marinated mushrooms

how good do these look? also, pretty inexpensive and easy to make. you can get a package of small cremini mushrooms from trader joes for around 2 bucks!

1 pound fresh cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2–4 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or to taste
1–2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 teaspoons fresh minced oregano
2 tablespoons fresh minced Italian parsley
sea salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon each black peppercorns and coriander seeds
Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Simmer mushroom caps in salted water for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, garlic, red onion, oregano, parsley, salt, peppercorns and coriander. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

(found recipe here)

moive review - Batman

i saw the The Dark Knight (aka. the new batman movie) last night and it was sooo good. very action packed! the plot moved quickly and it was well written. i also think that it's one of those movies that must be seen at the movie theatre.

other thoughts on the movie...

• i thought Heath Ledger was brilliant in the movie. great acting. RIP.
• i'm confused why such a popular indie actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal, would stray so far from her roots and star in one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer. (well, i suppose money is a good reason)
• i love Morgan Freeman's voice. i could listen to him talk non-stop.
• i never noticed how cute christian bale was until last night.
• i thought some of the make-up the actors were wearing in the movie was too obvious...and i'm not talking about the joker's makeup. when you watch the movie, notice the bronzer christian bale has on to accentuate his cheek bones...it's too obvious.
• how is batman's voice so drastically different than when he is just a normal guy?
• there are other things i want to talk about but it would give away some of the plot line...darn!
• go see the movie. you'll like it.

can you believe these are dolls?

these are dolls!!

this is amazing work. they are called Destinys Reborn Babies. each doll takes up to 40 hours to make and no two dolls are the same. the skin, hair, feel and weight of the dolls are made to resemble that of a real baby.

what's especially interesting about these dolls is that there is quite the controversy surrounding them. it seems that many of the buyers of these handmade dolls are parents who have experienced a great loss and are looking to fill that void. a couple of department stores have excluded these dolls from their shelves because they are too life-like.

here is the link to the company that makes these dolls. and here is the link to an article speaking of the buzz surrounding the dolls.

willow tree wall decal

if only i could find the guts to paint this on my walls:

[link]

Happy Hour in Seattle

i found this very helpful website to find happy hour spots in seattle (and greater seattle). i've been looking for something like this for quite some time now. i thought i'd share!

expensive pillows

i was at the downtown REI this weekend. i don't know why. i am totally not your typical REI-fleece-and-croc-wearing-seattleite. i like my heels, dresses, and everything girly! so i spent 15 minutes in there and walked out empty-handed. i wandered across the street and into the velocity store. OMG! totally overpriced! don't get me wrong, i thought a lot of their stuff was cute but i could never justify spending $98 on a freakin' pillow! but for those of you that can, check this stuff out:

i'm pretty sure my parents have a chair that looks like this sitting in their garage gathering dust...but hey, it's good to know that i can buy another one for $225!...are they being serious?

great belltown spot!

we stumbled across cellars restaurant & lounge in belltown on thursday night and i absolutely loved it! we were there for happy hour and i was pleasantly delighted by the cocktail menu. i had a watermelon martini and it was great. the food menu was good too. we ordered the crunchy polenta fingers and we liked it. what i loved the most was the overall ambiance of the place. there were white shear curtains hanging from the ceiling, modern leather chairs, and tons of chandeliers on big wooden dinner tables and hanging from the ceiling. outside seating is also available...perfect for a summer night with tons of people watching opportunities!

2132 First Ave.
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 448-8757

(where jai thai was formerly located)

pasta with tuna tomato herb sauce

i saw this on the rachael ray show the other day and it looked SO yummy. it looks fairly easily to prepare as well. i've always wanted to cook with anchovy filets!

Ingredients
1 pound medium shell pasta
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 tablespoons anchovy paste or 4 to 5 anchovy filets
1 pound fresh tuna steaks, chopped into small pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 sprig rosemary
1/4 cup (about half a handful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup (about half a handful) chopped basil, chopped
Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation
Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring it to a boil.
When the water has come up to a bubble, add some salt and the pasta, and cook to al dente according to package directions. When the pasta is done, drain it and reserve it in a colander until the sauce is ready.
While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-low heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Toss the garlic and anchovy paste or filets into the pan and cook until aromatic and melted, about 1 minute.

Raise the heat to medium-high then add the chopped tuna, tomatoes, white wine, lemon zest and juice, rosemary sprig, parsley and basil to the pan as well. Season everything with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened up and the tuna is cooked through, 5-6 minutes.
Add the reserved pasta to the pan with the tuna-tomato herb sauce and give everything a good toss to evenly coat the pasta. Serve immediately.

watch her prepare the meal. here is the link to youtube.

i want to run!!

i've always wished that i could be a jogger. someone who gets relaxed after a 20-30min run. unfortunately, i always feel like i'm going to die after a run. i run 11 minute miles. i feel like i'm going to faint and i have tremendous pain while i attempt to jog. but i want to change. i want to train myself. i want to become a jogger damnit!

i did some googling and found these steps to becoming a runner:

• Week one: Walk for 6 minutes, then jog at an easy pace for 1 minute. Repeat 3 times. Aim for three sessions with that same sequence for week one.
• Week two: Walk for 5 minutes, then jog for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Aim to do three sessions in week two.
• Week three: Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 4 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Aim for four sessions in week three.
• Week four: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 5 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Shoot for four of those sessions in week four.
• Week five: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 8 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do four of those sessions in week five.
• Week six: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 9 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Try to do four sessions for week six.
• Week seven: Walk for 1 minute, then jog for 11 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do four sessions this week.
• Week eight: For your first run this week, try walking for 5 minutes to begin and end the workout, and run for 20 minutes in between. By the end of the week, try to run for 30 minutes without stopping. Aim to run for 30 minutes four times a week, and you'll notice that your stamina and fitness will continue to improve.

ummm....i'll let your know if they work. *fingers crossed*

baby blue

wouldn't it be sweet to drive this:

wear this:

live here: eat this:
and have this on your finger?

let the reading begin!

so i've finally healed from the two weeks of tortuous finals i had a couple of weeks ago. i can talk about it all now. i am also to the point where i can look at books and not feel like i'm going to get sick. it feels good. i can't believe that i finished my first year of grad school. only 3 more years to go!

this past year i have been continuously adding to my summer reading list. topping the list is the book that everyone, it seems, has read: Eat, Pray, Love

i've only read about 20 pages or so, but i like it so far :) please let me know of any other recommended must-reads!

p.s. happy 4th of july!

red velvet cupcakes

oh my goodness! these look beautiful and delicous. amazing!

buttermilk red velvet cupcake recipe:

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Red Food coloring
1. Preheat the oen to 325. Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the kosher salt after sifting and set aside. Measure out the buttermilk and red rood coloring. Add the die to the buttermilk for easier incorporation later.
2. Cream the butter and the sugar using an electric mixer, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, letting the eggs beat for 1 mintue in between additions. Scrape down the bowl in between additions.
3. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients. Start by adding one third of the flour mixture. Mix just to incorporate. Add half of the buttermilk. Add another one third of the flour mixture. Mix to incorporate. Add the last half of buttermilk, followed by the last third of flour.
4. Spoon into paper lined cupcake pans. Check the cupcakes after 12 minutes. Makes 12.

(found this amazing recipe here)

greatest american dog...waste of tv time.

this show is ridiculous. i understand people can get close to their dogs, but is it really necessary to have a show about owners and their pets? with the present state of the world and the economic struggle our country is facing, i just don't understand why this show is necessary.

tuna lime tostadas

a nice tuna recipe for the summer:

black and white dresses

black and white together is always a chic combo. and for a pop of color, it is so easy to mix in colored accessories!

found here

found here

found here

found here

found here

try this mascara!

i've never been one to spend a lot of money on makeup. i just honestly don't see the point. i buy what i think works. in my opinion, the application technique is key, not the price tag of the product. so it doesn't really matter to me if mascara is $32 vs. $7 a tube...it just needs to make my eyelashes pop! my makeup bag is made up of clinique, loreal, wet&wild, mac, jane, neutrogena, estee lauder, maybelline, lancome, chanel, nyc, etc!

my absolute favorite *day-time* mascara is Loreal Voluminous Naturale. it is fantastic. it never clumps and it is the most appropriate amount of volume for the day. i hate seeing girls walking around with a ton of mascara when the sun is out. heavy, volume-building mascara should be left for going out in the evenings. anyway, the best thing about this mascara is that it comes off in clumps when you wash it off, it doesn't smear down your face! all you have to do is wet your lashes and the mascara almost comes off in tube-like chunks!

affordable dinner

everything is getting so darn expensive. it is so frustrating! anyway, i just got home and i went through my recipes to find something affordable to make for dinner tonight. this is what i found:

looks good!

Costa Rica!!!!!

i just got back from my costa rica trip!
to sum it all up: beautiful beaches, kind people, expensive prices, lots of europeans, lots of mosquitoes, sun burns, surfing, gorgeous sunsets, pina coldas, friends, wonderful resort, swimming, heat, humidity, sweat, sand, yummy fruit...and a darn good time!!

i wanna travel the world!

does a girl have to wax?

i just got a leg and bikini wax today and it wasn't what i was expecting. pain wasn't the issue. i was expecting the process to be painful. it was everything else.

i went to Wax On. supposedly, it is one of the best places in seattle. i found it after hours of googling around. the place has been mentioned in Cosmo, Glamour, etc. so i picked it. this was my first waxing experience...ever. up until a couple of hours ago, no hair on body was ever ripped off from the root. the entire process took about 45min.

she started with the legs. Ouch! i never knew the skin around my ankles were so sensitive! i also asked for a basic bikini wax. however, i was asked to take everything off from the waste down. whatever. i did as i was told and after 10-15min, i became "okay" with being practically naked. the process ended. i payed. i got home. checked the legs and...i still see hair! not a little, but a good amount. my hair seems to have just broken off rather than have been ripped from the root. and now i'm frustrated for two things: 1-i payed $80 and still have hair on my legs and 2-i just hate being hairy. i think i'm eventually going to get it all lasered off.

why did i do all of this? well, because in 48 hours, i will be on a plane flying to Costa Rica! i'm so excited.

now, that i am semi-hair-less, i just need to find a way to get tan :)

persian tea has a crush on coffee

what is more "seattle" than coffee? seriously.

coffee, coffee, coffee. i love it. almost as much as i love a nice cup of persian tea. and being the good seattelite that i am, i've learned to tell the most subtle taste, temperature, and brewing differences between good coffee and real goooood coffee.

i remember the days when i would be able to drink folgers...you know, that instant coffee stuff...but now, oh my has that changed! i have a nice list of coffee shops that i love to visit. in fact, as i write this, i am sitting at cafe zokas, one of my favs. great atmosphere and great coffee.

nice coffee things:

• nonfat, sugar-free raspberry latte from Zokas (near u-village)


• House blend drip from Tully's


• Peet's Coffee in fremont (great place to get work done)


• low fat chocolate chip banana loaf from Starbucks (even though it pains me to feed the starbucks monster)


• a nice latte with a marshmallow from Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford


• Cafe Solstice for their music selection!...in the u-district


• home-made coffee ice cream