Blogs I Love to Follow

One of my favorite past times whenever I have some down time is to read blogs.   Whether they are fashion blogs, foodie blogs, wedding blogs, or blogs about anything and everything; I love reading them and look forward to catching up on posts I have missed.

If you enjoy fashion, food recipes, weddings or fun personalities, I highly recommend you check out these blogs.

If you love fashion.  Fashion trends, tips, must-haves, you will LOVE this blog.  Cupcakes and Cashmere- even the name of her blog is creative.

Because I'm Addicted- is truly an addicting blog to follow and check in on.  She is wacky, creative, and posts about fashion, eating, DIY, and living.

Anything Wedding, I would read none other than my fabulous bosses blog, Sweetchic Events.  Charlene is truly talented and puts on the most breath-taking weddings and has a real eye for the art of wedding planning.  She blogs about how-to's, tips, and much much more.

FashionToast- her boyfriend is a gorgeous photographer and he takes photos of his girlfriend to show off fashion trends and styles.  It is like a photography/fashion blog and I love seeing what photos she has posted.

When I become a Chicagoan mom, I want to be as cool, hip, fun, goofy like Emily.  Emphasis Added is a blog I "stumbled upon" on stumbled upon- no joke.  I wish I could get the nerve to ask her to meet for coffee so I can tell her how much I dig her humor and writing.  Emily writes about everything and anything- it's her personality that makes her blog so fun.

I recently was introduced to Sea of Shoes.  I already can tell I am going to like this blog.  I don't know how to explain what the theme of her blog is.  I think the word "eclectic" suites her blog well.

Founder/blogger/photographer Scott Schuman began The Sartorialist with the idea of creating a two-way dialogue about the world of fashion and its relationship to daily life.  I was also introduced to this blog.  I will let it speak for itself.  


Lastly, Travels in Heels.   Love the look of her blog and she writes about fashion, travel, decorating, you name it.  I would love to have her as a friend. 


What blogs do you religiously follow?  Happy reading!


xoxo

Cooking Made Easy- Just Wok It!

One of the best cooking items I have ever bought myself was a Wok.   It is easy, fun, and fast.   I was on the hunt for a really good Wok and saw Crate & Barrel had Calphalon Wok's (which is a really great brand for pots & pans FYI).   The price was outrageous and instead of paying $249 for the Calphalon Wok, I decided to go to my most favorite home appliances store, Home Goods to see if they had it.  Sure enough I not only found the exact same one I saw at Crate & Barrel, but the Wok was priced $49.99!  Talk about being a max-a-nista!   On a side note, if you have a Home Goods or a TJ Max in your city, I highly recommend you check out this store.  I find the best deals on amazing brand name cookware and entertaining pieces there!

To go with my Wok, I decided to purchase some reusable chop sticks.   What fun is eating stir-fry if you don't have chopsticks?  Plus I am trying to be more "green" these days and throwing away chopsticks is a waste, especially when I can buy plastic reusable chopsticks for $4 per pack of 6 at World Market.

A Wok was a great gift to myself, but a Wok is a great bridal shower gift, holiday gift and a housewarming gift!  Calphalon makes beautiful cookware and this is the exact Wok that I have.  It is fabulous and is super easy to clean!  (Note- Calphalon cookware is not dishwasher friendly, you must hand wash them.)

There are a lot of great Wok brands and they can come in some really fun colors!  Le Creuset has Wok's without handles and in a bunch of fun colors like red, orange, green and blue!  Bodum Chambord has fun colors too!  Target has a great selection too!

If you are like me and have little time during the week to dedicate to cooking, getting a Wok is an excellent solution.  The meals I make are are incredibly healthy and take little time to make! 

A Wok isn't good just for making Stir-Fry, it is also great for making other dishes like stew, rice dishes, and cooking meats for lettuce wraps.   My boyfriend and I cannot get enough of our Wok.  We use it probably 2-3 times a week.  For some inspiration, the Food Network has some fantastic Wok recipes. 

Some meals we have made our chicken, scrambled eggs and vegetables with teriyaki sauce, shrimp stir-fry with soy sauce over whole wheat noodles, and pork chops with mixed vegetables over rice. A Wok is a perfect way to use all the remaining foods you have in your refrigerator.   There really isn't a food that you cannot make in a Wok.

Shrimp Stir-Fry (Photo by Ready Set Eat)

Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry

Being a woman in my mid-twenties, learning how to cook is an important skill to have especially if you want to be an entertainer as well.   Cooking is a trial and error and so far, I have yet to make a bad meal with my Wok!   Also my boyfriend LOVES cooking with it too and trying new food combinations. 

Have I made you hungry yet??  I promise you, cooking can be made easy if you just Wok it.  I challenge you to go out and buy a Wok and try it out.  I think you will find yourself enjoying cooking a lot more!
 

Do you have a Wok? If so, I would love any recipe ideas!! 

Wino

Today was one of those days where I desperately needed a glass of wine.   A day where you just needed something to take the "edge" off and the best medicine was wine.  

Do you remember those days where you'd look forward to Thursday night's and going out to the bars with your roommates and friends, letting loose after a long stressful week.   I loved those nights.    Unfortunately those college days are long gone and now replaced with happy hours and classy evenings drinking wine.   Which I prefer and love doing don't get my wrong.    

During college I was not your typical "college drinker."    Sure I played my fair share of drinking games but I was never your college drinks type of drinker.   No.   I was in my own league.   I was that girl who was carrying a bottle of Riesling during tailgate instead of an ice cold pack of beer, playing beer pong with wine in my cups, and even pre-drinking with wine.   What can I say.... I love wine.    On the evening I met my boyfriend, he offered to buy me a drink.   I stood there unsure of what to do.   The bar special was a glass of beer, a shot, or a glass of wine for a certain price.   I remember thinking to myself, just order the wine Jessica, you hate beer and don't like taking shots.  He won't care that you are a wine drinker.   So when I told him my reasoning  for ordering wine (because I love wine), he still to this day says from that moment he knew I was different and a girl to not let get away. 

Red, white, sparking, Chilean, sweet, dry, you name it, I will try it.   So far I have loved almost every type of wine I have tried.    One of the greatest things about wine is that for some people it is a hobby and a part of culture.   Wine making is an art and as I continue to expand my taste buds and understanding of wine, I find myself becoming more and more intrigued.   Learning how to pair certain wines with certain foods.   What a vintage wine means. (A "vintage wine" is one made from grapes that were all or mostly grown in a particular year, and labeled as such.)   How to choose a brand of wine and where they are grown the best.    How to "aerate" your wine and when to use a decanter.   I know I have a lot to learn and I look forward to expanding my knowledge with wine.

According to Urban Dictionary, I am somewhat of a wino; an alcoholic who believes drinking wine is justified because of its associated status among other types of alcohol.   I am mocking myself of course because sometimes my friends tease me for being such a wino.   I have never been the type of girl who craves a nice cold beer or a cosmopolitan when in need of a drink.   Instead my ideal drink is a nice cold glass of Gewurztraminer, which is one of the most famous wines of Germany (and I am German which is probably partly why I like it so much) and/or a nice room temperature glass of Merlot.   Delicious.

Having been a wino for a few years now, I have to admit that I feel empowered and classy when I hold a glass of wine.  I think people look extremely sophisticated when they are sipping wine out of their stemmed wine glasses.   May be that is a little weird but I don't care.   All I know is that little details truly make drinking wine such an art and a hobby of mine that I really enjoy.   I can't wait to grow into a wine connoisseur and hopefully make my own wine firsthand one day.    I am proud to be a wino and I am going to wine whenever I want too.

Are you a wino?   What is your favorite kind of wine?    How did you learn about wine?

"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." - Benjamin Franklin

Bon Appetit

At the end of September I made myself some goals; one goal was to learn how to cook.  We all of our own way of cooking, however my idea of cooking consists of pre-made foods from the grocery store and of course non-perishable items.  With my busy schedule finding more than an hour during the week to commit to cooking is extremely difficult.  Usually I am too tired and/or spending my evenings staying late at work, doing chores, or trying to squeeze in a workout after work, leaving cooking the last thing I want to do.  Between the amount of time it takes to prepare the food, eat the meal and then do post clean-up, it is no surprise why I am unmotivated to really cook from scratch.

However, another year has gone by and I still have not even tried a "real" cooking recipe.  Pathetic I know.  I want to be inspired and I want to learn, but I am lacking the motivation.  Cooking takes time and unfortunately I have used this as my excuse.  I know there are meals and recipes that can work with shorter time frames but finding those recipes and making myself try them is half the battle.

December is quickly approaching and is the month where I will be turning 25.  I do not feel ready and I feel somewhat behind for my age.  A twenty-five year old corporate women should know how to make some delicious meals and appetizers right?  I don't and it is sad.  Twenty-five is the age where you start to entertain for your friends and you attend house parties.  This is something that I have always been excited for and I do not want to be the hostess that lies about making the food or have to admit that everything served was pre-made.  A hostess is suppose to wine and dine their guests leaving them begging for your recipes right?   Who wants to be the chef that hides the store bought boxes and the packaging from the served food?  Not me. I would rather be the hostess who can talk about where I found the recipe, how I made everything, and any other cooking tips.

December is two months away and I need to get motivated.  It is time for me to put on an apron (which I am going to buy), find my first recipe and begin COOKING.

With cooking and baking comes recipes.  Recipes represent history, tradition and meaning.  Recipes are passed down from generation to generation and swamped amongst friends, and what an amazing tradition.  My holidays are filled with food that my grandparents use to make and unique recipes that my relatives have added over the years. I am finally at the age where I see the value of passing on these traditions and realize I need to get cooking.

With the hard work of one of my aunts, she has collected recipes from all of my relatives to help create a Family Cookbook.  This book will be filled with recipes from my grandparents, my great grandparents, and recipes from my relatives.  I could not be more excited to start making each recipe.

To keep our family tradition, I need to learn our special recipes so I too can make them for my own family one day.  I will have mistakes and errors along the way but that is how you learn.  No more excuses.  Life is too short and now is the time for me to start. 

So I invite you to help me build my own cookbook.  I would love to make recipes that are meaningful to you and inspired you to want to learn how to cook.  Share your thoughts, recipes, and ideas with me, I would love to hear about them. 

What is your favorite recipe?  What food is a tradition for your family to have during the holidays? 

"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude."  — Julia Child

New Goals, New Me

In one week I will be in my new place. I will be in a new neighborhood, a new apartment and living with my dear friend Katlin. This brings the perfect opportunity for me to set new goals for myself. Goals that have been hovering over my head like black clouds following me everywhere.

Sometimes you need to undergo a big change or transition to motivate yourself to do the things you have been wanting (or thinking) about doing. As I pack up my belongings and arrange my move, I find myself thinking of my new goals.

Goal #1: Start doing workout classes again. Yes, believe it or not I was once a workout class junky. The kickboxing classes, zumba (a dance inspired workout class), spinning, and the different yoga classes- I loved them all. Thinking about these classes right now makes me smile. Of course rocking out to my favorite songs on my zune (and soon itouch) is great, but it still isn't enough. I need change and variety back in my life. I am stuck in a workout rut and need to spice it up. Doing the elliptical and spinning gives me the workout high I love so much, but I miss the variety. I miss punching the air to Black Eyed Peas or doing hip-hop dance moves to Britney Spears latest hit. Those are more of a Jessica style workout than just going on the elliptical. So starting the first week in September, I am going to attend at least 1 workout class a week. Stay tuned.

Now onto Goal #2: Become a cook. For those of you who know me, I am a pretty bland eater. I love simple and easy foods, especially those meals you can make in 20 minutes that consist of throwing something into an oven or onto a George Foreman (easy I know). Moving into my new apartment with a HUGE kitchen and now with a new set of Calpalon pots and pans (thanks mom!), it is time for the Martha Stewart side of me to flourish. Starting September 1st I am going to open up my cookbooks, buy the correct groceries and attempt to cook. I am fully prepared for burnt/dry meals, meals that go immediately into the trash, and back-up meals just in case. If I want to be able to entertain for my friends and family I need to start practicing and learning. No more putting this off, I have the PERFECT kitchen and quite frankly I am running out of excuses why I shouldn't start.

My New Kitchen

I need to start my new goals right away once I move. If I give myself too much time to "settle" into my new apartment and wait to form a routine, I know I won't start my goals. These are two things I love, working out and eating so why should I stop putting off my goals? So here I go. It is time to make moves and get started.