{Recipe}: Instapot BBQ Ribs

Y'all.

So many people purchased the IP last weekend. From what I know, at least 100 of you. Wow! It's been (a little crazy and) so much fun seeing all of my dear friends whip amazing IP meals these last few days. And can I just tell you that I have been getting so many questions? (LOL!) I think almost 5-8 people every day since Friday have been texting me/messaging me with questions...which to be honest is a little scary because I am an IP NEWB! (I've only had it for a couple of months myself so I'm still learning things every day).

But anyway - because of all the hype that I unintentionally (and yet, passionately, inevitably and okay, i guess a little bit intentionally) created -- I am challenged to try (and post!) a lot of yummy recipes for you guys. For the near future, we are looking at a chicken pho recipe, beef noodle soup recipe, and RIBS. (Yay!)

So let's start with ribs!

To be honest, I have never ever made ribs before. It's usually so expensive and it's just plain intimidating to me! It seemed like such a tedious and long process that I never really ventured out and gave it a try. Also, I really really don't like using my oven.  But alas, this week ribs were ridiculously cheap (say $3 a lb?) and I have all this IP pressure (pun intended) that I was like, hey lets give it a go.

And I am so glad I did, because man - it was so easy. And so good! 

First thing I learned as a rib-cooking newb: did you know that these ribs have a "membrane" you have to remove? Say whaaaa

Anyway - I also suck at following recipes and so although the recipe originally only called for salt and pepper, I wanted to spice it up a bit (har har) and added my pork dry rub spice mix -- which is essentially salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, a dash of cinnamon and some garlic powder. 

Raw meat is so nasty to me but not so much after a good rub! If you're feeling crazy, rub a little bit of liquid smoke if you want. 

Then water goes in. The IP comes with a "trivet", so put that in. Or you can put a steamer basket if that's your thing. Put the Ribs on top so it's not submerged in water - you don't want the liquid to take away all that flavor. 

Cook on "Manual" for 18-25 minutes. 18 minutes if you want tender but a little bit of bite and then full 25 if you want it falling off the bones. 

Don't forget it takes time to build up pressure and for the pot to depressurize after cooking! So I think the entire process from putting the lid on to taking it off was about 30 minutes for me.

So tender, smokey and rich in flavor! Now comes the BBQ sauce...

Slather it on and put on a foiled cookie sheet. It's gonna go in the oven to finish off. 10 minutes on 450 degrees or 3-5 minutes on broil. I used my toaster oven (lol!) because like I said, I really don't like using my oven...

To round out the meal, I decided to use my instapot for all of the other elements. I washed my pot and put in some potatoes and just enough water to cover em all. Hey, what's that trivet doing there?

Dun, dun, dun! Here I introduce the amazing PIP (pot-in-pot) technique. There are a lot of other things you can do this for that I haven't tried yet (i.e. cooking rice while making curry, etc!! WHAT?!) but today I just used the PIP method to heat up my corn (lol!) You can probably do corn on the cobs right on top if you have em. I only had canned this time around.

On manual for 10 minutes (though I probably could have done less time i.e. 6-8 minutes) and the corn was ready and the potatoes were super soft. If they keep form, you can probably make a warm potatoe salad to serve with the ribs. Because I overcooked them a bit, I decided to make mashed potatoes. I drained the water out and added some milk, butter, sour cream and green onions (hello, loaded mashed potatoes!) Mash it right there in the pot. You can even turn the SAUTE option on if you need a little bit of heat.

There it is, only one pot to clean and dinner is ready in less than an hour! 

Cheers to more IP adventures! xo

Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs 

Cook time: 18-25 minutes 
Total time: 30 minutes


1 rack of baby back ribs
salt + pepper (1 Tbs, 1 tsp respectively)
cumin, garlic powder, paprika and cinnamon (optional, in 1:1:1:dash ratio) I did about 1/2 tsp.
your fave BBQ Sauce
2 cups water

1. remove membrane from ribs. pat dry.
2. rub spice mix (if desire) onto both sides of ribs. if no spices, at least do salt + pepper to season.
3. add 2 cups of water to pot. place trivet or steamer basket inside.
4. place ribs on top to fit, ensuring that ribs are not submerged in water.
5. close lid. ensure that valve is on SEALING.
6. press MANUAL, set timer for 18-25 minutes (depending on how you'd like your meat cooked)
7. preheat oven to 450 degrees.
8. when finished cooking, let NR (natural release) for 10 minutes, then QR (quick release) to release steam. open lid carefully and remove ribs with tongs.
9. coat both sides of the ribs generously with your fave BBQ sauce. did you forget to preheat your oven? no worries - it happens to the best of us. set to broil.
10. set bbq sauced ribs on a foiled pan or cookie sheet, place in oven for 10 minutes (450 degrees) or 3-5 minutes (on broil)

serve immediately. 

instapot goodies for cybermonday!

the life changing magic of tidying up: day 1 & 2!

/ this post contains affiliated links /

i feel like in almost every post, i talk about how something is changing my life: instantpot. amazon prime. prime now. some new baby gadget that i found. etc etc. sigh, but isn't it true? life is always changing. that's what makes it fun! 

this, however, is truly life-changing! or will be, i think! 

it's right there in the title anyhow! 

i bought this book about a year ago when i was in the middle of my pregnancy after hearing so much about it.  this little japanese lady is well known on youtube for her cute voice and nifty folding techniques. i'm sure you've heard of her! she is the marie kondo of the KonMari technique! 

for the last few months, i've been keeping this book close by hoping to get started on this venture to change my life and to experience the magic of "tidying up".  I am not a tidy person by nature. my pace of life is often fast and chaotic. I leave the house with things all over the place and when people (especially my mom) decides to drop in for a surprise visit - I am usually rushing home to get there before her so that I can tidy up for 5 minutes and create a facade that I have my life together (sorry, umma!) the frustrating thing behind all of this is that I feel like I am cleaning ALL. THE. TIME. constantly putting things away, reorganizing drawers and closets, re-arranging my bookshelves, trying to put things back away after using them. but no matter how much I try to 'tidy up' I always feel like my place is a mess. can you relate? 

after reading just a few chapters of this book (and keeping notes so I remember for the long haul), I realized that i've been doing everything wrong my entire life! kondo says that tidying up a little bit every day is not the way to do it. she also says that storage is also a booby trap that creates the illusion that the clutter problem is solved (which is what i've been doing my whole life!) her main mantra is that tidying begins with discarding. 

effective tidying is

1. discarding 

2. then, deciding where to store the things you have decided to keep.

when deciding what to discard, she is pretty specific on how to decide what to keep and what to throw away. everything I choose to keep must be something that 'sparks joy' in me now. not something that I used to like wearing, or something that once had sentimental value, or not a book that I hope to read one day maybe if I have time but not until I read the 10 others books that I actually want to read. you know what I mean? we have a lot of stuff you guys. and the reason why I can't get my life (or my place!) together is because I am trying to hide away the 1,000 things that i don't need in my life but I'm keeping just because. so the purge begins....

I'm reading the book slowly and following her directions as I go. the chapter for this week is CLOTHES. and man, do I have a lot of clothes.

I realize that we often live our lives surrounded by a lot of things that we hold on to, just because. 

during this first purge, learned a few things about myself:

1. I am a closet hoarder. a sentimental hoarder. I have clothes from middle school and high school (YOU GUYS.) that I don't have the heart to throw away because I have this one specific memory from 12 years ago when I was wearing this shirt or that scarf and so I feel guilty throwing it away. 
2. I also am a sucker for sales. I am not a fashionista in any shape or form. I don't think I can ever an OOTD post or video because the clothes I buy and wear are as plain as Jane can be. Also, I'm asian so I love cheap stuff! I can't tell you how many things I bought on clearance for $2-10 that still have tags on them. I imagine I bought that shirt that is 4 sizes too large just because it was only $3 and I was meaning to use it for PJ's or a costume or make it into a dress someday one day. I need to stop buying things just because they are cheap if it isn't something that I would actually enjoy wearing. yikes. keep me accountable! 
3. I really like stripes and plaids and florals. I never realized how much these designs dominated my wardrobe until I laid everything out on the floor/bed (which is what she instructs you to do in the book!) 
4. I also prefer darks over lights. 80% of my shirts are gray or black. Ha! 

after laying every article of clothing down on my floor and bed, i picked up each one and tried to ask myself I really wanted to keep it. you know that dress that used to fit but hasn't for a while but you're just keeping it in case you'll fit into it again? discard. do you feel just meh about it? discard. did you wear it before and it made you happy but you just don't really see yourself wearing it again but you also don't want to throw it away? just do it. i filled almost 4 garbage bags full of things that didn't make me happy and were just filling up my closet and drawer space. 4 BAGS YOU GUYS. I'm almost embarrassed.

after the discarding process, I followed her folding techniques and put my clothes away. I can't believe how much more space I have. and how many things I kept for no good reason. now I can honestly say that I can choose any random thing in my closet and drawer to wear and I'd be happy to wear it (though, I am currently a bit limited since half my clothes are not conducive to a nursing mama). but look, SPACE! 

good bye clutter.

now onto Eugene's clothes!

he gave me full permission to purge his closets, too! (har har)

+ +

if you are interested in purchasing the book, use this link {HERE}

the book is currently almost $7 off right now!

will keep you posted on the rest of our de-cluttering journey!

cheers to happier + tidy-er lives!

xoxo

asher is 10 months!

dear baby,

I can't believe you are only a couple months away from toddlerhood. In less than 2 months, you will no longer be a baby-baby but a toddler-baby (*sob*). what a gift you have been to us and what joy you fill our hearts and our lives with! this has been a really fun month (and what a fun age!) you learned so many things this month! 

at 10 months, 

• you are crawling everywhere, climbing everything and standing yourself up all day. you can stand without any support for about 5 seconds (when you use both your hands to hold your snacks) and you can walk with support. you can even take a few steps only holding mama's hand. walking is surely in our near future!
• you loooooove to eat! and you eat a lot (you have been pooping crazy amounts 2-3 times a day and it is stanky!) you are usually not picky but definitely love to eat snacks, fruits, meats and noodles. you also love all vegetables and I hope you always like to eat healthy! 
• you are so, so silly and such a ham! you are always playing peekaboo, hiding behind a corner and popping out to scare me and just making us laugh all day long! it's been so fun to see your little personality come out. you are also a huge flirt and have lots of ae-gyo with girls (most definitely get that from daddy....)
• you are like a little sponge and you are learning so many things! you know how to say "more/please" and do it in the most adorable way and I give you way too many snacks because I succumb to your charm. you can wave hi, and bow when you say thank you (although you are only at a 20 degree angle right now..) and can clap your hands and pray on command! 
• you don't have any words yet but you say "ba ba" and "da da" all the time but I dont think you're trying to say anything in particular. you are the most vocal when I'm about to give you food or snacks though. you ma boy
• you are learning how to share and you even share your 'kka kka' (snacks) with mommy! you are a little bit more stingy when your snacks are small but we're working on it! 
• we (finally, hopefully, maybe) are done with your 8-10 month sleep regression (for now...) it lasted about 7 weeks and mama was so, so tired but we are so happy that you are finally napping for more than 20 minutes. praise the LORD!
• you are not super affectionate with me (always trying to escape my bear hugs and kissing marathons!) but when you are tired/just up from your nap - you rest your head on my chest and i don't breathe or move because i am so happy and my heart is bursting and exploding into a thousand pieces. I hope you become more affectionate! currently, when I ask for a kiss you just give me your forehead to kiss...lol.

though there have been some things that have been hard this past month (i.e. daddy being really really busy with work and only being able to see you for a few hours on weekends) you have been such a sweetie pie and such a trooper through it all. every day is truly a gift that I do not deserve and so I am trying to find evidences of God's grace in every single day we have together. and to be honest, it's not hard at all to find things I'm thankful for when it comes to you! 

last night, we found out who our new president will be for the next four years. in the last 12 hours, many in our nation have become paralyzed in fear with what our future will hold under the leadership of his new leader. to be honest - there have been a couple instances even in the last few hours that I felt overcome with worry about the country + world that you will be growing up in.

but this world has always been broken. it is not any more broken today than it was yesterday, or than it was when you were born 10 months ago. you were born into a sin-ridden, flawed world -- broken by sin and hopeless in and of itself. so you see, I am not surprised nor am I more afraid of the future than I was yesterday.  the brokenness of this world that you & i both live in is not gonna be saved by a different president, or more money, or better solutions to global warming, different laws, etc. ultimately the only hope that we have in this world is that God is always in control. we don't have to fear the future of our nation or the uncertainties of this world because we know and trust in the God who holds it in His hands. nothing is beyond His control. 

"let every person be subject to the governing authorities. 

for there is no authority except from God 

and those that exist have been instituted by God"

R O M A N S 13:1

there are surely many scary times ahead. we will be tested, i'm sure. there are going to be hard things that we will face in our life and as your mama, it pains me to think that I can't save you or spare you from all of it. but I pray that as we endure and persevere through this life together, that we will learn to trust and obey God in all things and that you will come to see at an early age that we can have hope, even in times like these. an incomprehensible hope that is unwavering and sure. that is my greatest hope and prayer for you.

xoxo,

your mama

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. P H I L I P P I A N S 4:4-7

5 years of marriage

Woah, hello 5. 

It's crazy to think that we have been married for 5 years -- half a decade, peeps. 

It's already been 5 years...and yet, it's only been 5 years. 

It's a strange thing: Fast, but long and so, so full. This year takes the cake for sure! 

This was definitely our most eventful year yet. So many wonderful things happened...

we welcomed our first child and became a family of 3. 

We became parents (what?!).  

(Taken after our first week with baby. Note: eye bags) 

Eugene graduated pharmacy school (!!!) and then passed his boards, then got into a residency program and started residency. 

I quit my job to stay at home. 

And we experienced the magic of the Instapot (don't think I would forget my Instapot!)  

This has also been the year we spent the most time apart. Between his long hours at the hospital and his 6 week rotation away right before baby was born, we survived it all!  We learned the challenge of living and working apart while treasuring any and every moment together! It was not easy, but by God's grace we made it through and then some!

What a year. 

There are new challenges that come in a marriage when a child is added. Life becomes more full and you never experience so much love in your heart - but it can put a strain. Sleepless nights, sleep-deprived delirium during the days, the busy-ness of learning a new role/way of life -- we were tested through some fires, as many parents are in those early weeks and months. So thankful for God's grace that carried us through it all.

There are so many things I learned in these last 5 years: about marriage + life, about Eugene, about myself. But the most profound truths that I have learned have been the things that I have learned about God. 

I've learned that I am naturally a very selfish and self-centered person. I am extremely sensitive, though I put up a chillax front and will rarely ever show it. I am a people-pleaser to my core and need constant affirmation + reaffirmation (even when I make dinner, I ask Eugene at least 5 times if he likes it, lol! no, wait -- seriously though, did you like it? like really like it or just like it?) I am really clutter-brained, especially since I love to keep busy, but that makes it really hard to keep a tidy home! On that note, I am also a silent hoarder - not big things but one million tiny things (you know, those 30 pens you got from a conference, and those 10 bottles of mini-body lotions that you get every time you go to a hotel, and that screen cleaner from that one nursing vendor 5 years ago? I keep it all. oops) I find cooking fun but hate cleaning after. I say things like "always" and "never" way too much and tend to over-exaggerate when I'm upset about something.

I've come to know that Eugene is loyal, hard-working and in almost every way my exact opposite. He is reserved and a 100% introvert (I am more at a 30%). He is, in his words, naturally "asocial" not to be mistaken with "antisocial" and easily feels awkward in uncomfortable situations. Eugene is whole-hearted and a total one-track mind kinda guy so multitasking is not his forte (whereas I am usually doing 20 things and thinking about another 15 things at once, although not effectively.) Eugene loves Japanese food and food is most definitely his love language (and back scratches, for some reason - hrm.) He is a simple man who does not ever think too much into things. He keeps to himself in almost every way (i.e. social media, in person) but is fully present with whatever he is pursuing at that moment. He is also a great, great dad (though he has to take a nap after watching Asher for more than 3 hours, har har)

I've learned that marriage is wonderful, sweet, fun, exciting and ever-changing. There is no greater bond, apart from my union with Christ that is more intimate, more personal, more intertwined with the very being that I am than that which I share with my husband. Marriage is also pretty dang hard. You have to be adaptable, flexible and always at a ready to put on a different hat if need be. As a wife and as one called to my husband's helper, I am called to meet my husband where he is and seek to help and serve him in whatever he may need. In our current season, Eugene is best served with k-cups fully stocked and the keurig water filled to the brim. Sandwiches made. Easy breakfast on-the-go ready for the taking (currently: hard boiled eggs, unpeeled. White coats regularly washed and ironed. Clothes routinely tailored in a timely manner. Powerpoint presentations edited and formatted to look nice (with lots of pictures!) In this season of our marriage, he cares little for a super tidy house and extragavant home cooked dinners (which he currently doesn't have time for!) Though the task may be mundane and the routine, sometimes tedious - it can serve to be a tremendous joy and delight when I understand day-by-day that this is an avenue to worship God when I serve my husband, unto the Lord! I'm learning that more and more each day.

The most important thing I have learned in the last 5 years is that marriage isn't about me. 

The main purpose of my marriage is not about providing me with happiness and making me feel loved and special and treasured. These are by-products, but my joy is not the end-all of my marriage. The goal of marriage is my holiness, not just my happiness. My marriage is an instrument in my Creator's Hand to make me more like Jesus; to teach me and shape me into a vessel that is beautiful, faithful and fruitful for Him and His purposes. I need to remind myself of this daily, sometimes. I've had to remind myself of this almost every day for the last 5 years.  Though it sounds a little like a sad and emo thing to say - but it is actually extremely liberating to understand that my marriage was not meant to just make me happy. What a small, and insignificant purpose that would be if that is all my marriage, or marriage in general, was created for! 

I praise God that He sovereignly created marriage to prepare us for eternity. That in marriage, we see a shadow + glimpse of the Perfect Union that we have + will have with Christ. It's easy for me to be deceived into thinking that marriage was made to serve me, affirm me, value me - but how much frustration and discontentment we would experience in our lives thinking that way! How quick we are to complain and grumble and compare when we feel like our marriage or husband (earthly, selfish and sinful as all husbands are) fail us, disappoint us, or hurt us (usually unknowingly!). There have been countless days in my last 5 years that I have experienced the frustration and disappointment of trying to force Eugene to fill the deep, dark void in my heart that only God is able to fill. I've found that I am only able to fully, unconditionally, sacrificially and joyfully love and serve Eugene with all my heart with everything that I am when I have my fill in Christ. I am freed from the pattern of giving to gain, or serving because I need something back - but am empowered to give and love and serve as an overflow of what I have already gained through Christ.

To be honest it is a daily battle. I fail ALL. DA. TIME. I am seriously so selfish and naturally so self-seeking (it would be so embarassing for you to know all of the ugly and shameful thoughts that run through my head on the daily.) but God is faithful and He is good. His hand is near at all times, ready to help, ready to forgive, ready to give new strength again and again. He is patient, and so gracious to reveal the depths of my sin to me (and others!) so that I can turn from them and renews my strength daily to start again. He is sovereign: He knew that I would fail, and that I would be completely helpless on my own - so He gave me the perfect example of selfless, sacrificial and uncondition Love in Christ and the same Spirit that raised a dead Man to life empowers me to have victory over every hurdle that comes our way.

* * * 

I am thankful for every good and bad and easy and hard thing these last 5 years brought our way. I am so excited to see what God will do in the next 5, 10, 20, 60 years in our lives and marriage! Though I don't know what our future holds (and it's usually more weird and scary things -- ugh, hello, morbid and sad imagination) I can look to the future with confidence and hope and anticipation and without fear because I know Who holds our future. 

Cheers to more learning and growing & more adventures! 

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, 

and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”

- St Augustine - 

* * * 

For our previous posts: see one from our first anniversary, our third anniversary, our fourth when baby was in-utero and an overview of our weird/crazy/random relationship history :)