Sometimes less is more

I have a love/ hate relationship with chicken thighs. I loathe their unctuous nature when fried or stewed, but grill them and they tell another story. I particularly like the boneless, skinless thighs which are affordable and ubiquitous at the grocery store. Seasoned simply with garlic salt, pepper, rubbed with grape seed oil and grilled carefully, they are poultry perfection. Add some toasty, chewy, earthy grilled tortillas and a slather of the citrusy tart Habanero salsa and I'm a happy lady. I will add recipe for Habanero salsa shortly.

Say yes to cauliflower

This meatless dish is a delight. My kids exclaimed Ooooo Mom, this is deeeelicious! This warmed my heart and brings a smile to face just thinking about it now. It is simple and looks kinda fancy plated...If I do say so

myself. My children call it cauliflower cake, I call it delicious. The tangy tomato sauce is essential to this dish and takes it from wallflower to superstar. I serve it with Poblano herbed rice which another crowd pleaser at my house. Recipe as follows;

1 quart jar of Roma tomatoes or any good quality canned tomato with juice
1.5 cups of shredded Cheddar/Jack cheese
8 eggs separated
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 head of cauliflower blanched and cut into smallish florets
1 small white onion thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp of butter
1 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika
Pam spray for a 13X9 inch Pyrex baking dish
Directions:
Beat separated egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in previously whipped remaining egg yolks. Please take care not to over stir as doing so will deflate your egg whites. Carefully pour one layer of fluffy eggs into prepared baking dish and dot with blanched and cooled cauliflower florets. Sprinkle with cheese and add the rest of fluffy beaten egg mixture. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until pale golden and set in the middle. In a saucepan saute sliced onion and finely minced garlic in butter until translucent. Add pureed tomatoes, chicken powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little kick. Simmer and reduce for about 15 minutes. I do this while the cauliflower cake bakes in the oven. Cut into squares and serve with sauce.

 

 

Drugstore Cowgirl

OK, so as you may have already guessed, I luuuuurve makeup! It is my creative therapy, next to cooking. The bonus is  no major cleanup and it isn't fattening. However, as most of you know high end cosmetics often come with an extortionate price tag. I have noticed in the past few years, that the drugstore is truly catching up with the department store and makeup artist lines. Along with the substantial quality improvement the prices have noticeably increased. Luckily, the prices are for the most part still well below that of most department store lines. Now, truth be told, I still splurge on certain items, but, superb looks can be created with product from your local drugstore. The following look can be described as a polished neutral look with a pop of fresh coral on the lips. This is a nice look for work, or a lunch date with friends. If you want to amp it up for a date with your special someone you could add some gloss to the lips or some corner false lashes. I've included pictures of all the products used. I believe that only two of the items used are from the department store. I could have easily replaced them with drugstore items, but, had a moment of laziness and didn't bother looking for their more inexpensive cousins. I will list the products by name;
Revlon Photoready Airbrush Foundation
Revlon Nearly Naked Powder
Wet n Wild Coloricon Bronzer in Ticket to Brazil... Ummmm, not so much for 3 dollars!
Hard Candy Glamoflauge heavy duty concealer....Please ladies don't forget to apply this in preparation for beauty combat. Seriously though, this is super opaque, it could make the Wicked Witch look flawless.
Wet n Wild Ash Brown brow kit... incredible product for the price. The color is sooooo natural and it even includes a brow wax in a cute mirrored compact.
MAC Bare Study Paint Pot....easily duped with the Maybelline  potted cream shadows in the same format.
L'oreal eyeshadow in Antique Brown
Cover Girl Flamed out eyeshadow pot in #330.... OK, so how annoying they only numbered these on the back of the pot. Are you listening CG? I believe it's called Melted Caramel. Soooooo pretty!
Revlon Blush in Berry Rich....this is a soft neutral reddish pink, very flattering and natural on light skins.
Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in Espresso.... tightlined my upper lash line. More on this in another post.
Almay eyeliner in Brown Topaz...used this in the lower lash line for soft definition
Revlon Siren lipstick blended into Clinique lip color balm in Mighty Melon....really though you could blend this hot coral lipstick into any creamy balm.
Clear Brow Gel.... to set my brows. I used a Boots product, but Cover Girl and Maybelline make nice ones as well.
Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara over a coat of Cover Girl Flamed out mascara.... These products make me giggle with their names and packaging. They are like  Marvel comics super hero mascaras! Clump crusher is green like the Hulk and the red one is like the guy who could turn into fire and stuff.

Adorbs!

So you have figured out I love Lee Lee's in Chandler, AZ. Crazy fresh produce isn't the only great thing they have there! I found the cutest, most obnoxiously frilly hair bows, the other day. Actually, these are sold by a young woman on a table right outside the entrance. A dollar, yes, one dollar! Introducing the stars of my life, Dafnini and Sabini, all decked out in their finest head gear. These are so stinkin' cute and they have a bunch of colors to choose from. Who knew?

Windows to the soul

If eyes are the windows to the soul then they should always be appropriately dressed. Mascara is an absolute beauty essential for myself and many others as well. Unfortunately, mascara has a limited shelf life and tends to either dry up or start to flake when past its prime. Quite frankly, the thought of bacteria cavorting in the dark, moist, tube is disconcerting. I, therefore, replace with frequency. Okay, okay, this is also an excuse..albeit a good one to continue on my quest for the perfect, and inexpensive mascara. Behold the pretty purple tube!

Amazing, defined,flake free lashes for four dollars complements of Cover Girl! My lashes look as good as they do with a 30 dollar mascara, I swear. I seriously think this mascara has been around since the 70's hahaha! An added bonus is that although it claims to be water resistant, it comes off easily with my foaming face wash. As for the dimensions of my naked lashes, I will tell you they are naturally like a 6 or 7 out of 10. I'm afraid I might frighten you with unmascaraed eyes....please take my word for it.

Quite possibly the most delicious frozen treat in Arizona.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Silken chill on my palate, fills my heart with love, gelato you are divine.

Above is picture a gelato love story. A love triangle if you will. Dark bittersweet chocolate married to boozy rum raisin meets icy limoncello. Second picture features them canoodling on the counter. Do yourself a favor and run to Frost Gelateria at the San Tan Mall in Gilbert, AZ.

Sinigang Na Baboy....I love the sound of this Tagalog name for pork stew

This pork soup/broth dish is hot, but quite light and refreshing. This is because the broth is clear, gingery, and tart from a tamarind base. I took a shortcut and used a Knorr instant soup base. However, you could omit and add lime juice to the broth if you desire. My family enjoys it and eats all the vegetable without a complaint. Keep it crisp and they shall consume, is my mantra.