The Dilemmas of a Great Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie is my specialty, but it has been a weird road to deciding what will make or break it. I hashed out that all chicken pot pies need to have a cream base. In my first few trial runs, my sauce never thickened the way that I wanted to. Solution? Add enough flour and cornstarch for it to almost become a paste that way when you add the vegetables and chicken, the water from both ingredients will water it down to a great consistency. The filling is good, but there has always been controversy over the crust that I didn’t figure out until just this past weekend. Bottom or not? Of course there has to be a top crust, but pie crust or biscuits? Ew, the biscuit top is gooey, now what do we do? I decided this go around to bake the biscuits temporarily to harden the bottom and then set them on top. It actually went kind of well because no one complained about not having enough crust. Needless to say, the biscuits are staying.
Makeup Favorites of 2011
I did not start wearing makeup until I was a freshman in high school, and that wasn’t until a senior girl in marching band literally sat on me and put eyeliner on me. It was my first experience of being taken to this upper level of “beauty”, and now that I am older, I realize that wearing makeup is a personal choice. No one has to wear it, but we choose to. From that moment on, I have actually been semi-obsessed with makeup and the application of it. This year, however, I hit my all time peak of purchasing. The number of Sephora points that I have in my V.I.B. account is actually embarrassing, and I purchased my first train case. Notice how I said first. Since I purchased the majority of my collection this year, I found it only fitting to conclude the year with my absolute favorite products of 2011. Continue on…
Rainy Day with Hunter (and his boots)
So, I took my Christmas 55-200mm lens out in the rain today…
I didn’t know that taking pictures of half-rotten berries would be so much fun.
End of the Year Photo Dump (Version: Food)
First of all, Happy Holidays! It has been one whirlwind of a year for me. Between school, jobs, and multiple surprises, there has been a lot going on in my life that I have been able to document with my Nikon. The year has flown by and for me that means that I start looking through old photographs and deciding what to keep and what to let go of. I have taken thousands (literally) of photos for this blog and due to my immediate neglect, have consequently let them sit around in my SD card only to pile up into a massive photo post. I thought I was going to be able to compile all of the miscellaneous pictures into one neat, tidy update, but I took a huge step out of my culinary comfort zone this year and decided that splitting the posts into ones with food and ones with everything else is more appropriate. I don’t need or want to be responsible for crashing anyone’s computer from massive loading lag. I am proud of myself that I was able to dabble in several creative outlets this year and was able to combine photography and food into one that I enjoy doing. All of the accompanied photos are unedited and not cropped save for the ones from Instagram. I will add commentary on the dishes that I remember, and if you are curious enough for recipes, comment or feel to give me a Tweet or two, and I will try to remember what I did to the best of my abilities; I don’t follow recipes the majority of the time.
Not even half of the onions that went into the French onion soup.
The beginnings of lemon chicken..
Finished product.
I made French Onion soup for the first time, too.
Stuffed green bell peppers with seasoned ground turkey and mozzarella.
Roasted banana cupcakes.
Tomato, yellow squash, zucchini, red onion.
Christmas Eve brown sugar ham.
An Infamously Long Hair Care Blog.
Shirt: GAP // Lipstick: M.A.C.’s Girl About Town
Guys.. I’m back! Are you excited?
What is this nonsense doing on a fashion/personal style blog you ask? Because your outer image extends past what clothes you are wearing and if they are in season or not. It includes your outfit, makeup, hair — the entire package. I have not seen many people tackle the issue of black, or ethnic, hair care on a fashion forward blog. For me, since this is right up there with how I am going to be wearing my makeup for the day, I felt that it was necessary to open up this post for comments, concerns, and even products for other people to try in order to solve the issue of what to do.
Caring for black hair, albeit natural or relaxed, is a difficult challenge. If it is relaxed, like mine is, it is even MORE challenging finding the right concoctions of leave-in moisturizers, smoothing serums, and heating tools to keep it the way that it is portrayed in the media.
I grew up not knowing how to even begin to tackle my hair. I am of mixed descent (white and black) and was told growing up that I had ‘good hair’. I’m not exactly sure what that meant, but when I noticed that I had hair down to my back and other children that had the same type of hair as me did not, that clued me in. My mother started giving me relaxers when I was 5 years old, and every day that I wish she did not. My hair was left in a state where it was brittle, unhealthy, and abused even further past the chemical processing with hot combs that are heated by the coils of your stove and curling irons that when curled too tight left you amusing burns on your scalp and against your forehead if you dare twitched.
Why did black – no, ETHNIC – women with a coarse hair type get left with the torture act when it comes down to maintaining our hair? All of the African American women that we face in media today – including, but not limited to, Tyra Banks, Halle Berry, Zoe Saldana – have the relaxer hair style. It is very rare that we see a celebrity that is wearing a natural hairstyle that isn’t revealed as a very expensive and extensive lace front weave. As influenced by the media as my mother was to have my relaxers done at such a young age, I made the conscious decision as an adult to keep getting relaxers as an easier solution rather than shaving my hair to my new growth (virgin hair) and starting completely au naturale.
I started my journey three years ago after having enough of D.I.Y. glue-in extensions and hair that could not lie flat no matter how many times I pressed a flat iron to it. The first thing was when my boyfriend presented me with a CHI flat iron which was the be all of straighteners when he purchased it. The next step was going to my local ethnic hair dresser for her to fix the mess that I had started which started with a relaxer and ended with multiple trimmings that spanned six months in an attempt to get my hair to the point where it was healthy enough to avoid buzzing. I have grown somewhat since then and have figured out what products keep my hair at bay, but I have educated myself to the point where I have realized that I do not need a relaxer every month when, with the right care, I can stretch my hair out to where I only do relaxers every 4-6 months.
Now, I am not saying that having relaxer hair is the way to go by any means. There are many women that choose to bypass the harsh chemicals and keep their hair natural which I admire. It is just now how I am able to manage with my hair. I cannot even say that my hair is even as healthy as it could be or the pinnacle example of hair care. I am simply expanding on the idea that there is a stigma surrounding ethnic hair care that clearly reads that is difficult and to go to a professional. While that may be true for some or most situations if you need to get your hair back on the right path, but afterward? Maybe you don’t need to aside from trimmings. Maybe you will have to do the testing phase of other hair products to see what is the best thing for you. My hair becomes unmanageable in the rain. I am still afraid to work out because I know that if I do too much cardio that I will “sweat my perm out” and will find myself standing in front of a mirror for two hours to fix the damage post shampoo. I will do my best between food and fashion posts to give you reviews on products that I know have helped me along and even new ones. I really, really want to see what the new craze of dry shampoo will do to my hair.
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below or comment on some things that have helped you if it applies! I can also receive emails at coutureforthought@gmail.com and perhaps if I get enough I can make a collective post of Q&A!
Baby Shower.
I had never been to a baby shower until this past weekend. The theme was PINK in lieu of the family member to be and Gerber Daisies were the flower of choice. The boyfriend’s sister is three weeks away from giving birth to a baby girl, so it was his mother to the rescue to throw a baby shower for the friends and relatives this side of the Mississippi. I was brought on as girlfriend to the sibling and as official baby shower photographer (because I had the best camera gear out of all of the possible canidates.) All of the photos are not anywhere near being done edited, but I found that these did not need any editing at all.
A close family friend made these pink themed cupcakes complete with handmade gum paste Gerber daisies to match the floral centerpieces. Anyone that bakes and works with gum paste knows that the decorations do not necessarily taste good at all, but the cupcakes themselves were flawless.
I have been going through a healthy food kick (also known as a diet which is also known as hell), but this past weekend at a baby shower that I was asked to take pictures for, I allowed myself to delve in on some carb laced favorites.
Bruschetta on a toasted baguette with parmesan cheese.
Chicken Parmigiana garnished with roasted cherry tomatoes.
Overall, I had an okay time. Considering I was “working” most of the time, I did get to see a few people that I had not seen in a few months and managed to curb my awkwardness for long enough to have what would be considered “fun”.
First Summer Dinner.
It is Memorial Day weekend so here at the beach, and everywhere else in the United States, it is the official start of the summer season. Not only time for less layers, more figure hugging clothing, and the bikini, it is for the best summer vegetables. I need to admit from the start that I am not a fan of vegetables. I was not raised to like or forced to eat them, so as I child, I refused. I will partake in what I see as “normal” vegetables such as onions, peppers, and the occasional stalk of celery smeared with peanut butter. Tonight was different because my boyfriend’s father had purchased a free-range organic chicken from our local farmer’s market and wished for it to be grilled. Grilling chicken is simple for an 8 lb bird. My default rub is olive oil, fresh rosemary sprigs, garlic, salt, and pepper. What I was having trouble with was putting together a side dish that was health and dairy conscious because of the dietary limitations of the family at the moment (Most of us are going through a diet/weight overhaul).
I found potatoes in our pantry, but what in the world was I going to do with six potatoes and somehow produce enough of a side dish for seven people? Several minutes of fridge raiding later, I decided to forgo recipes and just go with what I thought would seem season appropriate – a potato, squash, pepper casserole. The name needs work, but the flavors do not.
Five Things of Appreciation.
This has been one of those weeks where you need to search hard around you to find something that can be a source of inspiration, or in this case my appreciation. I am starting to believe in appreciating the little things because there will be able that will jab petty things in your direction to bring you down. I am lucky that I find my salvation in all things cute, readable, and stylish, and that I happen to keep them all within arms reach.
Weekly Self-Manicures. This week in Chanel’s Nouvelle Vague 527.
An entire room makeover finally brought my books out from underneath of my bed and piled on top of my spinning book unit ranging from fashion, baking, graphic novels, manga, to art.
The things that I cannot be without while I am doing my every day Internet surfing and scholar-like activities. Yes, the Hello Kitty is required.
My Tangerine Michael Kors bag has been a great conversation starter and eye catcher.
My friend leaving behind these thick, plastic black rimmed glasses that just happen to be my prescription, and my favorite red lip.
Shirt: J. Crew // Lipstick: MAC’s Viva Glam 1 Matte Red
The Past Three Days — Abridged.
Photography has always been something that I have toyed with on and off since I was seventeen years old. I didn’t have the funds or the means to take it to the extremes that some of the other people my age did, but I viewed things through a photographer’s eye. I initially bought my Nikon D3000 to take outfit pictures specifically for this blog because I am a strong believer in fantastic photo quality when what you are looking at is primarily image. I started snapping away, and I suddenly rediscovered my love for photography and what I thought I had a natural eye for.
It is easier to convey emotions through pictures — moving or stationary — than through words so I have decided that I will try that more often. Not less words but more pictures to emphasize them because no matter how much you write trying to explain yourself, pictures can say it all.
Eggplant parmigiana appetizers before they hit the oven for the second time.
A forest of frilly toothpicks in apple chicken sausage.
My go to spring nail color: Essie’s French Affair
A rose in its prime.
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Become a Shoe-a-holic: Meet Jeffrey Campbell
I did not start out as much of a shoe lover. I bought shoes because of the need for them: functionality and practicalness. As I started blogging and started delving more and more into the bloggersphere and becoming more in-tune with street fashion, I started to appreciate what fantastic shoes can do for an outfit. I have become more and more interested in height despite my already tall stature. It took me awhile to understand what my good points about my body were, but I decided that my legs are my secret weapon. The shorter the skirt and the higher the shoe, the better. I first heard of the shoe designer on Musings of a Fatshionista’s blog. She was actually selling a pair of Clinc’s in White , and I remember looking at them and becoming immediately infatuated with Jeffrey Campbell’s shoes. Not only are his styles cutting-edge (with a few tell-tale concepts grasped from high-end designers with some of his design), but they are priced accordingly with the quality that you are receiving.
Go into fashion feeling unapologetic for what you are going to wear. You are wearing things to please yourself (maybe you are even pleasing others), but if you must start somewhere, anywhere – start with shoes. Regret nothing.
