Proudest Moments of 2022

Posted on February 25, 2023 by mlenoach

I know March is approaching, but I haven’t genuinely parted ways with 2022 yet. On my quest to look back and build my goals for this year, I wanted to call out some of my proudest moments of last year.

My proudest food adventure last year was making these dumplings from scratch for Lunar New Year. What makes them even more special is that they are my redemption dumplings. I screwed up the first time but didn’t give up and made a kick-ass bunch.

My proudest date night with my husband was Sushi on Me. We had so much fun that night. The food was AMAZING, the restaurant had a cool speakeasy vibe, and we had free saki all night.

My proudest mom moment was Maxine’s first day of school. She didn’t start until December 1st because she was turning two that month, so it was a regular day for everyone else but her first. She wasn’t scared, and she went right in. I was a mess but so proud.

My proudest family moment was attending my cousin’s dance recital. My cousin Marcus (wearing the ‘Senior’ shirt) had a solo and was one of the only guys in this dance troupe. We were all so proud, yelling for him. He did a fantastic job. It was great to see him perform, but it was also great to see many of my family members.

My proudest moment with my parents was when I got them to go on a family vacation with me, and they went swimming and enjoyed themselves. My parents are not into activities, but I try to involve them in as many things as possible. It was great to see them let loose and enjoy themselves.

My proudest personal achievement last year was that I took the time to learn how to play Mah Jongg. I always wanted to play, and I was able to make it happen in the Fall.

My proudest professional moment was being asked to speak about my experience with the New York Junior League. I’ve volunteered with the organization for many years and built a lot of strong skill sets here. It was such an honor to talk to young professionals looking to join the organization.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 18, 2023 by mlenoach

This Valentine’s Day, I wanted to do something special for my daughter, husband, and parents.

I got these beautiful flowers from my husband.

I found these cute food-related Valentine’s Day cards and had my daughter draw on them and give them to family members and her teachers.

I bought these cute cards for Maxine’s classmates. I had to nix the strawberry-scented erasers because they were a little small for the kids.

My daughter’s new favorite show is Octonauts, so I bought her a set of figurines and a dish set.

Chocolates were a must for my parents and my husband.

The way to my heart, and my family’s heart, is through seafood. 😆

I bought 10 lbs of crawfish from the Louisiana Crawfish Company. They came alive and kicking! I gave them a good wash and then cooked them. It was an amazing meal and a great ending to the night.

Taking a look back at 2022

Posted on January 1, 2023 by mlenoach

As the clock turns 12, I wanted to celebrate and look back at 2022.

I started the new year with a challenge, the January Pantry Challenge. The idea was to cook things I already had at home to save money. I ate a lot of soup and finally ate stuff in my freezer. Some of my favs were the shrimp stir fry, red beans, sausage and rice, and dumplings.

In February, I did some fun activities with my parents. We took part in a virtual chocolate tasting and a chocolate-making class.

In March, I did a bit of a staycation and enjoyed the TWA hotel at JFK. It was a lot of fun. It had a fantastic 60s vibe with great food and ambiance. One of the best features is that they remade one of the planes into a cocktail bar/lounge.

For Easter this year, I decorated eggs and did a few egg hunts with Maxine and my family. It was fun to make the eggs with mom, and even better to see Maxine’s face while she was looking for eggs.

I don’t see my friends as often as I would like these days, but it’s always a blast when we do get to see each other. In May, we had brunch at Lucky Chengs and enjoyed a fun drag show.

In June, I was a panelist for a new membership event at the New York Junior League. I have been volunteering for the league for about eight years now and I was honored to be asked to speak.

Dad turned 80 in July! I wanted to throw him a huge party, but that is not my dad’s style. We had an amazing dinner at a Greek restaurant in Astoria instead.

We rented out a beautiful house in the Poconos in August and had a kickass family trip. The place was amazing; it had an indoor pool, a game room, and a movie theater. We also did some hiking and saw some beautiful waterfalls, and did some canoeing as well.

September was all about soaking up the last bit of beautiful weather and enjoying the parks and water sprinklers.

I turned 41 this year and spent my birthday with my family in Atlantic City. We stayed at Caesar’s Palace. I haven’t been to AC in years! I gambled with my parents, and Andrew won big at the roulette table. I ate excellent food and enjoyed the beach, as the weather was nice. Andrew and I even got to have a little date night on my birthday and explored AC at night.

I kicked off the holiday season by attending the New York Junior League’s Golden Tree event. It’s a holiday market where a percentage of the proceeds go to the league. The event also had a great auction where you could bid on various items, including holiday wreaths. I participated in the auction for the first time and won these two beauties.

Maxine turned two in December! Last year, we kept it simple and celebrated at a buffet so this year, I wanted to go all out. I rented a small venue and we had a bouncy house, face painter and balloon artist. Of course it had to be CoComelon themed.

2022, thanks for the memories!

Unofficial Start To Summer- Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Posted on May 31, 2022 by mlenoach

Like most holiday weekends, this past weekend just came and went. It was a low-key one, but I prefer low-key these days.

Friday, I got the best type of delivery. Crawfish!

10lbs of crawfish, to be exact, and they were still kicking.

I made them nice and spicy for Andrew and me.

In terms of entertainment, I finally watched Turning Red. It had its cringy moments for sure, but it was super cute.

Saturday, I picked a bunch of goodies up. “A Place at the Table” was a curated box of desserts made by home bakers and professional chefs to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Everything was delicious.

On Memorial Day, Andrew and I enjoyed a local street fair.

I had an overpriced lobster roll, but I had to have it.

I found a vendor who made fruity drinks… with some alcohol and gave a free refill 🙌.

Bad Habits was giving away free sushi samples.

Overall, pretty awesome weekend. Looking forward to what this summer will bring.

Trying out Hug Esan in Elmhurst Queens

Posted on May 14, 2022 by mlenoach

Two weeks ago, I attended my first ‘Eat Something New in Queens’ meet-up at Hug Esan, a Thai restaurant in Elmhurst.

I had such a great time. It was a date night/food adventure/reunion kind of night. An old friend from high school, small world, planned the event, and Andrew and I got to venture out, try new things, and meet new people.

Everything was amazing! Here is what we ate.

Tom Zabb- spicy and sour soup with spare ribs and various mushrooms *my favorite

Moo Num Tok- sliced pork salad with rice powder

Larb Pla- fried fish with herbs in a sweet and spicy sauce *the most exciting dish

Until the next time!

All about chocolate

Posted on February 13, 2022 by mlenoach

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, but I’ve been celebrating all week.

On Wednesday, I took part in a chocolate-making class with my parents. It was a lot of fun and very hands-on. We learned how to temper chocolate and made jumbo peanut butter cups, pecan turtles, almond bear paws, dipped Oreos, and strawberries. It was messy yet yummy!

Rolled up caramel and peanut butter and chocolate chunks.

A bit messy but it still tasted fantastic.

On Friday, Andrew, my parents, and I did a Valentine’s Day-themed chocolate tasting. The tasting was packed with chocolate facts and insight on how they make the chocolate. We also tasted five different chocolate pieces, milk chocolate peanut butter heart, milk chocolate sea salt caramel, pecan toffee crisp, dark chocolate truffle, and dark chocolate lemon satin crème heart. Mom loved the peanut butter piece, I loved the dark chocolate truffle, Dad loved the truffle and lemon satin crème, and Andrew loved them all.

Enjoy your love day!!

So long 2021

Posted on December 31, 2021 by mlenoach

My 2021 wasn’t terrible. I became a Mom, and I celebrated and enjoyed life as much as possible. I explored and pushed myself to try new things. I got creative with ways to motivate myself, and I continue to move forward. It sucks that I’m spending the last day taking care of a sick baby, but such is life.

Below is my picture recap of the year. I choose one picture to sum up each month.

January- I became a Mom! I gave birth to Maxine Amelia on Dec 19, 2020. My first month as a mom was rough and full of learning moments, but I’m thankful every day for my munchkin.

February- My mom turned 77 this year. With the pandemic, it was tough to see her and our family. This amazing picture (of three generations) was taken at my Aunt’s house. We celebrated my Mom’s birthday, and family members finally met Maxine.

March- With a new baby, it’s hard to get out, and it was tough to have time just for my husband and me. I signed us up for a beer and cheese virtual tasting as a date night. It was a lot of fun and informative.

April- I did many fun things in April, including an oyster shucking class and a cooking class with Daniel Boulud, but nothing can beat my Dad finally coming home from rehab after fracturing his hip. December 2020, my father fractured his hip, had to have surgery, and caught covid and pneumonia in the hospital. At the beginning of the year, my father was moved to a long-term care facility in Jersey first and finally placed in a rehab facility in Queens soon after. It was a challenging situation, mainly because of covid and I couldn’t see him. He finally came home at the end of April, and he got to meet his granddaughter for the first time.

May- I decided to sign-up for a flower CSA from May to October. It was a bit pricey, if I’m going to be honest, but so worth it! I picked up flowers every week; it was very refreshing. I even tried my hand at arranging the flowers. It was fun and relaxing.

June- Andrew and I celebrated our wedding anniversary by attending a virtual magic show by Dan White. It was AMAZING and blew our minds.

July- We celebrated Dad, who turned 79! My family has a house in Long Island that we share by the beach. My dad rarely visits, but my Aunt and Uncle threw him a little party, and he enjoyed the day and area.

August- We had a family vacation in the Catskills at the end of August. We rented a house with a pool and jacuzzi; it was amazing and much needed. I don’t have many pictures of my husband smiling, so I’m taking advantage and showing his beautiful smile.

September- Self-care became tricky during the pandemic. I finally decided enough was enough with my hair and chopped it off. Quite liberating if I say so myself.

October- I turned the big 4*0* this month. We decided to head over to Crystal Springs Resort for a few days and enjoy the fall season. The resort was fantastic with great food, and I took advantage of the spa. We went apple picking, pumpkin picking, went through a corn maze, and enjoyed wine and spirit tastings in the area. It was very low-key and chill.

November- Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I appreciate the time with family and the overall idea of gratitude. I shared my journal of things I’m grateful for already in another post. My husband had to work on Thanksgiving, but I still enjoyed the day, reflected on everything I’m thankful for, and cooked a feast.

December- This month was filled with friend and family activities, but I couldn’t help picking the time decorating the gingerbread house as my picture for the month. It gets harder and harder to find activities that my parents are willing to do and be a part of. Next year, I will continue to brainstorm ideas.

It was great to reflect on the year. I hope you had some time for reflection as well.

Cheers to 2022!

The Edge’s City Climb Experience

Posted on November 24, 2021 by mlenoach

It’s the season of giving thanks and one of the things I’m truly grateful for is my love of adventure.

My husband and I participated in The Edge’s City Climb earlier this month. We climbed an angled staircase of a skyscraper and leaned out over the edge. It was scary, thrilling and liberating all at the same time. Extra bonus is that you get an amazing view of New York City.

The whole experience was about two hours. The first hour is all about safety. You fill out waivers, get suited up and checked multiple times, and learn about using the equipment. The next hour is enjoying the climb on the staircase and enjoying the view. I found the climb a little strenuous, because you have to pull your gear with you, but the view is totally worth it. I highly recommend it!

Here are some photos of our experience.

I was so scared! Looking down was way easier for me than falling back.

Shirley House

Posted on September 20, 2021 by mlenoach

Sadly enough, this summer just flew by. Before it is officially Fall, I want to recap some of my summer adventures.

I was able to visit my family’s Long Island house in Shirley twice. Once to celebrate my Dad’s birthday and another to have a relaxing week away from the city.

Here is a pic of my Dad.

My Aunt found these gems of my Dad.

My Aunt and Uncle are really into clamming, so much of what we had eaten was clam-related, but it was delicious. My Aunt and Uncle work wonders in the kitchen.

During our week away, we enjoyed the house, visited the beach, and even went clamming ourselves. My husband Andrew, friend Patrick and I got to enjoy my Uncle’s boat. I need to come to the Shirley house more often.

Here are my favorite pics of the week.

Date Night Success- Van Gogh Experience

Posted on August 29, 2021 by mlenoach

I can’t believe it’s already the end of August. This summer just flew by. Date nights are hard to come by these days, with Covid and having an eight-month-old, but Andrew and I recently hit up the Van Gogh experience in the city and then had dinner at DiWine in Astoria.

The Van Gogh experience was mesmerizing. There were three rooms that looped the same material, but each room was different, and I experienced the footage differently each time.

Here are some of my fav pics…

Before we headed home to our lovely baby, we had a fantastic dinner at DiWine. Not only is the restaurant conveniently close to my apartment, but they have great food.

A little taste of the yumminess…

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