Cambodian Cooking with Mama in Boston

Since I was planning to return home for the holidays anyways, I decided to spend the month of December cooking with my Mama back home in Boston.  After only 4 full days with her, we have already worked on 8 recipes!  It has been quite a productive trip so far!  We have been busy grocery shopping, learning about different Cambodian herbs, discussing dishes step by step, taking lots of notes, and food plating for our photo shoots.  It has been a lot of fun and also a lot of work!  I've learned so much watching her cook and explain each nuance of her cooking in detail.  I am grateful that I have the time and opportunity to be here with her in person learning her art.  I am excited to share everything I learned with my mother in the upcoming cookbook!

Within this first week home, I also experienced this winter's first snowfall.  It was enchanting but also so very cold!  Because I had been spending all my time with my mother cooking, I hadn't had a chance to venture into the city until yesterday.  Boston is such a beautiful, historic, and charming city!  It was even more scenic with the remnants of snow that still lined the trees, cars, and buildings.  I wandered around Newbury Street and strolled through the quaint quarters of the South End.  

Here are a few shots from my first week back in Boston.  I included pictures of my nephew because he's just the cutest.