What determines a woman's beauty?

We still often think that a man only loves a woman for her outward beauty, but is this really true or not?

There are many things that makes a woman attractive to a man. But what makes a woman truly beautiful is much deeper than her skin, figure, or what you can see with your eyes. Let's learn what is the qualifying feature used to determine a  woman's beauty.

Time and age make a woman unable to retain her youthful beauty. The media hypnotizes them by setting many standard rules of beauty. That is why most women have to sacrifice their time, money, and health trying to adhere to those standards. In addition, the cosmetic industry maintains business by advising them to adjust their body one part, fix the other if they want to keep the other half attractive.

In fact, women are not independently beautiful, because there are always observers, interpreting that beauty, possibly both of the same sex and of the opposite sex. Men's perception, love, and admiration play a big role in the creation of a woman's beauty.

We can distinguish between truly beautiful people and attractive people. In theory, classical beauty is based on symmetry and proportion. However, psychologically, a perfectly beautiful subject will show the qualities of caregivers, typically parents, or siblings, and they become role models for both emotional and physical relationship matters.

We tend to pay attention to certain body parts such as the face, eyes, nose, mouth, hair, hands, and feet. However, each has different preferences, is attracted to different beauties, and this is a good thing because few subjects possess all the desirable traits. This difference makes a woman attractive in the eyes of certain, but not all, men. That also means, there is never absolute beauty because "beauty in the eyes of the beholder”.

Meanwhile, emotional maturity involves recognizing preference tendencies that cause men to focus more on what they value. Humans have a cortex that allows reason to function rather than just instinctively.

From the above, we can conclude that sexual attraction does not make a woman beautiful, but simply makes her look attractive. Love is the factor that creates real beauty in a woman. When a man truly loves a woman, he will love her way of life, and from there she will begin to become beautiful in his heart. This perception is not something unique to men, we all do. People create beauty in life and relationships. Have you ever wished you could see yourself the way others see you? That is the beauty of relationships. We can be role models and healers. If a woman’s other half always wants her to change her appearance when you go with the man, then that man doesn't necessarily love you.

 A woman's profound beauty does not lie in her attractiveness or classical beauty standards. It defies all challenges and time. It does not require Botox, Pilates, or a strict diet. It only needs love, but the beauty of love is endless and unaffected by the ravages of life. Perhaps you have witnessed an old couple walking hand in hand and staring into each other's eyes with passionate love despite decades of life. Are you jealous of the love and the beauty of that relationship?

 In conclusion. the definition of beauty from the past until now has no definition that is considered the norm. Beautiful or not is felt by each person. Men who rate a woman as beautiful will also be different than when women judge each other. A beautiful woman not only has a beauty in appearance, but she is also radiated from her style, from her attitude of life, from her confidence, and from the temperament in her soul. As long as she has confidence, she is really beautiful.

Eggplant Tofu Burgers

Most people think that eating healthy is difficult and that it also means sacrificing taste. This is a misconception, which I believe I can dispel here in my blog. I have been eating healthy food for quite a long time because eating is one of the few things we do every single day. Therefore, practicing eating healthy food will help you to prolong your life .  Nutrient-richness is the key to creating a good meal. Nutrients do not have to come from meats or seafood. They can come from plants, nuts, and seeds. I will now introduce the vegan burger today. I promise that this is the recipe that will make your taste buds and body feel very happy.

 Ingredients:

1 small eggplant, peeled and chopped

2 large white mushrooms, chopped

1 package (14,5oz) extra firm tofu, drained

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped green beans

1/2 cup white onions

1/4 cup green onions

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs soy sauce

1 egg

1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Seasonings:

2 tbs olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Other ingredients:

Hamburger buns

Lettuce

Sriracha

Serve with rice on the side (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375° and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Chop the eggplant and mushrooms and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; then cook the minced garlic and white onions for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chopped eggplant and mushrooms and the Italian seasoning (I use the herbs that I have on hand.

You can use dried parsley, oregano, and thyme) salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, until soft. Add green beans and red bell pepper and tomato paste. Cook for one more minute.

Remove the cooked vegetables from the stove. At this point, you can grind the veggies into a paste or leave them whole.

Add soy sauce, egg, and bread crumbs to the mixture and mix well.

Use the potato masher to mash the tofu

 

Add cooked vegetables to the smashed tofu and mix well

Form the burger by filling a 1/2 cup measuring scoop or form by hand.

Place each burger 1 inch apart if you want to bake them. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until brown on the outside

Or

Heat 1 tbs of oil for 2 burgers in the nonstick pan. Pan fry the burger for 2 minutes on each side.

 Place a burger on a bun; then top with it with lettuce and sriracha. At this point, it is very much your choice of toppings, like using cheese, mayonnaise, or humus.

I like to eat my burger with cooked rice and sweet soy dipping sauce.

"Quang " Chicken Noodles

 I am a fan of all kinds of noodles from stir-fried to soup. As you may know, the name of this recipe "Quang" is one of the cities in middle of Vietnam called Quang Ngai. The Vietnamese cuisine has names of recipes for each region. For example, "bun bo hue", "bun ca Nha Trang", "pho Hanoi", etc.… This recipe is an easy one that I will share here using chicken legs or thighs. Some Quang recipes include shrimp and quail eggs. The vegetables plate to serve with Quang noodles is very special because of the herbs and Onchoi (water spinach), and banana buts (banana flour before becoming bananas). Also special is the dipping sauce for the chicken and crispy rice cake to accompany with the Quang noodles. However, I now live far from an Asian market. I cannot now have all the side dishes to go with Quang noodles, but the taste of this dish cannot stop me from creating one. Of all the Quang noodle flavors, perhaps the chicken Quang noodles is the most popular. The delicious and juicier flavor comes from the chicken with rich bone chicken broth and soft chewy fat rice noodles. Surely, it will make many diners feel pampered every time they enjoy Quang noodles. Today, I will guide you to prepare chicken Quang noodles using all the easily found ingredients in most supermarkets. 

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs or thighs, bones in and cut into chunks or your liking

4 hard-boiled eggs, shell removed

Marinade ingredients:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp min1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp turmeric

Spices:

2 garlic cloves

1 shallot

1 tsp chilli flakes or paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/4 cup raw or roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Season with fish sauce, salt, and sugar

Other ingredients:

3 cups broth

10 oz. coconut water

Anato seeds oil (optional)

Vietnamese vegetables plate

Vietnamese dipping sauce

Wide flat rice noodles

Chopped cilantro and green onions

Roasted peanuts on the side

Directions: 

Rub chicken with salt; then rinse with clean water. Put chicken in a bowl with all the marinade ingredients. Mix well and let the meat become infused with the spices for 1 hour.

Heat the oil in the pot; then fry the garlic, onion, shallot,  and turmeric until fragrant. Add the chicken. Pan fry until brown. Stir in the chopped peanuts.

Then pour in the coconut water and broth and bring to boil. Skim off any residue floating on the surface. 

When the meat are cooked, season to taste again and turn off the heat.  One tbps anato seeds oil can be added for color of the soup (your choice). The cooking time is about 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Co

ok the rice noodles as directed on the side of the packet.. 

How to make the dipping sauce for chicken:

Combine 1 tbs crushed garlic, 1 tbs sugar, 1 tbs lemon juice, and 2 tbs fish sauce. Stir and mix. Adjust the taste of this sauce to your liking, perhaps more sweet or salty.

To assemble Quang noodles:

Place the noodles in a bowl; then top with chicken and eggs (cut egg in half). Fill bowl with just enough broth to cover the noodles. Sprinkle on some roasted peanuts, fried onions, and chopped cilantro. Garnish with Vietnamese vegetable plate and crispy rice. Also, serve the dipping sauce on the side.

Tuna Stew with Tomatoes

Braised Japanese mackerel in tomatoes is really a dish that consumes a lot of cooked rice when it is served. This family meal can make family members want to eat one bowl of rice after another. Although Japanese mackerel is small but fatty and absorbed with rich spices and covered with a layer of bright red tomatoes with a sour, salty, stimulating taste. I revised this recipe to create my own because I do not live nearby a Korean or Japanese grocery store to buy mackerel. I use the tuna fillet that is sold at Costco. The sauce is easy to make, and most of the ingredients will be easy to find at Walmart. For sure, it is a good recipe to keep.

 Ingredients:

Two -6 oz. tuna fillets, cut into chunks

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp seasonings (your choice)

2 medium size ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 shallots, chopped

3 green onions (separate the white and green parts) 

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs peanut oil 

Stew sauce ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut water

1 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs honey or sugar

1 tsp black pepper

Other ingredients:

Cooked rice 

Directions:

Place cut fish into a bowl. Add sugar, salt, seasonings,  minced shallots, garlic and minced white part of onion. Put in the refrigerator to marinate for about 15 minutes for the fish to infuse spices.

Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Put the pot on the stove and add oil. Then pour in the marinated fish. Pan fry the fish on both sides (about 2 minutes).

Place tomatoes on top of the fish. 

Add stew sauce to the pot and bring to boil.

Adjust the seasonings when the stock starts to boil.

Cover pot and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened. 

Uncover the pot in the last few minutes of cooking. Then turn off the heat.

The fish is now ready to serve.

Tip: add chili flakes or jalapeno to enhance the spicy flavor. 

Panfried Salmon with Garlic and Butter

 In my family, I have two brothers with celiac’s disease and cannot eat anything with gluten. Today, I will introduce a recipe with very few ingredients, but it is so delicious. It is pan-fried salmon with garlic and butter. I like to use clarified butter for this recipe because clarified butter has less fat. I follow some studies about clarified butter or Indian cooking called Ghee. It can be bought now in many supermarkets in America. However, Ghee is very easy to make at home. I will share a Ghee recipe as well here.

Ingredients:

2- 6 oz salmon fillet

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbs oil (your choice)

Sauce ingredients:

1 tbs soy sauce

2 tsp honey

2 tbs Ghee (1 tbs butter)

Cilantro for garnish or fresh parsley

1 tbs lemon or lime juice

Directions:

Dry the salmon at the room temperature. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Let marinate for 1 hour.

Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

In a nonstick pan, heat oil until hot. Flip and sear both sides until the outside is crispy about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Add Ghee and garlic to the pan. Cook for 1 minute and add the sauce. Add salmon back to the pan; spoon the sauce over the salmon and cook until the sauce has thickened.

 Pour the lemon juice and sprinkle the cilantro.

Serve hot with cooked rice.

 

Recipe for making Ghee:

Remember to start with the best ingredients possible by using unsalted, organic butter.

Add about a pound of butter to a small pot and cook on low heat. Once the butter is melted and it starts to simmer, you’ll notice the ghee separates into three layers.

Foam forms on the top and it’ll sputter a bit, which is the water evaporating. Skim that off with a spoon (you’ll have to do this several times). As the ghee continues to cook, that foam turns into clear bubbles and the middle layer becomes translucent. You should also start to see the milk solid sludge sticking to the bottom of the pot.

After 25-30 minutes, your ghee should be done. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a couple minutes, then strain it into a glass storage container.

 The ghee will become opaque and light yellow as it cools.

Tips: you can add more ghee if you like, and the garlic can be sliced or roughly chopped.

Multi-Purpose sauce

 In the Vietnamese Cuisine, this sauce is used for multi-purposes to eat with dry noodles, but not to be confused with stir-fry noodles. This is the sauce to make a dry noodles dish more flavorful and delicious. This sauce can be used for Vietnamese sandwiches.  I sometimes use this sauce for baking fish, etc. The recipe that I share here today makes it very easy to create this homemade sauce at home.

Ingredients:

6 oz. ground meat (pork, chicken, or turkey)

1/4 cup oil

1 cup water

Sauce mixture:

 1 tbs chili sauce (tuong ot an pho)

 1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbs oyster sauce

 1 tbs sate sauce (homemade or store-bought)

1 tbs ketchup

  3 garlic cloves (2 tablespoons)

2 shallots, minced

2 tbs honey or sugar

2 tbs mayonnaise sauce

5 tbs sugar

 Seasoning 10 grams

1 tbs seasoning (your choice)

 Thickening

1 tbs cornstarch

 Water 2 tbs 

Other ingredients:

 Cilantro  and scallion  1/4 cup each

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Usually, In Vietnam they use pork with fat for this recipe. However, I use chicken because my family do not eating pork.

Satay you can buy pre-made or make your own at home.

Mayonnaise you can buy pre-made or make your own at home.

Heat the sauté pan with oil and add garlic. Cook garlic on low heat until fragrant. Stir in shallots and cook for 1 minute. 

Add ground meat and cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Add water  and the rest of the sauce mixture and continue cooking. Skim off any residue that arises to surface.

Taste the sauce and add more soy sauce or salt to your liking. The result is sweet and salty.

Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and pour into the sauce to make the sauce thick.

 Turn off the heat then add cilantro /scallions. seame oil and black pepper.

I

only add cilantro/ scallion for the sauce if I use all the sauce. 

For more flavor, add 2 oz. pate (pork pate sold at Aldi). 

The only thing that belongs to people

There was a man, at the moment of his death, saw the Angel of Death holding a box walking toward him. "We have to go," he said.

The man replied: "But I still have a lot of unfinished things."

 Angel of Death shook his head: "Sorry, but your time has run out".

 The man asked, "What's inside your crate?"

 Angel of Death replied: "It is your relic".

 The man looked suspiciously and asked, "Do you mean my furniture, clothes and money?"

Angel of  Death said: "Those things do not belong to you, they belong to the planet".

 The man continued, "Is it my memory?"

Angel of Death replied: "No, they belong to time".

 The man speculated: "Is it my talent?"

Angel of Death replied: "No, they belong to the situation".

 The man asked again, "Could it be my friends and relatives?" 

Angel of Death said: "No , they belong to the journey you have gone through".

 "Is it my wife and children?"

Angel of Death replied, "No, they belong to your heart".

 The man continued, "It must be my body then." replied: "No, your body belongs to dust".

 The man guessed again: "It must be my soul!"

 Angel of Death smiled kindly: "Son, you guessed all wrong, your soul belongs to me".

 The man heard that, with tears in his eyes, took the chest from the Angel of Death 's hand, opened it, and found the inside completely empty.

 He burst into tears: "Could it be that I don't have anything of my own?"

 Angel of Death replied: "Yes, in this world now, nothing really belongs to you".

 The man asked, "Then what is it after all?"

Angel of Death replied: "Every moment when you are alive is yours

One Bowl Apple Cake

Hello Blogers!! If you are here, you are looking for easy recipes regarding cooking or baking. My philosophy about cooking or baking is to have fun and to be easy. Time is too short to spend all day preparing a meal or dessert all day. Besides, baking requires patience, and I have none. This is an easy apple cake that can be made in the morning. It can be served as part of breakfast or as a dessert. It is easy as its name. All the ingredients will be in one bowl. I use a Vitamix to blend eggs and oil because I use this step to make this recipe much easier. Even though this cake is easy, nevertheless the taste is so good.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1 ½ cups diced apple (I use 1/2 red apple and 1/2 Granny Smith)

2 tbs soft butter

1 tbs flour

 

8” x 8” cake pan

Directions:

Use 1 tbs soft butter to grease and flour the cake pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place eggs and oil in a Vitamix or any blender that you have. Blend a few times.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. 

Pour the egg and oil mixture into the bowl with all the other ingredients. 

Mix well with a spatula or a whisk.

Pour into the prepared cake pan.

Dot with the remainder of the soft butter.

Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let it cool before cutting and serving.