Thai Meatballs

Since I've been craving Thai lately, I thought I experiment with using the ingredients I usually use to make meatballs.

While I always use : onions, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a bit of sugar, and salt and pepper, I thought I add or replace a few things here and there with ingredients that are in some of my favorite Thai dishes.

This recipe makes about 2-3 dozen meatballs. I usually cook all the meatballs all at once, and then freeze half of them for another day.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

-          1 pound of lean pork

-          1 turkey

-          2 cups of grated zucchini

o    squeeze the juices out using a clean kitchen towel or cheese cloth

-          I or 2 large shallots, finely minced

-          2 large garlic cloves, finely minced or grated

-          1 T ginger, grated

-          1 cup of cilantro or parsley, finely chopped

-          ½ cup green onions, thinly sliced

-          1 ½ T of oyster sauce

-          1 T fish sauce

-          2 T red curry paste

-          1 T sugar

-          S & P

-           1 T of grated lime zest

Sauce

-          2 t olive oil

-          ½ inch of ginger, julienned or grated

-          1 or two pieces of garlic, minced

-          1 T tomato paste

-          2 cups of coconut  milk

-          ½ cup of chicken stock

-          ½ T of fish sauce

-          1 or 2  t  of sugar

Method:

1)      For the meatballs, combine the ingredients listed above, and make about 1 inch size meatballs.

2)      Fry them in a pan with a bit of oil over medium heat. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes on each side.

3)      Once all the meatballs are browned, set them aside.

4)      In a sauté pan (big enough to hold how many meat balls you want to serve), heat the oil over medium heat, and add the ginger and garlic.

5)      After three minutes, set aside the garlic in the pan, and add the tomato paste. Let the paste get thick and turn a darker shade of red. This may take about 5 minutes or so.

6)      Once the paste is ready, combine it with the ginger and garlic, and add gradually add the chicken stock.

7)      Turn the heat to med-high, and leave it at that setting until it boils. Once it boils, turn the heat back down to medium

8)      Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir well, and raise the heat to med-high. Once the sauce boils slightly, lower the heat to med-low, add the meatballs and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with rice or noodles with a bit of cilantro on sprinkled on top.

Hope you’ll like it!

As always, thanks for reading!

Forgetting How to Pack Lightly

In the past, when it came to packing for a three day weekend, I would usually bring one pair of pants, a couple tops, a dress, shoes, and few other essentials. While the weather, and what events will happen during those days would effect what types I bring, it mostly stayed this way.

Now I consider a few (since there may or may not be a couple more) outfits like these, and three pairs of shoes to be packing 'lightly'. Oh well, what can I say?... #yolo?

Hmm..now that I think about it, perhaps I should bring a pair of flats so my feet wont hate me too much. (That’s what a big purse is for after all).

What would you bring for a three day weekend?

As always, thanks for reading!

Out & About | Outfit 47

For those times I wont have time to come back home to change, I like to mix and match pieces that I would wear during the day or night. 

What would you wear for a day to night outfit?

Have you seen my previous O&A outfit?

As always, thanks for reading!

Out & About | Outfit 46

One of the things I love about wearing pants is not having to worry about how my legs look. (AKA being to lazy to shave them..lol!..).

Hope you're having a great Tuesday so far!

Have you seen my previous O&A outfit?

As always, thanks for reading!

Out & About | Outfit 45

Like what a favorite toy or a security blanket is for a child, neutral colored clothing, and accessories are something I'll always reach for. Sure I'll add a fun pop (or pops) of color to my outfit every now and then, but the majority of my outfit will most likely consist of neutral colors. 

However, should the mood strike me, I'll happily wear a something like a fun red dress every now and then.

What colors do you reach for?

Have you seen my previous O&A outfit?

As always, thanks for reading!   

Out & About | Outfit 44

Hope you're having a great weekend so far!

Have you read my recent recipe post or seen my previous O&A outfit?

Check out my MVW board for the items in this post.


As always, thanks for reading!

Potato Soup

I had a craving for some soup for lunch yesterday, so I whipped up this easy and yummy soup. This is also a great soup to dunk a ham & grilled cheese sandwich.


Ingredients:

- 5 medium red skin potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces & cooked
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 T oil
- 1 T butter
- 3 cups of chicken stock
- 2 cups of milk (any kind, I used 1%)
- a pinch of cayenne
- salt and pepper to taste
- some minced chives for garnish

Method:

1) Heat the oil & butter in a soup pot. Once its hot, add the shallot and sautee for 3 - 5 minutes; then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

2) After 2 minutes, add the potatoes and coat them with the mixture. Once they're well coated, mash have of the mixture in the pot, and lightly smash the other half.

3) Add the chicken stock and cayenne, and raise the heat till it boils. Once it starts boiling, let it boil for 3 minutes then lower the heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally.

4) Add the milk, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Re-season if necessary.

5) Stir the soup every now and then so it doesn't burn.

6) Serve with a bit of chives on top.

Hope you'll like it!


As always, thanks for reading!

Out & About | Outfit 43

Whenever the sky is grey, I like to wear warm colors like red to brighten up my day.

Hope you'll have a great weekend!

Have you seen my previous O&A outfit? 

As always, thanks for reading!

Out & About | Outfit 42

One of my New Year's Resolutions:

From now on, whenever I plan on shopping I'm going to wear heals. This way I wont let myself browse through the store for too long, and end up purchasing things I might get tired of easily. (Hope this works).

What's one of your resolutions?

Have you read about my 2014 favorites for makeup & skin care?


As always, thanks for reading!

2014 Favorites | Hair & Skin Care

Check out my pinterest board to see my faves!

Even though I like to have assortment of shades, formulas, and finishes for makeup, when it comes to skin care, and hair products, I’m the opposite.  

If I had the patience to do what other skin care fanatics do, I’d probably have more products to share with you. Since that isn't the case, I learned to make my skin care routine streamlined. I just stick with what’s been helping keep my skin calm and I don’t add or change anything unless I need to.

When it comes to my hair, I’m pretty low maintenance. As long as its’ soft, not full of split ends, and doesn't look like a bird’s nest, I’m happy.

If I can be bothered to style it, I either straighten it, or curl it enough to make it a bit wavy. Otherwise I just blow dry it, or let it air dry.

Want to see what products I've loved, and still use? Check out my board on pinterest.

What were your go to products last year?

As always, thanks for reading!

Learning & Being Choosy

After being stumbling along my little makeup journey I've learned different ways to apply makeup, & what types of products works for me, which has helped me enjoy putting it on even more.  A few of them being: don’t be lazy about moisturizing your skin and eyelids, using a stippling brush for certain powder foundations can help it not look too powdery, and try not to  judge a lipstick by how it looks in the tube.

When it came to finding out what kind of finish, formula, or what not, was...interesting. Products I thought might work out for me, didn't, and products I didn't think I would like, ended up being my go to products. 

For...........

v  Primer- As long as it keeps the product(s) from smudging, disappearing, and I don’t end up breaking out; it’s all good. To see the ones I love, cheek out my Love & Rec.s, and 2014 Favorites boards.

v  Foundation- I found that using a matte foundation works better for the inner part of my face, and one for normal skin works for the outer part.

o   I avoid cream or scented foundations, since those make my skin freak out.

v  Concealer- Still working on finding ones that will for me.

v  Blush- I’m mostly drawn to colors that can be used to somewhat contour my cheeks, which helps me get ready faster. Though if I’m in the mood, I might use a peachy-pink shade, or one that has a touch of mauve.

v  Bronzer- Must have little to no shimmer in it, and doesn’t make me look like an umpa lumpa.

v  Highlighter- Must have a glow like finish, not one that would make me look like a disco ball. (I have yet to find one that gives me this effect).

v  Eyeshadow- I’m mostly drawn to neutral colors (like: brown, taupe, grey, cream, amber), but I do like to play with berry/wine, green (ones that have a slight..yellow/brown tone), blue, and orange shades.

o   I mostly stick with ones that are matte, satin, a little shimmery, and metallic, but I don’t tend to use glittery ones that often.

v   Eyeliner- Ones that are metallic, or has a bit of shimmer are okay, as long as it isn’t black.

o   If it’s a liquid liner, it must have a brush tip. I can’t stand the ones with a felt tip.

v  Mascara- I’ll use wet or dry formula, as long as it’s waterproof.

v  Lipstick- I love ones that creamy or cream sheen/sheer for MLBBs, nudes, corals, and warm pinks. Mattes or ones that have a satin finish are what I like for red, or berry shades.

o   I avoid ones that are frosted, dual chromed, metallic or have an excessive amount of shimmer…like the plague.

v  Lipliner- Color wise, I just stick with ones that are clear, nude, or a neural kind of red.

Am I picky for a makeup lover/ blogger? Yes, yes I am. But, this is what helps me from letting my small collection from getting too extensive. When it comes to what I'll use for clients is another story.

I’ll talk about the ones I have in future posts.

Oh, & I may not be able to make another post until next week. Sorry about that. 

As always, thanks for reading!

My 2014 Favorites | Makeup & Perfume

It was a little tricky trying to decide what makeup and perfumes were my favorites this year. The ones that I love & have loved* were already on my Love & Rec.s list, so I tried not to add too many of them on this list unless I felt that I used the products enough times for them to be added.

So, after a bit of debating, several cups of tea, and enough chocolate that might make a dentist cringe, I have pinned all of my favorites on my 2014 Favorites board. 

Just a Few of My Faves

There are also a few products that I couldn't find links for: L’Oreal quad in Cup of Joe, Maybelline Eyestudio quad in  Nude Romance (limited edition), L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Gilded Envy (might be limited edition), Revlon blush in Blushing Berry (might be limited edition), Rimmel lipstick in 11 (black tube), and  Revlon lipstick in Carnival Spirit (limited edition).

*My preferences for certain products don’t always stay the same, so while I might not repurchase a few things on that board, I would if my preferences didn’t change. That or I found an alternative for it, but if I hadn’t, I would still use it.

I’ll share what skincare and hair products I’ve been loving for another post.

What are your favorites for 2014?

As always, thanks for reading!