And by this previous bit of nail art of mine:

To do my latest design – pink glitter tip nails:

It’s super girly and perfect for Valentine’s Day coming up.

I used a couple of coats of Essie Limo-Scene for the pale pink base, then did the tips in Milani’s Disco Lights, and sealed it all up with Sally Hansen’s 30 Second Top Coat. I’m not the neatest nail-painted, but the sparkles don’t require too steady of a hand.

I think it’s pretty festive, don’t you? What are your nails wearing these days?

I’m also laying low this evening, sporting my pajamas immediately after work, doing laundry, and catching up on some projects. For instance, watching this on repeat to make myself laugh. And brainstorming up some potential Valentine’s Day cards to send to friends. And probably falling asleep drooling on my pillow while catching up on my favorite shows on Hulu. You know, because that sort of thing is exactly what cures the sniffles.

Sweet sentiments running through my head when I woke up this morning. Plus, the band’s name is just cool.

Rock on.

Chairs made out of the metal tops of champagne bottles, with the date of opening inscribed on the bottom to mark special occasions. A friend used to have a small collection of these on the window ledge above her kitchen sink and I always marveled at them and wondered how to make them. Leave it to Martha to give us the low down.

B) As if I didn’t think Nigella Lawson was awesome enough, she goes and writes this great cookbook review. Her prose is beautiful and totally goes toward explaining the porn-y nature of her cooking shows. The woman is entranced by food. I was entranced by her writing.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s was a whirlwind. Between my niece’s fairy-filled 2nd birthday party and a little magic of my own, the days really got away from me. I’ve been going nonstop since then.

January just so happens to be the busiest month of the year at my job and this week is when it picks up the most speed. Of course, I’ve added even more to the mix by moving, spending lots of time with someone special, and enjoying an out-of-town outing with my family. I had to go to my weekly yoga class tonight just to have a moment to breathe.

I’ll be sure to update more about everything (including uploading photos when I figure out how to prevent my new camera from crashing my old computer every time I connect the two) very soon. In the meantime, check out my horoscope for the past week:

Happiness isn’t a state you acquire by luck. It takes hard work and relentless concentration. You have to rise up and rebel against the nonstop flood of trivial chaos and meaningless events you’re invited to wallow in. You have to overcome the hard-core cultural conditioning that tempts you to assume that suffering is normal and the world is a hostile place. It’s really quite unnatural to train yourself to be peaceful and mindful; it’s essentially a great rebellion against an unacknowledged taboo. Here’s the good news: 2012 will be an excellent time for you to do this work.

Bring on the happiness in 2012!

I’m celebrating this weekend with lots of family, our traditional tamale-making marathon, other delicious foods, presents, and general merriment. It’s my niece’s first Christmas where she has some idea of what’s going on. She even sang “Jingle Bells” to us last night (literally….the only part she knows is “Jingle bells, jingle bells”).

What are your Christmas traditions?

(Someone mentioned this song yesterday, so of course I woke up with it in my head this morning.)

“Drinking every night because we drink to my accomplishments.” Love it, Drake.

This is what was in my head this morning:

Happy Monday, everybody. We’re only getting started.

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There’s no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

It’s a glorious time of year. Yeah, giving, spirit, holidays, yada yada. Not gonna lie, I love it in large part because of all the desserts. I am definitely a sweet tooth kind of girl. (…And salt tooth. I’m kind of a sweet and salty-toothed gal.)

As a kid I was chocolate-obsessed. The chocolaty-ier the better. Straight up candy, fudge, all that jazz. But the best, hands-down, was chocolate baked goods. Ooey, gooey brownies, rich chocolate layer cakes, and chocolate chip cookies (even better if they were chocolate-chocolate chip cookies… yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus).

Some things never change, and while I no longer indulge as frequently in delicious baked goods, the holidays are definitely an excuse to partake. Now that I’m an adult, I especially enjoy adding tasty beverages to my dessert-indulging moments.

I give to you, my top 5 dessert and drink pairings for your own holiday festivities (or, you know, next Tuesday or whatever):

• Brownies and Port. Deee-lightful. The rich chocolaty-ness of the brownies together with the sweetness of the wine makes for an awesome flavor combo. Plus, Port makes everyone feel fancy. It’s a true fact.
• Cheesecake and Champagne. Okay, maybe not Champagne…I’m not that fancy. I usually go with an Italian or Spanish sparkling wine (Prosecco or Cava, anyone?) But, the rich creaminess of cheesecake is balanced nicely by a crisp glass of bubbly. They’re both subtly sweet and the pale hues even look nice together. (Side note: this cheesecake is drool-worthy and looks a lot like the ones I still get my mom to make for my birthday every year. Yum.)
• Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk. Duh. This one is a classic and the perfect treat to leave for Mr. Claus to help sustain him on his rounds.
• Red Velvet Cake and Mexican Hot Chocolate. This pick is what I’m all about. I’ve had multiple friends tell me over the years that they immediately think of me when they see red velvet cake. I love the stuff. I also love Mexican hot chocolate. Both goodies are slightly unusual takes on “traditional” chocolate treats (I put that in quotes, because they’re both very traditional in their own right). And neither is so sweet that you can’t still have the other.
• Gingerbread (or Gingersnaps) and Egg Nog. This is another long-time favorite. My late Aunt Vivian used to make gingersnaps every Christmas and send them to us from 1,000 miles away. To me, they epitomize Christmas cookies. And Egg Nog is the traditional Christmas drink around my house. (Not the boozy stuff, the kind that comes in a carton from the dairy aisle at the grocery store. But the “adult” version would be sooo good here, too.) Both treats have a little spice to them and totally remind me of childhood.

Mmm, are you drooling yet? I think I need to go hit up a dessert table somewhere. I promised my family I’d make plenty of Christmas cookies for our holiday this year, but I’m thinking I might need to get an early start in order to satisfy this sweet tooth.

What are your favorite holiday desserts? What drinks do you like to pair with them?

Remember to check out Duncan Hines’ website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

They held the inaugural Jablow’s Meat’s Pop-Up Restaurant at a great spot in SF’s Mission District and served up four different kinds of meaty sandwiches for the day. My personal favorite was the pastrami. Even though I never knew I liked pastrami. Or mustard. Or rye. It’s like the sandwich is magic.

Anyway, I pitched in by acting as a runner and taking photos and generally trying to help wherever I could without being underfoot or in the way. Here are a couple of my favorite shots:

Doesn’t that look good?? It was.

Why, hello there, bacon…

So tasty. And my hair smelled like bacon afterwards. Kinda yum.

You can order your own meaty goodness from Dan and Ashley here. Or stay tuned here for more event updates (and potentially more pop-ups??). What a delicious day!

Thanks to L’Oreal for sponsoring my post about my favorite beauty looks, tips and tricks! Check out Makeup.com for beauty advice from the experts.

It’s that time of year – when there are parties every weekend night and lots of fun seasonal celebrations. I like to glam it up where I can, including rocking fun outfits and upping the ante a bit on my makeup.

I’ve got a go-to smoky eye look that I like to do with eye liner, shimmery dark gray shadow and pale lavender shadow together, and mascara. I’m definitely not afraid to amp up the eye makeup for a special evening look. (Especially when I know people will be taking photos, because made-up eyes always photograph better.)

But, I’ve run into a slight problem recently because I cut my fingernails super short for a rock climbing outing. I love pretty painted nails for special occasions, but it’s hard to pull off a glam look with stubby tips.

I decided to solve the problem with a simple, shimmery nail polish design. I have a few metallic nail polishes that I haven’t quite gotten up the nerve to wear on a regular basis. I’ve used them for accents in other nail designs, but I haven’t gone all metallic on its own. So, while I wanted to stay somewhat neutral to help make my fingernails look longer, but I wanted a little sparkle, too. I chose to do a three-tone metallic pattern, inspired a bit by Black Hills gold – the trio of white, yellow, and pink gold.

I painted a rosy metallic color as the base coat and followed up with a second coat down the middle of the nail bed. Then, I painted one third of each nail with a gold shimmery polish, and a second coat of the gold to make sure it stood out against the rose gold. Then, I painted the opposite third of each nail with shiny silver polish, with a second coat of that, as well. I finished it all off with a quick topcoat.

Ta-da! What do you think? I think the overall color neutrality helps elongate the look of my fingers and reduces the stubby-nail effect that I was dealing with after clipping my nails so short. And the metallic shimmer adds a little something special for my holiday parties this week. (Not to mention, I can wear whatever jewelry I want because it will all match!)

It’s fun and a little unique, but still subtle enough to wear to work on those in-between days when I’m not actually at a holiday party. :)

What special looks will you be rocking for your holiday festivities this month?

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. Click here to learn more about Makeup.com or become a Facebook fan by clicking here.

Aren’t they awesome? You can buy them here. Nothing like giving yourself a little credit while giving a handmade gift.

What projects are you working on right now?

I’ve been thinking a lot this past week about gratitude. I’m grateful for so many things in my life this year, and even when I think about the less-than-great things, I’m grateful that I am capable of handling them and have the confidence to do so. We don’t do the television family thing of going around the Thanksgiving table to say what you’re thankful for (my family is far too irreverent for that), so I thought I’d make a little list to share here.

Ten things I’m thankful for (in no particular order):

• My family and my relationships with them (especially my niece, who brings me such inexplicable joy)
• A great place to work and truly wonderful people to work with
• Mexican food – comfort and food coma in one neatly wrapped flour or corn blanket of goodness
• The strong, capable, imperfect body that I live in
• Humor – it makes everything better
• My super awesome friends, who are my partners in crime whether we live thousands of miles apart or down the street from each other
• Singlehood – seriously, it’s worlds better than being with someone who’s not worthy! (I will be reminding myself of this come Valentine’s Day!)
• Friendly bartenders
• That I live in a country where freedom of speech is protected and people can express their views without fear of false imprisonment or assassination
• When the printer actually pulls from the correct print tray.

And, of course, I am thankful for you, bloggy readers! Thank you for participating in my life story and sharing some of yours. What are you thankful for today?

I’m going to be there getting my Christmas shopping on (okay, fine, I’ll be buying things for myself ;). I hope to see you there… and stay tuned for more DailyBuzz Style info coming up soon!

“In your experience, who is the best-smelling actor that you’ve worked with?” TV host Jon Stewart asked his guest Tom Hanks. “Kevin Bacon,” replied Hanks. Why? Not because of the bacon-as-a-delicious-food angle, although that would be funny. “He smells like a mix of baby powder and Listerine,” Hanks said. Keep this perspective in mind, Capricorn. I think you should be engaged in a great ongoing quest to put yourself in situations with pleasing aromas. I mean this in both the metaphorical and literal sense. To set yourself up for meaningful experiences that provide you with exactly what you need, follow your nose.

I think this means I need to hit up a bakery, buy myself some new perfume, and take a deep long inhale of a glass of wine.

So, what’s been going on lately? Well, there’s all sorts of stuff to comment on in the world of politics and the economy, but I generally try to avoid those topics on this blog. (I prefer to save them for impassioned rants with friends and associates.) Being near ground-zero of a pretty big protest movement, though, I do feel compelled to post this picture:

Scary, no? That was the police presence at the Occupy Oakland site a couple of weeks ago after disbanding the encampment. There’s been a lot going on in the Occupy movement and there are many different opinions about things, but I just found the sight of all those police with gas masks and batons and guns to be totally disturbing. Particularly in my city. In the United States. Where we don’t have a military state. Ahem.

Right now… I’m listening to The Black Keys Brothers album and impatiently waiting for their new album El Camino, which comes out next month.

Right now… I’m reading A Game of Thrones (I love the television show!) and trying not to have nightmares after reading the scary parts. Especially since I already know what happens!

Right now… I’m rocking my new Longchamp market tote. And by “rocking it”, I mean spilling salsa all over it while on a burrito mission in the Mission. Good thing I got the red one!

The reader’s digest version is that I had a crazy busy few weeks at work, got out of a bummer relationship (phew, again!), and I went to Boston for a few days. Huzzah for hanging out with old friends, hitting up favorite haunts, and meeting new people. I can’t stop thinking “I’m back, baby!” and meaning it in so many ways. :)

Stay tuned for all sorts of bloggy good stuff!

One of the best things about Twitter is reading people’s funny quips, 140 characters at a time. Here are some of my recent favorites:

I think I might have to go back and get more to turn them into wearable jewelry with other messages in them. So cute!

Check out my little creation:

I used the little glass vial, ran a piece of metallic thread through the cork and attached a tiny handwritten note and a red paper heart. I think it’d also be cute with a few flecks of gold glitter in the bottle to add a little sparkle. What do you think?

After some research (there are a lot of great vegan resources out there), I settled on this brownie recipe from Food.com. It’s pretty straightforward and baked up nicely. (Apparently, sometimes vegan baked goods have trouble setting up.) We made a double batch and they were a hit. Here’s the recipe:

Vegan Brownies

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips (I forget the name of the brand we used, but it was a blue bag. FYI: I’m told to avoid carob chips at all costs, so stick with chocolate. Also, we amped up the chocolate and put in close to a full cup. Mmm, chocolate.)

1/3 cup walnut pieces

dash cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8″ x 8″ pan with oil.

Mix applesauce, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the applesauce mixture. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Spread in prepared pan and bake 25-30 min, until center is firm and not sticky. Cool completely before slicing.

The brownies turned out great and, like the reviews say, people actually asked for the recipe. Next time, I’ll actually remember to take a picture!

Stocking is the New Planking – You’ve just barely caught up on the planking trend (thanks, The Office!) and now all the cool kids have a new random thing to do – stocking. Pretend you one of the wacky, nonsensical people in a stock photo, take a picture. It’s hilarious.

Indulge your Ryan Gosling obsession – He’s pretty, he’s sensitive. Hey girl, it’s okay to indulge your secret love for Ryan Gosling.

Smart-Ass Responses to Well-Meaning Signs – All the best sarcastic, punny, wise-ass things you wish you’d thought of in relation to the mundane signs and placards that pop up every day.

What’s keeping you entertained these days?

I ignored the warning signs and kept telling myself, “No, she’s not crazy/dramatic/neurotic, she’s just tired/stressed/slow.” Except, that she is all of those things. And tonight, Thursday, not even four days after I moved in, she told me she’s been having anxiety about my being around/having a roommate at all/some mysterious personal medical issue she keeps alluding to and asked me to move out.

Oh, the Crazy.

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls on behalf of Dannon. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program but my opinions are my own.

For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.oikosyogurt.com or www.Facebook.com/oikos. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I like yogurt. It’s a thing. I’ve always liked it, dating back to Bert & Ernie sundaes* when I was a kid. My appreciation for the cool, creamy goodness has only increased over time. In grad school, I not only did a whole semester-long marketing project on yogurt (don’t ask), but I also got busted by a professor in a subsequent semester for snarfing a cup in class. (I reasoned with him and earned the right to keep eating it every morning.)

A couple of years ago a friend let me in on the secret of Greek yogurt. The main points for me are that it’s higher in protein and lower in sugar than most other yogurts – two things I was definitely open to, not to mention being richer and creamier than regular yogurt. Since that epiphany, I’ve pretty much exclusively eaten Greek yogurt. At home. In class. At my desk at work. (Yes, I do this frequently. A coworker likes to tease me about my yogurt habit.)

All of this leads me to being somewhat of a Greek yogurt connoisseur and recently getting to try Dannon® Oikos® Greek Yogurt – an opportunity that I totally jumped at. Dannon® Oikos® is made through an authentic Greek straining process, giving it a rich and creamy texture. And, while it seems indulgent, the 0% fat varieties contain all the same active cultures as full fat yogurt, but only have between 80 calories (plain) and 130 calories (the fruit on the bottom varieties) per cup.

(I really like the Greek yogurt math, by the way… 2x the protein of most regular lowfat yogurts, same positive health benefits from live and active yogurt cultures, and low in calories. Now, do you see why I eat it so much?)

I particularly liked Dannon® Oikos® Fruit on the Bottom in strawberry. Which isn’t surprising since the 0% fat berry flavors apparently beat Chobani 2-1 in a national taste test. Yum. Dannon’s version of Greek yogurt is extra smooth and lightly sweet (I do not do plain yogurt, for the record).

If I haven’t converted you to Greek yogurt yet, you might change your mind with a free cup. Right now you can get a coupon to try it yourself on the Dannon® Oikos® Facebook page. You know, if you’re like me and want a tasty snack to eat in class or at your desk at work.

*Um, so I just did a search and it turns out this is not a common knowledge thing. Who knows, maybe my mom made it up? Anyway, in my lexicon, a Bert & Ernie sundae is yogurt with sliced bananas and crushed graham crackers on top. Yes, it is named after everyone’s favorite roommates. Own it.

I have partnered with Dannon to help promote the Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt Series.  I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes writing about the promotion and product.  However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

I have had some moments of relaxation in the past few days, though, however brief they’ve been. For instance, I made time for Don Draper this weekend. I’m super happy that Mad Men is on Neflix Instant now. (Woohoo!) So I’m currently working my way through season 3. And, I made a batch of banana bread using a new (to me) recipe that turned out really well. (Thank you, Simply Recipes!) I added in a couple handfuls of chocolate chips, too, which made it the perfect sweet treat.

Is your week off to a good start? What do you do to relax when you’ve got a lot going on?

“Mommy, are scientists real?” the boy asked his mother. “Yes, son, they are,” she replied. “Do they make stuff that is dangerous?” continued the boy. “Sometimes they do,” said the mom. “Then I want to be one when I grow up,” concluded the boy. In the coming weeks, Capricorn, I see you as being like the boy. You’ll be in the mood to brainstorm about what you might like to evolve into, and your fantasies will tend to move in the direction of what’s most adventurous and exciting. I urge you to fully indulge in those flights of fancy. It’s time to dream really big and really free.

Yay! Love it.

I’ve also been listening to a lot of Florence + the Machine. Particularly this song:

What’s new in your life these days?

…And I finally found it! Ladies, it is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Going Green.

Having finally found my perfect green this past weekend, I, of course, had to paint my nails immediately. Inspired by my green, I hunted down a great metallic gold (none of that chunky glitter stuff for me). I painted my nails with a couple of coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Going Green and then did little half-moons of Sephora Charge It! gold on each nail, kind of like a reverse french manicure. I sealed it all with my usual topcoat.

Here are the results:

I was thinking a little of Chinoiserie, but a friend said they reminded her more of a Mackintosh look. Either way, I like the way they look and I’m pumped to finally have my perfect shade of green.

What do you think? Would you wear green nail polish? Is there a perfect color that you’ve been hunting for?

today I am planning my next steps (and looking forward to them)…

today I am rocking a new nail polish color – kelly green!

today I am full of movie theater popcorn after finally seeing Bridesmaids…

today I am watching a sweet doggie for a friend…

today I am renewing an old internet project…

today I am in like with someone…

today I am reading Tina Fey’s new book…

today I am catching up on The Glee Project…

today I am listening to Billie Holiday and feeling all the hip-swaying action.

What are you doing today?

Here are some of my favorite photos from the last family trip:

Do you  have any fun getaways planned? Been on any family vacations lately?

I’ve been really into upcycling lately – taking old or broken jewelry and transforming it into something new and wearable. In particular, I’ve been using mate-less earrings and some brooches, so you’ll see a pattern of round and circular shapes due to the nature of the original pieces. Check out some of the new goods:

I love red and I love carnelian, so I’ve been holding onto this big piece for a long time while trying to decide what to do with it. I finally figured out how I wanted to use it – running a green clover ceramic bead through the middle and accenting it with some faux Chinese coins. The red, the clover, the coins – it all comes together to make this necklace seem very lucky and fun to wear.

I’ve also been holding onto the building blocks for this piece for a while:

I found a pair of these white metal earrings over a year ago in an antique store and have been waiting to be inspired about what to make out of them. The deep purple, textured pearl just screamed out to be given a place of honor in the middle of one of them. I fancied it all up with some asymmetric brass chain accents and other jewel tones. Pretty unique and definitely not right for everyone, but I think it turned out nicely.

In keeping with the upcycling/repurposing/whathaveyou, I also made this:

I’m am in love with this necklace! I found a single lonely brass earring at a junk store and matched it up with a handmade brass and bead tassel. I think it’s kind of 70s and all kinds of fun. I might have to scrounge up another earring like it so that I can make a necklace like this for myself!

Please head over to the shop to check out the other new goodies I posted this weekend; I’d love to hear opinions!

Check out the evil genius plots and ploys on Prankked.

Humans aren’t the only ones who act out. Here are some Animals Being Dicks.

Finally, in the vein of cute fuzzies (misbehaving or not), enjoy this adorable video of a Kitten vs. Two Scary Things.

See? You’re closer to Friday already!

I painted my nails with a couple base coats of Revlon’s Lilac Pastelle (I originally wanted a similar Essie shade, but couldn’t find it in stock, so I went with the much cheaper Revlon alternative). Then, I painted angled stripes in different directions on each nail, using Revlon Silver Screen and finished it off with a coat of Sally Hansen Dries Instantly 10 Second Top Coat.

On my thumbs and pinkies I did diagonal stripes, on my pointer and ring fingers I did horizontal stripes, and on my middle fingers I did vertical stripes. I was kind of imagining what it would look like if you turned a french manicure on it’s ear. They also remind me a bit of short flags, which I just find amusing.

Don’t mind the odd claw hand – the better to show you my nail polish, my dears. (That was my Little Red Riding Hood wolf impression.)

Here’s another shot:

It’s an unassuming but distinctive look. The lilac didn’t go on all that smoothly, but I’m already trying to come up with other designs to do with the silver. Any ideas for me?

What are your nails wearing these days?

How was your weekend? What do you have lined up this week?

Apparently, nocino is an old school green walnut liqueur and it’s very easy to make at home. All it took was one quick glance at the giant walnut tree outside my window and I decided to make some for myself. I have no idea how the stuff tastes, but everything that goes into it seems pretty reasonable and leads me to believe it’ll be delicious when it’s finally ready.

I found this recipe for nocino, but ended up with slightly different measurements since I didn’t want to do a full batch. Here’s what I did:

Nocino (Walnut Liqueur)

15 unripe green walnuts, rinsed and chopped into quarters (NB: the walnuts will stain, so be careful when cutting)

750 mL vodka

6 whole cloves

1 inch of whole vanilla bean

1 stick of cinnamon

zest from 1/2 lemon, peeled with a vegetable peeler so as to only get the yellow part

1-1/4 cups of granulated sugar

I actually put this whole thing into two big canning jars, since I didn’t have a big enough jug. This required me to use more vodka than the other recipe, so we’ll see how that turns out. I found a couple of other nocino recipes online that called for a stiffer mix, so I think it’ll be fine.

You’re supposed to give the jars a shake every day to mix the contents and help infuse the flavors. After six weeks of steeping, strain the solids out of the liqueur and pour it into individual bottles.

I read that the stuff is really undrinkable until it’s at least a year old, so I’m planning on aging it at least that long before I crack into it. When I do, though, I’m envisioning using it in desserts (perhaps tiramisu or something that normally calls for another alcohol).

Here are my finished jars, waiting to age and turn into delicious, dark nocino liqueur:

Have you ever tried nocino? Have you ever made your own liqueurs before – and if so, do you have any tips to share??

This all leads me to my own nails this week. I first saw the newsprint trend on Pinterest a month or two ago, then it was mentioned again on HelloGiggles not long ago. It’s something different from the normal solid colors, so I decided to give it a try this weekend. Here’s how I did it:

First, I painted my nails with a few of coats of Essie Limo Scene, a pale pink color. I did about three coats – enough to pretty well obscure the pink/white line of my natural nail underneath. You have to wait until this base is totally dry and it should probably be a pale enough color to contrast with the newsprint. (I think a super pale lavender would look nice, too.)

I cut small squares of newspaper and filled a small container with rubbing alcohol. Working one at a time, I dipped each finger into the rubbing alcohol and then pressed a newspaper square onto the nail. I only left the newspaper on for a few seconds. The newsprint transfers almost immediately and if you leave the paper on too long it’ll dry and get stuck to your nail (I learned this the hard way, since it was a hot afternoon).

I laid the writing straight across the nail on my left hand and tried it at diagonals on my right. I think it looks better straight across because you can actually get more writing on the nail. I painted each nail with my usual topcoat. You might want to rub the extra newsprint off of your cuticles with a wet cotton swab before doing your topcoat, or you’ll be peeling writing off of your skin like I did.

The whole process was a lot faster than I expected (aside from having to wait for the base color to dry). The design is pretty understated and unique!

For my final cake, I went with a very simple design. I did white icing with white floral trim, red roses with blue rosettes, and blue writing. We learned the writing part in class this week and I clearly need more practice. I almost wrote right off the side of the cake. Oops!

Here are a couple of close ups of the flowers:

(I think I need to work on my photo editing, too. I’m noticing how different the icing colors turned out from one photo to the next!)

And here’s the finished product:

I think it turned out pretty nice. What do you think? Did I earn my cake decorating diploma? ;)

For cake decorating class this week, I decided to go with a 4th of July theme (finished pictures to come). I baked a red velvet cake and designed a white frosting with red and blue flowers motif. I’m getting a little sick of buttercream, though, so I saved some of the cream cheese frosting from last week’s carrot cake debacle to have with my red velvet scraps. (When prepping a cake for decorating, you have to level it by cutting off the tops of the layers – resulting in delicious taste tests of your cake.)

Here’s the mini red velvet cake I made out of the scraps:

Isn’t it cute? And so delicious – the other scraps were put to good use taste testing. :)

I’ve made red velvet from scratch before and it’s kind of a lot of work, so these days I usually use a mix (Duncan Hines, this time). The super simple cream cheese frosting is my late Aunt Vivian’s recipe, though, and it’s just about perfect. I topped the little cake with some blueberries from the freezer to make it a red, white, and blue cake!

Aunt Vivian’s Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

pinch of salt

splash of vanilla extract

1 lb powdered sugar

Mix the first four ingredients together, then slowly add in the powdered sugar until it’s all incorporated. Mix on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Spread on cooled cake or cupcakes & store in the fridge.

Wouldn’t this be a great treat for the Fourth of July? Are you making anything red, white & blue themed for your holiday fare?

The following is a post sponsored by Yahoo! Every time someone clicks here to make Yahoo! their homepage, they’re showing their support for Girls For A Change.

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Sometimes change is good and sometimes it’s great. Right now, for every person who changes their homepage to Yahoo! by this Friday, July 1st, the company is donating $10, up to $10,000, to the very worthy organization Girls For A Change. (Let’s see if we can get 1,000 people to change their homepages and max out that donation!)

Girls For A Change is an international nonprofit working to empower girls and young women to make positive social changes within their communities. An added benefit is that GFC participants also develop personal skills and increased self-confidence, gaining experience with public speaking, working in teams, and completing projects. You can read more about GFC’s great work here.

I am super impressed by Girls For A Change and some of the projects that their girls have done. They’ve held anti-violence rallies, produced PSAs about healthy eating, launched anti-bullying campaigns, and conducted educational workshops. Their work reminds me of some of the social justice projects that I did with inner-city high school students while I was in college. Middle and high schoolers often get a bad rap for being apathetic and out-of-touch, but they really do have legitimate feelings and fears about the problems in their communities. Not to mention some great ideas and a vested interest in tackling those problems.

I’ve already switched my homepage to Yahoo! and hope you’ll make the change, too. Click here for info on how to help support Girls For A Change and switch your browser’s homepage to Yahoo! (you MUST use that link to make the switch so that it can be tracked). If you would also like to give directly to Girls For A Change, you can click here.

Judging from our recent decorating Lose Weight Exercises, I think my SIL is going to be the go-to cake decorator in the family. Case in point, her professional-looking Elmo cake:

…versus my Cake Wrecks-worthy carrot cake:

Turns out, cream cheese frosting is not great for piping. Also, you should plan out your color combos BEFORE 11pm when you’re tired and just want to finish your cake so you can go to bed. Oops! Lesson learned.

Fortunately my other items have turned out much better. This week is our final class (we get certificates (!) – something that I am excited (!) about only on a sarcastic level) and we’re going to learn how to make frosting roses and pipe messages onto our cakes. I’m thinking mine might read…”This class takes the cake.”

Alpacas are kind of similar to llamas, but they’re smaller and their fur is nicer. A friend of mine has several alpacas and uses their fiber to make very pretty homespun yarn. The animals get shorn once a year and I got to help with this year’s shearing.

We did nine alpacas altogether and my job was to collect their fiber as the professional shearers removed it from the animals. There are three grades of fiber, based on where on the animal it grows, so I collected it in separate bags to be used for specific grades of yarn and felt.

None of the alpacas were thrilled with being splayed out and having their hair cut, but some bore it better than others. A couple of them shrieked the entire time – a kind of high pitched whine that I thought at first meant the shears needed oil! – and one spat on the poor guy clipping his toenails. While they were tied up, they got shorn, had their nails clipped, and had their teeth checked (and clipped, if they were too long).

They had everything shorn except for the patch of fur directly on top of their heads. Some of them had such big hair-do’s, that they also needed actual hair cuts to trim the fur out of their eyes.

Check out the before and after looks…. Before shearing, they were all super fluffy and on high alert. Afterward, they were all trim and cool and wagging their little tails. (This is just the holding pen, they have large open pastures where they normally frolic.)

And here’s the finished product: big bags full of freshly shorn alpaca fiber.

It was kind of dirty work, but very interesting. Now I can’t wait to learn how to help clean, card, and spin the fiber into yarn!

What I Wore is literally a catalog of everything Jessica wears every day. She’s got a great sense of personal style and has been able to parlay that into a pretty successful career – including her first ever book coming out soon.

To celebrate the launch of her book What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style, Jessica’s giving away 10 signed copies AND a personalized fashion illustration of one lucky winner (I think this is rad!). The contest ends July 12th, so if you want to enter go here for rules and info. I’m thinking her book might help me move past the closest thing to wear in the morning to maybe the second closest thing. ;)

The first is reminiscent of Irina Werning’s Back to the Future project (which I mentioned a while back). Dear Photograph is all about environment, though; posing old photos within the setting they were originally taken back in the day.

This is one of my favorites:

(Photo credit: Dan Perry on DearPhotograph.com)

I find it fascinating to see how the different landscapes and structures have changed over time. Some, like the one above, are very evocative. You can check out the rest of the growing collection or submit your own shots here.

The second website is Posing With Friends, wherein people submit photos of themselves mimicking tourists posing in various places around the world. The photos are kind of funny, especially in ones where the posers are doing distinct things with their limbs. Here’s a sample shot:

(Photo credit: PosingWithFriends.com)

I wouldn’t want to ruin other people’s vacation photos, but I think it’d be hilarious to do these off to the side. If you’re of the sort who also finds it hilarious, you can submit your own pictures here.

Okay, fine, I have a third website to share with you. This one is not so directly related to photography, but it is of photographs. Awesome People Hanging Out Together shows just that – awesome famous people who you wouldn’t think would operate in the same worlds hanging out together. To me, the coolest photos are the ones from pop culture history. Like this one of Frieda Kahlo and Josephine Baker:

(Photo credit: unknown? Via Noemi on AwesomePeopleHangingOutTogether.Tumblr.com)

How cool is that??

What are your favorite websites lately? Know of any other good photography projects to share?

Top (L -> R): Wedding programs printed on fans (the weather turned out to be perfect, fortunately), the gorgeous winery locale. 2nd row: Bright yellow bouquets, the groom, the bride, a glass of delicious Syrah. 3rd row: Chalkboard sign holding up seating assignments on clothespins (so sweet!), the new Mr. & Mrs. 4th row: Reclaimed door propped up and painted with the seating instructions, beautiful and simple wedding cake (most, if not all, of the desserts were made by the groom’s sis), table settings with burlap runners and blue and white gingham napkins. Last row: Chocolate cupcakes (somehow I missed actually eating these in all the hubbub), wedding favors in little jars, me and the bride at the end of the night, more cupcakes with handmade pinwheels in them.

Cheers to the happy couple!! :)

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the first three ingredients until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Form soft 1″ balls of dough (they won’t spread much when baking, so make them nice and smooth when forming them). Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes (mine took 14 mins). Cool and enjoy with a frosty glass of milk!

Do you have friends with gluten sensitivities? What do you like to bake for them?

Your personality, as determined by your favorite 1980s musical (from The Hairpin).

A glimpse into the minds of some of the funniest actors on TV today (from The Hollywood Reporter).

Forever 21 can’t take a joke (the story behind WTForever21 from Bust).

Also, in case you missed it:

The Best Madonna Tribute Ever from Robert Jeffrey on Vimeo.

Thank you to Cube Dog for sponsoring this review. For more information about Cube Dog please visit the Facebook page or download it on iTunes.

Did I tell you? I have a new pet. His (her?) name is Fluffy. I meant that ironically, since he’s digital. I think he looks kind of like an English Bulldog/Boxer mix, if you ask me.

(This is Fluffy doing some high kicks.)

Cube Dog is a new iPhone/iPod Touch app from the smarties at Podotree. The app lets you create your own digital doggie and then get it to do tricks and interact with you. It kind of reminds me of the Tamagotchi I had when I was a teenager.

The user interface is pretty simple and straightforward. You create your custom Cube Dog by choosing its color, shape, ears, eyes, and face. You can also move the view around to see your dog from different angles and get more of a 3-D feel. You could also, say, change the backdrop to be your camera view if you want to sit your dog next to a real pet. :)

The app is free, but there’s a store where you can buy extras for your pooch:

To me, the best part of the app is playing around with the dog once you create it. My dog does little tricks depending on where I tap or scratch him. There’s also a menu of things you can get your dog to do, but I like just playing around and getting a reaction. I’m not sure how long the novelty will last for me (where’d I leave my Tamagotchi again??), but I think it would be a great app for kids and teenagers.

It’s important to note that right now, Cube Dog is only available for iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, and iPod Touch 3rd & 4th generation, all running iOS 4.0 and up. Since Cube Dog is brand new, people with other devices may have to wait a bit for their versions. You can dog-sit Fluffy while you wait for your own. :) In the meantime, though, check out the Cube Dog Facebook page here and keep an eye on it next week (June 13 – 17) for a fun contest they’re going to be running.

What are your favorite iPhone and iPod apps? Have you ever had a virtual pet or pet rock?

Note: While Cube Dog provided me with the app to review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Cube Dog, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Aren’t they pretty?

I used Essie Limo-Scene for the base coat, since it’s a nice soft pink. Then, I used Sally Hansen Nude Shimmer for the tips (it’s kind of a mocha-pink metallic hue) and topped it off with my usual top coat. I think a copper color would also be pretty for the tips, but the nude shimmer is nice, too. Either way, a warmer colored metallic keeps it feminine and pretty.

Of course, about an hour after I finished my nails, a permanent marker exploded all over my hands. Sigh… Guess it’s time to think up a fresh design!

Do you have a favorite nail color or design? What are your nails wearing right now?

Thistles – Before and After

Weeds – Before and After

Poppies – Before and After

Do you have any photo tricks or tips to share??

To help me brainstorm, I’ve found the following spear-friendly recipes:

Ziti agli Asparagi (Ziti with Asparagus) from Bell’Alimento

Asparagus and Pea Soup with Herb Crackers from Tartelette

Asparagus Artichoke Salad from Simply Recipes

Ribboned Asparagus Salad with Lemon from Smitten Kitchen

Asparagus Gratin from Pinch My Salt

What’s your favorite asparagus dish?

If you live near a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts, they’re both giving out free doughnuts today to commemorate the occasion (originally started by the Salvation Army). If you don’t live by one of the big chains, maybe you can convince your local doughnut shop to join in the celebration. Or you can try out the Salvation Army’s original WWI era doughnut recipe.

National Doughnut Day was started as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army, so don’t forget them today while you’re enjoying your sweet treat!

A couple of months back, I was hanging out with some friends who had been invited to an “On a Stick” party. It was a big potluck and everyone was asked to bring something that you served or ate from a stick. My friends were trying to decide what to make and bring to this party, but we were stumped.

They were going to have to commute a fair distance on public transit to get to the shindig, so all of the deep-fried foods we thought of were out of the question. And they wanted to do something a little more exciting than just fruit kebabs. If only they’d had Matt Armendariz’s new book – On a Stick! – for inspiration.

I’ve been a fan of Matt’s blog, Matt Bites, for a long time now so I was super excited to see that he was launching a cookbook. Unsurprisingly, it’s irreverent and down-to-earth like he seems to be. I mean, this isn’t Nigella Lawson-style food porn; it’s a whole book devoted to things you eat on a stick.

Some of the recipes aren’t super exciting (see: fruit kebabs) and some are way too labor-intensive for my taste (chicken and waffles on a stick isn’t happening around here any time soon), but some of the goodies call to me from the pages of this cookbook. Breakfast pancake dogs?? Yes, please. Fried mozzarella? Don’t mind if I do. The spaghetti and meatballs on a stick is enough to make me want to go out and buy a deep fryer, not to mention the homemade donut holes.

As for travel-ready, potluck-friendly goods… Cake pops and pizza skewers, anyone?

What’s your favorite skewered or on-a-stick food??

I saw this article on HelloGiggles and was inspired to try doing my own hand-painted leopard print nails this weekend. Yow, they’re wild! I love how they turned out.

To get the look, I used Revlon’s Tropical Temptation as the base coat. It’s a fun punch of color that screams summer to me. Then I did free-hand dots of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blue Me Away (kind of a neon blue color).

Instead of using the recommended nail art pen for the black I just used a Sharpie. Cheating, I know, but it gave me more control over my lines. I sealed it all with a coat of Sally Hansen Dries Instantly 30 Second Top Coat.

One down side of using Sharpie is that it smears a little during the top coat. I discovered that most of the smearing comes from contact with the brush, so I made sure my brush had plenty of polish on it so that it wouldn’t have to touch the nail that much. I don’t think the smearing was all that noticeable or took away too much from the finished job. (These are neon leopard print nails, after all!)

Ta da! Aren’t they festive? Definitely not an every day look, but fun for the weekend.

Would you wear leopard print nail polish?

On a completely unrelated note, I have to tell you that I FINALLY watched the movie Before Sunrise this weekend (yes, I know, 1995 called and wants its to-do list back). Amazing. Where is my passport? Or my 20s, for that matter. I really want to see Before Sunset now. What do you think? Do I have to wait nine years or can I watch it so soon after seeing the first one?

In other entertainment updates, I got a library card this weekend. Again, FINALLY. I haven’t had a public library card in several years but the Borders near me just went kaput and I figure it’s probably a better idea anyway to check books out than to keep buying them. So, I checked out a memoir that’s been at the top of my list since I heard about it – Townie. I’m only a few chapters in, but so far it’s very good. If you liked The Fighter or The Town or other movies about people using physical violence to deal with life in their poor Boston-area neighborhoods, you’ll like it. It’s gritty and grim and engrossing.

What have you been up to this weekend?

My favorite parts of the excerpt are her list of rights and responsibilities for best friends (such as free reign over each other’s closets, but also hating and liking people at whim because the other deems it so) and why teenage girls shouldn’t worry about being popular (you don’t want to be the girl who peaked in high school). I love her down-to-earth tone and wry observational humor. I can’t wait to read the whole book!

Plants vs Zombies - I love games. And zombies. And apparently games about zombies. A few months ago I mastered the web version of this game, now I’ve mastered the free trial download version and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to suck it up and buy the full version. It’s that fun.

The Ex Factor – This blog about a couple of friends who used to date is proof that real life is often more amusing than fiction. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that they’re two glib, sarcastic people who know each other so well they’re masters at pushing the other’s buttons.

Alba Botanica lip balm – As a lip balm aficionado, I have a few set criteria for my lip care needs: #1) It has to be petroleum-free (here’s why). #2) It has to have sun screen. #3) It has to smell and/or taste good. Alba’s SPF 18 tangerine lip balm fits the bill exactly. (You can buy it here.) It’s also cruelty-free and the company is committed to social and environmental responsibility. Not bad for a little tube of lip balm!

What’s got your attention lately? Is there anything you’re currently obsessed with?

The DIY doily lamp from More Design Please (inspired by Dos Family):

Love the frilly, femininity of this lacy lamp. The airiness of it seems perfect for warmer months (if they ever arrive).

DIY silhouette portraits from The SITS Girls:

Silhouettes are classic and this method of doing them is much easier to do than the old projector on the wall technique.

DIY bokeh photography techniques from How About Orange:

I think bokeh is rad and I’ve wanted to try it out for myself for a while now. This tutorial makes it seem very doable. I’m thinking this will be the first on my crafty list of things to do this weekend!

What DIY projects are you working on lately? Find anything that inspires your creative spirit?

Of course, I took it upon myself to introduce her to the colorful, jiggly world of Jell-o shots. I decided to class the experience up a bit, though. No flimsy paper cups here. We went for class with a capital C – vitamin C, that is. Behold the citrusy wonder of orange wedge Jell-o shots.

If you want to make your own fancy pants Jell-o shooters, I found this very useful guide for making them. (I also appreciated the editorializing.) Just sub in vodka for the cold water in your Jell-o recipe (depending on the desired strength of your finished wedges, you can sub in anywhere from 1/2 vodka to all vodka). If you’re looking for other alcohol infused Jell-o shot recipes, check out the list here.

You could even – gasp! – make these without alcohol in them for a fun kid-friendly treat. Or just give the kids the leftover oranges from your swanked up adult Jell-o shooters. That’s a win-win!

This recipe comes via my good friend Joanna – who, incidentally, is getting married in a few short weeks – woohoo!! I believe Jo got it from her friend Tina and I’m not sure of the origins beyond that. So, if you know, please clue me in; I’d love to give credit where credit is due. Jo won our friends’ annual bake-off a couple of years ago with this recipe, that’s how good it is. I’ve been meaning to share it here ever since.

I made this cake over the weekend and served it with sliced fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It was the perfect balance of sweet and not-too-sweet, rich and not-too-rich. Delicious! Here’s the recipe:

Sour Cream and Lemon Pound Cake

3 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 eggs, room temperature

1/4 lemon juice

1 Tablespoon lemon zest (I love my microplaner for zesting lemons)

1 cup sour cream

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. The best kind of pan for this cake is an angel food cake pan, because the recipe makes a fairly sizable cake and the structure of the angel food pan will make baking and removal easier. Prep your pan by spraying with nonstick food spray, then dusting with a little flour, then spraying again. (Make sure you do this! Nothing is sadder than having a perfectly good cake get stuck in a pan.)

Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time until just combined. Add lemon juice and zest. Mix in dry ingredients. Mix in sour cream. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 90 minutes, until cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. With a sharp knife, release cake edges from pan. Give the cake a shake to loosen and then release right side up onto your cake plate. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.

Note: do not refrigerate this cake, as it will dry out and turn hard. Stays fresh covered at room temperature for a few days (if it lasts that long!).

My version didn’t come together quite as smoothly as the demonstration (I pounded out boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of using prepared cutlets), but it still tasted great. We ate our stuffed chicken breasts with oven roasted asparagus and Grace Baking garlic bread (one of my favorites – it has whole garlic cloves baked into it).

Here’s the recipe and some pictures:

Italian-Style Stuffed Chicken Breasts (a.k.a. “Chicken Rollatini” from Gina’s Skinny Recipes)

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each (or 4 chicken breasts butterflied and pounded thin)

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (if you have plain, just crumble in some dried basil, oregano, etc.)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

6 tablespoons egg whites, divided

5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid (I sauteed one bunch of fresh spinach with some garlic and chopped onion)

6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese

6 oz part skim mozzarella, divided (you’ll want a couple of ounces in your filling and one round of mozzarella to melt on top of each piece of chicken)

olive oil non-stick spray

2 cups marinara sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Wash and dry cutlets and season with salt and pepper.

Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese in one bowl. Put 4 tbsp egg whites in another. Shred 2 oz of mozzarella cheese and combine with remaining Parmesan, spinach (make sure it’s dry if you’re using thawed spinach), 2 tbsp egg whites, and ricotta cheese.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of spinach-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray with olive oil.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sauce then cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 more minutes. Serve immediately.

This dish is kind of like chicken parmesan and lasagna had a love child; without the pasta, but with all the flavor!

I feel like I haven’t posted many recipes lately, so I have two coming up this week. In addition, I have some new jewelry pieces to share and a couple of crafts I’d like to try out.

Did you get up to any projects this weekend? If so, I’d love to hear about them.

Within moments, drinks in hand, the two of you emerge from the café and hurry across 3rd Avenue to Saint Mark’s Place. The light has fallen further and the pace of foot traffic has picked up, the energetic hum of a Saturday night in New York City setting in.

“I need cigarettes,” Alisa says as she leads the way into a mini-mart halfway down the block; you understand the compulsion, familiar by now with her nicotine urges. You watch as she marches up to the counter, sets down her drink to pull out her wallet, and requests her particular brand of cancer sticks. Meanwhile, your hands cup the warmth of your own coffee and you mill around the small store, eyeballing the miscellany that fills the narrow shelves and wondering if perhaps they might carry Mallomars, one of your particularly favorite East Coast treats.

With the chiming of bells over the doorway, a large, bald, leather-chapped man hunkers into the mini-mart and heads to the back of the store. You glance at him curiously then resume idly scanning the shelves. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the leather-clad man grab a malt beverage from the refrigerators and lumber up to the front of the store.

Having reentered your periphery, you follow him more closely. He plunks his drink down on the counter, directly between your friend and her resting beverage. Alisa glances at him quizzically, as a kind of a message to him that he has invaded her space, pausing in that oh-so-Alisa kind of way where you can practically see the gears working in her mind deciding whether or not to say something quick and cutting.

For a brief moment, time has stopped. You wait, frozen in the gulf between what has just happened and what is about to happen. Alisa breaks the silence by saying nothing; she shoots you a telepathic look and resumes paying for her cigarettes. The big, bald, biker guy leans in even closer to her, pauses for dramatic effect, and says, “You looking for a job??”

In the few seconds in which it has taken this random Hell’s Angel to lean over and offer your dear friend a job, time has turned from a trickle, to a slow crawl, and now surpasses it’s previous speed of normalcy. Everything happens in brief fractions of seconds and nothing is attached to thought or conscious reaction, instead falling into place like so many toppled dominoes. There are no subsequent moments of Alisa-like pauses, only a mumbled “No” and a couple of deadpanned blinks of the eyes from you, snatching her coffee off the counter in front of the large man with your right hand, grabbing her arm with your left hand, and together beating a hasty retreat, dropping money and/or loose cigarettes in your wake.

The door chimes behind you in welcome relief as you rush down the steps of the mini-mart and embrace the cool night air with deep laughing gulps. The two of you clutch each other’s arms and hurry out into the evening, turning your minds to dinner plans, friends coming over, and where you will find yourselves after. Before crossing the heavy green doorway of her apartment, though, you catch Alisa’s eye and, staring at each other, query “You looking for a job???”

She Stood Outside

She stood outside in the quasi-rain, shifting from one foot to the other, waiting for the ringing to stop and half hoping that she would get the machine. While she counted the repetitions, she watched couples leaving the restaurant across the street. They held hands, or had their arms around each other, shielding themselves from the inclement weather. It was almost there, maybe only half a ring away from the automated voice telling her to leave a message.

“Hello?”

“Oh…hi! It’s me,” she announced nervously, waiting a beat to see if the ear attached to the voice on the other end would be able to identify her.

“Hi!” The voice exclaimed familiarly, “How are you??” She’d been recognized.

“I’m good. I’m…I’m drunk dialing you,” she blurted out. She felt the need to announce her purpose up front, drunk enough to have the courage to call, but not so drunk that she didn’t feel she needed an excuse.

“You are? Aww, that’s so sweet. Wait, hold on.” She could hear muffled discussion on the other end, and could picture a hand covering the mouthpiece.

“I’m sorry, hold on. I’m playing poker, it’s my turn, I’m trying to see if I’m in this hand or not.”

She mumbled “don’t worry”s and resumed her pacing. She pictured the dark, scuffed wood bar where they would be playing. It would be full tonight; it was Friday, and they would be locked in an insular grouping in the back. She was always afraid that she was calling at the wrong time, and allowed that to be her excuse not to call. Tonight it didn’t matter, though; she had enough warm sake in her stomach to make it not matter.

She ducked from one awning to the next and back again, trying to avoid the bigger raindrops and the small puddles that they formed on the sidewalk. She could feel the bright orange color of the restaurant at her back, felt its contrast against the rest of the dark night even though she faced away from it. The street in front of her was black and slick with water, faintly illuminated by lights strung in the trees across the street. The heavy oak door of the opposing restaurant kept opening and closing, emitting the low hum of mass conversation with each entering and exiting patron.

“Tonight’s my poker night,” the voice was back, “I just folded.”

“Oh yeah, I didn’t know you were into poker.”

She watched as a couple approach on her right, two women with short-cropped hair, both pixie-ish and young. They wore matching black leather jackets and had their arms around each other’s waist, walking in cadence. They ignored the rain.

She turned her head towards the intersection, wondering where they might be going, and then back to them. The one on the left slipped on a wet metal grating, barely held up from landing on the sidewalk by her partner. She turned her head again and paced in the other direction. She hated to see or be seen in moments of embarrassment. Hated to have people know that her eyes had been upon them when they were their most vulnerable.

“So, how have you been?” the voice asked.

“Good…I’ve been good.” She slid into the shadowy alcove of the shop next door. She faced the street but no longer saw it, smiling hesitantly across invisible telephone lines.

In the process, I like to bookmark things to share with other people. Here are some of my recent favorite internet finds:

I love the often tongue-in-cheek graphics of I Love Charts. Especially this awesome unicorn chart.

Nerve has some great topical features including Talking to Strangers, a man-on-the-street column interviewing average people about love and sex. Peoples’ answers are fascinating, especially in a geographic context.

White Whine is a humorous take on the idea of “1st World problems”. You have to check out the ridiculous reactions that some people had to the President’s bin Laden press conference last night.

If your kids are driving you crazy, take solace in the fact that they’ve never been featured here.

In case you missed Obama mocking The Donald at the White House Correspondents Dinner, you can watch it here. It’s hilarious. The Prez is having a bang-up week.

Love these beautiful falling and floating photographs.

From The Desk Of… provides glimpses of real people’s work spaces. It’s fascinating to see how people (some well known, some less so) and their professions are reflected in their personal/professional environments.

Finally, a penguin getting tickled. For real. And for really cute.

What did you do this weekend?

My French was decent enough that I was mistaken for a native while visiting Paris as a teenager. Of course, once I realized that the woman talking to me thought I was actually French, I made a point to give her as monosyllabic answers as possible so as not to dispel the illusion. I also remember getting chased by a pervy group of boys and managed to curse at them fast and furiously enough to get them to leave me alone. (There are benefits to learning foreign swear words!)

In college, I learned Italian. I was totally enamored with the culture and food, and a big selling point of taking Italian was getting to go to summer school in Florence. We had classes in an old stone cathedral and took weekend trips throughout Tuscany. I learned how to drive a Vespa and had a real Italian boyfriend for the summer. I got to drink Italian spumante – an exciting thing for a 19 year old American – and lounge around in piazzas like I owned the place. It. Was. Awesome.

At some point after I finished my Italian lessons, I decided to give in to practicality and started taking Spanish classes. I already had a full course load, so a friend and I took classes in the evening at the local community college. I tried to focus on Spanish, but by the end of the day my brain was invariably elsewhere and all the foreign words in my brain formed an odd language soup. I knew I had to drop the class when during my first oral exam the teacher asked me a question and I responded in an Italian-French-Spanish hybrid. We both laughed at the ridiculousness.

All of this is in the past tense, you’ll notice, because my formal education in languages was ages ago. I still love to pronounce words in Italian, rolling the sounds around in my mouth and savoring the so-very-Italian way of saying things. (Giada, eat your heart out!) But, my conversational skills haven’t been Lose Weight Exercised in close to a decade. And my French, learned while I was younger and my brain was a little more absorbent, is also rusty. Though I was able to communicate with people in Belgium a few years ago — I think it’s because they speak French more slowly there.

I recently discovered linguistic pay dirt, though, and that’s what’s inspiring this ramble-riffic post. I found out that the BBC has amazing, free language resources. BBC Languages has a ton of different languages (Urdu, anyone?), including French and Italian so that I can brush up, and Spanish so that I can finally properly learn.

Depending on the language, they have different lessons, podcasts, guides, games, etc. I’ve just gotten started with a great, award-winning, interactive video series to work on my Spanish and it’s very easy to follow along and fun to do. (It’s Spain-Spanish, though, so we’ll see if anyone in my family can actually understand me after this.)

The link is here if you’re looking to add some new flavor to your linguistic repertoire. Who knows, it might just inspire some Vespa riding of your own!

Also, I’m pleased to announce that I now have enough likes on my Facebook page to earn my own custom URL. Yay! (You have to get a certain number of likes before you’re allowed to turn your random series of numbers URL into a legit, easy to remember one.) If you’re on Facebook, please stop by my page!

Here’s a glimpse of some of the new goodies:

Whaddya think?

I had a craving for homemade tortillas a couple of days ago and decided to make some last night to go with the fajitas I was having for dinner. Tortillas are not as hard to make as one would think – only a handful of ingredients – but they require a fair amount of finesse. Mine are never as thin or perfectly round as my mother’s but what I lack in finesse I make up for in appreciation.

My tortillas are more reminiscent of my Nana’s tortillas, fat and fluffy. My grandmother is past her tortilla-making days now, but when I was little I used to love to watch her roll out tortillas. Instead of a rolling pin, she had a piece of a metal pipe that she would roll over the dough a few times, and with one deft movement plop the thick tortillas onto the cast iron comal. Tortillas cook fast and a few seconds later she’d have one off the stove and wrapped up with butter, tucked into a napkin, and in my hot little hand. There was not a better treat or one made with more love.

Here is our family’s recipe for homemade flour tortillas:

Flour Tortillas

2 cups unsifted flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable shortening (or lard – just go with it)

1/2 cup lukewarm water

Mix your dry ingredients together and then cut your shortening in with a pastry blender or a couple of forks. Once your dough is crumbly, gradually mix in the water. Use your hands to finish mixing the dough and knead it for a couple of minutes. You can cook your tortillas right away, but your dough will be easiest to handle if you let it rest for a while – cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or up to 24 hours.

Divide your (rested) dough into 8 equal sized balls. You’ll want to simultaneously be rolling and cooking, so heat your comal or flat pan to medium-low heat. Roll your tortillas on a lightly floured surface, aiming for a round shape (good luck with that!). You should also have a tortilla warmer or a cozy for them to go into as they come off the stove so that they stay warm until you can eat them.

I find that it’s easiest to roll one and then put it on the griddle and then go back to rolling the next one. You have to keep a close eye on them though, because they need less than a minute or so per side (flip once the first side has started to very lightly brown).

It’s a fast process once you get the hang of it and you’ll have 8 fresh, delicious flour tortillas to show for it. You may never want to eat store-bought tortilla’s again!

And, now that I’m thinking about it, I think I forgot to share this treasury from last week. I love the spirit of this one:

Beyond the egg-centric crafts (bad pun intended), I also made a stuffed bunny for my niece and it’s been waiting patiently for weeks for Easter to arrive so it can get played with. I’m by no means a stuffed animal maker (is there a word for that??), but I was inspired by an accidental bit of crocheting I did. See, I was learning how to crochet and was attempting to stitch a round piece and it kept pulling up and tighter together as I made it so that it ended up looking kind of like a little sun hat. You know, if you were tiny.

Of course, this little hat needed a little head to rest on, so I made a bunny.

I freehanded a pattern and used a remnant bit of white muslin for the body. I tweaked the shape a bit as I went along and realized how things would fit together. I accidentally forgot to put on a face until the head was already stuffed, so there was a bit of experimentation before I was ready to commit to the finished face.

In the end, she turned out pretty cute. Her snout could be better, but I like the round fullness of the body shape.

Now, she just needs to put on her Easter hat and she’s all ready for the holiday!

Thank you to Log Cabin for sponsoring my post about updated traditions in my household. To learn more about Log Cabin Syrups (which are all free of High Fructose Corn Syrup), breakfast for dinner, and other new ways to update traditions in your home, click here. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

About five years ago our family changed. We went from being a four person family with certain traditions to being a much larger, even more diverse unit. This all happened when my brother married my sister-in-law and our two families were joined.

Then, about 16 months ago, our family changed again with the birth of my niece. While both sets of grandparents were already friendly and geographically close to each other, the newest arrival cemented the foundations of the village that it will take to raise her. Eva is an ethnic ratatouille, with Cambodian, Chinese, Mexican and Northern and Western European ancestry. Whatever the recipe, she’s an adorable, spirited baby and always the life of the party.

Our families are inextricably linked now and we are all trying to help raise Eva with a blend of traditions, along with some new ones. This all brings me to this weekend, for my first ever (and Eva’s second) Cambodian New Year celebrations.

I had never been to my SIL’s temple and I was excited to get to experience that part of her family’s (and Eva’s) culture. We dressed up for the occasion, though not nearly as fancily as some of the ladies  there, who wore more traditional, sequined, brightly colored blouses and long skirts.* Logically, the temple and grounds reminded me a lot of Thailand and Laos, including the pretty detailing on the rooves and the statues, and whatnot.

I followed my SIL and her family’s lead in our New Year’s celebrations. In the interest of time and effort, we abbreviated things a bit and stuck to doing a few traditional things at the temple. We lit incense and said prayers, we sought blessings from the monks, and delivered food to the communal tables, including special servings of rice for the monks. Then we hit the festival-like grounds of the temple for a little shopping, eating, and general merriment.

The weather was great, practically the whole community was there, and little Eva was surrounded by family. Not a bad way to herald in a new year or a new (to me) tradition.

Of course, some of Eva’s family traditions are more familiar to me. Like turning the first local strawberries of the season into delicious waffles. We finally found an open strawberry stand on our way home from the temple and this is the feast that my SIL made for breakfast yesterday morning. Yum!

*I’ve gotten to wear traditional Cambodian outfits once before – for my brother and SIL’s wedding. Some looks are just better on other people. ;)

Here’s my “diagnosis”:

Fond of tradition, but attached more to the joy of human interaction, you are often a beacon of hope to those members of society who have lost faith or who are in need of succor. You are often emotional, and this emotionality is rarely held in check. Kind and helping by nature, when affronted you will explode, and just as suddenly when the pain has passed return to normalcy again. On occasion this quick and vibrant emotionality is translated into a life on the stage or screen. You have a strong sense of right and wrong, but can sometimes be left confused and uncertain in times of stress or when tough decisions must be made. You avoid conflict, tending to stay out of trouble in hopes that the group will benefit most from this behavior. Because you have trouble putting your own needs first, you will be put in much stress if you find yourself in an unequal relationship, one in which your partner is not as giving as you are.

Like any good horoscope, it’s not exactly on target, but not completely off-base, either. Here’s the link if you want to take the test for yourself.

I’ve been feeling a nautical vibe lately. Maybe it’s my desire for it to be summer or something, but I love the bright red and white punch of this necklace. I incorporated a similar aesthetic for this upcycled anchor charm necklace:

I originally found this metallic anchor at the Cambridge Antiques Mall about a year ago and have been wanting to do something with it. I think it used to be part of a pin, but the backing has long since broken off. The anchor is still kicky, though, so I wired it into a charm and made it the star of this new necklace. (Visit the shop for a full length view of this long-ish necklace.)

Those two necklaces are definitely in a theme, but these next pieces are a departure from my usual stuff. I have been tinkering with the various pieces of these earrings for months now, ever since I picked up the little silvery circles a while back. I was originally thinking of making much more demure earrings, but I got into an Art Deco-ish kind of mood and these were born:

Pretty, no?

Finally, I’ve got a whole other batch of inspiration happening right now. I’ve been mildly obsessed with metal stamping for a while and I finally broke down a bought the appropriate tools about a month ago. I’m still in the tinkering and supply sourcing stage right now, but check out the necklace I made myself. I just love it:

I’m thinking I’ll offer custom necklaces (and maybe bracelets?) when I get everything sorted out. I’ll be sure to post when those become available – please let me know if you’re interested! :)

1) Apparently, crab does not freeze well. Seriously. Do not attempt it at home. It will be gross. ‘Nuff said.

2) My red wine jelly is damned good on sourdough bread.

3) A simple, thrown-together risotto can rescue a meal. Mmm.

I was so enamored with the little egg planters I made the other day, I decided to make more and dye them pretty shades this time. By the time Easter arrives I’ll have a whole dozen to use as a centerpiece.

Here are some other Easter-related projects (and treats) that have caught my eye recently.

Easter Surprise Eggs from Not Martha:

I like the idea of these festive, colored eggs so much that I’m tempted to turn the eggs I just dyed into candy-filled surprise eggs instead planters. We’ll see…it might have to be a game time decision. Not Martha has a really straight-forward, step-by-step guide for making these fun party favors.

Chocolate-Covered Peeps Pops from Girly Bubble:

These little sugar bombs take the already sweet classic Peep and turn it into a party in your mouth. Which is kind of what these do, too…

Candy-Coated Cookie Pops from The Idea Room:

How sweet are these?? Literally. They’re Oreo Cakester cookies, dipped into candy coating and decorated to look like bunnies and chicks. Adorable. And you can get your Easter candy fix in one bite.

Bunny-Shaped Sugar Cubes from Girly Bubble:

I can’t find information about these bunny sugar cubes anywhere, so if anyone sees an original post somewhere please let me know. All I know is that they’re pretty impressive in their craftsmanship and a sweet little way to get some Easter spirit.

Finally, despite all the sugar overload, I am in love with this cake.

Easter Bunny Cake from Tracey Lau:

The flowers, the bunny tush…this cake is a work of art. And the best part is that I’m pretty sure it’s chocolate. There aren’t any instructions for making it, but I’m assuming you could do a regular layer cake and then jazz it up with fondant flowers, extra frosting for the roots, and maybe a marzipan bunny. Super cute!

Are you making any special treats or decorations for Easter?

I first tried wine jelly at the Boston Wine Expo a couple of years ago and was intrigued by the concept of turning such a nuanced, complex flavor profile like wine into a sweet preserve. Particularly since you can use different kinds of wine to get different flavors and pretty colors. Since then, I’ve only seen wine jelly once – at a farmer’s market in my wine-soaked hometown. Both times, I really liked it.

I’d heard that it’s fine to use not-great wine for jelly, since the sugar will improve the flavor a lot. So, when I came across a bottle of wine that I knew I didn’t love, I immediately thought of turning into something I’d actually want to consume. I used a red blend from California – a little too rough on the palate in its original form – to make a batch of fantastic jelly.

(Side note: I used my tag cutter and an old Snow & Graham calendar to make pretty little labels. Cute, no?)

The recipe is pretty basic, I used this one from eHow and it came out great. Here it is with my notes:

Wine Jelly

3-1/2 cups (approx one 750ml bottle, plus a splash or two) of wine

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 oz package of dry pectin

4-1/2 cups granulated sugar

First,  you need to clean and sterilize enough jars (with new lids) to hold approximately 52 oz of finished jelly. I made 6 standard 8oz jars of jelly plus a couple of little jars. Keep your jars in the hot water after boiling so that they’ll stay up to the temperature of the hot jelly. I also simmered my lids for a few minutes to sterilize them and soften the glue rings.

In a tall, heavy pot (trust me, you don’t want hot sticky splatters coming up at you when you’re making jelly), stir together your wine, lemon juice, and pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add your sugar one cup at a time, stirring after each addition so that the sugar thoroughly dissolves into the mixture. Once all your sugar has been added, bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Boil at this temperature for one full minute, stirring constantly (this helps keep the mixture from boiling over and/or getting too foamy).

Remove your jelly from the heat and skim off any foam that may have accumulated on the top. Quickly dry off your jars and lids and place them on a thick kitchen towel. (You can turn the pot of water back up at this point, so it’s ready to go for your sealing boil.) Fill jars up to 1/2 inch from the top with hot jelly. Wipe any spilled jelly off of the rims and threads with a clean cloth and place the lid and ring on each jar, tightening by hand.

Put your filled and closed jars back into the pot of water and boil for five minutes. Carefully remove them from the hot water and set them on your towel. As they cool, you’ll hear the lids pop as they create a seal. You can test their seal by pressing gently on the center of the lids (it may take a few minutes for the seal to happen, so don’t panic if they don’t audibly pop right away).

Voilà! You have delicious wine jelly to serve with cheese and crackers or as a glaze for desserts (or even some meat dishes). I’ve got plans to turn at least some of my wine jelly into a sweet filling for a brie en croute. Double French, double yum.

Look at that lovely color! I can’t wait to make more varieties, including a rosé jelly and a pinot noir jelly.

Would you try wine jelly? How would you serve it?

The idea is originally Better Homes & Gardens, via The Seattle Times, and they outline how to carefully remove the top cap of the egg, punch a drainage hole, and then place small plants into the emptied eggs.

For my version, I skipped the drainage hole step and instead put a small scoop of charcoal bits into the bottom of each egg. I added some potting soil and planted several small plants (I mostly did succulents, figuring the less water required the better). The cutest one by far is the little Forget-Me-Not egg.

Ta-da!

I’m making more to use as a centerpiece for Easter dinner. A nice bonus is that when Easter is over, I can just crack the eggs and plant them out. Pretty and functional!