friday!

  

• Dear Thigh Fat, Help the needy? Sincerely, Boobs (My new favorite time-sucking website).

• Are you an obsessive phone checker?  Me? I have my moments. Having a smartphone doesn't help.

• How do you feel about the No Kids Allowed movement?  Not being a parent myself, I don't have a strong opinion on it, though I can definitely empathize with both sides.

• I want to see this movie! What can I say? I'm a sucker for predictable romantic comedies. And Chris Evans (swoon!).

• Tim Gunn shares his fashion tips and spills the juicy beans on what goes on behind the scenes at Project Runway.  Did you watch the premiere last night? I missed it. Does this season look promising?

• Happy weekend to you!

-jillian m.

reasons why i'm smiling

In spite of having the most chaotic, stressful past couple of weeks at work, I'm smiling.

I'm smiling because if I don't, I might just punch someone.

Serenity now, Jillian. Serenity now.

1.) My new go-to dessert.  I've found a healthy dish that satisfies my sweet tooth.  Cinnamon roast peaches, courtesy of Sophie Dahl.  Warm, roasted peaches flavored with cinnamon and a bit of butter over cool, tangy Greek yogurt.  In other words, heaven.

2.) The thought of my upcoming trip to St. Lucia.  We're even planning on embarking on some excursions that include whale and dolpin watching!  Excited excited excited!  Can you tell I'm excited?

3.) Finding tops that I forgot I had. It's like finding a $10 bill in your pocket.

4.) Getting to be with someone who makes me laugh. 

5.) The return of Doug, Clarissa Explains It All, Rugrats, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and All That on Nickelodeon.  Aaaah, I'm stoked about this one! It's my childhood all over again.

6.) Letting the light in after a long day of work. Natural light is an instant mood-lifter.

It's nice to just take a step back and appreciate the little things that make you happy.  Especially when morale is on the low side.

I'm smiling as I write this.  I'm smiling because of everything listed here and so much more that I am grateful for.

-jillian m.


{photo 5: '90s are All That}

summer heat survival guide

After last week's heatwave in most of the states, it seemed only fitting to create a list on how to survive this heat fabulously and stylishly!  Here are a few tips that have been getting me through this hot and sticky summer:

1.) Easy, fresh, no-cook recipes for the days when it's just too hot to cook or bake. These are some great suggestions for light yet fulfilling lunches and dinners.

2.) Fake a breeze with a stylish hand fan. I got this one as a gift from my friend Val when she came back from Spain. It fits into a purse quite nicely and it looks so chic once you whip it out.

3.) Keep your body spray/perfume in the refrigerator. The cool spritz will only last for a few seconds, but it's very refreshing while it lasts! And rumor has it that the formula will last longer when kept in cool, dark places.

4.) Carry antibacterial or baby wipes with you. If I'm feeling icky and don't have the option to take a shower, these are the next best thing to cooling down and cleaning up in a pinch.

5.) Your makeup may be melting off your face, but if your hair looks cute, no worries! One of my fave beauty gurus, Kandee Johnson, shows you this super easy knot that takes under a minute to do (I tried it. It really does take under a minute). For some other quick and cute hairstyle tutorials, look here. And for you short-haired ladies...well, you're just lucky during this time of year.

6.) Wear light, breathable fabrics like cotton and linen.  Or try clothes made with organic bamboo fiber.  Not only is it sustainable, but the fabric is well-ventilated and absorbs sweat almost instantly.  It is also said to keep you 2-3 degrees cooler. You can find bamboo products here and here.

7.) I got this one from Real Simple's current isssue: Place an ice cube on the pulse point of your wrist and it will slowly drop your body temperature.  

How have you been surviving the summer so far?

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: peconic bay getaway

Bob and I spent part of last weekend at his uncle's rented beach house in Peconic Bay.  Or rather, we spent most of it on a private stretch of  beach just a short walk away.  And it was bliss.  What a nice change from the overcrowded beaches of Brooklyn or the Jersey shore.

Perfect for rock and seashell hunting. Not so perfect for walking around with bare feet.

The beach always reminds me that going makeup-free and letting my hair be in its natural wavy state is okay!

Calm waters that represented my state of mind.

A quick dip for an instant refresher in 100+ degree weather!

We were snapping pics all day.

I love the feeling of sinking toes in wet sand.

-jillian m.

friday!

• Real and insightful advice into what it takes to move abroad (specifically, Italy).  Though life isn't anything like the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, it doesn't make me want to live la dolce vita any less!

• How do you feel about female urinals? Is this what we have to look forward to?

• Just discovered this blog that I think everyone should bookmark!  If you're looking to improve your writing, blogging and/or business, then this one's for you. I downloaded the free e-book and found the advice to be quite invaluable.  (Thank you to Jamillah for retweeting this on Twitter!).

• The summer's answer to Mexican hot chocolate.  Drool.

•  Happy weekend to you!  I'm starting mine early.  I took today off to head to the beach!  And after a hellish Thursday, this could not have come any sooner.  I'm so happy I could cry!

-jillian m.

where does the time go?

"Life is just a bowl of cherries"

Can I just vent for a moment?  I promise I'll try to make this short.

I had some great ideas for posts this week.  And I was almost all set to publish, until I went into perfectionist mode and said to myself, "Nope.  Can't publish this.  It's not good enough yet".  And that's frustrating.  Especially when you've dedicated so much time to thinking and writing about it.

But in the end, something about it was off.  The photos.  They weren't to the standard that I know I can reach.  I'm not a professional photographer by any means, but I just knew I could do better than this.  So I made the decision to hold off until I had a chance to re-shoot. 

I blame this on time.  There is just not enough hours in a day to do all I want to do.  Between working, commuting, blogging, friends, errands, me time and whatever else, I'm having trouble distributing my time evenly.  Parts of my life are overlapping--I'm worrying about work at home and I'm thinking about blog ideas at work!  Everything is rushed and has tight time constraints (that I never seem to make).  In fact, I'm breaking one of my rules about not blogging past 9pm on a weekday, which is exactly what I'm doing right now.

So I ask you, how do you do it?  For those of you who have a lot on your plate, whether it be school, work, kids, pets...how do you fit everything into your schedule without losing your mind?  Or are you just like me in that you haven't figured out your groove yet? 

-jillian m.

my cooking disasters

In the time that I've been blogging, I've experimented with quite a few recipes.  Some have resulted in masterpieces (hello nutella brownies!), while others...fell short. And that's what this post is about.  The failures, or rather less harshly, the scenes from the cutting room floor.

Eggy Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse is one of my favorite desserts.  And it's managed to stay a favorite even though I messed it up royally.  The taste was so-so.  The texture? Imagine eating an egg yolk...raw.  That's what it felt like.

 Boo-Hoo Brownies

Brownies are my thang!  Brownies and I are like this (crossing my fingers, in case you don't get what "this" means).  But one day, me and brownies did not get along.  It was the day that I decided to let caramel come between us.  I thought I could pull an Olivia and make some epic salted caramel brownies.  But something went wrong.  The caramel hardened within the brownie and I ended up with a brownie that was too hard to bite into. I call them boo-hoo brownies because I cried a little on the inside when they didn't turn out magical.  On another note, hope is not lost because I will attempt these again.

 Knock-Your-Eye-Out Caramels

And speaking of which, there was some leftover caramel that I thought I could salvage.  Wrong! If I tossed one of these at you, it would be the equivalent of throwing a piece of brick in your face.  Also, I kind of od'ed on the sea salt.  Oops.

 Crispy-Crunchy (read: Burnt) Chips

I had high hopes for salami chips.  Partly because the recipe came from Everyday with Rachael Ray and partly because I've had such success with kale chips that I thought I'd enjoy these just as much.  But these were left in the oven for a bit too long.  So they came out tasting like burnt, dry pepperoni.  Although, I'm not so sure I would have liked them even of I had taken them out 5 minutes sooner.  And the mustard-thyme sauce that they recommend with this didn't excite me either.

So there you have it.   Things don't always go as planned in the kitchen, but I can honestly say that I learned from each and every one of my mistakes.  And didn't Mickey Rooney say, "You always pass failure on your way to success"?

Now, any cooking disasters of your own?

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: addictive coffee, french food week and feeling girly

Here are a few things that made my (too short) weekend:

Two cups of Harry & David's limited edition coffee just because I felt like it.  I'm not normally a two-cup drinker, but this blend of vanilla and various fruits is dessert-delicious.

Reading magazines and people-watching at the park.  I wish I would have gotten a pic of the adorable shih tzu wearing sunglasses and a visor (just like his owner!).  Too cute!

It was French restaurant week in New York.  Which meant a 4-course prix-fixe at Le Comptoir of cucumber-mint gazpacho, asparagus with Parmesan chips, homemade gnocchi and light-as-air chocolate mousse.

Getting to sport my new pretty pink nail polish with my new favorite dress (that I may or may not have worn 2 days in a row).  I've been feeling extra girly-girl these days.  I even broke out some random ballet moves here and there.  Is it just me or does wearing a dress make you want to do pirouettes?

-jillian m.

friday!

• "Bambi is a boy!" and other things you may not have known.  I have to admit, mistaking Bambi for a girl is reasonable.  But thinking 'albeit' was pronounced as 'all-bite' is just plain hilarious!  I laughed out loud when I read these. 

• The cast of Harry Potter attempt to speak "American".  Tom Felton is awesome in this clip!

•  A short but thoughtful post on the wonders of perception.

• TripAdvisor has just released the top 10 dirtiest hotels in the U.S., Asia, Europe and India.  Have you stayed at any of these? 

• The stunning photos from this blog captivate me in such a way that they are screaming out, "Come visit Spain already, damnit!"

• Happy weekend to you!  Didn't I say the week was going to fly by?  Or was that just for me?

-jillian m.

whole-grain blueberry pancakes (the imperfect kind)

Ever since I bought whole-wheat flour, I've been itching to use it.  The fresh blueberries that I found at the flea market last weekend were calling to be consumed immediately.  So whole-grain blueberry pancakes seemed like the right way to go--not too experimental and guaranteed to be delicious (even if they're not perfectly round).

Whole-Grain Blueberry Pancakes (adapted from allrecipes)
yields about 5 pancakes


1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk, or more if necessary
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons raw sugar
1/2 - 1 cup blueberries 
Butter for greasing


Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside.
Beat together the egg, milk, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Stir in flour until just moistened, add blueberries, and stir to incorporate.
Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and grease with butter.
Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake.
Cook until bubbly and sturdy enough to flip over. Flip over and continue cooking until golden brown.

I'm really bad at flipping pancakes.  The ones pictured were actually the best I did.  But the flipping isn't the important part, anyway.  It's the fact that, in terms of taste, whole-grain flour was not that much different than white flour when used in pancakes.  I was pleasantly surprised by this.  Maybe it was the addition of plump blueberries or the pure maple syrup or the melty butter, but these hot cakes were melt-in-your mouth good.  I enjoyed them for brunch with a very tall glass of milk (as the designated driver for the day, mimosas were out of the question).

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: flea bargains and my first day at the beach this year

First, an early morning stop at the flea market in Englishtown, NJ, where I picked up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (for only 99 cents!), a super-cute tube top and summer fruits.

This is the most massive flea market I've seen. Row after row after row of kitschy trinkets, '80s toys, cheap clothes and even some collectible swords!  It's nearly impossible to see everything in one day (although the oppressive heat might have taken a role in our exhaustion).

Later, Bob and I went to my favorite beach spot within driving distance, Point Pleasant, for a sunset dinner, laying out and a competitive game of rooftop mini-golf (just wait until you see me play air hockey--I turn into a frat boy).

Freshly-made fish 'n chips is one of my favorite comfort foods.

Bob trying to fight off the beach flies (with my shoe). Those things sting like crazy!

Mini golf is a game I'm sure to lose.  But that doesn't stop me from trying, even if it does take a hole-in-7!

How's your week going so far?  I have this feeling that it's going to fly by...probably because I have a work deadline that I'm struggling to keep!

-jillian m.

friday!

• Is Hillary Clinton bringing back the scrunchie?  Goodness, I hope not.

• One of the very many things that I love about the '80s: teen flicks! Check out the list of movies that are summer must-sees (Just One of the Guys is my fave!)

• Reading about a family adopting a 22 year-old man made me feel all happy and warm inside (and a bit glassy-eyed).

• Lavender as a natural bug repellant, cold sore healer, motion sickness reliever and many many more.  I love finding multiple uses for things.

• Some super helpful tips for living large in small spaces.

• Happy weekend to you!

-jillian m.

baked banana oatmeal

I have never liked oatmeal.  Ever. I'd even go so far as to say I hate it.

So naturally, I went out and bought some.

My plan was to dress it up in fruit, maybe mix in some maple syrup for sweetness with bits of crunchy granola for texture. Nope...still hated it.  So now I was stuck with a container of plain oats (blech) and nothing to do with it. 

I wasn't actively seeking any recipes for oatmeal, when I came across baked banana oatmeal.  And what was so weird and foreign to me was that Kath LOVES her oatmeal.  I mean, loves it to the point where she even has an ode to it!

Baked banana oatmeal (adapted from Kath Eats Real Food)
6-10 servings, depending on the size of portions


1 cup dry oats
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 egg, beat
2 bananas, 1 sliced, 1 mashed
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon, to taste
1 tablespoon of brown sugar


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients and mix.
Combine wet ingredients, excluding the sliced banana.
Combine wet and dry ingredients together and mix well.
Line a small pan with tin foil.
Lay a few banana slices on the bottom of pan.
Pour batter into pan.
Lay the rest of the banana slices on top. Sprinkle cinnamon.
Place in oven for about 25-30 minutes.
Remove and sprinkle brown sugar over oatmeal.  Place back in oven.
Set oven to broil for 2-3 minutes.
Remove immediately.

So have I changed my mind about oatmeal after making this? Not really.  Baked banana oatmeal is very good and by the time this post is published, I'll probably be scarfing it down.  I'd also say if you're a fan of banana bread, you'll most likely love this healthier breakfast alternative.  But oatmeal, in general?  I just can't do it anymore.  The taste, the texture...just not for me.

Do you have any foods that you will absolutely not tolerate?  Oatmeal and onions are my nonnegotiables.  What are some of yours?

-jillian m.