Assaulted in Bangkok (Part 1)

Since coming back from our vacation I think the most common question I’ve heard is, “Where’d you guys go again?” Thailand. Not Taiwan, not Taipei. Thailand. The reaction I get once people realize where we were for a month is normally something like, “Oh. How was that?” Which makes me want to step on their feet and holler in their face, "IT WAS AN ASSAULT ON THE SENSES, HOMIE!"

Example #1: You take a boat to get to the tourist attractions and I don't know if you can tell or not from this photo, but it's about a million degrees outside.

Example numero 2: People dress way different than they do in the West!

Have I mentioned yet that they have golden palaces that are hundreds of years old? Well, they do!

Are you getting all the handcrafted details here?!! I'm telling you, it was unreal!

Alisha fit right in to the beautiful surroundings because she's the fairest maiden in all the land

The infamous Tuk-tuk. These guys have mastered the art of shooting the gap, and they're kind enough to provide numerous options in the 'Oh, Crap!' handle arena

The wind wiping through your hair, the scent of exhaust fumes filling your nostrils, and Spiderman gazing at you from the back of your chauffeur's seat. What better way to experience downtown?

That's mother of pearl that has been handcrafted into the feet of a giant Buddha. Stunning.

One thing that my senses were not expecting: the poverty that is hiding just behind the gleaming tourist attractions.

Google's walking directions gave us an intimate glimpse of the extreme paradox that lurks in Bangkok

Literally just feet from a bustling luxury mall, this little one and her feathered friends live in squaller

real men bake

What's up everybody. This Garrett. Yeah, I blog now. Say what you will about my manhood, but I think I'm pretty cool for driving the public documentation of all the AWESOME stuff Alisha and I do. And you know what? I'm going to make another revealing admission. I have a Pinterest account that I use almost exclusively for finding food I want to consume. Yes, consume. Cause that's what real men do to food. And by food I pretty much mean baked goods. This beauty is one of my most recent creations:

See how the raspberry sauce is artistically running down the sides of the cheesecake bar? Yeah I (read: Alisha) did that!

But no joke, I took one bite of this indulgence and knew that if I didn't share the joy I'd found I would have to count myself stingy indeed.

Here's how I produced this delicious fantasy: 

Crust
12 whole graham crackers (crush em with your hands, then use a food processor to get em tiny)
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons melted butter (that's a whole stick FYI)

Mix it all up in a bowl and then line the bottom and sides of a 9X13 pan like so:

Pop it in the oven at 375 for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the following until smooth:

24 ounces (3 large packages) cream cheese, at room temperature (yes, it this IS important)
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Then add:

More than 1/4 cup heavy cream or sour cream (or in my case a combo of sour cream, milk and greek yogurt)
3.5 large eggs (I'm not even playin)
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice, optional but I recommend it

Beat it, just beat it (name that tune) until really silky and runny. Pour it evenly throughout your crust and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. You will be tempted to bake it longer than this, don't. Just pull it out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes. You will be tempted to cut into it immediately, don't. It's the best when it's been refrigerated for a while too.

For those who are interested I can e-mail you the secret raspberry sauce recipe (hint: it's just 2 cups frozen raspberries thawed blended with 2 TBS sugar)

today is my birthday

Shabu Shabu

If you've never been exposed to Asian cuisine let me introduce you to one of the best meals the Far East has to offer. While Garrett was in Japan, a friend invited him to a restaurant that served all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu. This dish features lots of veggies and very thinly sliced beef that is all boiled in a special stock. He was delighted when our neighbors the Keslers, both of whom lived in South Korea for a number of years, invited us over for a homemade feast:  

Beef, mushrooms, and baby napa cabbage, oh my! Shabu-shabu is cooked right in front of you in the middle of the table you're sitting at. When some succulent morsel is cooked to your liking, pull it out with your chopsticks!

Chris and Janice Kesler really know how to put out a spread and with Jessie Slezak's fresh berries for dessert, we were spoiled!

Chris hand-sliced almost two pounds of superb tenderloin steak. We were not left wanting!

Ever the gracious host and hostess, Chris and Janice Kesler provided dinner and an entertaining show!

A gathering of friends wouldn't be complete without their little ones. Garrett and Melissa (left) are always battling for Ethan Kesler's affections, looks like Melissa had the one up on this one. Jessie (right) always has her little Ella looking so adorable. Isn't her bow just so precious?

Gradumawation

A journey that started in 2006 has now been completed here in 2012. Yep, Garrett is a college graduate! No he didn't have to repeat classes and he wasn't slacking such that it took an extra two years to crank out his BS, he was just abroad in Japan for two years (a story for another post?!). Needless to say, we were both elated to celebrate the happy occasion with friends and family. BYU has been good to the Beechers and we will truly miss it!

Oh, ya know, just graduating.

So proud of him! There was such a crazy crowd of parents waiting to capture their grad walking off stage. I was no different. "Get out my way fools!" I pushed my way through and got this nice little photo of him walking off stage.

Before graduation we met up with some of our good friends to take photos before we all part ways and move on from college life. All of us wives were graduated and were the resident sugar-mamas as we put our  boys through school. They had it so good. :) 

If we were Catholic we'd be Godparents.

The super graduate!

The proud parents. :)

The Beecher clan. 

With Uncle Matt at Banana Leaf celebrating Garrett's awesomeness.

Cougar for life!

tory burch

Vogue recently featured Tory Burch’s Southampton home. Isn't it fabulous?



The combination of these patterns are in-sane. And, I love the simple elegance of that white Valentino dress.



Corals and turquoises, yes please.

president's day

This President's day weekend would have been so much better if we were back in San Diego. As much as the Hubs and I have enjoyed this long weekend at home, we've been reminiscing about past vacations. One of our favorites was over the summer when we celebrated our first anniversary at Andaz in the Gaslamp District. My favorite part about the hotel was the clean modern decor and the urban chic roof top pool. Mmmm, I still remember laying out in that warm summer sun.

dear ashton,

This one's for you.

Oh my goodness, you have to try this meal! It was so good. It is so flavorful! This carmalized pancetta and fennel salad is to die for. Below is a recipe from Giada from the foodnetwork.



Ingredients
1 bulb fennel, halved and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
5 slices pancetta
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces (about 6 to 7 cups) mixed salad greens
Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, toss together fennel, pancetta, garlic, brown sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the ingredients on the baking sheet in a single layer. Cook until the pancetta is crisp and the fennel is caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the salad greens, crumbled pancetta, and caramelized fennel. Toss the salad with the Red Wine Vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: scant 1/2 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

home sneak peek

Here are some snapshots inside our little nook.



I love beautiful pillows! Garrett totally called me out on my pillow obsession and captured my love for the Chiang Mai.



I'm still looking for side table lamps for our bedroom. I'm thinking a pair of mercury glass table lamps with a curvy shape would look amazing. These are my dream lamps. I hope to find something like these beauties at either Home Goods or a swap meet. I want them so bad!

the finger incident

The other day we came home to a kitchen that looked like a murder scene. Medium and low velocity blood spatter covered the counter, cabinets, and floor. We weren’t shocked though. Instead, Garrett went to work scrubbing the place clean while Alisha sat at the kitchen table staring in disbelief at six fresh stitches in her left index finger! So what’s the story? Alisha decided that she’d be a good little wife and help make the avocado salsa to go along with steak tacos. A slip of the knife and the Beecher’s were off to the Provo Intermountain ER!

nikon

The hubs gave me a real camera for Christmas! Isn't he the sweetest? Not quite sure how to use it, yet. But, oh boy are we gonna have ourselves a good time!

oh yum

Mmmmmm....I want to be eating this sweet little treat.

And, to be listening to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxw2Jny2QJg