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Its getting a little bit stressfull at the moment... with acting, school, work, training, etc so i have found my new therapeutic passtime - STORMING UP A WHIP!

My goodness, it's been a long week. I'm looking forward to some serious relaxation this weekend; I'll be baking some blueberry muffins, making the cover pasta recipe from the June issue of Bon Appetit (it's spaghetti with roasted tomatoes and anchovy oreganata--YUM), cleaning, reading english texts, getting my winter clothes out of storage (!!) to figure out what to toss and what to keep, and venturing out to hothouse for a Sunday play reading with 'the studio' cast. Also, I'm dying to see Woody Allen's new flick, Midnight in Paris--I worship the man.

If you're looking to cook up some pasta of your own this weekend, this dish combines two of my very favorite things: arugula and spaghetti. How could it go wrong? It's a warm, hearty, autumn-y recipe that incorporates lots of healthy bitter greens and a good helping of nutty Parmesan. Try it out and let me know how it goes. xo

Arugula and Tomato Pasta
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed with a mallet or mortar and pestle
3 14-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound (3/4 box) spaghetti or tagliatelle
3 ounces arugula (3 large handfuls)
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, chile flakes, and fennel, and cook, stirring for 3 minutes, or until very fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their juice, season with salt and pepper, turn the heat to high, and bring the sauce to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low and let the sauce cook on a low boil for 1 hour.

About 10 minutes before you're ready to eat, boil the spaghetti in salted boiling water. A minute before it's al dente, add the arugula to the pasta pot. Drain the pasta and arugula and toss them with the tomato sauce.

Serve each portion with plenty of grated Parmesan.

The youth are starting to change

OMMMGGG i have such big news, (but its not going to released until 2028). You'd get that if you've seen Johnny English - but if you dont then its what i mean. am i making sense? good?

i will tell you when the time is right. i promise.

it will blow your mind though.

last friday night i...

I came across this 'handy guide to creating the perfect cheese plate' created by the head cheesemonger at Murray's Cheese, Sydney Willcox, and Joanna Goddard from 'A Cup of Jo' and let me tell you, it is the bommmbbbdotcom. If you ever plan on serving a cheese plate they give you all the pointers you need to know:

1. When you invite friends over, buy one ounce per person per cheese; and stick to five to six cheeses total.
2. Choose a fun variety of cheeses: different textures, countries, and all three milk types (goat, sheep, cow).
3. Serve all the cheeses on one big board. You want your guests to start with the mildest and work up to the strongest, so place the cheeses in "clock order"--12 o'clock being the mildest and 11 o'clock being the strongest.
4. Take the cheese out of the fridge at least an hour before serving. Cheese should be eaten at room temperature, when it's at its full flavor and texture.
5. Put out a few different knives. Goat and blue cheeses crumble if you use a regular knife, so cheese wires are the best thing to use--if you don't have one, you can use dental floss! Softer cheeses work best with a butter knife. Harder cheeses, like parmesan, are good with a triangle-shaped knife. Cut circular cheeses in wedges, like a pizza.
6. If you have leftovers, don't store the cheese in Saran Wrap, which will make the cheese sweat and leave a plastic-y taste. Cheese is living and needs to breathe, so wrap it in parchment or wax paper, and keep it in the most humid part of the fridge (usually the vegetable drawer).

-ma name is shadeem, im causin a scene, now ya gon' feel what da boom boom means.

PARISIAN

“Dress like a Parisian” may be the title of the first chapter in this enchanting book written by French style icon Ines de la Fressange , but the book really focuses on fashion should be fun… a unique style philosophy enjoyed by Ines throughout the book, which i JUST bought from the UK... so it should be here within the fortnight.



SOOO its basically a book showing us how to mix affordable basics with high-fashion luxe items. My favorite saying from Ines is “The secret to great style is to feel good in what you wear.” She also shows her wit when she says “Nothing looks worse than a girl tottering about on unimaginable heels! The key to sex appeal is a feline walk, not a precarious wobble.”

Ines identifies a man’s blazer, a trench coat (hmmmmm... i honestly threw mine out yesterday), a navy sweater, a tank top, a little black dress jeans and a leather jacket as the “Magnificent Seven” bedrock of any Parisian wardrobe. Her smart and funny do’s and don’ts are accompanied by her own drawings and fashion photography.



This book is a must-have for all lovers of Parisian style and as a special treat Ines shares her favorite shops and resources for all things chic in Paris. A great travel companion for your next trip to the city of style! which makes me sooo obliged to book tickets RIGHT now. with Mill.

We're not so different, You and I.

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diamonds

When I think of Country Road, I think of an extremely high-end, slightly pretentious version of Ralph Lauren. Having said that, I do like the above looks because they are minimal but have an overall subtle Ralph Lauren style factor. I like the white trilby with the blue ribbon, the white blazer paired with denim shorts, the white floppy hat, the cropped blue trousers paired with the beige jacket and the white dress against the tan brown bag. Unfortunately my opinion hasn't changed about the designer, regardless of the above looks and the amazing street style images by Scott Schuman of both men and women who work at Ralph Lauren.

I think Ralph Lauren, to me, may be one of those designers who you can't help but question how they put their looks together and some of the items in their collection which stops you from liking them, until you go into one of their stores and fall in love with singular items.