I somehow started getting a free subscription to Elle Decor - the magazine is so not me, but it's entertaining to flip through and has some gorgeous stuff. One regular column that always cracks me up is when they ask some designer or celeb to list the 12 things they can't live without. Golden unintentional humor. Undoubtedly, the list always features utterly useless, sometimes beautiful, often delightfully tacky, totally overpriced items. Like a $1200 Hermes iPhone case. I love fashion and design, but c'mon, if you're carrying a $1200 iPhone case, you've got issues.
But, I thought it would be fun to make my own list of 12 Things I Love but Could Totally Live Without. If you're reading this and feel so inclined, consider yourself tagged! It is Friday, after all.
- Elbow-length black leather gloves. I feel so Audrey Hepburn in them. It seems like something every girl should have.
- My Karim Rashid-designed "Orange" acme pen. It makes office life a little more 'me'.
- The vintage LP record collection I stole from my parents. These things deserve to be played. Party guests love 'em.
- Yves Saint Laurent faux cils black mascara. It gives you Snuffleupagus lashes.
- Our tiki mug collection. This doesn't really require an explanation.
- My pool cues. I have some good memories with those babies.
- Gelato, coffee and prosciutto. But you already knew that.
- My Canon Rebel digital camera. Canon cameras take beautiful photographs, and they're amateur-friendly.
- Good stationery. I like sending little notes randomly.
- Moleskin notebooks. They're just right.
- The Bamix immersion blender. It's heavy-duty commercial quality and I use it constantly.
- Drumroll please.... my final item in my ode to Elle Decor's "screw you, peasants!" mid-recession attitude is... my fake teeth. Boy, I really don't like to go outside without them. (For those of you jumping in recently, I'm about halfway through an 18-month long dental implants/bone grafting series of procedures. The down side is I have to wear these removable fake teeth. Pretty!)
How will you use technology or the Internet to help you plan and prepare this year’s Thanksgiving feast?
Sponsored by LifeScoop: Bringing You Tips for a Connected Lifestyle.Ooh, good question, Vox. I have been thinking much about the feast this year, because it's the first time that I'll host my family. I'm quite excited to cook for them, and to not have to travel on Thanksgiving weekend. Yay!
I'm keeping the menu traditional. I mean, it's hard to improve upon things you know everyone likes. And we don't eat cranberry sauce and turkey much year-round, so I don't think it's a bad thing having the same menu every year.
As far as technology, there's not a ton I do to pull it in for Thanksgiving. I don't even have a digital thermometer. ;-) However, I do use Cook's Illustrated online quite a bit (thanks to Aquanetta). The team at Cook's Illustrated doesn't necessarily use a lot of technology, but they are very scientific.
If you want a guaranteed-to-please recipe, Cook's Illustrated is the place to go. The idea behind it is that they take a recipe, try it 100 or so different ways with slight variations, each time testing with a tasting panel, and they tell you the exact best way to cook it. And to top it off, the editor is a chemist, so he explains why these methods work best. It is, by far, the most reliable source of recipes -- and I've read a lot of cookbooks and cooking magazines.
Here's my Thanksgiving menu. All the recipes are from Cook's Illustrated except where noted otherwise.
Roast turkey (brined, stuffed with an herb paste)
Gravey
Mashed potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Roasted brussels sprouts with bartlett pears (Body+Soul magazine)
Green beans with toasted walnuts and roquefort cheese (Body+Soul magazine)
Creamed spinach
Pumpkin pie (Libby's recipe)
Pecan pie (from a Thanksgiving cookbook I have, forgot the name, but it's great. My pecan pie secret is to include chopped pecans in the filling, as well as a layer of halved pecans on the top for looks)The fam is bringing rolls, candied yams, stuffing and butternut squash soup. Yum!
Btw, Cook's Illustrated also tests cooking equipment - someone put together their list on Amazon as a shared list if you want to find any equipment. Geez, I sound like a commercial!
looking at my social calendar, it appears i am obliged to drink every night this week. it's only wednesday and let me tell you, getting tipsy every night seriously starts to suck after a while. esp drinking and eating out every night; it wears your body out, in addition to broadening the body out(wards). ugh.
last weekend i attended an annual bond party in SOMA. yeah, it's quite a geeky theme but everyone had a good time, especially me considering i started drinking at 6PM, BEFORE even heading to the party. throw in pink fans, wigs and we geeks/dorks are unstoppable /snarf!/
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I usually let my daughter play with my Too Faced palette (as I don't use it anymore) and an old, foundation brush. She usually pretends to use it but yesterday she actually used it and created a magnificent smokey eye look. I can't wait to post pictures later!
Not a whole lot to remark upon lately, but last night I made a new dinner. I "fanned" Sunset magazine on Facebook, and now and again they'll cull useful ideas from their readers. A few days ago, they asked "what do you do with leftover rotisserie chicken?" I got a couple good ideas. Rotisserie chickens are great for when you don't have the time or energy to cook but want a homecooked, healthy meal. Idea #1 was to shred the chicken, pour barbecue sauce on it, and put it in a sandwich. Oh so simple but sounds tasty, no?
Idea #2 was last night's dinner -- chicken and biscuits. Cut the chicken (I wouldn't shred it with forks, but using spoons gets just the right size pieces). If you have time to sautee an onion, put that on top of the chicken. Pour a can of cream of mushroom soup (Amy's Organic is the best) on top, followed by a package of frozen peas and carrots. Then top with biscuit dough, and bake according to the directions for the biscuit dough. I used Bisquick, so the whole thing was super easy. It turned out great, and I think was reasonably healthy, too.
This morning, I actually hauled my butt out of bed early and went to the gym! For me, this is a major accomplishment. I haven't been active for the last few months. My workout felt great. Woo hoo!
S frigging amazing...
UPDATE: whoa!!!! how drunk was i last night to not only post a terrible pic of imogen but mispelled her name as well?
oh well. it was an amazing show, one of the best i've been to in recent years.
A flurry of emails flew between the Hubs, my sister and I this morning after we received Travel Zoo's email about fab deals from British Airways. We almost pulled the trigger for Christmas in London, but plans changed. No biggie, this works out too.
So our European extravaganza is going to be shorter then I originally wanted/planned. Due to work commitments, instead of a 3.5 week blowout, we're going to shoot for two weeks BUT we're going to squeeze in a trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics to make up for the shorter European trip. Awwww yeah!
Tickets to Seattle right now are pretty cheap AND we get to stay in Seattle & Vancouver for free so it looks like we'll be going to our first Olympic Games! I'm still trying to figure out what tickets we can get events to before we book tickets, but hopefully I'll get that figured out before the end of the week.
What's the longest you've ever waited in line?
An hour and a half just to buy tickets for a local film and The Time Traveller's Wife. The longest wait of my life!
Saturday - Productive, mainly got all my errands done. Stopped at the Carlsbad outlet malls -- thought I'd tackle a little early Christmas shopping -- but apparently I wasn't the only one with that idea. The place was packed. Scary packed. I thought I might die under a heap of customers clawing at the 50% off bags at Coach. Narrowly escaped.
Sunday - Went for breakfast and took Bucky. When another jumpy/sniffy/nosy dog got near Bucky, we again found out that Bucky's still not dog-friendly. :-( His next training is Saturday.
Went bowling with some friends, and now my legs are sore. Geez, gotta get back in the gym.
I also tackled my first cheesecake, and it turned out pretty good. I stuck to a simple recipe -- just cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon rind. A lot easier than I thought it'd be.
Had some friends over for dinner last night; that's one of my favorite things to do. Sigh, I already miss the weekend....
- the only problem with having my closet now clean and organized is that i find myself wanting to sit in it. for not particular reason. i want to just go in and plop myself in the middle of the floor. just to marvel at the beauty of how being clean and organized really revitalizes me. of course, there is still that half of a shelf and my cd collection that needs to be done. maybe i'll get some of it down tonight.
- we went to cathy's little M's 5yr birthday party yesterday. it was fun! the kids had such a blast. cath had hired a clown. and when the invitation first mentioned about a clown, i was a bit concerned. i have an irrational fear of clowns. not a phobia, per se. but they have always given me the creeps. i was happy with this clown, though. she was whimsical and cute and really knew how to create good chemistry with the kids. and the children did love her! not only did they get a ballon twisted into something they loved, she put on a great magic show that starred a cute rabit in the end. the kids got to sit on a chair have hold the rabbit on their lap for about 30 seconds each. and then, after lunch, each of them got to have their face painted of their choice. chaeli was so crazy about the clown that she said, before going to bed, that she hopes she will meet the clown again someday.
- i'm hungry. it's a weird kind of hunger. i feel like i can eat a lot today. which isn't good, really. because i know that if i allow myself to go nuts, i'll feel like complete crap at the end of the day. but, i have brought some healthy snacks so hopefully, i can stay good.
