Getting Close: Corduroy Briefcases

I'll finish these tomorrow in between working on orders that need to ship. Isn't it funny that I take a break from orders by working on non-orders? For some reason, the concept seems weird to me because I'm still making bags.

Tonight The Boy and I are heading to Whole Foods Downtown for the Austin Fashion Week Mixer. I'm really looking forward to some happy hour! :)

Coming Soon: Corduroy Briefcases

New Colors:
Barn Red (18-1531 TPX)
Latte (Pantone 15-1220 TPX)

New: Traveler in Two-Tone Red Leather

This is one of those, "Now why didn't I think of this before?" moments where I fail to make a bag in one of the most popular colors. This happened a month ago when I finally made my first Traveler in Black Leather.

It's here now and ready to ship!

Etsy Finds: Tribal Inspired

1. hillarybird, 2. phofun , 3. spinthread

I have lots of nice pieces of leather piling up in boxes.  I usually turn these into phone/camera cases for my family and leather feather earrings for myself.  I've received enough feedback from friends/strangers to sell my earrings and cases that I might just do that. :)

I love tribal inspired things and I often wear leather earrings and fringe-y cowboy boots whenever I'm not wearing basics.  I have two obvious fashion preferences and the fringe-y leather is itching to show up in my shop.

Some of you may remember my Eightfold line which reflects my love for texture, leather, fringe, and one of a kind pieces. Well, I finally found the box which contained a lot of those goodies (after I moved to the new studio some months ago, I've had so many great finds buried in big plastic crates and they're just now being re-discovered). And they're coming to the shop. At a discount!!

I'll keep you posted, because they're one of a kind pieces and may not last too long.

p.s. You can see more lovely tribal inspired pieces on my latest treasury on Etsy. 

Thịt Bò Lúc Lắc

Last night was so rainy and stormy that I had very little to no light to work with to photograph these plates. I opened the blinds and I couldn't see anything!

It was nearly pitch black at 7 p.m. and the boys were complaining that they couldn't see their food while I was trying to get a decent photo. So I set my camera on a tripod, tried to focus as best I could (with my manual focus lens) and snapped 3 long exposure pictures. Two came out in-ish focus. Good enough for me.

Surprisingly, they don't look too different from the pictures I normally take with lots of sunlight. The power of the DSLR and their huge sensors.



Anyway, I'm on a beef crave. These follow those you-know-what times.

I like making this dish when I don't feel like doing anything complicated and only want to spend 15 minutes in the kitchen preparing something.

Thit Bo Luc Lac literally translates to Beef Shaking (or Shaking Beef), and this is named after the shaking motion you use to move the cubes around to brown and cook in the wok. Creative, huh? :)

This dish is normally made with oyster sauce for its brownness, but I typically don't use oyster sauce. Not sure why, I guess I haven't found a big reason to purchase a bottle yet? I made due with what I have, as always. And if that isn't enough modifying, I also added some spice, because we love spicey in this house.

Oh, and it's also normally served on a bed of watercress, but I was really in the mood for bok choy and mushrooms so I thought I would make something with that.

Can I even still call it Thit Bo Luc Lac? 

Ingredients
Beef (I used Chuck Roast)
Onions (I used Sweet Yellow Onions)
Garlic

Sauce
Soy Sauce
Sweet Chili Sauce
Brown Sugar
Pepper
Garlic

Side Dish
Bok Choy
Shiitake Mushrooms

In a separate bowl, mix cubed beef, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, pepper and any additional seasoning you like (I actually use my steak seasoning combo of garlic tenderizer, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika).

Sweat diced onion and garlic. Throw in beef and let brown. I flip the beef over by shaking my wok (Like the pros on TV! Except not as flashy).

For the side dish, I put a pad of butter and diced garlic in a frying pan and add baby bok choy and sliced shiitake mushrooms in the pan. I ladle some of the sauce from the beef dish in and do that same shaky-flippy motion with the wok until it's cooked yet still crispy (I love crispy veggies!).

Serve on a bed of rice and enjoy.

Guys love this dish, probably because it's got a lot of meat and earthy vegetables in it. It's super simple and quick so I definitely don't mind making it when in a bind for time.

Steak and Potatoes Cutlet with Sautee Onion in Wine Reduction

There's a story behind this dish.

I was all out of inspiration for what to make for dinner last night and The Boy mentions this "cutlet" his mom makes. So I describe what I know...

"Oh yeah! Good idea, pound chicken, dip in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and pan fry... That sounds good..."

And then he interjects to correct me that a cutlet has potato, flaked fish, Indian spices, made into a patty with some breadcrumbs and fried.

"Okay, so like a fish cake?"
"Sort of. Kind of wish I knew how it was prepared."
"I can look it up online...[taking out iPhone]"
"NO! We'll make it up." <-- What is with guys not wanting directions?
"Fine. But I want beef."
"Fine."*

*The Boy doesn't really like beef. He's Indian, he didn't grow up eating it. Fortunately he's not bothered by my studio full of cowskin leather.

I decided to not make this dish at all with Indian spices and instead prepared an all-American dish, inspired by The Boy's not-so-detailed description of a cutlet cake whatever.


Ingredients
Ground Chuck
Potatoes
Onion
Cilantro

Boil potatoes and cook until done, then mash roughly. Add diced onion, cilantro and ground chuck (and a wee bit of oil to keep it moist). I season all the ingredients before incorporating them to ensure it's well seasoned throughout. I use my favorite combo for seasoning steak.  Form into patties, dip in flour/egg/then flour and pan fry.

I maybe should have left out that last step with the breading because I think it made it a little bit dry. Or maybe because The Boy squished the patties on the frying pan!!!! That's a NO NO! Of course I didn't find this out until the last few we made (I was busy making the patties and placing them on the pan while he baby sat them).

The only reason I sauteed onion in wine was because I was drinking a glass of Merlot while I was cooking (drinking while cooking may not be the best idea, but it does breed some good inspiration), so I decided to slice up the rest of the onion and add some wine and a pad of butter and cook it down to a lovely sauce.

And apparently there are different types of cutlets. 

New: Traveler in Suiting

It's a little more business formal. ;)

Check out the listing details in my shop.

Canh Ca Chua

I was born and mostly raised in New Orleans, so I have a weakness for gumbo and spicy sea food and rice plates. Which is why I love Canh Ca Chua every once in a while, which is a spicy and sour fish soup originating from south Vietnam. It has notes of tamarind, lemongrass and other really yummy spices.

I like to think of this dish as a Vietnamese version of gumbo. It often has okra (mine doesn't, though) and it is spicy and has seafood. Okay, not a perfect comparison but the flavors remind me of it, and I wasn't in the mood to make a gumbo so I opted for this. For one essential reason - I had a lot of leftover broth from Bun Bo Hue. I froze it and saved it for this one.

Yes, yes, more re-working. I love incorporating unused parts of other dishes into new dishes to minimize waste and optimize flavor. The broth from Bun Bo Hue has lots of spice and lemongrass, which are some of the flavors in this dish. Oh, how convenient!

And this also reveals my next secret. I always start the week with a dish that is mild in flavor and can start with a boiled something (so that I can get the broth from it) and then as the week goes on, the dishes get more bold and spicy (I usually end with a really spicy soup or a curry). Then by Sunday, my fridge is empty and I can start all over again.

That's how I manage to make every meal cost about $6 ($2/person in my house) or less.

Back to the dish.



The most essential thing I use is a hot and sour paste to save lots of time. It's what is often used as the broth for Hot Pot and has all the elements to prepare a flavorful soup in a half hour.

Ingredients
Cat Fish (most fish work, this was on sale)
Celery
Canned Pineapple (chunks in heavy syrup)
Tomatoes
Onion
Garlic
*You can also use bean sprouts for more veggie goodness, but they are a little expensive at the grocery store near me. The Asian markets have them for really inexpensive, but it's not super close to me unfortunately.

Broth
Instant Hot and Sour Paste
Leftover Bun Bo Hue Broth

Sweat diced onion, garlic, celery, 1/3 tomatoes. Add hot and sour paste, fill with broth and bring to boil. Add fish and entire contents of canned pineapple (with all the sour stuff like tomatoes and the paste, you'll need this syrup to balance it). Add remaining diced tomatoes and cook until fish is done.  I added fish sauce because it wasn't seasoned enough, so salt to your taste.

Serve on a bed of rice and enjoy!

Working Saturday

Today didn't feel like the typical Saturday. I try to stay out of the studio on weekends to avoid burn out. 

But today, The Boy's gone to work and I'm finishing up Travelers to ship by noon. It's just one of those working weekends.

For a late lunch/early dinner, I'll be preparing Canh Ca Chua. Of course, I'll post pictures and recipe. :)

p.s. Three of those Travelers pictured are new ones that will be available soon for Fall. Wee!

Hubert (2.33 years)

I love watching this little guy grow more handsome everyday. I tell him, too. "Hubert, why are you so handsome?!" and he tilts his head. Actually, he tilts his head if you say anything to him with an upward vocal inflection.

The Boy says I'm the only one who thinks Hubert is handsome. Everyone else thinks he looks like a little monster (which is sort of true, a really adorable one).

I think Hubert is the cutest pug ever. Not sure anyone can convince me otherwise. Is this a trait of all moms? Do we think our "kid" is the best no matter what others think?

New: Baby Ruche in PUMPKIN Leather

This leather is so soft and squishy. Everything else can be explained by looking at the pictures.

Get more info here.

Bánh Cuốn

This is my favorite childhood dish prepared by my mom. It's a dish originating in Northern Vietnam consisting of a rice flour crepe-like wrapping filled with pork and mushrooms. She made this very rarely because it is quite a bit of labor. And that's an understatement.

I remember as a teenager I would ask my mom to prepare it and she would let out a big sigh knowing that she would be slaving in the kitchen preparing it. At that point, she taught me how to make it myself and I soon became the go-to kid that the relatives would ask to prepare dinner when we visited family. I became the manufacturing guru of Banh Cuon.

Preparing the ingredients is a cinch.  Assembling them is a bit tedious because you're working with burning hot cooked rice flour. And the hardest part? Flipping the cooked rice wrap onto a plate without it folding over on itself. There are many ways to get around it like steaming or baking and I searched for some videos to help me explain the process. And what do you know, I found a great one. She makes this look so easy.







When I was in college, I remember craving this but not having the time to dedicate to individually wrapping each one, so I made up this "Banh Cuon Lasagna" which basically layered the wrap and filling so I could cut out a piece when I wanted to eat. Tasted the same, looked really ugly. Oh well, gotta do whatcha gotta do.





I've modified this recipe to use ground turkey instead of ground pork because I'm tired of pork (we've had it for 3 days straight). And of course, to save myself some time I left out some ingredients that aren't essential but I made up for that time by wrapping these thing nice and pretty instead of rolling them like you see at restaurants. Because I'm all about presentation.


Ingredients

Filling
Ground Turkey
Wood Ear Fungus -- That sounds disgusting, doesn't it? It's Black Mushrooms.
Onion
Carrots
Garlic
Soy sauce, pepper to taste

Wrapping
Buy it from the store already mixed, or you can make it with rice flour, water, salt and oil

Dipping Sauce, Nước chấm (0.25:1:1:1:2)
Red Chili Paste
Lime Juice/Vinegar
Fish Sauce
Sugar
Water

Reconstitute mushrooms (they come packaged dry). Dice onion, carrots, garlic and sweat in a wok/pot. Add turkey and season with soy sauce and pepper. Add mushrooms and cook until turkey is done.

For wrapping, ladle flour/water mix into hot oiled non-stick pan and circle your pan a bit to achieve a thin even coat. Cover and cook for a couple seconds. Uncover and I shake the pan a bit to ensure the wrapping is dislodged from the bottom. I flip it over onto a plate so that the side cooking on the pan is facing up (that's the sticky side that you want to stay on the inside of the wrap).  I re-oil the pan and then ladle the mix again and cover. While that cooks I fill the wrapping with filling and fold in the sides and then the top/bottom. Turn over, move to a plate, and repeat.

I use one package of the rice flour mix, 1 lb of ground turkey, and a 8" pan. It makes 18 (but 17 usable ones because the first always ends up bad). Will easily feed 4.

If you have more time, fry some onions and top it with that. The charred and sweet yumminess will go along so nicely with this dish. I didn't have time, so I just topped with lettuce and "dipping" sauce.

This is guaranteed to be a crowd -pleaser.  Though I have tried to teach my friends a few times and they have all been epic fails. It's the flipping the wrapping onto the plate that's the more difficult. All those times we ended up eating balled up wrapping topped with the filling and drenched with dipping sauce. Still good. Kind of like my Banh Cuon "Lasagna".

Coming Soon: Harvest Pumpkin Leather (Pantone 16-1260 TPX)

I'm finishing up some Baby Ruche Bags and wanted to share a little sneak peek of the new orange that will be coming soon. So appropriate that this color is Harvest Pumpkin according to the Pantone Color Guide. Perfect to brighten up a fall wardrobe.

It was meant to be.

Directly under the Pumpkin is Two-Tone Red and below that is Fig.

New Leather: Dark Shadow (Pantone 19-3906 TPX)

I've been looking for more man-friendly leathers (Browns, Blues, Greens and Distressed!) for a batch of Briefcases to make for Renegade Chicago. I know. It's in September, but those events just pop up around the corner and take you by surprise before you're ready for it.

Well, I found just that leather. And it's in super limited quantity (this Traveler and two Briefcases).

It's a dark slate blue distressed leather. So wonderfully rough, rugged, and sturdy.

I made this Traveler as a custom order including front pockets to fit a metro pass and larger one for misc. The original order was supposed to have a zippered top, but because these leathers are so thick, I couldn't do it. I broke 3-4 needles in the process and I called it quits.  The customer decided not to take it since she needed a zippered top. I was bummed because I spent over 14 hours trying to get this guy to work out (and not to mention possibly messing up the tuning of my sewing machine). *Sigh*

I was going to keep it, but I feel too greedy keeping a OOAK bag. So I listed this upgraded Traveler for a non-upgraded price.  You can find it here. It's a true labor of love and perseverance, I'll tell ya.

I will be making the Briefcases in the next few weeks and listing them. If you want to reserve yours before they go, convo me on Etsy and I'll set up a listing for you.

Chinese BBQ Lettuce Wraps

When I have pork and veggies left over, I usually get help from the grocery store and get a package of Chinese BBQ seasoning (the red one) and make what I call "Chinese BBQ Lettuce Wraps". It's The Boy's favorite even though its the easiest thing for me to prepare. It's a blessing.

Oh, you noticed these weren't wrapped in lettuce? Well, I had a lot of the rice wrap left over from Goi Cuon that I decided to just shred lettuce because I had iceberg instead of something a little heartier and easier to use as a wrap.

Remember the noodles from Bun Bo Hue? I also used the rest of that for this dish.  I'm so resourceful, huh? I like to use EVERYTHING I have in the fridge so that it's nearly empty.  That reminds me of the series of "You Are What You Eat" pictures of people's fridges. I should try that. Maybe the next post...





Slice pork (0.75" thickness) and throw it in a zip top bag. Pour the contents of the seasoning package in there and shake. You think you're done because all it says is add water, but you know me. I pour in a generous dose of soy sauce, red chili paste, and oil then mix well. I let it sit in the fridge overnight.

The next day, about 45 minutes before the guys come home from work, I prepare carrot, cucumber, lettuce and cilantro. You can add way more vegetables (bean sprouts, Thai basil, etc.) but this was all I had in the fridge.

For the dipping sauce I use what The Boy made up the first time I prepared this dish - equalish parts soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and sriracha. It's delicious and perfectly spicy and savory. I call The Boy my Saucier. :)

Then I head outside and grill the seasoned pork until done. Slice and plate. Let everyone make their own "wraps" because it's way more fun that way. That and The Boy and The Bro pretty much stack the entire thing with meat and little veggies. Boys.

Bun Bo Hue

My mom is from Hue, in Central Vietnam. She makes the best Bun Bo Hue ever. I tried to convince her to open a restaurant to serve just this very dish and maybe some coffee to add diversity, but I think it's too risky to base your entire business on one dish, and one drink. But now she has a job, she is my accountant. Which is awesome and uses her business finance degree. Bonus. So I learned how to prepare this dish from her.

And like me, my mom gives recipes in terms of "throw all this stuff in here and add this spice to your liking and cook until its not raw".  Yeah, we're not great at quantifying, so you'll have to trust your taste buds when making this dish. :) I changed a few things to make it easier on my schedule but it's still super easy and really tasty!

Oh, what's Bun Bo Hue? It's a spicy, lemongrass soup originating from Hue, Vietnam. It literally translates to Noodle Beef Hue (city). It usually has pig feet and sometimes pig blood, but um, yeah, no. 

I bought a BIG piece of pork so I divided it into 3 meals (goi cuon, bun bo hue, and the next little surprise), so I used pork instead of beef, and also bought some pork hocks, but I added some of that essential beef flavor in another way. Recipe below!



You know that pork/shrimp stock I had from my goi cuon meal? I saved it and used it for the stock of this soup I made yesterday for lunch.  Yep, I try to not use water for soup bases because it doesn't add any flavor.

Ingredients
Pork
Pork Hock
Onion (3/4 diced, 1/4 thinly sliced for serving)
Garlic (diced)
Lemongrass (finely diced)
Fish Sauce (or salt)
Chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper
Cilantro (for serving)
Noodles (the ones I used for goi cuon yesterday)

Sprinkle canola oil in a deep pot and add diced onion, garlic and lemongrass. Stir until onion is translucent and then clump all the aromatics in the middle of the pot. Salt/pepper pork and hocks and sear on all sides around the aromatics. When they're sufficiently crusted and yummy looking, add chili powder, paprika and brown sugar. Stir to incorporate and then add the pork/shrimp stock.

Because I wasn't using the most essential ingredient (beef), I added beef stock to fill the rest of the pot. Bring it to a boil. Smell that? That's pretty much what it tastes like. The lemongrass is fragrant and the chili powder is in high gear. I add fish sauce to taste and cook on medium heat until the meat is cooked through. In the last 8 minutes, I cut around the hock bone and place it back in the pot to finish cooking.

You'll probably have to skim the impurities off the top throughout the cooking process. 

Remove pork and hock and slice thinly. Place on bed of noodles and top with cilantro and sliced onion. Pour hot soup over the entire thing to bring out the cilantro/onion flavor/aroma.

Enjoy and let the boys do the dishes after lunch. :)

Goi Cuon

Our grocery bill was soaring last month (like $175 each, when we usually spend about $50-75). We ate out a lot because I was working late and couldn't manage an hour to cook something. Now that I'm better managing my time (because I can't afford to eat out now), I'm getting back to cooking each meal at home --which will also minimize the weight gain.

I'll tell you that I'm quite the lazy cook and I won't make anything that takes longer than an hour. I'm also not traditional in any sense and will add ingredients to Vietnamese food that will make my mom cringe. And I'll also add things to Indian cooking that will make The Boy's mom cringe. I do this mainly because of lack of ingredients and needing to use what I have left in the fridge before it goes bad. I make a few different types of dishes a week and at the end of the week I have a hodge-podge of ingredients that don't seem to fit, but I'll pull out a Chopped Moment and make something with it.

Surprisingly, my brother thinks some of my dishes taste better than Mom's, and The Boy thinks my dishes taste better than some Indian restaurants, but can't beat his mom's cooking because I break too many rules. Good enough for me. I'll take it. 

And honestly, do believe that innovation is born by surpassing any preconceived notions of how something "should" be done and doing things that just make it look/taste/work better. Plus, because I am most familiar with Asian cuisine, I tend to fuse that into all my cooking.

Back to yesterday's lunch. I went to the grocery store yesterday and dropped a whopping $6 on supplies to make goi cuon for 3 really hungry people. Yum!'

 I don't buy all the ingredients to make a traditional goi cuon because I'm a heavy dipper with the peanut sauce so I don't bother since it'll mostly be masked by the yummy sauce. Plus, I like to keep my fridge stocked simply so I don't end up with weird herbs I won't use later, so at $0.98/head of iceberg lettuce, $0.50/cucumber and $0.38/bunch of cilantro, I keep the veggies simple and inexpensive. The guys don't seem to care either.

Sorry these photos aren't the best, I took them with my phone. :(





Ingredients
Shrimp (I had EZ peel shrimp in the freezer)
Pork (I used shoulder roast, most cuts work)
Eggs
Cucumber
Cilantro
Lettuce
Noodles (any white noodle works fine, I used thick bun bo noodles because I was planning on making bun bo hue the next day)
Banh Trang (the rice wrap)

Dipping Sauce
Hoison Sauce
Peanut Butter

Boil pork in salted water, and skim the top. Remove pork when done,  then add shrimp into same stock.  I let The Boy make the eggs since he makes some great fried eggs. Cut cucumber into long thin slices, shred lettuce, and we roughly chop cilantro for easy assembly. Boil noodles and you're set.  Sometimes I add julienned carrots, but I got too lazy. 

Now, the good part. I mix 1:1 hoison sauce and peanut butter. To thin it out I add the pork/shrimp stock and stir. I always avoid using water in any cooking (except for boiling). When you can add flavor, try it! The Boy added sriracha to his sauce because, I mean, you can't go wrong with adding sriracha. Most restaurants will top your sauce with chopped peanuts and garlic, but I think this makes for a great start.

Assemble, dip, and enjoy. Super easy and inexpensive.

I saved my pork/shrimp stock for my next meal. More on that tomorrow! :)

New Leather: Treetop Green (Pantone 18-0135 TPX)

Look what just came in today! :)




This is available for the Baby Ruche Bag and Briefcase only.  You can convo me on Etsy for a custom order with this brand new smooooooooth leather.  It's so soft.

He's all grown up!

Today, Hubert lifted his leg for the first time. And I took a picture.

My parents also photographed and video-taped my brother and my first potty training experiences. Thank god they didn't post it on a blog for the internet world to see. Though they still have the tapes. I should get a hold of those and destroy them...

Fortunately, Hubert is a dog and I think it's OK to display his public urination on the internet.



He is 2.33 years old now. When do most dogs acquire this skill?

New: Baby Ruche in FIG Leather

It's even more divine in person. It's a beautifully smooth leather with pebbly gain in burgundy color tones. Very similar to the Dark Plum except the color is a little more rich and it has that second color on each pebble. I mean, you really have to see and feel this leather to know how exceptional it is.

I've sold one already (before the official launch of the new leather), and there are three left. And then they're gone forever. Or until I find something similar, but it won't be the same as this.

See the listing here.

KendiEveryday Giveaway

You can win a $50 gift card to my shop by entering the giveaway on Kendi Everyday. Kendi is a lovely fashion blogger from a small town near Austin. She's beautiful, fashionable, and did I mention hilarious? The perfect woman, I'd say.

Austin Fashion Week: Team Photoshoot

My Austin Fashion Week team, Eclectic Fusion, met up for our photo shoot at Renaissance Hotel in Arboretum. It was so much fun! I took my camera and documented the "Behind the Scenes" of our photo shoot (those pictures coming soon!).  I did snap a couple photos of the custom bags that I used for the shoot. Modified Clutch in Pearl and Grunge Gold.  I'm excited that they worked out really well with the outfit, which was completely studded with pearls, crystals, and gold and red beads.

I realized I haven't updated you with our team.

These are the members of Eclectic Fusion:

Clothing Designer:  Bridal Motif
Photographer:  Tommy Kile
Hair:  Martha Lynn Barnes
Makeup:  Ladda Phommavong
Jewelry:  Shaesby
Model:  Symon Goodloe
Accessories: Me :)

You can see other teams here.

Hubert Head Tilt

It's a little too cute to not document after a long day of sewing.