Face Off with Gisele Bündchen's for H&M

I may not be a super model like Gisele Bundchen, but there's nothing wrong than dreaming, right? There are times when I feel like I was a real model/chef in my past life. HAHA! I am feeling a little delusional this morning so just indulge me. I swear the things that I do are not normal compare to what  a regular person would do. And B would just roll his eyes and laugh with disdelief. LOL! But once in a while, I want to provide you all a litle comic relief even if its to my expense. What do you think HM and Giselle would say?



Image source:http://fashiongonerogue.com/gisele-bundchen-hm-spring-2011-campaign-daniel-jackson/

Fine, I lose! I don't have the face and body like hers. I wonder if she has personality though? For sure, I'll beat her on that one. HEHE!



Image source:http://fashiongonerogue.com/gisele-bundchen-hm-spring-2011-campaign-daniel-jackson/

I wonder if she cooks for Tom Brady as I cook for my BP. LOL! I think I can probably do a cook-off with her. I might have to practice making feijoada (Brazil's national dish) and caipirinha.

My cousin said that this is my summer's eve look. LOL!

Want to guess what's on my mind? Spring and Summer....

How's that for a face-off? HAHA! I hope I made you all laugh even just a little. That's all folks...Bisous, Contessa

Around the World with Contessa - Belgium Part One

While I was researching more information about Belgian cuisine, I learned that it's often being overshadowed despite the fact that its a nation full of gourmands. With the neighboring countries like France and Germany, Belgian cuisine tends to be pushed aside. For many of us who don't know, this country is not only famous for it's chocolates, waffles, endives, but also for its mussels and frites (French-fried potatoes, it's their traditional dish actually) and oh beer! And who doesn't like the sound of those? That's why I had to break this post in two parts simply because I got a little over board with my Belgian gastronomic adventures. He! He! I could not just make waffles and leave it at that....

On this first post, I will share with you that is something more familiar...Belgian waffles! In Belgium, the natives eat waffles for dessert and not much of a breakfast dish. But since B and I are American piglets (:-), we also had to have them for breakfast:-). Unlike the American waffle batter, Belgian waffle is based on a batter raised with yeast. It's thick in appearance but its light and fluffy in the inside. Just how I would like to eat my waffles....

Topped with fresh bananas drizzled with pure maple syrup. 

               

























I searched everywhere for an authentic Belgian waffle recipe and I came across the recipe of Thomas Degeest, who is considered to be the waffle master. Supposedly he went to Belgium to learn from the master waffle makers and perfected his own waffle recipes. I found his Classic Belgian waffles recipe from food and wine website, which you can click here. 

I just had to include this picture in here. Whenever I buy bacon (which is very seldom), I usually splurged on the freshly cut thick slab from the fresh meat counter in Whole Foods. I would just bake it in a 400 degree oven and brushed with maple syrup. Just like candy. B and I usually fight at who gets the last piece. lol!

I love how the batter has a thicker, doughy consistency. Almost bread like. 

For dessert, I just topped it with vanilla ice cream and home made Belgian chocolate fudge sauce, which was also Thomas Degeest's recipe here. 


Don't you just love that I posted what we had for dessert before our main course? I must have eaten like four waffles this weekend and I will be for sure paying for it in the gym. Oh well! Such is life:-) ....stay tuned for Part Deux! 


Bisous, Contessa

Casual Saturday Outfit

Two things B said to me this morning before we headed out to do errands were:  "Honey, we're just going to the market," and "what's with those red pants?" LOL! I just love it every time he makes funny comments like these. 




Hope you all had a fabulous Saturday. Bisous, Contessa

Friday's Fish Du Jour - Grilled Spanish Mackerel

I love Spanish Mackerel. It's on of my favorite fish growing up. I remember as a child, we would always eat it either fried, grilled, or adobo style (it's Philippines most popular dish or a type of cooking process that involves meat or seafood cooked in vinegar, garlic, tomatoes and simmered for a until cooked). Among the three methods, I prefer mine mostly grilled. Served with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and lemon juice and a side of rice. But of course that back in my rice eating days. HAHA! Now, I just usually serve it with any type of steamed or sauteed vegetables.


Last week when I was doing my grocery at Whole Foods, I chanced upon a 3 pounder Spanish Mackerel and without hesitation, I snagged that baby home. I usually get a funny look when I asked them to clean it for me and leave the head on. What can I say? In where I came from, we don't waste anything. Sometimes they would have a lot of fresh fish heads that some of their customers don't want and I usually ask if I could have them. I can't say no to a giant salmon head for a buck and half. LOL! Fish head soup is the best....but that's another post! HEHE! 

Do you like my filleting skills? Beautiful for my first time. I didn't want to tinker with the fish too much so I just seasoned with lime juice, a little bit of salt and italian seasoning. I then grilled it for a few minutes on each side. Doesn't take that long to cook at all. 


My asparagus on the other hand was boiled and dressed in a white balsamic and dijon mustard dressing. This two was paired beautifully. The tanginess of the salad dressing and the freshness of the fish blended perfectly. Asparagus can be steamed or baked if that's your preferred method. Boiling it for a few minutes is usually the easiest and most convenient for me. While I was for the asparagus to cook in the boiling water, I take one tablespoon of dijon gray poupon mustard, two tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar (can be substituted with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar), and one packet of stevia sweetener (of course you can use white sugar, honey, maple syrup or any sweeteners you like) and whisk all the ingredients together in one bowl. When the asparagus is cooked, immediately mix it with the salad dressing. Voila! Easy and healthy and lent friendly:-)

Fresh Hyacinth keeps my house smelling good...looking forward to Spring weather!!!!

I love being surrounded by flowers and who doesn't love hydrangea?

Have a great Friday!

Bisous,

Contessa

No "Poo" Experiment - How to Get Thick and Stronger Hair

Ever since I read "No More Dirty Looks" about two months ago, I have been slowly transitioning into using all natural beauty products. So far I have completely changed my beauty regimen and slowly seeing the results (will have to post later). Hopefully by summertime, I will start using cleaner and environmentally friendly cleaning products for my household as well. 

No More Dirty Looks has become my beauty bible and my go to for referrence if i am in the mood of making my own body scrub, home made shampoo, home made mani and pedi or home made make-up. While I have tried majority of it, I have yet to dabble my hands on home made make-up. Well let me take that back because I did buy beets to put a little color on my already rosy cheeks:-). You think beets are only good for salads? Think again, it's rich in phytonutrients and has some anti oxidant properties,which are beneficial to our skin. Next time when you buy beets, try setting aside a small slice and think about your cheeks and lips. Such an environmentally friendly chic to do..lol

By now you are probably wondering is what is the "no poo" experiment? If you get to know me, you'll know that I go extreme once I get obsessed about something. I guess you'll probably consider not shampooing and getting rid of all my shampooos is extreme. Laugh and cringe if you like. Going the no poo method is totally up to you.  You  can ditch using your shampoo for a day or as many days as you want. Think about the number of chemicals in shampoo that our skin absorbs on a regular basis. The purpose of eating healthy becomes futile when the things we let our skin absorb are toxic. Did you know that shampooing regularly strips away all the natural and necessary oils we need for a healthier scalp. Using the opposite will actually benefit the hair. It can finally be able to breathe on its own and be free from all that chemicals it absorbs.

Because I care so much about my hair and I know that using a bunch of synthetic made shampoo will not do me any good (doesn't work any way for what it's claiming to do), I gave this experiment a try. The method recommends using a home made shampoo of pure baking soda and organic (if you prefer) apple cider vinegar. Sounds gross, right? At first, I was a little hesitant and the thought of smelling like ripe didn't sound attractive. I was actually wrong. 

Baking soda is not only used for baking but also for cleaning. Remember putting a cup of baking soda in the fridge to keep it from smelling bad? I know when I was in the Philippines we did.  Baking soda helps strips all the build up from using shampoo and conditioner. 

Apple cider vinegar or ACV has a lot of benifits as well. Our hair is on the mildly acidic side of the pH scale and has an ideal pH of 4.5 to 5.5, which is close to that of an apple cider vinegar rinse (pH 2.9). (Taken from http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/natural-hair-care-product.html). On the other hand, many of the hair care products we use, such as soap-based shampoos, bleaches, hair colors, and permanents are strongly alkaline. Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup that can result from the use of these styling products and inexpensive shampoos. Rinsing will also close the numerous cuticle scales which cover and protect the surface of each hair shaft. This imparts a smoother surface which reflects more light and as a result leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage.

In other words Baking Soda will act as the shampoo and ACV will act as the conditioner. Get it? I usually do this method once a week and wash my hair two or three times a week. And when I am not using baking soda and acv, I will do a hot coconut oil (that will be another post) therapy for my hair followed with an all natural shampoo and conditioner(will have to post later).

I haven't also colored my hair in so long....

Happy Thursday!

I dissolve one table spoon of baking soda in a cup of warm water. I put it in a small squirt bottle and spray the mixture to my hair starting from the crown of my head. I will massage it a little and leave it on for 5 minutes. Rinse with water and rinse the ends of your hair with ACV. Rinse with water again and your done! Make sure you keep a big comb to detangle at the end. Your hair will be amazing to blow dry afterwards. It can be styled however you want. I have been using this for the last month and my hair is growing out so fast and it has become a lot thicker too:-). I am happy......let me know if you try it as well:-).

All Natural Pork Tenderloin Roast

Pork tenderloin. My favorite type of cut. Lean. Tender. Juicy. Can I tell you that I have a long lasting love affair with it? It gives me all the juice I need. LOL! I serve it at least once a week and prepare it in different ways. But my most favorite way is roasting it. It saves me time in the kitchen to prepare other meals while it's roasting in the oven. And the secret to a juicy roast is to pan sear the outside first and let it roast in the oven until it reaches the desired internal temperature. Pink. Medium. Well Done. I love mine cooked Medium.

The roast above is about 2 and half pounds, which I rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic powder, herbes de provence, rosemary and dijon mustard (it makes a difference to the flavor!!!). I let it marinade for half an hour or overnight if you have time.

Preheat oven in 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in dutch oven and pan sear pork and let it brown on each side. Put the dutch oven with the tenderloin and let it roast for about half an hour. Usually they say that the time to roast the pork tenderloin depends on the weight. But I generally just stick my meat thermometer on the pork and take it out once it reaches  165 (this is cooked medium). 



I had all kinds of vegetables in the fridge and pantry but all I kept thinking was to combine artichoke, garbanzo and string beans together. A combination one would think will not work. I was a bit surprise that the flavors just blended together. Suffice to say, it turned out to be delicious.  When my pork was done, I took it out and put on the cutting board and let it rest for ten minutes. I used the oil from the dutch oven to saute shallots and added the string beans, garbanzo, and chopped artichokes. I added a little bit of white wine vinegar and some dijon mustard. Seasoned a little bit with salt and pepper.



This whole dinner took less than 40 minutes to cook. Healthy and delicious!

Around the World with Contessa - Austria

The hills are alive with the sound of music.  La di da di da!!!! Ah, first thing that pops into my mind about Austria besides Wolfgang Puck (well maybe vienna sausages, too? lol). If you don't know, he is an Austrian born celebrity chef and restaurateur and the dishes that I prepared was inspired from the "last supper" episode of Top Chef.  Wolfgang Puck wanted one of the contestant (go Richard Blaise!) to make goulash and apple strudel that his mother used to make when he was little.  B and I watched this episode with "oooohh's," "aaaahhhh's," and "hmmmmm yum." Funny that as soon as B saw what Richard Blaise prepared for Mr. Puck, he immediately thought of how his mommy used to make him goulash as well.  Being a good wifey that I am, I offered to make it for him too. LOL!

Here is my version of an Austrian Goulash and Apple Strudel. This is probably the closest thing of being in Austria (unless B decides to take me there on a whim ;-). What would have been a two hour of cooking was reduced to half an hour. Thank God for my pressure cooker. I was finally able to put it to use.  

If you ask me, this is a just a typical beef stew, which is similar to what my mom would always make. What sets this goulash apart is the combination of sweet Hungarian Paprika, carraway seeds and sour cream. Can you say yum? Carraway seeds are usually used in italian sausage and using these seeds are very traditional in European cooking. It has a sweet and slightly peppery aroma.  Traditionally, it's served with potato dumplings or what they call a Spaetzel (a type of egg noodle). I just substituted it with elbow macaroni instead.  

I served mine on a bed of Spinach.

Contessa's Goulash
two and half pounds of grass fed chuck roast
chopped onions
minced garlic
2 parnips minced
2 carrots chopped
2 medium potatoes chopped
2 medium tomatoes chopped
carraway seeds
hungarian sweet paprika
salt and pepper
sour cream
worcester sauce
green pepper sliced lengthwise
2 beef cubes

If you have a pressure cooker, I suggest you use it. It will cut your time in an hour. But you can just easily use a dutch oven.  Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown them first.  Make sure you do it in batches.  Saute onions (in butter if you prefer, I used EEVO) and season with paprika until golden brown. Add 2 beef cubes and let them melt. Add the browned meat and stir together. Add minced garlic, parsnips, chopped tomatoes, carraway seeds and continue stirring together. You may add beef broth or water at this time. Usually the beef has a lot of juices too that you don't need the extra liquid. Let it simmer until beef is tender. When you are half way there, add carrots, potatoes, and green peppers. Let it simmer until vegetables are cooked. Mix a littie bit of the goulash sauce with two tablespoon of sour cream and add it to the pot for a thicker consistenency. Add a dash of worcester sauce at the end. Season to taste.

Meanwhile cook your elbow macaroni in a salted boiling water for 7 minutes. Let it drain and arrange it in the bottom of the pan. Top the macaroni with some parmesan cheese and pour the goulash on top. Put a dollop of sour cream if you like. 

While B is served on a bed of elbow macaroni. 

So much easier with the pressure cooker. The meat was so tender juicy. LOL!



Apple Strudel

Recipe was taken from Pepperidge Farm's website. Not sure if that an authentic Austrian strudel but close enough. HEHE! Just click the link.  Although the picture doesnt look as soon as mine. It was still good and B and I finished the whole log of strudel lol. I almost have to lick the ice cream off my plate. It was that good. So easy and simple to make too!

Freshl out of the oven.



Served with vanilla bean ice cream...yum!

You think if Mr. Puck would taste my versiof of goulash and strudel, he would have preferred mine over Richard Blaise's? Dream on! lol

I am off to Belgium on my next post with Around the World with Contessa . Focusing on Western Europe right now:-)

Have a great Monday!

Bisous, Contessa