As promised from my friends at Julep.com, a Sneak Peek Box arrived today for me to try. The box included the Julep Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener, Taylor Julep Nail Vernis, and Maya Julep Nail Vernis.

I like that Julep is committed to creating vibrant nail colors and the most effective Mani and Pedi Care products, without the useless toxins and cacinogens.

Watch out for my product review on Julep Maven. My initial unboxing thoughts, however, is telling me that I’ll have vibrant nail colors over the weekend. Let’s see how this goes.

January 23,2012 is Chinese New Year and in Chinese astrology it is the year of the water dragon. It is believed that the year of the dragon brings growth and change in career, love and life. A great feasting is also celebrated to bring abundance, happiness, prosperity, good health and long life. The food to be prepared always symbolizes something.

I only prepared two types of food among the long list in the Chinese culture. Sauted Rice Stick (Pancit Bihon) and Sweet and Sour Fish. Noodles symbolize longevity. It stands for long life and is said to be unlucky to cut up a strand when cooking. Fish, served whole is a symbol of prosperity and eating fish is believed that it will help your wishes come true in the year to come.

But I still believe that the ingredients of a meaningful life are strong faith, love, hard work and good health. Kung Hei Fat Choi everyone!

Sauted Rice Stick (Pancit Bihon)

Ingredients:

8 oz rice stick noodles
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb shelled shrimp or 1 cup pork or chicken meat
1/2 cup carrots, cut in strips
1 cup shredded cabbage
6 pieces button mushroom, cut
1 cup of sweet peas
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
5 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
calamansi or lemon wedges (optional)

Direction:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, then add garlic and cook until golden brown.

2. Add meat (if using) and season with oyster sauce,soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the vegetable, cover, and steam until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove meat and vegetable mixture. Add the shrimp in the boiling stock and remove shrimp when it becomes orange-pink in color (usually less than a minute).

3. Cook noodles in the remaining stock until most of the liquid is absorbed by the noodles. Keep tossing the noodles to keep them from sticking.

4. Transfer cooked noodles in a platter and topped with the meat/shrimp and vegetables mixture and serve with lemon wedges or calamansi if desired.

Sweet and Sour Fish

Ingredients:

1 lb fish fillets (such as tilapia, sea bass, cod, I used Allaskan Pollock)
1/2 cup snow peas
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut in strips/cube
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
1 stalk spring onion, chopped diagonally
2 cups vegetable oil for frying

For the Marinade:
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Rinse the fish fillets and pat dry. Cut into 2 inch square. Add the fish to the marinade ingredients and mix. Then add the cornstarch last. Let it marinade for 15 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce and vegetables. In a bowl, mix together the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine, tomato paste, vinegar and sugar. In a separate small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in the water.

3. Microwave on high the snow peas for 30 seconds. Cut the red bell pepper into cubes, seeds not included.

4. Heat the vegetable oil in wok or cast iron pan. Fry the marinated fish until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

5. Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from the pan. Add the ginger and spring onion and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the snow peas and red bell peppers.

6. Remove the vegetables from the pan, add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch and water mixture, stirring to thicken. Turn off the heat and add the vegetables in the sauce.

7. Serve the fish on a platter and pour the sauce and vegetable mixture. You may add all the sauce or reserve some on the side so the fish will not get soggy.

While craving for sweets today, I decided to stop by three bakeshops near my office that are popular for their cupcakes. However, I ended grabbing my favorite New York Black and White Cookie.

Baked by Melissa at 109 East 42nd Street is famous for their bite-size stuffed cupcakes. They also have In Chocolate, mini cupcakes dipped in chocolate. The cupcakes are cute and adorable but I still have to try them if they are as good as they look.

I also visited Magnolia Bakery at Grand Central. Their cupcakes became more popular after the girls from “Sex and the City” was seen in one of their episodes partaking their cupcakes.

I love how you can see them decorating the cupcakes and the homemade look of their cakes. I have tried the vanilla and their red velvet cupcakes before and it simply taste what a cupcake should be– moist and delicious. Probably I just got the freshly baked ones.

Lastly, Crumbs Bakeshop at 43 West 42nd Street. I am impressed that they are a Nasdaq-listed company and the largest cupcake chain in the US (their share price at $3.97, as of this writing, is just as equally expensive as their cupcakes). They have a lot of flavors selection and the cupcake size is just huge though they have mini ones too. Maybe I will try their cupcakes in my next sugar rush.

But I cannot just resist the Black and White Cookie at the Hot and Crusty Bakeshop in Grand Central. This cakey type cookie is my favorite though I still have to find a good recipe that would allow me to try baking at home.

Seriously, I guess the reason why I did not fall into buying cupcakes from the known chains is because I know how to make one… like this Strawberry Cupcake…

The beauty of working near Grand Central is that I am presented everyday with a grand structure. I took this photo on my way to grab some lunch.

I don’t know with you, but it gives me a heavy heart to throw away food especially when it has reached it’s expiration date. My buttermilk, which is a leftover from baking banana breads over the holidays will be expiring soon and I need to use it before January 20, 2012 so that it will not go to waste.

So for breakfast, I made Best Buttermilk Pancakes from Martha Stewart. In this recipe, I added blueberries. The buttermilk really made the pancakes tender.

For the remaining buttermilk, I finished it off by making it as marinate for my Crunchy Breaded Chicken Fingers. Again, the buttermilk made the chicken breast moist and flavorful. Click here to read more »

During weekdays, I try to cook quick and easy dinner that do not sacrifice taste and nutritional value. Open faced sandwiches are one of them. This refers to a slice of bread topped with warm roasted or fried slice of meats, cold cuts, different spreads like butter, jam, pate or cheese, and vegetables such as lettuce, onions, bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

My version of an open faced sandwich is a slice of wheat Italian bread, drizzled with olive oil and grilled in a panini pan. Top it then with lettuce, a store bought Philly-gourmet steak, which I heated up in my cast iron pan, and onions, which I cooked from the juices of the steak. Finish it with a slice of light cheddar cheese. Broil it for a minute until the cheese melts. To make it more flavorful, drizzle it with a honey mustard sauce.

This type of dinner will not make you a slave in the kitchen and bother you to dial for home delivery.

(I had to make one without cheese. My daughter is not a fan of cheese)

Happy New Year! Here’s hoping for a more beautiful 2012.

The birthday of my son is December 31st, the date when almost everyone is preparing to usher in the new year. He turned 17 last year, seems like a long time ago when it’s just a few days back. For the first time, we did not celebrate it with a party, opting to take a walk in New York City and a nice Texas barbecue lunch at Hill Country BBQ in West 23rd. I recommended this restaurant days earlier during a dinner that my friends and I had with a former classmate who visited New York with her family for the holidays.

If you are in New York, and craving for barbecue, try their lean moist brisket. It is moist and not chewy, a sign of a good meat. My husband ordered the pork chop and was disappointed but their barbecue sauce save the day for him. We enjoyed also the side dishes of baked beans, pickled okra and coleslaw. I had Arnold Palmer, a refreshing drink of mix lemonade and iced tea served in a mason jar. Hill Country BBQ’s brisket and pork ribs are deliriously good!

And of course, what is a birthday without a cake. I made him a Red Velvet Cake, the same one that I baked for my daughter’s birthday. This time though, I used two eight inch round pans.

Don’t be surprised, this recipe calls to mix the vinegar with the baking soda. Just a note, this recipe is adapted from a Red Velvet Cake of Better Homes and Gardens. I deviated from the recipe by using Cream Cheese Frosting instead of the Buttercream Frosting that the recipe suggested.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 of an 8 oz package cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter,milk and vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

2. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency. You may add milk a teaspoon at a time for a desired spreading consistency.

Blogging Mama’s tip:

Use a star tip (Ateco#852) to decorate the cake.

I noticed that I have a number of readers who access my blog via their mobile phones. Because of this, we have added a plugin that would make this site more mobile friendly… like this:

I hope your Christmas was great. I know that the reason for this season is not about gifts. There is a deeper meaning why we celebrate Christmas. Nevertheless, I received gifts from my friends and family, for which I am very thankful.

Allow me to focus on what I got from my family: an oven mittens that can withstand 500 degrees and silpat from my husband, a cookie app of Martha Stewart for my iPad and iPhone from my son, and a lovely scarf from my daughter. Thank you guys. You have definitely zeroed in on the stuff that I wanted.

By the way, here is a video on how to wear your scarf in style as the days go colder.

Two more days and we will be celebrating the New Year. I wish that we can all take the time to reflect on the past and be hopeful for the future.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas! I hope you are having a blast. Not to sound too preachy but let me stress that there is a reason why we are celebrating Christmas. I have my reasons. You have yours. It can come in different ceremonies and rituals. It can be based on different inspirations.

Gift-giving has become a part of Christmas. If you’re on the receiving end, be thankful. Remember also that there is joy in giving. As a parent, I am overwhelmed with joy that my kids gave their share to the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City in the Philippines through Red Cross and Philippine Jesuits. It was the best gift that we think we have given this year. I urge you to do your share. It doesn’t have to be money. Gifts can come in different forms and shapes. Remember them in your prayers. It’s a powerful gift.

This year, I decided to take some time and bake homemade goodies for my friends and relatives. From my kitchen to their houses, I made the following: sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, chocolate crinkles, banana muffins, and brazo de mercedes.