Review: Coach City Zip Tote in Crossgrain Leather & Mapo Tofu Recipe

Coach Outlet City Zip Tote in Crossgrain Leather (available in 5 colors, similar here and here)
Coach Bunny Keychain

I hope you had a great weekend! I recently received this city zip tote that I ordered from Coach Outlet on Cyber Monday. Right before Thanksgiving I had ordered the same bag for my mom for a little under $150 but without seeing it first I was hesitant to order two since Coach Outlet is a bit out of my way. I’m glad I waited to get another one because I saved even more by getting it on Monday when it was an additional 30% off plus free shipping. Cyber Monday is seriously the best time of the year to score the best deals especially when retailers throw in free shipping to boot. You can buy exactly what you want and no more. I got my new bag for under $100 after tax and couldn’t be happier with my purchase especially since the MSRP is $295.

This bag is just the right size for work and has a zip top closer. It’s a bit smaller than my Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM or Ann Taylor Signature Tote (review here) both of which are open totes.

Measurements:

Height: 10 1/2″
Depth: 5 1/12″
Length on top: 16″
Length on bottom: 11 3/4″
Strap Drop: 10 1/4″

My workplace recently switched to the Microsoft Surface so this bag manages to fit all my little knick knacks and a small tablet computer to boot. It’s lightweight and has has two cellphone pouches and an inside zip pouch. The shoulder straps don’t stay together on their own so I found a small buckle from one of my other navy bags to use and luckily the color and grain is almost a near match. Lastly I added my little bunny keychain I found at TJ Maxx or Marshalls a while back for a little pop of cute.

Shein Grey Round Neck Color Block Dress, c/o, size XS
LOFT Plaid Infinity Scarf (review here)
Vince Camuto Franell bootie (review here)

I received this Shein Grey Round Neck Color Block Dress from Shein and it’s exactly as pictured. The bottom is a little wider than I expected and note that there is an 8″ slit on the sides where the colorblock hem is so dark tights are required. If you’re taller than it’s a cute tunic length top but it hit above the knees on me while the slits went up to my upper thighs.

LOFT Medallion Flippy Shirtdress, size XXS regular (sold out, review of size XSP here)

I wore this medallion flippy shirtdress again today. Since it was a little warmer today I was able to wear my crewcuts bow coat with it. I really need to find a mustard cardigan to go with this dress.

J.Crew Crewcuts Girl’s Bow Coat (old from Holiday ’12, review here, this year’s version here, similar cut/style here)
LOFT Medallion Flippy Shirtdress, size XXS regular (sold out, review of size XSP here)
Ann Taylor Inifinity Scarf (old, similar here)
Wolford Satin Touch 20 Tights
Shein Black Cat Print Round Toe Flats (runs one size smaller, review here)

Lastly, I wanted to share my mapo tofu recipe on the blog since I’ve received a few requests about it on Instagram. I’ve shared it with a few instafriends in the past and they have successfully made it and loved it.

A video posted by Jess (@whatjesswore) on Jan 27, 2015 at 11:16am PST

INGREDIENTS

Ginger – 1 tsp. Use more or less based on preference. I know that some people don’t like a strong ginger taste like my husband.
Garlic – I like garlic so I use 4 large cloves.
Green Onion -2-3 stalks. Separate the white and green parts.
Sweet Potato Starch – Approximately 1 tsp. This is used to thicken the sauce at the end.
Sugar – Sugar adds a umami taste if you add just a little bit e.g. 1/4-1/2 tsp.
Black Pepper
Hot black bean sauce – use as much or as little as you want based on your spicy tolerance.
Soft/Silken Tofu – 1 package. Firm tofu is okay too but I think soft/silken tofu tastes better and has the best texture.
Ground pork – You can also substitute pork with your meat of choice. If you like your mapo tofu meaty then add more ground pork. I usually use very little since I am all about the tofu.
Cooking oil of choice – I’ve used both olive oil and vegetable oil to cook this dish and I don’t think it affects the taste either way.

STEPS

1. Mince the garlic, ginger, and green onions. Set aside, together in one small bowl. Note: Keep the dark green parts of the green onions separate.
2. Cube tofu and drain water. Remember to drain the water again right before you cook it in Step 8.
3. Heat up your pan until hot. Cook on medium-high heat.
4. Add your cooking oil to the pan. Use enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan which is probably 2-3 teaspoons.
5. Add the minced garlic, ginger and green onions to the already hot pan. Stir fry until aromatic.
6. Add the pork (or other meat of choice) to the pan and stir fry until done (no longer pink).
7. Add black pepper and sugar to taste now.
8. Add the hot black bean sauce, the dark green parts of the green onions and the cubed tofu to the pan. Stir well with the rest of the ingredients and turn up the heat so that there’s a nice simmer as seen in this video. Keep stirring as needed for a few minutes until the tofu is done and has received even heat.
9. In a small bowl add a little water in order to mix the sweet potato starch and then add the mixture to the rest of the ingredients in the pan. This should thicken the sauce in the pan a little bit. Let simmer for about 1 minute stirring as needed and then turn off the heat, plate and serve immediately.

I usually cook this dish with a rice paddle so that I don’t pulverize the silken tofu. The great thing about this dish is that it doesn’t require exact measurements since everything can be adjusted to your personal preference. If you try this recipe I’d love to hear how yours turned out.

Thanks for reading!