Dressed: July 2011

July 23, 2011

Short of the story.

Holla, Hope you all having a great weekend? It’s a lovely bright sunny day after days of nonstop rainfall. Just the right kind weather for 'shorts'. It should be quite popular in our environment considering that we have sunny bright weather most days of the year but unfortunately that’s a trend I do not see too often

I recently asked a friend I felt would look fab in shorts why she never wore shorts? And her answer took me aback, she explained that she feels like she would 'stick out like a sour thumb' since it was not a popular trend.

'Sticking out' I quite understand because I am a strong advocate for looking trendy but wearing what you are comfortable and confident in .

That said I still feel that shorts can actually be a staple in our wardrobe as they are the most comfortable outfit to sport in our hot and sticky environment and are so versatile that one can style them in such a way that you don't 'stick out'.

They also come in such a huge variety that they can either be dressed up for going out or dressed down to just lounge and its also a good excuse to show off some legs, **wink wink** really why not?

Cut offs denim shorts paired up with gorgeous boots for an uber sexy look

They come in all lengths and styles and still look fab!

Absolutely love, very chic, eyes on the multicolored blouse

Worn with a jacket and fab purse for an ultra glam look

Classic chic.... simple, elegant clean lines

Halle Berry looking fab in denim cut offs, running errands on a sat I guess. :)

Colours that Pop!

Now that's a nice ruffled blouse!

Now thats moi :), camera shy, still trying to psyche myself for the styling bit in front of the cam.

Love my red shoes from Bakers, Ralph Lauren jacket , Gap Bermuda shorts and the pink beaded top from dillards.

Chill out weekend

Dressed up and chic, heart the shoes. you can never go wrong wearing shorts with heels

Loving the brogues, very trendy

Rita Dominic looking so Chic in shorts, a good example of dressed up shorts.

Love the Western/ African combo with the shorts, Nice!

Xoxo

July 22, 2011

Food I Love - The ultimate Naija style Fried Rice

Over the years I have tried several recipes for fried rice, this recipe is the result of my years of searching for the ultimate fried rice recipe. It has the right balance of texture and flavor and is very easy to make. You can rustle it up with almost any combination of vegetables you have available and you still be quite pleased with the result.

Fried Rice

Ingredients

• Long grain rice (3 cups)
• 2 large green pepper and 1 large red bell pepper(tatashe)

• 3 medium size Carrots

• Half of a small sized Onion

• 1 cloves of garlic, crushed

• Half a cup of Sweet Corn

• Half a cup runner beans

• 1 cup of Shrimps (peeled and washed)

• Chorizo or any other nicely flavored sausages

• 5 large habanero pepper (Rodo, adjust this based on your heat tolerance)

• 4 cups Chicken stock

• Extra virgin olive oil - 4 table spoons

• 3tbs Margarine

Seasoning

•3 tbs Dark Soy sauce

• 1tsp Italian seasoning (combo of thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil, sage and rosemary. Spice supreme has a decent brand)

• half a tsp Tumeric powder (you can use curry powder instead, I prefer the buttery undertones of turmeric)

• Salt

• Knorr Chicken Cubes

Wash the rice and soak in very hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the rice and add the chicken stock just to cover the rice in a sauce pan and add all seasoning and salt to taste. Cook the rice with the chicken stock until its just cooked, Not soggy.

To make the sauce chop up all vegetables. In a sauce pan heat up the oil, add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent. Then add your olive oil Fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the sausages cook for a minute and add the shrimps and fry for another 30 seconds. Then add the runner beans, carrot and cook for 3 mins before adding the other vegetables.. Add curry powder, Knorr cubes and salt to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes

In a wok add some sauce and rice and a teaspoon of margarine. Fry for about 3 minutes using a wooden spoon. Just add enough sauce to fry the rice in. We don't want it to be soggy. I like to fry mine until its quite dry. Continue this until you have cooked all the rice.

If you have left over sauce, you can serve this with the rice and some grilled chicken or whatever you fancy, I made mine with practically all I had at home and food still tasted great!!!!

Tried it? let me know what you did differently and how it came out.

Bon Appetit!

Rissikat Crowned Miss London!

Niaja no dey carry last!!!! Gorgeous Rissikat Bade was crowned Miss London and 1^st runner up miss England, she's currently gunning for the Miss World title.

Rissikat is a 21 year old law student from Brixton, She moved to London at 16 after years of studying in the Ukraine.

We wish her all the best!!!

July 19, 2011

Madmen and 60's fashion

Recently I started watching the 'Mad-Men' DVDs I have had for over a year, I am one of those people that would wait for the complete season to come out on DVD rather than watch the weekly episodes and be tormented.

I must say this series just reawakens my love for vintage fashion, Gosh!!!! I love the sexy, sultry Joan. The ladies had a glamorous 60’s wardrobe of beautiful sheath dresses in bright pastel and rich hues with intricate detailing and the men were not left out too, constantly looking dapper in their well tailored suits and slick hairstyles, you could tell these men were serious about looking good.

The 60's was a period when people were really immaculately dressed up, with gloves, scarves, handbags, hair ornaments, belts, coats, the hats and accessories. The 60’s shape was all about femininity and the hourglass silhouette, and dresses from that period mimicked this shape.

The ladies of the show were voluptuous and sexy just like women should be *laughs*. Below are 60’s themed fashions and scenes from the show to inspire your inner goddess!

Just got the last two dresses by Tahari Asl to get my 60's inspired wardrobe going, wink wink!

Xoxo

Photos credits: Fashioninmotion, tvguide, and glamourmagazine

July 17, 2011

Food I Love - Brioche

Bread is one of those staples I always love to have around, I was feeling really virtuous today and decided to try out a recipe for Brioche I got a while ago.

The outcome was quite impressive, considering how easy it was to make, though it was a bit dry so I would recommend increasing the quantity of butter.

Prep Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes

Ingredients: Makes 10 servings.

· 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

· 3 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

· 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

· ¼ teaspoon salt

· 1/3 cup milk, warm

· 2 ¾ oz unsalted butter, softened

· 2 eggs plus 1 egg, divided and lightly beaten

· 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preparation:

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Gradually add the warm milk, butter, and 2 eggs into the flour mixture; knead until the dough is smooth. The dough is ready to rise when it is completely smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours, or until it is doubled in size.

Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and punch it down a few times. Divide the dough into 3 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into 1-inch long rope, and then braid the ropes together. Tuck the ends under and place the braid in a greased 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan. Alternately, you can punch the dough down and form it into a simple oval. Cover the pan and allow the dough to rise for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it is doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough covering, gently brush the loaf with the beaten egg, sprinkle with a small amount of sugar, and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the brioche is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.

Tried it? let me know what you did differently and how it came out.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe courtesy About.com

July 14, 2011

Colours Popping!

2011 saw a huge trend in bright, bold and daring colours, colors brighten our lives and inspire us. Some combination were quite interesting, however colours can be hip and bang on trend, so who cares as long as you love it and you rock it confidently, its fashionable!.

What colors have you seen popping down the streets? below are a few from the runway and celebs. these vibrant colors give instant drama and require little makeup and accessories.

hope these inspire.