perfect for vacuuming: err edition

Why design something beautiful and elegant, like these or these, when you can design something that would look perfectly at home on the Jersey shore boardwalk? These Christian Louboutin shoes can be had from net-a-porter for about $800 if you don't mind the dreaded ankle strap and hideous color.

moving sucks out your soul

My absence here in the last fifteen days might suggest that I have decided to quit being housewifely. Not so. Over the first two weeks of summer I have done more baking, cleaning, cooking, and the like than I have in the last several months. The trouble is, I was also finishing up final exams and papers while moving home. My dorm was (and will be in the floor) a fourth floor walk up and I cannot seem to live without my muffin tins, stationary, or a few dozen hundred books, so I had a lot of stuff to move, and oops, now I am making excuses, which seems like poor etiquette. I am starting a new job on Tuesday, but one of my goals for the summer is to keep up with the blog pretty much daily, especially as there is nothing I love to do more when I have the full home kitchen at my disposal than make cookies.

In penance, I offer up the recipe for incredibly chocolate-y cookies that I made three weeks ago. These are so rich and chewy that I think they're the perfect thing for when brownie batter cravings. I kept aside 5-6 for NH and put the rest out on the dining room table for my sorority sisters, and they were gone very quickly. They're a simple variation of a peanut butter and chocolate confection I saw on Baking Bites, but since NH doesn't like peanut butter at all I do not bake with it much. You can check out the original recipe here.

Oh, I picked up Martha Stewart's relatively recent Cookies at Costco today. I am going to make the chocolate pistachio biscotti after I post this.

toasted almond chocolate chunk ridiculously chocolate-y cookies

1/2-1 cup whole almonds
2 cups ap flour
2/3 cup good cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350.

Chop almonds coarsely (you can buy them pre-chopped but I can't account for the quality of chopped nuts and they're more expensive anyhow). Toast the nuts in a dry pan over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until they smell delicious. Keep turning them and make sure they don't burn. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix up flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture slowly. Fold in chocolate chunks and cooled, toasted almond. Drop nicely rounded tablespoons of dough on a lined cookie sheet, allowing plenty of room for spread. Bake cookies for about ten minutes, or until they appear relatively set. Watch carefully, it can be hard to see if chocolate burns. The cookies will need some time to cook before they can be removed from the sheet.

Yields about forty cookies.

perfect for vacuuming

Clicking around a bluefly shoe sale I ran into these Caovilla sandals and pumps, which I think have beautiful colors (love the sort of mottled look of the pump) and something really special in the pearly detail. In fact, I can't really recall the last time I saw pearl details on a shoe. I think these shoes have sort of an antique feel to them that probably captures what most people are looking for when they shop vintage, especially "older" vintage (1900-1940?). Even on sale these beauties are a mint, but would definitely be "pop" pieces for years to come.

good things to put in scrambled eggs

ricotta
shredded fontina
shredded mozz
shredded cheddar
shredded manchego
goat cheese

chives
scallions

diced roasted tomatoes
diced sauteed peppers
black beans

fresh ground black pepper

Obviously not an exhaustive list.

The Fabulous! Festival for May '08

This month I am guest-hosting the Fabulous! Festival, a blog carnival devoted to looking and feeling fabulous! I read some beautifully, honestly and hilariously written posts on a variety of topics from wedding style to purse obsessions, so without further ado, I give you the top ten eleven.

..Beauty..
First off, ever wondered how perfumes and cosmetics evolved from essential oils and pinched cheeks? Over at Edwardian Promenade, edwardiangaiety does a thorough-and fascinating-examination of The Chemistry of Beauty, a necessary read for anyone curious about how major perfume houses and big names in cosmetics developed into the multi-million dollar industries they are today.

For those interested in scaling beauty routines back to basics, Amy at Brown-bag Beauty Blog profiles a simple technique for preparing dry skin for summer exposure. Interested in saving a little cash and exposing your skin to fewer chemical-laden exfoliating products? Dry Skin Brushing may be the answer to flaky skin woes.

Curious about more all-natural beauty? Allie of Allie's (green) Answers soothes irritated, angry skin with baking soda and finds herself converted to this unconventional solution. Follow her lead and Give It A Try-Skincare from the Kitchen Cupboard before investing in the latest pricey, unproven skin care products.

..Fashion + Style..
On the theme of remaining fabulous and eco-friendly, Ann at annie green jeans takes an in-depth look at, well, "green" jeans. In her post Who Makes Eco Fashion? she explores the oft-avoided question of how to go about making sustainable fashion choices.

At The Fashion-y Blog, Kori responds to a Bazaar layout criticizing Oval Office hopeful Hilary Clinton's wardrobe and asks "Do we want a president who will take the time to keep up with the trends and push the fashion envelope? Or do we want a president who will spend her time running the country?" in her post My Two Cents about the intersection of style and politics.

Nancy's, of Fritinancy, anxiety-free swimsuit shopping may fill readers with surprise-or jealousy-but her look at the Skirtini, Put on a Suit and You'll Look Cute, is whimsical, poetic, informative-and just in time for beach season.

At The Pinup Blog Tali takes a close look at the summery sex appeal of the Vespa. Her post Ladies Prefer Vespa profiles the brand's history of sexy girls on candy-colored bikes. You might not be surprised to discover that the current, super-slim models accessorizing Vespas in today's ads can't even compete with some of the classic Vespa-adorning beauties like Jayne Mansfield and Raquel Welsh.

Finally, Meg at All About Appearances offers up her Number One Style Tip: choosing colorful solids over hard-to-match, soon-to-be-dated prints.

..Shopping..
Registries for any event-like any large-scale shopping endeavor-can be overwhelming. Woman Tribune provides easy-to-follow suggestions for designing a successful-and exhaustive-registry in Planning Your Big Day: Wedding Registries.

At The Bargain Queens, Meg's simple tip for finding cute shopping totes at beyond-reasonable prices in The Keyword for Finding Cheap but Fun Shopping Totes is a great way to avoid pricey models designed to capitalize on the trendiness of eco-friendly goods.

Finally, SweetTooth over at ShopLittleGifts has an excellent worksheet for coming up with gift ideas for the person on your shopping list who has everything. Check out 9 Tips to Shop for People Who Have Everything.

..Attention, Bloggers!..
Meg will be hosting the Fabulous! Festival again on June 2nd! Submit your posts on fashion, beauty, shopping or personal style by May 30th using this carnival submission form.

Interested in hosting the festival? Contact Meg.

Questions? Try the Fabulous! Festival FAQ.

preview action

I spent most of Monday at the premiere of the new Patrick Dempsey movie, Made of Honor. I went with a small amount of trepidation but had an amazing time and will blog about it soon.

perfect for vacuuming

I bored NH husband to death the other day with these Alexander McQueen slingbacks, which are the fantastic shoe equivalent of chainmail. Look closely-that's metal mesh. I don't know if doubt that these are especially comfortable, but they are beautiful and a conversation piece. The shape is the same enclosed platform that has reigned supreme this year (blame thank Louboutin for that) and I think it works with the "big shoe" mentality of metal mesh peeptoes. The price tag, which is over $1500 at net-a-porter, makes me think that maybe, just maybe, these are meant as art pieces rather than functional fashion.

sunderwear!

As summer approaches, and the clothing that my fellow students is inevitable pared down to sheer basics and light, revealing fabrics, underwear has again become an issue. The simple fact of the matter is that the sort of cozy, low-rise bikinis and boy shorts that are suitable under a pair of jeans for the fall or winter become rather visible under the slimly cut dresses and revealing fabrics of the approaching season. The little thong at left, from American Eagle, is cute and can be had at the relatively reasonable price of $7 (or 5/$25) but is it summer underwear? It's not likely, but it depends. On what?

1. Body type.
The other night, while I sat with friends discussing this very topic, it struck us that many people do not realize that certain types of underwear do not work with their shape. I am not advocating that everyone switch to "granny panties" or Spanx-like garments meant to alter the body's appearance, but there are some underwear shapes which demand caution. For women with hips of any kind, any undergarment with a low rise (i.e. short/slim side panels) is likely to cut into your flesh, creating a lump that does not exist. I do not know for sure, but I am willing to bet that most women are like me, uninterested in looking any bumpier/lumpier than I already am. String thongs and string bikinis will perform similar hip-cutting action. This is not a bad thing to keep in mind when it comes to swimsuits either. Ladies with ample butts might want to consider that underwear designed to cover a more moderate rear-end will very likely cut into a rounder bottom and create a funky shape alongside terrible visible panty line (VPL). No one likes VPL.

2. Outfit.
Obviously, if your summer wardrobe consists of jeans and tee shirts, then an entire wardrobe of fruit-print cheekies like the one from Victoria's Secret at right might be suitable. If you prefer to take advantage of the lighter styles, problems may arise. With any light or stretchy fabrics, any of the problems of 1 are magnified. With fabrics that are sheer, patterns and colors frequently become visible. Maybe I am too observant, but most people would be shocked by the amount of plaid, polka-dot and yes, fruit-printed panties I can spot through dresses, skirts and sheer shorts on a single summer day. There is nothing sexy about being able to see a woman's panties through her dress, it is merely tacky. If you are unsure of the opacity of your outfit, simply hold the underwear, on your hand of course, under the skirt/dress/whatever and see whether you can discern the pattern. If you can, try again.

Summer also means shorter hemlines. While the positively miniature dresses of the season are sexy and often quite wearable, a thong is not an adequate underpinning. I have the feeling some people will say that it is their prerogative to bare their butt cheeks if they so choose, and if so, I respond that I may mock you at will for doing so. This look, of visible thong, is never attractive and is almost rude. Breezy dresses present another problem. Face a breeze in a thong and flowing skirt and your butt may be on view for all to see. However attractive it is, I imagine this might be embarrassing. By the way, no underwear is a popular summertime option, and while I have no qualms about it I encourage the underwear eschewing public to careful ensure their outfits do not reveal far too much in a stiff breeze or while crossing one's legs.

3. Activity.
This is good advice year-round. Classes, offices and the like demand discretion, and a thong peeking out above your linen pants is hardly the image you want to portray (this might be the perfect no-underwear situation, but experiment a little). This is mostly about common sense. If you will be bicycling in your breezy cotton skirt, then panties with solid coverage are recommended. For a slinky post-beach party dress, underwear that does not even whisper its presence may be demanded. Think through your plans and underpin accordingly! And no, the underwear from American Eagle at left doesn't solve any special problem, I just think it's cute and a little retro.

perfect for vacuuming

Honestly, I was flipping around the internets looking for cute, floral-printed sandals to do a little puffy post on, well, the cute floral sandals that are out for spring. There are many pairs and though I can't imagine their super versatile (that is, I wouldn't spend a fortune on them...), they're pretty cute and I expect to see them everywhere for a few months. Anyway, that's why it's so surprising that I fell in love with these Zanotti pumps, which are almost the polar opposite of floral sandals. Where flowers are feminine, drawn from nature, and either brightly- or pastel-colored, these pumps are edgy, feature a bold, almost jewel-ish tone, and have that severe, skinny silver heel. These are definitely shoes for going out in, and although they may not scream springtime, they certainly have sex appeal. At Saks.

tacky chocolates

I wanted to make pizza today (tons of farmer's market red onions on hand, plus leftover taleggio from a recent celebration-the pizza came out amazingly, if you're curious), but couldn't find that last packet of yeast I swore I had on hand. So I ran to the grocer one block up to pick some up for the dough (a semi-whole wheat crust; I went with some thickness and heft to hold up against the rich toppings and lack of sauce). While waiting on the queue, which happened to be right by the chocolate shelf, I noticed that Girardelli has started selling boxes of chocolates with sentiments already on the box. Great, you don't even need a card!

The boxes come in all different messages and can be seen here at the Ghirardelli online shop. I think it's tacky and would prefer a regular box of chocolates with a nice card.

Would you buy them?