Friday, March 25, 2011

"Vertical Song" Fashion Food Friday's



I am pretty excited for this particular post just because this is my 1st fashion food friday post. I want to try new things for my blog to keep it fresh and interesting for my readers. So, every friday I will try to post my personal fashion and a restaurant adventure. 





Shirt+Belt: Thrifted Jacket: Charlotte Ronson Short: Lucky Brand Undershirt+Necklace: Forever21
Hat+Bag+Bracelet: H&M Booties: Call it Spring Stockings: Target



Neighborhood: Park Slope 
295 5th Avenue 
Brooklyn, NY 11215

 Calamari 

Shrimp Pad Thai and Pad See Yue


My favorite thai restaurant can be found in park slope on the corner of 5th avenue and 1st street. Song's interior can be best described as industrial. The dark gray walls, low watt bulbs, exposed bricks, and metalwork gives off so much character to this chic urban restaurant. The kitchen is exposed on the corner of the restaurant and I personally enjoy watching the chefs cook. 

Song, offers many flavorful dishes that is very budget friendly. A typical entree on average can cost about $7.50 and not to mention the portion is insanely huge. Customers will not be disappointed. The only downfall that they only accept cash. If you're planning to try this restaurant be sure to bring cash because cards will be rejected. Another note, this place can get extremely pack and they do not offer reservations. So, I would advise you to try it out during lunch or early dinner. 


xoxo


photos courtesy of A.A + A.C.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Dreaming of a Bohemian Spring

So, yesterday marked the first day of spring. Unfortunately, here in New York the weather can be described as abnormal. For instance last friday mother nature rewarded us with 70 degree sunny weather. It was such a great treat to take a break from all the winter clothes. Now, it's monday and it seems that spring has disappeared on us. The weather took a slight detour and we're back to cold and wintery mix weather. Just blah. To brighten up the matter if you haven't got a chance to see the H&M Spring 2011 campaign featuring Gisele Bundchen here it is. I am totally in love with the bohemian collection. What do you think of the pieces? Which one would you purchase?



all images above are courtesy of H&M
for more images please check out H&M website



Sunday, March 13, 2011

Levi's Curve ID


I'm sure every women can relate that finding a good pair of jeans is hard. Yesterday, Levi stores 
allowed customers to get a custom Levi's Curve ID fitting. You might be wondering what is a Levi Curve ID? As we all know women comes in all different shapes and sizes. So, Levi's came up with an easy way to find perfect jeans that fits your body type. I highly recommend taking the time to check out the Levi's website and take the Levi Curve ID quiz. 





So I took the quiz and it looks like I'm Bold Curve. I am not a big fan when it comes to jeans but I must admit that my favorite pair of jeans I own are Levi's. I'm curious to know what everyone's Levi's Curve ID is so let me know how the quiz went or if you own a pair I would love to hear your reviews. :) 



xoxo

AHLINE 


images are courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co.   

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Episode 3 - Baked Salmon


You will need the following ingredients: (serving for 4) 

* 1/2 pack of imitation crab sticks (preferably use Japanese crab sticks)
* 2 salmon fillet 
* 1 cup of mayonnaise (use real mayo not reduced fat) 
* 6 teaspoons of masago 
* 1 cup of mirin 
* 1 cup of sugar 
* 1/4 cup of soy sauce 

Step 1 - Crabmeat Filling 

Take your crab sticks and use your fingers to separate or shred the sticks apart. Once your done take a knife, cut your crab sticks into cubes, and then separate the crab even more with your fingers. Put 
your crab in a bowl and add 1 cup of mayonnaise. Mix it well. Then add 3 teaspoons of masago and 
start mixing all the ingredients together. I like to add an additional 3 more teaspoons of masago for 
extra flavor and color. Mix more. 

Step 2 - Prepping the Salmon 

Be sure to wash and pat dry your salmon fillets. Take a sharp knife and begin slicing your salmon into
thin slices. (Please be very careful not to slice your fingers off.) Slice your salmon until you reach the skin. Discard the skins. 

Step 3 - Assemble 

Look for one nice wide salmon slice and begin shaping the slice into a semi-circle. Use your fingers
to spread the salmon. Take a scoop of your crabmeat filling and put it on top of your semi circle slice. 
You want to shape the crabmeat filling into a dome. After that take more salmon slices and begin to cover the sides of the crabmeat filling. Make sure it's firm and shape it into a circle. 

Step 4 - Baking 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take out a pan and cover your pan with aluminum foil. Carefully take a spatula or knife and tranfer your salmon to the pan. I like to use a toaster oven vs. a conventional oven. If your using a conventional oven I found the baking time is a bit longer so be sure to monitor your salmon. Bake the salmon for 15 minutes. Once your done add a little bit of masago on top and drizzle your salmon with the sweet brown sauce. Adjust your oven to a broil setting. Put the salmon back in the oven and allow it to cook for 5-8mins or until the top is a little bit burnt. 


Sweet Brown Sauce Recipe

Turn your heat to medium. Add 1 cup of mirin, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/4 cup of soy sauce into a small saucepan. Stir the ingredients until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the ingredients to cook until alcohol (mirin) evaporates and becomes slightly thick. Turn heat off and let it cool off. You can store it in a tupperware and refrigerate for a few weeks. 







Thursday, March 3, 2011

Episode 2- How to make easy sushi rolls



You will need the following ingredients:

* 1 pack of imitation crab meat (I used Osaki Brand in my video) 
* 1 pack of smoked salmon 
* 1/2 cup of mayonnaise 
* avocado 
* mango 
* cream cheese
* masago  
* sushi wrap
* 4 cups of sushi rice 
* 1/4 cup of rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon of sugar 
* dash of salt 
* cold water 

Kitchen Utensils: 

* bamboo sushi rolling mat 
* saran wrap 
* 1 large wooden bowl 
* plastic utensils 
* plates
* bowls
* rice cooker 
* scissors
* small saucepan 

Step 1 - cooking the rice

Add 4 cups of sushi rice into your rice cooker bowl. Rinse the rice with your hands several times in cold water. Allow the rice to soak in water for about 15 minutes. Once soaked, drain the water, and add 4 1/2 cups of water into bowl. Begin to cook rice. 

Once rice is cooked, open lid, and allow the rice to sit for an additional 15 minutes. After 15 minutes take your rice and transfer it to your large wooden bowl. Cover the rice with a paper towl and set it to the side. 

In low heat take out a small saucepan. Add your vinegar, sugar, salt and stir until sugar and salt has dissolved. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off stove and allow vinegar mixture to cool off. 

Once vinegar mixture is cooled carefully pour the mixture into your bowl of sushi rice. Mix well with a plastic spoon. 


Step 2- Prepping the bamboo sushi rolling mat 

Take out your bamboo sushi rolling mat and your going to cover the entire mat with saran wrap. I usually wrap 3 times to assure the bamboo is entirely covered front to back. (Helpful tip #1) If you have a gas stove you can seal your edges by carefully placing the mat above the flame. The heat allows the saran wrap to shrink and by shrinking it actually seals it. You can also try a blow dryer or just use scotch tape to seal the edges. 

Step 3- Snowcrab and Philly

Snowcrab Mixture 

Shred and chop the imitation crab meat. Once chopped put your crab meat into a mixing bowl. Add your mayo and 1 teaspoon of masago. Mix ingredients well. 

Philly 

Slice your smoked salmon and cream cheese. 

Go ahead and slice your avocado and mango. 


Step 4- Arranging your rolls 

Take your sushi wrap and cut about 2 inches off. Place the wrap on the rolling mat, add sushi rice, and carefully spread the rice all over the wrap. (Helpful tip #2) Use a plastic spoon or knife to spread the rice evenly. The rice is very sticky and using plastic utensils makes spreading easy. After your down flip the wrap carefully and be sure the flat side of the rolling mat is faced up. 

Snowcrab roll add the following:
1. snowcrab mixture 
2. avocado 

Philly roll 
1. smoked salmon 
2. avocado 
3. Cream cheese 

Add your desired ingredients. Carefully roll your sushi and press lightly to seal. Use your rolling mat and begin to tightly roll your sushi. Start at the side nearest you and begin to roll and squeeze towards you. Be careful not to press too tight or else your sushi will fall apart. (Helpful tip #3) You can wet your hands with water to assure the rice won't stick to you. 


Step 5- Decorate by adding toppings

Take one of your sushi rolls and spread masago all over. The red color makes the sushi attractive and also it makes the sushi yummy. 

Try fresh mango for a different approach. It's wonderful on either snowcrab or philly roll. 

Be creative. 


Step 6- Preparation

Warning: Please be very careful when handling sharp objects. 

Use a sharp knife to cut the sushi to 6-8 pieces. I usually don't use the sushi ends. Also I find dipping the knife in cold water makes slicing easier. You get a cleaner cut in my opinion. Plate. Serve. Enjoy.





Special thanks to my roomie Ai for sharing her sushi tips :) 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Red Carpet Worthy Looks





Elegant Dresses. Lights Flashing. A Famous Red Velvet Carpet. 
For anyone who is a fashion expert the Oscar's can be best described as the superbowl of fashion. It's an ultimate wow event that can either leave you speechless or confused. I'm not a big fan of the actual Oscar show but the red carpet intrigues me. Have you ever imagine yourself walking the red carpet? What would be your ideal red carpet worthy look? If I had the opportunity to attend the Oscar's I imagine myself aiming to wear something romantic, fashionable, old hollywood glamour, and exquisitely elegant.

The four dresses above are my top picks of the red carpet looks. Natalie Portman looked amazing in her off the shoulder Rodarte plum dress. No wonder she won best actress, lol, no she really deserved that Oscar. Most importantly she's pregnant. For someone whose pregnant I have to say she looks divine, happy, and blessed. Congrats NP you earned it. Beside Natalie's dress I was fascinated with Cate Blanchett's pale lavendar Givenchy couture gown. Talk about being different and creative. I absolutely love the design and how artistic it is. The mustard yellow embellishment is a great touch and the clean cut sleeves makes it a futuristic look with a touch of elegance.

What was your favorite dress? 





Media credit courtesy of Getty Images