My boyfriend Marc and I made our very own peanut butter from scratch. We simply mixed dry roasted, lightly salted peanuts, honey and vegetable oil in a blender, to taste. You can substitute peanut oil for vegetable oil and instead use unsalted nuts. Either way, it's delish! Most importantly, don't be discouraged. It seems at first that the peanut butter isn't turning out right. Just keep adding oil to make it a buttery consistency. And you've done it!
Are you a cookie fiend? Me too! I once ate a whole bag of Oreos in one sitting. My love has been made into a new form--a buttery spread. English Biscoff cookies have been ground up into a paste. The flavor is a little spicy with cinnamon and brown sugar included. Plain cookies taste wonderful dipped in their mashed up counterpart, or spread on toast with peanut butter and/or chocolate.
Biscoff Spread can be purchased at Whole Foods. Trader Joe's also has come out with a variation called Cookie Butter.
I ventured to new Lakeview eatery Native Foods Café (1023 W. Belmont Ave.) before an Octavarius show at ComedySportz one Sunday this fall. After a delish Scorpion Burger—homemade blackened Tempeh, chipotle sauce, romaine, carrots, avocado and onions—I ordered the Cardamom Rose Cupcake. The cake and frosting both tasted like rose. It was also very aromatic. Moreover, since our taste buds and sense of smell are so connected, the flavor was reminiscent of grandma’s perfume.
Your wardrobe tells a story. Each piece attaches memories of where you were and what you did while in the item. "Love, Loss, and What I Wore" speaks to this concept, featuring a new cast of five women—actresses Roni Geva, Cindy Gold, Taylor Miller (of "All My Children" fame), Barbara Robertson and Whitney White—who tell (scripted) stories about happenings in their lives and what they wore. Nora and Delia Ephron wrote the monologues, which are all true accounts from others. The stories are based on best-selling book "Love, Loss, and What I Wore" by Ilene Beckerman as well as recollections of the Ephrons' friends.
The production has been performed all over the world since its debut in 2009. Such celeb cast members included Melissa Joan Hart, Stacy London ("What Not to Wear" co-host), Rosie O' Donnell, Kristin Chenoweth (Broadway and "Glee" star), Fran Drescher, Haylie Duff, Jane Lynch, Brooke Shields, Rumer Willis and many more!
"Love, Loss, and What I Wore" is playing through December 4 ($68-78). Purchase tickets here.
*Note: I conduct PR at a firm that represents this show.
Yesterday was the grand opening of TOPSHOP in Chicago. On my way to work I received a scone and gift card. At about 10:45am, my colleague received a text that her friend saw Miley Cyrus walking into the ginormous shop. Naturally, we ran across the street to spot Miley. We searched both women's floors for the girl in the pink sweater. Just when we were all set to give up, lo and behold, I see Ms. Cyrus sitting on her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth's lap. She was just chilling—touching her locks and chatting with fellow Disney Channel celeb Brenda Song (stared in The Sweet Life of Zack & Cody and The Social Network). The bodyguards stood in front of them to block photos and explained that they needed some private time.
The celeb spotting was not widely promoted ahead of time so I was lucky we got in to spot the starlit. It was the perfect pairing of fashion and celebrity—one could say it was the Best of Both Worlds! I will be back tomorrow to roam the racks full of gorgeous pieces for my fall wardrobe.
Photographed: Brenda Song |
Ever since starting my cupcake reviews, I've been meaning to try Bleeding Heart Bakery. It finally happened! The "punk rock pastry" shop, with locations in Roscoe Village, West Town (this new locale also features a cafe), Oak Park and Elmhurst, is the first Certified Organic retail bakery in the US and also serves local and sustainable ingredients.
Walk into the Roscoe Village spot (1955 W. Belmont Ave.) and you'll find cupcake-shaped tables, associates clad in "Shut Up and Bake" shirts and a bathroom with graphic graffiti art of people, human hearts, brains and cupcakes.
I ordered a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. I was pleased at the amount of sugar; it was not overly sweet as to make my teeth hurt. The peanut butter frosting had much flavor and the cake was heavy but had a slight bitter dark chocolate taste. Unfortunately, I could not savor the flavors because both parts of this Bleeding Heart treat were as dry as a bone. The frosting was even hard. I tried to enjoy but just couldn't shake the dryness.
For more information, visit http://www.thebleedingheartbakery.com/.
Carson Kressley, known for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and his new Carson Nation show on OWN - the Oprah Winfrey Network (and new song titled "Tough Go Shopping," with line "When the going gets tough, the tough goes shopping."), was at the launch of the first In-Fashion: The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival, last Friday, August 26--a two week fashion extravaganza that features tons of events leading up to the third global fashion initiative Fashion's Night Out on September 8.
Carson was at Pioneer Court by the giant flashing Marilyn Monroe statue speaking about various vignettes of fashion, home decor, food and theater inspired by fall trends. Carson was being his goofy self, for instance, he pretended the large tablet was a phone and that he hit his head on the featured sports car (see both pictured above). Carson (perhaps Ellen's long lost twin brother) was the perfect celeb to kick off the exciting fashion festival. For information on upcoming In-Fashion events, click here.
Let's talk turkey! Larry Donahue, executive chef of yummy eatery Mity Nice, located behind Water Tower Place's foodlife, tweaked the restaurant's turkey burger recipe (coined Dr. Bob's Turkey Burger) for at-home cookin'. Donahue offered the recipe to Chicago Sun-Times. I tried my hands at cooking the dish and it was delish!
My recommendations:
- I made six smaller burgers with the recipe, versus four which the recipe calls for. This makes the most of your ingredients, plus you eat less.
- I did not chill the meat in the frig and the burgers turned out great.
- Here's another tip: grilling on an electric grill will cook the meat faster but cause it to become drier and less flavorful than on the stove.
RECIPE:
In 2 tablespoons olive oil, saute ¼ cup chopped yellow onions, 1 teaspoon chopped, peeled garlic and 1/8 cup chopped green pepper until vegetables are light golden.
Cool and mix with 2 pounds ground turkey, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper.
Form into 4 patties; place on sheet pan and refrigerate until chilled, 30 minutes to 1 hours. Season patties with salt and pepper; fry, broil or grill patties until well-done (165 degrees) but not overdone. Lightly toast 4 buns.
*Note: I conduct PR for this restaurant.
The nails come in all types of prints, including houndstooth, lace, butterflies, denim, glitter, cheetah, zebra and more! I chose the pastel floral "girl flower" style, straight from the '60s.
Once opened, the bold smell of polish unexpectedly filled the air. The application, though simple, took longer than expected. Between filing my nails, choosing appropriate sized and shaped nail strips, and intricately smoothing down and filing strips, the total time added up to more than an hour. (Word to the wise: nail strips may appear smaller than they are. For better judgment, test size by flattening strip over nail before pealing off back. Use miniature scissors to fit to size if too large.)
The nail strips looked fun and flirty--like a painted Easter egg! I tested out the design in public. The spring nails were unexpected accessories to brighten up any outfit!
Despite my frequent hand washing and nail picking, the nail strips stayed firmly on my nails for a solid four days. At the end of the fifth day, the tips started to chip. This may be decreased by adding a clear coat of polish after application. Must try for next time. The verdict is in: nail strips get my vote!
The British ARE coming! This afternoon, TOPSHOP/TOPMAN erected signage in front of the old Borders—and soon-to-be fabulous—building at 500 Michigan Avenue, officially announcing its fall 2011 opening to passersby.
Straight from the British high street to the Mag Mile, the Chi-Town location will mark TOPSHOP's second US Flagship store, New York being the first (which opened in 2009). This 30,000-square-foot store is due to open in September. Get your wallets ready ladies!!!
Discovery Clothing Company also has beautiful spring shoes and accessories, also under $25!
Add some spring in your step with exciting espadrilles, playful pumps or sunny sandals!
To make your outfit pop, complete the look with bold, vivid handbags, glamorous shades and colorful and nature-inspired jewelry!
*Note: I conduct PR for this retailer.
Discovery Clothing Company, Chicago’s largest independently owned discount retailer, unveiled its spring trend report—from head to toe.
Spring is all about color! Top hues of the season are a mix of bold and bright neon colors like not-so-mellow yellow, hot pink and electric blue, and pastels like honeysuckle, peapod, beeswax, lavender and silver peony.
Dust off those rose colored glasses and vinyl 45s — the late ‘60s are in full bloom this spring! Channel your inner flower child with a flowy and whimsical paisley blouse, peasant top or floral frock. For a romantic spring fling, Discovery offers lingerie-inspired dresses and blouses, and off-the-shoulder cropped tops. Don’t let those April showers spoil your day, get ready to splash in puddles with a trendy trench coat.
And get this...every item in the shop is under $25! For a list of the 27 store locations, click here.
*Note: I conduct PR for this retailer.
Spring is all about color! Top hues of the season are a mix of bold and bright neon colors like not-so-mellow yellow, hot pink and electric blue, and pastels like honeysuckle, peapod, beeswax, lavender and silver peony.
Dust off those rose colored glasses and vinyl 45s — the late ‘60s are in full bloom this spring! Channel your inner flower child with a flowy and whimsical paisley blouse, peasant top or floral frock. For a romantic spring fling, Discovery offers lingerie-inspired dresses and blouses, and off-the-shoulder cropped tops. Don’t let those April showers spoil your day, get ready to splash in puddles with a trendy trench coat.
And get this...every item in the shop is under $25! For a list of the 27 store locations, click here.
Last night was a girls' night in--Mexican style--complete with a homemade casserole, guacamole...and margaritas!
We layered a casserole dish with rice, tomatoes, black beans, tomato sauce, sweet onions, yellow peppers and topped with cheese, garlic powder, ground pepper and cumin. Then, we placed the dish in the oven on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
While the casserole was baking, we created some guac as an appetizer. Dilemma: The avocados were hard and barely ripe. Solution: Using a cheese grater, we were able to mashed up the avocados. Outcome: Deliciousness!
The meal was palate pleasing!
My cousin and I decided to make a fun dinner one night. I had sweet potato gnocchi in my cabinet and we couldn't think of a complementary sauce. After some online research, we happened upon the below recipe for Brown Butter Sauce, from www.FoodistaNYC.com, and had to make it! It turned out to be delicious, and quite reminiscent of French Toast! Mmm!
Warning: When heating the butter and sugar mixture, be sure to keep on LOW heat, and not make the same mistake as us--burning the sugar, causing the pan to smoke.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 package of sweet potato gnocchi
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbs of light brown sugar
A pinch of ground cinnamon
A handful of fresh sage leaves
A shaving of fontina cheese (we used a mix of three cheeses)
Directions:
In a medium frying pan, melt the butter on low heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon until you start to smell the delicious aromas (maybe for 2-3 minutes). Add sage leaves and fry them in the butter until they get crispy and you begin to smell a detectable earthy fragrance.
Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to the directions on the package - or cook in boiling water until they float to the top. Do not drain. Instead transfer with a slotted spoon or a skimmer directly into the brown butter sauce. Because the butter sauce is very hot at this point, the gnocchi will fry, getting slightly crispy around the edges. Add the fontina cheese (or three cheese blend) on top. It should melt nicely.
Remove from heat and cool for about 3-5 minutes. Then enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 package of sweet potato gnocchi
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbs of light brown sugar
A pinch of ground cinnamon
A handful of fresh sage leaves
A shaving of fontina cheese (we used a mix of three cheeses)
Directions:
In a medium frying pan, melt the butter on low heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon until you start to smell the delicious aromas (maybe for 2-3 minutes). Add sage leaves and fry them in the butter until they get crispy and you begin to smell a detectable earthy fragrance.
Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to the directions on the package - or cook in boiling water until they float to the top. Do not drain. Instead transfer with a slotted spoon or a skimmer directly into the brown butter sauce. Because the butter sauce is very hot at this point, the gnocchi will fry, getting slightly crispy around the edges. Add the fontina cheese (or three cheese blend) on top. It should melt nicely.
Remove from heat and cool for about 3-5 minutes. Then enjoy!
On my second visit to Lakeview's yummy eatery Bakin' & Eggs (3120 N Lincoln Ave), I indulged in a peppermint cupcake. The sweet, yet cool flavor is perfect for a pre- or post-holiday season treat.
The chocolate cake was moist and dense. It was the least sugary cake I have tasted and thus, I was pleasantly surprised. The buttercream frosting was also a shocker--light and fluffy and not too sweet! AND it was 50% off. Can't beat that!
For more on Bakin' & Eggs, click here to read my savory review.