Fifi Lapin

After spending every spare moment reading her adorbs blog, I've decided to introduce you all to an established fashion icon in her own right for the past 4 or 5 years: Fifi Lapin.
I've included the link into the title so if she makes you squeal like me, feel free to click and see some more of her fabulous bunny self ("lapin" is French for "rabbit").
So far, these are just a teensy amount of the darling designer outfits she wears. What's funny is that her cute wardrobe has inspired me in some ways to spruce up my own (I'm on a very tight budget, as money is coming in small amounts to my purse), namely to buy a few yellow accessories. I have a feeling it will be a good statement color to add to my Spring/Summer clothes and fun to wear when the weather gets drab this upcoming rainy Autumn.
Another one of my absolute favorites! To those of you who know me personally, I'm positive you could picture me wearing this library-chic dress -- ha!

Postscript: Of course, none of these drawings are mine! They are all Fifi Lapin's.

Sour Girl

She turned away, what was she looking at?

She was a sour girl the day that she met me

Hey, what are you looking at?

She was a happy girl the day that she left me

She turned away, what was she looking at?

She was a sour girl the day that she met me

Hey, what are you looking at?

She was a happy girl when she left me

What would you do?

What would you do if I followed you?

What would you do, I follow?

Don't turn away, what are you looking at?

He was so happy on the day that he met her

Say, what are you looking at?

I was a Superman but looks are deceiving

The roller coaster ride's a lonely one

I'd pay the ransom note to stop it from steaming

Hey, what are you looking at?

She was a teenage girl when she met me

What would you do?

What would you do if I followed you?

What would you do, I follow?

The girl got reasons

They all got reasons

What would you do?

What would you do if I followed you?

What would you do, I follow?

Hey, what are you looking at?

She was a happy girl the day that she left me

The day that she left me

The day that she left me

She was a happy girl the day that she left me

The day that she left me

The day that she left me

She was a sour girl the day that she met me

Lemon Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes

Lemon Broccoli

(from November 2011 issue of InStyle magazine)

3 large heads broccoli, cut into spears

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

Garnish: lemon wedges (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

2. Add broccoli and blanch for 2 minutes.

3. Remove broccoli and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking.

4. In separate pan, melt butter and add almonds, sautéing over medium heat until lightly browned (about 5 minutes).

5. Transfer almonds to a plate and wipe down pan with a kitchen towel. Add olive oil and sauté garlic until fragrant Add broccoli and stir. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt; cook 1 minute more.

6. Remove to a warm dish; garnish with almonds and lemon wedges.

The almonds look like this right when you need to take them off the stove.

My suggestion to make this recipe easier: measure and prep everything while bringing the water to a boil. Trying to get the ingredients ready while you're browning the almonds will just lead you to burn the almonds :(

Olive-Oil Mashed Potatoes

(from http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/09/olivepotatoes)

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2-in chunks

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Cover potatoes with cold water in a pot and add 2 tsp salt. Boil, partially covered, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

2. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain potatoes.

3. Heat oil in pot over medium heat and remove from heat. Force potatoes through ricer into oil in pot. Stir in cooking water, 1/2 tsp pepper, and salt to taste.

I don't have a potato ricer, but I do have this handy masher!

These potatoes will most likely taste bland but I really liked them. I wanted a different taste and to use an alternative as opposed to butter. Perfect for a rainy day when you need some comfort food.

Avocado, Fava, & Quinoa Salad

First off, quinoa is pronounced "keen-wah". Secondly, my picture is not as pretty as the one in the magazine.

I found this recipe in the February 2012 issue of InStyle magazine but it's originally from Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Cook 1 cup quinoa and rinse under cold water; let dry. Blanch 1 lb. frozen shelled fava beans (or edamame) in boiling water for 6 minutes. Segment 2 lemons into a bowl, squeezing in juice from the membranes and from a third lemon. Toss in 2 thinly sliced avocados. Add quinoa, beans, 2 minced garlic cloves, a large handful of thinly sliced radishes, finely chopped basil, 1 tbsp ground cumin (with its nutty, peppery flavor), 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 tsp chili flakes, and salt and pepper. Toss gently. Garnish with more finely chopped basil.

So what I did to make this recipe easier for me, was to follow all the microwave instructions for the quinoa and edamame (pronounced "ed-uh-mommy") beans. The frozen package of beans ended up only being about 1/2 to 2/3 cup which is fine by me, because honestly, I think they're very plain and boring. I did also omit the radishes because I don't care for their taste either and then I just used dried basil instead of fresh. See, I like cooking that doesn't involve too much work, lets me improvise, and is healthy yet doesn't taste like grass.

And in case you might be a bit confused about where to purchase edamame and quinoa, I found the edamame in small, individual packets at Costco and I found the quinoa at a health food store (which ended up selling more per volume and at a cheaper price than the regular grocery store).

Overall, I really liked this dish but it did take me a while to prepare everything so make this on a lazy day. Try to pair this with chicken or white fish, such as cod, and eat it on a hot day because it's perfect for summer.

Hamsa

After a lengthy hibernation, I've decided to come back.. I always do!

Anyways, onto the hamsa:

I've always had this thing about wanting to attract good luck (who doesn't) and wondering if charms really worked or if it had something to do with reminding one to make wise decisions just by seeing it. Also, I just really like looking at jewelry. What?

The hamsa caught my eye because it is definitely different than the other jewelry pieces I've been seeing lately. Of course I had to look into it! Some research led me to learn that the hamsa is a symbol of protection and defense against the evil eye most commonly seen in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Specifically, the charm (or amulet, if you will) is the right hand but with two thumbs and sometimes has the evil eye in the center of the palm. The hamsa is also used in Jewish tradition, Levantine Christianity (but under a different name), and frequently by Muslims. This was just a teensy bit of information I found about the hamsa, not to mention all the jewelry floating around online; gold and silver necklaces and bracelets, some with diamonds and some with rhinestones, multi-colored, etc.

All in all, I'm keeping my eye out for the perfect hamsa necklace to add to my collection.