Wallflour (WF) was started to form an online community of people that enjoy a certain lifestyle similar to mine.  i am a realist and the word ‘budget’ exists in my life.

I work freelance in the Los Angeles area as a motion graphics art director/ designer/ animator.  I know there are a lot of slashes in that title and with wallflour, I am attempting to add web entrepreneur/ blogger/ product designer to it.  

For all the long hours at the office, day after day, and week after week, it really starts to feel like a rat race.  How does one enjoy the greatest luxury of all- Time?  Time to make a home-cooked meal.  Time to decorate your home.  Time to exercise so you can eat whatever you want.  Time to relax and read a book.  Finding the right balance in life may be the hardest thing to figure out.

Everyone enjoys the finer things in life, but it’s not always so attainable. WF will talk about being frugal in some areas in order to splurge in others.  Personally, I have a weakness for designer shoes and handbags.  Cooking at home is a means to an end.  Who am i kidding.  i have a weakness for anything that is designed and well-made - be it vintage housewares or designer clothing, shoes, accessories, electronics, gadgets, cars.  Even my dog might fall under this umbrella.  He’s a very special french bulldog named guinness.  i’m what i call a “style pig”.  i can’t get enough. it affects every aspect of my life, in and out of the kitchen. 

All those little things can add up. The daily coffee-out habit has made millionaires out of a few and left most a couple dollars short, everyday.   Instead of going out for coffee, get a decent coffee press and get the finest coffee you can buy at the store so going out for coffee is a treat or social event and not a routine.

And hopefully, some of this advice will help you open up to the idea of entertaining in your home by seeing how affordable it can be.  Wearing those four-inch Pierre Hardy’s  at home and having cocktails with friends can be glamourous, especially when you can put on your fuzzy slippers any time you like.  Two hours in, everyone will be so content* they won’t even notice that you shrank a couple inches and more importantly, your feet will be happy. 

Entertaining can be a very intimidating and daunting task for many people. My enjoyment of inviting people over was born partially out of necessity, as most things are.  Endless nights of bar-hopping, fine dining at not-so-fine establishments, and empty vintage pocketbooks doesn’t sound that appealing when you reach the age where the expression “house rich, cash poor” actually makes sense.  

The first thing to go is the group dinners and nights out when an easy $100 can be spent on dinner and wine and a couple of cocktails.  Maybe not even the cocktails.  Ok-$150 if you are being extra smart and taking a cab too since you just threw back a recipe for heartburn and became a hazard to anyone else on the road.  Minding my retirement funds and paying a mortgage have limited this particular aspect of my social life.  

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I find a huge importance in eating well.  It’s one of the simplest pleasures we can have on a daily basis, without a huge effort.  WF’s definition of eating well doesn’t mean salad and steamed vegetables. Au contraire-it’s about finding the right balance that works for you.  Eating foie gras everyday wouldn’t be a good thing as much as i would love to. Two days in a row is even pushing it, not to say i haven’t done it before.

All year round, a variety of foods and greens are available to us at local farmers markets and grocery stores.  Much of this is taken for granted, especially when we live in a city with such abundance.  Ironically, most people i know eat lunch at their desk in front of a computer and get takeout for dinner.  We spend an average of 50+ hours a week working to pay rent or mortgage on a home we don’t use to its fullest extent, i.e. the fully-equipped kitchen that doesn’t do more than make coffee and toast.  cooking at home can be easy and healthy, but don’t get us wrong-  this is not a health magazine.  WF loves butter and ice cream and real sugar but strongly believes in eating as few processed items as possible. 

I tend to cook in a haphazard style.  I don’t follow recipes super closely and i always excerise my right to improvisation.  I’ve been accused of being a secret chef.  People ask me for recipes of things they’ve eaten in my home and most times i don’t have one.  Or i’ve modifed the hell out of something. Or combined two recipes i have found online.  Anyways, i will attempt to record some of these dishes and be as accurate as possible.  I am only referring to savory foods.  sweets, baked goods, and pastries require much more precision.  there’s still room for experimenting but measuring accurately is important.  Most kitchen geeks can be divided into 2 camps, those who like to bake and those who like to cook savory items.

I’m a home cook that enjoys experimenting and entertaining, sometimes all at once.  when it comes to good food and the kind of life i aspire to live, i am constantly on the look out for new ideas and inspiration.  I take care of myself, whether it be working out, indulging in designer shoes, or eating gelato.

I remember the first thing I learned how to cook was scrambled eggs. I was 7 years old. My brother and I used to get up early on the weekends and prepare breakfast for the entire family. A couple decades later, I think I have finally perfected my scrambled eggs. Practice makes perfect.  My mother is a wonderful cook. Much of what I know is from watching her in the kitchen making asian delights completely from scratch, at record speeds. These recipes will also be shared with you in the food section.

What I have learned over the years after leaving the nest, have been based on trial and error. In the basics section of wallflour, I plan to talk about just that. What basic tools to have in the kitchen. The basic items to stock in a pantry, for both daily cooking and also items that could be later used for impromptu parties. These essentials will be used for weekly meal planning as well.

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