Chewy Goodness Bars
My older sister is a fantastic baker. It’s likely the scientist in her – all that precise measuring and exactness that really suits her. She doesn’t bake as much as she used to (what with the full-time career, two children under the age of 4, and a husband who often travels for work) but I remember her pre-children weekend routine. She used to whip up a few goodies to sell at the local outdoor farmer’s market. The top sellers were her homemade granola, dog treats, and these granola bars.
They are chewy, gooey and good without all the extra additives and gunk in those packaged kinds. Perfect for day hikes, long car rides, or simply a healthy snack, sure to tide you over without all the guilt. My sister’s version uses raisins, but I subbed in dried cherries because I love the combo of dark chocolate and cherries. But you can use whatever you wish.
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Bikini or Bust
Oh snap, it broke – my awesome black and white striped two-piece Target swimsuit. Just after I’d strutted out in that little number and bent down to set my towel out – did the ‘fraidy cat arch and kerpow – it exploded. There I was – stranded like a beached whale, flip flopping – not knowing which way to turn. All because I was seduced by a cute, inexpensive little number on those siren-song racks at Target.
Talk about mortified. Talk about oh shizz. I just busted out of my bikini top! Do I even tell my husband? Will he look at me different? But I have to, because I need his shirt to cover up while I scurry back to the condo to inventory the damage.
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Cupcakes and Cashmere
You just might know Emily Schuman. Maybe you heard her name via the amazing fashion advice she gives in Glamour.com’s Smitten column. Or maybe you caught a glimpse of her “working” in the background of The Hills reruns. Or possibly you know her as I know her – as Cupcakes and Cashmere – her fashion blog, where she combines frugal finds mixed with high-end design.
I’ve been a fan of her site for a while now, and wanted to share a bit of it with you…so, here’s the Q&A with the Los Angeles chic lady herself – where we talk food, flea markets, and spotting fakes.
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Madras and Margarita (2 for 1)
When we go to the beach, we generally indulge in cocktails. At home, I’m more of a wine drinker, but when sun, surf, and sand are involved, I want something a bit more refreshing…so, of course a good margarita is in order. I love my husband’s version, so that’s this week’s drink recipe.
And because those beach towns function on 2 for 1drink specials, I’ve included another grown-up thirst quencher. This one is for the Madras…a delicious cocktail that combines ingredients you likely already have stocked in your vacay fridge…
A million thanks to my Madras testers…my mom and the Lindas who enjoyed the drink while on their girlfriend getaway!
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Spring Break Bound
Spring break is here and I’m off to the beach later this week. It puts me in mind of the Spring breaks of my college years (at least the parts I can sorta fuzzily piece together) where my girlfriends and I would load our massive suitcases with platform sandals, satin dresses and tube tops – not to put too fine a point on it, we’d slut it up. Hilarious when you consider that we truly believed our sartorial choices were classy; even when I ate it big, tumbling down an entire flight of stairs in a denim mini skirt (eek!) I managed to not spill a drop from my yard glass! That’s class, folks. Sadly, I’ve never really grown out of my tripping habit.
But these days, my suitcase is filled with kinder fabrics like cotton and jersey and I’ve traded my dolled up ways for a simpler approach. So, here are a few of my beach essentials for the perfect warm getaway…
Traveling with Jane Jetsetter
One of my good friends is a flight attendant for a low budget carrier. I feel in another life that’d be the job I’d want to have. I’m positive I have a ridiculously glamorized vision of the profession because I picture jetting off somewhere fabulous and having the most interesting conversations with passengers. In one Q&A session, she dispelled that myth and provided me with a laundry list of flying tips.
So, listen up all you flying drunks…here’s her wisdom on how to land in the good graces with flight attendants – a free bit of advice, maybe don’t ask for that pillow they’ve got stashed in the overhead bin (it’s gross).
St. Paddy’s Playlist
I’ve always had a special appreciation for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations – my top three reasons:
1. One of my nieces was born on this day…she’ll be celebrating with shamrock shaped birthday cakes and green Bud Light (post-21, of course) for the rest of her life. Happy 3, E.
2. One of my best friends was born and raised in Dublin – she and her family are just about some of the dearest people I’ve ever met.
3. The first St. Patrick’s Day my husband and I spent as a married couple we were at an all day pub crawl – I kept complaining about side ache – he told me to just keep drinking – some 12 hours later we realized I was having an appendicitis. Oh, and apparently, I’m HILARIOUS on morphine. Good times.
So, in honor of the Irish, I’ve put together a playlist of my favorite artists from the Emerald Isle.
The Jump
“There are almost twice as many suicides than homicides in the United States in any given year.”
Recently, I e-mailed an old friend – a friend who has drifted in and out of my life for years but nevertheless a good friend that I think of often. More time than usual had passed since I’d last heard from her and I just felt I needed to reach out to her.
Interesting how – if we’re listening – our instincts are usually telling us something…
Her return e-mail held devastating, shocking news. Last August, she told me, she attempted suicide by jumping from the roof of a five-story building. After the initial shock, I found myself with a lot of questions, some big and existential, but some trivial…like – did she leave her keys in her car when she parked it in front of that building? Or eat a special meal right before? Did she dress up for the occasion? Did she leave dirty dishes in the sink? I think I found it easier to focus on those smaller questions than to hear the answers to the really big ones.
Like, how do you get to that place, alone on the roof of a building, ready to jump? I don’t understand. I do believe we all have light and dark, good and evil – it’s how we balance it all. Some of it shines through brighter at different periods of our lives. At that point, her light had dimmed to nothingness – she clearly wanted to die. Yet, she didn’t succeed. Where do you go from that?
Champagne Mac
Spring is a funny season. It’s hopeful, fresh and new, yet, sometimes I find myself clinging onto the wintry comforts of day’s past. This week’s food & drink combines those two ideas. The cleanness of the season, paired with something homey and warm of month’s past. But, both bubbly and good.
Macaroni & cheese is the little black dress of food. It can be dressed up or dressed down according to the occasion. I’ve lived in Atlanta for almost a decade now. And one thing I learned early on, here in the South, they take their macaroni & cheese VERY seriously and you certainly should have a recipe for one in your repertoire regardless of geography. Mine is an adaptation of a recipe I found years ago in Real Simple magazine. I’ve tweaked and altered it enough times now, for it to be called my own. It’s always a hit – a cinch to make and one of those dishes that makes me happy when I serve it because it usually means any of the following – someone just had a baby, I’m cooking for a crowd (which I love), or I’m going out of town and need to leave something in the fridge so my husband doesn’t eat burritos for 72 hours straight.
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The Boss’ House
Almost spring – a time for cleaning out the cobwebs – both the real ones and the metaphorical ones. Clearing out a welcome in hopes of warmer, sunnier days to follow. A time for thinking about all things new and paradoxically, all things old, like home. When you’re an Army brat like me (man, I really dislike that term) growing up wherever the military sent you and with parents well past the typical age of first home buyers, where do you call home?
For me, it was the Boss’ house, a remarkable loft conversion warehouse in Leavenworth, Kansas. Remarkable not only because it was structurally unique but because my parents and us kids transformed it into our home with our own blood, sweat and tears. And it represented the culmination of everything my parents ever imagined they’d have in their dream home while chained to military housing in Panama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky and Hawaii.
