Gardenology, Encinitas, CA

I don't live in Encinitas, CA, but if I did, I know I would shop here often! Read about Lili McIntire and her peaceful, soul-soothing shop in the June/July 2010 issue of Traditional Home Magazine on newsstands now. Or, visit gardenology.com

Here comes the bride....

If I was going to get married again...which I'm not...I would wear one of these fabulous Vera Wang dresses in a New York minute. I really like the wild, unstructured ruffles of the first dress. Normally, I'm not big on ruffles...they're just a little too girly for me. But I love this dress!

And I'm crazy about the white dress with the black sash. It's reminiscent of the dress that Audrey Hepburn wore to Larrabee's party in Sabrina. Audrey always looked like a princess!

The green and taupe dresses would be great for bridesmaids. Or, for the non-traditional bride who feels like white is just too "everybody." Then, of course, there are you girls out there who've already been married before...some of you many times...who don't want to go the white route again..:)

Planet Carol's Summer Wanna Reads - Part Deux

Two more books on my list of summer reads...

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

Life outdoes movie melodrama in this raucous, intimate, dual biography of Hollywood's ultimate It Couple. Here is that rare love story that holds one's interest beyond the wedding—and a reminder, after the thin gruel of Brangelina, of what a feast celebrity can be. From Publisher's Weekly

Sounds juicy!

Just Kids
by Patti Smith

Patti Smith's beautifully crafted love letter to her friend Robert Mapplethorpe(who died of AIDS in 1989) functions as a memento mori of a relationship fueled by a passion for art and writing. Smith transports readers to what seemed like halcyon days for art and artists in New York as she shares tales of the denizens of Max's Kansas City, the Hotel Chelsea, Scribner's, Brentano's, and Strand bookstores. From Publisher's Weekly

I spent a few evenings at Max's Kansas City myself, back in the day..:)

It's not only what you wear, but how and why you wear it!

Two of my favorite fashion blogs are thesartorialist.blogspot.com and tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com.

Both support my theory that we can learn a lot about ourselves and others by observing how we adorn our bodies. What we wear is not just about protection from the elements. How we put ourselves together everyday is our most intimate and personal expression of who we are, who we think we are, who we want other people to think we are, and who we want to be. It's very creative, psychological, and enlightening.

Tavi(top photo) is an American fashion blogger who began to blog at age 11. She describes herself as a "tiny 13 year old dork that sits inside all day wearing awkward jackets and pretty hats."

The Sartorialist is by a New York-based fashion photographer Scott Schuman, who blogs about great street fashion in Manhattan and elsewhere.

These two blogs mix high fashion and street fashion with style and wit. Check them out!

Paula Deen, ya'll!

One of my first posts, on May 13, 2010, was Paula Deen, eat your heart out, about the Southern home cooking restaurant rage in NYC. The photo that accompanied the post was my Mom’s banana pudding, served in the bowl that belonged to my grandmother, who made the best banana pudding on the planet! Mom’s is pretty darned good, too!

I want to emphasis that, even though the post is called Paula Deen, eat your heart out, I mean no disrespect to Ms. Deen. In fact, she is one of my foodie heroes. Hers is an inspiring and well deserved success story.

In spite of losing her parents at a young age, an early marriage that ended in divorce, and suffering from agoraphobia and panic attacks that left her virtually housebound for years, she pulled herself together and worked with what she had, to support herself and her two young sons. And, what she had was a warm, wonderful, down home personality, and a talent for cooking fabulous food.

She expanded her cooking skills into a catering business, called The Bag Lady. Then, in 1996, she opened a restaurant in Savannah, GA, called The Lady and Sons, which USA Today named The International Meal of the Year, in 1999. She’s published five cookbooks, launched a lifestyle magazine in 2005, called Cooking With Paula, opened another restaurant in Harrah’s Casino in Tunica, MS in 2008, and has had several cooking shows on The Food Network, including Paula‘s Home Cooking, Paula‘s Party, and Paula‘s Best Dishes.. But even with all of her successes and accolades, she’s still a funny, authentic, and genuinely charming Southern Lady. So, here’s to Paula, ya’ll!

Storage with style...

Do you have storage issues? Do you shove things in a drawer, or hide stuff away in a box, never to be seen again? Well, here's a concept. Organize it, and put it on display!




Whether it's a wrapping station, a work area for arts and crafts, or a place to keep all of your sewing needs, a neat, well organized and attractive corner, shelf, trunk, or suitcase, can make your life so much easier. And, you'll look like the domestic rock-star that I'm sure you are:)

Jicama, anyone?

Are you familiar with jicama? Pronounced hic ca ma, jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible root that resembles a turnip in physical appearance, although the plants are not related. Jicama has been cultivated in South America for centuries, and the vegetable is quite popular in Mexican cuisine. Jicama has a unique flavor that lends itself well to salads, salsas, and vegetable platters. The roots can sometimes grow to be quite large, although when they exceed the size of two fists, they begin to convert the sugars that give jicama its sweet flavor into starches, making the root somewhat woody to the taste...

This cool, sweet, crisp salad is the perfect way to introduce jicama to your adventurous taste buds!

Mango, Jicama, and Radish Salad, with Peanut Dressing

Ingredients

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
Salt
8 large radishes, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
6 cups mixed baby greens, washed and dried
1 large or 2 small mangoes, peeled, fruit cut off the seed and cubed
2 cups peeled and cubed jicama (cut into about 1/2-inch cubes)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk the peanut butter and lime juice until smooth. Add the brown sugar, vegetable oil and some salt and whisk until combined. Add enough water to thin the sauce and give it a dressing-like consistency, about 2 to 3 tablespoons.

Place the radishes, greens, mangoes, jicama and cilantro in a large bowl and toss together.

Drizzle with the dressing, toss using tongs to coat and serve.