Sex And The City in Abu Dhabi

The girls are back!

Fabulous fashion spirit, hilarious sayings, mad and brilliant escapades … Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda rock it again!

SATC 2 – the vogue fairy tale – get inspired – watch it and have a great time – it’s and experience – it’s a must see!

“Abu Dhabi doo!”

Sex And The City 2 (SATC 2)

For more SATC 2 fashion images and reviews go to Vogue.co.uk

For more details on the movie visit sexandthecitymovie.com

Spotify users – search for the SATC 2 soundtrack  – it’s fab! (SATC 2 features the apparence of Liza Minnelli – she sings Single Ladies and plays a wonderful cameo role)

Dark Chocolate Mousse – chocolicious!

You will savour every bite of this delicious dark chocolate mousse!

It’s heavenly. It’s positively finger-licking good. It’s absolutely chocolicious.

Enjoy it.

Dark chocolate mousse

Serves 4-6

dark chocolate mousse

dark chocolate mousse

You will need:

100 g Dark Chocolate (70%) plus a bit of grated chocolate to serve – optional
1 tbsp Milk
2 eggs
35g caster Sugar
150 ml double cream

Instructions:

Place the broken up chocolate and milk in a metal or heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt  the chocolate, stir until combined and smooth, remove from the heat, cool slightly.

In a second bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy. Then whisk in the chocolate mixture.

In another bowl whip the cream until stiff. Gently fold into the chocolate mixture until combined, do not over mix.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, and gently fold into the chocolate mixture.

Spoon into individual dishes but refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Decorate with grated chocolate or fresh raspberries and mint leaves.

Recipe source: Ocado.com

dark chocolate mousse

dark chocolate mousse

Style icon – Grace Kelly

The V&A is one of my favorite museums in London. I missed it so much and was happy to visit it again last week during my short trip to London. I had the chance to see an amazing exposition devoted to the never forgotten and always admired beautiful and elegant Grace Kelly.
If you are interested in timeless style icons, fabulous vintage dresses (50s-70s), Hitchcock films, classic looks and incredibly voguish dress senses – please head off to the V&A and see the “Grace Kelly – Style Icon” exhibit that runs till September 26, 2010.

The Kelly bag is there! Her countless Dior sunglasses are there! Her Yves Saint Laurent “Mondrian” dress and her  black frock from the ‘Rear Window’ film are there! Her stunning emerald green Givenchy dress is there along many many other incredible masterpiece dresses.

Don’t miss that exposition!

grace kelly style icon v&a london

elegant chic Grace Kelly

Mango smoothie-mania

I have always loved berry smoothies but since the beginning of this week I’ve developed some sort of a mango smoothie-mania.

I would often use mango as a salad ingredient or occasionally for a fool dessert but not so much as a base for a fruit shake … well, not anymore 🙂

I found out that MANGO blends perfectly with yogurts (plain or vanilla). Try it and you will end up with a superb, smooth and delicate pulp … that feels like a soft cloud in your mouth ….

Add a bit of muesli and whirl it all for a thick drinkable breakfast. Add a bit of crunchy cereals and enjoy a healthy dessert. Add a bit of honey and a few drops of lemon and simply drink it on its own.

These mango smoothies are super healthy: no additional sugar, no full fat milk or full yogurt, no ice-creams added!

My next smoothie adventure? I’m thinking: green and soy milk.

… with love to all smoothie lovers … Asia Jo

three ways to enjoy mango smoothie

Breakfast Mango Smoothie:

1 peeled roughly cut mango, 250 ml plain low fat yogurt, 5 tbsp thick vanilla yogurt such as Danio, 4 tbsp muesli such as Dorset – mix it all up in a blender, pour into a glass or a bowl and gobble up!

mango smoothie by Asia Jo

Dessert Mango Smoothie:

1 peeled roughly cut mango, 250 ml plain low fat yogurt, 3 tbsp thick vanilla yogurt such as Danio, 1 tsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp muesli such as Dorset – mix it all (excluding muesli) up in a blender, pour 3/4 of the mixture into a glass or a bowl and add 2 tbsp of muesli, pour the remaining smoothie and finish with the last tablespoon of muesli. Enjoy it!

mango smoothie by Asia Jo

Fluffy Mango Smoothie:

1 peeled roughly cut mango, 250 ml plain low fat yogurt, 2 tbsp thick vanilla yogurt such as Danio, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 heaped tsp honey – blend it all very well and pour into a glass. It’s heavenly good!

mango smoothie by Asia Jo

PS:  You can easily change the proportions – do it just the way you like it – you can’t get it wrong!

Photography by Flore Zoé

Yesterday I had dinner in a very cool place called MOMO. MOMO is attached to the busy and fancy Park Hotel in Amsterdam. The food was fine, the company great but what really caught my attention was a selection of fabulous photographs by the artist: Flore Zoé in the Gallery Zone.

The pictures inspired me enormously and I would love to recreate a similar fashion photo shoot one day. Zoé’s pictures are full of emotions, meanings, interpretations and concepts. She uses fabulous contrasts of colors, textures, forms and takes her viewers to an amazing world of storytelling.

Flore Zoé

Flore Zoé

Picture source: http://www.florezoe.com/

Ice-cold very berry smoothie

How to greet a sunny day? There is nothing better than a glass of ice-cold banana-yogurt-berry smoothie 🙂

No need to follow any specific recipe; just blend some of your favourite frozen berries, yogurt, banana and a bit of honey.

Enjoy this energy boosting drink!

Serves 4

banana and berry smoothie by Asia Jo

You will need:

1/2 l plain yogurt

1 banana, sliced (optional)

250 g frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)

1-2 tbsp honey

1 tsp lemon juice

fresh mint leaves, for garnishing

Directions:

All you need to do is to mix and whirl all ingredients (except  mint leaves) in a blender until smooth.

Pour the liquid into four glasses and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

It’s a great recipe and a great refreshing drink! I’m sure you will love it.

banana and berry smoothie

Smart vs Stupid by Diesel

You – Be the Judge!

You – Check it out!

Diesel Advertising Campaign 2010 – BE STUPID

View all the images here: Diesel – Be Stupid

View the video here: Be Stupid Philosophy

PS: I love it !!!!!!

PS: Let me know what you think ….

be stupid by Diesel published in the COLORS magazine

be stupid by Diesel - advert images - source: diesel.com

My Salmon Invention

It doesn’t happen often when I invent a bright new recipe … but this time I have to say I was quite proud of myself.

This is a new take on grilled salmon … hope you like it …

Grilled Salmon on a bed of tagliatelle and spinach

grilled salmon by Asia Jo

Serves 2

You will need:

For the salmon:

2 salmon filets (no skin)

salt & pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp soy sauce

brown rice vinegar

raspberry vinegar

a quick squeeze of fresh lemon

For the tagliatelle:

200 g dry tagliatlle

olive oil

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

For the spinach:

1 bag of spinach

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 small handful of roasted pine nuts

1 small handful of raisins

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Mix the soy sauce, olive oil, a bit of lemon juice, a few drops of rice vinegar and a few drops of raspberry vinegar; season it all with salt and pepper. Marinade the fish in this mixture for approx. 1 hour or longer.

Get your grill pan hot and grill the salmon for 3 minutes on each side or longer but you want the fish slightly pink inside.

In the mean time cook your pasta in plenty of salted boiling water and according to the packaging instructions, usually it takes up to 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and season generously with freshly ground pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and gently fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach gradually and cook it for a few minutes but make sure the leaves are still tender and not overcooked. Towards the end add the raisins and mix into the spinach. Turn off the heat and finally add the pine nuts.

Warm up your plates in the oven or in the microwave. Divide the tagliatelle between the two plates, put a portion of spinach over the pasta and finish with the fish on top. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice all over the dish and garnish with herbs (flat parsley, celery greens, thyme).

Enjoy it!

grilled salmon by Asia Jo

grilled salmon by Asia Jo

Three outfits for a downtown walk

Here they are – a few examples of my very ordinary outfits for very ordinary days :

– denim – t-shirt – cropped jacket, blazer or cardi – beanie or headband  – canvas bag – All Star shoes, flats or wedges.

These are my basics that I play with. I don’t really dress up during the week but a couple of carefully selected accessories help to accent my looks. I have a very simple style and tend not to use too many accessories, yet I definitely love bags, bow headbands and scarves.

I wear my daily outfits for downtown walking, when I go out for a quick coffee with a friend or when I need to do my every day grocery shopping.

Generally speaking, I like my comfy ensembles. True, they are far away from original styling, but regardless how much I love fashion, I will always remain a “denim & tee” girl.

shopping outfit by Asia Jo

shopping outfit by Asia Jo

coffee with a friend outfit by Asia Jo

coffee with a friend outfit by Asia Jo

downtown walk outfit by Asia Jo

downtown walk outfit by Asia Jo

Coco Chanel on colors

Coco Chanel – my favorite fashion icon:

… innovation … influence … power … bravura … talent …  originality … black & white …

coco chanel quote

Creamy rice pudding

If you fancy something sweet, yummy, quick, creamy and simple – go for a rice dessert – a perfect, timeless rice pudding …

There is nothing better like a hot sunny day and a fabulous bowl of cold sticky rice served with some fresh strawberries and a drop of thick vanilla yogurt on top …. heaven!

Serves 4

creamy rice pudding by Asia Jo

You will need:

200 g desert rice ( I used the Dutch Dessertrijst from Lassie – PS: I had no idea that cooking from packaging recipes can be so much fun 🙂

1 liter full fat milk

fresh strawberries

thick vanilla yogurt

honey

Directions:

Mix the white rice and the milk together in a pan, bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 12 minutes stirring from time to time (do not put the lid on top of the pan). Cool well and serve it with some fresh strawberries and a spoon of thick vanilla yoghurt on top. If desired, sweeten your pudding with a bit of honey.

That’s it. That’s how quick and delicious it is 🙂

Ps: Be ready for some spoon licking too 🙂

creamy rice pudding by Asia Jo

Master chef soup!

Yesterday I made THE SOUP of THE SEASON 🙂

It’s absolutely summery, fresh, green, delicate and delicious. You need to serve it with some fabulous Parmigiano biscuits for an extra wow factor.

Try this amazing green pea and mint combo and drool over it 🙂

Perfect for a dinner party. Perfect for a sunny lunch out in the garden (or on the balcony in my case).

***

I found the recipe in the Good Food magazine, April issue, and amended it slightly by adding some extra veggies like leek, celery stalks and sweet onion. The recipe comes from Marianne Lumb, the finalist of Master Chef: The Professionals. (I miss that series so much). I remember Marianne was always so good at flavour combinations yet not so perfect at visual presentation of her tasty dishes. I’m sure by now she is simply excellent at anything she does in her kitchen.

You can view the original recipe here.

Green Peas & Mint soup

Serves 3

pea and mint soup by Asia Jo

You will need:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 leek, sliced (white part till and the soft part of the leaves as well)

2 celery stalks, diced

2 potatoes, diced

700 ml chicken stock

450 g frozen garden green peas

1 handful of mint leaves

3 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated

Directions:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan. Add the onion, leek, celery and potato cubes.

Fry for 5 minutes. Add the stock and cook for another 10 minutes or till the potato pieces are tender.

Add the peas and cook for a few minutes till done. Turn off the heat. Add the fresh mint leaves and bled everything nicely in a blender. The soup should have a lovely creamy and smooth texture. If too thick, add more stock or cooked water.

Get started with the Parmesan biscuits: warm up the frying pan but not too hot. divide the parmesan into 6 round piles or stripes. Let the cheese melt a bit and turn into a golden colour. Move the biscuits to a plate lined with a piece of a paper towel and let them cool.

Reheat the soup and serve it hot and decorated with fresh mint+celery leaves and the Parmesan biscuits.

Enjoy!

pea and mint soup by Asia Jo

pea and mint soup by Asia Jo

pea and mint soup + Parmesan biscuits by Asia Jo

You rock my socks!

A bit of extravaganza. A bit of fun. A bit of a twist.

This Spring loves pretty socks with heels!

Not so long ago I spotted a cute shop called Fashion Flairs. Located in the famous ‘9 streets’ area, in the centre of Amsterdam, Fashion Flairs offers fabulous accessories from bags, shoes to gorgeous pendants and colorful socks 🙂

That’s where I found my blue below knee socks!

socks in heels by Asia Jo

socks in heels by Asia Jo

socks in heels by Asia Jo

Elle featuring socks in heels ss '10

And look at that – such a wonderful picture by Shirley Baker! Didn’t she get this hot sock trend just right?

🙂

socks in heels / photo by Shirley Baker

Kitchen Decor part 2

My new kitchen in pictures ….

The Zoo kitchen towel holder & Koziol plastic container by Asia Jo

vintage tin & vintage toy by Asia Jo

Salt Pepper Shakers & the kitchen counter by Asia Jo

Muji vegetable brush & Sicilian pottery by Asia Jo

vintage tin & Picasso dove magnet by Asia Jo

Kitchen Decor part 1

My new kitchen in pictures …

new kitchen decoration by Asia Jo (flowers from a friend, Japanese pots)

new kitchen decoration by Asia Jo (Moroccan pottery)

new kitchen decoration by Asia Jo (coffee and tea corner)

Orange & Red Onion Salad

A couple of years ago, while visiting Sicily, I discovered an unusual yet very simple and delicious salad. It was made of oranges, red onion and extra virgin olive oil. It was truly a fabulous combo!

The other day a friend of mine came over for lunch and I thought this salad would work perfectly as a small starter.

What’s nice about this dish is that it’s super refreshing and gives you a great boost of energy. I’m sure I will be making it often this spring and summer ….. it tastes much better when the sun is shining 🙂

Happy sunny days everyone!

PS: You can substitute red onion with fresh fennel.

Serves 2

orange and red onion salad by Asia Jo

You will need:

1 large orange, skin and white stuff removed

1 small red onion

1 tsp olive oil (or more if you like)

freshly grained pepper

fresh mint to decorate (optional)

Directions:

Peel the orange skin. Slice the orange into circle shaped slices. Peel the onion, halve it and slice it very thinly.

Arrange the orange slices on a plate, decorate them with the onion slices, pour over a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with freshly grained pepper.

Enjoy it!

orange and red onion salad by Asia Jo

orange and red onion salad by Asia Jo

Lemon Polenta Cake

A week ago I found an interesting recipe and immediately thought it would be perfect for the upcoming Easter holiday. It’s a very yellowy, lemony and texturized cake that goes well with fresh strawberries and a cup of afternoon  tea. Polenta gives it not only the bright coluor but also an unusual slightly crunchy feel. And lemon … lemon, lemon – I love you dearly! Lemon makes it all nice and fresh.

Happy Easter!

Recipe source: Hamlyn all colour cookbook Delicious Desserts

lemon polenta cake by Asia Jo

You will need:

125 g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

125 g polenta

3 eggs

2 egg whites

175 g caster sugar

grated rind and juice of 2 small lemons (1 large lemon is also enough)

100 ml sunflower oil

150 ml buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 ℃.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the polenta. Whisk the eggs, egg whites and sugar together for 4 minutes. Stir in the polenta mixture; add the lemon rind and juice, oil and the buttermilk; combine well until smooth.

Pour the batter into a baking-paper lined 25 cm cake tin. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10  minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to let it cool.

Serve with fresh strawberries and your favourite tea 🙂

lemon polenta cake by Asia Jo

lemon polenta cake by Asia Jo

Pale Pink … Cherry Blossom

Pale or nude pink is one of the must have colours for this  S/S fashion season …. It’s so easy to match it with soft gray and charcoal, navy or washed out denim, beige and ivory.

I really love that natural palette so I wondered if I already had something matching that ‘cherry blossom’ range of shades ….

cherry blossom inspiration

My picks:

cherry blossom inspiration by Asia Jo

cherry blossom inspiration by Asia Jo

cherry blossom inspiration by Asia Jo

♡ Butterfly sleeve blouse (custom made) ♡ Printed AMQ vest ♡ Sporty cotton ONLY top

♡ Butterfly print Pieces scarf ♡ Sleeveless Zara dress ♡ Flower print H&M tights

♡  Thai silk Jim Thompson cushion

Chocolatelicious brownies

Cooking for friends is fun and lovely, especially when your friends are chocoholics 🙂

Last night I had two friends coming over for a small dinner party. After eating a 2kg roast chicken, I served my homemade brownies (totally made from scratch). Even though the consumption of the big bird made us really full, we still had some space left for a piece of  rich, gooey but heavenly chocolaty brownies. I have to admit they were a hit considering the comment my friend made after munching the second piece of brownies:

‘It’s so good to know the cause of your death!’ … and we all laughed, laughed and laughed …

Please note: Too much chocolate is never good but a small piece of good 70% cocoa dark chocolate is a healthier option 🙂

Enjoy your life and let chocolate release your happiness hormone!

Recipe adopted from: Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver

Dark Chocolate brownies with nuts and cherries

chocolate brownies by Asia Jo

You will need:

250 g butter

200 g dark chocolate such as (make sure you use a very good quality chocolate such as Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark), broken up

150 g pitted cherries on syrup, drained

150 g walnuts

80 g cocoa powder, sifted

65 g plain flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder, sifted

350 g caster sugar

4 eggs

strawberries, creme fraiche or vanilla ice creams, to serve

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 ℃.

Line a rectangular baking tin with a baking paper.

In a bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts. Stir all together.

In another bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, sugar and add the hot chocolate mixture. Stir well. Beat the eggs and mix in until well combined and smooth.

Pour the mixture into the baking tin. Bake for 25 -30 minutes. Let it rest in a tin for a couple of hours before cutting into pieces. The brownies should be gooey inside; for a slightly drier version bake a bit longer.

These brownies rock!

chocolate brownies by Asia Jo

chocolate brownies by Asia Jo

chocolate brownies by Asia Jo

Five gorgeous vintage bags

Those who know me, they know I love Art Deco and I am slightly obsessed with Art Nouveau fashion.

Those who know me they also know I’ve discovered my new hobby that slowly but steadily is becoming an obsession. It all started with my desire to combine modern design with antique features in my recently refurbished house. Since I successfully managed to buy a beautiful, old bridge table two weeks ago, I’ve felt a growing passion for vintage items, especially when you really want them and someone is bidding against you. I’ve been regularly attending De Zwaan (Amsterdam’s antique auction) this month and today was my lucky day.

I bought five amazing vintage purses for a very very reasonable price 🙂 I assume they all come from the 1920s and 1930s, besides  they are in excellent conditions, which makes me really happy.

These bags made my day and I have no intention of reselling them at all 🙂

Here are my unique vintage treasure bags …

Art Deco crocodile hand bag

Art Deco crocodile hand bag

Art Deco floral petit point framed purse

Art Deco floral petit point framed purse

Art Deco golden shell buckle hand bag

Art Deco golden shell buckle hand bag

Art Deco alligator purse by Maison De Bonneterie

Art Deco alligator purse by Maison De Bonneterie

Art Deco ivory colored micro beaded purse with golden chain and fancy frame

Art Deco ivory colored micro beaded purse with golden chain and fancy frame