Sunday, March 20, 2011

Chinese Sausage Linguine

It's strange how you can take the unlikeliest of ingredients and make an edible dish out of it, and that is exactly what I did this weekend.

My mum, who has always had this notion that she is the best cook in the family (which belongs to my late Dad, by the way), decided to hand us some chinese sausages.

She was rambling on how to cook this and cook that with the sausages, and despite her best intentions, we were more likely to do it our way.

And it so happened, I had this penchant for pasta one late night, and with our fridge running low on cookable ingredients, that I decided to incorporate the sausages for a pasta dish. Hence, Chinese Sausage Linguine.

Cook some linguine in boiling water for about 8-10 minutes until they are soft but not overly so.

In a pan, chop some sliced garlic and heat it in the pan with some olive oil for a minute or two until the flavors infuse the air. Add a dash of white wine and let the garlic sizzle in the alcohol for awhile.

Add in the sliced chinese sausages and toss it with the garlic until they are well caramelised.

Add in some chicken stock and about half a cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Let the liquid reduce by more than half, or until a thickened sauce is achieved. Add in a knob of butter.

Add the cooked linguine into the mixture and toss with the chinese sausages and garlic until they are well infused. Season with some pepper.

Plate the linguine and add in the garlic and sausages, and spoon some of the sauce over it. Add in some chopped parsley or coriander for garnishing purposes.

To finish, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the pasta. The sweetness of the sausages will somehow pair nicely with the garlic and sauce that was derived from the cooking process.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Bloggers day of silence: Friday March 18

Photobucket

Read about it and donate here! Every little bit counts!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day and hope you all have a fun and safe weekend! xo

Time to bust out the riding boots

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

Sweater: Old Navy
Jean Leggings: Target
Boots: Jessica Simpson
Earrings: Lia Sophia
Ring: Jewelmint
Necklace: Self made (you can find one like mine at Erin Gallagher Jewelry)

I got these bad boys over a year ago, but didn't fit comfortably back into them until recently. Plus I got rid of my other brown boots in my "shop my shoes" section to make me wear my awesome ones more! ;)
And can we just check out my hair please!? I have very little idea of how this worked but I twisted the sides, braided the back and put it in a bun and used lots of bobby pins! It was so nice to have no baby/toddler pulling my hair for a day! And when I took it out, I had amazing waves! This style will have to be used on the super hot summer days this year!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

the mad ones

*

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars, and in the middle, you see the blue center-light pop, and everybody goes ahh..."

jack kerouac - on the road

what guys really think

Combat boots

Photobucket
WhoWhatWear

Photobucket
Photobucket

Lisa: HATE IT! Especially when you don't even take the time to lace them up (Ahhemmm Lindsay Lohan)! I'm all for women wearing men's inspired wear, but I like it in a more tailored feminine manor. I get it, wear them with something super girly for an edgy look, but I still would not be caught dead in them. Hey, I'm finally excepting flat riding boots (and loving them by the way), but that doesn't mean I want to add laces and buckles all the way up.
I do think a few of these ladies look great in them, but again not something I'm going to be trying any time soon.

Ryan: So let me get this straight Hollywood starlets - you weigh 89 pounds, eat nothing but sushi & Red Bull all day and decide to CLUNK up your outfit with Frankenstein's boating shoes? Rachel Bilson, stop breaking my heart! For the record, the recent trend of dudes walking around with their Air Jordans untied is equally egregious ("tie your shoes!" says the old man from his front porch). Anyway girlfriends, keep killin' it with some flats, heels, pumps or whatever else you wear to keep us slobs interested (and you feelin' sexy/comfortable/sexy-but-uncomfortable), but leave the combat boots to marines & movie monsters.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

This weeks "I want what she has!"

Photobucket
Photobucket

This weeks "I want what she has!" goes to Lindsay Burdett. The entire look is amazing, but I was gushing over that bag!

Canvas Bag: $53.79 ASOS

I love that you can hold the bag, throw it over your shoulder, or even wear it cross body! It goes with anything and everything and is great for spring! Great find Lindsay....we may need to do a closet swap soon! And my "may need" I mean yes please! ;)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Giveaway: Nicole Smith Family Trees

This giveaway is just in time for Mother's Day! One lucky winner will receive a 5 by 7 framed "love addition" family tree with up to 12 people (a $44.50 value)! Here are examples of what your tree could look like. The winner even gets to choose the color of the frame!
Photobucket
Photobucket

Isn't it beautiful?! I got a family tree for my mother-in-law for Christmas 2 years ago and I also have a family magnet in my kitchen. I just love Nicole's stuff! Here are a few other examples of the new love addition pieces:
Photobucket
Photobucket

To enter:
Visit Nicole's Etsy site and copy the url from your favorite item and paste it in the comments section below along with your email address.
For an additional entry "like" NS Family Trees on Facebook

Winner announced April 6th.

In addition to the giveaway, Nicole is offering readers of my blog 10% off any purchase through 3/31 by using the code LISASBLOG at checkout!