Stoli Recipe Cards

Here are a couple recipe cards I made for Stoli. The photos were taken by Jonothan Gainer, a photographer, director and actor who I've had the pleasure of shooting an Atlantis commercial with and several other photoshoots. Credits also go to a couple close friends of mine who helped me with my t-shirts; I love how the cards turned out and wouldn't have been able to reach the final product without them!

Only five of my Tea Party girls were featured; the other three were either eating, at the Apple store or don't drink alcohol....

Click "See More" at the bottom to view more cards xx

LISTEN TO ME: It's nearly the weekend!!!

Just an upbeat track to get you through your Thursday!!

Dear Kinder Joy

I bought you by mistake, and I just want to let you know that even though you are packaged in an egg shape, you aren't an egg shape, you have two weird balls, and you'll NEVER taste as good as Kinder Surprise.

No

Yes

Impromptu Sandstorm in Dubizzle

Standard.

I took this the next day around the same time, just to show you how the view is supposed to be - minus sandstorm.

WATCH ME: Truth in Advertising (too funny!)

Leave it to my friend Saljay to find the funniest videos. This one seriously cracked me up. If you are at all familiar with the advertising/media industry you won't be able to stop laughing while watching. The subtle humor is so spot on. You want to be able to give it 12 minutes of your full attention, but even if you can only watch 2 minutes, it's truly worth it!

A Lebanese Eatery to Try

After reading reviews about Zaroob on so many blogs, I finally decided to give it a try. What I thought must have been a hidden gem was far from. I mean, it can definitely be considered a gem, but it's not hidden at all. I realized I've seen it hundreds of times, but never thought to explore it - mainly because its lit up sign never appealed to me. However, I've heard a lot about it's funky interior, and funky indeed it is! I was immediately excited by all the colors and action going on. It's got this green feel with the wooden benches and tables, and is set up in a really quirky way. You can decide whether you want to sit at a regular table and bench, or at a high chair at the food or juice bar. That's right, they make what seemed like every fresh juice you could want, with the addition of several interesting cocktails. The art work is very alive and can speak to people of all ages with its pop feel. The kitchen is open and there's constantly food being served around you (and you don't leave smelly which is great!). It's a perfect place to go to during the week; it's small, cozy, has a lively happy mood and the food is served quick! 

We ordered a bit of everything; my favorites were: the Balila, chickpeas with garlic and some other herbs/ spices (just don't get this if you're on a date); Falafel, which was bite sized - perfect because too much isn't always that appetizing. The Baked Eggs came with sesame seeds and spices, served directly from the oven in a very hot plate. The taste was good, but I can't eat hard yolks, I like them very runny. The Hummus was delicious, something about it was different; it was much whiter and creamier than what I'm used to. The fatoush was also yummy, and by yummy I mean the dressing had just the right balance! Anyone who knows fatoush, knows the dressing has to be spot on otherwise it's not fatoush. 

Even though they don't serve very heavy meals, we were two, and were stuffed before we even got on to the saj. Zaatar saj is my favorite generally, but I was disappointed by the one I tried here. It was very greasy and tasted oily. It doesn't compare to Zaatar w Zeit's one on brown bread. I didn't even try the lahme bil ajeen (minced meat with spices) because I was told it wasn't good. The Akkawi cheese saj was not bad. I could just be used to Zaatar w Zeit, but all in all their food tastes much less greasier, which is what I prefer. I was with a friend who doesn't mind greasy food, and he also felt the same way, so that says something. 

 We were planning on going for two desserts, but the food was just too much. We just went for the Nutella saj because people raved about it. The thing is, it's not easy to go wrong with Nutella, unless you're a Kinder Joy, but a Nutella saj needs to be done right, otherwise it's not worth eating. There needs to be enough chocolate to ooze out, but not too much that it's off putting. My friend wished the chocolate was a bit more melted, but I was fine with it. Again, the bread was greasy and I can tell because I've had very good Nutella saj before. This one wasn't exactly how I like it, but I 
did scrape off every dot of Nutella left on the wooden board it was served on, so I'm not really going to complain. 

Overall, I loved the interior mood and lively atmosphere, the service was good and the presentation of the food was super! The little colored buckets with sauce really made my day. However, there were a couple items on the menu that weren't available, so maybe best to go for lunch? Since I was a little let down by the food, but loved the atmosphere of the place, I'd give the experience a 6/10; I loved the starters, and when I go again will stick to those. 

How to get there: take a right at the Financial metro station by the Al Attar tower and make a second right. You'll find Zaroob around three buildings down on your left. 

Happy eats xx

WATCH ME: Stoli Competition Steps Simplified!

Sometimes people are reluctant to join a competition for many reasons, one being they aren't in the mood to sign up. The video above shows you just how easy it is to sign up to the Stoli Competition at www.thenextoriginal.com. It's fun, quick, and definitely worth your time!

Check out my ambassador link while you're at it too :) http://on.fb.me/elmMCAL

Sweet Tribute to Steve Jobs

Check out the tribute outside the Palo Alto Apple Store; even Buzz Lightyear is there!! Must be very touching to see in person.

Spiritual Thought of the Day

Fill your mind with peace and divine thoughts and your mind will give that experience in return. Whatever I am experiencing in my mind now is the result of what I put there earlier on. I will always experience the after effect of what I have let my mind focus on. To fill the mind with love and good feelings is to experience a state of well being afterwards. Today let me be aware of this secret of consciousness and choose what I will experience.




*Thank you mama*

LOOK AT ME: Upside Down Grin!

A very special new website launched recently, and it manages to put a smile on my face every time I check it out. Upside Down Grin features a new, cute and witty illustration every day. Contrary to what the title implies, it will only turn your grin the right side up! A creation by a very dear, talented and charming friend of mine, Mr. Dylan Klymenko. He's always on top of his game when it comes to his craft, and this website just proves it even more. 

Whether I'm scrolling through facebook or twitter, I get proud on a daily basis of all the talented friends I have who are managing to reach success on their own unique and ambitious paths. It's proof that anything is possible. So if you have an idea, go for it, and all your hard work will undoubtedly pay off!