I have a love-hate relationship with cooking. On one hand, my cooking, for the most part, leaves little to be desired.. Case in point: I made adobong hipon & escabeche for my boyfriend a couple of months back & both dishes fell so short. He was kind and ate everything up regardless, but trust me when I say it was a disaster. The shrimp was overcooked & too salty, and the escabeche tasted nothing like I've had in the Philippines. On the other hand, I've made dishes that are delicious and that I go back to time and time again. I'll attempt to rattle off how I did them in lieu of an actual recipe because, for the most part, I "wing it".

I love salmon, which explains why salmon toast is my favorite out of all three featured on this post. 

1. Toast two pieces of sliced bread, preferably wheat & whole grain (You can make one sandwich or two, if you prefer an open faced sandwich - like the ones I have above. Less calories, more protein y'all). 
2. Spread jalapeno flavored cream cheese evenly (or thickly - I'm not judging you, promise) on bread & top with sliced cucumbers, arugula & smoked salmon.
3. For toppings, add whatever you want - hummus, pesto basil sauce, pickles. The list is endless. Personally, I prefer pepper, ground basil, olive tapenade & pesto basil sauce as my go-to toppings. There you have it - enjoy!

This grilled cheese egg-plosion is a fun dish to make for breakfast and is a pretty sumptuous meal to start the day.

1. Cut a hole or any shapes in your bread. In this case, I opted for a circle because it was easier and I was hungry. Heat up your frying pan and melt some butter.
2. Put ace the bread onto your frying pan & crack open an egg in the hole. You can see where this is going right?
3. When it's cooked, put a piece of sliced cheese on top of the bread & promptly flip over to the other side. Make sure you pick the kind of cheese that melts! I prefer cheddar for this. Once both sides are cooked, you have a delicious breakfast to show for it.

This soyrizo egg scramble may be one of my favorite homemade all day meal. I mean, it's a breakfast dish for sure, but because of its high protein content, I've been known to making it for dinner after a good workout.

1. Heat a frying pan up and put a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once it heats up, put fry garlic for a few seconds then fry some soyrizo until it's crisp and brownish in color.
2. Saute the rest of your vegetables (i.e. mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper) for the amount of time necessary to cook them well.
3. Add egg and scramble them together in the pan until it reaches a crisp, golden brown color - or at least that's what I like. Cook depending on your preference.

So those are my favorite homemade dishes. What are yours?

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One of the benchmarks of adulthood and responsibility in America was moving out of your parents' abode and venturing onto the great unknown - hopefully in a place where you live on your own. As someone who thrives in solitude, moving out was just a way for me to pursue self-improvement and happiness. There is nothing more rewarding than coming home to my empty apartment, putting on Metric or Regina Spektor and dancing in my underwear.

But like everything else in life, living alone comes with its unique set of pains. Since moving out almost three months ago, here are some struggles I've come across and how I dealt with them:

Budget or die. This is no hyperbole - you either know how to handle your finances or drown into an abyss of debt or homelessness. When I lived with my parents, I had extra money to splurge on miscellaneous things that I didn't really need. But living on my own means I take care of all the bills, and if I follow the same money spending path of my teenage years, I'll probably end up back in my parents' apartment before the year ends. Currently, I have a monthly budget plan and I make sure to put in money in my savings first before spending it on anything else.
Financial planning is key. The moment I decided I wanted to move out, I started saving as much money as I can in anticipation of shouldering all my expenses. Skipping another shoe purchase or foregoing another trip to my favorite sushi restaurant was worth it for finally having my own place.

Getting your grub on. You can say sayonara to mom's cooking and consistently having warm food despite being nowhere near the kitchen in the last 48 hours. Now that I'm living alone, meals won't automatically show up on my table. Don't get me wrong - I know how to cook although I'm not necessarily good at it. However, since I'm looking to save money, cooking for myself has been the best way to go. While the cost is initially higher - ingredients, condiments and cooking supplies - it fares so much better for my budget in the long run. This, this and this are my go-to websites for some cheap and easy meal inspirations.

Security. While living in Los Angeles on my own is definitely amazing, it is still important not to ignore the fact that crime exists and security is paramount. I have double and triple locks in my apartment. I bring pepper spray with me everywhere I go. I acquainted myself with the neighbors and the neighborhood in general. While they say ignorance is bliss, in issues as significant as my safety, information and awareness are necessary.

Getting reacquainted with yourself. If I may reiterate, one of the most important reasons why I wanted to move out was in order to pursue self-improvement. And I've come to realize that there is nothing as life changing as living on your own - you end up face to face with yourself and no one else. Loneliness comes knocking on your door more often than you would want it to be. You have more time than you know what to do with. You are suddenly confronted by yourself - your flaws, your strengths, likes and dislikes - without anyone else's influence but yourself. You get to know yourself a little bit more, learn to love yourself a little bit more and learn the things you love to do a bit more. I've been painting and writing poetry more often. I've rediscovered my love for blogging (hence this new blog - yay!), and I've been spending more time finding comfort in solitude. And that's something money can't buy.

Living alone can be uncomfortable, terrifying and completely discombobulating. But it can also been fun, self-empowering, exhilarating and so unbelievably worth it. At least, it has been for me.

Have you lived alone? What did you like and dislike most about it?