Following My Lifecast: Here's a glimpse into my life. Scroll to the right to view chronologically, and click 'earlier' to see more.
A gift idea for those with “a craft-ale palate and a PBR budget” from Brokelyn.com: The Brooklyn Beer Book! This coupon book is good for 25 beers at 25 of Brooklyn’s best drinking spots…each for just a buck! Participating bars include Brooklyn Brewery, The Bell House (the site of the Wedding Crashers event that I went to and a super cool space), and Union Hall (where I played Bocce Ball last summer).
Totally want one!
Ella - a seriously sexy space that evokes the glamour and decadence of the Roaring ’20s - made the perfect last stop for Parisa’s bachelorette extravaganza. Love that they really pay attention to the details - my champagne was even served in an old-fashioned coupe-style glass. Check out their website; it’s GORGEOUS.
One of the night’s highlights: Parisa met Yankee Nick Swisher, who very graciously helped her complete some of her dares by both “arresting” and “rescuing” her.
Me & Morgan at Zum Schneider
I’ve never eaten at Zum Schneider before, but was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, so was everyone else in New York…and so after a three-hour (yeah) wait (their very delicious, very cheap beers persuaded us to hang around until almost 10 before finally leaving in frustration), we headed down the block to Caffe Pepe Rosso. Pretty standard Italian food, but well-priced (about $11 for most pasta entrees) and quick: they had all 12 of us out the door and on our way to the last stop, Ella, by a little after 11.
Saturday night, on the way to Zum Schneider with Becca and Vanessa.
Sarah & Evelyn at Buddakan
Magnolia Cupcakes
My new necklace
Saturday’s bachelorette-party activity, which sounded like a better idea before I knew I’d be getting home at 3AM Friday night: A Sex and the City tour of New York. Getting to the pickup spot outside the Plaza at 11AM was a touch problematic (not everyone made it), and the tour was most certainly cheesy…but it turned out that riding around the city on a bus and stopping into places like The Pleasure Chest (where an interesting variation on a ring-toss was purchased by one of our party), Magnolia Cupcakes, and Buddakan ended up being a great way to spend a freezing Saturday afternoon. Minimal energy expenditure…and the last stop was at O’Neal’s Speakeasy (the bar that stood in for Scout on the show), where I purchased the gorgeous necklace pictured above from Nella Allen. That’s an ACTUAL SEAHORSE dipped in gold. A little gross? Maybe. Very, very cool? YES!
Iggy's
That's Parisa's arm
After dinner and some bachelorette games at Morgan’s, we headed over to Iggy’s Karaoke Lounge and Grill for some karaoke, and things got…interesting. Let’s just call the other pictures I took from this portion of our night “unusable.”
I LOVED Iggy’s, though. LOVED. The DJs, Big City Karaoke, were fab (and very nice and accommodating of Parisa’s need to sing “Like A Virgin,” like, immediately), and the bartenders were super-sweet (especially Anna, who bought me a tequila shot - which you can imagine how much I needed at that point in the night). Oh, and I’m supposed to mention that Danny is in need of a raise (that one’s for you, Iggy).
The next morning, the very first thing I said upon opening my eyes: “Oh my god. Last night I sang ‘Shoop’ in front of 200 people.” Whoops. When I mix tequila and karaoke, it’s best to keep me on a leash.
Setting up for the party with Morgan and Vanessa.
Forever 21 minidress, Si Style beaded vest (from Meghan’s Clothing Swap!), vintage earrings (a gift from my mother-in-law).
To keep costs down at cocktail parties, I serve just wine (a pinot grigio and a fruity, lighter red like a pinot noir), and one really delicious speciality drink. Upon arrival, each guest was handed a sugar-rimmed, personalized wineglass filled with a PAMA/champagne concoction, and during the party I wandered around with pitchers refilling glasses (so much easier than having everyone make trips to the bar every time they need another cocktail).
I swear, I should have been shooting a PAMA commercial during the party. “Jordan, what IS this extraordinary drink?!” “This is the most delicious cocktail!” “Oh my god, I LOVE this PAMA stuff!!” Direct quotes. Swear. It’s really, really good - I thought it might be too sweet mixed with the champagne, but it adds just the perfect amount of fruitiness.
PAMA CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Combine 3 parts champagne and 1 part PAMA. Serve in a glass with a sugared rim and garnish with berries, if desired. You can also play with the proportions, adding more or less PAMA as you like.
PAMA products generously donated by manufacturer.
Morgan made these adorable wine glass markers so that we could tell our glasses apart (this came in handy after round four or so).
Some of the trinkets that we set out for Parisa and a bowl of favors for all the girls from The DVine Line (little teacup charms on silk cords, keychain links, or cell-phone hooks paired with fortunes). I mentioned DVine in my Holiday Gift Guide - it’s a really adorable company run by an equally adorable lady. They sell things like tea steepers and the abovementioned charms, but also hold “Tea Parties” like the DVination Tea, which incorporates Tarot card readings.
DVine products generously donated by manufacturer.
I met Betsy from Nine Cakes at the Wedding Crashers event that Morgan and I attended a few weeks ago, and was psyched when she offered to send over some cupcakes for Parisa’s bachelorette. They’re almost too beautiful to eat…but that didn’t stop us.
At our wedding we decided to forego cake in favor of whoopie pies, because I rarely think wedding cakes taste all that good. I am reconsidering this opinion based on Nine Cakes’ description of the “Sweet and Salty Turtle”: “Valrhona dark chocolate cake with layers of cloud-like caramel buttercream, sprinkled with toasted pecans and fleur de sel.” Hmm…a vow renewal is sounding good right about now.
Whew, what a weekend. Parisa’s bachelorette extravaganza started Friday night at Morgan’s apartment, where we welcomed the lovely bride-to-be with bachelorette-y paraphernalia, cupcakes, and cocktails, and finally came to a close with Sunday brunch at Wicker Park.
(Notice the late start I got today? After two nights of staying out until 3 - hey, I’m an old lady; I don’t do the “going out” thing much anymore - I required a solid 10 hours of sleep.)
A great painting tip from Younghouselove: when choosing paint colors, make sure to check out how the paint chips look on the actual surfaces you’ll be painting, as the angle at which the light hits can significantly affect how the color turns out (a color can look quite different on a ceiling from how it looks on a wall).
Also, the couple who writes the site is just about the cutest ever - I want to pack up Kendrick, Lucy and Virgil and go live with them.
BREAKFASTY CINNAMON ROLLS
What you need:
2 cups flour
4 tbsp shortening
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon
What you do:
1. Sift together all dry ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Cut shortening into sifted dry ingredients using two knives or a pastry cutter until mixture is pebbly.
3. Stir in milk, and pour onto a floured countertop or cutting board. Gather into a ball and knead approximately 20-30 times times, until dough is nice and elastic-y (don’t over-handle the dough, though, or it’ll get tough).
4. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough until it’s about 1/4” thick.
5. Spread thickly with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Roll up dough into a log shape (you may have to flour your hands a bit to keep it from sticking to the counter/yourself as you roll) and cut as shown here (or, as a reader suggested, use dental floss or wire to keep from compressing dough).
7. Bake at 450F for 12-15 minutes, or until deliciously golden and melty.
Tip: These cinnamon rolls are best served warm (just heat them in the microwave for about 10 seconds), perhaps with a touch of butter.
