Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas Featuring Woolly Clothing

I received pieces from Woolly clothing in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

           As a fan of comfortable garments, I was delighted to receive sustainable active wear  from Woolly Clothing. All of their products are made from 100% Australian Merino wool. The wool is recyclable and it comes from 100 years of sustainable farming in Australia. Typically, I do not like wearing wool fabrics because they are itchy and stiff. However,  I found these wool pieces from Woolly clothing to be very soft and breathable.  Also, I recommend these items  for outdoor activities, when it might be a bit chilly. I paired the black cropped tank top with the pro-knit skort in stone to shop at an outdoor winter market. I think you could also go to a farmer's market or walk along the beach when it is windy in this outfit.

https://twitter.com/harryworewhat/status/547262946251120640?lang=en

         One of my hobbies is repurposing clothes in my free time and recreating Harry Style's outfits. Since I was planning on going to Harry's Pleasing holiday popup in LA, I thought it would be fun to style and decorate an old shirt of my mom's. My goal was to make it look similar to the reclaimed Christmas Tree sweatshirt Harry Styles wore on the Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show. I painted baubles from old costume jewelry I had made and added a scrap of elastic. I had plenty of left over rhinestones from bedazzling an Elton John Dodger's shirt so, this was surprisingly only my second  time using a hot tool. I own all of the nail polish's. I wore the shade Harry's Chair, from the Hot Holiday collection. This was the only Harry Styles pop up that I did not go to, as it was super hot out. These polishes are also extremely sustainable.  For example, the beautiful caps are partially made from recycled materials.

          The Woolly clothing pro-knit cropped  hoodie in stone and the marigold joggers were a perfect sustainable outfit to match the renewable theme of Your (Un)natural Garden exhibit at the Descanso Gardens. Adam Schwerner's pieces can be categorized in the style of art known as Found Object.  The Big Arch is the name of the sculpture that is seen in the photo I am modeling the Woolly clothing hoodie and joggers. The entire exhibit had similar tree like structures. They are comprised  entirely of reclaimed wood from a recycling center, that would have become mulch if the artist had not used it to create these sculptures. However, he mentions that  they will recycle these particular pieces when the art is no longer on display. I was able to take a long walk around the huge hilled garden space and not feel overheated from wearing my Woolly clothing. Thus,  I definitely will wear these on another a long walk or hike.

Shirt: ALNK.TO/2UDGHRV

Skort: http://ALNK.TO/9BQTYVV

Hoodie: https://alnk.to/caZnMT8

Joggers: https://alnk.to/goXzksp

If you still need a last minute present then shop Woolly's 20% holiday sale or get a gift cards: https://alnk.to/1C3XpPv

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The Wok Way to Quick & Easy Stir Frying Using a Gold Dragon Wok

I was gifted some of these items, in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

                One of my favorite types of foods are vegetable stir fried dishes. I am especially fond of home cooked Asian meals, that remind me of my mom's family dishes. Her Chinese grandpa taught her how to cook and stir fry with chicken,  shrimp and  lots of veggies. She adapted to my vegetarian diet. My mom handed down grandpa's veggie adapted recipe to me and taught me how to properly use and care for a wok. So, I was very happy to try out the Gold Dragon Wok.

                I like that so much is included in this cooking set to make using the wok really accessible. The box contains a wooden lid, the wok itself, a spatula, and a recipe book. I thought it would be fun to try out the Buffet green bean recipe. I also added a special ingredient to make it my own style. At first I thought to add tofu, but I found the Yasai Tempura Yamasa fishcake at the local Asian Market. I thought that it would give it a nice additional flavor, unlike tofu since it would take on the flavor of the dish itself. The only time I will eat fish is in cake form, and this is my favorite version.

                First I prepared all the ingredients. I  washed the green beans, then I dried them thoroughly using a paper towel to absorb the excess water. Otherwise the wetness makes the hot oil splash. I used a KitchenAid Food Chopper to mince the garlic cloves, and sliced the fish cake into 1/4 inch wide segments.

                I placed my Gold Dragon Wok on the front burner and turned on the heat to high on my gas stove. I added the sesame oil.  Holding the handle, I gently spread the oil around the pan coating the bottom and 1/2 way up the sides. I used a trick my mom taught me to determine if the oil is hot enough. You sprinkle a teaspoon of water in the pan and if it sizzles, then that means it is hot and ready to add the ingredients. The garlic was included first until browned. Next, I added the green beans and stir fried it using my own cooking utensil called a skimmer for 5 minutes, since that is what I am used to using to stir-fry. I added all the sauce ingredients sugar, soy and oyster sauces. Then, I quickly stirred and coated the beans with the sauce. After that, I then placed the fish cakes inside the wok. They take very little time to heat up, as they are precooked. Again I quickly stirred and coated the fishcake and green bean mixture with sauce. Lastly,  the wooden lid was used to steam the beans to be a bit softer of a texture, yet still slightly crisp. It also helped to lock in the flavor of the sauces, making my buffet green bean dish delicious. I served the dish over rice, in individual bowls, for a healthy meal for mom and I.

                Clean up of the wok and wooden lid was pretty easy following the detailed washing and care instructions. Overall, I found the Gold Dragon wok to be a great product and an asset to making my meal preparation swift and simple. It heats up quickly and takes just a few minutes to stir fry. The wooden lid is lightweight, but it really does a great job of keeping the steam from escaping the wok. Thus, the vegetables can soften to your liking. I would be happy to serve this dish to family and friends as a main dish over rice or as a side dish at a holiday buffet style dinner party. Order now to get a set as a gift in time for the holidays.

                        Buffet Green Bean Recipe

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 sliced garlic cloves (I used the KitchenAid food chopper)

1 lb fresh green beans

2 tbs soy sauce (I just used a packet)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Instructions

1. Heat oil. Add garlic & cook until there are brown edges

2. Stir green beans for 5 minutes

3. Add sugar, soy & sauces until beans are tender. (I used the wooden top to steam them with some added water)

KitchenAid Food Chopper: https://amzn.to/3uCpc4s

GoldDragon Wok: https://amzn.to/3FdvA72

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever kids blue panda cupcake ice cream that was exclusive to CheatDayLand in LA. There are still a few left in stock, so if you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing and size information.

 

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