What to do with 15 Lemons

I've got to say, I'm not really a DIY person. I'm just not into jerry riggings things up with glue and yarn or whatever to look like something anybody other than my cat would find appealing. Although I really enjoy getting a good laugh at those who are also not DIY people but seem to think they are. If you are in the mood to laugh, check out Regretsy. Hilarious.

Limoncello is symbolic of the lifestyle I hope to one day live. Something about limoncello evokes sun drenched images of chic Italians in white linen reclining on terraces and living La Dolce Vita. Limoncello isn't expensive to buy, but it sure sounded like fun to make! It wasn't until we'd purchased a bottle of 100 proof Portland Vodka and zested 15 lemons, poured it into a bottle with some sugar and whatnot, stuck it in the pantry for a while, shook it a few times and voila, one day we had limoncello!

Here's how to make it

Aside from pouring yourself an ice cold glass of the stuff and hanging out on the porch on a sunny day, you can also make these marvelous cookies with it.

Brazen move

Photo credit: www.zaffiro.com

This is a $100,000 razor.

I am not kidding. One of the (many) concepts from the folks over at Bright Light Ventures. The razor is made from iridium, the strongest metal found on the earth, derived from meteorites and more rare than platinum, but never fear platinum lovers, the screws of the razor are made of pure platinum, it has blades made of solid white sapphire, and the razor comes with free sharpening and servicing for 10 years. So sell the family home and maybe a couple kidneys and you too can own this razor to pass on for generations!

Seriously though, I personally am not rubbing elbows with the kinds of folks that will purchase this. to tell you the truth I don't think they live in Portland. All 99 of these limited edition razors will probably be sold to those residing in the skyscrapers of Dubai and overseeing their oil fields by helicopter. But that is not the point of this post, the theme is, isn't this just so damn brazen? When I learned about it a few weeks back, I took a figurative step back and said to myself, " what kind of person makes a 100,000 razor with sapphire blades? I've got to meet them." And so I did.

This product is brazen, a bit outlandish (for us), but when you think about it, not totally far fetched. There are probably 100 people in the world who will buy this. It's those with brazen ideas that do something about them that see big things happening. The more risk-averse you are, the bigger payoff you can have, the bigger losses you can have to. So the trick is to hedge your bets. What can you afford to loose and how much of it can you afford to loose? When was the last time you had a brazen idea like this? What did you do about it?

Welcome summer with sweetness

photo credit: Style Me Pretty

Doesn't this picture just make you smile a little? It makes me want to walk in that field barefoot, find a place to lie down, and spend some time in dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing). In t-minus 3 and counting my life will no longer revolve around spreadsheets, textbooks, accounting, finance, or HBR. I hope to take a simple approach to refreshing and recharging this summer, and use the time to plan and enjoy my wedding. I am told that for once in my life I should stop worrying about being efficient and practical. This is difficult to do when you're a grad student on a budget like I am! But they say if there's a will there's a way.

Maybe you're not getting married this summer, but you still want to refresh, recharge, and find ways to infuse these sweet sunshiney days with a little bit of my favorite thing of all time, la dolce vita, preferably peppered with some dolce far niente! Here's a recipe for a signature drink to get you there in no time:

La Dolce Vita

1.0 fl. oz. of Vodka

4 seedless grapes

1 teaspoon of Honey

Prosecco

Suggested Garnish

Twist of Lemon

Mixing Procedure

Place seedless grapes into a cocktail shaker, crush with a spoon, add vodka and honey, shake, strain into a champagne flute, top with prosecco, stir, garnish with a twist of lemon.

For those who don't want libations, try the Lavender Lemonade:

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup (a generous handful) fresh or 1 tablespoon dried lavender blooms stripped from stems (preferably one that doesn't smell piney, such as spike.
  

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained

• Ice cubes

• Lavender sprigs for garnish

1. Combine sugar with 2 1/2 cups water in a medium pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the lavender blooms to the sugar water, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand at least 20 minutes (and up to several hours).
3. Strain mixture and discard lavender. Pour infusion into a glass pitcher. Add lemon juice and another 2 1/2 cups water. Stir well and watch lemonade change color.

4. Pour into tall glasses half-filled with ice or refrigerate until ready to use.

Girl About Town Top 10 summer beauty & style picks!

To start, (forgive me for the blurry pics) Here are my 2011 Girl About Town summer beauty and style picks! Most of these items are tried and true and field tested by yours truly, and some of them are highly coveted by yours truly.

I'm not forgiving of low quality and expensive products, that are all glitzy marketing and nothing good in the package. Especially makeup. As a busy girl about town, I don't have time to fuss with stuff that doesn't work, so if it's not awesome, I don't bother. You'll notice many of these products are eco-friendly, socially conscious and sustainable; because we all want to do our part, but don't want to sacrifice quality and style. These items are worth the cash and the time to use them! Please feel free to share your favorite summer style and beauty pics below!

1) Josie Maran Argan Oil: This still will change your life, I'm not kidding. Never has my skin looked as good as it does with this product. And it's eliminated the need for other products entirely! I mix it with lotion, use it on my cuticles, and put it on my scalp, and in my hair. Not to mention, Josie Maran works with UNESCO to ensure the women of Morocco who harvest this oil are given the opportunity to earn a fair wage, and the Argan trees are protected. Learn more about these efforts here.

2) Argan Oil Color Stick in Posey: This color is universally flattering and goes on sheer and not greasy. Works great for cheeks and lips and chock full of antioxidants, as well as cruelty free and no parabens. The stick is huge, so it'll last you quite a while. It's perfect for on-the-go "crap I'm not wearing makeup" moments or touch-ups.

3) Naturally Knotty Bamboo Wrap: These are super soft, lightweight and won't pill. Bamboo is warm in the winter and breathable for summer. These scarves are 100% bamboo and so soft you'll want to wear it 24/7. I love scarves like this because in addition to being stylish, they're great for traveling. I don't actually own an NKD one! :( But my dog just ate a hole in my old pashmina (I kid not) So I'd like to replace it soon with one of these.

4) Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Mascara: My eyelashes used to always fall out, but since I started using this mascara it's almost stopped. Of course it has Argan oil in it, but the best part is that for every one you buy, they give one to City of Hope for a cancer patient.

5) Argan Oil Hair Serum: I have a small size of this and I think I'm going to need to upgrade to the big size soon. It smells so good and makes your hair soft and shiny. If you've been at the beach and have sexy beachy waves going on, this will turn them into touchable and yummy smelling sexy beachy waves! :)

6) Josie Maran Eye Love You shadow palette: All-season colors, highly concentrated and just shimmery enough but not too shimmery. They didn't include ugly colors in here either, they're all wearable. I like how they come with a big mirror and the compact itself is really high quality. This compact knocks around in my purse and unlike my old Dior palette, the shadows haven't yet fallen out and made a crumbly mess. This formula doesn't make my eyes itch either.

7) Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 70: Before you bawk at the fact that it's SPF 70, to actually get the advertised sun protection you've got to slather it on thick. Nobody wears it like that. So if you want any kind of sun protection, get a higher SPF. This one isn't exactly sustainable, but so far I haven't found an eco-friendly and healthy one that really works, and I don't want to mess around with getting sunburned. I'm fair skinned with dark hair, so I've got to wear it, this one is not greasy, doesn't smell bad, and won't clog the pores on your face, neck and chest.

8) "Hannah" Aviator from Send the Trend: I love a pair of sassy aviators. These are only $29 at Send the Trend.com. These are more of a fashion accessory than a utility item though, if you're going to be in super strong sun, these don't have UV protection and aren't super dark. So opt for UV protection if you'll be in strong sun, by the pool or at the beach.

9) A neutral wedge: I am not recommending a certain pair, just because the heights and styles vary, but a neutral wedge will take you from day to night, casual to dressy. You'll wear them with everything! I bought a pair of Nicole neutral wedges back in 2005 and I wore them so much. I finally replaced them this year with a pair of Franco Sarto's. If you're going to splurge on some shoes, these will give you some real mileage.

10) Naturally Knotty Tote: I am so in love with this tote, and the funny thing is I don't have one :( But boy do I covet! They are made of upcycled fabrics and recycled plastic water bottles. But that's not the best part, the best part is that they are huge, have tons of pockets, can hold your entire life, are durable and can be wiped out and easily cleaned. They are perfect for the market, school or work, a travel carry-on, or a beach or pool tote. I'd use it as a travel and beach tote to our destination wedding, as a carry-all bag for work travel, and as a travel tote for our March honeymoon in Peru!

What are your favorite pics? Share them below!

xoxo

Overhaul your wardrobe for Good!

Do some items in your closet make you feel like this?

Or maybe they don't fit correctly?

Everybody has done it, you bought something because it was on sale, or because it was a designer brand. Maybe you wanted to keep up with the Jones' or your best friend. Whatever the reason. Many people have a bursting closet full of clothes they don't or can't wear. We buy things that don't look good on us, work with our lifestyle, or make us feel great. Even worse, we're in debt. Wonder where your money goes? A lot of it is likely in your closet.

Saving, being frugal and paying off debt doesn't mean you have to wear sweatpants or shop at thrift stores (unless you want to!) But it does mean you need to shop better and smarter. And even more importantly, get down to the bottom of your reasons for buying all the items you can't or don't wear. This worksheet from Real Simple will help you purge, sort, and determine what holes you need to fill in your wardrobe to get you on your way to a fabulous, easily maintained and workable look. Never Buy the Wrong Thing Again Worksheet

But Susie Orman also has some great questions to ask yourself when you're out shopping and suddenly find yourself considering a non-predetermined purchase. These questions work for any major purchase, but shopping in particular.

Is it kind? - Is it kind to you? Kind to your body? Kind to your wallet?
Is it necessary? - Is it something you need to work in your closet or function in your life?
Is it true? - Why are you buying this? Is it to impress somebody else? Because it's a good brand?

That last one is the biggie. As Susie says, if we feel less than, we spend more than. Why did you buy these things? Once you realize the reason you're buying it, it's so much easier to put it down and say no.

Happy closet purging!

Jet Setting

Photo credit young married chic

Today we're heading off to San Diego for a quick weekend visiting family and knocking off some wedding to-do's. There is nothing worse than seeing somebody schlumping through the airport disheveled in some sort of sweat suit ensemble they picked up off the floor that morning. I'm not saying we should return to the 50's and fly in nylons and pumps, but come on people, get it together. Here's a few of my tips for traveling:

Don't check bags if you can help it. - Once I land, I want to be there, not stand around at a baggage carousel while the new world beckons outside. Not to mention the hassle if the bag gets lost.

Pack a protein snack - I think the Trader Joe's refrigerated section was made for things like this. The day before I like to grab a small packaged salad, a wrap and maybe some nuts to hold you over when those peanuts don't cut it. If you've got the fixins at home, make 'em yourself! Just don't forget a fork.

Moisturize - Do you feel gross when you get off planes, and can't quite figure out why? It's partly because you're parched. I love these mists. They're refreshing and moisturizing and do wonders as a pick me up. Here's an Evian one and one of my personal favorites is by Caudalie.

Wear a pashmina, and bring some fluffy socks - I love these bamboo wraps from Naturally Knotty. They're sustainable and a great bargain. When I travel in the spring and summer I always wear sandals, they're easier to get through security in. But it's nice to slip on a cozy pair of socks on the drafty plane and get cozy underneath your bamboo wrap with a magazine.

Keep nausea at bay - For those of you who get woozy on take offs and landing, Peace of Mind On the Spot from Origins works wonders. Just put it on your pulse points, or just smell it. The peppermint and eucalyptus really helps with nausea.

I'm a little bit weird about germs when I fly. I'm normally not a germaphobe. But when I think about all the germs from across the country (or the world) that have touched my tray table, I get a little eeked out. This is not an official tip. But I also always travel with antibacterial wipes :)

Fleur de sel caramels

Life and careers and friendships and paths ebb and flow and bend and twist, but at the end of the day we've always got those we love. I've got a wedding coming up soon. And my La Dolce Vita wedding fantasy isn't going to come true on it's own, and it's certainly not going to come true unless I get cookin'! There's something about delighting those whom I cherish on MY wedding day, I want to make sure everybody feels la Dolce Vita, not just me!

I'm a big fan of fleur de sel caramels. Big fan. So when I found out the one and only Barefoot Contessa herself Ina Garten had a recipe, I got real giddy. Her recipes are fantastic in their simplicity, and they always work (woo hoo!)

My great grandmother was a fantastic candy maker. Not a fantastic cook, but as a candy maker there was nobody better. So with her guidance in spirit I set forth with bringing the sugars to a golden brown tone. It'll seems like they're bubbling forever the same translucent color and then suddenly they're brown and going quickly. So watch it closely.

Add the cream mixture and be sure to continuously stir with a wooden spoon to get it incorporated. At this point, attach the thermometer and get comfortable with stirring. This can be tricky as you're also fumbling with the vanilla. Attach the thermometer taking care to not let it touch the bottom of the pan. And as you stir, don't allow the spoon to scrape the edges. This is where the sugar is crystallizing and if you bring those crystals into your caramel, you might get crunchiness in your creamy smoothness. You'll want to bring it to about 248 degrees or just below, do not let it get higher than this!

Pour the hot caramel into your parchment lined pan and take care because it's HOT and sticky. At this point you've got the best spoon in the world to lick. So pop the pan into the fridge to cool and get to work on that spoon! :)

You'll want to cool it enough so you can touch it and work with it, but not so much that it gets too hard to work with. Mine was in the fridge too long and it got a bit hard. Still chewy and delightful, but I had difficulties getting the salt to stick to it. Make sure you use parchment, not waxed paper.

Once they're ready, you can wrap them in glassine, or just serve them right away. I garnished them with Himalayan Pink Salts, and also with fleur de sel. I've got a ton of fancy salts and I can't think of a better way to try them out. Happy candy making!

Eating, drinking and living La Dolce Vita at Mama Melina

Photo credit: Seattle Times

I've really been into this la dolce vita concept lately. Not sure if it's my longing for summer and long loungy afternoons that dwindle into muggy nights on the patio. Or the fact that's it's my chosen wedding theme. This is across the street from the Silver Cloud Inn, my home away from home where I stay when I'm up in Seattle's University District for classes. But when you walk inside you're not in rainy Seattle on 25th Avenue stressing about reading your corporate finance case. You're in a swank cafe in Milan, wearing Dolce and sipping Chianti and greeting your friends, "ciao bella!"

Apparently this "new Mama Melina" is quite the departure from what used to be a down-home little Italian joint where the owners putzed around in the kitchen and sometimes serenaded diners. It's sleek and swanky, with tufted white chairs, sparkly chandeliers, industrial chic concrete floors, penny round tile, and even heated toilet seats (I kid you not). But it's still got the nods to the old world Italian roots, an open kitchen with a stone pizza oven turns out Neapolitan pizzas with perfect chewy crust with just the right amount of char. I am a pretty big fan of the paintings on the ceiling in the bar, which has inspired me to do this in my own kitchen or dining room (one day). It's never empty, and usually just the right amount of crowded. The kind of busy where it's hard to find a table, until you find it just in time. You'll find graduate and professional students mingling with professors, to undergrads out with dates or girls nights out. The after work crowd brushing elbows with the university folks.

The best part is the Happy Hour, Mama Melina has the kind of happy hour that doesn't make you feel like you're ordering happy hour. It's every day from 3-6pm and 9-11 pm. All bar menu items are half off, some of the Neapolitan pizzas are $6, and bottles of wine are only $14. Their bar menu runs the gamut of typical happy hour fare, but it does it well. You'll find the burger, calamari, bruschetta, a few pastas and Caesar salad. It's the kind of place to gather in the bar after class for a drink, or late at night after meetings. The new Mama Melina is the new Italia. It's sleek, sexy, and modern with appropriate throwbacks to the culture that made them.

Next time you're up in Seattle's east side, particularly the U-district, try to stop in. And for just a little while, eat, drink and live la dolce vita.

DIY your own La Dolce Vita

Lemoncello is so simple to make, and it's nothing like lemonade and not sour at all, this is because it's made with the zest of the lemon, not the juice. It is the national drink of Italy, where they drink it cold as an after dinner drink. It's perfect for a warm summer day, and it's really simple to make. There's still time to make your own batch before summer!

How to make:
1 liter bottle of grain alcohol or vodka (we ended up using vodka, I'll keep you posted on the results)
zest of 8-15 lemons
Sugar reduced down to simple syrup-about 12 oz or to taste
A washed and sterilized glass jar or bottle that can seal tightly

Cut the zest off the lemons, taking care not to allow any of the white part (pith). This is bitter and will spoil the limoncello. Put all the zest into the jar, and pour the liter of alcohol into the jar. Add the cooled simple syrup. If there is some solidified sugar in the pan, you can scrape this and add it too if you want. Close the lid and put the jar in a cool dark place for about 30 days. Take the jar out once or twice a week and shake it gently. After 30 days, get a funnel and a strainer and pour the limoncello through the strainer into the bottle you plan to store and serve it from.

More pics to come, ours is currently on the pantry shelf!

Portland Saturday food cart hopping

My brother lives in a ghost town. It's about an hour from Maupin (where many white water rafting trips originate). The town is called Antelope, Oregon, and he works as a videographer at the Young Life Washington Family Ranch (formerly Wildhorse Canyon). It's so far out, the internet signal there is only 3mbs.

So needless to say he's in town for the week and on this first beautiful and warm Saturday of spring he needed a few things: to use fast internet, to experience civilization, and to eat some tasty food. So we went food cart hopping.

So I loaded Regen (my Bernese Mountain Dog) into the car with us and we headed up to the food carts at approximately 42nd and Belmont. It was packed with people and after making the rounds at the carts we decided on try out the Euro Trash cart. My brother ordered the Oregon Doner, inspired by the traditional doner kebab, and I got the fishy chips.

The fishy chips ($6) are whole sardines (no head, but you can get the fried heads only for $3) with seasoning and lemon and "trashy sauce" which is a tangy yogurt sauce.

I would have liked to see the fish come with a small side like some slaw or something to round out the meal. My dog was happy to eat the tails.

The Oregon doner is a falafel waffle (falafel batter made in a waffle iron, with yogurt sauce and tomato, shredded carrots, olives, and cucumber. So it's not really like an authentic doner, but you can get some meat with it. For $7, it's pretty tasty and healthy, but I think probably a tad too expensive.

After the kebab we opted out of Fifty Licks (note to self...maple bacon ice cream). And headed down to Cartopia on 12th & Hawthorne for Wiffies Fried Pies and Potato Champion.

At Wiffies we opted for the basic apple sweet pie. They are like the McDonald's pocket pies, but SO much better. The crust is the perfect flakiness, and not too greasy. The filling is tasty, pretty basic apple filling, but a good consistency. They were also offering a mounds pie (coconut cream and chocolate chips), and I have been in the past when they had peanut butter chocolate chip cream pies and double chocolate pies (to die for). They also have savory pies (yet to try) including brisket and mac and cheese.

My brother being 21 and a growing boy was still not satisfied so he headed over to Potato Champion while Regen hoovered for crumbs underneath the picnic tables. After some debate over their monstrous list of french fry dipping sauces he finally settled on the legendary Potato Champion poutine. Poutine is comfort food to Canadians like like peanut butter and jelly is to Americans (Potato Champion has PB&J fries too). If you haven't tried it yet, it's fries with cheese curd and smothered in gravy. The Original Dinerant downtown also has it and it's also very good. I'd be tempted to mention I prefer the consistency of the gravy, but I really don't like the Portland hipster "dain to serve you" service there, so I'll refrain. :)

There is also a pizza place on 12th and Hawthorne called Pyro Pizza that actually has somehow managed to put a traditional brick pizza oven into a food cart. These pizzas are totally gourmet and who knew you could get real wood fired Italian style pizza from a food cart? They told me the oven renders their cart immobile, so they can probably never move it. The only one I've tried to far is the romano cheese and white truffle oil pizza. I think it ranks highly amongst the best pizzas I've had in this town. (But I haven't been to Apizza Scholls yet.)

IF you make it to 12th & Hawthorne, they stay open late for after bar hopping fun, have heaters to keep you warm while you sit outside, and there's even one of those tiny merry go round's that you used to put a quarter in and play on outside Fred Meyer's when you were a kid. So just picture yourself, gleefully eating a savory pie, a belly full of poutine, riding on a merry go round. It doesn't get much better than that.

A wine tasting trip to Willows Lodge in Woodinville Washington

In February I had cabin fever like one only really gets at sea. Terrible gloomy moods, boredom, irritability and all the stuff that just doesn't suit a girl about town very well. Needless to say, no sooner was D home from his month-long trip to India before I was forcing him back into the car for a much needed weekend getaway.

I found our hotel, the Willows Lodge on Jetsetter, the great thing about Jetsetter (aside from its affiliation with the droolworthy Gilt Groupe) is that their staff has actually stayed in all the hotels they feature, and they seem to have pretty good taste!
The Willows Lodge is also dog friendly! Here is my dog about town, Regen enjoying the fireplace in our room. All the rooms are rustic chic, with fireplaces and big soaking tubs. There is even a doggie turn down service, and dog treats on the room service menu. Look at the size of the bathtub! The staff was super friendly, and the hotel is perfectly located for wine tasting. And tasting we did!


The thing about Woodinville compared to Oregon wine country is they don't actually produce wines there. So the wineries are usually just tasting rooms. Unlike Oregon where they are very far apart and you have to designate a driver or hire a tour in Woodinville you can walk!


Next door to the Willows Lodge is the the Red Hook Brewery, a rather large "microbrew" where for only $1 you can take a beer tour, complete with your own Red Hook pint glass to keep, and if you answer the beer trivia questions right, they'll fill up your glass with more beer! In the summer Red Hook is usually hopping, with concerts, movies, and all kinds of fun events taking place on their grounds.

After a quick lunch at Red Hook we walked over to Novelty Hill/Januik. A beautiful ultra sleek and modern building, where we tasted wine as the snow fell on a courtyard featuring traditional stone bocce ball courts. Foursquare told me in the summer they have events and allow dining on the courtyard where they serve wood fired pizzas. We took home a bottle of the Novelty Hill Syrah.



From here we walked over to Chateau Ste. Michelle. Which happens to be the winery that introduced me to wine! The largest winery in Washington (I think) with a huge grounds, that is also absolutely beautiful and probably just as well known for their summer concert series as their Riesling. I don't recommend tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle since their wines are widely available in most grocery stores, but we walked around the grounds and made a point to find the peacock

After walking Chateau Ste. Michelle we'd processed most of the wine we drank at Novelty Hill, so we headed to Mark Ryan, probably one of the most unique tasting rooms I've visited. Their website does absolutely no justice. They had a rock and roll theme with vintage and modern rock and roll posters and classic rock music playing. I was totally enamoured with those rock and roll posters and now I regularly fantasize about having posters like that in my house. The wines even had edgy names, like Black Love, and Long Haul. I think one of the best parts of this winery, (aside from that gorgeous yellow buffet) is the restored Indian motorcycles on display in the tasting room. I love brands that take two unexpected elements and combine them together to form their identity. The combination of "classy wine" meets edgy rock rebel is looking pretty good so far at Mark Ryan!

Across the parking lot from Mark Ryan is Alexandria Nicole, one of the 2011 Washington Wineries of the Year. Their tasting room is located in the cellar portion of a cool old schoolhouse, giving it a cave-like feel. Apparently Alexandria Nicole also sponsors "glamping" trips in their vineyards. Sneak peek at Glamping in a vineyard. Um, yes please.

If you're the type that likes to mix things up a little bit, you're in luck because Woodinville has a fledgling distillery industry as well. We made a quick pitstop at the Woodinville Whiskey Company. Currently all their whiskeys are still white dog, which means clear and unaged, so it's got a more mild and smooth taste. Great for non-whiskey drinkers.

I'd keep an eye on them. Not to mention, you can buy your own mini whiskey barrel for tabletop aging.

During this trip, we also ate some great food. I'll be sure to post about the restaurants we visited very soon. But in the meantime, check out Willows Lodge if you are looking for a destination hotel in the Seattle area!

What's your kickstarter?

I often find myself dwelling in what is sadly still an old boys club, it's true, management is still a mostly male dominated world. When you're out there on a mission day after day, especially when faced with adversity (large or small) it's easy to feel like you're fighting a constant uphill battle. This is why you need a kick starter. When you're feeling like the world is happening to you, and you've been chugging along on idle for a while, what's the thing that makes you flip this back around? Everybody needs their special secret thing that reminds them to keep plugging away, and do it with smarts, style and sass.

Girl Power is so blase, but the thing is, sometimes you need some to "get 'er done" if you will. Girls about town are smart, intelligent, savvy, resourceful, and are pretty much amazing on their own, but when you need that extra kick of somethin' somethin' where do you get it?


Ok, this is truly embarrassing... I think of Elle Woods. Yep. The bubbly, pink silly sorority girl. Elle Woods is always herself, always authentic, and usually kicking ass in some way shape or form. I'm not saying you should wear more pink and carry a small dog in your bag, but when I need to remind myself to be myself, I think of Elle Woods and suddenly I am vivacious, smart, fun and authentic, ready to fight the good fight once again, and kick some ass while doing it.

So what's your kickstarter? And how do you keep it near?

And the winner is...

This my friends, is a fabulous bottle of wine. 2005 Bernard Machado Pinot Noir. I enjoy it so much, I happen to have a limited edition magnum bottle of this stuff in my wine collection. I kid you not. One of you is going to be enjoying a lot of this stuff (and many other kinds as well).

We had a good start to our inaugural Girl About Town Facebook contest. We got some great suggestions from girls about town including: The Spa at The Allison Hotel, Limo Peruvian, Rusty Grape Vineyards, Vie de Boheme wine bar and Vino Paradiso wine bar. But the winning post with the most enthusiastic comments and likes was Marita Martinez for her suggestion of Highland Stillhouse! I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to heading out there to get back to my Scottish roots, dance a jig and eat some Scottish eggs.

Congratulations Marita! You won a trip for 4 (you and 3 friends) to Wineworks Oregon (Walnut City Wineworks) in McMinnville Oregon for a VIP tour and tasting, and a gift certificate for free wines! I'll send you more info soon via email. Congratulations!

Thanks to everybody for participating. Please continue to like and share Girl About Town and provide great suggestions. More contests to come, so stay tuned and be sure to check out the show as well as the other great shows on the Earth2World network!

Hankering for a night in? Start with Portland Farmer's market!

After an action packed Saturday, I was feeling a bit tired by dinnertime, but I still wanted to make a yummy dinner. Why? When I returned home, my guy about town had a surprise for me, a 2 lb bag of gorgeous steamer clams and a Delphina's Bakery baguette from the Portland Farmer's Market! I'm lucky enough to live 2 blocks from the market, which is every Saturday March - December. So a Saturday morning leisurely stroll around the market for a coffee, some pastries, and some produce for the week is one of my little luxuries. Sometimes I even treat myself to a big bouquet of flowers.
Needless to say, I had to make these clams! I'm one of those people who really enjoys shellfish, save for oysters and there's a story behind that which I'll spare you. I think there are a few recipes every girl and guy about town should be able to whip up perfectly when called upon, for me, one of these is a fantastic steamer clam recipe. It's not perfect yet, but here's a reliable one that you can usually make with stuff you've already got lying around:

1/2 cup butter (use the real stuff)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dry white wine (this means chardonnay, but I'm not a fan, so I cheat with pinot gris)
2-3 T fresh oregano (1 T dried if no fresh)
2 T fresh parsley (1 T dried)1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional if you want some kick to it)

In a large pot (I like to use a stockpot), melt the butter. Add the garlic and stir around briefly. pour in wine, add seasonings. Add clams and put lid on. Steam until all the clams have opened. Serve them in soup bowls with their broth ladled over them and crusty bread for dipping. If you've got fresh parsley to chop and sprinkle over the top that's pretty good too. Have with the remainder of the wine.
Also try adding: diced tomatoes, cooked pancetta, sausage, fingerling potatoes, pinch of saffron.

And if that doesn't make you hungry, here's a pic, along with daffodils from the market :)

Like the Wineworks glasses? ;)

Portland Farmer's Market
Saturdays, March 19 through December 17
8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Mar. through Oct.), 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Nov. & Dec.)
PSU Campus: SW Park Ave & SW Montgomery St

Just a few of my favorite stops at the market. Sadly I can't remember the name of the stand where I get the clams from. I know her when I see her. I'll try to update this next time I'm there.

Cafe Velo Coffee
I love how their website shows a picture of B-line, one of my fave Portland start-ups!

Alma Chocolates

Their store is located on NE 28th off Glisan. Their caramel sauces, the lavender caramel in particular, will change your life.

Jacob's Creamery

Creme Fraiche, marscapone, a variety of cheeses and an amazingly light and decadent blue cheese spread with cranberries.

Nut-tricious Foods
Fabulous soy nut butters and other nut butters that are super healthy.