sorry for being m.i.a. besides the typical excuses: work, life… it’s also that, lately, i’ve been very uninspired, unmotivated, and mostly unattractive. ever since the napa trip (i know, it’s been 3 weeks), i still haven’t snapped out of the vacay eating mode. if anything, i think i’ve accidentally developed a new horrible lifestyle of eating whatever i want and not exercising. every time, i try to snap myself back together, i’d fail. remember how i said i was going to try the master cleanse? well, i failed that too. twice! of course, all this recklessness is not without consequences. i am getting fatter by the minute and a lot of my cute clothes seem to have gotten not so cute on me… this leads to me feeling gross and unpretty… which gets me depressed… and the comfort eating… then finally i stop putting the effort to look nice every morning… so starts the vicious cycle again. yes, this is nothing new to me. ever since my teen years, i have always struggled with my weight. what can i say? i love food and i got a super lazy metabolism.
so while, i’m going through my debbie downer phase, this has been my salvation: the sf shiba cam
i am still interested in fashion and would love to post more outfits. however being now camera-shy, i think i might have to think of more creative ways to display my clothes. let’s see what i end up doing…
this time our napa eat fest was basically a homage to the famous thomas keller. first stop, bouchon bistro and bakery. yes, all these food were consumed in one meal. not a single crumb was wasted. and you wondered how i gained all this weight. totally worth it… well, kind of.
french onion soup
macaroni au gratin (mac 'n' cheese)
croque madame
daily special - sole
gnocchi à la parisienne
pain au raisin
huge french macarons
strawberry almond baba au rhum, lemon meringue tart
bouchon
6534 washington street
yountville, ca 94599
707.944.8037
last week the hubby and i took a much needed vacay to napa. it was our longest road trip ever. yes, we drove there. it was a surprisingly pleasant drive until i got out of the car and saw the big zit that has developed by my lower lip. i have forgotten that my skin hates being cooped up in confined spaces for long periods of time. on top of it all, the foodie in me couldn’t resist all the amazing food by the culinary masters in napa, so i ended up eating my way through town and then continued my chow fest back to seattle. my body paid for it big time. i’m too scared to even step on the scale, but i can tell from the fit of my clothes that i have gained at least 7~10 lb. believe me, with the way i eat, it’s possible. so instead of my usual narcissistic photo shoot, here is an outfit post with barely any face and body. i know, it’s kind of pointless, but at least i tried.
so while i reminisce my napa trip of gluttony on the blog this week, i will actually be on the master cleanse aka lemonade diet to undo all the damages i have enjoyed. if you’d like to witness the meltdown of the century, don’t forget to follow me on twitter!
here’s a little easter table scape that was put together by me and my friend yeri of yeri yun designsand what makes me happy. we wanted to escape from the typical easter decor. no bubblegum pink and purple. no over the top clutter of cuteness (borderline tacky). the result is this minimalist inspired eye candy, filled with neutrals and organic simplicity.
honestly, to describe paseo is a waste of time and mouth. it is impossible to make out coherent sentences when eating or even thinking about their sandwiches. so here are some bullet points:
cuban sandwich
MESSY as hell
get the #2, 4 or 8.
cash only
every food and travel show has featured this place (for a reason!)
spend the extra dollar and get the corn
this place is small and a total hole in the wall
all good things are worth the wait, so be prepared…
basically, paseo is the chuck norris of sandwiches. it will round house kick all the other sandwiches’ asses. yes, i’m talking to you, ike’s.
paseo 4225 fremont ave n seattle, wa 98103 206.545.7440
every time i see cookies, my hair would turn blue, my eyes would get googly, and my vocab would be even more limited than usual. to say i love cookies is an understatement and that is why i am always looking to get my hands on the best cookie recipes around. my newest discovery is the famous momofuku milk bar’sblueberry and cream cookies. i heard about this gem when i was in new york last time. unfortunately, the shop was closed at the time, so i didn’t get to try it. enter the helping hand of modern technology. after a quick google, i found the recipe on martha stewart’s website. they even have the video of christina tosi (pastry chef for momofuku) and martha making this cookie on the show posted next to the recipe. these cookies are definitely a little more time-consuming than the usual chocolate chip cookies, but the flavor is a good change, not to mention incredibly delicious. the secret ingredient is the milk crumb. the momofuku milk crumbs remind me a lot of the milk powder filling that’s in chinese pastries. i LOVE that stuff. also, instead of using extra egg yolk and brown sugar, this recipe calls for glucose. since glucose is kind of hard to find in your regular grocery stores, i substituted with corn syrup under the suggestion ofmomofukufor2. the glucose/corn syrup make the cookie super soft and chewy. i baked a few and froze the remainder cookie dough, which is going to be even better in a day or 2 (baking 101: freezing cookie dough gives the ingredients more time to bond). even though it took longer to make, i would rate this recipe as fairly easy. if you like cookies, i recommend giving these ones a try. it has definitely made it into my long term repertoire.
all this talk about cookies is making me want one. screw exercising… me want cookies! om nom nom nom!
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together butter, sugars, and glucose until well combined. Add egg and mix until well combined.
Add flour mixture and mix until well combined. Add blueberries and milk crumbs and mix until well combined. Using an ice cream scoop about 2 1/8 inches in diameter, scoop dough into balls and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Transfer baking sheets to refrigerator until dough is chilled, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until cookies are golden brown and tops begin to crackle, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
just signed up for google friends. so if you’ve enjoyed my blog or would like to help my self esteem and make me not feel like a loner, please add(?) follow(?) connect(?) with me. honestly, i have no idea what this thing is. i just see it everywhere and wanted to be part of the in crowd. come on, you know you want to. all the cool kids are doing it.
all the cool kids are also following me with bloglovin’, which i highly recommend using to subscribe to blogs. it’s super organized and easy to use. not to mention they’re also available as an iphone app. so convenient.
the buttons are on the right… do the right thing, click them. thanks in advance!
like many little girls, pink has always been one of my favorite colors ever since i can remember. however, it’s also one of my least favorite colors when it comes to clothing. while it’s beautiful, warm, and feminine, i also find it cheesy, immature, and obnoxious. as fate would have it, in my recent quest to incorporate more colors into my wardrobe, i stumbled upon these brilliant pink pants at zara. i love honeysuckle pink. after all, it is the official color of 2011 according to pantone. however, they fit into every criteria of why i avoided wearing pink in the first place. not to mention, the pleated and high waisted cut is not exactly the easiest silhouette to pull off. normally, i would admire them for a brief second, and then slowly back away to the other side of the store. however, the newly inspired me grabbed them and took them straight to the cashier. that’s right, i was so gun-ho about taking risks, that i didn’t even try them on. partly because i knew i’d chicken out once i saw them on.
best risk i’ve taken in a long time.
this ended up being my most favorite spring assemble so far. sure, it’s a little miami vice, but it also exudes energy and joy to me. the very embodiment of spring.
since the pink is already so strong, i kept accessories to a minimum and only paired the outfit with my new red celine classic box bag. if you have been following this blog for a while, you’d know how long i’ve been obsessing and coveting this bag. i can write a whole novel professing my love for my new baby, but i’ve rambled long enough for today. we’ll save that for another post.
alexander wang tee h&m tencel blazer
zara pleated pants
christian louboutin python simple pumps asos leather belt celine small classic box bag
after gelato, my hubby played paparazzi and got a couple of quick shots of my outfit. this jacket is perhaps my favorite purchase from my recent h&m trip. it has similar shoulder details as the celine and burberry leather jackets that i’ve been coveting, but can’t afford. by the way, i loved the inital fit of these j crew minnie skinny twill pants, but i have to say that i’m not so impressed with the quality. they seem to be getting looser and shorter after every wash. the search for the perfect skinny black pants continues… let me know if you have any recommendations!
the best gelato/ice cream in seattle (maybe in all of u.s.) is hands down, d’ambrosio. located in the heart of ballard, this is one of the spots i have to take all my out of town and in town friends to. the owner/gelato master even went to gelato university in italy. no really, i’m not making this up. he has the diploma hanging on the shop’s wall to prove it. the gelatos are made fresh everyday and you can really taste the quality and heart in each buttery bite. this may be the smoothest gelato i’ve ever tasted. my favorite flavors are fiore de latte (the ultimate test to good gelato) , pistachio (like pure pistachio in cream form), and biscotti (like the italian version of cookies n cream). so don’t walk, run down here for the most amazing gelato ever. better yet, do an extra lap while you’re at it, then get the large size with waffle cone.
can't remember this flavor . strawberry
tiramisu . biscotti
i was trying really hard to not lick the gelato while hubby took the photo
can't stop making out with my gelato
d’ambrosio
5339 ballard ave nw
seattle, wa 98107
206.327.9175
here, you will find: my quest (and struggle) in finding the perfect balance between fashion and food; my love of art, interior design, beauty and everything else that makes it so fun to be a girl in a modern world.
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