Trendy Wednesday - Ruffles

Is there anything more girlie than ruffles? Layers and layers of them! For me ruffles are like ice cream or frosting - super sweet and I can't ever get enough. From tops to accessories to coats and to shoes, this fall you can layer yourself in ruffles from head to toe. Can there ever really be too much of a good thing?

Hmmmm, come to think about it, too much frosting gives me quite a headache. Once at Stephanie Vega's birthday party in the sixth grade, she had a cookie cake that was in the shape of a pizza and had all of this frosting on it that looked like sauce and cheese and toppings. It sounds weird now, but at the time I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. And after a "slice" topped with WAYYYY too much frosting pepperoni, I felt like I was dying. So maybe you should just take it one ruffly piece at a time! Here are a few of my favorites this fall...

I just love this ruffled scarf from Anthropologie. With a white tee and worn in jeans - casual perfection!

I still don't have a pair yet, but of all the booties out there, I think these are really fun.

Also at Anthropologie is this adorable white button down - the perfect way to change up a classic look.

I saw this piece on http://www.prettyinpinkmegan.com/ and it quickly became my "if we won the lottery" pick. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?? I mean the coat is named "Darling" - I think it was made just for me (the me who won the lottery and lived in a place where I wore a coat more than five times a year!).

Tasty Tuesdays - Bacon and Brown Sugar Braised Collard Greens

Hi Y'all! (Said in Paula Deen's voice!!)

This past Saturday, Mark and I decided to take a field trip to Savannah. We live so close to this great city that people travel from all over to get to, and we rarely take an opportunity to spend time there. So we hopped over there with plans to really make a day of touring around Savannah. We wanted to take a trolley or carriage tour, walk the many squares, and stroll down River Street. Mother Nature had a very different idea of how we should spend our day. When we were about twenty minutes outside of Savannah, it started pouring. Oh no! What would we do? We figured today would be as good a day as any to try our luck at getting into Paula Deen's Lady and Son's without a reservation. I figured - who would be crazy enough to wait outside in this kind of rain?? A lot of folks actually!!! The line was ridiculous, but I waited in it only to see a sign that said "Sorry Y'all, We full for lunch." Heartbreak... The very helpful girl behind the counter came to my rescue and said, if it's a party of two we can take you right now at a high top table. Heck yes!

Mark and I followed the herd of people being shuffled into the elevator and landed on the third floor. Every possible seat in the restaurant was taken. Our waiter gave us a choice of several yummy menu options, but we decided on the buffet, since he said that's what first timers should do. I must admit, I am not much of a buffet eater, but this was great. Popeye's is of course the world's best fried chicken, but Paula's was very very good. We had mac and cheese, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, slow cooked green beans. It was all wonderful and felt very comforting on such an icky day. But by far the best dish was the braised collard greens. They were spicy and slightly bitter, but also salty and a tad sweet. They were just the way I love them!

I love to make a big pot of greens during the fall. They are a great comfort food, and you can often find them at the farmers markets this time of year. I have tried several recipes, but this one is my favorite by far. I feel that the longer they can simmer, the better they are. So make these on a day when you can start them early and let them cook down for a while. It's truly worth the wait - much like lunch at Lady and Sons!!

Bacon and Brown Sugar Braised Collard Greens
Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Ingredients
2 bacon slices
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (16-ounce) package prewashed torn collard greens
Preparation
Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion and garlic to drippings in pan; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in crumbled bacon, 2 cups water, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper). Gradually add greens. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender.

Fridays Five Favorite Things - Muses Shoes

I am up to my neck in glitter! Seriously it is all over our house - on the phone, on the remote control, on my forehead. Everywhere! I have mentioned before that I ride in a Mardi Gras parade - the Krewe of Muses. I received my bead order form about two weeks ago, and since then, I have not been able to control my excitement and anticipation for this year's parade! Seriously, I have already placed my bead order, confirmed our luncheon reservation at Galatoire's with my friend Traci, organized our makeup application (think fake eyelashes and glittery lips), and finished eight fabulously glittery shoes! Our parade is a tribute to all things girly. Our signature, and highly coveted throw, are personally designed and decorated shoes. We coat them in glitter and feathers, sequins and gems. I estimate I spend about an hour per shoe, and I make the maximum amount allowed per rider, 30 shoes. It is truly a labor of love, but when you see the look of excitement and joy on the face of the lucky recipient of one of these shoes, it makes it all worth it. I remember going to a friend of a friend's house once, and she had a glittery Muses show on a shelf in her china cabinet - right next to her Vera Wang crystal. They truly are a treasure. Here are a few of my favorites that I have made over the past five years...

1. The aquarium shoes- these are new this year. they are bright green shoes with ocean blue inside. They have a trim that looks like seaweed and little 3-d fish all over. I think the little parade go-ers will love these.

2. The daisy shoes - I just thought these were so playful. They were white sandals that I glittered in green and covered in daisies!3. The LSU shoes - these are new this year and I think will be a big hit with all the 'Tiga' fans! Geaux Tigers. They are yellow shoes accented in purple trim with cute, or should I say ferocious, tigers on them.

4. The Ruby Red Slippers - Each year I make a pair of ruby red slippers. Growing up my sister always wanted a pair of Dorothy's ruby red slippers, so these are for all the little girls just like her.

5. The US Navy shoes - last year we had a promotion party for Mark and the favor for all of our guests was a Mardi Gras bead with the Navy Emblem attached. I had several pairs left over, so I made Mark and his boss (who came to NOLA for her first Mardi Gras) a pair of Navy Muses shoes. I was so nervous that in the chaos of the crowd, Tracy wouldn't get the shoe, but she did, and it was a big hit!

With eight shoes done, I have 22 to go. I better get back to work!!!

Trendy Wednesday - Cameos

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite past times was looking through my mom's jewelry box. There were all of these amazing treasures in there that seemed so grown up. She had her high school ring, which would eventually be worn by my sister, and all of her class pins that she had gotten at Mount Carmel. I remember thinking that one day when I was a big girl, I would have Mt. Carmel jewelry too. And she had these beautiful thin gold bangles that made the best clinking sounds when they slid up and down my wrists. But there is one piece that I always found so intriguing - a Cameo. I always thought it was so old-fashioned. It seemed like something that Samantha from American Girls would wear. Seeing as she was my favorite American Girl, I loved this piece.
Imagine my excitement seeing the return of the cameo. I think the femininity of a cameo works so well against the stiffness of a leather jacket. This look of the leather jacket over the print dress would be the perfect outfit for the cameo ring I spotted at Nordstrom.

This pin is perhaps my favorite accessory this fall. And at only $38, I think you can add a touch of class and sophistication that looks much more expensive than the price. I would pin this on a black turtleneck or on the lapel of a velvet blazer. It is simple, but it is timeless.

And just imagine how excited your little one will be when she discovers these items tucked in your jewelry box! Heaven!

PS - I finally figured out how to add a link. It's a blog milestone!

NYC Recommendations

Hi bloggers!

We are heading up to NYC again this Thanksgiving from Tuesday night through Sunday. We cannot wait. I, being a good New Orleanian, plan my trip from breakfast to lunch to dinner. I do a ton of research before we travel, and I love to read about all of the great restaurants out there. But sometimes, the best advice comes by word of mouth.

Soooooo, I'm wondering if yall have any "don't miss" NYC spots.

Please let me know what your favorites are...

Tasty Tuesdays - Pan-Roasted Pork Loin with Leeks

I think everybody has little weekend rituals they like to take care of to get the week of on the right foot. For me, it's creating a weeks worth of menus on Sunday mornings. I wake up and browse through Martha Stewart's website, through Everyday Food magazines, and through myrecipes.com. Myrecipes.com is probably my favorite recipe search engine because it connects to Cooking Light's recipe archive. It also has a feature that allows you to save the recipe you like to a shopping list where it organizes what you need by grocery section (produce, dry goods, etc). It is so handy and makes for a very efficient shopping experience, which is important when you're having to get your shopping done before the big game starts.

When looking for recipes, I try to mix things up in terms of protein choice and style of cuisine. I also try to stretch ingredients. For instance, this week I planned to buy a pork loin, and at the commissary they sell them in two pound increments. So I chose two recipes that called for pork loin, but that were very different in preparation and flavor. We will have Grilled Fajita Seasoned

Pork Loin with a Pineapple Salsa and Snap Peas, and we had today's featured recipe - Pan Roasted Pork Loin with Leeks. It is a great recipe that was very tasty and easy to prepare. I can get stuck in a recipe rut, so this one was a perfect way to shake up things. The leeks were creamy and tender and perfect to soak up the white wine that was added to the dish. They complemented the pork perfectly. I served this over a cauliflower puree that stood in for mashed potatoes. It's an easy side that so good, and not too bad for you either! Bring a head of cauliflower to a boil in chicken stock. Once tender, puree the cauliflower in a food processor. Add a little chicken stock and a quarter cup of fat free sour cream, salt, and pepper! Delish! It was perfect for this dish because it soaked up every bit of the juice from the pork and leeks.

I hope this recipe adds a little something to you next menu!

Pan-Roasted Pork Loin with Leeks

Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces pork and about 2 1/2 tablespoons leek mixture)
Ingredients
4 large leeks (about 2 1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed
1/2 cup dry white wine
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Preparation
Remove roots and tough upper leaves from leeks. Cut each leek in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (you should have about 6 cups). Soak in cold water to loosen dirt.
Combine leeks, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large Dutch oven or deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or until leek wilts. Pour the leek mixture into a bowl.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan. Cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and wine to pan; cook 15 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return leek mixture to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until pork is tender. Remove pork from pan. Increase heat to reduce leek sauce if too watery. Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with leek mixture. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

PS - I halved this recipe, but used the full cup of wine. Turn up the heat if you need to reduce the sauce. Also, I used I can't believe it's not butter sticks instead of butter, and it was still very good. Also, it says two hours, but I like my pork a little pinker in the center, so I'd likely do an hour and a half next time.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

That is if you're a Saints fan! The Saints were looking to start the season 2-0 for the first time since the magical 2006 campaign, but to do it, they'd have to go into Philadelphia and pull an upset over a team most pundits have picked to represent the NFC in the Superbowl. Typically the Saints do not fair well on the road (2-6 last year), nor do they shine when playing against physical defenses who have capable offenses. It's why most people picked Philly to beat the Saints and prove that New Orleans is fun to watch but not a real contender.

I think yesterday's routing of the Eagles might make the second-guessers out there give the Saints a second look. New Orleans won on every side of the ball. The offense showed again why Drew Brees should be considered as one of the best QBs playing today. The defense came away with big plays when we needed the momentum to shift our way. But credit the special teams for making the big play that changed the direction of the game. Malcolm Jenkins aggressive strip on the opening kickoff of the second half should be considered the play of the day. Just when Philly was feeling confident that they could score on us, he snuffed out any chance they had to do so. Just a great heads up play. That's pretty much what you saw all day by the Black and Gold.

I love waking up on Mondays after a win like we saw yesterday. The sky is a little bluer. The air is a little cooler. The birds are chirping, and there is a skip in my step.

I don't know what the weather is like today in old PA, but in New Orleans, the sun is shining!

GEAUX SAINTS!!!

Who dat, who dat, who dat says dey gonna beat dem Saints! Who dat??

Some fun stats about yesterdays game...

• For the first time in Saints history, they scored more than 40 points in the first two games of a season.
• Drew Brees threw for 311 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Dating to last season, Brees has thrown at least two touchdowns in eight straight games.
• Marques Colston had eight catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, his fifth career road game with multiple touchdown receptions.
• Darren Sharper's 97-yard interception return for a touchdown tied for the longest in Saints history.