All posts in: Five Favorite Pins

14 Jul 2020

Five Favorite Pins: Mac and Cheese

[Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese]

I heard it was National Mac and Cheese Day today and to celebrate, I wanted to share five different recipes to elevate the original. I wasn’t a huge mac and cheese fan until I got to college mainly because it was such a staple. Back then, my mini pantry was stacked with Kraft microwavable mac and cheese bowls and my current pantry houses some of these today. For many growing up, this was the ultimate comfort food. I’ve come to love it over the years, but it’s also the meal that I like to experiment with. We experienced a high when I dumped fresh pico de gallo from Little Chihuahua into my Kraft box. Then we encountered a low when we tried to add in a tablespoon of sesame oil. So yes, you can have some missteps. While I haven’t sampled these recipes I’m sharing with you today, I don’t think they will be a miss.

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Mac and Cheese”
04 May 2019

Five Favorite Pins: Margaritas

[Homemade Peach Lime Margarita]

You guys, I’m in no shape to even think about celebrating Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean I want to deprive you of good drinks. For the first time in a long time, I’m suffering from jet lag and alcohol is the last thing on my mind. I know many of you might be celebrating tomorrow so I want to make sure you at least have resources. I’ve scrounged up five margarita recipes for you that sound both delicious and refreshing. Don’t hate me. I haven’t tried any of them so I can’t actually vouch, but it will all be fine. Happy celebrating!

[Strawberry Hibiscus Margarita]

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Margaritas”
17 Dec 2017

Five Favorite Holiday Treats

I’m not sure when Kevin and I started this tradition, but for the last few years we have somehow managed to acquire a ton of treats whenever we go home for the holidays. Kevin always likes to send a package that includes a variety of cookies and snacks all in different boxes, which is fun to open up. And this year, I decided to get into the mix by asking him to purchase a tin of popcorn for me with three different flavors (my favorite!) I might actually be the ONLY person that likes this though. Holidays are always for eating and I have no shame about my winter body during this time so let’s just get into this and discuss my five favorite dessert treats during these months!

1. It’s a weird holiday treat to be my number one choice, but it’s just how I feel! I love the idea of digging my hands into different flavors of popcorn and loving every single kind. White cheddar and cheesy corn for the win! I know some people really like the popcorn with chocolate drizzled all over it and the ones that lean on the sweeter side, but I was never a fan of those.

Read more “Five Favorite Holiday Treats”

04 Sep 2017

Five Favorite Pins: Outdoor Pools

1. The option that is barely a pool

We were gifted with quite the heat wave over this holiday weekend and you know what? I didn’t hate it that much! It was so nice to feel a little bit of the South Bay heat that I’m used to up in the city and it was fun. Sure, you’re sticky and your clothes stick to your body more than the usual, but you get to eat outside, you can walk around the neighborhood later at night, and you don’t need a light sweater or jacket. What I wanted more than anything this weekend was an outdoor pool! We haven’t done a Five Favorite Pins post since last December, but as I was daydreaming about all of the pools I wanted to have in my life, I figured it was a good time for a roundup.

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Outdoor Pools”

27 Dec 2016

Five Favorite Pins: Rugs

1. Romantical vibes [Home Beautiful]

For as long as I’ve been using Pinterest, I have always dreamed of having a home with wood floors. Not only is it just more chic, but it gives you the perfect excuse to buy a bayliss rug to change the dynamic of the room instantly. Plus, it is just easier to clean up any spills usually. However, owning a rug comes with its own cleaning concerns as maintaining the condition of an Oriental rug can often be a heavy undertaking on one’s own. This is why it’s thankful that the services of folks like Sunny Isles Beach Oriental Rug Pros are available for people to make use of, should they need to.

I’m so comfortable in the home that I live in now, but I sometimes wonder if the time may come for me to make that move up to San Francisco. And if that’s the case, a home with wood floors is definitely number one on my list…as well as a parking spot and a washer/dryer, and no roommates – you know – all anyone could ever want in a home! We’re feeling a little inspired over our holiday break so here are a few cheap thick rugs that I’m taking a mental note of.

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Rugs”

27 Oct 2015

Five Favorite Pins: Pumpkins in 2015

  1. Give it a print! [Homey Oh My!]

My office is holding a pumpkin carving session this coming Wednesday and after reading the invite, it donned on me that I’ve only actually “carved a pumpkin” once. And by carve, I mean I watched my dad carve a pumpkin in front of me – your very standard jack-o-lantern. We weren’t all that big into Halloween growing up because let’s be real, all I cared about were them goodies. The candy bars, the lollipops, and mass amounts of sugar. I can only recall that one time where I watched my dad carve a pumpkin. My brother didn’t care about carving as a tradition either so I think my parents caught onto this and every year after that we just bought one pumpkin that we put out on our doorstep to signal to other children and parents that we had candy too. I think it’s great that people get into the spirit of Halloween with pumpkin carving and all of that, but here are some other ideas that I have for my future pumpkin:

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Pumpkins in 2015”

10 Oct 2015

Five Favorite Pins: Cookie Thyme

Caramel Apple Cookies [Bakers Royale]

Ever since we got back from Milk Jar Cookies in LA last month, all I’ve been thinking about is cookies. I actually have much more of a hankering for desserts during the fall/winter because how great is it when you get to bring your favorite dessert home from a restaurant in a to-go box  and you get to eat it on your couch while watching a movie? It’s the best. So anyways, I’m totally craving cookies right now and while I know I could totally bake these myself, I’m most likely not going to end up doing that, but it’s still nice to dream, right? Here are 5 cookies that up the chocolate chip cookie game:

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Cookie Thyme”

05 Sep 2015

Five Favorite Pins: A White Bedroom

I recently have been contemplating moving up to San Francisco. BIG CHANGE. In addition to gaining a similar experience that I had when I used to live in downtown Seattle, I will also be inheriting a really upsetting commute. It has been a difficult decision to make and I’m actually still in the process of making it. However, as much of a hassle as it is to move, there’s something really refreshing about starting over. In some ways, it’s a clean slate. After two years living in the same place, maybe this is a good opportunity to try something new or maybe… it just isn’t the time yet.

One thing that I would be excited about this move though is revamping my bedroom. Since the days are quite hot there, I’m thinking of adding an air conditioner. One of my acquaintances suggested that I could seek assistance from firms similar to Alaskan Air to install the air conditioner. For as long as I have known since I was growing up, my bedroom has always been a sacred space. It’s the home within a home and these days I’ve been pinning lots of bedrooms on Pinterest that ere towards a more minimalistic vibe and happen to be completely whited out. Even if I were looking for a mattress for my new bedroom like the Naturalmat Alternatives, I would have considered something that goes with the minimalistic style and one that would provide comfort.

I’ve heard that winding down in spaces like these are better for your mind and for your soul. Whilst this is true, it’s still important to have a bit of color in the room. Some of the rooms I’ve saved on Pinterest have had neon lights on the walls, so I am considering getting a custom light from Neon Filter. I think that would look really nice against a clear white wall. In the past, I lived in a studio so I didn’t have a chance to decorate my bedroom exactly the way I wanted it and previous bedrooms have been all over the place. Here are a few pins that I’m gaining inspiration from:

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: A White Bedroom”

18 Aug 2015

Five Favorite Pins: Not-So-Traditional Breakfasts

Surprise Biscuits [Vodka & Biscuits]

This past Sunday, I found myself doing something totally outside of the norm – having two back-to-back brunches! Where do I put it away? I’m still wondering about that answer, myself. At our first place, Stable Cafe, I had the “egg in the hole” with bacon and brie cheese. YUM! Now if any of you remember, this used to be a meal that Veronica and I would make for dinner about once a week or so. It was so easy and cheap to make, but now when you go to places in the city you have to pay 8 bucks for it! We call this fancy brunch. I noticed that for awhile I’ve been saving some pretty unconventional breakfast recipes to my Pinterest board lately so here are a few that I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Not-So-Traditional Breakfasts”