The McCooey's of London

Free Valentine's Day Card

2012-02-14T09:31:00.000Z

Looking for a free Valentine's Day card packed with cuteness and creativity?

Click here and download yours now.

I downloaded both of them.

I was even able to save them to my computer to use again and again...

Dinner Party

2012-02-14T01:28:00.001Z

Tonight I hosted a small dinner party and loved every minute of it!
I even went out and bought new pasta bowls I was so excited. You might not think that's saying much, but in London space is everything. 4 new bowls!... you may as well be bringing a motorcycle into your kitchen... you just don't have the room. However, tonight I bit the space bullet and was so glad I did. Especially since had I not, one of the bowls would have had a chip and who wants to be given a bowl with a chip? NO ONE!
OK, OK, enough about my new huge plain white pasta bowls.

What brought on the dinner party you ask? A friend is going to school to become a certified hypnotherapist and needed some study hours so while I was in the kitchen she was hypnotizing some other girl friends in a private room in the flat. I think it was a splendid reason to feed some friends. If you are interested in being hypnotized let me know and I'll put you in contact with her.

What did I serve?
-First course: rocket and baby spinach salad with shredded beetroot and Dijon mustard dressing (a tad too heavy on the garlic, but hey, I did ask them if they had issues with garlic beforehand... I love garlic.) I also had the option of pancetta and piccolo cherry tomatoes to toss in if they wished.
-Second course: Tagliatelle pasta with Ina's red sauce recipe topped with fresh flat leaf parsley and Parmesan cheese. I came very close to over salting this dish, but thankfully didn't. I will most definitely make this sauce again. It was really good and so easy to make. I made it an hour before everyone showed up and just let it stay warm on the stove top.

*Had the pasta water boiling while I was eating my salad. Timing could not have been better for entertaining. We also had a fresh baguette to devour with our meal.

-Third course: Warm Molten Chocolate Cake with Haagen Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream and blue berries. Don't forget to set the ice cream out so it isn't rock solid when you go to scoop it. If you forget, no worries, just throw it in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds.

Anything else? Yes, we had two delicious bottles of red wine. I needed a bottle of chianti for my red sauce and since I only needed a 1/2 cup I had to do something with the rest of the bottle... so me and my friend who came early sipped on that while watching the red sauce simmer... Ina always says never cook with a wine that you wouldn't drink yourself so I followed her advice to the T. As for bottle #2, she (when I say "she" I mean my friend, not Ina...hee hee...) brought a very tasty organic red wine that we also "almost" finished.

When did the festivities begin? Just before 5pm and ended at 10:30pm, I'd say that was a successful dinner party for a Monday night. We only had one person leave early...about 9:15pm and since I didn't trust myself with the left over ice cream I sent it home with her.

What did I forget? To offer anyone tea or coffee with dessert!! aahh! I can't believe I forgot about that. Shame on me. I should have set it on the counter during prep work time to prevent this little mishap.

Where was the mister? He was at work, then the gym and then came home and gobbled up his saved portion. He seemed like a happy boy.

Why am I up at 1am blogging about this already? Well, I can honestly say I wasn't even married the last time I drank that much red wine. I just stopped drinking it one day. However, tonight it was delicious and I just couldn't help myself. So between the red wine and the sugar from the ice cream and chocolate cake my blood pressure is through the roof. I can feel the blood running through my veins it's so bad. I am a delicate flower what can I say. The worst part is that I have a grocery delivery that will be here in 5 hours! HA!

I'm also kicking myself that I did not take any pictures of tonight. That is SOOO not like me. I take pictures of everything. Especially food. Oh well, I'll just have to do it again and take some then.

Just so you know... this was the easiest party that I have ever hosted. I will remember this party plan for sure.

Cheers!

Whitney Houston

2012-02-12T10:49:00.000Z

Whitney Houston has passed away at the age of 48. So far the cause has not been released. This is not a shock, but it is a shame.

RIP Whitney Houston

River Cottage goes up in flames

2012-02-09T10:48:00.000Z

An August or so ago I hopped on a train with a buddy for an over night, sleep in a farm house, bread making adventure. It was a wonderful trip and I would do it all over again. I really fell in love with everything River Cottage so the news below was quite a shocker very sad to see:

Cookery school at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage destroyed in huge blaze

Flames ripped through the kitchen of a recently refurbished 'events barn' in Axminster, Devon, last night while the celebrity chef was away filming abroad.

Full Story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2098177/Barn-Hugh-Fearnley-Whittingstalls-River-Cottage-destroyed-huge-blaze.html

Stella McCartney

2012-02-08T11:57:00.000Z

Stella McCartney will be at Selfridge's tonight at 6pm promoting her new fragrance "Lily"... if you are interested in standing in a mob of people trying to get a live glimpse of Stella. I took a whiff of Lily today and although my opinion isn't everything... it's not that great...

Snow!

2012-02-05T15:02:00.001Z

After we barely made it home from a work dinner last night, we hopped out the taxi ran upstairs changed into "snow" clothes and ran to the streets and our garden to take pictures and play. It was beautiful! The snow was so bright in our garden that it looked like day time! The pictures below were taken at midnight. Towards the end of "snow stroll" Mike started making a snow man, I had never seen someone make a boulder out of what was once a baseball size snow ball, apparently these skills come with being born in the Northeast of the great U.S.A. Being from Tennessee I have no snow skills.

It was a great time, want to see our snow pictures?

Notting Hill

I didn't even make that snowball that I'm holding. Mike did.

I found a snow monster in our garden

our garden!

being bombed by snowballs

Taken at Midnight! So wild!

P.S. The Queen has made Greenwich in south-east London a royal borough to mark her Diamond Jubilee. It is the first borough to be granted royal status in more than 80 years and is one of only four in the country. The honor has been conferred to recognize the close links between Greenwich and royalty since the Middle Ages.

Alexander McQueen

2012-02-04T01:34:00.003Z

In a perfect world this dress would not be on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It would be hanging proudly in my closet or being worn proudly by me while strolling the streets of London...

Oh yeah, and I would also have a permanent tan. Just sayin'....

Golden Spider Silk

2012-02-03T10:28:00.000Z

Sunday after lunch at Tom's Kitchen, we strolled over the V&A Museum because I really wanted to see the new "Golden Spider Silk" exhibit. It's a shawl and a cape made of spider silk by over one million female golden orb weaver spiders caught in the highlands of Madagascar. It took over 4 years to make the shawl and thousands and thousands of hours to make the cape. If you click on the link above you can watch the video of how it was made. It's pretty cool stuff.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/g/golden-spider-silk/

Happy Birthday

2012-02-02T10:35:00.000Z

My actual birthday started out with a 10:15 breakfast at The Wolseley, I was so excited to take the mister there for breakfast. We sat, we ordered and then it happened, the food arrived and it wasn't perfect (sad face here). My blueberry pancakes were beautiful, tasted good, but arrived room temperature and not warm like they should have been. The mister's scrambled eggs were absolutely gross...runny, cold, and definitely not fresh, most definitely instant (barf!) When asked how his TINY fruit salad tasted, he replied "like ass"... Total bummer. The side of bacon was tasty thank goodness and so was my flat white. It was my birthday so we didn't complain like we should have (insert regret here)... however, after a few days I just couldn't accept the food quality and emailed them, I'm still waiting on a response and will keep you posted on what they say. Next up, was the Crazy Coffin collection that I've already posted about a few days ago. After the coffins, we strolled through Covent Garden and then believe it or not I had scheduled a "birthday nap", a two hour snooze on the couch was perfect!!

After the snooze, we prepped for Part II.... off to Sartori in Soho for pizza (Yum!) It was the first time I had been there and the pizza was so good. I had the bufalina (it was huge) and a rocket salad... the mister a bowl of pasta and grilled vegetables. We were very pleased with everything and would totally go back. They even surprised me with a birthday tiramisu and it was delicious! We wanted to eat it all, but had to stop ourselves.
The service here is pretty good, especially for London. I recommend reservations and to make sure you note on them that you want to be on the main floor and not in the basement area. The basement area is very drab and not a place to want to eat a meal.

Sartori Bufalina pizza... not a great picture, but oh so tasty!

Tasty Tiramisu at Sartori

After Sartori, we strolled over to Chinatown where we were looking for a "special door". We found it and entered the Experimental Cocktail Club, we checked our coats and were seated at a very tight little table on the first floor. It was a small cozy place that felt perfect for a special birthday/date night. The mister ordered a cocktail called The Stockholm Syndrome £11 and I ordered The Classic Rip-off £12. My tiny cocktail was delicious and pretty strong. The mister really liked his cocktail, but when I tasted it I thought it tasted like a lamb kebab (seriously! ha!) The 2nd floor of the cocktail bar is pretty cool too. The only thing that isn't cool about this place is the doorman outside who thinks he's too cool for school, but I guess that's just suppose to be another bit of the allure of this place...who knows... I highly recommend reservations at this place to avoid any conflict with the silly doorman.

I had planned on visiting one more fancy bar on my birthday, but was pooped and called it a night...

Sunday, we woke up and had lunch at Tom's Kitchen with a great friend and his wife who were in town for a few days. Not only was lunch absolutely delicious, but catching up with old friends was a perfect end to a great weekend.

I had a fantastic birthday! I had so much fun with the Mister all weekend long! He was a real trooper to put up with me dragging him around all weekend.

Pictures of lunch at Tom's Kitchen:

http://www.tomskitchen.co.uk/

Lunch with great friends

We also ordered the macaroni and cheese with truffle as a starter and it was DELICIOUS!! I can not wait to go back to Tom's to try the items I saw on tables on the way out!

Coburg Bar

2012-02-01T01:35:00.002Z

My birthday weekend celebration: Friday Part 2: The Coburg Bar

After our 2 hour stay at Milk and Honey we strolled over to The Connaught Bar where we just walked through to get a feel for the place (which was happening and would totally go back for a drink) on our way to the Coburg Bar where we were quickly given a window seat which I always love, a very extensive drink menu where the prices ranged from £13 - £4,000 (yes, that is not a typo), and the most delicious homemade crisps (I ate 3 bowls of them, I couldn't stop myself) and many bowls of olives. It took me a while to finally order something, but I finally ordered a whiskey sour. This whiskey sour was pure perfection! One of, if not the best whiskey sour that I have ever had and it should be for £16 (holy sh!t) The mister ordered 2 vodka martini's. After 3 of the most expensive drinks that we've ever had we paid our £48 tab and took a taxi home.

The Coburg Bar has been on my "fancy drink" list for quite some time. It's really laid back, wonderful decor simply beautiful, love their specially scented candles, and the vibe is happening in a small scale way. The service was great and the people watching was some of the best I've had in a while.

This place is perfect for a date night or special occasion!

*No pictures to share, sorry... not really a place where you want to be seen snapping like a tourist. You'd definitely stand out.

Stay tuned for details on what we did for my actual birthday! lol!

Milk & Honey

2012-01-31T11:22:00.000Z

My real birthday weekend celebration: Friday Part 1

We started at the members only club "Milk and Honey"located in Soho... it has a reservation only room for non-members... you have to know exactly what you are looking for when going here or you may not find it... but if you do find it, once you are buzzed in, you walk in and there are two rows of booths lining the walls with a few tiny tables with stools down the middle... that's where we were sat. Not the most comfortable table, but doable for a 2 hour stay.

The lighting is very dim and if it weren't for the candle on the table I probably would not have been able to read the menu. I ordered a whiskey sour (£9) each, the mister a couple gin martini (£11 each), a house pizzetta (£11: over priced, tasty, but needed to be hotter) (tasted like a personal pan pizza from the freezer, but it was tasty) and an arancini (£9: you got about 9 of them and they were very good and would order again!) I also ordered a glass of the M&H Sauvignon Blanc £7.25 it was very good and a hefty pour to boot.

How was the service? It was pretty decent. We had a guy and a girl both waiting on our table, the girl was very nice, but the guy was a bit of a jerk, almost acting like he was too good to be waiting on us which got really annoying.

At the end of the night we asked to see the other "member only" rooms because we were considering joining and they said that they were too busy to show us that we would need to come back on a Monday night when it is slower. I thought this was bullsh!t and the managers/owners should be p!ssed about this. Yeah, it was busy, but everyone at this place is seated, no standing, it's roughly a 20 person if that size room. Showing us the other rooms would have taken 10-15 minutes tops. Totally ridiculous and because of that not only did it make us not want to become a member, but could make us not want to go back. Apparently they are bad at time management/multi-tasking at this place, oh yeah and wanting to make money... WEAK! It's not like he was the only waiter for the room, he wasn't. Weak!

So as for the question of "Will we go back to Milk and Honey?" If it weren't for being told no on seeing the other rooms, I'd say yes, but because of that it's a maybe. We did have a very nice time there though.

Is the non-members room at M&H good for a large group? NO NO and NO. I think a group of 4 is ideal, 6 is possible, but would be pushing it. It is however, a great place for a date night especially if your date has never been here before.

After this we went to the Connaught Bar and the Coburg Bar located on Carlos Place at the swanky, yet not snobby Connaught Hotel... I will tell you about this stop shortly... stay tuned.

Would you like a coffin with that?

2012-01-29T20:45:00.000Z

Yep, you read it correctly, coffin, sooo without me even realizing it the last two years for my birthday I have "on purpose" surrounded myself with death even though my birthday is suppose to be about the day I was born and celebrating my life... anyways... not sure how this happened...

Last year I took my second verger lead tour of Westminster Abbey (a must!) if you don't already know (and you should) Westminster Abbey is jam packed with thousands of very important dead people...

This year I took the Mister to see the "Crazy Coffins" at the Royal Festival Hall near Waterloo/London Eye area... the "Death Festival" was going on, but I just wanted to see the "Crazy Coffins". It was pretty wild to think real people had these made on purpose, but whatever floats your boat, you only live or in this case die once (or so I believe)

I'm not going to go into detail about all the coffins because I actually didn't read all the stories. After all, it was my birthday and I didn't want to completely depress the sh!t out of myself.

All the coffins were either made in Ghana by the famous Paa Joe Workshop or Crazy Coffins in Nottingham, UK.

The exhibit ended yesterday so if you missed it, don't you worry because I took a picture of every one of them ENJOY! :

Royal Festival Hall @ SouthBank Centre

Mercedes

This is for a lady who wants to be buried in the fetal position

This is for a lady who thinks she's from "Viking Stock"

bargain coffin... made of cardboard...

this was a bit creepy to watch ...

A kite? really?

Looked pretty uncomfortable, but I guess if you are dead you are not going to care...

A train...

This was probably my favorite one

The plane was for a pilot, he wanted to be buried in a plane that was especially made for him. When it's time the wings and tail with come off so that it'll fit in his pre-paid plot.

This was for an 11 year and I will not share the story.

yep, that's a skier.

Purl

2012-01-26T11:35:00.001Z

When looking for the perfect birthday spot, a place called "Purl" kept popping up... after visiting endless places the weekend prior I decided to go all in on a place that I had never been too. Yep, going solely off recommendations and the internet. Risky!

The smoking martini at Purl

I booked my little birthday "cave" from 7pm- close and loved the place. I arrived and thought hmmm, this place is cool, good pick! It's got a cozy little rustic yet fancy vibe to the place. No one is allowed to stand and everyone is pretty much restricted to their own reserved area, no mingling at this bar. Each area, in our case a "cave" has it's own waitress, in fact, at one point I think they increased us to two waitresses.

My birthday cave... the first ones to arrive...

How are the cocktails at Purl? Expensive! Holy Sh!t! after all you are in London...
Since it was my birthday I decided to be super fancy and drink champagne, let me tell you at £12 a glass that gets expensive. It'll take me a very long time to shake off that tab. The Mister's martini (the drink arrived smoking by the way, seriously! check out the picture above) was £11.... Pretty much all the cocktails ranged from £10-13, beer £5-9ish, wine £7-9ish....

Do they serve food? Yes, but it's very limited.
-Cheese Board £10 - Tasty, but it was mostly definitely not a good thing to eat with a zillion glasses of champagne...
-Meat Board £10 - I think it was tasty, everyone was eating it. I didn't have any though.
-Olives £4 we went through 2 big cups of these - I didn't eat these either. I don't like olives.
-Nuts and Crisps £4 - a tiny portion which was weird because it came in this big box...see pic below...

The food at Purl... and no those tiny glasses are water glasses... not shot glasses...

Where is Purl located? In Marylebone at 50/54 Blanford Street - Very close to Oxford Street - Bond Street, Marble Arch, Baker Street Tube stations...

How was this place for a crowd? It has it's up's and down's.
-Our "cave" was at full capacity at 12 people. 9 is a comfortable number maybe 10, 12 was crowded. They actually came to me and asked if we were having any more people arrive because if so they were going to have to turn them away because no more were allowed in our area.
-Since everyone arrived at different times and they put all the drinks on the same bill, it makes bill time a tad tricky and then since drinks are involved you may have a couple people leave without paying (on accident, of course)... it's not a biggie... just a tad awkward and tricky. I think having a smaller group would probably be best in this case. So if you are on a tight budget and plan to stay longer than one/two drinks worth this may not be the place for you.

Happy Birthday!

Did we have a great time at Purl? Heck yeah!

Buy My Wardrobe

2012-01-25T13:11:00.000Z

I just read about this event...

Saturday February 4 that is called "Buy My Wardrobe"

It will be set up boutique style and will be designer slightly worn, never worn, stylist freebie's, etc...

Think you might be interested? If so, click here for more info and to buy tickets to the event.

http://buymywardrobe.com/events.php

I'm tempted to go and check out the purses and scarves!

P.S. Did you know that:

Aldwych station closed in 1994 and since then has been frequently used as a filming location in movies such as Atonement, V for Vendetta, and 28 Weeks Later.

Saatchi Gallery

2012-01-24T09:11:00.000Z

Before I get into the fun that I had at my "8 day" early birthday party this past Friday night. I want to share some pictures from our first visit to the Saatchi Gallery located just of King's Road in Sloane Square area of London. It's free and very well done. It's worth a visit if you are in the area. I also hear that the cafe next door to it is very tasty, but I can't say for sure because I haven't been "yet". Now for the pictures:

The name of this one is "Tennessee Hill's" (yes, I'm talking about the one with the pink towel) There was no description so I have no idea where the name came from and why there was a towel hanging from it... made me chuckle though, ya know, since I'm from Tennessee and all...

This was made entirely out of metal and was very cool

Goodman's Steak House

2012-01-20T13:18:00.000Z

If you have not eaten here and are a meat eater, then stop what you are doing and go NOW!

Last Saturday we had lunch at Goodman's in Mayfair (just off Regents Street near Oxford Circus tube station) and it was delicious!

The staff was very professional, welcoming and on top of things. The decor is very "steakhouse" with your typical wood everywhere and leather covered chairs, etc... and the smell of delicious meat is drifting through the air as a delicious perfume (ok, that may have sounded gross, but I promise it's not, it's wonderful)

I had the burger cooked medium with crispy delicious fries and the mister ordered a grass fed steak the size of a dinner plate and tomato salad. He said it was so good that he could have eaten TWO. Everything was perfect. was delicious. was just what we wanted.

Why are you still reading this? I said stop reading and go to Goodman's! I can't wait to go back! Yum, Yum and Yum!

Fluffers

2012-01-19T15:08:00.001Z

The word ‘fluffers’ use to mean those whose job it was to clean the tunnels and stations on the underground at night. Wow how things have changed!!

The Ritz Afternoon Tea

2012-01-17T01:32:00.004Z

Dear Readers,
You have no idea how excited I am to be typing this!
A week from today I will be in the Palm Court having a co-birthday celebration Afternoon Tea at the Ritz! Ever since I moved to London I have thought (dreamed) about having Afternoon Tea at the Ritz, but the Mister really isn't a fan of Afternoon Tea, so unless I force him he's not interested.

When it comes to a tea like this you need someone equally as excited. I found her and Tuesday we will be celebrating our birthdays together over what I hope to be a delicious and memorable experience. I can not freakin' wait!

London bar hopping

2012-01-16T16:30:00.001Z

I have been trying to figure out where to have my birthday party this coming Friday and have been VERY indecisive with the whole thing... this past weekend I was on a mission... I had a list and a willing participant (the Mister) to join me while I visited new bars.

Friday night after dinner at home we hopped on the tube and off we go...

Stop 1: B@1 Soho: it was a bit small, fun, tasty affordable cocktails and the music was all over the place which I liked... but it still wasn't perfect... By the way, It use to be a pub that Karl Marx would frequent while living on nearby Dean Street.

Stop 2: Milk and Honey: A members only club with a 1920's speakeasy vibe, but if you make reservations you can get into one of their rooms/bars... I of course, forgot to make reservations...so we couldn't get in... I did however, make reservations for January 27 and will be back.

Stop 3: The Player: also in Soho, the lighting was dim, the table were low and I honestly felt like I was at a Hugh Hefner party back in the 70's... they pump incense through the hvac system so that was nauseating after a while... we left after one cocktail... it was an ok place though... no windows... its in a basement...

Stop 4: Flute Bar: located just off Oxford Street near Oxford Circus tube... it's a champagne bar (it's a chain...also one in NYC and Paris) and the layout and decor is great. The downside: PLACE WAS EMPTY... it's a big place and the dozen people inside it just wasn't giving this place what it needed to feel cool... so we left without even having a drink.

Stop 5: The Dononvan Bar at Brown's Hotel: Decor is very nice, the size is decent... the bar was again EMPTY... where are all the people??? I ordered a whiskey sour and it was STRONG and for £15 it should have been. Winston Churchill was a fan of Browns Hotel, he stayed there often. While I was reading their cocktail menu I believe that I read that the first transmission of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone was done from Browns Hotel? Next time you are in the bar at Browns Hotel check the cocktail menu to see if I am right about this... I believe that I am...

So out of all the above have I found a place to have my birthday party? Nooooo...

Royal Academy

2012-01-14T22:28:00.000Z

We went to the Royal Academy of Arts today to check out the Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935 exhibit £18 later I wanted my money back and to ask them was that exhibit really a joke and not an exhibit at all. I'm pretty sure a 10 year old could have done a better job. In my opinion, it was small, boring, lacked any effort, no imagination whatsoever a total let down. To put it in my own words IT WAS CRAP!

The only good thing about this exhibit is that it ends January 22, 2012...

Murad=Rash

2012-01-11T18:06:00.002Z

Yes, I would say it is safe to say that I am allergic to Murad products. I put some lotion on last night and today I wake up with a rash... you'd think at some point that I would stop having reactions to things... guess not... so sad and ANNOYING!

15 uses for the microwave

2012-01-10T13:03:00.000Z

I recently found this article and thought I'd share...

More than a popcorn popper, this versatile appliance was underutilized―until now. By Melissa Clark and Lindsay Funston

1. Disinfect and Deodorize Sponges
Don't throw out the kitchen sponge that smells like last night's salmon. Soak it in water spiked with white vinegar or lemon juice, then heat it on high for 1 minute. (Use an oven mitt to remove it.) This will also disinfect any sponges you used to wipe up the juices from a raw chicken.

2. Cook an Entire Dinner in Under 10 Minutes
Not just the TV variety. We mean braised salmon with green beans and mashed potatoes. Use the microwave for any recipe that calls for braising, poaching, or steaming. Just subtract about three-quarters of the cooking time. Remember to stir liquids often to redistribute the heat, and always take the food out a minute or two before it's completely done, since it will continue to cook.

3. Disinfect Plastic Cutting Boards
Wash the board well, rub it with the cut side of a lemon, then heat for 1 minute.

4. Soften Brown Sugar Keep the sugar in its plastic packaging, add a few drops of water, and heat on medium for 10 to 20 seconds.

5. Decrystalize Honey
Honey that has solidified can be brought back to liquid life by uncovering the jar and heating on medium power for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

6. Proof Yeast Doughs
Yeast doughs that normally take an hour or more to rise at room temperature can be proofed in the microwave in about 15 minutes. Place the dough in a very large bowl and cover with plastic. Place an 8-ounce cup of water in the back of the microwave with the bowl of dough in the center, and set the power as low as possible (10 percent power). Heat for 3 minutes, then let the dough rest in the microwave for 3 minutes. Heat for 3 minutes longer, then let rest for 6 minutes. The dough will double in bulk.

7. Heat up Health Aids
You use a microwave to reheat your coffee, so why not use it to heat and reheat gel packs for headaches? (Don't do this with a metal-wrapped pack.)

8. Warm Beauty Products
Warming up a hot-oil conditioning pack for your hair takes about 10 to 20 seconds and feels marvelous, as does briefly heating up a moisturizing facial mask. (Stir the mask and test the temperature with your finger before applying to your face.) And if hot wax hardens when you're only halfway up your calf, reheat it in the microwave. It's much less messy than using a double boiler.

9. Roast Garlic
It takes 45 minutes to roast garlic in the oven but less than 8 in the microwave. Slice off the top of the head to reveal all the cloves. Place the head in a small, deep dish, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of good olive oil. Spoon 2 tablespoons of water into the bottom of the dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and cook at medium power for 7 to 7½ minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before unwrapping.

10. Get More Juice From Citrus Fruits
A lemon or lime taken straight from the refrigerator is harder to juice than one left at room temperature or warmed slightly. To get the most juice, microwave citrus fruits for 20 seconds before squeezing.

11. Toast Bread Crumbs, and Coconut
The microwave toasts them in a quarter of the time it takes in a conventional oven. Spread them out on a plate and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Keep in mind that they will continue to toast for about a minute after removal.

12. Warm Tortillas
Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel. Microwave on high (power level 10) for 40 seconds to 1 minute.

13. Toast Pine Nuts and Sliced Almonds
Spread nuts on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high (power level 10) in 1-minute intervals, tossing in between, until beginning to turn golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

14. Make Applesauce
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 pound peeled and diced apples (Macintosh, Fuji, or Gala are best) with ¼ cup water, 2 teaspoons sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon. Cover and microwave on high (power level 10) until the apples are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Mash with a fork or potato masher.

15. Make Homemade Popcorn
Place ½ cup popcorn kernels in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil. Cover with a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high (power level 10) until the majority of the kernels have popped, 3 to 5 minutes.

The Wolseley

2012-01-09T21:41:00.000Z

Yep, you read correctly, The Wolseley, it's been on my "want to go there" list basically since I was given the keys to our flat. Today, was the day! I went! A good friend and I high tailed it over there for breakfast. I arrived and totally forgot that it's next door to The Ritz (which also reminded me that The Ritz's Afternoon Tea is on my want to go there list). I walked in and was immediately impressed. The hostess was super nice and we were sat in the middle and I sat in the chair facing the Ritz, not a shabby view, for 10 am.

I ordered the eggs florentine and my friend ordered 2 poached eggs and toast with tea.

Was it good? Yes, very. Was it the best I ever had? Probably not, but it was cooked perfectly and I'd go back in a heart beat. The place screams "I'm fancy" and it does it in a way without feeling too over the top or snobbish. The floor is GORGEOUS. All the furnishings and decor was perfect in my opinion. Felt a bit like old school London and I really liked that. Service was spot on and so was the price. I had a single eggs florentine and a flat white for £11 that included tip. Not bad for a fancy smancy London favorite.

After spotting the American style blueberry pancakes at the table next to me I'm totally going back ASAP.

There was no Jude Law or Duran Duran sighting, oh well, maybe next time...

Now for some pictures: (by the way, I was told there is a no photography rule... oops... luckily I was on the way out...with my pictures (smile))

Stila Mascara

2012-01-05T08:44:00.000Z

While in Nashville in October I bought a variety pack of mascara from Sephora. The first one I tried out was "stila" their forever your curl curl memory mascara.

The verdict: it sucks. First of all, I did not like the brush. While putting it on, it was ok, with a little more effort than I like to put into mascara it looked good, but the deal breaker was after a few hours it looked like I was either deathly tired or had been punched in the face. It also never seemed to really be gone after I would wash it off.

Goodbye stila mascara... off to try the next one in the variety box.

2012 wish list

2012-01-04T10:51:00.001Z

Happy New Year everyone....

We are back in London and trying not to be blown away by the crazy strong wind... besides that I'm in the process of putting away our luggage, doing laundry, cleaning the flat, looking for healthy recipes to make this week and figuring out how to drop the 4 pounds I gained between our South Africa trip and the Christmas/Nashville eating...

Even though there was some weight gain we had a great time over the holidays catching up with a lot of friends that we hadn't see in a while and of course, spending quality time with family especially the little kids that have joined our family over the last few years. Let's just say they all had me under their spell and made me their monkey until it was time for them to go to bed. I played dinosaurs, race cars, kitchen time, chase me around the house until I fall and hit my head, Chuck E Cheese, and much much more. No, I do not have the "I want kids" going on, I just really enjoyed playing with all the kids that's all. At one point while at my niece's place I realized after 3 hours and it being time to go that I didn't even catch up with my niece instead I played with her kids the whole time, don't get me wrong I loved playing with the kids, but I really should have caught up with my niece. Shame on me. Next time!

What did we get for Christmas? Nothing. We don't do Christmas presents anymore... no need in it... We'd rather spend our time and money on spending time with the family. If you aren't a kid we don't give presents... It makes Christmas time a lot easier, stress free, and TONS cheaper. HOWEVER, we do DO Birthday presents and our birthdays just happen to be in December and January (I get mine early :) ) soooo.... we got some very nice birthday presents... Mike got a very cool jacket and a kindle. My husband gave me some much needed swanky sunglasses... my mom gave me a generous iTunes gift card and so did my in-laws! SCORE! Mike and I don't really need anything and we aren't really big "want-ers" unless its travel related so these were great gifts!

Wait, a second, I just realized I did get a Christmas gift... it was from the owner of a salon that I went to for years when living in Nashville, they sell "b Hairspray (in the pink can not the blue)" and I LOVE IT! It's the best hairspray that I've ever used. He knows I love it so he gave me a couple cans :) How sweet! If you are ever in Nashville be sure to get your hair cut/colored at Rodney Mitchell Salon located on 21st Ave in Hillsboro Village.

I was also given homemade chocolates from a lady in my hometown. Margaret has made chocolates for me I'm guessing... 16 years or more!! Super sweet lady!! It always makes me feel so special that even though she hasn't seen me in ages she still remembers me and cares enough to send me my favorite homemade chocolates to me through my grandmother. Love you Margaret! Thank you!

Soo... now for my 2012 wish list:

Things I need to do:

lose the Christmas weight to prevent needing new jeans
take a language class... maybe Spanish or French
eat out less
exercise more
read more
go through my closet and get rid of everything that I don't really wear
listen more, talk less
I'm sure there are more things that I need to do, but this is it for now...

Places I want to go:

Croatia
Iceland
Malta
Seychelles
back to Santorini
Norway
Australia
New Zealand
Argentina

Things I'm looking forward to:

February I go LIVE on QVC (London) with Anna Griffin!! Guest hosting here I come!!
all the fun that we will have

Here's hoping 2012 can beat 2011, that'll be hard to do, but let's just see if it's possible!

Cheers!