Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Simple Delicious Bread & Sandwich Recipe
Hey, guys! Today for lunch I had an amazing sandwich! I made it with homemade bread, a slice of Colby-jack cheese, a slice of turkey from the deli, and a balsamic dressing. It was pure heaven, preservative free, and fresh. Oh, it was so good!!!! So, I thought I'd share a picture of it with you and give you my homemade bread recipe, as well. It's a great way to avoid preservatives and it is pretty simple to make (especially if you have an electric mixer). Pair it with a salad on the side and bon appetit!
Sandwich Directions:
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| Homemade bread, Colby-jack cheese, turkey, and balsamic dressing. Yum!!! |
Sandwich Directions:
- Homemade bread (see image below for recipe)
- 1 slice Colby-jack cheese (or any cheese you like)
- 1 slice turkey from your local deli ("sandwich slice" width)
- Balsamic dressing (mix 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar with 1-2 tsp olive oil and a dash of pepper & shake)
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| My Bread Recipe |
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| If you have an electric mixer, use this attachment! It makes life so much easier! |
Monday, October 24, 2011
Parisian Secrets
Recently my Mom went to Paris and Toulouse, France. When she came back she told me about all the amazing things she had seen: the fashion, the beauty products, the food, and culture (illustrated below). Also below, is a post card she sent me. Scroll down to read more:
Parisian Post Card
Fashion
When my mom was in Paris last week, she saw a lot of women wearing think black tights (not opaque). She said it was so prevalent that even her husband commented on the trend. Additionally, she was surprised at how many of the women wore flats.
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| Black tights and Flats with jeans, Paris Street Style. From http://www.hauteliving.com/2011/10/steal-their-style-model-street-fashion-at-paris-fashion-week/ |
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| Karlie Kloss in Paris; From BP Blog. |
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| Picture from International Street Style blog. |
Beauty
Of course the french are known for their wide range of various beauty products. Unfortunately, when my Mom had a rash from using a new lotion on her sensitive skin. So the first thing she did was go to the local pharmacy where she was prescribed an over the counter lotion. When she got back to her hotel and put it on, she was nervous that she got a cleanser instead of a lotion because of its clear liquid consistency. However, after only one application her rash went away. She said it was the most amazing thing and looked it up on-line when she got back to the US. Apparently it is availible in the United States, but no where around me. :(
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| Picture from aveneusa.com |
Food & Culture
The food was amazing. She felt like she ate and ate and ate, but when she got home and weighed herself she didn't even gain a pound. On top of that, she said that EVERYONE there was skinny. She tried looking for heavy set people and she could not find even one. We debated about why this was, and here are our conclusions: 1) the food there does not contain preservatives like it does in the US, 2) the portions are smaller, and 3) they take more time to enjoy their food and have a different mind-set to use dinner as a time to socialize and enjoy luxurious tasting food, instead of just trying to scarf down whatever is in front of them just to fuel their bodies. But is that it? Or is there something more to it that we don't know about? Maybe it's time for the government to investigate what is going into the things we eat. Here are some pictures of what a french person will eat in a typical day:
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| Le Petit Dejeuner (Breakfast) usually consists of a slice from fresh baguette with jam or Nutella (a chocolate spread) and coffee, orange juice or hot chocolate for kids. Eggs are reserved for weekends; however the crepe is apparently a staple for breakfast and lunch. Picture from http://www.regimedukan.com/fr/206,259,la-communaute/zoom-nutrition-petit_dejeuner.html |
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Lunch use to be consumed over 2 hours, but many french restaurants now conform to a shorter lunch time. Like breakfast, lunch consists of mostly bread stuffed with meats and wonderful cheeses. These sandwiches usually do not vegetables or condiments like in the US. Crepes with meats and cheeses, and salads are some other popular lunch choices. Salade Nicoise is a popular salad in France consisting of lettuce, green beans, anchovies, tuna fish and small black olives. Picture from http://www.ehow.com/about_5459603_daily-food-traditions-france.html#ixzz1bjuFWcgk
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Friday, October 21, 2011
Indy Weekender: Sun King Brewery
Sun King Brewery in downtown Indy is the place to be on Friday night right after work. All the locals know of Sun King's tasty beer and awesome growler deals. When you go there, present your drivers license at the door and you will get 4 raffle-like tickets and then one or two more special "tickets" (usually beer bottle tops) for their higher alcohol content beer. Inside is the smell the hops being brewed and the chatter of hip young professionals stand around talking and tasting. On the outskirts of the standing areas there are tables pitchers of beer and little plastic cups. Giving a ticket to a person behind the table will score you a sample of Sun King's beer to taste.
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| Brewery Operations |
Once your tickets are gone, you can buy a big growler of beer for between $5-8! It's such a good deal and so much fun to taste good beer and see new people. But hurry, they close at 7pm est because they don't serve food or drinks--only free samples and growlers for you to take home. So, get your butt over to Sun King Brewery tonight at 135 North College Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3801, for a fun time. See you there! (More info at bottom of post).
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| Beer Tickets |
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| Beer Tasting Table |
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| Beer Samples for Tasting |
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| It's Always Packed on Friday Nights! It's so much fun! |
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| Sun King Brewery Outside |
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| They also have kegs!!! |
Tasting Hours (Carry-out and Sampling):
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Pumpkin Pie Fudge Recipe
I found this recipe yesterday and thought I would share. It won a Foodbuzz.com award for their favorite fall recipe. It would be perfect for parties as these are bite size and would look great on a white serving dish with toothpicks on the side for easy eating. I found it at The Cultural Dish blog who looks like they have other great recipes as well. I cannot wait to make these....maybe I'll even make a test batch before our Halloween party.
Pumpkin Pie Fudge
by The Cultural Dish blog at http://www.theculturaldish.blogspot.com/
Pumpkin Pie Fudge (Adapted from several sources)
Ingredients:-2 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup light brown sugar (I've used dark too)
-3/4 cup butter
-2/3 cup condensed milk
-1/2 cup canned pumpkin
-1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (for less spice kick just use one teaspoon)
-1 package white chocolate chips
-1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow crème
-1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Butter a 9x13 baking pan (I have used an 8x8 as well to get larger pieces) and set aside.
In a saucepan, combine the sugars, butter, condensed milk, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice. Heat until all the ingredients are combined and begin to boil. Stirring constantly, allow the mixture to boil for about 10 minutes or until is reaches 234 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat and quickly stir in the white chocolate chips, marshmallow crème, nuts (if using), and vanilla until all ingredients are fully combined and the chips are melted. Immediately pour the fudge into your prepared baking dish and let sit on a wire rack for at least 2 hours to cool and store in your refrigerator.
Cut the fudge into squares and enjoy the pieces as they melt in your mouth! Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Blog I Love: Olivia Palermo's New Blog
Olivia Palermo is one of my favorite people to watch for trends, and style advise. Recently she started her own blog with tons of fashion advise & tips, cool places to shop, traveling experiences & cultures, and much more. It is everything I was hoping for! It's informative and fun to read. A few of my favorite posts are "Falling for Fashion" on how to look good in Fall's essentials, "Stepping into Spring" where she discusses Spring 2012 fashion week & her favorite looks, cool and affordable places to shop such as Pixie Market, and her "How to Rock" posts that vary from Fur Vests to Leather Shorts. If you get the chance, you should really check it out...and maybe even bookmark it. Find her blog at: http://www.oliviapalermo.com/
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Olivia in her Falling For Fashion post.
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| Matthew Williamson Spring 2012 Runway, from Olivia's Stepping Into Spring post. |
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| Olivia's Pixie Market post; a cool and affordable place to shop. Pixie Market online shopping at http://www.pixiemarket.com/store/ |
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| Olivia's How to Rock: Fur Vests post |
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| Olivia's How to Rock: Leather Shorts post |
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| Olivia shopping at NOS & Dumbo in NYC; trying on a leather jacket. Picture from her blog. |
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| Olivia's recent purchase of Matt Bernson's Green Lace-up Oxfords. Picture from her blog. |
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| Olivia Shopping at Dewey's Candy Store in NYC. Picture from her blog. |
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Trend Fall 2011: Red-Orange Shoes
Arguably THE big color for fall, we are seeing red in everything from denim to leather, and in every shade from maroon to crimson. One of my favorite looks that I have been seeing is red-orange shoes. I absolutely adore this look. They add the perfect pop of color to almost any ensemble. My tip for pulling off this trend with ease is to add another red-orange pop somewhere else--ex: match to either your lips, nails, skirt, or blouse, etc... Below are some super cute looks to illustrate:
The two stores I've found with this shoe are J.Crew & Aldo:
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| Red-Orange pumps and matching lips, and a LBD. So, chic! From Kayture.com |
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| Milan Fall 2011 Fashion Week Attendee, Red-Orange Loafers makes the bird print blouse really pop. From fabsugar.com |
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Milan Fall 2011 Fashion Week Attendee, Grown Up School Girl look matches red-orange suede pumps to the hint of red in the plaid pencil skirt. From fabsugar.com
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| Red-orange loafers & nail polish; J.Crew catalog November 2011. |
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| J.Crew Mona Leather Pumps in Brick Red ($198.00 US). |
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| Aldo Lewi in Red Suede ($90.00 US). |
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