Garlic White Wine Mussels with Spaghetti

A few weeks back, we took our good friends who were visiting from Singapore to Tasting Kitchen after getting recommendations from one of my fave LA food blogger.  Unfortunately, it was so dark there I was not able to take any decent pictures of the yummy food.  One of the appetizers we ordered was this saffron cream mussels.  I didn't have high hopes since I'm not much of a shellfish person.  Having tried the highly acclaimed green lipped mussels in NZ and not loving yet didn't do much to help.  However, I only had to try 1 @ Tasting Kitchen and I was hooked.  It was so fresh, non of that yucky shellfishy taste.  And the sauce...oh the sauce, so creamy, so appetizing..I wanted to drink it up but chose a classier route by souping it up with the crusty bread provided.

I've been thinking about those mussels ever since then.  I would totally go again if it wasn't about an hour's drive away from me.  So I decided to take up the challenge and make my own.  Scouring the net for recipes, I found many reputable ones.  While I did like the creamy taste, I wasn't prepared to cook with something that contains so much saturated fat and calories.  I was afraid it wouldn't taste as good w/o the cream but decided to forge ahead.  Not wanting to bog it down with too many ingredients, I tweaked the recipes to suit my lazy self.  The taste definitely did not fall short of expectations.  It was so delightful..sweetness from the wine, shallots, mussels..it felt like I was tasting the sea..please do try this simple recipe.

- 1.5 pounds cultivated mussels
- 4 shallots, sliced
- 5 cloves of garlic
- a handful of chopped parsley
- few threads of saffron
- 1 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pasta to serve 2

In a pot, drizzle in the olive oil and put in the butter.  Stir fry the shallots and garlic (do not let them burn).  Add in parsley and saffron and cook them a little.  Pour in white wine and water and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add in cleaned and debearded mussels.  Put the lid on and steam mussels for 8-10 mins.  Discard any mussels that are not fully open.  Add in cooked spaghetti and serve.  I would strongly suggest having some toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with garlic on hand to soak up excess juices.

Lipsticks

I have been, and still am, going through a retail therapy phase. I wanted to come across as a more serious professional rather than just look like I have just rolled outta bed. So, I've been adding items to my would like to have list. My mum always says a woman should at the bare minimum put on lipstick as it it just common courtesy. I've never been a fan of lipstick. I find it hard to find a color I like and I hate the constant reapplying or having hair stuck to your gloss issues to deal with. Nonetheless, they are cheap and it has been said that even in recessions, lipstick sales hold up as women would still buy inexpensive items to satisfy their vanity.

I wanted a barely there look, something that will look good but isn't high maintenance. I looked online and found great reviews for Clinique's chubby stick and colors look very neutral, nothing screams tramp. Looking at color swatches online, I was fairly certain I will be getting either Super Strawberry or Chunky Cherry.  When I tried those on, they seemed too bright on me and clashes with my skin color.  In the end, I left with Graped Up.  The color is very similar to my natural lip color so that fulfills my barely there criteria.

Next day, I went to Ulta, hoping to get a NYX or Rimmel lipstick since they are so cheap and have great reviews.  Since I wasn't able to try the lipsticks on my lips, I was apprehensive about buying some color that looks nice on its own but may not match well with my skin tone.  Not wanting to play safe and get a natural pink shade, I stumbled upon L'oreal's lipgloss.  The Candy Apple caught my eye (I've been on a red/fuschia binge).  The color is very pigmented and looks harsh if I apply too much.  However, a little goes a long way.  If I apply a regular layer and then blot it off with a tissue or just apply a thin layer, I get a red tinted look, kinda like Benetint.