tee it up

Good morning, readers!

We've got a special treat for you today.  The lovely and stylish anhie from yoohooanhieboo has been so kind as to guest blog for us today.  I may be a little biased but anhie is the most thoughtful and stylish person I know.  I've known her for about 10 years now, and I'm glad she approached this lonely, pig-tailed, little, college freshman one day, while I was sitting on the quad wall.  I've learned so much from her about make up, style, shopping, but most importantly friendship.

Check out more of anhie on her blog.  I hope you all enjoy her white tee remix.

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the best part about a simple white tee is that you can dress it up or down! :) i paired mine with a sparkly H&M skirt and a denim shirt to turn this into more of an everyday outfit. :) add a little skull necklace and red lips for some fierceness, and voila! that's my rendition of the white tee! i'll admit, there's nothing i love more than throwing on a white v neck on the weekend with some jeans and calling it a day, but sometimes you just gotta bedazzle yourself a little bit right?? :D

thanks so much FLAN ladies for letting me be a guest blogger! hope i get the opportunity to do this again soon!!!

here's my strawberry remix!!!

keep up the good work FLAN! i love reading the blog!! <3

xoxo anhie

strawberry margarita cupcakes

It started when my good friend, Anica (who's also my fashion photographer), wanted to bake cupcakes one day. Since then I've been on a baking craze, especially cupcakes that's alcohol infused (highly influenced by my friends here, of course). Since Cinco de Mayo was this month, I wanted to bake something with tequila in it for my friends so I decided to bake these strawberry margarita cupcakes.

This cupcake recipe was taken from The Baker Chick but I did a little tweaking to the recipe (see below).

Cupcake:
3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Strawberry Tequila Puree:
1/2 of 16oz container of strawberries
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 cup of Patron tequila
3 tablespoons of sugar

Frosting:
1 cup shortening
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/3 cup strawberry tequila puree

Directions:
Preheat the oven  to  325˚ F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork to blend. In a separate large bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and eggs and blend together with a mixer (I don't have a stand mixer so I used a hand electric mixer instead). Next, beat in the lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla extract into the mixture. After it is all blended, mix in the dry ingredient by alternating it between the buttermilk and dry ingredients until it is all incorporated. Divide the batter evenly into each cupcake liner (about 3/4 full) and bake for 20-22 mins, or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool and remove from the cupcake pans.

In a blender or food processor, add the strawberries, tequila, sugar, lime zest and lime juice and puree until there are no more strawberry chunks (I used a little over half of the 16oz container).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, creme the shortening and butter until it is fluffy. Next, add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar at a time while alternating between the 1/3 cup of strawberry tequila puree.

To fill the cupcake, I used a spoon to spoon out about half an inch of cake out of the middle and filled it with the strawberry puree.

Spread the frosting over the cupcake with a spoon or use a piper to pipe on the frosting. For garnish, you can use limes but I used strawberries instead because it is the Fresh Pick of May 2012 :)

 My friends seem to enjoy these cupcakes, I hope you do too! :)

instagram: phuphubear

<3, phu

phu's white tee

Hello hello! :) I'm going to admit, I didn't own a white tee till about a month ago which is probably why my remix is the last haha. As mentioned in my introduction, my eyes are instantly attracted to colored tops/dresses and a white tee doesn't fall into that category. For years I've tried on different types of white tees and I didn't like any of them. But hooray! I found this tunic white tee from Zara that is a keeper. :)

white tee: zara; shorts: forever21

bracelet: old navy, toms: nordstrom, belt: forever21

I was super comfortable hanging out with my friends on this day in my remix outfit. The belt I used to tie around my waist is the belt that came with the shorts. I even went fancy one day at work by dressing it up with more accessories and a blazer. :)

necklaces and bracelets: h&m and forever21; toms: nordstorm (instagram: phuphubear)

I hope you readers learned new ways to style your white tee through my girls and I - I sure did! :) 

<3, phu

Plain White T(ea) Time

School's out for summer! ...And, apparently, so is my brain. I had big plans for my Hanes white tee and strawberries, but they never came to fruition. (Maybe I'll come back to them in a future post.) Unlike my counterparts, I rock white tees on the regular. They're a staple in my closet and best paired with jeans in my opinion; simple and comfy, just how I like it. I decided to try a bit harder by adding gold accessories and kitten heels. I actually sat in on an interview and attended an exhibition opening in this 'fit and was told I looked fancy. I don't know if that speaks to the ability of gold and heels to complete a look or my inability to do so usually.

I took a look at what I had in the pantry and refrigerator and decided on strawberry lemon scones. I fudged the recipe a bit based on what I had on hand. So if you try this at home take a look at my suggestions or feel free to experiment too. If you come up with something good, leave a comment so that I can try ;) Next time I think I'll sweeten things up by adding a lemon glaze on top, just fresh squeezed lemon juice and confectioner's sugar mixed together.

Strawberry Lemon Scones

Dry Mixture

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (2 1/2 would be better)
• 2 Tbsps white sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt

Liquid Mixture

• 2 Tbsps white sugar
• Zest from one large lemon
• Juice from 1/2 large lemon (just squeeze the whole thing!)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup milk, buttermilk, or heavy cream (start with a little less and add more if you need it)

Solo Ingredients

• 8 Tbsps unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 1 cup strawberries, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Sift Dry Mixture (I don't have a sifter and things came out fine)
3. Mix in diced butter with your fingers until there are no clumps
4. Whisk Liquid Mixture
5. Add Liquid Mixure to Dry Mixture (now with butter) and squeeze with fingers into a soft dough
6. Gently fold in chopped strawberries
7. Pour out onto heavily floured surface and gently kneed until outer surface is smooth
8. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper or stoneware with no parchment paper (thank goodness I have my Pampered Chef stoneware because I never have parchment paper when I need it!)
9. Pat into any shape you like
10. Bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes

Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee in a My Dear Darling mug!

Let's be honest. You don't read my posts for the style tips or recipes. So I assume you're here for my clever writing. (That's ok. I laughed too.) But come on, "Plain White T(ea) Time"? That's genius! From my little, nerdy, Frank A. Longo-crossword-loving heart to yours...

<3 C

Secretly dedicated to Phu. I hope you think of me and this song whenever you're passing time at the bean :)

Plain White T's - 1234

Goat Cheese, Spinach, Prosciutto & Strawberry Flatbread Pizza

Goat Cheese, Spinach, Prosciutto & Strawberry Flat bread pizza!

When I was younger, I used to eat strawberries ALL the time.  I remember coming home after school with my brothers and sister, one of us would pull the tub of whip cream out of the fridge and the rest of us would hull strawberries.  I was probably the one doing the easy work and getting the whip cream tub.  These days, my siblings have learned to say no, so I do all the heavy lifting myself, probably why I can't recall eating many strawberries at home these days.

Go figure that my first day back with strawberries I'd decide to go nuts and make strawberry/blackberry jam macarons!  But what kind of person would I be if I gave you tips on macarons that turned out like this:

attempt at Blackberry/Strawberry Jam Macarons

They were delicious, but aesthetically unpleasing to the eye.  I would definitely recommend this Ladurée's Sucre recipe found on Not So Humble Pie, just don't forget about all the tips for making macarons, like aging the eggs, and resting the piped batter.  My favorite trouble shooting guide is by Food Nouveau.  Luckily, I made that delicious little lunch above to hold me over while I slaved away attempting macarons.

{Goat Cheese, Spinach, Prosciutto & Strawberry Flatbread Pizza}

All ingredients were found at Trader Joe's

• 1 - 6" flatbread
• Goat Cheese, I used a spread that had kalamata olives
• A small handful of spinach, I used about 6 - 8 leaves
• 1 slice of prosciutto (approximately .5oz), cut/torn into pieces
• 1 sliced up strawberry

1. Spread a desired layer of goat cheese as your base. Add spinach, prosciutto, and then strawberries.
2. Toast in a toaster-oven for about 10minutes, using the toaster setting.

**Note If you don't have a toaster oven you can preheat your oven to 425 degrees before step one, and then bake for about 10 minutes.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy this delicious little meal or snack, as well!

<3,

Roe

Roe's white-tee: from gym to gem



Blazer & White Tee: H&M // Skirt & Belt: F21 // Shoes: Sam Edelman // Bracelets: O.co, Kate Spade, H&M //Necklace: Found in my sister's stash



Believe it or not, something as staple as a white-T didn't make it into my closet until about a year ago.  Okay, I did wear white-T's in high school, but it was used as gym/practice clothes.  When college came around they eventually became pj shirts, then eventually disappeared from my wardrobe.  While browsing through H&M one day, I decided to give it a shot, and found one where I liked the draping.

Boy! am I glad I gave the white-T another shot.  I love how easy and lightweight it is.  I can dress it up, dress it down, and lounge around. Here's a dress-it-up remix.

I should probably do a better job at de-wrinkling my clothes

Stay tuned for the Strawberry remix later today.

Thanks for stopping by and joining us!

<3 Roe

Operation: Save Ryan (or save a life in general)

"The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart." - Nikolai Lenin

I met my friend Ryan in our biology class during our freshmen year in high school. We chatted through AIM throughout high school and college about the most random things. Ryan is one of the sweetest, funniest and most chill guys I know. My most memorable moment with Ryan was when I was hanging out with him and his boys during Spring Break. Someone came up with the idea that we should spit out a flow. I wish I could remember what we came up with (I believe it had something to do with a girl that squeaked) but it was my first time "flowing" and it was hilarious and a good time. :)

We all know that life is full of surprises and unfortunately, curve balls. Ryan was recently diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and needs a donor. Become a donor or make a contribution because every little thing you do, helps. You can find more information on the process of donating your stem cells here . The process is easy and simple as donating blood. The need for Asian donors, especially someone of mixed race, have a even harder chance in finding a match so we need as many donors as possible.

AADP and Ryan's friends is hosting an event called Operation: Save Ryan that is being held in San Jose, CA to help register donors. If you can't make it, you can register for free. Once you're registered, you're in the system until you're 61 years old. You may not be a match for Ryan but you may be a match for someone else. Please spread the word on this event!

If you're already registered but need to update your registration information, you can call 510-568-3700 to give them your current address and phone number.

Let's all hope we find a donor for Ryan and anyone else affected by this disease and keep them in our prayers by sending them good thoughts and positive energy. :)

To find out more of this operation, you can visit Save Ryan Manansala.

"Register to be a bone marrow donor and Be the one to save a life."

<3, phu

cheesecake stuffed STRAWBERRIES

For my food remix, I chose to try a quick, simple, no-bake recipe that turned out to be pretty tasty! Cheesecake stuffed strawberries might be my next go to for a quick dish to bring to a party.  I won't tell you how much of it me and my sister actually ate of it, but lets just say, I'm not proud. We made them with almond flavor, but I'm sure they would be delicious if you chose to add some other extract or even add in cocoa powder to the filling.

Inspired by nutmegnanny, here's how to make these treats.

Ingredients:
~1 pound fresh strawberries
8 oz softened cream cheese (can sub low fat)
~3 tablespoons powdered sugar
teaspoon almond extract 
graham cracker crumbs

Instructions:

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract in a bowl.  Spoon into piping bag (or ziplock with the tip cut off).

Wash and remove the core of the strawberry by cutting around the top.

Squeeze the filling into the strawberry. Don't be stingy! The filling is the best part :)

Dip the tops into the crumbs.

I'd recommend you let these chill for a while, but I was too impatient to do that. So we ate them as soon as they were done.

Yum! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

<3 d

d's WHITE TEE

For a casual springtime day in SF, I wore my May remix outfit while taking our visiting flan member over to Off the Grid and made a small stop over at the palace of fine arts. To me a white tee is a necessity because you can throw it on with pretty much anything. This was a dress down day :)

white tee, black leggings, thrifted french connection jacket, rocketdog flats, circle scarf made by me

enjoying the scenery. (instagram: dhanhan)

simple black rocketdog flats. $14 dollars + tax from DSW. came up.

What you can't see the tee?

self-made: finger crochet scarf. tutorial coming soon? 

Check back in a bit for my food remix  :)

<3 d