Gone Skiiiing

Off to Telluride for the week to brave the cold and enjoy some fresh tracks, hot cocoa, natural hot springs, and chili. 

EASIEST weeknight meals for winter: Bake at 400, for about 30 minutes, whatever it is you have in the fridge... brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, tofu, sausage, grapes, cauliflower, rosemary... the possibilities and variations are limitless. Add a sweet component by tossing in some fruit and remember fresh herbs as well. Cut the different components to a similar size or use separate dishes or check them often.While it's all baking your hands are free to set the mood, whip up some SAUCES, or entertain guests. This is a great dinner for company as it requires very little overseeing, looks impressive, and gives your guests choice and control over what they consume. Who doesn't love that?

It's all about the sauces, like fondue! Aim for as many kinds of sauces as there are people. Just the two of you? Two dippers is plenty. Table for six? Half a dozen samplers make the night feel special. Peanut sauce or honey mustard with tofu, lemon mayonnaise for veggies, curried yogurt and potatoes... the options are infinite. I like to have at least one sweet sauce such as 1part honey+1part orange juice or the good old standby ketchup! (Homemade if you have company.) No need to shop, there is a delectable sauce lurking in your pantry or fridge, I am sure of it. Eg: mayo is eggs and oil, honey mustard is just those two namesake components, yogurt can be transformed with a multitude of spices, and a lemon rind works wonders. Get creative, what do you have to lose?!

Roasted Assorted Vegetables and Roasted Breaded Tofu

These are pre-cut sweet potatoes, I prefer cutting them myself as I like them thicker and I love the skin. Season the potatoes differently and you can have them often without getting bored!

Cut tofu into a different shape depending on what your serving it with. This shape is good for dipping.
Use a beautiful baking dish for oven to table service and half the clean-up. Serve family style and pick and play through dinner.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

How is your Christmas shopping going?!

I love that European, antique-style Christmas cards are being revived! Carefully cut-out, punched with texture and accented with glitter; they have a home-made feel when time doesn't allow for such enterprises. If you have a day to play, though, forgo the pre-made cute bears below and get to cutting, glueing and glitzing! I'm thinking of going the extra mile myself. There is still time. 

Martha Stewart CLICK has ideas a-plenty if your brain is fogged from too much egg-nog.   

You may receive one of these from me.

If I don't motivate for something hand-made these next few days...

Saving Mrs. Claus from Crazyville

When pondering what gifts/cards to send to whom before packing up for a ski trip and scrooging everyone else, J remarked that he felt the classic Christmas Cards with family photo included were reserved for those with Children. Do you agree?! Being the narcissistic, self-promoting me, I, of course, object! But after a recent wedding with plenty of photographs (see below) distributed to multiple loved ones, this year, I have to agree. I'll wait until Valentine's Day. Little notes, sans glamour-shots, to a few whom I'm thinking of will have to do. My hands are pretty tired from post-nuptial Thank You notes, and I believe J's advice is less of a conviction as it is concern. Besides, I have yet to order my wedding photos!

'Californians Compensate for Weather Being Too Nice Over the Holidays'

In Southern California we are very lucky. Because we do not get snow, the warm-weather-seekers like to prove they are just as jolly as those in the whiter areas of the country by majorly making up for their lack of flakes (yeah right, haha,) with the most amazing Christmas light displays and arrays I have seen in my twenty-seven years. They parade the bays with boats a-blaze and join forces on small streets to canopy the trees for car-crash worthy spectacles. I should know, I nearly did.

 When sending gifts via the post think bows, bows, bows. 

A smashed bow has character, whereas ripped paper is just somber. 

Eight craaaaazy nights!

In case you missed it, because I know I did... eight crazy nights ago was the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show! Tonight, Wednesday December 8th, "RE-LIVE THE SHOW" 8pm EST on the CW.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN: VICTORIA’S SECRET 2010

Angels of Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2010 from Justin Wu on Vimeo.

Then, over your gorgeous lingerie, throw on a party dress, spiffy up the table, light some candles, and fry some latkes, if you haven't already. CLICK potato, zucchini, apple, for recipes. It's the final night of Chanukah. I quite enjoy Whole Foods Zucchini Latkes if your not into shredding and frying this evening. And pick up some donuts too. The idea is to eat foods fried in oil, as the oil lamp burned eight days and nights rather than just one. 

 It wouldn't be a healthy Chanukah without Kale chips!!! CLICK for recipe.

hot housewife style

Get GLAM this holiday. 

HOT HOUSEWIFE style.

PUT-TOGETHER

BOLD LIPS

MOD NAILS

REAL HAIR DOS...

1973

Got an hour? BIG HAIR!!!

I'm old school and use hot rollers for the larger than life look. 

Smoldering eyes

HALF UP!

Gucci 1973

BANGS!

BLEACH!

And a dead-of-winter FAKE TAN perhaps???!!!

In france they sell concentrated black TEA as a tanner, I have yet to find it in the US... If I try brewing my own I will let you know how it goes. The product above uses walnut extract. 

a Vegan December Dinner tonight

An unusual yet successful combination. This is what happens when cooking whatever is left in the refrigerator makes an unexpected masterpiece.

MINT

fresh. chopped.

GOLDEN BEET

roasted in a foil packet. sliced.

CABBAGE

drizzled with BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE. roasted. chopped 1" pieces. 

Mix with WHOLE WHEAT PENNE, lots of LEMON JUICE and a little more balsamic vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Go streaking over the holidays!

STREAKS!!!

Check out CLICK Audrey Kitching  for oh-so-much-more!!! Look for pastel colored clip in extensions or a full wig to get the look. No commitment necessary. 

Happy Chanukah

Let the Festival of Lights and the Twelve Days of Christmas commence. What will you be wearing this holiday season?!

tis a gift to be simple

Downshifting is a social behavior in which individuals live simpler lives to escape from the rat race of obsessive materialism. It is the new-age simple living, (a lifestyle characterized by consuming only that which is required to sustain life.) Downshifting is taking root as a natural reaction to consumerism and conspicuous consumption. Find one small way to downshift today. The simplicity is voluntary and gradual. Bigger is no longer better, small is beautiful.

Mini Morning-After Cranberry Sauce Muffins
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup whole grain flour ~I used cornmeal, almost used graham cracker crumbs.
2/3 cup oats
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 dash of salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup milk or milk-substitute
1/4 cup oil ~I had orange infused. mmm.
1 egg or egg substitute ~Please buy pastured eggs from a trusty small farm!
1 cup cranberry sauce

1) Preheat oven to 400F and grease mini-muffin tin. Or any size.
2) Mix dry ingredients down to salt.
3) Mix sugar and remaining ingredients.
4) Combine dry and wet ingredients until fully incorporated, no over-mixing.
5) divide into muffin tin, filling 3/4 full.
6) Bake about 12 minutes for minis, 20 minutes for regular, until just browning and springs back to touch.

I have literally been sustaining myself on a left-over pumpkin pie I was so generously sent home with last thursday night, so this is a nice change of pace. And, I'm running out of pie. I made these today for the first time and really enjoyed their versatility. They were great with a little carrot ginger soup. And what better way to use a whole cup of left-over cranberry sauce, if not more. Multiply as necessary! This recipe, gathered from www.seriouseats.com, was concocted by chef Michael Harr, of Butterfield 9, for those of us who have run out of stuffing to slather the scarlet red sauce on. 

ignorance knows no bliss

Lululemon wee stripe grey separates have become my new uniform.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated," ~Mahatma Gandhi. What if we judged our own personal greatness and moral progress on the same criteria? As the Holidays fast approach and life starts moving at lightening speed, it's easy to let the twinkly lights distract us and forget the fundamentals. Here's a refresher:

Find out more at Meat.org.

'Meet Your Meat': "People for the ethical treatment of animals"

Yes, the going will get tough. I find it easier to maintain my weight when I incorporate chicken into my diet, nothing keeps me snuggly in winter like a fur, and Louboutins are leather soled. Big bummer, yes. But major sacrifices in the bigger picture? No. I, myself, am still known to sport a leather bomber jacket. It's ok to be a work in progress. But it is important to educate yourself on the repercussions of your actions. Know what it is that you are wearing and eating. It isn't cute to be oblivious. It's just ignorant. When I get off track I watch videos such as this one and repeat to myself the basic truth:

"Animals are not ours to eat,

animals are not our to wear,

animals are not ours to experiment on,

animals are not ours to use for entertainment,

animals are not ours to abuse in any way."

People are more violently opposed to fur than leather beacuse it's safer to harrass rich women than motorcycle gangs. ~Author Unkown.

previously...
You are the world. If you change the world changes 
I am not a fan
See how my attempted veganism is an ever-evolving process...