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Inside the Designer’s Studio: Jasmine Alexander

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As one of the world’s most established hubs for style and design, London is a city teaming with creatives who have made an undeniable mark on the world of fashion. I have been lucky enough to get to know one of the most exciting of these designers, making trail blazing contributions to the world of jewelry design: Jasmine Alexander. In top jewelry circles Jasmine is known for being a rebel. Similar to art icons like: Warhol, Dali and Picasso, she has thrown off traditional approaches to her craft, with amazing results. Taking a unique view of the natural world, she has created beautiful and innovative works employing techniques that have never been used. Her unique dedication to innovation is visible in her critically acclaimed piece, “Word to the Wise”: a ring commissioned by Gemfields (owner of the iconic Fabergé brand) featuring a never before seen ring setting, allowing the 3.85ct emerald to seemingly float between the wings, cradled by a platinum collet base that isn’t a collet at all but a smooth claw form giving …

Pandan and Coconut Waffle / Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa

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A popular street food among the locals, especially children, is pandan waffle or bánh kẹp lá dứa. This waffle is flavored with pandan and incorporates coconut milk in the batter. It is usually eaten plain since the waffle is already sweeten. This dish makes an excellent breakfast or snack. This recipe is rated easy and makes approximately three waffles (6 inches in diameter). Ingredients 3 eggs 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter melted 2 cups of flour 1 cup of coconut flake ½ cup of sugar ½ teaspoon of baking powder ⅛ teaspoon of salt ⅛ teaspoon of pandan syrup ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract ¾ cup of instant evaporated milk ½ cup of coconut milk Directions In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Heat the waffle maker. Pour the batter evenly and cook the waffle to the waffle maker’s directions. For our waffle maker, it takes 3 minutes per waffle, 1.5 minutes on each side. Sprinkle some powder sugar and serve warm. This recipe is also the basis for our chicken and waffle dish. Click here …

Dưa Giá / Pickled Bean Sprouts with Carrots and Chives

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Dưa giá is one of the most popular pickled side dish for a Vietnamese meal. It is a usual accompaniment for stewed dishes such as braised pork belly with eggs (Thịt Kho Trứng) or other salty type of braised meat dishes. The slightly sour and sweet pickled bean sprouts offset the saltiness of the braised meats. This is an easy recipe to make anytime of the year. This recipe is rated easy. Ingredients 1 lb of bean sprouts 2 carrots 1 bunch of chives 6 pearl onions, peeled 8 Thai chilies 1 ½ cups of warm water ½ cup of vinegar 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of sugar Directions Peel and shred the carrots. Rinse the chives to get rid of any dirt and cut them into 2 inch sections. Slice the pearl onions in half.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the vegetables and let them marinate for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water. Make the pickling juice by combining 1 ½ cups of warm …

Weekend Unexplored: Bakewell, England

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As a weekend excursion from London, I traveled with my family to Bakewell, a small town in Derbyshire in the heart of Peak District National Park.  It was their first trip to the United Kingdom, and my parents were eager to see the countryside of this region as well as the grand estate of Chatsworth House, the setting of Pemberly in Joe Wright’s 2005 film adaptation, Pride and Prejudice (also my mother’s favorite Jane Austen novel).      Getting there: We took to our destination by public transportation, setting off at London’s St. Pancras to catch the East Midlands train to Chesterfield.  From there, a 12 minute walk through town brought us to the 170 Hulleys of Baslow bus stop to Rutland Square in Bakewell.  In total, the trip from London took about four hours.   Where to stay: Although tired, we were met with warm hospitality by our Bed and Breakfast hosts, John and Marie, of Melbourne House. The rate for a double room is 70 GBP/night. A short distance from the town’s center, the …

Bún Riêu / Crab Vermicelli Soup

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Bún riêu is a very popular noodle dish in Vietnam for its simplicity and deliciousness. This is a tomato based vermicelli noodle soup that has three popular variations: crab, fish or snails. Bún riêu cua is probably the most well known version made with rice paddy crabs. These are small crabs found in rice paddy fields and would then be cleaned and pounded into a paste. This crab paste and tomatoes are the essential ingredients for the broth. The soup is easy to make and is a great way to serve a lot of people at one time. This recipe is rated medium in difficulty and makes approximately 6 bowls of noodle soup. Ingredients 1 can of minced crab in spices 1 can of minced prawns in spices 1 lb of ground pork ½ lb of shrimp (approximately 9-10 shrimps) ¼ cup of rouc (fine shrimp sauce) ¾ cup of ketchup 1 package of fried tofu 2 tablespoons of fish sauce or nouc mam ⅓ cup of vegetable oil ½ of a yellow onion (optional) 2 tomatoes 1 …