Sunday, January 31, 2010

A new winter coat

There's nothing like adding on some extra "layers" during the winter.

I've been going to Chambar often for drinks lately. The beer and cocktail lists are unique and the Veracruz is a must-try. I was never a fan of Caesars until I tried the Veracruz. Chipotle infused tequila, applewood smoked tomato juice...the creation is pure genius.
My love for Belgian beers started with the Kriek (right) a few years ago at this very place.


















Finally went to H-Mart to pick up ingredients for soon dubu (spicy seafood and tofu stew) and ddukbokki (rice cakes in gochujang). Have been drinking matcha lattes all week since then. Tried the pumpkin and black bean rice cakes. Steamed, it's slightly sweetened and very filling!


















Bf and I went to Lonsdale Quay Market one sunny day and had our first-ever beaver tail. We had the Killaloe, which is sugar and lemon on the fried dough. http://www.beavertailsinc.com/ At first, I was disgusted to see the large, flat dough soaking in the hot oil and swore I would not eat it. However, I tried some and the sweet and tangy contrast was quite appetizing. At least I'll never have to wonder what it tastes like when I see it at PNE. We then had a bowl of tomato clam chowder at another vendor because it reminded us of the Pike Place Chowder in Seattle.

We originally went to Seattle on an empty stomach to go to Paseo. Unfortunately, they were going to be closed for most of January. We arrived in downtown Seattle around 3pm and decided to eat at Pike Place Chowder as a former Hong Kong colleague had told me about it before. They were having their afternoon tea menu, where everything is smaller and cheaper. Perfect for sampling! We had the crab cake and crab sandwiches and a bowl of their famous clam chowder. We ended up ordering another bowl of seafood bisque! Lunch wasn't a bust after all.


















Qoola is my favorite froyo joint in Vancouver, but I had to go to Pinkberry. I got the pumpkin spice/tangerine swirl. Yummy, but I think I'm biased towards Qoola!


















Had a late dinner (10:30pm) at Red Lobster. Haven't been to one since LA 2004. I LOVE their cheese biscuits. I didn't want to share...and I stuffed them into the takeout box. I've tried a copycat recipe using Bisquick which turns out similarly.























































Recently I read and am loving the book "The Okinawa Diet Plan". The recipes are so simple, healthy and tasty! I found it informative and a good read. I wanted to buy the book at Chapters but couldn't find it. (I ended up buying "Why Men Love Bitches". )
This salmon miso soup is creamy partly due to milk, and includes two of my favorites - kabocha pumpkin and sweet potatoes, which are a major health food for Okinawans.


















I've been making lots of miso soup with various vegetables. Tip: NEVER boil miso! Dissolve it after heated soup has been taken off the heat.


















I LOVE muffins but hate that most are laden with sugar and fat. This is another recipe from "The Okinawa Diet Plan", sweet potato orange muffins. It's soft, moist and not overly sweet. It includes fresh OJ, almond butter and whole wheat flour.


















After taking home some leftover skordalia (garlic sauce) and tzatziki from Stepho's, I decided to make whole wheat pitas. It took a painstaking 3 hours for 6 pitas (I halved the recipe).



































With all that kabocha, I made sweet n' spicy roasted kabocha in the oven and bf made Vietnamese butter beef. It was so tender!


















My favorite Korean snack that I first ate outside Dongdaemun night market. Rice cakes, fish cakes, cabbage, onions and gochujang. Hard boiled eggs and pork are sometimes added.


















Happy eating!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Little loves

When I was in the States, I decided to look for L'oreal's Colour Riche lipstick in Tawny as I had heard it supposedly looked like MAC's discontinued 3N lipstick. No luck. All I found was Timeless Tawny.
My dbf surprised me with it after my disappointment at losing my new MAC Angel lipstick. He found out it was on clearance because it was going to be discontinued, but that it was quite popular. I bought another one as backup and since then, it's my everyday lipstick. I don't even use liner or gloss. It goes on so creamy and it's the perfect neutral nude/pink. Love it!























I've been looking for a good Audrey Hepburn picture and I was reminded of a nail color I wanted to try for awhile, For Audrey by China Glaze. I was going to wait until February to wear it as opposed to the traditional pink theme everywhere, but I couldn't wait. It's a perfect match.


















Everyone and their mother has been raving about My Beauty Diary masks. I first heard about it while I was in HK but I couldn't find them at the usual beauty stores. I found them on sale here for Cdn $2.99/2 sheets so I picked up two boxes: pearl powder and aloe.















Pearl powder mask
Main Ingredients
Vitamin B & Seaweed Extract
-Nourishes & Stimulates Skin Cells
Amino Acids & Pearl Powder
-Penetrates the interior layer of skin to create a Soft, Fair & Radiant look
Functions
-Softens your Skin
-Whitens and Brightens skin
-Nourishes and moisturizes skin

Aloe mask
-Keeps skin feeling Moisturize
Wild Rose Plant Essence
-Improves Dry and Rough skin
Amino Acid
-Nourishes and moisturizes skin
Hyaluronic Acid
-Highly effective in retaining moisture in your skin
Functions
-Minimizes and Closes Pores
-Restores Skin Structure
-Improves Dry condition of Skin
-Moisturizes & Nourishes Skin

Overall, I'm very impressed with the list of ingredients. Too bad it's pricier than what you would pay for other sheet masks in Asia. I like how the sheet comes with a plastic layer to peel from because regular sheet masks are sometimes harder to open up when they're wet. However, the fit is not as good as the UGBang masks I got in Korea (which were a lot more expensive). I will definitely try other kinds after I've used up the collagen masks I got in HK!

Quick no-brainer, no-fuss meals at home: Mapo tofu & Chicken Laksa










Went to the newly relaunched Glowbal for their half off lunch promo. It was a sunny but cold day and we sat on the heated, busy patio. I loved that the bread came with pink Hawaiian sea salt.







Ahi tuna satays, braised short ribs papardella, prime rib burger. Awesome deal!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Hubbub

Last week I attempted to make baked bbq pork buns - the shiny, slightly sweet, caramelized brown crust ones. I always order these at dim sum, and love the mexico/pineapple bun variations.


















The flat, wide ones were made by me. Dbf made the round ones and boasted that his looked better. However, mine were the ones with evenly distributed filling and packed with it!


















I brushed an egg wash before baking and simple syrup wash at the end.























Too bad the other half of the bbq pork got eaten up or I would've made another batch the next day. They were soft, satisfying and not filled with fat chunks like what you get sometimes at restaurants.























Went to Hub, a lounge restaurant in Yaletown on Friday night. I did soft grey eyes and a berry lip.














































FOTD
Face
Coastal Scents HD foundation ST-004
NYX concealer stick in yellow (under eyes)
Shiseido Inoui the Enhancer concealer
Coastal Scents Essence blush (sample that came with one of my orders)
MAC select sheer loose powder NC20
Eyes
Prestige browliner in Earth Brown
MAC paint in silver
Flat soft grey e/s from Coastal Scents 88 palette (lid and along lower lashline)
Bobbi Brown e/s in Rock (outer eye)
MAC e/s in Gesso (browbone)
Wet n' Wild kohl eyeliner in White (lower waterline)
MAC technakohl liner in Graphblack (upper eyeline)
Benefit Eyebright (smudged inner and outer corners)
Ardell false lashes #110
Lips
Chanel lipstick in Samoa























Shirt, liquid leggings:F21, Blazer:Talula Babaton, Shoes:Chloe, Accessories:F21, Belt:from one of my Urban Behavior dresses.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Chef P

Lately I've been trying to experiment with some new recipes, especially after my last trip to Asia.
Baked Portuguese chicken on rice, cha chan teng style:


















It tasted just like what you would get at a Chinese cafe (except healthier). I can't wait to try making baked pork chop on rice next time.


















I depotted some MAC eye shadows my mom gave me into a palette and went to pick a lipstick for the Back2Mac recycling program. I chose Angel, a light pink frost. It's supposedly Kim Kardashian's favorite MAC lipstick. I applied mine over chapstick, but layered over lipliner and a gloss on top would make the color pop even more! It would go great with a neutral or smoky eye, which is what I do most of the time. Viva Glam V is still my absolute favorite lipstick of all time though.















Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Switch it up

Happy 2010! I know I haven't updated in forever and I had half a mind to delete everything and start from scratch. A little revamp will suffice for now.

On NYE, I dyed my own hair for the first time using Kao Liese bubble hair color in Milk Tea Brown. My hair was pretty much virgin, having had some highlights on the bottom layer of my hair in 2007.

The color is subtle and did not noticeably dry my hair out. Of course I did a deep conditioning mask after the next wash just to be safe! I read the color should become more pronounced after a few washings, so I'll see whether it's worth using again. I've been told by previous hairstylists that my hair doesn't absorb color well. :(