Home: High voltage glamour

Mabuhay!

My husband and I just recently did a shoot at Manila's newest lounge bar, Salon De Ning at the Peninsula Hotel Manila and boy, did I get a dose of design inspiration!

Inspired by the travels and eclectic lifestyle of the fictional 1930's Shanghai socialite, Salon De Ning is a luxury lounge and bar concept designed by Hong Kong based interior design Henry Leung who also designed all the Salon De Nings in New York, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

You gotta see this place to appreciate it!

Here are some cool ideas we can all take inspirations from for our homes or offices:

Foyer:

Welcome guests with an eclectic mix of giant paintings, statues, mirrors, and chandeliers. Love the floors, love the carpet! Looooooove!

Door:

Add decals to glass doors and use interesting door knobs.

Lighting fixtures:

Go for local materials like capiz in art deco or even modern-style lighting fixtures.

Quirky lighting fixtures add personality to your home or office.

Add a touch of glamor to your home or in your budoir with glass slippers chandelier.

Be creative! Use your collection (like these boxing gloves) as lighting fixtures.

Textured stockings as lights! Love it! So Sexy!

Accessories:

A creative way to display the family medals.

An Egyptian princess statue add a glamorous touch in any space.

Leopard walls + Mannequin in saya and crown = Glamourama!

Something for Pacquiao! LOL

Something for Imelda and shoe lovers!

Chairs:

Leather seats with studs

Mix and match stools with different materials, colors, and texture.

Artwork:

Unexpected proportions look fresh and modern.

Bar:

Stock your bar with your favorite cocktails and a giant champagne bucket!

Thank you Salon De Ning for the inspiration!

Shoppingero/shoppingera, where do you get design inspirations for your home and office?

Meal Makeover: Sweet-style spaghetti with carrots

Mabuhay!

Sweet or Filipino-style spaghetti is my all-time favorite comfort food! I remember eating it three times a day for a whole month during one summer in high school! I would have continued eating it but my nanny was concerned that I might not get enough nutrients in my diet. Quick solution: Add veggies to the sauce!

I have been cooking this recipe since high school and my daughter Aryanna loves it too! In fact, in a recent conversation...

Me: "I think I'll share my sweet-style spaghetti recipe on my blog as a 'Meal Makeover'."
Aryanna: "How are you going to makeover sweet spaghetti?"
Mom: "Well, you know how I add carrots to the sauce, right?"
Aryanna: "Yeah..."
Me: "You know that the typical sweet style spaghetti sauce doesn't have carrots in them, right?"
Aryanna: *shocked* "It doesn't?!!!"

I don't know how many times my daughter's friends have complemented me on how good our sauce is and I never tell them that there are carrots, fresh tomatoes, and bell peppers in the sauce. I chop the veggies finely and they almost look like ground beef. They can hardly tell especially when they're hungry. So moms, don't tell!;D

Sweet-style spaghetti with carrots

Watchunid:

1 big pack of Sweet or Filipino-style spaghetti sauce

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Himalayan pink salt
Freshly ground pepper

Cayenne pepper (optional)

500 grams lean ground sirloin

2 carrots and 3 tomatoes both finely chopped
If your kids like bell pepper, add 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped. Remember that bell peppers have a strong taste to them so be sure your kids like it. Otherwise, carrots and tomatoes are fine.
Did you know? Bell peppers are packed with several nutrients. They are a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid. Bell peppers also contain a large amount of phytochemicals that have exceptional antioxidant activity.

1 pack of spaghetti

Step 1: Brown ground sirloin and season it with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional) then add the spaghetti sauce. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.

Step 2: Add tomatoes. Simmer for 1 minute.

Step 3: Turn off the heat and add the carrots.
Tip: Since the carrots are finely chopped, you don't need to cook it too long.

Step 4: On a separate pan, cook the spaghetti according to the package's direction. Drain. Add EVOO on the pasta because it's good for you and your kids.

Skip the cheese for less calories.
Step 5: Serve with a smile!

Shoppingero/shoppingera, what's your favorite comfort food?

Mabuhay!

Our ad for Eastwood City is out today. This is the second of three shoots we did. I like this one a lot! RAR! Haha!

Visit Eastwood City!


Shoppingero/shoppingera, what's your favorite haunt at Eastwood City? Share!

Brunch: Shakshooka ala Jenni

Mabuhay!

Have you heard of or tried shakshooka?

Traditional shakshooka looks like this.

Shakshooka or shakshouka is a dish consisting of eggs cooked in a tomato sauce sometimes with peppers, onions, and spices (often including cumin, turmeric, and chillies), and usually served with white bread. The name shakshouka in Tamazight means “a mixture”.

I love this dish! It took me a while to "perfect" it to my liking, but I finally had a breakthrough last Friday! The secret was to use dried basil leaves instead of fresh ones. The traditional recipe also calls for turmeric and cumin, I prefer the sauce without them.

Shakshooka is a healthy alternative to Eggs Benedict and it's the perfect hangover dish too!

Shakshooka ala Jenni is with crispy fried eggs instead of poached eggs in the tomato sauce.

Whatchunid:

EVOO

1 tsp. Moscovado sugar
Himalayan pink salt

Freshly ground pepper
Dried basil

3 fresh tomatoes; 3 whole, peeled tomatoes (canned); 1 tbsp. tomato paste

Eggs

1-2 cloves of garlic

Your favorite hot sauce

Wheat bread. I recommend French Baker's Whole Wheat Bread

Easy peasy:

Step 1: Sauté garlic in  2tbsp. of EVOO

Step 2: Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, dried basil, Moscovado sugar,  salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then simmer in low heat for 5 to 8 mins.

I used the tamagoyaki pan I bought in Muji to cook the fried eggs!

Step 3: Fry the eggs in 1 tbsp. of EVOO.
Rectangular crispy fried eggs have become my signature dish at home! Kyoot, di ba?
Tip: I cook the the egg in medium to high heat to crisp the eggs.

Step 4: Serve with a smile!:D

I basically massacred the eggs and scooped them with bread.

The perfect Sunday goo!

Shoppingero/shoppingera, what's your favorite Sunday goo?

The "Zara" of furniture

While driving along Pasong Tamo extension yesterday, Aryanna and I noticed a newly painted building in brown and neon green — Humehelmut Lang! It looked interesting so we parked in front of the place and had a look-see.

Here's what we found out:

The building is called the ID Center. It's home to Black & White and IDeas for Living furniture and homeware. According to the staff, they just opened this week.

ID Center

Black & White is located at the main building. They sell made-to-order furniture and reproductions. I saw Eames-esque chairs, Stark-ish stools, a couple of sectional couches, veneer tables, cabinets, and other accessories.

Behind Black & White showroom you will find the giant warehouse of IDeas for Living. The store layout is similar to Ikea. They sell some designer-inspired furniture, accessories, and homeware. According to the staff, the furniture are from Malaysia.

The run through:

The giant warehouse has two floors filled with furniture, homeware, tableware, and more!

Space-saving bedroom showcase

Perfect for condo living

Sweet stools!

I looooooove this dining set!

Shabby chic chair

I'm seriously thinking of buying the yellow console cabinet. So chic!

Plato-platuhan!

I have to go back and check out the place again.

I'm glad that there are more furniture stores opening in the metro. It's time to clean up our space and make room for new furniture in our homes.

This year is all about home improvements for our family. Tom and I are taking our time in looking for pieces that we love and investing on beautiful furniture. No pressure. I want to enjoy the process of building a collection just like how I collect tableware — "Slowly but beautifully." Haha!

Visit Black & White and IDeas for Living!

According to the security guard, the building is open till Sunday 9am-8pm. Best to call just to be sure.

*Black & White (tel. 519.8240)
IDeas For Living (tel. 519.7083)
ID Center
2100 Pasong Tamo Extension
Makati City
(It's across Glaxo, Smith, & Kline)


Shoppingero/shoppingera, are you planning any home improvements this year? What kind/style of furniture are you looking for?