Monday, December 31, 2012

311212-p5


A year is gone by and a new one is coming up very, very soon!
2012 has been the most crazy time for me so far in both good and bad. Considerably good,
luckily. I've reached many personal goals, experienced a lot of this fantastic world and I
know the coming year will be brilliant for me with loads of new exciting projects
I'll look forward to share with you! But for now, thank you for a great and
really inspiring 2012.

Happy new year everyone! xoxo


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{New Years Eve} Sparkle & Shine...

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New Years Eve is nothing without friends and loved ones, and who better to celebrate and spread a little sparkly cheer with than my good buddy Kastles? We threw on some festive bits (now covered in perma-glitter thanks to those hats!), shiny bobs (like my Lulus.com dress) and had ourselves a little party... Good times. So pop some bubbly and sequin-up my friends, because it's time to party like it's, well, 2012... xx

On Kastles: blouse- Forever 21; sequin skirt- Joe Fresh; ring- Betsey Johnson;  bracelets- H&M & Mbellish // On me: dress c/o Lulus.com; tights- Forever 21; bracelets- vintage & Blue Vanilla; ring- Forever 21

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Repost: Feuerzangenbowle

I thought I'd share this post again (I originally posted it in 2009), since I'll be making this recipe for New Year's Eve. Get out the fire extinguishers and let's make some punch! 


Today's post has nothing at all to do with fashion, unless you count the subject's ability to stain your clothing. It does have to do with booze and lighting things on fire though, which may perhaps interest you. This post is about a little-known (in the US, anyway) German beverage called Feuerzangenbowle. And today I'm going to tell you how to make it, because it's a drink that's just perfect for this time of year. I'll start by describing the whole process and then I'll give the list of ingredients and quantities at the end.

Feuerzangenbowle is sort of like a mulled red wine, and starts out pretty much the same way, with red wine being steeped with spices and citrus fruit. But because of the way it's prepared, this drink is well-suited for a large party with friends, firstly because of the large quantity that the recipe makes, and secondly because the fire is pretty damn impressive. What's shown in the photo above is the final preparation step, which involves soaking a dense cone of sugar, called a Zuckerhut, in Bacardi 151 and lighting it on fire over the heated wine mixture. The idea is to carmelize and melt the suger, which drips into the wine through a long slot in the bottom of that metal tray.

My love of Feuerzangenbowle started years and years ago when a friend introduced me to it after spending some time doing an intership in Stuttgart, Germany. I used to have one of the metal trays, called the feuerzangen, but lost it to my ex; for years I've looked for a replacement, and finally found an entire set, which is sort of like a fondue set with an alcohol burner underneath. I special ordered it from Germany with the help of the delightful Erika at German Specialty Imports in Prior Lake, MN, and last weekend I gave it its first trial run. You really don't need a lot of fancy equipment to make this drink, but you've gotta love that gorgeous German engineering, which I assure you is a vision in all its gleaming stainless steel glory. If you can't get your hands on a proper feuerzangen, you can try using a large, slotted metal spoon or something similar. It's fairly important to rig up a system that you won't have to hold onto though, because the sugar takes a good 15 minutes to burn, and then of course there's the little matter of it being on fire.

Besides the feuerzangen (or your reasonably MacGyver'd-up substitute), the other unique thing you'll need for this recipe is a Zuckerhut, which can be found at German delis or import stores. Alternately, you can use a whole pile of sugarcubes, about 250 grams' worth of 'em, to be precise. Having made it both ways, I can tell you that although the sugar cubes work just fine, the zuckerhut is a lot easier to work with.

To get started, you'll first need to steep the spices (cinnamon, cloves, and optionally cardamom) and the citrus (oranges and lemons, both the juice and part of the peels), with the wine (choose a dry red wine). To do this you can either mix everything together and leave it in the fridge overnight, or alternately you can heat the mixture until the wine is steaming (not boiling!), and let it steep for 15 minutes or so. For my test run I tried the second method, and it worked great.

Once the wine mixture is ready, it's time to prepare the sugar and rum. When using a zuckerhut, I like to place it in a small container, pour Bacardi 151 over it until no more absorbs, and then let it soak for several minutes, because I find that more of the rum soaks in and the sugar will burn longer without additional maintenance (which I'll discuss shortly). If you're using sugarcubes you can still use this approach, just don't let them soak long enough that the sugar dissolves.

Now, remove all the spices and peels from the wine, and heat the wine in a metal pot it until it's steaming. Position the feuerzangen above the pot of wine, place the rum-soaked sugar in the feuerzangen, stand back, and light it. The sugar makes a beautiful blue flame as it burns (it's even prettier with the lights off), and the dripping caramelized sugar makes a satisfying sizzling sound as it hits the wine.

As the sugar burns down, two things can eventually happen: the flame can go out, or the sugar can start to burn and blacken. To prevent this, you will need to periodically douse the sugar with more rum. This is where the real pyrotechnics get going, because when you add more rum, the flame will shoot up about a foot and a half or more. Obviously, it's important to have a steady hand and nerves of steel. It's also EXTREMELY important not to pour the rum directly from the bottle. Have you ever heard of a Molotov Cocktail? Well, I'm almost 100% sure you don't want one to go off in your house, and putting an open flame near the mouth of a bottle of high proof liquor is, in essence, the same thing.

Instead, pour a small amount, maybe 2-3 tablespoons, of liquor into a metal ladle or large spoon, and carefully but quickly and smoothly pour it over the sugar. You'll need to brace yourself for the flame, but don't chicken out! -- just pour it right over the sugar, pull the spoon back slowly, and if necessary, blow out the now flaming spoon. Easy! If it's your first time making it, and depending on how adept you are with handling fire, having someone else standing by with a fire extinguisher might not be a bad idea. It's also a good idea to make sure you don't have a lot of loose clothing on that could get in the way of the flame.

Once the sugar is all melted, the feuerzangenbowle is ready to serve. I like to use regular old coffee mugs, since the drink will be piping hot. My favorite part is the initial sensation as you raise the mug to your lips; you're hit with a strong citrus smell, and the fumes from the steaming hot, residual Bacardi sort of sting your nose as you take a sip. The sugar and spices nicely balance the dry wine, the drink being far less sweet than you might imagine, given the amount of sugar that goes into it.

With my recent test batch I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the feuerzangenbowle will keep for several days in the fridge, if for some reason you find yourself unable to consume 3 liters of alcohol in a single evening. I've never tried scaling the recipe down, as I've usually only made it for a group, though I found this photo on the left that suggests there are also single serving approaches. That doesn't sound nearly as fun though, or as delightfully dangerous.

Feuerzangenbowle Recipe:
2 cinnamon sticks
7-8 cloves
2-3 cardamom pods
3 oranges (juice and a large slice of peel)
2 lemons (juice and a large slice of peel)
3 Liters dry red wine
2-3 cups Bacardi 151
1 zuckerhut, or 250g sugarcubes

Equipment:
feuerzangen
large metal pan
long-handled metal spoon or ladle

Friday, December 28, 2012

{Style} Big News!!!

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For the past four days I've been keeping a pretty major secret from you guys, and it's been killing me not to share my happy news with my closest online friends (you know, I had to get all those pesky real life people out of the way first!). Drumroll please... On Christmas Eve, Mr. AiF and I got engaged!!!! *Cue the fist pumping, jumping up and down and uncontrollable giggling*

I'll spill the details in a later post (one that's not just an outfit post featuring my new bling!), but because the past few days have been some of the happiest of my life, I just HAD to share the news with you guys! Yay!!!!

Love you all! xx

Outfit details: houndstooth jacket- Winners (super old & rediscovered in my old closet at my parents'); sweater- H&M; pleated skirt- Club Monaco; polka dot tights- Joe Fresh; booties & necklace- Forever 21

Thursday, December 27, 2012

{Style} Pared Down...

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Outfit details: top & jeans- Forever 21; leather clutch- vintage; leopard pumps- Aldo; necklace- Forever 21; bracelet- The Bay; watch- Michael Kors; ring- vintage

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Fall Travels: Paris

For the finale of my latest trip to Europe, I spent the weekend in Paris after working in Strasbourg. By now I've been to Paris several times and am starting to know the city pretty well, so I made a point of going to some different spots this time.

I spent the better part of a day in Monmartre, which is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. This time I spent the day visiting several places associated with the impressionist painters, such as Renoir's house and gardens, and the Lapin Agile cabaret, both shown below.



One of Monmartre's two surviving windmills, Le Moulin de la Galette.

This time I also visited the Georges Pompidou Center, which I hadn't been to before. Though I love the building's exterior and the surrounding area, including this lighthearted fountain, I have to admit that much of the modern art housed in the museum is really lost on me. I'll go so far as to say that I thought the Bertrand Lavier exhibit was utter shit. Interesting in a way, but still... utter shit. If you can explain why a rock sitting atop a refrigerator deserves a spot in an internationally-renowned museum, you're undoubtedly way cooler than I am.


The best part was the view of old Paris through the modern structure of the Pompidou. You just can't beat the classic Parisian structures for their romance and charm.

That concludes my travel series for this round. I hope you've enjoyed tagging along for my latest adventure!

{Style} The Streets...

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Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat from yesterday's festivities... My family knows how to get down, so we didn't get to bed until 2 am last night � Can you say party animal wannabes? I think I'll be paying the price in the under eye region today as I travel to Vancouver to see Mr. AiF's fam-jam... What can I say, it was worth it.

Happy Boxing Day, friendlies! If you're brave enough to hit up the malls today, I want to hear all about your scores! xx

Outfit details: dress- Simons; studded leather jacket- Zara; booties- Aldo; beanie- Zara; tights- Joe Fresh; bag- ASOS; necklace- Forever 21

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Fall Travels: London

Next up in my fall travels series is London, which was just getting decked out in its holiday finery when I arrived. I do love an outdoor ice skating rink.

One of the highlights of my London visit was the creepy Highgate Cemetery, with its policy of "managed neglect." Dead people ended up being a theme of this trip, as the Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh may have foreshadowed.


A fabulous view over the Thames at night.

I fell in love with London's modern architecture along the waterfront, which I thought formed a great contrast against the classic structures such as the Tower of London.



 

The impressive lions of Trafalgar Square:

Finally, taking top honors for my favorite museum in London, and also one of my favorite museums anywhere: the Old Operating Theater Museum. I visited this immediately after accidentally finding myself at an exhibit at the Museum of London that detailed the link between grave-robbing, murder, and medical dissection in the early 19th century. I couldn't have planned a better pairing!

This was my last day in the UK; for my next and last post from this trip, I have a few shots from my weekend in Paris. I hope you're having a very merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal!

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Just popping in quickly to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from Meows, Mr. AiF and myself... Hope everyone's day is filled with love and cheer, regardless of whether you celebrate Christmas or not. So with that said, grab some mistletoe (or if you're desperate like me, paint some unsuspecting holly with white nail polish), throw on some festive jams and keep the eggnog a flowing... Happy holidays, my loves! xx

Monday, December 24, 2012

Fall Travels: York and Liverpool

Today's travel post features a few scenes from York and Liverpool. First up is York, where Clifford's Tower was wrapped up like a Christmas present.


The Shambles is the old butchers' marketplace. Despite its rather gruesome history (the raised sidewalks were to create a channel for the blood to run down, and one of the houses on the left was the home of the horrifically martyred Margaret Clitherow), it's a charming street today.

One can't visit York without seeing the awesome Minster from inside, outside, and above.

The next stop on my trip was Liverpool. Its shipbuilding tradition was of particular appeal to me, as I love all things maritime. As soon as I arrived in town I made a beeline for Albert Dock and the Merseyside Maritime Museum, which did not disappoint.

The Maritime Museum building also houses the International Museum of Slavery, a sobering but educational experience. NotSupermum and I joked that its slogan should be, "Slightly More Enjoyable Than Auschwitz."



Last but not least was the visit that NotSupermum, her beautiful greyhound Tessie, and I made to Crosby Beach, with its haunting art installation Another Place by Antony Gormley. Though the wind was cold and relentless that day, this was one of the highlights of the trip.



Next stop, London!