icebox strawberry pie

I have NEVER been a sweets/dessert kind of person. I've always said that I'd much rather order another entree than order dessert. However, Mark is not that way. He will order two entrees AND order dessert! LOL But after we got married his taste has rubbed off on me a bit because now I eat dessert and even crave it from time to time. Augh, I guess that's called marital bliss.

This past weekend the dessert I made to serve with the Filipino chicken adobo was Icebox Strawberry Pie from Cook's Country (which is part of America's Test Kitchen, my fav). I watched the episode where they made this pie and I've been dreaming about it ever since so I was quite happy to finally make it. This is a pretty easy pie to make. The only part that is actually baked is the pie shell and if you're like me and you end up buying the pie shell it's even easier. I will mention that if you decide to buy the pie shell I'd buy the "deep dish" size pie shell. My experience with the Pillsbury pre-made frozen pie shell was that the strawberry filling was too much for the regular pie shell so it actually filled both pie shells that the package came with.

Since this pie was for guests I wanted to go the extra mile and pipe on the whipped topping with a pastry tip to make it look pretty. I actually do own a pastry bag but I really didn't want to have to wash it at the end of the day so I used a ziplock sandwich bag instead. If you don't have a pastry tip you could still use this method. Just fill the bag with the topping and cut off a corner of the sandwich bag and pipe. If you do have a pastry tip then cut off a corner of the unfilled bag and then slip the tip through the hole from inside the sandwich bag then fill with topping. With or without a pastry tip what you want to do next is push as much air out of the bag as possible and lock it closed. When you're ready to pipe pleat the top of the bag in your hand and hold it like that (second picture below) and twist the bag until it pushes the topping out the tip or cut opening. Holding the bag pleated like this will keep the topping from oozing out the top of the bag when you squeeze. Lastly, store the bag in the fridge nestled in a jar until you're ready to use or the next time you want a slice of pie.

year one

So hard to believe but one year ago today Mark and I were married. I still have nightmares about all the logistics and planning that went into the big day. I remember it was such a hard time for me with planning the wedding, moving to IL, dealing with both of our families, and still being long distance with Mark through it all. But all the good, the bad, and the ugly was worth it to finally be together for the rest of our lives. I'm happy to celebrate this milestone and am looking forward to many more years to come. 

Our fantastic photographer, Nina of Love & Lemonade, took the picture above (I added the white embellishments to the corners of the photo). She, along with her friends, Howard and Teresa were our wonderfully talented photographers. 

filipino chicken adobo

Mark and I had some company come over this weekend and I wanted to make something instead of ordering out. After some thought and blog window shopping I decided I would try my hand at Filipino style chicken adobo. Mark (who is Filipino) says adobo is an everyday staple food kind of like meat and potatoes on the table for an American family. It's actually a really easy dish to make and the magic is in the salty/vinegary sauce. Funny enough, my mom (I'm Korean) makes something VERY similar to this dish but just with less vinegar. Interesting, huh?

I've been informed by Mark that there are many different versions of Filipino chicken adobo... some are more soupy, some are less soupy, some have veggies added, some don't, etc. The version he's accustomed to is totally simple - just chicken and sauce. I asked if I could add some carrots and he said no. I asked if I could top the cooked chicken with some cilantro and he said no. He then commented by saying, "I don't try to change your Korean food. Just leave it alone!" Haha, but for the photo I added some cilantro for color. Sorry, Mark!

Anyway, there are lots of recipes online for this dish but the one I used is from Budget Bytes. I like how the recipe instructions are organized on this blog and the final product was Filipino approved by Mark. I doubled the recipe to have leftovers to eat for the week. I will mention that if you have a fat separator this would be a good recipe to use it because a good amount of fat is rendered from the chicken in the sauce. Or what you can do is make it the day before and store the sauce in the fridge to let the fat coagulate and just skim it off with a spoon and reheat to serve. Another extra step I did was strain the peppercorns from the sauce just so it's easier to eat. If you don't do this just warn your guests that there are whole peppercorns that they could chomp on.

diy wall starburst decor

First off, I'm sorry these pictures are grainy and lame. I had to use my point-and-shoot because of the focal length on my D-SLR. Anyhow, I wanted to share a quick and easy DIY room decor idea. My inspiration was from this beautiful wallpaper called Moonlight from Wallpaper Direct, pictured below.

Inspiration plus something paint chip circles and twine that I still had on-hand from Mark's birthday garland turned into a colorful starburst pattern on our bedroom wall. 

I used thumbtacks to haphazardly create the starburst pattern with twine and I taped the paint chip circles on the head of the tack. This way it's an easy DIY project that can also be taken down quick and leave the wall of our apartment relatively unblemished. This was important because I know we won't be living in this apartment forever. I want our deposit back, baby!

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : 1145 lill studio

1145 Lill Studio is an company that allows the customer to create their own bags choosing from over 40 styles of bags and accessories and then choosing from over 130 different fabrics. Or you can purchase something from their collection (all bags shown). They have two boutiques, in Chicago and Boston but you can do everything online too. I'd love to visit the boutique in person since the Chicago location it's pretty local for me. These would be perfect gifts for your bridesmaids and mothers because you can tailor each bag to each person or you could create the perfect purse to match your bridesmaids' outfit. These would also make wonderful baby shower gifts as well because they have baby bags made for moms!

The bag and accessory styles are simple and modern however where the real fun happens is with the fabric choices. The colors and patterns are so beautiful. Depending on the style bag/accessory you select you will get to customize the interior, exterior, strap, and even accent trim. 

top: Lilli Set - Mango Tango

bottom: Susan - Moroccan Tiles , Ellie with Magnet - Watercolor Painting

new at ikea!

I am eyeing some new items at Ikea. How cute is the Raskog turquoise kitchen cart (top)?! I can imagine that little cart everywhere in the house, inside and out. Great for a dinner party to hold extra cups and plates. Or how about a mobile bar with all your liquor and bar essentials. But it would also a great little game cart to house all your board games. Or how about a traveling herb garden? Perfect for a bathroom to hold extra T.P. and towels. 

Next, we have two rugs. One for the adults and one for the kiddies. I've been thinking about buying a rug for like 6 months now but they're so expensive. This Malin Figur rug might be pretty enough to convince me to fork over the dough. I think the colors are brighter than pictured. Lastly, we have a really fun Vandring Spar rug for the kiddies. I used to work in a preschool and I can just imagine story time sitting around this cute rug and kids playing with toy cars on a rug like this. And for $24.99 what's not to love?

make a statement

I love a good statement necklace. I still dress like I'm in Junior High so I usually don't wear necklaces but bold and colorful ones on other people always seem to catch my eye. One day when I don't have to worry about budget I will dress my age and wear a beautiful statement necklace. 

top: Palamino Necklace

bottom: Sofia Pearl Bib Necklace, Contessa Jade Necklace