Chicken Thighs with Wide Buttered Noodles, Fennel and Grapes

I love food that is simple and flavourful with minimal ingredients.  I have found the most tasty, yet elegant chicken recipe!  You can easily serve this to your family as a weeknight dinner, or it would be perfect for a formal or holiday dinner as well.  It is Tyler Florence's "Chicken Thighs with Wide Buttered Noodles, Fennel and Grapes", from his cookbook entitled Tyler's Ultimate.

The combination of the crispy chicken, fennel bulbs, butter and parsley is to die for.  I have made this dish many times for my family and it's definitely a favourite, even with the picky eaters!

I took photos of the actual recipe from the book, and posted them at the bottom of this post.  Try making this for yourself, and let me know what you think!  I'm sure you'll be adding it to your list of favourite recipes too! ~Janice ❤

My version of Tyler Florence's Chicken Thighs with Wide Buttered Noodles, Fennel and Grapes

Look What I Found On Top Of My Lychee!

Ever since I was a child, I have enjoyed eating lychee fruit.  You peel the brown outer shell and eat the sweet juicy white fruit that is inside, discarding the pit in the center.

The other day, I bought a bag of lychees and look what I discovered!  The inner child in me shrieked with delight as I saw what looked like a tiny snail on top of a lychee! It wasn't a real snail of course, but  I had to do a double-take nevertheless!

Ah yes...it's the little things in life that give me the most joy!  ~Janice ❤

A "snail" on top of my lychee!

My Sexy Summer Salmon Avocado Zucchini Anchovy Salad!

Do you ever go to a restaurant and get annoyed when someone orders a salad, but he/she prefers the dressing on the side? Well... I'm one of those annoying people! Don't get me wrong... I used to love dressing on my salad, the more the better!  But that all changed once I got married.  My husband used to order his salad without any dressing, and I used to think he was nuts!  I thought, how could anyone possibly have a salad with no dressing! 

I would like to share with you a very simple Salmon Salad recipe with you that is insanely easy to make. I made it for dinner tonight, in fact.  It was absolutely delicious, and I cannot wait to make it again!

Easy Salmon, Avocado, Anchovy, Zucchini Salad

      Here are the ingredients:

• 1 bag of mixed greens of your choice
• 1 fillet of salmon (my fish market had fresh salmon burgers today, so I used that instead)
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 can of anchovies in olive oil
• 1 zucchini, sliced 
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste 

1. Pan fry the salmon in a little bit of olive oil until brown and cooked, then cut into chunks.
2. Grill or pan fry the zucchini until brown and tender.
3. Assemble the salad greens in a big bowl.
4. Add the salmon, zucchini, avocado and anchovies.
5. Drizzle with olive oil.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

And that's it!  I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.  Let me know what you think, and please feel free to comment with variations or suggestions!  Happy eating!  ~Janice ❤

This salad is insanely easy to make!

Dior Amber Diamond - Instantly Liven Up Your Face & Make It Glow!

Let me first just say that I am obsessed with Dior Amber Diamond!  I never understood highlighting, or why people even did it.  But now I get it!  It's purpose is to bring light to certain areas of the face, and make those parts stand out more and add some dimension.  I like to brush it lightly above my cheekbones, all along the brow bone, down the bridge of my nose and on my cupid's bow.

Dior Amber Diamond - Beautiful, bronzy glow!

Dior Amber Diamond is a gorgeous compact consisting of five shades ranging from an off-white colour to a deep copper tan shade.  You can use each colour individually, or sweep your brush along all five and create a beautiful bronze shimmering glow (which is what I usually do).  Let me emphasize that it is shimmery, not glittery.  There are no large chunks of glitter whatsoever.  The powder is so finely milled and silky smooth... it feels like pure luxury when you put it on.  It also comes in a shade called Pink Diamond, which is more cool toned and pink in colour, but I find the warm golden Amber Diamond is more of a fit for my NC-35 Asian complexion.  I like to use my MAC 109 brush to apply to the areas mentioned above, or you can also use the MAC 129 brush to apply a light dusting to your whole face and neck to make it glow and look so beautiful and healthy!  ~Janice ❤

Packaging for Dior Amber Diamond

Dior Amber Diamond - Finely Milled and Silky Smooth Highlighter

My MAC Brush Collection - #109, 129, 168, 219, 239

Over the last couple of years, I've started a MAC brush collection, and have slowly added to it one by one. Currently, I have a total of five MAC brushes. That doesn't seem like a lot to some people, but I find that these are enough to get me ready every day. Even though I have a drawer-full of other brands of brushes, I keep coming back to my MAC ones, and have decided that they are the only ones that are good enough to be used on my face. Should I consider myself a MAC snob now?

Since each brush retails on average for $50 Canadian, I consider each one I buy an investment. My heart races, palms get sweaty, and I have a general feeling of euphoria and giddiness each time I pick one up. I take care of my brushes, and wash them in mild brush cleaner once a week. Because of this, all my brushes look and feel the same as the day I bought them.

These are the brushes in my collection currently...
#109 - Small Contour Brush
#129 - Powder/Blush Brush
#168 - Large Angled Contour Brush
#219 - Pencil Brush
#239 - Eye Shader Brush

From top to bottom: MAC 109, 129, 168, 219 and 239

#109 - I use mostly for highlighting with my beloved Dior Amber Diamond above my cheekbones, around the brow line, and down the center of my nose. The brush is super soft and is made with natural fibers. I love this brush because it's small enough that it doesn't deposit the shimmer powder all over your face so you look like a disco ball. It places the powder only in the areas where you want it to, and makes your face look glowing and radiant.

MAC 109 - Small Contour Brush

#129 - I love using this brush to contour my face with.  It's about twice the size as the 109, and is so soft and fluffy.  Even though the 109 is called the 'contour' brush and is marketed for that purpose, I actually prefer the 129 for contouring, because it provides a more natural and blended application rather than a harsh bronze line (which you do not want!).  My favourite bronzer at the moment is theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer - say that fast ten times!

MAC 129 - Powder/Blush Brush

#168 - This is the softest brush out of the five.  Not sure if it has to do with the white hairs, but I LOVE the feel of it against my face.  The diagonal angle of the bristles makes it easy to apply my blush precisely where I want it.  It picks up product extremely well, and I only need to dip the brush lightly into my theBalm Frat Boy blush for it to be pigmented enough.  If I had to pick only one brush to keep, this would definitely be the one!

MAC 168 - Large Angled Contour Brush

#219 - This brush is fantastic for lining my eyes with eyeshadow when I don't want to use an eyeliner.  It provides a softer, more smokey-smudged look that I prefer sometimes.  I love using Busted from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette for this.  It's also great for applying highlighter to the inner corners of the eye.  This brightens the face and creates the illusion of the eyes being wider apart. 

MAC 219 - Pencil Brush

#239 - This is my go-to brush for applying eyeshadow.  It's the perfect size for applying powder from crease to lash line.  The flat shape of the brush makes it easy to pick up the product.  The bristles are extremely soft, and not at all irritating for my sensitive eyes.  My favourite eyeshadows to use are in the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette.  Even though I have a gazillion number of eyeshadows to choose from, I find myself reaching for this palette constantly.

MAC 239 - Eye Shader Brush

So there you have it...My MAC brush collection thus far!  Hope this helps you out when researching which brushes to buy for yourself.  Please let me know which brushes you have, why you love them, and which ones I should get in the future!  Thanks for reading my blog, and feel free to post a comment!  Bye for now! ~Janice ❤

My First Blog Post!

I can't tell you how excited I am to officially write my very first blog post!  Being a newbie to the blog world, I find it can be overwhelming at times with all the options available in creating a blog. Please bare with me as I learn the ropes, and discover all the creative and exciting ways I will be able to improve my blog.

A little bit about me... Let me first just say that I am a wife and Mom of two kids living in Canada. When I first decided to start a blog, I began by throwing around different ideas for the subject matter and content for it.  My interests range from music to movies, from reading to writing, from tennis to Bikram Yoga. Then I narrowed in on three things that I really had a passion for, three things that I am constantly Googling and researching.  The three things I came up with were Makeup, Food, and Photography.

Growing up, I was always interested in playing with makeup ever since I can remember.  I was limited though, as the only makeup my Mom ever wore, and still wears, is lipstick. I remember always sneaking in her room to try on the bubble gum pink shade that she had on her table.  In high school, I started experimenting with eyeshadow.  My favourite look was putting very pigmented, frosted smokey lavender eyeshadow over my entire (yes, entire!) lid from brow bone to lash line!  Nowadays my tastes in makeup are a bit more subtle, shall we say.  Being a Mom, finding the time to put on makeup can be a bit challenging sometimes, but I never leave the house without at least some kind of product on my lips.

Fast forward to today... these days, I always do my research before buying a cosmetic item.  With great outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Makeupalley and the millions of beauty blogs out there, I am able to make an informed decision before I spend money on any beauty product.  Sometimes I find myself asking, "Did I really need to spend $35 on a lipstick?" I think about it for a minute, then answer with an enthusiastic "Yes!" It's so important to take time for yourself, and do the things that make you happy and give you pleasure.  I believe that a happy Mom = happy kids, and am lucky that I have a husband who recognizes this and encourages me regularly to take time out for just me.  He'll take the kids out so I can have the house to myself to read or take a bath in peace, or suggest that I go out to dinner with friends, or go get my nails done, or sit in the hot tub at the pool.

Ever since the birth of my two kids, I have developed a great passion for cooking.  Not only do I love trying new recipes of all kinds of cuisine, but I also enjoy going out for a meal and appreciating beautifully plated works of art.  My favourite foods tend to lean towards  Japanese, Thai and Indian, but I also love a bbq steak, or a taco from TacoTime.

Which brings me to my third passion in life - photography!  I love documenting elements of everyday life, whether it be a gorgeous plate of salad, to my kids playing on the monkey bars, to a friend's wedding, to my dog getting a haircut, to Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, and the list goes on and on.  I believe that I have a good eye for presentation, and making things look pretty.

Please join me in my journey as I discover new makeup products, mind-blowing tasty eats, beautiful images, and anything else to add to my list of adorations.

Here's to Eyeliners, Eats & Exposure! ~Janice ❤

Playing around with photographing a few of my favourite makeup products