I am proud to announce that Stilettos 'N Spice is moving from Blogger to Stilettos 'n Spice.com. The website is almost complete, just a few more updates on archived blog posts are needed. I will continue to post on Blogger and the .com site for the next week, helping everyone migrate over to the new official website and get signed up. I want to deeply thank all of you for your support and kind words. I wouldn't be here without all of you and I appreciate everyone who has helped me grow large enough for this new progression and journey.
For now, please Click Herefor the current post on NYFW.
Can you believe it's New Year's Eve already?
What a whirlwind year! I have to say; I think this might have been one of the
busiest years of my life, but in such a positive way.
I launched Stilettos 'n
Spice officially one year ago this month, at the suggestion from family and
friends, as a way to share my fashion and entertainment interests and love of
cooking. Little did I know the undertaking I was about to dive into!
Food is my passion,
which is pretty hilarious to think about, as I was about the pickiest child
you'd ever met! At one point I event strained my spaghetti sauce to get the
"chunks" out. That is, until I discovered my Mom's food processor and
went to work creating my first tomato purée. My Mother used to get so
frustrated with my hate of everything she tried to serve for dinner, that one
night she exasperatedly yelled, "If you don't like what I'm making, then
make your own dinner!" To which I stubbornly replied "FINE! I
WILL" and so I did... Concocting all kinds of strange creations, and
finding out that I loved to cook. It was a done deal from that day forward. My
parents enrolled me in cooking classes, I discoveredJulia Child on PBS
and "Yan Can Cook". My
sister and I would spend hours watching infomercials about kitchen knives that
were so sharp, they could cut through steel as well as food dehydrators and
countertop rotisseries. I was lucky enough to visit Julia's kitchen display
with my Mom at the Smithsonian in D.C. a few years back. It inspired me even
further to pursue my dreams of making a living from doing what I love.
Which leads me back to
all of you; the reason I am sitting here writing one year later. You believed
in me, read my words and "liked" what you saw in the images of my
creations. Thank you. Thank you so much for the encouragement, support and kind
words. Let's take a moment to reflect on 2014 and cheers to the year to come!
·It was her year to inspire women across the world to get mammograms after her brave decision to undergo a double mastectomy. She is my hero for so many more meaningful reasons than just her film career. I love this woman for her work as a UN Ambassador and for bringing awareness to so many critical world issues with the hope of change.
·And I end the year with my family's favorite recipe for Christmas Swedish Rye Bread. I wish I had some right now to sink my teeth into!
All in all, it's been a great year. Here's to new resolutions, recipes and love in 2015! Cheers!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We
were lucky enough to finally get a blanket of snow late on Christmas Eve,
waking to a beautiful winter wonderland. It was a nice, relaxing day
filled with family, love and laughter. We indulged in so many sweets and food;
I think I'll need a head start on the usual fitness resolutions to recover!
My Mom was given a new Cuisinart food processor from my dad and she gave me a beautiful new set of Wüsthof Classic Ikon Knives. We cooked the day away with our new gadgets, along with
my sister, Erin. It was great to spend time together in the kitchen and satisfy
all of our food cravings. With all of the sweets we consumed, I was ready for
something warm, comforting and salty this weekend.
Beef stew sounded like the perfect solution! Is there anything
better than a salty and beefy dish full of mouth pleasing savour? Made in the
crock pot, this dish cooks itself slowly all day, filling the house with the
most delicious and enticing scent imaginable.
With the holidays in full swing, I've had a lot of wine around the
house. If I'm not drinking it, I'm cooking with it. We all know that beef stew
is enhanced with the flavor of red wine. For a fun twist on the classic, I
decided to try using Marsala. Seeing as Marsala was just announced as
the Pantone Color of the Year for 2015, this recipe is the perfect way to celebrate and start the new
year off with a bang! Red is my favorite color, so I was thrilled to see that
this stunning shade of wine will be the highlight through the next year.
Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this
tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its
grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This
hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to
fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.
"Marsala
enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding confidence and stability.
Marsala
is a subtly seductive shade, one that draws us in
to
its embracing warmth. "
Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute®
The Versatility of Marsala
Equally appealing to men and women, Marsala is a stirring and flavorful shade for apparel and accessories, one that encourages color creativity and experimentation
Flattering against many skin tones, sultry and subtle Marsala is a great go-to color for beauty, providing enormous highlight for the cheek, and a captivating pop of color for nails, shadows lips and hair.
Dramatic and at the same time grounding, the rich and full-bodied red-brown Marsala brings color warmth into home interiors
An earthy shade with a bit of sophistication, texture is the story in print and packaging. A matte finish highlights Marsala’s organic nature while adding a sheen conveys a completely different message of glamour and luxury.
Pantone has been selecting a color of the year to reflect the mood and current way of life since 2000. To do this, Pantone's panel of color experts meet in an undisclosed location to discuss current world events, trends and moods; transforming these findings into a color representation for that year. The company has been the color authority of the world for over 50 years, integrating every industry from fashion and beauty, to textiles and home decor. I find their work very fascinating and love to see their choices trickle down into everyday items, like Marsala colored coffee mugs or a rich and luscious lipstick. The color theory reminds me of this scene in "The Devil Wears Prada" when Miranda comments on "Ahndreyah's" Cerulean Blue (Pantone COTY 2000) sweater.
All this talk of fashion and color has made me starving! I think I'll dish up a warm bowl of Marsala Beef Stew and cozy up with a nice glass of wine and a movie. Sunday snow days are my favorite. Enjoy!
Marsala Beef Stew
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into
2-inch cubes, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 lb. bag of frozen pearl onions, thawed
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweet Marsala wine, divided
1.Heat a large, heavy cast iron skillet
over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of
beef; cook 8 minutes or until well browned, turning to brown on all sides.
Place browned beef in a 6-quart electric slow cooker; sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon
salt. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining beef, and ⅛
teaspoon salt.
2.Add garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute.
Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup wine,
scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 minutes or until half of liquid
evaporates. Add stock and pepper; bring to a simmer. Carefully pour stock
mixture into slow cooker; nestle thyme sprigs into liquid. Top beef mixture
with mushrooms; scatter carrots over top.
3.Place the lid on the crock pot, and
cook on LOW for 7 hours. (High for 4-5, but might not be quite as tender)
4.Add onions to cooking skillet; cook
1 minute on each side or until browned. Add 1/4 cup of wine, 1 tablespoon or Worcestershire
and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to pan, reduce by half, adding liquid and onions
to slow cooker. Cook an additional 30 minutes while you make the mashed potatoes.
5.Strain mixture through a colander
over the same large skillet used to brown the meat; discard thyme sprigs. Bring
cooking liquid to a boil; cook 6 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 2 cups.
Stir in remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons wine and
flour, stirring with a whisk to form slurry. Stir into cooking liquid; cook 1
minute or until bubbly and thickened, stirring constantly. Pour over beef
mixture; toss gently to combine.
6. *Serve the stew on a bed of mashed potatoes
in a pasta bowl, garnished with freshly cracked pepper and thyme leaves.
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