Quirky Quote of the Day

"It's more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement"-Mabel Newcomer

Quirky Word of the Day

Palingenesis pal-in-JEN-uh-sis \  , noun;

1. Rebirth; regeneration.

2. In biology, embryonic development that reproduces the ancestral features of the species.

3. Baptism in the Christian faith.

4. The doctrine of transmigration of souls.

Quirky Quote of the Day

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Quirky Word of the Day

lilliputian \ lil-i-PYOO-shuhn \  , adjective;  

1.Extremely small; tiny; diminutive.

2.Trivial.

 

Quirky Quote of the Day

"Thanksgiving is America's national chow-down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty." -Michael Dresser

Quirky Quote of the Day

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people"-Eleanor Roosevelt

Quirky Quote of the Day

"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. "
Eleanor Roosevelt

Quirky Quote of the Day

"Happiness is not a destination. It is a mood, it is not permanent. It comes and goes and if people thought that way then maybe people would find happiness more often." -Julian, One Tree Hill

Happiness is a Warm Gun.....Unlikely Life Lessons

Sometimes you find inspiration in the strangest places. Today I found mine in an episode of One Tree Hill. One Tree Hill is something that I caught on to a little late. I actually didn’t start watching until it came back for its fifth season. This season began four years in the future after the characters had graduated high school and were young twenty-somethings trying to figure out what to do with their lives. It resonated with me because at the time I was doing the same thing. I was trying to find my place in the world and figure it all out and in many regards still am and here came this cheesy post high school drama that was going through it all with me. Granted the characters were much more glamorous, they’re dreams were slightly unrealistic, and definitely more attainable through clever writing but it still resonated. The drama was quite over the top but underneath it was a show about a bunch of friends following different paths trying to do something with their lives and make sense of it all.

This show was a weekly oasis and guilty pleasure all wrapped up in genetically blessed packaging. Luckily a little channel called SoapNet has One Tree Hill marathons on the weekends so that I can catch up on the lives of these fictional characters before they were confused twenty-somethings. Tonight while catching up on missed episodes of season eight online, I was really struck by something one of the new main characters said. He said “Happiness is a mood, not a destination” and this really struck me. I had never really looked at life this way before. The thought that happiness isn’t something that we should work toward, but a mood and emotion just like any other that comes and goes in waves. I know sometimes we work hard toward this idea of happiness, that if we just do the right things in a certain order that this overwhelming thing called happiness will arrive and then all will be perfect. After today I really will try to appreciate happiness for what it is, an emotion that should be savored when it comes and not looked upon with regret when it leaves. All emotions are valid even the ones that are hard to deal with or less than flattering.

One emotion that I will not feel for really loving this show is shame. ;) Sometimes life lessons come in the least likely of places, like in an episode of One Tree Hill and you have to just go with it and take it these small gifts when they come.

One Tree Hill "Happiness is a mood, not a destination"

Quirky Quote of the Day

"Whoever said nothing is impossible' never tried to nail Jell-O to a tree".-Lisa Bryant

Quirky Quote of the Day

"The ceiling isn't glass;it's a very dense layer of men"
-Anne Jardim

Quirky Quote of the Day

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. -Anonymous

Macarons, where have you been all my life?

     I recently took a trip to London and Paris for my honeymoon and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Though I’ve always been secretly obsessed with the French and their mysterious and glamorous ways, going to Paris has made this obsession even greater. I have to say that what I loved most about Parisians is their passion for great food. The largest obsession in my life is food, which isn’t so great for my waistline but nonetheless I absolutely cannot get enough of food. I love to eat, cook, and spend endless hours buying cooking gadgets. Needless to say Paris was my dream city in this regard. I don’t want to go all Julie & Julia on you, but after this trip I plan on mastering the art of French cooking just so that I don’t go into withdrawal. French food is the most delicious cuisine I have ever had the pleasure of tasting and there was one surprising French delicacy that I cannot stop obsessing over and that is the macaron.


     When I told a friend of mine that I was going to Paris she gave me two pages of notes of all of the things that I had to do to truly have an amazing experience. Number one on her list was that I had to eat a macaron. Frankly, I didn’t really see the big deal about eating a pastel colored cookie but I figured I’d give it a go. Before my trip I had only seen pictures of macarons in bridal magazines as a new wedding trend and they really didn’t look that appetizing. They looked as though they would be crunchy and cloyingly sweet and really not that satisfying. Boy was I wrong. While walking to the Eiffel tower, my husband and I passed several patisseries but one in particular had a huge window display of macarons. My lovely friend Claire told me that the pistachio flavored macarons were her favorite, so I that is the one that I ordered in my elementary French. When I went out onto the sidewalk and took a bite of this delightful cookie I had no idea that it would affect me so. As I bit into this pastel green cookie it was so good it made my eyes cross. The outer crust of the cookie was firm and almost crispy but when you bit down the inside was melt in your mouth moist and the filling was sweet but not overwhelming. As I took several more orgasmic bites I realized that I may have found my new favorite thing on the planet!


     Now that I am back in the lovely U. S of A, I am craving those little pastel circles of deliciousness. I am now on a mission to find a macaron just as life-alteringly good as the one that I found on Rue St. Dominique. In New York you can find any thing you ever could want so I am starting a macaron quest for the ages. I will report on every macaron that I consume and let you know which are worth the trip. It seems as though a good macaron is hard to find so I have my work cut out for me. Wish me luck!

Quirky Quote of the Day

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day.  ~Elwyn Brooks White

Quirky Quote of the Day

"People will forget what you said,people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel"

-Maya Angelou

Quirky Quote of the Day

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself"

-Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady

Quirky Quote of the Day

"To discover what normal means, you have to surf a tide of weirdness"

-Charlotte Rampling,  British-French Actress

Brush The Dust Off

I know it's been a while but we hope to be back soon with some new content. Thanks for your patience!

Semi-Healthy Chicken Fingers and French Fries....or As Healthy As They Can Get

Everyone has a favorite food, right? Mine happens to be a tried and true combination that every four year old in the world loves, chicken fingers and french fries. I would say I have a rather refined palette, but there is something about deep fried chicken parts with a side of potatoes that just does it for me. Though I've recently realized that my aging metabolism no longer wants to cooperate with my massive consumption of fried goodness so I have decided to make a change. I have started a quest to find healthy solutions to all my favorite unhealthy foods. This mission may seem impossible but I choose to accept the challenge.

Taking on a healthy cooking challenge is something that I know is going to be rather difficult for me. I am not a person who has an abundance of free time and I often work long hours and my commute, though completely reasonable, still gets me home after most people have already finished their dinner. So when I started scouring the Internet for recipes to accomplish my lofty goal of healthy junk food, one of my main qualifications for a good recipe is short preparation time. I have the attention span of a four year old and time-consuming recipes just aren't practical for me. The recipe that seemed easiest and healthiest was one I found at Eating Well's website. I wanted my chicken fingers to be as close to the real thing as possible without all of the guilt. After looking through about twenty recipes,Eating Well's Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers seemed like the tastiest, easiest, and least time consuming recipe. So off I went to try it out.

I have complete faith in my cooking skills, but trying new recipes is always a little nerve racking. I went full speed ahead into this recipe and was pleasantly surprise with the results.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Makes 4 servings
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

* Canola oil cooking spray
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds
* 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 large egg whites
* 1 pound chicken tenders,(I used chopped up chicken breast)


Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.
2. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
3. Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.
4. Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown; crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.


You can't have chicken fingers with out french fries, so I asked myself what is a healthy alternative to good old-fashioned yukon gold potatoes? Sweet potatoes of course! Now, let me say sweet potatoes and I have always had a tense relationship. It started in childhood where I used to refer to them as "nuclear potatoes" and has followed me into adulthood. Even the name always turned me off. Why in the heck would I want to eat a potato that was sweet, yuck! I decided that for the sake of a healthy meal I would prepare sweet potato fries. Sweet potatoes fries seem to be all the rage in restaurants, but until today I was not hopping on that orange bandwagon. Again, I looked for an easy and timely recipe. The easiest that I found was as follows.

Sweet Potato French Fries:

Cut 2 large peeled potatoes into ¼-inch strips and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with oil spray. Season fries with salt, black pepper, or any other seasonings (ground cinnamon, curry powder, and chili powder are all nifty options). Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, flipping the fries halfway through. You can finish your fries under the broiler for 5 minutes to get them extra crispy!


After all was said and done I had prepared my healthy chicken fingers and french fries, it now was time for me to try them out. Healthy isn't always tasty, but I had hope for this experiment. After looking at what I had prepared skeptically, I took my first bite. Yum! Success! Now, let me say nothing quite beats deep friend chicken parts and crispy shoestring potatoes, but this comes in a close second! Enjoy and if you try it let me know how it turns out.

The Finished Product:

Denim the Bane of My Existence!

Curvaceous- (of a woman) having a well-shaped figure with voluptuous curves.

I feel the word curvaceous has always gotten a bad wrap. Too many  the word is synonymous with something unappealing or dare I say misshapen or fat. For me the word has always been a word of empowerment, a word that depicts the women in my family, a word that describes my friends, and a word that represents me. My measurements are not necessarily ordinary, but not that extraordinary either. I have a 25-inch waist and a 40-inch hip, which runs in my the family. To say that I have a pear shape is a bit of an understatement. Truthfully, I am proud of my shape, but finding attractive ways to clothe it can seem impossible. Finding figure flattering clothing that isn't matronly is not only challenging but also at times costly. The fashion industry does not make clothing for women with curves.

I have spent all of my adolescence and adult life trying to find clothing that fits my proportions. Which has not been an easy feat. I would say the most challenging aspect of shopping is finding jeans that fit properly. When Gap debuted their first pair of curvy jeans I jumped for joy. Before Gap's curvy line, there were not many other designers that made jeans for girls with more substantial proportions. At least none that had a classic wash and detailing.  As a woman in my late twenties, I cannot walk around with apple shaped pockets on my behind. It's just plain silly. I am proud of my shape, but there is no reason to have fruit shaped bedazzlement on my derriere. This left me with very few options.

It has been suggested to me on many occasions that I should tailor my jeans to fit my proportions. As someone on a budget, it does not make financial sense for me to buy a nice pair of jeans then spend more money tailoring them. I have always wanted to be able to go into a store and purchase a pair of jeans that I knew would fit over my hips and not gap in the waist. I had some reservations about Gap's line of curvy jeans. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but as I grabbed my first pair and walked toward the fitting room I dreamed of a world where I could go into a store and buy a pair of jeans that I knew would fit me. As I slid the not too stretchy denim up my legs and to my hips, my hopes and dreams shattered. These jeans were like every other pair of jeans with a little more room in the thighs. They had the dreaded waist gap and posterior smushing attributes of 98% of jeans I put my hopes, dreams, and butt into. This was beyond disheartening.

I have spent majority of my life in ill-fitting denim, but everywhere I looked different retailers were advertising jeans for curvy girls and every time I tried them on I walked away dissatisfied. I have tried Anne Taylor Loft's Curvy Jeans (mom jeans), Express's Eva Jeans (waist gap), and I've learned my lesson with Applebottom. I still did not give up hope on the Gap. Every season Gap would come out with a different style of curvy jeans and every time I would leave the fitting room disappointed. Finally, after 5 years I hit pay dirt! I was strolling by the Gap on my way to the subway after work and figured I would give their curvy jeans another try. I needed a cute pair of jeans to go with the amazing pair of red leather boots I purchased at Anthropologie. I walked tentatively to the display of jeans grabbed my size and went into the fitting room.

This time I had learned my lesson. I expected the worst but secretly hoped for the best. I slid the jeans up my legs, past my hips, and holy mother of cows they fit like a glove. I looked into the mirror and my tush looked amazing and there was no waist gap. Hallelujah, I finally found the holy grail of curvy jeans. I purchased these jeans immediately and I ran home and tried them on with everything I owned and they looked great. Now I officially own one pair of jeans that look great. Hopefully, Gap won't disappoint me and change the style of jean for the upcoming season, but knowing them they won't know when to leave well enough alone. 

I have been searching my whole life for that one amazing pair of jeans, and now that I have finally found them I hope that I can find more. This one pair of jeans made me feel like the fashion industry finally understood that women come in many shapes and sizes. I know that it is ridiculous to think that one pair of jeans is evidence that the world is changing and finally embracing us curvy girls, but one can dare to hope that this is a sign of change for the better.

Some of these curvy jeans didn't work for me but they might work for you:
Gap
Ann Taylor Loft
PZI Jeans (haven't tried them but I have high hopes)
Express
The Limited