Asian Coleslaw

Our street had a party this weekend, and one of our neighbors made Asian coleslaw. I usually don't like coleslaw, but this one looked so tasty, I decided to give it a try. It was delicious!! So delicious, in fact, that I bought the ingredients and made some yesterday! It's not the healthiest coleslaw due to the sugar & oil, so I'm going to try to find a healthier version that is just as tasty. In the meantime, I used a "healthier" vegetable oil blend. I didn't think of it at the time, or I would've used stevia instead of the sugar.

Asian Coleslaw

2 pkgs. (3 oz. size) oriental-flavor ramen noodles

16 oz. coleslaw mix

1 c. sunflower kernels

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. white vinegar

Crush the ramen noodles and place them in the bottom of a large bowl (save the flavor packets to use later).  Top with coleslaw mix and sunflower kernels.

Whisk together contents from flavor packets, sugar, oil, and vinegar. Pour over slaw. Cover and chill for 24 hours (or at least overnight). Toss before serving.

Makes about eight 1 cup servings.

(adapted from Asian Coleslaw recipe by tastyrachel
on cdkitchen.com)

Thoughts: I think if the ramen noodles were precooked, rather than relying on the liquid in the coleslaw to soften them, you could reduce the amount of oil - possibly replacing some of it with water since the flavor packets are used. Using stevia or erythritol instead of sugar and using a healthier oil would also increase the "healthy" factor.

Does anyone have a healthier version? If I find one, I'll be sure to post it!

Berry Hpnotic

Gus and I stopped by the liquor store this weekend where we picked up a few new beers to try. I was mesmerized by all of the little "airplane" bottles of booze, decided to try some new stuff, and had a really hard time limiting myself to just five...

I ended up with:

• Hpnotiq (I've been wanting to try this, but not at $27/750ml - what if I didn't like it??)
• Absolut Raspberri Vodka
• Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Rum
• DeKuyper Lemon Drop Burst Bar Shot (premixed drink)
  
• Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur

I decided to use the Hpnotiq and Absolut Raspberri for my first test - but of course, I tasted them straight before doing any mixing. Hpnotiq is very good - I love the fruit flavor. For those who aren't familiar with Hpnotic - it's a liqueur that contains fruit juice, vodka, and cognac. I think this is something that I would use a lot because I love fruity drinks. The Absolut Raspberri is awesome, too - I need to make a raspberry cosmo with some fresh frozen raspberries.

I found a recipe for "Berry Hpnotiq" on the Hpnotiq website, so I did my own version of that.
1 oz. Hpnotiq
1 oz. Absolut Raspberri
lemon-lime soda
ice

Oh. My. Gosh. It was delicious. I will be buying larger bottles of both Hpnotiq and Absolut Raspberri. This drink is dangerous because you can't really taste the booze. I really, really like it!

I do apologize for the lack of fancy drinkware, elegant presentation, etc. I guess if I'm going to blog about booze, I need to step it up a notch, huh? On the other hand, if I call it booze, is there really any reason to pretty it up?  ;-)

Cool makeup kits

I've seen several makeup kits lately that I think are pretty neat. I'm sure I'll end up buying one or more of them, LOL!

Cargo has a kit called "7 in 7" - the tag line is "7 Products that get you gorgeous and ready to go in 7 minutes!". 

There are three full-size kits - each $59 (value $155) - available in light/medium, warm/medium, & deep/medium.
Each kit includes:

• OneBase™ (02):  A double-duty wonder - concealer and foundation in one!  Use it to spot conceal and blend it out like a foundation to match your natural skin tone.
• Essential Palette (Warm Neutral):  The perfect shades for a classic, sculpted, nude eye.  This must-have palette contains four graduated neutral shades, each debossed with its function for ease of application.
• Eye liner (Brown):  CARGO Eye Liner promises a smooth, even application every time, without skipping.
• Better-than-waterproof™ Mascara:  This everyday mascara performs like a waterproof one without smudging or running, yet comes off easily with warm water and gentle pressure.
• BeachBlush™ (Sunset Beach):  The perfect marriage of blush and bronzer.  This double-duty best-seller is a combination of four complementary shades for the perfect blush and bronzer, all in one.
• Reverse Lip Liner (01):  The ONLY lip liner for gloss!  Line your lips from the outside in with this flesh-toned liner.  The result:  added definition, reduced feathering, and a fuller-looking lip.
• (NEW!) Classic Gloss with Timestrip® Technlogy (Tobago):  CARGO's award-winning, non-sticky lip gloss packaged in a convenient wand with Timestrip® technology to monitor the freshness of your gloss.

There are also three mini kits - each $39 - available in light/medium, warm/medium, & deep/medium.

Each set includes the following:

• OneBase™ - A foundation and concealer in one! - Use OneBase™ to spot conceal in key facial areas. Blend out to a flawless complexion.
• Mini Essential Palette - The perfect eye shadows for a classic, sculpted, nude eye make-up. This must have palette contains four shades graduating shades of neutral eye shadow, each embossed with it's function  - browbone, lid, crease, outer corner - for easy application.
• Mini Eye Liner - A smooth, even application without skipping
• Mini LashActivator™ - A proven formula for better looking lashes in only 30 days!- This lash-enhancing complex is revolutionary mascara that stimulates growth of lash follicles, promotes lash vitality and reduces lash loss. LashActivator™ is clinically proven to boost the appearance of the lashes by 169% over the natural rate of growth.
• Mini BeachBlush - The perfect marriage of blush and bronzer - This double duty best-seller is a combination of four complimentary shades for the perfect blush and bronzer all in one.
• Mini Reverse Lip Liner - The only liner for gloss!- Line your lips from the outside in with this flesh-toned lip liner. The result: added definition, reduced feathering and fuller looking lips.
• Mini Classic Gloss - CARGO's iconic lip gloss is a celebrity and make-up artist favorite. This non-sticky gloss is a vitamin-enriched, Paraben-free formula designed to nourish lips.

I think the mini-kits would be great for travel! And I should clarify that these aren't really "new" because they debuted back in the spring - but I didn't see them then, LOL. It looks like Sephora no longer has them - but I found them on www.beauty.com as well as www.ulta.com.

I like the look of  these Benefit palettes, too!

Scene Queen, the new Annie collection:

which contains:
- 0.1 oz Coralista, coral-pink cheek powder with mini natural-bristle brush
- 0.09 oz High Beam, luminescent complexion enhancer
- 0.18 oz Juicy Coral, lip shine
- Smokin' Liner, eyeliner
- 4 x 0.1 oz eyeshadows in Charcoal, Shimmering Beige, Misty Blue, and Navy
- 2 Fluff Shadow/Hard Angle Brushes
- Step-By-Step Makeup Lesson

(I just saw that Marlena reviewed this palette on MUG - read her review here!)

And Sunday Funday, the new Maggie collection:

which contains:
- 0.1 oz Hoola, bronzing powder with mini natural-bristle brush
- 0.09 oz Benetint, rose-tinted lip & cheek stain
- 0.18 oz Shimmering Rose, lip shine
- 0.01 oz Toasty Liner, eyeliner
- 4 x 0.1 oz eyeshadows in Smimmering Bronze, Pink Satin, Light Champagne, and Pretty In Plum
- 2 Fluff Shadow/Hard Angle Brushes
- Step-By-Step Makeup Lesson

The Benefit palettes are $38 each at www.sephora.com.

Has anyone tried any of these kits? I'd love to hear some reviews!

Great deals!!!

If you love Ann Taylor Loft, run, run, RUN to their website and check out the sale items! If you use the code LABORDAY40, you can take an extra 40% off the sale prices!

I just bought jeans for $17.99 a pair!! They have a ton of sizes (even petite & tall!), styles, & washes. I nabbed a tank for $2.99, too! Even with the $8.95 shipping charge, I saved $17 off the sale prices and $93 off the original prices!!

Gotta love a great sale!!

P.S. Don't forget to go through eBates to get 3% of your purchase price back!!

Cat Island Ambiance

Sorry the posts have been few & far between lately! I've had a few health issues, but I'm feeling better now, so I hope to be back to blogging more regularly!

Here's a recent neutral/gray look that I did:

Have a great weekend, everyone!