Stand Back, I Have A Glue Gun!!

The early 90s were fun, weren't they?  Well, they were for me, but I wasn't paying a mortgage, or even rent, back then.  I know that the lousy economy at the time is what helped elect Bill Clinton in the US, and that certain trends always seem to accompany lean economic times. Nesting, cocooning, or whatever the currently fashionable term might be, comes back in style when we all pretend that the thing that got us to the point of worldwide financial meltdown was the fact that we go out to dinner on occasion.

Whatever, I have decided to wholly embrace this "recession"  (it isn't real if you use quotation marks, right?) by digging out old Martha Stewart Living magazines and getting insanely crafty. I will be baking a lot, but that's not unusual for me at Christmas, but this year marks a return to home made ornaments, decorations, gift wrap, and whatever other silly things my friends and I come up with. 

I'm off to Michael's Craft Store to buy some provisions, and will update once some of the disastrous but fun results are in.  It's a Good Thing!

Spends 2 Little

OK, I get it.  We're in a recession.  Stocks are down, credit is tight, and shopping is considered as unseemly a habit as clipping your nails on the subway.  Problem is, we need some shopping to get us out of this mess!  Sure, if you make minimum wage selling shoes at Foot Locker, you shouldn't go into credit card debt for a 65" television, but extreme belt-tightening by everyone will only prolong the situation.

Tom Friedman says you should be home eating tuna fish , and no one should buy anything. This is supposedly the intelligent, and moral, choice.  Oh, it's cool if you buy a 10 kg bag of lentils from No Frills, but buying anything "frivolous" is practically sinful.  If you tell people you're going to the mall, they look at you like you said you were off to join the Manson family. But how will this help? An economy requires the exchange of goods and services, and if we all want jobs, we'd better start exchanging some cash for some goods.

Yesterday, Oprah told viewers that a great gift for a friend is a note card  telling her how you feel about her.  If Oprah were my friend and she gave me that for Christmas, it better have been pinned to a sable coat.  Jesus, if the billionaires stop shopping, we are truly screwed.

So all of you gainfully employed people out there should get your asses to the mall, and do your North American duty:  SHOP! Don't buy more than you can afford, but remember, if you choose to stick all your money in your mattress, you'll be able to lie on it all day, because your job will evaporate eventually.

"Worth" It?

I needed some high heels to go with the black silk dress I'm wearing to the Look Good Feel Better Ball this Saturday.  (Probably the last extravagant thing I'll be doing for a while.  Free for us, but $650 a ticket, normally.)  Of course I wanted the Jimmy Choo's I saw at Holt's, but really, $695 for black pumps?  I wish I were in the financial bracket where that was considered, well, not insane, but alas I am not.  My next dream was for a pair of Cole Haan Carma pumps, but I tried them on a few months ago and I can barely walk in them, beautiful though they are.  They're also $298 in the US, so probably over $350 here.  S2M is all about saving money these days, so I tried on a dozen pairs of pumps before finally scoring at, of all places, Town Shoes.

These Calvin Klein pumps have gel insoles, and the bottoms are cushiony rubber.  They're not just classics, they're actually comfortable!  at $140, still more than I should have spent, but they will be in style forever, so I'll recoup the money, I figure.

In the same vein, this article in the Times is really relevant and pretty funny.  I will continue my efforts to try to save money.  I know most of my attempts will be abject failures, of course, but let's see how I fare.

I Need A New Excuse!

I always thought that being left-handed was great, but I also thought that it was why I was, and continue to be, a klutz.  According to the Washington Post, being left-handed accounts for some of my verbal "skill", but it's not the reason I have permanent bruises on my shins from repeatedly walking into my own coffee table.

Take last night.  First, I poured some couscous into a measuring cup, then I opened the cupboard above the counter.  A bag of dried cranberries fell out and hit the cup of couscous, sending the little granules all over my kitchen.  Then I attempted to put the carton of milk back in the fridge without taking my eyes off of Family Guy, so I missed the shelf and the carton hit the floor.  As I struggled to clean up this sticky, pebbly mess, I let loose with a barrage of expletives that would have made John McCain cringe.  Anyone who happened to be in the hallway of my apartment probably thinks I have Tourette's.  Hell, sometimes I think I have it...

My point is, I had always thought that I was destined for a premature, if humourous, death because I'm left-handed.  Turns out, I'm just clumsy.  That's just so ordinary...

Mildred Pierce, R.I.P.

Went to Oasi last night, for a preview of the restaurant opening in the space that used to be Mildred Pierce and The Cookworks. Made me want to barf to see the part that had been The Cookworks turned in to such a generic club space, with all the obvious design tricks- white-painted brick walls, pointless videos projected on the walls, and the same music you hear everywhere.

The restaurant part was nice, though. My main aesthetic concern with restaurants is the lighting, and this place had cool fixtures and subdued, flattering lighting. (I hate feeling like I'm in a giant tanning booth when I'm eating an expensive dinner.) The banquettes were upholstered in a subtle neutral stripe, and there was a mix of dark and light wood.

The menu was intriguing, and no more expensive than any other new restaurant in town. (That's another trend I hate: exorbitant pricing as a marketing gimmick.) There's an extensive wine list, with a bafflingly large selection of both reds and whites from Greece. I'll definitely go back for dinner, but I'll mourn the passing of Mildred Pierce, and look forward to Mildred's Temple Kitchen!

SPAM, A LOT!

Oh Dear God...

Le Cordon Bleu

I am dying to go back to Paris.  I want to take more courses at Le Cordon Bleu.  In 2006, we took one demonstration class- The Market Tour.  A chef and interpreter haul you around Paris, to farmer's markets, and other highlights like Poilane bakery, Le Bon Marche, and other stores I can't remember right now.

  We bought lots of delicious local produce, meats, and cheeses, and the chef served it all to us for lunch, while telling us the provenance of what we were eating.  The fresh, local butter pictured below was so unbelievably flavourful I can't even describe it.  When you come home and have butter from Loblaw's,  your taste buds want to cry.

Then, the class began.  We took notes and asked questions, and the chef made something simple- cod with a butter sauce of some kind, potatoes, and a dessert that was flambéed, (naturellement), and of course made it all look Tres Français.  It's only November and I've got Cabin Fever here in boring Toronto.  It's gonna be a long winter...

Another Picture of the Cupcakes

Sandy helped me with the little Obama logos.  Cupcakes are vanilla Barefoot Contessa flower cupcakes recipe, and the chocolate frosting is a recipe I haven't given to anyone, though it's out there in a very fine celebrity cookbook.  Of course it is made with real 70% cocoa solids chocolate, not cocoa powder.  Cocoa powder is for amateurs.

Obama-Rama

America had a great night on Tuesday, and so did I.  Had about 15 people over to watch the election returns.  Happy that we had a result at 11PM, though I was prepared to stay awake all night if I had to.  What the hell, I did it in 2000...

Served some good food.  Made pulled pork in the crock pot.  I'm sure my neighbours appreciated my searing the pork shoulder at 7AM, but it adds so much flavour.  Made the standard Barefoot Contessa dips that I have been doing forever, and the prosciutto and cheese palmiers.  I'm thinking it's time to retire those options, and come up with some new things to impress my guests next time.  So I'll be trolling cookbooks and trying some new things.