June 2010

Do Good This July Fourth & Toast the Troops!

June 30, 2010 at 5:18 pm, by Khalil Hymore

Today’s post is from guest blogger and cracker-jack LHJ intern Kelsey Mirando:

What better time to support patriotic non-profits like the USO than Fourth of July weekend? In the midst of fun in the sun and fireworks ooh’s and aah’s, fire up your grills and clink glasses for a cause. Famed New Orleans chef and former US Marine John Besh is teaming up with Bacardi USA and the USO to celebrate our troops with the “60 Second Cocktails” program.

“60 Seconds Cocktails” features several quick and easy drink recipes perfect for these sweltering summer months. Having created some of his first recipes while serving abroad, Besh developed scrumptious-sounding grilling dishes that complement the cocktails.

Bacardi has committed to donate $75,000 to the USO, and we can increase the total donation amount by a quick click! Visit the “60 Second Cocktails” Facebook fan page, featuring the program recipe book. Each time a new fan “likes” the page, Bacardi will increase its donation to the USO by $1!

These two recipes would surely earn rave reviews at any poolside gathering this Independence Day:

Grilled Chicken Breast with Tequila Lime Glaze

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
2-3 teaspoons sambal chili paste
3 tablespoons Tequila CAZADORES Reposado
6 boneless chicken breasts
1 lime, zested

Combine wine vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, garlic, sambal, and tequila into a food processor and puree for a moment or so with 1/2 cup water.  Do not worry about straining the sauce. Reserve about 1 cup of sauce. Marinate chicken breast in remaining glaze for 20 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and grill on a preheated grill over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Top with grated lemon zest and serve with a side the glaze. Serves 6

Margarita

3 parts Tequila CAZADORES Reposado
2 parts premium triple sec
1 part fresh lime juice

Serve blended with or over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

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This Stuff Works: Yogitoes Sweatless Towel

June 30, 2010 at 3:14 pm, by jbrown

Considering how hot and humid it is already, I’m pondering taking this towel with me wherever I go this summer. Yogitoes new ultra-absorbent towel is designed to help you stay dry during Bikram yoga (aka hot yoga) sessions—which are held in 105-degree classrooms—but it’s a brilliant buy for any exerciser (or for anyone who just plain sweats a lot.) I’ve brought it with me to my woefully under-air conditioned gym several times now and it performs as promised. It wicks the sweat off your skin instantly, and the towel itself dries out quickly and doesn’t reek…seriously, I got several uses out of it before I had to wash it. Grab one of these $14 gems for yourself here and stay dry this summer.

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Tips For Cool Summer Cocktails

June 29, 2010 at 3:02 pm, by Rachel Shippy

Do you need a cocktail crash course? Use these tips from Eben Klemm, the mixologist at Dos Caminos to add some spirit to your next summer soiree.

• Using the normal ice-to-alcohol ratio, freeze orange juice and lemonade in ice cube trays to keep drinks from becoming watered down. (Frozen flavor anyone?)

• Freezing coffee in ice cube trays is also a fun technique for an alcoholic after-dinner drink or a brunch cocktail. Mix with Kahlua and charge up as you cool down!

• To incorporate fresh fruit into your cocktail, puree fruit with a little sugar and citrus juice to taste before serving as a bellini-style mixer (or freezing fruit puree in ice cube trays). Strawberries, blueberries and mangos all make tasty purees to add to your drinks.

• Or try this toast-worthy cocktail recipe from Eben:

The Big Bright
In an empty cocktail shaker, muddle:

3 spoonfuls of turbinado sugar, such as Sugar In The Raw
3 sprigs of mint
3 lime wedges

Then add:
2 oz pisco
1 oz prickly pear puree

Fill to the top with ice and shake. Strain, pour into a glass with ice and garnish with mint. Bottoms up!

Photo courtesy of sugarintheraw.com

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Do Good: Click to Raise Cash for Kids’ Cancer

June 29, 2010 at 2:39 pm, by Beth Roehrig

Here’s proof positive that everyone has time to do good. Glad is donating $5 for every person that clicks “like” on their Facebook Glad to Give page before the end of the month. (That means there’s less than 2 days left for them to reach their goal of $100,000!) It literally takes 30 seconds to log in and “like” the page, and that money will go straight to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a charity that helps raise awareness and fund research for pediatric cancers.

To raise even more money, you can hold a Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sale in your area. All you have to do is sign up online, and follow the simple steps. The organization’s website even sells bake sale supply kits, starting at $25, which include stickers, bags, and twist ties to package up all of your yummy baked goods. So whether you have 30 seconds or a weekend to give, this worthy cause could use your support.

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Behind the Scenes of Breakfast At Tiffany’s

June 28, 2010 at 5:28 pm, by Lisa M. Gerry

Audrey Hepburn has always epitomized glamour and sophistication, but in her role as Holly Golightly she was more than that—she was a symbol of social change. In his fascinating new book, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, Sammy Wasson explores Hepburn’s role in the impending sexual revolution, and offers delicious behind-the-scenes tidbits from the making of the 1961 classic.

When did you first see Breakfast at Tiffany’s?
Oh my God. I must have been no more than ten or eleven years old.  But, it only really became significant to me in when I was in high school…when I started falling in love, getting depressed and then ecstatic—at that point, it really made a mark.

The film has a tremendous fashion legacy.
I think it grows more and more as the movie ages. At the time, it was surprising. Now we’ve come to see the little black dress as a grown up style for women, but it wasn’t so clear at the time.

I was amazed to find out that they had originally wanted Marilyn Monroe to play Holly Golightly, but they couldn’t get her.
I would bet if Marilyn Monroe had that part, we would not love the movie the way we do now. Marilyn Monroe was the old kind of sexual power, while Audrey was the new. She was a woman that wasn’t trading on her overt sexual appeal.

Read more

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How Safe is Your Home?

June 28, 2010 at 3:23 pm, by Beth Roehrig

OK, I know June is almost over (how’d that happen?) but I couldn’t let it go by without a nod to Home Safety Month. I was shocked to learn from a National Center for Healthy Housing survey that 67% of respondents admit to living in a home with at least one major health risk. That includes a full 29% that haven’t yet installed a carbon monoxide detector. If you’re one of those people, please go buy them now. You can find them at any home center, or even right here on Amazon, where they start at just $17.

Now that summer is here, there are additional risks around the house, from open swimming pools to barbecue grills. Here’s a quick refresher on pool safety from the Home Safety Council:

• Install a 5-foot high fence that goes all the way around your pool or spa. The gate should close and latch by itself—never prop the gate open.

• Always have an adult supervise children who are in or near a pool. At a pool party, have grownups take turns watching the kids.

• Never swim alone—that goes for adults, too.

• Learn First Aid and CPR, and make sure anyone else who cares for your children learns them as well.

• Keep poolside rescue equipment and a water-resistant phone near the pool area.

• The pump in your pool creates powerful suction at the drain that can trap a swimmer. Teach kids to stay away from drains, grates, and filters. The drain should have a cover, but for added protection you can buy a safety guard that installs over the drain.

• Stay out of the pool during severe weather and thunderstorms. Read more

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Be In LHJ: Calling All Difference-Makers!

June 28, 2010 at 9:19 am, by Amanda Wolfe

Do you make a difference in your community, or know a woman who does? Maybe she started a local charity organization. Or she finds the time in her busy life to volunteer for a cause that’s close to her heart. We’re looking for these amazing women for our Difference-Makers Contest!

Nominate your difference-making lady today and she could be featured in an upcoming issue of Ladies’ Home Journal and on Better!

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