Stilettos on Kettlecorn

My name is Stilettos and I have a kettle corn problem. Salty. Sweet. Crunchy. Hot. Sold.

The kitchen isn't exactly my area of expertise, so I never thought I could make it at home. But I can. And so can you. Bonus: it requires zero culinary prowess, but it does help to be unafraid of scorching yourself with hot oil.

R E C I P E  for  S T I L E T T O S   O N   K E T T L E C O R N 

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 1/3 cup of organic popcorn kernels (GMO corn is not for you)
• 3 tbsp organic canola oil 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (half that if you don't want it super sweet)
• salt to taste
• protective oven mitts that stylishly cover the luminous, youthful skin of your forearms

M E T H O D 
1. In your biggest pot with a tight-fitting lid, add oil and 4 test kernels. Cover and heat on high until those kernels pop. So fun!
2. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and remaining kernels. Stir and recover. Let sit for 30 seconds before turning the heat on again. This is a super nerdy trick to minimize un-popped kernels from Cooks' Illustrated, they can tell you all about it.
3. Make sure it's covered and turn the heat back on, this time to medium-high. Your goal is to NOT BURN THE SUGAR but pop all the kernels. Be nice to it, but give it the heat it needs; tough love. Remove the lid occasionally, shake the pot to keep things moving. Do not scorch the popcorn and do not burn your beautiful skin. Hot oil is for real and you need to keep the lid working for you as a shield. This is living on the edge and it will make you feel alive.
4. After it goes 1-2 seconds between pops, turn off the heat, add salt to taste and shake it around. Pour it into a serving bowl. Share with friends. Or maybe eat it all yourself.

#naughtygingermen

For those of you still in need of a proper Valentine, stop reading immediately and go grab yo'self a rolling pin. Because we're making Stripperbread Men, which are sure to delight and surprise even those who poo-poo this Hallmark holiday. Who couldn't love these sugary (and oh yes, spicy) morsels?

Too early to make a Hanukkah list?

1. Steve Rubell auction happening in Palm Beach. The reservation book is the obvious move. "Includes list of approved guests including who pays for admission."

2. Sara got this as a shower gift, and now I feel like I'm missing out on some enjoyable donuts in this fair city. No more! 

3.  New chandelier for the entryway. I'd love to come home every day to this smoked glass situation on a dimmer switch.

4. And, not to get greedy, but I'd like three of these so I always know what time it is in Johannesburg/Tel Aviv and New York. The third one would be for New York - Daylight Savings, so I never have to worry about resetting it. That's luxury.

Champagne Dishes

Other than hiring a driver and gathering your 10 closest friends, what else do you need for a non-annoying NYE? Rations, of course. No one wants to be the girl ordering a plate of pita bread from Soho House at 2am. (Seriously, no one wants to be that girl.) To borrow a phrase from New York's Bravest: if you drink something, eat something. Especially if you plan on sipping champagne through a festive straw, because that shit will make you drunk.

Cachaçeria Leite e Miel

 Outside of a caipirinha, we don't notice too much cachaça on the menus of our favorite cocktail bars. Avua Cachaça will change that. They're bringing the sands of Rio and the bossa nova vibe of '50s Brasil to a highball near you. Just add a perfect cube of crystal clear ice and a metal swizzle straw. Tudo bem.

Cocktail obsessor, professor and historian Sasha Petraske and team came up with four cocktails to showcase the spirit, and we got to sample them last night amid the sounds of Bebel Gilberto and the raw edges of a construction site. Like the bar, cachaça itself is raw and formative, but it polishes up real nice. 

Saúde and Parabéns to Sasha, Mark and all those involved.

O'Classico 

(Note: a.k.a Caiparinha, translation "girl from the country," further translation "Daisey Duke")

Avua Prata Cachaça, muddled limes, sugar

The Girl from Ipanema

Avua Prata Cachaça, muddled pomegranate, muddled limes, sugar

Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho

Avua Amburana Cachaça, Amaro, almond syrup, lemon peel

PAN AM

Avua Amburana Cachaça, Curaçao, Dry Vermouth, Orange bitters

Merry & Bright

Came across these two signs today and needed to post them in anticipation of our upcoming MexiCali adventure.

Hola via, Golden State via

Instalettos | Getting Seasonal

Grey November skies...

...with a hat to match. And iced cappuccino because, yum.

 Getting my roast on.

Suede leaf-crunchers (before I switched them to red laces)

Photoshop + Blogshop + Me = Lovers

You may have noticed some more graphic posting around these parts (oh, you know... this, this and this...it hasn't exactly been a slow news week). I've been getting lots of practice lately after spending the pre-Sandy weekend at Blogshop in D.C., getting my black belt in basic Photoshop. The workshop is awesome for many reasons, but mainly because it's specifically geared towards the unique needs of bloggers.

Oh yes, we bloggers are a special breed. We need to create glossy, gorgeous posts and we need to do it fast. As a proud member of Shortcut-Key Addicts of America (that should be a thing), my favorite part of the class was learning all the quick ways to get things done and move on to the next step. If I taught myself Photoshop, I may have eventually learned many features but I'd definitely be slow and inefficient. And as a product developer by day, efficient workflow is near and dear to my heart. I'm already Command+T/Command+0'ng my way through all kinds of stuff, all the while remembering to HOLD SHIFT. 

I'm hoping to win a copy of CS6 to feed my addiction!

Exhale 2012

We have a new President! And it's the same as the old President! And I stayed up really late! And drank too much coffee today to compensate! But it was worth it, because I become super politi-nerd every four years and I love it.

People all over the country waited in long lines to vote because it's important and empowering. And like Bob Scheiffer says, sometimes it's just as fun to vote against someone as it is to vote for someone (no secret, I love me some Bob Scheiffer). All this happens despite the old ladies running the place who probably couldn't find a shot glass at Tortilla Flats. But they are somehow in charge of making sure you are voting in the right precinct and that your vote actually counts.  God bless you, Old Lady Poll Workers of America.

Also, with my newfound Photoshop obsession, I created this silly map while watching the early returns. I love you, America!

Past election posts here and here.

Sheltering In Place

After taking the last Amtrak train out of Washington Union Station last Sunday, I arrived back in the city just in time to greet the very aggressive Sandy. I should have taken the hint when the train started emptying in Baltimore, or when I got the car to myself after passing Philadelphia. But Sandy came and went, we endured, and luckily we were only inconvenienced, nothing more.

Today brought still more weather-related inconvenience with a Nor'easter (love that word, so old-timey!) pushing through and peaking for the evening rush. Horizontal snow is not fun to walk in, in case you were wondering. Especially while carrying 2 pounds of gruyere and cheddar for the coziest mac and cheese dinner possibly ever prepared.

As with all matters of lifestyle it seems best to swim with the current; ditching the stilettos for furry boots and spiking the hot chocolate with bourbon. It's cuddle-up time and these cozy things are looking pretty good right now. All this, plus maybe a comb to get these icicles out of my hair.

Zigzag blanket | Furry indoor boots | Mongolian pillow | Floor plan mug