Style to the Maxx, Right on Target

If you're not familiar with the term "occasional chair," it's basically what it sounds like: a chair you sit in it occasionally. Sound like a waste? Never! Because a true occasional chair is great at holding coats, clothing, handbags...moreso than holding up your butt.

I've been on the hunt for an occasional chair for my guest room for some time now and today, I scored big.

Albeit hit-or-miss, the T.J. Maxx near you has some fantastic finds. Earlier this week I saw a chair there that caught my eye, and I gave it the true style test: check it over carefully...then walk away. If you're still thinking about it 2 days later, then it's for real, and you should go back and buy it. This simple little practice has saved me many a hideous impulse buy. In a moment of weakness (or insanity), a ceramic peacock may sound like a great idea ("Birds are really hot right now!") but trust me - everything can benefit from the Two-Day Test.

The sharp lines of this pillow complement the geometric
pattern of this occasional chair's upohlstery.
That's a fancy way of saying "It looks nice."


After picking up the chair, I needed to find a suitable throw pillow to complement the pattern. The pattern is bold, which means a solid color pillow would be too muted. At the same time, because the pattern IS so bold, a conflicting bold pattern wouldn't work. Enter my favorite store and yours: Target (pronounced "Tar-jay" in many style circles). 

I happened upon this felt pillow with soft-to-the-touch yet sharply-defined edges. I knew the textured fabric here would stand out more than a standard pillow. I took it home immediately and, as pictured above, I found a great combo. Look for it in store, or check it out at Target's website.

This textured pillow is felt - because I touched it. Get it?

An occasional chair is a stylish and affordable way to fill space, especially a corner. As with any piece of furniture, you can certainly splurge here, but there's no need to when you can peruse brick-and-mortar stores like T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshall's.

I also found an interesting array of affordable chairs on one of my favorite websites, http://www.overstock.com/. Check out this black & ivory Chippendale-style occasional chair.

Chippendale Occasional Ivory & Black Chair.
(And no, it does NOT dance.)

So what if you only sit on it occasionally? Sometimes fashion supercedes function. And in moderation, I'm okay with that.

Bringing Bollywood Home

Going out for Indian food is a big treat for me. Not because it's inaccessible (I can virtually see my favorite Indian restaurant from my doorstep) or expensive. No, Indian food is just a treat because I really like it.

You name it, I crave it: chicken jalfrezi, vegetable biryani, saag paneer and stacks of garlic naan. But, my favorite is chicken tikka masala. I pick around the chicken just to spoon the thick, tangy tomato-and-yogurt sauce onto my plate. Mix in some pea-studded jasmine rice? Bam. I'm set for the night.

During our last trip to Crate & Barrel, Chuck brought me a jar: Tikka Masala Sauce. Usually I don't want to mess up a good thing (Why would I make Indian at home when the place down the street does it so well?) but one of the reasons I love Chuck is he's always pushing me to try new things. I like finding what I like and continuing to like it that way. Chuck, on the other hand, is always on the hunt for something new and exciting. (Remind me to tell you about the times - yes, TIMES, as in more than once - he made me swim with sharks. That's not the kind of "new & exciting" thing I like to do, but I haven't died yet...so I'll keep trying new things with him until I do.)



Indian sauce from a home store? Indeed.
One bite and you'll be the star in your own Bollywood feature.


We took the Maya Kaimal Tikka Masala sauce home for a mere $5.95 and, in order to honor it, built an Indian-themed meal to come out of my kitchen instead of a carry out bag from Baba India. What happened next was pretty great.

First, the jarred sauce. VERY tasty. Since making it - and by making it, I mean dumping in the skillet with your choice of meat - I've found the sauce tastes better the longer you simmer it. Let that stuff sit on the stove on medium low heat for an hour and it truly brings out the flavor. We opted for shrimp, although boneless, skinless chicken thighs poached (read: boiled) and then shredded would have done nicely in the sauce.

Next, I found a tasty jasmine rice recipe. I opted for more frozen peas (1/2 cup instead of the directed 1/4 cup). A teaspoon or so of turmeric, an affordable saffron substitute available in the spice aisle at your local grocer, will also kick this up.

JASMINE RICE RECIPE

Besides the sauce, another surprise stand-out was a quick and easy tomato salad. It's cool texture is the perfect complement to a spicy sauce.

Shrimp Tikka Masala over jasmine rice,
Indian tomato salad and one cheat:
store bought naan.

 INDIAN TOMATO SALAD

 2 medium red tomatoes, chopped
 2 medium yellow or orange tomatoes, chopped
 (4 red tomatoes can be subbed)
 1/4 cup of unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
 1 tablespoon sugar
 2 serrano chili peppers, finely diced
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 tablespoon of olive oil
 1 teaspoon of whole yellow mustard seeds

1. Put the peanuts in a plastic baggie and lightly crush with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy drinking glass.

2. Add all ingredients in a bowl except the oil and mustard.

3. Over medium-high heat, heat the oil and mustard seeds in a small saucepan with the lid on for approximately 1 - 2 minutes. Some of the seeds will pop and burst. When the popping stops, immediately pull the saucepan off the burner.

4. Pour the hot oil over the other ingredients. Stir and serve.

Would I serve this to guests? Absolutely. Throw in some store-bought naan and you've got a meal fit for a padishah.

What Indian food do you crave? Leave your comments here and let's see if I can find a suitable at-home substitute!

Pucker Up For Our Friend the Lemon

A tall glass of cool, sunny lemonade brings with it a longing for summer. But in reality, the peak season for this tart fruit is the winter months. So, before spring is sprung on us, I wanted to sharing a recipe and some everyday uses for our fruity friend.

"Don't be such a tart."

I love this simple lemon vinaigrette recipe, the perfect dressing for a spring mix salad.

SPRING SALAD with LEMON VINAIGRETTE

• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Roll the lemon on a hard surface to soften it, cut it in half and use a citrus reamer or other tool to extract the juice. Stir together the lemon juice, vinegar and mustard in a bowl. Using a whisk, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mix until completely dissolved. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This makes approximately 3/4 cup of dressing.

To complete the salad, toss the dressing with 3 - 4 cups of mixed greens, bagged or fresh. For bagged salads, I like Spring Mixes or Baby Spinach. For fresh greens, I enjoy spinach, arugula and then something with a little color like red leaf lettuce or radicchio.

You can also top the salad with goat cheese, feta cheese or a few shavings of fresh parmesan. It's a very light, tasty starter for your meal just as outlined here.

OTHER LEMON USES
Outside of being a tasty addition to cocktails, desserts and dressings, lemons and their freshly-squeezed juice have multiple uses in the kitchen.

Clean your wooden cutting board. Because wooden cutting boards shouldn't be put in the dishwasher, here's a natural way to clean them: cut a lemon in half, sprinkle some coarse sea salt on your wooden cutting board and give it a scrub. Lemon juice is a strong acid that can eliminate most bacteria.

Keep your foods fresh. Fruits like apples and pears brown quickly after being cut because of oxidation (a big word for "what air does"). Keep them looking fresh by dipping them in fresh lemon juice. It also has the same saving affect on guacamole if you stir in some lemon juice (or the juice from its cousin, lime).

Decorate! Lemons are an affordable, simple way to brighten up any space. Place them in a bowl or vase for an easy centerpiece. Plus, after enjoying them "aesthetically" for a few days, you can then put them to use with the tips mentioned above. 

A simple bowl of lemons brigthens
up my own dining room table.

Need something to brighten up the house or your plate? Before the winter months come to a close, bring yourself closer to the sunshine of spring and summer by picking up a bag of lemons.

Rachael Ray Turns 1,000

Rachael Ray looks great - I mean, really great - for 1,000, doesn't she?

Not years, friends - episodes, as in episodes of her television show The Rachael Ray Show. I'm a fan of Rachael's for many reasons, but most of all because I find her cooking segments really approachable. She clearly walks through the ingredients, what they are if they're a little uncommon, where you can find them and exactly what she's doing. I like that.

Here's the most popular Rachael Ray recipe, according
to fans, from her first 1,000 episodes.

On today's Good Morning America, Rachael shared the most popular recipes from her past television shows. The top of the list, according to fans? Buffalo Chicken Chili, a chili that tastes like buffalo chicken wings. I can see this being a big hit for any sports-viewing party. You can play up this buffalo-style chili - and play down its heat - with some nice, cool and crisp celery stalks.

To see the recipe posted on her website, click here.

In the words of Rachael herself, "Yummo and delish!"

Congratulations on hitting 1,000, Rachael - I'm waiting for the next 1,000 episodes.

No, It's Not a Banana

Plantains are a staple across Latin America and the Caribbean. I never thought much about plantains, but on two recent trips - one to Key West and one to Costa Rica - I not only encountered fried plantains but devoured them!

A plantain is a green fruit resembling a banana, although they are usually wider than a banana and have a lower sugar content. They're seen as a staple in many developing countries, as the plants produce fruit year round. That, and they're pretty darn tasty when you fry them!

In Costa Rica, I was at a loss being surrounded by Spanish. No communicando. Finally, I became comfortable exchanging pleasantries - "Hola," "Gracias," and the like. My shining moment came when I was brave enough to order breakfast at McDonald's. (I know...I went to McDonald's in Costa Rica. Don't judge. I needed American comfort food.) "Hola. Uno McPinto Deluxe and uno agua, por favor." Proud, I smiled. The cashier quickly responded with 6 sentences of rapid-fire Spanish. Dear god, I just wanted beans and a water, ok?! My quivering "Habla English?" persuaded an English-speaking store manager to come to my rescue. Following, I was presented with the platter pictured below!



Traditional American breakfast (sausage and scrambled eggs)
meets traditional Cuban breakfast (corn tortillas, beans & rice
and fried plantains)...at McDonald's! 


When it comes to cooking plantains, there's really not much to this recipe. All you need is plantains and frying oil, but I have a special tip for both.

PICKING THE PLANTAIN
Plantains can be eaten at any stage of their ripeness, but each color has a different flavor. Green (the freshest and least ripe) means the plantain will have a starchy, rich flavor. Yellow plantains are sweeter while dark brown plantains (the ripest) are very sweet. Pick a plantain of your choice, but don't get one that's too ripe, as it might fall apart during cooking.

PICKING THE FRYING OIL
I highly recommend using sunflower oil or peanut oil. This really imparts a nice flavor to the fried plantain; it's worth it.

A typical breakfast in Key West: fried plantains and
a sausage & egg breakfast sandwich on Cuban bread.

TO PREPARE
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH

1. Pour 1 1/2 - 2 cups of oil in a deep skillet. Heat the oil on medium-high heat.
2. Peel 2 plantains. If needed, cut off both ends, slice down the curved edge and pull back the peel to remove it. Cut the plantain into 1 inch thick pieces, diagonally. (This gives you more surface area for frying.)
3. Wait for the oil to slightly bubble before slipping your plantains in to fry. Carefully slide the plantains in the hot oil with a slotted spoon and fry on each side until golden brown, about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes per side.
4. Drain on a paper-towel lined dish. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.

For extra crispy plantains: Remove the plantains from the heat, place on a paper-towel lined dish and lightly smash with the bottom of a heavy drinking glass. Turn your heat to high and then place the plantains back in the oil when it's hotter. Flash-fry for another 30 seconds or until crisped to your liking.

For a sweet version, prepare the plantains as directed above and then sprinkle with brown sugar and quickly broil in the oven on high heat to carmelize them, then dust with powdered sugar.

Adios, amigos! (That means "goodbye, friends" in Spanish. See? I learned something during my Spanish lesson at McDonald's.)

Boozy Peaches from a Burlesque Babe

I'm posting this a bit late on Valentine's Day, which means those of you engaging in the romance of the holiday are (hopefully) well on your way. So, consider this Fellow Does Fab tip as a follow-up sweet treat.

Burlesque star Dita Von Teese has an "adult twist" on a treat that I wanted to share here...because what could be more appropriate than dessert from a burlesque star on Valentine's Day, right?

Cointreau is an orange-flavored liqueur used in many well-known cocktails - think margaritas, cosmopolitans and any other beverages that call for triple sec. Von Teese, also the spokesperson for Cointreau, soaks her peaches in the liqueur and grills them. I took her idea, added my own touches and wrote this recipe for a unique sweet.

Fellow's Boozy Peaches
SERVES 4 - 5

4 ripe medium peaches
1 1/2 cups of orange liqueur
(Cointreau for high-class; DeKuyper Triple Sec if you're pinching pennies)
1 cup light brown sugar
Cinnamon for garnish




Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Slice each half in half (1 peach = 4 slices). Toss the peaches in a shallow pan with the orange liqueur and place in the fridge for 1 - 3 hours, stirring once.

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (Tip: an indoor countertop grill also works GREAT for this - I use my George Foreman!). Remove the peaches from the fridge. Place the brown sugar in a bowl and toss each peach slice in it, coating with the sugar. Grill for 1 - 2 minutes until the sugar starts to carmelize and the peaches get some nice grill marks. Sprinkle with cinnamon and immediately serve with ice cream, whipped cream or the garnish of your choice.

Grilling provides a much better result, but if you don't have a grill option, the peaches can also be broiled in an oven on high for 1 - 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown.

Who said fruit's not good for you?

Dip It: Cheese Fondue

Before I got a fondue pot, I used to think "Wow - that sounds fancy AND complicated. You can't just throw that together." Regardless, I was intrigued, so when I asked for and received a fondue pot as a gift one Christmas, I jumped right in.

I bought a fondue cookbook and perused the ingredients. Kirsch. English dry mustard. Chevre, crumbled with a fork, at room temperature. Huh? Clearly, I was in over my head.

So, the fondue pot sat. And sat. And sat some more. Occasionally it came out for dessert, as sweet fondue (read: chocolate) is typically easier to prepare than savory fondue (read: cheese). Plus, who wants to spend all that money on fancy ingredients you use once? But I still wished I could muster the strength to make fancy cheese fondue.

Then, as across most areas of our lives, innovation & convenience happened, and I found an easy and affordable way to make tasty cheese fondue: fondue in a bag.

Before you get grossed out imagining cheese goo being squirted out of a plastic bag, let me clarify that the fondue is NOT pre-made. Instead, the cheese and base ingredients you need have been conveniently packaged together so all you have to do is pour in the fondue pot, add the liquid of your choice (milk, wine, beer, other) and turn it on.

Open, empty into your hot fondue pot with some liquid and stir.
You just made fondue.

Trader Joe's sells their version of fondue in a bag, and I've also found it in the deli & cheese section of my local grocery store chain. Much easier and cheaper than buying 8+ different ingredients.

A new, standard 3-quart fondue pot is available between $30 - $40. There's really no need to spend more on a fancier version because think about it...it's a heated bowl. That's it. My pot's brand is Rival and has been great.


No double dipping, please.


And, it gets better: you can make a really great looking appetizer in no time. Here's one of my favorite fondue spreads below...Italian bread or a baguette (cubed), green apples and hard salami. Arrange on a platter. Done!

Stick, dip and repeat.

You'll want to cut your apples until immediately before serving, otherwise they brown quickly. To keep them fresh, dip the cut fruit in fresh lemon juice; this trick helps them retain their original color because the lemon juice slows the oxidizing process. (It also works well for pears, which I use on my plated salads.)

Enjoy!

The Secret to Cleaning Wood Floors

This is my first foray into tips for cleaning, but it's a very practical one, and one I just used this past weekend. My dearest friend Krista asked me to pick up some wood floor cleaner for her while I was at the store this weekend, and that's when I decided to share with her the secret I've been using to clean my hardwood floors for nearly 10 years.

It's clear, it's cheap and it's probably in your kitchen right now...it's water! Ta-dah!

Okay, I'm kidding. Partially. It's water, but the secret ingredient is vinegar.



Vinegar: it's not just for dyeing Easter eggs any more.



After lots of online research, here's the best article I found with the rationale, details and directions for using white vinegar to give your wood floors a scrub.

http://cleaning.lovetoknow.com/Vinegar_to_Clean_Hardwood_Floors

And, if you want to get straight to the details now, here it goes: make a cleaning solution with 1/2 cup white vinegar and a gallon of warm water. It's recommended you sweep up loose dirt and dust before mopping with this solution to get the maximum benefit.

The result? Hardwood floors that will last the test of time. Don't be surprised if your first go at it doesn't produce a diamond-like shine...the truth is many of the manufactured floor cleaners that do this are using a wax to give this effect, but over time, those waxes will dull the natural luster of your wood. A close second to this all-natural vinegar solution is Murphy's Oil Soap, which uses a vegetable oil base in lieu of chemicals. But, after experience with both, and after comparing the cost of materials, I prefer vinegar. Many agree.

Okay, Cinderella...blog reading time is over. Get to scrubbing. Your floors will thank you!

Featured Guest: Antiques + Guy Stuff = "Man"tiquing

My dear friend Trey has started collecting and selling vintage stuff - specifically, "guy stuff."  A 1950’s football helmet. A 1960’s slot care set ("With a red Ferrari Dino!" he exclaims - although I have no idea what that means). Straight razors, steel beer cans and the like. Trey calls it "mantiquing."

Trey's recent expedition focused on a unique piece for my bedroom. Chuck, my better half, has themed our room with travel-related decor. When Trey heard about this, his immediate idea: vintage luggage. Brilliant!

Below, Trey recounts the story of this find in his own words.

"My 'mantique' solution here was one part real vintage and one part new-but-vintage-looking additions.

"Functioning on the premise that if it looks cool it is cool, I occasionally buy things at estate sales. At one of these sales, two well-used leather luggage pieces came my way. They were too musty for actual use, but hey - they were cool. After a heated bidding war with a less-than-friendly competitive bidder, I won them for $4. Score!

"Outside of being old, nothing was particularly unique about these luggage pieces. However, one still had a lugglage tag from the 70's, which sparked an idea - an idea I took to Ebay.

This vintage suitcase was aged with some of Trey's "mantiquing"
techniques - and now sits proudly in my home decor!

"Ebay offered a wide variety of vintage travel labels. Many claimed to be originals from luxurious hotels of the past, but originals like these were pricey. Instead, I found interesting reproduction labels. I came across many nostalgic labels and settled on reproduction luggage labels of old Grand Hotels from New York to Europe to the Far East...interesting locations, nice graphics and bright colors. 

"When the labels arrived, I was surprised to find them printed on glossy paper. Not a match for the vintage look I was going for, I sped up time with a piece of high-grit sandpaper, lightly sanding off the shine. Then it occurred to me that aging the suitcase would also add to its charm, so I sanded over the seams and edges to show a normal wear pattern. 

"The result? A classic-looking piece of luggage, with great character, and a great story."

Trey has lots of great mantiquing adventures like these, and I look forward to sharing more of them with you - thanks, Trey!

What to Try Next: Pineapple Salsa

Experimenting with homemade salsa is one of my favorites. That's because there's a basic formula when it comes to creating your own salsa masterpiece.

THE ACID

The vegetable(s) and/or fruit(s)

THE FRESH HERB

For most: cilantro, while others may take parsley

THE HEAT

Jalapeno peppers, green chiles, hot sauce or any "heat" of your choosing

My favorite concoction features pineapple, which I had the chance to make recently while in Costa Rica, and let me tell you - Costa Rican pineapples are fantastic. Hawaii gets all the glory when it comes to the pineapple market, but the next time you're at the store, look for its Costa Rican cousin.

Here's my pineapple salsa, featured along with my homemade guacamole.
Chips and salsa courtesy of Kroger.

FELLOW'S PINEAPPLE SALSA

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced in small cubes* (about 1/2 of 1 fresh pineapple)
• 1/4 cup of red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced or minced
• Juice from 1 lime
• Salt to taste

Mix together the red onion, cilantro, pepper and lime juice. Add in the fresh pineapple. Salt to taste. For best results, allow the salsa to chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips or over freshly grilled chicken, fish or steak. 

*And, if you want to reduce some of the liquid, allow the pineapple pieces to sit on paper towels for a few minutes to absorb their excess juice.

To change it up, you can also substitute fresh mango or peaches instead of pineapple - or, mix 2 or 3 of these fruits together for a really tropical take on this recipe!

Fresh fruit makes all the difference in this recipe. If this is your first time cutting up a fresh pineapple, Epicurious.com has a great video that shows you how to select and cut up the perfect pineapple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dmf7AHeajI

Cheers!

Dinner: On a Dime and in a Dash

In the past, I'd over-extend myself so much while hosting that it just wasn't fun. Hours of prep shopping, cooking and cleaning, and I'd still spend half of the dinner party in the kitchen.

By the end, I was tired and hungry, because I was scarfing down food between courses to go and prep the next one. This often made me a grumpy and unavailable host.

Now, don't get me wrong - when time allows, I love rolling out the red carpet for guests. If I have the luxury of time, I see it time well-spent to make things from scratch, create unique table settings and the like. But we don't always have that time.

So, as years have passed, I've learned a few tricks and shortcuts that allow me to actually enjoy hosting. For those of you wanted to learn how to be a guest at your own dinner party again, read on.

OUTSOURCE THE MAIN COURSE
Sides and salads are easier to throw together than the main course, so when I'm pressed for time, I follow suit of large companies and I outsource it.

Here's a main course pictured below I picked up for 4: stuffed porkchops. Fully assembled, I brought these home, threw them in the oven and prepped the house for guests. In 30 minutes, the main course was done, as were the sides (a salad and roasted vegetables). And the rice stuffing here was an additional side!

I added a drizzle of store-bought apricot glaze
to the plate to give this a finished, "I-made-this-myself" look.

All in, I spent $3.50 on each main course serving. You can spend more if you like, but I'd skip the high-end grocers like Fresh Market, Whole Foods and the like and look instead at your nearest retail grocery chain (like Kroger for you Cincinnatians, where I found these porkchops).

PREP FOR HELP
I find that nearly every dinner guest arrives and asks "What can I do to help?" Usually, I feel compelled to say "Nothing," but when I'm pressed for time, accepting this offer is a great idea for two reasons: it takes pressure off you and it makes your guests feel more a part of the experience.

To make your guests' contributions really meaningful, set up "work stations" where they can focus on specific items. Here are a few of those ideas.

• Salad. Set out all the ingredients for the salad and ask your guests to dice, chop, assemble and toss the dinner salad.
• Set the table. Put out the dishes, silverware, glasses and napkins you're using and ask a guest to set the table. 
• Prep the appetizer. Take the pressure off yourself and serve an assortment of cheeses, crackers, breads, mixed nuts, olives and/or pre-made dips from the store. Put out your selected servingware and let them assemble the appetizer tray.

A SIDE STAPLE: ROASTED VEGETABLES
It doesn't get much easier (and fresher) than chopping vegetables and tossing them in the oven. This is a simple side, cheap and fast to make, and can also use the principle above: your guests can help you make this when they arrive.

Here are some vegetable combinations to try.

• Summer vegetables: carrots, yellow squash and zucchini
• Root vegetables (fall/winter): butternut squash, parsnips, potatoes and red onions
• All Seasons: fingerling potatoes or a mix of red and purple potatoes; you can leave these whole without cubing if they're small-ish

After cubing, toss in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fresh rosemary is a great addition to these as well. Roast for approximately 30 - 40 minutes in a 400 degree oven, stirring occasionally.

Now get back to enjoying your guests!