theweekenderfiles

Thai Chicken Pizza

So I have been getting really into baking bread recently. I clearly have a knack for the kitchen eyooo I can get married now (wink wink to my boyfriend even though he doesn’t read my blog).

My mom has been getting tired of cooking sand we were running low on proteins and simply did not want to cook. I knew we had just enough flour to make pizza dough and we had pizza sauce, cheese and pepperonis to make a delicious pizza. (I used to love buying the Trader Joe’s pizza dough but with this simple dough recipe that you can make before and store in the refrigerator why would you need to.)

So I set out the night before to make the dough for the next day’s dinner. The dough was super easy to make and all I had to do was leave it in the same bowl I mixed it in overnight. I didn’t prepare the vegetables overnight but you can certainly have them ready in a bowl to top on your pizza!

This is also a super fun activity for date night!

I didn’t shoot the whole process because I wasn’t going to make it into a blog post since I feel I’ve been doing nothing but recipes but you guys specifically asked for this so here I am!

For the Dough

♡ 2 1/2 cups of flour

♡ 1 teaspoon of salt

♡ 2 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast

♡ 2 tablespoons of honey

♡ 2 tablespoons of avocado oil or evoo

♡ 1 cup of warm water

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast and honey. Mix then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour and olive oil and set low on the stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can use a spoon to mix until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Then using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work the additional 1/2 cup flour in to the dough, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

For the Pizza

♡ Peanut sauce (I use ….)

♡ 1 cup mozzarella

♡ 2 bell peppers julienned

♡ 1 cup shredded carrots

♡ 1 cup of bean sprouts

♡ 1/2 cup of cilantro

♡ 1/2 cup of peanuts

♡ 1/2 cup of green onions sliced

♡ 1 cup of shredded chicken

Preheat the oven to 375 F. I split my dough in half because my sister likes her pizza plain and simple with cheese, pizza sauce and pepperoni. Roll out the pizza as thin as you would like. I like thin crust and rolled it about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the peanut sauce over the dough leaving about a half inch for the crust. Add the mozzarella cheese. In a bowl toss the shredded chicken in the peanut sauce and distribute evenly over the pizza, leaving any remaining pizza sauce for extra drizzle. Scatter the carrots, bean sprouts and bell peppers and more cheese if desired.

Bake at 375 F for 30-35 minutes. If you opted for a thicker crust leave for a few more minutes, Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro and peanuts. I also topped with Thai Sriracha which is sweeter and gave this pizza an added tang!

+ turmeric bread: the recipe / + rosemary focaccia: the recipe

Rosemary Focaccia

Okay so I asked and you answered! Here is the recipe for the Rosemary Focaccia and let me tell you but it was amazing. And making this recipe was even more fun to record and eat.

Only sad thing is that my phone’s battery kept dying, the tripod was just not working with me and my phone didn’t record two crucial steps. So the video will simply have to wait until another time. I will keep you guys posted and upload a re-do video as soon as I can!

After making this recipe I do have a few things I would like to note! For best results mix rosemary into the dough as well as sprinkling on top. Also fresh rosemary works best. I only had dried rosemary so I used what I had, but the house still smelled like rosemary bready goodness.

So for now, here is the recipe! It is so easy and it was so much fun to make!

INGREDIENTS

♡ 2 1/4 tablespoons of yeast

♡ 1 1/3 cup of warm water (very important that it’s warm)

♡ 2 teaspoons of sugar

♡ 3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

♡ 1/4 cup of olive oil plus extra for drizzling

♡ 2 teaspoons of salt plus more for sprinkling

♡ Rosemary

1. Proof the yeast. Add the warm water and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (if you don’t have on you can do this in a bowl). Sprinkle the yeast over the sugar water mixture and and give it a quick stir. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until foamy.

2. Knead the dough. Set the mixer to a low speed and gradually add in the flour, salt and olive oil. Continue mixing until the dough is not too sticky and is pulling off the sides of the bowl.

3. First dough rise. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and shape into a ball. Grease the mixing bowl with olive oil, then place the dough ball back into the bowl cover with cling wrap and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

4. Second dough rise. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and roll it out onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle and place inside a parchment covered 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Cover with cling wrap and leave for twenty minutes.

5. Prepare the dough. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Use your fingers to really poke holes into the dough. Like all the way through down to the baking sheet. Drizzle about a tablespoon or two evenly on the dough and sprinkle with salt and rosemary.

6. Bake. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through.

7. Enjoy. Bread is always best enjoyed straight out of the oven. Slice and serve!

If you try out this recipe make sure to tag me so I can see your beautiful creations!

+ turmeric bread: the recipe / + mngo cafe

Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day and although we couldn’t go all out! We tried our best though! I’m sure you have all been told by your mothers “Don’t get me anything.” As if we would ever think to not get her anything!

If you guys read my post about her birthday you’ll know we are pretty intuitive when it comes to buying her gifts or planning her parties. We pay extra attention to the things she says. Yesterday she said wanted to have Spirulina pancakes for breakfast and Phil’s BBQ for dinner. I didn’t get a shot of the pancakes but I can assure you they are delicious! Should I do a blog post on these? Let me know in the comments below.

After breakfast it was time for presents! My mom’s been sad that her candles have been running out since we use candles all the time! And Voluspa are her fave! We usually have the Saijo Persimmon or Mokara burning in the house because they smell amazing.

Since we recently changed the living room to blue tones we obviously had to have candles to match and we got the Cool Tones set.

You didn’t think that was all that we got our mom though did you? What kind of children do you think we are?

Ever since we did the closet clean outs (quarantine has us way too productive) my mom realized she didn’t have any nice pajamas anymore! Natori silk pj’s are my absolute fave but those are too much for my mom but I have this exact pajama so we could match! (Mental Note to get my sister the same pjs for her birthday to match)

And the piece de resistance. Mother’s Day would be incomplete without beautiful flowers. These Venus et Fleurs are just divine….and since they last almost two years with proper care it’s an investment!

The Living Room Edit

The living room has been in the works for a while now and we finally pulled the plug on the full edit! And can you believe it but we only spent about $100 on making this drab looking corner into the prettiest focal point for our living room.

First things first! Our trip to Home Depot was an adventure in itself. We waited in line a bit to get in, found our things after an hour, bought all the things we needed and were back home filled with excitement for our latest project….only to realize halfway to getting home that we bought the wrong painters tape! We thought we had bought a two pack when in reality we bought a thicker tape which was not going to work for the thin lines between our triangles. So back we go to Home Depot to buy THE RIGHT TAPE!

Okay so fast forward to our little snafoo and we start taping up the wall! This was a pretty difficult task as the lines had to be pretty straight or at least as straight as we could get them.

Once we finished taping up the hardest part of it all came next. Which triangles were going to be which color. Well, we numbered the three paints we had and started numbering the triangles 1, 2, 3 and so on. We were finally ready to start painting. OR SO WE THOUGHT!

We had two 1’s together and we couldn’t have them side by side. So we changed the numbers around, but then we had two 2’s together. We changed the numbers around again but there was no way we weren’t going to have two of the same color that weren’t going to be really close together. So we decided to leave two that weren’t very noticeable close together.

And so began the painting. This was so much fun and let me tell you we laughed and joked around a lot. It was just a fun project. If you have a boring wall or corner you want to spruce up and need a break from this quarantine mess this is the project for you!

The Basics

+ Layout: If you know my mom you know that she loves to change the layout of everything….all the time. And at least for now the layout changed so it’s more social!

+ Paint: Ok su duh this whole post was about the paint job. Didn’t it turn out so cute? We found the idea on Pinterest!

The TV Console

+ So this console is from one of my fave stores and probably yours too! Home Goods!! It was a real steal but there is a super similar one on Amazon. We live in Coronado so naturally our living room had to have a beachy style but we gave it a more modern twist adding the industrial and geometric features.

The Coffee Table

+ This coffee table is also a Home Goods favorite but you can find plenty on Amazon too! It’s perfect because it works as storage for our decorative pillows and throws and its tres chic.

BONUS! We had paint left over and gave new life to our hallway as well!

+ the closet makeover / + mental health during quarantine

Turmeric Bread: the recipe

The votes are in! You all decided you wanted me to do a blog post on this super easy turmeric bread recipe! I mean look at how gorgeous this loaf turned out! And on my first try no less.

Skip to Recipe

This recipe has 7 ingredients and if you bake a lot you will definitely have all these ingredients, less the turmeric. But let’s be real everyone went through a turmeric latte, golden milk phase so this is a perfect way to use that spice that’s probably been sitting in your pantry forever!

I was so excited to bake this bread, as it had been on my mind for a few days. I was just hoping to have some time to finally make it! My mom loved it so much that she said I should never make it again because she was going to sit and eat the whole loaf!

The finished product turned out absolutely beautifully golden, deliciously airy and a great crust! I tapped the bottom of the loaf and like all good bread sounded hollow once I tapped it. Major success! Try out this recipe and tag me in it!I would love to see all you try out this recipe!

4 cups of all purpose flour plus extra for dusting

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

2 1/4 teaspoon of yeast

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/3 of tepid water

1. Mix the flour, turmeric, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Pour in 300ml lukewarm water and the oil.

2. Stir to create a loose dough.
3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
NOTE: the turmeric can stain, so if using a wooden or porous surface, line it with cling wrap.
4. Knead for about 10 mins (or use a stand mixer with a dough hook) until smooth.
5. Form into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl, then cover with cling wrap or a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
6. Knock back the dough by punching the air out and folding the dough over.
7. Form the dough into a ball and place onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
8. Preheat the oven to 430F / 220C. Lightly dust the bread with flour and cut a cross into the top. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it turns golden and if you knock the bottom it sounds hollow. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

+ Rosemary Focaccia

Mental Health during Quarantine

Is it just me or has this quarantine been the most stressful time. After working 8am to 10 ok on miscellaneous items it finally got to me. I finished yesterday early around 8 pm and decided that I was going to take the next day as a break from the hundreds of projects I’ve been having to work on since quarantine has started.

I’m not going to sit here and barrage you with things that you need to buy to make your life more zen. I have been getting so bored with bloggers telling me that I need Ashwaganda or whatever that even is to be more relaxed.

I’m going to give you a breakdown of what my day was like and you might even learn that everything you need to relax is in your quarantine zone a.k.a home!

8:30 Coffee!! I can’t start my day without coffee so this is a must but do whatever you need for a pick me up in the morning! Matcha, lemon water, regular water, literally whatever as long as it works for you!

9:00 Breakfast time! I didn’t do anything crazy no healthy bowls with thousands of ingredients you need to find in the peaks of the Himalayas or whatever just plain old eggs and potatoes!

10:00 Zoom school time! I was the behind the scenes for my mom’s class!

11:00 Going back to my earlier rant about becoming YT famous: my mom is a preschool teacher, and now she has had to start doing classes via Zoom and making videos for the time they are out of class. This is where project no. 1 of the day comes in. I sewed my mom the cutest little owl for her morning song with the kids! I took a break from technology and didn’t get to record it but I will do another post if you guys are interested in learning how to make one! It was so easy and fun!!

1:00 It has been a long day of being inside and it is time for a walk outside!! I hadn’t realized how I took fresh air for granted. Being inside all day for work and then getting home from work it was just my normal. Doesn’t matter if you get a breeze in your house by having the windows open it just is not the same as being outside.

3:00 While my mom is starting dinner and my sister has work to do I work on project no. 2 of the day! (Although let’s be real this took me like three days to finish). I have recently become obsessed with embroidery, my fave is carlyowensembroidery! How cute are those eyes! For my second project of the day I decided to take a crack at embroidery by doing a red lip for my mom’s new chic black facemask! Again I did not record this but if anyone is interested I can do a tutorial on another post or even on YT!

4:00 Linner time! To be honest I don’t remember what we even ate, but with all this extra time on our hands we have been getting creative in the kitchen! Check out Half Baked Harvest’s 20 minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen recipe. This recipe was a hit and you should definitely try it out as well!

6:00 I unfortunately couldn’t get away from technology the whole day and did have to log on for class for an hour but it wasn’t terrible. I survived!

7:00 It’s Wednesday and you know what that means? My latest Reese Witherspoon OBSESSION: Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu.

So my day was pretty jam packed but it was filled with things that I like to do! I obviously have a day job and took some time here and there to check emails on my phone to make sure I wasn’t missing anything important but let me tell you taking a break in the middle of the week to give my neck and back a break from the tech hunch!

I felt so much better at the end of the day and the next morning I felt refreshed enough to continue with my non-stop grind!

Has anyone else been taking on several hats during this quarantine? Let me know in the comments below! Until next time!

Not another Quarantine post

I have been trying to work from home since forever, but now that we have been in quarantine for 23 days I have realized how much I take for granted all the awesome things I can do outside.

We were supposed to be going on our Spring vacation a few days ago and I have never been so sad to have to cancel a trip. Mainly because we have been trying for years to make this particular trip. The first time we tried to go to Turkey the airport was bombed and we changed our trip and went to Munich instead.

Munich was absolutely gorgeous but the day we got there the some guy went on a shooting rampage literally blocks from our hotel.

Sounds like trouble finds us when we are on vacation! But it’s always a grand time and I have stories to tell when I come back home.

I hadn’t noticed how much traveling absolutely replenishes my mind and soul. So as you can imagine being ordered to stay home for non-essential travel and avoiding public places (like tourist attractions) has made me feel anxious. Not necessarily in a this is scary kind of way but an anxious I need to be doing something exciting and I need to stay in place type of way.

Being in quarantine hasn’t been all bad though, this has been a great way for me to focus on other things that I have been wanting to do. Like focus on growing my blog. This has helped keep my mind busy because I have so many ideas of things that I can do! I even started my own clothing label Red Lip Crew. If you’re interested check out the shop here.

I even made the decision to start doing law office study so I can take the California bar in a few years and finally be an attorney!

We are all in this journey together! What are some things you are working on during this down time? Leave me a comment below.

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+ mental health during quarantine / + mother’s day

Colorado – The Mini Guide

Colorado: The mini Guide

It’s the start of the New year and I am back to reality sitting at my desk at work wishing I could be back on my magical vacation.

Being in Colorado was like being at Disneyland, especially Vail! It had just snowed before we got there and it was absolutely breathtaking driving up the mountains to get there. Once you’re in the town it’s like if you stepped into a huge version of the Matterhorn! Swiss chalets everywhere and a cute bustling center filled with shoppers and snow sport junkies alike.

I was only in Colorado for a few days but they were the right amount for a First trip to explore a new place. You especially need to get acclimated since the elevation is super high! I don’t recommend staying just for a weekend because you’ll spend the whole time with altitude sickness like my sister did.

Wednesday: We took an early morning flight to arrive around 10 am to allow us time to check in to the hotel (we stayed at the Ritz Carlton) and explore the city. We traveled New Year’s Day so pretty much everything was closed but there were still people walking around the 16th Street Mall. Don’t get me wrong though a lot of things are closed for seemingly no reason when you need them to be open! Most places are closed at 5.

We went back to the hotel after having breakfast at The Earl. The place was cute but the food wasn’t exceptional for the price so I don’t really recommend it. Once at the hotel we passed out for two hours because altitude sickness makes you drowsy!

After our nap we were pretty hungry and realized it was probably time to go get some food again so we ventured back to 16th Street mall where shocker almost nothing was open. We ended up at Giordanos which is a Chicago favorite! You can even have pizzas shipped to you from them!

Thursday: Second day in Denver and we spent the day roaming around the city. We met up with one of my sisters friends and had coffee at Little Owl Coffee. I had a strawberry croissant that was just wow. Definitely worth the $5 I spent on it!

Later on we stopped by the Denver Milk Market which is a super cute food and retail hall. So many great options to choose from and Happy Hour at their bar did not disappoint! We bought a cheese pizza, our three burgers, two orders of fries, a cocktail and a beer for about $35 dollars.

The Rooftop Waldorf Astoria

I just had to tell you guys this story because it was just so incredibly funny. Now if you live in Los Angeles and have had an opportunity to go have brunch at the Rooftop at Waldorf Astoria you’ll know that it is absolutely delicious! And if you’re lucky enough to get a smog free day the downtown Los Angeles skyline is incredible.

So I said I had a funny story so let me actually get to that. We were having breakfast and having a grand ol’ time talking and being silly. Once I finished eating I noticed that I had a bunch of bugs on my blouse. I knocked them off my blouse not thinking anything of it.

Few minutes pass by and everyone starts noticing all these bugs on my blouse! Now, I’m the only one wearing a bright color everyone else is in black so either you couldn’t see the bugs on them or they just were attracted to my blouse.

We leave the table to go take some pictures on the other end of the rooftop but the bugs have followed me. They are actually swarming around my head and just all over me blouse and my pants. I must have looked crazy swatting these bugs and being unsuccesful in getting rid of them.

My sister had taken her leftover pancakes in a to go box that was absolutely adorable! She left it on the coffee table while she was taking photographs. Was super excited to eat them the next day for breakfast. She calls me and my mom the next day to tell us that the bugs had gotten into her pancakes!!!! The poor thing!

Aside from being a funny story, I definitely recommend going to The Rooftop at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. It’s absolutely gorgeous and delicious!

Weekend in Memory Lane

It’s been a minute since the days where our family would spend every weekend in Los Angeles. We would spend the weekend to visit my aunt at her gallery and eat at the best restaurants LA has to offer.

This weekend we decided to do just that and relive some great memories at some of our favorite places.

If you don’t care to read the full post and just want my recs scroll down to the bottom!

We deviated a little from our usual stays in Beverly Hills to stay closer to my sister who goes to school at Pepperdine in Malibu. The Four Seasons Westlake is a hidden oasis in the middle of the hills near Calabazas and Hidden Hills. They’ve been remodeling so not all the rooms look like they’re out of an elegant 1950’s hotel anymore but we stayed in one of the more “historic” suites. Bright yellow walls with white crown molding and gorgeous oak furniture. The bathroom has a shower and bathtub both marble. For those of you who know me, I am a sucker for marble.

The hotel has a beautiful views of Malibu/Topanga canyons and the facilities are gorgeous. I wish I had time to take some cute pictures in front of their waterfall. Those pictures would have been precious!

For dinner we went to the Palm Restaurant. Getting there was a pretty hilarious ordeal. We were worried about being late for our reservation and were zipping through LA traffic to get there even though it was about 9 pm! Once we drove past it to find parking my grandma stated “Where did you bring me this isn’t the Palm!”

Now I’ve been to this specific Palm location with her sometime over 12 years ago and granted it was slightly different then since Beverly Hills is always changing. But anyway we got there and my grandma just had to ask if this was indeed the Palm where she would spend almost every weekend about 30 years ago. They told her that this particular restaurant had originally been on Sunset but parts of the original building and it’s celebrity drawings were in this new location.

Anyway we were there because my grandma just could not get the thought of their famous Veal Chop out of her mind. And at 16 ounces it’s a huge cut! My grandma can’t eat that much anymore so you better believe that I ate mine and what she left of hers which was quite a lot! Despite her having eaten almost 3/4 of it!

We had tiramisu for dessert and I can tell you that it is incredible! The mascarpone is delicate and the taste isn’t overpoweringly sweet. No good picture of it because we just devoured it!

The next day we had breakfast at another Beverly Hills icon. The Ivy! Both old and new Hollywood stars are known to hang out here and why wouldn’t they when the food is absolutely incredible. Sipping champagne while you wait for your table is simply a luxe extra that makes anyone feel like a celebrity. Don’t even get me started on the scones! Are you a lover of the breadbasket before a meal? Well you will never think of those the same after having these scones, they are to die for! I know I went for breakfast but I always get the spaghetti and meatballs. I am a creature of habit and what can I say I absolutely love theirs.

Sultana scones with raspberry jam and butter.

After breakfast we went down to Rodeo Drive so I could pick up some things from Saint Laurent Rive Droite for our works white elephant. Not going to do any spoilers in case anyone from work reads this but just know that you all will be fighting over these gifts!

Last item on our mini vacation in memory lane was the iconic Beverlywood Bakery. This is your corner Russian/Jewish bakery for all your challah, bear claw, babka and black white cookie needs. I am of course biased but it’s only because I have been coming here for 20 something years now. Wow does that statement make me feel old! Anyway this black and white cookie is to die for and no matter where I go and try new cookes, this will hands down always be my favorite.

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Mngo Cafe

I finally did something notable this weekend that I can share with you guys! Honestly how real time bloggers find the time and energy to do stuff consistently even though they sometimes have days worth of content is mind boggling to me.

I can’t even find the energy to do my makeup most days! This weekend was my uncles birthday and we were going to go out and celebrate. So I dressed up all cute, makeup all done up (even my hair was freshly washed and styled!) only to have plans cancelled!

Now I wasn’t going to waste a cute outfit and makeup by washing it off and getting back into my jammies! I was committed to doing something!

Ok I’ll get to the point now. No need to annoy you guys with my ranting. We went out to do some errands and decided to have lunch at Dumpling Inn / Shanghai Saloon. This spot is OG and it’s so good. I’ve been going there since before it became this happening spot. It used to be a tiny restaurant with only four or five tables! I didn’t take any pictures so sorry about that but take my word for it this place is amazing!

For dessert we went to MNGO Cafe! It is so cute on the inside, and they even have an adorable mange tree in the middle with seating which makes for a perfect instagram shot!

But what about the dessert! Did it meet my expectations! Well I had no idea what to expect because I have never had a Kakirogi before but you better believe it was incredible!

If you’re going to order one it is definitely something to split! Especially after just having eaten. It was a huge dessert!

Bottom layer of mango jelly topped with mango shaved ice, mango chunks. Cream to top it off and mango custard and mango syrup to add on as well! It was a glorious explosion of mango! Definitely worth every single sugary bite!

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Killer Pizza from Mars

It sounds like the worst yet best Sci Fi eighties film. And it’s not completely wrong! This pizza shop in Oceanside looks like it is straight out of the eighties and it is absolutely incredible?

This place seems so out of place in this strip mall in Oceanside but let me tell you it is an absolute experience!

It’s alien theme transports you to Route 66, Area 51 or Roswell! The place is amazing and looks straight out of an eighties Sci Fi movie, old school arcade games included!

But is the pizza killer? OH MY GOD you bet! This is definitely not a fancy place by any means and you won’t find anything but your basics when it comes to pizza but it’s just so good you can’t

How did I come across this place? Well my boyfriend is originally from Oceanside and apparently this was one of his childhood favorites. And I can definitely see why! The decor is a nerdy dream and who doesn’t love pizza!help but gobble up every single slice.

If you’re ever in San Diego and happen to hang out in Oceanside Killer Pizza from Mars is the ish!

Sorry there’s no good pictures but like it was so good that I honestly couldn’t even remember to get a shot of it!

For the Dough

For the Pizza

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients:

Colorado: The mini Guide

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