direction.

have you ever had days where your brain just feels like mush? like it is going in all sorts of directions all at the same time? well, my thoughts are moving similarly to the people walking through the busiest intersection in the world: scramble intersection [スクランブル交差点] in shibuya, japan.

i am a text-book virgo. i plan meticulously, and know what i want and where i want to be. unfortunately, there are roadblocks and obstacles to get around to get there. for the past month and a half, i have been living at home. [thank goodness it is the summer!] i hate the feeling of not having to wake up to do anything, as if i have no purpose. i want to be going to yoga and work out everyday, but unfortunately, i have hurt my knee and was told to take it easy (ie: no yoga!) until i get it looked at by an orthopedic doctor. [i have an appointment with one in two weeks...]  i know i am being hard on myself, and that these things happen, but to be quite frank, i am ready to get back to work and to have a daily routine.

today, i have two (what i hope to be) final interviews with two different companies for two different positions. i couldn't be more excited and nervous.


wish me luck!

j

new memories.

so this past weekend was full of clouds and rain. it figures that today [monday] is absolutely beautiful. nonetheless, i had a great weekend- full of family, baking, and the olympics. i went with my family to costco for some good ol' american shopping. we also swung by my grandmother's house to make her dinner. this week is going to be interesting- i have a lot going on! hopefully i will have some good news in the next few days.

[please note that the beautiful beach pictures are from friday...before the torrential downpours.]

how was your weekend?

j

a grand opening ceremony.

it is finally here! the summer olympics of 2012- hosted by london.

will you be watching?? what are your favorite events?


have a fabulous weekend!

j


photo courtesy of a friend of mine taken in london a few weeks back.

a good recipe: chicken pesto.

trying to make the most of my time off, i have been trying to balance my time at the beach with a little cooking and baking.  yesterday, i baked oatmeal blueberry cookies and for dinner, i made chicken pesto. in the backyard, we have so much fresh basil that had yet to be used- rather than leaving it for the bugs, i wanted to take advantage of what we had and make a fresh pesto.

what you need
food processor
one large frying pan
one large pot

the recipe
6 cups of fresh basil (not pressed down)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese *
1/4 cup pine nuts*
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
two pinches of salt [to taste]
two pinches of pepper [to taste]
one box of pasta of choice (i used a thinner spaghetti)
one pack of thinly sliced chicken breast (about 5 pieces)

the possible adjustments for taste
pesto is all about finding the right balance of ingredients that works for your taste, so keep that in mind!
instead of parmesan, you can also use romano cheese for a stronger taste
if you have a nut allergy, you can omit the pine nuts all together
for added flavor, you can also add sundried tomato to the mix

the cooking
toast the pine nuts lightly in a pan over low heat. set aside.

using the same pan, grill the chicken using a bit of olive oil and seasoning only with black pepper. once grilled, use a knife and fork to pull the chicken into small pieces. set aside.

in the food processor, combine the fresh basil, olive oil, cheese, garlic and pine nuts [setting aside a small amount for garnish].  pulse until all ingredients are well blended. add salt and pepper to taste.

boil the pasta. once boiled and strained, set aside momentarily. in the large pot where you grilled the chicken, add some olive oil and the shredded chicken to reheat. add the pesto and stir. add the pasta a little at a time. continue to stir until the sauce and chicken are evenly distributed. use the pine nuts set aside for garnish. you can also choose not to mix the pesto in with the pasta and instead spoon the sauce over pasta.

makes 4 servings [with enough leftover for seconds for one person, or one packed lunch!]

you can also use this pesto as a spread over toasted baguette, or even a baked potato.

yesterday, we also figured out why our chives weren't growing in...

enjoy!


j

the little things. [and a glossybox review.]

as much as being unemployed seems like a temporary vacation, i must admit, i am getting quite tired of it. i am itching to get back to work, to a regular adult-like routine (as the majority of my day right now consists of laying at the beach).  although, i will say that it has made for a smoother transition, i start to doubt myself in some strange way. being the only one of my friends in this situation, having no one but myself to enjoy the beautiful summer days with... i am sure you are thinking: "rough situation, julia, really rough." but let me tell you, i do not feel independent. i do not feel as free as you would think. i have really had to look to the little things that surround me to keep me staying positive.

tackling my summer reading list

homemade games made of driftwood left at the beach

flags hung at the beach

my much needed new wallet

at the original tate's

ALSO

the june 2012 glossybox

the june 2012 glossybox review that i owed ya!

the ahava: mineral botanic hibiscus and fig velvet cream wash smells amazing and left my skin feeling very soft. 

i have a confession. i don't ever use shaving cream- just soap and hot water. so it was great to try the first aid beauty: smooth shaving cream. it left my legs feeling uber moisturized and i loved it. i think it turned me into a believer. 

the ofra cosmetics: eye shadow ICE was an easy application. a little goes a long way- and you can add layers to deepen the color. 

one thing that i am always self conscious of is the dark circles around my eyes. luckily in the summer when i have some life to my face, it isn't as noticeable, but the vbeatute: lite up, buying time, and eye never creams will be a great addition to my routine come winter, when they are most noticeable. 

as i have mentioned before, my hair tends to get very dried out, so i was excited that for the second month in a row, there was a deep conditioning treatment in my glossybox. the wella professionals: enrich moisturizing treatment only took a few minutes but left my hair feeling naturally silky.

i got a sixth item this month [score!]: the a perfume organic: urban organic eu de parfum is a great summer scent.

get your own glossybox here!

happy wednesday!


j

a good recipe: blueberry walnut muffins.

so i went a little baking happy yesterday. (and i am sure that i will be baking again today...) it was raining out, and i was stuck inside for the better part of the morning, so i decided to go through my cupboards and use what we had. i saw that we had pounds of frozen blueberries (were frozen fresh last year) and more than enough ingredients to open up a bakery. so, i decided to throw something together.

using a basic recipe, i made a few adjustments only using what we had in house.

what you need
preheat the oven to 380F
12 cup muffin pan (or 24 mini muffins)
1 large bowl
1 medium bowl
whisk
wooden spoon
two small spoons

the recipe
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar*
1/2 cup veggie oil
1 egg
1 cup yogurt*
1/2 cup chopped walnuts*
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries*

the possible adjustments for taste
for more of a natural sweet, decrease sugar to 1/2-3/4 cup of sugar and increase blueberries
walnuts can be omitted from the recipe all together
greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt (i used honey greek yogurt)
can add more blueberries to taste- i prefer about 2 cups

the baking
in a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. set aside.

in a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, sugar and yogurt until well blended. slowly add the dry ingredients until well mixed.  fold in blueberries and walnuts, leaving 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/4 cup walnuts for garnish.

add the mixture to a greased muffin pan, distributing evenly. sprinkle remaining blueberries and walnuts onto each muffin, slightly pressing down to ensure they stick. place pan into oven. bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry.

once baked, remove from pan to let cool. store in a cool, dry location. yields 12 muffins.

enjoy!


j

new memories.

what a great weekend. the weather was perfect, i was finally able to spend some quality time with the girlfriends and family, and i had two full days at the beach. what more could you ask for.

on friday night, a few of my girlfriends came out to the hamptons. on saturday, after a few full hours at the beach, we took a ride out to montauk point.

sunday, i spent the whole day with my parents. i could not tell you the last time either of my parents had stepped foot on the beach (it has been years!), but we all decided to go down to the beach yesterday. on our way home, we grabbed some local corn from the farm stand and had dinner on the back deck.

and now, it is monday. i can only hope for more amazing memories this coming week.

how would you spend your perfect weekend?


j

the glossy box- june 2012

glossybox. it is something fun to look forward to every month. this month, it was all about the basic beauty essentials for summer.  right up my alley. stay tuned for the review next wednesday!

glossybox: june 2012

the following products were inside:

1. ahava: mineral botanic hibiscus and fig velvet cream wash

2. first aid beauty: smooth shaving cream

3. ofra cosmetics: eye shadow ICE

4. vbeatute: lite up, buying time, and eye never

5. wella professionals: enrich moisturizing treatment

6. a perfume organic: urban organic eu de parfum (as an extra!!)

what product would you try first? 

have a fabulous weekend!

j

a summer read.

 

okay. so i have already jumped on the fifty shades bandwagon, and have since then, read all three books.  that was two months ago. i have regretfully only read one book [the alchemist: paulo coehlo] since then, and am looking for the next summer read. i was tempted to get back into the classics- as there are so many of those i have yet to read- but am also looking for something new and fresh. ideally, this book would be well written and still able to captivate me, even when i am sitting at the beach.


books on my radar [as suggested by friends]:
gone girl, by gillian flynn
the art of racing in the rain, by garth stein
the secret life of bees, by sue monk kidd
unbroken, by laura hillenbrand
little bee, by chris cleave
sarah's key, by tatiana de rosnay


what are your favorite summer reads?

j



photo courtesy of guardian.co.uk