Archive for December, 2009

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British Invasion
December 11th, 2009 | 1 Comment
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charlie-and-lola

Message to mamas on a budget:

Sometimes, let’s face it, you need a break. NOW. But hiring a babysitter isn’t a viable option—especially if you just need to browse the web or take a nap. We’re going to say it loud and clear: there is nothing wrong with occasionally using TV as babysitter. That said, it can be hard to find TV shows that don’t rot your brain with their sickly-sweetness. Barney? Blarg. Caillou? Sweet, but that tyrannically pleasant, sing-songy narrator gets under our skin after a while. The Wiggles? Sorry, but there’s just something skeevy about this hyper-cheerful foursome of dudes.

Looking for TV that doesn’t make you want to wretch? Take a trip across the pond. The BBC produces some really cute, un-obnoxious programming for wee ones. Charlie & Lola kicks ass—truly hilarious dialogue, charming and hip animation, and no tedious moralizing. Check out free episodes on youtube. Kipper the Dog is sweet but not annoyingly so, and the accents of the animals will make you melt. If you have a Netflicks account, you can watch Kipper on demand.

You won’t mind overhearing these shows, and you can tell yourself Janie’s getting some international education.

Just don’t be surprised when she asks for a spot of tea.






Moody Foodies
December 9th, 2009 | 4 Comments
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my-bread

Carb-phobic? Know someone who is? Do you or someone you know tend to get slightly hysterical about the horrors of bread?  Is there high drama and a big production of eschewing the potatoes at the Thanksgiving table, as if carb-cutting were akin to godliness? Gets on our nerves a little (actually, a lot)… But, yes, sure enough, they tend to lose weight.

Here’s the thing. Lots of diets work. But new science tells us that cutting carbs may in fact lead to increased levels of depression and anxiety. That’s right, bi-yatches, hang on to your bialys: eating bread may actually improve your mental health.

It’s the stuff of life: ancient, simple, fragrant, satisfying, CHEAP. Turns out it may also increase the production of serotonin in the brain.

Saying bye-bye Prozac, hello pizza?

More research is needed, but a recent Boston Globe article cited a study comparing the mood levels of two dieting groups. One group ate low-fat/high-carb; the other ate high-fat, low-carb. People in both groups lost weight. But:

“… after a year on the diet, the people who ate less fat and more carbs continued to report feeling happier and less depressed and anxious than they had before. The other dieters, who ate more fat and less carbohydrates, felt their moods decline from the early rise they had noted.”

Well, well! Seems food may do more for neurochemistry than previously imaged. And we like the sound of this, smitten as we are with an incredible cookbook by Jim Lahey, My Bread. His no-knead dough technique is easy as hell (click here to link to his basic bread recipe in the NY Times), and yields the most gorgeous, most crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside loaves imaginable.

So be happy.

Make bread.

Then eat it.






Nancy Boy-A Gal’s Best Friend
December 7th, 2009 | Comments
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candlevignette

We were just in San Fran and spent a morning in the Hayes Valley making our ritual pilgrimage to our favorite shops: Lotus Bleu, Blue Bottle Coffee (read about them in our book), and Nancy Boy.

We stumbled on Nancy Boy years ago. The scent lured us in from a block away. NO, not a cloying, putrid, chemical odor, but a fresh, spa-like, eucalyptus-y-green-all-natural kind of fragrance. Once inside we found great soaps, lotions, and home scents (their primary business), but the biggest excitement was their tasteful collection of ceramics and furniture. We’re total suckers for good mid-century modern.  So on each visit, in addition to restocking their ‘signature scent’ products, we buy a new ceramic piece (a girl’s entitled to an occasional splurge).

brownvases(1)

We’ve been thinking about holiday presents, and wrote to Eric Roos to ask him more about Nancy Boy and what he’d recommend in the $25 and under category for holiday gifts (sent directly to anyone on your list). Here’s the deal:

“Our products are made with natural essential oils, so we don’t use any artificial fragrances or colors. Almost all our products are made in Berkeley at a family-owned lab that’s been in business for over seventy years. An exception is our soap, which is made in Vermont.  ”

” There are a few great holiday gifts for approximately $20, including the Best Bang For The Buck #1 ($23, or $19.55 with Club discount) or Best Bang For The Buck #2 ($24 or $20.40). Orders can be placed as late as  Monday, December 16 and shipped via FedEx Ground ($8) for Christmas arrival anywhere in the US.  2-Day and Overnight shipping options are also available.”

Eric also filled us in on a little secret: ” Our most expensive product is the Ultramarine Night Cream, at $50, but it’s a bargain considering it has exactly the same ingredients contained in Estee Lauder’s $450 Re-Nutriv night cream. ”

And, just by signing up for Club Nancy Boy you’ll receive 15% off every purchase. They won’t sell your name to the nasties,  and only send one email update a month. Purchases over $75 ship free.

Thank you, Eric.

For us, the best part of signing up to be a Nancy Boy customer, though, is you get on Eric Roos email list. Huh?  You’re supposed to be happy to be on someone trying to sell you something’s email list? You betcha.We dare you to find a funnier, edgier product pitch than Eric’s monthly email. Go ahead. Sign up. It won’t cost you a penny.






Drain the bathwater. Keep the baby!
December 4th, 2009 | 1 Comment
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Pleated Pendant Lamp (West Elm)

Pleated Pendant Lamp (West Elm)

In our upcoming book we devote a chapter to redecorating on the cheap. So many people, hungry for a change, make the mistake of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, opting for all new furniture and accessories—rather than re-purposing and re-imagining what they’ve already got.

In a recent NY Times there’s a useful piece about a single mother who, with a budget of around $1,000 and a raging appetite for something new, transformed her blah living room. The perfect Bitch on a Budget, we’d say. The end results are fairly impressive. With a little paint; some chic West Elm lighting; and a few smart accessories from CB2, Ikea, and Pier One—the overall effect is, if we say so ourselves—pretty bitchin’.

Have you transformed a room on a modest budget? Send us before & after pics! Or be a brave soul and post a pic of a room you long to make new!






It’s Time to Clean-Up: High Fashion at Bargain Prices
December 3rd, 2009 | Comments
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Okay ladies it’s started.

In our book (December 29th!) we talk about the retail cycle and the best times for bargains.  It’s begun.  The high temples of fashion have begun their reductions.  But, a girl needs to be wise when shopping, and make certain that she is getting a ‘genuine’ bargain.  Be wary of buying merchandise that retailers have bought and put on the floor just to be marked down for sale-hungry bargain hunters.

How are you to tell?

Be suspicious if there is a lot of any one sale item on the selling floor in a full range of colors, available in a full run of sizes.  Be suspicious of any item that has been advertised in a pre-printed catalog at a sale price. C’mon, those books went to print a while ago, it’s not like it’s a surprise to the retailer that the item needs to be moved out to make room for next season’s goods. They bought that full run of v-neck cashmere sweaters in twenty fashion colors with the full intention of selling through them on sale.  Kind of sneaky, no?

Still, a smart girl can make out big time.

Now is the time that many stores are taking 40% -50% off their fall fashion merchandise and there are indeed wonderful bargains to be had.  Scour your mail for extra-discount certificates–we just received an additional 10% off certificate from one of our favorite at- full-price-out-of-reach emporiums (think purple dinosaur) and we can hardly wait to use it!

That said, a gamblin’ gal, could wait till closer to Christmas (or even after…) and see what additional markdowns and incentives the stores will throw her way.  We’re thinking, though, that this year won’t be quite the bargain buying bonanza as last season. Remember, the economic melt-down blindsided them last Christmas season, this year they bought  leaner and meaner.






Simple Fresh Southern! An Interview with Ted Lee
December 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment
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9780307453594

We’re huge fans of the Lee Brothers and adore their style of Southern Cooking. Their first book, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, was named the 2007 James Beard Cookbook of the Year. Their new offering, Simple Fresh Southern, is a must-have in every cookbook larder. It’s so exciting to have a new cookbook that’s gorgeous to look at, a treat to read (these guys can write!), and filled with abundant great recipes. You know how it is… you get a new cookbook; at first glance it’s fun, but on closer examination there’s not much you’d actually make. Not so with this one—it could keep us busy cooking for the next year.

On Thanksgiving we made the Lee Brother’s yummy, healthy sweet potatoes with zest of lemon, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Naturally, they were gobbled up as soon as they hit the table.

Gift this book to the foodies in your life and you’ll be queen of the holidays.

We recently interviewed Ted Lee and asked important questions like: what’s the sexiest ingredient? and what dish would he suggest for all of us on a budget?

Here’s what he had to say:

BITCH: You’ve got twenty bucks. Not a dime more. Goal: romantic dinner for two. What do you make?

TL: My Gran’s Flank Steak: For 1 lb of steak: marinate in 1/3 cup bourbon, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup water for an hour, turning every 15 mins or so. Pat completely dry, then season with salt and pepper, and broil or grill only until rare, about 2 – 3 mins per side. Let rest 5 mins, then slice *very* thinly. Make a green salad with julienned endive, squeeze half a lemon and drizzle some good olive oil over it. Dinner’s on, and so quickly there’s tons of time for getting romantical.

B: Now it’s brunch (your dinner was successful). Can you bring us to the low country on ten bucks?

TL: Less than $10. Sauté 1/2 pound wild American shrimp in a couple tablespoons unsalted butter and a few dashes of hot sauce. When the shrimp are pink and cooked through, 2 – 3 mins, serve over white corn grits that have been cooked up to creamy, fluffy smoothness with a mixture of milk, water, a little salt and a pinch of sugar.

B: What’s the most underrated vegetable?

TL: It’s a tie: turnips and okra.

B: If you had to live with just one fruit for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Red Haven Peaches from Sanders Peach Stand, Clover, SC.

B: What’s the sexiest ingredient you can think of, and why?

Buttermilk. It’s got sass, silkiness and creaminess in every drop.

B: What’s the one ingredient everyone should splurge on?

TL: A high-quality, heirloom-breed Thanksgiving turkey.

B: What are three ingredients always always always in your pantry?

leftover pickle brine (it’s great in vinaigrettes and for marinating meats), unsalted butter, sriracha chili sauce

B: What are your ten all-time favorite Southern restaurants?

TL:

1. Hominy Grill, Charleston, SC

2. Watershed, Decatur, GA

3. Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL

4. Five and Ten, Athens, GA

5. Crooks Corner, Chapel Hill, NC

6. City Grocery, Oxford, MS

7. Hot and Hot Fish Club, Birmingham, AL

8 Watts Grocery, Durham, NC

9. Magnolia Grill, Durham, NC

10. Miller Union, Atlanta, GA

B: When traveling (think rest stops, airports, train stations) how do you eat?

TL: Poorly.

B: Any food maxims you live by?

TL: Cook often, simply, and well.

B: What do you hope a non-Southern reader will glean by reading your books and eating your food?

TL: That Southern cuisine is as diverse, and as rich in traditions, and as poised to take over the world as so many of the world’s great cuisines.






O Come All Ye Faithful
December 1st, 2009 | Comments
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The holidays are upon us. Meaning neurotic family, too much food and drink, jam-packed schedules, and spending money you don’t have on gifts. You need an antidote. You need something quiet, private, pleasurable. You need exercise. Oh, and it has to be free. How can you find all this in one place? Simple.

Make love.

OK, OK, we hear you, all the fruitcake and family stuff doesn’t leave you feeling particularly amorous come bedtime. But trust us here. With an attitude adjustment, sex might be just what the doctor ordered.

Look, sex is awesome exercise, great for mental and physical health, and doesn’t cost a dime. Studies show that sex can lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, boost immunity, burn calories, and enhance your overall self-esteem. Not bad, right? And orgasm releases oxytocin, that miracle hormone that makes you feel oh-so calm and lovey-dovey and sated. The NY Times just last week talked about the importance of oxytocin in helping  “lubricate our every prosocial exchange, the thousands of acts of kindness, kind-of kindness and not-as-nakedly-venal-as-I-could-have-been kindness that make human society possible.” Yes indeed, a rush of oxytocin is just what you need to relinquish fantasies of throwing a fork across the table at know-it-all Aunt Gert. And you thought you’d need pharmaceuticals to quell that impulse!

We know all the shit you still have ahead of you: Chrissy’s Christmas Pageant, David’s Dreidl contest, office receptions, food to prepare, not to mention the cookie decorating party that everyone is gaga for and you just are gag, gag over (btw, who invented those miserable toxic sprinkles you’re still picking out of the cracks in the floor in August—what are they made of?), gifts to buy, cards to send, cheesy photos to pose for, etc. etc.

Feeling tortured enough? Is your pulse going up? Agitation setting in? OK, good. That was the intent.  Take some time to re-acquaint yourself with the wonders of neurochemistry. . .

Feeling better?

Hallelujah! Jingle the Bells! Deck the halls!






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