I've never even made porridge before. My mom says you're supposed to put 1 cup of uncooked rice and then tons of water. I was lazy so I scooped a bowl of cooked rice in the rice cooker. And kept adding water when it got thicker. I think you're constantly supposed to stir, which I did not know because the rice at the bottom of the pot burned and stuck to the pot. Can't scrub it off. 

R.I.P. little  pot :(

Also, I was supposed to chop up uncooked oysters but I had forgotten so all I had to work with were the left over baked oysters. Too bad because the best part is the oyster juice when it cooks. Oh well! Next time!

Some garlic and shallot. Note: add oil to the pot so it doesn't burn. Luckily, there was not a lot so I was able to scrape the bottom of this pot. Hahahahaha (not). 

Add the chopped oysters to the shallot pot and some more "oyster sauce" because.. it's oyster porridge!! I don't know, I made that up. I really had no idea what I was doing. Then add the oyster pot to the porridge. Porridge is not a fun dish, it's very bland. So I added some fish sauce because I'm Vietnamese and that is what we do.

I ended up making some more oyster stir fry and adding it to the porridge because the porridge was STILL bland. I never knew this but Koreans eat kim chee with their porridge. I thought it was weird but considering how bland my porridge was, it was not a bad idea. Haha. 

Good thing Won eats EVERYTHING! Hahaaha

In other news, Won signed me up for a gym. I went for the first time yesterday to go swimming. It was so embarrassing, I came in and swiped my card. 

Then walked across the whole gym to the dressing room. . I'm trying to act like I go to the gym all the time and that the big machines and weights in there do not scare me. And that it's normal that I am wearing a pretty dress and some flip flops while everyone else is in real gym clothes. FML. Then the front desk staff chases me down telling me I needed a picture taken since it's my first time

So I walked back across the gym to the front desk to take a horribly ugly picture I was not prepared for.

Then I walked back across to the dressing room to realize the lock Won gave me does not fit, luckily he had bought me a new pad lock in case this happened. 

So I had to walk back out across the gym AGAIN to the front desk for scissor to cut open the package. 

Then I walked back across to the locker room to realize I threw away the combo paper at the front desk.

So I had to walk back to the front desk. Only for the staff to tell me that the combo paper is actually on the back of the lock. FML. 

So I walked back to the dressing room to change and get in the pool -___- 

As if I am not awkward enough!!  So much for pretending I am a regular. 

So what.. is going on with everyone else's life? We're going to the Cinco De Mayo festival in Portland tomorrow! Exciting!

Hama Hama Oyster Rama 2013!! Oyster picking, food, music, relay races, art, and FUN!! 

Hama Hama! Don't bother getting dressed cute in Washington because it's always so FREEZING COLD!

I'm walking on oysters. Oh! oh! And don't it feel good!

ALL MINE!!!

So many little creatures to play with! From slimey little fishes to star fishes to hermit crabs and big crabs and a who knows what else lives in these waters!

Hard at work picking the biggest oysters we could find!

 
Good thing we had rain boots! We could walk in the puddles. Except she got a hole in her boot! And everyone else got their socks wet from wearing tennis shoes :(

We had the biggest and heaviest bucket! Everyone complimented us on our haul! I helped!

Photo op is over, Won Choe carries the bucket home. Hahahahahaha.

Washing our oysters to be packed to be taken home. Free tip: No matter how fabulous your hair is, tie it up for outdoor activities! Lest you risk looking like crazy hair in strong wind!

 
I specifically also picked a few of the smallest oysters I could find to eat raw!! YUUUMMMM!!

At home for a nice wash before we baked them! After scrubbing them thoroughly, I found tons of little shrimps left floating in the sink. Ha! 

I wasn't kidding when I said we picked the biggest ones we could find!!

For some reason I thought watermelon would go well with them. And it did!!

The oysters were as big as my chubby little hand (no thanks to Won's bad camera angle skills)! But as fun as it was to pick and bake the biggest ones (no it was not, these took almost an hour to cook!) I prefer the smaller ones. Next time I will not be so greedy :(

And THAT is how I spent my weekend! Next up.. Digging for razor clams!!!! 

What's a day in a life of a Seattle suburban housewife you ask me?

Then I drove up to Seattle where Won works in some big corporation. I watched as business people flocked in after lunch. I brought a salad and Won took me to Chinatown for some tapioca and roast duck. We had a nice picnic in Chinatown. 

Then I went shopping for a few hours then came home and made dinner! I wanted to use the leftover ingredients I had from all the other dishes.

Marinating and baking chicken breasts.

More tiny ingredients! and my shredded chicken! 

Then I used a Vietnamese coffee can (go Vietnam!) to cut little pizza rounds from my leftover quesadilla.

I put the quesadilla into muffin pan slots to make my deep dish pizza crust.

Tomato paste!! And Cheese! For pizza pizza!

Add the onions,bell peppers, mushroom, chicken, cheese, and parsley! Into the oven we go!

Out of the oven! And 2 missing already! Yummm!! Melty cheesey mushroom chicken goodness!
Ignore my freaky double jointed thumb. I'm extra opposable!

A platter full for the family. All gone by this morning.

Because somebody eats like this.... -_____-

My mom said Won will eat us to the poor house!! 

 Now onto Wedding Details!! 


I found a girl version of my wedding band. Except my bands are much smaller and delicate and will be made to fit my engagement ring perfectly. Very excited!

I LOVE this bouquet accessory! So I've been on the hunt for something for my own bouquet. I found something in my wedding colors.. but I want something more crystal-ly! ;)

Picking out our wedding outfits for our Pae Baek. I love the company we went with, they have so many more options than just the typical red and blue outfits (that we wore for our engagement shoot) that EVERYONE has. These outfits are much more expensive and reserved for royalty! We had 6 sets to choose from, from princess to knights to queen to empress. OF COURSE we went for the empress outfits. Hahahahaha. It's okay if you don't know what I'm talking about, Won has not a clue either. 

Some cake stands I picked up for our cupcake/wedding caketable. Chandelier EVERYTHING!! Yay!

And here is Pinky... totally not understanding the concept of personal space -____- 
You can see I was blogging in the background. 

These were the wedding shoes I wanted but they didn't have my size left. So I just ordered 2 other pairs. Hoping they come and I like them. Will update you all later :D

I made Quesadilla! Wish I took some pictures of the process because it was surprisingly really yummy. Portabello mushroom with spinach sauteed with steak! Inside a cheesy quesadilla!! <3 <3 

Chicken wings in Char Siu sauce and honey. My sister in law taught me how to make this back when I used to bum around at my brother's house. With boiled broccoli! So happy I did not over cook it, my first time too!

Last night I was craving some clam boil,  and remembered how yummy the crawfish etouffee I had in San Francisco last week was. So.. I decided to make it cajun night!!

I normally do not like corn but it is one of my favorite ingredients in cajun food. The sweetness is so yummy in the spicy hot dish!

LOTS of little ingredients. Anyone want half an onion, half a jalapeno, half a bell pepper, half a parsley, half a celery, half a garlic? The leftover ingredients is so annoying! BTW, I cried the WHOLE time. Sad me!! I hate onion.

 
Simmer with shrimp shell for 1 hour to make stock. It's a lot of work for what it's worth, I'll tell you that much. BUYING cajun food from the restaurant is well worth the money for your time. That is the ingredients being strained to get the stock.

That's the pot of stock in the back. Voila!! And in front is the etoufee! Etoufee is flour mixed in lard (I used butter) and the 1000000x little ingredients and your previously made stock. It's kinda like a seafood gravy.

Pretty fresh flowers from Jenny's mom's garden. Fresh flowers help brighten up the kitchen and not make me feel like I am slaving away. And Pinky, who follows me every single step of the way, waiting for me to drip or drop a morsel for her to help "clean up" with her tongue. 

Last ingredients are shrimp and tobasco sauce for a kick!

Butter, the main ingredient in Cajun. At least I'm not using LARD!!! 

Our crawfish and clam and sausage boil with butter, garlic, orange juice, and Zatarains!! 

Over boxed mashed potatoes! I would have made it from scratch with real potatoes and all but Won INSISTED on how much he loves boxed potatoes. 

 

All plated!! YUMMY!!!! 

And to make you drool some more... Jenny came up to visit her family and they took me to casino buffet for King Crab night (for free)!! AHHHHHHHHHHH YUMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was my first time going to a casino. I lost $10 gambling :( Nevermind it was Jenny's $10 I lost. At least $5 was given to us for free from the casino. Do you know for $10 I could bought a ticket to go oyster farming ALL DAY at the Oyster festival. Yet here I threw away $10 by pressing a button for 2 minutes. I hate gambling. 

I ate soooo much I spent the rest of the evening concentrating on not throwing up.

Never before seen, Won's custom wedding band!!! Very simple, very unique! This is the picture we got back from the CAD, which I am assuming is some computer program that uses your specification to design the mold for the ring so they can make it! It's a ring jacket to match MY wedding band. What is a ring jacket you ask? Imagine two rings fused together but with a space in between for my engagement ring, like a.. jacket!! Get it?! For my ring, we ordered two diamond bands and going to have them bridged together around my engagement ring! And so I wanted Won's to reflect the double band too, that is how we came up with his design. VERY excited to see it all come together! And more excited to actually get to wear it!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

And here is an obnoxious kiss to end the post!   

And everyone must have loved the bach party because my phone is blowing up with pictures and girlfriends asking to treat me out to a nice dinner before I left again. 

In happy thoughts, here are the pictures from my birthday and bachelorette!

My favorite food in the world, crawfish!! My brother ordered me 15 lbs shipped overnight from Louisianna! We also had geo duck sashimi that was fresh caught by my cousin. And garlic noodles and taro cake! AsianInvasion!

The next day:

Getting ready early in the morning so I can go work and do makeup for a pageant before heading to my bachelorette party. Total hustler, because we're poor now after paying off our wedding. 
And a picture of me at the end of the night when I wiped off half of my face that I sent to Won. Hahahaha  

 
Our tea party theme was sun dress, open for interpretation by the girls of course. 

I have super cute friends!! Who have such nice table manners, unlike me! Walking around shoving food in my mouth.

 
Super cute tea party at Rose Tea Lounge, which doubles as a florist shop!

Afternoon sandwiches and summer salad and other fancy cheese stuff anybody? 

The X is for xanga girls!!! Why am I the only one???!

Welcome to the Vanity Pham sweat shop!! Making my outfit for the night in our hotel room. Hahahaha! 

We fancy! even our sweatshop tools are designer! 

OF COURSE I am going to be doing everybody's hair & makeup before the party. I promised myself I would resist the urge on my wedding day. Promise I will not touch anybody!!!

Holy shit, don't cut my hair by mistake! 

Never seen a cuter bachelorette outfit huh? Admit it! My sweatshop workers are good! 

Awww, I look like a shy little angel!! Because THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM!! duh!!

Learning to dance from my one black friend!! 

I thinks I gots its!!! 

Random collages of my pretty friends that I stole from their instagram. Some are sweet and some will cut you (that bottom right one hahaha). Sadly, none of them are single  for the taking. 

This picture is a little bad ass, which I totally am not. But generations from now they will think I was!

Of the 20 people who confirmed for dim sum the next day, this many made it out.

Happiness for EVERYBODY!! Hope I cheered up somebody in a bad mood! <3

The GOOD quality photos are from my xanga friend and talented photographer: www.FernLee.com

The hazy instagram type photos are from my xanga friend and instagram pro: Christina Chen

The rest of the random ass ones with no real quality are from the rest of my high quality friends who don't know how to use a camera properly!  <3