Mexican-Style Chicken with Penne

This is my husband's favorite dish and I love making it for him (mostly because it is so simple). Chipotle chilies add a nice kick to this simple pasta, and the cilantro and queso blanco transform it into something special.

The original recipe comes from Food and Wine Magazine, my go-to place for recipes. I follow it directly and it always turns out perfectly.

Ingredients:

 

3/4 pound penne rigate 

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch dice 

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper  

1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice 

1 large garlic clove, minced  

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained 

1 large chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded and minced, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce  

1/2 cup frozen corn 

1/4 pound queso blanco, coarsely grated (1 1/3 cups) 

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves 

 

1. Cook and drain the pasta.  

2. While the pasta is cooking, salt and pepper the chicken. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes. Lower the heat to moderate. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 4 more minutes until the onion is softened. The chicken should be cooked through. Add the tomatoes, chili and adobo sauce and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 1 minute more making sure the corn is warmed up.

3. Add the pasta, 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and 1 cup of queso blanco and toss together. Serve with cilantro and remaining cheese.

Innisfree Olive Real Cleansing Oil Review

I believe that the most important part of skin care is cleaning your face. If you have impurities or makeup still left on you skin, then all your other efforts will be pointless. Your skin will be clogged, rough and blemish-prone.

Keeping that in mind and always being dissatisfied with the state of my oily skin, I recently adopted a double cleansing method which is popular in Japan and Korea. It involves removing makeup and sebum from your skin first and then finishing up with a different cleanser for full effect. This method is supposed to keep your skin clean and luminescent.

My first order of business was purchasing Innisfree Olive Oil Real Cleansing Oil to be used as the first step of my evening routine. Innisfree is a lower-end subsidiary of Amore Pacific, a Korean cosmetics company. Innisfree is advertized as a natural brand, using only pure natural ingredients and eco-friendly containers. 

This particular cleanser in made of organic olive oil as its main ingredient. It is said to contain moisturizing ingredients and provide deep cleansing properties. It comes in a 150 ml plastic container with a pump for convenient use. 

The consistency of the cleansing oil is pretty much like olive oil. It is not as heavy as some other oil cleanser that I used, but it is definitely oil, so don't freak out!

It is supposed to be applied first on dry skin with dry hands and then massaged gently to grab makeup and lift it from your skin. I use a couple of pumps of oil to make sure it is enough to spread all over the face. Add a little bit of water and massage gently with your finger tips making sure you don't stretch your skin. The key here is to make sure you reduce the friction between your fingers and the skin on your face while at the same time work on dissolving all the makeup from your skin. Rinse it with warm water. It should leave your skin clean yet moisturized. I follow up with another gentle cleanser, a warm water rinse, and finish with a cold water rinse to close the pores.

I like this cleanser as it does the work properly of removing all the makeup, as I use quite a lot: BB cream/foundation, concealer, powder and what not. It even removes eye makeup when I am too lazy to use special eye makeup remover. After my skin is dry it does not feel stripped of its beneficial oils, on the contrary, it feel moisturized  and nurtured.

OVERALL: Highly recommended. Cleans all the impurities while leaving the skin moisturized.

Ingredients:

HERA Sun Mate Daily SPF35PA++ Review

I cannot overemphasize the importance of sunscreen. You HAVE to use it every day before you leave the house! I have even read that harmful sun rays go through windows and can reach you when you are in the office or home. For that reason I use sunscreen first thing in the morning every day. Sunscreen protects against aging, wrinkles and loss of elasticity. It really is a life saver. The only problem is that it is hard to find a good sunscreen that does not leave a white residue and does not make your face oily. 

After a long love/hate affair with La-Roche Posay Anthelios sunscreens which did make my face oily throughout the day, I decided to find something better suited for my already oily skin. After reading a lot of reviews I decided to try HERA brand sunscreen. HERA is a subsidiary of Amore Pacific, one of the major Korean companies. HERA is their high end brand but it is not ridiculously expensive. I ordered mine from this Amazon seller who delivered it really fast.

It comes in a big 70 ml tube typical of a sunblock.

It has a very nice smell right out of the tube, but when it goes on the face the smell dissipates really quickly. The consistency is very creamy and does not have any of the toughness of other sunblocks. The color reminds me of a tinted moisturizer.

However, when applied to the face the color disappears and it becomes completely transparent. It reminds me of a good creamy moisturizer in terms of how it feels on the face. 

I apply it all over the face, including my neck and around the eyes. I believe the area around the eyes is the most delicate and needs the most protection from the sun. However, my skin is rather tough and I never get any adverse reactions from products. If you have sensitive and thin skin around your eyes you might have some unwanted reaction. So, be careful.

It takes some time for this sunscreen to absorb, may be 10 minutes or so. I would say that it leaves a nice moisturizing layer on the skin. If I touch my face I feel that I have a product on. But it is not necessarily a bad thing - I like to feel hydrated. :-) It also gives the face a slight healthy sheen. It definitely does not leave my skin oily after a few hours like La-Roche Posay did. I do think, however, that this sunblock is more suitable for normal/dry skin, as opposed to oily one like mine.

I later found out that HERA has Sun Mate Airlight (SPF30/PA++) sunscreen which is specifically formulated for oily/combination skin. I might try it later to see if there is any difference. Meanwhile, I am very happy with this sunscreen and would definitely stick with it.

OVERALL: Highly recommended. Very moisturizing; does not make the face oily.

UPDATE: I don't think I will be repurchasing this product. First, I noticed that my face did get some color while I was outside wearing this sunblock.  This never happened to me when I used other brands. Second, it does give my face a feeling of being greasy, especially towards the end of the day. It does not necessarily make my face oily, but I just feel that this product sits on my skin without being fully absorbed.

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

Who doesn't like spaghetti? It's versatile, quick and tasty. Even though I try to avoid eating pasta too often, I have a few recipes which I use when I can't come up with anything else for dinner. This recipe comes from Goddess of Scrumptiousness Recipes by Jeannie Maristela. It is amazing and I will definitely make this again.

Ingredients:

500 grams spaghetti pasta (cooked al dente)
1 pound chicken breast fillets (sliced into 1 inch chunks)

For the chicken marinade:

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)

-  Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes (if making this dish in pronto) or over night (if making this dish the next day… much better).

-  Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.

For the garlic gravy:

½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes

-  Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
-  Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.
-  Add the flour and cook for a minute.
-  Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.
-  Season with salt and pepper.
-  Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this  sauce.
-  Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).

Makes 5-6 servings

Potato Salad with Champagne Vinegar

I am Russian, so potatoes are in my blood. I could just eat them all day every day. I particularly like a good potato salad. However, a usual potato salad is loaded with calories and fats. In my search for healthy recipes I found this potato salad from Food and Wine Magazine, which substitutes mayonnaise with canola oil. I do not use canola oil, so I, in turn, substituted it with olive oil. Champagne vinegar adds some acidity without the harshness of other vinegars.

Ingredients:

 

1 pound fingerling potatoes 

2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar  

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil  

2 scallions, sliced 

1 shallot, minced  

Salt and freshly ground white pepper (I couldn't find white pepper corns, so I just used ground white pepper, which was just as good)

 

Instructions:

 

1. Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Please do not allow them to overcook. Peel them and cut into 1/4 inch round slices.

 

2. Whisk the Champagne vinegar with the mustard. Pour the olive oil slowly while whisking it until smooth. Add scallions, shallot, some salt and while pepper. Add the potatoes and mix everything thoroughly. Taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper. Let the salad sit in room temperature for 10 minutes before serving allowing the flavors to come together.

 

 

I served it with some sautéed chicken thighs and wilted kale. Bon Appetit!

 

 

If I Had Extra $747, I Would Buy...

one of these beaded skulls from artist Catherine Martin of Our Exquisite Corpse.

 (images via Honestly... WTF, originally from LN-CC.com)

I love anything Day of the Dead related and these beaded skulls are truly works of beauty. Having one at my desk would remind me that death is just a part of life and can be beautiful in its own way. 

What Are BB Creams and Why You Need One: Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++ Review.

BB creams or Blemish Balms were originally developed by dermatologists in Germany in the 50s. They were used to help woulds heal, and after a few trials the dermatologists noticed that the balm regenerated skin making it look younger and more elastic. BB creams were used on patients undergoing facial peel treatments, and they made a huge difference in how the skin healed, decreasing redness rapidly and making imperfections less noticeable.

Fast forward a few decades, and BB creams are available all over the world, being the latest craze in America. However, it was Koreans who popularized BB creams in their strive for perfect skin. Korean formulated BB creams offer a great variety of benefits and are quite different from any other cosmetics like foundations and tinted moisturizers.

In fact, BB creams combine all the benefits of a moisturizer, sunblock and foundation. It acts first and foremost as a concealer, covering redness, discoloration, acne scars and any other imperfections. Unlike foundations, it is not heavy and does not clog pores; it also creates a sort of smooth makeup-free look. In addition to being a perfect cover up, a BB cream has sunblock in it preventing aging and protecting the skin from free radicals. BB cream also has healing properties to help with acne, regenerative properties to maintain healthy and youthful appearance, and it can even tighten pores and minimizer wrinkles. Doesn't it sound like a perfect invention?

Due to my red and inflamed skin, I always have to use something to cover up my imperfections, I mostly use foundation and powder on top of it. I always felt though that wearing so much makeup contributed to my acne. I wish I could just go bare-faced... 

After some trepidation, I finally decided to purchase my first BB cream. After some research I realized that I should skip American BB creams (their formulations are mostly different from Korean ones and they are usually nothing more than glorified tinted moisturizers) and go straight for Korean brands. I found out that you don't have to spend a ton of money on Korean cosmetics because even lower end brands are very high quality.

One of the brands that caught my eye was Missha, a well-known company that actually has an American website. They are particularly famous for their BB creams. I picked mine up in a Japanese market here, in San Diego. I got a small, 20 ml bottle, to make sure I like it before investing in a large one. It is called M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++. The packaging is very ordinary and looks like a typical concealer.

This BB cream comes in five colors. I chose No. 21, Light Beige. I don't tan and like when my make up is pale.

As you can see, it looks and feels kind of like liquid foundation, but to be honest, it is different than foundation on application. While foundation feels heavy and has to be blended very well to become less visible, BB cream is absorbed almost immediately and is almost invisible. Even though this BB cream contains sunblock, I do not think it is enough to protect me in the California sunshine, considering I use just a little bit of it. I usually moistirize, put sunblock on, and then put BB cream on, followed by some concealer (if I have active break outs) and powder. 

There are different techniques of applying it, but I just apply it with the tips of my fingers all over my face. It goes on very smoothly and I immediately see a difference in my skin tone. It evens out my skin coloring, covers up acne scars and makes it look like I don't have pores. I feel that I can leave the house with just BB cream on and not feel like I have to cover up my face in shame. It definitely does not make my face shinier or break me out.

It is not perfect though. If you have very big pores, it would be kind of visible in the pores. Luckily, I only have big pores in one area on my nose, and it is not too bad, considering how good my face looks when covered with this BB cream.  The coverage, however, does not last very long, I feel like four hours is a good time for it, after that it kind of has a tendency to disappear. Luckily it does not flake like some foundations do.

OVERALL: Recommended if your skin does not have very enlarged pores and you want a quick fix for your face in the morning.

Ingredients: Water(Aqua), Cyclomethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Zinc Oxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Mineral Oil, Phenyl Trimethicone, Talc, Arbutin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Dimethicone, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Squalane, Adenosine, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Polyethylene, Beeswax(Cera Alba), Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Caviar Extract, Algae Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract, Ceramide 3, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance(Parfum), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Salicylate, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Citronellol
MAY CONTAIN[+/-; Titanium Dioxide(CI 77891), Iron Oxides(CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]