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Sunday, November 29, 2009
Affirmation: Miracle
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Our Christmas Bearistas Are Out!
That is also one reason why we start shopping for Christmas pressies early. Chris and I start shopping as early as October/November...and I do bits and pieces at the start of June every year. We want all gifts to be ready by December because we hate being part of the crowds in malls and we always want a stressful free Christmas. We don't want Christmas time to be about finding gifts and being stressed. We like that Christmas be relaxed so we can focus on spending time with family and friends and celebrating the birth of Christ (which is the true essence of the season).
Other than shopping early for pressies, one of our Christmas traditions is creating our own personalized tags every year and picking out a color for christmas gift wraps.
This is our tag for this year (below) and our theme is silver.
Chris designs whatever artwork we need and our Christmas tags are one of his creations. My role is to supply the words to be written on the tags. Teamwork.
What about you? How are things going with your Christmas preps?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
"Me" Time Can Sometimes Be Sushi Time
The Husband is out with friends tonight and so I went to the mall to see an Optometrist. Before I went home, I dropped by the sushi place and bought myself dinner.
Last night, I teased the Husband: "Yay! You're going out, I don't have to cook dinner and I'll have the house to myself!!!" Hehe. I don't mind cooking for us, but I have to admit that preparing dinner after arriving from work takes a lot of effort sometimes especially when I had a long day at the office. The Husband doesn't pressure me to cook all the time, he actually eats anything I lay on the table. But I can't bear not cooking and just buy take-away food. Once in a while I make an exception, but I really prefer that meals at home are freshly cooked and I know where the ingredients come from.
Anyway, since it's only me tonight, I decided to buy sushi for my dinner as I enjoyed watching "Glee" on TV. It was the episode where they sang "Defying Gravity", my favorite song from one of my favorite musicals "Wicked". I'm one happy camper.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Nearly Summer
Summer also means that the Husband and I have dinner while watching the sunset (between 6:45-8:00PM). Our dining table is adjacent to the balcony of our apartment so we have a great view infront of us while we eat and catch up on what happened to us during the day. Simply beautiful.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Recipe: Homemade Thin Crust Pizza
So what does a health-conscious Wifey like me do when take-away pizza is not really an option? I make my own pizza at home!
Please note that pizzas are not entirely healthy even when made at home. But at least I can make an alternative for the dough, use low-fat cheese, know where my ingredients come from and luckily find organic ingredients too.
Making this pizza is a spur of the moment thing. I made this on Saturday (14/11/09) when I realized that I could use my multi-grain wraps as pizza base (it was actually for making chicken wraps for our baon at work). Good thing I have a few ingredients at home to make a pizza.
What you need:
2 Organic Multigrain Wraps
2 Tablespoons Pizza Sauce
1 cup shredded low-fat Cheddar Cheese/Mozarella Cheese
3 pieces medium-sized Cabanossi Sausages, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, sliced
What you need to do:
1. On your pizza base, spread pizza sauce evenly with the use of spoon.
2. Sprinkle cheese, then arrange sausages, bell peppers and mushrooms on top of your base.
3. Sprinkle another dash of cheese on top before placing inside the oven (this is optional, I love my pizza filled with lots of cheese that's why I add an extra dash).
4. Bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
5. Cut into quarters.
Serves 2 people.
(1) If you can't find organic wraps, at least find multi-grain wraps as it is possibly one of the healthiest pizza base you can ever find. A multi-grain wrap is low in fat, low in GI and a good source of fibre. If it is organic, you can be sure that it is free of preservatives.
(2) Having the multi-grain wrap as pizza base made me achieved the thin-crust kind of pizza. It's crunchy and light on the tummy as compared to eating the normal pizza made of dough.
(3) If you can't find multi-grain wraps, the normal Tortilla Wraps can be an alternative pizza base.
(4) You need two to three wraps in making a pizza base as one wrap is too thin. It may not hold the your pizza toppings.
(5) If you don't have mozzarella cheese at home, a good alternative is cheddar cheese. It would be better too if your cheese at home is low-fat.
(6) You can definitely be creative when it comes to pizzas, I guess that's why it's so easy to make them--there's really no concrete rule when it comes to what you can put on top of your pizza base.
(7) Next time I plan to cook my own pizza sauce.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Before We Say Goodnight
for a busy but productive week at work
for sunshines that gave warmth
for drops of rain that nourished
for sunsets that never cease to amaze me
for happy surprises in the family
for a chance to walk along the beach
for unexpected coffee dates with girlfriends
for being able to help organize two parties
for Thursday dinner at a Chinese resto with the gang
for Friday dinner with another group of friends
for phone calls from friends that asks, "How are you today?"
for positive messages that put a smile in my heart and comfort to my soul
for days that end when I come home to a cheerful home and a Husband who holds my hand til I fall asleep.
Thank you God, thank you universe.
Photo by Ibyang Sanchez 2009 - Sunset taken today.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Menu Checklist (for Hosting Parties)
I used to have a one-dimensional Menu Checklist but in the course of organizing parties and events in the past years, I have improved my Menu Checklist to a three-dimensional one. Here's the menu checklist I used for my Husband's birthday party this year:
This checklist is just a simple table format in a Word document. My checklist consists of three columns: (1) FOOD, (2) To buy and (3) To Do. You may also add a fourth column that says "Person Responsible" if you have a big family and you'd like to delegate a task to each member. In our case, there's only my Husband and I for now and we always share the tasks between the two of us.
Under the Food category, I have subsets that lists our Appetizers, Mains, Desserts and Drinks. In my To Buy category, I list down the ingredients I need to buy at the grocery store. In my To Do category, I write down what needs to be done and when it should be done. If you noticed that some of the things listed here have been strikethroughed already, it means it has been bought or accomplished.
This checklist has proved to be very helpful for me and the Husband. We posted this on the fridge a week prior to the event and we refer to it to make sure that we're right on track when it comes to the party preparations.
I hope this will help you in time for the Christmas parties ahead or in case you will be hosting a party in the future.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
H&M Gray Jacket
-o0o0o-
No, I'm not making the switch, but it's nice to get to know other cameras and learn about their technology too.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Nike Ads featuring Roger Federer
Sharing with you these two cool ads from Nike featuring Roger Federer. Enjoy!
According to his latest FB message, Roger Federer will be at the Australian Open next year. Anyone here planning to watch the Australian Open in January 2010?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Recipe: Noodles with Shrimps and Scallops
I'd like to share with you this very simple and easy-to-cook noodle recipe my Tita Cyn shared with me.
What you need:
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Crushed Garlic
125 grams Vermicelli Rice Noodles/Sotanghon (soak in water to soften, then strain)
Lime (to taste)
Scallops
Prawns/Shrimps
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
What you need to do:
1. Saute garlic in olive oil.
2. Add the scallops and prawns/shrimps. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the vermicelli rice noodles (sotanghon).
4. Stir in lime, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Leave for another 10 minutes until noodles are cooked.
Serves 3-4 people.
Notes:
1. You can use other oils like canola or sunflower.
2. This only took me 20 minutes to cook, very time-friendly for working wifeys like me :)
3. Scallops are a good source of vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and pottasium. {source}
4. Prawns/Shrimps are a good source of selenium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. {source}
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sakura Egg Bag by sashiko design
Discovered this red egg bag during the Floriade 2009 Festival. It caught my eye because of it's shape, simplicity and versatility. Just like the candy bag chain I discovered a few months ago, it can be worn two different ways: as a handbag....
or a shoulder or sling bag.
It's called a Sakura Egg Bag, designed by a Japanese woman who named her store sashiko design. All her bags are handmade but durable. sashiko design has a gallery/studio in Hobart, Tasmania but for Sydneysiders, their products are being sold at the Object store in Bourke Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. You can also shop online via http://www.sashikodesign.com/store/index.php. They ship internationally and offer free gift wrapping.