Cooking, travels & more.
I always loved how a whole baked chicken looks. It’s such a perfect way to celebrate the bird. You get to taste and enjoy all the different flavors of the chicken, instead of only eating one piece of it. I finally got to it and made a whole chicken. My friend gave me a bit of advice, but I mostly created this dish on my own. It was super easy…
Do you ever feel like you want a hot lunch, but don’t want to cook everything from scratch? That’s where instant ramen comes in. I always have a few packages of it on hand whenever I want a quick hot lunch. I always add some other elements to spice it up, like eggs and veggies. I love getting creative with my food. Here is a simple way to perk up…
A lot of us are people pleasers. I usually tend to say yes instead of no, even when I don’t want to. Where I’m from, the USA, we are taught to have three side hustles in addition to our full-time job. We are told to say yes at work, no matter how overburdened we become. We are often pushed to live beyond our means just to impress people we like,…
I love eating something super filling and hot for lunch, but I don’t like making a whole fuss. Whenever I don’t have leftovers to eat, my go-to lunch is eggs. They are filling, nutritious and so easy to make. And most importantly, they are relatively inexpensive. Usually, I put some kind of veggie or bread with the egg to make it more filling. This is something that I make at…
I’m one of those people that make a ton of food when I invite people over. I’m always worried that someone will go hungry. For the Thanksgiving meal dessert, I made a coffee cake, but I thought it wouldn’t be enough, even though I also had a bunch of chocolates. So I decided to make another quick dessert, peanut butter cookies. I grew up eating these all the time because…
When it comes to spending money wisely and saving money, Dutch people have got it down. They are great at allocating their money in the most effective manner. Many people around the world call them cheap or stingy. I call them smart. Living within your means and having money for emergencies is something that I consider essential. I really appreciate the Dutch approach to money. A lot can be learned…
The Netherlands is a wonderful place to live. There are beautiful fields everywhere. Sheep are used to mown most parks and fields instead of lawnmowers. There are cute old windmills everywhere. People cycle to work, school, shopping, and more instead of driving. The country is known for its amazing cheese and beautiful tulips. The work-life balance is unbeatable in comparison to other countries. I really love living here. Even though…
About three and a half years ago, I moved to the Netherlands for love. I have written many times about my life here and how I met him in Hawaii. However, I never posted the full story. I hope you enjoy reading my story of how love brought me across the world. I hope for everyone to find love the way I did. I truly believe that all you need…
Let me tell you, making friends in the Netherlands is hard work. Believe it or not, it’s like a chore. I have never in my life ever had to work so hard to make friends. To make matters worse, we are in a freaking pandemic. I feel for you people. I moved here before the pandemic, but the struggles never stop. Met a Dutch person, had a good conversation, and…
I can say that I get more and more shocked and a bit annoyed whenever I visit the USA. It is like reverse culture shock. I have been living in the Netherlands for two years now. Before the pandemic, I visited the USA several times. There are some things that I just cannot get over once I became accustomed to the Dutch way of living. Don’t get me wrong, I…