September 20, 2009

I’m so glad that I was reading Kahakai Kitchen the other day when Deb mentioned the new weekly cooking event, I Heart Cooking Clubs. Luckily, I found out about it just in time to join the fun!

The Cooking Club is presently featuring the recipes of Nigella Lawson and the first weeks’ challenge is Party Treats. Yay!! My favorite course!

You all know that I LOVE appetizers!  I’ve mentioned more than once or twice how much I prefer hosting Hors D’Oeuvres & Cocktail Parties versus hosting a formal sit-down dinner. Most of the time when we have friends over, we end up standing around the kitchen bar and island talking, eating, having a few cocktails, and we never sit down. (It sounds rude, I know, but no one ever wants to sit, including myself!)

So, for this first week on IHCC, I decided to make Nigella’s Shrimp with Garlic and Chili Pepper.  The original recipe can be found online at Food Network. I thought these would be a perfect little party treat to take to a get-together we had planned for last night; and, yes, they were a hit!

I changed it up a bit, like I always do when I cook!  I have three hungry men in my house, so I started with a pound of shrimp instead of a half of a pound. (I did want to have some left to take to my friends after the guys did their little taste test.) Since I started with twice as much shrimp as the original recipe called for, I used 3 T. of olive oil instead of 2 T. and 3 large garlic cloves instead of two. Also, my local store didn’t have red chili peppers, (which ticked me off) so I used a half of a Serrano instead. And, I wanted some red color so I added 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes. The combination of the two turned out great!

Nigella’s recipe called for unshelled shrimp but since I wanted to serve these individually on toasted baguette slices, I shelled the shrimp before I cooked it. I also decided to spread a little goat cheese on the toasted bread before sitting the pretty little shrimps on top.  Everyone loved these little party treats!

Shrimp with Garlic and Chili Pepper
(adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Nigella Bites online at Food Network)

3 T. olive oil
1/2 serrano pepper
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. medium to large shelled shrimp
1/2 c. white wine
Pinch of salt
5 oz. package of soft goat cheese
1 baguette bread, sliced diagonally
1 T. chopped Italian parsley

To begin, lightly brush the baguette bread slices with olive oil and toast at 400 degrees for ten minutes or so. Set aside to cool.

Pour the olive oil into a wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Then add the pepper and garlic and, over moderate to low heat, to infuse rather than to color, fry for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.

Then turn the heat to high, add the shrimp, and stir-fry them for another 2 minutes or until they turn pink and are just delicately cooked. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble up. Cook for just another minute or so. Season with salt, if necessary.

Spread some goat cheese on each bread slice.

Place a nice juicy shrimp on top, sprinkle with some parsley and serve immediately.

Enjoy! And, don’t forget to check out I Heart Cooking Clubs today for the full roundup of awesome party treats!

~LilSis

September 19, 2009

Are you going to BlogWorld Expo?  We hope so!  We’re going and are SO excited about it.  It’s just 4 weeks away now…October 15-17.

If you want to go, the discounted registration pricing has been extended to September 21st.  That’s Monday, so you don’t have long.  Go to the BlogWorld Expo registration page and get yourself signed up asap.  The discounted weekend pass for Friday and Saturday sessions is $395, and will go up to $495 once the discount expires.

There are also some discounted $69 rooms left at the Hilton, but that pricing is only good til October 1st, if the rooms last that long.

Not sold on the value of BlogWorld Expo?  Check out the agenda for this year’s sessions.  There are some pretty heavy hitters scheduled to speak:  Darren Rowse, Chris Brogan, John Chow, and Cali Lewis, just for starters!  And the Keynote Speakers haven’t even been named yet, so who knows!

For more info, get yourselves over to the BlogWorld site.  You can also check out twitter #bwe09 and flickr tag blogworld09.

If you make plans to attend, please let us know!

~BigSis

September 18, 2009

Have you seen the new “The Dress Issue No. 2” catalog from White House Black Market?

Not only are there some beautiful little black dresses in this catalog, but there are some precious little black and white kitties, too.  I’m not sure what cats have to do with selling black dresses, but this catalog has a little kitty on almost every page.

I do love White House Black Market, though.  Their clothes fit me better than almost any other brand, so when I need something special it is usually the first place I go.  The last little black dress that I bought for a formal event, I bought at White House Black Market.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the catalog. You can see all the new little black dresses on White House Black Market.

Piped Leather Button Heel $88.00

I love these shoes but the kitty is even cuter! Look at her pretty little necklace.

Satin Full-Skirt Dress 158.00

They must have given this little guy a treat to help him sit still. He’s still licking his chops.

Not that there’s anything wrong with it, and I am a “cat lover”, but if you’re all dressed up in a little black dress, are you really going to pick up a big, white, furry kitty?

Satin Rosette Dress $168.00

She has a smile on her face, but this kitty looks like he’s about done with the photo shoot!

~LilSis

September 17, 2009

I can’t start my day without my morning fruit smoothie.  I’ve never been a milk drinker because of the lactose, and I’m not a fan of soy milk.  That leaves a bunch of great nut milks to choose my smoothie base from, and my favorite is Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla.  I add a splash of juice to it, plus frozen berries, vitamin powder, coconut oil and flax seeds.  Whiz it all up in my pink Kitchenaid blender, and away I go to work with all kinds of nutrients zipping around in my bloodstream.

So, I go through a lot of almond milk, and it’s not terribly expensive but if I make it at home, I can choose  the ingredients that go into it and save a little money too.  How difficult is it?  Not difficult at all, in fact, it’s pretty darn easy:

1. Buy raw almonds from the bulk section of your local store.
2. Soak a cup of them in water for 8 hours, or less if you don’t have that long. I think the milk is creamier with longer soaking.
3. Rinse and drain the soaked almonds.
4. Blend them with 4 cups of water.
5. Drain the pulp out.  I use a couple of coffee filters in a strainer over a tall bowl.
6. Add flavorings and sweetener as desired:  vanilla extract, cinnamon, maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, or anything else.
7. Chill and enjoy within 3 or 4 days.

Voila!  That’s all there is to it!  You could use macadamia nuts or cashews instead of almonds.  I don’t know if you could use pecans or walnuts successfully, but it’s an intriguing idea.  I like to add the flavorings after I strain the pulp out so that I can use the pulp in a savory way if I choose.  Adding lemon, olive oil, garlic, salt and dill to it makes an awesome spread for crackers.

Remember this milk is dairy-free, but it’s not just for vegans.  It’s great for anyone who is allergic to milk or lactose-intolerant, or who just wants a healthy tasty beverage.

If you’d like to see photos of the process or learn more, go check out Gina’s awesome blog at Choosing Raw.  That’s where I learned to do it, and I’m glad I did!

~BigSis

September 16, 2009

In my post earlier today, I mentioned that the Free Skin Care Set was not available through online purchase. I even called Origins yesterday to verify it.  Maybe, they got a bunch of negative feedback from customers about it because I received a new email this morning with this offer:

Through Sept. 20th!

Plus, receive a FREE Skincare Starter Set with any moisturizer order!

Since this offer only last a few days, I think I’ll place my order today since quantities are limited!

~LilSis

September 16, 2009

This offer starts today and lasts through October 3rd, but if you LOVE Origins like I do, you don’t want to wait! Take advantage of this offer NOW!  Origins says quantities are limited so you don’t want to miss out on this deal!

All you have to do is purchase any Origins moisturizer and you get one of these skincare sets for FREE! Each set includes your perfect cleanser, a clinically proven serum, and Origins best selling Modern Friction gentle dermabrasion.

I’ve used almost every one of these products and I love them all. Modern Friction is the only scrub that I use now and Checks and Balances and Never a Dull Moment are also a couple of my favorites. Each of these sets contain the “best of the best.”

I did call Origins Customer Service to verify that this offer is only good at the Origins stores and not applicable for online purchases. If you happen to have an Origins store nearby, I still think it’s worth a quick trip to get these awesome products for free.

I’m not going to miss out on this offer!

~LilSis

September 15, 2009

Are you fanatic about hand cream like I am?  In the summer my hands just feel crunchy, and in the winter they feel parched, irritated and sometimes get red and crack between my fingers.  Not a very lovely image, right?

So I put on hand cream several times a day and have tried lots of different ones over the years.  I like the classic Neutrogena Norwegian Formula but it’s strictly a nighttime treatment because of its’ greasy nature.  I also love the traditional Jergens with the cherry vanilla scent because it reminds me of my grandmother.  But it’s not really moisturizing enough for me; just nostalgic.

My current 3 favorites are excellent hand creams that you may have never heard of.  Here are my nominees for the 3 best hand creams:

Neutrogena Deep Moisture Hand Cream, Butter Cream –  I just picked this up over the weekend at Ulta.  I’ve never seen it before, but the Butter Cream label grabbed my attention.  This cream smells like the Birthday Cake scented candles, and it leaves that delicious scent on your hands for a while.  It contains shea butter, cocoa seed butter, and mango seed butter.  Surprisingly, with all of those rich ingredients, it does melt into your hands without being greasy.  LOVE it!  They also have a body cream and body wash in this line, and in my future!  $21.78 for 4 tubes (2 oz each) from Amazon

L’Occitane Hand Cream with 20% Shea Butter –  Rich, rich, rich!  I’ve been buying this cream for a while from L’Occitane in the small travel sizes, but LilSis bought me a big tube last year on my birthday and I’m just now finishing it up.  You need very little of this cream, so it goes a very long way.

It’s just a touch greasy, but I can still use it in the morning on my way to work.  Besides shea butter, this cream also has vitamin E and extracts of honey and sweet almond.  The jasmine and ylang ylang scent is fabulous!  There are lots of other shea butter products in this line…try the foot cream too!  $25 for a 5.2 oz tube from Amazon

Medline Remedy Skin Repair Cream –  I can almost guarantee that you haven’t heard of this cream!  I certainly hadn’t, until last year when I was in the hospital with the Nasty Virus and asked the nurse for some cream.  She brought me this, and I went nuts for it!  Medline apparently makes all kinds of medical products.  They’ve formulated this cream with a trademarked ingredient called Olivamine which contains antioxidants, amino acids, and vitamins which supposedly play a role in basic cellular construction and protection.

I don’t know about all of that, but I know it soaks into the skin quickly and leaves it feeling very hydrated.  Plus the scent has an awesome orangey creamsicle kind of a thing going on.  I’ve never seen this cream in a retail store, so I’ll be ordering online now that I’ve used up the whole tube.  It’s amazing.  $7.79 for a 4 oz tube from Amazon

There you have it…my best 3 hand creams you didn’t know about til now!  Please let me know if you try any of these, or if you have another fabulous hand cream I should try!

~BigSis

September 14, 2009

I’ve been daydreaming about a new office for several months now, and in my dreams, my office would have floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves. I’ve flipped through magazines and browsed the internet for ideas, but ever since I found this photo on  ZOKK Furniture, I knew that these were my inspiration bookshelves!

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have all my books and favorite magazines together on an entire wall of bookshelves! I’m totally in love with these! A girl can dream, right?

“If you dream, dream big, it just might come true.”

~LilSis

September 13, 2009

Banana Snickerdoodles

What to do with overripe bananas?  That’s the age-old question, isn’t it?  And it seems like I ask it every time I buy a few, since bananas go from green to overripe in about 2 days here in our Texas summer.  I can’t stand to eat them after they get the first freckles, and I’m not a big fan of banana bread.

So, where does that leave me? Looking for new recipes, and I think I found a good one!  Lisa is Cooking recently posted on Noble Pig’s Banana Snickerdoodle recipe that was adapted from Going Berserk.  Get all that?  No worries; all you need to know is that these cookies are fabulous!  Just follow the links to the recipes.

I only changed one little thing.  The recipe called for baking the doodles at 400 degrees for 9 minutes.  I did that for the first batch but they were a touch too toasty for me.  I  lowered the temp down to 375 and the cooking time to 8 minutes for the rest of the batches, and they were perfect.  This recipe made a whopping delicious 4 dozen Banana Snickerdoodles.

Stack o' Snickerdoodles

~BigSis

September 12, 2009

We’re going through a lot of changes right now with our business and the past several weeks have been the most stressful that we’ve ever been through. I’m sure we’ll get through it as we always do. I just tell myself every morning “This too shall pass.” (Actually, I say that about fifty times during the day.)

What does that have to do with the World’s Happiest Cities?

Well, since you asked, I’ll tell ya. While in the middle of this huge transition, I find myself thinking about what it means to really be happy and to have true inner peace. I even wonder if it’s possible to live a stress-free life? Could you really live a happier life just because you’re living in a different environment?

I’ve always wanted to go to Rio de Janeiro, but since I heard that it was voted The Happiest City in the World, I WANT TO GO NOW!!  This might even get put at the top of my bucket list above Rome. (Don’t get hissed off at me BigSis, I’m not ditchin’ our dream vacation to Italy.)

I’m really curious to know what makes a city the happiest city in the world? For starters, just look at the place.

Leblon Beach

Stunning views

Rio de Janeiro

Ipanema Beach (Flickr Photo by over_kind_man)

Forbes recently named the Top Ten Happiest Cities in the World. Here’s the complete list.

1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Melbourne, Australia
6. Madrid, Spain
7. San Francisco, USA
8. Rome, Italy
9. Paris, France
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina

It’s sad that there’s only one US city on the list. The results were compiled from 10,000 online interviews from people living in twenty countries. Still, the concept of happiness is pretty tough to quantify. This study is more of a survey of the respondents’ perception of happiness than actual reality.

The study says “Brazil is associated with all the qualities of good humor and good living and Carnival”. Carnival is very important- it’s the classic image that people have of Rio, and it’s an image of happiness.

You can actually buy an apartment in Rio for $25,000 and beachfront homes just an hour away for less than $250,000. That’s a heck of a lot cheaper than here in California! Now all I need to do is figure out how people make a living there. I think I need to take a trip there to check it out.

I don’t think HayHay would mind too much if we uprooted him to move to Brazil. The surfing is supposed to be pretty good in Rio!

~LilSis