Pro tip! Making healthy food flavorful

from http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/health/weight-loss-richard-blais/index.html

"Blais says the secret to making food healthy and delicious is 'understanding base flavors' and 'knowing what the dish you're trying to make healthier needs: Is it fat? Is it salt? Is it acidity?' If you want to avoid using salt, Blais recommends adding spinach or celery, which have natural sodium in them. If you want the flavor of fat without the calories, go for mushrooms, he says."

Chef Blais's Earth + Turf Burger is made with a mix of lean ground beef and mushrooms. "Those mushrooms actually give the burger a sense of fat, but there's no fat in it," he says.

Si, te quiero es porque sos mi amor, mi complice, y todo

just going through a bunch of music for an upcoming old-marrieds retreat, and i stumbled across an excellent rendition of one of my all-time favorite love songs:



The poem "Te Quiero" was written by Mario Benedetti and set to music by A. Favero.

Si te quiero es porque sos
mi amor, mi cómplice, y todo.
Y en la calle, codo a codo,
somos mucho más que dos.

Tus manos son mi caricia,
mis acordes cotidianos.
Te quiero porque tus manos
trabajan por la justicia.

Tus ojos son mi conjuro
contra la mala jornada.
Te quiero por tu mirada
que mira y siembra futuro.

Tu boca que es tuya y mía,
tu boca no se equivoca.
Te quiero porque tu boca
sabe gritar rebeldía.

Y por tu rostro sincero
y tu paso vagabundo
y tu llanto por el mundo,
porque sos pueblo te quiero.

Y porque amor no es aureola,
ni cándida moraleja,
y porque somos pareja
que sabe que no está sola.

Te quiero en mi paraíso,
es decir, que en mi país,
la gente viva feliz
aunque no tenga permiso.

***

Yes, I love you because you are
my love, my accomplice, and everything.
And on the street, side by side,
we are much more than two.

Your hands are my caress,
my everyday chords.
I love you because your hands
work for justice.

Your eyes are my charm
against bad days.
I love you for your eyes
that look at and sow the future.

Your mouth is yours and mine,
your mouth is never wrong.
I love you because your mouth
knows how to shout rebellion.

And for your sincere face,
and your vagabond step,
and your tears for the world,
because you are the people, I love you.

And because love is not a halo
and not a candid moral,
and because we are a couple
who know we are not alone.

I want you in my paradise,
that is, in my country,
where the people are happy
even if it is not allowed. 

***

gah. seriously. i get shivers. it's this amazing merge of companionship and social justice and adoration. shivers.

Happy Birthday, dear Shelley

Happy birthday to you!

you make fifty faaaaaaaabulous.

March 14, 2014, in select theaters

Wrapping hacks from Emily Henderson

a few postseason wrapping ideas from the clever emily henderson:

 

1. stamp the word HO (or any other holiday term you lerrrrrv) onto a large rectangle of butcher paper, using individual wood letter stamps. repeat 'til awesomeness is achieved.

2. combining water with paint in a spray bottle, lightly mist a large rectangle of butcher paper with color. a geometrical ribbon would contrast nicely.

3. wrap a gift using plain butcher paper and create a faux ribbon, using gold duct tape. top with outlandishly awesome gold-foil ribbon.

check out the whole post, with step-by-step stop-motion video, here.

The nieces and the rest of us?

so, my sweet little ten-year-old niece and i were talking about dress clothes, and she said that she sometimes really doesn't like the options available kids her age. she feels they are too silly and confining and that she can't just be a kid in them. she said she likes a lot more adult dress-up clothes than kid stuff, so today i recommended we virtually shop for an outfit she could wear out to a fancy event -- say, the theater -- that would be appropriate to the occasion and still comfortable enough for her. together we chose the following:

J. Crew's girls' glitz-collar cashmere cardigan in venetian green

 

J. C. Penney Joe Fresh cropped velvet leggings in black

J. Crew girls' petite Belle ballet flat in black

J. Crew girls' Maan Desir tweed coat in tweed green

 

Burberry Giant Icon Check cashmere scarf in Damson magenta

 

naturally, the seven-year-old wanted to get into the fun. she was a lot less opinionated and more willing to be steered by her older sister. who agreed with me that in the following she would absolutely explode the world with her cuteness. and, bonus, it would coordinate SO well with her sister's look.

J. Crew's girls' crinkle chiffon rosette dress in newport navy

 

 J. Crew girls' cashmere cardigan in neon amethyst

 

J. Crew girls' solid tights in ivory

J. Crew girls' classic cap toe ballet flats in pinot noir

 

Rothschild girls' Rosette wool-look dress coat in pink

(if i could find a coat with a little less gray in it, i'd be happy tia.)

Ralph Lauren floral chiffon scarf in black multi