Van's List 3: The Healthy List

If there is one thing that stresses me out in a major way, it is my husband's health condition. You see, he needs to pass a thorough medical examination in order to go to work onboard his vessel. I wasn't that confident that he will easily pass his medical exams, but I really thought he will still pass it at the end of the day. It was not the case this time, and he had to do some serious dietary changes and exercise in order to lower his cholesterol and FBS (blood sugar). Gosh, this was his first time to have high levels, so I would understand his denial stage.

Yet, I still think that this bump in our road is a wake up call for us, both of us who think that we are still in our early twenties hahaha, that we need to change our food intake and exercise more.

And so, I furiously researched on the natural ways of lowering one's FBS and cholesterol levels. I got a looong list of food to eat, and my husband was not at all happy! Tough luck, honey.

Here's my list of food that I have been serving my husband. I don't need to describe and define all the health benefits of each one, but I do hope the list will give ideas on what to have when one needs to lower their FBS and cholesterol levels.

Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

I have heard a lot about apple cider vinegar but never bothered to try, up until now. Hubby and I take this at least twice a day, either straight up (hubby prefers this although I know this strains the esophagus), or with water and a little agave syrup. Check out below benefits in taking ACV!

Steel Cut Oats

I have wanted to serve oats to hubby for the longest time, so now there is a very good reason why he should take this for breakfast instead of his usual coffee, pandesal and peanut butter, or Filipino breakfast. This is something new to me, since I thought all oats are healthy. Seems like instant oats are not as healthy as one thought (or I thought), and that I better get the steel cut oats instead. Good in lowering FBS and cholesterol. I cook this lovingly for at least 20 minutes, with nothing except water. No milk, no sugar. Well, sometimes we cheat with a slight drizzle of agave, or with Brookside Dark Chocolate with Acai on the side.

Organic Brown Rice

Finally! a chance for me to serve this to him! He's not allowed to take white break or whiter rice, so I really hope that this is a healthier alternative! Bother white bread and white rice increase FBS levels, so we better stay away from these for now... or forever!

Salmon and Halibut

Salmon and Halibut have good levels of Omega-3, among other fish. However, I prefer these three as hubby is not really into mackerel, sardines, and herring. Steamed, poached, grilled, or baked. Lots of garlic and lemon, marinated with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Baby Spinach, Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes

My salad of choice to serve, or individually as part of other meals. For salads, I got the Bragg's Apple Cider Vinaigrette. The baby spinach, I use for spinach pasta or steam them with garlic. I make guacamole to top the whole wheat bread as bruschetta. The cherry tomatoes - pasta!

Garlic

This is one thing I don't understand... my menu almost always have lots and lots of garlic as ingredients, so I don't know how else to add more to this. Hubby however has his own garlic capsules. Nonetheless, at least my favourite ingredient in flavouring our favourite meals is really good for the health!

Broccoli

This is a regular in our weekly menu, since I have always known how good broccoli is to our health.


Aside from these, dear hubby takes these supplements from Healthy Options:

• High Allicin Garlic Supplements
• Blood Support Capsules
• Omega 3 Capsules

As for me, I take USANA Essentials twice a day. Hubby has his own too but will likely just take them when he's already onboard.

Anyway, hope this list helps!

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Setting up my Midori

I have fully embraced journalling and planning, after joining a planner / journal group and being inspired by the worlds done by fellow journallers and planners. Gosh, didn't know this hobby could be addicting and ugh, expensive hahaha! Washi tapes, clear stamps, stamp pads, pens, stickers, and more have been my points of interest. Seriously burning a hole in my wallet. Not to mention of course purchasing a couple of planners hahaha!

Anyway, this is how I have set up my favourite journal so far (sorry, Moleskine, I've switched hahaha). I love my Midori travellers notebook and I am so glad that even though it is a but pricey (and is pricey to maintain because of the inserts), I know that this is the wisest investment I made when it comes to journalling. 

Unlike others though, I want to keep my Midori as simple as possible. Maximum of 3 inserts perhaps:

• Weekly with Memo inserts (2 for the whole of 2016, though I'm not sure if I will put them together - for my weekly journal
• Blank Insert - more in depth writing, including prayers
• Dotted Insert - my letters to my two kids
• Kraft Paper Insert - for travel

I also included the plastic insert that has slots for cards and a nice small zip pocket. Love love this!

I plan to have inspirational cards when I open my journal. The plastic insert will hold these.

The back of the front part of the insert contains wash tape samples and some sticky notes. Check out my charms: V letter, horse, butterfly, moon, and key. All have special meaning to me. :)

The zip pocket right now contains more inspirational cards but maybe in the future it will holed other things.

These are some of the loot that I got to help me be more creative in my journalling!

I have noticed two things: One, I am so much into gold. Two, my palette is on the neutral/muted side, no cutey-pie pastel or ultra vibrant colors. Hahaha. Plus, I'm more into vintage design stickers.

And since today I am stressed, I just dabbled on designing my journal entry for the first time. 

Kinda crappy looking but I do hope that with experience my designs will be better.

This hobby, together with modern calligraphy is what's keeping me happy and grounded so far. I love that it brings out the creativity in me, while at the same time helps me keep my memories for me to read in the future.

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The Art of Gift Wrapping

Ever since I was a kid, I have always enjoyed wrapping gifts, whether these be for birthdays, Christmas, or any other occasion. It's a sad thought when i realised that as years passed by, I just relied on two things: either I have them wrapped in Rustan's, National Bookstore, or any other store that offered gift wrapping service. Worse, there was a time when only paper bags of the stores (whether they have themed paper bags or not) were the ones used as "gift wrappers."

This year, I have decided that those days are gone, and that I will go back to my liking for wrapping gifts. This time however, I choose to be a little more crafty, and to have my own brand or style of wrapping gifts. I bought a ball of twine from Craft Central, washi tapes from various sellers (mostly IG / FB sellers), and kraft paper (three huge rolls from a main supplier in Pasay) as my materials to wrap gifts. I also ordered customised gift tags (one for Christmas, one for any occasion) from Post Script Designs. I love Post Script's products and have been ordering from them since 2013! 

Anyway, I'm sure I would have so much fun wrapping gifts, thinking of ideas on how to make use of simple and inexpensive materials. 

This Christmas season, I have already started wrapping a few gifts, and although at first it was a bit tiring and such a slow start for me (I even got help from our helpers), I slowly got the hang of it. I loved the end products, I must say! Each gift has a different design, thanks to the number of Christmas-themed wash tapes I hoarded hahaha.

I plan to attend gift wrapping workshops in the future so that I would gain more knowledge, experience, and ideas in the art of gift wrapping. Oh happy heart! 

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The Hunt for the Perfect Planner

I have always loved blogging, mainly because since I was a child, I loved to write in my journals. Though I stopped for a while, it truly is a blessing that I have rediscovered journalling. More than ever, I am focused in documenting my life, my thoughts and dreams, and even my kids' growing up years via this blog and a personal journal. Why the need for a written journal when there is the blogosphere right?

For me, there is a certain nostalgia and sentimentalism when it comes to writing in a journal. Besides, not all I can put here in my blog. :)

Anyway, I started hunting for the perfect journal/planner back in September, and I finally decided in getting this lovely Day Designer planner:

I'm not the type who likes cutesie stuff, but I do have a weakness for pink, polka dots, and gold. So imagine when I saw this one with all three elements! I have yet to receive this from the US - ordered this from Belle & Blush, but I look forward to using this for my daily chores, to do's, and most likely anything about our business - meetings, activities, and tasks.

Before November came, I got fixated with the Starbucks 2016 planner. Sure, I had those planners back in 2011-2013, even if I hardly drink coffee (officemates mates helped me back then!), but stopped for a year because I felt that after years of using it at the office, I didn't really use it. However, 2016 planner is different... thanks to its collaboration with Moleskine! Now we're talking, right?

I have been a Moleskine user as its notebooks served as my sketchbook and journal, so this was a happy surprise. I would love to have the white version (weekly with memo), and I am 3 stickers away from bagging it! I will most likely use this for my kids' schedules and school activities, plus most likely as my blog planner too. We'll see.

All the madness rushed in, and suddenly I am obsessed with finding the perfect journal that would serve as my main journal since my Moleskine got filled up already. I went to Scribe in Megamall, looking for the Midori limited Blue edition (Pan Am Edition) travel notebook, but I was told that there was no more stock. However, before I left the shop, I was called back, and the lady informed me that the one that was reserved hasn't been claimed for 3 days already, meaning I could have it! It must be fate. Upon seeing it the first time, I was IN LOVE. I knew this was the journal for me.

It is a bit expensive, and the inserts may break my wallet's spine (tehehehe), but having read all positive reviews, I know it is worth it. Besides, there are local suppliers selling in IG that sell their own version of inserts that fit the Midori Travel Notebook at much cheaper price. I got a few from Noted Journal, and others I have looked at are: Planners and Journals, Shmily Arts and Crafts, and CN Crafts. I was too tempted to get their own version of travel notebooks too, but had to restrain and tell myself that I already have a gorgeous Midori to keep me company.

I have also eyed Alunsina Handbound Books since 2013, but I ended up buying the Simplified Planner and the Home Base Binder by Emily Ley. On hindsight I wished I got the Alunsina notebooks too, but hey, no regrets, since the SP has served its purpose too.

The Alunsina journals are among the most gorgeous leather journals I have seen, plus they are locally made!

The brand also offers travel notebooks, a serious contender to the Midori.

I was really torn between the two, but the Midori finally won me over. There is still a very good chance I'd be getting one of these (or both journal and travel notebook), but for now, I think I should be contented with my Midori and maximise its full potential.

I really look forward to organising, crafting and documenting my life more, and hopefully these planners and journals will help me in my journey. :)

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Beauty Loot: Burberry Oxblood and Fresh Glow

I was all too happy to have finally received the Burberry beauty loot that I ordered via Instagram: LizzyxCosmetique more than a month ago! I chanced upon the Youtube video of Burberry's Spring Summer 2016 Makeup Tutorial. I immediately fell in love with the look... I mean, who wouldn't want to have a clean and fresh looking face, with a burst of dark lip right?

Here's the video, which I kept on watching over and over again to remind myself how to recreate the look.



I got obsessed with the products used, specifically the Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base and the Lip Velvet in Oxblood. I also wanted to get the contour pencil, but alas, reality took hold of me, and I gotta save and just get what I know I would use anytime, always.

Besides, I think I got a lot of beauty loot already in a short span of time, specifically lipsticks. That will be another post, as I think it's about time for me to check all my lipstick loot and see what I would keep and what I would give away (my usual Christmas tradition hahaha). I also plan to share what I use on a daily basis as my "base makeup." Again, very timely since my husband is already giving me the evil eye and grumbles that I should stow away my makeup stuff and put them in my makeup case. :)


EDIT: I got to try the Oxblood, and it is similar to Tom Ford's Bruised Plum, but not quite. Oxblood is a little more red-based than Bruised Plum. Bruised Plum is, well, on the plum side. Both are gorgeous!

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Quote for the Week: Our Home

While stuck in traffic, I noticed that EDSA was cleaner than usual: new barriers and newly painted road stripes. It dawned on me that all these revamping of streets and streetscaping were for the upcoming APEC, of which we are the host and foreign dignitaries will come in. I told my husband that if we can clean up the streets during international events where we are hosts, I think we are capable of maintain them regularly. But why don't we? Why do we only tidy up our "house" to be at its best only when there are guests coming? Is this another "pakitang tao" attitude of ours?

Then I remembered one of our Filipino customs wherein we make our guests welcome by always preparing our home, bringing out new plates, utensils, and what have you... then keep them all and stored once guests are gone, never to be used until the next guests are expected.

This is one thing I do not understand, for I believe that keeping our homes clean, maintaining it regularly, and prettifying it with things that are meaningful and that we love, are activities that do not need an audience. Our home, in a way, reflects us, how we currently live, and how we want to live in the future. I do not bring out the best china and utensils when there are guests. In fact, I want my dinnerware, flatware, glassware, and cutlery that I use daily to be the best that I can afford. Of course there will still be those that are for special occasions, but I still use them once in a while - guests or no guests.

I'm not saying that we all be strict and leave no room for messiness here in there. There is, after all, a situation called "creative mess." The quote reminded me that just like crafting our life to have purpose and meaning, we need to make more effort in making sure that our home is kept and filled with all the things that we love and evoke memories of happiness.

After all, it is a place where truly love grows.

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Home Decor: Our Own Home Project

I am so excited to have finally found the contractor who will update our home decor! It's not a total overhaul, but the priorities of this home renovation project are two things: updating the wall's colours and streamlining our shelving and cabinetry.

Here are the inspirations (read: must copy!) for our project.

Master Bedroom
We are in terrible need of organising and updating our master's bedroom. Aside from adding my own table, there was not much that changed for the last 10 years.

Our room used to have a pale lovely lavender color with white accents (open shelves and cabinets). Now I'm opting to have a wonderful French-y pale blue, still with white accents.

The walls will be painted in Benjamin Moore "White Satin"

Definitely we will replace our bed with this new design. Space permitting, maybe this is the year when I will finally have my forever-in-my-wish list mirrored bedside table. LOVE.

For our bathroom, currently it has a Spring Green wall with off-white tiles. There's a B&W frame with a photo of a B&W calla lily, plus a hug he black-bordered mirror. We will retain the tiles (too expensive to change), but change the color to something softer: Benjamin Moore "Ballet White."

A small vanity cabinet will be installed for our personal care products. I would still retain our ivory towels but probably add powder blue ones for color.


Living Room / Dining Room
Our current walls have sage green color, and much as I love it, I would like to try to my first love... white, or off white at least. I have found the perfect white in Benjamin Moore's "Simply White." Don't you just love the name?

We will maintain our foyer wall's color, Ace paint's "Daydream," which is a dupe for Benjamin Moore's "Danube Blue" below. 

I totally love this color as it is a nice contrast to the painting hanging on our wall. Just imagine gilded picture frames of various shapes and designs!

Until now I'm still in love with our foyer, so definitely we will not change it. In this pic, it's a little turquoise-y but really, above color is more accurate.

This home design has been my crush since I saw it last year, as it compliments nicely to the blue wall we have.

I would love to have that cerulean color for our sofa! We will have ours reupholstered, plus new foam will be used. Together with our blue wall, this would be such a contrast to our white walls and white kitchen!

Dining Room

Our dining room will have the same wall color as our living area, since our condo is an open space type of layout. Below are the inspirations for our little dining nook. I would still want to have those Louis chairs, likely in cream wood and champagne upholstery.

Our second bathroom needs a facelift too, but I guess it's more on updating the red walls into a softer hue, just like this BJ's "Hush."

Goodness, I can't wait till our home's facelift is done. I just hope that the result will be as lovely as our ideas and inspirations.

Speaking of inspirations, I'm also glad that 2016's Color of the year for Benjamin Moore is "Simply White." It is indeed a happy coincidence, but hey, I'm not complaining! I have loved white second to green... well I use a lot of white really! Such a treat to know too that most of the colours I have chosen are in the 2016 color trends. Check it out.

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Van's List 2: TV Nights

When it comes to fashion, I definitely love the Fall Winter collection. I guess it is the same when it comes to TV shows, because I seem to enjoy more the Fall TV lineup. :) This year, there is just too much to choose from, but I just have to put in my list those that I couldn't wait to see. Here are the 6 shows that keep me late at night and leave me wanting for more.

1. Quantico - this was one of the shows I have eagerly anticipated ever since I learned about it a few months ago. It is by chance that I stumbled upon it, and I almost forgot about it until I saw the list of Fall TV Premier again (thanks Cinemablend). The storyline is very promising, with the right amount of action and mind games.

2. Scandal - started late with this, but thank goodness I got in the bandwagon. Question is, how long till the angle of failed attempts of being together gets old? Not sure about that, but for now, I still keep on waiting for the next episode after watching the last.

3. Reign - Craig Parker  aka Stephane Narcisse. Enough said. :D

4. Downton Abbey - I still feel sad that this is going to be the last season. I will miss all the characters once the show's curtains fall. I do have all the seasons, so I can watch it whenever I feel like it. :)

5. The Good Witch - LOVE LOVE LOVE. The Good Witch used to be a yearly movie offering by Hallmark Channel, but early this year Hallmark offered it as a series. Though the 2nd season will start early next year, the Halloween special was already shown. I just can't get enough of the series (and the earlier movie offerings), and I love it enough to watch everything at least three times already.

6. The Originals - I have loved The Vampire Diaries since it aired, but there is something in the spin-off "The Originals" that pulled me more. This 3rd season first fees episodes provide that I will be glued again to this show.

Honestly, there are a lot more shows that I watch, so yeah, here are the rest of the shows that keep me up till the wee hours of the morning, and kept me from getting out of bed too!

• Gotham
• Scorpion
• NCIS LA
• Blindspot
• Minority Report
• Supergirl
• Scream Queens
• The Bastard Executioner
• Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
• The Flash
• Arrow
• American Horror Story
• Law and Order SVU
• Chicago PD
• Code Black
• Empire
• Rosewood
• Heroes Reborn
• How To Get Away With Murder
• Grey's Anatomy
• Sleepy Hollow
• The Black List
• The Vampire Diaries
• Haven
• Ancient Aliens
• Da Vinci's Demons
• The Walking Dead
• The Last Kingdom
• CSI Cyber
• The Good Wife
• Madam Secretary
• Homeland

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Van's Kitchen: Pan-Fried Steak

Arguably steak is one of my favourite food, and I keep on telling those non-steak eaters that they are missing half of their lives if they don't eat steak. I love them all, from the humblest breakfast steak to the most extravagant of Wagyu's / Kobe's.

I usually just grill steaks with very little seasoning: olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Sometimes I rub in a little Dijon mustard and a sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce. When I do pan-fry them I add in a dollop of butter when cooking, plus a dollop more on top when serving.

It was a pleasant and lovely chance that I got to watch Gordon Ramsey do his version of pan-frying steak. What better way to share it to you than to show the actual video.


These were the tools and ingredients I used to do my own:

Kitchen tools:

• cast iron skillet
• tongs

Ingredients:

• Steaks (I used tenderloin, which was what I had that time)
• Salt and Pepper - rub them on to the steaks seconds before frying!
• Olive Oil
• Dried Thyme (used a teaspoon) - I highly recommend using the fresh one!
• Garlic (since I love garlic, I used a lot, 5 cloves hehehe)
• Unsalted Butter ( I used a lot too since I love butter)

Enjoy!

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Quote for The Week: Craft a Life of Purpose

I got this quote from Joshua Becker's Becoming Minimalist Facebook Page. It is a simple but powerful message, as crafting an examined and purposeful life oftentimes involves difficult decisions to make and take. Decluttering one's life to unearth a meaningful one involves carefully weeding out all the nuisances you currently have: habits, material things, and even persons. When I say nuisances, I mean those that do not add value to the life you want to live. It is not about just taking out what you don't like or are too difficult, since there are some that may be hard to deal with, but you learn a lesson or two from them.

In my case, I have to examine the life I wanted to have, what purpose do I want? After examining and deciding that this is the kind of life I want to live in, then I list down what are the values I need to have in order to support the life I wanted to craft. What then are the major aspects of my life? I need to assess which contribute and which do not. It is hard, but I must wean off from those that bring me farther way from my goal, in order to spend more time to maintain, nourish, and cultivate those that matter.

To summarize,

• Examine what you want in life.
• Reflect what values you need, the principles and beliefs you live by.
• List what major habits, persons, material possessions you have - everything, not just the good and the bad.
• Carefully assess if they contribute to the life you wanted to live.
• Decide to remove those that do not add value.
• Maintain, nourish, and cultivate those that are important.

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Home Decor: The Charm of Paris Rentals

Ah, Paris. I have longed to visit that place I've been reading, watching, and hearing about. Apart from  French food and historic places, what I wanted to see and experience is that of Parisian rentals. There is something so simple, yet classic and elegant about the design of these rentals... well at least from what I saw so far in the internet, tv shows, and magazines. Just like Scandinavian style homes, I have been compiling photos of lovely Parisian rentals designs, which I hope I could replicate when we finally redesign our little Casa Pineda. Here's one rental that serves as my (current) inspiration.

Images from: Time and Place

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Money Matters: Organizing Bills

Back when I was single, organising bills was a pretty much a non-issue, since the only bills I paid were my credit card bills. Things get a little complicated when I got married (not only finances hahaha!), and at first I was able to cope with my bills payment by just remembering them. Thanks to age, kids, and additional bills, I had to resort to organising my bills payment. Thank goodness for the Internet, where people share their tips and tricks (and tools) to make life easier to manage.

I have been using this Annual Bill Schedule printable from Organizing Home Life, and I must say that I love, love love this (among her other printables, which are must-prints!).

Not only do I get to track what expenses are due for the month, but I could tick them off once I paid them already. Believe me, with the number of bills I needed to pay every month, this printable comes in really handy. The year is almost ending, so it is about time for me to edit and print it out. This is seriously a must-have. :)

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Beauty Loot: Picture Polish

I rarely get hit by the nail polish bug, but when I do, I hoard.

I remembered the days when my husband used to ask me if I was planning on setting up my own nail salon because of the daily deliveries of nail polish orders I had. That came to a halt when I got pregnant with my second child. I still wore nail polish, but rarely. In order not to waste all the polishes I had, I lent all of them to my staff at work.

Fast forward to now, here I am hoarding my favourite polishes: a-England, Zoya, and Picture Polish. Right now I am featuring the latest two polishes I got from my trusted online seller, Polish Please. Both are introduced this year, are 5-Free, and dries smooth on the nail.

First up is Bardot. It is a French baby pink jelly scatter holo, and described as "French in every way a sultry fashion forward siren." I could very well see the French in it once applied on my nails. This reminds me of Brigitte Bardot, so I guess the polish's name does suit it perfectly. The baby-ness of the pink is just gorgeous, while the subtler silver scatter holo makes it unique (well at least to me). This is a colour that anyone can wear anytime, be it at school (if allowed!), work, or at parties. Honestly I'm not into pink shades, since I am more of a red or burgundy type of girl, but this lovely polish had me at hello. It's currently what I'm wearing now. :)

Next is Karma. This was actually the first one that caught my eye when the nail polish bug bit me. I was so in love with it that I got heartbroken when I was told that it was out of stock and that it may take a while before it was restocked. I forgot about it until Polish Please sent me a Viber message informing me that it was already available (after months!).

The picture I took below did not do any justice to how gorgeous and rich the polish looked. According to the website, Karma is a vampy eggplant (purple) jelly scatter holo, inspire by the night sky. "Karma can be as radiant as the starry sky and mysterious as the dark night." Perfect description! The irony though is that under sunlight, the polish bursts with magical colour! Perfect for Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Love love love.

Ok, here's one more photo of Karma, just to have a better idea on how truly wonderful the colour is. Got this from Polish Please's IG account.

Lovely, right?

I'm currently eyeing Picture Polish in Bordeaux. See why.

However, in order to save on shipping costs, I need to order another one. I hope that by the time I do, it is still available!

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Van's List 1: Nudes and French Food

This marks the first of a series of blog posts that features my favourites for the week. Enjoy!

1. Charlotte Tilbury Very Victoria Matte Revolution Lipstick and Lip Cheat Iconic Nude

Lately I have been on a lipstick bing (will blog about it soon), and the latest lipstick loot I purchased were Charlotte Tilbury's Very Victoria Matte Revolution Lipstick and Lip Cheat (Liner) in Iconic Nude. I love the velvety smooth texture once I applied both on my lips. I must say that this one should be included in every woman's lipstick arsenal, for those days when you just want to have that muted elegance look.

I purchased mine via Instagram: Cebu Makeup Online

2. My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

I finally got hold of this book! I've been wanting to have this book for the longest time (well, since it was first published), but was at first hesitant because I have purchased a lot of cookbooks in the past. My curiosity finally gave in, and so now I am happy as a clam. I have only read the Introduction and browsed through the pages (sorry I just received the book last night), but wow, I am loving it so far. Can't wait to try the recipes!

I purchased my copy online via National Bookstore.

3. Uniqlo IDLF Cashmere Crewneck Sweater

Are you also like me who can't get enough of Uniqlo's Ines de la Fressange line? If so, then you understand the excitement I felt when I found out of her latest collection. The pieces are obviously geared towards colder temperatures, but there are still a couple of pieces that are suitable to our warm climate. Take this beige cashmere crew neck sweater. Can't wait to wear this when I go to Tagaytay!

4. Zara Culotte Jeans

The culotte craze is here again, but unlike the past, the style today is somewhat more streamlined (not to flouncy). I have seen a lot of women wear this in basic black, so I was very happy to have chanced upon the jeans version in Zara. Just the right length and silhouette for me. Do check it out!

5. Givenchy Pepe Pandora Bag

This bag is in my Wishlist for some time now, but I haven't had the nerve to purchase one. I a loving the tan color, but perhaps I would wait for other colours to be available since this looks very close to the Alexa bag I have.Which reminds me... I should take that bag out this week!


6. Valentino Rockstud Pumps

Ahh, the very one that I would really really want to have soon. I have been wanting to get hold of the Valentino Rockstud shoes ever since the first version (flats) came out. Unfortunately, it was always sold out, until I gave up. Then the pumps came in. It's been years since I planned to get one, but until now I haven't gotten one. My sister even ended up purchasing one ahead of me! Why the hesitation? First, the color. I wanted the Italian Pop Grey for so long, but it seems it doesn't want to get owned by me. I have been waiting (until now), but so far, no notifications of its availability have ventured its way to my inbox. Second, the price tag. Ugh. Every time I decide to just get a neutral color (such as this lovely tan), I couldn't get myself to click that final button. Would've been easier if I was working (hahaha), but I think it really is just a matter of time before I do so. Until then, this remain's in my Wishlist.

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Van's Kitchen: Paella

Cooking Paella is a big deal in our household, so when we decide to have it as our main meal, everybody is serious and gets down to business.

Today was a trying day though, because the seafood ingredients were hard to find, even if usually these were available! I had to go to two markets and two grocery stores just to get hold of fresh seafood! There was that option of buying in advance and freeze them, but I have always been iffy about it, thus buying fresh ingredients on the day is very important to me.

At the end of it all though, cooking paella is so worth it. Just take a look the the finished product...

The photo did not do justice to it though, since I only used my phone to take a photo. We couldn't wait to dig into it, so there was no time to do those photo-ops. Hahaha.

Here's how I cooked our Paella. It is based on the Paella on the Grill by Bobby Flay. Thank goodness I got to watch it on Food Network, and I have been cooking paella this way ever since.

PAELLA

Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken cutlets
1 kilo clams, scrubbed
1 kilo mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 kilo crabs (the alimasag type), cleaned, cooked, and halved
1/2 kilo jumbo shrimps, shelled but leaving the tails
1/2 kilo squid (medium size)
2 lemons, halved
1/4 kilo scallops
1/4 cup canola oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken stock
1 large pinch of saffron (this is a non-negotiable for me)
1/4 cup olive oil (1 tbsp for the lemons)
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 head of garlic - cut crosswise, then finely chopping the top half and retaining the lower half.
1/2 kilo chorizo de Bilbao, sliced thinly
2 red bell peppers, sliced thinly.
4 cups rice (I used 3 cups Sinandomeng and 1 cup malagkit or glutinous rice)
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 /2 cup frozen peas, thawed


How to cook:

• Brush the chicken cutlets with some of the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken over low heat, making sure that the chicken does not get burned. Once cooked, set them aside.
• Meanwhile pour the chicken stock in a saucepan and add the saffron. Let it simmer until the stick is quite boiling. Add the clams and cook until they are open. Remove them to a bowl, discarding those that are not open. Add the mussels and cook until they are open. Remove to a bowl and discard those that are not open. Note: do not overcook! Set aside the stock.
• Brush all the seafood with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill them until they are almost cooked through. Be careful not to over cook them! Set aside the grilled seafood.
• Brush the lemons with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill them cut side down for about 45 seconds, then set aside. 
• Heat the olive oil in a large paellera. Sauté the onions and garlic (even the bottom half of the garlic), then add the chorizos and bell peppers. 
• Add the rice and cook - stir it constantly for a few minutes. Add the chicken + saffron stock one cup at a time, stirring the rice a few times. Keep on doing so until the rice is almost cooked. At this point I don't stir the paella rice anymore. NOTE: I know some may disagree in stirring the rice, saying that this is a no-no, but I don't care. I've seen one show featuring Spanish food and in Valencia, the veteran cook was stirring the rice.
• When the rice is cooked, I arranged all the grilled chicken and seafood on top of the rice, burying them slightly here and there. Scatter the peas on top. I let the paella cook (low heat) for about 2-3 minutes. 
• Squeeze the juice of two lemon halves over the paella, and nestle the rest in the rice.
• Scatter the parsley on top of the paella. Serve hot.

Usually I serve Sangria, but in this case, I just opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio to go with the paella. By the way, for those who are looking for a good Pinot Grigio, I know that lately this type of wine is hard to find. However, I found a couple of bottles in M&S stores. :)

Enjoy cooking and eating. 

Always remember, cook for pleasure, eat with pleasure. :)

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