Tuesday Tastings: Birthday Food/ Renaissance Faire

My birthday was this past Sunday. I've been really busy with school and actually got to take the weekend off!

We had various yummy food options both days and I'm going to post some of them here. That's how yummy they were.

Saturday we attended the Renaissance Faire in Irwindale, California.

Melody Mondays: Album Review: Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

First Album

We're big fans of the Fleet Foxes and were completely hung up on their first album, Fleet Foxes. Their title album featured songs that were satiated with harmonious pleasantries and seemed to tie together with a sort of ethereal beauty. The tracks flowed perfectly into each other.

The cover art of Fleet Foxes features a piece by Flemish Renaissance painter, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. As his art was renown for putting focus on nature and capturing a story through landscape, the Fleet Foxes produced an album that captures that very spirit. It is a combination of simple elliptical lyrics, beautiful and enchanting melodic harmonies and serene instrumentation. That echo effect used on Robin Pecknold's already commanding voice truly enlarges his presence and transports the listener to simpler times. Perhaps a field of thick trees on some remote mountain. The album is very magical in that sense.

Initial Reaction

My initial reaction to learning that the Fleet Foxes' newest album would be titled Helplessness Blues, instantly brought J. Tillman to mind. J. Tillman, the drummer of the Fleet Foxes released an album titled Vacilando Territory Blues in 2009 . His solo work features vocals that are packed with a string of bitter sweet emotions. There are definitely a lot of blues going around. Two of the songs in this album are even titled James Blues and New Imperial Grand Blues. I don't want to digress too much but while I'm on the topic, Vacilando Territory Blues is a great album and deserves more recognition.

Helplessness Blues

The newest album takes a big departure from its predecessor. Overall, I observed that the lyrics in Helplessness Blues are much more literal. While the harmonies that made the first album so beautiful aren't completely absent, they appear less and are sparse throughout. Robin's vocals have become much more prevalent, becoming a focal point in the album and we do hear much less from the rest of the members. Robin's voice in particular is presented with less of the echo effect used to create their earlier work.

This time around, instrument solos have become more commonplace. Their presence is frequent and add on to the songs. It's a nice change. Moreover, some differing instruments that weren't heard in the first album share in on center stage at times. Bedouin Dress is an example of this, also featuring an ambiance deeply rooted in English folk music. Their seventh track, The Cascades is devoid of vocals altogether and places heavy emphasis on the guitar. It helps to create a very soothing and enchanting composition that perfectly encompasses the natural and chaotic forces of nature.

Something that stood out to me was that the tenth track, The Shrine / An Argument is initially vaguely reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair. This later changes as the eight minute song takes some interesting turns. It gets a bit odd near the end for a bit.

The fifth track, The Plains / Bitter Dancer has a little something that reminds me the most of the last album.

Stand out tracks

I deeply enjoyed every track on the album. Some of tracks that stood out to me are Montezuma, Sim Sala Bim, Battery Kinzie and Helplessness Blues. I have to say though, Blue Spotted Tail remains my favorite because I've had a long time to get myself acquainted with it. Blue Spotted Tail was played and recorded on BBC some time ago. I've really grown accustomed to listening to the live rendition and was in for a surprise when I heard the recorded version. It is a very simple tune with soft vocals. Though I was initially dubious, I was soon won over. The execution goes hand in hand with the song's purposelessly fated message, reinforcing it and giving it more meaning. Blue Spotted Tail hits a somber note in its questioning of why everything is ill-fated and destined to end. I find it very existentialist in both approach and lyric.

Overall Impressions

Overall the album shows the Fleet Foxes maturing. There is still magic to be had in this album compared to the first album, however, it is a different sort of magic.

We always look foreword to hearing more from the Fleet Foxes.

Fashion Friday: Say Yes to the Dress

So, it seems that everybody around us is infected with royal wedding fever.

Somehow, Bever and I are not as affected but with all of the speculation regarding the details of Catherine Middleton's wedding dress, we got to thinking of all of our favorite wedding dresses worn by famous brides and gathered them.

We included fictional characters and as well as living people.

We love that all of these brides wore dresses that reflected their personal style.

Here are famous brides who looked gorgeous on their wedding day.

First, the fictional characters:

Padme Amidala, Star Wars

portrayed by Natalie Portman

Sophie Sheridan, Mamma Mia! (2008)

portrayed by Amanda Seyfried

Jennifer Cavaleri, Love Story (1970)

portrayed by Ali MacGraw

Juliet Capulet, Love of a Lifetime spread in Vogue (December 2008)

portrayed by Coco Rocha

Living People:

Mimi Farina

Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

Dolores Guinness

Audrey Hepburn

Pattie Boyd

Linda McCartney

Bianca Jagger

Milla Jovovich

Marilyn Monroe

Jackie O.

Princess Grace Kelly

Tuesday Tastings: Quick & Easy Appetizers

Today, Los Angeles Pierce College's radio station KPCRadio.com celebrated one year of broadcasting. Mel is the Communications Director of KPCRadio.com and for the first anniversary she was designated the task of providing appetizers for guests.

We tried to accomplish this feat hoping to find simple yet inexpensive recipes.

After resorting to a few quick searches on the web we decided on making deviled eggs, individual jello cups, a scallion spread for crackers, a platter of croissant sandwiches, sparkling lemonade and purchased a vegetable platter.

The sparkling lemonade combined sparkling apple cider, club soda, lemonade concentrate, slices of lemonade and ice.

Water crackers with a spread are an easy option. Mel chopped scallions and mixed them into cream cheese. We found that after a couple hours of refrigeration the scallion flavor set into the cream cheese and the spread was more flavorful. This was quite good and really simple with just two ingredients!

We boiled eggs, sliced them in half, took out the yellow middle and mixed it in a bowl with a few other ingredients. Not very difficult to make at all.

Jello is definitely one of the most inexpensive desserts one could make. It really doesn't require much work. You just let it sit in the refrigerator.

We made the jello in disposable cups in order to avoid a messy situation and also strive for a tasteful presentation.

Funny thing is, we had never made jello. We learned quickly through trial and error. Initially, we made a sheet of blue colored jello hoping to create flower cutouts with a cookie cutter. This did not turn out at all as planned. The flowers immediately fell apart.

In hopes of creating something presentable we cut strawberries and attempted to shape them into flowers. We were able to achieve this. It took three layers of the same flavored jello for the strawberries to set (if you completely cover the pieces, they will float to the top and you won't have a flower).

In order to have the strawberries in the center of the cup we poured a layer of jello that filled about half of the cup. After that solidified, about 3 hours later we put the cut strawberry pieces in the cups and poured enough jello to partly cover the strawberries. We let that second layer solidify. Later, we were able to add a third and final layer that completely covered the strawberries.

The cups were topped off with whipped cream.

Music Monday: Save The Last Dance For Me

Love is in the air!

In lieu of the upcoming royal wedding it seems only befitting for me to create a list of songs that are perfect options for a newlywed couple's first dance and of course commemorate love!

This week, I compiled a list of lovey dovey songs bound to give anyone a tooth ache. Many of the songs are not entirely conventional, however their messages of relationships, life, and love are sure to bring anyone over.

It's probably a bit obvious that I'm a sucker for boy bands from the 90s.

1. A Whole New World by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga

2. Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows

3. All I Want Is You by Barry Louis Polisar

4. All My Life by KC & JoJo

5. All You Need Is Love by The Beatles

6. Amazed by Lonestar

7. And I Love Her by The Beatles

8. Angel by Shaggy

9. Annie’s Song by John Denver

10. Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches

11. As Long As You Love Me by Backstreet Boys

12. Baby I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton

13. Baby I Need Your Lovin by The Four Tops

14. Beauty And The Beast by Angela Lansbury

15. Because Of You by 98 Degrees

16. Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion

17. Besame Mucho by Andrea Bocelli

18. Big Escape by Pearly Gate Music

19. Bless The Broken Road by Rascall Flats

20. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison

21. Bubbly by Colbie Caillat

22. Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka

23. Can’t Fight This Feeling by Reo Speedwagon

24. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

25. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

26. Crazier by Taylor Swift

27. Dream A Little Dream Of Me by

28. Dreams by The Cranberries

29. Earth Angel by The Penguins

30. Eight Days A Week by The Beatles

31. Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

32. Everlong by Foo Fighters

33. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police

34. First Day Of My Life by Bright Eyes

35. Flowers In The Window by Travis

36. Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra

37. For You I Will by Teddy Geiger

38. Forever by Chris Brown

39. Forever And For Always by Shania Twain

40. God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You by NSYNC

41. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

42. Hallelujah by Lenard Cohen

43. Hanging On A Moment by Lifehouse

44. Happy Together by The Turtles

45. Heaven by Bryan Adams

46. Hero by Enrique Iglesias

47. Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

48. Hooked On A Feeling by B. J. Thomas

49. How Can I Tell You by Cat Stevens

50. How The Day Sounds by Greg Laswell

51. I Do (Cherish You) by 98 Degrees

52. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith

53. I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher

54. I’m Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & the Waves

55. Say Hey (I Love You) [feat. Cherine Anderson] by Michael Franti & Spearhead

56. I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles

57. I’ll Be by Edwin McCain

58. I’ll Never Find Another You by The Seekers

59. I’ll Stand By You by The Pretenders

60. I’m A Believer by The Monkees

61. I’m Yours by Jason Mraz

62. (I’ve Had The) Time of My Life by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

63. Inamorata by Dean Martin

64. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

65. Islands In The Stream by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton

66. It Takes Two by Donny & Marie

67. Jungle Drum by Emiliana Toririni

68. Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars

69. Kick In The Head by Dean Martin

70. Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer

71. Kiss The Girl by Samuel E. Wright

72. L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole

73. Lean On Me by Al Green

74. Let It Be Me by The Everly Brothers

75. Lookin For Love by Johnny Lee

76. Lovebug by Jonas Brothers

77. Love Grows Wild by Dierks Bently

78. Love Song by the Cure

79. Love Story by Taylor Swift

80. Lovers Concerto by The Toys

81. Lucky by Jason Mraz

82. Mine by Taylor Swift

83. Moon River by Andy Williams

84. More Than A Woman by Bee Gees

85. My Girl by The Temptations

86. My Love Will Follow You by Dierks Bentley

87. Naturally by Selena Gomez & The Scene

88. Never Had Nobody Like You by M. Ward feat. Zooey Deschanel

89. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da by The Beatles

90. Only Fools Rush In by Elvis Presley

91. Only Hope by Mandy Moore

92. Only You by The Platters

93. Pop Rocks And Coke By Green Day

94. Put Your Head On My Shoulder by The Platters

95. Redundant by Green Day

96. Sea Of Love by Cat Power

97. She’s Always A Woman by Billy Joel

98. She’s So High by Tal Bachman

99. Sheila by Tommy Roe

100. So This Is Love by Woods and Mike Douglas

101. Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond

102. Such Great Heights by Iron and Wine

103. Sugar Sugar by The Archies

104. Sunshine After The Rain by 98 Degrees

105. Susanne by Weezer

106. Sweeter Than This by Katie Herzig

107. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

108. That Changes Everything by John Michael Montgomery

109. The One by Backstreet Boys

110. The Only Exception by Paramore

111. The Story by Brandi Carlile

112. The Tree by Blitzen Trapper feat. Alela Diane

113. The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

114. The Way I Loved You by Taylor Swift

115. This I Promise You by NSYNC

116. Till I Kissed You by The Everly Brothers

117. Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper

118. Top Of The World by The Carpenters

119. True by Ryan Cabrera

120. True Colors by Phil Collins

121. Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden

122. Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers

123. Unforgettable by Nat King Cole

124. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!

125. We Belong Together by Gavin Degraw

126. When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge

127. When I’m With You by Best Coast

128. Wherever You Will Go by The Calling

129. White Turquoise by Jonathan Wilson

130. Wonderwall by Oasis

131. Would You Go With Me by Josh Turner

132. You And Me by Lifehouse

133. You Are The Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne

134. (You Drive Me) Crazy by Britney Spears

135. You’ll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins

136. You’re Still The One by Shania Twain

137. You’re the Inspiration by Chicago

138. You’ve Got A Friend by James Taylor

139. Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn, & John

140. Your Man by Josh Turner

141. Your Song by Elton John

Tuesday Tastings: Elementary My Dear

I few weeks back, we volunteered to work the polls for the city elections. It was a pretty uneventful day. I hadn't eaten breakfast in the morning, before heading out because I'm usually never up so early. Though I wasn't in a foul mood because I made a quick morning coffee run, I wasn't the best company.

The elections took place in the auditorium of a local elementary school. I'd never even heard of the school prior to election day.

As teacher's began to pour in and breakfast was being prepared for the students in the adjoining cafeteria, our team began deliberating what we would eat.

It was a topic of great interest to each of us.

The cafeteria workers then informed us that we could purchase food from the cafeteria. Though this may seem very strange, we became completely thrilled at this notion.

We purchased our breakfast and honestly couldn't be any happier. The cardboard food tray, plastic cereal bowls, mini milk cartons, and juice boxes brought us a whiff of nostalgia. LAUSD cafeteria food is notorious for being repulsive but I hadn't eaten school food since my days in Middle School.

I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my breakfast.

When breakfast was over, we counted down the minutes until lunch was ready. As far as school food, our lunch did not disappoint. The broccoli was severely dry and flavorless, the packaged grapes were apparently not edible, the burger buns were stiff as a board and the chicken patty was nice and bland. I couldn't be happier.

The hot sauce was exactly as I remembered it. Amazing!

With all this said, I definitely would not want to eat this on a daily basis, however, it was nice to hit up memory lane.

I was remise however, for not having been given a spork, napkin and straw packet.

Pop Art

As mentioned in an earlier post, I created a pop art piece in accordance to Danto's modern day approach to defining art.

Pop art in part refers to conventional American imagery found in popular culture which stipulates consumer items as manipulative, powerful, and symbolic. These items are subsequently embedded with power that affect entire lifestyles and patterns of mere human routine.

Artists of this style, put an emphasis on objects that have been mass produced in our modern day society. By this, the artist demonstrates the impact these simple items have on our lives.

The following are additional pop art pieces created by classmates around the same time I made my own:

My pop art

LACMA: One Of My Favorite Places On Earth

"I can't get enough of Chris Burden's Urban Light exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art [LACMA]. The installation features 202 cast-iron vintage 1920s streetlights collected mostly from all over L.A., and it feels like a forest of light that is leading you to a temple. I love how it reflects the life of the city, while at the same time capturing the idea of the museum as a temple of art, culture, and enlightenment. And LACMA gets bonus points for having the streetlights be powered by solar energy."

—Arianna Huffington, pundit and co-founder, The Huffington Post

5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile; 323-857-6000

Melody Mondays: The Cowboy In Me

I find that people who claim to be open to all musical genres, end up saying something like "I listen to a little bit of everything. Oh, except for country."

A lot of people I know have a tendency of largely dismissing country music. Why?

Although Mel and I have a preference for indie music and oldies, we are partial to all types of music in varying degrees. I listen to anything from punk to classical, to anything that gets stuck in my head (however annoying it may be) and am pretty fond of country.

This fondness evolved over a span of several years, back when my elder brother was living in Northern California. I spent a lot of time there and eventually acquired the love of country that he had developed.

One of my favorite albums to date is John Michael Montgomery's, "Letters From Home". Initially, I was hooked to the tittle song, however, after listening to the entire album, I loved everything about it. The tittle song, "Letters From Home" is a heartfelt song describing a soldier away at war whose letters from loved ones keep him going on. It's bitter sweat really, but very beautiful.

Though my favorite song in the album tends to fluctuate, depending on the stage in my life, as of now my favorite is "Good Ground". "Good Ground" is a beautiful song about building a home and growing up.

The album has great continuity but at the same time has diverse themes.

This album is honestly a precious jewel among jewels. It rings powerful and true to human experiences. Something like this is difficult to find these days.

Montgomery's voice is pretty great and very manly if I do say so myself.

Fashion Friday: Oh Gucci Bag...

Who doesn't surf the web when they really should be working on something else?

I frequently get distracted from studying or just get plain bored and can't keep my mind on my coursework. Obviously, not a good thing.

Recently, during one of my sidetracks, when I should have been doing an assignment, I found love.

Among a hefty number of bags I was viewing, I came upon this Gucci 'handmade' large top handle bag with woven web detail! Once I laid my eyes on it, I knew that it was the one. It was love at first sight. Seriously, it was a bells chiming/string quartet symphony playing worthy moment.

Where do I begin? This bag has a classic look. When I look at it, I instantly recall Princess Grace Kelly and the famous Hermes Kelly bag named in her honor. The belt and lock closure complete with a leather key holder and tag are very much a la Kelly. This most definitely sets off the classic timeless look. Unlike the iconic Kelly bag, this Gucci bag has double handles more reminiscent of the Hermes Birkin bag. That's just the beginning.

The bag gains it's overall immediate inspiration from a distant bohemian ambiance. This is what makes me love it even more. The bag was created utilizing dark brown hand-stained leather along with antique gold hardware. This gives it a wonderful rustic look. Just the way I like it! The interior contains a beautiful suede lining and its double handles are hand woven with a 3.5" drop. The woven web detail is gorgeous and greatly adds onto the bohemian vibe.

This arm accessory says, "That girl's got expensive taste."

The color is exquisite, the size is ideal, the look is classic chic, it screams bohemian; and that's why I love it oh so much!

At $5300, the price tag is pretty steep but hey, a girl can dream.

It is remarkable how these drastically differing styles are blended together in complete unison and complement each other in such a perfectly harmonious manner. The proof can be seen below:

Oh, Gucci bag, you're more than anything I thought I ever wanted in a bag.

I wish you the best & hope you are happy with someone else.

Tuesday Tastings: Top 10 Favorite Chocolates

Several of these chocolates that can be purchased in Grocery Markets and taste pretty amazing!

1. Perugina Baci

I first tried these when I was at a gas station somewhere between Rome and Florence on recommendation of an Italian woman. I'm not sure if this is true but according to this woman, when I man wants to propose to a woman he presents her with Baci.

"Baci" means kiss in Italian. These small pieces come wrapped in either a box, tube, or bag of various sizes. Once opened, each piece contains a multilingual love note.

What other chocolate tells you of love?

Besides having adorable packaging they are extremely delicious! They are made of dark chocolate with hazelnut filling and each contain a whole hazelnut.

I have a soft spot for hazelnuts.

These can be difficult to come around but I find that they are usually stocked at Cost Plus World Market.

2. Godiva Hazelnut Praline Truffle

I worked at Godiva for a short term and during that time I got very much acquainted with their chocolate which is pretty spectacular. While they do carry various excellent truffles, I have to say that this is the best one.

These are traditional Belgian praline truffles made of milk chocolate and coated in bits of toffee-coated hazelnut pieces. These can be pricey at $48 a pound but are definitely worth it.

3. Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher may be a bit cliche but that doesn't stop it from being delicious. There's something so simple yet genius about these small pieces of heaven. I'm not the biggest fan of milk chocolate but every time I bite into a Ferrero Rocher, I am forced to reconsider.

Perhaps it once was the food of the gods and is now being enjoyed by us mere mortals.

4. Milka Milk Chocolate Confection With Hazelnuts

I remember a high school friend once telling me that she loved Milka and she really wanted a bar but couldn't find it anywhere. Sometime later I stumbled upon Milka while I was shopping at Cost Plus World Market.

Milka makes several different bars and after trying most of them I concluded that this was the best one. This Milka chocolate bar is made of smooth German alpine chocolate with hazelnuts throughout.

Nowadays these bars can be found in practically any market. It's pretty amazing stuff.

5. Ritter Sport, Milk Chocolate With Whole Hazelnuts

Ritter Sport makes so many different kinds of chocolate bars and while I haven't gotten around to trying them all, this is my personal favorite as of yet.

This Ritter bar is made of German milk chocolate with whole roasted hazelnuts.

Put simply it's, "quality in a square."

6. Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit Chocolate

I ended up trying this bar when I was on a Target run, they didn't have the whole hazelnut Ritter Sport bars in stock so, I decided to buy this one as an alternative.

I was skeptical at first but the woman paying ahead of me at the cash register told me that it was amazing and that I had to get it. She said she used to eat them sporadically while she was pregnant. Since she insisted I had to try them, I did.

Needless to say, she did not let me down.

This Ritter bar is basically a wonderful butter biscuit covered in milk chocolate. Yum!

7. Godiva Dark Chocolate Truffle Gems

I got around to trying these while working at Godiva. These gems were some of my favorite Godiva pieces because of their sheer simplicity and amazing taste! The truffles come individually wrapped and are made of dark chocolate with a creamy dark chocolate ganache filling. Sheer genius.

8. Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate

My brothers brought Mel and I heaps of Milka bars (contained in cute cow cases) when they returned from their ventures in Kosovo. I must say that this alpine milk chocolate is divine.

9. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses With Almonds

Kisses are so plain and ordinary but that's no reason to count them out, they remain a small bundle of joy. While I do not eat them frequently, when I do, I love leaving the kiss in my mouth until it melts. The almond is an added bonus.

Ah. Plain deliciousness.

10. Twix

I'm still not too sure if this is the right choice but the number 10 spot goes to Twix. For the sake of not having another chocolate piece with hazelnuts, I've opted for Twix.

While Twix isn't necessarily the chocolate bar that I always reach out and grab right before paying at the cash register, it is pretty good.

I'm not even the biggest fan of caramel but there's something about the crunchy combination of chocolate, caramel, and a biscuit that always gets to me.