W. Somerset Maugham.

Recommended if you haven't already read him. Apart from being a fantastic author, he had an incredibly interesting life. Currently, I'm reading Of Human Bondage but it's taking me a year. I swear, I've picked it up and put it down about 12 times. Shit is heavy. Razor's Edge I flew through. Worth the effort, I feel though.


over & out,
jayteewo.

This is the best brownie mix.

Hands down. Believe me, I've done my research.


yours,
jayteewo.

Goat cheese & prosciutto bruschetta.

I made goat cheese and prosciutto bruschetta (tongue twister) on Memorial Day. (Pretty sure that makes me thankful to our veterans. What I am not sure of is how to make the connection.) Anyway, it was delicious. Here's how:

1 small multi-grain baguette
1 clove of garlic
olive oil
1/2 lb thinly sliced prosciutto
1 clove of garlic
4 oz goat cheese
1 t rosemary
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 t sugar

-preheat oven to 400 degrees
-slice baguette (I used 12 slices for this recipe), rub garlic on each slice, place on cookie sheet
-drizzle olive oil on slices, put in oven for 10 min
-combine sugar & balsamic in small sauce pan, stir on high for.. a long time. Maybe around 10 minutes
-remove reduction from heat & place in a container of some kind to stop cooking & allow to cool & thicken
-remove toast, reduce heat to 375
-combine rosemary & goat cheese & slather (I wish I could think of a better word, because slather is grossing me out) on toast
-place a single slice of prosciutto on each piece of toast
-heat in oven for 10 minutes
-plate & drizzle with balsamic reduction.


buen provecho,
jayteewo.

Simple fare, improved upon.

So my momma, we'll call her momma here, is a great cook. She makes what we've come to call "simple fare, improved upon." It's comfort food with a spin. She uses excellent ingredients (key) and it pretty much always turns out great. She's a firm believer in feeding as a comfort/nurturing mechanism, which I'm way on board with. When I come home, I can be sure to have a meal waiting for me and breakfast made from scratch in the morning. My momma is, in a word, awesome. Here is a recipe (and I use that term loosely, as she doesn't really follow a recipe) for apple blueberry pancakes. And do not f around with anything but pure maple syrup- it makes a universe of difference. Momma says this yields about six, face-sized pancakes. This is usually accompanied by fresh fruit or a smoothie and center cut bacon. Hell yes.

1 free-range egg
3/4 C milk (we used unsweetened organic soy milk)
1/4 C apple juice (unfiltered)
2 T melted butter
1 C flour
1 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
dash cinnamon
1 apple, thinly sliced
~1 C blueberries

-combine dry ingredients & drop in blueberries
-sautee apple slices gently in butter
-beat egg & add remaining ingredients
-add about 1/4 C batter to preheated pan (preferably the same pan used for butter & apples, mmm..)
-wait for sign of bubbles & flip
-slather with butter & warmed up maple syrup & get after it.


later alligator,
jayteewo.

Keep NY Weird.

When I lived in Manhattan (why does that sound snobby? if someone lives in one of the other boroughs they say so and it doesn't sound as bad. I digress), I kept a folder of photographs I took while out and about of what can only be described as weird things you'd only find in New York City. So. I'm gonna post them here for your enjoyment because I'll know you do just that.

This particular item is a ghost-y skeleton decal that I saw all over the city for while. The one in the crosswalk was taken in the West Village walking across 7th ave to the 1.


best regards,
jayteewo.

Furniture makeover.

This dresser is one I've had for about ten years, give or take. Originally it had a rustic design with wrought iron hardware and simply sealed pine finish. It was ugly. I removed the hardware, filling in the holes with wood cement and sanded off the finish. I drilled new holes for my new purple glass hardware and painted it silver and sky blue.

That worked for a while.
Now in my new place it wasn't quite working. Inspired by an OPI nail polish shade, Ski Teal We Drop, I set out to paint the face of the drawers and the top a sort of a peacock blue. Also, my dear friend Shelly (oldsoulnewsoul.tumblr.com) painted the closet doors in her Cobble Hill apartment a similar color and I thought they were lovely lovely lovely. So here's the Second makeover of this dresser. I used Olympic brand paint from Lowe's, Jamaican Dream, in a flat finish. I spent $8.44 total to gain use of this piece for at least one more year. The result is muy bonita, if I do say so myself.


yours truly
,
jayteewo.

I'm saying this.

Listen, I do it too from time to time. I won't lie to you. But I am having a MAJOR problem with this situation that seems to be more and more common in everyday life: I'm hanging out with you, just the two of us, and you are on your phone. WHAT are you doing, may I ask? Why don't you invite the person/people you're talking to on the phone or just go be with them instead. If we aren't going to talk and engage each other, then why the hell did I waste my time getting dressed to come out and see your ass? If we are hanging out and you've given me no other reason to believe that you don't want to be here, then BE here. If you need to do something quick on your phone, by all means, do it. But get in and get out. It's polite.


onward & upward,
jayteewo.

Chop salad.

I forget how much like Chop salads. (Chop salad or chopped salad?) I like them because everything is about the same size and it's all tossed up so you get a little bit of everything in each bite. It helps with texture, if you happen to be a texture eater like myself.

Today I made mine with romaine hearts, grape tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, Boar's Head hard salami, baby portobello mushrooms and light ranch dressing. I think I would have liked a crunch element so I'll work on that for next time.


with love,
jayteewo.

Look at these books.

The first is an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty along with illustrations by Lacroix on each page. There's another coming out in November called Manolo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir. I think the coupling of classic fairytales with modern fashion designers is a really cool idea. There's supposed to be a whole series, but these are the only two I've heard of so far. I'll be needing all of them.

The second is on my favorite segment Jimmy Fallon does on his show, called "Thank You Notes." It. Is. So. Funny. Seriously buy it. If you like laughing, you won't be sorry.


goodbye,
jayteewo.

I'm totally not embarrassed to tell you this.

I think there are several fantastic jams on Britney Spears' new album, "Femme Fatale." Favorites: Till the World Ends, How I Roll, Big Fat Bass. Maybe homegirl is getting her shit together.


god speed,
jayteewo.

This is Anthropologie's blog.

These people know what the hell they're doing. I think it's still kind of in the beta stages, though. Something to watch out for. Look.


faithfully,
jayteewo.

This mascara sucks.

Don't buy it. You're welcome.


best wishes,
jayteewo.

Things I'm into right now.

Full refrigerator. i.e. directly after thorough grocery shopping trip.

Painting. Acrylic. Whatever I feel like painting. I didn't say I was good.

Rising early. Trying to get a routine going.

Sweet tea. Just learned how to make it. Very easy. Here's how. (credit to HVC on this one)

1) boil about 4 cups of water.
2) remove from heat.
3) add desired amount of sugar: stir and let dissolve. (I add 1.25C for a gallon of tea)
4) add 3 Family Size Lipton Iced Tea bags
5) let the tea bags steep until water is room temp. (usually a couple hours)
6) squeeze out all liquid in bags, disgard.
7) poor liquid into gallon pitcher. fill with water.


kind regards,
jayteewo.

I'm gonna tell you things.

I'm gonna tell you things. Beauty things. Funny things. Pretty things. Art things. Food things. Life things. My things. Things you ought to know, so I'm here to make sure you do. Hi.


sincerely,
jayteewo.