How to Clean & Waterproof Leather and Suede Boots

It's so important to make sure you waterproof your leather boots. If you take good care of your boots, it will last you for many years. Click on image for YouTube tutorial.

Click on Image to View YouTube Tutorial

Funny story, around 10 years ago, I purchased some boots that were faux leather and I was so excited that the price was amazing. I think they were four pairs for $100. Steal right?!? The next following year, I was getting my boots ready for Fall/Winter. Unfortunatly, the boots I purchased were all worn out and it had some holes on the faux leather. I wasn't too happy; my husband was rubbing it my face stating that's what you get for buying cheap stuff. 😂

Supplies:

• Kiwi Suede/Nubuck Care Kit  
• Sof Sole Leather Lotion
• Sof Sole Water Proofer 
• Horsehair Cleaning Brush - I got mine at Nordstrom

***I've used the Kiwi shoe products as well and they all worked great. Click on link to view Kiwi's other products on Target.com goto.target.com/P076Q.

Directions:

New Boots

1.  Spray protectant all over boots. 
2.  Wait 20-30 minutes.
3.  Repeat steps 1 and 2. 

***Make sure that you're outside while doing this. 

Leather Boots:

1.  Use leather cleaner to clean any dirt and residue. 
2.  Spray protectant all over boots. 
3. Wait 20-30 minutes. 

***There are some leather cleaners that are cleaner/protectant so you might not need to do step 2. 

Suede Boots:

1. Use horsehair brush to remove dirt. 
2.  For tough stains, use the harder brush and eraser in the Kiwi kit. 
3.  Spray protectant all over boots. 
4.  Wait 20-30 minutes. 

***Sof Sole and Kiwi both makes a suede cleaning product as well. I haven't tried that yet but I'm planning on getting some soon. I will keep you posted. 

Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

My two coworkers taught me how to make enchiladas a few years ago. I modified the recipe a little bit. 😜Please click on the image to view YouTube video on how to make this easy dish.

Click on image to view YouTube video

~* INGREDIENTS *~

******************************

(This is all approximate measurements. Please adjust according to your liking.)

♡ Rotisserie Chicken - 1 (Recommend buying it from Costco/Sam's Club because it's bigger)

♡ Flour Tortillas 

♡ Red Enchiladas Sauce - 12 oz

♡ Green Chile Enchilada Sauce - 12 oz

♡ Onion - Medium Size

♡ Seeded Jalapeno - 1 

♡ Salsa - 1 Cup 

♡ Cheese 

♡ Minced Garlic - 1 Tsp

♡ Cream of Mushroom - 10.5 oz can

♡ Sugar - 1 Tsp

♡ Garlic Powder - Few Dashes

♡ Olive Oil - 1-2 Tsp

♡ Salt and Pepper - Few Dashes

 Here are the instructions:

1. Shred the chicken into thin strips. It tastes better smaller. I’m using the breast only but you can use the dark meat as well. 
2. Chop the onions.
3. Dice the jalapenos. Seeded.
4. Turn the stove to medium heat.
5. Drizzle some olive oil into the pot. 
6. Wait until the oil is warm and put in the onions and jalapenos. 
7. Add pepper, salt and garlic powder onto the onions and jalapenos. Stir. 
8. Cook the onions until it’s golden brown then add minced garlic. Stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Make sure you don’t overcook the garlic. 
9. Add salsa and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic powder and salt. 
10. Then add the cream of mushrooms. Stir. Add garlic powder and salt as desired. Cook for until it starts boiling. Boil for 1-2 minutes. (Optional: you can add cheese and/or rice to the sauce as well.)
11. Next, add the shredded chicken. Mix. Turn off the heat. 
12. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
13. Add a little bit of the green/red enchilada sauce into the baking glassware to make sure the tortillas don’t stick to the glassware. 
14. Start wrapping the enchiladas. Add the chicken filling onto the tortillas then wrap. You don’t need that much filling then put the wrapped enchiladas into the glassware. 
15. Fill the glassware with wrapped enchiladas. 
16. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas.
17. Add cheese. 
18. Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce looks like it’s boiling. 
19. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes then ready to eat. 
20. You're done. Celebrate 😝

How to Clean and Dry Your Makeup Brushes

Your makeup brushes will last forever if you take care of them correctly. Instructions are listed down below with do's and don'ts. Click on the image if you want to see the full YouTube tutorial. 😉

Click on Image to View YouTube Tutorial

Instructions:

1. Use cool/cold water to get your makeup brushes wet. 
2. Apply makeup remover face cleanser to all your makeup brushes that you're washing first. 
3. Gently brush your brush side to side saturating the brush with the cleanser. The way you would use your makeup brush to apply your makeup is how you would want to wash it. 
4. Then rinse. 
5. Repeat if necessary. 
6. Use shampoo, baby shampoo, hand soap or dish soap to wash your makeup brushes until the water runs clear. 
7. Lay your brushes FLAT on a paper towel/towel to dry or you can overhang your makeup brushes from the edge of countertop to dry.
8. It normally takes up to 24 hours for your brushes to dry but big dense brushes it may take up to 48 hours.   

***For bigger brushes, PRESS out some of the water before laying it out flat to dry. Don’t squeeze too hard because you might pull the hairs out of the ferrule.  

Do's

• Wash in cold or cool water. 
• Depending on how resistant your makeup is, you may possibly only need dish soap, hand soap and/or shampoo to wash your brushes. 
• For hard to remove makeup, use a makeup remover/cleanser like Clinique Foaming Cleanser or Estee Lauder Soft Clean Foaming Cleanser to remove the makeup from the brushes.  
• Your makeup brushes collect bacteria, wash your brushes every 3 months and foundation brushes every 2-4 weeks. 

Don'ts

• Don't submerge your makeup brushes in a cup with soapy water. This will ruin the glue that’s holding the bristles together. 
• Don't use warm or hot water to wash your brushes. 
• Don't put your brushes in a cup to dry because it will ruin the glue that holds the hairs together. The brushes need to lay flat. 
• Don't dig your brushes while washing it. This might ruin the glue and push the hairs up into the ferrule where the hairs can disappear into. 

Also, when you wash your brushes often, your makeup goes on a lot better with cleaner brushes. If you tend to break out a lot, you may want to wash your brushes more often. If for some odd reason you’re breaking out for no apparent reason, trying washing your brushes first before splurging on skincare.  

I have high-end brushes to cheap ELF brushes. All my high-end brushes have lasted me over 10 years. My cheap brushes are hit and miss but for the value, I'm okay with a few that didn't make it past the first year. 😜 

How to make Bun Rieu | Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup Recipe

Click on Image to view YouTube video

My aunt taught me this recipe when I was 16-17 years old. This dish will take approximately 2.5 hours to make. Click on image to view YouTube video.

INGREDIENTS:
(This is all approximate measurements. Please adjust according to your liking.)

♡ Pork Ribs (Use any meat bones you can find) - 1-2 lbs.
♡ Chicken Broth - (3) 16 oz Cans
♡ Cot Bun Rieu Crap Soup Base - 1-2 Jars
♡ Crab Meat - 2 Cans
♡ Crab Paste with Bean Oil Seasoning - 1 Jar
♡ Ginger (Optional) - 1 Large
♡ Onion - 1 Large or 2 Medium Onions
♡ Fried Tofu - 1-2 Pkgs
♡ Tomatoes - 3
♡ Vermicelli Noodles
♡ Ground Pork - 1 lb
♡ Egg - 1
♡ Salt and Pepper
♡ Olive Oil

*GARNISHES*
♡ Cabbage
♡ Green Onions
♡ Lime
♡ Bean Sprouts
♡ Cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill up a 2.5-gallon pot with water halfway full. Bring to a boil.

2. Add meat bones to the boiling water. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to cook the bones.
*You can use any bones of your choice like beef/pork ribs, pig’s feet, pork leg, pork backbone, pork shoulder. Pretty much whatever you can find at the market.  

3. While the bones are cooking, start making the crab meatballs. Mix 1 lb of ground pork, 1 egg, 2 cans of crab meat (make sure you drain it before putting it into the mixture), stir the crab paste with bean oil and add 80% of the jar into your bowl, save the 20% for later, add a dash of salt and pepper then stir. Set it aside

4. Cook the vermicelli noodles. Add olive oil and salt into the boiling water. Cook the noodles until it’s soft then drain.

5. Add (3) cans of Chicken Broth to the pot with bones. 

6. After 1.5 hours cooking the bones, I start adding the crab meatball mixture. Form mixture into balls with your hands then add it into the hot boiling water. Cook the meatballs between 20-30 minutes. You can tell when the meatballs are done by it floating on top of the pot.

7. Fry the tofu until the exterier of the tofu is golden brown and firm. 

8. Add the Cot Bun Rieu Crap Soup Base into the pot of water. Add according to your taste but keep in mind that it needs to be a little bit salty because when putting the bowl of noodles together, the vermicelli noodles will bring down the saltiness.

9. Dump the tofu into the pot. Now add the remaining 20% of the crab paste with bean oil into the pot and cook the tofu for 10-15 minutes.

10. Taste and adjust accordingly.

11. Turn off the heat and add the 3 tomatoes, sliced. Stir. I leave it in the pot for 10-15 minutes then pull it out because it will disintegrate.


Enjoy. 😋

Different ways to cook meat bones:

1. The first way is blanching, meaning you’ll boil the bones in boiling water for 15 minutes and dump the water out. Thereafter, you start boiling the bones again. 
2. Rinse the bones before putting it into the boiling water, bring back to a boil and skim off the residue that the bones left behind. I use this method because I feel like if you blanche it, it’s loosing all it’s flavors but it's up to you. My aunts would tell you to do the 1st way and my mom would tell you to do the 2nd way.