I saw these cheese boards via Joanna Goddard and knew I had to share this with you guys. How genius is this? I love finding really unique things like this. Makes me all giggity!!! ^_^
From top to Bottom:
California, Texas, Michigan. And my favorite? of course California!!!!
This past Christmas, my cousin gave me a wonderful set of Philosophy cream, bath wash and lip gloss that I was ecstatic about. I managed to use everything up and only have the lip gloss left! I have always loved Philosophy products but don’t know why I haven’t tried every single one of them as they smell so good I could eat it…seriously!
The product I want to talk about and introduce today is the Sweet Creamy Frosting Ultra-Rich Body Lotion. I looked everywhere online to find a picture of it to attach to my blog but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Not on Sephora and not on the Philosophy website. So finally, I took a picture to show you the cream.
I love how thick and rich the lotion really is…just like it promised as sometimes what you see is really not what you get. What I love even more? How I smell after I put it on. Delectable. It goes on your skin very smoothly and melts right into it without leaving you feeling sticky like some lotions do. Another great thing about this lotion is that it isn’t oily so you can put on clothes right away without worrying about leaving a stain.
Maybe it is just me but I love products that smell like food! Especially if it can go on my body! Yum yum…so if you’re looking for products that work as both lotion and fragrance, give Philosophy a try!!! Guaranteed satisfaction! In fact, I am going to trek over to Southcoast Plaza later and see if I can get any other delicious flavors!
“Food, Inc.”, directed by Robert Kenner, and co-produced by Eric Schlosser (writer of “Fast Food Nation”) and Michael Pollan (writer of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma), takes an in depth view at a handful of various problems with the food industry in our country. I have been wanting to watch this movie for awhile and I am glad I finally did. It was a very difficult film to swallow but it really made me think about what I am putting into my body, where it comes from and how it gets to our supermarkets. It was shocking, to say the least. Powerful stuff.
We all know the evils of Agri-farming, but this movie brought it into sharp focus and showed me what the US Food Industry, and compromised government regulatory agencies such as the USDA, FDA, and EPA, who have in the past been led by folks well connected within the very industries they are supposed to regulate!
Before the closing credits the producers encouraged the audience to buy from farmers who treat their product, people and the environment with respect. So how can you tell what you are really getting? DO A TON OF RESEARCH (as have I since watching Food, Inc.)
I now read all the ingredients on the back of everything I want to buy. I am even tempted to go organic or only shop from Farmer’s Markets. However, that doesn’t guarantee that my food is local or seasonal or even truly organic!!! Scary to say the least. It depends on the rules of the jurisdiction, regulations regarding use of the term “farmers market,” and the by-laws voted on by the specific farmers market. I read online of one case where the market allows “up to” 40% not being grown by the vendor. Stop and think about this for a minute. Almost half the produce being sold could legitimately be bought at the nearest supermarket, only more expensive.
I also learned that the world’s food chain is built mainly on heavily subsidized and, therefore, cheap corn. In fact, all humans chew corn the whole day long from bread over meat (all animals are fed with corn) to deserts and drinks. Transnational corporations are even trying to teach fish to eat corn! Corn has become a food monoculture (almost).
What was even more shocking to me to learn is that in the film they mention a particular transnational company (*cough* Monsanto) who has developed, through genetic engineering, highly efficient corn seed which it patented, thereby creating a nearly seed monopoly. Buyers cannot use the produce of the seeds as plant seed for future harvests. The company’s own inspection force (they have some 70+ investigators within their own company) controls with hawk eyes that its clients buy new genetically modified seed every year. Some of the company’s supporters and former directors occupy key positions in US governments and government administrations (FDA). WOW. That is all I can say to that. Mind boggling.
Eating out of season is a big concern to me. I grew up in Hong Kong where we have our local wet markets. My Mom and I still go there on a daily basis to scout out fresh food that we can buy to cook for that evening’s dinner. I remember my Mom telling me “Oooh, mangoes are in season, lets get some.” or “Tomatoes are in seeason” . Now, you walk into any supermarket and you can find most foods all year round. That’s the problem… people have stopped tasting real food. We are so de-sensitized to the food industry nowadays and have beeen accostumed to having everything available to us at all times.
These are just two of the stories the film follows in detail. Providing a lot of information, the filmmakers connect the dots to illustrate why our food production system is in need of some drastic changes.
If we don’t change it, we are going to continue to get sick, some of us will continue to die. And it is all preventable.
Why do we allow it to continue? A handful of very large companies control all of the production of our processed foods. They lobby Congress and the Senate, getting the lawmakers to protect them. They don’t have to do anything about it. When there is an outbreak, they make some minor changes, but as we saw from the E-Coli outbreak in hamburger, it happened a few times and will no doubt happen again.
One of the best ways to find a farmer near you is to go to http://www.localharvest.org/ You can find farmers by your area. Another alternative is to join a CSA. You not only develop a relationship with the farmer(s) that way, you actually have a vested interest in his success. Even big cities like New York and San Francisco have operating CSAs, and you can find them with a little research.
In conclusion, people are getting the message. Organic foods, farmer’s markets and grocery chains like Whole Foods are becoming more and more prevalent popping up to meet the needs of a growing, more selective clientele.
Are you getting the message?
Or do you still want that hamburger that only costs $1?
In one of my previous blogs I found a website that sells really cute stylish jars and it piqued my interest to see what else we can use from the kitchen as accessories around the house. I then came upon this picture which I think is a wonderfully creative way to put flowers around the house. Use a cocktail shaker to decorate your kitchen, living room or bedroom with colorful flowers. Adds just the right touch and gives the room a more playful feel.
Having flowers around the house truly brings life to any room. Personally, I don’t have a green thumb to save my life. I still love flowers. And if they are easy to take care of then I am all for it!
What other items can you use from your kitchen to decorate your house? Send ideas my way!
One last picture to share with you all – a coffee canister vase!
So, I, Gourmand Chic, finally got around to watching this movie that I have heard so much about. I was definitely skeptical about it before I got around to sitting down and watching Julie & Julia. I mean, what does a government employee turned blogger have in common with Julia Child? More than you know, in fact, and the movie is able to reveal this through parallel story-telling of both Julia and Julie’s lives and relationships. I don’t believe there is a single movie about food that I did not enjoy watching – Ratatouilli, Chocolat…what’s not to love?
Julie & Julia is a tale of two gourmands. Julia Child’s story (played by Meryl Streep) is set back in the 1950′s in Paris, and Julie Powell’s story (played by Amy Adams) takes place during the time of, or the aftermath of the events of 911. Nora Ephron reveals the empowerment of women who grow in strength not in spite of their husbands but because of their loving support, a rare break from Hollywood’s obsession with dysfunctional families. Both Julie and Julia have lovingly supportive husbands who give in to their every whim!
There seems little doubt that ‘Julie’ is the weaker of the two stories as she is much lesser known compared to Julia Child, a seminal figure in the world of cookery. Julie’s claim to fame was that she came up with the idea of preparing every meal featured in Julia Child’s cookbook within a year’s time and blogging about it over the internet. While both actresses deserve credit, it’s Streep who dominates and performs an Oscar worthy performance. Deftly playing the dotty masterchef – complete with a brilliantly squawking laugh – it’s an amusing but respectful imitation.
In 1949 France, Julia Child settles in with her diplomat husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) to a new environment and tries to sort out what she wants to do with her time. After determining that she has an uncanny love of food (shopping for groceries is as much fun to her as other women find buying a new dress), she takes up schooling with professionals, eventually teaches a few students, and works on collaborating on her own enormous cookbook. When she can’t find any French cookbooks written for Americans, she knows she’s found her calling.
On the other side of the globe and in the year 2002, Julie Powell is adapting to a new apartment in Queens with her writer husband Eric (Chris Messina) and her depressing job as a government agency secretary. Her spare time is devoted to food as well – both women find relief in the preparation of food almost more than eating it. When her day job starts to really wear away at her soul, she decides to write an internet blog that explains a unique goal she sets for herself: to prepare every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook – 524 recipes in 365 days. Initially she must deal with a lack of readership (simply throwing words out into a void, which is what blogging nowadays has really become), the negativity of her mother, the strain on the relationship with her husband, a lobster killing ordeal, and the most formidable task of boning a duck!
There’s a sweetly endearing taste to the air throughout this movie, (which at times steers a little close to the sort of `chick flick’ cuteness, for which the director of films like “Sleepless in Seattle” is famous.
But director Nora Ephron manages to maintain a `documentary’ style balance to this true story . . . thanks mainly to Meryl Streep’s transcendent performance, (so believable as Julia) plus some authentic touches for those who know their French cooking.
Bottom Line? The movie ably chronicles the projects of two women from two very different generations with similar needs. As a combination foodie/chick flick, it works very well in its depiction of determination and the power of a slow and steady perseverance that ultimately leads to success. However, “Julie and Julia” main thrust seems to be a tribute to good marriages where behind every great women stands an equally great and supportive male. I thought the saying was “Behind every great man stands a greater woman.”?
