Pasta When There's No More Pasta Sauce in the Cupboard!

A staple in my London kitchen (or rather my mother's) is a jar of Dolmio's:

Very good stuff... but very expensive here in Pakistan because it's imported :-( Sometimes I still "treat" myself to a jar! But this particular afternoon I didn't have the chance to go grocery shopping and wasn't feeling that flush anyway, so I decided to experiment with whatever was in the cupboard. Usually when this happens (experimenting that is), the result is never good... never! I just don't have that "touch" to my cooking (yet). Hence actually taking the time to write about this experiment because it turned out sooo yummy! Yay :-)

But wait... I can't take ALL the credit! I adapted the recipe from one I found here.

What I put in it and how much:

500g boneless chicken (cut into chunks)
3-4 tbsp oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
Sprinkle of turmeric or paprika (whatever you have, I used a bit of both)
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 tbsp fresh cream
1 tbsp cheese (I had mozerella in the fridge)
1 packet of penne pasta

Heat the oil and put in your chicken. Once it's no longer pink, add the garlic.

Cook till the chicken is almost done, then throw in the green peppers and black pepper, salt, turmeric/paprika, vinegar, soy sauce and 1/2 of the ketchup.

When the green peppers are done, throw in the onion. I guess you could add the onions first (before the chicken) but I wanted them to have a bit of "bite" to them, and not be too overcooked... But that's up to you!

Finally, add the cream and cheese and take it off the heat. Meanwhile, if you're more organised than me, you will have already boiled your pasta! Drain it and add it to the chicken saucy stuff.

Mix it up and add the remaining 1/2 cup of ketchup. And that's it! So good...


Damn, my cooker looks really messy :-S

Here's a better view!



In retrospect, I should've gone for 1 kg of chicken... or maybe a smaller shaped pasta... hmmm, well as this is definitley going to be a regular from now on, I'll vary it next time.

In other news, it's 35 degrees in Islo town today. We call this "pleasant" :-S

V9 (Vaneeza) Lawn Comes to Islamabad, yay!

I always knew the arrival of summer clothes in Pakistan was a big deal, but this is the first time I'm actually living through the hype! Searching for exhibition dates online, nudging your way to the front of the crowd before your choosen design gets sold out, bringing your purchases home, the "shrinking" process, choosing a stitching style to explain to your tailor, and then FINALLY wearing it! Its quite an emotional journey I tell you.

Very different to my usual trip to Brent Cross, something hijab-friendly catching my eye in H&M, standing in a line to pay for half an hour and then coming home feeling guilty for wasting money... No such guilt here.

If the slightest guilt-like feeling does happen to hover around you, you simply tell yourself it is so ridiculously HOT here that you MUST have a wardrobe full of lawn (super thin cotton) clothes to change to and from 2-3 times a day... it does not matter that you only change once in the morning... minor detail ;-)

But here's the problem... Islamabad has the least amount of lawn exhibitions :-( Karachi and Lahore have been having one after the other since March. Here though, I've only been to three:

1. Yahsir Waheed, which I have to say was very well priced (between 1,250 and 1,600r/s per suit), thus making up for the slight lack of variety in designs. I picked up three suits.
2. Sobia Nazir, which took off from Islamabad so there was major hype there... but the prints were so disappointing. Bland to say the least and way overpriced (on average, 3,000r/s per suit).
3. Vaneeza's exhibition today... which took place in a store (Kapas Fabrics) so was less an exhibition and more of a general launch. The prints were nice, but colour combinations a little boring. Prices were between 1,690 and 2,790r/s but the best thing was the embriodered laces that were included with each suit, saving the hassle of a seperate trip to a lace store! I only picked up one suit (pics of all once my tailor has worked his magic on them).
   

Bump on My Face and Smartphone Not Being Smart

So for a while now, I've had acne-free skin (touch wood!), thanks in no small part to Kiehls and LUSH! Thus the HORROR I experienced recently when I woke up to a huge... I repeat, HUGE... spot. In fact, "spot" doesn't cover it. This thing is a massive bump on my jaw (weird place for such things) that has caused so much swelling around it, it kind of looks like my face is pregnant. I kid you not.

Mother-in-law's theory: I've been bitten by some kind of insect in my room... which worries me as that means the culprit was in my bed (shudder) and is probably still there (double shudder). The theory has weight... would explain the swelling and ridiculous amount of pain.

Husband's theory (can I interject here and say that its still "new" saying that - "husband" *smile*): Maybe he hit me by accident in his sleep! Very little weight there as though he really is THAT deep a sleeper, I'm the complete opposite... and wouldv'e woken up... and given him a pretty big chunk of my mind ;-)

My theory: I'm having Starbucks withdrawl symptoms... My body has used up all of its resistance against the cravings for a grande cappucino (wet with chocolate powder on top please, thank you), or an iced caramel machiato... also grande. The cravings are manifesting in brand new ways now!

Pharmacist's theory: so as none of us above have medicinal degrees (shocking), I took myself to Islamabad's version of Boots, where the pharmacist told me "it happens" and handed me an antiobiotic ointment. Right.

In other news, my Blackberry has stopped being a Blackberry this month, and is acting like a "regular" phone (the nerve). Basically the data service isnt working and I can't access the Internet (gasp), Blackberry Messenger (sob) or Facebook (wail!). These are the staples of an expat like me's life, yet I just can't be bothered to phone my service provider and COMPLAIN. The only time I find the energy to do so is when their offices are closed... typical.

Remember when people used to write letters to stay in touch...? Wow... thats so rare now that it makes me feel OLD! I remember rare stuff. Dayum.

Anywho, as I couldn't possibly take a photo of my crazy bump and attach it to this post, here's an ode to my Blackberry instead :-)

Ok mine looks nothing like that, but how cute?!

Bye bye.

...and then she became domesticated.

Its been many, many moons since I blogged... or, lets be honest, have written anything more than a shopping list! And for about a week now I've been getting itchy fingers to write something, somewhere, anywhere! It's occured to me that that's why I started my blog in the first place...! But in between planning a wedding, getting married, migrating to a new country, leaving old friends (sniff), settling in and officially being crowned a housewife (or in the making at least), I kind of forgot all about my blog :-(

An interesting thing happened soon after I got married... these rather random and overwhelming urges to "do stuff" for my new home began to seep through my veins and threatened to disrupt my sanity if I didn't adhere to them... Stuff that "normal" people probably don't go crazy over... like absolutley needing to label everything in my mother-in-law's spice cabinet... or googling new ways to "set my bed"... oh dear. I know it's bad.

Its when I share my activities with my own mother during her daily phone calls and hear the horror in her voice that I realise that the whole "retro housewife" is perhaps a little... well... retro, and maybe not all that cool in this century...! Her words are always along the lines of "but you have all those degrees and books under your belt... why would you give it all up to rearrange spices?!"

Quite a common statement I hear these days... "spices" is swapped for whatever else I've been rearranging on a particular day. And I have to admit that though I'm here out of choice (and most importantly, love) and cheesily happy (with the strength of the cheese naturally varying) with my very undomesticated other half, the gasping at "how much my life has changed" does make me wonder if I should feel it more... right now, I've kind of slipped into a brand new way of life but am beginning to enjoy it (when I'm not missing my ladyfriends back home that is). How I'll feel about it in 6 weeks/months/years doesn't concern me as much as it seems to concern everyone else... Can I not see how I feel then?!

Well until then, one thing is for sure... I need to write, vent, explain, exclaim, etc! So with it being far too hot on this side of the world to be beauty-product/makeup experimenting and reviewing, I'm giving my blog a bit of a haul.

Time to bring in more general musings, my DIY projects, new recipes I try (although I'm new to cooking so 90% are disasters that don't need to be mentioned!) and random posts all about being a newly-wed, newly domesticated, expatriate housewife :-)

LUSH Reviews

I love LUSH. Love, love, love. Recently I've revisted LUSH products after a break (just cuz sometimes you need a change...) and will review my latest purchases in this post:

Big Shampoo:


I used this shampoo years ago when it first came out (7-ish years ago?!) but for some reason I havnt since then... I bought some this month because my hair's been really limp lately, and it hasnt disappointed. Its made my hair feel super soft and definitley thicker. I mean, not drastically, show-stoppingly thicker... but visibly thicker for sure.

What's in it: the main ingredient in it is sea salt. There's also lemon (which gives shine, as do others from the citrus family that are also in here: lime juice, neroli oil and madarin oil) and coconut oil (great for dryness).

How to use it: this is the only "annoying" thing I find about this shampoo. I like to grab the bottle in the shower, squeeze what I need and be done with it. With this, you have to unscrew the lid, dip your hand in and get what you want, screw the lid close again. A bit annoying but for a good enough shampoo I guess you have to have some "pain" for the "gain"!

Overall rating: I'm giving this a pretty high 4/5. If it was squirtable and slightly cheaper, I would change that to 5/5 :-)

Next... Cupcake Face Mask:
I've used this product quite a few times. I alternate between this and Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask. Both are great, but the latter has a slight drying effect - good for when you have some excess oil going on, but when thats not drastically the case, I opt for Cupcake. Having said that, ultimately this is still a product for those with oil/combination skin, as the talc in it has a mattifying effect and would stretch out dry skin.

Whats in it: rhassoul mud (cleansing), cocoa powder (hence the chocolate look and smell!), cocoa butter (softening) and oils from the mint family (balancing). No preservatives, so they literally mean it when they call it a "fresh" face mask!

How to apply it: this is slightly harder to get off than it is to put on. Also, the colouring of it is annoying to get off your towel/clothes if you make a mess wherever you go like me. You store this in the fridge and have to use it up within 3 weeks, which I like because then I end up doing "facials" for myself regularly, rather than leaving it on my shelf and procrastinating with it, as I do with my other masks.

Overall: I give this a deserved 5/5! I always feel like my skin looks visibly brighter as soon as I wash it off, and feels smoothed out. Love it!

Finally, The Hair Doctor:

This was the first time I'd tried this product, and I'll definitley be trying it again soon. Loved it. Here's a bit of background to my scalp: its irritable, verging on mild psoriasis. Lovely. So I can't use all hair products as a lot of them irritate my scalp, especially fancy salon brands. I had no qualms about trying this as all the ingredients are fresh, so even if it wasnt going to help, I knew it definitley wouldnt make it worse either.

What's in it: peppermint oil (which basically did some major cooling on scalp. Felt great and very relaxing), coconut and almond oils (very, very softening... I didnt need to apply conditioner after shampooing) and some henna (which I was concerned about, incase it reacted with my already dyed hair, but I'm pleased to report it didnt).

How to apply it: well, the instructions say to just apply it to your scalp as it is, but I find the consistency too thick that way, so I took out about 1/4 of the pot into a bowl and mixed in some water. When it was a bit more like a shampoo's consistency, I went ahead and massaged it all over my scalp. Though instructed to leave it on for 20 mins, I left it on for 30 because I couldnt get enough of the tingly, cool feeling :-)

Overall: this hasnt "cured" my irritated scalp (yet) but I didnt expect it too, as even topical steroid applications havnt! But it gave the rest of my hair some major conditioning, and as I cant always use fancy salon conditioners, thats not something easy for me to find in a product! So this gets a 4/5 for me :-)

Brand vs Bargain: Nail Varnishes

So the purpose of this post is to compare the nail varnishes of a high street brand with a high-end brand. I've picked up the colours below from my existing collection (not that big to be honest!), and so these are not exact colour dupes of each other... I'm doing a quality comparison more than a shade one, but I think these are quite close anyway... from the same family lets say :-)

Here are the culprits:

Barry M in Raspberry 273 and OPI in No Spain No Gain

Onto the reviews:





This is a really great nail varnish. Comes on exactly how I want my nail colour in this type of shade to: thick, thick, thick! So one coat is enough. But thats not even the best thing about it... it costs only £2.89 in good ol' Superdrug! A major bargain, especially as I found no major quality difference between this and the OPI one below. Both started to chip around the same time, this didnt chip any quicker.











You get some more in this than the Barry M one above, but you also have to pay £7 more for it. This one cost £10 at Selfridges... a bit steep, and considering the quality of both is pretty much the same, the only pro I can think of with this is that OPI have a billion variations of this shade, so you can get the exact one you want, rather than settling for the only one in this shade family.







So "yay" for Barry M and their affordable and good quality nail varnishes :-)

Analysing Ingredients: Toners

I have been shopping around for a new toner and I recently recieved samples from Kiehl's of the following two:




I have to say, I was happy with the results of both. My skin felt nicely hydrated after using them, but I couldnt decide which to commit to. So I decided to compare the ingredients in them using google as my friend.

I used to do this a lot before, but stopped and have realised again how beneficial an excercise it is. I think its so important to know what your putting on your face... just as important as being aware of what you're eating. So I thought I'd share my findings and decision :-)

Ultra Facial Toner:

Some ingredients:

• Squalene: natural moisturiser, which absorbs into your skin quickly without leaving a greasy residue.
• Phenoxyethanol: commonly used in cosmetic products as it has anti-bacterial properties... However, it did worry me that it's use is restricted in Japan, and it's one of the main ingredients in this toner... hmmm.
• Methylparaben: a preservative ingredient widely used in cosmetics... although there is no proof that it is unsafe to use, a lot of natural cosmetics activists argue that more research is needed... However, for now, I'm happy for it to be in my toner until I hear/read otherwise...
• Sorbitan oleate: couldnt find much info on this ingredient, but I think its there to give the toner that wet, toner-like, spreadable consistency...
  
• Sodium hyaluronate: may have anti-wrinkle properties, and may help with scarring...

Natural ingredients in this toner include: apricot kernel oil and avocado oil.

Rare Earth Pore Refining Tonic:

First thing I noted about this is that it is listed under "toners without alcohol" on Kiehl's website, but the second ingredient on it's list of ingredients is alcohol! That immediately put me off this toner because I specifically want one without alcohol, as I find them less drying on my skin... Nevertheless, I carried on looking into some of the other ingredients that differ from the Ultra Facial Toner too...

• Kaolin: a clay mineral, well known for its healing properties... good for someone with scarred skin like mine then.
  
• Silica: probably used because it's a natural absorbent, which would help reduce excess oil?
  
• Zinc oxide: anti-bacterial properties... so good for clearing out those pores?
  
• Methyl Methacrylate: This ingredient worries me a little, as according to good ol' Wikipedia, its mostly used in the manufactur of a type of plastic. However, most cosmetic safety researchers list it as a low hazard ingredient and it is quite commonly used in moisturising products... So I guess its not a huge deal, but its the first time I ever really looked into what it is, and faced with a choice of having or not having it in my toner, I go for the latter.

Natural ingredients in this toner include: amazonian white clay.


There are ofcourse other ingredients in both too, and I must stress I didnt go through each and every one! I pretty much stuck to the top half of the list because thats what in them the most... And based on that, I've decided to go for the Ultra Facial Toner :-)

However, I was a little disappointed with Kiehl's for being misleading about the Rare Earth toner by listing it as not including alcohol... I was also generally disappointed that their toners did not have more natural ingredients, as they claim they do... I wanted to read more about their "product philosophy" on their website, but that section is "coming soon!" This is a brand I've so far had a great experience with and would like to stick to, and still would've even if I knew the products were not as natural as they claim to be... so I wish they were more upfront about it than making their customers feel like they are too stuipid to find out for themselves!

Anyway, rant over. Till next time :-)