Hangover Cures…

This past weekend’s wedding saw me drinking one too many glasses of wine.  I had a wonderful night and even felt fine when I woke up the next morning.  But a little after noon, as I ordered brunch with friends, the inevitable hangover finally decided to rear its ugly head!!

Do you have a tried and true method to cure (or at least alleviate) a hangover?  Usually my process to feel like a human being again involves eating something full of carbs, drinking classic Coca-Cola and popping some headache medicine.

As it’s the weekend again I’m thinking there may be a better way to solve my next hangover (hopefully sometime very far in the future)!  Here are what Delivery.com rates as the Top 10 Hangover Cures (found via One Wed):

10- Cucumbers – No doubt the eyes need some major TLC to de-puff…

9- Ice pack – Applying a cold compress works wonders on a throbbing head.

8- Tomato Juice – If you can’t stomach the “hair of the dog” with a Bloody Mary, then tomato juice contains sugar to help break down the alcohol in your stomach.

7- Coffee with Lemon – Lemon juice alleviates nausea and the caffeine helps shrink blood vessels that cause that pounding headache…

6- Crackers with honey – This naturally flushes the system to rid your body of alcohol fast!

5- Peppermints – Kills two birds with one stone by freshening breath and helps stop a churning stomach …

4- Gatorade – Dehydration is a major cause of a hangover; give your system a hydrating boost and replenish electrolytes with your fav flavor…

3- Bananas or better yet, banana milkshake – Bananas helps calm the stomach and the milk soothes the stomach and re-hydrates your system.

2- Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich – The greasier, the better to soak up all those celebratory tequila shots and eggs help re-hydrate…

1- Advil – make it Extra Strength – no explanation needed…

Or maybe I can try one of these hangover staples from around the globe:

…Better yet, I probably shouldn’t drink so much wine in the future!!!  Everything in moderation!

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Drooling over Jewelry…

I’m a tad bit obsessed with jewelry…shiny, sparkly, colorful earrings, necklaces, bracelets & rings!  How gorgeous are these lust-worthy pieces from the Etsy shop Friedasophie…and the best part is their price tag isn’t too outrageous!

…Check out the Friedasophie shop on Etsy for many more stunning pieces.  It’s hard to choose just one to buy!

Happy shopping…

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Sweet Land…

“Let us hope that we are all preceded in this world by a love story.”

~from Don Snyder’s “Of Time and Memory”

With that lovely quote begins the beautifully moving film Sweet Land.  I’m not sure how this movie made it onto my Netflix list…but I’m so happy it did.  It is one of those perfect films with characters that are rich & full of depth, genuine acting, breath-taking cinematography, and a love story that feels real & authentic.  The fact that this movie was set & filmed in Minnesota only completes the love story for me.

Here is how the film’s website describes the synopsis:

“Sweet Land is a poignant and lyrical celebration of land, love, and the American immigrant experience.

When Lars Torvik’s grandmother Inge dies in 2004, he is faced with a decision – sell the family farm on which she lived since 1920, or cling to the legacy of the land. Seeking advice, he turns to the memory of Inge and the stories that she had passed on to him.

Inge (Elizabeth Reaser) arrives in Minnesota in 1920 to marry a young Norwegian farmer named Olaf (Tim Guinee) but her German heritage and lack of official immigration papers makes her an object of suspicion in the small town, and she and Olaf are forbidden to marry. Alone and adrift, Inge goes to live with the family of Olaf’s friend and neighbor Frandsen (Alan Cumming) and his wife Brownie (Alex Kingston), where she learns the English language, American ways, and a hard-won independence.

Inge and Olaf slowly come to know each other, and against the backdrop of endless farmland and cathedral skies they fall in love, a man and woman united by the elemental forces of nature. Still unable to marry, they live together openly, despite the scorn of the neighbors and the disapproval of the local minister. But when his friend Frandsen’s farm is threatened by foreclosure, Olaf takes a stand, and the community unites around the young couple, finally accepting Inge as one of their own.

Based on Will Weaver’s short story A Gravestone Made of Wheat and shot on location in Southern Minnesota, Sweet Land is that rare independent feature that uses painterly images and understated performances to tell a universal story of love and discovery. David Tumblety’s glorious magic-hour cinematography recalls classic American art cinema like Days of Heaven, transforming the amber majesty of Southern Minnesota’s farm country into an elegiac metaphor for memory, family, and history.

Featuring supporting performances by veteran performers Ned Beatty, Paul Sand, and Lois Smith, Sweet Land is the story of immigrant America, made by the son of first-generation immigrants themselves.”

Happy Watching…

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Tuesday Inspiration…

{Print by Seb Lester via Keep Calm Gallery}

{Image via Whats Worth Living For}

{Image by Hijiri K. Shepherd via Poolga}

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Coffee Talk…

{Ms. Linda Richman aka Mike Myers via NY Daily News}

Remember Mike Myers hilarious SNL skit Coffee Talk with Linda Richman?  Oh the memories…I’m starting to get “a little verklempt!”

My favorite line was…

“Ralph Fiennes is spelled neither rafe nor fines. Discuss.”

If you need a laugh this Monday morning, may I suggest a little Coffee Talk!

{Madonna & Roseanne join in on the fun}

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Dance, dance, dance…

“On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet.”

~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage

There is a wedding this weekend in which you will find me on the dance floor…sweaty, tipsy, flailing about with un-coordinated arms & legs and a huge smile plastered on my face!  I’m not a dancer, far from…but some occasions call for it.  And when surrounded by those that I love, music blasting and a cocktail in hand…you best believe that even I will join in!

“We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” 

~Japanese Proverb

“Nobody cares if you can’t dance well.  Just get up and dance.” 

~Dave Barry

 

“There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.” 

~Vicki Baum

“To dance is to be out of yourself.  Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.” 

~Agnes De Mille

…Hope you get a chance to dance this weekend…or do whatever makes you feel “larger, more beautiful, more powerful!”

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SYTYCD…

Let me preface this by saying I don’t have cable…only a plain old antenna which serves me just fine.  Usually I only watch television on Sundays…with the crazy juxtaposition of Football during the day and Masterpiece on PBS at night.

This is not to say I don’t watch television shows, because thanks to Netflix I can watch back-to-back seasons of shows that intrigue me.   But in the summertime I put my Netflix account on hold as I more often than not am outside enjoying the weather.

I’m so happy that last night I broke the mold and turned on the “Boob Tube” just as Sasha & Twitch performed an incredible routine on So You Think You Can Dance.  I have never watched this show before…but I might be a convert after that amazing performance…WOW!

Choreographed by Christopher Scott and set to the music of Dorothy Moore’s 1976 R&B classic “Misty Blue” …Sasha & Twitch performed a lyrical hip hop piece filled with such longing, passion & sexual frustration that I still get shivers thinking about it now!

Watch a clip of this incredible dance routine…and you may be a convert too!!

Happy watching…and dancing!

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Carnitas Tacos…

{Photographs courtesy of Andrea at Bella Eats}

I collect recipes from friends, family, websites, blogs, magazines, the newspaper…just about anywhere I can find them.  I’m a recipe hoarder!

Once in hand, I take the time to categorize each recipe precisely in large binders with colorful dividers & folders.  And that’s where they stay, collecting dust…

Oh how I wish that I cooked more, but alas I’m inexperienced & impatient in the kitchen.  Tending to want instant gratification…I go with frozen meals way too often.

I keep up the illusion that one day I will indeed be a good cook and use all of these recipes I have stashed away.  But I’m beginning to think that this dream will never come to fruition unless I start cooking soon!

Looking at these mouthwatering photographs & delicious recipe from Andrea’s lovely blog Bella Eats I feel like I could start.  After all it includes a slow-cooker…friend to inexperienced & time-strapped cooks everywhere!

Slow-Cooked Carnitas

serves 8 (about 32 small tacos)

Ingredients:

• (1) 6 pound bone-in pork butt (also called pork shoulder)
• 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 8 whole cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 chipotle peppers (canned, in adobo sauce)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup orange juice

Method:

1. Trim the excess fat from the meat and discard.  Place all ingredients in your slow-cooker and set to LOW.  Cook for 8 hours.  Meat is done when it literally falls off of the bone. When it is cool enough to handle, lift the meat from the juices and place on a large platter or cutting board. Remove the bone and shred the meat to bite-size pieces.
2. Skim the fat from the juices and keep as a medium for re-heating the meat.  To reheat, place carnitas in a baking dish and pour juices over top. Cover with foil and re-heat in oven.  The juices are also really delicious as a sauce over the carnitas.  It will be spicier than the meat itself, so be careful to taste-test.
3. For tacos, serve with small corn tortillas, sour cream, lime, avocado, fresh salsa, and queso fresco.

Yum, yum, yum!  Can’t wait to try this out!  Check out Andrea’s blog for more on these tacos & many, many more delectable recipes.

Happy cooking & eating…

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What Ifs…

Do you ever get the “What ifs…” or feel like “I could’ve, should’ve, would’ve?”  Sometimes it can be such a delicate, fine line between reminiscing & regretting.

This poem seems to eloquently describe that line…

Summer Storm

We stood on the rented patio
While the party went on inside.
You knew the groom from college.
I was a friend of the bride.

We hugged the brownstone wall behind us
To keep our dress clothes dry
And watched the sudden summer storm
Floodlit against the sky.

The rain was like a waterfall
Of brilliant beaded light,
Cool and silent as the stars
The storm hid from the night.

To my surprise, you took my arm–
A gesture you didn’t explain–
And we spoke in whispers, as if we two
Might imitate the rain.

Then suddenly the storm receded
As swiftly as it came.
The doors behind us opened up.
The hostess called your name.

I watched you merge into the group,
Aloof and yet polite.
We didn’t speak another word
Except to say goodnight.

Why does that evening’s memory
Return with this night’s storm–
A party twenty years ago,
Its disappointments warm?

There are so many might have beens,
What ifs that won’t stay buried,
Other cities, other jobs,
Strangers we might have married.

And memory insists on pining
For places it never went,
As if life would be happier
Just by being different.

~ from Interrogations at Noon by Dana Gioia

{Photograph by Eddie Brazil}

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West Side Story…

This past weekend felt like Minnesota had transformed into a sweat lodge.  And apparently this week’s forecast won’t see any relief.  The air is so heavy & thick with humidity that the only way to enjoy being outside is to be immersed in water.

Growing up if there were days like this I could be found inside, curled up beside the television watching movies…and not just any movies, but old-school musicals.

My mother is an elementary school music teacher & every summer she would bring home her vast collection of musicals (VCR of course)!  And one by one I would watch & re-watch all of them—Oklahoma!, The King & I, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, The Sound of Music…and so many more.

By far my favorite was West Side Story…I loved the music & costumes, had a crush on Tony and wanted to look like Maria (played by the gorgeous Natalie Wood).  But a familiar panic always set in every time the “Rumble” scene started.

I wanted to jump into the screen and beg the Sharks & Jets to stop before it was too late.  Don’t they know what’s going to happen?!?  “Please Bernardo…drop the knife!”  “Oh Riff…listen to Tony, don’t run back into the fight!”

 

But of course the outcome doesn’t change and you’re left with a lump in your throat as the final credits roll.  That lump returned on Sunday when I saw Broadway’s West Side Story at the Orpheum Theater here in Minneapolis.

 

It was not the best or even most entertaining live musical I have seen.  And I wasn’t totally thrilled by the vocals of some of the actors.  But regardless it was the same powerful & heart rendering storyline, touching songs and affecting characters I had grown to love as a child.

I felt a bit like my younger self relishing in the vibrant colors & music, while trying hard not to sing along to “America” and “I Feel Pretty”—transported until I almost forgot about the inevitable outcome.  But it comes no matter how hard I will the characters to change…”Put the gun down Chino!”

 

West Side Story continues to be a compelling & relevant musical today…fifty years after the film was made—and I imagine it always will be.

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