Pay What You Want for a meal!

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

Thanks to a Queens restaurant, hungry penny pinchers can now fill empty stomachs without emptying their wallets.

Every Tuesday starting Feb. 3, the Tierra Sana restaurant in Forest Hills will offer customers a "Pay What You Want" special - meaning that patrons can drop as much green as they think their grub deserves.

The special includes an array of appetizers, entrees, salads and desserts that are all health-conscious but still savory.

Click here to read more about this deal in the Daily News article!

SIGG Water Bottles

I've been on the search for durable water containers ever since I realized how much plastic is wasted in our household. I received a Nalgene bottle from a sports event but I wanted another one that was pretty to look at. Also, since my Nalgene bottle is a light lime color...it looks like I'm drinking urine sometimes. I know, not the image I want to have in my mind while I'm drinking water!

But I think I found something ultralight weight, durable, and completely recyclable! It's called My Sigg! The interior lining is 100% effective against leaching and combats residue-buildup. I also love how the liner prevents bacteria from building up as well! So you will always drink the clean taste of your beverage. Even better, there are different and cool designs. This one here is butterfly on a purple background. Cute!

The product line also features thermoses, flasks, as well as sports bottles. They also make kids products. It's perfect since the bottles are so durable, leakproof and suitable for all types of beverages. (Ever hate it when you fill a water bottle with juice but then can never get rid of the taste after you rinse it out? Ick.)

Click here to go to the website and purchase your own eco-friendly bottle!

Restaurant Review: Morimoto NYC

From Karen's Kitchen:

Happy Birthday to ME!

I requested Morimoto as the restaurant for my birthday dinner. At first, I was hesitant about going.... would the bill really burn a hole in his wallet (which would affect me, as well!)? would i be daring enough to try the omakase menu? You know... stupid things to stress about. But, hey, its my birthday and i'm not paying! My better half told me that I could go anywhere I wanted.... and so we did!

I was hoping that Masaharu Morimoto, the Japanese Iron Chef, would be there -- i was so happy that he was! We had an early reservation (5:30pm) to avoid the crowds -- i heard that some patron sat at tables where they were right next to their neighbors. Luckily, because of the time of our reservation, we had our own lil table, seperated from the row of tables where you could feel your neighbor breathing on you.

Omakase (お任せ) is a Japanese phrase that means "It's up to you" (from 任す, entrust). The expression is used at sushi restaurants to leave the selection to the chef. It differs from ordering à la carte. The chef will generally present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to heaviest, richest dishes. The phrase is not exclusive to service of raw fish with rice, and can incorporate grilling and simmering as well. Customers ordering omakase style expect the chef to be innovative and surprising in the selection of dishes, and the meal can be likened to an artistic performance by the chef. [wikipedia.com]

Please excuse the poor photography. I used my point & shoot without the flash. My omakase consisted of:

Toro tartare with rice crackers & assorted dipping sauces

I liked this dish a lot, especially the rice crackers (bottom row, right) and the lil fruit that was on the (left) side. I forgot the name of the fruit. This was fun to eat too -- they give you this lil metal spatula to eat with (pictured in the bowl of ice, on the far right, camouflaged by my cup of tea).

Kampachi sashimi

With the ginger, scallion & soy dressing, i thought i was eating steamed fish w/ginger & scallions... didnt even notice that the fish was raw.

Sashimi & salad

Forgot the name of the fish, but it was very fresh and slightly seared. The salad had a very nice & light vinigrette.

Smoked salmon raviloli

There were actually 2 raviolis in there.

Sushi of the day

From the left, the first one was fluke, second was fatty tuna. I forgot what the third & fourth were. The fifth was seared eel.

Honeydew matcha shot (with coconut foam on top)

This is actually considered a course, to cleanse your palate and prepare for the main course. I was full by this time, and I wasnt done yet. My main course was next!

Cajun grilled lobster w/crème fraîche dipping sauce


and
Steak with sweet potatoes


Of course, there was dessert, too!

Chestnut ice cream (left) and steamed pumpkin pudding cake

I should have only ate the cake. I think eating the ice cream was definitely TOO much!

My other half had:
Gyoza

I forgot what the top layer was, but under there, were 5 gyozas on top of a tomato bacon sauce. This would have been fine with soy sauce instead of the tomato sauce.

And his main course was:
16 oz. wagyu ny strip



The omakase menu consists of A LOT of food. You would think that the small dishes wouldnt be filling, but they were. I was impressed. I enjoyed it a lot. The food was great! The service was great. We're definitely going to go back soon, but I'll order something else on the menu.... there's so much more to try!





88 10th Avenue
(btwn 15-16th Streets)
New York, NY 10011
212.989.8883


Photo by Alex di Suvero for The New York Times

Sponge Cake Roll with Strawberries

I was treated to a delicious dessert over the weekend by our good friends Yu-ori. She mentioned that her oven was finally fixed so she could start baking again! Yipee. One of her first recipes was a sponge cake roll filled with whipped cream and strawberries. Now, this was something that I had to taste because I would actually make this for myself. She said it wasn't difficult to make. Sadly she didn't take any pictures during her baking process but she'll share her recipe with me next time. So stay tuned!

Overall, the sponge cake roll was delicious. The sponge cake itself was nice and sweet. It tasted better the first day I had it, because once I ate the refrigerated leftovers, it didn't taste *as* good. Surprisingly, I loved the whipped cream because it was also sweet but not overly sweet. I enjoyed my first piece because it was an end piece with all the strawberries! The picture above was a piece of the cake from the middle (thus less strawberries).

Jander suggested stuffing the sponge cake with other food items for example, cream cheese! smoked salmon! in order to make a taste like a Philadelphia roll. Or even a large futomaki roll. haha. I had more reasonable suggestions - mixed berries! melons! chocolate sprinkles!

Movie Review: Gran Torino

Did you know that Gran Torino is actually the name of an automobile -- a Ford Classic? I didnt... not until I was told. As part of my birthday celebration (of dinner and a movie), we set out to see Gran Torino, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. From the tv commercials, i thought this movie was going to be about how Eastwood takes on an Asian (Hmong) gang. In way it was about that. It was also about the car. But there was more.... much more. Eastwood plays a hardass, racist, miserable, sorry-excuse for a man, who's dialog is hysterically funny at times. He just lost his wife and his family is out to send him to a senior home. He lives in a poor neighborhood where it seems as if he's the only white American left. I dont want to give anymore away... there is a synopsis below.

The movie was slow at first, and then towards the end, moved too fast. This was a very intriguing movie, which I enjoyed a lot. There was comedy, drama, suspense and also, tears! All-in-all I give this 5 stars. It should have been on the Oscar list but I can see why this wasn't nominated -- it was TOO entertaining!

Moviefone synopsis: A racist war veteran living in a crime-ridden neighborhood is forced to confront his own lingering prejudice when a troubled Hmong teen from his neighborhood attempts to steal his prized Gran Torino. The two objects that matter most to Kowalski in life are the classic Gran Torino that represents his happier days working in a Ford assembly plant, and the M-1 rifle that saved his life countless times during combat. When Kowalski's teenage neighbor attempts to steal his Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation rite, the old man manages to catch the aspiring thief at the business end of his well-maintained semi-automatic rifle. Later, due to the pride of the Asian group, the boy is forced to return to Kowalski's house and perform an act of penance.

L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Cream

Due to the overwhelming popularity of my food and beauty blog, I've received requests for being a guest blogger. I'd like to introduce to everyone, Karen, a fellow lover of food and beauty products! She has previously appeared on my blog in which I've used some of her food recipes - most recently, the delicious coconut macaroons! But here she is writing about one of her favorite beauty products. Hope to hear from you again soon, K!

Winter in NYC wreaks havoc on my skin. My face is ultra dry. I used Philosphy's Hope in Jar for about two months. After that, i noticed it wasn't working as well on my skin. Maybe the weather was THAT cold & drying. A friend recommended L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Cream. This is what L'Occitane's site writes about the cream:

The Immortelle flower defies aging - it never wilts or withers, even after being picked. Microcapsule technology concentrates hand-harvested essential oil of Immortelle, which grows in the sunny Mediterranean island of Corsica, in a formula that helps to boost microcirculation and increase collagen synthesis. A velvety, patented-ingredient moisturizer with proven wrinkle-reducing benefits. For normal to dry skin.

What can i say except: "WOW!" Exactly what the reviews on Sephora say! This is truly a very hydrating & moisturizing cream. It works wonders. I've been using this for about a week now, and notice a considerable difference. I put it on at night before I go to bed... my skin feels soft immediately. It absorbs quickly and there's no greasy residue whatsoever. I wake up in the morning and it still feels soft. I can skip my daycream now. It really works that well! Oh, and the scent is nice too.

The Twilight Series

In honor of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series and the subsequent movie, I decided that I was fascinated enough by the make-up in the movie to see what is available in terms of 'glitter' cosmetics. Hey, if it's good enough to make a vampire look attractive, I think it can do wonders for a plain Jane like myself. One of my favorite places to go to puruse for beauty supplies is Sephora. And here is one of their personal brands for a Silver Glitter Spray for the body and hair. (Click on the image to go directly to the product on the website). A precaution for this product is that it is extremely flammable and dangerous for the eyes (this last warning is a bit obvious but nevertheless, important to be stated).



This is also an interesting product. The bareMineral's Glimmer provides a subtle shade of sparkle to the face and body. It can bring a touch of highlights to your current make-up palette. I am personally a big fan of Bare Escentuals cosmetics. (Hello! I went to Times Square's Sephora just to see Leslie last year!) I love how she has expanded the product line to include so many complimentary products to the foundation color and blush. The kubuki brushes are fantastic for applying color to the face so that it is natural and beautiful. For pops of color, the product also comes in Azure (peacock blue), Envy (pale lime), Sex Kitten (golden mahagony) just to name a few!

Pork Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Here's what I cooked for Jander last night. I was going to take another picture of it but he already gobbled it up before I could do so. I love this dish because it is very easy to make and always tastes delicious. Also, the sauces that I use are strong enough so that I don't need to marinate the pork beforehand.

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of pork spareribs, usually 6 strips (cut so each piece has a bone)
4 cloves of garlic, minced

few slices of ginger root (you can skip this but it gives the dish a nice heat flavor)

and most importantly:

Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce (I use this sauce to make any dish spicy!)

Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Garlic Sauce

Directions: Heat up some oil in a pan with the garlic and ginger. Brown the pork spareribs and stir in 1-2 tablespoons of each sauce in the pan (depending on your taste). Add some water to the pan to cook the meat thoroughly, at least 15 minutes.

Notes: Since it's almost impossible to overcook pork, it doesn't matter how long you cook it. The more water you add, the more it will dilute the sauces. I've seen people who use soy sauce or worchester sauce but I love the taste of black bean sauce with pork!

Also, to make this dish leaner, you can boil the pork in a pot of hot water. This will cook out the fat drippings. Drain out the water and then place in the oiled pan with garlic and ginger.

Cosmetic Class Action Settlement - UPDATE

As I mentioned in this previous post, the class action settlement suit at major retail stores were handing out free make-up to any past customer. Basically, anyone who is willing to wait on line for hour(s) depending on the store location.

Based on anecodotes from my friends in California and New York, the lines were super long. Some stores had to turn away customers an hour before the store closing. And most stores ran out of the good products (aka full size products) early! But luckily, I was able to get two jars of the Clinique Moisture Surge (1 oz in size). While I noticed that many people stood on line several times just to get multiple products, I brought along Jander so he (happily?) obliged in claiming a free make-up sample.

Natural Moisturizers for Dry Winter Skin

The bitter cold weather is doing havoc on my sensitive skin. And despite the lotions that I slather on my body, I still have to deal with dry skin. So I decided to search for some natural remedies that might provide the same moisturizing relief without the chemicals. I thought these would be fun to try on a winter afternoon:

Oatmeal and Yogurt Exfoliant
To create this exfoliant, mix 1 cup uncooked oatmeal and a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt to create an exfoliating paste. Use this as a gentle body scrub to remove dry, flaky skin and dead skin cells. The oatmeal will do the scrubbing while the yogurt does the moisturizing.

Hydrating Facial Mask
In a small bowl, mix an avocado, a raw egg, and a teaspoon of coconut oil to form a creamy paste. Apply the paste to your face and let it work its magic for 25 - 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Raw eggs and avocados contain natural moisturizing proteins, making them a super combo for fresh, luxurious skin. Adding coconut oil provides a boost of antioxidants.

Milk Bath
To make a milk bath, first fill your bathtub with warm water and add up to five cups of rich, whole milk or buttermilk. Light a few candles, turn on some tunes, and soak yourself for twenty to thirty minutes. Milk contains proteins that can help smooth and rejuvenate dry skin.

Enjoy these recipes!