chatuchak market, bangkok

It's been a year, a week, and two days since I came back from Thailand. For some silly reason, I didn't plan a winter holiday this year and now I'm feeling major wanderlust.

Since a winter holiday is out of the question for several reasons, I've been reliving last year's trip...

One of my favorite experiences was shopping at the Chatuchak Weekend Market. I've never seen anything like this place. It was hot, dirty, smelly, crowded, shopped by tourists and locals alike, and I loved it!

There are around 15,000 vendors, on 27 acres, selling everything you can imagine. And if you're willing to bargain hard, the deals are unbelievable! Whenever I travel, markets like this are always at the top of my “must see” list, but this one is in a class of its own due to its size, selection, and prices.

I adore spaces with a bohemian vibe, and if shipping and import fees to Denmark didn't cost a king's ransom, I could've easily filled my flat with treasures from stalls like this one. Of course, caveat emptor is the name of the game here, particularly when dealing in "antiques" which are rarely as they're represented.

Dresses galore! Had I known about the abundance of $10 peasant dresses, I would've arrived in Bangkok with an empty suitcase! By the time I left Thailand, I'd bought a lifetime supply ;-)

The Market can be a bit of a maze. I somehow ended up lost and not able to find my way out of the "Animals/Pet" area for the better part of an hour. It was not a place I'd ever like to see again, but I fell in love with this puppy and wished I could've brought it home with me. I'm a serious animal lover and the "soi” cats and dogs were difficult for me to ignore so I carried food in my camera bag and fed as many as I could, but it upset me that I couldn't do more.

I adore the colors and textures I see in these markets!

Doesn't everyone need their very own lifelike meditating monk?

High maintenance girl that I am, street food is one of my favorite ways to dine ;) Sitting on a curb eating pad thai with a Chang Beer to go with, all for about $3 is definitely the la dolce vida!

By the time I left The Market, I was sweaty, dirty, exhausted, mosquito bitten, happy, and grateful that I still had 14 days with which to explore Bangkok, the southern beaches, and Chiang Mai!

There are 37 more places on my travel wishlist, but it'll be hard not to go back to Thailand...

too many projects

I've somehow managed to start too many projects!

The natural wood thresholds didn't look right against the new hallway floor, and so they all need to be painted 3 coats of white. Keeping Opie away long enough for them to dry is a project in and of itself!

The dining chairs have finally gotten their last coat of white and are about to be reupholstered with upcycled fabric from a vintage tablecloth. The fabric cutting part of this project is stressing me out because it's game over if I screw it up, and math is not my strong suit!

I also repainted the frame on a secondhand mirror, but I can't hang it until I've got someone to help me with the positioning.

And somehow, the drapery rod suddenly fell off the wall in my living room! I've rehung it, but now the old holes need to be patched and painted. Oy vey!

I think I liked this Saturday better.
But, how I love my home! It's the perfect girl nest :)

homemade chai latte

I'm a chai latte junkie. This has its downsides here in Denmark where they cost $8-$9 a pop and most places don't have soymilk.

So, I've taken matters into my own hands (again) and now I make them myself at home, with soymilk, and for way less than $8. Of course, this doesn't replace meeting friends at a café on a Saturday afternoon, but it sure is nice to sip one at home when I don't feel like going out.

My experience indicates that the best chai lattes are made from a syrup, not from a teabag and spices. I'm sure it can be debated whether or not this is actual "chai," but honestly, I don't care about that. I like what I like, and here's how I make it...

10 teabags
1/2 t nutmeg
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t ground ginger
3/4 t ground cloves
1 1/8 t ground cardamom
4 1/2 cups boiling water
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 T honey
1 T vanilla

I use English Breakfast tea for this. It's a readily available black tea that's generally fixed with milk and sugar, so it works well.

I add the spices and teabags to a large bowl, add the boiling water, stir, and steep it for 20 minutes or so.

Then, I remove the teabags and strain it through my yogurt cheese maker a couple of times to filter out the sediment from the spices. Using whole cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, etc., would simplify things, but I have an easier time finding ground spices here, so that's what I use.

After it's been well strained, I stir in the sugar, honey, and vanilla, and store it in the fridge in a Mason jar.

You may need to tweak the spice and sweetener proportions according to your taste, but this tastes pretty spot on to the latte I get at my favorite café, and it includes all of the spices listed on their menu, plus the honey that I can most definitely taste :)

When I want a chai latte, I mix the heated syrup about 50/50 with frothed soy milk. I used to have a really nice super automatic Jura Capresso, but my equipment is a bit more humble these days, so I just use the microwave and a frothing wand.

And it seems to work just fine :)

finding my center

I took the day off from work because I have time to burn before May and because I needed to re-center.

My new carpool leaves at 6:30, which means I get up at 4:30 to workout. I suppose I could sleep another hour and workout after work, but the realist in me knows that I'll find 1001 excuses later in the day, and so I make it my first priority.

Then there's been the stress of the floor situation, and a dozen or so other little stresses that cumulatively have brought me to a place that's a bit more negative than I'd like.

On the bright side, getting up at 4:30 most days means that 7:00 has become "sleeping late!" And so, I slept "late" today and took the day for myself.

I took the time to brew french press coffee instead of the instant swill I usually gag down between make-up and blowdrying. I skipped my workout because I never do, and for breakfast, I actually skipped yet another awful tasting protein shake in favor of homemade yogurt with honey and granola.

Then I got antsy and decided to rearrange my bedroom. It started with seeing how the the chair would look "over there instead." Soon, the shoeboxes were pulled out from under the bed, I was cleaning woodwork, and nothing was left where it started.

Unfortunately, I don't have a before photo, but here's how it looks now:

It appears my flower eater approves ;-)

It feels a lot bigger, cozier, and more romantic than it did when the dresser was on the opposite wall, and the chair was near the radiator, and the bed was where the dresser is. I still can't believe I moved all of that furniture by myself!

Much better, but that awful orb of a light fixture most definitely needs to go... I'm thinking a petite chandelier on a dimmer :)

another opie lunch

This time, chewed up flowers were the least of my problems. He threw up all over my hallway carpet. It's natural fiber, so I can't get the stains out. Ew!

A new floor has been on the agenda, but I hadn't planned to do it so soon. However, now I don't have a choice and so it will be installed next week.

It's so "me" and it's going to look very pretty with the purple walls. It's definitely another love it or hate it decorating decision, and I can't wait to post a photo!

So, any would-be suitors out there, if you want to impress me, don't send flowers ;-) Instead, send Indian takeout or falafel...

homemade pita chips

I'm a hummus junkie and after far too much mental whining about missing my beloved Stacy's Naked Pita Chips, I decided to take matters into my own hands...

1 package whole wheat pita bread
olive oil
sea salt

Separate each pita into 2 layers, then cut them into eighths. Arrange them in a single layer on baking sheets and brush on one side with olive oil. Trust me, you do not want to toss them with olive oil, I tried this method first and it was a greasy mess!

Sprinkle them with sea salt and bake at 350 degrees (175 for my Euro readers) for 20 minutes or until they're crispy.

I thought about brushing them with garlic-infused olive oil and herbs, but let's face it, the main purpose of these chips is to get hummus to my boca, so why complicate it?

There's a new and improved hummus recipe coming, but I can't seem to keep from eating it long enough to take a photo, so in the meantime, here's my original recipe, which is rated 5 stars at food.com :)