Happy Birthday Barbara "Barbie" Millicent Roberts!

    Today is Barbie's 52nd Birthday.  Check out Barbie through the years.

The first Barbie: 1959:  

Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of Mattel. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors. -Wikipedia

1961 Barbie-Open Road

1964 Miss Barbie

1971 Live Action Barbie

1971 Malibu Barbie

1977 Superstar Barbie

1984 Crystal Barbie

1986 Barbie and the Rockers

1991 All American Barbie

2008 Holiday Barbie



         Barbie's full name is Barbra Millicent Roberts, her parents' names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, WI.  Barbie attended Willows High School, She has an on-off romantic relationship with her boyfriend Ken (Ken Carson), who first appeared in 1961.  In February 2004 Mattel announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up but in February 2006 they were hoping to rekindle their relationship after Ken had a makeover. - Wikipedia

A flashback to our own tribute to Barbie, from our sorority's Barbie and Ken Mixer in college.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBIE!!!

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

 

Today is Mardi Gras also known as Fat Tuesday.  The holiday is said to date back to Medival  Europe, but in the United States, the earliest reference to Mardi Gras "Carnival" appears in a 1781 report to the Spanish colonial governing body. That year, the Perseverance Benevolent & Mutual Aid Association is the first of hundreds of clubs and carnival organizations formed in New Orleans.

     By the late 1830s, New Orleans held street processions of maskers with carriages and horseback to celebrate Mardi Gras. Newspapers began to announce Mardi Gras events in advance.

In 1871, Mardi Gras's second "Krewe" is formed, the Twelfth Night Reveler's, with the first account of Mardi Gras "throws."

    1872 was the year that a group of businessmen invented a King of Carnival -- Rex -- to parade in the first daytime parade. They introduced the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold; the Mardi Gras song, and the Mardi Gras flag.

       In 1873, the first floats were constructed entirely in New Orleans instead of France. In 1875, Governor Warmoth of Louisiana signs the "Mardi Gras Act" making it a legal holiday in Louisiana, which is still is.

Most Mardi Gras Krewes today developed from private social clubs that have restrictive membership policies. Since all of these parade organizations are completely funded by its members, we call it the "Greatest Free Show on Earth!"  - Mardigrasneworleans.com

      Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday,"  Fat Tuesday comes from the fact that it falls the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and it is the last night of celebrations and to feast before Lent begins. 

    I was born on Fat Tuesday, which is why my Mom says I enjoy parties and food so much.  I love all the colors, masks, and costumes associated with Mardi Gras.

The history of Mardi Gras masks goes back to the 1800s when elitist society in New Orleans participated in Mardi Gras events. They would not unmask themselves to cloud them in secrecy.

One of the most popular Mardi Gras recipes in the King Cake.  The cake often has a small plastic baby, inside, and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations (such as buying the cake for the next celebration).

KING CAKE RECIPE

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/2 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cans (12-1/2 ounces each) almond cake and pastry filling
• 
  GLAZE:
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water
• Purple, green and gold colored sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, shortening, sugar, salt, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll one portion into a 16-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Spread almond filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough water to achieve desired consistency. Spread over cooled cakes. Sprinkle with colored sugars. Yield: 2 cakes (12 servings each).  - Tasteofhome.com

ENJOY!

Birthday Weekend Recap

    I had an amazing birthday weekend, I am so lucky I have such amazing friends and family who spoiled me so much.  Saturday night a group of us started the night at our house, ALV made some amazing food, and even made me a dark chocolate brownie cake!

All of the ladies

   Then we were off in a limo for the evening, (a special thanks to Dad ALV), we had so much fun driving around that we kept requesting our driver to drive us around for longer, rather than make any stops.

    They even put Birthday Balloons in the limo

   and Birthday napkins ;)

  We all had a ton of fun.

DFH and I finished the weekend with a lazy sunday and a delicious dinner of Scallops and Pasta

Thank you to everyone for all the Birthday Wishes and for making my Birthday so wonderful and special!!

xoxo

Turning Twenty Seven

    I cannot believe that today this girl is Twenty Seven years old, YIKES!

   As I stated in my previous POST about bangles and costume jewelry, as you can see I was a fan from a young age.

    I was not overly anxious to turn twenty seven, as I am now officially in my late twenties, I convinced myself that your mid-twenties consisted of 24, 25, 26, but there is no way that I can get around the fact that I am now a LATE twenties person, ughhh.  
    I wonder what things will change now that I am in my late twenties.  Is this time in your life when you make the transition from lip gloss to lip stick for daily use??  Do I need to stop watching Teen Mom and other MTV reality TV shows?  Am I too old to lay across the airplane seat and lay down if no one is sitting next to me?  Do I need to stop calling my mom just to tell her that I am sick, knowing that she will tell me to get oranges and OJ and drink plenty of fluids?

   Well for now I don't plan on making any major changes, and I am excited to see what this birth year brings?

Stuffed Cabbage Recipe

   Lately this winter DFH and I have loved making recipes in the slow cooker.  It is so convenient to throw all the ingredients in the pot in the morning, and then when you come home, your dinner is ready.  This past week we made Stuffed Cabbage, which was amazing, and I wanted to share the recipe.

Stuffed Cabbage

• 12 large cabbage leaves
• 1 lb. lean ground beef   ( We substituted ground turkey for a healthier option)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. chopped onion
• 1 c. cooked rice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce  ( We added 1 and 1/2 jars).
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

Place cabbage leaves in boiling water for 3 minutes, until wilted somewhat; drain. Combine beef, egg, milk, onion, cooked rice and seasonings; mix well. Place 1/4 cup meat mixture into cabbage leaves. Roll and put into slow cooker/Crock Pot (fasten with toothpicks if desired). Combine tomato sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over leaves.  Cook on low 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
Serves 6.

The stuffed cabbage when rolled and placed in the slow cooker

Delicious!

     This recipe was pulled from an ancient Crockpot cookbook called Crockery Cookery, my mom gave me from the seventies, which was written by this lady:  Mable Hoffman

    Just goes to show that recipes more than 35 years old never go out of style ( unlike Mable).

The Help....THE MOVIE!!!!

  I just heard that they are making the novel, The Help by Kathryn Stockett a movie!!!!  I am so excited I already have August 12, 2011 marked in my planner for the release date.  The Help was not only my favorite book from 2010, but it was probably one of my favorite books of all time.   I highly recommend it if you have not yet read it. 

    Emma Stone will be playing the role of Skeeter, which in my opinion fits her perfectly. 

Here are some sneak preview pictures:

Emma Stone as "Skeeter"

Skeeter with Elizabeth Leefolt and Hilly Holbrook

Aibileen and Minny

FUN FACT: The author, Kathryn Stockett's friend from childhood, Tate Taylor, introduced Ms. Stockett to Octavia Spencer while she was researching The Help and Octavia became the inspiration for the character Minny.  Octavia plays Minny in the movie as well.

The Author Kathryn Stockett also makes a guest appearance in the movie with a beehive hair-do.

Storyline:
Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives -- and a small Mississippi town -- upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly -- and unwillingly -- caught up in the changing times.- IMDB
   

    This is Kathryn Stockett's first book, fingers crossed she creates a sequel, I have heard otherwise, but I had so many questions at the end of the book.  Did anyone else feel like a sequel is necessary?

  On Ms. Stockett's website she  lists the recipe for the delicious Caramel Cake Icing which is mentioned in The Help


Never Fail Creamy Caramel Icing

2 1/2 c. sugar
1 slightly beaten egg
1 stick of butter
3/4 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
Melt 1/2 cup of sugar in iron skillet slowly, until brown and runny. Mix egg, butter, remaining sugar, and milk in a saucepan and cook over a low flame until butter melts. Turn the heat up to medium and add the browned sugar. Cook until it reaches the soft ball stage or until mixture leaves sides of pan. This takes about 10 minutes. Remove from fire, let cool slightly, and add vanilla. Beat until right consistency to spread. If it gets too thick add a little cream. This will ice a 2 layer cake.
     Reprinted by permission from The Junior League of Memphis, Inc. from “The Memphis Cookbook” © 1952; recipe submitted by Mrs. Phil Thornton, J


  I will most definitely be making this recipe in anticipation of the movie debut...Soo excited, who is coming with me on opening night?

J.Crew is Always in Good Company

  I may be a bit late on this, but it was not until today that I realized just how many great companies J.Crew has teamed up with and is now selling.  This brings J.Crew to a whole new level, almost like a preppy-esque department store..I love it.

Barbour Town and Country Wellington Boots

Corgi Nautical Pattern Socks

Ebbet's Ball Caps- I am not familiar with this brand, but I love the vintage logos...Note to Self: start wearing more hats.

Converse Sneakers-  I love the distressed look on these

New Balance for J.Crew- These sneakers were staples in college, I love the colors they have created for J.Crew.

Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses

Sperry Topsiders - not to mention in amazing colors, which would match perfectly with some of J.Crews  Bermuda or Chino shorts which also come in a variety of vibrant colors.

Lemlem- I am also not familiar with this designer, but they have adorable stuff.

Essie

They have even teamed up with Madewell who has a great spring collection.  Right now you cannot get Madewell on the J.Crew website, but J.Crew is offering 20% off and free shipping on all madewell.com order until March 8, 2011.  Just type in this code:    MWDTFWYFT  Here is more of Madewell's spring collection


J.Crew also carries so many other great brands...check them out HERE