The one with a dress

My Cousin (MM) has her Sweet16 coming up in just a few weeks & I ordered a dress for the occasion. I ordered the Ravon short convertible Dress in Cobalt blue, which I received last night. I spent hours with my cousin trying to figure out how to work this dress (came with NO instructions) & I wish I was joking when I say that I did get tangled up in it! The video below demonstrates how I'm actually going to need more assistance getting into my dress, than my cousin will need getting into her gown!

With that being said, & a lot of practice, I truly LOVE this dress! It can be twisted & wrapped into any combination my mind can come up with. I've now actually decided that I will go into the party with my favorite style, disappear to the bathroom at some point, & come back with a completely different style. It will thoroughly amuse me to see if A. anyone realizes B. anyone comments C. anyone is even marginally as amused as I am with the versatility & fun of this dress! We'll see ;)

The one with Heel Perfection

Alright, I have been trying to post this for over a WEEK now! When did life get so busy?!?

I have been coveting a certain pair of Rachel Roy stilettos for nearly a year now. I first saw them slightly before Christmas & was in LOVE with them -- yet, as everyone knows, you cannot buy yourself anything around Christmas time (or at least that's how it works in my family). Alas, they sold out & as I told the sales person "I quite nearly died".

To my absolutely shock & excitement (where I did actually jump a little) I walked into the mall several days before a big party I was going to, & there -- under a spotlight, on a perfect table, waiting just for me -- are THE shoes!!

I am enamored with these shoes as I would be a deep wine. They're simple but complex, sleek & glitzy but rough, pretty but a bit dangerous. To top it off, they're also perfectly tall & comfortable! To add to her credit, Ms. Rachel Roy has released a line of shoes playing off this one. Below is my favorite.

My infatuation with stilettos is one which I neither deny or hide, they're fabulous & bring a smile to my face -- a delectable win-win!

The one with beautiful delicious-decisions

Today I was fortunate enough to have reason to bake -- my favorite activity!! After a long day in the sun, my cousin (MM) & I came back to make diner for ourselves & desert for my Aunt & Uncle who's 23rd Anniversary was today.

So here's how it played out, MM chose that we would eat Pannini, I chose how to make them. I chose cake, MM chose the flavors:

Paninni

Sourdough bread

Thin-sliced all-natural turkey breast

Sautéed onions

Sliced tomatoes

Pesto

I generously put pesto on one piece of the sourdough, & layered the other with the Turkey, tomato, & onions. I closed the sandwich before wrapping it in tin-foil & placing it in the oven at 400. I placed a hot cooking stone over it (for weight) & left it for slightly over 20 minutes. This is pannini perfection...

Browned, crunchy, fresh pesto & olive oil seeped through the other ingredients -- Bravissimo!

Next we had a cake to make, MM chose Chocolate cake with vanilla filling & chocolate frosting. I used made a basic chocolate cake & let the two rounds bake while I made the frosting. I have a brilliantly fool-proof & lightly perfect frosting base which I've found to be effective & appropriate in about 84% of situations.

1package 1/3 less fat (Because it's not necessary) cream cheese

3 tbs butter (still cool)

3 c confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Blend together & let chill before utilizing. I added a tsp of almond extract to the vanilla filling, & about 1/3 c coco powder for the outside frosting. I was notably pleased with the results as was the rest of the family later in the evening.

It was beautiful & delicious....honestly I can't say which adjective it rang more true with....trust me when I say I will make cakes for a shop of my own some day, & people will derive sweet joy from them. Overall I have to say we have proven to compliment one another quite terribly well.

The one which is Bastille Day!

C'est la vie...I decided to celebrate Bastille day with some elan vital (excited force) by adding phrases en Français....but au contraire mon ami...they looked at me as though to say "merde alors!" (damn it) It is a good thing j'ai la bonne vivant! (I live the good life). To them I simply replied "excusez-moi" before singing happily to myself "Un éléphant se balançait" the first french song I learned beyond Frere Jacque. Haha c'est amusant!

Sur la tas (on a whim) I decided to make some cupcakes de regle de la Français (in the custom of the French) for the office. I started with a basic yellow cupcake, added a simple cream cheese frosting, myrtilles (blueberries) & fraises (strawberries). Et Voila!

The majority of the day's GrooveShark was dedicated to Yelle, my favorite French artist these days. Of her songs, I enjoy Ce Jeu (This game), Tu es Beau (you are handsome), & above all others Safari Disco Club

Ah Paris....we'll always have those memories! Bien fait, n'est-ce pas?

The one where I want to escape

If my Saturday is any semblance of this, it would be a fantastically successful day :)

The one with S'mores which are Brownies!

Of all the iconic summer traditions which makes America so homey & welcoming, I love S'mores with the unadulterated joy of a child. According to Wikipedia, the first recorded mention of S'mores was in a Girl Scouts publication from 1927: this would not surprise my in the least as most of my Girl-Scouting memories include a campfire & those delicious treats! So, as we were baking for the 4th, they came to my mind & I decided to add a little Americana twist!

First I crumbled some graham crackers in the bottom of a glass pan & browned in the over for approximately 6 minutes:

After mixing up my favorite Brownie batter, I poured it over the graham crackers & baked it. Once it was out of the oven, I turned the oven to Broil, sprinkled mini-marshmallows over the top, & put back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes. As you can see from below, before they were even cool they had been thoroughly demolished! These were chewy, chocolaty, crunchy, & marshmallowy!

This was a perfectly irresistible creation which I look forward to repeating soon!

The one where it's Summer in Chelsea

Let me begin by saying that Chelsea is one of my favorite areas of Manhattan; many people may knock it, but I will continue to showcase the blooming flowers among the thorns which is the remnants of the meat-packing district.

One such place is the Chelsea High Line: this used to be nearly 1 1/2 miles of freight railroad before it was slowly converted & opened in 2009 as an open-air walkway/park above the streets of the lower-west side.

It's an idyllic little place, almost like a secret garden. It is progressive in that traffic moves along the walk; however, along the way there are many little sitting areas, bird-houses, theater-like seating, & lounge areas which seamlessly blend together. I think the most remarkable thing, is the way in which the design allows both urban & wild to co-exist & nearly merge together. It's a wonderful spot to chill, walk, enjoy the sun, chat with friends, or just escape for a while. They even have performances along the High Line: Autumn Crossing. Regardless of your reason, I will suggest over & over that you check it out, it's a fun community of sorts.

We stopped by Chelsea Brewing Company, which is a little-known-spot which I used to adore. Sadly, the menu has changed & my favorite items (gourmet burgers & sweet potato fries) have been evicted. I was thrilled to experience their new item -- Prosciutto bread -- this ingenious bread has pieces of prosciutto baked into it, with a garlic & parsley dipping oil!! YUM! Needless to say, it's still a great spot, with brewed on the spot beer, water-front setting, & a chill atmosphere. A relaxed dinner for a warm summer evening!

Later as we took the subway uptown, we encountered the most obnoxious human in Manhattan, yea, we found him. I had the urge to pose this question "Exactly how many times in a day do you get slapped? On Average?" I truly had to remind myself to be a good person in order to refrain.

No friend afternoon would be complete without trying on ridiculous outfits together. To the left is 80's reincarnate (stay-tuned for the work-out video) & on the right is a magenta kangaroo in dress-form.

The train ride back from the city was the picture of any NJTransit advertisement. Divouring gourmet cupcakes (Chocolate fudge w/mocha icing) & drinking individual bottles of rose wine! Sure Grand Central has God's view of the heavens, but Penn Station sells cold-single-serve Wine!! Childish-Adult fun at it's best!