TUESDAY SHOESDAY!!!

I can't pick one pair of shoes today :P

So, here is a link to some favorite special occasion heels in my boutique :)

Enjoy!

http://www.boutiques.com/userprofile.py?viewmode=favorites

this post shall be titled simply, food :)

I just whipped up my second ever batch of hummus, and it is even better than the first! 

SO I had to share the recipe :)

1 small red bell pepper

1 small yellow bell pepper

2 small roma tomatoes

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans

3 cloves garlic

3 T lemon juice

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1 t red pepper

1/3 cup sesame tahini

2 T olive oil

Sautee the bell peppers until tender. Chunk all ingredients in the blender. Voila! 

I know! TOO easy! :P

But o so yummy I think you can get past the ease factor ;) Happy munching this turkey season!!!

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

Weekly showcasing of favorite shoe finds!!! :D 

I ALWAYS brake for sparkle :)

http://zapp.me/7713945

Still looking for the perfect pair, but these are pretty dang nice :)

Beverages

   Liquid sustenance.

   I have recently concocted some new beverages as part of my hydration campaign against the common cold. Chai Wassail...Black Tea with Cream and Honey....French Press Coffee with Molasses... and those are just my favorites ;) I was desperate when I felt the telltale scratchy throat just a week before a long awaited weekend trip to NYC. Happy to report, that sniffles, laryngitis, and all their relatives were kept at bay.

   Here are some inspiring and tasty fillers for your closest, trusty mug :)

Chai Wassail:

1 mug full of Natural Pressed Apple Cider

1/4 cup Tazo Chai concentrate

1 to 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 to 2 Tablespoons of honey

Heat the first five ingredients. Add honey and stir. Optional add in's are 1/4 cup of orange juice...cloves...a slice of pineapple...w/e strikes your fancy :)

*sidenote: There is a big difference in taste between generic honey and brands such as SueBee. This is because generic brands mix honey from all over different regions, even countries, while higher quality brands keep the supply pure.

Whole towns are known to give over a night of the week in celebration of this fair drink...ok, just one town that I know of :P It's New Braunfels, Texas :)

The population of the surrounding area turns out for a night of parades and concerts in the streets downtown, that are blocked off to normal traffic. Christmas lights are everywhere and each business has concocted their own wassail recipe for pedestrians to taste and vote on. Free cookies are flowing through the streets.... I don't know how it can get much better than that, or how I can paint a more compelling picture for you. 

...It's the first Thursday in December :)

ahhh... :)

Now! on to...TEA (and not Sweet Tea, as any Southern born blog readers will first think) ;)

I tried my whole life to get into tea...to no avail...UNTIL a friend brought some loose leaf apricot&citrus tea back from England that was absolutely pungent :) THEN family from South Africa showed me the British tradition of adding cream, and I can now happily indulge in a hot cup of leaf steeped water at will :) Tazo Chai is a favorite, for its spicy caffeine kick. Rooibus (pronounced roy-bus) is a creamier red tea alternative, but still possessing a nice warmth. Green tea tends to make me feel ill so I can't tell you much about it. :P

 Next time you need a vitamin C boost, look for a tea containing rose hips :) They have the highest natural concentration of vitamin C on the planet.

Blogging about hot drinks is hard .... there are so many tangents I'm tempted to follow :P 

   At the moment I'm drinking a caramel latte :) I make lattes at home because the closest Starbucks is 45 minutes away! BUT this has augmented my cappuccino machine savvy and latte flavoring creativity. Honey and molasses are now common add ins with the standard raw sugar. (once you taste the difference, you cannot go back to white sugar!) Come to think of it, the same is true of French Press coffee....but coffee is a whole other blog post...or 12 :P :-)

For now I bid you good night :)

...and blissful sipping ;-D

Unique Color Schemes

I have recently discovered there are whole websites dedicated to helping the masses create their ideal color scheme. It is comforting to know there are many other color matching fiends in the world :) Nothing like a novel palette of ivory, turquoise and red....lime, emerald, and brown....fuchsia, burgundy, and silver...

Anyhooo! All that to say, I am very excited about the palette for my friends wedding next month! I have the best job of the whole wedding - decorating the reception hall!!!

Without further ado, here is the inspiration board I just whipped up :)

As you can probably tell, they are quite the interesting couple. Officially, the colors are champagne, black and red. There will be some burgundy thrown in there as well. I can't wait to see this come together! :D

Leave me your thoughts, ideas, experiences, please :)

Foray's in food....

...ever flirt with the idea of becoming a foodie??? (How exactly does one do that anyway?)

Here are a few creative spurts in the form of snacks, pizza, and an egg dish :)

Giant Wheat Thins with honey dijon mustard, applewood smoked cheddar, and jumbo red raisins. 

Deeeeeply satisfying :)

Thanks to my inspiration over at simplybreakfast.blogspot.com/ I tried whole wheat toast spread with pesto then topped with eggs cooked over medium, and sauteed baby bella mushrooms. 

(the type of mushroom is important, as these have significantly more flavor than button mushrooms)

THIS was absolutely scrumptious with every bite. Using remnants of food found in my fridge, this pizza was born. Whole wheat crust, spread with pesto, turkey spaghetti sauce, spinach, tomato basil feta, and mozzarella...MMM!

BUT, you don't have to take my word for it ;) (a thousand points to whoever can place that quote)

and if you're a burgeoning foodie, share your concoctions! :)

Happy eating

cheese - a new love

I was not born with a fascination of pasteurized dairy products. Although I drank milk prodigiously, my experience with cultured milk, in the form of cheese, was limited to cheddar for grilled cheese sandwiches, and mozzarella for pizza. That has all begun to change.

   I think it began with a jaunt to Europe and seeing how they generously slathered toast with herbed cheese spread wherever I went. (Also Nutella, but THAT's another post :P ) Happily, I found said spread available in the states. If you'd like to have a German breakfast experience try the classic http://www.alouettecheese.com/products/spreadable-garlic-and-herbs.aspx .
   Months later I randomly selected a small wheel of smoked gouda for snacking, and fell in love. The creaminess with a slight hint of woodsy fire was perfect on a cracker with honey dijon mustard, tomatoe, and sometimes avocado.
   Recently I had the pleasure of strolling through Fredericksburg Texas with my mother. It is an idyllic German town, yet I stumbled upon a French named cheese shop. (Of course, all things brilliant for your mouth are French ;)) Enter

 

where I soon hoped to greatly further my cheese education :) I was not disappointed.

   Although initially abated by the price tag of these fermented gems, once I tasted my first sample, I knew my life was changed. That is not some poetic ditty. The cheese exploded with flavor that left smoked gouda looking like a glass of pond water next to a bottle of Perrier. 

   My first experience was with Cahill Porter. 

This cheese is made with a porter akin to Guinness. There are no alcoholic flavors left, although I have never had a glass of porter either :P It was rich and powerful yet creamy and smooth enough to not overwhelm my next sampling....

Applewood Smoked Cheddar. :) I knew I liked applewood smoked bacon, so this cheese was a shoe in. But I underestimated it. This cheese stood on it's own two feet and told me what real cheddar tastes like :) I like a cheese that speaks it's mind.

   By this point my eyes had rolled back into my head untold number of times, and my mother happily fed this ecstasy by giving her budget strapped daughter a donation so that I could take a bit of this newfound joy home with me. 

   Tonight I experimented with the Applewood Smoked Cheddar on baked apples (per the recommendation of the shop proprietor) Using Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala, and Pink Lady apples, I grated a small mound on top of each. This turned into a lacy, crunchy shell that vied equally for attention with the apple, cinnamon, and molasses flavors of the finished product. 

I didn't have my senses about me in time to snap a 'before' pic :P

   I am happy to report the Applewood Smoked Cheddar is also stellar for snacking simply with cheese and mustard.

   I am happier to report I have found my next conquest - my own 1/2 pound of Cahill Porter - at a manageable price, at http://www.gourmet-food.com/gourmet-cheese/cahills-porter-cheese-1000300.aspx

Happy snacking!!! :D