Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Received my Warby Parker glasses I ordered last week. If you haven't heard of them, they're an eye ware company that supplies very chic and cool frames. I went to their showroom the last time I was in NYC and placed the order online after I got my much needed eye exam. All frames are $95  (with or with out prescription and free shipping!). They're touring around the states right now in their pop up school bus shop and currently they're in Washington, DC. Check their twitter to see where exactly in DC they will be daily. I passed by them in Georgetown yesterday;)

2. Tried butterbeer for the first time. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll recognize that it's a drink mentioned in the novels which the wizards are fans of. I've never had it before and was curious since I don't normally see this on the menu. It's basically a mix of cream soda, brown sugar, butter, and rum. It tastes very similar to root beer and is really, really good. I'm tempted to recreate this in my kitchen;)

3.  I went to a newly discovered all you can eat hot pot place in Virginia. My good friend Mel wanted to check it out and I happily obliged since I haven't had hot pot in so long and the cold blast of air we've been having lately was the perfection conditions to eat this warm, satisfying meal. It was also my first day of finally being able to eat solid foods after my toothache/root canal debacle!! If you're unfamiliar with what hot pot/shabu shabu is, it's basically the Chinese/Japenese version of fondue, minus the cheese. It consists of a pot of broth where ingredients such as raw leafy vegetables (bok choy, watercress, cabbage) seafood (mussels, clams, scallops, shrimps), and thinly sliced meat are thrown in to the simmering pot to cook. The ingredients cook quickly and once it's cooked you dip it into a sauce that might be a concoction of hot chili, sesame oil, Xo sauce, Hoisin sauce, and garlic. Major nom. I will definitely be coming back to this place (Hot Spot).

4. Received an email from my Chanel SA (sales associate) stating that Chanel was participating in a gift card event at Neiman Marcus. I was surprised since Chanel never participates and is always excluded in promotions so I went to check it out. I asked her if she had any pearl necklaces in stock because that's been on my list of timeless pieces to own and she brought out several. I've been thinking about purchasing a classic Chanel pearl necklace for years but have been waiting patiently for when the time is right and this gift card event was it. Basically the promotion was that for every $500 you spend, you receive a $100 gift card. Because classic pieces never go on sale, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantages of some sort of deal because you're at least getting some sort of saving. I bought the double stranded pearl necklace where the Chanel sign is encrusted with crystals. It's an absolute gem.

5.Was invited to a pot luck/game night my friend was hosting at her and her husband's place. I made my black bean and tomato quinoa dish for the party (such a hit!) and quite honestly the picture doesn't even do justice to the food spread we had. Not pictured was stir-fry green beans, Vietnamese style wings, deep fried plantains, homemade pumpkin pie, and gingerbread cookies. The host made this amazing chana masala (Indian chick peas) which I seriously had 3 plates of. She told me she'd pass along the recipe, so get ready for a recipe that will help you understand why I would eat 3 platefuls of just that alone.We ended the night with wine/beer and the board game, Cranium. Good times.

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Linguine with Clam Sauce

We're getting fancy today in the kitchen and by fancy I mean, clams. I invited a couple of my dear girlfriends over for dinner about a week ago and wanted to charm them with a dish that sounded fancy schmancy. As I was perusing through food magazines and cookbooks I came across this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's cookbook that sounded fantastic. I was a bit hesitant that the recipe's main star was clams but here's the not so secret part: the recipe calls for canned clams. Boom.

The best part(s) about the dish is that it was easy to cook, tasty to the palate, and elegant to the eyes. They always say you eat with your eyes first, right?

The bright lemon juice mixed with sauteed clams in butter, which is tossed together with pasta and parmesan cheese that melts through and through is just heavenly. I was ecstatic to see my friends help themselves to a second bowl of pasta that night and even saw one of my friends scoop up some of the creamy sauce from the pan with her baguette. That's always a good sign. Serve this dish with a loaf of crusty baguette (I made a baked olive cheese bread to go along with the dish) and you will have a dinner served for your friends/loved ones that will surely be appreciated.

Have a great weekend. Xo.

Ingredients (Adapted from The Pioneer Woman) Yield: 4 servings; Cook time: 15 min
1 pound linguine, cooked according to package directions
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons salted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
Three 5-ounce cans chopped clams, drained (juice reserved)
3/4 cup white wine
juice of 1/2 lemon, plus lemon slices for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup whipping cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the garlic and clams; stir together. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with the spoon. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and less watery.

2. Add in 1 more Tablespoon of butter and stir to melt. Reduce heat and add lemon juice. Add parsley and cream. Add salt and pepper. Stir well and taste for seasonings, adding a splash of clam juice if the sauce needs thinning.

3. Cook over low heat for 3 additional minutes, or until heated through.

4. Place freshly cooked, hot pasta in a large bowl. Pour sauce from the skillet onto the hot linguine. Toss to combine.

5. Serve in individual bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan, more parsley and serve with lemon wedge for garnish.

Leather and Leopard

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Sweater-Gap

Leather jacket-Theory (recent purchase)

Scarf-Louis Vuitton

Boyfriend jeans-Zara (love these here)

Shoes-Pour La Victoire (similar style here)

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Happy post election day! Hope your week is going more smoothly than mine. A couple of days ago I started having intense pain on my bottom molar tooth which prompted me to go to my dentist immediately to find out that I have an infection in my nerve. I don't know about you but this is the first time I've ever experienced a toothache this bad and had no idea how much it can affect your daily routine. It hurts to chew (I've been on a liquid diet the last couple of days, ugh) and it pretty much puts me in a sour mood. I have to get a root canal done tomorrow which somehow worked out because today is the first day of my week long staycation. In the meantime, the dentist put me on a pain med which has pretty much been the BEST. THING.EVER. I never thought I'd be saying that because I encounter drug addicts from time to time at work but good grief this stuff really is wonderful. On the flip side of things, since I'm off from work for a week I can at least get the procedure done and rest w/o it interfering with work. Glass half full.

Have a great rest of the week and I'll talk to you soon. Xo.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Went to the paint store and started looking through color swatches for my area of the room I want to paint. The overwhelming scheme of colors was a bit much but I think I've narrowed it down to to a couple of choices.

2. Bought a couple of new nail polishes from Maybelline's line, Color Show. I'm currently wearing midnight Sparkle and loving the slight sparkle it adds to the dark polish.

3. Stopped by Starbucks for their annual holiday seasonal flavors they released as of Nov.1. Nothing says the holiday is around the corner then those holiday Starbucks cups. I also wore my new YSL arty dot ring all weekend, which I picked up at the YSL sample sale in NYC a couple of weeks ago.

4. Tried out To Sok Jib in Annandale, VA at the recommendation of a friend. She told me how much she loves this hole in the wall Korean restaurant and I can see why. We wanted something warm to eat since it was so cold outside and the food delivered. The seafood pancake was more then a generous portion (and delicious) and the broth of the bean curd soup w/ tofu was savory and reminded me of my mom's version. I ordered  hand cut noodles with chicken which wasn't the best I've had, but decent. The broth was a bit bland for my taste buds and could've used a little kick but not enough to deter me from coming back again.

5. Started reading The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. It's the author's first adult novel since her Harry Potter series. So far, I'm not the biggest fan of the book because it's a bit dull but I'm hoping the story line gets more interesting. I'm also thinking that because I've become so accustomed to her fantasy and magic she brings from the Harry Potter books, that her writing this time around isn't something I'm used to yet.

How was your weekend?

Black

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Sweater-Gap (similar style here)

Vest-H&M

Leather (faux) pants-H&M (affordable version here)

Cuff-Hermes

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you enjoyed your weekend. I apologize for the lack of post last week so instead, I wanted to do a quick post today. I've been putting in longer hours at work last week (worked 40 hours within 3 days) and I was too tired to edit and prepare a post for you on Friday. As much as I love blogging, I never would want to compromise my personal health for it, so hope you understand. 

Anyway, I'm usually not one to wear all black but I really wanted to pair these leather pants with an all black ensemble to give the outfit a chic vibe. The trick to wearing all black from head to toe is mixing textures. The only pop of color I wanted to come from this outfit was from my Hermes cuff and the color is fitting to the Fall season, no?;)

Washington, DC received a blast of cold air this past weekend which hopefully isn't a precursor for a harsh winter to come. But until winter is officially here, I'll be enjoying the Fall weather and its surroundings around me.

Have a great rest of the weekend. Xo.