2014 Sochi Winter Olympics - Sporting Styles

2014 Team USA opening ceremony
Clothing by Ralph Lauren

2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are just around the corner, Feb 6-23. Love the Olympics, such admiration goes out to all those athletes. My gosh, the total dedication & commitment these athletes have for the love of their sport is just incredible! A few months ago I was in Salt Lake City, doing my little work out in the hotel gym. I never pay attention to anyone in the gym, I just get in my own zone. While in my zone, doing my warm up on the elliptical, out of the corner of my eye, I thought "Damn, he has some seriously huge calves & quads"! Then, I thought "Geez, wish I had her muscled up ass"! This chick quickly got out of her workout zone, looked around and there it was a gym full of athletes all muscled & chiseled, not your typical peeps you find in hotel gyms! This chick was feeling total gym intimidation! After talking to one of them, they were in Salt Lake City area for 2014 Winter Olympic Speed Skating trials.! Athletes from all over the world, Japan, Italy, and good ol' USA to name a few. Whether it is the speed skaters sprinting across the ice for the fastest time, snowboarders doing tricks and acrobatic type maneuvers in the half-pipe event, or figure skaters attempting the most difficult quadruple jump-no doubt these are hard core athletes competing for the love of their country and the love of their game!

Let's talk Olympic fashion! Ralph Lauren has designed the USA Olympic Opening Ceremony uniforms, keeping up with an All-American style. Uniforms are 100% made in USA!! You can buy these Ralph Lauren 2014 Olympic Team USA fashions on their website @Ralphlauren.com. This is so cool, 100% of purchase price of the opening ceremony cardigan will be donated to the USA Olympic Committee!

2014 Team Norway Curling Team

Really takes confident men to pull this look off (the above pic). Team Norway's Curling team is
known for their way out fashion sense. Besides their red, white, & blue crazy zig zag suit (supposedly paying tribute to Norway's flag), they'll also be wearing black, flowery print pants. This chick has
really never understood curling that sweeping a stone across the ice, but for sure I will watch Olympic Curling just to see these handsome Scandanavian men in their way out fashion!

H&M for the Sweds

The Sweds will be wearing apparel designed by H&M. The Swedish team will definitely be seen on the slopes with this fast fashion, high-performance line!
And of course, the French will go to the 2014 Winter Olympics in French style. Team France will be looking chic in apparel designed by Lacoste.
Several designers are getting inspirations from the Olympics. Greg Armas' womenswear, The Assembly SS2014 Collection, was inspired by the 2014 Winter Olympics. Color theme was grays, blacks, and whites with pops neon, red, & other brights. Perfect womenswear for the athlete on the go!

This chick is loving the winter Olympic styles.
This chick is definitely loving the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics- Go team USA!

Super Bowl Party Food

Well it's almost here, Sunday Feb. 2, Super Bowl XLVIII ( Super Bowl 48), Seattle Seahawks against those Denver Broncos! They're going to play for that National title, at Brrrr the open air MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (such the Jersey / NY argument because stadium is home to NY Jets & NY Giants)
Super Bowl Sunday is a fun partying day, full of all day noshing! No calorie counting today, for real!!! You can see what this chick is talking bout when you see this Denver Broncos Brownie, sooo sinfully chocolatey rich, with fun sprinklings of M&M's on top, popping out a little blue& orange (Broncos colors). Another recipe, this chick came up with Seattle Seahawks Spicy Wings, so easy and no frying mess like most wing recipes! Both of these recipes are so easy, takes the stress out of hosting a Super Bowl Party!

Seattle Seahawks Spicy Wings

1- 4lb. Bag of  chicken wings
2 pkg. onion soup mix
1/2 c. Soy Sauce  ( I used low sodium)
1 c. Lemon juice
1 c. Dark corn syrup
1/2 c. Sriracha Sauce
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Prep is done the night before.
Like to rinse off chicken wings, pat dry with paper towel, & set to side. In a bowl, mix up rest of ingredients. Pour some of the marinate in another bowl, enough for coating wings, can add more if  needed. Toss wings in marinate to coat heavily. Cover & marinate overnight. Cover & refrigerate
remaining marinade to use later
Preheat oven 400. Place the wings in a single layer on a large
 cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Pour some of the marinade on top of each wing, make sure each wing has some sauce on it. DON'T use all the marinade because you need more for basting later on. Put wings in oven, don't cover, Bake 25 min. Take out of oven,  keeping wings on the pan, drain off the majority of all that liquid in the pan. Turn the wings. Now with the reserved marinade, baste wings heavily, & put bake in oven. Bake 15-20 more minutes. Take out of oven, turn on broiler, when heated up, put those wings under the broiler to brown up a little, about 3-4 min, don't burn! Put these babies on a platter, and they are ready to serve.
These wings have a little spice kick & such great flavor, no need to cover it up with a creamy dipping sauce. The only dipping sauce this chick is serving with her wings, is setting out a bottle of Sriracha Sauce, for those who want to bring on more heat!

     

Love, Love Sriracha Sauce! That's a whole other blog! Make sure you get the bottle with a rooster on it, usually can be found in the Asian food aisle.

Denver Broncos Brownies

These brownies are so insanely rich. Love the chunky topping, it's a real man's dessert real rugged like!
So easy peasy, can be made day before just cover up so they don't get dry.

1 box Ghiradelli - Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
1 box Ghiradelli - Double Chocolate Brownie Mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 stick + 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. salted peanuts (not dry roasted), coarsely chopped
1 c. Peanut Butter M&M's
1 c. Peanut M&M's

Preheat oven 325. Generously grease 13x9 baking dish.

Coarely chop Peanut M&M's. Basically just chop them in half, be careful they are slippery suckers when you try to chop them (can do this days in advance & put in a ziploc baggie till ready to use). Set aside.
In a large bowl, put in brownie mixes, then add everything except all M&M's and peanuts. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Pour into greased baking dish. Now sprinkle on the salted peanuts, next sprinkle on Peanut Butter M&M's, and lastly those chunks of Peanut M&M's. Bake about 45-50 min. Don't overbake. Wait till completely cooled to cut. Enjoy- Love the saltiness of the peanuts with the sweet chocolate!

This chick is loving the Super Bowl Party food!

























            Denver Broncos Brownies

Orange Lipstick! Wear it Now!

This chick is obsessing over the orange lipstick! Don't wait for spring - wear it now! Orange lipstick is so bright and sexy. It's been seen on runways and red carpets, pushing those red lips to the side. Just about everybody can wear this fun, tantalizing orange lipstick. An orange lipstick with peachy, coral tones compliment fair complexions. Dark complexions can be daring and wear that neon orange, but the orange with red hues are more complimentary. Don't forget the lip liner, choose one that matches your shade of lipstick.Wear blush lightly and keep it similar to the shade of the lipstick, or wear a bronzer. For all you girls out there that really want to rock neon orange, love it, tone down your make-up, make those lips be the crowd stoppers! Here's some great orange lipsticks to try- MAC - Lady Danger & Morange; Nars - Heat Wave; Revlon Super Lustrous - Carnival; Maybelline's Sensational Vivids - Electric Orange.
No doubt, everyone will be obsessing over orange lipstick!
This chick loves her orange lipstick!

2014 Nail Trends

Nude Polish Trend

 2014 really has some great new nail trends for everyone's since of style. Anywhere from neutral nudes, milky whites, & sheer pinks to jewel encrusted. Nail shapes were this chick's fave- short, filed slightly oval all the way to "stiletto", long & pointy nails. Love the nude nails they are modern & can just go with anything you are wearing. Make sure the nude polish matches close to your skin tone.
During 2014 Spring Fashion Week Helmut Lang models had short nails topped with Essie's Sugar Daddy, a sheer pink. Models for Nanette Lepore strutted runway with short nails that were polished with Essie's Blanc, a classic white base coat. Some other great neutral polishes - Essie's Allure & Fed Up, OPI- Don't Pretzel My Buttons, Butter London - Pink Ribbon, and Maybelline's Colour Show Nudes Collection - Bare It All.

Half Moon Mani

 Half moon mani's were also seen at spring fashion week. Polishing the entire nail with a color then painting that little natural half moon shape that we all have on our nails. Some possible combinations of nail polishes that were trending are polishing nails with Butter London Sheer Nude Nail Foundation, then fill half moons with Butter London's Lady Muck. A reversal on the French manicure, OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons and fill half moon with OPI Alpine Snow.
A twist on the so out dated French mani ( the sheer nail & white nail strip across top), is to paint the entire nail a color then apply a thin slice of a contrasting polish on top edge of nail. Love the application of Essie's Lilacism, an opaque lilac shade, on nail then just a thin little strip on top of nail in Essie's Sand Tropez, a sandy taupe like shade.
Metallic's are popular for Spring too! Nicole Miller's models sported metallic nails with ombre effect nails. Butter London's 444 polish applied to nail, then a tip of a black glitter shade, Butter London's - The Black Knight, was applied then blended to create an ombre effect.
Spring wouldn't be Spring without the pastel shades, trendy colors from pinks to pale yellows. Also popping are a few vivids including orange. Keep nail art simple with stripes & checks Butter London's - Molly Coddled , is their take on 2014 Pantone's Color of the Year.
And lastly the "stiletto" nails! This chick is not a fan of these long pointy nails, but hey, everyone's styles are different! The "stiletto" nails were seen with neutral polishes, then tiny rhinestones placed on nails as dots or triangular shapes, or even a metallic stripe painted on them.
Just about all of these can be found at +Ulta.com
This chick loves the 2014 Spring Nail Trends!

Peter Pilotto for Target

Feb. 9 the Peter Pilotto spring womenswear collection will land in Target stores! The Peter Pilotto label is the brainchild of two London based designers- Peter Pilotto & Christopher De Vos. Peter focuses on the textiles and these crazy prints. De Vos is all about the silhouette and the drape of the garment. Peter Pilotto for Target will feature about 70 pieces of their womenswear, accessories, and swimwear. They've done a terrific job in keeping their price points so affordable - $14.99 - $79.99. An assortment of Peter Pilotto clothing will be available on net-a-porter.com, a premier luxury online retailer that reaches international audiences.

Peter Pilotto's spring collection color palette are greens, blues, reds, and oranges. They have some really vibrant digital prints that are bursting with floral patterns. Pretty cray-cray, but pretty fun! They are hoping to reach a big audience from 15 yr old girls - 75 yr. old women! This chick has never tried on or wore any Peter Pilotto clothing, but excited to try. Their fit is suppose to be amazing. They understand a woman's body, and drape things where we need them draped, and make the silhouette to flatter our body! Some celebs are Peter Pilotto followers- Kate Bosworth, Miranda Kerr, Sienna Miller, Kristen Stewart, Kerry Washington, and Emma Watson.
This chick already loves Peter Pilotto for Target!

Egg on Pizza!

Four Seasons Pizza
1913 Restaurant and Wine Bar

2014 is suppose to be "The Year of the Egg"! Eggs are not just for breakfast anymore. Eggs are going to be popping up everywhere - on burgers, pasta, and pizzas.
This chick is all about checking out new restaurants, and heard there was a new restaurant that opened a few weeks ago, 1913 Restaurant & Wine Bar. 1913 is located outside Chicago in Roselle,IL (just a short train ride away from Chicago). 1913 offers small plates, fresh to the table authentic Country European fare inspired by French and Italian cuisine. Hearing about the whole "Year of the Egg" thing, thought I'd try their Four Seasons pizza, which had egg as one of the ingredients. The Four Seasons Pizza had prosciutto, tomatoes, spinach, artichokes, mozzarella and yes, egg. This pizza was delicious!! When the server brought the pizza to the table he took a spoon and smeared the yolk of the soft cooked egg around the center of the pizza. The creaminess of the egg just intensified the flavor of the pizza. I know, sounds really weird, but it was so good! Also tried the housemade ricotta served with a fresh honeycomb & rustic croutes, and roasted wild mushrooms on grilled polenta both were really yummy! The few glasses of Chianti were delightful too! One more little rave about this restaurant - the gelato- OMG to die for!!! The assortment- chocolate, salted carmel, and pistachio - rich, creamy & amazingly delicious, just as good as gelato that this chick had in Italy!
Can't wait to go back and try some other tantalizing dishes. You can check out their menu @1913roselle.com

Crazy to say, but this chick loves egg on pizza!!

Zgallerie

If you are familiar with Zgallerie, you can understand this chick's obsession with it. If you're not familiar with them you truly need to check them out. Zgallerie has an interesting story behind the chain's success. 3 siblings started a poster shop in CA in 1979, and did the framing in their parents garage. Now they have 57 locations & an online store! Zgallerie is a combination of stylish, traditional and contemporary designs. They have lots & lots for your home - art, home decor, unique florals, furniture, and more. If you have never been into one of their stores - you need to, it gets your inspiration flowing- great displays, love their eclectic mixture with a little modern twist. As you can see from the pics their traditional mixed with pops of metallic & contemporary designs. This chick gets so inspired just walking into Zgallerie! Do check out their website +Z Gallerie , make sure you hit the inspiration tab, it has beautiful room designs. Gives you great ideas for your home.

Zgallerie has really unique pieces of furniture. The pic on the left is their great Sequoia Console table. This gold leafed (also comes in silver) console table brings a natural looking element into your home. Keyword is "looking" because it is molded resin, but still very cool. It's very similar to the Phillips Collection, a high end global/contemporary furniture company.
This chick loves Zgallerie!

Accessorize with Metallic

Decorating with metallic accessories are so popular and is a great way to bring just a little touch of luxe into your home. If you are thinking you have a room that just seems a little boring, pop a metallic accessory piece into that room & see what a difference it makes. The warm metallic colors like gold & bronze are great this season and can be used in almost any decorating styles.Silver metallic is still popular. Brass is even making a comeback.Decorating with metallic is trendy this year, but we've seen metallic accessories for awhile, but this chick loves it!
This chick found these great jute-metallic placemats (pic above on left) at TJ Maxx. This chick has a confession "I am a Maxinesta"- Love TJ Maxx and their Home Goods stores. Great finds & great prices!! Love these placemats- the jute brings in the natural look, and the silver metallic zig zag designs brings in that pop of luxe that I was wanting in my little kitchen eating area. The set of 4 were $19.95- great price, right? Love the look it brings my reclaimed wood kitchen table- added with the bronze & black pedestal vase gives this little kitchen area the pop it so needed. So just remember decorating with metallics are not just for holiday decorating, it's here, it's now, and for almost any decor.
This chick loves accessorizing with metallics!

Radiant Orchid Accent Pillows

Radiant Orchid Accent Pillows

This chick made another stop by Tuesday Morning yesterday (forgetting about the whole Spode dish mission) looking for some home accents to update one of my bedrooms. While walking through the accent pillow aisle, something caught my eye. What in the world- Radiant Orchid accent pillows! Yes, Radiant Orchid the big buzz, Pantones 2014 color of the year. Radiant Orchid, just as the flower has nice hues of fuchsia, purple with some pink undertones. Such an intriguing color of purple. Bring this happy color into your home with some fun accent pillows(like the pic above) or some fun little accessories. If you really want to make a statement with Radiant Orchid - paint a cool piece of furniture( like a chair, accent table, or little cabinet)- how fun would that be? If you are thinking "what on earth other colors can I put with this funky purple color (Radiant Orchid)? You can pair Radiant Orchid with olive green, turquoise and light yellow. It sure brightens up neutrals like gray(Pantone Paloma), beige (Pantones Sand), or taupe. The cute geometric Tuesday Morning accent
pillows, has the Radiant Orchid color, Olive green, & little pops of light pink (Like Pantones Barely
 Pink) on a neutral background, and  they were only $9.99! Radiant Orchid is being used in the home, and in fashion. Several designers including Juicy Couture is bringing in this color in their spring
collections.
Some other top 2014 Pantone that will be used in the home and seen on the runway is Dazzling Blue, Violet Tulip, Celosia Orange, Freesia, Placid Blue, and Hemlock.
Can't forget to mention the great rug (also found @Tuesday Morning) a New Zealand Wool rug $79.99. It brings the fringe trend into your home plus the natural element effect!
Have fun updating your home by bringing in some pops of 2014 trends! Pantones Radiant Orchid paint can be found +Lowe's Home Improvement .
This chick is loving her Radiant Orchid accent pillows!

Roasted Chick Peas

This chick is trying to get back into the routine of working out and eating better again, fell way off in December (so shameful)! This chick tries really hard to eat healthy at least 5 days a week, the other 2 days are treat days not cheat days. In traveling, there are only so many raw veggies I can munch on, I like salty crunch once in awhile. Fell in love with chick peas, garbanzos, ceci beans or whatever you want to call them, a few years ago, really love making a little fresh salad with them with a little cilantro & lime. But started roasting them, to give me that salty crunch I Crave! If ya didn't know chickpeas are a great source of protein & fiber.

              Roasted Chick Peas

                1 -16 oz can chick peas  (well drained)

  1/2 tsp. sea salt

             1/2 tsp. ground cumin

                 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

                                               Add'l sea salt for sprinkling                                                   

                                 Olive Oil  (just used to grease cookie sheet)
Preheat oven 450.
Lightly grease cookie sheet with olive oil, can also use Pam Olive Oil spray. In a bowl, put in your chick peas, that have been well drained.Now just sprinkle in seasonings, toss. Spread on cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes.
Bake chick peas about 10 min., then stir them around gently on cookie sheet.
Check about every 5 min. after that & stir, just to keep those little peas from burning.
When finished baking, can sprinkle on a little more sea salt, depending how salty you like things. If you are watching your sodium intake, probably do not want to add salt. These little chick peas should be crunchy, if still soft like inside, bake a little longer, just don't burn them, When cool, you can store them in zip lock bags. Perfect for munching.
*1 can chickpeas - 3.5 servings
1 serving - 6 g. protein   2-3 g. fat

This chick loves her roasted chick peas!

Core Bamboo Bowls

Core Bamboo Bowls

This chick stopped by Tuesday Morning today, checking out their leftover Spode christmas dishes in hopes to find some marked way down. But, no Spode, but did find these great Core Bamboo bowls. This chick knows how random Tuesday Morning can be, one day you see something there, then it's gone or you might not go for 3 months & that thing is still sitting there! Anyway, these wonderful Core Bowls were there and I couldn't resist. The prices were right $14.99 & up! Bought the natural one, this chick just thought she needed it for serving Caesars salad in, and bought the cute yellow one (think they call that color banana) just to sit on my table with fruit in it. Started checking out Core Bamboo, they have a website @Corebamboo.com with tons of products: cutting boards, serving trays, utensils, and serving bowls. Did a little research and found out why bamboo is popular. It grows faster than wood and is 100% renewable resource- doesn't need to be replanted. Bamboo is used from chopsticks to flooring, pretty versatile! Core Bamboo is 100% organically grown and the lacquer on their handmade products come from natural cashew trees. Geez, this chick is getting sooo eco-friendly she can't stand it! Care of products, handwash & wipe dry. No, no to dishwashers & microwaves. Serve only cold & warm foods in them.
Core Bamboo's products come in lots of fun, yummy colors: Lime, strawberry, snow, onyx, natural, banana, magenta, slate, cherry, chocolate, lilac, pumpkin, squash & teal. (Whew lots of colors). Besides Tuesday Morning ,Core Bamboo products can also be found at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl's, and Wayfair.com,but the best selections can be found on their website @Corebamboo.com.
This chick loves her Core Bamboo bowls!

Natural Elements & Reclaimed Wood

The last several years we have all become so eco-friendly. It is so hip & cool to recycle, be green, and eat all naturalle & organic! This year is no different, even in home decor. Trending for 2014 are honey -tone woods, blending in natural elements(including hides & macrame), and reclaimed woods. Decorating with natural elements and reclaimed woods should not have the label of "rustic decor". Blending these elements into your home can be very chic, contemporary and modern.
This chick was in Denver, Colorado a few days ago, in the hotel lobby. was this amazing wall art made of all sizes and thickness' of wood pieces. Apologize for the terrible pic; pic does not do it justice! It was probably bout 5ft x 9ft. So totally eco! This chick thought, wow, I'm going to make that. Just cut some slices of wood from those old logs laying outside used for the fireplace(this chick won't get her chainsaw out, but sure she can find someone to do it). Next, hammer a few together, then just randomly place them together on the wall. Sounds simple, we will see,but will let you know how it turns out!

zinhome.com console

For a few years there has been a buzz about reclaimed wood. If you are thinking what in the world is reclaimed wood, well here you have it: it's usable wood that has been previously used in another building, structure, or something else and reused. Reclaimed wood can be a pain to work with because you might be dealing with warped wood. But reclaimed wood is so unique, has such character, and there is a story behind it. Wood just like wine (and we all love our wine) only gets better when it ages or matures. When wood ages it develops lots of character, amazing colors and patterns. That's why reclaimed wood is such the rage in decorating. You'll see it in flooring, shelving, furniture, and all kinds of home decor. So eco-friendly, reclaimed wood saves trees, yeah! Reclaimed wood does not have to look "rustic".As you can tell from the pic above, the gorgeous media cabinet from @zinhome.com is a  very contemporary design. This cabinet is handcrafted from downed telephone poles, 100 yr old flooring, white oak and black walnut. It is handcrafted with a natural wax. So eco-friendly and a great conversation piece. Check out their website, they have some beautiful pieces, and all so unique because all wood will have different colorations and character.This chick loves natural elements and reclaimed wood!

2014 Spring Handbags

Gucci Spring 2014

Valentino Spring 2014

Miu Miu Spring 2014

 This chick is still thinking about Spring- and absolutely loving the 2014 Spring fashion trends! The trends carried through in accessories. Every girl loves her handbags & her shoes. And this chick is loving on these handbags! Just makes you feel oh so good carrying a great bag and wearing fabulous heels!
Gucci's great black bag & Valentino's fabulous clutch has the fringe trend going on. The cute, but so chic little pastel yellow Miu Miu handbag has spring wriiten all over it. Fendi was rocking the runway with the blue geometric handbag. Love, the blue croc Louis Vuitton handbag, what can I say "Louis Vuitton" always a classic! So easy to update a spring wardrobe, by just adding a great 2014 spring trendy accessory. This chick is in love with the 2014 Spring handbags!

2014 Spring/Summer Fashion Trends

2014 is here! Even though we are still thinking winter, the 2014 Spring/Summer Fashion Week was here and gone several months ago! This chick is oh so ready for spring and looking forward to the new colors & trends.
When this chick thinks of spring she thinks of pastels & whites. And that's exactly what was seen at fashion week from NY to Paris to Milan, and much more great trends.
The color trends for ready- to-wear are icy pastels, pretty pinks, black & white. Also seen were vibrant brights, bold blues, sunny yellow, pops of orange, and metallics.
Tory Burch, Jason Wu, and Jill Sander models walked the runway in some great satin, shimmery pastel collections.
Black & White was strong with Derek Lam, Helmut Lang, Narciso Rodriguez and Ralph Lauren's spring collection.
Whites were fresh and crisp on the runway with Salvatore Ferragamo, Jason Wu, and Derek Lam' collections.
Some of Giorgio Armani's 2014 spring/summer collections were all about the girly pinks and bold blues. Diane Von Furstenberg and Rachel Zoe added a touch of luxe to the season with some glamorous golds & silvers.
Light and flowy sheer organzas were all over the runway - Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani
Florals were blooming all over Milan in bright shades - Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace
Big Artistic Prints from dresses to two-piece looks- Etro, Missoni, Prada, Versace, and Marni
Other trends for 2014 spring/summer fashion to look forward to are boxy jackets, fringe, sheers,lace,embellishments and word play on everything from clutches to knits. Girls get started on those crunches because crop tops are hot and crop pants with wide legs or loose relaxed fit & narrow on bottom. Also trending is inverse shirt buttoning-instead of leaving the top few buttons unbuttoned on top, just invert it! Button the top few, leaving the rest of your shirt unbuttoned on top,showing your sexy abs. This chick is so excited about the new fresh, flirty and fun trends for spring/summer. Can't hardly wait for spring to get here! This chick loves the 2014 Spring/Summer fashion trends!