Dior: Capture Totale One Essential

I used to have a Dior Silver makeup kit. It has six eye shadows, a blush and a powder, a mascara, lip gloss and tiny brushes.  It was a gift and I gave it away too. I didn't really know how much it was until I worked for Dior.

I've learned so much the past two months and I already have my personal favorites. The first thing I am very excited to share with you is the Capture Totale One Essential.


Here's some information from the Dior website:

The 1st fundamental age-defying step by Dior for all women, whatever their skin needs. To be used on cleansed skin before any other skincare, day and night. Every day, billions of toxins accumulate in all the skin layers, blocking cell regeneration. One Essential is a new generation treatment with a double-boosting effect. 1. It boosts the skin’s capacity for self-regeneration in order to fight visible signs of aging. Because it eliminates the cutaneous toxins from deep within, it reactivates exceptional cell regeneration: wrinkles are reduced, the skin becomes firmer, the complexion illuminated and unified. 2. It also boosts the effectiveness of the rest of the skincare routine. Freed from toxins and deeply regenerated, skin can much better benefit from the efficiency of the following skincare.

I am in love with this product. I usually break out whenever I try using new products. One essential helped control my breakouts. For some, you may break out because the product will try to take all the toxins out. Just wait for a couple of weeks and it will clear out. You will notice a significant improvement on your skin after a week or so. Your face feels firmer and smoother.

Whats great about this product is you don't have to switch to a whole new skincare line. You can you this together with what you currently have. It will make you current products work up to 50% more effective! 

You will apply this product morning and night after cleaning your face. If you use a toner, after
your toner. If not just after you wash your face with your foaming cleanser or whatever you have. But a toner is highly recommended to make sure all the dirt and makeup is removed. Do not put too much product. Pea size is enough! Plus avoid the eye area! 

After the One Essential, you may put your serum, eye cream and moisturizer (and sun block during the day).

It may sound like it will take you forever to do all these but it doesn't take that long. It may be a lot of steps but its worth all the effort!  Try this product! If you're in the US, go to any Dior counter to learn more about the product or you visit the  DIOR website. 

I've been Absent for Months... So ...What's New?

Well, here I am... It's been more than three months since I last said hello. I've been a little bit busy. I've been looking for a job and got lucky before the end of September. I am now a Beauty Specialist for Christian Dior at Macy's here in Concord.

I am loving my job. What's not to like playing with make ups?! Its so much fun and my co-workers are great! Another great thing about my job is I get employee discounts for Macy's and Bloomingdales!!!! Sweet!

The only downside is that I have to be on my feet the whole time. Its the total opposite of what I was doing for the last nine months before I got this job (sitting in front of the computer and/or TV). One other thing is I work weeknights and weekends. That means less time with my DH. But we make time for each other.

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving. I have a lot of things I am thankful for: my husband, my family, my new family, my new job, my new friends, my old friends etc... Its been a good year. I am so happy and contented with what I have. I couldn't for more.


Here's our Asian inspired Thanksgiving dinner:

Me and my sisters-in-law  :)

It was a nice simple dinner. Me and my DH thought we'll be spending Thanksgiving night alone but everything worked out. It's my first Thanksgiving and believe that it should be celebrated with family and friends.

How was your Thanksgiving?

i only sleep in PINK

i only sleep in PINK by alcee featuring a panties thong

Gardening Novice: Still Learning

Remember the baby tomatoes from the first gardening blog? Click here if you don't have an idea of what I'm talking about.


The very first pot I planted didn't make it because the kitty cat neighbor played with it. The tomato plant you saw from the first blog was my second attempt. Unfortunately that cute little pot accidentally fell from the table when the gardener was trimming the grass in our patio. I was furious! I've been baby sitting the pot for four weeks and he just grr.... Gotta move on I guess so I planted the third pot.


After six weeks:

So cute right? I just have to wait for some  more weeks and I'll transfer it to the Tomato Planter. Here's some information from their website:


The Topsy Turvy® Tomato Planter is the unique and innovative way to grow your own fresh fruits and veggies. As Topsy Turvy® hangs upside down, gravity pulls the water and nutrients directly from the root to the fruit, giving you a deliciously ripe tomatoes! It's simple to use and saves time and space. Just hang it up, place any tomato plant in the planter, add your favorite potting soil, and water daily. The sun warms the plant like a greenhouse, the root system grows and thrives inside the planter. Plus, hanging in the air helps reduce ground fungus, harmful bacteria, cutworm damage, use of pesticides, digging & weeding and backbreaking work. What's more, it can also grow cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, and more, perfect for home-made sauces, sandwiches and salads.

Cool right?

But that's not all. My DH planted sunflowers and me my herbs - Thyme, Sage, Basil, Parsley and Cilantro/Coriander! And these are our babies:

We usually don't put the plant directly under the sun in the afternoon because over the weeks we learned that the afternoon sun is drying the leaves out of each plant. The setup usually looks like this:

The sun shines here every morning so this is a perfect spot for the plants. We put it on top of the chairs because we have like a dozen of kitty neighbors. The sunflower pot has been victimized several times already. Maybe they thought its a litter box. We have two sunflower pots.


See what happened to the other pot. Only one survived:

We also learned that Sunflower seedlings are really sensitive. We originally planted eight seeds in one pot. I was doing my research and discovered that the sunflower plant needs a bigger room for optimum growth. So when the seedlings were about eight inches tall I told my husband to transfer four seedlings to the other pot. The roots are like the hair of a corn cub. So delicate that it broke when we were trying to dig and transfer them. Some got really disturbed causing them to wilt a little and grow slower than the others. Just the other day my DH forgot to put the pot back to the chair. The friendly kitty cat messed it up again! Good thing I was able to fix it right away. They're okay now but look closer into the picture. You'll see that there is a straw supporting one of the stems. It got broken during the "attack". Me and my DH are really anxious to see the flower bloom! 

Lets talk about my herbs. I planted the herbs about 4 weeks ago. The first attempt was not successful. I left the pots under the afternoon sun too long. They all wilted. So with the next batch I was very careful.The first three weeks I covered the pots with a cling wrap. According to my research it would keep the moisture and help with the germination process. True it is! The seedlings started to come out as early as the first week.


I found the fiber/pulp nursery pots from OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware). It looks really cute and its environmental friendly. Based from the instructions and information in the packaging there is no need for you to remove the seedlings from the pot to transfer it to a bigger pot or maybe to the ground. The roots grow right through the pot so you can just plant the whole thing to where you want to plant it.

The seeds we bought we're about a dollar each packet. You can plant a lot of pots from just one packet. You can set it aside for your next planting but keep in mind that they do expire.

I am excited to see it mature. I'm excited to cook and use my fresh herbs!

No Sweat Mini Doughnuts

So I was surfing the  net the other night and came across this really enticing food advertisement. It was just a picture of a doughnut, a simple sugar doughnut. I am not a big fan of doughnuts with toppings or frostings. I like it really simple.

I tried making doughnuts about ten years ago. It was too much work. You need to knead and let the dough rise …yadiyadiya…

A few months ago because I was craving for doughnuts at 12am so bad so I decided to search online for an easy no yeast doughnut recipe. Luckily I found one and it was really easy to do! You’ll be eating donuts in 20 minutes! I just made little adjustments on the recipe.

Here it is:

Prep time: 18 minutes
Cook time: 2 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons lemon juice (the original recipe asked for white vinegar)
3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) milk
2 tablespoons softened butter (original recipe: shortening)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Oil for deep frying
Extra white sugar with cinnamon (original recipe: 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting)

1. Stir the lemon juice into the milk, and let stand for a few minutes until thick.

**The taste of your doughnuts will  have a hint of lemon after each bite. On your first bite you'll taste the sweet cinnamon flavor.Once you finish chwing then you'll taste the lemon flavor.

2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture alternating with the vinegar and milk.

4. Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/3 inch thickness.

5. The original recipe will tell you to let the dough stand for 10 minutes after cutting into desired shape. What I do is transfer the dough into a cling film and refrigerate it for about 15 minute. This will make the dough a lot easier to work with. You may cut it into 1-inch squares or shape it like a ball. The size will double once cooked.

6. Heat the oil in a skillet. You may use whatever frying device you have. I just use our tiny skillet and fill it half way with oil. Fry doughnuts in the hot oil until golden, turning over once. Sometimes it will turn by itself so you have to babysit. Don't worry it will only take a 2 minutes per batch. Don't burn it!

Drain on paper towels. Roll cooked doughnut in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. You may serve it still warm or cooled.

If you're not a cinnamon sugar fan, you may also just dust it with confectioner's sugar and dip the doughnuts in pastry cream, nutella or whatever chocolate sauce you have or maybe cheese. Its all up to you! 

I hope you like this recipe.!

Let me know if you have any question or suggestions. ENJOY!!!

**Sorry the pictures aren't very clear. I'll do better next time!

Korean Feast!

Me and my DH had dinner at  KOREA house at the Concord Park and Shop Shopping Mall. We've been crazy about this place ever since we discovered it. You will walk out so full that you can no longer stand up and walk!


The very first time I tried a Korean dish was just under a year ago. I took a short course on Flavors of Asia at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (whew! thats a long name!) in Quezon City, Philippines. We made fifteen different dishes. I have pictures of the dishes on  my facebook account. If you wanna check it out here's the link-->KOREAN


I have always been skeptical about Korean dishes. Learning how to cook it didn't even change my mind. But there is always the first time. Often times that "first time" will eventually be "all the time".


Me and my DH discovered the KOREA HOUSE when Martin (my DH's brother) and his wife Lily came to visit us three months ago. We didn't know where to have lunch so we just drove to Concord Park and Shop since the boys wanted to go to Fry's too. 


It was a tough choice between the Vietnamese and the Korean restaurant. Me and my DH have already been to the Vietnamese restaurant. It was okay. Lily is Vietnamese so we were thinking she might like to eat there but she and the boys are willing to try the Korean restaurant. (By the way, the restaurants are just right beside each other. Imagine how we look like at that time!)




This is the KOREA HOUSE. It is just a small place BUT wait until you get your order!

Here is their menu:

       

click on the image to magnify. sorry the picture isn't very clear.

You'll see that their prices are very reasonable. They have a lunch special where they Bento boxes. Prices range from $7.45 to $12.95.They serve lunch from 11:00am until 3:00 PM.


It was  2:45pm when we got there but they still gave us the lunch special. We ordered four different dishes thinking each item is just good for one person. The boys ordered the Bul Kogi. One Pork and One beef. Lily ordered the San Sun Twi Gim or Fried Fish with Dipping Sauce and I ordered the Jaban GodungUh Goi or Broiled Mackarel.


After a few minutes they sent out the Bento boxes which looks like the picture below along with some other side dishes. At first we thought I think they gave us the wrong food. But NO. It comes with your order! And this is just the lunch special. By the way, you can ask for a refill of any side dish that you want! SUPER GREAT DEAL and everything tastes divine!

After a few more minutes our orders came out. Each plate is good for two or three people! It was crazy! Your table will be full of plates!

This was our first KOREA HOUSE experience.

Ok we're done with the Lunch Special. Let me show you how the regular meal looks like. Almost the same but servings are DOUBLE! And again you can ask for a refill.

This was our dinner earlier. Of course we didn't finish everything! We have food for tomorrow! :)

We never finish all the food every time we dine here but that's okay. They will give you take out boxes! They will also give you complimentary soda as you can see on the picture above. 

All the staff are Korean. They are kind of hard to understand so you have to listen carefully. They are really nice specially the lady below. We don't know her name. She will greet you the moment you walk in. She look a little eccentric but she is really nice. She always has a big smile on her face and she will teach you how to eat the Korean way. You will always hear her saying "Seaweed Sushi! Seaweed Sushi". Also, she will always say something to you in your native language. She says "Masarap" (delicious) and "Mahal Kita" (I Love You) to us.

The Korea House is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I LOVE the Broiled Mackerel and Pork Bul Kogi. I am officially addicted to it! We have yet to try their other dishes. I'm sure they all taste great.

If you are in Concord and you want great tasting food without spending too much keep this information: 

KOREA HOUSE

1835 Willow Pass Road

Concord, CA 94520

(925)-691-8888

Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

I never had any formal lessons on baking. The first time I baked was when I was a high school sophomore. Me and my best friend joined the baking competition in school. We both never had any experience in baking  and  we just photocopied a recipe from a cook book at  one of the bookstores near our school. We weren't expecting any awards but we won 1st place! We made Strawberry Thumb Print Cookies. We didn't even had a slight idea what a confectioner's sugar is!

I did not keep the recipe. But I found one online and would love to try it.

Here is the recipe:

Thumb print Cookies:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg, separated

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1cup(130 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (100 grams)hazelnuts,almonds,pecans or walnuts,toasted and finely chopped (See Note)

1/2 cup jam

Thumb print Cookies:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat just until combined. If the batter is too soft to roll into balls, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Place the chopped nuts on a plate. Roll the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Taking one ball of dough at a time, dip first into the egg white and then lightly roll in the nuts. Place on the prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Using your thumb or end of a wooden spoon, make a indentation into the center of each cookie and fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until cookies are set and the nuts have nicely browned. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. 

Note: To toast the nuts.Spread nuts on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven for  8-10 minutes (almonds, pecans and walnuts). The nuts are done when they are light golden-brown in color andfragrant. Toast the hazelnuts for about 15 minutes or until fragrant and the outer skins begin to flake. Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for a few minutes then rub the nuts in the towel briskly to remove the skins. Let cool completely. Once the nuts have cooled, place them in your food processor and process until finely chopped. Alternatively, you could chop them by hand. 

Note: If you are planning to store these cookies, I like to bake them without the jam. Just reduce the baking time by a few minutes. These cookies can be stored for about a week. Fill the cookies will jam the same day as serving.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Your cookies should look a little like this:

This recipe is quite different from the one we baked in high school. I don't remember buying any nuts for our cookies. But it looks really good so I would definitely try it! Please try it too and let me know if it was a good recipe. Or if you have a good Strawberry Thumb Print Cookie recipe, share it so I can try try it too!

Hope to hear from y'all!

"MUNCH MUCH?"

Its been over a month (again) since I last blogged. I guess having 0 followers doesn't give me the kind of motivation I need so I can write.

I was browsing my sister-in-law's Facebook account earlier. I found out that she has also started blogging and its all about baking. Good for her! It motivated me to start blogging again. She also said said I should join Foodbuzz. It is a food blog community. You can link your existing blog account to your Foodbuzz account which is sooo great!

So I did it!

I've been planning to create a dedicated page for my food blogs for months but since I don't have any followers I didn't think it was a good time to do it. NOW is a great time I guess.

I love to eat and cook. I always wanna share a great recipe and any good eats I find. 
You can find the direct link for "MUNCH MUCH" right beside "It's A Wife's Life Home" on the navigation bar. 


 Wish me luck and I hope I get at least 1 follower who is not related to me.

29 on 29

I've been busy (lazy) lately so I was not able write about what happened on my 29th birthday. It's been  almost four weeks so I guess I have to write about it already. 


Why do I say my 29th birthday was awesome?


#1 I turned 29 on the 29th of May was sandwiched in the 3 day weekend because of the Memorial Day celebration


#2 I went to see Sex and the City 2 with my sister-in-law and cousin-in-law. We had Margaritas before the show too!

 

Strawberry Margarita from Velvet Margarita Hollywood

Velvet Margarita Hollywood

#3 because of reason #1 a lot of people was available to come and celebrate my birthday at the Malibu Beach

See? I invited a life guard and a lot of people! jk!

We were having such a great time that we forgot to take a group picture... bummmer. So I had to make a collage. This is not even complete. But its will do I guess... :)

I finally met Tita Glo and his three boys. Geo also formally introduced Jessica to the family. It was a great day!

He sits anywhere he wants... too bad he got this oil tar stain ! it looks really funny!

Obviously I was not taking a picture of my DH. :) Nice view right?

I just love this picture...

The water was SOOOO cold. It was ICE COLD! We just took a dip and thats it! We are done.

after the really cold dip in the water...we lay down and went for a little toast under the sun ..

We were already packing to go home when a jet started scribbling in the blue skies... "LOVE IS IN THE AIR"

#4 my mom-in-law prepared a lot of stuff for my birthday and even bought a cake for me

Red Velvet cake...

We Were trying to light the candles but we had no luck coz' it was so windy

After the long day at the beach, Erika arranged a poker night for all their cousins, cousins-in-law, cousins-in-law to be and friends. We forgot to take pictures again! The best part of the night was TABOO! Its a nerve wracking game but always super fun! Its a battle between the boys and the girls. Sadly the girls have been defeated once again. We will be prepared for the next battle for sure!!! Watch out boys!


#5 I went shopping for shoes and some other stuff. 


That Sunday we were supposed to go to Disneyland but its no fun if its just me and my DH. Who will take our pictures right? So we went shopping at Camarillo Outlet mall instead which is waaaaay better for me. 




#6 I WAS WITH MY HUSBAND TO CELEBRATE MY 29th birthday.

It started this year and its going to be that way every single year for the rest of our lives ... Together on both our birthdays... 

A year ago... He sent me roses for my birthday. So sweet.

My birthday could've been extremely great if my family was here too. We always celebrate my birthday in whatever way possible. We have dinner or watch a movie or whatever as long as we're together. I guess I was lucky to have my birthday on a 3-day weekend. My DH's family made me feel at home and very special that day. I am very happy and thankful for that. I am very blessed.