Mum-mums: Caramelized Chicken Wings

Tried out the Caramelized Chicken Wings at allrecipes.com and we loved it! It is a tad bit on the sweet side like a lot of people commented but I wanted to try and stick to the original recipe as much as possible before trying out the alternate versions. I must admit I used raw sugar instead of white sugar and didn't add the wine vinegar because I didn't have any at home. I also used crunchy peanut butter for the extra crunch! And I baked it at the end - that really helped thicken it and give it an extra texture. Okay so I made a LOT of changes hehe but anyways after cooking it I tried it with some tabacco sauce and that did balance out the sweetness a little. Next time might add some chilli powder or something on top. For me the sauce thickened by the end of the first 30mins so I didn't really need to simmer it for another 30mins so that definitely cut down the cooking time. After simmering it I told out the chicken and placed it in a oven tray with some of the sauce and popped it under the grill. I wasn't sure if it would dry out under the grill so I left a little sauce in the pan which I simmered a little to make it sticker and then top it off at the end. The sauce in the over was nice and sticky too - not too try at all. The sauce is really nice - I think the peanut butter makes it extra special. Will definitely try it again and look at reducing the sugar. We thought it would work well with ribs because it's that kind of 'finger lickin good' type of sauce so might try that next. 

Let me know if you try out the recipe and if you had any alterations!

Next recipe to try: Easy Fried Eggplant (because I have some eggplants in the fridge and really need to cook it soon!)

Happy Cooking!

xDee

The Sauce - water, sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, (wine vinegar) minced garlic 

Websites of the Day: All Recipes & YTower

All Recipes is a great website when you're stumped on what to cook and need some ideas. I love that it's posted by the everyday person. Plus I love reading all the reviews because you know it's been tried and tested and you can see alternate ways to cook it to make it 'better' or just differently. I'm a sucker for cookbooks (I think because the pictures look so beautiful!) but I'm trying not to buy any anymore and stick to using sites like this.

Another website I like to refer to is YTower. Even though I'm Taiwanese I can't read Chinese very well so I love that this website has a video section so I can still follow some of their recipes by watching the show! It's hard to find authentic Chinese recipes online written in English so this is a good alternative for me. 

In Love With: HRH - The Cuff Necklace

Was watching make up tutorials on YouTube and one of the Guru's recommended her website and was wearing The Cuff Necklace which I instantly fell in love with! This will definitely be added to my Wish List!

In Love With: Rompers/Jumpsuits

I've been loving rompers/jumpsuits since they came out (what seems like forever ago - especially in the fashion world) when I saw them on Nicole Richie but have never been daring enough to wear them. I know a lot of people think they are horrible and I do agree I have seen some pretty bad ones! So in my search tonight for some inspiration and patterns I stumbled across this Baby Romper Tutorial which shows you how to make it out of a Tee. I think it's soo cute and such a great Tee tutorial! Would definitely love to try this out. I also found this McCall pattern which I loved as soon as I saw it then I did some searching and found a couple of Sewing Bloggers review the pattern and post up their pics which made me want to buy the pattern even more and whip out my sewing machine! (Yes that's right I STILL haven't brought out my sewing machine yet and bub is getting more active by the day. I'm starting to worry he'll swallow one of my pins or something once I start sewing! Oh how I wish we had a house and I had a room for all my Arts & Crafts and sewing gear!

Much Love
Dee

Make Up Love: Shiseido Lip Amulet

I picked these up when I was in Taiwan - when I last Googled them they were apparently only sold in Taiwan and Japan. I bought it at Watson for around NT$100. At first I only purchased the Pearl Pink because they didn't have a sample to try so I was pretty much taking a risk and hoping they would be good! They were so cute I couldn't resist. After opening it I loved it even more. It was shaped like a miniature lipstick - the colour is very sheer much like a balm and feels very nice and moisturising on the lips. So the next day I went to Cosmed and bought Pure Red which I love as well. Normally I'm not a huge fan of lipsticks just because I have trouble finding shades that look nice on me but I loved both these colours - probably because they're quite sheer but buildable and add a nice colour to your natural lip colour. At the first Watson they actually sold it individually or in a pack of 4 (at a discounted price) with all the colours: Pearl Pink, Sugar Orange, Pure Red and Wine Grape but at the Cosmed I went to they only sold it individually. Another thing to note is Watson sold it at a cheaper price than Cosmed so it's worth checking out the stores. I'm not sure if it's a Limited Edition product so it may no longer be available as I purchased it back in October (Sorry!). It is slightly on the pricier side for a lip balm in that size but the quality is there and the packing is uber cute! 

Pure Red & Pearl Pink

Website of the Day: Weelicious

http://weelicious.com/

Instantly fell in love with their lunch box photos on their Facebook page! The Husband's lunch box is getting pretty boring so this gives me some inspiration to spice it up a bit. Definitely worth checking out even if it's just for the lovely pics!

My Wish List (Work in Progress)

So the new year is coming (along with my bday) so I thought I'd begin a Wish List to be updated on a regular basis. I'm a mama on a budget so a lot of this is very much 'wish' items. 

1. MyGlam subscription (this one will be on the list for a while I think because they don't ship overseas just yet) 
2. Urban Decay Naked 2 (+ Naked) - anyone know the best place (and price) for Aussie's to purchase the Naked palettes?
3. The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook

Any other recommendations?