Happiness, Joi, & Gloss: February 2016

SUNNY SUNDAY

With all the wind from this week's past tornado, I couldn't miss the opportunity the head out and enjoy the burst of sunshine. Since spring is clearly in the air, I was feeling inspired to throw on my floral flowy top I purchased from Kohl's some years back and my pointed flats. Today was the perfect today for a stroll around my local park, so that's exactly what I did. Hope you all got out and enjoyed the sunshine...

Wishing you all more sunny Sundays filled with happiness, joy, and gloss!

6:47 PM
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SPRING BREAK ESSENTIALS

beauty

Only 1 week of February left and only 2 short weeks until my Spring Break! I'm in desperate need of it too because I have been plagued with Spring Fever. Last year, it was my senior year of college so my roommates and I went to Miami (the perfect Co-Ed spring break location). Technically I'm still in school so I get a week off too, although I don't have any crazy plans this year, I've made a list of essentials that will always come in handy... Miami beach trip or stay-cation!

Headphones: These Frends Headphones are super cute and are a necessity for a plane ride, chillin' on the beach or lounging in bed. They're like a pair of earrings that plays music.

BB Cream: I always love using BB cream on my days off. It gives the perfect amount of coverage without looking to done-up and this one by Maybelline has SPF 30. It's been a staple of mine for years. I even went on a whole trip to Ghana, Africa using just this on my face... I looked flawless and was sun-burn free, so it's perfect for the sun-rays at the beach.

Romper: A romper is perfect for lounging around or covering up a swimsuit. Rompers are almost like scrubs (pajamas that you can wear in public free of judgment lol)

Tinted Lip Balm: Like BB cream, this tinted lip balm can make you look like you put more effort into your look than you did. I love wearing lipstick, but tinted lip balm is so much easier to swipe on and is more moisturizing. One of my favorites is this one by Fresh, I received a sample from Sephora for my birthday one year and fell in love. I wear this around the house and out and about. It makes my lips feel super soft, while giving the perfect amount of color. The line also has many different shades of balm to choose from!

2:02 PM
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HOMEMADE SUSHI

diy

I remember the first time I tried sushi... I was in eight-grade and my best friend brought some sushi for lunch. I had heard of people the weird notion of people eating raw fish wrapped in rice and seaweed, and me being adventurous said why not when she offered. Next thing I was running to the trash can and vowed to never try sushi again... 10 years later, I could eat sushi everyday if I could afford it.

Sushi isn't extremely expensive but it isn't cheap either, but I believe it's okay to pay a little extra for proper preparation of raw fish. Especially since this semester, I'm taking microbiology and learning about how improper food preparation can invite little microorganisms into body! So this is post is for two classic COOKED sushi recipes : the California roll and the Philadelphia roll!

These recipes are simple and cheap enough to make at home!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Bamboo Sushi Roll mat and Saran Plastic Wrap
Nori seaweed sheets
Sushi rice (or any short or medium grain rice)
Rice Vinegar
Avocado
Cucumber
Cream Cheese
Smoked Salmon (Philadelphia Roll)
Imitation Crab Meat (California Roll)
Sugar (for making the sushi rice)

SUSHI RICE RECIPE:

A lot of people have trouble cooking rice, a friend says the true measure of a good cook is the ability to properly prepare rice. Sushi rice isn't too different from regular rice preparation.

WASH your rice: the most important step in making sushi rice is to remove most of the starch from the rice so the rice can have its sticky texture. To do this you need to add water to the rice and use your hands to massage the rice until the water turns cloudy. Then rinse. Repeat this until the water is mostly clear.
Mix 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of water into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil.
Turn off your burner and cover the top with a dish towel and place the lid on to trap in the steam.
Leave lid on for 10 mintues (it's important that you don't lift the lid to check the rice)
PREPARE your sushi vinegar while the rice is cooking. Mix 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt together in a plastic container (metal removes the flavor of the vinegar) in a saucepan on low heat just until the sugar dissolves.
When rice is done, pour in rice vinegar and mix with cutting or chopping motion for 5 minutes to cool. And now you're ready to make some sushi!

CALIFORNIA ROLL

Cover cooled sushi rice with a dish cloth while preparing ingedrients.
Cover Sushi Bamboo mat with plastic wrap to prevent sushi rice from sticking
Peel an avocado and cut into strips
Place a half sheet of the Nori sheet on the Sushi Bamboo mat smooth side down
WET hands and apply and spread sushi rice on the seaweed sheet (you can add sesame seeds to garnish at this step if you like)
Flip over rice and seaweed sheet
Place Crab Meat and Avocado vertically to the smooth side of the Nori sheet
Roll the sheet by flipping over the bamboo mat
With a sharp and MOIST knife, cut the roll into 6 pieces starting from the middle
Serve with Soy Sauce and Wasabi

PHILADELPHIA ROLL

Cover cooled sushi rice with a dish cloth while preparing ingedrients.
Cover Sushi Bamboo mat with plastic wrap to prevent sushi rice from sticking
Cut Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon into strips
Place a half sheet of the Nori sheet on the Sushi Bamboo mat smooth side down
WET hands and apply and spread sushi rice on the seaweed sheet (you can add sesame seeds to garnish at this step if you like)
Flip over rice and seaweed sheet
Place Smoked Salmon and Cream vertically to the smooth side of the Nori sheet
Roll the sheet by flipping over the bamboo mat
With a sharp and MOIST knife, cut the roll into 6 pieces starting from the middle
Serve with Soy Sauce and Wasabi

In total, it cost about $20 for the ingredients, but most can be used again to make more sushi! Now that I know how to make quick and easy, cheap sushi at home, you won't catch me buying $8 rolls for a while (unless of course, they're raw!)

Enjoy fellow sushi lovers.

3:44 PM
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V-DAY

fashion

Although I've never had a valentine on Valentine's Day, I'm a sucker for any holiday that's filled with flowers, hearts, reds and PINK!

Unlike the traditonal deep red or blacks for date nights, since I'm staying in I decided to colorblock a fushia sweater and red pants with a gorgeuos pink and red collar necklace from Charming Charlie (it's only $9) and my cute Chinese kissy mouth socks my roommate gave me as a present when she returned from study aboard.

Instead of a traditional Valentine's date, I celebrate with my best friends, and this year we decided to check out the Vagina Monolgoues ( it's a awesome play about... Well women and their vaginas) it has amazing themes of women's self awareness and empowerment and was enjoyed by everyone in the crowd, men and women!

Side note: The Vagina Monologues is normally produced around the month of February to celebrate and bring awareness to V-Day ( gender based violence against women). All the proceeds from the show we saw, went to the women's shelter in our local town.

To continue with the Galentine's fun, since Valentine's Day is on a Sunday and we have early morning classes and tests approaching, we decided to make homemade sushi for lunch. I could probably eat sushi everyday. Check out the recipe for cooked sushi ideas in this post!

10:17 AM
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VALENTINE'S DAY

fashion

Si~~ngle Awareness Day~~ Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and although I don't have an official valentine, I plan to spend the day with my truest love (my bed) and celebrate Galentine's day with my bestie.

12:19 PM
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PINK TRENCH COAT

fashion

Spring is only weeks away and I am in desperate need of warmer weather! Last week when I was shopping for Valentine's day, a sales associate walked by me with an arm full of beatiful trench coats and I just had to try one on... buy one! The double breasted trench coat comes in both khaki and pink, but since I wear so many neutral colors, I decided to add a pop to my wardrobe for spring.

Trench coats are the perfect staple for spring and can be dressed up or down depending on the outfit and accessories. This $69 coat is true in trench style with a material that easily wicks away moisture (I know because, I accidentally spilled coffee on myself and it easily brushed off!) and has lapels, shoulder and wrists buckle straps and the cutest black and white floral lining!