pretty wallpaper project...decor blog

Wallpaper is hot right now, I love the new modern meets vintage designs out there, it's definitely not like your typical granny wallpaper of the past.  Here's an easy decor project that will give your room a great look without the commitment of wallpapering an entire wall.  We recently changed our minds about wallpapering Sophia's room as we will eventually sell our home and the pink peacock damask may not appeal to everyone.  So, rather than buying some artwork for her white walls, I decided to just mount the wallpaper that I fell in love with and had already ordered, in large inexpensive frames from Ikea.  It's a great way to create your own art.  Now I can still display her wallpaper, but in a more subtle way that isn't permanent.  I will be eventually wallpapering a feature wall in our master bedroom though,  using a design that is subtle and more appealing to the masses, so stay tuned for that.  Good wallpaper sites to browse are http://www.crownwallpaper.com/ and Graham and Brown as mentioned below.

What you need:

Wallpaper of your choice, I chose "Exotic" by Julien MacDonald that I ordered online from "Graham and Brown" http://www.grahambrown.com/

Large frames, I went with white RIBBA frames from Ikea at $20 a piece.  You can go larger or smaller.

Scissors, pencil, ruler and an adhesive to mount the wallpaper onto the back of the frame


What to do:

Very simple, measure align and cut your wallpaper to fit the frames BUT make sure you line up your wallpaper so that the next piece you cut is going to line up exactly with the previous and next one you cut after that, so that the images are all on the same level or the pattern continues when hung on a wall in frames side by side.  (Wow, I'm sure I could have shortened that explanation haha).  Then I just used the matting that comes with the frame behind the wallpaper to hold it in place in the frame without having to glue it down.  Assemble the frame and hang using a level.  Oh and make sure your wallpaper is actually wide enough to fill the frame, if you want to use very large frames just cut another piece of wallpaper and line it up side by side with the first piece on the backing of the same frame and spray down using an adhesive.

the finished room, sort of I still have to add some decorative touches with the bedding etc. although i do like the clean, fresh, simple minimal look without much clutter

your supplies



holy streetfood pancakes!!!!

Oh my god!!! I just had the best buttermilk pancakes yesterday morning while at work. They were melt in your mouth goodness with caramelized bananas, toasted walnuts, warm syrup and they were served piping hot straight from the streets!  My dear streetfood truck you've done it again!  These pancakes were EPIC (haha).  To be honest, they are soo good that I am going to drive to my office on my days off to get them when I'm in the mood for pancakes, and believe me, after eating these, I will be...and I'm not even a pancake person.

street cakes as i like to call them



roaming dragon street food

The food service provider that catered to my office and our surrounding offices has closed its doors recently, so we were left without convenient coffee treats and meals...until the “Roaming Dragon” came to town.  This food truck brings street food to a whole other level, it’s basically an asian fusion gourmet restaurant on wheels. 

Yesterday morning I had “The Dude” breakfast burrito and it was scrumptious, a nice hot wrap filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, extremely yummy thick slices of good quality bacon,  an asian bbq sauce and gooey melted cheese.  It was so filling and satisfying, I’m surprised I had room for another meal today (well not surprised).  I must say, this was probably the best breakfast burrito I have ever had.


For lunch I ate a Korean shortrib taco, and a Chinese Pork Belly slider (small portions of each).   I enjoyed the shortrib taco but the meat was just a bit to saucy and over powering, the sautéed spinach, shitake mushrooms, carrots and kimchi dressing were nice, corn tortilla was okay but I don’t think it accompanied the Korean ingredients as well as a rice wrap would have.  The slider was pretty darn good, the braised pork belly was the best part, sauce was great.  The mantau, or Chinese steamed bun,  was a bit too bready and bunny for this dish in my opinion.  Overall though, it was still quite good.   To wash it all down,  I quite enjoyed the Lychee Basil Lemonade, very refreshing with just the perfect balance of flavours.

Today I think I’ll try the buttermilk pancakes, with toasted walnuts and bananas.  I should watch how much I eat here, or I’ll become a  “roaming piglet”.

the roaming dragon truck

the "dude" breakfast burrito

korean shortrib taco and pork belly slider

lychee basil lemonade



p.f. changs mongolian beef copycat recipe...delicious

I love P.F. Changs!  Since you can only get it in the US, I thought I'd google some recipes of copycat versions of their dishes I enjoy, that I can make at home.  Came across a great recipe for their Mongolian Beef on http://www.food.com/.  With 5 star reviews, I knew it would be a winner.  Turned out awesome!!  I used a more tender cut of beef than the flank steak it calls for, which I think was a great choice.  Also, I got my butcher to cut the beef into strips for me to save me a bit of time.  There aren't any leftovers and I want more!  Hope to try another copycat recipe soon.  Try it, if you love P.F.Changs, you'll be glad you did, it's seriously super yummy. 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• vegetable oil, for frying ( about 1 cup)
• 1 lb flank steaks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large green onions

Directions

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.
2. Don't get the oil too hot.
3. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
4. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
5. Remove it from the heat.
6. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices.
7. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.
8. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.
9. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
10. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).
11. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.

12. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.
13. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.
14. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.
15. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
16. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.
17. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
18. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
19. Leave the excess sauce in the pan. (important)

the sauce

the beef in cornstarch

the finished product; a fantastic version of mongolian beef that comes close to p.f.changs

newsflash...angela's soy yummy rice bowls recipe published on soy vay website

Hahaha...I made it big!!! LOL...Got my original "Angela's Soy Yummy Rice Bowls" recipe published on the Soy Vay website...they said it sounded YUMMY and worthy of posting on the site.  I've blogged the recipe in the past but here it is again, try it out, you won't be dissapointed.  Follow the link.

http://www.soyvay.com/showcase/search.php?category=Chicken%20Entrees



Angela's Soy Yummy Rice Bowls Submitted by Angela A. 1 lb ground chicken or turkey 1/2 cup Soy Vay Veri VeriTeriyaki 1 bag frozen vegetables (you could use fresh veggies but I like to use the frozen carrot, peas, corn and green bean medley. I also add frozen broccoli). 1 2 Tbls. chicken broth Sriracha (depending on how hot you like your food, squeeze accordingly) Steamed rice (basmati or Thai jasmine) 1 Tbls peanut butter 1 Tbls canola or olive oil 1 Tbls sesame oil Prepare rice for 4 servings according to directions. Thaw frozen veggies , then rinse them under hot water. In an oiled non stick skillet, brown your ground chicken or turkey. Add the chicken broth and bring to a full boil (cook fully until there is no more liquid in the pan, just your nicely browned chicken). Add vegetables, cook and stir. Add 1/2 cup Soy Vay Veri VeriTeriyaki (you could do more or less). Keep stirring, add the peanut butter and Sriracha, it should be nice and saucy. Add the cooked rice and oils and stir it all up. Serves 4. Please visit soyvay.com for more recipes and to purchase your Soy Vay products called for in this recipe.

braised beef mushroom and chocolate stew, boo hoo but Unforgettable Pizza came through!

Tried a new recipe tonight from the Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World Series, Barcelona, called Braised Beef with Mushrooms.  It's a rich dark flavorful beef stew, known as "Fricando" in Spain, and it's made with chocolate.  Beef, mushrooms, chocolate, how can you go wrong?  It's a slow cooker recipe, so naturally the meat is going to be super tender and delicious, right?  Doesn't it sound amazing?  Well after 5 hours of slow cooking...It SUCKED!!  Honestly, it's not even edible.  Yuck!  What did I do wrong?  I followed the recipe to a T.  The beef is super tough, I dislike the taste, what a waste, now I must go in haste.

Here's the recipe, I don't recommend you try it.  I repeat, do not try this at home.  Why am I even giving you the damn recipe then?  Maybe it's because I typed it out while this stinkin meal was slow cooking before I had a chance to try it.  I have an entire pot of it in my fridge.  I feel very guilty throwing it down the sink so I may hang on to it and have some people over for dinner tomorrow night that I dislike (JOKING). 

On the bright side, we ordered some damn good pizza from "Unforgettable Pizza."  It's New York style thin crust.  They are  located at 450 West 8th Ave. Vancouver, BC, off the Cambie Bridge, 604-739-7389.  I definitely recommend the pizza, it was truly unforgettable.  The Braised beef, forgettable.

Braised Beef with Mushrooms

Ingredients

3 cups beef stock
1 oz dried moixemon or mousseron or chantrelle mushrooms
4lb beef chuck roast, sliced 2 inches thick
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 yellow onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup drained diced canned tomatoes
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary and oregano tied with a string

Directions

In a saucepan over high heat, bring stock to a boil and add mushrooms, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Season beef with salt and pepper, dredge beef in 1 cup of the flour, shake off the excess.

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil.  Brown the beef 3 -5 minutes per side.  Transfer to a slow cooker.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and the 1/4 cup of flour to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add wine, tomatoes, chocolate and herbs and bring to a simmer.  Slowly pour in the stock and mushrooms.  Simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes, then add to the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for 4 1/2 hours.

Remove the herb bundle and discard.  Cut the beef into chunks and serve with the sauce.  Serves 6.

The browned beef roast

The mushroom chocolate mixture

Unforgettable Pizza

"leave the gun, take the cannoli"

....one of my favorite quotes from a movie, try to guess which one?  If your looking for a great selection of delicious authentic Italian pastries, then "Italia Bakery" is the place to go.  They make some pretty awesome ricotta filled cannoli that I absolutely LOVE! They also have the chocolate and vanilla custard filled ones too.  You can even buy the empty cannoli shells, so you can make your own filling, which is pretty simple to do.

All you need is about 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tsp cinnamon, some semi sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup), 3 cups of ricotta cheese (make sure that you get the Scardillo Ricotta Genuina sold at your Italian deli) and a tiny bit of orange zest. Beat everything with your handmixer until smooth, put in a pastry bag and fill your shells.  Easy.

When you don't want to go out for Italian and you don't want to slave over a stove all day, they also make some pretty delicious house made sauces.  I love their Bolognese.  This stuff is the real deal Italian mamma yummy, delicious, simply thaw and heat on the stove kinda sauce.  Better than any jarred sauces I've tasted.  I love their homemade gnocchi too, they go great together.  You can find these sauces along with homemade lasagnas, cannelloni, pastas etc in their freezer section. 

I'm not affiliated with Italia Bakery, but I'm giving them a special shout out because they make some pretty delicious stuff.   Italia Bakery is located at 106-2828 East Hastings Street, Vancouver BC or visit them online at www.italiabakery.ca

ricotta filled...my favorite

chocolate and vanilla custard filled cannoli

 

yummy bolognese made with simple ingredients