Mmm, whenever I think of soup dumplings I think of Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Arcadia. Unfortunately, it’s so far from where I live that I rarely get to go!

For people who have never had these, they are different from regular dumplings because they have a yummy soup inside of them that you can slurp up before eating.

Anyways, just saw that epicurious has a recipe for the dumplings. Wow, seems like a lot of work! Someone make them for meeee!

Happy mother’s day to all of those hardworking and loving moms out there, especially to my mom! Moms play such an important role in a person’s life

Quotes By Kids:

When I want to watch a TV show with my parents past my bedtime, my mom always sends me to bed no matter how much I fake being “absorbed” in the program.
Rebecca, age 11

Parents don’t get enough appreciation.
Susanna, age 17

If mom’s not happy, nobody’s happy.
Neely, age 13

You only have one mom, and you should take care of her.
Sean, age 12

No matter how much I love something, mom will throw it away without a second’s thought.
Brian, age 12

Every time I complain to my mom that I’m bored, she tells me to go clean my room.
Joanna, age 13

When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
Morgan, age 11

Despite all the loving and caring relationships in the world, there is nothing more loving than the feel of my mother’s hand on my forehead when I am sick.
Rosemary, age 17

Moms make better lunches than dads.
Emily, age 10

When your mom says, “Try it, you’ll like it,” you probably won’t like it.
Emily, age 10

The key to success is selling my mom’s chocolate chip cookies.
Rachel, age 11

Dogs and mothers will love you no matter what.
Heather, age 16

With the onset of my new niece, I’ve been searching for cute baby clothes. These SATees are so funny, in a nerdy/intellectual way! What better way to groom ones’ kid for that future Harvard education than to put an SAT word on his onesie! hehe.

A few of my favorites:

Supine (lying on ones back)

Pulchritudinous (beautiful)

Indian mangoes make their way to the US – I LOVE mangoes and supposedly these taste much better. I can’t wait to try them!
Confessions of a dumpster diver – I found this very interesting. Anyone wanna go dumpster diving? haha
Price Protectr – Monitors prices on items sold by stores with price protection policies and notifies you when they drop so you can get your money back.
Learn Perl in 10 Easy Steps – Great guide for learning an essential programming language
How To Beat Walmart? – one store buys their stuff at Sam’s (walmart’s version of Costco) and sells them for cheaper than walmart hah.

Mangoes have to be one of my favorite all time fruits. I just love the taste of it and anything that is mango flavored is sure to please me. Some facts you might not know about a mango:

How to buy a mango: smell it near the stem. There should be a hint of pine and peaches — no fragrance usually means the mango will have no flavor.

Ripen mangoes in a paper bag. You’ll know when it’s ready when the flesh yields to gentle pressure

Mangoes have an enzyme that tenderizes meat

mangoes are available year round but the most common one is called the Tommy Atkins, which is less flavorable than other varieties like the ones found in Thailand or India.

how to cut a mango – i use simply recipes everytime i need a tutorial about food!

have you tried trader joe’s chile spiced mangoes?

Recipes:
Avocado, tomato, mango salsa
mango muffins
Pork mango picadillo

hehe this list is great and so true. Stop being down on yourself and don’t do these 15 things.

15 proven techniques designed to help anyone interested in becoming depressed and miserable

The ones I see a lot of miserable do especially are:

2. Always compare yourself to others. This works best when you compare your worst traits with their best traits.
9. Let your self-worth be decided by whether others like and accept you. A helpful hint is to do things you don’t believe in and say things that you wouldn’t normally say in order to be accepted.
14. Make sure that your self-worth is based on whether or not you have a boyfriend. Settle for some loser that treats you really badly so that you won’t be without a boyfriend.

I think when it comes down to it, people just need to have some respect for themselves. Learn to love yourself and others will follow!

How to get rid of your pennies: carry 4 pennies with you at all times and use them when you buy something

How to chill a bottle of wine in 6 minutes flat: put the bottle in a bucket with ice, water and a large handful of salt. The salt reduces the freezing point of water and will allow it to become superchilled very quickly

If you tear your lettuce rather than chopping it, the edges won’t go brown as quickly.

To stop your cellphone from interfering with your speakers (you know that annoying tktktkt sound), wrap it in aluminum foil!

I will be leaving for Peru tonight. I’ve pre-published some blog posts so this website will function as normal. I hope all goes well on this trip! If I have internet access I’ll check in!

Boy, I’m going to get fat on this trip! And since the food is so cheap there we will be eating like kings every night. I can’t wait!!!!

Our list of places to eat in Peru

I find the thought of Paris being inside prison very amusing. I’ve heard celebrities get special treatment though so I don’t know how accurate this article is. But if it is, I can’t imagine her making it through.

Inmates warn better watch your back

When I go on a trip, I want to make sure I do everything the area has to offer and to try the best food that is renowned for that country/city. In my lifetime, I want to travel to as many different place as possible which doesn’t leave much room for repeats so I try not to miss out on anything. Here are some of the websites I like best for help on planning a trip:

frommers – hands down my favorite travel guide. i really trust their opinions and recommendations. i haven’t had one bad experience with them. you can also check out lonelyplanet which is similar.
igougo – is a relatively new travel website with input from users. i’ve noticed things on here that weren’t listed elsewhere
tripadvisor – another travel website with user input. they are a really great resource for hotel recommendations and reviews but also for things to do and eat
wikitravel – i’ve posted about this site before. i love wikipages and wikitravel does not disappoint!
forums – there are forums on a lot of the big travel websites and also random off-topic forums that are indispensable for getting current answers and recommendations; it’s surprising how friendly and helpful people on the internet can be!
google – before i travel anywhere, i always try to do a google search that consists of these words/phrases: “off the beaten path (country)”, “places to eat (country)”, “things to do (country)”
realtravel – features a lot of firsthand accounts from bloggers who travel and a great way to get suggestions for places to go and things to eat