leprechaun trickery?…a lesson to the overly-confident belle-chef

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

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Believe it or not, even though we seem to be attached at the hip…sometimes we belles do seperate for brief periods of time. It was spring break time for the teen belles, so SHE (petite belle and family) traveled to a far away island for some tropical r&r…

(the evidence)

(the evidence)


…while I happily (but a tad jealously) stayed home with a light schedule and a couple of free days.

So, with a bit of time on my hands, I took the opportunity to get a lil ahead of the game and tackle an Irish recipe for the blog…hoping to give us all a plan for a St. Pat’s Day meal. Now, not tryin’ to brag or anything, I have been told that I’m a pretty dang good cook on more than one occasion…and I feel like I know my way around a recipe…and even have enough know-how to tweak and adjust with confidence.

Looking for something classically Irish, I picked a Guinness stew that seemed perfect for the occasion. With absolutely no hesitation, I took to cooking. Three and a half hours later…most of which was cooking time, I opened the Dutch oven to discover…a complete and utter disaster. The liquid had totally evaporated, it was on the verge of being stuck to the bottom of the pot, and it looked revolting!! I dared taste it…NOT GOOD…BITTER…YUCK!! Still, because I’ve been doing this kitchen gig for a while now, I didn’t panic. I resorted to tweaking, adding liquid, seasoning, stirring. I tasted again…blech!! Had I failed? Surely not! Leprechaun trickery? Likely!!

So, I did what every good cook would do…I got rid of the evidence. Straight to the trash it went. I didn’t even give the dogs a chance at it (…it was that bad). So, now what? I was over the whole stew idea…and I realized it might be better to simply recommend the ace-up-my-sleeve Corned Beef and Cabbage that we posted for St. Patrick’s Day last year…
IMG_2549Make it…it’s tantrum (and Leprechaun) proof. (And if y’all have any Irish mains that are tasty, and foolproof as well, please share with us!!!)

All was not lost, though. I might have been conquered by the stew, but I did come across two additional treats that you will want to make all year round!

First, an appetizer…

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Hot Reuben Dip from recipegirl.com

This appetizer is drool-worthy and perfect for any time…even if you’ve just had a hissy fit and take to eating it with a spoon because no one is around…just sayin’. We especially like the drizzle of thousand island over the top of it to raise the yum factor.

And, of course, we love any excuse for a sweet treat…so this cake should do the trick.

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Baileys Irish Bundt cake from aspicyperspective.com

I mean…do we even have to say anything? Words just don’t do this cake justice…but a fork will!!

So, traveling belle and humbled belle are back in their rightful places…and we have more March menu ideas (of the liquid variety) headed your way tomorrow! Could a belle ask for more??

a&a

cocktailin’ with the Irish…a friend-1-1 to put a jig in your step

06 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by in bar belles

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We belles have been on the job again…doing a bit of cocktailing and writing about it…because that’s what we do!  This time we were doing a bit of prep for our favorite reason to celebrate March…good ole St. Paddy’s Day!  Who doesn’t love a day when everyone gets to pretend to have at least a wee bit of Irish blood…and (more importantly) have a great excuse to sample the spirits of the “Emerald Isle”?

While one of us has some true Irish blood…the other sure acts like it!  Our stubborn streaks had us cozied up to the bar at Connolly’s Irish Pub on a recent Tuesday night (purely for work, of course) until we found an Irish cocktail or two that tickled our fancy and made others green with envy. The Irish take their drinking very seriously…as do we. We found a couple of good ones for ya…

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The “Irish Breakfast”…of course the Irish would have a liquid breakfast option! Jameson and buttershots in one glass (buttery, syrupy, hearty goodness); orange juice (fresh, citrusy and a good dose of vitamin c) in another. It’s like an Irish IHOP in a glass!! And who doesn’t like a little breakfast for dinner…or cocktails?

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Next up, we asked for a “Bushmills Irish Buck.” While not on the regular bar menu, Chelsey and Jaime were happy to accommodate. Chilled Bushmills Irish Whiskey, ginger ale, and fresh lime combine to create a delightfully sippable elixir…sans ice (no dilution here)! Balancing the burn of the whiskey, the tang of the lime and the sharpness of the ginger make this a cozy cocktail that won’t weigh you down.

Bonus!!  Tuesday is Trivia Night, creating a fun, slightly competitive atmosphere. It’s a great idea unless you are with someone who refuses to leave until they win (ahem, petite belle). We (finally) made our exit with a jig in our step and twinkle in our eyes. Now we know why Irish eyes are always smilin’.

Click here for the full TALK article.

Cheers!

a&a

we could’ve had a V-8…but this is better…

05 Thursday Mar 2015

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Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention…desperate times create desperate measures…or, truth be told, we were cold, hungry and a winter storm warning prevented us from going to gather any groceries.

So with a red pepper, an onion, and some carrots, we trolled our favorite sites to find something that would warm our tummies and that the junior belles wouldn’t turn their noses to. Well, we hit the lottery with this lovely Red Pepper Carrot Soup from Taste of Home.

We’ve tweaked it only a bit, but this tasty, easy soup was gobbled up by every belle we were huddled with. We will be making this many more times as we all know how hard it is to please every palate in our abodes.

Red Pepper Carrot Soup

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Serves about 4 very “hangry” belles

You’ll need:
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 medium red pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T uncooked long grain rice
2 T butter
1/3 cup of orange juice
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 t sriracha
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. each dried marjoram, thyme, rosemary, crushed
1/2 t. rubbed sage
1/4 t. black pepper

What you need to do:

Broil red pepper 4 in. from heat until skin is blistered. With tongs, rotate pepper a quarter turn. Broil and rotate until all sides are blistered and blackened. Immediately place pepper in a bowl; cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Peel and discard the charred skin. Remove stem and seeds and set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook the carrots, onion, and rice in butter until onion is tender. Add broth, water, orange juice, sriracha, salt and dried herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until carrots and rice are tender. Cool for 10 minutes.

In a blender, purée carrot mixture and roasted pepper in small batches. Return to pan; heat through.

If you have a stick blender you can just add roasted pepper to pan and blend until smooth.

Easy, delicious, and good-for-you…a real belle-ringer!!

Bon appetit!!

a&a

necklaces that speak for themselves…a statement-making friday friend-1-1

27 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in fashion forward, friday friend 1-1

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We were, of course, glued to the Academy Awards Sunday night…watching for all of the big fashion moments…and there were almost too many to count!! (good and bad, just sayin’).  One of our favorites…

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…Margot Robbie with this to-die-for bauble around her neck!!  Now THAT’s quite a statement she’s making there!!  And…notice…it even has a hint of fringe (remember yesterday, belles?)

Statement necklaces are super “in” right now, and they seem to us (so therefore it must be true!!) to come in and out of fashion on a pretty regular basis. So we think all belles should have one (or two) in their repertoire, because belles have never been afraid of makin’ a statement. We’ve found some great luxe options and, because we are all about a smashing frugal find, we found some awesome pocketbook-friendly choices as well (you’re welcome).

We have long admired the talent and design of dylanex, masters of the statement piece…necklaces to die for, and rings, too, but we need to stay focused for a mo.  These pieces are detailed, gorgeous, forever pieces of art.

Let’s take a peak at our luxe label faves first:
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IMG_2020RILEY, FRANKIE AND BOBBIE
All above photos via dylanex

Our pocketbooks aren’t quite fattened up enough to invest in these beauties quite yet, so we went on the hunt for something that would do for the time being. Well…we about fell out when we discovered that our favorite go-to for reasonable, of-the-moment jewelry has a slew of very clever dupes.

Check out our fave finds from baublebar…(zee bank accounts are lovin’ these too!)

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CLEOPATRA, PEARL ORWELL, ELEANOR

Keep in mind, y’all don’t have to wait for an elegant evening to get your fancy on!!  Think out of the box and wear them with your jeans and button down shirts.

Go make that statement, belles!

a&a

fringes with benefits…puttin’ a swing in our step

26 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by in fashion forward

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Fringe…it’s everywhere! You can go whole-hog, or just test the waters. But, for heavens sake, do something with this fashion moment! It’s fun, flirty, and who doesn’t want a little fringe or two with benefits??

Here are a few of our favorites from the dramatic to the conservative…a lil something for everyone. So don’t be too shy, live on the fringe!

How about a jacket or two?

budget friendly and right on trend!

budget-friendly and on-trend…from Revolve Clothing

This one is an investment...just sayin'

This one is an investment…just sayin’. From Forward

This one is a must-have…

This one is a must-have…it practically screamed at us from the pages of the Neiman Marcus catalog.  So we hollared right back with our credit card when we saw this lux for less…a real bargain!

Skirts are another great way to show off this trend…

The two below are from Intermix…

This suede will put a lil shimmy in your step!!

This suede will put a lil shimmy in your step!!

Tough and feminine

Tough and feminine

A belle loves to sashay!!

Next up…tops! The first is Theory and the second is J Crew…love!!

Gimme gimme gimme!!

Gimme gimme gimme!!

Every belle can rock this look!!!!

Every belle can rock this look!!!!

If you want to kill two birds with one stone, (we just adore efficiency!) you can order both from Net-A-Porter.

Of course, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t throw in a shoe or two. I mean, c’mon!!  How about this beauty with a touch of fringe by Altazurra…

find them

find them at Neiman Marcus

Or this next pair from Zara…

We die...from complete adoration

We die…from complete adoration!

And these from Les Nouvelles…

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All for the well-heeled belle!

And sporting a pocketbook is a great way to try fringe without jumping right into the deep end.  Sometimes a belle likes to test the waters a bit…

Check out the Tallulah Fringe Messenger bag from ShopBop…

Perfection!!

Perfection!!

and this boho-chic hobo from Urban Outfitters…

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Well-priced, on-trend, and a pop of color…a belle’s dream!

And if this is all just too much to take in, at least try our favorite lash enhancer to really play up that “eye fringe”. You do know how to bat your eyelashes, don’t you?? Available at Nordstrom…

Fringe for everyday

Fringe for everyday

BFF=belles for fringe

a&a

belles know to listen to mama…just sayin’

22 Sunday Feb 2015

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Snapped this from the “Spring Style Guide” of the March ’15 Southern Living. Words to live by from fellow-belle Morgan Hutchison, founder of shopburu.com.

smile, belles!
a&a

bareskin belle…a bare and beautiful friday friend-1-1

20 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in Beauty belle, friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle

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We know…there are lots of products out there promising that perfectly flawless skin every belle desires. BB creams, CC creams, tinted moisturizers, serums, concentrates, plumpers, fillers…we can hardly finish one before we are tempted to grab another! The belles’ choix de la journée…

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bareMinerals BareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation!

Why we love it…

The “beauty-speak” version…It offers the anti-aging ingredients of a serum (vitamin C, plant stem cells) with “just the pigment part of foundation, leaving out the fillers (oil, silicone, water, para beans, fragrance)”…we quote from marie claire, the June 2014 issue.

The practical, belle-speak version…one little, tiny drop gives us the lightest-weight, practically bare-feeling coverage that looks more natural than anything we’ve tried to date (and, belles, due to our on-going giddiness over the latest and greatest products, we feel like we’ve tried ’em all!). Seriously…One. Little. Drop!!

And…word has it (that word being the March ’15 issue of InStyle mag) that Jennifer Anniston is a big fan of this little creation. Quite a stamp of approval!

Available at BareEscentuals stores as well as Ulta and Sephora, the wonder-product comes in a whopping 20 shades, so we encourage you to go get a professional color opinion (a bit hard to “wing-it” with so many options!).

Give this one a try, belles…after you’ve finished the tube, bottle or jar of whatever it is you’re “on” at the moment, of course! (wink, wink) We will be on this one for a while!

a&a

come on in…door colors that say “welcome”

19 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by in belle maison

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If windows are the eyes of the home, the doors actually “speak” to those who approach, saying, “Come on in”. Just how that message is delivered depends on several factors…curb appeal, belles…but let’s focus on door color for now. A quick update…an easy fix…minimal commitment…a coat of paint can work magic!

Now, we understand, some belles prefer the traditional. Stained wood, black, and even red are beautiful, yet expected. Why not punch it up a bit, belles? A fun door color says “welcome” to guests and says “home sweet home” to yours truly.

A couple of belle-ringin’ examples…

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We happen to know that these belles get a little giddy every time they walk in these happy-colored doors.

Now, one belle-friend recently decided it was time for an update of her own…

She has doors all the way across a loggia-style front porch, giving her many options for welcoming one and all…

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Above is a “before” shot…classic, yet fairly “business-like”…not quite fitting with this particular belle’s personality

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here are two of the colors this belle considered (the Chinese red is used in various places in the home’s interior, so it made sense to consider it as an option.  The chartreuse was a suggestion from a color-savvy consultant)

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and here is a soothing gray-blue which this belle had been pondering for a couple of years…don’t know what she was waiting for!

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The perfect choice, don’t you agree?

Let’s look at the before and after:

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Brilliant!!  Welcoming, soothing…a belle-worthy upgrade!  These doors scream (softly), “Come in and stay a while”

a&a