Debbie King

FUN

B Well – other intriguing uses for Herbs & Spices.

Did you know…..

Ancient Romans hung Anise plants near their pillows to prevent bad dreams?

Pinning a Bay Leaf to your pillow on the eve of St. Valentine’s Day lets you see your future spouse in a dream. This according to Elizabethan lore.

Clove oil is a natural pain killer, used for centuries. In 17^th century Britain, cloves were literally worth their weight in gold. Unfortunately times have changed.

In the Middle Ages, Cumin was believed to keep lovers (and chickens!) from wandering. **That’s why you should always use cumin in cooking.

Drinking Dill water removes a witch’s spell. So happy to finally get that ~~bitch~~ witch off my back.

Studies have shown that Fenugreek can increase milk production in nursing mothers by up to 900%.

We all know that Ginger helps to cure a sore throat but ginger is also extremely effective for curing nausea.

Cleopatra wore Lavender perfume while seducing Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. In the 19^th century it was used to cure vipor bites and swooning fits.

Hippocrates used Oregano as an antiseptic. Ancient Greeks crowned brides and grooms with sprigs of oregano to banish sadness.

Tarragon was believed to cure snake bites.

In the middle ages, Thyme was believed to bring courage to the bearer. Too bad the Lion from Wizard of Oz didn’t know about that.

Tumeric can be used to deter ants in the garden. I suppose this can also be used in the house but only if you don’t mind your wood floor or carpets dyed a bright yellow.

It’s nice to know about these other ancient purposes but I’ll stick to using them mostly for cooking.

But does anyone know where I can get an Anise plant?

Also,

**Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host Brad King for the most evocative and informative up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America.

Here’s the link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1686/transforming-health

FUN

P.S. – Some books I really like.

Books are some of my favorite things.

More and more people are using a kindle but there’s nothing

I should have written this one. — This should be mine. Glamping by ~~Debbie King~~

like turning the pages of a book. I’ve always fantasized about having a library. My friend Natalia has built an enviable floor to ceiling library in her house in L.A. – if only I had the space. I go into stages of reading and not reading and have many books to catch up on. My friend Louise recently gave me the book “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle which I’ve wanted to read for the longest time. I must be the last person on the planet to be reading it. Here are a few coffee table types that recently caught my eye – from and about Palm Springs.

Considered the Cadillac of Campers. I wouldn't mind one of these. Always loved the Airstream rounded aluminum bodies. — Considered the Cadillac of Campers. I wouldn’t mind one of these. Always admired the rounded aluminum body of an Airstream.

Of course our visitors would have their own guest house. — Of course our visitors would have their own ~~trashy~~ guest trailer.

FUN

Simply Satisfying – The Best Caesar Salad

Caesar salad has always been one of my all time favorite salads but I could never get the dressing quite right…..until I ordered it once in an Italian restaurant in Niagara Falls of all places. The waiter came to our table with this wooden stand and placed a huge wooden bowl on top and then started mixing from scratch right in front of us. He looked so professional doing so that I tried to memorize his every ingredient with the correct proportions. I don’t believe anything is left out, in fact I added another two ingredients.

Start with fresh ground pepper right in the bowl (preferably wooden) that you’ll be serving from.

Purists will tell you that Caesar Salad has to be made with fresh anchovies but I admit to using about 1 inch of Anchovy paste instead. A good quality one works as a nice replacement.

Crushed or finely chopped garlic (a couple cloves…or more)

About 1 tsp. of dried mustard like Keen’s

1 egg yolk

a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and Red Wine Vinegar.

Mix well.

Then:

Whisk in the juice of ½ fresh lemon. Add anywhere from ¼ to ½ cup of olive oil bit by bit – whisking slowly in with the rest. It depends on how thick you like the dressing. More often than not I end up using about 1/3 of a cup. Finally mix in ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Toss in enough romaine lettuce for the dressing, tearing it with your hands. Add more parmesan & pepper if you like once plated. Also bacon bits and croutons if desired.

NOTE: Since then I was at another restaurant where the waiter added some capers and a splash of Tabasco. You can add that before the lemon if you want – it’s a great addition.

For tasty croutons just cut up some bread into little squares and add it to a hot skillet with a bit of olive oil and Italian spices until they start to get crispy. You can also freeze them for later use.

**p.s. I thought yesterday was Wednesday so I posted something on design. Normally I post a recipe on Tuesday. Might have suffered a bit of heat stroke in Palm Springs. Does anyone really care? Do you bloggers follow some kind of format or just post haphazardly?

FUN

décor & design – It’s a Mod Mod World!

It’s Modernism week in Palm Springs. I think they invented Mid Century Modern.

It’s so opposite of my current home style but because it’s so different I kind of like it. Maybe I’ll even consider it for my next place – especially if that place is in Palm Springs.

Paris, Tokyo, New York, Rome……Just Kidding!

DESTINATIONS

Scene in the City – Venice, L.A.

For me no visit to Los Angeles is complete without a little side jaunt to Venice (muscle) beach if just for the local flavour.

It’s always sunny, friendly (sometimes overly), good food and anything goes. We won’t see any red carpet styles here. Maybe the pictures will speak for themselves.

I like to start my day with a nice fresh juice with lotsa veggies and a bit of vodka.

Here’s what is unique about Venice Beach: Hundreds of street vendors and performers, everything from break-dancing to broken glass walking, mimes to musicians, jugglers to jesters and everything in between will make up the human landscape. You can have your fortune read, get a temporary tattoo or have your name written on a grain of rice. If souvenirs is what you are after then the boardwalk is the place to go. The Westside offers unique arts and crafts, odds and ends and one of kinds only obtainable here. Paintings, photos, rocks of various sorts and sculptures are among the popular offerings. On the Eastside are the store fronts of the boardwalk. Here you will find every sort of t-shirt under the sun. From the politically motivated to sexually charged to the plain old Venice Beach t-shirt there is sure to be one for everybody. In addition, there are tattoo and piercing stores, skate and surf shops, medical marijuana dispensaries and more. You can buy sun glasses, vaporizers, beer and shoes. This is all in addition to the large selection of restaurants, juice spots and bars. In summary, packed into its one and a half mile, the boardwalk has more diversity in demographics and retail then probably anywhere else in the world. There is reason it so famous. These pictures are only the beginning.

Yup...the landscape is lovely. — Yup…the landscape is lovely.

Photos: d. king

FUN

AWay with Words – LOVE ly quotes

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. – Oscar Wilde.

Immature love says: “I love you because I need you. Mature love says I need you because I love you” – Erich Fromm

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” – Dr. Seuss

A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. – Eizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

“You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.” – Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper

Love means never having to say you’re Surrey….or something like that.

FUN

B Well – the health perks of bonding

I just picked up this book but I was sure it said “bondage.”

Daily Interactions with others – are they just as important to your health as eating well or going for a run?

In her new book, Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become, Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D, suggests that true love isn’t about romance, companionship, or fondness; fundamentally it springs from something else she calls “micromoments of shared positive emotion.” That the more loving you are in everyday life the healthier you could be. She believes that such moments have the potential to lower our risk for disease and may even influence how our cells regenerate.

From the body’s point of view: when the brain registers love, it triggers the release of the hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin. Your emotions can trigger hormones that influence the way genes are expressed in the body. We know this happens with negative emotions: stress releases adrenaline, which can prime cells for inflammation, causing disease. She believes that positive feelings, which can trigger the release of oxytocin, have the opposite effect and set us up for a healthier life. Makes perfect sense.

Simply get out and be more social. Getting the benefits of love doesn’t require being in a romantic relationship or living near family or friends. Just make sure you’re connecting with others, whether it’s through conversation or eye contact. We tend to trivialize these interactions, but they’re important to our overall well being.

Or, get a rescue dog that you love and they’ll love you back tenfold

FUN

Personal Post-it – Product Review

Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover – a Wonderful Product and makes life easier.I don’t know about you but I’m always taking off nail polish because it consistently chips. Have you ever spilled nail polish remover in your bathroom? It’s not a good thing. Worse is spilling a bottle of bright red nail polish on your white ceramic sink but that’s another story. A friend once brought me back from Japan a very similar product that I remember thinking was brilliant. Then once it was finished I forgot all about it – until Sephora came out with this one. Easy to use because you just dip each nail one by one into the jar and presto – nail polish dissolves in seconds. Hard to get off glitter polish too although you might have to do it twice or leave it for a few seconds longer. Great for travelling, lasts a long time (surprisingly I’ve had mine for a few months) and it’s inexpensive. Thanks Sephora!

Note: you cannot use this for removing gel polish

FUN

It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m in LOVE…..

……With a pair of SHOES

therealreal.com is a designer shoe website — therealreal.com is Luxury Designer Resale – it puts a **SMILE** on my face.

007 — therealreal.com is Luxury Designer Resale – it puts a **SMILE** on my face.

Maybe I’m feeling a bit jaded because I’ll be in Hollywood soon and just read a funny column by Jackie Collins wondering if Valentine’s Day really matters? We can leave that up to you. Her real real favorite story goes like this:

One very beautiful Hollywood wife – married to a man 20 years older than she – is having an affair with a hunky young actor who’s just hit it big on a TV show. Valentine’s Day is approaching , and both men want to buy her something substantial. “An important piece of jewelry,” offers her husband, fired up with Viagra. “Whatever you want,” says her young lover, fired up with testosterone. The Hollywood wife thinks about this. Surely she has been presented with an opportunity to score big-time? Advantage must be taken, so she visits a fancy jeweler, picks out an exquisite yellow diamond cocktail ring, and proposes to the jeweler a deal: Her husband buys the ring for her, paying full price. Then her boyfriend buys the same ring, except the jeweler gives 90 percent of the price to the wife without anyone knowing. So now both men have bought the same ring, and not only does the Hollywood wife get the bauble but she gets to wear it with either man because each is under the impression that he gave it to her as a special Valentine’s Day gift. She’s happy with plenty of extra spending money. Hunky lover is delighted he gave her such a magnificent present and so is hubbie. And the jeweler walks away with a handsome profit. Satisfaction all around. Valentine’s Day – Hollywood Style!

I love a storybook ending!

Wishing you a lovely day filled with sunshine and exquisite jewels (but I’ll be happy with just the sunshine).

STYLE

style & design – the wonderful world of WOLFORD

I can’t imagine a world without Wolford! I’ve never enjoyed wearing stockings so much and they’ve made it difficult to go back to basics. Wolford is a remarkable brand onto themselves. A stunning range of fashion tights & hosiery incomparable to anything else on the current market. Basically no other stocking can compare. They make a fashion statement on their own. Instead of putting your stockings on last, you put these on first and then find something to go along. Most likely people won’t be able to take their eyes off your legs so you can stick on the plainest dress or skirt overtop and it will look great.

Wolford is known mainly for glamorous legwear but they’ve grown to include an international premium brand of ready-to-wear, lingerie, swimwear and accessories. The company whose head office is located in Austria, spans over 60 years and fulfills their claim of being both unique and unmistakable. For instance their sought after bodysuits do not have any seams.

In the late 1990s, the company’s advertising campaign was shot by the photographer Helmut Newton.

Rachel D. from Los Angeles, Ca has this to say: The gentleman who gave me my first pair of Wolford tights sparked a serious and expensive addiction. These beautiful patterned tights are warm, cozy and totally sexy. I went back and bought a pair of twenties-style fishnets that make me feel like a million bucks. Sexy legs deserve the best in hosiery. Wolford is the only way to go!

Luz C. from Brooklyn, N.Y. writes: Once you go Wolford, you’ll never go back. I’ve had some pairs for years and washed them many, many times without ever seeing a degradation in quality or durability. I would say if you can swing it price-wise, they are one hundred percent worth the cost. I would always prefer to pay more for something of good quality that will last a long time than pay a low price for something of poor quality that I’m going to have to replace ten times.

Poster with bodysuit & stockings — Poster with **Wolford** bodysuit & stockings

Vancouver Location is at 753 Burrard St. (between Robson & Alberni).