Pumpkin patch

Challenge: Use up 1 28-oz can of pumpkin.

Results:

1) Pumpkin oatmeal muffins. Replaced quick oats with instant apple cinnamon oatmeal lying in the cupboard, replaced half AP flour with whole wheat, mixed raisins and cranberries.

2) Pumpkin scones.

3) Pumpkin carob muffins. I've been using them ever since I made chocolate chip cookies with carob chips and nobody could tell the difference. They're healthy and cheaper than semisweet chips!

4) Ok, I am a pumpkin fanatic but even I can get a little pumpkin'd out. The bf and I didn't really feel like cooking after a late lunch on Oscar night. He made grilled cheese dill sandwiches and instead of the traditional tomato soup pairing, I made tomato pumpkin soup with parsley, chili, and soy milk. It turned out really well, except when the bf tried pureeing the soup and the lid came loose.

5) Classic pumpkin soup. Back to the basics.

After all that, I still had pumpkin left. Ended up tossing the rest. I needed a pumpkin break.

Saturday night, we went to Society in Yaletown after seeing the 45-minute wait at Chambar. It seems to be a popular place for a girls' night out as there were several tables of girls dressed to hit the clubs.

FOTD
Face
Coastal Scents HD foundation ST-004

NYX concealer stick in green (redness) and yellow (under eyes)
Shiseido Inoui the Enhancer concealer

MAC blush in Angel

Nars face illuminator in Orgasm (cheekbones)

Evian face spray

Eyes
Prestige browliner in Earth Brown

MAC paint in Untitled

Light pink (browbone) and shimmery purple-brown shade (outer half of eye) from Coastal Scents 28 Neutral palette

Anna Sui eye color in 209 (shimmery lilac on outer half and crease)

Bobbi Brown espresso eye shadow (upper tightline)

Coastal Scents Black gel liner (lower waterline)

Bobbi Brown Mica eye shadow (lower lashline)

Korean falsies from Hong Kong

Majolica Majorca mascara (bottom lashes)

Lips

Maybelline Wet Shine lipstick in Mauvelous

Lace bodysuit: Silence + Noise; Tank, rosary necklace: F21; Black pencil skirt (not shown), Prada.

We went for the mussels with garlic, shallots and Chardonnay with a side of garlic bread and fries. There wasn't much broth, but I liked the sundried tomatoes. We agreed that Chambar's mussels are still #1 though.

I was all excited to have dessert, but decided to pass. Our server was so sweet and said "ok, but I'm still going to bring you something". He came back shortly with cotton candy!

The table of girls next to us ordered the junk food platter, but we were quite intimidated by the size. The music is a little loud and the tables are a little close, but the service is great and the place is bumpin'. I left a little tipsy and very happy to a friend's house for more drinks...

Last week, I went to Daiso to look for a ceramic pot to make Korean stews in, but left with some new nails. I never tried artificial nails, but I haven't had gel nails for years and wanted to make them look pretty since they've been peeling a lot lately despite numerous coats of OPI Nail Envy and Sally Hansen 4-in-1 Complete Treatment. For $2/box, who could resist?

It took me forever to file the shape just right. I think next time I won't be such a perfectionist. I marveled at how long they were (and how my natural nails will never get that long), then realized it was a pain to do simple tasks. The bf said, "watch them all pop off during yoga".

The next morning, I woke up and decided to cut and file them to a more practical length. I thought I needed one of those professional electric drills, but they're soft enough to cut with a regular nail clipper. I feel like such a lady when my nails are pretty.

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!

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.

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.