisse was rich and layered with seafood goodness. A mental image of a French woman slaving all day over the stove and making her entire house smell like heaven popped into my head. The shellfish were fresh and cooked to perfection. In addition, I rather enjoyed the process of topping my baguette slices with rouille (which was quite tasty with the right mix of garlic and saffron) and gruyere and then delicately soaking them in the broth before popping them into my mouth. Ahhh!

Details:
Blue Plate Oysterette
1355 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica CA 90401
310-576-3474

Mother's Day Ecards

If you've yet to flag Mother's Day (it's about a week away) on your Blackberry, desk top calender or personal planner, then think of today's post as the gentle reminder! That is, that it's time to go out and find the perfect gift for the woman that gave you life!

If, like me, you don't live in the same state or country as your mom, you have a couple of days to get that snail mail card in the mail, or to go online and order a bouquet for mom.

Or, you can skip the post office and online shopping all together and just send her one of these free electronic cards!

For the Top mom. You know she's the best, and Mother's Day is the perfect time to make sure mom knows it too! This delicate watercolor ecard gives you enough space to list all the reasons your mom is top dog!

From Punch Bowl.

For the Artsy Mom. Choose from one of her favorite art works or just send her a simple "I love you" courtesy of Louise Bourgeois.

From MoMA.

For the Mom who has it all. She still has her good looks and health, and more importantly, she has you as her kid- enough said.

From Hipster Cards.

For the Animal Loving Mom. She's your mama bear!

From The Nature Conservancy.

For the Mom that doesn't mind favoritism (or a good laugh).

From Someecards.