thanksgiving 2013

my efforts to sleep are proving to be futile as im up an hour after since my last post. i got to scrolling through my photos & noticed most of my home cooking photos are absent. i had hoped to catch up my blog with my cooking adventures but alas those photos are long gone. i made the terrible mistake of switching out of an iphone after the hubs accidentally placed my phone in the washer. thought it might be time to switch to a phone with a bigger screen for my korean dramas. lesson learned to never switch out of the intuitive smartness & simplicity of an iphone for customizable features (i hardly used them). i came across several problems with my samsung S4 after having had it only for only 4 months. i switched back. 

while aimlessly scrolling through my photos i came across thanksgiving pictures. my contribution this year was a cambodian noodle dish i learned from a friends sister. i had it at their family party & couldn't enough of it. it was my second time making it & it proved to be a success based on opinions at our thanksgiving gathering. 

i started by soaking peppers in water to soften them for the dressing. it looks like it may cause high levels of spiciness but on the contrary it only adds flavor. those who weren't fond of spicy foods couldn't detect it, so it was safe for all to eat.

 i transported the different elements of my crispy noodle cambodian salad separately so that it remained crunchy until it was ready for serving. 

arrived & everyone had a huge feast! so very thankful to be able to eat an abundance good food with good people! we feasted on the traditional turkey, honeybaked ham, cranberry sauce, pancit, lumpia, & crabs to name a few of the deliciousness that lay before my eyes. a filipino/american menu is always a winner in my book during the holidays! 

2014 cooking goals

as the hubby & i lay in bed at 4:46(am), attempting to fight off another day of jet lag we got to thinking about what we'll eat tomorrow. we agreed a trip to the grocery store is definitely a must since we haven't been home in almost a month..which got me thinking about cooking goals for 2014. id like to perfect & knock off a few recipes from my list. some are:

1) a delicious crisp pavlova 

2) tender irish corn beef & cabbage 

3) an aesthetically pleasing charcuterie that is full of taste & different textures

4) momofuku inspired compost cookie

5) learning 5-10 different tapas

6) spicy thai pork laab

7) pot roast 

8) chicken piccata sauce (many tries later & i still can't strike the right balance)

9) turkey chili 

10) bbq rib eye 

new life

has it really been 4 months since i last updated? so this happened during my brief hiatus & it's been amazing!

 it still seems surreal that i'm his wife & i have a husband. i feel incredibly blessed & overwhelmingly happy everyday. 

Eggplant Omelette

tortang talong (eggplant omelette) is one of my favorite filipino dishes. it's easy to make & comforting to eat. with lots of ketchup of course!  it transports me back to lunches sitting around the table with my tita's & cousins.

devirginized

i finally received the two monthly paper kits that ive been highly anticipating. i never knew such monthly subscriptions existed until recently. in fact theirs many different kinds being offered from various companies. from scrapbooking,  card making, project life,  & rubber stamp monthly mail outs! i chose studio calico's project life kit & simon says kelly purkey exclusive monthly kit. i am absolutely enamored by the exclusive karl barteski stamps in studio calico's project life kit & the letter press cards & gold accents from kelly purkey's kit.

ive decided to hold off on becoming a faithful monthly subscriber. so for now ill keep checking out their monthly kits & if im interested hopefully it's not sold out.

slowly but surely

it's been a little over 2 months since i joined the gym. ive been going 2 times religiously every week to meet with my personal trainer. sometimes i even go 3 times a week.

their was one week where i felt unmotivated & bloated while at the same time suffering my monthly migraines. it threw off my drive & i let it be my excuse to slack off for a week. i went to the gym once that week & didn't do much else fitness wise. i just didn't want to. i didn't want to make that 10 minute drive to the gym. i didnt want to think about what to eat throughout the week. in fact i ate a lot of bad foods during that time.

i was able to refocus after meeting with my trainer. i felt motivated & was ready to put in the work i had been giving prior to my week funk. farmers market visits resumed & cooking my own foods & eating as healthy as possible resumed.

their are many benefits to working out both physically & mentally. no new information that we all haven't heard before. during my moments of feeling unmotivated i hope to remind myself of the reasons why i must continue. i have to keep going because it lifts my mood. because im a set of reps away closer to my goal. because it's a good use of time. because it will help me become stronger & more discipline.  because it reminds me that i'm not a quitter. because i want a strong core. because i want to take pride in my body & health habits. because i want toned arms. because i want to move forward, not backward.

Babybug

i screamed like crazy when my bestie shared the news of her pregnancy last year. i screamed even more when we found out it was going to be a baby girl! it's hard to hold back when i come across cute baby clothes & cute little girly things. ive accumulated a bag full of stuff for my babybug. girls are just so fun! 

bestie's shower was several weeks ago. i made a diaper cake & ordered a personalized owl cake to match the theme of her shower. i thought the diaper cake would be easy to make but i was in for a challenge! i guess i was to eager to make it that i overlooked the fact that blogs & youtube tutorials failed to give step by step instructions of how to make the diaper cake parts. rather it showed assembly of how to put everything together. after a few days of work i finally finished her baby carriage diaper cake!

purple beans

tuesday at the farmer's market has become my ritual after work outs with my trainer. i stock up on seasonal fruits & veggies to get us through the week. green beans are a staple in my vegetable drawer so i switched it up when these purple long beans caught my eye. i love purple potatoes so i thought i may give these a try. i baked these with a medley of veggies & salmon for dinner one night. the next day i stir fried them with chicken & veggies & added in red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.

joanns deal

i stopped by joann's today armed & ready to purchase my one item with my 40% off coupon but to my surprise all embellishments & thickers i purchased were 40% off! each & every one of them! how awesome was that! stoked i picked out just a few more items since all scrapbooking items were marked down.

the most expensive item i purchased was $7! my favorites are the amy tangerine thickers with stitched detailing & my dear lizzy stamps. i came out with these items.

life changes

much has changed since my last update. a huge one being a lifestyle change that comes with a gym membership. for a girl who only ballets, bikes, & hikes theirs definitely a huge learning curve. its sometimes hard to get up & go to the gym but my personal trainer pushes & motivates me. without her im sure id be lost! personal trainers sure are pricey but i figured its a life investment & i need someone to keep me accountable & share their depth of knowledge within a short amount of time im working with.

two weeks ago i worked out by myself without a trainer. she assigned me to go to the gym & do the series of circuit excersises she taught me. im not quite sure if it was a good idea that i exceeded the sets of repitition she gave me because i was so sore for days thereafter! i wanted to set the bar high because half the battle will be working out when shes not there to push me. so far so good...

another food post

stuffed bell peppers are one of those meals that i seem to whip up when i don't want to give lunch/dinner to much thought. i much prefer yellow & orange bell peppers to any other colored peppers as the taste is lighter unlike the slight bitters of green or sweetness of red peppers. lean ground beef & rice is always a winning combo in my book!

it's a wrap

i love a neutral palette & kraft paper is my wrapper of choice. for mothers day, i packaged my future mother in laws present using just that & jazzed it up a bit using a mini vintage flag, twine, & clothes pin.

vegetarianism

ive noticed over the past several weeks, that meals ive been cooking are vegetarian friendly. im not planning on becoming a vegetarian as its difficult for me to give up filipino food but the accidental commitment to increase meal recipe sans meat (not that i eat much if it anyhow) is helpful when i plan meals for both the fiancé (he's a pescatarian) & i.

the fiancé is a fan of my eggplant parmesan & i always make extra to pack for our lunches.

productiveness increases ten fold when i plant myself at a cafe. an almost empty one with minimal noise & chatter is even better.

vietnamese coffee keeps me up & induces tachycardia but it sure is yummy.

BIG 30!

a few days ago the fiancé celebrated his 30th birthday. on the actual day of we kept it low key & his mom, sister, & i cooked a huge dinner. he even had 2 cakes..30 is huge after all. :) we were all so stuffed afterwards!

it was also another good excuse to craft a few things. i made him cake toppers. one was a banner. another were glitter stars from a previous project & sparkly pom poms to mimic candles since i forgot to buy some at the store.

birthday weekend

the fiancé's birthday weekend started early this morning at an adorable neighborhood cafe for brunch. they opened last year & we finally gave it a try. it's cozy, plus it has wall sockets. i foresee weekday trips with my laptop here.

brussels sprouts + bacon

one of my favorite meals to whip up is brussels sprouts with bacon & caramelized onions. it's quick, easy, filling, & oh so flavorful! the idea of using turkey bacon, just now popped into my head as im typing this, so that will be my next version to try..with turkey bacon! a much healthier alternative & hoping it will taste just as amazing! when i make it i use 2 pounds of brussel sprouts. perfect for both lunch & dinner as well as for left over eating at work!

joy

pure joy is spending time with my baby cousin & niece. no one is ever to old for fun at the park!

banana fana fo fana

ive been craving banana bread lately so i decided to make good use of my recent vintage pyrex acquisition & make some banana bread this morning. warm banana bread is so comforting & with a slither of butter, its perfect for breakfast.

dinner for two

tonight's dinner consisted of eggplant parmesan & clams in linguine pasta. i find that these divided pyrex dishes are just the perfect size for home cooked meals between the fiancé & i.

can't wait to say..YES!

dear future wedding dress,

wherever you are, i can't wait to meet you!

love,
nessa

when it rains, it pours

ive been on a winning streak as of late with my vintage pyrex finds! when it rains, it pours & in this case i couldn't be more thankful. i scored these spring blossom refrigerator sets & casserole dishes for one dollar each from a seller who wanted to get rid of them since she was moving out of state. it was in mint condition & some were even unused! what an amazing deal!

one week later i got the coveted primary refrigerator set! a complete set for the price of one dish! what sweet deals ive been scoring lately!

cake topper

i made this cake topper banner for my friends birthday. i took me longer than expected because the string kept fraying making it difficult to string the letters. bakers twine would've been a much better alternative. nonetheless, im happy with the end result. practice makes perfect & i need it since ill be making one for my friends engagement party.

homemade pizookies topped with generous scoops of ice cream was also on the menu.

glitter bobby pins

crafting has been such an enjoyable hobby! my latest projects were glitter bobby pins i made for my girlfriends & my favorite little girls. the gift tags were made using my cricut & i finished it off by using gold ribbon. next, i super glued sparkly stars onto a bobby pins using a hot glue gun. to add more shine & to seal the sparkly glitters on the stars, i used my favorite top coat (seche vite). homemade sparkly bobby pins made easy!

lucky finds

ive had quite the luck these past two weeks with my pyrex finds. i found these duplicate pieces that i already own & thought what perfect timing since my girlfriend wanted a few. a casserole dish in my favorite size, a divided dish, & the spring blossom pattern i started out with..i say that's a great start!

it's craft time!

since being engaged ive been hit by the crafters bug! i never thought those words would come out of my mouth since im not very patient nor do i have these creative minds that seem so innately ingrained with crafters i admire from afar have...but id like to think that maybe, if i try hard enough, i can create projects ill be happy with! no more wishing i was able to do make this or that like photos i see on instagram or read from crafters blog..i can learn to create my very own!

i recently took the big plunge & purchased a cricut. after thinking it over plus the machine being on sale at michaels, i decided it was a good time to get it! im learning as i go & enjoying the experience! i can't wait to make customized cards, gift tags & boxes, & more banners!

i made two relatively simple banners so far. one for the finance's friends birthday & another sparkly hearts for valentines day.

Brrrrr..It's Cold In Here

cold winter nights are a great excuse for me to keep on tweaking my hot chocolate recipe until im happy with the balance of cocoa & spices. hot cocoa from scratch + freshly made whip cream is such a lovely combination during these cold cold months.

Trust

fearing what may be, trusting the lord with all my heart, & surrendering everything to him & his will is something that ive continuously struggled with. upon a closer look, what christian has this perfect all the time? at one time or another we all feel & struggle with these things. ive always strived to be as independent as i possibly could, careful not to depend on anyone else 100%..so that everything was in my control or atleast it seemed that way. truth is their is only so much i can control. the more i give my life to god the happier i am. im finding myself slowly letting go of these ridiculous standards i set for myself.

DIY

i diy-ed these paper straws for our engagement party that just passed. after practicing on a few i got my rhythm down & was able to churn them out pretty quick with the help of my sissy. their such an adorable way to customize any event!

2013 first post

happy 2013! my year began much like last years..sick in bed with the flu. after finally recovering, while out to dinner with a girlfriend, i suffered a severe allergic reaction to something i ate. i most definitely freaked out as ive never experienced a food allergy before, let alone seen my face riddled with dime size swollen lumps. i was horrified & scared to say the least. ive finally recovered & back on track.

today, i made my first attempt at project bridesmaid. it was a complete bust with my sugar cookies looking like they were decorated by a 5 year old. piping icing sure does skill! however, through my failure emerged the theme & the direction of how I'll be asking my girlfriends to be my bridesmaid. an idea that i'm happy with! brainstorming will now cease after months of ideas bouncing around in my head. it's time to execute.

with the extra cookie dough i had on hand, i made nutella stuffed sugar cookies & got the two thumbs up from my taste testers!