At this very moment...

I want a margarita.
A real one.
I'm not talking pre-made mix.

I'm talking on the rocks.
With salt.
Perhaps a few muddled strawberries.

First person to make one magically appear in front of me gets a BIG kiss.

So hop to it. You know you want some smoochin'.

Perfect. Just Perfect.

He is so spot on with this. And yes,I am totally a nerd for David Cook.



I was also highly amused by the following during the American Idol Finale. I should really dedicate an entire post to the magical love affair I have been having with Robert Downey Jr. since I was 11.

Shoes. Let's get some shoes.

Jen and I bought shoes today. Red and blue for me (Bogo!), and mustard for Jen (Remix).

We also trekked to Brooklyn to check out an A+mazing PLUS SIZE boutique I discovered last night while watching an episode of What Not To Wear. Lee Lee's Valise is located on the corner of Court St. and President St. They had so many beautiful things that actually fit me!!! The staff were friendly and pleasant but not at all overbearing. The owner, Lisa, even persuaded me to try on a $700 Anna Scholz gown. Can I just say that I have not felt so tall EVER in my life, not to mention thin. Obviously I was not going for the red carpet dress, but I may have to save up for some fabulous Svoboda wide leg jeans.

Next, we made our way to Union Square for the farmers market. (Enroute we got sidetracked by a few shoe stores as you can see above.) We also stopped in at Filene's Basement to check off some items on Jen's to do list for her upcoming tour in Asia, but we didn't have too much luck.

Our bad luck continued with a frightening trip to the Union Square McDonalds, (we know, we know.) And unfortunately, things didn't get much better at the farmers market. I don't know if it was the chilly weather today that kept the vegetable sellers away, or if we simply came too late to catch anyone. By the time we got there, the market was mainly comprised of butchers, bakers, and... apple sellers. In the end we came away with some delicious cider and apple cider donuts from the same orchard/bakery. So we weren't too upset.

All in all we had a beautiful gloomy Saturday, and came away with some cute new kicks. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Bramasole Soup

So named by my sister Magpie because I made it on a rainy day. Bramasole (apart from being the name of the house in Frances Mayes wonderful books, Under The Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany) means "yearning for the sun." I thought it was a perfect sentiment for the improvised pot of loveliness I made this past Monday night. I am a huge fan of Tuscan white bean soup but hadn't personally made it before and when I went searching for a recipe I didn't find anything that particularly struck my fancy. So I decided to just make it up. Unfortunately we ate the whole pot before I thought to take a picture, which is quite sad as it was full of color and gorgeous when plated with the cornbread that went along with it. I think maybe next time I will try polenta fries instead. Hope you enjoy the recipe...

Bramasole Soup (aka happy rainy day soup!)

Olive oil

1 large yellow onion (halved and sliced)

4 cloves garlic (minced)
salt & pepper

3 medium red potatoes (1/2 inch cubed)

Sweet Italian sausage (with sage if possible)

1 can cannellini beans (drained not rinsed)

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes (completely drained and roughly chopped)

1 bag baby spinach

2 cups water

3 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp or more Italian seasoning (or fresh italian herbs, whatever is more readily available)

1. Heat olive oil in stock pot. Add onions salt and pepper. Cook onions 4-5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, continue to sauté for a few minutes and then add potatoes. It's fine if the skins stick a bit. This will come up once you've added your liquid.

3. Add sausage. Let this mixture cook for about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring.

4. Add water, chicken stock, and Italian seasoning. Let simmer

5. When you've got about 10 minutes left, add the beans and tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes

6. Add spinach, cook until just wilted. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

*I'm trying to decide whether the potatoes need to be a smaller dice, or eliminated completely. If anyone tries this out please let me know what you think. :) *

Please forgive my horrible recipe writing skills. I'll get better I promise!