Leftovers?

Ever cook a fabulous meal but had some leftover ingredients that you don't want to waste? Well the folks at the Kitchn have compiled a list of what to do with all sorts of leftover ingredients...

Check out the list here.

I'm unravelling...

I'm going to become unravelled. (Not literally, of course)
I've signed up for this e-course that will help me see the real me. I don't know anyone that's done it but it sounds like a really interesting journey.
From the website

The Unravelling process is a new way to view your world, taking time to appreciate the beauty around you. And we do this in the simplest way – we stop and look.
We’ll be using the camera as a tool to unlock how we see not only ourselves but also the world we live in, including the immediate surrounds of our homes, places of work and our friends and family. We’ll delve into the past and turn our thoughts towards the future.

To read more:
http://www.waysofseeingmyself.com/Ways_of_Seeing_My_Self/home.html


The price for the 8 week e-course is 65 GBP (approximately $100 USD) so if it's not that interesting I won't feel terrible about it. I have to say, I'm pretty excited about this thing! It starts May 4th, stay tuned for more.

Resolve

It's January 13th already -- new years was almost 2 weeks ago. My how time flies, doesn't it?
Anyway, I did manage to make several resolutions this year -- except I'm not really calling them 'resolutions' -- I've never been super successful with any New Years resolution so I figure I best be calling it something else for a greater chance of success.
So -- what are my 2009 goals? Glad you asked!

• Eat more green vegetables


• No trans fats! This will involve some label reading because not all foods that advertise "0 trans fats" are actually free of trans fats. You have to look at the ingredients and if you see "partially hydrogenated" oils .. bam! Trans fats. The labels can say 0 if they are less than .5 gram -- so this means that foods with hydrogenated oils have up to .4 of trans fats, and if you eat several servings of these "sneaky" foods, you could be getting a lot of unexpected trans fats


• Diet. Well not really a diet per say -- but healthy eating. Whole foods -- and only 20% fat per day.


• Increasing good fats like almonds, salmon, avocados


• Drinking more water -- I used to be so good with the water but lately I have just stopped. I need to go back to ensuring at least 64oz per day


• Drink green tea - it's so good for you so I'd like to drink at least 1C per day


• Ditch the fried foods -- I never really used to eat them that much but for the past year or so they've crept back into my diet. I want to eliminate them as much as possible. I do know that here and there it may be unavoidable but I will try to avoid at all costs. Besides, a baked sweet potato tastes just as good as french fries to me


• Tracking calories - I want to track everyday so I can see my progress.


• Exercise. I need to get back into it. I never really enjoyed it but I do know it's a necessity. Ideally I'd like to aim for 5x per week but I'll be overjoyed with 3x per week at this point


• De cluttering! This is a big one. I have TONS of shoes, handbags, and clothes that I need to sort through and get rid of. I want to have an organized closet! I plan to sell off my spendy bags and shoes and donate the clothing. With the handbag money, I'll probably buy more handbags, but my collection will be more rounded and I'll only keep bags that I will carry.

Long list, huh. Well I 'officially' started on January 7th. I have remained on track for all the health goals and I have lost 5.4 pounds (note the neat ticker I have on the right side of the page (if you're reading this on my blog site)-- it will update as I lose weight). I haven't started exercising or de-cluttering but that is coming soon!

Reinterpreting Pumpkin Pie

So how delicious does a pumpkin pie martini sound? I'll answer that for you - it sounds damn good! Instead of making a boring old pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, why not whip up a batch of Pumpkin Pie-tini's ?

Ingredients:
Graham cracker crumbs
1-1/2 ounces milk (or splurge and use half and half -- it's the holidays)
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1-1/2 ounces vanilla vodka
1-1/2 ounces white crème de cacao
Cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions:
Rim a chilled martini glass with graham cracker crumbs.

In a cocktail shaker with ice, shake milk and pumpkin puree to combine. Pour in vodka and crème de cacao and shake well. Strain into the graham cracker-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

The recipe makes 1 martini but you know as well as I do that one martini is never enough -- so multiply the recipe amounts by 8 and make a whole pitcher. Share if you like.

Do you heart handbags? Have I got a deal for you...

I heart handbags big time, and my all time favorite brand is Belen Echandia. Never heard of them? Not surprising... I really believe they are the best kept secret in the handbag world. To put it lightly, the bags are simply amazing. The customer service and quality is superb and the leathers are divine. Oh, did I mention they are handmade in Italy? No "Made in China" stamp on these bags! (There's something kind of disheartening when you spend $500, $1000 or more on a bag that is mass produced on an assembly line).
The genius behind Belen Echandia is the super fabulous and very nice Jackie Cawthra. How cool is it to have a conversation with the founder/creative director of the company where she helps you with your handbag purchase decisions? I'll answer that -- it's very cool indeed.
Additionally, BE offers a bespoke service so that should you desire, you are able to customize and create the bag of your dreams (I am patiently waiting for my bespoke Luxe Chocolate Glossy Hug me and my Turquoise Angel Purse -- both should be arriving soon!) Seriously, I really could go on and on about how great these bags are.


Well let me get to my point!


Jackie is having a fantastic sale on what she is calling Pink Tuesday- you know, as opposed to black friday...(I think "Pink Tuesday" sounds much more fun and happy anyway, don't you?)

So... Jackie is offering (for a full 48 hours starting at 4pm GMT on Tuesday, November 25th) a rediculous, unheard of 40% off any in stock bag! Simply select your bag, add to your cart, and use the code: newbie at checkout.
Of course you can contact any of the BE girls (Jackie, Ashley, or Rose) to help you with your purchase as well -- that's the beauty of buying a Belen Echandia!
This promotion is only for the newbies and is an outstanding opportunity to own a Belen Echandia Bag.

Full details can be found here.


Please note: If you purchase a bag or sign up for their mailing list, please mention you were referred by me - Katie (khargraves (@) yahoo.com)--and I'll be entered in to win a fabulous BE prize.


Also, check out my BE Love Me Mini in Black Crash's appearance on the BE home page, or visit the BE World Tour


The bags pictured in this posting are the Love me in Black Crash and theHold me in Plum Crash. (the Love Me is my absolute, postive 100% most favorite handbag ever. I own it in Black Crash and beautiful Petrol.

Rue la la

Rue La La is an exclusive online destination of premier brand, private sale Boutiques that are open just two to three days each. Joining is free, but you must be sponsored by an existing Member. Brands include Frye, Gucci, Natori, Betsey Johnson, Vera Bradley, and more!

To join, visit http://ruelala.com and click the link for "referred by a member" and enter in my e-mail address -  khargraves (@) yahoo (.) com.  (Remember to remove the formatting and spaces). 

Or, if you prefer,  post a comment with your e-mail address and I will send you an invite.

Island time

A while back, I visited Barbados for a vacation. While we were there, we rented a little car so we could explore the island. One morning, we headed out early and lo and behold, what did we come across? Traffic. Now, Barbados doesn't really have a highway system so this traffic was nothing like traffic jams we have here in the US. In Barbados it's more of a single lane road with smaller roads perpindicular to it. People live on the perpindicular roads and are trying to merge into the traffic, which moves fairly slowly indeed.
So there we were, trying to turn left (towards Bridgetown - we were in St. Lawrence Gap) and faced with traffic. Matt and I just kind of looked at each other in frustration, but almost as soon as we arrived at the intersection, someone let us go - and they didn't just let us go, they let the 5 or so other cars behind us go as well. I was amazed. And it wasn't just the road we were coming in on, every time a road merged, someone stopped and let ALL the cars onto the road. I'm thinking to myself, "Don't these people have to get to work?? They're going to be late!" and I actually started to get all worked up about it. As we continued to sit in traffic I began to see that this is just another facet of "island life" in motion - the laid back, "not in a hurry" kind of attitude that I love - Why is it that I don't mind waiting a few minutes for a cocktail in a bar in Barbados, but home, if the bartender hasn't started working on my drink within 5 seconds of my ordering it, I start to get upset. I am so impatient.

Here in the US (at least in New England), IF someone lets you go they hurry up and get on your tail so that no more than one person is allowed into traffic. God forbid the guy behind you also gets to turn onto the road. Sometimes nobody will let you merge into traffic and they don't even look at you -- it's like people have this feeling that if they don't look at you, they can ignore you. Now, I admit, I am completely guilty of all this as well. We are in such a hurry that we forget sometimes the common pleasantries and courtesies we owe each other. Why are we so concerned with "not letting people get ahead of us" or "getting there first"? Are we all always running late or could we take a few seconds and allow someone to go in front of us? I know I can, and I will start to (try to) improve my level of impatience while driving. While sitting in traffic, I can pretend I'm back on sunny Barbados, on Island Time...