You need only a few key ingredientsto whip something up in a pinch.
Image: cravingsofalunaticPhoto: d. king 1)penne 2)scrambled eggs
These simple worthy recipes for breakfast lunch and/or dinner use only three (or four) savory ingredients – an old standby of sour cream, chives and bacon no less. On their own they’re pretty dull, but collectively they add a powerful punch to some dishes. Something definitely to consider but maybe not to incorporate into a steady diet.
I can’t remember the last time I went out and actually bought bacon in a store because I usually reserve bacon as a side for occasional Sunday brunch. However I was cross border shopping and ended up buying a box of uncured fully-cooked apple smoked bacon at Trader Joe’s. I don’t know; just had a craving. And I hate frying up bacon because of all the rendered fat and this one only needed a few seconds in a microwave or frypan. The problem is, then you have to use it up in a relatively short time span.
For a few days I made the most delicious BLT sandwiches, but I switched the lettuce for avocado so it became a BAT instead. So yummy with beefsteak tomatoes, good bread and mayo.
I probably won’t eat bacon for a while now, but if you have a craving as I did, here are a few easy ideas to help use it up. With sour cream and chives of course.
Breakfast Bourdain style:
Anthony Bourdain’s Scrambled Eggs
Image: d. king
Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 2 servings
Here chopped bacon is fried until crisp. Eggs are whisked and added to pan (sans milk or water). When eggs are finished cooking, a dollop of sour cream is stirred into the eggs, along with chopped chives or green onions. It works and tastes incredibly good.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sliced bacon (about 2 slices of thick-cut or more depending)
4 eggs, whisked
salt & pepper
2 Tbsp chopped chives
2 Tbsp sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a medium or large pan (nonstick if you have it) over medium-high heat.
Add bacon to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is crispy, about 4-5 minutes (if using regular).
Lower heat and drain some of the bacon fat.
Add eggs to pan, stirring constantly, and when set, remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream, chives and season with salt & pepper to taste.
Lunch: Penne pasta with sour cream, bacon and chives
INGREDIENTS for two (or four as a side)
Image: d. king
8 ounces short pasta (penne, ziti, etc)
6 slices bacon, chopped and cooked until crispy
1/2 stick butter at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
Chives, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Return to the hot pasta pot.
Put the pot on the lowest heat setting on your stove and stir in butter and sour cream. Stir until both are melted and combined into the pasta.
Stir in chives and cooked bacon.
Serve at once.
Image: cravingsofalunatic
Dinner: Baked Potato
Whatever you’re having with a side of baked potato. Tell me you don’t need any instructions on this. OR; even better: just a fully-loaded baked potato with added stuff like broccoli and cheese. I know you want to!
We all have to satisfy our cravings. Okay; I’m done!
What better time to chill out, unwind and get in a flip flop state of mind – the ultimate casual summer shoe. Not just a shoe, but a way of life.
Granted you cannot or should not wear flip flops to a board meeting, wedding or funeral, but you can definitely wear them with a skirt or dress. Not just for the beach anymore.
Have fun with the zillion variety of designs and colors out there.
Omar Ortiz – born in Guadalajara, Mexico (1977) where he still resides.
His paintings are surreal. His work is characterized as minimalistic – described as hyperrealism where the human body is predominate, done in oil with texture-filled backgrounds. He has also worked with pastels, charcoal, watercolor, acrylics, and airbrushing.
Omar describes his work:
“Since I started painting I have always tried to represent things as real as I can. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes not, but it’s a fact that it is very difficult for me to do the opposite. I really enjoy the challenge of reproducing skin tones under natural light and the nuances that it gives us, particularly in bright conditions. I like to keep simplicity in my pieces since I believe that excess make us poorer rather than rich.”
Art moves us. Everyone should be in agreement with this. While we may not all agree on liking a specific piece enough to want to hang it in our home, we can admire the work for what it is and the dedication involved in bringing something to life and/or giving us something to ponder. Everyone can visualize something different in abstract, but in realism everyone sees the same – it’s like looking in the mirror (technically speaking).
Every single morning while I was away I woke up to the intriguing sounds of what appeared to be many different types of songbirds right outside my window. Not only birds, but frog sounds too.
While there were plenty of other types of birds in the area, especially dainty little hummingbirds, the pleasurable noise as it turns out was made by one ordinary looking little bird. And now I know the name of the specific type of bird – it was a mockingbird. Which makes sense since it made a variety of sounds mocking other animals and noises, even that of a car alarm (heard in this video). On my phone video the sounds are awesome but the picture didn’t come out very clearly so instead I found one on youtube (below). I also came across one that calls out a dog’s name. Amazing creatures.
After listening to these captivating sounds it made me question why in the world anyone would want to kill one. Kiss one maybe.
WATCH:
Then I came across a post I did 3 years ago re: birds of a feather from photos I’d taken of birds from my travels:
Spotlight on: Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Glow Moisturizer
Included in the Rachel Zoe Summer “Box of Style.”
A moisturizer that has an exfoliant to make your face glow? This just might be the perfect product! – d. king
Once referred to as a “shopaholic” (although not really) I hardly shop at all anymore. At least not in the actual stores. I love that many products now find their way to me from like minded people who carefully select high quality ingredients that are most likely to maintain a good reputation once reviewed. I mean what would be the fun of trying products you’re not excited about?
“My skin never can be hydrated enough. This product is one of my latest obsessions—I apply it a few times a day for an instant refresh and an immediate glow.” – xoRZ
1.7 fl. oz.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic & Lactic Acids, Pineapple, Pumpkin, Papaya Enzymes. and Napol Cactus Fruit Extract
Reduces the appearance of dullness and uneven skin texture to reveal beautiful, glowing skin.
Eight days ago the fashion world mourned the loss of style icon Kate Spade.
Kate Spade
I still covet my roomy, elegant Kate Spade cowhide black bag and my tortoiseshell reading glasses. What makes my bag standout is what’s on the inside – the lining has all red + pink polka dots. It makes me smile and it’s the real reason why I bought it. Because there are, let’s face it, so many black leather bags on the market.
And it was always the fun little touches that set her bags apart from the rest. Not only polka dots, but butterflies, bows, strawberries and the like.
Kate Spade was an original and when she sold her company her handbags still had the recognizable KS touch that made them stand out . You have to wonder why anyone who put so much thought into creating fun, whimsical designs would choose to take her own life leaving a young daughter behind.
There’s still so much we don’t know about deep depression. There are so many layers beneath the surface. Just because someone looks a certain way on the outside doesn’t mean they’re not suffering on the inside. How very sad that we seem to be hearing about people taking their own life more regularly. We hear about the famous people, not the countless others who also suffer from this crippling disease. With the right help suicide is preventable.
If you, or someone you know suffers from depression please Google the centre for disease control to find the contract in your city .
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK)
Kate Spade’s Sparkle will live on in her eponymous brand.
From Bland to Beautiful. Cauliflower; you dress up nicely.
Photo: d. king
My food goal this week was to make the easiest Anthony Bourdain recipe I could find. There were two. But I chose this one for two reasons. 1) I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge intending to make cauliflower rice. 2) Anything that makes cauliflower more flavorful is worth a try. This one will not disappoint. It’s actually very delicious – tastes better than it looks. What I find funny is that Cauliflower is one of my least favorite vegetables yet I’m appreciating how adaptable it is. Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of the cruciferous kind. But there are exceptions to every rule.
This recipe is dead simple to throw together too. It’s also intriguing because it mixes Greek & Italian herbs with Middle Eastern tahini and Japanese miso. Proves we can all get along.
The cauliflower gets crisp and charred on the edges. After the florets are roasted and tossed in the thick sauce of tahini, miso, red wine vinegar and a splash of water, the heat of the cauliflower will loosen up the sauce and coat every inch in delicious nuttiness, umami and a tad of tang.
It’s a side dish but Bourdain said one adult could easily polish off the entire dish for dinner. As usual, he said it exactly like it is. I did it.
So when he described this dish as This s–t is compulsively delicious, you can bet that he was right.
“Roasted Cauliflower with Sesame” is from his book, “Appetites: A Cookbook”
It’s the last cookbook he wrote. This isn’t a collection of necessarily cutting-edge cooking, but rather recipes for dishes that he loved to cook at home — well, on the rare days that he was actually in New York and not traveling the globe for his must-see “Parts Unknown” show on CNN. They’re also dishes that Bourdain thought every home-cook ought to have in his or her repertoire. It will be a part of mine from now on.
Roasted Cauliflower with Sesame
(Serves 4 as a side dish)
1 head of cauliflower, broken by hand into florets
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (I used fleur-de-sel)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon white miso (it’s a paste that you can readily find now at most grocery stores)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds (I used a mixed sesame seasoning seed blend)
*I squeezed a little bit of fresh lemon juice over top but try it “as is” first.
All you have to do is toss the cauliflower with spices, roast, and then toss it again with your tahini and miso mixture. That’s it!
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cauliflower, oil, salt, coriander, oregano, and pepper and toss well to evenly coat the cauliflower with the oil and spices. Transfer to a sheet pan and arrange in an even layer, making spaces between the pieces as much as possible. Roast the cauliflower in the oven for 20 minutes, turning the tray and lightly tossing the pieces halfway through.
While the cauliflower roasts, combine the tahini, miso, vinegar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water in a small mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Once the cauliflower is done, remove it from the oven, transfer to a mixing bowl, and toss with the sauce and sesame seeds to coat evenly.
Side note: Bourdain’s chapter on desserts is all of one page, which essentially says, “F–k dessert.” Turns out he wasn’t big on sweets, preferring cheese instead.
Adapted from “Appetites: A Cookbook” by Anthony Bourdain
INSPIRATION
Art moves us. Everyone should be in agreement with this. While we may not all agree on liking a specific piece enough to want to hang it in our home, we can admire the work for what it is and the dedication involved in bringing something to life and/or giving us something to ponder. Everyone can visualize something different in abstract, but in realism everyone sees the same – it’s like looking in the mirror (technically speaking).
I still covet my roomy, elegant Kate Spade cowhide black bag and my tortoiseshell reading glasses. What makes my bag standout is what’s on the inside – the lining has all red + pink polka dots. It makes me smile and it’s the real reason why I bought it. Because there are, let’s face it, so many black leather bags on the market.
It’s the last cookbook he wrote. This isn’t a collection of necessarily cutting-edge cooking, but rather recipes for dishes that he loved to cook at home — well, on the rare days that he was actually in New York and not traveling the globe for his must-see “Parts Unknown” show on CNN. They’re also dishes that Bourdain thought every home-cook ought to have in his or her repertoire. It will be a part of mine from now on.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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