Still Cooking!

It has been a while since we have posted anything. Life is as busy as ever. Sheng is now a grandmother and "Little" Sami has added a sweet baby boy to her family. "Big" Sami stays busy in her garden and with her grandson. On the sad side Sheng's father passed away as well as a dearly beloved cousin of Sami's. All the more reason to gather together and share food and friendship.

Seattle Hmong New Year

Sami will be at the Seattle Hmong New Year selling Cooking From the Heart, the Hmong Kitchen in America. Please stop by our booth to see the book meet Sami. Mention our Web site and receive a discount!

Washington Hmong New Year 2009
Hosted by Hmong Association of Washington and Eastside Hmong Association
November 7th, 10 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Seattle Center

Yum, yum, yum!

Over the weekend, we got together with old friends in Portland and shared seven of our favorite dishes. Kathleen Bauer, a food blogger and writer, and Motoya Nakamura, a photographer from the Oregonian were with us all day to capture the event for an article in the Oregonian's Food Day Section.

We served Trout Salad with Vermicelli Noodles and Sweet and Tangy Sauce, Stuffed Tofu Soup, Grilled Beef Larb, Grilled Chicken with Hmong Barbecue Sauce, Stir-Fried Bitter Melon Vines, Stir-Fried Yard Long Green Beans, Coconut Gelatin with Tropical Fruit and fresh steamed (the Hmong way) Jasmine Rice.

Our job now is to make sure the recipes we pass along to the newspaper are accurate representations of the food we served. As is always true with Hmong cooking, we let creativity be our guide, and some of the dishes had touches that are not exactly what are in our book. So... back to work!

Book Sales are Great

We really have something to celebrate - Cooking From the Heart has sold over 2,000 copies to date. It is ranked # 7 in the top 25 books from public university presses this week at booksXYZ.com, and it was The University of Minnesota Press's #1 Amazon seller.

Sami will talk about her journey as a writer at "OWC (Oregon Writers Colony) Presents!" this Monday evening, August 24, 7:00 p.m. at Looking Glass Bookstore in the Sellwood neighborhood (7983 SE 13th Ave - next to Grand Central Bakery). There will be Hmong snacks as well as her presentation called, "Notes From an Unlikely Author."

TurnHere Video

Check out our TurnHere video. This three and a half minute video is the product of a four-hour taping session at Sheng's house. Filmed and produced by a talented videographer, Lucinda Chrisman. Look closely at the group shot to see Sami's husband, Don, and two of Sheng's sisters, Der and "Little Sami," as well as Sheng's daughter, Angie and daughter-in-law, MaiKia. Those very cute little kids are Skyler and Alexis. Thanks to everyone who contributed!