"The Korean Vegan" Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro

They say don't go grocery shopping when your'e hungry. I've been following Joanne Lee Molinaro YouTube videos more for her legal talks than her vegan recipes, she's a trail lawyer. Her cookbook "The Korean Vegan" is still too new so way too expensive to buy now. Luckily for me the Cupertino library has 12 copies. I've been wanting to make miso soup with all the trimmings for a while now. I was thinking I should just stop in Trader Joe's and pick up some up. Then it just dawned on me that I live in Asian market central with the library right in the middle of all of them.  Why would I buy premade miso when I can get the real stuff. There are so many miso options now days that I couldn't decided which one to get. Finally I went with the one from my childhood. Plan to research what all those other fancy brands and why they cost so much more. There are also a dozen different types of tofu. That was a little easier as there is one company I won't buy and yes it's for political reasons. My one impulse buys on this trip was getting a mix box of mushrooms, something I would normally not get. I know it cost more to buy this way but cooking for one it just made more sense. Have to say my miso, mushroom and tofu soup turned out super good!

I'm not vegan and Korean food in my mind revolves around meat. The photos in the book are very moody and rustic, a style I really like. The recipes are simple enough especially if you live in an area with an Asian market on every corner. It's making me branch out on my spices as I learn more about them. One thing I like about my favorite cookbooks is the backstory to a recipe, the family connection and this cookbook delivers all that. 

 So with meat prices going through the roof, this vegan cookbook came just in time. :) 

Life of a Reseller 2026

I've been checking out the Goodwills more often now that the boys will be here for the summer. I'm looking for toys and crafts for them. With so many other grandmothers at HD it's had to get to the good stuff before it's snatched up. :)

Target dumps a lot of their unsold items to Goodwill. Since I'm boycotting Target (it's been over a year now) I found several craft kits that I think the boys will have fun with. What got me going down the rabbit hole was this moss kit. One of my crafting projects it make a mushroom diorama out of dried lemon peels. I need moss for the ground covering but it's so $$$ at Michaels. This kit which also has a shadow box frame (other project for the boys) and FIVE bags of moss for just $3.00! Hoping the other Goodwills have some of these. kits, I made the rounds. As I was leaving one Goodwill, a fresh cart came out. I saw the faint purple tinge on this vase. Clear glass is a hard sell unless it's vintage uranium glass. Still not a huge profit margin. I hoped I wasn't wrong in thinking it was uranium glass. The design was interesting enough to take the chance for $3.45.  Not sure you can see it in the picture but I did confirm what it was once I got into my car. Yes, I pack my UV flashlight. 

Happy Birthday!

The girls (my daughter and her best friend from collage) are off touring around Europe for her birthday. They did this about 20 years ago during their collage days. How time flies!
 

Dogs Everywhere!

Posey, (the chocolate lab) is babysitting her country cousins Annie and Lillie. They live out on 5 acres in the country so very use to running around a lot! 

Its too sweet that the black and white dog is named Annie. Makes me think of my Annie when I call her. Lillie is a mix breed but looks exactly like my Annie's best friend Bergie, who was a French bird dog. They were best friends and if it wasn't for Bergie's parents kindness I wouldn't have be able to keep Annie after my divorce. It's a sad but grateful walk down memory lane. 
 

Boycott Projects

 I'm supporting the "Ice Out" boycott today. With so many projects in the pipe line, it will be no problem being home all day. For the past month I've been drying limes, lemons and oranges. I had a little sticker shock on the spices, which because of the tariffs are super $$$. I couldn't decide how to package my simmer pot spices when I found out how $$$ bags at Michael's are.  As I was heading home I passed the dollar store so I stopped in just to see. The exact same party bags were only $1.25 compared to $7.99 at Michael's. I bagged up 40 simmer pot spices before I ran out of cloves. It's passed the holiday season so we'll have to see how well they do. 

I no longer shop at Target, shop on Amazon or Home Depot. I voted NO to keeping Zuckerberg on the board and not longer post on Facebook or whatever he calls it now. Deleted Spotify

Lovin' Spoonful - Do You Believe In Magic

I recently sold a crate full of albums from the 70's and 80". Came from an estate clean out. I don't even know how many were in the crate but it was a lot. Maybe 100? When I did a quick flip through to take a few pictures to post, this album popped up. My very favorite song is "do you believe in magic" by the Lovin' Spoonful. I remember hearing the song for the very first time on TV during slumber party. I think it was a sign I should at least keep this one. Since I don't have a record player I will at some point frame it. 

"New study shows the most popular female hobby 

is drinking coffee and doing nothing" 

This is a hobby I can get behind! :)

Picker's Luck Strikes Again!

For several months I've been collecting or should I say they find me, miniatures. Things really too small to have in my booth at Cottage Crafts. I was sad that the two random printers cabinet drawers I had sold. Fast forward to now a year later. I walked into the back room at CCB and I saw two drawers. To my surprise they had my vendor number! They had been moved to the backroom during a front window display change. Stored under the stairs so totally forgotten about. My daughter asked me months ago to find one for the boys growing rock collection. Buying them one the open market is $$$ because they are hard to find. I had originally priced them very low so that would sell fast, which is why I thought they had. Now I have one for the boys and one for me!

 

Year around tomatoes 2026

Last year I bought a very sickly cherry tomato plant. It was the last one left at Ace hardware. There is one corner of the house that is perfect for tomatoes. Warm and protected from the wind. For that past year I've been burying my compost directly in the ground to build up the health of the soil. It had been neglected for years. 

My tomato plant is so big and bushy that I didn't see all the tomatoes on it. Not bad for the middle of January!

Picker's luck hits again!

 

A few weeks ago my daughter said she wanted to make a mother's ring. Pearl and sapphires are the boys birthday stones. Plus a diamond which is her husband's birthday stone.

For the past few months I've been working with two guys who buy gold and silver. With the market going nuts, I've been referring them to a lot of friends!

When they have gold jewelry to melt down they remove the stone which is then sold to a jeweler. The only gem I've never had in my collection is sapphires. I asked that they let me know if they come across some. Doesn't have to be big as my daughter's design for her ring would be a band. They found some earrings that checked off all the boxes. I'm not sure if my daughter will want to change the earrings into a ring because it has everything she wanted, so I also purchased the earrings that were just sapphires. These earrings would be easier to take apart. 

 

Yes I brought bags of dirt

 

I'm slowly building my raised garden beds at my place. I really wanted to get these bags of dirt at Costco but lifting them into my already filled cart wasn't going to happen. Good thing Matt is going to Costco sometime this week. He has the muscle mass to lift these suckers into his truck. :) 

I don't think I'll have a successful garden this year as it's still a work in progress but it's getting there!

Latest binge foods from Costco - 2026

I'm so glad that Costco and Trader Joe's aren't on the boycott list! 

I go to Costco about once a month, mainly for the gas and the basics. I don't go down each aisle as I know I will pick up something I don't really need. I do allow myself one impulse buy when it comes to food. With the California cold weather (anything in 40's is winter for us) I've been craving soup. My daughter is great at making soups something she didn't learn from me. :)

Going out to eat is so outrageously expensive that spending a little more for something I can make at home is worth. I really like the brand bibigo. I didn't know at the time that the spicy mushroom soup and dumplings are something they recommend combining. Looking forward to making it after I finish all my leftovers in the refrigerator.  My other splurge was the seaweed and salt chip, another favorite. The Costco size bag cost the same as a small bag at the Asian store. Do I really need to eat that many chips, no I don't but I'll enjoy it anyways!
 

Vintage Matchboxes Collections

Last month I picked up a tub full of matchboxes. The dad had a hobby of covering the walls in the garage with matchbox covers. I thought a crafter would be interested in the ones that didn't make it to the wall. Since everything I put in my booth has to be tagged, it wasn't practical to tag all of them. Not knowing anything about match box collecting, I decided to lump them together. I've been in search of a big glass jar ever since. In slowly cleaning out my death pile in the garage I found one! I'm slowly getting the garage cleaned out to make more room for the home gym that's in there. The gym area is useable but it would be nice if I didn't have to step over things to get to the weights and bike.