Archive | November, 2017

Stylin’ With Detroit Legs

29 Nov

These Detroit leggings are silky, sexy and fabulous. There’s the perfect amount of spandex for a jog, a walk or hot yoga. Yes, they are made in the U.S.A. by skinnytees.

The creative force behind skinnytees is Linda Schlesinger. I’ve known Linda for years, and her creative, fashionable spirit is boundless. And she has a personal and entrepreneurial story that’s compelling. Her messy divorce left her impoverished and depressed, but she overcame her obstacles.

Writer and blogger Suzy Farbman relates how Schlesinger scores and soars with skinnytees. Read it here.

Linda relied on her fashion experience to reinvent herself with skinnytees. Years ago she started out with a children’s boutique and then designed knitwear. Skinnytees began with a simple tank top for women of all sizes. Today there are more than 120 colors and 60 plus styles including tanks, tees, skirts, leggings, etc.

These Detroit leggings are a Motown collage featuring city icons. From the main streets of Woodward to 8 Mile, from the tourist attractions of the Motown Museum and Greenfield Village to the Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel to Canada, these themed leggings are fashionable, stylish and active- wear friendly.

A bonus is that all the profits from the Detroit has Legs collection will benefit the nonprofit Cass Community Social Services, to help support their projects with food, housing, health services and job programs in the metro Detroit area. (Yep, let’s add philanthropic spirit to Linda’s character traits.)

Detroit Has Legs is the first of many themed clothing lines expected from the brand.

I can’t wait for more. Paris, New York? Or maybe Nashville, Palm Beach or Silicon Valley!

 

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Smitten with a Book in the Kitchen

8 Nov

 

Deb Perelman is multi-talented. She’s a blogger, author, chef, photographer, mother and wife. I discovered her through her blog smittenkitchen. Her second cookbook is Smitten Kitchen Every Day ($35, Alfred A. Knopf), with easy recipes that can fit into a busy life. Or as the subtitle says, “triumphant and unfussy.”

All the recipes look yummy, and of course, Perelman was the photographer. From the sticky toffee waffles to the pizza bean bake (recipe below) to the peach melba popsicles, many recipes are kid- friendly. For the veggie lovers, the succulent salads and the 18 vegetarian main courses are delightful.

Perelman is as amazing as her book. Here is a list of the cities for her book tour. I wonder, can she sing or dance?

Pizza Beans / Tomato and Gigante Bean Bake

I like to think of this as a vegetable-rich (but not overwhelming, should you be trying to entice the hesitant) baked ziti where the ziti is replaced by giant beans. I used Royal Corona beans from Rancho Gordo but you might find large white beans such as these sold as fagioli corona or gigante/gigandes bean at an Italian or Greek grocery store. Regular-sized white beans will work too, they just have a less distinctive and dramatic texture. While it’s good solo, we often serve this with garlic bread for extra luxury. It reheats well from the fridge or freezer. For a meaty variation, brown some fresh sweet or spicy Italian sausages (about 3/4 pound or 340 grams) with the vegetables.
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 large or 2 regular carrots, diced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white or red wine (optional)
  • 4 ounces (115 grams) curly kale leaves, chopped or torn
  • 2 1/4 cups (550 grams) crushed tomatoes (28-ounce or 800-gram can minus 1 cup; reserve the rest for another use)
  • 1 pound (455 grams) cooked firm-tender giant white beans
  • Up to 3/4 cup (175 ml) vegetable broth
  • 1/2 pound (225 grams) mozzarella, coarsely grated
  • 1/3 cup (35 grams) grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons (5 grams) roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Prepare the beans and vegetables: Heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a 2 1/2-to-3-quart (ideally oven-safe) deep sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the onion, celery, and carrots.Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Cook, sautéing, until the vegetables brown lightly, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine, if using, to scrape up any stuck bits, then simmer until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed, then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the beans, and, if the mixture looks too dry or thick (canned tomatoes range quite a bit in juiciness), add up to 3/4 cup broth, 1/4 cup at a time. Simmer the mixture together over medium for about 10 minutes, adjusting the seasonings as needed.

If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. If it is, well, carry on.

Bake: Sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top. If you’re impatient and want a deeper color, you can run it under the broiler. Finish with parsley, if desired.

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