9.30.2013

Currently Craving: Ballerinas & Slippers Edition

If we would have met a few years ago, you would have seen this girl that would wear stilettos almost for every occasion. I would wear them for work, walk fifteen blocks in them without complaining. I was almost a Carrie Bradshaw running around in them. I would dance five hours straight on weddings or clubs and make it home without my feet in pain. I could've actually jogged in heels. 
I'm actually not kidding if I say I was a pro.

But since I moved to the UAE, where almost every woman wears heels that are actually closer to being stilts, I changed groups and ditched the heels (completely). I used to wear them when we went out, but in the past few months we've been enjoying our new place and haven't gone out that much. So what happened? Don't laugh...
On my first day at work, I went in my heels to show confidence and you know...look professional. Ten minutes later, I was already regretting it. The thing is, our office's floor (it's similar to parquet) is extremely loud when walking on it, especially with heels. That day, everybody in the office could hear my every move. It was almost embarrassing. And I'm not the only one...a few weeks ago, this new colleague started and I observed her walking in her heels through the office. You could see her trying to avoid the "clak clak clak" of her steps. But unfortunately there's nothing we can do against that floor except for switching to flats.

That's the real story behind my ever growing love for ballerinas, slippers, loafers, etc. And these are the ones that I would love to wear to work everyday. Well, maybe all except no. 4...I'd leave those for the weekends. I was about to try them on during my last Europe trip, but I walked away of them because after that Saint Laurent tote I had to take a break. 
1. Kitty embroidered velvet slippers, Charlotte Olympia / 2. Varina show leather and suede ballerinas, Salvatore Ferragamo / 3. 10MM Varina suede flats, Salvatore Ferragamo / 4. Crest embellished velvet smoking slippers, Miu Miu / 5. Bow patent leather ballerina flats, Red Valentino

An extra pinch of heels: remember the armadillo?

9.27.2013

Weekly RoundUp - #weekendreads

Although I'm no Anna Wintour or Anna Dello Russo, during the past weeks I've been following the latest presentations or shows of the big fashion houses. Starting in New York, then London and later in Milan, Fashion Week has finally made it to its last destination and personally, the most important of them all: Paris.
The picture below is part of the history of fashion week and even if you're not that into fashion, you might find it interesting to read this piece about how it used to be back then, when it all started.


This weekend we will probably run a few errands, but not much more. Although, you never know what the days bring and maybe something else might come up :)

Have a great weekend!! xoxo


When it comes to fashion and street style blogs, I know them all and I almost follow them all. Now the ones with kids I don't understand, but this one is wonderful!

Freedom's ring.

I bet you had at least one of these! I had the StarTAC but wanted a Nokia so bad!!!

Attach your memory to a place. Not bad.

Hermes, this vs. mass production.

Who doesn't like Google's doodles? I think you always learn something with them or at least refresh your memory.

The type fight - for designers.

Generation Y Yuppies

I have to start memorising these to fill the silence.

9.23.2013

Monday-Yumday: Empanadas

A typical argentinian dish are the empanadas.
If you've been to any South-American or Latin-American country, you might have come across one of these. I know them from my home country, but I've already tried empanadas made by a Peruvian and also found them on my first trip to Spain. Though all of them taste different and each country has its own twist to it, the empanada reminds me of home.

In Argentina, you will find them in every "pizzería" and in a lot of restaurants. Otherwise, you can also buy the ready-made dough and only prepare the filling. The most typical filling is the one with minced beef, egg and olives. The one I like the most is the "empanada de jamón y queso" (with ham and cheese). But you will find a huge variety: from cheese and onion, chicken, caprese or even corn. They're delicious in every "flavour" and form (...mouthwatering)!!

There are very few dishes I miss from Argentina. Empanadas are definitely one of them!
So after moving to the UAE, I had to do something about it because I was really starting to crave empanadas. The only thing that was blocking me was the dough. The most important of it all. So after investigating and doing my research, I finally tried to to them. And the result was heavenly.
I remember I had put little salt, but everything else was perfect!!!

Since then, I've tried to improve my technique and get it right with the dough, but lately it seems to me that I haven't made any progress. How disappointing! Even last time when I asked my hubby if he wanted me to make them again, he suggested (he was actually trying to hide the fact that he didn't like them the last time) to do something else.

Nonetheless, I wanted to share with you this recipe. Of course, there are a lot of different recipes online and I'm not telling you that this one is the best there is. I'm only sharing a similar recipe to the one I used. And what I would also suggest is to try different fillings and decide which one you like the most.

Empanadas
(by Martha Stewart)

#chefK comments:

+ they're great when having a casual dinner party with friends. You don't necessarily  have to set up the table, since they can be eaten with the hands and a napkin.
+ kids usually love them!
+ if you make them smaller, you can use them as starter, snack or finger-food.

(-) don't let the having to prepare a dough situation scare you off. You'll feel great at the end!!
(-) when using cheese for the filling, make sure to close it properly, since otherwise you'll find the cheese outside the empanada.

One of my ham & cheese empanadas, pre-oven
Dinner is ready!!!
Have you done empanadas before? Will you try them?

Have a great week!! (for me it already started yesterday)


An extra pinch of empanadas: I didn't want to brag, but this guy knows what he's talking about when stating which city is the empanada capital of the world. This is their recipe.

PS: an ode to the empanada

9.20.2013

No Weekly RoundUp this week - #sorry

On my last Weekly RoundUp post I had mentioned I was going on a business trip to Europe.
I arrived a few days ago, but I didn't have any time to relax because I had to go back to the office. I must say, the week wasn't as stressful as it could have been, but I'm physically exhausted. Don't you have those weeks where you can sleep as much as you like but still feel tired?
I'm so glad that the weekend already started for us. Although now that I think about it, I've been cleaning, cleaning and cleaning...
Before leaving I made sure to leave everything like new, so that my little baby (aka my husband) wouldn't have to touch or do anything (which he wouldn't have done anyway). Even though according to him he did do some cleaning last weekend, you can imagine how everything looks after two weeks of nothing. I will need a weekend after this weekend to recover.

The only moment I will have to relax will be in front of our TV, while watching The Sopranos. I know...you're probably thinking "Whaaat? Did she say Sopranos?". Yes, my husband had already watched this great show, but I didn't. I was very surprised when he agreed without any hesitation to watch it all over again with me. And now we're hooked up...it's the only thing we watch, there's no time to lose.

Have you watched it? Do you like movies, series or novels that revolve around the criminal organization or Italian mafia?

Here I leave you with the amazing opening song of the show: "Woke up this morning" by Alabama 3.



I'm sorry for completely changing the subject. But I feel like I haven't landed yet and need a few more days to put everything in order. Then I'll be back with the usual posts...

Another pinch of mafia: this is the other show we are watching and that just started its fourth season. So excited!!!

9.16.2013

Monday-Yumday: Tomato and Avocado overdose

I think I already mentioned in a previous food post how much I liked avocado, didn't I? Because if I didn't then let me tell you now: I'm an avocado freak!

I can actually remember the first time I found avocado on my plate. This was at my best friend's place and we were having dinner. As a starter they served us plain avocado slices with a lemon and pepper mayonnaise. Believe it or not, that night I didn't even touch the plate because I was convinced I wouldn't like it. I gave the entire plate to my friend who devoured it (now I know why). If I could only take it back...I still regret that decision.

So now, after discovering that I actually like it (a LOT) I'm always adding a few slices here and there or make a delicious guacamole to snack while watching a movie.

A few weeks ago, I thought I would add something else and decided to make tomato bruschetta. I'm not going to copy the guacamole recipe, because the one I do is extremely simple and plain and you probably have your own version. But for the bruschetta I used the following version:

Tomato Bruschetta
(by Williams-Sonoma)

#chefK comments:

+ extremely easy to prepare
+ ideal when you're having guests

(-) make sure that the crust of the bread you use isn't very hard already, because after putting it in the oven it will get too hard (not good for the teeth!)
(-) I will definitely do this one again, but next time I will use large tomatoes and cut them into small pieces. The cherry tomatoes ended up being to big for the bruschetta.

Perfect snacks for a movie night

An extra pinch of avocado for aficionados: did you say avocado beer??

9.06.2013

Weekly RoundUp - #workworkwork

Via Explore Fashion from NatGeo
Tonight I will be leaving again but this time for work. It's been hectic and I probably won't be able to post during next week, but I will do my best. You know...work is work.

And no, I'm not flying to NYC for FW. My destination is Europe, again!

Have a great weekend!! See you soon :)


There's something about macro photography that I admire.

Truffle hunting has gone to the dogs.

We have grumpy car, lil bub and now apparently we also have the disappointed cat.

Best booth idea I've seen so far.

Mustache facts.

Tiny hats for cats.

Top 10 dishes in Seoul (via VSL).

Still smiling.

Men do Makeup: hilarious.

How to be a New Yorker tips.

What do flowers symbolise.


An extra pinch of nasty food: beware of the top 30 worst foods in the US.

9.04.2013

Lost in thought: Analog Photography

So this is what happened:
Two days ago as I was making my daily blog rounds, when I suddenly came across this one post with pictures that had been taken with an analog camera. It then hit me for the first time in years. We are so immersed in this world that's becoming more digital by the hour, that we forget that old things also have their beauty.
I was amazed by the quality of these film pictures. Both the digital and analog where extraordinary, but after so many years of only seeing digital (mostly on a screen, because let's face it...how many pictures have you printed out and put in albums in the last few years? yes, I thought so too) I was blown away by the quality, the retro-flair and the fact of having a hard copy on my hand.

Since then (that means, these past two days and probably today as well) I've been reading and reading about the pros and cons, the costs, the best cameras, etc. You know, the thorough investigation you make when you want to buy electronic devices.

My mother is an amateur gone semi-pro photographer that has been shooting B&W with her analog camera and developing her own pictures. As almost everyone nowadays, she also owns a digital camera (DSLR) and goes crazy while traveling or on holidays. Like the rest of us, she then comes home with thousands of pictures that have to be filtered, deleted or slightly improved. Of course it's very easy to share them with the world and you have a big list of other benefits that have come with digital cameras.
But then you always have to make sure to have a back-up, because we've all already experienced that moment where our computer all of a sudden decides it's a good moment to stop working. Wonderful times!!

I have a digital camera, that at first accompanied me everywhere. But now, my iPhone has become my best friend when it comes to taking pictures. The other one is too heavy to carry around every time (and it's not even a DSLR).
What to do...I'm really tempted. I would have to take out all of my notes from the photography seminar I took a while ago, because analog means manual. But this means taking photography more as an art and in another pace, instead of shooting 300 pictures a day. And I would only use it for special occasions that I consider worth of having on paper and with that quality (so that I won't end up broke after a few months).

What do you think? Do you have one? Do you know someone who shoots analog?

(via devianART)
Thoughts swirling around in my head...

9.02.2013

Monday-Yumday: Pecorino-crusted chicken + Mushroom salad

From my first couple of recipes I tried out here you can tell that I went crazy on Bon Appetit's website.

I remember when downloading this particular recipe and deciding that I wanted to try it out, I wasn't too convinced about it. Not because it was too complicated (because it's completely the opposite), but the chicken with mayonnaise and cheese? I had my doubts. 

The pictures are from the 2nd time I made this dish, because my husband loved it so much that I came back to it the last time I wasn't feeling very creative in the kitchen. This time I made some changes though and adapted it to use some ingredients I had at home.

I hope you enjoy it!!

Pecorino-crusted Chicken and Mushroom Salad
(by Bon Appetit)

#chefK comments:

+ another easy and quick dish
+ the first time I strictly followed all the ingredients, but this time I decided I would replace the parsley for coriander. For someone that isn't a parsley fan, great alternative!
+ if you're not sure about eating raw mushrooms, let me tell you that after 30'+ marinating you wouldn't believe that they're raw
+ despite of doubting the mayo+chicken+cheese mix, when ready there's no trace of the mayonnaise

(-) the first time I prepared the chicken, I had sliced it too thin so that the more I waited for the cheese to get brown, the drier the chicken got
(-) if you have hungry men at home, make more mushrooms. Dry mushroom portions look enough, but once they're humid (=after marinating in liquids) you'll see only half of the portion


Result: Pecorino-crusted chicken with mushroom salad
Enjoy!!

9.01.2013

Happy September!

I'm already sitting in the office and I know you are still enjoying your lovely weekend (ugh...so not fair)!!

Today a new month starts. Can you believe we're already in September? SEPTEMBER?? The 9th month of the year??
The older I get, the faster the days, months, years pass by. We better enjoy every second we get, right?



Enjoy this funny remake of "Blurred Lines" with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots with classroom instruments. And it sounds amazing!!