cooking

Asian market finds

by Lara on October 22, 2010

in geek

Going to an Asian market can be really intimidating. There are so many things you’ve never seen before and most things have labels you can’t even understand. There are also so many different Asian countries, cultures and cuisines. The bf is half-Korean and has helped me navigate the Korean markets in Richmond. His mom has also taken us to some meccas in Nova. I usually go nuts over the candies. Here are some of my favorite things.

  • Mango jelly cups! You know how we have pre-made Jell-O cups? Well, at most Asian markets, you can find jelly cups. They come in much smaller portions, like Jell-O shooters, in plastic bags or giant tubs. We hit up a big international market in Nova this past weekend and I grabbed a tub of mango jellies. They’re vegan. The gelatinous quality comes from seaweed extract and little chunks of nata de coco (a process of fermenting coconut water) and they’re delicious! If you happen to hit up an Asian market, try to find the more opaque mango ones. Also, if you are vegan, double check the ingredients. Some that say “pudding” may have milk powder in them.

  • Hoddeok – Korean stuffed sweet pancakes. They’re a common street food and super easy to make. They’re like smooshed fried doughnuts filled with brown sugar and crushed peanuts. You can find the packages at most Korean markets. You can also make them from scratch.

  • Spicy Korean ramen – If you love spicy food, this ramen is where it’s at. My dad is insane for hot food and cooks with just the seasoning pack in these things now. I have to keep him stocked up. Ridiculous.
  • Gochujang - this hot pepper paste is a staple in Korean cooking. It’s used in marinating Korean BBQ and as a condiment. It comes in different levels of heat.

  • Candies and Milkita – I love the random flavors of Asian hard candies and gummies. Plum is my favorite. Milkita candies have a cute little cow and a creamy flavor.

  • Large pearl tapioco or boba. Bubble tea is a Taiwanese flavored drink with gigantic black tapioca at the bottom. You drink it with a huge straw. You can find the tapioca and flavored mixes to make your own, or cook (boil until soft) and add the large pearls to regular tapioca pudding for fun. They also come in pastel colors.
  • Noodles! Oh my god there are so many types of noodles! Rice noodles, buckwheat, egg… you name it.

  • Oyster sauce and other staples- use oyster sauce in Asian recipes instead of super strong fish sauce. It’s much milder and less salty. Great with sautéed bok choy, garlic and soy sauce as a side. Also invest in some good soy sauce and sesame oil. La Choy is Americanized garbage.

  • Bacchus energy drinks- If you like Red Bull, these tiny bottles of Korean energy drinks will knock your socks off!

  • Nylon washcloths- These things are awesome! I’ve mentioned them before for exfoliation. They’re coarse and scrub the heck out of your skin. They’re also long so you can get your back, develop a great lather, and they dry quickly. They’re about $3 and last forever.

  • Mochi – These are Japanese and are soft sweet rice powder cakes with a fruit filling! You can also find the ice cream versions in the frozen section.

  • While you’re in the freezer section, look for boxes of melon bars. They taste like the most perfectly ripe cantaloupe you’ve ever had.
  • Produce! Try out all the different fruits and vegetables for the heck of it! There are enough resources online to figure out how to cook with new things. Lychee fruit, musk melons, daikon radish, various mushrooms (bags of dried ones are great to keep on hand and reconstitute beautifully).

  • Frozen dumplings – These are hit and miss. I really don’t like the kimchi dumplings and some of the vegetable ones have been a mushy disappointment. It seems that you get what you pay for in most cases. There are so many different kinds. Just grab a bag and give ‘em a shot!

Well, that’s all for now! Go out and be adventurous!

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+ & –

by Lara on October 12, 2010

in + & -

  • Do you love paper goods? I just discovered Felt & Wire Shop. Such pretty things from all over, in one place! Love this wrapping paper. (I covered my funky linen closet shelves with fun robot wrapping paper secured with tape and then protected with clear contact paper. It’s held up great and is easy to remove.)

  • Speaking of, I really love to wrap presents. Here’s the gift for the bf’s sister’s wedding next weekend. I went a little nuts at Ben Franklin. We went crazy getting her killer serving pieces at every Marshalls and TJMaxx in town. She wants to entertain.

  • She-Ra turned 25! Next to Jem, they were my favorite dolls and I can’t believe I sold them all on eBay.

  • My rat’s lump on his chin is gone! There’s a wee scab left so I’m wondering if it was a cyst that burst. (gross, sorry) I’m relieved. Barnaby’s my favorite. He lets me scratch and rub him up and he cuddles. Toki hates me.

go Barnaby go!

  • Thankfully, there aren’t any major negatives burning my ass right now. I miss karaoke. I was always a ham at ballet recitals and school plays. I ad-libbed a lot.  A few beers, a few shots and… well, I really miss karaoke. My signature songs were Beastie Boys’ Get it Together, Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell,, and if you ask me to sing with you, I’ll sing anything you want, with gusto!
  • I do want to talk about how sick and tired I am of those commercials with the bitchy wives and wussy husbands. There are the ones for yogurt where a man can’t even look in his own fridge without his wife, hand on hip, calling “Babe?” in an imperious tone. He sheepishly looks down and shuts the fridge door. There’s also the washing machine commercial with the break dancers. The husband decides to bust a tiny move and make a bad joke. (I would’ve burst out laughing.) His wife cuts a look and he also puts his head down and says, “Sorry.” This is pathetic and makes me feel sorry for men who can’t just be themselves because of overbearing women holding their balls for them in their purse. I’m a raging feminist but that doesn’t give me the right to be a bitch. Sure I want respect and wish to be treated like a “lady”. I’m a feminist but I’m also Southern as hell. We all need to be careful what we wish for. There’s a quote by writer Jean Kerr:

The only thing worse than a man you can’t control is a man you can.

{ 4 comments }

+ & –

by Lara on September 13, 2010

in + & -

  • Interesting article on what happened when homeless people were given pre-paid credit cards.
  • Adorable Andrea from green tea moved to Bhutan 3 weeks ago for a dream job. Follow along on her adventures! It’s all pretty amazing!
  • You know what I miss? Being a tomboy! I miss the hell out of being 12 years old, having my mom take me to the army surplus store for camo shorts and bumming around in beat up Pearl Jam t-shirts and Chuck Taylors. My shorts had a ton of pockets. I hardly carried a purse. I was a drawing machine. I loved fashion magazines but looked at it more as art than something to emulate. I had a cute dyed burgundy bob, talked on the phone too much, rode my bmx bike around the neighborhood, played Tetris ’til my thumbs were sore and only worried about getting grounded.

  • Phil lives in Richmond. I met him once through a mutual friend. Phil got his girlfriend a super romantic birthday present! Go Phil!

  • Keeping up with all the shows at NYFW is exhausting!
  • I am already thinking about Christmas shopping. No seriously. I started a list of ideas. Unreal.
  • So I tried lip stain. I gave the Maybelline Color Sensational AND the Revlon Just Bitten + Balm a shot. It’s Maybelline all the way and that’s with reservations. They both have the magic marker style applicator but the Revlon was less sharp and not as precise, it went on unevenly and didn’t have the nice scent/flavor. The balm was awkward, sticks up too high and isn’t adjustable. Either way, lip stain is strange and takes a bit to get used to. It’s not something you put on casually like gloss. You have to reapply until you get it just right and your lips have to be in super soft condition and completely dry before applying or it looks bad. I recommend it if you want some back-up color under your lipstick or colored gloss when that wears off. Also, stick with the lightest colors. They’re easiest.
  • The list of things I want to get to make all the DIY projects I have in my brain… it’s all getting overwhelming and expensive. I want to make that leather belt. I want to make that chain bib necklace. There’s another necklace. I’m still on the hunt for the perfectly large rhinestone brooch for another necklace I made (think I’ll have to wait until x-mas and the department stores get flooded with them). I want to make nonsense with felt. I have a vintage baby alligator purse that needs a new strap and I’m trying to find the perfect one. I’m brainstorming metal clay ideas in my sleep. I would love to knit a giant circle scarf… oh lord make it stop!
  • So, I switched to a new type of BC pill last month and well… my period didn’t start. TMI? Whatever. It was terrifying. I NEVER forget my pill (well maybe twice in my entire life) and take it at the exact same time every day. I looked online in a panic and apparently Loestrin 24 is notorious for this so I feel better but it still kinda freaks me out. Sometimes, I hate all the crap that comes with being a woman.

{ 3 comments }

Things I didn’t get but finally did!

by Lara on February 24, 2010

in beauty,decor,fashion

After Christmas, I did a selfish little post “Things I didn’t get but need to“. Well… I’ve managed to chip away at that list!

- For my birthday on March 23, my mom is getting me this sweet white laptop bag by Acme Made. I’ve had my eye on it for a while and it’s on super sale!

- Heading back from our ski trip we hit IKEA and I got the red PS cabinet for our kitchen! That thing was such a bitch to put together and I managed to bend part of it in a fit of Hulk-strength rage, but the bf fixed that right up and it’s stocked with all my serving dishes, mixing bowls and dumb shit women find necessary to have in a kitchen! Yay! So now, I can quit talking about it!

- On the Target clearance rack, I found a blue cable knit hoodie… not the cardigan I wanted but that’ll do pig!

- For my b-day, I’m also getting a toaster and that weird curling iron you just pull through your hair a certain way! I am stupid excited about having a toaster! Pathetic.

- I got a haircut! Really, it was just a trim but she cleaned up my layers and blended my blunt bangs that have been growing out. Hell yes.

- I found a big fish bowl that was collecting dust at my folks’ house and finally transplanted my enormous Schefflera plant. It’s still dropping leaves like crazy but I think it’s just the heat being on in the winter.

- Not the Tiffany necklace or the one I had that looked just like it but, I finally found another chunky chain necklace. It’s a bit shorter and it’s light as a feather (cheap shiny coated plastic) but it’s the look I’ve been wanting and at $6.80, I won’t feel so bad when I lose it… and that’ll do pig as well.

- The last thing on my list to get is a chest of drawers. I saw that top one with the glass fronts in person and it was made like crap. The bottom one is solid wood and at the same price… it will be mine next trip to NOVA. The flat front has got my head spinning thinking of ways to try some SylvanSF-esque type treatment with decals like I wrote about earlier.

Not a bad whack at taking care of business in less than 2 months! I cannot think of another single thing that I want or need in my life right now other than the usual love, food and happiness. Everything else is just cake. That’s a nice feeling.

What’s on your list?

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cooking pet peeves

by Lara on February 23, 2010

in decor

Damn food posts! I have nowhere else to talk about food though!

I have some serious cooking/kitchen pet peeves and here they are.

  • Not using teflon-safe cooking tools on non-stick pans. If you are going to spend good money on non-stick pans, then treat them with respect! There are a ton of fancy silicone coated whisks and tongs out there now for dirt cheap. I got a pair of tongs at IKEA for a few bucks and a nice Italian coated whisk for $3 at Marshalls. Heat safe spatulas are awesome. Wooden spoons are a dime a dozen and come in a ton of sizes. For god’s sake, you can even use chopsticks that came free with your take-out. Just never never never use metal utensils on your coated pots and pans! (Don’t get me started on cutting things inside your non-stick pan. I’ve seen it and it broke my heart.)

  • Not using a splatter screen when frying or boiling a sauce. Who cleans the kitchen? If you don’t use a splatter screen, you’re probably not the one cleaning the kitchen. Make everyone’s life easier. You can get the damn things for $1 at the dollar store. Seriously. Get one.

  • Splatter screens lead up nicely to not cleaning up after yourself. This is of course especially important when you live with others* or… you just don’t want to be a filthy pig. Of course, you don’t always want to go clean the kitchen and dishes after a big meal and you’re just wanting to relax but, get on it the very next day for crying out loud. When you cook, there are a lot of spaces in between the process when you’re standing around doing nothing. This is when you should really be cleaning up after yourself. It’s called being efficient.
  • Not following the slices. What? Okay, say you’ve baked a ham and it’s sitting in your fridge. You’ve been cutting nice cross-section slices for sandwiches and someone comes along and hacks a chunk of ham off the top. Or, you have a stick of butter in a dish and while you cut normal pats, someone decides to scrape butter off the top (and leave crumbs! oh the horror)! This is annoying. If you didn’t cook it or buy it, follow the slices.

  • Not closing or sealing up something you open. I bought a box of crunchy cookies and a bag of chips. I would like them to be fresh and crunchy tomorrow as well. You can buy a sack of 50 clothespins at Target for $1.50. No lie.

  • Not throwing away an empty container. Did I just try to pour milk from an empty carton?! You lazy jerk!

*Note: This is in no way passive-aggressively directed towards my bf, whom I live with. He is incredibly clean and considerate and that’s part of the reason why I love him and can live with him w/out wanting to kill him.

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Things I didn’t get but need to

by Lara on January 6, 2010

in decor,fashion

I got a lot of wonderful things for Christmas from the lovely generous thoughtful people in my life but there are always things on a wishlist that still leave you wanting. Here are some things I didn’t get but still need or want to.

- Laptop bag. The one I have offers zero protection. It’s pretty much just a cheap nylon tote and it’s falling apart. White leather would be ideal but I know that’s just asking for disaster.

- The red PS cabinet from IKEA. I need this in my kitchen like whoa!

- Something really simple but I can NEVER find it – a fitted baby blue cotton cable knit button-up cardigan. I saw a girl with one on years ago. She was punky and had on the requisite studded belt and whatnot and it was adorable. Can’t get it out of my head but I can never find the right color or fit.

- A toaster. My grandmother used to make these weird sandwiches for me when I was a kid – summer sausage slices and bell pepper on toast. Seriously fantastic, reminds me of my childhood, and I’ve been craving them like crazy!

- That curling iron/flat iron combo I kept seeing on TV where you simply run it over your hair and it’s curled, kind of like curling ribbon on the edge of scissors. I’ve looked everywhere! It seems so much easier than a regular curling iron or hot rollers. (Yes, I have hot rollers and I’m not afraid to use them!)

- A haircut. I’ve been growing my hair out for over a year and just started growing my blunt bangs out a few months ago. It’s been a personal hell.

- This is so mundane (more mundane than a toaster), but I really need some larger pots for my houseplants. I know they’re rootbound and need more room! I guess it can wait until Spring.

- A chest of drawers. I can’t take these plastic bins in my closet for much longer!

- A chunky chain necklace. I had one a few years ago and misplaced it. It looked exactly like this darker one from Tiffany’s. (Photo via Modelizing, a great window display blog!)

What did Santa forget that’s still on your wishlist?

{ 1 comment }

Tight Times

by Lara on December 9, 2009

in decor,fashion

Do you remember the show Reading Rainbow? One story has stuck with me since I was a child. It was called Tight Times. A family is going through financial troubles and the little boy finds a kitten outside and of course wants to keep it. Things are so rough that the parents get upset about having another mouth to feed but after everyone breaks down and starts crying, they figure that they indeed can spare a bit more to keep the kitty. (watch the episode here)

Everyone I know is having a hard time staying above water right now but still want to give those they love a meaningful gift, so here are some inexpensive but thoughtful suggestions to get your Christmas shopping done without breaking the bank!

I am a huge TJ Maxx fan. I honestly think you could get all your shopping done there. It’s full of practical luxuries, so cheap it can make your head spin at times. So here are some frugal gift suggestions that could be knocked out in a jiffy at everyone’s favorite discount store.

I recently purchased a small high quality wok great for quick side veggies for $4.50. This and a package of asian noodles, some sesame oil, a head of garlic and a small ginger root (picked up on your next grocery trip), all bundled together could get your favorite foodie inspired for around $10. You could do the same thing with a pasta strainer or large bowl, some interesting sauce, and a bag of fun pasta. A friend did this, with bottles of wine added, for everyone she knew one year and it was a huge hit. It also makes an excellent hostess gift for any parties you attend.

Another nice combo gift great for mom, grandma, or any lady friend is the fancy tea cup/tea package. There are tons of random patterns of china tea cup/saucer sets, mugs, tea pots, kettles, and a bevy of fancy flavored teas and cocoas available at ridiculously cheap prices. Pair some tea up with a thoughtfully picked out cup or pot, and maybe even a box of cookies, for a gift that should be well below $20.

Practical gifts like scarves and gloves can be boring unless chosen in fun colors that the recipients normally wouldn’t pick out for themselves, but will be excited to work into their wardrobe. There are tons of gorgeous Italian and Irish wool scarves available right now for both men and women at about $15.

 

Babies all the way to teens aren’t left out. For baby, there are adorable hats, pretty storage boxes for nurseries, a slew of cute onesies and clothing, soft blankets, toys for all ages, and classic books. For older kids there are small electronics like colorful ear phones (usually some from Skullcandy) , portable ipod speakers and cases, hip room decor like bright throws and mirrors, there are tights (usually from Betsey Johnson), fuzzy slippers, pajamas, and luxuriously packaged bath products (for anyone really), all hitting well below $20.   

 

 If any of the above suggestions don’t work for office pals, there are tons of stationary and desk organizing tools.

There are loads of beautifully designed hand soaps and towels both for kitchen and bath that would go well together.

There are name brand wallets, cosmetic bags, clutches, yoga accessories, men’s accessories, cook books, coffee table books, photo albums, handblown glass vases, picture frames like crazy, scented candles, kitchen tools, gourmet spices… all at inexpensive price points.

When it comes to presentation, I really can’t stand the suggestion of wrapping a gift up in an additional gift, like a jewelry box wrapped in a scarf. No, I’m not spending an extra chunk of change to wrap the originally intended present. Then there’s the ideas of painting or stamping your own paper. Please. The season is hectic enough.

For wrapping gifts, I usually hit the 50%-75% off sales after Christmas and stock up for the next year. Take advantage at the stores you shop at and ask for their complimentary boxes, especially for odd sized items. A well wrapped gift can make a small item pretty fantastic to open. If you need to stock up on gift wrapping supplies right now, I highly recommend the dollar store. They have tissue paper with designs and huge packs of solid colors, curling ribbon, rolls of wire edged fabric ribbon for luxurious bows, bags of traditional bows, tags, tape, gift bags and boxes of all sizes and the usual seasonal wrapping paper – all for $1. Sometimes just sticking with a solid red or white paper or the big rolls of brown craft paper will allow a $1 ornament to stand out as a gift tie-on. There are glitter snowflakes, large sequined balls, and other novelty ornaments. You can also check the craft section for bunches of berries, fake birds and raffia ribbon for a rustic look.

There’s no reason to go broke this holiday season! Have fun being a thoughtful smart shopper!

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pound cake

by Lara on November 22, 2009

in crafty

I hope this is going to be my last food post because honestly, I don’t like them on my blog. I just really want to share this recipe with you. I don’t like keeping good things a secret. It’s catty. This recipe for pound cake has been in my family for 4 generations (at least) and it’s killer and so damn easy. 

First, this is the kind of cake pan you need. It’s a two piece tube cake pan (or angel food cake pan) with a removable bottom. I have never tried this recipe in loaf pans but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You would just have to figure the cooking time out for yourself. You can also use a bundt pan but the best part (the crunchy top) ends up getting smooshed on the bottom.

So here goes (a hand mixer is fine) -

2 sticks of butter (at or near room temp in a big bowl) (you can also use 1 stick of butter and one stick of margarine)

Cream the butter with 3 cups of sugar and 6 large eggs.

Slowly add 3 cups of all-purpose flour (sift if you want… or not) and one cup of milk (or heavy whipping cream, or 2% milk…)

Here’s the fun part: You can add a splash of vanilla extract and leave it at that or, you can add lemon extract and lemon zest, orange extract and orange zest, vanilla-almond-rum-coconut-lemon-orange extracts all together for a super tasting poundcake, any of the above flavored extracts and 1/2 cup or more of any type of chopped nuts (dust with flour first and then fold them in at the end, pour into pan and sprinkle some on top- black walnuts are weird)… really do whatever the heck you want to with this thing.

Spray the pan with some Pam (or grease however you like) and pour the batter (which should be thick) into your pan. (My pan has never leaked but you may want to put some aluminum foil on the shelf under the cake the first time.)

Pop into a cold (non-preheated) oven at 325 degrees and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The top will get golden and crunchy and it’s almost like candy.

Let it cool for about 15 minutes then gently run a knife along the edge of the cake. Put a plate on top of the pan and flip it. If the removable bottom part of the pan sticks, use a knife for that too. Place whatever stand or plate you want on the bottom of the cake and flip again.

This cake can get dry fast. I use a glass domed cake stand and put the lid over it and let it steam until it’s completely cool. You may want to wipe the condensation out of the lid at least once so that it doest drip down the sides of the lid and make the bottom soggy, or just edge the cake with rolled up paper towels under the lid until it’s cooled off.

If you don’t have a cake stand, plastic wrap it up on a plate.

If you want to make one well in advance, they freeze and thaw beautifully under plastic wrap and aluminum foil. They make great gifts. It’s awesome with coffee, great for strawberry shortcake in the summer… I pretty much have one baked at my folk’s house every couple weeks and amazingly, they’re not huge.

Could not be a more simple and forgiving cake. They are so hard to mess up. Hope you enjoy!

This isn’t my pic but basically this is what it will look like… only mine looks better! Ha! (photo via myrecipes.com)

{ 2 comments }

apple pie

by Lara on November 14, 2009

in crafty

Well, I’m doing something I didn’t want to do… a food post! I just can’t help it! It’s so exciting to try something new and apple pie was unchartered territory. I make some killer mini pecan tarts with cream cheese crusts, chewy walnut raisin oatmeal cookies, a 4th generation 6 flavor pound cake, and snackable pecan cheddar cookies that get requested every Christmas. No apple pie… until today.

The bf said he wanted one and who am I to deny giving it a shot? We browsed through my favorite recipe site – Epicurious. (It’s all the recipies from Gourmet and Bon Appétit magazines.) We settled on a good old fashioned apple pie. The recipe we used was for a mix of different types of apples but I like Golden Delicious so, off to the grocery store we went. I didn’t even have a pie pan and I don’t have a food processor so, I bought a pastry blender as well. Oh, and a makeshift rolling pin was fashioned out of a wine bottle.

The changes I made to the recipe: all Golden Delicious apples, added a 1/4 teasp. of cinnamon, didn’t use graham cracker crumbs in the bottom, did not glaze with milk or top with raw sugar. There’s enough butter in this pie to kill a horse but hey, it’s the weekend, and I’m allowing myself a small break from my diet.

Just a note - before you roll your dough out, pop it in the freezer for a bit after you’ve blended it and made two separate balls. Also, flour the hell out of your countertop. The butter warms up fast and makes it sticky and brittle so move quickly. I had to learn from my mistake, ball it all up and pop it in the freezer to start over 10 minutes later. Either way, I had to do quite a bit of patch work for the bottom and top crusts.

It was pretty labor intensive but it helped to get an organized strategy down.

Measure out and freeze your Crisco first. Cube your butter and measure out the rest of the crust ingredients and put them in a big bowl and place in the fridge until you’re shortening is frozen. Get your ice water ready.

Blend your crust mixture well until it’s fine and crumbly. Form two equal balls and place in the freezer.

Mix up your filling ingredients in another bowl. Peel and cut your apples and mix with the coating. Preheat your oven and let your apples sit for 15 minutes on your countertop while it’s warming up.

Roll out your first layer of crust (tons of flour on your countertop!) and line your pie pan and pop back in the fridge until that 15 minutes are up.

Dump your filling in the pie pan, dot with that 2T butter.

Roll out your top crust (more flour!), roll it onto your rolling pin and roll out on top of your huge mound of apples. Crimp the edges with a fork, decorate and pop it in the oven, following the rest of the baking instructions.

{ 1 comment }

+ & -

by Lara on October 30, 2009

in + & -

+

  • Comments! I love them! Leave one and introduce yourself! When you comment, I get to see YOUR blog if you have one, and this my friends, is how great relationships begin! I just recently received a comment from Sarah whose blog yes and yes, I had never seen before and well… it’s awesome… and I’m mentioning it here! So there you go!
  • The Botany of Desire was on PBS this week and I loved it. It’s a documentary based on the book by Michael Pollan. It talks about how 4 plants that have satisfied humans (apples, potatoes, tulips and marijuana) have thrived and expanded across the world because of our efforts. If you’re into plants, into history, into genetics, into evolution, into the world, check it out. You can watch it online.
  • This is both a plus and a minus – I’m not dressing up in a costume this Halloween. It’s a plus because the planning, expense, and usually the sewing can get to be a little overwhelming. It’s a minus because costumes really bring out the nut in me and they’re soooo much fun! Here are some pics from Halloweens past -

This was a zentai tiger suit I ordered off of eBay in 2006. I cut the face out of it but was constantly having to readjust. This costume got a lot of milage at a lot of super fun parties. The nose was a pain but I loved the annonymity. It was skin tight and some chick came up and told me I was “really brave” for wearing it. Compliment? I hope so.

In 2007, I repurposed an old bridesmaid dress  and made the Bjork swan dress. Such a pain to sew! Miles of various types of white tulle strips and at the last minute I magically found a yard of white feather ribbon edging for the bodice part. That really made it.  It was great going to parties and everyone running up to you knowing who you were.

Last year, I finally made a super cuddly hamster costume after talking about it for forever. It was beyond comfortable and I loved wearing sneakers all night. I also made a blinding pink bunny suit for a friend out of the same pattern at the last minute one evening. We took over the town. Everyone wanted to hug me and I wanted to hug them back!

  • I have had this first pair of Givenchy shoes from the Spring 2010RTW collection bookmarked for almost a month but hadn’t had the time to look at the rest of the collection. The clothing (and those god-awful hats) didn’t do a thing for me but holy cow these wedges!  So ideal. Have I told you before how much I love a wedge? Like a million times! I wish affordable amazing wedges were more readily available!

via style.com

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  • Grilled Romaine lettuce just seems so wrong to me! I hear it’s very good though.
  • After getting my laptop back from being repaired, my external hard drive (that I backed everything up on) won’t work. (Something about partitions and all this other computer garble that I don’t plan on teaching myself.) Well, I tried to hook it up to my folks’ desktop and it too is saying that it needs to be reformatted – meaning I will lose everything. So, I downloaded a freeware version of a data recovery program and everything was working well. The items on my external were being recognized, I could see it all in front of me, then the error reports started popping up (something got corrupted which explains why it wouldn’t work on the desktop either) and just when I was ready to transfer all the items I had painstakingly hand clicked on… the “freeware” program directed me to a website to pay $50 to complete the transfer. What a flippin crock!
  • Twinings African Rooibos red tea tastes like bug spray. It seriously tastes like Raid!
  • Zombieland was a huge waste of time. The previews were incredibly misleading. There was hardly any zombie killing. Who goes to a zombie movie not wanting to see excessive zombie violence? The female characters (I hate to say it) were unnecessary - very cunning at the beginning, emo in the middle, and pathetically stupid and needing a man’s rescue at the end. The awkward emo guy was obviously cast as some poor excuse for a Michael Cera wannbe.  Bill Murray’s bloated self-indulgent cameo was terrible. Weak. So weak.

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