Friday, July 30, 2010

So Necessary: Summer Skirts à la American Apparel



It doesn't get much better than American Apparel staples- the leggings, the tri-cotton blends, the hoodies, but have you seen their skirts?  Short, flirty, and perfect for the dog days of summer.  What are you wearing this weekend?  Happy Friday, loves! 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Food Adventures: Summer Eats (no, I'm not a hippie, I just want to rock my bikini)

ALOE VERA JUICE
2-4 oz. daily is said to aid in digestion, improve circulation, detoxify the body, and clean from the inside! You can find it at Trader's for $7.99/gallon, but beware- it's for your health, not for taste!!
{image via}

MANGO AND BANANA SUNRISE SMOOTHIE
Light, sweet, and a perfect way to start a summer day.  Aside from fruit, I add ice, organic soy milk, and flax seeds.  Looking for ways to to mix it up?  See here for unique smoothie adds like rosewater, avocado, and even grated ginger!
{via USAgoodfood}

TOMATO AND AVOCADO SALAD
I can't get enough of tomatoes in the summer time!  I've been throwing together a simple salad of chopped tomatoes and avocado slices and drizzling them with olive oil for quick, light meals.  While the two combined are delicious, I was even more delighted when I found out here that together, they're just as nutritious too! 
{via Adrienneats}

QUINOA
I've heard many good things about this little grain-like seed so I finally threw a box of it into my Trader Joe's bag.  Quinoa is a complete protein and a good source of the following: magnesium, fiber, manganese, and copper.  Hopefully it's tasty too!  See here for unique quinoa recipe ideas and see if you can guess the chosen recipe for my first quinoa dish!
{via 101cookbooks)

BANANA BITES
I attended my best friend's birthday get together last weekend, and although I was short on time, I decided to make the banana bites recently featured on Cup of Jo.  Dark chocolate and fruit is good for you , right?  They were snatched up in a flash and judging by the multiple recipe requests, not just because they were the only sweets on the table!  I used crushed peanuts and toasted coconut.  
{via Cup of Jo}

In the summertime, looking good in your bikini is essential, but starvation is not.  Do you have beach and pool friendly recipe suggestions?  Please share!  I need all the help I can get.
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Fortune Cookie Fake Out


Cheap Chinese food- questionable meat and soggy vegetables drowning in a cocktail of msg, extra grease, and syrupy, calorie-laden sauces.  A bad idea on many fronts especially since all the above will make you feel bloated and fat while simultaneously providing the nutritional value of cardboard.  Needless to say, sometimes shit happens and one Beef and Broccoli and Lo Mein later, there I was feeling bad about myself and hoping (there I go again relying on inanimate objects) that the childish joy of cracking open my fortune cookie would silence the worries of combo #3 pitching a tent on my hips.

One minor problem- One fortune and no cookie!  WTF?  Does the lack of the cookie cancel out my fortune?  I realize I probably could have forgone the fat, but considering my major case of the twenty-somethings, the fortune I could really use!

What does it mean when you get a fortune without a cookie?! 
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Monday, July 26, 2010

Fishtail vs French

Remember my latest summer hair solution?  The fresh fishtail?  It's just not gonna happen.  I need approx two more sets of hands or a personal hair stylist, neither of which are happening either.  Still set on boycotting the blow dryer during this sweltering summer heat wave, I settled on a classic with a twist- the French.
Side-part and swept up to keep the nape of the neck as cool as can be, I say French is just as fresh.  Looking for new ways to rock a braid? Click on Kate!
Happy Monday, loves!

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

A little Chocolate Flavored Assistance, Please

First of all, one's sanity should never ride on a cake.

As most inanimate objects, it cannot apologize when it does not pull through or pour you a glass of wine to make up for its shortcomings.

But. It had been that kind of week. A week when a cake can seem like a God-send. A week when you can bring yourself to believe in nothing more than sweet, sugary confections.

So there I was. Spending the better part of my Saturday afternoon scouring the aisles of the supermarket for all the makings of this so-called heaven sent cake.

Sugar, eggs, flour, butter, etc., etc. And a bit of hazelnut liqueur, intended to go straight from bottle to batter, but most of which went from bottle to highball and straight to...

Like I told you, it had been that kind of week.

I tentatively watched the oven. And as the cake batter rose, so did my mood.

(See, you can do something right)

By the time, it was time to frost, the tops of my two layers were evenly shaved, the kitchen near spotless, and my china laid out.

(See, everything is coming together perfectly, just like your life will)

Then, right as I started feeling better, the freshly zested orange zest frosting turned out like this...


...like someone had puked all over my chocolate hazelnut flavored hopes and dreams cake.

I found myself back at square one...

(What. The. Eff.  What a whack frosting recipe)

...taking a bite of my sad little cake and sighing with surprisingly sweet satisfaction. 


(It may not look perfect on the outside, but it sure is damn good).  

Friday, July 16, 2010

Fresh Fishtail

If you're like me, giving yourself a fabulous blow-out during the staggering heat of the summer months includes the following: watching your freshly applied make-up melt before your eyes, several cool down breaks in order to salvage said melting make-up, and the instantaneous flattening of formerly mentioned fabulous blow-out once under the sweltering sun.   


The side braid and I are good friends, but after this past weekend and seeing one girlfriend give another girlfriend a fabulous fishtail braid, my latest mission is to master the fresh fishtail.  Bobbi Brown would do as its told and stay in its place, cool down breaks would not result in a coffee-based breakfast, and my tresses would be frizz-free, flat-free, and Fergalicious.

Do you have fresh summer solutions?  Do tell, loves. 
Cheers,
Roxy

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Vogue Korea Destination II: Vietnam

As I flipped through Vogue Korea: St. Tropez, I was already feeling better about two things 1) the improved rate at which the minutes of my excruciatingly long layover were ticking by and 2) the idiotic haste with which I bought this deceiving mag, in which I could read nothing, was turning out to be not so so idiotic.  After all, pictures are half the fun, and at least I could read the designers named.  The next editorial brought exotic flavors from the Far East, and I was immediately transported from Incheon International to Vogue in Vietnam. 

{via}
Have you ever seen such a chic rice paddy hat?  I think not. 
Cheers loves...it's Thirsty Thursday.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Vogue Korea: St. Tropez

As I awaited my flight at Incheon International Airport, I couldn't help but to indulge in a little "reading material" to get me through 6 hours of layover leisure.  In my rush to feed my need for fabulous fashion, I snatched up what I thought to be the latest issue of Vogue.  Indeed, what I had purchased was Vogue July 2010, but Vogue in English, it was not.  My "reading material" turned out to be eye candy since translator I had not, and my Korean extends to hello, thank you, and cheers- all three of which are very necessary on a daily basis.  Despite the language barrier, I fully understood what Vogue Korea was trying to tell me- Brigitte Bardot had a twin, and she was fabulously Asian.





There you have it, the first of four utterly fabulous editorials I want to share with you.  What do you think?  3 more countries to visit with Vogue Korea.  Gun Bae to that, loves!

Note: My scanner is a no go so the pictures I'm sharing I found here.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Food Adventures: What Uppp Anthony Bourdain

So, I love food.  All kinds of food.  You will be hard pressed to name something I will not put in my mouth.  Well, at least once anyways.  Besides the obvious joy I get out of cooking and eating, I cannot get enough of the travel channel's No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain.  I love that he loves a good hard cocktail at any time of the day.  I love his sarcastic sense of humor.  And I love his job- will travel for food?  Sign me up.  With that said, it was only natural of me to drag my family to at least one Bourdain approved spot during our travels abroad.

Enter, Noryangjin Fish Market.  Seoul, South Korea.

"Sea squirts."  Have you ever heard of such?

Not sure, but I would definitely eat this.   Would you?

Live octopus anyone?  It was on my checklist, but we didn't have time.  I swear. 

You think I lie.  But this is exactly what your dirty little mind thinks it is- Sea Penis! HA!

In this instance, I do lie.  This is one thing I will not put in my mouth.  Not even once.  

Stingrays $20 each

 Of course there was plenty of normal seafood to be found such as shrimp, crabs, and lobster, etc., but what fun would that have been to share?  If I managed to gross you out, at the very least you learned something new today because I'm pretty sure you have never heard of our little friend, sea penis.

More on my travels to come...
Cheers loves!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Food Adventures: Seoul

One of the best ways to experience a new culture is to eat it!! Seoul cuisine is full of fresh veggies, seaweed, spicy chilis, and the traditional drink (if you dare to drink out of a shot glass as regularly as you do a water glass) soju.  Here are a few pics of my Korean food adventures...

 Rice ball with seaweed seasoning

My brother teaches English in Korea.  I haven't seen him in almost a year so I demanded I be taken on the "Lawrence" tour or basically a day in his life as an American teacher living abroad!  Gimbab Sarang, basically sushi but with cooked fish and various veggies, is something he has for lunch several times a week because for one dollar it's quite filling and not too bad!

My favorite!  Pork with spicy kimchi and fresh veggies on a grill plate.  I was sweating bullets after this one, but I couldn't stop!

Another one of my brother's favorite dishes- omelet stuffed with fried rice served with fried pork and kimchi

 Korean bbq!  Also a fave, as you can see we had it several times, but what wasn't?  The headmaster of my brother's school took all of us out to lunch as a welcome gesture!  Korean bbq is served with all kinds of tapas like dishes that include kimchi (of course), pickled radish, bean sprouts, different varieties of lettuce, and dipping sauces. MMM

I fully embraced this tradition ;)
And soju!  Soju is a traditional Korean spirit that is typically served at most meals.  Personally I think it tastes like vodka, but I may be biased to my poison of choice, and it's drank all throughout dinner just as water or any other beverage.  One thing to remember: Do not pour your own shot (apparently, it's bad luck) and never shall a shot glass go empty (also bad luck).  Crazy, right? But. Oh. So. FUN! 

More to come on my international adventures!! 
Cheers!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

I'm back! (kinda)

I know some people say that there's no place like home, but frankly it would not hurt my feelings if I were still living out of my suitcase and filling my days with shopping in Seoul to diving to the depths of the South Pacific.  While I unpack, catch up with friends, kick jet lag's ass (12 hour time diff!), and re-group my thoughts before sharing my adventures with you, I thought I'd keep you company with my latest and most exciting blogosphere adventures- a little something I'm lucky enough to start for a fantastic and most fashionable trade association.   

Click!

Can't wait to catch up loves!
Cheers,
Roxy