gearing up for summer

If you ever need a break from getting your caffeine from coffee, this yerba mate is a great alternative! I'm a fan of their drinks in the cans--and recently they came out with these sparkling mate's. Love it.
(Guayaki can only be found in Whole Foods grocery stores so be sure to check it out next time you're there.)

 Just sipping on this new sparkling mate by Guayaki, taking a break from studying to show you some new stuff I got! It has been a steady 80-90 degrees over here in South Florida for the past 2 months.. so it's not really like summer hasn't already arrived, but in the stores, this is the time when everybody is getting ready for summer :) Which means.. it's time for some new sandals. Shoes have been a weakness of mine lately...

I love the neon accent of these T-strap sandals from Target, and yes, these are from the children's section in a size 3. In comparing sandals I've gotten from both Forever21 and Target, I have to say Target sandals are MUCH MORE sturdy. I definitely look in Target now whenever I am in need of some new cheap sandals.

These lovelies are from DSW and are actually from Fergie's shoe collection/brand lol. I was looking for something more neutral and I really have become a fan of having some sort of accent on your shoe, like a flower or a bow. I found these in a size 5 1/2 so they probably are one of the best fitting shoes I have now, meaning they are the most comfortable too!

When in Miami... :D I haven't tried it yet, definitely saving it for after finals is over. But doesn't it sound like the perfect drink for the summertime? And the bottle is just beautiful as well.

some new candles I've been enjoying-- Bahama Fizz reminds me of a spicy pina colada, Sunrise Lagoon reminds me of the beach and Drenched Apple Flower.. I'm just partial to anything apple scented :)

These are all the old nail polishes I found from when I moved--I saved them to participate in the Zoya Polish exchange that happens every year on Earth day. I know I've broken my nail polish ban.. so after these new ones get in, the ban will begin once again :) next post will be about new nail polish for sure! SO excited!!

Finally, this tea is a miracle worker. I've had some trouble falling asleep at the new house just from adjusting (I'm still not fully unpacked..) and stress from life (we are all familiar with that), so when I spotted this I had to give it a try. On the label it says that this tea contains Valerian and Organic Chamomile to help calm nervousness & restlessness, St Johns Wort to make positive improvements on mood, Passionflower to reduce anxiety in order to support sleep, and finally for taste it has cardomom, licorice and cinnamon. So it tastes alright, definitely a unique flavor; I like that it is made of all natural ingredients. My eyelids start feeling heavy after I drink like half of a cup of this tea.

--J

new house

 Moving is always hectic.. currently I am still sleeping in an empty bedroom with a mattress on the ground while the floors are getting redone. The rest of the house's furniture was only purchased today, so it won't be delivered until 2 weeks. Anyways, at least I have internet and thank goodness for places like Starbucks and Panera :)

The following are some photos of what's been going on in the past.. 2-3 weeks or so.

weird green tea ramen from Taiwan: one of the last meals at the old house hehe

thoughts: definitely not like any ramen I've ever tasted--it was pretty sweet and there was no soup, it was more of a thick sauce 

this is just random, but I got a double yolk in one of my eggs! I really enjoyed a poached egg in tomato sauce and dunking some toasty bread in there to sop it all up. mm...

first meal in the new house! SUSHI BOAT EXTRAVAGANZA YUMMY! (check out the super cute kiwi roll!!

one of the first things I did in the new house was paint my nails. This is Smoke & Ashes from China Glaze Capitol Colours Collection (Hunger Games). Definitely a hard one to photograph, but this polish is super pigmented--this is only 1 coat! I think the holographic glitters are really fun and pretty, so I definitely enjoy this one.

First thing I make in the new house.. egg salad using greek yogurt, seasoned mustard, green onion, salt&pepper...

...and I put it on a sandwich with some blanched asparagus and red cabbage slaw

everything in the kitchen is now on black marble countertops and our future dining table is also black.. it will definitely change the look of my food photos.. we'll see how it goes!

Now if you'll excuse me, my mattress is calling my name. You never expect shopping for furniture to be so tiring but it really is. Also when you have to wake up at 7 am every morning in order to get ready & out of the house before the people doing your floors arrive, that also makes you wanna crawl into bed at like 7 pm haha. ZZzzzz....

-J

may the odds be ever in your favor

Imsoexcitedforfriday! In honor of the Hunger Games movie, I broke my nail polish ban and bought 2 of the China Glaze Capitol Colours collection. Here is Dress Me Up.

It is more brown that I expected it to be. This is applied with 2 coats and the formulation was very nice. Definitely an all-around nice neutral color to sport on your nails.

Quick fix lunch/dinner: steamed kale, garlicky mashed red potatoes, IKEA lingonberry sauce/jam and meatballs!

I'm moving across town in exactly 1 week. It's crazy and too soon, but I am most excited for getting a new kitchen!!! Just thinking about all the new food creations I can make there is making my mouth water. :)


-J

Red lipstick love.

A day late from Nat'l Womens Day -- did you rock a red lip? I really love the way a red lip can transform a look. Such a simple thing! Here are the 5 red lipsticks I own and 2 red lipliners. I was inspired by my most recent purchase -- the red lipstick from the Kate Moss Rimmel collection. I haven't worn that one yet but it is a very vibrant red compared to the other ones I own, which lean more towards the coral-y side of the spectrum. I also got the 08 mauve-y nude from the collection. Just couldn't resist.

Candy apple Revlon Lip Butter, True red L'oreal colour riche, 01 Rimmel, Viva Glam Cyndi from Mac,  Urgent! Slimshine from Mac, Gash 24/7 glide-on lip pencil from Urban Decay, 817 Hot Red NYX lipliner pencil

One of my favorite combinations is putting the Urban Decay liner on with the revlon lip butter on top.

swatches are in the same order as listed above!

-J

Kimchi time!

Ooooh yeaaaa...

I haven't had kimchi in a while and got my hands on a head of napa cabbage.. and it's been a long time since I've made it. SO it was about time to make some again. I'm really looking forward to making some kimchi fried rice when this batch gets to that sour state. YUM! I basically used the method from Maangchi, but I halved her recipe since I only had 1 head of cabbage. I ended up with a whole lot more kimchi than I anticipated, hehe, but I'm not complaining! When you attempt to make this, just realize that it's a pretty straightforward process but it is pretty time consuming--prepare for that.

Napa cabbage -- before and after salting for 1.5 hours.
The cabbage really shrunk, about 1/2 its original volume!

mixing the cabbage with green onion, carrot & korean radish slices with the kimchi paste

final product. this is gonna last me quite a while!

 -J

the best way to toss your salad..

...is with your own 2 hands :) hehe

Quick post today.. just wanted to mention that BLUE CHEESE IS FREAKIN' DELICIOUS. I can't get enough of it. I've been making this salad for lunch recently and it is just sooooooo good. All the ingredients go so well together.. blue cheese + pear is such a wonderful flavor balance.

Vinaigrette: 1-2 tsp dijon mustard, juice of 1/2 lemon (this does make it super sour so go easy on this if you are not a fan of that), extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Whisk all these ingredients together on the bottom of your bowl.

Add your greens (I am a fan of the Fresh Express Butter Lettuce blend, esp. for convenience) thinly sliced onion, carrots, walnuts and crumbled blue cheese. Also thinly slice up a Bartlett pear, add it to the salad. Toss everything together with your hands, making sure the vinaigrette coats everything in the salad. Enjoy!

-J

Oven-baked Swordfish

In last minute attempts to make dinner tonight.. I was searching for a swordfish recipe since I had this huge swordfish steak on hand. I'm sure there's a reason for this but the majority of the recipes called for the fish to be grilled, which I did not have access to. I'm guessing this has to do with the fact that swordfish should NOT be overcooked because it gets really tough and gross if you do? So this is what I came up with and despite it being a little bland, I think it turned out pretty well!

On the fly.. I preheated the oven to 375 F, got some olive tapenade, a tomato, a lemon and a bunch of kale out of the fridge along with the beautiful swordfish steak. I decided to do a one pan meal inspired by a putanesca sauce with the fish. So I roughly chopped up the tomato, added about 4 spoonfuls of tapenade, garlic powder (yea I was lazy.. freshly minced would have been much better), lemon zest & juice, salt, pepper and olive oil -- mixed that all together in a bowl. THEN, I placed the kale on the bottom of the pan and drizzled olive oil (this was meant to serve as nutritious and a bed for the swordfish to be placed on) (I should have salted this...). Then I rubbed the swordfish on both sides with some more olive oil.. I should have also salted & peppered it too but I forgot to (this probably accounted for the blandness). Finally I poured the tomato mixture over the steak and stuck the whole thing in the oven. You have to be careful to evenly spread the tomato mixture on top of the fish so that it will cook evenly. Now, the fish should be done by 15 minutes, obviously it depends how large a piece you have; be sure to keep your eye on it because overcooked swordfish tastes like a rubber tire. Done! In the future I would add some kind of heat to it, maybe red chili flakes or even a couple shakes of Tabasco hot sauce.

I think it turned out visually appealing, no? FYI: Swordfish goes from pink to white in color as it cooks.

I GOT SOME NEW SHOES! I've been eyeing those 'loafer' style shoes for a while now, and when I saw these in a magazine, I think it was Teen Vogue haha (don't hate! I got a free subscription on my Kindle Fire), I knew I had to get them. They are from the Material Girl line by Madonna and her daughter. These shoes can only be gotten online, at least none of the Macy's near me carried it so I decided to order them.

I'm grateful to Macy's for having a Size 5 shoe, they fit my feet perfectly and these are super comfortable as well. I know I will be putting these to great use because I plan to wear them with as many outfits as I can!

Going onto almost 9 months of my year-long ban on purchasing nail polish, I have also decided not to buy any more makeup and attempt to actually finish the stuff I already own. For that reason, expect to see more food-related posts!

-J