Silver Screen Anticipation: Black Swan

Does anybody know whyyyy this is not playing anywhere in North Carolina? It has been heavily covered, advertised and critically-acclaimed before it was even in theaters. :( Why the tease?!

Late Lunchtime Yummy of the Day

I just made my favorite salad, with my favorite dressing, and I nearly licked the bowl it was so good!!! It is nothing out of this world as far as the recipe, but it is a quick fix and most certainly delicious!!!! Didn't get to take a pic because... well because it was that good. I guess I'll just update the post with a picture when I make another one later this week.

Handful of spinach
Handful of green or red leaf lettuce or a mix of the two (your choice)
Tbsp of raisins (sometimes I switch this up with Craisins, fresh grapes, blackberries or strawberries)
Small handful of nuts (I like pecans or walnuts or a little of both)
Tbsp (or a little more) of crumbled goat cheese
1-2 tbsp of Newman's Own All Natural Olive Oil & Vinegar (go light; this is heavy in calories) or opt for another dressing or none. I think you need something just to wet the leafiness some.
1-2 tbsp of chopped red onion
I didn't today, but you can even add some cilantro for extra zest if you please.
Mix it all up!

AND ENJOY!

Enjoy the Happy Little Things...

1. Enjoy my pretty Easter nails :)

"Spring Fling" by AVON.... out of my 'vintage' stash (i.e. The summer of eighth grade where I bought almost every polish in the little AVON catalog. Quality stuff, fresh colors, and on sale at $1 apiece, I even knew a good deal back then!!) Years later, a few bottles of this collection were no longer in their liquid form, but just a small dose of acetone brought those bad girls back to life!



More to come this spring and summer from my vintage AVON-- because, unlike many of the wonderful bloggers I follow, I am young, broke and spending way more than I should in every arena of my, um, "budget." Clothes, home goods, groceries, definitely toiletries and cosmetics, traveling, presents AND all the wedding-related spending in my group of 20-something-year-old girlfriends! Ok, sorry I digress.

2. The really sweet text I got from my boyfriend today. Back story first:

Tonight, Chadwick made dinner at home for himself and his roommate. Poor things, they ONLY had two huge prime grade ribeyes, stone crabs, wild rice and asparagus. Chad is quite the chef. Of course, dinner was paired with red wine-- I can't tell you which, because I didn't ask. I didn't ask because I know I'd be jealous. Chad is a certified sommelier, in the midst of completing his Master Sommelier certification, wine distributor and connoisseur indeed. In the past three years, we have truly shared some of the best wines ever. Being in Charlotte with him in Miami Beach not only means less time together, but means less fabulous wine and dining for me!! (Better for my booty, but less tasty on the palette; I had a turkey mozzarella sandwich for dinner.)

Anywho back to the story, as I headed to the gym, we squeezed in a quick car chat. I went to workout, and, 755 miles away, Chad made his five-star dinner. I must have missed the text message while I was *spinning* my little heart out. I actually didn't see it until after the gym and a quick stop at the grocery store (picked up ingredients for my splendid turkey sandwich and tomorrow's green summer smoothie breakfast). Annnnd the cutest little text said:

Dinner and wine is not the same without u! :(

He even made a sad face!! But his text message frown made me smile. Phew! That was a long story for a short text, but that's my style. Gotta give you the background.


3. And last little happy thing for the day: I have now gone to three spin classes at my new gym and I am loving it. I am going to spin 2x a week, and maybe I'll just ride my bike all the way to Coral Gables for Monica's wedding in May!

Poolside Polish: Chanel Nailpolishes To Be Released

A little over a month to wait for these pretty little things to hit the beauty counter, but already I am enticed to put on a wide-brimmed sunhat, lounge-esque one-piece, fancy flops and get out in the sun.... mostly to show off my season-specific nail polish!!


I guess at $30 a pop-- yes, the price has gone up-- I may only be able to splurge on one of these springy shades, if that! Since I will be forced to choose, I pick Nouvelle Vague (the faint yet full-of-life aquamarine on the left). Riviera comes in second, and last, but not least, the sheer pink Mistral.

Here are some other Chanel colors I wish I hadn't missed out on:

Gold Friction (below)


Jade-- the sold out Fall 2009 polish that was ravenously sought out on the good ol' WWW for $100 and upwards (below)


Even this crazy Robertson Boulevard collection... mostly the fiery orange L.A. Sunset, 2nd Place- Sunrise, 3rd- tie between Rodeo Drive and Melrose seeing as I already have Chanel Organdy which is similar enough to Melrose, not to mention allllll my other bright pink polishes, and I am not crazy about the Rodeo Drive shade of purple, though I am sure if I got to try it on, I might feel otherwise!



***P.S. Just realized OF COURSE I love the new summer colors. They match my blog background perfectly!

A Super Yummy Summery Smoothie (Courtesy of Smoothie Guru Kimberly Snyder)

Here is the Summer Green Smoothie Recipe posted over at Kimberly Snyder's Health and Beauty Blog.

FULL RECIPE:
- 3 big handfuls or spinach (cut major stems off, don’t worry about the skinny, little guys)
- Handful of mint
- 3 ripe summer peaches
- 1 banana (optional, and helpful for those of you that are still getting used to the Green Smoothie! )
- 1 – 1/2 cups of water

Remember that this makes about 4 glasses, you you CAN cover it airtight and drink it yourself over 2 days, 3 days max, or less if you share with someone else!

You CAN also freeze it in portions, like in glass trays, and thaw one out the night before so it is drinkable in the morning.

Thank You Kim!!! Take a moment to visit Kim's blog, if you haven't met her already!

Drink Your Daily Green Smoothie!

And here's an old article with three reasons why!

I'll have a lot more about smoothies in the near future. YUM!

The New Idealist Social Network

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes talks to Dana Goldstein about his new venture for connecting volunteers to non-profits, Jumo, which goes up today, and why Obama’s Organizing for America fell short.

Posted using ShareThis

It's Wild, But I Can't Help But Love It...

CNN Heroes: Saving Lives with Solar-Powered Light

Evans Wadongo is truly a hero. Take a second to watch this beautiful story. More about 23-year-old Evans' story can be found at the CNN Heroes Web site.

Romantic Valentine's Day Date

My makeup guru girlfriend (and youtube junkie extraordinaire) Anya sent me this great video for a nice, natural look. I might have to try this new oscillating mineral foundation. The coverage looks great and very clean.

Random, Yet Useful Information: Stocking the Bar

Interesting advice about stocking tools for the bar and avoiding high-priced unnecessary tools. NYTimes Magazine blogger Toby Cecchini says "this entire collection should run you roughly $100, leaving you more money to throw at better spirits and glassware." Sounds good to me!!

Full article: Case Study | Stocking the Bar

Yummmies: Curry Chicken Chicken Salad!

Just made this for dinner tonight (plus some Caramel Turtle Brownies for dessert-- not diet friendly, but mm mmm good). Anywho, this is super delish, quick and easy:

Ingredients:
Chicken (sliced to grill for salad)
Curry powder
Salt
Pepper
Garlic (I used just a tbsp of the jarred kind you keep in the fridge)
Mayonnaise (I opted for the Kraft with Olive Oil, which I think is super tasty)
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
Celery (chop about 1 1/2 cups, leaves and all)
Raisins or Grapes
1 Red Apple (Sliced)
1 Avocado
1/3 cup feta cheese
Lettuce (I used green leaf lettuce)
1 Jalapeno (diced)
Pecans
1 Cucumber
Olive Oil
Dressing(s) of your choice

First, if you are starting out with whole chicken breasts like I did, sliced your breasts, as you would for any grilled chicken salad. Season your chicken to taste. I just threw some curry powder, salt, black pepper, tbsp of garlic and Adobo. Grill sliced chicken in a pan with just a little bit of olive oil. Once grilled to perfection (make sure they are grilled all the way through), throw strips into a mixing bowl. Taste one strip and make sure you are satisfied with the seasoning, if not, just dose it as you please :)

Now for your mix-ins: Throw in your diced jalapeno (if you can take the spice!), cup or so of pecans, cup of raisins (or grapes), 1/3 cup of lemon juice, celery, 1/3 cup of feta cheese and mayonnaise until you think it looks like chicken salad-- sorry I didn't measure. MIX IT ALL UP!!

Wash your cucumber and lettuce. Slice your apples and avocado (and remove avocado skin). Place a bed of lettuce on each plate you are serving. Alternately place slices of avocado and apples (see picture above), place your cucumber slices to the side and then dollop that chicken salad in the middle.

I ate mine with just a few dashes of balsamic vinegar across the top and it was mighty fine! Bon appetit!!

(Serves five people)

The Luxe Series

Just finished reading Splendor-- the fourth and final book in The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen. I was introduced to the series by my sister, Susan, and, initially, I thought I was too old to read it-- The Luxe series can be found under teen fiction in your local bookseller. Susie sold me on reading it when we went to the mountains for a week, and I figured I'd have nothing better to do. To my surprise I was hooked.

The books are right up there with my other guilty teen drama pleasure, Gossip Girl. Critics often pen the series as a Gossip Girl of the 19th century. It is all etiquette, elegance and Upper East Side, and that was good enough for me. The characters are well-developed and the stories keep you wanting more. I could even see myself and my sister in the Holland sisters (two sister starlets of The Luxe).

All in all, if you are looking for a girly, semi-mindless read, with some decent historical, period references, you will enjoy The Luxe. This is perfect for those of you suffering as I am through the break in new Gossip Girl episodes.

(Also, they are a quick read. I have read four books only one month into 2010!!)

Dirty Little Secret- All American Rejects

So, I have always liked this song, but I had never seen the video. I think it's pretty cool. The postcard idea was very innovative.

Green in 2010

So, as I am working on being greener everyday (in my intake and output), I have big plans for the garden this year! Being new to North Carolina, I find that everyone here is very "house proud." Each garden, front porch and front door is changed with the season. When I visited last spring, every home has its own personality denoted by the type of seating and variety of hanging plants and/or wreaths adorning the facade. I am so excited to va-voom my family's house. I just cannot wait for the spring!

The way I see it, gardening is free exercise, allows me to plant and eat healthier and is just good fun (plus flowers are purdy). So, to prepare, the first task has been accomplished: for three long hours, we cleared the backyard of all its weeds and the masses of leaves stuck to the wet grass, gave it a good mow and designated some areas for seating, planting, etc. Oh I'll have some great plans and pictures to share in the coming months. For now, I'll say mom and I are in search of a quaint bench for a shady spot, a new BBQ grill for the back porch, and just what vegetables and herbs we will be growing is TBD!

What do you think of this lovely Wisteria garden basket? Can't you just see it filled with tomatoes headed to the kitchen for a fresh, homemade sauce?



Well, not for $99, of course, but I will be sure to find its cheaper, but as lovely, cousin :)