Delizioso! Gelato Making Class @ Mia Chef Gelateria NYC

Happy Monday my sweets! I know Mondays are terrible, and I wish I could just crawl back up in my warm and cozy bed to snuggle with my baby Leo. Let's buck up and take on the week with a scoop of creamy and refreshing gelato from Mia Chef Gelateria!

Last week, Allan and I went to a gelato making class and brought home 8 pints of gelato! I thought it would be much harder to make, but making gelato was fun and easy.

But seriously, come over. I told Blake (my roommate) he couldn't have any but, I will make an exception for you ;)

I Want It All: Ashy Bear/V-Files/Reformation/Opening Ceremony

Homegirl Ashley and I went to V-Files last week for Fuct book release. We chatted with beers in our hands, and browsed at some of the dopest vintage clothing collection while we waited for the Erik Brunetti to arrive. I wasn't allowed to take pictures so I don't really have any footage for you except the picture below.

Boob Cookies - Hazelnut Salted Caramel Double stuffed Chocolate Chips

Smashin' cookies that look like boobs! I was reading a bunch of food blogs a few weeks ago and came across a bunch of recipes that I wanted to try and this one totally caught my attention. I snagged this Salted caramel + Nutella stuffed double chocolate chip cookie recipe from TWC and switched up the Rolo ingredient for Hershey Kisses to make the cookies look like nip slips.

I really like the stop motion video version of the instructions from TWC, so I'll make sure I include it in the end of the this post.

But seriously, these cookies are fan-freakin-tastic. I haven't mastered the recipe quite yet but, I think I can get it to perfection on the next try if I add MORE nutella. Maybe you can make them better and bring them to my office for me to try :)

Things you need:

Daytime Playtime in KTown @ Maru NYC + Tous Les Jours

On Saturday, Allan and I had a fantastic day shopping and smooching around Herald Square, 34th street area near Korean Town. We went to a few places but ended up at Zara and Uniqlo, the two stores we love to frequent for our basic wardrobe needs. After dashing around for the best deals, we got super hungry and we strolled over to Maru for a loungy Asian fusion dinner. For dessert, we got pastries from our favorite French-Asian patisserie, Tous Le Jours. I always love spending the day in Korea Town :)

Gossip Girl for a night - Grand opening @ The New York Palace

You may have seen this hotel featured on a few different Gossip Girls episodes but, The New York Palace is one of the most iconic hotels in New York City. On the show, The NY Palace doubles as the fictitious hotel owned by the Bass industries, and many of their glamorous homes/scenes were right at this very hotel. 

On Wednesday, I was invited to their grand opening event in the heart of midtown Manhattan, off of Madison Avenue. I was so excited to attend, but unfortunately had a night class to attend so missed a large chunk of the event at the end. I am so happy I got to check out the event, even if it was for a short sweet moment, because The NY Palace is my favorite hotel in all of NYC. I could not stand the thought of missing out on this event entirely!

Cute little Paperless Post invite.

"More than a century ago, Henry Villard, one of the nation's most prominent financiers, commissioned McKim, Mead & White to create a residence of singular style. Constructed in 1882, that residence became known as The Villard Houses. " -NY Palace

Here is the brief coverage from the NY Palace Blog:

Attendees were able to enjoy cocktails in our Courtyard before being whisked away on individual tours of our renovations. In addition, Palace partner Martin Katz showcased pieces from his jewelry collection on our red carpet that attendees were able to try on and document in photos. The night ended with a beautiful performance by renowned pianist ELEW.

  

During the event, we welcomed speeches by The New York Palace General Manager David Chase, President and CEO of Northwood Investors John Kukral, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“This historic mansion is one of the real jewels in the crown of hotels in New York City,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “As someone who has appeared in the final episode of Gossip Girl, I am also prepared to say Serena, the Gossip Girl character who lived at The Palace, would definitely approve of everything you’ve done here!”

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Color Me Happy - Essie, OPI, Sephora, Illamasqua

Nails nails nails. Pink nails, red nails, blue nails, glitter!

To be honest, I do my own nails most of the time and only go to the nail salon once or twice a month just for a cuticle touch up. It's hard to keep my nails clean and chip-free as an executive assistant, a mom to a handsome Dachshund, and roommate of two messy dudes. At work I touch paperwork all day, which strips all the natural oils from my hands leaving them dry and desperate for my favorite Korres Guava Body Moisturizer. At home, household chores and picking up after two men leave my nails/polish constantly exposed to water or worse, those annoying dents in the polish that we all hate so much!

 Trend Tips - Sephora by OPI

Today, I want to introduce you to some of my favorite nail polish/sticker/patch/whatever you wanna call it. These are a part of my "essentials" collection. They help me get through my busy days without looking run down and staying dent free. You can touch up your nails with these low maintenance strips and polishes! The nail patch/lacquer/strips/stickers in particular are already dry so once they are on, you are good to carry on with your busy day. No more worrying about messing up your polish!

Allan and Leo's Homemade Sweet Potato Treats!

When our baby Leo is happy, Allan and I are happy. Prince Leo has been with us for about 5 months (just about 7 months old ) now and since we brought our precious angel home, there have been a lot more focus on preserving Leo's health and feeding him only natural/organic products with no preservatives.

Sometimes the snacks we buy him from various shops can be expensive and risky for people like me, who trust only a selected number of brands to make my puppy's treats. Dog Nation Sweet potato baked chews that you can buy at Petco can cost you around $8.99 plus tax for a small pouch of maybe 5 thin sliced of sweet potato. With Allan's little recipe here, we can get you more than a dozen all natural, crispy, chewy and economically efficient cookies for your best friend. You can do it all under $8.99.

Building Hope with Homes + Brad Pitt - NYC Habitat for Humanity

Hello my turtle doves, I have missed your pretty faces. I have been a bit busy lately trying to handle my business and, I hope you all missed me too. Let me tell you all about why I was out of totally out of commission all of this past weekend. 

I was hanging out with Brad Pitt...

Roof Garden Café - Night @ The MET NYC

Heyooooo! Happy Humpy day amigos. Remember when I told you all that my bestie was coming to visit me from Shaolin last Friday? 

Meet Xtinz, aka Ginger Spice, aka Red. Christina and I have been friends since high school and our friendship is still going strong after almost 10 years, which is a lifetime for me since I suffer from misanthropic tendencies.

This past Friday, Red and I frolicked over to the MET to meet up with some friends for cocktails on the rooftop. Our cute friend Erin had organized a lovely evening for us, so we were happy to escape the dreadful office and meet up with everyone to play.

Tuesday Blues

Hey guys. So...I am having a pretty awful day. Not because anything really bad happened but, it's just one of those day. I feel super cranky and need some cheering up. So instead of a normal post, I brought you a pick-me-up from Buzzfeed. Hope y'all are having a better day than I am, and can squeeze a smile after reading this :)

When I feel sad and blue, I just think of Kim K in tears. 

The 15 Best Kim Kardashian Cryfaces Via Buzzfeed

It’s funny because she’s sad.

ABC Kitchen - Easy as 123

Remember my handsome, fabulous, and super smart friend Jon? Well Mr. Smarty pants and I went on a little dinner date to ABC Kitchen located on east 18th street between Broadway, and South Park Avenue in New York City. This restaurant is one of roughly over 6,000 restaurants opened around the world by world renown French chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who resides in NYC. This delightful gem is a magnet for the "chic crowd of fashionable movers and shakers" like Patrick Demarchelier and Hugh Jackman.

So good, we'll eat off their carpet

Future Super Lawyer of New York City

ABC kitchen prides themselves on being an "aggressively green" Restaurant similar to the Blue Hill Restaurant, who get's all their ingredients from their own organic farms.

"Everything here is: Fair trade! Globally artistic! Reclaimed and recycled! Soy-based! Post-consumer fiber!...The notion of the place is haute organic and Hamptons sustainable. The restaurant is airy and open and relaxed the way the second homes of the wealthy often are, with LED-style lighting over warm floors. Ingredients for the cooking, as a position paper on the back of the chic cardboard menu declares, are “consciously sourced.” The breadbaskets were “handcrafted by the indigenous Mapuche people of Patagonia.” On ABC Kitchen-NY Times

Snapchat Secrets - Also, it's Friday, Friday Gotta get down on Friday

Hey there homies. I apologize in advance for today's post, or lack thereof. 

I didn't have much time to do a full on post for you all but, I am planning on doing lots of fun things over the weekend to share with you next week! Today, I am taking a half day from work and going to spend the day with my best friend Christina, who is coming to visit from Shoalin (Staten Island woot woot). 

Will you forgive me if I send you some snaps? 

Do you forgive me?

Oysters Happy Hour @ The Mermaid Inn NYC

“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
-Ernest Hemmingway

Via Alice in Wonderland

Last Friday, Allan and went on a cutsie little date. We went to The Mermaid Inn for a light dinner, located in the east village (2nd avenue between 5th and 6th street) and we got there just in time for their happy hour. The Mermaid Inn hosts a happy hour 7 days a week, between 5 and 7 PM Monday through Fridays, and they have specials on selected oysters, drinks and appetizers. We got there as it was opening, and boy were we glad we got there at that time, because the entire restaurant filled up within the next 20 minutes. All the people who came to dine were young, stylish, and trendy! The menu is great, the price is affordable, and the ambiance is surely romantic and hip. But really, you cant go wrong with a $1 oyster special right? So boy's keep this one in the back of your head for your next date ;)

Channeling My Inner Julia Child - DIY

Halloween and football season is approaching, and here are two DIY dessert ideas for my friends and family. This all started after my visit to Royce Chocolate (remember this post) and saw the $17 price tag on the chocolate covered potato chips that I love. Honestly, $17 is pretty expensive for snacks so I went and made them myself for $7 (just the chocolate covered chips), and even shared them with my bf's family!

Each bag of chocolate is around $3-$6 depending on where you buy them, the strawberries were $5.99 for 2 lbs where I bought them, and the a bag of Ruffle's Potato Chips cost around $3.49. Making Chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate covered potato chips at home is super easy, and will only take you 30 minutes!

Hot Dawgs & Long Weekends

Buenos dias amigos! Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and aren't wallowing somewhere mourning the end of summer. Don't you fret, my pets! Fall will be filled with loads of fun, fashion, frolicking, and...BABY ADAM! Adam is also a long haired Miniature Dachshund, just like Leo!

Meet the new addition to our family, Baby Adam!