Tasty Tuesday: Fromage Fort

It's time for another smitten kitchen recipe! This one is rock simple. It doesn't matter how infrequently you visit your kitchen - this recipe is within your reach. 

"Fromage fort" means "strong cheese" in French, and that's basically all that's in this spread.  Just various cheeses, some wine, and a smidge of butter. 

Instructions:

• Open your fridge. 
• Grab all the extra cheese you see. Bits of brie? Slices of Havarti? Or maybe muenster? Shredded Parmesan cheese? All of it.
• Put it in a blender with about 1/3 cup of dry white wine. If you have a lot of hard cheeses, add a little butter to soften it up a bit.

• Blend.
• Spread that stuff on crackers and devour it!
• It'll keep in the fridge for up to a week, and the flavors will blend more each day.

• Make it constantly. Your roommates will thank you.

I cannot think of anything that would be more welcome at a party. It's decadent and delicious, and tastes like something a grown-up makes. Luckily, it's also the simplest recipe in the known universe, so you can whip-up a batch on short notice. 

Make-it-Monday: My very first Giveaway!

Just about a year ago, I started rehearsals for High Society with Stage Door Players in Dunwoody. It was a terrific experience and I could write 5,000 words about how much fun I had, how lovely the cast was, and how fulfilling the show was.

However, today I'm focusing on just one High Society blessing: Caleigh.

Memorize this face! If you ever see this lady, I demand that you give her a walloping hug. She is a talented, beautiful, hilarious woman, and I don't get to spend nearly enough time with her.

From Taffeta Christmas at Georgia Ensemble Theatre

She's an actress, but she's also a woman of many passions - among them, Sailor Moon, Supernatural, Harry Potter, and (most of all) Disney.

This could be Halloween; it could just be Tuesday. 

Caleigh created a line of jewelry to express her love for all things Disney. She hand-draws versions of famous characters, then sets them in colored bottle caps. Her company is called "YO! Lemonade" (because it's basically a grown-up lemonade stand). I won a necklace from a giveaway on her Facebook page, and I adore it.

Giselle, from Enchanted!

I also got a Jasmine ring!

I'm really excited to announce that YO! Lemonade is teaming-up with Galen's Days of the Week for a giveaway! From now until May 13th, you can enter to win a custom-made piece of jewelry. There are a myriad of options to choose from:

Maybe you're an aspiring Princess?

Or a Heroine?

Or a no-good Villain?

Or do you just love The Classics?

Every piece is fully customizable. You choose the characters, colors, materials, and setting. Do you want earrings? A necklace? A bracelet? A hair clip? They're all available for your wearing pleasure.

If you're not the biggest Disney fan yourself, consider gifting the prize or forwarding this page to someone who is. Maybe your sister, aunt, niece, or nephew (no judgies)? 

Entry is super simple. First, head to the Yo! Lemonade Etsy page and figure out which item you want. Then come back here and follow the instructions in the box below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rafflecopter widget will randomly select a winner on May 13th, and I'll contact them the next day. Best of luck, and thanks for playing!

Fashionable Friday: Remixing my Sheer Dress

I wore last week's sheer dress to another event - opening night of Zorro at the Alliance Theatre.

dress: Marshall's /  blazer: Thrifted /  heels: Some store at the mall, like, 5 years ago /
  necklace: Temptations (another mall store) /  purse: Thrifted /  sunglasses: Thrifted

I love those shoes, but I walk incredibly slowly in them. They're a touch higher than I'm used to. Does that get easier? Tell me it does - even if it's not true. I feel like a failure of a woman when I have trouble with heels.

Luckily, we spent most of our night sitting.

It's a really fun show - I encourage all my Atlanta friends to see it. You'll love it if you're into silly comedies, melodramas, or catchy songs.

Very Excellent Boyfriend and I have seen a lot of theatre lately. Zorro, The Drowsy Chaperone at the Aurora, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Stagedoor Players, Assistance at Pinch n' Ouch, ans Petite Rouge at Synchronicity. When I was in high school, I didn't think Atlanta had a strong theatre community - I thought the only place an actor could work was New York. Maaaaybe LA (but who moves to LA to do theatre?). I'm really glad I was wrong; returning back to my hometown has been a blessing on all fronts.

Thrifty Thursday: Vintage Sizing isn't Always Accurate

First of all, have you seen BuzzFeed's list of 24 Cats That Are So Single Right Now?

That little guy made me burst into tears. Man, I want a cat so bad. You know, I've never had a pet? Not one that didn't like in a fishbowl. There were some goldfish, and some snails, but that's it.

It's time to move on, though - it's Thrifty Thursday, not Kitty Thursday. 

Remember when I told you that vintage and modern sizing are not the same? In case you didn't believe me, here's proof.

As you can see, this dress is labeled a 10.

But it don't wear like one!

You can't really tell from the pictures, but it was about a size too big. Still, though, not a 10. This one had the same marked size:

It's ugly, but it fits!

See ladies? Size isn't everything.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!

Whatever Wednesday: Dancing at the Hermitage

My Very Excellent Boyfriend is also my Very Understanding Photographer. Bless him, he puts up with so much madness. I interrupt conversations, car rides, meals, shows, and walks by handing him my phone - it's the international sign for "Take my picture, please." And you know he's a saint because he always complies.

Occasionally, he gets a little saucy. At the Hermitage, instead of taking my picture, he took this video of me posing.


Note that his mom is asking him about photography; note how he lies, like he's not taking a sneaky video.

So now you know what I do when I'm taking outfit photos. There's little dignity in this line of work.

Tasty Tuesdays: Homemade Reuben

I love nothing like I love a good Reuben. Very Excellent Boyfriend learned the hard way that if he eats half a leftover Reuben that's been in the fridge for three days, he gets yelled at for three subsequent days. The last time he went to the store, he bought the ingredients for me to make my own.

Oh, you want a play-by play?

OKAY!

First ingredient: 1000 Island Dressing! I didn't have any on hand, so I made my own. It was crazy easy. I just grabbed an adorable pinch bowl:

And filled it with

• One teaspoon each mayonnaise and ketchup. 
• 1/2 tsp sweet relish.
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. 

Then stirred it up.

Now, someone tell me what "100 Island" means - I have no clue.

Next, I toasted two pieces of bread in the oven. I spread the dressing on both pieces of bread, than added pastrami, sauerkraut, and a slice of Swiss cheese.

Next, I wrapped the sandwich in foil and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees.

After ten minutes, the whole apartment smelled amazing - like the Jewish deli I wish I owned.

I cut it in half and ate it with some sweet potato corn chips my Roomie bought.

She gave me permission to have some - I'm not a monster.

It's not the best Reuben I ever had (that'd be from the Vortex), but it was homemade, and therefore, practically free. Next time, I'll definitely use rye.

Make-it-Monday: LOOK, Y'ALL - Dan and Adam Do It

I know so many creative people! Many of them even live in Atlanta. My Very Excellent boyfriend and his good friend Adam have started a webseries: Dan and Adam Do It.

(Hey, now you know V.E.B.'s name!)

Their first episode went up today; in it, the boys Load the Dishwasher.

If you incorporate their tips, your kitchen will be 20% cleaner than it is right now! 
Maybe.
Oh, and if you want to click through to watch their video on the YouTubes, that would be great (it'll boost their views).

Make-it-Monday: DIY Theatre

I have a group of friends who live in Chicago. We went to college together, and back then I knew them all to be smart, dedicated artists. Since graduating, they haven't changed.

They started their own theatre company! Instead of slaving away in the rat race, they started their very own relay and invited the most talented people they could find. Their first show was Hamlet - it drew raves. Recently, they tore down the house with As You Like It.









Next-up is a new adaptation of a classic story - it's called Jason and Madea, and it was written by my dear friend Jess (she's the lady dressed like a man). Oh, and they're doing it for free.

Want to know more? Click here to view their Indiegogo campaign. Their deadline is in 14 days, and as of now they're still about halfway to their goal.

According to John Steinbeck, "Theater is the only institution in the world which has been dying for four thousand years and has never succumbed." Won't you keep it alive and kicking in Chicago?

Whatever Weekend: The Totally Awesome Blog Hop REDUX

Hello, everyone! I hope the weekend is treating you well so far. I'm making a Special Saturday Post to tel you that I'm participating in the current round of the Totally Awesome Blog Hop, hosted by ChantillySongs, Acute Designs, Modern Buttercup, and House of Tong. If you like reading my stuff, you should definitely check out some of the others on the list. To check them out, just click the button on my right sidebar, scroll down, and click away!

Everyone featured on the Hop has worked really hard, but I'm going to highlight some of my favorites:

Inside My Hideaway

Mary writes about crafts, art, photography, and her life.

Adventures of an Anglophile

I'm already in love with Andini Ria's ensembles.

Chocolate Covered Love

I cannot WAIT to try her recipe for Butter Mints!

Chamomile Dealer

First of all, I love her title; secondly, I love her style.

I haven't looked at all the sites on the list, but I'm sure there are a lot of other great ones. Check them out! 

...and if you feel like looking at mine again, I'm #74.

Fashionable Friday: Sheer Blouses - Yay or Nay?

I have a complicated relationship with sheer blouses. On the one hand, they're pretty revealing. On the other, so are bathing suits and shorts, and those are perfectly acceptable. Still, bras are a bit taboo. But most persuasively, it gets really hot in Georgia, and sheer = cool. 

I have a few sheer shirts, but I've never felt comfortable wearing them like this. Probably because I don't have swimsuit tops to match each of them. I wore this ensemble to the (disastrous) concert series in Centennial Olympic Park a couple weeks ago, and I felt great - despite how miserable the experience was.

Thrifty Thursday: Blue Shirtdress

The thrift store I visit most often is a Goodwill off Pleasant Hill Road. That's where I found this dress.

I love it - it's flirty, but work-appropriate. I wear it to tutoring sessions all the time. 

Uugh, I forgot to iron the waist ties. Like a hobo. It's even cuter when it's not wrinkled. 

When I first reviewed the pictures, I didn't want to post them - I wanted to redo them another time. But I decided I'd represent myself the way I really am. I'm not always perfectly ironed; sometimes I'm rumpled and rough around the edges. I get a little frustrated when I feel like blogs don't reflect the way people really live. It's tempting to only show the very best version of myself - the polished, coiffed, gal I am when I've had 8 hours of sleep and a shower and breakfast - but sometimes that just doesn't happen.

Oh, and this happens.

Many of you already know this, but I've started a Facebook page for this little site. I'd love it if you would pop on over and hit the "Like" button. Thanks, lovelies!

Whatever Wednesday: Galen Plays a Pin-Up Girl

Clearly, I have a flair for dramatic ensembles.

But this pin-up thing really happened by accident. I knew I wanted to do a fun hairstyle to complement my new sunglasses. I was doing a little YouTube research when I stumbled upon this tutorial:

I was instantly intrigued. I'm a little obsessed with my grandma Hannah's wedding pictures, where she sports some serious victory rolls. 

To quote Cher Horowitz, she was a total Betty.

I don't played with my hair much - it's so curly and stubborn that I stopped believing I could do fun hairstyles. I also don't like to heat my hair (very damaging). But lately I've been going a while between washes (three to four days) and by day four the curl is pretty loose. And (this will sound disgusting) the grease protects the hair during heating (I told you so). So I asked roomie if I could borrow her curling iron, and I went to town.