Scrooge+theGrinch+Daddy Warbucks....

   Merry Christmas Everyone! No matter what religion or beliefs you have on this holiday, be with the ones you love & send a holiday greeting to the ones you don't. This season, if you know anyone going through a difficult or lonely time, extend a hand to them or even a simple call letting them know you are thinking of them & wish them well. Even a text can make someone smile.

"It's CHRISTMAS, Charlie Brown!"

   I, myself, am not in the Christmas spirit. In the past few days, my mom started a nonsensical

argument with me, my boyfriend Mati is being an asshole

downer, and I lost my mind cat for 1/2 a day yesterday.

First, my mom calls me on Friday while I was babysitting & starts going off on me and being aggressive about how I don't spend enough time with family because of my boyfriend. I explain to her (like I have numerous times) that the last week of December, he will be moving back with his parents. Meaning he will be working 10-13 hr days (he's a chef remember) and will go back to his parents house if he is tired or we drive to see one another for an hr or two then go home. I won't be able to spend the night at his house after he is off work anymore.I usually wait up until 12am when he is working just so I can drive 40 mins, hang out for 2 hrs, then sleep. All just to spend ANY time I can have with him.
 The only time we will be able to spend together is if he gets out of work early or has a day off. She just doesn't GET that I am just trying to spend as MUCH time as I can before he moves w/ his parents & I won't be able to have quality time for us anymore. Plus he is planning to visit his home country, Argentina, in February... then plans to take a kitchen job in Germany in March. Meaning, he won't be here for Valentine's Day OR our birthdays (March 7th). That to me is a total stab in the heart.

Anyways, so my mom keeps arguing with me about it on the phone. For SOMEONE who "doesn't see" family often, I seem to be around family alllll the time. On Mondays, I do a favor for my auntie of spending the night at her house to watch my 15 yr old cousin since my aunt works nights, Weds & Fri's I babysit for my older cousin from 8am to 6pm to watch her 2 yr old son, and I'm at my Grandparent's house every other day when Mati is busy working! Now you tell me who isn't family oriented?!? Cause it SEEMS to me that I'm surrounded by family almost everyday of the week! My mom KNOWS I'm going through a difficult time with Mati because he might leave the country but she STILL decides to have an argument with no point! I tell Mati about the argument with a heavy heart & he comes home with flowers for me to cheer me up.

"Forgive me for I will turn into an Asshole tmw, Flowers"

  With Mati, he is the biggest Scrooge/Grinch/Daddy Warbucks I've ever met. He doesn't care to celebrate holidays, isn't in the "christmas spirit" or any holiday spirit, puts me down when I want to do "christmasy" things... yet buys great presents & is eager to make me happy (but of course doesn't care to wrap them so I will be excited to unwrap them). I am happy and have a happy spirit by nature, so when others try to bring me down or even bring me down after I try so hard to make the holiday special for OTHERS, they just don't care. That's the issue with Mati.

 The other day, I had my own plans to run around & think of creative gifts for my mom & him because I'm extremely low on cash. All the presents I got were paid for with Gift Cards I had received last Christmas but forgot to use. Mati said he still needed to get my gift, so I told him we can go to the Mall together & split up because I still needed to buy a few things for him. Later, he then decided to change the plans (like usual) & we go to his parent's house to visit before they took off on vacation to Cabo San Lucas. We stay longer than I expected which makes me upset because he KNOWS I have things I wanted to finish. It's then 11:30pm and too late to shop at small department stores that are closed now. I get upset & he starts lashing out that I always push him to do things when he doesn't want to and just wants to enjoy his week off until he is called into work. I get extremely upset because I ASKED him if he need to get anything at the Mall because I was going there later. HE said he wanted to get my gift from there. HE SAID. I bring that up to him & what do I get? "Kala, you are always causing drama. I don't know what's up with you. You are running around trying to get presents when who cares!" I get extremely emotional and yell out that most of these gifts are for HIM! How ungrateful can you be?? I have little/no money & spending my Gift Cards on others, mostly him! He yells out "I don't care! Don't give them to me."

I lost it after that. He says I PUSH him to do things... YES. Only when you TELL me you want to do it in the beginning of the day (common example: working out) & then change your mind at night and ACCUSE me of pushing you to do it. He tells me almost everyday that he needs to stay in shape because he gains weight quick. When I motivate him, it's PUSHING... when I stop motivating him, he says I'm making him LAZY. All I want to say is FUCK YOU & Merry Christmas.

   My kitty, Niko, was missing for hours yesterday!!! Mati has two roommates who are cool, but one of them is irresponsible. At 40 yrs of age. See men, that is what happens to you when you don't become responsible for your life. You are 40 yrs old, no car, no house of your own, no kids, nothing close to a wife, and can't even pick up after yourself. Well, his "booty call" girl comes late at night and either him or the girl left the front door open enough for Niko to escape! This is NOT the first time & everytime, Mati's roommate seems to not care & is clueless. Or maybe because he smokes ....

 We had no idea he was gone until 7am yesterday morning when Mati's roomie asked him if the cat was in our room. I cried and cried, we made posters of him and nailed them around the neighborhood, we walked & drove around the neighborhood calling his name to no avail. Finally, he came leisurely strolling up to Mati's sliding back door wanting to be let in. I screamed out of joy & relief and scooped him up, petting and kisses galore.

"As an indoor cat, I just wanted to explore outside & pee in some grass...is that so wrong?!"

 

These past few days have been challenging & is making me lose hope in many things...

Merry Christmas,

K

Happy HUMP Day with the LADY LUMPS herself...

"Make A Change" Mondays

   Happy Monday! It's the beginning of the week... back to work, off to school, back to the hustle and bustle of what many Mondays are made of. Well since Mondays are is the worst day ever kind of a drab for me too, let's at least make it a better day for others less fortunate. I know it isn't much, but I found this website called change.org a few months ago regarding the Casey Anthony trial. Many people were outraged by the verdict of the trial and had a huge petitions going on.
Well since then, I've always gone back to the site to look at petitions I would like to add my support to with my signature. You can also see other supporters signatures from different countries the second they sign. It feels good to at least be able to change people's lives by a click of your mouse & your support to their dire issues. Every Monday, I will post a petition that I want to share with you. Or you can go on the site yourself & make a change.








http://www.change.org/petitions/chick-fil-a-stop-bullying-small-business-owners#

PRETTY COOL company name if you ask me ;)
Popeye, eat your heart out!

   This Eco-friendly, small t-shirt business located in Vermont has a mission to promote food messages. The logo above has been Bo Muller-Moore's t-shirt design for more than 10 years & has recently applied a trademark to the company name.
Chick-fil-A has OTHER plans. They are a multi-million dollar fast food chain with their logo "Eat Mor Chikin" plastered on billboards and commercials.
Honestly, I do not like Chick-fil-A. Alright shoot me! It tastes so...plain. The fries are definitely not up to par with my standards of fries. I am a fry lover so McD's is my fix haha. The chain is really popular in the south and I lived in Texas for 1 1/2 yrs in 2009. I tried it once, never went back. Same goes for you, WaterBurger WhattaBurger!
Back to the story, so Chick-fil-A wants to kick ass&take names block the trademark attempts of the t-shirt company's logo and shut down the business. For What?! Because their logo is a BIT similar to their logo. OK... Chick-fil-A is going the carnivorous route, while Eat More Kale is going the herbivore route. What's the big deal?! It's not even like Muller-Moore has a farm promoting food products or even COWS painting signs for their own propoganda purposes.
Please sign the petition if you think this is absurd on Chick-fil-Plain's part & help this small business keep its deserved slogan. Told ya about the Kale!


Eat more Kale,
xox K

1st day OFF out of 18 ON...

   It's a beautiful, sunny, Sunday in sleepy beach town Torrance. Today seems even SWEETER since my chef was given a day off today! woot woot!!
He has been working everyday (even sleeping over at the kitchen & working 30 hrs straight) since Dec 1st, so I'm super happy that he and his kitchen mates can have a day off! It has been really rough on him this month, but he sure enjoyed the nice, fat paycheck he recieved on Friday + his well deserved SLEEP!

The other day, Mati got some pretty expensive white Truffle oils, a tiny bottle of extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, saffron, and black truffle salt. I don't know MUCH about food other than eating it, so he explained to me that I cannot cook with these oils. They are only for dressing food and as a topping. Thank GOODNESS he told me, for I was already plotting my first dish I would look up online to cooking with the oils that I can suprise him with ahahah!

He knows how much I love tiny things: tiny pencils, tiny erasers, tiny candies, anything at Hello Kitty store, tiny dogs, tiny Tobasco bottles, tiny gadgets, tiny travel sized deoderants, lotions, etc. He gave me the small bottle of extra virgin olive oil because he knows I'd never use it because of its cuteness. haha true.
We will go to his parent's house in Palos Verdes to give the bottles to his mom for Christmas. I can't wait to try some of the sherry vinegar on a salad. I tried some from the bottle & it was amazing. #NOM NOM NOM

¡Salud! Sundays!

 ¡Salud! Sundays are all about sharing recipes and tapas that can be paired well with an Ale, drink, or wine. I think everyone deserves a break in life to enjoy a great dish with a sip of relaxation.

Spanish Ham with Olives & Oranges

=====================================================

2 oranges

1/4 cup green olives, pitted

1/2 small shallot, cut very thin rounds

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 round loaf of country bread

8 very thin slives of Serrano Ham

1. Make orange zest from a quarter of 1 orange, cut zest into very thin strips & set aside.
2. Cut and peel away each individual orange segment, removing white membranes. Cut segments into 1/2-inch pieces and place in bowl.
3. Chop olives and place with oranges. Add shallot, olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, salt & pepper; toss to combine all in bowl.
4. Cut bread into slice wedges. Place ham on top of bread (either roll or fold ham) & spoon about 1 tablespoon of the orange mixture on top.
5. Sprinkle orange zest on top & serve!

NEXT, cut an orange slice and pour yourself a chilled glass of Blue Moon Ale. Set orange on glass & serve. You can purchase Blue Moon at any local Grocery Store and liquor stores.

 ¡Salud y besos!¡buen provecho! -> enjoy your meal!

xox k

"Favorite" Fridays!

Favorite Fridays have begun!  This is where I share with YOU my fave things in life. Things that make me smile or even make my world go round :) Today, my favorite thing is... The Braid hairstyle!

I seem to rock the hairstyle quite often as well!

"Will lick a fake ice cream cone for a braid, yo."

I can't get enough of a good braid! It can be super diverse or super simple, and has a touch of femininity to it that I love. For girls with long hair, such as mine, it's an easy hairstyle to keep back your precious locks. I even use a braid as a hair tool! My hair is naturally thick and curly due to my filippino and Black roots. So I tend to flat iron my hair normally. But when I want a wavy, beachy look:

1.  Wash & semi-dry my hair
2. Pull my hair into a tight braid
3. Keep it for a few hours & let it dry , flat ironing my bangs & a few loose strands

Viola! A super cute beachy wavy look to your hair that is very simple.

BAH-HUMBUG !

"Leave me be! Unless you're selling Mint Thins, then we'll talk.."

   I need to go christmas shopping! Have you gone yet? My mother and her husband finished their christmas shopping a day after Thanksgiving. Now THAT's planning ahead for ya. I'm a bit of a procrastinator by nature, so I'll usually pull it all together last minute. This year I'm SUPER broke. So it's definitely that time of year to get creative! I'm planning to frame nice photos of me and family (photo frames @ Big Lots or Ross under $15 bucks max), wallet size photos of Matias & me for him (we barely have pics together), my cousin loves designing her nails so I found a cute $5 travel nail dryer @ Big Lots, a new chef coat with Mati's name embroidered, and a cheap cloth lanyard for his keys so he can stop misplacing the 2 keys he has on a ring haha. I'll also look for a small keychain light so he can see in the dark.

Oh! Mati always complains of his tired, aching, pretty gross feet because he is on his feet working in the kitchen for long hours. Body Oasis in Torrance has a deep tissue/soak/scrub foot bath for $40 for 1 hr. I know he'll definitely appreciate that! :) here's their website: www.bodyoasisdayspa.com

I also want to send christmas cards to Mati's parents & his grandparents in Argentina. They came to visit this past summer in June and stayed for almost a month. They were so sweet despite the language barrier. My spanglish certainly helped and complicated things, but whattaya gonna do? haha. His grandparents even insisted on buying me expensive beaded sandals from the Gap. I've never spent money frivously and paying $45+change for a pair of Gap sandals would never be an option for me right now. I was extremely grateful for their kind gesture since they only had known me a week. According to Mati, they hear from him how kind and great I am so they love me because Mati loves me. aaaawwwww!

I will send them a professional picture we took together at my mother's wedding this past July. I also have a few gift cards of christmas & birthdays past that I've forgotten to use! I can totally roam around Kohl's and H&M for gifts. I don't mind using money given to me for my loved ones. xox!

BUT, I'm keeping my ITunes $15 giftcard... need to update my out-of-date tunes! :)

Despite the everyday, stay CHEERFUL, be MERRY, & follow through with your goals this year before the new year is here. It's fast approaching...

Eat your KALE,

xox K

Happy Hump Day :) 

My "first" time!

   Hello all! I have been inspired to create my own blog. I have made many before, but never kept up the maintenance and motivation to blog. I have soo much to say & very little people who have time to hear it! I use to keep a diary when I was a young girl, then a journal in my teens, and now the infamous BLOG...
I love to write. Anything from my feelings, thoughts, to secrets, songs, and poetry. I feel writing is such a creative art form for anyone to express themselves. Many people are too nervous to speak out, so writing and/or blogging is a great tool for many, including myself. Here, I want to be able to just blog about what I am thinking of or dreaming of at the moment & share. I also want to share a few websites I follow and maybe share an interest with you.

I have an amazing boyfriend named Matias who is from Argentina and is an aspiring chef. I was born & raised in California. We have the SAME BIRTHDAY 2 years apart (March 7th) & our moms have the SAME NAME (Marissa y Marisa). We have a cat named Nikolas "Niko" & my dog Codi. I will be blogging a lot about him and my pets since they are all a part of my everyday life and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them all to pieces! I wish to share all my hopes, dreams, and wishes I have for us to continue living this wonderous life. We will go through struggles, ups and downs, but hopefully venting out my feelings and thoughts here, I can have more of a clearer mind and make good decisions along the way.

Codi y Niko

My site is called "Eat Ur Kale" because my family nickname is "Kale" short for Kala (pronounced Kay-La)& food has been a huge part of my life with my bf Mati. Also, I'm from Los Angeles (KaL.A.).
Plus, I've heard Kale is much healthier for you than Spinach ;)

Enjoy! Also, leave a comment if you'd like. I love hearing opinions and stories!