-Hugs-

Cooking makes me happy

Tonight I made my own version of Chicken Marsala. I call it "Poor Chick's Chicken Marsala." Which, rather by the seat of my pants, turned out to be mushrooms sauteed in butter and Marsala wine (I try to keep a bottle in the fridge it make everything taste carmel-y and delicious.) Boneless skinless chicken thighs (dark meat tends to be cheaper and, in my opinion, more flavorful,) tenderized, by a kitchen mallet and the remainder of my traffic stress from driving home, then I tossed the thinly pounded thighs into a bowl of flour and coated each piece evenly and lightly. I proceeded to cook the chicken in the remaining butter and Marsala from the mushrooms. After the chicken was done, ( it cooks fairly quickly because it's so thin after tenderizing) I poured some more Marsala into the, now empty, pan and made a wine reduction so all the alcohol burned off and a thicker Marsala flavored, syrup like, sauce remained, which I then drizzled over the chicken and mushrooms.
Traditionally Chicken Marsala is made with chicken breast meat and also has sauteed onions, but considering it's right before pay day and I had no onion in the house I had to stoop to a fairly bastardized version for flavor and I reached for my onion powder. It gets the job done, but I would have rather had a real onion. It was delicious and only took me about 20 mins to make from opening the fridge (and seeing I needed to cook the mushrooms before they went bad,) to sitting down to eat. It was delicious and just goes to show with a well stocked kitchen and the remainder of last weeks groceries you can have a fabulous meal and not have to leave a tip! Plus it makes for very yummy left-overs.

Happy Birthday Beth!

The other night our close group of friends got together to celebrate the birthday of one of the girls in the group, Bethany. We had lots of fun in the kitchen that night making chocolate almond souffles for everyone in attendance. We were all a bit nervous considering how precarious souffles can be but lots of love and patience, a rushed trip to Smart and Final, and a shattered bottle of balsamic vinegar later... our souffles made their entrance into the party. It's amazing what three pretty girls in a kitchen can do!

Some favorite shots from our October wedding

Photography by Jessica Peterson

http://jesslorraine.blogspot.com

A Passion for...Finance?

Like many artistically-minded people when the financial aid drones at my school would try (not very hard) to communicate with me about my financial aid, loans, subsidized, non-subsidized, grants, interest, monthly payments, I would usually glaze over trying desperately to understand them and muster some sense out of the words that were tumbling out of their mouths, words that I was pretty sure were English. In the end I, inevitably, would leave the office confused, anxious, and ready for a long nap. I, like so many, tried to play the "I'm an artist and therefore doomed to never understand nor really care about any of what that person was just trying to communicate," card. Finance has always bored me and confused me. It scared me a little because even though I thought I was trying I really just didn't understand what the heck was going on. My mom would always try to get me to write down all my transactions, whether or not I was writing a check, in the hopes that I would keep away from over draft fees and negative balances on my accounts. Needless to say I failed to heed her very good advice.
Recently though I have started to read a book that had been recommended to me by my career development teacher. Many people are aware of the financial wiz and author Suze Orman, she has written many successful books and she even has her own personal finance show. Well, I have been reading the book she wrote specifically for women. "Women and Money" "Owning the power to control your destiny" Now, I looked at this title and thought, "well, that's kinda corny." And believe me having worked in sales and been forced to goodness knows how many conferences that were supposed to motivate and empower me, there are few things I dislike more than "motivational speakers" let alone books. And this book is in some ways a little bit corny but there is method to her corniness. The other night I couldn't sleep and picked it up thinking THIS is sure to knock me out. What ended up happening was I am now kind of excited about taking control over my personal finance. It's a nice thought that I am still young and recently gainfully employed which means I can learn now to save well and make my money work for me; after all, I worked hard to get it. This particular book is really geared towards women which is nice because she really faces facts about how women treat money. Or, as she puts it, what kind of relationship women typically have with their money. Which tends to be a relationship with lots of fear,uncertainty, and neglect. She challenges us women to respect ourselves enough to understand how to take care of ourselves financially, instead of relying on our parents, husbands, boy-friends, brothers, or accountants. Lets face it, any day something could happen to those we rely on. Our parents could pass away, our boy-friends could leave us, or our accountants could be crooks. You just never know and even if you have someone handle your accounts you should at least know enough that you can check and balance your own financial life in order to secure your own financial future and hopefully freedom. Now, I'm not about to quit my job to become an investment banker but I really feel she has some excellent points about how women tend to treat their financial affairs and it has really inspired me to change some of my behaviors and even to put new behaviors into practice. I could go on and on about what she says to do but I really suggest you just go out and either buy a copy for yourself or head down to your neighborhood public library and read this book. It's an easy read and she uses real, easy to understand words not just financial mumbo-jumbo. And she focuses not only on money but how we treat ourselves and how we value ourselves, which in turn dictates how the rest of the world values us. Anyway, I'm not completely done reading it yet but I am pretty excited about this. I hope my recommendation helps you toward a better financial future. Because wealth and happiness is sexy, and sexy is always in style.

Anything I can do I want to do better.

Call it crazy, call it obsessive but sometimes I don't even start things unless I know that, not only will I complete the project but, I'll do it really well. The idea of everything in my house having it's proper place, so all is organized and easily cleaned, is a pretty sexy thought. No, my house isn't that way. Yet. But it's a goal to achieve, one of many, as I find myself just a bit more compulsive with each passing year. Idealy, I will be satisfied before I, someday down the line, find myself crouched on the floor combing my rug with and eyelash brush. But for now I am embracing my burgeoning passion for organization and a clutter free life. Don't get me wrong I like having things, I don't even mind having lots of things, just so long as I know where they are and I know they have a place. Needless to say places like Ikea and The Container Store are places I love to visit mostly for ideas, considering I am a new wife with little money to spend. But I find with a few bucks, a few good and imaginative ideas, a few visits to OSH hardware, and some good ol' American know how. I can turn that good idea into a workable, affordable, project.
I recently became fed up with my small ammount of kitchen storage and began project, "CREATE SPACE WHERE THERE WAS NO SPACE BEFORE." I had a pile of beautiful pots and pans given to us from a long time family friend as a wedding present and since I had no where to store them they were usually either in the drying rack, on the stove top, or, I'm embarrased to say, lying on the floor relativly out of the way. But now, after a few more trecks to OSH than I had intended, and a few dollars spent on peg board, spray paint, and wall mounts with screws,I have a beautiful key lime green back splash above my stove and I have created a functional space where my pots, pans, and oven mits may hang artfully and safely.

Pretty Little things

Christian Louboutin's Ivory pumps bespeckled with silver studs and an ity-bity peep toe, say, "I'm good, but not too good. I'm nice, but not too nice."
So gather up your spare change ladies, because these puppies will cost you a cool $1,895.00 at your local neighborhood Barney's. They're an investment... sure... that's right, an investment.

A bit more about him.

Alexander McQueen

The British designer Alexander McQueen provokes emotional reactions—extreme ones. One season, his audience sheds tears of frustration over his inhospitable choice of venue; the next, tears of joy over the haunting beauty of both the clothes and the staging. Though he's close to 40, the controversial McQueen is hardly ever written about without the phrase "enfant terrible" following his name. And yet, despite the perennial bad-boy tag, he's won all the big awards given out in London and was even honored by Queen Elizabeth as a Commander of the British Empire in 2003.

Theatricality is the name of McQueen's game—from romantic, corseted silhouettes to gobsmacking gowns created from feathers or, say, fresh flowers—but his grand gestures are backed up by incredible attention to detail and tailoring. He was born in 1969 in the East End, the son of a London cabbie. At 16, he began work as an apprentice cutter on Savile Row, where, according to a story too delicious not to be believed, he graffitied obscenities into the linings of suits intended for the Prince of Wales. After a brief sojourn in Milan cutting patterns for Romeo Gigli, McQueen enrolled at Central Saint Martins. In 1994, his graduate collection caught the eye of the late fashion stylist Isabella Blow, who purchased it for $7,750 and became his champion. The following year, McQueen cemented his rising-star status with the hackle-raising Highland Rape collection, which featured tattered dresses, bloodstained models, and his notoriously low-cut "bumster" pants. In 1996, Givenchy came calling, installing McQueen as chief designer. But his reign there was a tumultuous one: It ended in 2001, a few months after the Gucci Group bought a 51 percent stake in his own label. McQueen has since expanded into menswear, accessories, fragrance, and eyewear, and he has launched a second line, McQ. His Spring 2008 show was a tribute to his mentor, Issy Blow, who died in May 2007.

I am saddened that this is my first blog post.

Alexander McQueen, RIP

February 11, 2010 11:22 am

The news that Alexander McQueen has killed himself is particularly devastating because it always felt to me like he’d be the last man standing. He was restless, but so pragmatic with it I assumed he had what it took to endure the extreme situations he placed himself in. He was also an arch romantic with a pessimistic streak. It produced some of the most beautiful, shocking images in the history of fashion, but it’s a state of mind that can lead to endless disappointments. The death of McQueen’s mother last week would have validated his pessimism. It would undoubtedly have taken away his most vital support. It’s awful to imagine him trying—and failing—to cope, and one can only hope that, if he was looking for peace, he found it. For everyone left behind, there will eventually be consolation, however scant right now, in a body of work whose power will never die.

—Tim Blanks


He Changed the face of the modern runway and opened our minds to new conceptions of fashion. His art, his style, and his passion for creation are the legacies he leaves with us. I am just so heart broken that he felt like he had no other course of action, that his last choice was the only choice. God bless you Lee. See you on the Celestial runway.