It’s been about a month or so since I last checked in on my burgeoning herb garden here on the blog, and since I have a tendency to KILL every plant that crosses my path, I just wanted to share that all my greenery is alive and well. And not just that — there’s been an addition. Yes, parsley has re-entered my domicile, courtesy of jash, who found a random parsley plant at Fresh & Easy and felt compelled to donate it to my horticultural wonderland. Jash, I should note, was also instrumental in watering the plants during my many journeys; although, he regrettably went five burning hot days without checking in. It was apparently a near disaster, and according to Sly, the moment he realized what he’d done, there was all sorts of controlled panic and horror on his face. Oh, if only I could have seen it. Luckily, the neglect led to no long term problems, and if anything, the plants have been better than ever.
A few more pics after the jump…
Lisa Wu Hartwell Becomes Latest 'Housewife' To Downsize
It’s becoming a tradition. Apparently you’re not an official Real Housewife of Atlanta until you’ve been kicked out of your home and forced into a smaller abode. It happened to Nene. It happened to Sherayay. And now it’s happened to Lisa Wu Hartwell, whose ritzy home was foreclosed last week. It’s a mild shock as Lisa always seemed to have her finances in order — what with her multiple businesses (not to mention husband Ed’s NFL moolah) — but alas, the housing crisis hits everyone, even reality stars. Who’s next? At this rate, Kim will be moving into a mobile home by the end of September, and by next year, who knows where the cast will be. Probably holed up in a tenement all together. Did somebody say The Real Housewives of 227? Now THAT I would see.
For more information, check out Access Atlanta here (link courtesy of Jennifer30307)
HOUSEWIVES PHOTOCAP: It's On Like Donkey Kong! (assuming Donkey Kong has big fake breasts and a giant wig)
Well, I’ve done my last traveling for the summer, and now I am finally finally getting back up to speed here with the blog. That means catching up with last week’s Real Housewives of Atlanta, which I had missed due to a raucous wedding in rural Michigan (not exactly the sort of place where you’d find Bravo on the hotel TV). Anyway, I checked out the latest episode last night in the comfort of my own apartment, and once again, we were left with quite the explosive final ten minutes. Kim, Nene, and Sherayay all attempted to bury the hatchet at a classy joint called “FAB,” but since these are the Housewives we’re talking about, the situation ended up as anything but fab. “Loud” or “cantankerous” or “like a drag show gone HELL TO THE NO wrong” would be more apt descriptors.
Yes, Nene and Sherayay joined forced to become Nenayay and confronted Kim about all her alleged lies, and even though she knew this was exactly what would happen, Kim still freaked out (perhaps justifiably) and soon the women were all yelling at each other. Actually, it was mostly Kim and Shereee-ay, with the latter diva calling the other “traaay-lah TRASH!” (which, as you may have gleaned, is quite the opposite of “FABUHLUS.”) Part of me was really hoping Sherayay would bust out her now classic “Who’s gonna check me, boo?” line, but then I remembered that it’s no longer funny after Andy Cohen spent literally a week on Twitter abusing the catchphrase and therefore ruining it for the rest of us (do yourself a favor, and resist the urge to follow him).
ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Ina Garten Potluck Edition
What happens when six people put together an Ina Garten-themed potluck dinner on a Sunday night? They all roll away feeling like they never want to eat again for the rest of their lives. And that’s a good thing. Yes, last Sunday, a few of my friends and I put on a Barefoot Contessa dinner party, and the results were stunning. Each one of us brought at least one dish, and I’ll tell you right now, there was enough food to feed a small army (assuming one would want that small army to then be sluggish, moaning, and occasionally be prone to reiterating “THAT WAS SO GOOD”). Here’s how it broke down: our hosts, Greg and Andrea, were in charge of the main course; Sly took on dessert; Jash was appetizers; Malibu Judie was cocktails; and I provided the side. Together, we formed a Voltron of culinary bliss, helped — no doubt — by the presence of GOOD ingredients.
Pictures of all that we created after the jump…
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ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Jalapeño Cocktail Hour
Yesterday, I posted photos of an epic grocery trip here in Los Angeles where my friend Malibu Judie and I procured thirty-three pounds of fresh produce and two pounds of shrimp to be cooked over the course of the weekend. Well, on Saturday of this past weekend, we put many of those purchases to use as the two of us, as well as B-Side Blog regulars jash and Sly, convened in my kitchen to create Jalapeño Cocktail Hour. Over the course of a few hours, we managed to churn out several delicious items: jalapeño cornbread, jalapeño poppers, a shrimp and jalapeño salad, jalapeño-cucumber margaritas (with a candied jalapeño garnish), and a shrimp and jalapeño ceviche, adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless. Needless to say, we had our work cut out for ourselves. This would be apartment cooking at its best.
A lengthy culinary journey after the jump…
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ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Monster Groceries Edition
There have been many Adventures in Domesticity on this blog, but none rival the size and effort put forth this past weekend in my kitchen. In fact, it was such a process, that multiple kitchens across the city of Los Angeles were employed. Well, only two others really, but that’s still legit. Here’s the backstory: our old college chum Malibu Judie came to town last week, and we decided that in honor of her presence, we would make fresh cocktails on Saturday afternoon. But alas, it could not be a total celebration as vital clique member IndianJones was out of town on business. We decided that in honor of him, we would whip up some jalapeño cornbread — except we’d actually make ours look good. This way IndianJones could be with us in spirit — something I know we all cherished greatly. Overall, it seemed like a relatively simple and straightforward plan for Saturday.
But then the booze kicked in. You see, we planned this all over margaritas at LoterÃa Grill in Hollywood, and the drunker we got, the more elaborate our schemes became. We wouldn’t just be having jalapeño cornbread. We’d be having jalapeño margaritas too. And jalapeño poppers! And a ceviche! With jalapeños! Yes, it was turning into an Occasion with a capital O, and thus the Jalapeño Cocktail Hour was born. (We could have employed alliteration and called it the Jalapeño Happy Hour, but that would have been base.)
Anyway, on Friday, Malibu Judie and I sat down and browsed both the internet and various cookbooks for noteworthy jalapeño recipes, and once we were satisfied, we compiled a grocery list. But this wasn’t just any grocery list. You see, it turns out that Jalapeño Cocktail Hour happened to land on the same weekend as an Ina Garten Potluck Dinner Party — one where every guest brings a dish from the Barefoot Contessa’s deep catalogue. Cocktails? Ina? It was a perfect storm of domesticity, and as such, Malibu Judie and I not only had to shop for Saturday, but for Sunday too. It was insanity. Long story short: on Friday alone, Malibu Judie and I bought thirty-three pounds of fresh produce (and two pounds of shrimp). Being the frugal shoppers that we are, however, we only spent $40 total. How did we do it? Well, the first part of this weekend-long, monster-sized Adventure in Domesticity is after the jump…
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REAL HOUSEWIVES PHOTOCAP: How You Gonna Have Some Poetry With No Poet?
And they’re off! Yes, The Real Housewives of Atlanta are back, and they truly are better than before. The second season premiere hit the ground running in a frenetic, dizzying way — a far cry from those lazy early days of the franchise pre-zeitgeist. It’s almost impossible to recap everything that happened in the hour, but I can assure you it was all hilarious and ridiculous. I could start with Shereé (Sherayay? Sheree-ay?), but I’d rather not. I like to save the best for last. Instead, let’s discuss the new girl, Kandi. So far she seems fine. Actually, Kandi came off surprisingly well for a newbie. She seems smart, well-spoken, self-aware, and fairly respectable. Sadly, those characteristics usually mean she’ll be boring as hell, but if the season preview is any indication, it looks like she’ll be stirring up trouble with the best of them. It seems like it’s in the air this season. Even Lisa Wu Hartwell seems a bit feisty this time around. Last season, she was affable and sweet, but borderline bland. I mean, she was no DeShawn “Snoozefest” Snow, but between her special evenings of “Drinks & Dialogue” and “joory” trunk shows, Lisa sometimes left us wanting a bit more pizzazz.
Luckily, Lisa has Ed, and the two of them together are great. They’re both very likable — and let’s admit it, easy on the eyes — and that’s always a good thing. But unlike last season, this time around, Lisa has found herself in the middle of the drama, as first seen surprisingly in last season’s contentious reunion. Long story short, Lisa pretty much hates Kim. Well, actually, they all seem to hate Kim. Even Sherayay has backed away from the wigged one — something I bet not even Kim’s psychic advisor would have expected. And we all know those psychic advisors speak the truth. Why, Kim’s was so clairvoyant, she even saw BUSINESS IN HER HAND! That’s right — in all seven years Kim had been going to Miss Cleo, never before had “business” surfaced in the creases of her palm. But now… now there was business! LADY BUSINESS!
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Hey HEY Hey: 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' Are Back Tonight!
It’s only been about a month since the latest Real Housewives franchise wrapped up its season, but man, what a boring, dull month it’s been. NYC Prep is okay (I’m entranced by the one girl who looks like she’s a thirty-five year old with baby teeth), Miami Social is a bit ehhhh, and I can’t even imagine what Andy Cohen’s new talk show is like (I imagine lots of goofy smiles, billowing chest hair, and general preening for the camera).
Well, the good news for America, nay, the world is that the Real Housewives of Atlanta are back and ready to shake their lady waffles like never before. We got the whole crew, minus DeShawn, who was essentially fired for being too boring. In her stead is Kandi Burruss, a former pop star who apparently is feuding with Nene already (BAM!).
To get you excited for the new wig-pulling season, check out these preview videos. Above, I don’t know what the hell the context of this is, but Sherayay Whitfield is NOT pleased, and neither is the party planner she’s dealing with. Vulgarities are spoken. It all leads me to ask, how you gonna have a party with no party planner? Either way, I could watch this clip over and over and over again (and I have).
After the jump, two more previews from Bravo. One is a montage of scenes from the upcoming season. Another is a scandalous interlude at Niecy Nash’s birthday party. Looks to be an awesome season…
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FLIGHT BLOG: New York to LA Live!
Well, here I am. On another plane. But unlike my recent Alaska and Jetblue excursions, this time I’m on American Airlines, and you know what that means — GoGo in flight wireless! That means that I am writing to you live from the skies, relaying useful and petty information AS IT HAPPENS. The glories of technology. Even better is that while this service normally costs $13, my friend jash was able to hook me up with a sweet promotion code that has reduced the fee down to $0.00. That’s right. This experience is freeeeeeee! And you all know how I like a good deal.
Anyway, everything seems to be pretty good so far, but as usual, I have a few complaints. Let the whining commence…
MISADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: IndianJones Kitchen Fiasco
My friend IndianJones is a surprisingly adept chef. Despite questionable knife skills (he fears chopping his already small digits off), he can put together a solid meal. Heck, the kid can even bake a thing or two (he supplied our clique, a.k.a. the Lametourage, with homemade soda bread on St. Patty’s Day). But IndianJones’s recent exploits have left him the butt of our jokes. Take a look at the dish above and try to guess what exactly it is. A pizza? A cookie? Some sort of Hindu specialty? The answer isn’t terribly difficult, but I’m intrigued to see what people might think it is out of context. If you already have advance knowledge from Facebook, don’t spoil it.
After the jump is a second photo. All guesses and descriptions are welcome…
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