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Gourmet Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes via [CherisFabulousFoods]
OPULUXE Lounge Grooves™ PlayList
via [YouTube]
Thanksgiving Turkey Leftover Recipes
- Turkey Barley Soup — Pair turkey with healthy veggies and barley for this quick and easy soup.
- Turkey Carcass Soup — Even the turkey bones get into the leftovers act in this comforting soup.
- Heart Healthy Turkey and Potato Stew — This hearty soup goes together in a flash.
- Chunky Turkey Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts — This recipe uses traditional Thanksgiving flavors in a new way.
- Waldorf Salad with Smoked Turkey — Smoked turkey adds a new dimension to this classic salad.
- Lemon Blueberry Turkey Salad — Here’s a creative take or turkey salad.
- Honey Almond Turkey Salad — Another creative take on turkey salad.
- St. Stephen’s Day Pie — This traditional Irish recipe turns leftovers into a spectacular savory pie.
- Spicy Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Skillet — A satisfying quick and easy skillet meal.
- Turkey and Vegetable Frittata — This makes a great breakfast, lunch or light supper.
- Turkey Egg Foo Yung — Turkey leftovers get an Asian twist in this recipe.
- Leftover Turkey Curry — Exotic spices and yogurt completely transform the Thanksgiving flavor profile of turkey and cranberry sauce.
- Turkey Florentine — Turkey combines with spinach in this tasty casserole.
- Pasties — Savory Pies from holiday meal leftovers
- Leftovers Hash — This recipe is a quick, frugal, and tasty way to use up leftovers.
Get Rid of Extra Mashed Potatoes
- Mollie Katzen’s American Potato Cutlets — For an unusual skillet breakfast, serve these mashed potato cakes with Fried Green Tomatoes.
- Potato Cheese Casserole — This comfort food dish is a favorite at Jamaica’s Superclubs Resorts.
- Potato Wet Chocolate L’Orange Cake — Mashed potatoes keep this chocolate cake incredibly moist.
- Irish Potato Bread — This traditional Irish recipe makes a great way to use those mashed potato leftovers.
- Bread Machine Irish Potato Bread — A bread machine version of the above recipe.
- Papas Rellenas — This dish is a unique twist on the Mexican classic Chile Rellenos. Here mashed potatoes are wrapped around the savory ingredients.
Use Up Cranberries and Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry Peach Cobbler — Buy too many cans of cranberries for the holidays? Make this scrumptious cobbler with your leftovers and serve with vanilla ice cream for a special treat.
- Apple and Cranberry Acadian — Phyllo wrapped baked apples with cranberry and vanilla sauces.
- Orange Cranberry Swirl Cookies — Use leftover cranberry sauce to get a jump start on holiday cookie baking.
- Cranberry Glazed Cornish Game Hens — Leftover cranberry sauce makes a great glaze for poultry of all kinds.
NEW Fragrance Review : Yves Saint-Laurent Belle d’Opium via [basenotes, vex in the city, and nstperfume]
Be the first in your friends to like itBelle d’Opium Yves Saint Laurent commercial
via [YouTube]
}}1.{{ via vexinthecity.com
YSL Belle D’Opium
Am I the only one reminded of that those Turkish Delight adverts that used to come on in the 80s when they look at this promo shot? I don’t find the image very alluring, despite that clearly being its intention.
Love the bottle!
Prices start at £39 for 30ml
}}2.{{ via nstperfume.com
Yves Saint Laurent Belle d’Opium ~ fragrance review
On first smelling Yves Saint Laurent Belle d’Opium, two words came to mind, and they weren’t “must buy.” No, they were “hairspray oriental.” I like some of Opium’s flankers — the lovely Fleur de Shanghai* is a treat on a summer’s night. But rather than referring to Belle d’Opium as a flanker, YSL calls it the “next generation” of Opium. If that’s the case, somebody please talk to Opium about birth control.
Perfumers Honorine Blanc and Alberto Morillas developed Belle d’Opium, giving it notes including Casablanca lily, sandalwood, gardenia, white pepper, jasmine, and narguile accord. After a generous spray of Belle d’Opium, I smell a hint of orange before gardenia takes over. The gardenia isn’t the wet, tropical gardenia of Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia or even Jovan Jungle Gardenia, but is a thin, synthetic flower coated in Aqua Net. A thread of tobacco and fruit run through the gardenia. The tiniest bit of jasmine hums along, too. Because of a little resin and amber, Belle d’Opium does smell like a high-pitched relative of Opium, but without Opium’s drama and deep, clove-y spice.
Just when I thought I had Belle d’Opium pegged as a synthetic, screechy gardenia-based oriental, a thin, woody musk asserted itself. The fragrance began to reorient itself to what some perfume companies have been calling a “modern chypre,” smelling more to me like bug spray than bergamot-oakmoss-patchouli-wood-labdanum of a real chypre. This foul accord has torpedoed too many department store launches over the past three years, and I hope it ends soon. For me, it’s a one-way ticket to a migraine. I’ve read reviews of Belle d’Opium lamenting its lack of persistence, but on me it lasts a good four hours.
In an article in Elle magazine**, perfumer Calice Becker compares mainstream perfumes to formulaic romantic comedies. “With mass perfume, it’s the same: We go for the stars that we know everyone likes.” But the same article goes on to quote Vera Strubi, the former president of Thierry Mugler perfumes. About Angel‘s launch, she says, “That’s when I realized that if you want a fragrance to be memorable, it can’t please everybody.”
Opium took a bold stance over 30 years ago, and it still sells well, offending and delighting across the globe. Belle d’Opium, on the other hand, tries to be a romantic comedy, if with a vaguely oriental feel. I doubt Belle d’Opium will never win an Academy Award. Heck, I’d be surprised if it made it to Dancing With the Stars.
Yves Saint Laurent Belle d’Opium is available in 30, 50 and 90 ml Eau de Parfum.
*If anyone at Yves Saint Laurent is reading, please bring back Fleur de Shanghai!
**April Long, “As You Like It.” Elle, November 2010, page 242.
Belle d’Opium (2010)
by Yves Saint Laurent
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Belle d’Opium Fragrance notes
Casablanca lily, Sandalwood, Gardenia, White pepper, Jasmine, Narguile
via [Basenotes]
Watch The Adorable Chubby French Bulldog Try to Roll Over…Awww!
French Bulldog Can’t Roll Over
*It’s so stinkin’ cute how he just stops at the good part, then repeats!Lol.*
The Ferrari 458 Italia: Can A Ride Be TOO Hot? via [theepochtimes and yahoo]
Ferrari recalls 1,250 sports cars after some catch fire
AFP/File – A model poses next to a Ferrari 458 Italia on display at the Beijing Auto Show near the capital’s …
ROME (AFP) – Italian automaker Ferrari announced Wednesday it had recalled all versions of its model 458 Italia sports car produced before July 2010 after four of them caught fire.
“Our dealers are going to call clients and tell them to bring back their cars so that the necessary modifications can be carried out,” a spokesman told AFP. The recall involves 1,248 vehicles worldwide, the official said.
via [YouTube]
Ferrari last week opened an enquiry after four of its vehicles caught fire spontaneously in California, China, France and Switzerland.
The investigation had shown problems with the mounting, adhesive, heat shields and wheel arch assembly, the spokesman said.
“High outside temperatures and intensive use of the vehicle cause a distortion and the vehicle catches fire,” he said, adding that the modification will include replacing the heat shields.
Another Ferrari 458 Italia Supposedly Catches Fire via [epochtimes]
Ferrari 458 Italia owners are not having a good year.
After reports emerged that 10 of the supercars either caught on fire or were involved in an accident, a video of a supposed 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia catching on fire in China popped up.
If so, this would bring the grand total up to 11 mishaps since the car was unveiled last September.
The video shows the car, red in color with slanted headlights, already engulfed in flames on the side of a road with lush greenery.
The website http://www.wreckedexotics.com first noted that the owners of the Ferrari 458 Italia hit a bad streak and they confirmed that the latest video is in fact the 11th mishap to befall the owners of the $260,000 vehicles.
“It’s the first wreck in China (city of Ningbo),” the website stated on Wednesday, saying it “caught fire after only about 1,000 miles on the odometer.”
Ferrari told the UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph they are taking the accidents and fires seriously, and will conduct separate investigations into each incident. The company says that the cars have no known issues and say each incident is separate.
The Ferrari 458 Italia can go zero to 60 miles per hour in just over three seconds, and can top speeds of just over 200 miles per hour.
Related Articles
Meet Dan Phillips CEO of Phoenix Commotions… He Builds Dreams Through His Green Economy Homestead Project in Texas via [N.Y.T.]
One Man’s Trash …
CYCLES Dan Phillips builds houses out of salvaged items, like frame samples, which he used on a ceiling.
HUNTSVILLE, Tex.
AMONG the traditional brick and clapboard structures that line the streets of this sleepy East Texas town, 70 miles north of Houston, a few houses stand out: their roofs are made of license plates, and their windows of crystal platters.
They are the creations of Dan Phillips, 64, who has had an astonishingly varied life, working as an intelligence officer in the Army, a college dance instructor, an antiques dealer and a syndicated cryptogram puzzle maker. About 12 years ago, Mr. Phillips began his latest career: building low-income housing out of trash.
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Michael Stravato for The New York Times
Dan Phillips with a “tree house” he built and rents to low-income artists in Huntsville, Texas. |
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In 1997 Mr. Phillips mortgaged his house to start his construction company, Phoenix Commotion. “Look at kids playing with blocks,” he said. “I think it’s in everyone’s DNA to want to be a builder.” Moreover, he said, he was disturbed by the irony of landfills choked with building materials and yet a lack of affordable housing.
To him, almost anything discarded and durable is potential building material. Standing in one of his houses and pointing to a colorful, zigzag-patterned ceiling he made out of thousands of picture frame corners, Mr. Phillips said, “A frame shop was getting rid of old samples, and I was there waiting.”
So far, he has built 14 homes in Huntsville, which is his hometown, on lots either purchased or received as a donation. A self-taught carpenter, electrician and plumber, Mr. Phillips said 80 percent of the materials are salvaged from other construction projects, hauled out of trash heaps or just picked up from the side of the road. “You can’t defy the laws of physics or building codes,” he said, “but beyond that, the possibilities are endless.”
While the homes are intended for low-income individuals, some of the original buyers could not hold on to them. To Mr. Phillips’s disappointment, half of the homes he has built have been lost to foreclosure — the payments ranged from $99 to $300 a month.
Multimedia
Slide Show The Recycled Houses
Building Homes with Recycled Materials on Living Smart with Patricia Gras
via [YouTube]
Some of those people simply disappeared, leaving the properties distressingly dirty and in disrepair. “You can put someone in a new home but you can’t give them a new mindset,” Mr. Phillips said.
Although the homes have resold quickly to more-affluent buyers, Mr. Phillips remains fervently committed to his vision of building for low-income people. “I think mobile homes are a blight on the planet,” he said. “Attractive, affordable housing is possible and I’m out to prove it.”
Freed by necessity from what he calls the “tyranny of the two-by-four and four-by-eight,” common sizes for studs and sheets of plywood, respectively, Mr. Phillips makes use of end cuts discarded by other builders — he nails them together into sturdy and visually interesting grids. He also makes use of mismatched bricks, shards of ceramic tiles, shattered mirrors, bottle butts, wine corks, old DVDs and even bones from nearby cattle yards.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a complete set of anything because repetition creates pattern, repetition creates pattern, repetition creates pattern,” said Mr. Phillips, who is slight and sinewy with a long gray ponytail and bushy mustache. He grips the armrests of his chair when he talks as if his latent energy might otherwise catapult him out of his seat.
Phoenix Commotion homes meet local building codes and Mr. Phillips frequently consults with professional engineers, electricians and plumbers to make sure his designs, layouts and workmanship are sound. Marsha Phillips, his wife of 40 years and a former high school art teacher, vets his plans for aesthetics.
“He doesn’t have to redo things often,” said Robert McCaffety, a local master electrician who occasionally inspects Mr. Phillips’s wiring. “He does everything in a very neat and well thought-out manner.” Describing Huntsville as a “fairly conservative town,” Mr. McCaffety said, “There are people who think his houses are pretty whacked out but, by and large, people support what he does and think it’s beneficial to the community.”
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Michael Stravato for The New York Times
Other materials used in Mr. Phillips’s houses include bull vertebra for decoration. |
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Indeed, city officials worked closely with Mr. Phillips in 2004 to set up a recycled building materials warehouse where builders, demolition crews and building product manufacturers can drop off items rather than throwing them in a landfill. There’s no dumping fee and donations are tax deductible because the materials are used exclusively by charitable groups or for low-income housing.
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Michael Stravato for The New York Times
WHIMSY For the windows on the house, Mr. Phillips used crystal platters and lids of Pyrex bowls, creating a series of playful porthole-like accents. “I’ve been recycling all my life, and it never occurred to me to recycle a door,” said Esther Herklotz, Huntsville’s superintendent of solid waste. “Dan has changed the way we do things around here.” Officials in Houston also consulted with Mr. Phillips before opening a similar warehouse this summer, and other cities, including Bryan, Tex.; Denham Springs, La.; and Indianapolis have contacted him to inquire how to do the same. Phoenix Commotion employs five minimum-wage construction workers but Mr. Phillips also requires the labor of the home’s eventual resident — he tends to favor a poor, single mother because his own father walked out on him and his mother when he was 17, which left them in a tough financial situation. “My only requirement is that they have good credit or no credit but not bad credit,” he said. One of his houses belongs to Gloria Rivera, a cashier at a doughnut shop, who built the home with Mr. Phillips and her teenage son in 2004. Before then, she lived in a rented mobile home. Constructed almost entirely out of salvaged and donated materials, the 600-square-foot wooden house is painted royal blue with various squares of red, maroon and fuchsia tile glued to the mismatched gingerbread trim. Inside, there is imported Tuscan marble on the floor, though the tiles are not of uniform size, and bright yellow stucco walls that Ms. Rivera said she textured using her thumb. “It’s not perfect but it’s mine,” Ms. Rivera said, touching the stucco, which looks like very thick and very messy butter cream frosting. “I call it my doll house.” Phoenix Commotion homes lost to foreclosure have resold to middle-class buyers who appreciate not only their individuality but also their energy efficiency, which is also part of Mr. Phillips’s construction philosophy. Susan Lowery and Alfredo Cerda, who both work for the United States Department of Homeland Security, bought a Phoenix Commotion house after the intended low-income owner couldn’t manage the mortgage. It has mosaics on the walls and counters made of shards of broken tile and cushy flooring made out of wine corks. “My wife likes the house because it doesn’t look like everyone else’s, but, being a guy, what I like is that it has a galvanized metal roof that I’ll never have to replace,” Mr. Cerda said. Mr. Phillips said it bothered him when his low-income housing became “gentrified.” But if it leads to an acceptance of recycled building materials and a shift away from cookie-cutter standardized construction, he said, “I’m O.K. with it.” Although it has a social agenda, Phoenix Commotion is not a nonprofit. “I want to show that you can make money doing this,” Mr. Phillips said. He said he earned enough to live on but he was not getting rich. While he declined to be more specific, he allowed that the business has become more profitable as he has gained construction experience. It now takes six months to build a home rather than the 18 months it took when he started. But Mr. Phillips said his biggest reward was giving less-fortunate people the opportunity to own a home and watching them develop a sense of satisfaction and self-determination in the course of building it. An example is Kristie Stevens, a single mother of two school-age sons who earned a college degree last spring while working part time as a restaurant and catering manager. She has spent the months since graduation hammering away on what will be her home. “If something goes wrong with this house, I won’t have to call someone to fix it because I know where all the wires and pipes are — I can do it myself,” she said. “And if the walls are wonky, it will be my fault but also my pride.”
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Around the Town in A Day With Miami’s Most Vivacious Socialite, Barbara Becker
OPULUXE Lounge Grooves™ PlayList
On the Town with Barbara Becker
For the German-born socialite, actress and model, a day isn’t complete without caviar, wallpaper, Warhols and barbecue ribs.
BY Bill Kearney
Clockwise from top left: Becker (left) shows Sam Robin her latest collection of wallpaper; With Sandee Saunders at Caviar Kaspia; With Saunders at The Webster; With Dorothy Blau in front of Blau’s portrait by Andy Warhol; Chef David Whyko heads the table at Delishe; From left, Saunders, Author Lynn Gallow, Maryel Epps, Becker and Robin at Delishe |
| 2:30 PMBarbara runs around the toy-strewn front yard of her Venetian Causeway colonial in bare feet with the kind of frenetic yet unflappable demeanor of someone who’s used to wrangling children.
She has been back from Russia for 24 hours (there to help artist/designer hubby Arne Quinze scout for an event), the kids are still overseas, and right now we’re off to kibitz with mentor/ interior designer Sam Robin, who was mistaken for Barbara’s mother at her wedding last fall in Germany. Bulldog Rocco and cocker spaniel Diva Baby Girl greet us with Sam, and we’re immediately offered glasses of Blanc de Blancs. Billie Holiday plays on the stereo and the girls discuss Barbara’s latest collection of wallpaper (she’s huge in Germany). Soon the conversation turns to kids and weddings, but they both stop and listen to the music a moment, singing together, “If I should take a notion, to jump into the ocean, ’tain’t nobody’s business if I do.”4:30 PM We hit friend Dorothy Blau’s Bal Harbour condo. Dorothy was the first to bring Andy Warhol’s art to South Florida, and he gave her her signature haircut. Barbara’s in the market for a Christopher Makos. There’s a triptych portrait of Dorothy that Warhol painted in the dining room, and a Jasper Johnsin the kitchen. Dorothy offers white wine and advice about dealing with the death of loved ones, which is pretty much to celebrate that you even knew them. She and Barbara talk art, how to manage expectations and happiness, and set up a meeting between Dorothy and Arne. 6:30 PM We rush into The Webster to catch BFF Sandee Saunders. Barbara goes gaga over Sandee’s Krelwear dress (she must have one), and there’s an impromptu runway strut. After a caviar session with chef Todd Adkins at Kaspia and a quick shopping excursion for a new bag, we’re off to a gal-pal dinner party at Delishe. 8 PM At Delishe, chef David Whyko’s private dining spot on the Upper Eastside, Barbara meets with Kiki Kuhnert, president of Dolphin Aid (Barbara is a spokesperson), photog Iran Issa-Khan, singer Maryel Epps and some other friends for a gourmet soul-food dinner of collard greens, truffled mac and cheese, barbecue baby backs and wings. David’s wife, Author, takes music requests, and before long the girls are up and dancing. When the Temptations’ “My Girl” comes on, they all form a kick line, arm-in-arm, and sing along, but change the lyric to “My Girls.” PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL KEARNEY |
Barbara with her handsome husband Arne Quinzevia [YouTube]
More on Barbara Becker here
Book Review: Chowhounds by Dr. Ernie Ward via [LifeofaBusyMom.com]
Ernie Ward
“Chowhounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter—A Vet’s Plan to Save Their Lives”
About a month ago I was given the opportunity to take a sneak peek at the book, “Chowhounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter—A Vet’s Plan to Save Their Lives” by Ernie Ward D.V.M. Dr. Ernest Ward, DVM, or “Dr. Ernie,” is a practicing veterinarian who is dedicated to helping pets and their humans live healthier lives. He appears regularly on the Rachael Ray Show, and has been featured on Animal Planet, NBC Nightly News, and CNN.
As soon as I read about him, I was interested in seeing what his book was all about. As most of you know, almost six months ago Dinsmore became extremely ill and after a lot of painful appointments, we discovered that he suffers from canine colitis, which is very similar to colitis that humans get. He was on tons of medications, needed lose about five pounds, and his entire diet had to change. Because of the illness, his weight came off quickly (and not all by choice), but for other dogs that have issues, it is not that easy. I mean I can barely lose five pounds so how was I expected to make my 25 dog lose five pounds. We were very lucky with Dinsmore, and he is now on a strict diet regime integrated with activity, and stress management techniques.
via[YouTube]
After reading this book, I became aware of how much I did not know about taking care of my little guy. This book is broken down in an easy to read format that gives you the opportunity to see why your dog could be overweight, and healthy ways to change its life with food, exercise, and gives the owner a greater understanding about your four legged friend.
The book was extremely easy to read, and really opened my eyes about a lot of things. What has stuck with me is chapters he wrote about dog food regulations, and what the different types of food (entree, flavored, etc.) really mean, and my friends it was not as pretty as you think. This book is completely fascinating, and there are even tasty recipe treats for your fur-baby.
I wish I had read this book a lot sooner. It made me reflect on how many things I could have done differently if I had just known. Even though I finished this book a couple weeks ago, I have gone back and checked with it a couple times when talking or looking at things in Dinsmore’s life. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about keeping your pup healthy, I can guarantee you are missing big things. Even when it comes to working out your dog, it explains how animals burn calories, and how to do it in a safe manner, and things you make think are safe really aren’t. Totally interesting right?
Let’s Have A Sex and the City 2 Party!!! via [celebrations.com and huffingtonpost]
OPULUXE Lounge Grooves™ PlayList
via YouTube
Sex and the City 2 Party: Abu Dhabi Style
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By Jeanne Benedict
Celebrations Expert
SATC 2! Decadence in the Desert!
Souk Entrance
- A souk is an open-air Arabic market and more importantly, where Carrie and Aidan (her “what if” guy) meet up by pure coincidence in Abu Dhabi.
- Deck out your own souk as an entrance to the party. Hang lanterns, baskets, and colorful lengths of fabric criss-crossing overhead for a fab flea market feel to get all in the mood.
Scraves and Sparkle Under Canopies
- Purchase or rent white canopies for guests to dine under or as a covering for the food table. I usually go with the E-Z Up brand for events as the height is adjustable and they are simple to set up.
- Drape long scarves or lengths of fabric from the top corners of the canopy down to the ground.
- Dangle strands of crystals from the edge of the canopy and its center if there is an inner-structure where you can hang them securely.
Set a fashion-sexy mood with lots of candles and decorate your table with a batch of bright pink peonies picked up from your local market. Cut the stems short to let the blousy blooms show off. With blossoms this beautiful, any low vase is a fashion do.
The girls head to Morocco in this sequel, so set out a tableful of light bites, such as olives, dates, assorted cheeses and nuts arranged in small bowls. You can also add rice pilaf or couscous with saffron, chicken, beef or lamb kebobs. True foodies, now’s the time to dig out your tangine. I’m happy to just cocktail!
Download the Sex and the City 2 movie soundtrack, sure to get everyone in a flirty mood. I can’t stop playing Alicia Key’s Empire State of Mind and Cee-lo‘s Language of Love. Then, dish about old loves, new ones, and the ones that got away. Most importantly, wear something stunning — shoes to die for, and your favorite dress and accessories. For help here, I always click to see what my fashionista friends are dishing about, Rachel Zoe or Kayln Johnson give a girl a closet full of ideas. Currently I am rocking the wrap dress in white ( thank you DVF), strappy heels and gold aviator glasses, I say, take some liberties, have some fun, and channel your inner Carrie.
With coveted movie tickets in hand, take the party on the road. Dressed to the nines, you and your girlfriends will revel in the spotlight. Carrie & Co. would be proud!
Floor Pillows and Low Dining Table Trays
- Use floor pillows for guests to sit on while dining at low tables.
- To make a low table, place sturdy plastic milk crates on the ground and cover them with fabric or scarves.
- Set a large round tray on top or a wood circle, available at many home improvement stores for standard tabletops.
Couture Champagne Cocktails
The LVMH brand is sponsoring “Sex and the City 2” screenings in 10 to 12 cities around the country and certain venues will be serving up these signature cocktails. Here’s my version of how to make them for your party.Carrie – The Fashionista
- Fill a flute 3/4 of the way with Moet & Chandon Champagne, add a splash of pomegranate juice, and garnish with an organic rose petal; a symbol of Carrie’s romantic side.
Samantha – The Player
- Fill a flute 3/4 of the way with Moet & Chandon Champagne, add a lemon twist, and a sprinkling of minced candied ginger to spice it up Samantha-style.
Charlotte – The Socialite
- Fill a flute 3/4 of the way with Moet & Chandon Champagne, add a splash of elderflower liqueur, and drop in a brown sugar cube for an elegant Charlotte touch.
Miranda – The Bombshell
- Fill a flute 3/4 of the way with Moet & Chandon Champagne, add a splash of fresh tangerine juice and drop a Maraschino cherry in it to give it the bold yet sweet character of Miranda.
Cocktails and photos courtesy of Moet & Chandon, a Sex and the City 2 movie partner.
For more delicously themed SATC cocktails, try:
These stunning champagne cocktails are the perfect pour — colorful, tasty, and stylish party starters. Take two and don’t call him in the morning!
LOVE HANGOVER
Serves 4
2 ounces passion-fruit nectar
2 ounces pineapple juice
1 bottle Brut champagne, chilled
Strawberries for garnish
Combine the chilled juices in a cocktail shaker or small pitcher. Pour juices in champagne flutes to cover the bottom third of each glass. Top with champagne, garnish with berry and serve.
American Casino: a NEW Documentary Expose’ on the Mortgage Industry’s Fraudulent Sub Prime Lending Practices and the Stories of their Victims. via [American Casino film site, Credit Writedowns, and Associated Press]
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American Casino movie trailer from Leslie and Andrew Cockburn on Vimeo.
“American Casino is a powerful and shocking look at the subprime lending scandal. If you want to understand how the US financial system failed and how mortgage companies ripped off the poor, see this film.”
Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize-winning economist
“FASCINATING! A TERRIFIC documentary chronicling the subprime-mortgage mess and the financial collapse of the past two years…
With a rare cohesive power, the Cockburns fill in the lines of connection. They function a little like Raymond Chandler as he traces the corruption that produces, at the end of a long chain of circumstances, the lady in the lake…
The movie is a lucid and comprehensive picture of a rotten system.”
David Denby, The New Yorker
“sensationally effective”
New York Magazine
| “Politicians and the media like to talk about the relationship between Wall Street and Main Street, but investigative journalist Leslie Cockburn’s debut feature gets to the guts of the matter, visiting defectors from Bear Stearns and Standard & Poor’s and other high-level players in the subprime mortgage gamble and, on the flipside, visiting the working-class Americans who were the unwitting chips on the table.”— Tribeca Festival programmers 2009
“It is rare that a documentary director has the privilege to shoot a film that, while in production, becomes the greatest story of our time. The “worst case scenario” of January 2008, when we began work on American Casino, turned into reality in the year that followed. We were able to follow our characters through Wall Street’s collapse, foreclosure, bankruptcy, homelessness. We watched whole neighborhoods ravaged by the subprime meltdown. I have spent much of my career filming in war zones and post apocalyptic societies — Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan. But I never expected such a disaster at home. To be there, with a camera, while it was happening, telling the story, was certainly the highlight of my career.”— Leslie Cockburn, Director via [YouTube] American Casino: How foreclosures breed mosquitoesPosted by Edward Harrison
A number of new films have been produced chronicling the misadventures in America’s residential property markets and financial system. One such story is American Casino I have yet to see the film. However, below is a clip from the filmmakers Andrew and Leslie Cockburn on one unforeseen consequence of the recent financial crisis. Abandoned homes in newer California sub-divisions are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, increasing the threat of West Nile virus via [Credit Writedowns]
A Recent Mortgage Scandal news story: Neighbors: Exec. moved into bank-owned beach home surrendered by Madoff duped couple
The Malibu Colony beach home, third house from left with a dark patio, was last owned by Lawrence and Linda Elins. The home’s value was recorded at $12 million when the property was transferred May 13, 2009, to Wells Fargo Bank. (Kenneth & Gabrielle Adelman / California Coastal Records Project) Wells Fargo & Co. has fired an executive who reportedly partied and stayed at a bank-owned $12 million beach house in the exclusive Malibu Colony, the bank said Monday. Bank spokeswoman Jennifer Langan confirmed that Cheronda Guyton, a senior vice president, was the only employee involved in the alleged violation of company policy. “We deeply regret the activities that have taken place as they do not reflect the conduct we expect of our team members,” the bank said in a statement. A Wells Fargo & Co. executive who oversees foreclosed properties hosted parties and spent long summer weekends in a $12 million Malibu beach house, moving into the home just after it had been surrendered to Wells Fargo to satisfy debts, neighbors said. Neighbors told the Los Angeles Times they saw Guyton’s family at the house and that it was used for at least one party where guests were ferried from a yacht. The previous owners of the beachfront home in Malibu Colony — a densely built stretch of luxury homes that has been a favorite of celebrities over the years — were financially devastated in Bernard Madoff’s massive fraud scheme, real estate agent Irene Dazzan-Palmer said. The couple signed the property over to Wells Fargo last spring, and the bank subsequently denied requests to show the house to prospective buyers, Dazzan-Palmer said. Residents in the gated community told the Los Angeles Times that a woman they believe was Cheronda Guyton took up occupancy at the home in May. Residents said they obtained Guyton’s name from the community’s guards, who had issued her a homeowner’s parking pass. Residents also wrote down the license plate number of a 2007 Volvo sport-utility vehicle they say was parked in the home’s garage. A check of state motor vehicle license plates by the Times found the vehicle was registered to Guyton. Guyton is a Wells Fargo senior vice president responsible for foreclosed commercial properties, resident Phillip Roman said. “It’s outrageous to take over a property like that, not make it available and then put someone from the bank in it,” said Roman, who lives a few homes away from the property. Residents said Guyton, along with her husband and two children, often hosted guests at the home, including a large party the last weekend of August. Malibu Colony is about 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Wells Fargo said in a written statement that it would conduct a thorough investigation of the allegations by neighbors, but said it wouldn’t “discuss specific team member situations/issues for privacy reasons.” Guyton’s home number is unlisted, and attempts to reach her at her Los Angeles office after work hours were unsuccessful. The bank’s agreement with the prior owner required it to keep the home — a 3,800-square-foot, two-story structure built in the early 1990s — off the market for a period of time, Wells Fargo said in the statement. The bank said it planned to list the property for sale soon. |
“I’m Not Britney” starring Ndoema, Directed by Philip Christon via [IMDbPro]
OPULUXE Lounge Grooves™ PlayList
I saw this short film at the 2009 Women of Color Arts & Film (WOCAF) Festival in Atlanta that was presented by Mojisola Sonoiki of Iyalode Productions; and I fell in love with it on the spot. I never get tired of watching it and it never fails to leave me wanting more. The beautiful Ndoema is ferocious and fearless!
Plot Summary for
I’m Not Britney //
Global beauty Ndoema stars in this socially defiant and visually dazzling film boasting sixteen wardrobe changes, eight international leading men, a host of young women spanning five continents and a blistering send-off to Hollywood‘s stereotypical booty-girl syndrome. A masterful blending of art and activism, music video style and spoken word performance, ‘I’m Not Britney’ is a highly stylized visual feast that pushes the boundaries of cinematic language and captures the powerful words of Ndoema’s empowering stance.
via [You Tube]
Added BONUS: Here is a Sneak peek Trailer of THEGLOBALGIRL.COM – The first Fashion, Entertainment and Lifestyle destination for the global generation. Hear what people across the globe are saying about Ndoema’s powerful message.
via [YouTube]
Biography for
Ndoema //
Trade Mark
Big natural hair
TriviaMade her screen debut at age three in a documentary that aired on National French Television.
Is an accomplished fashion designer. Taught fashion at Parsons, New York. Was featured in Variety’s Designing Hollywood Special Issue and produced large-scale multimedia fashion shows sponsored by Japanese cosmetic giant Shiseido, Vespa and Wilhelmina Models.
Graduate of the French National School of Music, Dance and Dramatic Art.
Received her first law degree at the age of nineteen. Has a Bachelors Degree in Law (Université Jean-Monnet, Paris), a Masters Degree in International Law (Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva), a Masters Degree in International Relations (École des Hautes Études Internationales, Paris) and was a PhD candidate in International Law at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland before moving to Hollywood and becoming a producer.
Became temporarily blind at the age of seventeen.
Recipient of Harvard Law School special invitation to conduct research on the interconnectivity of Human Rights, Women’s Rights and AIDS in Africa under the mentorship of Harvard Professor and former Director of the United Nations World Health Organization’s global AIDS program, Prof. Jonathan Mann.
Is raw vegan.
Is a lifelong human rights activist. Did extensive work on behalf of refugee women and children in Africa (Malawi and Mozambique) and was personally responsible for one of the most successful repatriation operations in the history of the United Nations. Also worked as a legal advisor to the Tibetan Government in Exile in Dharamsala, India and authored reports on the activities of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Grew up under house arrest with guards literally stationed in her living room.
World’s only former Parisian catwalk model with two law degrees.
Loves languages. Studied Sanskrit while living in India and started learning ancient Greek at thirteen.
Born in Bangui, capital of Central African Republic and raised between Central African Republic, France, Cameroon and Switzerland. Lived in India, Cameroon, Switzerland, Spain, Malawi, Mozambique, France, Panama, Central African Republic, the UK, Italy and the US.
Also known as The Global Girl.
Has triple citizenship.
