Posting will be light for the next week!
See you (hopefully minimally bruised) in a bit!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Chinese New Year: Wontons
Okay, one last flashback from CNY: shrimp and pork wontons. I am not crazy about wonton soup, but after frying my turnip cake, I couldn't very well fry my wontons too, so soup it was.
I improvised this recipe for the most part, and overall it came out pretty tasty!
You will need:
3/4 lb Ground pork
Handful of uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch of scallions
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
White pepper to taste
Chop up your shrimp into small pieces, and combine all ingredients in a bowl. I ended up using about a tablespoon of sesame oil, and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. In retrospect, I would have used a little more soy sauce or added some additional salt because it was a little lacking in flavor.
Set up your wonton making station:
Your meat mixture, your wonton wrappers, and a bowl of water.
To make my wontons, I used the following method: Spoon a teaspoon or so of the meat mixture onto the center of a wonton wrapper. Using your index finger, wet two adjacent edges of the square wrapper with the water, like so:
The wrappers are lightly coated in corn starch, so wetting the edges will form a little "glue". Fold your wonton into a triangle, using the wet edges to seal in the meat securely. Make sure there is no trapped air in your wonton. Next, moisten one tip of the triangle, and press it against the other, forming a little "flower":
Isn't it cute?? Continue until you have used up your meat mixture. If you overstuff some of your wontons, like I did, they may become unsealed when you cook them.
Do NOT, I repeat do NOT stack your wontons like this. The moisture from the meat inside will cause them all to stick to one another, and it will be a big mess, and some of them will definitely come apart while cooking. Instead, place your fresh wontons a single layer on a lightly corn-starched/floured surface.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then cook the wontons on simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally. When they are done, they will float to the top. Add to soup, or fry, and you have yourself some wontons!
YUM!
I improvised this recipe for the most part, and overall it came out pretty tasty!
You will need:
3/4 lb Ground pork
Handful of uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch of scallions
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
White pepper to taste
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| That is white pepper on my pork--it's not rotten, I promise |
Chop up your shrimp into small pieces, and combine all ingredients in a bowl. I ended up using about a tablespoon of sesame oil, and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. In retrospect, I would have used a little more soy sauce or added some additional salt because it was a little lacking in flavor.
Set up your wonton making station:
Your meat mixture, your wonton wrappers, and a bowl of water.
To make my wontons, I used the following method: Spoon a teaspoon or so of the meat mixture onto the center of a wonton wrapper. Using your index finger, wet two adjacent edges of the square wrapper with the water, like so:
The wrappers are lightly coated in corn starch, so wetting the edges will form a little "glue". Fold your wonton into a triangle, using the wet edges to seal in the meat securely. Make sure there is no trapped air in your wonton. Next, moisten one tip of the triangle, and press it against the other, forming a little "flower":
Isn't it cute?? Continue until you have used up your meat mixture. If you overstuff some of your wontons, like I did, they may become unsealed when you cook them.
Do NOT, I repeat do NOT stack your wontons like this. The moisture from the meat inside will cause them all to stick to one another, and it will be a big mess, and some of them will definitely come apart while cooking. Instead, place your fresh wontons a single layer on a lightly corn-starched/floured surface.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then cook the wontons on simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally. When they are done, they will float to the top. Add to soup, or fry, and you have yourself some wontons!
YUM!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Chinese New Year: Turnip cake
Now that I have recovered from cooking that huge meal on Chinese New Year's Eve, I shall go back and share that long and painful process with you all.
Starting with the turnip cake. I very loosely adapted a recipe from Appetite for China, and set off to H mart to get my ingredients. Of course, being the wonderfully prepared person I am, I forgot the list. So I may have improvised a little.
You will need:
3 1/4 cups rice flour
2 lbs of turnip
Add ins of your choice (I used Chinese sausage, or lop cheong)
Soy sauce (regular or dark)
Salt
First of all, the recipe called for 2 cups of water to combine with the rice flour, then to mix until it became "velvety". I added 2 cups to my flour, and the best consistency I could get was "ricotta cheese". So I ended up adding a little more water (hey, Chinese cooking is an imperfect science, okay?), probably closer to 3 cups, until it became smooth like cake batter.
Kuan's recipe also calls for 1 large Chinese turnip, weighing about 2 pounds. I couldn't find that big of a freakin turnip, so I ended up with 5 of these things:
Together, they weighed about 1.8 lbs. Good enough. Peel them suckers and slice them into rectangles about 2 cm wide and deep (see picture below). Next for MM's favorite, the lop cheong:
We made the mistake last time of buying the sweet kind. Do not make that same mistake. Kuan's recipe also called for some mushrooms and dried shrimp, or har mai, which I don't care for, so I left it out. Instead, I had some scallions lying around, so I chopped those up along with the lop cheong.
Next you want to cook the add ins with a little bit of soy sauce for some flavor. Set those aside. In that same wok, add your turnip and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes, adding in more oil if needed.
Then pour in about 1 cup of water, and steam the turnip for about 10-15 minutes until just cooked. My turnip was still a little hard at 15 minutes, so I actually ended up steaming it for about 25 minutes. Whatever.
Next, the recipe calls for adding the hot turnip mixture into the rice flour mixture and "mixing thoroughly until the turnips are well incorporated". WTF? What does well incorporated mean? We will never know because her blog pictures the original raw ingredients, and then a perfectly finished turnip cake, so I had to guess. I'd seen my grandmother make taro cake (wu tao gow) before, and her finished "batter" was smooth without large pieces of taro in it, so I figured the turnip cake would be the same way.
That was about as "incorporated" as I could get it. Still has the consistency of thick ricotta cheese, and still with big chunks of turnip in it. I tried mashing the turnip into the flour mixture, but eventually got tired of that and left it as it. You couldn't really tell there were turnip chunks in the consistency of the final cake, so I imagine this degree of "incorporation" is fine. Anyway.
Mix in your add ins, in my case the lop cheong and scallions, and salt to taste (I added 1 tsp like the recipe called for, but it probably could have used a little more salt). Pour into a 10 inch cake pan, and smooth out the top.
Do NOT, as I did, use a round bottom pot. The middle will be a little undercooked when the edges are finished steaming. Bad Idea.
So steam the cake for about an hour (I steamed it for an hour and twenty minutes, which turned out better since the middle was still a little underdone), and allow the cake to cool before slicing.
The "optional" part, but not really optional, because turnip cake isn't good without it: the frying. After you slice the cake into small rectangles, fry the slices in batches about 3-5 minutes on each side in oil, and serve with (my favorite) hoisin sauce.
You can check out my cake in my CNY post, but Kuan has a better picture in her blog, so let's pretend my cake looked like that:
Then, enjoy!!! My homemade turnip cake turned out pretty decently, and as I mentioned was MM's favorite item on the menu. The texture was still a little off, due to the fact that the middle wasn't quite steamed through after more than an hour. That being said, I still enjoy it, but with all this effort, I think I will just stick to buying it in the future!
Starting with the turnip cake. I very loosely adapted a recipe from Appetite for China, and set off to H mart to get my ingredients. Of course, being the wonderfully prepared person I am, I forgot the list. So I may have improvised a little.
You will need:
3 1/4 cups rice flour
2 lbs of turnip
Add ins of your choice (I used Chinese sausage, or lop cheong)
Soy sauce (regular or dark)
Salt
First of all, the recipe called for 2 cups of water to combine with the rice flour, then to mix until it became "velvety". I added 2 cups to my flour, and the best consistency I could get was "ricotta cheese". So I ended up adding a little more water (hey, Chinese cooking is an imperfect science, okay?), probably closer to 3 cups, until it became smooth like cake batter.
Kuan's recipe also calls for 1 large Chinese turnip, weighing about 2 pounds. I couldn't find that big of a freakin turnip, so I ended up with 5 of these things:
Together, they weighed about 1.8 lbs. Good enough. Peel them suckers and slice them into rectangles about 2 cm wide and deep (see picture below). Next for MM's favorite, the lop cheong:
We made the mistake last time of buying the sweet kind. Do not make that same mistake. Kuan's recipe also called for some mushrooms and dried shrimp, or har mai, which I don't care for, so I left it out. Instead, I had some scallions lying around, so I chopped those up along with the lop cheong.
Next you want to cook the add ins with a little bit of soy sauce for some flavor. Set those aside. In that same wok, add your turnip and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes, adding in more oil if needed.
Then pour in about 1 cup of water, and steam the turnip for about 10-15 minutes until just cooked. My turnip was still a little hard at 15 minutes, so I actually ended up steaming it for about 25 minutes. Whatever.
Next, the recipe calls for adding the hot turnip mixture into the rice flour mixture and "mixing thoroughly until the turnips are well incorporated". WTF? What does well incorporated mean? We will never know because her blog pictures the original raw ingredients, and then a perfectly finished turnip cake, so I had to guess. I'd seen my grandmother make taro cake (wu tao gow) before, and her finished "batter" was smooth without large pieces of taro in it, so I figured the turnip cake would be the same way.
That was about as "incorporated" as I could get it. Still has the consistency of thick ricotta cheese, and still with big chunks of turnip in it. I tried mashing the turnip into the flour mixture, but eventually got tired of that and left it as it. You couldn't really tell there were turnip chunks in the consistency of the final cake, so I imagine this degree of "incorporation" is fine. Anyway.
Mix in your add ins, in my case the lop cheong and scallions, and salt to taste (I added 1 tsp like the recipe called for, but it probably could have used a little more salt). Pour into a 10 inch cake pan, and smooth out the top.
Do NOT, as I did, use a round bottom pot. The middle will be a little undercooked when the edges are finished steaming. Bad Idea.
So steam the cake for about an hour (I steamed it for an hour and twenty minutes, which turned out better since the middle was still a little underdone), and allow the cake to cool before slicing.
The "optional" part, but not really optional, because turnip cake isn't good without it: the frying. After you slice the cake into small rectangles, fry the slices in batches about 3-5 minutes on each side in oil, and serve with (my favorite) hoisin sauce.
You can check out my cake in my CNY post, but Kuan has a better picture in her blog, so let's pretend my cake looked like that:
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| Source |
Sunday, February 13, 2011
College style cooking
It's a little embarrassing that I am well past (well not that far past) my college years, but I am still cooking like a college student. By this, I don't mean I am cooking ramen every day or reheating TV dinners, but I just don't have a lot of specialty cookware and sometimes I need to improvise.
And by specialty cookware, I mean basic cookware. Or bakeware. Like a rolling pin. For your viewing pleasure, here is the "rolling pin" I used to make my egg tarts for Chinese New Year:
Yes, that is a liquor bottle (99 bananas to be exact) covered in plastic wrap. It wasn't perfect by far, but it got the job done.
Oh, and my "steamer" prior to Chinese New Year was this:
Allow me to explain this state-of-the-art steamer. That is a big pot with a little upside down bowl, on top of which I place a slightly bigger bowl, whose base fits on top of that little bowl. In that slightly bigger bowl, I place whatever I want to steam. Sounds foolproof, doesn't it? Except that the biggest bowl that will fit in this "steamer" is 5" in diameter, essentially only fitting in 1 serving of vegetables to steam.
Since I wanted to steam a fish and a turnip cake for Chinese New Year, I decided to cave and buy a real steamer. It was a beautiful, 3 tiered stainless steel beauty from my local H Mart. The one problem?
The dishes I wanted to steam were the right diameter, but just a tad too tall for the height of each tier. So I was forced, once again, to rig the steamer to fit a taller dish by turning the top tier upside down and putting the lid on the "bottom" of the top tier.
Apparently I am doomed to always turn things upside down when I steam.
Anybody else have any, er, "creative" cooking methods?
And by specialty cookware, I mean basic cookware. Or bakeware. Like a rolling pin. For your viewing pleasure, here is the "rolling pin" I used to make my egg tarts for Chinese New Year:
Yes, that is a liquor bottle (99 bananas to be exact) covered in plastic wrap. It wasn't perfect by far, but it got the job done.
Oh, and my "steamer" prior to Chinese New Year was this:
Allow me to explain this state-of-the-art steamer. That is a big pot with a little upside down bowl, on top of which I place a slightly bigger bowl, whose base fits on top of that little bowl. In that slightly bigger bowl, I place whatever I want to steam. Sounds foolproof, doesn't it? Except that the biggest bowl that will fit in this "steamer" is 5" in diameter, essentially only fitting in 1 serving of vegetables to steam.
Since I wanted to steam a fish and a turnip cake for Chinese New Year, I decided to cave and buy a real steamer. It was a beautiful, 3 tiered stainless steel beauty from my local H Mart. The one problem?
The dishes I wanted to steam were the right diameter, but just a tad too tall for the height of each tier. So I was forced, once again, to rig the steamer to fit a taller dish by turning the top tier upside down and putting the lid on the "bottom" of the top tier.
Apparently I am doomed to always turn things upside down when I steam.
Anybody else have any, er, "creative" cooking methods?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
I don't heart having to break in new shoes
(WARNING: picture of part of a foot ahead)
I hate when this happens. I was breaking in my Pumas, and went for a walk a little longer than I intended to, and now I have bandaids across both my Achilles tendons. Boooo stiff new shoes.
Anybody know of any way around this?
I hate when this happens. I was breaking in my Pumas, and went for a walk a little longer than I intended to, and now I have bandaids across both my Achilles tendons. Boooo stiff new shoes.
Anybody know of any way around this?
Friday, February 11, 2011
Oprah's Favorite Mac N Cheese
I love macaroni and cheese. Like whoa. It is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods. I usually use Pioneer Woman's recipe for macaroni casserole, but when I found a recipe for Beecher's Mac and Cheese whose claim to fame is being on this year's Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things, I knew I just had to try it. Both PW and Beecher's involve making a roux, so this ain't your quick five minute mac and cheese, but I bet you anything it'll taste better than your fluorescent yellow Kraft meal.
Recipe Originally posted on Martha Stewart's website.
You will need:
Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, preferably Flagship, grated
1/2 cup Jack cheese, preferably Just Jack, grated
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (I used chili powder)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Beecher's Mac and Cheese:
6 oz penne pasta
2 cups of Beecher's Flagship Cheese sauce
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (I wasn't paying a $10 for Gruyere, so I just used Jack)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.
Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add cheeses, salt, chile powder, and garlic powder.
Stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days. To reheat sauce, place in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish and set aside. Cook penne according to package directions for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package. Rinse pasta in cold water; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together cooked pasta and sauce gently but thoroughly. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with cheeses and chile powder.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!! I thought this mac and cheese was okay--I enjoyed the different cheeses and the kick from the chili powder, but I'm torn between this one and Pioneer Woman's. Oh well, more mac and cheese for me to rotate between!
Recipe Originally posted on Martha Stewart's website.
You will need:
Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, preferably Flagship, grated
1/2 cup Jack cheese, preferably Just Jack, grated
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (I used chili powder)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Beecher's Mac and Cheese:
6 oz penne pasta
2 cups of Beecher's Flagship Cheese sauce
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (I wasn't paying a $10 for Gruyere, so I just used Jack)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.
Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add cheeses, salt, chile powder, and garlic powder.
Stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days. To reheat sauce, place in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish and set aside. Cook penne according to package directions for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package. Rinse pasta in cold water; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together cooked pasta and sauce gently but thoroughly. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with cheeses and chile powder.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!! I thought this mac and cheese was okay--I enjoyed the different cheeses and the kick from the chili powder, but I'm torn between this one and Pioneer Woman's. Oh well, more mac and cheese for me to rotate between!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Jennifer Aniston in Allure
Oh, Jennifer Aniston. Guys love her (MM for one, would surely put her on his freebie list.) Girls want to be friends with her (except when she whines about Brad Pitt. Nobody wants a whiny friend.) I, for one, think she looks fantastic for 41, and she always has a way of looking fresh and pretty, even if she's never the most fashion forward.
Other people clearly think she's gorgeous as well. She came in second for Most Desired Body, as well as Most Desired Hair. So when I saw that J. An had an upcoming photoshoot in Allure, I expected her signature look: shiny straight locks, and something breezy and white or fitted and black.
Whoa, Nelly was I wrong. Or at least, partially wrong. It's breezy.
Well, she sure showed off her body. But what is with the rest of it?! Dark smoky eyes, trendy choppy bangs?? Oh, sweetie, no. It doesn't even look like her. This is way worse than The Rachel. Worst of all, they photoshopped her (and her chin) beyond recognition. Looking at her closeup, she looks like a Barbie doll. Playmate edition.
Anybody else disappointed in the photoshoot? Or do you love Aniston's new look?
Other people clearly think she's gorgeous as well. She came in second for Most Desired Body, as well as Most Desired Hair. So when I saw that J. An had an upcoming photoshoot in Allure, I expected her signature look: shiny straight locks, and something breezy and white or fitted and black.
Whoa, Nelly was I wrong. Or at least, partially wrong. It's breezy.
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| Source |
Anybody else disappointed in the photoshoot? Or do you love Aniston's new look?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Strawberry scones (food FAIL)
I recently bought a big bag of frozen strawberries in attempt to curb my sweets cravings. Then I realized I crave refined sugar, so I decided to make something sweet with my strawberries using things I had laying around the house.
Enter strawberry scones.
I got the recipe from Tyler Florence, and I don't entirely recommend the recipe for reasons you'll see below. But I already took the freakin' pictures, so deal with it.
You will need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsps sugar, plus more for sprinkling scones
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups fresh mixed berries (I used my frozen strawberries)
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more to brush scones
There were several things I did differently in this recipe, and they may all explain why this recipe was a major FAIL for me. First, the linked recipe above has an accompanying Orange Honey Butter from which the buttermilk for the scones is derived. I didn't have heavy cream, so I made my own buttermilk (see below). Second, I did not have a food processor, so I used my hands.
First, preheat your oven to 400 F.
If you are sophisticated and have a food processor, add your flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder to the food processor. If you don't, dump it in a big bowl. Add the cubes of butter and pulse until you have the texture of coarse bread crumbs. Or, like me, work the butter in until you get finger cramps and a close approximation of bread crumbs.
Next, add buttermilk. If you did not make the Orange Honey Butter recipe, and you do not have buttermilk in the house, you can make your own by combining 1 cup of regular milk with 1 Tbsp of vinegar and allowing that to sit for 10 minutes. (Thanks, Cook's Thesaurus!)
Stir to combine, and as the dough comes together, add the berries.
This may actually have been my next mistake, as I think the berries were supposed to be folded in prior to it forming such a nice lump. Because of this, the next steps were really gross and messy as I tried to force the frozen strawberries (which at this point were getting soft) into the dough. Hence, no pictures. If I had a slightly weaker stomach, I don't think I would have been able to consume the final product having seen the gross wet pink dough that was that last step.
ANYWAY...drop spoonfuls of your gross dough onto a parchment lined sheet. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle sugar on top. Or if your dough is already ridiculously wet with frozen strawberry juice an your tears, just sprinkle the damn sugar without the buttermilk.
Bake until puffy and golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.
The scones came out a little dense, and the dough around the berries seemed a little undercooked, while the rest of it was a little dry and overcooked. Again, it could have been due to all those changes I made, but I likely won't be retrying this recipe.
Anyone have a good scone recipe they can share?
Enter strawberry scones.
I got the recipe from Tyler Florence, and I don't entirely recommend the recipe for reasons you'll see below. But I already took the freakin' pictures, so deal with it.
You will need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsps sugar, plus more for sprinkling scones
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups fresh mixed berries (I used my frozen strawberries)
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more to brush scones
First, preheat your oven to 400 F.
If you are sophisticated and have a food processor, add your flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder to the food processor. If you don't, dump it in a big bowl. Add the cubes of butter and pulse until you have the texture of coarse bread crumbs. Or, like me, work the butter in until you get finger cramps and a close approximation of bread crumbs.
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| Close enough. |
Stir to combine, and as the dough comes together, add the berries.
This may actually have been my next mistake, as I think the berries were supposed to be folded in prior to it forming such a nice lump. Because of this, the next steps were really gross and messy as I tried to force the frozen strawberries (which at this point were getting soft) into the dough. Hence, no pictures. If I had a slightly weaker stomach, I don't think I would have been able to consume the final product having seen the gross wet pink dough that was that last step.
ANYWAY...drop spoonfuls of your gross dough onto a parchment lined sheet. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle sugar on top. Or if your dough is already ridiculously wet with frozen strawberry juice an your tears, just sprinkle the damn sugar without the buttermilk.
Bake until puffy and golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.
 |
| Believe it or not, this was the best looking one. |
Anyone have a good scone recipe they can share?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Online shopping
I don't think of myself as a shopaholic, per se, but I am definitely a window shopaholic. Especially online. I love searching for sales, adding things to my cart, then closing the window before I am tempted to hit "Complete Order".
It's a sickness, I know.
But for anyone else who shares my love of online window shopping, or just loves sales, I thought I'd share my favorite online shopping sites for your viewing pleasure (and wallet displeasure)!
Luxury Sites
We'll start at the top, AKA the places I rarely spend money at. While the savings at these sites are no doubt fantastic (50% off, 70% off), they're still a little rich for my blood.
Gilt Groupe
This is a shopping site for high end luxury items, where you can find the likes of Dior, Valentino, all for up to 70% off retail price. I love browsing through their daily sales, which open at noon ET, but usually that gorgeous $10,000 gown on sale for $3500 is still exactly what it would be in a high end boutique: a beautiful D&G gown that I can't afford. Nonetheless, they do have great deals on makeup occasionally, and they will often have great shoe sales as well.
There used to be a credit for referral, but now it's only free shipping.
Shopbop.com
This is another site for high end names, although I'll be honest when I say I usually only rummage through the "sale" portion. I'd say the lowest price I've seen on this site is $40, which still isn't bad for a Vena Cava dress, but I'd only consider looking for real when I'm willing to splurge.
There is also a $25 referral for friends, so if you love it, sign up and start referring!
Moderate sites
These are sites that still carry some big names, like Tahari or L.A.M.B., but aren't quite as pricey as the sites above.
RueLaLa
I recently shared about my PUMA purchase, and I love it! There may still be items that are completely out of my price range on this site, but there will always be one or two mega deals per sale, which open daily at 11 AM ET.
There is also a $10 credit for referral, so get shopping and referring!
Knockoff sites
Finally, the sites that eat most of my money. These are no frills, no name sites, but have great prices, and sometimes you can find some pretty convincing replicas of your favorite high end items.
ASOS
Stands for "As Seen On Screen", this British shopping site features knockoffs of apparel worn by celebrities on screen and off. The prices are reasonable, the sale prices are ridiculously reasonable ($12 for a dress? Yes please!), and best of all, shipping to the US is only $6!
GoJane
Reminiscent of Forever 21, this is a great place for super cheap knockoffs. Don't expect high quality ware, but if you are wanting something to wear for a season, then throw out, this is perfect. As a warning, most of the site is probably for tweens/teens who want something to wear for prom, and I would stick to the shoe section of this site.
Alright, your turn! Any favorite shopping sites to share?
It's a sickness, I know.
But for anyone else who shares my love of online window shopping, or just loves sales, I thought I'd share my favorite online shopping sites for your viewing pleasure (and wallet displeasure)!
Luxury Sites
We'll start at the top, AKA the places I rarely spend money at. While the savings at these sites are no doubt fantastic (50% off, 70% off), they're still a little rich for my blood.
Gilt Groupe
This is a shopping site for high end luxury items, where you can find the likes of Dior, Valentino, all for up to 70% off retail price. I love browsing through their daily sales, which open at noon ET, but usually that gorgeous $10,000 gown on sale for $3500 is still exactly what it would be in a high end boutique: a beautiful D&G gown that I can't afford. Nonetheless, they do have great deals on makeup occasionally, and they will often have great shoe sales as well.
There used to be a credit for referral, but now it's only free shipping.
Shopbop.com
This is another site for high end names, although I'll be honest when I say I usually only rummage through the "sale" portion. I'd say the lowest price I've seen on this site is $40, which still isn't bad for a Vena Cava dress, but I'd only consider looking for real when I'm willing to splurge.
There is also a $25 referral for friends, so if you love it, sign up and start referring!
Moderate sites
These are sites that still carry some big names, like Tahari or L.A.M.B., but aren't quite as pricey as the sites above.
RueLaLa
I recently shared about my PUMA purchase, and I love it! There may still be items that are completely out of my price range on this site, but there will always be one or two mega deals per sale, which open daily at 11 AM ET.
There is also a $10 credit for referral, so get shopping and referring!
Knockoff sites
Finally, the sites that eat most of my money. These are no frills, no name sites, but have great prices, and sometimes you can find some pretty convincing replicas of your favorite high end items.
ASOS
Stands for "As Seen On Screen", this British shopping site features knockoffs of apparel worn by celebrities on screen and off. The prices are reasonable, the sale prices are ridiculously reasonable ($12 for a dress? Yes please!), and best of all, shipping to the US is only $6!
GoJane
Reminiscent of Forever 21, this is a great place for super cheap knockoffs. Don't expect high quality ware, but if you are wanting something to wear for a season, then throw out, this is perfect. As a warning, most of the site is probably for tweens/teens who want something to wear for prom, and I would stick to the shoe section of this site.
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| [Source for Dior shoes] |
Alright, your turn! Any favorite shopping sites to share?
Monday, February 7, 2011
I heart shoes
So I got these shoes a while back from RueLaLa, but just now got around to posting them. I had been looking for some sneakers that I could wear for casual events, that were just a little dressier than my running shoes, which are starting to look a little beat up.
I had been looking at Pumas for a while, but I couldn't justify paying upwards of $60 for casual footwear! I don't even spend that on heels! So when I found the sale on RueLaLa, I knew they had to be mine...
5 days after I pushed "Submit my order", these showed up in my mailbox!
LOVES!! I haven't had velcro shoes in so long, but these were so cute, so PINK (I did say I was girly, didn't I?), and perfect for brightening up a dreary Chicago winter.
Plus, how ADORBS is the little card that is included? I am a sucker for packaging, and RueLaLa has just won my heart.
I will have to share the rest of my favorite online stores with you next! Stay tuned (and prepare your wallets)!
I had been looking at Pumas for a while, but I couldn't justify paying upwards of $60 for casual footwear! I don't even spend that on heels! So when I found the sale on RueLaLa, I knew they had to be mine...
5 days after I pushed "Submit my order", these showed up in my mailbox!
LOVES!! I haven't had velcro shoes in so long, but these were so cute, so PINK (I did say I was girly, didn't I?), and perfect for brightening up a dreary Chicago winter.
Plus, how ADORBS is the little card that is included? I am a sucker for packaging, and RueLaLa has just won my heart.
I will have to share the rest of my favorite online stores with you next! Stay tuned (and prepare your wallets)!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Dubs Tee Eff, medicine??
According to this NPR article, women doctors are earning on average $17,000 less than their male counterparts.
This is even after taking into account fewer work hours, time off for maternity leave, etc.
What the heck??
I guess it's still a man's world after all.
PFFT.
This is even after taking into account fewer work hours, time off for maternity leave, etc.
What the heck??
I guess it's still a man's world after all.
PFFT.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Secrets
This past week's Postsecrets reminded me of a time recently when MM and I were grocery shopping. I was loading items onto the conveyor belt so he scanned in his rewards card.
After I finished putting the last bag into the cart, the cashier handed me the receipt and said,
"Thank you for shopping with us today, Mr and Mrs Hislastname"
MM thanked him, and looked incredibly uncomfortable, but I secretly felt kind of giddy!
...or maybe not so secretly, as MM asked as we walked away, "Why do you have that big goofy smile on your face?"
After I finished putting the last bag into the cart, the cashier handed me the receipt and said,
"Thank you for shopping with us today, Mr and Mrs Hislastname"
MM thanked him, and looked incredibly uncomfortable, but I secretly felt kind of giddy!
...or maybe not so secretly, as MM asked as we walked away, "Why do you have that big goofy smile on your face?"
Friday, February 4, 2011
The perfect body
Every year two Beverly Hills plastic surgeons compile a report of the year's most popular celebrity body parts. This year, the most requested female body in the Hills was Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, with Jennifer Aniston coming in second (I'm sure she's used to that by now). Below are the results for the other categories of "Most Desired Body Part", for the females.
Gwenyth Paltrow
BODY
Gisele Bundchen
Jennifer Aniston
Penelope Cruz
NOSE
Natalie Portman
Emma Stone
Nicole Kidman
HAIR
Taylor Swift
Jennifer Aniston
Kim Kardashian
EYES
Anne Hathaway
Mila Kunis
Megan Fox
LIPS
Scarlett Johansson
Angelina Jolie
Christina Aguilera
CHIN
Halle Berry
Keria Knightly
Jennifer Lopez
CHEEKS
January Jones
Jennifer Garner
Beyonce Knowles
SKIN
Amy Adams
Katy PerryGwenyth Paltrow
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Happy Chinese New Year!
Hopefully everyone's feasts went well! Remember, no cleaning or showering or crying today ;)
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| I may have gone overboard for just MM and me. |
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| From my mom's kitchen to my own! |
What can I say? I have a huge sweet tooth.
It is the Year of the Rabbit, which is one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Now I had no idea until I linked that Wiki article, but apparently, in Vietnamese culture, it is the year of the Cat. This occurred because the Chinese word for rabbit sounds like the Vietnamese word for cat, and thus the rabbit, quite literally, got lost in translation!
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| My sister, who is a rabbit, would be so upset! (Source) |
MM has really been great about accepting this foreign holiday with all its bizarre traditions. As he graciously offered to clean the bathroom yesterday in honor of Chinese New Year, I let him use my Swiffer WetJet to help clean the floor. A few seconds later, I hear from the bathroom:
MM: This is AWESOME!! *buzz from the WetJet*
Haha, so he gets a red packet AND he discovered the joys of cleaning. I think it's been a good holiday!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Happy Chinese New Year's Eve!
'Tis the day to clean your homes, and prepare your feasts!
Because MM has just come off an overnight shift, we will be playing the night pretty low key. For dinner I will be trying my hand at a couple Chinese dishes, of course, most with symbolic meanings.
Among them:
Noodles (for longevity)
Fish (for wealth/abundance)
Dumplings (for wealth)
Turnip cake (because I love it)
Egg tarts (just because)
Luckily, I did most of the cleaning earlier this week, because this dinner sounds like it will take a while.
Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Chinese New Year's Eve! Tomorrow it will be the Year of the Rabbit (my sister's year)!
Because MM has just come off an overnight shift, we will be playing the night pretty low key. For dinner I will be trying my hand at a couple Chinese dishes, of course, most with symbolic meanings.
Among them:
Noodles (for longevity)
Fish (for wealth/abundance)
Dumplings (for wealth)
Turnip cake (because I love it)
Egg tarts (just because)
Luckily, I did most of the cleaning earlier this week, because this dinner sounds like it will take a while.
Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Chinese New Year's Eve! Tomorrow it will be the Year of the Rabbit (my sister's year)!
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| Source |
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
It pays to be little
At 5 foot even, I am the shortest of all my friends. I have consistently been the shortest person in my class all though elementary, middle school, and high school. People used to reassure me by saying things like "Good things come in small packages" or "You are fun sized!"
Now people just look at me sympathetically as I try not to think about how they can probably see down my shirt.
The one great thing about being small, though, is being able to fit into kid size clothing. This would normally not be a big advantage for me, as I don't care to wear baby tees that say "Girl Power" in sparkly letters. But when it came time to buy my snowboarding gear, it came in REALLY handy.
MM and I headed to Sports Authority, and saved money on ski pants...
On waterproof gloves...
But apparently my head is beyond junior sized. The youth goggles were too narrow on my ginormous face, so we had to actually splurge on adult sized eyewear...
My only complaint with the youth ski pants is they are not super accommodating for my giant bubble butt. Although I suppose I'd be a little creeped out by kids' pants with so much extra room in the rear....
Now people just look at me sympathetically as I try not to think about how they can probably see down my shirt.
The one great thing about being small, though, is being able to fit into kid size clothing. This would normally not be a big advantage for me, as I don't care to wear baby tees that say "Girl Power" in sparkly letters. But when it came time to buy my snowboarding gear, it came in REALLY handy.
MM and I headed to Sports Authority, and saved money on ski pants...
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| MM: Awww you don't even fit into a youth XL! Me: *sigh* |
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| I'm so glad they didn't say "Groovy" in glitter puff paint |
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| Does this mean I'm disproportionate? |
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