A Woman is a Woman..

Sorry friends, for the lack of posting these days.. I've been extremely busy looking for apartments and trying to figure out what I need to do to get into school and what not. I've also felt quite uncreative. I guess that's what stress'll do to ya.

Today I am at "work" watching the sun turn to clouds and netflix.

Une Femme est Une Femme

I had been planning to watch this movie for a while and I cant believe it took me so long. Its wonderful. If you haven't seen any Anna Karina movies, DO IT.




I am also getting excited for August, I will be gone for 5 weeks touring this beautiful US of A with some friends in a band. I hope to get some amazing pictures of all sorts of fashion forward (and backward) people in this great land. so you my friends are in for a treat!

abode, address, apartment, bungalow, cabin, castle

While cruising through my regular blogs and sites, I always end up looking at photos of amazingly interesting and beautiful apartments and houses. Some people really know how to live. My mom raised me knowing a thing or two about design, especially interior, and I'm stuck looking at furniture the same way I do shoes.


Anthropologie. So beautiful. So expensive.

I will find this door one day, and I will live wherever it is.

Happy May Day, friends!

If anyone is unaware of May 1st as a special day, it is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organised by the unions, anarchists, and socialist groups. Set out to fight against the oppressors.
There's a whole lot of injustice going on around you, even if you choose not to see it. Take a look around, and help fight with those who struggle. We are all equal.

"If you tremble indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine.”
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

Puppy Love

Today, I've been ooing and ahing over clothing and shoes. Not much different from any other day, really.




This jacket. This photo. This girl. Whew.

http://www.oysho.com

These three are my idea of spring perfection. Oysho is very beautiful, very feminine clothing. Pair it with a masculine boot or oxford and you'll have to beat the boys (or girls) off with a stick!









Obviously, I realize my taste in fashion and clothing differs somewhat from what I actually wear on a day to day basis. But a girl can look, right? Fendi isn't what I usually go for but their spring 2010 collection is pretty fly.


But if you're wondering about me...







This is my life. And happily so.

delight, experience, flourish, love, prosper, relish, thrive

“Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself; if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying”

Simone De Beauvoir





I think everyone asks themselves this question every once in a while.."Am I living or am I just NOT dead?" Sometimes I find it hard to answer that question.

Raviolis and Strombolis

This week:

Butternut squash ravioli, spinach and grape tomatoes with a vegan alfredo sauce

I went to my local health food store and they had my favorite ravioli on sale 2 for 5bucks! so I took advantage!

Alfredo sauce:
Coconut milk
Nutritional yeast
Flour
garlic
salt and pepper
Italian seasonings of your liking

In a saucepan simmer a little over half the can of coconut milk til its a thin consistency. Add a half cup of nut. yeast and a half cup of flour and whisk until a thick gravy-like consistency. Add spices and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add sauce to pasta then add the spinach leaves and and tomatoes. Put a top on the pot and let the heat of the pasta and sauce steam the spinach.


THEN!

Vegan stromboli





This one is simple as well!
We used a pre-made dough from a local health food store, pizza sauce, toppings of choice ("chicken", mushrooms, onions and "pepperoni" were our choices) and LOTS of Daiya cheese! If you're vegan, and you have yet to discover Daiya..you are in for a WONDERFUL surprise. The best thing since real cheese, that's for sure! http://www.daiyafoods.com/
All you do is make a pizza like normal, add all the goodies you want and roll it up! Make sure nothing is falling out, sprinkle some cheese on top and pop in the oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Well, this post just made me very hungry, so I think I need to find myself some leftovers!

"Let the wild rumpus start!"

Well, I realize you think I may have an obsession with Anna Karina. And, that's quite possible. But who wouldn't??
Spring is here, and in North Carolina..only for a split second. Then you're stuck sweating in your sundress. So, today I will swoon over things that remind me of spring. Boats, flowers, pretty girls, bikes, dresses, trench coats and flats.















Ive been watching a healthy amount of Where the Wild Things are (every night or so) before I fall asleep but I try to fall asleep before the end to prevent the inevitable tears...

"Don't go. I'll eat you up, I love you so."

Time with reference to succession

Concerning Our Daily Routine

"I can't say for certain, but as you read this, I would like you to know
that I have effectively deleted more words than I have successfully
typed.
It's strange, living in a Neverland.
I woke today floating.
My sheets fought my soul for a good portion of the morning.
My toes hovered in and out of the duvet as my mind wandered through a
myriad of half asleep ideas and scenarios involving many people that make up my
being and help daily to give some sort of definition to what it is to be a Lost
Boy.
You see, when we all met, Pan himself was just an idea, a mirage of
what we could be.
what we could do.
My subconsciousness latched onto this very whisper, never really
letting me forget that we found something true.
If I remember correctly, that may be one of the first times I stopped
lying to myself, and started focusing on what lies past the
watchtower.
The design and principles may vary slightly, but the fountain of youth
was not Pan himself, but the embodiment of what he stood for.
Today I floated.
Maybe I flew.

This afternoon I witnessed how my friends laughs helped put winter back
to sleep.
I can count on two hands, but I can't count how much we laugh and smile
while we play.
I can attempt to type this into words, but unless you already know,
then chances are you woke up this morning all grown up.
you may have been left behind.

You see, when I was in bed this morning I heard a call and from what I
can tell....the Lost Boys are gathering.

It can mean only one thing.

Summer is here."

-Brian Pennington

This was written by a good friend of mine, with a few close friends in mind. I mentioned once how the bonds of friendship exist in my little bubble of Greensboro. This, to me, is just another way to say it. And perfectly done, I'd say.

Butternut squash ravioli and pierogies - not in the same meal I hope.

So, I promised I would post my amazing (incredibly easy) meal from the other night. Butternut squash ravioli with a home made tomato sauce.
well, I am no chef...and I didn't have hours of life to make pasta from scratch (which I really want to do) so I bought the butternut squash stuffed ravioli from a local health food store.

For the sauce, I just used what I had at home...
1 package grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp basil
salt and pepper

In a blender add 2 cups halved grape tomatoes, 2 sliced garlic cloves, dash of olive oil and blend til mildly chunky sauce. In a frying pan add another minced garlic clove and 1/2 cup of chopped onion, a few halved grape tomatoes and fry with a splash of olive oil and vinegar. Then add the sauce and basil. salt and pepper to taste!

Since the pasta was on the sweeter side I wanted to make sure the sauce wasn't too sweet. I thought this was the perfect combination!

The next evening...
VEGAN PIEROGIES! (with vegan sour cream of course!) And you thought it couldn't be done!

Ingredients

Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

Filling:
6-8 small red potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
soy milk
vegan butter
salt and pepper




Dough:
Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl, and knead until smooth (it will still be kind of sticky).
Let the dough rest in the bowl (covered with a towel) for 30 minutes.
Separate the dough into 2 parts.
Roll one half of the dough until about 1/8" thick.
Cut circles with a cookie cutter or whatever you have that circular!


Filling: (if you know how to make mashed potatoes..you don't need this)
skin potatoes and half them
boil until soft
drain and mash with a potato masher
add soy milk and vegan butter and whip til smooth
in a separate frying pan, add garlic and onion and fry up in olive oil
add to potatoes
add salt and pepper to taste
vegan Sour Cream

Add filling (depending on how big your circles are. Don't put too much, or they will be hard to close.
Fold the circles in half over the filling, and pinch closed. You can also press the edges with a fork to make sure they are sealed really well.
Roll out the other half of the dough, and cut, fill, and seal.
To cook, (do them in batches small enough to fit in your frying pan), boil them for a few minutes,just until they float, and then fry in oil, until brown on either side.

Topped with tofutti sour cream and accompanied by some fresh steamed kale.
This is delicious, even if you're not vegan!




My pup begging with his eyes closed and head on my knee...gets me every time..

I realize neither of these recipes have avocado in them...I just couldn't fit it in anywhere. Next time..

Panama, Stetson, boater, bonnet, bowler, bucket, chapeau, fedora..

This photo is an old Joan Baez poster with her sisters. I love it. Everything about it. Especially Joan Baez.

You know those "some days" that you can sit and look at beautiful things for hours on end and never get bored? Im having one of those days. Today, I planned on posting this AMAZING meal I had last night. Which I will do...eventually.

Right now, I have pretty girls, vintage hats, french movies and lacy things in my head. How do you stop this from happening?


I've been re watching Pierrot le fou, directed by Jean-Luc Godard. I love every outfit both of them wear, especially Anna Karina. What a great movie. Next on my list is Une femme est une femme.
I must do an entire post on Anna Karina. I could post about a million photos of this beautiful creature.

"Life is very sad, but always beautiful." - Ferdinand, Pierrot le fou



This Chloé dress is wonderful. Enormously delicate, without looking uncomfortably pretty. As Chloé usually does. Think about it with a big floppy hat, right?





For the rest of the afternoon I will be laying on a french beach with Anna Karina in floppy hats, hiding from the police, of course.

Braveyoung

What is the point of having a blog if not to gush over the things/people you love? Well, this is a bit of both. I have been living, cooking, vacationing, rope swinging, laughing, crying and just plain hanging with these people for the last 5 years of my life. Greensboro is a weird place and when outsiders look in, they wonder what on earth a group of talented kids do here. Well, we center ourselves around our friends and having fun. To some, its music..to others, its art, food, bikes, skateboards, crafts or whatever. This particular post is about Braveyoung. Regardless of what music you are into, there is no denying this group is talented. They pour themselves into every second of their music. And what comes out?

Braveyoung - Sun from Stew Cantrell on Vimeo.

I feel incredibly lucky to know these people. Not because of any rock star status but because they are the funniest, most kindhearted and brightest people I know.



So, if you want to hear wonderful sounds in your ears coming from people that truly deserve it..find this album, or go to a show. It will not disappoint.


"There were frogs there all right, thousands of them. Their voices beat the night, they boomed and barked and croaked and rattled. They sang to the stars, to the waning moon, to the waving grasses. They bellowed love songs and challenges."
- John Steinbeck

READ: Bell Hooks

I feel like I've been absent from my own life lately, let alone from this blog. I have had a million little things running through my brain but cant seem to catch them to put them on paper.
I recently went to NYC to visit some friends and despite the cold (cold cold cold), managed to have a wonderful time. I stepped off the bus in china town at 11am cursing the bus, the smell of piss permeating from the bus, and the whole city in general. But after finding our way through frozen, hurried people and lots of wrong turns to the efterklang show that night, I was enchanted. A friend took us to Foodswings on Grand St, Brooklyn.(if you haven't gone, GO!) Its a vegan "fast food" joint with all the goods..wings, fries, milkshakes, burgers...I had the "chicken parm" sandwich. I could barely roll myself out.



The days to follow were quite pleasant as well...hairdos, duck ponds, boyfriends, and best friends. On our last night we met up with a friend for his birthday at a place called Counter on 1st Ave, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant and although it was very expensive and we were broke by that point, it was totally worth it. The best food I've ever put into my mouth. I ordered the applewood smoked tomato and tofu ravioli.
MoMA didn't disappoint either. Tim Burton was great and showcased all of his movies that I loved growing up. I reminisced, of course. Also, I was unaware of the William Kentridge exhibit going on there as well and it was the highlight of my trip. I felt like I floated through all the different rooms full to the brim of paintings and sketches and videos and installations. Thank you free first fridays at MoMA. Thank you, New York.





These are two of my favorites. William Kentridge.

And a bundled up me, playing amongst duckies.



"I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance."
Bell Hooks

Efterklang in my ears and gloves on my hands

im getting pretty excited for my little trip to nyc on tues. i love new york for visiting, i dont know how i would feel about living there day in and day out, but its so nice to visit with friends, eat good vegan food (that i dont have to prepare myself) and see some fun things. ill get to see this band Efterklang (for free!!) with the help of a friend that works for beggars group. ive never seen them live, and they dont play around here often, so i am pumped!


also, excited about seeing the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA...




NOT excited about how cold it will be up there. so hard to look cute when you have to wear 4 layers of clothing, right!?

survive, persist, last, endure, stay, remain

exist (verb): to continue to be or live: Belief in magic still exists

these two photos are where id like to exist...one of the two please, i dont care which..






if i cant live in a hot air balloon in france or in the world of Totoro, i think i'd want what i have. so, as long as i can dream...i am happy.

mushroom gnocchi with thyme vinaigrette and lemon cashew cream

this weekend was full of good food, old friends, and lots of fun.
on friday i made mushroom gnocchi with thyme vinaigrette and lemon cashew cream. WOW.
this recipe is so good and so easy if you have the right tools..


For Thyme Vinaigrette
2 tbs fresh thyme, leaves only
1-2 pinches salt, to taste
4 tbs olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar

add thyme leaves and salt to mortar and grind with pestle to form a rough paste, then add oil and vinegar and mix again. adjust salt or vinegar to taste. (also if you dont have a mortar and pestle you can mix in a blender)


For Lemon Cashew Cream
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups roasted, salted cashews (or raw)
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2-1 tsp lemon juice

in a bowl add water and cashews and let sit for 20-30 minutes (makes blending a whole lot easier) then add all ingredients to blender on high until smooth...adjust lemon juice to taste, should be slightly sweet.


Gnocchi is super easy to cook, just follow directions on package (only takes a few minutes)

in a skillet, cook up mushrooms with garlic and olive oil. add to drained gnocchi.
then toss in thyme vinaigrette and drizzle with lemon cashew cream. ENJOY!

none of my pictures do it justice, so youll have to try it to see just how good it is!

parisians and polenta

today has been a day of dreaming. dreaming of things i will do and see. i think with a Juliette Gréco record playing, its bound to happen. im in the process of teaching myself french, i should probably just get a rosetta stone but this seems to be working so far. if she says anything about silverwear, animals or numbers 1-10, i understand! guess i should plan my trip back to france..



i took this photo over the summer in paris

i guess for now, ill just dream about this sandwich i made yesterday...sundried tomato polenta, vegan mozzarella cheese, avocado (of course), tomato and vegenaise on a kaiser roll fresh from my boyfriends bakery... yummm

mexican pizza

last night, for "valentines day" my boyfriend and i decided to make dinner and watch a movie. (us making dinner means me making dinner and him doing the dishes..which he hasnt done yet) so i decided to make a mexican pizza of sorts...its a bit different than you would think though...






sorry, i didnt have a lot of time to take photos, i had a very hungry boyfriend!



im not a chef by any means so i like recipes that are easy to make and taste great.
this one definitely has both qualities!
you'll need:

pizza dough (i used the vegan pop can thin crust kind...its best a little crunchy)
1 tub cream cheese (tofutti)
1/4 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp lemon (or lime) juice
2/3 cup black beans (drained and run water through)
grape tomatoes
red onion
diced green onion
ripe avocado

preheat oven and bake pizza dough, til golden brown. let cool completely.
in a mixer, add cream cheese, cilantro, garlic and lemon juice and whip until smooth.
layer on pizza dough, then add black beans. then add everything else!

in case you were wondering, yes i eat avocado on just about everything. and i LOVE anything that resembles mexican food! maybe next time ill give you some diversity.

Yo YO-LAANNDDIII

i thought id share with you what i (and most of the internet) have been obsessing over for the last couple of weeks. Die Antwoord. give it a chance, and youll be singing the chorus for "enter the ninja" for the next week and a half.
they are a self proclaimed "rap-rave" crew from south africa. look up MaxNormal, if interested, it was their project before Die Antwoord.








i also have a girlcrush on Yo-landi Visser...sighh..







i dont normally stray from my "norm" with music, i usually stick to the heavy melodic stuff, the old fast punk or the folk gems but this is out of my element and boy, am i enamoured..