I love this wedding bouquet from the wedding of Carly Zucker and Joe Cole on the Cover of UK's HELLO Magazine. I remember a Martha Stewart show advising against all white bridal bouquets, but the green leaves makes this a perfect contrast. I have fond childhood memories picking lily-of-the-valley in my parent's backyard. I'm totally stealing this idea!
I am currently reading Bethenny Frankel's book Naturally Thin. It's the first diet book I can actually read and relate to. It doesn't exclude any of your favorite foods. Her main focus is on portion control and the concept that our diets are a "bank account". She includes many recipes that I like because they they are simple and can easily be divided for one or two servings. I love her recipe for Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. So good. Just make sure you form them into patties when you put them on the cookie sheet, the ingredients don't spread like the fatty cookies do.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups oat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp canola oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1/2 cup banana puree (1 medium-size banana)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.
Preheat oven to 375. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine
all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix the dry and wet
ingredients together, until well combined.
2. Use a large spoon to
scoop batter onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper (I just place them right on my pizza stone). Bake for 12
minutes rotating the pan halfway through cooking, or bake until the
edges of the cookies are light brown.
One of the highlights from this year's Summer Solstice Celebration at the Kimmel Center was a presentation of Brazilian Fashion Designer, Marcia Ganem. She creates her fashions by refurbishing old material and even incorporates recycled products from the automobile industry. Her work is beautiful, feminine, and sexy. My favorite is this gold crochet dress, filled with 7,200 carats of citrine. If I ever have to walk an important red carpet in my lifetime, I'm wearing this. :) AMAZING!
This morning I had brunch at Ants Pants Cafe (2212 South St). Inexpensive Australian-inspired cuisine and close seating makes this a cute neighborhood joint. Maybe too cute that it is known for being the "walk-of-shame" breakfast place. Our waiter noted he has seen it all, and even some break-ups. There's a lot to love on the Ants Pants Menu, today I tried the Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Omelette. Perfectly portioned with a side of fruit instead of the typical overloading home fries and toast. Really great, can't wait to go back for some more people watching!
As most of you know, I was laid off last year. I have 8 years of marketing experience. Check out my profile on Philly2Philly.com's Project Dig featuring other unemployed locals. Please email any bites to info@justaskgreta.com. Thank you!!
Today, I'm craving Audrey Claire's grilled caesar salad from last week, so I decided to attempt making it at home. I bought a bad of Romaine Lettuce hearts, Drew's Romano Caesar Dressing, and a block of parmesan Cheese. I cut the romaine lettuce in half length-wise, seared face-down in a pan on high heat with one TBS canola oil for about 2 minutes, then set on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Served on a plate with freshly shaved paraesan cheese and caesar dressing. Dressing was not as thick and creamy as Audrey Claire's, but the overall outcome hit the spot! I'm definitely going to attempt this again for my next dinner soiree.
Last night, I got to check out Franklin Mortgage & Investments, a drinking establishment named after the original 1920's speakeasy. They did a great job at renovating the space of the old Bar Noir, bringing light, swanky leather booths and marble to the joint. The drinks are something to try. I took many sips and most tasted like a strong mixture of hard alcohol from my parent's liquor cabinet. But after a few sips, the drinks become quite tasty with the unique arrangement of flavors. My favorite cocktail was the Billy Penn Club (pictured, left), a mixture of Gin, Vermouth, fresh lemon juice, apple butter and topped with organic egg white. Really amazing.
I recently checked out the new Noble American Cookery on Sansom St between 20th and 21st. The atmosphere is really beautiful with the combination of rustic and modern interiors. I tried the sea scallops for an appetizer and Alaskan Black Sable as my main course. Both were EXCELLENT. The Black Sable reminded me of a fancy shake and bake. For a cocktail, I tried the Philadelphia Fish House Punch, reminded me of a long island ice tea. Great new dining establishment with super friendly and knowledgeable staff. Can't wait to go back!
Yesterday, I turned a year older! To celebrate, I had dinner at Audrey Claire with friends and finally tried their much-talked-about grilled Caesar Salad (so good!). For dessert we had the chocolate cake and banana bread pudding which was amazing. We ended the night with wine at Parc. The perfect birthday!
