In The Kitchen: Carrot Souffle....

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Picadilly's carrot souffle. Unfortunately I have had to stop making it, as well as eating it, due to the 30 grams of sugar it has.

However, I simply can't take it any more, and have decided to tweak the ingredients for a healthier version.

For starters, I used a no calorie sweetener instead of regular sugar and organic whole wheat flour in the place of white flour. The results were outstanding. I enjoyed mine with a big glass of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (sweetened with a Truvia pack).

CARROT SOUFFLE
- Michael D. D'Amico
Picadilly Cafeteria

3 1/2 lbs. peeled carrots
1 1/2 lbs. sugar
1 tbl. baking powder
1 tbl. vanilla
1/4 cup flour
6 eggs
1/2 lb. margarine
Powdered sugar

1. Steam or boil carrots until extra soft. Drain well.

2. While carrots are warm, add sugar, baking powder, and vanilla.

3. Whip with mixer until smooth.

4. Add flour and mix well.

5. Whip eggs and add to flour mixture, blend well.

6. Add softened margarine to mixture and blend well.

7. Pour mixture into baking dish about half full as the soufflé will rise.

8. Bake in 350-degree oven about 1 hour or until top is a light golden brown.

9. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar over top before serving.

Serves 10.

ENJOY :)

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Philip Crangi

I first became interested in Philip Crangi by his picture alone. It was some months later that I learned that he was actually an important designer of Jewelry. The Bearded man I placed next to the Buddah on my mantle-piece was fast becoming an icon of mine.

Philip Crangi graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and since then has managed a successful career, collaborations with Vera Wang and Jason Wu and an odd obsession with taxidermy.

For GQ's 'Dress like a Rebel' series Crangi was asked about men wearing jewelry. He wisely suggests you start off with one item you like (on your wrist for instance) and add to it slowly. "BE A MAN, WEAR JEWELRY!"

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Scene around: Peroni Nastro Azzuri

On a rainy Sunday night not too long ago my very good friend and I went down to the Waterfront for a Peroni Nastro Azzuri event. With vocal stylings from Lindiwe Suttle and Aviva Pelham, the event (honoring the Italian football team) went down as good as a Peroni smoothly.

Top Travel presenter, former model and charmer Janez Vermeiren hosted. One of my dear readers sent me this scan from GET IT magazine who snapped me up, along with a few who's who's that attended the event too. Good fun and free Peroni was had by all!

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Kettlebells..............

Anyone who knows me knows that I love working out, especially in the comfort of my own home. I’m a sucker for my cardio, and love working out on my elliptical 3-5 days a week for at least an hour.

However, I had been searching for a strength training workout that would give me a lean and toned physique that would aid in my weight loss goals, as well as increase my metabolism.

I was introduced to this workout via LHCF fitness forum, and Moptop Maven.

I bought this kettlebell from Wal-Mart for $19, and yes, it was well worth it!

I do the kettlebell workout with a 10lb kettlebell 2-3 times a week for about 35-45 minutes a session. The 500 rep workout is a killer, but the results are fabulous.

You definitely feel the burn during and after the workout, but like I said…..the results are F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S!

Check out her blog http://www.myomytv.com/ as well as her YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Kitty8Tim for more info and videos about kettlebells.

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Your guide to the perfect first date

You managed to work up enough courage to ask her. You were surprised when she said ‘Yes’, gosh even she was surprised. So what now? Do you pick her up at eight and take her to a movie? No. You can do better than that. You want to impress her right? You want this date to be memorable!

Lucky for you, you have me. Welcome to this, your ‘Guide to the First date’:

READ THE REST...

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Louis Vuitton 2010/2011 Fall-Winter Bag Collection

Inspired by military and utilitary vintage styles Louis Vuitton (with careful Artistic Direction from Marc Jacobs) releases a contemporary twist to their mens bags this season. Extra soft premium calfskin which also includes a water-resistant taupe or charcoal canvas. The "Bleisure" lifestyle inspired collection, however beautiful comes at a heavy price; From messengers ranged at US$2800 to the fantastic Shako Sac Voyage Bag which will retail for US$4370 from August 15th.

{source: ilvoelv}

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Photo Gazing......natural hair

Image sources: http://lecoil.tumblr.com/

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DIY: Natural Hair Accessory........Flowers

You Will Need:

Hot Glue Gun

Jumbo Bobby Pins


Flowers......I got these for a $1 at Dollar Tree

I simply removed the stem and glued a bobby pin to the back of the flower

All Done!

Try it

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Stiaan Louw Documentary Part 2

Stiaan Louw in Part two of his Documentary by Kyle Lewis, discusses his organic approach to tackling an international market. In addition to this, advice for fellow young designers and if you look carefully at the two minute mark you can see me checking out his rack at the Design Indaba where the fashion show took place! Sneaky.

Enjoy!

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In The Kitchen: Chicken Florentine

I originally saw this recipe on Food Network and really wanted to give it a try. I then saw it again on Moptop Maven, and knew it was time to get in the kitchen and whip this up. I'm happy I did, because it was delicious, and really easy to make.

I tweaked the ingredients just a bit to accommodate my wallet. For starters I used packaged parmesan cheese instead of fresh, salted butter instead of unsalted, since it was already in the house, and green onions in place of shallots.

I served mine over whole wheat linguine.

Portabello Mushrooms are optional......

Chicken Florentine Style (A Giada De Laurentiis Recipe)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons shallots, sliced

1 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed, drained

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour to coat lightly. Shake off any excess flour. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots are translucent, stirring to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the chicken to coat in the sauce.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute until heated through. Season the spinach to taste, with salt and pepper. Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the chicken atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over and serve.

Bon Appetit!

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Finally Got One.....

For the past two years I have been searching for the perfect netbook that was affordable (under $300), and had positive reviews. I really wanted a netbook so I could have internet on the go, as well as a smaller computer to bring to class.

After searching sales and reading hundreds of reviews, I found the one! My new Asus EEE PC Netbook is everything I had been searching for. It gives me the capability to surf on the go as well as type my documents.

The price was exactly $250.00 at Best Buy. Here are the features and what's included:

What's Included
◦Asus Eee PC Netbook with Intel® Atom™ Processor
◦3-cell battery
◦Power cord
◦Software: Adobe Acrobat Reader; Microsoft Works and more
◦Owner's manual

Product Features
◦Intel® Atom™ processor N270
Features a 533MHz system bus, 512KB L2 cache and 1.6GHz processor speed.
◦1GB DDR2 memory
For multitasking power, expandable to 2GB.
◦Note: Optical drive not included
Compatible with optional external recordable CD/DVD drives (not included).
◦10.1" LED WXGA widescreen display
With a 1024 x 600 resolution showcases movies, games and other images.
◦160GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.
◦Intel® UMA graphics
Features 224MB shared video memory for lush images. Built-in stereo speakers.
◦Built-in 0.3MP webcam
Makes it easy to video chat with family and friends.
◦3-in-1 media reader
Supports MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital and Secure Digital High Capacity formats.
◦3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
◦Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
Wirelessly connect to the Internet.
◦Built-in 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet LAN
With RJ-45 connector for quick and easy wired Web connection.
◦Weighs only 2.2 lbs. and measures just 1.4" thin
For lightweight portability.
◦Long battery life
Of up to 3 hours and 48 minutes to give you more time away from an outlet.
◦Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system with Service Pack 3 (SP3) preinstalled
Provides a stable computing platform.
◦Software package included
With Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Works and more.
◦ENERGY STAR qualified
Designed to use less energy and meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.

◦Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

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In The Kitchen: Sugar Free Chocolate Cuppies

I made these yummy chocolate cupcakes using Pillsbury sugar free premium cake mix with sugar free frosting.


These cupcakes were extremely moist and delicious. I did not tweak the recipe, deciding to stick with the original. However, next time I may substitute the vegetable oil for butter, and buy an extra jar of icing, the one jar definitely was not enough.

Don't they look scrumptious?

Enjoy!

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Burberry iPad covers

Burberry has released a line of iPad leather covers in Military Red, Plum (as photographed with me) and blue which are sold exclusively in the Burberry store in Cape Town. The iPad covers are only going to be available in stores globally in September.



I love how international High-End Brands, particularly the ones which started in the early 1900's, have made smart choices in keeping up with the times. If you're both fashion and mechanically minded then best you get yourself the designer iPad cover of your choice. Especially since every large retailer is offering it to you at such variety.

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Blog Alert: JONATHAN REID SEVIGNY

I don't often get THIS inspired from a blog, but when I do I tend to involve myself quite heavily in it for a particular time period. Jonathan Reid Sevigny is just so unbelievably talented.

His illustrations evoke a certain magic that is reminiscent of Salvadore Dali. Themed in childlike playfulness Sevigny still manages serious artwork, bankable artwork at that.

His work carries such candescence for me and I look forward to following him from here on out. I can see him illustrating for 'Coraline' and 'Corpse-Bride' themed movies. But to fully understand what I mean, have a look at his catalog HERE.

Great work! Below are just three of my favorite images from his website.

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Photo Gazing......natural hair

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