My (Mis)Adventures in the Kitchen

It's dinner time!

Some people like to cook. Some people like to eat. I fall into the second category. As I mentioned in a previous blog, one of my new year's resolutions is to learn how to cook. In the interest of keeping my word, I recently purchased my very first cookbook to help me accomplish this goal.

There's no one to blame for my lack of cooking skills other than myself. My mom loves to cook and bake. My dad and my younger sister are also pretty good in the kitchen. In college, all of my roommates were great cooks (two-and-a-half out of five are Italian). While I was studying abroad in Spain and Italy, other people cooked for me, too.

So I've been fairly lucky in associating myself with people who like to cook, which is awesome, because as I said earlier, I like to eat. But it's time for me to step up to the plate–for survival reasons, if nothing else. One day I'm going to move out and I'm not going to be able to afford take out every night. I cannot survive on Kraft White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese for the rest of my life. But my motives are also somewhat superficial, too. I've read in numerous magazines that the way to a guy's heart is through his stomach and I'm fixing to find out.

Quite frankly, cooking scares me. As a writer, numbers are like kryptonite to me, so trying to follow a recipe (what with all the measurements and fractions), is a bit intimidating. I'm not completely helpless. I've established a few standbys over the years: homemade baked macaroni and cheese (my favorite!), penne pasta with vodka sauce and mozzarella cheese and roasted asparagus. But, alas, it's time to broaden my horizons.

Today I made dinner with some assistance from my sous chef aka my sister. The menu: Southern-style oven fried chicken, roasted red potatoes and green beans balsamic with garlic. Simple, yet tasty and fairly healthy. My guinea pigs...ahem, family members...liked it and no one got sick. I considered it a success and now I'm excited to try out even more recipes. Watch out, Rachael Ray, here I come!

Let the Beat Drop

My Gaga concert outfit.

There's nothing like the thrill of experiencing your favorite singer or band in concert. As many of my friends can tell you, I'm a concert aficionado (up to about 20 at last count). My passion for music can most likely be attributed to my father, who raised my sister and me on a healthy diet of oldies, but goodies.

Growing up, we listened to Marvin Gaye, The Queen herself Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Hall & Oates, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Aerosmith...just to name a few. Of course, at the time, I moaned and groaned about it. "Daddy, do we have to listen to this old music?" But eventually I developed a love of and appreciation for the classics.

When I was 3, I attended my first concert: M.C. Hammer. En Vouge was the opening act. At the time, I absolutely loved Hammer. I had the pants, dolls and dance moves to prove it. As a little girl, I also saw Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle in concert...what a treat!

OMG! We're at the Usher concert!

During my teeny bopper years, I saw Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. A major thank you goes out to my parents for waiting in line to buy tickets (because online ticketing didn't exist back then), buying the tickets for me (because I was broke) and, in my mom's case, for sucking it up and taking me to the concerts, too. I know you probably had more important and/or exciting things to do.

My first real rap concert (unless you count M.C. Hammer) was two years ago when I took my sister to see one of her favorite rappers: Lil' Wayne. While it was a great show, I have to say my favorite rap concert was Jay-Z, whom I also saw that year. I can't wait to see Kanye West live.

Get it, Gaga!

Although I'm a huge Beyoncé fan and her "I Am..." tour was fabulous, hands down my favorite pop concert goes to no other than Beyoncé's "Telephone/Video Phone" counterpart Lady Gaga. (Sorry, B.). I have one reason: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta can sing! A lot of the pop acts I've seen either lip sync or sing along to a track during live performances...not Gaga. Home girl sang and danced her butt off and put on a phenomenal show at the same time.

Gotta get that Boom Boom Pow!

Now, one month into the new year, I have some exciting concerts lined up for 2011: my pop idol, Janet Jackson in March (I wanted to be her backup dancer when I was little), a Michael Jackson tribute band in April and the legendary U2 in June. I can't wait to rock out. So tell me, what concerts are you going to this year? What's your favorite concert?

Hello, 2011. It's me, L'Oreal.

Happy New Year!!!

It's that time of the year again and I'm willing to bet you can already tell what this blog post is going to be about. That's right: my resolutions for the new year. Or, as I like to call them, my goals. In my humble opinion, "goals" seem to be much more realistic and attainable than "resolutions." So here goes nothing...

1. Learn how to cook. Those who know me know I need a GPS to find my way around a kitchen. Everyone else in my family is a pretty good cook...except for me. I love to eat, but cooking and baking have never been my strong points. This year I vow to pay more attention to my mom when she's cooking and try some new recipes.

2. Dance more often. When I was in college, I was a cheerleader and taught beginner's hip hop classes. Basically, I miss performing and I'd love to get back into the studio. I'm excited to try something new, such as belly dancing or ballroom.

3. Live in the moment. Too often I'm looking forward to the next big thing instead of taking time to soak in and appreciate the moment I'm in right now. I'm always thinking or planning ahead. From now on, I'm going to "stop and smell the roses."

4. Set realistic expectations. Not every birthday is going to be the best. Not every night out is going to be epic. I've learned, based on experience, if you expect everything to be absolutely mind blowing, you will inevitably be disappointed. Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.

5. Put myself out there. So there's an old saying that goes: "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." As much as I claim to be a social butterfly, the truth is I can be somewhat of a homebody. One of my goals this year is to get out there and meet new people. I'm going to keep an open mind and step outside of my comfort zone.

So, those are my goals for 2011. Nothing too drastic or life altering, but little steps that lead me toward a healthy and happy new year. What are your goals for 2011?

The Rules of Regifting

I bet Stitch is an excellent regifter.

'Tis the season of spending money. Fa la la la la...you know the rest. With only one (count it–ONE!) shopping day left until Christmas, you may be racking your brain trying to think of the Perfect Gift. Fear not, my friends. You can turn your home and closet into your personal shopping boutique.

While gift cards are always a nice last-minute choice (especially if it's the receiver's favorite store), regifting is also a viable solution. Now I know what you're probably thinking: "Regifting? Oh my gosh, that's sooo tacky!"But think again. If you follow these simple rules, you can make regifting just as thoughtful as buying a brand new gift.

And, if you do it right, the receiver will never ever know. It will be our little secret. You can thank my later.

1. Do give an unused gift. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's worth mentioning anyway. The point is to recycle a gift, not give someone else your leftovers.

2. Do give a gift that has some significance to the receiver. Regifting requires the same amount of thought as regular gifts. You don't want to give your 10-year-old cousin the socks Grandma gave you for your birthday. Your cousin will hate you forever.

3. Do switch it up. Sure, going green is the latest trend, but you shouldn't reuse the original wrapping paper in this case, especially if it was a birthday/baby shower/bridal gift. Different wrapping paper will make your gift feel like new.

4. Don't give within the same circle. Or else, you risk your receiver finding out the truth abut her gift. For the best regifting strategy, give withing different groups. For example, the Victoria's Secret gift set your high school BFF gave you is perfectly fine to give to your college roommate–as long as they're not friends either.

5. Don't tell a soul. Again, this may seem obvious, but it's worth repeating. No one has to know you're regifting. It's better that way, trust me.

There's nothing wrong with spreading a little Christmas cheer and saving some cash in the process. Your wallet will appreciate it. Merry Christmas, everyone!

I Bleed Purple

In case you haven't figured it out yet, purple is my favorite color (thus, the name of this very blog). This is convenient because the Baltimore Ravens is my favorite football team, so much so I would like Ravens purple bridesmaids dresses someday.

Now I don't claim to be the foremost expert on football, because I'm not (although, at the time of this writing, I am the top seed in my office fantasy league heading into the playoffs. The Purple People Eaters are awesome!). I didn't pay much attention to the sport until the Ravens began playing in the 1996 season (sorry, Cleveland) and I couldn't get enough of the team during our Super Bowl run in the 2000 season (sorry, Giants–okay, not really).

There's something, in my opinion, truly magical about a team's ability to unite an entire city. For the last two years during our playoff runs, the city of Baltimore has been awash in purple. I couldn't have been happier–well, maybe if we'd actually made it to and then won the Super Bowl.

I celebrate when they celebrate. I hurt when they hurt. Yes, it is that serious. Football (or any other sport for that matter) is hardly ever "just" a game. It's personal, especially when our arch rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers are in town. Our pride as a city is on the line.

Now some people will disagree and they have valid points. Yes, professional athletes are grossly overpaid and, contrary to popular belief, they are not role models. That's what parents and other relatives are for. Like celebrities, athletes are there to entertain.

But when you look at what the Saints did for New Orleans–a city still feeling the effects of Hurricane Katrina–by winning Super Bowl XLIV, there's no denying the power of athletic events to bring hope to thousands of people. And you can have fun in the process. With two games left in the regular season and the playoffs in sight, I only have one thing to say: GO RAVENS! Make your fans proud!

Hail to You, Mr. Evans

Every now and then, a teacher comes along who not only touches your life, but leaves an indelible imprint. During my time as a student, I've been blessed to have several such teachers. Sadly, last Saturday morning, one of them passed away after a battle with lung cancer.

Mr. Charles O'Donovan Evans, 80, was my western civilization teacher as a freshman at Mount de Sales Academy, an all-girls Catholic preparatory school. His class was by far the hardest class I've ever had–harder than my college courses. Mr. Evans gave me the first 'C' I'd ever received and I later found out this was a rite of passage at MDS. No one passed that first exam. I eventually passed the class, but not without hard work and countless hours of studying.

Mr. Evans was tough, but fair and he didn't accept nothing less than the best from us girls. But that's not to say we didn't have our fun. One of our favorite past times was altering the outline on Mr. Evans' chalkboard.

Just about every class included a "Pop Quiz." Inevitably, someone would erase the word "quiz," and replace it with everything from "tarts" to "music." Of course, our goal was to distract Mr. Evans from giving us the quiz entirely, but it hardly ever worked.

Let's be clear: history has never been my favorite class or my best subject by any means. Honestly, the only thing I really remember from west civ class was about Louis XIV and the palace of Versailles. But the life lessons will live on forever. Mr. Evans' class made me a better student and, eventually, a hard working professional.

When the older girls told us we'd love Mr. Evans after we had him as a teacher, we didn't believe them. But, nevertheless, they were right. At the end of my freshman year, I jokingly (but seriously) asked Mr. Evans not to leave until he taught my younger sister, who was in fourth grade at the time.

He kept his promise and, sure enough, after my sister had the please of experiencing west civ with Mr. Evans, he retired as a teacher and became the archivist for MdS–a position he would proudly hold until his death. Every time I returned to my alma mater, I would visit Mr. Evans and I'd catch him up on what I was doing in college and, later, in my career.

Mr. Evans was not just a teacher. He was (and still is) a Mount de Sales legend and institution. More importantly, he was like a grandfather to all of us, which made his death even harder. He can never be replaced and I speak for every member of the MDS community when I say he will be sorely missed.

Every Spirit Day, Mr. Evans would wear a tie with all of the class colors on it (blue, green, red and yellow). When asked which was his favorite class, Mr. Evans would always give the politically correct answer: "I love all of you girls." And we loved him, too.

Battle of the Best?

Who's the baddest chick in the game?

Can't we all just get along? Recently, a battle of the best female emcees has been brewing between relative newcomer Nicki Minaj and hip-hop heavyweight Lil' Kim. Now, I'm not a rap expert by any means, but I have to say: enough is enough, ladies.

On Nicki's debut CD, "Pink Friday," she disses Lil' Kim on the track "Roman's Revenge." Nicki Minaj calls Lil' Kim a "has-been" and says, "You outta work, I know it's tough." And Lil' Kim, never one to be outdone, slammed Nicki on "Black Friday," which was, appropriately enough, released on Black Friday and is a blatant slap in the face to Nicki's "Pink Friday." The Queen Bee raps: "It’ll be a murder scene, I’m turning Pink Friday to ‘Friday the 13th.' I hate you Lil’ Kim clone/clown."

The women go blow for blow and I have to admit, after listening to both songs, Lil' Kim definitely goes harder. The comparisons are impossible to avoid: both Lil' Kim and Nicki Minaj are female rappers in a mostly male dominated industry, both have been known to wear fluorescent wigs and both woman have larger-than-life personas, which are largely thanks in part to their shameless sexuality. But Lil' Kim came first and, in my opinion, she did it better. Miss Minaj, if it weren't for Lil' Kim, you wouldn't be here. Show some respect.

Nevertheless, we, as Black women, need to support each other and help build each other up instead of tearing each other down. Seriously, both of you are the minority in your field and you're both very good at what you do. You're better than a large number of the male rappers out there. Lil' Kim held her own with Biggie and Nicki Minaj hands down has the best verse on "Monster," which features Kanye West, Jay-Z and Rick Ross. Instead of insulting each other, I'd love to see you join forces for good and defy the angry Black woman stereotypes. That will make everyone's head really spin.