Be a Butterfly...

 Just when the caterpillar thought it was over...

 She became a butterfly:-) You can fly! Spread your wings...

 Your setbacks might have had them amused, but your comeback is going to have them dazed and confused. Fly butterfly, fly! Are you ready?

Everything is Everything

 Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. I had a nice weekend catching up with friends and I have some awesome books I can't wait to read. I am noticing lots of cute Valentines Day stuff and I can't believe how quickly this day will be here. My three year blog anniversary giveaway is coming up soon and I am so excited about it! I know that it will make you smile and to those that enter it and win, your smile will be even brighter:-)

There have been some great things happening in my life that I am excited about and some really wonderful people are entering my circle of friends. I was disappointed a few years back when  I lost some friends that I thought would be in my life forever, but I am grateful for the new people that have been such a blessing to me. Have you ever had something wonderful and unexpected happen? I received an unexpected gift and I have to tell you, it's pretty AWESOME!!!!!!!!

Today I am wearing one of my favorite blazers, which I wear over and over again in different ways. I love style that is classic and timeless. You might have noticed that I often find ways to sneak animal prints into my outfits. I absolutely love anything with animal print and I have lots of different animal print scarves and shoes and wear them all the time. My handbag by Mimi Boutique is such a nice color and I love that I get to remix it in so many different ways and I have always really liked the stud details on it.

You might have also noticed I am developing a stripe obsession too:-) I have a few striped tops in heavy rotation. Are you into stripes?

Blazer: Metrostyle, Striped Shirt: F-21, Scarf:: Burlington Coat Factory, Bag: c/o Mimi Boutique, Boots: Chinese Laundry, Rings: H&M

Are you a fan of studs?

 How do you like this combo?

I love blazers because they never go out of style. Are you a blazer person?

My fashion obsessions are great shoes and accessories with classic pieces. What are yours?

Have an amazing week!

Shrimp Creole

I love seafood, especially when it is fresh and flavorful. Shrimp dishes are among my favorites to order in seafood restaurants. Sometimes I forget just how easy it is to create great seafood dishes at home. This Shrimp Creole is great comfort food. It is a little spicy, but you can adjust the heat to your liking. I love this over rice, although it is delicious served over your favorite pasta too. When I am watching carbs, I serve this over brown rice and it is quite filling.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 can spicy stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 dash hot sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Chili powder

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Bay leaf

1 pound medium shrimp peeled and  deveined

Directions

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper and chopped celery. Saute until softened (5 minutes). Stir in tomatoes, tomatoe sauce, all of the seasonings and the Bay Leaf. Bring to a boil stirring frequently.  Add Shrimp and cook for 4-5 minutes until bright pink and cooked through.

Bon Appetit!

Cafe Laurent (LV's LA)

Have you ever passed by a place all the time and then just out of curiosity tried it? Cafe Laurent is a cute little French Bistro in Culver City. I have passed it numerous times and one day after an appointment I spontaneously stopped to try it. After weeks of clean eating, holiday detoxing and drinking green smoothies for breakfast every day, I felt like I earned a decadent meal. 

I was not with my usual companions, but the server was very attentive and the intimate atmosphere made dining alone relaxing and pleasurable. This restaurant is only open during breakfast and lunch hours, so be sure to get there before 3:00.

There is a great selection of pastries, sandwiches and entrees, but the quiche and potatoes are noteworthy.  My meal started with a fresh baked loaf of bread and a delicious olive tapenade, that was way more delicious than it looked.

 Lots of great items to choose from

This was a delicious way to start lunch. The fresh crusty bread and Tapenade laced with kalamata olives, a hint of capers and olive oil, made me feel like I was in the Mediterranean.

The quiche is accompanied with a salad of mixed greens and delicious potatoes au gratin that were creamy and flavorful. My quiche was nice and fluffy with generous pieces of ham and lots of cheese. Cheese makes it better, right?  The salad greens were very fresh and tossed in a light balsamic vinegar dressing.

The atmosphere is calm and relaxing with additional seating on the outdoor patio.

I could not turn down the Creme Brulee. It has always been one of my favorite desserts and the burnt sugar topping was nice and crunchy with a mound of creaminess underneath.

The Creme Brulee had a nice flavor, but was eggier than I prefer.  The custard part of Creme Brulee should be smooth and velvety, not overly curdled and eggy. Some of the other items I saw coming out of the kitchen looked tasty and the dishes I tried were solid and I could taste the freshness of the ingredients, but as much as I love Creme Brulee this one was a miss for me due to the heavy egg texture. With such good service and so many other items that were delicious, I will let the eggy Creme Brulee slide. The food here is a great value and it is nice to have a neighborhood French bistro.

This is a nice spot to enjoy breakfast or brunch and they have live entertainment on the weekends, which is always a plus in my book. The relaxed ambiance is also perfect if you have children and want to enjoy a nice restaurant that is welcoming to families and still has a great atmosphere.

Cafe Laurent
4243 Overland Ave
Culver City, CA
310-558-8622

Blue + Orange and White =Taupe

Happy Monday loves! How is your week starting off? In my neck of the woods, we are having summer weather, so I am enjoying wearing things I would normally wear in spring or summer. Sometimes I wish I could buy more fabulous statement coats, but with warm weather year round, they would be a waste of money, so I cherish the ones I have. I have been feeling like I need a blog vacation. Do you ever feel like that? I cannot believe I have been blogging almost three years. Wow! the time went by so fast. To celebrate the blog anniversary in February, there will be a pretty awesome giveaway.

The one thing I have not enjoyed about entering giveaways is all the hoops you have to jump through to enter and for that reason, this one is going to be simple and there will be three winners to celebrate the three years. Only current followers have the option of winning the grand prize and the other two winners are eligible for the secondary prize. So there is an opportunity for old and new readers, YAY!

Do you like giveaways? Do you ever enter them?

I have been playing with colors, patterns and textures and putting things together that I normally would not put together, like this orange and white shirt paired with this blue blazer. What do you think?

Blue Blazer: H&M, Orange and White Shirt: JC Penney, Jeans: Metro, Bag: Sharif, Taupe Booties: Urban Original, Bracelets: Indian Boutique, Chain Necklace: F-21

I love that these booties are comfortable. I can walk blocks and blocks without my feet hurting, but I have plenty of shoes that make my feet hurt after walking a block or two, so I tend to keep flats in my purse when I wear them.

This bag is such a great shade of blue and looks good with just about every color of the rainbow

I love the color and patterns on these bracelets. It might be a little matchy matchy, but I loved how they looked with this blue blazer. If you like bracelets like this, you can find them in Indian Clothing Boutiques.

Do you live in a climate where you get to wear amazing coats?

Have an amazing day!

Chicken Salad Cucumber Cups

 Sometimes it is hard to eat a clean diet when you want something delicious and satisfying and you don't want rabbit food. These delicious chicken salad cucumber cups satisfy that desire for something crunchy and is perfect for a low carb diet,or those times when you want to fill satisfied without being overstuffed.  The dill adds a nice depth of flavor and the pickle relish adds a hint of sweetness.

These cucumber cups also make great appetizers and are a perfect party food. If you are not watching your carbs, the chicken salad is delicious on squaw bread and makes a great sandwich!

 Start with fresh cucumber. Wash and cut the cucumber into 1 1/2 to 2 inch rounds. Use a spoon to hollow out some of the cucumber without touching the bottom. Fill the small hollowed out space with chicken salad and top with more chicken salad.

Ingredients

1 Rotisserie Chicken Shredded or chopped in small pieces

2 Celery Stalks finely chopped

2 green onions chopped

1 tablespoon minced dillweed

1/4to 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish (depending on your taste)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup unsweetened plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 cucumbers washed and cut into hollowed out rounds

Set the chicken aside and chop the celery, green onions, relish and dillweed and add to the chicken. Add the relish, mayonnaise, yogurt and vinegar to a medium bowl and mix. Taste to make sure the mixture has enough seasoning and then combine with chicken mixture and mix thoroughly. Chill the chicken salad for a couple of hours.

Fill each cucumber round with the chicken salad mixture and serve.

Clashing plaids and stripes

 Now that the holidays are over, I have been working hard on getting my sweet tooth in check. My green smoothies made with my nutribullet have just about erased my obsession with all things sugary. I hung out with a friend in Little Tokyo and passed up the Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream that I usually can't resist. Little Tokyo has so many great restaurants if you love all varieties of Asian food, which I do! This is such a great spot to grab some tea or have a great lunch or dinner. I will be posting about some of my favorite dining spots in this area soon:-)

I have some very subtle pattern mixing going on with with my stripes and plaids. It is a clash of sorts, but I think it works. I am participating in a link party with DC Style. Join us by clicking here

Do you have any holiday eating to undo? LOL

 Holiday Hips: courtesy of Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner and all of those boxes of candy, cookies, and cakes that kept magically arriving on my doorstep during the holidays

Plaid shirt: thrifted, handbag: Sharif, Striped tank: H&M, Boots: Macys

These boots are so comfortable. I have been wearing them quite a bit. Don't you love a comfortable pair of boots?

Checking out the scene

Are you a fan of mixing patterns?