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

unsolicited wedding wednesdays : fun monograms

Monograms are always so fun especially at a wedding. Here are some really cool and cheap letters from Urban Outfitters. The top and below are Acid Etched letters. The aluminum letters ($10/each) are etched with a different pattern but as you can see they're more on the smallish side (approximately 6.5"w, 6" h). The bottom Around the World letters ($12/each) are made out of cardboard and cotton and are slightly bigger (approximately 8"w, 8" h). Both would go really great with any wedding style and after the wedding they would be really cute in the newly wed home!

Obviously, a DIY monogram could easily be made. Craft stores like Michael's and JoAnn sell big cardboard letters that could be dressed up any number of ways however these guys are so cute and cheap that I'd just go and buy these suckers up!

online love : blik

Ok, so there's Blick and there's Blik. Today we're talking about Blik. Wall decals galore! Some are originals, some are from famous designers, some are borrowed from Threadless. In fact, I own some of the shirts that are now made into wall decals. ;P

These wall decals are a very cool and relatively inexpensive way to spruce up an apartment that you don't want to take the trouble to paint only to have to paint back to beige when you move out. Or it's a great way to decorate rooms that have design expiration dates, such as kids' rooms, baby/wedding shower events, birthday celebrations, even wedding receptions. The decor you might have up when your kid is a newborn isn't necessarily the thing they'll want when they're school-aged. Or maybe you have the extra cash to make your best friend's bridal or baby shower extra spunky.  Or maybe you're a bride on a budget and have booked a blank slate for the wedding or the reception hall and could use all the help you could get to transform it from sterile to something special. 

Here are some decals that caught my eye:

(above) Lacy Sunday, Imaginary Forest

(below, row 1) Night Owls, Skyrides

(row 2) Happy Accident, Skyline Rhythm

(row 3) 99 Luftballoons, Moon Kite

(row 4) I'm Like a Bird, Alphabet Zoo

(row 5) Wee Gallery Garden, Wee Gallery Woodlands