Viva Las Vegas

Tomorrow night is our Vegas-themed school gala.  I'm not one to go whole-hog Vegas chic but I think this will do.  The earrings are only a dream, isn't that why people go to Vegas to dream big and win?  

Viva Las Vegas by kstar27 featuring a lip makeup

Ginger, Maple and Mustard-Glazed Tempeh- vegan and gluten-free.

I'm am absolutely loving vegan food.  Now I know by some vegan standards eating foods that have a similar texture to meat is considered a no-no.  But since I'm only a part-time vegan, I think it's OK especially if the recipe was created by my favorite the Spork Girl.  This recipe is so incredibly easy that one of the kids in my class could make it and they're only 4!

This is the mustard I used- so yummy!

Serves 4-6
2 (8 oz) packages soy tempeh
1 piece fresh ginger  (about 2 inches) peeled (I used ground ginger and felt it was just as tasty)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 T mustard, stone ground or German
3 T maple syrup
1 t salt
1/2 t red pepper flakes

Slice and steam the tempeh for about 5 minutes.

While steaming; mix ginger, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, salt and red pepper flakes.  Whisk until uniform.  Add steamed tempeh to the mixture.

Heat a pan over medium heat and pour tempeh and sauce into the pan (no extra oil is needed).  Cook for about 4 minutes on each side (I cooked these a little longer until they got a little crispy looking).  Flipping occasionally until the sauce has been absorbed.

Just poured sauce in

Sauce is bubbling away- not ready yet

Sauce is totally absorbed- Ready!

Who Sung it Best?

Listening to as many oldies as I do, I often hear the same song, but performed by different singers. I have my favorites but in your opinion, who sung it best?

Moonglow
Billie Holiday?

Or
Doris Day?


That Old Black Magic
Louis Prima and Keely Smith?

Or
Sarah Vaughan?

Capturing the Week

Our finished stained-glass mosaic window

Visiting Little Owl Preschool

Ahhh... Weekends!

Weekends are made for slow-paced mornings and delicious breakfast foods that don't require you to eat and run.  This morning, I set out to make Almond and Yogurt waffles found on the blog Roost.  If you haven't checked out this beautiful blog, you are really missing out,  www.roostblog.com/roost/almond-yogurt-waffles-with-orange-honey-syrup.html.  Now, I actually tried this recipe last week and it was a complete disaster :(  Since I don't own a waffle maker, I thought I would make pancakes instead. Contrary to belief, DO NOT add baking powder to this recipe. I really think that is what I did wrong as well as maybe adding too much liquid to the batter.  This morning,  I really put my math skills to the test (since making the full recipe would have been too much food for me)  and they came out fabulous.  I used a griddle pan, as suggested in a recipe from Jamie Oliver, to make a sort of waffle.

Enjoy!

Almond  & Yogurt Waffles (makes 6 medium sized waffles)

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 TBS honey
• 1/2 cup yogurt (SCDers use SCD legal yogurt)
• 1 very ripe banana, mashed with a fork

Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until a batter forms. Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto a greased waffle iron a cook for 2 minutes. (all waffle irons vary in temperature so you may need more or less time).

The Hazards of Being a Woman...

Tight Jeans

Skinny jeans might be the everyday pant for most women, but wearing too-tight pants every day might lead to meralgia parenthetic (MP), a form of itchy, burning, tingling nerve damage on the pelvis and upper thigh. According to Consumer News, skinny jeans are also responsible for bladder infections, yeast infections, dermatitis, blood clots, and a condition called lipotraphia semicircular, when your skin develops depressions due to constant and uneven pressure.

Oversized Purses

We're working ladies with lots to lug around, but upgrading in bag size to accommodate all our daly knickknacks is probably a bad idea. Said family physical practitioner Dr. Jane Sadler to Reuters, "I see so many women with neck pains and headaches and what I usually do is look for their purse and pick it up […] and they're usually anywhere from seven to ten pounds." Extended use of a large, heavy bag may lead to irreversible back, neck, and shoulder problems.

Cheap Jewelry

There's a reason all that fantastic costume jewelry from your favorite high-street shops is so cheap. According to The Ecology Center, more than half of the jewelry found at stores like Claire's, Forever21, Hot Topic, and Wal-Mart contained high levels of hazardous chemicals over the limit of what's safe, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The next time you're thinking of picking up a strand of fake pearls, a fake diamond ring, or a fake silver bracelet, know that you're also buying real cadmium, real lead, and real chromium.

Platform shoes

The phrase might not be "The higher the heel, the closer to God," but it may as well be. Super-high platforms, stilettos, and wedges may give you a boost, height-wise, but anyone who's worn them knows that one misstep, and you can end up with a twisted ankle — or worse. Allegedly, a 25-year-old teacher in Japan died after falling from a 5-inch platform sandal and fracturing her skull, and another Japanese woman died in a car crash when her stiletto-clad foot couldn't get to the brake in time. Yikes.

Weekend Wear

Weekend Wear by kstar27 featuring sparkle jewelry

All Saints vintage looking dress
$225 - allsaints.com

Long top
$9.97 - tillys.com

All Saints vintage style boots
$295 - allsaints.com

Tom Binns sparkle jewelry
$250 - nordstrom.com

Free People oversized scarve
$38 - freepeople.com

Get Well

You have to love a tea that comes with inspirational messages.  Earlier this week, I finally caught a cold. It was all this talk about beating the odds that I jinxed myself.  I do believe that the children did not share it with me but my hairdresser, but that's a different story.  When I do get sick, I tend to go the homeopathic way to get rid of it using a cold care tea by either Gypsy or Yogi tea brand.  As I opened the tea bags, I was greeted with an inspirational message on each bag.  Nothing helps you to get better than getting a daily inspirational message to get you through your day.

Stay healthy...  xo

Lights! Action! Camera!!

UPDATE: I was just checking out my photography ideas that I pinned onto interest.com and saw that I had actually pinned one from Tim Walker. I knew I liked his style :)

Just had to share these fabulous shoots from Tim Walker found on Britsh Vogue (what else?!). If I had the space (and money) to produce shots like these I'd be in heaven.

A little about Tim Walker:  "A Vogue contributor since 1995, Walker is renowned for his sumptuous fashion shoots, which offer a surreal twist on traditional English style. A former assistant to the legendary Richard Avedon, he first kindled his love of photography while on work experience cataloguing the Cecil Beaton archive in the Condé Nast library. In October 2012, his work will be the focus of a Somerset House exhibition and accompanying book."

Self portrait

Tuesday Tunes- Unforgettable...

For a while, I was totally put off by Nat King Cole. I think it was the fact that all I ever heard was his song "Unforgettable" everywhere I went. Then, Diana Krall came along and produced a tribute album to Nat. The songs were fantastic but I still would not listen to him sing. Later, a friend was getting married and needed a song for her father and her to dance to; for some strange reason the words, "How about Unforgettable?" came out of my mouth. I couldn't snatch them back and the idea was a winner. But I had to go get the music (which I fibbed I had already). Luckily, back then, I could count on Border's book store. I told my friend that she could keep the cd but she insisted on returning it. Reluctantly,I started listening to the songs, carefully, skipping over "Unforgettable." After that, I was hooked on Nat King Cole's voice. Buying cd's and now records whenever I see them. I still am not crazy about this song but if it comes on I don't skip over it anymore.

You Say its Your Birthday?

A special person's birthday is coming up.

It's my mother's birthday later this week.  What do you get for the woman who has been there when you needed her most, put your needs ahead of hers, listened when she'd rather be doing something else, cried with you when you're hurt?

A cake?

Her favorite cookies?

Today's latest fashion?

What could I possibly get for someone so special?

I know!

(and a little of all of the above) lol!

Capturing the Week

You can see the hail bouncing off my car!