Fruit Nam Va

My lazy version of Nam Va

I loved making what I call Fruit Nam Va because it doesn't take as long as making the usual Nam Va. Fruit Nam Va doesn't require you have to the long string things (sorry for my lack of vocabulary, I have no idea what those are called). It's basically boil, mix and eat. The hardest part in making Fruit Nam Va would be cutting and dicing the melons; that's how easy it is!

Ingredients:

cantaloupe

honey dew 

tapioca pearls

cut tapioca flour noodles 

bubble tea pearls

sweet coconut milk 

amyle essence

palm sugar

water

(brown sugar & regular white sugar)

First thing you do is make the sugar syrup. There are two ways I make the sugar syrup. One way is by melting palm sugar and the other is by using brown and regular white sugar. It's your choice which sugar you prefer; palm sugar is lighter and brown/white sugar is stronger.

     Palm Sugar: boil 2 cups of water, when water boils put in 4-5 palm sugar cubes, once        

                            sugar cubes are all melted turn off heat and set aside to cool.     

     Brown/White Sugar: boil 2 cups of water, when water boils pour in 1 cup brown sugar 

                                            and 1 cup regular white sugar, when sugar is dissolved turn off 

                                            heat and set aside to cool.

After you have set aside the sugar syrup it's time to boil the tapioca pearls, cut tapioca flour noodles, and bubble tea pearls. You could take turn boiling each item or you could boil all three at the same time, it's up to you. I usually boil all three at the same time in different pots to save time. Boil each one until it's soft, drain in a strainer and pour into a bowl of cold water to keep it from getting sticky. (keep them separated in different bowls; do not mix into the same bowl)

While the noodles and pearls are boiling, cut (dice) the melons into small cubes.

*depending on how much you're making, you might not need to use all the pearls, noodles, or melons. for the left over pearls and noodles you can just rubber band the bags and save them for next time; for the left over melons I cut bigger cubes and put them in a tupperware container.

Once everything is cooled, done cooking, and diced you are ready to mix and eat. There really aren't precise measurements when it comes to adding the sugar syrup and sweet coconut milk because it depends on your taste; if you want it more sweet or more coconut. I like a lot of coconut milk in my Nam Va so I add about the same amount of sugar syrup and sweet coconut milk. Once I get the Nam Va to the right sweetness and coconut taste, I shake in about 3-4 drops of the Amyle Essence and add a couple cubes of ice; Nam Va taste best when it's cold.

(^_^)~ EnJoy ~ (^_^)

Lace and Pearls

Found this purse at TJ Maxx on clearance for $7.00; originally $19.99. I Love It!

Pink Ballerina

83.3% savings = awesome! The look on Carine's face = priceless!

 

*Bought from Bed Bath and Beyond; original $29.99 on clearance for $4.99. 

LOVE Bargain Shopping

I can't resist a good deal!

I rarely buy clothes, shoes and accessories at full price unless I desperately need it or it's already decently price. All the items pictured on the left were all from the clearance section except for the Urban Decay Naked Palette 2. 

The shoes were more expensive but they were still under $20/pair from DSW. They were from the clearance section with an additional 70% and 80% off. My savings at DSW was $160.18; spent $52.58 including tax ($49.84 with-out tax); $11.99 ($59.94), $15.99 ($79.94), $17.98 ($59.94) and $3.88 ($12.94) for the wrist-lit. [The prices I used are the sale prices, if I take the savings from the original prices it would be a savings of $249.16.]
 

From H&M, I bought a dress $10.00 ($29.95), blouse $7.00 ($17.95), knitted scarf and hat $5.00 ($12.95), infinity scarf $5.00 ($9.95) and silk scarf $7.00 (12.95). The cashier forgot to ring the silk scarf, so I got that one for free. I didn't realize it until I looked at the receipt in the car. So my total there was $28.49 with tax ($27.00 with-out) a savings of $55.26.
 

My most expensive buy for this haul was the Naked Palette 2. I used the $25.00 gift card my friend got me for my birthday to get it at 1/2 price. The palette is originally $50.00, so in this transaction I paid $27.75 with tax ($25.00 with-out) a savings of $25.00.
 

I got everything for about $108. My total savings for this shopping trip was $240.44 ($329.42) (^-^)

My Mini Me

Remedy for Spiciness

I love spicy food but dislike the spiciness afterwards! 

This Asian candy is awesome! Not only does it taste good, it can also help relieve your mouth of that spicy feeling after eating spicy food. One night after eating spicy food, I couldn't get rid of the spiciness in my mouth. Drinking milk and rinsing your mouth with hot water is two of the more known ways to get rid of the spiciness, but I didn't feel like doing either! I wanted to take my mind off of the spiciness and burning so I decided to suck on one of these. By the time I finished 1 yes 1 candy the spiciness was gone! I was so surprise and thought it was just a fluke. Thinking it was just beginner's luck I tried this method again and it worked! After the second try, I knew I had found an awesome and yummy way to get rid of spiciness. This is the first thing I run to after eating something extremely spicy! Forget drinking cup after cup of water, just take one or two of these. It's a great alternative and I suggest everyone to try it and see if it works for you. Caution though, depending on how spicy your mouth is you might need more then one! I hope it works for you too! (-_-)

27

January 6, 2012 = 27 years of life

I turned 27 last month; it was a bittersweet feeling. I still want to feel young but being a wife and mom makes it difficult to do so. However; I do believe for me, at age 27 I am exactly where I should be. I'm going to make this year the best one yet!